“Every activity worth doing has a learning curve. Riding a bike, learning to read, using Facebook… the early days are rarely nothing but fun.”  Seth Godin

Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.  (Psa. 30:5b; NKJV)

What is your comfort zone preventing you from doing?  We all have one, and it can be your greatest friend or your greatest foe.  When your comfort zone screams in protest in an attempt keep you from doing something really stupid and/or life threatening, it’s a good idea to pay heed.  But some of us have gotten so comfortable with our comfort zone that we pull back any time it registers even the slightest concern.

This line of thinking was precipitated by another fantastic blog post by one of my favorite authors and blogger Seth Godin which I have made today’s Link of the Day.  Godin re-frames a person’s comfort zone using a very interesting series of three graphs which simply looks at the progression of both joy and hassle over time.

The simple fact is this — as one steps out of their comfort zone and into the unknown waters of the discomfort zone, fear and a certain amount of hassle comes with that.  If the hassle is not replaced by the sought-after joy relatively quickly, many people, if not most, will retreat back to the safety of their comfort zone, sometimes even with a vow to never, ever go there again.  The hassle is what Godin calls “The Red Zone.

The powerful point of his post is that, depending on the size of the Red zone, one needs a cheerleader, which Godin graphically depicts as a little green dot, to keep the person motivated through the hassle until he/she breaks through into the joy.

And that, dear friends, is one of the major roles of a life coach.  Life coaches are trained to be a person’s greatest encourager, advocate, and motivator to help them move forward through the hassle as they move closer and closer to their goal (joy).

Think about it — if one stays in their comfort zone, they never grow beyond what they already know how to do.  Sounds a lot like a ride on a hamster wheel to me.  How incredibly boring!  So find something new and exciting that you would like to do, and either push through the hassle on your own, or solicit the help of a life coach.  But life is just too short to do the same ole, same ole, day after day after day.

By the way, if you go looking for a coach, give me a call.  I just happen to be quite close to a pair of them.

Prayer Power
Father, give us the grace to discern when our comfort zone is protecting us as a friend or restraining us as a foe and then act accordingly.

Link of the Day
How big is your red zone?

Hopefully you’ve noticed the Visions777 banner over on the right side of our DG’s —————————>>>—————————>>>—————————>>>

This is for a tremendously significant set of webinars put on by our close friend and mentor, Dr. Joseph Peck.  He’s coming up on the 4th week of this 12 week series, and The Coaching Pair has the honor of being the special guests on Tuesday (tomorrow).  We are honored to share the time with Dr. Chuck Thurston.  (I can’t wait to hear his presentation — it sounds awesome.)

Anyway, the details are below, and we would be honored if you would register and be there to support us.  Just click on the little banner on the right side at the top and that will register you for the entire series.  (You will probably have to then register specifically for our session.)  The advantage of registering is that you will have access to the recording of the call if you can’t make it.  (2 pm EDT is a little bit of a challenge for most.)  So, again, we would be honored and blessed if you would register and be there to give us your support.

The following is from Joseph’s flyer for this event:

God’s Vision For Renewing Wellness Tuesday August 17, 2010 – 2:00 PM Eastern (1:00 PM Central, 11:00 AM Pacific) Sharon Graham, R.N. is a professional lifestyle coach and a wellness authority who coaches a broad range of clients from corporate executives, small-business owners, and other professionals, to stay-at-home moms and dads in how to achieve and maintain wellness. Sharon is also a blogger, a public speaker, and a great cook who is currently compiling a cookbook.

Dr. Jerry Graham, aka “DocJerry,” is a professional lifestyle and leadership coach and a social marketing authority who coaches ministry leaders, small business owners, and network marketers, on how to properly capitalize on the current Internet trends. He is also a blogger, and adjunct professor at two major universities.

Jerry and Sharon will be working as a tandem to share their polished presentation “A Tale of Two Opportunities”. I’ve seen it before and it’s very enlightening and thought provoking.

Dr. Chuck Thurston is an accomplished scholar, speaker, author, radio and television host, and physician. He has nearly thirty years and more than 60,000 hours of experience in Emergency Medicine as a physician. In addition, Chuck is CEO of 1st & 2nd Medical-Opinions, the medical consulting offshoot of Evidences Institute of Biblical Studies. 1st & 2nd Medical-Opinions’ mission is to reconcile dissatisfied and frustrated patients and doctors by taking a longer and more detailed look at individual cases and their medical and ethical issues as they relate to traditional a Judeo-Christian Biblical world view. We are actively engaged in malpractice prevention before the fact. Dr. Thurston will be sharing his presentation titled “The Body Code”. This is part of “The Fearfully and Wonderfully Made” series. He will be sharing revelations about the body that very few people have ever heard.

“When you reread a classic, you do not see more in the book than you did before; you see more in you than there was before”  Cliff Fadiman

Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah; so he asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”  (Acts 8:30; NLT)

Sharon and I have been part of an amazing group of fellow coaches for a couple of years now.  We operate much like a small group or cell group, but since we all are coaches, the primary function is to provide a place for the coach to be coached.  All too often, we coaches are so focused on helping other people get where they want to go that we forget to get help getting where we want to go.

We’ve affectionately dubbed out little group the Coaches’ Mastermind Group.  Not terribly original, but it works for us.  Interestingly enough, two of our group live in Europe and three of us here in the states.  This is all made possible through the incredible technology of gotomeeting.com that allows us to all connect and actually see each other’s computer screen if desired.

All that is background to share with you a very interesting discussion we had in our bi-weekly session yesterday.  I asked the question, “What book, besides the Bible, would you say has had the greatest impact on your life?”  We had one of our group missing, so the final result was a list of four books which I felt was significant enough to pass along to our DG readers for their consideration.

As the “leader for the day,” I went first and stated that my choice, which I didn’t have to think about twice, was Bill Gillam’s Lifetime Guarantee: Making Your Christian Life Work and What to Do When It Doesn’t.  Sharon said that her life-changing read was John and Stasi Eldredge’s Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul.  One of our group selected The Final Quest by Rick Joyner, and another of the group picked Og Mandino’s classic The Greatest Salesman in the World.

Each of us gave reasons for our choice, but I won’t bore you with trying to document that part of our discussion.  So, if you’re casting about looking for a great book to take with you on vacation for a summer read, there are four suggestions for you that have had a life-changing impact on some pretty amazing people.

I think it would be fun if some of you would list the author and title of the one book that has had the most profound impact on your life in the comment box below.  Tell us why if you would like, but just sharing the title with us would be wonderful.

Happy reading!

Prayer Power
Father, thank You for books and the power they convey to allow people with significant insight into some aspect of life to share that insight with so many others who take the time to read.

Link of the Day
The Value of Reading

Photo by Janine

“I highly recommend this procedure.  I am feeling years younger and my chest pains are gone.”  James Buck

I am sick at heart. How long, O LORD, until you restore me? (Psalm 6:3; NLT)

In yesterday’s Daily Gram, Jerry wrote about a Christian Health Care system called Samaritan Ministries. I’ve recently begun reading the newsletters from this ministry…with great interest, I might add.  Not only is it heartwarming to learn about other believers sharing one another’s medical burdens, but the newsletter itself is quite informative on several fronts.

In the current newsletter a man wrote about his experience with a procedure called EECP.  I had never heard of it.  I read the article, had my interest peaked, and did some further research to better understand what I learned.

EECP or Enhanced External Counterpulsation is a nonsurgical therapy for angina, heart disease, high blood pressure, and other conditions involving poor circulation.  James Buck gave his account of the procedure and shared some benefits he received as a result.  The newsletter then published an article from Whitaker Wellness Institute describing the procedure along with providing other valuable information.

I’ve quoted most of the article directly.  “If you’ve been diagnosed with heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetic neuropathy, or another circulatory disorder, you could benefit from a nonsurgical therapy called EECP. This therapy is sometimes referred to as a ‘natural bypass’ because it enhances the body’s ability to create new pathways for blood flow around clogged arteries. EECP greatly accelerates the formation of tiny blood vessels called collaterals, helping restore healthy circulation to organs and tissues that have been deprived of blood and oxygen.

“During an EECP treatment, you lie on a bed wearing a series of adjustable cuffs around your calves, lower thighs, and upper thighs. The cuffs are inflated in sequence, placing pressure on the legs which pushes blood flow from the lower limbs up towards the heart. The inflation of the cuffs is timed to occur so that increased blood flow is delivered to the heart at the precise moment it is relaxing. Then, just before the heart pumps, the cuffs deflate, reducing resistance and decreasing the heart’s workload. A treatment session lasts about one hour, during which you can read, listen to music, or relax comfortably. Most patients undergo 35 one-hour sessions, once or twice a day, over the course of a few weeks.

“EECP was developed at Harvard University almost 50 years ago as a therapy for angina, the squeezing chest pain that occurs when the heart is not getting enough oxygen. This most common symptom of coronary artery disease can be extremely disabling, interfering with the ability to work, exercise, or enjoy social activities.

“By encouraging the formation of collaterals around blockages in the coronary arteries, EECP enhances the heart’s supply of oxygen and reduces chest pain. Several studies conducted at leading university medical centers have shown that patients who undergo a course of EECP experience significant benefits:

• They have fewer episodes of angina
• They experience less intense episodes of angina
• They need less anti-angina medication
• They can walk farther without experiencing angina
• They can resume work and enjoy more social activities

“Unlike drugs that are prescribed for angina, EECP is completely safe and without side effects. And unlike angioplasty and bypass surgery-highly invasive surgical interventions that are used to clear or circumvent blockages in the arteries — EECP can be done on an outpatient basis and requires no post-treatment recovery period.

“Many patients undergo EECP after suffering a heart attack or enduring one or even several surgeries for coronary artery disease. In some cases, EECP is their only option. Yet this noninvasive therapy is so safe and effective that it should be considered as a first-line treatment for angina, not just a last resort after surgery has been ruled out.”

Prayer Power
Father, we thank You for the heart…the seat of our emotions and the pump that keeps us alive.  Thank You for giving our readers healthy hearts, both spiritually and physically.

Link of the Day
Enhanced External Counterpulsation

Photo by brick red

“There’s not only a better way — there’s a biblical way.”  Chris McCoy

But I don’t need to write to you about the Christian love that should be shown among God’s people. For God himself has taught you to love one another.  (1 Thess. 4:9; NLT)

Health care (a deceptive euphemism for sickness care) and health insurance (aka sickness insurance) have been very much in the news over the last year or so.  Health insurance itself has almost reached the status of an entitlement to many Americans, yet due to the out-of-control cost escalation it has been made virtually unavailable to en ever-growing segment of the population.

New laws have been passed that will ostensibly make that insurance more available to those who don’t have it, but as is often the case, there is always another side to the story.  While many of those who want that insurance will soon be able to get it, there are those who don’t want it for one reason or another or who are happy with the arrangements they currently have but who will lose that freedom to choose or be penalized for non-compliance.

Today’s Daily Gram and Link of the Day are all about an alternative to sickness insurance that has been specifically exempted from the health care reform that has recently become law.  Let me emphasize, this is not about insurance — it is all about an alternative to insurance that is based on the biblical principles of caring for one another especially during times of need.

Sharon and I have been participating in Samaritan Ministries for several years now and are delighted to be a part of it.  A very well-written newspaper article in the Peoria JournalStar published just last June was recently brought to our attention and was significant enough that we felt compelled to share it with you.  That article is today’s link.

If any of this perks your interest to know more, feel free to call one of us and/or to visit the web site of Samaritan Ministries at http://www.samaritanministries.org/ to learn more.  On that site they have a very well-done promo video that is worth the few minutes it takes to watch.

Blessings to you as you step out into another week.  May it be one of your best ever!

Prayer Power
Father, we thank You for showing us a better way.  We ask that You bless our readers this coming week in all that they say and do.

Link of the Day
Christians find alternatives to health insurance

“Love me when I least deserve it, because that’s when I really need it.”  Swedish Proverb

It’s harder to make amends with an offended friend than to capture a fortified city. Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with iron bars.  (Prov. 18:19; NLT)

I opened the Dr. Mercola site yesterday morning searching for something to write today’s Daily Gram about.  He had posted this YouTube video which really caught my attention.  It’s short, just about 1 minute long, and is cute on the one hand while painful to watch on the other.  Give it a watch and I’ll share my thoughts.

Two children, about 4 years old, having a simple argument.  Kids argue all the time, right?  Nothing new here.

My question is who taught them to argue like that?  Is that inborn?  Or do you suppose that behavior of yelling at each other was modeled?

My totally uninformed opinion is that yes, there is a little self-centeredness that is inborn — actually more than a little as I think about it, but the interesting thing about that is that it can be expunged with a little intervention.  That I know for a fact because I’ve seen it with my own eyes.  I’m thinking of some close friends who have a very large family, and as many times as we’ve been around them, I can’t recall seeing the children arguing with each other like that.  It just simply is not tolerated, and they quickly learned that it was not an option.  I have come to believe that sibling rivalry is a myth perpetuated by adults who have lost control. (Wow!!!  Where did that come from?  That ought to generate a comment or two.)

But my honest guess about the story behind this little video is that these children have seen that kind of behavior modeled to them multiple times.  The good news is that, during the short clip, there was no physical violence displayed.

The sobering thought that came to my mind, and which inspired the title for this DG, was that we adults have undoubtedly engaged in shouting matches with our spouse like we see in the video, probably more times that we would care to admit.  And you know what?  I’m sure that if we could see it on camera, it would look just as silly as these two four-year olds arguing.  It’s so easy to lose control, isn’t it?

Ahhhh…but you never know who is watching.  You just may be on Candid Camera.

Prayer Power
Father, how frightening to see our own behavior come back to “bite” us as is demonstrated by this video.  Grant us the grace to respond to situations that arise rather than react.

Link of the day
Tips on Resolving Arguments with Your Spouse

“Somebody said that it couldn’t be done…” Edgar Albert Guest

For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. (Phil. 4:10; NLT)

Some said we couldn’t last. I would have been quick to agree if challenged. We signed on for a year agreeing to write five posts a week. (Hence the moniker Daily Gram.) After we reached our one-year goal, we decided to keep going, but relaxed our standards to four a week.

All that to brag by saying that this is officially Daily Gram number 700! Can you believe it? Yes, we’ve been writing this blog for just shy of three years now.

There’s one more thing that makes this particular Daily Gram unique. A good friend of mine, who actually encouraged me to start a blog a good year ahead of when Dr. Joseph (then known as Randy) Peck convinced Sharon and I to start blogging, wrote a blog post himself last week. I’m referring to John Chasteen who writes a blog known as Hey Coach John.

John’s blog (today’s Link of the day) was all about smart phones–and he ended his post by saying that his whole post was written on his I-phone. I was impressed! It made me wonder if I could write a Daily Gram on my Droid. Well I did it! This is it. But let me assure you, I won’t be doing it again any time soon.

PS–In the interest of full disclosure, I must confess that I had to go to the computer to add the color and the links.

Blessings to you!

Prayer Power
Father, we thank You for technology and how it has made so many things possible that were unimagined just a few years earlier. Guide us to use it wisely and responsibly.

Link of the Day
The Whole World in the Palm of Your Hand

“These primitives stand forth in sharp contrast to those subsisting on the ‘impoverished foods of civilization’ – sugar, white flour, pasteurized milk, and convenience foods filled with extenders and additives.”  Dr. Weston A Price

Your teeth are as white as newly washed sheep. They are perfectly matched; not one is missing.  (Solomon 6:6; NLT)

How many of our readers have a story to tell about their wisdom teeth?  My own story was such a nightmare that I’ve worked hard to forget the entire experience, which was over thirty years ago.  However, when I read articles such as the one mentioned below, some of that horrible memory seeps back into my conscious mind.  And when someone is telling me that they’re scheduled to have their wisdom teeth removed, I remain strangely quiet.  I’m not about to inflict further terror into their heart and mind by sharing what I endured.

“Wisdom teeth, also called the Third Molars, are the furthest back teeth, erupt between the ages of about 16 and 25 years old and are the last teeth to come in. In a large percentage of the population, these third molars either come in improperly or get ’stuck’ behind other teeth, leading to infections and other dental problems. According to most dental sources, these ‘impacted’ wisdom teeth are considered ‘Normal’ due to the human evolution towards a smaller jaw. In the research of isolated cultures by a curious dentist, however, his findings prove that impacted wisdom teeth are a problem caused by nutrition and NOT evolution.”

Did you catch that?  Impacted wisdom teeth are caused by poor nutrition.  Earlier this week I wrote a post about poor nutrition contributing to Anorexia Nervosa.  Now, we read that poor nutrition causes impacted wisdom teeth.  I’m referring to a recent article in NaturalNews.com by Kerri Knox, RN, entitled “Poor Nutrition Causes Impacted Wisdom Teeth.”

In the mid 1930’s, a dentist by the name of Dr. Weston Price set out to study some of the most isolated cultures on earth. His travels took him to the Swiss Alps, to the African jungles and to the tundra of northern Canada. In each village, Dr. Price took measurements and pictures of the faces and teeth of people who still ate exclusively as their ancestors had for generations. Most had never, or almost never, eaten processed foods such as sugar or white flour.  His findings were shocking!  In every case, people who had never eaten processed foods had healthy and functional ‘wisdom teeth.’

Kerri Knox goes on to say, “In order to make sure that this was not due to genetics, Dr. Price also did studies of the people from these villages who had migrated to the nearby cities and had begun eating processed foods.

“He consistently found that cultures in which there were no processed foods, the adults all had healthy, erupted and functional third molars; those who DID eat processed food had impacted wisdom teeth in the same percentage as the other city dwellers.”

Sad to say, this ‘politically incorrect’ theory that poor nutrition contributes to the modern day problem of impacted wisdom teeth is vehemently denied by the dental industry.

Prayer Power
Father, we bless our readers this day with health; from the top of their head to the bottom of their feet.

Link of the Day
Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation

Photo by purejuice2

“Coffee milk is a drink similar to chocolate milk; however, instead of chocolate syrup, coffee syrup is used. It is the official state drink of Rhode Island.”  Wikipedia

They offered him wine drugged with myrrh, but he refused it.  (Mark 15:23; NLT)

Unless you’re from New England, you’ve probably never heard of coffee milk.  It is literally milk that has been “drugged” with coffee.  We had the privilege of living in Rhode Island for almost two years and simply could not believe how pervasive coffee milk was among the Rhode Islanders.  We were told that it was not uncommon to put coffee milk in baby bottles and feed to infants.  Amazing!!!

This DG is not about coffee milk, but it is about coffee for kids.  Yesterday, AOL posted an incredible article titled “Kids and Coffee: A Growing and Unhealthy Trend.”  I’ve included it as today’s link.  It’s alarming to read that the National Coffee Association reports that the fastest growing group of coffee drinkers is teenagers and young adults.  That would be bad enough, but it doesn’t stop with teenagers — it extends down to include children.

Quoting from the AOL article, “The biggest problem, however, is that children and teens aren’t reaching for that cup of black coffee. They prefer the so-called mochaccinos and Starbuck’s Frappuccinos, which are loaded with sugar and calories. In fact, some of these drinks can have more than double the empty calories of soda.”

To verify the point, just look at the link I sent out last week describing the 20 worst drinks in America.  Number 11 on the list was Starbucks Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha with Whipped Cream that weighed in with 660 calories, 22 g fat (15 g saturated), and 95 g of sugar (equalivent to 8½ scoops Edy’s Slow Churned Rich and Creamy Coffee Ice Cream). ” In this 20-ounce cup, Starbucks manages to pack in more calories and saturated fat than two slices of deepdish sausage and pepperoni pizza from Domino’s. That makes it the equivalent of dinner and dessert disguised as a cup of coffee,” writes the author of that alarming exposé.

Is it any wonder that kids like this stuff?  Do kids like ice cream?  Duh!  Where oh where did the parents go?  Unfortunately, in all too many cases, they are right there with their children paying for that kiddie koffee as they purchase their own cuppa sugar and cream-laced “joe.”

Prayer Power
Father, sometimes we just don’t know how to pray.  What will it take to wake us up to what we’re doing to our own bodies?  And then we blame You when we contract one of the many life-style diseases.

Link of the Day
Kids and Coffee: A Growing and Unhealthy Trend

Photo by Damien M.

“After years of treating patients with eating disorders, it’s become painfully apparent to me that psychiatry misunderstands anorexia.”  James Greenblatt, MD

Then you will gain renewed health and vitality.  (Prov. 3:8 NLT)

I recently read an excerpt from a new book entitled, Answers to Anorexia: A New Biological Breakthrough Treatment that is Saving Lives written by James Greenblatt, MD.  Dr. Greenblatt says, “Psychiatrists have confused the obvious effects of anorexia nervosa (depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive behavior) with its causes. Thus, they’re treating depression, panic attacks, compulsions, obsessive behavior, and other psychological conditions in an effort to quell anorexia, when it’s actually the starvation that is causing these conditions in the first place.”

Through the years I’ve known of women who have struggled with various eating disorders.  I too had been taught that anorexia was a psychological disorder and I would look at “emotional and psychological” reasons for this aberrant behavior.  However, in my quest to regain my own health, I discovered that nutritional deficiencies in the body can create many problems including those that seem emotional or psychological in nature.  When the brain is malnourished, it can’t function properly.

Dr. Greenblatt says something very similar.  “Approaching anorexia nervosa as a psychological disorder does not take into account the brain’s physiological response to a shortage of essential nutrients. Regardless of culture, psychological traits, or family pressures, the results of starving remain the same: a malnourished mind.”

He goes on to say that “research from as early as the 1970’s has suggested zinc deficiency may play a role in the development of anorexia nervosa. The signs of symptoms of zinc deficiency include decreased appetite, weight loss, altered taste, depression and amenorrhea. Zinc is one of the most prevalent trace elements found in the brain. Meat and fish are the best sources of zinc and many plant and wheat products impair absorption of zinc.

“Adolescents are typically eating diets low in zinc and high in inhibitors of the absorption of zinc! Controlled research studies have supported the use of zinc in the treatment of anorexia nervosa, yet the medical community has been slow to integrate zinc therapy as a component of a multifaceted treatment program. Other nutritional deficiencies are prevalent in patients with eating disorders. A recent study of anorexia nervosa and omega-3 supplementation showed improvement in patients supplemented with 1 gram of essential fatty acids in addition to standard treatments.

“It is important to understand that anorexia is not an illness that people choose. We may choose to diet and lose weight, but we don’t choose to become delusional about our health and weight. We don’t choose to incessantly obsess about food and how and what we eat. After eating patterns are altered, brains are changed. This spurs on further weight loss and pathological eating behaviors. Anorexia nervosa is complex, puzzling, and biologically and emotionally malignant.”

The article ends with Dr. Greenblatt saying that even though there are predisposing factors to developing anorexia such as societal pressure to be thin, family dynamics, etc., the true cause of the disease is malnourishment of the brain. So, there is much hope for families coping with this ill-understood malady.

Prayer Power
Father, thank You for hope, thank You for wisdom.  We seek You for both.

Link of the Day
Answers to Anorexia: A Breakthrough Nutritional Treatment That Is Saving Lives
Meet Dr. Greenblatt

Photo by minor9th