Week...oh forget it

So, our internet was down and we finally had it fixed, so now I can share with you all another little nugget of truth that has been on my mind and heart!

First let's get the stats out of the way...week two down...starting week three...I lost nothing...ok let me clarify...those two lovely pounds I lost? Yeah...they came back...then I got them off again. Let's explain that one, shall we? Hehe.

I wanted to share with you all a few more throughts for losing weight and having meaningful and productive workouts.

This goes back to my thoughts on what it is we are really doing when we pray for blessings over our meals, but this is a little more about the exercising aspect of getting healthy.

I will praise You as long as I live,
and in Your name I will lift up my hands. (Psalm 63:4)

Lift up your hands in the sanctuary
and praise the LORD. (Psalm 134:2)

I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer,

without anger or disputing. (I Timothy 2:8)

Sometimes when we are singing in church, I see people (sometimes myself included) with their hands lifted. It is just one of the many ways some of us choose to surrender ourselves to God during that special time of praise.

But did you know that lifting your arms above the height of your heart increases your heart rate? If you have ever tried power-walking, you know what I'm talking about. If you've ever laughed at the people on the sidewalks swinging their arms like they're about to break into dance, they're actually getting an awesome workout!

So if you are walking or at the gym and you have the balance to do so, raise your hands up, whether you are singing along with your iPod, or praying. While worshiping, you are also working that much harder to purify your temple, which is not just your mind, but also your body.

Hope this helps! Will keep you all posted as much as possible! Love you all!

Jane is Home!!!!

After years of patience and dedicated hard work by Matt and Rachel Setliffe, and after months and months of great faith and many many prayers for Jane in particular, the Setliffes are finally a happy family of four!

And, in typical Setliffe fashion, Baby Jane has already begun to teach us all about God's love through her life! I was thinking back last night about how Rachel had told us that for a long while, only she and Matt could hold and care for Jane. This way she would start to understand that they were her parents. We take this for granted here in the states, especially those many of us who were not adopted. I couldn't quite figure out why this was so profound to me, until last night.

As I was thanking God for bringing Matt, Rachel and Jane home safely, He began to reveal to me this truth.

Jane's situation is not very different from our own!

When we were born (most of us) had the same parents we have today. But in reality, we were dead in our sin, and abandoned by the things in our lives that we thought would satisfy us. We finally come to a point when we are rescued by our savior, Jesus Christ. He spends the rest of our earthly lives showing us that He is our Father, our Provider, our Protector, our Sustainer. That He is the One we should be going to in our time of need, when we are afraid, and even when we want to share our joy! It is not until eternity that I believe we finally, completely, and truly realize that He is our Father.

And just as Matt and Rachel will be consistently showing Jane their love and authority as her parents, God does the same for us!

I'm so thankful that we have a God who does not give up on us, who lovingly chases after us until we come back to Him. He will never leave us nor forsake us. We serve an amazing, loving God!

Hallelujah!!!

End of Week 1

What an exciting week it has been! I'll start off by giving you the *weight loss stats*

Wk. 1- 2 Pounds down...many many to go, but hey, it's a start!

I didn't miss a single day at the gym. It helps to have a radio on my phone...yes, ladies, I do this without the hi-tech insanity that is the i-pod...phone...whatever it is most of us use...I have a cruddy little phone with no working camera, a slowly dying ring volume, and a half-dead battery 99% of the time...but it has this awesome feature...dial 7 numbers and hit the green button, and you're making a phone call! Woohoo!!!

Ok, I'm done ranting about the phone. It's been a long time since I came online here to update everyone! Internet was down, and I was very busy doing absolutely nothing at home...besides hitting the gym every day.

This week I'll be incorporating a stricter diet (please ignore the piece of chocolate cake I just devoured...it was home-made by my mom...you just don't pass that sort of thing down!!!), and we'll see where it takes me.

Wish me luck! :) God Bless you all!!!

Day 2...er...1?

Ok so, January 1st was a sham...I was doing just fine until the ice cream happened...yes, it happened. I will not go into details, as doing such would show you that I was to blame for it all...oh man I've said too much!

But, ladies, I'm here to tell you, just because you mess up Day 1...Day 2 is tomorrow! And that is my real day one.

I went to the gym again today, for the first time in a very very long time.

My advice to you, if you can accomplish this, is to do your workout in the morning. I don't know how I feel about watching calories, but they're not a bad thing to look at. When you work out, make a mental note of the calories you burned (according to the machine...but what do they know?). That will make you think twice when you're considering a snack or meal. It's ok to consume a little more than what you burned...we burn calories with any activity...even sleeping! So don't tell yourself you can only eat 480 calories because you only burned 500 on the stair master...that's dangerous and no good!

But my tip for today (haha...right...like I'm going to have a new one every day...hey I might be on to something there! lol) is to try your workout in the morning, and think about how hard you worked before you waste calories on a twinkie...