Manna from Heaven Program

For those who suffer with eating disorders…

Book Outline and Chapter Summaries

Introduction:  The Manna from Heaven Ministry supports Christians who suffer with eating disorders such as compulsive overeating, anorexia, bulimia, and food addition.  Using the Seven Actions Toward Healing, the program mentors the process of healing through commitment, accountability, obedience, discipline, honesty, and most of all, love.  Many people come to the program looking for weight loss and ALL find that they develop a deeper relationship with God.  The introduction will answer questions like the following: What is the Manna from Heaven Ministry? - Who wrote the Manna from Heaven Ministry program? - How do you know the Manna from Heaven Ministry is for you? - Are you a compulsive over eater? - Are you anorexic, bulimic, or bulimarexic? - Is there a need for the Manna from Heaven Ministry Program in your church?  Also included in the introduction are various test for the reader to establish his/her eating disorder.

Chapter 1 - …By Their Fruits You Will Know Them.  Matthew 7:20.  I have heard many stories over the years in the Manna from Heaven Ministry.  All of our stories disclose in a general way what we were like, and what happened to change us.  The stories are all different yet very much the same.  Some of us were completely hopeless and on the verge of a physical, spiritual, and mental breakdown, while others merely experienced a temporary problem due to a less than adequate diet.  However, our solution was always the same – the healing power of Jesus Christ.  Included in this chapter are stories of successes and victories of the Manna from Heaven Ministry program.

Chapter 2 – Manna from Heaven Ministry  Many programs state that, “Once an overeater, always an overeater?”  Manna from Heaven Program is based on the belief that we serve a God who Heals: He doesn’t take back His miracles.  Manna from Heaven Program is not a quick-fix program that only deals weight loss.  It is a program, which seeks God’s help daily for permanent change, balance, and healing in all areas of life: Spiritually, Mentally, and Physically.

Chapter 3 - First Action Toward Healing  Seeking God’s help, acknowledging our lack of competence to manage and/or maintain our appetites; by surrendering to God through Jesus Christ.  II Corinthians 3:6.   In the beginning of our journey through the wilderness, and before we can become true partakers of the Manna from Heaven that the Lord has provided for us, it is important that we take a good look at ourselves and recognize what has brought us to this place.

Chapter 4 - Second Action Toward Healing  Acknowledging our shortcomings thru self-examination; confessing to God and our mentor what has been revealed in order to receive healing.  James 5:16a.  Most of us have the mistaken idea that when we stop overeating, issues that were actually caused by our eating disorder will disappear.  Many find out the hard-way, that these issues are still painfully with us until we do something about them.  The Second Action causes us to examine our behavior and expands our understanding of ourselves.

Chapter 5 - Third Action Toward Healing  Acknowledging our sin against others and seeking those persons out as possible in order to extend and receive forgiveness.  Matthew 5:23-25.  Many of us have spent much of our lives blaming others for the problems of our lives.  Our experiences have taught us how easy it is to blame others for our making wrong choices.  We blamed our parents, relatives, friends and even God, for upsets in our lives.  The Third Action deals with the process of releasing the need to blame others.  In doing this, we learn that we are responsible for our own actions and choices.

Chapter 6 - Fourth Action Toward Healing  Acknowledging our need to surrender our lives to God, thru Jesus Christ, in a sacrificial manner; having our thinking changed to reflect God’s will for us.  Romans 12:1-2.  The Forth Action deals with humbly asking God to remove our shortcomings.  Meaning, removing those things of weakness and sin which allow the enemy access to our recovery, resulting in the strengthening of our bondage.   This Action presents us with the opportunity to turn to God asking for removal of those parts of our character, which have caused us pain.

Chapter 7 - Fifth Action Toward Healing  Acknowledging daily our need for God and self examination in order to overcome sin and continue the healing process thru Jesus Christ.  Hebrews 12:1b-2a.  The Fifth Action requires us to give up what ever endangers our relationship with God.  We learn what it means to run patiently and what it means to struggle against sin.  Our attention will be focused to stare at ourselves or at the circumstances surrounding us.  We will be running our daily races for Christ not for ourselves.

Chapter 8 - Sixth Action Toward Healing  Continue to acknowledge our need for change by putting off the old self and putting on the new self.  Ephesians 4:22-24.  The Sixth Action takes us through a process to maintain and improve our new skills.  This Action teaches us the importance of developing new patterns and habits for ourselves, Spiritually, Mentally, and  Physically.

Chapter 9 - Seventh Action Toward Healing  Always ready to acknowledge to others the victory and healing that God has brought into our lives thru Jesus Christ.       1 Peter 3:15.  The Seventh Action invites us to continue our journey of living the miracles “one day at a time” for the rest of our lives.  This means we “Proclaim the Change”, Practice the Change”, and “Plan the Change”. . .

Chapter 10 – Quail Action Toward Healing “Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’?  It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!.” (Ex. 14:12)  The Quail Action mentors those people who have found themselves struggling, or what we refer in Manna as “white-knuckling it”, through the remaining program Seven Actions Towards Healing.

Chapter 11 - Mentors Guide Directions for us to strengthen one another come directly from God’s Word in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12.  A mentor as defined by the dictionary is a wise and trusted teacher or guide.  Program mentors share how God has changed their lives through working the Manna from Heaven Program as they mentor other program members.

Chapter 12 – Implementing the Ministry gives detailed information and directions on how to start the Manna from Heaven program.  Chapter 12 includes the following: Ministry Stewards, Isolated Individuals Program, Food Plans, Food Selections and Servings, Implementing the Food Plans, Meeting Format, “Prayer for Serenity”, Our Program, Seven Actions Toward Healing, God’s Tool-box, “Deliver ME”, and samples of other program materials.