Day 10 – It’s way too easy to find an excuse to not take care of yourself when you are busy. For the past several days, my schedule has been full. As usual, starting at 4 a.m. gets me out and on a school bus by 5:30. Home by 8 and out by 9 for yet another day of work at church. Back home by 11, lunch at noon and then a few minutes to sit down before going back out to drive in the afternoon.

By about 4 o’clock–pooped. No time to worry about that–gym came today from 4:30 till 5:30 and it was a long, hard hour. I pushed myself today to get in lots of cardio and plenty of strength training. Finally made 700 crunches and 4+ miles running in addition to a bunch of free weights and machine stretches.

Then, back to church at 6:30 to put a second coat of finish on the floors I’ve been working on and worship band rehearsal at 8 PM.  I finally left the church something after 9 and got home around 9:45 PM. For me, that’s the long, hard way.

I’m not complaining, though. I’m just glad my body is keeping up with my mind. In my head, I still think I’m young–then I look in the mirror.  What happened? Yep, getting old but very thankful for all I get to do.

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 [ESV]

Day 9 – It’s a real pain when you head out to the gym and it is frigid; but, like all the others, that’s just one excuse among many, many more. Today was a lot like yesterday except that it started much earlier–that’s par for the course.  After another 3 hours of fighting with a buffer and a school bus route out on the east side of the county, my gym time this evening went pretty well, just not as high energy as I was expecting.

Beyond the inconvenient pain of cold weather, I’ve stressed my muscles about as hard as I can, especially in my back. So tonight I spent a lot of time walking and stretching. Sometimes, a good workout does not depend on a big cardio burn. It’s a good thing ’cause I didn’t have one tonight. Nope, only about half of what I’m used to doing. On the other side of that, my back feels a lot better as do my arms and legs after spending time on a foam roller and using elastic straps to stretch some old, tired muscles.

Tomorrow is another day, Day 10 to be exact and 1/3 of this little project will be complete. Don’t give up, don’t give up. . .

Day 8 – Here we go. . .today has been a bear even though I got to start late because of the holiday. Dr. Martin Luther King Day hit at just the right time, kind of like he did. Dr. King came at a time when he was most needed and he did the most good he could before his life was ended way too early.

Sleeping in for me is rare, so laying around until after 7 AM was a treat. We worked around the house this morning and then headed over to the church to do some work in our fellowship hall/all purpose room/fitness center. Our team has remodeled the room with fresh paint and repairs and today Debbie and I decided to start refinishing the floors. There’s nothing quite like trying to control a commercial buffer/stripper for 4 hours. Well, maybe trying to break a wild horse would compare. I stripped–that sounds odd–and Deb mopped. She dogged that mop and bucket like a pro.

We had a late lunch and a power nap and then I got myself together and headed to the gym at about 6 PM.  I didn’t think I’d be able to do much because I was pretty stressed out in my low back from dogging that machine. But after a long warm up, I was ready to hit it and I actually had a good workout. Did I want to go to the gym this evening. Nope. Did I have a bucket full of excuses to keep me at home. Yep. But this is a revolution, not a resolution. It’s too late to turn back or give up now. I’m 25% of the way to my goal. When I reach it, and I will, the next one will not be nearly as aggressive, but it will keep me on track.

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Philippians 3:12 [ESV]

Day 7 – It’s not as weird as I thought it would be.  Trouble is, it’s been long. My days started at 4 AM, like every other day. I get to church at about 6:30 AM for worship band final rehearsal @ 7 AM.  LifeGroups start @ 8:30 & worship is at 9:45. We got out today a little late (I got carried away in the sermon; never happens. . .yeah, right) so we didn’t land at home until about noon fifteen. Debbie had lunch in the crockpot and it was delicious–followed by a short nap.  We got dressed about 2:30 for the gym, went and worked out for our usual hour, and actually had a great time.  We did wind sprints together, I managed a few hundred crunches, some overextension and isolation work with free weights and a nice stretch session at the end.  I’m really glad I got to do that before going back to church @ 6 PM for Life In The Real World (my Sunday evening LifeGroup). Was I REALLY tired when we got home after church? Yep. Was it worth it, Yep. Would I do it again–next weekend.

One big diff next week. Sunday’s workout will be BODY BASIC @ church @ 5 PM! I’m starting a new stepping class. Try us out. You’ll definitely be challenged.

Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17 [ESV]

Day 6 – Getting into a habit, or out of a habit for that matter, can be very difficult. Sometimes the physical and/or emotional pain is overwhelming. Not so much for me this time in the gym. I’m not sure why, but there’s a lot more enjoyment going on even though some of my muscles are screaming, “STOP, I can’t do this!” Maybe that’s the difference between resolution and revolution. I suppose it’s kind of like my walk with God. On many occasions, right in the middle of what I knew was a life-storm, everything seemed sunny and calm. Don’t misunderstand, the troubles were still there and the pain was still pain, but a pervasive calm surrounded me.

Today, I managed to reach my goal for the week of 800 crunches in a single outing (4 sets of 200 with 4 sets of 25 reverse crunches). If you see me at church tomorrow, please don’t punch me in the stomach! This hour working out was more about stretching a trying new stuff than meeting any other goal in my mind. And I’m getting to work a lot more with Debbie right now and that is a very good thing. Training her helps me prepare to train others. And I suppose that part of this 30 day thing is to get me geared up for BODY BASIC, BODY STRONG, & BODY ROCK. Those are some great classes that work my butt off, literally and actually.

Finishing my first week tomorrow, on the first day of the week, is pretty cool for me. On the day we celebrate Christ’s resurrection every week at church, I’ll be sweating and straining to take care of what he gave me–life.  Thanks be to God that I don’t have to sweat and strain to get to heaven. Jesus did that for me at Calvary.

Day 5 — My day began at 4 AM, as it usually does.  The day has been very busy which precipitated going to the gym much later than planned.  Visiting the gym after 5 PM on Friday is not a bad idea; not many people go to the gym on Friday evening, apparently.

Thirteen hours into my day, I was able to start a pretty good workout. Hundreds of crunches, wind sprints, rowing, and the stair master absolutely wore me out–in a good way. Debbie worked right beside me for most of the time; she is a strong woman.

Fitness is not easy, but it’s worth the effort. What did Spock say? Live long and prosper. I’m trying really hard.

The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD. Proverbs 21:31 [ESV]

Day 4 — My shoulder is starting to look like a rotten banana, it’s sore to the touch but, thankfully, that didn’t keep me out of the gym today.  2+ miles on the elliptical, 600 crunches, ball work and some other stuff made for a tough, good work out.

I wonder how it’ll be tomorrow. Let’s see. . .30 days covers 4 complete weeks plus 2 days.

Every year, most of us resolve to do something different; something about our personal habits we need to change, our appearance, our relationships. Usually, the resolutions last about as long as it takes to make them.

Over the years, I’ve found that I’m no different from anyone else in this. Sometimes, I make a resolution in my mind but I never even voice it because I know it’s not going to last.

This year, I’ve decided to do something different. All this on the heels of leading several very successful fitness groups last year including a Biggest Loser campaign. I began with a new journaling strategy that leads me deeper into the Word of God along with many of the members of my church.  It’s called IFIT: I will be Faithful, Intrepid, & Teachable. IFIT is all part of the greater strategy designed to help me and those around me do a better job of taking care of our minds, our spirits, and our bodies.

After being in the IFIT journal for a week, and reexamining the lives of Abraham and Sarah in Genesis, it occurred to me that I must stop resolving and start a revolution. Resolve: to settle or find a problem. . .decide firmly on a course of action. Not a bad idea, but it seems to wear off too quickly. Revolution: a sudden or complete change in something. My idea: a sudden AND complete change in something, me.

Here’s what I’ve decided to do. For the next 30 days (I just completed day 3 when I decided to blog this), I’m determined to revolutionize my physical habits by going to the gym every day. I’m going on Sunday, too. I’ll preach, have lunch, rest a bit, and go to the gym. Never done it before. . .don’t know how easy it’s going to be.  This is where the wicket gets sticky. If this is truly a revolution, it won’t wear off and it will change the major habits of my life–eating, sleeping, studying, spending time with my wife, etc.

So, here goes.

DAY 1 — Wow, I didn’t think it would be this hard, but I’m glad it doesn’t take your muscles long to remember how to respond.  It doesn’t take them long to lock up and get sore, either. My gym habit is one hour of working out doing cardio, free weights, machine weights, more cardio and stretching.

DAY 2 — Sore! The muscles responded, alright. They obviously didn’t like what I did to them yesterday. I stuck with my plan, and I’m gradually going to recondition myself and lose a few pounds. My body weight is not really too high, it’s just not arranged right!

DAY 3 — The soreness has set in, I still can’t do a lot, but I’m forging ahead. It occurred to me this afternoon that I’m already 10% through this thing. Maybe it won’t be so bad after all. Yeah, right. If I’ve discovered one thing, it’s this–no pain, no gain is still the truth. Physical fitness ain’t easy, but it’s worth it. I tried to do a little running on the track in our gym today and on about lap 6 I ran slap into one of the steel poles that holds the building up. Remarkably, the steel pole wasn’t hurt–I was. How do you run into a steel pole that you’ve passed thousands of times. Don’t know, don’t care. It still hurts.

OK, I’ll try to keep this thing going tomorrow and for 27 more days. At the end of this, my hope is simple. Once again, I’ll have gotten myself back into the routine of taking care of my 62 year old body.  Routine can be good.

Psalm 19:14, Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in our sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. [ESV]

Recently, James White, lead pastor at Mecklenburg Church in Charlotte, NC, posted a blog that really spoke to me. I use a lot of his stuff.  This particular blog, however, could have come directly from my pen. So, with credit given, and a small rewrite to reflect my own life, read it as if I wrote it–I could have, easily. . . .

I recently read an article which, once again, talked about a church being “welcoming” to the LGBT community.

Let’s define “welcoming,” shall we?

Historically, it has meant you, um, welcomed them. Said “hello,” that kind of thing. You were friendly and you seemed glad they had arrived. There weren’t cliques, there wasn’t racial or socio-economic bias or prejudice. You were an equal opportunity “welcomer.”

Yet today it means something different. It means “affirming.” As in, “whatever you do, say, practice or believe is fine by me and we embrace not only you, but ‘it’.” It means you condone, approve, and even facilitate their lifestyle. As a result, churches that are not “welcoming” in this sense are seen as, well, not “welcoming.”

 Can someone say, out loud, that this is officially insane?

 If acceptance becomes the same as affirmation, and welcoming the same as condoning, then Houston, we have a problem.

 Here’s why: It would mean that any relational embrace would necessitate moral endorsement. Let’s play that out, shall we?

 I am a father of one and grandfather of four. Any parent knows the two words “tough love.” You can love your child – fiercely – but not affirm their lifestyle. In fact, sometimes, a parent’s greatest act of love is “tough.” I can love you but not facilitate your drug habit. I can love you and not condone your life of crime. I can love you and visit you in prison, but not embrace what led you there. And this “tough love” is also going to add in a ridiculous dose of grace in the process that understands we could just as easily be standing in your shoes as you are.  Is this such a hard idea?

I believe our church is incredibly welcoming of… well, everyone. No matter their lifestyle, no matter their history. But we are not condoning of everything. The reason is simple: we so love people that when a lifestyle is damaging to them physically, spiritually, emotionally or relationally, we want them to know. We want them to turn from it. Even if they don’t agree, we’re going to stay in their corner and keep hammering away at what is best for them.

 It’s what love does.

 So come to our church. We welcome you. Really.

Maybe you know the name Quentin Tarantino, actor, director, & producer in Hollywood. I actually like some of his films, weird though they may be.

Recently, Tarantino found himself in the news [that’s what he wanted] when he joined a rally against police in the wake of some of the police shootings that have made the national news.

“I’m a human being with a conscience,” Tarantino said at the rally. “And if you believe there’s murder going on then you need to rise up and stand up against it. I’m here to say I’m on the side of the murdered.”

There’s a bit of irony here.  If you’ve ever watched Tarantino’s movies, many of them are about murder. In fact, he makes light of murder and aggrandizes the killers.

I can’t help but wonder if Tarantino knows or even cares that since 1973 more than 57 million unborn children have been aborted in the United States with the blessing of the government. That’s more than one million killings each year according to the Centers for Disease Control and the Guttmacher Institute.

In the Bible, something Mr. Tarantino ought to read, Psalm 94:1-2 says, O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth! Rise up, O judge of the earth; repay to the proud what they deserve! Yep, there it is. The one who will rise up against the evil of this world is coming–soon.

Quentin Tarantino will likely never read this short missive.  He’ll likely never sit face to face with a young woman who has suffered through an abortion only to regret it later, either. Life DOES matter.