Put the Brakes on Destructive Cycles

A frigid wind buffeted my car as I drove through the dark January night. Even though I'd been sick for a few days, I refused to miss our first writers' group meeting of the year.  After all, I felt 80% better and wasn't contagious anymore. 

The meeting energized me so much I stayed up all night writing.

And woke up later 100% sick. Unable to get out of bed sick.

photo courtesy marin @ freedigitalphotos.net

My long-suffering (and irritated) husband has watched me pedal that same STUPID cycle for over 25 years.

                            Get sick.

                                         Get ALMOST well.

                                                         Push myself too hard and become REALLY sick.

Most of us struggle with habits that keep us circling around the same mountain like the Israelites on their forty year desert hike.

It's time to break the cycle, and I don't mean the Schwinn 10-speed.

Let's backpedal from the old routes that lead down destructive paths. 

How?

1) Hit the brakes as soon as we realize we're cycling around the mountain. 

Each new minute equals a new start.

2) Hop off the bike and do something else. Hunching on the edge of the sofa nibbling our nails and insisting, "I won't do that. I won't do that," only makes us crave it more. 

Replace our negative nemesis with a positive action.

Example:

photo courtesy artur84 @ freedigitalphotos.net

Old way:  "Rats. I've eaten most of the bag of potato chips. Oh well, I'll just finish them and start fresh tomorrow."

New way: "Evil junk food! You're chipping away at my health, and compounding cellulite on my thighs. I sentence you to the trashcan of destruction." 

(Disgusting but true: I actually have to smash the chips into crumbs, empty them in the trash, and cover them with garbage. Anyone else?)

Now we reward ourselves with a positive. (Put down that Hershey bar!)

Something energizing, like getting together with friends.

Something relaxing, like a scented bubble bath.

Something informative, like learning a new language.

Something helpful, like volunteering. 

Yes, it's still too hard to do it in our own strength, but the great news is:

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phil 4:13

When old habits overwhelm us we can call on the Lord. He loves us. He's our strength when we're weak.

Do you have a plan to break free from destructive habits? How will you reward yourself? I'd love to hear.
Please share on my Facebook page.  

3 Steps to Victory

It's the middle of January, and the corpses of New Year's resolution are piling up like plague victims in the Dark Ages.

Anyone else struggling with a habit that seem insurmountable? Or hiding the struggle?

Here's our opportunity to break the chains, pull out of our ruts and ACHIEVE VICTORY.


photo courtesy David Castillo Dominici @freedigitalphotos.net

Sound impossible?
With God all things are possible. Matt 19:26

 Let's join together, right here, right now and defeat those things that seem overwhelming or unachievable.
 
In the past they may have given us a bigger smackdown than a folding chair on a WWE wrestler, but
 

each new minute equals a new start.

Here's a 3-Step roadmap to the great state of Victory.

1) Identify the issue. What's holding us back? 

2) Create an action plan with daily, weekly and/or monthly steps.

3) Share on my Facebook page. Post encouragements. Share strategies to get through moments of weakness.

Don't want to specify what the struggle is? No problem. Just call it the "Thing."

As in, "The Thing's kicking my tail tonight." And we'd respond with encouragements like, "Can you replace it with something else? Like take a walk or round up wild mustangs?"



photo courtesy khunaspix @freedigitalphotos.net

In my last post I promised to admit what I'm struggling with. Here goes:

 3) Unhealthy weight gain. I feel like a Blimpo-matic 3000 Fast Food Processor. I binged on so much junk food that getting dressed is like stuffing 20 pounds of sausage into a 5 pound casing.

2) I've slacked off writing the entire month of December. Pretty hard to finish my novel when I'm reading other people's instead. (Dang you, authors Deeanne Gist and Angela Hunt!)

1) Worst, I let my relationship with God slide. He's my best friend, and I barely made time for him.

But no more!

 

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Cor 15:57

photo courtesty Chaiwat @freedigitalphotos

 

 



To show I'm serious I posted my action plan on my Facebook page.

Let's link together and start fresh with God's help.
Take 10 seconds right now to go to the page and type "I'm in!" 

There'll be no folding chair smack-downs. I promise.

 

 




Ode to Holiday Feasting

photo courtesy of Apolonia @freedigitalphotos.net

 

My pants are size four.

I'm not anymore.

I know a quick fix.

I'll buy a size six.




photo courtesy Mister GC @freedigitalphotos.net

 

The sixes were great

'Til I over-ate;

And at this new weight

I now need size eight.

 

I did it again.

I'm up to size ten...
No-wait. That's not right!

My tens are all tight!





photo courtesy of Serge Bertasius Photography @freedigitalphotos.net
 

Cookies, cakes and pies galore,

One bite always leads to more.

What can stop this upward roll?

Oh, that thing called self-control.

We're our own harshest critics. We beat ourselves up over perceived failures. But we can break free from the things that hold us back, and hold us captive.      

 

In my next post I'll confess what I'm struggling with.

 

And share my plan to finally overcome it.

 

What's in it for you? An opportunity to break free yourself.

 

What challenges do you face? Is there a habit you haven't been able to overcome?

 

In my next post I'll share a way we can link together to break the chains. 

Meanwhile, here's some encouraging news:

 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." Gal 5:22-23.




photo courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti @freedigitalphotos.net


God's got our backs. We don't have to do it alone.
Please share this with your friends who are struggling, because I see victory in our futures. As for the niggling little voice that just told you, "Maybe for someone else, but not for me." Tell that liar to sit down, because YOUR victory is at hand. 

5 Tips to De-stress (Next) Christmas

Christmas is almost here. Are you delighted or debilitated?

Use these 5 tips to make next year's holiday season more joyful than Tiny Tim on Christmas morning. 



courtesy of stockimages @freedigitalphotos.net

5) Prep for next year. Get in the habit of post Christmas and other clearance shopping. Watch for new-in-package items at garage sales and thrift shops. Keep the gifts in a tote, and you'll have a head start for next Christmas. Works great for birthdays and baby showers too. 

4)  Limit spending. Fix a gift budget and stick with it. Last year my sister-in-law, Murph, gave me a gorgeous plaque she'd found at a thrift store. It was in perfect shape, and fit my décor wonderfully.
Re-gifting is great. When you receive a potential re-gifting item, tape a note on it. Include the date and who it's from to keep from giving it back to the original giver.

3) Break Tradition. If you always cook a feast for your extended family, ask each member to bring along a side-dish instead. You'll save time and money. Plus it assures your guests of one dish they'll enjoy-their own.
Create new traditions, like taking a special family outing in lieu of gifts. Seriously, how many gifts do your children need?  

2) Under-commit. It's OK to say no. "Sorry, I can't host the ... cook the... head up the ..."  No need to explain why. A simple, "I'm sorry, I can't." suffices. You might need to repeat it several times, but it will work. That goes for parties too.




courtesy of digidreamgrafix @ freedigitalphoto.net

1) Remember why we celebrate Christmas in the first place. Focus on the joy of Jesus birth. Let cooking, cleaning, and shopping take a back seat to the great news found in Luke 2:11:

"The Savior--yes, the Messiah, the Lord--has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!"

Does God Play Favorites?

Cecil Murphey has authored and co-authored over 135 books, including 90Minutes in Heaven and GiftedHands: The Ben Carson Story.

Thanks to his generous sponsorship, last month I attended HACWN's 2014 writers conference in Kansas City.

Sounds straightforward, right? There's more to the story.

Kat Crawford, author of Capsules of Hope, and co-founder of the Wordsowers Christian Writers group, urged me to attend the 2014 Heart of America Christian Writers Network conference.

I said, "I'd like to Kat, but it's not in our budget."

She insisted, "You need to be there."

It's hard to say no to Kat. She's a tiny fiery planet orbiting the writing world. When she emits her cosmic wisdom rays, people listen. So at her continued urging I said, "I'll pray about it."

She leaned close, patted my arm and said, "Get ready to go."

 

I sought the Lord, both alone and with my husband, Jake.
NOTE: Fancy way to say, "Asked God about stuff."

On Friday Aug. 29, during my morning bible study, Revelation 3:8, a message to the Church in Philadelphia, stood out:

 

"I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me."

 

Late that night after much prayer Jake and I agreed that, due to our other commitments, I could only attend the HACWN conference if the Lord fully opened the door of provision.

NOTE: Fancy way to say, "Paid for stuff."


courtesy of Anusorn P nachol @freedigitalphotos.net

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to me, Kat Crawford contacted Cecil Murphey and asked him to sponsor me.

 

His one word response waited in my inbox next morning.

"Sure."

God's provision didn't stop there.
 

Wordsowers team leader and "Roadblocks to Forgiveness" writer Teresa Tierney invited her fellow attendees a ride to Kansas City.
                            Whoo hoo! No car rental needed.

And because of their friendship with Kat, a lovely couple opened their home to us.                      Yes! No hotel bill.

 

Here's the best part: God doesn't play favorites. He has wonderful things planned for you, too.

 

In Acts 10:34 Peter said, "...'I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism.'" NLT.

Here's what God says about you:



courtesy of artur84 @freedigitalphotos.net

"For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11 TLC

 

To discover his amazing plan for your life, spend time with God reading his word, the bible.

I'd love to learn what doors God opens for you. Drop me a line and I'll intercede for you before the throne.

NOTE: Fancy way to say I'll pray for you. 

Happy Thanksgiving

Does Thanksgiving at your home look like a Top Chef inspired feast in a Better Homes and Gardens setting? Maybe, like us, it closer resembles a Duck Dynasty free-for-all.



Courtesy of tiverylucky@freedigitalphotos.net

My husband, Jake, and I open our home every Thanksgiving. One year we broke tradition and hosted a hot dog grill in the back yard. (Yeah! Thankful for fewer dishes to wash.)

November in Nebraska prompted us back inside the following year. (Yeah! Thankful for heat and running water.)

In Abraham Lincoln's 1863 proclamation establishing Thanksgiving Day he wrote, "They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God..."

Maybe this holiday it's hard to see God's gifts.

Perhaps you're grieving the loss of loved ones, or struggling with illness.

Maybe you feel alone.

If sorrow overshadows thankfulness, here's some great news.

You can have a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24

He'll never leave you. He'll never forsake you. Hebrews 13:5

His name is Jesus.

If you're lonely, please take 2 minutes to watch this short video.

http://peacewithgod.net/god-so-loved-the-world/?

Courtesy of stockimages@freedigitalphotos.net

It could transform your life forever, making this a true day of thanksgiving.

By the way, if you drop your beautifully roasted turkey, rinse it off and carry on. It'll make a great story for next Thanksgiving.

Top 5 Time Savers

NaNoWriMo: an international event where semi-crazed writers create a 50,000 word novel during the month of November.

Since I'm participating in this time-pressed enterprise for the first time, I wanted to share my top 5 time savers for the real world.

Courtesy of tiramisustudio @freedigitalphotos.net

1) Focus on the task at hand

Stopping to check a text or voice-mail diverts our attention. The brain veers off like a smurf skipping through the forest. La LA la la la la...

Since multi-tasking actually slows us down, stick with the task at hand.

2) Turn off the TV

This can be a tough one.

I'll plan to watch a half hour sit-com, but find myself sucked in by the programs that follow. "Wow, another episode of Who's Line is it Anyway? And they're doing Scenes from a Hat!"

Try this for 1 week: Leave a paper and pen next to your remote. Write down the amount of TV time you're logging. Tally it at the end of the week. Most of us spend more time than we realize in front of the boob tube. (And with the amount of cleavage displayed in the majority of shows, I mean that literally.)

3) Be unsocial to social media

courtesy Gualberto107@freedigitalphotos.net

Who can resist those hilarious YouTube videos? It only takes a minute to Tweet, or "like" a Facebook entry, right? But every instant on Instagram equals a moment of your life gone. Crush the Candy Crush cravings, and retreat from the virtual world.

4) Identify "escape routes"

What hinders us from tackling the homework, office presentation, messy house, or messy life?
 

Admission: I'll pull out a novel instead of working on my own.

To set up an escape route roadblock, take this multiple choice, open-book test.

 1) Ask:

A) "Does this path lead me closer to my goals (freedom)?

B) "Does this path lead me in the same old circles (trap)?

The correct answer is A.

You scored 100% if you chose A.

You'll be batting 1000 if you do it.

5) Do the worst first

My grandmother, a paragon of homemaking virtue, once admitted, "As a young bride, I hated doing the piles of never-ending dishes. I'd cry just looking at the mess. One day I realized I was allowing something silly to control my thoughts. After that, I washed dishes fast to get through the task. I'd conquered the giant I'd created in my mind, and from that point, I felt free."

(Disclaimer: Granny said it with a Lithuanian flair bordering on Yiddish that I'm unequal to recreate.)

For short projects: Take a cue from Nike and Just Do It.

For long projects: Assign a daily number of minutes to work on it. Even if you hit it for 10 minutes a day, you've diminished your workload by an hour in under a week.

A book of ancient wisdom says:

Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper. Proverbs 13:4

Time for me to put down the Jane Austin novel and get back to work on my own.

How will you free up your time? I'd love to hear...unless you're following strategy #3.