Demons

February 21, 2019

Demons            

I try to free write every week day (note:  I don’t always achieve this lofty goal).  Last Friday, February 15, I chose to write on the topic of “demons.”  Strange topic, right?  But hear me out.

            Often when we think of “demons,” we think of spiritual demons, i.e., Satan.  But most of us have personal demons, or “issues” we also call them.

            Ever since I was a child of some five years (back in the Dark Ages), compulsive overeating has tormented me.

            As I continued to write about my compulsive overeating, I began to “see” that through the years the Holy Spirit has taken me on a journey, and I realized the healing the Wise One has brought about within me—a bad eating day today is still 95% better than my worst eating day 20, 30, 40 years ago.

            The journey on which the Holy Spirit has taken me led me to being involved in various weight management groups, each giving me tools which helped heal me a little more.

            Each group guided me to daily recording my food intake.  I continue to use this tool presently so that I am aware of what I eat not only daily, but also weekly.  Today, I share my chart with you.  If such a tool can be helpful to you, feel free to use it. Tweak it to fit your needs.

Day	Protein	Dairy	Fruit	Veggies	Fiber	Extra
M
T
W
Th
F
Sa
Su

            As I neared the end of my reflection last Friday, I became aware that God’s healing in this area of my life is one more example of how much the Holy One loves me—how much God loves each of us, for “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.  Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life (Psalm. 143:8, NIV).”

                                                                                                                                    Sharon Witty

Time to Persevere

I read an article in the February 2019 Prevention magazine about sticking with your New Year’s resolution. I hit a rough patch about two weeks ago and I’m trying to get back on the straight and narrow with my eating and exercise. It is too easy for me to let up for a day or two and before you know it I am on a slippery slope of overeating and missing exercising. Sound familiar? This pattern too often leads us to give up our good intentions.

The article I read said the key was to form new habits. The experts say it takes three months or longer to establish a habit. 

One suggestion was to realize there will be challenges – roller coaster emotions and cravings come to mind. I need to admit my weaknesses and plan a strategy. For instance, instead of eating a bowl of ice cream, I will do 10 minutes on the treadmill, go for a walk, or reward myself with 15 minutes of reading time or another non-food choice. Every time I crave or long for a specific food or taste, I will replace it with a good behavior. Create a new habit and persevere!

Another idea was to consider the results of eating a particular food. Take my ice cream addiction. Ice cream is full of fat and sugar. If I eat ice cream I will feel cold and lazy and I’ll go sit under a blanket and be a couch potato. I will feel sleepy and the ice cream will raise my cholesterol and blood sugar. Then I’ll feel guilty and depressed about what I just ate.

Instead, I choose to avoid ice cream because of all the negative impacts. Or I can play up the benefits of eating something for its good qualities – such as broccoli. It is good raw or cooked. I feel healthy when I eat it because it is clean food and it is full of vitamins that are great for my body.

I’m going to try these two ideas in my own walk with perseverance. It is very similar to our faith. We face challenges in our faith walk, too, and the testing of our faith creates perseverance.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance,” (James 1:2-3 NIV).

Persevere, my friends, persevere.

Gloria D. Stewart

What do Humans and Pets have in Common?

January 17, 2019

What do Humans and Pets have in Common?

            Marshalltown KFJB AM radio station began a new program this month on Wednesday mornings called “Ask Animal Clinic—the Vet.”  On an early edition Dr. Ashley Ladihoff discussed a growing problem for pets—weighing more than is healthy.  As she discussed this issue, she stated, “One reason for pets’ increasing weight is that pet owners reward their pets with treats.”

            Clang, Clang, Clang—a bell went off at that.  Isn’t it the same for us humans?  How many times have/do we reward our children/grandchildren with treats?  How many times have/do we reward ourselves with food?  “I have really had a difficult day.  I deserve a brownie, or potato chips, or ice cream”—whatever one’s favorite food reward is.

            At our extended family Christmas celebration, we “oohed” and “aahed” over my sister-in-law’s 87 pound weight loss (she looks great).  She smiled and told us of the reward she gave herself for her weight loss—shopping for new clothes. 

            So what’s a good reward for you other than food when you have had a tough day, or have lost weight?  A great reward for me is to make a cup of tea and “let” myself sit and read for an hour with NO guilt.

            Or I can stop and meditate on God’s rewards to me—the greatest of those being the Holy One’s love, which nothing, absolutely nothing can take away from me:  “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,  neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39 NIV).

            So let’s go ahead and reward ourselves when we’ve had a tough day or achieved a goal—with that which feeds our spirits.

                                                                                                                                    Sharon Witty

Resolve To...

Happy New Year! 

It is the traditional season of resolutions that quickly drift away like clouds. We say, “This year will be different!” But, sometimes it isn’t. The only thing we can do is start living a life of healthy eating and exercise paired together. Then choose to make the right choices as often as possible everyday in the coming year. One day at a time. 

Today I plan to start fresh, leaving behind the past two weeks of overeating on sweets and begin again with a clean whiteboard and a clean cupboard and refrigerator. Eating healthy and exercise will be my theme and I will trust God to help me. I pray for God’s help to avoid yummy temptations, to ease my cravings for sweets, and to desire good, fresh food instead. And to desire more exercise. 

The key for me was finding something I love to do. That is water aerobics, but for you it may be walking or Zumba or weigh lifting. It is also helpful to ask someone to join you, especially if you are just getting started. Or ask a friend to pray for you and be your accountability partner. Having a friend who meets you and holds you accountable is a great help to both of you.

Might I also suggest turning to the Word of God for inspiration. “Lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth,” (Psalm 121:1-2 NIV). 

May you be blessed in your resolve this 2019!

Gloria D. Stewart

January 3, 2019

December 20, 1018

December 20, 2018

Dear Readers,

We are in the season of Advent, a time of preparing our hearts for the Christ child’s birth.  But our preparations can take a severe detour into hustle and bustle—buying gifts (some of which the receiver may not want or need), cooking, baking, attending Christmas gatherings, getting those Christmas cards sent out, decorating.  In that hustle and bustle, and the cries of a small baby are lost.

And if our preparations for Christ’s birth are not detoured by hustle and bustle, they may be detoured in other ways.  Often we hold a Norman Rockwell image in our minds of Christmas, but for many of us that is not reality.  We may be separated from loved ones by death or by distance.  Others of us may be separated from our loved ones by anger or resentment.  Still others of us may be alone, and the cries of a small baby are lost.

This small baby came into our world over 2000 years ago to minister to our worries, concerns, hurts and our joys.  During these final days of Advent, may we make an effort to spend time with our God to focus on the Holy One’s love which was incarnated into the perfect Christmas gift, a small baby, Emmanuel, Counselor. . .

Gloria and I thank you for your Facebook fellowship and pray you a Blessed Christmas.

                                                                                                                                    Sharon Witty

P.S.  If we eat more than we should, let’s not beat ourselves up.  Let’s enjoy the food and any fellowship we are privileged to participate in AND love the cooks.

Seek Satisfaction

This is the season of temptations. Everywhere I look there is deliciousness: cookie trays, candy plates, wonderful desserts, buffets of elegant selections, and traditional holiday fare. If ever I needed blinders on or someone to physically control my actions, this is the season.

After the Thanksgiving holiday feast and a week's worth of leftovers, I am ready to work at my healthy eating routine again. My first adjustment is portion control. I had gotten out of control so I'm reeling in the size of my food portions and surprisingly I'm finding I am just as satisfied with the smaller portions. If I eat slowly, savoring the taste of the foods, and give my body about 20 minutes to acknowledge that I have indeed eaten, I find satisfaction.

"Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare," (Isaiah 55:2b NIV).

Often there is more going on at mealtime than hunger. My emotions often get in the way of real hunger.  I end up trying to stuff myself with food when the empty space is nearer my heart than my stomach. Does that ever happen to you? Unfortunately this has been one of my biggest challenges to overcome.

I try to be more aware of what is going on in my body these days, but I still struggle with cravings that aren't hunger based. They grab me and shake me until I give in, if I have something close by. So the key is to not keep those items around the house. I try not to let them jump in my shopping cart but sometimes I fail. Still I keep trying.

When I find myself wanting dessert, ice cream, or Golden Double Stuff Oreos, I try to take time to think about why I want those things. Am I hungry? No, usually I need something to fill my soul. So I'm going to try to follow this scripture verse and use it as my mantra this Christmas season:

"My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you," (Psalm 63:5 NIV).

I'm going to turn up the Christmas music and praise God in my off-key voice, instead of eating the foods that can't satisfy my soul.

May your Christmas season draw you closer to the Christ child's manger. That is where satisfaction lies.

Gloria D. Stewart

Let us Give Thanks

A Time of Thanks

With Thanksgiving being a week from today, I would be hard pressed to not visit with you about the holiday.

Thanksgiving—How often do we hear people talk about the thanks they plan to give on this day?  Or plans to attend a Thanksgiving worship service?  Or even plans to be with family and friends?

On the other hand, how often do we hear people talk about groaning after eating Thanksgiving dinner?  Or loosening their belt after dinner?  Or maybe we’ve heard people talk about sleeping their eating binge off while the TV blares a football game?

President George Washington proclaimed the first American nationwide thanksgiving celebration, marking November 26, 1789, "as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favours [sic] of Almighty God".

Ah, there is the meaning of Thanksgiving—giving thanks where thanks is due—to God.  “Give Thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:15, NIV).

In spite of our knowing this holiday is intended to be a day of giving thanks, for those of us for whom over indulgence can be problematic (and even, on this day, for those who seem to be able to place food in its rightful place), our focus can be on the feast and not on giving thanks.

So what can we do about the temptation to overindulge on this day?  Two weeks ago Gloria gave us a major tool we can use—Plan ahead.

Let’s plan to enjoy the day—to enjoy God’s love, the Holy One’s blessings, family and friends.  Before the feast, let’s fill up on veggies—carrot sticks, celery, radishes.  Perhaps we can be the one who brings these items to the feast--best not to come to the Thanksgiving table overly hungry.

Let’s plan to partake of the food we particularly enjoy.  I don’t think we have to deny ourselves any foods, but we need to be careful to take small portions.  During the feast, let’s enjoy conversation—whether we’re eating with one other person, at the Salvation Army or with 20 persons at the table.

 Let’s plan to stop eating when we are full.

Most importantly, let’s plan to use the strongest tool in our toolbox—PRAYER!  Let’s pray before we gather—pray the Holy Spirit guide and strengthen us.

Let’s plan to give thanks.

                                                                                                            Sharon Witty

                                                                                                            November 15, 2018

P.S.  Gloria and I pray you, our readers, a Blessed Thanksgiving.