Biblical Worldview

What is a Biblical Worldview?

• Did Jesus Christ live a sinless life?
• Is God the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe, and does He still rule it today?
• Is salvation a gift from God that cannot be earned?
• Is Satan real?
• Does a Christian have a responsibility to share his or her faith in Christ with other people?
• Do absolute moral truths exist?
• Is absolute truth defined by the Bible?
• Is the Bible accurate in all of its teachings?

LIFE

Living Intentionally For Eternity

Wow, what a great sermon at church today! We are working through a sermon series entitled: "One Month to Live" and it has been very impactful. I believe it is based on a book of the same name by Kerry and Chris Shook. Here are a few great points:

• Do you have a Biblical World View?
• What 5 things do you want to be remembered for? (Convictions, character, community, etc.)
• Belief is something you hold on to, but conviction is something that holds you.
• How do problems, pressures, people, and principles show your character?
• Are you "dying to obey" God?
• We need to get to heaven and bring as many with us as possible.

Here are some verses to keep you studying:

• I Corinthians 3:12-14
• Isaiah 40:8
• Matthew 7:26
• I Timothy 6:6-19
• Romans 12:1-2
• I Corinthians 6:20
• Romans 8:29
• Ephesians 5:26
• Galatians 2:20
• II Kings 6:24-7:20

Live as if today is the day God returns!

Proverbs 31 - Week 5

This week's lesson is entitled: Management Tools and oh, how I wish I had this when I first got married! But, it's never too late to learn, so here goes.

The first day's focus is an emphasis on maximizing each day by placing daily action items to each of the following categories based on your personal mission statement: Spiritual, Physical, Relational, Personal, Ministry and Financial. This sounds just as hard as it is, but once you do it for a few days, you get it. Imagine ending the day each day by setting yourself up for the following day by reviewing each of your appointments and tasks and also asking yourself what you can do in each of these categories the following day to fulfill your mission statement! Sounds great, right? It really is that easy.

The next day you get even more organized by applying the 80/20 rule to your entire life. Friends, hobbies, activities, clients/customers if applicable, to-do lists, etc. Focus on the 20% that will give you 80% results.

Next, we move into something I just love to do. Give away all that you can. I love to go through my closets and get rid of stuff that we just don't need any more. We have a great thrift store run by a shelter for battered women in our area. I just learned about the Women's Resouce Center of Jax that is need of baby items. We have a consignment shop that we consign other children's items through, additionally, they donate items that don't sell. It is so energizing to free up space in your home and know that needy people will be overjoyed to have it. Donna takes another spin on this in a great effort to do this quickly and to make it less complicated. Just take one box with you, when it's full get another one and think of this as a ministry to others as well as yourself and your family.

The last two active days of the week go together in my opinion and gladly follow the previous day's giving away. Store away anything you do not use every month and make a tackle list of those things that were just too big for the past three days. The trick to this in my house is where to put the storage until I can get through the garage and attic!

The routine this week will certainly give you a refreshing feeling and a plan to follow anytime you are feeling the crunch of environmental chaos in your home. I really enjoyed it and didn't stress too much an hour later when my kitchen counter became everyone's dumping ground.

I haven't gotten to the cleansing bath just yet, but I finally did purchase the last of my supplies today.

This week's verse was a little harder for me to learn, maybe because I didn't fully understand what some of the items were. Proverbs 31: 18-19 She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindles with her fingers.

Watch out! Next week is Financial Planning!

Face Lift

I hope you like the face lift to the blog! It's still a work in progress. As I become more savvy to the blogging world, I'm sure you'll see my technique improve.

Quotable Quotes

GOD grant me the ABILITY to accept the food I cannot change, the STRENGTH to change the way I eat, and the GUMPTION to make a difference. - Darlene Schacht

Recipe Central

Ok, here's my first entry for recipies, I hope you can find something to add to your recipe box!

I'll try to include nutrition information any time I have it, and will include Weight Watchers point values when possible.

This week's entry will be a favorite pork dish of mine, using it this Sunday actually. I think I obtained this recipe from one of Dawn Hall's cookbooks and have used it many times with great success. It is a "crockpot creation."

Tropical Pork Dinner

2 lbs pork tenderloin
1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
4 large yams - washed (or 4 large sweet potatoes)

• Spray a crockpot with non-fat cooking spray.
• Place pork tenderloin in crockpot.
• Mix crushed pineapple, honey, vinegar and brown sugar together until well mixed. Spoon mixture over pork.
• Place yams on top of meat mixture. Cover. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 7-8 hours.
• Cut yams in half before serving. If desire, spoon a little sauce over cut yams and meat.

Yield: 8 servings (3 ounces cooked meat, 1/2 of a yam and 3 ounces of pineapple mixture)

Calories: 351 (Percent fat calories: 11%); Total Fat: 4 grams; Carbohydrate: 53 grams; Protein: 26 grams; Cholesterol: 74 mg; Dietary Fiber: 5 grams; Sodium: 72 mg; WW: 7 points per serving

**You can substitute 8 four ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts for the pork tenderloin. Calories: 340 (Percent fat calories: 4%); Total Fat: 2 grams; Carbohydrate: 53 grams; Protein: 28 grams; Cholesterol: 66 mg; Dietary Fiber: 5 grams; Sodium: 89 mg; WW: 6 points per serving

Proverbs 31 - Week 4

The past week's study was titled: "Strengthening Your Body." The focus items this week were adding a Prayer Walk to your daily routine, using enhanced water, giving your body time to digest, defying gravity with the use of a rebounder, and a cleansing diet and bath. You can tell from this that it was a full week.

While the emphasis is on a Prayer Walk, not just a walk, many benefits of walking are listed. The book states: "Studies have shown that brisk walking is associated with substantial declines in the incidence of coronary problems in women, can reduce or eliminate high blood pressure, strengthen bones, and increases levels of HDL (good cholesterol), reducing the risk of coronary artery disease. A Harvard study found that women who take a brisk walk each day can cut their risk of developing type 2 diabetes in half. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, regular physical exercise performed most days of the week will reduce your risk of dying prematurely, reduce high blood pressure, and reduce your risk of developing colon cancer." WOW...I don't think anything else has this kind of impact. Then imagine adding the spiritual growth you could experience by adding prayer to this walk time...amazing!

Please note that we are talking about a brisk walk for these health benefits. Approximately 17-20 minutes per mile. That's a fairly good pace, and will get you just under 2 miles in about 30 minutes.

What Donna calls "enhanced water" is next. She offers two options for this. The first is hot lemon water. You basically start with 1/8 of a lemon and squeeze the juice into a cup of hot water (no sweeteners). You do this at the start and end of your day and build up to using 1/2 of a lemon per glass. The second option is using unsweetened cranberry juice. You take 1 part unsweetened cranberry juice and add 3 parts water. For example: 8 ounces of cranberry is combined with 24 ounces of water for 32 ounces to drink before lunch. You make another batch to finish before bed. Although it does say that there are side effects if you have toxins in your body, I did not experience any.

Next is giving your body time to digest. Earlier in the study, we set an evening routine complete with a curfew of sorts. You start with your bed time and back-up three hours and don't eat anything after that time. This allows your body time to digest your food before going to bed, so that your body can actually rest during sleep time and not continue working on things. Great idea, hard to follow...I like to snack, especially during the evening. Once all the kids are in bed, it's the only time I have that I can eat without sharing!

The next day's text focused on the use of a rebounder, which is a better quality version of a mini trampoline and comes with a hefty price tag. I've never used a rebounder, but Donna states that it helps you use more muscles at one time, therefore getting a better workout and using muscles that you normally wouldn't use. Since I bike about 5 miles a day, 5 days a week, I didn't try this, but it sounds fun.

Lastly, Donna provides a recipe for a cleansing bath with baking soda, epsom salts and lavendar or arnica oil and recommends using this daily or at least weekly. She again warns that you may feel the effects if you have toxins built up in your body. I'll let you know how this goes, I haven't purchased all of the supplies yet.

All in all, this week went well and I am still enjoying the study very much. I will leave you with the memory verses for Week 4 and encourage you to keep the faith.

Proverbs 31:16-17 She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously, her arms are strong for her tasks.

In His service,
Christina

And the Bride Wore White

WOW! This book completely amazed me. Dannah Gresh has been touched by the Spirit to write so openly about her experiences and emotions in such a grabbing manner. Oh, how I wish I had this book when I was 13, 15, or 17 and the desire to read and follow her guide. We were always told abstinence is best, but never shown the way to achieve that goal. This book does just that!


I pray that my daughter will read this book, apply it to her life, commit to a life of purity and share it with others. I also pray that her future husband is committing his life to purity now: mind, body and spirit.

Lord, use me to share with my daughter and sons that purity is so important. Let me speak openly about the challenges they will face and encourage them to be strong in the face of temptation and to use self-control. May they never put themselves into a situation that will cause them to fail, but if they do, give them the strength and courage to ask for help and get out of the situation before harm is done. In Jesus precious and holy name, AMEN.

Proverbs 31 - Week 3

I apologize that I have kept you waiting for the update to the Proverbs 31 study. It really has been fabulous and I am more organized and getting more accomplished than I ever thought possible in such a short period of time.

Week 3 of the Proverbs 31 study was entitled Healthy Eating. While I am in no way an organic eater, food purist or vegetarian, I thought that I did pretty well. I went into this week thinking I wouldn't learn much since I have been focusing on eating healthy for some time, but boy, was I wrong!

This week begins with a cleaning out of your pantry. While that may seem like a daunting task, the big challenge this week (and into next week) is a vegetable and water 10 day challenge based on Daniel 1:11-15. You will find, if you read this passage in varying translations, there is a vast difference on the definition of "pulse." Some definitions take this to be literally nothing but vegetables and water, some indicate that it is a mixture of nuts, seeds and grains that were ground together and eaten as a mush, and some give no definition other than pulse and since I am not a Biblical scholar, I don't know what the original language intended this to be. I attempted to use my own definition of anything that grows (vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, grains and lentils) and also include milk for calcium, but exclude any other animal products (meat, poultry, eggs, animal fats). The study also goes on to include limiting your sugar intake. It was hard and I can tell you now that I have not completed the 10 day challenge and have no intentions of doing so. It's not that my body can't handle it, it's that my will-power can't! Maybe this is why Weight Watchers has been so successful for me in the past. They don't tell you that you can't have something, just that you have to use good common sense about what you eat and how much of it.

I did try the cabbage soup that I read about on Donna Partow's website. While the soup tasted good and I'm sure the nutrition content is through the roof, it does get boring quickly. Fortunately, I was able to freeze half for another week. In the actual cabbage soup diet, you do add in other things besides the soup during the week which must make it easier. Since you avoid carbs and have very little protien, it isn't recommended for more than a week at a time and then a two week break between. Do not try this or any diet without consulting your physician.

Here are some of the study highlights from the week:

• "When they [Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego] chose food you provided (vegetables and water) rather than food the world had prepared, they were blessed."
• "It's said that the reason the lions couldn't eat him [Daniel] was because he was all backbone. Unfortunately many Christians today are all wishbone and no backbone."
• "Self-control is your personal city wall. It's your first line of defense."
• "To get an idea of what a reasonable portion of food looks like, draw an imaginary line through the middle of your plate. One-half of your plate should be filled with vegetables and fruits. Divide the other half into two equal parts: one section for protien and the other for whole grains." (Also referenced is a great website: http://www.theportionplate.com/ )
• "The United States recently ranked forty-second in logevity among nations of the world, behind Guam and Jordan."
• "...living a stressful (translate that: refusing to trust God) lifestyle."
• "Is not life more important than food?" Matt 6:25
• "Psalm 103:5 says that God 'satisfies your desires with good things.' Learn to satisfy your hunger with god things: time with God or good friends, fresh air, long walks."
• "Don't live to eat; eat to live."
• "Begin using an eight- or nine-inch plate, rather than the typical eleven- or twelve-inch dinner plate. Don't take seconds of anything but vegetables...never, ever clean your plate!"
• "Because we didn't take time to plan or prepare ahead, our waistlines (and cholesterol levels) will pay the price. You realize, of course, that the reason it's called fast food is because it's better to fast than to eat the food?"
• "...let me suggest the book Once-a-Month Cooking by Mary-Beth Lagerborg and Mimi Wilson." (A great book! I have used it and it works very well, the main point is that you plan ahead and use one day for shopping and one day for cooking.)

The weekly checkup was a breeze this week. I don't know if it is because I got through those struggles with being too hard on myself or what, but it may just be that I am building on the principles from the previous week and leaning on God's grace. I hope you are enjoying these updates, more next week.

In Christ,

Christina

Food & Nutrition

Well, I don't know if you can use leftover meatloaf and nutrition in the same sentence, however, being a lifetime Weight Watchers member, I know "everything in moderation." I made a meatloaf a couple of days ago and have been looking for a few leftover recipies to give new life to the meatloaf. Who wants meatloaf twice in one week? Here are a few that I've found that sound good enough to save!

• Grate leftover meatloaf on 4 sided box grater. Place in lightly oiled casserole and add enough chicken or beef broth to lightly moisten. Stir in leftover vegetables or add frozen peas. Season with basil and freshly ground pepper. Cover with generous amount of mashed potatoes and bake in 350 degree oven until potatoes start to color. This is our favorite version of Shepherd's Pie.
• My great grandmother was from Italy, and grew up poor, but her family always ate well. She kept a large Tupperware container in her freezer ALWAYS....as do my Mother and Sister and I now......ANY piece of meat that is leftover....meatloaf, chicken, hamburger, steak, roast, pork chops....etc. We put it in our "mystery meat" container. When the container is full....we make spaghetti sauce. Since we cook this all day either on the stove or in the crock pot, the meat will fall apart and you can't decipher what it is until you bite into it.....but boy is it delicious! I love your newsletter!
• Add it to a 25-cent Mac-and-cheese dinner with a can of tomato sauce or some marinara, and PRESTO! Meat Loaf Helper!!
• I'd try cutting it up into small cubes to add to macaroni, rice, or potatoes for a casserole starter.
• Saute onions and peppers and add chunks of the meatloaf and potatoes
• "Philly Cheesesteak" style, sauteed until hot through, with mushrooms, peppers, onions & whiz on a good hoagie roll

Enjoy!

Proverbs 31 update coming

My apologies, the update for last week's Proverbs 31 study is coming and will be posted soon. Thank you for your patience!

Quick Quotes

Anyone can count the seeds in an apple, but only God can count the number of apples in a seed. - Robert H. Schuller

Proverbs 31 - Week 2

As I beat myself up during the check-up on Saturday, I had to take a step back and stop trying to be so hard on myself. No, I didn't do EVERY step EVERY day, so I didn't want to mark it off the list. I made excuses that it was because my printer didn't work or I was having to make too many adjustments around everyone else's schedule. When it came down to it, I did do many of the activities for the week, most every day. I have always had a hard time with devotions. It was never part of my "normal routine." I didn't realize when I started this book, that I would have devotions on top of this book and the planner and the other activities of the book. I guess that's what has helped me these past couple of years, I was always in one Bible study or another and considered that my devotional. So, in-between studies, I always felt a little lost. I am making a renewed commitment now to a continual study of the Bible, no longer just reading the passages provided in the book I am reading, but actual Bible study and I am glad to share that with you all, as Proverbs 28:13 (NIV) states: "He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy."

Here are a few highlights from my reading of Becoming the Woman God Wants Me to Be this past week:

1. "To be selective means to be discriminating, discerning, and choosy - to be careful about the choices you make. It's the opposite of the mindless living that characterizes so many of us today."
2. "God's Word says that a person who meditates on Scripture - who remains faithful and sinks deep roots into the living water - that person will prosper in season. However, in season may not mean next week."
3. "It's been aptly said, 'When we work, we work. But when we pray, God works.'"
4. "The psalmist declared: 'I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety' (Ps 4:8). Notice the phrase 'I will.' It's a decision."
5. "...I want to live my life in such a way that when my feet hit the floor in the morning, the devil yells, 'Oh, no, she's up!'"

So, to summarize, old dogs can learn new tricks, but it may be harder and you may not see the fruit from obedience right away, but keep at it!

Next week's focus is healthy eating, that should be thought provoking!