friday::FITNESS

Tips for Dining Out

Fre­quent eat­ing out isn’t healthy for any­one. Not only will it expand your waist­line, but it’s sure to lean out your wal­let. It may seem like $7 here and $12 there, but it adds up. I rec­om­mend lim­it­ing eat­ing out to 1–2 times per week. (If you take me up on this rec­om­men­da­tion, DON’T freak out at your first gro­cery bill. Wait until the end of the month, and you’ll be shocked how much money you saved.)

How­ever, I’ll be the first to admit cook­ing every meal at home is unre­al­is­tic. Not only does life hap­pen and we get pushed for time, but with ministry, we all have people in our lives. Birth­days, hol­i­days, and meet-ups at restau­rants are unavoid­able.

When you do treat your­self to din­ing out, here are some guide­lines to help you stay on track with your health & fitness.

Eat your calo­ries — don’t drink them! Water is the best option, but you can also opt for unsweet­ened tea. If you have to sweeten it, carry some ste­via with you, as many arti­fi­cial sweet­en­ers can be just as bad for you as reg­u­lar sugar.

Scan the menu for key words. Aim to order dishes that con­tain words like grilled, steamed, broiled, or broth. Avoid menu items that con­tain words like fried or creamy.

Skip the appetizer.…at least as an actual appe­tizer. The extra 10–15 min­utes to wait won’t kill you, and this will help elim­i­nate eat­ing excess calo­ries. How­ever, if there’s a healthy choice as an appe­tizer, it could make a great choice as your entree. Appe­tizer serv­ing sizes gen­er­ally aren’t as large, and prices are usu­ally more rea­son­able as well.

Don’t assume every salad is healthy. A fried chicken salad with ranch dress­ing, cheese, bacon and crou­tons can have more calo­ries than a Big Mac, large fries and large Coke. If you do order a salad, fill it with veg­gies and lean pro­tein like grilled chicken, salmon or shrimp. Also, ask for vinai­grette dress­ing on the side, dip­ping each bite as you go.

Side items count. Just because you were good and ordered grilled chicken, don’t ruin it with french fries and mac and cheese on the side. Even if not on the menu, most restau­rants will usu­ally bring you a side of fruit or steamed veg­gies if you ask. (Remem­ber — you are the pay­ing cus­tomer. Don’t be afraid to ask for substitutions!)

Ask ques­tions. I’m always sur­prised how “healthy” menu items come as pre­pared in the kitchen, such as steamed veg­gies that are served drown­ing in but­ter. Ask your waiter before­hand how what you’re order­ing is pre­pared and make adjust­ments to suit your health needs. (Don’t be afraid to send it back if it’s not cor­rect. Always be polite, but there’s noth­ing wrong with get­ting exactly what you ordered.)

Avoid the bread bas­ket. Most restau­rants serve but­tered white bread, which is full of fat and sim­ple carbs…empty calo­ries, which will not make you feel full, caus­ing you to overeat.

Eat half. If you’re din­ing with a health-conscious friend, find an entree you can split. If you can’t agree on any­thing, when the waiter comes back with your order, ask for a doggy bag. Put half of your meal away, and eat the other half. If you ordered wisely, it’ll be a fine lunch for tomorrow.

Have a bite of dessert. That’s right — a bite! Buy a dessert for every­one at the table to share. That way, every­one gets a taste of some­thing sweet, but no one pigs out.

Share

© CLUTCH, 2009-2011 unless otherwise sourced.
Use allowed by express written permission only.
Tweets, trackbacks, and link sharing encouraged.

Read more...

the pastor's children

My two boys LOVE to preach. They follow daddy’s moves, his walk, they wear suits like daddy does, they watch his preaching videos over and over and over, did I say OVER. I think I have some of his sermon’s memorized myself. My boys will put daddy’s cologne on, set out as many stuff animals as they own (as their members) take out a music stand (pulpit) and start preaching away in the game room. This is their fun.

This past weekend, Bishop Holcomb, our Father in the Faith, kicked off our annual Leaders that Lead Conference. Now I must say Bishop & Pastor Val are not only our Pastors/Spiritual Parents but www.chop.org is where we served before we founded Breath of Life. While it’s not the only ministry we’ve served, it IS the only place outside of our own church the boys know. Our extended family there has seen the boys grow over the years. Our boys are very familiar with the place, people and protocol. This particular Sunday, it was Matthew’s first time on the East Wing. You see the West wing has birth to 4yrs old, the “other-side” is for the “big kids”. Well Matthew is now 5 and on the East Wing. So he wasn’t sure what to expect at Heritage Kingdom. Marcus on the other hand, knew the registration drill, order of service, exit/pick up procedures etc. Marcus asked that morning if he could go to “big church” because he missed Papa Bishop and wanted to hear him preach. The mommy side of me wanted to bring him so bad; because there is nothing like hearing Bishop in person. However, my spirit kept saying no.

For two weeks prior to us going, the Holy Spirit would prompt me to send Marcus to Children’s Church at CHOP on that particular Sunday. I’m so glad I followed the prompting of the Spirit, because by divine orchestration INSPIRATION and IMPARTATION occurred. It was priceless!

Imagine a room, more like a large cafeteria size with 300+ kiddos ready for children’s church. They did praise and worship and up next, instead of a Children’s Minister delivering the word that morning, a 9 year old brought the Word forth. Yes, a 9 year old, NINE year old, after 8 before 10. Marcus couldn't quit talking about it ALL day. He said mom, a kid preached. I said a real kid, or a teenager? He said no a kid he was 9 and just a little bit taller than me. Mom that is exactly what I dream of doing. I dream of preaching. I dream of preaching to the world. I want to save lives. (He just turned 7, yes we know Jesus saves – disclaimer) Marcus was INSPIRED! He said I have never met a kid like ME who loves to preach! It couldn't have been better planned, it was divine orchestration from the Holy Spirit. Now I know, not every PK will enter ministry. But I am keen enough to be aware, recognize and identify the call of God on my baby. What blessed me the most was all the idea’s that started spinning out as he told me about his dreams for ministry.

Inspiration: a divine influence or action on a person believe to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation. Without going into details of our moment that day, I want to ask what inspires your children? We took pictures behind the children’s church pulpit I wanted to share with you. I don't ever want to be guilty of down playing the work of the ministry because it's become familiar and not cultivate the gifts God has placed in our children. I don't want to be guilty of choking the seed we strive so hard to plant in our children. I found out what 9 year old preached and turns out we know his parents well. So, we will have them over for dinner next month.

Maybe your princess has a gift to sing. Or Johnny boy is creative and mercy motivated. Pastor Val preached about leadership keys during one of our morning sessions. She challenged us as Pastors to be sure to recognize and cultivate the gifts inside our own little ones as well. This weekend turned out rather perfect. To God be the glory!

Share

© CLUTCH, 2009-2011 unless otherwise sourced.
Use allowed by express written permission only.
Tweets, trackbacks, and link

sharing encouraged

.

Read more...

pastors' wives conference

Pastors' Wives Conference. Free. Virtual. What more can you ask for?

Let me give you the details!

Our friends over at Leading and Loving It, are having a free, virtual (meaning you can watch from home, no travel, don't have to get your nails & hair done, you don't even have to wear make up while watching) type conference. With top of the line speakers from across the country.

It's called JustONE! I've listed this weeks line up for you. The bible teaches us that iron sharpens iron, so I invite you and encourage you to tune in. This will be ongoing for four weeks, you can check their site for additional details and be sure to put it on your calendar.

Week 1: Monday, January 23rd and Tuesday, January 24th
11am EST/ 8am PST and 9pm EST/ 6pm PST both days

“Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity.”
Speaker 1: Kay Warren, Senior Pastor’s Wife and Founder of the HIV & AIDS Initiative at Saddleback Church
Speaker 2: Jenni Catron, Executive Director at Cross Point Church
Speaker 3: Michelle Meeks, Senior Pastor’s Wife at Eastlake Community Church
Speaker 4: Jessica Cornelius, Senior Pastor’s Wife and Director or EmpowHER and Missions at Bay Area Fellowship
Speaker 5: Heather Palacios, Executive Pastor’s Wife at Church by the Glades

We love you so much and are praying for your success! I'm confident this conference will be a blessing to you!

Share

© CLUTCH, 2009-2011 unless otherwise sourced.
Use allowed by express written permission only.
Tweets, trackbacks, and link sharing encouraged.

Read more...

cat's pix::PW life

Stylin', all ready for church.

********
©cat sasser & clutch

Share

© CLUTCH, 2009-2011 unless otherwise sourced.
Use allowed by express written permission only.
Tweets, trackbacks, and link sharing encouraged.

Read more...

friday::FINANCE

Money. The lack of money can be stressful! I am talking about heavy weights, feeling like you are going to suffocate; stressful.

People don't like to talk about the rough times, the "going through" of when money is tight. All because it is a hard place.

I would like to remind you today that your troubles will not last always. That God made honey come out of a rock. (meaning a hard place)

We all know that we need to follow budget.

We all know that we need more coming in then going out.

But I want you to know that today, as we head into the weekend that we are praying for you! We are praying for you, your family and your church!

God is a BIG God. God is more than ABLE!

People do not like to talk about money, it makes some uncomfortable.

I'm completely comfortable. I know the difference between the gospel (the life, the death, the burial and the resurrection) vs. the counsel of God.

When you get emails from Pastors' Wives that they are struggling and their family eats Oatmeal for breakfast and dinner, with Hot Dogs and Spagetti as a luxury you don't mind so much talking about money; praying for financial breakthrough and prosperity.

We are blessed to be a blessing. So if you are in a rough season, we are praying for you this weekend! I know that God can turn ANY situation around.

Share

© CLUTCH, 2009-2011 unless otherwise sourced.
Use allowed by express written permission only.
Tweets, trackbacks, and link sharing encouraged.

Read more...