Newness

I love it that with God, all things are made new. New is good. New is God. Even those of us who are trapped in time can experience continual newness. That's why ruts and things that never change and days that are all the same is so draining and life-sapping. Sing a NEW song, says the psalmist. His mercies are NEW...EVERY morning, says the lamenter. God gives newness in a world of old. Sometimes I feel old. Sometimes my days seem to run together. Manytimes I've been caught in dangerous ruts...lethal, even. Lethal to my soul, anyway. A spiritully lethal rut would be not being in the Word (God's Word) that I claim to love. Newness of life would be drinking it up each day. I did that this week in the afternoons, after a conversation with a friend spurred me on, and I feel new. I would read during Z's nap, and sit on verses for a long time, and ponder ideas, and ask God what he was trying to say. How I need his life to beat anew in my spirit and mind and body.

As I read in Joshua this week, (1:6) "Study this Book of the Law continaully. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed. I command you-- be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." There is no other place where you or I can find words of life like that. So, I don't want to be discouraged. I want the newness of a daily walk with Jesus. "But may those who love you rise like the sun at full strength!" Judges 5:31 Wow! The sun at full strength! Who do you know that could be described with those words!? I want to be like the sun at full strength! Shining all over the place!

So, what other news of newness do we have? :D School is new. I have a 4th and 2nd grader and a kindergartener at school all day now these past few weeks. Oh my word. It's so very strange at times. Z and I have a lot of one-on-one time now, which is great. I thought he might be devastated when the other three ALL got on the bus that first week, but he was really ok. During week two, he did have a time where he put his head down on his little riding contraption looking sad as the bus drove away. He cried, "I want to go to school!" Thankfully, he IS going to one morning of preschool, so I could reassure him with that, at least. That started last week, and he was so happy to go. He'll also go to BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) one morning a week, where he'll be learning the book of Isaiah, same as me, except with 3 year olds. Isaiah will so rock, I can't believe it.

In other news of the new, I for some reason had the gumption to start counting my caloric intake on August 1st. And for some reason, it just clicked for me and I've been doing it ever since. I've never done such a thing in all my life. I don't know why, because I've always known that the big secret of losing weight is not rocket science. It is eating fewer calories that you burn. I have a neighbor who lost a lot of weight. How? She ate 1500 calories a day. Then more recently I read another story online. A man had lost 200 or more pounds. How? He ate 1500 calories- of anything he wanted- a day. It's been a little like a game, keeping track of what's going in all the time, and I have to admit it's been pretty fun most of the time. And, it's what has to happen for me to lose the extra layers of body fat. And there are quite a few. So, I started out at 146 lbs. on Aug 1. I've had a couple weeks where I was stagnant by going over my limit a few times (I blame this on travel). :) This morning I was 139.8. I haven't been under 140 since 2006, after the post-baby weightloss (which took about 8 months!), so I'm pretty jazzed about that. The online weight-loss calculators say I should be down to 130 by the big kids' b-days in November. That's my current goal. So, feel free to keep me accountable.

I'm going to wrap this up. All is well here in the Rice home. Ben is hard at work studying for Exam 6 which is in about 6 weeks. He's doing a great job...not going psycho. Awana has started up again, and all 4 of my cuties are going!!! Wacky! Z's a little Cubbie. In other news, I finally got done with my 2007 scrapbook. Thank you, Lord! :D I think from here on out we'll do the books digitally.
Ok, friends, more later, much love (ml,ml) ~ Susan