Susan U. Neal's Blog, page 11

8 Ways to Reduce Stress During the Holidays

If you get stressed out during the holidays, here are some practices to put in place to help you focus on the real reason for the season. Eight Ways to Reduce Stress During the Holidays will help you enjoy the true meaning of the season. 

The snow pelted the open window as smoke filled the kitchen and dining room. The high-pitched beeping from the smoke detector mocked me with every beep. “You burnt the cookies again. You burnt the cookies again!” Over and over, it mocked me. Tears welled up as I, once again, ruined another Christmas tradition. 

This Christmas was going to be the perfect Christmas, I thought to myself. 

So perfect, it was going to be like a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie. The vision of my family and I sitting around the table, laughing, icing the cookies, and listening to Christmas music dashed away as quickly as Santa’s reindeers. 

Hearing a commotion in the doorway, I turned around to see my family staring wide-eyed at me. I couldn’t tell if it was a look of concern because I was crying over burnt cookies or if it was because they had thought I’d lost my mind. 

My tears turned into sobs as I tried to explain that I had ruined the perfect Christmas I had envisioned. To my shock and dismay, my husband and two sons burst out laughing. They revealed to me their true thoughts on my culinary skills. While I could cook, my baked goodies were far from stellar. Every year, they choked down my cookies because they didn’t want to hurt my feelings.

It was the truth I needed to hear. As a result, I can now publicly declare that I am not a baker. That day, my family put things in perspective for me. The stress of having the perfect Christmas impeded the joy and happiness of what Christmas is truly about. 

RELATED POST: 4 Tips for Handling Extended Family Stress During the Holidays

It’s About the Gift of a Savior and the Love of a Father.

From that Christmas on, instead of focusing on the secular side of Christmas, I focus on the true meaning of the Christmas season. Not only does this reduce stress, but my focus now shifts to my spiritual health, which helps me enjoy the holidays even more. 

If you are stressed out during the holidays, here are some practices that I put in place to help me focus on the real reason for the season.

Eight Ways to Reduce Stress During the HolidaysIt’s Ok to Say “No.” In the last two months of the year, our calendars are filled to the brim with family gatherings, school programs, and other festive activities. Everyone is busy, and we may be asked to take on additional responsibilities. One of the most important things that I’ve learned is that it’s ok to say “no.” If someone asks me to do something that will cause additional stress in my life, I don’t commit to doing it. It’s hard to tell someone that you cannot fit another thing on your calendar, but my health and well-being need to come first over anything else.Rest! Rest! Rest! I remember when my boys were toddlers and how they fought naptime. Exhaustion eventually won out. The same thing can be said for us, friend. Fatigue will ultimately win, so enjoy a good nap. It’s refreshing, and your body and soul will thank you for it! Try Not to Overindulge. With the holidays comes all the delicious holiday food. While it’s ok to nibble here and there on your favorite dessert, don’t overdo it. The high intake of sugar can cause us to feel sluggish and out of sorts. No one wants to see us tired and cranky! Increased water intake is a must during the holiday season. The recommendation is eight glasses of water a day. Let it Go! Traditions are important to us. However, if the thought of doing it this year is causing stress, it’s ok to skip that tradition. Your family will thank you for it. And in my case, they don’t have to eat burnt cookies anymore!Laugh a lot! As the old saying goes, “laughter is good for the soul.” Sometimes having a good belly laugh is all that it takes for a mood shift. You can watch your favorite comedy, movie, or visit with family and friends. So do whatever you need to do to laugh until the tears are streaming down your face!Turn to Your Savior. When you feel the stress and anxiety of the holiday season start pressing in on you, turn to Jesus and cast all your cares and anxieties on Him. Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV) tells us, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Jesus is waiting for us to come to Him and hand our burdens over to Him. Have a moment of silence and solitude and focus on Jesus. Rest in Him! 

Pray: The holiday season is the perfect time to set aside time to pray. We have an open line of communication with God, so let’s talk to Him!  If you don’t know where to begin, start with ACTS—Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication, and Silence. Adoration—focus on the attributes or characteristics of God. We can worship the Lord by acknowledging His greatness. He is Almighty, Counselor, Deliverer, Faithful, Father, Holy, King, Lord Most High, the list can go on and on. Confession—Use this time to confess your sins and ask God for forgiveness. What is confessed is between you and God and no one else. Thanksgiving—Thank God for answering prayers. Thank Him for the people in your life. You can even thank Him for finding your keys and not being late for your appointment or getting the kids to school on time. Thank Him for sending His Son for us! Supplication and Silence—Use this time to make your prayer requests known to God. Pray for your family, yourself, our country, and anything else that comes to mind. After making your prayer requests, sit in silence for a while. Listen for the whispers of the Lord.Study Scripture: Dig into the Word! Nothing feeds your soul as much as reading the Word of God. A great way to engage in reading the Bible is to read the Gospel of Luke. From Jesus’s humble beginnings to His ministry to His death and resurrection, Luke gives a beautiful account of the life of Christ. It’s twenty-four chapters long, and if you read it daily, beginning on December 1, by December 24th, you would have read about the life of our Savior. You can also listen to the Bible as you travel to visit family and friends. Many Bible apps can read the text to you. This is a terrific way to be enriched with the Word of God. Not only will you benefit from hearing the Word, but so will your passengers. I hope these tips will help you enjoy a stress-free holiday season. Blessings to you! About the Author

Missy Eversole is an author and speaker from Morton, Illinois. She is a wife to Craig and mom to Grant and Connor. She enjoys family time and the laughter that comes with it. Missy is a contributing blog writer for Proverbs 31 Ministries’ Online Bible Studies, COMPEL, Kingdom Edge Magazine, and the Dawn app. In addition, she is the author of Transformed, Not Conformed: Embracing a Life-Changing Approach to Spiritual Habits. She writes about faith and family weekly on her blog at www.missyeversole.com.

Pin for Later

 

The post 8 Ways to Reduce Stress During the Holidays first appeared on .

4 Tips for Handling Extended Family Stress During the Holidays

The holidays are nearing again. Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations bring family traditions to the forefront as we bid farewell to a year most are glad to see go. We’ll be forever changed in some ways, but believers have much to celebrate. But along with the joy comes handling extended family stress during the holidays. 

“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God,” 1 Peter 4:10 (NKJV). 

If we’re fortunate, we’ll celebrate with family; grateful that even through difficult times we can count our blessings. This was the year we couldn’t assemble at Easter. Birthdays and anniversary celebrations were scaled back, celebrated without the typical fanfare. The mood improved for most, but many struggled with new restrictions.

Interestingly, I’m speaking with folks even more determined to make this approaching season more meaningful and more festive.

At our Thanksgiving gathering, 35-plus family members will fill tables that stretch between two rooms. It’s been our custom for each one to share one thing for which we’re most grateful. Smiles and tears usually flow together. It’s a sweet tradition engaging every person from our 89-year-old matriarch down to the toddlers.

Once turkey day concludes, the Christmas festivities begin and our calendars strain under the load. Family gatherings are on the agenda as we celebrate the Savior’s birth. It was, after all, the point of His arrival—to reunite us with the Father through His Son. 

It’s a Balancing Act

Unfortunately, stress seems an inevitable feature of the season. There are many added non-negotiable activities. Shopping, cooking, planning, Christmas cards, juggling holiday events, and more. And for most of us, our routine commitments, deadlines, speaking engagements, and work are not on a holiday hiatus. 

We look forward to the holidays and dread them all at the same time. The busyness becomes a balancing act as we try to manage them all. So how do we make it work? 

[image error]

Give Yourself Some Grace

This season, review what you’ve considered non-negotiable traditions. Focus on the important stuff; surrender the minutia. If you don’t make your homemade peanut brittle for 40 people the world won’t stop spinning. Surrender the mantra “But that’s how we’ve always done it!” Your loved ones will give you grace; give yourself some, too. 

We eliminated the “Mom does it all” routine years ago. My daughters-in-law are major contributors to the planning, preparing, and cleaning up—and they bring others to help. We collaborate on the menu with the entire family—and everybody signs up for an item to prepare. Recently we discovered the traditional turkey dinner was nobody’s favorite. Last year we did Mexican food. This year will be Texas barbecue!

Give Others Grace, Too

Gathering the clan is key to many holiday plans. It often means we celebrate with family we see infrequently. It can be an odd menagerie of relatives with the potential to create some interesting conversation and perhaps stressful situations—that’s for certain. 

“Did you notice your husband’s weird Uncle Harold seemed even stranger than usual? And I knew Gramps would bring up politics. Suzanne let her kids run wild—again. And your sister had more “bah humbug” than “ho-ho-ho.” 

The facts are simple: when you marry, you inherit a bunch of folks you might have left on the bench if you were choosing teams for life. When you say “I do” you get a ready-made roster for free.

For many, the first observation when the extended family gathers is how different they are. Different from you and your immediate family. How different they are from normal people. Mama used to say “normal’s just a setting on the dryer.” She was right on target.

Without grace, relationships can become casualties of these observations. I’m certain it grieves God’s heart. It was not His plan.

So how can we do better this year? As in all things for the believer, God’s Word becomes the roadmap. “God has the power to provide you with more than enough of every kind of grace. That way, you will have everything you need always and in everything to provide more than enough for every kind of good work,” (2 Corinthians 9:8 CSB). While the group can be odd, they are family. God’s big on family. 

Tips to Handle Extended Family Stress During the Holiday Season

There’s good news: you can take action, this holiday season to improve. Perhaps you’ll even learn to appreciate those that tend to rub you the wrong way. Here are a few tips:

Pray ahead of family gatherings. And I’m not talking about “Lord, don’t let Gladys ruin the holidays again!” Pray the day brings the family together and refuse to let past friction set the tone. Ask the Lord to be the umpire of conversations, bringing joy and celebration for all. Praying for others is important, and it changes your heart, too. Leave competition on the field. Competitions yield a winner and a loser—don’t create that environment. Resist temptation to compare or compete, whether it’s over whose kids have achieved more, whose pie is the best, or who drives the nicest car. And in our current setting, refrain from political debate.Remember that different isn’t wrong, it’s just different. Offer grace. Suspend judgment. It’s not your job—unless you see behavior that’s damaging to you or others. And then seek God’s guidance on if, when and how to address it—but it doesn’t warrant a 911 call. Let it go.Extend Grace. A favorite quote that’s helped me many times comes from Toby Mac at Speak Life: “When you finally learn that a person’s behavior has more to do with their internal struggle than it ever did with you . . . you learn grace.”

It might not be easy, but in Christ, it’s possible. Let grace flow.

~ Pin for Later ~ The post 4 Tips for Handling Extended Family Stress During the Holidays first appeared on .

Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle

It is God’s intent that we prosper and be healthy as our souls prosper (3 John 2). I believe that a healthy lifestyle is a choice. Of course, because we live in a broken world, we are subject to that world because of sin and free will, but wisdom and the Holy Spirit (as He is the revealer of all things) can help us live well. 

At the start of the pandemic, I heard the Holy Spirit speak to two words, “go walk.” I had just bought new walking shoes, so it was a perfect time to break them in. I started walking two years prior. I was doing good, but unfortunately, I had stopped. Here I was again, with the Holy Spirit nudging me to restart. In obedience, I laced up my new shoes and off I went. As I obeyed, I received great instructional insight. I could see God’s plans for me and how I needed to partner fully with those plans. 

To work on being healthy was one way I needed to fully corporate with God. He said, “you can’t work for me if you are sick. I need you to break this curse.” In my family there are few that have a healthy diet and lifestyle. My maternal grandmother died of heart disease and my paternal grandmother died of cancer. I felt the Lord nudging me to change this in my immediate family. He wanted me to show my children a better way of living. 

The Deception of Unhealthy Food

Lust and deception are two powerful mechanisms, especially when combined. During my devotion time, He instructed me to make better food choices. I asked, “Lord, can you help me with that?” He said, “just as a sinner needs my grace and power to remain free from sin you need that same power to be free from unhealthy foods. Sin kills but so does excessive eating—gluttony.” When God spoke these words of conviction, I humbled myself, repented, and asked him for help. 

Friend, God’s grace is sufficient for our weaknesses. Paul told us,“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:9). A weakness for someone may be the crack pipe, cigarettes, or like for me, sugar. I needed God’s power to resist sugar and maintain a low-sugar diet. 

Lust and deception ultimately got Adam and Eve kicked out of the garden of Eden. The lust was so powerful that it caused them both to disobey. Deception blinded them from realizing the consequences. No one takes drugs intending to die. No one smokes with the intent to kill themselves, and certainly no one eats with the intent that it will one day end their life. Lust and deception are the enemy’s ultimate weapons. Satan is a deceiver and master manipulator. He appeals to the carnal nature and its cravings, and his motive is to destroy his unsuspecting victims. 

The Thief

The thief comes to kill, steal, and to destroy (John 10:10). The thief is masterful at what he does. How do I know this? Simply put, there have been many believers that have died at their own hands. A thief is a person who steals another person’s property. I believe health is one thing the thief attempts to steal to destroy Christ’s followers. What I have noticed about this thief is that his motive is to act under the radar and carry out his mission in such a way that the victim is unsuspecting and unaware. My friends 2 Corinthians 2:11 warns us, “lest Satan should get an advantage over us. For we are not ignorant of his devices.” 

These devices are ancient tactics. We are wise to follow the voice of the Holy Spirit that we may journey well and fight a good fight of faith, so we can finish our course and assignment in the earth (2 Timothy 4:7). Friend, I encourage you to change your unhealthy habits today and invite God into every area of your life. The enemy is a defeated foe, but he is seeking to take as many Christians as possible. 

If you have read this and felt conviction, you may need to repent, ask for help, as I did. I needed God’s power to assist me when I was weak. He wanted me to live life and live it to the fullest. I couldn’t do that while the thief had access to my health through unhealthy food. I want to encourage you to take your health back. God desires to stop the thief from stealing anything that belongs to you and that includes your health. 

Check out Sherri Downs and Susan Neal’s YouTube discussion about this topic at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiVC5po1W_0

Author Bio

Sherri Downs is a wife and mother of two. Sherri is the owner and founder of Touch Downs Enterprise LLC/Ministries, a published author, life coach, podcast host, mentor, and speaker. Sherri is committed to her mandate to teach and instruct in the body of Christ. Sherri believes in the power of God that allows every believer to walk in newness. You can find Sherry at Touchdownsenterprise.com. Check out her book, Don’t be Bullied by the Devil. 

YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/SherriDowns

~Pin for Later~

 

The post Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle first appeared on .

Living with Diabetes – How to Thrive, Not Just Survive

It was a day that changed my life forever. The day my mother shared the results of a blood test I had taken earlier that week. My symptoms? Leg cramps, frequent trips to the restroom, and a sudden loss of weight. The diagnosis — diabetes type I. To me, it could not have been worse news. Or worse timing. How could I go on living with diabetes? 

My Story: Living with Diabetes

I was eighteen years old, barely out of high school, and planning a wedding the following spring. I had also grown up watching my oldest sister struggle with this disease. She had been a diabetic since she was four-years-old, so I was fully aware of the challenges. The daily shots with hypodermic needles (no micro-fine disposable syringes back then). The low blood sugar reactions that sent ambulances to our house regularly. The high blood sugar readings that also brought concern and hospital admissions. And so much more. 

My biggest concern was breaking the news to my fiancé. What if he did not want to marry someone who would bring along a lifetime of medical bills as her dowry? My fears were eased when my future husband’s reaction to my news was simply, “So?” His “we’ve got this” attitude took a tremendous weight off my shoulders, and it made me feel hopeful. Still, neither one of us knew what the future held. 

At first, my doctor treated my diabetes with oral medication. But on that regimen, I could only eat meat and vegetables, so I lost more weight. I was thin as a rail for our wedding, but if we were ever going to have a family, which we both wanted, I was going to have to switch to daily injections of insulin Being a little squeamish to needles, my husband typically gave me my shots. 

Diabetic Management

I found a wonderful new doctor who specialized in diabetes, and with the advancements being made in diabetic care, I soon realized that this diagnosis was not as scary as I originally feared. It could have a serious side, but if I followed the low-sugar diet, and tried to keep stress, infections, and illnesses to a minimum, I could not just live with diabetes, but thrive. 

The key to living and thriving with diabetes remains management.

I learned how to follow a…

low-sugar, healthy diet, (Learn How to Eat a Low Sugar Diet)exercise,monitor your medications, check your blood sugar levels,stay hydrated,minimize infections,follow your doctor’s orders, avoid alcohol, and keep stress to a minimum. 

In fact, it was because of my diabetes that I ended up living the life I always wanted.

Thriving Career Despite Living with Diabetes 

I loved writing since I was nine years old, and I continued to write even after my diagnosis. My first magazine article was about the adoption of our first son. His adoption came after a miscarriage and a full-term stillbirth, in which diabetes played a role. We adopted another son, and three-and-a-half months later, I successfully delivered a biological son. I wrote a magazine article about all of it.

I continued to write about life and the challenges it can bring. Diabetes is just one of them. Today, as a 50-year survivor of diabetes and the recipient of the 50-year medal from Joslin Diabetes Center at Harvard Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, I can look back on my life and realize that despite what I may have thought a half-century ago when I first learned of my diagnosis, diabetes has not held me back. It has not always been easy, but I have made it. And I have had the time of my life!

Since that very first article, I have written eighty-eight books, became Bob Hope’s first female staff writer, received nominations for an Emmy, Dove, and a WGA Award, and am currently a playwright with productions in five states. No, diabetes did not hold me back.

My newest book, co-written with Linda Hope (Bob Hope’s daughter), Dear Bob… Bob Hope’s Wartime Correspondence with the G. I.s of WW2 (University Press of Mississippi, 2021) was recently featured on CBS Sunday Morning with Jane Pauley.

That is not all. Not only do we have three sons, but we also have a baseball team of grandchildren. I am looking forward to receiving my 75-year medal one day, or even being cured of diabetes altogether. With the advances in the treatment of diabetes, eradicating this condition altogether seems a real possibility.

Others Living with Diabetes

One of my regrets is that my sister did not live long enough to see all the advances in diabetes care and management. I know she would have benefitted from them. She would have been especially thrilled with the improvements in sugar-free desserts. 

Even though she is no longer here, my sister remains one of my heroes. As does Mary Tyler Moore and so many others who lived and thrived with diabetes: 

Halle Berry, Tom Hanks, Sharon Stone, George Lucas, Johnny Cash, Bret Michaels, and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor (diagnosed with Type I when she was seven years old).

So do not let a diagnosis of diabetes keep you from doing everything you were created to do. This condition does not have to be a roadblock to your dreams. It can be a springboard. That is exactly what it was in my situation. Writing about my challenges with diabetes and pregnancies launched my career as a writer.

So, to those of us who live with this disease, to those we have lost to it over the years, and to all the researchers, doctors, nurses, and other members of the medical community who have dedicated their lives to finding a cure, I wish you Happy Diabetes Month! 

Because even with diabetes, life can be oh so sweet!

Author Bio:

Martha Bolton is an Emmy-nominated television writer and the author of 88 books. She was Bob Hope’s first female staff writer, working for Bob in the 1980s and 1990s. She is also an award-winning playwright with musicals currently playing in five states. She has been an insulin-dependent diabetic for 51 years. You can find Martha at https://www.marthabolton.com and her book at https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/D/Dear-Bob.

~Pin for Later~

 

The post Living with Diabetes – How to Thrive, Not Just Survive first appeared on .

How to Experience a Healthy Mind and Soul

You may have heard it been said that to live a healthy lifestyle, you should be healthy in your body, mind, and spirit. That is an accurate statement, but what is more accurate is to be healthy in your body, soul, and spirit, because we are composed of these three. We were created in the image of God, and He is three in one. In that likeness, He made us three in one, possessing a body, soul, and spirit. So, to be healthy, we must strive for a healthy mind and soul. Our soul is comprised of our mind, will, and emotions. To have a healthy mind we need to experience healthy emotions and make healthy decisions. Decisions are an exercise of our will. Unhealthy emotions can lead to unhealthy decisions.

How do we develop a healthy soul?

What is the process of undergoing “soul health”? As with the body and spirit, it begins with the right diet and exercise. As you put healthy food in your body, foods that God creates (such as fruits, vegetables, protein, whole grains that are low in carbs and gluten-free) your body responds positively to that healthy diet. The Bible says in Mark 9:23, “Let food be thy medicine.” Healthy food heals the body. Also, as you exercise your body, it gets stronger and more flexible. Likewise, in order to have a healthy spirit, you need to have a regular diet of the Bread of Life, which is Bible verses. As you digest God’s Word, it brings healing to your spirit. Exercising your spirit through prayer and worship also strengthens you in your spirit. Waiting on the Lord renews your strength and allows you to soar on wings like eagles, to run and not grow weary, and walk and not be faint (Isaiah 40:31). So what about the soul?

Let me start with an analogy. The temple of the Old Testament was made up of three architectural structures, one within the other. First, there was the outer court, then as you moved inward, you came to the inner court, and finally you moved inside the Temple called the Holy Place. Isn’t it interesting the temple is three in one. “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). The outer court represents your body. The inner court represents your soul, and the Holy Place is your spirit. Within the Holy Place was the Holy of Holies, which is where the Presence of God dwelt. Likewise, His spirit lives deep within your spirit. This is the place where the Bible says you and He are one. Christ is in you!

How to protect both your body and soul.

All along the outer court (your body) are gates. In order to protect both your body and soul, you have to be careful what you let in those gates. You must guard your gates! What are those gates? They are your eyes, ears, and mouth. What we let in through our eyes and ears will reach our inner court (our soul) and will affect our mind and heart (emotions) and eventually move our mouths, hands and feet (our will). “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (Proverbs 4:23). Meaning everything you do flows from it. Matthew 12:34 says, “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” Everything we do and say comes from our heart. 

We must supply our hearts and minds with a healthy diet.

God’s Word is the best place to start. It is in His Word that Jesus is revealed. We need to understand Jesus. Jesus is the Gate. Have you opened the gate? Do you see Him the way you should? “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep do not listen to them.” (John 10:6-8). We must be careful of other gates (thieves and robbers) that try to expose us to harmful and sinful things. These other gates come in the form of media that we may read, watch, and listen. We must be very careful of what we let in through the gates of our eyes and ears. The news and television are full of stories and programs that are designed to illicit an emotional response, bring us into agreement with sin, and conform to a certain way of thinking. People say and do a lot of unhealthy things from a place of compromise and heightened emotional states. We are usually triggered by these emotions because they are connected to a lie from the enemy that we believe. When we feed on the unhealthy diet of the enemy’s lies, our soul responds in a negative way. Can you think of some examples right now of what you read, watch, or listen to that got you all worked up and made you doubt God’s goodness? This is a sign that you should cut that out of your diet. 

Guard those gates, and don’t allow the enemy any point of entry. Negative feelings of fear, hurt, anger, bitterness, and sadness, to name a few, can fill our heart and mind when we fill our mind and thoughts with the way the world. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed by the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind.” Another versions says, “. . . change the way you think.” This can only happen through exercise. The world can get us to conform to a pattern by keeping us thinking the same way. This negative thinking as it goes around and around in our mind makes a path. As a kid, did you ever cut across your yard to a friend’s house by traveling the same path? What probably happened was that you wore a path in the grass, and over time the path deepened. This path in our mind that deepens over time, eventually develops into a trench in which we can’t get out. Only by thinking a new way, God’s way, having the mind of Christ, can we reverse the damaging pattern. It’s like running uphill, or swimming against the current. Quite an exercise for the soul. But the more we fill our mind, hearts, and mouth with God’s truth, the easier it will get as we exercise the receiving of spiritual truth.

A healthy diet of spiritual truth is exactly what our soul needs to be healthy.

As we let the spiritual truth in through our gates, we allow our mind and heart to “work it out”. This exercise strengthens our soul as we meditate (think on it) allowing that truth to go around and around in our mind until it eradicates the lies. Another spiritual work-out routine we can engage in is declaring God’s promises. When we declare what God’s Word says, it builds our faith. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). There is no better place to hear God’s Word, then from your own mouth. Let it flow from your gate! Bible verses have creative power to release health or sickness. Proverbs 18:21 says, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” We can contribute to an unhealthy soul by the things we say. Complaining, griping, gossip, and accusations create a type of sickness within our soul. But declaring the promises of God over our lives and over others helps us reverse this sickness and actually bring health to our soul. Which fruit have you been eating lately?

Another exercise that strengthens our heart by filling it with God’s love and truth is singing to the Lord. Singing transforms our soul into a strong, faith-filled muscle and untwists our heart to let God’s love and grace flow freely through it. In essence, the song from our mouth opens the gate. Just as our body’s muscles develop and release toxins as we exercise, so too can the muscles of our soul grow stronger and release toxic emotions. It is from this healthy state that we let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in our hearts to God (Colossians 3:16). And, from this healthy state, we make decisions that line up with God’s Word, letting Him guide our hands and feet, and whatever we do, we do it all for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Our will can be very strong and stubborn at times. God gave us a free will, and we sure like to exercise it. Sometime the most productive exercise for the soul is the act of submission. In swimming, it is unproductive to swim against the current. You can wear yourself out very quickly. But if you turn around and swim with the current, you go a lot farther, faster. In the same way, when we surrender our will to the will of God, we can flow with Him instead of working against Him. Turning around or repenting and submitting to God will take us farther and help us get to where we’re supposed to be much faster. It will also prevent us from getting off on a tangent of our own making. When we come to a crossroad and need to make a decision, He will be the voice behind saying, “This is the way walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21). Our own will can lead us in the wrong direction, but if we choose the Ancient Path (Jeremiah 6:16), or God’s will and way, we will not be led astray. We can be free from the consequence of poor choices and experience His peace and blessings when we choose to follow His will and surrender our own.

Our entire temple is healthy when we first have a healthy body, guarding the gate of our mouth and watching what we eat and drink. Second, when we have a healthy soul because we guard the gates of our eyes and ears, we experience full hearts and transformed minds. We make moral decisions from a place of faith and submission, instead of poor decisions brought about from heightened emotions, confused thinking, and a strong will. And last, healthy bodies and souls lead to a healthy spirit. We come unhindered in our heart, mind, and will, giving God our full attention and dwelling in His presence. In His presence is where we can find peace and rest for our weary souls. 

Having guarded our gates, we now have them open to the power of the Holy Spirit. The King of Glory can now come into our temple. We can have a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit. “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire” (1 Peter 1:3-4). Let your soul become a partaker of the divine nature of the Holy Spirit as He flows freely and unhindered through your gates.

About the Author

Kim Patterson served in her church for over fifteen years, leading various small groups and teaching bible studies. It is her love for the Lord that fuels her desire to see others grow in Christ and walk in freedom and victory. She is the author of, To the Thirsty, Journey into the Depths of God which helps others grow spiritually and relationally with God. Kim is a 2020 graduate from the JFA School of Supernatural Ministry (Bethel Curriculum). Visit her website at www.TotheThirsty.com and watch her video blog, Real Time—Kim Patterson on YouTube.

Pin For Later The post How to Experience a Healthy Mind and Soul first appeared on .

3 Effective Ways to Overcome Bitterness in Your Life

Learn three effective ways to overcome bitterness in your life by Tammy Whitehurst.

There comes a time when we are done.

Done with crying.

Done with anger.

Done with betrayal.

Done with bitterness.

Done with anxiety.

Done with not living healthy. 

Flat out… done.

My Story

It’s like a slow cooker finally boiling over. Most days I wake up smiling, put on my armor, and with humor weave my way through whatever life throws at me. I have lived most of my life this way. My goal is to seek the sunshine and joyful things waiting to be found, which is not always easy. Then something happened.

Here’s how it began. I woke up and had an ugly enemy bombarding me from all directions. It was all I could do not to weep. The one thing I want is to live life fully alive, and being bitter was like sinking in quicksand—one slow, suffocating moment at a time. 

As a child, I grew up in a big and happy family. A family that stuck together, valued our elders, laughed, and cried on one another’s shoulders. No matter what we did, good or bad, silly or serious, we loved each other. God gave me these people to call mine forever. They are my people. Of course, we had our hardships, tears and fears, but we always could stand up and brush ourselves off and keep going. We loved regardless.

I was always told I was a wonderful mother. At school, my students told me they wished I was their mother. I loved big and hugged hard. I thought I had done things right. Then, with little warning, a bomb hit, and emotional shrapnel flew everywhere. I felt as if my child walked away from the family. But most of all from me. I felt betrayed. She’d served as my sidekick on mission trips because she was a fearless leader. I’d laughed with her and cried with her. I’d cheered her on and encouraged her through tough days. Then she went away to college, and the unthinkable happened. She not only left home, it felt as if she left the family behind. Never calling to talk and rarely coming home. Relationships with siblings were strained, and being around her was awkward. She had fallen in love with someone who loved her with all his heart, but she forgot where she came from. I grieved. Cried. Wept and wailed.

I woke up every day to a new day, but never in a new way. It was another day without her. The phone never rang. The ping of a much-needed text was silent. It seemed like I was no longer important to her. I felt as if she discarded me like a dirty dishrag. Being sucker-punched by a loved one is exactly how it felt. The very one I would take a bullet for can sometimes pull the trigger. The feeling is indescribable. The pain of betrayal is deep and overcoming. It was a hard kick in the gut that left me gasping for air. Breathless. I got stuck in grief as if my feet were sinking in quicksand.

Those “heart-hurt” experiences of betrayal can make us either better or bitter. Being bitter scars. And many times is followed by trying to get even. Being better is splattered with hope. I made my choice. I chose to be bitter. Headaches, heartaches, and hard days lay ahead. I fell flat on my face and tripped over the trials of life. I shut the door on opportunities and opened the door to a destructive emotion named Bitter. I welcomed him in and said hello to one of the ugliest enemies a person can face—the enemy who steals joy, quiets laughter, smothers hope, ushers in loneliness, and gut punches the soul. Bitterness hardens the heart but disguises itself as strength. Don’t be fooled. I knew if I chose bitterness over betterness, it would sabotage me. Depression crept in and I stayed in bed too long, wanting to hide under the covers and disappear became a reality. Bitter was the taste coming off my tongue and the taste was bad. Tears came daily and sadness loomed over me like a dark cloud. 

It took a while, but finally I woke up one morning, and I was done. Enough was enough! It was time to live again, trust again, and love without boundary lines. I was face to face with backing up and starting over. How we back up determines how the rest of our life turns out. I had to start over. To get back in the race and run with arms wide open to the life that lay ahead. But most of all, to never give up hope in a relationship being restored.

I had to stop walking around smelling like smoke from being burned. I realized that I also had blamed, shamed, and said things I could not take back. Once words are said, they can only be forgiven, not forgotten. It was time for me to take responsibility, too. As a hardheaded, outspoken, southern woman, I learned God couldn’t fix what I wouldn’t face. So I faced it head on. The truth is, I gave my opinion too much, and an opinion given without being asked for was criticism. My opinion used to make sense. Now it just gave offense.

My daughter didn’t feel she could ever measure up to my expectations. I apologized, with tears streaming down my cheeks. I wailed. I wept. I wanted her back as my daughter. However, she was not interested in me being in her life at this point. She could live without me being a part of her life. I had a tough choice to make.

Since the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit, I figured I qualified. I got out of the line of fire. I threw up the white flag of surrender. I immersed myself in His Word. He pulled me up, lifted my chin, and assured me Jesus loved her more than I did. But most of all, He assured me I was lovable. I am still lovable. The words I so needed to know. The Bible is full of promises and comfort, and it was time I believed them for myself.

I could not control whether or not she loved me. I had to face the cold hard fact: I had no control over anything except my own actions. It was time to pay attention to how I reacted from this day forward. It was time to seek the sunshine again.

We all go through some kind of heart hurt and betrayal. From my experience, I know it will steal your laughter, kill your joy, and try to destroy hope. The only anecdote for bitterness is forgiveness. Forgiveness is a strong-willed decision. However, it is the only decision that would bring me freedom from the prison of bitterness.

No more sitting, soaking, and souring. When we forgive and allow Jesus to heal our broken heart, he rearranges the letters in depression to spell “I pressed on.” We can hide our hurts behind closed doors or out in the open. Want to live life fully alive and experience day-to-day joy? Forgiveness is the only option. Unforgiveness disqualifies. The price for unforgiveness is too high. We must sell all of our stock in it now and press on. 

Part of pressing on is to allow God to use someone to show us compassion. To be transparent and trust the one God sends. Compassion need not be complicated. Comfort doesn’t require big words or wise advice. Comfort for me was a friend’s shoulder, crying till I could cry no more, and her petting my hair softly. Sometimes saying “I am sorry” is the best thing someone can say to someone who is hurting. And sometimes, when it’s been a really tough week, it’s all we need to hear. My friend assured me I was lovable. I needed to hear it. 

When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer (Psalm 94:19 NLT).

“Father God, show me how to love like You do. Show me how to express my deep, unconditional love in a way people can receive. Heal the places in my heart where I feel rejected and betrayed, and if bitterness is trying to build a wall, tear it down. I do not want to carry around anything in my heart that should not be there. I want freedom, forgiveness, and joy. Only You can set me free. Because of You, I have hope that one day full restoration will happen because You tell me love never fails. In Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen.”

How can we learn ways to overcome bitterness when we’ve been betrayed?

So here is the million-dollar question. How do we overcome bitterness when we’ve been betrayed? How do we truly forgive? When we seek Christ more than we seek revenge, He will unlock the prison door of bitterness. A life lived with bitterness is a life half lived. Jesus can put a heart back together when unforgiveness is ripping it apart. Begin by trusting Jesus to do what He says He will do. He will come through. Everyone comes with some kind of baggage. Some of us pack bitterness. Other’s negativity or perhaps anger. Jesus loves us enough to help us unpack. 

Here’s three simple ways you can begin the process:

Make a list of the bitterness that is causing you to struggle. Sit before Jesus and go over your list, pray and ask God to help you release the bitter events and hurts. Tear up the list as a symbol of letting go and allow God to help you heal from the very thing that caused you to be broken-hearted. About the Author

Tammy Whitehurst is a full-time speaker encouraging audiences to live life kicked up a notch. Her contagious joy will capture your heart. She is a former middle school teacher who struggles like the rest of us with life, cellulite, junk drawers, and wrinkles. Connect with her at TammyWhitehurst.com.

~ Pin for Later ~ [image error] The post 3 Effective Ways to Overcome Bitterness in Your Life first appeared on .

7 Ideas to Teach Your Kids to Eat Healthy

Most kids probably don’t know that God created over 100 vegetables and 50 fruits. Neither has most children eaten all of those produce items? One summer my kids and I picked out new produce items each week. It was a lot of fun tasting items we had never eaten before. I find it interesting that God created twice as many vegetables as fruit. God knew what we needed to eat. I think of vegetables as God’s staple and fruits as his dessert. How do we get our kids to eat healthy foods? Here are some ideas to try:

1. When you go to the grocery store, have your youngster choose one new fruit and vegetable for the family to try. If your kid picks out the item, they will more likely want to try it. If you have a couple of kids, let one choose a vegetable and the other a fruit. Then switch the following week.

2. Create a scavenger hunt for your kids in the produce section of the grocery store. Simply ask them to find the colors for each vegetable and fruit. My new picture book, Eat God’s Food, provides a list of vegetables that they are supposed to draw and a list of fruits that needs color identification for each fruit.

3. While grocery shopping, ask your kids to choose their favorite nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. When you get home, create snack bags that include their favorite items. Measure a scoop in each bag and place them in your pantry. These snacks are perfect to take with your kids for their athletic events.

4. Show your child how to read a food label. When my kids picked out a grocery store item, I asked them to check to see how many grams of sugar it contained. They knew we couldn’t buy anything with over 10 grams of sugar. So they kept checking food labels until they found one that was close to that amount. Manufacturers seem to add sugar to many foods. So checking labels really helps you lower your sugar consumption. Lower sugar results in better behavior. There is a section, Eat God’s Food, teaching them to read food labels and identify unwanted ingredients.  

5. Teach your kids about the health benefits of consuming fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds, nuts, and meat. Along with your child, figure out the vitamins in these foods. Together, determine what fruit or vegetable item might improve their vision or give them more energy. Identify items that may agitate your child (ones that include added sugar, monosodium gluconate (MSG), artificial sweeteners, and colors). Limit their consumption of these foods.

6. Explain to your kids that products made from white flour have been stripped of their nutrients. These foods may cause a child to grow wider instead of taller. Explain how food manufacturers have to choose between doing what’s profitable versus beneficial for the consumer. Adding sugar, salt, and fat to foods gets us hooked, so we buy more.

7. Each week cook something with your children. My book, Eat God’s Food, provides recipes to create with your kid for the following food groups: grains, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, and meat.

In addition, limit your child’s consumption of oat-based cereals because they contain a residue from the carcinogen, glyphosate. Glyphosate is used as an herbicide that is sprayed on the following genetically modified crops: oats, wheat, corn, and soy. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment. Since the federal government does not monitor the amount of glyphosate residue on produce, the Environmental Working Group checked. This article lists the level of glyphosate found in your child’s favorite cereal. I recommend purchasing organic products if they are made from corn, oats, wheat, or soy.

Expand your child’s knowledge base and point of view about foods. Help them to understand the difference between healthy and unhealthy foods. Wouldn’t it be fun if they grabbed a grocery store product, read the label, and told you why it was not healthy? Together, select interesting vegetables and fruits from the produce section. Awaken you and your child’s viewpoint regarding the vastness of the foods that God created for us to enjoy. 

Author Bio:

Susan Neal RN, MBA, MHS teaches both children and adults about healthy nutritional guidelines. She lives out what she teaches. Susan loves to share with others what she’s learned about health. Now she wants to educate children about developing wholesome eating habits. She is the author of eight healthy living books, including her two newest publications Eat God’s Food and Solving the Gluten Puzzle.

~ Pin for Later ~ The post 7 Ideas to Teach Your Kids to Eat Healthy first appeared on .

4 Dangers with Today’s Foods – Glyphosate, GMO’s, Celiac Disease, & Gluten

A century ago, before manufacturers processed foods, fruits and vegetables grew on farms and were distributed to local regions. The produce was fresh and needed to be eaten quickly. Wheat was a whole grain and had a short shelf life. Today manufacturers remove the bran and germ from the wheat kernel, so it doesn’t contain any nutrients. Today’s processed foods contain glyphosate and don’t even resemble the original food that it was made from.

This article will review the top four dangers of today’s food:Cancer-Causing Glyphosate

Glyphosate is the active ingredient in many herbicides, and it causes cancer. This toxic weed killer is sprayed on crops just prior to harvesting to help dry out the plan. Therefore, the glyphosate residue remains on food. Unfortunately, the federal government does not check to see if there is glyphosate residue on foods. 

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment. Every spring, this organization creates an annual Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen produce list. The Clean 15 items are the ones with the lowest pesticide and the Dirty Dozen foods are the ones with the highest. 

To ensure you consume the safest foods, purchase organic produce from the following list of fruits and vegetables that are on the Dirty Dozen list: 

StrawberriesSpinachKale, collard, and mustard greens NectarinesApplesGrapesCherriesPeachesPearsBell and hot peppers CeleryTomatoes [image error] Genetically Modified Organism (GMO)

In the United States, there are five principal GMO crops that are not harmed by the herbicide glyphosate—wheat, oats, soy, corn, and sugar beets. Therefore, you could be consuming a carcinogen when you eat products made with these foods. The EWG found glyphosate residue on almost all the breakfast foods made with oats. Unfortunately, these cereals are popular with children, so their smaller bodies might absorb higher concentrations of glyphosate.

Celiac Disease Increased 4 Times

Do you know someone who eats a gluten-free diet? Most people do. In the past 60 years, celiac disease increased by 400 percent. I believe this exponential growth of this immune-related disorder was caused by the hybridization of wheat. Today’s wheat is drought-resistant and prolific. But the gluten molecule is so large that most humans cannot properly digest it.

Gluten Products

It’s hard to eat a gluten-free diet because gluten is found in many ingredients are that not properly labeled. Some potential gluten-containing ingredients include:

EnzymesFillersFlavorsNatural flavorsModified food starchRice malt (if made from barley)SeasoningsSpicesStabilizersStarch

Any of these ingredients may contain gluten. If you are trying to eat a gluten-free diet, avoid products with these ingredients. Hidden sources of gluten kept causing me to struggle with negative symptoms until I developed this list and included it in my book, Solving the Gluten Puzzle.

To help you better navigate the four dangers with todays’ foods. Purchase organic products that are made from corn, oats, soy, sugar beets, and wheat. Educate yourself about gluten-related disorders and the gluten-free lifestyle, Author Bio

Susan Neal, RN, MHS, MBA lives her life with a passion to help others improve their health. After suffering a health crisis, she became an author and health coach to provide others with the tools they needed to heal their bodies and reclaim their ideal weight. Her award-winning #1 Amazon best-seller is 7 Steps to Get Off Sugar and Carbohydrates. You can find Susan at SusanUNeal.com.

~ Pin for Later ~

 

The post 4 Dangers with Today’s Foods – Glyphosate, GMO’s, Celiac Disease, & Gluten first appeared on .

Eat God’s Food: A Kid’s Guide to Healthy Eating

Pensacola, Florida, June 25, 2021—Nearly 1 in 4 children are overweight or suffer from obesity. Susan U. Neal wants to eradicate this epidemic by educating children about developing wholesome eating habits through her newest release, Eat God’s Food: A Kid’s Guide to Healthy Eating. Susan helped thousands improve their health and weight with her award-winning bestseller, 7 Steps to Get Off Sugar and Carbohydrates. Now she’s educating children through picture books.

Instead of letting a child’s taste buds rule over the family’s food choices, Eat God’s Food teaches them to love the right kinds of food before they form bad eating habits. Susan says, “Kindergarteners who are overweight are four times more likely to have obesity by eighth grade. It’s easier to influence a child’s food and physical activity choices when they are young. Kids are smart; they can understand that whole foods contain nutrients and processed foods don’t.” 

Eat God’s Food teaches children to avoid junk food and instead:drink water, not beverages that are loaded with sugaravoid products made with white flour as the nutrients are stripped from the wheatavoid prepackaged foods because they do not provide the body with vitamins and mineralsread food labels to determine if food companies added sugar, corn syrup, preservatives, or other harmful ingredientsEat God’s Food also includes fun educational activities:Draw vegetablesIdentify fruit colorsCount the vegetables you have eaten (50+ listed)Match nuts, grains, and seeds with their picturesFind high-protein foodsDetermine when seasonal fruits and vegetables ripenSeek and find fruitIdentify unhealthy items on a food label

Teaching kids early in their formative years to eat a healthy diet and limit caloric-rich sweets and processed foods is key to decreasing the childhood obesity epidemic. 

Eat God’s Food (ISBN 978-1649492890 Trade Paper $12.99, ISBN 978-1649492906 Hardcover $24.99)from Elk Lake Publishing is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 

~Pin for Later~ The post Eat God’s Food: A Kid’s Guide to Healthy Eating first appeared on .

Prayerwalking: Walking for Your Health, Praying for Your Community

Some years ago, I was falling apart physically. I needed to improve my health, but I also knew God had been nudging me to spend more time with him. So I got up just a little bit earlier the next day to walk. And while I walked, I would take care of my prayer lists. 

There was a lot of my-ness in those early prayers: my marriage, my kids, my teaching job. That changed when I saw a young man entrust his blanketed little girl to the daycare worker outside Toddler Towers in our town of eight hundred in the Sierra Valley. 

Before six in the morning I heard that little girl say, “Bye, Daddy. I love you.”

I knew right then that God had me out on the streets of my town not for my prayers but more for the needs of the people in my community.

I began opening my eyes and praying for the business owners along Main Street, the commuters headed to Reno, and the folks still sleeping in their homes. Soon I realized I didn’t have enough time to pray and began to add more minutes until I was walking a good hour or more each day—also praying for the schoolteachers and staff, the city and county employees, church pastors, and hospital and emergency services workers. 

Prayerwalking gives us personal direction.

There’s a biblical rationale for prayerwalking. Matthew 9:9 tells us that as Jesus was walking along, he saw Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth and said to him, “Follow me and be my disciple.” What if Jesus hadn’t been walking along? What if Jesus had stayed home? Would he have called the future gospel writer as his disciple? 

The early morning after I learned a student’s father had committed suicide, I was out walking and praying about what to do for that young man and how to support other students who might need help themselves. As I walked, I ran into two sisters and expressed my concern about what to do. One said, “Call Anne and Ann. They’ll know what to do.” Those two women were social workers in our county who worked with youth. I called them, and they set up a room in the high school where students could get help. My prayerwalking that morning allowed for that encounter that gave me personal direction.

Prayerwalking helps us see people’s needs.

In John 5:1–15 we learn that Jesus returned to Jerusalem for a pilgrimage feast, saw a

man lying by the pool of Bethesda, and healed him. What if Jesus hadn’t walked to Jerusalem for the feast? What if Jesus had stayed home? What if the man had never been healed?

Last summer I went prayerwalking in my little town with my visiting sister-in-law Lisa. The next morning, she asked if I had pruning shears she could

borrow. “I’d like to trim up the roses in that rose garden,” she said. As we had walked, she had noticed that the roses in a garden at the Catholic Church were in dire need of pruning. After I made a phone call to get permission, I collected a bunch of supplies,

 

 and we both spent a full morning working on the project—filling many yard and garden bags. As we prayerwalk, we’ll see needs that people have—needs that we might be able to meet ourselves. 

Prayerwalking gives us insights about what is not working systemically in our community.

In Mathew 12:1–8 we find that when Jesus and his disciples were walking on the Sabbath, his disciples started gleaning grain. When the Pharisees criticized them, the experience provided a teaching moment for Jesus about legalism and graceless living. Our prayerwalking will allow us to see issues such as poverty and racism—helping to direct our prayers.

As I’ve prayerwalked, I’ve seen racist graffiti (I reported that), heard couples arguing, and even watched what I’m guessing was a drug deal going down in the early morning hours. Being on the streets, as opposed to a treadmill, has given me insight into serious issues that exist even in my rural area. The practice of walking and praying means I’m stepping out of my comfort bubble to see the realities and pray accordingly. 

Prayerwalking is preparation for the harvest.

In Matthew 9:35–37 Jesus teaches that prayer is important so as to prepare a faith harvest. Prayer warriors are the advance team before others come to faith. It has been reported widely that concentrated prayer efforts preceded all the major revival movements. Praying on-site with insight, as author Steve Hawthorne writes, helps us pray fervently for our communities. 

Prayerwalking helps us identify with Jesus.

When Jesus approached Jerusalem for the last time, he wept over the city (Luke 19:41). As we prayerwalk, we can identify with our Lord as our hearts become more compassionate for the lost. 

Because I began to understand that wherever I was, there was a need for prayer, my mindset shifted from a self-focused perspective to an outward one, and my fears and depression vanished. I also experienced physical healing and significant weight loss. Additionally, the depression that had clouded most of my adult life up until that time disappeared as did anxiety. 

During this crazy season there’s no reason we can’t go for a good walk, which will promote a healthy lifestyle, develop our strength and resistance, and help counter the Covid food craziness. In fact, walking as an exercise is making a comeback, and as we embrace it, we can multi-task our miles by praying for our neighborhoods. Here are some suggestions to carry it off well:

Keep it simple. You don’t need fancy clothes—just a good pair of shoes and clothes that address weather needs.Stretch. Don’t stretch before you walk; wait until afterwards (suggested stretching exercises are in PrayerWalk ). If you stretch when your muscles, tendons, and ligaments are cold, you could hurt yourself.Schedule your walk. Put your prayerwalking times on your calendar, and see them as appointments for your health.Leave the buds. Music or podcasts can distract you from noticing the prayer needs as well as oncoming traffic.Pray for what you see: schools, homes, commuters, the social and justice issues in your community, and more.

As you prayerwalk your community, you will develop a praying-without-ceasing perspective, and God will hear and answer your prayers. 

About the Author:

Janet Holm McHenry is the author of 24 books, including the bestselling PrayerWalk: Becoming a Woman of Prayer, Strength and Discipline (WaterBrook). Her prayerwalking practices have been featured in Health magazine, Woman’s Day, First for Women and others. She loves to speak about how God transformed her life as she has partnered with God in prayer and invites you to connect with her through social media, her group called The Walking Club, or her website: https://www.janetmchenry.com.

~Pin for Later~ The post Prayerwalking: Walking for Your Health, Praying for Your Community first appeared on .