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Thursday, February 20, 2014

Bloated by Biology (a/k/a Clean Slate) - 2/20/14

Well, I made it through yesterday! Praise God! I didn’t snap on anyone or give them any mean eyes (well, not any more frequently than I give mean eyes!). This morning, I woke up feeling alright, having just directly finished dreaming about my coworkers (again!). This time, my boss was referring to the new guy as his login instead of his name and we were all joking him about it – oh it will take her awhile to remember your name, and you know typical hazing of the newbie. Considering I’ve been talking about anti-hazing every day since Monday, how interesting is it that I dreamed about it occurring at work? Okay, um,  I  lied to you because I just remembered that I did snap on someone yesterday. But in my defense, I wasted my lunch driving to Best Buy for NO REASON and while I understood that it wasn’t the Geek Squad rep’s fault entirely, I felt the need to rage against their corporate machine who needs to incorporate a policy regarding how they handle replacement devices for VZW. Because of them, I had only just finished eating my mashed potatoes before my 3pm conference call. No Bueno L

Now you may already know that I’m in a weight loss challenge with my sorority and it’s been a great motivator in helping me to track what I’m eating and how I’m exercising. I have lost a total of 12 lbs, and while some of my success  is due to me dropping some of the bad eating habits (Bad Carbs! Including carbonated drinks), a lot was due to all the walking that I had to do while I was car-less. I also was eating less fast food because I would have had to walk further to get to any fast food places. Now that I’m back in a car (PTL!!!), I have to make sure that I keep up with my exercise and my good eating choices. Oh but yesterday…. I’m always susceptible, and I think I was already planning on having at least 1 cheat item yesterday, but the debacle at Best Buy probably led into the carb party that I ended up having, which included cornbread, mashed potatoes, a ciabatta bun, and 3 servings of diet coke! Oh, the horror!
So, today on Day 2, my body is still trying to digest the crap from yesterday and I feel bloated. L

So, how do I get myself back on track? How do I not continue on this path of self-destruction by carb? When you fall down, you have to get back up. Today is a new day and I can always start fresh with a clementine, because that’s what I eat almost every morning. I can also go and buy some more string cheese because it’s my new favorite snack. I can make better choices today than I did yesterday and not let biology get the best of me. The concept of starting fresh every morning is not only applicable to “dieting”, but it’s also applicable to walking with the Lord. Every day we wake up with fresh grace and mercy on our proverbial plates and God says good morning wonderful children and He sees us as good and blameless. Then we take a breath and we’re back to sinning again (LOL), but the point is we start off brand new and on track. Regardless of the mess we got ourselves into yesterday, the strife we caused, the negative words we said or thought in our heads, today is brand new and we can make better choices and maybe sin just a little less (maybe!).
·         Maybe I can smile more today…
·         Maybe I can pray for someone today, not because they asked me to, but because I’m led to..
·         Maybe I can be less distracted and hear God’s voice today…

The possibilities are endless!  And let’s get some Word in shall we?

Psalm 103:1-5; 8-14
“Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s… The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will He harbor His anger forever; He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heaves are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust…”

Lamentations 3:19-26
“I remember my affliction and my wandering…I well remember them… Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.’ The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

Videos!
As I wrote this post, here are the songs that came to mind, in the order they came

Michael BublĂ© – Feelin' Good (because I love Michael BublĂ© and I’m not here for JHud’s version or her Weight Watchers commercial!)
 

New Season - Israel Houghton ft. Martha Munizzi

Great is Thy Faithfulness – Vickie Winans (if only I had a video of my pastor singing it... but Vickie will have to do! Singing starts at 2:45 by the way!) 

Here’s to a good start on a brand new day!

-BlueLady

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Bent By Biology (a/k/a Rampage) - 2/19/14

I woke up this morning literally in a state of unrest. I felt hot and cold at the same time. The dream I had just woken from was literally just a mental struggle between myself and somebody so my brain was annoyed and I had a headache.  Then I started to think about every little thing that is getting on my nerves, seriously, EVERY SINGLE THING, and I started making plans on how I was going to address all of them. The small part of me that was still in my right mind started to get concerned for the things that I was planning to say and the actions I was about to take, but then I remembered what week it was…. Oh.

Immediately, I began to thank Jesus because His grace and mercy covers me every day, all the time, but especially when I’m bent out of shape by my biology.  Then I began to sing in my head a song that starts with “I’m so glad you died for me….” So that is the video I’ll be sharing today.

Without further ado, let’s get to Grace and Mercy. I've often heard it preached that Grace is what covers us in general because we sin just by breathing, but that Mercy covers our specific acts of sin. That’s always been a little hard to decipher for me… The dictionary says that Grace is a manifestation of favor, especially by a superior and that Mercy is  compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one’s power. Here is what the Word says about grace and mercy.

There are so many verses about grace. It was easy to find several that speak to the situation…

Grace comes from Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice
Romans 5:17
“For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.”  

More Sin = More Grace
Romans 5:20b-21
“But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Grace covers everything, but that does not give me permission to cuss someone out today. I have to continue to act right!
Romans 6:20
“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.”

Grace includes Provision
2 Corinthians 9:8
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

Grace Teaches Me
Titus 2:11-14
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 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 glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”

Mercy though? Not as much about God being merciful towards us, as there seems to be about human beings being merciful towards one another. There were still a couple I could pull out, though.

Mercy Protects Me from Judgment if I have been Merciful
James 2:12-13
“Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!”

If you read my post yesterday, you see that I posted Psalm 25 and shared very briefly about the decisions I feel are coming up in my life soon. I said I was going to read it everyday all week because it not only applies to asking God for help, but also addresses my issue with pride and being humble AND it addresses some ancillary things going on around me in these past couple of weeks….  And what do you know, Mercy is included in the passage. Go ‘head God! You are amazing!

Psalm 25:1-15
“To you, O lOrd, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse. Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Remember, O Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from old. Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O Lord. {Cracking up at David. God, remember your mercy that you’ve been giving us for thousands of years, but forget that thing that I did when I was younger, you know like yesterday LOL!} Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant. For the sake of your name, O Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great. Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him. He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land. The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare.”

So, are grace and mercy synonymous? *shrug* I have no clue! Will I snap out on someone today? Hmm, I hope not! I'm just glad and grateful that God's grace and mercy, and love, go with me wherever I go. Amen!

Jesus by Shekinah Glory Ministry

And then of course I have to do….

Grace by T.D. Jakes


And finally, 

 God's Mercy by Rev. Ernest Davis Jr's Wilmington Chester Mass Choir  

Pray for Me, 
-BlueLady

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Meditation - Lead Me, Lord

Right, left...
Up, down....
Am I supposed to apply for grad school?
Which school?
What degree/program?
Part-time or full-time?

So many decisions, but one thing is for sure, only God can guide me where He wants me to go!

Meditating on these verses... 

http://bible.com/111/PSA25.1.NIV In you, Lord my God, I put my trust. I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause. Show me your ways, Lord , teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Remember, Lord , your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, Lord , are good. Good and upright is the Lord ; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant. For the sake of your name, Lord , forgive my iniquity, though it is great. Who, then, are those who fear the Lord ? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose. They will spend their days in prosperity, and their descendants will inherit the land. The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. My eyes are ever on the Lord , for only he will release my feet from the snare. Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish. Look on my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins. See how numerous are my enemies and how fiercely they hate me! Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, Lord , is in you. Deliver Israel, O God, from all their troubles! Bible.com/app