weightloss

December 28, 2023

A Life Update and the Story Jesus is Writing

God has been showing me lots of things over the past few years, so much, actually. So, I figure it’s time to share my story. I am so grateful for the hard truths He’s shown me, and the growth in me that’s been different than any growth I’ve ever experienced. In mid 2018-mid 2022, I went through one of the worst depressions of my life. I later found out that some of it was probably due to a medical condition (I found out I had an autoimmune disease – Grave’s Disease). But, the emotional turmoil of crying every single day for nearly a year, and the overwhelming anxiety (I had never experienced anxiety like that…. Where your mind believes so many lies and fear is crippling, and just daily tasks became so overwhelming that I was unable to function as a normal person, let alone a mom or wife) put me in a place where I knew I’d never come out if I didn’t go to Jesus and rest in Him. During that time the only strength I could muster was spending time with Jesus in His Word, or taking pictures of nature (His glorious creation). Those things calmed me when everything else in my life was stricken with sadness, anxiety, and overwhelm. Then, a dear friend invited me to try Celebrate Recovery. She’d asked me many times before, but I always thought I didn’t have addiction, I didn’t need recovery. But, she told me that it might help with my depression. So, I went with her. She was right! Celebrate Recovery is for EVERY SINGLE HUMAN BEING ON THE PLANET! It’s for normal people, because we all have struggles, habits, or hang-ups. The difference between Celebrate Recovery and a regular church service is that ALL the people at Celebrate Recovery admit their struggles, habits, and hang-ups. They are real, and they love like Jesus does, unconditionally and without judgement. And, when you’re struggling with depression and anxiety, you feel like EVERYONE is judging you and that no one cares or loves you. So, it was exactly what I needed to start recovering. Then, I joined Pampered Chef, which took off like crazy and I was very successful. It gave me something to focus on instead of the overwhelm and anxiety that I was experiencing (which was good in some ways, but in others, because I became so successful so quickly, caused anxiety and overwhelm in business, when I hadn’t yet overcome the overwhelm at the state of my home, or relationships within my family. Because remember, I was not functioning well in any capacity until I functioned well doing Pampered Chef.) The Lord showed me that I needed to start with ONE SMALL AREA, (nothing nearly as big as a business!)…Just one baby step at a time. So, I chose education for my children. During that time, because I’d not been functioning well at all, my girls were not completing near the school they should have been. (I homeschooled them, so that’s a serious problem!) So, it was now fall/winter of 2019 and I knew I didn’t have the capacity to homeschool them because I was still not functioning well, and because homeschooling is really not a baby step, it’s almost as big as a successful business! I thought that maybe the girls could go to the Montessori schoolhouse that is right near our home, so I set up a tour and got the information. But, they only had space for my oldest still at home. So, I enrolled her during the winter break and she would start in January of 2020, and figured that maybe with just one at home, I’d be able to handle my youngest who was just in 1st grade during that time. Then COVID hit just a couple months after she started which was not fun at all because I ended up trying to help her navigate school from home through the school…. Which was worse than trying to homeschool her myself, but we endured and figured it out.

But, again, because I was still depressed and anxiety stricken, I was still feeling full of chaos. However, my business was skyrocketing through the pandemic, so I was taken over by my work schedule (which never seemed to end). And, my husband was taking care of the kids and house while the world was shut down. I’m so thankful for my husband stepping in, though, because otherwise chaos in our home would have continued to destroy me. But, slowly the world started opening up again, and my husband went back to work. And, around that time, I was beginning to heal some more and I realized that my depression and anxiety had negatively affected my children, and they were both not doing well… One was acting out, and the other was depressed and also full of anxiety. So, we started home therapy for them. I slowed my business a ton in order to help them recover. It was through my two daughter’s therapy that I realized that for them to heal, I would need to heal, as well. I needed the Lord to show me how to handle all that was going on. He then led me to put my other daughter in a private school. I never imagined that I would do that, I’d homeschooled all my kids to graduation, but I knew it wasn’t in my capacity to keep doing it at that time. I needed to continue healing and I needed to be able to help my other daughter heal. And, I also knew that structure was one thing that would help the daughter that was acting out, so putting her in school would help with that structure. A huge thing that the Lord helped me learn during that time was that I could not control everything. I was a control freak, and I think that’s one of the reasons I homeschooled, because I could control what my children learned that way. It’s also the reason that I go ALL in on things…. Like my Pampered Chef business, but this was also a way for me to be in control. And, I’m not the one that’s supposed to be in control, the Lord wants my surrender of control so that He can free me from those burdens. Because, even though I didn’t realize it for years, being “in control” of everything really kept me in chaos and made me feel stuck in a place of constant failure. I did well on the outside, I looked great to others, but inside I was a hot mess, and my life, family, and home was falling apart. You see, in my stress and control, I thought it was my way or the highway when it came to my parenting. And, that damaged my relationship with my children. I was critical of my family all the time, because it was easier to blame them than for me to take ownership of my failures. My home was constantly a wreck because I didn’t have the proper habits in place to keep it running smoothly and without chaos. And, all that led to further chaos and shame. I would practically kill myself to clean the house when company would come and then felt like the martyr because no one respected me enough to help. (Why should they respect a screaming, out of control maniac?)

I cried when I dropped my daughter off at school that first day, in the fall of 2020, but the school was so family friendly and they hugged me and reassured me, and then after I left the principal and my daughter’s teacher would send frequent pictures showing me how well she was doing. And, I was then able to continue working my PC business (though much less) and help my other daughter heal. During that school year, I continued studying the Word, and focused on helping my daughters heal. That’s really all I could muster. I was still recovering from the busyness of Pampered Chef, and putting one kiddo in school, and trying to keep the other one at home homeschooling and healing.

After that school year, the Lord showed me that I needed to start taking care of myself, too, with baby steps. So, in the summer of 2021, I hired a health coach to help me get healthy in my body…. Through, eating whole foods and working out. Whole health was also touched on (mind health, emotional health, and Spiritual health), but for me during that time, I was mostly focusing on my body in my baby steps. School was out, thankfully, and I was able to focus fully on my body and getting it healthy. I was hoping that losing weight would continue the healing process, and it did help with confidence, but I was still not fully myself. During the fall/winter of 2021, I had stopped working with the health coach because financially I couldn’t make it happen, and I had all but stopped working Pampered Chef. I also started regaining all the weight I’d lost with the holiday seasons and the lack of accountability. But, in our women’s Bible study at church, we were going through Priscilla Shirer’s Armor of God. I’d done this same study around 2016 (so about 5 years before then). I thought it would be fun to do it again, because it was such a great study, and compare my notes from both studies. So that’s what I did. But, what I discovered in comparing them shocked me! I was still struggling with the EXACT same things I had 5 years earlier! That was the Lord showing me that, though I love to learn and study His Word, I’m lacking in actually doing what it says and applying it to my life. Wow! That was a huge dose of humble pie to swallow! So, once again, the Lord showed me that I needed to take baby steps to become a better version of myself, the version that He had created me to be all along. So, I started with just two habits of cleaning my home ….. One load of laundry every day (I actually set alarms on my phone so that I wouldn’t forget to do it, and another alarm to switch it over to the dryer). Then, the second habit was to unload and reload the dishwasher every day. Then in the Spring of 2022 I met a lovely lady who sold Arbonne. Arbonne is healthy living products (for skin and body). Products for gut health, and non-toxic ingredients. She loved on me, and helped me understand whole health is way more than just the body. It focuses on loving the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Not just the body, but every part of me. We did a Bible study called Revelation Wellness together that opened up my heart to so much truth, and such a different way of thinking. My mind had been stuck in a pattern of wrong habits and wrong thinking. I had strongholds in my life and had never even realized they were strongholds! The Lord has caused the veil to be lifted from my mind, the scales to be removed from my eyes, and I’m becoming a new person, a transformed person because of the power of the Holy Spirit!! I am weak, but His strength in me is powerful! He has revealed to me little bits of my sin over time so that I can tap into His power to change me into who He created me to be. Now, my habits are healthy, and my home is almost always company ready (not perfect, but I’m able to enjoy my company rather than stress about what they think of the state of my home). I’m consistently working out and working on my whole health… Mind renewal, loving the Lord and others, seeking His purposes rather than my own, and taking care of my body in a reasonable way not an ALL IN perfect way.

In the summer of 2022, my oldest and only son, got married! Then, in the spring of 2023, my oldest daughter also got married! And, that same spring, my daughter who had been depressed and anxiety ridden graduated high school 2 years early! She is doing SO MUCH BETTER, praise the Lord! And, she was called by the Lord to go on mission this past summer through Spurgeon College in a program called Fusion! We are so very proud of her!

The Lord has continued to work on me. I have been in a season of unknowns for over a year now. The Lord took me away from teaching 5th & 6th grade Sunday School at our church, and has pulled me from almost all ministry. He has worked on my heart and helped me to understand that self-discipline and consistency are key in whatever I do, whether it be Bible Study, working out, chores and good habits in my home, and even decluttering. You see, my home had been in such a constant state of chaos for so long that we had accumulated an enormous amount of belongings that didn’t ever find a home. Things would just be thrown about in every room, and my room was always the “catch all”, especially when company was coming. So, along with taking care of my heart, soul, mind, and body, I felt the Lord leading me to declutter my home. I knew that I would not be able to get rid of the mind clutter and find clarity in what exactly the Lord wanted me to do next without getting rid of the clutter in my home. So, though I dreaded starting the process because of how overwhelming it was, I started anyway. I started small….in my bathroom. It took me a full week, working a little bit at a time (which was all I could seem to fit in with my schedule), to finish that small area! I thought, “I’m never going to get my whole house done!” But, I kept feeling the Lord nudging me to keep at it. I knew that He had a plan, and in order to find out more of what the plan was, I would have to keep moving forward in all the areas He was calling me to work on. And, man….those areas kept coming. As soon as He’d show me one, He’d show me another. It would overwhelm me with how much He wanted to change in me! But, that overwhelm keeps me humble so that I understand it’s not the work I’m doing that should get the glory, it’s not me…it’s His strength in me that keeps me moving forward and making those changes. He deserves ALL the glory! So, next I decided that we would tackle my youngest daughter’s bedroom (which was so full of stuff, she hadn’t slept in there in years)! She would help me, because I didn’t want to toss anything without her approval. Well, she’s 10, so she LOVES everything! But, she did get rid of 3 bags of clothes, which made me so proud! But, toys, she didn’t want to get rid of much. We worked for a week before she headed off to summer camp, and I hoped we would finish before she left, but we did not get it done. So, while she was at camp, I chose to start on my room, which remember was the “catch all”, meaning it was probably one of the worst rooms in our house! I worked super hard for 3 days and got all but 2 drawers and my closet floor finished. I even rearranged my furniture! It’s so, so much better. And, since then, I have completed my room in it’s entirety, and we worked through my daughter’s room bit by bit. We did finish her room, but I’m finding with kids, it’s a constant work in progress, because they are still growing! Clothes will always have to be decluttered, as well as their taste in their belongings, but it is much easier to do when we stay on top of it by season. The dining room was tough because it had an armoire full of games, arts & crafts, and an organizational system of 12 cubbies with everything from homeschool books and curriculum, to coloring books, and whatever else my youngest had shoved in the drawers! It took a little while, but I did get it done before we started school this fall! I’m so thankful that I don’t have that ALL or NOTHING mentality anymore, or I’d probably never get anything accomplished at all!

Since starting the decluttering process over the summer, my mind got some more clarity. I felt like the next step after decluttering was to bring my youngest daughter back home for homeschooling! My original goal was to have the entire house, including the basement fully decluttered before we started school. That was a pretty impossible task, and I did not get that accomplished, but I will accomplish exactly what He wants in His exact time. More and more get done as time allows. And, the house is still being maintained, even since starting back to homeschooling, and I’ve even gotten into the habit of meal planning and grocery shopping on a regular basis (which is pretty important when you’re trying to continue on your health journey).

I’ve since learned that I will never be fully on top of everything, because He is the One in control and not me. I will just follow His lead each day, and I will accomplish exactly what He has planned for me, and when I do that, I feel good, because I know it’s exactly where I’m supposed to be. I also accomplish so much more when I’m in tune with Him and His plans. He is helping me to become the best version of myself, and I think where He’s leading me next is to help others who have struggled just like I have! It’s really being whole and complete in every area: heart, soul, mind, and body. And, because I really enjoy network marketing, and I believe it is the avenue that the Lord could use my voice to help others like He’s helped me, I am going to follow His lead into Arbonne, to reach others for His glory through sharing more and more of what I’ve learned about whole health, in order to help others feel healthy and whole, too.

So, there you have it! An update on my life….the story that Jesus has been writing in and through me. I am a work in progress, and I’m finally not just learning all He has for me, but I’m doing all He asks! And, that’s what makes all the difference!

With love,

Dena

December 3, 2022

Week 4 – Rest in His Strength and Sufficiency

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever,”

Psalm 73:26

Being on a health journey has it’s ups and downs. It brings challenges and temptations, especially around the holidays! There have been times that I have feared failure, yet again, and other times I fear success…afraid of what losing pounds may cost me, or even worse, the expectations I may put on myself if I reach my goals…will I become extreme? Will I become prideful, or full of vanity? Will my personality change in a negative way? I think that these fears are what can keep us stuck, or going back to old habits.

Food is a good gift from God. It’s really not the enemy here. But, it becomes the enemy when we make it more than good, and turn it into an idol…something that we go to instead of God. I know I’ve been an emotional eater. It became my comfort when I was sad, stressed or mad, and my celebration during my happy times. God wants to be our comfort and our celebration. And, only He truly satisfies. I’m learning that all that food really does when I’m hurting or celebrating is bring further guilt and shame!

Because of His strength in me, I can overcome the temptations! I think we have underestimated His strength in us! We have to stop going into battles within while looking back at what was. We want to find comfort in what we always have, we longingly desire that one thing that we think will satisfy. Our love is our food, something that can never love us back! We are relying on our own strength in these moments! Romans 8:13 says, “If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

We think that if we are strong enough, we can do anything or be anything. But, Jesus warns us in Mark 14:38 that our spirits are willing, but our bodies are weak. I’m learning that it’s in my weaknesses God is giving me opportunities for growth. He is showing me so many areas that I can work on and improve. So many people, including my past self, have lost weight, or gotten healthy. Some have even reached their fitness goals….and most have done it in their own strength, not seeing the relation between body, mind, and spirit. But, the happiness is always short lived. Because when we are led by the flesh, we are working towards weight loss goals for all the wrong reasons. We think if a little is good, then a lot is better. We look in the mirror and cannot see the truth. A focus on the flaws increases the lies. This way steals time and energy from the most important people….God, ourselves, and our families. When we focus on willpower to lose weight, we become consumed by what we want our new identity to be. Then, we transfer our bondage to food to vanity. Satan is there waiting on the other side of good health, ready to show us any and all remaining imperfections. He’s sneaky like that!

There’s nothing wrong with improving ourselves. But, if we are going too far the other way….God has every right to step in and say “That’s enough!” He wants to show us freedom, not lead us into another form of bondage.

Others who are working on getting healthy, but doing it in their own willpower lose the fight, and their strength fails. It’s easier to give up and find comfort in what was familiar. (This has been me, over and over again!) I think it’s just uncomfortable and hard, and easy to just remain where we were than to keep fighting (especially when doing something like this in our own strength)! First Corinthians 1:25b says, “…the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” What I’m learning through this Wellness Revelation study is that until I connect to the Spirit, the true source of all power, I will continue to fail. True and lifelong self-discipline and obedience to the Lord does not come from ourselves, but from God in us by the power of the Holy Spirit! When I am physically or mentally weak, I must draw on the power of God within me. For so long, I have pushed that power aside, I think I just didn’t believe His power could work in me, or within me for something like weight loss. I felt like I would never succeed, but we must never believe our feelings. Feeling are meant to be felt, not control what we do or don’t do.

I now know that being connected to the Lord in this journey is the key to my success. No more yo-yo dieting! I want more than weight loss, I want to gain my life back! In the process, I’m finding freedom! And, when we have life, we can give that life to others, which is what I hope I’m doing! I am so passionate now about helping others, especially when it comes to the limiting beliefs that play over and over in our heads when we are in bondage! Now, I know that I must renew my mind on a consistent basis through His Word, and through godly mentors, teachers, preachers and podcasts that fill my mind with truth. The truth of who I am in Him. And, trust me…I thought I had been doing this all along in my Spiritual walk, but I was still in bondage when it came to my mind and how I thought. I believed the lies, and couldn’t see the truth, even when it was right in front of me. Living with the right mind-set helps us to remember that every choice we make is important. When we’re living intentionally, we can be His agents of change here on earth.

I’m learning to slow down, way down, and to stop living on auto-pilot in my daily routines. And, when I do this, I am more aware of the choices I’m making, the words I’m saying, and the actions I’m taking. I’m being more present in the moments, more engaged with people around me, and fully present. (I definitely have not perfected any of this….but, it is something the Lord is working on in me.)

I used to try to “balance” everything. I was trying to be a good housekeeper, a good homeschool mom, a good wife, mom, friend, Sunday School teacher, and working on myself by working out, eating right, and being consistent in my own time with the Lord. Now, I know balance is a lie. There is no such thing as perfectly balancing all the areas of my life. I was failing at ALL of it, when I was trying to balance it all. I was relying more on my management skills, and not being present in much of anything, nor was I enjoying life. Now, instead of trying to balance everything, I’m seeking wholehearted living. I wake up and ask the Lord to direct my day and to help me accomplish exactly what He has for me. I can show up as myself in every circumstance that comes up, and give what I can. I allow the Lord to direct me and live with a much greater passion and purpose. I know we all have a uniqueness about us, and I want to give my own voice, heart, mind, and body to whatever He has for me each day. And, I hope that He will use me to create hope, love, and joy in others. And, this takes belief! We can’t give away what we don’t have. We have to believe and act on truth. The truth is that God loves me and accepts me, and because of Jesus I am right with Him. He makes me righteous because He is righteous. He thinks, feels, speaks, and acts right in all circumstances through me. But, I must believe He is, or else my sinful nature takes over once again. I can trust and believe only if I’m seeking His heart throughout my day, every day. I also have to believe He loves me despite my mess, despite my failures. He met me where I was, and began His good work, transforming my mind, heart and body. We have to trust Him to strengthen us when we don’t feel like we are enough, (because those thoughts will still try to creep their way in), and trust him to remove pride in our hearts when we are again tempted to follow ourselves rather than Him. And, when we live wholeheartedly, drawing on the unconditional love and acceptance of God, that leads to true wellness.

He is sufficient for me. Sufficiency means adequate. When we live in sufficiency, our circumstances will have no power to define our worth. When we realize who we are is who God called us to be, we will be set free. Have you been held back by the chains of self-condemnation, doubt, or ridicule? When we trust the Lord is sufficient for us, these things will no longer have the power to control us. He gives us what we need, but not necessarily everything we want. We can be selfish, we sometimes are not satisfied with not having it all! But, I know I need to listen to my God-given body and be satisfied with everything about it, regardless of what I want, whether that be food or the way I look. I don’t need to have it all. I don’t want to be fixated on a number or a body shape. None of us will be enough or have enough apart from God. Only He will truly satisfy.

Many of the health struggles we have today could be avoided if we would just be proactive in eating whole foods, living wholeheartedly because we know we are wholly loved by a holy God, rather than seeking after things we think will give us the comfort or pleasure we desire. Our nation is sick. We get too much of what we want, but not enough of what we truly need (which is hearts that are healed and made whole by unconditional love, and that are set free to help set others free). We must engage our souls and spirits in shedding the access pounds. The flesh will not be strong enough on it’s own to fight a war greater than itself. We must continue looking in the mirror of our souls and spirits so that we can do the work of change. James 1:23-24 says, “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.” We are missing out on the freedom God has called us to when we go away and forget to do the work He’s calling us to. We are invited to be a part of the solution, not the problem in the world. We can and will win this battle, not by our own strength, but by His. Now is the time to let the Scriptures search us, know us, and change us. And, we must always remember to work on ourselves before pointing out the flaws in others.

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around-life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him.”

Romans 12:1 (The Message)

With Love in Christ,
Dena

November 2, 2022

Week 2 – Be Free

Wellness Revelation Bible Study by Alisa Keeton

This week we studied Week 2 in the Wellness Revelation Bible Study! Be Free!!! The focal verse for the week was Romans 12:1.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”

Romans 12:1

Here are the main points that I got out of the chapter 2 reading:

  1. We often fill ourselves with things that we think will bring us satisfaction, things that we put value in or on. However putting value on things that don’t truly satisfy will steal from us, rather than actually bring fulfillment. For me, food was one. I thought it was bringing me comfort when my emotions were in a negative place. But, what it really brought was addiction, shame, an out of shape body, tiredness, and spiritual bondage in my mind.
  2. Even when I thought I was trying to make changes by dieting or exercising, I was still enslaved because the food consumed me….shopping, menu planning, prepping, logging, counting calories or carbs, or whatever (depending on the diet).
  3. Good things (that God created for our good…..like food) can be used incorrectly. And, when used incorrectly it gives birth to sin, which gives birth to bondage or addiction. What starts as a necessary behavior (eating for survival) becomes more about the food, and less about God’s goodness and fuel. Eating becomes a false high and takes us captive to receive momentary payoffs. Oh….this is SO TRUE!
  4. Once we become enslaved, we lose our sensitivity to God. God wants to heal our brokenness, the deep places that caused us to turn to food instead of Him. I know for years I did not realize the deeper issues. He has begun revealing those to me over time, gently, and for my good. I pray you allow Him to do the same with you!
  5. How we live our lives is how we express our worship. Everything we do can point to Him, giving others direction who may be seeking a better way. But, it can also lead others astray, if we are not living our lives in worship to God alone.
  6. He desires to reveal to us the areas we are not fully committed or believing in Him, so that He can live out His power through us, giving us purpose and His strength. Then, He gets the proper glory and we receive joy. Idols will be a distraction to us during this process.
  7. Moses delivered God’s message: “Let my people go, so that they may worship me.” (Ex. 7:16; 8:1, 20; 9:1, 13; and 10:3). I never really paid attention to the second part of that command…..so that they may worship me. But, there is a purpose for it being there….God can’t truly be worshipped when the devotion is split, and when the Israelites were in slavery to Pharoah, their devotion was to him! To be free, is to worship God alone!!
  8. We cannot trust our minds to know what is best for us! My mind, because of satan, can be very deceptive! Fasting is a way to break free from our own desires, and to concentrate on God and what He desires for us. We can achieve some clarity from the mental fog that satan keeps us in. It clears our eyes to see and opens our ears to hear from God. It also gives our control over to God….in faith. And, it brings Spiritual healing. Isaiah 58:6-8 tells us that when we truly fast with our mind set on God alone, “[our] light will break forth like the dawn, and [our] healing will quickly appear.”
  9. We fight satan’s temptations with the Word of God. When we fast from things that comfort us, (food, or whatever it is that comforts you….sometimes it’s Netflix or social media for me, too!) we are released from our chains so that we can become strong in Christ! We fast to enable Him to develop our hearts and minds to respond to others like He does.
  10. This is the fasting God loves:
"Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord with answer;
you shall cry, and he will say, 'Here I am.'"
Isaiah 58:6-9, ESV

In the RESPOND section, I noted that this wellness journey is about Love having His way with us. We are simply seeking Jesus and the freedom that comes from drawing closer in relationship with Him. This section focused a lot on fasting. And, some great steps to take as you prepare to fast. Some of those were:

  1. Set aside a time that works best for you and your schedule to fast. No stressful, busy days, but days that you are in a restful state of mind.
  2. Talk to God off and on throughout the fasting period, especially when you feel hungry. In those moments turn to God’s Word, “ingest” it, and pray. Because your body is free from chemicals, digesting, and metabolizing, we can be excited about the mental space we are creating for the Lord to speak! Our hearts and minds are being cleansed, or detoxed! In our weakness, His Word makes us strong and comes to life.
  3. Stay hungry to connect and realign with the Lord. When you can’t settle yourself or find peace, it’s time to end the fast.
  4. Drink lots of water, stay hydrated. Juice is also acceptable.
  5. Journal what the Lord is showing you.
  6. Expect mild symptoms….hunger pains and irritability were a couple I experienced. If you are used to a lot of caffeine, headaches will probably occur.
  7. Be cheerful! Don’t walk around as though you’re weak, or sad because of the lack of food. Don’t think about how “strong” you are for being able to fast. Smile and be joyful for what the Lord will do in and through you.

Then the hunger scale was discussed. A scale of 1-5. 1 being ravenously hungry. 5 being stuffed. With 2 – 4 being where you want to fall. 2 being hungry, 3 being content, and 4 being satisfied. By learning to be more aware of hunger and how it feels, and how it has affected your eating habits, you will be changed by God and for Him. Don’t eat just because your bored, or mindlessly while you’re watching t.v. Weight gain occurs when we are no longer paying attention to our God given body and what it’s telling us, and eat rather, out of habit. Practice being mindful with the hunger scale. This will carry over to all aspects of being healthy and whole.

The next section talked about using the Moving Forward Journal. Record your food and drink. Complete the hunger scale. Write out the weekly memory verse because it will help to renew your mind. Be sure to spend time in prayer and quiet time. When we are quiet before God we can hear Him speak. Often times we don’t hear Him because we don’t quiet our minds. The Wellness Revelation is a springboard to a holistic life: mind, body and spirit! We obey so we can become disciplined, and God gives us the strength for this. I loved the detail Alisa Keeton, the author, went into when it came to how to do a quiet time, breathing deeply, allowing the words of the Word to read you. Let it come alive and live it out. Meditate on the Word and allow it to soak into your soul. Eat the Word – read slowly and digest so that it saturates your mind. Think – ask questions and dig deeper, journal, think on it throughout your day. Pray – allow the Holy Spirit to translate so that you understand it fully. Ask for further insight. Listen and strengthen your connection with Him. Live – give Him opportunities to use the Scripture sometime throughout your day. Then, it went into logging your food (as long as this is not a bondage thing for you). This kind of log can be helpful for plateaus or points where you are feeling stuck. And, lastly the drink log. I found this one very helpful because I know I struggle to drink enough.

And, the last section talks about slowing down to truly seek God and ask Him to be all that we need. Acknowledging His blessings. Pray before eating, be grateful for the fuel. Approach it like breathing. Be mindful. Take all things to the Lord in prayer before acting….and this includes eating. Prayer takes place in the heart, the words don’t matter. It’s the attitude of the heart that does.

The next section was RENEW. Once again, the Lord did some work on me! #5 asked Why do you think people exchanged the glory of God for images of people or animals (referring to Romans 1:21-25). How have you used food or other substances to fill a need? I truly believe that it’s the Israelites wrong thinking or skewed mindset (thoughts and questions put there by satan to confuse or cause a lack of belief in God). Mindset has been my biggest struggle in my journey. And, I’m coming to realize that satan is what really keeps me stuck. I’ve used food to fill a false need for comfort when stressed out, sad, or overwhelmed. Satan tries to make me believe that food is where I feel comfort, when it’s a lie! Only Jesus truly satisfies. Then, #6 asked What Galatians 4:8 says about slavery and idolatry? It says we were slaves BEFORE knowing God. But, because we know Him, we should no longer remain as slaves. He has set us FREE! Do I believe I am free? That’s where the struggle lies….in the mind and in our beliefs. If I’m free, why do I live as though I’m not when it comes to food? Hmm…..tough questions!! Then, #7, referring to Philippians 3:18-21 with a focus on vs. 19 asked, What happens when we set our minds on earthly things? We are destined for destruction, which is exactly what satan wants. We continue to live in shame and guilt, never feeling like we can overcome. We don’t believe we have already overcome with Jesus! Anyone else? Or is this just my struggle? Then, #8, referring to Proverbs 23:20-21, What does this say about gluttony? How is it that poverty can result from gluttony? Gluttons become poor and lazy because it’s a trap. It takes from us physically, mentally, and spiritually. It causes us to disbelieve in ourselves and in God. It steals self-confidence. It steals freedom, and it keeps us from trusting and relying on God. Then, #9 asked us to describe the poverty in our own lives. I said: I don’t feel respected. I don’t feel valued by people. I feel looked down upon or judged. I get “stuck” in my lack of belief in God’s freedom and in my own ability. That’s me being very vulnerable! Then, #10 asks, How might your relational poverty be similar to the experience of people who live in developing countries? I said the feeling of not being wanted or cared for. The loneliness. The lack of belief in God and self. More vulnerability!

Lastly, was the RELATE section. Here I just want to focus on #1. What do I fear most? What do I love most? and Finish the “If only ___________________________, then I would be complete” statement. For fear, I put not being accepted for who I really am. Not continuing in the hard places and falling back into bondage (ex. working out, eating healthy, renewing my mind, pursuing Jesus and what He has planned for me.) Not becoming all God desires for me. And, then of course fear that any of my family members don’t know or aren’t growing in Jesus. For love, I put time with Jesus, God’s Word, Feeling in control (which I noted is an idol) and Feeling accomplished (also an idol). Yikes! And, to close here are my If only statements:

If only I reached my health goals, I’d be respected, and people would love me more, accept me more, and want to listen to me.

If only I pursued my dreams, I would be successful.

Then I asked myself, Is my idol me? money? success? And, is it wrong to desire respect? Jut some things to think about.

This week we will begin Chapter 3. I typically don’t fast during week 2. I typically wait until week 4. If you would like to fast, and you’d like an easy way to remove some of those foods that might be negatively affecting you and your body, reach out to me and I’ll share what’s been working for me!

See you next week when we will dive into week 3! What did you take away from week 2? I’d love to hear!

Love,

Dena

October 26, 2022

Week 1 – Embrace God’s Purpose, Desire, and Design

There’s always so much that I underline and take away from my readings. Chapter 1 of the Wellness Revelation was no exception!

I did this study in May this past spring into summer. When I went through it the first time, I underlined in green, and answered questions in the book. This time around, I will underline in purple and answer the questions in my notebook. It’s amazing the difference in underlining and answers each time you do a study! God always speaks in different ways!

The main things I took from the reading section of Chapter 1 were:

  1. In God’s wisdom and kindness, He wants to keep our hearts from bondage and destruction.
  2. He has given each of us a purpose, so that He can show us His power, and so that He will be glorified through us. (Exodus 9:16)
  3. We must give up our control, and allow Him to do the work through us. It’s not about us becoming more disciplined, or “doing” all the right things. We’ve tried that before.
  4. What we really want is love, to belong without the fear of rejection. We want meaning and purpose.
  5. We are planted and growing in His purpose, His power, and His strength. We cannot do His work in our own strength.
  6. We must surrender all of ourselves to Him, with a humble and softened heart.
  7. He desires for us to be holy – set apart from common use and dedicated to God – and whole – Christ in mind, Christ in heart, Christ in soul, and Christ in strength. When we are holy, we are whole.
  8. Through Christ, our broken, damaged, and impaired selves can be completely restored.
  9. We are His design, and as we search the Scriptures, we can discover more about what He was thinking as He designed us.
  10. How we care for the creation (ourselves), is a reflection of our Creator. It matters.

In the Respond section I noted Luke 14:26-30. When you start something, finish it!

In Your Action Plan, I think the parts that stuck out the most were that I realized the biggest obstacle that’s kept me from making positive health changes has been not believing I can actually reach my goals. It’s truly been a struggle in my mind. I must get in the right mindset, allow God to change my thoughts and renew my mind. I have to stop relying on myself, because I know I can’t do this without Christ working in me.

In the Renew section, the Lord really did some work!!! #4, referencing Leviticus 11:44, asked what keeps me from living a holy and whole life? I believe my negative thinking keeps me stuck, not believing in myself. And, then…..here’s the BIG ONE: Ultimately not believing God can do the work through me! This is satan keeping me in a stronghold, and believing the lies that I will fail again! Then, #5, referencing Proverbs 14:12, Where am I following a way that “appears to be right”? And, how might it be a stumbling block toward improving holiness and wholeness? This one really had me reflecting….I think I find it difficult to find a balance between good habits and doing these habits with a mindset of box checking, rather than a heart fully devoted to Christ and change. Doing great habits with the wrong mindset or in my own strength is a huge stumbling block because it makes me “appear” to be good, but inside I’m not. Woah….that was some hard truth. Then, #6, referencing Genesis 1:27, What does my image say about Him? Well, obviously, it ought to reflect Him. However, when I eat foods that don’t serve me or my body, I don’t feel like I’m reflecting Him at all. I feel my image says that my God can’t beat this stronghold. That was another tough truth to digest! Then, #7, referencing Ephesians 4:22-24, What hope does this passage give about how my life can be transformed in all areas, including my physical and spiritual health? The hope is knowing that I can put off or get rid of my past ways, my corrupt and messed up mind, and I can be made new in my mind, new in my body, an new in my spirit because Christ’s power lives in me!

In the Relate section, the parts that stuck out the most were #5, referencing Genesis 3:11, Who told you…..? This is where satan’s lies come into our minds. I wrote just a few down… Who told you you aren’t good enough? Who told you you’re a failure? Who told you you’ll never reach your weight loss goals? Satan likes to repeat these kinds of lies over and over in my mind to keep me stuck. Then, #6, we were to write down various lies that we have been living as truth. I wrote down several, just like the ones I wrote in #5. And, this is where some deeper work can be done! I HIGHLY encourage you to write down lies as they enter your mind, and then come up with a counter to those lies through Scriptures of truth. I have started doing this, and plan to keep doing it, even if I get a stack of 3×5 cards over an inch thick! This is the hard and heart work I need! I need to dispel the lies, and renew my mind with God’s truths! So, on one side of the card, you can write the lie, and on the other write a Scripture or two that dispels the lie with the truth of the Word. I’ll share a few I’ve started on. This will be a long process, but I hope to keep digging into this even if it takes me a year or more just working on one or two a week!

Front side of the 3×5 cards
Back of the 3×5 cards

This week we will cover week 2! If you are doing this study with us, please join our Facebook group where we will all share what we are learning! I’m so excited to see what everyone is learning!

Love,

Dena

October 19, 2022

Wellness Revelation Overview

This week I want to give a quick overview of what we will cover each week of our Wellness Revelation Study. Then, your homework will be to study through Chapter 1. Next week I will share insights I’ve picked up from the first chapter, and we will start working through Chapter 2. I hope you will also share with us any insights you learn along the way! I believe sharing with one another will make the study even better than it could be on it’s own!

Here is the overview:

Week 1: Embrace God’s Purpose, Desire, and Design

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.

Ephesians 3:20

Week 2: Be Free

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God–this is your true and proper worship.

Romans 12:1

Week 3: Live Out His Purpose For You

“Everything is permissible for me”–but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me”–but I will not be mastered by anything.

I Corinthians 6:12

Week 4: Rest In His Strength And Sufficiency

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Psalm 73:26

Week 5: Renew Your Mind

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:5

Week 6: Attend To Matters Of The Heart

I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge–that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:17-19

Week 7: Be Transformed

If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; The old has gone, the new is here!

2 Corinthians 5:17

Week 8: Press On

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

Philippians 3:12

I also want you to note that in the back of the book is a Wellness Revelation Workout Calendar. This is a great way to gently ease into exercise in a way that also renews your mind. I HIGHLY recommend it! If nothing else, just try it out and see what you think. You can access free resources here and the daily videos at this link. Once you see the “calendar” just click on the words for each day to watch the videos. I also have to mention the Revelation Wellness Podcast! It is another way to renew your mind while moving your body! And, there is also guest speakers, as well as Be Still and Be Loved episodes on rest days. One of my favorites for mind renewal is this one!

Have a great week tackling Chapter 1, and I’ll meet you back here next Tuesday to see what Transformations have occurred!

Love,

Dena

October 12, 2022

Wellness Revelation Bible Study Introduction

How would your life be different is you could lose what’s weighing you down and be free to live the life you were created for?

Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could embark on a single program that would help you get both physically and spiritually fit, while freeing you to pursue God’s dreams and goals for your life?

Maybe you have always struggled with your weight, riding a constant roller coaster of numbers that go up and down. Or maybe you find yourself increasingly stressed out by the world and all its demands.

In The Wellness Revelation, certified fitness professional Alisa Keeton will challenge you to get fit with God so that He can free you to find your purpose. She teaches you that when you become fit physically and spiritually, you will be better equipped to love and serve others. The Wellness Revelation will change the way you perceive yourself and the way you live.

Included in this eight-week journey are teachings from Alisa, fitness training, Bible study, small group questions, and more. Alisa will encourage you to love God, get healthy, and serve others, and she will provide you with the tools to do so with courage, confidence, kindness, and freedom.

It’s time to make a change from the inside out.

-Alisa keeton -Author of The Wellness revelation and founder of revelation wellness

I am so excited to get started with this study! This week we will just cover the introduction as I’ve had several people still want to jump in, so if that’s you, it’s NOT TOO LATE! You can still order the book here, and jump in with us! Also, don’t forget to join the Facebook group to have a community to support, discuss, and grow together with! You can join that group here!

What I loved about the introduction was that the focus was an “exercise” of faith. This is not a program that you strive to do “better”, but one in which you lean into the Lord, and allow Him to transform you from the inside out. When we learn to do this, we are better able to love and help others. Calories in = receiving the fulfilling love of God so that you can give away His love to someone else = calories out. The world is waiting for us to be “fit” for love!

In the next eight weeks, lets move closer towards our true selves – the people who embody God’s love. We will face many obstacles throughout this journey, but we are on a quest to exchange the old lies we’ve believed for His truth, and to be truly set free! This will be a transforming and renewing journey, where we become more of the people we were always meant to be!

Please share what you are excited about or concerned about as you embark on this journey! We are here to support and encourage one another, so the more we share, the more we will get out of this study!

*Disclaimer: I must inform you that as an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Love,

Dena

Still on the Journey, but the difference is already showing!!
Join me as I dig back into the Bible Study that helped jump start this journey!
September 7, 2022

Transformation Tuesday – Meal Planning

I don’t know about you, but one of the most difficult things about living a healthy lifestyle is meal planning! So, I thought I would share today how I plan my meals and make grocery lists, so that I don’t have to think about it! Imagine having a months worth of meals already figured out and a grocery list to go along with it? It’s an amazing feeling.

The first amazing resource that I requested for Christmas and got was a Cultivate What Matters Meal Planner & Grocery List Pad. Now, I probably don’t use it as intended, but I am definitely using it in a way that serves me! And, I LOVE it! At the top it has Week #________ and I want this week’s meals to be: _______. I just put weeks 1, 2, 3, or 4 in the first blank, and in the second, I wrote Favorite Breakfasts, or Favorite Dinners. I don’t typically need to plan lunches because I’ll eat leftovers from the night before. Then, I choose my favorite cookbooks and recipes, and started writing them down on the days of the week. I also made a note next to each on which cookbook it came from and the page #, so I can easily locate it when I’m ready to make my grocery lists or prepare the meals. I have used Arbonne 30 Days to Healthy Living recipes, (if you purchase the kit, the recipes are sent from me to you, and you get access to a Facebook community with more tips and more recipes!) Saving Dinner Recipes, The Daniel Plan Recipes, Trim Healthy Mama Recipes, and New Life Promise Recipes (that I got through a subscription service on one of my many diet plans). After I randomly choose the meals, I go through them and separate them by the protein (chicken, beef, salmon, sausage, etc). I wanted my weeks to be balanced and so I spread out the proteins amongst the weeks as equally as I could. I also pay attention to whether it’s an ethnic dish so that I don’t have all of the Chinese or Mexican the same week. The recipes I choose are whole foods, without junk. Organic Meats and veggies when possible, and nothing with a long list of ingredients. I am currently choosing gluten, dairy, and soy free products. And, thankfully I’ve found some plant based alternatives for gluten and dairy. And, I love Braggs Coconut Aminos for an alternative soy sauce and Nutritional Yeast adds an amazing buttery flavor in several foods. I don’t use pasta unless it’s a brown rice variety, and no bread (I haven’t found a gluten free bread that I like, yet…..if you know of some, comment below, I’d love to try some out)!

After I have chosen 4 weeks of breakfasts and dinners, I look up the recipes and write down the groceries needed for each week. The list can go right on the right hand side of the Meal Planner & Grocery List Pad. I’ve used it like this once, and you could just reuse each month. However, in the future, so that I can mark things off as I go, or not add to the list if I already have the ingredients, I think I’m going to make a master grocery list for each week and just highlight or put a checkmark by each item needed, then I can cross it off when I’ve gotten it. And, then just reprint for the next month. Still super easy, but not so messy as using a repeated shopping list on the Meal Planner Pad.

Though this takes a little while to set up, once it’s done, it’s done. And, I no longer really have to think about anything. I keep the Meal Planner Pad in the kitchen on the current week, and if I don’t like the meal I wrote down for a particular day, I just choose another one for the week. This past week, I knew we would not be home one of the days, so I only had to purchase 6 days worth of groceries! Also, to make it easier, I have copied the recipes for each week and put them all together with that week’s menu plan. Then, I don’t have to dig out my cookbooks!

Like I said, it has taken some time to get this set up and organized, but I just worked on it a little bit at a time until I got through 4 weeks. Now, I’m reaping the reward of being organized, having meal plans, and having grocery lists all ready to go!

As a disclaimer, I must inform you that as an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases.
I hope this was helpful, I know it’s been a life saver for me! It’s definitely helped transform my life by keeping me organized and sane when it come to meal planning and keeping me healthy!

With Love,

Dena

August 30, 2022

Let’s Talk About Working Out

It’s Transformation Tuesday, so I wanted to chat a bit about working out today. There are four things that I feel are super important in transforming my thinking when it comes to working out. I will share those below then expound on them.

  1. View working out as an act of worship or gratitude.
  2. Choose a consistent time & place to workout.
  3. Have a plan and schedule for what you will do.
  4. Choose things that you enjoy doing.

Making a shift in my thinking when it comes to moving my body has been truly transformational! I used to hate to sweat, I dreaded working out, and viewed it more like a chore than something I looked forward to. Now, because I listen to the Revelation Wellness podcast, my mind is being transformed! I now look forward to working out! It’s been a shift in my mind towards gratitude that I am able to move my body, and of worship to the Lord for giving me the energy, strength, and mobility to do so!

The next important step is choosing a time and place to workout. For me, it’s at 8:30 a.m., right as I get home from dropping my daughter off at school. I go to the gym near my home, or work out in my living room (depending on the day).

Third, have a plan and schedule for what you will do. I workout Monday through Saturday, and rest on Sunday. This is my schedule:

Last, make sure you choose exercises that you enjoy! I love to cycle to get my heart pumping (indoor or outdoor). I love the results of how Pilates shapes me and takes inches off. And, I love the stretching and relaxation that Yoga provides. I also enjoy swimming, so I might do that to get my heart pumping when I have access to a pool. The point is to choose things that are best for you!

I hope this has been helpful! The thing I hope you will most take away is that the mind shift is the MOST important! Changing the way you think about working out will make it a much more enjoyable activity. And, getting into a regular routine is also very helpful!

Let me know some ways that help you stay motivated and what your favorite ways to move are in the comments below! I’d love to hear from you!

Love,

Dena

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