What will I leave behind?

 

At 9:51pm on August 29, 2013 Liberty Ann Daugherty made her appearance into the world and I entered into the grand land…. 

Within moments of her birth I became as  hopelessly devoted to this littlest member of our family as I’ve been to Hannah. 

As Hannah got some much needed rest and I sat and held Lil’ Miss Liberty this morning, I began to think about what the writer said in Proverbs 13:22:

A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children‘s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just. (KJV)

I want to leave Hannah and Liberty (and any precious babies that come along in the future) much more than land, houses, and livestock. I want to leave behind the generational blessing of being divinely aligned to the Father in spirit, soul, and body. I want to leave spiritual wholeness, a heart for God, divine health, fitness, and mental/emotional wellness. 

God has shown me that this is more than a personal calling or a new ministry. Today He   connected all the dots to show me that this divine revelation of alignment would become an inheritance for my girls…..

Tonight I want to encourage you to examine your lives to see what you kind of inheritance you’ll leave behind for your children’s children. Will you leave them an inheritance of being divinely aligned with their Heavenly Father in spirit, soul, and body or will you leave something else?

If this post gets you thinking about the inheritance you’ll leave behind please let me know by posting pictures of your children and your children’s children…..

 

I grew up in the projects and in the projects there were two things that I looked forward to each summer. One was the ice cream truck and the other was the book-mobile. While I didn’t always know if we would be able to come up with some loose change for an ice cream I did know that I would be able to climb up the steps of the book-mobile and exchange the book I got last week for another.

I never once thought that they were coming to help the poor kids from the projects. I just assumed that the they were coming to MY house just for ME! And that made me feel important.

The ice-cream truck and the book-mobile both had bells and horns that would announce it’s arrival as it came down the street and into the projects and I could recognize the difference between the two. Man, when I heard the book-mobile I’d frantically search for last weeks book and run like mad because I wanted to be the first one on the truck so that I would be able to get the book I wanted.

You and I are supposed to be like that ice cream truck and the book-mobile that takes treats and books to those who can’t go get them for themselves. We are supposed to be taking Jesus Christ to the world in which we live. We are the church-mobile.

Like the bells and horns that announce the arrival of the trucks, it’s our body that announces the arrival of the good news. But what do people see when they see us coming? Do they see something they want?

Is it possible that the good news of Jesus Christ is being delivered in such poor packaging that people turn away?

If that is true, are we responsible to change the packaging to better reflect the abundant life that Christ has promised us?

When we begin to see our bodies as more than “our” bodies then we will change how we care for them. Paul clearly teaches us how we should view our bodies:

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19

It’s when I began to view my body differently that I began to pray that my body become my business card or, if you want me to sound more religious, my tract. I want my first impression to be so impressive that people want to get to know me better so that I can tell them how Jesus has changed every aspect of my life.

What I’ve learned from not having internet service for almost three weeks:

• Pinterest never lost my interest.
• True friends will call or text to check on you.
• Bills are easier to pay online.
• Recipes using specific ingredients are hard to find without Google.
• Learning about a new city requires that you actually leave the house.

What I’ve learned about living life without a gym:

• There are no excuses to skipping your workouts.
• If you don’t have a treadmill try going outside.
• Be creative with resistance workouts by trying new things like resistance bands, straps, and body exercises.

Maybe you’ve used a thousand excuses for not working out. You’ve complained that the gym is too expensive, running hurts your knees, or that you just don’t like to exercise.

If you haven’t found something that you like to do then take a moment to think about what it was that you liked doing when you were a kid. Did you like riding your bike? Did you love to go swimming? Did you love playing team sports? Did you take dance, karate, or gymnastics? Whatever it was that you loved doing as a kid then find a way to do it as an adult. Stop making excuses and start finding ways to reach your fitness goals!

We are still waiting on our baby to make her grand appearance. The doctor says it could be any day now…. I’ll post a picture as soon as she arrives!

I’ve been without my gym membership and the internet for more than two weeks. Truth be told, I’m not missing the internet as much as I thought I would and I miss the gym more than I expected.

But I’m not skipping my workouts. I went to Play It Again Sports and bought the Handle Exchange System. I think the changing my regular workouts has been good for my body and by mind. I’m enjoying the new system and love knowing that I can take it anywhere. Plus I’ve added a couple of short runs each week. Cardio. Resistance Training. And waiting….

We are still waiting for Hannah to have our new baby…. I’ll let you know  when she arrives!

Bye for now!

Hi there! Traveling brings it’s own set of issues, doesn’t it? I’ve been without the internet and gym for more than a week!

I’m using the internet at Austin’s grandparents this morning so that I could check in and let you know how I’m going to overcome the no-gym predicament that I’ve found myself in.

I’ll be honest, I was tempted to skip the workouts completely but quickly realized that I don’t feel as well when I don’t exercise. Not only do I feel fatigued, I tend to get irritable when I skip too many workouts. 

While looking for a simple solution that won’t cost a fortune, I’ve discovered that my best no-gym options will be running, cycling, and picking up a set of resistance bands. I’ll take my bands down into Austin’s man-cave, borrow his weights and bench and create a routine that works for me whenever I’m in Ohio…

And I’ll be in Ohio a lot! My daughter is here, my son-in-law is here, and my new grand-daughter will be here  very soon. 

So I’m off to Play It Again Sports……. I’ll check in next week to let you know how this new routine is going!

 

 

More about diet sodas…..

Shari Rudavsky of  The Indianapolis Star wrote on July 10, 2013 that a recent Purdue study has found that diet soda may be linked to health problems from obesity to diabetes to heart disease.

Borrowing from the USA  Today website, the highlights of the article are:

• Purdue professor reviewed studies on whether diet soft drinks increases likelihood of overeating
• Some studies that were reviewed suggest diet soda may be just as bad as non-diet
• American Beverage Association describes low-calorie sweeteners as effective tool in weight loss
• The take-home message is for people to be much mindful of how much sweetener, whether artificial or sugar, they’re actually consuming

To read this rest of this article, please click on this link……