I have had a stubborn right shoulder for about 15 years. It would often crack, pop, and be very tight.  I have worked on it and stretched it but nothing ever seemed to last. There is a stretch where you put your hand behind your back and see how high up your back you can take your hand. For a long time there has been a huge difference between my right and left. It came from playing baseball. 

But, recently I started trying a much gentler approach. I started doing that same stretch but very gently and adding the Touchpoints by giving a light touch to the areas that felt restricted. I have seen more change in my shoulder from this gentle approach than anything I have ever tried. 

The other day I was reading in Zechariah and in verse 7:11 God says the people turned a stubborn shoulder to him.  I didn't realize there was such a thing as a stubborn shoulder, but that is the phrase God uses. The stubborn shoulder was an unwillingness to change. Whether it is a stubborn...

Recently the mother of a middle school basketball player asked what her son could do to jump higher so that he could dunk. He could already touch the rim but couldn't dunk. 

I said that if he would start stretching every night before bed that he would probably dunk within 30 days. A few days ago I received confirmation that he had indeed dunked - it took 25 days. 

If you or someone you know needs to get faster or jump higher for a sport one of the fastest ways is improving flexibility. By becoming more flexible you take the friction out of the body allowing for better performance, speed, and power.

When you stretch make sure to stretch gently and to add Touchpoints by giving a light touch with your hand to any areas that feel tight or restricted. 

What's New

In the Abundant Life Blueprint I have been adding a new series of workouts that creates an ongoing path for progress. When you join you'll receive all of the workouts along with tracking sheets, exercise demos,...

Back when I started writing my first book 7 Dates With Jesus I was worried about finding someone to edit my books, because I had no experience editing or publishing a book. Then one day I was at church and met a friend who was interested in health and fitness. I felt a nudge on the inside to invite him to come workout with me. 

As we worked out together a few times, I found out that he was the editor of the Virginia Tech magazine and he had helped a few other people with their books. 

I asked if he would be willing to take a look at what I had written. What I sent him was a complete mess. It was similar to journal entries with no structure or organization. He sent it back to me a few weeks later and it looked like a book. 

In this process I learned that I was limiting God. I had been hesitant to start writing because I didn't think I had the resources to edit and publish the book. What I learned is that if you will take a step of faith God already has people lined up...

One of my daughters really likes to bake. A few weeks ago she made a 2 layer gingerbread cake. I tried a piece and it was really good. The problem was that I couldn't stop eating it. Over the course of a few days I had several pieces of cake.. 

When it comes to nutrition I think it's important to have freedom, where no foods are off limits. But, I also think it's important to know yourself. When my daughter makes cupcakes I have no problem either resisting them or eating just a little bit. However, when she makes a big cake I have a hard time keeping my portions in control. It triggers me to overeat. 

Is there a food that triggers you to get out of control? If so it is probably best to avoid these foods. 

What's New

Today we are on Day 5 of the Proverbs 13:22 Book Writing Challenge and we will be discussing the importance of an encounter with the author. 

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What You May Have Missed

In January we completed the Isaiah 61:3 Fat Loss Challenge. ...

Recently someone asked me about digestive issues after breakfast. So, I asked about his normal breakfast routine. It was coffee, then a breakfast usually with eggs, avocado, and veggies. I suggested he switch the order and have water, then breakfast, then coffee. The next day he got back to me and said there were no more digestive issues and he has gone several weeks without any issues. 

Coffee is high in acids and it is beneficial for your digestion after you have eaten because it helps to breakdown your food. 

Coffee can be hard on an empty stomach. Coffee is different with food. Food with your coffee also slows down the absorption of the caffeine into your system making it last longer.  

The first thing you eat or drink every day influences your brain chemistry for the rest of the day. Water should be the first thing you have every day. This is also a spiritual principle in that the first thing you eat spiritually impacts your brain chemistry. Try starting...

The other day I was getting the kids ready for school and one of my daughters was playing with toys. I asked her to get her socks and shoes on but when I checked a few minutes later she was still playing with her toys. This happened a few times and when it was time to leave she didn't have her shoes on. 

We had much different priorities. My priority was to get to school on time and her priority was to play with toys. I began to wonder if this is what we do to God at times. He is telling us to do things but we are off doing what we want to do. God is saying forgive that person, take this step, etc but we are busy doing what we think is more important. 

I think one of the best questions you can ask is " Is there something I know I am supposed to be doing that I haven't done yet?' If you will ask this question God will give you an answer in about 30 seconds. Recently I asked this and immediately had the answer. I had written a book and received it back from the editor but I...

A few weeks ago I started having pain around my left shoulder blade. I was working on the area for a few days but not seeing results So, I prayed and asked God what was going on. The answer I received was to stretch the muscles around my neck, because my hips were now more flexible than my shoulders. 

Your neck and lower back/hips are a balancing pair. Before the shoulder blade pain I had been working on my flexibility in my legs and hips, but my hips became more flexible than my shoulders. Anytime there is an imbalance in the body it will lead to pain. 

There is a Biblical principle that everything connects to the head. Stretching your neck opens up the whole body. 

Here is what I did. I stretched my neck in every angle that I could think of and added Touchpoints by giving a light touch to any areas that felt tight or restricted. I did this before bed and the next morning the pain was completely gone. It also had a tremendous impact on my shoulder flexibility and my...

The other day I had pain in my right hip. It felt unstable and at times like it was going to give out. I tried to stretch and work on the area but it wasn't helping.

Then I made a change. I started using a more gentle approach. I stretched, but very gently, and started to work on my mobility in the hip by only moving in ranges of motion that I could do without pain. I also added what I call touchpoints.

Touchpoints are done by giving a very light touch to areas that are tight, restricted, or painful during stretch/movement and then repeating the movement. 

Touchpoints are one of the most effective ways I have found to remove joint pain, increase flexibility, and improve exercise/sport performance. 

By the end of the day the pain was 90% gone and even better the next day. If you are experiencing pain try stretching gently (especially before bed) and using touchpoints. You will be amazed at the impact it has. This gentle approach requires humility, but God gives grace to the...

Many times people will complain that certain areas of body fat are stubborn and hard to lose. After training clients for almost 20 years I have seen that it can also be hard to gain muscle in some areas of the body. It is like some areas of the body don't respond like they should.

Stubborn body parts are like stubborn people. The more you try to change them the more they resist. Rules, laws, and trying to force them to change doesn't work. There is only one way to get stubborn people to change... grace and doing good for them even if they don't deserve it. The Bible tells us that God's gentleness makes us great. Whether you have stubborn people or a stubborn body part a gentle more graceful approach tends to work better. Be patient and give them time to change. This is what God does for us. 

What's New

The Proverbs 13:22 Book Writing Challenge starts tomorrow. 

To join click Here

What You May Have Missed

In January we finished the Isaiah 61:3 Fat Loss Challenge.

You can...

The other day after I got the kids home from school we started going through the usual evening stuff... doing homework, cooking dinner, packing lunches, and getting cleaned up. My wife was going to be getting home a little later so it was just me and the kids. 

As I was cooking dinner one of my daughters needed help with her homework, then my other daughter was crying because she was struggling with her homework and needed help. Then the baby pooped and was asking to be changed. All of this was happening at the same time and when I went into the living room to get a diaper it looked like the room had exploded. There were puzzle pieces and wooden blocks from a Jenga game everywhere along with spilled food all over the floor. I began to feel overwhelmed. This wasn't looking too much like an Abundant Life. 

But then I remembered that if I was being stretched it meant there was grace to handle the situation. I took the pressure off of myself and prayed and asked for help. Then...