Spiritual Veganism

"The LORD God commanded the man, saying, 'Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat.'" - Genesis 2:16

There are a handful of defining moments in any person's life. For instance, the day you meet your spouse, or the day you give birth to your children. For me, the most important moment of my life was when I turned my life over to God and invited Jesus Christ into my heart. How was I to know that I would stumble my way into another defining moment? The day I dropped meat and dumped dairy!

Veganism isn't something you convert to overnight. Especially if you grew up in a ranching family who raised beef cattle like I did. My journey began with a desire to help the environment. I began separating my recyclables and reading articles about other small changes I could make to help heal the damage to the earth our species has caused.

I discovered factory farms are more toxic to the environment than any other contributor in our country. These environmental articles led me to food documentaries like King Corn, Food Inc., and The Beautiful Truth. These films (all available on Netflix) helped me realize that we have a distorted view of food in this country. Our ancestors would be confused, if not horrified, by the substances we put in our mouths and the way we treat our animals.

My heart started to be stirred with feelings of compassion for animals. It was an easy decision to cut meat out of my diet. I love my two dogs and could never imagine serving them on a plate. I watched videos like Meet Your Meat and others featured on PETA's website. I wanted to be a voice for the voiceless animals that get slaughtered for no other reason than to entertain our taste buds. (Side note: I don't always agree with everything PETA does. However their documentary short films are the best things the organization produces. I would call PETA's worldview "Militant Veganism" as opposed to "Spiritual Veganism.")

At the same time I began researching environmental and animal rights activism, I happened upon the writings of spiritual teacher Charles Fillmore, founder of the Unity movement. Fillmore taught that in order to progress spiritually, one must give up animal products in his diet.

Fillmore wrote, "I can say about flesh eating that the Spirit has shown me repeatedly that I could not refine my body and make it a harmonious instrument for the soul, so long as I continued to fill it with the cells of dead animals." Fillmore's basic teaching about food was that when we ingest meat and dairy products, we are ingesting all the negative energy that the animal experienced from poor treatment on the farm and at the slaughter house. (Fillmore lived between the years of the Civil War and World War II. He would be appalled at the living and slaughter conditions of modern animals.) Click HERE to read several books by Charles Fillmore available completely free and in their entirety.

Despite how deeply Fillmore's spiritual teachings impacted my life, I figured dairy wasn't that bad. No animals are killed to make a glass of milk. Some change is better than no change at all. Right? But I was reading testimonies by others who converted to a vegan diet. They all said, "Wow! I have so much energy!" I, on the other hand, was worn down and tired all the time. I felt horrible! I thought my body would eventually get used to a meatless diet. Just think of all the animals' lives I was saving and the thousands of gallons of water, and tons of food that I was conserving by not contributing to the meat industry. Still, I was a milk-drinking, cheese-eating vegetarian who was tired all the time and didn't know why.

After about six months of vegetarianism full of dairy products, I saw Alicia Silverstone on an episode of Oprah. She was promoting her vegan-based book The Kind Diet. I began to flirt with the idea of giving up dairy products (for the exact same reasons I gave up meat products: the environment, animal rights, spirituality, and personal health).

I decided to try a vegan diet for Lent. My goal was give up all dairy for 40 days. (When done for 10 days, this is known as a Daniel Fast.) Oh...My...Goodness!!! I had NO IDEA how significant that change would be! The change in my body was instant. After just one week, I felt incredible!

Now, I understand all the testimonies I read about having more energy than ever. My joints felt better, my lungs felt better, my brain worked better. I've stopped taking allergy pills. I stopped getting headaches. My skin looks better. My hair, body, and breath smell better. I smell clean, and not like a farm animal. My nails are harder and shinier.

It's like discovering the fountain of youth! Except it's more like discovering I had been drinking from the fountain of aging and realizing its name is dairy.

I've found that veganism removes spiritual barriers. Saves money. Prevents animal cruelty. And conserves the environment. But even if none of those reasons were true, the change is my physical well-being would be enough to convince me to cut out meat and dairy products forever. I beg you to consider making the switch to a vegan diet for your own sake. I wish I had a way of showing you the before and after of how my body feels. Try it for yourself. I know it will be a defining moment in your life too.






Comments? Add me on Facebook or Twitter.

The Rule of Two

"And we beheld his glory. The glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." -- John 1:14

Can you boil your life's mission down to two words? I believe we can. I believe we do. We all do it, usually subconsciously. But I want you to do it fully conscious of the words you choose.

Jesus' life can be condensed into the words "Grace & Truth." But what about your life?

The two words you choose to define your life's mission will most likely change as you progress on your spiritual journey. What's important to you in your teens is different than your twenties. Different still in your thirties, forties, and fifties. Priorities are different for parents than for grandparents. Different for those who are single versus those in relationships. As we evolve spiritually, so do our focuses in life.

When I began my spiritual journey a decade and a half ago, I was concerned with two things "Scripture & Doctrine." I was very religious, very dogmatic, very fundamentalist. Even though at the time, I never considered myself to be controlled by rules and regulations. I thought I was just concerned with Truth and pursuing the presence of God.

After several years of submerging myself in heavy theological teaching and church history, I began to reclaim my youth in my late twenties. Shortly after, I began blogging. I started a website where I made fun of pop-culture and the crazy world we live in. "Joy & Hope" are the words that define this period that we will call my Pink Sheep period. (Named after the first website I began, www.PinkSheepOfTheFamily.com) I found it my mission to bring laughter and a little hope into people's everyday lives.

However, with the change of the decade, I believe that now the Holy Spirit is moving me into a new, deeper direction.

I want my life to be defined by the words: "Love & Wisdom." I have made life-changes accordingly. Perhaps the words that will define your next stage in life will be "Joy & Peace" or "Strength & Stability" or "Kindness & Gentleness." Once you have chosen the two words that you want your life to reflect, write them down. Then begin to make behavioral and psychological changes accordingly.




Comments? Add me on Facebook or Twitter.

Overcoming and Getting Over

"For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith." -- 1 John 5:4

You can't overcome without getting over something. By its definition, overcoming means to get over some sort of obstacle. God has promised that we can get over anything in this world through our faith in him. Faith that God is all good, even when our circumstances are all bad.

Here's the truth about getting hurt. When people hurt you, it isn't personal. It isn't about you. You never even crossed their minds. They were only thinking of themselves. "How can I advance? How can I look cool? How can I have fun?" Your pain was just the by-product of their selfish ambition.

Buddha taught that holding a grudge is like a man who grabs a hot coal with the intention of hurling at his enemy. The one holding the burning coal is the only one who gets hurt.

How do we overcome our circumstances? We let go of the hot coal. We must get over in order to come over. That's how we overcome!




Comments? Add me on Facebook or Twitter.

5 Easy Steps to a Healthier You!

Not everyone is meant to be a size zero. If you're happy with you, I'm happy with you too. But I believe, we all could use a little tune up now and then.

Here are five simple steps you can begin doing today to gain control of your health and self-image.

1. Throw away your scale.

I do not own a scale. Nor will I purchase one.

The number of pounds your body weighs is completely irrelevant. It is not a good marker of how healthy you are. Healthy bones and strong muscles weigh more than cellulite and love-handles.

If you must count something, count inches. Buy yourself a measuring tape and begin obsessing about how large your waist is. The larger your belly, the more likely you will die from heart disease. That goes for men and women.

2. Hydrate.

Drinking a glass of water is a super cheap, refillable way to make yourself look and feel better.

If you are having a hard time quitting smoking, try switching to bottled water. Water will flush the nicotine out of your system. Plus, it will give you energy and provide the hand-to-mouth fixation you crave.

Throw away your soft drinks! Soda is associated with fattening foods. If you can train yourself to like water, you can train yourself to stop craving greasy, calorie-packed fast-food. (Yes, it's true diet soda has zero calories, but emotionally it is linked with high-calorie unhealthy food. Plus, you don't need all those artificial chemicals in your body.)

Often times we mistake thirst for cravings or hunger. Usually you are just plain thirsty. If your belly and mouth are constantly being filled with water, they won't be filled with junk food.

3. Eat More Fiber.

Fiber makes you full, and keeps your blood-sugar stable. Therefore, it staves off the munchies!

There is no fiber in meat. No fiber in cheese. No fiber in sweets. Fiber is in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Try adding vegetables to all your recipes. It fills you up, without adding extra fat. Perhaps even try vegetarianism. It's good for the environment, your spiritual well-being, and lowers your risk of heart-disease.

Begin with breakfast. Try eating a cup of old-fashioned oats for breakfast everyday (add cinnamon for flavor). Training yourself to eat the same high-fiber breakfast every day cuts down on your morning routine time. Plus, it keeps you from eating high-fat, high-calorie foods in the morning that weigh you down like eggs, bacon, or waffles.

Don't skip breakfast! That's a huge no-no. If you're not a breakfast eater, start! Force yourself to eat, whether you are hungry or not. It will prevent bingeing on empty calories later in the day.

4. Move, Stretch, Breathe.

You don't have to spend a fortune on a gym membership or equipment. But you do have to move. Don't stress about getting the closest parking space. Take stairs instead of the elevator.

When you put moving, stretching, and breathing together you get yoga. For some reason, the word "yoga" scares a lot of people, particularly conservative middle-Americans. So don't use that word. You can even quote the Bible while you stretch if that makes you more comfortable.

Do some deep breathing and stretching every morning and evening. It will boost your immune system and give you energy. Start reaching for your toes. Eventually you'll get their. I promise.


5. Live, Laugh, Love.

Laughing is an immune booster. It's also a calorie burner. Get undignified occasionally. Enjoy life, not just vacation. Learn to laugh, and you will feel better about yourself, and therefore eat less.

Feeling great and looking great all begins in your mind. If you love yourself and enjoy your life, you will attract positive attention from others. Therefore, you'll create your own attractiveness.

Attractiveness has nothing to do the way your body looks. It has everything to do with how you feel about how your body looks.

Take control of your health and your life. It's possible to love who you are and how you look. No matter how things look right now.




Comments? Add me on Facebook or Twitter.