Since 2009
THE PRAYFIT DEVOTION
The Guest List
Some of you have heard me tell this story, but during a week of naming traits, remembering blessings and jotting down unique lists, I think it works. About five years ago, I had the privilege of spending a week on the set of ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. When it aired, I remembered the feeling I had when that family first answered the knock at the door, then came back a week later to a brand new house. Talk about gut-wrenching! Someone they never expected came into their world and freely gave them something they couldn't afford on their own. He saw where they lived and said you don't have to live here anymore. As I stood and watched the process, I couldn't help but think of Jesus. Just like we did for that family, He knocks gently, anxiously awaiting our answer. But rather than calling for a wrecking ball, He does the unthinkable: He moves in. Instead of a hammer, He carries a suitcase. He gives us something we could never afford on our own -- Himself -- saying we don't have to live here anymore, alone.
–-Jimmy Peña
For Discussion: In a week spent celebrating and listing the gifts He's given us, I know full well that my greatest trait is my dependence on Him being home. Indeed, my life's highest meaning is my heart's manifest. End of story. As I type, I think it's neat to think that my guest list is yours. Have you enjoyed this week's theme? Has a look at your personal blessings and gifts helped shape your week physically or spiritually? Talk to me.
He gives us something we could never afford on our own -- Himself -- saying we don't have to live here anymore, alone.
HAVE YOU TRIED "THE PRAYFIT DIET?"
What It Is: It's a biblical recalibration of your relationship with nutrition, complete with a waistline-friendly plan for eating healthier forever. If you haven't tried it yet...here's a bit more info that might sway you!
Jimmy Peña, one of the nation’s most sought-after fitness experts, has been trusted by the most prominent names in the entertainment industry, including Tyler Perry, Mario Lopez, and LL Cool J, to help them look and feel their best. His highest calling, however, is transforming the bodies and souls of people all over the country through his powerful combination of faith and fitness called PrayFit.
In The PrayFit Diet, Peña offers an easy, effective program-including shopping lists, daily menus, and simple, delicious recipes. A healthy body, he explains, is not about restriction of either calories or food groups. Instead, it’s all about eating in equilibrium -- a perfect 33% macronutrient balance of carbs, protein, and fat every day, which will allow you to make dramatic changes to your health and your waistline. The balanced approach of The PrayFit Diet is not only inspired by biblical principles, but it’s also supported by today’s cutting-edge science, and Peña gives you a plan to shed weight and the motivation to keep it off for a lifetime.
In The PrayFit Diet, Peña shows us how faith is the most powerful tool we have to conquer all of life’s obstacles, and that includes our health. More importantly, God wants you to be at your best, physically and spiritually. By combining perfectly proportioned meals with biblically based motivation, The PrayFit Diet will give you all the tools you need to live a life that will both inspire you and honor the Lord.
Alone in a Crowded Courtyard
"If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also." --John 15:20
Read: John 15
Yesterday's post stirred my heart. Here's how I see the same scene. When Jesus was taken into custody and led to the home of the high priest, Peter followed, wanting to stay as close to Jesus as he could. He did so at his own peril -- if the guards had realized that he was one of the twelve, Peter could have been on the fourth cross at Calvary. But that was Peter...a bold, brazen and unapologetic follower of Christ. Then they entered the courtyard.
Peter sat there, the glow of the firelight on his face, his mind racing with ideas on how he could be used to help his captive Savior. Just then, the flames betrayed more than his concern -- they revealed his identity. Recognized by someone from across the fire, Peter began to shrink from his steely determination and quickly denied who he was and who He was there for. A second mention of his association with Christ brought knots to his stomach. Again he denied. And the third put an arrow through his heart -- because at this denial, he caught the eyes of a crestfallen Christ. Though He knew Peter would disassociate himself, the denial didn't hurt any less.
Whether it's in the court of public opinion or our family's Sunday dinners, we as believers can sometimes feel like loners in a crowded courtyard. Persecuted for who we follow, we can find ourselves absorbing the whispers and suspicious scowls of those across the fire but we can rest on two unquestionable truths: 1) He said it would be this way. 2) Peter became the rock upon which the Lord built His church.
Being alone in the crowd isn't comfortable...just an honor.
--Eric Velazquez
HAVE YOU ORDERED YOUR COPY? Thanks to you, The PrayFit Diet has seen a huge surge in its opening week. Social media is abuzz with the simplicity of the plan -- "The 33 Balance" -- and what it can do to help you change the way you look and feel...forever. No deprivation, no elimination of food groups -- just perfect, biblical balance that triggers weight loss, reduces inflammation, improves joint health, heart health and brain function and drastically increases energy! Help us carry the momentum into the weekend by ordering yours today!
JIMMY ON THE 700 CLUB
Did you catch Jimmy on yesterday's episode of The 700 Club? Jimmy got to cook one of the recipes from The PrayFit Diet in studio while discussing the amazing principles of the "33 Balance" laid out in the book. Click on the player below to watch!
Heal The Wound, Leave The Scar
Yesterday on Twitter, one of my favorite authors, Reverend Scotty Smith, had such a neat question for us. He said, "In the new heaven/new earth, I want to sing like Steve Perry, love like Mother Teresa and paint like Makoto Fugimura. You?" I spent the better part of the afternoon trying to fashion my response. "Dance like Fred Astaire," made my list. So did "Tell a good story like Max Lucado" and "Look like Rob Lowe." Hey, it's Heaven! And while Loretta and I laughed together, I began to wonder what guys like Paul, John, or a battered Job will be doing in eternity. Right? I mean, the Bible is full of men and women who endured life -- individuals who really lived and have the scars to prove it.Reminds me of the old song that said, "Heal the wound, but leave the scar. A reminder of how merciful you are."
Friends, I don't think for a second Paul will ever forget being blind. Or John his loneliness. Or Job, those boils. Each of them built altars with the broken pieces of their lives and worshiped. May that be our week's perspective. Let's stay on our knees, remember His mercy, bathe in grace, and let the dream of Heaven be the reason we work so hard for a healthy lifestyle on earth.
--Jimmy Peña
For Discussion: Okay, I know you're dying to answer with me. What say you to Scotty's question?
TOMORROW WE HIT BOOKSTORES! One more day guys!!! Your local bookstores are being filled with our newest book, The PrayFit Diet. We are so overjoyed. Thank you if you've already ordered yours. And if you get yours, please send us a pic and we'll share it on Facebook and Twitter. And we know from your messages and posts that many of you shop on Amazon, so here's the link where you can buy yours. Thank you for supporting our little ministry and for helping tomorrow's book launch. You're so good to us. If you write us a review on one of the major book vendor sites, we'd love to share it with the community, so send us yours by clicking here.
I Run...
We needed a little good news in the Peña home and last night we got some. Loretta, the runner in the family, got a much-anticipated e-mail from the New York City Marathon Organizing Committee. They wrote simply, "Congratulations, Loretta! You're in." Indeed, come November, my wife will be running the five boroughs. And I, of course, will be perched at my usual spot, the finish line. Neat thing, along with her email, she was given the chance to claim her "I Run" badge. Some of the options are:
I Run...For Life. I Run...Because I can. I Run...For the love of it. I Run...For the race of a lifetime. I Run...For everyone who can't.
If there were a badge for all of the above, I think she'd wear it.
Well if you're like me, you may not be planning on running the NYC Marathon, but you walk your block, you lift weights, or maybe you swim laps, all in order to keep yourself in the race -- a race that Paul urged us to run with persistence and endurance. Guys, the Biblical truth is that you can do everything God wants you to do. I wonder if they could fit that on a badge.
--Jimmy Peña
For Discussion: Whether you're an avid runner or not, what does your badge say? Talk to me. And if you can guess what my badge would say, I'll send you a complimentary signed copy of my new book.
BOOKS & BONUSES: As you read here on Monday, we're excited to be rolling out our second book, "The PrayFit Diet," on April 8. But for those that pick up a copy early, spoils await. Order here before the official release date and receive a pair of bonus downloads:
Starter's Guide: Featuring a breakdown of the perfectly balanced 33-day PrayFit Diet, this guide also includes your first week's shopping list and seven days of detailed meal plans.
The PrayFit Prayer: One of the most widely shared posts in PrayFit history is now available as a downloadable, high-res PDF poster. The PrayFit Prayer, seen here, reminds us of our ultimate motivations for health.
Order your copy today and share the link with your social media networks!