Perception

Have you ever noticed how “perception” of time does not reflect reality? Take for example a 3 hour trip to an amusement park. You get in the car early in the morning and are excited about the prospects of the up coming day. The car is filled with discussions of which roller coasters you’re planning on riding and other favorites of the park. If you’ve been there before, there are even discussions of fun memories of previous years. However, after the day is done and you start the 3 hour trip back home, time seems to drag and it feels like it’s going to take forever before you can crawl into your bed. In reality 3 hours is 3 hours but it doesn’t “feel” like the same amount of time. In a similar way, after 3 years of unhealthy eating and lack of consistent exercise, a person might decide to want to get healthy again. If so, a 3 year trip back to health would seem impossible. In fact the 3 years would seem like eternity. But, in reality 3 years would be the logical and proper mindset to have. Thankfully the body usually can recover with healthy eating like in the Precision Nutrition program and intense exercise as seen on this blog, RossTraining and Art of Strength faster than the time it takes to get unhealthy. The apostle Paul understood that the concept of time on earth didn’t matter when compared to a person’s soul spending eternity in heaven or hell. In Acts 26:28-29 the Bible says: Then Agrippa said to Paul, "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?" Paul replied, "Short time or long—I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains." Paul knew that the length of time didn’t matter compared to the destination of a soul. Moses also understood the concept of time as stated in Hebrews 11:24-26 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. Whether you’re on a road trip, a trip to a healthier body or like all people a trip to your eternal destination I pray that you’ve confessed your sin and accepted Jesus as your savior. Here’s an exercise called the “Farmer’s Walk” that can be performed with dumbbells, suitcases or like me with hay hooks and metal plates. Do this for distance and I’ll guarantee that the return trip will “feel” like it takes more time.

Roadblocks

Sometimes in life we come across Roadblocks which can come in many different forms. For me, I do a lot of exercises that involve the shoulder. And because of this sometimes I’ll be woken up in the middle of the night with numbness and tingling in my shoulders. Now, most people would use this as an excuse to stop working out and figuratively sit in front of that Roadblock sign perhaps for the rest of their life. Discomfort would be the excuse they needed to live a less healthy lifestyle. Fortunately, when a Roadblock rears its head in regard to my health goals I start looking for something to add (not remove) from my training regimen. So I did some researching and found some very old exercises that use Indian Clubs to strengthen and increase the range of motion of the shoulder. Thankfully my brother is a very skillful woodworker and he was kind enough to make me some custom Indian Clubs that are easily modifiable in regard to weight. In the video below I demonstrate the daily routine I’ve been using since Christmas with the Indian Clubs at 1.5lbs.




Now I can sleep on my stomach with one arm under the pillow for an entire night without any discomfort. In the same way as we try and walk with Jesus through this life we will encounter Roadblocks. Psalm 119:101 says “I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word.” When we come across spiritual Roadblock don’t become stagnant. Ask God to show you what you need to change in order to advance in a righteous path with Him.

What’s wrong with this picture?

Just by looking at this apple you’d probably say nothing’s wrong. It just looks like a normal apple that’s been sitting out for about 10 minutes.
Unfortunately this piece of fruit has been sitting out for about 17 hours. Since real food is supposed to rot, the question needs to be asked “what’s been injected into this thing and should I put it in my body?” Even though apples should rot when left out, our bodies shouldn’t rot until we die. However, I’m sure we all know of people who sacrifice their health in the form of heart attacks, ulcers, sleep deprivation, etc. in the pursuit of amassing material possessions. Some have even called this pursuit the American dream. Is it worth it? Let’s see what God says in Proverbs 14:30 “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” With the New Year upon us let’s make resolutions that will produce a heart at peace with our Creator and not waste time with envy and “keeping up with the Jones’".

Present Sufferings Don’t Compare

Recently I competed in the Iceman. It’s a 29 mile mountain bike race from Kalkaska to Traverse City in Michigan. It was my first race and it is touted as the longest one day point to point mountain bike race in the nation. You can check out the details at http://www.iceman.com/. I pedaled for approximately 2 hours and 46 minutes non stop through hills, trees, sand, etc… I lost about 5 to 6 pounds of body weight while drinking 64oz of fluids. I placed 38th out of 93 in my wave. During the last couple miles I was mentally exhausted and was telling myself it was good to do once but I’d never do it again. About 2 hours after the finish I started to reflect back on some of the fun portions of the race. The next day I came up with a list of things I could’ve done better and thought I’d like to do it again next week to try and better my time. It amazed me how quickly I forgot about the pain and suffering that I experienced and how much satisfaction was felt by finishing the race.

Being a follower of Jesus has some parallels to the Iceman. Jesus said that if we follow Him we will suffer. This is not our home and we won’t be comfortable or at total peace until we are with Him in heaven. Paul says in Romans 8:18 “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

Please understand that life is hard and suffering prevails for now. But, there is a day coming when those who have confessed their sin and turned to Jesus for salvation will no longer suffer but praise God in heaven where no sin exists and no tears are shed. Also, please understand that we only have one life to live. Life isn’t like the Iceman where you can have a second chance next time around and try and better your time. We are only given one life to live. The Bible says in Hebrews 9:27 “man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” I pray that when you face the judgment your sins will be found paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Take some time

Watch this and let God speak to you.

When sin looks more enjoyable than God
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iszVTWUGQQM

Sometimes life feels like this…

You’re being dragged along by your own agenda and the busyness of the life your living. Most if not all of our busyness is self-inflicted. We schedule sports leagues for ourselves and our children, music lessons, parties, etc… Driving from one thing to the next constantly on the go and being stressed out the whole time and not really enjoying life, just being busy. No time for setting down as a family to eat a meal. There’s barely time to swing by a drive thru window. Sometimes I get to work on Monday and am asked “How was your weekend?” And I can’t remember all that I did. All that comes to mind is that it was busy. Life doesn’t have to be that way. A prolonged life of busyness can lead to many health problems: ulcers, insomnia, heart conditions, increased blood pressure, decreased immune system, infertility, digestive problems and depression just to name a few.

So, who do you turn to put things in perspective? The right answer is the one who created us. God. He made us so He knows what we need. And what does He say?

Ps. 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God”
Ex. 20:9-10 “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work”

We need to work but not mindlessly. Work on things that will matter in 5 years. If it won’t matter in 5 years maybe we shouldn’t be wasting time on it. Remember it’s okay to rest. In fact it’s not a suggestion. God commands it. Let go of the handle once and a while and float and rest. This applies to all aspects of life: physically, mental, spiritual. Many kids don’t know how to rest because they’ve never seen it modeled. Sit them in a park without an iPod, XBOX 360, Internet or cell phone and it’ll drive them crazy. Let’s lead from the front and show our children and the coming generations how to work hard, eat right and REST.

Still No Shortcuts

I was highly disappointed the other day when I received a magazine in the mail from a shop I buy my whey from loaded with a ton of marketing lies lightly dusted with fragments of truth. I read these statements:

“Warning: Massive muscle gains ahead. 21 Supplements for industrial–strength results”
“Just one pill will cause Extreme fat loss and mind alteration.”
“The most potent concentrated Pre-Workout formula ever.“

Just to quote a few. The problem is that deep down inside there is a part of me that wants to believe statements like this are true. These marketing people are no different than the old time tonic and elixir salesmen of days gone by. They make absurd claims. Sell their products. And then when their name gets a bad reputation and sales drop off they just change the label and tweak the ingredients in order to sell it to the next guy. The idea of paying some money, taking a potion and receiving results sounds great. But, don’t be deceived. There are no short cuts for hard physical work, rest and dietary discipline.

Job 15:31 Let him not deceive himself by trusting what is worthless, for he will get nothing in return.

Save your money and avoid nasty side effects by working out, eating right and getting proper sleep. Don't waste time looking for short cuts when you could be pursuing your goals.