* Hello to you! Welcome to the Body Temple study. If you are just joining us and you would like to start from the beginning look to the right and you will notice under Blog Map the words "Body Temple" click on that and it will take you all of the Body Temple entries. Go to the very bottom and work your way up. May the Lord bless you in your journey!
Do you ever go into your day knowing that you are not really prepared? I mean really not prepared? I have. I am not sure that I can explain how my mind works - I know my husband would tell you most of the time he has no clue how my mind works. But it is hard to explain to others what you really don't understand yourself. I am sure that I am going to embarrass myself when I tell you the events of this morning; it lends new weight to the word humility.
There is a passage in Philippians 2 which talks about the humility of Christ and how he "didn't consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing...being made in human likeness...he humbled himself..." So in a very small way I am seeking also to humble myself before you all in the hopes that we can all learn something.
O.K. back to my story, so I woke up this morning and decided that I should work out. But I really didn't feel like putting my clothes on so I ran downstairs in my pj's with my workout DVD in one hand and my shoes in the other. I didn't even bother to put on socks. So picture with me, bedhead hair, moose jamies (which I bought in Seattle), shoes (no socks). I did not eat anything nor did I drink anything. I turned on the workout and began to warm up. I have a new DVD which I think I will really like, it is called Rio Butt Lift - I figure I could use a bit of a butt lift. The guy is from Rio I think, and he is an extremely energetic dancer as are all of his hot babes who don't sweat and smile all the time. The things they do with their hips - I have No idea how they accomplish that. But anyway, I actually got a really good workout, sweat pouring, heart pumping. When the workout was finished (I managed to get almost to the very end) I ran upstairs and jumped in the shower. Suddenly I began to feel extremely light headed, and I thought for sure I was going to lose my dinner from the night before (because I had not had breakfast of course). I began to sweat - how does one sweat in the shower for heaven sakes? I bent over double with the most terrible pains I had experienced since childbirth. "What the heck is happening?" I asked myself, picturing at the same time my family having to drag me naked from the shower. "I haven't even shaved my legs," I thought irrationally (every woman's fear - having to go to the hospital unprepared). I managed to wrap a towel around myself and then get to the bed. The pain continued to get worse and I seriously thought I was going to have to call for help so I dragged myself to the closet and got dressed before again depositing myself on the bed soaked in sweat. Even the dog heard my distress and tried to give me some comfort in her own doggy way.
At this point I didn't want to call 911 so I did the next best thing, I called my brother-in-law who is a nurse, he said it sounded to him like the vagus nerve which runs the length of the body and can cause all of the symptoms that I was experiencing save the terrible cramps. But he bade me lie still and drink some water which I did. He had some concerns with the cramping and I told him I have an o.b. nurse friend and he agreed it would be a good idea to give her a call, which I did.
I called my friend Debbie the o.b. nurse and interrupted her pedicure, describing once again my symptoms and she listened intently and this is how our conversation went,
"Did you eat anything before you worked out this morning?" She asked.
"Ummmmmmm No," I replied.
"Did you drink any liquids before your workout?"
"No, I didn't" I replied again, somewhat sheepishly.
"Did you properly cool down after your workout?"
"Well, no I guess not," I admitted.
"Well, my dear," she kindly said, "When you don't take care of yourself beforehand then your body is going to react negatively. Not eating and drinking a little something before your workout, not cooling down and then jumping into a hot shower all contributed to a drop in blood pressure. Your Uterus is a muscle you know," she continued with confidence, "it will contract - thus the cramping."
Convinced now that I was not going to die I thanked her profusely. Whew! I had learned a valuable lesson. Being prepared is not only good it is quite necessary.
Preparing for the workout is just as important as the workout. Does that mean that you shouldn't wear your jammies while exercising? No, that's o.k. but having an attitude where you rush through is truly not the best option.
It made me think how many times I don't prepare myself spiritually before my day. Remember back when we studied the temptation of Christ? Satan tempted Jesus by telling him that he should tell stones to become bread. Jesus responded by quoting scripture, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
So the Word of God is able to help us with every day that we live and every circumstance that we go through. It is up to us to prepare well by studying His word so that we can be well prepared. My dear sisters lets not take the words of Jesus lightly! When we begin to scour the Word of God for answers we will be amazed at what we find. Being prepared is a beautiful thing and it also doesn't hurt to have brilliant nursie friends to call in a crisis either!
Homework
This week we have been looking at perseverance and what that looks like for us as we choose to continue to live healthier lives both in mind and body. Before we begin studying this particular passage lets get a bit of background on what was happening historically. The Israelites (God's chosen people) had disobeyed God by not putting their trust in Him. As a result they were punished. They spent 40 years wandering the desert Numbers 14:26-35. The events of Deuteronomy cover only a week or two of the 11th month of the 40th year that the Israelites had been wandering in the desert. Imagine what the Israelites must have felt as once again they were positioned to enter the land that God had promised them.
Read Deuteronomy chapter 8 aloud
Read again vv. 1-5
1. Have you ever been given a second chance after learning a lesson? Write this in your journal and jot down some of the benefits of the lessons you learned during this time.
2. Describe a time if you can where you disobeyed God. In what ways were you humbled? List some of things out. Did you have to confess to a friend or loved one? What was that like?
3. During the time of discipline God caused them to hunger but then fed them. Has there ever been a time that God has caused you to hunger for Him and how has He fed you during this time? Did He give you a friend to talk to or perhaps a special verse that got you through it? Write it out in your journal.
4. Have you been tempted to give up during that difficult time? What rewards did you receive when you worked through it?
5. As you read through those five verses what words stood out to you? Write them down. What did you learn about God in these verses? What did you learn about yourself?
Challenge
Are you working out every day? I want to encourage you dear sisters to continue to press toward the mark and not forget that preparation is just as important as the workout itself both physically and spiritually. Spend good quality time with the Lord so that he can strengthen you in your inner spirit. And keep up the good work you can do it. At the end of this week we are going to take it a step further so hang on it's going to be a fun ride!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Half Time (day 17)
* Hello to you! Welcome to the Body Temple study. If you are just joining us and you would like to start from the beginning look to the right and you will notice under Blog Map the words "Body Temple" click on that and it will take you all of the Body Temple entries. Go to the very bottom and work your way up. May the Lord bless you in your journey!
I am a big project starter. I love the feeling when the new thought of a project comes to mind. It starts as a little seed and begins to grow. I water it, feed it and ruminate on it. I plan and make lists and when I have it all planned out I plan a little more. I often have to go to the store and buy things which makes it even more fun. There is nothing like heading into my favorite Lowes with a list and a plan.
After I have purchased all my items I am ready to begin. I jump in with both feet and enjoy the process; immediately I see results and changes and I feel good about accomplishing something good.
About half way through though I begin to tire of the work and I lose momentum and enthusiasm. I find other things more important and my project gets shuffled to the back of the line. I have officially hit the middle.
The middle can be the wasteland of good intentions can't it?
We, dear sisters have reached the middle week. This is where we can fall into the wasteland of good intentions and that is all that they will have been - intentions. " I intended to see it through, but..." we can fill in the rest of this sentence with lots and lots of words can't we?
But remember that if our goal is obedience to God then everything else will fall into place. Keep in mind our lessons that we did on obedience from Genesis. God is asking us to trust Him but the work is not ours - it is His. Dear ones as children of God we have a guarantee and that is that God will complete the work He has begun in our lives. He never leaves anything undone. Praise God for that!
As you work hard toward living a healthier life know that God is pleased with your efforts. Week 2 we learned the importance of Obedience. This week we will concentrate on persevering; we will learn about God's plan for us. Hang in there! You can do this - continue to fight the fight you are not alone!
Homework:
Read Philippians 3:7-14 aloud pay attention as you read - which verses really stand out to you? Write them in your journal. Spend some time in prayer asking God for wisdom to show you the importance of these particular verses in your life. What do you learn from God in these verses and what do you learn about yourself? Write these things down.
Paul encourages Christians "forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead", how can you apply this to our goal for healthier bodies? As you have gone through this study is there anything that you would like to forget or anything where you feel you have failed? To what are you straining toward? Write these things down.
This is a good time to set again in your mind your goals for this study spiritually as well as physically. It is good to set goals but remember that God will do the work in your heart - trust Him for that!
Challenge
How are you doing on your exercise and food intake? Have you chosen a diet program that you think will work for you? I would like you to take a look at this article - especially for those of you over 40 - it helped me to understand a bit more about my body and how it works.
I am a big project starter. I love the feeling when the new thought of a project comes to mind. It starts as a little seed and begins to grow. I water it, feed it and ruminate on it. I plan and make lists and when I have it all planned out I plan a little more. I often have to go to the store and buy things which makes it even more fun. There is nothing like heading into my favorite Lowes with a list and a plan.
After I have purchased all my items I am ready to begin. I jump in with both feet and enjoy the process; immediately I see results and changes and I feel good about accomplishing something good.
About half way through though I begin to tire of the work and I lose momentum and enthusiasm. I find other things more important and my project gets shuffled to the back of the line. I have officially hit the middle.
The middle can be the wasteland of good intentions can't it?
We, dear sisters have reached the middle week. This is where we can fall into the wasteland of good intentions and that is all that they will have been - intentions. " I intended to see it through, but..." we can fill in the rest of this sentence with lots and lots of words can't we?
But remember that if our goal is obedience to God then everything else will fall into place. Keep in mind our lessons that we did on obedience from Genesis. God is asking us to trust Him but the work is not ours - it is His. Dear ones as children of God we have a guarantee and that is that God will complete the work He has begun in our lives. He never leaves anything undone. Praise God for that!
As you work hard toward living a healthier life know that God is pleased with your efforts. Week 2 we learned the importance of Obedience. This week we will concentrate on persevering; we will learn about God's plan for us. Hang in there! You can do this - continue to fight the fight you are not alone!
Homework:
Read Philippians 3:7-14 aloud pay attention as you read - which verses really stand out to you? Write them in your journal. Spend some time in prayer asking God for wisdom to show you the importance of these particular verses in your life. What do you learn from God in these verses and what do you learn about yourself? Write these things down.
Paul encourages Christians "forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead", how can you apply this to our goal for healthier bodies? As you have gone through this study is there anything that you would like to forget or anything where you feel you have failed? To what are you straining toward? Write these things down.
This is a good time to set again in your mind your goals for this study spiritually as well as physically. It is good to set goals but remember that God will do the work in your heart - trust Him for that!
Challenge
How are you doing on your exercise and food intake? Have you chosen a diet program that you think will work for you? I would like you to take a look at this article - especially for those of you over 40 - it helped me to understand a bit more about my body and how it works.
If you have any questions about how to become a Jesus follower please email us and we would be glad to talk to you. Email us at lifestreamwomen@lifestreamweb.org May the Lord bless you and keep you, May He make His face to smile upon you and give you peace.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Chapters New Book - Simply Living
I thought I should tell you about the new book we are reading for Chapters. The book is "Simply Living...Modern Wisdom from the Ancient Book of Proverbs". I'll read what's on the back of the book so you can get an idea about the book. "The book of Proverbs deals with the human search for meaning. Through reason, experience, common sense, and observation, the sages sought to discover God in the details of daily life. In Simply Living, Cecil Murphey reacquaints us with dozens of proverbs - some familiar and some forgotten- and helps us apply these ancient insights to the problems with which we contend in our modern lives."
Isn't that something. The problems and concerns we have in our lives today, the people in ancient times had as well. AND the Bible addresses situations that span the mighty reaches of time. Whenever I read the Proverbs I usually find myself saying, "Duh". Or I find myself going, "OK already God! I know I'm suppose do that, but it's easier said than done." Or I find myself saying, "Oh yeah. I forgot." The Proverbs seem like common sense little life nuggets or something we find in a fortune cookie. (Sidebar: Which you rarely get fortunes out of fortunes cookies anymore!!! What's the point?")
So if the Proverbs are common sense...why do we need reminding so much? Notice how in Proverbs the author just gets right to the point and says what he says. Maybe so we don't have to dig deep in our supplemental study bibles to understand the true meaning of the passage. It's just laid all out there for us to have an immediate reaction or thought. Why is it harder to live it then? Proverbs talks about watching your mouth. Why do I continue to babble digging myself into holes and awkward situations? Proverbs says a soft answer turns away wrath yet when my daugther does the "teenage" thing, I fly off the handle.
The book Simply Living is a good reminder and talks about real life situations and how using the Proverbs can help us live the life God wants us to live.
We will meet on MARCH 1. That's on a Tuesday night at Biggby Coffee at 7:00. Enjoy reading!
Isn't that something. The problems and concerns we have in our lives today, the people in ancient times had as well. AND the Bible addresses situations that span the mighty reaches of time. Whenever I read the Proverbs I usually find myself saying, "Duh". Or I find myself going, "OK already God! I know I'm suppose do that, but it's easier said than done." Or I find myself saying, "Oh yeah. I forgot." The Proverbs seem like common sense little life nuggets or something we find in a fortune cookie. (Sidebar: Which you rarely get fortunes out of fortunes cookies anymore!!! What's the point?")
So if the Proverbs are common sense...why do we need reminding so much? Notice how in Proverbs the author just gets right to the point and says what he says. Maybe so we don't have to dig deep in our supplemental study bibles to understand the true meaning of the passage. It's just laid all out there for us to have an immediate reaction or thought. Why is it harder to live it then? Proverbs talks about watching your mouth. Why do I continue to babble digging myself into holes and awkward situations? Proverbs says a soft answer turns away wrath yet when my daugther does the "teenage" thing, I fly off the handle.
The book Simply Living is a good reminder and talks about real life situations and how using the Proverbs can help us live the life God wants us to live.
We will meet on MARCH 1. That's on a Tuesday night at Biggby Coffee at 7:00. Enjoy reading!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)