Thursday, May 27, 2010
Ladies Morning Out
26th.
We will first meet at 9:00 a.m. at Everything Under the Son Coffee Shop
and Bookstore (407 McKinley Street - 2 blocks behind the Dillons on 10th
Street) for coffee/latte/cappucino and fellowship. Perhaps even a little
browsing for the bookworms among us.
At 10:30 we will head over to the zoo which will take about an hour to go
through.
For those who want to extend their trip you can make plans to enjoy a nice
lunch at one of the many restaurants in Great Bend.
We would like to get a count of how many will be coming so either leave a comment here or email us back
at rootedandgrounded@lovelybranchesministries.org or call 620-234-6856 and
let us know by June 20th if you plan to attend.
We hope to see you all on June 26th.
Blessings,
Your "buds" at Lovely Branches Ministries
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Mapping Your Emotional History with Food
Sometimes we have hurts, frustrations, insecurities, etc that create emotional needs within us. God created us to fulfill those needs through Him, not through food. For some of us the issue may not be food, it may be shopping, pursuing physical beauty, money, a relationship etc. The list goes on and on. Whatever we consistently turn to for comfort instead of turning to God first. So, this is titled, "Mapping Your Emotional History with Food," but feel free to substitute your own issue in there for food.
Go get a paper and pen, and a quiet spot/time to think and let's begin with step 1.
STEP 1: Pray. Ask God for clarity to identify thoughts, emotions, and patterns of behavior that have resulted in your current emotional relationship with food. As you pray, ask God to reveal truth to you through this process and allow you to visit the deep places of your heart to bring about inner wisdom. See Psalm 51:6.
take a few minutes to write out this prayer to God in your journal
STEP 2: Label seperate sheets of paper with each major stage of your life, starting with early childhood and ending with your current stage. For example, early childhood, grade school, middle school, high school, college years, single years, 20s, 30s, pre-having kids, post-having kids.... Whatever seems appropriate and manageable.
STEP 3: Think back to the earliest time in your life that you can remember and write out the story of what life was like for you during that period. Go as deep into your heart as you can, even if expressing those emotions is painful. The Lord will guide you to the memories and experiences that have impacted you the most. Jesus tells us that God sent Jesus "to comfort all who mourn...to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair" (Isaiah 61:2-3).
STEP 4: Identify when there were major changes in your life and desribe how you responded to those changes (family move, graduation, marriage, birth of a child). Maybe you began eating more when your parents divorced, or you lost a significant amount of weight just before a major change in your life. Thoroughly explore the patterns of your eating behaviors and your weight during each of the periods you write about.
STEP 5: Be specific about your feelings, destructive patterns of behavior, choices and longings. At the same time, be sure to also include your strengths and successes so that you develop a balanced view of your life and who you really are.
STEP 6: Ask again for guidance and clarity. Is there any thing you have blocked from your memory or just forgotten to list. Ask Him to shed light and truth on the story of your life and relationship with food.
STEP 7: After you have read back through your thoughts, take a few moments to record what you have learned from this exercise. Ask the Lord to show you the connection, if any, between your eating and your emotions, the events of your life and the patterns you have developed to cope with certain events. Has over-dependance on food kept you from becoming the person God desires you to be?
STEP 8: IF you are able to see well-defined patterns and you are prepared to turn from the destructive behaviors you have developed, take some time to pray and make a commitment, both in prayer and in writing, to the changes God has led you to make.
Step 9: Finally, write a prayer of repentance and rededication to God. Don't forget to thank Him for allowing you to search your heart so deeply and revealing the wounds He wants to heal in you. Thank Him for the work He is going to do in you as you turn back to Him and allow food to play its proper role-to bring physical nourishment to your body.
Jesus promised, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" John 8:31-32. As you continue to seek Him in the process of returning food to its proper role in your life, you will find the freedom that results from the abundant life Jesus promised we would have.
First Place 4 Health Members Guide. Copyright 2008 by Gospel Light; Ventura, California, 93003. Used by permission.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
The Halfway Point
Here's just quick review of where our journey has taken us thus far:
Week One - We learned from Psalm 139 that we are fearfully and wonderfully made and that He is intimately acquainted with all our ways. In spite of knowing everything about us He loves us deeply and has provided a way through His Son, Jesus to have a personal relationship with us.
Week Two - Colossians 1:15-20 gave us a clearer understanding of this God who has supremacy over all mankind. We began a journey here of soul searching about whether we each have personally made Him supreme in our hearts and in every area of our lives. Being the Great High Priest of Hebrews 4:14-16, hopefully we have come to understand that He understands our weaknesses and if we have put our trust in Him we can draw near to Him in prayer and receive grace and mercy in our time of need.
Week Three - Our lesson this week being on prayer, Jill started our study off with a great lesson on what a "Quiet Time" with Jesus looks like. Hopefully, we are all making an effort to put those things into practice, not so we can mark them off our 'to do' list but that we might know God better. We also learned how, through prayer, we can cast all our cares upon Him because He cares for us [1 Peter 5:6-9] and that believing in God, according to his Word, means "being fully persuaded to the point of action" - the action, being to trust Him to the point of opening the doors of our hearts to Him, allowing Him to take up residence there.
Week Four -This was my personal favorite as we delved into Hebrews 12:1-3. Knowing God has marked out a race for each us we can run with perseverance, keeping our eyes on Jesus the One who is the Author and Perfecter of our faith. May we, like Jesus find our greatest delight in bringing joy to our Heavenly Father by being obedient to His call on our lives. May we long to hear someday the words of our Master, "Well done, good and faithful servant.....enter into the joy of your Master." [Matthew 25:23]
Week Five - Here we got a better understanding of Eve's decision in Genesis 3 to "believe" Satan over God and how we as women find ourselves doing the same thing on a daily basis - believing the enemy's words over God's word. We find the lusts and cravings of life always at our beckon call. Hopefully, five weeks into the study we are becoming alert to those cravings and how we can choose God's ways over the ways of our flesh and the enemy of our souls.
Week Six - Last week we learned about the progression of sin from James 1:14-16: Temptation can lead to lust which can lead to sin which will lead to death. Like Eve we have pivot points in the temptation and lust phases where we can choose to say no and walk away from our sin. Due to Eve (and Adam’s) decision to let the enemy’s temptation lead them down a path of lust and then to sin it resulted in spiritual/eternal death (separation from God and His kingdom forever) [Genesis 2:17], not just for them but for all mankind [Romans 5:19, 3:23 & 6:26a]. However, God in His mercy allowed His Son to pay the penalty for our sin [Romans 6:26b] thereby opening the door for spiritual, eternal life. Now that is good news!
Ladies, we leaders and teachers commend you all for persevering. You are halfway there, keep pressing on. We look forward to these next six lessons and all God has for each of you. This journey with you has been very rewarding to us, not just for the things we are learning along with you but also for the relationships we are building with you. You are all such precious women and we love you so much.
**Remember March 15-20 is Spring break. There will be no class.
[posted by edna]
Friday, February 5, 2010
Heart Healthy Recipes
Super Bowl:
Southwestern Layered Bean Dip (eatingwell.com)
12 servings, about 1/2 cup each
1 16-ounce can nonfat refried beans, preferably “spicy”
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed
4 scallions, sliced
1/2 cup prepared salsa
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 cup pickled jalapeƱo slices, chopped
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack, or Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 1/2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 medium avocado, chopped
1/4 cup canned sliced black olives, (optional)
1.Combine refried beans, black beans, scallions, salsa, cumin, chili powder and jalapeƱos in a medium bowl. Transfer to a shallow 2-quart microwave-safe dish; sprinkle with cheese.
2.Microwave on High until the cheese is melted and the beans are hot, 3 to 5 minutes.
3.Spread sour cream evenly over the hot bean mixture, then scatter with lettuce, tomato, avocado and olives (if using).
Nutrition:
Per serving: 146 calories; 7 g fat (3 g sat, 3 g mono); 12 mg cholesterol; 15 g carbohydrates; 7 g protein; 5 g fiber; 288 mg sodium; 164 mg potassium.
Valentine's Day:
Tiramisu Parfaits (tasteofhome.com)
6 ServingsPrep: 40 min. + chillingIngredients
4-1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
1/3 cup boiling water
2 cups cold fat-free milk
2 packages (1 ounce each) sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
4 ounces fat-free cream cheese
1 package (3 ounces) ladyfingers, split and cubed
2 cups fat-free whipped topping
2 tablespoons miniature chocolate chips
1 teaspoon baking cocoa
Dissolve coffee in boiling water; cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. In another large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually fold in pudding.
Place ladyfinger cubes in a bowl; add coffee; toss to coat. Let stand for 5 minutes.
Divide half of the ladyfinger cubes among six parfait glasses or serving dishes. Top with half of the pudding mixture, 1 cup whipped topping and 1 tablespoon chocolate chips. Repeat layers.
Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Just before serving, dust with cocoa. Yield: 6 servings.
Nutritional Analysis: 1 parfait equals 189 calories, 3 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 55 mg cholesterol, 573 mg sodium, 32 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 7 g protein. Diabetic Exchange: 2 starch.
Don't forget to check out all the other blogs on the Vine Press page. You'll find a lot of good stuff for the "heart" there.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Our First FP4H Meeting
Yesterday was such a blessing as we started our First Place 4 Health Bible study. We had a great turn out for both morning and evening classes, in spite of the snowstorm which quickly dumped a few inches during the evening class. I am so thankful everyone made it home safely.
It felt so good getting back into ladies Bible study mode again. The weeks between Christmas break and January 28th are way too long to be away from the gals who touch my life so greatly. And what a blessing to meet some new ladies and make some new "buds". And I am soooo excited about my small group; what beautiful and tenderhearted women they are. I can learn much from them.
Elizabeth reminded me last night that we forgot to give the evening gals their health tip for the week so here it is:
Eat fruit instead of drinking it. Whole fruit offers more fiber than fruit juice and offers fewer calories as well. Eating fiber can help prevent certain types of cancer, keeps you regular and helps you feel full so you consume less calories overall. You don't need to give up juice entirely. An 8 oz serving per day is fine but if you have a choice, go whole fruit.
Taken from fitsugar.com
A reminder on your homework:
1. Complete Week 2 Bible study
2. Memorize this week's verse from Matthew 6:33
3. Keep a food journal for 3 days to track your caloric intake. Use the calorie guide from your folder, nutrition labels and/or go to thecaloriecounter.com and search for the foods you've eaten to determine their caloric value. Be realistic and honest to get a good baseline intake level. (Carrie suggested waiting until Monday to start your 3 day tracking. The weekend may not give you an accurate idea of your usual eating patterns.)
Remember to take the time this week to think more about God. Read some Psalms to find out more about Him. And consider the depth of how much He thinks about you (Psalm 139:1-18).
You, sweet sister, are fearfully and wonderfully made. May you know that full well.
[posted by Edna]
Sunday, January 10, 2010
We hope you will join us Thursday, January 14th at 9:00 a.m. or 7:00 p.m. at the Senior Center in Stafford, Kansas as we will give you some information about First Place 4Health, our newest study officially starting January 28th.
Through this study, endorsed by Beth Moore, we hope to take you deeper in your relationship with Jesus Christ. The study itself is one which seeks to help women find balance in four key areas of her being - spiritual, physical, emotional and mental. Finding that balance can only come through an in depth relationship with Jesus Christ as He brings deep set issues of the heart to the surface. Here is where change can happen as we let go and surrender those areas to God's control. For some it will be hectic time issues and dealing with the urgency of everything you do, for some it is emotional struggles as you deal with relationships which need healing. Still others it may be a physical health issue where you have dealt for years with yo-yo dieting and have never really gotten a handle on why you overeat. Of course the "issue" list is endless. We all have something we want to get a handle on once and for all.
Whatever your personal struggles or "issues" are, Jesus offers you hope through His Word. FP4H is merely a Bible study tool which can help you by God's Spirit to go to the root of those issues and find freedom. Will you get a handle on that crazy life of urgency or healing in that broken relationship or even get control of your eating habits? That depends on your willingness to seek Christ out in this study. We can't promise you everything in your life will change dramatically through this program but we can promise you this when you seek God with all your heart you will find Him. (Jeremiah 29:13). James 4:5 says "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." These are truths we believe with all our hearts at Lovely Branches Ministries. If you will seek, with all your heart, to know God and follow his ways as indicated in His Word you will find transformation in your life. What will that transformation look like? For each person it will be different but the truth is you will grow to become more like His Son in all His beauty and righteousness.
We hope you desire like we do, for transformation from the inside out. If so, join us for First Place 4 Health January 14th and 28th and start on a fantastic journey with us as we seek to be transformed by the power of the Living God.
For more information contact us at rootedandgrounded@lovelybranchesministries or call 620-546-5218 or 620-234-6983