Monday

Hey Everybody! Natasha and I had a really wonderful time together last Friday, and spent lots of time talking about how we are going to help each other to continue on this weight-loss journey. We decided that we need a really strict counselor. So, who can be our counselor? Well, we decided that each of us will take turns each week being each other's counselor.

This week I am Natasha's counselor. I gave her homework to do and I am going to act just like a counselor would. Then, next week, it will be her turn! And she'll be able to get in my kitchen.

So, we'll see how this works. We are praying that the Lord leads us and gives us wisdom.

How about you? How have you been helped by a friend or a counselor in your journey to lose weight and honor God with your body?

~Claudia

Tuesday check in

Hello everyone,

Claudia and I have been at this for about 7-8 mos, and I know, speaking for myself, that I feel like I am stuck. I have gained/lost the same 15 pounds and want to break this cycle. I truly feel lost on what to do next. Praying, I know is the most important thing to do. I do believe that I have made some small life changes that I am still doing, but the scale is not showing it. I am exercising at least 3 times weekly. My blood sugar is in the normal range again, and I do watch my carb intake for that reason. But, overall, I would think that I should be losing weight. I have tons of weight to lose, so it is not like it's the last 10 pounds to go. I am frustrated. Journal my food, keep the calories under 1500, exercise, Urgh!!! Yes, those things must be done, yet I somehow keep missing it! What are we to do?

There is no answer it seems right at the moment. Claudia has been so supportive and encouraging, and the LORD has blessed me more and more as I have developed a deeper relationship with Claudia.

SO, here is my daily intake today...

Muffin 180
sandwich 250
chips 150
cheese 150
bread 80
cake 250
trail mix 150

Okay, not a balance diet at all..no fruit or vegetables..did not drink enough water...and I did not exercise today.

HELP!!!!

Wednesday

Claudia: 30 min. jog/walk with weights

coffee 70
waffles 300
cream cheese 50

salad 240
pepsi 200
low fat cheese 100

hamburger 460
fried rice 400

TOTAL 1820 -- NOT GOOD

Natasha:

Sunday Night

I have failed to share my exercise and calories the last few nights....I am very sorry. I've been a little laxidasical lately. I did pretty well exercising last week, and I enjoyed it so much. I jog-walked 5 days for 30 minutes and I just really loved it.

I actually gained 2 pounds from 2 weeks ago because when I went on vacation, I didn't eat well and hardly exercised. So, hopefully if I can keep up with these walks, and keeping my calories down, I can see a loss next Friday.

It's very difficult for Natasha and I to find the time and energy to post regular kinds of posts, like we used to do, because we're so busy. But we realized losing weight and getting in shape is the most important thing right now, so we thought holding each other accountable by posting our calories and exercise each day would help. So far it has.

God bless you all!

~Claudia

Thursday night

Natasha-

one hour aerobics
biscuit and cheese 300
2 pieces of toast 180
yogurt parfait 150
salad with cheese, almonds, croutons 700

Wednesday night

Natasha-

pudding 60
fiber one bar 150
(really need to change this up)
green pepper soup 120
crackers/cheese 150
yogurt parfait
1/2 panini
med. fry

Claudia-

30 min. run/walk with 2 pound weights for upper body workout (love it!)

coffee, 1 T half/half 35
1/4 c. grits, eggs, butter 130
grilled cheese 260
2 chicken tacos 380
tuna & cheese crackers 340
tiny cookie 40
popsicle & iced tea 50
1 small chocolate 40
popcorn 100
toast 90
TOTAL 1465

Tuesday check in

Natasha-

Pudding 60
cheese 60
fiber one bar 150
torpendo 790
chips 140
broccoli
1/2 panini 350 1550 exercise 1 hour aerobics 10 min swim

Monday Check-In

Claudia-
calories: 2 strawberries - 10?
1 sourdough toast with lite marg - 100
beef and rice - 500
3 small cookies - 130
Moe's Fajitas - 700
TOTAL 1440 - whew! no more food tonight!

exercise: 30 minute run/walk this morning--it was great!!

GOOD JOB On the EXERCISE - thank you!


Natasha-
cheese stick 70
pudding 60
fiber one bar 150
lean cruisine 440
hamburger/fries 590
popcorn 100 1410 total...about a 15 minute walk

YAY!

Sunday check in

Natasha- Swam laps for 30 minutes
cheese stick 60
fiber one bar 150
arby cheddar and cheese/small fry 918
turkey sandwich 200
pudding 60
chips 150 total 1538

Claudia

Tuesday Check-In

Claudia- 30 min. walk
calories: ?? I am on vacation! Not a good excuse, I know.

Natasha-

Wed check in

Natasha- walked 20 minutes

Breakfast- 100 calorie pack
150 trail mix

Lunch- 200 roast beef sandwich
75 chips
150 two cookies

Dinner 460 Mcdonalds chicken nuggets
380 medium fry

1515 total..bad choices though.

Claudia- no exercise except walking around the mall

calories- 1590

1 c. cereal 240
3/4 c milk 110
coffee, creamer 40
3 T sugar 50
more coffee 30
bagel sandwich 210
salad 50
candy 100
shrimp 30
pork, spinach, rice 500
kettlecorn 130
Mt. Dew 100

Tuesday Check-In

Claudia-

coffee, milk 40
waffles 150
grits, eggs 250
salad with 1/4 c. cheese 90
dressing 2T 150
1/4 c. shredded chicken breast 100
1 c. potato soup 250
3 small biscuits 100
1/4 c. potato soup 50
brownie 200
coffee 40
vitamin water 20

I totaled my calories at 11:30pm and got 1550
then I popped 1 sausage link into my mouth.

exercise: 15 min walk


Natasha-
100 calorie pack 100
trail mix 170
lean cruisine meal 230
fruit 120
lasagna 450
garlic bread 300
piece of choc 150
fruit 60

no exercise

Monday Check in

Claudia- don't know.
No exercise except walking around the mall shopping.


Natasha- 1825..no exercise except running after 6 kids at playground (so I heard!)
Must make better choices tomorrow. How are you doing Claudia? I plan to call you tomorrow at lunch time! Not doing too well, I am sorry to say. I will look forward to talking to you. Hope you're doing well.

Weekend check in

Saturday

Claudia- don't know.
Natasha- 1520 and swam 800 yards and walked 40 minutes



Sunday

Claudia- don't know. Not doing too good. Haven't been writing anything down. Thursday I weighed and was up 2 lb. so I'm a litle discouraged. Natasha was down SEVEN pounds on Friday. She is awesome. She also kept her calories under 1400 most of the time, whereas I always went over 1500. I didn't exercise nearly as much as she has been either.


Natasha- 2000...bad eating day
no exercise

Friday Check-In

Claudia- 1600
exercise- none

Natasha- 1500
exercise-none

Thursday night

Claudia- 1550
exercise- 15 minute walk


Natasha-1350 -- Natasha, you are awesome!
exercise- one hour water aerobics

Wednesday check in

Claudia- 1300-1500?? Sorry that I have not been accurate the last couple days. When I total up my calories, it's 1300, but it feels like I've eaten more than that.

exercise- none. again.

Natasha- 1350
no exercise. Too tired..muscles too sore..

Tuesday Check-In

Calories: Claudia- 1540 (ate too much at dinner, went over, and now I can't have my evening snack)
Natasha- 1330
Exercise: Claudia- None yet.
Natasha-60 minutes water aerobics, 375 yard swim

Monday Check-In

Happy Monday everybody! Hope you all are doing well and controlling your eating and enjoying Christ!

Calories: Claudia- don't know??? I ate 560 before we left the house, and then we went to Golden Corral (I ate lots of salad and veggies, and a little shrimp, steak & banana pudding). I think it's safe to say I have eaten my fill : ) I won't take any chances, and I feel very satisfied right now.
Natasha- 1650..but it was all healthy..veggies, fruit and meat. I went over because I had added sunflower seeds to my salad and had some soy nuts..so it was healthy fat that I went over with.
See how I am trying to make it sound better! Hope you are walking right now Claudia! Let's talk tomorrow..

Exercise: Claudia- NONE. Maybe I'll go walk right now and come back and change that------>> I did walk! Only for 15 minutes, and it was very slow b/c my tummy was still full, but at least I did something : )
Natasha-30 minutes on ellipitcal trainer. very tired!

Check-In

My new goal is to eat all that I'm going to eat before 9pm.

Calories: Claudia-1430 , Sunday 1530
Natasha- 1580...getting closer , Sunday 1505...even closer

Exercise: Claudia- 30 minute walk, Sunday none
Natasha-30 minute cardio, Sunday 25 minutes weights

Remember that we cannot control things in life and letting God take care of it is FREEDOM!!

Also, we can control how much food we chose to eat and the amount of exercise we do a day!

Long time

Hello everyone.

We are truly sorry for our long absent from posting on our blog. For myself, I think I was taking this time to become totally self-absorbed and not being willing to keep up with my eating program. While I did to continue to exercise and enjoy that, I just did not want to make the effort to eat healthy. To practice self-control. Claudia and I met really early this morning after having a two week break of not meeting. IT was a great time of prayer and to reset some goals. First, I must be in the Word daily. I must be in prayer daily, througout the day. And we also will be posting our calorie intake every day. So, here is my number today..Not too good.. 1850.


My calories for today: 1640. Our goal is under 1500 every day.
~Claudia

We are here, and we are alive (barely)

Hello Friends! Yes, it is actually us, Claudia and Natasha, reporting in again to give you a quick update. Sorry it's been so long. I (Claudia) have 2 sort-of "jobs" now and it's just crazy how busy and hectic it has been for me. I hardly have time to breathe. And when I do breathe, it's very erratic breathing. I am serious, I just go a mile a minute from one thing to the next, and then I just crash at the end of the day.

So, I hope you'll forgive us! Natasha and I have been doing very well meeting together each week and praying together, but these last 2 weeks we have not been able to meet, and haven't even talked on the phone much, so we feel very disconnected right now.

Not a good thing.

This week, we are getting together again and hopefully get back on track.

I hope you all are doing well! Thanks so much for your faithfulness!

Blessings and peace,

Claudia and Natasha

So sorry for the Silence

Hey Everyone! Just wanted to pop in and say Hi! So sorry we haven't been around. As for me, I have been incredibly busy and then when I think about posting, I am just too pooped!

As an weigh-in update, I gained a pound and Natasha lost a half pound. Don't ask me how I gained...I have no idea. I thought I did really well. I walked 30 min/day, 5 days/week. I do know one thing, though. My scale really stinks. I get a different weight everytime I step on it. So I have to step on it like 10 times and pick the most consistent one. Not good. But, I am still in the 190's, so all I know is, I need to get it down to the 180's!

I hope you all are doing well and staying faithful to our awesome Lord Jesus Christ.

Love,

~Claudia

How Fast Can You Type??

92 words

Typing Test

Weigh in and Praises

Claudia and I did well this past week! We both had a loss on the scale. Claudia lost 2 pounds and I lost three. Praise the LORD!!!

We both have been faithful to exercising our bodies and trying to be diligent in keeping track of our food intake.

This past week something happened that forced me to work out in the morning. It was a huge blessing in disguise. I used to work out in the morning before work many years ago. I had been wanting to try that routine again but I had all these anxieties about working out. Would the gym be busy? How many people would be getting ready at the same time? Way too many doubts and not trusting God enough when He placed the desire in my heart to return to the mornings. Wow, it has been great! I feel much better throughout the day. I do not get so stressed, I make better food choices. I have no excuses to stop myself at the end of the work day convincing myself not to work out. I am open to take on projects in the evenings. It is wonderful!

What do you think about working out in the morning verses the evening?

Natasha

Anchor Friday

Thank you, Joan, for your post for Anchor Friday. If you haven't read her post yet, please click above and read it!

Eating is the most basic necessity of life, and so there are a multitude of references to it in the Bible, and as Joan said, God has had a lot to say to His people about it. It is not an easy thing to conquer the lusts of our bodies, overeating being one of them.

1 John 2:16 For everything in the world-- the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-- comes not from the Father but from the world.

Philippians 3:19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.

1 Thessalonians 4:4 that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable,

I just did a search on lust, stomach, and control, and these are the verses I found that really struck me.

We need to remember that we are not of the world anymore, if truly the love of God is in us, and that we belong to Christ now. That lustful, gluttonous person that Claudia used to be, no longer is. She has been set free. I am now a child of God, and a slave to righteousness. And if I find myself living according to my old nature, it's only because I consciously choose to.

Let us learn to control our own bodies in a way that is holy and honorable!

~Claudia

Emotional Eating - confession time

Hi Everyone,

Since this is Natasha's and my online journal, which we have invited you to read, there are times when I just sign on, and just dump. This is one of those times.

I had a little altercation today with someone close to me and I got upset and angry. So, I went to the refrigerator and ate some chocolate chip cookie dough--about 6 spoonfuls. I am still ruminating. So I thought I'd let you all know, and ask you to pray for me.

Thank you so very much!

P.S. I have walked 3x this week so far (yay), and I was going to walk again today but time got away from me and I got busy, and then this thing happened....maybe I'll get a chance to do it tonight.

P.S. did I use that word 'ruminating' right?

Food Talk on Girl Talk

I don't know how many of you have ever been to GirlTalk.blogs.com, but it is a really great blog for Christian women. Very solid. They did a "food talk" series a couple years ago, which I am just now discovering, and thought you might be interested in it too! Topics include healthy eating, exercise, bulemia, anorexia, obesity and more. All from a solidly biblical perspective.


http://girltalk.blogs.com/girltalk/2007/10/foodtalk-with-k.html

Here's a short little bio of the writers:

One-Line Bio
A mother and three daughters who love the gospel and aspire to biblical womanhood.

Biography
Carolyn Mahaney is a wife, mother, homemaker, and the author of Feminine Appeal and Girl Talk. During her more than 30 years as a pastor’s wife, Carolyn has spoken to women in many churches and conferences, including those of Sovereign Grace Ministries, which her husband, C.J., leads.

C.J. and Carolyn have three married daughters and one fourteen-year-old son, Chad.

Nicole Whitacre is the wife of Steve Whitacre, who serves as the youth pastor at Sovereign Grace Church of Fairfax. They have a four-year-old son, Jack and a five-month-old daughter, Tori. Nicole co-authored Girl Talk with her Mom.

Kristin Chesemore and her husband Brian are the busy parents of three boys. Andrew is seven, Liam is four, and Owen is three. In the little spare time she does have, Kristin supports Brian in his role as a pastor in Family Life Ministries at Covenant Life Church.

Janelle Bradshaw and Mike have been married for four years. Their beautiful daughter Caly turned one in February. Mike serves as a pastor in Children’s Ministry at Covenant Life Church.

Together, the girltalkers have recently published a new book: Shopping for Time.

Need encouragement

I first want to say great job on your walking daily Claudia. Unlike you, I have not made the time to exercise, and my eating has either been really good or really bad depending on the meal/day.

I spent time in prayer today and realized that sometimes we work so hard at earning grace, salvation, holiness and we don't have to. Let me explain...I know we are to strive for these things, but sometimes I feel like I am trying to earn them from God, not just thanking and praising Him for these things already. I get so focused on myself, my victories, my failures, not on how AWESOME He is. How Jesus has completed the work already. How God just desires a relationship with us. I am a sinner, and will be this side of heaven. He knows that, He is not surprised by it. However, He expects us to give Him our all. Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' Matt 22:37. I get so wrapped up in DOING things and not just ACCEPTING His free gift of His Son. If I would spend half the energy that I do with obsessing about myself and would be at His feet instead, I would fall more in love with my Lord and Savior. I would desire to please Him more, it would be more natural to do that.

What are your thoughts on that?

Thanks for reading.

Natasha

Mid-Week Check-In

Hey Everyone,

I just wanted to tell you all that I am praising the Lord because I have been exercising everyday this week so far. I have enjoyed taking a 20 minute walk everyday since Saturday. I try to walk quickly and briskly to get the most out of it. Tonight I went a little longer, and actually sweated. I never sweat. It takes a lot to make me sweat. And it was chilly out!

So, I just wanted to stop and publicly give God praise for helping me to make this a priority in my life!!

~Claudia

Anchor Friday

Sorry for the (yet again) late Anchor Friday post. It's been a busy weekend and the time that I did have I took the opportunity to relax and do nothing! I don't get to do that very often. But, thank you Joan, for your faithfulness to post every Friday! It was a great post. Check it out!!

Weigh in

Happy Valentine Day! Claudia and I had a good week, with a one pound lose for Claudia and two for myself. This is definitely a huge Praise! We are both still working through many kinks in this journey. Claudia was not feeling well physically this week and was not able to exercise much. She is trying to get back into that routine. I did exercise 4 days this week, and felt wonderful. Of course, working out takes time and I find myself staying up later and not sleeping enough. It is a combination of having adrenaline from working out and trying to get all the other things done that I would have done in that time I was exercising. I used to go to the gym in the morning before work, which is like 5a.m. But, I didn't do anything in the evenings then. I would go home, eat dinner, watch t.v. Now, I have a house to maintain and church activities, and most important my personal time with God. Then, there is t.v. and many shows to catch up on. So, I am praying and seeking how to manage my priorities and time.
Another struggle both of us are having is journaling our food intake. That is just pure laziness on both of our parts. No excuses. We need to be more diligent about this. Studies also show that people are more successful at weight loss when they journal their food.

Claudia and I are so grateful for those who read this. We are praying for you!

Praise you Jesus!

Natasha

Sick today

Hey Everyone,

Natasha and I agreed that we would take turns posting every other day, but I have been so sick yesterday, and mostly today. So I just wanted you to know, and since I'm not doing anything except lying down, I am praying for all my friends, including you!

God bless,

~Claudia

Weigh in for Natasha and Claudia

Hello. This week Claudia lost one pound and I stayed the same. We are in the midst of changing our scales around, so we will truly see the new number next week. Isn't it funny how we have tricked ourselves into believing or trusting a certain scale even if other scales do not say the same. For example, my scale is about 3-5 pounds lighter than my doctor's scale. OF course, I am upset when I see the doctor and that scales says 5 more pounds. Like it makes a difference, being that I am still 150 pounds overweight. Like my doctor isn't going to yell at me if he would have seen what my scale said that morning.

The point is, I am way off the mark in my weight. I have confessed this week to Claudia that I didn't even try to fight my flesh this week. I just ate and ate. Whatever, whenever, however. So, now after reading some of your posts, I am encouraged and realize that I must get serious again about this. It is a sin. I am truly tired of feeling miserable. I hate how I look and want to be healthier.

Thank you for your encouragement! You are truly a blessing!

Natasha

Anchor Friday - Discipline and Integrity

Happy Anchor Friday to you all! I just read Joan's post and it was great. It's hard to be transparent and honest, but, as I am learning, that's the way to grow and change! So, thank you Joan, for opening up to us, your fellow bloggers ; )

Joan picked out some great verses from Proverbs for us. I always love it that she uses the NLT. I don't have that version at home, and it's nice to read from it from time to time.

10:17 People who accept discipline are on the pathway to life, but those who ignore correction will go astray.

It is so hard to accept discipline from the Lord. But, He is our loving Father, and when He sees us rebelling, He disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness (Hebrews 12:10).

This is something I thought about alot this week....my Father loves me. He really loves me. And that is why He disciplines me. He wants the best for me. He wants me to share in His holiness. How awesome is that?? Me?? A sinner, who hated God, rebelled against Him, rejected Him....and yet, He loved me. And He continues to love me. So much so, that He will spare no expense (including painful discipline) to make me holy, like He is.

But, if we ignore His correction, what will happen to us? We will go astray. We won't share in His holiness. We will continue to follow our sinful flesh and will not experience His blessing. We'll be racked with guilt and shame and we'll be left feeling like hypocrites.

Is that what we want? No. So, when your Heavenly Father corrects you and disciplines you, do not ignore Him. Do not shrug Him off. Accept His correction with humility and thankfulness, and expect God to do something awesome.

10: 29 The way of the LORD is a stronghold to those with integrity, but it destroys the wicked.

If we do accept God's correction, guess what will happen to our character? It will develop an awesome thing called, "integrity." When I was a teenager, I heard a youth leader explain integrity to us like this, "Integrity is what you do when no one is around."

That has always stuck with me. If I can obey Christ, and surrender myself to Him at home, when I am by myself, then I have integrity. And when I have integrity, the Lord is my stronghold. I am protected! I am strengthened. I am safe. It's not easy for the world, the flesh or the devil to get in and hurt me.

That's what we want, ladies. Let's keep that goal in our sights when we are at home alone in front of the TV with chocolate chip cookies calling our name from the kitchen. Or when we are in the potato chip aisle at the supermarket and you don't recognize anybody around you. Keep it in your mind that if you resist sin in this moment, and in the next moment, and tomorrow, and next week, God will become your fortress and your protector and it will be easier and easier for you to resist temptation.

I want to hear from you. I want you to comment and share with us what particular thing you know you will face this week that will make it hard for you to be a woman of integrity. Share it with us (be specific), and Natasha and I will pray for you this week. And then you can come back next week and let us know how it went!

Can't wait to hear from you!

~Claudia

Checking In

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted. I feel really bad about it! And I've missed it. There's just always so much going on in my life, and there are certain other issues to tackle that take me away from this arena sometimes.

So, I just wanted to say hi, and tell you I'm doing "okay." Natasha got us new dieting journals that I really like. We're back to writing everything down again, because we (*I*) need to be more disciplined and more accountable.

I have NOT been exercising! My goodness. It's crazy. I'm feeling pretty yucky because of it, too. Even though I'm eating a little better, when I don't exercise it just leaves me feeling blah.

I weighed 2 days ago and was down 1 pound from last week, but not sure what the scale will say Friday. We'll see! And hopefully I'll get back on the bandwagon here, and do my weekly weigh-ins and Anchor Fridays.

God bless you gals!

~Claudia

Obedience vs. Disobedience

Life is happening! Life is full of choices. Each day we are faced with many decisions and challenges. Some choices are minor, should I wear my hair up or down? Other choices are more life-altering, such as do I stay at my job or look for another one? Do I eat another candy bar or is two enough?
As I continue reading "Pursuit of Holiness" by Jerry Bridges, he makes a good point that leaves me very uncomfortable. He notes that sometimes when we make a decision and choose the wrong choice (like the third candy bar), we like to think of it as a failure to our temptation. We like to play the victim. In reality, we are being disobedient. I hate when I am slapped in the face with the truth. I can no longer be the "victim". When I know my choice is wrong, I am being disobedient. I have not failed; I am being rebellious. I know the right thing to do, I understand it, I have been convicted of it! It is disobedience. Plain and simple.

I must remember this! I really do not want to, but Jesus tells us in John 14:15, If you love me, you will obey what I command. If I truly love Him, I will obey Him. Even when I do not feel like it.

Praise you Jesus!

Natasha

Anchor Friday - Commitment vs. Surrender

Click above to read Joan's post. She's using some Proverbs this week to help her to press on in her weigh-loss journey. Wisdom - that's what we need to help us make the right choices!

I would like to talk today about the idea of commitment versus surrender. I've been reading Nancy Leigh DeMoss's Trilogy - Brokenness/Surrender/Holiness - and it's so good. She mentioned something that I'd never thought about before. She said that in our country, the idea of "surrender" to the Lord at some point started to get sort of unpopular, and in the church people wanted something more palatable, and came up with the idea of committing yourself to God instead.

If we say we commit ourselves to the Lord, it still sort of leaves us with the feeling that we are in control. We are the one who controls our own commitment level, intensity, etc. But the idea of surrender is different. When we surrender ourselves to the Lord, we are saying, "I belong to YOU, Lord! I am not my own. I am your bondslave. I give up all my rights, and I submit myself to YOUR authority to do as You will in my life."

I think that is a very important distinction to make in our relationship with Christ. Are you committed to the Lord? Or do you surrender yourself to Him? Your life, your heart, your mind, your thoughts, your words, your choices, your desires, your behavior.

Surrendering to the Lord is like giving God $1,000. You can give it to Him all at once, and lay that $1,000 bill on the table and say, "There! I give this to you Lord!" It's a one-time surrender. Or, you can give Him a little everyday. 25 cents here, 50 cents there. $2.00 here, $10.00 there.

Which is easier? Which is better?? The kind of surrender God is commanding us is a daily surrender of our choices in life. Today, you may need to surrender by not saying that nagging word to your husband. Tomorrow, there may be a single mom who needs gas money to get to church. Next week, you may need to stay off the computer, and spend some time in God's Word!

Whatever it is, think of your relationship to Christ as one in which He is the Master, and you are the bondslave. And when you do His bidding, He has nothing but blessing, love, comfort and peace to pour out on you!

What area of your life do you need to surrender to the Lord? If you say, "My eating and exercise habits" then, my question is more specific to you, "What area of your eating and exercise habits do you need to surrender to the Lord?" Do you need to surrender to God by asking your friend to be your accountability partner, even though you do not relish the thought of allowing someone into that area of your life? Or, the next time you get into an argument with your husband, do you need to surrender yourself to the Lord instead of running to the refrigerator?

Whatever it is, think really hard about it. Take some time to write it down. Blog about it. Ask someone to help you. And when that situation comes up, STOP, and say, "I am Yours, Lord! I give myself to You in this moment. I have no right to go and do what my flesh wants to do! I will do YOUR will, no matter what it costs me."

That is surrender. Don't make "commitments" to God. Surrender to Him. Offer your body and mind to Him. Day by day, moment by moment. Surrender to Him, and get ready to experience His blessing!

~Claudia

God's promise

Today was another great day with the Lord. He is so amazing and filling. I always underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit. And that is knowing the very little amount that I understand, I even underestimate that. After reading more of His word today, I am always and truly amazed how it is LIVING. The Word is sharper than a double edge sword and pierces. He is constantly revealing Himself, if we are willing to open ourselves to Him. Claudia and I discussed how on this journey with Lord, He has opened some many other areas in our lives that He wants to change. This is so much more than just a "diet" and a "weight loss" adventure. Yes, an adventure. I am sensing that God doesn't really care how I look on the outside, but where my heart is. He wants to refine my faith. As I realize how much my sin of gluttony separates me from my Savior and how He desires me to move forward with Him. To move onward to fulfill His will for my life. To move away from my self-centered ideas, and to be more Christ-centered. To experience His delights and steadfast love, even when I fail.

Praise you Jesus.

Natasha

Victim vs. Victor

I am completely using my title from listening to a sermon on the radio this morning by Pastor Greg Laurie. He talked about our choices every day when facing temptations to either be the "victim" or "victor". He used 1 Corinth 10:13," No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." He went on to say that God promises in every temptation to give us a way out. And if we are honest with ourselves, when we look back at those moments, we can see there was a way out. For example, this past weekend, I could have chose to call Claudia. I could have prayed. I actually had to make a choice to go to the fast food restaurant to get food and the grocery store to get junk food. I could have stayed home and ate the right foods. It was actually physically easier to make the right choices, but mentally and spiritually easier to sin. To refuse God's help.
Then, this past morning, God revealed another promise in His Word. Psalm 37:23-24 The steps of a man are established by the Lord , when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.

Praise you Jesus!

Natasha

Natasha weigh in

Hello, it has been awhile since I posted. I have been not too good this weekend. After spending the whole Christmas season without touching anything that was not of a nutritional value, I started eating junk food again this weekend. What started it? My own selfishness, my own desires and my own pity party. After weighing in on Friday with a plus two, Claudia gave me a very encouraging talk. Sometime that evening, I decided,"What is the point of eating well, asking God for strength and exercising if the scale was going to not reflect in my favor. Never mind that I was offering my food choices and time to God, I decided I need to take control again. HORRIBLE MISTAKE. I have been out in the wilderness here eating whatever and whenever I want. I am depressed, no desire to talk to God or to read His Word. Tonight, I opened the blog up and read our memory verse. It was like water to my soul, I have asked God to forgive me and am humbling myself to write about my pride. God promises new mercies everyday. Thank you Lord for your faithfulness.

Natasha

90in09

Memory Verse of the Week

Natasha and I decided to have a memory verse to work on each week. This past week we memorized Galatians 6:8-9....let's see if I can do this from memory....

the one who sows to the flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up.

Is that right? Let me check....
I messed up a little, here are the corrections:

"The one who sows to *his own* flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. *And* let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up."

So, Natsha and I failed to pick another verse to memorize, so I am proposing this one that I found in the Psalms:

How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
Psalm 36:7-8

I love verses that use food and drink as an analogy of our relationship with God. The Bible is replete with them, Old Testament and New. And how fitting, since we struggle so much with food. It shows me 2 things: 1-God did give us food to enjoy, and we can glorify God by actually enjoying our food! 2-the enjoyment and satisfaction I get from food is NOTHING compared to the enjoyment and satisfaction that I get from Jesus Christ!

So, would you like to join with us in memorizing God's Word? As I said in an earlier post, that's the only way we're going to be able to fight temptation and gain victory in this area of our lives.

Please comment and let us know if you'd like to memorize this verse with us!!

Anchor Friday

Click here to read Joan's great post:

Claudia's Weigh-In

Well, I haven't weighed in for 2 weeks now. I have not been doing too well. Just being lazy and laxidasical. I don't have near the determination that Natasha has!! She has just been so awesome.

I stayed the same last week, but gained 1 pound this week. Natasha's got me on a new diet, one that has worked for her this whole time, but I've been puttering around with other diets. So, I think it will help for us both to be on the same one. I need to get back on the exercise bandwagon too!!

~Claudia

Anchor Friday - Resolved

Here is Joan's post for this week's Anchor Friday:

On a dark night at sea, two lights were approaching each other. As they continued to get closer, the captain of a ship sent out a message: "Recommend you change course." The immediate reply came back: "Recommend you change course!" The captain, being somewhat miffed, signaled again: "This is CAPTAIN Smith. Again, I recommend you change course!" The reply came back just as quickly: "This is SEAMAN Jones; I recommend you change course!" By this time the captain was reaching the limits of his patience. He ordered an immediate, uncompromising message: "I am on a U.S. battleship. I order you to change course!!" to which the reply came back: "I am on a lighthouse. I recommend you change course."

Resolved! I can be pretty stubborn in my sin. Sometimes so stubborn that I can't change course even when I know I'm headed for danger.A new year is a time to set your course and look back where you've been and to look forward to where you want to go. I can see the horizon ahead and it holds promise and possibility. I know that storms await me and I know that I am stronger now. I am ready to make the journey. I am resolved.I am resolved to make my goal weight this year. I am resolved to spend more time in the word, more time praying and less time obsessing about food. I am resolved to share what I learn with others and to encourage others. I am resolved to hang on to the Anchor!The new year is full of promise. A clean slate. What will you do in 2009? What changes do you want to make? Do you need to change course?

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
Hebrews 10: 23-25 (New Living Translation)

Almighty God, I confess that without you I cannot make this journey. I need your guidance, strength and perseverance. Fill my sail with your Spirit and keep me in your will. Help me to discern what is danger and what is the lighthouse. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Thanks Joan for that great post. Here is Martyn Lloyd Jones from Spiritual Depression. Let's put 2008 behind us, and look forward to an awesome 2009 with Christ!

"Would you like to be rid of this spiritual depression? The first thing you have to do is to say farewell now once and forever to your past. Realize that it has been covered and blotted out in Christ. Never look back at your sins again. Say: ‘It is finished, it is covered by the Blood of Christ’. That is your first step. Take that and finish with yourself and all this talk about goodness, and look to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is only then that true happiness and joy are possible for you. What you need is not to make resolutions to live a better life, to start fasting and sweating and praying. No! You just begin to say:

I rest my faith on Him alone
Who died for my transgressions to atone. (35)

Desiring God Blog

Hey, I am sending a shout-out for the DesiringGod.org Blog. It has Bible Reading plans for the new year, AND the Crazy Idea of FASTING in '09! Wow, if that wasn't written for us, I don't know what was. Check it out!! (Esp. you, Natasha!)

~Claudia

I'm in Need of Resurrection

What a song to start the New Year off with. Resurrection by Nicol Sponberg. Followed by the Robbie Seay Band and "New Day."

The Lord is so good....everyday is a new day, and every year is a new year! So please allow yourself to have a few minutes alone and quiet as you listen to these songs and read the lyrics.....I hope they minister to you the way they do to me.


I'm at a loss for words, there's nothing to say
I sit in silence wondering what led me to this place
How did my heart become so lifeless and cold
Where did the passion go?

When all my efforts seem like chasing wind
I've used up all my strength and there's nothing left to give
I've lost the feeling and I'm down to the core
I can't fake it anymore.

chorus: Here I am at the end
I'm in need of resurrection
Only You can take this empty shell and raise it from the dead
What I've lost to the world
what seems far beyond redemption
You can take the pieces in Your hand
and make me whole again, again

You speak and all creation falls to its knees
You raise Your hand and calm the waves of the raging sea
You have a way of turning winter to spring
Make something beautiful out of all this suffering

chorus 2: Here I am once again I'm in need of resurrection
Only You can take this empty shell and raise it from the dead
What I've lost to the world what seems far beyond redemption
You can take the pieces in Your hand and make me whole again, again

You have a way of turning winter to spring
Make something beautiful out of all this suffering


New Day by Robbie Seay Band

I'm gonna sing this song
To let you know that you're not alone
And if you're like me
You need hope, coffee, and melody
So sit back down
Let the world keep spinning ‘round
For yesterday's gone
and today is waiting on you to show your face

It might not be
The prettiest thing that you'll ever see
But it’s a new day, oh baby, it’s a new day
And it might not look like
A beautiful sunrise
But it's a new day, oh baby, it’s a new day

I’m a pilgrim soul
I've traveled far and come back home
This land is hard and cold
For those who long to love
And I know it might seem
That the world is crumbling
But it’s me and you dancing in the kitchen at 2 am
And we're still alive

chorus

It’s the calm of the storm that comes blowing in
It’s the springtime saying
I'm back again
The clouds that roll by
Crossing moonlight
Me and you love – everything's alright

Standing in the rain with nowhere to go
Laughing and we're spinning
and I hope that you
Remember this day
For the rest of your life
Me and you love – everything’s gonna be alright

And it just might be
The prettiest thing that you'll ever see
It’s a new day
Oh baby, it’s a new day
If you look outside
To see a beautiful sunrise
It’s a new day

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone. Yes, it is the time for resolutions, and I think it's pretty obvious what our resolution is!

I wanted to share a story and a scripture with you to help you start off your New Year with a sense of sobriety.

I heard a story recently of a man who went to a business conference--by himself. He didn't know anybody there. He had a hotel room all to himself. That evening, he got in the elevator to go up to his room, and 2 gorgeous and alluring women were in the elevator. He asked them which floor they needed to go to, and they said, "Whichever one you're going to."

He knew he could get away with this. Nobody would ever find out. And all of a sudden, he saw in his mind something like a white screen, with these words on it:

The one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption...

So he said, "Goodnight, ladies" and got off the elevator.

This may not be the kind of temptation that you or I or Natasha are dealing with, but the principle is the same. Every day, every moment, we are faced with the temptation to eat more than we should, to eat food that is bad for us, to be lazy and idle. And probably the #1 reason we are not able to fight these temptations is because we are not using God's word.

Remember, God's Word is a Sword. It is the Sword of the Spirit! It is our only offensive weapon against the enemy. And it is strong, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword. We need to be more proactive in using this powerful weapon God has given us to fight and resist temptation, and win this battle over our flesh, just like the man in the story did.

So, I have decided I am going to use this verse (and others) to the fight the temptation to overeat. Right now, my stomach feels hungry. Even though I ate a decent dinner, and had a snack, I do feel like I could eat right now. But, it's 11:30 pm and I don't need to eat anything.

So, I am going to trust the Lord right now, and believe Him when he says in Eph. 6:17, "Take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God" and James 4:7, "Resist the devil and he will flee from you," and I am going to quote Gal. 6:8 outloud as I am getting into bed.

"The one who sows to his own flesh, will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."

May the Lord help me not to give up! And may He be praised in my heart, my mind and my body today, and everyday during this New Year of 2009!