Heart Choices: 2009-06-14 -->

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Then Sings My Soul Saturday ~ I'm Amazed



It's Saturday and I'm participating in the meme Then Sings My Soul Satuday. You can link to Amy's Signs, Miracles and Wonders to find other bloggers who have joined in today.

I chose the song "I'm Amazed" performed by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.

The words to this song are so meaningful when I realize deep in my heart that ALL of my sins are washed away through Jesus. How amazing is that?

There's nothing I can do to earn this salvation. I simply believe by faith and place my trust in Jesus. I truly am AMAZED!

I've had the privilege of visiting the Brooklyn Tabernacle several times. If you ever get to visit New York City, this is a MUST for any visit. You will be blessed as you worship with people of every color and every nation. I think it might be a little preview of heaven!


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Friday Funnies ~ Do Women Talk Too Much?


This week, I am participating in a meme called Friday Funnies. Kim of Homesteader's Heart is our host and you can link there if you want to have a good chuckle. I think laughter is good for your heart and that's why I wanted to participate too.

My friend Lisa brought this video to my attention this morning and I couldn't wait to share it with you. Do we women talk too much? And when did we learn this skill? You've got to check out this little one's vocabulary! LOL!


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Fitness Friday ~ Eat Your Fruits and Veggies


It's Fitness Friday! The summer has arrived and the days are gettting hot ...especially here in Phoenix.

Of course, we always like to remind people that it may be hot but it's a dry heat. But we all know ...it's still HOT!

Instead of focusing on exercise this week, I thought I'd talk about fruits and veggies a bit. I know, I know ...you know you're supposed to eat lots of fruits and vegetables but it can be hard to fit it in.

I read in my current Pritikin ePerspective newsletter that we should eat 9 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. That means 4 fruits and 5 veggies at a minimum.

Here's their bottom line as to the benefits of including fruits and veggies:
  • Helps you lose weight and ...keep it off
  • Helps to reduce your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and many cancers
  • Helps you feel better
  • Helps you look better
  • Helps you live longer

You simply can't get the same benefit from taking a pill. You have to eat real fruits and vegetables.

Right now is a great season to purchase fresh berries. Have you seen all of the strawberries, blueberries, peaches and watermelon in the grocery stores?

Do you need a few ideas?

How about eating healthy and saving money?

Erin of $5 Dinners posted a simple recipe for a fruit salad on her blog. She purchases fruit that is in season and on sale. When she gets home from the grocery store, she cuts up half of the fruit she purchased and puts it in a bowl. This way it's easy to access for a handy snack.

How often do you think of having some fruit but don't want to take the time to clean it or cut it up? Link to Erin's post and see how easy it is to do and ...at the same time save money. I'm all for that.

Let me give you a few tips for ways to include fruits and vegetables in your diet every day:

  • Add fresh fruit to your cereal each morning
  • If you have a sandwich for lunch, be sure to include lettuce or other greens and tomatoes
  • Vegetable soups are a great way to add veggies
  • Gazpacho soup is ideal for hot weather (I usually make up a batch for the week since it's so low calorie and healthy)
  • Snack on raw carrots (You can even buy them cleaned and cut up)
  • Visit your local farmer's markets for fresh and local fruit and vegetables
  • Include fresh raw vegetables in a salad every day

I hope you will find inventive ways to include fresh fruits and vegetables each day. It's a great way to teach your children how to eat healthy.

How about you? Have you found ways to include this important food group in your diet?

Don't forget to visit Sandy at God Speaks Today for her Fitness Friday post. She's writing from California while on vacation with her family. I wonder how she'll get her fruits and veggies in?

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Wednesday's Walk ~ Grandpa Sumstad



Last week was my first to participate in the meme Wednesday's Walk Down Memory Lane. But I want to let you know that it was very memorable for me and I couldn't wait to participate again this week.

Last week, I wrote about my Grandpa Sumstad. He was such a hero to me and a spiritual mentor. If you missed it, you can read it here.

My dad called me from Florida later that day to tell me he'd received a phone call from a man named Bill Sumstad. Bill lives in the Seattle area and had somehow come across my blog post about my Grandpa Sumstad on Heart Choices. He thought we might be related!
Since that phone call, we've pieced together that yes ...we are indeed related. And Bill has a brother who lives in Tucson, Arizona! I also got connected to another new found relative named Ogee who lives in Oslo, Norway. We've become Facebook friends.
How's that for the Internet connecting people?

I thought I'd continue with my walk down Memory Lane by posting a few photos of my Grandpa Sumstad.

Here is my Grandpa as a child. He was named Henrik. As I mentioned last week, he was born on the family farm in Sumstad.

As a young man, my grandfather traveled to America with his younger brother, Tomas Konrad. My grandpa changed his first name to Henry and they took the name of their home town as their last name, Sumstad.

My grandfather met my nana, Aslaug Thoresen in church and they married. His brother Tomas Konrad married and had a daughter named Marian. Unfortunately, he died at a young age in an auto accident.

My dad was their first born and they named him Harry. A number of years later they had a daughter named Ruth. During these early years, the young family returned to live in Sumstad, Norway. My dad went to elementary school there but they returned to Brooklyn, New York once again.

Here is the family while they were living in an apartment in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn, New York. It was like Little Norway. My dad and his best friend Bob Sandbo used to hang out together and their moms would yell out the window to each other to see where the boys were.

My dad and mom met in church, Salem Gospel Tabernacle. They were in high school when they met and married in 1950. The next year they had my brother Steve and a new generation of Sumstad's began.

I wanted to post this memory for this week so my new relatives could learn more about my family. So, Bill, Ogee, and Reidar - I hope this provides a little bit of background for you too.

So Lynette, I have to say a big thank you for hosting Wednesday's Walk down Memory Lane. If I didn't participate I may never have found my new relatives. Don't forget to link to Lynette's blog to read more participating posts.

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Your Spiritual Bar of Soap



I am over at Laced with Grace today. I wrote a post about your spiritual bar of soap. Can you guess what that is? I learned it from a wise teacher many years ago and so I thought I'd pass it along to you. So head on over there ...
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Serious Life Magazine ~ Issue 8 Online


Serious Life Magazine is a FREE digital magazine. That means no clutter and mess. Simply access it online when you're ready to read some very interesting articles. I like that! After all, I have way too many old issues of magazines I can't seem to throw away.

I want to alert you to a few things about this particular issue. I found several of the articles quite interesting.

Do you buy a lottery ticket? Do you spend time imagining what you would do if you won the lottery? Is it a good idea to spend money on a lottery ticket? Well, Brent Riggs has an interesting perspective on this that you won't want to miss.

You can also read a chapter of Jill Samter's new book entitled "Breaking Free: Truths for Healthy Living". As you may know Jill has a popular blog called Foreven n Ever n Always.

There are recipes and columns and the Serious Life Blog Directory! I have Heart Choices listed there. If you're a blogger, check it out so you can be included in the next issue. It's FREE! So, get the word out and check out Serious Life Magazine today.

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