Why I Decided to Enter a Diabetes Study

When I first learned of “my” diabetes, I really didn’t know what to think.  like most people, I was very confused and had quit a bit of fear.  The only thing I know about diabetes was what I heard when I was young; people were losing multiple limbs to the condition.

But at the first class given by the clinic I was in at the time, I learned you weren’t necessarily doomed to losing limbs.  Taking care of yourself, watching your diet, testing often and you could lead to living a relatively normal life.

But I couldn’t lose weight.  Forget about keeping it off!  If you couldn’t get it off, there’s nothing to keep off!  When the opportunity to be a part of the Look Ahead came up, I applied and luckily was accepted.

I’ll go through what we were “expected”, not required to do.  I say expected because there was never any pressure to follow the program.  Other than peer pressure that is.

But its turning out well.  I’ll keep you posted.

George

Aug 06, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post

Our Choices

Colossians 3:15 “Let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts… and be thankful.”

Colossians 3:16  “Let the word of God dwell in us richly…”

Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus…”

What choices do we make during the day?

Do we let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts?  Do we let the Word of God dwell in us richly?  That doesn’t just happen naturally.  We have to intentionally make those choices.  We have to challenge ourselves to deal with the bad while focusing on all the good that is there as well.

So, what aggravation or disappointment are you facing today?  If that’s the worst thing that happens – I bet you could say it’s still a pretty good day too.

Adapted from: Lysa TerKeurst

Encouragement for Today a free devotional from Crosswalk,

Aug 06, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post

My Diabetes Statistics

I first discovered I had Type 2 diabetes in1990. Like most people it was first discovered by accident. I was volunteering for a medical study and was told I couldn’t be a part of the study because of “my diabetes”.

What a rude awakening that was! My immediate thought was about my Sister-in-Law and the many times she was in the hospital for “her diabetes”.  I knew she took needles, but that’s about the extent of it.

After I started seeing the doctor, which I did right away, they set me straight on the cause, effect and treatment of diabetes. They sent me to a class, which my insurance company paid for, to learn about diabetes.  We learned about, among other things, fast food and diabetes, soft drinks and diabetes, which were at that time things which were dear to my heart.

I kept seeing the doctors and following their suggestions.  The one thing I really didn’t take their advice on was my weight.  I was really a porker then and stayed that way.

About 2002 I received a letter from the University of Minnesota about a study they were doing.  It had to do with older, overweight  people with diabetes.  They were offering free help and a little stipend each year if I participated in their study and they were allowed to use the results to show the effects of losing weight for diabetics.  its a little more involved than that, but that’s the gist of it.

I’ll explain a little bit more in a further post.

I volunteered and if you’ll look at the chart below, you’ll see some of the results for me personally:

  Date BP Weight BMI Right ABI Left ABI
BASELINE 08/13/2002 036/70 254 40.5 1.01 1.27
Year 1 07/15/2003 122/72 240 38.3 1.24 1.39
Year 2 07/27/2004 138/62 233 37.2 1.31 1.17
Year 3 07/21/2005 133/66 230 36.7 1.20 1.58
Year 4 07/25/2006 136/67 230 36.9 1.27 1.16
Year 5 07/17/2007 120/67 225 36.1      (*)      (*)
Year 6 07/17/2008 137/66 216 31.5      (*)      (*)
Year 7 07/14/2009 124/63 218 34.9      (*)      (*)

BP = Blood Pressure; BMI = Body Mass Index; ABI has to do with circulation and anything below .4 indicates a possible circulation problem in that leg.

Now what does all that mean to you?  It means I lost, slowly but surely, 36 pounds.  It also means they’re doing their job by not only helping me to keep the weight off, but to keep losing it a little at a time.

And also that I’ve “been there done that”.  Anything I post is from personal experience and not “some guy telling you stuff” that doesn’t know what he’s talking about.  See you soon.

Aug 04, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post

Driving Tips for the Narrow Road

From an article by Glynnis Whitwer in Crosswalk.com 

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV)

The narrow road is breathtaking, in the very scariest sense of the word.  A wrong move brings the promise of unpleasant consequences.  I know — I’ve crossed over the line before in my own life, and live with regrets.  And I wonder, as I ponder this concept, is it possible to stay on the narrow road?  Jesus clearly calls us to it in the book of Matthew.  We read in chapter 7, verses 13 and 14, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."   But can we do it?

Jesus believes so.  He knows the road to a faith-filled life isn’t easy, but it can be found.  As I’ve thought about staying true to my faith in Christ, I realize that I’ve given my son some driving advice that applies to my own life:

Stay alert to who is around you.  Choosing the right friends is one of the top lessons I’ve learned about staying true to my faith.  It’s amazing how a friend’s suggestions or words can take you on a detour from where you want to be.  Yet the right words and encouragement can bring joy and peace.

Keep focused on the road ahead.  Knowing where I want to be spiritually is a big step in the right direction.  When I have a vision of what a follower of Jesus looks like, I’m better able to follow through.

Don’t be overconfident.  Overconfidence in my own power and abilities is very dangerous.  Every time I think I’ve got a problem under control, I discover once again how much I need God.  However, living daily with my desperate need for a Savior keeps me on the right path. 

We’ve all been called to a different life as Christians.  We don’t walk the same road the world walks, and at times it feels scary and uncomfortable.  Yet the good news is we’ve been given sisters and brothers in Christ to walk beside us and help keep us focused.  Although I may not ever relax when a beginning driver is in control of the car, I know I can relax because God is in control of my life.  Recognizing that, the narrow road isn’t quite so intimidating. 

Jul 17, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post

I Think This Describes What I See in Kimi

Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to gooodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1:5-8
New International Version

Mar 16, 2009 | 2 comments | View Post

God Does Talk to Me

“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you.”

James 1:5a (NLT)

When I read that the other day, I wondered when God was going to give me some wisdom. ‘Cause I’ve asked and asked and never thought I ever got anything back.

Then I got to thinking about how the Ministers and Fathers from churches and the Rabbis from synagogues keep saying about how God talks to them. Maybe that’s how they got wisdom. God never talked to me and if He did, how would I ever know about it?

That’s really been bugging me since then. Maybe God has talked to me and I didn’t recognize it as such and ignored it!! That would be absolutely horrible!

I got to thinking about how I would recognize if God were talking to me. Maybe it’s not is some great revelation and a light doesn’t shine down me or a deep voice doesn’t come down from Heaven like in the movies. Seriously, that’s what I thought it might be like. But if God talked to all those Ministers, Fathers and Rabbis’ somebody else in their private sanctuary would also hear it, and I didn’t think that was happening. So it really had to be something pretty private.

Now I’ve had some pretty good thoughts about what I was going to do, lately and I wondered if that was God talking to me. What were the circumstances surrounding when I got those thoughts? Well, from what I remembered, it was during or right after I was praying for some guidance about something. That’s it!

If I’m right, and in my mind I am, God’s been talking to me right along and I never ever even thought about it that way!!

Proof? He’s been bugging me to write this for two days now I think, to share this with someone, in the hopes I might help someone else recognize my truth.

I hoped He didn’t think it was a sin that I’ve been ignoring Him, even in my ignorance, because I really didn’t know what I wasn’t doing. But then I found that God talks in many ways, because almost immediately afterward, I read:

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 (NASB)

And:

“Your word I have treasured in my heart…”

Psalm 119:11a (NAS)

Wow!

Any doubts!?  I sure don’t have any. You decide for yourself

George

Feb 01, 2009 | 2 comments | View Post

Christmas

“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.

Norman Vincent Peale
1898-1993, Pastor, Speaker and Author

Dec 25, 2008 | 2 comments | View Post

Owe No One

If we need guidance as to whether we should have debt or not, check the ultimate authority – the bible:

“Owe no one anything except to love one another for he who loves another
has fulfilled the law.”

Romans 13:8 (NKJV)

Dec 04, 2008 | 2 comments | View Post
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