June 2014 – Christian Vitality | Christian Weight Loss | Christian Health & Fitness

Find your place in life & power yourself into your work!

Find your place in this world and pour yourself into your work

Ever feel out of place? In strange surroundings? Not sure where to start or what to do next?

That was the case when we rolled up this morning at the home-site of Don Juan (Juan) and Alejandrina this morning.

Roughly 25 people of all shapes, ages, and sizes (all loving the Lord Jesus) showed up this morning to serve him by serving other people. These folks were in desperate need of a real home. Their existing home was a mish-mash of pieces of scrap wood found slapped together to form walls and a roof made up of overlapping scraps of tar paper Juan found.

There was a thin concrete floor for only one portion of the home the rest was mainly covered (rags & rugs) dirt floors. The dirt in this part of Mexico is mostly sand and fairly dusty, so it gets just about everywhere and in some places forms sand-dunes from the wind storms they often get.

These folks have to serve their communities for a large portion of hours with the 1Mission people and with regional and local church pastors in order to get these homes. So, this is no random chance free home for these folks…they’ve earned it by spreading the love of Jesus in their local community.

I digress…back to the finding your place part.

Well, there were a few of us (me included) that had some construction experience. Several who had no construction experience and five kids whose sole purpose was to be there to have fun with the neighbor kids (we had 15-20 at our job site the whole week).

For the first 15 minutes on the site there was a little bit of standing around each of us was wondering what to do. After that, everything seemed to fall into place and everyone found their place and poured themselves into it.

All things work for the good of those who love them (in my name) and are called to his purpose, seems to be the theme for this trip.

When your are called to his purposes and are obedient to his calling, you don’t need to have all the answers or the entire plan…you just need to take action (active Faith in progress) and God will sort out the details.

Looking back on it later in the day I could see that God slid people into there proper places based on their giftings and talents…just as you would expect him to do. I could give you case-by-case examples that would be an entire post by itself.

We each have a place and a purpose for our lives and God has gifted us with different Spiritual gifts, different talents, skills, and life experiences to do his will here on earth. We just have to surrender to his calling on our life and take action when he presents opportunities to serve him.

12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 1 Corinthians 12: 21-26

God will show you your part if you say “Yes, Lord. I’m listening!” Then do whatever it is he tells you to do next. Just do your part to best of your ability as if you are serving Jesus Christ personally in the flesh. You’ll start to see the people you serve the way he does and they’ll win over your heart.

23Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23-24 ESV

What a beautiful thing our lives can be if we’ll surrender our lives over to Christ and let him use us to love the world the way his Father loved us when he sent Jesus to die for us on the cross.

Be blessed today friend…but more importantly surrender to him and be on the lookout for opportunities to serve Jesus personally.

How to experience God smiling on your life. You are Blessed to be a Blessing!

Your are blessed to be a blessing — Put a smile on God’s face by being a blessing today!

You might have heard this before and it’s used quite often in church circles to the point that I think it may have lost some of it’s true meaning. Today I want bring back some of the true meaning by sharing an experience I had while serving on a short-term mission trip to Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico. We were in the barrios (severely impoverished areas). I think it will give you some context on what “Blessed to be a blessing” truly means. The family we were serving, by building a new house for them, was Don Juan and Alejandrina and their grandkids. They are two grandparents do their best to take care of their two grandchildren, who lost their parents.

6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written,

“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.”

10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 2 Corinthians 6-11

God's Grace is amazing experience it by serving others — God’s Grace is amazing experience it by serving others

When I was serving today, the thing I noticed the most, was an overall feeling of God’s Grace. I’ve not experienced this level of overwhelming Grace before. While I was working today, there were several times that I was interacting with a 6 year old little girl named Liliana and her 60+ year old grandfather, Don Juan. I felt such great joy and peace with every interaction. The only way I could describe it is, if you could feel God smiling on your life, than that’s what I felt. I felt proud in a good way. I felt Jesus was pointing his finger and saying “see…this is the way to love others…the way I’ve loved you.

I felt this and knew it deep in my soul “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”

Grace has defined a times to me, as God’s unmerited favor. I felt that my actions were favorable to God and that this was pleasing to the Lord. I felt that I was in his favor at that moment.

This older couple went from unknown strangers, to a brother & sister in Christ. The kids of the home and the entire neighborhood (15 or so we there at times) went from strangers to dearly beloved ones.

My heart broke for them all…in a good way. In the way you feel your heart break when you fall in love with someone. All of this came from a simple act of obedience…showing up to love on these people in the name of Jesus.

I believe this gave me the biggest gift. I felt so blessed with peace, joy and love.

In the scripture above it talks about God enriching us. I think this is the promise that is given to us as our reward for being cheerful givers. “You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way.”

So, today. Take the time to ask God in prayer. Lord, I’m here. I’m available. What can I do today in the name of Jesus that would be pleasing to you? I want to feel you smile on my life today Lord. Show me what to do and how to do it to bring joy to you Father.

Your goal today is to be a blessing to someone else in addition to staying on track with your eating and exercise.

Have a blast today friend and may the Lord Jesus put a smile on your face and on your life today!

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Some photos of Don Juan & Alejandrina’s house and neighborhood.

Missions trips are a blessing — Little barefoot neighbor boy helping us (Jesus) & Corrine

Realign with your reasons why to conquer the doldrums in your life!

Imagine for a moment that you’re on an old sailing ship out on the ocean. You hear the gentle creek of the ship from the very small waves that rock it back and forth ever so peacefully. The sun is high in the sky and the temperature of the air is perfect. There’s just a very gentle breeze across the bow of the ship. Sounds peaceful and relaxing doesn’t it?

We’ll imagine that you are in the middle of the ocean on your way to America, half-way across the ocean and you’ve had these exact same conditions for days…even weeks. Conditions that are not suitable to set your sails, due to the lack of wind, and you are basically stuck. Stuck for days or even weeks, drifting.

That’s where the term doldrums came from.

From Wikipedia we also see that it is defined as:

Colloquially, the “doldrums” are a state of inactivity, mild depression, listlessness or stagnation

I was hit with a mild case of the doldrums this morning. For me it was more likely best described as mild depression and a feeling of discontent.

Physically I think it could have been explained as a combination of mild physical exhaustion and emotional exhaustion. The two combined together, brought me down a little. Also, a mild feeling of discontent combined with the desire to do nothing started to overwhelm me a little this morning. I started to doubt why am I doing this, writing all this content here? Will anyone care to hear from me? Will my work on the Christian Fatloss™ Program & Christian Vitality actually help anyone?

I think somewhere through the fog, I heard the Holy Spirit say remember your reason why.

I quickly listed some of the reasons why I was doing this:

100s, 1000s, and maybe even 10,000s of Christians will use the knowledge and Biblical wisdom to live a better (more spiritually & physically healthy life) It may even save some of their lives from the misery and unhappiness I experienced.
A quest to help cure people of obesity is an admirable quest with God’s stamp of approval. Doing so and giving Glory to Jesus along the way should be doubley-blessed.
Over time I’d like to work on this online business full-time and have it provide a hugely valuable service, which in-turn my customers will be pay me a small fee & gladly to do so.
God has blessed me with the knowledge and wisdom (from the Bible) and I owe it to him to be a blessing to other believers and show them the way.
Going through this process myself is moving me personally from a state of Obesity to a Healthy one and will help me live a happier healthy life.

Realign with your reason why — What’s your reason why?

So, what are your reasons for starting a weight loss program? Did you start the Christian Fatloss™ Program because:

You know that staying on the path of obesity is a short-lived one and your tired of struggling through life being over-weight?
Are you afraid you won’t get to see your kids and grand-kids grow up if you stay on your current path?
Do you have family members that are obese and you’ve decided that you want a different path for yourself?
Are you tired of shopping for your clothes in the big girl or big guy section?
Are you tired of feeling embarrassed over you weight at public pools, beaches, and gyms?
Do you feel that God has called you to live a healthier, happier life without the physical challenges that obesity & an unhealthy lifestyle bring?

What are your reason why? They’ve got to be strong. They are going to have an element of pain or pleasure associated with them. Because as humans we are really motivated by only two things. The avoidance of pain or the desire for pleasure. Pain seems to be the leader in this camp.

So, if you’re feeling a bit discouraged or start to sense that you’re feeling like you should quit. Realign yourself with your reasons why and get motivated again to succeed. Then set your eyes back on the goal.

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Phillippians 3:14 ESV

[Free Wallpaper for your Desktop, tablet or phone] Pick up your cross & follow me!

Jesus said, "Pick up your cross & follow me." — Jesus said, “Pick up your cross & follow me.”

Right-click and “save as”. I hope this is a blessing to you.

Let me know what you think.

Pastor Dan

Celery cures: Cancer, high-blood pressure, stress, bad cholesterol, acidity, inflammation, weight management, & improves your sex life?

Celery: another miracle with many healing qualities

This evening I pay homage to Celery my childhood nemesis of sorts. It’s fine time that I pay a little retribution to a vegetable that I so thoroughly loathed that it was second only to brussel sprouts as a vegetable that I would much rather throw away (or at someone) than put it in my mouth and eat it.

Celery Helps Cure for Cancer: Yep, it has bee proven that the Flavanoids Apigenin & Luteolin (in celery, artichokes, and herbs especially Mexican Oregano) kill human pancreatic cancer cells in the lab by inhibiting the cancer growth. You can read the details of the studies here and even though you likely couldn’t eat enough celery to cure cancer by itself, the simple fact that the flavanoids in it could do this in high concentrations could be argument enough for you to make this vegetable one of your regulars on the plate.

Celery May Lower Blood Pressure: Phthalides are active organic compounds in Celery that have been proven to increase your circulatory health benefits. Eating whole (raw) celery can help reduce high blood pressure over time.

Celery May Lowers Stress/Hypertension: Celery is rich in Magnesium (and other minerals) and an essential oil that soothes the nervous system. Have the late night munchies? Make a celery snack, it may help lower your stress level and may even help you sleep better at night.

Lower Bad Cholesterol with Celery: Butylphthalide is one of the chemical constituents in Celery Oil that gives it its aroma and taste. Studies have shown that it may be useful as a treatment for hypertension and have neuroprotective effect in addition to lowering cholesterol. A Chicago University research shows that eating two stalks of celery a day can lower your bad cholesterol (LDL) by up to 7 points.

Lower Body Acidity With Alkalizing Celery: In the average modern persons diet, there are many things eaten that can throw our optimum acid/alkaline levels out of balance. A neutral reading of 7.0 (or slightly higher and alkaline) is optimal. Eating acidic foods can cause a series of problems in the human body and Celery can offset them with it’s alkaline pH and its alkalizing affect on the body. For more information on how pH can have an impact for weight loss go here.

Celery Can Help You Battle Inflammation: As we’ve discussed numerous times here before, Inflammation can hinder your weight loss and actually make you gain weight. If not addressed, it can actually lead to systemic problems with permanent ramifications. Anything to help combat inflammation is a great addition to your diet. Celery is one of these and may help reduce inflammation in joints, minor infections, asthma, acne, gingivitis or many other inflammations that are holding you back from your weight loss goals.

Celery Can Improve Your Sex Life: This is not an old-wives-tale or urban legend. Dr. Alan Hirsch, famous for his invention of Sensa (the popular weight loss supplement) and founder of www.smellandtaste.org says that there are two pheromones in celery that can contribute to an increase in arousal: androstenone and androstenol. They are released when you chew celery and could be a nice addition to your diet to spice up your love life.

Celery Can Help With Weight Management: Whether eaten fresh, with some almond butter, chopped and thrown into salads, cooked up with your other favorite veggies in stir-fry, celery is super low in calories (about 10 calories per stalk) full of fiber and all the other nutrition we’ve spoken about above.

So, make sure celery is on your go-to list of veggies to have on hand at all times. Your body and your weight loss coach will be glad you did.

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Side note: After dealing with a little doldrums this morning I’ve ‘realigned with my reasons why’ and I am back on track. Praise God for reminding me why I’m on this path and giving me the strength and courage to stay on it. May God also bless you with resilience and perseverance as you stay on your weight loss path. In Jesus Name, Amen!

If you find yourself in a place of the doldrums in your weight loss program or in your spiritual life, maybe it’s time you also realign with your reasons why? Look around you, God will point them out to you if you ask.

The celery salad I had with dinner helped me too. It’s just some chopped celery with rock salt & virgin olive oil. A new favorite of mine. Try it. You’ll like it!

Be blessed my friend.

Pastor Dan

P.S. Please comment, share, or like if you find this a blessing to you. Thank you!

Set sail for continued weight loss & spiritual growth with routine!

Set sail for weight loss & spiritual growth — Routine can be the key to new growth towards your weight loss & spirtual growth.

With the weight loss doldrums behind us lets set our eyes on Jesus and set our eyes back on the goal of Spiritual & Physical Recovery. Press on by looking forward so to speak.

Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Proverbs 4:25 ESV

“fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” Hebrews 12:2 ESV

Routine can get you out of the doldrums — Lose more weight & grow spiritually with routine

Get back to a routine. For me this meant get back on the bike yesterday even though I didn’t feel like it. It meant starting my fast again the night before last, even when I was hungry. It meant get back on the supplements I was taking. It meant jumping back on the scale yesterday and today (which I was blessed by seeing some additional weight loss). It means doing what is right as far as eating right, exercising, and spending quiet time before the Lord. Doing so consistently. That’s the key. Routine will help you build momentum and help you power through the ups and downs of life that are thrown your way.

Look back on the last few weeks and analyze what routines have been working for you. What are some routines (maybe a new exercise routine or reading the Bible everyday) that you can add to your life that would help you become a more physically and spiritually fit person.

Do so and you’ll find that you’ve set sail again on the weight loss voyage of a lifetime. Remember all things are possible for him who believes.

ALL things are possile! — “‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.” mark 9:23 NASB

[Free Wallpapers] ADORABLE: Let YOUR light shine before men…and give glory to your Father in heaven!

In working on some more blog posts for you, I saw this image and bought it for you. I added the Bible verses, which were the first things that came to mind when I saw this adorable little girl.

I created wallpapers for you to download to your PC or Mac (for tablets too) and also one for your mobile phone. You can download them for free below the images;

Here are the complete verses for the image for your reference. Let me know what you think in the comments below. Please like and share if you think it will bless the day of someone else.

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Mathew 5:16 ESV

“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3 ESV

Let Your Light Shine Wallpaper for Computer

Download the file for your computer here:

Download this 640×960 wallpaper for your phone here:

I hope this brings a smile to your face and someone you love. Please feel free to pass them on to someone else who you think would be blessed by them.

In his love always,

Pastor Dan

Setting the Record Straight About Tomatoes Once & For All!

Tomatoes are full of nutrients. Who would of thought you could turn such a simple fruit into such a complicated thing — Tomaytoe vs. Tomotoe

Well, first of all, I bet your wondering what the big controversy is. There are 2 that we’ll address today, in addition to listing some of the nutritional benefits & reasons why you should be eating these beautiful vegetables (or are they really fruits?).

Ok. The first controversy that I already hinted at, is whether or not Tomatoes are fruits or vegetables.

Scientifically they are…fruits! There you have it you can finally with confidence & conviction tell your friends you absolutely know the truth. If you are a cook and only interested in whether you are working on a savory dish or not, they are most often (by 99% of the Chefs out there) referred to as vegetables. So, if you want to be scientific, tomatoes are fruits not vegetables.

The second controversy, that has gotten press more recently, is the fact that tomatoes are in a family of fruits (or vegetables) that are called nightshades. There’s a great article written by my long-time mentor Mark Sisson here if you want his take on it, but basically nightshades are in a family of produce that can cause some minor reactions to a portion of the human population.

So, if you are not one of those people that are technically allergic to nightshades, the benefits outweigh any of the risk of minor reactions that you could have. If you are not certain whether you do or do not have an issue with them, try a 2-4 week hiatus from them to see if you notice any difference on or off of them. This is admittedly difficult to determine because how can you be certain that it’s not the tomatoes that made you feel funky that day or the Sushi you had with your friends. If you have any doubt, try a little bio experiment out.

Assuming you are not allergic to them, here are some great benefits and unknown facts about tomatoes that I think you’ll find valuable and interesting.

Tomatoes are a great source of Lycopene which may help prevent several types of cancer in humans
Fun Fact: Studies have found that tomatoes do not have to be dark-red in color to have high levels of Lycopene and researchers have also determined that paler tomatoes (orange & tangerine colored tomatoes) have a form of Lycopene that is easier for our bodies to absorb. This is definitely counter-intuitive to this certified nutrition counselor.
Tomatoes are a great source of numerous antioxidants including Lycopene which have been proven to help prevent bone loss (and osteoporosis) in post-menopausal women.
Researchers who compared conventionally grown tomatoes versus organically grown found that the growing method made a less overall difference than the actual variety of the tomatoes when looking at antioxidant capacity. While all tomatoes showed great antioxidant capacity the better varieties are: New Girl, Jet Star, Fantastic, and First Lady. Further research is needed, but these findings are interesting to say the least.
Researchers are only now starting to identify some of the phytonutrients in tomatoes. Several of the heart-health benefits that come from tomatoes are: preventing atherosclerosis, lowering total cholesterol, lowering (bad) LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. A couple of the phytonutrients in tomatoes that have these benefits are esculeoside, which is a glycoside (for you techie types) and also a flavanoid called chalconaringenin. Another one they believe to have significant health benefit is 9-oxo-octadecadienoic acid a fatty acid. Needless to say, you should put tomatoes on your heart-healthy list and stay tuned as the research catches up to our belief that tomatoes are great for you.

After going through this list, I’ll stop looking at pale tomatoes as the less preferred choice. I’ll definitely keep them on my list of go-to fruits (or vegetables for you die-hard cooks) and not feel guilty about buying the hot-house (non-organic) variety.

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Excerpted from the soon to be released Christian Fatloss™ Program

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My Journey Alongside Yours: A fairly normal day along the path of weight loss for me. I hit the mountain today and completed my 11-mile out-and-back mountain bike ride, even though it’s starting to get pretty warm here in Scottsdale, AZ. It was 83 degrees F when I started my about 1 hours bike ride. I’m not complaining about the heat in any way, as some of my friends in Canada right now are seeing -1 degrees C and snow at the time of this writing. I feel blessed to live where I do and don’t even mind when it hits between 105 deg F and 115 deg F on a regular basis in the summer.

I finished out the night right on my calorie budget and am thankful to have the opportunity to share this journey with you. Thanks for joining me on your own Christian Fatloss™ Journey.

Don’t Forget: You’re an awesome Victory in Progress™!

I’m glad we are in this weight loss program together. You’re often my motivation to keep on keeping on and I hope & pray that I am the same for you. Amen!

Empty calendar days are good for the soul & weight loss!

Booked calendars are not good for the soul — Booking empty calendar days lower stress & help make weight loss gains

Running the calendar for five kids and two adults could overwhelm the average person, but my wonderful wife Diana is gifted with organizational skills & talent and runs our family’s calendar. As you might imagine our family calendar is usually filled with baseball & softball games & practices with three kids playing on teams…one of which is playing for two teams in two cities.

Well, this morning Diana let me know that we have nothing on the calendar. “Nothing?”, I asked. “Yep, nothing”, she said. I was in shock when she told me. Sadly, I can’t remember the last time we had nothing on the calendar. Are you in the same boat with me? When’s the last time you had nothing on your calendar?

What a blessing it is to have an empty calendar, eve if it is only for one day. I have to work all day, but that means that my evening has no commitments. My wife isn’t off to run to a meeting somewhere (which she often does) and I don’t have to drive across the state of Arizona to get a child to a practice or a game.

are you stressed out? Not good if you want to lose weight. — Reduce stress on purpose by scheduling empty calendar days. It may help you lose weight or prevent weight gain by keeping your hormone (cortisol) levels in check.

Discovering you have nothing on your calendar may seem an opportune time to plan something. Don’t do it. Don’t kill the blessing of an empty calendar. Instead, surrender this chunk of time to the Lord and ask him what he’d like you to do.

Get yourself in a still, quiet place away from distractions and listen for the “still small voice”.

11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper (still small voice in KJV). 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

You’ll hear the Lord speak to you ever so softly. It’s almost like a gut feeling.

Then do what he says and look for the opportunity to serve him…to fellowship with him…to worship him.

This could mean you use the time to go to your favorite coffee shop with your Bible and open up your ears to allow God to speak the word of life into your life. This could mean you surrender your time to ministering to your wife & children. Whatever it is, do it without hesitation or guilt.

Why not schedule days on your calendar that have no plans…doesn’t that sound silly. Choose a day (for me its Thursday this week) where you refuse to schedule anything and let God take the lead on what you do.

It’s my belief that having a day every week that has no scheduled commitments will reduce the stress level in your life. Surrender that time to the Lord for whatever he chooses and be obedient to his calling it will open the doors of heaven for God to pour himself into your life. As I’ve often discussed before, lowering your stress is a good way to help keep your hormone levels normal and help keep you on the path of gradual and continuous (sustainable) weight loss which is the goal of some of the readers here.

On the opposite end of the spectrum if you keep yourself stressed out all the time its the quickest way to start putting on the unwanted pounds. Unhealthy pounds at that. Combine that with not enough sleep and you have a perfectly ugly storm brewing. Don’t do it.

Be blessed today my friend in the name of Jesus Christ!

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What do you think? Will you take on my challenge to have an unscheduled day in your calendar? Share your victories and struggles in the comments below…

Get an attitude of gratitude to conquer a case of the grouchies

We all have those mornings from time to time where we get up on the wrong side of the bed. Maybe its because we didn’t have enough sleep, or we wake up stuffed up from allergies, or maybe its that annoying cat or dog bugging you to go outside. Whatever the stimulus is, we need to be careful about how we allow it to affect us.

If we stay in that grouchy state and start to allow that to taint the words we say, we can start to bring others around us down to, and before you know it (if not prevented) we enter a spiral downwards.

I speak of this today because I was guilty of allowing myself to enter the grouchy-zone this morning. Allergies were at an all time high and I had our little dog, Dolly, whining me out of bed. I started to get a little grouchy about the little things and even said the word “hate” a couple of times when describing little things like a malfunctioning toaster oven.

I pulled myself out of the tailspin of destruction by taking a break from everything and getting away to a quiet place. I prayed and asked for forgiveness from God and started to focus on things I was grateful for.

Very quickly I pulled out of the grouchy-zone into the grateful-zone and my attitude was now full of gratitude.

In Philippians it talks about focusing on the good…

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8 ESV

And in several places in Proverbs it talks about how words can be damaging or creative depending on how they are used.

Jesus also spoke about “from the mouth the heart speaks”.

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:45 ESV

So, if today happens to be a day where you run into the little things that could put you in the grouchy-zone conquer them by building an attitude of gratitude.

Be blessed today friend and stay away from the grouchy-zone.

Have you ever had a case of the groucies? Tell me about it in the comments? Tell us what you do to deal with trying times when your attitude needs a check in the comments below.