***as of 03/08/2010 bobbys lost 28 lbs & i’ve lost 34 lbs. 
Feeln’ better everyday. So ready for the summer.
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weight update
2010
03.08
03.08
weight update
2010
03.01
03.01
***as of 03/01/2010 bobbys lost 26 lbs. & i’ve lost 32 lbs. Yippee :):):) We’re truckin’ right along. Excited about bobby’s doctors appointment next month. docs going to be HaPpY! I’m hApPy! It makes a difference what you feed your body, physically & spiritually. Put junk in, junk comes out. Put good in, good comes out. I also can testify to the fact, if you continue to put the good stuff in, your body starts to crave the good stuff and not the junk.
Over-flowing
2010
02.28
02.28
Needing to express what I’m feeling but realizing words probably wont do it justice. I’m so blessed to be a part of such a wonderful church family.(CrossRoads Baptist Church in Elgin, Alabama) I’m finally home! For the first time EVER, and I mean ever, I’m telling others about our church and inviting them to come. It’s the first time I ever really wanted to invite anyone to a church where I was going. I havent felt comfortable in the past inviting someone to a place that I wasnt thrilled with going to. Does that make any sense to anyone? I always knew I should be witnessing and inviting people to church but if you dont like something, you’re not going to tell others about it. I’ve been blessed to have known many wonderful Christians at these other churches but as awhole something was missing there. My prayers go out to these churches. I pray for the pastors and the leadership. I pray they follow the Holy Spirit and not man. I pray for a fresh annointing on these congregations. I pray for C.R.B.C., I pray the Lord takes us to a whole nother level, I pray we never get satisfied. If any one reading this is ever in the area come visit us @ Cross Roads, where the whole truth of God is preached (not watered down), where the Holy Spirit is more important than the schedule of events, where the Lord leads, not man, where the people are real and caring….
Anyway Love :)
2010
02.26
02.26
Anyway Love
To love anyway is to love like God – and to learn about God’s love for us. By Gary Thomas
On Valentine’s Day, Meg* went all out, giving her husband, Peter,* his favorite candy and tickets to a hockey game. Later that night, she wrapped herself in a special outfit purchased just for the occasion.
Peter got her a card.
At the grocery store.
That he purchased on the way home from work.
He didn’t add anything to it, either. He just signed it, “Peter.”
A couple of days later, Meg tried to explain that she felt a little taken for granted. Apparently, Peter misunderstood her intent because two months later, when they celebrated their anniversary, Peter didn’t get Meg anything.
“How could you not get me anything for our anniversary?” she asked Peter the next day. “Especially after our conversation about Valentine’s Day.”
“Well, I thought about getting you something, but it didn’t work out,” he replied. “And then I knew not to get you a card because you said you didn’t like that last time.”
“It’s not that I didn’t like the card. It’s that the card alone seemed a little sparse. But even that is better than nothing …”
Several months later, Meg had a birthday. This time, Peter got her a present – a kitchen tool set. Several weeks before, Meg had asked to borrow Peter’s tape measure and screwdriver. Peter figured that Meg should have her own small set of kitchen tools so she didn’t have to borrow his.
Meg recounted all this and then explained how she had tried to get her husband to read several how-to books on loving your spouse. He would read the first few pages, lose interest and never pick the book up again.
“I’ve realized this is never going to change,” she confessed. “But I love him anyway.”
Because …That last statement of Meg’s, “but I love him anyway,” is one of the most profound theological statements on marriage I’ve ever heard. Most of us base love on because, not on anyway. I love you because you’re good to me. I love you because you’re kind, because you’re considerate, because you keep the romance alive.
But in Luke 6:32-36, Jesus says we shouldn’t love because. We should love anyway. If we love someone because that person is good to us, or gives back to us, or is kind to us, we’re acting no better than anyone else. In essence, Jesus is saying you don’t need the Holy Spirit to love a man who remembers every anniversary – not just the anniversary of your marriage, but the anniversary of your first date and your first kiss. Any woman could love a man like that. Or if you love a wife who lavishes you with sports gifts, who goes out of her way to make you comfortable when you get home from work and who wants sex anytime you do – well, you’re doing what any man would do. There’s no special credit in that!
But if you love a spouse who disappoints you, who can be a little self-absorbed – now you’re loving anyway. In doing that, you’re following the model of the heavenly Father, who loves the ungrateful and the wicked.
… Or Anyway
Will you love only because? Or are you willing to love anyway? Will you love a man or woman who doesn’t appreciate your sacrifice? Will you love a husband or wife who takes you for granted? Will you love a spouse who isn’t nearly as kind to you as you are to him or her?
Just about every faithless marriage is based on because love. Christians are called to anyway love. That’s what makes us different. That’s what gives glory to God. That’s what helps us appreciate God’s love for us, because God loves us anyway. He gives and gives and gives – and we take Him for granted. He is eager to meet with us, and we get too busy to notice Him. He is good to us, and we accuse Him mercilessly when something doesn’t go just the way we planned it.
But God loves us anyway. To love anyway is to love like God – and to learn about God’s love for us.
That’s love, the way God intended it.
This article first appeared in the Couples Edition of the January, 2007 issue of Focus on the Family magazine. Copyright © 2007, Gary Thomas. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.
A Prayer of Gratitude
2010
02.22
02.22
Gracious God, in the busy-ness of my day, I sometimes forget to stop to thank you for all that is good in my life.
My blessings are many and my heart is filled with gratefulness for the gift of living, for the ability to love and be loved, for the opportunity to see the everyday wonders of creation, for sleep and water, for a mind that thinks and a body that feels.
I thank you, too, for those things in my life that are less than I would hope them to be. Things that seem challenging, unfair, or difficult. When my heart feels stretched and empty, and pools of tears form in my weary eyes, still I rejoice that you are as near to me as my next breath and that in the midst of turbulence, I am growing and learning.
In the silence of my soul, I thank you most of all for your unconditional and eternal love.
Amen.
—from Prayers for Living
weight update
2010
02.22
02.22
****as of 02/22/2010 bobbys lost 24 lbs and i’ve lost 30 lbs. We couldn’t do it with out the Lord and each other. Thank you baby for helping me, ilu
weight update
2010
02.15
02.15
***as of 02/15/2010 bobbys lost 22 lbs & i’ve lost 26.8 lbs. This week has been harder for me but I’m feeling better! Realizing more & more that this has to be a lifestyle change for it to ever last. Healthier choices, no matter how small, can make a real difference in your weight loss.
weight update
2010
02.08
02.08
as of 02/08/10 bobby’s lost 23.5 lbs & i’ve lost 24.7 lbs. :):):)
**** healthier lifestyle getting easier with each passing day. Think I’m getting addicted to exercise, lol.
how sad it is…
2010
01.25
01.25
With bobby & i getting more physically fit, bobby bought me a subscription to shape magazine. I never would have thought in a million years that a subscription could be used by God for God. Never underestimate Him, He can show up and use you no matter where you are or what you’re doing. Case in point (and i dont believe i’m doing anything wrong by copying this here. It can all be seen @ shape.com under the forums). I was online checking out the website and updating my profile and this forum got my attention. I know it was God because I’ve never responded on a forum before. This lady’s story broke my heart. Also, there had been about 30 views of her story and no one had tried to help her. Then when someone did respond to her and to me, they give her the worlds fix. Below is a copy of this forum as of 01/25/10. I ask you to pray for carol (carol1958) and also for the young girl (wannabeslim) who responded to her. My responses are under chellymac.
By carol1958
Body image issues still at 51
i’m 51 and have had body image issues most of my life. Anorexic from 14 on. this was always the one thing i could control. now that i am older i find myself not being in control of anything anymore. stress at work, always worried about something but mainly being fat. thinking i am all the time. i’m 5′1″. weigh anywhere from 97 to 101. take laxitives at times. eat salad, cereal, fruit, some cheese…but when i feel i’ve overeaten, take laxitives. i am always tired, (*exhausted) been in a job for 31 years and can retire in 4. i drive 62km one way to work which can take anywhere from 1 to 3 hrs. my job is extremely stressful, federal government, changes all the time, politics etc. depression runs in my family. take effexor. my older sister is 3 times my size and has issues with overeating, we had a very disfunctional upbringing shall we say. A stepfather who screwed us up royally. i have not had a drink in 19years. i’m tired of always worrying how i look or feel. (fat, uphappy etc). this may not be the right site for this issue, but if someone can advise where i should maybe look, i would appreciate any help you can offer. i have seen thereapists, belonged to groups etc., but then when things get close to opening i panic and quit.
By chellymac
dont panic…
The stuff the world hands us is hard to deal with sometimes. I’m sorry for the pain you’ve gone through. I’m not even going to insult you with saying, “I know how you’re feeling”, cause I don’t. The world tells us we have to be a certain size to be happy. Look on T.V., pick up a magazine, get on your computer, @ work, @ school. The world tells us it’s the “outside” that’s important. I’m going to tell you the opposite. God loves you and created you. He looks at your heart, not at the size of your jeans or how much you weigh. (1 Samuel 16:7 says But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”) He has a plan for your life (Jeremiah 29:11 says For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.) My prayer is that you know that love the Lord has for you. He can totally transform your life. I know, He transformed mine. I’m not telling you to gain weight. I’m not telling you to lose weight. What I’m saying is, “Give all your cares, all your concerns, all your worries, all your insecurities, all your junk to Him. He wants it. He can handle it. (1 Peter 5:7 says Cast all your anxiety on Him cause He cares for you.) I assure you that if you reach that ideal weight you have in your mind, you will still be unhappy. And if you continue to harm your body by taking laxitives, you will end up in the emergency room. The life we’ve been blessed with is such a gift, even yours. Unwrap it honey! The Lord wants us healthy! He wants us to be happy! The Lord wants a relationship with you. (Matthew 19:26 says Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”) God has to be in this, cause I’ve never replied to something like this before. I will be praying for you. You can start fresh right now! It’s okay to eat, girl. Just try to eat well-balanced meals and exercise everyday. The exercise will make you feel better and give you more energy. And if your not in church, find you one to go to. We need that fellowship with other brothers & sisters. They can help carry your burdens. tlk 2 u soon, chellymac
By wannabeslim JUDGE ME NOT
Carol, I may not have that much knoledge on the bible, not much on anything, but i can tell you that you are a strong woman. At this moment…i am going to say that i do understand where your coming from in feeling that this HUGE issue can never be fixed. And right now i feel that you need someone who can relate to you. The differnce in me and you is you dont eat enough…and i eat to much…you need someone to lean on in that time of hurt…not a therepist or counselor…a friend that knows of your problems who you can try and help you get through this. And you are getting older and being that small definately cannot be good…but I know that needing to feel skinny is important to you..as is to me…but it is not everything…maybe you can just try gaining a little weight…maybe 10 or 15 lbs just to be at a healthy level..you will still be skinny…but healthy…you need to satisfy yourself…dont worry about what other ppl think of you…as long as your happy with yourself…and have a drink if you want…you need to relax…maybe take a vacation and just have some personal time…you need to make you happy and not worry about what anyone else thinks.
I dont know if i made any sense to you or if i helped. But i honestly hope i helped.
I hope you see that what makes you happy is most important!
By chellymac
Back again…
It troubles me so much that the majority of the world thinks that you can make everything alright just by having a drink or going on a vacation. Or better yet, looking inside yourself for the strength. The “I can do anything, i don’t need anyone mentality”. And what was the other option, oh yea, find someone else with the same problem and lean on each other. Guess you can lean on each other to you both get to the end of your ropes. But then what are you going to do? The only thing drinking will do for her, is it might make her forget her problems for awhile, but when she sobers up the problems are still there. Why? Cause you haven’t fixed the problem, you just covered them up. Then I guess she could just get away from it all. Take a vacation and leave it all behind. Maybe she could go to the beach and lay in the sand. Ooops, nope that wont work. She has body issues so she wont be doing that. Does this make any sense to anyone? The world continues tells us to fill this void with the things of the world. The things of this world may temporarily gratify, but it can never satisfy.“For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with good things” (Ps. 107:9) God made us with an emptiness (it’s a God shaped hole) that only HE can fill. I’ll use this analogy, it’s like putting water in your gas tank. IT WONT WORK! Wake up people. There are a billion programs for every problem you could imagine. Think about it. If these programs really worked, they would be out of business. They’re just short- term fixes. Until you go to the program director, GOD, you are wasting your time, your money and your life. He wrote the BOOK on how we should live. He designed us. He alone knows what we need. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:13-14. The Lord has done so much for me, I can not be still or be quiet. If something works you want to shout it from the roof tops. MY LORD WORKS!I’ll end with this scripture. For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14-19)
what would our churches be like…
2010
01.19
01.19
What would our churches be like if we shared with one another how the Lord was working in our lives? What if lost people who were visiting our churches heard not only the Word (and how God worked then), but also heard first hand how He was working NOW! I started really thinking about this the other evening. It was Sunday night and Bro. David asked if anyone would like to share what the Lord was doing in their lives. To my knowledge, about 4 women went up and testified. Don’t misunderstand me, that’s great, in some congregations that never happens. But what would happen if we could’nt keep our mouths shut. What if we couldn’t keep it inside? What if we just had to tell someone? What if the preacher had to make us stop so he could preach? I know what you’re thinking? I’ve thought them all and said them all, too. (I’m too shy, I’m too nervous, I’m too scared, I don’t have to do that, that’s just not me, etc….) I have a question for you. How many of you guys that have said these same excuses to yourself and to others don’t seem to have a problem standing up and praising a football team? Or telling others about your favorite team. Or telling others how well your team did. That doesn’t seem to make us too nervous, does it? Just wanted to get us thinking. Who or what are we praising? I love Alabama Football as well as anybody else. but something is bad wrong when we can tell others about the game but we don’t care enough about them to tell them about Jesus.
