Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Diet or Lifestyle?
So many people in my hometown have been on a diet craze or a lifestyle" change with a certain program. I'll admit I'm a member of
the program too but haven't been a loyal follower. Does this sound familiar in
our walk with God too? I belong to Him but I'm not a faithful follower?
Here's some brief comparisons between a diet for the body and a diet for the soul/spirit:
Overweight is bad for the body. Overweight or weighted down with burden and care are also bad for the soul.
Excessive fat and sugar are bad for our bodies. They cause diabetes, weight gain, heart disease and high blood pressure. Eating unhealthy, sinful, spiritual food causes strife, envy, discord and separation from God.
Here's some brief comparisons between a diet for the body and a diet for the soul/spirit:
Overweight is bad for the body. Overweight or weighted down with burden and care are also bad for the soul.
Excessive fat and sugar are bad for our bodies. They cause diabetes, weight gain, heart disease and high blood pressure. Eating unhealthy, sinful, spiritual food causes strife, envy, discord and separation from God.
- Eating
bad food for the body adds weight and manifests in your
appearance. Do you get pimples when you eat chocolate or dark circles
under your eyes when you drink cola?
- Same
thing happens to our spirit when we continue to sin.
Smiles turn into frowns, politeness turns to rudeness
and your spirit dries up or dehydrates from the lack of
Living Water.
Body mass index (BMI) measures height and weight to
calculate an optimum state for our body. I think someone should create an
SMI or soul mass index which measures how our spirits measure up. We
could use Galatians 5:22-23 as our measuring stick.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
We can’t look in the mirror and see our health statistics. A doctor has to measure our blood pressure, glucose, iron levels, cholesterol and so on. But I'll guarantee a bad SMI is written all over our faces. People can see if Christ is living in us by our fruits. Do you display love, joy and peace? Do you offer longsuffering, gentleness and goodness?
We know when we should visit a doctor. Why do we put it off? We put it off doing because it will cost us something. It’s the same way with our Christian lives, it costs us some discomfort to live for Christ. It’s easier to say yes and eat the poison!
Doesn't It feel good to step on the scale and be rewarded for a job well done. "You lost 3 lbs" is sweet to the ear and encouraging to the organs. Your heart smiles, your liver says whew and your kidneys thank you for keeping them wet! All of a sudden, we are glad we didn't eat the Oreos or the ice cream. God pats us on the back too when we follow him and his ways. I love it when I get blessed by God. It’s better than weight loss!
Remember this: Christianity is not a diet! It is not something that is just followed when you need to see results. Christianity is a lifestyle. It must be lived every day because you are the result!
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
We can’t look in the mirror and see our health statistics. A doctor has to measure our blood pressure, glucose, iron levels, cholesterol and so on. But I'll guarantee a bad SMI is written all over our faces. People can see if Christ is living in us by our fruits. Do you display love, joy and peace? Do you offer longsuffering, gentleness and goodness?
We know when we should visit a doctor. Why do we put it off? We put it off doing because it will cost us something. It’s the same way with our Christian lives, it costs us some discomfort to live for Christ. It’s easier to say yes and eat the poison!
Doesn't It feel good to step on the scale and be rewarded for a job well done. "You lost 3 lbs" is sweet to the ear and encouraging to the organs. Your heart smiles, your liver says whew and your kidneys thank you for keeping them wet! All of a sudden, we are glad we didn't eat the Oreos or the ice cream. God pats us on the back too when we follow him and his ways. I love it when I get blessed by God. It’s better than weight loss!
Remember this: Christianity is not a diet! It is not something that is just followed when you need to see results. Christianity is a lifestyle. It must be lived every day because you are the result!
Do you feel weighted down? Let Jesus lighten your load!
Overweight but not weighted down,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
Saturday, September 27, 2014
An "Allergy" Word from our Family
Allergies even affect poor ole Herm dog. Steve gave him a steroid shot this week. Seems like every spring and fall he scratches off the hair from his eyebrows after a few hour-long romps in the hay field. See the white patches on his eyes and nose where his hair is coming out. Such a sweet puppy!
.JPG "dog allergies")
If you or your family members suffer from asthma, here are 14 tips to prevent asthma attacks that may help prevent a life-threatening event. Leave me a comment and let me and others know what helps your allergies or things to do to prevent serious effects of asthma.
Breathe freely,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
Friday, September 26, 2014
The Frantic Chef
Exciting news! I started a business last month. I agreed to sell products, do cooking shows and represent for The Pampered Chef.
Like all excited consultants, I was ecstatic when a cousin of mine contacted me to have a show...unsolicited! Her real estate office is 40 miles from my house but, what the hay, I'm in business to sell and I'm there! My Mom went with me to help and take care of my 10 month old granddaughter. Due to the commute time, I had to leave before her mom picked her up. All is well.
12 guests rsvp'd. I'm a bit nervous but I've got this. When we arrived, only 3 guests were there (because they worked in the real estate office). They listened to my presentation from their office chairs, sometimes listening, sometimes working at their computers. I couldn't figure out whether to cook or not because two ladies said they weren't staying to eat. I had one lady though, intent on everything that I was doing so I decided to cook Pesto Vegetable Medley just for her. I'm showing off our spiral and slice which makes beautiful spiraled veggies. See..
This one lady was so interested in what I'm doing and I'm trying to answer her questions while I'm spiraling. I'm not sure why I laid my spiral and slice down but I picked up one of our forged cutlery knives to cut red pepper. Bad idea. Bad, bad idea!
The next thing I know I'm bleeding from chopping a sliver of my finger and fingernail off! It bleed and bleed and bleed. My host, Jenny took me around the corner to an internal doctor to see if they could stop the bleeding. I was so thankful and still amazed that Dr. Kim put hydro chloride on my finger to stop the bleeding, cleaned the wound, put a band-aid on it and didn't charge me a penny! He also gave me some great advice. He said "Now, when you get home don't put no natural remedy like cow dung on that cut." I said "Well, if I see my dad anytime soon, he'll want me to douse it in diesel fuel." My dad swears by diesel fuel to heal any cut! We left the doctor's office and went back to cooking!
Turns out my accident wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was or as it hurt. Here's a pic of my finger one week later. You really can't even tell its cut. I think everything will grow back just like it was. My director, Melodie told me to be sure to keep my fingers tucked.....after the fact! I said I wasn't using the knife again unless I get invited to a luau and need to gut a pig! I didn't use any cow dung or diesel fuel. I did use a natural honey product on it though.
.JPG "cut finger")
I was supposed to be pampering Jenny but she actually pampered me! I was just a bit frantic for my first show. Good news! I had another show 3 days later with about 15 guests in attendance and it went beautifully! Wish me future success and if you need any cooking equipment, I can hook you up!
Be pampered,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap/Frantic Chef
http://www.pamperedchef.biz/tammystafford
12 guests rsvp'd. I'm a bit nervous but I've got this. When we arrived, only 3 guests were there (because they worked in the real estate office). They listened to my presentation from their office chairs, sometimes listening, sometimes working at their computers. I couldn't figure out whether to cook or not because two ladies said they weren't staying to eat. I had one lady though, intent on everything that I was doing so I decided to cook Pesto Vegetable Medley just for her. I'm showing off our spiral and slice which makes beautiful spiraled veggies. See..
This one lady was so interested in what I'm doing and I'm trying to answer her questions while I'm spiraling. I'm not sure why I laid my spiral and slice down but I picked up one of our forged cutlery knives to cut red pepper. Bad idea. Bad, bad idea!
The next thing I know I'm bleeding from chopping a sliver of my finger and fingernail off! It bleed and bleed and bleed. My host, Jenny took me around the corner to an internal doctor to see if they could stop the bleeding. I was so thankful and still amazed that Dr. Kim put hydro chloride on my finger to stop the bleeding, cleaned the wound, put a band-aid on it and didn't charge me a penny! He also gave me some great advice. He said "Now, when you get home don't put no natural remedy like cow dung on that cut." I said "Well, if I see my dad anytime soon, he'll want me to douse it in diesel fuel." My dad swears by diesel fuel to heal any cut! We left the doctor's office and went back to cooking!
Turns out my accident wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was or as it hurt. Here's a pic of my finger one week later. You really can't even tell its cut. I think everything will grow back just like it was. My director, Melodie told me to be sure to keep my fingers tucked.....after the fact! I said I wasn't using the knife again unless I get invited to a luau and need to gut a pig! I didn't use any cow dung or diesel fuel. I did use a natural honey product on it though.
I was supposed to be pampering Jenny but she actually pampered me! I was just a bit frantic for my first show. Good news! I had another show 3 days later with about 15 guests in attendance and it went beautifully! Wish me future success and if you need any cooking equipment, I can hook you up!
Be pampered,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap/Frantic Chef
http://www.pamperedchef.biz/tammystafford
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Thou Art Amazing...
I woke up this morning with the first line of this poem echoing in my head. I sat down and completed this. I hope you enjoy it. If you are amazed by God, leave me a comment with one thing that amazes you. It would be a shame for me not to get one single comment....now wouldn't it?
Still amazed,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
Monday, September 22, 2014
Mom-ism Monday #17
I'm always asking people in my family for Mom-isms they remember hearing and using. Last weekend, my brother-in-law Phil shared one that my father-in-law had written in his Bible. I think it's very relevant for back then when he wrote it down and now. Very simple and direct. The dad-ism needs no explanation other than to read it.
Phil is not sure where or why the saying originated. The more surprising story lies in how my father-in-law obtained the Bible he wrote it in. My father-in-law affectionately called Pop was at Lake Conasauga in the 1940's probably fishing. He found a tackle box. The box had a name and address in it. Pop mailed the tackle box back to it's owner. In appreciation for returning the box, the man sent him a Bible as a gift. It's the very same Bible this week's Mom-ism Monday #17 saying is written in!
The next time you're feeling flush and think you might be getting a case of word vomit, remember this: Be sure Brain is Engaged before putting Mouth in Gear!
Ode to the 40's,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
The next time you're feeling flush and think you might be getting a case of word vomit, remember this: Be sure Brain is Engaged before putting Mouth in Gear!
Ode to the 40's,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
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