A few words about my "new look."

As many of you know, I had colon surgery last September to remove a very large polyp and colon resection (cut out a section of the colon and reattach it).  At the risk of boring you senseless, I am going to make a few points that seem extremely important to me at this point in my life.

First:  It is recommended that you have a colonoscopy by age 50, unless you have a history of colon problems in your family.  Then, you need to have it much sooner.  I waited until I was 60...BAD CHOICE!  The good news is that none of the polyps that were removed were malignant yet (nearly all polyps are pre-cancerous).  I was fortunate, and very thankful.  Now I will have an annual colonoscopy, and you will never hear me complain about the stuff you have to drink for it.  That is a small thing compared to colon cancer.  So you don't like it....its nasty tasting....its hard to drink all of it...GET OVER IT, folks.  Be thankful.  If you have not had a colonoscopy yet, and you are near 50 or past....schedule it TODAY.  Please!

Second:  The thing that led to my colonoscopy was a general physical examine in June 2011.  My blood pressure was 200/110, I was grossly overweight, I needed a colonoscopy, my cholesterol was too high.  Today, I am 47 pounds lighter (and still losing....about 25 more lbs to my goal).  My blood pressure is about 125/80, and my cholesteron is well below the 200 mark.  I had to make some lifestyle changes to accomplish this.  I am still working on it.  It isn't easy, but it is easier than heart disease, a stroke, diabetes, colon cancer and general fatigue.  Its the old line....if I can do it, anyone can.

Third:  I found help with a simple program called Lose It!  This can be accessed online and has a great app for your smart phone.  It isn't a diet (I have vowed to never be on a diet), it is a way of tracking what you eat so you can make smart choices and bring your weight under control in a reasonable amount of time.  I don't like diets.  I don't like someone telling me what I can eat and what I can't.  I don't know of anyone who is on, or has been on a diet who stays on it permanently.  A lifestyle change is the only thing that makes sense.  Moderation is your friend, not a chore.  I am learning that.  I struggle some, but at least I don't have the guilt and the disappointment of constant failure that comes with dieting.  I just adjust and get back on track with the way I want to live and eat.  I am eating better than I ever have!  I still eat the things I like, but in moderation....extreme moderation with some items.  Lose It has provided me a method of tracking what I eat so I can make choices, adjust for the infrequent times when I eat more than I should, and know I am going to be OK in the long run.  There are other programs that are very similar...this is just the one I use, and I am happy to endorse it.  If you want more info, I'll be happy to talk to you about it.  As with anything, there are some little tips that help make it work for you.

Fourth:  I really like where I am headed!  The best time for me to make these changes was 30 years ago.  The second best time THIS YEAR!  It's the same for each one of you.  I do not consider myself a "success story."  I am simply a normal person who is trying to live in a way that makes sense and works, long term.  There is no guarantee that I will have good health, or that I will live to a ripe old age.  That may or may not happen.  However, I am much happier with where I am today than where I was a year ago.  LESS THAN ONE YEAR, and I have drastically changed my life and, most likely, my future.  Be encouraged, folks....it is doable, and it is not that much of a drag.....really.  I am rather enjoying it, actually.

Contact me if you need some encouragement, information or just a friendly kick in the pants to get started.  Blessings to you all!

The Gatekeeper

Family Reunion 2010 at Lake of the Ozarks

(from left to right)  Sophia, Roxy, Bonnie,

Mark, Ivy, Mike, Stacey, Chloe, Matt, Hailey

The Essence of Sin

The essence of sin is idolatry, which is the act or condition in which one worships the created rather than the Creator.  Everyone is involved in the activity of worship.  Atheists worship created things, though many would deny doing so.  Many who call themselves "atheists" worship their own intellect, if nothing else.  What are you tempted to worship, rather than or in addition to, the Creator?
Agree or Disagree with this post?

Codependency: Is there any help for me?

While there are seldom "easy" answer or solutions in our lives, at least it is encouraging to know there is help.

Luke 4:16-21 (NIV)
16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21 and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

Look over the list and check those things that describe you. Be open and honest enough to allow reflection on your patterns of reacting to life. Most of us have some codependent behavior guiding our responses to life. Maybe it's time for you to consider that Jesus offers some solutions and resources for your life!

1.Think and feel responsible for other people.
2.Feel compelled - almost forced - to help others solve problems, offering advice, suggestions, etc.
3.Anticipate other's needs, even before they ask; wonder why others don't do the same in return.
4.Say yes when I mean no, doing things I really don't want to be doing.
5.Doing more than my fair share of work & doing things other people can do for themselves.
6.Try to please others before seeking to please myself.
7.Feel safest when giving to others and insecure and guilty when others give to me.
8.Feel sad because I spend my whole life giving to others and nobody gives to me.
9.Feel attracted to needy people and attracted to them in dependent ways.
10.Get bored and feel empty when there is not a crisis or a problem to solve or someone to help.
11.Overcommit myself and feel controlled by events and people.
12.Believe deep inside other people are somehow responsible for me.
13.Try to control events & people through helplessness, guilt, coercion, advice, manipulation, etc.
14.Pretend circumstances aren't as bad as they are; "things will be better tomorrow."
15.Stay busy so I don't have to think about things.
16.Get confused, depressed or sick to stop doing things.
17.Become a workaholic.
18.Sometimes think God has abandoned me.
19.Don't feel happy, content or peaceful with myself.
20.Desperately seek love and approval.
21.Equate love with pain and stay in relationships that don't work.
22.Find it difficult to have fun and be spontaneous.
23.Say everything is my fault yet believe nothing is my fault.
24.Spend money compulsively or overeat, abuse drugs or alcohol.
25.Lie to cover up and protect people I love and lie to protect myself.
26.Don't trust myself, my feelings, my decisions or other people.
27.Ask people for what I want and need indirectly - sighing, for example or subtly suggesting.
28.Afraid of my own anger and frightened of other people's anger.
29.Have sex when I would rather be held, nurtured and loved or when I am angry.
30.Extremely responsible, a good martyr, sacrificing my own happiness for others.
31.Don't say what I mean and don't mean what I say. Don't even know what I mean.
32.Can become withdrawn and isolated - afraid of being hurt by others.
33.Give appearance of being depended upon, but are very dependent on others for approval.

"He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed..."   Jesus

The Gatekeeper

Possessions

In Matthew 19, the young ruler comes to Jesus and asks about eternal life. After some discussion about keeping the Law, Jesus tells him to go and sell his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor. The young man went away sorrowfully, because, as Matthew records in the New Living Translation, "he had many possessions." This is an interesting, and I believe a very specifc, choice of words used here. If we are to not have "many possessions," then what DO we have? It made me consider a couple of similar, but vastly different terms.

Possessions Things that I define as MINE! What I have and have control over according to my own desires, wishes and decisions. Our very language gives us away: we say, my car, my family, my job, my money, my church, etc. While I know what is meant, it also is a window into our heart. As long as we continue to reinforce this idea of MY STUFF, we will fall short of the point Jesus is making here in Matthew 19. Is there an alternative?
 Commodities What we have is not meant to be kept, but to be used...commodities are consumed and meant to be replenished. You, no doubt, know about the commodities market? They trade things such as pork bellies, soy beans, corn, etc. These are replenishable goods....not meant to be hoarded o saved long term. I want to die with a million bushels of SOYBEANS in my barn, is not the object here. We need, in the spiritual sense, to think more like what we have are commodities, not possessions! It isn't so much about what we possess, but what we have been given to USE....replenished...over and over again...season after season! This is what Jesus was getting at with the young man in the story.
 What kind of things do we tend to try and possess?
Our Life Are we spending our lives or trying to hoard our time and energy? It cannot be stored up!  Our lives are meant to be spent.
Our Estate Those things that represent monetary or personal value to you. Are you using them?
Our Influence Relationships! This has little to do with personality types: It is about being created in the image of God, and having an eternal purpose for life! It is about spending your life with and for people....not being withdrawn in the solitude of your own created comfort zone.

Are we willing to be honest enough to do some "rethinking." Can we have a heart shift here? I think Jesus wants us to move in the direction of seeing our lives and resources as commodities, not so much as possessions.

Grace to you!
The Gatekeeper

Our Kathmandu Daughters

Here are Binita, Sakiyangi, Mingmar and Nimbutti, along with their overseer, Sarita after our recent shopping trip in Kathmandu, Nepal. They are happy girls! More of the story later.

Happy 2010 Blue Moon New Year!

Here's a recent picture of our four BEAUTIFUL granddaughters. Roxy, Sophia, Hailey & Chloe. We just returned from Springfield, MO, where we had a great time with our family. Thanks to everyone for the gifts, the hospitality and, most of all....the LOVE. We are blessed.

Big sister Hailey

Chloe & Papa

Chloe Rene

We at VCC are leading a ministry, called Heart For The Children, with the Vineyard Churches of India and Nepal. Our focus is to rescue girls from the human trafficking markets. These girls, mostly between the ages of 10 and 14, are often abused, promised jobs, or even taken from their homes and villages in Nepal, and sold into the sex trade markets of India. We are now providing some of these young girls with housing, education, and life skills training within the context of a nurturing local church family.

Please pray daily for…
♦ God’s direction as we continue this new ministry.
♦ this ministry that it would be compassionate, passionate and full of integrity and vision.
♦ God to show us when and how to advance in other areas of human trafficking.
♦ our four “daughters” who are now being educated, trained and discipled by our staff at the Kathmandu Vineyard Church.

Matt and Hailey having some pumpkin time!

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Chloe Rene Morgan Ocotber 7, 2009

This is Chloe, our brand new little angel. She joins her big sister, Hailey, along with dad and mom, Matt & Stacey. Hailey and Chloe are a whopping 11 months apart in age! Almost like having twins (of which we know a bit about). Welcome to the family, sweetheart!

My favorite baby girl...Hailey Marie

Roxy & Sophia...Pappa's favorite BIG girls!