One of my priorities after retirement was to get physically fit. Although I’d just had shoulder surgery, I still wanted to be toned and able to keep up with my grandchildren. The week after my last day of work, I joined the local gym and started a Zumba class. Now…that’s fun. But recently I started to work with weights and exercise with a personal trainer, and that isn’t so much fun. After years of sitting behind a desk, my joints and muscles are screaming from the new exertion and strain I’m placing on these old bones.

Another one of my priorities was to study the bible. Not just reading a chapter a day to get through some sort of reading plan, but to read it and truly understand its meaning. Reading the fun parts of the Bible is a little like Zumba. It’s fun, I like the characters I’m introduced to, and after the initial workout I’m feeling good—like I really accomplished something. But my muscles aren’t screaming in protest.

So a few weeks ago I pulled out a book a friend loaned me, LIVING BY THE BOOK. I equate this book to a set of 10 pound weights that I hope will stretch my spiritual muscles and leave me sore for a few days, but eventually stronger in my understanding of the Bible.

Don’t we all do things we don’t want to do but know it’s good for us? So why should our spiritual lives be any different?

I want my grandchildren to remember their Mimi by my tenacity to finish what I start. I want to be a toned, muscled grandma with a spiritual side to her equal to none. I believe I have the tools to accomplish this, I just have to make the commitment to use them.

Can anyone relate?

(It’s been a fun-filled Thanksgiving weekend, my video will be posted tomorrow)

I can’t believe Thanksgiving is next week! A lot has happened in my life since our last Thanksgiving; I have much to be thankful for.

Mark and I have started to plan our menu—from appetizers to dessert. And our goal is to make this a memorable occasion for our family to enjoy. With Phillip living in Bakersfield, and everyone’s hectic life, it’s difficult to get the entire family together. Maybe that’s why Thanksgiving is such an important holiday for Americans. It gives us an excuse to be extravagant with our fellowship and meal.

Sometimes family celebrations can be stressful. Especially if we’re preparing the meal. But this year I plan to enjoy the moment. I want to give our family the best, but I don’t want to be so busy that I don’t appreciate everyone’s company or THANKFUL for each and every moment on this day.

As I sat down to write, I remembered Psalm 23 (one of my favorites in the Bible). Did you know that God is preparing a table for us? In verses 5-6 it says, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Close your eyes for a moment and imagine God’s table before you. I imagine huge candelabras with real wax candles, gold plates, silver goblets, platters of delicacies, and fine wine x 100. This is God’s table, and he never does anything less than “over the top.”

So, as I celebrate Thanksgiving, I want to thank God for giving me my family and friends. I want to thank God for giving me my home and possessions. But most of all I want to remember that God gave us Jesus so that we could dwell in God’s house forever.

I hope you all have the best Thanksgiving ever! Enjoy your family and friends and take a moment to savor the holiday.

There are so many self-help books on the market today. I just did a search on Amazon and there were 854,861 results in the self-help category. Imagine almost 1 million books on how to “fix” ourselves.

Sometimes I feel like I’ve dropped the ball in my own life and before I came to Christ, I bought my fair share of self-help books. I didn’t know (at the time) that I needed only one book to “fix” my life—the one and only Bible. According to 2 Timothy 3:16-17:  “Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” I have an instruction at my finger tips and sometimes I take it for granted.

If I’m honest with myself, I may have another 30 good years to live, and there’s so much I want in my life. I feel like I need to start speaking awesome things into my life and I’d like some company. Some of you might feel silly doing this, but here are some reasons why it’s so important to speak God’s word over our lives:

• All scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
• What we speak is a reflection of our heart (Matthew 12:34)
• Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17)
• God watches over his word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12)

I feel it’s so important that I’m making a promise to you—I promise to speak God’s word over my life every morning until January 1, 2017. If you choose to join me, here are a few declarations to get us started:

• I am God’s daughter and a co-heir with Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 6:18, Romans 8:17)
• I am blessed to be a blessing (2 Corinthians 9:8)
• I have the spirit of power, of love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7)
• I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)
• I am healed (Isaiah 53:5, Exodus 15:26).
• I am destined to live in victory (Romans 5:17)
• The works of my hands will be blessed (Deuteronomy 2:7)

How’s that for starters? Just writing this gave me goosebumps. There is power in speaking God’s word. Join me and give it a try!

Our church has been listening to a video series by Craig Groeschel on “Making Change.”  The four major topics in the video series is: less is more, stress is bad, giving is good, and tomorrow matters. This has really hit home, and I’ve been asking myself a lot of questions this week.

I was a shopping addict, and I still struggle with wanting what I really don’t need or can’t afford. I mean, do I really need a Michael Kors handbag, five pairs of Lucky jeans, and make-up that would feed a child in a third world country for a month?

I think my need for more comes from a place where I had no money to buy anything. At one point in my life I wore my maternity clothes well after I gave birth to Phillip, because I didn’t have money to buy regular clothes. And I probably stood, just like Scarlet O’Hara, with my fist raised to the heavens saying, “I’ll never go without regular clothes again!”

When Mark and I start to talk about a household budget, I go into a tailspin. A budget means accountability, planning, sacrifice—all the words I don’t want to deal with. But then I go to our instruction manual, and the first scripture I remember is: 1 Timothy 6:10 which says, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

And then, this morning, I was studying James. In James 4:1-3, the bible says, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

A few months ago, I was talking with a girlfriend who is a lot wiser than I am. I shared that I was praying for a writing career that would allow me to travel around the world (with Mark). She said, “Be careful what you pray for, because God just might send you around the world doing missionary work.” I thought, that wasn’t what I had in mind. I wanted to travel the world in first class accommodations!

So, this week I’ve been asking myself, “How much is enough?” God has given me a lot of resources: a beautiful home, jewelry, clothes, the entire “American Dream.” This week I’ll be evaluating my desires and making some attitude adjustments to be in alignment for God’s best in my life. In the end, God, family, friends, and health are most important and I don’t want to lose sight of that. Can anyone relate?