October 31, 2012 - Turn It Around!

GM to you all, Genesis 50 (the story of Joseph) reminds us this morning that God is able to take our mess and create a message. God is able to take our desperation and give someone else hope. Joseph commented to his brothers that what they had intended for evil, God intended for GOOD. As we journey though this day, we need to remind ourselves that Satan wants to discourage and trap each of us. He can use the BIG things in our lives or the simple things like candy, Halloween cupcakes, and issues that may serve to "seemingly" place us in a pocket of hopelessness. I can't even imagine what being betrayed by your family and left to die really feels like. But Joseph not only escaped the entrapment, he went on to help others escape entrapment. Let's make that pledge. I remember the YEARS of eating so much sugar on Halloween that I would be literally sick by the end of the night and wanting to hit myself in the stomach in order to throw up. UGH! (true confession this morning) So many today will be on a "sugar high" only to crash tomorrow and look in the mirror in the morning and confess failure AGAIN. My heart hurts when I think of the prison I endured for years - and others as well. Maybe you are thinking - "really - not that serious," but sugar is so addictive and so hard to overcome. I even looked at some sugar free peanut butter cups yesterday so I didn't "feel" deprived. Then I stopped and almost shook myself - I will not be trapped by that again. Sorry, wrong girl! So today I packed two apples and some natural peanut butter and I will create something to replace the peanut butter cups SOON. Yes, I will. God is taking the mess of my past and giving me creative energy in the kitchen as HIS tool to help rescue me. And guess what, He'll do that for you as well. I promise. Joseph endured and then conquered. That is going to be our testimony. Can I encourage you today? NO candy or sweets. It may be hard, but tomorrow you'll thank me. Make a pledge with me - NO sweets today - not one bite. We can do it. :) PK REMEMBER - Life Group at 5:00 this Sunday due to time change and Falcon's game. :) Hope that's okay. It's our Christmas Life Group, so if you're bringing something healthy to share, make a note.

October 30, 2012 - Let's Pray!

Good morning to you all, No blog today as I cannot stop watching the television concerning Sandy. My heart is heavy and I feel we need to come along side these families in prayer. The storm, the winds, the fires, the snow - they are claiming this is the largest storm in recorded history. God protect these precious people. The weather man is saying the storm will continue another 36 hours. I pray for wisdom and help from on high. Several have asked for the pumpkin pound cake recipe - it is close, but I am still adjusting the cooking time. It tastes amazing, but when it cools it condenses like a pumpkin pie. I am going to look at this again this week. I will send it out when finished. I think the combination of pumpkin and almond flour may need to be adjusted. :) Give me a few more days. I did serve jicama at a shower last night with hummus and it was a HIT! Don't forget we have Healthy 4 You life Group this Sunday. Can we meet at 5 as the Falcons play at 7:30??? I know some won't come due to the game - I'm a big fan too - so can we move the time up and hour. That may be better too as the time changes on Sunday and it will feel later to us. :) Those who have responded yes, let me hear from you. Have an amazing day, PK

October 29, 2012 - Say NO Ahead of Time!

Hello and good Monday, The arctic blast has certainly shouted loudly that it is tired of being bottled up. It hasn't been this cool in almost a year. All that cold air, which is so dense and heavy, must be clapping with joy as it got to move and spread out. OOPS - science teacher stuff. :) Anyway, what a busy week this is for me with our Fall Family Festival AND one of my best friend's son's wedding. Lots of opportunities for eating wrong foods this week. SOOOOO - I am up and making plans. I really feel that victory resides in the planning. Most feel victory resides in the ability to be disciplined - but being disciplined to BRING the correct foods to an event and not be dependent on your host to provide them IS DISCIPLINE. Halloween was my "open the gate" starting point to the holiday season. I started eating candy as soon as I started buying it for parties, as well as making the excuses that January was only 8 weeks away. Even as I type that I a shaking my head........STUPID! No wonder I was so sick. As I look forward to this week, which kicks off with a bridal party at my house tonight, I have planned a menu that works for me including a sugar free/starch free pumpkin pound cake with pumpkin spiced whipped cream and "sugared" pecan pieces. YUM! I bought extra apples and natural peanut butter and will be packing my lunch Wednesday for the festival including some brownies that are legal. I REFUSE to watch all those folks "yumming" on the candy (MY DELIGHT) and feel bitterness in my heart. I CHOSE this journey, I am healthy because of this journey and I am HAPPY because of this journey! However, I have planned ahead of time to say, "No thank you." There will be many people who offer me unhealthy choices this week, but none of them control my destiny. I am strong enough to smile and say, "no thank you" without justifying, defending or explaining. I want to encourage you that these next eight weeks don't have to be times of denial OR failure. Say "NO" ahead of time - practice if you will - with NO explanation - and bring your own foods that bring a smile to your body. Let's start January healthy and running and with NO regrets. :) I know this is a tough week for those addicted to chocolates - say "NO" early and don't deal with the frustration of feeling you failed on Thursday. We can eat sweets - we just have to make them. wink PK

October 26, 2012 - My Drink of Choice

GM, Those who know me absolutely know that I like unusual and abnormal things. And......I feel that way about my water. I get bored with things easily. How about you? Today I thought I would focus on some new water/drink recipes that are fabulous. Do remember that you need to allow TIME for the flavor to be infused into the water. So plan ahead. :) There are a million combinations, but the following are some of my personal favorites. (and, some suppress appetite while others calm my spirit). Hope this makes your weekend smile. However, as it's going to chill down by late Sunday, how about some all natural apple juice, truvia, orange slices, cinnamon sticks, and cloves? Heat until almost a boil and then simmer. Makes your house smell amazing and this really warms you. :) Drink up. Let's talk again Monday, PK. Tarragon Spa Waterby Leslie Bilderback INGREDIENTS 1 small lemon, sliced in wheels 1 cup fresh spearmint leaves ½ cup fresh rosemary needles ½ cup fresh tarragon 2 quarts water The spa is where you go to get refreshed and rejuvenated. You can replicate the experience in your own kitchen with this herb-infused water. Make it in the morning, and let it steep all day soit’s ready when you get home from work. Combine lemon and gently crushed herbs in a large pitcher. Add water, stir, and steep for 1–8 hours. Strain over ice to serve. Photo by: James Carrier Herb-infused Spa Water Relax and rehydrate with a tall glass of spring water touched with the tastes of fresh herbs and produce. Sunset MAY 2002 Yield: Makes about 1 1/2 quarts; about 4 servings Ingredients 6 cups chilled still spring or mineral water 12 thin slices cucumber 4 thin slices lemon 4 sprigs (each 2 in. long) fresh mint, slightly crushed 2 sprigs (each 2 in. long) fresh rosemary, slightly crushed Preparation In a 2- to 2 1/2-quart pitcher, combine water, cucumber, lemon, mint, and rosemary. Serve, or cover and chill at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours. Add ice cubes just before serving. Spa Water Recipe courtesy Chef Scott Leibfried Ingredients 1 orange, sliced 1 lemon, sliced 1 lime, sliced 1/2 grapefruit, pink or white, sliced 1 cup fresh mint leaves Directions Add all of the ingredients to a clear pitcher and fill with ice water. Best served slightly chilled or at room temperature.

October 25, 2012 - The One

Good morning to you all, As you remember from the past weeks, our church hosted a women's conference recently. For those not connected to NCC, we really saw the RAIN of God poured out on our ladies - healing, deliverance, restoration, chains broken. And if that weren't enough, we had 22 sisters water baptized. Amen! I want to share a very tender moment I had with the Lord concerning the conference and then bring this into our world. Our women's ministry team had worked for 7 months on this conference. I knew it was going to be amazing. But for whatever reasons, the attendance didn't build as I thought it would. I was a bit discouraged because I knew that we had planned BIG and I wanted to share it with everyone. I knew God was going to do amazing things, and HE DID, and I wanted to share it with as many ladies as possible. :) So Thursday morning, the start of the conference, I was praying and asking God to move on the last few who had not registered and bring all those who were supposed to attend. I felt the Lord speak to me in that place in my belly and ask me a very profound question. He asked, "would you do all this elaborate planning and creation of a conference for JUST ONE?" That question shook me! God would have done it ALL "for the one." He's so amazing to bring balance to everything, isn't He? Why am I bringing this up today? Sometimes when God doesn't quickly answer our prayers and we are still battling with that last few pounds, we can become discouraged and even reason that God has "more important things" to accomplish than helping us be healthy. STOP! God cared about THE ONE at the conference. He is intimately concerned with our lives and according to the scripture knows how many hairs are on our head and every thought in our head. He cares about THE ONE - that's us. Stop today and thank him for giving you great health according to HIS plan to use you. Ask Him to remind you to hydrate and to give you will power throughout the day when stress may cause your natural eyes to fix on a solution other than something healthy. I promise - God loves and cares about each of us at that level. We're THE ONE. Great news - after God asking me that profound question, I probably had FIVE women come to me, on their own and say, "You'll never know how this touched me - I feel like I was THE ONE this conference was created for." How cool is that???? wink Have an amazing day! Healthy 4 You Life Group NEXT Sunday. Last one for the year - please let me know if you'll be attending so I can prepare. :) PK

October 24, 2012 - Priceless

GM, I was thinking yesterday about the word priceless. The word basically defines itself - that to which NO PRICE can be ascribed. Right? I was thinking about the things in my house and life that are priceless........my Bible, pictures of my family, my mother's engagement ring, letters from my daughter and granddaughters, a cassette tape of my oldest granddaughter singing at the age of 2 (I'm not certain I can still find a machine to even listen to it), my relationship with God, my husband, my family, my close friends. There are just some things that if threatened by destruction, a murderous "spirit" will arise from within me. (just sayin') How about you? Can you make your list? But the question to each of us is.........do we see ourselves and our health as priceless? Do we really place great value on who we are? I venture to say in my many years of pastoring, that countless people really do not love anything about themselves. Shame, guilt, un-mended wounds, hurts, failures all seem to remind us that we are certainly NOT priceless. And yet someone saw us of such value they were willing to give their life for us. THAT IS priceless. We are of high value because of our relationship with God, Jesus' sacrificial gift, and the residence of the Holy Spirit within us. Again, PRICELESS! Now, I want to suggest that to the list of priceless we each add our health. If we could establish the VALUE of our health, I feel it could move to the priceless list. YES? Is our health worth guarding? YES! Is it worth placing in a SAFE PLACE? YES! Ask yourself honestly - right now - is your health as valuable as your most priceless possession? It should be close. :) Why? The foremost reason is our body houses the Holy Spirit and was created in God before the earth began. PRICELESS! (re-reading John 17 again this morning) But also, none of us REALLY wants to break down and run our life as a "old clunker" and be tossed aside as having no value simply because we chose to eat wrong and abuse the vehicle by which we experience life. That's not God's best for any of us. No, no......we want to live our life in fullness and health and we ALL know what that requires. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves of our value and that we ARE WORTH the extra time, energy, and sometimes money it takes to be healthy. Yes we are! So today, remind yourself that you belong on the priceless list and do whatever it takes to maintain your best health. Praying for you today - PK PS - Healthy 4 You Life Group on November 4th at 6 at my house. Theme - Christmas (as we won't meet in December)

October 23, 2012 - Cotton Candy

Don't you love going to all the county fairs that are being held now? I love the people, the pomp, the circumstance, the color, all the fun things that remind me of my childhood. But one of the things that was always such a disappointment to me was the cotton candy. Can I hear a yes from somebody else? I loved the color, the "melt in your mouth" texture, the taste, but there was NO SUBSTANCE! It was sticky, but NO substance. Within seconds this huge PILE of prettiness was gone. Let's make a connection......... On our journey to health, sometimes we choose the fluffiness of "in January I'm gonna get serious about my weight." COTTON CANDY "Well, I know I should make some changes to my diet, but there are just certain things I cannot live without." COTTON CANDY The Bible, in Proverbs 18:21 states, "21The tongue can bring death or life;those who love to talk will reap the consequences." Given the choice of cotton candy or an apple, I wonder what most would choose? The apple doesn't appear to be the favorite choice, but it is the best choice as it contains the fiber. The fiber sticks with us and helps to draw excessive fluid from the body. I spent most of my life TALKING about being healthy and TALKING about learning to eat veggies without frying them and TALKING about "in January of this year I'm gonna really get this." COTTON CANDY My talk was never really intended to stick - it was just a comforting word to me in my obesity. Somehow it gave me false hope. However, two years ago, in a desperate state, I finally starting talking about my health and confessing my health and allowing negative thoughts and words to be murdered. I quit making excuses and giving myself false hope. I QUIT eating the COTTON CANDY and grabbed the apple with an intense passion to never grab the COTTON CANDY again. It may look good for a moment, but it wanes to nothing. In our journey, there are a lot of choices DAILY. Let's remember to be real with OURSELVES first. Speaking life to our bodies can just be a ritual or false hope (Cotton Candy) if your heart and the Holy Spirit isn't helping you to walk in reality. We may all have a bad day. I had one Sunday - exhaustion took over and all I thought about was food. BUT.........NO COTTON CANDY. I did over eat, but it was foods on plan. I ate all day, in fact, and then realized how strong our emotions are and that I am still vulnerable - but praise God I never crossed the line. Portions went out the window, but health was still in my heart. I also had gone 2 days WAY under my water intake. It was like my mind went CRAZY. But Monday, 13 cups of water, and back on plan. AND.......I never said, "Well, in January I'll really start working on getting healthy." I let my tongue bring LIFE to me as I did't default to a negative confession. I knew Sunday I was on the roller coaster, but I never ate the COTTON CANDY! Yea! Moral - sometimes we're gonna hit a pocket - don't revert to giving yourself false moments of hope. EAT - eat healthy (even if WAY too much) and deal with your emotions. :) Let the words from our mouths that originate in our hearts say LIFE! Being real with my family this morning........maybe it encourages you. :) REAL TALK again tomorrow. PK PS - if you want to share this you can have folks go to my blog site - kathyshcgfamily.blogspot.com

October 22, 2012 - With All My Heart

Good morning all, I am refreshed and renewed and charged UP this morning. :) The conference was great and I am catching up on my loss of sleep from the past couple of months of events and travels. Now it's time to reflect, renew, regenerate and rejoice. How about those words??? Sometimes it's critical to MAKE ourselves sit down after a long journey and do these things. I need to look back and jot down the altars I created (places of remembrance) along the path and have those ready when the evil one tries to bring sorrow or point out my failures. Sometimes satan even wants to point out that, "God didn't come through for you." How dare he! When this "voice" tries to speak to my heart, I have to visit one of the places of remembrance and remind myself of the GOODNESS of God. Psalm 119:34 reads, "Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions; I will put them into practice with all my heart." Sometimes along our LIFE journey to health, we need understanding to come to our heart as it alone brings consolation when everyone else "seems" to eat whatever they desire with no consequence. God created our bodies with particular filters and tolerances and we must obey those. As we journey and share insight with one another, it becomes instruction to our souls. THEN......there is the CHOICE to practice them. THEN........there is the CHOICE to practice them with ALL OUR HEART. I will tell you that "yo-yo" practice will NEVER bring you to a place of stable health. We can understand what is needed from us in order to renew and regenerate our cells and we can CHOOSE to obey these instructions for a couple of weeks and then NOT for a couple of weeks and "REASON" with ourselves that we've been "good" and deserve a rest. But does this "yo-yo" practice demonstrate REAL understanding in our hearts? Does it communicate to our flesh that life is critical and we must feed and hydrate our bodies PROPERLY in order for them to maintain health? I am afraid not. What that really means is that we get to eat and do what we want and not PRACTICE what we KNOW is critical to survival, but our cells and organs are then slammed and pay the penalty. Let's choose today to understand, obey, AND PRACTICE sound instruction with ALL OUR HEARTS. Have a great Monday, PK

October 22, 2012 - With All My Heart

Good morning all, I am refreshed and renewed and charged UP this morning. :) The conference was great and I am catching up on my loss of sleep from the past couple of months of events and travels. Now it's time to reflect, renew, regenerate and rejoice. How about those words??? Sometimes it's critical to MAKE ourselves sit down after a long journey and do these things. I need to look back and jot down the altars I created (places of remembrance) along the path and have those ready when the evil one tries to bring sorrow or point out my failures. Sometimes satan even wants to point out that, "God didn't come through for you." How dare he! When this "voice" tries to speak to my heart, I have to visit one of the places of remembrance and remind myself of the GOODNESS of God. Psalm 119:34 reads, "Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions; I will put them into practice with all my heart." Sometimes along our LIFE journey to health, we need understanding to come to our heart as it alone brings consolation when everyone else "seems" to eat whatever they desire with no consequence. God created our bodies with particular filters and tolerances and we must obey those. As we journey and share insight with one another, it becomes instruction to our souls. THEN......there is the CHOICE to practice them. THEN........there is the CHOICE to practice them with ALL OUR HEART. I will tell you that "yo-yo" practice will NEVER bring you to a place of stable health. We can understand what is needed from us in order to renew and regenerate our cells and we can CHOOSE to obey these instructions for a couple of weeks and then NOT for a couple of weeks and "REASON" with ourselves that we've been "good" and deserve a rest. But does this "yo-yo" practice demonstrate REAL understanding in our hearts? Does it communicate to our flesh that life is critical and we must feed and hydrate our bodies PROPERLY in order for them to maintain health? I am afraid not. What that really means is that we get to eat and do what we want and not PRACTICE what we KNOW is critical to survival, but our cells and organs are then slammed and pay the penalty. Let's choose today to understand, obey, AND PRACTICE sound instruction with ALL OUR HEARTS. Have a great Monday, PK

October 17, 2012 - What To Do Around The Bonfire?

So, as you know, today is my last blog for the week as our women's conference starts tomorrow. I'll be too tired to be creative :) but so FULL of the Holy Spirit. :) I know with these cooler temps, we are all being asked to bonfires, etc and sometimes I REALLY miss roasting a marshmallow. Well today's blog is a recipe share. I think I found one. So, as soon as we have time, let's start playing with this and share what we found as we made them. I will use xylitol for the sugar substitute. If you play with this, let us know. Until Monday, keep lifting up your eyes and asking for God's help. He wants His kids healthy every bit as much as we want it. Ask him for the anointing to skip the fries. (a couple of us are working on a recipe with Jicama that may REALLY satisfy that.) So thankful we're together! I need you, PK Marshmallows Low Carb Recipe By Fitness and Freebies Make your own low carb marshmallows with gelatin, sugar substitute, egg whites, vanilla extract and water. Not that difficult and well worthwhile! Great toasted over a bonfire. Recipe Ingredients 3 envelopes unflavored gelatin 5 tablespoons sugar substitute 3 egg whites 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/4 cup cold water 3/4 cup boiling water Recipe Directions Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in a mixing bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes to soften. Add to boiling water in saucepan; cook and stir until gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat. Cool to consistency of thick syrup. Stir in Splenda and vanilla. Beat egg whites until soft peaks begin to form. Very slowly, trickle a small stream of gelatin mixture into egg white, beating until all gelatin is mixed in. Continue beating until light and fluffy (but not dry.) Pour into pan, cool to set, and cut (smaller for mini-marshmallows). 5 carbs in entire recipe.

October 16, 2012 - Talking to Myself

Good morning all, We are on point for our women's conference starting Thursday. YEA! I did speak with Lady Joy Hill last night who is experiencing some physical challenges. I would love for you to cover her in prayer - while in Atlanta 10 days ago (preaching and leading worship for Woman Thou Art Loosed) she collapsed in her room and had to be taken to the ER. She was experiencing extreme hydration issues. Prior to coming to Atlanta, she had been preparing for a 2 week journey (she came to Atlanta, flew to Seattle, then to Texas to be on DayStar and now back here this weekend) and was exhausted from all the prep and not been hydrating herself. That caused the collapse of her body. That's a great reminder that we need to MAKE CERTAIN that we get our water in daily and give our cells a chance to produce life. She was better and laughing when I spoke last night. She is now carrying a water bottle and a bottle or gatorade everywhere. I don't know if there's a natural alternative to gatorade - if you do, can you share with the family? Join us for the conference if you like, all are welcome, and you can pay at the door. :) Does anyone in this group EVER speak to yourself other than me? While in the grocery store yesterday, I was having this conversation about the healthy contents of jicama and whether or not I could justify the price of the crab legs (even though they were 40% off) and last night I caught myself having a "challenging" conversation with someone ALL BY MYSELF. I was giving "this person" my best arguments and then I caught my husband staring at me. I thought, "what a waste of time - what a distraction!" It's hard enough to have a difficult conversation ONCE, but do I need to practice it on myself and the air????? YIKES! Our bodies don't need any extra tension; they need to relax and enjoy life. Life is too short to have the same intense conversation twice. Maybe too short to do it once? :) Being healthy, for us, has to encompass all areas: water, attitude, tension. It just does. I wish the journey wasn't quite so complicated, but it is. The Bible says, "when it's up to you, live at peace with all men." And guess what, most of the time it's up to me. Tension is an emotion that causes a response that most of us don't like.......either anger or hunger. Neither is good. But it is OUR choice. Today, let's get to the end of this day and compliment ourselves on dropping the small things and minimizing the large. In the long run, living in peace and finding JOY IN THE JOURNEY is the real winner. PK

October 15, 2012 - Humility to Ask

Good Monday morning to you! The power of the storm awakened me last night, but the freshness of the water on my grass and plants this morning brings a smile to me face. Sometimes it's just a good soaking RAIN that brings life to areas of death in our spirit. How many of you know there are those "suddenly" moments in the Bible? One soaking rain.......and suddenly! I truly believe that sometimes God allows a period of time before he answers our prayers so we don't become spoiled and accustomed to snapping our fingers and seeing the answer. And then I believe there's the SUDDENLY. Me personally, I like suddenly. :) But God is all-knowing and TRUSTING him requires that we KNOW he HEARS, he CARES, and he has a PLAN. That's when it gets hard, right? We know God desires us to be free, and in Jesus we are eternally free RIGHT NOW. But, in many cases our freedom is challenged DAILY and requires that we work to maintain the fruit (or evidence) of that freedom. Sometimes we get out of balance and start "working" on our own, in our own power and might. Maybe we feel God is tired of helping us in this ONE AREA. Can I tell you that's NOT true. God knows us - he knows our hearts. He knows we desire to walk in health and that we struggle with remaining FREE at times. Can I tell God is ready everyday to help each of us - he NEVER gets tired of us coming and asking for help. Let's say this - if Jesus came and said, "I will grant all your prayer requests from yesterday," what would be answered???? Let's ask the Lord for wisdom and help and care for others and laughter and passion for the Lost and total healing. Let's smile during the day knowing her HEARD every word. Let's thank him at night for His help and when we awaken tomorrow........ASK again. My prayer for each of us is that Jesus would help us be the BEST we can be IN HIM this day. Don't get tired of asking for help. It shows humility NOT WEAKNESS! Proud folks don't ask.......... PK - and remember our Women's Conference begins this week (you can still come if you like) but I won't be blogging on Thursday or Friday. Too busy.

October 12, 2012 - Outlasting Boredom

Hey gang - sorry this is late - I haven't stopped since 6:15am. Pausing now for a moment to bring a reminder to each of us prior to the weekend. :) Isn't boredom a trap sometimes? I, like many of you, get bored easily! But, we cannot allow that emotion to control our lives. Yes, being bored can serve to push us to expand and explore, and that can be good. But when we explore and want to abandon the very thing that has kept us - it becomes a weapon! We cannot become bored with our spouses and trade them in. God's Word speaks against this! AND.....we cannot become bored with our health plan and submit to the flesh who is always screaming, "give me the french fries." I love a line spoken by Lady Guinevere in the movie First Knight - "it is my will that keeps me to my course for it is stronger than my emotions." Boredom can be a huge giant, but we cannot allow it to conquer us. If you are bored with healthy eating - find some new recipes, get in a healthy cooking class, go to the market and search for new foods - but don't get bored and quit. Boredom is EXPECTING that from each of us. It's strength........IT IS VERY PATIENT. So, moral of the story, let's not allow boredom to pull us toward defeat but propel us to victory. :) Have an amazing Friday - we'll chat again Monday. PK

October 11, 2012 - The Fruit of my Mouth

The Power of Words (Proverbs 18:20–21) 20From the fruit of his mouth a man’s stomach is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied. 21The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. How many of us need to be reminded everyday that our words are powerful? They can bring a smile to someone's face so quickly or tears to the eyes of someone being slapped by the sharp tone of our voice. I also wonder sometimes if we are careful around others with our words and yet will say anything about ourselves, especially that which is negative. I have a BAD habit of saying something ugly about me. My husband and Shelly remind me that the phrase brings a cloak of darkness to my life. I know as soon as that phrase rolls off my tongue, it's not good. But it really is a BAD habit. Great news: habits can be broken and redirected! My husband is really challenging me in this. So today, every time we consume a piece of natural fruit, let's pause and say something uplifting about OURSELVES and our health journey. Let's speak life and smile with our eyes. And the next time we start to make some negative comment about ourselves, OR SOMEONE ELSE, let's remember that Proverbs teaches us that our words have such power. Declare that your body is healthy. Declare that your cells are operating at maximum capacity and fulfilling their God-given assignment. Declare that you shall LIVE and not DIE to declare the words of your God. DECLARE it today. Eat your natural and spiritual fruit today with a smile! PK

October 10, 2012 - Can Halloween Look Different?

I know many of us are planning our fall festivals and gathering our candies for the BIG Halloween event. I am really proud of my granddaughter who is now living life without sugar. She told my daughter recently that she didn't want to "do" Halloween because of the sugar. How many 9 year olds do that? I know MANY adults who can't go a day without sugar, let alone an event. :) How cool! But the truth is we really should be looking for an alternative to candy for ourselves and our young ones. I was thinking we could give out small tubes of Spry gum? All natural and most kids love gum. Yes? And for you, while handing out sugar-free gum, if you like vanilla yogurt, here's a new trick. Take a small container of Chobani yogurt (fat free, sugar free, 100 calorie, plain) and add 2 teaspoons of Truvia and a tsp of clear, vanilla extract. Still it up and return to fridge for about 15 minutes so the sugar can dissolve and mix well. YUM x20! Again, I know so many of us will have dress-up days, staff candy days, etc to celebrate Halloween. Be a trend setter and take something healthy. One of the ladies at Life Group Sunday evening told of a man in our church who was recently diagnosed with cancer and they injected him with sugar water as it "would lead them to where the cancer was." They said that sugar seeks and finds cancer, and then perpetuates it. OMGoodness. So, can we declare that this Halloween is a SUGAR FREE DAY? Now, that doesn't mean go grab aspartame products - let's grab an apple and all natural peanut butter or make a trail mix that's healthy. And, when the kids come - give them some Spry gum. :) God has given us wisdom in the area of our health, let's share that in subtle and not so subtle ways. Giving a non-sugar treat for Halloween is not very subtle, but certainly much more healthy. :) How about we share additional things we could give away on Halloween (if you participate......our church has a festival)? Got any ideas? I leave you with this today - your life is a gift, your body is a gift, your mind is a gift. When someone gives us a gift, how do we treat that gift? Do we place little to no value on it and re-gift it? Do we place some value on it and place it in a box in our closet? Or.........maybe if it's a SPECIAL gift we display it for all to see as we are proud to be the recipient of such an amazing gift. Where are you today? Where am I? Let's take the gifts given by God and keep them in perfect condition and display them proudly as a testimony of the gift given and the AMAZING giver of the gift! Amen! Lord, we rejoice in this day! PK

October 9, 2012 - Judge Well

Good morning to you all, Love the fall! The cooler temps and beautiful colors bring such a smile to my face. I also love the apples in abundance. However, my favorites are not as yummy and are hard to find this year. pink crisps. I found them last week in Portland and they were YUMMY - sweet and very crisp. The ones I bought here Friday evening had very little taste. UGH! But I ate them anyway because they help keep my cholesterol down. One study reports that one apple daily can reduce your overall cholesterol score by 20 points. That's a lot. One of my devotionals this morning focused on judging. Now for Ezekiel, God was asking him to evaluate and discern. The word judgment can be used in a couple of ways. God allowed him to see CLEARLY the situation in order to bring a word of correction and wisdom to the people. I thought about how as a family of healthy trend setters (THAT'S WHAT WE ARE), we are sharpening our skills to discern whether foods are supportive of our plan or not - whether people are going to support or lead us into temptation. :) We really need to clearly evaluate all "new" food items; reading carefully each of the ingredients - then judge wisely. Yes or no? Thanks, Linda, for having your phone ready to look up words we couldn't pronounce on Sunday night. I learned some new things to avoid. I know that my dad used to say, "a little bit of something is NOT going to hurt you." As I child I bought into that - not now. A LITTLE BIT of poison can hurt me terribly. Companies are getting REALLY smart. Someone made me a coffee with No Sugar Added hazelnut coffee flavoring from Kroger recently. They were excited to have something other than half and half. One sip - too sweet for NSA??? Second sip - "can I see the container, please?" While there was NO SUGAR ADDED, the second ingredient was corn syrup. Really???? In the health food section????? Really? Then I had to gently hand the coffee back and I felt bad. More than that......I loved the TASTE and wanted it so desperately! But God has given us the Holy Spirit to help our eyes "see" and judge and then make a tough call if we have to. I applaud you for making the tough calls - when we celebrate our 100th birthdays, and our bodies are still walking 2 miles a day, we'll smile and know we judged well. :) God is for you and you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you! PK

October 8, 2012 - Some See

Good morning - I'm home. My trip was more than amazing and I appreciate your prayers! The schedule was rough by God was ever present and I saw Him touch, heal and deliver. Thanks be to God for His presence and your prayers. Life Group last night was "off the chain." We had a great group and some new people who were "checking out" the eating healthy journey. They wanted to see if healthy food can taste good and get a feel for what a healthy life style entails. I think they were pleasantly surprised. :) Healthy stuffing with the turkey? Healthy pumpkin spice muffins with pumpkin spice cream cheese icing???? Healthy cranberry relish and millet flour flatbread with no starch or sugar???? And the surprising factor..........it all tasted AMAZING! We laughed and said most healthy stuff tastes like cardboard but we CAN LIVE LIFE and eat healthy and not sacrifice taste. Win-win for us. Yes? That's the strength of our group, right? New foods and recipes EACH month - WE GOT THIS! :) I thought about this morning how people can view the same journey so differently. SOME see our fight against obesity as denial - "you can't have that; you can't eat this; you can't go here to eat; you can't eat sweets." SOME see our fight for obesity as a passing fad. SOME see our fight against obesity as a genetic condition we'll NEVER REALLY conquer. BUT SOME see this as a journey that offers life, hope, and endless possibilities. I imagine it depends on how you choose to view the situation. I choose life! We had a great meal all within the "legal" boundaries and yummy taste. That's not denial. If it is........bring it on. There was laughter and joy and excitement. That's what I SAW. I'll take that perspective all day long. So when the nay-sayers at work are trying to put you back into the obesity box - remember that SOME See is a choice, and you choose LIFE. Love you all - I'm glad to be home. :) PS - if you ever have a devotional you'd like to share, please send it to me. I'd like to start sharing some of your thoughts as well. There was such energy in the room last night that POURED out of people.