THORN BUSHES AND DOG LEASHES

August 30, 2010Read: 1 Chronicles 16

“Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.” –1 Chronicles 16:11

Amidst my usual helping of chaotic and unpredictable mornings, there is one constant in the day’s beginning: Josey. Josey is our chocolate labrador...our very strong and excited chocolate lab. The apple of my eye. Blink blink.

Each morning Josey acts as if she hasn’t seen me in weeks. “Dad! It’s me, dad! I love you! I missed you!” (If only I started my days like that). And after our reunion, she heads to the door. Wait, let me rephrase, she attacks the door. “Okay Josey, okay!” I put her chain on, and we begin our morning adventure; she knows exactly where she wants to explore. First, she looks for the rabbits, then the squirrels, then the birds. So much to do! But it’s interesting that once we go outside, it’s as if I’m not even there. The one who opens all her doors, the one she couldn’t get enough of, was now an invisible bystander. Can anyone relate to her behavior?

Well, getting caught in some bushes today was not part of her plan. Tangled inside a bush on a steep hill, her joy turned to panic. And for the first time since emerging outside, she looked up at her master (the one who never lets go of the leash). Now, from my vantage point, all she had to do was listen to me, back up a few steps, and she’d be as free as the very bird that got her there in the first place.

Packaged in the unexpected, sometimes God speaks to us with thorn bushes and dog leashes.

--J.P.

PRAYFIT WORKOUT OF THE WEEK: Chest Both men and women want strong upper bodies, and there's not a better place to start than with a strong chest, front delts and triceps.

We've been asked to provide a solid chest workout, and this week's workout won't disappoint. This routine covers all areas of your chest, and also involves the front of your shoulders and triceps to a certain degree. You hit the upper chest with incline presses, the middle with flat-bench presses, the lower with decline flyes, and the inner pectorals with the pec deck. You'll finish the routine with bodyweight push-ups all done to failure.

After warm-ups on the first movement, you’ll go right into your heaviest sets to start each exercise, as this is when you’ll be strongest and will be able to handle the most weight. That's important, especially because for the greatest impact, you have to select a weight that causes you to fail at the designated rep range. Post your comments and questions on our forums! Have a great week.

Exercise                                       Sets/Reps Incline Dumbbell Press            5/10 Bench Press                               4/10-12 Pec-Deck Flye                             3/12-15 Decline Dumbbell Flye              3/12-15 Push-Ups                                    4/To Failure

--Rest 1-2 minutes between each set.