Horses for courses!

This is a collection of images taken in the lovely Berkshire countryside of some lovely horses I happened upon whilst driving down a country lane near my new home :-)

Fly away with me...

One thing I would love to do is go up in a hot air balloon...so when I saw one flying over the city, I could not resist to capture it and dream that I was flying away with it! :-)

The quest to find Low fat, Low carb & low sugar ice cream...

One thing that I personally associate summer with is the indulgence of ice cream! (occasionally on a snowy day too!!!). I am sure this is one of the reasons people are encouraged to diet FOR summer not IN summer. So the pressure is on and temptation is raging for one to indulge in summer's guilty pleasure! 

The more I think about it the more I have been asking myself, 'Why does ice cream have to be a guilty pleasure?' Surely with all the modern technologies and food science there must be a way to enjoy ice cream without piling on the pounds!?! So I went online and had a look to see if somebody, anybody could help me out here!!!! What I found was D'Lite. D'Lite's core product offering of 'D'Lites Emporium' is a low calorie, low carbohydrate, low fat, low sugar soft serve ice cream which contains no artificial sweeteners and no cholesterol. It is said to be a premium light ice cream that has been designed for a healthy lifestyle, though I am not sure how healthy ice cream can be... They say that the proprietary mix is made with skimmed milk, utilizing the natural sugar from the milk, to create a smooth and creamy product without sacrificing flavor or quality. Unfortunately this product is only available in parts of the US and so I am unable to test drive it and let you know if it does taste the same or if it is indeed as 'healthy' as they say.

          

Karen Collins in her article 'Light' foods may not be best choice for dieters'  says that newlow-carb products are drawing more dieters back into the dessert and beverage aisles of grocery stores, but can they actually help people lose weight? She went on to say that, 'since dropping pounds ultimately comes down to burning more calories than you consume, these products may not provide much benefit.' Karen certainly has a point in that consuming these products as part of your regular diet can be totally counter productive as the bottom line is that calories are calories, whether low fat or full fat, 'every little adds up'.

The reality is that ice cream labeled "for use with low carb diets" uses sugar substitutes for sweetness and gums and cellulose gel for thickness. The brand most widely available right now produces an ice cream containing 130 to 140 calories in a half-cup serving, which is the same as regular ice cream. The total and saturated fat content of the products is about equal, too. The best way to handle the ice cream urge is moderation, pure and simple! Eating ice cream occasionally when you really want to treat yourself and not as a dessert after every meal and hey, you don't even need to have the low everything alternative, you can have the good stuff! :-)

RADICAL DISCIPLE’S DECLARATION by Pastor Harold Warner

Pastor Harold Warner is one of the leaders of the fellowship of churches I am a member of. He is one of the most genuine and inspiring ministers I have ever heard preach and he doesn't just preach the gospel he lives the gospel! Shortly after he was married he became a pastor and just before he moved to his first post with his wife he had a car accident which left him paralyzed from the waist down and ended up in a wheel  chair. As soon as he got out of the hospital, he went to straight back to that place and took up his calling to be a pastor and has been all over the world in his wheel chair preaching the gospel and he still is today! 

Today I am stepping across the line 

I’m tired of waffling and I’ve finished with wavering 

I have made my choice, the verdict is in and my decision is irrevocable  

I’m going God’s way, there is no turning back!

I will live the rest of my life serving God’s purposes, with God’s people, on God’s planet for God’s glory 

I will use my life to celebrate His presence, cultivate His character, participate in His family, demonstrate His love and communicate His word. 

Since my past has been forgiven,  I have purpose for living and a home waiting in heaven. 

Therefore I refuse to waste anymore time or energy on shallow living, petty thinking, trivial talking, thoughtless doing, useless regretting, hurtful resenting or faithless worrying. 

Instead I will magnify God, grow to maturity, serve in ministry and fulfil my mission in the membership of His family. 

Because this life is preparation for the next, 

I will value worship over wealth, 

We over me, character over comfort, 

Service over status and; 

People over possessions, position and pleasure, 

I know what matters most and I will give it all I’ve got 

I will do the best I can, with what I have for Jesus Christ today.

I won’t be captivated by culture, manipulated by critics, motivated by praise, frustrated by problems, debilitated by temptations or intimidated by the devil, 

I’ll keep running my race with my eyes on the goal, not on the side-lines or on those running by me  

When times get tough and I get tired, I won’t back-up, back-off, back-down, back-out or back-slide. 

I’ll just keep moving forward by God’s grace.

I’m spirit led, purpose driven, mission focussed, so I can’t be brought, I will not be compromised and I shall not quit until I finish this race 

I’m a trophy of God’s amazing grace, so I will be gracious to everyone, grateful for everyday and generous with everything that God entrusts to me

I am radical in the original sense of the word, rooted in Christ, rooted in love and rooted in His word.  

I hereby declare my supreme allegiance to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

I say this however, whenever, wherever and whatever you ask me to do, my answer is yes 

I’m ready anytime; anyway, whatever it takes Lord, whatever it takes  

I want to be used by you in such a way, that on that final day I’ll hear you say well done good and faithful one come on in.

Amen.