Grilled Chicken Wraps

Wednesday's lunch consisted of grilled chicken in a gluten-free spinach wrap.  I added mixed greens and Dijon mustard, but you can add what you like.

It's a lean choice, and the carbs from the wrap aren't the worst carbs that you could choose.

Chicken is high in protein.  I used 4 ounces per wrap.  At 8 grams/ounce, that's 64 grams of protein.  Not a bad choice!  Chicken is also lean (about 35 calories/ounce).  So these babies were only 280 calories for the meat plus 260 for the wraps.

Tending to the Field First

"Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house."  Proverbs 27:24

Most of us don't think much about the importance of the field.  We go to the store and buy what we need.  Unless you live on a farm or have a garden, you are getting what you need from a store, not from a field.

Things were a bit different in Solomon's day when these proverbs were written.  In those days, most people farmed for their own food.  A productive, well-maintained field was important to them.  For them, a house was a necessity, not a luxury.  It's value was outweighed by the value of a fruit-bearing field.

This verse is teaching us a lesson in priorities.  Do we have our priorities straight?  Let's think about the field in terms of our spiritual lives and the house in terms of physical needs and wants.  Which one is more important to me?  Which one is more important to you?

Are we cultivating the spiritual "fields" of our lives?  Are we spending time in God's Word daily, beyond a quick surface reading?  Are we putting into practice the commands and principles found in the Bible?  Are we spending time talking to God and praising Him for who He is and what He has done?

My "field" tends to get weeds.  If I'm not fellowshipping with God, the weeds of sin tend to overgrow the productive ground of my field.  When this happens, ground that could have been used for growing fruit becomes ground that produces useless and harmful weeds.

Peter said, "Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby:"  (I Peter 2:1, 2)  The study and application of the Scriptures is what cultivates the field.

Is the house important?  Yes!  We all have physical needs.  We all need shelter, food, clothing, etc.  God knows this, but our tendency is to "spruce up" the house while the field gathers weeds and briers.  Don't forget, we need the fruits of the field in order to live.

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."  Matthew 6:33

Lunch in the Park

 

Travelling to different stores to provide product support is one thing that I enjoy about my job.  Yesterday, I went to the city park and had lunch after resolving an electrical issue.  

It was a beautiful day here in KY!

Sprints in the AM

 

Sprint training this morning before getting into my work truck and driving 2.5 hours one way for support on a job.

I warmed up with a 5 minute slow run and then did 7 rounds of sprinting for 30 seconds and walking for 2 minutes.

I went all out on the sprints.  This type of movement builds the fast-twitch muscle fiber which begins to dwindle after age 30.  

Sprinting isn't my favorite, but it's good for me 😒

Tomorrow is "active-recovery-day."  

A Renewed Appreciation for Strength Training

I've been reading a book on the importance of strength training, especially as we age (ain't none of us getting any younger!).

I do strength training about twice per week anyway, but reading this book reminded me of the many benefits, from increased bone density to calorie burning long after the workout is over.

Here's a simple but effective strength training routine.  I used two 25 pound dumbbells ...

10 reps of pushups followed by 10 reps of a goblet squat holding one dumbbell

Repeat this circuit 3 times with 30 seconds to 1 minute rest between circuits.

10 reps of dumbbell row on the right followed by the left

Repeat this circuit 3 times with 30 seconds to 1 minute rest between circuits.

10 reps of a military press with the right arm followed by the left

Repeat this circuit 3 times with 30 seconds to 1 minute rest between circuits.

10 reps of a dumbbell swing (also called kettlebell swing) followed by 10 leg raises (hanging from a bar or on the floor)

Repeat this circuit 3 times with 30 seconds to 1 minute rest between circuits.

Your workout should look something like this:

10 Reps ... Pushups/Goblet Squats (x3)

10 Reps ... Right arm Row/Left arm Row (x3)

10 Reps ... Right arm Military Press/Left arm Military Press (x3)

10 Reps ... Dumbbell Swings/Leg Raises (x3)

"He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son."                                                                                                                              Revelation 21:7

"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."                                                                                                    I John 5:4

Early Morning Run with My Favorite Workout Partner

Sandra is doing a new run program.  Today I joined her.

We ran slowly for 15 minutes, had a 2 minute walk, then we did six segments of the following:

1 minute fast run, walk 2 minutes, 2 minute fast run, walk 1 minute

It was awesome!  Sandra did great.  Her fast run pace was around a 9 minute mile.  It was good to go to work with most of my step goal for the day already logged!!

The morning started out chilly - 40F, but we weren't cold long 😅

Sealing the Concrete and Flushing My Eyes

The builder of our home did not seal the concrete driveway after pouring it, so we have begun the process of laying a strong sealer.

The trick to getting a sealer to work is having a clean surface to start.  As usual, I toyed with the idea of borrowing one.  This quickly gave way to, "That's too much bother.  I'll buy my own."  We are glad that we did.  This little electric pressure washer is just perfect for the residential owner looking to clean a few things a year.  We already have the Greenworks lawn care implements such as lawnmower, trimmer, edger, etc.  Now we've added the pressure washer.  I'm not a greenie, but I sure enjoy not having to store fuel and worry about gummed-up carburetors. 

After cleaning the surface twice (pressure wash it, then do it again after scrubbing with concrete cleaner), I applied the sealer with a pump-up sprayer.  Two things with the sprayer:  don't use a $14 one from Lowes.  The spray valve got stuck half way through the project.  In a knee-jerk response, I told Sandra, "You need to get me another sprayer.  This one isn't going to make it!"  I'm not sure what I wanted from her, because a few moments later when she appeared to get into the car and go to town, I asked her, "Where are you going?"  She was like, "Uhhhh ... don't you need a sprayer?  I can't just have Amazon drone me in a sprayer!!!"  I'm a moron sometimes.  I think I was hoping that her fancy Walmart delivery would bring one.  Life doesn't work that way.  Second:  get an acetone resistant sprayer (around 60$).  I didn't realize that a standard sprayer will not tolerate acetone (solvent) based chemicals.  I quickly discovered this when my sprayer hose ruptured and I had solvent all over me and in my eyes and face.  I got a quick and practical lesson in the first aid practice of eye-flushing.  It works by the way.  Won't be using junky sprayers again.

Despite my moronic interaction with my practical wife and near blindness from the ruptured sprayer, it turned out well.  The water beads up nicely instead of soaking into the depths of the concrete substrate.  I have an acetone-tolerant sprayer on the way for the other side of the driveway 😀.

 

Hopefully, this will keep the concrete top layer from flaking off as do so many of our neighbors' driveways.  This investment is too expensive and important to let go.

All in all, it's going well, and I love the new pressure-washer 😉.

6AM Run

 

The morning was cool, a little overcast but nice.  The rain moves in later, so we got our run early today.

Sandra's running app had her do 20 minutes of steady state running today.  Nothing fancy, just find a doable pace and keep your heart rate elevated for 20 minutes.

I joined her.  It felt good to get a jump on the day and frontload the exercise.

This evening, the rain comes, so we are looking forward to a quiet evening at home with coffee and rain on the roof.  😊

My Advocate

What is an advocate?  It's someone who intercedes on behalf of another.

In I John 1:1, Jesus is called our advocate.

"My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:"

Apart from being covered by the blood of Christ, I can't stand before the Holy God, but in Jesus, I find refuge because He paid the price for my sins.

The Greek word behind "advocate" is the same word translated "Comforter" in John 14:16.  In that passage, the Holy Spirit is called "another Comforter."

Apart from demonstrating that the Spirit of God and the Son of God are both God, this name shows that Jesus is my Comforter.  He comes alongside me to help and deliver.

Through His sacrifice, he has appeased God's wrath toward my sin.  That's the idea behind the word "propitiation."

"And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."  I John 2:2

He was made sin for us so that we can find forgiveness of sins through belief in His name.  Also, He offers forgiveness to ALL.  As the text says, "...The whole world."  Jesus didn't die for just the "elect" as Calvinistic doctrine would have us to believe.  He died for the whole world.

The Son of God is my Advocate, my Comforter.  I would be a hopeless mess without Him, and I would not have a home in heaven if it weren't for the High and Holy Advocate.

Almost 3 Miles

 

Tuesday was a perfect day for a run!

I didn't get to 3 miles.  My legs were starting to cramp up from a previous workout.

My goal is 3 miles in or under 30 minutes.  I stink at running, but I sure do enjoy it 😏

Yesterday's work consisted of 15 second bursts with about 1 minute off.  Run as fast as you can for 15 seconds and then walk for a minute and catch your breath.

This builds power and works on those fast-twitch muscle fibers which start to deteriorate after 30ish.

Thankful for the Resurrection

"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?"

                                                                                                                                        John 11:25, 26

With the approach of Resurrection Sunday, I am thankful for the power of the resurrection.  Without it, salvation would not exist.  Because Christ overcame death, He is able to give that same victory to the one who trusts in Him as Savior.

The resurrection also gives me deliverance from the power of sin in my life.  The day I trusted in Christ, the power of my flesh was subjugated by the Holy Spirit of God Who took up residence in my soul.

"Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin."

                                                                                                                                        Romans 6:6

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

                                                                                                                                     II Corinthians 5:17

I am grateful for the solid hope of eternal life.  I am grateful for power over my flesh.  Because of the resurrection, I don't have to serve my flesh.