Body, Mind, and Spirit

Saturday, July 28, 2012

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.

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.

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 .