John 3:17

So there has been quite a bit of drama lately in regards to the recent interview with Chick-Fil-A's CEO, Dan Cathy. First, let me go ahead and say how silly I think it is that the interviewer asked a CEO of a company that is closed on Sunday, his view of same-sex marriage... What did he expect the response would be? Sounds to me like he was wanting to open the can of worms. Ok, back to the reason I came on here. I was on Facebook earlier and looking over my news feed and a dear friend of mine posted this article written by Perry Noble. I thought it was a very good read and thought I would share. So I hope you enjoy.

Ben & Jerry’s, Chick-fil-A & Political Correctness

• Wednesday, August 1, 2012
• ×
• Church Issues

Ben & Jerry’s, Chick-fil-A & Political Correctness

Perry Noble

Let me begin by saying I absolutely LOVE Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.  (Gonna go ahead and tell you that Oatmeal Cookie Chunk is THE BEST flavor I’ve EVER had!!)
A few years ago I went to Wal Mart (the closest thing to hell I can imagine…that and the DMV), found my favorite flavor and decided to tweet that I was purchasing some Ben & Jerry’s ice cream…and doing so “unleashed the hounds” in a sense.  Honestly, I’ve never experienced anything like it, “Christians” began @ replying me on twitter condemning me and scolding me for buying this product because apparently Ben & Jerry’s supported gay rights/same sex marriage.
Honestly, it bothered me.  Because, first of all…I wasn’t trying to make a political statement I was simply trying to get some chunky monkey and some oatmeal cookie crunch.  I like ice cream…I believe it will be served in heaven (with ZERO calories)!  And second, it has broken my heart the way that many who claim to follow Christ have treated those who are homosexuals.  We’ve yelled at them, ignored them and in some cases damned them to hell without EVER sitting down and actually having a conversation with someone who is gay.
“But Perry,” you say, “the Bible says that homosexuality is a sin.”  Let me put my cards on the table and say that I agree; however, for too long the church has seemed to be obsessed with the sins that we do not struggle with; after all, if I am pointing out the sins of others I don’t have to deal with my own.
People have taken me to I Corinthians 6:9-11 before and said, “look, the Bible says that homosexuals will NOT inherit the kingdom of God.”  I always try my best to point out that also included in that list are…

• The sexually immoral (anyone been watching porn?)
• Idolaters (anyone love anyone or anything more than Jesus?)
• Adulterers (see Matthew 5:27-28)
• Thieves
• The greedy (uh oh!)
• Drunkards (tailgating season is quickly approaching)
• Slanderers (uh oh, a lot of bloggers and women’s Bible studies are in trouble!)
• After looking at this list I would say we are all pretty much screwed unless Jesus intervenes.

And…while I am at it why don’t I just go ahead and throw out that gluttony is way more of a problem in the church today than homosexuality!!! (Please see Proverbs 23:2…pretty intense!!!  ONLY in the church can people that are huge condemn people who are homosexual and somehow feel like that they are spiritually superior!)
Do I hate homosexuals or have a “homophobia?”  Absolutely not!  (And, let me be VERY clear that as a child I was molested…TWICE…by men who were older than me.  I have no idea if they were or are practicing homosexuals…but I can honestly say that I have forgiven them and do not think that because of what they did to me that homosexuals are bad people!)
So, if a company or an organization wants to support gay rights/same sex marriage I don’t believe that Christians should boycott and/or protest them (come on people, has that REALLY worked for us in the past?)  Jesus went after the hearts of people far from Him through conversation, not condemnation.  Yes, sin must be called what it is, even as the risk of offending people: however, when it is done so with a hateful spirit then Jesus is NOT exalted, thus making the confrontation of sin sinful!
We live in America…and people have the right to say what they want to say…
Which brings me to Chick-fil-A…
I love Chick-fil-A…I probably eat there no less than five times a week (no, I am not making that up!)  The fact that Truett Cathy has built a business from the ground up and has sought to honor Jesus every step of the way is an inspiration to me.  Every Chick-fil-A I’ve ever been in has excellent food and excellent customer service…and I believe I read the other day that they made 4.1 billion dollars last year (not bad!)
Recently Dan Cathy (the current CEO) was asked about his stance on same sex marriage.  He did not issue any inflammatory remarks.  He did not attempt to call anyone by any derogatory names.  He was not hateful in his comments.  He did not say that people who are gay would not be hired and/or served at Chick-Fil-A restaurants. He simply stated that he holds to the traditional/biblical view of marriage (which is his right as an American citizen.)  And it seemed the world lost its mind.
It’s quite sad really that those who scream for tolerance seem to be intolerant of anyone who does not hold to their particular view.
No one in the media screamed “foul” when corporations came out in support of same sex marriage; however, when one company spoke out against it in a non condemning tone people were calling for a boycott…even provoking the mayor of the city of Boston to say that Chick-Fil-A was not welcome in the city.  (Uh…wow, talk about tolerance!  Honestly, I believe the city of Boston needs Chick-fil-A way more than Chick-fil-A needs the city of Boston!)
All I am saying is this…I believe as an American everyone has the right to free speech.  I also believe as a Christian we have the right to speak the truth in love as it applies to the Scriptures and should not fear doing so because we may be perceived as politically incorrect.  Biblical truth (IN LOVE) always trumps political correctness.  Honestly, I respect and admire Mr. Cathy as he took a very unpopular stand on one of the most controversial matters of our day.  AND…as I’ve stated before, he did it with a non-condemning attitude.
It simply needs to be pointed out that people on both sides of this argument have been way less than civil with each other…which does nothing more than proves the insecurity in us if we feel like we have to “lower the boom” on people who do not see exactly as we see.
Honestly, it is my prayer that people on both sides of the argument would stop yelling at each other and talking about one another and actually sit down and talk to one another understanding that just because two people do not agree on an issue does not mean they have the right to hate one another for it.  Conversation is NOT compromise…it’s actually Christ like!  And our world would be a MUCH better place if those who called themselves Christians would step up and lead the way in this, understanding John 3:17 is the attitude that we are called to have!

Here is the link to the website if you would like to view any more of his articles etc:
http://www.perrynoble.com/2012/08/01/ben-jerrys-chic-fil-a-political-correctness/

And I must say, John 3:17... AMEN! I don't know about you, but that is powerful! I for one am very proud of Chick-Fil-A for making a stand and not being afraid to make the statement in raw honesty. It's very admirable for a company to stand for what they believe in, even in such a judgemental society. And on the other hand, I have several friends and family members that are homosexual. I do not have to agree with what they are doing, or condone their actions, but I am called to love them and to show them love through Jesus Christ! Jesus didn't condemn the sinners, he went to them, lived life with them, and showed them love. John 8 and the woman caught in adultery, Zacchaeus the tax collector in Luke 19. Matthew 9:9-13 when Jesus calls Matthew to follow him, "he reclined at the table ine the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples." I am a sinner, I want Jesus to continue reclining with me!! If Jesus didn't show me love, and did not forgive me of my daily sin, I would be worthless. Who am I to condemn other peoples sins, their sin isn't any greater than my daily struggles. So anyway that is my soapbox for a moment. Thanks for reading.

Healthy Living Sucks...

So Let me be vulnerable/transparent or a moment...

I hate working out, and drinking water, and eating small portion meals, and having to wait months to see results. I hate that I love Sundrop so much that when I gave it up for lent, I thought I was going to die. I hate that I love dessert so much that everytime I have something salty (or eat in general) I feel the complete "Need" to have something sweet. I don't know what you would call that, but I call that ADDICTION...

So Wednesday was officially 2 months of me working out almost every day. I have to admit, I'm pretty darn proud of myself (and could not have gone this far with out my buddy Abby). And out of those 2 months, I have not lost a single pound... Now that is even more frustrating than giving up Sundrop. And I thought giving it up was life or death (ha), needless to say, it wasn't, and my teeth will be thankful that I stopped drinking that too.

Anyway, side tracking... 2 months working out, zero weight lost...  

However, I can tell a difference in my clothes and in my "Birthday Suit" but I'm obviously still not at my goal. And to be even more honest, I don't really care about the number of the weight, I just want to be healthy and look cute in my clothes, and have confidence. So with all of that said, YES I hate working out, drinking water and portioning my meals. BUT, I LOVE the way I feel after working out, and going to bed after pushing my body to certain limits, and waking up and having energy (still working on my morning happy face, cause that is none existent). But over all it is such a better way to live, and I wish that I had done this when I was in better shape and smaller, so that I would have this healthy habit throughout my mid-twenties, and not beginning in my mid-twenties. No sense in looking into the past though, I'm looking ahead to the future, and I'm pretty excited about my new healthy body :)! I'm excited about where it will take me and Kyle in the future when we are looking to start a family, and when we do have a family and play with our children! I don't want to be a lazy mom, that doesn't go outside and play with their children. And by golly, I won't be! I'm changing things here and now! And I'm excited about it! :)

Just wanted you guys to know ;)

So to celebrate this up and coming new me, we are having a Crosswinds vs. Crosswinds Softball game tonight, and I'm just gonna say, it's gonna be awesome! Team Blue is probably gonna lose, but hey, we can still hope, and it will be fun to play with other people in our church.... I just hope it's not an embarassing loss. So I'll try to take some pictures of the event tonight, and have pictures up here soon :)

Have a fabulous day!

And so it begins...

Kyle and I are on a Co-Ed Softball league called "Crosswinds Blue Team". Very intimidating I know, but it's a church league, so what can ya do? Yesterday was our second game and as nervous as I was, we WON 18-2... YES, 18 to 2!! It felt pretty awesome considering that our first game we lost, 15-7. We also had a make up game tonight and unfortunately lost 17-7. Let me say though, for a team that has never played together, and a group of people who barely even get to practice together, I think we are doing pretty awesome! It's really exciting for me too because I've never really played a sport before and I am pretty excited about where it is taking me lol. Talk about a life change :). If you are ever in the Leland, NC area during the weekend, you are more than welcome to come watch us play, just be advised... I'm pretty terrible, but I'm a great encourager and I am trying to be more positive with myself. :)

Ok so with that short story, I didn't really play very much tonight at softball and needed to exercise pretty bad! I had Chick-fil-A for lunch, and a Large Coke at a movie, and then grilled chicken for dinner... Totally a bad eating day, so I went to the gym to begin my "Couch to 5k" work out. I have to admit, working out without Abby there is kind of difficult. It doesn't help that I was the only person in the entire gym also...  But I went, non the less. The way that the program is set up, you walk 5 minutes as a warm up and then alternate running every minute for 20 minutes then you walk another 5 minutes as a cool down. And I must say, I'm pretty proud of myself. I really tried to focus on my breathing and my stride, because I'm obviously not a runner and I needed a little more brain focus in order to get my body acclimated to this new work out. So, I must say that I enjoyed my first workout for this program... I just hope that after 8 weeks I will love running, because even every other minute was kind of frustrating for me. :-/ but I shouldn't complain. This IS a Life Change, after all! :)

Anywho, I shall right again later to update you on my progress! Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Life Change.

Ok, So here comes a whirlwind of information and I'm pretty sure no one reads this blog anyway so, here I might as well be super honest...

My friend Abby and I have been working out since June 14th, 2012. Almost, every flippin night. We originally started out walking 3.2 miles everynight in hers and my neighborhood. As of June 25th, 2012 Abby and I have been working out at our local gym to try and help boost our weight loss and new healthy life style. I have to give kudos to Abby right now, she has been an amazing inspiration to me. I have tried to get healthy/fit for as long as I can remember but I lack discipline and determination, and yes I admit it, LAZY. So, anyway, Abby and I started working out and since all of my previous efforts have failed, I am SUPER proud of us! We have fought through sickness, weakness & pain, even tears... (come on we're girls) But we are just now getting to the point where we are not really dreading the gym, but still don't enjoy it very much. However, we have been working out regularly for over a month, none the less, so I would say that is a pretty big deal! (insert applause) With all that being said, I am going to start blogging about my exercise and eating. Yes, I am being honest, Yes, I am going to blog about it, and No, I will not back down on this. I find that I have a problem with committing to things on a regular basis if they are not things that I really want to finish. Therefore, I am declaring a Life Change. Not only in my workout and eating, but also in blogging and being honest about how this is affecting me. (ugh...)

So let's begin. So far my results are minimal. I have cut my soda intake in half, which was hard, but I felt it was necessary after I had to get 6 oral surface cavities filled recently (Ouch my poor mouth, and wallet). So, now if I have soda, it's either when I am ridiculously tired or if I am having it with dinner. My substitute has been Coffee in the morning and only in the morning, and doing Jumping Jacks to wake myself up. :) Other than that I have water all day, and sometimes will put a Crystal Light packet :Raspberry Ice: in my water... SO Yummy. Kyle and I are also trying to be "Financially Fit" and have stopped our eating out, well made it minimal as well. So we have been eating at home and making majority of our meals. That part gets kinda boring, because my daily lunch is getting a bit boring, but I am trying to spice things up and think of new things to bring with me instead of a sandwich.

Our Workout routine...

We have stopped walking 3.2 miles for the time being, however I am planning to start that back up soon. But we do Cardio and Abs EVERY NIGHT... Cardio is usually the Elliptical for about 20-30 mintutes. Then we go to the mats, and begin our 3 reps of 40 Russian Twists, and 3 reps of 40 crunches. Then we alternate days for Arms and Legs on weight lifting.

As of tonight, we are getting a little bit harder on ourselves (that is if our softball game is cancelled). We will be adding 3 reps of Leg Raises for the lower abs, and adding more cardio. I have also downloaded the app for Couch to 5k.... I just recently saw a photo of a girl I used to know that just did this and looks amazing! So I will be using that program tonight for cardio (even if we have softball ;p). Since working out, I have maintained the same weight, which is kind of ticking me off. But I have a goal of 6 months to start seeing real results. I mean lets be honest, it took well over 6 months for me to gain this weight, I need to think realistically and make myself aware that I will not be able to lose this weight in a month...

So there we go, this is the first post of many regarding my "Life Change".

My Goal...

I want to be healthier. I want to try and fight the odds of my bad family medical history. I want to run a 5k and NOT walk a single step. I want to be the fit mom that plays with her kids. I want to look cute in my clothes. I want confidence. I want a healthy heart. I want to be a hot wife. I want to help other people get healthy and stay healthy.

My body is a Temple (1 Corinthians 3:16) <--This should really be #1, My body is a temple, Jesus came to earth, to die for MY sins. To allow the Holy Spirit to dwell in me. Why should I not take care of my body and stop feeding it junk food and stop sitting on the couch and being lazy?

So there it is. This is what my life has now become and where I am taking it. And if you are reading this, I'd love for you to join the journey with me. Hope you have a great day! :)

Thanks for reading!

The Tongue has the power of life or death... Proverbs 18:21

I read a blog today that really hit home with me and inspired me. I wanted to share it with you all. I know it is talking about being a newly wed, but I think it can be placed in our lives through all of the relationships in our lives. Enjoy...

Secrets of a Newlywed: Who Are You Complaining To? (found on Relevant Magazine.com)

Posted by: elizabeth carmen in Untagged  on Jan 7, 2012  

This is the next post in Secrets of a Newlywed, a series I have been sharing on my blog where I open up and share some of the lessons, insights and understandings—the little secrets—that have made my marriage the wedded bliss that it is. Like anything else, they are easier said than done. But I know from personal experience that when I do manage to live them out, I've seen what beautiful fruit they bear in my relationship with my husband.

I hope that you will never hear me complain about my husband. I hope that you will never hear a negative comment about him slip through my lips.

It’s not because he’s perfect, because he certainly makes mistakes—just as I do.

But it’s because I value our marriage and don’t want to give, as Song of Songs calls them, the “little foxes” room to roam free and wreak havoc in our relationship.

You see, I believe in the power of words. As James says, the tongue can be “a whole world of evil among the parts of our bodies” and “it starts a fire that influences all of life.” (James 3:6) Even when we’re simply joking about how he leaves dirty clothes on the ground or the toilet seat up, I think those conversations can plant seeds of discontent in our hearts that, over time, can grow into jungles of festering resentment. All because we opened our mouths and breathed life to negativity.

That’s why I greatly desire to keep any venting out of conversations with man. Instead, they only have room in my conversations with God. And I can tell you that it’s these conversations that I’ve come to see bear much fruit. I don’t know that any one can say the same of the other kinds of conversations. Simply because the Lord is the only one who can actually do something about these issues!

There have been times when I’ve found myself frustrated with situations in my marriage, but taken them to the Lord earnestly in prayer. And I’ve seen the Holy Spirit work in our relationship, softening both my own heart and that of my husband.

Because hardly ever is conflict a one-way street. Yes, it may be the actions of one. But it doesn’t often stop there. We carry logs in our own eyes, whether it’s the ways we overreact in perceiving things or in expecting perfection from another human being. The Lord steps in with sanctification even in these moments, when we think we’re blameless!

The beautiful thing about that is that my husband hardly ever knows about these things, which keeps our relationship intact and healthy. And at the same time, it grows my dependency on and faith in the Lord, to know that with him, all things are possible and that he is the rock upon which we built our relationship. I let go, and let him work.

But the tongue can also be used for good and bring life. “Careless words stab like a sword, but wise words bring healing.” (Proverbs 12:18) And so it is true in our marriages, as well.

Instead of airing complaints, we ought to sing our husband’s praises. We put words to the things we appreciate about him. We tell others of the things he has accomplished. We only let words of encouragement flow from our lips.

And it bolsters our hearts, reminding us how much we do have to be thankful for in our marriage. Because if we look hard enough, there’s always something to be thankful for. Even when there’s dirty laundry on the floor and he left the toilet seat up, again.

To read through all the posts in this series, click here. You can also read more at my blog, Life Blessons.