Tag Archives: Choose

2016 Word of the Year – Prepare – Marriage tools 1

This year, God has put the word PREPARE upon my heart for meditation.

Prepare ye the way of the Lord – as John the Baptist cried out.
Prepare for the storm/battle ahead – as in put on the full armor of God, as Paul exhorted the Ephesians.
Prepare to give an accounting for your days – as in Teach me to number my days that I may apply my heart to wisdom.

This journey is not mine alone, because I am not alone. I have been married to my husband for almost 36 years(this year). While we will stand alone before the Lord to give an accounting of our lives for Him, we do walk in this life together. What happens to me, effects him, and vice versa.

This past week, we have attended a Marriage Intensive, through the ministry of Michael and Amy Smalley. There is an online course, ReIgnite your Marriage. We decided to take a trip to the Houston, Texas area, and do one in real life. Our coach, Gil Martin, was amazing, and very well versed in the material, as well as the Life handbook, the Bible. I’m not going to tell you that it was easy. I’m not even going to tell you that Jim and I got all of our issues taken care of in this three day, 8 hours a day, session. What I can say is that these principles are based upon the Rock of Jesus Christ, and even basic conflict resolution skills and communication skills, but applied to the person in your life that can most easily get under your skin.

What I can also say is that this is preparation to move forward in our marriage. We’ve been given the tools. We’ve been pointed to the one that loves us enough to die for us, and asks us to live love for each other. By God’s grace, we can learn to move past 36 years of disconnection, and move together in HIS direction.

But that’s not what this blog is about.
As we were working through some of the material, I remembered one of the tools that Jim and I came up with years ago, and it helped us to connect. Why we stopped is probably why everyone stops doing something that works with their spouse – someone got angry, someone got hurt, and neither one knew how to get out of that cycle. While we did use this tool, we were growing together.

I’d like to share this tool with you.
P-R-A-I-S-E

First, we purchased a spiral notebook. I picked out some cutsey ones that had hearts on them, somewhere near valentines day.
Second, we chose individual colors. My color is blue, and Jim’s is red.
Then, we set aside time to meet over breakfast each morning.

P-PRAISE (GOD)

blue – Praise God from whom all blessings flow
I read mine to Jim.

red – Praise God who blesses us with every good thing
Jim reads his to me.
if there are questions, here is where we ask them.
(sometimes this gets even more specific, but this is the idea)

R-REVELATION (WHAT HAS GOD BROUGHT TO YOUR HEART TODAY?)

blue – Ps 15 talks about who shall abide in God’s tabernacle, ending with “He that doeth these things shall not be moved” while Ps 16 starts with “Preserve me O God; for in thee do I put my trust!” Even though the Psalmist was given a list of things with a promise, he knew he had to cry out for grace and help from God!

red – Ps 1 progression. blessed is the man that
walketh not – community circles
standeth not – social circles
sitteth not – at home

A-APPRECIATION (OF YOUR SPOUSE)

blue – thank you for coming to this intensive
red – thank you for giving me time to lie down

I-INFORMATION (SOMETHING THAT WE BOTH NEED TO KNOW)

blue – the spot on my neck is causing some headache pain
I have appointments almost everyday next week
we are meeting our friends sat at 8:30am

red – I have trips in the middle of the week
I have a presentation to prepare for
I need to study to retake a test

S-SUPPLICATION (PRAYER REQUESTS TO SHARE)

blue – healing for our ‘son’ in Ethiopia
prayers for friends dealing with cancer
Faith’s pregnancy and birth and plans

red – healing
tests
travel

E-EXALTATION (A SONG THAT THE LORD LAYS UPON OUR HEARTS)

blue – he that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high
shall abide under the shadow of the almighty…

red – the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he delights in his way…

Once we have shared back and forth, we then go to prayer together over the prayer requests, and any others. When we are done, we sing praises to God with the songs He laid upon our hearts.

This can take as long as an hour(I don’t think it ever has) and as short as 20 minutes or less.

There are so many way that this connects the two of us, and keeps us on at least a close similar page.

True confession – once Jim started traveling for his job, 3+ years ago, I was inflexible about how we would do PRAISE.
We tried it via email, but I missed the interactive part, and seriously, I wanted the pretty colored pages in the book for remembrance.
Via the phone didn’t work for me, because I really wanted to look into his eyes, and wanted him to look into my eyes!
Jim has worked on setting up video chatting, and really, that didn’t work so well until recently, with technological advances.

In order for this to work, both people need to disconnect from other things, and focus upon each other. That means, no computer, no tv, and no phone unless that is the device for the discussion!

This is just our take on various other versions of how to sit down and talk.

We’ve been to Marriage Encounter – and tried to learn to dialogue – but never got the follow up group, and we just never seemed to figure that out.

In this Smalley Intensive, they talk about LOVE talk.

There are many tools out there to teach conflict resolution, negotiation, communication, and respect. Pick one. Try it.

But understand, you are preparing for battle, and a storm is coming.
You aren’t battling your spouse,
but you are entering into battle with the one that comes to steal, kill and destroy.
Gather up some tools.
Practice.
and be PREPARED!

Me and My Love

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I want to thank Blue Letter Bible and Bible Gateway for the ability to search the Bible online.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

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This is the Day that the Lord has made? Really?

Psalm 118:24
This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Sometimes, this is how I feel about this verse:
(apologies to Prince William and Lady Kate!)

This is the Day(at the Royal Wedding)

I feel like I sing it slow, without meaning, without passion.
Why?
Because sometimes I wake up in pain.
Sometimes, I wake up to issues.
Sometimes, I don’t want to wake up! I want to roll over and go back to sleep.

What does it mean “This is the Day the Lord has made?”

I believe that it goes back to:

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

AND:

Genesis 1:5
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Do I believe this?

Yes I do.
Does it make my heart jump up and down with joy for the new day?
Honestly, not always.
Why not?
Honestly, I don’t always think about it – I take it for granted!
Why do I take it for granted:
It is part of my faith being, part of who I am as a Christian, it is a core belief that cannot be shaken.
If I believe it, why don’t I choose it? And, why does it matter?
What do I say I believe?

This is what I believe – what I confess – in a nutshell.

The Apostles Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.

As I said – this is woven into the fiber of my faith – without it, my faith foundation falls!

1 Corinthans 3:11
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Why does it matter?
Because Jesus said it does – believing is crucial!

John 20:29
Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

John 4:24
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Faith is crucial:

Heb 11:1-3
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
For by it the elders obtained a good report.
Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

Why does it matter?

Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

But – Why does this matter?
Because it is WHO I AM!
I am a Christian.
I am a “little Christ”
I am Christ with a little i!

When everything is stripped away from me – what is left?
I belong to Jesus.
I have been delivered from darkness into light.
I have been chosen.
I have been adopted into the Family of God.
My desire is:
In Him I live, and move and have my being!(Acts 17:28)

In one of the most honored sermons of Jesus, he says this:

Matt 5:11-12
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

James says it this way:

James 1:2
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

And I wrote about the James 1:2-4 experience!

WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Because I have a destiny:

Jeremiah 1:5
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Because I belong to God, bought with a price:

1 Cor 6:19-20
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Why does it matter?
Because there is a reason I was created:

Eph 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Why does this matter?
Because I am all I have to give to God.

Romans 12:1
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Why does it matter?
Because I’ve been given gifts, and I should be a good steward!

Romans 11:29
For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance

1Peter 4:10
As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
(1 Cor 12:4, Romans 12:6, Eph 4:7

Why does it matter?
Because I am not to hide my light!

Matt 5:15-16
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Because My God says He has a plan for me.

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

And why does it matter?
Because I believe!

Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, whofn have been called according to his purpose.

The point is, no matter what is going on – the One I believe in – the One I believe created the world – for that matter – the one that created me says to rejoice!

Psalm 118:24
This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

And when I really, truly meditate on what that means – this is the song that I sing!

The Answer to my question – yes, really.
THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE!
I must CHOOSE to rejoice!

Why is it a choice? Why is it a command to REJOICE or COUNT IT ALL JOY?
Because Faith is not stagnant – we have to choose.

I choose joy!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Naomi’s Heart Mission

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how many is too many?

How much is enough?

how many

how many, how much is too much?

Starting my continuing care medical appointments feels like too much.

But, how much is enough?

We live in an RV, but have lived in 2000+ sq ft houses.
We have had a new car…but now have older cars with all the bugs worked out of them.

Too much or too little?

I want to walk

I want to swim

I want to bike

I want to do body weight exercises

how many surgeries, injuries are enough? Too many? enough to get things to work well?

If I give all to the poor – ALL – if I have not love…I am a noisy gong.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though

I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 1 Cor 13:3

But that doesn’t answer my question. How much is too much? How much is enough?

GRACE
MERCY
FORGIVENESS
PATIENCE
LONG-SUFFERING …

The fruit of the Spirit!

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness AND Self-control.

The Love Chapter in the Bible.

love is patient
love is kind
love is not envious
not conceited
not rude

Think on these things:

whatsoever things are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy.

That is a lot to keep in mind….
Then there’s

modesty,
humility,
compassion,
actions and
non actions…
how to BE MORE than you ARE!

How much is enough?

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

In the work out realm…the balanced answer is:

just do one more than you did yesterday.

But am I able to accept that what I am doing right now is enough?
Probably not.

Am I able to accept that right now, my life is revolving around doctors – helping to fix the things that have been broken?
I’m trying.

Am I able to rest in the fact that Jesus died for me – and that believing in Him is all that is needed for salvation? The Bible Tells me so:

Rom 10:9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
(and Rom 5:9-10; Acts 16:31; John 3:16-17; 1 John 3:23)

But there are times that I think I should DO more…

And then, I think about the Apostle Paul. His life was rough.
But he writes and encourages the church to be content in all things.

Reading the list of things that he went through – I think, it is too much!
Reading the times of suffering want – I think, it’s not enough!
But, Paul says – it is enough – I am content.
HOW???

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Phil 4:13

Doing all things through Christ?

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;Col 3:23

So –

If I go to the doctor because I have not been miraculously healed – I do it through Christ and unto the Lord.
If I workout to strengthen my body – I do it through Christ and unto the Lord.
If I choose to dress in one way or the other – I do it through Christ and unto the Lord.
And if I go to bed, and I have done all that has been presented to me, I have attempted to be better today than I was yesterday, then I can be content.

AND If I stumble and fall – I have the promise that he will forgive, and pick me up – His mercies are new every morning.

How much is too much? more than I can handle. And He promised not to give me more than I can handle.

How much is too little? less effort than I can give. Less than what I have.

I’m not done with these thoughts…but this is a good place to close this for further processing.

Apparently, I need to work on being content.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or ‘like’ me!

If you like The WildBerry Patch, follow me with the RSS feed.

We have email subscription! And you can manage your subscription from the dashboard!
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

Naomi’s Heart Mission

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Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

Welcome 2014

I may be a bit strange…well, yes, I am peculiar….but I have a way of looking at the new year that sort of gets some folks down.

It is like a new salvation confession.

During December, in the midst of all the celebrations, I look at my life as if I am going to meet the Lord Jesus. Of course, that IS what folks supposedly celebrate on Dec 25, welcoming the Lord Jesus into their lives – but that discussion is for another blog!

I look at the Old year as, well, my old life….it is passed away by 2014…and I look it over as if I was preparing for my confession of Christ as my savior. Sort of like one would do before their public baptism.

What things troubled me last year?

What things needed help last year?

What were my weak areas?

What were, if any, my strong areas?

DID MY LIFE SCREAM JESUS EVERYWHERE I WENT?

Well, of course, there are times that our lives should just whisper Jesus – but the point is, did I shine the light of Jesus to those around me? Or did I hide my light under a bushel?

2013 was a year of recovery.

2013 was a year of acceptance.

2013 was a year of resting and leaning on Jesus.

Yes, I failed.

I failed in my consistency of blogging.
I failed in my consistency of painting.
I failed in my consistency of writing…or writing the books at all!
and those are just the public failures!

But were those my goals or God’s goals????

I was blessed to help out our daughter, Faith, around her baby boy’s birth.
I was blessed to enjoy a week of vacation with our son and his family here in Florida.
I was blessed to visit some ‘old’ friends in Ohio.
I was blessed to take a road trip with my daughter, Rachel.
I was blessed to go on some trips with my husband.
I was blessed to walk up FOUR lighthouses!
I was blessed to get to see two cousins that I hadn’t seen in years…one that was my ‘older sister’ cousin, and one that was my ‘younger sister’ cousin.
I was blessed to learn that milk and bread mess up my body and cause pain.
I was blessed to learn about alkaline ionized water, and how it benefits my body to enable me to do many more things with my chronic illnesses.
I was blessed to learn that I could choose my food…my food did not dictate or, rather, my emotions did not dictate my food.
I was blessed to learn that my husband and I love each other more and more than we did when we got married…with 34 years of experiences, good and bad, shared.

In all of those, I learned many things.

Did I get done the things I thought I was supposed to get done? no.

Some of that is my fault…some of that is what God brought down my path.

Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. (Ps 16:11)

I say I want to walk the path God gives me…that I want Him to lead me and be the light unto my feet, and the lamp unto my path…but

do I follow? or,
do I follow willingly? or,
do I follow unbegrudgedly? or,
do I whine? or,
do I embrace JOY? and accept HIS pleasures (listed above as blessings)?

The sheep don’t whine about following the shepherd.

Those that wander, he breaks their leg, so that they learn to stay near…

I have had several years of learning to be still….the last surgery was a HUGE be still lesson.

But, that was last year.

Just as someone that is going to their baptism, their public confession of Faith…that is in the past. When I confess my sins, he is faithful to forgive and to cleanse me of all my sins (1 John 1:9).

That is what my evaluation of last year is all about.

Then, 2014 – all things are new….I have been washed in the blood – and my time before me is NEW…just as after my confession of sin, and confession of the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior, I am a new creation…old things are passed away, all things become new(2 Cor 5:17)!!!

So, I start this year with some new goals…I’ll write about that in another blog. But, 1/1 seems to be a great time for a NEW start.

I will fail…but He is the glory and the lifter of my head(Ps 3:3).

I will succeed…but I am weak, success is because HE is strong(2 Cor 12:10)…

and I will flounder…I still live in this body of flesh…Romans 7

But I will work out my own salvation with fear and trembling(Phil 2:12)…I will press on towards the mark of the prize of the high calling of Christ Jesus…I will continue to run this race….because I know what is at stake! Eternity! 1 cor 9:24; Heb 12:1-2; Phil 3:14

BTW – every evening can be a re-eval of your day, and every morning can be a new day – weeping may be for the night, but joy comes in the morning.(Ps 30:5)

May each of my readers be blessed this year with a new and fresh knowledge of Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or ‘like’ me!

If you like The WildBerry Patch, follow me with the RSS feed.

We have email subscription! And you can manage your subscription from the dashboard!
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

Naomi’s Heart Mission

Sponsor a Child

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

What a Week – GRACE ABOUNDS!

In the last two weeks we have gone from settled into our trailer(RV) life in Spring, Texas, to wanting to possibly move it to Katy, Texas, to rethinking everything in our lives financially, and remembering our first desire of our life….to live debt free in glory to the Lord, and honoring His command to owe no man anything but to love him.

So…here’s the progression:

June 1-15, safely secure in our current situation – living in an RV in Spring, TX
June 16-17, find out about a new RV park in Katy,TX and discuss moving there!
June 17-24, financial digging – Katy does not make sense $$$, but, what about our desire to be debt free? (rent the same, studio +$150, drive rougher)
June 22-23, hotel suite in Austin – room, room, room- even Gabriel seems happier
June 24- Looking at Wildwood Forest Apartments – love, love, love! (two patios, facing lake, East and South sun, a studio 3x the size, for the same rent as RV lot and Studio/Storage)
June 25 – apply for apartment (called PPL RV sellers, they want the trailer by Saturday, free detailing, for their 4th of July sale! very excited)
June 27 – accepted – put in to move before July 1st – avoid rent at RV park
June 29 – move in and empty trailer (added to the going away party for those leaving for the Katy RV park – some day in the future, we leave tomorrow) And God blessed with a cloudy day and less heat!
June 30 – empty trailer – and drive through driving rain storms down to PPL (appraiser declares it EXCELLENT!)
July 1 – no trailer, no bed, no living room furniture – but we are in this beautiful apartment, in this beautiful complex, in obedience to the Lord.

We are praying that the trailer sells quickly, so that we are out of debt…AND with $1,000 extra that we may use purchase a bed.
But, God is not done with us yet!

On top of all of this provision…we are on the third floor.
In January, I was in a wheelchair!
I am able to walk up and down these stairs – yesterday, I did it twice!
AND walked a mile around this beautiful property!

On June 13th, I was rearended…went to the ER, and we were unable to find the police report until a week ago.
The insurance agent set up with me to meet on Monday, July 2…since we were moving.
On top of giving me the $120 out of pocket expenses, and setting aside the amounts to cover the medical – SHE GAVE ME $1000 FOR MY INCONVENIENCE!

The Trailer wasn’t even on the lot at PPL, and GOD had given us the $1000 for the bed!!!

Last night, we were discussing whether or not we would use one of the credit cards to purchase a mattress “just in case”
What were we thinking? Oh US of LITTLE FAITH!!!
We have now gotten totally free of the debt, and things we bought with debt because we wouldn’t wait upon the Lord…and before the trailer is even set onto the lot for the sale, we are talking about putting things back on a credit card?
AND IN THE FACE OF GOD PROVIDING TWO WEEKS EARLIER WITH A ROMANS 8:28 TYPE OCCURRENCE!

PRAISE GOD FOR HIS GRACE ABOUNDING IN OUR LIVES!
God is so quick to forgive, so gracious to allow us to be human, and to draw us nearer and nearer to HIM!
We both decided that WE WOULD NOT GO BACK INTO DEBT TO PURCHASE THINGS BEFORE THE VERY THING WE ARE SELLING TO GET OUT OF DEBT IS LISTED TO BE SOLD!
In fact –
We both recommitted to:

Romans 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

These weeks have been full of roller coaster rides, death of visions, renewal of visions and commitments, and connecting to each other to refine OUR vision of OUR life for Christ Jesus.
We have had to make some hard choices in order to choose Jesus instead of OUR plans.
The joy that we feel, even in this empty apartment, is indescribable!
Grace is definitely abounding to us!

Here’s some fun photos – and a youtube video!

Bye Bye Trailer, dropping it off at PPL

WildWood Forest – our apartment – top floor on the right

WildWood Forest

WildWood Forest

The fountain outside our apartment at night

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or ‘like’ me!

If you like The WildBerry Patch, follow me with the RSS feed.

We have email subscription! Or sign up for an account, and you can manage your subscription from the dashboard!
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

28 Days of Grace – day 24

Follow Up with Doctor
oops, nope….health and wellness doctor got sick!
So, work on the things I was planning to work on…online….and then, I thought I’d go paint.
Only, by the time I got the things done I was planning on getting done before my 2pm appointment…well, it was 1:30pm!!!

So – what did I do?
took Gabriel for another walk!
This was not as far…
This morning’s walk was .47 mi in 15:41 minutes(with doggy poo waiting involved)
This afternoon’s walk was .34 mi in 7:40 minutes. I was pushing the speed…and could feel the beginning of the shin spints on the right leg…BUT it was at 2.65 mph…the fastest since my surgery!

My goal? 4mph…is that possible with walking? I don’t know….
How has this yeast free program worked to help me in this?
Lowered inflammation TOTALLY!
My endurance is growing…and I’m not freaked out by the pains!

Eating…totally going paleo…I feel better than ever.

Is this like paying the price for heaven?
what? there’s a price that we pay?

YEPPERS!
Luke 14:35 and following….there IS a COST to discipleship!

And I am learning that the cost for health is just part of the cost of discipleship…because:

1 cor 3:16-17

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which [temple] ye are.

1 cor 6:19-20

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

I don’t belong to myself…except that it is my choice to whom I belong…and I choose to glorify God in MY body!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
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Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

28 Days of Grace – day 23

Furious!!!
I’m furious!!!

I have fought for over 50 years to be free of the garbage that abuse puts into every cell of a person, and today, someone that preaches a strong Godly message promotes domestic violence…because the photo is supposedly funny…AND ADDED THE BIBLE VERSE “TO BE BLAMELESS BEFORE THE LORD”!!!

So, what did I do?
go to my closet and pray?
well, that has never really been my style….
BUT – I have not always taken ON the person head on!

well, facebook to facebook.

Anyway – I took this man, and his friends, on…to stand for the respect and safety of women and children everywhere!

Has this come out of this 28 DAY process?
YES!!! Grace seems to breed courage!

To gain health, I must deny myself things that are not good for me(like ice cream, fresh bread, apple pie, pizza).
To gain health, I must do things that may be uncomfortable(like exercise, or cook)
To gain health, I must make different choices every day….because my old choices did not land me in a healthy place!

There is a saying…”To not decide is a decision in itself.”
How about:
To choose not to choose is a choice in itself.

There is also a saying that “to not move forward is to slide backwards…because there is NO standing still.”
Of course, there is the saying: Do or do not, there is no try! (Yoda)

I haven’t done this yeast free thing perfectly…in fact, I think I’m going to go for a second 28 day run…but I have failed forward.

I FAILED FORWARD!!!

Because I have been pushing myself forward…I have failed forward. All of my failings have been further forward than if I had never tried!

What does that have to do with the man and domestic violence?
A victim often is scared into silence, and lack of action.
A Victor is able to respond from a point of victory…and take a stand.
A Victor may fall down, but they are further ahead than the victim that hides in the background.

With my health…I have been a victim of false advertising, false medical care, and false hope.
I have taken that back, I have embraced the fact that I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR MY OWN HEALTH – and though that is scary…that is also VICTORY!

No one is going to put baby in a corner again!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or ‘like’ me!

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Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

28 DAYS OF GRACE – DAY 22! A NEW DAY!

Jim is doing a Level Up program through Nerd fitness….
and today’s post is AMAZING!

But it’s copy righted and for a private paid for group(I get bonus because I’m Jim’s wife).
But this is a quote that Steve quoted in this post:

Victor Frankl, author of the absolutely heartbreaking and yet incredibly positive “A Man’s Search For Meaning” once said:

“Those who have a ‘why’ can bear with almost any ‘how.”

Here’s my response:

Yes yes.yes…I’ve wanted a why for my whole life, and for our married life!

WHY?

and then, the what and how fall into place, or at least the what nots are more easily recognizable!

I’ve always had a WHY that pertains to EVERY Christian:

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Eph 2:10

walk in good works to glorify God!

WHICH GOOD WORKS?????

Obviously, the good works that ALL Christians are supposed to walk in…..
The Fruit of the Spirit – Ephesians 5, Galatians 5

The Number one Fruit – Love – John 13:34

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

The Whole Law – Matt 22:37-40

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

BUT WHAT DOES THAT SAY TO ME, SPECIFICALLY?
That gets into talents, hiding them, or investing them…

I wrote about that before…but the WHY for how to live, for me, is to glorify GOD!
The HOW and WHAT is all about investing the talents God has given ME to use for HIM.

And, there is another thought hidden in here for me….
“Love your neighbor AS YOURSELF.”

I HAVE SPENT MANY MANY YEARS NOT LOVING MYSELF!

Not taking care of my own health has been a self hatred behavior.

These 28 days of Grace…which was what I was begging and praying for to get through this Yeast Free program…has not just turned my body and health around…it has turned my heart and mind around.

I need to LOVE ME because HE FIRST LOVED ME!
And if GOD has decided to LOVE ME the way HE does…Who am I to argue?

Good food
Good exercise
Good prayer
Good fellowship….
Good life!

I CHOOSE LIFE!
God life!
And I pray that my life will glorify Him, as I learn my WHY, WHAT and HOW to walk in good works!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or ‘like’ me!

If you like The WildBerry Patch, follow me with the RSS feed.

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Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

28 days of Grace – day 21

Today has been a very rough day.
Many things in our lives have been placed up in the air this weekend…and we are struggling as a couple to figure out what WE are supposed to be doing, in light of GOD’s plan for our lives.

In the process of MY working things out…I called upon a friend to talk things out with me…so that I could figure out my own logic, heart, mind, emotions…and be able to present my position to my husband, Jim, without all the drama of emotions that ran throughout the weekend for and from me.

DID I BINGE IN THE MIDST OF EMOTIONAL TURMOIL????

BY THE GRACE OF GOD I DID NOT!!!

Food is NOT for settling emotional issues.
Food is NOT for comforting a broken heart.
Food is NOT for answering the tough questions.

Food is Fuel
Food is good for celebrations….and no, every moment of every day is not an option for food celebrations!

This weekend, we spent time eating out.
I CHOSE PLACES WHERE I COULD MAKE GOOD CHOICES!

I MADE THOSE GOOD CHOICES…though of course, they were not as good as if I had stayed home….but staying home forever is not an acceptable concept!

I didn’t even think about deserts at those restaurants! SERIOUSLY! AMAZINGLY! BY GOD’S GRACE, I AM STANDING!

And this is with deep despair, lonesomeness and feelings of abandonment and broken promises swirling around me and my husband.
This used to be Pizza and apple pie time, with ice cream.

This time, it was talk with each other, talk with God time!

I pray that, by the grace of God, I will continue to move forward in my life, with this relationship with food…fuel…that can taste good, but isn’t the fuel to make my life good!

My life is about my choices…and I choose to make food one of my tools, not to be ruled by food!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or ‘like’ me!

If you like The WildBerry Patch, follow me with the RSS feed.

We have email subscription! Or sign up for an account, and you can manage your subscription from the dashboard!
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

28 Days of Grace – day 19 – in the flow!

This morning, I woke up before Jim, and got dressed to take Gabriel out for his walk.
Before I was ready, Jim awakened, and offered to go with me.
As we walked, we made plans for the day.

I walked further than usual, and then asked him to walk up to the exercise room with me.
We walked in, and I tried my feet at the bicycle(first time in a year or more!) and he showed me a few exercises that I could get started with.
When we walked back, with full intentions of following OUR plans for the day, we bumped into some friends we hadn’t seen for a while.

These friends told us about a new RV park over near where I go for Physical Therapy. We had wanted a place in that area for any time that I might need extended care.
We decided to drive there right then.
But we were out of eggs, so we went to a restaurant, and I was able to order just eggs and meat for breakfast! And unsweet iced tea!

We were almost to this new RV park, and our friends from Katy(the area where the new RV park is located) called us.
These are the friends that we were not able to meet up with because of the car wreck. Their morning was open, for a change, and we were able to run on over.

Their daughter and son-in-law were home from Germany, and we were able to take everyone out for a welcome home lunch!
Kaley and Omar got to meet Gabriel.
We all got to sit and visit.
We went to a restaurant that I knew, and was able to ask for my salad per my needs, with a half a lemon and olive oil for dressing! And unsweet iced tea!

If Jim and I had not gone on the long walk, and had not walked into the exercise room, we would not have just bumped into our friends.
If Jim and I had not just taken off to head towards Katy, we would not have been in the position to say, Hey, let’s just drop by!
If Jim and I had not been open to the Spirit of the Lord moving across the waters of our plans, we would have missed the beautiful time we had with the Maben family!

Then,Jim was able to put together some of my meal plans for supper…for a wonderful turkey spaghetti, with black beans and grated goat Parmesan cheese! Absolutely delicious! Ah, but all out of unsweet iced tea! LOL!

Jim’s word? Serendipitous!
My word? Divine Intervention!

The truth? being filled with the grace of God to follow where HE leads!

Ps 37:23The steps of a [good] man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.

Ps 121:8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or ‘like’ me!

If you like The WildBerry Patch, follow me with the RSS feed.

We have email subscription! Or sign up for an account, and you can manage your subscription from the dashboard!
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!