45-10-10

The Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga routine is NOT for the fain of heart.  I always dread that particular workout with Bob, as I know it'll hurt during, after and for days to come.  :)  Hurt is good though, right?  At least that's what everyone says.  This is the second time we've done this workout this week.  Mr. Bendy is amazing at it!  Oh, to be able to move and stretch and hold posses like he does!  Someday!  I'm learning, albeit begrudgingly, that I often have to do the modified version.  As long as I'm still pushing myself, I'm getting the same results.

There was a time (about 3-4 years ago) when I was working out consistently at the Y.  Every Tuesday night they offered a class called Body Flow.  It's a triad workout: Yoga, Tai Chi and Pilates which built flexibility and strength.  When I first started, I was clumsy, unbalanced and struggled with many of the holds (like now), but I eventually got it.  My body started to change, adapt and soon I was rotating through the posses without any problems.  I need to remember that.  I always want to hit the ground running at peak level, but forget I have to work up to that.

This week hasn't been easy, but I've been shocked and slightly amazed that I've actually been able to wake up early all week.  After the workout is finished and Mr. Bendy goes off to work, I'm left here to write for about an hour or so.  I love the quiet of the morning to think and pray and write.  It gets my creative juices flowing.  Even if I'm only writing about my workout, everything else will come.  Being the Active Ingredient last year was a lot of fun, but my passion for writing and taking pictures got put on the back burner.  Which is fine, but I've missed that aspect of what makes me me.  I'm excited to see what opportunities God brings in this new year as I learn what it means to Create Something Beautiful. 

Oh, which reminds me, I've been wanting to share with you something I read recently while waiting for Jason at his work.  It was actually in a fire sprinkler magazine, but the source is irrelevant.  The facts are pretty amazing and might change you or someone you know.  It's the 45-10-10 Principle:

45 - $0.45 is the current cost for a stamp
10 - 10 Minutes of time
10 - 10 Days of commitment

The articles theory is that you never know how one hand written note might change someones world.  In this day and age of modern conveniences such as email, we've lost the personal connection with others.  We shoot of constant texts and emails to one another, who ever takes the time to actually WRITE out a letter or note to someone they love?  I want to challenge you to make this commitment for 10 days, for 10 minutes for the cost of $0.45 to connect with a friend you've been meaning to say hello to.  I'll do it as well.  I have two pen pals whom I know would love to hear from me. If you do take on this challenge, I'd love to hear about it.  Feel free to leave me a comment about your experience.

Day One

I've been on a weight loss journey pretty much since the day I was born.  Of course, as a baby a little pudge is cute.  Any other age, not so much.  I've struggled with being self conscious and how I view myself for as long as I can remember.  I've been teased and made fun of which makes me wonder how I would be different if there weren't mean kids out there.  But that's neither here nor there. 

I tend to take on and tackle new projects as if I'm in it for the long haul, but weeks, sometimes days into it I find that it's too hard or quit all together.  I'm not proud of this, but I wanted to share a little back story.

Fast forward to present day.  I am not happy with what I see in the mirror.  Even though my precious boyfriend loves me for who I am, not what I look like or what he wants me to look like.  In fact, as long as I'm happy, he doesn't care what I look like.  But until I'm happy and will be OK with the girl I see in the mirror, I'll never truly be happy. 

There's a skinny girl deep down inside me.  I know because I'm always shocked to see what I really look like in pictures.  Crazily enough, I see myself different, though I'm still sad.  So, OK, what's a girl gotta do to change this?  Apparently something drastic.

Anyone who knows and loves me knows that I l-o-v-e sleep and love to sleep in, so in the past when friends would suggest I wake up early to get a work out in, never really crossed my mind...... until yesterday.  Jason and I were having lunch at Moe's (Welcome to Moe's!!) when we were talking about working out and such.  He offhandedly suggested we could get in a good workout before work, but.... it would have to be at 5AM!!  (Nearly TWO hours earlier than I'm used to waking up.)  Oy!

We used to work out together after work, but one thing led to another and the next thing you know, we're excusing our way out of working out.  Honestly, a gym is so boring and monotonous and for a recovering A.D.D. girl, I needed more.  I need more. 

My girlfriend in ATL has been working out with this new program called Turbo Fire.  She's had AMAZING results over the past eight weeks which leads me to believe there's hope for me!  I've already been thinking about buying something like ZUMBA; which looks amazingly fun.  My theory is, if you're having fun while working out, you don't realize it's hard work, because you're having so much fun. 

After talking it over some of the different options with Jason and after I got over the shock of potentially waking up before 5am to work out, I started to seriously consider this plan.  He said, "If you commit to waking up early every morning for a week or two, then we'll both know you're serious about making a change.  Besides, half the challenge for the first week is simply waking up!" (My paraphrasing) 

He just looked at me over lunch and said, "Who is this girl to even consider this?"  I'm willing to give it a try... plus, I get to see my love every morning and work out with him as well.  Seems like a fair trade off.  Fast forward to this morning at 4:57AM when I get a text from Jason, "Are you up yet?"  Did he seriously think I'd be awake before 5am?  :)  To my credit, I rolled out of bed, got dressed and then snuggled back under my still warm covers waiting for him to officially arrive. 

We got started about 5:15 and worked out with Bob Harper from the Biggest Loser.  Yoga at 5 in the morning is both perfect and extremely hard.  We sweated, grunted, complained (me), stretched, did a few push ups and many different yoga posses that has me sore tonight.  I even lost my balance...twice...and fell over, but I got back up and continued.  I was so proud of myself!  I AM so proud of myself.

I feel like this time it's different.  I feel like the change will stick this time.  I'm ready to do this for me, for my health, for my future.  Last year, God taught me all about being the Active Ingredient (which is why you didn't hear from me much), but this year's theme is: Create Something Beautiful.  I do believe I'm the something that's going to be even more beautiful than I already am.  My hope is to daily blog and write more about my journey.

I'm Proud of Myself Today Because... I actually got up at 5AM and worked out!
Today's Accomplishment: no Subway cookies and extra lettuce and spinach on sandwich
Tomorrow's Goals: drink more water; leave "can't" out of the workout

Now, I would love to write more, but alas 5AM come VERY early.  My goal is to be asleep before 10pm.  I don't think that will be very difficult.  I'm v-e-r-y sleepy and about to pass out.

Happy Trails, my friends.

Pocket of Grace

Jason and I want to share some exciting news with you about an opportunity God recently dropped in our laps to share the love of Christ with the Suquamish Native American Tribe. From the beginning of our relationship, I shared my love for the Suquamish Native Americans and have been praying the doors would open up so that Jason too would experience this same joy. Due to aging elders of the Suquamish Tribe, we knew we a “normal” week of vacation Bible school and other activities just wasn’t going to happen. Our God of the eleventh hour stepped in and provided new and unexpected opportunities. Before I tell you about that, let me give you a little background on the Suquamish Native Americans.

I first heard about the Suquamish Native Americans from my friend, Gloria Smith, who is a full-blooded native and who often shared about the hardships of her people, through prayer requests each Sunday. Even before I knew what was to come, God was preparing my heart. I developed a love for these people, whom I’ve never even met. Then in 1998, Sybil Johnson (our College director at Shades Mountain Baptist Church) mentioned to Gloria the possibility of taking a group of college students not just to minister to her people, but also “the forgotten ones”, the children. When Gloria heard that, she just cried. From the time she left the Reservation, she’s been praying that God would send someone to minister to them. Once the Elders granted us permission to come onto their land, our dreams were hatched and none of us were ever the same again.

From the very beginning, God was in the little details. He softened their hearts for this “Alabama Group”, and allowed us to go where only natives had previously been before. The doors for bringing His saving grace had been flung wide open and we fell into a pocket of grace that still exists today.

When the first team arrived on “the slab” (concrete area meeting area), two things struck me: the kind of beauty that takes your breath away leaving you speechless and the spiritual warfare that was extremely evident by the drug deal that was taking place not far from the little church. We immediately ‘circled the wagons’ and had a prayer time like never before.

By the end of the first week, we had been amazingly blessed. Not only did we plant seeds of salvation in many of the children’s hearts. But also, at least four girls accepted Christ, which we later baptized in our hotel pool the next summer.

For a total of nine summers (1998-2006), God opened the doors to allow me to return each summer. I was blessed abundantly with whatever I needed to go back. It amazed me, how each year He set up these divine appointments to remind me that He’s still in the miracle business.

So why thirteen years later, does my heart still beat for the hope of returning to this land? It’s there that I find purpose. It’s where I know God has specifically placed me; to use the talents He’s given me, to bless His people. There’s an indescribable fulfillment in being a sojourner for Him. An added bonus, I again get to spend time with these precious people, whom I love like my own family.

So, what’s the pocket of grace that I speak of? It’s when God has covered all the details you could ever think or worry over, often before you even ask them. It’s when you look around, and you see His fingerprints completely covering the situation. When you realize that He’s done all this for you, for your happiness, when you didn’t deserve it, but He did it anyway. It’s when you realize you went to minister, but instead got ministered to. That’s when you realize you’ve fallen into His pocket of Grace.

While in Suquamish, we will work alongside a new church plant on the Reservation, Refuge Christian Fellowship. Miraculously, the Suquamish Tribe has allowed Refuge to meet in their local elementary school. We’ll also set up a booth at Chief Seattle Days and help children assemble The Power Band, which is a direct presentation of the Gospel. This is a popular tool which uses a leather strap and multi-colored beads to represent the six elements of the Gospel:

Black is our sin before we are saved

RED is the blood of CHRIST shed for us on the cross.

WHITE we are cleansed when we are saved.

BLUE is baptism.

GREEN we are growing in CHRIST.

YELLOW/GOLD is our riches in HEAVEN.

We are praying for God to grant us favor with the people so we can show His love and salvation.

Three things are absolutely necessary for this work to happen. First, God’s divine blessing leading us to do His will and the work He’s called us to do. Second, we covet the committed prayers* of family and friends, as the spiritual warfare never lets up. Satan attacks us even before we arrive on the Reservation and once there, we wage a battle within the Heavens for Lost Souls. Finally, we need the financial support which equates to approximately $1,500 for us both. If you feel led to contribute financially to this mission, please make checks payable to Undivided Ministries. Please note in the memo section of your check “Suquamish Mission – “Insert Name””. All donations are tax deductible and should be mailed to: UNDIVIDED MINISTRIES, P.O. BOX 1101, Blountsville, AL 35031

We will leave for the Reservation on August 17th and return home on August 21st. Please mark these dates on your calendar and remember us in prayer while we are gone. Thank you for your prayers and support.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.” Matthew 28:19, 20

*For more information regarding how to pray for missionaries, please visit this website.

Be the Active Ingredient

It all started on January 25, 2011 when JP and I went to get dinner at Smoothie King after working out.  On the bottom of my receipt it said, "Be the Active Ingredient".  It struck a cord within me and I knew one day it would turn into a blog post.  (That's the thing about being a writer, I never know where my next inspiration will come from.)  Little did I know, God would make me wait SIX months!  I have no idea why, but everytime I went to write, I heard, "wait".  So I did.  It wasn't until this afternoon that He gave me the OK to write about it!

Let me explain what this little phrase has come to mean to me over the past six months!

When I first started doing some research about active ingredients, I wanted a simple definition, however that's not readily available.  Try this one on for size:  "Active ingredients are components in a drug which provide some pharmaceutical value, in contrast with the inactive ingredients, which act as carriers to make the drug easier for the body to process. The term “active ingredients” is also used in the pesticide industry to describe the active pesticides in a formulation. In both cases, these ingredients are literally “active,” performing a specific function upon application or ingestion."

Or in laymen's terms: When something or someone has been added to a certain situation, it/we have the potential for greatness.  Or, at the very least, change.  Ahh, change.  I have a love/hate relationship with that word, but more on that another time.

Anyone has the potential to BE the active ingredient!  It just takes a little extra effort on your part.  Are you up for the challenge?   If you'll remember our complicated definition from above, the last phrase is the most important, "active ingredients perform a specific function upon application."  Let's talk more about that, shall we?

April 27, 2011, a day Alabama won't soon forget.  JP and I had the pleasure of volunteering through Church of the Highlands that very next Saturday.  We met at the Dream Center with our red SERVE t-shirts and were immediately sent within the community.  They piled us in the van, heading for Pratt City.  I have to say, first, I've never heard of Pratt City until we were there.  And second, it was an extremely surreal experience.  We had no real idea of what to expect. We didn't even know what the damage would be like. Let me just tell you, pictures do not do it justice.

There were two major active ingredients within the volunteer efforts: our Highlands red tshirts and food.  It was amazing!  They were the secret keys to get us beyond the police barricade and into the front lines.  "Oh, you're with Highlands?  Come on through." or "Oh, you've got food for us, sure, come on through."  It was like having a "Golden Ticket".

Once we got into the main part of Pratt City, it looked like a bomb had gone off.  We all just stopped and looked around.  Twisted metal.  Tree stumps as far as you could see.  Houses either completely gone or in complete ruin.  We even saw a matress speared through a remaing branch on a remaining tree.  I know you've all seen pictures by now, but until you've actually been there.  Met the people who's lives have changed forever.  Talked with the kids who are trying to act like it's a normal day.  Served food to families with only the clothes on their backs... you'll just never understand.

I don't say any of this to brag on anything great JP and I did.  There were COUNTLESS volunteers that day.  We met a lot of great people, all with hearts of service.  I would say that's another active ingredient: a heart of service.  Once we got our feet in the door, then it was up to us how to serve using the strengths God gave us. 

At one point, we (about 15 of us total - 3 in the cab, the rest in the back) all piled into JP's pickup, went further into the community and delivered tons and tons and tons of water.  What a site we must have been!  I remember starting to cry at first... the devestation...was unreal!  Even now, I have a mind's eye view and my eyes fill with tears.  I felt so helpless.  What could I do to help these people?  I decided right there and then, I would do whatever it took.  I would get out of my comfort zone and love on strangers.  I met a lot of amazing strangers that day.  I pray they are doing OK.

Since then, I've realized that anything can be a catalyst to cause an active ingredient explosion in any given situation!  You never know the potential impact you might have in someone's life.  For instance, I tweeted/Facebooked where JP and I were and that Pratt City needed more volunteers.  Later in the day, we went back to the Highlands Command Center (where all the military, police and utility workers came for food and drink) and my friend Mandy was there.  She said she read
on FB what I said and she and her husband came to volunteer.  My decision to ask for help (something I've also been learning this year) resulted in two more amazing volunteers.

My examples go on and on, but the point I'm trying to get across to you is that it doesn't take Super Man to be the active ingredient in someone's world!  Everyone has the chance every single day to make a difference!  Whether it's making conversation with the grumpy clerk at Walmart or Publix, trying to illlicit a smile from them.  Or allowing someone in on the road, even though they cut you off a few miles back and you're still steaming about it.  Go on, let them over.  Or if someone let you over, wave at the person to tell them thanks.  So many examples!

My challenge to you, dear friends, be the active ingredient in your world of influence!  You never know how your own decision might affect someone's life.. for eternity!!  Wow, what a responsibility.  Remind yourself daily.  I still have my Smoothie King receipt in my wallet.  Each time I open it, I'm reminded of the lesson God's been teaching me.

"Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another. - Napoleon Hill"