Michigan—"What I learned at the Living Free seminar has revolutionized my life. I'm in control now, not my bad habits."
That's the common testimony given by those attending the new Lifestyle Matters® seminar entitled "Living Free: Finding freedom from habits that hurt" (Living Free). The Living Free seminar, researched and written by experts in the field, shows attendees how to break bad habits, establish new good habits, and achieve and maintain their long-term goals.
"New scientific research in this area is very exciting," says Living Free's lead author Vicki Griffin, health ministries director for the Michigan Conference and author of four books. "The truth is the human brain is very plastic, or moldable, throughout life and responds to our lifestyle choices, either for good or bad. As a result, any bad habit or negative thinking can be overcome by implementing simple, effective, powerful lifestyle strategies. And that is what Living Free teaches people how to do."
One man who attended a Living Free seminar at his dentist's office in Detroit not only learned how to break bad habits, he got an added bonus: "I've lost 18 pounds since coming to the Living Free seminar and feel better than ever. My blood pressure is now 130 over 80—and it hasn't been that low in years! I'm also controlling my blood sugar better than ever. Living Free has revolutionized my life."
The Living Free seminar is the third module in the Lifestyle Matters health intervention series developed and produced by the Michigan Conference health ministries department. It is a turnkey program designed so any church, business person, or individual can do quality, cutting-edge health outreach in their community. Like every module in the Lifestyle Matters family, the Living Free module includes a double DVD set, a four-color 368-page participant's workbook, fully scripted nightly PowerPoint presentations, an in-depth facilitator's training DVD, a plant-based cookbook, and a complete facilitator's guide that includes nightly program outlines, handouts, interactive health demonstrations, and much more. The nightly PowerPoint presentations and health features are also on DVD, making it easy for anyone to present these seminars with confidence.
"We've done all the research and all the work so that individuals or churches can get all the blessings," says Evelyn Kissinger, M.S., R.D., nutrition director for Lifestyle Matters and former president of the Seventh-day Adventist Dietetic Association (SDADA). "Any church, big or small, urban or rural can now reach out to the community with the Lifestyle Matters programs as a part of its evangelism cycle."
Wendell Lawrence, a dentist in Southfield, Mich., recently conducted a seminar for his patients. "I used to practice dentistry just to help people," Lawrence said. "But now, I do it to win souls to Jesus, and I've never enjoyed dentistry so much. The Living Free seminar has made it even more enjoyable. Living Free has transformed my office staff and my patients' lives. We're starting Bible studies right after the Living Free seminar, with the goal of raising up a new church here in Southfield. We'll call it the Living Free Seventh-day Adventist Church."
The Living Free seminar generated so much interest in Lawrence's office that his office phone rang constantly the morning after the first Living Free session. People asked if they could bring their neighbors, friends, or family members. "We have so much interest now," Lawrence said, "that we're holding another Living Free seminar in a few months."
A woman who attended a Living Free seminar in Marshall, Mich., said this: "The Living Free seminar gave me hope that I could establish new, healthier habits. And what I learned isn't hard to do. Anyone can do it."
Karl Bailey, assistant professor of psychology at Andrews University and a guest on the Living Free program DVD, explains why Living Free gives people hope. "The brain you have right now," Bailey says, "is different—structurally different—from the brain you woke up with this morning. Your brain is constantly changing and restructuring, based upon the decisions you make and the input you allow to come in. So, except for rare cases, no brain is beyond helping or rebuilding or improving. It all depends upon your choices and your attitudes."
"What I learned at the Living Free seminar was so exciting," one participant said, "that I went right home and called all my friends and invited them to come with me to the next meeting."
The Living Free seminar consists of only six sessions, so it's very easy to attend and to conduct. And after just a few seminars, the Lifestyle Matters meetings can be self-funding, meaning they'll help a church's evangelism budget, not drain it.
For more information about the Living Free seminar, or the other two modules in the Lifestyle Matters series, call 1-866-624-5433 or visit www.LifestyleMatters.com.
Dane Griffin, assistant to the president for media, Michigan Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
