Nutrition experts have begun to advise low-carbohydrate diets to treat or prevent some chronic diseases and conditions, including cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes. A low-carb diet focuses on proteins, including meat, poultry, fish and eggs, and some non-starchy vegetables. A low-carb diet generally excludes or limits most grains, legumes, fruits, breads, sweets, pastas and starchy vegetables. Some low-carb diet plans allow small amounts of certain fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
The idea behind the low-carb diet is that decreasing carbs lowers insulin levels, which causes the body to burn stored fat for energy and ultimately leads to weight loss. According to Dr. Atkins, a carbohydrate count of less than 20 per day for two weeks will start a fat-burning state called ketosis.
Ketosis is a normal metabolic process, something your body does to keep working when it doesn’t have access to carbohydrates. Ketosis uses stored fat as body fuel due to the limited amount of glucose available when carbohydrate restriction is used for dieting. Without carbohydrates, the body’s fuel of choice, the body uses up the energy in the body’s fat stores which results in weight loss.
Some types of carbohydrates do not affect blood sugar in the body as much as others, so the thought is that net carbs only account for carbs that do affect blood sugar. Net carbs are total carbohydrates per serving minus the number of grams of fiber (soluble and insoluble) per serving. When counting carbohydrates for a recipe, I use net carbs which is the total carbohydrates minus the dietary fiber and one-half of the sugar alcohols which reveals the net carbs in a recipe.
Sugar alcohols are another form of carbohydrate that has an extremely small impact on blood sugar levels. Sugar alcohols, like sorbitol, malitol, lactitol or sucralose, have half of the calories than those contained in other sugars, and therefore, half of the carbs from sugar alcohols can be deducted from the total carbohydrate count. Since fiber and sugar alcohols are not absorbed by the body, they do not affect the blood glucose.
The information contained in this book is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment, and, as author, I encourage readers to consult with qualified medical professionals for treatment and related advice for their health. I encourage individuals and their families to consult with qualified medical professionals for treatment and related advice on individual cases before beginning any diet.
Decisions relating to the prevention, detection and treatment of all health issues should be made only after discussing the risks and benefits with your health care provider, taking into account your personal medical history, your current situation and your future health risks and concerns. If you are pregnant, nursing, diabetic, on medication, have a medical condition, or are beginning a health or weight control program, consult your physician.
5-6 Carb Crock Pot Taco Soup
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef, chicken or turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp each of garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper flakes and dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
Dash of salt and pepper
2 cups chicken broth
1 four oz can of green chilies
4 medium tomatoes, diced
1 cup salsa
Avocado (optional) Instructions:
In a skillet over medium heat, brown meat.Drain fat from meat and put in crock pot.
Add remaining ingredients to crock pot (except avocado) and cook over low heat for 6-8 hours.
This apple salad is a wonderful side dish for any holiday gathering or family dinner. During Fall’s apple harvest it’s a celebration of nature’s bounty. Blending crunchy peanuts, sweet pineapple and apples creates a favorite dish at our home.
Our backyard apple tree yields a plethora of sweet–tart Anoka apples although any sweet or tart apple can be used in this recipe. I like to use my apple/peeler/corer to prepare the apples. I’ve had it for many years and I attach it to a cutting board or counter to peel apples. I’ve always thought that one that would attach to the counter top would be convenient which is now available from Amazon. The utensil also peels potatoes.
Candy Apple Salad
This is my grandson’s favorite fruit salad.It’s great for holiday dinners.
Ingredients:
4 cups tart apples—peeled, cored and chopped
½ cup white sugar
One 8 ounce can crushed pineapple, with juice
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
1 Tablespoon white vinegar
One 8 ounce container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 cup coarsely chopped dry roasted peanuts Directions:
In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together the egg, flour, sugar, vinegar, and pineapple.
Cook until thick, about six minutes. Set aside until completely cool.
In large serving bowl, fold together the pineapple mixture and whipped topping. Carefully mix in the apples and ½ cup of peanuts. Sprinkle the remaining nuts on the top. This recipe is included in Eat What You Grow: Easy Garden Recipes for the Backyard Homestead and available on Amazon
While not a book about gardening it IS a book about using the bounty of the garden, like what you can do with all of that asparagus or zucchini! It also has some great bits of story and old-time homestead recipes like Cackelberry Pie (there’s not a berry to be found), Sauerkraut by the Jar then a recipe for how to use it with Sauerkraut Chocolate Cake, and “Easy Peasy” Sweet & Sour Dills that a 10-year-old could make. Great book!
These recipes have been collected to assist anyone trying the Atkins diet model to have a variety of breakfast dishes to complement the standard bacon and eggs morning routine. Some of the recipes can be made in batches and saved for the days when one needs to grab something to go. Others are an adaptation of favorite breakfasts but minus the carb count. For those of us who love breads, muffins, waffles and other carb loaded favorites, the reduced carbohydrate versions are contained in this collection. Breakfast Recipes for Carb-Cutters
Savory Breakfast Bake
Ingredients:
8 oz. fresh sliced mushrooms
2 leeks
2 cloves garlic
4 eggs
Olive oil
Fresh thyme
Fresh oregano
Butter Instructions:
Sautee mushrooms, leeks, diced garlic and oregano for 5-10 minutes.
Spread vegetables on baking sheet lined with parchment paper and olive oil.
Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
Remove baking sheet, crack eggs over the vegetables and bake for another 10 minutes, or until egg whites are set and yolks are runny.
Garnish with fresh thyme. Refrigerate any left-overs. Serves 2.
Hot Flax Cereal
Ingredients:
3-4 tsp. butter
1/3 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup crushed walnuts, pecans, or macadamia nuts
1/3 cup flax seed
2 cups almond or coconut milk or cream
Sweetener to taste Instructions:
Melt butter in a saucepan with lid.
Add flax seed, nuts and coconut and cover pan as the flax seed will begin to pop like popcorn.
Shake pan for 1-2 minutes while toasting nuts, seeds and coconut until popping subsides.
Carefully pour milk into pan and heat until milk is warmed.
Sweeten to taste. Serves 2.
2.4 Carb Peanut Flour Waffles
Ingredients:
1 ¾ cup peanut flour (dehydrated peanut butter)
1 Tbsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. sweetener
¼ tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
½ cup softened coconut oil or butter Instructions:
Preheat waffle iron.In medium bowl mix dry ingredients together
In a separate bowl mix wet ingredients together.
Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until smooth.
Make sure the iron is hot and add the batter onto the greased waffle iron.
Close the iron and cook 3-5 minutes or until crisp. Makes 12 single waffles.
1 Carb Cheese & Chive Pork Rind Pancakes
Ingredients:
6 oz. cream cheese
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
1 small clove garlic, minced or ½ tsp. garlic salt
¾ tsp. salt
Ground pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh chives
½ cup finely crushed pork rinds
Olive oil or coconut oil
Sour cream and lemon wedges to serve Instructions:
Place cream cheese, eggs, Parmesan, garlic powder, sea salt and cracked pepper into a mixing bowl and mix until smooth.
Stir in chopped chives and crushed pork rinds.
Use olive oil or coconut oil to grease a pancake griddle.
Pour batter onto hot griddle and cook for 2-3 minutes on one side.
Flip and cook for one minute or so on the other side. Serve hot with sour cream and lemon wedges. Makes 6 pancakes.
1.5 Carb Sausage Gravy and Biscuits
Biscuit Ingredients:
1 cup almond flour
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. soft butter Instructions:
Preheat over to 400 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet or muffin tin with cooking oil spray.
Mix dry ingredients.
Add eggs and butter and stir to combine.
Drop biscuits by spoonful onto cookie sheet or muffin tin.\
Bake 11-15 minutes. Makes 8 biscuits.
While biscuits bake, make sausage gravy. Gravy Ingredients:
16 oz. pork sausage
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup beef or chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste Instructions:
Brown sausage and crumble.
When meat is browned, add cream cheese and broth.
Stir to combine. Add salt and pepper.
Carb count is per biscuit.
Zero Carb Waffles
Ingredients:
1 ½ scoop Vanilla Protein powder
2 large eggs
1 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. water
Dash cinnamon
packet Stevia or to taste (optional) Instructions:
Mix well.
Add to hot, greased waffle iron coated with non-stick spray.
Cook 2-3 minutes until golden.Top with sugar free syrup or topping of choice.
Cream Cheese Pancakes
Ingredients:
2 oz. cream cheese
2 eggs
1 packet stevia (or any) sweetener
½ tsp. cinnamon
Fresh berries Instructions:
Put all ingredients in a blender or use hand mixer to blend until smooth.
Let rest for 2 minutes.
Divide batter into fourths and pour into a hot pan greased with butter or vegetable spray.
Cook for 2 minutes or until golden then flip and cook for one minute on the other side.
Serve with sugar free syrup and fresh berries. Serves 2.
2 Carb Avocado Breakfast Pizza
Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 cup almond meal/flour1
½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
4 oz cream cheese
2 avocados
¼ cup olive oil
4 slices bacon
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 Tbsp butter
½ tsp Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Soften the cream cheese and mozzarella cheese in the microwave for about 45 seconds until slightly melted.
Add in the almond flour, egg, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and stir until it forms a ball of dough.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and coat with non-stick spray. Pour the dough onto the baking sheet and use a spatula to form into a long, even rectangle.
Bake for 12 minutes until lightly brown.
Cook the bacon in the microwave for about 5 minutes until crispy; set aside to cool.
Split the avocados in half, remove the pits and score the flesh with a knife; use a spoon to scoop out the meat into a blender or food processor.
Add the olive oil, salt and pepper to the avocado and blend until smooth.
Spread the avocado mixture over the crust, crumble the bacon and sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese on top.
Return the pizza to the oven an additional 7 minutes until the cheese is melted.
Melt the butter in a pan over medium low heat.
Fry the eggs about 3 minutes per side for slightly runny yolks.
Add the eggs to the top of the pizza before serving. Serves 4.
Donuts
Ingredients:
4 large eggs
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup almond flour
12 drops liquid stevia (or to taste)
¼ tsp baking soda Instructions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Whisk all ingredients until well combined.
Spray a donut pan with cooking spray and fill the pan.
Bake for about 20 minutes, or until they begin to turn a golden brown. Cool completely and dust with cinnamon sugar.
2 Carb Breakfast Pie
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil or butter
8 oz ground sausage
8 eggs
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
¾ cup shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese
Salt to taste Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Use oil or cooking spray to grease pie plate.
Cook and crumble sausage in skillet.
When cool, press cooked sausage into pie plate as a crust.
Break eggs over the sausage.
Sprinkle with parsley, salt and pepper.
Bake eggs 7-8 minutes.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese.Return to oven and cook until cheese melts, another 6-7 minutes. Serves 4.
0 Carb Sweet or Savory Crepes
Ingredients:
4 eggs
1/3 cup sour cream
3 Tbsp Vanilla Protein powder or for savory crepes use non-flavored protein powder
1 Tbsp Vital Wheat Gluten
½ tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp water Instructions:
Blend ingredients together in blender.
Let batter sit for 15 minutes.
Spray crepe pan with cooking spray and preheat over medium heat.
Pour about 3 Tbsp batter into crepe pan and swirl to thinly distribute.\
When crepe appears dry around edges and bubbles, flip.
Crepe quickly cooks on flip side. Turn crepe out onto plate and repeat until all batter is cooked. Sweet Crepe fillings:
Strawberries ½ cup=3.4 carbs
Raspberries ½ cup=3 carbs
Blueberries ½ cup=8.3 carbs
Blackberries ½ cup = 5.4 carbs Savory Crepe fillings:
Ham and cheese, sliced thin and rolled
Mushrooms (canned), peppers and onions, sautéed, ½ cup approximately=4 carbs
Link Sausages, cooked and wrapped in crepe.
0 Carb Bacon, Egg and Cheese Cups
Ingredients:
8 eggs
6 slices bacon
½ cup cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp cream
Salt and pepper to taste Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray muffin tin with cooking spray.
Scramble eggs in mixing bowl and season to taste.
Line each muffin edge with strip of bacon
.Pour scrambled egg mixture into muffin well.
Top with 1 Tbsp. shredded cheese.
Bake 25 minutes or until set. Serves 3.
6 Carb Huevos Rancheros
Ingredients:
¼ cup onion, diced
2 jalapeno peppers, diced
½ cup salsa
4 eggs
¼ cup cheddar or pepperjack cheese
Tobacco sauce to taste
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste.
Avocado (optional) Instructions:
In skillet sauté onions and peppers in olive oil over medium heat until translucent.
Add salsa.
Break eggs over sauce.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Sprinkle with cheese.
Cover and cook until white of egg is set and yolk is runny.
Serve ½ an avocado with eggs, if desired. Serves 2.
4.5 Carb Omelets
Ingredients:
4 eggs
½ cup onion
½ cup sliced, canned mushrooms
¼ cup green pepper
½ cup cheddar cheese
½ cup cubed ham
2 Tbsp olive oil Instructions:
Pour olive oil into skillet or omelet pan.
Sauté onions, mushrooms and peppers in olive oil until translucent.
Season vegetables.
Season and scramble eggs.
Pour eggs over vegetables.
Add diced ham.
Sprinkle with cheese.
When the bottom of omelet has set, fold omelet in half.Divide omelet in half and cover with lid. Cook both halves until middle has set. Serves 2.
2.8 Carb Cream Cheese Kolaches
Ingredients:
1 ½ cup shredded mozzarella
2 Tbsp cream cheese
¾ cup almond flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
10 drops stevial extract
1 tsp preferred sugar free sweetener Pecan Layer
½ cup chopped pecans
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp swerve or other sugar free granulated sweetener Filling
4 oz cream cheese
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp sweetener or 15 drops liquid stevia Instructions: Dough:
Microwave cream cheese and mozzarella on high about 1 minute and stir to blend.
When completely melted, stir in almond flour, baking powder, egg, vanilla, stevia and sweetener.
Knead the dough until all the ingredients are incorporated.
Divide dough into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place on parchment lined baking sheet. Slightly flatten each ball and create a hollow in each center.
Sprinkle each hollow with pecans and fill with filling. Then sprinkle a few more pecans.
Bake in 350 degree preheated oven for 20 minutes until firm and golden. Filling:
Warm cream cheese in microwave.
Add remaining ingredients and use to fill dough before baking. Serves 8.
Mint was one of Spring’s harbingers together with the asparagus. I grow mint in the cinder blocks fencing the asparagus bed. This year I ventured into herbal wine-making.
The process was simple and the equipment and supplies readily available. I purchased two gallon jugs at a local flea market for $4.98 each, Gallon brewing bottles are also available on line. Additional supplies needed include an air lock and champagne yeast from Amazon. The ingredients list included mint leaves, sugar, orange juice, filtered water and the wine yeast.
The recipe called for sterile utensils and containers as you would need for any canning or fermentation process. I sterilized the gallon container in which I would mix the ingredients, filtered a gallon of tap water and put it on to boil. Earlier I had picked 4 cups of mint leaves which I washed and stripped from their stems.
Proof one package wine yeast (2 tsp.) by adding it to a cup of warm (100 degree) orange juice. The yeast will begin to foam (proof) that it is alive and active as it feeds on the sugars in the juice. If the orange juice is too hot, it will kill the yeast. Make sure it is barely warmer than body temperature to activate.
Put 4 cups sugar in the sterilized gallon jar and add two cups of the boiling filtered water to the jug and swirl to dissolve the sugar.
Stuff mint leaves through the neck of the gallon jar and then pour the boiling water through a funnel into the jar leaving enough room to add the proofed yeast after the mixture has cooled to 90 –100 degrees.
Stopper the bottle with a sterilized air lock and watch for the wine mixture to begin to bubble up through the lock in about an hour. If the mixture fails to bubble within a few hours, the yeast was probably killed. If this happens, just proof another packet of yeast in orange juice and add to the fledgling wine.
After the wine stops bubbling up into the stopper, rack the wine. This process siphons the fermented product into a clean container in order to separate the new wine from the dregs. I found that a racking cane which keeps the lees from being sucked into the new container makes this process simple.
When most of the new wine has been transferred to a clean container, tilt the bottle to access more of the wine while avoiding the lees. Discard the dregs or compost them and sanitize the used bottle and racking equipment before using them on the next batch of wine.
This process may be repeated at intervals before bottling until the wine clears although cloudy wine, like imperfect fruit, is still perfectly fine to consume.
When the wine clears, bottle it in sterilized bottles. Bottles are available new, or use recycled wine bottles that have been thoroughly sterilized.
The future is in the hearts and minds of our children. With youngsters like Gabe and Livvy Feinn the world will be a caring and compassionate place in the future. Gabe and LIvvy were inspired by a Samaritan’s Purse catalog which outlined some of the projects underwritten by Franklin Graham’s ministry. The brother and sister accepted the challenge to raise enough money to renovate a missionary hospital deep in the jungles of the Congo that had been destroyed by a brutal civil war. Wanting to stretch their faith, they committed to raising $35,000 for the project.
Their plan revolved around cupcakes. They baked cakes by the hundred and cupcakes by the thousands to sell to friends, neighbors, and family. They covered all their efforts with prayer and faith.
Remember how when we were doing our project we would ask people to just do 1%? In our case, we wanted to have a team of 100 people that would each raise $350. But how it actually worked out was we had about 160 people donate and some were able to do 1% and some could only do a little bit.
We saw children who were only 3 & 4 step up and do a whole lot for the hospital project. Campers at elementary camp gave up snack tokens and middle school students shoveled snow or went without birthday presents or Christmas presents so the money could be donated instead.
When we at least do the 1%, we make a difference! But as you know, God raised all the money!” In a little over a year they met their goal, and the maternity hospital at Nyankunde was rebuilt.
Graham’s ministries flew Gabe and Livvy to Africa for the opening of the hospital. They were there to witness the first birth, a C-section, and were able to hold the first baby of their faithfulness in their arms. The baby, a little girl, was named Gabriella in honor of Gabe. Because of the hospital, the baby’s life was saved. Her future was made possible by two young people who desired to have their faith stretched to see what God could do through them. The future is in good hands with models like Gabe and Livvy who know in whom they have believed.
One of my favorite resources for my various interests is Pinterest. The wealth of information enriches my everyday life.
Catalogue of Ideas
After signing up for this treasure trove of ideas on Pinterest, the online bulletin board presents pages of colorful pins on topics that you choose. Pin any of the topics presented by moving your computer mouse over the pin and clicking on the “pin it” icon. If you are looking for a particular subject, move your cursor to the top of the page to the space that says “Search.” Click in the search bar and type in the topic that you want to pursue.
For Christmas I did very specific searches for my grandchildren like: “most popular gifts for 11 year old girls,” “how to make lip balm,” and “Mindware catalog.” The resulting searches gave Mrs. Claus all kinds of advice and “how to” instructions for great Christmas gifts for Grandma’s pride and joys.
For my nine year-old “girly-girl” granddaughter, who loves to cook and create slime in her spare time, the ideas for lip balm seemed a sure-fire hit. The recipe had only three ingredients and was easy for a nine-year old’s skill set. She had enough to share with friends and classmates.
Lip Balm Recipe
Lip Balm Recipe:Makes enough for 10 tubes of lip balm. Just double or triple ingredients for more. Optionally, you might also add a small amount of lipstick for color to the ingredients
This homemade lip balm is SO EASY to make. It only takes 5 minutes and just three simple ingredients. It solidifies almost instantly, so you don’t even have to wait for it! It smells amazing and has a wonderful silky smooth texture to it. It’s perfect for those of us with sensitive skin!
Place the beeswax pellets in a small glass bowl and microwave on high power for 45 seconds.
Add the coconut oil to the bowl and return to the microwave for another 45 seconds.
Continue to microwave in 30 second increments until everything is completely melted.
Add the essential oils and return to the microwave for another 15 seconds.
Fill each lip balm container as full as you can without overflowing.
If it starts to harden before you’re finished filling the tubes, return the glass bowl to the microwave for 15 seconds to keep it melted.
To make the personalized labels, I used ordinary Avery address labels to which I added a picture of Bethany and what flavor of lip balm was in the tube. The address labels just fit the tubes. Avery gives instructions for creating custom labels with their product. I printed off a page of my designed custom labels and included a sheet in the lip gloss kit.
The final step was to find a container to assemble the kit which included:·
Recipe for making the lip gloss
Bethany’s custom labels that I had printed off· Ingredients
Lip gloss tubes
Grandma had fun putting this together, and Bethany enjoyed giving her personalized lip gloss to all her friends.
A family of our small congregation became missionaries and never left their home. They began in January by spearheading an Operation Christmas Child monthly collection of items to include in shoeboxes that would be assembled during a shoe box packing party at church in November.Each month the collection box features a suggested item to purchase.
My favorite project is to recycle prescription bottles as sewing kits. I fill the bottles with buttons, needles & needle-threaders, thread, and safety pins and apply an Operation Christmas Child sticker label on the bottle.
History of Operation Christmas Child
Operation Christmas Child was started in the United Kingdom in 1990 by Dave and Jill Cooke. Three years after this beginning, the Wales-based shoebox gift project merged in a partnership with Samaritan’s Purse. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has delivered gift-filled shoeboxes to over 146 million children in more than 100 countries.
From children to seniors, people pack shoebox gifts each year to bless children in need around the world. Parents often use the project to teach their kids about giving. It is better to give than to receive!CollageCancelPublish Changes
Samaritan’s Purse provides local partners around the world with shoeboxes filled with small toys, hygiene items, and school supplies as a means of reaching out to children in their own communities with the Good News of Jesus Christ. These simple gifts go to children affected by war, poverty, natural disaster, famine, and disease; and to children living on Native American reservations in the U.S.
Evangelistic Program
After receiving shoe box gifts, many boys and girls are invited to enroll in The Greatest Journey, a 12-lesson discipleship program. Local ministry partners are able to establish long-term, caring relationships with children and families by sharing the love of Jesus Christ. This Gospel booklet available in more than 75 languages is given out with shoebox gifts around the world. With the Apostle John as narrator, the booklet shares 11 Scripture stories and invites children to follow Christ.
Packing Party
Our missionary family, who are the youth group leaders, store the collection of gifts in a room at their home, and in the garage, and sometimes the overflow goes to the barn. In November all the items show up at church to be assembled in the shoeboxes during our annual “Packing Party.” We have a pot-bless breakfast, and everyone, young and old, starts packing boxes for boys and girls around the world. Pastor says it’s his favorite Missionary Sunday. Last year our small church sent 752 boxes. Our goal this year is a thousand.
My journal records dreams, prayers and inspirations.
I started journaling late in life in 2010. I had spent years writing in notebooks that were stashed in various desks, cupboards and filing cabinets. Then a mentor (one who shares insights, best practices, and their talent) taught me the brilliance of storing all my wandering fancies in one place.
Each morning presents a new adventure to explore this wonderful world and its people, and I love to capture the fleeting “now” in an ongoing chronicle of life neatly contained in a computer file simply titled 2018 Journal.
I sit first thing in the morning before a computer screen drinking my morning coffee. As I read the day’s scripture reading, I write as I am inspired.
I color code my journal. Red for answered prayer. green for time with family and friends, etc.
My journals are color coded and red is the color of answered prayers. For instance, my brother Pete called one afternoon with a Praise Report!!! Screenings had detected that he had 50% blockages in both of is carotid arteries. He had gone for more tests. The results stated that there were no blockages and very little narrowing of his arteries. Praise, God, that prayer thing works. Hopefully my journals will provide a written legacy of faith for future generations.
Journaling Benefits
I rejoice over life’s beauty
My journal causes me to adjust my heart so that I live a life with no regrets.
Spiritually, my writing stimulates me to develop a listening attitude and communication with the Lord.
Rereading entries encourages gratitude and faith as I revisit the blessings, testimonies and God incidents throughout the pages
I also record the dreams that I feel are God-directed in my journal. I have a notebook by my bed that I use to write down dreams given in the middle of the night. Dream sequences are colored purple which causes them to stand out for future re-reading.
Dreams
Dreams are important instructions and insights from the Lord that I do not want to overlook. Psalm 16:7 instructs on the importance of dreams when David writes, ” I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.” Journaling has led me into learning more about dream interpretation and listening to the Lord as He speaks to me through the words and pictures of dreams.
Education
Mentally, my journal provides education on subjects and interests I am pursuing. Presently I’m investigating topics like blogging, marketing, and publishing online. I insert tips, techniques and good ideas for future use into my journal pages. My journal has also become an exercise book for writing prose and poetry, my creative outlet about life.
Daily Record
The journal is organized chronologically and gives a daily record of activities. Quarterly, I list the goals that I have for the next three months. A study of Harvard graduates found that after two years, the 3 percent who had written goals achieved more financially than the other 97 percent combined!” Extrapolating from this, only 3 percent of people set written goals and those who do earn on average more than 30x as much as those who don’t.And throughout the year it becomes my weight diary. Each quarter I determine to lose 10 pounds. This quarter I’ve only got 15 to go.
Letter Writing
One of my goals has always been to be a better letter writer. The journal makes it easy to cut and paste a letter diary that my mother loves to read. Since she is affected by short-term memory loss, a printed letter can be re-read while a phone conversation is forgotten in minutes. It’s easy to attach the journal letter with snapshots included to an email and let it wing through the ether to friends and family far away.
As the year draws to its close, I anticipate printing the year’s memoir and taking it to the local FedEx Kinkos or UPS Store to be spiral bound.
An unexpected outcome of journaling was a book. I was challenged to study the words of Jesus for 150 days. Each day for 150 days I journaled about the words in red in my Bible. After the first month I decided to share my study in book format and so published The Jesus Quest: Meditations on the Words of Jesus,
You never know where you might end up on your journal adventure. Let me encourage you to begin. It will be a breakthrough to many avenues in your life.
Welcome to Country Parson's Wife, I'm Dr. Mary Ellen, author, teacher and wife of a country pastor for 50 years. My blog is dedicated to a lifestyle built on faith, family, simplicity and self-sufficiency that enhances the health, peace, beauty and industry of our homes and gardens.
My prayer is that you be encouraged and propelled into the abundant life God has prepared for you.
Recent Comments