Built To Be Broken

"And by his wounds we are healed." --Isaiah 53:5

Read: Isaiah 53

For my daughter's fourth birthday recently, we allowed her and her younger sister to stay up an hour past bedtime so we could all snuggle up to a good movie and some popcorn. Our selection? At Jesus' Side, an animated story that centers around a pack of outcast animals in Jerusalem during the last week of Jesus' life. The birthday girl, Mya, sat cuddled up to me.

During the scene where Jesus is carrying his cross to Calvary, my wife turns to look at us and her eyes welled up with tears. Mya was crying. She was heartbroken at the way Jesus was being treated. When He finally gave up His soul on the cross, Mya buried her face in my chest and wept. I fought the lump in my throat as I held her tight and wiped her tears. It was only when the canine protagonist came to Jesus' empty tomb that her sadness was replaced once more with her signature smile.

The joy of the resurrection, as it turns out, isn't age-dependent. Even a four-year-old can appreciate the beauty of Christ's victory over death. Our bodies, we tell her, are designed for fun things like jumping in puddles and riding bikes. His, on the other hand, was built for one purpose: to be broken, so that one day, we can bury our faces in His chest and He can wipe away all our tears, for good.

--Eric Velazquez

REPORT: WEIGHT LOSS CAN BE CONTAGIOUS

What's your main fitness goal? If it's to lose a few pounds or inches, it's time to surround yourself with an all-star cast of teammates.

Researchers from The Miriam Hospital's Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University found that team members in a weight loss competition not only achieved similar weight loss outcomes, but participants who said their teammates played a large role in their weight loss actually lost the most weight. The study found that subjects who lost 5% of their bodyweight or more tended to be on the same teams.

The PrayFit 33-Day Total Body Challenge (Lionsgate) is being used nationwide by churches and small groups looking to get in shape. Participants meet regularly or perform workouts on their own and log progress on our forums or compare results in other ways.

>> To start your own 33-day challenge with friends or family, click here. >> To share your results with others who are already taking the PrayFit 33-Day Total Body Challenge, click here. >> For the full story on the weight loss study from Science Daily, click here.