Showing all posts tagged faith

In Faith Talk, Natural Wellness, Uncategorized

Wellness Wednesday: More Than Just Bodies

Author Kiel LemonPosted on Leave a comment

Typically, when we hear the words health, wellness or fitness, we immediately think of the physical components: good nutrition, regular exercise, adequate sleep, etc. But the truth is that you and I are not just bodies. We are whole persons, each having a mind, a soul and a spirit. And our physical bodies are interconnected with our thoughts, emotions and spirituality in miraculous and mysterious ways.

Our beliefs affect our thinking. Our thinking affects our feelings and choices. Our choices affect our bodies. And even more intriguing is all the neuroscience coming out about how our thoughts actually makes physical changes in our bodies! So if we have healthy thought patterns and beliefs that support positive choices and healthy emotions, then it follows that our physical health will be supported, as well.

But if we have destructive thought patterns and believe lies about ourselves and about God, then no matter the amount of good food and exercise we get, our bodies are going to be stuck. I don’t know about you, but I want to get un-stuck! I want to be healthy and whole on all levels, and I want my beliefs and thought patterns to be pointed in the right direction!

That is one reason I am so excited about the upcoming “Heir to the Crown” challenge from Revelation Wellness. This 30 day wellness challenge is about more than diet and exercise. It is about finding your true identity! I strongly encourage you to check out this info page about the challenge and see if it is something you feel led to do. Sign-ups end on September 7, 2018, so you have just over a week to take the plunge!

(Please note that this is not a sponsored post. I am not affiliated with Revelation Wellness in any way. I just believe in the work this ministry is doing, and I want to get as many people to join me on the “freedom train” as I can!)

And now it’s your turn! I want to read your thoughts on your own health and wellness journey! Follow the instructions below to join the link-up and share!

How to participate: 

  1. Write a post on a topic related to wellness, and add your link to the list below.
  2. Grab the Wellness Wednesday logo graphic below and put it in your linked post, also with a blurb mentioning and linking back to that week’s link-up.
  3. Please stop by at least two other participants’ blogs and leave a comment on their Wellness Wednesday posts. This doesn’t take long, and it is really encouraging and helpful for building community and continuing the conversation!
  4. Bonus points if you post about the link-up on your social media. I will feature a post from one or two Wellness Wednesday participants on my Facebook page during the week after the link-up, so please head on over there to follow me and see if your post is featured!


In Natural Wellness, Uncategorized

Wellness Wednesday: Finding Surprising Joy in an Unexpected Place

Author Kiel LemonPosted on Leave a comment

One day as I was washing dishes, I tuned into a podcast featuring interviews with different Christian authors and speakers. I don’t honestly even remember who the host was or what podcast I was listening to. What I do remember was hearing Alisa Keeton’s message of hope and healing as she talked about her ministry Revelation Wellness and how much that message resonated with me. I quickly searched the internet to find her own podcast and website to learn more.

The next day I decided to listen to one of her podcasts while working out. Now, I am not naturally one who enjoys exercise in most forms. It never used to be a habit or even a choice that showed up on my radar, at least not for long. But in this case, my husband and I had recently gotten Fitbits and were in that highly motivated stage of excitement about the new gadget. Plus, I had been having a hard day emotionally and just wanted an outlet for my pent up anxiety and frustration. It was perfect timing, and I am sure God had His hand all over it!

The instant I started listening to the RevWell podcast, I could tell this was going to be different than anything I had ever done before. Alisa started praying right off the bat, and as she gave cues for warming up, upping the intensity, etc., she also quoted Scripture after Scripture and preached a message of truth. Never in my life had a thought of doing a cardio workout as being a time for me to meet with God, or for Him to meet me, but that day, He did!

As I continue to use my workout times as places to meditate on God’s Word, listen to gospel preaching, and pray about what it on my mind, I am constantly surprised by what a joyful experience exercise has become. It is actually something I look forward to doing each day, a much-needed time for refreshing and renewal. What I used to find draining has become a source of life, both physically and spiritually. And it was completely unexpected!

 

And now it’s your turn! I want to read your thoughts on your own health and wellness journey! Follow the instructions below to join the link-up and share!

How to participate: 

  1. Write a post on a topic related to wellness, and add your link to the list below.
  2. Grab the Wellness Wednesday logo graphic below and put it in your linked post, also with a blurb mentioning and linking back to that week’s link-up.
  3. Please stop by at least two other participants’ blogs and leave a comment on their Wellness Wednesday posts. This doesn’t take long, and it is really encouraging and helpful for building community and continuing the conversation!
  4. Bonus points if you post about the link-up on your social media. I will feature a post from one or two Wellness Wednesday participants on my Facebook page during the week after the link-up, so please head on over there to follow me and see if your post is featured!


In Faith Talk, Uncategorized, Writing Life

Defeating the Dream-Stealer

Author Kiel LemonPosted on Leave a comment

I’ve had writers block lately. It isn’t that I didn’t want to write and post on the blog. I did. But also had a lot of fear surrounding my writing. I had begun to let the Dream-Stealer sneak into my head and whisper things about my worth. As a writer. As a mom. As a wife. As a child of God.

But you know what? Those ideas were lies. Fear is a liar. Comparison is a thief. They lurk in the corners of my mind and tell me I’m not good enough, not creative enough, not talented enough, not driven enough. They discourage me from trying new things and following my passions. They make me feel small and unwanted.

But the truth is, I don’t have to listen to them. Not anymore! Because I am a beloved child of God. I am made worthy by the blood of Jesus Christ. I am not the most eloquent or creative or interesting writer in the world. I may not be the best wife or mother all the time. But I am something much more important. I am a redeemed, chosen daughter of the King of Kings! He has plans for me. He know my dreams and my ideals. He knows that deep down beneath all the crud and the lies I’ve believed, I want to be more like Jesus and be a voice for Truth.

So here I am, writing this short post, sending my words out there into the world like a one-two punch in the Devil’s face. He can talk all he wants, but I know that I am more than a conqueror and that my God has good things in store for me. And I know that that old Dream-Stealer is doomed for destruction.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

…in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k]neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:28, 37-39

 

 

 

P.S.–I have a new project in the works that is going to get me writing regularly again. Next week I will be launching a brand new blog link-up called “Wellness Wednesday.” I hope you will be here to check it out! And if you are a blogger, I hope you will participate with a post on a topic related to health and wellness!

In Uncategorized

Adapt: becoming a new creation, #fiveminutefriday

Author Kiel LemonPosted on 6 Comments

adapt: to make fit (as for a new use), often by modification

~Mirriam-Webster dictionary~

I’ve been thinking a lot a bout “fit-ness” lately. My husband and I recently got FitBits, and we have been working on increasing our activity level and eating less. We realize we aren’t getting any younger or fitter by just sitting around doing nothing. If we want to feel better and be able to do the work we have to do and enjoy life, we know we have to get our physical bodies in line with those goals.

But at the same time, I’ve been trying to get in better shape emotionally and spiritually so that I can be a better servant of Christ and a better mother, wife and friend. I need to be fit for all the roles God has given me. And most importantly, I need to be fit for the kingdom!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:17

As a new creation in Christ, I have a new identity. But I usually walk around identifying with the old self, believing lies from Satan about who I am. I often believe I am worthless, a failure, destined for a life of depression and destruction. But that is not who God says I am. He says I am worthy, holy, redeemed, and whole, destined for a crown and a life in His kingdom in glory! I have to adapt my body for physical success. I also have to adapt my mind and heart for spiritual success, speaking the truth to myself and believing what God says about me and my future.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

This post is part of the Five Minute Fridays link-up hosted by Kate Motaung. Join the FMF community and get your free-write on! Find my other Five Minute Fridays posts here.

In Life in General, Uncategorized, Writing Life

Turn, turn, turn- Five Minute Fridays

Author Kiel LemonPosted on 2 Comments

To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)…

This old song by “The Byrds” popped into my head immediately with this week’s prompt. I started thinking about the concept of seasons, both in the weather and in life. Right now here in Middle Tennessee we are experiencing a cooler than usual spring, as I’m sure many others are, as well. But the seasons definitely are changing. The leaves are opening on the trees. The wildflowers are blooming in the fields and woods. The birds are nesting and singing sweetly each morning. It is a hopeful time.

Thankfully, the seasons seem to be changing a bit in our family life as well. After a long, difficult transition period over the last couple of years, we are coming into a spring of sorts. My children are older and more able to help me and help themselves around the house. We are in a good rhythm in our homeschool days. My husband and I have been exercising and keeping each other accountable to get back to taking care of our health. Our finances have stabilized thanks to more part time work and generous gifts from friends and family. And our house is under contract again, and there is hope that we will actually get to close the sale this time around! I am reading some excellent books and doing some deep thinking, forming newer and healthier thinking habits. We are putting down roots here in TN, and it feels like growth is happening. Change is coming, and it feels good!


This post is part of the Five Minute Fridays link-up hosted by Kate Motaung. Join the FMF community and get your free-write on! Find my other Five Minute Fridays posts here.