Inspect What He Expects

Years ago, while cutting my teeth in leadership and service, I learned how important it was to inspect what you expect. Daily checklists and standard operating procedures were the keys to the satisfaction of both the consumer and the team around you. Here's a neat insight. In some of the finest hotels in the world, the housekeeping department employs a very simple strategy. In the back of the hotel -- or the back of the "house," as it's called -- they hang pictures of guest rooms. Within the frames are immaculate, impeccably clean, spotless rooms, with nothing out of place. Get this...they view them daily. That way, they know exactly how each room should appear, making it easier to create excellence. Each time a guest enters the room, it's perfect. Those pictures hang there as reminders of the standard that must be kept.

When it comes to our lives as believers, Christian athletes or fitness-minded individuals, we too have checklists and standard operating procedures. We track our training and measure our meals, striving for a stewardship-savvy life. And by God's Word, our thoughts, motives, actions...our hearts can be measured daily. But try as we might, we're not always 5-Star. Some days we're more like a flickering no vacancy sign; not today, can't stay, go away. Isn't it true? We inspect what He expects only to find that we don't always think purely, speak kindly or act humbly.

Because of that, Jesus hung on the cross and paid for our sins, reminding us of the standard we couldn't keep. Do we go there daily?

--Jimmy Peña

Inspection: When it comes to fitness, do you inspect what He expects? If Jesus were the standard that determined your outlook on your health, would that force you to train more or less?

Secret Shopper Poll: The best hotel chains employ "secret shoppers" to help grade each department in the house. Secret shoppers provide invaluable feedback to leadership to help them best serve guests. We want that kind of feedback from you. Today and over the next few weeks, we'll be asking some questions of you to help us better serve you. And if we don't ask, tell us anyway.

In full disclosure, with more products on the horizon to best serve you, we've been having strategic planning meetings with our new management team. One of the more common items mentioned in our sessions is whether or not we would be more effective if we delivered a weekly newsletter versus a daily fitness devotional. You're the secret shopper. I'm the executive in charge of service and I want to inspect what YOU expect. What would you rather see?

A. A Daily Fitness Devotion or B. Weekly Newsletter

It should be noted that either choice would include the same core messaging that you have come to know and expect from PrayFit!

PERCEPTION: What do we think about our weight?

While studies show that those who are dieting have a better chance of keeping on track if they weigh themselves regularly, there are a great many people that don't know how much they weigh. But Columbia University researchers found that most moms and kids who are overweight tend to underestimate their weight -- and each other's.

>> Click here for the sobering study.