When the Right Plan is Wrong

During my quiet time this morning I was reading Luke 5:
^18 (S)And some menwere carrying on a ^[i]bed a man who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him. ¹⁹ But not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on ^(T)the roof and let him down ^(U)through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. ²⁰ Seeing their faith, He said, “^[j]Friend,^(V)your sins are forgiven you.” ²¹ The scribes and the Pharisees ^(W)began to reason, saying, “^(X)Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? ^(Y)Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” ²²But Jesus, ^[k]aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? ²³ Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins have been forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ²⁴ But, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,”—He said to the ^(Z)paralytic—“I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.” ²⁵ Immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home ^(AA)glorifying God. ^26 [l]They were all struck with astonishment and began^(AB)glorifying God; and they were filled ^(AC)with fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today.”


Man, this was such a good reminder that I don't trust God enough. I'm so used to trying to be self-sufficient and thinking I'm responsible for getting things to go "just right." Then when things don't go just right, I am frustrated with God, continually asking, why are you not doing this? Why is it taking so long for you to answer me? But the thing is, it's not that he's not answering me, it's that my "right" is really the wrong plan, so it was never right to begin with. The moment I really begin to shrug off my failed attempts and accept that God has a bigger plan in store is the moment when His peace reigns in my heart.


Thank you Lord for your patience with me, I confess my lack of trust in you and pray that you would encourage my heart to seek you. I am so in awe of the fact that everything you are doing in my life is to create the most successful route to bringing others to Christ and I feel totally unworthy of even being a part of the plan!

Is Anyone Waiting 'til Marriage?

Statistically, not really.


Although, 61% Of American teens say that they want to wait to have sex until marriage, only 11% of Americans will have one partner in their lifetime and only 4% will wait until marriage to have sex with that partner. More Americans have sex BEFORE age 15 (16%) than wait until AFTER age 21 (15%).


So what changes their minds? Well this could be part of it:
--One third (33%) of sexually actives teens 15-17 reported "being in a relationship where they felt things were moving too fast sexually" and 24% had "done something sexual they didn't really want to do." 
--More than 1 in 5 (21%) reported giving in to pressure to have oral sex in order to avoid having intercourse with their partner. 
--1/4 of high school students had drank alcohol or used drugs before their last sexual intercourse (51% admitted they tended to "do more sexually" when they were under the influence).
--60% of teen girls had their first sexual experience with a guy at least 1-3 years older.
--Overall, 1/3 of teens 15-17 reported feeling pressured into having sex, not to mention the 10% who report having been physically forced to have sexual intercourse when they did not want to at some point.


All of these numbers lead me to one thing, our sweet junior high and high school kids are under a lot of pressure to have sex. It is our role as parents/church staff/disciplers to be aware of these numbers and tell them it's okay to feel that pressure, that doesn't make you a bad person! But it also doesn't mean that you have to give in. Ask anyone who waited, it will be worth it in the end.

Do You Ever Have One of Those Days...

Do you ever have one of those days where...
-You just feel so heavy in your heart that your shoulders actually slump?
-Everyone else's happy/exciting/giddy posts on Facebook/Blogger seem to be the exact opposite of how your life is going right this minute?
-You picture yourself as Eeyore with the cloud following you around wherever you go and raining on your head and the soundtrack to your day sounds like, "dump da dummmmm" ?
-You accidentally intentionally only read blogs that identify with your special brand of sorrow and for a brief moment three hour period you allow yourself to wallow?
-You've prayed for something so much you literally don't even feel like there are any more original prayers to be prayed on this topic: you've traded the root word for every adjective you can think of, thought of all the noun/verb order switches you could do to make it sound different, gone from fancy to simple phrasing and back again, and finally just ended in "why?"
-You had a stupid fight with your spouse and you don't even know where it began but you definitely know where it ended, which is with a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach because you know it wasn't worth it in the end?
-You look back on the week and wonder where the time went and know that you didn't really get anything accomplished that you had planned and now your To-Do list is so long you could use it to wrap all your Christmas presents in December?
-You want to trust in the Lord, you really, really do, but scripture feels a little hollow and prayer feels a little one sided?
-Someone you love hurt your feelings and even after they sincerely apologize you realize that the wound hasn't healed at all, much to your (and their) chagrin?
-Whatever it is that you pray/wish/think/dream about every night when you lay your head down seems so far away that you don't even want to want it anymore?


Well, if you haven't ever had one of those days, I have, and I am, and it stinks. The funny thing is after typing up this blog I am actually starting to feel the cloud lift a little and I'm reminded of something Gary said in Community Church on Sunday: "Faith is choosing to believe that the bible is true regardless of circumstance. "


Some days all you can do is repeat the truth over and over again until you've said it so much it begins to finally make sense.


For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

A Bloggie for My Doggie(s)

Today I am writing in honor of the 3rd and 4th members of our family, Bosco and Lucy. Today I read a friend's blog post about having to put down the dog she and her husband got as a newborn and had had for 11 years. The dog had an emergency medical problem and he was fine in the morning but by the afternoon they were having to make the hard decision to spend thousands of dollars on surgery with no guarantee of recovery or put him to sleep. They chose to put him to sleep and as I read her sweet words and memories about their four legged family member, I hate to admit it, but I shed a tear or two. It just really got me thinking about the inevitable, that one day, my sweet puppies will no longer be with me. It's the sad truth behind pet ownership that no one likes to talk about, but it is extremely likely that you will outlive your pets (and not just one pet, but probably multiple cycles of pets in a lifetime).


If you ask our friend Derek, we spend way too much time and energy on our dogs (which is most likely true). When thinking about going on vacation or discuss our hectic schedules for the week, we always have the "who's going to take care of the dogs?" conversation. Yes, we give them way more attention and loving than they need but at the end of the day they are a responsibility and they have to get fed and cared for even without our constant coddling. 
But what Derek and others don't understand is that most of the time it's really not a hassle for me because I love them like family members. They are included in our occasional date nights at home (NBC Thursday Night Lineup, takeout, and a two person/two dog pileup on the couch), we love taking them on day trips to see family or go to the river/park/hiking trails, and they definitely have distinct personalities that keep G and I laughing constantly at their interaction together. I know my dogs likes/dislikes better than most of my friends (Bosco hates broccoli but loves bananas, Lucy will eat literally anything-including rocks, her own fur balls on the floor, and dead bugs), and they can tell by the tone of my voice what I want them to be doing (or stop doing on most occasions). And the best part is, they listen.
I think most importantly (and this is literally about as sappy as it gets, so don't read on unless you're ready to be taken into Lifetime Movie Script), they unconditionally believe the best of me. I can yell at them for eating my shoe, forget to walk them, or banish them to the backyard when they are annoying me, but each morning I will still be greeted with Lucy putting her front paws up on the side of the bed and licking my arm "good morning," and Bosco will still lay at my feet while I brush my teeth just to be close to me. 
They are refreshing friendships in which I never have to worry about them holding a grudge, or telling them they don't look fat, or make up small talk if there's an awkward lull in conversation. They never care if I'm not wearing makeup, or if I don't feel like pretending I'm happy when I'm not, or if I watch completely vapid TV shows like Real Housewives (this is one of their favorite to nap during). 
We have inside jokes (if Lucy is hiding under a bed I start singing "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" and she always comes running) and silly bits (I have gotten Bosco's "Diva" and "Bang Bang Play Dead" trick down pat) and I know they will always be a source of comfort and cuddling and non-judgement in even the worst of moments. I can't tell you the number of times I've come home from a hard day at work or after a silly fight with the Hubby and they just crawl up on the bed beside me and lay their heads on my leg/lap/chest and look up at me. It's that quiet, that easiness of just laying there and soaking in their adoration that lightens the moment and makes it seem like maybe it will be okay after all.

So here's to you, Bosco, who thinks he is a guard dog but instead of attacking only licks your arm and tries to play, and Lucy, who we like to think is half pug half pig and sometimes looks like a bat when she is really tired. You are the best doggies in the whole world and I don't care what anyone says, until we have children you will be spoiled like children!

Quick Entry...

I don't have much time today so I'm just gonna give you the highlights of wrapping up the diet!

Here is what I have learned from the past 17 days:

---I cannot sustain this diet for 2 reasons:

1) It is too expensive to buy only fresh produce right now and nothing else.

2) I genuinely LOVE food. I didn't realize this before but it's not just being addicted to junk food, I actually enjoy tasting the different cuisines and flavors like a hobby.

---I have grown a "food conscience" that kicks in anytime I could be eating healthier but I'm thinking about not. For instance, it is not even a question that I will eat wheat bread instead of white, skim milk instead of 2%, and low fat or fat free everything where it's an option (rolls, dressing, cheese, yogurt, etc.).

---I had ice cream for the first time in 3 weeks yesterday and it tasted like absolute HEAVEN. I really do enjoy the feeling of ice cream as a special treat instead of an every week dessert.

---I still desperately miss coke, but I am trying to only drink it on the weekends if we go out to eat.

---My weight is about the same but I do feel healthier and better about myself knowing I'm putting (mostly) only the good stuff in my body!

And so it continues...

Yay! I've made it to Day 4, which according to the book (The 17 Day Diet) is when the cravings for fatty/greasy food start to lessen just a smidge. I have definitely been craving the "good stuff" so I'm hopeful that Day 4 is when that will stop nagging me!


Easy parts so far:

Drinking water instead of coke. For someone who went from having at least one coke a day to absolutely none, it was surprisingly easy! I haven't even really thought about it at all (which is probably because I spend most of my time drooling over pizza/burger/fries/cheese dip).
Finding a variety of things to eat. I havent really eaten the same meal or snack twice. There are tons of great recipes out there for this diet which I just found by googling it.
Yogurt really can be a delicious substitute for a dessert. Say what?! I thought this would be one of the hardest parts for me, switching from my delicious chocolate and ice cream cravings to (ugh) fat free yogurt. BUT so far I've branched out from my usual strawberry and I'm eating Boston Cream Pie, Triple Berry Torte, Strawberry Cheesecake, Key Lime Pie, Citrus Splash, and many other FAT FREE delicious flavors! They are just heavy enough to fill my need to be "full."
I'm more adventurous with herbs and spices. Normally, I am a follow-the-recipe-EXACTLY kind of gal because I haven't ever been confident in guesstimating the amount I need. However, since starting this diet I find myself throwing stuff together in a pan to get a new taste since I'm so concentrated on the same rotation of foods. Definitely expanding my cooking bravery!


Hard parts so far:
I really, really love my "go to" foods. I don't think I realized just how much I enjoyed foods and different flavors and sauces until I couldn't have them any more. I had to sit at cell group last night and eat a bag of carrots while my girls chowed down on delicious pizza! While I think I can make it on this diet for a couple of weeks, I could never do this for a lifetime.
Buying food for this diet is EXPENSIVE. Two things are colliding here to make this so: 1) I literally never leave the fresh produce section of Walmart because we can't eat anything besides fruits/veggies/lean protein. 2) We are eating a LOT because we are hungry about every 2 hours since our food is digesting so quickly. As of 4/20 we are already over our grocery budget for the whole month and we still have 10 days to go!
Nothing is quick and easy for food prep. I got sick of raw veggies REALLY QUICK so I cook every veggie we eat and of course, any uncooked chicken/turkey/fish has to be cooked. On the other hand, this is giving my cookware a pretty good workout! My pots and pans never make it back into the cabinets because I use them so often.


Here is my meal worksheet for yesterday:

DAY 3

Breakfast

Protein: Scrambled eggs

probiotic serving: Strawberry Yogurt

Lunch

Protein or probiotic serving:   Stir fry chicken with lowfat soy sauce

Cleansing Vegetables:  Sauteed Zucchini with Garlic Salt (my FAVE!), broccoli, onions

Dinner

Protein Serving:     Grilled Baha Citrus Chicken

Cleansing Vegetables:   Mixed Green Salad 

Snacks

Fruit serving: Grapes

2^nd Fruit serving:      Orange

2^nd Probiotic serving:   Boston Cream Pie yogurt (fat free)

Other

Friendly fat serving:    Light Balsamic dressing for dinner

Friendly fat serving:    Olive Oil to sautee zucchini

As for results... I have lost 5 pounds in three days! Water weight maybe, but still 5 pounds less!

One Day Down...

16 more to go!
And the good news is, I am already 2.3 pounds lighter! Now I know that this is not actual fat loss, but hey, seeing that smaller number gives me a great incentive after my first day to stick with the strict diet!


Here is what I have learned so far:
1) Eating healthier makes you hungry quicker. I start to get hungry about every hour to hour and a half because I am not eating heavy, complex fats that take a long time to digest. This is both good and bad because I am eating much smaller portions but man am I eating a lot! If my schedule wasn't so flexible this could be a real problem because once you are hungry your resolve starts to soften and a drive-thru window starts to sound pretty incredible.
2) Drinking 64 ounces of water a day makes you pee A LOT. It really makes me happy to know that the only liquid I'm drinking is God made and FREE! But drinking this much of it means I go to the bathroom like 15 times a day (no joke). I know it's flushing out my system but it's a little annoying.
3) My junk food craving is worse at night. Normally, I start my day off with a coke and maybe a granola bar. Then for lunch I either eat leftovers, salad, fast food, lean pockets, or soup. I really don't eat much during the day because in the past my plan was to save up all my calories for dinner when I could eat the REALLY good stuff. This, of course, was a terrible idea because while I was up and moving around all day my body could be working off calories but instead I waited for my calorie overload when I was about to sit/sleep for the rest of the night. Needless to say, after years of this habit I am experiencing what I call "Phantom Hunger" around 8pm at night. I'm not actually hungry, I'm just used to being stuffed like a turkey at night.


Here is my meal worksheet for Day 1:

DAY 1

Breakfast

Protein or probiotic serving: Strawberry Yogurt (non-fat)

Fruit serving:         Strawberries 

Lunch

Protein or probiotic serving:    Grilled Chicken Salad

Cleansing Vegetables:    Lettuce, cucumber, carrots  

Dinner

Protein Serving:     Ground Chicken burgers

Cleansing Vegetables:   Steamed Broccoli, onion in burger

Snacks

2^nd Fruit serving:      Strawberries       

2^nd Probiotic serving:   Blackberry Yogurt (fat free)

Other

Friendly fat serving:    Light Balsamic dressing for lunch

Friendly fat serving:    A teaspoon of low fat steak sauce in burgers