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Introduction Text 4-10-13 Update: Today during my coaching session, I was encouraged to imagine being perfectly content with every aspect of life, and think about what that would look like. I liked this, and wanted to take this time to blog my response. As I thought of it, and my different roles in life, I came to the conclusion that I want to be characterized by love, enthusiasm, and joy. I want to cultivate nurturing, rich relationships. I want to embrace laughter and discipline, hard work and celebrations. I want to live my life to bless others in practical ways. I also concluded that my physical well-being can't be separated from the kind of life I envisioned. I must embrace being physically healthy *if* I'm to thrive and grow in spirit and soul and see my ultimate goal of loving God and others fulfilled. Spirit, soul and body can't be compartmentalized, but rather must be united for a long-term permanent change. Does that make sense? Suddenly, the weight is NOT the issue! Being transformed into His image physically, mentally, and spiritually becomes the higher purpose, and this empowers me to be all that Jesus wants me to be, and if the weight comes off, well that's an added bonus! ========================================== My name is Susan and I have a TROPHY TUMMY [words inspired by my dear friend Margaret] because I've given birth to 8 special blessings--7 super sons and 1 delightful daughter--from the LORD. I've been married 23 years to my sweetheart, Dennis. The very thought of Jesus is sweetness to my heart and I love Him so much. I live in the country, home school my children, love to go shopping with my daughter, read, spend time with my hubby & kiddos, watch our backyard birds, and spend time in my flower gardens. We have 2 dogs [Lady and Gracie], 1 bird [Peeps] 2 bunnies [Emma and Bugs], 38 chickens and 2 ducks. �No one can live without delight, and that is why a man deprived of spiritual joy goes over to carnal pleasures.� �St. Thomas Aquinas Dum spiro, spero, "While I breathe, I hope". -- Latin Proverb I finally took responsibility which to me is RESPONDING-TO-JESUS'-ABILITY-IN-ME" "I'm a simple Jesus girl on a journey to finding deeper motivation than just a number on my scale for getting and staying healthy." Lysa Terkeurst "You either sacrifice today to reach tomorrow's goals, or you give up your dreams in favor of the fleeting comfort that's distracting you." Dave Griffin "Sometimes life is so intense and demanding that it just sweeps us along. Weeks and months can go by and we have forgotten to be Deliberate & Strategic about the things that matter most, our marriage, children, and spiritual family. Some of these ideas can be woven into the natural rhythm of life (like meals), others will take some scheduling. Either way, ask God for the grace to be proactive as it pertains to loving. Don�t let your self-life get the better of you, causing you to be sucked into an endless whirlpool of superficial existence. I heartily encourage you to live life to the fullest in Christ, valuing the precious people in your life. Time goes by so quickly, don�t waste a minute. Everything you do, do it all for the glory of God, as a act of worship. Love well, love consistently, and love with extravagant abandon." Tim Johns [my dear brother in Jesus and the pastor that officiated at our wedding] "Whatever we do or accomplish is HIS accomplishment in us." "What matters is what you are doing and is God pleased with the choices you are making. Nothing else really matters in the end. You are working hard to keep your temple healthy - serving your family and friends, loving others. We will never be weighed on a scale in heaven!" RUNNINGOMA These are the remedies God gives us for a NEW START to better health!" �If you don't feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because you have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because you have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Your soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great.� ― John Piper, A Hunger For God "God�s highest Gift should awaken our deepest gratitude." "The Spark of Jesus motivates me to be Fit, to eat Wisely and to Enjoy this Lifestyle!!" My SP friend Laura [VISUALLYRICS] "Trying to keep remembering it's about progress, not perfection and that the skinny jeans are just a bonus to finding the inner peace with ourselves and our healthy journey." [GETTINGFIT4HIM] My friend, Kitt from Sparkpeople when asked what you do when you get the munchies: "first I think , can I really be hungry ....drink some water or better make me a nice hot cup of tea..while the water boils I ask myself again am I really hungry or is it something else....I ask God to give me strength ....I try and sit in a quiet place, no TV radio or computer�do some deep breathing.....drink the tea....if that still doesn't work I have a south beach 100 calorie protein bar....they taste really yummy, I like the whipped chocolate almond one best....there is protein and fiber in then I think 6 grams of each so not a bad treat...that seems to hold me till the meal time..." "Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence." - Vince Lombardi "The real power of life is not the freedom to choose, but making choices that give you freedom." - Erwin Raphael McManis "To insure good health: Eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life." William Londen "Be true to yourself. Make each day your masterpiece. Help others. Drink deeply from good books. Make friendship a fine art. Buld a shelter against a rainy day. Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day." ~John Wooden Not what we have, but what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance. - Epicurus What is called genius is the abundance of life and health. - Henry David Thoreau I am the master of my emotions - I transform fear to love, anger to compassion, pain to comfort, scarcity to abundance, expectation to gratitude, and jealousy to generosity. - Jonathan Lockwood Huie Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the thousand small uncaring ways. ~Stephen Vincent Ben�t "The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what's ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we'll never settle for less." 2 Corinthians 5:5 MSG Settle this in your heart: Whether I am up or down, the Lord Jesus is the same. Whether I sing or sigh, the promise is true and the Promiser is faithful. Whether I stand on the summit or am hidden in the vale the covenant stands fast and everlasting love abides. ~Charles Haddon Spurgeon "Change of diet will not help a man who will not change his thoughts." James Allen The following is from a calendar: "When the time was right, the sea parted, the walls fell down, the lions went hungry, the sun stood still, the waves were calm, the stone was rolled away, the clouds were parted, the Lord ascended�" "AT TIMES OUR OWN LIGHT GOES OUT AND IS REKINDLED BY A SPARK FROM ANOTHER PERSON. EACH OF US HAS CAUSE TO THINK WITH DEEP GRATITUDE OF THOSE WHO HAVE LIGHTED THE FLAME WITHIN US." - Albert Schweitzer "Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential." - Winston Churchill �For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone." - Audrey Hepburn. "The right words can engage the brain and bring an idea to life." Simple Truths "BEGIN WITHIN" Bumper sticker I saw "On your deathbed, you will not say, "I wish I had spent more time at the office." "God made us capable of craving so we'd have an unquenchable desire for more of Him, and Him alone. Nothing changes until we make the choice to redirect our misguided cravings to the only one capable of satisfying them." Lysa Terkeurst "No stream or gas drives anything until it is confined. No Niagara is ever turned into light and power until it is tunneled. No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated and disciplined." ~Harry E. Fosdick �.���.�*��) �.���.�*��) God Bless You!!!! �.���.�*��) �.�� �.�*��) �.�� �.�*��) (�`v��)�.�� �.�*��) �.�� �.�*��) .`�.�.�� ♥ Susan♥ �.���.�*��) ♥ �.���.�*��) �.�*��) ♥ �.�*��) ♥ P.S. Recently, When I was reading in 1 Cor. 13 andI was struck with this verse, "love vaunteth not itself." and so I did a little word study on vaunt. vaunt--to make a vain display of ones own worth or attainments; to call attention to pridefully and often boastfully. boast--to puff oneself up in speech: speak vaingloriously; to speak of or assert with excessive pride; to often call attention to. The Word says that love does not do these things, so how can we share with one another with enthusiasm and excitement, especially regarding our weight loss journey, and yet not speak vaingloriously? Well, for me personally, I think it's to make sure that others know that without Jesus in me, I could do NOTHING. Apart from His Spirit coursing through my veins, I would fall flat on my face and not be able to rise again. The Word says that some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will trust in the name of the LORD our God. I know without doubt that my relationship with Jesus is the key to my weight loss journey being a life long success. And I boast not in what I've done, but IN His glorious grace that looks upon this poor, wretched soul, and gives exceeding abundantly above all that I could ask or think. Count your blessings instead of your crosses; Count your gains instead of your losses. Count your joys instead of your woes; Count your friends instead of your foes. Count your smiles instead of your tears; Count your courage instead of your fears. Count your full years instead of your lean; Count your kind deeds instead of your mean. Count your health instead of your wealth; Count on God instead of yourself. ~~Unknown Author~~ �The chief danger of the 20th century will be religion without the Holy Spirit, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, and heaven without hell.� WILLIAM BOOTH I'm in a continual quest to "eat smart, move more and weigh less". Met my goal weight of 125.8 on April 8, 2011 Here is my blog about reaching my goal: www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_jo urnal_individual.asp?blog_id=4153175 Highest weight: 188.8 ♥ (�`v��)(�`v��)(�`v��)(�`v��) ♥ ♥ �`�.�.���`�.�.����`�.�.���`�.�.�� �

My goal is to get into my wedding dress again with my 7 boys and 1 girl surrounding me and my husband snaps the shot! *****MET MY GOAL ON 4-8-11***** Took photo on 5-24-11 http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_j ournal_individual.asp?blog_id=4254762 ALL glory goes to my beloved Jesus! I give Him all the praise for this weight loss, and on that great and glorious day when we all stand before Him, I will cast HIS crowns of victory at HIS feet and proclaim that APART from Him, I could do nothing! I worship HIM for the victories that HE alone gives.

HIghest weight: 188.9#'s Weight when starting SparkPeople 171#'s Down to 152#'s by 11-1-10--a total of 17 pounds lost since July 12, 2010 ***MET this goal on 10-11-10*** Down to 138#'s by 3-14-11-a total of 32 pounds lost since July 12, 2010 & total of 50#'s since Oct. 2008: ***MET this goal on 12-18-10*** Healthy BMI 24.8 by my 1 year Sparkversary--July 12, 2011--*****Met this goal and exceeded on March 3, 2011 with a normal BMI of 24.7****** Down to 125.8#'s by 12-10-11 {{{{Update 4-8-11 MET MY GOAL and fit into my wedding dress this morning. Words cannot EVEN express the joy I feel right now! After 21 years of marriage, I've finally lost 63#'s and reached my goal of fitting into my dress again.}}}}}} **New goal** as of 7-27-11 is to get in the middle of NORMAL BMI which is 21.7 and a weight of 117#'s by 10-14-12

Northern Wisconsin born: 1961 born again: 1979 married: 1989 children born:90, 91, 93, 94, 96, 98, 02 & 06 Educated our children at home from birth and have 3 home school high school graduates. Have 16 perennial gardens and a veggie garden that keep me VERY busy.

"Wondrous is the strength of cheerfulness, and its power of endurance- the cheerful man will do more in the same time, will do it better, will preserve it longer, than the sad or sullen." - Thomas Carlyle "It takes 5 positive affirmations to make up for 1 negative condemnation" ~John Gottman. Practice this: STOP! BREATHE! �Do I truly need to eat or have some other need to meet?� Inhale, exhale. Wait. Let Spirit and body align. This practice will save you every time. [From my Sparkfriend, Darlene] "For me it [Sparked] means allowing the Holy Ghost to blow away the cobwebs of apathy and replace in me the coals of life." [From my SparkFriend, Crystle

Add a Link Susan--wife to Dennis and mom to 8 super blessings. "You either sacrifice today to reach tomorrow's goals, or you give up your dreams in favor of the fleeting comfort that's distracting you." Dave Griffin "I'm a simple Jesus girl on a journey to finding deeper motivation than just a number on my scale for getting and staying healthy." Lysa Terkeurst
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