Quiet Time

9:18 AM 8/22/2009

1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
5He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

6He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.–Revelation 21:1-7 (NIV)

This Scripture fills me with hope. God is telling me that there is coming a time when He is coming to live among His faithful people, when He will make everything new and do away with the old way of doing things. The promise of the end of death and grief and pain is especially poignant, especially when there is so much of it around us. These promises inspire me to keep trying, especially when the devil is steadfastly in my ear trying to get me to be angry and hateful. It would be easy to be that way in my current circumstances, but he has been preparing me for this through the lessons I’ve had, through the Scriptures I’ve read over the past several weeks. I am thirsty for His word, for His wisdom. This very Scripture tells me that His water comes without price, and it is from the fountain of life! I must remain steadfast so that I may be among the victorious and receive this inheritance, that I may be called His son!

Father Jehovah,

I thank you for this promise, that I may hold this vision as my goal. You have indicated that your promises are accurate, incorruptible and trustworthy. We can be fuly confident that what you promise will come to pass. You’ve assured us in your Word dearest Jehovah, that you do not lie, as you confirm in Numbers 23:19 and 1Samuel 15:29, and that whatever you say will be as you confirm in Isaiah 55:11. I do so look forward to sharing in your promise of those days when death will cease to exist, when pain will be done away with and when sorrow will be utterly defeated. Strengthen me to avoid the thoughts, the words, the actions which would deny me the experience of the fulfillment of your Promise El Shaddai! In the name that is above all other names, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray…

AMEN!

Quiet Time

13Now when Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, Who do people say that the Son of Man is?

14And they answered, Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.

15He said to them, But who do you [yourselves] say that I am?

16Simon Peter replied, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

17Then Jesus answered him, Blessed (happy, fortunate, and [a]to be envied) are you, Simon Bar-Jonah. For flesh and blood [men] have not revealed this to you, but My Father Who is in heaven.

18And I tell you, you are [b]Peter [Greek, Petros--a large piece of rock], and on this rock [Greek, petra--a [c]huge rock like Gibraltar] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades (the powers of the [d]infernal region) shall [e]not overpower it [or be strong to its detriment or hold out against it].–Matthew 16:13-18 (Matthew 16:13-18, Amplified Bible Version)

 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:13-18, King James Version)

 This Scripture is very telling in the way it shows us spiritual discernment. Jesus told Peter that the knowledge of who he was was revealed to him by God. Closer scrutiny of this Scripture tells us that spiritual discernment is a blessing! The blessing of spiritual discernment, and of faith, is incredibly powerful, enough so that it is able to stand up against the powerful spiritual forces that oppose God. Until now, the meaning I had gleaned from this reading had to do with Peter’s discernment of who Jesus really was and the basis of the faith the disciples shared that Jesus is Lord as the founding basis of the church. That meaning remains, but is augmented by recognizing the power of faith and spiritual discernment.

 All Praise and Glory to your Holy Name El Olam, Father Jehovah! I thank you Almighty God for the discernment you provide and for the benefit of the knowledge you provide Jehovah Maccaddeshcem. I am so filled be even the smallest bit of knowledge you provide because the blessing it provides is so great! Thank you for allowing me to recognize that you gave us your beloved son Jesus, a Holy sacrifice, a ransom paid for my sins. Thank you for granting me the ability to see that any discernment you allow us is a blessing from you, with the power to defeat they enemy in the spiritual realms. I am so grateful for this power, which is enabling me to, as your Word tells me, grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. It is in His Mighty name I pray,
AMEN!

Quiet Time

 This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD.

 He will be like a bush in the wastelands;he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.

 ”But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

 ”I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.” (Jeremiah 17:5-10, New International Version)

 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.

 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.

 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.

 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. (Jeremiah 17:5-10, King James Version)

  God’s word is telling me that my trust should solely be in Him, so much so that if I turn my heart away from Him to trust in man, to depend on man, even to the point of thinking self-reliance is better than trusting in Him, I will be cursed. That is really something to be considered in these times when self-reliance plays such a strong role in our ways of thinking. His admonition to me is that reliance on man results in lack, but trust in the Lord results in prosperity. So often we confuse prosperity with material gain. Monetary prosperity is such a small part of godly prosperity. The latter part of verse 8 states the tree planted by water has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. That prosperity comes from a peace of mind that says no matter what circumstances arise, God assures us he will be with us. When we determine that we will rely on ourselves, we often say “follow your heart”, thinking that our trust in ourselves is the best course of action. Verse 9 tells us why this is an erroneous way to think. The heart is deceitful! Ecclesiastes 9:3 confirms that the hearts of men are full of evil. Considering that God will examine us for what lies in our hearts and minds and base our reward on what comes forth from our hearts and minds; what actions we have done, self-reliance and trusting in our own hearts would not be the prudent course of action.

 El Shaddai, I give you praise and glory; all honor belongs to you Jehovah! I thank you for allowing me to awaken again to a glorious day which you have made. I beg you, dearest Jehovah-Jireh, to be with me in this day and to provide me all I need to succeed and rejoice in it. Grant me peace of mind through your all-encompassing sufficiency, Jehovah-Shalom. Allow me to be righteous, following the paths you have laid before me Jehovah-Tsidkenu. Heal my broken spirit, sooth my hurt feelings, repair my damaged body I pray Jehovah-Rophe. Be with my family in all they do today that they may grow in faith and experience the success you provide in everything. Be with my friends who believe in you, and faithfully believe in your Son, whom you allowed to be sacrificed that we might enjoy a relationship with you. I love you Jehovay-Rohi! It is in the matchless name of Jesus I pray. AMEN!

Quiet Time

7:46 AM 8/19/2009

¹O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.  ²Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.  ³For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.  ⁴In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.  ⁵The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.  ⁶O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.  ⁷For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,  ⁸Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:  ⁹When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.  ¹⁰Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:  ¹¹Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest. (Psalm 95, King James Version) Again, today, I am joyfully reminded to praise and thank God because He is so richly deserving of all praise and glory and gratitude!  His very presence is evidenced by the majesty of His creation. When we consider all that He has done, and witness the evidence of His being through His creation, we should be moved to outrageous praise and worship!  Moreso, we should be moved to obedience.   I clearly see His admonition against hardening my heart during times of testing, lest I should fall into disobedience and rebellion.

Dearest Father Jehovah,

Your Word tells me that in your hand are the deep places of the earth as are the strength of the hills; the sea you have made and the land was formed by your hands. What little of your encompassing creation I have seen fills we with wonder and awe.  If I were to consider it without faith that you are who you say you are and you can do what you say you can do, the concept would be incomprehensible.   Father Jehovah, I praise you and will glorify your Holy name to all, because you are deserving of it all.  And when I consider myself against the rest of your creation, it brings me to tears to know that you love me.  I beg you, dearest Elohim, to keep my heart from hardening.  Give me your strength, dearest God, to face whatever comes before me, because I know that there is no obstacle that can stop me as long as you are with me. I thank you for forming the weapon because you know it.  I thank you for creating the weapon-wielding destroy, for you know his tactics and strategy.   I thank you for providing me the knowledge, through faith, that neither the destroyer nor the weapon he holds will have an advantage over me.  I thank you for the victory you have insured me.  I thank you for my King and Savior, Jesus…and I pray this to you in His Holy name.

AMEN!

“…And Knowing is Half the Battle.”

“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”–1 Peter 5:8

My Son,

My last note to you touched on knowing God’s Word.  Knowing God’s word will impart to you knowledge of God Himself.  You will also find that God’s Word is both the greatest weapon you can wield against the enemy as well as the perfect defense from the enemy.  The above Scripture, however, gives you a glimmer of insight to the enemy.  I had mentioned before that your haters are not your real enemies.  They are just put into place by those spiritual forces seeking to undermine your faith in God and your true, spiritual worship of God.  Therefore, it is important to know the characteristics of your enemy as you grow into the characteristics of the One who has saved you from him.

A few years back, I read a book that was very popular among businessmen.  It is titled “The Art of War” and it is credited to Sun Tzu, an ancient Chinese general and author who was born about 500 B.C.  Sun Tzu said this about knowing the enemy:

“If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

Now, according to Sun, it is equally and vitally important to know yourself as it is to know your enemy in order to be successful.  I’ll get more into that in a subsequent note.  For now, I want you to concentrate on knowing the enemy.  Peter was writing to Christian brothers and sisters who had been scattered to various parts of the world who were going through various sufferings and trials.  Peter was giving these disciples information on how to recognize when they were under a spiritual attack.  In those times, Christians faced severe persecution merely for believing what you now believe.  It may not seem that way today, because many claim to be Christian, especially in this country that claims to have religious freedom.  But, believe it or not my son, today we do face the same persecution.  We just face it in a different way.  The enemy which is behind the persecution is the same.

Consider the way that a lion goes after its prey.  You’ve seen the nature videos depicting the lion on the hunt.  Think of it and think about the words in the Scripture from 1 Peter 5:8.  He says “…the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”  But consider, from the videos, by the time you hear the lion roaring, the attack is already underway.  He tells us “the devil prowls”.  A big cat on the prowl is stealthy, quietly operating behind the scenes as she stalks her victim.  Take into account how Moses described the devil (represented by the serpent) in Genesis 3:1:

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.”

That stealth is certainly one of the devil’s characteristics.  Think about who the lion stalks.  The videos often show the big cat taking down some poor beast who has separated itself from the herd.  Perhaps the animal is sick or lame.  Perhaps it is a younger member of the herd who became distracted and didn’t pay attention to which direction the herd was moving.  Whatever the case may be, the animal was not “self controlled and alert” as Peter called the disciples to be.  Remember that the devil is very, very crafty.  His goal is to entice you to sin.  He will use his best tools to get you to fall into sin.  Unfortunately, we are the ones who provide him with those tools.  He will use our own emotions and desires against us.

Even when we don’t know ourselves, be assured that the devil knows us.  He has been on the prowl, studying us, making note of what we like and what we don’t like so that he can use those moments when we have a mental lapse and lose self control, when we stop being alert against us.  He knows how we react when we get angry.  He knows how our hearts fill with lust when we get approached by a pretty female.  And he will send temptations our way in his best efforts to get us to fall into sin.  Sometimes, we use our best weapon to fight him off, but most times, we don’t.  We don’t take the time to utter the three little words that could save us from the devil’s trap… “God help me.”

Son, I encourage you to start examining and thinking about every situation you come across, ones that seem sinister as to provoke your anger, ones that seem pleasurable to invoke your lust.  As you continue to grow into the knowledge of God, continue to ask him for guidance and wisdom.  He’s already given you this assurance:

“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”–James 1:5

With much, much Love,

Dad.

Let Your Haters Be Your Detonators

“I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.”- Psalm 119:93

My Son,

My previous note touched on putting God’s Word into practice.  This is very important, no doubt, but in order to put God’s Word into practice in your own life, you need to put God’s Word into you.  I often encourage you to read and study God’s Word and I do that for good reason.  The Psalmist in the the Scripture I quoted above gives the precise reason why… God’s word is life preserving!  When you study and meditate on God’s Word, it sinks deeply within you, storing itself in your heart.  Once there, it may readily be brought forth in your times of need.  This is an aspect of God’s Word that many underestimate because they do not understand just how great a power exists in God’s word.  If you read the first chapter of Genesis, the awesome power and majesty of His word is revealed.  This entire universe was put into existence because God spoke it into being. 
When I bring you to Church on Sundays, I bring you so that you will listen to the sermon, that you might learn God’s way and benefit from the power that is in His Word.  I cannot relay how awfully disappointed I am when you skip out of service to go and socialize and basically miss the entire message.  All this time we have been going to Grace and you have been attending your class, it seems that the things the ministers try to teach you are not fully sinking in.  This is why I have determined to bring you into class with me.  I want you to carefully watch (and even more carefully listen) to the words being spoken by the men in that class.  These men have done an awful lot of living.  They have made more mistakes than you could begin to imagine.  Yet the Word of God has preserved them.  There is so much you could learn just by listening, so much you could obtain, just by observing.  But it is going to require a certain amount of maturity for you to be able to grasp what is going on.  This is what I am trying to help you acquire.  You’re a grown man now, son.  I need you to put away the childish ways.  This, in fact is what God calls you to do:

“When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.”–1 Corinthians 13:11.

Paul, the writer of 1 Corinthians, was speaking of a spiritual maturity.  Right now, it is time for you to buckle down.  You have some very challenging times coming your way very soon, but you’re not seeing it because you aren’t looking with mature or spiritual eyes.  When Jesus taught the crowds, he would often speak in parables, which often went over people’s heads.  Jesus knew most would not understand him when he gave a lesson in the form of a parable.  When he gave the “Parable of the Sower” in Matthew 13, he explained to his disciples why he spoke in parables:

“¹⁰The disciples came to him and asked, ‘Why do you speak to the people in parables?’

 ¹¹He replied, ‘The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. ¹²Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. ¹³This is why I speak to them in parables:
   ”Though seeing, they do not see;
      though hearing, they do not hear or understand. ¹⁴In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
   ” ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
      you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
 ¹⁵For this people’s heart has become calloused;
      they hardly hear with their ears,
      and they have closed their eyes.
   Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
      hear with their ears,
      understand with their hearts
   and turn, and I would heal them.’^{[a] 16}But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. ¹⁷For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.‘“

God has many good and wonderful gifts for you.  The closer you draw to him, the more he will reveal to you.  The more that is revealed to you, the better you become for it. 

When we talked about the hard times we endured when you were a little boy, you need to understand that back then, I made much more money than I am making now.  But think about what is happening to us as a family right now as compared to then.  It was just you and I an Justin then.  I made more money and your mother was bringing you guys your lunch money and a little extra every week, but it seemed like we were always struggling.  Today, I make less money, Sharon hasn’t been working in the last two months, and your mother hasn’t been able to contribute like she did in the past.  Yet, you’ve not had to miss a meal.  If you have missed one, it was on your own volition, not because we did not have.  Over those many years, I have drawn closer to God.  I try to study His word on a daily basis.  I try my best to activate his Word in my daily life.

When people talk about “blowing up”, making it big, son, I tell you the truth… there is no “blowing up” like the kind of “blowing up” that God can do for you.  When the phrase “Let your haters be your motivators” was originated, people thought of it as using the derisive criticism of those who hate you to motivate you to excel.  That is a fairly good sentiment, but, the thought process that goes into that train of thought often falls outside of a Godly way of thinking.  Many people, motivated by worldly ways of thinking, would sneer and have open disdain for their haters if they had the opportunity to meet them after they’ve made it.  That would be sweet revenge to them.  But look at this Scripture as an example of how God expects our thought processes, as His servants, to be completely different from the way the world thinks:

Romans 12:19-21 (NIV)

¹⁹Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”^[a]says the Lord. ²⁰On the contrary:
   ”If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
      if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
   In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” ²¹Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Son, I want, in fact, I need you to start getting deadly serious about your relationship with God.  Don’t take it for granted.  I can’t let that happen.  I love you too much to see this one aspect of your life fail.  So do more than let your haters be your motivators.  Let your relationship with God take you places you’ve barely been able to imagine.  Let your haters push you into His loving arms so that He can humble you, and in doing so, exalt you.  When He lifts you up, you will truly “blow up”.  Let your haters be your detonators!

 

Hater Day

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that
house, and it fell with a great crash.”  When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.”~Matthew 7:24-28

My Son,

When we listen to the word of God, and more importantly, when you put His word in action in our lives, it serves us as a fortification against all the things that come up against us. He describes it as being like a house built upon a solid foundation, able to withstand the floods and the storms.  What kind of flood do you incur in your life? Wave after wave of criticism, the steady flow of haters, the rushing wind of circumstances that make you want to doubt yourself and your abilities are the foods and storms that come and go. When you are not solidly built up in God’s word, your house comes crashing down in sin. That is when you belittle yourself and dishonor God by using words that He would not approve. That is when you let your anger override your good sense and get into physical altercations. You react this way to your seen enemies: the ones who visit your Facebook and MySpace pages to intentionally provoke you; the ones who get in your face at the court are the ones you see. God is working to protect you, however, from your unseen enemies. Just as God is a spirit and cannot be seen by you, there are spiritual forces at work whom you cannot see. Now that you have confessed that Jesus is Lord, now that you have expressed that you believe that He died on the cross for your sins and that God raised Him on the third day, the devil wants to do any and everything he can to get you to recant that belief.  He is working every opportunity to keep you in a state of anger so that you will do something emotional, something rash, something irrational that will get you in so much trouble that you will believe that God has forsaken you.  He is tryingto make you lose hope.  Look at Psalm 77:16-20:

16 The waters saw you, O God,
the waters saw you and writhed;
the very depths were convulsed.

17 The clouds poured down water,
the skies resounded with thunder;
your arrows flashed back and forth.

18 Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
your lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.

19 Your path led through the sea,
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen.

20 You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

The author of the psalm is describing how God worked when the Israelites were fleeing from slavery in Egypt.  Pharaoh (the King of the Haters) was in hot pursuit. The Israelites had come to a point where they could only depend on God.  The Red Sea was in front of them, mountains to either side, and Pharaoh’s armies were getting closer and closer.  Out of no way, God made a way.  I’m sure many of those people thought God had abandoned them.  They looked at the Sea, and the steep mountains on either side.  They looked behind them and saw their past, the fierce army of the Pharaoh, the prospect of either being slaughtered or returned into slavery, and they likely felt they had no hope.
Here’s the thing: before you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you had haters.  I remember all the fights you used to get into when you were in elementary school and middle school.  When you got into High School, the fights stopped, but the haters did not.  You held it in check because you knew that one more incident could have gotten you expelled and, as nifty as you may think you might be with your hands, you did not want to test your mom by bringing home that news.  (I’ve seen your mom fight… she would have worn you OUT!!!)  But after you made your good confession last year, the haters increased. I’m sure you may have noticed it.  You thought graduating from High School would be the end of it, but son, it is never going to end.  Jesus knew this more than two thousand years ago.  Look at how he warned you in Matthew 10:22:

“All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

In his warning, he also gives you the solution to your haters. STAND FIRM. Stand in His word, son.  Know that no matter how much “they” hate you, He loves you. You’re going through this barrage of insults for a reason.  The devil is counting on you to surrender to your anger and choke slam some other hater so he can get you put in prison for up to 5 years.  God’s word tells us in Isaiah 48:10:

“See, I have refined you, though not as silver;
I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.”

You have to go through some heat for your character to be built up, son.  Consider this story:

Some time ago, a few ladies met to study the scriptures. While reading the third chapter of Malachi, they came upon a remarkable expression in the third verse:

“And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver” (Malachi 3:3).

One lady decided to visit a silversmith, and report to the others on what he said about the subject.  She went accordingly, and without telling him the reason for her visit, begged the silversmith to tell her about the process of refining silver.  After he had fully described it to her, she asked, “Sir, do you sit while the work of refining is going on?”  “Oh, yes ma’am,” replied the silversmith; “I must sit and watch the furnace constantly, for, if the time necessary for refining is exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver will be injured.”  The lady at once saw the beauty and comfort of the expression, “He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.”  God sees it necessary to put His children into the furnace; but His eye is steadily intent on the work of purifying, and His wisdom and love are both engaged in the best manner for us.  Our trials do not come at random, and He will not let us be tested beyond what we can endure.  Before she left, the lady asked one final question, “How do you know when the process is complete?”  “That’s quite simple,” replied the silversmith. “When I can see my own image in the silver, the refining process is finished.”
-Author Unknown

Stay in God’s Word, son.  Your haters will always be around.  It is how you choose to deal with the situation that will determine the outcome.  Let God see His image in you!

Tales of the Scales

11:07 PM 6/18/2009

The fifth week of the contest finds me working even harder.  My beloved and I are making it to the gym regularly.  I’ve almost doubled the distance of my regular morning walk, going from 1.8 miles to 3.0 miles, and have started to run a good portion of it.  This week saw a weight reduction of 1.8 pounds, down to 243.0 according to the work scale, but I cast a dubious eye on that reading.  It is a scale that can give you greatly different reading if you stand on it at any given time during the day.  (I stood on it approximately 2 hours later and it read me at 246.  Who would ever have guessed that one cup of Oolong tea would cause you to gain 3 lbs? My nearly-as-unreliable home scale placed me at 235.5, which is what it showed me in the 3rd week of the contest.  The scale at the gym and the doctor’s office instill more trust in me than either the work scale or the home scale.  I hadn’t weighed at the doctor’s office since 5/25 (242 then, 5 lbs less than the office scale) and the gym scale put me at 244 this week.  That was an increase of 3 lbs from last week’s reading, so I’m a little leery coming into Monday’s weigh in.  Normally, I wouldn’t be that concerned because the tape measurer had been a better indicator of progress to me than had been the scale.  I was surprised to find that my chest had actually increased by an 1/2″.  My biceps actually shrank an 1/2″, as did my forearms.  My waist increased by 1″, but I strongly suspect that is due to flatulence caused by my gastrointestinal problems.  My thigh circumference reduced 3/4″, I’m certain due to the increase in my walking distance as well as the increase in the frequency of the walks and by putting more effort into the running portion.  All other dimensions of the lower extremities remained the same.  Tomorrow will be another day of road work, 3 miles in the morning and I’ll try to put in some interval training on the treadmill after work.  Saturday I’ll be cleaning the church, which is a workout in itself.  Hopefully before that we can get in our lower body resistance work.  We’ll see what sort of prevarication the scale will tell me come Monday.

11:07 PM 6/18/2009

The fifth week of the contest finds me working even harder.  My beloved and I are making it to the gym regularly.  I’ve almost doubled the distance of my regular morning walk, going from 1.8 miles to 3.0 miles, and have started to run a good portion of it.  This week saw a weight reduction of 1.8 pounds, down to 243.0 according to the work scale, but I cast a dubious eye on that reading.  It is a scale that can give you greatly different reading if you stand on it at any given time during the day.  (I stood on it approximately 2 hours later and it read me at 246.  Who would ever have guessed that one cup of Oolong tea would cause you to gain 3 lbs? My nearly-as-unreliable home scale placed me at 235.5, which is what it showed me in the 3rd week of the contest.  The scale at the gym and the doctor’s office instill more trust in me than either the work scale or the home scale.  I hadn’t weighed at the doctor’s office since 5/25 (242 then, 5 lbs less than the office scale) and the gym scale put me at 244 this week.  That was an increase of 3 lbs from last week’s reading, so I’m a little leery coming into Monday’s weigh in.  Normally, I wouldn’t be that concerned because the tape measurer had been a better indicator of progress to me than had been the scale.  I was surprised to find that my chest had actually increased by an 1/2″.  My biceps actually shrank an 1/2″, as did my forearms.  My waist increased by 1″, but I strongly suspect that is due to flatulence caused by my gastrointestinal problems.  My thigh circumference reduced 3/4″, I’m certain due to the increase in my walking distance as well as the increase in the frequency of the walks and by putting more effort into the running portion.  All other dimensions of the lower extremities remained the same.  Tomorrow will be another day of road work, 3 miles in the morning and I’ll try to put in some interval training on the treadmill after work.  Saturday I’ll be cleaning the church, which is a workout in itself.  Hopefully before that we can get in our lower body resistance work.  We’ll see what sort of prevarication the scale will tell me come Monday.

Pressed down, shaken together and running over!

 

Four weeks in, 1/3 of the way completed, and despite working my tail off, I’ve only managed to lose 3 lbs so far.  This contest seems to be going in the same direction as last year, except that I am not really worried this year about the minimal weight loss.  I’m looking at other measurements this year besides weight, and I am pretty satisfied with the direction in which they are going.  My cholesterol is down 69 points since the beginning of the year.  Total cholesterol was at 225 in January and was down to 156 as of the end of May.  My high density lipoproteins increased from 35 to 40, low density lipoproteins decreased 75 points from 173 to 98.  The only downside to my blood fats was that my triglycerides increased from 85 to 90, but it is still well under the goal of less than 150.

My blood sugar readings have also seen a noticeable improvement, the average pre-breakfast reading dropping over 33points from 172.5 to 139.1.  The average pre-lunch reading dropped from 149.6 to 137.8, an 11.8 point reduction.  The average pre-dinner reading was lowered nearly 28 points from 164.9 to 137.

I am expecting my next HbA1c test to reflect significant improvement, hopefully getting under the 7.0% goal.  I was close on my last reading in February, at 7.2%.

One area where I have not made progress is with my blood pressure readings.  I’m not sure if it is the stress of the job that is keeping it elevated, but it seems the only time my diastolic reading is in the normal range is when I go to the doctor’s office.  Even the anxiety of oral surgery did not result in an aberrant reading. Every time I test at home, however, the diastolic is always over 90.

I’ve been keeping track of the progress I’ve been making with the tape measurer as much as I have the scale.  Since the contest began, I’ve lost an 1″ from my neck and 1.75″ from my chest.  My biceps have increased by .5″ and my forearms by .75″.  My fist has gained .75″ in circumference.  I am most pleased with the 3″ I’ve taken off from my “waist”.  My thigh has gained a quarter of an inch, so it appears all the roadwork has indeed been paying off.  As long as I can keep making progress like that, the scale can tell whatever tale it wants to.

Four weeks in, 1/3 of the way completed, and despite working my tail off, I’ve only managed to lose 3 lbs so far.  This contest seems to be going in the same direction as last year, except that I am not really worried this year about the minimal weight loss.  I’m looking at other measurements this year besides weight, and I am pretty satisfied with the direction in which they are going.  

My cholesterol is down 69 points since the beginning of the year.  Total cholesterol was at 225 in January and was down to 156 as of the end of May.  My high density lipoproteins increased from 35 to 40, low density lipoproteins decreased 75 points from 173 to 98.  The only downside to my blood fats was that my triglycerides increased from 85 to 90, but it is still well under the goal of less than 150.

My blood sugar readings have also seen a noticeable improvement, the average pre-breakfast reading dropping over 33points from 172.5 to 139.1.  The average pre-lunch reading dropped from 149.6 to 137.8, an 11.8 point reduction.  The average pre-dinner reading was lowered nearly 28 points from 164.9 to 137.  I am expecting my next HbA1c test to reflect significant improvement, hopefully getting under the 7.0% goal.  I was close on my last reading in February, at 7.2%.

One area where I have not made progress is my blood pressure readings.  I’m not sure if it is the stress of the job that is keeping it elevated, but it seems the only time my diastolic reading is in the normal range is when I go to the doctor’s office.  Even the anxiety of oral surgery did not result in an aberrant reading. Every time I test at home, however, the diastolic is always over 90.

I’ve been keeping track of the progress I’ve been making with the tape measurer as much as I have the scale.  Since the contest began, I’ve lost 1″ from my neck and 1.75″ from my chest.  My biceps have increased by .5″ and my forearms by .75″.  My fist has gained .75″ in circumference.  I am most pleased with the 3″ I’ve taken off from my midsection.  My thigh has gained a quarter of an inch, so it appears all the roadwork has indeed been paying off.  As long as I can keep making progress like that, the scale can tell whatever tale it wants to.

The Secret Wars

4:45 PM 6/3/2009

The third week of the contest has ended, so we are officially 25% done.  As a whole, the participants have already lost over 100 lbs.  As we go into the next 3 weeks the bravado expressed by many at the outset has turned into reserved optomism on the part of some to outright panic on the part of others.  Some participants are employing aggressive methods towards progressing toward their weight loss goals.  Some are taking a very casual approach.  To be honest, many of those who are participating do not appear to have very much to lose.  My teammate appears to belong to that segment.  He is 6′5″ and is currently down to a little more than 226 lbs.  I can’t picture him weighing less than 225, and in fact, I think a weight lower than that for his height might not be particularly healthy.  I, on the other had have plenty of room to shed pounds.  My weight loss is going at a very slow pace, just as it did last year.  The difference for me this year though, is that I am trying a method that worked for me previously.  Weight loss is prone to the latest fad.  One of the most popular in recent history is Tony Horton’s P90X.  It is a very aggressive program of exercise and nutrition that proclaims it will get one in the best shape of a lifetime. The leading loser in the contest so far has been using this program so it must be successful.  One other participant using P90X is running in the middle of the pack, but he is another one who did not have much weight to lose to begin with.  I am third from last in the contest, but I am not really worried about the current position.  I am eating well.  I am losing inches.  The pounds will begin to show in due time.  I am most impressed with how my blood glucose numbers have been reacting to the consistent exercise.  I will see my endocrinologist at the end of the mont.  I’d be willing to bet, if this progress continues, he’ll be impressed also. 
Over the next three weeks, I’ll start breaking out my own “secret weapons” in an effort to vault the “Diamond Trim Papas” from the middle of the pack to the forefront of this contest.