As you prepare to engage the content in this App, I want to set the context for what you're about to read. The principles you're going to consider served as the catalyst that the Holy Spirit used to transform my life specifically as it relates to the consumption of food and my journey with weight. Many of the other leadership apps address matters that you may have expected and/or hoped to find when opening up this app but rest assured ... things like emotional, spiritual, mental, relational and financial health are covered (or at least addressed or touched on) through several of the other apps. You will notice too that the content below focuses on the issue of time which can and should be applied throughout all of our lives.
Further, I fully acknowledge that my application (not the principles themselves) of this app focuses on something that is unique to a privileged society. In many corners of the world starvation and the absence of enough food are serious and tragic matters that are beyond the scope of what my application of this app is designed to address. They are, however, deserving of Jesus' church and His leader's focused and intentional attention!
What was so revolutionary to me when I first read these thoughts was that they gave me a roadmap back to health. I didn't feel so overwhelmed when I realized that it would take time and it would be a process but that it could be broken down into daily steps that had the power to help me move past my own shame and embarrassment. I had become quite unhealthy and lacked self-control when it came to eating, so for me these truths regarding time were transformative. Please know that my goal in creating this app is to add value to your life and to be helpful in your leadership journey. I feel compelled to lead the way in being vulnerable and transparent as a leader and as you will read and hear me talk about ... this app is one that I use every day of my life.
The point of the Health App is that we can leverage time or we can be leveraged by time - the choice is ours. The application of this in my own life was my weight. But that may not be the application for you. You may have never struggled with your health in these ways or you may wrestle in other areas with regard to how you view food and weight. Please don't listen to the voices of shame, accusation or condemnation as you read this app. But DO listen to the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit and what He's whispering to you about how these principles of time can alter the course of your life. If you'll allow Him, He will help guide and direct you to be a healthy leader - in every way! I look forward to our discussion.
Further, I fully acknowledge that my application (not the principles themselves) of this app focuses on something that is unique to a privileged society. In many corners of the world starvation and the absence of enough food are serious and tragic matters that are beyond the scope of what my application of this app is designed to address. They are, however, deserving of Jesus' church and His leader's focused and intentional attention!
What was so revolutionary to me when I first read these thoughts was that they gave me a roadmap back to health. I didn't feel so overwhelmed when I realized that it would take time and it would be a process but that it could be broken down into daily steps that had the power to help me move past my own shame and embarrassment. I had become quite unhealthy and lacked self-control when it came to eating, so for me these truths regarding time were transformative. Please know that my goal in creating this app is to add value to your life and to be helpful in your leadership journey. I feel compelled to lead the way in being vulnerable and transparent as a leader and as you will read and hear me talk about ... this app is one that I use every day of my life.
The point of the Health App is that we can leverage time or we can be leveraged by time - the choice is ours. The application of this in my own life was my weight. But that may not be the application for you. You may have never struggled with your health in these ways or you may wrestle in other areas with regard to how you view food and weight. Please don't listen to the voices of shame, accusation or condemnation as you read this app. But DO listen to the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit and what He's whispering to you about how these principles of time can alter the course of your life. If you'll allow Him, He will help guide and direct you to be a healthy leader - in every way! I look forward to our discussion.
“Didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (MSG)
Many leaders are seriously lacking in the areas of personal health, nutrition and exercise. We tend to laugh it off but it’s a terrible example of keeping our “temples” a holy dwelling place. We focus on the sexual issues at the expense of the physical. It’s both!
In light of my past experiences, my current responsibilities, and my future hopes and dreams what is the wisest way to spend my time?
“Man's days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.” Job 14:5 (NIV)
You can overspend, overeat, and overachieve, but you can’t “over-live.” The Psalmist adds this: “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalms 90:12 (NIV)
PRINCIPLES REGARDING TIME …
1. There is a cumulative value in investing small amounts of time in certain activities over a long period.
Exercise is probably the best example. Experts tell us that there is tremendous value in exercising 3-5 times per week. Here is the challenge: at the end of your first week, will you be able to tell a difference? Probably not. You are not going to drop 10 lbs. from a little exercise in one week. However, if you do this for a year, you are going to see a lot of change. You’re going to feel better, healthier and be in better shape.
2. Neglect has a cumulative effect as well.
You can neglect your health for a day, but if you neglect it for years and years it has a cumulative effect physically, relationally, spiritually, emotionally and financially.
Here is why this so dangerous. You cannot go back and make up for lost time. Why? Because it is lost. It is gone. I cannot go back and re-live it. It is gradual and cumulative and we often don’t realize the effect that it has on us. It takes a heart attack for us to change our eating habits. It often takes something extreme to get our attention. Long term neglect can kill you.
3. There are rarely immediate consequences for neglecting single installments of time in any particular arena of life.
This is why it’s so easy for us to miss our exercise routine. Because when we get off our routine or our diet for one day it’s not that big of a deal. When we look at that one moment, that one snack, that one meal, and evaluate that one installment of time we’ll easily arrive at, “This really isn’t all that important.” Nothing comes apart. There are usually no huge consequences. This is how we talk ourselves out of things all the time. It’s just once, it’s no big deal.
4. There is no cumulative value in the urgent things we allow to interfere with what's most important to us.
If you don’t exercise over the course of a year what have you done instead? Slept in, stayed up later, read the newspaper, breakfast with friends, piddled around in the house, etc. When you stack up all the stuff you did instead of exercising and you add it all up it all adds up to zero.
5. In the critical arenas of life, you cannot make up for lost time.
At school you can pull an all-nighter and make up for a lack of studying along the way. In the critical areas of life there are no all-nighters. You cannot cram for a healthy body!
The key areas of life require small deposits all along the way. In light of these truths about the way we manage time … here is what the Lord says as it relates to the issue of time …
“Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Ephesians 5:15-17 (NASB)
The phrase making the most of your time literally means redeeming the time. In the Greek it’s an accounting term. Paul was saying, “Get the full value out of your time – squeeze all the good you can out of every moment of your life.” In other words, get as much out of your time as you can because misappropriated time is a misappropriated life. Get maximum value from your life.
Why does Paul tell us to make the most of our time (redeem the time)? Because the days are evil. In other words, don’t miss out on your today’s. You only get to spend today once.
We do not live in a morally, ethically neutral environment and because of this our values are constantly being challenged. If we are not very careful, we will allow the current of culture to draw us into a lifestyle where our time is carelessly used rather that strategically invested.
What do you need to stop doing? What do you need to do more consistently? What do you need to start doing on a daily basis?
“Don't procrastinate— there's no time to lose.” Proverbs 6:4 (MSG)
“If you live wisely, you will live a long time; wisdom will add years to your life.” Proverbs 9:11 (NCV)
“Whoever gathers in the summer is a wise son. Whoever sleeps at harvest time brings shame.” Proverbs 10:5 (GW)
“The fear of the Lord lengthens {the number of} days, but the years of wicked people are shortened.” Proverbs 10:27 (GW)
“Spend time with the wise and you will become wise, but the friends of fools will suffer.” Proverbs 13:20 (NCV)
“If you are lazy and sleep your time away, you will starve.” Proverbs 19:15 (CEV)
APPLICATION: MyFitnessPal
“Give us today our daily bread” teaches us that we can ask God to meet our basic needs. When our lives are lined up with His values, we can ask for fuel to do it. I had to come to grips with the fact that I wasn't eating my daily bread. I was eating today's and part of tomorrow's. As a result, I gained weight gradually for years.
When I pray for the Lord to give me my daily bread, I realize that means I need to eat within the range of my daily needs. Make your consumption of food a matter of prayer. Learn about portion control. The Lord will help you. Eating is not about you, how you feel, how much you like or dislike something. It is about having energy and strength to fulfill God's purpose for your life. When our hearts are aligned with God's heart, we can ask the Lord for food to help us.
Take a moment right now and ask God to give you the food you need today to do His will for your life. How are you with food?
Are you exercising? How often? With others? What’s the next step for you to begin getting healthy from a physical standpoint?
Resource: "The Best Question Ever" by Andy Stanley; "Learning To Follow Jesus" by Daniel McNaughton.
Many leaders are seriously lacking in the areas of personal health, nutrition and exercise. We tend to laugh it off but it’s a terrible example of keeping our “temples” a holy dwelling place. We focus on the sexual issues at the expense of the physical. It’s both!
In light of my past experiences, my current responsibilities, and my future hopes and dreams what is the wisest way to spend my time?
“Man's days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.” Job 14:5 (NIV)
You can overspend, overeat, and overachieve, but you can’t “over-live.” The Psalmist adds this: “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalms 90:12 (NIV)
PRINCIPLES REGARDING TIME …
1. There is a cumulative value in investing small amounts of time in certain activities over a long period.
Exercise is probably the best example. Experts tell us that there is tremendous value in exercising 3-5 times per week. Here is the challenge: at the end of your first week, will you be able to tell a difference? Probably not. You are not going to drop 10 lbs. from a little exercise in one week. However, if you do this for a year, you are going to see a lot of change. You’re going to feel better, healthier and be in better shape.
2. Neglect has a cumulative effect as well.
You can neglect your health for a day, but if you neglect it for years and years it has a cumulative effect physically, relationally, spiritually, emotionally and financially.
Here is why this so dangerous. You cannot go back and make up for lost time. Why? Because it is lost. It is gone. I cannot go back and re-live it. It is gradual and cumulative and we often don’t realize the effect that it has on us. It takes a heart attack for us to change our eating habits. It often takes something extreme to get our attention. Long term neglect can kill you.
3. There are rarely immediate consequences for neglecting single installments of time in any particular arena of life.
This is why it’s so easy for us to miss our exercise routine. Because when we get off our routine or our diet for one day it’s not that big of a deal. When we look at that one moment, that one snack, that one meal, and evaluate that one installment of time we’ll easily arrive at, “This really isn’t all that important.” Nothing comes apart. There are usually no huge consequences. This is how we talk ourselves out of things all the time. It’s just once, it’s no big deal.
4. There is no cumulative value in the urgent things we allow to interfere with what's most important to us.
If you don’t exercise over the course of a year what have you done instead? Slept in, stayed up later, read the newspaper, breakfast with friends, piddled around in the house, etc. When you stack up all the stuff you did instead of exercising and you add it all up it all adds up to zero.
5. In the critical arenas of life, you cannot make up for lost time.
At school you can pull an all-nighter and make up for a lack of studying along the way. In the critical areas of life there are no all-nighters. You cannot cram for a healthy body!
The key areas of life require small deposits all along the way. In light of these truths about the way we manage time … here is what the Lord says as it relates to the issue of time …
“Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Ephesians 5:15-17 (NASB)
The phrase making the most of your time literally means redeeming the time. In the Greek it’s an accounting term. Paul was saying, “Get the full value out of your time – squeeze all the good you can out of every moment of your life.” In other words, get as much out of your time as you can because misappropriated time is a misappropriated life. Get maximum value from your life.
Why does Paul tell us to make the most of our time (redeem the time)? Because the days are evil. In other words, don’t miss out on your today’s. You only get to spend today once.
We do not live in a morally, ethically neutral environment and because of this our values are constantly being challenged. If we are not very careful, we will allow the current of culture to draw us into a lifestyle where our time is carelessly used rather that strategically invested.
What do you need to stop doing? What do you need to do more consistently? What do you need to start doing on a daily basis?
“Don't procrastinate— there's no time to lose.” Proverbs 6:4 (MSG)
“If you live wisely, you will live a long time; wisdom will add years to your life.” Proverbs 9:11 (NCV)
“Whoever gathers in the summer is a wise son. Whoever sleeps at harvest time brings shame.” Proverbs 10:5 (GW)
“The fear of the Lord lengthens {the number of} days, but the years of wicked people are shortened.” Proverbs 10:27 (GW)
“Spend time with the wise and you will become wise, but the friends of fools will suffer.” Proverbs 13:20 (NCV)
“If you are lazy and sleep your time away, you will starve.” Proverbs 19:15 (CEV)
APPLICATION: MyFitnessPal
“Give us today our daily bread” teaches us that we can ask God to meet our basic needs. When our lives are lined up with His values, we can ask for fuel to do it. I had to come to grips with the fact that I wasn't eating my daily bread. I was eating today's and part of tomorrow's. As a result, I gained weight gradually for years.
When I pray for the Lord to give me my daily bread, I realize that means I need to eat within the range of my daily needs. Make your consumption of food a matter of prayer. Learn about portion control. The Lord will help you. Eating is not about you, how you feel, how much you like or dislike something. It is about having energy and strength to fulfill God's purpose for your life. When our hearts are aligned with God's heart, we can ask the Lord for food to help us.
Take a moment right now and ask God to give you the food you need today to do His will for your life. How are you with food?
Are you exercising? How often? With others? What’s the next step for you to begin getting healthy from a physical standpoint?
Resource: "The Best Question Ever" by Andy Stanley; "Learning To Follow Jesus" by Daniel McNaughton.
| jennas_note.pdf |
In December of 2014 Perry Noble wrote about the issue of obesity. He says, "Most of the people reading this have most likely never heard a sermon on the issue of obesity. The very fact I would categorize it as a sin is quite offensive to some. However, I believe obesity is one of the most prevalent struggles in our nation today, and there are way more people in our churches wrestling with obesity than they are other sins [we harp on]. Obesity is not just a problem in America—it’s an epidemic."
According to the CDC’s website ...
Obesity is killing people. Our country is literally eating itself to death, yet the church chooses to remain silent about the issue because it seems to be too personal. Gluttony is specifically mentioned in the Bible. I was reminded of the seriousness of it the other day when I read verses like this:
"When you sit to dine with a ruler, note well what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony." Proverbs 23:1-2
That is INTENSE! Put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony?
What if the church actually became passionate about addressing an issue in the church that impacts so many people?
If you are so angry at me right now that you want to hit me I understand … and if you are overweight or obese and are feeling self-conscious let me be very clear about what is going to follow: My purpose in writing this has not been to hurt you, tear you down or push you away. I’m writing this to encourage you – and let you know that I know EXACTLY how you feel and the battle that you are going through.
I was fat when I was a kid ... really fat. I was fat in middle school. I was fat in high school. I can remember buying size 50 pants once! I can remember buying XXXL shirts. I can still remember the names I was called in elementary school … and until this day I still see myself as fat and am more self-conscious about my appearance than anyone would imagine. I still battle weight issues every single day.
The first thing I do every single morning is step on the scale to weigh myself, and way too often I have let higher numbers than I expected drag me down for the day. Until this day I hate shopping and trying on clothes for fear they may be too small and it would make me look bad. But, I also know that Jesus in you allows you to overcome ANYTHING.
Overeating is simply a lack of self-control, something we are promised by the Lord we have (Galatians 5:22-23).
It is no coincidence that the very first temptation of mankind had food involved. The very first thing satan did when he tempted Jesus was to use food. Food is “the drug of choice” used by most people today.
For years I would joke about my weight and try to excuse myself from being that way by telling everyone that “it just ran in the family.” However, there was a day, a snapping point for me, where I realized that as long as I saw myself as a victim I would NEVER walk in victory. So I went on a diet, not a fad diet or a crash diet, but a real one. And I began to work out. I stopped blaming the devil for me being huge, stopped asking Jesus to take pounds off of me and took control.
And if I can do it…you can too! You CAN win the battle with weight!
Make an appointment with your doctor, join a gym, adjust your eating, get in a group who will hold you accountable and STOP letting this dominate your life!! You can do ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST!
According to the CDC’s website ...
- More than one-third (34.9% or 78.6 million) of U.S. adults are obese.
- Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, some of the leading causes of preventable deaths.
- The estimated annual medical cost of obesity in the U.S. was $147 billion U.S dollars in 2008; the medical costs for people who are obese were $1,429 higher than those of normal weight.
Obesity is killing people. Our country is literally eating itself to death, yet the church chooses to remain silent about the issue because it seems to be too personal. Gluttony is specifically mentioned in the Bible. I was reminded of the seriousness of it the other day when I read verses like this:
"When you sit to dine with a ruler, note well what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony." Proverbs 23:1-2
That is INTENSE! Put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony?
What if the church actually became passionate about addressing an issue in the church that impacts so many people?
If you are so angry at me right now that you want to hit me I understand … and if you are overweight or obese and are feeling self-conscious let me be very clear about what is going to follow: My purpose in writing this has not been to hurt you, tear you down or push you away. I’m writing this to encourage you – and let you know that I know EXACTLY how you feel and the battle that you are going through.
I was fat when I was a kid ... really fat. I was fat in middle school. I was fat in high school. I can remember buying size 50 pants once! I can remember buying XXXL shirts. I can still remember the names I was called in elementary school … and until this day I still see myself as fat and am more self-conscious about my appearance than anyone would imagine. I still battle weight issues every single day.
The first thing I do every single morning is step on the scale to weigh myself, and way too often I have let higher numbers than I expected drag me down for the day. Until this day I hate shopping and trying on clothes for fear they may be too small and it would make me look bad. But, I also know that Jesus in you allows you to overcome ANYTHING.
Overeating is simply a lack of self-control, something we are promised by the Lord we have (Galatians 5:22-23).
It is no coincidence that the very first temptation of mankind had food involved. The very first thing satan did when he tempted Jesus was to use food. Food is “the drug of choice” used by most people today.
For years I would joke about my weight and try to excuse myself from being that way by telling everyone that “it just ran in the family.” However, there was a day, a snapping point for me, where I realized that as long as I saw myself as a victim I would NEVER walk in victory. So I went on a diet, not a fad diet or a crash diet, but a real one. And I began to work out. I stopped blaming the devil for me being huge, stopped asking Jesus to take pounds off of me and took control.
And if I can do it…you can too! You CAN win the battle with weight!
Make an appointment with your doctor, join a gym, adjust your eating, get in a group who will hold you accountable and STOP letting this dominate your life!! You can do ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST!
The pictures below show me at my highest weight (about 265). I lost 45-50 pounds in 2008 at the age of 38. Keeping the weight off is a daily decision to submit the amount of food I eat to my Heavenly Father.
March 2005
June 2005
October 2014