Joshua 24: 1-2a, 15-17, 18b

Joshua gathered together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem,
summoning their elders, their leaders,
their judges, and their officers.
When they stood in ranks before God,
Joshua addressed all the people:
"If it does not please you to serve the LORD,
decide today whom you will serve,
the gods your fathers served beyond the River
or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are now dwelling.
As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

But the people answered,
"Far be it from us to forsake the LORD
for the service of other gods.
For it was the LORD, our God,
who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt,
out of a state of slavery.
He performed those great miracles before our very eyes
and protected us along our entire journey
and among the peoples through whom we passed.
Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God."

Seven Word Status

 Had a WONDERFUL time at Holiday World!



HEADLINERS:  Jeremy Camp, Tenth Avenue North, and Barlow Girl

Ephesians 5:15-20

[from the second reading at mass this weekend]










Know what is right; do what is right. (Eph 5:17 paraphrased)



Seven Word Status

Some days I feel beautiful...even sweaty.

MOTIVATION

1.       Don’t WISH for it.  WORK for it!

2.       I may not be there yet, but I’m closer than I was yesterday.

3.       A year from now, I’ll be glad you started today.

4.       Work like a DOG.  Sweat like a PIG.  Look like a FOX.

5.       You can be SORE tomorrow or SORRY tomorrow.  The choice is yours.

6.       Whether you think you CAN or think you CAN’T, you’re right.

7.       The only difference between TRY and TRIUMPH is a little umph.

8.       If you’re tired of starting over, stop quitting!

9.       Today is another chance to make yourself proud.

10.   It’s not that some people have willpower and others don’t.  It’s that some people are ready for a change.

11.   What doesn’t CHALLENGE us doesn’t CHANGE us.

12.   Never let what you CAN’T do interfere with what you CAN do.

13.   Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels.

14.   Just…five…more…minutes.

15.   Change is not change until I change.

16.   “Believe in yourself, trust the process, change forever.”  - Bob Harper

17.   Act as if what you do makes a difference.  Because it does!

18.   It’s ALWAYS too early to quit.

19.   Suffer the pain of DISCIPLINE or suffer the pain of REGRET.

20.   Success must be felt INSIDE before it can be seen on the OUTSIDE.

21.    Yesterday was the ONLY easy day.

22.   Keep your eye on the prize.

23.   If you don’t like to sweat, think of it as your body being covered in liquid awesomeness.

24.   The only person standing in the way of your goals is YOU!

25.   Sweat is just fat crying.

26.   Don’t be afraid of going slowly; be afraid of standing still.

27.   The next six months are going to come and go whether I workout or not.  But my decision could drastically change the way I look and feel.

28.   WORKING OUT is hard.  BEING OVERWEIGHT is hard.  Choose your hard.

29.   Someone busier than you is working out right now.

30.   DEAD LAST is greater than DID NOT FINISH which still trumps DID NOT START.

Ephesians 4:30 - 5:2

[from the second reading at mass this weekend]

Brothers and sisters:
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,
with which you were sealed for the day of redemption.
All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling
must be removed from you, along with all malice.
And be kind to one another, compassionate,
forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.

So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love,
as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us
as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.

Seven Word Status

Saucony Guide 5

Picked up a new pair of kicks.

Philippians 4:6-7

A dear friend shared this scripture with me this morning.  I totally needed the reminder.  Thank You, Lord, for the wonderful people You put in my life.

DO NOT be anxious.

Prayer and petition.

Praise and thanksgiving.

The peace of God...

...will guard your hearts and minds...

...in Christ Jesus.

Heavy Heart

Recently, like the last couple of months, I've been fighting a heavy heart.  I don't know why things are bothering me so much lately.  It's not like circumstances have changed all that much.  But for some reason, lately I find myself shaking my head or cringing or even crying when I read/hear some of the comments from people near and dear to me.

There's always been mud-slinging between politicians.  And even between their supporters...whether they be political pundits on national news stations or the average Joe down the street with an opinion.  But lately, it all just seems so ugly.  EVERYONE appears to want to get in on the game.  And not only do they state their opinion on 'their man', they have to put down 'the other guy'.  But worse, my one friend has to put down my other friend who supported 'the other guy'.  And then my other friend has to say something equally as cruel.

Heck, if everyone was to be believed (and I honestly think most people -- at least my friends, maybe not the professionals -- think they're giving a clear picture), neither candidate is a good choice.  Neither party can effect positive change.

It's been a long time since I chose not to vote.  But I'm seriously leaning that way this year.  I just don't think I want to be a part of it anymore.  It's just so hard to know what the truth is.

But I'm veering from my point.  My point is, why do real people, the people in my world, people that I've grown to love and adore for years...why do they have to get so ugly with each other?!

Let's take the whole Chick-fil-A situation.  I believe in free speech, even when someone is allowed to say something I don't agree with and don't want to hear.  I don't think the world should be all that surprised that the top brass at Chick-fil-A supports a traditional marriage.  I mean, his business has forever been closed on Sunday for a reason.  And why should his stance on traditional marriage have to change simply because he owns a business?

But honestly, I don't know why most people even CARE what his opinion is on traditional marriage.  If every business that provides a service was polled with various questions, they're either going to lie about some things, avoid them completely, or offend one group or another by telling the truth.

But then it comes out that Chick-fil-A might possibly fund groups that go too far to fight for traditional marriage.  So what started out as a business owner practicing free speech turns into a business owner and his entire company (and any of their patrons and supporters) being viewed as haters.

I like Chick-fil-A.  I support free speech.  I support traditional marriage. But I don't consider myself a hater.  I don't hate gay and lesbian people.  I just don't think they should be married.  Personally, I think it should be a lot harder for everyone to get married! And for me, it's a biblical thing.  Mostly, I'm tired of Christians being beat into submission.  Every other group out there seems to have the freedom to voice their beliefs.  But we have to shut up so as not to offend anyone.

And I find myself doing just that...shutting up, just so I don't have to debate about it...even with my own friends who ALREADY KNOW where I stand on the issue.  Why do they continue to push me on the subject? I feel bullied by my own friends!

And then we have a shooter in a movie theater in Aurora.  Is he depressed and delusional?  Is he outright crazy?  Is he perfectly sane, and just a maniacal killer?  So many lives adversely affected because of one guy's murderous plan.

And then the gunman at the Sikh temple in Wisconsin.  What the heck?  They think he was from a white supremacist group.  He killed six people and wounded at least three others before being killed by the police.  Just so much hate in the world.

I just think this world is falling apart.  And I don't say that lightly.  I think that the world had better end soon because I don't think we can get any better.  I don't think we're doing the best we can and I have zero confidence that we'll improve.  We don't take care of ourselves, each other, or our planet.  We have little to no respect for each other, especially those that are different from us.  We completely turn our backs on the Word of God.  It just scares me to imagine it getting any worse.  But I honestly can't imagine it getting any better.  And shame on us!

I have faith.  And I pray.  I'm just not sure what to pray for lately.  I've resorted to praying for peace...not world peace necessarily, but peace of mind.  I stopped praying for God to give me the words to respond with when I'm feeling attacked.  I just want to feel a peace, that He has everything under control and I don't have to worry about all these hateful, petty arguments down here.  And I know in the end, He wins.  But more and more often, it just worries the heck out of me (it outright scares me) to think that so many people would rather attack each other than find some semblance of peace.

Les Mills Pump

I started a new workout program today.  Les Mills Pump!  Today's workout was Pump Challenge and was only 20 minutes long.  But I was sweating!  My goal is to increase my strength and muscle mass, which will boost my metabolism and allow me to workout harder, making each workout more effective.

From the website:  Engineer your perfect body with LES MILLS PUMP. This barbell-based rapid weight loss and accelerated strength-training program incinerates calories to help give you the ultimate tight, toned, and lean body you want. The secret is THE REP EFFECT^™, which requires that you use lighter weights at a higher rate of repetition so you can burn up to 1,000 calories per workout and get leaner faster.

The system includes your very own barbell—the secret weapon designed to speed up your strength training and fat loss. Your kit comes complete with a set of 2 5-lb. and 2 10-lb. weighted plates.  ***I also purchased a set of 2.5-lb weights, thinking I might not be able to jump from 5 to 10 lbs. when it comes time to increase my weights.***

The program comes with the following workouts:

• PUMP CHALLENGE. Start firing your muscles with fundamental resistance exercises that will give you visible results in no time. (20 minutes)
• PUMP AND BURN. Feel the burn with compound moves that work several muscles at once to scorch fat and calories. The bigger the burn, the bigger the results. (30 minutes)
• PUMP AND SHRED. Start shredding while you build endurance and churn through fat stores with each repetition. THE REP EFFECT^™ is in full effect here. (45 minutes)
• PUMP REVOLUTION. Drive your heart rate up with quick tempos and big moves like power presses and power lunges. This is calorie burning and lean muscle building at its best. (55 minutes)
• PUMP EXTREME. Weights won't be the only thing lifted here as you focus on intensity and targeted muscle training in this extreme workout. (55 minutes)
• FLOW. Increase flexibility, decrease soreness, and improve your alignment as you stretch and lengthen your entire body. (20 minutes)
• HARD-CORE ABS. Carve out your core and define your back with moves that hit your muscles from every direction. It's 360-degree training for your entire midsection. (20 minutes)

First, I learned how to use my weights, not only how to add and remove weight, but also the correct stance when lifting and the different ways to grip the barbell.  Then I did the Pump Challenge workout.  It wasn't all that long, going through a few basic moves for each area of the body (legs, arms, chest, back, and abs).  But I was definitely sweating by the end of it.  It was a really good workout for me!

The 90-day program gradually increases in intensity, which is good for me since I'm new at lifting anything but my 5-lb hand weights.  The first week, the only workouts above that I'm scheduled to do are Pump Challenge, Flow, and Hard Core Abs.  Other than that, I include walking and running to meet my cardio workout goals.  Next week, I'll add Pump & Burn.  It's not until week 5 that I add Pump & Shred.  So up to this point, I won't be lifting for more than 30 minutes 3-4 times each week.

Then in week 7, I will add Pump Revolution, which is 55 minutes long.  Seems like a long time right now.  But hopefully by week 7, I'll be up to that kind of a workout.  The very next week, I will add Pump Extreme.  The last five weeks of the program, I will only be doing Pump Revolution or Pump Extreme 3 times each week, along with Flow and Hard Core Abs.  I'll also be doing my walking/running.

If I stay on schedule, and I definitely plan to stay on schedule, I'll finish the 90-day program on November 2nd...the day before my 42nd birthday.  Happy birthday to me!

I still have a lot of weight to lose and hope to continue to lose weight with this program.  One thing I have to keep in mind though is that muscle weighs more than fat.  So, I could drop inches without dropping as much weight as I want.  But ultimately, that's okay.  Because muscle will also burn more calories, even when I'm not working out.

Bottom line, I think this is the perfect time to add consistent weight-training to my workout regimen.  I want to be stronger.  I want to be more toned.  And I want to do what it takes to increase my weight-loss.  So, wish me luck!  And check me out in 30, 60, 90 days!

Here's my before shot:

Just for accountability, my stats in this picture are:

• weight:  208.4 lbs  (though I weight 210.6 lbs today...must drink my water!)
• neck: 15"
• chest:  46"
• biceps: 13"
• forearms: 10.25"
• waist:  42.5"
• hips:  48"
• thighs:  28"
• calves:  16"

I will probably only post my measurements monthly, though I might post my weight changes more often.

Seven Word Status

I hate to debate, especially about hate.