On Living Well, and Being Thankful...

Here you go...another Two-For-One Special! ;-)

So I mentioned on Monday that Shawn Lovejoy challenged us at the Evolve Conference to be healthy leaders.  By healthy, he meant physically, spiritually, emotionally, and relationally fit.  He challenged us to practice self-discipline by submitting ourselves fully to God's discipline (2 Timothy 1:7).  As I processed this over the last couple of days, I have come to the conclusion that this is my problem.  In a nutshell, I lack discipline.  I have known this for a while now, but instead of quieting my heart and submitting to God's leadership on the matter, I continue to keep "taking the bull by the horns" by trying harder to do better.  While it is true that "God does not bless our intentions, he blesses our actions" (Bil Cornelius) I believe that he can only bless what I surrender to Him, and if I act alone, I am acting in vain.

So that being said, here's my plan of action for the next week.  Each day I will...

• Wake up thirty minutes earlier to have a quiet time with Jesus.
• Eat healthier: more whole grains, fruits and veggies; less sugar & carbs
• Drink 8 glasses of water, and limit my sodas to one per day.
• Exercise 5 days a week, with the following schedule:

Monday - One Mile Walk (Video)

Tuesday  - Pilates (Video)

Wednesday - Two Mile Walk (Video)

Thursday - Pilates

Friday - One Mile Walk

The good news is that since I last weighed (two weeks ago) I have lost 4.5 pounds!  I am ready to take this fresh start and build momentum so that I can achieve my wellness goals.  If you would like to join in the journey of Living Well, check out Darlene's Blog, or just post a comment/link here.

 

Now on to my thankfulness...

 

Iris has chosen the theme of Prayer for this weeks Thankful Thursday post.  It's interesting that she chose that topic, because that is another thing that God has shown me I am seriously deficient in:  Time alone with Him...not just talking, but listening.  God is not Santa Claus, and I am sure He gets absolutely sick to death of my laundry list of prayer requests, at times.  I am constantly going to Him and telling him what I need, or asking him to intercede on the behalf of others without the intimacy he longs for from me.  That would be like me going to Chris for money, car problems, household issues, or problems with the kids, and never spending any time with him telling him how much I love him and letting him love on me.  This is what Jesus wants from me.  And I am thankful that he is teaching me so many things regarding intimacy and prayer.  Prayer is a conversation; it is real, and genuine, and like the air I breathe, I cannot survive without it. 

If you would like to participate in Thankful Thursdays, please visit Iris at Sting My Heart. We'd love to have you!