All or Nothing

I'm definitely an all or nothing girl. This can be a good thing or a very very bad thing. I often find that when it comes to eating well or working out, I'm either eating perfect and working out maybe too much or I am a lazy bum and eat everything that is bad! Why I operate this way is a mystery, but what I do know is how frustrating it is. I encourge people to eat well and work out consistently and to stick with moderation, but I personally struggle with that so much! Even when it comes to my quiet time with God, I will go a month spending time consistently each morning with Him and then before I know it, it's been two weeks and my bible hasn't been cracked open. I know that this is something I need to rely on Christ to help me with and to realize that a balanced life comes only from Him.

I do think that part of the reason I struggle with the all or nothing mentality is because I want to be in control and we all know that that is never going to turn out well. I say all this in hopes that I encourage you reading this to realize that even someone you think may have stuff under control really doesn't. It's a daily process of handing over the "power" to Christ and letting Him deal with all my junk!

So as you find yourself at the last day of our January challenge, I hope that no matter how you did, you realize that you don't have to be perfect. You don't have to have it all under control. God will not give you more than you can handle today and you don't have to be an "all or nothing" girl.

Matthew 11:28-30
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden in light."
Grateful,
Katy

Trying to give up control

I've learned quite a bit about control over the last few weeks. What I've learned about control is that I don't have much. In the past month a number of things occured in my life. My husband was offered a job, he and I decided he should take it, I informed friends and family that we are leaving, put our house up for sale, informed schools that my kids are leaving, enrolled them in new schools, and also signed a lease on temporary housing. Now maybe it's just me, but that's alot for a girl to deal with in less than four weeks and the feeling of control I thought I had on my life is slowly slipping away.

Now why do I try to have complete control? I suppose it is human nature, but isn't it ridiculous?! It would actually be extremely scary if we did have complete control over our lives and there was not a loving God who had a perfect plan for each of us. We know that is not the case, thank goodness, and I need to stop trying to control things and instead be open to what Christ is trying to do in my life in order for me to grow and be more like Him.

I do realize that I may be a little more ridiculous when it comes to worrying about things than the next person. One example that comes to mind happened this weekend. We had a couple come to look at our house and I kept asking my husband that afternoon and into the evening why we weren't getting a call from our realtor? I kept asking him when he thought she would call and let us know what they thought? Do you think they liked it? What things didn't they like? I know RIDICULOUS! Of course my sweet husband, with much patience, told me not to worry and we would find out soon enough. Doesn't it bother him not knowing what these people are looking for in a house? His answer to that question, "No, it really doesn't bother me." Okay so I have something to learn from him.

The simple answer is I just need to trust! God knows exactly what I need when I need it and He will never give me more than I can handle. His timing is perfect and it's in my best interest to hand over the reigns of control to Him because that's where it belongs.

Proverbs 27:1 "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth."

Grateful,
Katy

Challenge Cont'd

So here we are full into the first week of January. How are you doing on the challenged I issued at the end of December? Perhaps you decided to do your own challenge in place of this one. Either way, stay strong and stick with the challenge you have committed to. It is super hard to reach goals on your own so I (along with the help of my friend Lesley) have created a Facebook page-"Fitness 4 Women". You can join and be part of a community of ladies who are trying to stay healthy and it also serves as a place to encourage one another. I set it up as a private group, so if you haven't received an invite, then PLEASE email or Facebook me so that I can invite you. I wanted to keep it private so that it would be a safe place to share. If you aren't doing the challenge I issued and you have challenged yourself with something else, whether it is to spend more time with God, try something new or whatever it is, feel free to still join the group and share with all of us what you are doing. I would love to hear what it is you are up to.



Let me say that whatever it is you have committed to doing in this new year, please be intentional about it. This means you need to plan ahead. The goals that you set for yourself won't be accomplished by accident, it will happen because you have put into place the correct steps and planned ahead. Also make sure someone else knows about this new goal you have set for yourself. It's too easy to excuse yourself, but if you know someone else is going to be asking you about your progress you will be less likely to fail.



I am again so thankful that you all allow me to share in this blog. I love getting feedback from each of you and I learn from each of you. Thanks and Happy New Year!!

Matthew 6:25-26
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"



Grateful (as always),



Katy

New Year...new challenge

Okay ladies it's time. Time for what you ask? Time to STOP eating the sugar filled treats and start moving your body. Have you noticed over the break that your body is moving a little more slowly or your joints are a little more achy? Do you know what is to blame for you feeling this way? Yes, it is big and bad and it tastes so good...it's sugar. Most of you may know this and some of you may not, but do you know what makes our jeans fit a little big more snug or what contributes to that weight gain over the holidays? Most of you are thinking, "Duh Katy I know it's all the junk I ate." Yes, you are correct, but what specifically is the biggest culprit? You guessed it...sugar. Sugar is such a sneaky little bugger because it tastes so great and it gets us hooked before we even realize! Unfortunately it's not as sweet as it tastes because it's responsible for weight gain, sore joints, irritability and/or depression and a whole list of other things. So now that I've completely annoyed and depressed you with all this info, what can we do about this? Well that's part of the challenge for January. I told you all in class that I was going to issue you all a challenge for the month of January and here it is:

This is based on an honor system, so no cheating! Really though, do you want to win a prize that you didn't earn? I didn't think so. So here goes; for every day that you exercise for at least an hour, you earn 50 points. For each day that you eat clean you earn 50 points. This means staying away from processed foods, and instead eating veg/fruit, lean meats, oatmeal, drinking lots of water, etc). If you need help with ideas for breakfast, lunch or dinner just email me at katy.masone@hudsonchapel.org I'll be happy to give you some ideas. Also, I want you to give yourself 20 points for each night that you get at least 8 hours of sleep. So, we will ALL start this January 1 and go until January 31st. I want you all to take one day off each week from exercise, therefore the most points you will be able to earn from exercising for the entire month would be 1,350. That's four weeks, 28 days, with one day off (1200 points) and then since there are 31 days, you can earn that extra 150.

I know you all can do this! If you have decided to commit to this challenge I will have a paper for you to sign the first week back to fitness which is Wednesday the 5th. If you just can't wait to get on board and want to let me know now that you are taking the challenge, I want you to email me at the above email. I can't wait to see all your beautiful faces. Oh and you probably want to know about the prize right? Well it will be worth your while...believe me! :)

Philippians 4:13
"I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."

Grateful,
Katy

What the snow is teaching me...

Okay, so I don't know about the rest of you, but this snow business is getting a little out of control. I know many people are saying, "what is up with this much snow this soon?!" I could not agree more. These past two days, I have learned quite a bit from the snow. Although, the life lessons I am learning from the snow are not necessarily about dealing with it directly. I actually enjoy playing in the snow with Isaac and Ella and I really don't mind going out and shoveling. What I struggle with is how the snow disrupts my daily routine.

I am a true creature of habit. I wake up at pretty much the same time each day and my routine goes as follows: drink a big glass of water, start the coffee, read my bible, make breakfast for kids and I, get dressed, take kids to school, teach a class, and the day goes on in a very planned manner. Some of you may think, "oh geez Katy, get a life!" On the other hand some of you may be thinking, "oh I can totally understand that." I tell you all this to say that when something like a snow day comes along, my schedule is thrown for a loop and I am left annoyed or frustrated. I was thinking about this yesterday as the kids and I spent the day together and I thought, why get frustrated or irritated? Wouldn't God be more pleased and I in a much happier mood if I used this opportunity to really enjoy the gifts that God has given to me...for example my children. :) So when I often see this unplanned day off as something to deal with, I can instead enjoy doing those puzzles, reading books and playing games because it is precious time that God has gifted to me. I also know that all too soon Isaac and Ella will be older and it won't be very cool to hang out with Mom.

I know for a fact that many of you do a great job of taking those unplanned moments and making great memories from them. My hat goes off to you and I thank you because, you may not realize it, but you have inspired me! I believe that God takes joy in seeing us break from the busyness of our lives to sit and read a book with our child or even just read from His word by ourselves. So with that said, let it snow!

Philippians 2:3-4
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."

Grateful,
Katy

Busyness getting the best of you?

This time of year comes with much anticipation, excitement and...busyness! The question I have for you is simple. Are you taking the time to soak in all the wonder or are you getting consumed by the busyness of the season? Whether it's coming from the radio, pulpit or some Christmas program, the topic more than not is how to avoid getting too busy and therefore forgetting to focus on Christ being the whole reason for Christmas. Do you really listen to the advice you are getting? Do I? If I'm honest with myself then I know the answer to that is most likely a no. Don't misunderstand, my intentions are good, but I find myself thinking about things that are pretty insignificant in comparison. I am double checking to make sure that I have a gift for everyone on my list, that the decor in my house is up to par and then there's all those Christmas programs and class parties. I love it all and I don't think that God is necessarily displeased by all of these things. I think what is displeasing to Him is how it all that just overtakes the simplicity and true wonder of the season.



My husband often laughs at the fact that I just can't sit still most of the time. If I'm at home, there's always something that needs done. As a mom, I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who feels this way. What I don't like is how I find the dirty dishes in the sink more nagging to me than my child who wants to play a game with me. Who usually wins out in my attention? Yep, the dishes. Does this bother me? Of course it does, but not enough that I leave the dishes alone! So my goal this Christmas season? It will be to take ONE day at a time and use the daily opportunities that Christ gives me to focus myself and my family on the huge gift that Christ gave us, His son.



Luke 2:16-20

"So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told."



Merry Christmas!

Katy

What would Jesus eat?

On Thanksgiving, my sister and brother-in-law handed me a magazine with an article they thought would interest me. It was from the magazine, "Christianity Today". The article was titled, "A Feast Fit for a King, Returning the growing fields and kitchen table to God". The author, Leslie Levland Fields, starts the article with her latest experience at a church potluck event. The offerings are the usual hot dogs, white enriched buns, buckets of fried chicken, Doritos, jello molds and the like. Once the blessing over the food is given, the author wonders to herself, "What would Jesus put on his plate? Would He be okay eating the chicken that probably lived an inhumane life and was fed substandard food?" She goes on to reveal what most of us already know, that the majority of food produced in the United States is just not good for us and the question we need to be considering is, "Would and is Jesus okay with how food is grown and how animals are cared for prior to us eating them?"



Please don't mistake me for telling you to go out and buy all organic food. What I really want you to consider is, where does the food I buy come from? Maybe you know your grocer supplies locally grown food or maybe you have no idea if your apple came from an orchard in Ohio or California. As Christians sometimes we get scared to talk about this because it can seem a bit political, but really we should be the ones who care the most! This is God's creation we are talking about. So when you go to the store, what are you supporting? Are you buying fruit and vegetables that are so sprayed down with chemicals that they are almost more toxic than not? Are we buying the chicken that's $2 cheaper just to save a buck, but was pumped with so many antibiotics that it can't even walk properly because it's body is so large? I know that this topic brings up much debate. Perhaps I even ticked you off a little bit, I am sorry for that, but I hope it makes you consider your purchases beforehand. My hope is that when it is time to shop for our families, we would consider more than just cost, but also what will make our families healthier and in the end brings glory to God as well.

Proverbs 22:9

"A generous man will himself be blessed, for he share his food with the poor."

Grateful,

Katy