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