Body, Mind, and Spirit: July 2012

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

A Child's Prayer

If you've ever attempted to ask a 6-yr-old what they either did at school or camp today the answer is usually pretty short and vague at best--"We played." However, the past few nights I've encouraged my daughter Landon to break from her typical "Now I lay me down to sleep..." and opt for a "big girl prayer" where she could just talk to God about what's been on her little heart. While listening to these conversations, I really got the opportunity to see and hear what's been rattling around in her little head. Tonight as she kneeled down to pray, she began a 5-minute long devotional asking God traveling mercies for Angela's safe return trip home from Cali. Wooow!

Parents, godparents, aunts, aunties, and uncles, I encourage you all to take a few minutes and listen to what our little ones are saying to God. In fact, it's really not a bad idea if we simply join them in sending up a knee-mail thanking Him for all that He's done and all that He'll do when we rise.

About the Author: James Hackley earned a B.S. degree in Physics from Longwood College and an M.S. degree in Engineering from the University of Virginia. He faithfully attends Holy & Whole Life Changing Ministries International in Lansdowne, Va., and his latest book, Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening can be purchased by visiting him at www.jameshackley.com , www.Amazon.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

May Peace During Ramadan Be Upon You

n Islam, the month of Ramadan is a great month (9^th month of the Islamic calendar) for over one billion Muslims throughout the world. It is a time for inner-reflection, devotion to God, and self-control. Muslims think of it as a kind of tune-up for their spiritual lives. It is also the month in which Muslims believe Allah revealed the Qur’an as guidance for the whole of mankind. The gates of Heaven are opened, the gates of Hell are shut and the devils are tied up. Finally, the reward for good deeds, acts of charity and acts of worship are multiplied in this month. Fasting during the month of Ramadan is obligatory upon every adult, sane, settled (i.e., not travelling) Muslim who is able to fast and has no medical or physical conditions preventing him or her from doing so. Muslims are required to abstain from several things each day just before the beginning of dawn until sunset. These things are as follow:

Ø Food and Drink

Ø Sexual intercourse

Ø Masturbation (most Muslim scholars believe this is forbidden even when not fasting)

Ø Deliberately causing themselves to vomit

Ø Foul language, negative actions or thoughts

Ø If any of these things listed above are done deliberately, a Muslim’s fast will be broken.

   Even as a Christian, I truly respect the month of Ramadan because it forces all practitioners to forego some of life’s most fundamental things that may ultimately inflict the most stress in our lives. Which of these things would you be able to forego for an entire month?

   As I write these very words I’m also watching my Muslim sisters and brothers (shout-out to Tariq and Brak!) observe the Holy month of Ramadan. I can’t help but think that the other Abrahamic religions are missing out on an incredible opportunity to recharge their spiritual batteries thru prayer, fasting and self-denial. If not now, when? I believe that the world is simply addicted to “material realism” and because of this addiction we refuse to deny ourselves of anything—especially those very things that often lead to our suffering.

   Luke 14:25-33 ~ “If anyone comes to me without ‘hating’ his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be a disciple of mine. The man who will not take up his cross and follow in my footsteps cannot be my disciple. If any of you wanted to build a tower, wouldn’t he first sit down and work out the cost of it, to see if he can afford to finish it? Otherwise, when he has laid the foundation and found himself unable to complete the building, everyone who sees it will begin to jeer at him, saying, “this is the man who started to build a tower but couldn’t finish it!” So it is with you; only the man who says good bye to his possessions can be my disciple.”

   You may argue that the Christian equivalent to Ramadan is Lent, but to this I must respectfully disagree. True, once upon a time Christians would actually give up all food during this period of preparation for Easter (much like Ramadan) but now most folks will only volunteer to give up chocolate, dairy or something else they can do without over the 40 day period. But not all food! Just imagine the brotherhood and global significance if all the Abrahamic religions fasted for one month at the same time? Wow!

   It’s no secret that food is essential to our survival, but over the years we’ve begun to use it as a form of comfort, medication and even as a replacement to fill a spiritual void. Since the growth of agriculture more than 10,000 years ago, man has always had an abundance of food that led to our deteriorating health and fitness level. Prior to planting crops and raising livestock, our forefathers were hunters & gatherers that had to daily set out and find food or risk starvation. Maintaining body fat was simply a natural method of avoiding starvation during winter months and other periods where food was scarce to find. With the advent of agriculture, we are now flush with food, and as a result it slowly became an addiction that even today keeps many of us in bondage. Fasting is an excellent method of freeing ourselves from this detrimental over-dependency.

Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening

Most of us are OK with our lives being out-of-order as long as we have no desire to put it in order. In fact, we often get our Al Bundy on by fooling ourselves into thinking that we are still the person we used to be until reality hits us with a Riddick Bowe upper-cut (Shout-out to my D.C. Homie!) and reminds us that our delusion is no longer true. When confronted with this uncomfortable realization, we may initially deny or dismiss the truth or simply hope the reality disappears on its own. When it doesn’t, we start with small and relatively easy steps to change the situation, because suddenly the discomfort of the truth becomes more unbearable than the comfort of denial. Finally, if those small steps prove to not be enough, we recite a few verses from the Apostle Popeye who so famously stated, “That's all I can stands because I can't stands n'more!” Suddenly, emotions kick into gear and give us the courage to take other steps that may be a bit more difficult, but are more likely to solve the problem once and for all.

In the poem “Little Gidding,” T.S. Eliot writes, “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of our exploring will be to arrive where we started and to know the place for the first time.” In other words, our life is a journey that doesn’t require us to go anywhere. It’s a journey without distance because we travel it within. Make no mistake–we are all on a journey, but some of our paths are simply leading us in one continuous circle. When we find ourselves overweight, absent from God and doing the same things we were doing more than 20 years ago; this is a perfect indication that our evolution has ceased and we’re not living the lives we were intended to lead.

After more than two decades in sales & marketing, I knew the key to getting folks interested in improving their total lives was to advertise the changes they would first see in their body. Let’s be clear–we live in a society where physical attractiveness trumps mental and spiritual maturity, and the majority of us are more interested in learning how we can lose 50+ lbs in less than four months, rather than strengthening our minds and growing closer to God. Just think about how many infomercials you’ve seen and radio spots you’ve heard in the past few days to get your body ripped. Now compare those to the advertisements you’ve either seen or heard focused on quieting your mind or improving your relationship with God, outside of viewing a Christian television network or listening to a Christian radio broadcast. The answer… crickets chirping.

When I tell folks I’ve lost more than 50 lbs in just four months, the first question is “What’s your secret?” When my response is God, many unknowingly change their facial expressions instantly as if to infer (Imply is what the speaker does, and infer is what the hearer does. I learned this distinction watching an episode of Law & Order), “That surely can’t be the answer.” Unfortunately, we’ve been programmed to believe that the primary reason people lose fat rapidly is the d-word. The next most popular method assumed is weight loss surgery (WLS). Third, “He must be on ‘dat stuff!” In my case, the only stuff I was on descended from Heaven like manna and my life and those around me has not been the same.

It was Saturday morning on February 26^th, 2011 and my wonderful wife Angela had to meet her dad very early over in Southeast D.C. (District of Columbia). Every Saturday morning during the prior few weeks I would wake up and go running, but if I wanted to get my 4-miles in on this particular a.m., I would have to rise & shine and hit the pavement before the sun had even yawned. I had logged many miles on this same route consistently over the past few weeks, but on this particular morning things would never be the same. About a mile into the run, I entered into a transcendental zone where I would travel hundreds of yards and not know how I had gotten there. The single transcending thought that had dominated my mind during each pounding stride was simply:

"You have to write a book titled, ‘Body, Mind & Spirit.’"

Usually after running four miles I would be winded and my muscles would be stiff, but one of the most incredible things about this unforgettable run was that I was not winded at all after my last stride! In fact, I felt as refreshed, as if had just gotten out of bed after a very restful sleep. Looking back on this life-changing run from a heightened spiritual perspective, I had received an anointing.

Upon entering the house, the first thing I told Angela was, "Baby, I think I'm going to write a book." Perhaps she may have thought I had slipped and hit my head, but her response was rather encouraging and she even brought a book home from the grocery store later that day that provided some valuable insight into my task at hand. My help mate took the very first step in the incredible journey that my wonderful family would later take as one.

Unfortunately, like most good ideas, doubt and negativity began to enter my mind as the day went on, but for every reason I may have thought of why I shouldn't invest the time, energy and money into writing and publishing this guide, 20 reasons emerged why I should. I've long believed in the power of speaking things into existence, so I immediately posted my public proclamation in the Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening Facebook group (please look for us and ask to join) and vowed to donate one-half of all revenue (not profit but revenue!) generated from the sale of the book to my new church home of Holy & Whole Life Changing Ministries International located in Lansdowne, Va. I kind of felt like Moses who, despite his speech impediment, God allowed to do great things. God sent Aaron to Moses and I truly believe He sent me the wonderful folks in my Facebook group to offer assistance, encouragement and various perspectives.

So what is this guy talking about?

You see, since January 3^rd, 2011 and that life-changing run on February 26^th, 2011, I had already lost 30 lbs of fat. At the time I sat down to write Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening on April 1^st, 2011, I had lost a total of 43 lbs. That’s 43 lbs in three months! People simply couldn’t believe that I had lost such a significant amount of fat in just a few short weeks and I’m sure most were convinced that I would inevitably gain the majority of it back–and then some. What most people didn’t realize is that I had totally undergone a change of mind. I had an amazing epiphany of how the body, mind & spirit were all connected and that we would never truly accomplish any lasting fat loss objectives if we didn’t:

1. Put God first and accept the fact that fat loss needs to be for the Glory of God and not the vanity of man if we expect it to be lasting.

2. Realize diets should be considered the d-word because the only lasting results they yield are the eternal feelings of failure.

3. Learn new ways to focus and strengthen the mind, as well as the body to resist the inevitable urges to return to bad eating habits and an unhealthy way of life.

4. Accept the fact that improving body, mind & spirit is not a destination but a lifelong journey that will continue until God calls us Home.

To date, I’m proud to say that I’m now more than 50 lbs lighter, I have found a new church home for my entire family, and have found ways to quiet and center my mind in the midst of the daily chaos that attacks us all. In addition to the personal success, my life has been a source of inspiration for a number of family members and friends. Even more, God has allowed me to chronicle much of the information I’ve read, lived, and observed into Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening that will hopefully inspire others to either continue or begin a journey towards total wellness in their life and the lives of those around them.

Each of us has a unique story that has been steeping in our soul for far too long. When we get the opportunity to pour that story into another’s vessel, we should find solace in that single act of kindness. Therefore, when you get a chance to share your story with others, please don’t hesitate. You could be the answer to someone else’s problem. For each of our stories is a simple pebble tossed into the ocean of humanity, and we can only dream that a tsunami of change will emerge in the lives of our unknown brethren on a distant shore.

About the Author: James Hackley is an author, inspirational speaker, and a philanthropist who earned a B.S. degree in Physics from Longwood College and an M.S. degree in Engineering from the University of Virginia. He's the founder of Omega Consulting Enterprises, chaplain of a local chapter of Omega Psi Phi fraternity, and faithfully attends Holy & Whole Life Changing Ministries International in Lansdowne, Va. His latest book, Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening can be purchased by visiting him at www.jameshackley.com , www.Amazon.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com.

The God Particle

The God Particle

“By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.” ~ Hebrews 11:3

Several weeks ago while the Nation was celebrating its Independence Day on July 4^th, the rest of the world was celebrating the likely discovery of a highly theoretical Higgs boson subatomic particle aka, the “God Particle.” The God Particle nickname actually arose from a book The God Particle: If the Universe Is the Answer, What Is the Question? published by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Leon Lederman back in 1993. Since then, this term has taken on a life of its own because of the monumental questions about matter that the God Particle may be able to answer. Being an avowed atheist, the man who first proposed the Higgs boson’s existence, Peter Higgs, is still around to witness the discovery and obviously isn’t all that amused by the nickname.

So what does all this mean? In layman’s terms, different subatomic particles are responsible for giving matter different properties. One of the most mysterious and important properties is mass. Some particles, like protons and neutrons, have mass. Others, like photons (light particles), do not. The Higgs boson, or God Particle, is believed to be the particle which gives mass to matter.

When Sir Isaac Newton popped on the scene in 1665, he truly changed the world. If you spent your Saturday mornings in the early ‘80s, plopped in front of a television with a big bowl of Honeycomb cereal like I did, I’m sure you are already aware of how the School House Rock episodes depicted Newton discovering gravity. There are many variations of the popular story that Newton was sitting under an apple tree when an apple fell and bopped him on his head. Suddenly, the Universal Law of Gravitation was born. However, I submit that apple also helped to usher God out of humanity and science, and those who understood it became the new gods. Newton went on to revolutionize science and along with James Clark Maxwell is responsible for the classic understanding of physics and how all, so it was thought, worked and could be explained. Prior to Newton, the unexplained was often attributed as simply an act of God. Now, everything could be explained with a Newtonian-Maxwellian equation.

   Following Newton, the next 400 years of science was largely built on the notion that everything was based upon matter. Matter is anything that can be touched physically. Everything in the universe (except energy) is made of matter, and, so, everything in the universe is made of atoms. Therefore, an atom is a fundamental piece of matter. As a refresher, atoms combine to make molecules, and molecules combine to make matter. Therefore, Newtonian Laws were used to explain how everything worked down to the atomic level.

However!!!

   Nearly 60 years ago scientists discovered that the atom could also be divided into subatomic particles consisting of a nucleus (neutron & proton) and an electron. Even at the subatomic level God provided a Trinitarian clue for man to discover once he was mature enough to better understand. Unfortunately, the old Newtonian ways of explaining things failed to hold up at this level and therefore ushered in a whole new level of science known as quantum physics.

It is in the field of quantum physics that the God Particle was first theorized when scientists began to imagine that neutrons, protons, and electrons could also be divided into leptons and quarks.   Bottom line, despite the billions of dollars (that’s billions with a “B” ) and legions of scientists who continue to journey down the quantum physics rabbit hole, in the end man will never be able to see what God created from the unseen.

Indulge Now, Pay Later...

I spent last week in sunny Tampa FL (80 degrees!!!) on business and decided to conduct a little experiment. Many of you are well aware that for the past year I’ve been watching what I eat and working out hardcore M-F. However, I was very curious to see what would happen if I went an entire week indulging in whatever I wanted to eat and not working out. Well, after a few nights of enjoying Capital Grille’s porcini rubbed Delmonico steak with 12-year aged balsamic (BTW…this is the BEST steak I’ve ever had) and their lobster mac ‘n’ cheese (the BEST!!!!), Texas De’ Brazil’s unlimited meat extravaganza, Selmon’s (the late Lee Roy Selmon’s restaurant who played for the Bucs), the Wood Fire Grill’s delicious hand-made veggie pizza, and every carrot cake and crème brulee I could find; I returned to Sterling Va. tipping the scales at 185.7 lbs (note: I left Sterling weighing 180lbs). During the week in Tampa I only hit the gym once and was simply content with sleeping-in instead of getting my a.m. exercise on.

In the end, it came as no great surprise that I would have gained a little weight during this experiment, but 6 lbs in four days!!! Besides the additional heft, another thing attempted to follow me home from Tampa and that was laziness. However, after I dropped my daughter Landon off at the bus stop, Monday morning, it was back to the gym and back to watching what I ate. Today as I type these very words, the scale has once again returned to normal in just four short days. However, if I had listened to that lazy spirit that tried to convince me to continue my Tampa gluttony, I would be writing an entirely different commentary today.

So what’s keeping you from getting back on the wagon? Why did you fall off? Was it football season? Pressure on the job? Stress at home? No longer can we simply eat whatever we want and refuse to exercise. There is indeed a price to pay for our gluttony. Unfortunately, the price is often obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and heart disease. As long as you are still on this side of Zion, you have a choice. Please choose HEALTH!

James' Ark

James’ Ark

Can you imagine the ridicule Noah faced while he was building the ark for an estimated 100 years with NO rain in sight? I mean, who in the sweet name of Jacques Cousteau builds a ship in the middle of the desert?!?!

I just received the first shipment of 3,000 newly edited and formatted copies of Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening, and to many I’m sure this move may seem a bit “overreaching” or “overzealous” considering I’m still knocking at the door of getting the first 200 copies sold since the book was released on Oct 1, 2011. However, like Noah, I clearly heard the instructions God spoke into my soul and this is simply the next level of required obedience.

To accomplish this Noahic (double-checking to make sure that’s a real word) task, I will be increasing my speaking engagements and working with distributors and wholesalers to get these guides on shelves wherever books are sold.

However, I’ll still need your help.

As we approach the New Year and those around you (perhaps even yourself) begin to consider New Year resolutions, please encourage everyone you know to visit www.jameshackley.com and order a copy of this life-changing guide to arm them with the encouragement and knowledge to finally master the things that have kept them in physical, mental, and spiritual bondage. In addition, please tell the folks in your social networking circles, churches, fraternities, sororities, book clubs, and other such organizations about Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening.

Finally, I hope you’ll also look in the mirror and ask yourself why it’s taken you so long to support this effort. Each of us has a dream or a God-given mission that we would like to accomplish. However, how can we ever expect God or others to assist us if we turn a blind eye to those around us who need our assistance in accomplishing their goals?

Thanks in advance and I pray God continues to bless you in a way that you could never have possibly imagined.

The D-Word

The D-Word

Let’s be clear: diets simply don’t work, and the only thing they are successful at doing is leaving us with a feeling of failure in the end. A lack of understanding about the correct way to lose fat can set people up for big-time failure. Even if we have initial success on one of these diets, the toll it takes on our body is not at all worth it. Extreme diets that promise big weight loss in a short amount of time cut out macronutrients like carbs and fats — which is horrible for our hormone balance and metabolism.

   If you’ve ever tried a diet before, you may have been indoctrinated into thinking that the key to your happiness is “weight loss.” This is one of the slickest terms used in the diet industry because weight loss includes the loss of not only fat, but valuable lean muscle tissue and water as well. Muscle is essential towards building a healthy body, because each lb of lean muscle burns an additional 50 calories of fat per day and keeps our metabolism humming along. Proper hydration is also essential, because water is required in order for our organs and digestive systems to work efficiently at processing what we consume and for ridding our bodies of fat and harmful toxins. Many of the diet fads that claim miraculous results are simply masking water loss, and as soon as you begin to drink what your body requires, you’ll gain the lost weight back, plus some, because the necessary muscle that burns fat has also been compromised.

   Quick-fix dieting has become so popular that in the past 10 years it's estimated that around 70% of our adult female population and 30% of adult males have tried some form of diet and failed over the long-term (Raising hand to be included in this statistic). There’s a new diet phenomenon occurring every few months, and the only long-term and lasting weight that we actually lose comes not from our guts, waists, hips or butts. It comes from our wallets!!

   Most diets require a significant change in our normal eating habits over an extended period of time. This becomes the problem. We may try a new approach for a few weeks or even a few months. Once the success of the initial water weight we’ve lost begins to wear thin or we simply get tired of eating those restrictive high-protein, low-fat, low-carb, rice-only, green foods only, food that was blessed by a Tibetan monk only….OK…that may have gone a bit too far, but I’m sure you know what I mean. We simply want what we want and we like what we like because they fit in with our lifestyle and the people around us. Therefore, the key to truly making a change is to first change our minds so that lifestyle and the folks we surround ourselves with will also change. Something tells me you are beginning to see where this may be headed.

   To lose body fat, we can’t focus just on caloric intake and macronutrient ratios. We need to plan out our meals so that we can decide what we eat and when. In addition, we must consume carbs, fats, and proteins in ratios that are best for burning fat. It is also vital that we eat these foods in a particular manner. That means gone are the June Cleaver days of only eating three large meals. Instead, we need to now target 5 to 6 times every 3-4 hours. As counterintuitive as this may sound, it really works!

Vinyasa Yoga

So there I am up in my Vinyasa Yoga class nearly knocked-out like a drunk rock – yet again; and simply had to ask my instructor, Michelle, how is it that I can go from 100mph to a pool of mouth drool in less than 5 minutes. That’s when she hipped me to the incredible wonders of our parasympathetic nervous system. You see, our parasympathetic (relaxation) response is the opposite of our fight-or-flight stress response but our daily chaotic lives don’t allow us to tap into it.

One of the most effective ways to elicit this relaxation response is to learn to breathe abdominally. Start by lying down on your back with your legs bent and your feet flat on the floor (Now this is the part that always causes me to get my Rip-Van-Winkle on in class). Put one hand on your chest and one hand on your stomach and inhale slowly allowing your abdomen to expand outward. It is helpful to imagine your stomach expanding like a balloon as you breathe in. When you breathe abdominally, consciously slow down your breathing, if not; you will almost be hyperventilating since you get 10x the amount of air in your lungs when breathing abdominally as compared to breathing from your chest.

After a few minutes of this; your body starts to respond, starts to relax--let that happen. In the beginning you may have the sensation that you are not getting enough air and feel compelled to take a deep upper chest breath like a "sigh." If you feel compelled to take a deep breath, it is an indication your normal mode of breathing may approximate hyperventilation. Don’t do it! With practice, this sensation will pass…

As I mention in my upcoming book, breathing from our abdomen is actually our natural method of breathing. If you ever watched young kids sleep you’ll notice how their little bellies go up-and-down during each breath. Unfortunately, as we get older and more stressed; our breathing gets shallow and hinder our natural methods of relaxation.

So do me a favor, before you get in the bed tonight simply give it a try. And before you know it, you too will be out for the czzzzount.

Sincerely,

Hack Van-Winkle

Occupy Amazon.com

Occupy Amazon.com

In the wake of all the “Occupy” movements that have been popping up across the country, I’ve decided to spearhead the “Occupy Amazon.com” movement to help bring attention to how difficult it is for self-publishers to compete in an industry overwhelmingly dominated by the traditional publishing houses. This is truly a David vs. Goliath story but unfortunately many relevant self-publishers lack the five smooth stones required to slay this giant.

Therefore on Monday, January 23^rd, I encourage all the 526 stones on my Facebook friends list to visit www.amazon.com and purchase a book from any self-published author who has a unique life-changing story to tell. For all of you who purchase Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening, I will include a FREE t-shirt ($15.00 value) for each book you purchase. Simply indicate color (purple/gold or white/black) and size (S-2XL) in the comments section of your order.

Please forward this invitation to EVERYONE on your friends list and encourage them to participate on this historic day just a week after we all honor Dr. Martin Luther King. His dream still lives and we can all do something on January 23^rd to help make the dreams of our independent authors a reality.

God Bless!

James

Author Biography and Book Synopsis

James Hackley just may be the most blessed individual you’ll ever meet. Despite a highly successful sales & marketing career that has spanned the last two decades, his true “calling” is touching the lives of others and inspiring them to want to change for the better. As a result of a major epiphany, James was able to lose an amazing 50 lbs of fat in just 4 months and has sculpted his 46-yr-old body into the best shape ever. He has learned to significantly reduce stress, quiet the mind and get in touch with his spirit like never before. As a result, he’s been able to free himself from a lifetime sentence of high blood pressure and high cholesterol prescription medications. More importantly, he’s been able to inspire those around him to do the same.

In his latest release, Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening, James explores the root causes of why we overeat, refuse to exercise, live chaotic lives and fail to accomplish the goals that God has intended for our life since the dawn of time. This is not just another diet or “weight loss” (loss of fat and muscle) book. Diets simply don’t work, and James emphasizes how we need to be more concerned about “fat loss.” In fact, this guaranteed bestseller would be better categorized as a “Negativity Loss” guide: loss of negative fat, negative habits, negative foods, negative people, negative thoughts and negative actions. This guide arms you with knowledge and encouragement to put a plan into action to finally master the things that have long mastered you.

Mr. Hackley received a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Longwood College, a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Virginia, he’s chaplain of a local chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and an active member of Holy & Whole Life Changing Ministries International in Loudoun County, Virginia. He is the proud founder and CEO of Omega Consulting Enterprises, LLC and currently lives in Sterling, Va. with his beautiful wife Angela and their daughter Landon. He enjoys exercising, running, meditation, reading and simply being used by God.

Contact Info:

Omega Consulting Enterprises, LLC

P.O. Box 2892

Sterling, Va. 20167

Office #: (571) 315-5923

Email: info@jameshackley.com

Website: http://www.jameshackley.com

The Path to a Leaner You!

The Path to a Leaner You

Most of us simply learned how and what to eat from our parents, who learned it from their parents, and so on. I came from a very humble home where my parents were more concerned with putting food on the table than it being a well-balanced mix of carbs, proteins, and unsaturated fats. Pancake mix (from a box), white bread, gravy-smothered meats, and fried everything was just a way of life. In addition, we simply ate when we thought we were hungry as long as food was available. However, mom didn’t let just anyone bum-rush her refrigerator, especially if you weren’t paying any bills!

A year ago, that old food philosophy gasped its last breath when I read Harvey and Marilyn Diamond’s detailed concept in their bestselling book, Fit for Life. It opened my eyes and ultimately led to the way I now approach the food and beverages I consume. In this book they touch on our natural body cycles and remind us that failure to adhere to these cycles may upset our bodies and result in various types of gastrointestinal (GI) woes. For example, each day we take in food (appropriation), our body then absorbs and uses some of that food (assimilation), and finally, our body gets rid of what we don’t use (elimination). Although none of these stages occur mutually exclusive of the others, each is more prevalent during certain periods of our daily 24 hour clock. Therefore, Harvey and Marilyn recommend that we keep the following in mind:

· Noon to 8 p.m. – Appropriation (Eating and Digestion)

· 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. – Assimilation (Absorption and Use)

· 4 a.m. to Noon – Elimination (Of body wastes and food debris)

   Once we see it explained like this, it begins to make sense that naturally we eat and drink during our waking hours (appropriation). While we are sleeping, our body is busy with (assimilation)…ummm… but not like the Borg from Star Trek: The Next Generation (Shout-out to the Trekkies!), but assimilating the nutrients that were absorbed from the food and beverages we consumed earlier. The final step in this 24 hour bio-cycle is elimination. This is why one of the first things most of us do when we rise & shine in the a.m. is head straight for the bathroom. In addition, that dreaded morning breath that’s often kicking like the ghost of Bruce Lee is a result of our body getting rid of waste and toxins.

   Perhaps you are in the habit of eating late and the next morning feeling if someone had slipped you a “mickey.” That’s usually because the assimilation process was thrown off. Your body wants to eat earlier in the evening so that a few hours can pass to allow the food to leave the stomach and the assimilation process can begin around the time you send a knee-mail up to our Heavenly Father just before hitting the bed. Since the food has not yet been digested and you ignored what your mom had been telling you since…forever, about the dangers of “going to bed on a full stomach,” it is not ready to be assimilated. Therefore, you’ve extended the appropriation phase far beyond the 8 p.m. timeline, thereby pushing the assimilation cycle back as well. The natural workings of your body have now become all jacked-up and left feeling like the former D.C. mayor caught in an undercover sting operation at a local hotel. In addition, skipping breakfast in the a.m. will also have the same rippling effect on your body’s natural cycle. Lesson Learned: We should eat when our body expects to be fed. This includes a well-balanced breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a healthy snack between each meal.

   When we are attempting to lose fat, the elimination cycle may just be the most important out of all three phases. Americans are leading the world in our record shattering obesity statistics that clearly show we are consuming way more food and beverages than we should. Unfortunately, since we seem to already master the appropriation phase, we now need to become more aware of how to eliminate the calories and toxins we consume. This is the path to a leaner you!

Christianity and Black History

This great Nation has annually recognized Black History Month since 1926. It was first known as "Negro History Week" and later changed to "Black History Month" to honor the month in which both Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln were born. However, what you might not know is that Black history had barely begun to be acknowledged or studied when this tradition began. Although Blacks had been in America since 1619, it was not until the early 1900’s that Blacks began to gain a respectable presence in recorded history.

America owes the celebration of Black History Month, and more importantly, the study of Black history, to Dr. Carter G. Woodson. Dr. Woodson was disturbed to find in his studies that history books largely ignored the Black population. When they did figure into the picture, it was generally in ways that reflected negative stereotypes and the inferior social positions they were assigned at the time.

As the Nation begins to celebrate yet another Black History Month, I have been inspired to address a subject that many view as incendiary as a Molotov cocktail. This often ignored topic is, “Why do Blacks still cling to the same religion that was forced upon their forefathers who were brought from Africa in chains?” Now before we begin to tackle a subject that is as socially tender as grandma’s bunions, I feel it’s important to offer the disclaimer that I’m a Black man who strongly disagrees with the term “African-American.” I believe whole-heartedly in the binary notion that we are either American or not. Therefore, throughout this entire article I chose to use the term “Black” rather than the highly-divisive and hyphenated “African-American.”

My ancestors, who were forced into slavery, had their own religions long before ending up on American soil at the genesis of the slave trade. It’s even estimated that 10-20% of Africans arriving in America were Muslims. In fact, Muslims from Spain and West Africa were part of American history long before Columbus’ grandparents were even thought of. A mountain of evidence suggests these Muslims arrived in the Americas at least five centuries before Columbus.

That said, prior to the first slaves being chained and herded thru the “Door of No Return,” many Africans believed in a supreme god who created all things. Nearly 100 years after the first African slaves were introduced into the New World; a Great Awakening swept the Nation and increased religious enthusiasm between the early 1700’s and late 1800’s. Christianity came alive in all of America and slaves were not exempt from this “Awakening.” Once exposed, they began to combine their African religious beliefs with newly indoctrinated Christian beliefs in order to make up what was known as “slave religion.” At the beginning, slave owners were not keen on converting their slaves into Christians. But some owners believed that slaves were more than just “property” and therefore eligible for Christian redemption. However the overwhelming majority of slave owners believed that converting slaves into Christians would only cause problems because worshipping the same God may begin conjuring thoughts of equality within the minds of the slaves.

Therefore, during the Great Awakening white preachers made a point to teach slaves that they had to obey their masters as a sign of being faithful to God. In addition, white churches continued to emphasize that slaves were not equal by holding segregated church services and controlling the free worship by slaves. Nevertheless, slaves prayed secretly to God as their only master and asked to be freed from their owners. If God was able to liberate the Hebrew slaves then surely He would be able to free them from their bondage.

It was this new relationship with their true Master that inspired slaves to steal away and meet in the woods where they could receive the Holy Spirit who made them: sing, pray, preach, shout, and enjoy their own free religious experience. This practice eventually led to the fiery sermons and brilliant oratorical skills that we can still find today by simply visiting any Pentecostal or Southern Baptist rooted church on any given Sunday.

Bottom line, it was Christ who delivered Blacks from the bondage of slavery and that is why so many generations later we still cling to this faith. An unbiased review of history clearly shows that it was not Christianity that enslaved the millions of men and women from Africa, but rather man alone who chose to enslave his brother largely because of greed, prejudice, and financial gain.

James Hackley is a philanthropist and author of the bestselling book Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening. Please visit him at http://www.jameshackley.com and discover more about what God has called him to do.

Harvest Season

Harvest : big round bales of straw in the field

Living in an area where Forbes Magazine has yet again declared as the richest county in all the Land with median household incomes of $110,643; many local residents may be unaware of the agricultural history that Loudoun County is based on. Long before the Ferrari & Maserati of Washington dealership on Route 28 and the endless visual sea of luxurious apartments, condos, townhouses, single-family homes, office parks and retail buildings; eastern Loudoun was mostly vacant farmland. Now that fields and combines have been replaced by asphalt and gas-guzzling SUVs, many are oblivious that October marks the beginning of harvest season. However, before man can harvest; a seed must first be sown.

This basic seed principle (aka Law of Sowing and Reaping) has been in operation since God commanded in Genesis 1:11-12, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind.”

If there’s one thing my rural Culpeper, Va. upbringing has taught me is that the primary purpose of any seed is propagation. Barring consumption, God simply intended for each of His seeds to grow to maturity and bear fruit. Therefore, one of the most important questions we must ask ourselves is what kinds of seed are sown in our lives so we will not be surprised by the fruit they bear. On the Day of Pentecost, God’s seed fell on those who believed in the Gospel of Christ and received Him as their Lord and Savior. Even today, this incorruptible seed is planted in our spirit which communicates to the mind and body. Thus, triune body, mind & spirit beings are we. This incorruptible set of instructions is a seed of truth that cannot accept the lies and negativity we attempt to feed our bodies and subconscious minds. This seed needs to be fed with the Word and nurtured with obedience.

In the beginning of all beginnings, God created man out of dust to be in perfect alignment with Him. The body was submissive to the mind (soul); and the mind was submissive to the spirit. However, after Eve was beguiled by the greatest slickster the world has ever known, the wheels of humanity collapsed and mankind was sentenced to a life of strife and turmoil. Man’s usurpation of God’s intended order caused the mind to become submissive to the body and the spirit simply slipped into an eternal abyss until the day of Pentecost. Unfortunately, many still remain in this darkness while cursing those who see the light.

Upon emerging from a self-imposed realm of darkness and shedding an amazing 50 gluttonous lbs of fat, in just four months; I was able to force my 46-yr-old body into the best physical, mental & spiritual shape ever. This transformation resulted in an anointing to write my first book and being an ardent practitioner of the sowing and reaping philosophy, I sat down at my computer to begin writing Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening at the beginning of a fertile sowing season which began on April 1^st, 2010. Glory be to God, just seven months later (seven is the Biblical number of completion) on Oct 1^st,2010; I had my first speaking engagement on improving body, mind & spirit and was able to sell the very first fruit of this life-changing guide! All of this came to pass because I truly believed and nurtured the seed God had placed in my soul. Are you making the most of the precious seeds (gifts) He has given you? If not, please know that we sometimes have to be willing to run towards the things that are holding us back–not away from them.

But let’s be clear. Just as those who have accepted Christ carry His incorruptible seed; we also carry the same corruptible seed Satan was able to sow into the psyche of all mankind when Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Even today as many of us sit comfortably in our $110,643 median income Loudoun County homes reading these very words–the two seeds are battling within for your eternal soul. Which seed are you nurturing? Which seed are you attempting to extract from the root? If we give into gluttony and are fighting a losing “weight loss” battle, the corruptible seed is winning. If we can’t find a way to quiet our chaotic minds then the corruptible seed is winning. If we can’t remember the last time our entire family worshipped together then once again; the corruptible seed is winning.

However, as long as we are still on this side of Zion it’s not too late. Beginning now, I urge you to pray for strength and begin nurturing the incorruptible seed within. We already have everything we need to put things back on the right path and now it’s simply a matter of giving dominion of our lives to God. In Matthew 17:20 Jesus said, ”…if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible.” Do you have faith? Can you move mountains? I submit that before we are fully empowered to move mountains we must first be willing to be moved by the Word.

Finally, amidst the various pumpkin patches that have sprung-up around the County and the little ghouls and goblins that will be ringing your doorbell at the end of the month; let us not forget that it is indeed harvest season. Therefore, I pray that you will today begin to sow seeds of change in your life so that our future generations can view the County not only as a place of material wealth but more importantly, spiritual wealth. We simply can no longer remain comfortable at the foot of the hill when God has called Loudoun County to harvest at the top of the mountain.

About the Author: James Hackley attends Holy & Whole Life Changing Ministries International, in Lansdowne, Va. and his latest book, Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening ;can be purchased by visiting him at www.jameshackley.com or www.Amazon.com .