Recent Posts

Patricia R.
on 8/7/12 10:31 pm - Perry, MI
Topic: RE: where is everyone?
 Hi Kerry,
When I first began my WLS journey I prayed a simple prayer.  "God, please open doors you want open, and keep closed those you want closed."  I then turned the whole process over to Him.  I was amazed at the peace I had as I went through the process of getting the clearances, and at how fast each door just flew open.  I had my initial consultation with my surgeon on June 1, 2006.  All of my clearances, and consultations with other doctors, including the psych eval and insurance approval went through by July 15.  My surgery was August 28.  Just three months from start to finish.  

I had been active in Overeaters Anonymous, but have to focus my recovery on Alcoholics Anonymous.  I also have been in psychotherapy for an eating disorder, and other problems for 22 years.  I did outpatient eating disorder treatment twice as well.

I view my surgery as a God given gift, not a cure but a tool.  Self-control is still a must.  Obedience to the diet and exercise plan necessary for success and weight loss is necessary.  Not eating sugar and not overeating is still necessary.  So, the Fruit of the Spirit still comes into play.  

I was the first person in my church to have RNY surgery.  Since then, three other women have had it, at the same bariatric surgery center near here.  Also, another Christian friend, who is a pastor, has had it.

I see the surgery as a God given gift that is available to us today.  I had a lot of health comorbidities that could have led to an early death if left to continue.  I was prediabetic, on the verge of becoming diabetic.  I also was on cholesterol medicine, and my Mom has had two heart attacks, and all four of her brothers died of heart disease.  All of these comorbidities were before I turned 50.  Since my three month post-op appointment and blood work, my cholesterol and blood sugar have been normal.  I'm iron and B12 deficient, but those are easily corrected.

Pray and ask God to open and close the doors as you pursue your weight loss surgery goal.  He'll make His will known to you.

God bless.

Oh, we have a lot of lurkers.

Hugs,
Trish


Seek always to do some good, somewhere. Every man has to seek in his own way to realize his true worth. You must give some time to your fellow man. For remember, you don't live in a world all your own. Your brothers are here too.
Albert Schweitzer
96179

Patricia R.
on 8/7/12 10:16 pm - Perry, MI
Topic: RE: Psalm 19: 1
 Hi Again Karen,
I first learned about God in Catholic school in first grade.  I believe the first things I was taught was about the Garden of Eden and Adam and Eve eating the fruit and then being kicked out of the garden.  I also remember learning about sin.  The nun made a circle on the chalkboard and filled it in so it was all white.  She said that was how our soul looked before we sinned.  Then she took the eraser, and erased spots until it was gone, and told us that each sin made our souls dirty, and that God hated sin.  The problem is, I did not learn about forgiveness till second grade, when I was preparing for Holy Communion and Confession.  BUT, the forgiveness did not come till we did Penance.

So, I went from learning about the Creator of the world, to a God that hates sin.  And to add to my childhood confusion, I then learned that the only way to get God's forgiveness was to work for it.  Big huge God demands tons of penance to earn His favor.  

Again, it took me years to learn about the loving, personal God who interacted with each of us graciously and forgiving us, simply because of our personal relationship with His Son.  It took me years as a believer to learn 1 John 1:9, "IF we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness."  Nowhere in that verse does it say, anything eluding to penance to earn His forgiveness.

Sorry for blabbing so much.  

Hugs and love,
Trish


Seek always to do some good, somewhere. Every man has to seek in his own way to realize his true worth. You must give some time to your fellow man. For remember, you don't live in a world all your own. Your brothers are here too.
Albert Schweitzer
96179

Patricia R.
on 8/7/12 9:23 pm - Perry, MI
Topic: RE: 1 Thessalinians 4: 17-18
 Hi Karen,
It took me a very, very long time before I fully comprehended and believed this Truth from Scripture.  Because of my Mom's mental illness, I was sent to live with friends when I was a baby because Mom had to be hospitalized and Dad had to work.  I vaguely remember being in a crib in their master bedroom.  Then, as a teenager, I was sent away indefinitely, to live with relatives two hours away, because my "lousy behavior" was agitating my sick Mom.  My Dad was told by our family counselor that Mom really needed to be hospitalized.  Mom refused, so the counselor told Dad to send me to live with relatives two hours away.  My lousy behavior was typical teenage rebellion.  I wasn't into boys or drugs, just arguing.  Mom still talks about my teen years as being horrible.  All I did was argue.  Show me a teenager who never argued with a parent, and I'll show you a space alien.

So, needless to say, I had a slew of abandonment fears, even up until my divorce 11 years ago.  I learned throughout the past 35 years that I transferred onto God my feelings about my Mom, especially the abandonment fear.

God bless.
Trish

Seek always to do some good, somewhere. Every man has to seek in his own way to realize his true worth. You must give some time to your fellow man. For remember, you don't live in a world all your own. Your brothers are here too.
Albert Schweitzer
96179

Patricia R.
on 8/7/12 8:48 pm - Perry, MI
Topic: RE: Sheeeesh!!!!
I'm so sorry to hear about it.  I have my forums bookmarked on my web browser.  When I am not on my own computer, I do a search for Christianity Forum on the OH mainpage.  

Glad you are back.  

Hugs,
Trish

Seek always to do some good, somewhere. Every man has to seek in his own way to realize his true worth. You must give some time to your fellow man. For remember, you don't live in a world all your own. Your brothers are here too.
Albert Schweitzer
96179

goddessgrrl
on 8/7/12 3:53 pm - VA
Topic: RE: where is everyone?
I have a deep, abiding personal relationship with the Holy Trinity. I absolutely believe that God will lead you to what's right for you. Throughout my life I've gone back & forth, sometimes remembering to turn my life over to God, sometimes forgetting, & then remembering again. I guess that's the human condition.

One reason why I never posted on this board is because I see many "Christians" giving Christianity a bad name lately. I never had my foot in a public school (16 years of private religious school), but I feel estranged from my religion right now because of all the outright hatred I've seen so-called "Christians" spew forth in the past decade or so.

I was taught, "They will know we are Christians by our love," NOT "They will know we are Christians by the hatred & racism we spew onto anyone who doesn't look like us."

Or worse: "They will know we are Christians by the trail of dead bodies we leave behind us."

One thing I know with my whole heart: God loves EVERYBODY, including those who have addictions. Mine happens to be to food. I am working the twelve steps through Overeaters Anonymous to augment the miraculous tool I've been blessed enough to have been able to receive (RNY).

Almost every step I take, I realize & am fully aware of the miracle that is a 70+-pound weight loss in the past 5 1/2 months.

To God goes the glory.

Go where the love is. Go where the peace is.


View more of my photos at ObesityHelp.com

 

     

starry957
on 8/7/12 3:32 pm
Topic: where is everyone?
I guess the fact that I only notice a few "posters" on this forum that this must mean there are not many Christians out there that go through with WLS....sometimes I wonder myself if I am "supposed" to go through with it or not...the bible says nothing about WLS obviously, but anyone else ever feel like having surgery and changing the way your body is/works on the inside is against God's plan at all?  And I sometimes think about the "self-control" we are to demonstrate as a fruit of the spirit, but that we obviously don't given our relationship with food/resulting obesity....should we be waiting for God to heal us or take matters into our own hands?  Is that what we're doing by having WLS? 

Any thoughts?

Thanks, Kerry

January 8th, 2013 - VSG with Dr Paul Sullivan (St Joe's Toronto)

    

    
Hislady
on 8/7/12 7:20 am - Vancouver, WA
Topic: Psalm 19: 1
"The heavens declare the glory of God." The subject of trying to imagine the being of God can dumbfound the mind. It's just more rthan our feeble human minds can grasp. God is larger than the universe He created and can not be contained, that is unfathomable for us to comprehend. Yet He has made it possible for us to know Him thru His Son Jesus that He sent to live here, die for us and be raised. "In creation we see God's hand, and in redemtion we see His heart!" What a gift we have been given, only a very loving Savior could bestow a gift like this! So remember to declare and appreciate the glory of our God.

God bless!
Karen


Ok hopefully now I'm caught up with this week. Please pray for safe travel for my daughter and her 2 boys as they fly back to Austin, TX tomorrow. She is partially blind(enough to qualify as legally blind like looking thru swiss cheese) so airports are a challenge,  pray all goes smoothly for them. It has been a blessing to see them for the last 2 months, we've had some great times and enjoyed getting to know the grandsons. It may be a long time before we see them again so I'm happy we've had this opportunity.
Hislady
on 8/7/12 7:08 am - Vancouver, WA
Topic: 1 Thessalinians 4: 17-18
"We shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words."  Jesus has told us "I will always be with you" and "I will never forsake you."  Therefore we can always say "The Lord is my helper. I will not fear!" Isn't that awesome? We need never fear because our Lord is ALWAYS with us. Not just when we are good or when we are having a great life but even more so when life is challenging us. We needn't fear even satan himself because we have Jesus, God's own Son with us, not just sometimes but ALWAYS!!!! How blesseed we are!!!

God bless!
Karen
Hislady
on 8/7/12 7:00 am - Vancouver, WA
Topic: Sheeeesh!!!!
It's taken me till today to find my way back here since OH stole my bookmarks!! I had everything set up so I could just click and go straight to the discussion page on all my forums. Now I have to hunt all over to find my forums. Grrrrr!!!!!
Hislady
on 8/7/12 6:57 am - Vancouver, WA
Topic: RE: Prayer for cost of medications
I just got a prescription card from someplace that says it's totally free and can save up to 75% on prescriptions. They said to share the extra ones and it's good at most major pharmacies. If you want I'll send you one. Maybe it'll help out, let me know if you want it.
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