Thursday, September 4, 2008

On the lowcarb front:

My stats for today:
Type: Treadmill
Route: manual settings
Time: 20
Average heart rate: 110
Maximum heart rate: 123
Calories burned: 120
Down 3.6 from last Thursday

Well, I headed out for the road and discovered that it was raining so I moved the workout to the treadmill. I feel incredibly good today. I even enjoyed our monthly staff meeting. :)
The scale is moving downward - thankfully. My Covey goal is coming along nicely and I have met the first minor goal of 2.5 pounds.

I got 4 stockings done yesterday, but not much else. Today is Thursday so I will be doing a batch of candles and working on packaging products. I am burning a "Crisp Green Apple" candle in my office today. (We're not supposed to, but no one says anything.) It smells really good!!! That may be my flavor of the evening, so to speak. The new wicks seem to be working out nicely and have cut the soot down to almost nothing.

Last night I stayed up to watch Sarah Palin's speech. All I can say is WOW! No victim of women's discrimination here. Just a feisty "git 'er done" kind of gal. Even Harold was impressed and this is a man who avoids like the plague anything that smacks of politics. I really don't know how you couldn't like this lady! Talk about feminism, she wears it well. That's all I'm going to say about that.




Gospel
Lk 6:27-38
Jesus said to his disciples:
“To you who hear I say, love your enemies,
do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you,
pray for those who mistreat you.
To the person who strikes you on one cheek,
offer the other one as well,
and from the person who takes your cloak,
do not withhold even your tunic.
Give to everyone who asks of you,
and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
For if you love those who love you,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners love those who love them.
And if you do good to those who do good to you,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners do the same.
If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners lend to sinners,
and get back the same amount.
But rather, love your enemies and do good to them,
and lend expecting nothing back;
then your reward will be great
and you will be children of the Most High,
for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.
Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful.

“Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you.”

Thoughts from the cornfield:
Today's passage - easier said than done, but most rewarding in the long run because it takes a lot of energy to harbor hate and judgement. I guess you have to figure out what it means to "love" your enemies. I really don't think Jesus meant that you had to invite them for tea - just be willing to die for them - not because you agree with their ideology or politics or views on life, but because we all fall short (there's the judgement connection) and because we are all children of God.


God bless the troops!