56 Blue Stars!

46 blue stars in a row....56 blue stars total....

I am proud of my blue stars! Each blue star represents a workout session and currently I am at 46 in a row, with 56 total since February 1st! Yes, that is why I am proud.

I can't say that I have ever been so committed to exercise, at least in my adult life. Working out is maybe an addiction now, but at least it's a good one. I actually look forward to working out - I know, weird, huh? Ha ha.

In all actuality, this is all in an attempt to lead a healthier life by being active, putting the right things in my body, etc. The eating healthy part gets to me still at times as it's way easier to cheat with what I put in my mouth. BUT I got a good thing started and I'm committed to continuing. I've lost 7 pounds so far and even if the weight isn't coming off as quickly as I would like, it IS coming off and I'm developing more muscles (and as they say, muscle weighs more than fat).

Each day looks a little different than the others, but in general, once I get going I either want to push myself harder or I want to go longer. I mix it up with the following:

• Interval training on my elliptical machine (which is the best thing I've purchased for myself maybe ever!) is what I try to do the most by:
• Increasing the resistance every 2 minutes or
• Going as fast as I can for 30 seconds and then slowing it down for 90 seconds and repeating that cycle
• Every now and again I throw in a day that's just basic cardio at a speed walking pace
• And of course, there's some weight training happening a couple times a week

It's fun and I feel good! Yeah for stars!

Fun With the Nieces

Yesterday, two of my nieces came over for part of the afternoon and we played. :)

First thing they wanted to do was play with the dogs.

Ambrie has Simon's full attention.

Ambrie wasn't going to back down. Ha ha.

"Oh, I love playing outside with the dogs!"

Jayla's turn to throw the frisbee for Opie.

She puts all her effort into throwing the frisbee.

Finished up with some coloring.

I had a ton hanging out with the two of them! So much fun hanging out with a two and three year old who are best friends and full of life.

Purpose of Church

This is Part 2 of my church discussion....just my thoughts and questions spewed out on this page. :)

Both Ryan and I enjoy going to church, fellowshipping, worshipping, etc. It is something that we both want to do and consider important and crucial to our spiritual lives. We have had discussions recently about church and it’s something I’ve really been thinking about as I know he has. I know that I come with preconceived notions about church and why we go to church and who church services are for, etc. I’ve begun questioning those, however, and where they came from, if in fact they are true, Biblical viewpoints. I guess I would just like to start over from square one, removing everything I know about it (as much as humanly possible) and start over.

What was the original intent for early Christians? Why did they gather? Was it intended just for them or “to bring your friends to?” Should the modern church now be “visitor friendly” or geared more towards Christians who have been out in the world all week being beaten up by the non-believing world and who need to come rejuvenate and encourage one another to go out there for another week (as well as, corporately worship our Creator and Savior)? Or is it for both? And how would you gear it towards both pre-believers and believers?

I've heard it put “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty.” Or another way (basically as I remember it) “The gospel message never changes, but everything else can change.” So music and all other parts of the service can change and still worship God.

The last church that I attended was very much geared towards the visitor - “guest-friendly” as it was referred to. Keep in mind, the gospel message was very clear and was not watered down as some churches with that focus can be. But outside of that, all decisions were based on coming from a visitor’s point of view. The church grew and truly people were coming to Christ, mainly because people had developed relationships with those in their lives and felt comfortable in inviting them to this particular church. One of their statements was “helping people become fully devoted fully delighted followers of Christ.” So, then my thinking has been that this is how churches should operate. Isn’t that fulfilling The Great Commission?

When I moved out the sticks when Ryan and I got married, our church was very different from any church that I had ever gone to. It was a bit of a rough transition and many times I just wanted to switch churches and go to a more “normal” church. However, I knew that that wasn’t the solution or the answer or what God wanted me to do. So really, questions about church have been circling in my mind for almost 2 years. I kept wanting to make it what I knew from all my past experiences. After all, those have to be right because that’s what I liked. Yep, I said it, what I, Connie Roberts, liked. Wow. That’s when it started to hit me, is something right or wrong because I like or don’t like it? Of course I knew the answer to that was no. I do think, though, that some of the ideas can be used to change things up or incorporate new ideas. I know God wants to use me and my past experiences, skills, knowledge, etc. I just never wanted to do it for the wrong reasons. I wanted to do things because that was what God was calling me to do or how He wanted me to use what He had given me. Basically, I wanted to make sure my motivation was right and I wasn’t just going to go change things to how I liked or wanted them.

Recently, I was listening to a sermon online that made me think even more about church and it’s purpose and who the intended audience of church is….seekers or believers. I’m sure the answer is both. But it seems like there are two extremes. It helped me to see church as a place not only to worship God together, but encourage each other to keep on keeping on. I’m not getting that, but MORE IMPORTANTLY, I am not giving that. I am not sharing experiences from my week with others and I’m not asking about theirs. I’m not encouraging fellow believers to live for Christ during the next week. How do you meld that with also being pre-believer friendly? Or should it be more that The Great Commission is lived outside of the church and once God has opened a person’s heart that going to church fits into that? I guess a person wouldn’t even consider church if God hadn’t opened their heart. Right now, though, I’m not sure I would invite someone to my church. I guess I have invited a couple people, but no one has come yet. I would be nervous if they did actually come to church. Is that doubting God’s ability to work? Or should the church be more inviting to those who don’t yet know Him?

I definitely don’t want to get legalistic and say that a church must do A, B, and C or it’s doing it all wrong. I want to know what GOD’S intent for church is. Then help build the church that direction with freedom in the non-essentials while making sure that the purpose God has for the church is being fulfilled. I definitely need to dig into my Bible more to see what God has to say.

Church?

What is the purpose of church? 

I'm going to explore this topic more in depth by breaking it down into two separate posts. This first one is a response from Pastor Jim Murphy when I posed the following questions to him:

• What is the purpose of church? As in, going to church, meeting together at a set time, etc.
• What are some Biblical references where I can begin to study it for myself?
• As well, what insights and thoughts do have on this topic?

Here is his response, which I agree whole-heartedly with:

I see these reasons for attending a church:

--to worship God in the fellowship of His people. There's no doubt you can worship God in your home or on a mountain, but something is different about corporate worship. It may be Jesus' promise that when two or more are gathered in His name, He is there. Certainly the subjective experience of worshiping alone, or even in a small group, is different from what we experience when we are with a larger group.

Psalms 122:1 I rejoiced with those who said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord." That verse speaks about what a good thing it is to join with God's people in worship together.

--to strengthen our faith. We live in a culture that is increasingly opposed to biblical truth and faith. It reinforces our convictions to fellowship with other believers who share our beliefs - and this is especially important when we work in a secular environment and may get some opposition during the week.

Hebrews 10:24-25 "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching." --this isn't speaking specifically about "going to church to a worship service", but what it says certainly applies to that setting as well as to fellowship groups, etc. When we gather at church, we have the opportunity to encourage each other in the faith.

--the 4th commandment is to set aside one day in seven as a "sabbath" to the Lord. This day has two purposes: one is to refrain from work, which is an act of faith, expressing our confidence that God will provide for our needs even though we are not working. The other is to worship Him - it is a "Sabbath to the Lord". It's not intended to be just a day to play, but a day to focus on God, to establish a rhythm to our week that intentionally and deliberately includes the Lord, thereby anchoring our lives in Him, rather than in ourselves or our culture.

So that's some of what I see as the purposes for "going to church". But really, if it is seen that way, I think it misses the whole point. Somehow that phrase puts it in the realm of a duty, an obligation, something I am supposed to do, and if I don't do it, I'm a bad person. Rather, I see it as something I WANT to do. I LOVE worshiping with the Lord's people. I LOVE fellowshipping with His people. The question I have is, Why would someone NOT want to do that?

Inch By Inch

Spring Cleaning!

Yep, going through the house INCH BY INCH and purging our lives of so much "stuff." You know, the stuff that sits in the closets and the corners for who knows how long, hasn't been used, that you forgot you even had. That stuff! And it feels good! Two rooms and two closets down... turns out it takes a while to go through EVERYTHING. But I enjoy looking into a cleaned out closet or a clean room thats been rid of clutter. The goal from here on out is to keep it that way - organized and clutter free. Isn't that always the goal with these deep cleanings, though? I mean it this time, seriously! Ha ha.

Now, I just need the stamina to finish the rest of the house. :)

More Goals

Here are the rest of my goals continuing from my previous post, Highly Motivated?

Physical Goals

• Lose one pound per week, reaching my goal weight on July 4th, 2011
• Exercise - be active
• Interval training 3x per week
• Basic weights 3x per week
• Find an activity I really enjoy and do it
• Watch what I put in my mouth and body
• Eat at least 5 servings of vegetables per day
• Drink at least 60 ounces of water per day
• Cut sugar down considerably and avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup
• Cut out breads, pastas, etc. I am currently aiming to be gluten free for a while.
• Take supplements daily
• Eat out less often

Mental/Emotional Goals
These are things that I feel will help maintain my health mentally and emotionally.

• Take a class - online or in person
• Read for pleasure
• Watch less TV. Currently, Ryan and I are only watching "scheduled" TV which means no just sitting around watching whatever is on. We watch recorded shows, movies or live sports.
• Journal or blog once per week
• Talk with friends once per week or have lunch with those friends who are nearby
• Volunteer in the community and at church
• Pray
• Learn photography and web design

 

A Few Pictures

Tall Family Picture - February 2011

 And of course, pictures of the nephew, Jensen (15 1/2 months)

What's Dat?

Reading With Gampa

Mmmmm...EVERYTHING goes in my mouth. :)

Uncle Ryan is SO fun!

Corned Beef and Cabbage Day!

This is the day I look forward to every year. Yep, Corned Beef and Cabbage Day, also known as St. Patrick's Day to most. Ha. I can't explain it and Ryan really can't understand it, but corned beef and cabbage is perhaps my favorite meal. I could literally eat myself sick and usually come close to that every year. Sad I know, but that is the truth. Mmmmmm......

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Highly Motivated?

Goal-oriented is not a word that I would use to describe myself in general, which may translate into not being a highly motivated person either. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy making goals and writing them down in lists with ways to achieve those goals. However, there is a disconnect somewhere between the brainstorming of them, the writing them down and actually accomplishing them. One reason may be that I don’t review my goals often or even think about them. One way to put it may be that I am not intentional or purposeful with them.

I was watching a show yesterday and they had an expert on with a list of 5 Secrets of Motivated People. Put anything in list form and I am bound to like it. Ha ha. Honestly, though, I liked what she had to say in her list, so I thought I would share them here.

Secret #1: Anticipate speed bumps in your plan. Before even trying to achieve a goal, plan for potential pitfalls and either preempt them if you can, or come up with a strategy to deal with them if they arise.

Secret #2: Go public with your goal. It’s harder to abandon a dream when you know that people are tracking your progress.

Secret #3: Challenge yourself, and change things up. It’s hard to remain enthusiastic when everything stays the same.

Secret #4: Consider how what you’re doing benefits others.

Secret #5: Make it meaningful.

More details on each item are listed here as I have only included some of the details.

Well, in going along with Secret #2 above, I figured I should "go public" with my goals. When I sat down in January, my thought process was that I needed to be more intentional in everything that I do - that it should all have purpose. As a result, I came up with five categories of goals: spiritual, physical, mental/emotional, church, and marriage. For today, I will just share my spiritual goals and save the others for the next few days.

Spiritual Goals

• Closer relationship with God
• Daily Bible study
• Start my day with prayer
• Develop Christ-like character
• Study and know Christ and His life
• Consciously think about His character and choose to live that way
• Pray to be changed into His likeness
• Grow in my understanding of God
• Pray - listen and talk to God regularly
• Set aside at least 15 minutes a day
• Write out prayers when possible (helps to maintain focus and also to go back and see how God is working)
• Talk with God throughout my day
• Miscellaneous Goals
• Read through the Bible this year
• Memorize a verse every 2 weeks

Just for the record, with these (and all the other goals for that matter), I have failed miserably at some and others I'm actually not doing too bad. It was great to re-read these as I was sharing them as a refresher for myself.
 
Aiming to be more intentional in my life and live a life of purpose is truly my ultimate goal, whether it be in how I love others, spend my time, or use my resources. These helpful steps and subsequent goals are hopefully just the beginning.

5 Things

5 Things I Am Grateful for Today

• The foot massage I am currently getting from my husband
• Warmer weather and longer days
• Getting some spring cleaning done
• A wonderful time of Bible Study this afternoon
• A chance to get to know some of my co-workers a little more today

5 Things I'm Looking Forward to This Week

• Bible Study tomorrow night with some of my former co-workers
• Corned beef and cabbage for dinner on St. Patty's Day. Yum!
• The snow to keep melting and possibly be gone by the end of the week (hey, I can always hope)
• More spring cleaning and organizing around the house
• Learning more about God's love and His purposes

5 Things I'm Looking Forward to in the Next 30 Minutes

• Washing my face
• Brushing my teeth
• Getting in to bed
• Cuddling with my hubby
• And going to sleep! I'm beat. G'night all. :)

Scrumptious Chicken Chili

The first time I made this Ryan told me it was the one of the best things he'd ever eaten. Enjoy!

Chicken Chili

½ onion, chopped
1.5 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles
½ Tbsp. ground cumin
½ Tbsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
Ground cayenne pepper to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
3 (15 oz) cans cannellini beans
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

In a large pot over medium heat, combine the onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes. Add the chicken, green chiles, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and black pepper to taste and saute for 5 more minutes.

Add two cans of the beans and the chicken broth to the pot. Take the third can of beans and puree them in a blender or food processor. Add this to the pot along with the cheese. Stir well and simmer for at least 10 minutes, allowing the cheese to melt.

2 Days in the City

Well, I only successfully managed to post 2 days in a row before I missed a day, but oh well. We went to Salt Lake Friday and Saturday, so I'm ok with it. :)

What took us to the city was Ryan's nerdy side (those are his words...ha ha). The Highlands Bagpipe Experience drew Ryan to downtown Salt Lake with me at his side. Oh, and my parents came along for the ride. Actually, it turned out to be really fun. The Utah Pipeband played some bagpipe music with some cute dancing Scottish girls. It was an interactive experience learning about a little bit of Scottish history, more about the bagpipe and Scottish dress. Plus, I just like the feel of being downtown.

Afterwards we hung out with my brother and nephew, which is always fun. My nephew is a VERY active 16 month old little boy with quite the personality. He's at a stage where he is learning lots and its fun to see his little brain work and all the words he is learning. And he is finally starting to remember his Aunt Nonnie and Uncle Wine. :)

Today, we spent the day at the Spring Home and Garden Show with my parents walking around and attending a few presentations about gardening. Sounds nerdy, but we all enjoyed it. We followed that up eating at one of my favorite restaurants, Iggy's. My wonderful husband then took me shopping at Payless and to get a frozen coffee drink from Beans N Brews, another one of my favorites. He is too sweet!

We had quite the eventful drive home encountering an unexpected snow storm in the canyon with low visibility, but we made it home safe and sound thankfully.

Reading through this, it doesn't sound that exciting, but it was actually such a fun weekend and just what I needed. But I have to say that one of my favorite parts of the weekend was the great conversations my hubby and I had on the drive out. I love how different we are and where our conversations go. :)

Lent

“Yet even now, says the Lord, repent and return to me with all your heart” Joel 2:13 Today is Ash Wednesday—the beginning of the Church’s observance of the Lenten season. It is a space in time in which we are called to stop whatever we are doing, no matter how important it might be, and enter more intentionally into the disciplines of prayer, self-examination and repentance. But these disciplines—as significant as they are—are not ends in themselves. They are a means to an end and that end is that we would return to God with all our hearts." Ruth Haley Barton

Yes, I know I'm a day late as Lent started yesterday, but I liked this quote a friend posted on Facebook yesterday, so I thought I'd post it anyway.

I’ve never observed Lent before, at least that I can remember. I guess it wasn’t something I ever really stopped to consider doing, however, I think that it is important if thought about in the context above. So, this year I am going to take this time before Easter to observe Lent by giving up something and intentionally turning towards God with all my heart.

I challenge anyone reading this to also think about observing Lent this year.

An Experiment in Writing

I like to write, yet I don't do it very often (which you will see if you follow my blog that I average a post every 3 or so months). Ha. But, writing helps me process what's going on in my head and what's happening in my life. Thus, the idea for this experiment.

Often times I don't feel like I have anything to write about or just can't think of anything to write about. However, when I first started thinking of doing this experiment, I started making a list of possible blog topics and I came up with somewhere over 60, so perhaps I do have something to say. Or is it just that I have LOTS swirling around in my little brain?! Hmmmm.... :)

As well, I love reading my friends' blogs and get a little disappointed if there isn't something new to read. So, I thought perhaps maybe they'd like to hear from me, too. :) If not, that's ok, cause I'm going to write anyway. Ha ha.

The Experiment
For the next 30 days (at least) I'm going to write a blog post each day. Some will be serious, some will not, others will be things I'd like to share, such as recipes, or products, or just thoughts I'm mulling over. This experiment will also be a little bit about discipline, as my laziness might try to creep up and try to stop me from writing. I think perhaps that is another reason why I don't write more often, so this will be good.

As well, I'd love to hear any feedback or comments on anything and everything that I have to say. So, please pipe in and share back with me!