Getting ready for First Place 4 Health to start!!! Please pray for me and those who get involved!!

I honestly can not wait until we get to start this program at Peachtree!! I have spoken to so many women that are interested and that just boosts my excitement even more!! I have a lot of baggage to lose, physically, mentally, emotionally, and probably even some spiritually. That is why I am SO impressed with this program. It covers all the bases!! It encourages bodily shrinkage, but growth of your mind, heart, and spirit!! “Study to show thyself worthy”, believe me, we will be studying!!! But I have no doubt that, especially people like me, will benefit from this tremendously!! Still concerned about the cost, but putting that in God‘s hands. He will provide for me, and those participating in the program. I truly despise not being able to get into any of my clothes that I didn’t have a problem with just two months ago!! I am at the point that I don’t care what the medication was doing for me, if it is going to cause that amount of weight gain in that short time span, I’m getting off that!! I plan to try taking the girls walking tomorrow. We will see how they do on their leashes. I’ll probably burn more wrestling with them than anything!! Oh well, a calorie burned is a calorie burned!! RIght? I really want to lose down enough to be at a healthy weight for my height, and to get there, I probably have about 75+ pounds to lose. I know it’s not going to happen overnight, but that is another thing that I think is so incredible about this program, all the Bible study materials that are available!!! I truly believe we could switch to a different Bible study book every 12 weeks and never use the same book for probably 3-4 YEARS!!! And that’s not counting the 6 week study at Christmas and the 6 week summer study!! I just really pray that women will respond and make the committment to participate! Please pray with me, as I try to get this off the ground in the next couple of months. Please pray that I am prepared and that I follow the Holy Spirit in all I do and say Please pray for all of those participating in the program, whether coming to class every week, or doing it at their own pace from home, just pray for understanding, clarity, and peace.  I believe that if we are able to be at peace with  what we are doing, making our bodies a healthy temple for our Lord Jesus Christ to dwell in, we will do just fine. We may not lose but a pound a month or so, though I hope for better results than that, but, even if we lose no weight, if something I say, or someone else says or does, helps to show someone else the love of God and help to lead them to salvation, it will all be worth  it!!

Thank you dear Lord, for giving me this opportunity to lead this group of First Place participants. Lord I pray for a good response from Peachtree, but also from other churches around the area, even reaching some of those who don’t have a church home. I pray that there be one thing I do or say, each and every day, that brings someone a little closer to the Lord. I pray Lord, that only love comes from me. I pray that you help me to control my tongue and my temper, and let me just be able to hold on until I can get alone with you and cry my eyes out over something that has hurt me in some way. Lord I ask your forgiveness for anything that I may have said or done today that did not bring you honor and glory. I ask for forgiveness of missed opportunities to talk to someone about you, and share the message of love and salvation through Jesus with someone. I ask you Lord, to please continue to give me those opportunities and give me the wisdom and strength to follow through with each moment. I thank you Father for the forgiveness of my sins and shortcomings that you so freely give. I thank you for my family Father. You have truly blessed me with 4 wonderful kids who have challenged me many times, and continue to do so. But I thank you for those challenges, because through them, I learn to trust in you and lean on you even more. I thank you Father for the 8 beautiful grandchildren you have given me, each with their own special place in my heart. I pray your blessings and protection upon them all. I pray all of this in Jesus’ most precious and holy name, AMEN

First Place materials ordered!!!

Yes! I am actually doing this, and it feels so right! I have prayed and asked God for guidance with this because I know I can attempt any Bible study I want to, but if I don’t let God lead me in it, I set myself, and others participating for failure! I most definitely do not want to do that!! I am so excited to get these books I have ordered and start reviewing them and to see exactly where to begin with this program. I am happy that God has given me about 6 weeks of preparation time! He knows I need it!!

I really, truly hope that I have several people choose to get involved with this. This program is not just for those who want to lose weight, although it will help with that. This program includes all aspects of your health, your physical health, mental health, emotional health, and (I think) most importantly, your spiritual health. That is what I love so much about this program. It is going to show us all how to incorporate our spiritual self and study with the healthy eating and exercise skills we learn. We will be learning about our emotional health, and once again, God knows exactly what I need!

That is one reason I truly believe this program will be successful for Peachtree. Although I will be leading the group, or the “teacher” (though I don’t want to think of it that way), I will be learning right along side with all the participants! I have no doubt they will all teach me as much or probably  even more than I can teach them!!

I especially look forward to the discipline this is going to teach me, which is another reason I believe God is letting me get ready for this so much ahead of time. I have to get myself disciplined, at least a little, so that I can set a good example for my co-participants!

Please pray for me as I dive into this project that I truly feel God is leading me to do. Also, please include in your prayers anyone who decides to participate! Pray that they may get out of this program, exactly what they need. Another prayer request is going to be to please pray that people make the choice to get involved in this program and really participate, and that I will have so many participating that I will need help with leaders!! I would much rather have a HUGE crowd of people ready to participate, than only one or two. But, whatever the number of people God sends my way, I am going to do my very best to help them learn the tools that they need to get themselves healthy in all aspects of their lives.

I am going to wait until I get my materials in and have a chance to look over them just a bit before talking to my pastor about it again. I have already mentioned it to him and he indicated that he thought it was a great idea!! So, I just want to be ready with some specifics when I meet with him again about this.

Dear God in Heaven, Father I can’t thank you enough for what you are doing in my life! You are leading me down a path that I very much need to go down and I am so grateful that you are walking that path right beside me. I pray Lord, that people will listen and hear you calling them to participate in this group! I also pray that you will bless each and every person who participates, even if their participation is limited to prayer. I continue to seek your guidance Lord, with this, and any other project you have for me to do. Father, I want to follow in the footsteps you have laid down for me, and I ask that, should I slip off one of those stepping stones, you please pull me back on, and help me to get back on track. Father, I thank you so much for leading me to this program, and what it has the potential of doing for myself as well as anyone who participates. I ask you Father to lay upon the hearts of any person, male or female, young or not so young, to participate in this little group, because I know Father, that each and every one of us could use some instruction regarding at least one aspect of our health.  I am specifically not calling this a weight loss program because I know the use of that term can close the door for some people. That is why I am so thankful to you Father, for showing me how important it is to stress that this is not just another weight loss program, but a total health program. Father, I love you and I thank you for giving me this opportunity. I thank you for all the blessings you give me each and every day that I take for granted and I pray that I stop taking things for granted and instead see the beauty of the gift you are giving me. I ask you now Father to forgive me where I have failed you or disappointed you. Forgive me where I have sinned, whether through gossip, aggravation, my attitude, or whatever else there may be. I thank you for the forgiveness you have given me and I especially thank you for your son, Jesus, my savior, forever!! Father, I pray now that you go with me as I lie down to get some rest and I ask you for some good, restful sleep so that I might wake refreshed and ready to get on with things I need to get done. I also want to thank you Father for what you have already done with my physical health. I know doctors and medications have been involved, but none of it would even begin to be the least bit successful, if it were not for you! Thank you!  Father, I also ask that you please touch Gerald and heal his body, help him to get over whatever this is that has him so sick. There are so many prayer requests that I have been made aware of lately and Father you know what they are and what the needs are, so I lay these requests at your feet and I ask that you just touch all of those involved, give them comfort and peace, and whatever else they may need. Again, I thank you Father for the love that you have given me. I love you Lord, and I pray these things in Jesus precious name, Amen

The beginning of First Place 4 Health!

I have been feeling for quite some time that God has a special task for me but I have been unable to understand what it is He is asking me to do. At least until now. I believe God is leading me to hold a Bible study for people, like me, who want to get ourselves healthy. Yes, weight loss is part of it, but not the only part. I don’t want to focus on strictly weight loss. There are several aspects to getting yourself healthy and that’s what I want to focus on, all aspects. Physical health, mental health, emotional health, and spiritual health. I believe that you can not have one and be successful, without the others included. Each aspect of our health directly affects the others. But we have to start with the most important aspect, our spiritual health.

We have to get our spiritual health in order before the others can be successful. Without our spiritual health being in order, trying to get any other aspect of our health in order is useless, a waste of time. Unless we give control to God, over ALL aspects of our health, and then we study His word so we know what He wants us to do, then we are just treading water.  While treading water might be fairly good exercise, it is not enough by itself. We cannot survive by simply ‘treading water’.

So, spiritual health being first and most important, our second most important, at least in my  opinion, is going to be our mental health. If we are not ready mentally for weight loss or exercise, or healthy eating, or ready to deal with our emotional “baggage”, then again, all of our efforts are going to be a waste of time.  In other words, if we want to get our whole body healthy, we can not leave out any single aspect.  That is why I am planning this Bible study using the First Place 4 Health program.

This program addresses each and every aspect of getting or being healthy, and once reaching your personal goals, then maintaining those goals, and it does so while teaching us to follow Gods plan for us. I think the most difficult part of this is going to be realizing that different plans for each of us. While our paths may cross, or we may serve in the same capacity at times, He has other plans for us, and this is just a step on that path God is leading us down. Our job is to make sure we stay on that path and  don’t venture off on our own thinking we know a better way.

I know for me personally, I tend to want to see results quickly, if not instantly. That is why I have had such a difficult time with weight loss. Any amount of weight loss is good, but if you truly want to lose weight, and KEEP IT OFF, then you must, absolutely MUST follow God’s guidance.  If you think for one second that you will be able to lose weight and keep it off, and get yourself healthy, all on your own, you are sadly mistaken. You cannot do it alone!! You have to depend on God to help you. That is the ONLY way that a person with 75+ pounds to lose, recent back surgery, three surgeries on the right knee, c-spine surgery, will EVER be successful.

I know that I have to have Gods help in becoming healthy. What makes me so sure? Because I have tried repeatedly to lose weight. Oh, there have been times that I would lose weight, significant amounts of weight! I would be so proud of myself! And then, it would inevitably happen. The weight would start coming back on.  The worst part about all of this is that the weight I had lost would come back, and bring a few more pounds with it! Talk about discouraging!!

Presently, I weigh more than I EVER have in my entire life. I am carrying around an extra person with me! I have never had blood pressure problems. In fact, I have always had a low blood pressure, 110/60 typically.  My last two visits to my pain management doctor’s office, for my back, my blood pressure has been significantly elevated. That is a sign to me that I am in dangerous territory physically. High blood pressure, diabetes, various types of cancer, and arthritis all run in my family. I have to do whatever I can now, to avoid having to deal with any of these problems later in life. I see that chance in the First Place 4 Health Program. I know that God wants me to be healthy because He has much more in store for me to do for His kingdom, and if I am not healthy, I won’t be a very productive worker!

So, beginning in January, my household will be following the FP4H program, and  hopefully, I will have a group of people ready to join me by participating in the Bible study group I will be starting. I have not finalized any details yet, but, if you are interested in participating, and live close enough to attend our weekly meetings, please do!! If you live too far away, I will be more than happy to help you find a group that is closer to you. Or, if there is enough need, who knows? Maybe we can do a video chat or something of that nature to include those who are unable to be there personally.  Right now, I primarily need to know what kind of interest level there is. Are you interested in participating in something like this? If it sounds like something you would like to be a part of, please, either leave me a comment here or on FB (scrappinmama253), and I will keep you posted on the details as they become official or finalized.

I will be speaking to my pastor about use of the church fellowship hall for these Bible study classes. And once I receive the approval from the church, then I can really get some plans set in stone. My plan at this time is to offer the same class twice a week. I know, huh??? I want to be able to reach as many people as possible that want to participate, therefore, I want to hold a daytime class and an evening class. This way, if you work during the day, you can come to the evening class, or if you would rather come during the day, that will be available also. Another great feature of offering the same class twice in a week, if you miss a class, you can come to the next one for that week!

Again, none of this is official yet, but hopefully and with much prayer, it soon will be. Please be praying for me and for this project, and the success of this Bible study for everyone that chooses to participate. Pray that things will fall into place so that materials needed can be provided to anyone who cannot afford to purchase them, and pray that I am following God’s will and continue to do so.

I have to say, once I made my decision to follow this program, I felt such a sense of peace about it. Now, that has turned into a sense of determination. As I said, the greatest need from anyone right now, is prayer.

I do not work, which is why I will be able to offer the Bible study two times a week, but it will also prevent me from doing what I would really love to do, which is to purchase the study guides for everyone interested. But, I just can’t. I pray that God will help each of us who wish to participate the ability to find the funds. Each study guide, covering approximately 12 weeks is around $14.oo. There are also other products that can be purchased, though not necessary. But we can talk about all of that later, at our first meeting!!

I don’t know about anyone else, but I am extremely excited about this and so ready to get started!! Again, if you are interested, or have suggestions, please leave me a comment here or on FB.

Have a wonderful and blessed day everyone!!