“The center of my life is Thee O Lord”
Opening hymn today and something I can find myself easily being distracted from. I do need to spend time reflecting on how to lead a more Christ centered life rather than falling back into my self centered ways.
Perhaps I should make a more concious effort to offer thanksgivings instead of just my needs. Thinking about what He is doing for me and try to respond by doing more for others
I was on the treadmill on Thursday after a meeting at the Church and again this morning. Thursday was 3.1 miles in 55.11 minutes at 3.5 mph with 10 % grade for the most part and burned 786 calories.
Today with similar settings 3.5 miles in 66.53 minutes for 906 calories. Since I am listening on the Iphone, I can shoot a picture of the treadmill screen so I don’t have to remember the distance, time and calories. Some variation in the routine based on how long it takes to warm up. Right now the knees are holding up but I have an ankle to watch.
The diet has had a couple of challenges recently. My calorie goal has dropped almost 16% since the 8th of January. Part of that is covered by recalculating total calories based on my weight loss and on the amount of activity not logged to generate my desired weight loss.
The current daily calorie count allowed for a 2 lbs per week weight loss is 1787. My average calorie intake since I have been tracking has been 1695. Exercise has helped – bringing the net calorie average to 1478 per day.
There are days that I bump right up to the limit, challenged by lunch with a vendor rather than a soup & salad at Panera Bread. Yesterday it was PF Chang’s for lunch and while I cut out the soup and rice, the portion plated is equivalent to 3 x their published calorie count for the serving. Sometimes its best guess based on comparable recipes or similar items to a competitor’s published menu with nutrition information.
Sometimes the dining out challenge yields new discoveries. Breakfast this morning was a naked eggs benedict (no hollandaise sauce, no potatoes – just eggs & spinach on an english muffin) with a side of bacon. I enjoyed it (wished they would have trimmed the stems off the spinach and served regular bacon instead of peppered bacon) and the calorie estimate was ~370 calories. I am still -540 calories for the day.
Weight Loss is happening. Still a ways to go. I feel that I have been able to make some changes that are helping. Sandra is helping too with the shopping menu. I feel confident that I will get to my target weight this year. The journey continues.
In our journeying this day,
Keep us Father in your way.
In seeking vision, clear and true,
Keep us Savior, close to you.
In our desire to do your will,
Keep us Spirit, guide us still.
The Traveller’s Prayer – Keith Duke.
I owe two days worth of reflection. Lunch was not conducive to writing yesterday (got away late and the tables were full) or today (vendor lunch).
The thought from yesterday’s reflection sticking with me was “Why do we look up to the sky when searching for God?” His presence is all around us, we just need to look for it.
Today’s reading was from Mark on the commissioning of the disciples. While the principal theme was that if you are doing God’s work, He will provide for you. The second resonates with me. It was; that if someone turns you away, simply be done with it, shake the dust off your sandals and move on.
I still struggle daily to have patience with people that somehow have control over a issue important to me, especially if they do not consider my issue important. Be it getting an issue resolved through technical support, getting through a billing issue, or just generally dealing with a bureaucracy that is impersonal and imperfect, I get frustrated, angry, and sarcastic. I used to take great pride at tilting at windmills.
I ask that I realize that I have no control over these folks, to realize that they too, are Children of God. I realize that I need to be more humble when I ask for their assistance. I ask that if an issue is not resolved to my liking that I simply move on and spend more time seeing the presence of God all around me.
Lord, you now have set your servant free *
to go in peace as you have promised;
For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, *
whom you have prepared for all the world to see:
A Light to enlighten the nations, *
and the glory of your people Israel.
From the Nunc dimittis, found in Canticle 5, also known as Song of Simeon, and in(Luke 2:29-32):
The reading today was from Luke on the Presentation. For my discovery we have the story of Simeon which in the Nunc dimmitts is one of my favorite parts of the Compline Service. I just needed to be reminded of the depth of faith and vision behind his story.
Although I am not a Prayer Book scholar, I realize that everything in the Book of Common Prayer has a biblical origin. I enjoy it when a Priest does a teaching Eucharist and we hear the origins and reasoning behind our liturgy. We don’t have any current instruction planned, so it is time for some personal exploration and study.
After spending 5 minutes between Google and Amazon.com, I have two reference texts, Commentary on the American Prayer Book and Opening the Prayer Book, headed to the house.
The first study project will be Compline. I am getting ready to resume leading either Compline or Evening Prayer at the Church. While I enjoyed reading at our Community Garden, I prefer to read in our small chapel.
When I was reading Compline, I would add a reading and psalm from the daily liturgy that appealed to me. I could also see adding a snippet of history of the service. Hopefully it would help reach, bridge, engage others in the service. We shall see.
Archaeoptreyx
It's all good so far 