Did You Break Something?

I was thinking today about brokenness and pain.  My father in-law's daughter has broken her dad's heart.  She doesn't want him to be her dad anymore.  This has been going on for several years.  And even though the initial break in the relationship happened years ago, he is still in pain.  And I am sure she is too.

Thinking about the pain of a break made me think of a broken bone.  The initial pain is excruciating for most.  I remember when our neighbor fell and broke her arm and she was screaming in pain as she was carried back to her home.  She had surgery to put a metal plate in her arm, but still she was in pain for many days while it was healing.  For many people who break a bone they have to also go through physical therapy after the bone is healed.  As they get use to working the area that had been immobile for a while, it is painful.  The healing process is a painful process.

The emotional healing process is also a painful process.  As I watch the girls I work with start the healing  process it is a lot like a physical break being healed.  They come in complete brokenness, not wanting anyone to touch the broken area because it just hurts so much.  But as the brokenness is addressed they hopefully see that it is a necessary experience to go through if they want that area to be healed and then strengthened.  It takes a willingness to allow someone to push you to the painful points, like in physical therapy.  And not just once, it happens over and over again so that you can move past the painful spot and gain freedom.

What a beautiful picture of healing. 

First week of Beta Focus T-25

So I am on the sixth week of the Focus T-25 program.  This is the first week of the second part, called Beta.  I have to say that the Beta doesn't seem that difficult.  I do find that I am tired out at about 15 minutes and the last 10 are harder to push through.  But the exercises aren't difficult to do.

My complaint about the program is that I have not lost any weight!  Maybe one pound, but that changes each time I step on the scale.  And I haven't really lost many inches.  My stomach is tighter and I feel really good, but I would sure like to see some difference on the scale.  Not sure what else I should be doing to help budge the weight off.  I don't have much to lose, so it isn't a big deal, but it would help me feel better.

So anyway, I will keep going and enjoying the workout.  Who is with me?

Change Something

I like to look at India through the eyes of first time visitors.  They see the things that I start to miss having lived here for several years.  We just had a group of skaters here and they were noticing and enjoying many of the "normal" India things.  Like cows wandering the streets, or the kids running around loudly, or the way cars drive so close to the pedestrian.  There is also plenty that they see and experience that aren't enjoyable.  They also notice the garbage, the air pollution, and the smells.  And experiences that are heart-breaking like when they go on the prayer walk down GB Road, the red-light district in Delhi, they see the abuse and the enslavement of human beings.  

There are things about India that I would like to see change.  I would like it to be cleaner.  In my mind it seems that it shouldn't be that easy to clean up the place.  There needs to be awareness of the problem and then the structure in place to handle the trash.  We need more garbage dumps, more recycling, and a way for poor people to dispose of their garbage easily and for free.  The air pollution is much more difficult to solve.  I've seen traffic work better in other cities in India outside of Delhi.  In Jaipur I noticed that almost all motorcyclists and the passenger wear helmets.  Even the women!  And the cars actually stop at red-lights.  When cars went over the zebra crossing, the police officer was there to take a picture of the license and then give the driver a ticket.  It's a start to our crazy driving here.

Human trafficking is another issue that can be worked on.  More awareness of the problem and the ways that girls/women get enslaved will help some.  Teaching men to respect women and seeing them as equally valuable will help.  Punishing offenders harshly and swiftly will help some.  Empowering those in authority to take action will make a big difference.  Punishing corruption or taking of bribes could help too.  Change can happen.  We just need a few people to notice the problem and take action.  Be one of those people!

Nailed It! Alpha Focus T-25

I just finished my five weeks of Focus T-25 Alpha round.  I feel great even though I doubt anyone can tell a difference.  My stomach is tighter.  My legs are harder.  And my arms are less flabby.  I have more energy too.  I may have lost a couple of inches somewhere or another but the scale has stayed about the same.  Which must mean I was awesome to begin with!!!!!

I'm a bit nervous to move on to the Beta round.  I didn't really nail the Alpha portion, I was more like the barely making it people.  But I did it and I kept moving so I should at least get a pat on the back (which is feeling stronger by the way).

I wish I could convince someone to join me in the workout.  I pretend I have someone with me working out, but it isn't quite the same.  Maybe if I move a full-length mirror in the room with me it will be more like a buddy.  For now it is just me and the crew on the video.

No One Sees Me

Isaiah 47:10   "And you felt secure in your wickedness and said, 'No one sees me.'  Your wisdom and your knowledge, they have deluded you; for you have said in your heart 'I am, and there is no one besides me.'"

As I read this verse I immediately thought about those who look at pornography.  The argument is that, "It isn't hurting anyone."  People say it is a private issue.  But that is a lie.  God sees you.  And your heart is being hurt.  The argument that it is a private matter is true in part because you are very much hurting yourself.  You are deceiving yourself to think that it is okay to consume the pictures.  You deceive yourself to believe that it isn't hurting you.  The truth is that it is killing a part of your heart.  The more you consume, the more you desire.  And most of the time people desire something more, meaning something a little worse.  Soft porn turns into hard porn.  The soft porn no longer satisfies so you get deeper and deeper into the depravity.  And the images can't be deleted from your mind.  And then there is the woman/girl that you are looking at.  What about her?  Pornography justifies the buying and selling of a person.  It is a business that runs on supply and demand.  The more demand there is the more that needs to be supplied.  One study said that every second in the US $3000. is spent on porn.  Sounds worse then a heroine habit.  

A Mother Smiles

Today at work a friend shared a testimony of her mom.  Her mother has had sores on her legs for over 15 years that aren't healing.  She has gone to lots of doctors and tried lots of treatment.  My friend, her daughter, shared that through it all her mother has remained strong in her faith.  Even through the pain her mom would remember that Jesus paid so much more and went through so much more then she is going through and that she will for sure be healed in heaven.  My friend shared how those words have stayed with her.  Her family was brought together through the illness while they pleaded for healing for their mom.

Recently my friends father was praying for her mother and after the prayer time he turned on the TV and there was a commercial about an acupuncturist.  He felt God said to him to go see this doctor.  So he has been taking his wife three times a week.  She has deep sores on her legs that are now healing!  There is new pink flesh forming over the sores.

My friend shared how happy she is to see her mom's flesh on her legs healing.  And for the first time in over 15 years her mom had a real smile, not forced, on her face.

Our God is Mighty

A lady at work shared her experience from church on Sunday.  There were a lot of visitors there at church and one of the new ladies was yelling about Shiva making her crazy.  She was causing a lot of distraction and so an elder and my friend took the lady out.  They talked with her and her daughter.  She had been having problems for the past two years.  She was unable to speak at times.  Her family tried everything, even a mental hospital to try to help her.  Finally they brought her to church.  After the service, the pastor came to meet with her.  He met with her for several hours and prayed with her.  She was released from the spiritual hold on her life and found freedom.

There were six other visitors who were aware of what was happening.  All of the Hindu.  The pastor visited with them later in the day and found that one family had taken down their worship area in the house and gotten rid of their idols.  All six of the visitors became followers of Jesus that day.

Shiva is a hindu god.  We know him to be a demon.  Praise the one true God that this lady is now free.

Week 3

I am almost done with week 3 of Focus T-25 workout.  It has taken me longer because of sickness for two weeks.  But week three has one more workout and I am ready for it to be over and a day off.

It is a great workout.  My only complaint is that one of my wrists is sore from the push-ups.  I must have done it wrong.  I have to modify on the plank work, but I'm getting stronger each day (at least that is what Shaun T. tells me).

I'm not following any diet plan and one day I even had a piece of cake soon after my workout.  That bums me out.  I wish I wouldn't gain back the calories I just burned so quickly.

After my workout I drink a Tangy Tangerine vitamin drink for my post workout refueling.  I add some protein powder to it too.  So it is probably healthy.  I'm no doctor or nutritionist but it makes me feel good.

That is it for my week three review.