Day 148 (Wednesday 4/1)

<p>Happy April Fools Day! It’s 8:30 and I haven’t been pranked yet…keeping my fingers crossed that will last! :)</p><p>I woke up and talked with DH a bit before I hit the gym for a <strong>22 minute run</strong>. The time with DH was worth the short workout! I hadn’t seen him since Monday morning. </p><p>I made my usual breakfast of <strong>oatmeal</strong> with <strong>blueberries</strong> and an <strong>orange</strong> for <strong>3 points</strong>. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSxrLC1tkZmjy5Gi7H-hxqGAFUfTUUz9kJMjh6pvjibIZa63QJNQmGi-0Ssk8JRIfpWyHCKqPimE_3VIWIiRYzklTc60qqmxMevpkblDLF26TJ92__PUfOTzgpm224Fu3X2kZMgkYIjcFg/s1600-h/DSC02208%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC02208" border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm5r9uziihXoUjiP0U6R3M3V-XQK73bxbkFj2g8wgM_kh8MQbY6vpDgCMNXkan9F6WtYUbC3liHuIf387_14yp40GFQMLoLMVYzUcpk9FaqrZElk-KJhwohooHcZufrjRI7jsX2y6LEqrV/?imgmax=800" style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; DISPLAY: block; FLOAT: none; MARGIN-LEFT: auto; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; MARGIN-RIGHT: auto; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" title="DSC02208" width="386" /></a> </p><p>My morning snack was <strong>strawberry</strong> <strong>yogurt</strong> with <strong>1/4c grape nuts</strong> for <strong>2 points</strong>. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8kiELMf8uWh9dawXsb3dDH7of5WQQTworeO58K1T8BRJPv0cmeptus1IUiYXiIESfWy7upGpq2QEsXTWv4OhxO7rdQeafdmOBGDfWYByS_0kDnqn4TFByqyGi9iclhmxU939fzU-2aaZO/s1600-h/DSC02209%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC02209" border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_p3oqfB5QliDX-3wbgSKxwTtoM7QkRcVNsdjuDvfLM5qqWyvwSWui53ajRgLUH3Qy5-0G5gOAnjJazYPL_iL9PXOVIbzKvCaCMva93Bouu0C2b6416RU__fnd8d6XcEbeZLkEybwswFB1/?imgmax=800" style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; DISPLAY: block; FLOAT: none; MARGIN-LEFT: auto; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; MARGIN-RIGHT: auto; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" title="DSC02209" width="389" /></a> </p><p>I wanted to get something quick for lunch ‘cause I planned on packing up my scrapbooking stuff for a retreat that I am going on this weekend. When my meal got done in the microwave my little sister (the one who goes to college in FL) called and we chatted all through my lunch. It was great to hear from her. We hadn’t had a chance to talk much since I’ve been back in IA. Oh my lunch…as you can see was a <strong>SmartOnes</strong> c<strong>reamy</strong> <strong>rigatoni</strong> <strong>with</strong> <strong>broccoli</strong> and <strong>chicken</strong> for <strong>6 points</strong>. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglgHUMCJnkPvGVhFZ_ORhpnzQnVRG3_E5mMyLnlWkUrhaxGyNGsov9-isXor2ZTuirxEDrcHlGV2jfiBaSRjwGftX8Jb8mOBuOGb7je5F3D-qpU7HtXShyphenhyphen59-2xqVyYlXKyZ5nabbOihm4/s1600-h/DSC02210%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC02210" border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHaE-2nqMvwxOaBxecc86-CY1c9KDPebQY9bmVgj7naVOD5F1lVgGn0kJt3lNarmNqJ7nR9YiR3EME253UrdxsGlZu-MqAZ7k6KDO8XODyrNpabgCBODDwtHa15Mm27B6WngqS3aohyC0-/?imgmax=800" style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; DISPLAY: block; FLOAT: none; MARGIN-LEFT: auto; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; MARGIN-RIGHT: auto; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" title="DSC02210" width="389" /></a> '</p><p>After my lunch I wasn’t hungry but wanted something sweet. So I grabbed a <strong>VitaTop muffin</strong> from the freezer and added some <strong>PB2</strong> for <strong>2 points</strong>. Oh my….this was AWESOME!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV-6TX1oA5EWEAYn68wYc1f8Al1inayyDDAlz9ZW_PnjmuBPWe9dMBDP7E4zla575N2h17bAp9JSoZNiA8oim4-Aka8HrH0eep_pS_mqExvawHCKAeyvmmLHc9siUSOkWG96jyOgqCVwYO/s1600-h/DSC02211%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC02211" border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF440gf__LzLGy8F49zp5MetsUE_jM9mo9M5F4woRv0NhG_4vP_KHaMUpTYa9kqmKwK5zI7tPtP1c7aRgFlAqhze87wRxzx09gnCJ3LAkNLU5f_ML4Iwq0Uq0BFynU74BVm4ApZCpU1AGx/?imgmax=800" style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; DISPLAY: block; FLOAT: none; MARGIN-LEFT: auto; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; MARGIN-RIGHT: auto; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" title="DSC02211" width="389" /></a> </p><p>After work today I hit the gym again. A friend/co-worker said she was going to do her weigh lifting so I said I would join her since I didn’t get any weights in this morning. And boy did we work our legs!! They are still sore while just sitting here blogging! In total I worked out for <strong>45 minutes</strong>, mostly <strong>leg weights</strong>, but also got an <strong>ab workout</strong> in there too!</p><p>When I got home I headed straight to my craft room to get my scrapbooking stuff together for this weekend. It felt good to be down there again. I haven’t done much crafting for 6+ months and my room was quite a MESS! So I got it all organized and my scrapbook bags packed. Now I just need to pack my clothes, bedding, and eats for the weekend. I really want to stay on track and usually at things like this there are all kinds of non-ww friendly (yummy) snacky foods! So I am going to plan ahead and bring some healthy snacks to have. </p><p>Supper tonight wasn’t necessarily the “healthiest”, but I was craving a hot dog so bad! I picked up some ff ones on our last grocery shopping trip. I was hoping to grill them, but I couldn’t wait for the grill to warm up so I just popped them in the microwave. So overall my supper was <strong>1 c cateloupe</strong>, <strong>1 kiwi</strong>, a few <strong>pickles</strong>, and <strong>two ff hot dogs</strong> for a total of <strong>7 points</strong>. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7bkzddOGWalUI-AjZcrmrgjo7TiFBd7M7b_Y4LWRtDjT6cpHIR28O3Qfyit8uxwmYhE000wP56CiQU5a161xBDcPnEmvSUJLGKShF51teAKsYks538L2MRVKcjmohiajsaFZ_0xMRf26c/s1600-h/DSC02212%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC02212" border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuMxQRKMqbxAHa3DUsVQPdfWS-69Tc85JdXL8qpy5__eY0qgFVGk1rxg-A7l1fUKSg2dgZBFKa6MMdB4xrTywSILiU4VgeH79RmtJqYysZKXGx2xIvqdKiIuFqNt88FJoddM6NAVCN5JMx/?imgmax=800" style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; DISPLAY: block; FLOAT: none; MARGIN-LEFT: auto; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; MARGIN-RIGHT: auto; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" title="DSC02212" width="389" /></a></p><p>Once again I wasn’t still hungry, but I couldn’t wait to have another <strong>VitaTop</strong> with <strong>PB2</strong> (<strong>2 points</strong>). This time I tried the <strong>brownie</strong>. It pretty much seemed like the same consistency of the muffins…but still VERY good! MMMmmmm!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-k7wAgnbbn6TYDsw8D5yPIDBuigKt8RQJsNRNlDqLdBXltXyL7iUonjYjC3Fm1g3y3jmI6yoTdNSd_YsftZFp1xhQRMsOiu0s0xugs8itysd-z2-C7DqYsDF33zEompIqPIpmAcQuKMGb/s1600-h/DSC02213%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC02213" border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqr8tMC58D9mZwNjn06FxaTjGyIRTQ0lPQFt_VpfuX1hIgVmreMGSJEKRRVDNtC40RIKjo_svgW4R70Q0Wfkz40DffnfVc5P5HcYe1Q5bRri4vfIucv3XQq6M0jGQzxX42bTUXEBltVNd/?imgmax=800" style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; DISPLAY: block; FLOAT: none; MARGIN-LEFT: auto; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; MARGIN-RIGHT: auto; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" title="DSC02213" width="381" /></a> </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I am headed off to pack my gym bag, get my clothes ready for an interview I have tomorrow, and spend some much needed time with DH! Hope everyone has great rest of their April Fools Day and doesn’t get pranked too bad! 15 minutes later and still no prank…I think I’m in the clear! Phew!</p><p><strong>WEDNESDAY’S STATS</strong></p><p>POINTS =22/23</p><p>WATER = 106 oz</p><p>EXERCISE = 22 min run, 45 min weights & abs</p>

Day 148 (Wednesday 4/1)

Happy April Fools Day! It’s 8:30 and I haven’t been pranked yet…keeping my fingers crossed that will last! :) I woke up and talked with DH a...

Read more »

Salvation By Grace (?) Through Faith

I dont' know whether this line of conversation can go anywhere. It may stall out at the first word. The replies I have gotten suggest that, in the ears of my readers, "salvation" means something "abstract, theoretical, and distant" -- maybe having to do with the afterlife -- and that is by and large not relevant or of concern.<br /><br />I just need to note that has not been my experience. I have had times of moral and spiritual lostness in which salvation was a "gracious light" a "homecoming," "a hearth of consolation," a sense of coming back to my true self.<br /><br />A real life metaphor: I was nearly killed by a piece of barbecue chicken not long ago. It went down wrong and I was choking, unable to breathe. A friend at the table did the blessed Heimlich manuever so I am still here. For those moments I could not get my breath, salvation was breath (<em>pneuma</em>, spirit) -- not something distant or theoretical. And I assure you, I have had times of moral and spiritual choking, when life went down wrong, that made me far more desperate for salvation than that piece of chicken.<br /><br />So all that said, what about "grace?" The word comes from the Greek "charis" meaning a gift. Back when I thought salvation was judicial, I thought grace was the merciful spirit that commuted my sentence. It really is that, but if salvation is something larger than forgiveness, then grace has to be larger too.<br /><br />Everything is gift. There is creative grace that means there is something rather than nothing becaue God is generous. There is prevenient grace -- the awarenes of a need for God, the God-shaped hole in the human heart is a grace.<br /><br />So if salvation is something larger than a commuted sentece, something that makes us whole (remember I am not making this up, it's what the word literally means), how is grace involved in that. How does grace grow us into what we were intended to be? How is our very self a grace? How is grace moving in our lives now to form us anew into the likeness of Christ? Into our own unique expression of God as Rahner would put it?

Salvation By Grace (?) Through Faith

I dont' know whether this line of conversation can go anywhere. It may stall out at the first word. The replies I have gotten suggest th...

Read more »