2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (NKJV) For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
Isaiah 53:5 (NKJV) But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Romans 10:9 (NKJV) that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Welcome to another week of Thankful Thursday. This challenge is to list five (5) things you are thankful for. This is sponsored by Sonya at Truth 4 the Journey. Stop on over to her spot and read the other participant's thankfulness. I promise you will have plenty of food for thought and be richly blessed. I'm guessin that you will have an "ahha" moment and think....yep, I'm thankful for that too. So here's my five for the week:
Easter - The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus who loved you (and me) enough to suffer the cross and give us hope.
My husband - Yep, he's in my top five again this week. He has labored so very hard to get us moved and make sure everything is functioning at the rental.
My friend, Jess - For giving up her Saturday to help me pack.
Restaurants - Bear with me here..... My cookware and pantry items are still packed, so I haven't been cooking. We're eating out a lot.
My boss - He's given me so much flexibility in my work schedule to accommodate the move.
That's my five. If you're not familiar with why we celebrate Easter, please investigate it further. It's a tremendous testimony of love and hope. Find out today, This Day, how One man can change your future, your destiny.
30 x 5 for 2 weeks - There were days when I really didn't want to do my 30 minutes, but having about 60 other women as accountability partners gave me the incentive I needed. Thank you Linda @ 2nd Cup of Coffee for hosting this great challenge. Be sure to stop by and see how other "Challengettes" feel about their two weeks.
I last posted an update on my progress Friday night, April 3. Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday were challenges in themselves with moving from one house to another. Even tho I was not able to set aside 30 solid minutes, I averaged over 10K steps per day on my step counter. Plus all the bending, squatting, lifting, and stretching that is required when packing and moving.
I have appreciated both of these challenges: Thankful Thursday and 30 x 5. They provide motivation, personal growth, purpose, and camaraderie. Challenge yourself, you'll be thankful you did.
Peace and Joy, Susan
Acts 4:10 (NIV) then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.
Romans 5:10 (NIV) For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
On April 19, we will celebrate six wonderful years of marriage. God has so richly blessed us, I can't even begin to describe it in words to you. My heart actually swells just thinking about it. This beautiful house is one of those blessings. We love our home, but as I stated in an earlier post, "Even though we just sold our house and are moving, wherever God takes us we will be at home because He will be with us."
The selling of our home started back in 2007 when we felt God was urging us to put our house on the market. At that time, the housing market was just getting ready to bust. Our beautiful home sat on the market for 15 months with not a single offer. Had we misunderstood? There were so many houses on the market those last nine months, it was definitely a buyer's market. Yet, people weren't buying. They were losing jobs and struggling to get out from under mortgages they could no longer afford. So, we took our house off the market at the end of October.
We continued to pray about selling and, again, felt we were being led to put our house on the market. So....on Monday, March 9, we signed a contract to sell our house. On Saturday, March 14 we had an offer. The next day we made a counter offer and on Monday, March 16 we signed an agreement to sell.
OH MY! Now we needed a place to go because we're closing on April 15! No worries. Since God brought us a buyer, He would also provide a place for us to go. Sure enough! We found a house to rent that met our needs with a landlord willing to rent it to us on a month-to-month basis while we search for a new home.
So, here's a slide show of the beautiful home we're leaving. Soon, we'll have a new home that will meet our needs. Please pray in agreement with us for that house. Enjoy the show.
Peace and Joy, Susan
John 14:2 (NKJV) In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
You read that right....."Challengettes" how cute is that for a nickname? One of my fellow workout blogsters, Skoots1Mom @ My Hands...His Glory dubbed us that name. I love it. Stop on over to her spot and see how she's doing with the challenge. Her take on it is quite entertaining. I'm sure you'll be up-lifted. (pun intended) lol
I'm finishing up my second day of week two. I'm surprised my feet didn't boycott me yesterday with as many miles as I put on them. My step counter logged over 14,000 steps. Those steps included my 30 minute walk at noon, plus errands and grocery shopping after work. Of course, Miss Over Achiever still worked out with her personal trainer, Gilad. I'm so thankful for DVR which allows me to get that work out in on my schedule. Today, I took it a little easier. I didn't walk at noon and only logged 9372 at the time of this writing. I did work out with my personal trainer. Here he is:
Linda over at 2nd Cup of Coffee who is the host of this little challenge asked us to mention some of our snacks, so here's my daily snack. Almonds, walnuts, and oat cereal.
Lent has been a time of doing without and challenging myself to improve physically and be more knowledgeable about God. How He sees other people....and me. No meat Friday's are probably the most difficult for me during this Lenten season cause I like that meat protein. Seriously....who doesn't like a good steak? Sara over at GitzenGirl has a great story about no meat Fridays. It's a good read. Anyway, to help me through, I've concocted this wonderful no meat Mexican dish that tastes awesome and is very filling. I just sauteed some onion and grated carrots, added chunky salsa, black beans, cooked basmati rice, and corn. I keep my own blend of spice when I'm cooking Mexican of cumin, corriander, chili powder, white pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and ground ceyenne. It needed some liquid at different points during cooking and I just added some broth. Wrapped it up in a multi-grain tortilla topped with light sour cream, salsa, and cheese. A little bit of avocado and, can I just say, YUMMMMMM!
How are you doing with your challenge? Are you ready today, This Day, to make that commitment to get healthy? Don't wait until your health is in jeoprady. Take the challenge and get moving.
Peace and Joy, Susan
Matthew 9:12 (NIV) On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
It's time for Thankful Thursday! How sad it would be to not be able to come up with a short list of five things for which to be thankful. Here's my list for the week:
My dad! He has taught me so much and as we grow older, our friendship strengths.
Cell phones. I know....right? It used to be so expensive to stay in touch with family and friends long distance......cell phones have made it affordable.
Christian Radio. nuf said!
Distance Ministries. Charles Stanley, Beth Moore, David Jeremiah, etc., all have ministries where they reach across the miles into the homes and hearts of millions.
Cyber-friends. They challenge us, encourage us, teach us, pray for us, and love us. Bless each of you for your friendship.
That's my five today, This Day. What are you thankful for?
I was so busy yesterday that I didn't get a chance to update my 30 x 5 challenge from Linda @ 2nd cup of coffee. I'm definitely an over achiever but I was reading on another blog recently (when I locate it, I'll link up) that she's running three miles a day and that is only enough to maintain her present weight. Another challenge for me? Absolutely! So yesterday I did my 30 minute walk and worked out w/my personal trainer, Gilad. My step counter total by bedtime was over 13,000. You read that right! Remember, I'm moving around a lot in the evenings packing for the big move. Also, I don't wear my step counter during my evening workout. We're half-way done with the challenge. I'm lovin it.
Peace and Joy, SusanD
1 John 4:11 (NIV) 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
