Sweat the Small Stuff

Sweat has a wonderful purpose in our lives. Mostly, when the body gets heated up it is produced to assist in cooling down the body as it evaporates on the skin. Today was a great day for a "cool down". The sweat was rolling, dripping, and pooling. It makes me feel like I am working hard at the track. Love the inaccurate quote, "Sweat is just my fat crying while it is leaving the body." So go get your

sweat on! Put in the work and keep moving. 

Our physical bodies benefit from the exercises we put them through. In the same way so does our spiritual body benefit from exercise. We must practice our spiritual disciplines in order to grow, develop, and remain effective in the kingdom of God.  1 Timothy 4:8 "Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come." (NLT)  

So practice your spiritual disciplines: Bible intake, prayer, journal spiritual growth, worship, evangelism, stewardship, and investing in others lives to make a difference. Attached you will find some suggestions for readings in spiritual disciplines. 

Workout: 2 mile warm up, ballistics, 3 sets (x15) stadium stairs, 17 100 meter repeats, core, stretch, and chat with some athletes I used to coach. 

Don Whitney - Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life

Richard Foster - Celebration of Discipline

Major Ian Thomas - The Indwelling Life of Christ

Do That Again! Again!

Every once in a while I have to be reminded with my workout to go back and work out. There have been some great training routines that are wonderful and challenging. I am actually encouraged to go

back and try again.

Today was one of those days to try again. The distance was not great but pushing for faster and quicker feet was great. It will also pay off in the future.

While hitting the track I was reminded that our spiritual walk is also a place to try again. We are preparing ourselves for the long distance and some of us kick in to faith responses when things get difficult. But we need to remember the daily routines of the faith too and try again. Remember Jesus words to the Ephesus church in Revelation 2?

"But I have this complaint against you. You don't love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don't repent, I well come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches." (2:4-5 NLT).

In fact, this may be the reason that we are in the condition we are in our nation. The church in America have left the first love. We need to go back and try again the practices, the disciplines, the daily routines of the faith or we may continue to lose our influence.

Workout: 1 mile warm up, ballistics, 400 repeats x 4 (30 second break), stadium stairs x 10, core, stretch - and great conversation with a friend I saw.

Here's a great article that helps explain how we may have gotten to where we are today:
How Benjamin Franklin , a deist, became the founding father of a unique kind of American faith