Lessons learned over the past 70 years
Jane Bellew, chairwoman of the board of directors for The Alabama Baptist and a member of Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church, Hueytown, turned 70 earlier this year. She shared the following things she has learned over the past 70 years:
The most important thing I have learned is the three F’s: faith, family and friends. Without these, I could not make it through a day.
Faith will help you weather all the storms in life.
Family surrounds you with love and support.
Friends keep you grounded in morals, manners and meaning.
I have learned that mistakes in life are good if you use them as steppingstones to grow.
Parents today need to get back to the basic rules our parents taught us. Respect others if you want to be respected. Sometimes a child needs to hear the word “no” and learn to say please and thank you.
Life gives us choices. It is up to us to choose wisely. My choice has been to choose service. I choose to serve God and in all things, give thanks.
I use this phrase every day: Nothing lasts forever so make it right the first time.
And finally I live by this saying: If the Lord came today, would I be happy with whom I was with, doing what I was doing and being where I was? If I could not answer yes to all three, I was with the wrong person, doing the wrong thing, at the wrong place. That keeps me grounded with people, places and things.
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An excerpt from Elizabeth Gregory’s ‘Seeking Simplicity: A Woman’s Guide to a Balanced Life’
“What is it that keeps us from being able to prioritize? … Our time is not our own. If we want to surrender our lives to God and serve Him, our time … is His. We need to think twice before we frivolously give away God’s time that He created in our lives to serve Him. …
“Acts 11:23 says, ‘When he came, and had seen the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord.’
“The key words here are ‘with purpose.’ When we get honest with ourselves, we will see that much of our activity lacks purpose. It isn’t just any activity that drains us of creative energy and robs us of our enthusiasm. It is purposeless activity. Activity with meaning increases our zest and joy for living. If we seek God’s will in our lives above all else, then anything He wants us to do will have real meaning in our life or the lives of others.”
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From the readers
I am so happy to see your articles in The Alabama Baptist. I have been blogging and writing articles on Ezine (EzineArticles.com) promoting weight loss and healthy living for more than a year now.
I published a book a couple of year back promoting the idea that we Christians should be in the forefront of the obesity battle in our country. I do a lot of research and more than half of the medical expense in our country is related to overweight health issues like heart attack, strokes and diabetes.
Thank you for what you are doing. If you have people who say they are too old to start a weight loss and healthy lifestyle, they should read “Younger Next Year,” by Christopher Crowlley and Dr. Henry Lodge. They show you are never too old to improve and how to do it.
Sue Godwin
http://joyduf.blogspot.com
http://www.weightlift-off.com
In February:
I hear you! I really do need to quit making excuses.
I remember when I really enjoyed exercising, and I know if I can just get past the first three weeks, I will enjoy that feeling once again. I think the hardest part about exercising and eating properly is winning the mind battle.
At the moment, I am losing the battle, but I am going to follow your column and take the first step, which I hope will lead to others.
In June:
I am now in Week 4 of a healthy low-carb diet and walking 45 minutes on the treadmill four to five days a week. After the first week I started feeling stronger and am actually looking forward to exercising each day. I must go to bed earlier now to get enough rest because I am doing this before work, but I’m finding it easier to do in the mornings when I have a lot of energy.
Kathy Dean
University of Mobile
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From the Twitterverse
Jack Graham (pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church near Dallas) — Vital to your walk with Christ is balance. Stay steady. Keep your pace. Don’t get blown off your feet with fads. Blessed are the balanced.
Thom Rainer (president of LifeWay Christian Resources) — The simple life demands that you focus. You must eliminate much of your busyness.
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Upcoming topics include healthy eating.
Send us your experiences with and suggestions on this topic. E-mail jrash@thealabamabaptist.org or comment on our blog at thealabamabaptist.wordpress.com.
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