A Saturday at the Bernheim Forest

On Saturday, we made a trip to a large Arboretum north of us near Louisville, KY.  The weather was perfect and the landscape was fantastic.  Fall colors were abundant.

The arboretum has three giants made entirely of wood.  Sandra had to squeeze into this picture quickly before someone else came into view.  This particular area was busy 😊

All together, we walked 9 miles that day through various terrain.  All that walking made us hungry, so we came home and had a "cookie dough smoothie."  The ingredients include riced, frozen cauliflower, nut butter, cocoa nibs, dates, almond milk, etc. 😟

Actually, you don't taste the cauliflower.  It's pretty amazing.

Quin-WHAT?

Ok, so by now, you've determined that I appreciate good food.  Food is medicine.  It's the best medicine that you can give your body.  When I say "good" food, I'm not talking strictly about what tastes good.  I'm also talking about what is good for you.

Quinoa (pronounced QEEN-WAH) is an amazing little seed (thought of as a grain).  It's gluten-free, so Sandra and I have eaten quite a bit of it.  It has many benefits, including ...

1.  It's a whole grain.

2.  It's high in fiber.  This includes some soluble fiber which can help lower cholesterol levels.

3.  It's a complete protein.  It has all 9 essential amino acids that your body can't make on its own.  Other grains and legumes have protein, but they are often incomplete.  You have to eat something else with them.  However, quinoa can stand on its own in that department.

4.  It's packed with nutrients like Vitamin B6, E, Iron, Magnesium and Zinc just to name a few.

5.  It has a low Glycemic Index.  It will not spike your blood sugar after eating it, unlike simpler carbs such as white bread or processed potatoes.  Because quinoa is high in fiber and protein, digestion is slowed as your body breaks down these components.  This results in slower absorption and hence a lower spike in blood sugar.

The only thing about quinoa is ... it's not that tasty.  You need to mix it in with something or cook it in a quality broth.  Check out Sandra's blog for a link to a delicious Quinoa Enchilada recipe.

Wednesday, I had a service call out in Campbellsville, KY.  I found a nice park near Green River dam after eating some delicious quinoa enchiladas!  Of course, I had to get a couple of thousand steps as well 😉

Fun Fact:  God placed a bitter chemical around the outside of quinoa called saponins.  These act as a natural deterrent for pests.

Returning to the Scene of the Walk

"Praise the LORD.  Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise Him in the heights.  Praise ye Him, all His angels: praise ye Him, all His hosts.  Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise Him, all ye stars of light.  Praise Him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens."  Psalm 148:1-4

This past Saturday was the first day that felt truly like Fall.  I had a men's prayer meeting in the morning, then Sandra and I headed over to Springfield, TN to walk the greenway.

The trail was just over 3 miles long after roaming through town a bit.  All in all, we got in a 7 mile walk.  The day was fantastic.  We remembered walking the same trail last year.  I then pulled out my phone and look at the date of a picture that I had taken on the greenway last year.  The picture was dated almost the exact same day that we walked this year.  I guess we must like taking this trail in October 😊🍁🍂

Toward the end, the sky clouded up and got quite dark.  As we ate our lunch, we commented to each other how dark it was getting, then we remembered that a partial solar eclipse was taking place that afternoon!

We thank the Lord for giving us such nice places to walk so close to home.  This one is only 35 minutes away.

Lots of Steps on This First Cool Day in October

 

  Our first walk today was at our favorite park.  It has a 1.6 mile outer gravel trail and a 1 mile inner paved trail.  We visited there this morning, and then we enjoyed a slower Bible time in the early afternoon.

  Our second walk was in the later afternoon.  I took Sandra to another local park for the "Scarecrow Walk."  Basically, a bunch of local businesses get together and advertise via fall displays peppered along a walking path through the woods.

We had no idea that Dixie paper dinnerware is based out of Bowling Green 🍴

I had to get a picture of this one since it has a John Deere tractor 🚜

Parker makes hydraulic fittings and hoses.  I'm familiar with them in my line of work.

We enjoyed our time together, and the weather was amazing.  Praise the Lord for Fall!

Eternally Secure ... Contrary to Some Teaching

And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.  John 6:39

Apart from simple faith in the finished work of Christ, what part did your have in saving you soul, if you are saved?

The answer is, None.  Salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9).  I do not have any power or ability to save myself.  Salvation is entirely an act of God's grace apart from ANY work of my own (Ephesians 2:8, 9).

So, if we know that we can't EARN our salvation, why would we ever think that we can KEEP our salvation?

According to this verse, what part do you play in keeping your salvation?  I don't see the believer doing anything in this verse to secure himself in Christ, but I do see Christ doing everything to prevent the believer from being lost.

Notice that the Father has given the Son all who are willing to place faith in Christ, and notice also that the Son has promised that every soul entrusted to him will be safe.  He won't lose one - not even one.

In fact, He promises that every soul that has placed faith in His redeeming blood will be raised again at the last day.

So what if I fail God miserably or even allow myself to reject fellowship with Him and choose worldliness instead?

The Bible makes it clear that carnal decisions carry consequences in this life (Romans 6:23) and loss of rewards in heaven (I Corinthians 3:11-15); however, an individual's salvation can't be lost.  It can't be lost because you didn't earn it, and it's not up to you to keep it.  That's Jesus' job, and He's very good at it!

Snickerdoodle Smoothie ... Healthy of Course

Sandra made some zucchini pumpkin muffins for our breakfasts, and somehow my typical chocolate smoothie just didn't seem like a good fit.

I found this recipe on Recipe Runner blog, and it was fantastic.  I modified it a little bit.

1 cup almond milk

1 date

1 tbsp almond butter

1 frozen banana

1/2 cup frozen cauliflower (chopped)

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp cinnamon

I didn't feel bad about eating anything in this smoothie, and the flavor definitely resembled a snickerdoodle cookie, which isn't my favorite cookie, but it paired nicely with the muffins that Sandra made.

Today's workout was an interval run - 2 minutes running, 2 minutes walking for 6 rounds.  I would've done 8 round normally, but I was saving time today.

Lending a Hand ... to Someone Who Hates You

"If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.  If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him."  

Exodus 23:3-4

If I found the power drill of a neighbor who hated my guts, my flesh wouldn't be inclined to return it; however, showing kindness, honesty, and concern for my neighbor who doesn't like me is exactly what God commands here.

If I saw a neighbor who hated me struggling to fix a flat tire along the highway, I can't say my first thought in the flesh would be, "Happy day!  I get to help my neighbor who hates me!"  Yet, putting aside my natural inclination and showing the love of God to a disagreeable neighbor is precisely what God is commanding here.

These verses remind me of what Jesus said.  "... If ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?  And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?"

My religion has no more depth than that of a self-righteous Pharisee if I refuse to show God's love to people who don't like, or perhaps even hate, me.

I've always been challenged and motivated by David's words, words that he spoke as a king who was hounded and hated causelessly by Saul.

"... Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him?"

Staying Fit on a Trip

 Staying fit while away can be a challenge.  While on a business trip Monday-Wednesday, I took some loop-style resistance bands with me.  I've posted about these before.  They are easy to pack and super useful.

These are the results of my Monday morning workout.  I did this workout in the room with just bodyweight and resistance bands.

The workout consisted of pushups, squats (with the resistance band), rows (with the resistance band) and lunges.

With a work session of 40 seconds on followed by 20 seconds of rest, my heart rate was pumping.

You don't have to have a hotel gym to get a workout on your trip.  You just need a little space and some creativity 😉.

For food ...

One dinner was a burrito bowl at Chipotle and two dinners were a Mediterranean quinoa bowl at Panera Bread.  I like the Mediterranean Bowl while travelling because it enables me to get in the healthy grains and greens.

Combines and Corn ... Lots of Corn

The past few days I've been in Davenport, IA for training on combines.  It was a profitable trip because I don't know much about these machines.

We harvested some corn as part of the training, and it was a neat experience.  There is no lack of corn in Iowa!

We got to try some new software that allows the combine to turn on its own at the end of the field.  We also used software that keeps the graincart alongside the combine as both machines are moving and grain is being offloaded.  

This particular header is 50 feet wide.  It's not the widest one that you can get.  The biggest is 55'.  That's like carrying a semi-trailer on the front of the combine!!

It was a good trip, but I'm glad to be back home.  I missed Sandra, our lovely home, and her good cooking!

Sunshine and Concrete Sealer

 

Today, the weather is amazing.  It's in the upper 70s, but the absence of extreme humidity makes it feel like a cool fall day.

Sandra and I took advantage of this and sealed the rear concrete patio.

We bought a product that was supposed to give the concrete an antique look; however, most of the "antiquing" particles simply clogged up in the nozzle of the sprayer.  The company is Direct Colors.  I wouldn't go with them again.  They said that you can and should use a sprayer, but honestly, even with a wide-tip sprayer, the antiquing material just clogged up the end.

Fortunately, this setback didn't prevent the grey stain from coloring the patio, and the sealer went on nicely today.  

The main concern was getting the patio sealed, and that was accomplished.

We thank the Lord for a beautiful day and perfect weather for such an endeavor.  

Wondering why the tarp is in the background?  Jagoe Homes decided to water their new sod today and the overspray was hitting the newly sealed patio.  A big NO NO!  

Devotionals, Leg Day, and Sunrise Smoothie

 

Sandra and I have read this book together, and I'm reading it through again in my morning Bible study.

It's a challenge taken from the life of Joseph.  The author brought out the fact that God was Joseph's FIRST pursuit.  Because of this, everything else fell into place, even in the prison.

He mentioned that we all love the product of God's presence and blessing, but we often don't want the process that brings it.

I highly recommend this book if you are looking for something on the shorter but highly edifying side.

So ... my workout wasn't really 58 minutes.  I forgot to end my workout session on my fitness tracker after finishing.

It was leg day, so this involved squats with one dumbbell, lunges holding a dumbbell, and weighted hip lifts.  Here is a basic rundown of the routine ...

5 minute warmup

Set 1:

60 seconds of weighted squats

60 seconds of single-leg reach (switch legs at 30 second mark)

side planks for 60 seconds

60 seconds fast pushups on knees

Set 2:

60 seconds lunges with one weight

60 second hip lifts with a weight or band

60 second bird dogs

60 seconds fast pushups on knees

Repeat every set 3 times and rest 30 seconds between exercises.

I have a smoothie almost every morning along with either healthy muffins or peanut butter on toast.

This morning consisted of a Sunrise Smoothie.

1 cup of almond milk

1 5 oz cup of Greek yogurt (mine was slightly sweetened)

1/2 cup of frozen pineapple

1/2 cup of frozen mango

Simple, but delicious.