Pastor Ben

Updates from some of you…

Sorry that there has been a bit of a gap in my posts. As many of you can relate with, first full week of 2016 has been full on in all areas of life!

I have a couple really encouraging reports that folks have sent me about their progress so far… But let me take a moment and share what we have been enjoying at the James house for our meals, here goes…

Monday:

Breakfast-2 eggs, scrambled (I add a…

Sunday Evening Meal…

  This evening  at the James household, we had somewhat of a treat for us. Again, we are very much a budget driven Paleo house, so Sea Scallops are definitely a rarity.

I did however want to go ahead and give you the recipe, along with the ingredients.

The recipe for the Scallops is very simplistic. As it is simply sautéed in a medium saucepan using canola oil. Just put a light coating of oil in…

Let’s Go Shopping…

Two days away!  Are you ready??  Sure you are!  Here is the temptation:  I have all kinds of junk in my house that I need to get rid of.  I will gorge myself on it right up to the point that I go to bed Sunday night.

I’ve been there, and I’ve done that many many times.  My advice to you is, don’t.  Here’s why: Your first 3 days will be tough enough without a massive binge eating fest.  Your body…

Where Do I Start??? (The Practical Paleo Challenge cont…)

The best place to start is to begin to gather information to go along with your resolve to do it!  I have found that many times what derails us more than anything is to not have a game plan going into something.

First, in order to be able to successfully make this change, and not break your budget, you will need to be a smart consumer.  As I said in my last post, I could not, and still cannot,…

Practical Paleo Challenge…

Resolution time!!  Is it just me, or do those words make you cringe as well?

It is no big secret that over the past 1 1/2 my life has changed drastically because of my change in eating habits.

I have gone from a 36 year old who weighed 307lbs, had no energy, who stayed exhausted all the time, and was miserable with the way that I looked, and the way I felt, to someone who is now a 38 who weighs…

What I have learned from my story up to this point, that is comprised of lessons from both extremes, is this… I am ultimately the one who determines the outcome. And, the outcome is defined by determination or lack thereof.

I understand that there have been, are, and will be things that happen that are beyond my control. However, the things that are within the realms of my control depend completely and utterly on my yes or no vote.

I could trail off in about 43 1/2 different directions and stories at this time to prove my point… I will simply use one.

June 2014 was when it started. One Sunday morning as I was getting ready to go to my office and prepare for service at the church I was pastoring, I decided that I would step on the scale.

Long gone were the delusions that I was still the 6’2″ 215lb 21 year old that I used to be.  And, I was okay with that.  After all, I’m married now… Have a child… Pastor a church & Drive a school bus.  I shouldn’t be the picture of health… Right?

307lbs was what I saw on the scale that day. That bothered me deeper than at any other point of my progression into what I knew was, “out of shape.”  Now, I will not try to add drama and talk about how I felt that my life was in danger, because, overall, it really wasn’t.

But what was true was the fact that I woke up of the mornings ready for a nap.  I dragged myself through each day simply waiting for the moment that I could go to bed again.

I never had energy to amount to anything. I would pass up opportunities to be active (whether it was playing ball with guys, or simply doing something active with my daughter).

After all, I had gone through 2 back surgeries, and felt that was reason enough for me to stand on the sidelines of life and simply sit around.

Later that same day, as church service was ending and we were all saying our goodbyes, a member starts talking about this, “new, crazy way of eating” (at least in my mind)… Called, “The Paleo Diet”… That honestly, sounded blander than eating cardboard in my opinion.  So, as it was with so many other things, I shrugged it off.

Another week went by, still sitting at 307, I find myself again at the conclusion of a church service, hearing the same person talking about this insane concept of eating like a caveman!!

Only this time, there was something different about the way they were talking about it.  They were making mention of how much better they were feeling.  “Yes, I have lost some weight, but man, I just feel so much better.  I actually have energy now!”

My interest had peaked.  “Okay, tell me about this junk” was my request.  “Tell you about it? How about I give you a book on it?” The response came… “Okay, fine… Crazy Eating person!”

I read, studied, picked apart, analyzed, and did everything I could not to do it.  However, the phrase, “I actually have energy now”, kept rolling through my mind.  Ah-ha! We have summer church camp coming up next week!  No way I can start a diet now… I will wait till I get back. Sound familiar??

The night before we left for camp, I found myself stuffing my face at midnight… Knowing that I had an early morning and long drive ahead, but it didn’t matter that night because it had never mattered before.

Guess what?  The next day was horrible… I was tired, I was cranky, I didn’t want to do what I was doing, and I was going to spend a week with kids like this… Why? Because I slept like trash, and had no energy to even drive a car.

At that moment, I decided that it would be a new start when we got home. I was going to reclaim my health…  Fast forward a week… It’s now time.

I will spare you details, but, let’s just say that the first 3 days of eating like a caveman, had me feeling like I was a caveman!  Holy wow was I miserable!! (I know, not the greatest of motivational speeches… but it’s the truth)

By bedtime of day 3, I told myself, “This isn’t worth it… Tomorrow, I am chalking this up… I’m done!!!”  And, with everything in me, I meant it.

What I didn’t know, or hadn’t been made aware of, was how my body was going to react by flushing itself of the junk that comes with bad eating habits… The thought never crossed my mind. I knew it happened with addictive substances, but never associated it with bad foods.

Morning of day 4… “Wait a minute, I didn’t wake up in the middle of the night last night.”  “Hold on a second, that was actually my alarm not getting thrown against a wall.” “What is this that I am feeling?”

Those were all thoughts that were going through my head as I had slept an entire night through for the first time in who knows how long. I felt good.

“Wait, do I feel energetic?” “Am I actually making it through an entire day without needing a nap?”  “Is it the middle of the afternoon and I still have energy?”  “It’s evening time now and I still feel awesome!!”  These were also things I was experiencing on this, now day 4.

I laid down that night and told my wife, “You know, if this is what this stuff does, I think I can do it!”

And boy, am I glad I did… Here’s just a few steps in this crazy ride…

Week 1 progress: 303lbs… Feeling pretty dag-gone good!

Week 2: 299lbs… Well, I am still feeling better day by.  8lbs is 8lbs, but, wanted more… Hey.. I started this more for feeling better anyhow…

Week 4: 275lbs… Really??? Holy cow!!! Am I really doing this??

Week 8: 243lbs… 64lbs in 2 months, and still feeling better each and everyday!!!

I will spare you the year and a half worth of progress reports, so the recent totals are, I dropped to 190lbs a some months back.  Yep, that’s correct… 117lbs total lost.

Now, since then, I have really dedicated myself to exercising to add some “good” weight back on, and am now sitting at an even 200lbs.  Still watching what I eat, although not as strictly as I was (have added a few components back to my regular diet because of wanting to add muscle).  But, still very choosy as to what to eat and when.

Here’s the reason that I choose to write this… I really don’t want attention drawn to it.  I am not starved for likes or shares or blog views, but, I do feel that what my story shows is what I opened with… It was up to me!

I had cast the no vote so many times when it came to doing something about my physical shape, that I had bought into the train of thought, that, “Hey, this is just who I am.”

I feel that there are so many areas in our lives where we have falling into this kind of thinking and have lost the appreciation of discipline.  They can range from personal health, to financial matters, to some emotional issues, all the way to spiritual matters.

Again, are there areas of each of these that are beyond our control? Absolutely.  However, I think that so many of our problems, issues and situations could be, and should be resolved by us, as individuals, simply determining that, “I will persevere to do this.”  And then actually DOING IT!!

But that seems to be a lost art today.  Someone, or something, or a group, or a magic potion should be released over me and into my situations and make them better.

Believe me… There were several times along this particular journey, which is far from over by the way, that I have simply wanted to do the easy thing, and quit working towards it, and merely exist.

“Those who say they can’t, and those who say they can are both correct! The questions becomes, which one are you?”

Trusted Sources…

Toughest Problems; Simplest Answers? I love to write about God, His Word, my thoughts, theologies and opinions. I love to read what others write about God also. I love talking to others about God, and seeking council from them.

All of these can be extremely healthy, soothing, relaxing and provide some remedy for all of us as we walk through our everyday life. 

What I am about to share is, in no…

I’m Not Mad…

I’m not mad… I just wish people were as passionate in reality as they are on social media. Seriously, I’m not mad… It seems that everyone has a “cause” that, at least on social media, they are willing to “go the cross” for.I’m honestly not mad…But, I think you know what I am referring to. The ones who are fed up with the way that our kids act, but yet, somehow, typing on a keyboard demanding…

The Birthday Tradition…

Today is my wife’s birthday.  We have developed somewhat of a tradition at our house, in which we wait to decorate for Christmas until today.  Yes, sometimes, it is tempting to do it earlier, but it is nights like tonight that make it worth it.

Both sides of our family will be coming over for dinner.  While they are here, we will not only eat and celebrate my wife with cards and gifts, but we…

The Roller Coaster Ride…

One of the more challenging, and discouraging, times in our lives often follow immediately after some of our greatest moments.

I feel fairly certain that I am not the only person who experiences these moments. Moments, where I find myself, and all the pieces around me falling into place. 

Only to, what seems to be in the next moment, watch things around me come crashing down.

Even with my…

Yesterday this question came to mind: Is the message you carry just being heard, or is it being felt?

As I was pondering this, I couldn’t help but think that Jesus was never content with just being heard. He always made it a priority to make just as much of an impact (if not more) in the lives of those around Him with His actions, as He did with His words.

Don’t get me wrong, the words of Jesus…

Someone once told me, “To truly know who you are, pay attention to what brings you to tears.”

Wait… What? Why would I do that? 

After all, I was convinced that crying, and furthermore, letting someone see me cry, was a weakness… Something shameful almost.

I have spent most of my life avoiding feelings that would cause me tears. Fighting back, and swallowing hard the lumps in my throat that…

I want my life to mirror that of my Savior. I want those around me to hear His voice when I speak. When I write in this blog, a social media website, or a book, I want readers to see words that He writes. When I take a step, or make a move, I want it to be a step or move that He would make.I want to be transformed by keeping His image in focus & in front of me. I want to be taken from glory to…

My Values In Relationships…

I certainly have made, and will continue to make my share of mistakes in the area of relationships, in all aspects. But, one thing that I am learning more each day, is that there needs to be a high value for freedom and risk in all my relationships.

The issue with giving people freedom is that it creates a kind-of research and development culture where people are encouraged to take risks. This…

Do Something…

“The difference between people who do something, and people who do nothing is this; the people who do something…. actually DO SOMETHING!”

As “head scratchy” as that quote can be, it conveys a truth that is what I like to term, simplistically profound. Peter often times gets a bad rap. Yes, I know, Peter brought a lot of it on himself, but I can relate to Peter!  Take the instance of walking on…