30 Days To Breakthrough

Welcome to Day #28 of your “30 Days To Breakthrough” journey.

Today is the last day in our 7 day series about Stewarding Your Temple (Body). Today’s topic is Rest: The Pause That Refreshes

Here is a summary of what we covered this past week:

Day 22 – Overview of Wellness
Day 23 – Water: Life’s Elixir
Day 24 – Exercise: Is It More Than Hype?
Day 25 – Nutrition: We Are What We Eat
Day 26 – Supplementation: Not An Option!
Day 27 – Stress: The Insidious Killer
Day 28 – Rest: The Pause That Refreshes

Before we move on to today’s topic, please write down the most important life lesson(s) you learned this week.

For me it was 1) Drink more water and 2) schedule my exercise.

QUOTE
A good night’s sleep is free. A bad night’s sleep is costly as it takes a terrible toll on your health.

LESSON
We live in a hurry-sick culture in America. Most people are very busy and spend too little time resting and reflecting.

Why is rest so important?
For anyone who wants to be successful, sleep is a necessity, not a luxury.
Only during sleep does the body and mind repair and rejuvenate itself
Slows the aging process
Boosts the immune system
Regulates the release of hormones
Improves brain function

Here are some common causes of insomnia
Stress and anxiety
Pain
Prescription meds and pain relievers with caffeine
Poor diet and eating too late
Exercise close to bedtime
Bad mattress and/or pillow
Enlarged prostate in men
Decrease in melatonin level

Here are some tips for getting good rest at night
Make a list of what you need to do the next day
Read something that feeds your soul before bed
Journal your thoughts prior to going to bed
Put your work away at least 1 hour before bedtime
Don’t watch TV right before going to bed
Go to bed as early as possible and maintain a consistent bedtime schedule

Jesus’ promise to each of us is this, “Come to Me, all
you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

QUESTION
Lord, what do You specifically want to say to me about rest?

LINK
7 Steps To Wellness – Rest (PowerPoint)

PRAYER
Heavenly Father, we praise You as the God who blessed us with rest when we come to You and lay our burdens at your feet. Help me to establish healthy habits that allow me to get adequate rest. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Blessings of adequate rest!

R. Joseph Peck, M.D.
“Blessed to be a blessing”
THE CONNECTOR and The Journal Guy
Changing Lives to Disciple Nations
Community Transformation Specialist

Welcome to Day #27 of your “30 Days To Breakthrough” journey.

Today’s topic is Stress: The Insidious Killer. It’s one of my longer messages because stress is so prevalent, devastating, and difficult to understand. Today’s link of the day can potentially revolutionize your thinking and your life.

QUOTE
“As a man thinks within, so he is.” – Proverbs 23:7

LESSON
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says 90+% of illness and disease is directly related to stress. When I share this statistic with people nearly everyone agrees, yet few people seem to take definitive action to reduce their stress.

Harvard Medical School says stress is the root of illness/disease, but that is the tip of the iceberg. Stress also takes the joy from life, makes you sick, makes you tired, dumbs you down, drains your energy, causes negative outlook on life, and therefore causes you to fail. Wow!

What is stressful for one person is not stressful for someone else. Stress is more due to your perception of an event than due to the event itself. Clearly, it’s a function of your “buttons”, “programming” or cellular memories.

What did King Solomon have to say 3,000 years ago? Recognizing the origin of all our problems, he wrote, “Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:23; NKJ)

What is the heart? In this context, the heart is cellular memories (i.e. programming), not the pump. It includes your unconscious and subconscious mind as well as your spirit. It is the location of your hopes, beliefs, and desires. There are more than 1,000 references to the heart in the Bible.

What is the root cause of most disease and illness? According to Southwestern University Medical Center in Dallas Texas, “For most illnesses and diseases today, treatments aren’t much better than band aids. They address a disease’s symptoms but not its source. We, and other institutions around the world, believe we have discovered the source. If we can find a way to heal cellular memories, for the first time we can treat illness and disease at its source.”

Dr. Bruce Lipton, formerly of Stanford Medical School, agrees. He says, “Yes, 95+% of illness and disease comes from stress, but the stress is caused almost 100% of the time by wrong beliefs, called cellular memories.” These are called “cellular” because we now understand that memories are not just stored in the brain but in cells all over the body.

Destructive cellular memories contain fear, anger, sadness, I can’t do it, I’m not worthy, not good enough, not smart enough, etc. When you heal the memory, the stress goes away and the immune system strengthens. The problem is that the majority of the cellular memories are in the sub-conscious.

Another major problem is those cellular memories that cause the worst problems would likely be rejected as significant by your adult mind. Many of your cellular memories were encoded in your first six years of life.

What are some consequences of stress?
1) Stress is at the root of “burn out” costing the US Industry $300 billion in lost productivity.
2) Chronic stress stops the body’s natural DNA repairing system, which can potentially lead to the development of cancers and other degenerative diseases.
3) Negatively affects the immune system
4) The body cannot metabolize fat efficiently or lose weight when under extreme stress.

What are effective ways to handle stress?
Prayer and meditation
Guard the words we speak
Guard the beliefs we hold dear
Watch the thoughts we think
Monitor the food we eat
Be sure to use our bodies (i.e., move it!!!)
Practice forgiveness
Strengthen close relationships
Practice gratitude
Laugh more
Have a sense of purpose and destiny
Do work that you love to do
Utilize energy medicine modalities

QUESTION
Lord, what do You specifically want to say to me about stress?

LINK
40 Day Fast From Wrong Thinking by Pastor Gregory Dickow

The Fast From Wrong Thinking is a revolutionary approach to identify and conquer thought patterns, mindsets and mentalities at work to defeat you.

PRAYER
Heavenly Father, we praise You as the God of peace. Help me to fast from wrong thinking. Help me to surrender the bigger stressors in my life to Your control. May I trust You more and rely less on myself. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

Blessings to fast from wrong thinking!

R. Joseph Peck, M.D.
“Blessed to be a blessing”
THE CONNECTOR and The Journal Guy
Changing Lives to Disciple Nations
Community Transformation Specialist

Welcome to Day #26 of your “30 Days To Breakthrough” journey.

During the past four days, we’ve covered an Overview of Wellness, Water, Exercise, and Nutrition. Today’s topic is Supplementation: Not An Option.

QUOTE
Nowadays most people in the U.S. are grossly overfed, but grossly undernourished.

LESSON
Let me share what may be shocking news to most of you. Based on my observations and experiences as a physician, it’s my impression that most physicians don’t understand wellness, nutrition, or supplementation. During my seven years of formal medical training completed in 1986, I don’t remember a single hour of wellness, nutrition, or supplementation teaching. It’s only since 2008 that God began opening my eyes of understanding to the importance of nutrition and supplementation.

A dietary supplement, also known as food supplement or nutritional supplement, is a preparation intended to provide nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, fatty acids or amino acids, that are missing or are not consumed in sufficient quantity in a person’s diet. Some countries define dietary supplements as foods, while in others they are defined as drugs.

Sad to say, we have a problem called “empty food.” In the United States and Canada, you have a 99% chance of being severely malnourished, even if you eat three meals a day.

Consequently people overeat (body not satisfied), they get hungry between meals, and they are grossly overfed, but grossly undernourished (causing weight gain & decreased energy levels).

If the nutrients aren’t in the dirt, they are not in the food. Soil has been depleted of the many minerals and vitamins that people need and animals need.

Modern agricultural methods deplete the soil of the good minerals. The Bible teaches to let the soil rest every seventh year just to give the soil a chance to replenish and rest. Crop rotation used to be done, The result is the crops might look healthy, but they really aren’t. Healthy organisms are lacking from the soil. Toxic chemicals gradually sterilize the soil, which is harmful.

If the agricultural experts are saying farmers need to supplement their animals, what’s the implication for us?

Supplements many of us need include
Multiple vitamin/mineral formula
Antioxidants
Phytonutrients
Plant sterols
Glyconutrients
Essential fatty acids
Probiotics
Other nutrients (Coenzyme Q10, food enzymes, extra fiber)

For a multivitamin and mineral formula to be effective, just like our food, it has to be in a form that the body can recognize and utilize.

Dr. Mercola, a world-renown Wellness authority, personally
recommends these three supplements
1) Omega 3 fats, ideally from animals (He uses krill oil)
2) Probiotics (occasionally)
3) Antioxidants (especially before exercise)

Anti-oxidants are extremely important. They act as free radical scavengers. Fried foods are really big free radical causers.

QUESTION
Lord, what do You specifically want to say to me about supplements?

LINK
Should You Take Supplements and if So How Many? (YouTube video with Dr. Mercola)

PRAYER
Heavenly Father, we praise You as the God of truth. Open my eyes of understanding to the importance of nutritional supplementation and lead me to the right supplements to take. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

Blessings of wisdom to seek out proper supplementation!

R. Joseph Peck, M.D.
“Blessed to be a blessing”
THE CONNECTOR and The Journal Guy
Changing Lives to Disciple Nations
Community Transformation Specialist

Welcome to Day #25 of your “30 Days To Breakthrough”
journey.

Today’s topic is Nutrition: We Are What We Eat

QUOTE
“The wise man should consider that health is the greatest of human blessings. Let food be your medicine.” – Hippocrates

LESSON
What is nutrition? It’s the act or process of nourishing or being nourished.

How can we best nourish our bodies?
1) Learn what food actually does for our bodies
2) Identify and increase foods that support wellness
3) Identify and decrease foods that rob wellness

What are “God” foods?
AKA (also known as) “Superfoods”
Foods that have significant health promoting abilities
Easily available – Usually found around the perimeter of super markets
Foods as God made them

Here are some examples of “God” foods:
Almonds, pecans, walnuts, cashews, sesame seeds, et al.
Apples and pears
Avocado, Asparagus, Artichokes
Beans (pinto, black, navy, lentils, green beans, peas
Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries
Broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower
Carrots, sweet potatoes, various verities of squash

Here are some examples of SAD Foods (Health Robbers)?
Whites
- Sugar, HFCS, artificial sweeteners
- Hydrogenated fats (trans-fats)
- Flour (and white flour products)
- Rice
- Commercial dairy
Blacks (e.g. caffeine and soda)
Artificial colorings, preservatives, MSG, and nitrates

What are the five worst foods?
Doughnuts
Soda
French Fries
Chips
Fried non-fish seafood

How do you displace the darkness?
Gradually incorporate more and more superfoods into your daily diet
- Naturally displacing harmful foods
Count your daily consumption of superfoods
- Make it a goal to increase the number each week
Eat foods in their most natural state
- Raw fruits/veggies are better than cooked
- Frozen is better than canned

What are keys to your success with nutrition?
Prayer and commitment
Focus on the light, not the darkness
Regular and consistent accountability
Be satisfied with small steps
Reframe failure as learning
Surround yourself with like-minded friends

QUESTION
Lord, it seems as though there are many varied opinions about what foods are good and what foods are harmful. How do I discern the truth?

LINK
Designed Healthy Living by Annette Reeder

PRAYER
Heavenly Father, thank You for the natural foods You have created to keep us healthy. Help me to be intentional about gradually replacing the health robbers with God foods. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

Blessings to be intentional about eating healthy foods!

R. Joseph Peck, M.D.
“Blessed to be a blessing”
THE CONNECTOR and The Journal Guy
Changing Lives to Disciple Nations
Community Transformation Specialist

Welcome to Day #24 of your “30 Days To Breakthrough” journey.

Yesterday, I provided an Overview of Wellness. Today, we’ll talk about Exercise: Is It More Than Hype?

QUOTE
Small choices that we make every day compound over time to result in a huge effect.

LESSON
Nearly every day there’s a new study written that highlights the extensive physical and psychological benefits of regular exercise.

Total national healthcare expenditures in the United States have reached $2.1 trillion or approximately $7,000 per person. That represents 16 percent of our Gross Domestic Product.

Most chronic diseases can be prevented or improved with regular exercise. Exercise is a powerful and accessible form of medicine.

Rather than choosing costly drugs and other pharmaceutical remedies, we need to act on the knowledge that exercise can really help to improve health.

Exercise is not an option if you want to live a healthy, well-balanced, and productive life. In today’s culture we do not move enough to maintain health.

What are some of the benefits of regular exercise?
Prevents cancer
Prevents heart attacks & heart disease
Promotes weight loss
Helps control blood sugar & prevent diabetes
Helps manage stress
Slows down aging and improves memory
Builds strong bones and prevent osteoporosis
Improves digestion and elimination
Helps decrease depression
Prevents colds and flu
Increases lung capacity
Increases energy level and better sleep

A healthy exercise routine includes the combination of aerobic exercise, strength training, and stretching.

When and how often and how long should you exercise? Usually, it works best to schedule exercise into your daily routine. Start slowly and work your way up on the duration.

OK, so let me ask you, on a scale of 1-10 with 10 the best, how is your weekly exercise routine? Be honest. If it’s not at least an 7 or 8, what are you going to do about that and when?

QUESTION
Lord, what simple things can I do to improve my pattern and consistency with exercise?

LINK
“The Benefits of Exercise” – Youtube video

PRAYER
Heavenly Father, thank You for the ability to move and to exercise. Help me to make exercise a priority and to schedule that into my daily routine. May I treat by body as a temple of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

Blessings to exercise consistently!

R. Joseph Peck, M.D.
“Blessed to be a blessing”
THE CONNECTOR and The Journal Guy
Changing Lives to Disciple Nations
Community Transformation Specialist

Welcome to Day #23 of your “30 Days To Breakthrough” journey.

Yesterday, I provided an Overview of Wellness. Today, we’ll talk about Water: Life’s Elixir.

QUOTE
Water is the single most important nutrient that our body needs.

LESSON
The first simple step to great health, is to drink more water than you already do. How’s that for simple?

Did you know that your body is about 60-70% water and your brain cells are about 85% water? So if you’d like to maximize your brain cells to the fullest, become a serious water drinker.

Water is the single most important nutrient that our body needs. It is involved in every function of our bodies. A person can live five to seven weeks without food, but the average adult can last no more than three to five days without water. Thankfully, more and more emphasis is being placed on water drinking in our current day.

Many people are walking around in a mild to moderate state of dehydration. Having a dry mouth is the last signal of extreme dehydration. The body and all its organs need clean, pure water on an ongoing, daily basis.

How much is enough, someone asks? A commonly accepted formula is to take your weight (in pounds) and divide that number by two. The result is the amount, in ounces per day, that your body needs for adequate hydration. For example, if you weigh 128 pounds, half of that is 64. So, you would need 64 ounces or 2 quarts of water every day.

Man is still unaware of the many benefits of water. Although we love to use water for pleasure and for drinking on a hot day, if we truly understood the benefits of water we would learn to love it even more.

Consuming water can slow the aging process down. Along with aging many other diseases can be prevented and/or improved by consuming quality water.

How much water do you drink each day? What kind of water do you drink? What kind of water is best for you?

QUESTION
Lord, what are some ways I can remember to drink more water during the day?

LINK
Say no to Bottled Water! (www.Mercola.com, YouTube video)

PRAYER
Heavenly Father, thank you for Your gift of healthy water. Help me to establish the habit of drinking adequate amounts of water each day. And help me to choose the right kind of water to drink. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

Blessings to drink plenty of healthy water each day!

R. Joseph Peck, M.D.
“Blessed to be a blessing”
THE CONNECTOR and The Journal Guy
Changing Lives to Disciple Nations
Community Transformation Specialist

Welcome to Day #22 of your “30 Days To Breakthrough” journey.

In the first three weeks we discussed stewarding your time, talent, and treasure.

Today we begin a new 7 day series about Stewarding Your Temple (Body).

Here is a summary of what we will cover in the next 7 days:

Day 22 – Overview of Wellness
Day 23 – Water: Life’s Elixir
Day 24 – Exercise: Is It More Than Hype?
Day 25 – Nutrition: We Are What We Eat
Day 26 – Supplementation: Not An Option!
Day 27 – Stress: The Insidious Killer
Day 28 – Rest: The Pause That Refreshes

QUOTE
“Wellness is living in ways that will lead to good health.” – Dr. John J. Collins

LESSON
We must properly and precisely define health and wellness before we can begin to have a discussion regarding how improve our health.

Wellness is living in ways that will lead to good health. Wellness is living properly. First you have to know how to live, you have to know the requirements.

According to Donald B. Ardell, Ph.D.,”Wellness is first and foremost a choice to assume responsibility for the quality of your life.”

Wellness is something you want to move toward, not something you want to move away from like sickness or disease.

Wellness is much more than just the absence of sickness or disease. It’s a state of optimal well-being that is oriented toward maximizing an individual’s potential. Wellness to me might be different than what wellness is to you.

Wellness includes things like
- Mental clarity
- Consistent energy
- Overall wellbeing
- Positive mental outlook
- A body weight, shape and a lean-to-fat ratio that you’re happy with
- An active libido
- Good sleep patterns
- Flexibility and agility without joint and muscle pain
- Good digestion and regular elimination
- Unrestricted breathing and good endurance

Why is Wellness important?

Greg Anderson says, “Let us be about setting high standards for life, love, creativity, and wisdom. If our expectations in these areas are low, we are not likely to experience wellness. Setting high standards makes every day and every decade worth looking forward to.”

The World Health Organization says there are two obstacles to vibrant health and longevity: Ignorance and Complacency.

Whose responsibility is your wellness?

When you really think about it, you’ll realize that your health is your responsibility, not your mother’s, not your spouse’s, not your insurance company’s, not the government’s, and not God’s.

QUESTION
Lord, what one step can I take toward wellness this week?

LINK
What is wellness? YouTube video by Dr. John J. Collins

PRAYER
Father, thank You for Your amazing creation of the human body and all of its intricate parts. Thank You for Your design and plan for each of us and for Your desire for me to be healthy and well. Bless me with Your grace and understanding as I learn to implement Your principles in taking care of my “temple.” In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

Blessings to be intentional about pursuing wellness!

R. Joseph Peck, M.D.
“Blessed to be a blessing”
THE CONNECTOR and The Journal Guy
Changing Lives to Disciple Nations
Community Transformation Specialist

Welcome to Day #21 of your “30 Days To Breakthrough” journey.

Today is the last day of the 7 days series about Stewarding Your Treasure. Tomorrow we begin our fourth 7-day series about Stewarding Your Temple (Body).

Here is a summary of what we covered this week:

Day 15 – The 10-10-80 Principle
Day 16 – God’s Five Principles Of Financial Freedom
Day 17 – Keep Good Records
Day 18 – Plan Your Spending
Day 19 – Breaking Out Of The Debt Trap
Day 20 – Emergency Savings and Insurance
Day 21 – Investing

Before we move on to today’s topic, I’d like you to write down the most important life lesson you learned this week.

QUOTE
Fear should never drive investment decisions!

LESSON
An investor must begin somewhere. But before you allocate money to any investment option, first pray, set goals, and understand basic investment wisdom. Realize that investing isn’t meant to be an overnight get-rich-quick success; it’s a long-term undertaking that shouldn’t adversely impact your daily life.

Investing 101 – Simple guidelines for wise investing

1) An investment should be simple to understand and easy to track.

2) Investments mustn’t change your lifestyle or cause stress or worry for you or your family.

3) Investments must have liquidity so you can get your money back in case of an emergency.

4) You should be able to handle the investment yourself, and develop it with little administrative time.

5) Invest with purposeful goals, such as retirement, education, tax shelter, and so on.

6) Don’t allocate money for investing if your family budget doesn’t allow for investing.

7) Avoid personal liability and remember that surety is always an unwise investment strategy.

8) Evaluate risk and return, and if you can’t afford to lose it don’t invest it.

9) Never encumber all of your assets, keep at least half of your investment debt-free.

10) Be patient and remember that most get-rich-quick schemes rely on greed and quick decisions.

11) Follow Solomon’s counsel – diversify and don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

QUESTION
Lord, what counsel do you have for me regarding investing?

LINK
How to Make the Right Investing Decisions by Austin Pryor for Sound Mind Investing

PRAYER
Heavenly Father, you teach us in the Bible to seek to multiply what you entrust to you. Guide me to invest my money wisely. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

Blessings to invest your money wisely!

R. Joseph Peck, M.D.
“Blessed to be a blessing”
THE CONNECTOR and The Journal Guy
Changing Lives to Disciple Nations
Community Transformation Specialist

Welcome to Day #20 of your “30 Days To Breakthrough” journey.

Yesterday we talked about Breaking Out of the Debt Trap. Today we focus on Emergency Savings and Insurance. Tomorrow we’ll wrap up this 7-day series on financial stewardship by talking about Investing.

QUOTE
A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished. (Proverbs 22:3)

LESSON
Let’s first talk about setting aside money in Emergency Savings. Are you prepared for a sudden and unexpected financial crisis, such as a broken down car, failing home appliance, or decrease in income?

My pastor recommends setting aside $1,000 in an emergency fund ASAP after giving the 10% tithe to God. This emergency fund is not dedicated to anything else. Do this before eliminating debt. This money needs to be very liquid. This builds margin into your life and helps relieve financial stress.

Realize this This is a baby step. Almost all good financial advisors recommends having 3-6 months worth of your monthly expenses in a savings account.

What about you? How much have you set aside in an emergency savings account? How much is reasonable?

OK, let’s talk about insurance now.

In simple terms, insurance lets you pay a little now to cover major expenses in the future due to illness, death, accident, litigation, damage and/or destruction, or theft. Buying insurance is like storing grain for winter months (Proverbs 6:6-8). When it’s used properly, insurance is a wise investment, especially if you’re protecting your family against potential financial devastation.

Insurance is neither good nor bad, moral nor immoral. However, when we become so fearful of the future or of potential loss that we overspend on insurance, it consumes money that should be going to other family needs. This not only represents poor stewardship; it also shows a lack of trust in God and in His provision.

What types of insurance are commonly recommended today?
Auto insurance
Life insurance
Homeowners insurance
Health insurance
Identity theft insurance (this is a biggie nowadays)

QUESTION
Lord, what counsel do you have for me regarding emergency savings and insurance?

LINK
Save money on insurance

PRAYER
Heavenly Father, you teach us over and over again in the Bible to plan and prepare for the future. Help me to take appropriate precautions to be ready for financial challenges that may come. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

Blessings to to establish an appropriate emergency savings fund and to have adequate insurance!

R. Joseph Peck, M.D.
“Blessed to be a blessing”
THE CONNECTOR and The Journal Guy
Changing Lives to Disciple Nations
Community Transformation Specialist

Welcome to Day #19 of your “30 Days To Breakthrough” journey. Today’s topic is “Breaking Out Of The Debt Trap.”

QUOTE
The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender. (Proverbs 22:7)

LESSON

What are danger signs that let you know you might be getting into the debt trap?
1. You begin living on credit instead of paying cash.
2. Delaying payments or paying the minimum due
3. You’re unable to tithe or save
4. You’re unable to pay taxes
5. Extravagant spending
6. Always looking for get-rich-quick ideas

Here are nine very specific steps you can take to begin to get out of this debt trap, to begin to feel some freedom in your life.
1. Commit to becoming debt free now.
2. You start paying God and yourself first
3. List all I own and list all I owe
4. Have a sale
5. Set up a repayment plan
6. Decide to do it in half the time
7. You add no new debt
8. Share my plan with my creditors
9. Stick to it

As you begin this there are two vital commitments you must make
1) The first is the commitment to follow God’s financial plan
2) Follow God’s plan for your entire life

QUESTION
Lord, what is my next step to getting out of debt?

LINK
The Steps To Financial Freedom

PRAYER
Heavenly Father, I praise You as the God of wisdom. Please bless me with the financial wisdom necessary to eliminate all of my debt. Help me to be free in this vital area of life. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

Blessings to break out of the debt trap!

R. Joseph Peck, M.D.
“Blessed to be a blessing”
THE CONNECTOR and The Journal Guy
Changing Lives to Disciple Nations
Community Transformation Specialist