ATimemagazine cover article named Rick Warren the most influential spiritual leader in America and one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Tens of millions of copies of Pastor Rick’s books have been published in 200 languages. His best-known books,The Purpose Driven LifeandThe Purpose Driven Church,were named three times in national surveys of pastors (by Gallup, Barna, and Lifeway) as the two most helpful books in print.
Rick and his wife, Kay, founded Saddleback Church, the Purpose Driven Network, the PEACE Plan, and Hope for Mental Health. He is the cofounder of Celebrate Recovery with John Baker.
Pastor Rick has spoken in 165 nations. He has spoken at the United Nations, US Congress, numerous parliaments, the World Economic Forum, TED, Aspen Institute, and lectured at Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, and other universities.
Rick is executive director of Finishing the Task, a global movement of denominations, organizations, churches, and individuals working together on the Great Commission goals of ensuring that everyone everywhere has access to a Bible, a believer, and a local body of Christ.
The Daniel Plan Journal
By RICK WARREN, Andrea Vinley Jewell, Jim RuarkZONDERVAN
Copyright © 2013 The Daniel Plan
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-310-34432-2
Contents
BIBLE VERSIONS.............................................................9MEDICAL DISCLAIMER.........................................................10WELCOME TO A NEW WAY OF LIFE...............................................11HOW TO USE THIS JOURNAL....................................................14BEFORE YOU START...........................................................1640-DAY HEALTH ASSESSMENT...................................................27Day 1: FAITH The Abundant Life.............................................29Day 2: FOOD Glory Meals....................................................33Day 3: FITNESS The Best Exercise...........................................37Day 4: FOCUS Transformation Begins in the Mind.............................41Day 5: FRIENDS Unconditional Acceptance....................................45Day 6: FAITH Trust God One Day at a Time...................................49Day 7: FOOD A Clean Break..................................................53Day 8: FITNESS Dream Big...................................................57Day 9: Focus Mindfulness...................................................61Day 10: FRIENDS Work Together..............................................6510-DAY CHECK-IN............................................................69Day 11: FAITH A Present God................................................71Day 12: FOOD Lying Labels..................................................75Day 13: FITNESS Your One Word..............................................79Day 14: FOCUS Stress Robs, Peace Restores..................................83Day 15: FRIENDS Friendships Make All the Difference........................87Day 16: FAITH No Condemnation..............................................91Day 17: FOOD Sleep's Restoration...........................................95Day 18: FITNESS Your Amazing and Wonderful Body............................99Day 19: FOCUS Combat Negative Thoughts.....................................103Day 20: FRIENDS Good Friends Are Good Listeners............................10710-DAY CHECK-IN............................................................111Day 21: FAITH Expect God to Help You Succeed...............................113Day 22: FOOD Cook Your Way to Health.......................................117Day 23: FITNESS Find a Buddy...............................................121Day 24: FOCUS Meditate on God's Word.......................................125Day 25: FRIENDS Speaking The Right Language................................129Day 26: FAITH Overcome Unbelief............................................133Day 27: FOOD Intentional Eating............................................137Day 28: FITNESS Enjoy Your Life............................................141Day 29: FOCUS Thank You....................................................145Day 30: FRIENDS Look Out For Others........................................14910-DAY CHECK-IN............................................................153Day 31: FAITH God Uses Your Challenges.....................................155Day 32: FOOD Take a Breath.................................................159Day 33: FITNESS Prayerful Movements........................................163Day 34: FOCUS Redefine Failure.............................................167Day 35: FRIENDS No Lone Rangers............................................171Day 36: FAITH Trust God More...............................................175Day 37: FOOD An Abundance of the Best......................................179Day 38: FITNESS Change It Up...............................................183Day 39: FOCUS Smarten Up...................................................187Day 40: FRIENDS Stay Committed.............................................19140-DAY HEALTH ASSESSMENT...................................................195NEXT STEPS.................................................................197BMI CHART..................................................................199CONTRIBUTORS...............................................................201
CHAPTER 1
Before You Start
Take a few days to set goals, review The Daniel Plan foodguidelines, assess where you are with each of the five Essentials,and record your current state of health. Proverbs 4:26says, "Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and besteadfast in all your ways."
SMARTGOALS
Set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, andTime-bound) Goals, similar to what we talked about in chapter6 inThe Daniel Planon the Focus Essential. Goal setting is aspiritual discipline like prayer and spending time alone withGod. In fact, goals can be an act of stewardship or worshipwhere you say, "God, I want to make the most of what I've beengiven" or "God, I give you back the life you've given to me, andI want to go in your direction."
Specificgoals are clear and distinct. This is where youunderstand exactly what is expected and why it is important. Aspecific goal usually answers the five "W" questions:
What?
Why?
Who?
Where?
Which? (Identify the requirements and constraints inthe areas of faith, food, fitness, focus, and friends.)
To set specific goals, you need to know the differencebetween pressures and priorities, activity and achievement,and what's urgent and what's important. If you focus yourenergy on goals that aren't God-directed, your energy won'thave much power. Paul modeled this in 1 Corinthians 9:26: "Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I donot fight like a boxer beating the air." Energy that is focused hasenormous power.
Measurableemphasizes the need for tangible benchmarks.If a goal is not measurable, how will you know whether you aremaking progress? Measuring your progress helps you stay ontrack and keeps you excited. A measurable goal answers questionssuch as "How much?" and "By when?"
Attainablemeans the goals need to be realistic, eventhough it's okay to have big dreams. Extreme goals usuallyinvite failure and frustration. When you identify the goals thatare most important to you, you will figure out ways to makethem happen.
At the same time, you also need to realize that attainabledoesn't mean only the goals you can accomplish in your ownpower. If you can do it in your own power, then you don't reallyneed any faith. Goals can stretch your faith and affirm yourtrust in God.
Relevantmeans goals that matter. A relevant goal answers "yes" to these questions: Is it worthwhile? Is this the right time?Does it match your other efforts and needs?
This also means your goals are relevant to God and bringhim glory. Any goal that brings you closer to God and makes youwant to serve him and others is a goal that matters. The apostlePaul encouraged us to "make it our goal to please him, whetherwe are at home in the body or away from it" (2 Corinthians5:9).
Time-boundstresses the importance of attaining the goalwithin a certain time frame. When you use time-bound criteria,you will be able to measure your goals and focus yourefforts on a specific deadline.
Here are examples of seven SMART Goals:
1. Lose 30 pounds in six months.
2. Walk, as if I am late, four times a week for forty-fiveminutes with my walking partner.
3. Do a complete kitchen cleanse (that is, clean out thekitchen of all unhealthful food) once a week.
4. Spend one night a week with friends reading anddiscussing The Daniel Plan material. Call in betweenmeetings for encouragement and accountability.
5. Spend five to ten minutes a day journaling myprogress.
6. Spend ten or more minutes a day in prayer or readingmy Bible.
7. Eat Daniel Plan–approved foods at least 90 percentof the time.
Working toward SMART Goals will give you the directionyou need to focus on what's really important. You will recordthese on pages 22–24 and revisit them every ten days.
THE DANIEL PLANPLATE
Over the next forty days you will be tracking your food. Thatis why we created The Daniel Plan plate. Following the plateas closely as you can will keep you focused on foods that trulylove you back! As you learn to use the plate guidelines, you willmaximize your energy, kick-start your metabolism, and curbyour cravings. Don't worry, weknow that every day isnotperfect.In fact, The Daniel Planjourney is all about progress,notperfection. It's about takingsteps in the right direction.
The Daniel Plan gives an easy guideline to use for any meal:
50% non-starchy veggies
25% healthy animal or vegetable proteins
25% healthy starch or whole grains
Side of low-glycemic fruit
Drink—water or herbal iced teas
Here are some great choices to start with. For more ideas, besure to visitdanielplan.comor download The Daniel Plan Appfor delicious recipes and more.
THE DANIEL PLAN 5ESSENTIALS SURVEY
It is very important to remember that we all have differentstarting points. It's a great idea to assess your health in each ofthe five Essentials before you start and at the completion of theprogram. On a scale of 1–5, please rate your current status foreach of The Daniel Plan Essentials. We would encourage you totake this survey before your program begins and after it ends.
DANIEL PLAN ESSENTIALSSURVEY RESULTS
Congratulations! Now that you have completed your survey,transfer your scores for each area of wellness (Faith, Food, Fitness,Focus, and Friends) into the following table in the "MyScore" column. Then read the following pages to get a betterunderstanding of what your scores mean and figure out whatareas you need to focus on most. Be sure to log onto The DanielPlan website atdanielplan.comto learn about the Stages ofChange and how to move forward with your program.
YOUR SCORE:
Score of 20–25: Well done! If you scored between 20 and25 points for a particular Daniel Plan Essential, your answersdemonstrate that you are aware of the importance of this areato your personal wellness and have developed the habits to rateit so highly.
Score of 15–20:If you scored between 15 and 20 in oneor more of The Daniel Plan Essentials, your health and wellnesspractices are doing well, but you may have room for someimprovement. Identify the areas you are dissatisfied with andbegin to review tips and strategies inThe Daniel Plan, The DanielPlanDVD Study and Study Guide, and companion tools tohelp improve your score the next time you take this survey.
Score of 10–15:If you scored between 10 and 15 in one ormore of The Daniel Plan Essentials, this may be an ideal areato focus your attention on and set specific goals.
Scores below 5–10:If you scored below a 10 in one or moreof The Daniel Plan Essentials, it is time to make some changes.Identify all of the areas where you scored yourself with a 1 or a2 and consider improving these items.
Now that you have your scores in hand, you may want tofocus on one or two Essentials, or maybe all five. Rememberthis isyourjourney. We all have different starting points, sostay focused on what you want to achieve. It's great to check inwith friends to get ideas, but don't get sidetracked by comparingyourself to others. What's most important is thatyouaretaking small steps in the right direction.
SET SMART GOALSFOR THE NEXT 40 DAYS
Choose one or two Essentials to focus on, and reassess yourSMART Goals as you go.
FAITH:(Example: "Start my day by reading the Bible." )
FOOD:( "Clean out my pantry of all unhealthful food." )
FITNESS:( "Walk as if I'm late four to five times a week." )
FOCUS:( "Eat Daniel Plan–approved foods at least 90 percentof the time." )
FRIENDS:( "Find friends who want to go on this journey with me." )
(Continues...)Excerpted fromThe Daniel Plan JournalbyRICK WARREN, Andrea Vinley Jewell, Jim Ruark.Copyright © 2013 The Daniel Plan. Excerpted by permission of ZONDERVAN.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
