Chemicals called endorphins are released in the brain when we have a good cackle, a real belly laugh. Merriam-Webster defines endorphins as: any of a group of endogenous peptides (such as enkephalin) found especially in the brain that bind chiefly to opiate receptors and produce some pharmacological effects (such as pain relief) like those of opiates; specifically: beta-endorphin

Arnold Glasow, the author of Glasow’s Gloombusters, said, “Laughter is a tranquilizer with no side effects.”

How remarkable that our Creator God designed our bodies to produce such a quick jolt to our emotional state in aiding our health! A few thousand years ago, the wisest man who ever lived wrote “A cheerful heart is good medicine but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength” (Proverbs 17:22, NLT). The Bible Knowledge Commentary clarifies, “a cheerful heart is translated ‘a happy heart.’”

Henry Ward Beecher said, “Mirth is God’s medicine…

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves.”

2 Corinthians 4:7, NASB

If I just try to muster up the strength I will fail every time, but thankfully, the power of God comes flooding in as I open my Bible and cry out for help. You might not FEEL the power at first. Be persistent. Do not give up. God wants to do a work in your life so others can see HIS greatness!

I know that my body and health is a gift from God. And His desire is that I steward it well.

He gives each of us choices to make concerning our health and daily habits. Many struggle with health issues but no matter where we find ourselves in the line-up of fit or unfit, healthy or not so healthy, we…

Really? What is all the fuss about? Why worry about the relationship I have with Starbucks coffees, yummy cookies, pies, cakes, fast food delicacies like Chick-fil-A’s chocolate milkshake, or too many chicken nuggets in my box with a large sized waffle fry? What’s the harm? It’s not like my waistline has expanded so far that I need to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe!

Here’s the crux of the matter: Am I honoring God with my relationship to sweets?

In his book Every Body Matters, Gary Thomas espouses: “God alone knows whether we are honoring him with our daily choices.”

That’s something I must consider and act upon and thus, the big reason for my “no dairy, no sugar fast.” Am I honoring God with the choices I make when it comes to food, especially sweets? Thomas asserts, “We need a new relationship with food altogether, seeing it…

The sign flashing “HOT” meant only one thing, a delightful treat just waiting for me to indulge! My love affair with glazed Krispy Kreme Doughnuts was serious. There was a time I could devour half a dozen without a thought to self-control or health issues ever being a problem. Now, as I work toward a disciplined life, prayer has become my arsenal of deliverance.

How can prayer deliver me from Krispy Kreme Doughnuts though, or any other “sugary indulgence” for that matter?

“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41, NKJV).

I hear these words, spoken by Jesus, and I know they are put there just for me!

However, we find Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane speaking to Peter, James & John on the night of His betrayal. This is a gut-wrenching time especially for Jesus as…

Preparing for another “no dairy, no sugar” fast has me typing out goals for victory!

1. PRAY
2. Ask someone to commit to doing this fast with you!
3. Before getting out of bed in the morning, Rehearse in your mind what you will eat/drink
4. Keep a “12 hour fast” from 6:30 AM-6:30 PM, I have a rule of never eating past 7:00 PM
5. Get a notebook, make a list of what you can eat; journal: write out a pledge, and record your progress each day
6. Pull out “the readers” and READ labels while grocery shopping
7. DRINK WATER throughout the day!

Preparing also has me reviewing Gary Thomas’s book, Every BODY Matters: Strengthening Your Body to Strengthen Your Soul.

Let me share some wise quotes from the book that really helped me in the way I view my addictions:

“. . . I go to war against gluttony and indulgence, not because I…

I cannot believe it is here again, but it is August 24, and that means time to honor my dear hubby as we celebrate his BIRTHDAY! No better way to celebrate him than to share the character of the man that existed in our early years of marriage (1982-’87).

Who chooses a wife to feed when you are about to embark on your poorest years yet?! What a challenge! But a challenge he met with dog-determination!

My husband’s motto could have been, “He who does not work shall not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:8-10, LB). It certainly rings true, “The man who works hard sleeps well whether he eats little or much, . . . (Ecclesiastes 5:12, LB). His Seminary training began fifteen months after we said, “I do”! During that time, he worked two jobs, sometimes three, mowing the lawn for our apartment complex where we…