Porch with a View

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will But not a single sparrow will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father?" --Matthew 10:29

Read: Matthew 10

Spent Easter at home. It's not that we didn't have anywhere to go after church but we just had too many reasons to stay. A day that began with a good ballgame and a brand new book found me on the same front porch where I started and finished both. And speaking of the porch, I spent hours watching a little family of birds take up residence in a tree just steps from our door. What can I say? It was been a perfect day. Where's Norman Rockwell when you need him?

Moments like these remind me how great God's love is. He doesn't miss a chance to delight in you and me. He's crazy about us, and He's near.

Which brings me back to those birds. They're living in a birdhouse we bought years ago, long before they were born. A small, yellow, wooden birdhouse with a greenish-brown roof and a "Bless This Nest" emblem under the tiny opening. (Let me see if I can get a good pic of it...got it. There he is.) Little do they realize, but their new home was placed so close to ours on purpose -- simply to bring us joy as we watch them live. You know, if Heaven has a porch, I bet God goes there a lot, just to enjoy the view up close. I like to think He's there right now, watching what He loves best. So God...please bless this nest.

--Jimmy Peña

P.S. Oh, the little guy has been working so hard. Going and coming with little twigs. Building and building. I'm mesmerized. Imagine if we find such joy watching a sparrow live and work... Folks, we're praying for you and your little nest. If we can pray specifically about something or if you want to simply say "Unspoken Request," write it in the comments section, and we promise to pray for you.

TRAINING TIP: Use Your Imagination

Compound pulling exercises -- moves like pulldowns, pull-ups and rows in which you move at multiple joints -- are great for building strength in your back but they can be tough to master. Here's how to use a little brain power to boost the effectiveness of these moves in your next workout.

>> CLICK HERE: Build a stronger back with this strategy...

>> For more exercise tips and workouts, visit our fitness page by clicking here.

STRENGTH IN SPLINTERS

"Jesus said, 'It is finished.' With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit."— John 19:30

Playing baseball with wooden bats is the purest form of the game there is. The bat doesn't lie -- hitters' weaknesses are routinely exposed and hitters' strengths are more easily neutralized. These athletic implements, usually carved out of Northern Ash, are easily broken -- sometimes splintering dramatically -- either as a result of a bad swing, a good pitch, or some combination of the two.

Wood composites offer a stronger, albeit significantly more expensive option, for hitters looking to prolong the life of their lumber. These modernized bats are comprised of various woods and synthetic internal supports that allow them to perform like natural wooden bats but with a significantly longer lifespan. They provide a durability that typical wooden bats simply cannot. Still, the use of these repurposed trees for sport pales in comparison to the most notable, or notorious, wood in history -- the crudely fashioned posts used by the Romans to crucify Jesus. Two thousand years later, the image of the cross at Golgotha remains both evocative and empowering, a reminder that our fragility is divinely and miraculously reinforced by His.

It may be a technological triumph that composite bats offer the resilience needed to endure the rigors of constant wear on the ball field. But the strength to persevere in this life may be found in the simple, collective durability of the splinters of a cross.

--Eric Velazquez

COMPOUND MOVES If you are looking to build strength, devote your energy to multi-joint moves

The three most popular, widely-used lifts in the gym are the bench press, deadlift and squat. Referred to as “The Big Three,” these moves fall into a category of exercises called compound, or multi-joint, lifts. These exercises require movement at more than one joint, which means that more total muscles have to get involved to complete each rep. And the more muscle you work, the more muscle and strength you stand to gain. As a bonus, the more muscle you recruit on a given exercise, the more calories you burn. Finally, any measure of muscle gain will improve your metabolism since muscle is calorie-eating tissue.

Anyone looking to gain strength would be best served by doing compound moves, almost exclusively at first. Isolation, or single-joint, moves like curls, pressdowns, leg extensions or leg curls have their place in physique building, but they are secondary exercises that should only be implemented once you have built an adequate base of strength from which to work.

But The Big Three don’t stand alone in the strength-gain column. Here are a few more exercises that make you stronger in a hurry:

Barbell row Pull-up Dip Bodyweight squat Lunge Push-up

>> For exercise descriptions and videos, click here.

>> For more workouts and exercise tips, click here.

33-DAY TOTAL BODY CHALLENGE: Looking for a complete workout that includes compound movements? Pick up the PrayFit 33-Day Total Body Challenge, available now at Amazon. This at-home program provides everything you'll need to start training for faster results while honoring the One who made you. "We don't strive to be healthy in order to be loved by God," says PrayFit founder Jimmy Pena. "We strive to be healthy because we are."

>> View the trailer here.

A TETHERED FAITH

March 25, 2011Read: 1 John 1

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." --1 John 1:9

I hate tetherball. I've always hated tetherball. For those of you unfamiliar with this sadistic schoolyard pasttime, let me break it down for you. There's a ball tied to a rope, which is tied to a pole. You stand opposite your opponent and try to hit the ball in one direction, while your opponent does his/her best to hit it in the opposite direction. The one who can get the ball to swing around until it touches the pole wins.

Not surprisingly, this hatred can be sourced to my height-challenged dimensions. I am 5'7", short enough to be dwarfed by most fourth graders today (and by my daughters soon enough). If I was the one serving, that would usually be the only time I'd touch the ball. I'd end up watching helplessly as the ball swung overhead. Out of reach, out of luck -- someone show me the way to the kickball diamond.

Still, the image of tetherball is a powerful one -- the ball straining at the end of a taut rope, with physics doing its best to snap the ball loose. And the game is won once the ball is back in contact with the pole.

We all stray from the Lord. Sometimes, it feels so far that we don't think we deserve to be back with Him. We get pulled so far in the opposite direction, waiting for -- and sometimes expecting -- the line to snap, releasing us into spiritual oblivion. But once you accept Him into your heart, there's no outside force that can shake you loose, no circumstance that can separate you from your salvation. You are tethered to Him by a rope of grace.

>> What is your testimony? Share it with us -- swings and all -- on the PrayFit forums by clicking here.

--E.V.

COMPOUND MOVES If you are looking to build strength, devote your energy to multi-joint moves

The three most popular, widely-used lifts in the gym are the bench press, deadlift and squat. Referred to as "The Big Three," these moves fall into a category of exercises called compound, or multi-joint, lifts. These exercises require movement at more than one joint, which means that more total muscles have to get involved to complete each rep. And the more muscle you work, the more muscle and strength you stand to gain. As a bonus, the more muscle you recruit on a given exercise, the more calories you burn. Finally, any measure of muscle gain will improve your metabolism since muscle is calorie-eating tissue.

Anyone looking to gain strength would be best served by doing compound moves, almost exclusively at first. Isolation, or single-joint, moves like curls, pressdowns, leg extensions or leg curls have their place in physique building, but they are secondary exercises that should only be implemented once you have built an adequate base of strength from which to work.

But The Big Three don't stand alone in the strength-gain column. Here are a few more exercises that make you stronger in a hurry:

Barbell row Pull-up Dip Bodyweight squat Lunge Push-up

>> For exercise descriptions and videos, click here.

>> For more workouts and exercise tips, click here.

ALSO: Pictured below are the official fight night trunks of former (and future) boxing champ Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero, who is taking on Michael Katsidis on April 9 on HBO Pay-Per-View. For more info on the fight, visit HBO Boxing!

(Photo courtesy Team Guerrero)