Tag Archives: life

Could YOU befriend Paul?

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My sweet friend sent me a small booklet to read a little bit ago and for a gagillion reasons I’ve not been able to get into it.  Until this morning.  You see, I had a wedding to go to last night in St. Augustine for two former co-workers (just seriously the sweetest couple) and this morning I awoke before my friends did and had 2 HOURS OF TOTAL QUIET.  Unheard of, people.  Unheard.  Of.  Just me and my coffee and after working on my 1000 Gifts book I dove into the booklet:  Uniformity with God’s Will by Saint Alphonsus de Liguori.    

I can see why I couldn’t get into it initially.  God wanted my full and undivided attention.  Focused.  Small bits.  It is powerful.  I’ll share with you my insight this morning…all 2 pages in.

Some back story:  in talking about Saul, who persecuted Christians for their faith.  Not only persecuted, but hunted down and killed Christians, routinely.  Until…….God got his attention with a little episode of blindness.  Enlightening Saul and converting him to Paul.  (God often likes to change your name when He drafts you to His team).

Paul asks God, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” Acts 9:6

The Lord calls him a vessel of election and apostle to the Gentiles:  “This man is to me a vessel of election, to carry my name before the Gentiles.”  Acts 9:15

So, Paul, previously Saul, is a huge player in the Bible and on Team God.  He’s a huge instrument of God in spreading the Word, instructing Christians in how to live and love according to God’s will.  And….Paul has a past.  A really bad past.  Yet, God USES him.  Mightily.  Over and over again.  Amongst the very people he previously persecuted.

Think about it.  We ALL know a modern-day Paul.  People who have failed us, who have fallen, who have a past.  Shoot, realistically we ALL have our Saul-seasons.  With God’s grace we can ALL enjoy our Paul-seasons as well.  The best thing is, God can and does use Paul.  Mightily.  Over and over again.  Among the very people they have wronged.  However, how many of us fail to see the Paul and only see the Saul?  How many of us fail to see the blessings and instructions of the Paul because we can’t move beyond the Saul?

God forgives.  God moves on.  Beyond the “Sauls”.  God uses ALL things.  May we be more like God and focused on the “Pauls” in the world,  God’s new creations and let us let go of  the “Sauls”.

 

 

Five Favorites…

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Last week was fun for me, so I say…do it again!!!  Joining in the Baby-Mooning Mama, Hallie @ Moxie Wife for 5 Favorites…

This is week 3 for me in my Clean Eating/ Paleo / no processed crap.  Basically, I’ve not had bread (unless you count Ezekiel bread–of which I’ve had 4 slices in 3 weeks); no snacks/sweets/candy/soda/chocolate (unless you count chocolate protein powder in a smoothie and 6 chocolate chips in a spoonful of almond butter).  I’m here to tell you….holy cow, I’m surviving!!!!  I have energy!!!!  I’ve lost 5 pounds in 2 weeks!!!!  I mentioned a few things last Friday and here’s a few more…..5 to be exact:

  1. Hard boiled eggs.  Mix in some baking soda into the water to make for easier peeling.  Great snack!!!!imgres
  2. Avocado.  Mix it in my eggs.  Mix it in my smoothie.  Mix it in my salad.  One avocado goes a long way!!imgres-1
  3. MyFitnessPal.  I’m actually logging my food and exercise in aaaaaaaand it can be done on the phone or the ‘puter.  Snap!! (now you know my user name if you want to follow/join/encourage)Screen shot 2013-04-23 at 9.28.16 PM
  4. Paleomg.com    I’m getting so many great recipes off this site and my family even loves them.  FOR THE WIN!!!!
  5. Clean Eating magazine and website.  Another great resource for family friendly recipes.  If I can’t get them on board this isn’t going to work and I refuse to be a short order cook making separate dinners for them and myself.  Nope.

There it is.  5 quick and easy things I am loving these past few weeks, let’s hope I keep loving them!!!!  Have some good clean eating tips???  Bring it!!!

Now go check out Hallie and all the favorites!!

Fasty Friday and Favorites…

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not fasty as in fasting, but more like quick..you know?  Fasty.  Or you can just say Quick Takes and 5 Favorites combo’d.  QTs is over @ CampPatton again this week because new Mama Jen FINALLY GOT TO TAKE THE BABY HOME FROM THE NICU!!!  Awesome news in this week of ickiness.  Superb, in fact.  AND……in a bid to bring joyful and useful news among the rough news week, I am ALSO joining in with Hallie and her 5 Favorite Things link up….but mine will have 7-ish.  A two-fer if you will.  It’s always fun to see what people are up to during the week and I’ve been enjoying the  5 faves and seeing what folks around the internets consider their favorite products and such.  Go check ’em ALL out!!

It’s a clean eating theme.

This week marks the end of my 2nd week of eating clean.  It’s not a hard and fast “Clean” and/or Paleo, but a bit of a combined, best-of-both worlds and guess what???  It’s totally working.  Of course, the fact that I have planned out our meals and have made sure to have adequate food for my eating purposes has certainly helped….but, I think this is something that I could totes live with.  Now, that said, I’m heading into week 3 which is where I have generally sputtered and run out of motivation in the past, so pray for me and feel free to send on some encouragement, etc, etc!  Ok, ok, here’s my 7:

  1. Adoration.  I’ve been TWICE this week.  I love  Adoration.  Peace.  Quiet. Prayers.  In light of all the tragedy this week in Boston and Texas amongst other family and friend urgent prayer needs, it was a welcome respite in which I highly recommend.
  2. Pat Gohn.  Love her podcast.  And she has a new book out, “Blessed, Beautiful and Bodacious!” which is on my night stand in the next-to-read position.  This week she interviewed Mary Wallace and they talked of working moms OUTSIDE the home and incorporating your faith life in your work life.  It was a stellar podcast and has encouraged me to begin a “Positivity Project” .  Without going into detail, I’ll just say office morale is totally in the toilet…BUT Mary and Pat encouraged me to “be the change”.  Every person can make small efforts to turn the tide even if those who should be setting the example don’t.  I started yesterday with Gandhi’s quote, “Be the change you want to see in the world”.  I’d like to see a lot less whining, griping and people just doing their job and helping others…..
  3. Pre-cooked food.  Eating Clean-eo has been much easier with cooking up some roasted veggies and hard-boiled eggs on the weekend for some ease in putting together lunches and snacks for me for the week.  However, I’ll just say that I’ve now given brussel sprouts THREE separate tries and they really are not good.  I ate them.  They weren’t horrible.  However, I won’t be eating them again.
  4. Pre-planned meals.  Meal planning for the week just helps me stay focused.  No guess-work in the morning on what to take out, no fumbling after work for what we’ll eat.  It’s just working for me.  Winning.
  5. Almond milk.  Since I’ve cut out dairy, this is my substitute for my coffee additive in the a.m. and my smoothie base after workout.  No dairy.  No gluten.  Tasty.
  6. Spin bike and burpees.  Actually, I hate them both.  However, to get my cardio in on non-workout days the spin bike fits the bill and when I break it up into 5-8 minute sessions with a set of 10 Burpees in between it goes much quicker.  Not to mention I am sweating like a sweaty person when I’m done.
  7. Choco-cado smoothie.  Before you get all EWWWW, sounds gross on me….let me just say….it is so delicious I thought I was cheating.   The fact I’ve had no sugar and/or processed stuff for twoweeks probably increased the yum factor, but seriously…..DELISH!!!!  I’m including the link on the pic credit, but here’s MY version:  8 oz Almond Milk, 1 frozen banana (go ahead and peel that BEFORE you freeze it so you don’t have to nuke it to get the peel off…ask me how I know this.)  1 giant handful of spinach.  1/4 of a avocado.  1 scoop of chocolate protein powder.  Blend and enjoy.  You are welcome.

Now go check out all the other people and their QTs and Faves…Happy Weekend!!

#Gosnell. MSM roundup, the day after the #Twitterfest

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Let me first say that while I am fully recognizing that I am fortunate to be gainfully employed, it is also to be noted that such JOB absolutely interferes with my social interactions throughout the day (as well as blogging and exploring other hobbies), but hey…we gots to eat, right?  Anyway.  If you weren’t aware, on Friday, some GENIUS (and someone PLEASE let me know if you are aware of WHO started this train…just brilliant!), launched a full-out Twitter campaign to have Kermit Gosnell’s trial be the #1 trending topic to bring light to the complete mainstream media (MSM) blackout of the trial that has been happening since MARCH 18!!!!  Now listen, I am Catholic, follow mostly Catholics on Twitter, am relatively abreast on the news of the nation and world (“relatively”, because in all honesty the news is just plain depressing and I am a terribly sympathetic and empathetic individual and the news has a serious effect on my heart) and I have only been aware for a couple of weeks of the trial.  Back to Twitter….it was going OFF, OFF I say on #Gosnell.  It did, in fact, get MSM attention in a shame-fest.  Now, isn’t the whole job of a report to get a “scoop”..you know, the first to report on a happening?  We have a MSM full of chickens.  Yellow-bellied chickens.  By late afternoon/early evening there was a promise that Anderson Cooper was to  lead with the story on AC360 last night.  Other reporters started to comment on the lack of MSM coverage and The Washington Post vowed to do better in the coming days.  This morning I did a quick round up…”quick” means, scanning the FRONT internets page of the following MSM sites, I did also review “US, Nation and Politics headers” for other quick scans, because let’s be honest…most people get their news like that.  Here’s what I found based on my personal news folder at 6:30 a.m…therefore NOT exhaustive.  Not at all.  Because obviously I need to add the Atlantic in my folder, and life news…..

Breakdown of front pages:

CNN: a blip under “the latest”

Screen shot 2013-04-13 at 6.28.24 AM

NY Times:  Nada

LA Times:  Nada

BBC News:  Nada

NPR:    Nada

USA Today:  Nope, however Kobe’s injury and the implications of his future are front and center…

Local news:  Guffaw….just for kicks and nope

RealClear Politics:    An entire section!!!Screen shot 2013-04-13 at 6.42.32 AM

Let’s hope in the coming days these headers change.  It’s hard stuff to read.  Disgusting.  Mind-searingly evil and incomprehensible and yet we must be informed.  Ignorance is not bliss.  C’mon MSM, you can do better than that.

Friday….bring the thunder

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Fun Friday, Folks.  You know what that means…..well since Jen is a leetle busy post-birth and all and spending her days trekking it to and fro to the NICU for baby Joseph, she’s handed this weeks QTs off to Grace.

  1. Day 7 of  clean Eating, people.  Day 7.  Proud to say I’m toeing the line.  The whole planning thing really panned out this week.  And I’m feeling good!!!
  2. Week 1 of my gym’s 6 week Challenge and……..I worked out one day this week.  Totally need to re-group on the exercise deal is I plan on winning.  The whole life-getting-in-the-way ain’t gonna bring home the 2K, you know?!?
  3. I’ve been doing lots of praying this week.  For gals in labor, babies in the NICU, parents in the ICU,  those suffering from cancer, their loved ones, the struggles go on and on and sometimes it’s a little overwhelming all this suffering in the world and then I was reminded of this by Ann Voskamp….because I am a “fixer” and like to make things right and suffering frustrates me because I’m helpless and yet:Screen shot 2013-04-12 at 6.30.27 AM
  4. Back on the upswing….we bought our beach pass and have used it.  Twice.  Two weekends in a row.  Don’t hate.  Man I love the beach.  Love.

    Riding her cruiser!!

    Riding her cruiser!!

  5. I’m running out of things to say.
  6. Really I’m running out of time, because I need to get ready for work!
  7. In reply to Grace’s query of kitchen furniture and the like….we have a super hutch/dresser/furniture, thanks to some super awesome friends!  Sadly time is limiting me from finding the picture!!!

go check out the rest of the crew and jump on in so Jen has plenty of reading material in the NICU and keep those prayers coming, people!