LEAVE 2010 BEHIND

December 30, 2010Read: Philippians 4 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, let your requests be made known to God." --Philippians 4:6

Earlier this year, my wife and I were planning a business trip. One thing on our list? A new suitcase. One that could hold my clothes, my computer...the kitchen sink. I needed the Rolls Royce of luggage. And guess what? I finally found it. We walked into a store and boom...there it was. With an overhead light shining down upon it, I could almost hear angelic music in my ears. I embraced it like a long, lost friend.

We left the store with confidence, and rather than take it back to the truck, I decided to simply pull it along with us. Besides, we had plenty of other stores to conquer, and I didn't mind everyone seeing my new baggage. They probably thought, "This guy's serious about his packing!" They'd be right.

Well, it didn't take me long to regret that decision. As we went from one store to the next, it became quite clear that maneuvering the USS Suitcase between people, aisles, dogs, strollers, cars and every other object was not a wise choice. Too far to turn back and plenty of stops yet to make, my shopping experience would have been so much better had I left my baggage behind.

You know, as we approach 2011, let's leave 2010 where it belongs: in 2010. Regrets? Disappointments? Do-overs? Let's leave them in the rearview. We have new mercies to live upon and fresh starts to finish. Our physical and spiritual health will be that much more enjoyable (and attainable) if we're not dragging last year into the next.

--J.P.

ACCOUNTABILITY STARTS HERE Start attacking your faith and fitness goals in the company of the PrayFit online community

We've spent the last few days gathering thoughts and goals, and now it's time to write them down in your PrayFit journal. You can tweak and tune as Monday approaches, but get organized now so you can hit the ground running next week. Fitness goals and faith objectives are all fair game in our forums. A great leader once taught me to "inspect what you expect," and keeping a journal allows us to do just that for ourselves. Each week you can inspect your work as you expect results. If you're not seeing the results you want, you can modify your methods for continuous change. It's all about progress and effort.

>> NEW TO THE FORUMS? If you aren't already registered for the PrayFit forums, click here.

>>ALREADY REGISTERED? If you're already registered but have not yet started a journal, you can create yours by visiting the Workout Journals section of our forums and clicking "New Topic" in the top left corner.

SET FREE

November 5, 2010Read: Romans 7 “I don’t realize what I’m doing. I don’t do what I want to do. Instead, I do what I hate.” –Romans 7:15

Last year I was doing some work abroad, and at one particular location, the house we were staying in was nestled in the deep, dark reaches of what could have been the Congo for all I know. Spiders the size of small dogs, bugs never before photographed by man…this place was creepy.

Well, one night in the laundry room underneath the house, I was transferring clothes from the washer, when a moth the size of a pterodactyl flew out of the dryer. (I suddenly had new clothes to wash.)

Once I regained my dignity, I stood and watched this pre-historic bat beat his head against the window trying to escape his laundromat-turned-hotel-turned-prison. I noticed it had a portion of its wing missing, but that didn’t stop it from flying around my head as it tried desperately to get out. After many attempts, I was able to catch it and free it.

Nice story, right? Well, the next morning I made my way back to the laundry room. I opened the door and wouldn’t you know it – that giant eagle-moth with that broken wing was back at that same window, trying to get out. Trapped again. Same predicament. Same trouble. As I shook my head in disbelief, it dawned on me…I’m a lot like that moth.

Aren’t we like that sometimes? We find ourselves back in the wrong place, wrong predicament, wrong jungle — beating our heads against the wall just wishing for a fresh new start? Well, no better time than today for renewal, both physically and spiritually. In Jesus, we've been set free.

--J.P.

PRAYFIT: WEEK IN REVIEW Revisiting a week's worth of healthy living tips

>> WORKOUT OF THE WEEK: Master your own bodyweight.

>> RECIPE OF THE WEEK: A cheesy way to get your grains.

>> IN THE KITCHEN: How to make a healthier soup.

>> RESEARCH: How does exercise affect your risk for depression?

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