Is it working?

I was asked by Frazypoo if my sludge is working. I'll get to that. First I want to tell you how it does taste better purple!

I added some strawberries to the blend the first day. Yuck.
Strawberry and banana the second. Still yuck-o.
Then I added blueberries-frozen-over a cup's worth...
blue + green = purple, Praise the Lord!
Ahh, tastes much better-but still slightly yuck!

To top off the irresistible flavor, the more fruit you add, the more sludge there is to drink. I also added some vanilla rice milk rather than plain ol' milk and that seemed to help the flavor. Seriously, with the blueberries, it seems ok...

On the day that I added the banana, I also added vanilla yogurt which didn't do much for it, in my opinion. Maybe it added some priobotics or whatever they are called, but the flavor was still yuck.
I don't mind it so much with the blueberries. It is tolerable. I know it's good for me which helps me trick my brain into thinking it tastes good.
I think, too, if I take the tablespoon of flax oil separate, that'll help. I plan to try that tomorrow. I think the flavor of that stuff overpowers the rest of the shake. The oil stuff is seriously the nastiest slime I've ever tasted. I would put it up there with the time my husband had run out of gas, siphoned some into a soda bottle and then...yep, chugged it. While I may not have chugged it myself, I surely can imagine the quality of that fine beverage. This "lemonade" flavored (yeah, right) oil has got to be of the same caliper!

Ok, so does it work?

Can I say it's probably too early to tell?? But I do feel much better in an overall sort of way. Yesterday, I just thought to myself, "yeah, I feel good." I don't really know why. I even felt thin. I mean, I wasn't any thinner than the day before, but for some reason, I just felt good. I think maybe the glucosimine may be helping my knee a bit as well. It seems to grind a little less, but that very well could be my positive thinking. After all, it's only been a week.

Frazypoo also asked where my headaches come from. I think my headaches are from the car accident years ago. I've had them ever since then. They used to be 24/7 right after the accident for month and then as time went on they seemed to ease up in intensity and in frequency. If I move my neck the wrong way, or strain it lifting something heavy or use my neck during a sit-up, I start to get the headaches more frequently again. So I would say they are caused by the tightness of the muscles in my neck.

But with the latest MRI, I wonder. I think I'm allowed to wonder...

I don't know if I mentioned the other day or not that when I had my MRI they found a cyst in my neck...I found one in my left hand the other day as well. The same spot as I had one in my right hand at the base of my middle finger that they removed a few years ago. It feels like a small pea, but it hurts. I must be just susceptible to these things. They aren't liquid filled cysts that they can just stick a needle in and suck out the juice, either. (sorry for the graphics here) Instead they are filled with more sludge.

At least it's not green!

Green sludge

So after forcing myself to drink this green sludge, yesterday, I think I felt some improvement. And if I didn't really improve, I will tell myself I did anyway!
I spent a few $$ on some supplements from www.vitacost.com. This is the cheapest place to get vitamins and their shipping is only $5 no matter how much you buy!

I got a whole food shake that has every vitamin imaginable tucked in with some seaweed, tons of veggies, fruits, and some mushrooms (not the wacky kind, I don't think!). This is some power packed stuff which I mix with some milk, a scoop of Barleans greens (more seaweed! lol), a tablespoon of Barleans Omega 3-6-9 mix (flax, fish, and borage oil) and also a tablespoon of liquid glucosimine Chondroitin (praying this is God's way of healing my wrists and knees and hip and neck and...).

I also still take my Natural Calm which is magnesium in it's most easily assimilated form. I drink that disolved in hot water with some orange juice. This is some awesome stuff! It is the only supplement I have ever taken and truly felt it work! They say most everyone is deficient in magnesium and it controls over 250 functions of our bodies! Love this stuff!

As for the green drink, I have to convince myself that it is is good for me. Yesterday, I forced it all down and it was to be quite honest, disgusting. Today I blended in some frozen strawberries and it was a bit more tolerable. I thought yesterday, "If I don't throw up, I will have done well."

Lazy

Lazy.
No, I'm not completely lazy, but there is definitly some laziness in me.
I spent an hour or so last night writing out all the verses I could find in regards to laziness. I thought that it was a good place for me to start.
Seems from what I read the lazy person is wasteful and makes tons of excuses not to do work and then complains when they don't have the fruit of their labor (that they didn't do). Yes, in ways that sounds like me. I'd rather not go into details of how it's like me, but it is. Not big issues, like getting up int he morning, but just not having my priorities in order, takes me away from the work God has set before me and I choose to spend my time doing other things. Then I tend to find myself complaining that other things are quite the way they should be, because I am choosing to do other things-not sinful things- just other things so the things I want to have done don't get done. Know what I mean?
For example, if I know I need to be spending more time in my schooling, but then decide the I need to clean up the copper legs of my living room table, I really am choosing to clean the table because I am tired of school work. Is this good? No, I don't think so. Of course, it all falls into I know what my attitude is when I choose to do the other things. I need to be diligent in the other things and then leave the non-important things for later.

Prov. 13:4 The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing but the soul of the diligent is made fat.

Prov. 20:4 The sluggard does not plow after the autumn so he begs during the harvest and has nothing.

Prov. 19:15 Laziness casts into a deep sleep and an idle man suffers harm.

Prov. 22:13 The sluggard says, "There is a lion outside; I will be killed in the streets!"

I need to stop making excuses for my lack of desire to do the things I know I should. There's no lion out there, except myself and my fleshly desires.

I want joy, peace and contentment in all areas of my life. My heart feels heavy and I'm not sure why. But this seems like a good place to start.

My thoughts for the day

So, where is my thoughts today?
I went to bible study last night and as usual, had a great time. After leaving, I told my hubby if my pastor keeps using my name during study, people are going to think I'm the teacher's pet! lol

I don't think that's a bad thing, though. We have memory verses every week--two of them. It was mine and Craig's turn to say them, and after I said mine, I made a couple comments in regards to what I thought they meant and the Pastor, two weeks in a row, said the comments I made were good! Then Craig said his verse, and they waited for someone else to comment, but no one else raised their hand so I raised my hand and commented on his verse as well (this comment wasn't quite as good--I got corrected on something I said--I'm ok with that, though). No one else commented after me, other than the pastor.

Seems that rarely does anyone else say anything. Seems I am the only one who asks questions too. I mean, others do here and there, but it seems I am the one who asks the most. I can see people as looking down on me for it-- kind of like the kid in school who gets the most attention. I don't like it. It feels uncomfortable. I wish others would ask and maybe be more interested that they would comment or ask more questions...

I want to know things. I want to understand things. I want to grow. That's why God gave me leaders. So that they can help me do that. I'm not the smartest book on the shelf, lot of times I get rather dusty and I have to blow off my dust, shake it off a bit and pick myself up again. I feel lately that the cobwebs in my spiritual life need to be cleaned out. I need to get myself all ready for if Christ comes back today or tomorrow or whenever. I don't want to feel dirty (any more tan I have to) when He comes back.

I got some bible studies to help me, and I've been waking up earlier to get in some extra time during the day to do what I need to do. That's all I can do right now. *sigh* I just want to do better. I can always do better. His mercies are renewed every morning...

Why I don't do Christmas...

It's that time of year...
Last year, I didn't make mention of Christmas to you'all. I just hid away, letting you do your thing without me raining on anyone's parade. I know in my saying this, I'm not really stomping on toes, but some people I'm sure will see it that way. Everyone is entitled to do as they wish, I am not personally condemning anyone by what follows. I just saw on a couple blogs people saying why they do Christmas and so I thought I would share why I don't.

Feel free to leave comments, but please be nice to me. Last time I spoke up, I got 50 or more comments bashing me as a person without them even really knowing me. And like I said before, this is what I choose to do. We will each answer to Him for ourselves.

1. Christ never told me to. (I see the baby as the man who was only born to die...not a festive happy thing)
2. The three wise men is all messed up...(the bible never says how many and they came when He was two...If you will read Matthew 2:7-11carefully, you will see that the star led the wise men to Nazareth, not to the stable in Bethlehem where our Lord was born. Verse 9 tells us that they found Jesus in "the house" where He had lived with Mary and Joseph since He was 91 days old. (Luke 2:7, 21-39) This "house" was in Nazareth, the place where Joseph and Mary lived.
3. Christ was not born on December 25th. "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night."Luke 2:8.it is a well known fact that December is the rainy season in Palestine and the sheep were kept in the fold at that time of the year. The shepherds always corralled and brought their flocks from the mountain sides and fields not later than October l5th, to protect them from the cold, rainy season that followed that date. So the birth of Christ could not have taken place at the end of December. Then, in the second chapter of Luke, you will find that at the birth of Christ every woman and child was to go to be taxed at the city where they were citizens. This could not have been in winter. Augustus, the king of Rome, would certainly not call for such a taxing in the depth of winter. Therefore, Christ could not have been born in December. Actually, Christ was most likely born some time in the first part of October. This is figured from the fact that His earthly ministry lasted 3 1/2 years, and He was crucified on the l4th day of Nisan which corresponds to our April. See John 19:31; Leviticus 23:5. If we go back 3 1/2 years to the time when Jesus was 30 years old (when He began His public ministry), we come to the month of October. This was probably the month when our blessed Lord was born into the world. (Of course, the date of Jesus' birth is not too important. The important thing is that He was born and that He died for our sins. We're not worshiping a helpless infant lying in a manger, but we're worshiping a risen and exalted Christ who has all power in heaven and in earth. Matthew 28:18.)
4. Christmas is of heathen origin. Christmas started w i t h the Sun worshipers in the t i m e of Nimrod, the man who built the Tower of Babel. Any reputable encyclopedia will tell you that our modern day Christmas customs came out of paganism. Encyclopedia Britannica has this to say: "Christmas (i.e., the Mass of Christ) was not among the earliest festivals of the church." Other encyclopedias say much more, but I am sparing you the reading! :)
   
5. Christmas is a Catholic holiday. Why should I steal Christmas from the Catholics? They got it from the pagans and I'm happy to let them keep it. Sometimes you hear the slogan, "Let's Put Christ Back Into Christmas." Well, how can you put Christ back into something when He was never there? History teaches that the Catholics invented Christmas to get the pagans into the church so they mixed their pagan ideas with Christ and this is what they got. (most of the traditions have pagan roots-- misiltoe, yule logs, stockings and the lump of coal, even the tree--especially the tree)
   
6. Even the name "Christmass" is an abomination to the Lord. Christmass is a combination of two words, "Christ" and "Mass." Christ is the divine title of our Lord. "Mass" is from the Roman Catholic sacrament of the mass. Certainly born-again Christians shouldn't have anything to do with masses. The mass is a Roman Catholic invention. The mass is a prayer that is read or sung for the soul of a dead person.
7. Christmas is of the world. We are commanded in I John 2: 15, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." One fact alone proves to me that Christmas is not of God. It is this: The world which hates Christ and His blood atonement for sin makes more fuss about Christmas than any other holiday. Now , just think, if December 25th were really the birthday of Jesus, don't you know that the world would have nothing to do with it?
8. Now the tree...The Christmas tree is condemned by the Bible. "Learn not the way of the Heathen . . . For the customs of that people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not . . . But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities . . ." Jeremiah 10: 2-4, 10. Here you have a perfect description of the Christmas tree, called by God "the way of the heathen." We are commanded not to learn that way or follow it. It is also viewed in this passage as idolatry. The fifth verse says that these trees cannot speak - cannot walk - must be carried. Some people misread this to make it say there is no harm in having a Christmas tree, but that is not what it says at all. Rather, the prophet Jeremiah tells us that it is vanity and foolishness and says "learn not the way of the heathen." Some people will stay up all night to work on an old dead tree. They'll trim it all up, and stand off a little ways and admire their handiwork. Some of you will sit up all night and look at that old Christmas tree. I'd like to leave this little thought with you. Did you know that the green tree is mentioned 14 times in the Bible, and in every instance it is linked with idolatry. There isn't one place in the Bible where God commends the use of the evergreen in connection with true worship.
9. When people exchange gifts, they're not bringing them to Christ; they're giving them to one another. You have got to keep a list of the people who sent you presents last year and each year your list grows longer and longer, and before long you're in such a heavy debt buying Christmas presents that you've got to start saving money right after one Christmas in order to buy presents for the next Christmas. Beloved, I can't understand why anyone would went to be in bondage to such an expensive custom. Jesus is supposed to be the cause of Christmas, and yet people give their gifts to everybody but Jesus.

   Perhaps some of you are asking, "Didn't the Wise Men give gifts to Jesus?" They certainly did, but they didn't give them to one another. And their gifts were not birthday gifts because the Wise Men did not come to visit Jesus until he was nearly two years old.

10. The name Santa Claus is a corruption of the name Saint Nicholas who is none other than Old Nick, the Devil. And yet thousands of parents will encourage their children to write to dear old St. Nick or dear Santa. Now if you're a Christian, you should be ashamed of yourself if you lie to your children by telling them that there is a Santa Claus. Through the year you punish your children for lying, and then you turn right around and lie yourself by telling your children that there is a Santa Claus. Is it any wonder when they grow up and learn the truth that they begin to believe that God is a myth too?

    The Bible says in Colossians 3: 9, "Lie not one to another." We are commanded in Ephesians 4:25, "...to put away lying, and to speak every man truth with his neighbor

11. Finally, I don't celebrate Christmas because God's Word absolutely forbids the (spiritual ) observance of any holy days in this dispensation of grace.

    "Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain." Galatians 4:10-11.

    That sounds like the observance of Christmas, doesn't it? Here the Apostle Paul absolutely forbids the ( spiritual ) observing of days, months and seasons. To the Christian there are no special holy days. Every day should be alike, holy unto the Lord. If you are a Scriptural believer you will not "esteem one day above another." Romans 14:5. If you are truly saved, you will remember the birth, the life, the death, the burial and the resurrection of your wonderful Savior 365 days a year. Yes, I am glad to serve a real and a living Christ who lives all year round. Let us as born-again Christians use our money this season of the year, not for foolish and unnecessary presents, but to spread the Gospel message to this lost and dying world.

I choose to teach my children the truth about Christmas. God's Word says ( Ephesians 6:4) to bring our children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and why should we dishonor the name of Christ in such manner under the pretense of showing the children a good time? There are 364 more days in the year during which we can give gifts to our children. Trust me, my kids aren't missing a thing!

Most of this info comes from Charles Half and the Christian Jew Foundation

Smashed...

So, my Thanksgiving was spent with friends. It was a wonderful time, excellent food, great fellowship with believers...

Wednesday night, I was in a car accident.

So, I was sore, limping like I was 80 which gave a few of my friends some good chuckles. I had a green light and a car turned left in front of me. Some weird things happened like the passenger disappeared and a witness said I floored it to make it through a yellow light which turned red. I don't get it. I was insured, they weren't... That's probably where the lies came from, but the Lord is in control. So, I am not going to worry about it. I feel like I got hit by a train, sprained my good (haha) hand so now I went from a brace on my right hand to one on my left. Go figure. House smashes into my porch last month, and now this. Thank God for insurance...Thank God for everything.

Such a blank statement, eh? Thank God for everything. What if God took away everything we've not verbally thanked Him for? What would we have left? We say Thanks for everything, but what is actually included in that "everything"? Are we really saying thank you for everything or is it really just thank you for everything that I am really thankful for? I don't think it includes the things we take for granted. I was thinking of something as simple as water. I have water. I have running water. I have water on demand. I don't have to go get it from a nasty stream or even a clean stream. I have water that is filtered with things in it to make my teeth healthier. And if I am really picky because I don't care for the taste of the water that freely comes out of my faucet, I can got to the store and buy some good water...I can buy water with vitamins, or I can get some with a nice flavor in case I don't like the water I get freely out of my faucet...That's just one small thing. What about my closet filled with clothes or my rack of shoes, or my cooshy bed with a pillow top mattress that wasn't good enough so we added some memory foam...hmmm...I am really thankful or do I just say it because I know I should? Or because it sounds good to other people when I say it?

I am so spoiled...
I usually call it being blessed.
But is it? When is what I have too much? Computers laptops, cell phones, regular phone, dial-up high speed or road-runner fast...13" or 27", soap or soap with soft lotions that feel nice... what am I giving up in this life to gain in eternity??

Thanksgiving and a good smashing always makes a person think a little, eh? Thanks for hearing my thoughts...

plese forgive my poor typing

quick update-surgery went well, but if still hurts--just hurts differently. but i know it will hurt less as time goes on. and it only took two tries this time for them to put in the IV. last time it took them about 5! I feel tired and dizzy so I am going to rest. Thanks for the prayers if anyone prayed for me.

I can be poo

At my church, there is a weekly bible study held every week on Friday. Yes, I am a regular attendee. I've only missed one or two times due to illness. (I'm not patting myself on the back, just giving background.) There are two verses that the attendees are expected to memorize. Then we take turns reciting them and everyone can give their opinion as to what they think they mean. The person who says the verse gets to pick the next week's verse to memorize. Last week I was the one to recite the verse so I got to pick one of this weeks verses for everyone to memorize.

I like to hear what everyone has to say about the Proverbs because we all come from such different walks of life. Application of verses can run the gammon. I picked:

Proverbs 14:4

Where no oxen are, the manger is clean,
But much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.

Craig said I can't share what I thought at church so you'all are blessed with my thoughts. haha!

I think of the oxen owners as the leaders, the pastors, those who are disciplining. If their are no oxen or disciples, there is no poo and the manager is clean. If a Pastor or any Christian really chooses not to disciple and share the faith and interact within the body, they don't have any poo to deal with either. Some examples of what I mean might be that when you take someone under your wing, you may get a phone call at midnight with your sister in Christ crying about her unbelieving husband and wanting to know how to deal with it. Small poo, small shovel. Maybe some one you led to the Lord is thinking they are of no use to God and is contemplating taking their own life. Big pile of poo-You might need help with this shovel. Maybe I myself am a big ox with a pile of poo when I call the pastor whining about my kids or my unsaved family or whatever. I can be poo, too...

It's easy to keep our own mangers clean, but it's not so easy to help other people clean up the messes in their life. I could hide out in my house, reading my Bible and being faithful to God on my own, but like James says, "Faith without works is useless, being by itself." What good is my faith if I just clean up myself; I need to clean up after others, so to speak.

The second half of the verse to me just shows how if we do put ourselves out there, God will give us reward for our work. I liken the revenue to the rewards in heaven for being faithful and the strength of the ox to the gumption it takes for us to go out and do something. And if you think about it, if you as an oxen owner choose to have a lot of oxen, think of how much work can be accomplished by having those oxen and all the revenue that could be passed on to you by their faithful work in following after their owner.

I don't know if I have communicated what I wanted to, but I hope I did. Please leave your thoughts as to what I said and also your application of the verse. :)

My hubby loves me...

I am so very spoiled. Or is it blessed? I'm not sure...When I get up there, before my Lord, with my blessings in this life turn out to have been my curse? I mean, look at all we have as a people in this nation compared to others...then remember the verse that says that to much is given much is required...ahhh...
anyway, he bought me my elliptical last week, now everyone needs to harrass me to make sure I use it or I'll never hear the end!
And today...he bought me my camera!! Yay!! Yahoo!! I can't wait to take a mess of pictures! I don't know where to start! I was so excited to have a camera in my hand, I actually took a picture of my ball point pen tip. How silly is that?!

Well, hopefully I am back in business! I think I'll take a picture of the kids' school work...I've never done that before, have I?

A full week, I think...

I walked 2 miles today with the Walk Away the Pounds video. I like that they are easy enough, I don't give up. And yet, I can make the workout harder just by how hard I work. I mean, if I lift my legs higher, it's harder and therefore I sweat more! i feel really good! I also started taking some vitamins My hubby must not have thought I was really doing this until he got up, I was making a smoothie and on my way to the basement to exercise. When I told him I had exercised every day since Sunday, he looked shocked--but trust me, I've told him every day!