BeAtitudes: Working from the INside Out

What needs to be worked on from the inside out?  My devotion time. It has been non-existent of late and that will change.

This picture was taken over Christmas. Calvin the Cat (man, she is mean....I guess she truly is a Calvin!) was posing by her name-sake.

That got me thinking:

A thought from above!

God, is that you?

I'm not telling you to read Calvin; I'm telling you to FEED ME!!

Well, last night I picked the book out of the box and started reading it. Let me tell you the Introduction is a real snoozer.  I guess I shouldn't say that....there might be people interested in when he preached, why he preached, why he didn't preach, why he did not want to preach, why he did want to preach, where he preached, how the book was organized, why the book wasn't organized in a different manner, yawn, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


This little book is a compilation of Calvin's sermons on The Beatitudes. Walk along with me if you dare.  Each Saturday, I'll (hopefully) share my insights (if I remember!). 

I love snapchat faces!!  just saying, er, barking! woof

In Matthew 5, Jesus "went up the mountain" and  began teaching:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Do we see ourselves in any of these scenarios?  I see myself acting in the opposite way too much of the time, so this 2017 I will be a work in progress.  I will be working to improve myself from the inside out....beginning with my spiritual life with the help of the The Beatitudes and John Calvin.

Have a Happy and Safe New Year's Eve tonight, Grainiacs; and I will see you next year.

From my computer screen to yours, Happy New Year, Grainiacs.  Be safe.

A New Year; A New Blog

Good morning, Grainiacs! Be forewarned....this post is a scramble of thoughts and emotions.

I have been silent for too long.  Truth be told, I was a little blue.  I wasn't feeling like myself because I really didn't know who "myself" was anymore.

I knew my "before" self.  Raising children, working as a Christian educator for my church, a student.  I felt like I had a purpose.  Then the kids grew up and are succeeding and thriving.  I graduated (with honors, I might add) and I haven't been able to find a job in my field for over a decade.  I am super busy with plenty of volunteer activities.  And I cannot forget that I'm my Mom's medical proxy and that is Very Important.

I have been feeling stuck, Grainiacs, and I don't like the feeling one little bit.

So it is time to take action.  We are coming up on a new year. New goals. New opportunities to redefine myself and my life.  Time to prioritize and decide what is important (family) and what can be postponed for the time being or totally dropped.

I am de-cluttering my life, my cabinets and closets, my body, and my brain.

Years ago, I picked up Dr. Phil's "The Ultimate Weight Solution" and read part of it and promptly boxed it up.  I am reacquainting myself with his philosophy and marked a page to read everyday.  I will share it with you because I think it describes whatever blockage we possess...whether weight, social, mental, etc.

"You have generated and adopted a lifestyle to sustain it" (referring to being overweight). You have set up that lifestyle, based upon numerous self-destructive behaviors such as overeating, bingeing, not exercising, and self-defeating internal dialogue, that have contributed to and sustained your weight problem.  You have set up your world to keep yourself overweight, even though you consciously confess that you want to be fit, energetic, and of normal weight.  You make sure your life revolves around food. If you are chronically overweight, I know that your manner of living can be characterized as inert, harried, and chaotic."

I have become inert, harried, and chaotic.  A friend recently pointed this out to me.  I get a call and I go.  I don't think twice that I haven't eaten breakfast and will be famished by the time I arrive. I forget to bring things to do while we wait at the dr. office.  I'm just "harried and chaotic."

So my blog posts for a while will be about changing my ways of doing things.  I've tried in the past but then my excuse is "life gets in the way."  No more excuses.  No more running out the door.  No more!

Starting today I will organize and redesign myself from the inside out.  I have some skeletons in my closet that need pushing out.  Moana is a BIG skeleton...my inner child wants to sabotage any good thought or action I want to take.  It's time to take charge of Moana.

Walk along with me if you will.  It might get sticky...and I don't mean caramel sticky...okay..maybe a little caramel sticky.

Peace out, Grainiacs.  Love you, Strawberry.