Procrastination is an art form

Well, I have been putting this off for a looooooong time. I don't know why except I have so much to say and don't know where to begin, plus I have tons of stuff going on.

First things first: Happy Independence Day!!!

Mood: I feel kindof outta control, like there is too much stuff and too little of me. Well, that is not true, but we'll talk about that in the diet section, lol.

Writing: I am working on it. Not much going on there either. I am really fighting without trying to fight I guess. I know God wants me to write, and I pray for His guidance, but I must not be doing what He wants elsewhere cause I am just not feeling it, so I am trying to force it and that is not much fun, so here I sit, procrastinating.

Music: My son put in one of my favorite CDs. Rebecca St. James The Best From

I just learned a wonderful saying (what it is really called is some kind of 'gram'. What kind just skipped the confines of my brain, or maybe it is hiding somewhere). I teach a middle school Bible study class on Wednesday nights and one of my girls told me this. EGO Edging God Out. Think about that one for while. :0) I wish there were smilies on this thing.

Diet: I lost eight pounds last month! Yay! I have to warn ya, though. Working out is addictive. I love it, I had forgotten that I love it, but I remember now. I work out five to six days a week for at least thirty minutes, usually more. I have noticed a difference in my size, more than my weight. I am fitting into stuff I gave up on months ago. I have changed my eating habits and although I was eating healthy I was eating ALOT of calories. I didn't realize how much until I started counting them. The low carb only made me eat more. So counting calories is working for me. I'm only eleven pounds from my goal weight. Yeah.

I think the last time I wrote I was heading off for a weekend at the lake. Well we went and had a great time, although we all got roasted. I got a sunburn on my scalp and the back of my knees from cooking enough French toast to feed an army (or two teenage boys), lol. Really gross when that peeled. Yes we used sunscreen but it just didn't work all that well. It was that continuous spray stuff. I won't get that again.
Anyway we had noticed a sign that said "Church Service on Sundays at 10am Shelter 3". We thought that was wonderful and decided we would go there. We brought our own communion with us and planned on having our own worship service if nothing else was available. We attended the Community Church at the lake. We got there while the preacher, a younger man with his wife, was talking to the children and doing a wonderful job using a tootsie roll sucker as illustration. Then we sang a couple of songs (one was a favorite of mine called Here I Am To Worship). Then he gave his lesson. I believe his name was Timothy. I thought both he and his wife were adorable. Now the lesson hit me in the gut. I started tearing up and didn't quit for most of the day.
He talked about the return of the Isrealites to Jerusalem. When they rebuilt the wall and city. Our preacher has talked about that every time I have happened to be in class lately. This time God really wanted me to get it because here is what the preacher said, majorly paraphrased. Do you have a dream, something that you feel that God planned for you to do, but you have let life push it on a shelf where it has gotten dusty? Pull it out, dust it off and get busy. If this is the road that God wants you to take, you won't be truly happy until you DO it.
Needless to say, I knew what he was talking about. My writing. I had put it up on a shelf due to discouragement. When did God ever give easy tasks? If it is easy, what do we learn? So I am grabbing my bootstraps and getting back into it. The words are not coming easily though, so I know, as one of my friends pointed out, there is more to be done, a step I HAVE to take. Heather told me I needed to surrender the contest scores to God so that I can get past the disappointement. I am facing another decision today about the last contest I have entered, so this is still a challenge for me. And sometimes you are not quite ready to let go, like that country song, you just wanna be mad for a while. Well, that was me, I just wanted to wallow for a bit. I didn't want to give it to God cause I knew he would make me feel better. I wanted to pout. Yes, I know, drama queen, and that is what I am at my house (never mind that I am the ONLY queen besides my cat). So if you are of a mind, would you pray for me to surrender that to God? I really want to do His will, I just hope I am not turning a blind eye to His desire for me. I don't want to be a Jonah.

Next on my mind is the war. And Independence day today. I thought the timing of the cry for the president to pull the troops out of Iraq came at an interesting time. I do not believe in coincidences however. I also LOVE my president and his wife and fully support them. That earned me some nails in my tires while I was out traveling and we had to fix a flat tire. But I echo what my friend Squirl said and wish he could serve many more terms. God help us when the next election rolls around.
Thinking about our freedom I am just thanking my Lord that our forefathers didn't think, "Wow, this is taking a long time and a lot of men are dying. Why don't we just stop. So what if our econmy will be shot and will never recover and so what if we don't have freedom from tyranny? The price is too high. Let's quit." We didn't win our war alone. Besides God, we had help from another country that I can think of right off hand. The French really helped us when it looked like we couldn't possibly win. I am just glad that they didn't back off and say, "You know what, this isn't our fight, let's not get involved. We should pull our men right now and let them find their own way out of this hole." Aren't you glad they didn't do that? We are free to complain about the state of our country because of their endurance and perserverance. We are free to worship God without fear of persecution. Who are we to go help someone and then turn tail and run. Who says it is not our fight?
When you learn the truth and become a Christian what is the first thing you do when you learn the freedom involved? You share it.
Don't fool yourself in thinking that the tyranny going on in Iraq was not touching us over here in America.
Think about how grateful you are of your freedom today and tell me why you would not want someone else to experience it. I hope that you are not so used to the freedoms that we enjoy daily that you have begun to take it for granted. And if that is the case, you need to really think about what it cost for you to be able to live as you do day by day. Your freedom, both living in today's USA and Christianity, was bought with blood. The soldiers in the Revolution haved earned our unwavering gratitude. Christ has earned our eternal servitude.

Okay, getting off my soapbox now. Venting is good for you, right? Or in this case, good for me.

My prayer today is for our soldiers fighting for freedom. I am grateful for my freedom. And my salvation. Thank you God for the United States of America, long may her banner fly in freedom. Keep us under your wing and under your direction. Thank you for a sound Christian in the White House who is not afraid to be your servant and humble in a country of prideful politicians. I am grateful for the example he presents. Bless him and keep him safe.

I'll leave you with this thought.
Isn't it interesting that you have to surrender to gain freedom?

Have a blessed and safe day. Happy Birthday America!