Feb. 12-15, 2009~Hertzler Doings

I've been working on losing weight with the Christian Care Insurance Company. I've been reading Dr. Joel Fuhrman's book-"Eat to Live". He recommends eating 1 lb. of fresh greens and 1 lb. of cooked greens a day, 5 fruits, beans, and grains. I've been walking a fast mile and tracking my heart rate. Angela, our consultant, gives helpful advice. So far, our family has lost a good 60-70 lbs. since September. I have lost the least. I am growing sprouts in a gallon jar and lettuce in a window box. It's neat to see the spindly plants follow the sun. We are making plans to build a greenhouse on one side of our house. I can't wait to grow greens year round.

I've called Phil's dad(and mom) every day since I left on Monday. I didn't call Sat.or Sun. but I gave him an assignment for Sat. on Friday. I've been giving him typing lessons over the phone. They are coming down tomorrow for a week and are bringing my Micah with them. On Tues., we will go see Lindsay and she is going to set Truman up with a blogsite. I am so excited and I think he is too. Even if he can't type smoothly right away, I can call him and break into his site and type his story for him via speaker phone.

Carleen picked up Michael at school on Thursday afternoon and took him to Chace's New Life basketball game in Lynchburg. Then she took them to Liberty University to experience 'College for a weekend.' They had a great time. Michael is interested in their aviation program. On Sat. they walked all over Lynchburg. He was scaring me with their stories about crossing traffic and some other things they were doing that I think they could get in trouble for. He said that their cafeteria was like 'little Shady Maples.' We picked them up Sat. night and brought Chace home with us and took him to church on Sunday.

Michael and Susan have off school from Friday-Tuesday of this week. Susan and I cleaned house and she got started on her Easter eggs. Justin Weaver and his little boy, Daniel, were here to visit on Sat. He came bearing gifts of 3 gallons of fresh apple cider and at least 2 baskets of apples. Justin and Freeman have been friends since babies. Actually, in pre-school, they fought like cats and dogs. When Justin pulled away on Sat. eve., Freeman said, "There goes one of my dearest friends." Justin is Phil's first cousins' son and his mother is a sister to Phil's brother Paul's wife, Linda. :)

On Sat. eve, Valentine's Day, Phil and I went to Trinity for their Valentine Banquet. We've made it a tradition. We sat with Ray and Ruth, of course, and Johnny and Miriam Miller, and Al and Elisabeth Buzik. We had the rowdiest table. The youth group was raising funds for a missions trip and we gave donations towards their kitty. We had salad, barbequed chicken, stuffed baked potatoes, green beans, ice cream, brownies, and apple pie. Not all of us had dessert.
We played some crazy games which had our table laughing so loud that we attracted the youth leaders over to see what was going on. For one game, we had to write two true things and one false thing about ourselves, read them outloud, and have the others guess which one was false. Phil said that he didn't kiss his wife until he was married. Johnny Miller was sure that was false but Ruthie figured it out that I wasn't his wife until we were married. I said that I shave my husband's legs and they guessed right away that that was false. I also said that I sing my husband to sleep. That was false as well. I broke the rules a little bit, but it was worth it.
We played a game in which the couples sat in chairs with their backs against each other and each person had one of their spouses' shoes. When the questions were asked, each person lifted the shoe that represented the answer to the question. The couple with the most unified answers, won. It was a close race. For example, they were asked, "Which of you is the most intelligent.?" That was interesting. I think it would have been the most intelligent to raise the other person's shoe, but not everyone did that. We had such a great time. I love this church and the people there. It's like going back home or something.

On Sunday, we went to church. I got to hold Sammy Jo and at one point, I was holding Adison and Sammy Jo. They made perfect greeters out in the lobby. Our Pastor preached on the reasons we have to rejoice. I took alot of notes. I think I will summarize his sermon by mixing his notes with what I got out of it. Here goes.

If we knew how valuable we are...if we knew the treasure we have within...if we remembered who saved us and the fact that others prayed for us to bring us into the kingdom...we would know that we are priests...and like the priests in the O.T. who had to start carrying the ark of the covenant across a massive waterway in the midst of flood season....we would step in and keep walking, believing that God would part the waters for us even if we're up to our necks in floodwaters...because we're waiting for the next 'priest', who is helping to carry the ark, to get their feet wet, so the waters will part...We would know that it is better to be up to our necks in floodwaters than to be refusing to get our feet wet...We would know that we shouldn't hold up the works by our disobedience...

Our Obedience + His fullness of Time= a work of God that we have never seen before.

As we walk in one accord and enjoy how we are fit together in the body...
As we walk in the light so the treasure within can be revealed more and more...
As we carry our priesthood with dignity and maintain His holiness within..
As the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost...
As we revere the treasure within as the priest revered the ark of the covenant...
As we walk in obedience and get our feet wet and go in deeper rather than standing on the bank where it is safe and dry...
As we hold on and refuse to give up...

As we do these things out of the life of God within us ...the life of God within will keep us safe in Christ Jesus, and will part the waters for us, and we will cross over on dry land, and inherit our Promised Land.

This is a group effort.
We cannot do this alone.
I need you.
You need me.
We need God.
And maybe, He needs us. He usually does what He does through obedient, available, imperfect people. Sometimes, He intervenes and does things all by Himself.
But sometimes He uses people.
He tells us to "Take off the grave clothes..."
He tells us to "Take up our bed and walk..."
He tells us to "Put on the full armor of God..."
He tells us to "Love one another as I have loved you..."

Why would He tell us to do these things if He was a one man show?
He wants to show His manifold wisdom through the church.
He wants to reveal Himself through the church.
I am special to God and everyone else is just as special as I am.
It's time to live like we believe it.

Oh, I got carried away with my own sermon on the sermon.

We ate lunch at church and then headed over to Gil and Lindsay's and had a delightful afternoon celebrating Adi's first birthday with friends and family. Lindsay made a most delicious cake and I ate it and ate Adi's too. They sat her on the table and let her dig into her cake with her little fingers. She was a bit tentative at first but then she got into it. For some reason she started sneezing. Maybe she's allergic to birthday cake. Nobody seemed to care. Gil and Lindsay are doing such a great job raising their girls. I never feel uneasy about their parenting.
We came home and Phil went for a walk. I started working on Adi's birthday gift. I am making her a towel wrap using a large bath towel and a hand towel, ribbons, buttons, and fabric glue. I made one for Emma's first birthday and she plays with it alot. Lindsay wants me to make her one out of a beach towel and that I will do for her belated birthday gift.

Tomorrow, Phil's parents are coming. I couldn't ask for better in-laws.