1. Choices S By Health Ministries Department General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists N O I T A R B E L E C

2. CELEBRATIONS® Choices 2 Roald Amundsen

3. CELEBRATIONS®Choices 3 He carefully considered every detail

4. Robert Falcon Scott chose to use ponies and modern motorized sleds CELEBRATIONS®Choices 4

5. Amundsen and Scott represented choices CELEBRATIONS®Choices 5

6. Choices –the cradle of destiny CELEBRATIONS®Choices 6

7. Our lives are patterned in a similar way CELEBRATIONS®Choices 7

8. Intentionality is key CELEBRATIONS®Choices 8

9. Decisions made in youth… CELEBRATIONS®Choices 9

10. Choice and freedom CELEBRATIONS®Choices 10

11. We have “free will” to choose CELEBRATIONS®Choices 11

12. Basis for informed choices CELEBRATIONS®Choices 12

13. Cultural belief that a woman should not bathe for a month after childbirth? CELEBRATIONS®Choices 13

14. “Health reformers” CELEBRATIONS®Choices 14

15. Lifestyle habits that influence longevity CELEBRATIONS®Choices 15 1. Adequate sleep (7 to 8 hours per night) 2. No eating between meals 3.A nutritious daily breakfast 4.Maintenance of recommended body weight

16. Lifestyle habits, continued CELEBRATIONS®Choices 16 5. Regular physical activity 6. The nonuse of tobacco 7.A reduction in the use of alcoholic beverages (the GC Health Department advocates abstinence)

17. Stay objective CELEBRATIONS®Choices 17 Common sense Don’t make choices in midst of highly stressful situations Anger, depression, and elation can influence decisions Don’t assume things

18. CELEBRATIONS®Choices 18 Beware of wishful thinking Be careful where you get your health advice Trust in intelligence Choose to do what you can do, not what you want to do

19. Adventists see good health as a gift from our Creator God. Even the best maintenance cannot guarantee a disease-free life. CELEBRATIONS®Choices 19

20. People choose their attitude CELEBRATIONS®Choices 20

21. CELEBRATIONS®Choices 21 Faith

22. LIFE APPLICATION QUESTIONS CELEBRATIONS®Choices 22

23. What choices am I making, consciously or unconsciously, that are not based on evidence? CELEBRATIONS®Choices 23

24. How do these choices affect my use of time; my health; my relationships at work, at home, or with God? CELEBRATIONS®Choices 24

25. CELEBRATIONS®Choices 25 What are my reasons for making these choices?

26. In what ways are they influenced by my culture or my emotions? CELEBRATIONS®Choices 26

27. In what ways are they influenced by my culture or my emotions? Is it because I wish to please myself or am I being careless? CELEBRATIONS®Choices 27

28. Do I accept as evidence anything and everything I read on the internet? CELEBRATIONS®Choices 28

29. Do I accept as evidence anything and everything I read on the internet? Does just one anecdote convince me of the right thing to do? CELEBRATIONS®Choices 29

30. What negative choices have other people made that influenced the trajectory of my life? CELEBRATIONS®Choices 30

31. What negative choices have other people made that influenced the trajectory of my life? How have I reacted to those circumstances? CELEBRATIONS®Choices 31

32. What freedoms do I enjoy that allow me to choose to change the direction in which I am heading? CELEBRATIONS®Choices 32

33. What freedoms do I enjoy that allow me to choose to change the direction in which I am heading? How can I choose to improve my attitude even under less-than- ideal circumstances? CELEBRATIONS®Choices 33

34. How many of the seven habits that influence longevity am I practicing regularly? CELEBRATIONS®Choices 34

35. CELEBRATIONS®Choices 35 Am I getting sufficient sleep, exercising regularly, avoiding tobacco and alcohol, eating a good breakfast and not eating between meals?

36. Is my Body Mass Index (BMI) or waist to height ratio within recommended limits? www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi for a handy calculator. CELEBRATIONS®Choices 36

37. Which ones will I choose to introduce into my lifestyle today? Could I improve on any of the seven? CELEBRATIONS®Choices 37

38. Chris went out to a business dinner after a long day at work. Before leaving he was accused of something he had not done. CELEBRATIONS®Choices 38

39. He later tells a friend that after a few drinks he relaxed and decided to resign his job, move to a different city, and look for work there. CELEBRATIONS®Choices 39

40. What influenced his hasty decision? CELEBRATIONS®Choices 40

41. What influenced his hasty decision? What did he forget to do? CELEBRATIONS®Choices 41

42. What influenced his hasty decision? What did he forget to do? How would I have acted in a similar situation? CELEBRATIONS®Choices 42

43. Remembering the most recent poor choices I’ve made and considering the pressures I was under at the time, CELEBRATIONS®Choices 43

44. Remembering the most recent poor choices I’ve made and considering the pressures I was under at the time, do I feel that I was stressed, angry, or depressed? CELEBRATIONS®Choices 44

45. Did I make the decision late at night or after a heavy meal or after a long day of work? CELEBRATIONS®Choices 45

46. How can I remind myself to avoid making choices when in those type of emotional states? CELEBRATIONS®Choices 46

47. How can I remind myself to avoid making choices when in those type of emotional states? Did I remember to ask for divine guidance? CELEBRATIONS®Choices 47

48. What time of day suits me best for decision- making? CELEBRATIONS®Choices 48

49. What time of day suits me best for decision- making? What can I do when confronted with a small choice that will help me to make a wise decision? CELEBRATIONS®Choices 49

50. What time of day suits me best for decision-making? What can I do when confronted with a small choice that will help me to make a wise decision? What things would help me when making a big decision? CELEBRATIONS®Choices 50

51. What choices do I have to make regarding my relationship with my Creator, who graciously gives me the freedom to choose? CELEBRATIONS®Choices 51

52. What choices do I have to make regarding my relationship with my Creator, who graciously gives me the freedom to choose? How can I increase my awareness of His love and His interest in my choices? CELEBRATIONS®Choices 52

53. Do I need to spend more time learning about Him in His Word or in nature? CELEBRATIONS®Choices 53

54. Do I need to spend more time learning about Him in His Word or in nature? Do I have to cultivate my conversation with Him in prayer? CELEBRATIONS®Choices 54

55. Do I need to spend more time learning about Him in His Word or in nature? Do I have to cultivate my conversation with Him in prayer? How can I continue to build supportive evidence for my faith? CELEBRATIONS®Choices 55

56. This presentation is created and distributed by the Health Ministries Department General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists 12501 Old Columbia Pike Silver Spring, MD 20904 This presentation is shared for educational purposes only. The content, graphics, and pictures of each slide and the whole presentation must be kept intact if shared with other Health Ministries entities, including this page. Thank you for using and sharing only in a responsible manner. CELEBRATIONS®Choices 56 Superscripts denote references listed in the back of the book, “CELEBRATIONS.”

57. Imagery supplied by Brand X Pictures, Comstock, Jupiterimages, Siri Stafford, Daniel Grill, Lisa Quarfoth, luna4, Zlatko Kostic, (Thinkstock), and by Daniel Georg Nyblin, Fulvio, Steve Evans, Christa Richert/Stockexchange (public domain). CELEBRATIONS®Choices 57