Since 2009
THE PRAYFIT DEVOTION
What We Do In Life...
"She extends her hand to the poor, and she stretches her hands to the needy." --Proverbs 31:20
She was always there. Where he went, she went. The constant encourager and supporter to one of my life's most special friends. For nearly 50 years, she stood by his side, sat and watched him preach, traveled with him and taught with him on the mission field. Together they were non-stop servants on a non-stop gospel-giving, soul-saving parade.
When the Lord took Brother Powell home suddenly just over a year ago, my life and that of many others was shaken to its foundation. I wrote about it and shared it with you in an entry called "In Loving Memory." But today I'm writing about her -- our dear Sister Powell. Because there she is, doing exactly what she does. With unexplainable strength, she's now in Cambodia -- encouraging, supporting, teaching others about Christ. With incomparable grace, Sister Powell is reaching as many as she can with her life. Talk about someone who knows what her health is for.
Yesterday from the mission field, Sister Powell commented on the site and she quoted Gladiator. (She's mighty cool, isn't she?) And it's true Sister Powell, like you said: What we do in life, echoes in eternity. But I didn't learn that from a gladiator. I'm learning it from you. The sweetest picture of strength and honor this side of Heaven. And on behalf of every reader of PrayFit, I salute you.
--Jimmy Peña
NOTES TO SISTER POWELL: Hey everyone, Sister Powell (one of our most faithful readers and dearest friends) won't read this until tonight since she's halfway around the world in places with questionable internet service, but you'd bless me and I know it would bless and mean a lot to her if you prayed for her. If you feel inclined, jot down a quick hello to her in the comments section. Let's fill her room full of notes of encouragement and prayers.
DID YOU KNOW? When the diet does not have enough calcium for our body’s needs, calcium is taken from the bones? That’s a less-than-stellar fact that more people should consider. (Source: American Osteoporosis Foundation)
Strength and Honor
"This is what the Lord says, "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom or the strong man boast in his strength..." --Jeremiah 9:23
With so much on my mind yesterday, I walked into my physical therapy session. Progress is slow. Parents need prayer. PrayFit at a crossroads. Swirling and swirling inside my little pea brain. After my daily evaluation, one of the therapists asked that I follow them to the other side of the center. We walked through the machines, the cable stations, and then we finally reached the free weights -- first time in a weight room in close to two years and sentimental me had to pause.
As I looked at the corner of heavy dumbbells, I immediately thought of the movie Gladiator. Remember the scene?
Maximus is about to fight the final battle. As he walked by, his men stood to salute and pay honor. So, I took a deep breath and began to walk. "Weary from battle," I limped through the dumbbell area, and I could faintly hear the iron whispering, "General", "Sir", "Strength and Honor." (Go ahead and humor me by smiling.)
As the therapist and tech worked me through my required stretching, I told them that I used to lift a lot of weight -- even wrote an article (or two) about it. While I laid on my back, they manipulated my legs about me, and I found myself looking up at the ceiling, recounting my personal records -- what I used to bench press and squat. Ah, the glory days. Then in an almost doubtful tone, the young tech said, "Oh yeah? Pretty good." I couldn't help but grin. Then the Holy Spirit spoke, "Tell him what (Who) you really lift." So I did.
"It's amazing how the Lord used those old lifting days, and still does," I began. "Today I spend my time describing the weight of God's mercy, and how it crashes down on us. These days, I try and teach others to do more with their health than just be healthy. And of all the things this body should remind us of, our frailty is one of them. All that weight merely helped me realize my smallness. Truth is, our dependence on grace is really our greatest strength."
He looked at me and nodded. I asked him to check out PrayFit.
Oh my friends, although I'm struggling to tie my shoes from a seated position (which I did for the first time yesterday, say "Amen"), I'm grateful for the weight I used to lift -- it helps me remember the weight that only HE can. And yes, as I left the weight room to go back to my therapy station, I couldn't help myself. I turned to that heavy corner, paused and said with a grin..."Strength and honor."
--Jimmy Peña
For Discussion: What does your health help you realize? How can our grasp of our weakness help us get closer to the Lord? Aren't you glad we don't have to lift the really heavy things of life?
BOOST YOUR EatQ: Using Your Mind to Maximize Weight Loss
Need a quick tactic to cut down on your calorie count? Use your non-dominant hand to eat. A recent study showed that this strategy can reduce your eating by 30%. This action breaks up the automatic hand to mouth flow. You have to think about each bite similar to writing with your opposite hand.
This mindful-eating strategy represents the tip of the iceberg for those who pick up Eat Q: Unlock the Weight-Loss Power of Emotional Intelligence, the latest literary offering by licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Susan Albers.
"EatQ is an easy, 3-step program to help you stop overeating for good and lose/manage your weight," says Albers. "I created this concept because many of my clients are whiz kids when it comes to nutrition knowledge. In fact, many of my readers could rattle off the fat grams and sugar content of every food you could imagine. But what they don't know is how to talk themselves into making the healthy choice."
Me and My Drum
Turns out PrayFit has a theme song -- a song that sums up PrayFit perfectly. My wife and friends might guess it's a Rocky montage or the Gladiator theme song but alas, no. I have one better. The Little Drummer Boy. (Pa rum pum pum pum) That's right. Yesterday with my iTunes on shuffle, it played. Christmas in March? Why not? I hope you won't mind either.
"Come they told me, a newborn King to see. Our finest gifts we bring, to set before the King. Little baby, I am a poor boy too. I have no gift to bring, that's fit to give a King. Shall I play for you on my drum? Then He nodded... I played my drum for Him. I played my best for Him. Then He smiled at me. Me and my drum."
It might be odd talking Christmas gifts in March, but health isn't seasonal and neither is the news of His birth. What's more, You and I are poor. Like the little boy, we have nothing to bring that's fit to give the King. But He's delighted when we come to Him. And it's music to His ears when we play our life to its fullest. And that's the basis of PrayFit. Giving our best effort to let health be a means of praise. I want to bring a smile to His face, don't you? The very idea of doing so brings one to mine; to me and my drum. Pa rum pum pum...pum.
--Jimmy Peña
STAY LEAN WITH PROTEIN
Carbs taste good. No…they taste great. But it’s the main course on your plate –- that chicken breast, fish cutlet or steak –- that may be doing your body composition the most good. As you work out your family’s menu for the week, make sure that you choose a quality, lean protein as the foundation of each meal. Research published in the journal Physiology & Behavior showed that subjects who consumed a diet rich in protein burned significantly more fat than a control group. What’s more is that they did so without regard to total caloric intake.
Minimum recommended daily allowances for children range between 16-28 grams of protein per day. Healthy male adults should aim for 45-63 grams per day, while females should strive for 46-50 grams. Pregnant? You may need 60 grams per day for your growing baby. Protein requirements vary, of course –- if you workout regularly or at higher intensities, you may need more protein to help rebuild muscle and keep your lean body mass in healthy ranges.
(Sources: Physiology & Behavior, FamilyEducation.com)
26 Grams of protein in a 3-ounce serving of sirloin steak
7 Grams of protein in a 1-ounce serving of peanuts (Source: FamilyEducation.com)