When Grace Walks In

You know the scene. You've planned your workout with pristine precision. You've prepped yourself with enough fast-digesting protein and slow-digesting carbs to pull a train across town. But as you try to leave the house, you can't find your keys. Once you do, you realize you have about enough gasoline to get that train 10 feet. Ugh. Ok. Gasoline? Check. So, you made it to the gym, but based on the lack of parking, you figure the entire side of town decided to train this day. Really?

Ok. You're in. But dang. The guy at the front desk is moving at a glacial pace scanning membership cards! Doesn't he know how important your workout is and how precious your time is to do it? Good grief. Finally!! You're in. The promised land. Your little kingdom. Your world. You find your locker, use the restroom. You're ready. Then you make your way to the machine you’ve been dying to use only to find that the person on it seems to have put up a mailbox, a welcome mat and a bird feeder. He is not leaving anytime soon. Argh!!

Sound far-fetched? Well, if I'm not describing you, I'm probably describing me in my old gym days. (Boy, don’t we miss the meaning?) For all we know, the delay in finding your keys and the empty gas tank allowed an emergency vehicle a clear path to their destination. The full parking lot wasn't a bunch of newcomers, they were visitors from a local mission shelter that needed to use the showers and facilities. And the guy working the front desk, he's got special needs. He's worked his way through school to earn his high school diploma. The gym owner gave him a chance to work a few hours each day. This is his first week on the register. He gets nervous when he’s alone and he doesn't remember how to print the receipt. 

And oh, the guy on the machine? You know, the one that seems to have taken up residence? Well, he's just a guy; someone's son and brother. He's battled addiction and he lost his mother to cancer. He's single, and he's given up hope of ever finding someone to love. He doesn't know how to work this machine, let alone what muscles it works. He's just a sweet guy with a soft heart. He shows up at the gym just to be around people and to take care of his health as best he can. He figures the crowded parking lot means the odds are good that he may meet a friend or two. Someone who may smile his way. Someone to say hello. Someone to show him how to train on this complicated machine. Someone to give love a face.

When grace walks in the gym, pride slips out the back.

"How many more sets you got?" you ask.

- Jimmy Peña

For Discussion: In the PrayFit Essentials, you’ll find a list of our core values. We fail often, but they are what we strive to be and how we hope we both act and react. Two of our values have to do with love and sensitivity. I think our industry could use a little of those, agree?

Forever My Best Pal

I always called you my best pal, for that title you had no equal.
You and I had something special; a bond I didn’t have with people.
For nearly 14 years we walked the block as if we owned the joint.
That route won’t mean the same, big girl, after all, you were the point.
You made your way into many a devotion, a reader’s favorite no doubt.
You reminded us to watch the Master; what life’s really all about.
So, thank you for being such a good girl, our protector, loyal friend.
So strong and full of love all the way up to the end.
And with that I thank the Lord above for giving me this little gal.
The Outlaw Ms. Josey Wales forever my best pal.

When we arrived at the breeder's house all those years ago, the man said they had one puppy that had been sent back, rejected for a number of reasons. She was ours if we wanted her.

Sent back?
Rejected?
I'll take her.

Anyway, some of you watched her grow up. Today marks the anniversary of the day we told my old girl goodbye. She’s still my #2. I still miss her. Seems the older I get, the more sentimental I become. Something tells me Josey wouldn’t mind.

- Jimmy Peña

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E-Book Special Delivery

Everyone who is signed up for The PrayFit Run, be on the lookout later today for an email with your FREE ebook - The PrayFit 10K and 5K training plans. We’re 10-weeks out. Lots of time to fundraise, train, gather friends to join you and pick up steam. Designed by All-American champion runner and Team PrayFit’s resident expert, Nick Maedel, please enjoy this free resource.

Hurry, Heaven.

Hurry Heaven.

As I navigate fitness and disability ministry and learn the ins and outs of non-profit community, the depths of suffering, the need of donations and the idea of generosity, I wonder if I’ve ever truly been generous with my health. Seriously. I mean, being generous with our time is measurable. Being generous with our money is calculable. Being generous with our resources is tangible. But short of donating a kidney, what in the world does it mean to be generous with our health? How can stewardship of our bodies be a pathway to generosity? Is it not enough to lose a few pounds, build some muscle, increase endurance, lower blood pressure? Isn't that what brings glory to His grace?

Matt Chandler doesn't mince words here when he says, "I don't care how much you're in the gym, how chiseled your abs are, how much you can bench press, what you can squat...do you really think God is impressed with that? Nobody stands in front of Everest and is impressed with their physical form. You say, "I Crossfit." You can cross all you want bro, but do you think that the God that spoke the earth into being and put it as a tiny piece of His creation is impressed with your physical body that he calls it a sacrifice holy and pleasing to me? Please."

Go Matt.

I tell ya, the more mistakes I make and the longer I try and help others renew their perspective of the body, the more I'm convinced that God wants my heart renewed by his grace and for me to obey his commands and love others.

Like those much wiser than me, I believe we were made to worship. But I have fooled many people over the course of my life into supposing that when I train "I'm worshipping." I've even written poems about it and published chart-topping books with chapters with said theme. And while I do know there have been times where that's been true, where my heart and mind have been in His presence as I perform a certain stretch or when I'm on the bike in tune to His will, I also know I'm full of nonsense in so many ways. And nobody knows it more than the God of the universe that I mock when I secretly, privately and oftentimes publicly glory in my own physical accomplishments. 

Truth is, God doesn't need my lift or my grit. He doesn't need my squat, my flexibility, my PR, my competitive heart. He doesn't need me. He doesn't need me strong, fast, thick, or thin. He doesn't need me lighter, quicker, more intense or less. He doesn't even need me around. And I know I don’t deserve any of it. As Unforgiven’s William Munny said so beautifully, “Deserves got nothin to do with it.” That’s right, William Munny. You don’t earn your body. It’s a gift.

And somehow in His immeasurable grace and mercy He just wants me and loves me. He wants a relationship with me. He died on the cross and made the sacrifice for all my sins, so I don't have to work my way to Heaven, but I simply need to accept Him by grace through faith.

Which leads me a long way to the point of this entry. The most generous thing we can do with our health is offer it up as a living sacrifice because of the sacrifice He became for us. And our living sacrifice has NOTHING to do with our performance in some gym, how well we plan our meals, or in the byproducts of our diligence. But our living sacrifice has everything to do with hearts being changed by the grace of God and in the spiritual change that occurs with and through our bodies as a result.

God will glorify our bodies. That's not our job.

Our job is to follow Jesus, encourage others to do the same, and "for the glory of God" we look after ourselves in the process. God cares more about our bodies than we do. Imagine that. He made them, He knows we need them and someday He'll heal them.

Hurry Heaven.

- Jimmy Peña

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Partner with PrayFit
You can come alongside us in our mission to serve the disabled, the marginalized and the forgotten. Our calling is to bring the fitness industry to the doorstep of disability, but we need your help. I need your help. The best way to join us is as a monthly donor to The Body. You can also join The PrayFit Run. Thank you so much for praying for us and helping us serve. We’re not us without you.

Soar

“Jesus, may the unsearchable, innumerable, and inexhaustible riches of the gospel renew me today with youth-like energy, that I may soar like an eagle and live to the praise of your glorious grace! ”

— Scotty Smith

Someday we'll have eternal bodies. My current aches, pains and restrictions are clear and present reminders of that hope. One day we’ll double over, not in pain, but in praise. One day, our knees won't crackle and our bones won't break. No more back problems or stomach aches. No more cancer, heart disease, diabetes or sore throats. Someday.

Until then - like you - I will try and take care of my body, trusting God with the results as His gifts and my limits just the same. Doing both takes grace.

Friends, may you and I be a resource of comfort for the hurting and struggling, and a source of inspiration and motivation for those that see today - maybe for the first time - as a day to make bodily stewardship a means of praise. This temporary body carries the soul, so may how we treat it be a small, silent, humble way of showing respect for that honor.

May we deal with our debilitating ache and our private pain with an uncommon grace. May our abilities and our disabilities, our personal records and our medical records, carry a message to the world that, although we grow weary, we are the Body.

- Jimmy Peña

A Birthday Prayer
Thank you, Lord, for my life, my wife, family, friends, and my 2nd mountain. Thank you that you've numbered my days. Whereas when I was younger that truth seemed limiting, these days it's liberating. As the years claim their increase on me, so does my dependence on you.

Thank you for another year to try and live and love like you. And thank you for enough health to keep fighting the good fight. Thank you that the fire you lit in my belly is still burning. Your grace still amazes me. Where some may think that faith grows when physical goals are achieved, my faith in you is increasing with every goal I can't reach. 

Please bless each reader. Bless their health and that of their loved ones. Here's to 48, Lord. This year will get the best of me. Amen.
- JP

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Not Sure What To Get Me?

In just over 2 months, we will have our 3rd Annual PrayFit Run in Westlake Village to benefit kids and families impacted by disabilities. But we need your help to pull this off. If you can’t be there in person, you can walk or run in our virtual component or you can donate to the cause.

Click the image and it will take you straight to our race page. If you do so today - on my birthday - I will send you something from the PrayFit store for signing up or donating. Cool?

Employ It

Neat series, huh guys? For my part, I've thoroughly enjoyed examining what Tim Challies said, breaking down into segments what God - the owner of our body - expects from us in that we will present it, steward it, nurture it, and finally, employ it.

"You need to employ your body. Inner godliness is to be displayed in outward acts of kindness. James shows the unity of faith and works in this illustration: “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:15-17). The love of God in your heart is to be displayed by the works of your hands. Young men are at their physical peak and bear a double responsibility to use that strength for the good of others. “The glory of young men is their strength,” says Solomon, “but the splendor of old men is their gray hair” (Proverbs 20:29).

Many people today hold to a form of the ancient teaching of gnosticism. They believe the soul has great significance while the body is merely a useless vessel to be used or abused. But as Christians we see that there is much greater unity than this. To care for the body is to care for the soul."

Pastor Brian Howard recently said that God breathed into only two things: His word and your body. That’s right. God breathed only onto His Word and into your body and mine. Remarkable.

And it’s with that reality that we begin to close our series; by employing our bodies. Like a wind that presses against a sail, God’s breath produces the innermost glow inside clay and purpose is born and begins to warm and expand and realize its worth and meaning. The body. What a remarkable clarity. And instantaneous labyrinth of miracles. What coordinated complexity! From joints, ligaments and muscle to thoughts and dreams and ideas and conscience. And it’s when we consider the actual breath of God on our skin that things like eating and exercising become those basic yet holy necessities of stewardship and allows for the opportunity to be generous. To do the work.

What a call. That’s why bodily stewardship is so complex. It doesn’t start in the gym and end in a flex, but rather it begins and ends in a heart where God is pleased, His image is cherished and His will is pursued in the process.

Question: Are you employing your health? Not working on your body, but employing your health to complete the spectrum of what bodily stewardship means? We hope so. We are all in this together. As one body. So cool.

Challies has some practical advice for the blocking and tackling. Jot these nuggets down.

Plan to be fit. - Plan to get fit and stay fit through wise, moderate eating and regular, vigorous exercise.
Guard against idleness. - Guard against the idleness that keeps you on the couch when you should be active.
Guard against gluttony. - Food is a great gift, but it makes a terrible god. Learn to practice self-control toward food and renounce any sign of gluttony.
Prepare for the decline. - As your body and perhaps even your mind grows weak, there will be many new temptations to sin. Read Ecclesiastes 12:1-8 as a glimpse of your own biography and ask, “What will sustain me in that day?” The answer is simple: godly character. Nothing but godly character will sustain you as your body decays and your mind weakens. Even while you give attention to your physical health, do not neglect your spiritual well-being.

Like I said, it's been a good series. It’s so complex. I love serving you all. Thank you for your constant faithfulness, support and encouragement.

- Jimmy Peña

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YOU CALLED MY NAME
If something you’ve read or have seen over the course of this series has inspired you to involve your physical health into your overall life, we are so grateful. If you’re looking for a chance to exercise and channel that, we invite you to join (either in Los Angeles or virtually from where you live) The PrayFit Run on May 2. Perfect for walkers, joggers or serious runners to put one foot in front of the other as stewards of health and to employ themselves as the Body. The cause of course is to benefit kids and families impacted by special needs. I wrote on our social media platforms recently, "What if 7 years meant how long a family didn't go to church because it was just too hard to attend with their child with special needs? Why does it matter?...Because it matters to God." - Gigi Sanders from Radical with David Platt.

Pictured here is little Jordan. He's taller than me now. He inspired the PrayFit Run a few years ago. Basically, He's the boss. Along with a few of his friends and the pioneer in church special needs ministry, Gina Spivey, Jordan inspired me to climb my 2nd mountain. (If you ever wondered the reasoning behind the #2 in our material, there you go.) But like many before me have realized, you don't conquer 2nd mountains. They conquer you.

PrayFit's "The Body" is a place where fitness meets special needs. It's a summons. A call for the fitness industry to the doorstep of disability. But I'm learning from Gina and Jordan and the rest of the gang, that I'm not coming to the rescue, but to be rescued. Yes, they may have needs mentally or physically, but the truth is, I am never more like Jesus than when I'm around them. My soul is at its best when I'm near the pure in heart. It is impossible to be proud in the presence of the sacred.

I'm never more loving or kind or gentle or patient than when we're all hanging out. The fruit of our time together is evident in their impact on me; to a degree unmatched by my impact on them. Even if the parents disagree, saying we have no idea how much we're helping, I believe that in the annals of eternity and on the anvil where suffering is met by God's sovereignty, it is the absolute truth.

And the PrayFit Run is one of the ways we’re employing ourselves. I hope you join us. When you sign up, you can share your unique page with your friends so they can sponsor you. And even if you don’t want to actually participate or you’re unavailable or unable, but you’d like to come alongside us, you can donate to the day to help us with our costs. Here’s the link to check out everything about the day.

Nurture It

In case you've missed the last few entries, I've been tracing the steps of writer Tim Challies and his thoughts on guarding one's health. In his article, he used a phrase that summed up his core lesson in that when it comes to the body we need to present it, steward it, nurture it and employ it. Tim writes,

"You need to nurture your body. There is an inseparable unity between body, mind, and soul. When you neglect your body, you will often find your soul heavy and your mind dark. But when you care for it, you tend to find your soul cheerful and your mind enlightened. You can see some of this in John’s prayer for his friend Gaius: “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul” (3 John 2). For Gaius to be as active and effective as possible in God’s work, he must have a healthy body and a healthy soul. If you wish to tend to your soul and mind, you must nurture your body. To honor God in all that you are, you must eat well, exercise frequently, and rest regularly."

Reminds me of an excerpt from my latest book that some of you will recognize, but I think it fits with Tim's theme of nurture.

Before your very first day of school, or prior to getting your driver's license, and even before you began the family with which you spend your days...came your body. Not only did God inspire your soul's dream, but He gave you the body necessary to pursue the job. Since God will always equip us with what we need to accomplish His will, we know our bodies were His choice. Can you imagine the moment?

It was as if God said:

Sweet soul, here is your body. I've carefully woven it together. It has what it takes for you to pursue me and tell others about me. And oh precious body, this is your soul. Of all the matter in the universe, this is what matters most. Carry it where it needs to go. Protect it. Honor it. Now, I want you two to be good to each other. Be friends, not enemies.

So, do me a favor and take a quick glance at your arm or hands. Think for a second that God himself has touched that skin. He was first. In fact, talk to your body. It's okay, go ahead. Maybe you need to thank it. Perhaps you need to assure it. Or like me, maybe during your dark hour, you need to apologize. Could be for something you've knowingly done or for something out of your control -- an ailment, an accident maybe, or even a disease.

But much like any friend going through a tough time, just tell it you're so very sorry. After all, it was God who knitted it and then breathed life into it. Miraculously, He gave your heart a knowledge that there is something more to this life than life. And in order to pursue Him and then share Him, He gave you a weak and fragile body. Oh, it may not last this earth, but you can rest assured it was indeed a match made in Heaven.

- Jimmy Peña

For Discussion: What do you need to do to nurture your health? I'd love to know your thoughts.

Steward It

Continuing our review of what author Tim Challies says about how to guard our health, “God expects us to present it, steward it, nurture it, and employ it. If you missed any of the entries so far, I hope you click back and review, but today we come upon the issue of stewarding our bodies. Not a new concept to most of us on this site, but repetition doesn't diminish reality. Tim says,

"You need to steward your body. As you surrender your body, you acknowledge that it does not belong to you but to God. Just as you are responsible to faithfully steward your time and money, you are responsible before God to faithfully steward the body he has assigned to you. You are to use your body wisely, to put your body to use in ways that bring glory to God. After all, “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

The Tightrope
At PrayFit, we have always lived within a tension; a tension that we walk like a tightrope when it comes to the complexity of bodily stewardship; trying never to put too much emphasis on the body that we lose sight of what's most important, but never de-emphasizing the truth that we are made in God's image. And in order for us to follow Him and tell others about Him, He gave us arms, legs, skin, eyelids, lips and receding hairlines. Well, that last one He reserved for the really cool kids.

But I am convinced that if we're not careful, "seeing health (or illness) through the Gospel's lens" can become no more than a catchphrase. We have to mine God's Word for the indisputable truths nestled throughout. From Genesis to John, we have irrefutable evidence of the precious origin and the eternal significance of these temporary jars of clay. 

Stewardship is never showy, but it's not lazy. Being healthy quietly or humbly isn’t popular, but it takes far more strength to cover up hard work than the hard work itself. Stewardship doesn't start in the gym and end in a flex, but rather it begins and ends in a heart where God is pleased. If you remember anything from this entry, it’s this: Bodily stewardship happens when our approach to the body proclaims 1) God's image is cherished and 2) His will is pursued in the process.

Servants and Tenants
So, to help bring the message home, I'll be typing the balance of this entry in my best English accent. I must, I’m afraid. And I assure you it is not without merit. See, my wife and I used to enjoy being swept away into the world of Downton Abbey; a show on PBS that depicted the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the post-Edwardian era. If you haven’t seen it, it's quite lovely.

Something Lord Grantham said to his daughter about the estate he had been blessed and charged with upholding that resounds with me. He said, "My fortune is the work of others, who labored to build a great dynasty. Do I have the right to destroy their work? I am a custodian, my dear, not an owner. I must strive to be worthy of the task I have been set."

Wow, indeed. Pause it. I think to type in my normal voice may be the only way for me to sincerely applaud what he said. When it comes to this wonderful life, and the gift of grace, and the body God Himself built for us to experience it, we are precisely that. Stewards. Servants. Protectors. Tenants. Recipients of a fortune. Custodians for a time.

I may not have royal blood coursing through my veins, nor am I near polished enough to work the servant's hall in Downton, but I do serve at the pleasure of our Lord and Savior. And this body - built by God and designed for me to follow Him - will get my utmost. And I will do it for His renown and not my own.

Dr. Charles Stanley once said, "The body merits our respect and esteem in the same way that the most holy place of worship deserves upkeep." Amen, Dr. Stanley. 

Quite right, sir. Quite right.

- Jimmy Peña

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SIDEBAR
Weight For It.
A Heavy Subject.
Lighten Up.
(I can do this all day.)

I’ve been asked by readers if I believe in the scale. My answer is yes. And I think that since we’re smack-dab in the middle of this series, now would be a good time to discuss my view on it. And maybe with a hint of honesty and humor or honest humor, depending.

But here’s the skinny. I step on it every single day. Gasp. I know. But it’s a true story.

I live in a small weight range. I have to. For reasons I don’t talk about at parties, I live around 165lb. Fact is, I’m working to be a lean and flexible 150lb. by my 50th birthday. And to make sure I’m on track, I use the scale every day. My scale is both accurate and precise. Accurate in that it is a calibrated scale (it tells me what I actually weigh). And it’s precise in that if I step on and step off of it repeatedly, it’s consistent. Some scales aren’t accurate, but precise. Others are accurate but not precise. Personally, if you have to choose between the two, my advice would be to choose the one that’s precise. Long story short, I can trust mine.

Anyway, here’s something else you can trust. The book of Colossians gives us freedom to step on the scale. It’s under our feet for a reason. Please do not be mocked, ridiculed or shamed by those in our industry that have somehow vilified it. We can’t be so lofty and flowery that we allow the scale a place among the gods. Now that’s funny when you put it that way.

When you go to a doctor’s office and the nurse asks you to step on the scale, you don’t say, “Oh, no. I don’t step on scales. They don’t measure my worth.” Silly, right? Of course they don’t. They measure your weight. What did the doctors do for us when we were born? Yep. So go for it. Measure your weight if you want, if you can and while you can. After all, the number won’t always agree with you.

I won’t always be able to keep my number within range, but I’m not going down (or up) without a fight. I do not go gentle into that good night. It’s completely fine to wrestle with the number. There are both tangible and intangible battles waged when you step on it. Wage them. Fight them. Summon the war. Keep stepping on its neck. Use it at as tool. Don’t bow before it, but don’t run from it. You’re not mocked by its praise or its criticism. It’s a scale. When you’re standing on it, it’s measuring your force of gravity. It has no soul of its own, and you won’t give it yours. You actually can’t. Because it’s a scale. (That was actually funny to type.) I’ll be here all week.

Present It

As promised, we're peeling back the layers of an article about guarding our health written by Tim Challies, and according to Tim, when it comes to our health, God expects us to present it, steward it, nurture it, and employ it. If you missed the first entry - Twice-Owned - Click here.

Tim writes, "You need to present your body. You are a whole person, your body and soul knit carefully together. You are to surrender to God all that you are, holding nothing back. Your body belongs to God and is to be used for his purposes. Thus, God calls you to surrender your body to him, to dedicate it to his service, to commit it to his purposes."

As I consider what Challies says, imagine with me for a second if we surrendered to God everything about our health, holding nothing back. What would Jimmy have to present and surrender for that to be true in his life? Man, so much. I wonder if that would mean less or more time caring for the body God made? Better food choices or perhaps maybe less food obsession? Less vanity or pride? More diligence and self control? Questions for all of us to wrestle with every day. My body, your body, is a present. And God held none of His will back when He made us. That's neat, huh? When God made me, He held back none of His will.

I Don’t Like My Body
I think that’s why I’m convinced that when He formed us, He wanted our body and soul to be friends, not enemies. I mean, I don’t believe you have to like your body in order to love it. I won’t speak for anyone else, but I love my body, but I don’t like it. When I was sick, some of you remember how I would talk to my body and apologize to it for what it was going through. It was like talking to a friend. A friend I love and need.

Do I like my brittle bones, susceptible colon, collapsing frame, artificial and skinny neck or broken back? No. But I love them. Do I like the fact that my body can’t run, jump or twist? Or that my hands can’t hold more than 20 pounds at a time? Not at all. But I love my neck, my back, my limits, my weaknesses. I love them because God and I have grown closer to each other because of them and despite them. I love my body because it’s my body. Not because of what it used to do, can do or won’t ever do. Not because I’ve come to grips with it. Not because it’s where I find my worth or joy. Not because I’m comfortable in its skin. Not because I’m worthy of it or worth it. Not because I deserve it or because I earned it. My body is just me. But it’s not just a body.

Not Just A Body
I held his wrist. As an 8th grader, I walked the isle at Cielo Vista Church and committed my life to Christ. A week later, I waded into the water of the baptistry in front of my family and friends and listened as my Preacher asked me, "Jimmy, do you know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?" And then I held his wrist with one hand and pinched my nose with the other. I've never felt cleaner then the day I came out of that water.

A few years ago, various heroes of the faith remembered and honored the life of Reverend Henry Powell. From funny memories, to countless and blessed congregations from around the world, I sat and unsuccessfully fought back tears. And while I know Brother Powell is with the Lord today, I couldn't help but think about his still, sweet body. If those feet weren't tip-toeing through the house to deliver Christmas gifts to grandkids, they were in the dangerous underground of China quietly delivering Bibles and leading other pastors. If those hands weren't rooting for the Lobos, they were rooting for snotty-nosed kids just like me to live right. And if that heart wasn't beating in honor of his wife, it was breaking for the lost to know Christ as Lord.

You know, in ceremonies like those, we've all heard someone say that "It's not him" or "It's just a body." Well, I can't help but humbly and respectfully disagree. Especially when you consider that God made it, and all of the people who won't be reached without it. In fact, what did Jesus present to Thomas in the upper room? And what didn't they find when the stone was rolled away? That's right. Not just a body. So you see, it's no wonder God said to honor Him with what carries the soul. And that's why, when it was my turn to stand near and say goodbye to my sweet preacher who introduced me to Christ, I held his wrist...one more time.

Holding Nothing Back
You’ll forgive the long entry, but let’s strive to present our bodies, holding nothing back in our surrender. Holding nothing back in our restraint. Holding nothing back in our fight for service to neighbors, to those in our community, as well as to things like purpose, stewardship and modesty. And yes, let’s hold nothing back in how we humbly care for these weak, able, wonderfully-formed vessels. These temporary, broken tents. Let’s hold nothing back as we present to the world His will for a body.

- Jimmy Peña

A Body Twice-Owned

One of my favorite authors, Tim Challies, wrote a great entry long ago, and I wanted to examine portions of it with you. Check out what he says...

"God owns your body as its Creator.” He hand-crafted every bit of your DNA. David celebrates God’s good design in Psalm 139, where he says, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well” (13-14).

David’s body was actually God’s possession, carefully designed and deliberately assigned. The same is true for you—God owns your body because he created your body.

“God also owns your body as its Savior.” You had rebelled against God and sinfully claimed your body as your own. You decided to negate God’s claim over your body and to assert ownership of it yourself. But God drew you back from this treasonous rebellion, and as you accepted his offer of forgiveness and reconciliation, you ceded all your rights and restored proper ownership. In return, God actually took up residence within.

So Paul asks, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). This is why he can appeal to you and every other Christian “to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1).

To present your body as a living sacrifice is to present everything you have and everything you are to his service, to place it all under his authority. Your body is not your own. Your body is God’s, to be cared for as he demands, to be committed to his service.

Tim Challies encourages us that when it comes to the body we are to present it, steward it, nurture it, and employ it. 

We're gonna peel back those layers. Is that cool? It's gonna be intense. I think we're in for a good time. Guys, I've said it before, but bodily stewardship is so complex, and this series will help stir that certain truth. Let's do this.

- Jimmy Peña

In The Meantime - 2

Now Batting, Number 2
It's well-documented that over 20 years ago when Yankees ownership asked professional scout Dick Groch if he thought Derek Jeter would be going to Michigan after high school, he famously replied, "The only place this kid is going is Cooperstown." Few predictions have ever proved more true. We've merely had two decades to see what Derek Jeter would do in the meantime.

Yeah guys, ever since I was a kid, I've always been passionate about things in my life. I'm all in. Sentimental. And my favorite athlete of all-time will soon be taking his final bow as he is inducted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame. (He was just one (1) vote shy of unanimous induction.) Seems like it was yesterday that he climbed out of the dugout one last time to wave to the crowd and to those of us watching at home. And I promise you that I was standing in the middle of my living room, holding my wife with one hand and tipping my cap with the other. Like I said, I’m sentimental. After all, between the day of Mr. Groch's prediction of Jeter's destination to the moment of his ultimate induction into baseball's promised land, I watched what he did in the meantime.

All I Know
You know, blessed with having a master's degree in clinical exercise physiology, I can tell you why muscle reacts the way it does. After 8 books and nearly 2 decades of published articles, I can detail why our cells become oxygen-efficient through cardiorespiratory training. In my sleep, I can meticulously diagram the energy systems. I can discuss the finer points of the overload principle and how the body reacts to less, more or the same stimulus from one day to the next. The chemical reaction of fiber damage? Yes. Agility, flexibility, endurance, atrophy? Yep, those too. Like I said, I can explain a lot about this body, but my feeble self can't explain why God gives grace to the soul inside.

All I know is that if you were scouting me the day I accepted Jesus as my Savior, the only place you'd be certain I'd be destined for is Heaven. What I would do in the meantime? That’s another story.

You’d see me stumble through college, squeak by grad school, pull together a publishing career, get fit, get sick, get married (a 25-year marriage held together only by the forgiveness extended to me) and more strikeouts than I’d be able to list. My life has basically been about me. I loved me too much.

You know, Derek Jeter’s career was examined through many filters. Like anyone in the Hall of Fame, Derek needed to meet the highest standards across multiple categories. But if Heaven were dependent upon my play on life’s field, the evidence against me would be insurmountable. No way I’d get in.

I Was Not Enough
Open up the books at the end of my life and you’d see my average. I wasn’t humble enough, modest enough, kind enough, faithful enough, giving enough, submissive enough. I thought bad things, said ugly things, did unthinkable things. Pride took its toll. I lost my temper, my mind, my health, my cool. I was a jerk to friends, drove passed the homeless and ignored the lonely. I’ve been shameful, hateful, ungrateful. I broke every law, made every mistake.

I wasn’t strong, bold or courageous. I didn’t trust God enough, listen enough, respond in time and in some cases at all. I worried more than I worshipped. I ate regret for dinner and had anxiety for breakfast. Impatience, lust, discontentment, self-focus and self-pride followed me all the time. I was a massive contradiction. I had no independent successes and anything credible or worthy was completely owed to God, but I stole that glory too. I’m a glory thief, after all; an applause junkie. Yeah, put my name on the ballot for Heaven, and I was not enough.

But unlike Cooperstown, Heaven isn't dependent upon a selection committee’s collective vote. But just One. Just one (1) vote. Just one Life. (Now would be a good time for an “amen” amen?) Because of that one Life my soul finds rest. Because of that Life, there’s enough mercy. And enough joy, and goodness, and patience and faithfulness and delight and hope and rescue and substitution and restoration.

Because of the life, death and resurrection of Christ, when God looks at me, He sees the blood of His Son. And when He does that, it’s as if I lived the life that Jesus lived. That’s grace. And it’s that grace that compels me to live, love, serve, and strive for obedience. Grace indeed taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved. Grace is why I still step inside the box and dig in.

And after nearly 5 decades of life; a life with God’s call upon it to put my health and sickness to use for God’s renown - a life with no skeletons but lots of scars - it seems like I can finally hear the words, “Now batting.”

- Jimmy Peña

FOR DISCUSSION:
Guys, is anyone sentimental like me? Somebody please say 'yes.' Do you ever hold sand in your hand and think of the stars and the length of eternity? Do you ever let neat things like baseball remind you of Jesus and grace and life and grit and getting up and swinging away? Because of Calvary, we're assured Heaven. Oh Lord, what would you have us do in the meantime?

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BEHIND THE “2”
I’ve been asked more than once exactly what the meaning is behind the number 2 in much of our writing, logos and merchandise. Well, it represents my second mountain. My second wind. Second chance. My summons to serve those impacted by special needs. It represents The Body and The PrayFit Run. (And it doesn’t hurt that it’s my favorite number and worn by my favorite athlete.) In the end, it represents grace and purpose and significance. I wear my cap every day because I forget about grace, purpose and significance every day.

Note to Self - Part 2

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us...”

— 2 Corinthians 4:7

Today's verse is as motivating as it is convicting as we continue our “Note to Self” series. This may take longer than I expected, as a few things have come to mind, but if you remember from part one earlier this week, we’re dust and God knows it and He has compassion.

Paul himself said that we have this treasure inside these bodies, these jars of clay, to show that the power belongs to God and not to us. Now, compare what Paul said to something I read on a picture quote recently where someone boastfully warns, "Before you judge me, step into my shoes and walk the life I'm living, and if you get as far as I am, just maybe you'll see how strong I really am."

I admit, I'd love to hear Paul's graceful response to such a charade, because if the most influential man this side of Christ knew anything, He knew where his power and strength came from and from where it didn't. Can you imagine Paul talking about how strong he is? And yet, you and I battle with pride about it. We try to convince ourselves and each other that our bodies aren’t broken. (Word to the faith and fitness communities…our bodies are broken.)

But today's verse is also a comfort, not simply because of the physical metaphors of hardship, but for the reason to get up at all. "So that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body." See -- to Paul -- surviving the shipwreck or sustaining the beatings weren't so much as death-defying as much as they were life-revealing.

And to think, you're a jar of clay. So am I. A malleable, bendable, fillable and spill-able jar of clay. I know some days we feel more like a piñata than a Godly jar of clay, but if you hit a piñata hard enough, what happens? Others get the treasure inside. And that's what I get from Paul. He bled Jesus. He bled the treasure.

“God breathed on clay and it became a man.
God breathes on man and he becomes clay.”

— A.W. Tozer

Wow.

I know where I was when I became clay.

The white, outdoor chairs outside The Garden Tomb were warm from the sun. The tour was almost over and the next day would be our last in Jerusalem. When our Pastor began reading of those six hours on Friday, it was as if I felt my skin for the first time.

Stooping inside that ancient tomb, I was Thomas seeing scars.
I was a flat-footed Peter looking at my feet on the waves.
I was the woman at the well.
I was both the mocking criminal and the soon-to-be saint.
I was Bartimaeus after receiving his sight and the rich young ruler afraid to part with his toys.
I was an arrogant Saul blinded by grace. 

By the time Pastor read about the third day and the stone being rolled away, I had become a malleable mess. My frail, little body was merely a few feet away from where Jesus made it well with my soul. And when I took communion in that garden, Jesus wrote a note in the dirt and I became clay.

So dear friends, let's invite others to step into our shoes and live the life we're living. And when they get as far as we've gone, maybe - just maybe - they'll get to see exactly just how strong we're not.

--Jimmy Peña

For Discussion: This series isn’t over. The jar of clay typing this sentence has been known to lose his wallet, his keys, and his health; to say nothing of his daily sins and filthy rags of good deeds. But I’ve said it before. Getting up from a trial doesn't reveal our strength. The fall reveals that. Getting up reveals God's grace. That’s why when I wipe the dust off my back, I can’t pat.

As we end this week, what are you thanking God for today? Any praises? What has He given you enough strength to continue? As for me, I have one. You're reading it.

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The PrayFit Run
May 2nd, 2020
Stoked. Look at all this goodness. What a blast. A 10K, a 5K a 1-Mile Walk-N-Roll, music, pancakes, an expo, awards for top finishers, pancakes, t-shirts, goodie bags, pan..wait. OK, fine. Pancakes for everyone! And a side of scrambled....legs? (Stop. Just stop.) The 3rd Annual PrayFit Run on May 2nd, 2020. Join us. Sign-up now and fundraise. (Virtual Option Available. Click here.) Let's do this again.

Note To Self - A Series

In Louie Giglio's  "Man in the Mirror" series he said, "When Heaven sees you, Heaven says I love you. Heaven says you’re a rare and beautiful treasure. It doesn’t matter if it’s a good hair day or a bad hair day; whether you’re tucking it in or sucking it in, you’re a rare and beautiful treasure." 

Go Louie.

Now, I realize the quote is a bit out of context, but Louie wasn't giving a self-help lecture. This wasn't a "believe-it-and-you-can-achieve-it" rally. No, Louie was explaining that when God looks at our lives, He sees His son. And because He does, He loves us, forgives us, believes in us and roots for us. Anyone here need to know that someone is rooting for them? Does it help to know that God - with millions of angels praising Him - is rooting for you?

God is full of compassion for us. He knows that we're clay; just dust and His breath.

Psalm 103 says, "As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust."  Which is why we can rest in knowing that He realizes we're gonna mess up, lose confidence, drag our feet, snub our noses, puff our chests, rush to judgement and slouch in guilt. 

Because we're dust. Beautifully formed, wonderfully crafted, fearfully made mud. Earth with a heart. Soil with a soul. And a stone face that looks in today's mirror with a question to answer: Will I believe what God says He sees?

- Jimmy Peña

For Discussion: In today’s culture, we’re bombarded with self-esteem extremes. Confidence at all costs. But what does it do to your heart to know that we’re dust? Fearfully made mud. Soil with a soul. This may be a short series, but in a follow-up, I’m going to take a view at this truth and express how it encourages me as much as it humbles me. Thank you for reading…

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The Body:
If you’re not a part of The Body, I would love it if you’d join us and dedicate your workouts with us. You can donate once or form a team and fundraise. The proceeds help us serve the marginalized and those impacted by special needs. Please click on the image and get involved with us.

You, He Knitted

God spoke and there was light. He breathed the stars in space and put the moon in place. But you? You, He knitted. Imagine, the God who filled the oceans with water made your eyes to blink. After spraying the cosmos with a billion galaxies, He gave you goosebumps. (And then you did the same to Him.)

When you’re healthy and strong, that sounds reasonable. Borderline expected. When you’re thriving, the canvas of life seems to absorb and reflect bright colors. But during the tough stuff, after the doctor visit, the injury, the setback, or the unexpected illness and resulting suffering, things can get grey and the goosebumps can fade away. Anyone with me?

SHADOWS
Well anyway, today is January 7th, 2020. The confetti is all but cleaned up, the streamers are in the trash, and the calendar is brand new. Deep breath...ahhhhh, so this is 2020. 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 like 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. The morning workout doesn't happen unless we've spent time in God's word. 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. At lunch, be the first to push away from the table as a way to praise the Lord for the gift of health. And if you can’t train because of either an unforeseen or even a preventable illness, ask God for wisdom as to how He would have us use it for His glory. Slowly but surely, we'll realize the difference is in us. Those weren't shadows after all. It was shade.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PRAYFIT
But where was I? Oh, yes. Goosebumps. And why not. It’s our birthday. PrayFit turns 11-years old this week. For over a decade, PrayFit has been my little corner of the world. Wow. Has it been 11 years?

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PrayFit has been seen on and featured on these platforms and more…

PrayFit is where I rehab, where I fight, write and train. But mostly, this is where I come face-to-face with my smallness, frailty and dependence. Many of you remember me from my mainstream fitness days; the magazines, books and celebrity projects. Others of you remember my first devotion in 2009 or the PrayFit books and DVDs and our HBO sponsorship.

And of course, some of you were there for the surgeries, the illnesses and loss of ability. But regardless, may we be known for what we did with it all. The ups and the downs. Because frankly, being remembered isn't my goal; at least not anymore. Truth is, I just want God to know me, and for my circumstances to be used for His glory. I suppose that’s the foundation for what we want to do for families and kids impacted by disability. I’m unashamed. I’m going all the way. I wasted so much of my health on fitness. I did too much flexing, not enough stooping. I have very little to show for my health or for my work in the gym. But this is my 2nd mountain. Break’s over.

“Our people have to learn to be diligent in their work so that all necessities are met (especially among the needy) and they don’t end up with nothing to show for their lives.”

— Titus 3:14

My grandmother, better known as “PalMommy” or “DA” depending on your side of the family, made an amazing blanket like 50 years ago. It was soft and heavy and awesome. I loved it so much as a kid that it made its way to college with me and then eventually to my own home. In fact, I still have it. Still use it. It’s not as heavy. It’s frayed and faded. I suppose you could say it looks its age - much like the old guy it keeps warm - but one thing is for certain. It was knitted. Each stitch was a stroke of love and every color was chosen with care. It served its purpose.

Not sure what made me think of that.

- Jimmy Peña

11 for 11

Help us celebrate the occasion by coming alongside us each month with a gift of $11. Some of you can give more. Some can give less. But whatever you decide, we are so grateful to you. Thank you for helping us continue the mission of PrayFit. Click HERE to donate.

Forgive us, The Body

Forgive Us, The Body
a prayer about 2019

Lord, forgive us for spending so much time trying to honor the body that we actually fail to honor you with it. Forgive us for over-flexing and under-stooping.

On the other hand, forgive us for not taking care of our body to the point that we fail to physically accomplish what you designed for us to do; serve others, live exceptionally, thrive, and much, much more.

Forgive us for worrying about what others see and what they perceive and how we compare to one another to the point that we forget that you love us and see yourself in us. It's you we want to mirror. Forgive us for allowing progress to become just as much of an idol as perfection.

Forgive us of our approval addiction.

Forgive us for giving social media more power over our bodies, hearts and minds than what is healthy for us spiritually, emotionally, and even physically. Forgive us for allowing our media feeds to rest unchallenged atop the mountain of our minds and to sit unrivaled on the throne of our hearts; both should be reserved for you alone.

Forgive us for either using our bodies as a platform to showcase our faith or our faith as a platform to show off our bodies. It’s impossible to promote vanity and sell modesty. We can’t fool you.

Forgive us for forgetting that when you said “Go” to the disciples, you said the same to us. It's still a call to action, to spread the gospel, to help the homeless, to minister to the marginalized and to those with disabilities and special needs. We’ve wasted so much of our health on fitness.

Forgive us for putting so much emphasis on planning and preparing what we eat before we train (fast-digesting protein and slow-digesting carbs) that we’d rather stuff a quick verse down our throat - at best - so we don’t miss the gym. Forgive us for missing the point.

Forgive us for living in either a vanity-driven paranoia or a stale state of gluttony.

Forgive us if our justification of ‘self-care’ has morphed into a combative and defensive “self-esteem-at-all-costs” obsession. Forgive us for being more concerned about straightening our crowns than we are about laying them down.

Forgive us if our “ministry” has puffed us up and lifted our chins above parallel. Forgive us if we listen for applause for our posture of worship. Our work is not the 5th gospel. We didn’t write the Bible. Forgive us for coming off as if we helped.

Forgive us for forgetting that even though life is not about the body, it's not just any body. It's yours. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. That says something profound about us, but not nearly as profound as what it says about you. Forgive us of our amnesia that we were indeed “made.”

Forgive us - the Body of Christ - for failing to celebrate that any measure of health, beginning with the motivation, the ability, the means, the work itself, and the byproducts of diligence are all gifts of grace. Forgive us if we have seemingly ignored the truth that we are only experiencing the potential you provided to us. We’re not improving your work. Forgive us for plagiarizing and withholding all credit. It’s all due to you, possible through you and held together by you.

Help us Lord. May we all recalibrate why our health, our illness and our suffering are precious to you; the source of this perfectly-designed, wonderfully made, grace-filled, small, weak and failing, temporary, awesome gift of life. Thank you for 2019 and if it is your will, please allow us another “go” in 2020. For the glory of your grace. Amen. 

- Jimmy Peña

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THE BODY

Thank you for coming alongside us and seeing your health and illness through the gospel’s lens and for dedicating your training to those with special needs and disabilities. If you’d like to join us on a monthly basis (which is the most powerful way to sustain us) or you’d like to make a one-time contribution to PrayFit in our efforts to serve others, please click this link and it will allow you donate. All gifts are tax-deductible and you’re helping us continue to serve the marginalized and the forgotten. Thank you for your gift.

In Order To Reach Us

“Because Jesus was human,
he understands you.
Because he is divine,
he can help you.

”

— Max Lucado

I love the smell of my old baseball glove. Every once in a while when I’m looking through boxes of old and cherished things, I’ll find it and put it on. I close my eyes, bring it to my face and somehow the old leather just takes me back. Equal parts dirt, oil, victories and defeats, practices and close games are all forever somehow locked inside my old mitt. Yeah, a couple days away from Christmas, and I’m thinking about baseball. For good reason, I think.

Ever notice that the big league managers wear the same uniform as the players? There's not another sport like it. Ever see a pro football coach with a helmet on? Nope. Or a basketball coach on the sidelines in a tank top and shorts? Not a chance. Baseball is the only sport where its managers blend in with the team.

I think Jesus could relate, because He chose to relate. Rather than standout among us, He blended in with us. Though He created the universe, His appearance was universal. He became our up-close-and-personal Savior. Call it divine irony, but in order to reach us, He let us touch Him.

That’s important this week. As planes land, cars pull up and curtains are pulled back, it’s critical for us to consider two themes of Christmas:

Jesus was human.
Jesus is divine.

ALL MAN. ALL GOD.
Although He was God, and perfect, and timeless, He lived among us. He wore the uniform. He got dirty. After putting the stars in place, He carved wood. After creating the sky and mountains and hummingbird’s wings and trees, he swept sawdust from the floor and took out the garbage. Although He was living water, He knew what it was like to be thirsty. Although He formed food and fed thousands, He knew what it was like to be hungry.

He was all man. He was all God. In order to reach us, He let us touch Him.

“For our high priest is able to understand our weaknesses. He was tempted in every way that we are, but he did not sin. Let us, then, feel very sure that we can come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we can receive mercy and grace to help us when we need it.” (Heb. 4:15-16 NCV)

The Bible says Jesus was tempted in every way, but while He never fell, He suffered the penalty of every sin ever committed. Innocent, He felt the penalty of sin and the guilt that we feel when we commit it. He didn’t do it, but felt the shame as if He did. Chew on that for a second.

Pastor David Jeremiah says, (paraphrase), “On the shoreline after a hurricane, the houses are destroyed but the rocks are unmoved and unchanged. In this scenario, we are the homes. Jesus is the rock.”

Max Lucado once wrote, “Because Jesus is human, he understands you. Because he is divine, he can help you.”

Because of this truth, we can go to Jesus and declare our weaknesses, failures and faults. He knows our real needs and He’s the only one that can meet them. If anyone understands how we struggle, He does. He wore the uniform. The same dirt you feel under your feet, he felt under his.

A few years ago, I waded out into the Jordan River to be baptized. I put on a white robe and stood in line. Standing there, the sun warmed my head and the reflection from the water caused my eyes to squint. To my left and to my right were lines of people duplicating my efforts. Like me, they wanted to be in the water. The water.

Eventually I was chest-deep. This was it. Between my toes was dirty, rotten sediment. A moment made possible only because Jesus chose to do the same. Lord, forgive me, cleanse me, seal me.

THAT’S CHRISTMAS
The sound from that stable in Bethlehem was a battle cry. Despite what the world will tell us. Despite the self-help revolution and self-esteem declaration. Despite the hyper-individualism and boot-straps motivation that social media will flood us with, Jesus endured a normal birth in a brutal era and was laid in a manger because we are not enough on our own.

Christmas declares Jesus was human, because we are.
Christmas declares Jesus was divine, because we are not.

Jesus was born to live a life we could not live and to die a death we could not die. In order to reach us, He let us touch Him. That’s Christmas.

- Jimmy Peña

Be Born In Us

If you missed Christmas Presence earlier this week, we talked about the shepherds and their efforts to see the newborn King. We agreed that their best effort was all they had to offer Him. Can't you just see their cold breath coming out of their mouths and their chests rising as they arrive gasping? I love that visual.

But today, let's focus on the one who didn't run. Though she trembled when she was told of the miracle, Mary waited for the promise. As I write this, a song by Francesca Battistelli called Born In Me is ringing in my ears. The chorus:

I'll hold you in the beginning, you will hold me in the end. 
Every moment in the middle, make my heart your Bethlehem, be born in me.

Isn't that what we want? For our hearts to be His Bethlehem? Born in us? When you and I walk into work or school or the gym or studio, we hold Him. We're His home on earth.

Mary offered to God what she was denied at the inn: a vacancy.
The shepherds offered to God the only thing they could: an audience.

As Christmas nears, let the ones who ran to Him, and the one who didn't run from Him, give us courage to do both.

–Jimmy Peña

Prayer Requests: Will you pray for me today? I have an unspoken request. And if you have a prayer request, please list it here or say "unspoken" and I, the team and the rest of the readers will pray for you by name.

Jesus. Light. Us. Up.

Amen.

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2 WAYS TO HELP
Most of you know that I like doing things in 2’s, so in keeping with my tradition, here are a couple of ways you can help us bring the fitness industry to the doorstep of disability as we move closer to Christmas and the New Year. This is critical to our ministry. Thanks for your consideration.

1. Join The Body: The most powerful way that you can come alongside us is to become a monthly donor and member of The Body. By joining The Body, you are dedicating your health to disability and you become an integral part of everything we’re doing and plan to do this year. I promise to keep you very close to your contribution. This will help us pay our operating costs while allowing us to serve the special needs community and to provide much needed care to parents of kids living with disabilities. This can be an amazing YEAR-END giving opportunity. To join and to learn more, please click HERE. Appreciate you so much.

2. Fundraise for The PrayFit Run: If you’re a part of The Body, you are helping fund this amazing event, no doubt, but if you wanted, you could also become a VIRTUAL participant and fundraiser. This year, we’ve engaged a very powerful and effective fundraising system that allows you to not only walk, jog and/or give, but you can recruit friends and family to sponsor you and your team and they can do the same! You have to check it out. So cool.

(And if you would like to be a VIRTUAL SPONSOR of the event, email us at [email protected] and we will put your logo on t-shirts and banners that will be seen in all 50 states as well as insert your business into the goodie bag that everyone receives. This thing is growing thanks to God’s grace and because of your generosity.)

Christmas Presence

"What do you give to someone who has everything?" That's a common question asked year after year by a countless number of people.  But what do you give someone who is everything? Well, that original question was uttered only once by a small group of eyewitnesses. Maybe the Shepherds asked each other that very thing as "they hurried off .”

Wait, did you notice that? Long before Jesus gave the lame the strength to walk, He had shepherds running. After the angel told them the news, I doubt they hung around the fields, or grabbed a bite to catch up on the latest herder's gossip. No, the news of Jesus had these shepherds high-stepping with hearts pumping. Were they unsure of what to give God? Perhaps. But they were ironclad-certain about doing their best just to get there. Showing up out of love, out of excuses and out of breath. What they lacked in presents, they made up with their presence.

- Jimmy Peña

SIDE NOTE: If you've been on PrayFit for a few years, you recognize today's entry. I just can't help but imagine that night, right? The announcement, the reaction, the action. Just to be near Him. What do you give someone who IS everything? You give Him everything, beginning with all you got…keep reading.

NEVER. OUT. WORKED.
My favorite athlete of all time, Derek Jeter, is known to tell aspiring athletes that while there may be people on the field with more talent, there’s no reason to be out-worked. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson says similar. But I like what Pastor Scotty Smith says, “Rather than try to outsmart people, out humble, out gentle, out love them.”
I feel so motivated.

When it comes to training, there was a time I’d win every battle. I wasn’t the strongest (but I was close), but to beat me, I’d have to be absent. I’m not so certain that’s all that admirable. I think hyper competition can become, as author Jerry Bridges describes, “a respectable sin.” Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about taking care of “self,” but I’ve learned that a life of self-care is meaningless if it doesn’t produce a love for God and if the point isn’t to serve others.

As you know, over the years God has ignited a new fire in my belly. It’s a fire to help the marginalized and the forgotten. It’s a fire that’s born out of a life of grace and mistakes and sickness and success and a search for significance, and of a finding; a finding of a vocation, a calling, a God-breathed purpose to it all. It’s humorous to me that I poured so many years into worrying about the size of my arms, and it’s equally horrifying to me of the good I could have been doing with them. I don’t want to waste another day. True story.

Speaking of, if you haven’t yet seen The PrayFit Story, I would be so blessed if you took a few minutes to watch it. If you’ve already seen it, I’d be equally blessed if you’d share this entry with someone you know and love. Maybe you or they would consider joining me in my quest to help those with special needs with whatever health we have left. I’m going to love God by serving them. And I won’t be out worked.

The Dark Psalm

Hot under the collar. Ever get that way? Has something ever rubbed you so wrong that you find yourself slowly and progressively shaking your head, gritting your teeth and making fists? If so, you’re not alone. I’m a card-carrying member of that club.

What got my fragile feathers so ruffled? You guessed it. Something I saw on social mania - I mean - social media. Someone in our industry - posing and flexing after a workout - claimed that a rigorous training session is the equivalent of “suffering.” That our roughest, puke-filled battle to improve our health can be likened to that most tender of words. Then proceeded to somehow correlate the submission to suffering in the gym to that of Jesus submitting to the suffering on the Cross. Yuck. Might as well boil my blood.

Not sure what it was. Could have been the tone. Could have been the smile. Could have been the bathroom selfie. All I know is that all I wanted was this person to turn off the light, because they weren’t describing suffering as I know it. I’ve learned that suffering is something we pray to be spared from, not something we pet.

LIGHTS OUT
In a recent podcast, Ajay Thomas discussed the darkest Psalm ever written, Psalm 88. Described as the Psalm that has no hope, experts have described Psalm 88 as, “A cellar with no stairs. A prison with no key. Absolute hell on earth. Total loneliness. Utter torment. Complete darkness.”

Suffering.

Most Psalms of lament eventually turn. They eventually pivot. Change directions. Although they begin in descent and despair, they eventually ascend. At some point God shows up. But not this Psalm. It begins in darkness and gets even darker.

In verse 11, the Psalmist begins asking questions, “Can those in the grave declare your unfailing love?” (Verse 12), “Can anyone in the land of forgetfulness talk about your righteousness?” In other words says Thomas, “Do you have a choir in the grave that I don’t know about? Are your wonders known in the darkness? What do you gain from letting me die?”

Pretty grim, right? But what a comfort to you and to me that one of the authors in the Bible held on to God so tightly that in the worst of circumstances - the kind of rock bottom event that would eventually make its way into Holy scripture - could cry out to God, complain to God, question God and eventually collapse on Him.

THE PIERCING
We’re just a few weeks away from Christmas. It’s Advent. But despite the Christmas carols on the radio and red ribbons in shop windows on Main Street, these weeks can remind us of the darkness that only Jesus could pierce. In fact, while the Psalmist began and ended in darkness, he wasn’t actually alone. Only Jesus Himself experienced the kind of loneliness the Psalmist described when God turned His back on Him at Calvary. Only Jesus could call the darkness His only friend. He did that so that our sins could be forgiven and that we would never be forsaken.

I’ve spent the last few years focused on helping people with special needs and that focus is only becoming more intense. I’ve begun to travel the globe - from Israel to Bucharest to Brazil - and I’ve seen some hurting people. Blind, deaf, lame. No arms. No legs. No family. No water. Real hurts. Real need. Read bad. But the truth is, I’ve never felt closer to God than when I’m with those who are truly in need of the Gospel and in complete despair and desperate for physical healing.

You’ll forgive my sentimental mood, but suffering is sacred. It’s holy ground. It’s in the grip of His robe. It’s in the hole in the roof. It’s in the muddy water. It’s in the baggy clothes of a former leper, in the corners of Peter’s regret, David’s shame and Paul’s remorse. And you can be sure of one thing. It’s in yours too. And in mine.

QUESTIONS IN THE DARK
Jesus ended the Advent season by becoming the light of the world and would eventually hang on the Cross in complete darkness and completely alone. Jesus suffered. And in doing so, He answered the questions in verses 11 and 12 of Psalm 88:

"Can those in the grave declare your unfailing love?” (Yes.)
”Can they proclaim your faithfulness in the place of destruction?” (Yes.)
”Can the darkness speak of your wonderful deeds?” (Yes.)
”Can anyone in the land of forgetfulness talk about your righteousness?” (Yes.)

Tim Keller says of the darkness in Psalm 88 that it “exposes whether we’re in this to serve God or to be served,” which brings me back to what got me so hot under the collar in the first place; my self-righteousness. What I ponder when I look at what people post on social media is part of my dark side; a side of me only my family and friends get to see, but thankfully a side of me that I can fully confess. Who knows what that person battles or is battling to compel them to post things. My job isn’t to look or to judge. My job is to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. My job is to reflect the light. Because for many people, it’s really dark.

- Jimmy Peña

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JOIN ME
If you would like come alongside us on our quest to help those impacted by disability, please consider giving to The Body. A wonderful way to end the year, you can join a group of committed people who are Heaven-bent on bringing the fitness industry to the doorstep of disability. We’ll be purchasing wheelchairs and helping transform a special needs room in the near future, and your monthly gift will help us do that.

We Know The Story

We know the story, but we love it. Two thousand years ago, God made an unexpected trip. Because we were unable to get to Him, He came to us. God left Heaven's hall for Bethlehem's stall. He then climbed out of his crib and onto the cross for your sins and mine. Imagine, God with us. Say that out loud and emphasize a few words with me. 

God with us.
God with us.
God with us.

Amazing, isn't it? The distance He traveled for you and me. I love Christmas time. The traditions, old and new. But something about Christmas will never change, and that's the story of our Savior. 

So Jesus, we know the story, but tell us again.

Show us the faith in Joseph's eyes.
Reveal the awe on a shepherd's face.
Convey the courage of Mary.

We know the story, but take us back. Remind us that your birth began a rescue mission. We know the story, but please Jesus, we love it. Be born again.

 --Jimmy Peña

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The PrayFit Run 2020 (logo unveiled):

Ok, how cool is this? We have just arrived at our date and logo for The PrayFit Run 2020 coast-to-coast. Those of you reading this, if you could simply touch the screen of your computer or your phone and say a prayer for our 3rd annual event. Please ask God to be in this weekend that we’re launching. Beg Him for His hand of protection, ask Him to grant me wisdom as we embark on this journey. It may only be a 10K, but really, it’s a marathon and a sprint. (A lot like life.)

And if you have prayer requests of your own, please list them here and I promise to pray for you. If you’d rather not be specific, simply say, “Unspoken,” and I’ll know. Thanks. Love you all. - JP

When In Romania - Part II

Romania. Day one. Sitting in this makeshift waiting room I'm reminded of the blind man sitting on the side of the road in Jericho. His name was Bartimaeus. You’ve heard me talk about him before perhaps as it relates to my own suffering. But when Bartimaeus heard it was Jesus walking by, he began to shout out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Over and over he yelled. Despite being rebuked by others, he continued to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" And it's the reaction of Jesus that captures me in this moment. The Bible says that when Jesus heard him shouting, He “stopped walking.” Some Bible versions say that He "stood still," and other translations say He "stopped in His tracks.” I’ll come back to that.

With a fancy camera I’m still learning to use, I crouch in the corner among the families awaiting wheelchairs and Bibles. As an old writer, the assignment on this Wheels for the World outreach felt natural enough; easy. Capture the scene. Document the story. What I didn’t expect was either.

HANDS DOWN
From what I could tell, nobody dropped him off. Nobody escorted him in. He just made his way to us on his hands. Using two wooden blocks about the size of bricks with homemade handles - picture two Olympic pommel horse grips - Florin (pronounced Floor-een), 41, made his way inside the venue and began to wait his turn. With his legs coiled up underneath him, this is how he’s been entering rooms since he was 5-years old.

With the blocks of wood now serving as his seat in the holding area, you could tell he was no stranger to tight quarters. As our eyes met, I smiled gently. He didn’t. The look on his face said that he had seen the look on mine many times before. I’m pretty sure I turned away first.

Gulp. With tears already streaming down my face and onto my camera, I found myself longing for his name to be called, for him to get his first wheelchair, and for him to hear that Jesus loves him; just hurry with all of it, please.

ADVERSITY DRAWN
As we waited, I wondered what kind of adversity he’d endured over the course of his life. How painful had it been? The mere mention of the word pain and some of you can relate because of a pain you never saw coming. You may not be walking on your hands as you navigate traffic, but you’re dealing with a pain you don't know if you can endure, because you don't know if it will ever end. The kind of pain that's disorienting, because you can't remember what it felt like not to hurt. The kind of pain accompanied by excruciating, debilitating, humiliating misery. Physical, emotional, invisible adversity. Something tells me Florin would understand. Something tells me he’s been sitting on the side of that dusty road in Jericho.

THE WEDDING SINGER
Well, although he was a bit camera shy at first, by the time he made his way into the distribution center, he had become fast friends with the entire room which, if I’m not mistaken, included a marriage proposal to one of Joni’s most faithful volunteers, Susan, who was serving on something like her 20th Wheels trip.

Florin’s face was dark with thick leathery skin and pronounced grooves in his cheeks that deepened as he smiled. His raspy voice was a testament and likely a byproduct of one of his many talents and means of income…part-time wedding singer.

With a lump in my throat, I emerged from behind the safety of my camera and extended my hand to shake his. His rough palm was jet black. His big, strong fingers swallowed mine. I squeezed harder as if to initiate a grip challenge and he returned the favor with a confident grin. (He won.)

CHILDLIKE ENTHUSIASM
As the experts on the team worked on a chair that would be ideal for Florin, we learned that at the age of five, his legs stopped working. A failed surgery 20 years ago, along with no medical care since, he’s done his best with the least. He lives with his brother and finds work in the fields. His chair almost complete, we gave him Joni Eareckson Tada’s book and began laying the groundwork for the Gospel message that would soon be delivered to him by the in-country pastors.

Long story short, when he was presented his wheelchair, we had to hold him back. But once we explained the details and the ins and outs of some of the specifics, he was simply done listening. He transferred himself into the chair with reckless abandon and began to sing. His powerful hands maneuvered the wheelchair around the room with childlike faith and a refreshing, natural fearlessness that seemed to rub off on all of us.

This is Florin, giving a big thumbs up about his chair. Compared to this moment, this world isn’t worth a darn.

By the time a new set of families had entered the building, Florin was outside in his new wheelchair. On his lap sat a pair of worn-out wooden blocks and a Bible. I was told that Florin didn’t hear about the wheelchair outreach in Romania until the night before. My gut tells me he didn’t want the Lord to take another sweet step, so he stole that line from Bartimaeus and got up.

Speaking of, when Bartimaeus received his sight, the Bible says that the very first thing he did was follow Jesus along the road. I suppose he figured the best test of his new eyes was to focus on the One who finally made them work.

I like to think that Florin is doing the very same thing.

- Jimmy Peña

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THANK YOU!
Please allow me to thank you for praying for us, giving to us and for spreading the word for us; which is why we’re not us without you. Tuesday’s #GIVINGTUESDAY charity drive was a unique blessing as we embarked upon our vocation of serving those impacted by disability. If you want to join us in our mission, you click HERE or on the image and join The Body. Because of you, we will deliver more wheelchairs to Romania, Brazil and help fund special needs ministry in your neighborhoods. In a word…stoked.