These days I’m learning how to care without carrying.

When I care about something, and it’s not working out the way I hope, to stay well I give them over to Jesus, quickly.

Stick with me.

Before I unburden myself in front of you with the things I’m releasing to God let me tell you why.

When I care about something too much, I start carrying it as if it belongs to me, like a backpack that makes me feel important at the start: “Oh. I can do this. This care was made for me!”

But as time goes on and I keep carrying it, the care gets heavier.

Last time I cared too much and carried for too long, it almost did me in.

In my fatigue of wondering where He went, waiting, and carrying my burdens of care, like Abraham going on 25 years, I was losing the ability to wait because of THE WEIGHT I carried. I thought perhaps the days of seeing God’s glory were behind me, and now it’s time to step aside and let the younger gals take it from here. (I know. I know. So crazy! Who talks like that? Not me! I’m not clueless. I know I’m not young. But I also know God’s not done! I’m being honest, so you have a place to be too.)

Questioning thoughts that stay too long turned to barbs in my soul. In discomfort remained I entertain the lie that maybe God is done with me. It was a good ride. I saw miracles. Healings. Throngs of people worshipping God, dry bones coming alive in their bodies, and encountering a real King. I saw chains break. Laughter turned to tears. And tears turned to laughter by morning light.

Summed up in three words: I’ve seen God.

But what happens when you stop seeing Him like you once did?

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After 25 years of following God’s call, I could quit, cover it up with a good reason. No one would think twice. But dang if God didn’t make me quitting averse. If you have the gift of faith, to quit is to die. I know why I am here and the battle for which I was born. I am here to make embodied disciples – followers of Jesus who love God with their whole selves.

To love God wholly is to love bodily.

Getting to move the Love of God into good bodies at Instructor Training Retreat

All people, everywhere, were made to know God’s Love. It’s a love that is greater than fear.

I think if people know the Love of God, convinced it as real as the air all around them needed to breathe, they will humble themselves before God. Empowered by this same love, like Jesus, they think not twice of laying down their own life in a body for a friend. And maybe…just maybe…someone who’s acting like an enemy.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7

I had never noticed before how humility is linked to us casting our cares on Him. In other words, you lack humility if you hold on to your cares.

The word “casting” isn’t the sweet little picture of casting out a fishing line on a quiet little lake. It means to HURL. Hurl violently and with force, like the captain of a sinking ship needs to get rid of dead weight!

Throw, chuck, get rid of those cares. Don’t wait!

Bur our cares aren’t trash. God’s a good Father who cares about what we care about. The cares we release to God are the firewood for effective prayers. Hurl your cares in God direction then leave them there. And when the care rises again, HURL! Unless you like living on a sinking ship.

AZ sky

And now back to me going first.

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Here are my three cargo-hurling prayers I have for the Lord these days:

1. To know the love of God for me – It sounds selfish and egocentric, but go ahead and call me both. Because here’s the thing: I know I cannot love like Jesus unless I encounter His Love and have ongoing communion with His Love that lives inside of me. And to have ongoing communion with the God of Love is to receive a fresh revelation of His Love especially when I’m starting to care and carry. I want that! Don’t you?

   Paul tells us that as believers in Jesus, if we have all kinds of gifts, talents, and abilities and do great things for God but don’t have Love, then it’s all noise. What a waste! Right now the world doesn’t need more noise; it needs more God.

   I desperately want His Love to stay with me. And friends, I’m here to tell you, it’s happening! This has been my daily prayer since my ship sank back in March.

   What’s interesting to me is how His Love is showing up in me like peace. A deep, deep peace that’s new to me. Like a child sleeping in her mother’s arms while the mother watches a war movie in a surround-sound theatre.

   When I read His word (which is absolutely necessary to knowing God’s Love), I encounter His Love, and the result in me is peace.

   His Love is peace.

   His Love makes me bold, unwilling to live afraid, and the result for me is unreasonable peace.

   God’s peace looks irresponsible, unreasonable, and foolish to those who don’t have it.

   And those who know they are Loved by God have God’s peace.

   I’m starting to think if you get to know more of God’s Love, the other remaining fruits of the Spirit come more easily.

2. .To exercise my gifts – Do you know your gifts? Like what are the things that God inherently deposited into you and have been with you as far back as you can remember?

   Allow me to entertain you with this insight of me – I’ve always been a little bossy :) A born leader, you can say. If there’s work to do, I like to get it done. Mom once told me when I was five years old playing house with the next door neighbor kid, I walked into the playhouse as Jamie sat on my little plaid couch, picked up my toy broom and said, “You’re not just going to sit there, are you? Help me clean!” My Martha vibes were strong in me from the beginning.

   And then there’s the story of my rebellious punk rock high school sophomore self trying out for cheer as a way of spiting the preppy kids who said I wouldn’t be interested. Not only did I make the team, but I ended up making co-captain because the cheer coach saw in me leadership and motivational ability. (She told me she wanted to make me captain, but that was reserved for seniors only.)

   Oh, and then there’s my mouth – my ability to communicate. I have no problem saying what needs to be said. Growing up, I was told, “Your mouth is going to get you into trouble.” Turns out, the parents were right. But now I make GOOD TROUBLE. Satan hates my ability to communicate.

   Then there’s the first time I got up to preach the gospel to a room full of women hoping to lose weight. By the end of class God’s weighty glory filled the room. Women wept, turned toward the Lord, and nobody wanted to leave.

   My gifts of faith, teaching, preaching, and healing are unleashed when you put me in a room with people, whether many or few, looking to improve their life in EMBODIED ways. Bodies need to be with other bodies in a room to heal honestly and be set free.

   For reasons I don’t have time to go into, I haven’t had many opportunities to be in a room with actual bodies like during the good old days of Rev On The Road (Shout out below to let me know if we met during those glory days.)

   I so deeply miss the days of being with people in flesh and blood, on a regular basis, watching God move.

   So, I’m praying God would open doors of opportunity again. Until then, I’m still here exercising my gifts and fanning the flame through any means. Until God moves and makes ways, I’ll keep talking into microphones, staring at cameras, and teaching to people on screens.

3. One, two or three “in the flesh” friends – Okay. Here we go. This is the real vulnerable one. Yup, online friend. You read that right. I think this happens A LOT to ministry leaders. Leaders are often seen by many but known by few.

   Don’t get me wrong. I have so so so many amazing friends, people I legitimately call family in the ministry of Rev. These are men and women who I KNOW would storm the gates of hell with a water pistol, with me (Thanks, Aaron, my brother in ministry, for that good one :)

   I also need a room to be in with other bodies. Not to lead, like in prayer #2, but to just be me, with others chasing after God. To know others and be known by an honest one or few.

   At the beginning of my call, I had lots of local friends. My local classes and ministry overflowed with good friends to do life with regularly.

   We did Bible studies. Christmas parties. Birthday’s. BBQs. They are still some of my favorite people who are in new seasons of life.. They strongly believed in me. Got behind me. Prayed for me. They blessed me and sent me to go and make disciples everywhere. As recipients of what God was doing through me, they saw the burden I carried, and they saw others with their same need - to learn to love God with their bodies rather not chase a smaller pair of jeans. Some of those friends even came and worked with me. And some still do!

   

   Rev Well Christmas Sock Exchange, 2015

   Because I knew what God was calling me to, I went.

   I had less time for my local community as I built with God the global community of Revelation Wellness®. If I wasn’t busy doing ministry, I was raising my own kids and caring for my family.

   I pushed hard and birthed the beautiful thing that is a ministry we hope, by God’s grace, will stand the test of time, and leave the next generation with a legacy; a mission to carry on of God winning back souls and bodies.

   But as for me, the day came when the smoke cleared, the kids were raised, and the ministry could run on other gifted and called people. People more capable than me. I looked around and could no longer see a few close to me.

   Looking back, maybe I needed to make more time and effort to stay in local community.

   Everyone needs a person or a few people you can say all the things to. People who when you’re having a challenging day don’t talk back quickly in Christianese but at the right time point you back to God. People who don’t just help you feel better but get better. The kind you can call in the night and will show up with a shovel to dig a shallow grave, no questions asked.

   I kid. I kid. But you know what I mean. People who have been through Revelation Wellness training know what I mean :) You are my people. If only you lived closer to me.

   My therapist once said, “It’s funny how you’ve created for thousands the very thing you need.”

   Yup. Funny.

   I need just the one, two, or three who God has for me, in flesh and blood. If Jesus had it for Himself, surely He wants this for me.

   I guess you could say I’m dating. :)

   I’m praying, seeking, and knocking and following where the Spirit leads. Surely He will lead me into good things.

I am unburdening myself of all these things because He cares for me.

Because he LOVES me.

He is a Good Father who hears our prayers and only gives good things.

He wants to unburden you too.

So go ahead. Make your list. Humble yourself under his mighty hand, then hurl your cares at him.

Humble and hurl, friend.

Humble and hurl.

Don’t leave me hanging out here in all my vulnerability.

If you had to sum up three things you are asking for and hurling at the Lord what would they be?

Things you care about but need to stop carrying.

Things that could be hurting your physical health and sanity..

Peace,

Alisa

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To help a person get to where they want to go, it’s important to know where they are; otherwise, how will we know when progress is being made?

I’m a girl of progress! I resist spinning in circles. As much as I teach, preach, and lead from my guts and my heart, I love me some data to show progress is occurring.

In the natural realm, if we want to know where we are and if we are getting to where we want to go, tests are needed. An eighth grader doesn’t graduate and go to high school unless their test results from their eighth-grade year prove they are ready.

I love how God has designed our physical lives to mirror His spiritual reality.

After the moment we believe in our heart and confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord, we spend the rest of our lives seeking to understand God. What’s on His mind and how He wants to make His Kingdom come to earth, through us.

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For God’s Kingdom to come to earth through us, our hearts need tests to measure the size of our faith.

Jesus’s twelve closest friends understood testing.

“When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, to get into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three to four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea…” John 6:16-18

Jesus and his posse of twelve had just left the place where two fish and five loaves, about the amount needed to make maybe a dozen tuna sandwiches, were able to feed not just 5,000 people but even more. Commentators agree that the number was probably closer to 15,000-20,000 people, since women and children weren’t accounted for in those times.

My gosh! Take a moment to close your eyes and picture that ridiculous need.

For scale: Capital One Arena, in Washington D.C. holds 20,000 people. Imagine the reality of this impossibility Jesus tested His disciples with.

At this feeding of 5,000+, the disciples were tested, and they didn’t pass.

They didn’t come through; Jesus did.

Jesus took the little in His hands, looked up to heaven, gave thanks, broke the bread and the food kept coming.

By the end of the day, Jesus puts them in a boat and tells them to go to the other side.

I read through all the accounts of this story in the gospels and noticed no one ever asked or insisted Jesus stay with them and get in the boat. Perhaps they were riding high from being a part of something so heroic. Maybe they were a little punch drunk from being the hosts of such an epic party. After all, it was a remarkable miracle of multiplication, unlike anything seen since.

Puffed up with pride, they walked with a bounce in their step down to the boat, eagerly counting the days until they would conquer the Romans and rule the world.

At least they obeyed and got in the boat, but we all know how easy it is to obey when things seem to be going our way.

What started as a peaceful entry into the seas didn’t stay that way. As waves began to crash on the boat and threaten their lives, they kept rowing. Jesus’s friends rowed for three to four miles, which would have been equal to rowing a boat in a life-threatening storm for six to eight hours.

Since trauma can be defined as any moment that felt life-threatening, this traumatic moment for Jesus’s closest friends lasted six to eight hours.

Once again, my reader who is frustrated with God because you’re doing all the things and not encountering change, think about how drastically Jesus’s closest friends were tested. They thought they were going to die. With their lives threatened, they must have felt abandoned and turned over to complete physical, emotional, and mental misery for six to eight hours! Certainly their nervous systems were cooked!

Amédée Varin - Christ Marchant sur la Mer, 19th century painting of Jesus Christ walking on water, French Art, ca. 1850

Why would Jesus take them from experiencing something so good, like throwing an epic miracle-making banquet feast, to fearing for their lives?

Mark’s account of this boating event records something interesting.

“And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.” Mark 6:51-52

The ones who spent the most time with Jesus, had personal access to Jesus, heard the most teachings of Jesus, watched and recorded the miracles of Jesus, and had just hours earlier doled out tuna sandwiches for more than 15,000 people, then collected leftovers, had hard hearts.

When we think of hard hearts, we tend to think of someone in active rebellion. But biblically, to have a hard heart also means being slow to comprehend.

“for they did not understand about the loaves”

They witnessed a miracle; they liked the power of the miracle, but they were slow to comprehend the heart of God behind the miracle.

A test was needed for understanding God’s heart.

In the beginning, with our free will, we disobeyed God. We ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil when the tree of life was ours for the taking. When sin entered, the craving for the taste of knowledge stayed on our tongues. We are fools who think if we can understand God, if we can know what He is up to, why He does what He does, and when He will do what we want Him to do, THEN we can trust God. Then we will feel safe enough to worship Him with all of who we are.

Trying to comprehend what God is doing ruptures relationship with God. But we always have access to the why. The why behind His what is Love.

Fools tend to focus on getting God’s hand to move rather than what moves the heart of God.

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If you feel like you’re doing all the right things for a better life through improved health and the scale is not moving, the math is not mathing, and you’re tempted to think God is not at work, I encourage you to test your heart by considering a couple things:

1. Reflect on how you got in the boat: Did Jesus lead you into this storm? If you can look back and say, “God, I followed you into this storm. You asked me to ____(enter the new thing you’re doing)_____ and I am doing it and nothing about this feels good nor am I seeing positive change.” You may feel like God called you and then left you, but friend, keep rowing! You’re closer to reaching “the other side”. You’re closer than you could ever be, standing safely in your comfort zone, on the starting line shore.

Keep rowing!

Unlike the disciples who had yet to receive the Holy Spirit that turned them into ordinary men doing extraordinary things, willing to die for Love, the Holy Spirit that did that transformed them post-traumatic boat moment, is now in you. If He told you to get in the boat, don’t give up, He will come! Your faithfulness pleases his heart. At the proper time He will come to you. Don’t give up on thinking, feeling, and choosing what Love said to do.

Keep rowing!

If God didn’t ask you to do it. Stop now!

If God asked you to do it. Row! Row! Row!

The flesh that prefers hosting the world’s best party over following Jesus into a storm needs to understand the heart of God. The understanding is in the test.

Fear Not, It Is I by George Cocoo

Keep a Captain’s log: We can’t change what we can’t measure.

Remember those assessments I talked about at the beginning. When I have clients who feel like giving up because they aren’t seeing the number under their feet change, I have them account for the change they can feel. More energy? Better sleep? Mental clarity? The good feeling of agency and exercised self-control? Clothes fitting a little more comfortably? All of these are evidence that good seed is growing. Fruit will eventually come if the tree of faith gets watered. And water is water whether from a storm or a light sprinkle of rain.

Patience, time, and perseverance are the proving ground of those called by faith. If it’s a faith call, God will be faithful. Keep your emotions in check when it comes to numbers.

As the leader of an international non-profit with all kinds of income and expenses to be accounted for, sometimes the numbers and the math feel overwhelming. My husband, a cerebral engineer, once told me, his very emotionally in-touch wife, “Alisa, numbers don’t have feelings.” He was reminding me that measurements are just information. Good leaders use measurements as information, not identity.

For example, if a woman I’m coaching wants to step on the scale to see if theres measurable progress, before she does that I ask her to write down and send to me the improvements she’s been noticing that have nothing to do with the scale, how those choices she’s making are connected to who she wants to become as a person, and rate how much value they are to her on a scale of 1-10. Then, after that, if she wants to step on a scale, cool! It can be useful information, but if the storm cloud of doubt rolls in because she’s not seeing what she hoped to see, we have her Captain’s log to keep us on course to who she is becoming in Christ. She does not fear, keeps her peace and passes the test.

Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. -Matthew 14:27

2. Are you trying to improve your health but prone to feeling a little sea sick about your weight? I created this Captains Log for you. Click this link and I’ll send you a copy.

May you know peace in all storms,

Alisa

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Become a voice for the Gospel in the world of health and wellness! Next class of Revelation Wellness Instructor/ Health Coach training begins August 18th. Sign ups close August 14th. This disceipleship training school only happens once a year. Don’t miss!

Jessi started a new Instagram account in late 2025. Not new to social media, she left her career as a coach in binge eating recovery. Something inside her told her to start a fresh social media account, confessing she was career-confused. She began talking to people like a friend, using the little black hole on the back of her phone to record her one-way conversations. This is nothing new. Many people have been doing this for years. But one day she made a nonchalant post noticing how people seemed to be resonating with her candid conversations, and she called it “yapping.” She asked if people were interested in learning how to “yap” on their phones. People responded with an overwhelming “Yes! Teach us, Jessi. Teach us to do as you do.”

Jessi noted the demand, and without having ANY experience as a professional paid communicator, without having stepped on any big stages, she created a waiting list for people to sign up for her yapping challenge even though she had no yapping challenge created. The demand was there; she hit a need and responded by quickly getting to work creating a program that could help people – teaching what she was learning as she went.

Jessi opened up her challenge with her fingers crossed, thinking she might be able to make a little income for her family and help some people out. Get this: within 14 days, Jessi made 1.2 million dollars.

14 days. 1.2 million dollars.

She had to close the doors because the response was so overwhelming.

The demand continued to grow for her challenge. She opened up another round of the training shortly after the first, and this time she made 1.2 million in 24 hours. And then a few more million after that. In six weeks, Jessi made 6 million dollars.

That’s one million dollars a week for six weeks.

And before we look up to or down on Jessi, I think it’s worth asking a better question:

What kind of cultural hunger makes something like this occur? That’s the question that grabbed me.

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To me, this story is wild and tells us a few things about the current state of our culture and what God could be inviting us into as people who belong to Him. People who lovingly engage with culture, but like Jesus in a very different way, with sometimes very different outcomes.

Culture Fact

More than ever, people are seeing a new way to make money. I hedge my bets on the reason people want to learn from Jessi how to relax, be themselves, and talk to their phone isn’t to make more friends for friends’ sake but to become a personal brand and make money in hopes of leaving their day job and living a better life like they see other people living on their phones. I think Jessi’s challenge popped off because more and more people desire to be influencers and live a different life. But as I always say, how you gain it or lose it is how you live it. Influencing can get exhausting. Nothing comes for free. Brand deals cost the content creator time and energy just like any other job. Becoming a personal brand can mean the person’s life is the content. Life can become about creating content rather than something to be enjoyed and lived.

Living my life on our recent Hawaiian family vacay. Heaven on earth :)

Jesus warned us that we could gain the whole world and lose our souls.

Which makes me wonder if this cultural hunger isn’t about the desire to build a business but the desire for discipleship.

Kingdom Invitation

As ambassadors for Christ’s sake, we are God’s influencers. God is making His appeal to a world longing for importance and significance, through us.

Our lives tell the world about who and what we love and know to be true- Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. The Kingdom of God is recruiting influencers! People who let their life speak. People who activate their gifts and talents given to them by God and take their place in the body of Christ.

We are all called to share our affiliation with Jesus Christ with others, and we don’t need to talk to the camera to do that, UNLESS God tells us to do so. And even then, those whom He calls can trust Him to give them words to speak and to talk from their hearts authentically because real love can’t be faked.

Cultural Fact

People desire to be seen and are afraid to be seen.

What a strange tension. We want visibility, but we fear exposure. We crave significance while hiding from rejection. Oh, the human condition!

Jessi’s challenge taking off like a rocket tells us that people want to put themselves out there to grow online, and they know they need to put themselves out there if they want to grow a personal account/brand and quit their day job, but they fear rejection and the feeling of cringe when creating.

Kingdom Invitation

If you’re a believer in Jesus Christ, YOU are SEEN! He saw you in your mother’s womb before your body took form (Psalm 139:13,16). Not one day of your life has gone unseen by your God. You are not insignificant. You are not rejected, and God so loved YOU that He came and died for you so you could belong to Him and take your place in the body of Christ. God accepts you. He knows the plans He has for YOUR life. Their plans that will fit you perfectly, and although hard at times, they won’t break you.

None of us need to build a personal brand, but we do need to use the gifts we’ve been given, grab some tools, and build the Kingdom. You will find the most satisfaction in life through using your gifts and serving the body of Christ so God can build His Kingdom on you, a rock! And sometimes, God gives certain people a wider platform.

Scripture isn’t against influence. It’s concerned with what we do with it.

Some people will be well known in the body of Christ with the mention of their name, like Beth Moore, CS Lewis, Lysa Turkhurts, Tim Keller, Christine Caine, Lisa Bevere, and Joyce Meyers. I’m sure you could make a list of names who have influenced you into the ways of God. People whom God shines a light on for you. Some are known by many, and some are known by a few. It doesn’t matter; God knows them. Their names are written in heaven, and for this we rejoice.

Influence comes from obedience. Be obedient, and at the proper time, God will promote you.

God chooses to promote those He wants to promote. He isn’t an algorithm you can hack to move closer to the spotlight and be seen.

There’s one more thing Jessi’s story made me think about—not just who is influencing us, but what all this influence is ultimately producing.

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Cultural Fact

An increase of influencers “yapping” means more people will sell more things. More people selling more things means more people need to buy more things. Entire industries now compete for our attention every waking hour.

Here are some sobering consumerism facts: The average fast-fashion garment is worn only seven times before being discarded or donated. In the early 2000s, less than 1% of retail spending happened online. By 2024, that number rose to 16%. (I’ll raise my hand here and say “Of which I am a great contributor”. Jesus, help. I have succumbed to the comfort of “one click”. Lord save us from quick, fast, convenient and cheap.)

While on the topic of buying..we’re thinking of getting a dog. Again. Fight me.

Kingdom Invitation

Jesus says where our treasure is, there our heart will be also (Matthew 6:21)

We are God’s treasure, and in these bodies, in these jars of clay that are capable to carry yet still fragile and break, we have the treasure of knowing God and being known by God because of what Jesus did on the cross. We have received in our bodies and carry in our bodies the message of the gospel. What a treasure! We are rich! We have everything we need, and when more needs arise, Paul tells us we can count on the fact that our God can meet them, because he knows us; he knows what we need before we ask.

Consumerism is a distraction and keeps us from being consumed by the love of God.

So what does it actually look like to resist that pull? Take account of how much you consume and how much you contribute.

Every year at Revelation Wellness, we lay before our health coaches and instructors our plan for the year, for what we feel God has called us to create for training the body of Christ to love their bodies and love God. We invite them to do two things: pray, then decide not just what they will consume for their own growth and benefit but how they will use what we’re creating to contribute to the growth and benefit of another.

In what ways are you consuming God’s love and in what ways are you contributing to others knowing?

I can’t say I know of anyone in ministry who made 6 million dollars in six weeks. Heck, they probably haven’t made that in sixty years. But I can say I know some heavy-hitting influencers in the Kingdom of God. Some are content to work for and serve someone else as an honor of God by working their nine-to-five with invisible crowns on their heads. Some work for themselves, coaching, teaching, and influencing in person or online, and they too keep their crowns. They all push back darkness and give hell a hard time. People who pay attention to people’s needs because they’ve seen the same need in themselves, and they know how to meet another’s need without losing themselves.

They are Kingdom influencers, ambassadors for Christ’s sake, letting Jesus make his appeal through them.

The world might never know their names, but that’s okay, all of heaven does.

Maybe that’s the invitation hiding underneath Jessi’s story.

Jessi hit a cultural nerve that provoked me to ask the questions of why, and those were just a few thoughts that came to my mind in company with the Holy Spirit.

I’ll always be a God-first girl who thinks the world and the people who fill it are amazing at their core. It’s just that life has been hard on them. And my heart aches for people whose hearts are hard towards God to know the love of God that leads into a full and satisfied life.

If you want to be a Kingdom influencer, here’s my FREE, simple three-step “yapping” challenge for you.

1. Do good.

2. Enjoy your life.

3. Make God known by sharing who He is and what He does, and you might be known by many or a few.

When your influence grows by many or few, stay on your knees.

You didn’t grow it. God did.

Alisa

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PS. July 31st is the last day to save $ when enrolling for Revelation Wellness® Instructor/ Coach training. Class starts August 14th. :)

I had heard through the ministry grapevine that Mark had lost an incredible amount of weight. Then, recently, after getting so many questions when meeting people in person, he took to Facebook with a before-and-after pic, telling all his family, friends, and ministry co-workers what he had done in the last year and a half to change his appearance so dramatically. To go from 260 pounds to 175, Mark went carnivore.

I am not writing this post as a pro-carnivore health coach, nor as a health coach who is against.

I’m a firm believer that everyone is responsible for themselves in figuring out the best way to eat, given the season of life they are in. Although there are some basic common sense best practices around eating, like eat more whole foods and minimize the processed ones, our relationship to food is as unique as each person’s genetic DNA.

Each body, designed by God, is unique, and our past experiences and the current life we’re living shapes its nutritional needs.

We need the willingness to get curious and stay curious when making change.

Mark shared with me that when he started eating this way, he wasn’t convinced it would be the way for him to get his out-of-control sugar cravings under control. He wasn’t even sure it would benefit him. All he knew was that BOSA Donuts was his best friend (if you live in AZ, you know J). He suspected his doctor might disagree with his decision, but he was willing to give it a try after doing some research. His bloodwork was already littered with warning signs of concern, so he got some lab work done, told himself he would give it three months and get his labs checked again. If the markers improved, he would continue. If they didn’t, he would stop.

Mark started curious and stayed curious by asking questions as he went.

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As a health coach, its important to highlight that Mark was at a pivotal moment essential for change- his honest turning point; “I need to do something different since this isn’t moving anywhere near good.”

He didn’t go public with his decision. He told his wife, who had been praying for Mark’s health, and of course, she was on board. But before Mark headed off into a life where he would relate to food differently, Mark did something that set him apart from the millions of others today resolving to eat differently.

Because Mark knows he needs and wants God in all things, first, Mark fasted.

“The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” Matthew 9:15

The word fast, as used in Matthew 9:15, means “to abstain from food (or drink) for religious or spiritual purposes“. Fasting isn’t a way to get God to act. Fasting is an embodied way of expressing humility, dependence, grief, repentance, longing, or seeking God’s direction.

Our English word fast comes from the word fastana which means “to hold firmly”.

Fasting wasn’t Mark’s diet. Fasting was how Mark starved his flesh, sought the strength of God to hold firmly to Him, before changing what he would eat. This is a VERY important distinction for how and why we fast.

Why we fast: to weaken the strength of self-sufficiency

How we fast: remove what we do to feel good that leaves us feeling weak.

If Mark’s journey piques your curiosity, and you sense the Holy Spirit inviting you into a new way of relating to food or your body, here are six prompts to journal. (If you consider me a trusted Health Coach and teacher of this Good News message for your body and soul, and you WANT change, please take the time to sit down and write out the answer to these questions. Information does not change anyone. Information is another form of dopamine hit for the brain. Action creates change. Please do the action of writing your answers down.)

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Six Questions For Staying Curious While Quitting

1.What needs to stop? For Lance, it was sugar. His knew his new way of eating would radically eliminate all forms of sugar from his diet.

If your health markers aren’t great due to extra weight on your frame, it’s probably safe for me to assume your blood sugar levels are over the line. When negative feelings arise, like stress, your brain signals dopamine for you to reach for cookies, cakes, donuts, pastas, pizzas, breads, and desserts – the yummy things.

Somewhere in your past, you turned to tasty food when feeling bad, and it worked for relieving discomfort or pain, so you turned to it time and time again. You innocently wired your brain in this cause and effect loop. But now you no longer welcome the effects.

The foods we reach for are the negative downstream effect of something occurring upstream. Working too much, saying yes to every opportunity, or people pleasing are all stress and negative feelings induced upstream. But it can be effective to stop the downstream effect (like fasting from sugar, or social media..etc) to block the flow of the river, so you can walk the dry riverbed to identify the cause upstream to identify the faulty belief behind the behavior.

The truth is, downstream actions are easier to stop because they are quicker to identify and control than the belief behind our behavior. Quitting anything feels empowering at first, but eventually mental exhaustion and physical irritation sets in.

To avoid quitting on what your quitting when things get hard and your brain floods you with dopamine, take a breath and try asking yourself at least one if not all of the next five questions.

2. What should I start with? – Instead of only focusing on what you’re going to stop, consider what you will start. Don’t take others’ ideas about how you should eat at face value. Be open to new ways to relate to food choices. Maybe it’s prioritizing protein, meal-prepping, cooking 5 out of 7 days a week, taking your lunch to work every day, not skipping breakfast, or eating more slowly and mindfully. If you pull one lever and start doing something new to replace what you’re quitting, like Mark, after three months (which is the average amount of time for a new habit to take root and remodel the brain) reassess and account for the cost and benefits, then decide to keep going or not.

3. What is my body teaching me? – In general, people are disconnected from their body. Their hunger cues, discomforts, pain and sensation. Just stopping an action does not make messages from our body go away. If anything, for a little while, our bodies get loud. That’s our flesh, our sinful nature, and our neurobiology, not getting what we want and not happy with the change. Don’t be rude to your feelings. Pay attention to what your body is saying, even if it’s telling you, “This sucks! Can’t you feel we’re in pain?“

Our bodies have been speaking to us since we were children. Due to pain caused by sin, we’ve lost communication, and that’s what probably spun us off into trying our first diet anyway.

To stop doing what hurts us is a kind thing. To stay curious and open to hearing from our body and asking it what it needs is even kinder.

Every body needs more curiosity and kindness.

Mark was curious about this new way of eating. “I will give it a try, and if I don’t feel better and improve my health markers after three months, I’ll stop.“

Let your body speak and kindly listen. If what it’s saying isn’t kind, compassionate, or caring, listen, then be that kind of voice in your response to what your body is saying.

Example:

Body – “I’m tired. I have a headache.”

You – “I hear you. This is hard. Understandably, we have low energy. We’re learning to use new energy right now and it will help us in the long run. What else could we eat for energy and to treat this headache?”

And instead of asking: “Did I lose weight this week?“ ask of your body, “How’s my energy? Sleep? Mood? Cravings? Digestion? Strength?”

Our bodies speak. We can learn to listen with compassion and ask kind questions.

5. What makes health easier? –Successful change requires a supportive environment.

Everything from the people we live with, the places we go, the spaces we enter, and the placement of the things in that space creates our environment. For example, Mark no longer has sugar in his house. He doesn’t buy foods loaded with it at the store and make a place for them in his home. When he travels and does ministry work, he’s thoughtful about his choices, plans the best he can, but doesn’t freak out if what he eats is not what he would have chosen. He still eats. And the people who surround him support his health choices because they’ve seen the positive change. (I know this sentence brings up a lot of big feelings for people who are in marriages where their spouse is not supportive of their health change. Let me know in the comments if you think an article from me on this issue would be helpful for you.)

Don’t be an extremist, be an environmentalist- set up your environment to make health easier for you, and don’t freak out when the environment feels out of control.

God is God, and we are not. He has control.

5. What habit naturally wants to come next?- This is the fun stuff! Clients of mine who stop a harmful habit and start a helpful one, while staying curious as they go, gain organic momentum. A person who starts walking regularly becomes curious about walking a little further, then tries a little jog for the fun of it, because curiosity keeps things fun! Before you know it, they’re interested in lifting weights, going to bed a little earlier, or trying new foods and cooking techniques.

Good things from God grow organically and come with momentum.

6. Who am I becoming? – The main point of gaining health is not to look better but to feel better.

Beauty concerns how we look. Health has to do with ability.

I’m not interested in policing others idea of beauty, but I am ALL IN on every follower of Jesus having Christ-like ability. Ability begins and ends with having breath in our lungs!

Let everything with breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!” – Psalm 150:6

I can promise you my friend Mark came to his turning point because keeping breath in his lungs (aka life) was on the line, not because he was depressed about lacking six-pack abs.

Living in good health helps us feel better, so we have a better chance at thinking and choosing what’s best when life feels hard. It’s in our thinking, feeling, and choosing to love God above all other things that we tell the world who we are. And to paraphrase author James Clear, every choice we make is a vote for who we are becoming.

We become more like Christ with every loving, kind, and wise decision we make.

Whatever it is that you’re curious about trying, seek God first through fasting—sacrificing something you rely on that leaves you feeling weak. Identify any negative beliefs that might be holding you back, while clinging to curiosity of the Holy Spirit as your main companion for your journey, I bet you will find amazing things and change.

What are you feeling drawn to stopping and starting? Comment below! I would love to hear and pray for you. And when you find amazing things as you journey be sure to come back to show and tell me all the things.

Rest and peace,

Alisa

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F for futility.

In March, when I was on the verge of burnout, Brian was my therapist. He had devoted himself to Jesus decades ago, becoming a missionary overseas driven by a deep passion for the lost. However, he experienced extreme burnout and disillusionment, ultimately leaving the mission field and returning to the States, questioning his identity outside of being a missionary and pondering what to do next.

After a period of soul-searching and punching his first in the dirt, he felt called to become a therapist. Perhaps he sought to find answers to the questions surrounding his own discontent. Regardless of his motivation, I am grateful that he made this transition, as his personal experiences with burnout years ago in ministry would eventually, years later, become a blessing for me. God knew I needed someone who understood the struggles of following Him with your whole heart, soul, mind and strength, while wrestling with feelings of futility.

Futility sounds like: What gives God? All this hard work seems so useless.

For a good Christian, this F word can be provocative and appears impolite. It’s as if God would be upset because we express dissatisfaction with how things are unfolding for us on Earth, where every good seed we plant in the soil faces the threat of drought, thorns, and thistles.

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Perhaps back in January, at the turn of the year, you were ready to make a go again at improving your health. It’s not like your goal was to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated; you had hoped that with the Lord’s guidance, you could gain some ground in your health, because you really do believe nothing is impossible with God.

And maybe you’re still going, holding ground, and gaining ground, little by little.

But please, if there’s one thing we must do to heal our souls and love our bodies like Christ, we must get honest. So let’s be honest. Don’t some days feel like futility?

You find yourself thinking: “Are the results I”m getting worth all the effort I put in?”

Strong’s Bible Concordance defines futility as 1. What is devoid of truth, 2. Depravity, 3. Frailty, want of vigor (that last meaning really hits when caring for our body requires physical energy.)

Some of you have experienced a sense of futility or a fragile spirit the first time you stepped on the scale or tried on an old pair of jeans, only to find that there was “no change.” As a result, you gave up and quit. This feeling of futility led you to retreat back into your spiritual comfort zone. You pulled the covers of God’s word over your head and reassured your soul by saying, “My body isn’t important to God. He’s looking at my heart.”

However, you still don’t feel good physically. Your body feels like it’s against you and you’re quietly waiting for the perfect program to cross your path to harness the winds of change and fill the sail of your soul with the energy to try again.

As the character Red says in my most favorite movie, Shawshank Redemption, “Get busy living or get busy dying.” Right?

But to live by faith is to grapple with futility.

Let’s look at what a scripture passage says about futility.

“For creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” - Romans 8:20-21

Three things we can learn from scripture on futility:

1. God Purposes Futility – When I read this passage mentioning that we’ve been subjected to futility, it often feels frustrating and disheartening. My instinct is to blame Satan for this sense of futility, thinking he is the one causing our frustrations and making our faithfulness feel like a waste of time. While he does hold some responsibility, especially from the beginning, we must remember that God is greater than he is. The scripture clearly says it’s God who subjected us to futility. It’s almost as if God has outsmarted Satan, permitting thorns and thistles to be a consequence of sin, but he saw purpose in it. He would use our feelings of futility and our desire to give up as a way to draw us closer to Him. God does not shame us for feeling futile; instead, He invites us, with, “Come to me.” He is our hope when it feels like our faithfulness is amounting to nothing. God’s purposes are at work in futility.

2. God hopes in our futility– Futility feels like barbs in our skin, causing pain and discomfort trigger that tempt us to believe we are enslaved by a harsh God who doesn’t desire our joy or flourishing. When we aks ourselves “What’s the point?” the Spirit of God fights for us to remind us of the living hope we have in Christ . This hope assures us that God is committed to us and will never give up on us. The question is: will we choose to stay committmed?

It seems that futility serves as God’s way of keeping our relationship with Him alive. It prompts us to actively choose Him, to stay with Him long enough to witness what He can do in our lives. Any other choice we could make leads to hopeless futility—marked by depravity and a lack of truth. Because God’s love is not controlling, we are free to give up and go another way, but God will be waiting for us, with the light on at the front porch, ready for our prodigal return.

3. Futility leads to either bondage or freedom. God subjects us to futility and prompts us to ask the question, “Is this even worth it?” This challenge awakens us to a choice. We can either continue in our darkened thinking, believing that God is against us—portraying Him as a tyrant who is unkind—or we can lean into the Kingdom of God, where we return to our identity as His child. As children of God, we are not enslaved people, forced to make bricks without straw day after day. Just a few verses earlier, Paul states that we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. This means we are God’s kids, a part of the family business, provided we are willing to endure suffering, especially during days that feel futile.

Following this honest look at futility, eight verses later, Paul pens the infamous Romans 8:28 that adorns countless coffee mugs and wall art around the world;

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

Paul tells us that all things, even those that feel futile, are working for our personal good and for the collective purpose of increasing goodness on earth through all His people, the Church.

Here’s our embodied practice for the next time you feel God isn’t good and enjoys playing tricks on you.

Groan, don’t grumble.

“For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.” Romans 8:22

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” Romans 8:22-26

The Holy Spirit groans.

Groaning isn’t unbelief. It’s honest sorrow mixed with hope.

Grumbling expresses distrust and accuses God.

Groaning says, “Lord, this is hard.”

Grumbling says, “Lord, you are wrong.”

Groaning is honest lament.

Grumbling is bitter complaint.

Groaning is pain mixed with hope.

Grumbling is pain mixed with unbelief.

Groaning moves towards God.

Grumbling pushes away from God.

Groaning wants redemption.

Grumbling demands immediate relief.

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In our feelings of futility, I believe Jesus leans forward, elbows on his knees, moving to the edge of his seat, intently interested in our situation. He hopes we will remember who we are and who he is, encouraging us to stay connected to the Father while He works everything out for good. His good kills our pride and suffocates our selfishness and self-sufficiency. It not only blesses us but also impacts others in ways we couldn’t possibly imagine. It is the kind of good that Jesus won for us, even though one of his last words recorded were a deep groan of abandonment: “Father, why have you forsaken me?”

Since returning from my soul-searching time away I still wrestle with feelings of futility. My circumstances haven’t magically improved since I took the time to understand why, like Paul in Romans 7, I find myself doing what I don’t want to do, rather than what I desire. However, one thing is for sure: even though my life isn’t any easier, I go a lot easier on myself when sensing the futility.

I know I am God’s daughter.

Before He said “let there be,” he wanted me.

He gave me life so I could be with Him and do things with Him.

He loves my company. Not the corporation kind but the companion kind.

And that, my embodied friends, I am convinced, is the firm foundation for a beautiful body and soul life.

Rest and peace,

Alisa

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*If you’re a Revelation Wellness Instructor or Coach, make sure to attend Revive, your 5-day in-person retreat from October 25-29. We will provide a series of workshops focused on how to love your body while still pursuing change. If you’ve felt like your efforts to help others with their health have been futile because you still struggle with your own, we’ve got you! Post-retreat, I’m going to do something I’ve never done before. I will lead three follow-up coaching sessions to keep you on your way to change when you return home. Life gets overwhelming, and we want to support your overcoming that sense of futility and keep you on mission with making Love seen.

If you’re not a Revelation Wellness instructor/coach and want to learn more about becoming one, which also includes a 5-day in-person embodied discipleship training retreat, October 25-296th, follow this link.

Somewhere in the last ten years of my life I began to wonder, “Is this the Summer I should start wearing a one-piece?”

And then I snap out of it.

First of all, there’s a should in that sentence. Most of you know how I feel about shoulding. Pay attention to your shoulding. Using the word “should” is often a good indicator that your heart is not speaking from love but from fear. All shoulds should be investigated. (Yes, I shoulded on you.)

I love the feeling of the sun and water on my bare skin too much to cover myself with lycra. I do plenty of that in my 9 to 5 :) I bet you do too, in some body shaping ware. I enjoy the warmth of the sun and the contrast between the bubbly cold water and the soothing waves. I understand why God created Adam and Eve naked; it feels good to be unclothed and free, something toddlers and babies know instinctively.

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However, many women struggle to remember the last time they felt free in their skin, and for some, this is due to very valid reasons. But don’t lose hope in the healing process. I promise it is attainable, and I have numerous testimonies in my war chest to prove it.

I teach people to love God and their bodies. It’s paradoxical, really.

Because to love God is to love something we have forever and can never lose.

But to love our body is to love something we will lose.

Learning To Love What We Will Lose

If you think about it, everything we love and know in this life. Anything we can touch, taste, smell, and feel, we will ultimately lose.

Spouses, children, jobs, titles, positions, houses, health, youth. We live in a world where everything is passing away. (My husband and I often engage in a morbid conversation titled, “Who Will Die First?” He’s convinced he will die before me. I think due to his deep love for our family; he can’t bear the thought of living on after losing any of us. Anyone else do this?)

I suspect that at the core of our frustrations with our body and fixation on fixing our body is the fact that we don’t know how to live a life of loving and losing.

My knee-jerk reaction to losing anything is to hold tighter. How about you?

Yes, my skin is softer, has more elasticity, and there’s a bit more flesh on my belly. I believe a good one-piece swimsuit could snatch that right up.

If I wanted to, I could go back to my fitness competition days and get show-ready. I know how to achieve the cuts and definition.

But I am keenly aware that pushing myself too hard is a trap.

Focusing too much on my appearance makes me lose sight of what’s important.

My summer body at the beach, on vacation, needs to be about relaxation, enjoyment, and being present with myself, my God, and the people I love around me.

And just in case you think this kind of freedom is uncurbed - rest, enjoyment, and presence with the Lord, myself and people smash the idols of control and gluttony.

Rest is essential for my body, mind, and spirit because it helps calm my nervous system. With a calm nervous system I think, feel and choose better.

Macro counting and worrying about how I look are anything but calming for me.

Caring Vs. Worrying

Jesus never said not to care for our bodies. Care for the body is right and good.

Worrying about our bodies is not good.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body,..” Matthew 6:25

Worrying is what happens when we care too much about anything.

And worrying about ourselves keeps us small.

Being focused on ourselves is what the Bible calls navel-gazing. The word looks like it sounds—head down, rounded shoulders, collapsed heart, looking inward at ourselves.

Focusing on ourselves makes our lives small when God commanded us to increase and take ground.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it…” Genesis 1:28

We are supposed to get big.

Satan works overtime to get the daughters of God focused on their bodies as problems. Often, shots are fired from the mouth of another who’s been shot.

“Look, your arms are flabbier than mine.”

And then the whispers come:

We have a problem.

What’s with this extra skin that needs to be tucked into my bra?

Look at that roll of skin that wasn’t there last year.

Our bodies are not a problem.

Due to fragility, they have issues, but issues are not problems.

Sin is the problem.

Sin breaks everything.

Most importantly, relationships.

Sin breaks relationship with God, ourselves, and others. And wherever there is disconnection, there is death. The experience of death produces grief.

And grief is what many of us are actually feeling when we stand in front of a mirror.

But instead of grieving, we often grab tighter.

We manage.

Control.

Count.

Measure.

Fix.

And a body that holds on for dear life has a nervous system on high alert. Chronic inflammation and even disease can follow. A person whose inner being holds on tight can never move fully into the abundant life that Jesus gave His body, His life, to give.

I think God wants us to live a life that feels more like a day at the beach- flopping around foolishly in ocean waves, goggles on to see the underworld of the sea, feeling the hot sun and cold water on our skin. That sounds way more fun than staying home pulling and prodding and fearing our reflection in the mirror.

Yes. That’s me. I hope to be her every Summer, until my last.

So if you want to get the beach life into your soul, I know of only one embodied way to do that:

Connect with God, in your body and with your body, and get honest with Him about the pain of loving and losing.

Because the path to freedom is not fixing what is changing.

It’s learning how to love and care for what isn’t ours to keep while not losing sight of the love and value of the One who keeps us and bottles our tears.

It’s learning how to enjoy the moment and trust God when it changes.

That’s the kind of person I want to be.

And I think that's a woman who enjoys her life and does good in every season—summer, fall, winter, and spring.

xo

Alisa

You’re invited to join me for an embodied time of healing, joy and rest at Summer Body Reconnect on Sunday, June 14th at 7 pm EST. It’s a donation only event. Give what you can, take what you want. All you need is your body, on a mat, with space and time to be. I known and seen what happens when people come to God with their bodies that hold lots of love and loss. Come be with me. Here’s a link to regitser for the livestream.

Want to attend live in the studio, with me, at Revelation Wellness Headquarters in Phoenix, AZ? Here’s that link. Space is limited.

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The body worker says to Leeanne, “Say, that part of my life is over.”

Leeanne replies emphatically, “That part of my life better be @#$%%$ over.” She weeps.

Somatic release videos, which focus on using movement to release physical pain, have gained significant popularity on social media, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, discussions about trauma became more prevalent, encouraging people to be open about the pain they carry—a pain that resides not just in the mind but also in the body. Bessel van der Kolk’s influential book, “The Body Keeps the Score,” has provided us with a new perspective on healing that emphasizes a body-based approach. The phrase “The Body Keeps the Score” has become a common talking point for me, and I often use it to explain the work we do at Revelation Wellness.

In a room of mostly Non-Christians who ask me what I do, I like to say, “Well, you know how the body keeps the score?” They nod in eager agreement and lean in. “Well, I help Christian’s heal their hurts so they are nicer people in the world.”

Nine times out of ten, they say, “Tell me more.”

Recently, a paper in Frontiers titled: The body does not keep the score: trauma, predictive coding, and the restoration of metastability. My DMs accelerated with people asking me what I thought.

First off, it’s important to know this paper is more theoretical neuroscience, just like Bessel’s viewpoint. Neither Bessel’s theory nor this paper’s theory is a settled clinical truth.

The scientist-authors want to remind us that trauma occurs in the brain and comes with predictive coding.

When a negative experience occurs, the brain adjusts and makes predictions to prevent that circumstance from happening again. As we rely on these predictions, they become more rigid, or fixed. Our nervous system, which is how the brain talks to the body and the body to the brain, goes into high alert when we come close to a moment, place, or space that poses a similar risk.

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What predictive coding can feel like.

For some of you, this predictive coding for your body, which affects your health (mentally and/or physically), occurred in gym class when you were bullied, had a ball thrown at your face, and called fat. Now, in places and spaces that require the use of your body or talk about the body, you feel “stuck” because danger is overpredicted.

The authors of the paper remind us that healing from trauma requires metastability - the ability for the brain to switch with ease between two states. In other words, we can be in an overwhelming moment, become aware of the rigidity, assess the situation with higher reasoning, and then guide ourselves into a more peaceful state. The healing starts and ends in the brain.

This paper specifically challenges the phrase “the body keeps the score”. As if the body holds trauma like a trash can contains trash, and trauma doesn’t leave the person until the trash is taken out through the body. Like when we see LeAnn Rimes crying and declaring, “That moment is over for me,” upon feeling her jaw release. Is that moment really over for Leeanne? Is the trauma resolved? (I’ll come back to this later.)

According to the authors of the paper, “Trauma is a disorder of prediction, not storage.”

This might shock some of you, but I actually agree with this paper. The body does not store trauma like a pimple stores pus - like if you press on the point of inflamed pain in the body, and do the right manipulations, and say the right words, the trauma will leave.

However, I also agree with Bessel’s viewpoint that our bodies hold pain that words sometimes cannot access or express, although our nervous system has been aware of it for years.

Resting and digesting at training retreat

Keep in mind that from ages 0-7, when we are forming the most essential parts of our worldview, we learn these somatically, through our bodies. A preverbal child doesn’t know they’ve done something wrong because they heard the word “NO!”. They don’t know what the word no means. They learn it by the way the words are said through the bigger person’s body- the tone of the voice, the look on the face, and overall how that moment makes them FEEL. Predictive coding then kicks in to help keep the child out of danger and the negative situation from happening again.

Movement. Metastability. And A Messiah.

I agree with the authors that healing from trauma starts and stops in the brain. But along the way, the body has something important to say and an integrated life requires attunement to what it’s saying.

After 16 years of leading Revelation Wellness, I have repeatedly witnessed the transformation that occurs when individuals who feel stuck engage with their bodies and inside a supportive community. Many of these individuals carry decades of physical, mental, emotional, or social pain. Some have experienced their share of trauma, like having that kickball thrown at their face and repeatedly called fat. They love God and understand, in their minds, that His truth should set them free. They know that renewing their minds through God’s words and good mental health therapy can help heal their trauma, yet they still struggle to live fully alive and free.

It is only when they feel safe enough to connect with their bodies and participate in kinetic movements—whether as gentle and rhythmic as breathing, or as energetic and spirited as squatting, dancing, or drumming—that they begin to let go and honestly begin their journey towards healing.

Drumming. The felt resonance and reverb fosters body release.

Neuroscience research and several meta-analyses suggest that people who exercise their bodies or can focus on their breath and be still meditatively have smaller amygdalae - the area of the brain that’s responsible for emotional rigidity. They also have larger hippocampi, which are responsible for memory and learning and help make new brain cells. Exercise can rearchitect the brain.

Purposeful movement enhances our sense of agency. With this agency, individuals can learn to shift between different states of the nervous system: from “focus and fight” (sympathetic), which generates heat in our bodies, to “rest and digest” (parasympathetic), which cools us down. Purposeful movement encourages us to embrace the tension between hot and cold, joy and discomfort, love and fear, safety and uncertainty. At its core, any form of movement challenges our comfort and comes with inherent risks.

Since the authors of the paper state that metastability is required to heal the brain of trauma, the ability for the brain to shift states, it seems only logical that movement, which is purposeful activation of the nervous system that switches states, is integral to healing the brain. People in touch with their bodies have a better chance at noticing emotional rigidity and moving towards integration. Metastability requires embodiment.

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I worry this paper may lead us back to living in our heads. Let us not revert to Cartesian thinking where we consider ourselves as merely brains on sticks.

In my opinion, the authors of this paper may not have felt the need to write it if Bessel had titled his book “The Body Keeps A Score.” The use of the word “the” suggests singularity and ownership. I’ve read the book and in no way does Besel take this stance. He proposes that the body must be considered and allied for completing the cycle of healing.

Both the brain and the body are crucial in the healing process from trauma, and the paper supports this shared perspective.

Again, it appears the authors motives was to stop the snake-oil selling of body workers who taut trauma is stored in the body like a container and if you do this with your body, you’ll be freed. They’ve taken the now-colloquial title of Bessel Van Der Kolk’s book to an extreme.

Now here’s the MOST important thing: Let’s go where science, especially papers like these, refuse to go; Jesus, The Messiah, is Lord over all body, soul and brain things in need of healing.

When we move a certain way, stretch, or even get a massage, we can feel a somatic (body) sense of release. The God who made our bodies and gave us life knows we need that relief. We were made for light and ease.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

And if the word of God is “shut up in your bones” (Jeremiah 20:9) when feeling any form of relief in your body, and while breathing deeply with the breath that God gives you (Job 33:4), words like...

“Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.” Psalm 103:2-3

“But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the Lord...” Jeremiah 30:17

These words in a moment of a felt sense of relief are no longer truthful words we’ve heard, and known and even memorize with our minds.

They are words we somatically experience IN our body as Truth.

Bodies for praise.

There’s a big difference between knowing about healing and actually experiencing it. I might know about Disneyland, but just having knowledge of it doesn’t change me. However, experiencing the magic of the park certainly can. When I visit, I’ll likely go home, share my experiences with others, and cherish those memories for years to come and can hope to one day go again if I’m willing to save my money and sacrifice the time to go.

And an experience of healing that sets us free from rigidity requires us to set a course of staying free. Staying free isn’t free, it’s costly.

Jesus didn’t heal people and then tell them to have a nice life. He healed them and then instructed them on what to do next. Would they obey and follow Him?

Just like all our instructors who leave their 5-day mountain top retreat looking brighter and feeling lighter when they leave, we tell them “You’ve been set free. Now stay free and go set others free.”

Staying free from rigidity due to trauma requires the ongoing practice of metastability - shifting between states.

In John 16:33 Jesus said in this world, we will face trouble —we may experience nights of grinding our teeth in worry. However, we can take comfort in the knowledge that Jesus sacrificed His body so that ours could be united with His. Our physical bodies will experience pain and will eventually fade away, but inwardly, we can be free from trauma, healed, and empowered to live fully. The ability to navigate between these two states—trouble and triumph—by feeling what we need to feel and grieving what must be grieved, while also remembering the ultimate victory that Jesus provides, exemplifies embodied metastability.

I don’t believe that LeAnn Rimes achieved complete healing from her trauma the moment those latex gloves intruded on her personal space and pressed into her somatic pain. While I do think she felt relief from her trauma and connected that pain to a memory she’d like to forget, relief does not equate to healing.

True healing requires a Healer who is always availabe for an appointment and can continuously guide us back to our true selves with love and belonging until the predictive patterns are weakned by capital T Truth and the body feels a sense of the saving relief and agrees its safe and can let go. As human beings, we are simply not equipped to fulfill that full-time, all knowing, healing role.

We are pretty skilled at modifying our behavior to avoid or deflect pain and manipulating external factors for relief, but only God—who gives us life and designed our bodies and brains— and wants us to be with Him and live with His relaxed peace, can provide true, integrated, transcendent and lasting healing.

Phew..that was a long one. Thanks for sticking in theere with me. I’d love to hear what you think. Let’s talk below ⬇️

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If you want to learn more about Revelation Wellness training, here’s a link.

How did you feel loved growing up?

Before I share my response, please take a moment to sit with that question. The question isn’t how did I KNOW I was loved growing up. We all have a sense of knowing whether or not we were loved. But how did we FEEL loved growing up? That’s a different question.

How did I feel loved growing up?

I had to drop my ear to one shoulder and THINK on that for a bit.

I remembered the day my mom took me out of school early — not for a doctor’s appointment, not for the orthodontist who cranked my braces to fix my overbite. She took me out of school just to take me to Dairy Queen and a movie. Over ice cream mom would talk to me like a big person, asking me my opinion about her anger or sadness with my dad.

That made me feel loved. (Although now, looking back, I see the oversharing and processing with me, the child, was unhealthy. In a time when therapy was shamed and trauma was left unnamed, what’s the big person to do?)

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The day Mom opened a credit card account at Bullocks — a very fancy, high-end store in Arizona during the 1980s — so she could buy me name-brand clothes like OP, Vans, Jag, and Esprit. The clothes the wealthy kids were wearing at my new junior high, the school my mom insisted I transfer to. She saw the poor choices girls in my neighborhood school were making and she was concerned. After seven years of social climbing, on the doorstep of turning 13, I had reached the top of the popularity totem pole. She pulled the rug out from under me by enrolling me in fancy-people school. Opening that credit card and taking on debt to let me shop was a survival move. I’m sure she thought the least she could do after wiping out my social credit was to get me the same clothes the other girls wore — the rich ones who gave me grief for not fitting in. This clothing we couldn’t afford had forcefield power. The designer labels did shield me from unkind words and forbidding stares.

This made me feel loved.

Sunrise or sunsets in the desert always make me feel loved.

The day Veronica — a little bit hood, not so much a holy girl, who lived in my neighborhood — slapped me in the face because our game didn’t go her way. Mom scooped up my six-year-old hand in hers, with Veronica’s freshly imprinted red handprint on my cheek, and marched me over to Veronica’s house. Mom banged on the door and demanded that Veronica get her mom. Veronica turned and ran to her room as my mom read her mom the riot act.

This made me feel loved.

When it comes to my dad, I have one vivid memory. I was 14, locked in the bathroom, crying in the fetal position over a boy who had stopped choosing me. My father gently knocked on the door, asking to come in. He got on the floor, looked me in the eyes with care, and said, “Mija, I know this all hurts right now, but I can promise you one day it won’t. Time heals all wounds.” My father was known for parenting by bumper sticker. I think it was the best his traumatic upbringing could give me.

It wasn’t what he said but how he said it — down on my level, with an earnest look in his eyes that said, “If I could take this pain for you, I would.”

This made me feel loved.

Looking back on these stories, I see a pattern. I didn’t feel loved because someone held me and told me how much they loved me after I lied, messed up, or disrupted the big peoples peace. I felt loved through unexpected, extravagant actions — especially those that followed a threatening moment, when mine or another’s nervous system was shaken.

Making this connection — seeing how I felt loved as a child — helps me understand how I recently reached the point of pure exhaustion. I’ve felt deeply disappointed with God. I said yes to following Him, and it hasn’t been easy. My hard-headed, stubborn faith, where I needed Jesus to be who I needed him to be, left me bone tired. My nervous system felt constantly under threat.

From my human vantage point, God wasn’t doing anything extravagant to prove His love and protection over me.

Growing up in an emotionally unstable home, where the sounds of grief and anger followed by painful silence were the norm, you learn to survive the waves of dysfunction by either getting small or getting big. I got big. And I placed expectations on God to get big on my behalf.

But now He’s showing me something different — a different side of His love. A love that doesn’t flex but bends. A love that doesn’t shout but whispers.

After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 1 Kings 19:13

Driving home from a work lunch this phrase dropped into my head.

Olly olly oxen free!

Olly olly oxen free was perhaps our English version of the German phrase “Alle, alle auch sind frei”, meaning “Everyone, everyone, is also free!”

What? The last time I said or heard those words was the last time I played hide-and-go-seek.

Back in the 1900s, when we kids got bored, we could always go outside for a rowdy game of hide-and-go-seek — but rarely did anyone want to be “it,” the one who runs around like a fool, seeking the others hiding behind cars and trees.

Time moves slowly, and the game stops being fun for the “it” person if no one is found. At their wits’ end, the “it” person lets out an amnesty cry: “Ollie ollie oxen free!”, was the “it” person’s way of saying, “This game is no longer fun. You win. You’re safe. I won’t tag you it. Come out now so we can get back to playing.”

Perhaps this is what the Lord is saying to those of us in a quiet season of receiving God’s love and healing:

I know how you grew up. I was there. I saw everything. I initiated, through your parents, all that reactive love and provision when you were in pain. But you no longer live in that home. You now live in Me. And I live in you. I am your home, and you are Mine. In this home, there’s a safety you haven’t known. Anytime you feel lost, run back to me, to home base, fear-free. You’re never going to be it. I am it. I’m not out to “get you.” I will keep you free so we can keep playing together and enjoying life.

Being safe in God doesn’t mean we won’t get hurt in a life lived in a broken world.

Getting tagged “it” by the world hurts for a moment, but if we run to Him, our home base, we don’t always get what we want but we always stay free.

Free indeed.

It seems to me that kind of safety is established in soft whispers — not in big, earth-shattering things.

May hell hear our amnesty cry today: Everyone, everyone, is free!

Consider this question this weekend, especially if you’re reorienting yourself to God’s love in a way that doesn’t have to be BIG:

How did you feel loved growing up?

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Cost paid for this masterclass can apply towards the next round of Revelation Wellness® Instructor/Coach Training

If my life with Jesus were a house, it hasn’t just been torn down, it’s been razed to the ground, with only dirt left behind.

Spiritually, my foundation is still Jesus. It will always be Jesus. But practically, for this woman who craves certainty and a plan, I feel like a woman whose functional foundation and former floor plan no longer exist. I’m staring at dirt. Jesus is here, with me. I sense His comfort. His presence. What’s often disconcerting is how He’s in no rush to rebuild.

He and I spend a lot of time right now just looking at dirt. It’s quiet. It’s spacious. It’s simple. I kind of like it. There’s nothing to worry about losing because it’s all been surrendered and given over, which is why I’m just staring at dirt.

And sometimes I wish He’d hurry up and get to work.

He isn’t moving as quickly as my managers who were formerly in charge would like.

The former overfunctioning parts of me have a hard time with anything that looks like wasting time.

Which takes us to the final step I’ve been gently taking with the Lord, as we spend time each day surveying the dirt – my land.

The T in R.E.S.T (If you want more on the R,E, and S go check out my last three posts).

R- Receive God’s Love

E- Enjoy what you enjoy without the need for an outcome

S- Slow down

T – Time with God

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Time Doesn’t Play Fair

Time is a challenging concept for us mere mortals. Time restricts. Time enforces limits. There’s only so much of it we have, and not one of us knows how much time we really have. Most of us know stories of people we’ve loved who were here with us one day, then suddenly gone the next. We weren’t ready for it. We thought we had more time.

Time frustrates.

We know we only have so much of it, and we think we have plenty of it, both at the same time. We often overextend ourselves, thinking we have plenty of time, and fail to prioritize the things that matter most, even though we know we have little time.

Then, to frustrate our feeble minds a little further, we are loved by a God who lives outside of time, while also being the God who instituted the boundaries of time when he made all of creation.

“And there was evening, and there was morning- the first day” Genesis 1:5

The God who is, right now, has always existed.

There was never a time He didn’t exist.

Unlike Adam, who begat Seth, nobody begat God.

He is, has always been, and will always be God.

Since He is, He’s the one who can say, “Tell them I am sent you,” whenever we question our right to do the good works God prepared for us before time existed.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. - Ephesians 2:10

And yet the call to God’s love and to make His love known can be frustrating as we live in a world filled with disappointments and injustices, inside the constraints of what feels like limited time.

While anxiously waiting for God’s help we say things like, “God will provide.” But that saying can be harmful, not helpful, to the heartbroken mother whose sick child ran out of time.

Time frustrates because it doesn’t play fair.

Phillip Yancey says in his book Disappointment with God, “I have taken such a long diversion into the mysteries of time because I believe there is no other answer to the question of fairness. No matter how we rationalize, God will sometimes seem unfair from the perspective of a person trapped in time. Only at the end of time, after we have attained God’s level of viewing, after every evil has been punished or forgiven, every illness healed, and the entire universe restored – only then will fairness reign. Then we will understand what role is played by evil, and by the Fall, and by the natural law, in an “unfair” event like the death of a child. Until then, we will not know, and can only trust in a God who does know.”

God lives outside of time. We live inside of it.

Yancey alludes to the fact that it is senseless for us humans, constrained by time, to try to understand the work of God, who lives outside of time. What if, somehow, our unanswered prayers fit into God’s bigger plan, where things are working for good? It’s a good that we cannot see, right now. And when we cannot see, we feel uncertain and unsafe. Our survival-self responds to this threat by holding the God of the universe, the God who authors life and time, in contempt.

Spending time at Scottsdale Modern Art Museum with my people

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Me Mess In Time

Believing that God is reforming my life, even though I stare at the dirt lot that feels like my life, I am taking back the right I have to see and engage with time differently.

Last week, I shared with you all how I am slowing down how fast I move through my day. Whenever you embrace a slower pace in life, things you do take more time. Most people don’t want to slow down anything because of how they view time. They don’t want to give up the time that the pace of doing anything slower demands you give.

To which I would like to ask this question:

How’s that working for us?

If we’re honest with ourselves, it’s not.

We’re all just barely hanging on and getting by.

I see why Jesus showed up with a wrecking ball to take my life down to the dirt. In the past, I crammed every corner of my life with things I could justify as good, but were making a mess of my soul.

On a workday, I would move from room to room in my house, leaving behind a wake of destruction. Rushing to film content, I would leave my bathroom a mess.

I’ll come back and clean that up later.

The plugs, wires, lights, and notes piling up on my desk, moving from zoom to zoom, then into another room to film more content.

I’ll come back and clean that up later.

The dirty dishes in the sink after both breakfast and lunch, rushing to the next thing to do.

I’ll come back and clean that up later.

At the end of the day, I would try to clean up all at once. But I still felt the mess in my soul that hurry left behind. Ugh. All this was normal for me – the girl some might call a Christian Wellness queen.

If the mess of a physical room is any reflection of our soul condition, no wonder I sensed the Holy Spirit say; “Pack your bags. We’re going away. Enough with this mess”

Things I’ve Been Doing With Time

Here’s how I’ve been practically restructuring my relationship with time.

• Restructuring My Calendar -I went through my calendar and looked at my days. The meetings I was unnecessarily in because my managers told me “We’re responsible.” which kept me from fully trusting the team. I reassessed what meetings I was in because my survival self could not let go of control. I’ve already apologized to the team at Revelation Wellness for not trusting. In the words of Taylor Swift It’s me. Hi. I’m the problem, it’s me. Thank God for a whole-hearted team I get to work with. There’s nothing better and more humbling than healing in real time with people who give you permission to do so because they understand we are all in process together. We all make mistakes and get to try again (and again, and again..)

• Prioritizing Time For What Gives Me Life - I am time-blocking more time to do the things I love – the things that bring my heart alive. Like writing messages like this. I used to be so back-to-back, that when it came time to create I felt like a content-creating machine. I was always trying to beat the clock. And I’m not the kind of creative that can gear shift in and out of creativity in 20-30 minute blocks. I need RUNNNWAYYY. And once I’m in the zone (like I am right now) I don’t want to leave. Once in the zone I have to remind myself to stretch, drink water or go for a short walk outdoors so I can return to the project with fresh eyes and energy. Any other creatives feel me?

• Intimacy With The Father of Time - My time in the word has changed. Dang, I am so aware of how I was engaging with scripture performatively. I started my year with Alisa. If you have time to be on your phone as much as you are, you have time to read your Bible. I guilted myself into committing to read the Bible in a year. Not study it, but read it. But then I found myself just reading it to read it, not to fall behind. I moved quickly through the chapters so I could tick the box. I was treating God’s word like a textbook. Ick! It’s not a textbook, it’s a living book! I was also too often going to scripture to get something from God to teach. Double ick! (Guys, is all this honesty just too much for you? Do any of you still want to stick around and learn from me? Don’t if you’re looking for me to show you the way. I can point you to The Way. The Way is a person. I’m pointing to Him right now. Look! Behold! Follow Him!) Now my time in the word is so simple. So sweet. I am with Him, moving slowly. Currently, I am slowwwlyyy going through the book of Mark. Some days I read one paragraph. Or a story. I read to find Him or until He finds me. Then I sit and spend time with God. Just sit. Listen. Be. Receive. I’m not spending time trying to get anything from Him. I just want to spend time with Him. Out of being with Him I become fascinated and ask questions that turn into studying from a sincere child-like heart.

Inside all of these changes is the motive to spend more time with Him. A lot of the time, it’s very quiet. We stare at our dirt lot. I sense His confidence about His future plans and ideas for rebuilding. I am pretty sure I see blueprints in His hands. But I’m really in no rush.

I don’t want to lose what I’m gaining - my soul

I want to take a moment to recognize those of you who are reading this and thinking, “Well, Alisa, that must be nice for you. But I don’t have the right to change the pace of my schedule as you do.” I hear you. I don’t understand your specific circumstances. And I don’t think God is asking you to do what I’ve done. But to borrow your own line of thought that starts with “It must be nice..” I think there’s something nice he wants to give you. IN fact, I’m confident there is. The enemy, the thief, the liar, the one who distorts our understanding of time would like you to think otherwise. Please be aware of His schemes.

Look behind your current chief complaint in life. See if there’s something related to your feeling of unfairness with God and see if there’s a connection to how you’re viewing or spending time.

Rest and peace

Alisa

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R – Receive the love of God

E - Enjoy what you enjoy, not for outcomes

S - Slow down

T – Time with God

Ever watched a movie about a robbery with a getaway car that moved slowly? Probably not. The choreographed chase scene keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat. Tires spin, smoke, and squeal. The car barely clears the red light, the oncoming bus, or the mother pushing a stroller across the street. The driver of the vehicle has only one job: move fast, evade the authorities, and don’t get caught.

Back at the beginning of this series, I shared with you how, recently, I see more clearly how my traumatic upbringing convinced my little defenseless self that I was in danger. My body and brain, through my nervous system, prepared a fast-moving car for me, put a gun to the back of the strong parts of me, forced them to become my managers, to get in the car, don’t look back, and DRIVE! At the steering wheel, the wonderful parts of me that make me a good leader solved problems and couldn’t care less about the weight of responsibility. For I would rather feel responsible than out of control.

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Oh my gosh, friends. Something just came to mind for me, I’m typing this to you. Maybe some of you know this, but my first encounter with God, where I felt a warm presence wash over me, was while lying down on a brown pile carpet floor, in a musty-dusty aerobics studio, during the cool down of my first fitness class I took in 1985, while Tracy Chapman’s “ Fast Car “ played in the background.

WHAT!! I’m kind of freaking out right now.

My Gosh. God is real. And loves us and is for us even when we aren’t loving Him.

For a long time, fast feels like home.

But slow?

Slow and I have had a touch-and-go relationship. Through all my studies on the body and what really heals a person and creates lasting change, I’ve come to learn that a rested, regulated nervous system is essential. A gentler, kinder approach is better for long-term sustainability.

When I think of gentle and kind, I don’t think of wind sprints.

Gentle and kind feels like a waste of time, and the managers in the driver’s seat will have none of it, UNLESS someone or something more powerful steps in and says ENOUGH!

Perhaps my borderline burnout was God’s way of pulling over my getaway car and saying, “Enough.”

Alisa, let’s try this all over again, and take it really slow.

The physical act of slowing down signals our nervous system that we are safe. There is no threat. Our fight or flight response quiets down, reducing cortisol and adrenaline production that drives emotional burnout and the burning inside our body known as chronic inflammation that fuels chronic illnesses like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and a host of autoimmune disorders.

A fast-moving thought life leads to a fast-moving lifestyle.

Fast is a silent killer.

Hurry destroys our capacity to love - John Ortberg

And here’s the thing about slowing down: you have actually do it! Physically. You can’t just think about slowing down and reaping the benefits, unlike gaining knowledge in something where I can think about these things and receive some benefits. I can’t read about slowing down and expect benefits.

I think slowing down physically is how God actually begins to build His church, because what use is knowledge of God’s ways if they stay stuck in our heads? This is why I’m so passionate about embodiment: to love our bodies and live as Christ did with His. When we live like Christ, with our bodies, we make His love seen.

Many of you know that slowing down would be good for you. You can study it. Read about it. Hear all the best sermons and latest research on the subject and feel the hope of doing something new. But hope is just a wish unless it moves by faith into loving action.

The R in R.E.S.T is to receive God’s love. Ever tried hugging a child while they are running away? Yah. It doesn’t work.

If we want a chance at living a new life and loving how we live, the fast-moving car must slow down and come to a stop. From a stop, we can learn the love of slow.

Here are some ways I’ve been practicing slow:

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Handwriting - And we are back to the art of journaling, ladies and gentlemen. I wrote about this in my last post on the E in R.E.S.T. Did you know that writing by hand activates more areas of the brain all at once? Typing is repetitive and recruits fewer neural networks. Various university studies show that students who write by hand understand concepts better (like biblical ones ;) and remember them longer (like biblical things :). Handwriting, especially in cursive, engages both sides of the brain, slows processing, and gives time to think deeply and summarize. And writing by hand engages the “rest and digest” part of our nervous system while also enhancing neuroplasticity.

I look back at the evolution of my journaling since the beginning of the year and can see how my handwriting has changed, both in cursive and in print. At the start, I was moving fast and frenetically. Just vomiting words on the page. And that was a good start for me. But as my nervous system began to slow down and I embraced the R and the E of R.E.S.T. I can see my handwriting improving because my body isn’t afraid of slow. Now, how the words appear on the page looks more like the feeling in my body and heart.

My cursive handwriting January, 4, 2026

My cursive April 7th, 2026 (after my open soul surgery in Colorado :)

Slow Reading - I love to read for the sake of learning. But even my learning was tied to my desire to learn something so I could teach. There’s that nasty need for outcome again. Lately, I’ve allowed myself to read more slowly, taking the time to really think about what I’m reading. I’ve noticed that things stay with me longer and my thoughts go deeper.

I would love to hear the things you do to embrace the kindness of slow. Or, better yet, allows you to sense God’s wrap-around presence as you move slowly.

God lives outside of time. He does not need a watch. HE IS time. We, limited humans, are frustrated by the limitations of time. We live under the pressure of having only one life to live, to make it matter, to make it count, and, if we are not willing to heal from our hurts, we do all that we can to protect ourselves and stay safe. Staying safe and driving fast-moving cars makes no sense. We end up crashing into each other, causing more pain.

So if you’re reading this, and this message resonates with you, go ahead and slow down your fast-moving car. Pull over and come to a stop. Take a breath. Let the Lord release your exiles from the trunk - the parts of you that are sensitive to pain. Reconnect to your body to feel all the hurts and disappointments you have with God and people. Invite God to be with you in your pain.

Let love have its slow and kind way.

Loving you slowly today,

Alisa

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R – Receiving the love of God

E – Enjoying what you enjoy with no weight on outcomes

S – Slowing down

T – Time

Have you seen any videos of Justin Bieber’s comeback performance at Coachella this weekend?

The Biebs returned to the stage after coming out the other side of a scary season for his mental health. I’ve read he was very hesitant to do Coachella, much less return to any stage. His well-being was improving, and he didn’t want to get spun back into an unhealthy headspace. He agreed only if he had FULL creative control.

From what I saw, his set looked like another planet—a peaceful one, like a smooth moon. His performance was laid back. Relaxed. He was just there with people. Singing. Taking requests. Engaging as a friend.

Sometimes his recorded vocals played and he sang with them. Sometimes he didn’t. He clearly knew the choreography, but only danced when he felt like it.

To me, he wasn’t there to perform.

He was there to do what he loves to do – to create

To safely be in a space with people—in community—unburdening himself from the pressure to produce while releasing control on the outcome.

He was there to enjoy creating in the company of people who value him—the human with real struggles—and what he makes.

Critics said he was being creatively lazy.

I saw a creative wanting to do what he loves while keeping his soul intact.

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Frustration & Creativity

About a year ago, in the middle of ongoing frustration with the Lord, I asked:

“God, what do You want me to do? Is there something I’m not doing? Is this frustration disobedience?”

I closed my eyes in the gym sauna. Breathed. Waited.

Then a vision came—like a movie screen.

A hand holding a pen, moving across a page.

Oh man.

I know what this means.

Time to get to work on that next book I’ve been sitting on. I’ve been procrastinating. And delayed obedience is disobedience. This must be what’s wrong with me.

Just so you know, I’m basically Miles Finch from Elf—minus the temper, but with the shorter stature. 😊And speaking of short—your girl has no shortage of book ideas. Like Miles, I have a digital notebook full of concepts, outlines, and summaries.

Ideas are endless.

Energy and time to execute? Not so much.

I enjoy writing…

But only when I have the space to enjoy doing it.

Writing on top of ministry responsibilities had me putting it off. In the past, I wrote books because I woke up before sunrise and hit my word count before the kids got up.

Still, this obedient daughter—this good little worker bee—got to work, thinking obedience would relieve the frustration and fatigue.

Ha.

I was wrong.

As I slipped back into my old “rise and grind” routine, everything felt mechanical.

The dim light. The quiet. The stillness. The keyboard. The words.

Meh.

Like workouts, people don’t enjoy but push through for the dopamine hit. But we know—if you don’t feel good while you’re doing something, if there’s no flow, you won’t stick with it.

Frustration came with me. Flow rarely did.

Something was off.

But I kept grinding.

Because that’s what good worker bees do.

Create. Create. Create.

Come on, Alisa. Create.

What I Forgot About Creativity

I didn’t realize it until I took time to restore my soul, over the last 16 years—passionately believing in my call and the mission of Revelation Wellness—my creativity had turned into a factory. I became a productivity machine, putting pressure on myself to create. I had only myself to blame.

Remember when I talked about my “managers”—the parts of me driving the getaway car? They work hard. Solve problems. Take responsibility. Because when I step into those roles, I think I can control outcomes. Meanwhile, other parts of me—the exiles—are gagged and bound in the trunk.

Exiles carry pain. They feel deeply. And when something threatens them, they retreat, and the managers pick up the slack and work overtime.

When God called me to start Revelation Wellness, He called a creative woman.

Creativity requires vulnerability because if you go public with your creation, it will be judged.

But when I first said yes to God, I had nothing to lose—and something to prove (for better or worse 😊). I wanted people to know God. To believe He loves all parts of us, including our bodies, and can heal and save us from bodily worry.

I didn’t care who judged me.

But as the ministry grew, so did the pressure.

Creating felt increasingly risky.

Now I had something to lose with something to prove.

On this side of taking time to recover my soul, I see things more clearly. It turns out, God wasn’t asking me to get to work on my next book. He wasn’t calling me out for disobedience. The vision wasn’t about getting to work on producing the next book.

The vision was literal: Get a journal and a pen.

To let ink flow from a pen while my hand made abstract lines, that form symbols, that form words on a page.

To create for the sake of creating.

Not producing.

In doing this simple act of writing for the enjoyment of writing, not for the outcome, I’m recovering myself and rediscovering the joy of creating without worrying about the outcome.

(At my art desk. I promise. I’m happier than my face looks :)

The vision was right.

My interpretation was wrong.

Enjoying What You Enjoy

Engaging in an activity because it is inherently satisfying, interesting, or enjoyable, rather than for an external reward or outcome, is known as intrinsic motivation. The activity itself IS the reward. You enjoy what you enjoy. The end.

How many activities in your life are intrinsically motivated? If you could, you would spend more time doing them? Things you do where you lose track of time? This doesn’t mean they come easily. They might require getting over the inconvenience and discomfort of shifting gears to start them, but once you’re doing them, you can lose track of time.

Important to remember: it’s an activity you engage in that doesn’t negatively affect your physical, mental, or emotional health. You feel better AFTER doing them and not worse.

I suspect that many Christians are exhausted and burned out because they are busy doing things they feel they HAVE to do rather than prioritizing the things they enjoy doing. You know who was really good at this? The Pharisees. I like to think that this is why Jesus liked being around His fishing friends, sinners, and prostitutes more than them. At least they were doing things they enjoyed doing. A heart that hungers to enjoy life and knows they are out of control is easier for the Kingdom to break in and change than a heart that feels obligated to keep life under control.

Make no mistake, both need Jesus.

Doing things that feel satisfying, interesting, or enjoyable is connected to our unique personhood of soul. There are things you enjoy doing that I probably wouldn’t. And that is okay!

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For me:

Doing Things With My Hands: Journaling - All the journaling. Junk journaling. Prayer journaling. Commonplace journaling. Body science journaling. Research journaling. (Thanks to #journaltok, I’m a junkie.) I sit at my art table (something I recently purchased and remember feeling so important and accomplished when I sat at it as a kid). It’s feeding my creative writing spirit. Journaling has turned on the flow of creativity that gets me excited to write to you and to authentically work on writing books on loving God, our bodies, and staying embodied humans

“Alisa. Why not just digitally journal things?”

There’s substantial research showing that writing with a pen and paper offers cognitive, memory, and emotional benefits that typing on a keyboard or on our phones cannot. I think the act of pen to paper is a way of taking a stand against “the technology machine” for our humanity, staying embodied and staying human.

In my curiosity about these things, I came across an article in the New York Times about how working with our hands helps our brains. Did you know that rats that use their paws to forage for food have healthier stress hormones than those given food?

My commonplace journal entry, from the NYT article, on working with our hands. The two points at the bottom of the page are my takeaways :)

With my return to the written page, for pure enjoyment and not for outcomes, I’ve also returned to leisurely drawing and painting.

Doing things I enjoy with my body’s ability, without expectations of outcomes, greatly supports the healing of my weary soul.

There’s something to engaging our bodies, like working with our hands, doing something we enjoy, while unburdening ourselves of the outcome that the Holy Spirit is inviting us all into. These acts are essential for staying human, for keeping our souls, and for living as God created us to be.

The Beib’s is onto something. Thank you JB.

Given the time and pressure on outcomes removed, what kind of things would you enjoy doing or would like to do?

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R - Receive
E - Enjoy what you enjoy
S - Slow down
T - Time with God

Before we head off into the weekend, let’s unpack the practice of receiving. I’m not great at it. I’m learning.

Oh, I can do the obvious ways. I’m happy to receive a gift. A gift is concrete. It’s right there in front of my eyes, and my curiosity gets me as I wonder what’s inside the box. If not wrapped, I wonder why you thought of me for that gift.

I’ve learned how to receive a kind word—a compliment. When I first began exercising the gifts God’s given me, people said kind things to me after experiencing a time of ministry. It felt a little weird. I thought that weird I don’t want to take God’s glory thing- as if we can TAKE anything away from God.

Then I would deflect with some sort of “It’s all God” phrase. But I grew to realize that’s not all true. I do play a role—I still have to show up and give God the right to move through me. God doesn’t do all the reading, investigating, prep work, research, and practicing before ministering, teaching, or writing. He gives me the grace. But I have to be open and willing to do the work, with my physical ability.

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As Dallas Willard said, “Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning.”

God gives grace.

We give effort.

We co-labor with God.

God welcomes companionship.

I now receive compliments as God’s way of saying to me—not through His people like puppets but like a family after a good meal says to the one who went through the effort to make it, “Thank you.”

A thank you received warms my body.

But that’s about as familiar with receiving I’ve been.

A Little History On Me

When God captured my heart in 1999, He moved FAST on me. Through attending church, being with people who called out my gifts, and consuming His Word like food I couldn’t get enough to eat, it was like He gave me X-ray vision to see people in the gym and my clients differently- more thoroughly. I wasn’t just seeing the flawed bodies clients pointed out to me; I was seeing broken hearts and weary souls. They needed what I had found. They needed to know the big love of Jesus more than smaller thighs.

My heart broke.

Injustice rose up inside of me.

I was compelled to help.

I didn’t like the feeling of taking people’s money to work on their bodies while not giving them what their souls need. It’s like working in a hospital, having the cure to a sickness, sharing it with no one and watching people stay sick.

I saw people’s pain. With my youthful energy, something to prove and excitement for others to come and see, in the year of our Lord 2000, I got to work.

Now keep in mind, this little girl was who He was getting when He called me.

Look at that downcast face. Those timid eyes. Those hands to mouth. I’m scared. That little girl, raised in a home filled with addiction and codependency, didn’t feel seen, soothed, safe, and secure.

When Jesus called me He knew what He was getting. He called the girl, a year earlier on the verge of divorce, AND this little girl.

But because I grew up in a home where hugs weren’t freely given, crying wasn’t allowed unless it could be used for emotional leverage, and being celebrated or seen was on the big people’s terms- and safety would come and go based on whether or not the big people were getting along- receiving love and feeling safe being loved is not natural for me.

Anyone else?

I’m a good worker.

I’m not a good rester.

And resting in a rooted and grounded Love requires us to first receive.

“We love because he first loved us” 1 John 4:19

He loved us then. He loves us today. We can love others today because He is loving us.

God’s love is not knowledge for our brains it’s to be an experience for our body and soul. Something real we carry deep within that can be accessed when trouble comes. A steady calm. A steady peace.

How’s your peace?

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What It Means To Receive

The history behind the word receive means “to take back, to welcome in, to hold again.”

If you’re upbringing lacked unconditional love and stability, receiving love feels unnatural. Doing the work of loving God - by loving others through doing good things like caregiving, starting businesses and ministries, volunteering, and even studying our Bibles to keep a guilty conscience at bay - is much easier than stopping the work you love and doing the non-work of receiving love.

God’s love welcomes us back to hold us again.

To receive love requires us to be open and willing. Just as receiving a gift or a kind word requires an openness and a willingness to take in the gift.

Openness and willingness to receive the love of God requires us to surrender the fake weapon in our hands. The weapon of control.

No one really has control. Control is weapon we carry that doesn’t work. IF you have children, you know.

When someone is running wild with a weapon, causing harm is finally stopped, they’re required to put their hands up- palms open- to show they’ve laid down their weapons. The fight is over.

Surrender has come. And surrender is not punishment. It’s the beginning of help. The person has a chance to be restored, if they are open and willing.

To surrender control requires living with two open hands.

In one hand, I have lots of questions. Lots of pain in this world of trouble. Real things that need to be felt and grieved with God. Grief is inconvenient. If welcomed, it could show up at unexpected times.

What I’m Doing To Embody Surrender

Here are three things I’ve been doing daily to practice this weird, new, and strange thing called receiving God’s love so it doesn’t stay a bible concept in my head but something I carry in my body:

Sit & Welcome - Receiving means not doing. Receiving requires positioning. I sit with God at the start of my day- or any time of day- for 5–10 minutes. No agenda. No prayer list.

I come to God as I am. I let any feeling float up to the surface—and there it is. I don’t try to chase it away. I don’t try to throw Scripture at it. I feel it. Grieve if needed. I let it be.

He welcomes all of me.

Eventually a gentle sense of feeling loved comes to my body.

I got creative recently since I love to learn visually. I wanted a visual for what God and I do in my time of sitting. I asked ChatGPT to make me this image. 🥹

If you’re not Ai opposed, consider asking ChatGPT to make whatever visual you want for your sit and welcome time with Him.

Jesus receiving little me. Taking me back. Welcoming me in. Holding me again.

Open Hands Prayer - I do this one often during the day. When I feel the temptation to work harder, earn something, prove something, or feel responsible for outcomes, I take a breath as a way to slow the fast-moving feeling down. Then I turn both my palms up and hold the truth that, in the mystery of God, two things can coexist: in one hand, my disappointments, questions and uncertainty; in the other, the certainty that He is God and the point of my life is to become more like Him.

Receiving Jesus gives us the right to become children of God (John 1:12) and to live eternally (John 3:16)! On one hand, for Jesus, that’s total victory! On the other He intercedes with our present sufferings.

the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. - Romans 8:26

Becoming like Jesus because I’ve been transformed by the love of Jesus is the life goal for me.

I Let My Husband Love Me - This one has a lot of baggage and backstory that I don’t have time to go into.

Simon was so smitten with me when we met, and so highly intelligent, but a little low on the emotional quotient, that he never really asked about my upbringing. He didn’t fully know what he was getting when he married me. Nor did I him.

In Fall of 2025, I sensed the Lord say to me, “Alisa, if you want to know my love for you, let Simon love you.”

Ugh. Gut check.

For those of you who carry some luggage around in your marriage - suitcases filled with paperwork and proof of when the one with skin, who is supposed to love you unconditionally, doesn’t always meet your expectations or needs- I know your stomach just turned a bit.

My marriage is truly a miracle. A gift from God. And Simon L-O-V-E-S me. Like, with a Pepe Le Pew kind of love :)

And I’m the cat with the white paint stripe down her back.

My husband has been so patient and kind with me. The two previous practices of sitting and welcoming and the open hands prayer are helping me receive his love.

Question: Who do you need to let love you so you can learn to receive?

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Receiving Requires Surrender

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say: I don’t think it’s possible to truly receive the love of God if we aren’t fully surrendered.

To surrender is to release control.
And to lose control is to live with uncertainty.

And working hard gives us a false sense of control, which feels like safety.

Remember, control is an illusion.
We control nothing.

And yet, we are invited to co-labor with God, to bring goodness and love to a world that’s out of our control.

But first we must receive.

I don’t fully understand how God works, when He will work, or even if He will do what I am asking Him to do. I just know that He can. I honor Him as the God who can while unburdening myself from the responsibility of outcome.

I receive.

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P.S. On the topic of welcoming…

I’ll be doing four weeks of health coaching starting Sunday night at 8pm EST. You’re welcome to come. I’ll be showing up like a baby giraffe on wobbly legs, with no agenda for the outcome.

What I have for you is sound biblical truth, with the hope of moving your soul- concerning your body- closer to the love of God. We will 100% practice some of these embodied truths above, and so much more. We will do things to embody and spend time in the love of God, not just talk about it.

If you tend to treat your body like a problem to solve, I hope you’ll come.

Here’s the link.

On the seventh day He rested.

Our first day on earth, we rested with Him.

Think about all the things God could have done with us on our first day after commissioning us to increase good– plant gardens, lay plumbing, rake leaves, exercise the good feeling of a job well done with our bodily abilities. But no. God was establishing the necessary things that precedes making good things. Rest.

Rest is the root system of all good things.

God, our Good Father, must take rest seriously if He set aside our first day on earth with Him to do the most glorious thing He could think of: hanging out, resting, and relaxing with Him. Doing things like: walking in the cool breeze, eating fruit from any tree we wanted, but one, chasing butterflies, floating in the River Euphrates as water bubbles gently wooshed against our skin, learning how to keep air in our lungs so we could float, belly-side up.

As children who bear His image, on our first day, God could have had us do anything, but he chose to deposit into our souls, sealed with an experience in our bodies, the core of who He is.

God is rest.

God is rested.

God is not afraid or anxious.

And in the beginning, God’s heart and mind was set on us becoming more like Him.

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The point of our life is to reveal the glory of God - to become more like Him. Not to be a super Christian. Someone who knows all sixty-six books of the bible, and can teach and preach with the best. The goal of our life is not to build ministries or businesses “in Jesus name”. There’s nothing wrong with any of those things. But make no mistake, these are secondary things.

Increasing and multiplying good without a rested heart in Him is an exercise in futility.

I see many Christians right now running around trying to make their mark, “For the King!” is their cry. As beautiful, wonderful, and true as that is, if not first-day rooted and grounded in the Love of God that IS rested, in time, like my Martha me, they will be shaking a stick at God, wondering; Where are you? Don’t you see me working hard? Why aren’t you showing up and holding up your end of the deal with me?

Here’s what I now know; where there is no rest, the Holy Spirit can’t rest.

I’ve become so deeply and grievously aware of how MUCH I’ve been working for God rather than letting the rest of God do its work in me. I haven’t done this maliciously or rebelliously. It did it my immaturity.

One BIG takeaway I had from my time of intensive therapy is that, in our immaturity, as we all come to Christ with our needs, we tend to make God into who we need Him to be rather than who He really is. To open our hearts, hands, and minds to that kind of mystery, initially, feels too scary, too vulnerable for a child who has needs. And a child in need of healing is how we all come. Some needing more than others. Why else would Jesus say, “You must be born again”?

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” John 3:3

To be born again implies we will need to learn everything about the parent-child relationship all over again. But this time we have a Helper, a Counselor, a Comforter, and an Intercessor to teach us what it means to be a child, rooted and grounded in a first-day rested Love. This kind of love is type of multiplying seed that brings about change.

Yes, even body-health change, IF needed.

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Sidenote: If you had a mother or a father who made you feel seen, soothed, safe, and secure, maybe not perfectly, but at least they consistently kept stepping up to the plate to pursue you, would you please call them and thank them, then give them a ten-second oxytocin-releasing hug next time you see them. Then give them another one for me . This doesn’t mean you haven’t experienced troubles in this world or disappointments with God. Surely you have and will. But I can promise you they have given you a measure of resiliency. It’s the same gift I keep showing up to give my kids.

People who think their body is a problem tend to struggle with their health, their thinking, and their ability to choose well. Their poor health of body and mind gets compounded by feelings of exhaustion. They’ve tried all the things, only to have some white-knuckle success for a little while, then it all falls apart again. This cycle of trying over and over is exhausting. It keeps them from daring to hope or try again.

I get it.

That was me a month ago, compounded by exhaustion of trying harder for the last six years.

But I know, because I’ve seen it in others, and I’m learning it in real time for myself, that it’s possible to rest your way into weight loss for your soul. And a rested soul will lead to losing extra body weight IF needed. And IF needed, it will be because the Holy Spirit says so and helps you do so. It won’t be because the world has told you so. And it will come from a heart rooted in rest.

Since my almost burnout breakdown, I’ve been taking back my right to REST like it’s my number one job. I tell Satan, the world, and my flesh, adamantly, “You’re not the boss of me.” Then I kindly thank my managers (see last post) for showing up to do their work, but they don’t need to work overtime. They can clock out, draw back, take a load off, and rest.

Here’s a fun little acrostic I’ve come up with that I think outlines what I’ve been doing to embrace a life of rest.

R- Receive – I’ve been practicing receiving God’s Love. I know. Foreign for most.

E – Enjoy – I’ve found things I enjoy doing that are not connected to an outcome or productivity

S – S L O W – I seek out ways, times, and places to embody the act of slow

T – Time – Since I am doing things more slowly, things take more time, which means I deliberately use that time to be with God in those times of doing. Slowing down is not a waste of time, as some might think. I am reinvesting in my time to move at a pace that matches God’s speed. I have this strange Holy Spirit suspicion that enjoying slow helps things move along in The Kingdom.

In my next few writings to you, I could break down the practices of R.E.S.T. more specifically to help you parse out some ideas to try that might be of benefit to you.

I could write about each one. What do you think?

Meanwhile, I promise you I’m not writing to you lately to sell you a ticket to my health coaching :) My return to doing things I love, without the need for an outcome, includes writing. I enjoy writing. But before I went away, and for quite some time, writing felt like a burden because it was tied to outcomes and productivity. Ick. Gross.

I want to write now because it feels good and honest to my soul. I know God has called me to write. And may it bless you and your Love for God and for your body’s needs. But my return to writing more regularly is lining up with four weeks of health coaching, where we can go DEEPER into all things like I shared above. And many of you have asked “Alisa, will you coach me?” So if you want to come, I don’t want you to miss. I’m going into this coaching with my hands open and a “Let’s see what He does.” mentality. Again, I am not responsible for your outcome. I’m only responsible for the invitation for you to come and see Him.

Join me for Embodied.

Here’s the link.

We start Sunday night.

Replays are available if you can’t come live.

Rest & Peace. 🕊️✌🏽

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This might come as a shock to some of you, but I’ve never done any deep therapy around the story of me. The fact that I have a loving relationship with my husband and two children is concrete evidence that the Holy Spirit IS The Wonderful Counselor. He has got me this far, but I knew if I was going to keep going in ministry, I needed to go deep with someone, with skin and bones, in the room, with me.

But I can tell you, things are going to be different for me.

What I cannot tell you is that everything Alisa is all tied up in a pretty bow. That everything makes sense. Actually, I’m pretty undone.

I will not be picking up all the pieces to put Humpty Dumpty Alisa back together again. That girl needed to fall off that wall and shatter into a thousand pieces. That little good-egg-girl held post on her wall, faithfully, for 55 years. That girl was tired of feeling like she had to do everything to keep it all together, and of being responsible for everything and everyone. Turns out, when your childhood was one of trauma, your little survival self kicks into high gear. This is when all kinds of managers of your soul get to work, keeping you safe. These are the parts of me that make me a really good leader, but they have been taking charge and overfunctioning for too long. Meanwhile, the fun, playful, creative, and risk-taking parts of me got exiled to the desert.

As my therapist B said: “Your managers have been driving you get away car while your exiles are gagged and bound in the trunk.”

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Communion taken on my last day

Perhaps my soul was so dry and weary because it headed for the desert years ago on a search and rescue mission. My soul wasn’t leaving until my exiles were recovered and given a seat at the table, in the desert, in the presence of my enemies.

So here I am, sitting at the table. It’s a table where I still have many questions. A lot of confusion and disappointments that He welcomes me to bring. I’m learning, in an embodied way, that healing does not mean you have the energy to “rah-rah” yourself into a bigger faith. If faith isn’t honest, it’s not a gold, silver, and precious stone kind of faith. It’s wood, hay, and straw. A small spark of chaos or conflict can turn into a wildfire and burn down your faith.

I love this quote from Phillip Yancey:

“The Spirit will not remove disappointment with God. The very titles given to the Spirit – Intercessor, Helper, Counselor, Comforter – imply there will be problems.”

God’s not asking us to have BIGGER faith. He’s not into measurements like us. He wants an honest faith, a faith like Jesus. A faith that, in one hand, we hold heart-crushing disappointments we’ve lived through in this world, while in the other hand, we hold the goodness of God who only gives good gifts.

After 55 years of grasping for certainty, with my managers driving the car and calling the shots, it’s time for me to get comfortable with the mystery of God.

He is God.

I am not.

He gives, and He takes away.

His ways are higher than mine.

We can’t figure out His math. Try it if you want, but it’s a road to perdition.

So what does that leave us with?

The spiritual practice of enjoying what IS good, right now, in one hand, as we actively grieve and release control from the grip of the other.

In one hand, me holding a chocolate croissant, in the other probably Kleenex :)

If you’ve lived a life of trauma, trouble, or ongoing stress, it causes you to swing to extremes. Extremists feel safe because there is the illusion of control. Something our flesh can hold. Grasping those handles tightly, like continually counting macros or calories, gives us a sense of safety and control.

Do you obsess about your body?

Do you neglect your body?

Do those sound like familiar extremes?

What if it’s not REALLY about your body at all?

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Healing from life’s letdowns and disappointments is essential to staying out of extremes and living a whole-hearted, body-and-soul life.

A well-lived body and soul life.

It’s the life I’ve been asking the Lord to bring.

I think I’m on my way.

And..I have so much to learn.

So, if it’s okay with you, I plan to write more in the days ahead. I’ll be in your inbox a little more. Sometimes it will be quick thoughts for the day, and sometimes more in-depth. I didn’t even get to all I wanted to share today. :/

Please keep in mind, I am not writing to you with this all figured out. And I won’t share what I’m struggling to live out myself. But I will riff with you on what I am learning on the heels of walking into the driest of deserts, where I ugly cried, pounded my fist on the table and on the chest of God, and He did not turn His face from me—my gosh. Just thinking about how unoffendable He is toward a heart that turns honestly toward Him blows my mind.

“What is man that you would be mindful of him.” Psalm 8:4

I feel compelled to show up here and be honest with you. To be me. And I think it could help you heal your relationship with God about your bodies and the stored-up disappointments you carry within.

This much I know: He can handle our honesty. He welcomes our grief. (Oh grief. Something we need to talk about and learn to DO more).

God invites us to let go of our grip on control, clock our managers off shift, recover our exiles, and turn to Him to receive the life that ONLY He gives.

Oh. Also. Here’s a hoot. If you want to do real-time coaching with me, as in one hand I know exactly what we are going to do to heal our relationship with our body and God, while on the other hand I have no clue because I feel so tender, raw, and undone, join me for Embodied. A four-week coaching series that starts this Sunday. (Replays available each week.)

Here’s the link.

This ought to be interesting ;)

Xo

A healing in real time, Mama Keets

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What do you say we run a diagnostic on our souls right now?

Take a moment to consider all the things you feel mad, bad, sad, or sacred about — the things you find yourself bringing in prayer and petition before the Lord. Or honestly, maybe you’ve stopped bringing these things before the Lord because your prayers seem to fall on deaf ears.

Ding!

That’s the sound of the warning light triggered on the dashboard of your soul.

Now, with these things in mind, I have one question. Please give your raw and real answer, not the squeaky-clean Christian one you know you’re supposed to say.

Would you rather be a person who always gets what they want from God, or a person who is so obnoxiously secure in the Lord that no matter what happens to you in life, you don’t live fearful or worried?

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Not being fearful or worried doesn’t mean you never feel those emotions. It means you don’t let feelings bully you into living in fear or worry. You don’t let Satan, the enemy of your soul, entertain you with tall tales about how bad things are going to be.

Which is it for you?

Recently, a staff member asked me to share a picture of myself as a child for a trending social media reel. I grabbed this one that, for years, I’ve kept on my desk.

I’ve always thought this picture of me was sweet. I’m probably about an hour out of the bathtub, smelling like Johnson & Johnson shampoo, lotion, and baby powder. My hair is perfectly and tightly done, like a little work of art. There’s a burgeoning bouquet of roses on the coffee table next to the framed picture of Dad (not seen).

For years I’ve kept this photo on my work desk as a redemptive reminder from God that my Father in heaven sees me, even though my earthly father couldn’t.

It reminds me that God is redeeming the broken promises of an earthly father who loved me but didn’t know how to love himself, so he did things with his body that splintered his soul, and our family felt the pain.

As I quickly grabbed the picture to send it in, the Holy Spirit said, “Look again.”

For the first time, I saw it differently.

My gut felt like it took a punch, and then a wave of sadness came over me.

Oh my gosh.

That little girl is scared.

It’s all over her body.

See the timid look in her eyes and those hands in her mouth? That’s the body language I was fluent in while living at 1222 E. Whitton Street.

This is why, as soon as I learned to roller-skate or ride my bike, I loved how I felt. I felt free and safe in my body-home rather than the fear I felt in the home that held my bed.

Did you know that our mouth is one of the earliest developed parts of our sensory-motor system?

Nerves in the roof of our mouth connect directly to the vagus nerve — the longest “wandering” nerve in our body, responsible for activating the rest-and-digest state of our nervous system. Oral actions such as sucking, chewing, humming, swallowing, or holding something in the mouth can calm the nervous system.

You’ve probably seen a sonogram where a fetus appears to be sucking its thumb. That child isn’t looking for something to eat.

It’s seeking peace.

Recently I shared this biological insight with our Revelation Wellness membership community as we learned what’s behind food and body noise. I watched the lights come on for women who use chewing to comfort their feelings of fear, shame, and anxiety.

That little girl, with her hands in her mouth, is feeling unsafe.

She’s seeking peace.

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This year marks sixteen years of me being a nobody, called out of nowhere to go somewhere with God, where together we would confront the giants that have boastfully, obnoxiously, and comfortably inhabited the land of the body.

A land where bodies created by God lie in ruin.

Dry and dead bones, until the Word of God speaks and the breath of God blows. Then the bones grow flesh, rise, and live as an exceedingly great army.

He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” Ezekiel 37:3

I’m going to be honest with you.The last six of the sixteen years of excavating bones and tilling fallow ground have just about done me in.Thank God for the faithful and wonderful team of Revelation Wellness. From its board members to staff to instructors - they’ve caught the vision. They believe in me and in the God-sized dream for the Church for embodied discipleship. That to follow God we must live in body as Jesus did, love our bodies as Jesus did, which means loving not our own lives even unto death, like Jesus did.

Loving God and our bodies can’t be diet culture on reboot with a Christian spin.

Ick.🤮

If there’s one thing I’m very good at, as an embodied disciple of Jesus, it’s being self-aware, thanks to the Holy Spirit actively resting and at work in my body. And here’s what I know:

I’ve been anxious.
I’ve been worried.
I’ve been scared.

Food in my mouth doesn’t comfort me. Words coming out my mouth do.

Words have always had a way of protecting me when I feel afraid.

Recently, in a moment of frustration stacked on piles of other frustrations, I said something I didn’t mean. The words that came out of my mouth scared me.

Ding.

Dashboard lit.

Soon after the words left my mouth, wanting to make sure this person I have the privilege of leading didn’t carry a soul wound from me, I chased them down with the same goodness and mercy that has chased me.

I quickly asked for forgiveness.

After the repair, there I was. The mess was cleaned up externally, but internally I could see the mess in my soul.

What am I going to do about this mess?

As a woman of action, I like to be proactive. If I see signs of danger I’ll do whatever to to stay ahead of oncoming pain. The warning light went off because of the deep disappointment and grief I’m carrying in my body and soul.

As I said at the beginning of this message, they are inextricably tied together.

Writing my next best seller isn’t going to fix it.

Ministry growth isn’t going to fix it.

My sweet husband can’t heal it.

With all that said, I’m going away for a bit.

I’m taking a soul-work break.

I use the word work instead of care, because I know what I’m about to do will not be neat or pretty. It will likely be messy. It will be hard. I won’t want to do it some days. I’m concerned my facial muscles might get stuck in a grief-induced contraction.I know that’s silly and not actually possible. Mostly I know this because the Lord won’t let us stay stuck in downcast places. But I also know the Lord is saying this is necessary.

There are some things Jesus knows about that little girl in the white silk dress that He wants to share with me.

My honest answer to the soul question I asked you earlier is this:

I would rather be a woman so obnoxiously secure in the Lord that no matter what happens to me, I do not live in fear. I want to be a peculiar person. Perhaps someone others call werid. I want to be a woman who makes other people wonder “Why is she not freaking out like everyone else?”

I want to offend my flesh and Satan with God’s Peace.

I want to be storm sleeper.

I don’t want God to always give me what I want because His ways are better. It’s the fact that He’s often so darn slow sometimes, with the big promises He’s made, that get me. He seems to be way more interested in changing hearts than meeting deadlines.

Great peace and power live in a man or woman who does not always get what they want — because nothing can add to them or take away from them.

They already have all they need.

They live on God’s timeline and in His economy.

They have deep intimacy and friendship with God. What more could anyone need?

For the next two weeks my only work will be working intensively with a therapist who specializes in helping church leaders before they burn out, or after they crash and burn.

Thank God I’m in the before category. I’m certain that’s because I don’t just teach but practice being an embodied follower of Jesus Christ.

I hear the Holy Spirit’s invitation to come away so I don’t end up in the latter.

“My beloved speaks and says to me: Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away, for behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone…Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.” Song of Songs 8:10,13

And I mean it with all my guts when I say to you: I would rather die than cause harm to Jesus’ Bride or to His beautiful name. I’m going away to kill some former things.

I share all this with you to allow you in to the reality of the knock down, drag out fight with Satan, the world and our flesh, that comes with desiring to love God, and follow Him, with all your body and soul.

I share this so you might give Him more access, to kill the things that handicap your soul.

Let Him lead you into the places you think you can’t or don’t want to go.

So here I go.

Ready to die.

And I’m more than okay with it.

Peace.

Alisa (aka…Mama Keets)

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PS. If you’ve ever desired or wondered what it would be like to be health coached by me. Read on!

While I’m away you’re going to be hearing about a 4-week health coaching series called Embodied that I’ll be leading on Sunday nights at 8pm EST, beginning April 12th.

Sign ups open March 23rd at Revelation Wellness. Mark you calendars and save four Sundays.

For $97 you will get the best that I got in the form of specialized group health coaching. This group is for the person who feels like their body is a problem they can’t solve or a project that’s never fixed.

So if you want to be coached by me, in my new life, with new wine and wineskins, I hope you’ll come! I’m expecting all kinds of glory and Rivers of Living water will flow!

I hear Gen Z rebel yelling, “Take away our mother’s diet culture!” while they themselves are knee deep resisting new kinds of rushing waters — a place where two fierce rivers collide and threaten to clobber. These waters are called Body Surveillance, and the Algorithmic Gaze — where the awareness of being constantly watched meets the pressure to curate and present an aesthetically pleasing body life so a community of online others who see us but don’t really know us might approve, and perhaps the algorithm will reward.

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Just now, as I sat down to write this post at my favorite local lunch spot (shout-out to Flower Child), a beautiful, dark-haired, brown-eyed girl carrying her tripod to make fashion content didn’t bat an eye as I walked by. On one hand, the artist in me gets it. There’s a desire in all our hearts to make beauty seen. The question is what happens if we evaluate our beauty based on being seen?

Like Pavlov’s dog, when the waters of Body Surveillance and Algorithmic Gaze converge just right, and the person with the looks and skills to surf the waters receives a bell ring followed by a massive dopamine dump. The drive to try it again for their body to be surveyed and seen, becomes the primary body motivator rather than the gain of personal agency for their body, whether or not someone sees.

But for those who try to navigate these waters and no bell rings, they feel swept into an emotional tsunami, carried out to a sea of loss. The Good News is that this is where the God who loves and made their body waits to meet those looking for more. He offers them something better and longer-lasting than what is surveyed and seen.

He offers to them himself. His body inside of theirs.

“This is my body given for you..”Luke 22:19

( Explaining the nervous system to a room of women at Deep Creek Church, FL. If you’re interested in me speaking at your church find out more here.)

The waters of Body Surveillance and Algorithmic Gaze can look like this:

Workouts matter for content collection over body connection.

Getting content gets them to want to go to the gym.

If no one compliments or sees the work on our body, continuing the work gets questioned.

If we don’t see body change, we question the value of the work.

If we don’t feel like our body can move through space with strength and grace, is it worth moving at all?

And sometimes all the way down to the smallest of things, like, if the workout set doesn’t match, then we can’t be seen.

When it comes to the beauty and wonder of being human beings with bodies — embodied beings — I worry we’ve lost the plot. When a person looks to the media to see themselves, or tell them what health and fitness should be, they will never find themselves. And to find ourselves is to come home to our uncurated, unfiltered body — with warts, zits, bumps, dents, old Old Navy workout sets that no longer match, and all.

Let’s not forget: there was nothing outwardly beautiful about Jesus.

Nothing about Him that would stop the scroll to comment, like, and share.

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. Isaiah 53:2

The human body is for ability, not vanity. Vanity isn’t just a word to describe a woman who is overly focused on her appearance. It’s what happens when we prioritize and work to maintain something fleeting, and because of that, it’s worthless.

Vanity is what happens when we make the value system of the world more important than the value system of heaven.

A matching workout set is nice — trust me, I have plenty — but it’s not necessary.

“I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.” Ecclesiastes 1:14

How many vanity projects do you have going right now? You will find them when you look behind the door of your frustration and fatigue.

A world of surveillance and algorithms in social media can be effective for an emotionally whole person, called by God and sold out for a Kingdom cause, and incredibly dangerous for someone who is not. Frustration and fatigue are signs: Danger ahead! Still, for a man or woman set on loving God’s heart and wanting His mind, they are in no way necessary.

If God wants to promote a person to a place of being seen, it will be for His purposes and His will in His time. He is God. He promotes. Afterall, He is the author of time. Time is on your side when He is at yours. And if your character isn’t ready for promotion, you don’t want it. You can gain everything and lose yourself when the foundation isn’t Him.

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“Unless the Lord build the house (your body, your calling, your family, your job, the thing you desire), those who build it (you and anyone watching or following you) labor in vain.” Psalm 127:1 amplification mine

If you don’t believe the paragraph I just wrote, I challenge you to test it and see for yourself. Try spending more time building something with God in private, away from the eyes of others, public applause, and scrutiny. If you’re looking for ideas for what to build instead, might I suggest a life of prayer – an ongoing, joyful connection to God and less connection to your phone.

I’ve been told I have a prophet voice. I agree with that, since there are days I feel like I’m on fire on the inside because of the potential danger ahead I see for someone like myself who creates online content to help people’s bodies, but especially for the next generation. The pressure on women, specifically, to present their bodies to the world — polished, smooth, strong, defying gravity and aging cells — is not going to let up. It’s going to roar at a louder volume, while the waters of these rivers rage.

For anyone reading this now who feels the undertoe to let go. Surrender and fall back. The waters of Body Surveillance and Algorithmic Gaze will release you, and the River of Life will draw you towards a place you can plant yourself and send out roots towards the waters for eternity. It’s here you want to grow, and if it’s God’s will, He will expand your reach, and your body is seen.

God’s looking for bodies to be seen, to show His glory, because they’ve built their life on The Rock, not vanity.

In the comments let me know if you’re concnered for the future too.

Sidenote: We will NOT be women who give themselves to worry or fear. We are women who can read the signs and know what the time calls for. We will make it our aim to carry compassion and intercede for people who don’t see the dangers through the word of God and prayer.

His love,

Alisa

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I’ve never used those words before. But never have they felt so true. I’m sure I went to bed at my normal weight, but woke up as heavy as a tank, melting into my bed. It wasn’t me lying there. It was some form of me sinking into the bed. I’ve been tired in my life, but not bone tired.

This is bone tired.

Can you relate?

I had to turn to the internet to find out “what exactly does it mean to feel bone tired?” Clearly, my 206 bones, made primarily of collagen and other minerals, don’t have feelings. My bones aren’t talking to me about my busy day schedule, nor are they complaining about a poor night’s sleep. Bones aren’t like muscle or soft tissue, which can experience fatigue. They can send messages of pain, but not fatigue. The message was coming from another body source, not my bones, but it used my bones as effective imagery to get my attention. Mission accomplished. I’m paying attention

“Be gracious o me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.” Psalm 6:2

Theologically, the Bible has a more robust understanding of bones. To the Hebrews, bones symbolize strength, vitality, and are essential to life itself. Biologically, our bones are essential for our bodies to move, stand, and animate. Our bones provide the infrastructure for an upright life and give our body a frame.

Bones are the core support system of the human body.

When someone says they are bone tired, what they mean is they have deep, structural, foundational fatigue.

Yup. That’s me.

That fatigue message is not coming from my actual bones but from my nervous system, which keeps watch over the dials of all my energy needs, whether mental, physical, social, or emotional.

When deeply fatigued, the nervous system conserves energy output. If energy output, mentally, physically, socially, or emotionally, surpasses energy input in the form of food, sleep, rest, and recreation, our nervous system will hold back resources to keep LIFE in our bones.

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My bones are getting close to being on life support.

Other signs of deep, foundational fatigue for me have been:

• I don’t want to exercise - Guys, this is a crazy new one for me. I am a woman of great joy and animation. Like all the days of my life, until the most recent of days. Moving my body has felt like a chore. Dare I say this…I sort of dread it. I pull up my workout pants and roll my eyes. Ugh. I don’t feel like it. This makes total sense, since physical exercise, at its best, is not for external aesthetics. It’s for internal health, and when done correctly, can eventually be seen externally in body change and muscle tone. Exercise primarily activates and modulates our nervous system. For all of you who have NEVER felt the joy of moving your body, I get it. I feel it in my bones. But I also know, this is not going to be true for me. It’s a moment wrapped in a message. I’m going to pay attention. I’m already hearing from the Holy Spirit as to what needs to change for a set time to get my joy of movement back. For this former obssessor, it’s going to take some trust. But I’m down. Is the enemy trying to tell me I’m going to lose my “itness level, and muscle tone…blah blah blah..yes. But he’s a punk. I hate him. And I’m going to tick him off by not listening to him. “Watch me do what you tell me I can’t” is a phrase I often say to him. That sentence is the match strike behind Revelation Wellness today. It’s a phrase written in my bones. I will not let the liar bully the life out of my bones.

• My brain is tired – when deeply fatigued, the brain literally reduces motor drive to conserve survival energy. Geesh. Even as I type this right now, I’ve had to backspace and stumble over the keyboard trying to find the words. My thoughts feel like mush. Writing and creating in this space is like fumbling and bumbling around in the dark. I keep stubbing my toe and banging into walls. It’s deeply frustrating, and that frustration only adds to the emotional drain and fatigue. It’s why you haven’t heard from me much over here, although the best-rested me has no shortage of creative, even a little weird, ideas, and LOVES to communicate those ideas about God and our bodies with anyone who will listen.

• My mouth is getting me in trouble – Yah—the worst part of being deeply fatigued. You can’t find the words you want to say but the words you don’t want to say..those suckers come out real easy.

The body doesn’t only keep the score; it also sets the rules for how the game is played, how long it will last, how long you will be able to play with your teammates, and how much energy you will bring to the field.

Our renewed life in Christ comes with one earthly problem: our souls, filled with the wonder and glory of God and chasing after the things of God, will always be bigger and heavier than our little old 206-boned body frame can carry.

May this message magnify the beauty that God himself would come for us through his son Jesus, in the likeness of man and LIMIT himself by putting on flesh and 206 bones. He did so, so we could have LIFE back in our bones. But make no mistake, Jesus, in body, was limited. All of heaven’s divinity, crammed into a 206 boned frame, rode the waves of a hormonally charged nervous system that has one job to do – to keep us thinking, feeling, doing, and living well with our soul energy.

Let me know in the comments if you’re feeling any of these things.

Yes, our bodies keep the score, but the Holy Spirit always wins the game.

Tired, but not quitting,

Alisa.

For those of you who want a better understanding of your body, next week I’ll be kicking off The Five-Day Hormone Reset. It’s just $20. Come learn how your hormones and nervous system work when at their best, what makes a mess of them, and what you can do to bring your body to its best in “the game” :) (Replay is available if you can’t attend live.)

People who shame others often do so because they walk this earth carrying shame about themselves.

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Sisters and daughters, I see the signs of a quiet body war beginning to blossom in the body of Christ, an “us vs. them” mentality.

One side chooses to change their body or their health in a way that differs from the other. It’s triggering. And it’s a trap. A trap of the enemy to divide and conquer the Bride of Christ, lock her in a prison of body perfection, kept under lock and key.

Ladies, this should not be. Jesus came to tear down the dividing wall of hostility, and I see the Christian wellness world erecting a new one, “in Jesus’ name.”

Love one another and do not judge, especially when it comes to another person’s body. Their body is one-third of who they are (body, soul, and spirit). Each of us are working out our salvation as Christ works in us.

“…continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” Philippians 2:12-13

Jesus loves bodies. All bodies. It’s through our physical ability, like the words we speak and the hugs we give, that Satan’s lies of shame and fear get chased out of God’s body camp.

Whatever we think, feel, or do with our bodies, or another’s, let our aim and motivation be to love and not fear.

Before you take issue with someone or feel concerned, ask yourself this question:

“Am I truly concerned for them, or is there a dividing wall of hostility at play because I’m mad that they are getting what I want—body change?”

If someone else chooses differently from you, choose to love—and do not fear.

If you sense someone you love is in dangerous territory, after clearing your heart of hostility, of course, in love, share your concerns—but only if you have relational equity. Otherwise, your role is to pray.

Pray. Pray. Pray.

And guard your heart from comparison, judgment, or worry that grows a root of bitterness.

When it comes to issues of the body, there are no biblical hard-and-fast rules that apply to everyone. But there is Biblical Truth.

Here are two cornerstone body truths to keep in mind when you feel yourself drowning in a sea of frustration, disappointment, and anger towards yourself or another. That sea is called Body Shame.

1. Our bodies are not our own - they belong to God.

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;” 1 Corinthians 6:19

Each of us is responsible for working out our body concerns with God, since each of us is uniquely known to Him and belongs to Him. He knows what’s best for each of our lives as embodied human beings. We can’t expect others to live according to our personal convictions or bodily ways since our body is not theirs, and theirs is not ours - it’s God’s. God will have His way.

2. Our bodies are part of our daily offering.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” Romans 12:1

The Old Testament days of offering God the blood of bulls, rams, and goats are over. Jesus’ blood shed closed that era, AND ushered in a new one. WE are now the sacrifice. For each of us, uniquely, there will be things we do or do not do with our bodies as a way of demonstrating to the spiritual forces at play, we worship the God who sent His only son to heal our souls so we could live well and free as bodies.

Now before we skip away in freedom, and everyone feels off the hook, let’s make sure we are really free. There’s a reason that under the influence of the Holy Spirit Paul rolls right into the next sentence following Romans 12:1

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world…” Romans 12:2

I believe it’s the pressure to conform we are all really angry and tired about.

Living in the state of anger and fatigue we tend to judge quickly and up goes the wall of hostility.

That pressure does not come from your sister in Christ, it comes from Satan, our shared enemy.

Satan wants God’s bride—the Church—unwell. He loves to use God’s own people who carry in their bodies, and about their bodies, feelings of shame and fear. These people are easy targets, useful to his purpose of tearing apart God’s body- His beautiful bride, The Church.

Refuse to play His game.

Bodies need to be loved, not shamed.

xo

Alisa

Note: If you’re feeling angry and fatigued, tossed about in a sea of body shame, while still really desiring some physical health change, I pray you join me for Weight Loss, Women and God. It is a shame free place to be and begin.

Hopefully, you trust me enough to know I’m not interested in changing the shape of your body as much as the condition of your heart. Don’t miss! We start Monday.

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It’s that time of year when I’m hearing from the ladies wanting body change. Most of these women are Christians who believe in God. And in theory, they acknowledge their body as good, mainly because Jesus says so, yet they still struggle to feel good in their own skin.

A dear friend of mine confided in me recently, saying, “Alisa, it feels like I am breathing and gaining weight.”

Maybe you can relate:

• My waistline is expanding.

• My mind is foggy.

• My body is achy.

• I don’t look or feel like myself.

And the big momma of them all:

Nothing works. I’m desperate.

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I’ve got good news and bad news for those in the desperate category.

The good news? There is no shortage of options for trying again.

• Carnivore

• Keto

• Zone 2 cardio and weight training

• Eat right for your blood type

• High protein

• Plant-forward eating

• Intermittent fasting

• Fibermaxxing

• The anti-diet diet

You’re not out of options. You’re not without hope.

The bad news is this: haven’t you been down this road before?

Enter weight-loss medications.

In this cultural moment, weight-loss medications have entered like a thunderstorm. Finally—after years of counting, measuring, planning, tracking habits, and seeing some relief but never long-term, people are experiencing real changes in their bodies as long as they stay on them. For life. (That’s key.)

Imagine if you could have stayed on all the diets and workouts you’ve tried over the years for the rest of your life. Would that have made the difference?

For women and men who have spent years feeling like nothing works, this offering is working. And friends, I’m here to tell you plainly: weight-loss medication works. A person who takes this medication should expect body changes that result in a smaller body size, relative to dosage.

This medication can be right for some people. It will not be right for all people.

And in a world that always shouts louder than the Holy Spirit whispers, I desire for Revelation Wellness to be a place where we can come together—without shame or judgment—and reason.

Because I don’t believe the primary driver of our physical unhealth and body hatred is the wrong diet or workout. I think it’s public shame. And private shame. And the pressure we’ve carried since our Biblical body story beginning

There are valid reasons why some people choose medication. And to discern those reasons wisely, we must sharpen our ability to reason.

So let me simplify the science.

GLP-1 medications effectively do two things:
They decrease hunger and reduce food cravings.

People who take them often feel relief from the constant stress of what to eat and when to eat because their desire for food shrinks.

At the end of the health-and-fitness day, this isn’t entirely new. When desire decreases, overconsumption becomes harder. For years as a personal trainer, I guided clients toward reasonable energy choices that supported—not sabotaged—the strength, endurance, and agility they were building in the gym.

Achieving a certain body size is about energy balance.
People who eat more tend to be larger.
People who desire less tend to be smaller.

(And yes—I worry about the erasing of bigger bodies that can happen if “smaller is better” becomes the unchallenged belief, especially for people whose only real health issue is body shame or the pain of a careless comment from someone they love. But that’s another post.)

Here’s the deeper question:
If medication quiets hunger, what are we actually hungry for?

What if we, the God-fearing, God-loving people, could agree on a few things?

What if feeling good and moving through our days well meant our bodies are already good as-is? What if limitations aren’t bad, but useful for God’s purposes? What if we agreed that our bodies will change through the years?

These feel like reasonable beliefs. Beliefs aligned with the reasonable act of worship Paul urges in Romans 12:2.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

(Does anyone else find it interesting that our ability to reason what God is up to requires us not to conform? Ouch. That stings.)

What if it’s actually the pressure to conform, stretching back through our stories, that’s the real elephant in doctors’ offices, therapy sessions, and hospital rooms?

So today, I want to cut through the noise with a simple “come, let us reason” reality check for those who want to improve their health and are considering all their options- from the Mediterranean diet to medication.

Over the years, I’ve noticed four patterns, what I call the over/under game, that quietly sabotage health improvements and frustrate the hope for body change.

People tend to underestimate:

• How much food they eat

• How stressed they are

People tend to overestimate:

• The quality of their food

• How active they are

Look at that list, honestly. Is this you?

At the root of our body dis-ease, I believe we are stressed, anxious, and worried about our lives. And our bodies become the main target because they are not just something we have, they are who we are.

We have an enemy who hates our bodies because they are how we have a life. A life Jesus gave His for so we could enjoy ours.

Shame by this enemy has been slung at our bodies for generations. And so we overeat. We overconsume. We lower standards for quality and raise our need for quantity. We take in more than we’re willing to put out because that’s what a body desperate for rest and safety does.

And we are too stressed, too busy to slow down and learn another way.

Which brings me back to desperation.

We’re desperate for God.

It was desperate people in the Bible that Jesus turned aside to heal.

So before you decide to try again, want to improve your health, the look of your body, how to create that change, or whether medication is proper for you, or if something feels unsettled in your soul about trying something new, I want to invite you to do the uncool, unconforming thing - get desperate for Jesus.

Invite Him to make His home in your heart.
Invite Him to take up more space.
Ask Him to whisper, or move with a heavy hand, when you’re anxious and worried about many body things.

Only one thing is needed.

How might your health improve, your body lighten, and your life change if God lifted your pressure to conform and removed your shame?

If you’re among the desperate, I’m inviting you to join me for Weight Loss, Women, and God. It’s a simple, 21-day, grounded space to lay freedom-first foundations- biblically rooted, science-backed, and embodied, not just informational. We start training together on Monday, January 12th, and sign-ups close soon!

I hear it all the time: “Revelation Wellness changed my life.”
What they mean is this: they gave God their body, and He gave it back filled with life.

If you’re ready to heal your soul, love your body and your life…..

Come, let’s reason.

Alisa

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Last week I invited my Instagram community to DM me with their coaching question. The only caveat was that they must use their voice. I needed to hear them. I challenged everyone to push that little microphone icon in their DMs and start telling me what’s on their mind. So many of you came through with such great questions. I loved hearing the sound of your voice and not just reading your words.

Sorry to those I couldn’t respond to. Please know I do my best to get to all your DMs, but sometimes it’s just not possible. And if you’re really my people, I know you get it and do your best to live under the cultural creed: “assume the best.” Man, just doing that each day will keep all of us from spiraling into unhealthy thoughts, feelings, and choices.

Love believes the best at all times, in all things, with all people.

One of the coaching questions I received was so beautifully honest and real I wanted to share it here with you all.

Jill is on her healing journey with Jesus and her body. I’ve witnessed her journey firsthand—both in flesh and blood, and from afar, online. Jill wants Jesus. And her body has taken many hits through the years. Satan, who is our enemy, has used broken people to try to break Jill. Her body is Satan’s easy, cheap shot he likes to take. (Anyone else relate? Yeah. Many of you.)

Listen to Jill’s three-minute message that asks the question:
“What do I do when my body isn’t able to fully express how I feel inside?”

I was hoping to share with you my return voice message to Jill, but due to bad sound quality on my end, I’ll spare your ears the noise :)

One of my greatest fears—the thing that keeps me on my face before the Lord about the message He’s placed in my heart for our physical bodies—is that we never elevate the body to a high place. Our flesh—the sinful nature entangled with our body-ability—is crucified with Christ, but the things of this world easily resurrect our flesh. Uncrucified flesh waits in the wings to take us captive.

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We must have a better body plan to keeps us embodied like Christ.

Here are three biblical principles to keep in mind when we feel “limited” by our body-ability:

1. Jesus’s body limited His ability

Philippians 2:6 says, “...though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”

When Jesus was born in the likeness of men and took on a body, He limited Himself. Although He KNEW He was equal with God, His body would limit Him. He could no longer be omnipresent like He was in the beginning with God. It’s not that He couldn’t, but He chose not to contain all of heaven into His average frame. When He lowered Himself, He limited Himself to be on equal ground with us.

Our bodies on this side of heaven are wonderful and limited.

2. Our body-ability will never hold equal ground with the Holy Spirit’s activity

The Holy Spirit is the activity of God and His Kingdom. The Holy Spirit is an ocean, and we human beings are thimbles. We can only hold so much.

We grow in love and knowledge of Christ. From the moment we put our faith in Jesus and receive the Holy Spirit, we will ache for more of God inside of us—more peace, more love, more joy—and we will always have to contend with limitations and lack.
It’s actually in our lack that we get more of God.

The Holy Spirit’s role is to keep us leaning into and longing for more of heaven here on earth. We reeeaaachhhh for the things of heaven. We stretch wide our tent poles until we ache. Our bodies are a wonderful gift, and when in the presence of the Lord, we will be satisfied with joy, and like children, reaching for more. But we also, like children, need not always be reaching for the cookie jar, if you know what I mean. The Holy Spirit wants to keep us from hurting ourselves with food, exercise, or any good thing we are prone to ruin by overdoing it.

3. Don’t ever forget: Satan is the problem. Not your body.

Your body is not a problem. Satan is the problem-maker.

Whenever we feel a lack, loss, or limitation, Satan is quick to accuse. He waits for a moment of physical weakness or insecurity—like feeling your belly get in the way of touching your toes. It’s then He is QUICK to blame. He will blame you or God with thoughts like You look like a fool. Or Shouldn’t this be better by now. Or You’ve really let yourself go. He hopes to resurrect your flesh, get you to feel bad, take matters into your own hands, and leave the place of worship.

Satan LOVES to party-poop on a good time with God. One minute you’re dancing, singing, spinning, enjoying God. Then a limiting moment shows up, and down goes the soul.

When these moments happen, take a beat. Notice it. Turn to God. Tell Satan to go back to hell. Choose to boast in your limitations. Paul says it’s how the power of God stays in us (2 Corinthians 12:9). Then, get back to the party and enjoy God.

If we apply and live by just one of these three things listed above, I am convinced life will feel more enjoyable, health will be the natural outcome, and we will stay whole.

Ps. Saw this reel 👆🏼and felt so soon as a health coach 😁

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I can’t wait to go deeper on things like this with ten of you, starting in the new year, in my Good Body Gaining Health Club. I’m not playing around. I’m kind of sick of Satan running his plays on the body of Christ’s physical body. How about you?

There’s still time and room to join me on December 7th for Breathe & Behold: An Embodied Advent Experience! It’s totally free! Why not come? You have nothing to lose but the anxiety that’s stealing, killing, and destroying your life. (I know that sounds dramatic. But it’s true :)

His love,

Alisa