I awoke this morning earlier than usual and salivating for a PB sandwich! I say I awoke "earlier than usual" -- but that doesn't mean a thing. You were probably washing your luncheon dishes by that time unless, like me, you use lots and lots of paper plates!
I've started using a CPAP machine at night -- one of those crazy machines that's supposed to help you sleep better! Baloney! They say it takes anywhere from four to six weeks to get accustomed to using the cumbersome things, and I believe it! My primary physician says if I lose 10 lbs., or maybe 20 (Why doesn't she come right out and tell me I need to lose at least 50 pounds?) -- anyhow, with some weight loss, I may be able to sleep without the use of the CPAP machine.
Well, that was incentive enough to get me started on weight loss beginning with eating more fiber. So I started with 100% whole wheat bread -- not plain old whole wheat, but 100% whole wheat the diet book said. You have to read labels! I'm just starting the regimen and, to my great delight, peanut butter is recommended! Wow! So my breakfasts these days consist of one slice 100% whole wheat toast slathered with peanut butter and a small banana split into thirds for a fabulous sandwich! The banana takes care of the complex carbohydrates needed to satisfy my Vitamin C portion of the diet! Add to that Vitamin D foods (such as veggies) and foods rich in Omega 3 and you have it. And I've lost seven pounds in seven days. Wonder how long I can keep that up?
Potatoes -- any kind of potatoes -- are my downfall. Know what else I learned? Cauliflower, cooked until soft, real soft, then mashed is almost as good as mashed potatoes! Hey, I'm learning.
And know what else I learned? I can eat bacon, crispy bacon, that is, with all the fat cooked out of it. So my noon lunches are as unique as my breakfasts. I make a sandwich using leaf lettuce for bread. For filling I use two slices cheese (I have to cheat a little bit, you know!) and two slices of bacon. Then top it off with more peanut butter! At least I don't get hungry afterwards.
But what really ticked me off on the necessity of dieting was the pictures we had taken last week for our church directory. They made me look like the broad side of a barn! My husband was a sweetheart, though. He never once said, "I told you so!"
Preacher's Kid
P.S. Did you ever try making a peanut butter open-faced sandwich like the one I described above only instead of putting sliced banana on it, sprinkle it with chocolate chips and nuke it in the microwave a few seconds! Now that's a sandwich to die for!
Monday, November 9, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
WORRY VS CONCERN
Today is Election Day. It's none of my business HOW you voted, but I hope you exercised your right of freedom and did vote!
For many years I've threatened to write a collection of devotional thoughts called "The Great Debate." (I'll come back to my series on "Pet Peeves" later on!) Years ago, whenever election time rolled around, our local newspaper would host a series called "The Great Debate" where candidates for various offices would express their opinions on subjects of interest. That's what sparked the idea in my mind of doing a devotional "Debate." I have stacks and stacks of subject ideas! A remark that someone made in the Sunday School class day before yesterday gave me the idea for today's topic: Worry vs Concern.
Someone in the class requested prayer for a family member and said that although they knew Christians were not to worry, the situation was the focus of her thoughts these days. Another member put her "two cents worth" in and reminded us that there's a difference between worry and concern. As Christians, we are not to worry according to I Peter 5:7: "Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you." And who of us has not heard the little chorus that says, "It's a sin to worry, it's a sin to doubt, it's a sin to grumble, it's a sin to pout!" And no doubt all of us have experienced the fact that to follow that advice is easier said than done!
What's the difference between worrry and concern, I wondered. So I turned to the dictionary for an answer. Worry, according to one definition, means to disturb the peace of mind of, to afflict with mental agitation or distress; to cause anxiety in a persistent way; to be troubled or uneasy. The ancestor of the word "worry" meant to "strangle." (Isn't that a good definition of the effect of worry in our lives!) A later meaning included "to grasp by the throat with the teeth and lacerate," or "to kill or injure by biting and shaking." What a graphic picture of "worry" those definitions present! That's a far cry from Isaiah 26:3 -- "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee."
"Concern," on the other hand, refers to a feeling of sympathy for someone or something, solicitousness, softheartedness, tenderness, sympathy. Those are all attributes displayed by our Lord and Savior, Jesus, the Christ. It also refers to sharing the feelings of others, especially feelings of sorrow or anguish.
The chorus I mentioned above, if I remember correctly, ends with "Why worry, worry, worry, worry when you can pray?"
So the next time you are sympathetic toward someone or some condition you can't control, remember it's OK to be concerned. Lift that person or concern to God in prayer. Don't forget about the need. Continue to share your interest in and love toward them. Remember there's a difference between worry and concern, and don't condemn yourself for worrying when you're genuinely concerned.
Preacher's Kid
For many years I've threatened to write a collection of devotional thoughts called "The Great Debate." (I'll come back to my series on "Pet Peeves" later on!) Years ago, whenever election time rolled around, our local newspaper would host a series called "The Great Debate" where candidates for various offices would express their opinions on subjects of interest. That's what sparked the idea in my mind of doing a devotional "Debate." I have stacks and stacks of subject ideas! A remark that someone made in the Sunday School class day before yesterday gave me the idea for today's topic: Worry vs Concern.
Someone in the class requested prayer for a family member and said that although they knew Christians were not to worry, the situation was the focus of her thoughts these days. Another member put her "two cents worth" in and reminded us that there's a difference between worry and concern. As Christians, we are not to worry according to I Peter 5:7: "Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you." And who of us has not heard the little chorus that says, "It's a sin to worry, it's a sin to doubt, it's a sin to grumble, it's a sin to pout!" And no doubt all of us have experienced the fact that to follow that advice is easier said than done!
What's the difference between worrry and concern, I wondered. So I turned to the dictionary for an answer. Worry, according to one definition, means to disturb the peace of mind of, to afflict with mental agitation or distress; to cause anxiety in a persistent way; to be troubled or uneasy. The ancestor of the word "worry" meant to "strangle." (Isn't that a good definition of the effect of worry in our lives!) A later meaning included "to grasp by the throat with the teeth and lacerate," or "to kill or injure by biting and shaking." What a graphic picture of "worry" those definitions present! That's a far cry from Isaiah 26:3 -- "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee."
"Concern," on the other hand, refers to a feeling of sympathy for someone or something, solicitousness, softheartedness, tenderness, sympathy. Those are all attributes displayed by our Lord and Savior, Jesus, the Christ. It also refers to sharing the feelings of others, especially feelings of sorrow or anguish.
The chorus I mentioned above, if I remember correctly, ends with "Why worry, worry, worry, worry when you can pray?"
So the next time you are sympathetic toward someone or some condition you can't control, remember it's OK to be concerned. Lift that person or concern to God in prayer. Don't forget about the need. Continue to share your interest in and love toward them. Remember there's a difference between worry and concern, and don't condemn yourself for worrying when you're genuinely concerned.
Preacher's Kid
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