The power of prayer……..

1971, the pilgrim, twenty five years of
age and 170 lbs. I promised this would
not be about me, and believe it or not, it
still isn’t, but let me share this with you.
A little over two months ago I asked you
to pray for me as I went after what has
been the biggest stumbling block in my
life, my weight. I’m sure all of you have
had to face the demons in your own lives
and you know how much fear you have
when you face an opponent you have
never been able to defeat. This morning
I weighed in at 216 lbs. That’s the lowest
I’ve weighed in maybe thirty years. I’m
not at my goal yet of the 180’s but I’m
closer than I’ve been in a long, long
time.

How is this not about me?????? Actually this road that I’m on is because of your prayers, and God’s power. I hate admitting defeat, but time and time again I’ve tried to beat this monster and
have always ended up the one bloody and beaten. This time armed with your support, and God’s
grace, it is happening, slowly but surely. Now, when I get to my goal, I won’t look like the young man above, but I won’t look like I looked in December either.

I want to thank my friend Vinny Collucci for sticking with me and holding me accountable all the way. Vinny has lost almost 50 lbs! He and his teaching partner Melissa Southern have done great on this program and I really appreciate that they’ve been there for me. My daughter, Catherine and my grand children, and Sherelene have all been there too, encouraging me all the way. As much as they have helped, the real accolades go to my Heavenly Father. He has done two things for me that has never happened before, He has given me the reminder of the Holy Spirit when I have been about to skate to close to the edge, and the strength to say no to what I’ve never been able to say no to before.

This all started because I wanted to be healthy, which I was not at the start. I feel so much better, and all my key numbers are back where they should be. Please forgive me for spending this blog space talking about my own battle, but I needed you to know just how powerful your prayers are.
You can make a bigger difference in others lives than you ever imagined by simply lifting them to God. Please, everyday, look for people that need your prayers and write down their names and take them into your prayer time and lift them up. Pray that God will fill their lives with His Love, and His healing power. Stick with it and keep praying for them, keep a journal and record when you start to see unbelievable thing change in their lives. Trust me you will. God wants us to put Him to the test, to allow Him to prove to us just how much He cares. I know this from countless other victories He has given me in my life, and now He is making it possible for me to face my biggest challenge…… From the bottom of my heart, thank you for not giving up on me.

with great gratitude, I am,

the pilgrim