TAKE CARE

Ephesians 5:29 says “No one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and he cares for it as Christ cares for the church.”
Apparently the Apostle Paul never met Americans. How many times have you looked in the mirror and said, "I hate my body." I hate the rear end I inherited from my mom or the gut I inherited from my dad. I am too short, too round, and I just hate my body. Most of the time we don't hate our bodies, we just hate what our bodies have become. That is why it is important that we care for our bodies. Paul even takes it one step further and said we should care for our bodies as Christ cared for the church because after all the church is the BODY OF CHRIST.
How did Christ care for the church? He was committed to it's protection, health, and vitality. I pray for you today that you will have that kind of commitment to your body.

DELAYED BUT NOT DENIED

Sorry to all of you blog fans(all 3 or 4 of you) about the delay since my last blog. I went through an entire week where every time I tried to post an error message came up, but I think I am back in the blogosphere now.
I hope everyone is doing well as we are in the last week of the 30 day challenge. I have done pretty well. I have lost 10 lbs. and feel a lot healthier. I have had a few moments when I fudged. Fudged sounds so much better than sin, and what better thought for those on the challenge than FUDGE)
I believe I am on my way to a Triathlon by year end!
If you are not doing well, stay encouraged. You can do it! Remember it is not about a card you signed, it is more about "honoring God with your body." The goal is for 30 days to turn into a lifetime of making right choices with our health.

STARTLING STATISTICS

Check out these statistics:

· 8 out of 10 people over 25 are overweight.
· More than 60% of Americans are overweight or obese.
· The number of overweight Americans has doubled since 1980. The number
overweight adolescents has tripled.
· Obesity is 2nd only to smoking as the top preventable cause of death. If things continue as
is, obesity will overtake smoking as number one.
· 78% of Americans are not meeting basic level activity recommendations.

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit… Therefore honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

DANIEL'S 10 DAY CHALLENGE

DANIEL 1:11-15
Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see." So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food.

3rd TIMES A CHARM

I have sit down twice today trying to blog and both times got distracted and did not get it done. I am hoping that the third time will be a charm.
I was talking with a friend today who has really been going through a tough time lately. He shared with me that when he is going through times like this that he really struggles to stay on track with healthy eating habits and exercise. He remarked how not having these things in his life makes him feel worse but it is so hard to get motivated to do it even though he knows that a stronger physical man helps in our spiritual and emotional battles.
The point is that God wants us to be whole people. That means complete and not just in parts. If you are struggling in this 30 Day Challenge try reading the word and praying more. A stronger spiritual man will promote a stronger and more discipline physical man (or woman).

WHAT DRIVES YOU?

Today I have felt like I was in one of those B rated movies where a character is trying to make a choice and the devil will appear sitting on one of his shoulders and angel on the other. Both of them try to plead their case with why they think he should make the right or wrong decision.

I felt like I have had a HOT FUDGE SUNDAE on one shoulder and a BOWL OF FRUIT on the other. The HOT FUDGE SUNDAE will whisper in my ear and say come on one bite won't hurt you. I know me! One bite leads to finishing the whole thing off and then I say, "Well since I blew it, I might as well do it right," So I chase the HOT FUDGE SUNDAE down with another one or a cheeseburger.

The BOWL OF FRUIT is something I really enjoy and when I eat it I feel extremely satisfied. The problem is it doesn't plead it's case as good as the HOT FUDGE SUNDAE. It whispers while the HOT FUDGE SUNDAE yells.

In this 30 Day Challenge I guess we have to determine WHAT DRIVES US? If all that is driving us is a piece of paper that we signed last week then it is hard to resist when the HOT FUDGE SUNDAE is screaming. If you are driven by "HONORING GOD WITH YOUR BODY" the whisper of the bowl of fruit will get your attention.

DR.JOSHUA AXE

I hope all of you got an opportunity to meet Dr. Joshua Axe this morning. I believe he can be a great resource in your families for living a life of health and nutrition. He can also assist with any chiropractic needs that you might have. He is a great brother in Christ and I hope you will use him as a resource for you and your family. If you did not get to talk with him this morning you can reach him at EXODUS HEALTH CENTER, 615-445-7702.

WII Aerobics/ Life Group Challenge

A few weeks ago we got a Nintendo WII. I have never been much of a video game person but this thing is giving me a work out. I think I should be able to count time on the WII for at least one of my work outs every week!
This Sunday we will have forms available for you to log your daily progress with the 5 areas of the 30 Day Challenge. We are going to ask you to keep accurate data and turn it in to your Life Group leader weekly who will keep track of points earned. At the end of the 30 Day Challenge the Life Group who has accumulated the most points will win. I have no idea what you will win but we will think of something!

GETTING THE FAMILY INVOLVE

One of the things that has been awesome to see in the first few days of this 30 Day Challenge is the way parents are getting their children involved. I personally believe that giving a legacy of health to our children is one of the greatest things we could possibly do for them. One parent told me that their child has been keeping them motivated and accountable. Tonight while sitting at the dinner table Macknenzie said, "why don't we go on a walk after dinner tonight." It's hard to say not your child when they ask you to do something healthy that will promote quality time with the family.
Here are a couple of suggestions to help get the kids involved:
- Let the kids help put the menu together for a meal using healthy foods
- Go on family walks where you can talk about the day with the children
- Gear one family devotion a week toward reading scriptures about how we can "honor with
our body."
Give it a try!

YOU WILL SUCCEED!

It is easy to wonder how we can succeed in this 30 Day journey. It is easy the first day maybe even the second but there comes time for all of us when we hit a wall and say forget this I am going to some good fried food and chase it down with chocolate cake. It is in these times of temptation that we ask, "what was Pastor Jason thinking"? You can and will succeed if you will just do two things: Keep your eyes on the vision of what you want to be in terms of your health. As we discussed yesterday, YOUR BODY WILL END UP SOMEWHERE, BUT WILL IT END UP SOMEWHERE ON PURPOSE.
The second thing we need to do is commit our our ways to the Lord. Proverbs 16:3 says, "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." If you have not yet committed your goals or vision for your health to the Lord, why don't you take time right now to do that?

EVERY BODY ENDS UP SOMEWHERE!

Proverbs 28:19 says, "where there is no, people perish." I hope as we continue in the 30 Day Fitness Challenge that you are getting a vision for where you want to be at the end of these thirty days and beyond.

Personally I want to get back in Triathlon shape. I would love to be able to do at least a couple of Triathlons this year. I know if I am going to get back in that kind of shape that I am going to have to do it on purpose, because it will not happen by accident. Remember ever body ends up somewhere, but not all BODIES end up somewhere on purpose.

EATING FOR THREE

Thanks to those who have posted comments with recipes and ideas to help others have a successful 30 Day Fitness Challenge. The email and phone calls have just been overwhelming in terms of the people who are excited about these next thirty days. They say "if you do something for 21 days that it becomes a habit". So hopefully for us all that after these 30 days that habits will be developed in our lives that will be sustained after the challenge is over.

Dr. Ben Lerner in his book BODY BY GOD said pregnant women often will say they are "eating for two." All of us should actually be eating for three! We are eating for ourselves. (for our personal health and nutrition) We are eating for those around us. (We are passing a legacy on to our children and family by the nutritional habits we model) We are eating for God. (As Paul said, "we should be honoring God with our body")

So the next time someone says, "why are you eating healthy?" Just say I am eating for three.

30 DAY FITNESS CHALLENGE

We had a great response this morning with 30 Day Fitness Challenge. I believe that this is going to be life changing for many people.
I am using this opportunity to start writing my blog again. I hope that this can be an interactive tool especially during the 30 Day Fitness Challenge in which people can be encouraged by the blogs but also use the post to write testimonies, prayer request, or comments about how their 30 day fitness journey is going.
I have to tell you I have done well today. I have had no desserts or sweets besides fruit and IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!