Month: May 2013

The Standard American Diet is not God’s perfect meal plan for us. But neither is Jenny Craig, Atkins, Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, or any other man-made system.

When we are on any one of these plans we are conforming to the patterns of this world.

Let me say it again. When you are following the  advice of government, corporations,  or people rather than following the Word of God then you are conforming to the patterns of this world.

Yet Scripture teaches us that we should “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2)

Let’s you and I  transform our health by the renewing of our minds as we discover God’s perfect meal plan in scripture by going back to the very beginning as we look at God’s provision for Adam in the order He created it:

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:11-12

Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:20-21

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:24-25

If you want to be on God’s perfect meal plan, then you should:

  • Eat mostly vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, beans or, put another way, those things that grow from seeds.
  • Get the majority of your proteins from fish and fowl.
  • Occasionally include beef, lamb, and pork.

In the past we’ve seen eating this way as a diet or as a way of denying ourselves what everyone else is eating. Yet God himself says that “it is good.” When you and I are transformed by the renewing of our minds and understand that God’s ways are always good and that they always work for our good, then we will no longer see this way of eating as a diet to be endured but as another way to honor our Father.

Let’s not wait to start a new diet on Monday but begin eating God’s way today.

Seeking balance

I’ve spent most of my life seeking balance. I’ve tried to balance my checkbook, my time, my family. I’ve tried to find balance between being a wife and a parent. I’ve tried to find balance in ministry. I’ve tried balancing rest, diet, and exercise. Like I said, I’ve spent most of my life trying to find balance.

That is until recently. During the past few weeks I’ve come to understand that God does not desire balance in my life but alignment. He wants me aligned to his will, his word, his ways, his heart and when all those things come into alignment everything else works out.

What about you? Have you tried to find balance in your life? Have you struggled with dividing your time between spouse and children, home and work, church and extra-curricular activities? Is it possible that like me you’ve been spending your time trying to do the impossible? While it is impossible to balance it all it is totally possible to align your plan and purposes with God’s.

You know, Jesus said it best when he said “Seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you.”

Tropical Get-Away

ImageGet-away to tropics for Memorial Day with a Tropical Get-Away Smoothie. This one has coconut water, coconut manna, pineapple, bananas, kale, spinach, along with wheatgrass maca and protein powders! Hank said this might be the best smoothie I’ve made so far.

 

I just got back from visiting my folks in Seattle. It was a quick trip. I was out of town for a total of five days but that was more than enough to mess up my daily routine.

Routine is very important to me. Every morning I  want to get up early, drink a cup of coffee, write for a bit, make a green smoothie, eat at least one salad a day, and go to the gym. There was no way I could do that while traveling. Spending time with my Seattle family and showing Austin and Hannah around Seattle were more important to me than working out. Plus our schedules were off, our days were full, green smoothies cost ten dollars, and I could only make it to the gym once.

Maybe you’re like me you and find that when you’ve gotten off of your routine for a few days, then you beat yourself up for a few weeks, and then realize that it’s been months since you last worked out.
You know, it doesn’t have to be that way. I can choose to be disappointed in myself or I can celebrate the good choices that I made such as choosing to eat veggies in my omelet, having that one Subway salad, and making it to the gym that one time.

And then I can get back to my routine on Monday morning and keep moving forward.

And so can you!

Have you ever eaten so much that you thought you’d vomit. Or even worse, have you ever eaten so much that you made yourself vomit?  

When we do that we are in disobedience to Gods’s word! 

Never eat more honey than you need; too much may make you vomit. (Proverbs 25:16 GNB)

I think it’s easier to practice self-control when we realize that instead of denying ourselves we are choosing to walk in obedience. 

Not only are we pleasing God when we stop ourselves from over-indulging we are preventing ourselves from those feelings of regret, guilt, and shame. Like the good father he is, he dislikes these destructive feelings that we have more than our over-indulgences,
 
Let’s begin to see that choosing a healthy diet as a gift to God and to ourselves. 

 
 

 

 

Self-Control

It is better to be patient than powerful. It is better to win control over yourself than over whole cities. (Proverbs 16:32 GNB)

 
Self-control doesn’t come without a battle. 
 
The weapons that must be used in this battle for self-control are self-denial and delayed gratification.  (Remember battles are never pleasant nor pretty.) 
 
Like soldiers who are trained to use their guns and tanks through practice, we must practice using these weapons. But what does this look like in our daily lives? It may mean turning down the desert or choosing exercise over television. It may mean that we don’t go places that tempt us beyond our control or put ourselves in situations that push us beyond our limits. 
 
The good news is that once we win control in one area of our lives then we can exercise that same skill in other areas. For example, if we learn to control our eating we can use those same skills to keep from saying what we know shouldn’t be said and avoid arguments that can’t be won.
 
Everyday we are given the opportunity to practice these skills and exercise self-control… but its up to us whether or not we advantage of these opportunities.