It’s Never Greener by Jenni Catron

Thought this post was really good...therefore wanted to share it, enjoy!

Comparison rocks our identity and robs our contentment.

And most of us give into it every day.

We envy someone with significant influence while they’re at home overwhelmed by all the responsibility, envying your simpler life.

We covet the marriage that seems so easy, but the couple that never fights envies your passion and commitment to one another.

The single long for marriage while the married wish for less responsibility and accountability.

Parents compare their kids performance, looks and behavior while the parent-less long for children to love.

The high achiever gets all the opportunities at work while what she really wants is a break from all the pressure.

How do we find contentment in a world where more is never enough?

We fall victim to the cliche day after day that the grass is greener in someone else’s world, but it just never is. 

Make your grass green.  Find joy, peace and contentment in the life that God has given you. 

Nurture the blessings that you have – family, health, possessions, friendships, influence – and quit looking over the fence.

What do you need to choose to be content with today?

You can follow Jenni's blog, Leading in Shades of Grey at www.jennicatron.tv

Remember...

Hebrews 13:3 "Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies."


I've been reading Hebrews, a lot lately, and this seemingly little verse kept coming to the forefront every time I read chapter 13.  I so easily get caught up in my own world with my own problems and concerns, I so easily get tunnel vision and not see the people around me.  I get easily annoyed when I am inconvenienced or held up.  Why is that?  Why do I struggle at times to love other people?  I think it maybe for several reason?


1. I forget where I came from.  
I'm so thankful for the people who took an interest in my life, both the good times and especially the bad times.  I fail to remember that I wouldn't be were I'm at if it weren't for the help of other people.


2. I forget what Christ did for me
I could probably spend several paragraphs here but the bottom line is I forget the magnitude of the sacrifice that Jesus did for me on the cross.  He made the ultimate sacrifice for me and yet as time goes by I can loose the weight of that if I'm not careful and become very flippant.


3. I forget that He loves them also
If I'm truly honest with myself…I'm selfish.  I get so easily wrapped up in myself that I forget that God wants to use me to show His love to others.  That His heart breaks for those who aren't in a relationship with Him.  Yet I'm to busy?  So thankful He wasn't that way with me so why do I find myself, more often than I like to admit, with other?


4. I forget where they're coming from
The verse states, "as if you were there yourself…as if you felt their pain in your own bodies."  The next time someone cuts me off, takes a long time in the check out lane, takes to long to order there coffee or gives me an attitude …I need to ask myself some questions. What kind of day are they having?  How is there home life with their spouse, parents, siblings?  What kind of stress do they have at work?  Do they even have a job or are they barely making ends meet?


My prayer today and everyday is that God will help me remember what He did for me.  That He will help me to see people not only thru His eyes but also through there eyes.  


How about you…Do you struggle to love others?  What are some of your reasons and how can you change?

My Health...By The Numbers

The staff and I had the awesome opportunity to find out exactly how healthy or unhealthy we really were. This was truly helpful because I now have a starting point and a direction on what I specifically need to work on to have the healthiest year ever!

Oxygen Uptake = 39 (I just missed above average by 2 points) 

Body Fat % = 19 (I just missed above average by 1 point) 

Waist circumference = 35 inches (This is satisfactory but I would like to reduce a few inches)

Weight = 181 ( I’m aiming to lose between 10 and 15 pounds) 

Blood Pressure - 103/61 (Normal) 

Glucose Levels = 92 (Satisfactory)

Now the numbers I really need to work on... Cholesterol = 225 (Borderline High, need to get this to 200 or lower) 

HDL cholesterol = 31 (Low, I need to get this to a 40 or higher) 

Cholesterol HDL ratio = 7.2 (I need to get this to 4.4 or lower) 

Body Mass Index = 26 (I need to get this between 18.5 - 24.9) 

Therefore my total health number = 73.3/100

I think that getting this type of thing done would be a great idea for anyone who would like to achieve a healthier lifestyle in 2012.

Evaluating My Goals

Well it is time to reevaluate my goals for 2012 and share my progress...or lack thereof!

Physical: As much as I don’t want to say this...but I am going to have to put the 1/2 marathon on hold for right now. Several factors play into this as I’m having some physical problems with my left leg. I’m doing some strength training, practicing better running techniques, and taking light runs. The goal isn’t dead, just pushed backed. I’m currently working out 4 to 5 times a week which is good but I want to be more consistent in the 5 to 6 range.

Mental: My reading pace is off to a good start as i have finished 2 books out of 24 for the year with about 5 others started. I’m striving to focus on only 2 right now so that I could be a bit more efficient. So many good books though...so hard! I feel that I have done really well so far in my intensity vs. consistency with my children. That is due mainly to the next category.

Spiritual: I have been consistently in the word on a daily basis. I really enjoy getting up in the morning, grabbing a cup of coffee and just reading God’s word. I was doing a plan on youversion but have since changed it up. More on that in another post. As for scripture memorization...epic fail! I haven’t given up though.

Social: These were a bit lofty for the time of life my family and I are going through right now. Therefore I’m focusing just on my family. I have spent more quality time with my children and Rachel overall. I haven’t meet the quota I set but that’s okay. I’m headed in the right direction and they were only guidelines anyway!

Refocus

Man has it been a long time since I did this! (5 weeks actually) This is something that I need to refocus on and get back in the habit. I don't necessarily feel like I drifted away but I feel more like I zoned in on one thing and forgot the rest.

Let me explain the past 5 weeks like this…have you ever seen people who spin basketballs?  I'm not talking one or two on their hands, I'm talking about the people who spin like 20!  They start with one ball and get it going, then they get a second one going until they are covered with basketballs, all spinning at the same time!

That is what I felt like except for one difference…I wasn't keeping all the balls going at the same time!  Sure, I would get a few going (work, exercising, devotions, family, etc.) and things were looking good.  Then life threw another ball at me…we'll call this one grad school.  As a result I lost focus on the other balls while trying to get this one spinning.  We all know what happens when the person spinning the basketballs looses focus…they start hitting the floor and there are basketballs everywhere!

I share that because life can have so many demands on us that we feel like we can't keep up with it all. We do well in some areas while we stink in others because we can't give the time we want.  As a result we get frustrated, angry or maybe we even just quite all together.  Trust me, your not alone…I've felt all three plus others.

I want to encourage you not to give up on your goals for this year.  If a "ball" drops don't beat yourself up.  Reevaluate, make changes, put somethings to the side for right now, but keep going!  I'm learning that I need to do the best I can, with the time I have alotted each ball and then be okay with that.  I'm also learning that maybe I need to set a few basketballs to the side, for this season in my life.  Then when grad school is finished in May I can come back to them and start spinning away!

Day 3 & 4...at a porn convention

Do you see the 2500 bibles to the right?  Well the awesome team that Rachel and I were apart of managed to hand all of them out by 7:30 Saturday night! We still had Saturday night and Sunday afternoon yet!  This was a great problem to have but also frustrating because we had a lot of people request them...including vendors!

I'm posting our team leader's write up below because I think it gives a good summary of the last two days...

"There are always a variety of reactions to the slogan Jesus Loves Porn Stars. One man was offered a Bible and he said, “Oh I know Jesus and I know porn so I’m ok, I don’t need a Bible.” We also had one very agitated young lady who was actually very angry and was emphatic that the wording should be, “Jesus loves reformed porn stars.” She told us that premarital sex was sin and porn was a sin and so she could not comprehend, no matter how we worded it or tried to explain it, that Jesus would actually love someone in their sin. I hope one day she comes to realize how much Jesus loves her.

We met a guy named Travis who was really deeply touched that we were legitimate with our message and not mocking. He shared that one month ago he found out that his wife, and mother of their two kids, had been having an affair with his best friend and wanted to be with the friend. We talked about all the different ways that was so painful and would continue to be painful for a very long time.

We will give out the last of our stickers and temporary tattoos but it’s amazing how many people are disappointed to not get the Bible that speaks to what our message is, when they find out we have that. They can be bought on the website but you know that its unlikely people there will go and purchase one, but there is still the hope that they will at least check out the site and make use of the resources available and see the difference it really makes to know that Jesus loves you regardless of what you have done.

The majority of the people take a Bible and continue walking but so often I found people come back and we would offer them another one and they would clarify by telling us they had already been given one, but they came back to find out what we were all about. I love that. It means people were thinking about the words they saw and wanted to be sure they knew what our message is. I know our message is misinterpreted sometimes, but so was Jesus’.

Romans 8:38, 39: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Vancouver Team 2012

 

Day 2...At A Porn Convention

Well last night was awesome!  I know it sounds weird that I was happy for more people but more people provided more opportunities for conversations and as you can see by the photo a lot more bibles handed out.

Some people that we had the opportunity to talk with that stuck out was a young lady who had a lot of questions about what would and would not send her to hell.  My friend Andy tried to explain that it isn't about what you do or did, but who you put your faith in.  Another gentleman said that he found one of our "Jesus Loves Porn Stars" bible on the ground and started reading it…he said it was a really cool book.  Finally a group of people in the adult industry came by our booth just to say thank you for the gift bags our team leader made for them. You could see just how genuinely touched they were that somebody thought of them, not as an object, but as an actual human being!

Another cool aspect of the show are our neighbor's booths.  We have a Zombie Portrait booth to one side, a bondage booth behind and a palm/card reader to the other side.  The Zombie booth probably isn't that thrilled with us, actually I know they aren't…and that's okay.  The psychic on the other hand has connected with Rachel a little bit and it is cool to see Rachel hang out at her booth now and then just talking with her.

Yeah we definetly stick out in a room that is promoting sex in a unrealistic light.  Yeah there are those that laugh and walk on by or those who will not even make eye contact. Yet there are so many more that will stop and ask questions. They actually want the stickers and bible. It blows my mind that people actually will take a bible in a porn convention!  They actually ask US for it. As a matter of fact we have had people take several at a time so that they could pass them out to their friends.

Who knows maybe they never open the bible...or maybe, just maybe, when times are hard and they don't know where to turn...they'll pick up that bible with the unusual cover and find the hope they so desperately need!  What I do know for sure is that I need to be faithful to what God wants...and right now God wants me to be at a porn convention.