Below is a video from the presentation of “Gaining a Healthy Relationship with Food.” For the various counseling options available from this material visit www.summitrdu.com/counseling.

NOTE: Many people have asked how they can get a copy of the seminar notebook referenced in this verbal presentation. You can request a copy from Summit’s admin over counseling at counseling@summitrdu.com (please note this is an administrative account; no individual or family counsel is provided through e-mail).

“Food Has Been More than Fuel to Me”
ADMIT I have a struggle I cannot overcome without God.

Ganing A Healthy Relationship With Food — Step 1 from The Sam James Institute on Vimeo.

On-Line Evaluation: A Healthy Relationship with Food Evaluation

Memorize: Philippians 3:19 (ESV), “Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.” As you memorize this passage reflect upon these key points:

  • “Their” – Read through this verse replacing “their” with “my” and ask if it fits your eating patterns.
  • “End is destruction” – Does how you eat, or don’t eat, contribute to your flourishing or your demise?
  • “God is their belly” – How much does satisfying your eating patterns determine whether you’re at peace?
  • “Glory is their shame” – If you got everything you wanted from food would you be healthy-holy or starved-obese?
  • “Mind set on earthly things” – Do you eat for strength to serve God or to please others / distract yourself?

Teaching Notes

“I felt so invested in my eating disorder and my belief system, it was hard admitting to myself that I had it all wrong this whole time (p. 111).” Carolyn Costin & Gwen Schubert Grabb in 8 Keys to Recovery from an Eating Disorder

“Disordered eating is generally a pattern of using food for reasons other than nutrition… Disordered eating becomes an eating disorder based upon the behavior, the severity, and the length of time (p. 241).” Gregory Jantz in Hope, Help, & Healing for Eating Disorders

“Anorexia and compulsive overeating may appear to be opposites, but they are not. Food is their shared means for controlling that which seems uncontrollable (p. 19).” Gregory Jantz in Hope, Help, & Healing for Eating Disorders

“We don’t own our bodies; they are not ours to abuse or care for according to our own perceived wants or desires. On the contrary, not only did God create us; he paid a high price to redeem us. And when he redeemed us, he didn’t just redeem our souls; he redeemed our bodies and claims them for his use as well. Therefore honor God with your bodies (referencing I Corinthians 6:19-20; p. 46-47)… How we treat our bodies is a question of stewardship even before it is a question of health, comfort, enjoyment, or pleasure (p. 47).” Gary Thomas in Every Body Matters: Strengthening Your Body to Strengthen Your Soul

“It is an unwritten American the eleventh commandment: thou shalt not be fat (p. 3)… Every limitation we have can be seen as an invitation from God to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. When we surrender, we don’t give up or play dead or wait for God to fix us. Instead, we become active participants with God and making a new path of hope toward healing (p. 8).” Stephen Arterburn and Linda Mintle in Lose It for Life

“I know from personal experience that as long as my heart is focused on ‘looking good,’ there will never be a time when I am completely satisfied with my appearance (p. 41)… Progress towards change (or sanctification), then, requires us to see our overeating, binging, or starvation as sin—not just something inconvenient, embarrassing, or troublesome (p. 99).” Elyse Fitzpatrick in Love to Eat, Hate to Eat

“Start by admitting how reluctant you are—this might be the first honest thing you have done with your obsession in a long time (p. 14).” Ed Welch in Eating Disorders: The Quest for Thinness

“Being recovered is when the person can accept his or her natural body size and shape and no longer has a self-destructive relationship with food or exercise. When you are recovered, food and weight take a proper perspective in your life, and what you weigh is not more important than who you are; in fact, actual numbers are of little or no importance at all. When recovered, you will not compromise your health or betray your soul to look a certain way, wear a certain size, or reach a certain number on the scale. When you are recovered, you do not use eating disordered behaviors to deal with, distract from, or cope with other problems (p. 16-17).” Carolyn Costin & Gwen Schubert Grabb in 8 Keys to Recovery from an Eating Disorder