This is an old video that I created some time back when we were studying chapter 10 of the Thin Within book.
What if we were to renew our minds and think God’s thoughts about the value of a moment? It is amazing what happens when even one small moment is given to the Lord.
What are some “marbles” that you have in your jar? What are some moments when you have made choices for the Lord?
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.
– Psalm 150:6 NIV
Have you ever known someone who, no matter what wonderful things were going on, they found the dark clouds amidst all the silver linings of life? A”Christian Eeyore” has that “There’s not a cloud in the sky, but that’s because a terrible storm is brewing and it is sure to take us by surprise” approach to life. You know the type, right? I hope you aren’t that type, though!
This week, we are going to choose NOT to be like that. We are going to CELEBRATE and count the many ways that God has been at work in our lives.
The nature of this journey we are on, requires that we prayerfully scrutinize our choices. We “observe and correct” and find there is SO much to “correct.” We tell ourselves repeatedly how we could/should have done this or that better. I don’t know about you, but after I have just inhaled an extra piece of pizza beyond satisfied, I can “overlook” the previous three days of wonderful choices, honoring God, walking with him, and submitting to his leadership!
We have been doing some HARD work this summer! Rather than weighing our bodies and comparing notes and results, let’s invite God to weigh our hearts right now. NOT our bodies. See below to see what I mean:
Heart Scale
All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart.
– Proverbs 21:2
If God were to weigh your heart, where would it land in the above illustration?
Here is a spiel about what I want us to do this week! 🙂
1. ) Do Barb’s evaluation to start off.
2.) Create a list of “land” you have captured for Christ on this journey this summer so far!
For instance:
Your turn!
3.) If you have noticed that you tend to break your boundaries under certain circumstances, prayerfully make a plan for how to take that situation captive *before* it happens next time.
4.) Which of the three challenge levels mentioned by Barb in her evaluation post are you going to try out? Pick one and get an accountability partner if you haven’t yet. What can you do to structure your life to meet this challenge with victory? Make a plan!
5.) Consider having a gratitude blog or gratitude journal, specifically for thanking God for his gifts. Try these spots on the web:
6.) PLEASE POST HERE! What changes are you seeing in your life? Please praise our God and tell of all his wonderful deeds! Every continent (except Antarctica) has been represented by visitors to this website. So, if we are supposed to “declare among the nations” the things God has done for us, you can do so here and consider that one way of telling “The World” about what God has been doing! In fact, while I am asking for the moon :-), I would love you go to the Testimonials page and share a testimony there for everyone to see who lands at that page! Come on! 🙂
7.) Some sad news is that our trial membership at GoToMeeting and GoToWebinar has come to an end. I had *thought* that it was only $50 to continue, but it is $100! 🙁 I just can’t swing that. So, sadly, we won’t be having an online class this week unless I find a host that is cheaper. 🙁
8.) Will you pray for people to be encouraged through this ministry? I would love for visitors to see the many ways you see God at work in your life this summer! Thanks so much.
Image Source: iStockPhoto
“Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them.
– Jonah 2:8 NIV
This week has been challenging for me. No small wonder. Any time I decide to teach something, God wants to be sure I learn it. Often, I seem to insist on learning it the hard way.
So join me in my introspection. Is there any way that you cling to greed?
We are told in Colossians 3:5 that greed is idolatry. So, if I am clinging to the excessive quantities of food that I want to be able to enjoy, I am in essence clinging to a worthless idol.
So, here comes the kicker…
If I cling to an idol, I am at some level turning away from God’s love for me, according to Jonah 2:8.
So I am spending time right now evaluating this. “Lord, how is this true? In what way am I turning away from your love for me?”
– When I turn to my idol – food in excess – to comfort me, I miss out on the comfort that God might give me out of his love for me.
– When I turn to my idol – food in excess – I fail to experience the joy and celebration that God intends as I praise Him for good news!
– When I cling to my idol, he can’t put in my arms the gifts he intends…so, again, I turn away from his love.
The examples go on and on.
What are the things I turn to food outside of hunger and satisfaction to do for me? To comfort me. To celebrate with me. To keep me from being bored. To center me. That is the short list.
1.) What are you looking to the “worthless idol” of food outside of hunger and satisfaction to do for you?
2.) In what ways are you likely to be missing out on experiencing God’s love by turning to food instead of to him?
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Don’t forget our online class today, Thursday, July 18 at 4pm Pacific, 5pm Mountain, 6pm Central, 7pm Eastern. You have to register in order to attend and come a bit early if you haven’t come before as there is software to download for your computer (or you can use your phone if you prefer). Here is the information:
Please register for Idolatry and Our Eating – OUCH!!!! on Jul 18, 2013 4:00 PM PDT at:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6073684991219825664
You knew we would have to deal with this sooner or later, right? We will be glad we have. Is idolatry something that only people in 3rd world countries struggle with? What IS an idol and what on EARTH does it have to do with our Thin Within eating program and healthy non-dieting boundaries? What does it have to do with our renewing of the mind goals for this summer? BUNCHES! Come on along and see!
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
I hope to see you today at 4pm Pacific!
Image Source: Stock Exchange
My husband is an environmental lawyer. He often tells me about his work and something called “toxic torts.” I have to admit…I still, after all this time, have NO idea what a “toxic tort” is, but the tort in the picture above sure looks YUMMY and FAR from toxic to me! HA!
That has nothing to do with what I am sharing today except, perhaps, if you were at a 5 already and someone brought you the yummy tort in the above picture, how likely would you be to maintain your resolve? For me, my answer to this question tells a very long tale about my reality–my commitment (or lack thereof) to eating according to the boundaries that I say God has called me to.
In the following video, Bob and I talk about how sometimes, we just have to say NO to ourselves. There are plenty of strategies that we know for helping ourselves stick with 0 and 5 eating, but the real question is…WILL we DO them? When I WANT the food outside of my boundaries, will I coddle myself and call it “grace?” And believe me! The last thing I want us to do is condemn ourselves! But is there a happy medium? A place where grace tells us to say no to ungodly choices? If God has called us to this primary boundary of eating within the parameter of hunger and satisfaction, maybe grace is that “OOOMPH” that enables me to say NO to a decision to break my boundary. Hmm…I think there is a bible verse that says as much.
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.
It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions,
and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,
while we wait for the blessed hope–the appearing
of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
– Titus 2:11-13 NIV
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28pPDHTNwmI&w=853&h=4801. Where is your line between “grace” and “I don’t give a rip?” Do you need to ask God to help you to care? Or is it truly grace?
2. Do you ignore your boundaries as often as you don’t? This is a choice to postpone the realization of your goals. Is that what you mean to do?
3. Are you willing to start telling yourself “NO” a bit more frequently? If not, why not?
4. What do you think of the assertion that “We may need to be mean to ourselves?” What could that mean in a positive way relative to your 0 to 5 eating journey?
5. Is it time to say NO to self…TODAY? Can you make a plan for a possible temptation you will face today? Can you actually detail your plan to say NO to self? What will that look like? Can you do so with joy?
6. Bob said, “If you don’t follow your boundaries consistently, you won’t lose weight.” What do you think? He challenges us to “Do what it takes.” What will it take for you?
7. What are three strategies offered in the video for living within your boundaries? Are any of them doable today?
8. Is the way you are living right now going to lead you to the goals you have? What will it take? Do you like life as it is enough to give up the goals you have? Are you sort of tired of frustrating yourself? 🙂
9. Decision Point: Will you practice today staying inside your boundaries?
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Don’t forget that this week’s online class is TOMORROW, Thursday! Information below:
Please register for Idolatry and Our Eating – OUCH!!!! on Jul 18, 2013 4:00 PM PDT at:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6073684991219825664
You knew we would have to deal with this sooner or later, right? We will be glad we have. Is idolatry something that only people in 3rd world countries struggle with? What IS an idol and what on EARTH does it have to do with our Thin Within eating program and healthy non-dieting boundaries? What does it have to do with our renewing of the mind goals for this summer? BUNCHES! Come on along and see!
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
See you tomorrow!
Image Source: iStockPhoto
We have all experienced temper tantrums. Usually, the context is our kids’ attempts to get their way…or maybe it’s someone else’s kids. 🙂
But have you ever wanted to throw a temper tantrum? Or forget the “wanted to throw” … have you ever just plain ol’ pitched a royal fit? (Or maybe you aren’t like me? LOL!)
God works with me in themes and today’s theme seems to be “temper tantrums.” It has hit me from several sources…and, if I am honest, I am throwing one very UGLEEEEEE, giant temper tantrum all over the place today. (But that is another story, with the telling best left for another decade.)
An epiphany just hit me…as I was typing this post, I mis-spelled “temper” and it came out on the keyboard:
Interesting. I don’t need to wonder long in the context of my own “TempTer Tantrum” to know that the Tempter–ol’ Satan himself–likely laughs with glee as I “indulge” in pitching my fit. TempTer tantrums have entitlement and justification written all over them!
This morning, my husband stumbled out to the deck where I was having my quiet time. He was groggy, rummy, bleary-eyed and somewhat sleep deprived, I guess. Some of his first words were, “I don’t feel like eating 0 to 5 any more…”
Having my iPad handy, I invited Bob to have a seat, then tapped “record.” The following sound byte is the result. Don’t be awed however…this was actually a conversation that took the better part of a half an hour. I have whittled it down to three and a half minutes. You will see where Bob started with his temper tantrum…and where he ended.
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/100362801″ iframe=”true” /]Adriane also mentioned a temper tantrum in her most recent Sound Cloud file. I thought I would share it with you as well. Thanks, Adriane, for being so real! I love how she intends to use this file to remind herself of just how AWFUL it feels when we GIVE IN to a tempter tantrum!
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/100150596″ iframe=”true” /](Email subscribers will probably have to come to the blog site in order to take advantage of the sound files. It is worth it! Come on over!)
1. Can you relate to having what Adriane calls “an adult temper tantrum?”
2. You might want to spend some time truth journaling what you feel when you throw a temper tantrum. What are the reasons you are most likely to pitch your fit? Use what you journal to make a truth card or two. Lots of things in Adriane’s Sound Cloud file would make an excellent truth card.
3. What is true about your temper tantrums? (Does it make you feel better? Closer to God? Solve a problem?)
4. What is true about what you are entitled to? (You might want to consider this from God’s perspective. Check out Romans 3:23 and Romans 6:23a.)
5. In what ways has God chosen to bless you?
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Please register for Entitlement Eating – Thin Within Support – Week 4 Renewing of the Mind on Jul 10, 2013 3:00 PM PDT at:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7903616486957465856
“I deserve the good life!” “Life should be fair!” “I deserve to never ben sad or uncomfortable and if I am any of these things, I will use food to make me feel better because it is my right!”
Many of us have experienced feeling these things. Some of us may even live by this sense of entitlement. If we do, chances are we will never be consistent in our Thin Within efforts to eat between the parameters of 0 and 5 (or hunger and satisfaction).
What is God’s view of this attitude? What are we to do instead? How?
This week, we talk about these things. Come on along. The price is $0 for another week!
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
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