Happy New Year!

It's 11:45PM, Dec. 31st, 2006. The ball has already fallen in New York and in Dallas, Texas, it will soon be 2007. In the fitness industry, January is one of the busiest times of the year. New resolutions and promises are made to "make our bodies more acceptable than they were last year". We promise to make better choices and to be more disciplined.....at least for a while. Some really do mean business and get the job done, but unfortunately, more don't than do. I just want to share a few things that might help:

1. Make mini-goals instead of huge, way-out there, almost unattainable goals. Lose 5 pounds, 4 times rather than 20 pounds.

2. Write down your mini-goals and have rewards along the way. Treat this as if you were the CEO of a major company and you have everything to win if you get the job done!

3. Use a consultant--hire a trainer. You can seriously hurt yourself if you try to lift weights and don't know the correct technique or form.

4. Don't write yourself off or beat yourself up if you make a mistake. Get back on course the very next moment that you can.

5. Get enough rest and enough water. Most people don't get nearly enough of either and suffer for it.

6. Make an appointment with yourself to work out--better yet, make an appointment to work out with a buddy. The accountability factor is huge!

7. If you have not done so, ask the Lord to help you make the most of your time while you are on this earth. Ask Him to help you desire what He desires for you.
Trust Him and love Him with all your heart and while you are at it, look for ways to show love and random acts of kindness to others. I would love to hear about those random acts--it would really encourage my heart!

Happy New Year!

Have a Happy New Year!

Good VS. Bad Christmas Spotlight

It seems as though during the Christmas season, a certain ebb and flow occurs. Really good things are happening and really bad things are happening. It's like good and evil are struggling for the spotlight. You know of someone that has just sustained a knee replacement and is doing very well and then...you hear of someone that has recently been diagnosed with cancer. You read of people donating money for a special charity and then...you hear of the greedy "rats" stealing that money. You hear of the pregnancy of someone trying to conceive for a very long time and then...you hear of a toddler being abused and beaten to death. The contrast seems to be ratcheted up several degrees during this season. As I have gotten older, I have noticed it more and more. The eternal struggle between good and evil will someday come to a decisive end, but until then, Satan will not go unnoticed. He hates not being in the spotlight, he loves being the spoiler, and he really loves trying to make us believe that God has left the planet and will never, ever come back. Satan is a good liar--a master.

We can counter his attacks by praising God for the good, because "every good and perfect gift is from above."

We can recognize that humans are not forced to make good choices, and for the most part, they do not make good choices. (I see it all the time in the Weight Room--poor eating choices, lack of discipline to exercise, taking drugs to deal with stress rather than working out).

We can pray for spiritual eyes that focus on the real story--that because humans are greedy, selfish, and easily discouraged, we will always need Someone bigger and better to come along and be our Hero, our Rescuer, our Savior. God knew from the beginning that's the way it would be. Jesus, His Son, accepted the job assignment, and willingly gave His life so that we would be "made right" before the Father. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

As His children, we can do all that we can to "feed His sheep", and to encourage and love one another. Yes, there might be a lot of sad and bad that we would like to erase from the Christmas season, but in the ebb and flow of good versus evil, it gives us an opportunity to appreciate even more, the day when there will be no more tears; when things too wonderful for words will be the normal day to day experience. The day when death will no longer separate us from loved ones. That day will come only because of the day that has already come--Christmas! What a wonderful time to say, "Thank you and to Rejoice"--especially when that's the last thing Satan wants us to do.