The following are a series of articles that have been part of our “Thought You Would Like Know Series”. We hope that you will find the information beneficial, and where applicable and prudent, will put it into practice. For comments, questions or to add an article to this Series call us at 617-287-2332 or email us at ceda@cedaministry.org.

Click here to view information regarding:
- Entrepreneurship
- General Finance
- Health & Wellness
- Home Ownership
- Words of Inspiration

 

Entrepreneurship:

PUT YOUR FAITH TO WORK!!
FIND GOD’S PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE AND HOW TO BUILD
A PROSPEROUS BUSINESS WITH IT.

“For I know that I have plans for you.” Declares the
Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans
To give you a hope and a future.” - Jeremiah 29:11

At Put Faith To Work, we’re excited about starting classes and getting you on your way to starting a new business or expanding your existing business. Here’s an update on our classes:
• Who: Put Faith to Work
• What: Twelve week class on faith-based entrepreneurship
• Where: Southern Baptist Church,
29 Winthrop St., Roxbury, MA
Parking available across the street at the school parking lot
• When: Call regarding class start date
• How: We’ll be starting classes and also working on our support groups

The price of each class session is $8. If you’ve never been to one of our information sessions, be our guest for the first class and pay only if you enroll in the rest of the classes.
Put Faith To Work and find God’s wonderful plan for your life and meeting all of your needs. For answers to any questions, contact us at www.putfaithtowrk.org or 617-395-4371.

Our Ministry: A twelve week class with Mentoring and continuing support groups dedicated to creating small businesses and taking existing businesses to scale.

Course Elements:
• Discovering God’s Plan for your life
• Assessing your signature skills
• Bringing together what you love, what you’re good at, and what people will pay for into a business concept
• Market research and strategic planning to turn your business concept into a feasible business plan
• Peer support groups and mentoring on a continuing basis to make sure that you get what you need and put your plan into effect
• Access to financing and the tools you’ll need in order to get it

With Blessings,
Put Faith To Work
Leonardo Radomile CEO

Words of Inspiration:

Inspiration, Information & Relationships
We at CEDA are in relationship with several organizations that frequently provide us with “Words of Inspiration”. The following one is from Kings & Priests Unlimited, which can be contacted via their web site at www.kings-priests.org .We hope that you enjoy it and perhaps, where applicable and appropriate, put it into practice.
RAISE THE BAR
Monday, February 06, 2006, by Robert J. Watkins

He is able to carry out His purpose and do superabundantly, far over and above all that we dare ask or think infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams. - Eph 3:20 Amplified revised

It’s time to raise the bar in your life. But you will never experience the God-type of success with old baggage and habits. Several years ago, I desperately needed things to change. I didn’t have a lot of money. And, I didn’t know anyone who would be willing to help me. But, the one thing I did have was a burning passion to help people become successful. And, I figured if I could just share that vision with enough people, that God would do something supernaturally in their lives. However, God couldn’t bless me the way He wanted to because I was still dealing with selfishness. And, it was holding me back.
It wasn’t until I started to do something to expand God’s kingdom, like launch the ministry of Kings & Priests or establish an entrepreneurial training company for teens, that I noticed relationships and resources started to increase. I even began to sow financial seeds into a life a CEO. Sowing “business seeds” seemed strange to me because I never heard of such a thing. However, those seeds opened the door to endless business opportunities and access to many of the world’s most famous and wealthiest people. However, I did those things not for money, fame or access. It was to position myself to gather resources to help other people.
When I stepped out on faith to help people, God immediately got involved. The struggle to be successful ended. With each shaky step I made away from Corporate America and dependence upon the world’s system, the more opposition I received from people telling me “You are going to go broke without a job” and “You must be crazy!” What they didn’t know was that I was dying on the inside. It felt as though I would suffocate if I didn’t fulfill my purpose.
In order to raise the bar in your life, first be honest with yourself. If you are lazy, get up an hour earlier in the morning. If you are a gossip, repent to the person to that you talked about. If you are stingy, sow a financial seed into someone’s life that you admire. When you get rid of the baggage, God will bless your business and ministry above what you can ask, think or pray.

Health & Wellness:

Absnet 159
4 Keys to Weight Loss Success

Successful "losers" share four factors in their ability to take weight off and keep it off.
If you listen to a lot of the stories in the media, you might believe that losing weight and keeping it off is virtually impossible. The common wisdom is pretty discouraging. Sure, you can lose weight, but what's the point, since you'll just put it on again sooner or later? And since your body type is determined by your genes, why bother trying anyway?
Well, here's the encouraging news: None of that is true. Regardless of body type or genetics, all sorts of people are successfully losing weight and keeping it off. While it may take some hard work and dedication, you can as well.
The National Weight Control Registry
In 1993, we started the National Weight Control Registry as a way of studying the behaviors of people who successfully lost weight and kept it off. We wanted to see what methods these people had in common, since they could help us discover the best strategies for weight maintenance.
To enroll in the Registry, a person must have maintained at least a 30-pound weight loss for at least a year. However, on average, members of the Registry have lost 67 pounds and kept it off for six years. Those are inspiring figures.
Looking at the data, we haven't seen evidence to confirm the idea that our genes make our destiny when it comes to weight. If people really had a genetic "set point" weight as some argue, why would the average weight of Americans be getting heavier each year? While genes certainly play a role, they don't predetermine what your weight will always be. Instead, they provide a range of weights that are possible depending on your diet and amount of exercise. So you have more control over your weight than you might think.
By looking at the behavior of the 4,200 people in the Registry, we've identified four common characteristics of those who've lost weight and are now keeping it off. These suggestions don't make up a diet program. But if you're looking for ways to keep weight off, adopting these behaviors isn't a bad way to start.

________________________________________

Lose Weight For Life
Day One: Set Your Mind to It
Day Two: Conquering Cravings
Day Three: Magic Bullets?
Day Four: Fighting 40s Flab
Day Five: Weight Loss Ever After
________________________________________

Eat a Low-Fat, High-Carbohydrate Diet
Although a lot of people may think of only pasta and bread when they hear the word "carbohydrates," complex carbohydrates are in many foods, not only grains but also in beans and many vegetables. People in the Registry say they get about 56% of their calories from such carbohydrates, and only about 19% of calories from protein. Fat makes up about 25% of their diet. People in the Registry also say they consume 1,300 to 1,400 calories a day on average, but that number is probably lower than what they actually eat.
Remember that a good diet probably isn't one that makes you outlaw certain types of food. Being too strict can make it hard to stick to a healthy eating plan. The problem for most people is not so much that they're eating the wrong things, but that they're eating too much. Moderation is important.
But what about protein diets? People using protein diets can and often do lose weight. The fact is that you can probably lose weight on any of the major diet plans, and Registry members slimmed down employing all sorts of different approaches.
However, what we've found is that people who are successful at maintaining their weight loss eat a low-fat and high-carbohydrate diet. So while a protein diet may be good for losing weight, it may not be the best for long-term weight maintenance.
Exercise Every Day
Exercise is key to maintaining your weight loss and it's probably more important than diet. On average, people in the Registry exercise between an hour and an hour and a half a day. Yes, that's a lot. But before you despair, it's not as bad as it sounds.
First, many of the people break up their exercise throughout the day instead of doing a single, marathon work-out session. Second, one of the most common methods of exercise is walking, which is easy to incorporate into your day.
If you're just starting out, it's important to begin slowly. Starting too fast can cause pulled muscles and discouragement. Instead, gradually work up to a full hour. Alternatively, you can increase your number of steps. Get a pedometer, or step counter, and record the number of steps you take in an average day. Then slowly increase them.
An hour or an hour and a half every day is a lot of time. But look at it this way: if you could lose weight and keep it off for the rest of your life with just an hour or so of exercise a day, would it be worth it? A lot of people say yes.
Eat Breakfast Every Day
Although some people try to lose weight by cutting down on the number of meals they eat, that really isn't a good strategy. Skipping meals often just means that you'll be starving later and wind up overeating. Starting the day with breakfast can help prevent that, and on average, members of the Registry eat breakfast every day. A daily breakfast may also be a sign of the discipline that Registry members bring to how they eat. Being careful about when you eat may also help make you conscious of what you eat.
Keep Track of Your Weight and Eating
This is a behavior shared by weight maintainers that runs against common wisdom. Many people have argued that weighing yourself regularly can put too much emphasis on weight rather than fitness.
We don't know exactly why regular weighing is a common characteristic of people who've been successful at maintaining their weight, but we speculate that people use their scales as an early warning system. If a person weighs herself regularly, she'll notice quickly if she has gained a few pounds and can then implement some strategies to prevent gaining more.
Checking your weight less often can mean that you might wake up one morning and discover that you gained 10 pounds. That can be pretty discouraging, and it might cause you to just give up.
The Myth of Painless Weight Loss
One thing that people in the Registry tell us again and again is that weight loss and weight maintenance is not easy: it's hard work. Diet programs that advertise easy or painless weight loss and weight maintenance tend to fail in the long run. A lot of the people in the Registry tell us that they only lost their weight after they gave up on the "painless" methods.
The problem for many people is that they work hard at losing weight but then don't have the skills to maintain that weight loss. We've found that the best way to do that is to exercise and eat carefully for the rest of your life.
That may sound tough, and it is. But when we ask people on the Registry, they say losing the weight was worth it, and that it actually got easier over time. Getting to a lower weight has made their lives better, and it can make yours better, too.

Steve Hawkesworth - Certified Fitness Instructor
Dorchester YMCA
776 Washington St.
617-436-7750 (w)
617-436-0904 (h)