Challenge Update

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 

Psalm 46:1-4

I am popping in to say that I will not be posting my final fire challenge this week, and it may be some time before I will be able to complete it. My vacation was not a factor, as previously stated, as the vacation did not end up taking place. I got sick and had to cancel our anniversary trip. I am waiting for the woodstove to be installed in the cabin and then I will complete the final challenge, God willing. 

My struggles pale in comparison to the millions of people down south who are reeling from the double hurricane aftermath. While there are plenty of places to donate, it is sometimes hard to vet the ones that are legitimate. I found some pre-vetted sites on today.com if you are interested.

May God be with each and every person struggling today, whether it is with a hurricane mess or some other disaster. There is no shortage of disasters in our big world. Sometimes there are so many things going on at once, I can't keep it all straight. Thank God I don't have to. We can pray, help each other, and keep looking for the blessings we know will be there. 

Fire Challenge: The Hungry Fire

 When I woke up this morning, I was covered all the way up to my chin with both of the blankets on the bed. That is unusual for me, and what it told me was that it was going to be the perfect day for the next Fire Challenge! I stepped out of bed, and sure enough, the house was cold, and it looked pretty chilly outside too. Yay!! Who else is ready for sweater weather? Oh, just me? 

Today's Fire Challenge is called "The Hungry Fire" (Thank you, Brooke- Girl in the Woods) and it's about pushing myself to my edge, literally and figuratively. It's about letting my mind take control of my body and being empowered by how that feels–both physically and mentally.     

 I can easily fall into a depressed state when my body is in severe pain and stopping me from enjoying life, because I just can't see the point of the pain. I try not to stay there too long, but there is always a fear of that feeling lingering, so I'm taking steps to better manage my body and my mind as one, super-powered unit! Pain is pain, plain and simple, but it needs to stop winning in my mind. It already takes my body. 

So this challenge was needed, because my body and my mind are often incompatible with one another. We are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds all the time. These challenges are helpful to me, but just like Brooke, I do them with God's help, because without Him, all of this stuff is just human-powered, and I've already tried that stuff. It doesn't last.  Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will. 

Okay, on to the challenge! You're not going to like this any more than I did! Today was the day for it because it was the chilliest morning we had, and the challenge was to jump in a cold body of water first thing in the morning, have a fire, and then cook something over it. Yikes! Well, I don't have a body of water handy, so I decided to do this challenge in the safety of my shower. I turned on the icy, frigid water in my cold, unheated bathroom, took a few deep breaths and stepped in. I followed Brooke's instructions to avoid gasping, shrieking, shaking, or any other normal human response. I have to say, I was very cool and chill about the whole thing. (I had to!) However, after a few shocking and near-death moments, I became slightly nauseous, so I decided I felt empowered enough and stepped right on outta there. Seriously though, what I got out of it was that I am able to empower my body with my mind and let it know that I am in control. Who is the boss of this body? ME! Brrrrr....I was kinda proud of that moment. 

When Brooke stepped out of the river, she said things like, "That was painfully good! Wow, that was great!" That was not my experience, but who knows? Maybe I will get better at this as I get stronger. I do want to add that if you decide to try this, you may want to check with your doctor first to make sure it's safe for you to do. 

I had no plans to cook anything, as I don't eat breakfast, but I went outside and built a big fire, and pondered the verse that Brooke suggested for this challenge, Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things. And that's where it's at. Where is my mind? What am I thinking about? What am I hungry for–figuratively?

Where our minds go, our health can follow, and I am an example of that. I struggle with anxiety, and it does terrible things to my body. I started these challenges because I am willing to go out of my comfort zone. Sometimes that's what it takes for both the body and the mind to get on track. 

A change in behavior, attitude, thoughts, and practices don't change with just a great Bible verse, a sermon, one challenge or even five. It's a desire and a decision to want change, first of all. And then a continuation of the renewing of the mind and the good discipline that follows. 

With each challenge, I have done the physical exercise, the journaling, and the fires. Along with that, I have noticed daily lessons coming from my mentor, and I'm continuing reading and journaling along with another helpful book. When I'm finished with all of these, I will move on to more learning tools. When we want change in an area of our lives, we need to keep asking for God's help, and then keep it moving. 

I've journaled along the way and asked myself some tough questions too. Life is never about standing still and expecting things to get better. It's about looking within and saying, "God, what do you want to change in me so that I can better represent You?" 

**Stay tuned for my final challenge. It may be delayed due to some vacation plans, but you won't want to miss it! 

Fire Challenge #2 Commitment

 Good morning and happy Friday!

 I haven't forgotten about my weekly challenge report that was due yesterday, but I did get a little sidetracked, which is no surprise to me at all. This week's Fire Challenge is the Commitment Fire! I set my goal last week, and now it's time to expand that into a vision, make tracks toward it, and burn all my fears and limitations that have been holding me back. Well, I've already been doing those steps, so I feel I'm already ahead, but I will share more about how Brooke from Girl in the Woods presents this crucial step. (visit Girl in the Woods)  The video for this step is called "Lost proof yourself" and the activity involved is to go exploring somewhere out of your comfort zone, starting at a "bullseye" point and working your way outward. In essence, let's get out of our comfort zones! 

As usual, get outside, explore and take in all of the beauty that nature provides and this week is about adding more reps to the exercise plan. Instead of 5 of everything, now it is 10. I'm still skipping the skips, but that's okay! Oh, skipping used to be so much fun...

When I said I got sidetracked, it involved a different kind of exploring, a longer held vision, and a lot of different kinds of exercise. I spent the day cleaning in the basement, and when I tell you I went exploring, expanding, and got out of my comfort zone, you just better take my word for it. I do not like the basement at all, but part of my commitment is realizing I need to attack certain projects so that my vision can become a reality. 

This is not the initial goal I had written down, but it is an important step along the path to reaching it, for sure. I haven't had a fire just yet, but tonight seems like a beautiful night to have one since we've had some recent rain. I will be writing down and tossing into the flames, the following things:

negative people (well, not actual people-just names), excuses, past failures, mistakes-past and present, harmful people, anything and anyone that holds me back...

I'm going to tear it off and burn it, friends, and I hope that you will join me in throwing off anything that is hindering you from your goals, dreams, and visions. The time is now for MORE exercise, MORE vision, and MORE progress, not less. Let's GOOOOOO!!!!

Another thing I took from Brooke's video is a quote she stated, "Different is better than better."  As Brooke pointed out, it takes awhile to just be okay with being who you are. At 53, she wears an Indiana Jones style hat with a feather, long braids and long earrings. It took her awhile to accept her own different style and that it wasn't going to blend in with everyone else. We can struggle with this at all ages. Be okay with different, and just be. My style may blend in, but I don't always feel like I fit in, and it's tough to feel like an outsider and not think there's something wrong with us. When the difference is on the inside, I think it's a little harder to convince ourselves that we're okay being who we are. This challenge is for me to grow to accept myself more as well as accomplish my big audacious goal. 

The Scripture for this Commitment challenge is Psalms 27:13 I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 

The land of the living is everywhere, and with the way I've been feeling, I just know I've been in survival mode way too long. I need to recommit to the Lord's land of the living, because my living has been pretty disappointing. The goodness of the Lord is inside–in the cobweb-laden basement and in me! And it is outside–everywhere the breeze touches. Nature thrives, and I want to learn from nature that I too am His creation, and I am to thrive everywhere, not just survive. 

 Found today in my notes: "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. We could all use a little more love to build each other up." 

1 Corinthians 8:1-3 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that "We all possess knowledge." But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. But whoever loves God is known by God.