AN AMAZING WAKE UP CALL

I was having a hard time getting up this morning, but after falling back asleep twice, the good Lord interceded by having a friend "accidentally" dial my phone number at 6:30 AM.

At first she felt terrible about waking me up, but when I told her I had been unsuccessfully trying to get myself out of bed for the last hour or so, we shared a good, hearty laugh.

The second wake up call came in the afternoon, after I decided to take a short break from the computer and sat down on my bed to read. It wasn't long before I fell into a deep sleep only to be awakened with a start by the loud ringing of the telephone. Was I really awake, I wondered, as I heard a voice telling me I had won a PNC Bank Grocery Giveaway of $365 in Giant gift cards.

Thank you, Lord, for your unexpected blessings, and the ingenious way you provide for my needs. This was truly amazing!

SIX WORD SATURDAY

When I saw Cate's post today, I remembered having posted something similar over here, so I went back to take a look.

I still wouldn't be able to choose just one phrase, but I've narrowed it down to three.

• How did I wind up here
• God's agenda proves better than mine
• When all else fails, God doesn't

FITNESS FRIDAY: YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A ROCKET SCIENTIST

This week's assignment was to write about our top three (or five) tips for health and fitness. In Brenda's words, "If someone were to remember only these 3 (or 5) things, what would be the most important things for them to know?"

1. LAUGH: Look for the humor in things and laugh, laugh laugh. God's Word in Proverbs 17:22a tells us that "A merry heart does good, like medicine." Science tells us that a good belly laugh, among other things, massages the internal organs, increases the flow of oxygen, and activates the endorphins (which are the body's natural pain killers). A man by the name of Norman Cousins healed himself of a life threatening disease by watching a steady flow of movies that made him laugh. He wrote about his recovery in a book entitled Anatomy of an Illness.


2. FORGIVE: Harboring anger, bitterness, and resentments can only hurt you. They poison your system, and have been scientifically proven to be the root of many ailments. Best to follow the exhortation found in Ephesians 4:31-32, "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you."


3. BE GRATEFUL: Focus on your blessings rather than your disappointments. Look for things to be thankful for. They are all around you if you open your eyes.


4. STAY ACTIVE: Physical activity makes us strong. Take an example from the past. People walked to where they were going instead of jumping into a car, and physical chores kept them fit without the need for fancy equipment or a membership at the gym.


5. GET ENOUGH REST: Sleep is really important, because it is while we sleep that the body regenerates itself. We cannot function at our best when we are sleep deprived, and it definitely affects both our physical and emotional health.

Oops. I have used up all my points and still have one thing to add. The importance of putting natural things into our body, like water and unprocessed foods. Learn to read labels and avoid anything that contains ingredients you can't pronounce, or that is processed, loaded with sugar, and/or contains hydrogenated oils.

Now it's not to say that I actually adhere to all these points, but I am trying.

FITNESS FRIDAY: SETTLING IN

"For it is God who works in you to

will and to act according to his

good purpose." - (Philippians 2:13)

Last week I posted about a very liberating aha moment I had experienced related to this fitness journey we are on, and when I first saw this week's assignment, I was tempted to skip it. After all, what more could I say than what I already had in that last post? However, here I am again.

This week has been pretty uneventful. It's sort of been a time of settling in and becoming more sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, rather than trying to do things the way I thought they should be done. Although I didn't start out with any specific goals, I found myself seriously focusing on portion control and drinking more water, and wound up shedding those couple of extra pounds I had gained back the week my walks increased my appetite to ravenous proportions..

I can't wait to see where the path leads next.