The Lessons of Jesus

Jesus The Teacher

If you want a Masterclass on life and how to live a good life, the best teacher is of course Jesus.  Look to the words of Jesus for guidance and the Book of John for inspiration. The teachings can ease your pain, forgive your past, and fill you with faith, hope, peace and joy.  The simple powerful prayer of the Our Father and an attitude of gratitude expressing a simple "Thank You" for the gift of life and the beauty unfolding in each moment.

From Matthew 22 verse 36 we have the first and greatest commandment from Jesus which is to love the Lord God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.

You can do all that I have done and more if you but believe.

I have come here to save the world not to judge it.

At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

“All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Jesus desires Mercy not sacrifice

Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. 3

For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. 35The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure. 36But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

‘If God be for us, who can be against us?’ (Romans 8:31)  Just the saying of it has lifting power, hasn’t it?”

Thank you Father. God Bless!

With Love,

Coach K

Ben Hogan - Playing Golf

The Hawk

Ben Hogan is one of the greatest golfers to ever play the game having won 9 majors and one of only 5 golfers to win all 4 majors.  He was famously known for tirelessly hitting balls on the range, and famously said, that the secret to great ball striking is found in the dirt. He was a steely competitor with not much personality or banter on the course.  He was all business and earned the nickname "The Hawk" for his steely eyed gaze during tournaments. 

Ben was known for his ball striking and toughness.  He learned the game at the age of 11 as a caddie at Glen Garden country club with fellow caddie Byron Nelson.  He turned pro just shy of the age of 18 and did not win his first tournament until 10 years later.  Ben took a head golf pro position at Hershey Country Club to supplement his income.  Talk about persistence. 

He survived a devastating car crash when a bus veered into his lane, Ben reached over to shield his wife and suffered major injuries including a broken pelvis and collarbone.  After recovering from a hospital stay of two months, Ben went on to win 3 majors in a single season at the age of 40. 

Hogan went on to author, with the help of legendary golf writer Herbert Warren Wind,  a classic golf teaching book known as "Five Lessons. The Modern Fundamentals of Golf". The book is a concise how to on learning the golf swing with simple instructions  and incredible drawings by Anthony Ravielli depicting the muscles utilized in hitting a golf ball. 

Ben Hogan after winning his third major of the year at the British Open in 1953 played at Carnoustie, one of the toughest golf courses in the world, returned to a hero's welcome receiving a ticker tape parade in New York city.

 

 While golf can be intimidating for a lot of people, the game offers a slew of benefits including the ability to play throughout your lifetime.  You can buy the book for around $10 and it may be the best golf investment you can make. 

With Love,

Coach K

 

A Father's Love

Unconditional Love

One of my favorite quotes is from the poet Hafiz, 

"After all this time, the sun never looks at the moon and says you owe me"

The power of unconditional love is a universal energy that holds the universe together.  Jesus commanded us to "Love One Another As I have loved You". 

What is unconditional love? Loving no matter what the conditions. Loving without limit. Loving our fellow man. Loving the winners and losers, our friends and enemies. And as Lao Tzu said, to have a reverence for all living things." During the attempted assassination of the former president a gentlemen named Corey Comperatore was attending the rally just looking to enjoy the evening with his friends and family when gunfire reverberated throughout the crowd. 

Donald Trump was struck in the ear and fortunately the bullet just grazed his ear. The terror stricken crowd was scrambling for cover while the Secret Service tackled the ex president. Corey and and the other victims where not so fortunate. Corey a husband and father of two girls immediately jumped on his wife and daughter sheltering them from the bullets.

As the hysteria cleared, we learned that Corey a volunteer fireman and someone who served as Fire Chief in the Butler, PA community sacrificed his own life by covering his wife and daughter from the gunfire. An incredible act of bravery, courage, and selflessness. Corey lived the example of Jesus, who before he went to the cross instructed his disciples, 

"Greater love has no one than this; to lay down one's life for one's friends."

We as parents know the unconditional love we have for our children, even when they stumble and fall down we are always there to dust them off and pick them up. Corey inspired the world with the love he displayed that day.  Thank you Corey for living from your highest Christ realized self. 

You are a loving beacon for all of us. 

Godspeed!

With Love,

Coach K

The Ten Commandments

A  Spiritual Guide For Everyday Life

We see the violence everyday around us and came to a head in the United States on Saturday July 13, 2024 in Butler, PA forty miles north of Pittsburgh. A 20 year old disturbed assassin attempted to take the former president's life during a rally.  And while he failed in the attempt he senselessly took the life of another person at the rally and injured another while wasting his own life in the process. While we know that evil exists in the world, for a young 20 year old to be so disturbed to commit a heinous act with his entire life in front of him is really a reflection on all of us as a society.  Where have we gone wrong as a society for our young people to be so broken. 

One answer is that to some degree we have become a God-less nation especially with our youth. We have secularized society to the point that our faith based institutions are in decline. We have a duty and moral obligation to teach the children well and share some key time tested spiritual principles that we can live by.  And while that becomes harder in these times of broken families and heated public discourse we must rise to the occasion. 

One simple guide is the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses on Mt. Sinai. 

1. I am the Lord your God, you shall have no other gods before Me.
2. Worship no false idols.
3. You shall not take the Lord God's name in vain. 
4. Keep holy the Sabbath day. A day of rest. 
5. Honor your Mother and Father.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal. 
9. You shall not lie. 
10. You shall not covet thy neighbors wife or goods. 

A good start for all of us.  Easy to say but harder to live.  First comes the knowing and next the doing. And as Jesus commanded all of us before going to the cross 

Love One Another As I have Loved You!

With Love,

Coach K

A Return to God

 July 13, 2024

This evening on July 13, 2024 the former president and leading Republican candidate Donald Trump was having a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania just 40 miles north of Pittsburgh.  A 20 year old male was positioned on a rooftop 130 yards away with an AK47 semi automatic weapon and attempted to assassinate the former president with the bullet grazing his ear. One other person at the rally was tragically shot and killed while another person was injured.  The Secret Service then took the assassin out moments later. 

The political climate for the 2024 election has been heated to say the least but there is no place or justification for violence.  The sad part of this story is that this 20 year old young man from the local area was so sick in the mind that he felt compelled to act in this manner.  A 20 year old with his whole life in front of him decided to not only waste his life but those of innocent strangers. The question is always Why? How are young people so radicalized, delusional, and hopeless at such a young age with so much of life to be lived. So sad, so tragic. 

The answer is a return to God. A return to faith, a return to the Holy Spirit. We as parents don't have to be religious but we do need to have and teach some spiritual foundational principles. We were raised as Christians with principles based on the life and teachings of Jesus. There are others of course. One of the principle tenets of Christianity are the Ten Commandments. A straightforward list on how to live and conduct yourself in daily life. One of them is Thou Shall Not Kill. With the senseless violence that we see in our everyday lives it's easy to become desensitized to the sanctity and preciousness of life.  But we are reminded every time a newborn is welcomed into the world and we celebrate the miraculous gift of life. 

We have a responsibility as parents, citizens, and a society to teach our children and the youth by not only sharing these fundamental principles on how to conduct ourselves on a daily basis but to the best of our ability to be living examples of how to treat each other with dignity despite any differences we may have.We need to walk the walk. As parents, we also must be more proactive in monitoring our children's social media activity. We cannot relinquish our responsibilities as parents and we must talk and interact with our children as they grow into adulthood. They need us!

Jesus taught and preached all over the land while being persecuted throughout his life.  He gave his most important command before he went to the cross, he told his disciples simply,

"To Love One Another As I Have Loved You"

We can disagree, we can argue, we can even fight but we must understand that we are all connected by the divine Holy Spirit that resides within each of us. We are all children of God but sadly many of us are not even aware of this fact.  Let us go out into the world and be a beacon of light times of darkness.

With Love,

Coach K

10 Easy Health and Fitness Hacks

 Wellness And The Fountain of Youth

Some simple health and fitness tasks you can easily do right now at any age that will dramatically improve your life and well being.  The beauty of these tips is that they don't require a ton of money or significant lifestyle changes to implement.  Many of us doubt that we can significantly impact our health but we are empowered and we can Begin today to renew our health, energy, and lifestyle. Let's get started. 

1.  Get Outside. We spend over 99% of our time indoors.  From the office, home, gym, shopping, car and movies we are always indoors.  Make time to get outside for at least an hour or more every day. Even if it's just taking a stroll, working in the garden, or reading outside. 
   
2. Fresh Air. Fresh air is a cure all.  When you go outside and fill your lungs with fresh air it helps oxygenate your blood and energize you. Try a deep breathing regimen where you exhale and then inhale and hold your breath for as long as comfortable.  Do this for 4 times and see how it eliminates stress and lifts your mood. 
3. Grounding or Earthing.  Simply walking outside barefoot in the grass and plugging into the electromagnetic waves of the earth on a daily basis can reduce inflammation and accelerate healing. Get outside in your bare feet as much as possible.  
4. Sunshine. We need the sun to live. Soft sunshine is the key whether it's early morning or early evening make sure you get a healthy dose of vitamin D by exposing your skin to the soft sun. Sunshine is excellent for our bones, our teeth, and our overall mood. Stay away from the hot sun that has the potential to burn your skin. 
5. Lemon juice. A few squeezes of lemon or lime juice in your morning drink of water will cleanse your body by detoxifying your liver and kidneys. Think of lemon juice as an internal cleanser for your body.  Lemons can rid your body of all the bodily waste you accumulate throughout the day, Lemons are also a good source of vitamin C, magnesium, and other minerals. One important note is to enjoy your lemon water on an empty stomach so as not to interfere with digestion. A splash of Apple Cider Vinegar in your lemon water can enhance the internal cleansing action.
   
6. Move. Many of us spend most of our day sitting to do our work and between sitting during an 8 hour work day, sleeping 8 hours a day, and sitting while enjoying a game, TV show, or video game we quietly lead sedentary lifestyles.  Simply standing up every hour is beneficial for our blood flow and circulation. Try and go for a walk at lunch or after work. If possible some simple jumping jacks can be a low impact way to activate blood flow to our organs and brain. 
7. Muscle. The more lean muscle we add to our bodies the stronger and healthier we will be. Building muscle doesn't have to involve heavy weights or fancy equipment. We can use or own body weight and do push ups, pull ups, and sit ups to add and maintain muscle.  And for those of than need a more convenient method there are the strength training bands.  I use a $10 band that I can use during a break at work to tone my entire body with a few simple exercises.  The bands are excellent because they are simple to use, portable, inexpensive, and most importantly effective. 
8. Nutrition. Many of us our challenged in our daily eating. We need to eat a good balance of vegetables, fruits, lean protein, and quality fat.  As a rough estimate try and consume a gram of protein for each pound that you weigh.  So at 150 pounds, try at eat 150g of protein. One of the easiest things we can do is start with simple yet powerful changes. One of my key changes was to completely eliminate soda from life. Sugar is a poison and is so toxic to our bodies that it is a leading cause of chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and cancer. Look for ways to cut sugar from your lifestyle.  Eat more vegetables and greens.  Think of what you can add to your daily eating instead of what you need to cut.  I enjoyed the taste of spinach and found a simple inexpensive way to add a superfood to eating regimen by simple blending the raw spinach in my vitamix and just drinking it daily. The mild nutty taste is delicious. Try and add omega rich foods like salmon, eggs, tuna, sardines, and anchovies.  Look for creative ways to improve your eating.
9. Gut Health.  The buzz word these days is gut health. The word is that our gut is the key to our immune system, and the easiest way to improve out gut health is to eat fermented foods.  A cheap powerful food that is outstanding for our digestion and adding good bacterium is Sauerkraut. Apple Cider Vinegar, pickles, kimchi, kombucha, kefir, and greek yogurt are excellent sources. Also, a little red wine  in moderation thins the blood, is filled with resveratrol a heart health compound, and aids in digesting red meat. 
10.  Exercise.  Walk, jog, run, swim, bike, play a sport preferably outdoors taking in the fresh air. Whatever you enjoy to keep moving and active to keep your heart, lungs, bones, and joints strong. Try to be active for at least 30 minutes a day where your heart rate is elevated. Sweat those toxins out of your body.  Try some type of weight bearing exercise three times a week even using the resistance bands.  Elevating our heart rate is excellent for blood flow to our heart, lungs and brain. Our cardio, pulmonary system fills our blood and organ with nutrient rich oxygen that helps maintain our youthful glow and energy.
    
11.  Fasting. One of the most powerful eating regimens you can adopt to dramatically alter your health is fasting.  Fasting is simply eating during a consecutive 8 hour window say 12 noon to 8pm and then not eating for the remaining 16 hours. Instead of eating 3 meals a day and snacking in between, we eat in an 8 hour window and allow our body to rest from the continuous work of digestion.  When our bodies and key organs such as the liver and kidneys are able to rest and restore they begin producing beneficial hormones of testosterone, Human Growth Hormone, and Insulin Growth Factor these powerful hormones can be restored at any age when we stop overtaxing our organs with constant digestion. You can build up to it and ease up on the weekends, but give it a try and you can choose the optimum eating window that works for you.
12. Oral health.  Your oral health is important to your overall well beings. Brushing daily and flossing regularly will provide good mouth bacteria that impacts your overall immune system.  Flossing is a simply way to improve heart health. 
    

Attitude. Our mindset or attitude to our health is of the utmost importance. Everything begins with a thought or idea.  When we declare that we are healthy, we are strong, we are vibrant that spirit drives our daily activities and daily living. We are in control and we have the power to determine our health and well being. Look for the simple even little things you can add to your life to begin improving your health today when we add these simple steps up they can have a compounding affect that revitalizes and restores us. A word on supplementation look for a good multivitamin and Omega source if you don't eat fish. 

To Your Health!

With Love,

Coach K

The Healthy Alternative to Weight Loss Drugs

 Fasting

Society is swept up with Weight Loss drugs these days.  A simple shot is all you need to lose the weight.  While this may be a solution for those suffering from obesity, there is a better way for those of us that are looking to lose the extra weight.  

The importance of losing that extra 20 or even 50 pounds can make all the difference to your health.  A reduced weight improves your heart health, blood pressure, cardio pulmonary function, diabetes risk, and lessens overall inflammation, and helps relieve the stress on all your joints. 

One of the important benefits of Fasting is that not only does it help reduce inflammation it also stimulates the natural release of the beneficial hormones of testosterone, HGH, and IGF. These hormones act like a type of fountain of youth particularly for older folks.  

Fasting is very powerful it is an eating solution that has the power to heal you and to eliminate all the toxic medications in your life.  And while medications play an important role as you recover the side affects can be harmful.  Look for natural solutions to your health issues.  When you return to your ideal weight you can restore your health and well being and eliminate all your medications. 

Fasting works by adopting a daily eating plan where you eat during a certain 8 hour time period and then don't eat for the other 16 hours, and while that may sound daunting remember that includes 8 hours of sleep.   So, in actuality you are eating during an 8 hour window, fasting for 8 hours, and then sleeping for another 8 hours.  There are many fasting variations but the key is to give your body a rest from digesting food all day.  When we eat three meals a day and snack in between our body especially our liver and kidneys are constantly working to digest and eliminate waste. When pause our constant eating we give our bodies time to rest and recover our organs can produce the beneficial hormones that restore our health and well being. 

Simply changing the way we eat on a daily basis can help achieve our ideal weight, restore our overtaxed biochemical systems, reduce inflammation, eliminate chronic disease and the need for toxic medications. Consult your physician about fasting and then begin to take control of your health today. 

There is a better way and Fasting may work for you.

To Your Health!

With Love,

Coach K

Forbidden Drive

Forbidden Drive is an old mill road built in the 1860's that connected the textile mills located on the Wissahickon creek in Chesnut Hill to Center City, Philadelphia.  Located in a lush area surrounded by beautiful woods the Wissahickon Valley road located only about 10 miles from downtown Philadelphia was a world away out in the country. The Wissahickon creek, which is a Lenape Indian word, meaning yellow water, meanders through a five mile stretch of  woods and granite cliffs culminating in a surging waterfall feeding into the Schuylkill river along the scenic Kelly drive.   

Kelly Drive is a dynamic nine mile stretch of winding road that runs along picturesque scenery of the river.  The drive is named after Jack Kelly, Olympic gold medal rower and father of Princess Grace Kelly, who lived in nearby East Falls.  Kelly Drive ambles along the river connecting the Wissahickon Valley trail with beautiful outdoor sculptures, the historic boat house row which lights up at night illuminating the nine boat houses and finally end at the heart of the city at the iconic Art Museum. The entire area stretching from the beginning of Forbidden Drive at Wissahickon Valley park to Kelly Drive leading into the Art Museum is part of the one of the largest city parks in the USA known as Fairmount Park. The e

The land comprising Fairmount Park was once owned by Founding Father Robert Morris who financed the American Revolution.  The park is over 2000 acres and flanks the Schuylkill river and houses the nation's oldest Philadelphia Zoo. There is the Lemon Hill mansion built by merchant Henry Pratt in 1799 and one of the finest example of Federalist architecture.  The home was named after the lemon trees that were grown in the greenhouse. 

The evolution of the Forbidden Trail that was once a late 1800's gravel mill road where folks would come to take a leisurely drive on a Sunday and stroll across the Thomas Mill red covered bridge connecting some of the nearby mansions to the mill creek to become an essential part of of the largest city parks in the US has been dramatic over the past 150 years.  The name Forbidden trail comes from cars being forbidden on the trail as the mills faded from existence and the bucolic trail became a favorite walking, jogging, jalking and dog walking community gathering place. 

Get outside and immerse yourself in God's natural beauty.  Harness the power of nature to cure you of anything that ails you.

 

 With Love,

Coach K

The Obesity Epidemic

  Obesity is Contagious

Obesity is a national epidemic in the United States and throughout the western world.  Over 40% of 350 million people or roughly 100 million people are classified as obese including over 20% of children. 

 Obesity is measured as having a Body Mass Index or BMI over 30 which is calculated using your height and weight. And while the calculations don't capture the various exceptions they provide a good guideline for determining an important health factor.  Besides the BMI number, we individually know if  we are overweight and need to lose a few pounds, but the interesting and even fascinating finding is that obesity is actually contagious.  See the report from the Journal of American Medical Assosciation (JAMA)

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2668504

 Wow. So we not only responsible for our own health and well being but for those in our families.  And the greatest thing we can do for our children is to be an example of good health. Balancing life, work, family, and our health can be a daunting challenge.  One of the great pleasures of life is food and eating. Our significant life events from weddings, graduations, promotions,  and anniversaries involves dinners and even a type of feasting.  And who doesn't enjoy a good meal! 

One of the biggest challenges with obesity and weight gain is Emotional Eating.  Since food and eating trigger the release of the feel good hormone dopamine, no wonder we love eating.  The challenge for all of us is to balance our eating with our nutritional needs, and to incorporate exercise into our daily lives. 

Obesity is insidious. The excess pounds can lead to high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. But anything can be overcome, and everything starts with an idea or thought. My declaration is that I am healthy, I am fit, and I am at my ideal weight. Start with the idea when you write it down it becomes real. 

If necessary, find a person that can help you regain your health.  Try adding one healthy food to your daily eating and simply walking or just standing for an extended period each day. Try eliminating sugar where you can, when you think of sugar as the poison that it is you can shift your thinking. Your health and the health of your loved ones is in your hands. 

And you can do this. 

Here is a BMI caclcualtor link:

https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_bmi/english_bmi_calculator/bmi_calculator.html

To Your Health,

Coach K

 

 

 

Complete Joy

 Love One Another

Keep the words of Jesus close most of all to love one another as I have loved you. 

From the book of John

 "If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. I have told you these things so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."

 

With Love,

 Coach K