Noteworthy.

"But I have, at all times, felt a disposition to leave it with God, and trust in him to direct me... I am a creature of God, and he has an undoubted right to do with me, as seemeth good in his sight. I rejoice, that I am in his hands--that he is every where present, and can protect me in one place as well as another. He has my heart in his hands, and when I am called to face danger, to pass through scenes of terror and distress, he can inspire me with fortitude, and enable me to trust in him. Jesus is faithful; his promises are precious."--Ann Judson

Speaking of Dieting.

Grace-Motivated...Dieting?

Rather than seeing our bodies in the light of the world's absurd standards, we see them as gifts meant to give God glory and to serve others.

Eat Your Veggies--3 Ways to Grow Up Spiritually 

The preciousness of salvation begins to grow commonplace, church becomes a routine, Bible reading a chore, prayer incidental. Sermons they used to relish are now a bland plate of brussel sprouts. As the years grind on, they dutifully trudge through the motions of spirituality, but the light flickered out years ago. 

And a picture of my fat dog.

R You Ready?

I watched a lot of the last season of "The Biggest Loser" partly because I knew some of it was filmed at the Aquatic Center out here and also because it was on right before "Parenthood". Even as I am typing out this blog post, Kim is watching this new season of "The Biggest Loser". I love watching this show. There is something inspirational about watching these people accomplish their weight loss goals and to see how badly they want to live. They know that if they continue to live as they have been they will die. Obesity will kill them.

At the beginning of this year instead of making a list of New Year's resolutions like I normally do, I tried to think of a theme that I wanted to characterize this year. I thought about the past year, 2011, and what it was characterized by. While there were plenty of good things that happened, what stood out were the bad--those sins that keep coming up. Wasting time watching so much tv. Not using my brain. Ungratefulness. Discontentment. Pride. The list went on. Spiritual obesity was running rampant last year. What could I change to make 20.12 a new year where sin is fought and defeated and christlikeness is more attained?

Spiritual obesity much like regular, physical obesity, is unacceptable. Obesity will kill you. Spiritual obesity will kill you. So to get my spiritual booty into shape, enter the year of "R"s! Read. Remember. Write. 20.12. (I know, I know "write" isn't really an 'R'...sorry 'bout it!)

1.) Read.

"Books are essential to Christian growth. And, if there is one disappointment I has as I reflect on over three decades of Christian ministry, it is the declining appetite among Christians for good Christian literature. As a consequence, today's Christianity is less robust"--Derek Thomas

 I definitely have not been reading as much as I could or should. So I am trying to generate a reasonable list of books to read. 10 Christian books and then 2 classics. We'll see how this goes! If you have recommendations let me know!

"If you haven't been jarred when you're reading the Bible, you're not reading it." --John Piper

 Goodbye mindless, duty oriented Bible reading! It's easy to read, but it's more difficult to really think about what I'm reading. I can love God with my emotions, in my heart, and in my actions, but He also commands me to love Him with my mind. (Mark 12:30) Time for Bible study! One OT book and one NT! I've started Genesis and so far it is so good. And I've only just finished chapter 1 verse 1.


2.) Remember.

"Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!" Psalm 34:8-9

 Part of the reason why I am so prone to ungratefulness and discontentment is because 1.) I don't find full satisfaction in Christ and 2.) because I am blinded to the blessings already in my life. I made this "Best of My Days" notepad like Ashley at Under the Sycamore. You can make your own HERE! (Her blog is so cute!)


3.) Write.
I have not been journaling like I used to. How will I remember what happened during my life when I am old and have Alzheimer's disease? What will my loved ones read to me to help me remember??? "The Notebook" aside and in all seriousness, journaling has been so crucial in helping me think and meditate on God and has provided some good times of introspection. Even godly dudes journal, LOOK.
So farewell, obesity. Hello, 20.12.

"for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise from the present life and also for the life to come." --1Timothy 4:8

Genesis 1:1

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."

"Romans 7:18, 'For I know that nothing good dwells in me.' Nothing. Nothing good dwells in me... But here's the good news, we have a God who takes nothing and brings about something. And so the Creator God, who had nothing and spoke everything into being, looks at our wicked hearts that hold nothing righteous--speaks a word of creation over them and there is something there. There is righteousness--given to us by Christ. And we become for the first time capable of truly worshiping the Creator instead of the creation." --Jennifer Wilkin