Lessons and Revelation

I am involved in a Beth Moore bible study about the book of Revelation. I just wanted to post some things I have learned so far. This will probably make no sense to anyone but me. God chose to reveal to John. John was in the spirit on the sabbath, praising God while isolated on an island. Alone. Even by himself, he made a choice to worship the Lord and keep the sabbath. We will never live in the spirit by accident. We must make the choice. The number seven means perfection or completion. Revelation 1:5b "All praises to Him who loves us." I love how beautifully simple this is. It is not the will of God for us to live under our problems. It is an opportunity to overcome. Icabod means no glory. Satan works in generalities. The Holy Spirit works in specifics. Forgiveness is not just letting go/sending forth into the great unknown. Rather it is sending it to the very hands of God so that he can deal with it. You cannot hang on to unforgiveness AND your first love. We will never shine brighter than we love. When we love God he fills us up and we will love even the unlovable. Self centeredness will never lead to fulfillment. We much be God centered. God will let us feel the loss of what we are missing. Revelation 5:4 "I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside."

Food Allergies

Declan has food allergies. I took him to the doc several weeks ago for a possible kidney infection. Urine tests and blood work showed no kidney infection but one of his white cell counts was elevated and it usually is associated with allergies. A few days later at his 3 year checkup, I mentioned a rash that he had on his arms, legs, and butt. He has had that rash for a year or two. I thought it was dry skin but NOTHING worked. Doc said the rash is often associated with food allergies so he ordered a blood test. I didn't really think it would show anything. But I got a voicemail last night that he is allergic to wheat, dairy, and egg whites. The dairy allergy is low. The other two are on the low end of moderate. But he wants me to eliminate all of those from his diet. As I was walking around the grocery store last night I realized how hard that would be. Especially since I am all about convenience foods for breakfast and lunch. Eating out is going to be next to impossible. And how are we going to be able to tell him no pizza or cheese. He LOVES those. I am really hoping that this is only temporary. Most kids outgrow these allergies. But this is going to be hard. I am wondering if I should ask for further testing. They only tested for a few common allergens. They didn't even test tree nuts and they didn't do a scratch test.

And now I am a nervous wreck about the other kids. Should I have them tested as well? What about myself? All of us have some symptom of food allergies. But they are also symptoms of so many other things as well. Gabe has rashes all the time. He has a history of anemia, headaches, and poor growth. And he has a mood disorder. Carmen also has a mood disorder, joint pain, asthma, high blood pressure, and headaches. I have eczema. Logan doesn't really have any of those but he does have strong food cravings for wheat and dairy (another sign of allergy) and we were told we should consider testing years ago.

It is not like me to fret like this. I am just so overwhelmed right now.

Thankful

Always be thankful. Afterall, you can't be thankful and unhappy at the same time. Today I am going to list just a few things that I am thankful for. I am thankful for my my family, for a Godly husband, for my job, for my home, for my health, for my church family, for good memories, for fun times, for the trials that have shaped me into who I am today, for opportunity, for quiet moments, for snuggles from my little man, and the ability to be a blessing to others.

The Ladies of the House

I love this photo of Carmen and I. She doesn't like it because I am hugging her. She is just not a hugger. She will look back and be thankful for this pic someday.

Boys

My handsome boys in their skinny jeans. Gosh, I am so blessed!

Sweet 16

For her 16th birthday party, Carmen wanted to do a service party. She wanted to serve God and others instead of just celebrate herself. She decided to do a blanket party through Circle of Hope International. This is the same organization that her and Logan will be going with to Malawi, Africa in 2012. Her and her friends got together and made 10 blankets that will be sent to orphans in Malawi. They made blankets, prayed over the blankets, then had some chips and pizza and watched a movie about Malawi and Circle of Hope called "East of Mvera". It was an awesome birthday party. She has always had such a generous heart. She is so beautiful inside and out. I am so proud of her.













For more info or to make a donation visit http://www.cohcommunity.org/
To support Carmen and Logan's mission trip write "Hortenberry 2012" on the memo line of the check.

Exercise

I don't like to exercise. I mean, I REALLY don't like to exercise. I have always said that I would rather be fat than exercise. So, why have I started working out everyday? I am not quite sure. But for some unknown reason I have dusted off my basic walking video for beginners and have been walking a mile in my own living room almost every day for two weeks. I have realized a few things about myself during this time of sweating and toning. First of all, I still really dislike exercise and I find it dreadfully boring. Secondly, I would not survive on The Biggest Loser Ranch for more than 10 minutes. And finally, I need to get off my tush and start moving more, because this easy 1 mile workout is KICKING MY BUTT! I am not hoping to loose a ton of weight with this workout. I am just hoping to be able to be more active without pain and exhaustion. (Of course it would be nice to loose a few inches off my waist and tone my rear end a little.)

I have many exercise videos collecting dust on the shelf. But I never use them. For one thing, I can't get through the entire workout on most of them. They are definitely meant for non beginners. And nothing makes me want to quit working out more than watching skinny, muscled ladies in skimpy, tight clothing bouncing around on tv. Not to mention the fact that I don't want my teenage son to see those tiny ladies wearing tinier outfits. So,I just ordered a new dvd that features women who actually look like they need to work out. I look forward to using it. Well, I can't really say that I look forward to it because I dislike exercise in general. But I look forward to feeling like I fit in while I work out.