Living the Lifestyle

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I will never forget when we first began this journey and officially “met” Dee Eastman on The Daniel Plan DVD.  Truthfully, what was your first thought?  I am ashamed and sad to say that my first reaction was ” how can she teach us anything when she has never been where we are?”  I mean, she is maybe a size 0 and appears to have the world by the tail!  I judged her before I even knew what her real story was.  Maybe she never battled the same battle that I do, but I thank God I haven’t had to battle hers!

How often do we stereotype a person on a first impression?  Do we take the time to learn more or is easier to just judge them and put them away in a box?  I have done that.  I pray every day that I no longer do that!  What if God looked down and had just taken His first impression of me during some years that were pretty dark?  What if He had never taken the time to look deeper, into my heart, and see there was more to me and that there might still be hope??  What if there had never been a second chance for a sinner, such as I?

As I try to stress often, The Daniel Plan is NOT just a diet.  It is a lifestyle embracing the 5 essentials and bring your life AND body into balance for the glory of God!

Thank you Father for seeing me, not for what I was, but for what you knew I could be.  Give me strength to be Daniel Strong in body, mind and above all, spirit.  In Jesus’ name, Amen

Pray Unceasingly!

In His light,

Lois

Living the Lifestyle

 Perhaps you are wondering if The Daniel Plan can really work for you. You may be frustrated that other programs haven’t worked in the past. Regardless of your starting point, there is great hope for change. Thousands of people across the world have experienced success, enjoying a new way of healthy living.

Dee Eastman is one of those people. Although her journey is scattered with highs and lows—times of great joy and moments of tremendous grief—Dee has applied the practical principles of the five Essentials. She has created new patterns that are lasting, ways of responding to life that reduce stress rather than create it. The Daniel Plan has become her daily practice, and we are confident it can be for you as well.

Life holds challenges for everyone, and Dee’s journey has been no different. Her first daughter was born with severe genetic abnormalities and endured several surgeries. But after four short months her baby passed away. In an instant, hopes and dreams of a family were stolen. Dee struggled to understand why God allowed this loss in her life.

Despite tremendous grief and unanswered questions, Dee and her husband moved forward with the dream of having a family. Within a year came a healthy son, and two years after that a healthy daughter. Then, shortly after, the surprise of a lifetime knocked on their door. Dee was pregnant with identical triplet girls!

Spinning with joy over the news, they had no idea how they would juggle five kids under the age of five. The pregnancy was complicated, and the girls were born early at twenty-eight weeks. Dee learned that two of the triplets had cerebral palsy, and the doctors said one daughter may never walk.

In the years ahead, striving to find a new normal, Dee tried to adjust to the girls’ medical issues and the growing needs of her family. But with her still carrying so much grief over the loss and too much to juggle, her health started to suffer. The emotional stress felt overwhelming. Sinking into depression, she developed irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The physical stress was mounting.

Dee turned to a friend, and that’s when the healing began. She experienced firsthand the power of friendship. The Bible talks about this in Matthew 18:20: “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
That friendship led her to a small group that encouraged her to honestly share her struggles.  Adopting the Friends Essential, while entering into authentic community, became Dee’s first step. “I had to learn how to receive, rather than always being a giver. I had to learn how to talk about the difficult things in my life, instead of keeping them hidden.” This transformational concept is something that Pastor Rick frequently teaches: We are only as sick as our secrets. To get healthy, we need to share our struggles and be willing to receive help.

Dee’s community moved her forward:
I had hidden my anger and disappointment for all the difficulties God had allowed in my life, but I decided to open up and begin working through my feelings. I realized that I had put God in a tiny box and that the box needed to be blown up. I needed to embrace the mystery of who he is and trust him, even though some of my questions weren’t answered. I made the decision to refocus on him, sit still before him, and meditate on his promises. I have learned to live with intention, to notice that in the midst of stress and strain, God can still be in the center.

One way Dee worked on this was to purposely reflect on the goodness in her life. She kept a journal in which she poured out her feelings and ultimately focused on gratefulness, even as life threw curve balls her way. “This has become a moment by moment choice for me, and it comes down to how I manage my thoughts throughout each and every day. Proverbs 4:23 says, ‘Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life’ [NCV].”

With help from a functional medicine doctor, a new eating plan, and a desire to move and regain physical strength, Dee continued making progress. Step by step with practical advice, her physical, spiritual, and emotional health started to improve. Her depression lifted, and within a few months all the IBS symptoms vanished for good.

One healthy step led to another. Dee got out to walk, and she eventually ran, approaching exercise not out of guilt, but because of the healing effect it had on her body. She then ran a 5K, later a 10K, and eventually a marathon. Today she continues to discover all types of movement she enjoys.

 Dee’s experience is ultimately what made her say yes when Pastor Rick invited her to be the director of The Daniel Plan. The foundational principles in The Daniel Plan have radically impacted her life for many years now. And in her role as director Dee has witnessed people from all walks of life, young and old, embracing the five essentials to become healthy and strong. It is these stories of transformed lives and the solid principles of the lifestyle that provide a firm foundation for your growth and the ongoing inspiration for your success to be built on.

The Privilege Of Your Quiet Time

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I remember the day when I thought quiet time was boring, dull and unnecessary.  Now, I cherish each and every moment like that I can get!  It’s not just a time of rest and reprieve, but a time to be with Jesus in fellowship.  What a joy to know I can talk to Him and He listens.

Throughout your day or evening,  try to set aside a few minutes, or more, just to communicate with your maker.  I believe He wants that time just as much as we NEED that time!

Pray Unceasingly!

In His Light,

Lois

The Privilege Of Your Quiet Time

RICK WARREN

“You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” (Psalm 16:11 NLT)

It’s quite a privilege to have a quiet time. We get to have an audience with the king of the universe, the creator of everything.

What makes our quiet times such a privilege that we wouldn’t want to consider missing it? Here are four miraculous things that happen when we spend time with God.

1. You get to give God your devotion. “Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I’ll come right in and sit down to supper with you” (Revelation 3:20, MSG). He’s your creator, redeemer, provider, sustainer, counselor, and comforter. God deserves our worship. We’d have nothing without God. Better yet, God wants your devotion, too! He wants to spend time with you.

2. God gives you direction. “Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long” (Psalm 25:4-5 NIV). You and I need direction on a daily basis. God wants to give that direction to you, but to get the direction you must spend time with him. Your quiet time gives you an opportunity to get a daily mid-course correction in your life.

3. You gain delight in God. “You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (Psalm 16:11 NLT). Spending time with God will actually make you happier. Your quiet time is when you enjoy God. Knowing God is the secret to joy.

4. You grow to be more like God. The more time you spend with God, the godlier you become. Spend time watching television, and your character will be shaped by the people you’re watching. Spend time studying God’s Word and with him in prayer, and your character will be shaped by the character of Christ.

Are you spending time with God every day? Do it, and it will be the best decision you’ve ever made.

Baked Vegetable Fries Recipe

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Baked Vegetable Fries Recipe
Total Time: 45 minutes Serves: 2-4

1 cup rutabega
1 cup carrots
1 cup red bell pepper
1 cup onion
1 cup portabello mushrooms
ghee or coconut oil
2-4 tsp Sea Salt
2 tsp Black Pepper
2 tsp Onion Powder
2 tsp Garlic powder
DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Cut vegetables into thin long strips
Coat in ghee or Coconut oil. Sprinkle with sea salt, black pepper, onion powder and garlic powder.
Bake in oven for 40 minutes

Joy No Matter What

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Hello, my friends!  Welcome to August.  The year is passing quickly and on a bright note, Pastor Tom and Jean will return south in one more month!  We are very excited about that!

How many of you remember the song “I’ve got that joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart!”?  I don’t even remember the title, just singing it.  That song started playing in my mind (is that a bad sign??) as I read this R. Warren blog.  Sometimes when I’m sitting around planning my next pity party, I like to think about Philippians.  It is always on the top of my list when I need to put my life into perspective.  What a man of God Paul was!  He is in prison and in 4 short books, mentions joy 16 times.  How do I dare to have myself a pity party knowing full well what he went through.  Not once, but over and over again.  Sometimes, we just need to sit back, re assess our lives, suck it up and move on.  So much of our lives is what we CHOOSE it to be.  I CHOOSE joy, I CHOOSE love.  If you see me doing otherwise and planning another pity party, just remind me to read Philippians again.  Choose joy!

Pray Unceasingly!

In His light,

Lois

 

Joy No Matter What

RICK WARREN

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” (Philippians 4:6 NLT)

You have a fundamental need for joy in your life. Life without joy is overwhelming, overburdened, and oppressive. Studies have actually shown that the more joy we have in our lives, the more productive we are. I read an article in “US News and World Report” that said that corporations hire “joy consultants” to build up the joy in peoples’ lives so that employees can be more productive. It is true that you have more energy, more creativity, and more productivity when you have joy in your life.

In the short book of Philippians — only four chapters long — Paul uses the word “joy” 16 times. The amazing thing is, Paul didn’t write this book when he was on vacation in the Caribbean. He was in prison in Rome, waiting to be executed. In the darkest days of his life, he wrote the most positive book in the Bible.

In Philippians, Paul gives us six joy-builders that will help diffuse our discouragement and lift our depression. To make them easy to remember, I’ve made them into an acrostic — JOYFUL. Today, we’ll look at the first three.

J: Jettison all regrets about your past.

“Jettison” means “to abandon as worthless, to discard, to eliminate, to get rid of.” Paul says if you want to enjoy life, there are some things you’ve got to get rid of because they are wearing you down and overburdening your life. The Bible says to forget your regrets, because that’s what God does — he chooses to forgive your mistakes once they’re confessed. The starting point of joy is letting go of the past. Philippians 3:13 says, “One thing I do is to forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead” (GN).

O: Omit all worries about your future.?

If you’re going to enjoy the present, you must omit all worries about your future. Worry, hands-down, is the greatest killjoy of them all. You cannot be joyful and worried at the same time. Paul’s antidote are these verses: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done” (Philippians 4:6 NLT). You can either worry or you can pray.

Y: Yield yourself to God’s purpose.

If you’re just drifting, if you don’t know where you came from or where you’re going or why you’re here, of course you’re not going to have any joy in your life. We all need a cause greater than ourselves for which we live. That is what brings us joy. Living for yourself does not bring joy.
Even when Paul had literally lost everything, there was one thing that could not be taken away from him — his purpose in life. Paul says in Philippians 1:21, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (NIV).

If you want to have a joy-filled life, you need to get in line with God’s purpose for your life. When you begin to live the purpose for which you are made, life makes sense, and joy is a lot more easily found.

Where is your focus?

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After returning home from our vacation, I have rushed around (as we all usually do!) playing catch up.  I am also trying very hard to get back to my normal routine and diet.  As I considered what I wanted to focus on in this week’s email, I just kept thinking that I HAVE to keep my focus on Jesus.

Sometimes I think it’s wrong to ask for something like getting healthy or losing weight.  There are so many other things that are “bigger” and more important than … me.  We have a nation deteriorating right before our eyes, we have wars, disasters  and moral decline everywhere we look, so why would He have time for my problems?  Well, as Christians, we know that He DOES care and have time for us.  Every one of us are a priority to our God who created us!  How amazing is it that God loves us enough to be there when we call His name!  My answers don’t always come in the way I asked or expected, but I have found that if I just trust Him, that His answer is much better than mine ever was.

It is amazing what all people will do to get Jesus’ attention when they need Him.  A non Christian  even calls out for Jesus or God when they need help, are in pain or in trouble.  When there is no where else to turn, you call on the One who is always there, even if you tell yourself you don’t believe.  Sometimes we will do whatever it takes because we are so desperate to spend time with Jesus.  It doesn’t matter what people think of us, we just need Jesus.
My point is, we should be spending every day like this!  We should always be looking for Him, we should be desperate for Him, we should need Him, just like we need food, water or air to breathe.  We don’t just need Him in the hard times, we should need Him in the good times too.  It’s that relationship that we build with our Savior that is the key to our peace, joy and strength.
My prayer is that we all seek Him every day.  That we humble ourselves and lay our lives at His feet, knowing He holds our answers.  If we live our lives like we are truly desperate for Him, He will never fail us.  He will never leave us.
“As the deer pants for streams of water,so my soul pants for you, my God”  Psalms 42:1
Pray unceasingly
 
In His light,
Lois

Enjoy Healthy Dining – Surviving Restaurants

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Enjoy Healthy Dining – Surviving Restaurants

Mark Hyman, MD

Eating outside the home comes at a high price.  We spend our hard-earned dollars upfront only to pay more at a later date due to hidden healthcare costs not seen on the menu!

Temptations from the food industry are addictive such as salty, sugary, high-calorie, nutrient-poor foods that negatively affect our health and take years off of our lives.  Real food is medicine – healing your body with every bite.

Ingredients that are not meant to be consumed either in moderate quantities, or at all, are lurking in generous amounts in restaurant meals.  Owners of restaurants want to see you satisfied and return frequently which drives motivation to include these unnecessary and harmful ingredients.

From hydrogenated oils, poor-quality fats, sweeteners, and hydrolyzed proteins to preservatives, additives, and bulking agents, there is a lot to beware of!

I travel a lot and have become a connoisseur at scoping out the good from the bad.  I have spent years on the road promoting health through smart nutrition and have learned a lot.  Unfortunately, my experiences have shown me mostly about what not to eat.

As a leader in functional medicine, a parent, and a concerned consumer, I want to know what it is I can eat.  Sometimes you need to eat out and want choices you can feel good about! While I recommend you avoid doing so as best as you can, the following can make seemingly impossible decisions about what and where to eat easier for you.

Surviving Restaurants

Does all that fancy marketing and shiny advertising restaurants use to manipulate your emotions make you lose your willpower or wonder if you ever had any to begin with?  If you feel like you lose control and get distracted from your healthy meal plan when you face a commercial, billboard or even a sign outside a restaurant you are not alone nor are you crazy!

The human brain is wired to be drawn to salty, sugary, and fatty foods – it is part of our survival. But luckily we don’t have to worry about famine, so the reality is we do not require these rich, high- calorie, and nutrient-poor meals.

In fact, those pictures of decadent cuisine are really false advertising. You’re promised luxury when in fact, eating junk food delivers you nothing but empty nutrition, which leaves your body starving for real food.

While the restaurant industry wants our business, we do have the power to choose where we spend our food dollars.  This is how to succeed the next time you are in a position to eat out:
Choice.  The more options you have, the better.  Competition is a good thing when it comes to selecting a good restaurant.  Look for an area that is bustling with a variety of choices for where you can eat.

Quality menu.  Don’t be afraid to ask to see a menu before you agree to sit down.  Don’t be fooled by buzzwords such as “organic” which are used to get your attention.  Remember, the ingredients are what matters – a candy bar can be organic but sugar will not reverse diabesity!  Scan the menu and look for keywords such as fresh, local, seasonal, organic, grass-fed.

 Go online before you stand in line.  Most restaurants have their menus posted on their website.  Choose a restaurant that allows you to plan ahead of time by checking out their menu at home or at the office.

 Slow food.  These restaurants appreciate that you deserve high-quality food and provide flavorful meals that satisfy you from the inside out.  Slow food is a celebration of life presented through food.

 Is your restaurant sensitive?  Not about your feelings, necessarily, although that would be nice!  Look for eateries that tolerate and cater to food sensitivities such as gluten, dairy, corn, soy, eggs, and yeast.   At the very least, inquire how flexible the chef is about modifying meals.

 Travel the globe.  Ethnic cuisine tends to have those phytochemicals that are so important for health and for curing diabesity.

How to Order at a Restaurant

Be obnoxious!  Be clear about your needs and do not accept any food that does not nourish or support you.  Do not assume you are being impolite; you are simply taking care of yourself.

Have an opinion. Choose the restaurant, if possible, when dining with others.

Tell the server you do not want bread on the table nor the alcohol menu. But do ask for raw cut-up veggies without dip.

 Ask for water. Drink 1-2 glasses before your meal to reduce your appetite.

 Tell the server you will die if you have gluten or dairy.  Not a lie – just a slow death.

 Ask for simple food preparation.  Order grilled fish with an entire plate of steamed vegetables drizzled with olive oil and lemon.  Always ask for olive oil and lemon in lieu of dressing.

 Skip the starches.  Ask for double vegetables.

 Avoid sauces, dressings, and dips. They are usually laden with hidden sugars, unhealthy oils, gluten, and dairy.

 Honor responsible portion sizes.  Always combine a carbohydrate with some fiber, protein, or anti-inflammatory fats. Never carb it alone!

 Focus on protein. Choosing your protein first is really helpful to ensure your blood sugar will be balanced and you will eat the right portion size.

 Ask for berries for dessert.

 Are you afraid of overdoing it when you eat out?  Nobody likes to feel uncomfortably stuffed so it is important to remember how much control you actually have (even though restaurants don’t want you to think so)!

By avoiding some of the triggers listed above you are already doing so much for yourself.  One other tip I want to share with you is the philosophy of the Okinawans in Japan  – hari hachi bu, “Eat until you are 8 parts (out of 10) full”. By tuning into your hunger sensation you can listen for the cue your body sends to put the fork down at the exact moment appropriate for your body.

By eating until you are no longer hungry (not stuffed), you can empower your digestion to work with your metabolism to keep your hormones in balance and your waistline in sight! Each meal is an opportunity to bring health to your life and, luckily, we get many opportunities daily to help reach our goals.

Celebrate your life with the food you eat.   I wish you happy, healthy, and confident eating – Bon Appétit!

Can God Love You More Than He Does Now?

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I thought this was a good follow-up to last week.  I am just so thankful for God’s love.  Sometimes, I know I am not very lovable, but guess what??  His love is never ending and never changing!  He doesn’t give up on me and is always waiting there for me.

 There are days that the whole process just almost becomes overwhelming and I want to give up.  BUT, praise the Lord, He never gives up on me, so why do I have a right to give up on me??  He can any never love me more than He already does and He will never love me any less.  How amazing is that!

 Pray unceasingly!

 In His light,

Lois

Can God Love You More Than He Does Now?

Rick Warren (40 Days of Love)

 “I know that your love will last for all time, that your faithfulness is as permanent as the sky.” (Psalm 89:2 TEV)

 Human love wears out; that’s why we have so many divorces. I know a lot of people who are not divorced, but they don’t love their spouses anymore. There’s a limit to human love. It dries up!

That’s why you have to have God’s love in your marriage — in all your relationships — if they are going to last. God’s love never wears out. God’s love is patient, persistent, and persevering.

Isn’t it good news that God never gives up on you? No matter what you do, his love never gives up. It’s wide enough to include everybody, and it’s long enough to last forever.

God will never love you any more than he does right now. But he also will never love you any less than he does right now.

He loves you on your good days; he loves you on your bad days. His love is not conditioned by your response. God is love, and his love is given freely. It cannot be earned, and it is undeserved.

Accept his love and worship him, knowing that his love is long enough to last for all time: “I know that your love will last for all time, that your faithfulness is as permanent as the sky” (Psalm 89:2 TEV).

Do You Have To Prove Your Worth?

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Sometimes it seems like we are always trying to prove something to other people.  If we don’t, they will think we are inadequate, unworthy or any number of other adjectives.  As the 5th child of 8, I have been there.  It seemed as if I were just lost in the middle sometimes. This feeling may come from thinking you are not pretty enough, tall enough, thin enough or smart enough.  It really doesn’t matter why, if the mindset is there.   What does matter is how we handle it and what we DO about it.

The 1st thing I learned is that I can’t do it on my own.  This was really brought home to me in The Daniel Plan.  All of my will power, all of my determination and all of my resolutions came crashing down at the 1st road block.  It was only when I realized that God was there waiting for me to ask, that I finally felt peace.  He loves us so much that He gave His son, Jesus Christ, to atone for our sins.  Were we or could we ever be worthy of such a sacrifice?  I don’t think so!  He loves us.  He created us uniquely and just the way He wants us.  What we DO with that creation is our choice.

What choice will you make?

Pray Unceasingly

In His light,

Lois

Do You Have To Prove Your Worth?

Rick Warren

 

“And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”(Ephesians 3:18-19 NLT, second edition)

The width of God’s love extends across the entire world and includes all people: “The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does” (Psalm 145:17 NIV). God loves the whole world (John 3:16).

God never made a person that he didn’t love. He made you; he loves you. And God doesn’t make junk! He loves you unconditionally. He loves you very, very, very, very, very much.

Everybody matters to God. In fact, we see in the life of Jesus that he even loves the unlovely and those who may feel unlovable. Do you want to know the secret of self-esteem? Here it is: If you want confidence, then understand how much you matter to God. If God loves you, who cares what anybody else thinks?

Because God loves us, there’s no need to prove our self worth. We don’t need props anymore to make us feel good about ourselves. We don’t have to wear certain kinds of clothes to make us feel like we’re OK or drive a certain kind of car to prop up our faltering egos. We don’t need status symbols anymore.

You may not be able to understand it fully, but you can accept it and let it change your life: God loves you!

You Serve God By Serving Other People

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What the world needs now is love sweet love, / It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of. / What the world needs now is love sweet love, / No not just for some but for everyone.… (Dionne Warwick)

Who else remembers this song?  I used to go around singing it all the time.  Today, it applies even more than ever.  If you turn on the TV, radio, internet, or whatever your choice might be, it all seems to be tragic or heartbreaking news of some kind.  Hate and prejudice seems to prevail.  So, what are we to do?  After all, we are each just one person, right?  Surely, there is someone more qualified than me to do something??  Is that really true though?  Granted, there are different talents/gift and personalities that suit certain purposes better, but one thing we can all do and all are CALLED to do is LOVE.  Will we solve the world’s problems by loving others?  Probably not, but we might help someone get through a very bad day.  We might let someone who feels very unlovable or thinks they have no reason to go on, know someone cares about them after all.   I was told once, by a very wise man, that maybe not everyone he hugged (and he hugged them all!) appreciated it, but if he hugged just one, just ONE person, who felt alone, betrayed, depressed or maybe just hadn’t had anyone make the effort to hug them, then every hug was worth it to get to that one.

 We are called to love.  Maybe we won’t change the world, but we might change one life, and that will always be worth it.

 Pray Unceasingly!

In His light,

Lois

You Serve God By Serving Other People

By Rick Warren — May 29, 2015

“Make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.” (Philippians 2:2 NLT, second edition)

There’s only one way you can serve God: by serving other people. Whenever you use your talents, time, energy, and resources to help other people, that’s called ministry.

But God doesn’t want you to minister alone! Philippians 2:2 says, “Make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose” (NLT, second edition). Why does God require this? Why can’t you just serve God on your own?

Because we’re family. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 3:9, “We are co-workers in God’s service” (NIV). If you’re in God’s family, God wants you to get along with the other family members. In fact, God is more interested in the relationships you build during service together than he is in the service that you do. He wants you to learn to get along with the family of God.

Because we need each other. We need each other to serve. Nobody has all the talents. Nobody has all the gifts. God did it that way intentionally so that you would need me and I would need you and we would need each other. “Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of [Christ’s] body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we?” (Romans 12:5 MSG)

Because we get more done. Ecclesiastes 4:9 says, “Two are better off than one, because together they can work more effectively” (GNT). Teamwork multiplies effectiveness.

God wants to use you in ways you’ve never expected. You may say, “What do I have to offer?” You have something, but you don’t have enough on your own. That’s why you need other people in your life. God wants to use you, but he also wants to use you in a team where you help each other out.

God wired us so that we feel most alive when we’re part of a team that’s accomplishing something for God’s Kingdom. Teams cause us to get closer to each other, to get more done, and to have more fun. The fastest way to get have your small group grow closer to each other is by serving together. When you get together for an eternal purpose, it builds an unstoppable team that can accomplish great things for God.

When It Comes To Healthful Foods, Use Your Head

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Sometimes, I wonder if The Daniel Plan has become “yesterday’s news” and if anyone really cares anymore.  I know I am in it for the long term and it IS my new lifestyle.  I feel better and I feel like it is going to pay off for the rest of my life.  When an occasion arises that I have the opportunity to see results in others though, it brings me to tears.  This is what happened this past week with one of our members.  She joined TDP earlier this year when we went through the DVD and plan again.  She is now one of our “On and Oners”. After going to the doctor 3 months ago, she went back this past week for a 3 month follow-up.   This is her report. (For those who have already seen this on our page, I apologize for being redundant, but it just makes me happy!)

 “Three-month follow-up visit to the doc yesterday. Thrilled that all my “numbers” (BP, cholesterol, sugar) are dramatically lower! Doc noticed my Jawbone wristband and attributed much of the success to the extra steps. So grateful for our DP classes which have given me the tools to eat my way to a healthier life. It hasn’t always been an easy journey, but the support has made it possible, and, at times, even fun.”

 And THIS is what it’s about.  This is the reason I do this every week.  She is pretty new to the Jawbone fitness tracker and is the 3rd one in our group to get one.  It challenges us every day to keep moving and applauds us when we do.  This is the Fitness Essential.  Every week at the meeting, we work on the Faith, Food, Focus and Friends Essentials.  It’s when you see a testimony like this, that you see all of the Essentials come together and know God is with us every step of the way.  God is good, all the time!

 Pray Unceasingly!

 In His light,

Lois

 When It Comes To Healthful Foods, Use Your Head

 Rick Warren

 “Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise.”(Ephesians 5:15 NIV)

The Bible says, “Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise” (Ephesians 5:15 NIV). One of the things you’re learning in your efforts to become Daniel Strong is that real change requires you to face the truth.

Behind every self-defeating behavior is a lie we believe, such as, “I can trust any food that is labeled ‘healthy,’ ‘all natural,’ ‘diet,’ or ‘fat free.’”

Changing eating habits begins with developing discernment. If a food is labeled “healthy” but has 20 ingredients, 19 of which you can’t pronounce, that label is lying. Educate yourself about what is truly healthful food, like fresh vegetables, lean meat, nuts, and fruit.

While it may seem confusing at first, it is really quite simple to eat healthy. Once you learn to recognize lying labels, you’ll feel empowered to make the best choices for your body.

God wants you to “use your head — and heart! — to discern what is right, to test what is authentically right”(John 7:24 MSG).