by Deanna Lewis | Dec 23, 2015 | Blog
It’s the week of Christmas and guess what? I’m tired of food!! 
I know! It sounds crazy! Who would ever get tired of eating or tired of food?
Now that I can eat anything that I want, sometimes when I get hungry I can’t think of anything that sounds all that great. I mean my
stomach can be growling and I know I’m at a 0 but because I have been eating a lot of rich foods during the Christmas season, I just don’t want anything in particular. And that’s weird. But for me it’s like a victory!
Christmas has not been about food! The holidays haven’t been about eating! 
It’s been about spending time with people. It’s been about watching my children and the joy on their faces! It’s been about relationships!
Most of all, it’s been about Jesus! And there’s a peace about that. There’s a peace that somehow the food just doesn’t have a pull on me anymore.
I CALL THAT A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!!
I started noticing it at Thanksgiving this year. Somehow having turkey and dressing (you know….and all these things that the advertisers in the magazines and on TV were putting up to these elevated levels) just didn’t seem to be that big of a deal. Yes, it’s true! All the delicious food offerings weren’t really anything special! It is because I can have turkey and dressing whenever I want to. I am allowed to have pie anytime as long as I am at a “zero”.
Stuffing for breakfast? Sure, if I’m at a “zero” and that is what my body needs. Somehow, when you have nothing off limits, it just isn’t a big deal anymore.
So, I wonder…. Is this the beginning of being a “thin eater”? Is it the beginning of being free from the bonds of food? I love that holidays and celebrations can be about people and beauty around me! Special events can be about relationships rather than food ! And guess what else??? I don’t have to worry anymore what kind of foods are going to be at a party or event! Because no foods are “off limits”, it’s all ok as long as I eat within my boundaries of 0-5.
Oh the freedom of no more counting points or calories! Oh the freedom to enjoy anything on the table! 
OH THE FREEDOM OF NOT CARING AS MUCH ABOUT THE FOOD ANYMORE!
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. -2 Corinthians 3:17
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
-John 8:36
The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed.
Yes, friends, my Christmas Miracle is all that Jesus is doing in my heart with the principles of Thin Within and Hunger Within.
As we surrender more and more to Him, may our hearts grow closer to Jesus and farther and farther away from the pull of food!
May you discover the Christmas Miracle Jesus has for you!
What about you? What is your mind set on as you go to holiday parties and events in the next few days? Focus on family, friends and beautiful decorations.
Most of all, let’s make Christmas all about Jesus, for HE is the only one who can truly satisfy the longing in our soul.
by Deanna Lewis | Dec 18, 2015 | Blog, Inspiration, Renew Mind
STOP.
Take a M O M E N T.
~~~~breathe~~~~
Christmas is next week and I’m sure most of us are trying to finish up all the last minute preparations, cooking, gift purchases and wrapping. Some may be preparing for guests to arrive. Some may be packing to go visit family.
I don’t know about you, but I tend to feel overwhelmed this time of year. With all the music programs to prepare, gifts to buy, parties to attend…..etc….You get the idea. And I tend to feel a bit self conscious, too, especially if I have to be around extended family. Thoughts of insecurity roll around in my head at this time of year….
“What will Aunt Clare think of me? I know she will notice I haven’t lost much weight this year.”
“Do I look good enough in this dress?”
“I feel like the whole family is judging me!”
“Ugh! Here comes ‘super-successful’ and fit ‘Barbie-doll-likeness’ cousin Julie!
What will she say when I tell her about hunger/fullness? She’s gonna think I’m crazy!”
No matter where we are or what we are doing, one thing is true. Ready or not, Christmas Day will come. And it will go. The question remains….what will we do with it?
What will *I * do with it? Will I allow myself to focus on “me” and my insecurities? Ultimately, when I get into this type of thinking, it doesn’t end well. That is when I have noticed I will break my boundaries.
So, how do I remember to keep focused on the right things when all the stuff going on around me screams of stress and insecurity within?
I STOP.
I have to be still.
I take a moment and
~~~breathe~~~
When I do this I remember that I really need to renew my mind with God’s truth.
So….
- I pray.
- I think.
- I listen.
- I read God’s word.
I think about a few things from that night long ago….when the angels came to announce Jesus was born.
And God reminds m
e about who the angels came to. Did they come to the so called “important” people? Did they come to kings? The rich? The beautiful people of the world? No.
They came to shepherds. They came to these outcasts of that day’s society. They were dirty, stinky and lowly.
They would be like today’s homeless people or garbage men (no offence to all our wonderful sanitation workers, for where would we be without them????)
Shepherds weren’t considered well liked, good looking or ‘well to do’ by worldly standards and yet God specifically picked them. He picked these outcasts of society to be the first ones to see Jesus. They were the first group of people to worship Him!
Jesus reminds me that He comes to me…..even though I may not feel beautiful at times or not “successful” by the world’s standards.
And HE COMES TO ALL OF US. Those who feel outcast, not good enough, not THIN enough, not pretty enough, not enough self control to follow that diet -yes- He came as a baby for US.
Angels came to those shepherds with a message of hope.
Luke 2:8-12
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
Listen.
Listen now.
Listen to the whispers from the Savior to your heart today. Oh yes – to us who may be feeling an outcast or defeated-
“FEAR NOT! Do not be afraid that you are not enough for this world. For I love You with an everlasting love and you are mine. Yes, I bring you good news of great JOY! I came as a baby so you can be free- and for you to follow me. Let me release these chains that bind- the lies that try to keep you bound. Come- come to the manger, my daughters- come and experience my peace and my hope- and yes- The JOY of my true Love.”
Oh sisters….let’s live this out next week and RIGHT NOW!
O come let us adore Him,
O come let us adore Him,
O come let us adore Him,
Christ the LORD!
“I pray that God, the source of hope will fill you completely with Joy and Peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” -Romans 15:13
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
by Becky Young | Dec 15, 2015 | Accountability, Inspiration
We just got hit with a massive snowstorm here in Colorado! I awoke to 10 inches of snow on the ground and another 2 inches have fallen in the last 3 hours alone. It didn’t look like it was going to let up anytime soon, so I headed out to shovel our driveway and sidewalk. After 45 minutes of shoveling a foot of heavy snow, giant snow banks had formed on either side of my driveway. I had to lift my arms higher and higher to dump a new shovelful of snow.
After a while, I noticed a phenomenon happening. Each time I brought a shovelful of snow and dumped it on top of the ever-growing snowbanks, a little ball of snow would fall from the top of the mound. It would roll and roll, growing bigger and bigger, until it got all the way back to my driveway. Before I knew it, my driveway was full of these snowballs and I had to work even harder to shovel them out of the way. It was so exhausting and discouraging!
It got me thinking about how we often have snowballs in our Thin Within journey as well. Unchecked sin, guilt, or disobedient actions that grow and grow until we are so discouraged we can barely move. I affectionately call this the “Snowball Effect.”
Can you relate to the scenario below?
You begin the day with the best of intentions. You read your Thin Within material, pray, renew your mind in God’s Word in the morning and set out to eat from 0-5 all day. At lunch, you have a few bites too many. “Uh-oh….dang it! Why’d I do that?! I wasn’t even thinking or paying attention to my meal!” The next thing you know it’s 2pm and those chocolate truffles on the counter are calling your name. “Well, I’m not at a 0, but I guess a few truffles can’t hurt…” By the time dinner happens, a seed of frustration has begun blossoming in your thoughts and emotions. “Why did I eat those truffles? Now I’m not even hungry for dinner but my whole family is ready to eat. I’ve already blown it today, I guess I’ll just eat dinner even though I’m not hungry. Heck, maybe I’ll even have a second helping.” After dinner, the frustration, guilt, shame and condemnation ramp up even more. “I can’t believe I messed up today so badly! What is my problem? Why can’t I do this thing? I’ll never be able to lose weight. Today has been such a disaster. I guess I’ll finish off those truffles.“
Do you see how a few bites too many at lunch suddenly lead to eating an entire box of truffles + dinner + a second helpings outside of 0-5 boundaries? How the heck did that even happen?
Guilt and shame are powerful. If left in our hearts and minds too long, they fester. They distort our thinking and make us do things we never intended to do. I often think of King David in this cycle. A lustful glance at Bathsheba suddenly turned into a giant snowball of sin that lead to adultery and murder. I’m sure David, a man after God’s own heart, never would have guessed he was capable of such things.
We too allow unchecked guilt, shame and condemnation dictate our future actions. In the scenario above, a few extra bites of food at lunch produced a healthy response of “uh-oh!” However, allowing that “uh-oh!” to slowly morph into major guilt and shame which then dictated the rest of the day’s eating is not what we’re after. This type of pattern can snowball into an entire day, week or month of eating beyond what we know our bodies are truly calling for. It’s a discouraging cycle to be in. But it need not last for long! There is hope! There is a different response we can choose.
There are two very powerful ways to melt the snowball:
1) Confess & Repent
2) Observe & Correct
Confession and Repentance are powerful. After we are sinful or disobedient, we have the freedom to go straight to the throne of God and get it off our chest before our guilt pushes into further disobedience. In the scenario above, if we had immediately gone to God and confessed that we broke our boundaries at lunch, we could have immediately received His loving grace which would have prevented the cycle of guilt and condemnation to push us into further disobedience as the day went on. That snowball of guilt and shame wouldn’t have had the time to build any momentum. Hebrews 10:22 assures us that we are washed clean, ready to begin again with a refreshed perspective, “let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”
Proverbs 28:13 says “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” There is no need to hang on to your sin or dwell on how you messed up! Bring it to God, allow His grace and forgiveness to wash over you, brush yourself off and keep pressing on! God never demands perfection from us. He knows we will all mess up even with the best of intentions. But confessing those moments and repenting of our sinful actions allow us to continue on in persistence without the shame or guilt nipping at our heels.
I personally LOVE how the Observation and Correction tool in Thin Within complements Confession and Repentance so well. After we have gone to God and received His loving grace, we have the opportunity to Observe and Correct. Simply take a look at your behavior, thoughts or emotions that contributed to your initial “mess-up” and observe what was going on. Refuse to beat yourself up over it. Refuse to rehash it over and over and over. Refuse to condemn yourself. Simply observe what happened objectively. Make note of what was going on in your circumstances or what emotions were at play.
After we Observe, it’s important to apply a Correction. Proverbs 24:2 says “I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw.” Exactly! It is vital to apply a lesson from what we observe. It is not enough to just observe. If we just observe and observe and observe, the only thing that will happen is a heightened awareness of our flaws which can potentially lead to further guilt or shame. Observing “I was greedy at lunch and wanted a second helping” or “I felt obligated to eat the piece of pie Aunt Kay offered” is great! Then it is crucial to follow it up with an appropriate Correction like “next time I can thank Aunt Kay and ask her if I can take the pie home with me”. Often I will ask myself this question: “If I was in the exact same scenario tomorrow, what can I do differently to alter the outcome?” It’s so important to give ourself this opportunity to think through how we might change our thoughts or actions so that we can be better prepared next time!
Let’s not forget that there is transformative power to be found in God’s grace. We have access to it anytime we need. Guilt and shame need not fester and snowball out of control! His mercy can melt a snowball of sin, guilt or condemnation in 2 seconds flat. A heart that Confesses, Repents, Observes and Corrects is a heart that is primed for victory!
How about you? Can you relate to a mounting cycle of shame/sin/guilt/condemnation? Do you have a growing snowball in your Thin Within journey that needs a little melting? Do you regularly confess, repent, observe and correct when you have broken a boundary? Don’t let these “common” practices grow dull in your walk with Christ or your Thin Within journey!
by Deanna Burris | Dec 4, 2015 | Blog
The Treasury Department tells us that in order to see and identify counterfeit money that we have to learn every fine detail of the real thing. Unfortunately, for us who deal with disordered eating and distorted relationships, we have a harder time identifying the counterfeits in our lives. We oftentimes grew up wondering what was real and what was false.
For me, I had a yearning; a longing that was insatiable. I could feel a lacking in my home life growing up that became even more severe at the age of 14 when my father died. I filled those longings with food, inappropriate relationships and even alcohol. I ran the gamut looking for something, anything, to satisfy the longings I felt inside for genuine intimacy. I met the Lord Jesus Christ at church camp the summer that I was 9. I sometimes wonder if I would have lived to 19 if I hadn’t had the Holy Spirit watching over me. Life started getting rough for me a short time after that when my dad first came down with cancer. We had up times and down times and then he died and left me alone with my mother. I won’t say any more than my mother lived out her teen age fantasies through my life and I was free to do many things I cringe about when I think about them now. I repented of all those things and Praise God that He has forgiven me and has redeemed all those wild years.
I met and experienced many counterfeits through those years. We learned in my home that appearances are everything, so as long as we looked good on the outside, all was well in our world. As I look over the causes of disordered eating, I have all but one of them. I experienced trauma, abuse, a controlling environment and most of all, a lack of validation of feelings. Just like many of us in Hunger Within, I never learned what security and unconditional love looked and felt like which left me not knowing how feel and show those things myself.
Part of my journey also involved chronic dieting. My mother wanted a diet buddy so at the age of 9 we went on the original high protein diet. I dieted on and off until God introduced me to Hunger Within in January of 2015. Even dieting and the success I experienced led to more disordered eating and thoughts about food. I always lost, but didn’t keep off the weight. I gave up diets for good with God and Hunger Within and can enjoy the vision of never needing to go on one again, or even spend an obsessive amount of time researching what’s new in the diet world. God has revealed how dieting is a counterfeit way to live. I’ve even tried to set other boundaries through other programs, but they became nothing but a law to me, like a diet. These too were counterfeit. His way of 0 to 5 boundaries around my eating is the real thing. God gave me a new and deeper understanding of Colossians 2:20-23 which says, “If you died with Christ to the elemental forces of this world, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations: ‘Don’t handle, don’t taste, don’t touch?’ All these regulations refer to what is destroyed by being used up. They are human commands and doctrines. Although these have a reputation of wisdom by promoting ascetic practices, humility, and severe treatment of the body, they are not of any value against fleshly indulgence.”
I’ve learned to let go of many lies working through the materials of Hunger Within with God leading me. So many counterfeit thoughts that the Lord revealed to me and that through covering them with His Word, they were removed. Have you ever said, “I’m so sick and tired of feeling sick and tired, I’m just going to eat.”? Did it ever help you in the long run? Me neither. That is a lie God released me from. How about, “My mom must really care about me! Look at all this beautiful and tasty food she has prepared! I need to eat up so I don’t hurt her feelings.” This was another lie and counterfeit relationship. My mom loved us through her food and we “felt” loved by accepting it. But heaven help us if we ever turned anything down. Do any of you identify with this scenario? How about, “I’m an emotional wreck and I need to numb my pain so I am going to eat.” Food only numbs for a short time and then the numbness wears off but the emotions remain. This one is huge in my life, “I really need to speak to my family member about XYZ, and I don’t want to because their feelings will be hurt, so I am going to stuff down what I need to say with food.” I have eaten many unspoken words that I needed to say. Do you feel like no one really cares so you say, “Why should I care when no one else does. I might as well eat!”? These are all lies and counterfeit ways to deal with what is going on in our lives. When I say, “I’m going to eat because I feel ___” it is a counterfeit way to deal with my emotions and feelings. Now I take those feelings and emotions to God and I work through them with Him.
You may be saying to yourself, yes, I identify with the pain of what you are saying, but what do I do about it? Let me introduce you to Hunger Within. God placed inside each and every human 
He created a Hunger Within. It is our longing for genuine intimacy, first with God our Creator and then others. This hunger can only be satisfied through a deep relationship with God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. Through this relationship, we are changed from the inside out. Let me also introduce you to the part you play. It is called surrender. I started having victory in the area of food, disordered eating, chronic dieting and body obsession when I let go of the reins. When I finally let go of trying to do this on my own and realized I would never be strong enough or have enough willpower, God took over and started changing me.
Are you ready to experience victory in the area of your food issues and disordered eating? Then come with me on the Hunger Within pathway as our Loving Father takes our hands and introduces you to The Real Thing, Jesus, who takes our burdens and the Holy Spirit who reveals all the counterfeits in our lives.
by Deanna Lewis | Nov 30, 2015 | Accountability, Blog, Inspiration, Renew Mind
Lord, You want me to do WHAT?
I’m supposed to wait until I’m really hungry to eat? I’m supposed to stop when I am no longer hungry?
REALLY??
BUT…..
- There’s a special Christmas dessert at work.
- I’m at a Christmas party and HAVE to eat!
- I have a family gathering and Aunt Betsy expects me to always have two platefuls!
- I’m making Christmas cookies and have to taste the dough (several times)….oh it’s so good!
BUT………BUT…………..Lord………………IT’S CHRISTMAS!!!!
I groan…..I cry….I plead….I yell….
“SOMETIMES THIS SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE!”
~~~breath in.~~~ breath out.~~~ breath in.~~~ breath out.~~~
When I calm down and take time to pray, I am reminded that it’s ok. God is ok with me throwing my tantrum because I am coming to Him. I am expressing my emotions and not stuffing them. I am not turning to food for comfort. I am talking to Him, even if it might be yelling at times.
It is then, in the quietness of my soul, the Lord gently reminds me that HE came to give me more. He came to give me life. He came as a baby in a dirty cow stall to give me peace. And hope. And joy. And completion in Him.
I am reminded how God sent the angel Gabriel to Mary when she was just a teenager to tell her that she was going to have a baby.
Not just any baby, mind you, but the SON OF GOD! Yes….not only that but she had not even been with a man. Oh and more….she was engaged to a man who could accuse her of having an adulterous affair. A stonable offence in that time.
I’m sure she thought that it was an impossible situation. She could have given a lot of excuses when Gabriel came to her why she wasn’t worthy. I’m sure she may have thought of some reasons why she was unable to have this baby. I’m sure she thought it was going to be hard. I’m sure she was scared.
In Luke’s gospel it states that she was “confused and disturbed” (Luke 1:29 NLT) or she was “thoroughly shaken” (MSG) when Gabriel came to her. What was the angel’s response to her? Did he say “you should not be disturbed”? or “Woe to you for being confused”?
No. Read his response:
“Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!”
Luke 1:30
And God reminds me in a whisper to my heart. “Don’t be afraid as you follow my boundaries for you through this difficult time of year, for you have found favor with God, my daughter!”
Just as the angel Gabriel spoke to Mary and told her how God would transform her life by bringing Jesus through her, God whispers to us that He will transform our lives as we also follow Him.
Mary was willing to step out in faith and follow God through what must have been one of the most difficult times in her life. She faced ridicule, shame and possible stoning. Yet she said to Gabriel
“I am the Lord’s servant, may it be to me as you have said”
Luke 1:38
Mary was facing an impossible situation. Although it may seem like eating 0-5 is trivial compared to what Mary went through, our heart’s response is just as critical as hers. Our situation is just as important to the Lord as Mary’s was back then. And our impossible situations are POSSIBLE through HIM.
“Nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37) This is what the angel told Mary.
So it is with us. Whatever challenges you might be facing this Christmas, remember that God is right there with You to give you the strength and guidance you need.
That little baby born long ago came so we can be FREE today! He came so we can have life abundant in Him.
Jesus calls us forth to follow Him in everything we do. Let’s GO!
“Let us run our race marked out for us as we keep our eyes on Jesus”
Hebrews 12:1-2
How about you? Are you ready to follow Jesus with your eating? Are you willing to trust that God is with you and will help you in this?
YOU have found favor with God!
