Results of Revival!

We had a great service last night! Bro. Bellew started his message asking, "Who does not have the Holy Ghost?" Several raised their hand. He then said, "Tonight, I'm preaching to you." His message was clear - what does it take to be saved. He talked about being baptized in Jesus name. He said if you have not been baptized, what are you waiting for?

Les and I have been teaching a Home Bible Study to Jose and Maylee Munoz. Last week Jose told us he was ready to be baptized. He talked to Pastor White on Sunday and he was trying to get as much of his family to come as possible. But after last night's message he didn't want to wait any longer!! Here he is getting baptized in the beautiful name above all names - Jesus!!


We also had a Spanish speaking man get baptized. I don't know his name and I didn't catch it during his baptism because Bro. Cortez did all his talking in Spanish. But it doesn't matter, Spanish or English, when the Name is spoken, it works!


We have now had over 130 visitors during this revival!

Who Inspires You?

In my Weight Watcher meeting yesterday we played a little game. There were six questions on the white board and we needed to find a member to fit each one. The questions were: Who is a Lifetime Member? Who is a brand new member? Who drove the farthest to attend the meeting? Who has an unusual job or hobby? Who is dedicated to attending meetings each week? And finally, Who inspires you?

It was a fun way to get acquainted with more of the members and I was surprised to hear more than one person say that I inspire them. It made me think of how often we DON'T tell people that they inspire us. And since it meant a lot to me to hear it, I thought I would share some of the people who inspire me.

Les ~ my husband is amazing. He works hard at his job, but he is always looking at other avenues in life to be creative. When he was working on his masters degree, he was working full time. During those two years, he decided to learn how to play the bass guitar! He is never satisfied with mediocre. His Sunday school lessons are always top notch - I always learn something new! No matter how tired he is, he always studies, putting much time in to each lesson. He also taught me how to mountain bike!

Mom and Dad ~ 40 years of marriage doesn't happen without a lot of work. Raising four children, one with severe medical problems, isn't easy. Mom and Dad weren't always in agreement, but they were committed to the long haul. Neither of them ever walked away.

Grandma Ruby ~ if anyone inspired me to live healthy it was Grandma Ruby! She walked everyday. She always ate lots of fruits and vegetables. She was never overweight. And she lived to be 90!

Missionaries ~ I have always loved reading stories about missionaries - from the Freemans to the Alvears and many, many others. Sis. Tiffany Bracken is in Taiwan with her husband and two children - her blog is inspiring! As is The Wakefields in Mexico. I've also enjoyed following Jarron Brown and his recent moved to Peru (Jarron, I know you're not a missionary, but you're close!)

So many friends inspire me in so many ways. Bloggers who I haven't seen in years. Pastors and pastors' wives. REAL saints who live what they believe everyday.

Who inspires you?

Sunshine!

It's a beautiful day here in So Cal! Clear blue skies. No wind. The sun is shining bright. That makes me so happy!

Anyone's life truly lived consists of work, sunshine, exercise, soap, plenty of fresh air, and a happy contented spirit.
~ Lillie Langtry

I am definitely a California girl. Too many days without sunshine makes me a gloomy gal. This song was played as the recessional of our wedding. Go ahead and sing along with me...

YOU ARE THE SUNSHINE OF MY LIFE

You Are The Sunshine Of My Life
That's Why I'll Always Stay Around
You Are The Apple Of My Eye
Forever You'll Stay In My Heart

I Feel Like This Is The Beginning
Though I've Loved You For A Million Years
And If I Thought Our Love Was Ending
I'd Find Myself Drowning In My Own Tears

You Are The Sunshine Of My Life
That's Why I'll Always Stay Around
You Are The Apple Of My Eye
Forever You'll Stay In My Heart

You Must Have Known That I Was Lonely
Because You Came To My Rescue
And I Know That This Must Be Heaven
How Could So Much Love Be Inside Of You

You Are The Sunshine Of My Life
That's Why I'll Always Stay Around
You Are The Apple Of My Eye
Forever You'll Stay In My Heart

~ Stevie Wonder

Revival Rolls On!

Our revival will continue this week. I believe this is week #6. We have had over 75 visitors! And our evangelist's son, Bruce, received the Holy Ghost last Wednesday night!!

This will be a revival that Bruce will never forget. He celebrated his 10th birthday a few weeks ago. Our church family stuffed his pockets with loose change and some green stuff! But more than the money, he will never forget that God filled him with His wonderful Spirit during this revival!

Mileage Update

The first week of Spring was quite dismal around here. We received about 7 inches of rain. It poured all day Sunday. This much rain makes the trail completely unrideable. I ran Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, then decided to take Thursday off. It rained again Thursday afternoon and through the night, but was not actively raining when I got up on Friday. I got up, got dressed and headed downstairs. Before I could get my shoes on, it was pouring again!! Punxsutawney Phil really missed it this year.

This quote came in from Runner's World yesterday:

During the winter, you head out into the darkness for a run. When spring comes, and the first crocus pokes up its head...you know it was worthwhile.
~ Nina Kuscsik, First woman's winner of the Boston Marathon

I'm still looking for the crocus! We've got a beautiful forecast for next week, so I'm hoping for better numbers to finish the month.

Totals for Week ending March 26:
Running: 34.07
Cycling: 0.00
Total: 34.07

Year-to-Date:
Running: 418.01
Cycling: 277.16
Total: 695.17

The Tale of the Tape

I heard a couple of new terms this week that I thought I'd share...

The first was at my Weight Watchers meeting. We were talking about what works and what doesn't in losing and maintaining our weight. One member said, "Exercise alone doesn't work for me." That's when our leader said, "Oh, you mean the Gym-Burger Diet?"

Gym-Burger Diet: Go to the gym and workout, then go to the drive-through for a burger.

I am well acquainted with this diet - just hadn't heard the term before! I remember convincing myself, "I ran 5 miles today, so I can eat whatever I want." The Gym-Burger Diet does not work!! On average, I burn between 400 and 500 calories on a 5 mile run. "Fast food hamburgers can be very high in calories. According to the website, A Calorie Counter, a regular McDonald's hamburger has about 250 calories, while a Homestyle Burger from Dairy Queen contains 350 calories. The bigger the burger, the more calories. A Quarter Pounder with cheese has over 500 calories, while the Burger King Whopper with cheese has over 750 calories." (Brighthub.com) And this doesn't include fries or onion rings or a milk shake...


Another term I heard for the first time was "Vanity Sizing."

Vanity sizing, also known as size inflation, is used to refer to the phenomenon of ready-to-wear clothing of the same nominal size becoming larger over time. Many commentators have suggested that "vanity sizing," as its name suggests, is designed to satisfy buyers' wishes to appear thin and feel better about themselves.

I have wondered about this. I recently read in a magazine about a woman who was shorter than me, weighed more than me, and claimed to be a size smaller then me. I have a variety of sizes in my closet, not because my weight changes very much, but because of how certain clothes are made. I'm not willing to pour myself into a smaller size and look ridiculous in the process. But it is interesting to know that a size 6 is no longer a size 6.

Of course, we all know the scale lies. I've stepped on and off the scale several times and gotten different numbers. But the tape doesn't lie! Take a measuring tape to your middle and it will tell you how you've done on the Gym-Burger Diet!

Remember, muscle weighs the same as fat!! It just takes up a lot less space. This is an excellent explanation: "A woman weighing 150 pounds with 19% fat will look much smaller (and be much healthier) than a woman at 150 pounds with 35% fat. They weigh the same, yet the composition is different. Because muscle is more dense than fat, the person with less fat and more muscle will look smaller." (One More Bite).

Five pounds of muscle:

Five pounds of fat:


I'm not trying to make anyone feel bad about what size you're wearing. I know it can be disheartening when you have to go up a size (or two). I broke the zipper on a size 12 just before I joined WW for the first time. Honestly, all of this is just very interesting to me because there is so much more to a healthy body than the number on the scale or the label on your skirt.

Come back tomorrow and I'll tell you how few miles I've run this week!

Tearing Down Strong Holds

After our powerful prayer meeting on Tuesday night, I went to church last night expecting a great service. We were dry as toast! Pre-service prayer found few people praying. Song service was flat. Bro. Bellew got up to preach and no one responded. His title was "We've Been Here Before." He started preaching about Caleb, in Joshua chapter 14. Caleb had seen the promise land before and he was ready to move in.

After about ten minutes of preaching, Bro. Bellew just stopped. He wasn't harsh in anyway, but he said he didn't want to keep preaching against a brick wall. This should not have been happening after Tuesday night's prayer meeting! He had us stand and begin praying against whatever it was that was keeping us bound. After several minutes, he had everyone gather in the front to bind together against the spirits fighting us.

We prayed for about an hour. God moved in and souls were touched. But I can't help but think, "We've been here before." So many don't want to move on in to the promise land - the promise land of living continually in victory! I asked Les last night, "Do we know what living victoriously really is?" It's a place I want to be and I want to see it in Victory Tabernacle! I know there are strong holds that need to come down, and I'm believing that this will be the revival. The revival that changes people for good. That six weeks, six months, six years down the road, people are changed and don't go back to old habits.

2 Corinthians 10:4 "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds."

Revival Prayer Meeting

We started our fifth week of revival last night, but instead of service we had a prayer meeting. Some may think, "Just a prayer meeting?" but this was no ordinary prayer meeting, this was a Revival prayer meeting!

Pastor White gave specific instructions on Sunday night. Anyone who had not gotten the victory so far in this revival needed to come with that in mind. We were told that if we wanted to be prayed for to come to the front and ask for it.

After about 40 minutes of prayer time, a few brave (and honest) souls started making their way to the front. As the church family gathered, a beautiful spirit of prayer swept through the place. It was about an hour later when we were dismissed. That's what a revival prayer meeting is like!

Acts 4:31 "And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness."

Praying for America

I will admit that our country needs prayer, but today I'd like to introduce you to a young lady named America. She faithfully rides our van to Sunday school. Many of our young ladies have taken her under their wing and will bring her to church on Sunday night or other nights during revival. Rachel is teaching her a Bible study. She has the sweetest personality. I call her America the Beautiful or Beautiful America and she always gives me the sweetest smile. She and I almost share a birthday (she'll be 12 on April 25, I will be quite a bit older two days later...)

I had a conversation with her Sunday night, after she had prayed for a long time...

Me: I received the Holy Ghost when I was 10.
America: I'm gonna receive it when I'm 11, or maybe 12.
Me: It can be an early birthday present. It'll be the best gift you've ever gotten.
America just gave me one of her sweet, sweet smiles.

Please join me in praying for America... And Jenny... and Anna... and Jessie... and Evelyn...

Quizzing Update

I received the following update from Lance yesterday:

We've had a tournament each of the last two weekends.

Last weekend we quizzed in our monthly Indiana tourney. 6 Junior teams, including our two. We did a round robin so each team quizzed 5 quizzes. Our team lost to the other Calvary team, but then had a chance to win the tourney in the last quiz against undefeated Toledo, OH. We were ahead 90 to -5 after question 8. But Toledo's ace quizzer got 6 of the last 7 questions to beat us. Hannah ended up the second highest individual, answering 16 questions with 4 misses.

Yesterday we went to Louisville for a tournament. There were 7 teams including our two. Toledo showed up again. We won our first quiz handily, then lost again to our other Calvary team. In the loser's bracket we had a lousy quiz, trailing a team from Madisonville 55 to 10 with three questions to go. They missed #13 to make it 40 to 10, and Hannah's teammate got #14 to tie it. Then Hannah nailed a two-part cross reference question on #15 for the win. In our next quiz we had a back-and-forth quiz with Radcliffe. Trailing by 10, Hannah got #14 to quiz out and seal the win. We then ran up against our other Calvary team again, and once again got beat. As the weekend before, the final placings were Toledo, Calvary 1, Calvary 2 and Hannah was again the second highest individual behind the ace from Toledo, answering 21 right and missing only 4.

For those of you not so good at math, Hannah had 37 correct and only missed 8 in two tournaments! We continue to be proud of her success, but even more proud of her dedication to memorizing God's word!

24??

Can it really be? You're 24 today? Surely, you're both still 12! 12 times 2 equals 24, right?


I was only 22 when you were born!


And we know how old your mom claims to be...


Happy 24th birthday...


to two of the sweetest girls on the planet!


You've brought so much joy to my life!


Love you forever,
Aunt Kathy

Mileage Update

After my climb to the top on Monday, my week continued with great enthusiasm! I took Sunday off because we were still in Solvang and I was rained out today, but look at these miles!

Totals for Week ending March 19:
Running: 31.44
Cycling: 41.14
Total: 72.58

Year-to-Date:
Running: 383.94
Cycling: 277.16
Total: 661.10

What are you doing to become a healthier you??

Winter's Last Hurrah

Winter 2011 is hanging on with all its might. It was 44 this morning. That is COLD for March in So Cal! And we're expecting rain this weekend.

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.
~Charles Dickens

I hope Winter enjoys this last hurrah, because I am ready to see it go! Here's to Spring!

Remember to Forget

Top o' the morning to you, lads and lassies! It's St. Patrick's Day. I could give you a history lesson on Saint Patrick, but instead I'll give you this Irish blessing... because some things are worth forgetting!

Always remember to forget
The things that made you sad.
But never forget to remember
The things that made you glad.



Always remember to forget
The friends that proved untrue.
But never forget to remember
Those that have stuck by you.

Always remember to forget
The troubles that passed away.
But never forget to remember
The blessings that come each day.

Solvang 2011

As usual, we had a wonderful time in Solvang. Most of all it was a relaxing time with my sweetheart, but there were a few other highlights.


Friday evening, after checking in to "our" room at the Petersen Inn, we had dinner with Jim and Nancy Austin. Jim and Les both worked for the same company a few years ago and we've been having dinner with them every year for the past several. Jim is now retired, but still enjoys riding. The Austins had just returned from an amazing trip to Africa. They were in Tanzania and saw tons of wildlife - including 50 lions! Les and I have already decided this sounds like something we'd like to do someday.

After dinner, we walked to the Hotel Corque to pick up Les' packet for the Solvang Century. This is a goody bag that includes his rider number, route slip, and lots of information about upcoming rides. There is also a Cycling Festival to attend. There are cycling vendors on hand, assisting cyclists and selling their goods. In the past, I've endured this part of the evening, but I was definitely interested this year!

One of the vendors was Sheila Moon Athletic Apparel. They had some of the cutest cycling clothes for women that I've ever seen! They even had cycling dresses (too short for me, but cute anyway!) The young lady running the booth was Sam and she was very informative. When I told Sam that I was a runner who just started mountain biking, she said, "I love riding in the dirt!" Instant connection! I bought this cute jersey...


I guess it did the trick, since that is what I was wearing yesterday morning when I rode to the top of Las Llayas!

Saturday morning, Les was up and out the door by 6:30. I went back to sleep for a while, then enjoyed a wonderful breakfast at the Petersen, including a danish from Mortensen's Bakery! Les sent frequent updates on his progress, while I wandered in and out of the many shops. I walked back over to the Cycling Festival and met "the" Sheila Moon and had a great time chatting with her and Sam. Sheila has been a cyclist for years and just started running, so it was fun to compare notes.

I received a text from Les at 1:54 - "Last stop. Mile 85. 10 min break then we roll. Probably be back in town in an hour." I replied "I'll get you some food. Any requests?" "Turkey croissant if you can pull it off." So I was off in search of a turkey croissant! After a couple of stops, I found that the Solvang Restaurant had one with cranberry sauce - perfect! Les made it safely back by 3:15.

Sunday found us moving very slowly. We got up and had breakfast (in which I may or may not have had another danish...), then headed back to our room for a nap. A rare occurrence, especially on a Sunday! After enjoying the town some more, including a stop to the Vinhus for cheese, we decided we were hungry. Les said, "I want to eat somewhere we haven't tried before." So we ended up at the Viking Garden.



Outdoor seating was on the agenda. It was sunny and warm even when the wind started blowing! We enjoyed a great lunch.



We found one more sunny spot to enjoy our final treat of the weekend!


As we ate our ice cream, we sat people watching. We're both very curious about a particular fashion statement we kept seeing - young women in short shorts and UGGs! What is the deal? If your feet are toasty does that keep the rest of you warm? We even saw one young girl (no more than 10) wearing a swimsuit and UGGs! We just shook our heads. Where was that child's mother?? Oh, she was wearing shorts and UGGs, too...


Another great weekend to add to my memory book of the one I love!

I DID It!!

Many titles came to mind for this post - "Victory is Mine" "Mountain Top Experience" "Just Keep Climbing"... but the fact of the matter is...

I MADE IT TO THE TOP OF LAS LLAYAS CANYON TRAIL THIS MORNING!!!

Yes, I made it to the very top for the first time!

If you've been traveling with this blog for a while, you might remember me writing about Las Llayas Canyon. I first mentioned it about a year ago, when Les and I ran it. At that point, I had no idea I would ever ride a bike on that trail, much less ride to the top of an amazing hill.

Of course it was in May, when we went to Catalina Island, that I got started on my bicycling journey. Nine months ago today, we brought Myka home and my activity level changed dramatically!

It hasn't always been easy. There have been mishaps and tumbles. But after deciding to work on my strengths, I have actually gotten stronger! And today was the day. No excuses, no whining, just lots of pedaling! When I got to the top, Les said, "You did it!" I was so thrilled!


This is my happy, first pumping, I did it pose! You can see for miles, and on a clearer day you can actually see the Pacific Ocean from where I'm standing.

And finally, the stats: 14.5 miles in 2 hours, 15 minutes, average heart rate 143 bpm, max HR 176, burned 1,020 calories.

SPRING Forward

It's time to set our clocks ahead an hour. Warm sunny days ahead!


And now is a great time to start an evening exercise plan. Days with extra daylight. Go for it!


And don't be late for Sunday school in the morning! Surprise your pastor - be early!!

Valentine Make-Up Weekend

You may have noticed that I didn't post anything about what we did for Valentine's Day. That's because we didn't do anything! Lance was here, so the guys rode bikes and I cooked. Not exactly my idea of romance. But I didn't complain, I told Les, "We'll let Solvang be our make-up weekend."

So we're off to Solvang for the weekend. It's our annual jaunt that we enjoy so much. We're expecting beautiful Spring-like weather. Les will be riding the Solvang Century (100 mile bike ride.) And I'll do my best not to eat too many pastries!


Have a great weekend!

Mileage Update

I had another great week! I actually rode more miles than I ran. I'm posting this today because the only activities I have planned for the weekend are walking from the hotel to the bookstore... or the fudge shop... or the shoe store... or the bakery... or... well, you get the idea!

Totals for Week ending March 12:
Running: 36.41
Cycling: 41.02
Total: 77.43

That's the thing about running: your greatest runs are rarely measured by racing success. They are moments in time when running allows you to see how wonderful your life is.

~Kara Goucher, American long-distance runner

Year-to-Date:
Running: 352.50
Cycling: 236.02
Total: 588.52

It is very rewarding to feel and see progress. I am going to put my head down and keep plugging away. I believe the best is yet to come.

~Shalane Flanagan, 2nd woman finisher at the 2010 New York City Marathon

Precious Moment #08281987

After writing about praying for a son-in-law for my mother, Larisa commented "You may have posted about it before, but how did it come about for Les to come to California? That's a huge move!" I searched through nearly three years of posts and can't believe I haven't written about this before!

In 1987, Les was finishing his degree in Mechanical Engineering from Tennessee Tech in Cookeville. He started sending out resumes, not knowing where his degree would take him. He sent out about 80 resumes and went on three interviews and received three offers - one in Nashville with Bridgestone Tire Company, one in East Hartford, CT with Pratt and Whitney, and one in Canoga Park, CA with Rocketdyne.

He began praying about his decision. His parents would have loved for him to stay in Nashville, but his dad said he could move and if it didn't work out, he could always come back. Weeks of praying led to no firm direction. He finally decided to take the job in California.

As he was making the decision, he traveled to National Youth Congress in Cincinnati. He made the phone calls from his hotel room - one "I accept" and two "thanks, but no thanks." Even then, he didn't feel perfect peace in his decision.

At service that night, the speaker was being introduced. He was the Youth President from the Western District. He pastored in Burbank, California. He was none other than Pastor Philip White! As soon as Pastor White was introduced, Les felt the most amazing peace flood him. He felt the Lord tell him, "That's your pastor." And that's exactly what he became!

Before he moved to California, he talked to Bro. Becton about his move. Bro. Becton gave him great words of wisdom. He said, "Be careful when you move out there. We've lost people who get wrapped up in all the distractions that California has to offer." Les has never forgotten that warning, but he got plugged in to a great church and has remained victorious, even living in this crazy state!

Thank you, Lord, for sending Mom such a wonderful son-in-law!

WW Points Plus Update

It's been about three and a half months since Weight Watchers introduced the Points Plus program. I've been following it faithfully and am happy to announce I have now lost 6.8 pounds!!! I am very pleased and slightly surprised. I've been doing WW for years, sticking close to my goal weight for almost five years (emphasis on "close" to my goal.) But I decided to make a few little changes and the results have been fabulous. Here's what I've done:

1. I've been weighing in every week. As a Lifetime member, I am only required to weigh in once a month. I took advantage of that a little too often - weighing at the beginning of one month, then not weighing until the middle or end of the following month. That's a lot of weeks to live dangerously.


2. I have tracked EVERY DAY. I bought a three month tracker and started using it on December 12th. I used the last page Monday. I skipped one day - Christmas - otherwise I wrote down what I ate EVERY SINGLE DAY. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Or in my case - the fruits, the veggies, and the chocolate! I started a new three month tracker yesterday.


3. I have minimized my use of activity points. These are the points I earn for running or biking. In the past I would write my activity points at the top of my tracker since I exercise first thing in the morning. i.e. Daily points = 29 + Activity points = 7, total for the day = 36. When I saw those 36 points, I used them all. Now I use about 3 or 4 activity points a day. I've noticed that I feel better while I'm running or riding now - those extra pounds were slowing me down!

That's it - that's all I've changed. Nothing huge, but obviously much needed.

I found this quote in yesterday's WW Weekly that I thought was excellent:

Don't do anything to lose weight
that you can't keep doing to maintain the weight loss.

So I'm back doing what worked when I lost so I can keep maintaining.

Heaven Made Marriages

I have a book entitled "Happiness is ... Heaven Made Marriages." It is a compilation of love stories written by Pentecostal pastors and their wives. It was compiled by LaJoyce Martin and published in 1985... back when I was single!

I pulled the book out last week because I remembered that the Becton's story was in the book. I've been rereading it since and have delighted in the stories of the Freemans, Kilgores, Wallaces, Enseys, Urshans, Pughs, Kinzies, and many others!

I remember reading this when I was single - there are stories of love at first sight, love that waited through war, love that started at childhood, and love that endured. I wondered if I would ever have that kind of a marriage... I'm happy to say that I certainly do!

I do believe my favorite line in the entire book was a prayer by Sis. LaJoyce Martin. In 1985 it became my prayer as well...

"Dear Lord,
I ask nothing for myself,
but please send my mother a son-in-law."

Mileage Update

We were out of town yesterday for a planning meeting so I didn't get to update my miles for last week. A bit low, but I got rained out one day and didn't do anything yesterday.

Totals for Week ending March 5:
Running: 37.98
Cycling: 10.02
Total: 48.00

Year-to-Date:
Running: 326.61
Cycling: 195.00
Total: 521.61

Happy Birthday, Rod!

The Pioneer Woman has been featuring sisters on her photography page this week. I'd like to feature my brother!


Rod would have been 48 today!


There are so many things I miss...


His teasing...

His singing...


His hugs...


His friendship...


and his love.


What a brother! So special. So unique. So greatly missed.