Back from Vacation!

My wife and I had a great vacation! Went to the beach, stayed in NYC, saw Zarkana, saw the sunset from the Top of Rockefeller Center (70 stories high) and had some wonderful meals together.

I gained a total of 10 lbs during that time but that's what I expected as we did not exercise (except for miles of walking in the city) and no recording of our food choices. I am back on the program and will be doing partial fasts until I lose the additional 10 lbs (probably 5-7 days).

All in all the "Maker's Diet for Weight Loss" that we are following is working great! We feel better and are losing weight at a sensible rate. My daughters are also following the plan and together the family has lost over 75 lbs in a little under a month and we feel better too. My blood pressure is declining (a good thing!) and our clothes are fitting better (some are falling off!).

I thank God for His grace in all of this. First by leading me to Jordan's great books and then by helping me to keep Him and His kingdom in front of me as the prize! The bible says in the book of Hebrews that we are to keep looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith who FOR THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM ENDURED THE CROSS. That is a great lesson for us as well! Keep your goal before you as you sacrifice the momentary pleasure of foods you may miss or times you would just like to pass on your daily exercise! You will reach your goal if you keep your eyes focused on it and endure with patience until your there!!

Grace and peace,

Ed

LIFE

The Gospel of John uses the word "Life" 45 times! The subject of this blog is "Real Food For Life" and I have written a lot about our food and smart food choices. I want to write today about life.

John 1:4 says, "In Him was life and the life was the light of men".

John 5:26 says, "For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself."

John 6:63 says, " It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no avail. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life."

John 8:12 says, "Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 10:10 says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."

John 14:6 says, " Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 20:31 says, " but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."

These are a few of the 45 instances that John speaks about life in his Gospel. In all of these verses we see that life originates with God. In Genisis 2:7 Moses wrote, "then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature."

I don't want to add too much to these passages of scripture because they speak for themselves. What I want to show and say is that life, the way it is supposed to be lived, must be in communion with God through His Son Jesus Christ who is the beginning and the end. We can not have the abundant life that Jesus spoke about without coming to Him and asking for His leading and guiding in our daily lives!

I urge you to follow the words of Christ that say, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Ask Jesus to make your heart His home. You were created to have fellowship with Him and He loves you and is waiting for you to call out to him! "Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst."

I hope this blog is a blessing to you!

Grace and Peace,

Ed

PS. I use Logos Bible Software for my studies and I encourage you to check it out for yourself. If you want info on the program just e-mail me at Rjonodde@aol.com and I will send you a 25% discount on the cost of the software!