ALL or NOTHING

Revelation 3:15-16
¹⁵ ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. ¹⁶ So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will ^[b]spit you out of My mouth.

This last week Cornelius and I watched several movies that really impacted me.  Last week I watched "The Way Back".  True story about men who walked out of their Siberian prison to freedom 4,000 miles away to India. Some died along the way because of the severity and harshness of nature and also because of the distance.  One man in particular was imprisoned only because of his stance against Communism and the cold war waging on his country Hungary. I was amazed at their will and perserverance.  Their fight to live a FULL life and not just survive in their prison in Siberia.  Most people would have given up emotionally and mentally and then let themselves die.  The things that they went through physically was mind boggling.
Then on Saturday January 25th Cornelius took me to see "Lone Survivor" in the Theatre.  Again, true story about these 4 Navy Seals in Afganistan. They had a mission to take out a Taliban leader but their mission was compromised when they were discovered by goat herders.  Do they kill the goat herders and continue with their mission or let these civilians go, pretty much leading them to certain face to face combat by the Taliban.  They chose to abort their mission because it was compromised, let the goat herders go and get out of there.  Only, they didn't all make it out.  Only one survived and it was a miraculous survival.

What moved me in the movie "Lone Survivor" though was the willingness to lay down their lives for eachother, for their mission and cause.  Don't get me wrong- WAR is UGLY.  I am not glorifying or idolizing the killing of people and how ugly and painful battle is.  BUT, there is something that amazes me with these Navy Seals.  AT ALL COST- ITS ALL OR NOTHING.  They live by a creed. They have been trained to fight and survive in conditions that most cannot or will not. They physically do things that amaze me and is truly mind boggling.  Their mind over matter was incredible.

Why am I so fascinated with this and how does this affect me?  On Monday morning when I weighed in, and I gained weight.  I was so traumatized. Upset, Discouraged.  How could I have gained weight when I've been working out like 6 times a week, counting calories, fat and keep track of proteins?  I've put so much effort into this. Ive been committed, dedicated, faithful even to the point of putting aside my feelings of tiredness and even fighting physical pain with sore muscles and needing chiropractic appointments. 

I could just give up and throw in the towel.  I thought about people who do this. I thought about how the church is so full of people who just give a little bit of themselves, enough to say they did enough but then when the going gets tough, or when it comes down to the wire, they aren't there. They aren't faithful.  The church has failed in this area- the Bible calls us to give our all.  To love God with all our heart and soul and mind.  We think going to church on Sunday and reading our Bible a few times a week or maybe when we do "good things" that we're good.  GOD WANTS IT ALL! Our lives are a testimony of Him living in me.  Do I really love Him? Am I willing at all costs to follow Him and go where He calls me and do what He asks of me?

The church is full of luke wamness. Full of people who do not live by their creed.  People who give up when the going gets tough.  Seeing how thoseNavy Seals would did not give up until physically their bodies stopped due to the severity of their wounds made me wonder-Would I be that resilient? Would I fight so hard for a cause?  DO I GIVE ALL? 

So I told myself that God is showing me that in all this journey with my health, it's all or nothing. Am I really going to live a healthy life style whether I see the pounds move. Am I willing to keep eating whole and clean or am I just doing this for a challenge to win money? What's my driving factor? What's my motive?

It's ALL or Nothing.  Either I'm going to keep at this no matter what I face. No matter how hard the challenge gets.  And God is calling me to this. Preparing me for greatness. Preparing me to know how to fight.  To be an overcomer.  Not to give up. To keep looking up to Him and find the will to perservere.

DON'T GIVE UP.  Give it your all. Don't be afraid.  Don't be like a lukewarm person- neither hot nor cold.  BE ON FIRE!  BE HOT!  That's what I want. For people to say "Wow, she gave it her all.  Cherri didn't hold anything back.  She dove in and fought with her whole being. She lived for God in all areas of her life!"

That's what I want.  And I know I need Jesus more than ever. To keep my heart in check when I let my emotions get the better of me.  Sometimes our feelings lead us astray.  Be aware of this and guard your heart and emotions. Let God guide you to truth. Let God fill you today with the will to give it all. 

That's my prayer today for me and for you!

Dear Lord,  I thank you that you love me so much that you don't want to leave me alone- you keep pursuing me and challenging me to be all that I can be. You are creating me into a beautiful masterpiece. You are molding me and sometimes the refining can be so hard. Sometimes what I see in the mirror I don't like. I want to quit or I want to be depressed and discouraged. I feel like having a pity party or like its just too hard.  God, let me be faithful to complete this journey I'm in with all that is within me.  Every area of my life you want to invade with Your presence, Your power and its all to see me succeed to give YOU the Glory!  I love the verse in Hebrews that talks about running the race marked out for us.  Let me not grow weary. I love you Lord. I pray this all in the precious name of Jesus, Amen!

Hebrews12

 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ^2 [a]fixing our eyes on Jesus, the ^[b]author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

³ For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary ^[c]and lose heart.

DON'T GIVE UP! KEEP IT UP! KEEP MOVING FORWARD!

All wise words from my 3 sweet girls.  This was hanging in my kitchen waiting for me when I got home last night after working out.  They are my gems and their love and support fuels my heart to keep going. :)

A New Face

I've been thinking how my life has changed recently.  Maybe not changed but taken on a "NEW FACE".  I'm not sure how to put it into words. I'm always thinking about life- yeah, I'm one of those deep thinkers.  Always thinking about the meaning of life, what direction I'm taking and if what I'm doing is making an impact. 
Anyways, this morning I was thinking how I never imagined that my health and fitness would be used to glorify God or to help people.  Since I was young God always used music in my life to speak to people. To bless people.  And He still does use music.  I'm one of the worship leaders at Crystal Lake Community Church and also the Worship Director there.  I do numerous Women Events every year speaking and using music and worship. 

I think what I'm getting at is I'm in a NEW melody or song.  Some would say "new season" of life.  But I guess I think through the terms of music because of my musical and singing background and passion.  I feel most comfortable when Im playing piano and leading from that place.  But now I'm in a new arena- HEALTH and FITNESS. And its all new, its all scary and I feel very vunerable.  I'm no expert here.  Just a normal person trying to get healthy and let God use my body for His glory- literally.  My Body/HIS Temple.

I looked up "New Song" this morning on google....and it brought up a devotional talking about the verse that talks about singing a New Song.  What does that mean exactly?  I found after reading this verse and the comments they made very simple and very real to me.

SINGING A NEW SONG AND WHAT IT MEANS TO ME:
1. He is making me New and I should declare this to all people- declaring his marvelous work in me.
2. Becoming renewed, or full of renewed vigor and letting others know of His work in my life.
3. I like the interpretation that a new song might be an old song, sung with a inward freshness of spirit, that proclaims what God is doing in my/your life.

Are you in the middle of a New Song?  Where God is renewing you or has done a work in your life? Have you "sung" His praises? Meaning, have you declared to others the good that He is doing? 

God is just so amazing and so big and sometimes I am just in awe of really how God cares about every detail of my life.  It gives me peace and security to know that I'm in His hands and that He is walking this walk with me.  Encouraging me.  Pushing me to go farther and deeper.  Challenging me to see what great things I can do. 

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

Psalm 96:1-5

1 Oh sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth!
2Sing to the LORD, bless his name;
 tell of his salvation from day to day.
3Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
4For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be feared above all gods.
5For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.
6Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

I'm Back!! NO MORE EXCUSES

How I have missed you!  I have missed blogging so much but just didn't and I'm not sure how or why. My excuses are only that I've been busy living life. But so much of my processing feelings and thoughts are through blogging. It's just like journaling except I let a few others join in on my journal reading- that is crazy dangerous and insane if you think about it!

I was thinking this morning about excuses. How easy it is to make excuses and be ok with it.  For example, I so remember the time in my life when I didn't have time to exercise. I remember thinking that people who exercised were too crazy into their health, or they had more time than me. Or that if they exercised it was because they enjoyed it so much and that they were meant to be exercising.
EXCUSES.  definition: attempt to lessen the blame attaching to (a fault or offense); seek to defend or justify.

Seriously, I used to make excuses that I was too big to exercise. I might hurt myself. Or I wasn't made to exercise. Some people are just built to exercise. Or I was too busy.  Or .......the list can go on and on. Can you relate?

We make excuses for ourselves to justify why we aren't doing something because honestly, excuses make us "feel" better. But are excuses truly good for us?  Personally I remember so much when I made excuses about my weight, health and exercise.  That whole area. And now look at me?  Look where I'm at?  Still exercising, still losing weight.  Still losing inches.  Little by little. Goal by goal.  Learning so many new things that have transformed my life for the good!  All because I tackled an excuse in my life.  I made that excuse no longer acceptable.

Change and new beginnings often come when we stop making excuses.  What excuse are you allowing to control or dictate your life?
Really, when it comes down to it, if something is really important to you, you will stop making excuses and make it happen.  Plain and simple.
The only reason I can say that is because I had all the intentions of being "intentional" and on target with my Bible reading this New Year. I had a daily Bible Reading plan and was going and then I'd fall asleep before I got it in. Or I thought to myself, "I can squeeze it in later." I made exercise a daily part of my life. I made a lifestyle change in my eating. I didn't except my excuses anymore.  And now I need to apply this principle to my Bible reading. No more excuses. Because if I really value something, I will not make excuses and figure out how to make it happen.

So, I'M BACK!  Back to blogging.  No more excuses. Make it happen.  Figure out how to fit it into your life. If you want to make more time to play with your kids, then do it. It takes commitment. It takes being intentional.  It might even take someone holding you accountable to make this new thing happen in your life.  But until you stop justifying why you're not doing what you want to do, then I don't want to hear about it!!

Ok, that is my pep talk for today.  I had to start somewhere because there was no way I could go back and recap all the AWESOME things that happened since October.  Go to my facebook or instagram account to see my daily pics and postings to catch up on those months.  All I can say is this: God has been so good to me.  He keeps working on me, to make me into a beautiful masterpiece for Him.  And I am loving this journey and his handiwork.

"No wonder we are happy in the Lord! For we are trusting him. We trust his holy name. Yes, Lord, let your constant love surround us, for our hopes are in you alone." Psalm 33:21-22 TLB