Friday, April 30, 2010

Thursday, April 29, 2010.....Day 103

Day 103 of the Fruit Feast....Contentment has been my recent theme.......

Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
 1 Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

Being self-employed, my life is always a series of either feast or famine. Last week was mostly famine but i did have fruit and the lack was supplied by the Lord through my brethren. Today my house is overflowing with fruit. i have 3 cases of oranges, 15 cantaloupe, 5 Durian and a host of other stuff including a case of bananas and several cases of mangoes. But i have learned that since all things work together for my good as i am seeking to be conformed to the image of Christ, i can be content whatever my situation. So last week i could rejoice for the scarcity and this week i can rejoice because of the abundance. In all things i can give thanks and rejoice.

Proverbs 15:15 All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.

Well, this week has indeed been an abundance. i have been able also to close in on 1000 push ups for the week. i have 895 as of the end of today. Friday, my son Joshua and i plan on hitting the park for some calistenics. We usually seek to do at least 200 push ups each so i will surpass the 1000. This means that i have over 4000 for the month of April. Now let's see if i can push it to 4500 for May. A sprained ribcage limited my chin production but i believe i can get 100 for this week (40 so far). i'd like to be knocking out 2000 push ups and 500 chins per week by year end. i don't think that is an unreasonable goal and i believe its quite attainable. This coming Sabbath day will complete 15 weeks of 100% Raw fruit. Its a good start and i praise the Lord for His grace.

Today was a fun sort of day as i spent most of the afternoon shopping for fruit at various places. Over the past year on Fruitarian forays, i have learned about some of the various types of tomatoes. Last year i discovered the Campari tomato. It appears to be a cross between a vine-ripened tomato and a cherry tomato. i find them totally delicious and at times if i am spending hours in my car driving i will carry them at a meal. As i was in this mode yesterday, my lunch was on the go as it were. i went to the spanish market in Roanoke first, then drove down to Greensboro, NC to the Super G Asian market. If i am going to spend over $100 on Fruits at one place i always sample some of the produce to check for freshness and quality. i usually get no issues from the grocers but this particular asian market always gives me funny looks. Nobody says anything to me because they know i am going to spend good money (i spend $153 there yesterday). So i was picking some Roma tomatoes and i ate one. As i was enjoying its goodness a tall Asian man (an employee) was looking at me as if i did something bad. He looked down and saw my cart overflowing with produce and he asked 'Is it good?', i answered 'Very good'. After that he smiled and left me alone. Sometimes i sample the mangoes but i could seem the quality of the ones they had was good so i didn't. i did sample the mini-clementines and they were sweet like candy. i bought large quantities of all of these. i also got a case of honey tangerines as i have been really enjoying their juice this season.
Regarding durians, my local Roanoke asian markets have been telling me that because of the recent political/social upheavals in Thailand, the durian is more scarce and the prices are higher. i just so happen to have a very good friend whom i grew up with from gradeschool who works in the state department. He is always traveling and i spoke to him this week. He told me he was just in Thailand and its not as bad as the media is saying, but that its mostly calm. This was confirmed with the Asian market in Greensboro as the durian was abundant and the price was $1.79/lb which is on the cheaper side in these parts. i have found that that smaller durian are usually much sweeter and of higher flesh quality than the large ones. i saw one very large one there (the largest i ever saw actually), it weighed at least 20lbs. But i ended up getting 5 of them each one weighing around 5llbs. When i got to the cashier she said her country had the best durian. She was from Burma (now i didn't even know they grew it there). The young lady bagging my groceries said her country had the best and she was from Thailand. The lady i buy it from in Roanoke said, her country has the best and she is from Cambodia. i figure southeast Asian my be Durian heaven for sure. If the Lord permits, perhaps one day i will see for myself.

Today's fare was:

Breakfast: 5 bananas, 36oz of fresh OJ.

Lunch: 1 Roma Tomato, One box (approximately 12) of Campari tomatoes, 3 small atafaulo mangoes, a few handfuls of dried organic mango, 1 mini-clementine.

Dinner: 36oz of Mango-Cantaloupe-watermelon juice (Delicious). It was mostly mango, which made the drink rich and gave it a smoothy type of texture. Very filling, delicious and satisfying. i also ate the rest of the dried mango from the afternoon.

Spiritual Bread: 1 Chronicles 17-22

Exercise: 335 push ups in 24 minutes.

Grace and Peace be multiplied.

todd

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Monday, April 26, 2010....Day 100 of the Fruit Feast

Day 100 of the Fruit Feast.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
 Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

As one who puts implicit trust in the bible as my guide, i really believe these verses with all my heart. Things happen in the time appointed and always for my benefit as i am in Christ. So i have been off the internet for about a week and it has indeed proved to be a blessing. Its seemed to bring an increase of peace. Also, i had to cancel my weekend online bible studies, but i believe that was because there were souls that the Lord had me to minister to over the weekend. They needed one-on-one face to face attention. i would not have been available to help if i had my internet service. My God is all-wise and blessed be His name. The Lord used my brethren to supply my lack of fruit as when i showed up to our little home church flock, one sister had a case of mangoes and another a whole case of valencia oranges (praise our Lord Christ). i didn't cry but i was deeply moved by the Love displayed. Surely, i am extremely blessed. Far more than i deserve and if i can just give back a little it makes me very happy.

i have noticed a pattern that i recall was exactly how it has been in my past forays into fruitarianism. i have been losing approximately one pound per week. As i noticed this, i recalled to mind that this is what happened last year. So i have been 100% Raw Fruit for over 14 weeks, i have lost about 16lbs. Sometimes when i do heavy aerobic work (like playing intense full court basketball), i will lose a few pounds but they will come back as my body has its own balance and rhythm. Strange thing is, at this particular junction, i feel tremendous and am very satisfied with how my body looks but i know its just a snapshot and will continue this trend probably for the next 20 weeks. So i shouldn't get used to it. In fact i expect my close friends to begin to tell me i am getting too skinny when i am at about 20-24 weeks. This has happened before so i will be prepared for it. Not having done 100% Raw Fruit for more than 30 weeks, i am not sure exactly what to expect after that. My perception is that i will lose more and then gain back as my body seeks to level out later in the year. What a wonderful machine Christ has created in the human frame.

Psalms 139:14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

i did have some salt cravings this past weekend, but today they are gone as i have partaken of celery juice. i find the only time i really get cravings now is when i am hungry. As long as i eat enough, i don't get them. But also, i am not able to eat as much at one sitting. i believe my stomach is shrinking so that i cannot handle as much as i did a few months ago. But i also want at third meal now instead of just two. Transition is a constant thing at this stage of my journey, this i expected.

My workouts are getting more intense also. i am getting back to doing 300 push ups regularly. The difference now is that i am giving myself less rest. i do 25-30 and rest one minute then immediately do another set. Its more intense so i am not doing 500 push ups but if feels great. When i rest at 5 minute intervals i can do 500-700 push ups in an hour. But i like the more intense approach because it feels more efficient. i am getting more advancement on my pistol squats by just holding the butt-to-the-floor position (assisted by a belt to the door handle) isometrically. So i will continue to do that until i can do it unassisted. My progress here has been slow due to a couple of knee injuries last year, but its still steady. For this i am grateful. One of the really exciting things about this lifestyle is that i know it only gets better. That's a really nice thought for a 49 year old guy.

Breakfast: 10lbs of watermelon.

Lunch: 32oz watermelon-oj juice. sugarcane. 2 mangoes.

Dinner: Non-sweet fruity salad with avocado sauce. 2 mangoes, 3 dates.

Snack: Bunch of cherry tomatoes.

Spiritual Bread: 2 Thessalonians.

Exercise: 335 push-ups in 25 minutes.

Grace and peace be multiplied.

todd

Friday, April 23, 2010

Friday, April 23, 2010.....Day 97

Day 97 of the Fruit Feast. i haven't had internet service all week. Even so, i consider that a blessing. Just a sign that i need to stay off-line for a little while. My salt cravings picked up this week. Its been such a long time since i have had them so its alittle surprising but i will just drink more of the celery juice and i know it will be fine. This is the second or third week of at least 1000 pushups which is setting a good tone for me. i have gotten a tremendous blessing from reading the Epistle to the Colossians this week. Such a great description of what is true Christian character and what is not:

Colossians 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
Colossians 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
Colossians 3:14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Colossians 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

i have been on melon island a few days this week as that was mostly what i had available. Its been a great blessing as my system is getting cleaner from the juice of the watermelon. i am so very thankful for the abundance of fruit available on the earth and for the powerful healing and nutritional properties they possess. Fruit really is a fountain of youth.

Psalms 103:5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

i probably will not return to the internet until Monday or Tuesday. Until then my friends may the Lord guide you and bless you.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Sabbath rest and Peace to those in Christ.

Grace and Peace be multiplied to all.

todd

Friday, April 16, 2010

Friday, April 16, 2010.......Day 90

Day 90 of the Fruit Feast. Well today marks the completion of my 3rd month of 100% Raw Fruit only. Having done this before there is something very familiar about it all. Yet i am feeling like i am being made new again. i must be honest and say that the abundance of Durian i have had during this last 90 days has helped this process tremendously. i feel so spoiled in that, i haven't had any this week and i miss it. Although i just had some last weekend. This week was a slight challenge in that i not only had no durian, but i am completely out of my valencia oranges. Thank the Lord i had plenty of mangoes and watermelon. In fact, i am pretty much out of fresh fruit right now, but i ate well today. Tomorrow will take care of itself. Actually, a dear sister in Christ has a durian and a box of valencias for me when i arrive to worship with our little flock on  Sabbath afternoon tomorrow.Brothers and sisters in Christ are special to me indeed and i am very blessed to have a few to fellowship with in prayer and encouragement. i have very fine non-christian friends as well, but something about the brethren and sisters in Christ that is sweeter than any durian. 

Psalms 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
Psalms 133:2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
Psalms 133:3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

i was actually feeling alittle tired today, perhaps lazy is more like it. But i took about 5 minutes and knocked out 100 push-ups so i could reach my weekly goal of 1000 (i did 10 extra actually). We move forward in Faith.

Breakfast: half a watermelon, 4 mangos

Lunch: 16oz of coconut-banana smoothie, 5 dates, 1 avocado.

Dinner: half a watermelon.

Spiritual Bread: Philippians 2-4

Exercise: 100 push-ups.

Have a Wonderful and blessed weekend!

Sabbath rest to all in Christ.

Grace and peace be multiplied to all.

todd

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Wednesday, April 14, 2010......Day 88

Day 88 of the Fruit Feast. i did something interesting today. i looked at my blog at this point one year ago to see how last year compares to this year. It was interesting. At this point last year i weighed about 186lbs (i am 198lbs this year). i blogged about how i wanted to stay fruitarian permanently, (same as this year). i could not do the level of workouts i do now, i was doing some running, alot of walking (i have not gone for a run yet this year as i am concentrating on my calistenics work) and about 150 push ups 2-3 times per week(as opposed to 200-350+ now). i was doing about 35 chins per workout (as opposed to 100+ now). i reported no heavy cravings but just salt once in awhile (well its different now as i have no cravings). i also noted that last year i started the journey at about 205lbs (i was 213lbs this year on January 17th). So overall i believe my position is stronger this year because i am getting no cravings for anything salty and my body is stronger. i may start some light jogging at some point (2-4 miles) but i need new running shoes. The only area of caution i noted was that it was after my 4th month (120 days) my cravings started getting stronger. Lets see what happens this year.

Since i am planning on staying Fruitarian, i have begun to think about the autumn season. That is my weakest point because of the food i associate with Thanksgiving. For me that would be steamed veggies, bulgar wheat with avocado and/or steamed plaintain, homemade vegan pizza and raw apple pie. i must say goodbye to all but the raw apple pie. Right now it does not seem like a big deal, but thats right now. Its in this area i must really depend on Grace this year. As every year i have been raw this is the area where i usually stray from 100%. i don't want that to happen this year. i suppose i must deal with that bridge when i get to it and not think about it now. But i have made some mental notes. Durian is still in season all the way until November. Navel oranges begin to hit the stores in the fall and i can still get whole watermelons then. If can obtain these fruits in large quantities i should be fine. Of course there are apples also, but apples are not as appealing to me as they once were because i am really feeling oranges, watermelon, mangoes and durian right now. When peaches are in season (usually August-September around here), i love those also. Maybe i am just mentally gearing up for whatever fight it will be because i do not want to fall, not this time. i will pray to be ready and i am ready to fight. i really want this now, i feel it is time.

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
2 Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.


Amen.

Breakfast: Half a watermelon, 4 mangoes.

Lunch: 5 honey tangerines, half a watermelon., 3 medjool dates

Dinner: 32oz coconut-tangerine juice smoothie, 2 dates, 2 mangoes

Spiritual bread: Ephesians 3-6

Exercise: 360 push-ups, 100 squats, 4 sets of assisted pistols (isometrics).

Grace and Peace be multiplied.

todd

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Weekend Review ..........Days 83-86

Weekend Review of Days 83-86 100% Raw Fruitarian. Had a tremendous spiritual weekend. Approximately, once per quarter, we get together on a Friday night and pray all night to the Father in the name of Jesus Christ. This is following the Lord's example in the book of Luke:

Luke 6:12 And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

If One who was sinless thought it necessary from time to time to pray all night, we who are seeking to be conformed to His Image need to as well. It was a blessing for us and an added blessing for me because of the clarity of thought i am now receiving. We prayed from 9pm to 5am. Then i slept until about 10:30am and we had Sabbath fellowship with our little home church flock from noon and that did not end until 2am! It was all good. So spiritually rich and satisfying. We hiked a little bit on Sabbath evening and just generally were joyful in Christ as we breathed fresh air and took in beautiful scenes of God's handiwork.  i ate very well as i enjoyed my last durian (have to wait to get some more) and delicious atafaulo mangos. Finally the large watermelons are starting to appear in some stores  so i had some of that this weekend also. It was like meeting an old friend. So sweet and juicy.

On the negative side i pulled a muscle in my ribcage. It actually happened early last week. At first i thought it was a gas pain, but as the week wore on the pain increased because i was doing some serious work on the chin up bar (300 chins last week). So i played some basketball on sunday but i could not do more than one set chins before feeling like i was aggravating the injury. So i shelved all exercise for monday and hope to start back with push ups and leg work on Tuesday. i really want to keep up with at least 1000 push-ups per week. i want 300 chins also but that may not happen this week. This is a strange and somewhat frustrating situation, i have tremendous energy and would love to hit the park hard, but my muscle pull is telling me to rest. The dilemma of the raw fruitarian i suppose. Of course the best thing is to avoid injury altogether, which i will seek to do going forward.


Grace and Peace be multiplied.

todd

Friday, April 9, 2010

Friday, April 9, 2010.........Day 83

Day 83 of the Fruit Feast. Nearly 12 weeks now. i feel better than terrific. i was concerned about the shoulder but that was alleviated with today's workout. It was very funny. My son Joshua and i decided we would go for 150 chins and 300 push ups since i could not do the dips. We planned on doing 100 chins, then moving over to do 200 push ups, then back for 50 chins and then end up with 100 more push ups. Well, we did the 100 chins, then the 200 push ups (the push ups were a challenge because he said he would get them done before me; he didn't). Then we started heading back to the chin up bar and i said 'ok, we need 50 more chins', then he said 'No, YOU need 50 more chins, i'll do some ab exercises'.......lol. So i went back and could only do 40 more chins, then the 100 push ups (dragging it in at 20 per set the last 60). Great workout. i am hoping to be able to get the muscle-up done this year. It will be (and has been) fun training for it.

Given the recent challenges posed regarding my positions on diet, i decided to go back and re-check my beliefs to make sure where i stood was true. In this regard i am thankful for the challenges because going back and checking to be sure of one's positions is a good thing. i looked up some verses in Genesis first:

Genesis 1:12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
 Genesis 1:29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.


i looked up the words 'grass', 'herb', 'seed'. The word 'herb' was especially interesting to me. In the  Hebrew its the word 'ESEB'. Which means to glisten. It also means tender shoot or grass. i found this interesting because its entirely different from the word for grain. Which is the word 'TSEROR' which means 'packed up'. or the word for corn which is the word 'SHEBER' which means 'grain'. These are not found in the garden of Eden. Also, the term 'whose seed is in itself', means 'to be able to reproduce itself'. So Adam did not eat grains that were commonly (and are now) eaten after sin. But things which grow on trees and out of the grass that have 'seed was in itself'. i think of all the obvious fruits that grow on trees but also the fruits that do not. Like the melon family, watermelon, canteloupe, honeydew and many many others. The cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers and many others. Then there are grapes, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, rasberrys and many other berries. Of course, the Bible never does say Adam had to cook anything, thus he ate it raw. Then there was this admonition from the Lord:

Genesis 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

It was an admonition to eat freely of Fruits. i was glad i re-studied it for it confirms to me i am on the right path. Adam was a fruitarian. As i seek to be born again in the Image of Christ, i am led to eat the diet Christ first gave mankind, a fruitarian diet. Now some will ask, 'what about nuts?'. Well, nuts are fruit too because they do grow on trees. But the way Adam would have to eat them and the way we eat them today are two different things. Think about it, Adam would have to pluck the nut from the tree, crack it open and eat it. It is much easier to pluck and eat, say, a cherry. Or a peach, Or even a Durian!.......lol.
But today, man shells all the nuts and packs them in very large quantities for us. This, in my humble opinion, leads many to overdo it on them. While some people have systems that handle them well, others do not. Especially in the quantity people usually eat them. Also, they are usually roasted which means all the life has been cooked out of them. Adam did not eat them this way and hence, it follows the Creator did not intend for them to be eaten this way. As for me, they clog me up very easily. i have some friends that actually need them in transition, i don't. But that is my system. Everyone is different, but all need take care as to how to handle nuts.

i am glad the Lord led me up this path.

Breakfast:10 valencia oranges, 4 mangos

Lunch: 32oz oj, 1 Durian.

Spiritual bread: 2 Kings 20-22, Genesis 1

Exercise: 300 push ups, 140 chins, 60 1-leg squats per leg. (that makes 1000 push ups and 300 chins for the week). Praise the Lord.

Have a Wonderful Weekend.

Sabbath Rest and peace to all in Christ.

todd