Friday Fitness

I had a breakthrough this week with my running.  I ran eight miles on the trail!  I've run longer distances this year, but not on the trail.  The last time I ran that far on the trail was April 3, 2018.  That was the day I severely sprained my ankle, which kept me from running for 10 weeks.  That was my most severe injury up to that point.  

 

I've run seven miles on the trail a few times, but had not gone the additional half mile up before turning around.  I finally did it on Wednesday and it was wonderful!  

 

 

I had the entire trail to myself until the final mile.  AND, I did not trip!

I can attribute how great I felt on the run to consistency and the fact that I'm carrying 26 less pounds than I was at the beginning of this year.  I don't know exactly what I weighed in 2018, but I'm guessing I'm 13-15 pounds lighter than I was then.  I know the sprained ankle contributed to my weight gain.

I've also gotten back into my strength training routine.  It fell to the wayside when I had strep throat, then we went on vacation and got our vaccine.  My total inches lost is now up to 27.  26 pounds and 27 inches in 21 weeks.

Next Tuesday is our 30th wedding anniversary.  When I rejoined WW, I told Les, "30 by 30." I wanted to lose 30 pounds by our 30th anniversary.  Honestly, I didn't know if I would even come close.  I will not hit that goal, unless I fast until then, but I am so pleased with where I am.

A Mother in Israel ~ Woman of the Week

Les and I got our second dose of the Moderna COVID vaccine last week.  So many people warned us that the second dose would make us sick and they were right!  We both felt off for a couple of days, the biggest issue for me was a headache.  Having a headache while trying to study and write just doesn't work for me.  We've been fine for several days, but life got busy, so here she is now.

 

Verses:  2 Samuel 20:16-22

Background – parents, husband, children, siblings

We don't know anything about this woman's family or background.  We don't even know her name, but she made a difference.  Her story is found during the reign of King David.  After his son Absalom's rebellion and death, the tribe of Judah brought David back to Jerusalem.  The other tribes, who had followed Absalom, were angry that they were not included in David's return.  2 Samuel 20:1-2 says, "And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew a trumpet, and said, We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel.  So every man of Israel went up from after David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri: but the men of Judah clave unto their king, from Jordan even to Jerusalem."  Joab pursued Sheba, going through the tribes of Israel to find him.  Verse 15 tells us that he was found "in Abel of Bethmaachah, and they cast up a bank against the city, and it stood in the trench: and all the people that were with Joab battered the wall, to throw it down."  It is in the following verse that we first meet this wise woman.

 

Did she reach a place when she needed to reset?  If so, did she?  For good or evil?

We first read of some women in the Bible just as they hit the point of reset.  That is the case with this wise mother in Israel.  While her city was under attack, she didn't run and hide, but she marched forward.  In verse 19 she cried out to Joab and once she had his attention she said, "I am one of them that are peaceable and faithful in Israel: thou seekest to destroy a city and a mother in Israel: why wilt thou swallow up the inheritance of the LORD? "

John Gill's Exposition of the Bible said,

"Her meaning is, that she was of a city which consisted of peaceable and faithful men, that were peaceable among themselves, and faithful to their king, who never were concerned in any insurrection or rebellion, not in the late one under Absalom:"

After Joab explains his mission in verse 21, "deliver him only, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said unto Joab, Behold, his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall."  There was no hesitation on her part.  "She knew the fright the inhabitants of the city were in, and how disposed they were to do anything to save their city; she knew what influence she had among them, and how weak Sheba's party was, and therefore could assure Joab that this should be done."  (John Gill)

I love what verse 22 says, "Then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom."  "Made so wise a speech to them, and represented things in such a light, and so prudently conducted, that they unanimously agreed to her motion"  (John Gill)

What is she most known for? Victories? Defeats?  How can I be like her?  How can I avoid being like her?

This story could have had a very different ending had this wise woman kept silent.  She spoke up to Joab and she spoke up to the people.  She prevented much bloodshed by keeping calm and facing Joab.  "This wise woman, by her intervention, saved many lives, and reminds us of the value of presence of mind in a great crisis." (A Devotional Commentary by F. B. Meyer, B.A.)

Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible said,

"Her treaty with Joab, and her capitulation with him, by which he is engaged to raise the siege, upon condition that Sheba be delivered up. It seems, none of all the men of Abel, none of the elders or magistrates, offered to treat with Joab, no, not when they were reduced to the last extremity. They were stupid and unconcerned for the public safety, or they stood in awe of Sheba, or they despaired of gaining any good terms with Joab, or they had not sense enough to manage the treaty. But this one woman and her wisdom saved the city."

One Woman Can Change the World

My Bible plan last week was a seven day plan called, "One Woman Can Change the World."  I thought it was fitting since I had just read "women can make changes happen" in Mom's Bible.  I finished it yesterday and thought the devotional was exceptional.  It was called, "You Are Never Not Worthy Enough to Begin."  I just wanted to share a few highlights:

God is there to remind us that His timeline always trumps ours. In His chronology, there’s no too young, too old, too lacking. In His design, our design is perfected—no matter our geography, address, heritage, big plans, or failed attempts.  His story within us is filled with plot twists and mystery and comedy and suspense—and it’s deeper and higher and wider than any page could hold. 

You don’t have to have all the pieces in place to lead and serve well.

Your story can—and will—change. Allow it to do its work. You are uniquely gifted as a woman to lead creatively. Allow that creativity to rise within you.

Leadership opportunities may be for a season or a lifetime. Both are equal in their power. Embrace the disruptions, and watch God add to your days. You are most beautiful when you bend.

Your purpose will be strengthened by both joy and pain, both success and failure. Embrace it all. You are never too old—or too young—to begin.

One woman can change the world, and God says, “That woman is you.” 

As I read this, I thought about how much my story has changed.  When Les started his current job, our life was really shaken up.  I wrote about it extensively in a number of posts ~ A New Adventure, The Peace of God that Covers and What is the Will of God?  Here is a little bit from A New Adventure:

We spent much time in prayer about this decision and asked God to close the door if it was not His will. Well… this is the only door that opened. His first day of work is tomorrow, January 21st, one day shy of three months without a job.

In some ways, this might seem like a fun adventure, and it is.  In other ways, it’s a bit scary leaving the comforts of home, including our home church. Being even farther from our families is not ideal, but we truly feel that this is God’s will for us.  I felt in prayer that God has a plan that we just can’t see.  I have prayed that this will be a time of growth for us.  That we will be a blessing to the church we will be attending.

I’ve thought more than once – why would God wants us to go here?  We are so involved at Victory Tabernacle.  How can this be God’s plan? But I also realized we are very comfortable where we are and maybe we just need a little shaking up. 

 

More than eight years later, I can clearly see God's hand in it all.  One change that came about because of our extensive traveling was me stepping down as choir director.  That role was one I had for a season.  I haven't, and never will, turned my back on our music department.  My love for music is definitely for a lifetime.  My role has just changed and I'm completely happy with that.

Don't be afraid of change.  God prepares each of us.  He equips us and I truly believe we can do more, with His help, that we can ever imagine!

Woman of the Week ~ A Mother in Israel

As I've done on Mother's Day for several years now, I took my Mom's Bible to church with me yesterday.  It's a small way of remembering her that brings me comfort.  There were a few items tucked in the front cover that I didn't want to lose, so I pulled them out.  I then flipped through her Bible and found a bookmark.  The page had verses marked and in Mom's beautiful handwriting, "women can make changes happen."  Well, that caught my attention!  I have studied, and blogged about, over 40 women but never this one!  She is one of the nameless women in the Bible, but she definitely made changes happen.  Look for her story on Friday.

Verses:  2 Samuel 20:16-22

Background – parents, husband, children, siblings

What is she most known for?

Victories? Defeats?

How can I be like her?

How can I avoid being like her?

Did she reach a place when she needed to reset?  If so, did she?  For good or evil?

Friday Foodie Hilton Head Island Style

As I mentioned yesterday, we didn't eat out at lot on our vacation, but when we did we made it count!  We had one forgettable meal - dinner our first night in Charleston.  We were starving after a long day of travel and most restaurants had an hour or more wait.  We made up for the less than stellar meal by finding Off Track Ice Cream!  The key lime pie ice cream, with chunks of graham cracker crust mixed in was excellent.

Monday night in Hilton Head we went to the Mixx on Main.  I was in the mood for Mexican food.  I know, we were in the South, but I can't go many days without it!  We split the fajita trio - chicken, steak and shrimp.  These were the best fajitas I have ever had!  Sadly, they didn't have anything for dessert, but we made up for it by buying a piece of carrot cake at the grocery store that was surprisingly delicious.

 

I turned 57 on Tuesday and I told Les he needed to decide where we would eat.  As always, he did an outstanding job.  We ate at Frankie Bones.  I had Filet Mignon and Les had ribs.  Both meals were amazing!

 

Because it was my birthday, I also splurged on dessert.  This is Butterfinger Crunch Cake.  "Get in my mouth!"

SOOOO good!!

We ate it all!

About a week or so before our trip, Les mentioned beignets.  I quickly Googled "beignets Hilton Head" and found Kenny B's French Quarter Cafe.  They not only had beignets, they also had Muffalettas.  This is a New Orleans specialty that we wanted to try when we were there in 2019 but didn't get to.  Kenny B's was about 10 miles from our condo, so we decided to ride our bikes there on Thursday.

We split the Muffaletta and it was delicious!

We also split an order of beignets that were as good as any you can find in New Orleans!  Kenny, the owner, is not from South Carolina or New Orleans, he's actually from Ohio, but he got the New Orleans food right!

The only right way to eat a beignet is to just go ahead and take a big bite!

 Powdered sugar on your face is a must!

After thoroughly enjoying our lunch, we pedaled our way home.  We were glad for easy, flat roads!

On our final night I told Les that I wanted ice cream.  Once again, I searched Google and found Gr8 Bites just a few miles away.  Their ice cream was outstanding and it's probably a good thing we didn't find it until our last night.

Our last meal took place in Charleston at Jim N Nick's.  We both had their classic pulled pork, you just can't go wrong with barbecue in the South!

You may be wondering how all these delightful meals affected by weight loss goals.  We got home late Saturday night and I stepped on the scale Monday morning.  I'm happy to report that my weight was exactly the same!  You don't have to give up enjoying life to lose weight.  Today was my "official" weigh in day and I was down another pound for a total of 25 pounds now.

R & R & R South Carolina Style

As I mentioned last week, we took a trip to South Carolina.  Our original plan had Les traveling a week before me for his annual Georgia cycling trip with Lance.  About a month ago there was a flash flood in Georgia and the road to Lance's cabin was washed out.  The road would not be reopened in time for their trip, so that part of the trip got canceled.  I was originally going to fly into Atlanta, meet up with Les, then we would drive to Hilton Head Island.  Thanks to Southwest Airlines, we were able to easily change our flights and we both flew in to Charleston instead.

 

We arrived in Charleston on Sunday evening and checked into the Barksdale House Inn.  This was a home built in 1778!  The staff was very welcoming and we enjoyed our brief visit.  We reserved a rental car but didn't pick it up until Monday afternoon, so after a wonderful breakfast on Monday morning we left our luggage with the office and headed out to explore Charleston for a few hours.

A day in Charleston does not disappoint!  The old homes and churches are beautiful.  

 

"Almighty God has been worshiped on this site since 1680"

There is SO much history.  This is a time capsule for Fort Sumter, the location of the first shot fired that started the American Civil War.

 

We have been to Charleston before and I will happily go back, but our destination for the week was Hilton Head Island, about a two hour drive from Charleston.  I searched VRBO for a condo and I am very happy with the one we chose!  I am learning that many larger condos are often a similar price to something smaller.  The choice between a studio with a "kitchenette" (microwave, mini fridge) vs. a two bedroom, two bath with full kitchen and laundry is kind of a no brainer to me when the price is similar.  We wanted to be able to eat most of our meals in the condo so we wouldn't have to deal with wearing a mask.

 

 I loved the colors of the kitchen, and it had everything we needed.

My driver is looking a little tired.  Or is this the face of contentment?

Our first stop after the condo was The Mixx on Main.  I'll share all our great eats in a special Friday Foodie tomorrow, but let me just say that the food on Hilton Head was outstanding!  We only ate out three times, but each one was excellent.  After filling our tummies, we headed to Harris Teeter to pick up groceries.  The rest of our stay consisted R & R & R = rest and relaxation and recreation.  In other words, sleeping in, walking on the beach, and riding our rental bikes.  

Hilton Head has approximately 60 miles of multi-use trails so we knew we wanted to rent bikes.  With almost 30 bike shops on the island, you would think renting a bike would be simple.  And it would be if all you wanted was a beach cruiser.  From experience, I know that riding a beach cruiser is only good for short rides and we wanted more than that.  I spent quite a bit of time before our trip checking websites and finally found Atlantic Bike Rentals.  They had 21 speed hybrid bikes with disc brakes - definitely more our speed!  They were delivered directly to our condo on Tuesday and we rode Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for a total of 50 miles! I didn't take any pictures while we were out riding, but here is Les checking them out.

The beach in front of our condo was so cool!  At high tide it looked like this:

But when the tide was out, there was a large sandbar.  We took our chairs out and enjoyed the beautiful weather and almost completely empty beach. 

Check out at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday arrived much too quickly, then it was a day of travel.  We drove from Hilton Head to Charleston, then flew from Charleston to Nashville to Los Angeles.  We had a wonderful trip and came home completely refreshed!

Urgent Need

Greetings from South Carolina!  Les and I are on a getaway that I’ll blog about when we return. I wanted to share an urgent need regarding a cycling friend of ours in Hawaii.  We met Bernard and his wife, Jennifer, at Les’ first cycling race in 2013.  Bernard was hit by a car on Sunday. This gives me such a sick feeling, knowing it could be Les, or even me.  Another friend, Chris, has set up a GoFundMe account to help with expenses and I just wanted to share it here.  Even if you can’t give money, please pray for our friends.   Click on the link here.

Bernard Doria, Friend to many, Father and Husband, Nurse and enthusiastic promoter of safe cycling and fitness throughout the community was severely injured by a hit and run motorist.  His family needs our support as a community in this difficult time.  All proceeds will go to help his family as he is the primary earner and his wife will need to take time from her work to help him recover.  He also provides a home for his parents who share their residence.

His recovery will take several months, at least, as his injuries include compound fractures of arm and leg and broken jaw and internal injuries.  The family will need our assistance anyway we can to support daily living, medical and legal cost going forward.  They need the support ASAP as he is currently in the hospital and will be for the foreseeable future.

Link to news report below
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2021/04/26/truck-overtaking-another-vehicle-hits-critically-injures-bicyclist-ewa-beach/

https://www.khon2.com/local-news/pickup-truck-critically-injures-bicyclist-in-ewa-beach-flees-scene/


On Behalf of the Doria’s ‘Ohana:

For all of you who know Bernard, you know how kind and well-liked he is.  An overall great person to his family and his community with a heart of gold  even more evident in the care he provides for his community as a nurse. They would like to sincerely thank each and everyone one in advance for your generosity to help cover his  medical bills. We all know that he will have a long journey ahead of him but with your support he will get through this hurdle. 

Thank you for loving Bernard and for your support.

Repost: Sheep

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm studying Psalm 23.  Today's devotional had a tidbit about sheep that I did not know, "Under the blistering sun, he’d lead the sheep to water—but not just any water. He would lead them to still waters since sheep won’t drink if the water moves too fast."  This post was written when my blog was less than a year old.

While reading "The Day Christ Died" by Jim Bishop (published in 1957), I read a few things about sheep. One is the fact that sheep know their shepherd's whistle. Several flocks can converge, but when one shepherd starts whistling to call his sheep, only his sheep move toward him. Jesus said in John 10:27 "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me."


I wanted to know if sheep are truly considered dumb animals. From Sheep 101, I found: "People often call sheep "stupid," because they don't act independently. Sheep are not stupid. Their only protection from predators is to stay in the flock and follow the sheep in front of them. At the same time, there is a growing body of evidence that sheep may actually possess some smarts." Ever notice that about people? Those that stay close to the flock are safe from predators, when one starts pulling away from the flock, they put themselves in danger.


Also "In the Day Christ Died" was this line that really caught my attention: "when lightning flashes and thunder rolls, the sheep look not at the sky but at the shepherd." Where do you look when storms arise in your life?

Psalm 23

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Repost: Is He Your Shepherd?

My Bible reading this week is a study of the twenty third Psalm.  I'm sure it must be the most well known of all the Psalms.  It's such a beautiful, yet simple passage.  I have a couple of posts that pertain to Psalm 23 and I wanted to re-share them.  The first one was written in 2016:

Last night was a tremendous Bible Study at New Life Pentecostal.  Pastor McGriffin read just the first two verses of Psalm 23.  He said this is a very familiar passage, but many of us suffer from short term memory loss so it's a good idea to take notes in church.  I'm so glad I was taking these notes!

The Lord is my shepherd...

This is a personal and interactive relationship.  It becomes a relationship based on our confidence in who our God is.

I shall not want...

Because I have confidence in His shepherding skills I do not have to worry about my needs or wants.  When my focus is correct I do not have to fear.

Is He your Shepherd? Or are you, in your mind, just one of the flock? When there is daily interaction with the shepherd the automatic by-product is the sheep trust the shepherd and have no fear.

Anxiety should speak volumes to us.  That needs to be repeated.  Anxiety should speak volumes to us.  Are we really trusting the shepherd?

There is a difference between receiving what God has for me and not getting what I want.  The vast majority of Americans don't know what it is to be in want.  We take things for granted.  Sheep that are confident don't get distressed over what they don't have.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures...

God doesn't make us do anything.  The word "maketh" here does not mean to force but to have made provision for.  God made a place for us to lie down.  Sheep do not like to lie down - they sleep standing up.  We are the same way when things aren't going our way.  The Lord maketh (provides) a place of rest.  

Because of the faithfulness of the shepherd, the sheep trust him.  We repeated several times, "The Lord is my shepherd and I trust my shepherd."

There is no need for anxiety.  For sheep to lie down there has to be a tremendous amount of trust.  Sheep are vulnerable when they lie down, but they look to the shepherd for protection.

He leadeth me beside the still waters...

Still waters are hard to come by in our busy, over-scheduled lives.  There is a place of rest in a busy and crazy world.  We need both physical and emotional rest.

God wants us to have time to recuperate.  We need times of recuperation.   

We need to value hitting the pause button and taking trips by the still waters. We need to learn what it is to calm ourselves.  When we're hurting and feeling stressed, we must find a place of rest.  We need rest and calm to navigate life.

The opposite of still waters is a place of explosion.

God is doing everything to create a place of rest.  The biggest mistake you can make is believing you can work through every problem of life on your own.

There is a great need for spiritual lifeguards.  People who are looking for those who are drowning in the sea of life, who can bring calm to others.  We can't do that if we don't have calm and rest in our own lives.

We have the ability to be calm and bring calmness.  The church is a place of calmness.  This is a place to come in and lie down.

There are times when we are so stressed, our thinking is so messed up, we don't think we can even pray.

When we are in stillness God can send things to cleanse us of the parasites of life.  It takes the calm place to clean off what does not belong.  We have to learn the value of quiet time, a time to take a deep breath, listening for the still small voice.

At this point of the lesson, the Great Shepherd, the Prince of Peace took over.  There was such a beautiful, calming move of His Spirit that I put my pen down and closed my eyes, just listening to Pastor McGriffin.  He continued teaching a few more minutes.  The spirit in the building was so sweet as Pastor McGriffin began to sing...

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
There's just something about that name
Master, Savior, Jesus
Like the fragrance after the rain
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
Let all heaven and earth proclaim
Kings and kingdoms shall all pass away
But there's something about that name.

The congregation joined in, singing softly with no instruments, but with such a spirit of calm.  It wasn't a time to shout, but to quietly absorb the Word that was spoken.  Pastor McGriffin closed with these words, "In a world spinning out of control, we need to find the place of rest in the calm of God."

I knew I would be blogging about this subject this morning.  I just didn't know I would be put to the test before I got a chance to write about it!  Les rode his bike to work this morning.  No big deal, I can watch his progress on my phone... unless he leaves his phone here like he did this morning!  So I had a choice, spend the next 45 minutes anxiously waiting to hear from him, or trust the Shepherd.  I chose to trust.  I prayed and said, "God, You were going to watch him whether he had his phone or not."  And I was able to calmly wait to hear from him.

Friday Update

 It's been a few weeks since I posted about my weight loss journey so I thought I'd give an update.

A little over a week ago I got really sick.  Pre-2020, I would have just let it take its course, but you know, COVID.  I went to the doctor last Friday and it was confirmed that I had strep throat.  I was pretty sure that was the case because it is the one illness I have had repeatedly through the years.  I started on an antibiotic on Friday.  Sadly, I had to stay home from church on Sunday since I still wasn't feeling good at all.  I've slowly come out of it and was able to go out for a five mile run/walk this morning.  At least it wasn't COVID, right?

 

As far as my weight loss goes, I've continued doing really well with my eating.  When my throat was at its worst, all I wanted for several days was yogurt, pudding and ice cream.  I've stayed within my points budget throughout and hoped for the best. Today was weigh in day for week 15 and I am now down 22.5 pounds!  That continues to be an average of 1.5 pounds per week.

Obviously, seeing so much movement on the scale is a huge motivator, but I'm also feeling so much better overall.  I'm trying not to spend too much time kicking myself over the fact that I gained the weight at all, or that I didn't do something about it sooner.  That is the past.  Today I choose to healthy, even as I recover from strep throat!