Embrace Change...30 Day Challenge Day 30 ~ Guest Blogger Josh Copeland

Here we are, the last day of your 30 day challenge! Praise God! Whew! You accomplished your goal if you tried your best, learned something about yourself, developed some discipline, or developed a health and wellness plan that you can maintain in the future. These 30 days were not about dieting or focusing on 30 days of health. Can We Talk?!

The author of Made to Crave…said “Diets don’t work for me…so I’m not on a diet. I’m on a journey with Jesus to learn the fine art of self-discipline for the purpose of holiness.” I hope that you understand that these 30 days were very much a physical, emotional, and spiritual journey with Jesus to begin living a healthier life. The plan for healthy living is different for each of us. Read guest blogger Josh Copeland’s account of his journey with Jesus over the past 30 days.

I had high hopes. When my mom presented this challenge I felt ready to dive in. I received a copy of P90X and I had big dreams of getting through these 30 days with an amazing story of how I stuck with it and made all of these improvements. I even started a week early by mistake and felt like it was a good warm up for the challenge. But then life took an unexpected turn.

I started a new job at a catering company and the hours are normally pretty stable and consistent except for the fact that I don’t know what time I have be at work for the next day until the day before. That’s normal in the corporate catering world. I did not know that this is one of the busiest times in the year for my company because of the back to school rush. So my work schedule turned upside down to the point where I was working 60 hour work weeks. I was working up to 16 hour work days which would leave me barely enough time to sleep on most days. This went on through the entire span of the challenge.

As you can imagine with barely any time to sleep on most days working out was the last thing on my mind. Of course I would get the emails and tweets my mom was sending out during the challenge but I felt that my work situation couldn’t fit in with the challenge. So since I couldn’t work out I pretty much threw my diet out of the window. I’m not even going to try to downplay my bad habits. I was popping fresh baked chocolate chip cookies in my mouth like breath mints. During this time I didn’t really have a chance to sit down and have meal so I always had to eat on the go and without any kind of plan I took whatever I could get.

You may think that because of this that I failed this challenge. But the reality about it is that through this time I learned a great deal about myself and how important it is to call on the Lord to help with the process. The mistake that we often make in dieting and our walk with God is that we get so caught up in the letter of the law that we miss the true freedom of being in the Spirit of the law.

Look at what Paul asks the Galatians when they wanted to live by the law and not by the Spirit…So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? Galatians 3:5

We have to ask ourselves this when we are taking on any challenge in our lives. Are we going to make it through a challenge because of the rules and regulations or are we going to make it through by the Spirit of God? Are we going to strive for a healthy lifestyle because we truly believe that it is what we need for our lives or are we just doing this because 4 His Temple said so? In my walk I made my health journey about the 30 days so when I couldn’t participate the way I wanted to I settled with doing just a little. Had I lived in the spirit of the challenge, which is committing to a healthy lifestyle, then I would have been intentional about planning around my circumstances instead of letting the circumstance control me.

I believe that this challenge was intended to be a starting point for a healthy life not just a healthy thirty days. Although I didn’t have any amazing before and after pictures like I imagined I was going to have on Day 1, I eventually got to the point where I didn’t gain or lose any weight during the 30 days. I spent these days adjusting to my schedule, my faults and my weaknesses, and mainly praying and asking God for help and repenting for my mistakes. He showed me things that I could do to counter my schedule and He used the Holy Spirit to convict me when I popped that third cookie of the day in my mouth. But most importantly God was there to extend His grace to me. I admitted my faults and I prayed for God to help me “want to” change at my core through my thinking, my emotional reactions, and by helping me to change my desires. I can proudly say that as of this past Monday I instituted a new life challenge.

Every morning I will wake up before work and do a short and intense cardio workout before I go to work. I always knew I NEEDED to do this but I never WANTED to do it. God is not a respecter of person to where He changes the rules just because we don’t feel like following them. The Lord wouldn’t let me snooze past my planned workout time even though my flesh didn’t want to get up. In fact I started waking up before my alarm went off. After I finished my last rep the first words out my mouth were “Thank you Lord!” Not just out of exhaustion but because He took me through a process that led me to this point that I desire more of Him and more change in myself. I know He will do the same for you if you believe that being healthy in all areas of your life is crucial.

“Faith in God does not entitle us to expect different results from doing the same old things. Embrace change and you will progress.”

Your body is the temple of the Living God! Live Well in His Name!

Change Your Mind Change Your Life 30 Day Challenge Day 25

Well, here we are Day 25 of your 30 Day Challenge! 5 more days to go!! You've come a long way baby! (I've always wanted to say that). Can We Talk?!

I want to hear all about your successes and struggles on this journey. Some people in the community have already sent email, twitter, text, and facebook messages about their progress. What have you learned? What can you take away from this experience? Hopefully, you will plan your own 30 day challenge in the weeks and months to come until we do it again. Yes, we will do it again!

You might start a personal 30 day challenge to help you get rid of habit like smoking or drinking, help you to strengthen your marriage by being kind, loving and attentive to your mate, or help you tame your tongue by only speaking words that uplift, encourage, and empower for 30 days. Think about it, pray about it and start your own 30 day challenge. The outcome will be a BETTER YOU that glorfies the Father and only He knows who you will bless along the way.

We have been talking about eating healthy and sharing recipes during the challenge. What about people who prefer not to cook? Remember we talked about a lifestyle change and how what we decide to do, must work for our lifestyle or we can't sustain it. I was also talking to someone the other night about the cost of eating healthy. It can be expensive. I wanted to share the comments from Janice in our community. She is excited about the change she experienced during the challenge and she is eager to share it.

Dear Aqua

I'm hanging in there on the 30 day challenge. I have noticed a different mindset within me as I take this walk. It took me a while to settle on what I would do for the challenge, but I finally settled on picking up my meals from My Fit Foods & exercising 5 days a week. I've fallen a few times, but that is where God gets the glory! Usually when I get off track, I enjoy the unhealthy food & find it hard to get back on track, well during the challenge, I have found that I'm enjoying unhealthy food less & less! I've been praying for God to give me a craving for healthy foods & a "want to" stick to healthy behavior. I feel that my prayers are being answered!

My health tip for the challenge is my source for healthy meals, My Fit Foods. This is a growing chain of healthy fast food. The stores consist of large refrigerators from which you come pick healthy meals to go. Simply microwave & eat! I pick up my meals at the beginning of the week & keep them in the refrigerator. No cooking, cleaning up or heating up the kitchen for me! I actually find it to be more economical than the grocery store. Good luck to all!

Janice

Dear Janice

Thank you so much friend! I am excited about what God is going to do with you and through you as you journey with Him to a healthier you! All praise be unto Him!! When we started this passion project back in March we said that to change our bodies and eating habits we have to change our mind! Old ways of thinking will keep us bound to old habits and old ways of living. God's Word tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. I'm so happy for you Jan and proud of you for sticking with it! You are well on your way sistah!

Your body is the temple of the Living God! Live Well in His Name!

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How Am I Doing? 30 Day Challenge Day 20

Can you believe it? Just 10 more days to go on your 30 Day Challenge! Stay with it. Don't give up now. Press into Jesus and press through these next 10 days fully committed to the work you started. Can We Talk?!

Ask yourself...how am I doing on this challenge? Be honest! Nobody is looking but you and God. Maybe you ate something you said you wouldn't during this 30 days. Maybe you didn't wake up every morning and have that quiet time with God. Maybe you celebrated too much and gave into that piece of cake or glass of wine. Seriously, it is not the end of the world and more importantly God doesn't love you any less.

What I hope you get from this 30 days is that through Christ you have the strength and power to change your life. If you recognized that you overindulged, haven't been in fellowship with the Lord, or that you skipped a workout AND you sought to rectify that you are achieving success on this journey. Remember when you had no recognition. You were just eating any and everything whenever you wanted it and exercise was not even an afterthought? You prayed only on Sunday at church, but longed for a conversation with God during the week. Remember that time? Well, now it is long gone and you started a new life! You had a breakthrough. Look at you Overcomer!

I hope that you are learning to discipline yourself spiritually, physically, and emotionally during this last 20 days to deal with what's eating you so you can deal with what and how much you are eating. Maybe you have a heatlthy diet but you just don't like exercising. I feel you. Trust me. When I first started this journey I questioned God about every session. Are you sure Lord? Now I look forward to working out (most days that is). I hope this 20 days has given you a passion for moving your body!

Let's face it folks, we are getting older and it is in our best interest to move our bodies as much as we can while we still can. The earlier we start the better. Teach your children the value of a good healthy lifestyle that includes exercise. I'm praying that the Lord will give us a long healthy active life until we meet Jesus on the other side. Hopefully, another benefit of this 30 day challenge is that your children have seen you and you are setting a good example of how to live a healthy life that honors and glorifies our God.

As I have been talking to people throughout this 30 days I have made some interesting observations about what people think about health, food, and fitness. I want to share them with you in case you hold some of these ideas too.

•  Thin does not equate to healthy. Exercise has more benefits than just weight loss.
• You cannot out exercise a bad diet. Period. You have to add exercise to your life and you have to make some changes in food choices.
• Vegetarian is not synonymous with healthy. 
• Just because a food package has healthy, wheat, or organic on it doesn't make it true. Read the label and ingredients.
• There is a mountain of information and how to tips out there. Be a careful consumer. Not every diet and exercise tip is going to work for you or fit into your lifestyle. To maintain the new tip it has to work for you or you have to make changes to make it work.
• It is implausible to believe that you will never overindulge again or have something fattening that you have given up once you start eating healthy. It is going to happen so don't beat yourself up about it.

What's For Dinner?

Here are the recipes I promised. Also made some great fish tacos. Let me know if you want the recipe. Picture below.

Praise-Worthy Pepper Crusted Tuna

• ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
• ¼ teaspoon paprika

• ¼ cayenne pepper

• 2 (6-oz) Ahi steak, about 1 1/2" thick

• 2 tbsp fresh coarsely ground black pepper

• Olive oil

• Field greens

• Fresh Fruit

• 2 Tbsp Salad dressing (light vinaigrette)

In a small bowl combine the spice mixture…combine salt, coriander, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Lightly coat fish in olive oil so that pepper and seasoning stay on the fish. Lay the tuna steaks out on a plate, and sprinkle the spice mixture evenly on both sides. Then roll the tuna in the ground pepper (coating the sides of the tuna) and gently press it in so that it adheres to the surface, being careful not to smash the flesh. Place tuna in a very hot lightly olive oil coated skillet. Cook until desired temp. 2-4 minutes of each side. Rare tuna ~ 2 mins. More medium rare ~4 mins. Add the tuna to your favorite salad combination. Here I paired the tuna with field greens, strawberries, cucumbers and red onions.

Heaven Oven Roasted Veggies (Before)



Heavenly Oven Roasted Veggies (After)

Take your favorite fresh veggies, coat them lightly with olive oil, your favorite herbs, and seasonings then roast them at 450-500 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Here I used corn, asparagus, tomatoes, red onions, green beans, carrots, garlic and, red and green peppers. Vegetables should all be relatively the same size for even roasting. I seasoned with kosher salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, coriander, rosemary, thyme, and basil.

Wholly Halibut Fish Taco

Your body is the temple of the Living God. Live well in Him.

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A Journey To Healing Begins With a Single Revelation 30 Day Challenge Day 11

We never know where our revelation is going to come from. Sometimes it is one obedient act in seeking God's grace, goodness, help, or mercy that will lead us to that revelation. We could be reading the Word, talking to our best friends at breakfast, or sitting in church listening to a message. God is not trying to hide anything from us. He wants us to get IT. Whatever your IT is. He wants you to know. Can We Talk?!

This week we spent some time talking about the "how to" of living healthy lives to honor God. I wanted to make sure that we also talk this week about the "want to" of living healthy and why it is so important for us to maintain this way of living for ever. Forever? Is this possible? I only signed on for 30 days! I hear ya. But, no, 30 days is only the beginning. It's the beginning of your new healthier life in Christ.

In the book, Crave, that I mentioned at the beginning of the challenge, the author is talking about defining ourselves by the numbers on a scale and she writes "Define your week by obedience, not by a number on the scale. The scale can only measure how much your body weighs. ...So I had to stop and ask myself the following questions:

Did I overeat this week on any day? No.
Did I move more and exercise regularly? Yes.
Did I feel lighter than I did at this time last Wednesday? Yes.
Did I eat in secret or out of anger or frustration? No.
Did I feel that, at any time, I ran to food instead of to God? Nope.
Before I hopped on the scale, did I think I'd had a successful, God-pleasing week? Yep!
So why oh why do I get tied up in a stupid number?"

So friends as I mentioned before there are lots of ways "how to" lose weight, stay in shape, reach certain fitness and health goals, but our "want to" must come from a desire to be obedient and to please our Father. She also writes in the book "Numbers on the scale are an indication of what your body weighs, NOT an indication of your worth". I hope this helps you settle some inner feelings you might be dealing with in your own journey to a healthier you.

Know that God loves you right where you are right now. He is not waiting to see if you can lose any weight or get through this 30 days without any mistakes before He loves you. Thank Him that! He knew you before you were born and His love for you is infinite and never failing. It is not predicated on the numbers on the scale, your waist size, or anything! Nothing can separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. God just simply passionately loves you, period! I want you to love you and never let anybody make you feel that you are unworthy or unlovable because of the numbers on the scale.

      
Today we have not so much of a question as a testimony and revelation from a sistah in our community who is learning some of the "how to" by calorie counting. Please remember to pray for one another as we journey together.

Dear Aqua

I tried to start right today. I only have 680 calories out of 1400 for today :(
Inst oatmeal 2 pks plain #cal = 220
Yo crunch lowfat strawberry-banana yogurt 6oz #cal = 180
Cashew pieces 2 oz #cal = 320
(220 + 180 + 320 = 720) OMG - I spent 720 cals on this food.
16 oz H2O. Only 680 cals rest of day. Really an eye opener. Revelation!!! for me. WOW & OUCH.
I'm learning something. Still got my training wheels on. One meal at a time.

M
 I am so glad that you are learning to track your calories. When we first start out it is a good idea to right them down and count them religiously. Once we get better, reach weight and fitness milestones we can eyeball the meal, add the calories then we can move to tracking which is less stringent.

I am also loving the revelation! You could have had more filling meals for 720 calories. Nuts in general are good for you, but make sure you don't over indulge. Have your nuts in a healthy trail mix. Add Cheerios to mix to decrease the calories even more. Try to keep your snacks at no more 200 calories.

We have to know how many calories we are consuming each day if we are going to reach our goals. If you splurge one day on a sweet treat, you should account for the splurge in your dietary totals.

As you move through this process you will learn more about your body and what kinds of modifications work for lifestyle. Ask God to always be your compass so that you can make good choices for your temple.

I am proud of you and thrilled for you. Press on 20 more days to change your life!

Remember that revelation without action is just information. The important step to revelation is the action applied to the information that causes you to move, change, grow and BECOME in Him!

Your body is the temple of the Living God! Live Well in His Name!

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A Spiritual Journey to Wholeness 30 Day Challenge Day 3

Twenty one people signed up for the 30 day challenge. I have been hearing from some of them by email, text, twitter, and facebook about their progress to date. I'm thrilled to hear that so many people want to gain control of their health by taking back what the enemy stole. As we move through this 30 days we must be mindful of our immediate goals and plans AND the future goals and plans that will sustain us for a life time. Can We Talk?!

When God directed me to start this ministry, I was concerned that people would think the ministry was about weight loss or vanity goals. I really wanted to convey the message that this ministry is about God and His great love for His people. God cares about the intimate details of our lives and if we are living healthy we can better partner with Him for Kingdom building. It's more than about how much we weigh or can we fit into our jeans from high school. I still can't by the way. It's about living a healthy life that honors God. God cares less about if you can wear that old wedding dress from 10-15 years ago and more about you prospering and being in good health, even as your soul prospers.

One of the community members who signed up for the 30 Day Challenge sent me her prayer request and she wanted someone to hold her accountable. This is her email to me and my response to her. I hope that you are encouraged, enlightened, and empowered by her plan, message, and commitment to God. I think she does a really good job of conveying the message I described above. Glory and honor is due Him. 

Dear Aqua

My challenge is spiritual & physical. My plan is to wake up 30 minutes earlier than I normally would & have a real intimate time with the Lord. I'm also challenging myself to start reading my bible plan everyday. I'm challenging myself to eat more fruits & veggies. No sweets, no added salt, no sodas, fast food, fried foods or STARBUCKS (YIKES). My exercise plan is the same but I will add arms & abs to my workout. I'm gonna fast on Wednesday's from 6-6. I will email you my stats nightly to make sure I'm on point.

I'm ready...got my mind right...Thanks for doing this... Not only will I come out of this physically healthier but my spirit is gonna be on FIRE 4HisTemple.

Dear J

Sis!! Oh my God! You get it! You get #4HisTemple. Can't wait to see what God is going to do to you and through you. You know I have to share this email in a blog post. I want the community to see it's more than weight loss. It's a spiritual journey. Will be lifting you up each day. The enemy is coming hard after you now that you have made the decision to change. But you know this already. Stand firm. If you get knocked down, miss a day morning worship, eat something off your plan. Repent and start over the next day. I look forward to your updates and helping you stay on target. What's time do you need to get up?

Asking the Lord to be near you, guide you, hold you, lift you, protect you, motivate you, and give you the strength to help others when it is all over. The next 30 days are a new beginning for anyone committed and taking this challenge seriously. Wow! I love you!

Stay on the path Templers! God has so much in store for you if you commit and endure this 30 days of sanctification.

Your body is the temple of the Living God! Live Well in His Name!

Welcome to the 30 Day Challenge~Day 1

Congratulations to the 17 people who committed to starting the 30 Day Challenge today! Today is the first day of the rest of your life! Sound too good to be true? Can We Talk?! If you commit yourself fully to the next 30 days your life will never be the same. That's a promise. No matter the workout routine or eating plan you decided upon, if you submit those plans to the Lord, surrender your will to His, and allow Him to minister to you daily you will surely be VICTORIOUS on August 31.

Remember I said this was going to be a spiritual journey. Don't try to walk this journey alone with just YOUR willpower. You will fail. If we could have done it with willpower we would have already conquered the demons that contribute to our unhealthy lifestyles. Years of feeding our flesh whatever it wanted whenever it wanted it, slothfulness, and allowing the flesh to control our thinking and our appetites.

As you eat ask God to give you the desire for the foods you are eating. As you exercise ask God to give you a passion for exercising, give you strength for that workout day and ask Him to guide you to the right exercises for where you are right now. Seek council.

Now that you have made this decision Satan is coming in like a flood. That's no surprise. All the excuses of why you cannot do it now will come up. Remember that "it easier to make excuses than to change." Obstacles are going to get in your way. Cravings will seemingly come from nowhere to overwhelm you. BUT GOD and His grace! If you slip one day, don't quit! Start over immediately. Don't start over everyday for 30 days though, you might need to reevaluate your commitment and resolve to change.

We are putting Satan on notice today! He has no authority and we will no longer work with Him to destroy our lives. Healing begins today for you and for your family! The curse of unhealthy living is broken today!!

My good friend gave me a book for my birthday that she hoped would help with 4 His Temple Ministries. I will share some excerpts from the book over the next 30 days because I think the book is powerful and God breathed. The name of the book is Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire With God, Not Food by Lysa TerKeurst. I hope some of it resonates with you so that you can receive revelation, power, and healing on this 30 day journey.

"Spiritually. I had to ask God to give me the desire to be healthy. I knew a vanity-seeking "want to" would never last. Shallow desires produce only shallow efforts. I had to seek a spiritual "want to" empowered by God Himself. So, I asked. I begged, actually. I cried out to God. And day by day, God gave me just enough "want to"  laced with His strength, to be satisfied by healthy choices. God also settled in my heart that this is an issue of great spiritual importance. ...I can honestly say that this is one of the most significant spiritual journeys I've ever dared to take with God. I hope you soon say the same thing"

I thank God for this ministry because I know that lives are being changed and I thank God for you and pray that you will be empowered to help someone else on this journey. Please feel free to share your successes and your struggles with us as we travel this journey together. If you would like to guest blog or just share with the community your plans for the next 30 days, please email me.  DearAqua4HisTemple@gmail.com 

Your body is the temple of the Living God! Live Well in His Name!

How Low Can You Go?

Hello Temple Lovers 

I pray that you are maintaining your new healthy lifestyles and that you are sharing your results with others; encouraging them to join you on this journey. We have started a movement of healthy living among the people of God that inspires us all to LIVE better, DO better, and BE better for His glory.

Today we have a question from twitter. If you have a twitter account follow me there as I tweet about everything temple related. We provide encouragement and support and we also share tips and tricks to help you stay motivated and committed to your lifestyle. If you look to the right of this post you can see the twitter feed to see what kinds of information we post. If you have a twitter account, you can search the hashtag #4HisTemple.

If you are having trouble with your workout don't give up. You can always modify the exercise or do some alternate exercise. You may have to seek medical advice during the workout regime if you are having pain or problems that trouble you. If you have preexisting injury or you haven't worked out in a while you may want to see a physician before beginning your workout.

Dear Aqua

I am doing Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. I am on Level 2 and the exercises are high impact on the knees. I am doing squat thrusts, plank jacks, rock star jumps, and lunges...Sheesh! My knee is starting to hurt from the workouts. No idea what I'm doing wrong. Suggestions?

Dear K 

Let me ask a few questions and respond at the same time. I completed the 30 Day Shred three times when I first started working out and I highly recommend it to jump start a regular work-out regime or it is great to help you get back on track if you fall off your regime. I also had problems with my knees during Level 2 because of some old injuries from playing volleyball in high school. Even now, some days I have to do alternate exercises instead of the high knee impact exercises such as lunges. Other days I can do these exercises with just a little modification.

1) Do you have any history of knee pain? Previous knee injury can be a sign that you will have problems when you start working those knees on a regular basis during exercise.

2) Are you stretching and warming up before your workouts? Stretching is crucial before we exercise. A good warm-up helps increase performance, minimize injuries, facilitate recovery, and decrease pain. A good warm-up can be 5-15 minutes depending on the exercises you are planning.

3) Have you tried modifying the workout? Try modifying the workouts by decreasing the impact on the knees. Don't jump as high, don't go as low, and make sure that your landings are soft. Don't slam down at the knee. If you cannot tolerate the pain and the pain does not ease with warm-up and modification go on to Level 3. Don't force it. There is less impact on the knees in Level 3. The downside is that Level 3 is tough and you will have to do it for more than 10 days.

4) Are you drinking enough water? Increase your fluid intake. Drink more water before, during, and after your exercise. Water intake is important for many reasons and there are many health benefits from keeping your body well hydrated. The joints and cartilage in the knees require good lubrication to decrease friction and ensuing pain.

5) How is your posture and form? Make sure that you have correct posture and form when doing these exercises. For example, when you lunge you want to see your toes in the front as you bend your knee. If your front knee extends over your toes, your form is incorrect and you can cause damage to your knees.

6) Is there swelling? Have you taken anything for the pain? Finally, as a last resort you might need to use heat or ice (if swelling is present) and a pain reliever.

Certainly you could have more serious knee pain, but based on our communication I don't think that is the case. Should you believe that your pain is more serious please see a doctor.

Your body is the temple of the Living God! Live Well in His Name!

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Urgent Opportunites to Serve

 

Our ministry mission is encouraging, supporting, and advocating for healthy living to the glory and honor of God. We believe that through these lives surrendered to God we will allow Him to use us in a greater way to build up His Kingdom. One of the ways we pray that you will do this is through serving the community. Can We Talk?!

As our lives and health improves we pray that you will see a need and seek God's guidance on how to meet that need. Sometimes God directs us to pray for the need. Other times He directs us to get involved. 4 His Temple Ministries is hoping that you will join us in meeting two urgent needs if you live in the Houston area.

First, The Bread of Life contacted Kristen Tucker, Outreach Coordinator for Hope Church Pearland and asked for some help. Most of you know that Hope Church partners regularly with the Bread of Life to meet the needs of the homeless in our community. Please see Kristen's note below and contact her directly to help.

Note from Kristen
I was contacted by the Bread of Life today and they are in need of help for breakfast this Saturday, July 2, 2011 from 7:30-8:30 am. Please forward this to all and if you could respond by the end of Thursday to ktuck7@aol.com or 713-689-0593 that would be excellent. I hope that we can help them out this weekend.

Then, the Star of Hope has urgent needs for toilet paper and diapers (sizes 4, 5, 6, 2T-6T). 4 His Temple Ministries will have ongoing drives for the Star of Hope in the future, but we want to meet this urgent need ASAP. Please contact me to make arrangements to pick-up of your donation.

Our brothers and sisters who are without homes would love an opportunity to live healthier lives, but for now some are without even the basics necessities. They need to know the love of Christ and that someone like you cares. Please take just a minute to pray and help.

For those of you who do not live in the Houston area, we challenge you to find some community work in your area for the month of July. Please share with us what you have done to make a difference.

If WE BELIEVE that ours are the HANDS of God we will EXTEND THEM, if ours are the FEET of God we will GO, and if ours is the Heart of God we will LOVE. Bless you!

Your body is the temple of the Living God! Live Well in His Name!

Standing Under the Weight of Waiting

Are you in a season of waiting? Or as I know it now to be a season of preparation and transformation. Ever asked yourself or more to the point asked God what is this waiting all about? Can We Talk?! 

When God has us in a season of waiting don't let Satan fool you. Something is happening. God is faithful to complete the work He began in us. Besides the work God is doing to work out the situation for our good, God is also busy at work...working in and on us. Remember the story of Joseph. 

Often, manifestation of the promise is secondary to the work God needs to do in us. Secondary to our spiritual maturity and growth. If God gave us gifts and blessings that we were not spiritually ready to receive we would most likely squander them. Take heart, there is good news in the waiting.

Some promises that we are waiting on the Lord to fulfill will not manifest until we prepare and transform. If we are fighting the preparation and the transformation process, we are prolonging our waiting season and delaying our blessings. As we wait, God will change us and our perspective about the situation. He may even shift our priorities and our needs. Have you ever waited on hold on a telephone call for so long that you forgot who you called? God can also do that in your season of waiting. He can, if we surrender our will to His make the experience of waiting so peaceful that we forget about the waiting and the waiting becomes secondary to the time we spend with Him growing and changing. We might even find that what we so desperately WANTED God to do we no longer NEED God to do. Can I get an "Amen" for unanswered prayers?

Don't be discouraged, but you have to hear this...sometimes we may have to wait on the Lord' s promises to manifest for a long long time. I have been in a season of preparation for 5 years now. I have to admit that the first couple of years were tense and anxious times. I did not want to wait. I wanted God to fulfill the promise He spoke to me. I focused on the waiting which made the waiting miserable. God is productive in our waiting process and we should be productive as well. This revelation makes new seasons of waiting more bearable and more constructive.

What are you DOING while you wait? Just think...God may be preparing that husband or wife, moving obstacles out of your way, raising up ministry partners, creating that job or preparing the hearts and minds of those you might be called to minister to or lead. Are you ready to receive any of these? There is good news in the waiting folks!

Now I wait in still attentiveness for the Lord's will for my life.  I know that He knows what is best for me and He has my best interest in His heart. Yours too is in His heart beloved! As I wait God is developing my patience, humility, and my character. He is deepening my dependence on Him. I really don't think about the waiting like I used to unless someone talks about their own waiting, which is what inspired this blog. Otherwise, I am content in my season, knowing full well that God can and will come through. When He is ready and when I am ready. In the meantime, I am busy doing what He called me to do and preparing to receive the promise.

So we wait in still attentiveness for the Lord to fulfill His promise to us and in us. Be. Still. Know.

Your body is the temple of the Living God! Live Well in His Name!  

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Guess Whose Been Cooking?

I wanted to share with you an email from a community member. I hope this post encourages you and motivates you to keep living well in His name. Her email is a prime example of how we have to change our minds before we change our lives. Can We Talk?!  

A life of healthy eating and exercise requires a lifestyle change and discipline. Plain and simple. She was someone who did not like cooking. Now she is cooking, tracking calories, and exercising. Planning ahead is another key to consistency in healthy living. She is also including her children in her workout program. Having a workout partner helps you stay on track, motivated, and provides support and accountability.

If you have encouragement, recipes or testimony for others in our community please email me. I would love to hear about your progress. Having trouble staying focused, we want to help. Got questions? Email us Enjoy and be encouraged! 

Dear Aqua 

Guess who's been cooking (trying anyway)??? Cooked my lunch for tomorrow...Sweet chili shrimp w/ brown rice plus a banana for my desert...435 calories

For breakfast...my rendition of Starbucks protein plate...1 hard boiled egg, 1/4 of a granny smith apple w/ 1 tbsp of Jif omega-3 peanut butter, and 1/2 of a fiber one oats and strawberry with almonds bar...255 calories

Planned my dinner also...Marinated grilled salmon fillet and baked sweet potato slices with 1 tbsp of smart balance olive oil spread and a dash of cinnamon...380 calories

I have planned a healthy mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack totaling....174 calories.....For a total of 1244 calories. After my workout I will earn 293 calories...A protein muscle recovery shake and the other half of my fiber one bar will be 290 calories. If I stick to this workout plan and eating plan I will lose 5.8 lbs in 5 weeks.

Thanks for telling me about the myfitnesspal...it's the greatest. Got my son working out with me. We pray before each workout. He's trying to get in better shape before summer...he pushes me on the days I don't feel like it & I push him on the days he don't feel like it....and on the days that neither one of us feel like it...the Holy Spirit is pushing us...pray for us. And post more recipes...I kinda like cooking...

Luv ya...and keep on being a blessing! J
 
Dear J
 
This brings me great joy! Great joy! I am praying for you and your family. Love, love the calorie tracking. It is major to stay on target. And look at you and your baby....see what an impact YOU have on others! What a great legacy!!

I know this is just a snapshot, but looks like you need to add some plants to your diet. Remember your fruits and veggies! Make it easy on yourself and prepare lunch for the whole week. When I am really on my game, I cook 2 meals on Saturday or Sunday to last me for lunch and dinner for the week. Get those small containers and store it in fridge in servings that are ready to take, heat, and eat.

Your body is the temple of the Living God! Live Well in His Name! 

A Gift!

None of us should live our lives to receive accolades from people. If we do, that in fact may be our only reward. People can give you great praise one minute, but that praise may not amount to much of anything later. Jesus received a royal welcome when he entered Jerusalem, the people were hailing "Hosanna in the highest, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord" and five days later those same people were shouting "Crucify him".

As believers our goal is to live and die for Jesus on this of eternity and our reward is heaven on the other side. Occasionally, we receive the gift of knowing that we have touched the lives of others. We've made a difference, instead of making a mess. Sometimes after a loved one goes on to be with the Lord the family receives that gift. 

In the wake of my brother's home going, I want to share with you something that a friend/customer of his took the time to write and send to the Galveston Daily News. He didn't write it because Nelson died, he wrote it because Nelson lived. What a gift.  

Letters for May 26, 2011

Gentleman Cab Driver Will Be Missed

On May 16, I called for Yellow Cab to take me several places as my car was in the shop. Upon returning home, I realized that I needed a bag of ice. I called Yellow Cab and asked if my old friend “Nelson” was anywhere on the East End, and if so, could he pick me up a bag of ice and deliver it to the Galveston Yacht Basin? He did so. We talked for quite a while, as I had known him for years.

That Monday was his 58th birthday. Grateful, I gave him a gracious tip. The next day, I called for his services again. I was informed that he had died from a heart attack. He was buried May 24 in early morning services at Shiloh A.M.E. Methodist on 29th Street.

What I share here is not an obituary. It is due tribute and recognition. Nelson Holloway was in fact a friend to every hotelier, restaurateur and bar owner on this island, as he could be counted on to deliver your patrons, customers and guests home or to their hotel room alive, with their purses, wallets, keys and dignity.

During the years, I have in one way or another placed many fares in his care. Once, he even made certain I was home safe and secure, delivered to my boat after a long night out.

We might all take it for granted, but in a tourist town, not unlike New York City, cab drivers are an important part of the overall experience and essential. Nelson Holloway was exemplary in his performance.

They may not yet realize it, but every hotel, restaurant and bar on Galveston Island will come to miss him, as I do already.

Michael A. Basham
Galveston

Are we living a life that glorifies God as well as a life that leaves an imprint on the hearts of the people we encounter? The Word says...Let your light so shine before men that they might see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Let's live a life that pleases God AND a life that leaves people better than they were before they encountered us. The Jesus in us may be the only Jesus some people ever get to see. Jesus commands us to love one another. If someone were to write a letter to your local newspaper about you, what would it say? 

Your body is the temple of the Living God! Live Well in His Name!

News You Can Use

I received a startling, but affirming tweet the other day about a report in Men's Health Magazine. Houston is the 9th fattest city in America and Texas has 5 cites on the list. You may have already heard about this and said...so what? I live in Pearland, LaMarque or League City, not Houston. Can We Talk?!   

What is happening in the world as a result of our uncontrolled appetites and flesh feeding frenzy should be a concern for everyone. It is a concern for this passion project because I know that many of you, your families, friends, and communities are affected by this epidemic. We are eating are ourselves to death! As a society, we are fatter than we have ever been in history. People are dying from weight related health issues, which touches us all and should concern us all.  

Certainly, we have to examine and determine the worthiness of the information before we go out and make changes in our lives based on that information. Examine how (criteria) the information was gathered for the report and determine the actions you need to take for you and your family.

WE already know that we need to live healthier lives. We really don't need the report to tell us that. God has already spoken and I pray that as you are reading this you thinking of new ways to improve on what you are already doing for your temple...to the delight of God, I might add!

I wanted to share this with you so that you know that we are on the track and to encourage you to press forward, incorporating more healthy lifestyle changes into your daily routines. Still drinking soda? Give it up! There is no nutritional value in soda. Check out the sugar content of your cola. Not to pick on the soda drinkers...Are you smoking, a fast food junky, or sedentary? Make some changes that can impact the rest of your life and bless generations to come. We will be blessed, our children will be blessed, and our children's children will be blessed if we follow God's leading, choosing Him. That is His promise!

If you haven't gotten started with your health and fitness lifestyle yet or you are having trouble with consistency email me. Remember to send your temple related questions and comments. Let's talk and pray about how to stay faithful to this journey through the power of God. I am passionate and committed to seeing you live your best and blessed life...a healthier life to the glory and honor of God.

Your body is the temple of the Living God! Live Well in His Name!   

A Return...With No Investment?

    God Day Seekers!
My prayer for you today is that you have everything that you NEED and most of what you WANT. God is our provider and He promises to supply all of our needs from His abundant riches! When we align our lives with His will there is nothing He won't do to bless and prosper us!

Speaking of wants and needs. Can We Talk?! How do you get the information that you want and need to help you stay on task in building and creating your new healthier lifestyle? Do you phone a faithful friend, read fitness magazines, search the web, read blogs like this, or search the scriptures? All great ways to get the answers we seek, I might add!
If we are going to be successful on this journey we must look outside of ourselves for the answers. There is a wealth of information available to us, IF we just avail ourselves. Look...if we had all the answers you wouldn't be reading this AND let's face it, I might not be writing this.

Ever heard of a return with no investment? Like purchasing a house or a car with no money down. Usually that ends up being a really bad, I mean a really bad deal. The person driving off the lot with a brand new car with no money down is usually "upside down" in that car for years to come. Upside down = you owe more on the car than the car is worth. Really?! (Did I mention that was a bad deal?) Can we apply this to our new healthy lifestyles? We have to invest in our new lifestyles if we want to realize a return, if we are not going to feel like we are upside down. It is not magic and it is NOT going to just happen TO US. It is going to happen BECAUSE OF US and our faith in God's ability to direct and sustain us.

Here are some great tips from one of our community members! She subscribes to JM Health Kicks. I recently started reading Prevention. What books, websites, magazines, applications (there is an app for that, you know) do use to give you ideas, tips, and strategies to help you stay inspired, motivated, and on target in your new lifestyle of healthier living? Share them with us here in the comments section or our email address and we will compile a list for the community.

Dear Aqua

I subscribed to JM health kicks...I'd like to share:  Here are a few techniques you can use to keep your portions under control — whether you are eating in or at a restaurant.

1) If you're at home, use smaller plates. This creates the illusion of eating a bigger serving.

2) If you're at a restaurant and you know the portions are going to be huge, ask the server to put half your meal in a doggie bag before it even hits the table. This saves you money as well as unnecessary calorie overload.

3) Share an entrée with your dining partner.

4) Make a new rule for yourself: Always leave something on your plate. This reminds you that you are in control of the food, not the other way around.

A little bit of empowerment can go a long way!

Dear Operation

Thank you! These are great tips. I have tried all of them EXCEPT sharing the entree. In most cases the doggie bag is better than the original meal. Haha! But I promise to try this!

If you are like me #4, leaving something on your plate was probably one of the hardest battles to overcome. Especially, if you grew up hearing "clean your plate...people are starving in Africa". There are ways to help the starving people in Africa and other developing countries besides cleaning your plate. Those last 2-3 bites of food left on your plate are NOT going to help the people in Africa, but they will contribute to your waistline. You NEVER have to EAT IT ALL. There...I said it!

Have a great week everyone! Remember...our rewards equal and sometimes out perform our investments. Basically, we are going to get out of this new lifestyle as much (or as little) as we are willing to put into it!

Your body is the temple of the Living God! Live Well in His Name!

A Test Becomes a Testimony!

God Morning Temple Lovers 

Today we are going to experience a powerful testimony from Liz. With God's help she is winning the war on diabetes and its complications. One take home message from this testimony is NOT to wait until we are forced to and faced with the choice before we start caring for God's temple. Another take home message is knowledge is power or better, what we DO with the knowledge that brings about the power. We have to educate ourselves if we are going to live healthier for the glory of God! You can send your success stories, struggles, questions, and comments to DearAqua4HisTemple@gmail.com. You can also leave your comments on this blogspot. Let's get right to it, Can We Talk?!

 

When I first came to the United States some 20 years ago I was a petite size 0, but as the time went by I gained weight slowly year after year. Once I enrolled in a lifetime membership at a fitness center and only used it for 3 months. I had no commitment and eventually I stopped going. I had no motivation at all and always had many excuses for not going. As the years progressed I continued to gain weight inch by inch in my waistline.Why? Because I love food and since I am not a good cook I ate mostly in restaurants with a complete course meal, from appetizer to dessert. I also like to eat snacks, mostly junk food. Once in a while if I felt heavy I would take a walk, but not consistently. 

BEFORE



With this lifestyle I thought I am doing fine, until one day I went for a yearly checkup; my blood test showed an elevated blood sugar. My doctor told me I had diabetes. I was in disbelief and denial. To prove to the doctor that she was wrong I began to exercise consistently 7 days a week. I would jump on the treadmill 45 minutes a day and on top of that I walk another 30 minutes after the treadmill. I started eating vegetables (I don't like veggies that much). I forced myself to eat them with tears rolling down my cheeks because I was thinking I might not be able to eat the food that I want anymore. I cut down all of my carbohydrates even white rice which I love so much. Back home we eat rice with every meal.  

I felt like I was out of order and all over the place, but I was driven and my focus was to shed some pounds and let my doctor know that she made a mistake. I eventually managed to shed 15 lbs in 3 weeks. I went back to see my doctor for a follow up and she was surprised of my dramatic weight loss but she STILL started me on maintenance medication (I have a history of diabetes in my family). 



I was diagnosed with Diabetes ~Type 2. Type 2 Diabetes can likely be prevented by living a healthy lifestyle. I wish I can turn back the clock, however I finally came to terms with this disease and I made a choice to stay fit and healthy to fight any complications that might come along the way. My lifestyle has changed so much since then. Exercise along with eating healthfully and taking my medication regularly is the vital tool for keeping me healthy today. I learned to look at and count the nutritional value on every can or package of food that I get from the store. I can still eat what I want, but only a small portion and learned to substitute this for that.

Everyday is a struggle, but I made a decision to stay healthy. To some of us exercise is like an obligation and sometimes it is hard to incorporate it in our lifestyle. I will share some of the tactics that I read from the magazine to help stick to an exercise plan. I got this from the Diabetic Cooking magazine that I subscribe to monthly.

1. Workout with a friend: Chatting with a pal makes the time fly by! (We do this at our gym in the church)

2. Always carry around gym shoes and exercise clothes: Being prepared will make you more likely to stick to a plan.

3. Add purpose to your workout, such as walking or riding your bike to work or even to the convenience store.

4. Focus on how good you feel when you're done: Exercise is proven to relieve stress and anxiety. Instead of a drink after work, de-stress with a walk. Commitment to living a healthy life style not only help to prevent complications and diseases but also helps us gain self confidence and an overall healthy attitude.


AFTER

Throughout this health and wellness journey I put my life, faith, and trust in God. Every single day of my life I ask for His help to give me strength and encouragement. I thank Him so much for graciously giving me strength, especially when I made some progress in changing and maintaining my new way of life, for without Him I am nothing.

Your body is the temple of the Living God! Live Well in His Name! 

To Eat or Not to Eat?...Before A Workout

God day! Just a quick question and some encouragement for you today. I hope the weekend was awesome and restful. The weekend can often be one of the toughest times of the week for us to stay motivated and committed to our new lifestyles. On weekends we tend to have a more relaxed schedule so our planned eating and execise often falls by the wayside. Be careful of this trap. I hope that you are staying active and keeping up with your goals. What, you say you have no goals?? Can We Talk?! We have to set goals for ourselves for health and fitness just like we do for everything else in our lives, our careers, our families, our finances, our ministries. You get where I am going! Remember if you don't know where you are going, how do you know when you get there? Set some measurable goals. When you reach them we'll all celebrate with you. Deal?

Here's our question. Remember if you want to add a response to the question feel free to leave a comment on the blog or at the email address DearAqua4HisTemple@gmail.com

Dear Aqua

If I'm going to work out in the am, should I eat breakfast first?

Dear Operation...

That really depends on you, your schedule, what you hope to accomplish. If you work out in the morning and eat breakfast first, you need to wait about 30-45 minutes before working out. I worked out in the morning, but didn't have time to eat and wait the full duration of time. So for me working out in the morning meant working out on an empty stomach. If you choose this make sure that you at least drink water prior to workout. 

There are arguments in the literature for the benefits of both (eating before workout and working out on an empty stomach) it just depends on which school of thought you follow. School #1 Working out on an empty stomach to burn more fat OR School #2 working out after a low calorie meal (with carbs and protein) to preserve muscle mass. A protein shake is also a good alternative to a full meal prior to exercise.

Whenever possible I try NOT to work out on an empty stomach. I have seen people work out on an empty stomach get into trouble. They might experience nausea, dizziness, and hypoglycemic episodes. Where experts do agree is never work out on a full stomach. That is probably the take away point. As you get stronger and more fit and learn more about your body, you will find out which strategy works best for you.

Your body is the temple of the Living God! Live Well in His Name!