What A Way To Start The Day

I've mentioned that I'm a bit burned out on getting up at the hiney crack of dawn and running. Here's the funny thing... I'm totally in the habit of getting up early, so it's rather natural at this point. Instead of physical exercise, I've been working out spiritually first thing every morning.

I recently heard someone say something about how she prays to cover her day and family and what a huge difference it makes in how she interacts with people and how she stays in tune with the Lord. I know this is an important thing to do, but it's not something I've ever really done. (Confession time....) I once read this great book Walking With GodIn it, the author, John Eldredge shares his daily prayer. And it is a doozie. Not sure I've ever heard a more intense prayer. Well, maybe the day my prayer counselor prayed for my DNA when I hurt my back.... ;)

A few mornings ago, I woke up bright and early with Jesus on my mind. I got up, dug out my copy of John's book and began copying it into my journal. It's long, as you'll soon see, so I broke this up over a couple of days. Each day, I've been praying it and surprise, surprise, I'm seeing great results. I thought I would share it with you here.

Kinda wish I would have known that it was ON HIS WEBSITE before I spent multiple wee hours writing it out....

My dear Lord Jesus I come to you now to be restored in you, to be renewed in you, to receive your love and your life, and all the grace and mercy I so desperately need this day. I honor you as my Sovereign, and I surrender every aspect of my life totally and completely to you. I give you my spirit, soul and body, my heart, mind, and will. I cover myself with your blood—my spirit, soul, and body, my heart, mind and will. I ask your Holy Spirit to restore me in you, renew me in you, and to lead me in this time of prayer. In all that I now pray, I stand in total agreement with your Spirit, and with my intercessors and allies, by your Spirit alone.

[Now, if you are a husband, you’ll want to include your wife in this time of prayer. If you are a parent, you’ll want to include your children. If this doesn’t apply to you, jump to the paragraph after this one.]

In all that I now pray, I include (my wife and/or children, by name). Acting as their head, I bring them under your authority and covering, as I come under your authority and covering. I cover (wife and/or children, by name) with your blood – their spirit, soul and body, their heart, mind and will. I ask your Spirit to restore them in you, renew them in you, and apply to them all that I now pray on their behalf, acting as their head.

Dear God, holy and victorious Trinity, you alone are worthy of all my worship, my heart’s devotion, all my praise, all my trust and all the glory of my life. I love you, I worship you, I trust you. I give myself over to you in my heart’s search for life. You alone are Life, and you have become my life. I renounce all other gods, all idols, and I give you the place in my heart and in my life that you truly deserve. I confess here and now that this is all about you, God, and not about me. You are the Hero of this story, and I belong to you. Forgive me for my every sin. Search me and know me and reveal to me where you are working in my life, and grant to me the grace of your healing and deliverance, and a deep and true repentance.

Heavenly Father, thank you for loving me and choosing me before you made the world. You are my true Father—my Creator, my Redeemer, my Sustainer, and the true end of all things, including my life. I love you, I trust you, I worship you. I give myself over to you to be one with you in all things, as Jesus is one with you. Thank you for proving your love by sending Jesus. I receive him and all his life and all his work, which you ordained for me. Thank you for including me in Christ, for forgiving me my sins, for granting me his righteousness, for making me complete in him. Thank you for making me alive with Christ, raising me with him, seating me with him at your right hand, establishing me in his authority, and anointing me with your Holy Spirit, your love and your favor. I receive it all with thanks and give it total claim to my life—my spirit, soul, and body, my heart, mind and will. I bring the life and the work of Jesus over (wife and/or children, by name) and over my home, my household, my vehicles, finances, all my kingdom and domain.

Jesus, thank you for coming to ransom me with your own life. I love you, I worship you, I trust you. I give myself over to you, to be one with you in all things. And I receive all the work and all of the triumph of your cross, death, blood and sacrifice for me, through which I am atoned for, I am ransomed and transferred to your kingdom, my sin nature is removed, my heart is circumcised unto God, and every claim made against me is disarmed this day. I now take my place in your cross and death, through which I have died with you to sin, to my flesh, to the world, and to the evil one. I take up the cross and crucify my flesh with all its pride, arrogance, unbelief, and idolatry (and anything else you are currently struggling with). I put off the old man. I ask you to apply to me the fullness of your cross, death, blood and sacrifice. I receive it with thanks and give it total claim to my spirit, soul and body, my heart, mind and will.

Jesus, I also sincerely receive you as my life, my holiness and strength, and I receive all the work and triumph of your resurrection, through which you have conquered sin and death and judgment. Death has no mastery over you, nor does any foul thing. And I have been raised with you to a new life, to live your life – dead to sin and alive to God. I now take my place in your resurrection and in your life, through which I am saved by your life. I reign in life through your life. I receive your life – your humility, love and forgiveness, your integrity in all things, your wisdom, discernment and cunning, your strength, your joy, your union with the Father. Apply to me the fullness of your resurrection. I receive it with thanks and give it total claim to my spirit, soul and body, my heart, mind and will.

Jesus, I also sincerely receive you as my authority, rule, and dominion, my everlasting victory against Satan and his kingdom, and my ability to bring your Kingdom at all times and in every way. I receive all the work and triumph of your ascension, through which you have judged Satan and cast him down, you have disarmed his kingdom. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to you, Jesus. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to you, and you are worthy to receive all glory and honor, power and dominion, now and forevermore. And I have been given fullness in you, in your authority. I now take my place in your ascension, and in your throne, through which I have been raised with you to the right hand of the Father and established in your authority. I now bring the kingdom of God, and the authority, rule and dominion of Jesus Christ over my life today, over my home, my household, my vehicles and finances, over all my kingdom and domain.

I now bring the authority, rule and dominion of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the fullness of the work of Christ, against Satan, against his kingdom, against every foul and unclean spirit come against me. (At this point you might want to name the spirits that you know have been attacking you). I bring the full work of Jesus Christ against every foul power and black art, against every human being and their warfare. I bind it all from me in the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ and in his Name.

Holy Spirit, thank you for coming. I love you, I worship you, I trust you. I sincerely receive you and all the work and victory in Pentecost, through which you have come, you have clothed me with power from on high, sealed me in Christ. You have become my union with the Father and the Son, become the Spirit of truth in me, the life of God in me, my Counselor, Comforter, Strength, and Guide. I honor you as my Sovereign, and I yield every dimension of my spirit, soul and body, my heart, mind and will to you and you alone, to be filled with you, to walk in step with you in all things. Fill me afresh. Restore my union with the Father and the Son. Lead me in all truth, anoint me for all of my life and walk and calling, and lead me deeper into Jesus today. I receive you with thanks, and I give you total claim to my life.

Heavenly Father, thank you for granting to me every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. I claim the riches in Christ Jesus over my life today, my home, my kingdom and domain. I bring the blood of Christ over my spirit, soul, and body, my heart, mind and will. I put on the full armor of God – the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the gospel, helmet of salvation. I take up the shield of faith and sword of the Spirit, and I choose to wield these weapons at all times in the power of God. I choose to pray at all times in the Spirit.

Thank you for your angels. I summon them in the authority of Jesus Christ and command them to destroy the kingdom of darkness throughout my kingdom and domain, destroy all that is raised against me, and to establish your Kingdom throughout my kingdom and domain. I ask you to send forth your Spirit to raise up prayer and intercession for me this day. I now call forth the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ throughout my home, my family, my kingdom and my domain, in the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, with all glory and honor and thanks to him.

Do you cover your family in prayer each morning? I'm praying that this will be my new normal.

I Hoard, Therefore I Am Scared

This has been the summer of almost no TV. I was a little obsessed last winter, what with Lost and 24 and American Idol and whatever else I'm forgetting to admit. I declared this summer a TV free summer, and aside from plenty of Curious George (and other PBS Kids) and some very occasional Food Network, it has been just that. I'll watch a movie occasionally or flip through looking for something to watch about once a week, but I'm really quite proud of myself for not getting hooked on any new summer shows.

This past week, when I was flipping through the channels, I landed on Hoarders.

Oh. My. Word.

Now. I am a self-proclaimed clutter bug and I have almost no shame in that. I save too much stuff, but my house is clean (ish - most of the time). Every closet and drawer I have is currently in 911 need of re-org, but we have been having entirely too much fun this summer to sort socks and alphabetize spices, yo.

Then I watch this Hoarder show. As I'm sitting there listening to these people explain why they do what the do, and the therapist (THERAPIST!) try to help them work through it, I am appalled that I think (all.the.time.) what they are saying out loud.

Well, I might use that someday.

It was a great deal.

But it was my grandma's.

It was a gift.

I almost broke out in a sweat.

Two summers in a row I have gone through all of my stuff in hopes of selling unused items in a garage sale. Here are a few things I have kept, and my reasoning behind keeping them:

A sweater. That I will never wear again, for various reasons. Why keep it? Because it was what I had on when I said a final goodbye to a dear friend. (My mind is a steel trap, I tell you. I can't remember what plans I have for the day, but I know what I wore 8 years ago. Yikes.)

A picture. That my husband (before he was my husband) bought for me, even though I will never hang it on the wall again. Why? Because I'm sentimental. It was a gift.

Baby clothes. You know what, don't even get me started on the baby clothes.

This tiny little clock thing. It was my grandma's. And while I have it in a drawer because it doesn't match anything in my house, I know she loved it and so I can't seem to part with it.

I went to bed after watching that show, VOWING that the first chance I got - I was going to go medieval on the storage area. It was the most pressing matter in the house, and I couldn't even get to the back of the room without climbing a little. Eek!

I'm happy to report that within an hour and a half - it was completely clutter free, everything was back in it's place, and several things had been placed in the garage sale pile. And by pile, I mean mountain.

It's a start.

Lost: Motivation - Reward For Information Leading To Its Return

I should have seen the burn out coming. I should have known better than to run/workout 6 days in a row. That was our bright idea a couple of weeks ago and now I'm dangerously close to being over it.

The early mornings are definitely out. I'm not sure who that person was that seemed to enjoy getting up at 5 am to run, but whoever she is, she has left the building. Or maybe she has fallen and can't get up.

My crazy running buddy is a teacher and goes back to work soon, so that is going to change things up and I hope that ends up being a good thing. I don't want to quit, but I'm definitely flame broiled, burnt out to a crisp.

Maybe if Jillian Michaels wasn't such a big mean bully. Or maybe if my running shoes actually fit me and didn't smell like mold. Or maybe if there were 36 hours in the day.

It's not just exercise, either. I had grand plans for an enormous garage sale, and I can't get it in gear to work on that either. Summer's almost over, so unless I can convince the die hards to trek all the way out to the middle of nowhere to buy my grandma's silk tree and my stained t-shirts, I'm not even sure it's worth the effort.

And the poor blog. Have you noticed? Running out of steam. Running out of ideas. Forgetting to write down the rare idea I do get.

I think I just need a long winter's nap.

Not to be confused with the daily summer nap I've been taking, because when you get up at 5 am to run, there's not a lot of choice in the matter. Momma gotta sleep.

And baby gotta have clean underwear, so I have to hide this Macbook and lock myself in the laundry room.

No time for a clever ending.

The End.

Jesus Calling - Deluxe Edition: Enjoying Peace in His Presence By Sarah Young

Jesus Calling - Deluxe Edition: Enjoying Peace in His Presence, by Sarah Edwards is a devotional book unlike any other I've ever used. The author takes things that God has spoken to her in her quiet times and has made them into a letter from God to her readers. Each short devotional has two or three scriptures referenced, directing the reader to the biblical truth that is being shared in the daily devotional. I have found this book to be very beneficial in my daily reading. This particular version is a gift book and I would highly recommend it as a gift for any occasion. I think any adult or teen in a serious pursuit of the Lord would enjoy this devotional, regardless of how far along they are in that journey. I know that I will be using it for many years to come.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Softening Butter Quickly

I love to bake. Especially cookies and muffins. Anything with a chocolate chip in it, really. The one down side to baking is the whole softened butter business. I'm more of a spontaneous baker. I don't usually think to myself - Hmm... I think I'll bake cookies in about three hours (or whatever the ample time for a stick of butter to come to room temperature is). Nope. It's more like - Mmmmm, I think I need to get my Tollhouse on, how can I get this butter the perfect texture to make an amazing cookie?

The past few times that I've done this, I have been softening my butter in the microwave. That sound you hear is everyone on the Food Network collectively gasping. But, whatever. It works for me. I put one or two sticks of butter in the microwave for six seconds. Then I turn it to the next side and then give it another six seconds. I think it takes a total of three times, but I'm sure microwaves vary, so continue to do this until you can feel that the butter is soft enough. You may even want to do smaller increments, if you have a turbo microwave. Make sure to turn it each time, though. It's a fine line you have to tread. You don't want melted butter. Better to err on the side of too hard. Especially if you use a stand mixer (does anyone still stir cookies by hand?), once you cream it with the sugar, it'll be fine!

For more helpful tips, visit We Are That Family.

A New Way To Worship

I'm reading The Battle Belongs To The Lord, by Joyce Meyer. That woman is smart. And God is amazing. He is amazing in the way that He delivers what I need when I need it. He's never early. He's never late. He's always on time. Oh, how I love His timing.

Here is one of the paragraphs that has totally rocked my world and flipped the switch on how I worship:

If you are not the way you want to be in some area of your life, begin to worship God in that area. As you worship Him for any of the attributes of His character - His faithfulness, His loyalty, His goodness, His kindness, His love, His graciousness, His longsuffering, His slowness to anger, His plenteousness in mercy, His patience - whatever you worship Him for will begin to be manifested in your own character.

It works, yo. I've been doing it and am noticing such a huge difference.

This is my new theme song. I've loved it since the first time I heard it, but given my new mission in worship, it's pretty much my battle cry. If you're not familiar with the artists, they are Shane and Shane and if I had to pick one artist/group to listen to for the rest of my life, they would win hands down and I wouldn't think twice about it. I would miss David Cowder and Misty Edwards, but I wouldn't think twice about it.

Enjoy.

The Dreaded To Do List

As I shared on facebook yesterday, I've "noticed that there is a direct correlation between the amount of fun had over the weekend and the state of my house on Sunday night. Current status: Disaster of epic proportions. We done had some fuuun this weekend."

So, yeah... Here's a list of what MUST get done. Before the health department shows up and shuts this operation down.

Laundry - I wore dirty work out clothes today. Neat.

Dishes - Um, who has time for dishes when there is FUN TO BE HAD? Well, if we want to eat stuff off of plates this week, I'll have to unload and reload that there dishwasher.

Clean Out Fridge - Well. This has been on the to do list for, approximately, ever. Lord, give me strength.

Vacuum - I refuse to do another push up in the basement until the vacuum is put in high gear. And since we shred it up down there on Tuesday morning, I should probably put this one closer to the top of the list.

Bathrooms - Nuff said.

I'm sure there's more, but I'm losing my will to live sitting here thinking about it. I hereby vow not to look (to not look?) at this black hole of time sucking de-motivation, also known as, the Apple Crackbook, until my house will pass the white glove and I have spent some quality time with Jesus.

The end.

No Pain No Gain

Running is one thing, but now I'm actually doing The 30 Day Shred. I have heard horrifying things about it, and it wasn't until a friend told me that it's only 20 minutes long that I even considered it. My work out buddy, L (also known as the most stubborn, refuses to quit, even when death is laughing at us hysterically, person I know), happens to own it and given her personality disorder where pain is concerned, she is the perfect person with whom to enter into that commitment. (Can't I just say to enter into that commitment with? Does that make me sound dumb? I am a rule follower by nature, so I feel compelled to follow the rules that I know. You're on your own for the many that I don't. Never mind that I majored in Language Arts, which is what we old farts used to refer to as English. Apparently.)

Anywho.

The girl is crazy. That's my main point.

I'm just going to be honest. I wasn't entirely on board the first day we did it. You see, I enjoy being able to move about the cabin without pain shooting through every muscle I have, including all of the ones that I didn't even know I had, since I haven't used them since 1999, when I had a short fling with Billy Blanks before the wedding. So. It's entirely possible that on Tuesday when Jillian said "engage those abs!" and whatever other things that I can't remember because I was terribly busy trying not to engage anything so that I could get out of bed the next day, I may not have followed the orders she was barking at us. I'm more interesting in easing into this one, Jillian. Unless of course you want to come take care of Chloe and empty my bed pan, I think my way will work best for the time being.

Today, I stepped onto the scale and realized I had gained two pounds (Curse you, Tollhouse and your cookie recipe of perfection! That I doubled.) since I first weighed myself last week for my starting weight for Operation Lose 10 lbs. by 10-10-10.

I may consider trying it Jillian's way.

I'll keep you posted. If I can type.

What Does Not Work For Me Wednesday

Did I say that I was going to go low carb? Well, I must have been delirious. I hereby strike that one from the record. I was looking at the P90X diet and saw that carbs are your friends when you are working out a lot. Which compared to every other time in my life, right now I am. Couple that information with the sale on Asiago Cheese bread at VGs today, and you have the official end to my 2 day (One of which consisted of caramel apple pie - self-control? No, you have me confused with someone else.) low carb adventure.

I've decided instead to attempt to find balance. I'm such and all or nothing kind of girl, and I know it wouldn't be long before I switched gears from NO carbs to NO dieting whatsoever and possibly NO exercise, either. I so know how I roll.

So, the new plan. Greatly reduce my carb intake and make healthier choices, especially where carbs are concerned.

Dear Tim Horton, I think we might have to break up.

I know that I know that I know that if I completely deny myself of all of the things I love, I will never stick with it and the efforts that I put forth will be wasted anyway. My hope is to change some habits, tone up this ol' carcass and live in freedom, rather than be a slave to some diet.

Because, people, a life without carbs is not a life I'm interested in living. Ever.

My Favorite Weekend Of The Year

For the past four years, we have been invited to go sailing with an awesome group of friends. We have gone three of the four years and it has become the weekend that I most look forward to every summer. The other year would have required excessive amounts of quality time with a breast pump, so I decided to stay home. I was only slightly bitter...

My friend's parents have this fantastic sailboat that sleeps 8, and they are so kind to have us for a super fantastic fun filled weekend every summer. The first couple of years we sailed to Mackinaw Island, but this year we did something a little different. Normally, it's about a 45 minute trip and for me, that's a long time. I'm usually car sick by the time we even get to the marina, so sailing is actually a pretty risky adventure for me.

This year we ventured to a new destination, about 3 hours from Mackinaw City. Or 1 hour by car, which is how I opted to travel. It worked out really well, and while I didn't technically do much sailing, it was still really fun. The wind didn't cooperate much, so no one did much sailing, but I rode in style in Dr. C's BMW and met the rest of the group at the destination. To say I felt super cool would be an understatement of epic proportions.

So, I could say that I went sailing this weekend, but that would be lying. I slept on a sailboat and ate obscene amounts of snack foods while hanging out with friends on a sailboat, but I did not go sailing. It was still my favorite weekend of the summer. No question.

363 until the next sailing trip! Woot woot!

Low Carb And Loathing It

I've been on my low card diet for about ten hours. The first six hours I was sleeping, so that was pretty easy. Once I got up and ran TWO MILES, it got a little harder. I had scrambled eggs and cheese for breakfast and now I'm sitting here trying not to think about the toast I didn't eat and the juice I didn't drink.

I'm planning to eat a turkey sandwich on lettuce leaves for lunch. I bought sunflower seeds for snacking. I'm taking dinner to book club tonight, and I'm making sloppy joes. They are kind of sweet, so I guess my carb consumption will take place at the dinner hour. Maybe I'll jus tuse half of a bun.

I'm not crazy enough to think that I can go completely carb free, but if I can cut them down considerably I will be very impressed. I've never truly dieted, so this is uncharted territory for Madame Eats A Ton.

My goal is to lose ten pounds by 10-10-10.

Clever, I know.

Since The Hubster lost forty pounds while doing South Beach, I figured that might be a good place to start. I'm not looking forward to it. Feel free to pray for me.

And pass along your low carb diet survival tips. What did you eat for breakfast? What did you snack on? I don't mind eating meat and veggies for lunch and dinner, but eggs will get old for breakfast. I welcome your suggestions!

Too Much Fun

Hi Friends....

I'm having far too much fun to write up in here. For once, I have lots of great ideas and no time to get them on paper. Hopefully, next week will be better. If I get a chance, I'll post a recipe tomorrow. We're going sailing this weekend, (AHOY!) so that may or may not actually happen.

Here's hoping.

I also hope you're having at least a minimum of half the fun I am this summer. If so, you're having plenty. :)

Skuntastic

For thirty three years, I could say that I had never had a dog that had been sprayed by a skunk. Not anymore. Apparently, getting up close and personal with a skunk was on Kiley's bucket list. Oh that dog, I'm telling you.

It was, of course, while The Hubster was away on his annual golf weekend. Chloe was at her grandparent's house and I had the house all to myself. I was really looking forward to a glorious night of sleep. It was 11:30 and I was just in from a fun night of second hand shopping and eating delicious food with my bestie. When I let the dogs out, I thought I could smell a hint of skunk in the air, but honestly I didn't think too much of it. We live in the middle of nowhere, so it's not out of the ordinary for a skunk to be in the hood.

Well, when I let Kiley back in, there was no denying something had happened. It really didn't smell like skunk at all. If it hadn't been for smelling that a few minutes earlier, I never would have made the connection. It totally smelled like burning rubber. It was very strong and very stinky, but not skunky at all. She kept licking her paws and trying to wash her face, which is right where she got sprayed.

Did I mention it was bedtime? Grrrr.... I don't enjoy giving dog baths ever, let alone at 11:30 on MY night. Alone. With all the awesome sleeping. Seriously, dog?

It was just on her head so I lathered it up a bit and tried to wash it off. I even rubbed baking soda on her face. It was tolerable so we went to bed. The next day, once I was pretty much used to the stench, The Hubster's parents came over and the first thing out of his mom's mouth was, "I smell skunked dog."

So that cleared up that mystery...

The next day, The Hubster came home and said the house reeked.

Did I mention I was having a party at my house within a few days? Super fantastic.

The Hubster did some research and washed her with a dish soap, baking soda and peroxide cocktail, and I wish I could say it worked. I really, really wish I could say that.

Since it was on her face, it was hard to really apply it well, and honestly, I think her mouth was wide open when that skunk let loose. It's almost like it's ingrained in the plaque on her teeth. For the most part the fur on her face is back to just a normal smelly dog, but her breath?

Oh. My. Word.

It's like triple turbo tuna breath. Now mind you, she is a 13 year old dog. Her breath is not likely to smell great anyway, but skunk breath on an eldery dog is not something I'd recommend turning into a candle fragrance. Unless you are Shrek, in which case you would probably find it delightful.

So. The moral of the story is if that skunk shows it's stripped face around these parts again? He's going down. And, as if I need another reason to say this, NO MORE DOGS.

Don't Give Up

Ever feel like disciplining a toddler is a waste of your time? I've so been there. A lot lately.

I really like the idea of "yes, mom." When I say something to anyone, I like some sort of confirmation. Being ignored is not my favorite thing. So when I give a command or even state a fact to my 2 year old, I want something in response. Many times, I'll say - "It's time for lunch, okay?" (Not to be confused with "would you like to eat lunch now?" Because that's not what I'm asking.) Whenever I say something ending with an okay, I have been saying to Chloe, "say okay." Now. It kind of defeats the purpose if I have to tell her to say it, but you have to start somewhere, right?

I also say to her often, after telling her what to do (or not do), "do you understand me?" When I first started saying it, I would say, immediately afterwards, "say, yes mommy." And while it took forever, and I again felt like it was a waste of time, and that she would never catch on, she finally automatically says, "yes, mommy" every time I say, "do you understand me?" And more often than not, when I say something with an "okay?" at the end, she replies with "okay".

When she was small, I started this with saying please and thank you. Even before she was able to say it. I'm so glad I did, because now that she can say it and does understand it, it's like second nature. Of all the things that people say to me about Chloe, I hear that she is very polite most often.

I say all of this to say, don't give up! When it seems like your correction and teaching is fruitless, know that with time and consistency, it will pay off.

Galatians 6:9

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

What have you had to persevere in that truly paid off where discipline is concerned?