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!

Sunday, August 24, 2008

On the lowcarb front:
Daily stats (will be updated later)
My stats for today:
Type:
Route:
Time:
Average heart rate:
Maximum heart rate:
Calories burned:
I’m up .5 pounds from last Sunday

The good news is that I am down .4 since setting my Covey goal. There are 3 daily steps for this goal, and only 3.

I log my food (all of it, bad or good)
I drink 8 glasses of water
I get in some kind of exercise (today's will probably be a walk this afternoon)

During this goal I am not following any particular food plan. For me, it isn't what I eat, it's why and how much. Eventually I will transition back to Atkins maintenance because I feel best on that. But for right now, I am getting to the root cause of my issues. My current goal is tied in with becoming a proactive person. COEs let themselves become controlled by environment, people, food, negative thoughts etc. I am leaning more an more that what goes on in my head has a profound effect on what is going on in my life. I know that sounds like a "duh", particularly if you are a proactive person, but reactives don't think like other people. In fact, often, thinking is not involved. We are driven by our emotions. We know intellectually that what we do doesn't make sense, but we let ourselves be crippled by forces other than our own instincts. So often we get in our own way. If we watched someone else acting the way we do, we would want to shake him, but we don't see it in ourselves. Hmmmm that old log/splinter thing, hmmmm?

On the home/business front:
I am finally starting to see some progress in my workroom. It's still a mess, but I am getting there. Part of the problem was I didn't really know how I wanted to set it up. Now I have a picture in my head to work toward. Funny how that makes a difference.

Word of the day:
Matthew 16:21-27
From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done."

Thoughts from the cornfield:
Now, earlier in this same story we heard about how Peter was inspired by God to declare to Jesus, "you are the Messiah, the son of the living God." If ever there was a reactive person, it would be Peter. We have to remember that here on this earth, there are opposing forces battling for our allegiance. Of course, God has won that battle, but since we operate in a time continuum and God does not, we are still here fighting the battle. Satan is a foe defeated, but he is not dead and he will take as many as he on his descent as he can. Thankfully, we have an ally in the battle - our only weapon against the foe.


God bless the troops!

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Here are my stats for this morning:
Time: 30 minutes
Route: Treadmill
Average heart rate: 114
Maximum heat rate: 131
Calories burned: 202
I am using a different heart rate monitor. I don't like it as well as my PS15, but until I find that, I guess this will do. I have to cut the calorie total in half for this one because it credits me far too many for the work out - like two times too many.

I was reading the "Habits" book on the treadmill this morning. I need to go back and read again with my highlighter in hand. There is one section in the intro that says to read the book as if you were going to teach the principles to someone. Ironically enough, I skipped right over that - never saw it. In last night's reading Covey talks about setting goals. My goal for today - and only for today - is to stay in value rather than personality mode (hmmmm, kind of like my inner brat - Mary Ann) - to stick with my food program and not let "Mary Ann" sabatog me. This, to me, is the most important message in the book. Our values are the source from which personality flows, and if we are stifling or ignoring those values, we are not living authentically. We know when we violate our values - or we should, if our consciences are in working order.

I just visited the Biggest Loser site. The new season premiers on September 16. Can't wait! I just hope that there is another "Bette-Sue" type character. I just loved her!

On the home front:
I have a meeting this afternoon and then more inventory. Inventory is bearable because I use a laptop to take it and I can listen to internet radio while I am doing it.

I finally finished the choir letter I have been working on. Our choir is going to do a CD in memory of our friend John who died suddenly last October. I don't know why I have procrastinated with it. Today, I put my procrastinating personality aside and got it done. Writing the letter was the hard part. Now that it's done, I can enjoy the rest of the day.

Word of the day:
Matthew 24:42-46
Jesus said to his disciples, "Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour. Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their allowance of food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives."

Thoughts from the cornfield:
A friend of mine has a shirt that says, "Jesus is coming, look busy." This would be hilariously funny if it weren't so true. Many of us, including me, go through life "looking busy." And what are we doing when we aren't looking busy? Often we're worrying about how busy our neighbor is and whether he is just looking busy.

This all gets back to authenticity and it ties in so well with what I am reading in the "Habits" book. If we are operating from a Character (or Value) ethic, there is no need to "look busy." We ARE busy. We are doing what we need to do. And we are doing it because there is nothing else we would rather be doing. How wonderful if we lived as if we wanted to get caught doing what we should be doing.


God bless the troops!