Choose Your Hard

 On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and some Saturdays,
I "enjoy" an interval run.
It is far from enjoyment.
It is an exercise in discipline.

I warm up for 5 minutes, run for 3, walk for 2, run for 3, walk for 2, ...
I continue for 35 minutes or 6 cycles.

As I ran last week on a particularly drippy day,
I thought of how much motivation it took to get myself outside.
I do not enjoy this activity ...
... at least until I reach the end,
... until I sleep so well at night,
... until I see the resting heart rate and blood pressure lowering,
... until I feel the accomplishment of beating my 20-year-old self.

There are a lot of hard choices.

I saw a quote that said something like ...

Work is hard, being broke is hard,
Choose your hard.
Exercise is hard, being unfit is hard,
Choose your hard.
Communicating is hard, not communicating is hard,
Choose your hard.
Marriage is hard, divorce is hard,
Choose your hard.

You get the idea.
I run because I want to stay mobile and healthy.
I want to enjoy the life I have.
I want to avoid the doctor when I can.
I value mobility more than I despise the intervals.

So you may face an issue that requires discipline.
It may be a hard choice.
But the alternative may not be easy either.
Make the effort to be disciplined today.

Choose to spend time with the Lord.
Choose to memorize His Word.
Choose to eat right.
Choose to take care of your body.
Choose to speak with grace.
Choose not to react in anger.

Choose the best hard.

Filled to Overflowing

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Colossians 3:16

 What is filling you?

In so asking, I also ask ... what is flowing out of you?

This week, we have heard much about politics.

It has been an unusual week.

But the question is: Are you filled and overflowing with Scripture?
I was challenged to look at a thanksgiving passage each day this month.
The first verse on the list included this verse.

And I thought, what is filling me?
A life saturated with the Word will spill over into the lives of others.
What is spilling?
Is it profitable?
Nothing is more profitable than God's Word!

As I thought about this, I prepared for church with a specific verse on my tongue.

Habakkuk 2:20
But the LORD is in his holy temple:
let all the earth keep silence before him.  

I want my words to be God's Words and to overflow with life for others.

Are you ready for church tomorrow or for work this week?
Are you saturated with the news?
a book?
a movie?
or with the life-giving Word?

The choice I want is obvious,
but it will take discipline and focus.
But oh, it is worth it!

A Challenge for November

Our church family has been challenged for the month of November.
The challenge is to pray for another family in the church each day of the month - 30 days.
The challenge includes sending them encouragement,
letting them know why they are appreciated.
The challenge can even include gifts of gratitude.

I guess it is kind of a "Secret Santa" or "Secret Sister" type idea.

But doesn't God work in your heart as you focus on others?
Don't you sympathize more and criticize less while you are focusing on the needs of another? 
Isn't there a blessing in looking for the good in others and holding others up?

While our challenge was done so that no family would be left out,
is there someone in your sphere that you would commit to encourage this month?

Just Turn it Over

 Philippians 4:6

Be careful for nothing;
but in every thing by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known unto God.

It seems like there are
cares,
worries,
concerns,
stressors
all around us. 

God already knows my burdens and cares,
but He wants to hear from me ...
every burden,
every care,
every worry.
I can thank Him as I turn every care over to His loving care
knowing that He will deal with the burdens in His will and way.

Lord, forgive me when I have an apathetic approach to prayer.
You want to hear from me.
You want to show yourself strong on my behalf.

Another Month Gone

 I can't believe that another month has gone by.

Hubby is back to teaching for a week or two, 

so I have a couple of extra hours a few evenings of each week to return to the blogosphere.

It has been a month of more changes and of making adaptations.

I determined to be more discipline in my housework.

I did get though the whole house in the month of September.

I am headed back through this month and getting some of the grime left behind by the smoke of the fires.

I determined to get back to running regularly.

Running (or wogging) is a relative term.

Hubby was wogging with me on Saturdays, but

I am now interval walk/jogging 2 other days each week by myself.

It seems to be the best way to get my heart rate in the peak zone to boost my stamina.

It also lowers my resting heart rate.

We have additional family responsibilities again.

It is nice to do what we came here to do,

but it does require additional time - 

especially on the weekends.

I am now teaching weekly.

I continue to have my little friends over to the house

for one hour each week to prepare specials for church.

And I am teaching a Sunday School class each Sunday.

Of course, this prep work has taken time as well.

And then, we always seem continue to adapt our diet 

as we determine what really fuels our bodies and keeps us feeling good.

We have been learning to use many more plant-based meals throughout the week.

I never really imagined that, but here we are.

This too has taken more research and time to find quality meals that provide all the nutrients we need without using meat and dairy all of the time.

And this leads me to the delicious meal that we had tonight.

A delicious Lentil and Quinoa Stew

The recipe called for beef, but also said that it could be left out.

The quinoa and the lentils provided plenty of protein.

And the quinoa has lowered hubby's blood pressure amazingly.

During his time in the military, he was actually hypertensive,

but now he is on the low side of normal!

Ingredients

2 tbsp extra light olive oil

½ cup quinoa (washed and rinsed)

1½ cups dried lentils (washed and rinsed)

½ cup carrots (peeled, chopped)

1 medium onion (chopped)

1 cup butternut squash (diced) 

2 bay leaves

1 tsp ground cumin

1½ tsp Himalayan salt

½ tsp Dried Oregano

½ tsp dried basil

¼ tsp dried rosemary

¼ tsp celery seeds

1 pinch rubbed sage

1 tsp ground black pepper

¼ tsp fennel seeds 

6 cups beef bone broth 

1 tbsp coconut oil

Instructions

• Heat oil in a deep pot over medium heat.  Add the quinoa and toss to coat. Once coated, add the lentils, onions, carrots, butternut squash and all herbs and spices along with the beef bone broth.
• Bring to a boil before reducing the heat to a low simmer. Cover and allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes until the quinoa and lentils are cooked, adding water (and/or stock) as needed. Gently turn the ingredients occasionally to ensure that they don't stick or burn, and to ensure that there is enough liquid in the pot.
• Once the quinoa and lentils are fully cooked, discard the bay leaves and juniper berries and stir in the coconut oil.
• Turn off the heat and cover the pot for at least 15 minutes to allow the ingredients' flavors to meld together.

It was just so yummy on a cool fall night with some fresh bread.

The fennel seeds really give it a warm, pleasant flavor.

The recipe said it would feed 4,  but the portions were quite large.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

 

... And a thousand thanks.

Thanks to God for sending rain.

Thanks to those who have been praying.

No guarantees that it will permanently clear the air,

But the relief is great today.

I Have An Addiction

 I am going through withdrawals

and they are not easy to deal with.

I am addicted to my almost daily walks

and to fresh air.

The past week and counting have shown me just how addicted I am.

As the air quality has been in the "hazardous" zone, we have stayed in.

It appears that the levels are coming down.

Today we are at the "unhealthy" level.

We are still praying for a good soaking rain or a favorable wind.

It will probably take a while to clear the valley,

also known as "The Valley of Death" because it traps air and allergens.

I have missed my nearly daily walks outside

and walking dates with my hubby.

An addiction to walking is not bad.

In fact, it is what has kept us sane many times in the past year.

Hubby is using a respirator to survive his days at work.

He mentioned possibly getting me one so that we can walk outside again.

We'll see!

Now, if only I could get addicted to broccoli!

WAITING, PATIENCE, BLESSINGS

 It is certainly rare that I write on a Saturday.

Then again, it has been an odd Saturday,

or perhaps an odd week.

On Labor Day evening, the smoke started drifting into our little town.

We have been inside most of the week because the air quality is so poor.

Our yard is full of ashes.

The siding on the house is filthy.

In fact, we tried to carry on with our Burgerville Friday night tradition last night

and they had closed due to the poor conditions (especially for the worker at the pick up window).

Today, we just planned to stay in for the day.

Usually, our Saturdays start with a "wog."

I am not a fast jogger and my jog actually looks like a fast walk,

so I call it a "wog."

We actually interval run together.

We will run for 3 minutes, walk for 2 minutes for 7 cycles - 35 minutes.

When we complete that, we will find a coffee or juice treat in town.

Then we finish our steps for the entire day (13,000) and head home.

Then we have brunch around 11,

clean up,

and then enjoy our Bible study for the day.

We started this schedule about 2 months ago and have really enjoyed it.

I only cook 2 times on Saturday and we enjoy something snacky in between meals or a special treat after dinner.

Today, we were not going to be able to interval run outside.

So we woke up and did a walking video inside.

A good 70 minutes of walking.

While we didn't get all of our steps for the day, it was a good start.

We carried on with our brunch tradition and enjoyed cinnamon raisin french toast.

Then we cleaned up and did our Bible study.

Then it was time for another 30-minute indoor walking video,

followed by a family movie.

How about another 30-minute indoor walk

followed by dinner?

We had a BBQ Salmon BLT salad.

Delicious.

And now we are blogging "together."

Later tonight, we will have a little strawberry shortcake as our treat.

All that to get to my point about waiting.

Right now we are doing a lot of waiting.

Waiting for an evacuation order?

Waiting for rain.

Waiting for the smoke to clear.

Waiting to walk outside again.

Life is full of waiting.

Last week, I thought about this verse because of some different struggles in our life.

Psalm 145:15

The eyes of all wait upon thee;

and thou givest them their meat in due season.

The true Christian life is one of dependence,

is one of patience and waiting, 

is one of trust.

I personally hate waiting.

I hate being patient.

But I have to remind my flesh that God's timing is perfect and His plans and blessings are worth the wait!

I don't necessarily know what "smoke" is hemming you in.

I don't know what you are waiting on.

But I do know that you are waiting.

Everyone is or should be waiting for God's next step in his/her life.

Just remember that it will be worth the wait.

He is waiting to give the blessing "in due season."

Looking for the Little Things

"He enjoys much who is thankful for little."

-Thomas Secker-

We should be thankful for the little things every day,

but some times those little things really become big things.

In Western Oregon, the weather is VERY moderate.

Air Conditioning, while nice, is not really a necessity like it is in some areas.

Because of the poor air quality the past few days, we have had to close the house up completely,

and we have become more thankful for the airconditioning in our little rental home.

It is just another "little" thing that God saw in advance 

and prepared for us and our comfort.

Today, I am thankful for our airconditioning.

Not Later, How About Now?

Two weeks ago, I wrote about some jobs that I have been putting off,

those undesirable jobs that are not weekly, but do need done more than yearly
or more than just when packing to move.😀
Did you check any of the undesirable jobs off of your to-do list?

Funny thing is ... after I mentioned some of those jobs,
I was actually forced to address some of those dreaded jobs.

The day I wrote that blog, hubby came home sick.
So when he recovered, ALL the bedding got washed-
duvet cover, pillows ...
and since he was also in the living room ...
throw pillows and covers and blankets in there as well.

I really liked the not so gentle prod to get moving
and downloaded a phone app that gives me a good list of those infrequent jobs divided by week.
The first week was fairly easy - entryway, dining room, and hallway.
It did include the cobwebs outside the door that needed to be removed.

Last week, the focus was on the kitchen,
so the cupboards got washed,
the dreaded refrigerator cleaned,
and the stove cleaned.

Because of the holiday on Monday,
I haven't started this week's focus rooms,
but it will be the guest room and the 3 bathrooms.
Since I just scoured the bathroom floors,
this shouldn't be too bad.

And once again, I am forced to address some other undesirable jobs.
This actually does have to be put off for at least a day or two.
The Eastern Oregon fires are creating a great mess in our little valley.
The air is thick with ash and there is a silvery dust EVERYWHERE outside.
So the newly formed cobwebs are emphasized and the whole house exterior will need to be washed down.
The sidewalk will need to be washed.
So while it won't be addressed until the air clears,
there is no choice but to get out there and get it done.
Oh, and I guess the car will need a good cleaning as well.