$5 for Wed

No Jimmy Johns Wednesday, but I did meet Jason at Starbucks.

only 2 days to go!

almost time to add it all up, and double it (thanks to Tyndale!)

$100

As part of my Christmas present from my in-laws I got $40 to give to Feed My Starving Children

and Jason's giving $60, in lieu of the gift exchange we usually do with my family.

then double that thanks to Tyndale, and you've got $200

$7

no Jimmy Johns, no Starbucks!

$60 for Christmas Gift

My family is donating the $60 we usually spend on an exchange gift this year to a charity of our choice. So, of course, I chose Feed My Starving Children

and I'm almost done with the One Year Chronological Bible - NLT. It's been good, I'm so glad I took on reading the Bible in a year. Next year I'm getting the NLT Parallel Study Bible. I don't think I'll be reading that in a year, but I will be reading many interesting notes.

$21

This is for all week.

I've been at 3 different Christmas lunches over the last 2 weeks, so that helped.

I'm so close to being done with the "Year of Living with less" so you'd think I'd be thinking about it, but I've been so busy I haven't remembered to post.

with that, I've gotta go, time to give Jonas his bath. :)

$10

this if for wednesday and thursday

$894.00 TOTAL = 3500 meals x 2 (Tyndale matching) = $1788 = 7003 meals

We just got the email at work that Tyndale will be matching our donations again this year up to $1000. So everything is doubled. That's wonderful wonderful news. I work for a great company!

$1 donated to FeedMyStarvingChildren=4 meals (3.917 to be exact) To get the total number of meals that will go to Feed My Starving Children take the dollar amount times 3.917. $100 equals 391 meals.

$5

no jimmy johns.

We had our Production Group Christmas Party during lunch today. The design Christmas party is next Monday, then the Company party is after that. I love this time of year :)

$7

no Starbucks and no Jimmy Johns. I worked through lunch and then picked up Jonas early. We did go to Panera for an early dinner. But I'm still counting the no Jimmy Johns

$7

no Jimmy Johns and no Starbucks!

$5

no jimmy johns. And I juiced tonight :)

I got the following C.S. Lewis quiote off of Barry's post (thanks Barry)

The essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere flea-bites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.- C.S. Lewis

$7 and last night was the last night of juicing

No Jimmy Johns and no starbucks. Mainly because I went home sick at 11am.

I'll try to continue the juicing (at least every few days hopefully). And am glad I made it a week. well, sort of, one night i didn't eat after 5, but didn't juice either.

and now I'm sick. So I should have been eating better when I wasn't juicing. Might have happened anyway though. Last week with Jonas's first day of daycare and Jason starting a new job was kind of stressful.

juicing

I did juice tonight.

carrots, spinach, apple, celery. pretty good with the apple in there

$2

No Starbucks, but I did get Jimmy Johns.

We've got to go grocery shopping. And this being the first week of my husband's new job, and daycare, it's been a little crazy.

oh, and last night I didn't eat after 5pm, due to the juice fast. HOWEVER, I also did not make any juice. So, on one hand I didn't completely fail, but on the other hand, I ate unhealthy food up until 5pm, so I did fail. But I'm continuing on.

$7

no Jimmy Johns AND no Starbucks. Or at least I didn't have to pay for it.

It was wonderful. I went into Starbucks today, put down my coat and book, came back to the counter, and waiting for me was my iced coffee! I said jokingly "does this mean I don't have to pay" and she said "yep, this one's on the house". HOW SWEET!  I said I really needed that today.

Today was the first day I dropped Jonas off at daycare, and this (the free drink) was a nice little blessing!

Good Bible Verses I read recently

Galatians 5:17-23 (NLT) 

17 The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict. 18 But when you are directed by the Holy Spirit, you are no longer subject to the law. 19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, 20 idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 22 But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law.  
 
25 If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. 26 Let us not become conceited, or irritate one another, or be jealous of one another. 


4 Be sure to do what you should, for then you will enjoy the personal satisfaction of having done your work well, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else. 5 For we are each responsible for our own conduct. 6 Those who are taught the word of God should help their teachers by paying them. 7 Don't be misled. Remember that you can't ignore God and get away with it. You will always reap what you sow! 8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful desires will harvest the consequences of decay and death. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 9 So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. 10 Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone, especially to our Christian brothers and sisters. 


14 As for me, God forbid that I should boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world died long ago, and the world's interest in me is also long dead. 15 It doesn't make any difference now whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we really have been changed into new and different people.  

$5 - and day 2 dinner juice fast

no jimmy johns.

Had carrot, kale juice for dinner. It's 9:35pm now and I'm hungry. I woke up a few times last night and drank water because I was hungry then too. Just goes to show how I rarely go very long without food. I usually don't make it between meals without at least one snack.

Fasting

I'm doing a sort of fast for the next seven nights.

Every night for the next week (so until next Monday night), I'll be using my juiceman juicer to make veggie/fruit juices. And maybe I'll go longer, we'll see.

I watched "fat, sick, and nearly dead" this last Saturday, which was my inspiration.

$7

third day in a row with no Starbucks (it was a close call though).
 And no Jimmy Johns.

Are you checking my post?

On average it looks like I'm getting 0 to 2 people checking my post a day. I'm not sure if that's including me (ha), but I did click the "don't track your own pageviews" button a long time ago, so if that worked, people are really checking. And I'm feeling somewhat held accountable. But I'm really held accountable by God.

I just checked the stats and  Pageviews by Countries and look below, there are people from other countries checking! pretty exciting. If you're continuously checking, whether from the US or India, I'd love to hear comments on why. And I'd love to hear if you're doing anything to make a difference, big or small.

Thanks!
Jen

United States 1,085 Germany 21 Russia 17 India 9 Singapore 9 United Kingdom 6 Canada 3 Latvia 3 Australia 2 Switzerland 2

$14

2 days of no jimmy johns and no starbucks. not bad :)

more Francis Chan

(pg 116 Erasing Hell) Francis Chan also writes:

"Jesus preaches hellfire against those who have the audacity to attack a fellow human being with harsh words...   Jesus gave us these passages so that we would live holy lives. Stop slandering one another, and live in peace and brotherly unity. Jesus evidently hates it when we tear into our brothers and sisters with demeaning words, words that fail to honor the people around us as the beautiful image-bearing creatures that they are."

Matthew 5:21-22

New Living Translation (NLT)

Teaching about Anger ²¹ “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’^[a] 22 But I say, if you are even angry with someone,^[b] you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot,^[c] you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone,^[d] you are in danger of the fires of hell.

Matthew 7:22-24

New Living Translation (NLT)

²² On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ ²³ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

Lukewarm

I'm currently reading "Erasing Hell" by Francis Chan. Sort of a response to "Love Wins".

Francis Chan writes:

"The most terrifying images of hell occur, as we have seen, in the book of Revelation. But let's remember the context in which John writes this book. This isn't an evangelistic tract written for unbelievers—the hell passages here weren't designed to make converts and scare people into the kingdom. They were designed to warn believers to keep the faith in the midst of adversity. In fact, the descriptions of hell in Revelation 14 and 20-21 were first written with the seven churches of Revelation 2-3 in mind. In these churches, there were those who had left their first love (Rev. 2:4), followed the heresy of false teachers (v.20), and become complacent and "lukewarm" because of the earthly wealth they hoarded (3:15-17). It is to these types of people—people who confess Jesus with their lips but deny Him by their actions—that God reserves the most scathing descriptions of hellfire and brimstone.
   I hate to sound as if I'm always singling out the church in America, but it's where I live. And I have seen enough of His church in other countries to know that not everyone lives like us. In fact, few do. We have become dangerously comfortable—believers ooze with wealth and let their addictions to comfort and security numb the radical urgency of the gospel. What's encouraging is that there seems to be a growing number of American believers who recognize this and are making changes. ..."

$828.50 TOTAL = 3245 meals

alright, it's really adding up now. Boy, I hope my work ends up doing a match. We should find out this month. I can't believe it's been a year almost. It's flown by!

$1 donated to FeedMyStarvingChildren=4 meals (3.917 to be exact) To get the total number of meals that will go to Feed My Starving Children take the dollar amount times 3.917. $100 equals 391 meals.

$30 for haircut

I haven't gotten a hair cut since December of last year. I've donated once assuming I would have had the cut. So this is my second donation, since it would have been time.

I did do a little trimming myself the other morning. But I think I might get some more significantly chopped off in January. It's getting a little unruly. :)

$7

I managed to eat enough snacks (because we had a lot at work today) so I didn't need to go out and purchase lunch. AND I did it, I stayed away from Starbucks and ate/read in the lunch room.

today

7:45am - I still plan on not getting Starbucks, but it turns out we need to go grocery shopping and I didn't even have enough bread for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Therefore, ironically, I'll end up going out to eat. BUT I WON'T be getting Starbucks. It's a win/lose situation

tomorrow

tomorrow (wed) I'm going to try VERY hard to not go to Starbucks and stay in the cafeteria at work and eat/read. Thanks to Dean I have a good book to read, Francis Chan's new book:

Erasing Hell: What God Said about Eternity, and the Things We Made Up 

which goes nicely with my hell book reading theme lately.  

So, how hard can it be to not leave the building. Or, at least, not leave the building and go to Starbucks. 

As always, not going to Jimmy Johns and Subway hasn't been a problem. It's just the allure of reading in the beautiful environment of Starbucks and feeling the sensation of caffeine running through my veins. 

I started the whole starbucks thing more than a year ago, and NEVER should have. Before that, I was just fine reading somewhere else during lunch. But now, it's an addiction. 

So maybe I'll go back Thursday, but at least I can commit to not going tomorrow. Surely I can do that!

Alright, that's all for now. Over the last few days I've thought of many other things to write, but haven't had time. Or the desire to get back on the computer after getting Jonas to bed. 

$5

no Jimmy Johns today

$10 for Wednesday and Thursday

gotta add this up again soon, and make a payment before it gets too big!

$5

no Jimmy Johns

October 18th, 19th and 20th

I didn't have Jimmy Johns this past work week. I've been swamped at work so that's made it easier not to go out for lunch, there's been no time. :)

sidenote: we had a fundraiser at work this week for Living Water International. Another good cause.

$17

This covers last Thursday and this Tuesday, Wednesday (today I went to lunch with the design dept.

I'd like to put in another endorsement for "23 minutes in Hell" to my few blog readers. It's highly inspirational, as far as telling people to know the lord.

My friend at work told me about a book he read years ago (and unfortunately can't remember the name of) with accounts of people's last minutes before dying. Some were very positive (glimpses of heaven), others were very scary (glimpses of hell).

when one keeps on sinning

I got this link from Barry's blog:

I John 3 - When one keeps on sinning

Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous.

But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil,who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.

Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God.

So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.

Are you a child of the Devil or of God? from I'll Be Honest on Vimeo.

$3

no jimmy johns, but i did make a lunch that was more expensive then peanut butter and jelly.

I can't get that "23 minutes in hell" book out of my mind. so disturbing.

$5

no jimmy johns

23 minutes in hell

I read "23 minutes in hell" this weekend. very interesting and scary. I've been reading a lot of Heaven and hell stories lately, and this was fascinating. I highly recommend it.

I know, a lot of people will say it's just a dream, but regardless, he sites many references in the Bible and says "if you don't believe me, at least read about it in the Bible".

$15

no Jimmy Johns Tues, Wed, and Friday

$7

No Starbucks today yippy!

and no jimmy johns

$5

no jimmy johns yesterday

TOTAL $719.50 = 2818 meals to FeedMyStarvingChildren

Finally did a total again. Thankfully I've already made 3 payments, so at the end of the year I won't be writing one big check. But wow, 2818 meals, that's great! It just goes to show how much money I wasted on eating out these last years. I've been satisfied bringing lunches, the hardest thing is giving up starbucks, which I've done a pretty bad job of. Sure, I've given up a few, but the majority of my living with less has been less Jimmy Johns and Subway during lunch. 

I did give up haircuts, haven't gone to get my hair cut since last December. And I've given up some clothes. But thanks to my birthday that wasn't too hard. I could have given more of my birthday money to FMSC. It's that "I could have done more" feeling. Well, this is a journey and the longer I'm on it the easier it will hopefully get to give up the big things that are not necessities, like clothing and things in general. Not to mention the environmental expense of all the products we use and throw away.

I'm also going to think about my grocery shopping differently. I just got "Cut your grocery bills in half with America's cheapest family" from the library. So we'll see if that helps at all.

below is a reminder of how far $1 goes.

___

$1 donated to FeedMyStarvingChildren=4 meals (3.917 to be exact) To get the total number of meals that will go to Feed My Starving Children take the dollar amount times 3.917. $100 equals 391 meals.

https://www.fmsc.org/

Your financial support makes it possible for Feed My Starving Children to feed children in nearly 70 countries around the world. With each meal costing just 24 cents to produce and 94 percent of all gifts going to the feeding program, your gift will go a long way in the fight against world hunger.

$2

wanted starbucks on the way into work, but passed it up!

$10

no jimmy johns yesterday or today.

I just finished reading "Heaven is for Real" a non-fiction book about a little kid who goes to heaven. It was so good, I couldn't put it down.

$7

no starbucks and no jimmy johns today!

$12

Yesterday and today, no Jimmy Johns. And yesterday, no Starbucks = $12

$12

Wednesday and Thursday no Jimmy Johns. And one day I wanted SBs on way in but didn't get it.

$5

no Jimmy Johns today

$12

for yesterday and today. I'll try to write something more inspiring soon. we'll see. Otherwise, this is really helping to hold me accountable. I've made it through more than half a year. I just wish I'd done better with the Starbucks. But I'm happy with the getting rid of Jimmy Johns and bringing lunch.

$7

no Jimmy Johns = $5. But I did have a $2 Starbucks for lunch. However, I really wanted one when I was driving in this morning and didn't get it.

$7

no Starbucks and no Jimmy Johns today.

$5

no Jimmy Johns

$7

no starbucks and no jimmy johns. And I'm feeling sick. bummer.

Oh, but I've almost finished Randy Alcorns "Managing God's Money" and I highly, highly recommend it. There have been so many good points in there. Plus, it's a Tyndale book :)

$10

This is for yesterday and today. No Jimmy Johns both days.

$7

no Starbucks, no Jimmy Johns. Peanut butter and Jelly instead

$21

I returned another item that was from birthday money. A sweater to anthropology. I didn't really need it. I liked it, but didn't love it. So I'm feeling much better about the money going to Feed My Starving Children. Especially after looking at all of the Somalia images.

$7

I almost got a coffee this morning, and I did not get Jimmy Johns or Subway on the way home

$588 TOTAL = $2,304

Finally doing a new total. Check out what's going on in Somalia

$5 for Wednesday, $2 for Thursday

No Jimmy Johns yesterday (Wednesday), but I did do Starbucks.

Thursday (today) I went to lunch with my coworkers, to Jimmy Johns. But it was a special occasion so felling ok about that.

$5

no jimmy johns, but alas, I did get Starbucks.

While I was there I saw a photo in the newspaper of a starving child in Somalia, very sad. FMSC is working overtime to send food there. And praying it makes it.

been out of town

to visit my mom. So I haven't done anything savings wise in the last few days. I haven't been bad, but nothing I can say I didn't do that I would have otherwise.

$2 for Wednesday

No Starbucks yesterday, but I did go to Wholefoods and got some food from the wonderful buffet.

thank you!

I had a 1:15pm meeting with Barry (my Art Director), and there was a starbucks iced drink waiting for me. That was SO NICE of him, and just what I wanted after hardly making it through lunch without going there. so nice, so nice...

$7

ok, I'm at work, not starbucks. This is hard, i really want to be at starbucks reading, but I thought, surely I can make it through the day without it. And I brought a peanut butter and jelly, along with some other snacks.

This last weekend my mom, sister and Jason came with me to Feed My Starving Children. It was a lot of fun, and I'm so glad they got to experience it. Plus, signing up to volunteer on the website is so easy. You pick and time and the amount of people going and find out what the availabilities are at a specific location. So easy.

$5

no jimmy johns yesterday. I did go to Starbucks with a friend and talk, which was very nice. This coming Saturday I'll be going to Feed My Starving Children with my mom, sister and husband. Really looking forward to them seeing how it works. Plus, it was a lot of fun helping out last winter.

$2 for last Thursday

I would have bought a starbucks Thursday morning, but it was purchased for me, so $2 to FMSC.

$9

no jimmy johns yesterday or today. You may notice I'm not including Starbucks. sad

$6

no starbucks and no jimmy johns (but brought something more expensive than peanut butter and jelly).

We had our "Radical" book club at work today (chapt 4). As always, it was a great discussion. Very challenging regarding the American Dream, our desire for more stuff, and how much we help those in need.

$7

yea, No Starbucks and no Jimmy Johns!

$25

I didn't spend all of my birthday clothes money on clothes. I stopped myself before I used it all. Unfortunately it was very tough to stop spending. Hopefully it won't always be that hard for me.

Plus, $5 is up there for not going to Jimmy Johns today and bringing a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

$5

no Subway today. Friday's I don't get Starbucks, but a lot of the time I'll get subway on the way home. I held myself back and had a salad instead when I got home.

TOTAL $508.50 = 1991 meals to FeedMyStarvingChildren

Finally added on the latest money. I'm getting close to 2000 meals!

$5

no Jimmy Johns, but yes, I did starbucks.

Exciting news, my sister, mom, and my husband are going with me to fill bags of food at Feed My Starving Children at the end of July. I've done it once with the production department and I wanted my family to see where I'm giving the Jimmy Johns/Starbucks money.

$5

no jimmy johns, but did have Starbucks. I considered going out to eat today because I was in a hurry this morning, but then decided, no, I can spend the 5 extra minutes it takes to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. So I'm glad I did that at least. :)

$5

no jimmy johns, had some leftovers and Dean gave me his extra chips :)

However, I did have my $2 starbucks. I'm not feeling as guilty about that though because I worked through lunch and read about research. I wonder if I'm just slacking because I'm halfway through the year, or if it's not so bad because I only go once or twice a week (equalling $4). And I say to myself, at least I'm not getting Jimmy Johns/Subway which is twice, or three times as much as a $2 drink. Perhaps those are all just excuses and really I should try harder. hmmm

$2

almost got an iced coffee on the way home from the pool with Gina and Bern, but held myself back. Watching that documentary the other night helped (one small act)

$7

no Jimmy Johns and no Starbucks today.

Jason and I just got done watching the documentary "A Small Act". It was so good. It showed how one woman's small act of kindness, small donations to a boy in Africa she didn't know, made such a huge impact. I recommend watching it.

$5

no Jimmy Johns yesterday (Tuesday) but I did have my iced coffee at Starbucks and read. I'm reading "Managing God's Money" by Randy Alcorn again.

Here's a non direct quote from the book:
"It takes time to hover over our things, and that time must come from elsewhere–time we might spend cultivating intimacy with God, time visiting the needy, etc. Every item I add to my possessions is one more thing to think about, talk about, clean, repair, display, rearrange, and replace when it goes bad. Acquiring a possession may also push me into redefining my priorities, making me unavailable for ministry. If I buy a boat, the problem isn't just the money. I must now justify my purchase by using the boat, which may mean frequent weekends away from church, making me unavailable to teach a Sunday school class, or work in the nursery, or lead a small group, or . . . fill in the blank. (Obviously, I'm not just talking about boats—substitute the material possessions you value most.)"

Colossians 3:5

New Living Translation (NLT)

 ⁵ So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.

$50 - birthday

My birthday is tomorrow and my mom gave me $50 for Feed My Starving Children, very nice! My mother in law bought me some beautiful earrings from New Mexico and a gift card to anthropology and my sister in law purchased a couple of necklaces because she read my post about returning all of the necklaces to Kohl's. Everyone was so thoughtful, I got the best gifts, something for the children and gifts for me that were lovingly picked out.

$19

no Jimmy Johns Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday = $15, no Starbucks Wednesday and Thursday = $4

$7

no starbucks today, no jimmy johns yesterday. but i did contribute to a joint coffee fund yesterday for our design retreat.

$7

no jimmy johns today (I had a peanut butter and jelly). I did have starbucks, BUT I did not have it yesterday when I really wanted it to. It's becoming a once a week thing. Not too bad.

$12

no Starbucks or Jimmy Johns today, no Jimmy Johns yesterday. But yep, I did it again, Starbucks yesterday. But I'm doing really well with the no eating out. I've been eating salads and apples (ahh). But I've been I'm healthier lately. And today me a 3 other girls met to discuss "Radical" chapt 2. It was nice, plus we went outside to do it (beautiful day today)!

TOTAL $384.50 = 1506 meals to FeedMyStarvingChildren

it seemed like it was time for another total.

$19

I've missed a few days because my blog's not working from my home computer.

So, Last Wed and Thursday I did not have Starbucks ($4). I did go out to eat Thursday, but not Wed, w/ friends from work ($5). And Thursday, on the way to work I was really tempted to get a McDonald's coffee, and didn't ($1.50). Then Monday I really wanted a Caribou coffee, but my husband talked me out of it, saying "what about the starving children?" and I said, ahhhh, you're right. ($2)

And finally, today, I did not get Starbucks (although I want it), and did not get Jimmy Johns ($6.50)

Instead, I'm listening to a sermon from the author of "Radical".

$20

No Jimmy Johns today. And I returned a couple of necklaces yesterday that I bought last week at Kohl's.

I went to Kohl's in the first place because I had a $10 coupon. But I left with 5 necklaces, thinking, I'd go home, see which one, or two, matched most outfits and then take back the others. But in the end I really didn't NEED any of them, so back they went. It's sometimes easier to return things once I live with them for a few days and realize they're not that important.

However, I did go to Starbucks today. I'm going to try harder tomorrow. I keep using the excuse that I need the relaxation of the Starbucks experience, and I love reading there. But if I keep reminding myself of why I'm doing this I should be able to stick it out and find something else to do.

I am so weak. But I'm slowly changing and gaining a better perspective of things.

On a side note: I really need to exercise.

$15 Tues, Wed, and Thur

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday no Jimmy Johns, but I did have Starbucks (not today though).

Today we had a "Radical" book club at work.

$8.00 - Thursday, May 12th and Monday, May16th (I'm behind)

No Jimmy Johns and no Coffee on Thursday. And today, I didn't even go out for my cheap McDonald's $1 coffee.

Inspirational video (fits my blog theme) Thanks to Barry!

$6.50

no Jimmy Johns, no Starbucks, and not much food at lunch. I worked through lunch.

I've got to include something more inspirational soon. But I've been so busy I haven't had time. Sorry to the few of you who check this.  :)    Ah, and I need to add up the money again soon!  

$4

this is for Friday, I had a snack at home rather than getting Subway.

$5

no Jimmy Johns, but I did do Starbucks. Yep, I'm going downhill. What's my excuse, you ask. Work has been very busy this week, and it's so relaxing to go to Starbucks. I did work there though, doing sketches for a new cover, but that was relaxing too. So, maybe it's not as bad that I went, since it was work hours. No, that just sounds like a bad excuse.

$6

no Jimmy Johns or Starbucks. It was another close call, I so wanted Starbucks today!

Dean and I will be starting a "Radical" book club at work. Even though I've read it once, reading it again will help keep me inspired to keep giving up unnecessary things.

TOTAL $301 = 1179 meals to FeedMyStarvingChildren

I figured it was time to add it up again. It's amazing how far so little goes.

And it's sad how hard it can be to give up a small luxury like coffee, extra clothes, and new toys that Jonas doesn't need because he has plenty of hand me downs. It's best just to avoid going out to places like ToysRus and the mall unless absolutely necessary. If I don't see these things, I don't want them.

Feed My Starving Children Food Recipient Quotes

http://www.fmsc.org/page.aspx?pid=286

$12

yesterday I had lunch with a friend who bought lunch for me. :)

Today, I had more cereal from our cereal lunch 2 days ago.

$4

we had a cereal lunch at work today (the design group). So, no Jimmy Johns or Starbucks. But I did buy a box of cereal.

$6.50

No Starbucks and no Jimmy Johns today. I brought my lunch, and am working through lunch.

$5

I did it again, went to Starbucks that is. However, I brought my lunch, so no Jimmy Johns. And my drink was under $2. I know, all excuses.

On another note, I've got a good quote from the book I'm reading "Forgotten God" by Fancis Chan
pg 83-84: "Recently, a man dying of cancer asked the church elders to anoint him with oil and pray for his healing. Before we prayed, however, I asked the man a question I don't normally ask: "Why do you want to be healed? Why do you want to stay on this earth?" The man, as well as everyone else around, seemed a bit surprised that I would ask such a blunt question.
    The reason I probed like this is because in the epistle of James, we are reminded that we often don't receive the answers to our prayers because we ask for the wrong reasons: "You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions" (James 4:3). Our desire to live should be for the sake and glory of the God who put us on this earth in the first place.

$5.50

went to a safety seminar during lunch and brought my own food

$3

didn't get coffee or anything today. I wasn't feeling so well, (got the rash around my neck, and body, that I get when I'm sick. And it keeps getting worse). so didn't leave the house.

TOTAL $265 = 1038 meals to FeedMyStarvingChildren

Habitat volunteering was fun today! I felt like I contributed more than last time. So glad I went.

$6.50

I'm going to be helping out at Habitat for Humanity today, so I definitely won't be at Starbucks and I'm bringing a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch.

I've got to be honest, I signed up to help because they were desperate. They had 4 people signed up and needed 10. Over lunch I felt maybe God was whispering that I should help. But I had excuses, I have a lot of work to do and it's more comfortable working at my desk then getting out of my comfort zone to do manual labor (ugh, manual labor). But I knew if I didn't listen I'd regret it. So I asked Katie (work friend) if she'd be interested in helping too, and she said she'd been thinking about signing up. It's nice knowing I'll be there with her.

Perhaps I'll learn something new. Last time I helped put siding on a house (about 2 years ago), and we had to climb on scaffolding, it was interesting.

$5.50

The $5.50 is for yesterday's lunch. However, I was weak and went to Starbucks for an iced coffee! I had a good book to read and really, really wanted to go. Also, I knew I'd be giving my lunch money so thought it would be ok. Some say I should have more defined goals (including my husband), but I'm just going along doing a little here and there. I wasn't ready to say no to Starbucks for the whole year. I knew I'd never make it.

Today (Wednesday) I'm working through lunch (photoshop training is during lunch), and I brought left-overs from my dinner out with the girls last night. Since it was an expensive dinner, I'm not adding another $5.

Prayer

from Sunday's sermon. Put all these verses together and it will help you know how to pray.
I've highly paraphrased them

Luke 11:9-10   ask and it will be given to you
1 John 5: 14-15  ask according to His will, He hears us
Luke 18:1  don't give up praying (could take a month, year, or more, just keep praying)
Mark 11:24   you must pray in faith
James 4: 1-3   your prayers must be free of selfish motivation
John 15: 7   your prayer must reflect a clost relationship with Christ

$9

brought food yesterday and today. 

and did not work out during lunch yesterday, I'm in the middle of Francine River's book "Redeeming Love", so I read that. It's very good. Today I've got a Peanut butter and Jelly sandwich. Not sure what I'll do to occupy my time. Man, I miss reading at Starbucks! I read in my car yesterday at the park and that was ok, but there's just something about the Starbucks environment.

$4

brought food. But good food.

and FINALLY I worked out again during lunch. So glad I did, it's been about a month, pretty bad of me.

$5

had leftovers, no coffee, and ate with the girls at work.

$5

I brought a peanut butter and jelly sandwich today, and am working through lunch. And I've got more to share from:
Managing God's Money - Randy Alcorn. pg 5-7
"Why did Jesus say more about how we are to view and handle money and possessions than about any other topic? Because God wants us to recognize the powerful relationship between our true spiritual condition and our attitude and actions concerning money and possessions.
  ...the principle is timeless: If Christ is not Lord over our money and possessions, he is not our Lord."

$5

I brought lunch. And had a coupon for a free starbucks today. Didn't enjoy it that much though. I was reading in Starbucks and I was freezing (I must admit I got a cold drink). But I did enjoy the book. see below:

Managing God's Money - Randy Alcorn. pg 3-4
"First, we should come to grips with reality–even when we imagine we have little money, we have far more than we realize. Many who say, "I have nothing to give," spend large amounts of discretionary income on cars, clothes, coffee, entertainment, phones, computers, and so on. They have nothing to give when they're done spending, precisely because they're never done spending. Then when they run out of money, they think it's because they didn't have enough.
  In Luke 16 "If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones."
The issue is not what I would do with a million dollars if I had it, but what I am doing with the hundred thousand, ten thousand, or ten dollars I do have. If we are not faithful with what God has already entrusted to us, why should he trust us with any more?"
  This thought raises a sobering question: What opportunities are we missing, or will we one day miss, because we've failed to use money wisely in light of eternity?"

TOTAL $225 = 881 meals to FeedMyStarvingChildren

ok, I finally totaled it up again.

Like I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, Tyndale is pretty sure they'll do the matching gift again (so all this would be doubled). But they won't know for 100% sure until November.

$1

got a cheap mcdonald's coffee, instead of the Starbucks or Carabou one.

$4.50

had Jimmy Johns. I used the last of my gift card, so used $1 of my own.

Thanks again whomever gave me that card!

$6.50

no Jimmy Johns and no Starbucks. Another tough day, really would have liked to go out. But I'm working through lunch instead. And I brought some leftovers.

I might have some oatmeal later, because I'm still hungry.

food to Japan

Please Help FMSC Provide Food Aid to Japan

FMSC has arranged for nearly 600,000 meals to be shipped to Japan—with possibly more to come as other aid organizations request FMSC food. The first 50,000 meals are already on their way to Tokyo on a shipment with Convoy of Hope, a distribution partner working in the Far East. Convoy of Hope has reserved another 542,000 meals that will be shipped out of the Eagan and Coon Rapids, Minnesota, warehouses bound for ocean liners to Japan. So far, the meals for Japan are already packed and in storage, but volunteers and donorsare needed every day to keep FMSC's meal pipeline full for the nearly 70 countries FMSC serves. Please help our brothers and sister in Japan by donating here, or by texting "manna" to 50555. * For the latest information on FMSC's aid to Japan, click here.

$6.50

I had Jimmy Johns today, but used the gift card again!

and I really wanted to go to starbucks to read, but thankfully hung out with some good friends instead. Which was much more enriching.

$5.50

no jimmy johns. Had salad and a little leftover pasta instead. Worked through lunch.

Feed My Starving Children fact:

How your donation is used...

Feed My Starving Children is a Christian 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. A single meal costs only 24 cents to produce, and 94 percent of total donations goes directly toward the food program.

$5

had salad and oatmeal instead of Jimmy Johns. Wasn't as hard today, I ate at work with friends, so was distracted.

$6.50

I so want to go to starbucks today and read. I should have brought my work out clothes so I wouldn't be thinking about this. Today is one of the hardest days. I want to GET OUT, and not just get out. The only thing I want to do is go to Starbucks. I'm being selfish. I should start counting my blessings.

And in case you're wondering, I haven't been giving a total lately because it turns out I need to wait until November to find out for sure if Tyndale is doing the matching donations this year. They did it last year, and probably will in 2011, but won't say for sure until November. So I need to just do my donations and not double them.

Plus, it's been easier just to put in the price, so I've been lazy. Maybe I'll start doing the price alone, and doing the total at the end of the week, or a couple of weeks.

That's all for today. Back to working through lunch.

$1.50

I didn't have my Monday coffee at Caribou. It was tough!

$5

worked out today, no jimmy johns or subway, but had a salad, banana and grapes.

then got home and had left over chocolate cake, so not feeling as healthy as earlier

$6

I used the Jimmy Johns gift card to lunch again today. yum

$6.50

I had left overs from yesterday's lunch. I forced myself to stop eating by barrito yesterday. I was full already, but it was so good. And saved it for today. Plus had a banana.

So finally, I'm back to working out during lunch. Therefore, didn't go to Jimmy Johns and Starbucks. I've still got a few dollars left on my Jimmy Johns gift card, so look forward to using that soon.

$5 = TOTAL $170.50 (w/Tyndale matching = $341.00) = 1335 meals to FeedMyStarvingChildren

Didn't pay for Jimmy Johns, but I got it, because of the kind person who gave me a gift card Monday!

$1.50 = TOTAL $165.50 (w/Tyndale matching = $331.00) = 1296 meals to FeedMyStarvingChildren

this definitely would have been a Starbucks day, but not a Jimmy Johns one. I had some good leftovers to bring. So $1.50 for the iced coffee I didn't have.

Sidenote: I got an anonymous letter left on my desk this morning from someone at work. It had a $20 gift card to Jimmy Johns and said "Jen- So you can contribute and still enjoy Jimmy Johns"

that was so nice and unexpected! So thanks, if you're reading this!

$5.00 = TOTAL $164 (w/Tyndale matching = $328.00) = 1284 meals to FeedMyStarvingChildren

I brought a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on Thursday instead of going to Jimmy Johns.

$6.50, TOTAL $159 (w/Tyndale matching = $318.00) = 1245 meals to FeedMyStarvingChildren

I really really want to go to Jimmy Johns and Starbucks today for lunch. But I'm holding back (living with less). After eating badly this last weekend, I should be ok with that.

So, instead I've got leftovers which I just finished and weren't that filling. Maybe I'll have some oatmeal later. Part of the reason I want Starbucks today is I'm still reading that Spurgeon book, and I just love reading at Starbucks. Maybe I'll indulge myself one day next week (hmm, we'll see, maybe I shouldn't). And I've been sick, so haven't been working out during lunch to distract me from my Starbucks desire.

Of course, this blog should be reminding me of the big scheme of things. And how I have nothing to complain about. I've got it so good, and am very blessed. So yes, I will focus on that! And I'll focus on how this $6.50 will equal 25 meals for Feed My Starving Children. Man that seems unreal. I'm glad I added that up again to see the affect one Jimmy Johns and Starbucks visit can have! Oh, and I forgot, add 25 meals times 2, since Tyndale donates. So it's 50 meals for Feed My Starving Children because of my staying at work and eating cheap leftovers instead of going out. Wow, now THAT seems unreal.

Here's the equation again:

$1 donated to FeedMyStarvingChildren=4 meals (3.917 to be exact) To get the total number of meals that will go to Feed My Starving Children take the dollar amount times 3.917. $100 equals 391 meals.