Weigh loss & The Glory Gals.

Since my first bub I have had a bit of excess baggage. (Hmm she is now 13...) My dear big sister gave me a nudge and I have started a journey to loose the excess weight and get more energy.

I started this journey and I realised that I was spending a good bit of time reading labels, reading recipes, adding foods to my journal and weighing in. I had a plan but one very essential component was missing. God.


I had left Him out of my diet plans.

I was relying on myself, my wisdom and my will power just like I have many times before.


Nudge, Nudge.

God is my stregnth, apart from Him I can do nothing, yet in the area of weight loss I somehow exclude God.

I have thought about this and I think it is because I feel a bit ashamed of how little self control I have.



I have been teaching my 3yo DD a song about the "Fruit of The Spirit" and wowsers - there it is- God knows we need self control and He also knows we lack it - so He gives it to us and develops it in our lives when we push into Him.

What Grace.

What love.



I dont want to open the door for the enemy to whisper condemnation and guilt in and to rub my nose in my failures. I want to run to God, seek His truth and ask for His support on this journey.


I want invite you too. I have read many other gals stories who are on this weight loss journey over the last while and it seems like alot of us have similar feelings of inadequacy, guilt, failure.


I think that it is time to say "Enough of that"

I have started a separate blog in which we can walk this journey together. Come by and visit me at "The Glory Gals" because its not about us, our lives are for His glory. Lets walk with The Lord and live how He made us to- with our image of ourselves lining up with His word.

Each week I will be putting up a post addressing just this- Who we are in Christ, what He says about us and including Scriptures and thoughts. Lets get some discussion going and make some important discoveries about who we are as Daughters of The King. Let's give Him Glory on our journey. If you would like to write a post that would be wonderful, or link up on the blog roll, pop on over to The Glory Gals

If you would like to do an online study together on specific issues then post your ideas and we can get a group together and dig into The Word.
If you would like to join me lets read and encourage each other along this journey, today is a good day to start but most of all lets invite God in.

In His Grace,

C

Prayers for. NZ miners

 My verse is 1 Thessalonians 1:2 “We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers.”

I was just having a quiet cry for the  families of the 29 new zealand miners who were killed today in that horrific explosion, one month to Christmas tomorrow and they may have already brought gifts for their sons,dads & hubby's and never would have expected to send them off to work and never see them again, such tragedy.
this is a harsh reminder to tell people we love them,pray for them, tell them of Jesus & to refuse to get caught up in useless bickering or worse, in apathy. Today is a gift, 
tomorrow is indeed a blessing.

How deep, how wide, how much indeed!

I have really enjoyed reading today:

"That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God."
Ephesians 3:16-20

I have so enjoyed spending time with God digging into this verse.  Every word is such a rich promise and pouring of love, what hunger this stirs in my heart to ask God where He wants to use the strength & love that He abundantly has poured into my inner being- I can never say I have nothing, that I am empty- I have all of God poured in- filled in fullness- and dwelling deep in me- this is so beyond my  understanding that I can't help but praise Him. 

What are you reading that challenges you to press deeply into Him??

The Fortress

Amazing God! My verse is 
Philippians 4:6-7

"Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."

 I remember teaching scripture and being sooo scared! I used to pray & rely on the verse " out of the heart the mouth speaks" &  "give me your words Lord" 

God knows our situation, He is not confused or worried at it, 
Life happens, sickness, fear and sin invade our everyday. 
Today I was reminded through a teaching at completechristianwoman.com that God offers us shelter (ps 18) & we can choose to come into that shelter or not,if you havent been to Complete Christian woman then I have to really urge you to Put the kettle on, click on over and say hi, when you drop in you will be blessed by their teaching.
Dear One as you read this, be confident that your situation is in fact exactly what God is shaping your testimony through, as is Mine, I bet neither of us like or would have written the script to our circumstances just like it is from our limited view and we both probably struggle to find joy and peace in our everyday because we want "life " to be simpler & Better- at least I do- I almost cant remember a time without encephalitis and it's scars on my baby girls brain, time without seizures and uncertainty, but I know that God holds my future,
I trust Him with my baby girl-
I trust Him as my big girl becomes a teenager (gulp!)
I trust Him as my hubby travels, these are my circumstance and I depend on Him being my fortress into which I can confidently retreat. He has made me a promise, I have a choice to make to live in that promise or to try to make my own way.
Each of us have a story that is shaped by all that we have been thru, I would love to hear you speak your His-story,
I'll put the kettle on!!
In His joy,
Carolyn 

The Alarm

Oh wow, how I love and hate that alarm all at once!
My baby girl- she forgets to breathe as she sleeps.
...Go..Now!! The alarm!
it rings and a wee blue baby is in the bed,
Night after night we listen- I hate that.
Panic, confusion, silence.
Yet.. I do love the alarm- it calls me to help her,
my heart races,
God listens: She takes a big breath,
Then she sleeps unaware of her mumma’s fear,
She is safe,
Lord hold her as she sleeps.

Time Out!!

I have been really enjoying a video study on James over at Sarah's blog at liveitoutblog.com

I started the study late and I had to laugh- we were having a toddler moment here & I needed to regroup I sat opened my Bible as I knew I had 3 minutes (if not 2 or 3 lots of 3 minutes the way the meltdown was going!!) My bookmark was ready for James 4.
Of course The opening lines are: 1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.
How funny & appropriate! I could just see God smile as He saw the scene in our house as I grabbed my Bible for a quick sanity save!! The desires battling within my 3 to dd & she did NOT get what she wanted and there it was a fight of meltdown proportions!! How often do I do that before God, He prompts something from His Father heart for my wellbeing or growth and I have my own plans and desires within me that bring about my own rebellion and quarrel, i get into wrong motives and granted I rarely kick, scream, spit & hit anymore ;) but my rebellion is just the same and it requires Gods righteous correction. I end up in a mess, learning lessons that all too often I have to relearn a few times.
Oh dear I am so thankful that God is much more patient with me when I have my meltdowns. I love how my toddler gives me teachable moments from Heaven, I also love that I can call on the Word for a quick mumma time out while lil 3yo C is having one too!'