Do you ever feel weighed down by sin? For some, sin only weighs you down spiritually. No one can see the sin you carry. For others, though, the sin they carry spiritually is also carried physically. In Start Somewhere: Losing What's Weighing You Down from the Inside Out, Calvin Nowell documents his journey of loosing 215lbs, both physically and spiritually.

While Calvin's book is mainly for those who want to loose physical weight, with the strong spiritual aspects of this book anyone who wants to loose any type of spiritual weight can find help inside.

Calvin takes you through eight steps for spiritual weight loss - "Own your own weight, see God as your friend, take up a new perspective, get someone to hold you accountable, start somewhere, eliminate the excuses, accept the need for training wheels, and persevere to the end."

I enjoyed following Calvin as he realized his slavery to food, watching as he struggled with allowing God to remove his bonds, to finally realizing the victory of being released from slavery. He does caution that it is very easy to slip back into old patterns, patterns that are built over a life time. Calvin encourages you to daily lay the weight of your slavery at God's feet and let Him carry it.

"No matter what our weight is, no matter how heavy it is, no matter how hopeless it seems or how long we've been carrying it, God is big enough to handle the job...You can have a life free from slavery to behaviors you can't stop, thoughts you can't silence, and appetites you can't satisfy. Starting somewhere means being willing to let go of your weight in sin and start the journey."


(Copy of Start Somewhere: Losing What's Weighing You Down from the Inside Out provided by Tyndale Publishing.)

20% and counting

Today I officially have lost 20% of my body weight since January, 30% since the day my youngest child was born! It feels very good to be able to move and fit into my old clothes again. I hope to finish loosing all the baby/post-marriage weight by Christmas, although it's getting tougher now that I've lost so much. It has been an effort.

With the two pounds a week weight loss I thought I would be doing, I should have been done long before now. It has been very hard to control my desires and cravings. I've had to make a conscious effort all day, every day to keep me going and not slip into just eating whatever, whenever. It has been very exhausting, but the longer I stick with it the easier it becomes. What once took lots of planning and calculating and avoidance of the kitchen, has now become almost second nature.

I love food and love to eat so much still. I will never be one of those people who don't have to think about what they eat. I'm hoping I won't have to be obsessive about it or have too think too much on it. I'm hoping it will become a natural part of my lifestyle, with a few slip ups that don't amount to much.