preoccupied

I am reading and studying the book of Colossians today, doing an inductive study on it using The Hayford Bible Handbook. Love this resource (thanks for sharing, Mama!).

Some excerpts from my reading:

"Colossians shows that our acceptance before God, and thereby our authority under Him, result from our finding both pardon and position in Christ."

"'In Christ,' each believer has been invited to be a 'joint heir' with Christ, possibly the most amazing proposition in the whole of redemption's provisions."

"For Paul, the lordship of Christ in the believer's life is the most critical and clearest evidence of the Spirit's presence."

"Because the believer is risen with Christ (3:1-4), he is to put off the old man and put on the new (3:5-17), which will result in holiness in all relationships (3:18-25)."

"Colossians sets forth Christ as supreme Lord in whose sufficiency the believers find completeness."

"'Jesus is Lord' is the church's earliest confession. It remains the abiding test of authentic Christianity."

"Ascetic observance does not enhance our standing before God."

"Our preoccupation must be with Jesus Christ and God's Word. Our appeal is to the Holy Spirit, who makes available every gift necessary for our lives and for the liberating work of Christ in the world."

As I read this commentary and these chapters penned by the Apostle Paul, I am stirred with conviction and godly remorse. I don't think that I have followed the three steps here and put off my old man and put on the new completely, so I don't have the result of holiness in all my relationships. I fail miserably here. I do not "walk worthy of the Lord (1:10)."

Just today, I snapped at my sister for criticizing my driving. I just blew up. If my old man is put off, is dug out, and is put to death, then my response would have been a world of different. I have been delivered from the power of darkness by Jesus' work on the Cross (1:13), and I have got to live like it! I am "not to allow anything other than the Word of God to control or judge" me.

Something else come to mind that I constantly need to remember: never allow worldly pursuits to "waste my mental or spiritual energy." I am interested in so many different things, various passions and hobbies. Concentrate, Mary Beth. Set your affections and thinking on Jesus (3:1). 

Jesus has done this work already with His death and resurrection. But it's not enough to know or believe this. I must trust in it and adopt and practice it diligently (3:12-14). Yahweh's purpose is for Jesus to be reproduced in me.

And I need to be more diligent in Bible study and memory/meditation (3:16-17). I need to devote more of my life to prayer (4:2-6). I repent for prayerless days, Lord. My time is Your gift.

seeds

I have been a lifelong supporter of Christian foreign missions. When I was very young, one of the guys in our home fellowship went to the Philippines as a missionary with his new wife. I was intrigued with the idea that a person could leave everyone and everything to share Jesus with others.  Fred was many years older than I and was like an big brother to us in many ways...he sure knew how to tease us! I made cards and wrote him letters for all those years that they were overseas and still have all the letters that he wrote back. Treasures.

Fred Williamson died last year. I had lost contact with him many years ago, back in the mid 90s. He had been very sick, due largely to the drug-laced past that God had been saved him from as a young man. I didn't find out about his passing until after he was gone. I ran across his daughter and ex-wife on Facebook and reconnected. So many years later, but I cried like a baby.

I was ten years old when I attended my first Missions Conference at Liberty Church back in 1986. There was just something about all those sessions of hearing missionary after missionary share about their work among the masses of the world that set my little heart on fire for missionary work. I opened my heart up to God's calling to sharing the Gospel. I raised my hand and pledged $10 a month to support my first missionary family, the McManuses in Bangladesh a few years later.

In recent years, I have been supporting children in the SEED program out of Arise & Shine Academy in the Philippines. The Student Evangelization Education and Development was birthed from the out-of-the-box missionary work of Dirk and Elizabeth Wood, grads of Liberty Bible School back when I was a kid. My first student to graduate from ASA and then college was Angela. She is an wonderful girl who loves the Lord, helps to lead worship in her church, and is now employed as a nurse after completing college and passing her exams. She used to send me the more adorable handmade cards and crafts, and continues to stay in touch with her "Tita Mary Beth." She is precious!

I just received notice that my second girl has graduated now. Hannah is the eldest child of a Filipino pastor and seems to be shy. I started supporting her last year, so I have not had a chance to really get to know her yet, but I plan to support her for as long as she is in college so I'll be able to.

I want to complete GLOBE's Perspectives class one of these springs. Several of my former students have completed it and mentioned to me that I would love it. Perspectives is a class that emphasized our "world-sized" role in God's global purpose for His Church. The course is focused around 4 loci or perspective points: Biblical, historical, cultural, and strategic.  I look forward to taking it one day.

What a blessing it has been to sow into Jesus' Kingdom. I will never know, this side of heaven, who has been won to Christ via my efforts and monetary sacrifices. But it is all nothing, considering I have not given up my life as Jesus did or as some of these missionaries have to serve our Lord. All these seeds will grow and spread like fire. What is done in Christ's name and is grounded in the Gospel will last forever!

So what missionary endeavor do you support right now? What ministry has God asked you to sow into for the furtherance of His Kingdom and the Gospel? The eternal rewards are just that, eternal.

I can think of so many missionaries, both novice and veteran, who need support as finances are stretched across the globe. Several of my friends are embarking on their own journeys as English teachers to share the Good News in a difficult field, a sensitive nation in Southeast Asia. They need support right now, as they are in their fund-raising stage of preparation. Open your heart and wallet to support those that Father places in your path. Contact me on Facebook, and I will be happy to connect you with them! www.facebook.com/marybeebzz

my THM journey so far

When I read Proverbs 31 and Titus 2, passages that specifically list the accomplishments, activities, labors, ministry, and industriousness of godly women, it makes me think that maybe we as the Church have missed something very powerful...God wants His daughters to be equipped and ready to fulfill our ordained roles, doing His work. If we are too heavy (weight and spirits!), depressed, discouraged, sick, diseased, and energy-less, how can we fulfill all of this?!?! 

I love THM and all that it has brought back to my life! Thank You, Lord!

I bought the $35 book at an Above Rubies Ladies Retreat at Camp Baldwin in Elberta, Alabama, last February. Nancy Campbell prayed over me that week, that God would send my Boaz soon and enable me to birth children for God's glory, not just have spiritual children in my line of work/ministry. I spent last summer reading, working in my garden, and catching up in the office. Then Cori (older sister) asked me if I had heard about THM, that she had already started on the THM journey. I laughed and told her that I had the paper version, but hadn't started it yet.

I started reading the 600+ page THM book pretty soon afterwards. The rhema word that the Lord used to spur me towards this was that He wanted me to clean my body-Temple out, in the same fashion as He had commanded the priests to clean the Tabernacle and Temple out daily. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body" (NASB).  He told me that His Temple, my body, has been trashed, and that I had done it. I knew He meant business, so I spiritually saluted and dove in. 

I started on my Trim Healthy Mama journey officially on August 5, 2013. To date, I have lost 45 pounds, the first 35 pounds dropping off pretty fast as I cut out my coffee creamer, breads/muffins/rolls (all white flour products), white potatoes, corn, and tandem fueled home-cooked meals. My cravings started to disappear, especially my evening after-work cravings. Drinking coffee without my go-to creamer was the most difficult change, but after three months or so, I had made that transition smoothly with help from some good flavored K-cup flavors.

I have renewed vigor and valor, energy and strength. I feel good, good, good!!! Basically, THM is a low-glycemic index diet, not low carb or low fat. It is based on the idea that our bodies are NOT made to tandem fuel all the time (there is a place for "crossover" meals but just not constantly). So my meals are either fat-based (S meals) or carb-based (E meals). Delicious food and a new way of cooking and eating for us all the way, baby!

As a side benefit (and since I do most of the cooking and meal planning), Mom has lost about 40 pounds, and Tricia has lost over 25. No more fast-food lunches, no more shakes and donut treats, no more feeling yucky. Yes! to a variety of salads and wraps, dark chocolate and nuts, homemade smoothies and signature drinks. I am not hungry. 

In the beginning, I received a lot of recipe help from bloggers like Gwen's Nest and Stacy Makes Cents. Then Pinterest recipe boards started popping up, and other food bloggers took up the gauntlet. The FB support group for THM is tremendous (although HUGE now!), and Cori and I have hosted several local support meetings for the ladies in the Florida Panhandle area to meet and encourage one another. The next one is coming up in June. I am fueled by a desire to help point women towards what the Lord has helped me to do, get their house--their Temple--in order for the Lord, to empower them to do what He has called them to do, and fan into flame His gifts that have been latent within their hearts. To God be the glory, great thing He has done...and is doing!

My weight loss is not just a few pounds, nor is it baby-weight or other short-term weight. My weight is lifelong weight. I have been almost 6 feet tall and over 200 pounds for almost twenty years now. What has taken a long time to accumulate should take awhile to come off if it is to stay off. 

I've come a long way, and I am not done yet!

sunday before next

Today, I intentionally did no house chores. Yes, indeed. No cleaning or laundry or spending the day in the kitchen. Purposely.

Instead, I woke early and read for an hour. I am tackling the Wahl Protocol book (to find answers for Tricia's autoimmune issues) and Brennan Manning's book, again. :-) 

On a side note...I happened to see that the movie about Rich Mullins was at Walmart. I knew that it was being made, but I didnt realize that it was coming out so soon. It was exactly how I thought it would be. Manning played in several scenes; he made a big impact on Mullins' life and healing from life wounds. The music and story were splendid.

Back to this morning: I brewed some ginger and cinnamon tea and made toast for breakfast. I gave Meg a soothing doggie bath first off. She has been having an allergy attack of some sort, scratching and gnawing at herself. We've got a new soap bar that I tried on her. Then I gardened and planted and weeded off and on all day. I planted my tomato plants (three kinds), green bell pepper plants, daisies, begonias, impatiens, and henna coleus. Blew leaves off the back patio and set it up for grilling. Also cleaned up the front porch and planted the pots there.

Came in long enough to whip up a new-to-me recipe for shrimp and crab étouffée over oven-baked tilapia and steamed cauliflower. For my first try, it was delicious!!! I was so pleased...have been planning that meal for weeks now!

So plans for revamping the front street-scape are starting to take shape. Mom got the first cherry red Knock Out rose bush yesterday which I planted today. I think it will look good, once I get the whole line put in. We are going to alternate the roses with a red-leaf bush of Japanese origin (I forget the name).

My efforts to tackle my looooong list of various projects are taking shape. :-)

trouble in the kingdom

On Friday, I had stepped out of the school to momentarily speak to one of my dads (he is paraplegic). While I was out, two of our girls had a cat fight...one started it thoughtlessly, and the other came unglued. It was awful. I was immediately irritated and disturbed that they had even scrapped at all. I spoke to them about pursuing peace and  not getting easily provoked. I appealed to their claiming to be Christians, following Jesus' command to turn the other cheek, and having the Holy Spirit inside to guide them. Nothing. Nada. Nothing got through to them. It was so immature, so "I'm-gonna-tell-my-mama-when-I-get-home" adolescent behavior on both girls' part. They kept going at it until it was disturbing several different teachers' tutoring lessons, and I had to raise my voice to quiet them down. It was awful (have I said that before?!).

As the day wore on, I became angry at the two girls, especially when I found out that in response to my quoting of Jesus' instruction to turn the other cheek and not "getting people back," she had retorted some diatribe about how her mama had taught her to hit back if she was hit. I felt defeated, increasingly ticked off as the day went on. Then that night, I read this verse (Matt. 5:7) on Facebook, and the  Lord said to me, "Simmer down! This is not about you. It's about My work in these girls' lives. It's about Me."

So now I am armed. Since it is an official "school incident" and has to be written up, they will be copying Scriptures that apply to their offenses and writing apology letters. We're headed into the last two weeks of the school year, for crying out loud. My mercy levels are tapped out, so hold me, Jesus!

pain in the rear

This is the time of year that my sciatica starts being a "pain in the rear," literally.:-P

I spend most of my waking hours sitting, either sitting at home (studying or reading or watching tv) or sitting at work (tutoring or working on e-mails or transcripts in the office). My back ain't what it used to be, darn Hurricane Ivan cleanup. I need Dr. Garry Hendricks to move back in the more local locale!!!! Whaaaa! Ft. Walton Beach is just too far to drive for one of his acupressure-miracle-working-adjustments! So relieving.

Trim Healthy Mama life and losing 42 pounds has made a HUGE difference in my energy and activity levels. I can garden for hours, up and down, crawling around on the ground, back-bending over weeds and hauling, digging, pulling and trimming. I am feeling so much better! And yet this sciatica threatens.

I am starting to use Young Living Essential Oils...this month is my first as a Member. I am excited about it! They have an oil blend called Pan-Away for pain. I also LOVE the Frankincense and Stress Away oils. Mmm.

Garden prep is coming along slowly. Very slowly. Every weekend it either rains or I am busy with an uni exam or the nieces are visiting. Oh, well. Can't do everything. And I gotta spend time with these lovies, all the time that I can! <3

My adorable nieces!

egg roll in a bowl

Since I cannot find this exact recipe anywhere on the internet, and it's posted only on private THM groups or as an empty pic on Pinterest.

Here is the original THM FB post for it: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152036145069673&set=gm.555898607816628&type=1

I can't tell you how delicious this dish is! My fam asks for it regularly, and I know better than to not make extra for lunch the next day! Braised cabbage is delicious and full of sulfurous goodness. The convergent flavors of this dish are delightful to my foodie palate.  Enjoy!

Praise the Lord for Diana Rodbourn and her Eggroll in a Bowl recipe! Here is a tweaked version of it, as made in my kitchen. :-)

Egg Roll in a Bowl (S)

EGGROLL IN A BOWL 
By Diana Rodbourn
(S on THM) 
Same great taste you get in an eggroll, minus the deep fried wrapper! 
Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients: 
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 lb. ground turkey sausage, or ground pork
6 cups finely sliced cabbage- a combo of regular green & purple (about 1 medium head) 
1 cup shredded carrots 
1 medium onion, chopped 
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or minced 
2 green onion stalks, finely chopped 
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger or ginger powder
¼ cup Bragg’s Aminos or coconut aminos or (if you have to) soy sauce 
Salt and black pepper to taste 
Optional: 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes adds a nice kick! 

Instructions:

1. Brown the meat in large frying pan (a wok or iron skillet works well!) until fully cooked. 
2. Turn heat to medium-high and add chopped onion (not the green onions yet) and sesame oil.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, ginger and coconut aminos and add to pan, and then immediately add the sliced cabbage and stir. 
4. Cook for a few minutes, stirring often, so that it doesn’t burn and so all cabbage slightly wilts and reduces in size. 
5. Then add shredded carrots and cook for another few minutes.
6. Turn off heat, add chopped green onions, salt and black pepper to taste, stir one last time and serve warm. 
7. Enjoy!