I have come to realize that my body truly is the temple of God, and I can’t be fit for service in the kingdom if I am not physically fit.
I joined First Place for Health in the inaugural class of September 2012, at the invitation of our leader, Kathy Fox. I wasn’t particularly looking for a weight-loss program, even though I was seriously overweight. Kathy handed me the information as I walked into church that Sunday morning. I took a look at it during the service, pulled out my checkbook and filled out the information. Kathy was a little surprised when I handed it back to her right after the service. She commented that I had made up my mind quickly, and I said “Why not?” “I’ve got nothing to lose by trying it out!”
I weighed 221 lbs. at weigh-in a few weeks later; my initial goal was to be under 200 lbs. By December, when we closed out the first session, I was a little over 200. I was determined to stick to my quiet time, exercising and eating right during the Christmas holidays, even though we were not meeting or weighing in. I bought a Beth Moore Bible study on strongholds and kept tracking and exercising. When we came back in January, I had lost 8 lbs. over 
the kingdom if I am not physically fit. I am now, for the first time in my adult life, at the proper weight (165 lbs.) for my height. More important than the outward change is the inward change that has occurred through spending time with my Savior every day. He is my portion and my all!
holidays. Praise God! I knew then that this program works, and I had everything I needed inside of me through the power of the Holy Spirit to be in control of my eating. I have come to realize that my body truly is the temple of God, and I can’t be fit for service in
I love sharing my testimony about how this program has brought me closer to the Lord; how He healed me of a lot of hurts and emotional baggage that I carried around, in addition to the 56 lbs. I shed. I want everyone to know of the freedom that is in Christ when we put Him first!