Lessons From Stefanie

Hello Sunday evening, friends ;-)

I hope that everyone has had a glorious long weekend chock full of things to be thankful for! I know I have. I have had my family around me all weekend, and have certainly felt the love. Awwweee... Believe me, we have been counting our blessings.

I have also managed to keep to my running routine, which is sometimes difficult with schedules changing and things not being in a normal routine. I got up and hit the treadmill for an 11-mile run this morning before church. I watched the Biggest Loser on the NBC website and when the contestants were doing sprints on the treadmills, I raced them ;-) But it did have me thinking that I SO BADLY need to add more strength training to my regimen. So this afternoon, while watching The Proposal, I did a lower body workout. I can really tell the biggest difference in my body when I am lunging and squatting more, it's just getting up the motivation to do it!
Today I did: 50 standing squats,


10 side squats w/ leg lift (each side),


20 leg lifts w/ last rep hold for 30 sec (each side)


10 jump squats
My plan is to do a different body part each day, in addition to my runs of course. Tomorrow I plan to do abs, and Tuesday I'll do arms. We'll see how this goes and if need be, I'll tweak it as I go. But I really need the added benefit of some strength training. Yay!

We had a great service at church this morning. The pastor started in the book of Isaiah, chapter 9 which has the heading "To Us A Child Is Born." That's right. We're talking about Christmas, folks!!! As if December 1 lurking just a couple of days away isn't enough of a wake up call for ya, Christmas sermons being preached will certainly get a person in the Christmas spirit.

Today, Bro. Ron talked about names and how important they are: from what God named each animal as He created it (zebra, what?!), to what we name our children. For example, did you know that "Jesus" means "Jehovah Saves"? I didn't. And it's very cool. Leave it to God to come up with something so beautifully perfect! And the names listed in Isaiah 9:6 for Jesus are awesome as well: Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Here are my notes from the sermon this morning:


I find that when I take notes, I actively listen...and I get so much more out of it!

I really needed to be remined of God's peace this morning because last night, I had one of my mind wandering moments that didn't find me at my best by the time it was bedtime. I innocently picked up the new Sports Illustrated and started flipping through it when I suddenly came across an article on Stefanie Spielman. Stefanie is a mother of 4 and is the wife of NFL player Chris Spielman and a breast cancer survivor. She was diagnosed at the age of 30 and had 4 recurrences until she passed away last week at the age of 42. Here's an article on Stefanie and all she's done for breast cancer awareness and research, but more it's about what she did for other people that she will be treasured and remembered. It's a very positive story about her life and her impact she had on other people, but it's also about her death. And, unfortunately, that's what stood out to me just before bed on a quiet Saturday night. And I'm tellin' ya, the devil just took 'hold of that one little discouraging thought and led me right down that path where I felt like I was drowning. Like I had just had a death sentence given to me. So what to do when satan is coming at you full force?? You fight back. And the verse that kept coming to me was 1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."

I repeated it to myself over and over and over until I felt it in my soul, and until I began to feel some peace. Peace came, then sleep came, then Jesus' characteristic of being the Prince of Peace came. Ahhhhhhhh..... Oh how I needed that this morning. Isn't it awesome how the Lord gives us just what we need when we need it?

So now I am choosing to focus on the life that Stefanie Spielman lived and the legacy that she left behind. I am choosing, today, to focus on the positive and go forward in the name of Jesus. Living today to it's fullest and knowing that God has a plan for me and that He is in control.

And the same goes for YOU! You don't have to have a diagnosis of cancer to need peace. If you could use some peace today, ask Him for it...He will heap it on your head if you ask:-)

xoxo