The Truth About Wellness

08/30/2025

What Are You Addicted to?

Our church service today was led by about 50 men and women who have been set free from the spirit of addiction. These folks are participants in a recovery program at a place called Bethel Colony of Mercy here in my area. But for me? This wasn’t just a celebration for them, it was a time of reflection and celebration for myself as well. It’s been so long ago now for me, that most of the time I don’t even think about that part of my life. It was my old life.

But God’s mercies are new every morning, and when I am reminded of my old life, as I was this morning in church, I don’t hesitate to give God all the thanks, honor, glory and praise for pulling my feet out of the miry clay almost 30 years ago from the spirit of addiction that had a hold on my life. I am truly humbled when I tell someone I used to be addicted to alcohol, and they tell me “I can’t even picture that.” Thank You Jesus!

What Are You Addicted to?

What Are You Addicted to?

07/05/2025

"Confessions of a Planner"

“A man’s mind plans his way [as he journeys through life], But the LORD directs his steps and establishes them.” (Proverbs 16:9)

“Hello, my name is Jackie McKool and I am a planner addict.” There, I’ve said it! But the truth is, I never realized until more recently that this had become a problem for me. For as far back as I can remember I have written out goals, and action steps, and to-do lists. I have even encouraged others in these very blogs, my courses I teach, presentations I’ve given, as well as my book on the importance of goals and action steps. And I do still encourage this – but… in balance.

Why Goal-Setting Became a Problem...

Fast forward, I have found myself in a new season of life. I am no longer employed by anyone. My priorities in life have shifted and changed, but my mindset was still stuck in old ways of thinking. The analogy that God has brought to my mind is He is wanting to pour “new wine” into my life, but I can no longer be the “old wineskin” – He wants to do a new thing in me, but I have to surrender the old.
..It became an obsession, an addiction in ways. [Read More...]

I am a planner addict.

07/01/2025

Truth About Wellness July Greeting -

06/28/2025

Why Intimacy with God?

“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” (Jeremiah 33:3 ESV)

Why is Intimacy with God a Blessing?

Let’s just look at this from a very basic, practical perspective. First of all, God is, well, God! So who is He? He is the Creator of the universe – the earth and sky; the sun, moon & stars; the mountains and seas; the things that fly in the air, that swim in the waters, that crawl and walk across the ground; the plants and trees and the fruit that they produce for our nourishment; and yes, He is the Creator of you and me. He loves us far, far more than our little finite minds can even begin to imagine.

Think of the person you have ever loved the most and take that love and multiply it a thousand-fold and then multiply it again and again and again. His love is even greater than all of this! And He wants nothing but the absolute best for us every minute of every day. He has created us in His image, which is perfect. He doesn’t see all of our flaws that we see in ourselves or in others – just His own reflection of perfection – that’s how much He loves us. This is intimacy.

However, we will never be able to love Him as much as He loves us – so stop striving to do so, and just love Him for what He has done for you and me – that is all He desires from us. What has He done for us? He sent His most beloved holy Son, Jesus Christ to walk this earth for 33 years fully man, and yet fully God. And then Father God asked Jesus to die the most brutal, horrific death by being crucified on a cross in order to take all of our sins upon His shoulders to the pit of Hell, and left all of those sins there where they belong – with the enemy of this world. Can you imagine carrying the burden of every sin ever committed, and will be committed on your shoulders for just one day? He did all of this so that we might one day live out an eternal life in Heaven with Him, instead of separated from Him for eternity in Hell.

How do We Draw Closer to Him? [Read More to find out!...]

“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” (Jeremiah 33:3 ESV) The past few weeks I have broken down the things God had shown me years ago regarding the lack of health in America, especially the health of His children, the body […]

06/24/2025

Between these two cover options, which book would you be likely to pick up first -- which one draws you in most? Thank you for your input!

06/21/2025

Do You Unknowingly Have Idols in Your Life?

“Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love.” (Jonah 2:8)

I recently took a Master Gardening course, as a result, I started planting things – flowers, tomatoes, even an apple tree! The apple tree was a grafting – the root of one type of apple tree, and the graft of another. When I brought it home from class it was just one straight stick, but now there are all kinds of leaves growing out of it – at least the root part. I didn’t think to take pictures of it, because you see, I almost forgot that it was just a stick with a small root ball at the bottom when I planted it in the soil. Hopefully, years from now, that baby apple tree will not look anything like it did the day I brought it home.

What is an Idol?
I believe the way we live our lives can be like this apple tree for good – or bad. We might have had all good intentions of growing in a habit or routine; or even a new hobby. But before we know it, we have lost our balance, and our life can be consumed by it, not becoming anything like we initially envisioned when we first committed our attention to it. [Read More to find out if this can be you!]

Do You Unknowingly Have Idols in Your Life?

06/14/2025

What Does the Bible Say About Slothfulness?

“For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.” (2 Thessalonians 3:10)

Picking back up on the vision that Father God showed me many years ago about the health of America, I wanted to give thought to what He might have seen or meant by “slothfulness,” and why it was a problem for our wholistic health.

What is Slothfulness?
Let’s first review that particular part of the word from Him:

"I also see slothfulness, laziness. All of these things hurt My heart and are not My plans for them. …they will eat foods made by man because they are fast, easy, and cheap.”

And the definition of slothfulness: implies a temperamental inability to act promptly or speedily when action or speed is called for. The word lazy is a synonym of slothful, and its definition is: disinclined to activity or exertion: not energetic or vigorous.

Hopefully you get the picture! But what does this have to do with our wholistic health and why does it hurt God’s heart?

A Wholistic Look at Slothfulness [Read More...https://jackiemckool.com/what-does-the-bible-say-about-slothfulness/ ]

What Does the Bible Say About Slothfulness?

06/07/2025

What Does God and the Bible Say About Gluttony?

If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit it. (Proverbs 25:16 ESV)

I am going to pick back up from a blog I wrote a couple of weeks ago entitled “A Word From the Lord” sharing what I felt God was saying to me about what He saw regarding the health of America. One of the things He said He saw was “gluttony.”

But before we dive in, let’s take a look at what the definition of gluttony is so that we will be communicating on the same wavelength.

Gluttony: 1. excess in eating or drinking: 2. greedy or excessive indulgence.

Proverbs 23:21 says “For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.”

The first definition of gluttony is probably what most of us think of when we hear the word glutton – excessive eating. But let’s break this definition down a little more by taking a look at what the Bible says about the second definiton, greed. Luke 12:15 says “And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Some of the scriptures refer specifically to money and poverty.

Breaking things down just a little more (bear with me, I’m going somewhere with this!), let’s look at the definition of poverty which Proverbs says gluttony can lead to: 1 a. the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions. Also, 3 a. debility due to malnutrition; b: lack of fertility.

I find it interesting that what starts off as an over-indulgence (gluttony/greed), can actually lead to a lack of (poverty)– money, material possessions, nutrition. And of course last week we talked about “Wellness is Freedom” but in order to have freedom with our health we need to be careful not to find ourselves becoming a servant or slave (poverty) to the lender – whether it be a financial lender or other powers that be that earn major dollars at the expense of our health – big Pharma, corporate hospitals and insurance companies; as well as the corporate food manufacturers. To summarize these words and definitions: Gluttony=Greed=Poverty and we could add = malnutrition.

Now that we have established the definitions of what we are talking about and what God and the Bible say about gluttony, let’s take a look at how gluttony impacts our wholistic health. [Read More...]

https://jackiemckool.com/what-does-god-and-the-bible-say-about-gluttony/

06/01/2025

Father God as Our Role Model

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” (3 John 1:4 ESV)

In honor of Father’s Day, this month’s newsletter is a wholistic word of encouragement for not just fathers, but for all men.
As I was giving thought to what to write to all men this month, I saw this social media post written by Dr. Mark Hyman:

Diet and exercise are the foundation of health.
Without them, nothing else works.

But optimal well-being goes far beyond what’s on your plate or how often you work out.

It’s about the people you surround yourself with.

The quality of your thoughts.

Your capacity to manage stress, align with purpose, and stay consistent in the face of discomfort.

True health also means:
• Choosing relationships that energize you

• Building habits that support mental and emotional resilience

• Releasing toxic patterns, people, and identities that hold you back

• Practicing gratitude daily—it rewires your brain and nervous system

• Committing to growth, even when it’s hard

Health is multidimensional. It’s physical, yes—but also emotional, relational, and spiritual.

Health for all of us needs to start first from what our Father God says health is – from the spiritual perspective first.
Click on my picture in the newsletter (link below) to hear my Father’s Day video wish to not just you men, but to all of you today -- also to finish reading the rest of the newsletter...

06/01/2025

Truth About Wellness June Newsletter -

Fathered by God maps out the path of manhood--not more rules, not another list of principles, not formulas, but a well-worn path that men have followed for centuries before us. Discover the truth about masculinity and become the man that God sees in you.

05/31/2025

Wellness IS...Freedom!

“The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.” (Proverbs 22:7)

Our health doesn’t just happen – we have to make an investment into our bodies and our lives. We need to be intentional and proactive with it. If we are passive about it, our health will ultimately decline quicker than it was made to do.

Don’t be a Slave to the Lender!

I am going to make some bold, if not controversial statements here. The fact of the matter is... [Read More...]

https://jackiemckool.com/wellness-is-freedom/

05/24/2025

Know What You Are Saying 'No' To"

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5)
..– know all that you are truly saying ‘no’ to before moving forward with your health plan. And actually, know what you are saying ‘yes’ to as well.

It’s Too Expensive to Eat Healthy

This one is probably the one that gets under my skin and drives me crazy the most. I talk about this in greater detail in my book “Are You Being Deceived About True Wellness.”

For starters, how can you put a price tag on your health, and truly your life? But let’s get more practical and break this one down a little bit. In fact, I am going to use the debate I am hearing a lot of recently, and that is the discussion around the SNAP program, or better known as food stamps. This program is for those with a very low income. Currently, there are several items up for debate on whether they should be removed from the list of allowable “foods” or not and they are sodas and candy (to me this is a no-brainer, but we’ll move on!).

One of the reasonings for opposing this idea according to Dr. Tamara S. Hannon, a professor of pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine states: “the deeper problem is the lack of affordable, nutritious food,” and she goes on to add “convenient options” are a problem as well. So, unless nutritious foods can be made more affordable and convenient, we don’t remove toxic food-like substances like sodas and sugars from the list?! [Read More...]

It's Too Expensive to Eat Healthy