THE NEW YEAR IS IN ME

January 3, 2011Read: 2 Corinthians 5

"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old is gone, the new is here." --2 Corinthians 5: 17

The confetti is all but cleaned up, the streamers are in the trash, and the calendar is brand new. Deep breath...ah, so this is 2011! But it doesn't take long for things to feel normal again does it? For some reason, the commute this morning is still bumper to bumper, co-workers are still grumpy, and junk food made its way to your lunch box. Seems last year's ho-hums and habits still cast their shadows.

Truth is, a new year is only new if we make it that way. For you and me, a change in year only matters when it changes in here (this is me pointing to my heart). So starting today, no matter what seems old, let's find a way to make it new. That commute? Try seeing it as an extended quiet time with the Lord. Those co-workers? Be the only one in the office unwilling to gossip. And at lunch, be the first to push away from the table as a way to praise the Lord for health. Slowly but surely, we'll realize the difference is in us. Seems those weren't shadows after all.

It was shade.

--J.P.

START THE NEW YEAR WITH PRAYFIT

January 6 marks the "official" nationwide release of PrayFit: Your Guide to a Healthy Body and a Stronger Faith in 28 Days. It's only days away, but it's been circled on our calendars for months. Now that it's here -- just in time for our season of renewal -- we hope (and pray) that you'll welcome this date with similar enthusiasm.

"We can't tell you how excited we are," says Jimmy Pena, founder of PrayFit. "It might not be the last fitness book you'll ever buy, but with today's steep decline of faith, we feel it's the one book this country needs more than ever."

This book is great for beginners, someone coming off of a long layoff, or even the seasoned athlete wanting to maintain his or her stamina. It's a bodyweight-only, at-home workout and devotional replete with nutrition tips and meal plans.

"You've got to pick one up for yourself and for a friend or loved one!" says Pena.

But PrayFit is much more than what fills those pages. Find out below how you can use PrayFit to make 2011 one for...the books!

>> LEARN: To learn more about PrayFit: Your Guide to A Healthy Body and A Stronger Faith in 28 Days, click here.

>> START: For a message from the founder and some tips on how to use PrayFit.com as an ongoing resource for your faith and fitness goals in 2011, click here.

>> SHARE: Build accountability into your program for the new year by starting your own fitness journal and engaging with other PrayFit users at our forums.

>> NETWORK: We're a faith and fitness community...and we're digital. "Like" us at the Official PrayFit Facebook page or "Follow us" on Twitter.

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?

>> HOLIDAY SHOPPING: Have you ordered PrayFit in print yet? To pick up a copy for yourself or a friend, visit Barnes & Noble or Amazon today!

>> Have you "liked" us on Facebook? Are you "following" us on Twitter? Do so by clicking the respective icons at the bottom of the page here!