Go to Junkin' Julie's for a sweet Giveaway. See the link on my sidebar, click it, and just like magic... it will take you there! Besides the button bracelet, she has some other treasures to share with some lucky winner.
I spent a very restless night. Tearful, prayful... I'm not sure why. I was ready to blame it on menopause or hunger (from the fast I'm on), but I had my "menopause" years ago after my hysterectomy and I'm not really that hungry, as I just made some healthy changes to my diet. I can eat all the fruit and veg that I want!
Finally, I decided God was just speaking to my heart. We all have those things that we can't even put into words... heart wounds, that only God sees and knows. I am dealing with some of those. The only thing that gets me through these times is my faith. I honestly don't know how people who have lost faith, or never experienced it, survive some of the things life dishes out. We all have times of hurt, loss, suffering. We all need to feel peace and hope. I am so thankful for my faith, my family, my friends. That includes all you wonderful blog friends I have made. What a blessing you have been to me!
So, bear with me as I travel through some troubling times in my life. I'll try not to complain too much, but this is my "escape" place where I can bare my soul a bit. Please be patient while I walk through this valley. I know the mountaintop is just a short journey away... because God is always faithful!
Showing posts with label Daniel Fast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Daniel Fast. Show all posts
Monday, January 10, 2011
Saturday, January 8, 2011
New Start to the New Year...
Well, I'm continuing to clean and purge. I started going through all my boxes of Christmas decorations (and there are a lot) before, during, and now after the holidays. I never realized just how much stuff I owned! Shocking! I hauled three huge boxes to the Idaho Youth Ranch, and have the ARC coming next week for more! I've also set aside some things for St. Vincents. I decided to spread around the donations since I have so much to pass on.
I have had an amazing start to this New Year. I decided to participate in my church's annual "Daniel Fast". I am on a modified version, but have given up Pepsi, pastries, most sugars other than fruit, butter (that's a hard one for me), chips, snack crackers... on and on! I'm doing lean proteins, lots of vegetables, fruit, tea, and limited whole grains. Also, I'm spending time each day reading along with the scriptures the Pastor selected for us. It started with the fast, but we intend to continue reading our study Bibles, completing them by the end of the year.
The most important part of this experience was to set aside time to nurture my spirit. I spend more prayer time, as well as the reading. This isn't said as a "pat me on the back" because I'm being so devout. It's just where I am right now. I had been neglecting some areas of my spiritual life, so it was time for me to step up and make some changes.
It's like when I neglect areas of my home. When the maintenance isn't done, things may just fall apart. Life is hard enough when I remember to do my spiritual maintenance. Why leave myself even more vulnerable?
For those of you following my MS... I am still not on any MS therapies, which makes my neurologist unhappy. I am not at peace with the options they have given me. I do believe in praying for healing, which I do. I also have people who are constantly holding me in prayer. I believe in praying for wisdom for my doctors and that's where I am right now. Praying for their wisdom. Praying for me to know what the next step is. Praying that I could still have a miracle of healing. It is all in God's hands, and that is the one thing I trust in completely!
Blessings!
Nita Jo
I have had an amazing start to this New Year. I decided to participate in my church's annual "Daniel Fast". I am on a modified version, but have given up Pepsi, pastries, most sugars other than fruit, butter (that's a hard one for me), chips, snack crackers... on and on! I'm doing lean proteins, lots of vegetables, fruit, tea, and limited whole grains. Also, I'm spending time each day reading along with the scriptures the Pastor selected for us. It started with the fast, but we intend to continue reading our study Bibles, completing them by the end of the year.
The most important part of this experience was to set aside time to nurture my spirit. I spend more prayer time, as well as the reading. This isn't said as a "pat me on the back" because I'm being so devout. It's just where I am right now. I had been neglecting some areas of my spiritual life, so it was time for me to step up and make some changes.
It's like when I neglect areas of my home. When the maintenance isn't done, things may just fall apart. Life is hard enough when I remember to do my spiritual maintenance. Why leave myself even more vulnerable?
For those of you following my MS... I am still not on any MS therapies, which makes my neurologist unhappy. I am not at peace with the options they have given me. I do believe in praying for healing, which I do. I also have people who are constantly holding me in prayer. I believe in praying for wisdom for my doctors and that's where I am right now. Praying for their wisdom. Praying for me to know what the next step is. Praying that I could still have a miracle of healing. It is all in God's hands, and that is the one thing I trust in completely!
Blessings!
Nita Jo
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Christ Is All, All Is Good...
Hello Friends, before I get to my update I have a prayer request. Those of you who know Pam Warden at Pam Warden Art and Faith Folk Cafe will be familiar with her husband John's situation with his lung transplant, and the ongoing struggles of her children, Toby and Jessie who both have MS (multiple sclerosis). Tuesday Pam posted the following on her Facebook page:
John is in the hospital, I'm at a hotel in Madison. They will be doing a bronch in the morning to see what is going on. He is the very sick. Thank you for praying. Also for Jessie and Toby ♥
And yesterday...
Bronchoscopy this a.m. for biopsy's on John's lung. Can they find and stop what ever is causing this? We pray. This was sent to me today...so simple so absolute "Christ is all, all is good."
Pam's faith in God is amazing! She has so much going on in her family, but she takes time to reach out to others. She has been such a support for me. Please pray for her and her family. Pray prayers for healing, strength, and peace.
As for me...
It's been a busy couple of weeks since my last post. For those who contacted me expressing concern, Thank You! There have been some health issues for Lucky 13 and for myself. I won't go into lengthy details... I'll just say more of the same. I haven't driven since sometime in late November, so I've been here at home.
I've had some old friends get in touch with me, and through that I regained contact with more friends I hadn't heard from in years. That has been so much fun.
The past three days I've been having a nightmarish time with my Facebook account. Each time I go to sign in, I find my account suspended again! I have spent hours trying to fix this. It keeps telling me that I've been hacked, but no matter what I try I cannot clear it up. As soon as I leave the page it locks me out again! *sigh*
I have been catching up with some of my blogger friends, going through the posts I didn't get around to reading during the holidays. What a busy, interesting bunch of people you all are! It is so much fun to leave my little world for a while and see what is going on "out there".
I've been listening to some "new to me" artists on YouTube. I love music of all kinds, so this has been a lot of fun.
I participated in a "Daniel Fast" with my church. My Pastor mailed me the materials so I would know what was being done. I chose to do a partial fast of eliminating a couple of my favorites that it would be hard doing without... for me that was 21 days of no fast food and no chocolate. That was extremely hard for me. I also increased my intake of fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Even without doing the strict version of the fast, I found I got a lot out of it. I've tried a new variety of leafy greens. I regained my love of salads!
I spent more time in prayer and meditation. I cut back on my TV time, also very hard for me. I tend to put in Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart, Frasier, etc. or tune in to HGTV as background noise when I'm doing other stuff. I hadn't realized how many hours the TV is actually going. It helps drown out the constant traffic noise from the street and the persistant barking of my neighbors dog. It also drowns out the sound of bird songs, squirrel chatter, wind, rain... all sounds I love. I'd almost forgotten the joy of the simple sounds of life.
The past few weeks, I found myself taking another look at my life. My thoughts, my deepest beliefs, my dreams. It's good to "shake the dust off" what and who we believe ourselves to be; to re-examine our goals, our strengths, and our weaknesses. To search deeper into our spiritual lives. It's been a great way to begin this new year. For me, it is a beginning full of hope and anticipation. Great things are coming. I really believe it.
John is in the hospital, I'm at a hotel in Madison. They will be doing a bronch in the morning to see what is going on. He is the very sick. Thank you for praying. Also for Jessie and Toby ♥
And yesterday...
Bronchoscopy this a.m. for biopsy's on John's lung. Can they find and stop what ever is causing this? We pray. This was sent to me today...so simple so absolute "Christ is all, all is good."
Pam's faith in God is amazing! She has so much going on in her family, but she takes time to reach out to others. She has been such a support for me. Please pray for her and her family. Pray prayers for healing, strength, and peace.
As for me...
It's been a busy couple of weeks since my last post. For those who contacted me expressing concern, Thank You! There have been some health issues for Lucky 13 and for myself. I won't go into lengthy details... I'll just say more of the same. I haven't driven since sometime in late November, so I've been here at home.
I've had some old friends get in touch with me, and through that I regained contact with more friends I hadn't heard from in years. That has been so much fun.
The past three days I've been having a nightmarish time with my Facebook account. Each time I go to sign in, I find my account suspended again! I have spent hours trying to fix this. It keeps telling me that I've been hacked, but no matter what I try I cannot clear it up. As soon as I leave the page it locks me out again! *sigh*
I have been catching up with some of my blogger friends, going through the posts I didn't get around to reading during the holidays. What a busy, interesting bunch of people you all are! It is so much fun to leave my little world for a while and see what is going on "out there".
I've been listening to some "new to me" artists on YouTube. I love music of all kinds, so this has been a lot of fun.
I participated in a "Daniel Fast" with my church. My Pastor mailed me the materials so I would know what was being done. I chose to do a partial fast of eliminating a couple of my favorites that it would be hard doing without... for me that was 21 days of no fast food and no chocolate. That was extremely hard for me. I also increased my intake of fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Even without doing the strict version of the fast, I found I got a lot out of it. I've tried a new variety of leafy greens. I regained my love of salads!
I spent more time in prayer and meditation. I cut back on my TV time, also very hard for me. I tend to put in Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart, Frasier, etc. or tune in to HGTV as background noise when I'm doing other stuff. I hadn't realized how many hours the TV is actually going. It helps drown out the constant traffic noise from the street and the persistant barking of my neighbors dog. It also drowns out the sound of bird songs, squirrel chatter, wind, rain... all sounds I love. I'd almost forgotten the joy of the simple sounds of life.
The past few weeks, I found myself taking another look at my life. My thoughts, my deepest beliefs, my dreams. It's good to "shake the dust off" what and who we believe ourselves to be; to re-examine our goals, our strengths, and our weaknesses. To search deeper into our spiritual lives. It's been a great way to begin this new year. For me, it is a beginning full of hope and anticipation. Great things are coming. I really believe it.
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