Light in the darkness

During my quiet time with God today, I prayed earnestly for healing for our world.  I prayed that God would halt the spread of this virus and care for those already affected.  I prayed that He would rain down His love and mercy on us.

I was reminded of a story in the Bible in Luke Chapter 7.  It's the story about a centurion who had a sick servant, who was about to die. The centurion sent some elders to Jesus and asked Jesus to come to his house to heal his servant.  Jesus went to the house, but as He was approaching, the centurion sent friends to Jesus to say, "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.  That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you (verse 7)."  Then he said something very powerful in the rest of verse 7.  He said, "But say the word, and my servant will be healed."  Jesus was amazed at the centurion's faith and said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel (verse 9)."

God only needs to say the word.  He is all powerful and above any cancer, depression, loneliness, or viral disease.  He is the way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper, light in the darkness.  He alone can save us.  If you are like the rest of us who are social distancing and waiting to see what happens, you are anxious and scared.  Although God tells us many times in the Bible not to fear, I have to admit, I've felt fear lately.  Take a moment to be quiet, to bow your head, and to ask God to please speak words of healing over us. He is listening, and he only needs to whisper words of healing for healing to happen.

Sustained weight loss

Hi there! As many of you are aware, I was on a ketogenic diet for quite some time. Although I started out losing weight on that diet, I was unable to get down to my target weight or sustain the weight I’d lost. I’ve tried various diets and exercise regimens without much success. Although I did not not start out considerably overweight, I could see with age that my weight was trending upward. I started avoiding looks in the mirror, I would only wear certain outfits because certain clothes showed my muffin top, and I just didn’t feel good.

Two months ago I signed up at Noom.com. I started out at a weight of 126 lbs. Today, I weighed in at 116.8 lbs. I want to sing the praises of this app, because for the first time, I’ve been able to lose my weight and keep it off.  My target weight over two months was 115 lbs, but as you can see, I got really close and I’ll continue to use this app.  This app is unique for many reasons:

-        You get a customized weight loss plan when you sign up. You set goals and your reasons for your goals, and then Noom customizes a plan for you. 

-        You are assigned a coach who chats with you once a week, so you can be held accountable. Your coach also gives you helpful tips and encouragement.

-        You are assigned to a group, which is a feature I don’t use. However, it’s a good place to share your struggles and victories.

-        You weigh in daily, and Noom plots your weight loss on a graph so you can see it. 

-        Noom offers daily education about the different food groups, different eating habits, the psychology behind why we eat what we eat, helpful tips, and much more.

-        Noom sets your daily calories and daily step goals for you. You can log in every meal and see how many calories every food item is worth. That way you can stay within the calorie goal that Noom set up for you. You can also use your phone to track your daily steps…and Noom tracks these for you and lets you know when you’ve reached your goal. 

-        If you do additional exercise, you can log the exercise in and get credit for calories burned.

For my experience, all I’ve done is stay within my calories goal, which is 1200 per day. The other thing I’ve done is reach my daily step goal. Just those two things have caused me to lose my weight and keep it off.  It really works.

Example of what I see on the app

To sign up, go to Noom.com and answer the questions they ask. They will set you up with your own customized plan. Noom has you sign up for two months at a time. The cost is $49/month. Whenever you want to cancel, you just have to tell your coach. I’m so thrilled with my weight loss, that I’ve signed up for two more months. This app helps you change your habits so that this process doesn’t feel like a diet. My energy is better and my skin is clearer.  I highly recommend it and I wanted to share it with you. 

Not just another COVID19 post

Written by a child on Animal Jam app

“God has created this world and everything in it. He created each of our hearts and sustains the breath of all living things. If there is anything or anyone worth trusting, it would be the God who was there before everything we’ve ever known or seen.” (Roar, live from Passion 2020, from the You Version Bible app devotional).

During these times of uncertainty, we feel fear, anxiety, and we’re not sure what the future holds. As a physician who works in an ER, I have taken my fears to the Lord. I know that He is in control and I know for certain that He hears our prayers. 

While I’m doing my best to comply with all of the CDC’s recommendations (hand washing, being socially distant, etc), I know with all of my heart that God is with us. Pray. Talk to God. Ask Him to rid the world of COVID19. Ask Him to protect you and your loved ones. Ask Him to protect those at risk. Ask Him to heal those who have been infected. Prayer makes a difference. God hears you and He can act. 

Take your fears to the One who can change things. 

“For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” Deuteronomy 20:4