100 Reasons to Lose Weight

I have heard that if you can list 100 reasons to do anything you are unstoppable. Well I need that motivation. I need to lose 1/2 of myself - well maybe not myself but my 1/2 of my physical body.  So here goes -

1.   So I can keep up with V on the playground
2.   So she doesn't have to find another way to speak since she was taught that "fat" is a word that can hurt someone's feelings (so true!).
3.   So I'm not gasping for air upon exertion
4.   Cuz my knees hurt
5.   Cuz my back hurts
6.   Health
7.   So I don't get sick when I see a photo of myself
8.   So I'm not the biggest person in the room
9.   I want to use the bonus space upstairs
10.  Lower my cholesterol
11.  Fit in an airplane seat without a seatbelt extender
12.  So I'not ashamed of myself
13.  I preach love your neighbor as yourself but obviously don't love myself
14.  I'm tired of my joints hurting
15.  I want to be here and active for a long time
16.  There is so much of the world I want to see
17.  I want Doug to love me again
18.  I love the feeling of strong muscles
19.  Prove that I can do it
20.  Feel worthy
21.  Be vigorous and active
22.  Exemplify that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and worthy of the best

It is the end of August 2022. I still need to finish this list snd become unstoppable. I was doing well and had dropped 30 pounds using Dirty, Lazy Keto. Then Mom became unwell and led to multiple Florida trips. I tend to eat badly while driving alone - I probably should explore that behavior but not right now. Mom died on August 9th. We all converged on Boca and spent 2 weeks reminiscing and sorting through and dividing her lovely things. I arrived home yesterday. And today I am exhausted. I have boxes to unpack but am sitting on the sofa almost in tears watching Julie and Julia and crocheting a scarf but not the much enthusiasm. 

The Young Can Teach Their Elders

So much for daily entries!  But a quick note to say how I am inspired by my granddaughter.  She was terrified upon entering the arena for her first gymnastics meet but rallied and won medals in each event and the team won 5th place overall.  We can overcome challenges!  Photos to come :-)

Weight Loss Journey Begins - Again

A friend, Doris, and I stopped at a fun quilt shop in Covington, VA a couple of years ago.  The owner uses very colorful fabrics and simple patterns to create fun quilts.  I took photos to inspire me to not be afraid of color and to just go for it!

This is the kind of inspiration I need to lose weight.   I just need to go for it!  I can't stomach the "before" photos but I know that I don't want to be the largest person in a photo anymore, a moose next to my diminutive mother.  I want to have more energy and to not hurt.  To feel stable and not worry about walking on uneven terrain to get down to the creek's edge.

Listening to an audio story in the car yesterday, one character commented to another that she obviously had a vitamin D deficiency because she was shaking and had several other symptoms - I did not catch them all but they sounded familiar.  My labs just returned saying the same thing.  In the little bit I researched about this, it is quite common for women of a certain age to have this issue and leads to weak bones among other things.  Being obese is one of the causes - something about metabolizing and  absorbing D.

Of course, the best source of D is sunshine.  I tend to be an indoor person, especially lately.  But I desperately need to find a way to exercise regularly.  DD and I joined the Y recently but neither of us has figured
out how to fit it into our overcrowded lives.  I am tired of paying money for things that I should be able to do on my own:  Y, WW, Plexus.  Need to cancel them all and walk and eat my fruits and vegetables and lay off junk food.  We all know how to do this, but I've not been able to do it. Maybe if I blog about it, it will help.

I need to put together Advent worship for chapel on Tuesday right now, but plan to write daily about this journey.  I need to figure out how one creates a list on Blogger that can be added to continuously because I need to write down 100 reasons to lose weight and get into shape.  I have heard (I think it was Brian Tracy in his Psychology of Achievement - or something like that) that if you have a 100 reasons to do anything you will be unstoppable.  That sounds good to me!

CIVILITY

A seminary friend posted a brief statement about civility and the hope for healing for our nation after this horrible election season.  I treasure our right to vote, but I wonder at the process. Who would want to run when they are scrutinized and torn apart day after day for months, even years?  Some of the best and brightest avoid running for this reason.

Personally, I am happy that Donald Trump is the President Elect as I did not like or trust Hillary Clinton but I am well aware of the passion of those around me who supported her. As our HR person said, people of color do not trust Trump.  I would have loved to support the first woman for president and certainly would have voted for Condelissa Rice but Hillary lied and 4 people died and she has no respect for the security of the nation or sanctity of our borders.  I do not appreciate Mr. Trump's lack of civility but I can't help be impressed with his business acumen and his incredible wife and children.  They do not look like people who were abused or disrespected, not that that excuses his volatile words.  

I pray for our nation.  God sets above us the leaders that are right.  I wonder how this applies to Hitler and Stalin?  Leaders can be for our correction as well as for our own good. But, in some way, God uses those that are in power to do His work.  Cyrus of Persia was called the anointed one, the messiah, yet he was a non-believer and a cruel king.  But he allowed the Israelites to return to Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity to rebuild the Temple and recover Jewish life.  God used who was in power to accomplish his purposes.

I pray for my friends who are horrified at the results of this election.That they do not lose faith in the country and that they find a way to support this man who worked diligently and at his own expense with the dream of making our nation better for all citizens.  

This is written by Tom Ertl a builder in Tallahassee, FL, a PCA Presbyterian.  For three decades he has wored with various Christian political organizations.  He is a former member of The Council for Fational Policy and has sat on various Christian ministry and political boards.  He is also a publisher of Christian historical and theological works and is a columnist for NewWithViews.

LETTER TO EVANGELICALS

Since the Trump video went public I have been hit with many emails and calls. One came from a close friend who is an Evangelical pastor whose name has been changed. My friend has always been an Evangelical Never Trumper.

Here’s my response:

Dear Joe,

Here is my response to your email entitled, “Trump’s Final Fail”:

You and many other “holier than God” Christian people are being played by the Establishment to suppress the Evangelical vote in order for Clinton to win the presidency. Do you not see this?

Joe, lay down your “sin meter” and look up to see the big picture. We finally have a candidate for president who is taking on the Establishment, the big banks, and multi-national corporations who are destroying our country, and you have your sin meter and microscope out dissecting Donald Trump’s life looking for sin.

This is the most critical presidential election in our lifetime that could change the direction of our country for a generation or more and you’re emotionally upset over a private conversation of Trump’s from 11 years ago!!

Joe, I am afraid if you were living in the time of Cyrus, King of Persia (559–530 BC), you would not approve of Cyrus being used by God to promote the covenant religion and the restoration of Israel. Your “sin meter” would have detected too much improper behavior and lifestyle in Cyrus and you would have worked against his campaign to send God’s people back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and city walls. You would have been blogging to the saints exposing Cyrus’ multiple wives, concubines, treatment of women, idol worship, and builder of pagan temples.

You and your following would have been left in Babylon resisting God’s great plan to bring His people back and to renew the nation and restore the worship of God. All because the vessel God had chosen in Cyrus was not acceptable to you and your self-styled religious standards.

God called Cyrus “His Anointed” (Isaiah 45:1) who did a great work for God and His people (Ezra 1:1–4), but you would have called him the “chief of sinners.” Why the difference??

Pastor, have you forgotten the story of Samson who was a judge of Israel and protector Gods people for 20 years? Samson, the morally flawed man with big hair, who drank no wine yet had a weakness for pagan women. I ask, how could a holy God use such a man and bless him as Israels most famous judge? Because Gods ways are not our ways.

After you complete your work to defeat Trump may I suggest that you start your new project to re-write Christ’s lineage in Matthew 1. For as you know that list is filled with way too many unacceptable sinners.

The lineage starts with polygamists, a prostitute, a user of prostitutes, an owner of a house of prostitution, two pagans, a murderer, and two adulterers. Then comes King Solomon with 700 wives and 300 concubines. This is all in the first 15 generations, no time for the remaining 27.

Added to this the writer of Matthew starts the lineage with two of the titles God gave His Son Jesus Christ, Son of Abraham and Son of David. The first had sex with his servant girl and the other committed adultery and murder.
I am sure with a little study you could bleach out a good 30% of the names in Matthew 1 and do the Church a great service!

Joe, the difference between God and you is that in your standard of holiness gauged by your “sin meter” automatically disqualifies men for unacceptable behavior. But, God is different. God, the great redeemer of sinful men is not afraid of human sin but delights in taking flawed men, redeeming them for His glory, using them for His purpose and plan in the earth.

The difference is that God is a God of grace, redemption and renewal; you are a Christian who has taken on the task to be an arbitrator of sin who decides if men’s behavior is proper enough for service.

Be not mistaken, I am not making light of sin. I, like you, am a lover of God’s Holy Law as a standard for all men. In no way do I write to excuse sinful behavior but I am attempting to understand the human condition in light of God’s providence. But, don’t use His Law to limit God and override His providence and plan. God works through time and history on behalf of his people and often uses very imperfect men to accomplish his plan. Let God do as He pleases and do not strive against the wonders of His providence.

Who of us can know the will of God and plan He has for our great country. But, can you not see He is up to something big in the candidacy of Donald Trump. Even bigger than Trump is the historic rebellion and political awakening pushing back against the ruling Establishment throughout much of the Western world. What we are experiencing in our country is also running through Europe. This awakening in unprecedented in our lifetime.

Joe, put your “sin meter” away and look up to see the great stirring that is going on before our eyes. In God’s mysterious ways He seems to be raising up Donald Trump for a reason. And does it not seem that this flawed candidate is committed and passionate to help our people, nation, and even the Church.

You do know that some of Trump’s top campaign people are committed Christians? Kellyanne Conway, Stephen Bannon, and David Bossie are all pro-life conservatives. Can we as Christian people ask for a better Vice-Presidential choice than the committed Christian Governor Mike Pence?

Remember our own history of the Early Church and the blessing of Constantine, emperor of Rome. Constantine the Great (272–337) had his share of moral issues of multiple wives, having one of them executed combined with a questionable personal faith. Yet he gave the Church in the Edict of Milan (313) its freedom and sanction and its greatest creed with his call to convene the Council of Nicea (325), over which he presided. 1700 years later this imperfect man as a civil magistrate and emperor of Rome is still considered the Church’s greatest champion. Could Donald Trump be a champion for the Church in our day?

I am sure if elected Mr. Trump will surround himself and his administration with many more capable Christian people who may end up as his closest advisors. His pro-life stance is the best we have seen in any Republican candidate. Add to this his excellent policy positions and potential Supreme Court nominees. Can we as Christian people ask for any more? The answer is no.

Trump has pledged to protect the millions of endangered Middle-Eastern Christians whose very lives are in jeopardy because of the war policies of the neo-conservatives under Bush, Obama, and Secretary Clinton. Maybe, just maybe, Mr. Trump could be a modern-day Cyrus and as president a great defender of the Christian religion and the Church. Only time will tell.

I suppose it would be a plus if Mr. Trump had the external character of President Jimmy Carter, who had one marriage, was a Southern farmer and Baptist Sunday School teacher. But, then again, Mr. Carter as president didn’t work out too well, remember?

The Carter/Trump comparison is an excellent example of the two-fold nature of a man’s character. Jimmy Carter was the first well-known “born again” Christian in our modern era to run for the presidency yet was one of the worst presidents. Carter had impeccable outward character of speech, fidelity, and humility, yet he greatly lacked in the internal character traits of what God intended for men. Trump on the other hand is often flawed in visible outward character but excels in his internal manly attributes. By internal standards, he exhibits tremendous alpha male characteristics of courage, fearlessness, and aggressiveness blended with a natural ability to lead people. These internal God-given traits are what would make Trump an exceptional president leading and protecting a nation.

Let me end this letter to encourage you in faith and practice to understand that God’s ways are not our ways and He often does things and works His plan with vessels we cannot understand. For who can know the mind of God?

Christian Regards,

Tom Ertl

Three short sentences:

BE AWARE ... 

 

When you vote for an incumbent, you
are perpetuating government as it is.  Nothing will change.

 

These three, short sentences tell you a lot about the direction of our current
government and cultural environment:

  
1. 
We are advised NOT to judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics,
but we are encouraged to judge ALL Gun Owners by the actions of a few lunatics.

Funny how that works. And here's another one worth considering.
2.
It seems we constantly hear about how Social Security
and Medicare are going to run out of money.   

How is it that we never hear about welfare or food stamps running out of money? 
What's interesting is the first group "worked for" their money, but the second didn't.

Think about it.....

&

Last, but not least:
3.
Why are we cutting benefits for our veterans - no pay raises   
for our military and cutting our army to a level lower than before WWII, but we are not
stopping payments to illegal aliens such as monthly payments for each child, money for
housing, food stamps, free education including college and the right 
to vote?

 

Am I the only one missing something?    If not, pass this along.

I received this in an email today.  I hesitated to post it to Facebook because of the barrage of hateful comments it would generate.  I just don't get it.  The truth is, I think that our government is making a bunch of crazy decisions.  

Judging all Muslims by the actions of a few is not fair; however, since the vast majority of terrorists are young Muslim men it would seem that some profiling is required.  If the Muslim community does not like it, they can police themselves.

Voting is a privilege and a right of citizens - and no one else.  All citizens have access to identification cards - being able to vote is more important than buying alcohol and an ID is required for that.  I don't understand the squabble over this.  

In recent years Social Security has been re-categorized as an entitlement.  This is an error.  Social Security is an inefficient way to help people save for retirement.  It has been shown many times that the same dollars invested in the market would have yielded many more dollars.  But the key thing here is that those that work pay into the system and reap some reward from it.  This is very different from welfare, food stamps and other programs that are not self funded.

The third sentence is obvious.  The military almost always get the short end of the stick.  They are a small minority of the population, have no union, and are an easy target for reducing expenses despite their service to our nation, often in dangerous locations.

Illegal aliens seldom pay into the system and collect paychecks that are frequently returned to their homeland (at least the majority of the dollars are).  I know the system is rigged and that business owners hire the illegals because they do not have to pay them as well and I don't have an answer to that.  But illegals cost all of us everyday.  Though it is a small thing, my husband points out that many are driving illegally and are uninsured.  If they damage a sign or a guard rail - you and I pay for it because they can't be found.  And if they hit your car - well you are out of luck!  Note to all - do NOT carry minimum insurance!

I want all people to be treated well and fairly, but I am feeling taken advantage of by the "system" the way it is rigged right now.  I cannot believe that in this nation of incredible people we have Trump and Hillary to choose between.  But I will say that despite Trump's mannerisms and obvious flaws, he is a successful businessman with lovely, productive children and a smart wife.  On the other hand, we have Hillary.  And she ordered the military to stand down and allowed an ambassador to be killed (and 3 others) then lied about it making up a story about a video.  She has no concept of how to keep confidential information after serving as Secretary of State.  She terrifies me.  Trump would be strange to have in the White House, but he isn't a crook.  I think fresh ideas sound like an incredible idea and I think he will surround himself with smart people.  That is how he has achieved success up until now.

OK - LET'S TRY AGAIN

Blackberry Lily - Heritage Plant grown from Monticello stock 

Feel like I need a place to write and express myself.  I know this is public but it is not quite as in-your-face as Facebook.  There is a lot on my mind about faith, health, quilting, grandchildren, well life in general!  

I am such a fortunate woman.  I've been privileged to be married to wonderful man for over 44 years who has provided well for our family.  We are not wealthy, but we have never been in need.  I've worked when I wish, but don't feel like I have to do so.  Both of our adult children live near by and have busy, productive and happy lives.  We have three incredible grandchildren.  The oldest just started at St. Andrew's University in Edinburgh, Scotland!  What an adventure he is on :-)  Our precious granddaughters live five minutes away and we are actively involved in their daily lives.  There is very little that can compare to their joyful "Grandma!" as they run and give glorious hugs :-)  I am so blessed.

Yet,  I've dug myself into a hole and am not quite sure how to get out of it. I am significantly overweight and I hate it. But not enough to stop eating.  And now exercise is becoming more difficult.  I'm embarrassed to walk around the neighborhood and it often hurts my back and knees.  I joined the YMCA and enjoy water aerobics but have had trouble fitting it into my crazy, busy life.  I'd love to feel strong and svelte again but have little inertia to get up and get going.  In fact, I've had trouble breathing lately though the docs couldn't find much that concerned them yesterday (praise God).

Doug has done really well after the major coronary episode four years ago though he has not incorporated regular exercise into his life either and the draw of chocolate chips gets us both at night - with or without ice cream! Now he is experiencing a low level of prostate cancer and we need to decide on a course of action. 

I often feel just too busy to do all that I want to do.  Yet, my role as a nursing home chaplain is amazing.  The other day one of the long-term residents told me that when he arrived at OLOH his heart was cold.  But that now it is warm; and it was because of me.  He brought tears to my eyes even though I know it is the Holy Spirit working in him, but I am the Spirit's vehicle and that is awesome.    Apparently he is unable to come to worship or join in any group activities, but he always has a smile on his face and devours devotionals and the bible every day.  I only see him when I make a special effort to do so and that is only a couple of times a month.  It is tough to be a part-time chaplain with program responsibilities!  I get to share with groups, but it is so hard to find the time to visit one-on-one and that is what I really love to do.  I know that God is using me, but I wonder if becoming a volunteer would be better for me.  I know that is what Doug wants me to do.

I decided I needed a break so have signed up to attend a quilt retreat at a local Christian retreat center the first weekend in November.  I have so many UFOs to complete!  And I signed up for a single room thinking some time to read and be alone would be a good thing after working with others all day.  I'd hoped for four days, but may need to resign myself to three so that I can take one of the girls to gymnastics on Thursday - besides it will be her 5th birthday!

Well, I am actually trying a new crockpot recipe today - a beef stroganoff made with a bit of apple juice.  Should run to Food Lion and get sour cream, but will probably use a bit of cream cheese - don't think I have plain yogurt.  I decided that I need to cook more often!  

I think I will start a series based on Sarah Ban Breathnach's Simple Abundance, a book from the 1990s that I've read daily for several years. Something about it intrigues me and maybe reflecting on her posts will help me move forward.  

I should be outdoors today enjoying the brisk air and pretty blue skies, but am loving the quiet time.  I may need to close the window though - it is only 62 degrees outside! It's funny, just writing this journal entry has helped.  I feel like I can go and do something - de-clutter, sew, fold laundry - and I felt stuck earlier.  That is good :-)  Now I just need to master blogger!