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RE: Songs of the Noblesinger - 4/22/2005 10:13:55 AM
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noblesinger
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10:04am Jul 7, 2004
Along the lines of accepting God's provision of your spouse, did you know that there are hindrances to that acceptance? To quote Michelle from Full House, "DUH!" There are three barriers that make it difficult to receive our mate as a gift from God.
First, our natural differences: Gender, Perspectives, Temperaments, Backgrounds, Preferences and Roles. Differences are not hindrances to achieving God's purposes in marriage. Rather, they are God's tools to teach us to trust Him and His goodness. "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." Prov. 27:17(ESV)
Next, our natural weaknesses. Weaknesses are not justifications for rejecting our spouse. They have a divine purpose in our lives. What is that purpose? To drive us close to the Father, seeking His help in understanding that part of our spouse, then seeing where you have a strength that can counter-balance that weakness. Realize also that you have weaknesses (As hard as that may be for some of you to do! ) which are counter-balanced by your spouse's strengths.
Third, our natural self-centeredness. We must admit that we are selfish. Receiving our spouse is demonstrated in our lives by placing our spouse's needs ahead of our own. "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." Phil. 2:3(ESV)
Here are some sobering thoughts for you. To reject your spouse in any way is to: 1) Reject God and His provision for your life, 2) Reflect negatively on the character of God, 3) Demonstrate unbelief and disobedience toward God, and 4) Fail to fulfill God's plan and purposes for marriage.
God uses our natural differences, weaknesses and self-centeredness to build oneness. As an act of your will, you must receive (not just accept) your spouse as God's gift made personally for you to meet your specific aloneness needs.
What's the difference between receiving and accepting? If the UPS man comes to your door with a package for you, you sign a computer pad to show that you accepted it. But if you just put the unopened box in a closet, you haven't fully received it yet. Only when you open the box to see what's inside have you fully taken receipt of that package. It's the same in marriage: look inside your spouse and see what God has put inside them. When you do that, then you will have fully received your spouse as God's gift to you.
I'll get to the Cleaving part later on.
Duane
_____________________________
"...the worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love." - Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man
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RE: Songs of the Noblesinger - 4/22/2005 10:19:48 AM
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noblesinger
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11:54am Jul 12, 2004
I'm back! Sorry for the few days delay, but I've been kind of busy. First, there was taking Mom for some testing, then came a funeral for a friend of mine from church on Friday morning, which was followed by Promise Keepers over the weekend here in Charleston. I'll post on that event later on this evening. But for now, let's get back to the marriage seminar teachings.
Part 3: Cleave - Our third responsibility is to establish intimacy with one another. Physical intimacy is the expression of complete oneness (body & soul) in marriage. It is literally a melding of the male and female into an amalgamation of the two. Yes, the bodies come together; that's obvious. But what the "free love" generation and their subsequent progeny have overlooked is this: the souls come together as well! Why do you think that the death of a spouse is such a gut-wrenching experience? I've often heard it said by the widow/widower, "It feels like a part of me has died, too." That's because it has. The result of leaving, cleaving, and weaving is transparency with one another or oneness (naked and not ashamed - see Gen. 2:25).
"One flesh" intimacy is built on a foundation of sacrificial love for each other. The manual we used called this particular point "Become One Flesh", but I call it "Weave" for several reasons: It rhymes with the first two points, it fits, and I heard it put that way at the wedding of a dear friend of mine about 20 years ago. Gen. 2:24 tells us this: "For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall cleave to his wife and they shall become one flesh." Notice those two words, "shall become." It doesn't say that a man & woman are instantly one flesh, or that overnight they are one flesh - it says "shall become." That means it takes time. Let me explain.
Have you ever watched someone weave a rug or a tapestry on an old-time loom? It is not something for the impatient person to attempt. It takes hours and hours a day for weeks on end to weave a tapestry, but when that time is over, everyone can see that it was worth the wait. The tapestry/rug reflects the heart of the artisan who created it. An intimate, "one flesh" relationship with a spouse takes hours and hours over years and years to weave into something that beautifully reflects the heart & character of God. It's all a matter of choice. Will you choose to look to God as the Giver of good gifts and receive your spouse as His perfect gift for you? (James 1:17)
That's the end of Session Three's information. I'll post my feelings about Promise Keepers this evening, then I'll get back to the "Weekend to Remember" teachings. See ya!
Duane
_____________________________
"...the worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love." - Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man
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RE: Songs of the Noblesinger - 4/22/2005 10:21:47 AM
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noblesinger
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12:04pm Jul 12, 2004
Oops! I forgot to include the exercise they gave us to do at the end of Session 3. We were given the assignment of writing a love letter to our spouse, but it was done by answering some questions and putting them in the form of a letter. If you'd like to try this exercise, then here are the questions:
1. What were the qualities that attracted me the most to you when we first met?
2. What qualities do I appreciate or have learned to appreciate most about you since we have married?
3) Have our differences helped me grow spiritually and emotionally?
4) What steps will I commit to take to love God and you more?
Take some time and pray about his before you begin. Look inside yourself first and see if there are any attitudes in you (toward your spouse) that need to be confessed first, ask the Lord for His forgiveness, then begin. God bless you as you try this!
Duane
_____________________________
"...the worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love." - Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man
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RE: Songs of the Noblesinger - 4/22/2005 10:24:53 AM
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noblesinger
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10:05pm Jul 12, 2004
This past weekend was the culmination of several years of praying and hoping for many men here in West Virginia. Many of my friends and I had thought about having a Promise Keepers stadium event in Morgantown, at Mountaineer Field. It's the football stadium for WVU and can hold 70,000 for a game. Think about how many it could hold for a PK event!
Anyway, after checking out the facilities and getting a sense for what God is doing here in Charleston along the lines of racial reconciliation, PK decided to go outside their norm and put on a conference here. We were ecstatic to get the news that Charleston was going to be the smallest market to ever host PK.
Finally, the week of Promise Keepers arrives, and who decides to throw a wet blanket on it? You got it! The NOSW (National Organization for Some Women). They had their little fit, sent out press releases, and announced their plans for a protest on Saturday of the conference. It was to begin at 11:00 am, and they were going to tell everyone about how Promise Keepers was all about dominating women, forcing them to submit, and taking over the government with a right-wing agenda - you know, all of the usual liberal lunacy. I'll tell you how it turned out later.
Friday night was really cool. It started off with SonicFlood doing a half-hour worship set, then Erwin McManus spoke first to set the stage for the weekend. He wrote the book that became the theme for this year's conferences. Erwin told us of just what was going to be taking place - a Quest for Honor, Nobility, and Enlightenment. Joe White spoke next, leading up to the altar call. And when it came, the altar was packed! Then Erwin came back and led us in the introduction to our Quest.
Saturday morning came, and we heard Crawford Loritts take us through the first part of our Quest - the Quest for Honor. We learned that the true significance of our life cannot be measured while we're alive. Buddy Owens spoke next on a practical way to gain honor: keep being filled with the Holy Spirit, in order to keep the junk of sin out. After lunch, Mike Silva talked about our Quest for Nobility and how it means that we have to "Pucker Up, Baby, and Kiss Your Past Goodbye!" This came from the title of a book by his friend, James Wright, who is a local pastor here. And, finally, Bruce Fong gave us some pratical ways to be Noble men.
Oh, BTW, the NOSW protest? It didn't fare too well. Just as the 7 women who dared to show up were setting their signs and stuff up...God sent a thunderstorm to drive them away! Ain't He wonderful? And doesn't He have a great sense of humor?
Oops! It's bedtime for Bonzo! Good night!
Duane
_____________________________
"...the worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love." - Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man
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RE: Songs of the Noblesinger - 4/22/2005 10:31:21 AM
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noblesinger
Posts: 896
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12:19pm Jul 26, 2004
Whoa! It's been two weeks since I last blogged here?!? Good grief, Duane! What is wrong with you?
One thing I forgot to Post to you all about our Promise Keepers weekend: on Saturday evening, after I had returned home, Mary and I went out to eat at Pizza Hut. Mom was at a wedding, so we decided to have a little "date". Anyway, as we were waiting we ran into a friend of mine, a local pastor at a small church, who used to work at a former Christian radio station here in town. My friend, John Fowler, told me some of the neat behind-the-scenes things he was privvy to by being a volunteer on the Media team, such as; the event was simulcast over the Web to 2 prisons in WV - the Mount Olive Regional Jail and the Federal correctional facility at St. Mary's - as well as to 4 bases over in the Middle East. He also told me that 13 members of the Miami Dolphins football team were there (Too bad that one of them wasn't Ricky Williams!). He had known about all of these things for two weeks but was not allowed to say a word about it. All of this was cool, but it was overshadowed by this next story:
One of the members of John's church had volunteered to work the altar on Friday night, but just before the altar call...his cell phone rang. Finding a relatively quiet spot, he took the call, which turned out to be his boss. He had to go in to work. What a bummer! Or was it? After trying desperately to find someone to take his place, he gave up and headed for his car. As he entered the Civic Center parking building, he noticed a guy leaning on a car, weeping heavily. It turns out that the man had been inside listening to the message and fell under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. He thought if he went outside that he'd feel better.  Wrong-o, pal!  When the Spirit is convicting you of your sins, there's no mountain high enough or ocean deep enough for you to hide in. John's friend ended up leading the guy to Jesus...right there in the Parking Garage!! But wait! There's more! Guys started , literally, coming out of nowhere and talking to the erstwhile altar worker. He spoke to each of them, sometimes in groups, others individually, and led every one of them to Jesus. The end result is this: the man who had to leave PK before the altar call to go to work...never made it to work and ended up leading 17 men to Jesus Christ!!!  Ain't God Good?!!!!! I can't wait to see that story come up on the Promise Keepers Web site!
Duane
_____________________________
"...the worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love." - Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man
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RE: Songs of the Noblesinger - 4/25/2005 8:42:01 AM
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noblesinger
Posts: 896
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09:59pm Aug 2, 2004
It's been a few days since my last Posting. Things have been really crazy in my life lately. As if it wasn't bad enough that the Democratic National Convention was last week, the "powers that be" at work were throwing their weight around. The geeks in the IT division for all of the Division of Highways went bonkers and started making every District IT section get rid of every "non-essential" program on our work computers. That meant that my Webshots went bye-bye, as well as my WinMX and WinAmp. I guess the WinMX was a bit much; it may have been illegal. And the WinAmp mirrored the functions of Microsoft Media Player, so that's OK. But to take away my Webshots? That's wrong, man!!
They claim that Webshots is spyware. I haven't found any evidence to prove their claims, but none to disprove them, either. I just hate losing all of those wonderful pictures on my Desktop and Screen Saver.
They are starting to closely monitor all Internet activity; in fact, they blocked access to the Fox News home page. I tried to check it out this morning for some headlines to look at when I got home, but no dice. I get the feeling they want all to be clones and drones, moles and trolls...you know, kind of like the old Hitler Youth - each one of us marching in lock step with the other.
Oh well, I suppose I will survive. See you all later!
Duane
_____________________________
"...the worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love." - Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man
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RE: Songs of the Noblesinger - 4/25/2005 8:44:57 AM
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noblesinger
Posts: 896
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09:40am Aug 12, 2004
Oops! I almost let too much time go by between Posts in here! Gotta watch that tendency to get lazy!
I'm popping in here to keep this from getting Archived, so I won't say very much. Just to let you know that Mary and I will be attending our church's Family Retreat beginning this evening. In fact, the bags are almost packed and they'll be going into the trunk soon. We just pray that God will bless us by changing us this weekend...and that He'll stop the rain that is falling right now. The drive down there is beautiful when the sun in shining, but lousy when it's not. Plus, it makes for some long hours during free time when it's raining. Oh well, no matter. If God is changing us, it's no big deal if it is raining! See y'all Sunday night!
Duane
"Having cancelled out the certificate of debt against me, He has taken it out of the way and nailed it to the Cross. And the blood He shed has removed the evidence against me; there's no more chains, for He freed me at the Cross."
"I Am Free", by Lyle Helmick, 1997
< Message edited by noblesinger -- 4/25/2005 8:54:40 AM >
_____________________________
"...the worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love." - Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man
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RE: Songs of the Noblesinger - 4/25/2005 8:53:04 AM
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noblesinger
Posts: 896
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09:17am Aug 16, 2004
I'm baaaa-aaaaack!!
Hi, everyone! Mary and I made it back safely yesterday evening from our retreat. It was another tremendous weekend with God. I'll just hit some of the non-teaching highlights this morning, then start in on the teaching later.
We drove through the rain on Thursday to the Conference Center. Thankfully, it stopped before we got there. Mary and I were originally going by ourselves, but a friend asked us to take her teen-aged daughter with us. They had planned a family weekend at Water Country USA in Williamsburg, VA. However, Bonnie and Charley out the kibosh on that...real quick! We were more than happy to take Ilena along for the ride. After stopping for a late lunch along the way, we arrived at the camp and found that we would be sharing the cabin with our choir director and her husband. GROAN! Her husband is a huge practical joker, who is constantly getting me in trouble at practice because I try to stop him from pulling a stunt...and the director calls me down. In fact, he also used to torment Mary before we got married. This year, he told her that there was a bat in the cabin. She started to get panicky, but she suddenly realized that 15 years ago she had been in that same cabin with the single girls when he threatened to catch a bat and put it in on her. That ruined his joke in a flash! For the rest of the time there, he was a model citizen...thank the Lord!
Our theme this year was "Spirit-Empowered, Brain-Engaged, Culture Confronting Evangelism" or, for something easier to remember: "Saddle up, Jeb! It's time to charge Hell with a squirt gun!" Our teacher was a seminary friend of our youth Pastor and was there last year teaching on the Holy Spirit. He's originally from Grundy, VA, which is the heart of Appalachia. His accent and country sayings absolutely ruined me last year, and I had to work really hard to keep my accent at it's normal place this year.
On Friday afternoon, we always have a golf outing at a nearby State Park & Resort. Normally it's a well-attended event, but this year only two of us played. I didn't play well at all, but the trip was worth it for one reason: we saw 32 deer on the course. There were 2 fawns (one of whom was trying to nurse, but Momma kept pushing him away!), a large number of does, 2 spikes, and 3 good-sized bucks - 10 points, 8 points, and 7 points. The amazing thing about the bucks was the symmetry of their racks. Many times you get one side of the rack at one angle, and the other at a slightly different one. But these males were perfectly even...or at least as far as the naked eye could see. They were truly beautiful to behold! Thanks, Lord, for the treat!
The weather was a little cooler than normal, which kept me out of the pool. I made up for it by playing Ping-Pong, reading, and taking a short nap. Nights were late - usually after 1 am before hitting the sack. It's after the nightly teaching sessions that we have snacks in the dining hall, then the adults and teen-agers play games: Scrabble, Catch Phrase, Boggle, Trivial Pursuit, etc. This is when you can really get to know someone, especially the newer people.
I need to stop now. I have to leave the office, so I'll sign off now and come back tonight to tell you about the teachings themselves. See ya!
Duane
"Having cancelled out the certificate of debt against me, He has taken it out of the way and nailed it to the Cross. And the blood He shed has removed the evidence against me; there's no more chains, for He freed me at the Cross."
"I Am Free", by Lyle Helmick, 1997
_____________________________
"...the worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love." - Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man
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RE: Songs of the Noblesinger - 4/25/2005 8:58:12 AM
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noblesinger
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09:55pm Aug 16, 2004
As I told you all earlier, the theme for our Family Retreat was "Spirit-Empowered, Brain-Engaged, Culture Confronting Evangelism," or "Mount up, Jeb! It's time to charge Hell with a squirt gun!" With our commitment to 3 years of doing the Alpha Course, this was a most appropriate topic.
On Thursday night, Hans Hess, our weekend speaker, talked to us about "Restoring the Passion of Evangelism." He gave us several simple statements designed to provide a base for that passion.
1) I believe in absolute truth.
2) Absolute truth can be logically proven.
3) Absolute truth is found in the pages of the Bible.
Therefore...
1) It will stand the test of any scrutiny.
2) And I must become passionate about it.
After several stories of Hans' own experiences with evangelism, as well as those of some friends, he said the following things: Know that Truth is never contradictory (Lost people are not saved), Know that the Cross is the ultimate solution and, Know that God, in His Sovereignty, has put the message in our hands. Our next question must therefore be - What are you going to do with that message?
Tomorrow, I'll give you both of Friday's sessions in one Posting. See you then!
Duane
_____________________________
"...the worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love." - Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man
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RE: Songs of the Noblesinger - 4/26/2005 3:12:53 PM
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noblesinger
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09:51pm Aug 17, 2004
On Friday, we had 2 sessions - morning and evening - which covered the topic "When Worldviews Collide." Getting this in your head, as well as your heart, is vital to understanding where a person is coming from when you are witnessing to them.
First, what is a worldview? Worldview is defined as "A philosophical system that attempts to explain how facts of reality relate and fit together." Why is that important? Because it leads to conclusions & consequences and form the lens through which a person views the world. With that as our background, let's name 7 different worldviews that are prevalent today: Theism, atheism, pantheism, panetheism, deism, polytheism, & finite godism. However, due to time constraints, Hans only dealt with 3 of these 7 - Atheism, Pantheism, and Deism.
• *********************************************
Atheism
God - He doesn't exist; only the universe
Universe - It is either eternal, or only randomly came to be
Humanity (Origins) - We have evolved, are made of molecules, and are not immortal
Humanity (Destiny) - We have no eternal destiny and will be annihilated
Evil (Origins) - It is real, but is only caused by human ignorance
Evil (Destiny) - It can be defeated by man through education
Ethics (Basis) - They are created by and grounded in humanity
Ethics (Nature) - They're relative, and are determined by situations
• ********************************************
Pantheism
God - He is one, infinite, impersonal; he is the universe
Universe - It is an illusion, a manifestation of God who alone is real
Humanity (Orig.) - The human's true self (Atwan) is God (Brahmin)
Humanity (Dest.) - Our destiny is determined by karma/cycles of life
Evil (Orig.) - An illusion, caused by errors of the mind
Evil (Dest.) - It will be reabsorbed by God
Ethics (Bas.) - They are grounded in lower manifestations of God
Ethics (Nat.) - They are real, transcending the illusion of good & evil
It's getting late. I had planned on doing all of Friday's teaching in one sitting, but it's not gonna happen. I'll finish it tomorrow.
Duane
_____________________________
"...the worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love." - Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man
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RE: Songs of the Noblesinger - 4/26/2005 3:14:54 PM
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noblesinger
Posts: 896
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From: "Almost Heaven"
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03:02pm Jan 25, 2005
Greetings from this side of the graveyard of forgotten Blogs!
After getting down on my electronic knees and kissing Fritz's electronic feet, as well as promising him 2000 cheesecakes, he has rescued my Blog from the Archives. Bless his little ol' pea-pickin' heart!
I'm not going to Post a great deal right now, except to say that I'm so glad to be back in Blog Town, and I'm not planning on moving away again. See y'all later!
Duane
_____________________________
"...the worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love." - Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man
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RE: Songs of the Noblesinger - 4/26/2005 3:18:01 PM
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noblesinger
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09:53am Jan 31, 2005
It seems as though a number of us here at Crosswalk (Laura, Trish, and Di to mention a few) are in “weight-loss mode.” We are keeping each other encouraged in a Thread located in the Health section, and things are really looking good for us all. But some of you don’t get over that way, mainly because you’re not in that particular stage of life. So I decided to give you an update on my journey here in my Blog.
I have struggled with my weight for all of my life. As a child in grade school, I was teased simply because I was the “fat kid.” I did have a lot of friends among the black students at my school, though, because they were teased for their skin color and, as the saying goes, “misery loves company.” I had to get the dreaded “husky” clothes, which were never as nice looking as the clothes of the skinnier kids. I was never able to do a lot of the things that they could, like climb trees, run fast, jump far and high, etc. It made for some lonely times, so I developed a love for books which has stayed with me to this day. They never criticized me because I was “fat.” They were always there for me to enjoy, and never, ever, judged me. At various times during my growing-up years, I would lose a few pounds here and there, but nothing major. That is, until the summer before I started Junior High.
When we moved to Charleston from Clarksburg, we needed to find a local allergy specialist to care for my needs. When we lived in Clarksburg, it was only about 60-70 miles from Morgantown, the home of the WVU School of Medicine, which has an excellent allergy department. But after moving south, it became necessary to change doctors. We found one here, Dr. Merle Scheer, who also was an asthma specialist. He told Mom and Dad that part of my breathing trouble was due to asthma, as well as the numerous allergies that we already knew about. He convinced my parents to send me to a camp for asthmatic kids that he ran, called Camp Bronco Junction, for the entire summer. You slept in converted railroad box cars, and there was a smaller gauge train that served as as an ambulance. It was fun being there, but they put me on such a strict diet (no eggs, only goats milk to drink) that I went from 132 pounds to 97 in two months. Mom took a picture of me the day she and Dad came to get me, and I looked like a refugee – my flat-top hair cut had grown out all shaggy and my clothes were hanging off me. I made Dad stop at a drive-in one the way home for hot dogs, I was so hungry!
I thought I might be able to stay near that weight because I had grown 6 inches over the summer, but I began having knee trouble. I would be climbing the stairs at home, and would suddenly find myself, on my face, at the bottom. It turns out that my knee joint was unable to keep up with the rest of my legs, the calcium deposits mixed with dried blood (from falling on them across the tracks at camp) to form knots, a condition known as Osgood-Schlatter’s Disease. It’s common among youngsters who have large growth spurts. So for nearly my entire 7th grade year, I couldn’t take PE. The only physical activity I was allowed was bowling, playing in the marching band, and riding my bike – no running, jumping, or anything else – plus, I had to put hot towels on my knees every night for 30 minutes. While I sat on the couch with my knees wrapped, I could read, watch TV, or eat… and most often, I watched the tube and ate. Too much. My weight went back up beyond what it was before I went to summer camp. NUTS!
I’m getting long-winded here, so I’ll continue this later.
Duane
_____________________________
"...the worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love." - Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man
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RE: Songs of the Noblesinger - 4/26/2005 3:24:52 PM
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noblesinger
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01:55pm Jan 31, 2005
As I said earlier, my weight went back beyond what it was at the start of my summer at Camp Bronco Junction. The name, by the way, came from the fact that it was a camp for kids with Bronchial asthma. I know, that deserves 2/3 of a pun…P-U. Hey! It wasn’t my joke, it was the doctor’s.
Anyway, for the rest of my school years, my weight went steadily upwards. I went to an endocrinologist to see if my thyroid might be the problem. He said, “No, you’re just too fat. Here’s a 1000 calorie diet. Follow it and you’ll be just fine.” 1000 calories?!? Is he crazy?! It’s funny that a doctor who could stand to lose about 30-40 pounds himself would tell me to lose weight. My Dad and Mom both said to ignore him, but try to diet (There’s that curse word again!) and get the weight off. I failed miserably.
After graduating from high school in 1977, I went off to college. And I met a girl. Amazing how “love” will sometimes motivate you to drop some excess poundage. I dated “Bev” (not her real name) for several months. When she broke up with me, the pounds went back on due to depression. I stayed on a yo-yo cycle for years after that. When I began working on a survey crew and was doing a lot of climbing up and down hills, you’d have thought that that would have helped. Sorry! Wrong answer, but thanks for playing and we’ve got some lovely parting gifts for you! I gained even more.
As year after year went by, my waist size went up and up. I’d lose some weight at the urging of my doctor or some friends, but put it all right back on. I was trapped. Finally, after getting married (I lost weight before the ceremony, too.) and being diagnosed as diabetic, then having my meds increased, I got some help from one of my mentors at church. He gave me the info for Weight Watchers, and I got Mary to go on it with me. We both dropped a considerable number of pounds and were really feeling good about ourselves until ……. Thanksgiving. We blew our Points totals all to pieces and never could get back on track, although Mary did better than I did.
I would look at myself in the mirror and be totally disgusted by what I saw, but then I’d go right back to my old ways of using food as a crutch and a security blanket. My life was constant fulfillment of the Scriptures: “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in the mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.” (James 1:23-24 NIV) I cried to the Lord and begged him to take away my desire for food, but he never did. He kept trying to build into me the character necessary to do what is right, but I ignored Him for a long, long time. Praise His Holy Name, though; He never gave up on me! He kept on loving me and encouraging me in very subtle ways. I’ll share one in particular with you.
Another of my dear brothers at church, Craig Lyle, is a former offensive tackle at Penn State. In fact, he was a pre-season All-American before his senior year. We have been friends almost since the day he arrived at Perrow Church. He has really inspired me in my Christian life in many ways. Anyway, the men have been meeting for prayer on Saturday mornings for about 8 years now, and nearly every Saturday, Craig would pray for me to be able to lose weight. And he’d do it right in front of me!  That used to drive me crazy!! God did that, through Craig, just to remind me that He loved me and wanted me to change. It finally sank in, and just in time for the big turning point in my life to occur. I’ll tell you what that was in a little bit.
Duane
_____________________________
"...the worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love." - Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man
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RE: Songs of the Noblesinger - 4/26/2005 3:28:35 PM
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noblesinger
Posts: 896
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From: "Almost Heaven"
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10:49pm Jan 31, 2005
The big turning point in my life came at the end of August. I got an inter-office e-mail from a woman who works upstairs. She was wondering if there was enough interest among the employees to form a Weight Watchers worksite group. It was as if I heard God's voice saying to me, "Duane, this is My will for you. Join this and I will aid you." However, I didn't jump right up and reply to it. My natural reluctance to losing weight was fighting hard to stay in control. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this was probably my last chance to get my "temple" back in shape. I finally replied after about 2 or 3 days and told her that I was interested. She told me that if we got 10 people, the group would begin meeting in October. I kept it in my mind that I could always back out, if I wanted to.
Finally the day of the first meeting arrived. I paid my fee (at least, 1/2 of my fee), then stepped on the scale. My jaw hit my shoetops and my heart nearly stopped!  The scales read 365.0!! I knew that I'd gotten heavy, but that was absolutely ridiculous! I nearly cried right then and there because of what I was seeing. My heart was very heavy over what my sin had done to God's temple. But it was what happened as I listened to our leader begin to explain how the new WW worked. My mind began to grasp the fact that this Plan was doable, then came the moment.
I made up my mind...no, God made up my mind for me...this Weight Watchers was going to work for me. I made the conscious decision to never, ever go back to what I have always done; lose a lot of weight, then gain it all back. I'd been given so many opportunities to change, but never did, that I got the feeling that this was my last chance. And it caused a revolution in this man's soul (My thanks to Erwin McManus!). I dug in my heels and set my heart to do what needed to be done.
It's getting late and I've got to go to bed. I'll be at a training seminar for my job from tomorrow 'til Thursday, so my story will have to wait until I return.
Duane
_____________________________
"...the worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love." - Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man
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RE: Songs of the Noblesinger - 4/26/2005 3:29:36 PM
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noblesinger
Posts: 896
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From: "Almost Heaven"
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10:45pm Feb 3, 2005
Hi gang! I'm back from my seminar trip, but I’m really tired. I'm going to bed now and will give a report on the trip, as well as try to complete my weight-loss journey. See ya' then!
Duane
_____________________________
"...the worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love." - Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man
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RE: Songs of the Noblesinger - 4/27/2005 8:50:25 AM
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noblesinger
Posts: 896
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From: "Almost Heaven"
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11:14pm Feb 4, 2005
After that initial weigh-in, I resolved within my heart to do whatever was necessary to get rid of that excess "tonnage". I went home, read the literature, then went to sleep with the knowledge that the next morning was the beginning of a war that I could not afford to lose.
I got up the next day and immediately changed all of my eating habits. Mary helped as well by changing what she packed for me in my lunches, and I altered where I got my lunch on the one day per week that I ate out. It paid off with a loss of 3.5 pounds in the first week. The next week, 3 more. Then 1.5 in the third, and an amazing 7 (That's right! 7!) pounds in the fourth, followed 6.5 in the fifth. 21.5 pounds in only 5 weeks! God is so very, very good!! When I sat down at the table to eat after those last two weigh-ins, all I could do was cry as I asked the blessing and thanked Him for the losses as well as the food I was about to eat!
I was so far ahead of the curve that it was ridiculous. I slowed down to 3 lbs. over the Thanksgiving holidays (we didn't meet that week), and 0.0 the week after that. I started to get a little discouraged, but then I realized that I was still lighter than when I began and my body felt better than it had in a long time.
Since then, the weight has continued to drop off until the total is now at an official total of 43 pounds. I say unofficial because our workplace group has finished it's cycle. At our last meeting, I reached that all-important 10% goal that Weight Watchers says you should set when you first begin; my actual final total was 37.5 pounds lost. I tell people that I'm only 90% here. This causes some funny looks, and they usually ask where the other 10 percent is. That's when I hit them with this phrase - "Gone forever!" My friends all know what this means, which makes for some joyful hugs as they congratulate me. I will be joining an ongoing WW group that means here in my community this coming Monday...that is, if they meet. I went this past Monday night, but no one showed up. Oh well. No big deal! I just kept on doing the right things this week and will get weighed again next week. It's just a part of the struggle in losing all of the weight that I need to.
BTW, I have another goal. WW gives you the initial 10% one, but each one after that is up to you. Mine, however, was set by one of my mentors at church. He said to tell him when I got to 100 pounds, and when I asked why he said that I was going on a golf trip with him. At his expense! Needless to say, I'm going to get to that total as fast I can. After all, the sooner I do...the sooner I can go play!
G'night all!
Duane
_____________________________
"...the worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love." - Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man
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RE: Songs of the Noblesinger - 4/27/2005 8:52:15 AM
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noblesinger
Posts: 896
Joined: 4/11/2005
From: "Almost Heaven"
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10:56pm Feb 9, 2005
You know, something I've noticed in this whole pursuit of losing weight; I'm growing spiritually, almost in direct proportion to the pounds that are falling off. It seems that the things my Pastors are saying in their sermons are more relevant to me, plus I can see clearer in the Scriptures many truths that the Spirit is opening up to me.
I have an idea that because the blinders have come off of a huge area in my life (my weight), God is being merciful to me and taking more and more of the blinders off in other areas. If it's this good now, I can hardly wait to see what it will be like 6 months down the road!
Duane
_____________________________
"...the worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love." - Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man
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RE: Songs of the Noblesinger - 4/27/2005 8:55:42 AM
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noblesinger
Posts: 896
Joined: 4/11/2005
From: "Almost Heaven"
Status: offline
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11:01pm Feb 11, 2005
One of my dear friends here at CW (I will keep their name secret) asked me in a Note after my previous Post whether I felt the blinders were off because I was depending more on God during times of temptation to overeat.
I believe that my overeating was part of a search for a Source - of comfort, strength, peace, companionship - you name it, I was looking for it. I used to eat bags of potato or chips without blinking, 1 lb. bags of M&M's with no hint of remorse, an entire large Pan Pizza (sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, & banana peppers) and didn't care who knew about it. I was looking, ultimately, for fulfillment...the one thing that mankind so desperately seeks.
I have known Jesus Christ as my Savior for many years, but I kept refusing to make Him Lord for a long, long time. It would mean that I couldn't have my little indulgences "guilt-free" anymore. Now, He is becoming Lord of more areas in my life. I still have nooks and crannies that He is not the Ruler of...yet, but He will be. And on that day when He becomes the Lord of all of my life, it will have been worth all of the struggles.
Many of you may remember Michael English, a wonderful Christian singer who had a downfall in his life. I've known him since the early days of his time with the Gaither’s, so I feel a certain kinship with him. On his first solo album, he recorded a song called "In Christ Alone." The chorus goes like this:
In Christ alone I place my trust,
And find my glory in the Power of the Cross.
In every victory, let it be said of me
That my Source of strength, my Source of hope
Is Christ alone.
I keep coming back to these words more and more during this time. And more and more, I find myself shutting up, giving up, and lifting up my hands in surrender to the One who is my Source. In fact, there's another song that just popped into my head, appropriately called "Surrender." I'll post the words to it next time.
Good night all!
Duane
_____________________________
"...the worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love." - Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man
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RE: Songs of the Noblesinger - 4/27/2005 9:00:15 AM
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noblesinger
Posts: 896
Joined: 4/11/2005
From: "Almost Heaven"
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10:58pm Feb 12, 2005
Here are the words to "Surrender," the song I mentioned yesterday:
Surrender
By Marc James
I'm giving You my heart and all that is within
I lay it all down for the sake of You my King
I'm giving You my dreams, I'm laying down my rights
I'm giving up my pride for the promise of new life
CHORUS
I'm singing You this song, I'm waiting at the cross
And all the world holds dear
I count it all as loss
For the sake of knowing You
For the glory of Your name
To know the lasting joy
Even sharing in Your pain
CHORUS
And I surrender all to You, all to You
And I surrender all to You, all to You
And I surrender all to You, all to You
And I surrender all to You, all to You
@2000 Vineyard
Can you see why this song is so dear to me? I first heard it at Promise Keepers '01 in Charlotte, NC - 2 weeks after 9-11. In the 3 and 1/2 years since then, the Lord keeps bringing me back to this song every time He wants to do some major breaking in my life. I hear the first chords of the introduction and the tears begin to well up in my eyes. Part of it is memory, to be sure, but the rest of it is because my spirit is being spoken to by the Holy Spirit.
My dreams and my rights. Two things in my life that I have held onto with an iron grip, but God turned that iron into brittle brass and then shattered it with one strike of His hand. I have no more rights, but my dreams were returned to me, changed into His dreams for me - not my dreams for God to cause to come true like some great cosmic genie. I say "His dreams" only because it fits with the song, not because I believe that God dreams. "His dreams" are my euphemism for His plans for me and my life. I await the fulfillment of those plans.
"Even sharing in Your pain." That is something that we've been discussing in our home group. Christ Jesus called us to share in His sufferings as well as His joys and blessings. The problem for most of us Christians is this: we don't like to suffer. I'll share some more about this topic next time.
Duane
_____________________________
"...the worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love." - Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man
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RE: Songs of the Noblesinger - 4/27/2005 9:06:30 AM
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noblesinger
Posts: 896
Joined: 4/11/2005
From: "Almost Heaven"
Status: offline
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10:52am Feb 23, 2005
Mary and I belong to a home Bible Study group that meets on Friday nights. We really don't have any particular topic or book that we're looking at; just a list of the Top 25 chapter in the Bible (at least our Pastor's Top 25 ). It seems lately, though, that every chapter that we've looked at has been hitting on the topic of Christian suffering. Not exactly one of those subjects you shout "Hallelujah!" over, is it?
One of the first sections we studied was 1 Peter 4-5. Those two chapters have much to say on the subject. 1 Peter 4 says:
1 Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. 3 For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries.
4 In all this, they are surprised that you do not | | |
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