March 2011 was the beginning of 30 years of the First Place 4 Health ministry. I didn’t have a clue about all God planned to do when I joined the initial First Place class in March 1981 at my church in Houston, Texas. Today I look back and see that thousands of lives have been changed forever because these men and women have learned how to give Jesus Christ first place in their lives.
The first big 30th anniversary celebration event will be our 2011 Summit at Houston’s First Baptist Church on July 29-30. This event, which is usually reserved for FP4H Leaders, will be open to everyone this year. Many exciting seminars designed for FP4H leaders and members, along with inspiring worship and praise, will encourage you to continue your journey to wellness or motivate you to get started.
The Summit begins at 9:00 a.m. Friday, July 29, and ends at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. Visit our website under the Events tab for more information or to register.
When I joined First Place in 1981, I thought this was just another weight loss program. It sounded like fun because it was being held at my church and I could go to class with my family and friends. I never dreamed that God was going to use this program to literally change my life.
I was a Christian when I joined the class, but Jesus was not Lord of my life. After three years in the program, I finally gave up the reins of control to the Lordship of Christ and He began the work of conforming me to His image. I’m not there yet, but I have only praise for all Jesus has done since He became the Lord of my life.
Giving Jesus control was by far the most important decision I have ever made. What could He do through all of us if He could have all of us?
The second greatest blessing these last 30 years has been the friendships I have made in the program. We just returned from a Wellness Week at Sandy Cove Conference Center in Maryland and I left the week with 22 new friends. FP4H people have to be the nicest people in the world. I can think of almost any state in the US and immediately think of some FP4H person I love who lives there. I also have some wonderful FP4H friends in Canada and Australia.
Our theme for the 30th Anniversary year is “Better Together” and we truly are better together than if we tried to do it alone. My First Place 4 Health family is the greatest and I can’t wait to see all of you on July 29-30 in Houston.