Weigh In

I have been on Weight Watchers for one week! I can't believe the week is over already. I had my first weigh in today and to my surprise and delight, I lost 5 1/2 pounds! God is so faithful! This week my goal is to actually get some exercise in at least 3 times and I would be happy to lose 2 more pounds.

So how about you? How are you doing?

Do you have a biblical conviction about your weight?

Here is a post that John did today on our private weight loss blog. I thought it was so good so I wanted to share it with you.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Do you have a biblical conviction about your weight?
1 Cor. 10:31 "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (ESV)Here is a question and a few thoughts for all of us. Do you have a biblical conviction about weight loss? I hope you do, because I think we will fail if we don't. You see I don't mean that we can't lose weight if we don't have a biblical conviction. Many people in the world prove each year that they can lose weight without a biblical conviction, but what I am talking about is bringing glory to God. We will fail in our relationships with God and with each other if we loose weight without bringing glory to God.God wants us to do everything for his glory. Read the above verse again. It is clear that God is concerned about our eating and drinking. And the apostle is charging all of us to eat and drink for the glory of God. It probably goes without saying that our bodies currently demonstrate that we have not been bringing glory to God by the way we have been consuming food and drink.But there is hope! Yes, we can change. We can start to bring glory to God today and do so everyday. First, we need to believe that Christ will help us by his Holy Spirit to bring glory to himself. Second, we need to repent about our sin of overendulgence of food and drink. Then we need to begin to eat and drink in a way that brings glory to God. Here is were Weight Watchers helps us. I think Weight Watchers has this right - there is no restriction from certain foods - it only restricts us concering the amount of food and drink that we intake. I believe that is biblically accurate - since Christ made all foods clean (see: Acts 10:15) and gives us the power to have self-control (fruit of the Spirit).So, are you concerned about eating and drinking to the glory of God? I hope you are and that you understand that WW is part of the process. But remember that it is only part of the process - believing and repentance also play a big part of bringing glory to God. Here is a prayer for all of us.

Father God, help us today to have a biblical conviction to loose weight. We all need to and we all know it. Help us to do this through your strength, and not on our own power. We are totally dependant on you to help us, but we know that we must act. Help us to act in your power to choose the right food and the right amounts that will bring glory to you. Also, please encourage our souls today concerning this process. We know that it will take many months for our bodies to show how hard we are working to bring glory to you, but please don't let us be sad or discouraged about this gap of time. For this will take time -- for the outside to show the work that you are doing on the inside. For Christ's glory we pray these things. Amen.

Weight Watchers

Well, I am almost completly healed and feel so much better since surgery. Praise the Lord! I am now ready to start a journey that I know will be long but I know God will give me His strength daily to make it through. John and I and 4 other people started Weight Watchers this past Monday. The week has been rough at times but for the most part it has been really good and actually pretty easy. This is something I have wanted to do for some time now. I did Weight Watchers when we lived in Orlando and lost weight and liked the whole points thing. I found it very easy to follow. But with my husband not doing it with me, it made it hard on me to stick with it. I got discouraged. Since being here in the panhandle, John and I did South Beach once and lost some weight but it only lasted two weeks. I knew that it wasn't the diet for me. I really wanted to go back to WW but John was hesitant. After finding a doctor whom we LOVE and asked his advice, he recommended Weight Watchers! So John decided to give it a try. It has been a good week and God has shown us things that we need to see . . . sin that we have been comfortable with for many years. Self control in our eating has been lacking for years. John loves to cook and I love to bake and we both love to eat! But we are learning that we can still enjoy cooking and baking and even eating . . . . but doing that with creativity and limitations! God has been so faithful to me this week. I am encouraged already and our official "weigh in" isn't until Monday. I really want to change in this area of my life not only for the benefits it will give me but most importantly I want to glorify God through this. So in saying all of this . . . . I would appreciate your prayers and accountability in this area. Most who read this are probably family members from afar, but even if you make a comment and just ask me how I am doing with WW, would be very helpful to me. Thank you so much!!! One thing that has been VERY helpful is having 5 other people on this journey with me. We started a blog of our own that is private, that we can just share our struggles and also encourage each other along. Some have posted scriptures that have been very meaningful and were posted at just the right time to bring encouragement, and others have posted what God is doing in their lives through this. I think we all understand that God is after what is in our hearts and he is faithful to show us these things as we travel this road together.

Are any of you doing weight watchers? I would love to hear from you and swap recipes and things we have learned, etc. Leave a comment and let me know what has worked for you or not worked for you. I can use all the help I can get!

Sugar & Spice & Everything Nice . . .

That's what my daughter is. I haven't been feeling well today so she made me this picture on the computer and saved it for me. The best part . . .she made me skinny! HA!!! I am feeling better already!
John and I started Weight Watchers on Monday. Please pray for us. Thanks!

Kristen's goes back in time . . . .

Kristen was invited to to attend Miss Rachel's Preparatory Academy this week. Rachel is a young lady in our church who put a whole week of fun-filled historical and educational week together as part as her own schooling. She even made all the little girls' skirts, aprons, and panty looms so they could dress in the 1800's period to enhance their learning ecperience. Monday the girls made homemade wheat bread and butter and also learned out to make a handkerchief and embroidered their initial on it. Today was a work day so Kristen had to do chores such as sweeping, make strawberry jelly and she learned to knit. Tomorrow is Victorian Ladies Day and they will have etiquette lessons and enjoy a tea party. They are also learning how to do a historical dance. How fun is that? Kristen is having so much fun! Chrissie went over today to take pictures of the girls so I am sure I will have more pictures to post later in the week. These two pictures above are ones I took this morning before she left. Isn't she adorable in that bonnet? She got that while we were in Indiana last year visiting Connor Praire while on a educational vacation.

Happy Father's Day!

Sorry ladies . . . .

He's all mine! And I LOVE him! He keeps me laughing hysterically!

Retreat Time!

Today I will be leaving to go on a retreat! I am very excited to be able to join our pastor's wife for 5 days. We will have so much fun! Please pray for safe travels . . .. we will return on Saturday. Thanks!

Beach Day!

Chrissie's graduation open house

Mom & Dexter

My mom is coming today!

I am very excited that my mom and her new husband Dexter will be arriving soon! They are coming in for Chrissie's graduation open house that is Saturday. My brother (Chrissie & Cassie's dad) and his wife, are riding down with them as well. They are all staying until next Wednesday. We are excited to meet Dexter and get to know him. My mom seems so happy!

You know you're from Indiana when . . . .

YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM INDIANA WHEN:

• You think the state Bird is Larry.


• You can say 'French Lick' without laughing out loud.


• There's actually a college near you named “Ball State.'


• You know Batesville is the casket-making capital of the world and you're proud of it.


• Your feelings get hurt whenever someone points out the acronym for Purdue University is PU.


• You know several people who have hit a deer.


• Down south to you means Kentucky.


• You have no problem spelling or pronouncing Terre Haute.


• Your school classes were canceled because of cold.


• Your school classes were canceled because of heat.


• You know what the phrase 'knee-high by the Fourth of July' means.


• You've heard of Euchre, you know how to play Euchre, and you are a master of Euchre.


• You've seen a running car, with nobody in it, in the parking lot of the grocery store, no matter what time of year it is.


• Detassling was your first job.


• Bailing hay, your second.


• Or you could stack hay, swim in the pond to clean off and then have the strength to play a couple of games of hoops, all in the same barn lot on the same day.


• You say things like catty-wampus and katty corner and know what they mean.


• You install security lights on your house and garage, and then leave them both unlocked.


• You carry jumper cables in your car regularly.


• You drink pop.


• You catch frogs at the crick.


• If you want someone to hear you, you holler at 'em.


• You know that baling wire was the predecessor to duct tape.


• You know that strangers are the only ones who come to your front door.


• Kids and dogs ride in the passenger seats of cars and the backs of pickups.


• You think nothing of driving on the roads and being stuck behind a farm implement in spring and fall. You just hope it's not a hog truck or a manure spreader.


• High school basketball games draw bigger crowds on the weekend than movie theaters, IF you have a movie theater.


• Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.


• The local paper covers national and international headlines on one page but requires six for local sports.


• You can repeat the scores of the last eight NBA games, but unless the MVP is a Hoosier, you are not sure who he is.


• You can see at least two basketball hoops from your yard.


• You can name every one of Bobby Knight's exploits over the last few years.


• The biggest question of your youth was IU or Purdue?


• Indianapolis is the BIG CITY.


• Getting stuck by a train is a legitimate excuse for being late to school or work.


• Everyone knows who the town cops are, where they live, and whether they're at home or on duty.


• You've been to the Covered Bridge Festival. And, you took back roads to get there. Why sit in traffic?


• To you, tenderloin is not an expensive cut of beef, but a big, salty, breaded and fried piece of pork served on a bun with pickle and onion. (John makes the best!)