Writing It Randomly

Inspired by Krista Williams' 'God's Promise to Abram' on First5 , I want to share with you what I've learned today. God's promises are unchangeable and eternal, and through Jesus Christ, we've already been blessed to receive them. ['He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. ' - Gal 3 :14] All we have to do is obey, wait, and (through unwavering trust in God) drive away the vultures of doubt, fear, and discouragement. This led me to look into what exactly His covenant blessings are and it's all good news, people! THE OLD COVENANT(S): 1. God's covenant with Noah [ ' 18  But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.  19 You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive wi...

May you live your purpose and may blessings abound. HAPPY NEW YEAR! PC: Facebook

I am thrilled to have stumbled onto Wrong Side of the Art today. They have an extensive collection of movie posters, including some ace vintage horror ones. Their cheesy taglines made my week! Watching horror movies is a favourite pastime, but I haven't seen nearly enough of them to tell you more about the films themselves. Below are four choice poster art samples, but for in-depth reviews, scoot on over to Maynard's - I'm sure he has seen them all.

The monsters in True Crime do not fascinate me. They are horrible people and do not deserve to be elevated in any way, shape, or form. We should focus on the victims and the people who love them. They deserve to have their stories told. They deserve to be remembered. At some point, knowing what happened to them should become a catalyst for change. To raise awareness, countless great documentaries have been made, and I salute everyone who helps shine a light on the truth. As for my opinion on what constitutes True Crime - I'm aware of the fact that it might be different from yours, but here are some of the true stories that have had a lasting impact on me are: When They See Us Unbelievable The Keepers Say Her Name Dear Zachary Making A Murderer Dirty John The Champions Blackfish Roll Red Roll If you're a lover of true crime like Anna & I, and you know of any other must-see documentary films, docuseries or based-on-true-story titles, leave a Comment bel...

Changing seasons is so refreshing, isn't it? If I were to say that I love change because I love a challenge, it may give you the impression that I love working hard in all areas of my life. That would be a lie. What I love is how it fires up my mind. Using my brain is always good fun, but struggling is not my cup of tea coffee. (Is it ever for anyone?) The last few months brought along unexpected obstacles. We are trying hard to navigate our way through this tough time, but it is difficult to stay positive when resources dwindle and plans become muddled. What remains constant, is the Word and how the  First5 community helps me stay connected it. I am grateful that I heeded the call years ago  ['No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them...' -  John 6 :44]  and that I am no longer stumbling along on my own. Grace and truth come through Jesus alone. [John 1:17] All we have to do is bring Him what we have (who we are). He is always e...

Reality TV is white noise.  Jailbirds play in the background as I check emails and catch up on social media. I vaguely become aware of an altercation between inmates on the screen. The insults and temper tantrums sling back-and-forth. Off-screen jail time must be more hardcore than how it's depicted in this show. Otherwise, it's basically high school with less violence and more drugs. (One of the insults consists of the words 'fat slut' 🙄.) As the onscreen melodrama unfolds, I read a piece on what air travel is like when you're fat. I am fat. I am also terrified of someone else touching my fat (or my fat touching them). Wrapping my body around itself in an effort to make myself smaller is something I am all too familiar with. On planes, buses, trains. At conferences, in churches, and sharing an Uber. Trying to make myself smaller is nothing new. Blaming fat for this habit is disingenuous. I have always felt uncomfortable in my own skin. As far back as I...

Happy Valentine's Week! Here's a song for those times you just want to do it.

A perpetual cycle of finding myself, only to lose myself again, devoured most of my free time last year. I did not write or read nearly as much as I aimed for and there's no way of reliably predicting that 2019 will be any different. Right now, my self-confidence is on the upswing, and it looks like my niche is being carved out. Past behaviour, however, is the best predictor of future behaviour, so I won't be too surprised to find myself over-thinking and screwing myself over more than once before this New Year is through. This is why I decided to ride out this high and instead of bothering too much with resolutions, I worked through my 1000+ unread personal emails. One of them was a recent newsletter from  The What , and now I cannot stop listening to The Hu. No. Not 'The Who'. The HU:

Although it feels like this post should be titled 'Part 200'. This whole year (in terms of #hikegoals) was try, fail, try again... Right now, I'm not sure if I'm ever going to be ready for a multi-day hike like the Fish River, but I am sure that I will not stop trying to live a life worth living. For me, that kind of life is one that needs regular refills of love,  healthspo,  and travel. PC: IQuitSugar on IG

Yes, I am one of those terribly annoying people who get a kick out of these silly almost-every-day celebrations, and tomorrow it's  Face Your Fears Day  (2nd Tuesday of October each year). Don't fight it. Shhhh...

It's been 20 years.  I forget just how ridiculous those boy bands were. (And how much we were into them.) Poor Kurt Cobain would have risen from the dead only to die from embarrassment knowing his face graced my bedroom wall at the same time as a Backstreet Boys poster. The horror! A lot has changed for me since the 1990's. Pinks and feminine florals no longer repulse me, my taste in music is now much more inclusive, and I've even quit smoking. The bad taste in my past is something I'm quite comfortable admitting to now, but SMH. Why, oh why, was I ever into this  other  'N Sync guy?

How Can A Step Back Take You Forward? The story of Noah, the Ark, and the Great Flood taught me how. I reread it alongside Wendy Blight's 'Obeying When It Seems Impossible' teaching on Genesis 7. At the end of it, she asks whether there are any seemingly impossible tasks in our lives, and what we can do to take a step closer to accomplishing them. My life so far had nothing as daunting as Noah's instructions from God, but I recalled advice my father once gave me. He said that I need to surrender control once I've asked/prayed for help. You see, my dad jokingly told everyone that my very first words were "Ek wil self" ('I want to do it myself'). Although this paints a clear picture of me as a toddler, I have since learnt that it is important to ask for help. The only part of this whole thing that I haven't mastered yet, is to allow enough time and opportunity for others to help me after I've asked them to. Rainbows are a sign tha...

Most of us who struggle with our weight know exactly what to do. I have all the resources I need to get my body on track to reach those #hikegoals I set for myself  last year . Instead, I've crawled back into the old habit of damaging this body the good Lord gave me. I've fallen off the #healthspo wagon and can't get up. How can someone who's such a hard worker be so pathetic at nurturing relationships and living life? My Boot Camp participation wasn't what it could've been during the second round. Social fun feels like a myth. Mornings, breakfasts, and meals in general, have gone to hell in a handbasket. Tomorrow is the 1st day of quitting sugar AGAIN. I'm shitting bricks! Are there others out there trying and failing like this over and over and over? "I am made for more than a vicious cycle of eating, gaining, stressing..." - Lysa TerKeurst I'm still hanging onto the straps, but I don't know how to make my arms pull me up and o...

More importantly: What is a Floppotron?

I surprised everyone in the kitchen this week. This revelation might seem trivial to you, but it's almost unheard of in my Kitchen Catastrophe world, and I'm super proud of how the meal turned out. Every Tuesday Night is Girls Night, and this week was my turn to cook. In keeping with my  #healthspo journey  goals, I scoured recipe books (and Pinterest, of course!) to find something suitably low in carbs. At the same time, I knew we had some tomatoes and baby spinach in the fridge that was hanging on to the far edge of freshness (you know - that last day before mould sets in), so I had to come up with something to include those because I hate wasting food. Here's what I made (and it was delicious): Prawn, Spinach & Tomato Bake Ingredients : 200g cherry / small vine tomatoes (you can use more, but might just have to increase seasoning) olive oil, for drizzling PnP pizza & pasta seasoning mix, to taste^ 1 tbsp chermoula paste 1 squirt lemon jui...

Apparently, the solution to E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. Now, fight the urge to hurt me for being so corny and go build a bridge instead. Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Week is here! What do you have planned? Do you even celebrate it? We've never been really big on it. We'll give each other a little something, I guess, but for the most part, it's just another day. (Perhaps we would've been bigger fans if we received Valentine's gifts in high school. I wouldn't know.) Declaring your love whenever you feel it is a way better idea than hoarding it for one day a year, but I am a sucker for the silly celebrations, so to start our own tradition, we'll be doing something different for Valentine's Day. We're getting tested for HIV! I know that seems odd, but did you know that - even if you only have one sexual partner, you can contract the disease by accident ? And if you do, but never get tested, you can infect the love of your life without even knowing about it, becoming part of the vicious cycle? When you know your status (and check it regularly) it is less stressful & kind to others. ...

Boot Camp Weeks 11 - 15 [1 January - 4 February 2018] The Numbers : Day 14 = weighed in for Boot Camp registration and another 0.6kg down.                    ≈4.1kg ↓ so far Day 15 =  Boot Camp  starts Day 28 = completed my 2nd 7.5 km hike Additional Notes/Comments : A great opportunity fell into my lap - a free 4 week fitness boot camp just became available via Facebook. I had some residual aches & pains that I first had to get checked out, but as soon as the GP gave me the all clear, I tackled my first ever body boot camp. My diet has gone to hell, so I've been too scared to weigh in as well. Trying to muster up my courage, because I'm expecting to have gained all of the weight I lost over Nov & Dec 2017... *Disclaimer: I am not a health/medical professional. This lifestyle plan was developed to suit me personally (I suffer from PCOS & insulin resistance and I'm on...

And, having listened to the entire song, I think that light sometimes feel like oncoming traffic. The Smiths - weird, sad and beautiful.

Facing your circumstances (and yourself) head-on takes courage, but when courage is required, it doesn't mean that you should fear what's ahead. See it as a sign that whatever lies in front of you is filled with  possibility . Source: Facebook