Reading Exodus 34 this morning and verse 7 struck me. “I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations.”
This verse is referring to generational sins—not if I sin by lying to my boss about being sick when I’m not, then my children will pay for that sin. Children are NOT punished for the sins of their parents nor are parents punished for their children’s sin (see Deuteronomy 24:16 and Ezekiel 18).
Exodus 34:7 convicted me of those sins in my life that I see my children replicating. Sins that make me bow my head in sorrow because I see sinful behaviors in my children that they have learned by my example. Sins I commit that impact my children as a natural consequence of my disobedience. It’s hard having that mirror put up in front of my face and seeing my own sinful behavior playing out in my children!
I once noticed my daughter acting like a real brat in the way she was talking to someone and then it hit me—she sounds just like me! That is an example of a generational sin passed down to children and grandchildren.
The problem with generational sin is that it can get so deeply embedded into who we are that it can take several generations to reverse. (Exodus 20:5-6) We sometimes hear, “that’s the way my mama did things, or, that’s how my daddy did things.” Our job as believers is to evaluate those behaviors of our ancestors that we tend to imitate, determine if they are good or if they are sinful, and if they are sinful, we are called to break the cycle. It starts with ME. If I’m exhibiting sinful behavior, I have to recognize it, confess it, and repent of it. Repenting of it means turning and going the other direction. Stop it.
None of us are perfect and we will all mess up. But God is gracious and he lavishes His unfailing love on all His children—those who are called according to His purpose. I am so thankful for a forgiving Father!
Author: pgregory2
Having “The Talk” Yep, I mean THAT talk. . .
Oh, the dreaded sex talk. I knew from the time they were born that the day would come when we would need to talk openly about the birds and the bees, but I feared the awkwardness of it. Until one day an acquaintance of mine who had older children gave me some wonderful advice. She told me the best place to have the talk is in the car. That way you don’t have to look them in the eye! Excellent!
So, the day that the subject came up was much sooner than I expected. My son was about 6 and my daughter was 4. I was planning to go out that night with some girlfriends (good godly Christian women, mind you) and was letting my kids know that I would be out late that night and dad would be watching them. We were in the car coming home from an outing (thank you, Lord, for setting that up!)
So, when I told them I was going to a movie, my son (aka my conscience) asks, “What is this movie rated?” Chuckling to myself I replied, “I think it’s PG.” (back then I don’t even think there was a PG-13). He continues, “Will there be cussing in this movie?” To which I answer, “Probably. But that makes me sad because cussing is a sin and it’s wrong.” (such a good spiritual answer, right?) He then asks, “Will they be taking the name of the Lord in vain?” Oh, dear. Now I’m starting to have to think about these answers so I say, “Unfortunately, they probably will. Most movies and TV shows take God’s name in vain.” And then we have a little talk about how much God hates that and how we always need to be careful to never misuse His name. See how I was trying to turn this into a lesson and let myself off the hook? I’m still pretty happy with this conversation. But then. . .
Here’s where it really gets tricky. He then asks, “Will there be any making babies in this movie?” Now I’m speechless. What???? My head kind of twitches. My mind races. He expounds, “You know what I mean, mom. Will there be. . . sex?” Yikes!!! What the heck? How does my 6 year old know that word?? Where has he heard this? My mind is reeling! Before I can say a word, He proceeds to tell me, “I know all about it.” Now I’m really spinning and my jaw has dropped. Dear Lord, help me! He says, “John told me all about it.” (John is a cousin a year older than my son, and he was a bit more knowledgeable about the world than my 2 home schooled kids). So I cautiously ask him, “What exactly has John told you?” And he says, “John says it’s when a man and a woman take off all their clothes and get in the bed together and rub their private parts together. But I know that’s not right. Is it mom?”
Oh mercy. Here we go. We’re in the car. Check. He has brought it up. Check. I’ve gotta go through with this, but my mind is racing and I’m so flustered and unprepared. . . I thought I had more time!
So, I tell them that John is partly right and then I go through the whole deal (I made it a little more PG than R rated due to their ages) about how a man and a woman who are married actually do take off their clothes and I proceeded to give them the not so graphic version of “rubbing their privates together” and explain that this is how we get babies. To which he gasps, “MOM! Do you mean you and dad have done that TWICE?” He was appalled!!! Chuckling to myself, I say, “Yes, and when you get older you will want to do that with your wife. This is how God designed it, etc. etc. He starts talking about how gross that is (as a 6 year old should think it to be!), to which I so wisely respond that it does seem gross now, but when he gets older it won’t seem gross and he will actually enjoy it. (I’m feeling pretty good about how I’m handling all of this at this point). He says, “I guess if I HAVE to do that with my wife in order to have kids I will, but I’m not going to like it.” So after I so tenderly tell them how it’s beautiful and pleasurable and God made it special for a husband and wife and all that jazz, my daughter—4 years old—who has not said a single word this whole time pipes up and says, “It doesn’t sound that gross to me!” My heart just about stopped! I turn around in my seat (we had just pulled in the garage at home) and said, “Well, it IS gross!” (Right there, all my wisdom and soundness of mind flew right out the window!) I reminded them, “it’s only between a man and a woman. And only when they are married. Do you understand?” To which they respond, “Yes, ma’am”. “AND,” I tell them, “this is NOT to be discussed with your friends OR cousins. This is a conversation that parents need to have with their kids. Now, pinky promise me that you won’t talk to anyone else about this. If one of your friends says anything about sex, you can say, ‘I know what it is but you will have to ask your mom or dad about it.’ Clear? Pinky promise me?” To which they both pinky promised me and I went inside to collapse from the emotional stress and to try to recover from this 7 minute ordeal.
Fast forward 2 weeks later. . .
Being the good mom I am (and having experienced the remarkably short memories of my children over certain things), I asked them if they remembered our pinky promise about the sex conversation. They both agreed they did indeed remember it. So I go a bit further and ask, “Have either of you talked to anyone else about it?” My son gives an emphatic, “NO!” (He’s still caught up in how gross it is). However. . . my daughter, bless her heart, says, “Weellllllll. . . .” Oh, no. I was afraid of this. . . She very maturely explains to me, “Well, Casey (her 4 year old best buddy) said sexy meant pretty and I told her it did NOT mean pretty.” She and Casey apparently got into a bit of an argument about what sexy meant and my dear daughter decided it was her duty to set Casey straight. So, she told her some details about what sexy meant. To which I responded wearily, “Sexy DOES sort of mean pretty, honey. It’s a completely different word than sex.” And so, I go through the whole pinky promise and how she was supposed to tell her friend to talk to her mom, etc. I then had to make the awkward call to Casey’s mom to tell her what had happened. Oh, the shame. . .Thankfully, the mom was gracious and said it was probably time to have the talk anyway so this was a good opportunity. Bless her!
Mom’s, you probably won’t do it all perfectly, but just be intentional about talking to your kids. Keep the communication lines open. You may be very surprised at what they know that you don’t know they know. Your conversations won’t always be pretty and you won’t always sound or respond like an educated psychologist, but just do your best and keep pressing on! (And I hope you get the opportunity to have the talk in the car as well!)
Discouragement and how to overcome it.
Ladies, do you get discouraged? I know I do. All of us deal with discouragement at some point in our lives. The definition of discourage is to deprive of courage or confidence. Some synonyms of discourage are dishearten, dismay, demoralize, and frustrate.
There are different levels of discouragement. Mild discouragement happens to most of us on a regular basis. This can be caused by minor problems in our daily lives that can affect our emotions but are usually not long-lasting and might not even be noticed by others. For me, discouragement happens when my expectations are not met. I expect certain things to happen a certain way, and when they don’t go how I expect, I get frustrated, disappointed and feel let down.
Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
Strong discouragement happens when we are faced with more serious problems. Others probably notice when we experience this kind of discouragement. We will likely have physical or emotional indications that others can observe. We may lose sleep because we are worried. Strong discouragement can lead to doubt and feelings of despair. It’s important to get a handle on this before it turns into a more serious matter, because occasionally, strong discouragement can turn into disabling discouragement (depression) which makes us feel hopeless and physically and mentally exhausted. I’ve been here. Discouraged. Depressed. Hopeless. It’s a dark, dark place and it’s a terrible thing to feel that God doesn’t love you or care about you. It’s disabling. It’s crushing.
Discouragement can happen for various reasons, and always comes from Satan. The key is to recognize your triggers. Know when your emotions are sensitive and susceptible to going off the railroad. Satan loves to discourage—to attack our minds and make us feel useless, but God commands us to ENcourage. Put courage into. Build up. Strengthen.
Deuteronomy 31:8
The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
My counselor showed me an exercise to do when I get triggered. I hold my hands out in front of me face up. My feelings are in one hand. My actions are in the other hand. The space in the middle of them is my opportunity to weigh the truth. If my feelings jump directly to action (hands clasp), I usually end up in a place of discouragement because I will more than likely react badly. I let my feelings rule. Instead, I have to remind myself to be slow to react. I take a deep breath and process my feelings before I allow them to dictate my emotions. Speak truth to myself. Sometimes, ladies, we have to encourage ourselves. Quote Scripture. Isn’t that what Jesus did when Satan came at Him? He simply quoted Scripture. Take the time to write out a few verses that will encourage you when life, people and situations discourage you. Memorize them and say them out loud when you get down.
It took me a long time to come out of my depression the first time it hit me. Years. I went through the motions of living, but deep down, I wanted to go to sleep and never wake up again. Thankfully, I didn’t give up my quiet time with the Lord during that season, but it still took me a couple of years to finally accept that God loved me and had good plans for me.
If you struggle with discouragement or depression, there is hope. I recommend you find a Christian counselor to help you process your feelings. Be sure the counselor is a Bible believer and Christ follower. There are a lot of people who claim to be Christian counselors but do not have a clue what the Bible says. Stay away from them! If you aren’t sure about what to look for, try checking out Focus on the Family’s website and let them help you find a counselor. https://www.focusonthefamily.com/get-help/counseling-services-and-referrals/
Jesus said we will have trouble in this world. Unfortunately, we will get discouraged. We will face trials and stress and persecution. But take heart! He offers His perfect peace and He has overcome the world! We are victorious!
Look up some Psalms and see how David dealt with his discouragement. Isaiah went through it, and so did Job. You are not alone. Life is hard. Being a mama is hard. Being a wife is really hard. But there is so much good in those things. Every good thing in your life comes from God. If you can only name one thing that is good right now, write it down and thank God for it.
Reach out here and I’ll be happy to pray with you and for you and I hope I can offer you some encouragement to keep on pressing on!
Be an Encourager
Titus 2:3-5 “Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”
Sōphronizō (to encourage) literally means “to cause someone to be of sound mind and to have self-control.”
I realize I now fit in this category of “older women”. I am being convicted to do more of what Paul wrote to Titus about in these verses–be an encouragement to younger women. This is the main reason I started this blog (which is in its very rough beginning stage!), but I can’t keep putting it off. My insecurity (Satan’s taunts) mocks me daily, but I will do my best to keep listening to and acting on God’s prompting.
I encourage young wives and moms to keep on pressing on! If you have questions or need someone to listen, please reach out and we will dig into God’s word together for answers.
Will my kids be socialized if they homeschool? Won’t they be missing out on spending time with friends?
I used to get this question a lot. It made me laugh then and I still chuckle when I hear it.
Maybe I was just fortunate enough to have a group of other families in my church as well as locally in my community that home educated their children. Our problem was never concern about them having opportunities to spend time with other kids, our problem was that we spent way more time playing and socializing than we did doing actual “book work”!
My kids best friends lived in our neighborhood and were also home schoolers. Almost every day, they were getting together at either our house or their friend’s house to play. There were many days I had to say “no” to social time so that we could get school work done.
This is quite different than traditional school. In a classroom setting, they are grouped up with others their own age and they are told to sit quietly and not talk for most of their day. In fact, they are encouraged to NOT socialize. They get a couple of hours at most to interact with their peers. Even then, when they are at lunch, they are told to not talk for the first part of lunchtime so that they will eat. They are SO revved up to interact with their friends because they have had to keep quiet for so long! I understand the rule, I just find it comical that school parents are so ingrained with the ideology of a “normal school day” that they can’t see how much more accurately home schooling reflects real life.
Let’s face it, if you work outside your home, you probably work with people of varying ages. You also don’t really have to follow any of the protocols school taught you—like don’t talk while you are working. Don’t collaborate. Don’t ask others their opinions. Real life is very different from traditional classrooms.
I believe with the unfortunate lock downs that Covid brought on, there is also great good that has come from it. I do realize that some children are better off in school due to horrible conditions at home, which absolutely breaks my heart that they are not safe at home. I also understand that some parents just can’t make it work because they need 2 incomes. But I also believe that the lock downs have opened the door for those who might not have considered homeschooling before to take a look at it; to understand that it IS doable. There are probably a lot of families around you that will decide to keep their children home to educate them. That’s a big win! Years ago, I remember reading a statement by pastor Voddie Baucham in his book Family Driven Faith: Doing What It Takes to Raise Sons and Daughters Who Walk With God “We cannot continue to send our children to Caesar for their education and be surprised when they come home as Romans.” Great book, by the way.
Contact your church to see if they have a support group for homeschooling families. If not, start one! Moms need encouragement. They need to know they are not alone. They need to know YOU WILL NOT MESS YOUR KID UP FOR LIFE by homeschooling. I was nothing special. No college degree. I graduated high school and had a few years of college, but dropped out to get married and have babies. It’s also not a lifetime commitment if you decide to try it for a year. If things don’t work out, you can put them back in school. However, you can do greater good by teaching your children godly principles throughout the day than by what they will get by being immersed in a sinful, worldly public education system. You know your child better than anyone. You love them more than any other human does. Surround them with your love and instruction every day. Teach them God’s commandments—as His word instructs all of us to do:
Deuteronomy 11: 18-19
“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.
Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
My children are both grown now. They both graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. One of them went on to get her masters degree at the University of Cincinnati. Both have wonderful jobs. Both are happily married. One of them has blessed me with a grandson (and another on the way). And I hope and pray that both of my children will decide to home educate their children. I feel pretty good about it so far 😉
And they won’t turn out weird if you homeschool. As long as you aren’t weird 😉 Teach them social skills. They will learn better manners from you than from the kids on the playground. That’s where most of them learn to be either a bully or a victim.
You can do this! Reach out if you need encouragement. Keep pressing on!
Is your child a hitter?
Oh, those terrible twos! My strong-willed daughter started the hitting stage right around this time. She would rear that little arm back and give me a whack whenever I dared tell her no about something or did not let her have her way.
At the time, I was attending a mother’s of preschoolers program (MOPS) hosted by my church. The program offered a short session with an older woman who would give talks and guidance on raising children. I mentioned the hitting to her and she gave me some great advice. She told me that next time my daughter thought it wise to hit me, I should catch her hand in action, lean in close, look her in the eye and gently but firmly tell her, “do not hit me.” Simple, right? But it WORKED! I had to do this 2-3 times, but the change in her behavior was amazing. By looking her in the eye and giving a command, she knew she was not queen of the castle and that she did not have the authority to inflict punishment on me for daring to defy her.
Literally. I only had to do this 2-3 times and she never hit me again.
I never had biters, but I would assume this method would work just as well for biting. By leaning in and looking directly in their eyes, they get the message that you are boss and they are not. I was not disrespectful or degrading. I was simply firm and authoritative.
If you have a hitter, try this and see if it helps. If you have a biter, I’d love to know if this works to end that painful behavior!
Be strong, mamas and keep on pressing on!
Proverbs 22:6
Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
DIY Laundry Detergent
I found a great recipe many years ago for making my own laundry detergent that works for HE washers. It’s super easy and best of all it’s super cheap! I was a stay at home mom and home educator, so I was always looking for alternatives to expensive store bought items. Also, I love the fact that these ingredients are not harmful to the environment and are safe for our bodies and they are better for your washer! This recipe makes 2 gallons. I use recycled tea jugs with screw on caps. This just makes it easy to pour into my washer’s dispenser.
There are only 3 items you will need to buy and all can be found easily at the supermarket in the laundry section.
20 Mule Team Borax Powder
Fels Naptha Laundry Bar Soap
Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
2 gallon container (I use 2-1 gallon jugs)
I grate the Fels Naptha in my food processor until its almost a powder. This is simply to help it dissolve faster.
You will need 1/3 cup of fels naptha soap; 1/2 cup borax; 1/2 cup washing soda and 6 cups of water.
Using a large stock pot, pour in 6 cups of water and heat over medium high heat. Stir in 1/3 cup fels naptha and let that dissolve, stirring occasionally. Once all the soap is dissolved, add 1/2 cup borax and 1/2 cup washing soda. Stir well. Turn the heat down some as it may start to foam up and could boil over. Continue heating stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Once everything is dissolved, turn off the heat and let it sit for another 5 minutes. Then pour even amounts into each jug (if you’re using 2). Top off each with hot water and shake well. Watch out shaking hot liquid–it builds pressure! You’re done! The detergent will need to sit 24 hours before using. Sometimes it will gel up and get thick. Sometimes it stays liquid–I have different results all the time.
To use, you will need about 1/3 cup of detergent for a normal load. I usually just fill up my liquid detergent dispenser and let ‘er rip.
As a side note, I also use vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser. Vinegar is great for removing odors and softening your clothes. It’s also good for your washer 🙂
You will spend about $10 on those 3 ingredients and they will last you months! The fels-naptha will make 3 recipes or 6 gallons of detergent. The borax and washing soda last even longer, but sometimes I will add those to the clothes if they need extra cleaning/stain removal.
If you don’t mind missing the store-bought laundry smell, you can save a ton of money making your own. Try different essential oils if you like to put your favorite scent on your clothes.
Give it a try and let me know what you think.
Being Unoffendable
Recently, I have been convicted of how offended I have allowed myself to become about every little thing I perceive as an offense. I ran across this blog post by a pastor from Alabama and thought this worth sharing. Visit his blog familyencouragement for more great articles.
Love isn’t Easily Offended
Posted on July 29, 2013 by familyencouragement
Most of the time when I speak at our church it is after special music by a soloist or a group. Many years ago someone sang a song that I had never heard before. I love music and it has had a major impact in my spiritual growth since my teenage years.
After the individual completed the song I came to the pulpit and thanked them and in addition said, “That was a very unusual song; I’ve never heard that before”. I said it warmly and sincerely.
I gave my message and immediately after the service was over the first person to meet me (accosted might be a better term) was the singer. “What was wrong with my song? Why didn’t you like it?”, they demanded.
I was stunned for a moment and then regained my thoughts and inquired as to why they thought I didn’t like it. They replied, “You said it was an unusual song”. I knew then that I was dealing with a person that was easily offended and also full of pride. Later as I reflected upon it I realized that they had sat through the entire message stewing and churning inside. (I may have preached an unusual message that day and they could have offered me the same sentiment to me!)
Graciously I tried to explain my comments. It didn’t work. It couldn’t have worked because in their eyes they had been embarrassed. Perhaps it was because they hadn’t received the commendation expected. With a red face from anger they stormed out of the auditorium. It wasn’t a month before their entire family left our church.
The leaving of our church wasn’t the problem. People leave for all sorts of reasons, many of them are not bad, it’s just life; it happens. However, this was not good. It was because of sin – on their part. Here were the two issues – pride and a lack of love. Rather than seeking to be a blessing and honor the Lord, this person’s motivation for ministry was to receive recognition and honor.
I can’t say it didn’t hurt me. Our church, especially myself, had ministered to this family during a very difficult time in their life. All of the hours of counseling, compassion, and encouragement were thrown to the wind – because I didn’t give the praise and adulation they had expected. (I don’t mind apologizing even when I don’t see how I was wrong in a situation, but this was different. This was a person like Diotrephes in the Bible, in III John 9, who loved to have attention and preeminence among the church congregants. It’s best to let people go in situations like that).
Love doesn’t take offense easily. It isn’t petty. It doesn’t look for an opportunity to be offended (for example, having unmet expectations of not being praised). That is what the Bible means when it says that love “is not easily provoked” (I Corinthians 13:5).
The primary way we respond when offended is to say something negative about the person or situation that has disappointed or hurt us. I discovered later that this individual had spoken negatively about me to some of my friends. At the root of it all was pride and a lack of love. It doesn’t take much to offend someone that is easily irritated.
Who are these people? They are highly sensitive to how others have done them wrong (at least, from their perspective). They react vehemently over insignificant, small issues that do not deserve attention. Petty people are not spiritual people and are selfish, unloving people.
However, it’s a tricky issue. People that are easily offended and petty don’t think they are petty. They think they are just in their protestations over not being honored or having something done exactly according to their desires. In their minds, they aren’t being petty, they are trying to set right a wrong. Their being wronged.
My second born, Jon, on his graduation from college. One of the things I especially love about him is that he is not easily offended. He loves people and they know it.
If God reacted as quickly over our offenses toward Him as we do, all of us would have no hope. And while He does “take offense” at our sin (He is holy and just) when we break His commandments, in His treatment of us He isn’t easily offended but “slow to anger” (Psalm 103:8). I’m grateful for that.
Perhaps another way to express it is that while God takes our sins very seriously and must punish us because of His righteous nature, He isn’t petty about pouncing on us and judging us immediately. “He knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust”. (Psalm 103:14) He is patient with us and gives us time to repent.
When the Lord Jesus was on earth He experienced being mocked, rejected, and falsely accused. Yet, He wasn’t easily offended though He had every right to be.
For example, He was accused of being born illegitimately (John 8:41) , being a Samaritan and possessed by a demon (John 8:48). All of these were not only untrue, but highly explosive in the culture in which He lived.
How did He respond? He didn’t. It wasn’t because He was a coward or guilty of wrongdoing. It was because He loved even those that hurled cruel and hurtful words toward Him and about Him to others. He was able to trust His Father to deal with His reputation and life rather than being easily offended.
Our response should be the same of that of Christ. The Bible says that “…when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously…” (I Peter 2:23)
Perhaps no other area are we deemed more Christlike than when we keep our mouths shut when we want to strike back. And we likewise express our lack of godliness by our taking offenses so readily. It’s wrong and when you love someone you won’t do it.
Isaiah the prophet records Christ’s response of silence to those that participated in His being beaten and crucified – “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth”. (Isaiah 53:7)
This example of our Lord in suffering is one that ought to encourage us not to quit when we experience personal offenses. We ought to think of how tolerant He is of us and cease from our petty ways.
The Bible exhorts us concerning Christ to “…consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” (Hebrews 12:3) When I consider the kindness and mercy of God, His patience toward me in my own sin, how dare I become easily offended at other people. Hey, if they knew the truth about me it would be worse than what they are already saying about me.
Yes, one day Christ will return to punish those that reject Him (II Thessalonian 1:7-9), but today is a day of mercy. My God is not petty. I should not be either if I am to reflect His heart.
About ten years after the “singer with the unusual song” had left our church my wife and I saw this individual and their spouse in a store. I engaged them in conversation to catch up on how things were going in their lives. The singer’s spouse looked at me in the eyes with a pleasant expression and we had a nice chat. The singer looked down the entire time and mumbled some monosyllable when I addressed any questions to them.
Here’s what I know. I’m not the only person in her doghouse. People that are easily offended over silly issues accumulate them through the years. They keep score and have excellent recollection of what happened. When their expectations aren’t met (of being honored and recognized) then the fight is on. The issue is this: are you fighting back? Perhaps you are the one reading this that is harboring lots of offenses from others. Something is wrong.
Here’s a clue to help you discern if you are easily offended. If Rob has a problem with Sam, and Rob has a problem with Dave, and Rob has a problem with Bill, and Rob has a problem with Steve – Rob is the problem. The sad thing is, Rob almost always believes everyone else is the problem.
Consider this tough question to answer It’s tough because most of us are dishonest in answering it. Are you a petty person? Are you easily offended? Can you still recall hurts long ago and do you “keep score”? Do you quickly react negatively to your spouse, children, people at work, or at church? Remember, people that are petty don’t think they are.
The truth is, it’s a lack of love to constantly be easily offended. Love “…is not easily provoked” (I Corinthians 13:5). I close with this thought to ponder: Jesus said it was impossible not to be offended (Luke 17:1). It’s a part of life. Love enables you to overlook hurts and even not to be offended in the first place.
May today be a new day in your walk with the Lord as you allow Him to help you to be quiet and not defend yourself from a perceived hurt. And better yet, to repent of pettiness and being offended in the first place. You’ll enjoy life better and be much easier to live with.
https://familyencouragement.com/2013/07/29/love-isnt-easily-offended/
Who’s ready to hit their fitness goals in 2021?
This month, I joined the Nicole Wilkins 60 Day Transformation Challenge to kick start my goal of reducing body fat and gaining muscle. I participated in the challenge last year and was so glad I did. The challenge is based on a macro-nutrient food plan with a big range of exchange foods so that I am able to enjoy every single meal. I also do not go hungry. As a matter of fact, during the first 30 days last year, I had trouble eating every meal (and I am not one to struggle with too much food).
So here I am again, ready to shed more body fat and see some muscle!
Here are some tips to help you stay on track with your fitness goals:
1. Set a schedule. Plan your week out ahead of time.
2. Know what exercises you plan to do at each session. If you are training a certain body part, have your exercises written down.
3. Keep up with the weight you use and how many repetitions and sets you do each week. You should see progress. Do not be afraid to lift heavy.
4. Take photos and measurements weekly. Don’t focus on the scale but rather on how your clothes are fitting.
5. Have an accountability partner if possible—someone who will actually keep you motivated and on task.
6. Meal prep. ***This is so important!*** Have your food cooked and weighed out so you can grab something quickly when hunger strikes. This enables you to throw your lunch and snacks together quickly and head to work. It might even mean dinner is ready and just needs to be heated up when you get home from work or the gym. Meal prep is the numero uno practice that will keep you on track. What you put in your mouth is the biggest determiner of your success.
7. Get plenty of sleep
8. Drink lots of water
9. Have photos of goals you want to achieve where you see them daily. Hang them on your fridge if you need to so that you see it when you head for an unhealthy snack 🙂
10. Enjoy your exercises and the foods you eat! If you hate running—don’t run! If you hate broccoli—don’t eat it!
I did 3 of the Nicole Wilkins’ challenges last year and lost about 7% body fat in a 7 month time frame. The challenges help me stay motivated and accountable and don’t cost an arm and a leg. I encourage anyone to check them out at nicolewilkins.com or find something similar that appeals to you.
I still have a long way to go, but I’m going to keep on pressing on!
Food Prep Basics. Starting 2021 off right!
My husband and I normally do our weekly meal prepping on Sunday afternoon. We throw some seasoned chicken breasts and thighs on the grill, steam up a big batch of broccoli (or your favorite veggie) and cook up a pot of rice that will make enough meals to get both of us through the week ahead.
We each eat about 5 meals a day. Working full time outside the home means packing 3-4 of those meals to take with us. Breakfast is sometimes on the road (depending on how late I’m running), but is normally prepared fresh each morning and consumed at home. Dinner is usually always at home, but sometimes it can be a packed meal as well, again, depending on my schedule.
I make good use of my Instant Pot to cook my rice. I’ll be honest, I love white Jasmine rice so much more than brown rice. I have a very sensitive stomach and brown rice and pinto beans can really turn against me. This is unfortunate in an office environment as you can imagine. This week, I’m actually going to try soaking the rice and beans in an apple cider vinegar solution to break down the phytic acid and hopefully make them easier to digest. I’ll let you know how that goes.
We have a food scale (super important!) and weigh our meat. I get about 4oz of chicken breast and my husband eats 6-8 oz per meal. Most of the chicken we measure and pack in baggies and either store in the refrigerator or freezer. We also eat red meat occasionally and will grill hamburgers or flank steaks. Those are also measured out and put away to grab and go as needed.
I eat about 1/2 cup rice which is the equivalent of about 110 grams. I don’t usually measure the veggies as they are steamed and minimal in their macro nutrients. I like to throw everything in together like a rice bowl—chicken, rice and vegetables. I also add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the meal for healthy fat. The olive oil makes it more like a stir-fry and it is so delicious!
We purchased glass snap-lock containers so they heat well in the microwave. You can make up as many of these as you want to get you through the week, or you can have all the food cooked and meat measured out and put it all together the night before.
Sometimes I’ll cook fresh fish for dinner, using our rice or beans for the carb. Personally, the last thing I want to do after coming home from work is to cook a meal from scratch and then clean everything up afterwards. That’s part of the beauty of having the rice and beans cooked ahead of time.
We pack baggies of a serving of almonds so we can grab them easily. We keep fresh fruit on hand to toss in the lunchbox. We try to avoid processed foods as much as possible. I mix and match a lean protein with a healthy fat and a carb for all my meals. Another option might be a chicken tortilla wrap with avocado. Love what you eat, but make sure you are making healthy choices and measuring out a serving size.
I have a recipe for some delicious egg white muffins I’ll share with you. The recipe makes 12 muffins and 2 are a serving size. These are a fantastic meal to put in a baggie and take on the road along with some Ezekiel bread and a fruit.
We base our meals on macro-nutrients—protein, carbohydrates & fat. We try to keep our calories within a certain range depending on how active we are that day. You do what works for you. I recommend finding out your true metabolic rate so you know whether you are eating enough or too much.
As you can see, we keep things super simple. Food/meal prepping is a great way to keep you on track and from making really bad decisions when you are hungry and nothing is readily available. However, you have to be committed to putting in the time to do it. I know I gripe all the time that my Sunday afternoon is taken up with cooking and washing dishes, but when I’m running out the door at 6am the next morning and getting home at 5pm that night, I am so thankful we did it and I don’t have to add any more chores to my list for the day. It’s so worth it!
Egg White Muffins
1-16 oz package of lean turkey sausage (we like Jennie-O’s lean turkey sausage)
600g Liquid egg whites
Non stick cooking spray
Optional: raw bell pepper and spinach
Preheat oven to 385 degrees. Spray muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray.
Cook the turkey sausage in a skillet over medium heat and drain. Divide the sausage into 12 muffin cups.
Pour liquid egg whites on top of sausage about 3/4 full (about 50g per muffin)
Bake at 385 degrees for 20-25 minutes. If you like them a little more done, rotate the pan and cook an additional 5 or so minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Use a knife to scrape the edges so they don’t stick as they cool.
You can also add some raw chopped bell pepper or spinach leaves to each muffin cup before adding the egg whites. Enjoy!
Nutrients for 2 muffins:
Calories: 191
Fat: 8g
Carbs: 0g
Protein: 26g