Uncategorized – Christian Vitality | Christian Weight Loss | Christian Health & Fitness

Encounter God EVERY Day!

I started off my day, much like any other, by hopping straight out of bed half asleep with the temptation of my pillow calling my name. Shout a loud No Paul tells me so, I ignore the calling of my comfortable little friend. “God’s going to do some cool things today, gotta get to it” I tell myself as I walk away from the bed.

I paused for a moment and with outstretched arms up to heaven (I stand as if being held up in a bank heist). I call this the Power Pose. I’ll talk in more detail about the science behind why this has a huge impact on our bodies physically in a future post, but the short version is that, science has proven that if you stand feet shoulder width apart, hands outstretched and reach for the sky…then hold that for an extended amount of time (like 2+ minutes). It will actually change your body’s chemistry. The hormones that produce the feeling of power, and confidence, and certainty will go up in your body. I do this throughout the day when I feel fatigued and tired and it works like a charm. Is it coincidental that the Bible suggests that we lift up our hands to heaven? I don’t think so. Now science proves that it is good for us. Go figure. Yet another ancient Biblical principal proved by science to be good for us. 🙂

With eyes closed and an open heart, I say the Christian Vitality™ Prayer. Oh God, Creator and Sustainer of the whole Universe, YOU are MY loving Father and interested in every detail of my life. You only have GOOD for ME and desire to giving me healing, wholeness, and forgiveness. Everything over which you’ve giving ME authority I place at YOUR feet.

I then rattle off all the things that may tempt me to be a worry for me on any given day. They are all HIS now to worry about and take care of, releasing me of the responsibility. There’s an immense amount of freedom to be had here…for the rest of the prayer go here –> Christian Vitality™ Prayer

Diana and I are the stewards of 5 beautiful little people whom we love very much, which comes with the responsibility of making sure they have breakfast and lunch for the day, this being a school day.

So, careful not to stumble while walking with one eye open, I make my way down the stairs to the kitchen, to get breakfast & school lunches ready.

I’ve been at this place spiritually, mentally & physically, since I went out to San Diego a week ago, where I feel I am closer to God the Father than I have ever been.

Not out of a religious habit or in a manipulative way, I was verbalizing to God and myself and the kitchen cabinets this:

“Thank you God for this place you brought me to. I don’t want this feeling to ever end.”

I’ve been feeling a sense of Synchronicity (like God is laying out every step of the day to work for my good, not in a selfish I want this or I want that way) where I take one step and another and sometimes the step I am taking doesn’t make sense, but by the end of the day or the end of the week it seems they were all well laid out plans for his purposes in my life to prevail. Like every detail of my life is part of a plan and on purpose.

There’s a song inspired by scripture that describes God being a lamp unto to my feet. Well, what most people don’t know is that in ancient times they actually wore little lamps around their feet at night that would light each step you take as your taking it. Not like the floodlights we have today lighting up a hundred yards. Using those lamps, of ancient times, you were forced to take one step at a time. So, this synchronicity is like that. I just take what I feel are Spirit led steps (fully surrendered to God’s will in the moment) and God takes care of the rest. Focusing solely in that moment…in the now…in the present moment.

Back to the moment in the kitchen now…so I just finished telling God thank you for the place I am in. Then I felt a feeling of calmness, oneness, and then awareness when these words came out of my mouth:

God, I appreciate you! [PAUSE] I’m proud of you!

I started to tear up and was overcome by that feeling of sadness that you experience when your at a great movie that has a happy ending, when I realized that…that was the first time I said those exact words. What you don’t know, that brings it even more meaning to me personally, is that 4 days ago I had that exact same moment with my oldest daughter Rachel.

We had one of those moments where I felt God was using me to speak truth into her life. Words with deep meaning and hopefully long lasting affect on her life. At the end of that 45 minute talk she said:

“I’m proud of you Dad. I appreciate you!”

Which was the first time she’s ever told me that. Coincidentally, this morning was the first time I told God the Father essentially the same thing. I apologized to God and then told him, “thank you God for revealing that to me today…I promise to share this epiphany with everyone you send my way and do a better job of letting you know I’m proud of you and appreciate you”.

Why not make every day a God appreciation day? Why don’t we have a God appreciation day on the calender…or a God appreciation week like the nurses, and teachers, and office managers have? It likely won’t ever happen on a national level…that would be just too darn silly to those not so well enlightened ones. But for you and I brother/sister we can do it at a personal level every day. Please join me. Tell me by sending me an email about your encounter with God today. dan {at} christianvitality {dot} com

I believe at least part of the reason why I am at this place of awareness of God’s presence, is the fact that, in addition to the Christian Vitality™ Prayer, I’ve also reintroduced a practice of saying an affirmation prayer I learned from Joseph Murphy from the book, “Think Yourself Rich“. He’s not a traditional Pastor and by many Christians who have not read much about him, may even be thought of as a person more on the outside of the Christian Faith than on the inside. I’d disagree to some extent because I’ve read that book at least a dozen times and it is full of Bible excerpts cover to cover. He was an expert on just about every human religion and I believe a fellow of many colleges when he passed away. He was also an expert on the subconscious mind of man and metaphysics. I believe by marinating on the Bible, every man or woman, independent of their religion, will be impacted by what Christians call God’s living word (the Bible). I think he was also enlightened in this way.

I’m not suggesting you lead yourself astray by chasing after what some may call false prophets by adopting all of what Joseph Murphy reveals in that book. But, if you feel yourself grounded in your Christian Faith, at least allow yourself to be open to the fact that many scholars who study the Bible for many, many years. Are impacted in a profound way and what they share of what they learned has been touched by God through his living word (Bible).

So, that preface being said, I want to reveal to you a practice I’ve reintroduced into my life the last several days that has had an immense impact on my life and brought me to where I am today. I’ve reintroduced a prayer/affirmation that Joseph Murphy taught me and am currently saying it throughout the day. He instructed that you say it first thing in the morning when you get up and then say it a few times right before you go to sleep. The reason being is, that your subconscious mind is more open to suggestion (proven by science and research) at those times and you can essentially reprogram your brain. I’ve personally (internally) made it a prayer / affirmation and have memorized it years ago. It goes like this:

Right now, I am writing in my subconscious mind the idea of God’s wealth. God is the source of my supply and all my needs are met at every moment of time and point of space (circumstance). God’s wealth flows freely, joyously, and ceaselessly into my experience and I thank God for his riches forever circulating into my life. – Joseph Murphy PH.D, D.D. from the book “Think Yourself Rich” (I emphasize the bold words when I say it)

Through this practice of praying that affirmation everyday, morning and night (and even throughout the day), I have reached a level of awareness, synchronicity, and oneness with God the Father. The Creator. The Sustainer of the Universe. I am so, so blessed and thankful.

So, how do we encounter God EVERY day? Out of prayer and submission to him, I’ve been led (I believe divinely) to a practice that can be summarized with this acronym; SOAPP:

Syncronicity + Oneness, + Awareness = (come from) Prayer + Power Pose

So, brother/sister I challenge you today to integrate SOAPP into your life and watch your encounters with God come.

It is my sincere & genuine prayer that this message be a blessing to you and your loved ones. May it allow God to use you in a bigger way in the circle of influence he’s placed you in. In Jesus Name, Amen!

Was this post a blessing to you? Please help spread the word if you feel it is worthy by liking, sharing, tweeting, and pinning it. Maybe your friends may even thank you because it was a blessing to them. 🙂

Another day towards a new you and a new identity

When we receive Salvation through our Faith in Jesus Christ, by confessing with our mouth and believing in our heart that Jesus is the Son of God, we become a new creation. Our identity now lies with him and in him. We are believers, followers, we are Christians.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

I don’t want to take away or distract from that, but when you’ve committed to a Christian Weight Loss Program you’ve also committed to building a new identity for yourself. A healthier, happier you who is more like Christ in spirit, but one who is also eating right & exercising.

You are no longer that overweight, clothes-fit-too-snugly, person that you’ve been with for the previous part of your life. You, although the outside appearance of your body may not 100% agree YET, are a healthier & happier version of yourself.

You are working on a new identity. Pretty soon you will be known as the guy/gal who is pretty disciplined with how he/she eats and exercises.

Funny how the word disciple can be extracted from the word disciplined. In conjunction with your evangelism for Christ (sharing the goodness of Jesus Christ) you will also be sharing the good news of eating healthier & living happier (how you learned here). My main point is start to see yourself differently. Divorce (yes that is a strong word) yourself from your old identity. That’s not me anymore is your new attitude.

Doing so will make your new life in Christ and Christian Weight Loss easier and more natural as you make better choices that will get you down the path to a healthier happier you.

Let me be honest. Even if you go through a few or several 40-day cycles and lose significant weight over the next few months and longer, it won’t last and you’ll gain it all back UNLESS you buy into a NEW identity.

So, as you go through your day today start to work on thoughts and actions that support your identity in Christ, but also your identity as a healthier, happier version of yourself…one who’s lost a ton of unnecessary baggage (fat).

May God richly bless you as you make it a great day friend!

I’m going to really focus on opportunities that I can shift my focus to how I will be a new creation. What it will feel like to be able to wear some of the close I gave up on because they were too tight. How, when I’m down significantly I won’t be down on myself anymore. I’ll likely have to go shopping for more clothes because my pants won’t stay up. My belt may not even fit anymore. I won’t be that guy “whose always been a bit of a big guy”. I’ll be the guy people look to for advice on how to get fit and live healthier & happier while following Jesus. That’s the new me…my new identity.

Join me today in doing the same!

Excerpted from the Christian Vitality™ Weight Loss Program

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

Dark Chocolate: God’s gift to you and me that cures what ails you!

Yes, Dark Chocolate, and more importantly chocolate with a Cacao content of 72% or higher is not only good for you it can help prevent some pretty nasty ailments.

I’ve been eating Dark Chocolate for about 2 years now. I was first turned on to it by Mark of Primal Blueprint fame, when he convinced me to give it and try it as a supplement to my diet, because it had so many benefits and was a nice replacement for this choco-holic who just quit his long-term sweet-addiction.

I started with 72% (and would recommend at least 70%), which today I’d say is a bit to sweet for me and a bit high in sugar. I slowly graduated up over time to an 86% Cacao (you can find it at Trader Joes if you have one close by) which is the highest I’ve been able to find.

I imagine if you ate cacao-nibs, you can increase the Cacao percentage, but I’ve not yet found a way to easily integrate those little guys into my diet. I’ve tried them and the experience was a little like chewing on little wood bits that had a slight chocolate flavor. I guess people who use them a lot use them in homemade shakes and smoothies. Evidently some people also throw them into savory dishes. Any way you can get them into your diet is a good thing and once you read all of the health benefits of Dark Chocolate I might have you convinced as well.

Dr Mark Hyman, in his great book Ultrametabolism recommends you eat between 1-3 ounces of dark chocolate everyday day. I’d like to add, that when you do so, make sure that it is after a meal or eaten with some other lower glycemic foods to help minimize the glycemic load of the chocolate. Even the very high cacao content chocolate has a pretty high level of sugar.

Another tip to keep in mind is that it’s very easy to go overboard on this super-food. When you are going to eat dark chocolate ration out your 1-3 ounces and put away the rest. You’ll be glad you did. I know, speaking from experience, I’ve gone overboard on more than one occasion in the name of super-food consumption.

Here are just some of the benefits of Dark Chocolate:

Dark Chocolate contains healthy fats. Mostly monounsaturated and saturated fat, with very little polyunsaturated fat. Most of the saturated fat is stearic acid widely know to have no bad effects on LDL cholesterol, so you don’t have to have any guilt to enjoy cacao fat.
Dark Chocolate is loaded with Polyphenols too. In particular flavanols. When it comes to polyphenols & antioxidant capacity, Dark Chocolate blows away any other super-food. The most studied polyphenol in cacao is epicatechin, a flavanol that is highly potent and potentially healthy for humans.
Dark Chocolate lowers your blood pressure too. Epidemiological studies consistently show that dark chocolate consumption is related with lower blood pressure readings. One study even found that eating dark chocolate for 15 days straight, lowered blood pressure and insulin sensitivity in healthy subjects.
Cacao consumption has been proven to improve arterial flow of blood in smokers.
Dark Chocolate can reduce cardiovascular disease.
Dark Chocolate lowered insulin resistance in diabetic patients (in addition to lowering blood pressure).
Dark chocolate is good for folks who have a fatty liver (some of us who have been eating sugar in high doses all of our lives are in this camp). The chocolate can reduce oxidative stress and inflammation as well.
Dark chocolate can help increase our body’s natural defense against UV exposure. In several studies recently it’s been proven that eating dark chocolate can increase our natural defense against the harmful affects of the sun by as much as double. So, you could stay out twice as long without sun-damage.

So, go eat some dark chocolate with dinner tonight. Make sure it’s high in cacao (70%+) and low in sugar. Eat it with your meal and feel good knowing you just took in some of the best tasting medicine on the planet. Thank you God for the gift of Dark Chocolate.

So, what’s your favorite dark chocolate recipe? Have you tried 86% Cacao ye? Tell me about your experiences with Dark Chocolate below in the comments.

[MUST READ] The “Metabolic Winter” Hypothesis…

Just released to me on his “Private” email list is an amazing article backed by 103 research studies & publications about metabolism, fasting, nutrition, fitness, and the rest of what’s important to you and me and our health. A must read. Warning it is very technical and some of it may be tough to get through for the non-medical types. I think the average person would find HUGE value in reading at least the ‘Putting it altogether” and “conclusion” sections. Let me know what you think in the comments…

P.S. I’ll be writing up my top take-aways from the Metabolic Winter and sharing them with you soon. What’s your biggest ah-ha moment? Please let me know in the comments

Shared with permission of Ray Cronise, BS

Download Metabolic Winter Hypothesis for FREE here:

http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/met.2014.0027

Contact Ray Cronise, BS by clicking here.

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Make the most out of EVERY day to get closer to God & lose weight!

Today happened to be Good Friday for me. I know that doesn’t (won’t) correlate but once a year for any of you, but it was a good excuse for our office to be closed and for them to allow me a paid holiday.

Diana had her normal Friday things planned and took our youngest daughter to her pre-school for the day.

I was left in the trusty hands of the other four kids (12 year old daughter), (10 year old Autistic son), (7 year old daughter), and (6 year old – youngest son).

I decided to take them to a local lake nearby called Saguro Lake to rent a patio boat and to cruise the lake. We do this a couple of times a year and it is not really on the cheap side of entertainment, but for 2 hours (a couple of times a year) to take most of the family out to have a ball on the lake…it’s worth it to me.

Well, all of the patio boats were gone by the time we got there (at about 9:00am) and all they had left were ski-boats. Being a God is my provider kind of guy I rolled with it. So we picked one up and set sail or rather motor on the not-so-rocky seas.

If you’ve never been out on a lake in a ski boat at top speed, you owe it to yourself to try it a least once (or twice). There’s something about cruising at 40+ miles an hour a foot or two above the water and it’s an absolute thrill when you come across the wake of other boats (or a scary rogue wave) that hits your boat. The screams of delight were classic emanating from our little vessel as the water broke across our bow.

We motored all the way across the lake and partially up the Salt River to a very nice sandy beach and anchored there. After a great swim, the kids and I all had our daddy-packed-cooler lunch (that I packed in the morning).

We wrapped up our two hour rental with me allowing them to each have a turn at driving the ski boats (with me right next to them) at full speed. This was one of those I’ll never-forget-when-I-was-a-kid-when moments. For me I had 4 Majestic Moments that I’ll never forget to take to the grave with me.

There were a million an 1 things I could have done today and going to the lake was just one of them.

I think You should treat everyday as an adventure or journey along with Jesus. Invite him along and let him grab the wheel and see where he takes you today. You may be surprised at how much fun you have when you make the most out of every day.

How is this good for weight loss or my spiritual journey you ask?

Well, as we’ve often preach (teach) lowering our stress level is great for lowering our Cortisol levels, which has an affect on whether we lose or gain weight. It’s a safe bet for you to think, that I reduced my stress level significantly by hanging out with 4 of my favorite people out on the lake today.

I the spiritual side I really allowed myself to soak in God’s creation. All the while surrendering my will to his. So, the patio boat didn’t work out. So, what? I consider myself a fairly spirit-led guy and I felt that was what the plan was and I had God’s blessing to do so.

In that moment when I faced a a potential defeat (not patio boats available) I surrendered and said to myself ‘God is my source’ and rolled with the punches and took the path laid out for me.

Truth be told the ski-boat was a heck of a lot of more fun than that patio-boat would of been and my kids can now say they drove a ski-boat.

So, my challenge to you today if you have the opportunity, pray for God to open up the opportunity to have YOUR Majestic Moment. One that relieves some stress and brings you closer to him.

You’ll be glad you did.

So, please comment and tell me what your favorite Majestic Moment or stress reducing activity is. I love your comments.