Anxiety – Page 2 – Your Daily Encouragement

The Gift of Peace

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” —John 14:27

While Jesus was with his disciples, they struggled to trust. Then, as he prepared to leave, they became anxious. So he gave them a gift: peace. The peace that comes with the presence of God. And he extends this gift to his followers even today.

But like every gift, it doesn’t become ours until we receive it.

This is a good time to take a moment to thank him for providing the gift of his salvation, for the gift of the Holy Spirit—who lives in us as we follow Jesus—and the peace of God that transcends all understanding.

This is the peace that will guard your heart and mind from every fear and anxiety as you walk with him.

Bill Herried is a pastor at CenterPoint Church in Tacoma, Washington and is married to the most extraordinary woman on the planet. Together they have 3 adult children and 4 grandchildren. He has been the lead pastor at CenterPoint Christian Fellowship in Tacoma since 2006. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Washington in Seattle, and Master of Divinity from Corban University in Salem, Oregon—and he loves a good biryani.

Image by Michael Schwarzenberger from Pixabay

Eyes On The Prize

let all else go

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. —Matthew 6:33

I enjoy a lot of the new tech we have. Whether it’s Alexa, or any of the informational platforms that give us knowledge about the world. Even crazy questions like “Alexa, how many miles is it to the moon?”

And while we have access to so much information, only Jesus gives us God’s perspective on the questions that matter most in our lives. He goes beyond the trivial and his words bring hope, help and healing.

At CenterPoint we are currently walking through Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. It is the best known message around the planet. And the reason it is, is that Jesus brings heaven’s perspective to our daily lives. He gives us God’s mindset where we need it most.

He’s not just a source of information, he is the source of our illumination.

More than just a source of information, Jesus is the source of our illumination.

In this message, Jesus deals with all of the things that overwhelm us with worry—like food and all of our daily needs. And because worry leads to anxiety, he instructs us to change our focus.

Jesus’ prescription? Set your eyes on God and His purposes. He uses the word Kingdom to help us understand that the world that we are so accustomed to has a shelf-life; an expiration date. That God’s Kingdom is coming and as you live in our world, looking forward to His Kingdom, Jesus tells us that God himself will supply all of our needs.

Like a good parent, your Heavenly Father already knows what you need. But He wants to hear from you. So, tell him what you need! Thank Him for his supply, and let go of the worry. Here is how Jesus frames it:

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else (put Him first place in your life), and live righteously (do what He says) and he will give you everything you need.”

Then he finishes with these words: “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” —Matthew 6:34

Simple: Focus singularly on His purposes, do what he tells you to do, and He will meet all your needs.

Today’s prayer: “Father, give me eyes to see what you are doing in our world. Help me to set my eyes on your kingdom and to do what you have for me to do. I am yours today.”

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Where Does Your Help Come From?

This is so good…

Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. —Matthew 6:33 The Msg

I like being independent.

I like thinking I can handle whatever comes my way. I like the idea that I am self-sufficient.

But I’m regularly reminded that this is not absolute. There are many things in life that are out of my control.

And the truth is that when I think I have to do it all by myself, it ends up in worry. And if there is one thing we share every person who has ever lived, it is our ability to worry.

I may not call it worry—I might call it “overthinking” or “fixating” on something. Whatever I call it, I can “overthink” the most trivial of things.

And while worry is common to everyone, we all know that it is not helpful. In fact, for many of us it can be debilitating.

In one of Jesus’ most familiar teachings, he tells his followers not to worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have enough to worry about on its own.

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” —Matthew 6:34

Worrying about tomorrow robs us of our ability to focus today. But more than just focus, it robs us of joy.

So then, the question is: how do we deal with worry? The psalmist reminds us where our help comes from:

“Where does my help come from? My help comes from the One who made heaven and earth.” —Psalm 121:2

Listen to that again: “…the One who made heaven and earth.”

Is anything impossible with God? Nothing is too big, or too small. If He can scatter trillions of stars within the millions of galaxies across the velvety blackness of the cosmos, what can’t he do in your life?

He knows the end from the beginning. He knows the outcome of every possible decision you will make. And, in light of all this, he says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest.”

If you haven’t done it today, take a moment to bring your concerns, your worries, your frustrations—whatever is on your mind—to him. He is a Good Father. And He loves to hear from, and give wisdom to, his children.

Graphic courtesy of Youversion Bible

The Lord is My Shepherd, Pt. 2

He renews my strength

He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name. —Psalm 23:3

If you’re just discovering this series, you can start with Part 1 here.

Most of us haven’t spent time caring for sheep. The closest I have gotten to shepherding is caring for a dog. But there is a crazy similarity between people and sheep. A great read on that is Phillip Keller’s classic book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23. It is an eye opener!

As I say, most of us haven’t spent a lot of time with sheep, but as a child, it was David’s life. Years before he became king, he cared for, protected, fed, guided and nurtured the flock that his father had entrusted to him.

A flock of sheep is totally helpless in caring for themselves. Here is just one example. A flock of sheep will overgraze an area without moving on. When the grass is gone, they feed on weeds and trample their own fecal matter mixing it into the muddy, overgrazed earth. Now as they forage for food in this barren place, the flock contracts parasites, adding to their poor health. A good shepherd will lead them to a fresh pasture to allow the grazed area to recover.

Without the shepherd, the sheep cannot hope to be well. The same is true of us. So king David gives us some insight.

He renews my strength

David says in verse 3 that God renews my strength. The Shepherd is the source of the sheep’s health and well being. When the Shepherd is absent, there is anxiety. When he’s present, there is peace. God’s very presence renews our strength.

He guides me along right paths.

Next he says that he guides him along right paths. The Shepherd knows when an area is done and the right time to move onto the next area to graze. He has already planned for the next stage and knows how to get there. And like a good shepherd, God doesn’t leave us on our own, but guides us with his presence. And where he leads, it will be the right path. He is reliable. He guides us along right paths.

Bringing honor to his name.

Not only does he renew our strength and lead us along right paths, but in the process we discover that he is trustworthy. By nature, I am not a trusting person—I would usually do things myself to be sure they get done “right” (#firstbornissues). But I’ve discovered over and over that when I relinquish my plans to our heavenly father that he does it differently—and better. The result is that I can tell about his goodness. When God comes through for you, you can’t keep it to yourself. And it all brings honor to him.

Spending time with the Shepherd

What I love about the Shepherd is that he is never too busy, or unavailable. He always has time. If you don’t have a plan to spend time with him, you can join me each day with my Worship and Wisdom readings from the Psalms and Proverbs. Every morning (about 6AM) I listen through that day’s Psalms and Proverbs. I can’t think of a better way to start your day then reading (or listening) joining the Psalmists in worship and God’s wisdom. Here is the resource:

Reading Through Psalms-Proverbs in a Month NIV Download

You can print it and manually look up the passage to read, or you can use the digital doc to click the link and go directly to it online. When you arrive to the Bible Gateway, there is also a link that will read to you as well (for all us auditory learners)!

Today, take the opportunity to thank him for his wisdom, his guidance and his presence.

Image by David Mark from Pixabay

The Place Where Everything Changes

Don’t miss this…

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. —Luke 10:38-40

Have you ever been so busy that you missed something significant—right in front of you? I was with a group of friends traveling to India and we had missed a connecting domestic flight in the country. Our luggage made it, but we didn’t.

By the time we got another flight and caught up to our luggage (and the fact that I had been up for about 32 hours), I was completely out of it. And I was on a mission to find our luggage that had been there unattended for hours!

When we exited the passenger-only area, there was a very large, cheering crowd of people waiting outside the airport. The crowd was not only cheering, but jumping up to look over each other at the people coming out of the airport. I wondered who we were traveling with!

I found out later that a Bollywood star was on our flight (Bollywood is India’s equivalent of Hollywood in the US). It was then that I remembered seeing the flight attendants paying special attention to a single row of seats on the plane just ahead of me—which I didn’t think much about in the moment—and I missed the opportunity to meet them!

Luke tells us that Jesus went to the house of Mary and Martha. Think of this: Jesus. Is. In. Their. Home.

And while Mary sat at his feet, listening to him teach, Luke tells us that Martha was distracted by her duties. In the original language, this word distracted carries the idea that she was overburdened, anxious.

Sounds a lot like us. Distracted. Overburdened. Anxious. Martha is so stressed and upset with her sister that she starts giving orders to Jesus:

“Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” —Luke 10:40

“Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”
Luke 10:40

Martha is so stressed that she’s making demands of Jesus!

I’m sure Martha was thinking “I’m doing this for the right reasons. I’m serving Jesus!” But, the truth is she was stressed out and overwhelmed by what she thought was important, demanding that Jesus get on the same page.

Wow.

Why is Martha overwhelmed? Her own expectations. Then Luke gives us Jesus’ response to her demand:

“But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41–42

Jesus says “Martha, you are stressed-out about things that are unnecessary! Instead of being concerned about the non-essential, be concerned for what is essential. Mary has discovered it. She is sitting at my feet, learning from me. Join her. Spend time learning from me.”

While Martha is stressed, Mary is at rest.

This is where peace is found. This is where hope is found. This is where reality is defined: at the feet of Jesus. Everything changes at the feet of Jesus.

While Martha is stressed, Mary is at rest.

Maybe you’re like me? I’ve been distracted and anxious several times already this year.

Would you join me for a moment—right now—just to take a breath? Then, push away from whatever you’re doing to consider Jesus’ words. But instead of Martha’s name, put your own name here. Today, in your distracted-overwhelmed day, Jesus is saying:

“My dear _________, you are worried and upset over many things! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. That is knowing and walking with me. When we spend time together, you will experience my peace. And it is something that will be with you forever.”

Now is a good time to take a moment to thank him for his ongoing presence, his peace and his power to live His life through you.

And, why not join us at CenterPoint this weekend? We will worship, and sit at his feet as we continue our teaching series in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. And it all starts at 10AM, PST here in Tacoma. You can find directions here.

Or, you can join us online at our FB page.

And, in those moments to come—when you are stressed and overwhelmed—remember Everything changes at the feet of Jesus.

Image by David Mark from Pixabay

Don’t Be Afraid, Just Believe

God is with us

Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” —Mark 5:36

Every day people speak into our lives. Often the words that most easily flow from our lips are habits that we have collected over a lifetime.

Words like, “That will never happen,” “We’ve tried that before,” “That will never work,” “That’s impossible!” “Why waste your time with that?” “No offense, but…” or when you’re working on a solution and your “helper” starts every sentence with, “Well, unfortunately…”

Dead ends. Stuck.

Again.

A man named Jairus came to Jesus once with a big problem. His daughter was near death and the doctors had given up hope. Jairus had heard that Jesus had healed others with incurable sicknesses, but could he help his daughter?

He had run out of options, so he ran to find Jesus.

When he finally found him, Jesus was surrounded by a crowd of people. Each of them had their own needs, but Jairus was desperate to help his daughter. Filled with anxiety, his mind filled with questions: “What if it doesn’t work? What if he is too busy? What if he can’t come?”

Jairus just poured out his heart. He told Jesus about his daughter and how the doctors had given up hope. That she was near death and desperately needed healing.

To Jairus’ surprise, Jesus agreed to go with him to his house. Breathing a sigh of relief, they made their way across the village.

While they were on the way, the crowds heard that Jesus was there, and they crushed in on them, making headway slow—when suddenly Jesus stopped and said, “Who touched me?”

One of his disciples said, “In a group this big, crowding around you and you want to know who touched you?!”

Jesus said out loud again, “I felt healing go out of my body. Who was it that touched me?” A woman, who had bled with a rare sickness for 12 years hoped that she could just touch a piece of his clothing. She knew that if she could that she would be healed.

Hidden in the crowd, she reached out and touched the fringe of Jesus’ robe. She immediately felt the healing—but then she heard Jesus as he turned and asked the question, “Who touched me?”

Mortified that she had been discovered, she confessed. She was so grateful that she wept in front of the entire crowd. Jesus said, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

As Jesus spoke to the woman, Jairus stood by watching anxiously. Jairus reminded Jesus, “We must go now…this is important…please, please, come now.”

As Jesus turned to go with Jairus they saw people from Jairus’ home, coming toward them, sadness written across their faces. Jairus looked at them trying to read what this could mean.

Sadly, they shook their heads.

“NO!” Jairus shouted and broke down. His friends said, “Your daughter has died. Why bother the teacher anymore?”

Overhearing what they said, Jesus told them “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

Jesus went to Jairus’ home and the girl had died—but Jesus did what no one else is able to do—he raised her up from death and returned her to her family.

Overwhelmed and grateful for this gift of life, Jairus followed Jesus. He believed that Jesus is the Son of God.

There are many people speaking into our lives every day, all offering opinions and ideas. But only One knows the outcome of every situation…and he is the one who says, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

He is trustworthy and faithful. Nothing is impossible with him. He knows the end from the beginning and he knows your situation. He even hears the words of those around you, and in the middle of it all he says this:

“Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

Image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay

The God Who Listens

…to the cries of our heart

I love the LORD because he hears my voice
and my prayer for mercy.
Because he bends down to listen,
I will pray as long as I have breath! —Psalm 116:1–2

When we bought our first home, it was all we needed: 680 square feet of living space! What will we do with all that room?! We had been in a small apartment for the previous year and this was huge in comparison!

At that point we had no kids. But within a few years, we had three—and they were growing fast! As they grew, our home of 680 square feet seemed to be shrinking every month.

We began looking around and found a place that was rough, but huge. And the price was right. So, we put a bid in on it. It was an unusual property, because it was a repo; and because of that, there was no agent we could contact, it was for sale by a bank.

We waited days, then a week for any information or a call back. I had never been more anxious about anything in my life. “We need a bigger home. Will we get it? Why aren’t they calling us back?” I wondered. BTW, this was back in the day before email, texting, etc. We waited and waited. Finally, I called the bank to find out what was happening and they told me it had sold a week previous to someone else.

“Arrrggghhh!” I thought. “The least they could have done was called us!” I had wasted all this emotional energy overthinking something that was already gone. True I didn’t love the place, but it had a lot of room for the growing family. And we had prayed about it, but I remembered all of the worrying that accompanied that experience.

During that time, Erin was on the look out for a new place for us to move to, and she found a place nearby to that repo home that had been sold. But this new house was far cooler…a Victorian.

Just coming out of that anxiety filled experience with the last home, I said “Father, I’m just going to trust you in this home buying process. If you open the door, good. If you close it, that’s OK too. I’m trusting you.”

We made an offer (with our real estate agent Priscilla) and unbeknownst to us, the offer was made and accepted before the home got posted to the Multiple Listing Service.

This home needed a lot of work as well, but the price was better, the vibe was far cooler and we’re still in our beautiful home today.

After the purchase was complete (with little to no stress), I remember thinking that God, had heard our prayer for the previous home and said “No”—not because he didn’t want us to have a home, but because he had something better in mind.

I remember thanking him with something like this: “Father, you know what we need better than we do. Thank you for not giving us that previous home. This one is far better!”

I love the psalms, because they remind us of what I learned in our home buying process. They remind us what God is truly like. Psalm 116 starts out:

I love the LORD because he hears my voice
and my prayer for mercy.
Because he bends down to listen,
I will pray as long as I have breath! —Psalm 116:1–2

Jesus said that God is more than just a supreme being, or cosmic force, he is a Father. Good fathers listen to understand what their children need, so they know best how to help.

When you pray, not only does God hear your voice and your request for help, but he actually listens to what you say. More than just your words, he hears the desire of your heart. And because he knows all possible outcomes, he may deny your request today, to give you the desire of your heart tomorrow.

God hears you. And more than just your words, he hears the desires of your heart.

That is your Heavenly Father. He is a good, good Father who loves to give His children good things.

And because of his faithfulness we can say—like the Psalm writer—”Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!”

If you’d like to join me in reading/listening through the Psalms and Proverbs each month, you can download the PDF I’ve put together here. Worship and Wisdom is a great way to start your day.

Reading Through Psalms-Proverbs in a Month NIV Download

I tune in to the audio first thing each morning. Would love to hear what time of the day works best for you!

Blessings, Bill

Image by David Mark from Pixabay

Renewing Your Mind, Pt. 2

What does your morning routine look like?

I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. —Romans 12:1–2

Yesterday I started this short series with the fact that we live in a toxic world. And that toxicity touches every part of our lives: physically, emotionally and spiritually.

I have personally found that renewing our minds is a daily process. And one of the ways we push back against the toxicity of our world is pursuing transforming habits.

The apostle writes (I paraphrase) “Don’t allow this world to mold you in its likeness; rather be transformed by renewing the way you think.” Develop new habits. Blaze new pathways. This is the life of a disciple. Instead of taking our cues from what we see around us, or on social media, we follow Jesus.

So, although the pathways we develop may be new to us, they are actually very old paths, blazed by the Son of God.

In Pt. 1, I shared with you some daily habits I’ve developed to optimize our health. Good health takes intentionality. But good health is more than just what you put into your body.

Every day there is a push, all around us, to think and act a certain way. Could be an advertisement, could be a show we see. But usually there is an underlying message to think/act/buy a certain way.

One of the current trends we see is to take something from someone else, that doesn’t belong to them. We see it in smash and grab theft, to walking out of stores with unpaid merchandise.

I was at a garage having our car serviced yesterday and the manager said that they remove all of the keys from the cars in the garage that remain overnight. “In a locked garage?” I wondered out loud. He said “Yeah, thieves are breaking into garages like ours, finding keys in the ignition and driving through the closed garage door.” I thought, “Who does that?!” Welcome to real-life GTA.

Here is another crazy example: when was the last time you saw a show or movie where the main character waited until after they were married to go to bed with each other?

I know. I can’t think of one either. Yet, when I was young, the idea of someone “living together” was the outlier. It was the exception. Now its the rule.

Most of us probably won’t be getting our next car by driving it through an auto shop garage door, but the craziest things in our world are becoming normalized through a variety of means/media.

This is why it is so important for us to have God’s wisdom in life. Like the daily habit of good health, we need His wisdom daily to feed and de-toxify our soul.

One of the ways we do that is to take in his word. Scripture gives us wisdom and direction in every area of our lives.

While there are a number of methods to take in God’s word, Let me share with you what I am doing with the CenterPoint Family for this year. We’re calling it The Worship and Wisdom Devotional.

The Worship and Wisdom Devotional

Here is the goal: 5 chapters in the book of Psalms and 1 chapter in the book of Proverbs per day. It is in a simple to follow format. And if you listen through with this guide (below), you’ll complete both books in one month.

Remember: the goal in discipleship isn’t to add more and more things to your life; the goal is to make room for what is important by removing what is toxic. In your life it may be setting aside what is good for what is best.

So, getting back to my morning routine. While I am preparing all of our morning drinks/etc., I am listening to both Psalms and Proverbs on my phone. Five chapters of worship and a chapter of God’s wisdom to give direction.

Here is a pic from my morning prep:

As I get into my morning, I start out with the link from my Worship and Wisdom Devotional (PDF below). On the Bible Gateway page that comes up, there is an option to listen to the daily reading. I listen to it while I work through my morning routine.

Below is the document if you’d like to join us. The PDF links to each day’s reading. You can also download and keep in your phone/digital device for quick access anywhere.

Reading Through Psalms-Proverbs in a Month NIV Download

If you’re starting in the middle of the month, no worries! Don’t worry about trying to catch up. Simply start the day of the month you’re joining. Since we will read through this each month this year, you will come back around to do the entirety next month and in the weeks to follow.

Worship and God’s Wisdom. Worship is remembering that God is in control and I’m not! I can trust Him for everything that comes into my life. Wisdom is reminding myself of godly principles to navigate life. I can’t think of a better way to start out your day.

Let me know your thoughts on this or if you have any questions. Look forward to hearing from you.

Blessings

Bill Herried is a pastor in Tacoma, Washington and is married to the most extraordinary woman on the planet. Together they have 3 adult children and 4 grandchildren. He has been the lead pastor at CenterPoint Christian Fellowship in Tacoma since 2006. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Washington in Seattle, and Master of Divinity from Corban University in Salem, Oregon—and he loves a good biryani.

Image by RÜŞTÜ BOZKUŞ from Pixabay

Renewing Your Mind, Pt. 1

Change your morning, change your life.

We live in a toxic world. Physically, spiritually and emotionally. When we look around we know, instinctively, that this is not the way it is supposed to be—which is an encouraging thought. Because that thought implies that there is something better out there—and our hearts long for it.

For that reason, I believe fresh starts are so important. It’s a new year and it’s time for a fresh start.

I love a fresh start. So does God. Think of all that He has given us because of Jesus:

A new life.
A new start.
A new beginning.
A new hope.
A new relationship with Him.
A new home.
A new future.
A new perspective.
A new family.
A new mind.
A new reality.
A new identity.
A new name.
A new outlook on life.
…and one day we will have a new body. That is what the resurrection is all about.

But here is why I love the New Year: it is a reminder of all that God has done for us. And—can I make this personal? More than just an annual fresh start, we actually have a new start every morning! Every day the sun rises to begin that new day.

So how does your day start? The way you start your morning will often determine the way your day goes—which often determines the way your weeks and months go. These are the building blocks of your life.

The way you start your morning will often determine the way your day goes.

So, the way you start your day is important. Change your morning, change your life.

What is your morning routine? Paul the apostle encourages us to present our bodies as living sacrifices to God. But that’s hard to do if we are sleep-deprived, in bad health, or when our mornings are rushed and anxiety clouds our perspective.

So, what does your morning routine look like?

I truly believe that those early hours of the day is the key to a fresh start—everyday.

Can I share my morning routine with you? While everyone’s morning looks a little different (mine is what works for me), the key is understanding what you want to accomplish. Is your physical health important? Is your mental and emotional health important? Is your spiritual health important?

Morning is a productive time for me. So, I want to get up early enough to get everything done that is important. And again—what I do isn’t a one-size-fits-all schedule—it is what I do to accomplish what I value.

By the way, I don’t consider myself a morning person. As a musician, mornings didn’t suit me in the beginning. Honestly, it took a little work but I’ve experienced how fruitful mornings can be.

First, I get up at 6AM. This means that I can’t get to bed at 11PM, or later—not if I want to sustain good health. While I may periodically stay up for some reason, plenty of sleep is critical for good health.

So, at 6AM I splash some water to the face, clean the sleep from my eyes, then down stairs to get the morning started.

For health reasons, I have a morning drink that I take 7 days a week (see recipe below). This drink is water, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar mixed (one for Erin and one myself). I drink this down straight away, because I want to have about an hour between drinking that and my morning coffee.

Then, I work on our breakfast smoothie, which is a combo of a few different berries, etc. I also do a pre-breakfast tonic of honey, lemon juice, cayenne and EVOO. Then I put this unblended smoothie and tonic to the side for later.

Next, I prep Erin’s lunch to help her get out the door to work each day.

Then I prep our coffee with collagen and oat milk (I like the chocolate flavored collagen peptides at Costco). I prep the coffee to brew just before bed, with the auto-brew set for 6AM.

We only get one body. I want to take good care of it so I can go the distance!

Tomorrow, in Pt.2, we’ll look at spiritual health.

What does you morning routine look like?

My recipe for daily morning hydration:

24 oz. Filtered water
2 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp. raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar (with the mother)

Image by RÜŞTÜ BOZKUŞ from Pixabay

How Is Your Self-Talk?

You are not defined by your past.

Why am I so depressed?
Why this turmoil within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him,
my Savior and my God. —Psalm 42:5

Watch what you say to your self—be aware of your self-talk. Are your words a faith-filled discussion with your Heavenly Father? Or is it the drip-drip-drip of self-condemnation?

If you hear yourself using words like “stupid,” “dumb” or “idiotic” to describe yourself or something you’ve done, don’t give those words a second thought. If someone else spoke to us the way we sometimes speak to ourselves, we probably wouldn’t hang out with them.

You become your own worst enemy when you allow past mistakes to replay over and over in your mind.

Remember: Every mistake you’ve made, or regret you have, was a learning experience. Learn from it and move ahead. You are not defined by your past.

Take all of these things: mistakes, regrets, blunders—whatever fills your thoughts—to your Heavenly Father. Not only does he graciously forgive, but he loves to give wisdom, lifting us up when we’re down.

photo courtesy of Tobymac.com/speaklife