Christian Encouragers-February/March '14
 

:hug: Welcome Friends :hug:
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You've found a great place to come and vent, share or ask for prayer support.
This is a great group who will be very encouraging, caring and loving....
....anyone is welcome to join!

A Servant's Prayer --

Jesus, My Jesus....How marvelous are your ways....
Far more splendid than my mind can envision.
What an honor to be chosen by you.
A lowly child I am, but empowered by the Holy Spirit
to fulfill the great hope to which you have called me.
I give myself totally to you, Lord.
Take my imperfect heart and make it perfect.
Peel away the hardness.
Close the doors I have opened to the temptations of this world.
Gently remove the roots of painful memories, sins, doubts and fears.
Discard anything that separates me from you.
Lord, fill the emptiness with the light of your love that I might be a
beacon calling the lost back to you.

To love as you love.....
To serve as you serve.....
To forgive as you forgive.....
Always mindful of my nothingness while doing great
and marvelous things in your name and for your glory.
This I pray, Jesus, in YOUR name ...
Amen.

Hello friends! Gosh, I totally forgot that the month changed! Can't believe we're almost halfway through February already. That nasty Valentine's Day is upon us again;) Anyone have big plans? I figure that since we've been married 23 years now, big plans for Valentine's Day means not arguing about something! :lol:

:val1: Whether you have plans or not, remember the best valentine of all…God gave His Son to pay the price for our shortcomings, sins, and total inability to live by God's laws, so that if we trust in His sacrifice, we don't have to pay that penalty ourselves! Eternity with our Creator, instead of an eternity of suffering. We are so blessed! :val3:

We're finally getting some warming here…supposed to be in the 20's today and tomorrow, then some more warming and possibly into the upper 30's early next week! Hoping those of you in the south stay safe and don't have to go out into the ice and mess. Don't go if you don't absolutely have to--that's something I've learned in my years up here in these northern regions--it's not worth an accident or being stuck in freezing weather. Be safe!

Have a great day and God bless you all!

We have 5+ inches of snow and our governors in the Carolinas have asked everyone to stay off the roads unless you have to go out to work etc. So we normal would go out for a special dinner, but not this year. we are staying home safe and warm.

I have enjoyed the snow and always look forward to our 1 or 2 events of it each year. I always thought I would love to live where we had it more often, but I now know that is not for me. Of course, this year is rare for us... they say the last time we had it this bad was in 2002. We don't have the equipment in my area like northern states who have snow most of the winter so we are stuck at home probably until Sunday if we can even get out then. That is because we don't know how quick this is going to get out of here. It has stopped snowing, but they say we may get a freezing rain behind this and the temperature isn't going up too much over freezing. So we are in a "wait" and see situation. Just 3 days of this and then being stuck while it melts enough to be safe on the roads (what melts during the night will freeze at night), I can honestly say that I will be extremely ready for spring when this is over. I know you northern friends, I am a wimp. LOL

Prayers continue for everyone and a special prayer goes out to all of those of you who have had this white stuff all winter long.

Trish-Yep..it's much better to stay in safe and sound. You can always go out for dinner or something later :)


Everyone have a Happy Valentine's Day :val3:

Oh Trish & Ronni, I thank God he made me a Texan. I just could not live in your conditions. I have to say, y' all that live up north or the real pioneer women, bless y'all s hearts.

Hi, everyone! Well, more snow again this morning-about 4" I'm guessing, but could be more. It's hard to tell with all the wind blowing it around.

So, no one going anywhere here today-school's cancelled and I rescheduled a couple appointments, plus, DS3 is down with a virus, probably norovirus, because he's been vomiting-ick! Really, really hoping it passes me by.

I've been reading a lot to get through this winter. Has anyone read the book about the 'blood type diet' which is mostly about being healthiest and not actually weight loss. Also, reading Atkin's right now-he actually agrees with much of what I've learned about oils, cholesterol, fats, and heart issues, so it's very interesting. In fact, both books indicate that I should never worry about the meat I eat and be very careful about grains (go figure with the allergy issues-lol!). Anyway, reading's my favorite way to kill the time in these long, boring winters…and Facebook and computer games ;)

So, hope you all have a great day! Stay safe and warm! And, Bootsie, enjoy your warmth down there! I'm jealous, you know!

Ronni what is the blood type about? I was on Atkins when I got sick, went back to counting calories. I think it also helps to change my diet each week,so my diet will not get so boring and I come more sticking to a diet. I wish we would just get a nice pour down, tanks are dried up again. Stay warm.

Bootsie-I'd gladly send you some of our piles of snow! We're supposed to get a blizzard Wednesday night into Thursday now…getting a bit tired of the nasty white stuff! The book that talks about the 'blood type diet' is called "Eat Right for (4) Your Type" by Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo. The basic gist of it is that he believes that the foods we eat and don't eat should be based on our blood types and that there are foods that are bad for us based on that. So, for optimum health, there are foods that we should avoid based on our blood type. My opinion is that quite a bit of what he says fits me (he talks about type O's having more incidence of food allergies and that we should never eat wheat and certain other grains, and do better eating lots of meat, which is what I seem to feel best doing), but some of what he says is outdated and taken from the AMA's mistaken recommendations of the 80's and 90's (particularly about coconut oil, palm oil, and cholesterol being bad for you, which they are not). It is definitely an interesting read. I'm going to do Atkins, since I'm supposed to eat meat and not grains (works for me). I had never actually done it right before. Mom had us doing it in the 70's when it first hit the diet scene, but we were just told to eat less than 20 grams of carbs a day and that was what we had to stay with forever, but that's not what he actually recommends, so I'm going to do what his newest book talks about and see what happens. I feel so yucky lately and think it's because I just can't handle too many carbs. Even corn and corn flours seem to be bothering me lately, so it can't hurt to try something new:)

Not much else going on here. Went to town to take DS3 to the doctor. He has the flu, but isn't getting over it, so they believe he has a secondary infection and ordered antibiotics to get it knocked out. Also, went to get groceries for us and mom, in preparation for the coming blizzard.

Mom's not doing well. Her meds aren't working properly yet and they ordered an increase. Hoping she responds soon or we'll have to have her hospitalized to get stabilized again. She's a very angry person right now and thinks people are trying to 'gas' her again. Sometimes, I feel like I'm going crazy dealing with all her delusions. Prayers would be appreciated.

Well, hope everyone takes care and stays safe, especially if you're expecting bad weather again, like we are. God bless!

Thanks Ronni going to do Atkins too. Hopefully my insurance will be worked out soon and get some test done. Going to find a new doctor also.

Hello, everyone! Haven't been able to get on here in a few days-everyone here at my house has been sick with this nasty virus that's been going around. Lots of coughing and sniffing, plus DS3 keeps getting a fever and he's been fighting this thing for a month now and has had one round of antibiotics already. Heading to doc today again-he wants to do blood work to see if there's something else going on. Fortunately, DS3's on spring break, so not missing school again. DS2 headed back to his college yesterday and is sick as a dog today (he knew he was coming down with it Sunday, but today he's really bad), so could use a few prayers for him to get healthy quickly and be able to finish up his college career well--only 8 more weeks and I'll have a college graduate!! Can't believe how quickly this time has gone by. DS2 finishing college and DS3 finishing high school at the same time!

I took a bad excursion off Atkins for a week or so and started feeling absolutely terrible! I'm convinced, now, that carbs are just really bad for my system. Back on the plan Monday and feeling great! Can't believe the bad effects that those carbs have on me:?: And, I wasn't eating wheat or any gluten or dairy products, just corn, raisins, and other carbs like that. Live and learn, as they say.

Hope you all are having a great day! Prayers for all!

Ronnie what do you have for Breakfast on the Atkins diet? Girls do y'all find yourselves going back and reading Rosebuds comments?

Ronni I joined the Atkins community and they even plan some meals for you it is really neat

I usually have 2 eggs and sometimes I add some ham or bacon. And, yes, I do go back to read Rosebud's comments, especially those on emotional eating. She had such great wisdom!

I joined the community also, but haven't posted anything. I disagree with their use of artificial sweeteners, so can't use a lot of their recipes, but it is good for ideas:) Maybe I'll run into you there too;)

Hello to everyone else, too! Been a rough few days here. Mom's out of control, but I've basically had to just wash my hands of her situation and wait for her to end up in the hospital again. Then, I finally caught the dreaded virus that's been infecting my DH and DS's-they're all on antibiotics because the virus caused 2ndary bacterial sinus infections for them. I hope I can escape that! Down a few pounds since deciding to hit Atkins seriously, but this cold virus is making me retain fluids, so the scale has slowed a bit, but I know it'll get better--trying to keep optimistic here!

Well, not much going on here. A lot, lot, lot of snow melting, finally, which is wonderful! Our house finches are back in the next right outside my kitchen window and I think they may have an egg already. She stays in the nest most of the time which usually means she's already laid eggs. They usually have 2 broods of 4 chicks every year in our little nest! It's fun watching them feed and grow and then, suddenly, they're big and just jump out of the nest! Sometimes, the young fly back in and wait and the mom (who we call Natasha-dad is Boris) will come in and feed the lazy little teenagers! It's kinda funny!

Hope you all have a nice day! Prayers for Bargoo and Karen (and Tim). God bless!

Hi ladies! Needed to stop thru. Hoping all is well with you. I'm sorting out some depression/life balance things so if you could whisper a quick prayer I'm grateful.

First day of Spring - hope it finds you well. <3

Prayers for Becky that all will be well .

Becky-Prayers lifted up!

"For I know the plans I have for you , declares the Lord , plans for welfare and not evil , to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. Jeremiah 29 11-12

Bargoo-Love that verse! Clinging to it right now! How are you doing? I pray for you daily. God bless you!

Hello, everyone! It's been an unbelievable few days, but must share how God is working. My mom (most of you are familiar with her mental health issues) took a bad fall off a step-ladder on Friday. Broke both the tibia and fibula on her right leg just below the knee. It's the same leg as her hip replacement. Unbelievably, she did not damage the prosthesis! Or the other hip! The docs at our local hospital, where she was taken by ambulance after she called her neighbor who called me, were going to jump into surgery right away on Friday night, but we requested that she be transferred to Mayo where her hip replacement was done. After the doctor became aware of her allergy problems and the mental health issue, he approved the transfer. The specialist here has been wonderful! He said right away on Friday night that surgery may not be needed and they would just keep her in the hospital and make a decision on Monday (today). As of now, they are planning to either put on a cast or leave her in the immobilizer brace instead of doing surgery! They don't think it would be necessary and she doesn't need more trauma. She'll be going down soon for more x-rays and the cast or bracing. They found a blood clot too, so they're working on resolving that before she's released. She'll probably have to do to a nursing home, so they're working with us to find one that can handle all her needs.

Prayers are appreciated! God has surely been working in this, helping get her transferred and cared for by doctors who understand all her issues! Praise Him!

This is the day the Lord has made, let is rejoice and be glad ln it,

Without Good Friday, there can be no Easter

I read that on Facebook this morning and I hope everyone feels the conflicting emotions that come from that knowledge. Sadness that Jesus had to die to bring us back to God the Father, but joy in knowing that He loved us so incredibly much that He was willing to do what needed to be done, whatever the pain and cost to Himself. He finished the plan God set in motion at creation, fulfilling all the law, and allowing us to have joyous eternity with Father God, if we only will accept and believe that He is THE WAY, THE TRUTH, THE LIGHT.

I pray that you all, my dear friends, have a very blessed Easter weekend! Praise God from Whom ALL blessings flow!

'For God so loved the world (us) that he gave his only begotten son...'