We need God and we need His word.

If we want to impact our world for Christ and take His to the lost of the world, we must fill our hearts and mind with God’s truths and precepts. Sometimes we need to mix it up a bit. Something new can breath new life into our relationship with God.

In order to help you to continue to seek God, we have provided a few resources for you—something to watch, something to read, something to listen to and something to study. Get a drink, your Bible and a journal then choose one, two or three resources and dig in!

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

1. Something to Watch: A great video from For the Life of the World about the gift of creation and how to live a thankful life.

“What is the song of all creation? What is our Salvation for? In this scene from Episode 1: Exile, Evan unpacks the essence of God and his mission in the world.” To see more, click on the play button below.

2.  Something to Read: An excellent article by Beth Moore, Because Any of Us Can be Had

“I penned the creative writing below a number of years ago as I reflected on my own miserable season of sifting by Satan. I was wrecked almost beyond repair by what I’d experienced because I’d never been taught that a believer could love Jesus deeply with a pure heart and serve Him with sincere devotion and yet be flabbergastingly seduced by the enemy. 2 Corinthians 11:3 had said it all along but I’d missed it.” To read more click on the link below.

Because Any of Us Can be Had

3. Something to Listen To: A podcast from Erik Metaxas at Break Point, When the Sky is Really Falling

“When Chicken Little said the sky is falling, we all laughed. Well, maybe it’s time we stopped laughing. It seems Chicken Little may be on to something.”  To hear more click on the link below.

When the Sky is Really Falling

4. Something to study: The Outcasts: Giving Your All.

“Rebels…backsliders…children…senior citizens…the handicapped…uneducated…homeless.

Thankfully, God looks upon the heart and sees us for what we can become; beautiful witnesses for the Gospel of Christ. It is my prayer that through these Bibles studies you will be blessed and gain a clear vision for how the God of the Universe sees you; incredibly precious and valuable.” To study more, click on the link below.

  The Outcasts: Giving Your All

Jane and I pray these resources will encourage you and strengthen your walk with Jesus! Let us know what you think in the comment section below!

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Refreshment and nourishment for the soul!

Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,
“This is the way, walk in it,”
Whenever you turn to the right hand
Or whenever you turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21

Today I took a tramp through the woods at an area nature center. As I walked along the wooded paths, I noticed the evidence of new life springing forth to dazzle the senses … trilling birds,  sweet-smelling flowers, prancing deer, velvety mosses, verdant grasses. The warm spring breezes blew away the cobwebs of winter. As I hiked, I thanked God for each blessing; the herd of deer I spooked, the pileated woodpecker hammering on a dead branch, and the Dutchman’s-britches peeping out from under last years leaves.

When I rounded the curve of the Old Field Trail, my eyes met a shocking sight; the scorched lands of the tall-grass prairie. While I gazed on the ugliness of the field, I tried to reconcile the carnage of the seared grasses with the beauty of the woods. I felt the Holy Spirit tugging at my heart to stop and reflect on the object lesson before my eyes.

God, I already know sometimes you have to burn off the old to encourage new growth. But God had a new lesson for me. As I scanned the scorched grasses, I suddenly noticed one thing remained–the green path. Formerly hidden by the long dry grasses, the path was now easily seen.

Yes, God does burn off old growth (humdrum habits and unhealthy relationships) so we can continue to mature,  but sometimes He burns these things because they are clouding our vision of His path. With the briars, weeds, and old growth removed, we can clearly see the path God wants us to take.

Action Points:

1. Are you following God’s path for your life?
2. Is there anything you need to give up to follow God more closely?
3. What needs to go so you can clearly see God’s path?

Life is sweet!

Welcome to Day Seven of One-Week Workout! Good job–you made it to the last day! Jane and I are praying for you to continue to grow stronger spiritually and physically and to reap a harvest from your work this week. In September we are offering a six-week version of Faith & Fit with a weekly online live call. In addition you will be able to take advantage of  the following:

• Everyday Fit Food Challenges, Everyday Faith Scripture Readings
• Everyday Faith Teaching Videos, Everyday Fit Physical Challenges
• Extra Fit Challenges with Coach Dan
• Extra Faith activities including Bible studies, blogs and podcasts

We look forward to seeing you in the fall. In the meantime, please continue to check in at onlybyprayer.com to acces our blog, Bible studies and podcasts. We post fresh content every week. Let’s go!

 Bible Study:

To do the Day Seven Bible study, just click on the link!

One-Week Workout! Bible Study: Day Seven

 Workout Options:

Easy  2 Mile Walking Workout

Intermediate 3 Mile Walking Workout

Advanced  4 Mile Walking Workout

Extra Challenge with Coach Dan!

Do you want a little extra challenge? Join Coach Dan of Let’s Go Fitness for a quick workout!

Welcome to Day Four of One-Week Workout! Give yourself a pat on the back for your hard work! We had 44 people do Bible study yesterday. Remember to pray for each other! Gather your Bible, pen, notebook and slip on your tennis shoes. Jane and I are praying for you to use your tongue to  bring God’s blessings into your life and the lives of others. Let’s get going!

 Bible Study:

To do the Day Four Bible study, just click on the link!

One-Week Workout! Bible Study: Day Four

 Workout Options:

Easy  2 Mile Walking Workout

Intermediate 3 Mile Walking Workout

Advanced  4 Mile Walking Workout

Extra Challenge with Coach Dan!

Do you want a little extra challenge? Join Coach Dan of Let’s Go Fitness for a quick workout!

We are so glad you are back for Week 3, Lesson 2 of Faith & Fit, Make it Moderate! Let us encourage you to persevere. Keep studying, and moving. You are storing up treasure in heaven where neither moth or rust can destroy. You are establishing healthy habits. Don’t give up; Jesus is walking with you every step of the way! Listed below is your Faith & Fit work for today. Please click on the links or the play buttons to access each resource. Remember to leave a comment about your experience at the Speak Your Mind section at the bottom of the page. In Christ, we can grow stronger. Let’s do it!

Everyday Faith Teaching Video:

Everyday Faith Bible Study:

Click on the link below to access the Week 3, Lesson 2 Bible Study.

Week Three, Lesson 2 Bible Study

Everyday Fit Physical Challenge:

Beginner Level: Today make it your goal to walk for 1.5 – 2 miles. Walk at a pace that you are comfortable with and that you are still able to carry on a conversation. How are you feeling on your walks? Has anyone tried an indoor waking video yet?As always, check with your doctor before beginning any physical workout to be sure you are up for the challenge! For those of you who are interested in burning more belly fat while you’re walking, here’s an interesting plan from Prevention Magazine that you can download if you’d like to.

Experienced Level: Today make it your goal to walk or ride your bike for 45 minutes. Walk or ride at a pace you are comfortable with and that your are able to carry on a conversation. By the end of your walk/ride you should be sweaty and tired but not exhausted. As always, check with your doctor before beginning any physical workout to be sure you are up for the challenge! Let’s do Lower Body Focus Day Three with Coach Dan!

Rainy Day? Too hot? No worries! click on the link below for a great indoor workout with Leslie Sansone!

Five Fast Miles!

Everyday Fit Food Challenge:

Make it Moderate:

Earlier this week, we talked about portion sizes and to make sure we check the food labels so that we know how much an actual portion size is. I discovered that often times, I am eating 1.5 to 2 times what one serving is according to the label. That makes a big difference if you’re counting calories!

Today I would like us to discuss how to moderately eat our favorite foods. The point of Faith & Fit is not to totally give up our favorite foods, unless we are eating something that is absolutely contributing to bad health, but to learn how to control what we eat. For example, perhaps ice cream is your favorite food in the world. We don’t expect you to give that up, just control how you eat it. There are several ways you can do this:

1. Eat a smaller portion size than what you usually eat. If you fill up the bowl to the top with your ice cream, then fill it up part way, or choose a smaller bowl and still fill it up. Use a smaller dinner plate so that you’re eating a lesser amount of food.
2. Eat your favorite food on fewer days of the week. If you normally eat ice cream every day, then start scaling back by  eating it on just the even days.
3. Choose a simpler treat. Perhaps you get the super duper sundae when you go to the ice cream parlor. Try scaling back to a dish with just the ice cream or get a plain cone instead. Also, eat it s-l-o-w-l-y and savor it. Too often we Americans gulp our food. I’ll be talking about mindful eating more in an upcoming week.
4. Try using a calendar to help you eat treats in moderation. Post a small calendar on your refrigerator (I found a small blank magnetized calendar at Walmart or Target). Each week consider what your activities/events are. If you have a birthday, holiday, meal out with friends where you know you will be heavily enjoying your favorite foods, put a check on that day(s). Once you’ve done that, look at your entire week. How many checks do you have on the calendar? If you have several, then you can plan to not eat treats/eat lesser amounts on the open days. You may even want to put an X through the open days on the calendar to help you stay on track.

If you’re using My Fitness Pal that we talked about in Week 1 to track your food,  just the very act of having to log your favorite foods and watching the calories add up can be a deterrent to eating them.

Extra Faith:

Need a little extra spiritual challenge added to your day? Take advantage of the following resources!

 The Spiritual Discipline of Silence and Solitude. I recorded this podcast a few years ago with Pastor Ron Stohler of Grace Church in Noblesville, Indiana. It’s a wonderful resource packed with information.

Extra Fit

Need an extra challenge? Get your abs in shape with Team Beachbody Coach and Founder of Team Let’s Go Fitness at Dan Vukmirovich. Dan’s videos are short, effective and productive! Let’s go!

Please feel free to share any of your moderation tips, workouts, encouragement, prayer requests, etc., on our Faith & Fit Facebook page and/or in the comment section below. Have a blessed day!

Jane and I welcome you to “Wounded Lives. Healed Hearts.” We are very excited to join you during this journey into encouragement  and healing. In the weeks leading up to this study, we have been praying for you. Thank you for answering God’s call; it is not an accident that you have joined this study. We all have wounds, and God alone holds our healing.

Weekly Homework.
Each week we will add your assignments to a password-protected post. Look for the password every Tuesday evening in your email. Below you will find homework for each level of study. Feel free to change from Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3  as your schedule allows! Remember, there is no pressure to complete every activity. These are just options for your spiritual growth. They can be accessed at any time, even after the study ends.

Introductory Community Call

Here is the February 19 Introductory Community Call from Talk Shoe:

Level 1, Study: Weekly Goals 

• For Week 1, watch the video: Learning to Trust
• Complete pages 11-26 in Luke: Discovering Healing in Jesus’ Words to Women.
• Feel free to do any of the other activities from Levels 2 and 3 as your time allows.

Level 2, Community: Weekly Goals

• For Week 1, watch the video: Learning to Trust
• Complete pages 11-26 in Luke: Discovering Healing in Jesus’ Words to Women.
• Answer the question on the Speak Your Mind comment section at the bottom of this post.
• Don’t forget to check out our private Facebook page. Leave your comments about this week’s study, post your prayer requests, or share any insights/questions you may have. Only members of our Bible study group will see these posts.
• Join the Community Call, Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. EST on TalkShoe (Information on TalkShoe is in your weekly email.)

 Level 3, Opportunity: Weekly Goals 

• For Week 1, watch  the video: Learning to Trust
• Complete pages 11-26 in Luke: Discovering Healing in Jesus’ Words to Women.
• Answer the question on the Speak Your Mind comment section at the bottom of this post, and join the Community Call on Wednesday night on TalkShoe.
• Complete the Digging Deeper questions in the margins of each lesson.
• Don’t forget to check out our private Facebook page. Leave your comments about this week’s study, post your prayer requests, or share any insights/questions you may have. Only members of our Bible study group will see these posts.
• Take advantage of the Help for Healing resources by clicking on the links below:

Hope and Trust Take 5! Bible Study

Rock My World Bible Study

Times of Trouble Blog

Please take a few moments to worship and express your gratitude to God through music for His many blessing and gifts.

Questions of the Week (Please respond in the Speak Your Mind section at the very bottom of this page).

With what area of life do you struggle to trust God? What step can you take this week to begin to trust God with this area?

If you missed the Community Call from Lesson 1 Control to Trust, here is the recording.