Skip to main content

Reaching for a goal in slimming or otherwise.





Recently I decided to lose some weight.  I had a little health scare that turned out to be nothing, but by then it had given me the impetus to lose weight.  I set myself some targets to tick off on the way.  I had books from a well known slimming group from a previous time when I had slimmed with them.  I decided I would do it alone as long as I was succeeding.  After all why pay out good money for something I was confident I could do on my own. Since February I have lost a stone.  That’s fourteen pounds to my American friends. I’ve plateau-ed a bit now but I’m getting through that.  I’m keeping a diary of what I eat and comparing it with my daily weight.  Yes, I know they tell you to weigh once a week, but I find it helpful to keep a close eye on things and it doesn’t discourage me because I can usually see a reason for any ups and downs in weight. 

  So how much value do I put on physical well-being within the picture of my spiritual life? I haven’t suddenly turned into someone who must be ultra-slim and ultra-fit.  However it makes sense to look after the bodies God has given us.  If we are fit enough to go out and about and meet other people we are more likely to be a witness to them of the Christian life and our Saviour. If we can set ourselves goals for our bodies maybe we can set some for our spiritual lives.  However just as there are fad diets that get you nowhere there is a lot of phoney advice on how to improve your spiritual lives.  One of these is the Read the Bible in a year scheme.  It sounds like a good idea and can certainly make you feel super spiritual, but the amount you need to read each day practically inhibits you from really taking in the message of each passage;  far better to read the Bible at a slower pace and take it in and by all means work through the whole Bible. If you like make an attempt at the Bible in a year but don’t be despondent if you can’t keep it going; you are not alone. There are no brownie points in heaven for me losing weight and that is the same for the Bible reading scheme. We are saved by faith alone in Christ alone and not by how many hoops we can jump through that our Pastor produces for us.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How do you cope with depression?

There are two main types of depression, reactive, which is a reaction to your circumstances and endogenous, which is a part of your makeup and not entirely affected by your circumstances. I get the second type. When I am depressed I like to sleep a lot, this is probably not a good thing as depression can lift if you do not have extra sleep. It is all very well knowing that , but acting upon it is another thing. Exercise is also beneficial. Some sorts of depression can be lifted by taking these measures, but some people need medication. You need to get to know your doctor and develope a relationship with him/her where you feel you can trust their judgement. Do look for help as there are lots of possibilities out there. It is not good to spend long stretches of time on your own. Talking with other people will often help lift your spirits, especially if they are people who have gone through this experience themselves. Maybe you need to join a self help group. Avoid people who tell...
Post a Comment
Read more

Section A

I've posted off my work for section A. Now to get on with B. Onward and upward as they say. It does feel good to have completed A, progress is being made.I think my tutor is more nervous than I as to the outcome, but then I am his first student. We are learning from each other.But then that should always be the case. It's an adventure we go on together.The course seems to be suiting me alright but I feel there are a lot of potentially excellent local preachers out there who are put off by the study. Something should be devised to include these good people, we can ill afford to do without them, especially as the numbers of ministers is dropping. What did Wesley do? You don't need a degree, or even A levels to preach. You need a call, and a close relationship with God.
6 comments
Read more

Reasons to learn a new language

I have been learning Russian for about a year.  There were times when I felt like giving up, but   something would come along to cheer me up and I redoubled my efforts.  But why do this at 70?  When I had already started learning I heard a programme about dementia and apparently learning a new language, it is claimed helps to put off the onset of dementia.  So there, indeed, is a good reason. It is one thing to learn to read and write a foreign language but speaking it and understanding it when spoken is another thing.  So how do I help myself with these things.  One thing I do is to listen to Russian on my phone.  Even when it is in the background I believe my brain is receiving it.  Just as a baby learns to speak from being surrounded by the spoken word in the home so if I listen eventually it will have a good effect.  I have the Bible recorded in Russian.  I was brought up on the Bible and know quite lot of the Bible and so ...
Post a Comment
Read more