Taking Ground

It's been 3 months since my first go at re-monking my life.   Since then, i've quit tobacco products completely, begun to read the Bible every day, and have prayed for my marriage on a near daily basis.  i cannot yet say that my life has "radically" changed, however, i have definitely taken ground in some key areas of my life by implementing some simple, incremental changes. 

Instead of living with sore gums and the constant fear of mouth cancer, i now have freedom.  Instead of being in a constant battle with impure thoughts, i now have a purity and clarity of mind that i know is a direct result of washing myself daily in the Word of God.  And although i'm only 30 days or so into praying for my marriage, i can see things changing in myself and in my wife.  With that said, i'm excited and somewhat reticent to begin the next re-monk cycle!

As you may have read in my last post Battle For The Body: Part One, animal products are the number one source for heart disease in our nation.   Quite simply put, we are killing ourselves from all of the cholesterol that comes from meat, milk, butter, sour cream, cottage cheese, sliced cheese, block cheese, coffee creamer, etc.; not to mention all of the sugar, salt, chemicals, pesticides, and preservatives we have coursing through our bodies on a given day. 

So, for the next thirty days, i, along with my with my wife and our 5 reluctant children, will be eating like the Trappist monks, sort-of (although we will be eating more than once a day).  Yep, you guessed it, we're going totally VEGAN baby!  We've been experimenting with it for the past few days and have sort of prepared ourselves for the journey.  That means no food or drink derived from animal products.  I know, it sounds miserable, but with the the right meals and substitutes, i think it's going to pay off big time! 

As of now, I'm weighing in at a hefty 225, and my waist is about 36 inches.  I'm hoping to not only loose about 15 pounds, but trim a few inches off the ole waistline as well.  i'm also looking forward to feeling better, thinking clearer, and having more energy.  i will let you know how it goes!

iWe are going to wait for another week or so before posting  "Battle For The Body: Part Two" because we wanted to see first hand how this vegan thing is really going to affect our overall health, and we wanted to offer you a chance to go vegan with us for the next 30 days.  Julie has been more serious about it than i have for the past week and has already lost 10 pounds; she is looking great, especially after recently giving birth!  Although the "battle for the body" is not ultimately about loosing weight, or looking better, when we begin taking our Creator's command to "offer our bodies as living sacrifices" seriously, WE benefit tremendously from our obedience.  The divine exchange rate always works in our favor!  It's because He loves us and knows what's best for His kids.

In the Lion, In the Lamb,


mark

PS. For those of you looking for a life change, but are not sure how to start or where to begin, have a look around the site and check out the "Re-Monk Urself" page, the Re-Monk Rule, and other archived articles you can find on the side-bar of the blog!  Don't forget, a new re-monk cycle begins every 7th of each month!  Now, go re-monk urself!