blog – simplemamame

Building a Bible Resource Library

A Bible resource library? What’s that and why would anyone need that if they’re not teaching God’s Word or a pastor? Whether you’ve been reading the Bible your whole life or you’re just starting, having a resource to turn to when you have questions is incredibly helpful. You don’t need to have to spend hundreds of dollars or have an entire bookshelf filled with commentaries and dictionaries. In today’s post, I’ll be sharing two of my stand-by resources plus a few Study Bible options to help you on your journey to a deeper understanding of God’s Word.

In 2010 I started attending a formal Bible Study (BSF). I realized, a few years into this study, I wanted to know more about the passages we were reading each week. I found myself wondering about historical/cultural context and how that fit with the lessons I was learning. When I started teaching, I realized any kind of additional information helped clarify the main teaching and provided ideas for application into life today.

One book I found myself turning to time and time again (pictured above) has been the New Bible Dictionary. Its sides are worn and taped together, but it has been one of the best resources. It has historical background on people and places in Scripture. It also has timelines and detailed genealogies to help give perspective to the over 4,000 years of events that take place within the Bible’s 66 books.

This is the newest addition to my collection. It happens to be the companion book to the New Bible Dictionary. The New Bible Commentary is a solid choice if you’re looking for background information for each book of the Bible. I already have tabs for each book we’re covering this year in BSF (15 books!).

If you are looking for a place to start, these two are great. There are options to buy them used on Amazon making them affordable for anyone.

Study Bibles: Unfortunately, I don’t have any advice on how to pick a Study Bible that works best for everyone. However, I do recommend finding a version of the Bible that you enjoy best and looking for a Study Bible in that version. The New International Version (NIV) is the most widely read and understood (also known for its accuracy in translation), most churches will have this version available during their services. The NKJV or KJV (New King James Version or King James Version, both are known for their accuracy in translation) are more formal, the King James English might be harder to understand for anyone who is not a native english speaker. The ESV (English Standard Version) is also easy to understand and widely used. If you like journaling/writing notes in your Bible, this ESV is a great option. The Message version is also fairly common, although it’s more a paraphrase, so it’s recommended to have an NIV/KJV/NKJV along side while reading that one.

For 20 years I had a slim-line NIV and a NKJV MacArthur Study Bible. I realized this year I needed an updated NIV to teach from and the Life Application Study Bible has already proved a great addition to my resource library. It has a lot of the same informative tools as my New Bible Dictionary and Commentary, plus examples for applying lessons one could learn while studying Scripture.

Studying God’s Word is an amazing process and prioritizing understanding what He says will help you discern any teachings that twist, add to or detract from what’s in the Bible. Studying God’s Word will cultivate change within you and as you draw closer to God, He will draw closer to you. I hope you found this post helpful!

Blessings,
Lauren

Study

Bible Study Method

A simple method anyone can use to study their Bible at home.

Do you want to study the Bible, but wonder where to start? Does the thought of studying the Bible, leave you feeling intimidated? Do the questions “What if I get it wrong?” or “What if I don’t understand the text?” keep you from digging deeper into scripture (I’ll give you my favorite go-to commentaries with links in a future post)?

In this post I will give you a super simple Bible studying method that will help you grow in your relationship with the Lord as well as your understanding of Scripture.

For this method, all you need are your Bible (it doesn’t matter which version you use, I prefer NIV, but you can use what you prefer), a notebook and a writing utensil. If you like to mark-up your Bible with highlighters and pens, those are great additions too!

Whenever I start studying my Bible for the day, I like to pray first. It helps me calm my mind and focus. Next, I read the passage I have selected. For beginners, I recommend starting in Genesis. Go a chapter or two at a time. The Bible has six types of literature within its 66 books. The first is the Law, the second is history, then poetry, prophecy, genealogy, and narrative. If you’re a fan of history and you’ve studied the Bible before, I recommend starting in Joshua or 1 Samuel. If you love narrative, go with the book of John.

After reading your selected passage (sometimes it helps to read it a couple times) you’ll want to ask yourself three questions and write your answers in your notebook:

What is happening in this passage?
What am I learning from this passage?
How does what I’ve learned apply to my life today?

That’s it! The most simple way to study the Bible on your own. I prefer using this method in the summer months when I’m not heavily involved with Bible Study Fellowship. This method might be something you’ve seen before, I’m not reinventing the wheel. There are several pastors/churches who recommend this method because of its simplicity and because it helps get passage from the head, to the heart, and then into action in daily life.

The Bible’s teachings stand the test of time. What was true for the original audience, stands true today. The important part is to understand how we live in light of what Scripture teaches, across time.

I hope you found this method helpful! Leave a comment below if you gave it a try! I’d love to hear from you.

Blessings,

Lauren

The only diet that works

Forgive the hyperbole and inject the caveat “for me”. But man, I’ve tried em all. Anyone who knows me well understands my life-long contention with unwanted weight gain and some of the radical experiments it has led me into (for example: http://www.simplemamame.com/blog/the-keto-vegan-experiment/ ).

The past 6 years in particular I have tried a new diet every year. I have been able to draw a few conclusions about what works best for me and stay in pretty good shape. But every time I “cheated” I’d gain a bit back, and inevitably over the winter I’d go right back up to the 190s. If a diet isn’t sustainably successful, it can’t really be adapted to a lifestyle. I was getting increasingly frustrated as with each year I aged, I had to take more and more radical steps just to get back to where I want to be.

And then quarantine happened. Despite my best at-home-fitness efforts, boredom and irritability led me to eating and drinking more. Bam. Right back to 195. If you skimmed the article linked above, you’ll get the idea that I had ratcheted my diet down so strictly that there’s almost nothing left I could try cutting out. I had even tried reducing the portions to no lasting avail.

So what on Earth was I to do? It was around this time that my friend Mat gave me a book he insisted I read. I got around to it eventually and at times audibly scoffed at what it seemed to be suggesting. It’s an easy read – couple hundred pretty engaging pages. Whole point of this post: I highly recommend you read The Obesity Code too. Draw your own conclusions.

Quick, highly inadequate synopsis: I drew 2 conclusions from this book. 1.) Don’t eat sugar or carb-dense food (duh – I already knew that). 2.) It is WAY more import when you eat that what you eat (huh? – what choo talkin bout Willis?). Read the book for the why. It delves into the specifics of how the human body regulates weight gain and the role that insulin and insulin resistance play in this. For all the radical dieting I’d done I had never cared how often I was eating. I knew not to eat right before bed, but otherwise, I’m eating nothing but raw vegetables and nuts; why should it matter when I eat? I was probably eating 8 to 10 times a day in the form of very healthy snacks.

And so began the newest experiment. I gave it 8 weeks before I decided to share how incredibly successful it has been and my inclination that it is actually a sustainable lifestyle that won’t nearly kill me like my other diets have. I modeled after Mat and set my daily fasting window (the diet is actually called Intermittent Fasting) to 17 hours. I eat a moderate breakfast at 6am that now includes the previous forbidden items of more sugary fruits like oranges along with my nuts and nut butters. I tried skipping breakfast at one point, and I felt like it negatively effected my noon-time exercise. I then have a huge lunch at 1pm after my workout combining all the snacks I would have had throughout the day into a feast: salad, avocado, fruit, nuts, even the occasional bit of meat.

First off, it is hard not eating from 1 until bed time. It was very hard for the first week. My stomach screamed at me all afternoon and evening. It was brutal. But then, magically – just like the book says – the pain 100% went away, and the energy levels came back up. It’s a hard hill to climb, but it is so worth it. Why is it still hard if it no longer hurts? Easy: boredom. Best solution: stay busy. Drink black coffee, tea, bone broth, water (no artificial sweeteners), and find something to do.

Every other diet I’ve tried has maybe dipped me down to 180 for a day or two after weeks or months of suffering. I have been at or below 175 for the past 3 weeks with no suffering, and I am at least as strong and athletic as I’ve been over the course of the last decade. I honestly think I can keep this up for the foreseeable future. I will still take a “day off” here and there for parties or vacation, but they can be pretty easily offset by skipping a different meal and/or dropping a 24 hour fast in the middle of the week to compensate.

Read the book. If you decide to give it a try, go for at least 10 days before giving up. See if it works for you. I wouldn’t insist if I didn’t think this could really help a lot of people, particularly those who struggle like me. Let me know how it goes.

Little Bear

It’s been a while since I last posted. I thought I’d share our (now 4 year old) Bear’s birth story. Sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday he came earth-side, other days it feels like a lifetime ago. I’ll never forget the day he made me a mommy.

I woke up two days before my Due Date, feeling like I could finally breathe. Hug Nugget (that was what we called him) had been up in my lungs for the better part of two trimesters, kicking the air right out of me. That night I’d slept 16 hours, the longest stretch of sleep, without waking up, in quite some time. I wondered, like I did every morning at that point, would today be the day? I cleaned up around the house, readied my birth center bag one more time, prepped a meal for the freezer and laid down on the sofa to rest. I fell asleep (when you’re pregnant, any amount of sleep is amazing) my body was definitely gearing up for something. John came home from work to me asleep on the sofa. We had dinner and watched the news. At around 7pm I started feeling light contractions. We timed them, they were every two to four minutes. We called the midwife and let her know I was possibly in early labor.

We continued to time the contractions, which felt like nothing more than my belly getting firm every few minutes, until about 8pm when we decided to go to bed. I figured, they’d wake me up once they were strong enough. It had started snowing right around the time we went to bed. We joked that our boy picked a great night to be ready. We put our bags right by the door for easy access if we needed to leave quickly and went to bed.

Sometime between midnight and 1am my contractions picked up. They woke me from a dead sleep. Not painful, but they felt like they were coming on every minute. We timed them and of course it was every one to two minutes. We called the midwife again and she suggested waiting a little longer, I was still not in any pain, so I decided to make the bed, vacuum one more time, do some dishes and bounce on my exercise ball. After an hour we called again, contractions were slightly stronger and still every one to two minutes. She suggested we come to the birth center, so that’s just what we did.

We drove through nearly blinding snow for what seemed like forever. The normal 20 minute drive took us almost an hour. We were so relieved to be at the birth center! I had nightmares about delivering the baby in the car while trying to get there. Thankfully, that nightmare was never a reality. We warmed ourselves up in the cozy birth suite and since I was only between 5 and 6cm, my midwife encouraged me to get more rest, “Things will be rocking and rolling when you wake up in the morning.”

I laid down on the soft bed and closed my eyes. Then it hit, the pressure of a hard contraction. I was completely caught off guard. Around 4am, I asked to get in the birthing tub. The water felt amazing, the pressure was cut in half. John sat on the ledge of the tub behind me and rubbed my neck and shoulders. I ate some food and drank coconut water. It was refreshing. Not long after I got in the tub, I felt the need to push. The midwife checked me again, and I was only at an 8. We waited, my midwife and the birth assistant continued to encourage me. They spoke softly and kindly. They helped me get to positions to ease the pressure and John would rub my lower back to ease discomfort.

I prayed. I prayed for strength through each contraction. I prayed for wisdom to know when the right time to push would happen. I prayed for my midwife. God answered my prayers. He reminded me, this life about to be born was in His hands. Billions of women had given birth since the dawn of time. Then my midwife whispered, “Let the wave fall over you, don’t fight the contraction, let it wash over you and relax every muscle in your body after it peeks.” That was honestly the best advice anyone could give a laboring woman. Within moments transition hit and I was ready to push. There was no control. I just had to push. The pain melted away with each push, and I was getting closer and closer to seeing our little Hug Nugget earth-side.

We hopped out of the birthing tub so I could plant my feet on the ground. It was a little after 7am. Light was coming in the windows from outside. The snow was coming to an end. At 7:48am on November 19th, 2014 (the day before his due date) our little Hug Nugget came into the world. He cried, John cried, “You’re here!” I exclaimed as I looked into his big brown eyes. I held our baby and kissed his pouty lips. We got off the floor and onto the big bed for snuggles and recovery. A few hours later, we were home in our own bed, snuggling the day away.

Now, 4 years later, he’s still a snuggle bug. He’s kind and loving. He loves cooking, baking and cleaning. He reads and enjoys all kinds of games. He loves animals and obstacle courses. He’s our Bear and he’s so, so loved. Thank you for making me a mommy 4 years ago buddy.

Photo credits: Megan

God’s Work

I’ve heard it said, “Your story is your story and the best way to glorify God is to share how He’s worked in your life.” There were times in my life when I was very clearly less than faithful, but God was always there. Even as a small child, whether I fully grasped the concept of faith or not, He was working in my life. I used to say, if asked, that the turning point in my life was when I started studying God’s word formally with Bible Study Fellowship (BSF), that’s when God called me to believe. I’m not sure that’s the case anymore.

I was around 18 months of age when I had a seizure that sent me to the hospital. My earliest memory is of the ambulance ride there. I remember how frightened my mother looked and how I didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. I remember the electrodes stuck to my scalp for the EEG. I remember wanting to just go home and not understanding why I couldn’t go home. God was there that day, He started my memories here. Despite the chaos that was going on around me that day, I can still see His hand guiding the doctors and nurses who cared for me. The blessing, after everything that happened, was that I was going to be just fine. I’ve had no other seizure since.

I remember crawling into my sister’s crib once or twice before age 3 when she was crying during a storm and sleeping next to her so she wouldn’t be afraid.

We lost the first house I remember to bankruptcy, but God provided a new house in another part of town so that we wouldn’t be homeless. It was smaller, quite a bit smaller, two bedrooms and one bathroom vs 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a huge playroom for all the toys. It had everything we needed, no excess. We lived there for about 8 years. I think it was while we lived in that house, I started to realize God was more than someone I said my prayers to every night.

I went to a private Christian school from preschool to 8th grade. I was in first grade when I realized my sin grieves God. My first experience with this was during Lent, leading up to Easter. I remember asking my teacher why I felt so sad about sin, “I feel like I’m hurting Jesus when I do something naughty.” I think that would have been a great time for her to share the Gospel with me, but I also think this profound statement from a 6 year old caught her completely off guard. While I don’t remember her response, I’m pretty sure she gave my parents a phone call that evening. That’s right around the same time the “Holy Fear” set in; “Holy Fear” of God’s judgement and hell. While this was my first real experience with faith and God, I don’t remember a time when I didn’t know He was there. I don’t remember a time when I didn’t believe in God.

Around this time I started praying at night that God would give me wisdom like Solomon (it does say in the Bible that no one before or since has had the supernatural wisdom God gave Solomon, I was 6, I hadn’t gotten that far reading the Bible yet) because I wanted to be like the smart kids in class. I also started praying that God would miraculously make me an adult because I just didn’t like being a kid. Was I foolish to make these requests? Possibly, yes. Did I believe God could make me wise and instantaneously an adult? Definitely. I’m thankful He didn’t miraculously turn me into an adult at age 6, I’ve had a lifetime of learning that has given me the wisdom I kept praying for as a child. So, in the long-run, yes He did answer my prayers. In His time.

Fast forward to 8th grade confirmation class. I knew God was real, I had a firm grasp of theology, a firm grasp of faith, I believed and had faith that Jesus died for me and forgave me and that God’s grace was abundant. I understood communion and I understood that God had a plan for my life, as He does for everyone, but I had no idea what that plan was, when it would happen or if it was already in progress. I knew there was absolutely nothing I could do to get to heaven. God did all the work. God calls His people into a relationship with Himself. God provides salvation through Christ Jesus. God forgives my sin because of Christ. If you’d asked me then if I was a Christian, I’d say yes without a doubt.

High school and college were all about trying to fit in. I can honestly say the back-sliding probably began sophomore year of high school and lasted until I started studying the Bible through BSF in 2010. You could have asked me if I was a Christian at any point those years and I might have said sure or I think so, but I was absolutely not living a Christian life. Perhaps individuals looking at my life from the outside, would see that I was an avid volunteer in church youth programs, a member of the church choir, a regular church attendee, and a Bible camp employee. Impressive, right? The truth was, I was only doing so to keep up appearances. My heart was never in it. I look back on those years and I thank God for His forgiveness and His abundant grace, because I was so far from where I am now. I can honestly say, those were years of rebellion. God was still there though, protecting me from harm that could have come my way. I lived in a seedy apartment in my early adult years (it’s gotten much nicer since I lived there), robberies, shootings, rodents and drug deals were common. Much of what went on in or around the building never affected me directly.

In my late 20s, I developed some health issues. One being sudden on-set, severe vertigo attacks. They came on with no warning. They could last moments or days. They were debilitating. I can remember asking God why me? Then came the pituitary issues. Between the two diagnoses, I was in a funk. I was told having children was not an option because of the risk. I wasn’t sure I wanted to have children if I was going to be stuck having vertigo all the time. Yet God gave me peace beyond all understanding. I accepted that, despite the discomforts of vertigo, I was fine, not in any pain, just dizzy frequently. My life wasn’t threatened. I even had peace that I might never have children myself. I naturally assumed God would bless me in another way. Was I angry at myself? Yes, but that would fade. All this came about the same time I joined BSF. There was a group of women who just prayed over my health regularly. I can’t thank them enough for coming along side me to pray. In time my pituitary situation stabilized and I was given the clear to go ahead and try for children. John and I had already been married several years, and clearly God’s timing was perfect. After our first son was born, I struggled with vertigo a few more times, but quickly realized the problem was mostly gone. I’ve been left hearing loss, permanent tinnitus and pressure in my left ear. I have not had a vertigo attack in 3 years. Praise God!

God is truly so, so good. He gave us two beautiful, healthy boys, two unmedicated, low-risk, out of hospital births, a stable marriage, a lovely church home, and for me, specifically, He has restored my health and renewed my faith. He’s done all the work in me. For that, I owe Him my life and all the praise.

I may not have a dramatic or glamorous story, but it’s the story I’ve been given by God. He created me, gave me the family I have, and as long as there is breath in me, He’s going to have work for me to complete. When I look back, over the 37 years I’ve been given, I can see God guiding me step by step. Even in the years of rebellion, He never left me. I’ve come a long way. No longer full of anger and resentment over my past (that’s the beauty of repentance, it’s healing for the soul). I look toward a future with God and family. I live by faith, through grace, and it’s a gift from God. I am a Christian, a wife, a mother, a sister, a daughter, and a friend.

10 Year Anniversary Recap

For those of you who follow us regularly, we’ve had an extremely busy last few weeks. So I took some time away from posting to focus on family and every day life around here. Between appointments for the boys, picking up a new evening routine, (we introduced library night and indoor playground night) my 37th birthday and our 10 year anniversary, it’s been really busy around here! Now that I’ve gotten caught up on life and my Bible Study lesson, I feel like I can write about our anniversary.

It’s been 10 years! Holy buckets that few by quickly! In these last ten years, we’ve purchased a home, sold cars, bought a car, changed churches, John graduated from college, we had two children and survived a house fire. One thing that has stayed the same through it all, we’ve kept God first. We both notice when we put ourselves/life/stuff before God things don’t go quite right. If God is first, things may not always go smoothly, but we’re better prepared to handle things when with God as our foundation.

If you were to ask me for marriage advice, I’m not going to tell you anything you haven’t already heard. When you get married, you’re no longer the only one you have to think about. There’s another person whose opinion and feelings you need to consider before making decisions. When you have children there are more feelings and more little people who come before your wants and desires because they have needs too. In short: marriage and family teaches you how to be selfless. Sometimes this part is easier for wives than husbands, but not always. Every couple is different.

So what do you do for a milestone anniversary? An overnight was out of the question as I’m still nursing our 15 month old over night. We opted for a date day. Which honestly was very welcomed because we haven’t been out of the house without kids in a very long time. We did what any normal couple would do without children: ran errands and ate copious am

John and I getting hitched, 10 years ago!

ounts of sushi. There’s something so satisfying about sitting down to a meal and not having to listen to bodily functions and whining about bodily functions at the table, mixed with complaints about having to eat something a 3 year old would prefer not to eat. It was glorious. Many thanks to my sweet friend Megan for watching the boys while we took time to just be us.

Am I looking forward to the next ten years? You bet! I get to do life with John and we get to watch the two boys we brought into this family grow. Here’s to the next 10 years!

A Christian in a Millennial World (Part 3)

Seeking Truth

In a society where everyone is encouraged to seek their own truth, we often lose sight of the definition of truth. Truth: The quality or state of being true, that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality, a fact or belief that is accepted as true. Not to be confused with Absolute Truth: something that is true at all times and in all places. It is something that is always true no matter what the circumstances. It is a fact that cannot be changed.

I really wanted to have some kind of flowery post about how to find truth, but the fact of the matter is that there is only Absolute Truth. If I were to give you, the reader, a lovely secular version of what truth is, I’d be denying my faith, denying God, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I’d be a liar. I had to dig deep into God’s word to see what He says about Truth.

The fact is, when truth is personal, what is true for one person may not be true for another. This is where we have issues with “societal truth.” None of it is absolute. It’s all based on feelings. Feelings change from day to day, situation to situation, person to person. Absolute Truth is consistent, it doesn’t change. Societally, we are expected to just accept everyone’s personal truth as Absolute Truth, because we are offending them if we do not. Christians are then accused of being closed minded or bigoted when they don’t adhere to society’s standards. The problem with this is that Christians aren’t supposed to adhere to society’s standards, we’re supposed to adhere to God’s standards. God’s standard outranks societal/cultural standards.

Please don’t confuse that last statement as a way for Christians to hate anyone “living in sin.” The Absolute Truth is, everyone “lives in sin.” Romans 3:10-12, “As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless, there is no one who does good, not even one.’” Romans 3:23 states, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” By “all” Paul literally means every single person on earth. It doesn’t matter who you are or what type of sin you committed. All sin is the same in God’s eyes, whether you’ve told a lie, cheated on your taxes, committed sexual sin or committed murder. All sin is the same. Christians are not exempt from these facts. Because we are not exempt, we should have compassion on and pray for those who have not yet accepted Christ as their Savior.

We are called to judge other Christians, who should be adhering to God’s standards, but we are not called to judge unbelievers. However, we are called to bring the Gospel to all people. Matthew 28:18-20, “Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.’” Yep folks, you’re gonna get a Gospel message today.

Absolute Truth: We need a Savior. We all need a Savior. A Savior that has been provided to us by a loving God! John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” This verse is the Gospel in a nutshell. When Jesus was on the cross, God unleashed the wrath He had planned for us, onto the person of His Son. Jesus, being both God and man, took that wrath and the sins of each and every single person who existed, exists now, and has yet to be born. Unless we admit we are sinful, we will never appreciate what Christ did for us. Needing a Savior is the great equalizer. Sin doesn’t discriminate and neither does our Savior.

Absolute Truth: God is our Almighty Redeemer. None of us would be here, were it not for Him. The earth and everything in it, would be a void. The Genesis story is well known, amongst believers and non-believers alike. Whether someone is trying to disprove creation to prove evolution or vice versa, most people know of the creation story. However after creation, the fall of man, when sin enters the world, how many people know God had already provided a way to save humanity? How many people know that’s when our relationship with God was ultimately separated until Jesus came? Since sin ultimately separates us from God, He had to provide a way to bring humanity back into a right relationship with Him. He had to redeem humanity. To redeem means to gain or regain possession of something in exchange for payment. It can also mean to compensate for the faults or bad aspects of something.

The Bible defines redemption in 1 Corinthians 6:20 and 7:23 as being bought at a price, “You were bought at a price,” are the exact words. God had to compensate for our faults and buy us back from eternal, spiritual death. God gives redemption in Isaiah 44:21-22, “Remember these things, O Jacob, for you are my servant, O Israel. I have made you, you are my servant; O Israel, I will not forget you. I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.” and in Luke 1:68, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has come and has redeemed His people.”

Redemption comes to us through Christ Jesus, Matthew 20:28, “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” and Galatians 3:13, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us…” The whole of the Gospels are dedicated to the life, teachings, death and resurrection of Christ Jesus.

Yes, this does sound like fire and brimstone, but in today’s society, where everyone is given a trophy for participation, told they are perfect, and elevated to god-like status, we all could use a reality check. We don’t all get to go to heaven, it’s not our participation trophy for being “good.” Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourself, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast.” Could you imagine all the bragging that would be going on if getting to heaven was based on all the good we did rather than a Savior?

Now that I’ve thoroughly tortured anyone who is still reading, let’s get to the Good News! I want to repeat John 3:16 again, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” We have a sin problem, and sin doesn’t discriminate, how much better is it that we have a Savior who also does not discriminate. Paul writes in his second letter to Timothy (2 Timothy 1:8-10), “So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me His prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life-not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Jesus Christ before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” It also says in Luke 19:10, “The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” Acts 16:31, “…Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved…” Romans 10:9, “…If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Why am I quoting all these verses? Because I cannot do justice to what God has already provided us in the Bible. God gave us a Savior in the person of Christ Jesus; He also gave us the way to salvation, written for everyone. Jesus makes it possible for us to have a right relationship with God, having that right relationship, brings us to that road with the potholes, the zipper merge, and bumper to bumper traffic, leading to an eternity with God. God saved us, not because He needs us, He saved us because we need Him.

Hi I’m Lauren, I’m an imperfect christian. How can I pray for you?

Boundary Waters

Summer, 1977: Newlyweds Stephen and Jodi Laliberte agreed to attempt their first Boundary Waters Canoe Area trip with some friends from college. Despite surviving a terrifying thunderstorm in their tents, they had a wonderful experience, and it has grown into a family tradition.

After a long hiatus, in 1995 it was with great reluctance that my dad first brought eleven-year-old me and my ten-year-old brother back to the same spot – East Pike lake in the eastern Arrowhead Trail. We had been camping a few times before, but never anything like this.

My brother and I began to realize that this was no ordinary trip. We went off path at Gooseberry Falls, swimming in the backwashes and climbing up to a precarious cave. We gorged at Sven and Ole’s – even having cold pizza for breakfast in the Grand Marais camp ground the next morning. Dad still notes how wide-eyed incredulous we were when he let us escape the tiny cab of the manual pickup to ride in the truck bed down the final stretch of dirt road.

The trip nearly derailed when we pulled our canoe up to our first ever portage. It was a narrow, rocky trail twisting up and down the half mile ridge between two lakes through a mosquito infested forest. This is an incredibly challenging environment to shepherd children through in any circumstance, and in this case dad was out of practice and not in as good of shape. Top that off with our choice of vehicle. We owned an old, over-sized fiberglass canoe – easily double the weight of a typical Kevlar portaging canoe.

It turned out that dad was mostly unable to solo-carry the giant boat. Then you have two whiney, inexperienced children attempting their first slog through the dangerous forest in the heat and insect clouds. But with much encouragement from dad, we were determined to make it in. So he took the front and put the two of us on the back of the boat. For the better part of the portage, we heaved it along in brief, violent bursts complaining all the way.

We toughed it out and made it in. We emerged soaked in sweat and bug spray. Dad surprised us again when he led us in stripping down to our underwear to swim in the cool, brilliantly clear water of East Pike. Jumping in a lake has never felt so good. I have also upheld this silly little tradition on each of my successive trips.

We proceeded to the same campsite our parents had used a decade prior. It is a gorgeous rocky clearing in the pine forest. A shoulder of granite juts out over the water looking down on a babbling brook flowing out to the south that lulled us to sleep every night. The only man-made objects present are the Forestry’s steel grate over the campfire for cooking and the small plastic circle 100 yards back in the forest over the latrine pit.

We all love to fish. That’s our primary goal on most of these trips. Though we’d done it a lot before this, we weren’t typically taking off our fish at this point. This became a bit of an issue as we tested the waters. Within seconds of dropping our nightcrawlers over the side, my brother and I were simultaneously reeling in good-sized small mouth bass. These things are some of the best pound-for-pound fighters in fresh water. Also, in a lake this incredibly clear and clean, they are as delicious as walleye. We later termed this the “frenzy” trip. We could seldom count to 10 before there was another fish on. Dad heroically assisted both of us so frequently that he was mostly unable to drop a line himself. All the while through our glee he reiterated just how uncommonly special this situation was.

We fished with zeal for days. We swam more, cooked over the fire and lazed in the sun. Though it wasn’t without its hiccups, we have nothing but pleasant memories of our first Boundary Waters experience. We didn’t just have a good time, we came out mentally and physically tougher. We came out a closer family.

We returned two years later much better prepared and equipped. The fish were not in frenzy this time, but still easy to come by. Then one day I was dangling a worm in 60 feet of water while dozing in the middle of a hot day. We were setup for bass – light rod with 8lb test, worm on a small hook, no leader. I was awoken to my rod tightening on a snag. This seemed unlikely as the bottom of the lake is nothing but rocks, and there are no sunken trees that far out. I slowly hauled the snag up from the bottom; when it finally broke the surface, it sprung to life! For the next 30 minutes, my canoe was pulled around the lake by a 43” northern pike. By a series of miracles, my line did not break, and I eventually landed the monster. He was lip-hooked and easily could have bitten through the line at any time. We took some pictures and let him go. And I have been hunting big pike obsessively ever since.

There were many more trips over the years involving all 6 of my family members and spouses and friends. Each trip produced another lifetime memory. I came face to face with a black bear (he ran off when I yelled); my brother and friends were charged by a moose (thankfully while safe in a canoe); my little sister had wolves in her camp on our coldest trip; we did 8 portages through a river system; we’ve gone days without seeing other people, climbed over beaver dams (me in my underwear – I later purchased quick-dry pants), pulled treasures from the deeps snorkeling and seen all manner of wildlife; and of course, we’ve produced many, many more fish stories.

Two years ago was particularly special. Dad was just 6 months out of a complete bone marrow transplant for his multiple myeloma cancer. He had almost no immune system and was on heavy chemo. Hiking and camping with no phone service, hours from the nearest help was an extremely dangerous idea. We both feared it could be our last trip together, so we made it happen. I was able to start repaying him for years of doing everything for me. I carried boats, tied lines, did camp chores and cleaned fish. It was a beautiful trip, and I’m very pleased to say it was not our last. He continues to improve, and we just got back from this year’s trip. I’ll keep on doing it as long as we’re able. I can’t wait to take my boys a few years from now.

A Christian in a Millennial World (Part Two)

Modern Spiritualism

*Disclaimer: If you’ve been following me or know me personally, I have not gone off the deep end (stay tuned for Part 3), I’m a Christian (for those who don’t know me), I’m exploring this topic from a secular perspective, working toward objectivity. I have not abandoned my faith, nor am I pointing fingers to shame, I’m just trying to explore a difficult topic.

In order to talk about Modern Spiritualism, let’s first define the word. Spiritualism is the practice of communicating with the dead through the use of a medium or channel. This should not be confused with Spiritism. For the sake of understanding, Spiritism is defined as the study of communication with entities. It was first introduced to the Western World by Allen Kardec in the 1800s. When we think about the term modern we can think of the whole of history; modern being the last 200 years. Modern Spiritualism overlaps the end of the Modern Industrial Movement.

Historically, until the introduction of the Ouija Board (Elijah Bond, July 1 1890), anyone who wanted to communicate with the dead (typically grieving family members) would hire a medium and have a seance with the hope of hearing from their dead loved ones. After the Ouija Board gained popularity, there was a slight decline in the popularity of psychics and mediums, as people could presumably talk to their dead loved ones in the comfort of their own living rooms. There was a span between the 1950s until about the early 1970s that this may have been all but forgotten, except for a few hushed conversations and closed circles. Until The Exorcist hit theaters and a renewed public interest in Ouija Boards and Spiritualism gained momentum again.

With the dawn of the Millennium, and advances in technology, Modern Spiritualism is all over cable television. With over 60 paranormal television shows, I was able to find a list of 10 that happen to be the most popular: Ghost Adventures, Ghost Hunters, The Dead Files, Paranormal Witness, A Haunting, Destination Truth, Paranormal Lockdown, Ghost Hunters International, Paranormal State, and Celebrity Ghost Stories (for the full list of paranormal shows visit www.ranker.com). One commonality between most of these shows is the use of psychic mediums during investigations. Along with the popularity of these shows came new technology for communicating to spirits. Much of this technology had already existed, but has now been altered specifically for ghost/spirit hunting. Some products include; Mel Meters, EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) Recorders, Spirit Boxes and many, many more (www.ghoststop.com). Let’s not forget smart phone apps. In the dawn of the smart phone, we now have the ability to communicate with the dead/spirits in our pockets.

In the last 10 years Spiritualism and the New Age movement have blurred lines and sort of melded together. With more and more people identifying as “Spiritual” rather than ascribing to one faith, they’re seeking their own truth. This also lends itself into the teaching of Theosophy: there is no religion higher than truth. Elements of Yoga, Buddhism, Shintoism, Hinduism, the use of crystals, energy healing, grounding with nature, some would even go as far to say light workers and white (those who only practice for the good of others) witches would fit with the New Age Movement…etc, are blending together as people pick and choose bits and pieces from each study/practice that fit with their truth.

In this quest for one’s own truth, it seems that Millennials are making their mark, changing the way these movements have previously been perceived. The New Age Movement of the 1960s and 70s is gone, it is now mainstream to find statues of Shiva next to Buddha on store shelves, offered as decor for the home. People aren’t necessarily going off to communes to practice “alternative religions.” They can walk down the street, walk into a Core Power Studio to practice Yoga and get a workout at the same time. Western religions are no longer talked about in hushed conversations, those who practice them are no longer “hippies,” but (predominantly) 21-30 year olds, our neighbors, coworkers, friends and family.

The problem with picking and choosing parts of Eastern religious philosophy while blending with bits and pieces of Modern Spiritualism that adhere to one’s own truth, it’s that it’s all self-gratifying. If we look at how Millennials are perceived: selfish, self-absorbed, and attention-seeking, there is no higher power to whom one submits other than themselves. If each individual believes themselves and their own truth as all important, then anything else, any other belief system (religious or secular) becomes an attack on their personal truth and in turn will then be attacked by the individual.

When living a life devoted to one’s personal truth, even acts of kindness become self-centered, seeking to look selfless in the eyes of other people. Volunteering becomes something to brag about rather than something one does without expecting any recognition what-so-ever.

I’m left with more questions than answers after exploring this topic. How do we, as a society, move past self-centeredness? How do people move beyond looking for personal truth to seek Truth? When do people stop fighting each other because their personal truths do not align (how can they, if each individual has their own truth)?

Stay tuned for Part 3, Seeking Truth.

A Vegan Keto Follow Up

I had a little time on the holiday, so I thought I’d follow up on my http://www.simplemamame.com/blog/the-keto-vegan-experiment/.

It has been over 6 weeks since its conclusion, and I am pleased to say that I have not gained back a single pound. This clearly speaks to the efficacy and sustainability of the lifestyle. I am equally pleased to note that my workouts returned to form immediately as well.

The important caveat on these statements though is that I did not return entirely to normal. In fact, I adopted and incorporated Keto foods and practices into my standard routine. I am very pleased with the result, enough so that I would recommend it to anyone actively seeking an optimally healthy lifestyle. I’m no expert, but it has definitely been working for me. That said, it still takes a great deal of will power and self-restraint to execute.

Raw fruits and vegetables are the way to go. I am now firmly against excluding fruit or carrots and other sweeter vegetables. An active person’s body is more than up to the task of staying ahead of these healthy carbs. I can eat incredible quantities guilt and consequence free. It is in fact nearly the opposite: the more raw plants – particularly green vegetables – I eat, the better I tend to feel and operate. It is certainly bland and boring, so I have been practicing various recipes to make these things palate-pleasing: http://www.simplemamame.com/recipes/spicy-apple-mango-salsa/ http://www.simplemamame.com/recipes/simple-guac/ http://www.simplemamame.com/recipes/sushi-hummus/

I gave up crackers, chips and bread. I could no longer justify these foods that are largely devoid of health benefits when it became clear that they were major contributors to my weight gain. It may not work for everyone, but I’m loving carrots as a universal dip-scoop and extra almonds, cashews and pistachios for crunch and salt. I also dropped the rice and beans. I one-to-one replaced them with riced cauliflower and baked veggies. I really haven’t missed it.

So it’s almost sounding like I’m still on Keto. The biggest take-away here though is how I fixed my exercise and energy levels: welcome back breakfast. I have concentrated the majority of my daily carb intake into the meal that fuels me for the rest of the day. I eat the carbs before I work out, so that I can use them to power my work outs. Every morning I have a huge bowl of oats, chia seeds and as much fresh fruit as I can pack into it. I can’t understate how much of a difference this makes for me. I didn’t have a true appreciation for what I could accomplish when properly fueled until it was taken away.

A Christian in a Millennial World (Part One)

Don’t Call me a Millennial

In order to talk about what it’s like being a Christian in a Millennial’s world, we must first define Millennial. According to the Pew Research Center, a Millennial is someone born “between 1981 and 1996 and the first generation to come of age in the new millennium.” However, if one were to ask an “older Millennial” (myself included) if they felt like they were a Millennial, most of them would say no. There are a group of us, born between 1981 and 1985 who just don’t fit in with the Millennial group. We are the last generation of adults who were around before internet and email, before cell phones, before helicopter parenting. A great number of us have parents who are still married to each other. Most of us had required typing class (on a real typewriter) in high school rather than its replacement: computer science class. The last generation to be “free-range.” The last generation of kids who were able to go out and play in the morning, come home for family dinner, leave to play with friends again only to come home for the night when the street lights turned on. No one had a cell phone, we fought our siblings for the cordless phone when we wanted to talk with our friends. Most families did not have a home computer much less internet access. Our report papers were still hand-written, even in high school, unless specifically requested to be “word processed.” We passed notes in class. Teachers confiscated “beepers” or pagers when they were found on students because, “No one should be contacting you while you’re in school. School is where you come to learn, it’s not a social club.”

Then came Columbine and 9/11; nobody felt safe anymore. Shattered the perception that children were generally safe in their neighborhoods. I was a junior in high school when the Columbine Massacre happened. The following year we started lock-down drills for the first time. I was a sophomore in college when the nation was rocked by 9/11. We could see lines of cars waiting to gas up from our dorm room window. We had been living in a time of relative peace, since the Gulf War.

Most Millennials left the Church as they graduated high school and never returned. Citing that organized religion is a thing of the past, closed-minded, even bigoted. Yet there is this group of “older Millennials” who have returned. And still many, who never left.

Younger Millennials, many of whom, graduated college right as the Great Recession took hold of the job market (2008), making it extremely difficult to find a good paying job with benefits that would allow them to pay back all the student loans they took out to pay for the highly expensive college education they were told they needed. Older Millennials, many of them, were able to land jobs after college (2003-2006) before the job market took a nose-dive.

Millennials have shaped the faith-culture we see today. They have resurrected the “Spiritualist” movement (popular between 1840s-1920s), there are more ghost hunting and cryptozoological hunting reality shows on television now than there were less than 20 years ago. More people say they are “spiritual” rather than ascribe to any formal religious beliefs. Most people believe: “all roads lead to heaven” or that if one is “basically a good person they will get to heaven.” The newest theory is that when we die we “reach a higher vibration” if we lived a “good” life, then we get to come back as someone else.

Millennials have also been labeled disrespectful, lazy, know-it-alls, unable to do things for themselves, technology obsessed, entitled, God-less, and self-absorbed. They believe they have to be unique, expressive in some way. If they aren’t doing this, that makes them somehow “less.” Heaven for bid society frown upon them because they take time off to raise a family.

Those of us in our mid to late 30s care less about how many social media followers we have. If we have Facebook, it’s to share photos of our children so that family, who may not get to see them daily, can see what our little ones are doing. We still prefer talking on the phone with friends and family over texting. We also prefer to visit in person rather than see what everyone is up to on a computer screen.

That being said, I was taught to respect others. God comes first, above everything else. If you fail at something, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and try again or try something new. I’ve failed at a lot of things in life, but I’ve never given up and expected anyone else to “take the reigns” for me. If something needs to be done, do it yourself, don’t expect others to do things for you. I gave up a career path in order to raise my children and I don’t regret it one bit. I’ve never expected anything less of myself, except to be who I was created to be.

Stay tuned for Part Two: Spiritualism

http://www.pewresearch.org/topics/millennials/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritualism

When the House is on Fire

March 5th, nap time, blizzard raging outside, I had just popped a load of laundry into the dryer and got it started. I came upstairs to sip some coffee and hang laundry to dry on racks. A loud BANG sounded from the laundry room like a brick had just turned over in the dryer. I ran down to check things out. I pulled everything out of the dryer to see what made the noise when I noticed a flame coming out from below the lint trap. I pulled the lint trap to see better. Bigger flames. I knew we’d just had the dryer exhaust vent cleaned, it’s not from the lint. 30 seconds had passed and I had to make a choice: Do I try toput this out myself or do I get my babiesand call the fire department? That voice in your head that screams at you to PROTECT YOUR BABIES kicked in. My inner MAMA BEAR roared to life. I ran up, grabbed both children out of their beds and ran out to the garage, all while on the phone with the 911 operator. The laundry room was certainly on fire, the rest of my house was fine, we were insured, it’s just stuff. Black smoke billowed from the open garage (probably saving the rest of my house from the worst damage). The fire department showed up moments later as did my husband (he was my second phone call) and a wonderful neighbor saw me

outside with the boys and brought us into her home.

The fire department put the fire out right away and after a short time the fire chief reaffirmed my thought that it was indeed not the lint that caused the fire. The motor of the dryer burned itself out, going up in a blaze of glory on the way. The most surprising thing to me, was that our gas line didn’t ignite when the motor started on fire. Most people in Minnesota have gas dryers. They’re energy efficient and run better for longer. Never in my whole life have I been more thankful to be alive! To think that the fire could have been much worse if the gas line had gone, my children and I would not be here today. Praise God for His protection!

Things we’ve learned through the insurance process:

After calling the fire department and spouse/roommate/mom call your insurance company with pen and paper in hand.
Be prepared to be on the phone for a time.
You’ll have to give a statement to the fire chief to account for what happened.
You’ll be saying, “Thank you!” more times than you did at your wedding to everyone who helps you that day.
You may or may not be recommended a restoration service for fire damage clean up, if not Google will be your BFF for the next few hours.
Everything after this will take time, be patient, remember that your insurance will pay to restore your home.
Ask all the questions! There will be questions on how things get paid, who gets paid, when things get paid, timeline for completion of projects…etc. The list goes on. Don’t be afraid to call your case handler to ask all the questions that come up. That’s what they’re there for.

The next 8 weeks we stayed with family. Insurance gave us the option to stay in a hotel, but with two little ones, that amount of time in a hotel with no toys is a nightmare. We were blessed to be able to stay where there was an over abundance of toys (I still think we didn’t even play with half the toys that were available after 8 weeks).

God was definitely watching over us! We had posted to family and friends on social media that we were safe and no one was hurt in the house fire that first night. Within hours a friend of John’s called him to see if he could be of service. He owned a restoration company! The weight of trying to find someone to help us was lifted off our shoulders immediately! John met him over at our house the following morning with our insurance case manager. That same morning the damage was assessed, and some of our belongings were taken to be cleaned at an emergency dry cleaning service and were then delivered to us where we were staying (so we would have clean clothes to wear for the duration).

Over the next few weeks all of our belongings were packed up and removed to be cleaned. Our house was cleaned top to bottom (my spring cleaning done for me for the first time ever!). All the wood work was cleaned and varnished, walls and ceilings were repainted, colors that I was able to choose myself and our house had all new wall-to-wall carpeting (I was able to choose that too). There were things that we were unable to keep as they cannot be cleaned: mattresses, some baby items, our sleeper sofa and all the food in our kitchen. Insurance pays to replace those, they also paid to replace the washer and dryer.

Be prepared to unpack for about a week! Call your recycling/garbage company to notify them of the extra boxes you’ll have out by the bins the next weeks.

Moving Home: When we were able to move home (it felt like we were away for an eternity), the same company comes back to clean and dust one more time before they delivered all our belongings. Everything was boxed up. Everything. They put our furniture back where it came from and all the boxeswere labeled and placed in the rooms where the items were originally. It felt like a combination of Christmas

and moving into a new home. Our house smelled new, it felt new, it looked new and I was inspired to decorate all over again.

Little Surprises: 10 years ago or so, when we got married and bought our house, we purchased a dining set so we would have somewhere to eat. On a night of hosting friends, we discovered one of our dining chairs was broken. Not knowing how it happened, we just placed it in the garage thinking we’d get around to fixing it, where it collected dust. The restoration company FIXED the chair. Yes, they fixed it, better than new! The clothes cleaning company owner, Curt, paid attention to detail. All our items were pressed perfectly and on hangers when we received them. He noticed I used a baby detergent on the boys’ clothes. He had all their items rinsed with that detergent before drying and delivering them. He personally delivered items to us when they were cleaned. We felt so cared for by everyone. We’re usually the ones taking care of everyone else, it felt good and different to be on this side of the situation.

New Dryer: We found out we were covered for both a new washer and dryer. The fire was so hot in the

New washer and dryer we were able to purchase.

dryer that it melted the side of our washer. For the first time in my life I actually enjoy doing laundry! I do so many loads of laundry a week, with a teething baby and potty training a toddler (post on potty training soon to come), and a husband who needs his workout clothes washed weekly, a new washer/dryer set was something this Mama needed. I didn’t even know I needed it! In the past I never would have left the door open to the laundry room for anyone to see. We called it “The Cave of Despair” it was just THAT icky in there. The whole room is brand new! We can’t even tell that there was a horrible fire in that room!

Since we were unable to keep our mattresses and sofa, insurance covered to replace them. We found that shopping at Ikea was the best solution. We were able to get more bang for our buck. What we were able to get was nicer than what we had before the fire!

My last task is to start baking bread and put a bunch of pans of lasagna together to bring to our sweet neighbor who took us in that day and bring 3 or 4 pans to the fire station just down the street. As an Italian, we love on people with food. We thank them with food, we celebrate with food…we just kind of do life with food.

My life lesson brings me back to Job; we went through a hard time. We had to persevere and trust that God had us in His hands and that He would take care of everything. When we did that, we were able to see His work and give Him the glory. We lost everything for a time, only to have it all returned better than new! Better than before. Rejoicing in the blessing, resting in His grace and appreciating everything we have been given all the more.

-Lauren

Companies mentioned:

Restoration Professional – http://www.restpro.com/

Emergency Restoration Clean’n’Press –http://www.cleannpress.com/services/emergency-restoration

Electronic Restoration Services – https://ers-us.com/

The Keto Vegan Experiment

*I must begin with a disclaimer. Though I did consult a few professionals, I claim no expertise. I am neither advocating nor condemning this diet. I am only sharing my experience. Not trying to ruffle any feathers, constructive feedback is more than welcome.

I am a healthy 34 year old father of two. Our 10 month old doesn’t sleep well, so neither of us is operating on optimal sleep. At 5’10’’, I weigh 190lb with about 7% body fat. I sit all day with my desk job, but I still manage daily exercise averaging over 1000 calories alternating endurance lifting and cardio followed by yoga. I’m also a competitive handball player. I classify myself as an athlete. I began eating mostly raw plants Vegan 2 years ago after seeing the “Forks Over Knives” documentary (we also love “What the Health” – both on Netflix). I lost more than 40lbs as a result. I’m quite pleased with this lifestyle. My energy levels are typically good, and I seldom crave sugar, meat or dairy. This diet by volume descending:

barley/quinoa/wild/brown rice and beans
spinach/kale/mixed greens
almond/cashew/pistachios
oats
avocados
carrots and hummus
other fruit
various pickles

I don’t use sweeteners of any kind. I drink water, black coffee, tea, and almond milk. I occasionally cheat with crackers, chips, beer and sushi. The only supplement I take is B12.

The advice of some friends, the fact that I’d gained a bit of weight recently – and of course another documentary: “The Magic Pill” – convinced me to give Vegan Keto a go. The same rules apply as standard Keto: minimize the net carbs (subtracting the dietary fiber); primarily consume healthy fats. I’m pretty open to trying things to improve my health. I’m a bit of a human guinea pig. I decided to go a full 10 days to give it a fair shake. I felt like I could adhere to the tight restrictions with only a few substitutions. With this as my guide https://www.ruled.me/comprehensive-guide-vegan-ketogenic-diet/, I implemented the following:

spinach/kale/mixed greens
roasted and steamed cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, zucchini and jalapeño
almond/pistachios/chia/sunflower seeds
fat bombs (coconut oil, sugar-free peanut butter, baking chocolate, cocoa powder)
avocados
pickles
raspberries (only a handful with breakfast)

I allowed no cheats. I needed to boost my supplements – something I’m generally loathe to do – to mitigate some of the symptoms I experienced. I took an electrolytes mix, potassium/sodium/magnesium/zinc, vitamin B6, B12, C and D/D3.

Keto works incredibly well for weight loss. I haven’t lost this much this quickly since I had food poisoning and could barely eat for a week – over 10lbs in 10 days. This was despite eating as much or more than I was previously. Judging from my midsection and the reduction of a loop on my belt, I believe a good portion of this loss to be fat.

Vegan Keto is incredibly restrictive and comparatively expensive. The list of acceptable foods is pretty short: http://meatfreeketo.com/ultimate-vegan-keto-shopping-list/. You need to check every label for net carbs, and meal prep is a must. A Vegan can find the pretzels or salad or fruit at a party – no such luck when you’re also Keto. I’ve often joked that I could live a month on less than $10 of rice and beans. Producing comparable calories from the Vegan Keto alternatives is easily four times as costly. A number of the suggested items are also not commonly found in stores.

Keto Flu is very real. I have run marathon distance, given up drinking for the better part of a year, and I have gone a week plus without solid food for various reasons before. Years ago when I gave up meat, dairy and added sugar, it maybe took a week for me to adjust. But that was mostly just resetting my taste buds. It was nothing like this. The first two days on Vegan Keto were easily as difficult as any of the above. I suffered immense carb withdrawal. No matter how much I ate, my body screamed at me that I was starving. It felt like my stomach was trying to gnaw its way through me. I experienced cramps in many of my larger muscle groups. I had so little energy I barely wanted to move. And my head was so foggy it felt like I was drunk. These symptoms diminished significantly after the first two days. But, most of them remained present at some level all the way through day 10.

Mental clarity did seem to improve. The slightly drunken feeling that remained with me throughout actually began to transform itself into a focused awareness. It did feel rather akin to that odd sensation of being able to relax and concentrate more fully on a skill game like darts or billiards at the bar after just one or two drinks. Whether or not this is placebo is open to debate. A more concrete notion though is the general prevention of mental lapses resulting from carb-related energy crashes.

Admittedly, my carb-laded Vegan diet generated a bit of an energy roller coaster. I am accustomed to jittery high points and significant brain-fog low points. I typically mitigate the latter with caffeine. Keto on the other hand was pure consistency. My energy was at a muted buzz the whole time. I was probably more productive at work anyways when I was at a steady 30-40% as opposed to a see-sawing 90-10%.

Keto is not for the faint of heart or the faint of butt. I was warned by nutritionists and nurses that Keto causes constipation. I kept my fiber very high, so for the most part, I did not have this issue. But I was fraught with inconsistency. Between the radical change to my routine and needing to eat more food more frequently, I could not maintain a typically rhythm. Some of the things I tried also gave me diarrhea. The diet as a whole was not easy on the stomach. I had frequent mild stomach aches or indigestion that I don’t usually deal with.

My workouts were compromised. This aspect improved the least as days went by. With generally low energy to begin with, it took way more will power than normal to begin exercise. I felt like I had no reserves, so it took significant will power to maintain a workout for 60 plus minutes. During cardio intervals, I could not hold zone 4 for even half the duration I normally can. Muscle cramps were a huge problem in Body Pump. My hamstrings and quadriceps locked up in the latter portions of long squat tracks. I failed out of routines I never fail when attempting the same weights I always use. Some of these cramps lingered for days, compounding with successive workouts. I always stretch and frequently do yoga, neither eliminated this issue. Nor could I seem to generate adrenaline or testosterone to tap into the “fire” that often takes my lifts over the top. On day 7 I tried a double workout. I hit the wall so hard I had to sleep immediately and skip my daily on day 8. There’s no way I could play in a handball tournament under these conditions.

I felt a net loss in my overall quality of life. Some friends told me Keto made them feel angry all the time. I have been referring to Vegan Keto as “the sad diet”. I am an optimist by nature and generally find fun in most aspects of my life. The same muted buzz of energy was reflecting in my mood. Fun things were less fun. I was uncharacteristically apathetic. Friends noted my dour pallor. The same applied to eating. The food is not satisfying. I love my home-made guacamole, but it’s so hollow eating it with celery instead of chips. Roasted veggies are delicious but unfulfilling without a starch. I choked down the fat bombs to keep going, but the chia seeds pudding I made was so unpalatable I tossed it. I am used to eating and exercise being mood elevators. On this diet they were not. I was unenthusiastic, my stomach hurt, my throat was sore and I got acne.

Is this really the healthiest option? Here’s where I need (the most) help. Keto proponents trump its benefits as compared to a normal Western diet. There’s no doubt that Keto will radically improve the health of anyone consuming processed foods and added sugars, and I can personally attest to its effectiveness for weight loss – but at what cost?

A raw plants Vegan diet accomplishes the same thing. Why are the oranges I love to eat every day excluded from one? I often make a fantastic raw apple/mango salsa and a spicy rutabaga/bean chili. Both are nutrient dense and healthy, but they’re far too carb heavy for Keto. Thus far I have seen more studies showing evidence of the health benefits of raw plants. My research has not been exhaustive. Do comparative studies exist between these two alternatives?

One aspect I can speak to is supplements. Again, I’m no expert. I am not a fan of supplements though. In my opinion, a huge industry exists around profiting on the generation of very expensive urine. If you’re not getting everything your body needs from the food you eat, does that not speak to a problem with your diet? It is not my intention to condemn this. I’m just observing how good I feel just eating plants vs a lifestyle requiring a lot of hoop jumping: https://shop.perfectketo.com/. Here’s a list of recommended supplements and procedures for a Keto Vegan – many of which I had to take to stay hydrated, alleviate my sore throat and effectively exercise:

Take a vegan DHA+EPA supplement.
Eat natto (fermented soy) or green leafy vegetables like kale to get enough Vitamin K2.
Supplement with a vegan form of vitamin D3.
Properly prepare any seeds and nuts that you eat. Soaking and sprouting (when possible) help deactivate mineral-binding proteins that impair mineral absorption.
Maximize iron absorption by having vitamin-C-rich foods.
Keep your thyroid in good shape by eating iodine-rich food like seaweed and increasing selenium intake.
Supplement with B vitamins, especially vitamin B-12.
Eat some fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, and natto to improve digestion and vitamin and mineral absorption.
Take a zinc supplement like Zinc Balance If you are experiencing symptoms like dry skin or getting sick with a sore throat more often than usual.
Supplement with one, two, or all three of the compounds taurine, carnosine, and creatine. Each one boosts health in a variety of ways.
If your diet isn’t meeting your iron needs, then supplement with a heme-iron supplement.
Consider adding oysters, clams, and other non-sentient bivalves to your diet. These literally brainless creatures are filled with so much B-12 and zinc that you could probably cover your needs by eating them just once a week.

Some common threads emerged as I spoke with nutritionists, personal trainers and nurses: Listen to your body. Eliminating entire food groups can be dangerous. If you continue to feel off and need to take supplements to fix problems, you’re probably not feeding yourself properly. An under-addressed aspect of this discussion is the incredible complexity of the microbiome that is the human digestive tract and its inhabitant gut bacteria. There is increasing evidence that these tiny denizens keeping us healthy need a diversity of insoluble fiber from plant matter to function. Some of the digestive issues I experienced on the diet may speak to this. I’d also like to see some long-term wellness studies of Keto practitioners particularly as it relates to gut health.

Can I draw any conclusions? It would be disingenuous to make sweeping claims from my experiment – I was largely unsupervised, and 10 days might not be long enough. I can only report what I felt. I did appreciate the consistent energy and alertness. I observed it ticking up ever so slightly as the days went by. So perhaps if I held out a whole month, my quality of life may reach acceptable levels. And if you want to lose weight, this is the most effective diet I’ve seen.

The crippling of my exercise was a deal-breaker though. At this point in my life I’m not willing to accept muscle or athleticism loss in favor of weight control. The general damper on my mood, physical discomfort and side-effects were also depressing. And I don’t know that I’m willing to regulate my diet this strictly on an on-going basis. Ketosis only works if your body is forced to fuel off fats, so you really can’t cheat. I’m guessing it’s a bit different when you’re consuming animal products, but I remain of the opinion that this is not optimal for health. Trying to live Keto Vegan would suck a lot of the joy out of my life. Only half joking, I would actually recommend it for violent felons – stay healthy while suppressing aggression, lowering energy and preventing mood swings. I’d offer my chia seed pudding, but that could be cruel and unusual punishment.

Where to go from here? I’m open to future experiments, but for now I’m going back to raw Vegan. It now seems apparent that the weight gain I’d recently seen on this diet was a result of my increased carb intake. So fruit and root vegetables are back on the table, but I plan to reduce my dependence on grains. I will try to find the balance that allows me to maintain my wellness and activity level without requiring supplements or breaking the bank.

Persevering Through Hard Times

When we live out our lives, we expect the good times, we rejoice in them. We celebrate relationships with our friends and family, falling in love, new jobs or promotions, engagements, marriages, the births of our children, graduations etc… These are the highlights. The day-to-day, that seems uneventful for some, can also be something in which to rejoice.

Then there are the times we want to be over, but must endure. We whine, we begrudgingly drag our feet through those days, we complain, we let everyone or no one know of these struggles. Divorce, difficulties in our relationships with friends or family (the sleepless nights of teething and viral sickness between two children, in my case), death of a loved one, a cancer diagnosis, an act of terror that hits close to home…for some reason this list seems like it could go on longer than all the good we celebrate. These events seem to stop us in our tracks, they consume our thoughts and put our lives on hold. More so it seems than the good. We’re left asking “Why?” or “Why me?” Even more so, “Why does God let bad things happen to good people?”

While, I’m not an expert on answering these difficult questions, maybe I can shed light as to how I’ve come to understand perseverance. Over the years, through bouts of hard times in my life, one phrase that I’ve heard repeated to me, “God will never give us more than we can handle.” While this is Biblically true, and may give comfort to a few, it’s the LAST thing most people want to hear.

Over the summer, I had the opportunity to study the book of Job. It’s not a widely studied book, but it is rich with testimony of one man. He believed in God. On all accounts he was very devout. He had wealth and abundance in every way. In a short span, he lost EVERYTHING. In the midst of his true suffering, both physical and emotional, he cried out to God and asked, “Why? Why me?” Instead of turning from God and saying, “To heck with you! You’ve done me no favors!” He ran to God and lamented. He LAMENTED. Over, and over, and over. He never lost faith. He knew that God would give him comfort and trusted that the comfort would come without knowing when or how.

Our natural instinct is to run from God and try to fix everything ourselves. Then, at least, we still have our pride. However, pride isn’t something in which we should be placing our hope.

Why turn to God? He alone has the answers to our problems, if we give Him the time, He shows us the way. He wants a relationship with us. Relationships are a two-way street, sharing how we feel with the other person. No marriage could survive on one person’s actions alone, for example. When we let God know our struggles, it opens up the opportunity to let Him heal our hearts, however great the wound. This can take days, months or even years. Perseverance takes time. When Job gave all his problems to God, and the end of his struggles, God blessed him greatly! God gave him all the wealth he had had previously, and MORE! Job credited everything to God. When we push through the trials with God, He leads us to a place of rejoicing (the good times) on the other side. It’s our reward!

I’m dealing with teething and #mancolds over here, while my struggle seems rather silly, I honestly haven’t slept more than a few hours a night in the last 2 months. Psychologically, it’s getting to me. My plan? Work though this WITH God, because I know, on the other side, a solid night’s sleep will be my reward. Not sure when that will be, but I know it will come. Until then, Jesus and coffee are my BFFs.

Struggling? How can I pray for you?

-Lauren