Christmas Past...

I don’t know that I will be speaking of Christmas present or future, but this seemed clever when needing a title for this post. Anyway, this Christmas was truly a blessing in more ways than I realized at first.


My car was stolen back in November. Ironically, we wanted to sell it, but when someone took it off our hands, we were a little mad. Go figure. However, it turned out that we got a little more from the insurance company than we may have trying to sell it. Blessing (in disguise) No. 1.

When we looked around at cars to replace it with, we were really close to buying a car that was at the top of our price range and would have had a really high interest rate to finance. When we found a bank to finance us, we had to go to the physical location to deal with the bank. When we arrived, they were closed, which was kind of annoying since, at the time, I really wanted to get that car. We ended up finding a much better financing deal on a much more suitable, practical, and newer car shortly after. We purchased it December 23. Blessing (in disguise) No. 2.

Of course, Christmas day resulted in a good number of presents, which is always nice. At the end of our present opening, my mom said that there was one more present. She went upstairs to grab it and came back down with a rather large box (roughly 2’ x 4’). I asked whom it was for. She responded by saying, “You. It’s from your grandpa.” (Back story…my grandpa passed away recently. Therefore, I knew this meant she used some of the funds from him/his property sales to help with this gift.) As I began to open it, I saw wood types on the box and began to connect the clues. As I started to get emotionally wrapped up in the unwrapping, I had to verify the contents of the package before I got carried away. I opened the box, indeed the casing was appropriate for my suspected gift. When I opened the case, my hypothesis was confirmed…a brand new Taylor 315ce (guitar), the one I had been dreaming of getting if we could ever get some money saved up! I teared up a little and thanked my mom, who was also soggy-eyed. Blessing (in packaging) No. 3.

Of course, the most important gift was the one that wasn’t much of a surprise but still hits me more deeply than any other gift ever could. This gift is the why we gather together in mass and rejoice each year, and hopefully, each moment. We come together to praise God for the Christ, the Anointed One who was sent to live and die as man and God, as servant come King. Thank you Jesus, Messiah, Immanuel. Blessing (to be exalted above all others)!

What I’ve seen and heard…

What I’ve seen and heard, not everyone has seen and heard.

“Like what?” you might ask. There is a near infinite list of things that I’ve seen and heard that others have not. Granted others have seen and heard even more that I know nothing of.

Why bring this up? Well the most recent news in my life is that I feel led to leave my where I live in Uvalde in order to pursue what God is calling me to now. These transitions are always difficult and, especially, for the persons leaving. However, when my wife told a friend at the church that we were leaving, she was shocked to hear the news and ever more shocked that the news was spread all around her while she was unaware. It seemed a rather heavy blow to her to hear the news and my wife’s heart sank even further than mine to have to break this news to her.

How she hadn’t already heard the news was surprising to me as she was in the church office several times a week. You would think that it might have come up in conversation. Granted, we tried to not tell the church immediately so that my youth would hear it from me first. (Unfortunately, even that didn’t go according to plan.) We thought that once the youth new and it was coming up in conversation around the church, everyone “in the loop” would know. We even joked about how it was up on Facebook and that our friend really needed to get an account to be aware of these things.

So why tell you that story? Because there are more important things that others don’t see or hear. There is news of a man who came and left (in a way) and will return to us someday. There is global, eternal news of a man who is God who has come to Earth to save all sinners who believe in Him. By now, you probably know who I’m talking about, but what if you don’t? What about people who don’t know who I’m talking about? What about people who don’t have a Facebook account to see and hear everything going on in our lives? What about people who don’t have a computer, cell phone, or even a landline to be kept “in the loop”? What about those people who don’t speak your language? What about those people who are desperate for some good news and haven’t heard or seen anything good from anyone in a long while? What about the suffering who need relief? What about the sad who need joy? What about the lost who need a light in their darkness? What about the fallen who need hope to rise? What about the sick and the broken who need healing and restoration? What about them? I know that I am lost, sad, suffering, sick, and broken so far down in darkness without the good news, the Gospel of our coming Savior.

Sure, we think that everyone knows about our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, but there are many who don’t. There are many who are around us all the time who haven’t a clue what’s going on around them. There are so many who don’t see the Kingdom of God on Earth in their midst. Certainly, we cannot decide what the seeds we cast may fall upon. We cannot determine whether God’s word falls upon the beaten path, the rock, among thorns, or good soil. (Luke 8) What we can, and must do, however, is cast the seed. We must spread the news to all. We must ensure that those who are in need of the word of God may hear it. For how can they hear unless it is told to them? And who can tell them but those who have heard already? He who has ears, let him hear.

Day 20 (Spirit over Flesh)

Day 20

“No pain, no gain!” Right?... Sometimes but not always.

The saying comes hand in hand with the “overload” principle we’ve discussed. The more you push, the more it hurts, the more you tear your muscles and push your body, and the more you increase in muscle size, strength, speed, etc. Too much pain when exercising is a sign that you’re pushing too hard and may have seriously hurt yourself. Still more, the idea that pain will produce a good result is just plain ridiculous.

This is the first time where physical health and spiritual health, in a way, opposed each other. This weekend, I went skeet and trap shooting, fishing, and motorcycle riding with my dad. Spiritually, it was a time of fun, reflection, and bonding between father and son. I believe God looked upon us and was pleased. Unfortunately, just because I may have held a shotgun or fishing pole for a while, doesn’t mean it made me for physically healthy. I can definitely say that the pain I felt after shooting a hundred rounds doesn’t make me physically stronger. The fact is, after 2 days, my shoulder is still tender, my head is slightly sunburned and I don’t think my shoulder is any stronger nor my head any tougher.

I guess the point is that, sometimes, we can do things that may actually hinder our physical health in order to strengthen our spiritual health. While I think the day’s activities weren’t actually harmful to my health, rather slightly painful, I would always say that Spiritual Health should take precedence over Physical Health. Normally, we can have both, but if it comes down to it, the spirit is always to have control over the flesh! 

Day 19 (but who's counting?)

Day 19

I suppose it doesn’t need to be said, especially if you were following this series through lent, but I haven’t blogged in a long while. Like so many of us, I found that I had priorities that took precedence over this journal. I suppose I could’ve just given you the same thing again, but I believe that everything I put up here should be original in some form or facet.

So today I exercised a little more than the norm. Sure, I walk to work and back a couple times a day, and that’s about a mile in total, but today I did a little more… I rode my bicycle. It’s funny how we have to exercise sometimes, whether we choose to or not. Today, I had the choice to either wait until my wife came home and ask why I didn’t pay the rent on time, and I could explain that the car wouldn’t start, or I could ride my bike the 2 miles to drop off my check at the realtor’s home office. So I pumped up the tires and rode my bike. I think it’s the first time I’ve ridden it since last March when I moved here! I just never ride it unless the distance is big enough that jogging isn’t more time effective.

Now I know that 2 miles isn’t very far on a bike ride, but when you haven’t ridden in over a year and you're trying to keep up with 30-40 mph traffic, it’s a little bit of a workout. Of course, I didn’t have a warm-up or cool-down, which could’ve helped. So when I got off the bike, I had to take a good 5-minute sit-down and chug some water. It was one of those sprints that push you to the point at which any more exertion would result in puking. (I would have used a different word, but all I was thinking was, “I gotta sit down before I puke!”)

Anyway, I’m still glad I did it! I’m glad to have gotten a little exercise, toned my legs, if only slightly, and have finally put that bicycle to use! I encourage you to do the same! 

Day 18

Day 18

My forearms are exhausted. I can feel them working just to type, and I’m not exactly cranking out 150 words per minute! I went bouldering today. It is awesome! I love it. It’s essentially the hardest parts of rock climbing with no ropes and about 20 feet and a big mattress-type pad between you and the ground. I love it. Did I already say that? (Rhetorical) Well I do.

It’s a great workout! Depending on how hard you push yourself (which doesn’t take much pushing at all for beginners), you will have no trouble overloading your forearm muscles. Remember, overloading is the goal. The beauty is that you get to enjoy God’s creation in a truly hands-on way. I won’t go into great detail of routes, problems, and technique, but I’ll say this. It’s one of those sports that you will always be able to get better at. I love being able to improve myself while having fun at the same time. Being a better basketball player takes way too many hours of jump shots, free throws, and laps across the court. Height helps too, an area I don’t excel in. The cool thing (opinion, I guess) about bouldering and rock climbing is that, in the physical health and development aspect, you exercise your feet, legs, core, upper back, some chest, arms, and even your hands (rarely exercised enough)! We’re talking a total body workout! Of course your arms and hands get the most work, but no muscle gets left out. My legs are pretty solid, not in size, but strength and endurance. If your legs are lacking strength, this will definitely get them burning along with those arms. Expect to get sore, get stronger, and get leaner. Don’t expect to get buff! Actually, big guys really aren’t the best climbers. Think about it – muscle is heavy. For those ladies who read this, know that there are plenty of awesome climbers who happen to be women! Just because women’s strength isn’t usually in the upper body doesn’t mean you shouldn’t climb. Besides, how will you get your upper body stronger if you don’t exercise it?

If you don’t know me well or have never connected the dots, you may not know that I’m really into metaphors! I can pretty much relate anything to God, which makes sense to me. After all, He did create everything! Bouldering and rock climbing could certainly relate to our spiritual health in several ways. As a metaphor, there are mountains we have to climb...wait, that’s lame. Haha. Okay, try this one. In all honesty, we are weak in certain areas. As we mentioned parts a few days ago, some parts don’t really get all that much work out of them. I mean, we use our hands every day, but do we really push them to the extreme? Do we use each part to it’s real potential? I imagine that we surely don’t. Hands seem to do so much work, but they could definitely do more. Bouldering will definitely force them to do that. I think as parts of the body of Christ, we may think we do a lot, maybe not. If you think you don’t do enough for the Lord (I know I don’t) or that you do plenty for the Lord, then consider the possibility that you may have not realized what you can really do, what you’re really capable of. Sure, you may think you’re doing all you can, but what if you’ve been designed to do something greater? Here’s what I’m learning – it takes time, work, and practice. You can’t climb a V16 (really hard) your first time on a wall, or in the V16 case, under an overhang. A lot of beginners have trouble with a V0 (easiest). So why do you think that you can conquer the world, your flesh, and temptation, bring others to Christ, and advance God’s kingdom in a cinch if you haven’t trained for it? Don’t get me wrong; try! Do all you can for the Lord! We only get better by pushing ourselves. Push yourself until you just can’t hang on any longer, and know that even if you fall off the wall, God will be there to pick you back up and reach new heights.

Day 17

Day 17 (Monday)

Today I went hiking a bit. I learned a few things too! For one, the view stinks most of the time because nobody really likes looking at the heels of someone else for an hour or more. Of course, the reward at the end is well worth it! Likewise, in our spiritual walks we may feel like we’ve been just going on forever without any breaks. We’re focused on staying on the path. Every once in a while, we take a moment to look around us and realize how far we’ve gone. We see the beauty that God has surrounded us with, and I’m not just talking trees and hills! The ultimate goal is to push through the pain and weariness so that in our, seemingly, constant uphill journey, we will eventually reach that place where we can rest, enjoy the view, and soak it all in.

Do I really need to go into why hiking is physically beneficial, especially when it’s in the hills or mountains? Come on! There’s cardio, circulation benefits, complete leg exercise, some core work (abs and lower back), and if it’s rocky, you really get those ankle ligaments a workout! So go hiking! Find a new path! Find a new view of the beauty that is God’s creation!

Day 16

Day 16

If there is anything I do know, it’s that the Christian walk has no shortcuts! Bummer, I know. If you want to find the quick and easy answers to life, you won’t find them here, nor anywhere else for that matter. You just have to keep studying the word, pushing yourself further in your walk, and striving for greatness in the Lord.

Likewise, your body doesn’t have shortcuts to health. Fad diets don’t work. Diets, per say, don’t work either. Typically, anything short of changing your eating habits altogether results in quick change to your desired goal and an equally rapid return to where you were just at. Pushing your body too hard, too fast, also ends up slowing you down in an injury rather than speeding up your walk to physical health.

So don’t try to shortcut the system. Go at the speed that’s right for you. Don’t go at someone else’s speed. God designed you uniquely. Appreciate that and learn to understand your own body and your own personal relationship with your Lord and Savior.

Day 15

Day 15

Yesterday was about parts (sort of). Well today is about a muscle area that get way too much work and is rarely treated properly…the neck! I mean it’s holding about 15 pounds all the time (except for when you’re sleeping)! If you held out your arm for as long as possible, you’d probably be feeling the burn within a few minutes. You know the neck is neglected each time someone sneaks up behind you to massage it for you and you are surprised to find how tense your neck is.

So what’s to be done about it? Sure you can exercise it! That does help strengthen it. However, we don’t really need to much. I mean that when you exercise your upper body, you typically are working your neck muscles to help balance your head and keep it from bouncing around. What’s probably more important to know is how to keep it from being worked too much. Relax! The answer is simple, although it can be difficult to do at times. Relax…yes, just relaxing can be so helpful to our physical and spiritual health but can be so hard for us to do. Don’t tense up. Here’s the deal. Working yourself too hard, especially when you don’t mean to leads to tense muscles, soreness, and exhaustion, but not the kind of exhaustion that helps build muscles and make you stronger. This kind just wipes you out. Sometimes your body can’t take the stress any more and gives you a painful message – that signal that shoots straight through you, contorting your neck and making you look like a confused dog with it’s head cocked to the side (except that your face isn’t as cute, especially when your face screams, “Oh my gosh. Was I just shot in the neck?!?!”)

So in the midst of exercising your body, mind, and spirit, remember to relax once in a while and to push yourself in only the intended areas.

Day 14

Day 14 (Thursday)

What do you do when you can’t do anything? We’ve all felt it before…that feeling that you’re out of the game. It’s not that you got picked last or anything; you’re injured. Granted, you’re not the best at it, but you should at least get a chance to show them what you’re capable of. If only the doctor hadn’t said you have to stay immobile for 6 weeks.

Okay, so this is, of course, a hypothetical situation that deals in an unstated category. Maybe you’re not physically out of the game; maybe you are. Spiritually, you might have strayed from the path so far that you can’t tell where you just came from and haven’t a clue where the path is at. Just when it seems like you can’t do anything to help your situation, there’s hope. There is always hope!

First, let’s realize that as in 1 Cor. 12, there are many parts of the same body. Each has a function and each needs to be strengthened. What parts are you ignoring? What parts have you forgotten? Typically, the parts that get injured aren’t the ones we focus on. I mean, who tries to strengthen joints when you can build muscle, right? It seems odd that we neglect the most important ones so often. Well now is that chance to focus on the forgotten muscles. You know you have them. Every time you go water skiing after a year off and feel those forgotten back muscles. Every time you play Ultimate Frisbee and feel those oblique muscles that you torqued like crazy! They’re there. Find them. Work them. As all parts of the physical body are important, each part of the spiritual body of Christ is also important. Sometimes we forget about certain parts of the body, which we shouldn’t, but we do. Let’s not forget each part is crucial to making the body function properly!

Day 13

Day 13

Scripture reading: Ecclesiastes 4:8-12

Buddy up! Sometimes the best way to push yourself to do something is peer pressure. Haha, I know. The one thing we tell ourselves to avoid and stand against is also the one thing that we thrive in. We are designed to live in holy community. So why not give into peer pressure, so long as it pushes you to be greater? Find someone to help you achieve your goals. Find a friend, your spouse, a class to enroll in, a church, anything! If you are the person that never has trouble staying committed to this kind of stuff, then good for you! Maybe you should be the one helping someone else… 

Day 12

Day 12

As in the body and in faith, we will build upon what already exists. Today we build on yesterday’s knowledge. Yesterday, I mentioned that balance is a key to Physicaly and Spiritual Health. We said that when we fail a little in one area, we need to exceed in another. Well, Men’s Health Total Fitness Guide 2009: Power Training calls this the “human factor”. I think that’s fitting. It says, “This factor is constantly changing based on fatigue, soreness, good days, bad days, etc.” Too true Mr. Remedios (the author)! Some days we feel great! Some days…not so much. The point is to balance what your body can do with what it does. Confused? Okay. If you normally run a mile a day, and because you were up too late last night, you feel like you can’t make it that mile, then DON’T. You still need to push yourself, but you don’t need to hurt yourself. On the contrary, if you got to bed last night, have been sticking to your workout regimen, and feel wonderful after running your mile today, then run more! If you usually do 15 pushups but aren’t tired after 15 today, do 20! You need to stick to the “overload principle” that we discussed. You still need to overload your body so that it can improve itself with whatever amount of effort that takes.

Spiritually, we have days that we feel we can do anything for the Lord. We could shout His name from a mountaintop. If you feel like that, then do it! If you feel the pressures of sin and the world crushing down on you, get some “rest”. Seek refuge in our Protector and don’t hurt yourself. Push yourself to find solace in a God who loves and renews you. Oddly enough, as simple as it is to come to God in a moment’s notice, so many of us have a difficult time giving Him control. Well get over yourself; push beyond yourself; push yourself into Him!

Day 11 (Monday)

Day 11 (Monday)

A balanced life is a healthy life. Sure, there’s yin and yang, but that’s not exactly what I’m talking about. At least, I don’t think I am anyway, but it’s similar. Just to throw this out there at the beginning, balance does not mean equal weighted sides/amounts/etc. Good should dominate evil to be a healthy balance. Sugars should be present but in far less proportion than other foods to be a healthy balance.

Physically speaking, you should workout your body in 2 directions equally – vertically and horizontally. You should also equally do pushing exercises and pulling exercises. You should work your upper body and lower body. You should work your front-side muscles and your back-side muscles.

You should balance exhausting/working your body with resting/refueling it.

Everything is connected in that balance. If your diet is thrown off, your body will feel the effects, affecting your energy, your mood, your decisions, and the list could go on and on. The beauty of the body and of God’s plan is that these things balance out. If you make a mistake, there’s still somewhere else to give to fix it. So sure, you could look at it as a spiraling series of changes occurring because one thing, or you could calm down and realize that if you ate those extra slices of pizza, you should just balance it by doing a few extra minutes of exercise. If you sinned, you should balance it by going to the cross and thanking God for balancing your life and for completely obliterating the scale of good and evil, of life and death!

Is your life balanced? What needs to give? Are you spending too much time working and not enough at home? Are you having enough fun? Are you having too much? Are you giving God enough?

Day 10

Day 10

Here’s what I found out about strength today. The funniest thing about it is the way people measure it. Correction, the funniest thing is its variety in definitions. Is Arnold Schw@#%@#@ger strong? Why? Is Lance Armstrong strong? Why? Is an ant strong? Why? Is God strong? Why? Is that paraplegic homeless man down the street who is always joyful strong? Why? (No, there’s no paraplegic homeless man down the street from me, just a hypothetical person.) In the world of physique, we would see the Mr. Olympia and body builders and think that because of huge pectorals and biceps, they are strong due to the mere size of a muscle. When you see someone bike ride for over a hundred miles, you might think of strength. When an animal can lift 50 times its own weight, you might think it’s strong. (I won’t define God’s strength due to lack of time and typing.) If a man who can’t walk and has nowhere to go even if he could yet finds joy in the blessings he does have, one might see strength.

My point is that we hear strength and might think of how much a guy can bench press. In the weight room, most guys jump to that, but what about real strength? What about strength that matters? Are you likely to be moving furniture lying on your back? When do these overstated exercises really help? In most cases, they don’t really provide much “applicable” strength. As I begin to design my workouts soon, what I’ll be considering is, “What am I trying to get better at? What am I training for?” My dad’s birthday is today! Happy Birthday again Dad! As a testament to his health, I’m going to brag that in his late 50’s, he still skis the Black runs with me and keeps up! Sure, his knee hurts more and longer than mine at the end of the day, but he’s in pretty good health. Today, he mentioned that he was invited to go on a 120 mile, 3 day, dirt-biking trip in Baja, Mexico. I don’t think he feels up to that, but hey, that’s a rough trip by most people’s standards, as are the Black Diamond ski runs he dominates! We mentioned on the phone that if he wants to go riding in Mexico this summer, he’ll need to train for it. When the ski season nears again, we’ll need to train for it. My quadriceps could have used some more training this fall! After 3 ski trips this spring (I know, it’s a tough life), my legs were informing me of my need to train them better for next year! Now then, if I did a bunch of bench press and bicep curls, anyone who thinks about it for a moment could tell me how little that would help in skiing. However, what about leg presses and leg extensions? That’s obviously the best thing to do…wrong! True, it’s better that bicep curls, but what about your lower back, your glutes, your calves? You don’t have to do an exercise for each one and shouldn’t! That’s right, you shouldn’t! Here’s why. Ever heard of muscle memory? Well this is similar. Your brain fires impulses to your muscles when they are supposed to react in a push or pull fashion. When you ski, your entire leg engages, from your hip flexors, to your toes! So why did we ever think that a leg press was the best exercise? Your body needs to practice doing the motions and using all of the muscles that it will use in real life. A one-legged body-weight squat is just an intense and more appropriate to preparing your body for skiing. It works your toes to your core, building muscle, balance, and coordination. All these are crucial to skiing.

No, we don’t all need to train like a skier because we don’t all ski. Maybe you do, but you are more of a housekeeper than a serious skier. Trust me, doing the dishes hurt my back more than the hardest ski slope! Honestly, my back isn’t prepared to be slightly hunched for more than 10 minutes. It’s agonizing! A few toe-touching stretches each day could probably help take care of that. Yes, each task, each sport, each lifestyles has a workout regimen that suits it specifically and applicably. Before you get too into deciding what weight you can bench press at the gym, figure out what you are preparing for. Figure out your goals first. Are you just trying to have nice abs or do you want to have energy and make that burning knee go away every time you walk up your staircase?

Feel free to comment below and tell me what your goals are. Maybe I can help you figure out the best way to improve your health for your personal lifestyle needs! After all, I’m really doing this 40 day thing for you anyway…

Day 9

Day 9

Today is just about the world “diet”. “Diet” is such a stupid word! I hate that word. It is the reason so many people don’t know how to eat properly! A diet is only what you eat. Diet has for so long taken on the context of what you eat in order to lose weight or to build lean muscle or to avoid those carbs and sugars that are so bad for your heart. Yuck! I don’t like diets! Don’t get on a diet. Don’t change your “diet”. Change your eating habits! Change the way you eat instead of the items you eat. I won’t dare bother with going into all the detail of telling you what’s good and bad for you, but I’ll shout out some quick pointers I’ve picked up over the years. Feel free to comment and ask me anything if you want more elaboration.

Avoid processed food as much as possible. This is the hardest one to do, but not impossible. To be honest, I certainly don’t adhere to this rule, but I wish I did. The less processed stuff you eat, the less MSG, the less preservatives, typically, the more natural and healthier it is.

Keep all of the food groups in your diet!!! Fats too! Carbs too! Healthy fats- nuts, avocado, oils, etc. Complex carbs- potato, vegetables, grains, etc. Avoid the obvious bad fats and simple carbs (sugars, sweets, candies, etc).

Protein and fat together or carbs and fats together, but not as much protein and carbs together. Steak and potatoes is really not the best for fat burning! Bummer if you ask me.

Carbs in the morning and proteins in the evening. Avoid eating within 2 hours of bed. Eat 5-6 small meals each day. Men usually eat around 2000 calories/day. Women eat about 1500 calories/day. This can vary quite a bit depending on your metabolic needs and if you are doing an extreme amount of exercise. However, most calorie burning does NOT happen in exercise!!! That’s right, an hour on the treadmill won’t do much good if you top it off with a candy bar or 2. Actually, cardio isn’t actually the best way to boost your metabolism, but I’ll save that for another day. I know, I just dropped a bomb, but I promise I’ll get to it later. (Quick glimpse, quick bursts/interval training is better for boosting metabolism and fat-burning than long cardio runs and bicycle rides.)

Fix what you take in your body will help with the rest. Spiritually, fix what you take in, God will take care of the rest. Just some food for thought (ha, pun), ever consider how the people you hang out with, the things you watch, or the music you listen to affect your actions and your personality. As a young guy, what does American Pie teach you about how to treat women as a Christian man? As a woman, what does “Sex and the City” (title should be a red flag) teach you about relationships and materialism? Are these things really healthy for your Spiritual Health, or are they that junk food that we’ve habitually gone to snack on just because it’s so easy to find in the pantry?

Day 8

Day 8

Day 8 Lesson:

This was my day of rest actually. Today, I finished the bus ride to Fredericksburg, TX and proceeded to (personally) drive my youth in another bus to Uvalde, TX (another 2.5 hours after a 20 hour ride). When I got home at 8am, I fell on the bed next to my equally sleepy wife and slept! Praise God for rest!

I hope we all know what rest is. The Sabbath is a gift from God to rest, to recuperate, and to be renewed by the One who gives us life. Take it when you can!

Day 8 Spiritual Health: Scriptures read: Matthew 12:1-14

Day 8 Physical Health: (This is the last day I will have this structure/format since it seems as though I’m not really adhering to the Spiritual and Physical Health division anyway.) There is so much information about sleep that is so important to our physical and spiritual health. I’m going to try to avoid the too much of the obvious. Although, some things may be obvious to one person but may be a revolutionary thought to another. Sleep is where our body takes the nutrients from the previous day and uses them to build our muscles and replace used energy. Rest is when our body is in a period of time without work, yes obvious, but rest doesn’t require snoozing, just relaxing the body. When you rest, avoid tension. Those tight shoulders could use some rest. Even when typing on the computer, like I am now, I find myself tensing my shoulders and neck. Spiritual rest is less about not doing work and more about taking time to “soak in the Son” (as 1 of my friend Tim Day’s shirts would say). If rest is about nutrients and fueling the body, soak in the grace, love, and peace of God, and put it to the replenishment of your soul. Breathe in the Holy Spirit, and breathe out the stress and desires of your flesh. Be intentional about finding authentic rest time, not sloth or procrastination, which is filled with anxiety, stress, and/or a severe lack of pursuit to achieve anything. Find time to pursue renewal. Find time to rest and soak up the Son.

Day 7

Day 7

Day 7 Lesson:

Today is the bus ride day! Yep about 20 hours on a bus…ughh. Sometimes, that’s just what you have to do to get from here to there. Hmmm…metaphor? Yes please. The road is long, weary, and tiresome. Sometimes, doing nothing at all can wear you out. I know, you’d think hard work would be the culprit. Well in this case, lack of work is the source of the problem. Laziness…I believe 1 of the 7 “deadly sins” was sloth, right? This is definitely an issue. A force to be reckoned with! Or a lack of force to be reckoned with! Anyway, laziness will make you disregard your commitments. It makes you stop exercising. It allows you to eat things that God didn’t design your body to consume (twinkies, etc). It’s what tells you that God can wait! Well guess what folks, God shouldn’t have to wait! He should come first! Before television, before the newspaper, before videogames, before your own family! Luke 14:26 says, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.” God comes first! I know that rest is how we recuperate, but God is what restores and replenishes us. John 4:13-14 says, “13 Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’” I won’t go into the importance of water again… We need God! We can’t last a second without Him. So if you are like me, make today, not tomorrow, the day that you tell Him again, “I need You, and I’m committing to You again.” Here’s the truth. I’m not writing this on Day 7. I missed that day to blog. Fortunately, I still learned something that day. I still grew and grew in God. Don’t make tomorrow your day to jump back on the horse. Do it today! Do it now! Even if you can’t commit a lot, if you have no more time today, do something for Him. Read a verse of scripture. Do 10 pushups. Do 1 if that’s all you can do, but do something for Him!

Day 7 Spiritual Health: Scriptures read: Luke 14-26, John 4:13-14

Day 7 Physical Health: Need I really say it? Do something today! Do pushups; do sit-ups; walk half of a mile; stretch out those achy muscles for 10 minutes. Anything is better than nothing! I know this may not be enough for you today. You may have hoped that this day would be filled with something exciting, something packed with power! Trust me, if you have the power to continue on today, you are doing something challenging and powerful!

Day 6

Day 6

Day 6 Lesson:

Ya know what?!?! I am a pretty dang good skier! I mean it! Seriously, I am really quite exceptional. Sure there are tons of skiers that are better than I am, but relative to most people (including those who haven’t seen snow), I am really good at skiing. I only boast about this because I came to realize today that in spite of my expertise in skiing and my ability to go down almost any run on a mountain, including the Double Black Diamond runs, I am not an exceptional Christian! No, at this point in my life, I won’t be on the Christian X-Games (nor the real ones). In other words, I am not the greatest skier, and I am certainly in any place to boast about my likeness to Christ. When I am weak, He is strong. Well guess what folks, He has got some serious cannons (or is it canons…ha…lame Bible pun. Comment if you got it). My whole point is that, I thought I was doing okay in my walk with the Lord, but if we’re living in the light, I am barely pushing that blue/black barrier. I know for the beginner that may seem impressive, but to the Olympic athlete, anything short of perfection, anything short of Christ, doesn’t win you the gold! Matthew 5:48 says, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” That’s right, perfection is the goal and possibly more importantly, it is our calling! We are called to perfection! No, I don’t think we’ll attain it, but it is what we are to strive for in every moment. Jump to physical…

Day 6 Spiritual Health: Scriptures read: Matthew 5:48

Day 6 Physical Health: Acknowledge your need to be healthy, not the Greek god statue physique, but in good physical and spiritual health. Know that you come up short in areas, that it’s the way we are designed and understand your weaker parts. Define your weaknesses in order to strengthen yourself! No more rambling, find your weakness to eliminate it! Be strong! 

Day 5 (Monday)

Day 5 (Monday)

Day 5 Lesson:

What have I learned today?... Well this week, as I’ve been skiing with my youth group, my good friend, the Rev. Dr. Rusty Freeman has been relating the levels of the ski terrain to the Christian walk. I usually tend to think metaphorically and can usually see the metaphor’s relation before its explanation. Still, the messages have been filled with truth, grace, and power. The gospel tends to be a story that no matter how many times it’s told, its power, grace, love, truth, and good news never lose effect. It’s funny how Rusty’s lessons directly relate to this blog. He speaks of physical limitations and how they relate to the spiritual walk. Cool, huh? I think it’s amazing that my spiritual walk and ski abilities are almost identical. I can ski the entire mountain…yes, Double Diamonds-Experts Only!!!  Although, some of those runs scare the @#%@#$ out of me (no, that’s not a bad word). I can do it all. I’m strong enough and have the experience to do things that boggle others’ minds. I’m not trying to brag here, just stating the things I am capable of in Christ. My father taught me to ski since childhood. Likewise, my Heavenly Father has taught me what I know. (Brief explanation: green=easy, blue=intermediate, black=hard, double black=expert only.) Green bores me at this point, but I love to see new skiers/believers on the slopes giving it a shot. Blues are comfortable and can get boring after a while. Blues are where newer skiers/believers begin to push their limits and build their expertise. Black is where I feel at home. Black is pretty tough. Black pushes me. Black tells me that I’m accomplishing something. I’m pursuing excellence. I’m getting stronger. I’m stepping up to my calling. Sure, Double Blacks are runs to be conquered when the occasion arises. Blacks and Double Blacks require commitment! They require something above the norm. This is where I belong. The truth is that if I am capable of it, then I will do it. “With God all things are possible,” right? Well God doesn’t equip us to sit in the warming house! Get out there. Conquer the mountain! Advance the kingdom of the Lord!

Day 5 Spiritual Health: Scriptures read: John 15:1-8, 1 John 4:7-12

Day 5 Physical Health: Push yourself. Commit. Do what you are capable of, regardless of whether or not it fits your schedule and your requirements. Do what God calls you to do. Increase your strength (faith), your stamina (perseverance), and your health.

Day 4...in some time zone

Day 4

Day 4 Lesson:

Know what it is in life, in God, that you truly desire. Pray for God’s desires to be your own. Reading about the rich young man who walks away from Jesus has much wealth but leaves Jesus unhappy and empty. Physically and spiritually, you can have so much. You can be in tremendous health, have rock hard abs, have the ladies swooning over you (no, I don’t know that girls actually swoon as opposed to talk about you with great giddiness), but you may never be satisfied. You may have read the Bible straight through a dozen times and know each verse (which would indeed be miraculous if you could know the Bible in only 12 reads), but you may not truly know Christ! Know that God created you as an original masterpiece regardless of your opinion of yourself or anyone else’s. You are His and He is yours. Rest assured in that truth. Christ died for you, exactly as you are, flawed and foolish. So wise up and accept God’s love. Accept that He’ll always love you know matter what you’ve done or will do. Just follow Him.

Day 4 Spiritual Development: Scriptures read: Mark 10:17-22, Philippians 2:1-13

Day 4 Physical Development: Understand this from Schnase’s book. “Becoming the person that God desires us to become is also the fruit of a persistent and deeply personal quest, an active desire to love God, to allow God’s love to lead us” (16). Know your goals, pray for God’s goals for you. Trust me, they’re the best plans anyone could ever write out for your life. As a United Methodist myself, I understand this statement as well. “Early Wesleyans were chided as ‘Methodists’ because of their nearly eccentric adherence to methodical ways of systemizing the practices of the Christian faith to promote learning, service, and growth in Christ through daily and weekly exercises and patterns.” The way we stay healthy and improve our physique by maintaining consistency in our exercises and eating habits applies to our spiritual life. To build muscles, we must continually push our muscles harder, working them, and changing up the exercises to keep our muscles adapting. See where I might be going with this? Yes? No? Whatever, here’s what I mean. We must also stay committed to pushing our spiritual boundaries further, trying new things in God, doing things He calls us to that we never thought we would be asked to do. Answering and committing to this calling is what maintains and grows us physically and spiritually.

Alongside you taking the risks to find rewards in Christ,

Brent

Day 3ish

Day 3ish

Day 3 Lesson:

What to gain from today? Time is invaluable! I was in a big rush today as my youth group and I set out for Colorado. I know I’m writing this a day late, but I promise that I read my daily readings. So, in spite of the things that come up, we MUST make take for what’s important to us. God is number one for me! So I’m doing my very best to maintain this daily discipline, despite what the clock tells me!

Day 3 Spiritual Development: Scriptures read: John 1 29-34, 1 John 4:7-16

I want to quote one of the daily readings. “Christianity began as a way of life rather than as a system of beliefs, the way taught and modeled by Jesus Christ” (Schnase, 14). I don’t have time today, as I said, so I’ll leave it at this… Get out there and be Christ! Don’t focus solely on the religion and rules. Christ certainly knew them and modeled his life around the truths of God as he is the Truth! The thing is that knowledge doesn’t change the world. Knowledge doesn’t make you healthy either. Knowing what not to eat doesn’t mean that you won’t eat that twinkie, but you’ll know why you’re physically unhealthy. So take whatever vast or minimal amount you know and apply yourself!

Day 3 Physical Development: Let’s just say that some days, you are doing all you can to physically get through the day! Some of you know what that feels like! Today was one of those. I need sleep. Sleep is crucial to repairing and rebuilding your body. So, I’m going to try to sleep now.

Alongside you and 200 youth on a ski trip pursuing the Lord,

Brent

PHSH40 Day 2

Day 2

Day 2 Lesson:

The first thing I read in the Men’s Health Total Fitness Guide 2009: Power Training book was on the “overload principle”. The “Overload Principle” states “that our bodies will adapt to whatever rigors we place on them” (Men’s Health, 4). So the point is that we have to push ourselves to improve ourselves. Physically, the more we push ourselves, the more our body has to take in nutrients, rest, repair, and grow. Spiritually, the more we push ourselves, the more we grow and the more God grows in us. Of course, we can push ourselves too hard and go too far to the point that it can harm us physically and spiritually. This is where knowing your limits comes in. Think of it this way. You can push your limits to extend and increase them, but you shouldn’t go beyond your limits.

The physical risks of overstepping your limits are tearing muscles, breaking bones, rupturing organs, and the list goes on. The spiritual overstepping of your limits almost always results in sin. Often, it is in an area that we have been lately battling and finding success in. We tend to overstep the limit when we let pride get in the way and say that we can do it without God and have got it under control now. As soon as we forget to take every moment to the Lord, Satan swoops in and puts us on our backside, shaming us, and separating us from our Father. 

I should point out that knowing your limits and being committed to pushing them further can result in amazing and wonderful results. Physically, you become faster, stronger, healthier, and more energetic. Spiritually, you become wiser, more loving, and Godlier. Plus, the ability to push your limits and extend your boundaries, stepping out of your comfort zone for the sake of God’s kingdom can take you to unimaginable places with the Lord, making you feel things you never thought a human could feel, caring for people you never new existed, and loving with more intensity than you dreamed one heart could exert (and cardio doesn’t even compare)!

Day 2 Spiritual Development: Scriptures read: John 1:14-18, James 1:22-27

Day 2 Physical Development: To restate Day 1, I’ll start workouts next week. This won’t always be a “workout routine”. I’ll be skiing next week. That’ll be plenty of exercise! Being healthy should be enjoyable. If you don’t enjoy the exercise, you’ll probably quit as soon as you get the excuse. So when planning exercise, don’t plan to do something you hate doing! If you hate pushups and sit-ups, then don’t make them a large part of your workout! However, every muscle group needs to be exercised. So, if you don’t like squats or tricep extensions, then go throw a medicine ball (guys like to throw things…it’s natural…don’t judge), or practice your jump shot (getting both triceps extended AND working your legs). Just have fun with your workout! Keep this in mind when planning a non-routine “routine”.

So that’s all for today, I guess. Still drinking plenty of water. Tried a new Yogi “Slim” tea today. It’s pretty awesome. Transforming myself from the inside out by what I consume. Taking in God’s love and peace today…well as much as possible with my schedule anyway!

Alongside you in the pursuit of someOne greater,

Brent

PHSH40 (Physical Health and Spiritual Health- 40 Day Journey) Day 1!!!

Day 1

Weight: 142.8 lbs

BMI: 21.1 Normal (according to www.bmicalculator.org)

BMR: 1680.1 kcal/day (“ ”)

1-arm pushups (right): 15 with good form and no break

1-arm pushups (left): 14 “ ”

Pushups in 1 min: TBD

Rock Ring Pull-ups max w/o break: TBD

Day 1 Lesson:

Okay…so where to start? I’m kind of slamming my mind and schedule with a bunch of new ideas and thoughts. So much information, so many thoughts, so many distractions, so little time for so much!

Let me get you up-to-speed. This is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent and the first official day of my new pursuit of physical health and spiritual health development. I am reading several books on these things as of today. On the spiritual front, I’m going through Forty Days of Fruitful Living: Practicing a Life of Grace by Robert Schnase and a little booklet that Martha Hagan, the Christian Education Dir. at my church in Uvalde, put together, called Journey to Jerusalem. Both are books intended for being read/utilized over the Lenten season. So, I just started reading those and will continue to read them daily as something to keep me reading something new and fresh.

On the physical front, I’ve purchased the Men’s Health Total Fitness Guide 2009: Power Training book by Robert Dos Remedios. It’s packed full of fitness tips, instruction on understanding power training, programs, exercises, workouts, nutrition, and more of the like. Sure, I’ve read tons of booklets, web pages, blogs, pamphlets, and taken classes on nutrition and physique development. Hopefully, this book will help me better understand how to develop my overall fitness, not just the same old routines and exercises designed to target specific muscles and muscle groups, with the intent to build mass and achieve a certain “look”. Sure, I like looking fit for my wife and feeling confident in the body God gave me, but I’m so over the mass need to fit into a certain mold of a particular celebrity. The truth is that the real athletes, the ones on the field, court, track, mountain, etc. have great physique, a great “look”, and are in much better health that the celebrity who just did the 6 week fat-loss, quick result, program and is just as quickly going to get out of shape as soon as the movie is over.

I want to be healthy! I want to feel good…no, great! I want to be confident in my strength and in my relationship with the LORD! This is not going to be easy, and it’s not a diet, quick-fix program. This is going to be a challenge and a development of a new mind.

There’s a theme today… From the Inside Out. Yes, it’s a worship song by Hillsong United, but it’s also the way that God transforms us and we transform our bodies. The change God makes starts with a new mind. Scripture says, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ” (Philippians 2:5). God changes our mind and desires and moves outward to our actions in the world. Similarly, if we want our physical health to change, we start with a new mind, a new desire, against worldly pleasures, against the world’s opinion of the way we look. We change our habits, our eating, and our exercise. Then the outward changes begin to appear!

Day 1 Spiritual Development: Scriptures read- John 1:1-5, John 15:1-17

Day 1 Physical Development: I’m just going to put this out there now… I’m not starting the workouts until next week! I know this is Day 1, but I want to make goals and a plan before I start throwing my body and too much weight around, tiring myself out for nothing. Still, I will begin educating myself on better Physical Health today.

What I’m doing today is about water… Jesus is the “living water” and we know we need him. Duh, right? Well we also know our bodies need water. Again, duh. Today, I am going to start making sure I drink enough water! Take your body weight (mine’s 143), divide it by 2 (71.5), and drink that many ounces of water each day (a little over a half gallon)! So I’ll be drinking my 32 oz. “nalgene” bottle about 2 and ¼ times each day. I think we’ll be amazed at what that will do. (Caution: Drinking lots of fluids results in lots of bathroom trips…more exercise! Woo!)

I really appreciate it if you’ve read this whole thing! I could’ve gone longer, but I won’t. I hope you’ll join me in this process as we seek to improve ourselves over these 40 days. (Oh ya, technically, Lent’s 40 days don’t include Sundays. So I’ll be taking those off…or something like that. My schedule is going nuts this next week as I go skiing with 200 teenagers! I know, tough life, but it’s my job.)

Alongside you in the pursuit of something greater,

Brent

Holy Urgency

Ecclesiastes 3:7 states that there is "a time to be silent and a time to speak." Silence is only part of our call...


Over the last week, I have felt that strong feeling that "now is the time"!  It's funny that so many Christian songs and messages have that line in them, but until you feel the sense of urgency, you can't really understand it's true meaning. See I am at a point in my walk with the Lord that I have felt that the time for learning and meditation for patience's sake is over. Sometimes I feel God calls us to be still and wait for Him to speak. Well that time has changed. Don't misunderstand me; I believe we are always supposed to be open to hearing God's voice; we are always learning and should find time to meditate on God's plan for us.


However, now is the time for action! Now is the time to rise up and step up to God's call! If you feel like things are great in the world, wake up and remember that scripture says that "We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one" (1 John 5:19). The sad truth is that the world is no longer under God's control but the "evil one's". The beautiful truth is that Christ is victorious, "for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4). 


So to sum up...the world is under Satan's control. We are called to stand up and change that by advancing God's kingdom on Earth through the spreading of His gospel. Have faith and be assured that the God of victory is at your side (in front, behind, all around, and within you). So answer His call! Go! And go now! For the kingdom of God is near, and His people are desperate for a Savior!

Leading a Flock...a Flock of what?

As I first strum my guitar on Sunday morning, I pray that God will move in the people I see in front of my eyes. I pray that their hearts will be touched and set ablaze with God's Holy Spirit. I pray that love would continue to move after the service and spread throughout our small city and beyond. Sometimes, though...I just pray people will sing with me!

I don't understand why some people look to the leaders of our church as separated from the congregation. I don't understand how the worship leader became the sole soul performer. I don't understand why the preacher is the only one shouting praises!

God gives us examples of leaders in his illustrations of shepherds and their flocks. The Good Shepherd leads the flock. He tends to its needs and cares for it. He defends it from the wolves. He alone is the "Good Shepherd".

I would like to see us as a flock of another sort. I would like to see us as a flock of geese. (Hang with me, okay?) Geese fly in a V-shaped formation. They never fly alone, and they always fly with purpose.

(http://missionaljourney.blogspot.com/2009/06/missionallike-flock-of-geese.html)

Taking a look at a different flock, sparrows, we see a flock with no purpose. They fly this way and that way. Zig-zagging throughout the skies with no intent and are often hard to follow. They have no leader but instead fly in a swarm of sorts.

(http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.hawar-islands.com/blog/media/blogs/obs/2009/eid_nov/sparrows.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.hawar-islands.com/blog/index.php/2009/&usg=__GX9Rr2l3vZH-lElEUZxztrbVtSE=&h=531&w=800&sz=36&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=sMK2Ain5SglkMM:&tbnh=118&tbnw=178&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dflock%2Bof%2Bsparrows%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D618%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=629&ei=rQYuTeGJOML38AaBr4y5Cg&oei=rQYuTeGJOML38AaBr4y5Cg&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:0&tx=103&ty=26)

Now back to the geese... The geese have purpose, direction, and a leader, all of which, sparrows do not have. This leader is no different from the rest. He/She may be stronger than most, but they all know where to go; they all look the same (to me); they all know why they are going where they are going, and they are all ready to lead. Here's what geese do in flight. The V-shape is for aerodynamics. As winds hit against the leader, the currents are dispersed across the rest of the flock. After a while of flying and battling the currents, the leader will drop back into the V, allowing the next one to come take the lead for a while. This continues throughout their flights. 

So, as a leader, I expect to have to be strong at times. I expect to work hard, get tired, and experience a little turbulence. What I also pray for is that when our leaders get a little worn out, others will take the lead in their place. I believe that happens all the time. I am confident in our body of believers and their willingness to serve. 

I pray for their confidence to lead. I pray that the body sees the leaders as one of the flock. I pray that worshippers no longer watch their leaders as an audience but that we worshippers would join in the praises of our God, that we would all have purpose, that we would all have direction, knowing to whom we are flying, knowing that at the end of our long, tiring journey, we are ready to embrace the warmth of paradise. 

Where to Start

It’s a brand new year. We’ve got resolutions for the new year. We’ve got plans, hopes, dreams, and desires. There’s so much that we want to do, not to mention everything that others would like us to do. We just don’t know where to start…

We have 12 months ahead of us. Which means that the clock is already ticking. Everything we had to get done last year is done with, or maybe it’s not because it’s carried over into this year because we didn’t have time last year. So not only do we have plans, but we’re already running behind. Even more overloaded, we just don’t know where to start…

Here’s some good news, something that should help give us a starting point. The prophet Jeremiah tells us this in his 29th chapter, verses 11 through 14.
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

So where to start? Start with God’s plans. Start by calling on Him and praying to Him. Seek Him with all your heart. That’s where we start! Our God who has plans for us, plans far greater than our own will show us what to do next. So toss your own plans out the door and look to God’s plans for direction. If we could all do this, I believe this could be the greatest year we’ve ever lived!

May you seek God wholeheartedly this year,

Brent