20181112 – Monday – Aquatic Centre

20181112 – Monday – Aquatic Centre.

Today, I fit into a pair of bathers I haven’t worn since around 1970. 

They are a bit tight, but not too badly so.

I just wish I had all the clothes I used to wear, but they were tossed out years ago, when I believed it was never going to be possible to fit in them again.

In fact, I wish I had the clothes I wore when I was around 16 years. 

My Mum was a dressmaker and she made me some beautiful clothes.

I don’t even have photos of them now, which is such a shame.

We didn’t take photos like we do these days, so I don’t have much of a record of those days when I was young.

Sunday morning I went to South Adelaide and it was Joseph Cheek’s turn to exhort.

Joseph is a lovely young man with the sweetest, kindest nature. 

He is also a simply brilliant pianist.

Unfortunately he wasn’t playing today, BECAUSE he was exhorting.

But here is a summary of his exhortation.

 His subject was “Delighting in the Lord.” 

His reading was Psa 1.

“Blessed is the man” and it was read by Ell T.

Joseph told us that he had attended and Easter camp in Sydney a year or so ago and the subject was “Delighting in the Lord,’ and he felt that it was a great subject. And so when he had to prepare for this exhort today, he decided that would be his topic for the day. He had therefore chosen to base his talk on the life and experiences of King David, who was a man after God’s own heart, yet who had committed some terrible sins. But no matter what life threw at him, he always sustained himself in God.

Sometimes we skim over things in the Bible without taking them in, the simple phrases, simple but with such powerful messages. If we made a practice of reading more slowly we would find there are wonderful messages there. Delighting is something that gives us great pleasure, so if we really delight in God and his word, if we love his laws and his ways, they will teach us how to live and what we should do so that we may “delight” in the Lord.

 

We would then be willing to help our families, our neighbours and even our enemies, all those who are in need, who we are called to help. Faith without works, says the Bible, is dead. There is one story I would like to share with you, said Joseph. I was in Sydney, and I was determined to come home in one day, and yet to get home safely, I had planned my whole trip, which included “throw out fruit quickly” when I came to the fruit checkpoint. But when I got there and jumped out of my car in order to achieve this, I found a woman there, yelling something at me. She had a campervan which had broken down. Now my phone had just a little bit of reception and this lady, asked to use my phone and then spent the next half hour firstly finding out who to ring and then secondly to organise for help.

 

It was a massive wast of my precious time, said one half of my brain. Yet there was another voice in my head telling me that I shouldn’t feel like this, and this annoyed me even further. I should have felt gratitude that I had an opportunity to help my “neighbour,” like in the Good Samaritan story, because the traveller did as much as he could do to help this injured man. Yet here was me, and I definitely didn’t “delight” in this opportunity to help my neighbour, to be like that Good Samaritan. Opportunities such as this “Good Samaritan” experience, don’t always come when we have heaps of time. The Good Samaritan wasn’t just sitting around waiting to help someone. He was on a journey too! It was not convenient for him, any more than it was for me. I wasn’t overly overjoyed that I stopped and helped, but I knew I should have been. So what happens if we delight in the Lord?

 

We read in Ecc 2 about how Solomon tried out all the things of this world, all the world had to offer him, and he found that “behold, this also is vanity.” And what was his folly? He made great works, gardens and parks and fruit trees, and pools to water them. He had great possessions, silver and gold, singers and many concubines. He became greater than all who came before him, and had great wisdom. Whatsoever his eyes desired, he  took, and when he looked for a reward for all his work and toil he found that “all is vanity and a striving after wind.” And yet there was none in history who lived the way Solomon did, or had the resources to live the wa that Solomon did and yet he found little reward in the long-term for all his effort.

 

On the other side of the coin, what about the wicked, how did they fare? The wicked will not stand, says the Psalms, the ways of the wicked will perish, God hates the evildoer and he is a righteous judge, and he will repay!  If a man does not repent of his evil, God will whet his sword and the evildoer’s  mischief will return upon his own head. So that is the end result of a the life of the wicked.

 

So the good and the bad life are both vanity it would seem?  So what  reward does a life in the Lord bring?

 

Blessed is the man who does not sit int he eat of scoffers, he is like a tree by streams of water, he prospers. Ask, says God, And I will make the nations your heritage, and blessed will be your house, so rejoice and sing for joy, the righteous will be bless and rejoice in his salvation. The righteous will sing for joy and God’s protection is over them. He will bless the righteous, and they will rejoice in his salvation and be preserved. There is NO good apart from God, and you will not be shaken and your heart will be glad and you will not see corruption, and in God’s presence there is fullness of joy, forever.

 

You will behold joy and I will be your righteousness, saith the Lord. He is my rock in whom I take refuge, and he will rescue me out of all my troubles and delight in me. His ways are perfect and he is a shield to all those who take refuge in him. The testimony of the Lord is sure, and is pure and enlightens the eyes. His fear is clean and righteous altogether and he will give me my heart’s desire and is more to be desired than gold. He will give me life and length of days and I will be blessed forever and dwell in the Land. He delivers me from the wicked.

 

These are amazing verses. So what happens when we sometimes don’t feel up to it, or the circumstances are “not right,” because we are only human after all? There are two great things we can do. We can tell God how we are feeling and pray for strength. 

 

I recall, said Joseph, an exhortation given by Adrian Dangerfield some time ago.

 

Adrian went through the Bible and found “100 prayers that he guaranteed that God would answer.” They are all from the Psalms and they read like this, so here are only a few out of that 100.

 

Prayers that God WILL answer.

 

Make me to know thy ways, remember your mercy and love O Lord, Remember me for your goodness sake. Make your way straight before me, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. Teach me your way that I may look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Let the words of my mouth be acceptable in your sight, thou who art from everlasting, amen.

 

And then there is Psa 23.

 

“The Lord is my shepherd.. and he will lead me into green pastures and beside still waters. He will restore my soul. Through the valley of death I will fear no evil. Comfort me O Lord. Prepare a table for me and anoint my head with oil. Let goodness and mercy follow me, let me dwell in the house of the lord forever.

As we approach the emblems, let us remember the events of Jesus life.

 

He chose the path that God had laid out for him, and he poured his heart out to His father in prayer.

 

Blessed is the man who delights in the Law of the Lord, in his steadfast love.

 

These are prayers that WILL be answered.

Notes by Fay Berry

 

 

And now to my diet for Sunday

 

Darren: Just read your blog. Very good.

Fay: 2.57pm 17.1 sugar level

Just arrived home from South – was here for South’s AGM.

20 units of Lantus

For lunch I had a piece of Colleen’s quiche. She said there was four in it but not much.

Glad you like my blog.

Darren: There would have been flour and cheese I am guessing, plus dairy.

Fay: only flour, she is very careful with her food. But there was flour.

My sugar levels will come down quickly

Darren: Yes, but only because of the insulin you have taken.

Fay: Depends how much I have to take over the entire day.

Lunch 2 boiled eggs, lots of greens, cucumber, mushrooms, carrot, feeling full.

1/4 cup coconut milk, maca and chia. Love this.

Now for a rest.

1 egg, few nuts.

Darren: All Sou nds yum and good.

How was your sleep?

Fay: Still doing it. I am 1/3 way through a movie.

Generally slacking!

Soon I will get up and do some work.

Darren: haha, well it is Sunday. I have done a bit of that today too.

Fay: 8.54 pm at 15.3 sugar level

10 units of Novarapid.

Darren: That quiche.

Fay: Yes, but I had some grapes earlier.

6 Grapes.

Darren: Fay, I love u, haha.

Fay: Love you 2, but I felt like something sweet.

I figure that since I am eating all raw stuff, it ca’t be too bad to break out a little now and then.

And it IS Sunday

Darren: Yes, this is true, but u hve managed to do it every 2 days.

Fay: Can’t I cheat a little.?

Yes, BUT….

Darren: Yesterday u had your highest level yet with this fruit drinks.

2 days before was the nuts.

Fay: I know but i is still coming down.

I think I have done pretty well. 

Tomorrow it is exactly 1 month I have been on the diet. 

96.6 kg down from 100.5 – 3..9 kg weight loss is not half bad!!

Darren: It’s been almost 3 weeks, lol.

Fay: 12th Oct to 12th Nov.

Darren: Weight loss is great but your levels have spike dramatically in the last few days. So have gone backwards.

Fay: You are too tough.

I’m on this for life so need some leeway.

Darren: Well, I ca stop if u want!

Fay: No, you can’t. You are in it for life too, my life, so maybe a couple of years more.

Do you want to stop?

Darren??

Darren: Nope, but ur starting to make excuses.

Fay: Just on Sunday!

I am not as disciplined as you.

Darren: Yesterday you drank that second Jim e with watermelon after you knew it was going to spike your levels.

That’s another excuse.

Fay: It was Sooo nite.

That’s an excuse too.

Darren: Yep.

Fay: May I go and have dinner now?

Darren: Come on, you know the psychology behind this.

Yes you may.

Fay: I do.

Jenny and Joe visited me today.

Dinner: chicken strips tried. Avo, carrot, turnips, Swede, spinach, olive oil.

Darren: were you frying in olive oil?

Fay: Yes

Darren: Should always c ok with coconut oil, almond or avocado oil.

Fay: Why?

Darren: Olive oil changes molecular structure when heated on high and the change is not good.

But it is fine cold.

Fay: Ok, so I’ll use coconut oil from now on.

Darren: Yep.

Fay: I’ll use it as a dressing then.

Darren: Yep, good on salads.

Fay: Bed time

Darren: Yeah, I’m almost there.

Sunday night,  Sweet dreams

Darren; U 2

2.16 am at 13.4 sugar level

10 units of Lantus

6.32 am at 10.7 sugar level

Wakeup Monday at 6.32 am.

Good sleep, bed time was 10.32 pm