An Inconvenient Faith
When was the last time faith interrupted your life? Can you remember the last time your faith was inconvenient to what the world deemed prevalent?
Today falls in-between; in between Christmas and New Year's Eve when business isn't quite business as usual, school is still out, and we're counting down the days; counting down the days until we put a button on the year and begin newness; a newness I have had the honor of stepping into with you for 9 years.
But unlike the previous years together, this year we're going to do things a little differently. Before we shake 2018 to its foundation, let's be shaken to ours. For the first 7 days of the year, we're devoting ourselves to humble reverence, complete awe, and utter dependence (true for every day of the year, really.) Apart from God, nothing we do physically means anything, so for the first 7 days of January, join us for total rest from all physical training. That means, runners, no running. Lifters, no lifting. Yogis, no...yoga...ing. Well, you get the point.
I hope this isn't shocking, but we'll devour God's Word, begin memorizing entire books, praying, talking and dedicating the year to Him alone. Radical? Not really. Uncommon? Perhaps. But whether it seems too relaxed or too reckless, let's meet right here; here where we have no desire to draw attention or crowds; here where we have no aim to make a name for ourselves. For many, this will be a sacrifice of praise.
We're here to abandon self. We're here to follow Jesus.
Tozer says that faith is, "more dangerous than it sounds." And at the risk of sounding crazy and losing precious ground on physical goals, dreams and resolutions, let's pray our faith breeds a dangerous dissatisfaction on any satisfaction our physical pursuits provide us.
May we - even but for a few short days in January - deepen our faith to the point of a sure, undeniable distinction between faith and fitness.
-Jimmy Peña
For Discussion: I realize that for some, the first week is such an exciting time to tackle new goals (in time I'm going to help you to those ends), but this will take some discipline to wait. For others, like any other week, your life wouldn't be normal if you didn't train. You too will be stretched.
Either way, will you be here on January 1-7 as we begin a new year a little differently? Will you allow your faith to interrupt your plans? As a companion piece, I've assembled this free eBook - "Still. At The Start." - and it'll be available soon. Hope you enjoy.
