Our Confession

While I was thinking and praying about what to write on our blog, it occurred to me that we should talk about the Confession we speak over ourselves at every DREAM Meeting.  So over the next few blogs we will do just that.  We'll look at the scripture for each item of our confession.

Here is Our Confession as we speak it over ourselves each week:

"I have a DREAM for my Life"

"I will prosper and be in health as my soul prospers"

"I am fearfully and wonderfully made"

"I know my body is the Temple of God and is bought with a price"

"I will glorify God with my body by being healthy"

"I will allow the fruit of the spirit, especially self-control, to work in my life"

"I will not use food to be my Comforter, but depend on the Holy Spirit"

"I know I can accomplish anything, because I am more than a conqueror"

"I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength"

"Amen"

Each day the Holy Spirit will bring back portions of this confession to my mind, especially when it looks like I'm going to stray from the "path."  I know that has happened to others in our DREAM group as well.  This is a good thing.  The more you put God's word inside you, the more it will come out when the need arises.

Years ago I had an object lesson with the kids in my children's church, where I talked about what we put into our minds and hearts.  If we put "garbage" into our minds, like the wrong types of television shows, music, etc., in our times of testing or "trials" we're going to have "stinkin' thinkin'" as I called it to the kids.  Whatever we put inside us will eventually come out.  If we are putting the Word of God inside us, then that's what is going to come out when we are tested and tried.

I am reminded of a story my Dad, who was a Pastor and Evangelist, used to tell about two men.  Both men attended church, both men loved God.  One day while both men were in the front of the church another person came by and began to throw eggs at the church and the men, both of whom just happened to be struck by the flying eggs.  One man began to cuss and curse as he was being hit by the eggs.  The other began to praise God.  Puzzled, the first man asked the second why he had praised God instead of cursing.  The man simply replied, "If you have cursing on the inside of you, that's what is going to come out.  But if you have praising on the inside of you, that's what is going to come out."

That is exactly true with everything in life.  Yes, I know the parallel to health and weight loss with this story.  If we put good, healthy food into our bodies, we will be good and healthy.  You know, "You are what you eat."  It is also true with how we view ourselves.  If we look at ourselves, concerned what others may think of us, we will not be living up to the potential God has for us.  There are only two opinions that matter, and if you get right down to it, only one... God's opinion and ours.  God's opinion of us is the most important.

This is the reason when I was praying about Our Confession, I asked God to give me specific scriptures to help us see us through His eyes.  If you attend our DREAM meeting and have a copy of Our Confession, down at the bottom of the page is the list of the scriptures used for the confession.

The first line, "I have a DREAM for my life", we've already covered in previous blogs.  Starting tomorrow we'll begin to look at each line of Our Confession and hopefully we'll be able to see ourselves more as God sees us.

If you would like more information about our DREAM Weight-Loss Group, please feel free to leave a comment below or email us directly at dreamweightloss@gmail.com.

Until tomorrow, my friends, be blessed!

Remember to DREAM!

DREAM Meeting Moved!

Just a quick note to let everyone know that our DREAM meeting has changed locations.  We are now meeting in the "Ladies Discipleship Class" room in the front of the AGCC Chapel.  Weigh in will still be from 6 to 6:25 and the meeting starting at 6:30 pm.

If you have any questions post it and we'll get back to you as quickly as possible.

Back to daily blogging tomorrow!
Enjoy!
Remember to DREAM!

Happy Wednesday!

Hello there!

Wow, I didn't realize it had been so long since the last posting.  Life gets crazy sometimes, as July usually is for us around here.  But, we are back on track and will be posting again.

Just want to be of encouragement to you today.  Losing weight is tough, I know that full well.  I also know that if we allow God to help us on our weight loss journey it can be easier.  You see, Jesus told us to "cast all our cares" on Him, some things we can't do alone, we need help.  From our previous posts we've looked at losing weight from a spiritual perspective or for some a "mental" perspective.  Most personal trainers will tell you that losing weight is 80% mental, if you think you can do something, then you can.  If you think you can't do something, you're right there too.  These "mental" aspects of weight loss that play tricks with your mind cause us to be anxious, fearful, timid, and will eventually cause us to give up because "it's just too hard."

I've heard from a lot of people that didn't show up at a weight loss meeting because they knew they had not been good and were afraid of what the scale was going to say.  You know what I have to say about that...be responsible for your weight loss.  If you gain, and you know you haven't been good, own up to it, face the scale and then go on.  Many people are defeated so easily by one little set-back with a scale.  You have to remember, the scale is only a tool to measure your progress, nothing of which to be afraid or even anxious about.

What I've seen happen is a cycle...you're not eating or exercising the way you should, you feel guilty about that, you don't want to be embarrassed when the scale tells on you, so you go into hiding.  The fear or anxiety isn't really about the scale, it's about how you think you will be perceived by others.  If you belong to a weight loss support group those folks aren't there to judge you, if they do, they're in the wrong place.  In our DREAM Group we don't judge when someone gains, hey, we've all done it at one point or another.  DREAM is there to help encourage you when you gain to get back out there and get back on track.

God does the same thing with us, that's why He's given us support through His Word that tells us to "cast" our cares, worries, fears, anxieties, stresses, whatever on Him because He is able to take care of us.  The Bible also says, "If God is for us, who can be against us?"  And, hey, with God on our side, we can't loose.  We might mess up from time to time, but God is always there to help us each time we do and get us back on the right track.

So, now that you've had your "Pep-talk" for the day, be encouraged.  We're in this weight loss journey together!

Happy Wednesday and until tomorrow, be blessed!

Remember to DREAM!

Respect

Respect

By Phil Parham

“Self-respect is a question of recognizing that
anything worth having has a price.”
-Joan Didion

In college, my friends and I would frequently go to a karaoke lounge.  Without fail, we’d see a group of girls on stage belting out “Respect” by Aretha Franklin, and it was always fun to sing along in the crowd.

Thinking about that song made me wonder how much I respected myself over the years.  I want to say yes, of course I respected myself.  I married a wonderful woman, I have beautiful children, and I’m proud to have a successful career.  But I didn’t have respect for my body.  I didn’t take care of it.  I didn’t feed it well.  I didn’t give it enough water I eventually became obese, damaged my joints, and put myself at risk for diabetes and heart disease.  Sometimes it’s still difficult for me to admit that I had such little respect for my body.

Your thoughts and actions toward yourself and your body are important.  When you start to respect your body, the world starts changing for you.  Have you ever heard someone say, “Just take care of yourself and everything will fall into place”?  I never believed that because I always had to do a million things to make everything fall into place.  How could I find time to take care of myself?  But after doing just that and getting fit and healthy, a whole new world opened up to me, and everything really did start falling into place—the right place.  Loving and respecting yourself will start to bring a whole new perspective on life.  You will begin to attract people and opportunities you never thought were possible before.

Recently, Amy and I were eating dinner at a Lebanese restaurant after a busy day.  We looked at each other and smiled.  I told her how neat it was that we could take some time away for ourselves to enjoy each other’s company over a delicious, exotic meal.  A year ago, we never even knew this place existed.  We would have never thought to look for healthy international cuisine.  It’s a simple example, but one of the many changes in our lives.

I had to first make the commitment to change.  I had to respect and see the value in my body.  Only then did life truly change for the better.  Yours can too.  Respect yourself.

Mini-Challenge of the Day

Today, reflect on your body and how you take care of yourself.  How did you respect and value yourself a year ago?  How do you respect yourself today?  Has it changed?  You can’t make permanent lifestyle changes unless you respect yourself.

Tip of the Day

Choose whole fruits over fruit juices.  Fruit juice is full of concentrated sugars, and drinking too much juice can cause your blood sugar levels to spike.  If you’re going to have juice, mix it half-and-half with water.  This is how we give juice to our kids, too.  They quickly got used to the difference, and now, when they drink 100% juice, they think it’s too sweet.

Until tomorrow, be blessed!

Remember to DREAM!

Taken from “The 90-Day Fitness Challenge” by Phil and Amy Parham, former contestants on television’s “The Biggest Loser”.

Going Through the Process

Going Through the Process

“Your life is the sum result of all the choices you make, both consciously and unconsciously.  If you can control the process of choosing, you can take control of all aspects of your life.  You can find the freedom that comes from being in charge of yourself.”
- Robert F. Bennett

By Amy Parham

Every time I ask Rhett, our autistic son, to do something, he has a process that he has to go through to be able to do what I ask.  For example, if we tell him to do his homework, he yells at the top of his lungs, “I don’t want to do my homework!”  After he yells, he calmly walks over to his book bag and gets out his homework to work on it.  He does the same thing when I tell him to take a bath, take out the trash, or any other request we make of him.  It’s almost as if he has to loudly announce his opposition before he agrees to do what we asked him to do.

Many of us do the same thing when we’re told we need to do something.  Our doctor says we need to lose weight, and we find ourselves at the Burger King drive-thru immediately after the appointment.  We know we need to exercise, but instead we lie on the sofa.  We might even get to the parking lot of a gym, but we leave before we actually get through the front door.  We all know what we need to do to be healthy, but we dig in our heels as long as we can before we finally admit we have no choice but to get healthy.

Right now in your weight loss journey, maybe you’ve hit a plateau.  Maybe you’re bored with your workouts.  Maybe you’re sick of eating healthy food.  Don’t give up.  Be empowered and stop fighting the urge that tells you to quit.  Here are some tips to embrace the “challenge” and continue on your way.

1)      Accept the fact that the road to health is seldom an easy one.  The things in life that are most valuable require the most sacrifice.  Just because things get hard doesn’t mean that’s a sign to quit.  These are the times to prove just how strong you are.

2)      Tell yourself that eating healthy and exercising is your idea.  Convince yourself it’s your choice, not something someone else is telling you to do.

3)      Remind yourself this is a process and not an event.  Take one day at a time and celebrate every small success because they will eventually add up to big victories.

4)      List the things that will be different in your life when you get healthy.  Smaller sizes in clothes, more energy, playing sports you’ve never played before, feeling confident—these are all good ones to write down.

Empower yourself with these tips and keep going.  You’ll reach your goal before you know it!

Mini-Challenge of the Day

What two things that you know you should be doing that you’ve been tempted not to do?  Write them down.  Why do you think you are rebelling against the things that will bring you closer to your goal?  Take time to think about your process for achieving health and fitness and embrace it fully.

Tip of the Day

If you don’t feel like exercising one day, use the twenty minute rule.  Just tell yourself you’ll work out for twenty minutes.  It’s a short time frame but long enough to see benefits.  Chances are, you’ll end up having a forty-five minute session because you feel so good.  Use this tool to negotiate your way to the gym and at least start your workout.

Until tomorrow, be blessed!

Remember to DREAM!

This was taken from “The 90-Day Fitness Challenge” by Phil and Amy Parham, former contestants on “The Biggest Loser.”

Happy Birthday America!

Have a Save and Happy Independence Day!

Time Management

Time Management

“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.”
-William Penn

^“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.”
-Ephesians 5:15-17

By Amy Parham

How many times have you said to yourself, “I don’t have time to exercise” or “I don’t have time to cook all my meals” or “I just don’t have time…period.”  I hear these statements all the time.  I even used to say these things myself.  But everyone has the same twenty-four hours in a day.  I have twenty-four hours in a day.  You have twenty-four hours in a day.  The president of the United States has twenty-four hours in a day.  No one has more time than anyone else.  The amount of time we have isn’t the issue; it’s how we use our time.

We spend so much time on things that aren’t producing any positive results in our lives.  I used to send hours every night watching television.  My life revolved around the nightly TV schedule and what I was going to eat while watching.  I wasted hours of my life that could have been spent productively.  I could have been exercising during that time or getting the right amount of sleep or reading books on health.

Think about your own life.  How are you spending the twenty-four hours each day God has given you?  I read that the average American watches four hours of TV a day.  Four hours is a lot of time that could be used to do things that are life-giving or life-changing, not just sitting in front of a screen being entertained.  Maybe you spend your time doing other things that aren’t productive, such as surfing the web, shopping, reading tabloid magazines, or chatting on the phone.  Be honest with yourself about how much time you spend doing things that only waste time.

Have you ever had a friend call you up at the last minute and invite you to come to their vacation home for the weekend?  Isn’t it amazing how quickly we can rearrange our schedules, get the dog taken care of, pack a suitcase for every member of the family, straighten up the house, gas up the car, and hit the road because it’s an invitation to do something fun?

Well, guess what?  I have a ticket to a new life waiting for you.  You just have to rearrange your schedule a little and make a few changes.  How badly do you want to make the change?  How badly do you want to be in better shape?  How badly do you want better health?  Make time by eliminating the things you know you don’t need to be doing.  Use your day wisely.

Mini-Challenge of the Day

Keep track of your time today.  From the minute you wake up to the time you go to bed, write down everything you do and how long it takes.  At the end of the day, review what you have written down and see where you can make some changes.  Notice where you are wasting time and make a commitment to stop doing those things.

Tip of the Day

Take containers of flavored yogurt and put them in the freezer.  Frozen yogurt is a delicious and healthy substitute for ice cream.

Until tomorrow, be blessed!

Remember to DREAM!

Taken from “The 90-Fitness Challenge” by Phil and Amy Parham, former contestants on television’s “The Biggest Loser.”