Food For Thought!!

I received this email and definitely thought it was something that everyone could stand to hear. It kind of goes with Sheryl's devotion from last night's ladies' meeting. If you didn't get to come, hopefully we'll see you at the next one. We had a great time, but if you weren't there, I promise you that you were missed. Here is the Wonderful food for thought...hope you enjoy it!


God, grant me the Serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the
Courage to change the one I can, and the Wisdom to know it's me.

No more excuses now. God can use you to your full potential.
Besides you aren't the message, you are just the messenger.

1. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.
2. Dear God, I have a problem, it's me.
3. Growing old is inevitable, growing UP is optional.
4. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open.
5. Silence is often misinterpreted but never misquoted.
6. Do the math, count your blessings.
7. Faith is the ability to not panic.
8. Laugh every day, it's like inner jogging.
9. If you worry, you didn't pray. If you pray, don't worry.
10. As a child of God, prayer is kind of like calling home.
11. Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape.
12. The most important things in your house are the people.
13. When we get tangled up in our problems, be still. He can untangle
the knot.
14. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry.
15. He who dies with the most toys is still dead.

Last night we talked about allow God to use us to our full potential. You might not think you have a lot left to give, but pour yourself into someone else and see how God grows you and others.

In the Circle of God's love, God's waiting to use your full potential.

Until Next time...Keep Looking UP for your inspiration and God Bless!!!

America's Idolz

I got to thinking this weekend...how much time do I spend thinking about food? When will I eat next and how much will I eat? Where will I eat? So often, we even think about the next meal before we're even done with our meal. But how often do I think about God. When will I spend time with Him next? I think sometimes we look at food as something that we need to keep us alive...and while this is true, we should not let this be our excuse to worship the food that we eat. I want you to think about this...How much time do spend with God in a Week? In prayer?...In His Word?...Doing His Work? Now, how much time do you spend thinking about food, in a DAY?...eating it?...thinking about your next meal?...Wondering where you will eat lunch? Now how does this compare? If you do not spend as much or more time with God in a day than you do thinking about food, or actually indulging in food, then your priorities are a little off. I want you to try something out for me. I only want you to eat 3 times a week...yes I said a week, not a day. I want you to eat a meal on Sunday morning, then another meal on Sunday night, and yes, of course, one meal half way through the week on Wednesday night. Do you think you would make it? Of course not. The only time we eat this rarely is when we are fasting for some reason. But, if you think about it, we're starving ourselves of the spiritual food God has provided for us because we only allow ourselves to be fed 3 times a week when the pastor spoon feeds it to us. We are starving spiritually because we only eat 3 times a week, and even some of those meals are questionable. Not because the pastor isn't doing his job, but because some people don't allow themselves to get full on the Word of God that is being presented. Matthew 6:25 - 'Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?' We should never get to the point of thinking about food all the time that it becomes an idol in our lives. Let's remember this tonight as we fellowship together and enjoy our "kitchen swap". We'll have a great time of food and fellowship, and worship together. Have a Great day, until next time...Keep Looking UP for your inspiration and God Bless!!!

Sorry for the Time Lapse!

Hey Everyone, Sorry about the time lapse. We've been having computer problems and usually I have just enough time to update the blog. I've been trying to reboot the modem every morning and finally get frustrated with it and quit. But it's working today after I was patient and played a game after rebooting instead of just jumping right onto the internet. Today's verse comes from Luke and it's Luke 6:25 - 'Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.' You know, my excuse here is just that. I can take it 1 of 2 ways. I can be thankful the internet works most of the time, or I can just be mad because it doesn't work all the time. This verse is saying that we eat too much. (Not literally, but let's think about this for a minute). I know you heard it a million times, probably even said it if you have kids. "Eat your food, there are starving children in China who would love to have what you're eating!" How true is this statement? We live in a world, where food is literally at our fingertips. We can eat anytime we want and be full. But how many times have you stopped to think about the people around this world who don't have that opportunity? We just had our mission's conference and we saw picture after picture of people who are literally starving. But they're not just starving for food...they are starving for the Word of God. Yes, we are a fortunate people. We can have church out in the open, we don't have to go underground to have services. We can read our Bibles in public if we so wish to do. We can eat until we can't even move around on our own anymore. I see people come into my office on a daily basis that need motorized wheelchairs because they can't even walk without assistance anymore. This is why we need to encourage each other. We have to remodel the temple of God. I love all of you, and you are doing a wonderful job. Our church is looking better and better each day :) You guys are wonderful. Keep up the good work.

Thought for Today: Make me less, Lord: less body, less selfishness, less ego!

Until next time...Keep Looking UP for your inspiration and God Bless!!!

Chocolate Bunnies!!!

Well, Easter was a little rough on me. I ate a little too much chocolate and gained a pound, but I know it will be gone next week. I've set a new goal and I'm going to make it with the help of all my friends. Sometimes I just need a little motivation. I think we get so used to getting things for nothing, that we come to expect it. I'll just sit behind my desk and get paid for it. If they're willing to do, I'll take the money. But God doesn't want us to just sit behind a desk. If that's your job, then do it to the best of your ability. He asks the same of us in dieting. If you choose to remodel your temple, do it to the best of your ability. I'm the worst right now, because I keep thinking, (well I've lost it before, so I know I can do it), and then I get discouraged when I've gained weight. Sometimes, we're not too smart in this aspect. Philippians 2:13 - For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. If you've lost sight of your goal, God is still working in you, but you have to refocus and start again. He will not give up on you even when you've given up on yourself. Let's remember to rally around each other and continue to encourage one another as often as we can, whether it be comments on this webpage or comments to each other at church or wherever we may see each other. I hope you have a great day. Until next time...Keep Looking UP for your inspiration and God Bless!!!

Patience!!!

1 Kings 17:8-9 - And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, 'Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.' Did you know that Elijah waited 3 years for word to come. He was told by the Lord to go and dwell and someone would sustain him while he waited. Could you imagine??? The Lord told him to go...he went. What faith. Then the Lord told him to dwell...so he dwelt. For 3 long years he dwelt in the land that the Lord told him to wait in. Many times, we're done after 3 months, but Elijah waited for 3 years for the Lord to tell him what to do next. Instead of trying to speed up the process, we should take the time to enjoy the process of losing weight. If you lose it all in 1 night, most likely it will come back on in 2 hours. There is a process to everything. Let me again encourage you...the weather is perfect for a picnic in the park. And then you can get up and play with your kids, or take them for a stroll around the park. I did it yesterday...I'm sure you've all read by now, but it was a wonderful experience. I plan on doing it everyday...weather permitting. If anyone would like to join me...you are more than welcome. :) It's all the way in Bedford and I get lunch at 1:00. If you're interested...just let me know ;) Well, this is it for today. I need to leave for work, but until next time...Keep Looking UP for your inspiration and God Bless!!!

News Today!!!

Okay, My lunch was really awesome today. I went for a walk in the park (it was close to my work and very protected). It was such a beautiful day for a walk. I was walking around the lake and I got to watching the wildlife in the park. I watched the ducks playing chase (it was incredible...they were just like little kids playing chase). Then I saw some birds, they nearly hit me. They were flying as fast as they could and it looked as if they were playing tag. It was awesome. Then I heard a bird in the tree and then immediately heard several other birds reply to that bird. It was as if they were playing "marco polo". I was so excited when I realized what was happening all around me. God put these simple things in our lives for us to focus on so that we are not always inundated with our stressful lives. Did you know that its a proven fact that stress is the number 1 cause for all disease??? It is. Try to destress everyday. It's good for you. Well, this is all for today. I don't have a verse for today, because honestly, I think God's creation should be enjoyed. Until next time...keep looking UP for your inspiration and God Bless!!!

Hard Times

Okay, so I have to admit that this past week was very hard for me. I'm very lucky that I didn't gain back everything I've already lost. Do you ever get to the point where you just want to quit dieting and eat anything and everything in sight??? That was last week for me. But Sunday night's meeting was so encouraging to me. It gave me a new excitement. I think this is really going to work and that excites me and I tell you what else it does for me. It gives me a new passion to lose weight. I hope it does this for everyone. I want to make you guys proud of me and I want to share in that as well with each one of you. We have to encourage each other throughout the weeks ahead. If somebody falls off the wagon, let's love them until they get back on. I know that a lot of times, we have a bad attitude towards dieting, but just like Joyce said Sunday night...Please, Please, Please, don't think of it as a diet. Think of it as a Life change. You'll understand how important and how key your thoughts are in changing your life once you've hit your first goal, and your next goal and finally your final goal. Our verse for today is Romans 7:15 - For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. This verse can be very confusing, but what Paul is saying here, is that he does not allow himself to do the things he is supposed to do, but the things that he's not supposed to do, he does them. To me, this is saying that we know what we have to do in order to remodel the temple of God, but we don't allow ourselves to do it (because of our thought process). And the things that we're not supposed to do (like cheating, not exercising, grumbling about being on another diet, etc.) we're doing. We need to change our minds, and in doing so, change our thought processes. I'm not going to harp on this any longer, but I just wanted to encourage you with that verse. Isn't it wonderful that our God is patient with us when we need it the most??? God is Good!!!

Change of Subject...If you did not get to be at the meeting Sunday night, you missed out. We had a great time of fellowship and learned a lot from Joyce about changing your life style. Some of the recipes that we ate are already at the church and ladies, if you brought something and we didn't get a copy of your recipe, please bring it tonight so we can make copies for everyone. Everything we ate was wonderful...your family will be on a diet and not even know it because the food is that good. Well, I won't keep you any longer. Have a Blessed day and until next time...Keep Looking UP for you inspiration and God Bless!!!

A time of Feloowship

Hellor Everybody. This is going to be very short due to lack of time. I just wanted to remind all of you that our fellowship on Sunday night is not a "go through the line and fill your plate" fellowship. This is simply to get some recipe ideas that you can use for the whole family at home...or just for yourself. Joyce will do her presentation, then those that bring food will present their food (not necessarily), you will get a sample of the food and a copy of the recipe. We will not be filling up because we don't want to go over our points (for those of us on WW). If your family will be sticking around, they do not have to sit through the meeting. They congregate in another room...you can bring dinner for your kids or whatever, and then when you get home, you can put the kids to bed because they have already been fed. This is going to be a lot of fun and I hope to see you all there with your learning caps on. Yes, I said fun and learning in the same sentence. We're going to have a great time. Until next time...Keep Looking UP for your inspiration and God Bless!!!

Are you Ready???

Only when we are truly ready to lose weight, will we be able to succeed. I know for the longest time, I have said...I want to lose weight, I want to look good for this or for that. Oh No!!! Bathing suit season, I don't look good enough for a bathing suit. Does any of this really matter? When we are wanting to lose weight for that reason, I truly believe that we are not ready to lose weight. When it becomes a necessity, and we know that we must lose weight or we can't do simple life things, or it hinders our testimony for God...that is when we are truly ready to allow God to help us on this journey. Psalm 40:1 - I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. It may seem that we have to wait so long for God to answer our prayers about losing weight, when we cry out to God, He is still waiting patiently on us.

Alright ladies...first meeting is this coming Sunday night. I didn't look Wednesday night to see if anybody else signed up, but we're going to have a great time, food or no food. Mrs. Joyce Hampton is preparing a great presentation for us and I'm very excited. I'm thankful for her willingness to do this and I can't wait to have some great fellowship with all of our hbc less of me friends. Hope you have a wonderful day. Keep Looking UP for your inspiration and God Bless!!!

Is This Your Season???

Good Morning to all. I hope that you slept well. We will be seeing most of you tonight at church, but I know that there are some who can't get out on Wednesday nights. Please stay safe in whatever endeavors you are involved in. If you are not going to be at church, but you would like to be signed up to bring something on Sunday, email me at jocelyn_weidel@sbcglobal.net or just make a comment on this website and someone will see it in order to get you on the list. It's been kind of crazy and I want to apologize for the lack of updates here recently. I'm trying to get up earlier in the morning so I have more time to get things done, but it just doesn't seem to be working. Today's verse is one of my favorites. It actually comes from a much bigger passage in Ecclesiastes, but we'll just be looking at this particular verse and portion. Ecclesiastes 3:1
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. There are times in our lives when dieting is just easier, and there are times when it is harder. When you have a lot of stress in your life, or maybe tragedy...those times are probably not appropriate to try to diet. Just a perfect example. I had started a diet about 2 weeks before my dad was killed. I had lost some weight...about 8 pounds or so, but obviously, when everything happened, it just was not the time to be on a diet anymore. I was on a diet of my own at that point, due to the lack of appetite. But we have to realize that in life, there is a season and a time to everything. Things are going to happen and we have no control of that. Did I let that stop me??? No, obviously not, because I'm on, yet another diet, trying to accomplish my goal in remodeling the Temple of God. When you fall off the band wagon, you have to eventually muster up the courage to get back on and ride again. Just because we fail once doesn't mean we fail everytime. You have to ask God to help you get on it and stay on it. He will do the things that you ask Him to do. Until next time...Keep Looking UP for your inspiration and God bless!!!

Quick Update!!!

Just to let you know...there was a question on yesterday's blog. The question was, "What did we decide to do with the family that doesn't participate in the 'diet' food?" I can't really remember what we had decided on, but there are only 2 people signed up to bring a main dish and 1 person signed up to bring a dessert. In this case, I think those that have families that will be sticking around, will need to bring food for their families. Please remember to look at the sign up sheet tomorrow night at church. It's on the table in the foyer...where everything usually is. Hope you are all doing well today...and hopefully I will have more time to actually update the website tomorrow. Keep Looking UP for your inspiration...and God Bless!!!

Impatience...Get's you nowhere!!

A lot of times, we get so tired of having to wait for results. I know that I get discouraged when the weight doesn’t seem to come off as quickly as I think it should. But I’ve heard a lot of great comments in the past couple of weeks that really encourage me to stay strong and keep working towards my goal. What I don’t see (because I see myself everyday) other people see and let me know that they can tell I’m working towards a goal. Hebrews 10:36 - For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. I don’t know about you, but I was born into a family that has little patience, but this verse clearly states that we have to have patience. So the next time, you don’t think the weight is coming off quick enough, just remember Hebrews 10:36.

Just to remind everyone, the first meeting is next Sunday night…April 9, 2006…after the evening service. We only have a few people that have signed up to bring something, so please make sure you make it to the table in the foyer and put your name on the list to bring something. I think we will have more people than I anticipated, so we need people to sign up for this meeting. Mrs. Joyce Hampton is preparing to speak with us to give us a little more information on dieting. She has had a lot of success and I can’t wait to hear what she has to bring to us on Sunday. Hope to see you there. Until next time…Keep Looking UP for your inspiration and God Bless!!!