What does being a Christian mean to you?

Daily Devotion: "You, Lord, are all I have, and you give me all I need; my future is in your hands. How wonderful are your gifts to me; how good they are!" Psalm 16: 5-5. Today’s devotion is interactive. What does it mean to YOU to be a Christian? Growing up it was never in my realm of thinking that being a Christian meant that I got to have a personal relationship with God. I was never taught... that God would want to speak directly with me or that I could speak directly with God. For years I went to church, socialized with people, went home, sometimes read the bible, went to bible study and then hit repeat. During that time, I honestly thought that was what being a Christian was all about but always felt something was missing inside. It wasn't until I found a church and a pastor who changed my perspective and taught that being a Christian is not about doing what the church says but about developing a relationship with God, talking to him, listening and obeying when he speaks that my entire world changed; that was when the light dawned and that was when I understood why I always felt as if something was missing. I never before had the personal relationship with God that I do now and finding that was like finding a missing piece of the puzzle. That realization didn’t mean that everything became perfect, no, rather the more I matured in my relationship with God, in fact the clearer I saw the things I needed and still need to change in my life (drats). For me that is what being a Christian is all about, growing closer to God daily, having that relationship be the bedrock and framework upon which the rest of my life is built and trying, trying, trying, to live each day as pleasing to God as I can possibly muster. Some days are better than others I am sure, but I take comfort that I keep trying no matter what. So, what is being a Christian to you?

Daily Motivation: Common Sense and Perseverance: Simple means to achieving your goals. Have the common sense to know that you will have to work for it, and have the perseverance to see it through.

Success- there is no magic formula - you got to have a vision, be willing to work for it, that work is going to be hard and you have to be your own inspiration and motivation along the way. To many times we are going to want success to be handed to us, but it's ALWAYS sweeter when we have worked our butts off and can had faith that God will bring us through those stormy times to seeing the light on the other side.

Workout: My workout today is going to be a run and then this bodyweight challenge. I apparently turned off my alarm, turned the TV on and kept on rolling right over and went back to sleep this morning.. don't know how THAT happened. Thank goodness the TV woke me up so I could get ready for work..LOL. So I didn't get my morning workout in, but since it's Friday, I will be able to get it done leisurely tonight without pressure about getting up for work the next morning. :)

Lunch yesterday was
Plantains
Mixed veggies..

Pretty simple.

DINNER: Lentil and Mushroom spinach wrap. 1 spinach wrap, 1/2 cup organic ready to eat lentils, 5 mushrooms(small), 1/3 cup veggies, 1/2 tsp coconut oil, chopped onion, 1/2 cup cooked quinoa. Heat onion a...nd veggies in coconut oil for 1-2 min, add lentils, stirring frequently for another 2-3 min, add quinoa and heat for 1-2 min. Warm spinach wrap, place the lentil, quinoa mix in center and roll. Cut in half and enjoy.

Today's Snacks and Lunch
1/2 Cup Bulger
1/2 cup lentils
1 Flat out wrap
1 apple
1 plum
1 lentil quinoa mix
1 can all natural coconut water
1/2 cup gabanzo beans







6/29/12 Challenge

1. Throughout the day do 4 sets of 45 seconds wall sits + 1 min plank holds (yep it’s a tough day)

2. Treat yourself to a small (small) portion of your favorite dessert/food. It's very important NOT to deprive yourself of food. Moderation is the key, the minute we begin denying ourselves certain things from our diet, they immediately become our greatest temptations. Will pow...er is a muscle that gets stronger the more you use it!!

3. Read and pour over the verse “Oh that men would give thanks to the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” Psalm 107:8. When life become so stressful and nothing seems to be going our way, we must remember that we can still find pleasure in the smallest of things if we maintain the right attitude towards ourselves and towards God. Our attitude towards things directly affects the way we view the world, and even in our most stressed out days we must remember to look around at how blessed we are and give thanks to God for all he has done. Write down 5 things you can do to show God how much you value life and all he has done. How willing are you to being receptive to God’s beauty around you? Take 10 minutes today to step outside of yourself and observe life going on around you. ENJOY IT!