Thanks on Thursday

Today is Thursday and we all know what that means. Thankful hearts. Now we should practice this everyday....but today...lets reflect:

First, I want to share with you what I read in a wonderful devotional book Jesus Calling today. SO appropriate for thankful Thursday!

Read 1 Corinthians 10:10 and Hebrews 12:28-29

"Let thankfulness temper all your thoughts. A thankful mind set keeps you in touch with Me. I hate it when my children grumble, casually despising my sovereignty. Thankfulness is a safeguard against this deadly sin. Furthermore, a grateful attitude becomes a grid through which you perceive life. Gratitude enables you to see the light of my presence shining on all your circumstances. Cultivate a thankful heart, for this glorifies Me and fills you with Joy.

So go about your day in Thankfulness today. Reflect on your blessings. We have so many.

I am thankful for:

1. My time with the kids right before bed when we snuggle, tickle, pray, and talk

2. God's timing in aligning me with awesome people in a new business

3. special long hug of gratitude from my Lily

4. A husband who takes us out to dinner so I don't have to cook every night

5. My new car and the ability to buy it

6. My awesome goup of women in my boot camp....and my awesome boot camp instructors

7. New beginnings and second chances

8. Waking up to the pitter patter of rain against my windows

9. Going to sleep to the pitter patter of rain against my windows

10. My awesome Brother in love and sister who are welcoming me to stay with them next week

Oaks

....and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

Isaiah 61:2-4

The other day, I wrote about navels and oranges. I determined that I am a navel, but maybe not a fully ripe navel. I am a work in progress, not fully arrived. If you haven't read it...it is a few posts down. It inspired me to research other trees I have seen referenced in the Bible. Some of you reading this may find it boring and click right on to the next blog you follow....no offence. I find it fascinating that trees and fruits are mentioned so often in scripture.

After doing a little bit of research, I realized that Oaks are mentioned quite a bit. Oaks are beautiful, and after studying them a bit, and learning what they symbolize, I think they may be my new favorite tree. I found over 20 references in the old testament to oaks. When I am driving in my car, or on a run/walk, and I see an oak, I cant help but stop and praise God for this gorgeous tree and all it symbolizes and pray that I will be an oak in my journey of faith.

Many times, in the Old Testament, Oak Trees were the places where angels came to visit, or where godly men came under and where people were buried under. There must have been something pretty special about Oaks in those days. As I researched I found that Oaks have long been a symbol for endurance, steadfastness, and courage.

An oaks wood is of great strength, and harshness. This is why I am sure that its wood was used to build ships.

The bark on an Oak was also found to be good medicine. It's bark is also resistant to insects and fungal attacks due to its high content of tannin....it is poisonous!

Oak is said to have elasticity, and it symbolizes stability, truth and wisdom.

No wonder God says we will be Oaks of righteousness in Isaiah. and James 2:9 says we will be strong as Oaks. In Genesis 13:18 Abram- after he obediently went where the Lord directed him AGAIN, he dwelt near the Oaks of Mamre and built and altar to the Lord.

it seems that an oak is a pretty respectable tree. I want to be an Oak....

I wanna be Good Medicine

Proverbs 17:22
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones

I wanna be so strong and rely on God for my strength.

Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

I wanna be so dependent on Him that my heart will resist insects and fungi's (discouragement, discontentment, gossip, complaining, defensiveness, critical spirit, and many others...choose your poison) sent my way to get me to stop growing.

I wanna be stable, yet flexible

2 Chronicles 20:17
You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.'

Psalm 37:23
If the LORD delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm;

Psalm 40:2
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand

I wanna be full of truth of God's words

Psalm 19:14
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer

I wanna be wise

Psalm 111:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise

I wanna endure this race and press on

Philippians 3:14
I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus

I wanna take courage (a favorite word of mine)

Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go

I wanna be steadfast

Psalm 108:1
My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul.

Psalm 112:7
He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

Psalm 119:5
Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!

Isaiah 26:3
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you

I desire these things so that I will be a planting of the Lord

for the display of His splendor!

If you would like to look up verses, here are some that I found:

Genesis 35:4
Genesis 35:8
Joshua 24:26
Joshua 24:25-27

Judges 6:11
Judges 6:19

2 Samuel 18:9
2 Samuel 18:10
2 Samuel 18:13-15

1 Kings 13:14
Psalm 29:9
Psalm 56:1
Isaiah 1:29
Isaiah 2:13
Isaiah 6:13
Isaiah 44:14
Isaiah 57:5
Isaiah 61:3
Ezekiel 6:13
Ezekiel 27:6
Hosea 4:13
Hosea 4:12-14
Amos 2:9
Zechariah 11:2
Zechariah 11:1-3

Monday Monday

I slept soooo good last night, that my daughter had to crawl in bed with me to wake me up at 7:15 this morning. Sometimes that is okay right....like I am not always THAT mom. Usually, I am up and running before they get up.

I woke up fresh and ready to begin my busy week. I have so many exciting things coming my way. I just bought my new car on Saturday and am so excited to have it. So blessed to have it.

My brother is cooking tonight for us.....Shrimp and Grits.....mmmmm...mmmm! Lovin that!

As you know, My friend and I are leading up Franklin Prayer on the Square once a month and we are meeting with a representative for the Tennessee Prayer Alliance tomorrow.

Very excited. Today's boot camp is the "biggest loser" I am sure I dint win that..but fun!

I heard the MOST amazing man speak this weekend! He spoke Saturday night to us, then he spoke at my church Sunday.....and I heard him speak last night too. So inspiring. His name is Steven K Scott...a best selling author and founder of a new company I am involved in. He wrote the Greatest Man Who Ever Lived and the Richest Man Who Ever Lived, among others.

He inspired me to read a chapter in Proverbs every day for two years. More on that later. But today I would read Proverbs 22. Who will join me? Lets do it! I will come back later to talk about that and boot camp today...

Love!!!!! Love!!!!!

Shelli

If you haven't visited this blog....do it now...it is beautiful!

Today is Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for

14. praying with my husband

15. my husband's generosity of heart

16. dark dark chocolate

17. small gifts from God throughout the day (seeing a missed friend out of the blue)

18. my daughters beautiful heart to see the good

19. my son's boyish behavior that makes me laugh..

20. abundance of friendships

21. the smell of coffee brewing

22. a roof over my head

23. God's provision, mercy, and grace as he gently leads me down "His" road

I pray your day today is filled with thankfulness. Something truly supernaturally happens in our spirit when we have an attitude of gratitude. The aroma of our hearts pleases our Father. Have a wonderful day.

Shelli

Feelin' Groovy

Today, I am feelin' groovy.



I have been in Boot Camp for 11 weeks now, and I have had my hopeless moments of thinking, "is this really gonna work?" I have seen results, slowly. Lost a little weight. I have gotten stronger. Two days ago, was the first time I did REAL push ups......in sets! I did 15..then back down for 10....then back down for 8.....and then back down for 5. The entire time on my toes...not my knees. I know I am getting stronger. I am feeling better. But my clothes are still fitting me and I want them loose...so I can go buy me some new size 6's. I am ready for a smaller cup size in my bra. Not happening yet...BUT.....today, I am feeling groovy. Ya wanna know why?



I am feeling groovy because, today on March 17, I went to put on my designer jeans and I am on the last hole on my belt....and I have NO muffin...not even a teeny tiny one....AND.....My bottom is a completely different bottom than the one I had two months ago. It is lifted. I can tell where my hammies end and my glutes begin.....I cant believe it. It just may take this now 40 year old a little longer, but Boot camp is totally making me feel GROOVY. My abs have more definition....my arms...well, they are sculpting out. So, I am happy. I know with my body type....that the last place that the fat will drop off is my hips and thighs...but I am hangin in there....I will be ready for bathing suit season!



On top of that, I had the most delicious lunch today. I had leftover Salmon, and my friend Tera told me how to make an awesome veggie side dish...and it was really yummy and filling and I got lots of nutrition in.....I will call it a sweet potato hash....I will tell you how I made it....but this is straight from Tera's kitchen, not mine....



1 sweet potato...diced small...I used my food alligator

1 small sweet onion diced the same as the potato

couple of cloves of garlic sliced

about a cup of quartered brussel sprouts

olive oil...just a tad

salt and pepper



I combined all of this and I baked it in the oven at 400 for about 45 min. I covered it with foil for the first half of the time and then removed it. DELICIOUS! I had leftovers for tomorrow....



Boot camp was great today. Kelly killed our upper body....and boy those kettle bells are definitely a cardio workout....let me tell ya!



Have a super day!



Shelli

Got My ZUMBA on

So yesterday it was either run or zumba. I chose zumba at Temple Fitness. With boot camp, we get a free class a week. Last week I did TRX. But Zumba was a BLAST. I know I know, if you know me you are finding it hard to believe that I used the word blast in the same sentence as zumba! But because we were all new in the class, Kelly spent time teaching us steps and moves before the music started and it made it better. PLUS, we are all so busy concentrating on our own moves and watching Kelly, that we don't see each other...so there is no intimidation like I felt in a room full of women who did Zumba alot.

And, the kicker is that, my heart rate was high the whole time......so I burned more calories and it was way more fun than running.

Zumba.....the new running for me!

Are you an Orange or a Navel?

I have been reading and studying a book by Neil Anderson called Victory over the Darkness. I am going through it with my mentor. Fabulous book to read. I can't seem to get off this one couple of paragraphs and it has inspired me to dig into some scriptures and really understand this truth of being a new creation in Christ.

Let me first say that when I initially read the comparision of a navel and orange (which I will explain) I asked myself, "wow, am I an orange or a navel?" I know the answer now, but I will challenge you to ask yourself the same question.

You see, Paul says that "You were formely darkness, but now you are light in the Lord"
(Eph 5:8) The question comes, "are we both light and darkness?"

2Cor 5:17 says "Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old things passed away; behold a new thing has come."

We can't be partly new and partly old then, right. As a Christian, we can't have two natures, right?

The story goes on to explain how an orange tree is planted and it bears fruit. Physically, it is the color orange, it is round, it has a certain texture and sweetness, and it has seeds. All physical signs that it is an orange. Later, the branches are cut and they are grafted....a new root coming out from the branch....from that grows the deliciously sweet and juicy navel. Navels have the same physical features of oranges, they come from the same rootstock~ But it is definately not the same fruit~ in fact, if I understand correctly, the oranges on these trees are bitter.

The navel orange grows above the graft...it is a new creation from the orange. Its a seperate nature. Oranges can pass as a navel...until its opened up and the seeds are exposed and it is tasted and its much sweeter...not bitter. We taste it's sweetness. It has a sweet aroma....Scripture says to Taste and see that the Lord is good. (Psalm 34:8)

Some things may look good, beautiful, sweet, but when surveyed and "tasted" and examined~we find it isn't authentic...its an orange...not a navel! Imposter! There is an old saying, If it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck and walks like a duck, it must be a duck. I say NO. Its not necessarily a navel orange....just because it looks like one, it has to be examined...this new creation. We will know by its fruit...break it open, taste it. The Bible says we will be recognized by our fruit. If we are in the vine (Jesus) and grafted in, (which in my limited knowlege is the opposite of pruning. pruning is cutting away, and grafting is adding on) we will bear fruit of the Father, have His aroma. The navel came from being grafted.... We will be grafted.

The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, self-control, and faithfulness. (Gal 5:22) Matt 7:16 says "you will know them by their fruits and a good tree only produces good fruit and a bad tree only produces bad fruit. Not everyone who says Lord Lord will enter the kindom of heaven."

Me thinks that there are some fruits out there who may be:

1. Oranges trying to act like navels. Imposters. Trying to sneak in with the navels....

2. Oranges out there who really think they are navels...but they aren't....

Matt 7:22 says, "many will say on that day, Lord we prophesied, cast out demons, and performed many miracles (we were navels...) and God said, I never knew you"

People, its not about works...we can't be oranges and act like a navel. We aren't foolin anyone....

Then, there are some navels out there...

3. They are really navels...new creations....who have maybe fallen into the wrong basket....They are mixed up with the oranges and begin acting like the oranges....and take on the character of oranges. ...They forget who they are and that they are a new creation. They don't know they are a new creation in Christ....

So many of us today are either oranges or navels...We are oranges who look nice with all our packaging, but open us up and examine us a little deeper, taste, smell...and our bitterness is exposed. Others, are navels, who don't remember we are free, we are new, we are saints, not sinners....SAINTS...grafted in by Christ...and we continue to identify ourselves as oranges....

People, lets get in the right basket with the navels...We are free! We are Saints, hemmed in, and a new creation, from the Light! We are sweet, we have been pruned and refined, or maybe we are going through the pruning process now....it hurts...but we will come out as a sweet navel....we will carry the aroma pleasing to the Lord.

See this You Tube link on Grafting, it’s wonderful when you think of how we are grafted to Christ! A wonderful lesson! Watch this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EwtyO16dFg

So there it is...are you an orange, or a navel? Think about it.