He’s Building Beautiful Buildings

“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of His household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone.  IN HIM the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord, and IN HIM you too are BEING BUILT together to become a dwelling in which God Himself lives by His Spirit.” —Ephesians 2:19-22

This morning as I was lingering over these verses and reading through my Jon Courson commentary.   My heart was overwhelmed and intrigued with idea that through Christ I am immediately a new person, but my entire life will be spent being built into become a dwelling place for God.  There is beauty in the building process.  There is grace in understanding that my house won’t be fully done until I take my last breath.

My memory verse last week was Ephesians 3:20:  “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is AT WORK within us.”  

Today’s scriptures continue this same message...In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord, and In Him you too are BEING BUILT together to become a dwelling in which God Himself lives by His Spirit

At Work + Being Built = IN PROCESS

My life is a construction site where He is AT WORK building me into His masterpiece. I am in process.  I have not arrived.  I am being refined and sculpted through Holy Bootcamps that get me to HIM.  His strength and majesty shines in my weaknesses.

He is chiseling, reshaping, and molding me to become His beautiful building.  

The building process is long, it’s a lifetime project because I have resistant clay and brick called sin.  But praise the Lord, He never tires!  He is steadfast to stay the course until my house is exactly as He designed and deemed it to be before I ever took my first breath! 

“You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” — 1 Peter 2:5

“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.” — 1 Peter 2:6

Whole30-Reintroduction-HE EQUIPS

For those who did not catch my update this week on FB.  Scott and I completed 30 DAYS of being 100% complaint on Whole30.  

• Scott lost SIXTEEN POUNDS!!!
• I lost FIFTEEN!!!

God revealed himself as my mighty warrior through every single step.  Especially, when I had to travel out of town for three days and stay in a hotel.  I did not have control of my food or how it was prepared.  

The Lord actually moved on our caterers heart to prepare meals for me that allowed me to stay compliant and to live in LIFE and PEACE!  I didn’t ask even have to ask.  This precious Jesus-loving woman heard I was doing Whole30 and then was moved by the Lord to prepare my meats and veggies separately.  

She will never know how much God used her during that trip to make Himself known.  He is gracious and good and FULL OF MERCY!

RE-INTRODUCTION WEEK

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along th3e path of EVERLASTING life!” — Psalm 139:23-24

God is busy and at work in my life, in my heart, AND especially in my weaknesses.  I truly believe that doing Whole30 felt easier than allowing foods back in.  I found for me, that in a fast it’s easier because I don’t have to think about what I’m doing as much.  I can’t have (fill in the blank) and so it’s not even on my radar.  

This week I’ve begun the reintroduction phase.  I have been allowing certain foods back in to test them and to see how my body reacts.  This is truly one of the biggest reasons we do Whole30.  It’s a way to discover if we have food sensitivities.  Some people can have dairy and others cannot.  Some can have grains and gluten and this would be foolish for others.  

How Whole30 reintroduces foods is that you try one group (Without mixing it up with anything else) on one day and then go back to Whole30 strictly for two days and then introduce the next food (by itself) and then go back to Whole30.  

You are supposed to take note of how you feel right away and then also the next day.  Here is what I’ve discovered:

I did fine immediately with shredded cheese 

“All things are permissable, but not all things are profitable”

—I Corinthians 10:23

I did NOT do well with butter.  For lunch I had chicken and green beans and added a couple of pats of real butter to cook it.  I had an immediate (within 15 mins) reaction to butter.  I will save you the details, but trust me on this😳😉🤭  It was SO obvious.  

For dinner I made a Trim Healthy Mama “S” meal. Which means it was grain, gluten, and sugar free.  But packed with dairy!  It looked so good and I thought there was no better way to test my reaction😊😉😘. 

It used 1 C of heavy cream and 1 C of Parmesan cheese.  I was so nervous, but WOO HOO it was awesome and I had NO immediate reaction.

LONG TERM OBSERVATIONS?

I noticed the next day I had just a smidge of congestion.  Prior to beginning Whole30 I had struggled with sinus issues horribly for a couple of years.  I had been on prednisone packs ELEVEN TIMES because of the inflammation and swelling.  It was one of my biggest improvements on Whole30.  

So...when I tell you it was just a smidge, it was enough to cause me to caution dairy back into my life on a regular basis.  As a matter of fact, that MORE than the tummy issues caused me to be cautious with dairy.  

On a positive note, dairy did not appear to cause any inflammation in my joints.  

SO, WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?  WHAT HAVE I LEARNED?   

WHAT’S NEXT? 

Truthfully, I’m still figuring it out myself.  But here is what I do know for sure:

• I will continue to eat most Whole30
• My caveats will be allowing Splenda, Erthrytol, and Xyitol back into my diet. (My body does fine with these natural sweeteners)
• I will continue the reintroduction phase this week with trying out grains and take note
• Long term I think I will stay pretty close to Whole30 except on weekends.  
• On weekends I will continue to eat sugar free, but make recipes from Trim Healthy Mama that might allow dairy or possibly good grains.
• I will continually pray and evaluate
• This is a journey and I love that I don’t have to have all the answers.  I just have to know the ONE who does!

“Seek me with all your heart and you will find me”

—Jeremiah 29:13