It’s interesting that I have once again chosen to use today’s  title Living Today Well  but I can’t help it!  I feel like I’m at a place in my life where it’s all starting to makes sense now!  I know,  I’ve written a lot about this crazy journey of mine over the past 7 years, but I refuse to quit or give up.  There’s so much living left to live! I’m taking the rest of 2013 to work on the whole me!  I’m talking about my entire being including spiritual, mental, emotional and physical.  My true heart’s desire is to be in full time ministry once I’m healthy and that starts with today.  Although I have some good goals lined up, the most important goal is that I live today well!   I know that it starts each morning by spending time with my sweet Jesus and studying His Word so that I can grow and mature mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Spending time with Jesus and allowing Him to show me areas in my life that need to be worked on that day will continue to shape me into the man He has created me to be.  A man who loves his Lord and Savior with everything he does and says.  A man who adores and  cherishes his wife; a father who loves his kids and future grand kids, a friend who cares deeply for those friends around him, and a man who wants others to see the love of  Jesus flow through Him not by what he says, but by his actions.  This is the man I pray God will continue to develop in me.

Then It’s time for some  good exercises and good nutrition. It’s imperative  that I spend some quality time each day with my sweet wife Patty!  Through all of our struggles, she has never left my side.  She has been such a faithful wife and I love her so much.  We are celebrating our 25th anniversary this year.  I also want to work hard at what ever task it put before me.  I want to work with discipline and integrity to show myself approved. aI know that many days can be challenging but if I keep my mind and heart in the right place then I will be able to live each day to it’s fullest knowing that each day lived offers new lessons learned.

And so it is that once again I launch this blog!  My goal is to blog something small every day just so that it becomes a habit of mine.  Writing is so good for the soul and I pfzy that some day, these writings will be a blessing and help to someone else who’s in my same situation..  It’s all about HOPE!  Thanks for reading and thanks for your prayers, love and support.

Have you ever struggled with depression? Even a little bit of it? As a man who loves Jesus with all my heart, it makes me sad that I still struggle in this area but depression is very real and unless it’s treated, life can become very difficult to live. In fact, sometimes people just want to hide away from everyone and feel sorry for themselves …. hmmmm, I wonder if this was a bit of what was happening to me? It’s hard to talk about this because I’m normally such a positive persone and I truly do love life. But I have had some bouts with depression over the past few years, and although I am being treated for it, every once in a while I get a pretty strong dose of it. And so it was this past month … I had no desire to swim or work out and frankly … I just didn’t care. Here I am helping others but not helping myself! What’s up with that? Yes, there’s been so much going on in our lives lately but is that really an excuse? No it isn’t. We are all busy. So the other day, I was sitting here at my computer … feeling quite depressed and stressed.  I began thinking about my faith … or the lack of and realized that I had put God on the back burner. I have always loved music, as have all of us so I turned on some worship music and turned it up really loud. I was the only one home at the time … As the music played, my hard, hurting  heart began to melt … I’m serious … it was as if God just warmed up my ice cold heart … I began to sing along with the music and worship Jesus and before I even realized it, two hours had gone by. I felt so alive again … I realized that instead of turning to the Lord and doing things I know will help, I would rather sulk in my bed feeling sorry for myself.  As I thought about this, I felt so much sadness in my heart.  When I allowed the Holy Spirit to heal my aching heart, joy began to well up inside of me and life, hope and love filled my aching heart. I felt so alive again. I realized the devil was doing everything he could to keep me depressed and discouraged.  Why is it so easy to believe a lie rather than God’s Word?

I believe, with all my heart, that God is allowing me to go through all of these challenges so that I will truly have a sympathetic heart towards others and their suffering. I want people to know that I really DO understand what they’re going through.

And so it is … still on my journey towards better health and a heart of sincere gratitude because of God’s amazing love and grace … not just for me … but for ANYONE who desires it. He loves us so much and even though life can still be so incredibly hard, and even cruel at times, He’s always there with His outstretched arms ready to embrace us with His love and mercy. We can’t live life on our own! No matter how well we think we’re doing, we’ll never find that true peace and joy until we give Jesus complete and full control of our lives. When we trust Him, He will get us through any circumstance no matter what we’re facing. The difficult part is not letting our flesh get in the way. I’m telling you, that’s much easier to type out then to put into daily practice! But I’m going to start TODAY … right now … So get out that worship music and allow our precious Savior to warm up your aching heart. He’ll do it if we’ll let him. It’s what makes Living Today Well such a wonderful blessing!!!

This past week has been a really good one for me because I hit a wall and in the past, I would have been completely frustrated. But I was totally calm and just kept on doing what I know to do … and that wall finally came down a couple of days ago. So if you’re struggling and feel like you’re not getting anywhere … just keep on walking … keep on walking … keep on keeping on and eventually you WILL break through that wall!!!!! Enjoy Living Today Well!!!

So get out there and get to stepping … Remember that you CAN do ALL things through Christ who strengthens you!!!!!

As you begin to feel better and better, you’ll get to the point where not exercising is just not an option. Your day won’t be complete without it. Yes, we are all busy but we should never be too busy to care for ourselves so that we can truly be all that God has called us to be. We can change our futures one pound at a time and I can promise you this … Once you take that first step … the Lord will help you to keep going. He is our strength and I can’t tell you how many times He has helped me. If I’m on my treadmill, I put on some worship music in my headphones and just focus on Him … It’s such a wonderful time to praise Him.

5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

So continue on my friends, knowing that you have a Savior who totally believes in you and loves you unconditionally. He’s waiting for us to ask Him for HELP!  He will help you get the right mindset so that you will be victorious in Living Today Well … each and every day!!!

God Bless You!

According to multiple medical studies, they say the average person should drink 8 8oz glasses of water a day … That’s 64oz minimum. It seems like a lot of water especially if you’re not a big drinker but it’s really not bad at all. We have 12oz glasses here and I also have a 33oz bottle I use when I’m on the treadmill. By the time my days are finished, I’m usually somewhere around 90 to 100 plus oz of water so this is a very easy and attainable goal. Once you get started hydrating you[‘ll notice just how quickly your skin begins to thank you. My skin was horribly dry but now it’s vibrant.

And so it is … I lived today well … I spent time praising Jesus, I worked out, I ate well and drank lots of water. My wife Patty and our daughter Becca are on a mother – daughter date so I’m just hanging out and relaxing and spending some quality time with my mother in law Joann who is now living with us. It really has been a wonderful and successful day! How has your day been?

How many times do we look at something thinking “that’s got to be good for me!” to then find out it[‘s loaded in fat, sodium and a ton of calories? What I am learning through my journey is that each day I have lots of choices to make. I can choose to make good ones and be happy about it, or I can give in to my flesh and make bad ones which then make me feel really bad later on. I’m not saying I can’t ever enjoy their Bruschetta but I just can’t right now while I’m working on getting myself to a healthier place. Once I’m comfortable where I would like to be, then I can make good decisions and plan for them. If I know I’m going out to eat I k now I’ll most likely eat more calories than I would eating at home but if I plan for that and work out a bit longer and harder, I won’t allow those extra calories to get out of control. Yes … it’s all about choices!!!

Now there’s some “food for thought”

My Yellow Shoes

I know it sounds funny, but I have always loved the color yellow! It just makes me happy. I remember when I was a kid growing up in the Congo and was a long distance runner on our track team… I used to read Runner’s World and would see these guys from Kenya running with bright yellow shoes on and thinking how much I would love to have a pair of running shoes like that. Well, I finally got those shoes some 35 years later ….. I know, I’m not a runner now but I am walking and although I have had both of my knees replaced I was told that running shoes would be much better for me as they can absorb my weight much better and help protect my knees. Well Patty’s birthday was on April 21st and her mom, who is now living with us, wanted to buy her a new pair of walking shoes for a gift. My birthday’s not until July but she decided to buy me a pair as well knowing that I was in need of a new pair of shoes. So needless to say, I finally got my yellow shoes. And yes, they are very bright but it’s fun because when I start feeling tired on the treadmill, I just look at my feet and they make me chuckle … they’re awesome … I love them … I know … they’re just shoes right? Maybe, but for me, they’re a fulfillment of a childhood dream.

So what’s my point in writing this? It’s these little things that we can do to put a smile on our faces! Life can be so busy … busy trying to pay for all the things we have purchased that we think we need to make us happy … right … How often do we slow down enough to just think about the little things that truly brings us joy? I know shoes are just shoes but that’s not the point … It’s the fact that they’re yellow … what I always wanted as a kid. Even though I’m a grown man with grown kids now, those yellow shoes still made me smile.

Living Today Well is truly all about learning how to enjoy where we are right now … in the present … but it doesn’t mean we forget about those dreams that we’ve thought about for years. Our dreams don’t have to die just because life has taken us down a different path. It took my 35 plus years to finally get my yellow shoes but I finally got them and each day as I’m getting ready for my walk … even when I don’t feel like it, I see those yellow shoes and it just makes me happy.

What have you done today that put a smile on your face?