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Fit Faith Friday

{FitFaithFriday} FitFaith Life with Stephanie Felder!


My Interview with Stephanie Felder:

I saw Stephanie through social media of course! So say what we will about some of the negative aspects of social media, I am SO glad it exists so I might have a chance to find more incredible women like Stephanie! This is why I find using social media growth services similar to nitreo so rewarding because it allows people like Stephanie to reach an audience they would have never reached without a little help. On Instagram her username is “FitFaith Life” and I pretty much *knew* we’d be a good “fit” for each other and this cause, ya know what I mean? I’m truly inspired by her story because I think it’s one that is so relatable to so many women we all know!
Just like me, she shares that she realized just how much her FAITH grew when she attempted to improve her FITNESS. And we both know that this can be true for you too and we simply want to encourage that process along! So thank you Stephanie for being another bright and shiny light who has been touched by God to carry His message in your own unique way too! You are a blessing!

Stephanie Felder, FitFaith Life

Me: Tell us a little bit about what you do and how you started your business?

Stephanie: My fitness journey was born out of my need to lose weight after having two babies back to back at the ages of 40 and 41. I had gained about 50 pounds with each pregnancy and I had reached a place where my vision of myself in my 40’s did not match my reality, so I decided to do something about it. In the process, I decided to hold myself accountable to my goals by sharing my experiences through a website which at the time I called Team Fit Mommy. I was blessed to be able to stay home with my children for four years which really allowed me to focus on my fitness goals. After reaching my goals and recently returning to work as a teacher, I realized that my fitness journey really paralleled my faith journey. I gained the understanding that without faith it would have been impossible for me to accomplish my fitness goals. I also felt led to share this knowledge with others so that they can grow in their faith walk and in their fitness capacity. So in 2015 I rebranded my website and it became FitFaith Life.

I like to think of FitFaith Life as a virtual coach for faith and fitness. I am currently in the process of getting my certification as a personal trainer.
Stephanie Stretching

Me:How has your Faith impacted your Fitness and your Fitness impacted your Faith?

Stephanie: As I mentioned before, I grew to understand that without my faith, specifically my belief in Jesus, I would not have been able to accomplish my fitness goals. In turn, I believe that it is my reasonable sacrifice and my responsibility to take care of the gift of health and mobility that God gave me.

Me: What is the biggest struggle you see women facing today? How do you think Faith and/or Fitness can help them in finding a solution?

Stephanie: I think the number one thing that women struggle with today is self image. I think that we often have a challenge in seeing ourselves the way that God sees us. We want to conform to the images portrayed by the world and find ourselves swimming against the current of social media and pop culture. With this being said, if you are looking to make a living through social media (such as Instagram), with there being companies such as socialfollow who offer free Instagram followers, not everyone is using their platform for it to be only about self image. Anyone can create accounts for anything, whether it is fashion related, fitness/health, motivation and more.

We have to live in this world but we don‘t have to live up to the standards of the world. In fact we should lift up God’s standard of excellence and beauty so that the world wants to be more like us.

Me: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned recently?

Stephanie: The biggest lesson I have learned is that if I put my confidence in God I can really do anything.

Me: What dreams do you have for this year and for the future? What role do you expect God to play in developing these into realities??

Stephanie: I have so many dreams but one of the things that God has placed in my heart to do this year is to hold a FitFaith Life Bootcamp. It will be a time for “fierce faith” and “fierce fitness”. I believe that God has already equipped me with everything and everyone I need to make this a reality. Now it’s just time for me to do the work because faith without works is dead.

Me: I am just starting a blog series on living with FRUITFUL HEALTH where we are walking through how to live the 9 Fruits of the Spirit in our health. We are starting off with LOVE of course! Can you tell us how it is that you have found a way to LOVE taking care of your health? How do you know it is REAL love?

Stephanie: I honestly LOVE taking care of my health because I realize it is a gift! My mother died at the age of 48 from a brain aneurysm. My best friend died at the age of 36 from cancer. I have a husband and two small children who depend on me and I want to be around for a long long time. How can I say I love myself, them and God if I am not willing to make some sacrifices to be healthy and strong? Love is about sacrificing for others but just as much love is also about taking care of oneself.

Me:Is there anything you have coming up that we can join you in?

Stephanie: Right now the FitFaith Life Community on Facebook is in the midst of a free Lean Leg Challenge. (https://www.facebook.com/events/504912299691471/) Each day we do a set amount of leg focused exercises. I post the daily sets in the group and on social media and we keep each other accountable in our event group.

We also have a FitFaith Life Bloggers Connection(https://www.facebook.com/groups/1654423751502637/) which is an awesome community of faith and fitness bloggers. Members share each other’s content and support one another spiritually. We really hope that the group will grow and become a major resource in the blogging world.

Stephanie BW

The FitFaith Life is about honoring our bodies with daily exercise and healthy foods. 3 John 2 NKJV states “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” Our mission is to help people become all that God has designed for them to be. By expressing how grateful we are for health and fitness, we encourage others to begin their journey to wholeness as well. Visit us at our website www.fitfaithlife.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TeamFitMommy/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/fitfaithlife/
Twitter – https://www.twitter.com/fitfaithlife
Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/FitFaithLife/

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Fit Faith Friday Fitness & Training

{FitFaithFriday} Meet Anna Willard of IronWillTrain!

My Interview with Anna Willard

I "met" Anna through my business mentorship program under our mutual mentor, Jill Coleman's Best Of You Coaching Club.   It was such a nice relief to find more and more of these women sprinkled throughout this industry and I love all that Anna gets to go and do while glorifying God.  Whether she is water skiing like a CHAMP or just passionately pursuing new ways to push her clients, she has a spark.    
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Fresh into starting A. Wright Fit, I especially appreciated her reaching out to me to tell me that she loved that I was being open about my faith through my business.  That kind of feedback can be so empowering for a recovering "people pleaser" who can tend to worry about "what other people think" more often than I'd like to admit.  Sharing our Faith is not always "easy" but she and I can both agree, it is always worth it!    I'm honored to share more about Anna's journey with you today!

Me: Tell us a little bit more about what you do and how you came to start it?  

Anna: I have been personal training for five years and within this past year I took the leap of faith and started my own business IronWillTrain.

Why did I want to start my own business you ask?  My mission in life is to help people see their power potential and reach their wildest dreams by strengthening them physically. I do this with the powerful tool: the kettlebell.  The kettlebell allows everyone to feel they own power and how athletic they can be! Once I am able to physically empower someone through strength training and the kettlebell swing, they start to believe they have the strength, the courage and the will to achieve their dreams. 


IronWillTrain is much more than training the body; it is learning how to train the mind through physical strength.  It is a journey. Learning to train different aspect of life like patience, trust, and diligence (just to name a few).  There are other aspect everyone will learn through their journey, I simply guide them and help them develop a power practice.  

Me: How do you think your Fitness impacts your Faith and your Faith impacts your Fitness?  

Anna: When I started playing sports in grade school, I realized I was given an amazing athletic ability.  Most importantly, I saw this as a gift from the Man up stairs.  I started viewing this gift as a responsibility to give Him the glory.  I remember when at the basketball free throw line saying a little pray this is for you Lord.  The times I played for someone other than Him (like myself wanting the spot light) I would have one of the worst games of my life! This is when I realized my fitness and Faith are the same.

The Lord has taught so many things through my strength but much more through my weakness. I have experienced many injuries, but every time the Lord has taught me the importance of Trust, Patience and Forgiveness. 

It has been a journey seeing how Faith and Fitness are the same!  We are all given a gift of life with an amazing complex human body that is designed to do amazing things! And the amazing part is God wants to work through this vessel this body! Fitness and health is both a joy and an obligation to maintain!  It is a gift we are able to give back to the Lord and to give back to those who we love.

So to answer your question, fitness is me taking action on my Faith.  Faith is not faith without actions.  We have this beautiful opportunity to take action with our Faith through Fitness; it is simple making sure who gets the glory.

Me:  What is the number one thing that you see women struggling with today?  How do you think Fitness and/or Faith can help her in that struggle?

Anna: Wearing confidence with beauty, many women are not confident in their own beauty.  We all have a very unique specific beauty that is designed for each of us to wear.  Many times women will hide their beauty with food, with stress, and/or with work. Or we don’t even see our own beauty because we are to busy looking and admiring others’ beauty.  Seeing beauty in other is wonderful! But remember to be able to recognize beauty means you have beauty living inside of you!

Fitness allows women to build their confidence right away! Slowly I believe they start to see how amazing their bodies are and how exclusive their own body is created!  Faith is trusting how our bodies are created differently but all reflecting a different aspect of beauty.

Confidence comes from trusting in our own beauty!

It is like the Sunsets, there is never one sunset that is the same.  Us as women are all different reflections of His beautiful Glory.  We simply need to stand in his presence to reflect it! 

Me: What is the biggest lesson you've learned recently?

 
Anna: Wow where do I begin?  There have been so many lessons the Lord has taught me through this journey of starting my own business. I am constantly reminded I am nothing without the Strength of the Lord. 

Just like fitness, when I try to muscle through an exercise routine versus focusing on the skill itself I end up working too hard or worse, injuring myself.  When I don’t go before the Lord, I do the same thing in life; I try to work and muscle my way through life forcing things that are meant to be. I make it harder than it really needs to be.  So to answer your question is TRUST! Trusting the Lord has me right where I need to be.  Trusting he will give me the strength for the next task at hand or simply the right words to say.

The verse that has been guiding me is Proverbs 3:5-6

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

 

Me: What dreams do you have for this year and for the future?  What role do you expect God to play in developing these into realities?

Anna: As a beginning entrepreneur, there are so many ideas swimming in my head!  But I feel the Lord is creating a movement with these ideas into one big wave!  And I am excited to ride this wave he is creating in me.  So to be more specific, my first goal is to launch a beginners Kettlebell course online! YIKES! Ok I put it out there now its time to deliver!  Here we go! 

 

ME: I am just starting a blog series on living with FRUITFUL Health and walking through how to live the 9 Fruits of the Spirit in our health.  We are starting off with LOVE of course!  Can you tell us how it is that you have found a way to LOVE taking care of your health?  How do you know it's REAL love?

Anna: LOVE It!

Love is forgiveness!  Forgiving yourself, forgiving your loved ones, and the hardest forgiving those who feel like enemies.

Forgiving yourself is the start of loving yourself and knowing you are loved.  I know for myself and for the women I work with this one of the hardest aspects of love.  Forgiving yourself for overeating, for lack of exercise… but also forgiving yourself on the harder things like a divorce, a miscarriage, and debt . . . the list could go on.

Forgiveness allows us to experience LOVE despite our faults.  It creates a new opportunity for us to create a different outcome!

ME: Is there anything you have coming up that we can join you in? 

Anna: YES! HOPE. DREAM. BELIEVE!

These have been my theme words the Lord has given me on my journey of life!  I will be creating an emails serious coming in mid March how to train your hopes and dreams to give you power to believe! 

I will be sharing parts of my story, parts of stories I have read, and inspirational quotes. Most importantly I will be including what the Bible says about these words!  I am super excited about this!

 If you'd like to connect with Anna, you can find her on these social media platforms!
 
 
You can follow Anna on the above social media platforms to find out more about her!
 
 

Join Me as the "Nutrient Based Traveler"!

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Join my on my 26 day trip around the world to learn how I stay healthy on the road!

Subscribe to this email list HERE and you'll receive regular updates on how I follow my "Nutrient Based Eating" plan in Washington D.C; Philadelphia, PA;  New York NY;  Munich, Germany;  Barcelona, Spain;  and Maui, Hawaii!

You'll also get my quick and dirty hotel workouts, my go-to snacks I pack, and a bunch of video and pictures of all that I am so lucky to experience!  

I hope you'll join me in on the Nutrient Based Fun!  Sign up today and you'll receive my Free Infographic on the 5 Steps To Building Your Nutrient Based Plate! 

 

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{FitFaithFriday} Meet Kara Osborne of Wellness Witness!

My Interview with Kara Osborne

RevWell Retreat 2015 - Kara Osborne-0029

Me: Tell us a little bit more about what you do and how you came to start it?  

Kara: Hello! I’m Kara and I live in NC with my husband and two kids. Up until last year I worked as a school counselor and fully expected to stay in this career for years! My undergraduate degree was in Education and my Master’s in Counseling, so when God called me to launch a faith based fitness ministry, I had no clue what He was up to! I officially began my ministry Wellness Witness on January 1, 2014 and God has used it to change not just my life, but also my family’s lives, my career, and my community. I now work full-time running this ministry which involves teaching local fitness classes, blogging, writing, speaking, and also run an online membership community of women who are trying to get healthier HIS way called the At-Home TRIBE.  

Me: How do you think your Fitness impacts your Faith and your Faith impacts your Fitness?  

Kara: When I FINALLY learned to get healthy, I did it the Lord’s way. I stopped seeking ‘fitness experts’ opinions, I stopped buying all the shakes, supplements, and products, and I started seeking the Lord. Turns out, it’s all connected. You can have a super fit, strong body and still have a heart far from the Lord. He has taught me much about this area and now I get to spend my days teaching others HIS truth about true wellness and wholeness.

Me:  What is the number one thing that you see women struggling with today?  How do you think Fitness and/or Faith can help her in that struggle?

Kara: I actually think there are THREE main issues, but they are all related…. I am so weary with seeing women striving to perform, putting their worth in their weight, and then competing with one another. I know this must break God’s heart. We women tend to decide that something is wrong with us. Then we strive, struggle, hustle, and work with all our might to try to “FIX” our problem. We utilize tools that are not good indicators of success such as the scale and then allow it to dictate to us our value, worth, and success. When we see other women doing well, it makes us mistakenly decide that we are not. We incorrectly see HER victory as OUR defeat. All three of these issues come from the same place: We have forgotten how much we are loved. A woman who doesn’t know that she is fully known and fully loved by the Lord is dangerous. She will spend her days trying to do more, be more, and have more and be unable to recognize the beauty in herself and those around her. Want to finally get free? Spend some time with the Lord allowing HIM to remind you how much you’re loved. How much you’re valued. How much He has in store for you. How He created you specifically, on purpose, and for a purpose…THAT will change everything.
 

Me: What is the biggest lesson you've learned recently?

 
Kara: God keeps reminding me: It’s not about the weight. I know this isn’t what you would expect to hear from a fitness professional, but it’s the truth and I can no longer try to push fitness gimmicks to those who so desperately need freedom.  It’s not about the weight. It’s not about food. IT IS A HEART ISSUE, friends. Struggling to find a healthy life balance? Ask yourself this question: If you never saw the scale move down 1 pound, would you still obey Him in stewarding your health well? Would you still want to eat well and move often? If your answer is no, then I would challenge you to consider where your true motivation lies.
 

Me: What dreams do you have for this year and for the future?  What role do you expect God to play in developing these into realities?

Kara: I’m a big dreamer so I’ve got some big plans for the year ahead! I’m launching my first book in the next month called FINALLY FREE and am praying that God will use it to change lives. I would like to continue speaking and to become bolder with the messages that HE has given me to proclaim. I am praying that my At-Home TRIBE will grow and multiply and that women will begin to find such freedom and wholeness in Christ that it will begin spilling over into their families, their friendships, and their communities. I believe that God is rising up an ARMY of women who KNOW who they are and whose they are and who are ready to be FREE and to unashamedly pursue their calling. It’s happening- I can see it even now. And the thought of it makes me so excited I can’t hardly stand it!
 
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ME: I am just starting a blog series on living with FRUITFUL Health and walking through how to live the 9 Fruits of the Spirit in our health.  We are starting off with LOVE of course!  Can you tell us how it is that you have found a way to LOVE taking care of your health?  How do you know it's REAL love?

Kara: This goes back to my answer above, but a woman who truly knows how much she is loved can’t help but to go out and love others in that same way.  For me, the question of taking care of my health comes from the way I view my relationship with the Lord. I like to explain it this way: If you’ve got children in your life, think back to a time that they brought you a homemade gift. These gifts can tend to be a bit of a mess, right? Sometimes it’s hard to tell what they are, or even to know what to do with them. But what do we do with those gifts? We treasure them, right?  Not because the way that we view the gift, but because of the way we feel about the GIFT GIVER.  GOD is the giver of an amazing gift- our very bodies! And because I love Him, I want to take good care of everything He has given me.  It’s an act of love and stewardship. Because I love Him, I want to obey Him and cherish everything He gives me. Operating from this place of love is one that helps me continue on when I’m weary and helps me to remember WHY it matters.

ME: Is there anything you have coming up that we can join you in? 

Kara: Yes! I would love to have you check back in the next few weeks to get a copy of my upcoming book, Finally Free. It’s a 28-day journey to finding TRUE freedom through Christ in our health, our hearts, and our homes. The book is a journal that will feature a daily reflection, scripture, prayer, plus healthy habit tips and bonuses. I think it’s going to be a valuable tool for many!


Also, for anyone looking for an At-Home option to learn to get healthy God’s way and to be DONE with the scale, the At-Home TRIBE is a great option. For $12 a month, you can have access to a community of women all around the world who will hold you accountable, a full library of workouts and resources, a monthly calendar, an exercise database, and more. More info is at www.wellnesswitness.com/at-home-tribe-membership

 If you'd like to connect with Kara, you can find her on these social media platforms!
 
 
You can follow Kara on the above social media platforms to find out more about her!
 karaosborne-8
 
 

Join Me as the "Nutrient Based Traveler"!

Twitter Post

Join my on my 26 day trip around the world to learn how I stay healthy on the road!

Subscribe to this email list HERE and you'll receive regular updates on how I follow my "Nutrient Based Eating" plan in Washington D.C; Philadelphia, PA;  New York NY;  Munich, Germany;  Barcelona, Spain;  and Maui, Hawaii!

You'll also get my quick and dirty hotel workouts, my go-to snacks I pack, and a bunch of video and pictures of all that I am so lucky to experience!  

I hope you'll join me in on the Nutrient Based Fun!  Sign up today and you'll receive my Free Infographic on the 5 Steps To Building Your Nutrient Based Plate! 

 

Categories
Fit Faith Friday

{FitFaithFriday} Meet Jaclyn Turner of EncourageFit

My Interview with Jaclyn Turner

I heard about Jaclyn Turner through another of my Fit & Faithful Friday guest you might remember, Emily Copeland.  But I have followed her on Instagram regularly and find her to just be delightful and inspirational!   I look at the picture of her and her family and think, "Yeah, I would like to be in that family!"  So, enjoy the abundantly STRONG faith that Jaclyn showcases in her answers below!  Something we can all learn from!! 

Me: Tell us a little bit more about what you do and how you came to start it?  

Jaclyn: Hi, I am Jaclyn Turner. I am first and foremost a follower and lover of Jesus. I am a wife, a Mom, a business owner, a minister and teacher of God’s Word, and an online health and fitness coach. Almost four years ago, I partnered with the company who created P90X, Insanity, and 21 Day Fix and became a coach through the company. Through this opportunity God birthed EncourageFit, which is my business. Through EncourageFit, I work with women who are ready to live the abundant life God designed them to live spiritually, physically, and mentally.

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Me: How do you think your Fitness impacts your Faith and your Faith impacts your Fitness?  

Jaclyn: The foundation verse for EncourageFit is John 10:10, “The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come that they may have life more abundantly.”

I firmly believe that when Jesus spoke those words He meant our whole health, not just one area of our lives, but ALL areas. God created each of us to live abundantly spiritually, mentally, and physically. I believe that when we take care of our physical bodies we are saying “thank you” to God for the gift He blessed us with. All areas of our health (spiritual, physical, and mental) are intertwined. When we neglect one area, the other areas will suffer. When we take care of ourselves in all of these areas, we begin living the abundant life Jesus spoke of in John 10:10.
  

 
 

Me:  What is the number one thing that you see women struggling with today?  How do you think Fitness and/or Faith can help them?

 
Jaclyn: The number one thing I see women struggling with today is self-worth. Women today are having a hard time seeing their worth and value, and in turn they begin misplacing their identity in everything but Jesus.  I can understand this and relate to this because I have been there myself.

I believe that when take care of ourselves through exercise, nutrition, positive affirmations, and prayer, we can see that mindset shift. The chains of bondage will be broken. And we (women) will begin seeing ourselves the way God sees us, as His beautiful masterpiece.

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Me: What is the biggest lesson you've learned recently?

 
Jaclyn:  One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned recently is that no matter what, God always sees us as His masterpiece. Whether we achieve a goal or not, He always sees us as victorious, not as a failure. This is something, He reminds me of often.
 

Me: What dreams do you have for this year and for the future?  What role do you expect God to play in developing these into realities?

Jaclyn: I would love to see thousands of women set free and begin living the abundant life they were meant to live. I want so much for my sisters in Christ to wake up each day with thanksgiving and praise for the life God has blessed them with. I want them to see themselves the way God sees them. I want them to be able to throw off the chains of low self-esteem, self-hate, and misplaced identity. I want them to live in completely abundant freedom. I believe that God is using EncourageFit to bring freedom to many women who are stuck in the bondage of not being able to see their value and worth. I believe that God is using me and my story to help bring about the freedom He desires for His daughters. God has big things in store, and I just want to be willing and open to what role He desires for me to play in His plans.
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ME: I am just starting a blog series on living with FRUITFUL Health and walking through how to live the 9 Fruits of the Spirit in our health.  We are starting off with LOVE of course!  Can you tell us how it is that you have found a way to LOVE taking care of your health?  How do you know it's REAL love?

Jaclyn:  This is something that I never thought I would actually be able to say, “Love taking care of your health.” Ha!

I have found that since changing my perspective and viewing taking care of my health as an act of worship, I absolutely LOVE taking care of myself to the best of my ability spiritually, physically, and mentally. I know it’s real LOVE because whenever I think of it, I am filled with joy, thankfulness, and praise, and I can’t help but smile.

 

ME: Is there anything you have coming up that we can join you in? 

Jaclyn:  Each month I host what I call “Fit Life Groups” online. In these groups we take care of ourselves physically through exercise and proper nutrition. I consult with participants beforehand, so that we can select the best workout program toolkit that best fits their personality, workout style preference, budget, and time availability. We take care of ourselves spiritually through devotions, prayer, and scripture focus. And we take care of ourselves mentally through positive affirmations, encouragement, and by checking in with the group and participating daily. These groups are game-changers and life changing. This is where I have seen the most incredible transformations from my clients. We do life together. Each of us holds one another up and walking this journey as a family, not as lone rangers. 

 If you'd like to connect with Jaclyn, you can find her on these social media platforms!
 
 
You can follow Jaclyn on the above social media platforms to find out more about her!
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Join Me as the "Nutrient Based Traveler"!

Twitter Post

Join my on my 26 day trip around the world to learn how I stay healthy on the road!

Subscribe to this email list HERE and you'll receive regular updates on how I follow my "Nutrient Based Eating" plan in Washington D.C; Philadelphia, PA;  New York NY;  Munich, Germany;  Barcelona, Spain;  and Maui, Hawaii!

You'll also get my quick and dirty hotel workouts, my go-to snacks I pack, and a bunch of video and pictures of all that I am so lucky to experience!  

I hope you'll join me in on the Nutrient Based Fun!  Sign up today and you'll receive my Free Infographic on the 5 Steps To Building Your Nutrient Based Plate! 

 

Categories
Uncategorized

What Will Be The Root Cause Of Your Outstanding Health?

We are embarking on a deep journey through how to grow FRUITFUL HEALTH and FITNESS.  
 
Meaning, from the Galatians 5:22-23 that references the fruits of the Spirit, we want to GROW these character values in the context of our health. 
 
We desire to grow more Love in our health.  More joy in our fit lifestyle.  More peace in our body and with our eating.  More patience in our progress.  More kindness toward our faults and setbacks. More good intentions for our health, not superficial desires only.  More faithful hope we can cling to through change.  More gentleness to ease into habits we want to sustain.  More self-control and discipline to keep us progressing toward our goal!
 
As we intentionally plant these values into our health ecosystem, they will only naturally spill into all areas of our life too!  It will radically shift ALL AREAS of your life!
 
Here’s the catch— we all know how hard true CHANGE is right?  If growing these things were literally as easy as planting seeds in some soil outside, then we would all be healthy, happy and more Spiritual beings.  But the type of planting we are doing is a different kind of hard labor.  It’s not as much “physical” as it is “Spiritual” and “Mental.”  
 
Changing the way we THINK is just about the hardest thing we could ever do because so much of our thought-life exists subconsciously and it exists in a form of “self-sabotage.”  
 
So, how do we plan to overcome THAT aspect in this process?  
Well,  one incredible Pastor, Robert Morris of Gateway Church, just so happened to do a series on what’s called the “Root Cause.”  It was on how you look DEEP ENOUGH to determine was was really to root cause of every single thing in your life.  You can listen to the first sermon of this series HERE.  
 
From those 3 teachings I was able to remind myself of 4 VITALLY important aspects that we must all cling to in order to grow any desirable fruit in our health and life.  
 

#1:  JESUS is the ROOT we are the BRANCHES.  

John 15:5 Jesus says, “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches.  Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.  For apart from me you can do nothing.”   
 
Another word for “VINE” is the ROOT.  And if you are trying to grow fruit on anything other than Jesus then it won’t work long term. 
 
For example:
—Growing fruit from the ROOT of public opinion will keep you chasing the fad diets.
--Growing fruit on the ROOT cause of disdain for your body will keep you doing things that HARM your body not LOVE it.  
--Growing fruit on the ROOT of obsessiveness and control will keep you spinning your wheels on power that is limited instead of relying on the unlimited power of God through Jesus. 
 

#2. You are attached to the vine (Jesus) by GRACE alone.

 

You did not do anything to EARN Jesus in your life and there is nothing you need to do to keep Him there.  It is a FREE GIFT that not one of us deserves, because we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God, so it is by GRACE THROUGH FAITH and NOT by Faith through Grace.  
 
Meaning, your "Good Deeds" are not what earn your attachment to Jesus.  Being a “good person” is not enough to get into Heaven either.  
 
Receiving Grace is actually FAR FAR simpler than we make it out to be. 
 
All you have to do to receive salvation is “confess with your mouth and believe in your heart and you will be saved.”  (Romans 10:9) That IS IT.  
 
I know that I know that I know that we as the “good Christian” girls and boys  think that must continue to EARN God’s free gifts of salvation, and we strive toward earning so much of the blessings that God has already freely given us.
 
That we can take the Love story that is the Bible and make it into a Rule-book so very easily.  We do see commandments and things in there, I know its easy for us all to start to think we somehow have to do a lot of things in order to receive that relationship with Christ but you DON’T.  You really don’t.
 
All you have to do is "confess with your mouth, and believe in your heart” and BOOM you are connected to that VINE that is Jesus. 
 
If you have never done that before, I encourage you to simply close your eyes where you are and confess in your mind that you know you need a Savior and believe in your heart that Jesus is that Savior who was sent on the earth to rescue you and you will receive His Holy Spirit within you.  You will be on your way to growing in Faith!  God bless you!!  
 

#3  All We Have to Do Is “Remain” Connected:

Now, this verse tells us to “remain” in Jesus and Jesus will “remain” in you.  Another translation says to “abide” in Jesus.  
 
All this really means is to STAY.  You don’t have to do anything but stay right where you are, connected to Jesus through the good times AND the bad times <——that’s the hard part.  
 
Most of us are good with staying with God when all things are going well, but we see just how quickly we can pull away from God when it starts to storm.   
 
Pastor Robert did an entire sermon on what he called “Bitter Roots.”  When we unknowingly hold out bitterness and resentment for God for the bad things that we have had to endure in our life, we produce BITTER tasting Fruit too.  Because the ROOT determines the FRUIT, right?!  
 
I have quoted Pastor Rick Warren as saying, “For every act of self-sabotage is a LIE that we are believing.” 
 
Well, Pastor Robert rightfully determined that the root cause of this resentment and bitterness toward God is often that we believe the lie that God is somehow holding out on us.  That He is purposefully making us suffer or that He caused a lot of our painful experiences in our life.  
 
It is very very important to realize that so often we believe a host of lies planted by the evil one with the very purpose of getting us to walk away from God so that we don’t harvest the Fruit that HE KNOWS we are about to grow.  The devil KNOWS just how powerful you are when you are connected to Jesus and when you are following in your purpose for life, including your health.  So he is actively engaging you and attacking you to believe things about your circumstances that are just not TRUE.  
 
God does NOT CAUSE all of the bad things to happen in our life, He gave us FREE WILL which in turn gave us the opportunity to sin and fall prey to the power that sin has over our lives and this world.  
 
"BUT, GOD works for the GOOD of those who love Him”(Romans 8:38)….so never lose hope that no matter what the devil will try to do to break you down and keep you there, God will NEVER NEVER NEVER give up on you and He will use it all for your GOOD.  It has already been DONE.  “It is finished.” (John 19:30 ) 
 

#4.  You BEAR the Fruit, but you don’t PRODUCE it.  

You are not able to produce LOVE, JOY, PEACE of any of the fruits on your own.  Many of us fall of the trap that we either have to LABOR to produce these things ourselves.  
 
The ROOT determines the FRUIT.  But as this verse describes, you are to BEAR the fruit, which means to “CARRY” it.  
 
The VINE of Jesus is what actually produces the fruit and we get the privilege of showing it off to the world.   
 
This is not to say that you don’t take any credit for your part.  I know a lot of Christians that think that “humility” means to put themselves down in order to raise Jesus up.  NOT TRUE!
 
You have a vitally important role that should not be overlooked—your CHOICE.  If you focus on strengthening your connection to the Vine of Jesus AND sticking it out when you experience the “PRUNING” of God’s work, you indeed have done Good work and will be rewarded for that in Heaven.  
 
Showing humility through this process is key.  Recognizing you didn’t CREATE anything on your own is certainly part of it.  But I love what Rick Warren has to say about humility, “Humility is not denying your strengths, it’s being honest about your weaknesses.”  
 
Producing LOVE is a weakness we all have….but HOLDING TIGHT to the Love of Jesus is a STRENGTH that you can surely develop.  
 
This is what we are setting out to do!   Starting next week, we are going to dive into how to grow and harvest LOVE in your health! 

"Harvesting My Health" Free Download!

If you are interested in learning more about how to Harvest Your Health in 2016, then I'd love to welcome you to my email list!  I'll be giving away the BEST content to my inner tribe!     In fact, I have a FREE 7-Day devotional series I wrote for you on "Harvesting My Health" through the 7-Laws of the Harvest!  I think you'll really like it!

Just click the button below to grab your free copy and I'll look forward to connecting with you soon!

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Categories
Uncategorized

{FitFaithFriday} Meet Health Coach, Cassia Hope!

My Interview with Cassia Hope

I found Cassia through a Momsanity monthly challenge (whom I've introduced you both founders now!) and absolutely LOVE following her on social media, especially Instagram! She's got some spunk and strengh all rolled up into one awesome mom, wife and health coach!

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I LOVE this opportunity to ask these questions of women who are all going through various experiences of Fitness and Faith and learning how God uses each of us in some unique ways but it all serves mightily in expanding His Kingdom. Cassia is certainly a bright bright light, and I'm so inspired by her! I know you will be too!

 

Me: Tell us a little bit more about what you do and how you came to start it?  

Cassia: I am currently an online fitness coach. I have always loved fitness, but in the past, I subscribed to an all or nothing mentality when pursing my ideal body image. After my second baby my weight was up, my energy was low and then my marriage took a dark turn. To try and "solve" the problem I started excessively cutting my calories and running for hours a day. I ended up extremely sick, was crippled by the pain of a kidney stone and found out I had adrenal fatigue. This is when God wrapped me in His arms and called me to journey with Him. My marriage was restored, healed and transformed. I was able to move forward in God's grace and felt so happy, but I got so busy prioritizing my marriage and babies that I stopped making time for myself. I had stopped working out and was just eating whatever my kids wanted. I knew I was made for more.  So, that's when I got low. I asked God to show me the right way to get healthy and guide my path. I began making slow changes that were obtainable and realistic. As I grew stronger in my walk with the Lord, He put it on my heart to start a fitness page on FB. He used this to help me connect with others and through sharing my journey I felt affirmed that my calling is fitness and ministry woven together. I was so scared to put myself out there an share all the broken fragments of my life. But God doesn't see brokenness, He sees obedient hearts willing to serve Him...and He blesses that. I'm so thankful for all the pains of my past now. God has used every trial I have endured to provide someone else with comfort or hope. That makes everything I do and share so worth it. 

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Me: How do you think your Fitness impacts your Faith and your Faith impacts your Fitness?  

Cassia:  My personal niche and passion is weightlifting/bodybuilding and as a figure competitor, I realize there is a general stigma attached that we are vain, self-absorbed and sometimes egocentric. But this passion is so spiritual and personal to me. I read stories in the bible about Samson and David and I feel drawn to the fact they were called to be God's warriors and experienced great physical strength that came from Him. And I often think of Rebecca and how she carried all those water jugs on her shoulders for the camels. To me, it's an incredible gift to use my body in a way that I could never experience on my own. When I train, lift and exercise, I feel SO close to the Lord. I pray through sets, I call on him for just one more rep and when my body crumbles in exhaustion, I feel SO thankful He let me experience the gift of seeing what my body is truly capable of, in HIS strength. Stepping on the stage isn't what it is about to me. It's about watching my creator, with his hammer and chisel, slowly chip away at all my rough edges and create a masterpiece. Something that is beautiful, majestic and breathtaking.
  
 
 

Me:  What is the number one thing that you see women struggling with today?  How do you think Fitness and/or Faith can help them?

 
Cassia:  Over the past year I am so blessed to say God has used to me reach an extraordinary amount of women. The one thing we all have in common is the deep, dark longing to fill an intense void. We all have pain, brokenness, guilt and shame and choose different things to try and band-aid those wounds. Many of the women who feel compelled to reach out to me use food for comfort and struggle with negative self talk and body image. My prayer is to help them see that God is willing to be our portion and in Him we are made whole. A book that greatly changed my life is "Made to Crave" by Lysa TerKeurst. Lysa goes into great detail about how we have made food a false idol and need to invite Him into every single aspect of our lives...especially our health and wellness. If we are not honoring His temples, it is easy to be mired in guilt and shame. Caring for our bodies in mind, body and spirit is not vain or a luxury. It is part of our calling.
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Me: What is the biggest lesson you've learned recently?

 
Cassia:  Right now I am reading For the Love by Jen Hatmaker. It is a phenomenal book about letting go of the impossible standards we have placed on ourselves and letting God's grace define our lives. As a wife and mom, I feel like failure all.the.time. I'm learning this is such a big, fat LIE! I'm not a failure at all! I just need to remember I live for an audience of ONE. If I am I am willing to share what a HOT MESS I truly am, it gives God that much more of an opportunity to be my savior and shows others that we don't have to have it all together! When we are weak, He is strong!!! Our lives should reflect this truth.
 

Me: What dreams do you have for this year and for the future?  What role do you expect God to play in developing these into realities?

Cassia:  For a long time, I thought God owed me something. After an era of very dark trials and heartbreak, I kept thinking "ok Lord, go ahead and reward me for all the pain I endured!!!" But in the past year through studying God's word and being blessed with amazing sisters in Christ who act as sacred echoes, I have learned that my blessing is NOT in people, places or things. My desire and heart's call is to bring Him glory and that truly can't be measured on this earth. I'm throwing away my "well, in the next year I hope this happens..." mentality because I don't need a bigger home, wealthy family or prosperous future (I've honestly felt I had all of those things at one point...and they did NOT bring satisfaction). I just need me some more Jesus. My dream now is to become a woman He can trust to share the gospel, hope and light. I know God will continue to move me if I allow Him to refine me. No one wants to pray for trials, but if we truly want to change and become who He has created us to be, we have to be willing to let Him grind down our rough edges.

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ME: I am just starting a blog series on living with FRUITFUL Health and walking through how to live the 9 Fruits of the Spirit in our health.  We are starting off with LOVE of course!  Can you tell us how it is that you have found a way to LOVE taking care of your health?  How do you know it's REAL love?

Cassia:  I love taking care of my temple. I know it's real love because when I don't honor it, I feel laden in guilt and self-loathing and I miss out on God's best for my life. I LOVE exercising, moving in ways that push the confines of our earthly minds, and eating with the perspective that God has given us food as fuel. I LOVE the feeling of being so in tune with my physical being that I am not wasting time questioning and berating my body. When I LOVE my body, I hear God's affirmation saying, "Go boldly. Show other women they are not prisoners here but can be free to release the shackles of the flesh and serve with bold and brave abandon. I am with you brave and mighty warrior" -Judges 6:12
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 If you'd like to connect with Cassia, you can find her on these social media platforms!
 
 
Cassia is a proud mom of two and successful health coach to women interested in weight lifting and some figure competitions. You can follow Cassia on the above Facebook and Instagram handles and find out more about her coaching on her Facebook business page!  Cassia hosts several monthly private groups for women focused on Faith and Fitness!  
  
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Categories
Fit Faith Friday Fitness & Training

{FitFaithFriday} Meet fitGevity Creator and Travel Specialist, Kate Higgins!

My Interview with Kate Higgins:

I met the beautiful Kate Higgins through a business coaching program called the Best of You.  Kate and I have been virtual friends for a while and then got to meeting in person last September at our annual retreat!  She is wonderful, graceful, and really easy to get along with!    She was kind enough to interview me for her first ever #TravelTuesday interview series (!) she does on her site (since I am an active traveler) and I was so happy to interview her for this #FitFaithFriday feature too!  

She was a little nervous about our Fit & Faithful space here because she said, "Well, I am pretty private about my Faith and don't talk about it much.  I probably couldn't quote you any scriptures or anything." 

I assured her that this is NOT the forum in which we judge each other based on "rule following" principles of religion, right?!!  I aspire to do just as God did for David, "People look at outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."  (1 Samuel 16:7)

I am overjoyed when I have friends who are willing to share anything about their Faith and their own Spiritual journey because we are all a work in progress and it makes God so happy when we offer up any amount of Faith that we have!  Whatever we give, He will make it grow (it IS the Law of the Harvest, afterall!).  

So it's my honor to present Kate's thoughtful answers to the questions below!  

Me: Tell us a little bit about what you do--when you started and why you started:

Kate: I am a fitness blogger, and I specialize in staying fit and healthy while traveling. My blog, fitGevity, started out as a resource to support my line of resistance bands I created in 2014. Since then it has evolved into personal blog dedicated mostly to my travels and how I maintain a healthy lifestyle while traveling
 
I made this shift with fitGevity for a number of reasons. First, how much fun is it to constantly be writing about resistance bands?? The answer - not too much! Second, a 20 pound weight gain while traveling around Thailand for four months made me realize that traveling and staying healthy isn’t the easiest thing to do. I wanted to share my experiences, mistakes, and solutions with other travelers with the hopes that they will be able to avoid a substantial weight gain like mine. Lastly, after driving for Uber for a few months, and talking with literally a few hundred people who constantly travel, I began to notice that staying healthy on the road is hard for everyone! From there I decided that my mission is to help as many travelers as possible via coaching to stay fit and healthy while traveling.
 
Kate Higgins
 

Me: How does your Faith impact your Fitness and your Fitness impact your Faith?

Kate: For me, my faith is pretty personal. I find that I don’t often share my feelings or beliefs with others. So my health and fitness are intertwined with my faith. I’m always grateful for my ability to move, exercise, treat my body well, and help others through my blog. I also feel like being able to help others with their health and fitness is a great way to give back! 
 
 
 
 

Me:  What is the #1 struggle that you see women facing today and how do you think Faith and/or Fitness can help them? 

 
Kate: One main struggle I see with women today is losing their individual identities to their families. As women we are often times the caretakers of our families. In the end we give up our own desires, wants, likes, etc, for the good of the family. This level of sacrifice comes from a good place in our hearts, but in the long run can make us lose track of who we really are.
 
I think staying true to our beliefs as well as making time for our health helps to keep us mindful of who we really are. Faith and fitness give us time that’s just ours. If we feel good physically, mentally, and emotionally then we are going to thrive as individuals, be more likely to stand up for what is most important to us, and will be less likely to lose our identities.
 

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Me: What is the greatest lesson you have learned recently that is tied to your Fitness or your Faith?

 
Kate: The biggest lesson I have learned recently is that the truth will set you free. Holding onto anything can become toxic after a while. Lying, keeping secrets, and making up excuses is exhausting! It gives us anxiety, makes us dread seeing certain people, and the longer we hold onto it the more likely that the secret will come out at the wrong place and time.
 
While getting something off your chest might be tough, it’s incredibly worthwhile in the long run. You will feel as if a weight has lifted, stress has been reduced, and mental space has been freed up. This can lead to a healthier lifestyle, decreased levels of anxiety and stress, weight loss, a higher level of happiness, and more productivity.  
 

ME: What dreams do you have for the future? 

Kate: I have some big dreams for this year and the future! My goal is to continue to grow my blog. It may not sound like much, but by the end of the year if I have helped even 10 travelers stay healthy while on the road I will have accomplished my mission for the year).
As time goes on I want to continue growing my brand and to reach more people. I’m not exactly sure how I will accomplish this just yet - which programs I will design, inspiration I’ll gain along the way - but I trust that as long as I put forth 100% effort that I will be guided down the right path.
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ME: Do you have anything coming up that we can participate in? 

Kate: Yes! I have a free four day travel fitness coaching course coming out by the end of next week! I’m extremely excited about this program and have put lots of blood, sweat, and tears...well, you get the picture...into it. This program is a webinar style training delivered over four days, and covers everything from packing tips to exercise and nutrition. I’d love for anyone who travels frequently or is planning to go on a vacation in the near future to try it out! 🙂
 
 
 
You can find Kate and her Travel Tips on any of her social media pages here: 
Website: http://www.fitgevitysolutions.com

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fitgevity

instagram: http://www.instagram.com/fitgevity

twitter: http://www.twitter.com/fitgevity

 
 
Categories
Fitness & Training Spiritual Health

Why Two People Who Do The Exact Same Thing Will Experience Wildly Different Results…

Using the Laws of the Harvest In a Real Life Example!

 
A lot of people have asked me if I am against people doing bikini competitions since I have told so many stories about the negative consequences of having done mine.  And I wholeheartedly tell them, “Absolutely not!”   I am in fact prepping a client for a bikini competition as we speak!  She’s about 10 weeks away!
 
But also, the reason I would never dare to tell someone not to go after such a lofty goal is that there are a lot of really great things that can come out of pushing ourselves far out of our comfort zones.  There is SO MUCH that I learned about my CHARACTER in that process of taking things “too far” for MY body that I have ZERO regrets about.
 
There are some people that actually THRIVE and really LOVE the competition world and can maintain a high character approach toward doing such activity.
 
One such example is one of my best friends and prayer partner, Jennifer.  She was one who trained me and dozens of other women for these competitions with her husband.  Jennifer did a couple different competitions herself over the years and told me she was was able to actually use them to grow closer to God!
 
Anything and everything we do can be an act of worship.  So especially those really challenging goals we push for, we can definitely lean more on Him and we will be better for it!  While Jennifer will tell you she won’t do another one (they are huge sacrifices, especially if you have young kids, like she does), her experience was markedly different than mine.
 

 So why is that in life?

 
How is it that two women, both with hearts for God, can engage in the SAME endeavor, “planting our seeds” into the same routines,  desiring the same outcomes,  but experiencing radically different “HARVESTS” as a result?
 
 
This is often where we get hung up as we decide to try to do those things that we see our friends do, especially after we see their success.
 
The key to understanding the differences in these “harvests” and rewards is to realize that there are THREE vital parts to the Law of the Harvest, not just the two.
 
There’s the obvious SEED (our thoughts, our words and our actions)
Then there’s the obvious HARVEST (the results, our success, and our character blessing,too).
 
The THIRD aspect to this equation is the real difference maker.
 

It's the SOIL.

 
The SOIL is the *KEY* component into whether the seeds sprouts a REWARDING harvest or whether the the seeds withers, dies and gets ‘choked' by the weeds of life.
 
Take a look at the powerful words of Jesus’ Parable of the Sower from Matthew 13 which I like in The Message translation.
 

"A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it  fell on the road, and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn’t put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled by the weeds. Some fell on good earth, and produced a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.” (Matthew 13:3-8)

 
It’s obvious that this Farmer had worked hard to scatter his seeds.  And it wasn’t the SEEDS fault that it failed because each seed was made with equal potential for greatness and success!  The same goes for you and me.  We are all created in equal love and ability for our own blessings and destiny.
 
The key difference as to whether the seed found success or not was the nutritious depth of environment that it was planted.
 
In other words if you don’t plant your SEEDS (i.e. your thoughts, words and actions) into an environment that doesn't have depth and nutrition, then the shallow soil will not produce the fruitful harvest you desire.
 
That’s exactly what went wrong with my experience in the bikini competition.
 
As I learned, more retrospectively, that the real reason WHY I decided to do the bikini competition was in order to “look the part” of someone I thought I was supposed to be.  
 
The real reason WHY  I chased having a “perfect body” was because I thought that was the answer to my body images issues and ultimately would give me self-love and happiness.   
 

My “WHY" was my soil.  Your WHY is your soil too.  

 
 If it’s a shallow, self-serving, or an overall unhealthy reason WHY you are really doing what you are doing then it will NOT produce the rich harvest of blessings that you want it to because God wants SO MUCH MORE for you life. 
 
{And by “really” doing, I mean, the real, deep reason why you are doing what you are doing.  Not the reason you tell others or even convince yourself you are doing something.  It might even be subconscious for a while, but eventually God will allow it to come to light.  Your WHY matters most. } 
 
"Planting on the PATHWWAY ": 
Sometimes we make half-hearted choices in our health, the most shallow of all. We know these well.  We commit to a “diet” that we’re never really going to follow.  We sign up for a “program” that we don’t even open.  We get that gym membership but never show up to use it.  We don’t ever really COMMIT and therefore our WHY is extra shallow.   These are equivalent to the “path” where the birds came and eat those seeds.  Nothing will come from these efforts.
 
"Planting On Shallow Soil":
Sometimes we get excited and so we make hasty, quick decisions and see some quick results….but inevitably those seeds sprout quickly and die just as quickly.
 
We do that 3-day cleanse, but then we go right back to eating how we used to.  We take drops or diet pills that decrease our appetite to lose weight quickly.  We do an extreme workout regime for a month or two, preparing for a “special occasion.”  But those extreme tactics cannot be sustained and are equivalent to the soil in the gravel.  The faster it comes off, the faster it will come right back on.
 
"Planting Among the Weeds"
Then, there are times we we *think* we are planting our “seeds” in rich and deep soil of good intentions.   This was me in my big endeavor in my bikini competition and DOZENS of other life experiences I’ve had.
 
We make the commitment alright, but soon realize that WEEDS sprout up all around us.
 
I love what Jesus tells us about the soil with the weeds (from The Message translation again which is extra powerful).
 

 “The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it.”  (Matthew 13:22 MSG)

 
For anyone that has planted a garden, you know that you don’t need to GROW WEEDS.  Weeds just sprout up.  The same thing happens in our head as we plant our seeds the the soil of opportunity.
 

Weeds are lies we start to believe about ourselves.  

 
Weeds are the distractions of self-doubt, selfishness or even conflict.  Weeds are the result of SIN and our human nature and the devil getting in the way of our destiny.
 
These weeds strangle our good intentions of the Spirit and distorts them, ruining the harvest.
 

"For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.” Galatians 5:17

 

BUT, GOD.

 
It would seem to be a lost cause that we would ever be able to truly reap a rich harvest we desire out of life, doesn’t it?  
 
Indeed, I think a lot of people lose hope here.  Thinking, “What’s the point? I’m always going to self-sabotage and will never escape my habits of worry."
 
It is a huge challenge in our lives and I am not trying to play this down at all.
 
BUT, Jesus is "the way, the truth and the life."  (John 14:6) 
 
But I believe that it is MORE THAN possible to plant your seeds of your health and your life in the deep, rich soil that is Jesus and you will WIN the harvest of your destiny.
 
When you align your WHY with God’s WHY for your life, and not the life of those you see around you, you will find that there are far fewer weeds that will get in your way and choke your destiny away from you.  
 

"Planting on the Good Soil":

When your health becomes less about YOU and more about what you can do to better serve God’s kingdom, the richness of your soil will be incredible.  It will sprout harvests for generations and generations.  

 
Listen to what Jesus went on to say about planting seeds on “Good Earth,"
 

 “The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.” (Matthew 13:23 MSG)

 
The "NEWS" is that Jesus has already done all of the hard work for you when He died on the cross.
 
The "NEWS" is that you don’t actually have to strive for and earn the things you think you do, God has worked it all out for you.
 
The "NEWS" is that He has come through with his weed whacker and has prepared some fertile ground for JUST YOU to plant.   You just need to have COURAGE, FAITH and TRUST that God will always do what He says He will do.
 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11

 
There are over 7,000 promises in the Bible like this that you can ROOT yourself and your health in.   When you focus on Him and focus on His TRUTH the weeds of your doubt and the lies in your head simply cannot survive.
 

Get deep.  Look for your real WHY and you will win.  You will win!

"Harvesting My Health" Free Download!

If you are interested in learning more about how to Harvest Your Health in 2016, then I'd love to welcome you to my email list!  I'll be giving away the BEST content to my inner tribe!     In fact, I have a FREE 7-Day devotional series I wrote for you on "Harvesting My Health" through the 7-Laws of the Harvest!  I think you'll really like it!

Just click the button below to grab your free copy and I'll look forward to connecting with you soon!

FREE 7-Day Devotional

Categories
Fit Faith Friday Health Coaching

{FitFaithFriday} Debbie Baisden

Debbie2_Momsanity

As I mentioned last week, I was honored that Momsanity extended such love and care to me as a "newbie" into the Fit and Faith world. The more I learn about these two women, the more I admire them and know that God had a hand in our introduction. I can't wait to see where it grows!

You'll find all of Debbie's answers to my questions to be incredible and helpful to all of us that are going similar circumstances. She *GETS IT* and that's such a blessing.

HOWEVER, what she doesn't tell us in this interview is more of her story, which speaks volumes of who she is.

Debbie started her own business (with the lovely Emily) after unexpectedly losing her husband and the father of her 4 young boys, who were 8, 7, 4 and 4 (twins). Emotion catches in my chest just trying to comprehend that.

The strength this woman has, and the warrior that God clearly called her to be, speaks volumes to the courage that Debbie has, the passion that she has to help women in their Fitness and Faith, and just how amazing God is that He can turn such tragedy into grace-filled and joyful opportunities in this life.

You can read more about her personal story from a blog I found of her website on her personal blog HERE. My favorite line is right after she tells about this unspeakable tragedy, her first sentence says, "God is so good."

Understanding the background of Debbie's life is a gift to see what humble strength looks like. She truly cares about what she does and about helping women in their Fitness and Faith. I'm honored to showcase and feature her here!

 

Me: Tell us a little bit more about what you do and how you came to start it?  

Debbie: Superficially, I began pursuing all things fitness and nutrition because of vanity.  My pants were shrinking and my diet rivaled a teenage boy’s.  My friend (and now partner-in-crime) Emily taught me there were smarter ways to get my pants to fit that would help me look and feel my best.  Now she and I have teamed up to help other moms navigate fitness and nutrition in a way that honors Jesus.
 

 Me: How do you think your Fitness impacts your Faith and your Faith impacts your Fitness?

Debbie: By taking care of my body that’s made in the image of God, I am able to have the strength and energy to serve Him better.  By turning my workouts into a form of worshiping my Maker, I have a perspective of thankfulness for an able body.  I can do all things through Him who strengthens me!
 

Me:  What is the number one thing that you see women struggling with today?  How do you think Fitness and/or Faith can help them?

 
Debbie: I think women are discouraged.  Change seems impossible, defeat from the past echoes daily and they are just so busy that they are drained in every area of life.  I think faith is the game-changer and fitness is simply a byproduct.  When they can dig in to God’s Word they discover how precious and valuable they are.  As they spend more time in prayer and study, they are transformed inwardly and have this realization that it’s an honor to take care of their beautiful bodies.  It is all about a heart change.
 

Me: What is the biggest lesson you've learned recently?

 
Debbie: God is having to constantly teach me that I am not the boss.  I have the need to drop to my knees and lay everything at His feet.  I have asked Him to stretch my faith and to increase my reliance on Him.  He is doing that both professionally as well as in my walk with Him.  I am being forced to be uncomfortable, which is exactly how my faith should look.  I must stop boxing God in and attempting to humanize Him.
 

Me: What dreams do you have for this year and for the future?  What role do you expect God to play in developing these into realities?

Debbie:  Without Him, every plan will flop.  I want Him to direct my steps.  I want Him to be before me, beside me and behind me.  What I want is to become a cheerleader for more women, teaching them that they are already worthy and that they can juggle the demands of motherhood in a way that brings joy.  I really want to empower women to take care of their bodies in a way that honors Christ.  Momsanity has a lot of plans in place to really go all out and it’s exciting to see what this year looks like.

 

Me: Is there anything you have coming up that we can join you in? 

Debbie: Momsanity does in fact have at least 2 major exciting announcements this spring!  Both of these will be really amazing ways to help moms in our mission that focuses on Motherhood, Faith, Fitness and Nutrition.  We will begin announcing in February what we have been working hard on for months.  Until then, stay tuned to www.projectmomsanity.com so you don’t miss out!
 
Without_Him_every_plan_will_flop._I_want_Him_to_direct_my_steps._I_want_Him_to_be_before_me_beside_me_andbehind_me.
 
If you'd like to connect with Debbie, here's where to find her!
 
Debbie Wilkins Baisden is a widow-turned-newlywed mom of 4 little boys who thrive on volume, violence and destruction. Debbie leads local workouts and runs 2 online businesses that zero in on helping others look and feel their best. You can find her at www.projectmomsanity.com and www.fitwithdeb.com
 
 
 
Categories
Spiritual Health

Harvesting More Energy In Your Life!

Using the Laws of the Harvest In a Real Life Example!

I've been doing a lot of research lately about how we get exactly what we really WANT and what we really NEED out of life, especially as it relates to our desires for our health.   My journey led me to the universal law, as designed by God, of the "Law of the Harvest" (a.k.a "you reap what you sow"principle in life).  

Understanding this rudimentary Law in life has completely changed my approach to getting what I want in life as well as my expectation of what that process will look like.  Understanding THIS helps us to understand GOD and the UNIVERSE.  When we understand Him (slightly better), we better understand ourselves, since we are made in His image.  When we understand ourselves, we are empowered to make better choices which ultimately lead us to getting what it is we say we want! 

 As some of you may have received some of my recent emails on this or the blog post introduction and hopefully grabbed your copy of the free 7-Day Devotional called “Harvesting My Health,” there are several “Laws of the Harvest” that we must consider to actually use this God-given law for our excellence.  
 
As it happens, this week that I started this conversation with you all, it  happened to be the exact week that Rick Warren did a series called “Daring to Plant In Faith” on his podcast I listen to called, Daily Hope.  Is this JUST a coincidence?!  I think not!  #Godwink
 
But, as it goes, the great Pastor Rick took my well researched 7 Laws of the Harvest from my devotional and put his own “Rick Warren" spin and expanded them to 11-Laws of the Harvest!  You can listen to Part 1 of this podcast HERE or you can listen to the original entire sermon from Saddleback Church HERE.  The man is just a genius teacher!
 
So, to help you understand these Laws in your real life health efforts, I wanted to give you an example of how you might think through the these laws. 
 
 

Rick Warren’s 11 Laws of the Harvest for Real Life Goals

Law #1:  Everything starts as a SEED.  

Your BODY itself is a SEED that will need to be planted in order to get more energy. 
Your THOUGHTS about desiring more energy are also SEEDS that need to get planted in order to provide the actions necessary.  
 

Law #2:  Nothing Happens Until the Seed Is Planted

You can’t just complain about not having low energy.  You can’t just “wish” for more ENERGY.  You can’t even just PRAY for more energy.  You have to PLANT THE SEEDS (i.e. show some action) to get more energy.  
 
You must also realize that if you DON’T DO ANYTHING to plant more energy, by DEFAULT you ARE actually planting seeds of DECREASED energy.  So the lesson is to do at least something.
 

Law #3:  When I Have a Need, I Plant a Seed

Because I NEED (i.e. desire) more energy, I need to plant the seeds that will get me MORE energy— things like work outs, proper rest, and nutritious food. 
 
It will also have to AVOID planting those seeds that will get me those things that COUNTERACT my efforts for more energy—sitting too much, not getting to sleep at a reasonable hour, over-caffeinating myself, eating junk food, eating too much food, eating too little of food, etc.  If you feel low energy, start paying attention to what choices you have made that day that’s bringing your energy down.  Putting 2:2 together is a big step!
 

Law #4:  Whatever I Plant Is What I Will Reap:

I have to plant those things that actually produce MORE ENERGY to attain more energy.  I can’t plant WORRY and expect to get MORE ENERGY.  I can’t plant BUSYNESS and expect MORE ENERGY.  
 
You might have to try some things out and monitor how it’s going.  It might take a trial and error, but the power here is in the INTENTION of it.  Try just one thing intentionally and see if it works!  Monitor, adjust and keep going.  
 

Law #5: I am not the Only Sower

I realize that I am living in some of the harvests that I did not plant.  I might have entered into a world of chaos that affects my ENERGY.   I might have “inherited” a tendency to worry and overanalyze, which drains my energy.  
 
But I have the POWER to stop any inheritance that I do not want to pass along to others.  I can’t control the past, or what other people do around me,  but I can choose to create brand new legacy and example of energy management.  
 

Law #6:  I Always Reap In a Different Season Than I Sow

These results will take time, there is always a delay.  I cannot expect instant energy from just one day of planting.  You always feel LESS energy during the workout but you get a nice big boost after!  Cutting back on sugar at first makes you feel low energy, but ultimately you'll have a much better energy balance than before!
 
You have to build up consistent effort to figure out what works and what doesn’t work.   After some time, then I will reap the harvest of high energy that I desire. 
 

Law #7:  I Must Be Patient and Not Give Up

Because of the delay that we often see in our efforts, many people become impatient and give up.  But not you!  You realize that every great thing in life results from an uphill battle and you can be ready and willing to push through those times.  You may have to lose some energy to gain some energy, and that’s a sacrifice that will be worth it if you don’t give up! 
 

Law #8:  I Will Always Reap More Than I Sow

This is the Law of Multiplication.  I will get MORE out of what I put in.  So if I want just small efforts for my healthy energy, I will get more energy than I invest.  If I need to see bigger shifts in my energy, I need to invest more in the planting!  
 
In the same way, there are small energy zappers that I could be doing that drain much more energy than I thought they would.  Having my phone on in my bed?  Hanging out with those friends who just pour out their troubles onto me?  Repeating those worries in my mind without praying or giving them to God?  All of these little things will reap and steal more energy than I think. 
 

Law #9:  I Can Always Increase My Harvest By Planting More Seeds

This is the 'Law of Proportion.’  All I have to do is start with some small acts in an effort to get more energy.  If I find that they are working, I can just push those acts more and more and get more out of them!   But there is no pressure to start BIG.  I can always add more!

  

Law #10:  The More Seed I Plant, The More God Will Give Me

God is looking for GIVERS to bless.  Those people that are the most ACTIVE for the GOOD of others are blessed with LOTS OF ENERGY.    God will bless me for those Good efforts by giving me more and more responsibility and need for energy.  The more Ido for the world around me, the more energy God will give me to be able to do it all.  
 
 

Law #11:  I Plant by Faith, NOT By Feelings:

I will never ever FEEL like doing those things that will give me more energy.  Many times I will have to plant when I don’t FEEL LIKE IT, but I’ll do it anyway because I know that’s the only way I get what I want out of life.   
 
Planting by Faith means that I do things for the deeper reason WHY.  When I cling to that reason and don’t detour on whims of emotion, I’ll get far more out of your goals and build my character too.  It will pay off HUGE dividends when I sacrifice my immediate gratification for my greater investment down the road.  
  
Reap What You Sow
 
In short, we have to realize that the things that really matter in life, and having ENERGY is something that really does matter, even though it’s something that God wants for us to have, WE are responsible in just how much we invest and therefore harvest.  
 
God doesn’t operate as just a “vending machine” where we think we just “put in” our part and “God’s part” automatically spits out what we want.  A vending machine God does not build our heart or our character.  
 
Our heart and our character are the “treasures” that we take with us to heaven.  So it only makes sense that God will ALLOW US to “store up” those real treasures in heaven while we are also getting more out of the life that we are living NOW.  What a gift that is!  (Matthew 6:20)
 
It is an honor to get to work for the things we really want out of life.  It is a privilege and it makes our reward that much more rewarding!
 
So, here’s to planting more energy for you TODAY! 

"Harvesting My Health" Free Download!

If you are interested in learning more about how to Harvest Your Health in 2016, then I'd love to welcome you to my email list!  I'll be giving away the BEST content to my inner tribe!     In fact, I have a FREE 7-Day devotional series I wrote for you on "Harvesting My Health" through the 7-Laws of the Harvest!  I think you'll really like it!

Just click the button below to grab your free copy and I'll look forward to connecting with you soon!

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