Stuck on U

A local radio station used to have a commercial of a little boy saying his ABC's. As he was reciting the alphabet, he got stuck on the letter U. After he said the letter U several times, Lionel Richie would begin singing "Stuck on You". It was the cutest commercial.

I have a tendency to get stuck on "you", a lot. By "you", I mean me. The "you" that says- "you should be more like them". "You don't look like they do". "You don't act like them". "You should be skinnier, younger, funnier, smarter, more involved, less vocal, richer, shorter or anything but you". Sometimes I get stuck on the "you" that says "you can't do it, so give up." Or the "you" that says "you remember what you did, and so does everyone else". "You will always be that person, not who you are today and who you allowing God to make you for tomorrow". Those ugly "you's" tend to weigh us down. If we listen to them, we can get wrapped up in self defeat. Our mind can play serious tricks on us. We can keep ourselves from being who God has intended us to be.

Jesus makes it possible for us to live freely. We do not need to seek the favor (approval) of men, but we  have the freedom to live a pleasing life for God (Galatians 1:10).  This does not give me the freedom to offend. This does not give me the right to say or do whatever I want to because I do not need people to like me. On the contrary, with our freedom comes our desire to serve others and love the way Christ has loved us. I think  this scripture means I don't have to live in the "you's", and neither do you.

If you are stuck on a "you", get stick your mind on these "you's"-

Jeremiah 29:11- For I know the plans I have for YOU, says the Lord, plans to prosper YOU and not to harm YOU, plans to give YOU hope and a future.

1 Peter 1:16- It is written, YOU shall be holy, for I am holy.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he (YOU) is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.

Ephesians 1:4 For he chose us (YOU) in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.

Revelation 3:8 See, I have placed before YOU an open door that no one can shut.      

hugs,
Chandra

https://www.advocare.com/130514409/

One of my own "you's" is being changed by this awesome product. If you would like to know more, please let me know!

Don't Ruin My Ice Cream

Awww Summer is finally here! Last night I took the kiddos for our first summer ice cream experience. We piled in the car, rolled the windows down, blasted the music and made our way to Dairy Queen. We sang and chattered away about what treat we were gonna enjoy. We knew that the evening was going to end on a fantastic note- sticky hands and milky chins. We couldn't wait.

When we arrived, the line was long but, that didn't bother us. Everyone knows DQ is worth the wait! We ordered our treats and waited patiently for the twist cones with sprinkles or krunch kote (my personal favorite). As we waited, I noticed a young couple behind us with their cute as a button little girl. She was eagerly anticipating her cone and, not being more than 3, wonderment filled her eyes as she watched each treat being handed out. They received their cones first (there were only 3 of them and 6 of us). The little girl was digging into her cone and loving every bite. The young mother asked the cashier how much extra krunch kote in a cup would cost (my kinda girl). The cashier replies "$.25". The young mom looks to the husband for a quarter and he comes up empty handed but, he offers his debit card. I see the frustration fill her face. She rolls her eyes and begins to walk away in disgust. I watched his face and it was obvious he wanted to help yet, nothing was going to fix it- but $.25.

Now before you judge the young mother, think about it. How many times have we let little things ruin our ice cream? I don't know what happened in her day. Her day could have been filled with a crazy toddler getting into everything. I mean let's be honest, those little ones can be real boogers! Maybe they are strapped financially. Maybe she feels like life is out of control and all she needed was one ding dang quarter. Maybe at that point in time she felt that a quarter would have been enough. An extra cup of krunch kote could have made life better.

I will be honest, there have been times when I have ruined my ice cream. Where my circumstances have dictated my emotions and something that was meant to bring joy was overshadowed by my own junk of the moment, hour, day or year. I was reminded of this scripture:

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

It doesn't say be joyful when we feel like we can or be thankful when we want. But, all the time and in every circumstance.

As I stood in DQ, watching the young mother get ready to ruin her ice cream, I was given a chance to show Jesus. I handed her a dollar. It was just a dollar, but it was a way for me to show her that I belong to Jesus and so does she. That dollar stands as a reminder: let's take a breath and pray before we ruin our ice cream.

hugs,
Chandra


 https://www.advocare.com/130514409/

I am a distributor for AdvoCare and would love to share my journey with you!

Stress Causes a Mess

There has been a mess called Stress in my life this last week. Last Tuesday, my Gram called and informed me that she had been to the doctor that morning and he was sending her for testing that day. Slight unexpected bump in the road but, we will make it work. The testing was fine and we went for lunch afterward. Feeling accomplished, I came home and started my to do list for the day (at 2:30 in the afternoon). The phone rang. My Gram was calling to tell me that the doctor called and she needed to be back at the hospital right away. WHAT?!?!?! Yep, they were admitting her to the hospital. I grabbed a few things and I bolted out the door. What happened next: 2 days in the hospital, less than 6 hours of sleep in 48 hours, 6 kids at home that needed their mom, a wonderful husband that needed his wife and several items left unchecked on my to do list for the week. UGH Stress causes a mess!!

Here is what I know: everyone has stress in their lives. Here is another good thing that I know: stress does not cause our outbursts- our feelings do.

How we handle stress or unexpected situations in our lives is an indicator of our mind and heart. If we binge eat, snap at others, or behave in any way that is unhealthy for us or others we need to get our mind and heart under control. I use the term "control" very loosely here. I mean to say, we should not allow our feelings to dictate our reactions to situations. Example: I spent 2 days at the hospital with my Gram. When I got home with my family I was tired, frayed and grouchy. I should have taken the time to go to bed and rest, but I didn't. Instead, I tried to jump back in to my to-do list. What happened? I snapped at everyone, cried and threw one major hissy fit! It was so not pretty. I allowed my emotions to lead me.

We can make excuses for our outbursts but, really they stem from our own junk inside of us. When ugly boils over, because we haven't dealt with it, we spew it out on others (or even hurt ourselves).

"A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart." Luke 6:45

I certainly had a lot on my plate last week, well for goodness sakes, we all do- every week!! How we choose to handle it is so important. Deal with the treasury of your heart and stress can't cause a mess in your treasured home.

hugs,
Chandra

  https://www.advocare.com/130514409/

I am a distributor for AdvoCare and if you are interested, I would love to talk with you about the difference this product has made in my life.

What's egg got to do, got to do with it?

When I was a kid I loved going to Sunday School classes. I was even on a quiz team. (For those that might not know- a quiz team is a group of kids that study a book of the bible, memorize it and then regurgitate it to an audience in competition form. Seriously, great fun.) I loved memorizing the Bible.

Last week as I was cleaning the dishes and thinking about how tired I was, I remembered a scripture I memorized when I was young. Here it is in the King James Version (the one I memorized when I was a kid ):

²⁸ Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11: 28-30

The last two verses made me giggle. I remember as a kid memorizing these verses and thinking "His yolk is easy? What does that mean? What's an egg got to do with Jesus?". All my little mind could think is that Jesus must like over-easy eggs in light butter. So here is a real yoke: 

Yep, it's that wood thing around the necks of the oxen. They (yokes) are used to join the oxen securely together so that oxen work together as one. Well, that little definition changes everything, doesn't it? Jesus wants us to join securely with him, he wants to work along with us in our lives, and when the day is done we will find rest in our souls. Here is the translation from The Message (and I LOVE it): 

^28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Jesus isn't complicated. He doesn't want our life complicated. He wants us to know the simple beat of grace and enjoy life. He invites us to get to know him, hang out with him. And when we do, we will be free from the things that weigh on our mind. Maybe little Chandra was right. Maybe Jesus really does like his eggs over-easy, but I'm pretty sure he uses real butter.  

hugs,

Chandra

https://www.advocare.com/130514409/

I would love to talk to you about my journey. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

To Pie or Not to Pie? That is the Question.

I love pie. I love cake too. Actually, I am not a discriminator of desserts now that I think about it. I really can't think of a dessert that I would not enjoy. In fact, I love sweets so much, I plan my meal around what would go best with the dessert I am in the mood to have that evening. Don't even get me started on ice cream! Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream had to be lost in translation when the land of milk and honey was promised in the bible.

I know that my sweets addiction (I mean let's call it what it is) is not healthy and is borderline insanity, but I love dessert. Dessert is not something that I am willing to give up.  However, I do have to make a choice. I can't have dessert with every meal (yes, the chocolate pudding cup after lunch counts as dessert) and be healthy.

In the quest to find a healthy lifestyle I have come across a lot of diets. What I have found is, for the most part, the people using these diets are unhappy. I am not talking about the people that have found balance, I am talking about those that give up everything to be thin. And by everything, I mean even ICE CREAM! They give up everything- time, money, sweets, fun- to be their perfect size. They only eat cake on their birthday!! That is so weird-especially since our family celebrates 8 birthdays a year.

I want the balance. I want the healthy. I want the fun and I want the time. Time is the most important thing we can give to those we care about. Why would I throw away my time for sugar, nicotine or laziness?  I want to be here for my family. I want to watch my babies grow up, meet my grand-babies and hug my great grand-babies. I want my cake and eat it too. Don't you?

hugs,
Chandra

https://www.advocare.com/130514409/

I would love to talk to you about my journey. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

For the Love of Poop

This is day 3 of my Advocare 24 Day Challenge. I feel good. I actually feel great, for most of the day. Since this challenge began I have quit smoking, quit coffee and quit soda. I was literally laughing as I typed that sentence. I can hear you all using profanity and directing it at me! As my pastor says - "Boo hicky hicky!". Which I think translates to- the poop is getting deep in here (or something like that).

This brings us to the "poop". I am as skeptical as the next person. I take all the "miracle cure" and "try it" diet pills and call Boo Hicky Hicky (I don't even know how to spell that-haha)!! Seriously, we are a 1 income family of 8, who can afford to get caught up in a scheme. You have to be skeptical and smart. You have to be able to decipher Boo Hicky Hicky from BS and BS from poop and poop from truth and truth from will this really work for me and my family.

So here is what I am doing to battle the skepticism (even in myself)- I am writing this blog. I am gonna post my before picture, which is horrid, for all of you to see. Then I am gonna post all of my after pictures. You can walk through this with me. Wanna know why I am doing this? Because if it doesn't work we can yell out BOO HICKY HICKY as loud as we can!!

(told ya it wasn't pretty)

hugs,
Chandra


If you are interested in hearing more about the 24 day challenge, leave your email address in the comments and I will contact you as soon as I can.

https://www.advocare.com/130514409/

So IT Begins

I will be 40 in 2 months. I can't believe it! What I really have a hard time grasping is where and how fast the time has gone. I mean seriously, I can't believe it. My second oldest just went to prom this week, how is that possible? I remember both of my proms!! It seems like yesterday. Since it feels like yesterday, that I was 16, it is easy to overlook the fact that I have been smoking since I was 16. Yep, that is a long time. A horrible addiction that started as peer pressure and I have never been able to fully quit. Ok, I have put the habit down for a few months at a time but, there has always been this pull.

Now, I have to be honest, cigarettes have lots of really good friends. Their names are soda, beer, wine, margaritas and any fattening meal you can imagine! I can imagine them all holding hands saying "Let's destroy this person's life! Oh what fun!". We all know what happens when you maintain a lifestyle that is full of smoking and fattening foods. We get fat or unhealthy or maybe both.

I have decided at 40 I want to be healthy. I want to be energetic. I want to be fun. I want to be here for my children. I want to meet my grandchildren. I want to hike, camp, travel, run, and LIVE LIFE!

I began the Advocare 24-Day Challenge. I feel great. No smokes, soda or fatty foods. I am so excited about this new me! I also want to cuss myself out every time I look in the mirror, ya know, for going this long with a horrible lifestyle. Why did I wait until 40?



hugs,
Chandra


If you are interested in hearing more about the 24 day challenge, leave your email address in the comments and I will contact you as soon as I can.

https://www.advocare.com/130514409/