Day 67: Stir It Up!

environmental photo (1 of 1)-2 — I’m vocalizing and doing some scales to stir up my gifts.

⁶Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

2 Tim 1:6-7

Day 67: Stir It Up!

When I was a young lad my son’s age (15) I would spend the majority of my free time sitting at my piano creating songs. I would practice small pieces of the song over and over again and then assemble it all together. I would close my eyes and visualize myself performing. I would share my songs as a performance to my Heavenly Father.

I believe that this time determined much of the success that I’ve had so far in this life. Dreams are important. But not much happens without effort. I saw a quote this morning from one of my Facebook friends about faith. In essence it said “Faith makes things possible, not easy.” There is work to do! Many of us who have embarked upon a relationship with The Creator know the importance of prayer. We know that we daily need to read God’s word and talk with Him. But even with a close relationship it doesn’t mean life will be easy.

Joseph was an amazing icon in the bible. But he spent years before seeing his dreams realized. He had faith but there was time to wait and work to do during that time. One might even conclude that who he became while he was waiting was part of God’s plan in his circumstances and God’s timing.

What are you doing while you wait for God’s answer to your prayer? Stir up your gifts! Get busy using what you have to give God glory and watch your life transform!

Today I will spend time developing what God has given me.

November 3, 2019

One Step

²²You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, ²³and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:22-24

Day 48: One Step

How many of you have heard the phrase “Whole Food Plant Based” before? When it comes to healthy eating a lot of people share the benefits of eating a whole food plant based diet. In fact there are many who claim to be able to reverse disease using this lifestyle. And if we are honest we all realize that eating processed foods that are high in sugar, salt, and fat as well as many animal products, can lead to destruction. So why don’t we change?

One of the advantages to the church experience when I was growing up was the Minister’s altar call or appeal. After he shared a lot of scripture and wisdom with you he would give you a call to action. Would you decide to follow Jesus? Would you stand up and come up front as a sign that you want God’s Holy Spirit to enter your heart and change your life? At that moment with the leverage of witnesses you had the opportunity to make a public commitment. But you have to take one step.

Over the next several weeks as we continue 100 Days Of Healing, I will provide you the opportunity to make a decision to take massive action so you will see change. At the same time I value the wisdom of building integrity. When we say we are going to do something and then we don’t, we stop trusting ourselves. I know I have. Then you don’t want to attempt anything because you don’t believe you can trust yourself to be committed to your decision.

I asked earlier the question why we don’t change. Knowledge is power but if not acted upon we will know clearly why we have disease and are dying early….but we will still die early and live a life beneath God’s design. We don’t change because forces to keep us in unhealthy habits are strong. We desire things that will kill us if not kept in check. If we ate a solid diet of junk food we might get sick of it but then again we might die first. Corporations market to our desires in hopes of steady profits. If a business gets a client that is addicted to their product they will make a lot of money. Many businesses are trying to get you and I to buy what we can’t afford and eat what enslaves us. So change becomes a challenge because many are working against our liberation and healing.

But we can make a decision right now. Learn one new thing about healthful living today and try one new healthy practice today and WRITE ABOUT IT!!! Make a post on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram. I promise you that you will help your journey to wellness by making the decision to do this one practice right now. Will you join me in doing this? Let me know in the comments.

leaves (1 of 1)-2 Today I begin one step at a time to a healthier way of living.

October 25, 2019

Health To Your Bones

annie-spratt-BpjFP2BJYTc-unsplash — Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Day 40: Health To Your Bones

Do not be wise in your own eyes;

fear the Lord and shun evil.

This will bring health to your body

and nourishment to your bones.

Proverbs 3:7-8

Sometimes it can be sickening to see people doing wrong and getting away with it. In our world today more and more is made of results. We look for evidence based practices in education and business. But often we ignore moral failings if our bottom line is increased.

The Bible seems, however, to suggest that in the ultimate sense fearing the Lord will bless you with health. So one might be clever in strategy and create vast sums of money but there is a side effect to evil in the long run. We will not find the complete sense of health if we don’t respect the Lord and turn from evil doing.

While all have sinned we should not become comfortable putting aside morality so we can make a buck.

In Matthew 6 we read:

¹⁹“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Each day I feel more and more a longing for heaven. So today, I am going to look for ways to store up treasure for heaven. And this pursuit will bring healing to my bones.

Thanks for reading. Please share and subscribe.

October 9, 2019October 9, 2019

Day 26: Laugh

bruce-mars-AndE50aaHn4-unsplash — Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash

Day 26: Laugh

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Proverbs 17:22

According to the Helpguide.org article Laughter Is The Best Medicine laughing is helpful for physical and mental health:

Physical health benefits
Boosts immunity Lowers stress hormones Decreases pain Relaxes your muscles Prevents heart disease
Mental health benefits
Adds joy and zest to life Eases anxiety and tension Relieves stress Improves mood Strengthens resilience
Social benefits
Strengthens relationships Attracts others to us Enhances teamwork Helps defuse conflict Promotes group bonding

Now if you don’t find anything funny the article pointed out that simulated laughter has similar positive benefit. So laugh. It’s good for your health.

Today I will laugh!

October 1, 2019

Day 18: To Do It

Photo by 30daysreplay (PR & Marketing) on Unsplash

For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.

Ezra 7:10

Day 18: To Do It

I have made a study of weight loss methods: Low carb, Keto, The Maker’s Diet, and the list goes on. At some point it may be easy to get caught up in research and not translate the good information into committed action.

A great leader in the bible, Ezra was known for honoring God’s law. But it wasn’t that he just read about it. He prepared his heart to seek the law, TO DO IT, and to teach Israel. He learned. He did. He shared.

This is a great pattern for us. It’s good for us to learn. It’s even better for us to share. But that won’t take the place of doing. If I learn that my body is overwhelmed with stress and it’s causing me discomfort, the discomfort will not end until I deal with the stress. Maybe I need to plan a walk in my day out in nature. Maybe I need to unplug from my devices every evening after 8pm. Maybe you know things that will help reduce stress. Let’s do them. Let’s go beyond learning and get to doing.

Today I will do one new thing I’ve learned to improve my health.

July 10, 2018July 10, 2018

Loose Weight With Water

Dad-on-water-cinemagraph

Could something as simple as water be the solution to your weight loss? While I have tried many approaches to getting in better shape I’ve found that walking and water seem to be an important component for me each time I’m successful. Here are some ideas that I’ve found helpful.

1. Drink water with lemon juice to start the day.

The combination causes you to eliminate and feel fresh and clean 🙂 . A few years ago I participated in a documentary that explored the effects of The Corrective Diet. I lost 32lbs in one month. One of the important parts of that program was keeping hydrated and making sure to start the day out with some lemon water.

2. Drink enough water to reveal the difference between hunger and thirst.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine determined that an adequate daily fluid intake is:

About 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids for men
About 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women

While traditionally we’ve been told to have eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily some suggest having more. I’ve found that at times I’ve thought I was hungry but when I drink water regularly, usually at least once a half hour that I don’t get hungry like I usually would. So making sure you are hydrated before you eat will reduce how much you feel you need to eat because you may be confusing thirst and hunger.

3. Drink till your urine is clear.

One simple way to check that you are having enough water is to check the color of your pee. If it’s clear or very light yellow then you are probably doing very well with your water intake.

While drinking enough water does many other things like give you energy and increase your metabolism I wanted to end with this thought. Your body takes toxins that would harm you and it stores them as fat. So when you want to loose weight you will have to safely get rid of all those toxins. Drinking lots of water allows you to remove those toxins safely.

So please remember water and weight loss go together. And I hope you combine them with walking!

I wish you success on your journey to health, happiness and wholeness. Please feel free to share what’s working for you on your journey to wellness in the comments. Also, please subscribe to this blog for more tips on better living. And a special thank you for those who support this ministry. Are you thirsty? Try a glass of water!

July 6, 2018July 7, 2018

Walk Walk Walk!

July 17, 2015July 17, 2015

Lessons Learned From My Sugar Fast

What are the lessons learned from my sugar fast?

1. Even after only one day you can begin to feel completely different about life based upon removing one element.

Please allow me to explain. As I went through the day I would come across moments of discomfort. Things didn’t get accomplished that should have. People lied to me who I thought I could trust. My kids wanted my attention when I had a ton of stuff to accomplish. I had more bills than money. Etc…(Can anybody else relate? If so please leave some of your stress triggers in comment section below).

When I usually would have grabbed a shake or stopped by Baskin Robbins or Drank a sugary drink or had some pie or cake, I instead had to make another choice about how to feel better in my moment of discomfort. I choose to work on this blog. Other times I choose to vocalize. Sometimes I choose to exercise. By making the commitment even for a short period of time to change my coping strategy I learned that my life would be better off without the addiction.

2. I’m missing a lot of flavor

When I have tasted food that I use to eat it suddenly now comes alive with amounts of flavor I never new existed before. And even though I know given the opportunity I will binge on sugar again I have hope to live more moderately. If you didn’t get a chance to please read my post Fight The Dangers of Sugar With 10 Day Fast about some of sugar’s negative effects and how a 10 day sugar fast can help.

3. Life should be focused more on what you can give than on what you can get

When I live my life focused on where I can get my next incredible treat I loose motivation to create greater service in my business or ministry. During this challenge highlights to me were when a former piano student of mine said that he would try to learn to play one of the worship songs I posted and sing it to encourage himself in his journey. I was thrilled when a young lady I went to college with eagerly commented that she wanted to know what to do next in our Journey To Worship Weight Loss Fitness Challenge. I was excited when one of my choir members talked about how excited she was with what she was learning on the blog and how she had subscribed and was encouraging several of her co-workers to do the same (You can subscribe on your left side).

I want to change someone’s life because of what I’ve said or done. I think that’s worship. Someone said that imitation is the greatest form of flattery. So when I imitate Christ by living to serve others I am saying that He is worth it…so much so that I’m patterning my whole life to be like his.

Phillipians 2:5 says “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” For the next 21 days I would like to invite you on a Journey To Change Your Mind.

Look for my first post on the 21day journey tomorrow. In the meantime take a moment if you didn’t get a chance to before to read about Dr. Caroline Leaf and what she has to say about mind conditioning in my post “I Don’t Feel Like It.”

See you tomorrow! 🙂