Minimizing Excess Weight Through Prayer & Fasting

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."

Romans 12:1 (emphasis added)

You may wonder why I am talking about weight loss issues on a blog called Biblical Minimalism.  I realize that this will not apply to many of you, and chances are, you have no weight to lose and/or have already overcame in this area of minimizing.  Even if obesity is not an issue for you, I hope you can bear with me.  Maybe the stuff we talk about here will apply to another area of excess in your life.  Or perhaps you are struggling with another type addiction, unrelated to food, and maybe the things God is teaching me will be beneficial to you for something totally different.  At any rate, I trust you won't give up on me, as I use this space to work through this journey.

I recently published this very raw, unedited, transparent post concerning my ongoing struggles with obesity.  From the number of private emails I have been getting from different readers I have never heard from before, it turns out there are far more of you who share in my struggles than I imagined.  My heart goes out to each on of you because no one else could ever understand or feel your pain more than I do right now.  I want you to know I am praying for you and believing alongside you for victory for every, single one of us.

In our new book and in this post, I talk about the Whole Person Pie©, how our lives are made up of eight "slices" and how God should be the center.

One of those eight "slices" is called "the physical," which, in my opinion, falls right next to "the spiritual" slice of the pie in order of importance.  The physical slice of the pie is broken down into two parts - physical possessions (which you can read about in this post),

and our physical bodies (which I talked about here.)  I say that the physical slice is right next to the spiritual in order of importance because, as Christians, our physical bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit.  "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"  I Corinthians 6:19

One of the parts of the "physical slice" that I focused on in that post is obesity.  

I'll be honest.  I hesitate to write about this at all because I am SO unqualified to talk about it.  Not that I am the authority on ANYthing I write about, but at least I can testify to the chain-breaking power of God and how He enabled us to sell our home and release about 90% of our physical possessions, liberated us from all our indebtedness, and performed so many other wonders in our lives.  Those are areas that I can see such blatant, visible proof as to what He has literally done, and my family and I have walked through those things and can see tanglible victory.  The gray slice you see in the pie chart above called "obesity" is a whole other ballgame.  This is where I am.  This is reality, and this is where I have gained zero victory and why I feel completely unqualified to share since I am still in the throes of this struggle and seeing no success.

When I stepped on the doctor's scale a few months ago and saw that glaring, shocking number staring me down, I could hardly believe it.  I told the nurse who stood next to me that I couldn't believe it.  Bless her heart, she struggles with the same and told me that after she steps on the scales and sees the number, she goes and gets something to eat and forgets about it!  I love her to pieces, but that is not exactly the most helpful medical advice I've ever been given, and it sure didn't encourage me to get this weight off.  When the doctor walked in, and I mentioned my weight gain to him and let him know how distressed I am about it, he began ordering testing, and sure enough, they found issues.  Those, piled on to the other physical conditions I have dealt with for years, in all fairness, are formidable opponents to my weight loss efforts.  Add medically-confirmed menopause to the mix, and you have a sure fire recipe for weight loss sabotage, and to be honest, this has all felt so hopeless.  I have felt completely trapped.

But, " Is any thing too hard for the LORD?"  Genesis 18:14 - this question was raised in reference to God's promise that Sarah would conceive and bear a son at the ripe old age of 90.  Can you imagine how incredulous and impossible this had to have sounded to Sarah?  I don't find it odd that she laughed when she heard that the following year, she would have a son. 

If God can open the barren womb of a 90-year-old woman and give her and her 100-year-old husband a son, can He not help me lose weight, in spite of medical limitations?  Their age was a mighty formidable opponent to childbirth, yet God miraculously fulfilled His promise to them and gave them a son of their own.  

My obesity is a stronghold that looks as impossible to me as having a child must have looked to Abraham and Sarah.  Yet, Jesus said, "With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible."  Matthew 19:26  

2 Corinthians 10:4 says, "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds."  Obesity, for me, is a strong hold.  It is a place in my life that I cannot seem to break through and change through any carnal weapon I have been able to get my hands on.  My many failed efforts in making this happen are living proof that I cannot do this—alone.  

But, God has been showing me that I CAN do this through His strength, and He is consistently bringing Matthew 17:21 to my mind, "Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting."  Sometimes, prayer alone is not enough.  There are some strong holds that cannot be pulled down through any other means than the mighty weapon combo of prayer and fasting.  Fasting requires self-denial and discipline, and I think that is precisely what I need right now.

I mentioned in my last post that I have been reading Kalen Bruce's new book, "10 Branches of Growth," and how Kalen talks about the discipline of intermittent fasting.  I had heard of it, and Kevin, Zach, and I had even tried it for a short time quite a while ago, but I had forgotten about it.  Full disclosure- I am not a doctor, nor am I saying that intermittent fasting will work or even be healthy for everyone.  Please seek the Lord for wisdom, and know that I am only sharing this as my own experience and testimony.  

A few days ago, I started the disicpline of intermittent fasting from 7:00 PM until at least 11:00 AM.  By God's grace, it is my goal to exercise this discipline until it becomes a habit that continues until the excess weight is gone.  I am not making a vow, and I know that I am continually subject to fall off the wagon, but this is my goal.  

Here's the best part.  Through the years, during times that the Lord has called me to fast, I have always been so amazed at the level of intimacy and spiritual depths I am drawn into while fasting.  There is just a special closeness and communion with God that has happened every, single time.  When I began this intermittent fasting a few nights ago, that was the farthest thing from my mind.  My sole purpose in doing this, in the beginning, was to lose weight.  But, the other night it occured to me that I am feeling that amazing sense of closeness to Jesus during the hours of 7:00 PM - 11:00 AM!  This is not just helping me physically.  It is helping me spiritually.  I feel a drawing to steal away in the evenings and go up to our room and enter into extra prayer time.  I am feeling that sense of His presence that is so much more overwhelming than usual.  The sheer act of denying myself those guilty pleasures of snacking and unnecesary food consumption at night is working and producing something good in my soul.  This is a win/win!

As I felt led to write this post, I asked the Lord if it is really necessary for me to share my struggles.  After all, this isn't the easiest thing in the world.  I got an immediate answer and confirmation that He wants to use my intense struggles to help someone else.  I have surrendered my life to Him to use as He sees fit, I have handed the reins to Him, and my life is a living sacrifice.  If He can get any glory out of my issues and discrepancies, and if they can reach out and let someone else know they are not alone, then here I am Lord, send me.  

I deeply appreciate your continued prayers that I will stay strong and be faithful to God in bringing this area of my life under subjection to Him.  This slice of the pie is every bit as important as decluttering the house, giving away possessions, and getting out of debt - in fact, it is even more important than all that because as I said before, this has to do with the very temple in which God's Spirit dwells.  It is my "reasonable service" to do all I can to make it as healthy a dwelling place as I possibly can.  You are my accountability partners, and your prayers mean the world to me.  God bless you all and help you with whatever you may be struggling with today.

Weight Loss Confessions

"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us."  Hebrews 12:1 (KJV)

Hebrews 12:1 has literally become our minimalism journey anthem.  The laying aside of every weight and besetting sin is our constant pursuit, and it is ever on my mind and foremost in my walk with the Lord.  With all my heart, I want to please Him and live out the plan He has ordained for my time on this earth, and I know I cannot do that successfully while weighted down with excess.

I think often of the analogy the Apostle Paul wrote about in 1 Corinthians 9:24.  "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain."  Anyone knows that in order for a runner to run a race at optimal speed and efficiency, they have to cast off every ounce of unnecessary weight.  To think that a runner could win a race with heavy objects strapped to his/her back, let alone excess body weight, is absurd.

Photo by Aaron Burden

It is no secret that I have struggled much with physical weight issues for several years.  It is a constant source of distress for me, and I have tried so many things to lose the weight, only to fall off the wagon and end up gaining even more.  Can anyone relate?

This morning, as I spent time with the Lord and begged Him once again to help me, He began to remind me how far He has brought my family and me in other areas of life.  He led us to sell our four-bedroom, three-bath home with a huge garage that was overstuffed with excess and release about 90% of our physical possessions.  He brought us out of extreme debt bondage to a place of being 100% debt-free.  He released us from untold layers of spiritual bondage and the spirit of legalism.  He has opened our eyes and drawn us out of so many weighty, encumbering, besetting sins, all glory to God.  So, why is it so hard for me to get a breakthrough on the stronghold of obesity?

If God can enable me to let go of things that had become such idols, to leave the home that meant more to me than I could even put into words, to completely stop using credit, and to walk free from the entanglements of so many levels of spiritual bondage, why is the tackling of obesity any different?

"Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?"  Jeremiah 32:27

"Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear."  Isaiah 59:1

My being physically overweight is no more God's fault than our being in debt up to our eyeballs was His fault.  This is something that I have allowed to let happen, and this is something that I am going to have to put forth the necessary effort and self-control to change just as much as we had to let go of the home we loved and say good-bye to so many beloved physical possessions.  Those possessions made their way into our house over years of accummulation and with our consent, just like these excess pounds made their way into my physical body with my permission.

Over two years ago, on June 1, 2018, I wrote this post.  On June 5, 2018, I published this post introducing The P.O.W.E.R. Tool©.  (You are more than welcome to download your own P.O.W.E.R. Tool© by clicking HERE.)  To say I wrote those posts over two years ago and to see the state I am in today fills me with incredible remorse, even shame.

One thing about tools, they only work and help you out if you pick them up and use them.  We have an electric washer and dryer in our basement.  It is there, at our disposal, to use any time we want 24/7.  We can either gather the laundry from the clothes hamper in our bedroom closet and the laundry basket on Zach's closet floor and walk that laundry to the basement, sort it, drop it in the wash machine, add laundry detergent, and turn the knob for it to begin OR we can leave our dirty laundry upstairs in our closets and allow it to pile up to the ceiling.  We can complain about how much we hate the piled-up dirty laundry, or we can implement our washer and dryer to help us get the laundry clean.

When the Lord inspired me to design the P.O.W.E.R. Tool, I had every intention of picking it up each morning and using it to help me stay on track.  Somehow, over time, I have completely stopped using this tool, and it shows—in very obvious, unhideable ways.  When I wrote this post, I needed to lose 60 pounds.  Yes, I said 60.  Imagine my unimaginable shock when I stepped on the doctor's scale a few months ago to find that my weight had balooned up to an unthinkable number, and suddenly 60 pounds didn't sound like so much to lose.  I am SO ashamed.  Just being real here ~ sorry if this post is too transparent.

Obviously, I didn't have to write and publish this post.  No one is standing over me with a gun to my head demanding I tell the whole world about the horrible stronghold I am dealing with on a daily basis.  I could pretend that I have been faithful and self-disciplined and stayed right on track.  I could lie, either by telling you those things or by saying I have steadily lost weight and have now reached my goal (OH, to be able to say that!) or I could just omit the truth and avoid the subject all together.  There is nothing compelling me to write this post, other than a sincere desire to help someone out there who is dealing with and fighting against obesity as much as I am.

I want you to know that you are not alone.  Today, I want to say to you that I am right there with you - even more overweight than I was on the day I wrote the post announcing to anyone who wanted to read it that I was 60 pounds overweight.

I wish I had a magic potion to offer you - believe me, if there were one, and I could get my hands on it, I would have already done so.  I wish I could tell you to click on a link that would guarantee a miracle cure for your obesity.  I wish I could hand you a simple solution that wouldn't require any type of effort on your part and would enable you to wake up tomorrow morning and see your ideal weight number miraculously appear on your digital scale.

I don't have anything to offer you but this ~

Sincere, heartfelt, genuine empathy because I am in the same, exact boat.  I hate the fact that I have wasted all this time and fallen into such weight-loss apostasy and gone completely off the rails.  TWO YEARS later, I am not only in the same, exact boat, "the boat" is straining even more now because I weigh substantially more than I did two years ago!

In my head, I KNOW all the right things to do.  I have even made vows to God (it really, really sobers me to realize and admit this), and I have repeatedly and shamefully broken those vows.  I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am for grace.  Without it, I would have been cut off a long time ago.  Why does He continue to forgive and put up with me when I consistently fail, fall short, and break my promises to Him?

"But thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness."  Nehemiah 9:17

"For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Thee."  Psalm 86:5

"He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities."  Psalm 103:10

It's a good thing, huh?

I'm not sure why I entitled this post, "Weight Loss Confessions."  I think I should have called it "Weight Gain Confessions," because weight loss doesn't show up in any of this equation.

My promises in this area don't really hold their "weight," pun intended, but I am going to openly proclaim that I am going to TRY to get back on the wagon today.  One of the things that is motivating me very much right now is Kalen Bruce's new book, "10 Branches of Growth."  Kalen is a USAF Soldier who writes from a perspective of being extremely disciplined.

And, that is the key.  The Lord is showing me while reading Kalen's book that this all comes down to that one word - discipline, of which "disciple" is the root word.  I call myself a disciple of Jesus, and true disciple of Jesus I am.  I love Him more now than I have in my whole life, and believe me, that is a lot of love because my heart has been tender toward Jesus for as far back as I can remember.  These days, I can hardly speak His name without tears.  He has brought my family and me through SO much, and He means everything to me.  I am His disciple - with all my heart.

But, physical weight is an area in which I am completely unhinged and out of control.  I am so NOT under His subjection in this slice of the Whole Person Pie©.  I can see so many areas of progress - I even feel (with much humility and realization of the fact I am subject to fail or slip at any given moment) that I have some slices of the pie completely minimized and under total submission to Jesus and His perfect will.  Obesity is a continual reminder of the fact that when it comes to the physical slice of the pie - that important slice that includes the fact that my body is His temple - I am so far off track.  It feels impossible to ever minimize this slice, but today, I am relying upon the truths in His Word.

"But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible."  Matthew 19:26

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."  Philippians 4:13

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us."  Romans 8:37

I am going to TRY to start picking up the P.O.W.E.R. Tool© each day and check off the boxes as I complete them.  I am going to TRY - try being the operative word - to start drinking the necessary amount of water each day and to get back on an exercise routine.  One of the things Kalen talks about in his book is intermittent fasting, where he only eats between 11 am and 7 pm each day.  He fasts during the other 16 hours.  I really think I can do this.  I think one of the pitfalls I have identified while reading "10 Branches of Growth" is late-night eating.

So, this is my accountability post, and this is me, asking you to please, please pray for me, will you?  I know without a doubt that some of my health issues would improve or even be elminated if I weren't lugging around this load of excess weight.  I long to follow Jesus in ALL areas of my life, including this one, and oh, my, in this one I am failing so miserably.  Biblical Minimalism is "a complete, whole-person release of anything unlike Jesus, a letting go of everything that hinders us from following Him wholeheartedly and single-mindedly, and a relinquishing of all that brings us under bondage to this earthly, very temporary life."  I desperately need His help in becoming an overcomer in this area of my life, and your prayers are a Divine gift!

If you would like to get your own copy of Kalen's new book that is helping motivate me so much, click HERE.  

Kalen recently granted us an exclusive Inner Views interview, and you can read it by clicking HERE!

And, just a reminder, if you would like to order our new book, "Biblical Minimalism," click HERE.

May God bless each of you on your journey, and I deeply appreciate your prayers for victory in this area of my life!

How to Stretch a Pork Roast

 "Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful."

1 Corinthians 4:2

Living a life of Biblical Minimalism causes us to see the necessity of being frugal, good stewards over what God has entrusted to us.  Never before in our generation have we seen the need of this more than now.  The coronavirus pandemic has caused the whole world to stop, take a pause, and reconsider what needs to be changed about our way of living.  

Today, I am sharing an excerpt from a recent Homespun Devotions post because it really fits into what it means to live a frugal, simple life of Biblical minimalism.  

"One thing I've learned over 32 years of marriage is how to be frugal in the kitchen, and one of the neatest ways that allows me to call forth my creative side is by challenging myself with making meals that will feed my little family and me for more than one meal.  The goal is to always stay in competition with myself to see just how many meals one dish can stretch into!  😂

Upon leaving a comment over at Deborah's blog, "The Beautiful Matters" (by the way, I love, love, LOVE her blog ~ you should check it out and subscribe - she published a beautiful book review of our book recently ~ you can read it HERE), it came to my mind that I should share here what I was sharing in that comment.  So, here goes!

First, though - I'm sorry I am not one of those super-talented foodie bloggers.  I have no photos of the food to show, but I can promise you that these recipes work, they will stretch your grocery dollar until it screams, and you will hear lots of "mmms" and see smiling faces at your supper table!

One of the ways I cook something that stretches into feeding our family of three for nearly a week is by starting out with cooking a pork roast in the crock pot.  

I season the outside of the pork roast with my "go-to" seasoning combination.  I use this blend for SO many recipes.  Here are the stars of the show:

Seasoned Salt 

(I used to only buy Lawry's, but I have found that the Aldi brand is just as good and usually less expensive.)

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

Black Pepper

Note:  I also sometimes add paprika or even steak seasoning, (depending on what I am cooking) to this "go-to" seasoning.

So, after I rub the outside of the pork roast with the above seasoning combination, I put it in the crock pot (fat-side down), and I take the handle of a wooden spoon and poke holes all over the roast, making sure to twist the spoon handle to make the holes bigger.

Next is where an amazing secret comes in concerning cooking a pork roast!! 

The liquid I pour over and around the pork roast is ~ not water, but apple juice!  The apple juice permeates down into the holes and flavors the pork as it cooks, and oh, my!  Let me just say that it takes this already delicious dish to a whole new level.  It also makes your gravy a beautiful golden color and gives it a distinctive flavor.  (recipe below)

And, here is how I start stretching a pork roast into enough to feed us for about a week:

Meal #1 from cooked Pork Roast

~ Pork Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Corn, and Green Beans ~

After the roast is done, remove the meat from the crock pot, leaving the broth behind.

Cut the meat into servings and place it on a pretty meat platter.

Strain the broth by putting a colander over a large bowl and pouring the broth from the crock pot into the colander, making sure to sift out everything but the luscious, rich broth.  Set the strained bowl of broth aside.

Then, make homemade gravy, just like this:

Start out by melting one stick of butter in a large saucepan.

To the butter, add some flour to make a nice, rich roux ~

(Sorry, I don't have the exact measurement on the flour - I use the old-timey Tupperware scoops, and it usually takes about 2 to 3 of those heaping scoops to one stick of butter.  The general rule for a roux is equal parts fat and flour.)

To the roux, add the "go-to" seasoning mix above (to taste) and stir the butter, flour, and seasonings together until everything is smooth.

Then, pour the entire bowl of broth into the roux and stir vigorously.  You will want to have your heat up pretty high during this process.  Let it bubble, and stir continually until the mixture starts to look like real, homemade gravy.  Oh, my goodness!  This is SUCH good gravy!  It thickens to a beautiful texture, and the taste is just amazing!  If any remaining lumps bother you, you can use an immersion blender to break them up.  (I LOVE my immersion blender!)

For this meal, I also make homemade mashed potatoes, canned corn seasoned with butter, and 2 cans of green beans.  I pour the 2 cans of green beans into a pot, add two beef boullion cubes, and let them cook until all the water is cooked off (about 10 minutes or so).

After this original pork roast meal, the creative fun begins!  From that leftover pork roast, the following recipes spring forth!

Meal #2 from cooked Pork Roast

~ Open-faced Pork Roast Sandwiches ~

Toast two pieces of bread, while heating a portion of pork roast and gravy, separately, in microwave.

Butter the toast, then layer the pork roast on the buttered toast.

Pour the warm gravy over the open-faced sandwich.

Serve with some of the leftover mashed potatoes, corn, and green beans, if desired.

Meal #3 from cooked Pork Roast

~ Pork Ranch Barbecue Nachos ~

Ingredients:

Cool Ranch Doritoes

Shredded Cheese

Can of Chili Beans, heated

(I pulverized the beans with an immersion blender as I heated them, but you could also smash them with a fork or potato masher.  Chili beans are what we had on hand, but you could also use refried beans or some other type of canned beans.)

Leftover Pork Roast, reheated

Diced Tomatoes

Sour Cream

Ranch Dressing

Barbecue Sauce

Diced Onions (if desired)

Spread a layer of Cool Ranch Doritoes on a dinner plate.

Spread shredded cheese over the Doritoes.

Spread warm chili beans over cheese.

Spread warm pork roast over beans.

Shred another layer of cheese on top of the pork roast.

Top with diced tomatoes, dollops of sour cream, onions (if desired).

Squirt ranch dressing in a criss-cross pattern over the top.

Squirt barbecue sauce in a criss-cross pattern over the ranch dressing.

You could also add jalapeno peppers, black olives, pico de gallo, salsa, or any other toppings you'd like.

Meal #4 from cooked Pot Roast

~ Barbecue Pork Sandwiches ~

Ingredients:

Leftover Pork Roast

Barbecue Sauce of your choice

Hamburger Buns

Butter

Bag of Cole Slaw 

(Pre-shredded mixture of cabbage & carrots.  We always put ours through our chopper to blend extra-fine.)

Mayonnaise

Vinegar

Sugar

Sandwiches:

Heat leftover pork roast in a saucepan & slather with barbecue sauce while heating.

Butter top and bottom of each bun and brown in a skillet, butter-size down.

Assemble sandwiches by placing a portion of barbecue pork on each bottom bun, then topping meat with cole slaw.  (Recipe below.)

Cole Slaw

Place shredded cabbage mixture in bowl.

Mix mayonnaise, vinegar, and sugar in small bowl.

(I apologize that I do not measure.  I just put about 2-3 large dollops of mayonnaise in a bowl, with a dash of vinegar, and about 2-3 teaspoons of sugar.  I keep stirring and taste-testing and adding sugar/vinegar it until it tastes "right" to me.  😕

I know ~ but this is the country way of doing things and the way Mom taught me to cook!)

Pour mayonnaise, vinegar, and sugar dressing over the cabbage, and voila!  You have cole slaw!

Note:  This slaw is SO good - it takes me back to when I was growing up and Mom, Dad, and I would go into country restaurants and they would serve cole slaw with Captain's Wafers crackers before the meal.  Does anyone else remember that?  

Meal #5 from cooked Pork Roast

~ Cold Pork Roast Sandwiches ~

Slather a slice of bread with mayonnaise and pepper.

Place cold pork roast on bread, and top with second slice.

Yummy and so, so simple.

Meal # 6 from cooked Pork Roast

~ Must Go Soup ~

Ingredients:

Gravy

Mashed Potatoes

Corn

Green Beans

Pork Roast

Half & Half

Any other leftover cooked veggies from refrigerator

You can also add any canned veggies that don't require a long cooking time

Dump all into a large pan and heat slowly.  When meat and veggies are warm, top everything with Half & Half until all is covered to a creamy, liquid consistency.  The leftover mashed potatoes and gravy give this soup an amazingly rich base that morphs into a delicious, velvety soup.

Again, I wish I had taken photos of all of this at each step, but I failed to do so.  I was too busy enjoying the process of creating wonderful things for my little family to eat.  

I hope you can find something in this post that will spark a new creative and very frugal adventure in your own kitchen cooking for the ones you love most in the world!

Let me know if you try any of these recipes!  May God bless you as you seek to live a Biblically minimal life!

Sharing Today at "Becoming Minimalist"

"And He said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth."

Luke 12:15

(KJV)

Today, I am SO grateful to Joshua Becker for allowing me to share my heart at his amazing blog, "Becoming Minimalist."  I have been following Joshua for years, and he has been a huge inspiration to my family and me on our minimizing journey.  Joshua was the first person I wanted to interview back in 2015 when God began to lead me to start the "Inner Views" segment of this blog.  I thoroughly enjoyed our telephone conversation, and you can read my interview with Joshua by clicking HERE.

My family and I are finding a deep and meaningful sense of purpose in the "nothingness" God has led us to carve out in our lives.  Our passionate pursuit echoes the cry of John the Baptist's heart in John 3:30, "He must increase, but I must decrease."

A closer walk with Jesus is the driving force behind our letting go of so much of this world's goods, and it is the thrust of our new book, 

"Biblical Minimalism: Following Jesus from a Life of Abundance to a More Abundant Life."

(You can order your own copy of our book HERE!)

"I stood in our son, Zach’s room, staring at his cleaned-out, nearly empty closet. 

“The only thing that will be on the floor will be my laundry basket, Mama!” His words were spoken with such pride and excitement, and in that moment, it hit me how grateful I am not only for our minimizing journey but for the timing of it."  

To read the rest of my latest article, "Finding Substance in Nothing," click HERE!