He who promised is faithful!

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." -Hebrews 10:23

So, I wake up this morning feeling awfully sore (new squat exercises on friday, it was painful to say the least), but I did get up early and got ready for church! Why? Cause God is cool like that, that's why. He has been teaching me about waiting on Him and to be ready to see what He will do. So, here I am, sitting, even though it is extremely hard to sit right now, and waiting to see what God will do. Anyway, back to church, I was there and having trouble focusing in on what was going on until Pastor Mike gets up and quotes my verse!

"I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! WAIT for the Lord, be STRONG, and let your HEART take COURAGE; WAIT for the Lord." -Psalm 27:13-14


I will have you know that I am one of the least patient people on the entire face of the universe. I hate waiting on pretty much everything. For example: I hate resting during reps at the gym because it's a form of waiting until I can continue, I hate waiting when something is cooking, I hate waiting on professors to get to class, I hate waiting when someone is late etc. You get the picture. One of the biggest things I hate waiting on is something good to happen, especially when you have to work in order for it to get that way. Which brings me to my fitness point of this blog:

It is impossible to get results over night. I have worked with a few people over the last year or so that get mad at me because I make them sore after one workout and they do not see a difference the next day. It takes proper exercise and nutrition on a consistent basis for about 6 weeks before the average person sees any kind of results. Just thought I'd throw that in there ;)

Same goes with God. Something was said in church today that made me feel a whole lot better about myself. "The Bible is a story of people who failed miserably at a lot of things, yet still changed the world for the sake of Christ." This means there's still hope for me!!! Totally made my day!! I do not even know where to begin when it comes to things I've messed up miserably with yet somehow it still came out to glorify God. Thank you, Jesus, for making me a walking talking disaster! If that's what I have to do to bring you praise, well let me continue to make a mess of things! God promised us that we will see His goodness, as long as we are walking with Him. So, the big question is, are you walking faithfully with Him? Have you given Him every single part of you? I know there are days where I take matters into my own hands (that's usually when the walking, talking disaster episode takes place). Be encouraged! The goodness of the Lord is coming for those who love Him!

on my own...

I am now living on my own. Well, kinda, I have 3 awesome roommates. I have a kitchen to cook in, laundry to do and an apartment to clean. My mommy is 4 hours away and cannot help or teach me how to do these things (thank goodness I did listen all those years living at home, even when I acted like I wasn't). I have a new found appreciation for her. At night, after I come home from training and classes, dinner is not sitting on the counter staring me in the face. All the items are sitting in various places in the kitchen saying "cook me or starve." You wouldn't believe the things that you can come up with! I've learned to cook healthy meals using the same ingredients about 1000 different ways. For instance, last weekend my roommates and I wanted to cook something fun, but with me having to get into better shape for my major, the food has to stay healthy. I went to the store and bought a fresh pineapple and some teryaki marinade that was low in calories and sugar. I came home and cut up some chicken and lean steak and also had some fresh shrimp. Marinated those for 24 hours, then put them on skewers along with the pineapple and put them on the grill. It was soo good. I know my mom would be proud! :)

My mom has taught me so much about managing my time wisely and to get things done the night before so I'm not rushing before class in the morning. This may seem like a silly post to you, but this is a new phase in life for me and I wanted to brag on my mom a bit. :) Because of her awesome super-power greatest mom ever skills, I am learning to balance my time between keeping the apartment neat, going to class (while making good grades), studying, training and extra-curriculars.
Speaking of extra-curricular activities, my campus ministry meets for the first time this semester tonight and I am pretty stinkin' excited for all that God is going to do on this campus!!

So mom, thank you for being so awesome and teaching me these things. Without you, well, I'd be failing out of school, buried alive in a mess of dirty laundry, my kitchen would reak from dirty dishes and I'd be just about dead from starvation. Thankfully, I learned from the greatest and none of those terrible things are happening to me. You're my hero and one day when I grow up, I am going to be just like you because I want to have an incredible life and I want my kids to have an amazing mom like you. :)

"Charm is deceptive and beauty if fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." Proverbs 31:30. My mom lives by this passage. She is just awesome!

To know You is to want to know You more...

"To know you is never worry for my life, and
To know you is to never to give in or compromise
To know you is to want to tell the world about you
Cause I can't live without you

To know you is to hear your voice when you are calling
To know you is to catch my brother when he is falling
To know you is to feel the pain of the broken hearted
Cause they can't live with out you.

More than my next breath
More than life or death
All reaching for, I live my life to know you more
I leave it all behind, you are all that satisfies
To know you is to want to know you more
To know you is to want to know you more

To know you is to ache for more than ordinary
To know you is to look beyond the temporary
To know you is believing that you will be enough
Cause there is no life without you


All this life could offer me, could not compare to you
Compare to you
And I count it all as lost, compared to knowing you
Knowing you


Compared to you
Compared to you
And I count it all as lost, compared to knowing you
Knowing you
And I count it all as lost, compared to knowing you
Knowing you"
-Casting Crowns

I was having lunch with my family and a friend today and was listening to some things that my daddy had to say. He has a friend who is going through some rough times right now and was explaining his friend's outlook on the situation. This man has just been saved and his faith is really taking off. He told my dad that no matter what happens with his life, as long as he has his Bible and his Purple Book (a book about Biblical foundations), he knows that he will be ok. That story about brought tears to my eyes. It made me ask myself, "Do I really think like that? If I were to lose everything tomorrow, except my Bible, would I truly be ok?" Really, think about it... if you woke up tomorrow and could not walk, do physical activity or even lost every sort of financial stability you thought you had, would you be ok?

Do I truly have enough faith in God to depend on Him for absolutely everything? Something to think about as you're going through your daily routine today...

I'm the worst blogger ever...

I know, I'm an awful blogger. I can't find time to update if my life depended on it! Now I'm back and will try to update every once in a while.
My summer workout adventure went quite well! I lost about 5 pounds and have not taken a body fat test again, but I know I've gone down at least one percent. Anyway, now I've moved back to school and am busy getting ready for all that God has for me in the coming fall semester. I've purchased books and registered for classes and it's a great feeling. I feel like I'm stepping into my dream that I've dreamed about for so long. I have applied for volunteer hours for my schools strength and conditioning program. I will be starting the interview process very soon. Your prayers are extremely appreciated!!

This summer God has really been working and changing me a lot. I feel like a completely different person. There are a few quotes that have really hit home for me during this time.

"What you need to know about the past is that no matter what has happened, it has all worked together to bring you to this very moment. And this is the moment you can choose to make everything new. Right now." -Beth Moore

"I am confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." Psalm 27:13-14

I have really been praying that I will see the goodness of the Lord this semester. As I've moved back to school I have been experiencing the love of God and his goodness. He has provided me with a wonderful new home, an excellent education and wonderful people! Not to mention, the gym is really nice too. haha! The Lord is faithful and He wants to be your best friend and number one priority. I believe that in order to step into the fullness of God and all that He has for you, He must be our number one friend. He is a jealous God and does not want anything coming before Him. This summer, I wanted to spend more time with God, but I feel as though I wanted my physical change more. He taught me how to change my priorities and I ended up with not only a physical change but a HUGE spiritual change. He has challenged me more than ever to, "wait and see what I will do!" I am so excited to see what God is going to do!!

I challenge you to look at your life and where your priorities lie. Is God first? If not, I challenge you to make Him first so that you can step into all that He has for you! Wait on the Lord, whatever He has for you is perfect!

trying to keep it up...

The body for life plan is still going strong! 5 days in and I feel incredible!! Sorry I haven't been updating, but my schedule has ended up being a lot more demanding than planned. I will try to update at least once a week to keep everyone up to date on what's going on!
If you're still sticking exercise out, good for you! Keep it up!! I want you to accomplish all of your goals! If you ever have a question, just leave a comment and i'll get back to you! :)
Good luck! I'll update soon!!

just when i thought i was educated...

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."
-2 Cor. 3:17

I have learned a whole lot of stuff in the past 4 days that I never knew about fitness. Some things that I had believed for a while ended up being proved false. It's been quite a learning experience, but I've really enjoyed it. I started reading a lot of exercise information by Bill Phillips. He's the creator of the Body for Life program. I shocked myself when I said this at first, but this guy makes Jillian Michaels workouts and nutrition look easy! Jillian is a lot more hard-core and getting things done a lot faster, but does not really give a lot of advice on how to stay fit once you get there. Bill Phillips is all about being healthy for the rest of your life. His programs are slow and steady. Which is a huge test to my patience, but I am enjoying it so far!
I've been working on his body for life program for 2 days and am feeling more sore and energized than I ever did with Jillian. (please know I highly respect Jillian, she is one of my heroes). I am one of those people that wants to help others be healthy forever, not just shed a few pounds and leave it at that.
Yesterday was my first day in this Body for Life challenge, I've almost finished the entire book and have started the success journal. Upper body workouts was a part of day 1. I'm not used to working out the entire upper body in one day, so it was definitely a challenge. I'm feeling a good soreness and felt great going into day 2. Lifting during this program is in stages. You do 1 exercise per body part 4 times with different amounts of weight. You have a "warm up round" with a level 5 intensity (the intensity stages go 1-10). Then you move up from there, without exceeding a level 8. Then you get to what's called a "high point set" meaning you gotta give it everything you got. Convince yourself that you can lift a weight 12 times when you're mind is telling you that you can only lift is 8 times. Talk about working out your mental health. I struggled, but felt very accomplished in the end.
Also, no calorie counting with this one. You go by serving sizes. Just need the size of your palm and the size of your first and you're good to go!
I absolutely love the nutrition part of this program! 6 small meals a day. 4 meals is a protein and a complex carb and 2 meals is a protein, complex carb and a vegetable. I have learned that when I'm not thirsty, I really am, as I am supposed to get down 10 glasses of water a day. For those of you that know me, you know I struggle drinking water. It's not that I don't like it, I just never feel thirsty. I'm lucky to get a bottle of water in a day. Then there is the beloved "off day." Oh my, how I love off days. Being able to eat whatever you want. I didn't learn the significance of an "off day" until this past weekend. When you finally start getting your nutrition under control. For psychological and metabolical purposes, it's essential to have an off day. It first off helps you fill your craving so you don't go insane and it jumps your metabolism by making it work a bit harder. You're body doesn't know what to do with the junk that you're putting in it, so it passes it right along without doing anything with it.
I recommend every body to take a stab at this, but if it's not something that is practical for you, then keep looking. Make it fun!
I feel a lot more "free" now that I'm not tied down by a bunch of rules. I caught myself stressing out about it, and that's not what this should be about. My desire is to be healthy and feel healthy, that's what I want everyone to do. Which is part of the reason I'm sharing my experiences with you.

God is doing some amazing things! I feel as though a lot of people are on the verge of break through. I believe that there is freedom in Christ. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. Cast all your cares upon Him. If there is something that you're truly believing God for, then ask Him. Believe it with your whole heart and seek whole-heartedly after Him! I believe blessings are about to rain down on people who have been seeking break through!

My dad, brother, uncle and some other guys from my church are in the Dominican Republic right now doing some construction work as a mission trip. I am excited to hear all about the trip when they get back. If you would keep them in your prayers, I would greatly appreciate it.

it's hard-core now!

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers."
-Psalm 1:1-3


So memorial day weekend is really great and all, but my gosh it's hard to stick to your diet. I went to visit my lovely friends from college since I do not get to see them over the summer earlier this week! It was so great to see them again! The only challenging part of the two days that I was gone was that I ate out every single meal. Talk about tough stuff! I automatically chose salads, but there's a lot to consider when you order a salad. Like: what do they marinate the chicken (or other type of meat in)? How much cheese is on it, how much dressing did they put on it...ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS get dressing on the side. I think I did ok, but I still felt sick after eating out all those meals.

I finally started back at my gym this morning, which was extremely nice to see familiar faces once again. I found a more practical plan that I'm tweaking a bit to fit for me. I recommend Body for Life. The nutrition is so much more practical than Jillian Michaels, (Sorry Jillian, you're still my hero, though)! :) Now, the nutrition isn't the most exciting... but hey, when it comes to nutrition, most people's motto should be "The blander the better"!! :) It calls for a lot of lean protein, a lot of vegetables and good complex carbohydrates. Once you get the ball rolling and can model out what you want for yourself, you don't necessarily have to follow a written book. I just do it for fun sometimes, to experiment so I can form an opinion. (yes, I know, it's weird). Most of the time, I read fitness and nutrition books for knowledge, i don't even do what half of them say. It's just a fun thing to learn.

I really feel like God has been moving lately. What is he doing? I have no idea. I feel like this is a time of preparation for something big. Sometimes I put God into a box, actually most of the time I do. I truly believe that God is going to do things in my life that are surprising, but in a good way, of course. I challenge you to let God help your faith grow. Believe for the impossible. Believe for healing. Believe that He will prosper you, because He will! We also must remember that God's plan for us is better than any plan that we could imagine for ourselves. We really don't give God enough credit sometimes, even though He assures us that He has everything in control. I used to be quite the worrier. I would worry when I didn't have anything to worry about. God is slowly healing me of that, and let me tell you, life is a lot more smooth and relaxing when you cast all of Your worries and burdens on Him. Let Him mold you into who He wants you to be!