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

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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