Catching My Breath

Good evening friends,

Tomorrow marks one month of the Paleo way of life. I am very pleased to report that it has been a great success! The first thing that I noticed was the inflammation in my face decreasing the very first week. After a month I am beginning to recognize myself in the mirror again! I also have a lot more energy and my tummy issues are almost completely gone. I am able to concentrate better for longer periods of time and I can eat as much as I want without that "so full you feel sick" feeling. I have lost two inches off my waist and four pounds. I am six pounds away from my "healthy weight goal" as my doctor calls it. (Yes, I did do too good of a job gaining weight after my 90 pounds scare!) I am learning how to cook things that I never dreamed of making, and getting the burns to prove it. Obviously there is much I still need to learn in the kitchen, starting with coordination! 

I have begun to come out of the bubble I have been living in the last several months. I've had some really fun times with my family. I've been back at work for several weeks now. I still need to avoid sick people and wear a mask in large groups or public places (grocery stores, church, etc...). 

Speaking of church, I was able to attend the Good Friday service, Easter morning breakfast and the Easter service at church. This is the first time I have been back at church (not working) since mid December. I can't tell you what a blessing it was to be back, to be able to celebrate Easter with my church family and worship God in community. 

This Easter season has been very special for me. I'm not even sure that I can explain it. I have seen Christ's suffering in a different way than I have in the past. It hit home this year that no matter how much I suffer, no matter how much pain I am in, Jesus understands. He experienced so much worse than I ever will, and He did it to save my soul from the wrath that I deserve. Easter Sunday I was filled with such hope because Jesus lives. I can go through anything here on earth because Jesus lives. Everything that matters in life is viewed in the light of Christ's resurrection. Just think, the one who died for my sins and rose to life is living in me (and you, if you know Him)...incomprehensible! There is nothing like singing praises to God at the top of your lungs with hundreds of others doing the same. This Easter Sunday was, for me, a small taste of Heaven. 

And I'm exhausted! Yes, the healthy food gives me more energy and it is helping me feel much better, but the truth is, disease plagues my body. I still need to make sure I get enough rest, I still need to pace myself and I still need to be wise about what I do and don't do. 

The circumstances of life are piling up. Today I almost had a complete meltdown after realizing I forgot to vote on my way home from work. It was then that I realized how exhausted I am. The voting place is just a couple of blocks from my apartment, but the thought of getting there seemed insurmountable. My roommate rescued my sanity and offered to drive me there. It's probably a good thing she did, I just may have run someone over! 

Working at a church makes Easter one of the busiest times of the year. Add to that the Blood Drive that I coordinated on Good Friday; planning for the Here, There & Everywhere Conference at church in two weeks; finding a roommate for District Conference, also in two weeks; meeting with a team of people to talk about missions strategy twice a month for the next three months (at least), and planning to speak in the L.I.F.E. Sunday School Class this Sunday. All great things, they are just a little too close together! 

I realized that as stressed and busy as I feel at this moment, and all of the things that I need to get done in a short period of time, that the first thing I need to do (along with continual conversation with my God) is to write to you, my dear prayer warriors, and ask you to intercede for me.

Below are some ways that you can pray for me specifically over the next couple of weeks:
1.  Pray for me as I prepare to speak to the L.I.F.E Class at my church this Sunday (9:30-10:30am). I will be speaking about Broken but Priceless Ministries and chronic illness. I have so many things to talk about and a short period of time. Pray that God would give me clarity about what I should share and that God would use me to communicate His heart for the broken and suffering in a clear and articulate manner. 
2. Pray for the team of people I am meeting with to discuss mission strategy. Pray for unity and for God's vision, not our own. This is something I love, but it takes a lot of brain power; pray for clarity of thought for me as well as good concentration.
3. District Conference will be a whirlwind. Pray for endurance, concentration and God's leading for our District. (Praise the Lord that I found a roommate that I'm excited to catch up with!)
4. Pray that I will be able to prioritize well the next couple of weeks, get my blog posts written for Broken but Priceless (I wasn't able to get it done for tomorrow, which disappoints me) and to not get so focused on my "to do list" that I forget about connecting with people. I don't want to miss an opportunity that God gives me because I'm too busy or focused on what I think I need to get done.
5. Pray that I would sleep well at night and wake up refreshed.
6. Pray that I would have a humble reliance on God to do His work with His strength. 


Thank you for praying for me! Can I ask how you are? How was your Easter? What has God been teaching you? How can I pray for you? 

I am so grateful for the opportunities that God gives me. I'm humbled and blessed that He cares about me and my life. I praise Him for His unfailing love! 

“If we could only remember that God always gloried in choosing the foolish things, the weak things, the base things, and the things which are not, in order that His power might be revealed to us in our weakness and through us that the glory might be all His.” -Kenneth Strachan