Health Tidbits

Today I just wanted to share a few tid bits of information that I learned last week. So todays post will have several different topics.

First of all - A concept that I heard was that you can't give up a bad habit unless you replace it with something healthy. Sometimes we might give up one thing that is not so good for us  - but then we end up replacing it with something that is equally as bad for us. I will share a few things that we have done. My husband and I had to give up soda's. We had wanted to go with diet soda's but diet soda's gave me headaches and they made my husband nauseous. So that would not have been that great of a substitute. So now we both ended up drinking more water. And that is a great thing!!

Fiber is a very important part of our diets. In fact, I heard a Dr say that it is important to get at least 10-15 grams of fiber per meal. Animal products and meat do not have fiber, but I will be sharing a list of some great resources of fiber with you all today.

Legumes~ 1/2 cup has 8 grams of fiber
Veggies~ 1 cup has 2 grams of fiber
Grain~ 1/2 cup has 3 grams of fiber
Fruit ~ 1/2 cup has 3 grams of fiber

The above information is an average, some may have more some less. You can look up on Google and find lists of the top fiber foods to eat. By doing so you will be able to make better choices of what you eat.

I was able to hear part of a program talking about Alzheimers. The Dr. explained that there are things that we can do to protect against Alzheimers. Exercising, eating healthfully, and getting at least 7 hours of sleep per night helps protect against this awful disease.

I hope that this information has been helpful to you. I continue to be a student to better health. And that means learning what I can in order to make better choices about my health. :O)

Come to the Garden.. And Invitation to Serenity...series

My sister gave me a neat little book called ~ Come to the Garden ~ An Invitation to Serenity that I thought would be a good book to go through since our series on the 23rd Psalm is over now. I hope that this series will bless each one of you in a special way. Today I will be sharing the introduction.

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I wrote, "Come to the Garden," at a time in my life when I was physically, emotionally and spiritually exhausted.  I felt along and defeated.

I remember calling my friend Ginger, and sobbing, "I feel like a broken pot of clay." She listened with a loving heart and answered softly. "I understand. Sometimes I feel I have poured myself out and there is nothing left." At that moment I knew I had to write- to sink into the depths of my feelings- and search for serenity.

As I wrote, tears of sorrow and despair dropped onto the blue lined paper and blurred the ink. I poured out my hear to the Lord, begging for relief, for solace, for peace. When I finished, the turbulence within was stilled and calm came over my spirit.

For two days I meditated, wanting to draw close to God, wanting to understand the mystery of suffering. Then, very gently, I was led to pick up my pen and write- "Quiet, quiet, quiet, my child, be still..."

It is my hope, that the meditations in this simple book will lead you to the Garden, that quiet place within, where God speaks in a whisper and miracles happen.

~JoAnna O'Keefe

Don't Expect a Reward Every Single Day...It's Not Gonna Happen

This morning when I weighed I was up 2 pounds since yesterday. I could have reacted in one of two  ways. I could have gotten discouraged(or even decided to give up) or I could have reviewed what yesterday was like- did I exercise? Yes. Did  make good healthy choices in what I ate and drank? Yes. Should I be up 2 pounds? No. But I am not going to let it get me down. When we make a commitment to a healthier lifestyle- we may not see the benefits every sing day, that's ok. When we have these kinds of day it is best to allow God to continue guide us and lead us to the best choices each day whether or not the scales reflect that or not. Don't get so caught up in what the scales say that you lose sight of the end goal. Yes- the scales can reflect the healthier choices that we are making, but some days they will let us down. Stick with your commitment to be a healthier you. You will be glad you did!

50 by 50 Update

At the end of June when my husband was diagnosed with Diabetes, I decided it was time for me to make some major changes to my lifestyle. I had known for a long time that I needed to lose weight and I had even tried several different times with no success. I had even gotten to the point of feeling like maybe there was no hope for me to lose weight. But thankfully when my husband got his bad news - I knew it was time that I made some changes.
I also began to spend a lot of time in prayer asking God to help me. I admitted that I could not do it on my own. I had tried and tried. I knew I needed to be healthier and had made efforts - but had not followed through. I decided that I would allow God to guide me and direct my path as I made changes.

And I am so happy to report that I have lost about 8-10 pounds!! The last two days the scales have been showing the 10 pounds lost but I officially say 8 pounds because weight can fluctuate a few couple of pounds. I have lost 20% or 1/5 of my goal so far. And I am hoping now that I will be able to lose the 50 pounds by next summer. It would be awesome!
I am being more mindful of what I eat and drink. Since my husband has to watch carbs - I have been more careful. I have come to realize that juices are super high in carbs and sugars and just not that good for a person. The same is true for soda. The way my husband and I deal with our random hankering for a soda- is to split a 12 ounce can with each other. So ever so often we each drink about 6 ounces of root beer. And we treat it as a treat. We are both drinking more water. Instead of just eating something or buying what ever because it looks good, I look at the contents of it and I decide if it is a good choice or not. It if is not I move on to something better. It feels good to be more mindful of what I eat and drink.

I will continue to work towards my goal - and no matter how long it takes to reach my goal - I am sure that with God's help that I will be able to make it. It is in His timing. And if I am lucky and reach the goal sooner rather than later- then my new goal will be to maintain my weight and not allow it to go up again. That can be done with God's help!!

Stay tuned for the next 50 by 50 update. :O)



Beloved Names of God ....Jehovah

Beloved Names of God

Jehovah

That men may know that thou,

whose name alone is JEHOVAH,

 art the most high over all the earth.

Psalm 83:18 KJV

 

• Name of God the Father
• "Jehovah" is referred to seven times in the KJV( including three place names).
• The name Jehovah is a translation of the tetragrammaton (a word with four consonants and no vowels) 'YHWH" The name may originally have been pronounced as Yahweh.

Jehovah is the personal name of God. In the Bible it is used adoringly and with great honor. 

 

There is no record of Jesus ever using the name Jehovah-- and for good reason. Scholars have suggested that had He uttered that name in the presence of other Jews, especially the Pharisees and Sadducces, He would have been subjected to extreme punishment. As God's Son, Jesus knew when He would be arrested He chose His words carefully Instead of Jehovah, Jesus emphasized God the Father. As John wrote, "but as many as received him(Jesus), to them gave he power to become the sons of God(the Father, even to them that believe on his name" (John 1:12 KJV).

 

Have you ever been introduced to someone and two seconds later forgotten his name? Or, someone talks to you and later you have trouble remembering the gist of the conversation. God, the great Jehovah, isn't like that. He heard every cry of His oppressed people in Egypt. e hears, and remembers, every word of prayer we utter00 and then He responds as only an eternal, compassionate God can. Jehovah's arm is still stretched out to save us.

~ Taken from The Top 100 Names of God  Ellyn Sanna

 

 

 

 

 



You can trust the Man that died for you

And do not present your members to sin as instruments to be used for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead and your members to God as instruments to be used for righteousness.

Romans 6:13

I went one night to hear an address on consecration. No special message came to me from it, but as the speaker kneeled to pray, he dropped this sentence: “O Lord, Thou knowest we can trust the Man that died for us.” And that was my message. I rose and walked down the street to the train; and as I walked, I pondered deeply all that consecration might mean to my life and—I was afraid. And then, above the noise and clatter of the street traffic came to me the message: “You can trust the Man that died for you.”
I got into the train to ride homeward; and as I rode, I thought of the changes, the sacrifices, the disappointments which consecration might mean to me and—I was afraid.
I reached home and sought my room, and there upon my knees I saw my past life. I had been a Christian, an officer in the church, a Sunday-school superintendent, but had never definitely yielded my life to God.

Yet as I thought of the darling plans which might be baffled, of the cherished hopes to be surrendered, and the chosen profession which I might be called upon to abandoned—I was afraid.
I did not see the better things God had for me, so my soul was shrinking back; and then for the last time, with a swift rush of convicting power, came to my innermost heart that searching message:
“My child, you can trust the Man that died for you. If you cannot trust Him whom can you trust?”
That settled it for me, for in a flash I saw that the Man who so loved me as to die for me could be absolutely trusted with all the concerns of the life He had saved.

Friend, you can trust the Man that died for you. You can trust Him to baffle no plan which is not best to be foiled, and to carry out every one which is for God’s glory and your highest good. You can trust Him to lead you in the path which is the very best in this world for you.
—J H. McC

“Just as I am, thy love unknown,
Has broken every barrier down, 
Now to be Thine, yea, Thine ALONE,
O Lamb of God, I come!”

“Life is not salvage to be saved out of the world, but an investment to be used in the world.”

The Solution to Fear

 

I've had an issue that I've dealt with for years, this past week I finally realized that "fear" was the main cause. Not only did God bring me the reason for my fear, He also helped me with the solution. One of the ways that I know the solution came from Him is that I got the message multiple times.

 

First off in my devotional time I was reminded of the need to trust Him. Then on Sabbath a dear friend gave me this wonderful journal! Less than an hour later in my Sabbath School class some of our reading dealt with our need to spend time in prayer and Bible study, by doing this our faith and trust in God increases. Then this morning in the devotional I found this:

"You can trust the Man that died for you."

 

I have written this awesome sentence in the front of my new journal as a reminder of this lesson.

 

Come back tomorrow when I will share the devotional where I found this sentence. As it blessed me, I trust it will bless you as well. :O)