Fun Theory

Something fun that my dad just sent me... it made me smile :) I needed this today.

EDA Group News

As you know a few of us started a branch of Eating Disorders Anonymous about 8 months ago. We have been meeting every other week discussing recovery, our issues, and helping one another take steps towards holistic- free living. I'm glad to be a part of this group and am excited about our next several month focus.

Starting on Monday, Nov. 9th at 7PM we are going to begin "Finding Balance With Food" which is linked to the group Finding Balance. This 12 week curriculum will help us walk together to live life "outside the thin cage" in more ways than one. There are mid week projects, discussion questions, reflection times, videos etc.

If you have been contemplating coming to this group or know of someone who might benefit from working through some of these issues, please encourage them to come... if you don't know if this study is appropriate for you please consider the following questions:

Y / N Is food something that you enjoy, without feeling guilty later?

Y / N Do you eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full?

Y / N Are you able to recognize feelings of hunger and fullness?

Y / N Do you eat three regular-size or six smaller-size meals each day?

Y / N Do you select foods based upon how they’ll benefit your body?

Y / N Do you like to get out and be active, not because you should, but because you want to?

Y / N (If married) Are you able to be intimate with your spouse without worrying about how your body

looks?

Y / N Can you take a compliment without thinking there must be some hidden meaning behind it?

Y / N Do you feel like you’re taking good care of the body God gave you?

Y / N Do you have time and energy to pursue a deeper relationship with God?

Y / N Are you able to engage freely in relationships with others on a frequent basis?

Y / N Can you go more than two hours without thinking about food?

Y / N Can you get ready in the morning without beating yourself up about how tight your pants feel, or

worrying that everyone is going to notice how big your stomach, thighs or butt looks?

Y / N Can you look at another person without comparing the size of their body to your own?

Y / N Do you believe that your value is NOT dependent on your appearance or achievements?

If you’ve answered ‘no’ to three or more of these questions, it’s time to admit the truth: you are out of

balance when it comes to eating, weight and body image.

I definitely need to be a part of this group and welcome you to do the same, all you have to do is show up. We meet at Visio Dei Church.

My current prayer

This is beautiful... I am praying this for myself today...

Dear Jesus, help me to spread Thy fragrance everywhere I go. Flood my soul with Thy spirit and love. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that all my life may only be a radiance of Thine. Shine through me and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel Thy presence in my soul. Let them look up and see no longer me but only Jesus. Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as you shine, so to shine as to be a light to others.

A prayer of Mother Teresa

Where is my hope?

Praise the Lord!

Let all that I am praise the Lord.

I will praise the Lord as long as I live.

I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.

Don't put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there.

When they breathe their last, they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them.

But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is the Lord their God.

He made heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them.

He keeps every promise forever.

He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry.

The Lord frees the prisoners.

The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.

The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down.

The Lord loves the godly.

The Lord protects the foreigners among us.

He cares for the orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.

The Lord will reign forever.

He will be your God, O Jerusalem, throughout the generations.

Praise the Lord.

Why do we (at least me) so often put our hope in powerful people or think that we can do things on our own??

Jesus is worth trusting. I will follow him today.

Anything but Ordinary

This is the song that I have been listening to for the past 2 weeks, I think it speaks to the best and worst of me...

Press Release-- Please Pass Along

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SEPTEMBER 14 2009

Breakfast for Dinner and a Movie Fundraiser

Raleigh, NC—Jubilee, a local volunteer abolitionist group, will host "Breakfast for Dinner and a Movie”, a fundraiser to be held on Mon. Sept. 21st, 2009 from 6-8pm, at Visio Dei Church in Raleigh (524 E. Whitaker Mill Road, near the Five Points area).

Breakfast foods will be served buffet style from 6-8PM with a showing of “The Playground” documentary beginning at 7:30pm. This 85 min documentary compellingly details the state of sex trafficking in the US. We hope to raise awareness about local sex trafficking as well as funds to combat the demand side of sexual exploitation. The meal is free with a suggested donation of $7.

The funds raised will support Stop Child Trafficking Now, an organization working to stop child sex trafficking in the US. They seek to end demand by supporting special operative teams who will work to secure convictions for those trafficking and buying sex from children.

In the past, Jubilee has also hosted David Batstone of the Not For Sale Campaign, Dana Vaughn-Mgunda of the Carolina Women's Center and Kimberly Smith of Make Way Partners. Jubilee members believe that the faith community has an important call to promote justice and extend compassion, including in the realm of human trafficking. Jubilee does operate from a Christian faith-based perspective; however, people of all faiths/no faith are most welcome to attend this fundraiser and documentary

###
Contact:

Traci Rowe


justiceandjubilee@gmail.com
www.justiceandjubilee.org.

Selfish Ambition

Recently, I've had the privilege to contemplate prayer, what its about and how to listen to God.
I am also noticing and enjoying deeper relationships with people inside and outside of our community of faith.
And personally attempting to maintain my practice of reflecting on the lectionary scriptures for the week.

Here are a couple of excerpts from what many faith communities will be reading this weekend:

Ps 19: 12-14
How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from my hidden faults.
Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don't let them control me.
Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

James 3: 13-18 (actually this is after the scheduled verses, but what I accidently read)
If you are wise and understand God's ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don't cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God's kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and evil of every kind.
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows not favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

Mark 8:32-35 (about the disciples and Jesus)
They didn't understand what he was saying, however, and they were afraid to ask him what he meant. After they arrived at Capernaum and settled in a house, Jesus asked his disciples, "What were you discussing out on the road?" But they didn't answer, because they had ben arguing about which of them was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and sad, "Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else."


Last night I was praying for a multitude of things and pride kept coming to mind, my own pride for one and comparison, etc. But also how we are riddled with this temptation to puff ourselves up and to me pride and insecurity are so tied together. I see this coming out in the scriptures this week and was confirmed (I believe the Holy Spirit is speaking to me, weird I know), but this is something that we should be aware of, not afraid to deal with and longing to break.

Consider where our health care system could be if many let of selfish ambition... (on both sides)
Consider where our churches could be if we lead and followed with humility...
Consider where our friendships could be if we weren't afraid or insecure...
Consider where our families could be if we worked through peace making and served one another in love...
Consider where our mental and spiritual health could be if we asked God to search us and keep us from unknown and known sinful patterns...

I say all of these things because I play a part in contributing to cycles of pride and insecurity, but know that God wants to break into that and it is possible.

Lets pray for a breaking of selfish ambition in our world, starting with ourselves, moving to those we are closest with and then out from there...

Oh, the possibilities :)