"Home" for Christmas

When we moved to California, that was "home".  I refused to refer to Georgia as "home", because we didn't live there any more.  We spent 3 years with just the 3 of us celebrating Christmas as a small little family.  This year, we have our little guy celebrating his first, and our extended family is finally together after 3 long years.  My in-laws would argue that we're finally back "home" since we're here in the south; I know it does feel good!  Excited to be off work for a few days and to be able to spend time just relaxing.

Sadly, I am spending my first day off getting surgery!  I have had a mass on the bottom of my right foot for about 5 or 6 years now, and it has been finally bothering me this year.  I decided to bite the bullet and just get it looked at and of COURSE the doctor told me the only thing to do w/ it is to remove it.  I knew that was going to be the case all along which is why I never bothered to have it looked at years ago.  SO!  If you're the praying type, I'd appreciate a few prayers for me in the morning!  I've had 2 C-sections, but I've never been put under general anesthesia, and to be honest, I'm a little bit nervous about it.  I will be non weight bearing for 3 weeks; can't even have a walking boot.  Should be an
interesting challenge w/ an 8 month old baby.



Also sadly, I have not managed to lose a single pound.  In fact, I think I've probably gained a few pounds.  I decided to say SCREW IT for the rest of 2016, and join the rest of the world with starting "fresh" in 2017.  I will be starting by not being able to exercise at all, but my inability to work out does not have any effect on what I eat.  I've struggled to get back to making my weekly meal plan/shopping list, and we've ended up eating WAY too much fast food.  Pretty much the same boat I was in 4 years ago when I changed my lifestyle the first time.  It's frustrating to have fallen back into old habits, but I changed them once and I CAN change them again.  I've always in a way "looked down" on alcohol and drug addicts, thinking WHY can't they just say "no"?  Can't they SEE how they're destroying their family and their own lives??  Well, how is food any different?  I am finding that I virtually can't say "no" to the siren's call of sugar and fat.  Again and again I make excuses and justify bad choices, and I realize I'm no different than the people I look down on.

ANYWAY!  Life is good, we are so, so blessed.  I'm thankful for my darling almost NINE MONTH old that is now beginning to crawl and get into things, and my fabulous teenager that is finally applying himself and getting all A's and B's in high school.  He's loving being in ROTC and is really shining in the drill team aspect of it.  I love watching him do it, it's HARD!  The rifle is 9 pounds and about 3 feet tall.  Love my job and my "work wives", we have an awesome team.

I have a 'thing' in the works; possibly going to try and make some YouTube videos pertaining to club foot.  God has really put it on my heart that he wants me to reach out in that way somehow, and I think the videos may reach more people than the blog posts.  I will have a little time on my hands, what with sitting around on my rear w/ my foot propped up for a few days ;)

Going to pick a 5k to enter.  The Hot Chocolate 5K is going to be in Nashville in February; It's going to be the middle of January before I can get off my crutches, so I'm not sure how realistic it's going to be to shoot for a run then.  I may try to do the Smoky Mountain one in the mountains, but I'm not sure when that one is.  Oh well, it's all about goals!  I'll figure it out :)  God bless y'all, hope everyone has a beautiful Christmas holiday!!!

Just ... wow

I'm not even sure I know where to begin.  This crazy journey called Life is progressing on a track I'm not sure I ever saw coming.  For the most part, I have stopped living my life through facebook and other social media sites.  Losing 2 of my best friends over a stupid internet spat made me realize that REALITY is not always virtual.  So not only do I not post on the horse board that got me in trouble, I really don't even go there to "lurk" much any more.  The down side is that I've disconnected from the horse side of things ... for now.  The up side is that I've been focusing on other things.  Apart from posting "day trip" pics on Instagram and then sharing to facebook, I don't do much other than read what my "friends" have to say on a daily basis.

The bottom line is this; life is changing BIG time for us, again :)  And yes, it's a good change, it's an AMAZING change!  I didn't think for a second that life would go in this direction, but it is what it is.  For one thing, some months ago, my husband and I made a decision to stop birth control.  I just turned 36 in February, and here I was still taking BC pills every day.  I HATE the pill, I don't ever want to take it again, but ANY other method of BC other than "permanent" isn't an option for me.  So, the question was, have a permanent procedure, or stop the Pill and see what happens?  Well, we chose the latter and now I'm expecting!

I don't question God, EVER.  His plan is what it is, I just try to have the courage to follow along and be involved in it.  My due date is April 6.  Only 12 weeks along, so no idea if girl or boy.  We WILL find out, for sure.  Kody and David are both happy and excited; yes, there's a feeling of being ... overwhelmed.  That combined with the task of moving in July with a NEWBORN is a daunting feeling, but I know we'll come through it with flying colors :D

There will be no grand facebook announcements, no ultrasound pics posted, no pics/updates from the hospital.  Anything I have to say, I'll say right here on my very own blog that only the people that are interested in what I have to say will check out.  Yes, I'll post links, but again ... only those that actually care about me and my family will share in my happy news.

Horses will once again be taking a backseat in my life and I am ok with that.  No matter where I am, no matter what's happening in my life, horses will always be there for me to get back to when I'm ready.  Happily, I've been feeling great, no morning sickness thus far (knock on wood).  My OB says I SHOULD be past that stage, so we'll see.  It's going to be a challenge being out here with no family, but I'm VERY hopeful my sister is going to come out and be with me for a week or so.  The only bummer is I won't get to enjoy the hot tub this winter!  :(  Oh well, there are worse things in life, lol.

Stay tuned for updates.  I don't have another OB appt until November, which is when we SHOULD find out the sex.  So happy and excited for this turn in our life, and we're just trusting in God to lead us along the way.

There's just something about July ...

I've had to go back and re-read the beginning of my blog.  I'm very sad to say that I've put back on pretty much every pound I managed to lose.  I have an appointment tomorrow that requires me to wear my "nice" slacks and a button up shirt; the pants were too tight, and the shirt was so tight that even with strapping "the girls" down with 2 bras, there's still a gap there.  Not gonna lie, fallen back into the "don't care" eating attitude.  Sugar once again is my demon and has made me throw away everything I did 3 years ago :(

The good news is TODAY is the first day of the rest of my life.  It's summer; July.  A little later than I started back in 2012, but my pants not fitting has REALLY kicked my a$$.  I am stronger than my addiction ... and my "drug" is sugar.  I have a sweet tooth that just does not quit; through prayer and dedication I will get back on track and recover my inner goddess.  The first step is to get back to my blog; blogging every 3 days if not daily so I can be ACCOUNTABLE again.  It honestly doesn't matter a whit to me if anyone ever reads this; it's about me getting my thought off my chest and getting my mind right so I can feel sexy and confident again.

My cross fit journey ended abruptly when I made the bad decision to go to class when I was feeling mildly sick-ish.  I was full blown SICK the next few days, and I couldn't make myself go again.  To be honest, I'm not sure it's for me.  Tomorrow at 0600 I have an appointment to attend 1 of 2 trial classes at a gym called Orange Theory Fitness.  It's an hour class and I'm not sure what to expect, but I'm looking forward to a good sweat.  Here's to smooshing the "lazy bug", and telling sugar to BITE ME!

A Thanksgiving post, but not a Thanksgiving post ;)

Happy Thanksgiving 2014!  This post is not going to be a "thankful" post.  I've made a REAL effort in my life to be thankful for all that I have every single day.  I'm thankful for a LOT of things, and not just during the month of November, or on Thanksgiving.  No, my post today is more of a reflective type post, thinking back on the past 17 months.

This is sad, but I honestly didn't realize just how unhappy I was until I have discovered how happy I am now.  Maybe we all need a change every 10 years or so, I don't know.  For instance, a song from my playlist wold play (ALWAYS one about feeling hopeless, but trusting in God to pull you through) and I would start to cry.  I felt so unbelievably trapped in my old life, but I didn't even know it.  I prayed so hard, every day, for SOMETHING.  I don't even know what.  Just something.  And finally, it happened.  I made it happen, by the grace and the glory of God we are here.

The past 17 months have NOT been a cakewalk.  They've been hard work, stress, worry, but also, that glimmer of what the future is going to hold.  I have been washed away of my old self, and re-born in my Christianity; I've been biblically baptized and truly, fundamentally changed.

I believe that God has made this beautiful, amazing, and perfect world for us to explore and experience.  California is a BEAUTIFUL state, full of raw, breathtaking sights.  It is home to virtually every climate type out there.  We have snow, heat, temperate rain forest, desert, mountains, beach, ocean, lakes, rivers, canyons, valleys, you name it!  We are having so much fun just carving out our new living here on the west coast, and taking every opportunity to travel our amazing home state and see all that it has to offer.  We spend Thanksgiving in Ft. Bragg at a little place called Glass Beach.  The beach is FILLED with sea glass, which at first glance appears to just be gravel, but when you really look at it, you see all the colored bits of glass.  So pretty and unique!

  The Denny's out there was open, so Kody and I had club sandwiches, and David had a Grand Slam breakfast as our Thanksgiving day lunch, and it was just perfect.  We enjoyed the 3 1/2 hour drive immensely, spending time on the good old Highway 1 Pacific Coast Highway, heading up the coast!  We got to drive through Redwoods, which we did NOT expect, and I got my saltwater fix :)

Moving forward and looking at 2015, my plans include moving on up in my dental practice.  I work hard every day at work, learning more and more, and as my training gets more intense, responsibilities and raises come along with that.  I pray that David can figure out a way of dropping one of his 2 jobs, but making enough money and working full time at ONE that he brings home the same salary he has working the 2.  I know he has the skills to do it, he just needs the opportunity, so I continue to pray for him.  Kody will move on up the 8th grade at his amazing PFAA, and I'm so excited to see him perform in the male ensemble for his middle school performance this year of "Thoroughly Modern Millie".  He's worked very hard, and had lots of practices, so I hope his return to the stage after a year long hiatus is fun and rewarding for him!

Sorry about the long times between blog posts; I have to be online a whole bunch dealing with social media stuff for my eventing barn, and that takes up a TON of time.  By the time I'm finished figuring out what to post there, I have nothing left for my blog.  I'll have another one up soon, maybe in about 2 weeks.  Hope my family is doing well, I miss you all!

Your public life and your private life

After church today

So today's sermon was interesting.  As Pastor said, not terribly deep, but certaintly contemplation-worthy.  I think doing selfless things is hard.  By nature, most of us are pretty selfish; in today's age of living our lives on facebook, we tend to advertise when we do something nice for someone.  A facebook friend recently posted a pic of a good deed they did for someone.  Why?  For a pat on the back?  So everyone can tell you how great and clever you are, and gee you're SUCH a humanitarian?

In the story of Joshua, God tells him to build 2 memorials using 12 rocks.  One, on the other side of the River Jordan to commemorate the momentous crossing of the river.  The other was to be a personal, private memorial in the MIDDLE of the River Jordan, underneath the water that only Joshua and God knew about.  Our public lives are important; how we present ourselves, the example we lead for other people, how we act, etc.  But our private lives are JUST as important.  Do you spend more time getting your hair and makeup right for church than you do preparing your heart and mind to hear God's Word?

What happnes in your private life sets the stage for your public one.

Matthew 6:3 says when you do something nice for someone, you will be openly rewarded by God when you do it in PRIVATE.  So, if you give money, help them out, whatever, you will be rewarded by Him when you DON'T go around bragging about it.

Matthew 6:6 says when you pray "in secret", literally go into a closet to pray, you will be openly rewarded for it.

Mathew 6:18 says if you fast, do it and then don't tell everyone about it expecting pats on the back.  It's between you and God.  When you fast, you don't show it to the world.

I've known quite a few self-righteous women with long hair that wear skirts that think they're superior to us short haired, pants wearing sinners.  They may LOOK right on the outside, but that self-righteous attitude tells the world they're NOT right on the inside.  God know you, ALL of you, 100% of you.  He knows your motivations, your reasons, your everything.  You don't need to go posting pics of you doing nice things in the hopes that maybe it'll go viral in order to feel a sense of accomplishment.

God LOVES you.  Work on your outward appearance, but also work on your private thoughts and motivations.  DO good deeds and nice things, but be secure enough in your self that you do it for NO other reason than to help someone else out.  What you sow here on Earth is what you will reap in Heaven.

Just a June update ...

Well.  The month of June is almost over!  Can't even believe it.  We're coming up on ONE YEAR in CA.  We left GA on June 28th.  7 more days :)  Our plan thus far is to stay in our apartment for one more year, then move into a house.  My job is going GREAT.  I've gotten a very substantial raise since I began in October, and I'm getting a fair amount of daily overtime right now, so I'm just enjoying it and appreciating it.

David always has job drama.  His newer second job is going great.  I wish it paid more, b/c then he might consider making it his primary, but he's making less at that job than I started with at mine.  His Kings job is just such a freaking mess, I can NOT understand why he can't find a position with ONE company that has its head NOT stuck up its rear end.  My husband is AMAZING.  He's authoritative, he's got a great business sense, and he's a wonderful salesman.  It KILLS me that he can't find a freaking GOOD job; one w/ decent hours and one w/ decent pay.  So I pray for him, and I ask for friends and family to pray for him.  Yes, I still want to win the lottery, but I'm praying for his work situation to be GOOD for the first time in his life, with little to no drama.  We're both willing to WORK for a living, I'm just hoping God will bless us with a situation that's quite literally workable and livable.

Anyway, I'm doing my monthly soul-winning today.  I WAS going to go out door to door, but truly ... I feel like at the moment, I will reach more people by this blog than I will knocking on doors of people's homes that honestly don't want to be reached.  That's the beauty of a blog; you read it if you're interested, and it's on YOUR terms.

We've been doing a series on God's blessings on our life.  Many christians interpret God's blessings to be financial ones, when in actuality, that's pretty far from the truth.  There are countless stories in the bible about men that were blessed, yet suffered great trials.  For instance; the story of Joseph.  He was sold into slavery by his own BROTHERS, thrown in a pit, and was in bondage.  But the bible says he was surely blessed.  He had God all throughout his ordeal, and at the end of it all, ended up the right hand of Pharaoh and turned out to be a great leader.  But he lost everything.  Job lost his entire LIFE, his family, his things, everything on earth that defined him; through it all, he never lost his faith in God, and eventurally emerged with a new family, restored wealth, and lots of happiness.  The key of that story is FAITHFULNESS.  I have a few good quotes here that I'm going to throw out.
"God's blessing can NOT be measured by our PLEASURE".
"The Bible strengthens us from within.  When you get connected to God, you are not beaten down by outside forces".
"God has invested in us, and he expects a return on that investment".
"Integrity is doing right by CONVICTION, not CIRCUMSTANCE".
And the final one:
"FAITH has everything to do with what you BELIEVE.  FAITHFULNESS has everything to do with what you DO".

At the end of the day, you KNOW what you're supposed to do.  Read your bible, obey your bible, walk with integrity, work hard in your life, and tithe.  Doing these 5 things will make sure you are blessed by God; maybe that doesn't mean great financial riches, but it DOES mean always having food on your table and a roof over your head.  It means having a job to go to every day. It may mean good health, or a wonderful, loving family.  Blessings are also a MINDSET, we have to be appreciative for what we have.  When we do the above 5 things, God will help us to HAVE that proper mindset so that we can see and enjoy the blessed life we lead.

Just a little bit of catching up

Sorry for the quietness.  All is well out here in Cali!  I like to try and give this blog 100%, so when I'm tired or whatever, I don't necessarily feel like opening up my notes from church and sitting down to write a blog.  So, that means I've neglected it!

I'll be honest ... I feel myself being a little bit self-sabatoging when it comes to eating.  I'm getting back into that mode of "I'll eat a freaking quarter pounder and fries if I want to.  SCREW IT".  Why do people do that?  Why would I sabatoge what I worked so hard for?  9 months of craziness in order to lose 45 lbs ... I've put 25 of it back on.  WHY?  How is it I can go 9 months with no dessert/sweet drinks/etc, and all of a sudden I'm back to screw it mode?  I don't know, I need a shrink I guess.

Work is going well, church is great, we're caught up on all our bills, David has a job interview for a 2nd job AND it looks like maybe his hours will be picking up so things are going well right now.   Who knows?  I just need to kick my own butt again and CARE.  Ugh.

Anyway, Pastor has been getting through to me in church, and I'm planning to go 'soul winning' this Saturday.  What is soul winning?  I'd never heard of it either!  It means to go door to door and preach the gospel.  If you actually know me in real life, you'll know I'm passionate about horses and can blab on all day long about horse theory, etc. You also know I'm completely non-confrontational, and I don't pretty much ever TALK about God in real life.  Here on my blog, sure.  But face to face?  No.  Why?  Because up until recently, I have not felt educated enough to talk about God at all, to anyone.  I haven't even been able to define my beliefs until recently, and I finally feel like I sort of KNOW what I need to do in order live my life like God wants me to.  So, going soul winning is very scary for me, and completely out of my comfort zone, but it is MY job as a christian to DO THIS.  Rev 20:10, John 3:36. and Jude 1:22 all discuss the importance of winning souls to Christ.  These passages impress upon the importance of using this ONE chance here on Earth to go out and reach people and tell them about God.  Luke 15:7 says Heaven rejoices when we preach the gospel.

Many churches rejoice in their NUMBERS each Sunday.  "Hey!  Yay!  We got this new building and 25 more people walked in the door this week than last week!  We're doing so great, God is truly blessing us!".  Um, this is flawed rejoicing.  Numbers are great ... but if those numbers are lazy and apathetic and come through the door in order to "show face", what good are they doing?  The true measure of a church's success is how well it trains the congregation to go out and MAKE a difference in the community by teaching doctrine, NOT by handing out food or blankets to the homeless, or even worse, doing nothing but showing up.

It's hard facts.  Pastor is not all love and light, "Name it and Claim it", etc.  He's a realist, a true "Bible Thumping" preacher.  He's not about "fire and brimstone", either.  He's about making you THINK.  He's about FORCING you to either quit going to church because you're tired of being told what you should be doing, OR to change your life and get right with God.  Getting right with God is HARD, just like losing weight and KEEPING IT OFF, just like getting fit and STAYING that way.  You have to work at it, even when you don't feel like it.  The message from this past Sunday is to remember that even though we are IN this world, we are not to be OF this world, we are to separate ourselves from what the world says is important.  I have been reading my Bible every single day since January.  I've probably only gone ... maybe 5 days total so far where I didn't crack it open, which is AMAZING for me.  I've never read the Bible cover to cover; it's hard, but I'm doing it.

Anyway.  That's all I have to say today :)  I'm working hard to better my spiritual self, now I need to make sure I'm not neglecting my physical self in the process.  I have to remember that every single day, TODAY is the first day of the rest of my life, and I have the opportunity to be an amazing person.  So do you.  Go be amazing!  Love y'all :)

NOT reflecting back on 2013 ...

Yep.  It's Yosemite!

Beautiful blue bird

Reflecting pool

Beautiful little church inside the park

No deer in the road this time, thank goodness!

I love my beautiful family!

Me taking a pic of the SIL taking a pic of me!

I could live in this small town :)

Low water levels :(

I absolutely, 148% LOVE California :)

Loved this view so much, made hubby pull over so I could take a pic!

On the way to Yosemite

My little man's growing up so fast!

I'm about to be brutally honest ... I hate New Year's.  Yep, I never stay awake until midnight, I hate to look back on the previous year, and I despise "New Year Resolutions".  I do not/will never eat collard greens, and black eyed peas are my least favorite peas on the planet.  To me, it's just a new day.  When I started this blog, my plan was to live EVERY day like it's the first day of the rest of my life.  When I wake up each morning, the days behind me are just that, BEHIND me.

The last few years have been tough for me.  I would venture to say that 100% of my problems in life are money related.  I contemplate ALL the time picking up a 2nd job to boost the income, but then that will suck every single ounce of enjoyment out of life.  We're still struggling pretty hard right now because it took us SO long to find jobs, and what we make right now barely covers our outgoing, there's just nothing left over to bolster us back up.  It's depressing, to be honest.  But, I work hard to not let that bother me.  I trust that God will help us; even when I really can't afford to do so, I drop a $20 in the offering plate every Sunday.  I've paid for other people's meals in the drive-thru line, and if I have a few dollars in my wallet, I will drop them in a sign holder's bucket on the side of the road.  I haven't bought myself NEW clothes in about 6 years.  All my "smaller" clothes, I purchased from Goodwill.  Heck, my SIL had to buy my son new clothes, he's been sorely lacking in that department because Goodwill hasn't had a good selection in his size.  My only "new" indulgence has been my running shoes I purchased from the running store.  Not looking for sympathy, just stating facts.  I'm constantly optimistic about what may come about, but I pretty much always have a small feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach every single day thinking about upcoming bills, bills I'm late on, groceries I have to buy, gas I have to put in the tank ... THAT is my wish for 2014, that I can be current and UTD on everything in my life, I can look at my bank account without feeling that sinking feeling of dread in my gut, and I can provide for my family without relying on outside help.

ANYWAY, WAY too much information, I'll probably delete this later, but it feels good to get it off my chest and release it to the atmosphere.

Had the BEST time with the SIL at Yosemite and Lake Tahoe.  It makes me a little sad that both venues are so low on snow this year, but it was great to be able to negotiate without having to worry about needing tire chains.  My teaching outside all those years helped teach me how to layer, so I was WARM and snuggly :)  We had no plans to ski this year; after seeing the prices of everything, I see it will cost us right at $500 for all 3 of us to ski one day.  YIKES!  Good thing I planned for that for next year anyway :)  At least I know now!  Going to leave y'all with some pics of our trip to Yosemite.  I have no "resolutions" to set, I'm simply resolving to let each day be on par, or better than the last.  When I feel discouraged, I pray.  When I feel particularly broke, I give.  I shop smart and don't apologize for it.  I have complete and utter faith that the $$ situation will improve, because that is something I CAN control.  I'll do what I have to do, even if that means waiting tables from 7-11 every night.  Hard work never killed anyone, and if there's one thing I know how to do, it's work hard.

Merry Christmas!

SIL, son, and myself!

How gorgeous is this place?  Looks like a calendar pic!

Snow!

My handsome boys!

Christmas greetings from the beautiful and sunny CA!  It's been AMAZING weather here, with temps approaching 70 during the day; fabulous :)  Despite the warm days, the nights have been very crisp and cold, so it definitely feels like Winter, no worries!

We are hosting my fabulous sister in law this week.  SO Happy to have her here!  We're not travelling as much this time as we did when she came back in October, but we're spending plenty of quality time together and just enjoying her presence.

I didn't ride last week due to my office Christmas party in the middle of the day; it was Cheesecake Factory, so I HAD to take advantage of a quality lunch AND cheesecake ;)  Since the restaurant is attached to one of the big malls, I used the opportunity to finish up the son's shopping.  Didn't find everything I was looking for, but did find a few things for him.

Planning to ride tomorrow, and SIL is coming with me to watch and take pics!  Hope Miss Jade is good, S has ridden her a few times and said that she was alternately "good", and "interesting", haha :)  The Waterford bit came in, so I'm going to try her in that with a regular cavesson tomorrow and see what she thinks.

We went to Yosemite Tuesday (Christmas Eve), and had a BLAST.  There was snow on the ground, ice on the ground, and the temps ranged from 62-32!  It was our second time, SIL's first time ... good times.  I have a TON of pics, but it takes time to upload all that, so y'all will just have to have patience ;)

We went to church last night (Christmas day).  SIL enjoyed it!  She totally gets why we like Pastor Jimenez so much.  He went over Matthew Ch 2 and went over the REAL Christmas story.  I learn something every single day I step foot in that church, LOVE it.  I'm about half way through Leviticus right now, making slow progress, but definitely making progress.  I'm trying to dedicate a little less time to the computer, and more time in prayer and Bible reading.  I've gotten pretty good with cooking good, healthy food and keeping my house clean vs. being on the computer every single second of my free time.  It's been good for me.  We only have an antennae hooked up for TV, so David and I watch barely any TV together anymore, down from about an average of 3 hours per night, about 8 hours a day on the weekends.

My exercise has been interrupted by the arrival of the sis due to her bed being in the middle of my living room, but I won't magically gain back 10 lbs in a week.  I took the dogs for my nice little 3 mile circle; the dog park, then the human park.  Tomorrow I'll ride.  I've done pretty well food wise, so hopefully it won't be too hard to get back on track Monday.

I'll leave y'all with this synopsis for now, and elaborate more a little later.  It's 11:30, and everyone has ditched me for bed, so I guess I need to follow!  Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and wishing you a continued peaceful holiday as we approach the New Year.  God bless!

Your weekly dose of scripture and motivation

Going healthy :)

Hello!  I am VERY pleased to report I did not cheat myself out of any exercise time this week and did my Insanity every single day like a good girl :)  Lunch has been an adventure!  Carrots, a "salad" of black beans/chick peas/mini corn/red onion/cucumber/italian dressing, yogurt, Kashi bar, string cheese, and a piece of fruit.  It's lots of "munchy" food and I get my crunch desire satisfied, but by the time dinner comes around I'm ready to eat, so not stuffing myself with too many calories.  I've traded in my wheat containing Cheerios for gluten free Rice Chex, and dinner is just whatever.  I wish I could cut out the wheat 100%, but I had to "go cheap" at the grocery store :(  I spent $75 at Bel Air last week on all my "healthy food" that didn't make a single 'dinner' meal, but did last me for lunch.  Spent $79 today at Winco foods and got 9 nights worth of dinner plus a few lunch items.  Sad, I know.  Also rode 3 times this week, so definitely got in some good moving around!

This morning was one of those days where I wondered where the message was heading.  We always begin service (after singing) with reading a full chapter of the Bible.  Today it was 2Kings Ch 7.  It's a slightly confusing story of men robbing a tent, people locked inside a city being offered a chance to buy flour, and a lord getting trampled at the end.  I thought it was going to be a sermon on the evils of Black Friday, lol!  No seriously, this just goes to show how good and focused Pastor Jimenez is.  He was able to develop the sermon, referring back often the Ch 7, and I got the point of the whole thing.  I think I told y'all that sometimes at the end of a church service, I would leave feeling somewhat confused.  Or even feeling as though I was just too stupid to get the point of the sermon.  So far, I've never felt that way at Verity, I always leave feeling like I learned something.

Basically, 2Kings7 is a story of a starving Israel locked inside the walls of a city.  In Deut28:52-57, God tells the Israelites they will be punished by a famine so severe, they will begin to eat their own children.  In 2Kings, this prophesy comes to pass.  It was because of their sins that they brought upon them this horrible, horrible famine.  In 2Kings6:26, a woman talks of how she actually killed and ate her son!  The people were desperate, and utterly hopeless.

The story relates to our modern life; how many of us have felt like our situation was completely hopeless?  You were totally desperate, unable to see a way out, maybe even contemplating suicide?  2 things to keep in mind; 1.  We don't know HOW God works.  2.  We don't know WHEN God works.  When life seems worthless and hopeless, God is always working on the other side.  He uses people that are in our lives, SINNERS, to help us through.  He uses the ordinary to do the extraordinary.  He brings us through our hard times in unexpected ways, and always in His own time.  We need to walk by FAITH, and NOT by sight.

Back to 2Kings7 ... 4 lepers decided to enter into the city after coming across a camp of Syrian soldiers and pilfering all their food.  The offer to sell flour and meat for a reasonable rate, just as God had said.  He used LEPERS, who were the blight of civilization back in biblical times to bring hope to the people of Israel.  The lepers took a risk, it worked out.  When YOU take a risk, when YOU take the first step, God will meet you there.  If you go to church and enjoy it, good for you.  Your life will not be fully blessed because you lack the faith to take it a step further.  You MUST grow in your journey as a Christian; share the gospel, invite people to church, give offering, tithe, get baptized, THEN you will begin to see your life be truly blessed.  Walk by Faith.

I've always loved "Walk by Faith" by Jeremy Camp.  That song was running through my head as the pastor went through the sermon today.  I'm so thankful that God is allowing me to open up and FINALLY grow in my own journey ... I'm 34 years old, and I rarely have ever openly talked about God, the Bible, or anything related to religion.  While I'm still not ready yet to go door to door and minister that way to people, I do bring it here to the blog.  I do give offering.  In January, we will begin to tithe even though it's going to hurt!  I have invited several co-workers to church even though they haven't come yet. I'm going to be faithful in my giving, faithful in my volunteering, and faithful in my faith and see where I'm at this time next year.  Looking forward to continuing to grow spiritually and always remembering that when things seem unmanageable, God is always working in unseen, unexpected ways.

Recharging!

3/4 of my loves!  Getting in a little exercise and Vitamin D!

I think we all need a little re-charge now and then.  That's what I feel like is going on with me right now.  I feel SO good being here in CA, but it's still LIFE.  It's still WORK.  It's not some big, giant vacation.  My life, OUR life, finally got on track after finding and getting involved with a church.  I definitely feel like in a big way I've been born again spiritually.  Last year, I was reborn in the body.  This year, I was reborn in the spirit.  Now?  I need to be reborn in both at the same time, lol!  I started over ... AGAIN ... this morning, Insanity.  It took me a few false starts the first time I did it too, to really get in the habit of doing it, so hopefully this time it sticks with me.  I went to the grocery store after work (when I was quite hungry, incidentally) and tried to buy some good, fresh, food.  Got some big, sweet apples, yogurt, Kashi granola bars, popcorn, and some veggies.  Had grilled shrimp and quinoa/brown rice mixture for dinner tonight.  Going to throw together a cold bean salad tonight for my protein source for lunch the rest of the week.  Last year, I ate cold cut ham held together with Laughing Cow soft cheese, but cold cuts aren't the healthiest of foods.  I'm not looking to go LOW CALORIE, I'm looking to go healthy.  Going to try and enjoy more veggies, less fruit ... a typical lunch last year would be a banana, a container of melons, another container of grapes, the cold cut/laughing cow cheese combo, and a serving size of tortilla chips.  Good food, but probably too much sugar.  I want to try and cut out wheat as much as possible from my life, because I have come to the conclusion that I am pretty addicted to it.

Honestly, it is nice to read that many of my peers have also "fallen off the wagon" a little bit.  Comfort in numbers, I suppose.  I allowed myself to pig out at TG, now I've recharged my will, recharged my zeal for health, and recharged my desire to challenge myself to rise above junk food.  Got to recharge my soul a little bit when I got to see my Honorary Little Sis Nicole!  She is a wonderful friend, a wonderful person, and I've missed seeing her!  Seeing as how we're not quite on our feet enough yet to buy plane tickets back to the good 'ol east coast, I jumped at the opportunity to make a little 2 1/2 hour drive southwest to the little bay town of San Jose to go see my soul sister.  He husband was born and raised in Cali, so it was natural they'd have to come out this way SOME time, and it's quite fortunate they're in the bay area, and not way down by LA :)  It was so nice to have some good conversation with someone I know ; though I'm branching out and making an actual effort to get to know people here, I've always been a loner.  Even loners get lonely sometimes, though!  It's nice not to have to work so hard at the conversation :)

I've also recharged a bit in my equine life.  I've had a nice 5 month break, now I'm beginning to miss it (as I knew I would), and fortunately, I've found some opportunity to ride!  I rode for the first time this past week, and while my seat bones are super sore, my soul is super satisfied ;)  Though my wallet will feel the pain, it was great to have a week off at Thanksgiving, and though my wallet will feel the pain AGAIN, I'll have a week off at Christmas too.  I have faith that God will see us through it, and just try to relax and enjoy!  Extra riding time, woo hoo!  It also makes me happy that my husband is so happy.  He's a quiet guy, and I knew when he talked about how much of a rut he was in, he was unhappy.  Vacations are the BEST!  Ever since moving out here, it's like this huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders, certainly thankful for that too.

Love y'all, thanks for reading my blog.  I try to be uplifting, informative without TMI, and motivational even when I'm failing to a degree.  I'm definitely not anywhere close to being perfect, but I enjoy inspiring people :)  Keep on keepin' on, and enjoy this holiday season!  Remember to be thankful for everything you have, and don't worry about anything you don't have.

The great transformation

The more I think about it, the more I believe we humans never really "Arrive".  The meaning of life is the journey we take, the constant molding and transforming of ourselves in the physical sense and in the spiritual sense.  Think about it!  How many times has your hairstyle changed?  Everything from our piercings/tattoos/hair/weight/plastic surgery ... is to make us FEEL something.  It's to express things we feel on the inside.  I certainly don't claim to know everything, or even CLOSE to everything, but I do feel it in my heart and soul that I am on the right path right now.  My mom can't really understand WHY California over Tennessee or Virginia.  I can't really explain it myself, just that I KNOW on a spiritual level that this is where I'm supposed to be right now in my life.  Maybe it was to bring our family in contact with Pastor Jimenez, I don't know!  All I DO know is we went 3 months with no jobs, all the time telling God that if he would just help us out, we'd find a church.  Well ... through a crazy round about way, we found a church and THEN the jobs came, BAM!  Me, then David in the space of a week.  Boggles my mind, still.

Sadly, David had to work today, but I feel moved to share this week's sermon.  I think it's one EVERYONE will be interested in:  Foolproof ways to have God answer your prayers.  What, did your ears perk up at that?  That's right, the Bible lays it all out in black and white HOW to have your prayers answered 100% of the time.  I have about 5 pages of notes, but I will paraphrase here:

First, you have to PRAY!  And I mean really connect and PRAY.  Second, you have to BELIEVE that your prayer can and will be answered.  If you pray with doubt in your heart, it will NOT happen.  Third, you have to pray in the NAME of Jesus.  By that, I mean you have to really truly connect and allow your heart to feel Him when you pray.  Fourth, you have to be asking for the right things.  Selfish, self serving prayers will go unanswered.  You have to pray within the wants of God.  Fifth, you have to BANISH the sins on your heart.  It's not hard; confess them to God!  Let go of all the "secret" sins that you hold onto, for if you don't you'll never have your prayers answered.  Sixth, you should share your faults with a Godly and righteous person, then ask them to pray with you.  This doesn't necessarily have to be your pastor, it can be an acquaintance that has the gift of the Holy Spirit.  "Faults" doesn't mean confessing your sins as if to a priest.  Simply get off your chest the things that you feel are burdening you!  There is power in group prayer!  Seventh, you need to make sure your life is Christ centered.  You can't be a child of the World, practicing Wiccan magic and going out and getting stoned every night and expect to just pray to God and have your prayers answered.  You have to live your life as an example to others.  Eighth, you must be PERSISTENT in your prayer.  Don't ask just once.  You can't give up, you must ask God for what you want over and over again until he answers you.  And finally, make sure you're right with your spouse.  If you and your spouse are in a hostile/bad relationship God will not hear you.  You have to fix what is wrong between you and your SO so you can be on the right track in your prayer life.

Like I said, serious paraphrase, but y'all get the general idea :)  For every single one of these points, there are 2 or 3 Bible verses backing them up.  It's so amazing the way Pastor Jimenez brings the Bible to light.  I went to Lifeway Christian store yesterday and finally bought a KJV bible.  I've had a NKJV for the past 20 years, and had no idea how it has subtly changed key words and phrases to have a TOTALLY different meaning than the "regular" KJV.  Like I said, I believe God has brought us to where we are right now for many different reasons, but the primary one is the spiritual growth we are experiencing.  Kody and I went alone today; that is the FIRST time I have EVER gone to church sans the hubby.  Makes me feel good!

Catching up!

Mt Lassen!

Well, I've been working on experiencing life the past 2 weeks, sorry I haven't blogged so much :)  Had quite a lot going on, so I've been fairly busy.  My awesome SIL Stef came out last week; it was amazing.  She was SO happy to be out here, I didn't get to pick her up at the airport, but I heard she cried when she saw David and Kody;)  Sadly, the Saturday she was here fell on a Saturday I had to work, so they got up SUPER early and drove south to LA for the day.  That was fine with me because I'm not all that enamored with So Cal.  I mean, I like San Diego, but that's about it.  I'm all about my gorgeous Nor Cal!  So, I worked (and had a HORRIBLE day), but on Sunday we got to go back to Lassen volcano, and we found us a new state park to go in with this AMAZING waterfall.  It was so darn beautiful, AND we got to hike a teeny little mile long trail, yay :)  Steffie  and the boys aren't so keen on hiking, so I was grateful the trail wasn't too intense for them.  From there, we went to Redding and walked through Turtle Bay and the Sundial bridge.

Kody got baptized today!  I'm so proud of him :)  He was ready to do it, and he was super excited about it.  Praise God!  I was actually quite disappointed to miss out on church last Sunday, but when Stef comes back over Christmas, she will be here a little over a week, so we will get to take her to church.  We just had so far to drive on Sunday, we couldn't fit it in.  Today was great, as usual.  We were talking about "once saved, always saved", but you should still live a "good" life because even though you may GO to heaven, if you don't live right you won't have much when you get there.  Interesting as always!

David's birthday was Friday, and we went to dinner last night out in Roseville where he works.  He works in a REALLY nice shopping center, and it was just awesome to spend some time enjoying the gorgeous weather and the great company.  We ate at a restaurant called the Yard House, and we fully enjoyed it.  Definitely on our list to go back to.  From there we went to the mall and wandered around a little bit, and today has just been church/chill day.  I went to the park and ran 6 miles again.  Boy, it was WINDY; gusts up to 30 mph.  My hands were FREEZING by the time I got home.  I ran a little further than last time.  2 weeks ago, I alternated walk/run each mile, so I ran 3/walked 3.  Today, I ran 3 in a row, walked one, then ran one, then walked the last so I actually ran 4/walked 2 yay me!

Ok, here's what I'm going to do.  I intend to post a pic of me in an outfit I want to look GOOD in.  My favorite jeans (when they fit) and a white t shirt.  My jeans are so tight they gave me an ugly muffin top.  So, to keep me accountable, I'm posting my pics of me in that outfit.  HOPEFULLY I will look better in it by next month.  It worked the first time, so hopefully it will work now.

Eww.  Nice muffin top!

Making those seams scream:(

Side never looks quite as bad

Alrighty then!  A month from now, that should look MUCH better.  I know myself.  I HAVE to have accountability.  Posting these pics holds me accountable.  When I don't do that, I don't care.  I do NOT want to be like a wonderful person I know.  She was pretty overweight, no big deal.  Went on a diet, lost SO much weight, she looked absolutely amazing; like a completely different person.  In fact, she was one of my inspirations for losing my weight!  Fast forward a year; I've lost 45 lbs and look so much better.  I see this person, and she's right back to where she was :(  She tells me, Hey!  You look great!  Don't be like me; I lost 60 lbs, then gained 80!  Sad.  I don't want to do that.  I got RID of all my fat clothes, I REFUSE to buy fat clothes again.  I know I may gain some, but I CAN and WILL lose it again.  The key is moderation, and awareness of the problem.  I have to jump on it as soon as I sense the weight creeping on (like now).  Small goals.  Keep active.  Cut the sugar (again).  Smaller portions.  I can do this, and I will do this!  Love y'all, will post again sooner than 2ish weeks, I promise.:)  Have a great week!

New World Order

*Caution:  This one's a novel!*

Well, mind blown.  Again.  Seems like every time I set foot in church, I learn something new.  What I learned today is so amazing, I'm going to actually transcribe some notes Pastor Jimenez gave us today.  The sermon is in regards to how different versions of the Bible are propagating the Anti-Christ's New World Order.  We all know there's about 7 different versions of the Bible other than King James.  They've all been put out there to make it more "simple" to understand the Word of God.  I admit ... I have one of those versions.  I have the New King James Version, which I thought simply removed all the "doth", "thee", and "whilst" and made it a little easier to understand what God is trying to say.  Needless to say, I will be investing in a new bible.

1.  1Timothy 3:16
*KJV:  And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:  God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

*New American Standard Bible (NASB):  By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness:  He who was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.

*New International Version (NIV):  Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great:  He appeared in the flesh,was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.

*New Living Translation (NLT):  Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith:  Christ was revealed in a human body and vindicated by the Spirit.  He was seen by angels and announced to the nations.  He was believed in throughout the world and taken to heaven in glory.

*English Standard Version (ESV):  Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:  He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

!What does all this mean?  The KJV tells us that GOD was manifest in the flesh.  We all know that, right?  Jesus is God's fleshly body.  These other "more modern" versions are setting us up to believe in the anti-christ, because "He" can be any man.  I think I got that right.  Pastor explained it better I think, but y'all get the drift;)

2.  Luke 2:33
*KJV:  And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.

*NASB:  And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him.

*NIV:  The childs's father and mother marveled at what was said about him.

*NLT:  Jesus' parents were amazed at what was being said about him.

*ESV:  And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him.

!What are these passages referring to?  Well, the birth of Jesus.  We all know that Mary is Jesus' mother, but Joseph is NOT the father of Jesus, GOD is. Mary was a virgin!  And Joseph is NOT God.  KJV is the only bible that correctly references the relationship of Mary and Joseph to Jesus.

3.  John 1:18
*KJV:  No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

*ESV:  No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

!Jesus is God's son, and was seen on earth.  God has never been seen on earth, except as Jesus.

4.  Matthew 7:14
*KJV:  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

*NKJV:  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way, which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

*NLT:  But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.

*ESV:  For the gate is narrow and way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

!This passage is telling you how to get to heaven.  Honestly, it is extremely simple to get to heaven.  You don't have to repent, you don't have to go to confession, you don't have to live like a monk, you don't have to WORK at it.  You simply must BELIEVE that Jesus died on the cross for your sins.  The way is NOT difficult, it is easy.  But yes, it is straight and narrow.  There is only ONE way to get to heaven, and that is through belief in Jesus and God.  Satan will have you believe going to heaven is so hard, you shouldn't even try.

5.  Mark 10:24
*KJV:  And the disciples were astonished at his words.  Jut Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!

*NASB:  The disciples were amazed at His words.  But Jesus *answered again and *said to them, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!

*NIV:  The disciples were amazed at his words.  But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!

*NLT:  This amazed them.  But Jesus said again, "Dear children, it is very hard to enter the kingdom of God.


*ESV:  And the disciples were amazed at his words.  But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God!

!The KJV passage refers to the fact that "rich people" have a harder time making it to heaven.  God said that money is the root of all evil, and that rich people will have a harder time believing in God and going to heaven.  Note how all the alternate bible versions omit the part about "riches".  They say that in GENERAL is hard to get to Heaven.  That just isn't true.  The New World Order will rely on rich and powerful people to help the agenda get going.

1 Corinthians 1:18

*KJV:  For the preaching of the cross is to them, that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

*NKJV:  For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

*NASB:  For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

*NIV:  For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.


*NLT:  The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction!  But we who are being saved we know it is the very power of God.

*ESV:  For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

!If you believe, you ARE saved.  You are not saved by WORKS.  You are not saved through having to "live right", you are saved by BELIEF in God.  If you believe, you ARE saved, not in the process of BEING saved.

John 3:36

*KJV:  He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life:  and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

*NASB:  He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.

*NLT:  And anyone who believes in God's Son has eternal life.  Anyone who doesn't obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God's angry judgement.

*ESV:  Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall  not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

!Clear as Lake Tahoe, right?  KJV states that if you BELIEVE, you are saved.  If you BELIEVE NOT, you shall incur God's wrath.  Nowhere in the KJV bible does it state you must obey.  You SHOULD obey, you SHOULD live your life as God says to do, but it is not a requirement for you to get to heaven.

Still with me?  I've got more!

Colossians 1:14

*KJV:  in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

*NASB:  in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins

*NIV:  in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins

*NLT:  who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

*ESV:   in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins

!Um, it is the BLOOD of Jesus Christ that gives us the promise of everlasting life after our earthly death.

Isaiah 14:12

*KJV:  How art thou fallen, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

*NASB:  How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn!  You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations!

*NIV:  How you have fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning!  You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world.

*ESV:  How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn!  How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!

!Wow.  Just wow.  Lucifer, Satan, is cast out of heaven.  The "modified" versions of the bible are blatantly telling you JESUS was cast out of heaven.  Jesus is identified in Revelations as the morning star, NOT Satan.  Satan is the son of the morning, not the STAR of the morning.  Small changes, BIG context change.

Luke 4:8

*KJV:  And Jesus answered and said unto him, "Get thee behind me Satan:  for it is written, Thou shalt worhip the Lord thy god, and him only shalt thou serve".

*NASB:  Jesus answered him, "It is written, You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only".

*NIV:  Jesus answered, "It is written:  'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'"

*NLT:  Jesus replied, "The Scriptures say, 'You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.'"

*ESV:  And Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'"

!Jesus is telling Satan to go away!  Get behind him!  YOU (meaning SATAN) will worship the Lord, and only Him.  The new versions say nothing about Satan, paving the way for the Anti-christ to step in and proclaim that the masses should worship him as the false prophet.

Hebrews 9:10

*KJV:  Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

*NIV:  There are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings-external regulations applying until the time of the new order.

!Pretty clear, huh?

Acts 8:36-38

*KJV:  {36} And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water:  and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?  {37}And Philip said, if thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.  And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  {38} And he commanded the chariot to stand still:  and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

*NIV:   {36} As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water.  What can stand in the way of my being baptized? {37} {38} And he gave orders to stop the chariot.  Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.

*NLT:  {36} As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "Look!  There's some water!  Why can't I be baptized?"  {38} He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water and Philip baptized him.

*ESV:  {36} And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "See, here is water!  What prevents me from being baptized?  {38} And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.

!Hello!  Notice anything?  A missing verse maybe?  And the versions even let you KNOW they're leaving it out.  This is again telling you  that your belief in Jesus being God's son is how you're saved.  The AC's agenda is to make it seem hard and difficult to get to heaven so that Satan can have more souls at the end of the Tribulation.  Unbelievable.

2 Samuel 21:19

*KJV:  And there was a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the BROTHER of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.

*NASB:  There was a war with the Philistines again at Gob, and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's bean.

*ESV:  And there was again war with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim the Bethlehemite struck down Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.

!Pastor called these passages "dumb".  It is common knowledge that David killed Goliath.  These "new" translations of the bible are telling you in black and white that this Elhanan, a Bethlehemite, killed Goliath, when in fact the boy killed Goliath's BROTHER.  Dumb indeed.

1 Samuel 13:1

*KJV:  Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned 2 years over Isreael,

*ESV:  Saul lived for one year and then became king, and when he had reigned for 2 years over Israel,

!Huh?  Saul was king as a one year old?  Lol.

Mark 1:2,3

*KJV:  {2} As it is written in the prophets (quote from Malachi) "Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee". {3} (quote from Isaiah) "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight."

*NASB:  {2} As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: (quote from Malachi) "Behold, I send My messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way;"

*NIV:  {2} as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:  (quote from Malachi) "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way"

*NLT:  {2} just as the prophet Isaiah had written:  (quote from Malachi) "Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way."

*ESV:  {2} As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, (quote from Malachi) "Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way",

!What??  The new translations MISQUOTE THE BIBLE!  They cite the quotations from Isaiah, but they're actually from Malachi.  Kind of a big deal, don't you think?  Obviously, these are only a SMALL sample of the vast differences in translations, but I'm certainly convinced.  Are you?  Things are making SO much sense to me right now, Pastor Jimenez makes it crystal clear what Satan's agenda is, and I for one have no desire to fall prey to Satan and Hell.  I want to live my everlasting life in heaven, with my family, and in paradise.  I have no desire to live in a literal hell for all of eternity, so I'm making sure to listen and pay attention to what I need to do here on earth.  My very first personal purchase I make for myself once our paychecks start coming in will be a KJV bible.  I thought my New KJV was harmless, but even it isn't exempt from Anti-christ agendas.  Satan is looking to systematically eliminate God from our world ... it's a scary thought that Pastors are using and preaching from these alternate translations of the bible when they're SO CLEARLY changing things around to suit the needs of those looking to lead you down the WRONG path.  Food for thought!