Teeny Weeny Update and an Invite!

Update time!

I still don’t feel like things are quite back to normal around here after my husband’s health scare. My writing time has been SEVERELY limited these past few weeks as we’ve tried to navigate a ton of different doctor appointments, new gadgets and a concerted effort to get back to eating a little better than we have been in recent months.

I’ve been reminded of what an incredible gift our health is . . . and how much we do (and don’t do) that can jeopardize it. It’s so easy to forget that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  We have an obligation to take care of it—not just to make it pretty — but to keep it in good working order.

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;  you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”  — 1 Corinthians 6:18-20

CONFESSION

We’ve gotten lazy about taking care of ourselves around here. How about you? We let ourselves get too busy to cook good, nutritional food. We have “rewarded” ourselves with too much sugar, too much fat, too many empty calories. Sometimes we’ve skipped meals altogether . . . and then wondered why we feel so “off” all the time.

Taking care of ourselves is even MORE important when we’re living under a lot of stress. It helps us be more equipped to handle whatever comes our way.

GRATITUDE

When life turns tough, it’s easy to begin questioning, “Why is this happening to me? or “How come I get all the bad breaks?” If we get stuck in that type of thinking, it usually makes us angry. We get angry at those around us; angry at the situation; sometimes even angry at God.

When we refuse to entertain those “cheated and mistreated” thoughts about what we don’t have, and turn our focus to what we DO have, it’s impossible for that resentment or entitlement to grow. Hence, we will begin to clearly see God’s hand, blessings and love in our lives. It creates humbleness and awe. It changes us from the inside out.

MY PERSONAL GRATITUDE UPDATE

1. I am so grateful that Bruce listened to that still small voice inside him that told him that we needed to get his symptoms checked out. It would have been easy to tell himself it was “not that bad,” or “we can’t afford a bunch of frivolous medical bills if it turns out to nothing.”  If we would have ignored it, doctor’s say he would have been a prime candidate for a heart attack or stroke.
2. I am grateful that, after more than two weeks off work, Bruce was able to return to work this week. He’s still got a heart monitor for a couple more weeks and he’s still on oxygen . . . but God gave him the stamina he needed to make it through the week. In fact, he was actually encouraged by the concern and love his clients and co-workers showered upon him.
3. I am so thankful for a relative that works at the sleep study clinic that pulled all kinds of strings to get him in to see the doctor and get the sleep study a full month earlier than he would have without her help. They found he has serious sleep apnea. In fact, the doctor’s believe that that was the cause of his weakened heart. He picked up his cpap machine this afternoon . . .  so that’s a huge step toward him getting stronger.
4. I am over-the-moon grateful that my partner in life and ministry is still walking beside me and sharing the struggles and blessings of life.

And . . . that’s just the start of my list. After a year of incredible loss in my family—my uncle, both my aunts and my mom all passed away in 2015—God chose not to take Bruce just yet. I am SO blessed!

AND NOW  . . . THE INVITATION

I want to make this site a blessing and a beacon of hope for all of you. I’ve been thinking for a long time how much I need YOUR input in fine-tuning this ministry to better fit your needs.

I know you’re all very busy juggling a hundred different things . . . so I don’t want to add to your load.

Instead, I’ve decided that every four to six weeks I will send a little tiny mini-survey out to all my blog readers. It’s not going to be a big time-consuming endeavor. Just FIVE very quick questions each time.

The majority of the questions will be multiple choice with one or maybe two that might take a sentence or two to answer. I can pretty much guarantee it won’t take you more than FIVE minutes to complete. Five Questions. Five Minutes. Sound doable?

I’m excited that you’re a part of the core group that will help me take this ministry to the next level. I can hardly wait to hear what you have to say! I’ll be sure to send a little update each time with the results.

The first survey should be in your e-mail box in the next few days! Watch for it!

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”—Lamentations 3:22-24

TODAY’S CHAT: What are you going to do this week to take better care of yourself?