Upgrading Your 'Pinterest Perfect' Christmas Season

Morgan Farr is a young, highly-motivated wife and mom and her passion to help women build physical, emotional and spiritual strength makes me smile. In this unique Christmas UPGRADE, Morgan shares a personal story that changed her perspective.

Morgan says, "As a new mom and a recovering perfectionist, I was in search of a 'Pinterest perfect' Christmas season until God reminded me of what really matters."

I (Dawn) have felt that pressure to be "perfect" at Christmas. Haven't you? That pressure does not make for peace! Thank the Lord, there's a better way.

Morgan continues . . .  

Normally, Christmas is a beautiful time. The music, the juxtaposition of the red and green—it just gives a warm and delicious feeling.

This time last year was an especially beautiful time of the year for me because our first son, William, was born. It was such a sweet and lovely time.

But this year is a little different. I recently learned:

God will humble us exactly where we need it—even during the holiday seasons.  

Let me set the stage for you. I am currently 20 weeks pregnant with our second son, Henry, and I have been experiencing some morning sickness.

Recently, I was getting ready for my group of ladies to come to my home for Bible study and some holiday festivities.

Now, I should clarify that I like for my home to be spotless when the ladies arrive. I color coordinate for the season we are in, I have coffee and tea available, and I always have some kind of little snack for the ladies as well.

On this particular morning, my son needed a diaper change. As I changed him, I got hit with a horrible bout of morning sickness. I left my son clean but naked on the floor as I ran to the sink to be sick.

I didn’t quite make it.

Instead I was sick on my son, on the floor, on part of the wall and the snacks that I made for my ladies.

My son proceeded to play in the mess, and then grab onto my leg with his dirty little hand. So my outfit was ruined, the snacks were ruined, and my son was crawling around the house naked smearing vomit on the floor. My husband came downstairs to help and all I could get out was a strained, “catch the baby!”  

My friends were so understanding when they arrived, yet I was irritated I had ruined our holiday festivities. And that is when God humbled me. He used this gross little episode to teach me what is important in the holiday season. Yes, God used morning sickness and a toddler to teach me the meaning of Christmas.

This is what I learned: 

1) We have to recognize that it is all about Jesus.

The Christmas season isn’t about the wrapping paper. It doesn’t matter that I have a beautiful centerpiece on my table if I let people leave our Christmas party without the knowledge that Jesus is their Savior. Without Him, they are bound for hell (Matthew 25:46).

The Christmas story isn’t awesome because of the story itself, but rather for the story that follows 33 years later when that little baby grew up and died on the cross for us.    

2) We have to recognize that it can’t be perfect. 

Until we are reunited with God in heaven, nothing here can be perfect.

Jesus was born in a manger, and it's not the pretty scenes you see in yards during the holiday season. He spent his first two years in Egypt hiding from Herod who wanted to kill him. Not pretty.

No amount of red, green, and gold at the holiday season will cover up the reality that we live in a world of sin, and this world is temporary (2 Corinthians 4:18).

3) We have to recognize that God loves us anyway.

God doesn’t love us because we are perfect. The fact is, we aren’t.

God loves us because of what His one and only Son did for us (Galatians 1:4). When Christ died and rose from the dead, He defeated Satan and his evil plans for the world. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, we have been invited into the Kingdom as a child of God.

Oh, how much He loves us!

God used a toddler, morning sickness and a Bible study to remind me of the point of this holiday season.

What about you? What things do you need to let go of to keep focused on Jesus during this holiday season?

Morgan Farr is an Army wife currently stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, with her wonderful husband Brian. They currently have two children, one-year-old William, and Henry, who they will welcome in April. Morgan is a homemaker who dedicates her free time to ministering to other Army wives through Bible studies, one-on-one interactions and physical training. She writes about her transition out of feminism and into biblical womanhood on her blog, The Forgiven Former Feminist. You can find her thoughts on fitness, health and training programs on her other blog,  Farr Functional Fitness.  

Graphic adapted from a photo at Pixabay.

Upgrade Your Fitness - at Home!

Morgan Farr is a young mom with an adorable little boy who is passionate about physical fitness. In this Health & Fitness UPGRADE she shares how to get more fit at home.

“How can I get fit and healthy," Morgan says, "if I can’t afford a gym membership or a personal trainer? I hear this question ALL the time."

OK, I (Dawn) have to admit I've used this excuse and others, but Morgan isn't about to let me (or you) get away with it.

Morgan continues . . .

It is hard in the regular world much less in the Army world for moms to get away long enough to work out at the gym. But I am here to tell you that it can be done and without spending a ton of money!

We all know that fitness an important part of life. If you don’t take care of the temple that God has given you, you can’t work as efficiently for His kingdom. This is even more important when you are a wife and mom, because you have people depending on you every single day.

I have heard a lot of excuses as to why people can’t work out, and the most common one is that they can’t get to the gym. But the thing is, you don’t have to go to the gym to work out.

You can do it from home.

You don’t need fancy equipment.

All you need is: 

• 1 car tow strap
• 1 medium carabiner
• 1 eyebolt
• 1 duffel bag (I like the ones from Army surplus stores because they are usually very cheap.)
• 1 40-pound bag of salt pellet
• 1 old car tire (I use the old ones from my car when I get them replaced.)

 That is it. That is all you need to effectively work out at home.

You will now use these six supplies to make two pieces of equipment.

1. Making a sandbag

Take the sandbag and dump in 10 pounds of the salt. I typically put it inside two trash bags just to keep things tidy.

Tie off the top, securely. A ponytail holder or two works great!

Save the remaining salt, you will need it in the months to come.

2. Making a sled:

Drill a hole in the side of the tire for the eyebolt. You want the round part on the outside portion of the tire.

When you have the eyebolt secured, use the carabiner to hook the car tow strap to the tire.

So now you have a ten pound sandbag and a tire sled.

Here are a list of the things you can do with this new equipment: overhead press, seated press, alternating press, back squat, sumo squat, overhead squat, farmer carries, weighted lunges, sandbag get ups, unweighted tire drags, weighted tire drags, unweighted hand over hand tire pulls, weighted hand over hand tire pulls.  

And those are just the movement with those two pieces of equipment!

That doesn’t include bodyweight movements like: air squats, sit ups, push-ups, jumping jacks, split squats, sumo squats, crunches, and burpees.

When you mix and match these things together you get an incredibly varied workout. Your own creativity is your only limitation! If you don’t know how to program your workout and you need a little help you can always look up workouts online.

My husband and I publish “travel” workouts for the fitness community to use at any time. These workouts are designed to be done with a sandbag and a tire sled or no equipment at all.  

1 Corinthians 9:26-27 says,

“Thus I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight as if I were shadowboxing. No, I drive my body and train it, for fear that, after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.”

Don’t disqualify yourself. Get in the race. Start where you are, and work to get better.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what workout program you follow. It matters that you are out there working on your body, making yourself more fit for God to use you in any capacity.

How will you start to build up your body for Christ?

Morgan Farr is an Army wife currently stationed at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina with her wonderful husband Brian and their seven month old son, William. She is a homemaker that dedicates her free time to ministering to other Army wives through Bible studies, one-on-one interactions and physical training. Morgan writes about her transition out of feminism and into biblical womanhood on her blog. You can find her training programs on her blog FarrFunctionalFitness.blogspot.com.  

How to Enhance Your Femininity

Morgan Farr has explored the topic of femininity and biblical womanhood extensively on her blog, and I asked her to write a Womanhood UPGRADE for us.

Morgan asks an important question: "Do you stand out as a woman of God or do you blend in with the world?"

For some time now, I (Dawn) have thought about the images the secular media feeds girls and women about what it means to be a woman, and I've grieved over the confusion and heartache I see in so many women's lives. So I truly appreciate Morgan's insight.

Morgan continues ...

God called us to be set apart and I believe that calling has more to it than just going to church on Sunday. I believe that our lives should be a testament to His glory. One of the most basic ways that we can praise God’s magnificence is in being who He made us to be … women!

Proverbs is chock full of excellent examples of how both men and women should behave, potential pitfalls, and rewards that come from working in the sphere of influence to which God assigned you.

God designed men to be masculine and women to be feminine.

It sounds so easy. If you are female, just be feminine ... right?

Unfortunately, we live in a fallen world.

On one hand, this world encourages androgyny between the sexes; on the other hand, it celebrates an unattainable hyper sexuality (i.e., Victoria’s Secret). This takes place all while mocking Biblical womanhood and true femininity. It can be so hard to know where you fit in as a woman of God!

Here are my steps to increasing femininity:

1. Celebrate your femininity

Thank God for the gift of your femininity.

Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.”

God knew from the beginning what color of hair you would have, what color your eyes would be, and that you were going to be a woman. God has designed and set out a perfect role for you to reflect the Lord of all creation’s love as a daughter of the King. How awesome is that?

2. Pray about your femininity

If femininity is something that you struggle with, ask God for help.

1 Chronicles 16:11 says, “Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.”

God’s plan for you and your family is awesome. He wants you to revel in your femininity. He designed you to His perfect specification, and that includes the fact that you are female!

3. Enhance your femininity

Femininity looks different for different people; it is all about what helps you to feel feminine.

For some ladies that could be as simple as wearing a skirt, a pretty scarf or a broach. For other ladies, femininity is an attitude ... or acts of service. I feel the most feminine when I am making food for a house full of people.

I have to say, femininity is something that I have struggled with in my personal life for a long time.

As a weightlifter, I hear a lot of questions about femininity. People ask me everything from how I manage to feel like a girl when I participate in such a masculine sport, to asking if my husband is able to see me as feminine.

It isn’t easy; there is a constant battle of maintaining a healthy balance.

Elisabeth Elliot has a quote that I adore. She said:

“The fact that I am a woman does not make me a different kind of Christian, but the fact that I am a Christian makes me a different kind of woman.” - Elisabeth Elliot

I think that sums up biblical womanhood and femininity for Christian women. We aren’t called to blend in to this world; we are called to stand out as daughters of the King!

What can you do to use your femininity to show the glory of God?

Morgan Farr is an Army wife currently stationed at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina. She and her wonderful husband Brian are expecting their first child in just two weeks! She is a homemaker that dedicates her free time to ministering to other Army wives through Bible studies, one-on-one mentoring and physical training. Morgan writes about her transition out of feminism and into biblical womanhood on her blog.

Graphic adapted, Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Fitness and Faith

I discovered Morgan Farr when a friend asked me to read her website. She is a young voice with passion for truth, bringing a biblical spin to so many things. In this Health UPGRADE, she connects health to ministry.

"What if the temple walls were crumbling," Morgan asks. "Would you repair them?

I (Dawn) know where's she's going with this. It's simple-but-profound truth.

Morgan continues ...

Imagine a temple of the Lord that has fallen in to disrepair. You would want to clean it up, get things working and in a way that welcomes people in to your ministry.

Did you know the exact same thing applies to our bodies? 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.”

How awesome is our God? He calls us to ministry and He gives us this awesome body to accomplish His glory.

Your body is your temple; it is your responsibility to keep it in good repair. So let me ask you: How is your temple? Are you satisfied with it? 

I am not talking about what it looks like; I am talking about what you can do with it. Can you do everything that you need and want to do? If not let me encourage you, health and fitness are vital to having a successful ministry! You have to take care of your body to use it for God’s glory. After all, it is His body, not yours. 

So here is my list to help you UPGRADE your ministry by taking care of your temple.

1) Pray about it!

The hardest part about getting healthy and fit is having the discipline to stay motivated and focused. Ask God to help you stay on track and to manage your time well. My favorite verse to pray for discipline is 2 Timothy 1:7 which says, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

2) Eat Right!

1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

I will tell you a secret, fitness is achieved 60% in the kitchen and 40% in the gym. There are a ton of healthy recipes on the internet that you can access for free! My number one advice; cut out sugary drinks and replace them with water. Instead of chips for a snack, try some cut up veggies. Meals don’t have to be super complicated or expensive to be healthy.

3) Get Moving!

Your body is a gift from God; use it. No matter where you are in the fitness spectrum, you can start today. No access to a gym? No problem.  Get up and take a walk. Play with your kids in the back yard. Put canned food into shopping bags and lift them. Got young kids? Try doing squats while holding them. It is exercise for you and they will have a blast “helping mommy.”

You can absolutely do this! Remember what it says in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”  

It isn’t enough to just read your Bible and do studies. We are called to stand out, to be different.

John F. Kennedy said:

“Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.”

We owe it to ourselves and to our Creator to take care of the temples he has given us and use them for His glorification.

What steps can you take today to start taking care of your temple?

Morgan Farr is an Army wife currently stationed at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas with her wonderful husband Brian. She is a homemaker that dedicates her free time to ministering to other Army wives through Bible studies, one-on-one interactions and physical training. Morgan writes about her transition out of feminism and into biblical womanhood on her blog.

Graphic of Temple: WikimediaCommons, Italy Modena Jewish Temple