ENCOURAGED IN HEART

This morning I exited our silent “library”, to enter my non-silent office. Unbeknownst to me, I had a meeting waiting to be had.

Today is no ordinary day here at the Fink household. Today is the long-awaited and much anticipated play date with none other than Alexandar T. Yes, by birth right, the boy has a last name; it’s just not how he’s known in Cal’s world.

Cal’s excitement was just a tad more subtle than the Christmas Eve frenzy, “Alexander T has LOTS of train track stuff, that’s what he told me…he loves train tracks but I’m going to play with all his toys, but not his train tracks!”

“Well maybe you can play trains with him for a little while, then ask him to play something that you like?” His confused face spoke more words than his silence. Cal’s devotion today was about how to be a friend to Jesus. The answer, spending time. Being friends with your Alexandar T. or Jesus requires one thing – spending time together.

As for me, I’m off to spend time on the elliptical while I call a friend who just had surgery, I need to spend some time there too. Then, off to the big play date!

Isn’t the commitment to spend time together the nutshell of all friendships?

I’m very happy to report that my Weight Watchers progress is rocking and headed in the correct direction, down!

Lucy’s been cheering me on as well as the Lucy wanna-be’s at the Weight Watchers meetings. My calorie burnin’ temper tantrums and points counting have both proven effective methods for weight loss, and I will report more on this in later posts. But today, I want to share with you something that’s really on my heart.

It’s a new project.

And, I need help. If that’s not the understatement of the decade, I don’t know what is!

No, not just with which bridesmaid dress…

Many of you know that the EIH blog was birthed from my emotional eating addiction. On the right side of this blog, you’ll see a drop down box titled “Categories”. When you click on it, scroll to the bottom and you’ll see “Weekly Weigh-In”. For one year, I blogged about where I was at in the pluses or the minuses in recovery…and I’m not just talking about my weight.

The help I’m asking for is this…would you please let me know which “Weekly Weigh-In” post (by title), if any, spoke to your heart and encouraged you. I’m going to pick 30 of the 52 and place them in a book that I’m working on, currently titled, “Lessons I Learned While My Head Was Stuck in the Fridge” (My journey out of the fridge and into the real world).

I’m asking you, my precious friends and subscribers, would you please pray for me and this project. The eating addiction is the most subtle and socially acceptable addiction. I want women to come out of their “wilderness” (slavery to food) and into their “Promised Land” (freedom) and in the end, know God more intimately!

“A Tear’s Journey” – that’s pretty much the title of my weekend.

I’m writing to you from the comforts of my hotel room, in a land that’s not far from my residence. A promised land of sorts; a land that flowing with coffee and billowy pillows…they have milk and honey here too.

Oh yeah, and no makeup. I figured, after yesterday, what’s the point? More about that a little later…

I’m on my annual get away weekend… (Can I get a whoop-whoop?)

I attended the Priscilla Shirer’s “Going BEYOND” conference at McLean Bible Church with three precious sisters from my hood and church, Joann, Lynn and Leslie. Jo left her hairnet at home, Lynn got out of her sexy minivan and into her hubby’s sedan to taxi drive us and Leslie was able to fit it the conference before a black belt ceremony and hosting 14 people in her home!

Women rock!

Speakin’ of rockin’ women, Priscilla Shirer was a power-packed-faith-filled-no-non-sense kinda gal. Her brother, Anthony Evans led worship – don’t even get me started – when 2,300 women get together to praise God! All I can say is, what was formerly used to groove in clubs is now used to praise the Lord!

The conference started Friday night and ended at lunch time Saturday. While Priscilla’s a gifted teacher and Anothy a gifted singer, my favorite part of the conference was Saturday morning before the “event” began – the prayer time. Priscilla asked for women that have seen God move in their finances, to step into the aisle, to testify to God’s faithfulness. She then asked women that needed a financial break through, stand up out of their seats. She asked the “aisle women” go to find a “seats woman”, and pray. And so this went, for infertility, addiction, marriages, singleness, family, health…little huddles of women throughout the enormous room, praying, believing, crying. As powerful prayers went up, cleansing tears came down.

Adios makeup, thanks for your efforts. I won’t be needing your services today.

I was both an “aisle” and “seat” woman. Tears came when I prayed for, because God reminded me the pain when I was in my sisters’ shoes. Tears came when I was prayed for, because Gods love was poured out onto me. And, whether in or through the journey, a tear’s journey has purpose…which leads me to my favorite Priscilla statement of the weekend, “All things aren’t good but all things work together for the good.”

I’ll be back into the real world in just about four hours from now. I’m grateful for this precious time away, the reality of a purpose driven tear, all because I do want to go beyond what and where I am today.