When I taught our oldest son to drive I tried to teach him more than just the basics of the road. I showed him how to avoid accidents, how to drive defensively. I even tried to show him how to drive on snow and to turn his lights on in the rain.

I later realized that one thing I didn’t teach him was to take care of the vehicle. He knew he had to put gas in it, but other than that, he must have thought cars were supposed to last forever. He never initiated an oil change on his own. He drove for thirty days with the engine warning light flashing on his dash, before telling me.

Our physical bodies are like that vehicle. Just as my son’s car is his transportation to get from place to place, our bodies are the vehicle God has given us to carry out our life.

1 Corinthians 10:31 says that “whatever we do…we are to do it to the glory of God.” We are to honor God with our body. The way we treat our body is important to God. God cares if we take care of the vehicle for life He has given us.

I believe we need to think more about our physical health. Doesn’t the way we feel physically affect every other aspect of our life? If we don’t feel well physically we are not going to be as effective in any other area of your life.

It is proven in clinical studies that there is a direct connection between physical health and our emotional health. Poor fitness can contribute to depression, anxiety, and a host of other emotional disorders. The same is true of our spiritual life. When we are sick, we will be less effective for God.

One question to consider is: Would there be a value in being healthier?

There is a story in the Old Testament, which has encouraged and challenged me. After Joshua and Caleb took over command from Moses and became the leaders of the Israelites, Caleb told Joshua, “So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then.” (Joshua 14:10-11) At 85 years old Caleb was still fighting; still going strong.

That’s what I want my life to be like. My motivation for the health kick is different than it used to be. I’m passed the trying to look good stage and into the trying to feel good in the morning stage. I don’t want unproductive years of my life.

How do we continue to be productive like Caleb was? How do we remain productive at 85 years? I don’t know that I have all the answers, but I’m fairly confident that we don’t start at 85. We start at 20 years…30 years…40 years of age.

Thankfully it’s not rocket science when it comes to being more physically fit. Unless something is seriously wrong with us, for most of us if we want to be more physically fit we need to eat less and exercise more. The question is not whether we have the right diet as much as it is whether or not we are going to follow through.

I have a repeat closing question to consider. Could your quality of life be improved if you were more physically fit? Is there something you can do to improve your physical life? What are you going to do about it?

Yesterday was another amazing day at Grace Community Church. In three and half years our church has seen many such days, but yesterday seemed extra special. We concluded our series “Am I The Only One?” considering how God’s grace can change a life. I was not speaking, so I stood in the back of the room as my co-pastor Chad shared about God’s grace in the life of Bible characters such as Moses and Paul. He then shared how God had poured grace upon his own life eight years ago when he felt ministry was over for him. God breathed new life into him. You can hear the sermon HERE. (I think one of the things which has made our church grow as fast as it has is because we have been open and honest with people about who we are and the struggles of life that we all face, including the pastors.)

Chad’s message closed with our own version of the cardboard testimonies so many churches have done, where you share your hurt, brokenness or failure on one side and flip to the story of God’s grace on the other. As I watched those familiar faces and stories walk across stage, and I looked at the packed room of people in the auditorium, I was instantly reminded of all the lives God has touched through our church in a short time. I saw couples reunited, men who others thought would never come to church, former alcoholics, and those who have been so beat up by the world. It was all I could do to hold back the tears.

We concluded the day with an afternoon baptism service and that’s where I couldn’t hold back the tears. Several hundred of our people returned to enjoy the time together. We had a full band lead us in a few songs; then took the Lord’s Supper together and then the baptism. Twenty-six people were baptized. One of our practices is to allow the father, if he wants to, to baptize his child. Seven dads baptized their children. Two of these were core members of our church. Two were people who have been a part of my ministry for years. I remember sitting with one of these men when we started the church and watching him tear up about being asked to be a core member. He didn’t feel worthy of such a task. Today these men are leading his family well and have played a significant role in the life of the church. I looked into the audience and saw the families represented by those being baptized. I knew that God had changed not just a few lives, but many lives. I couldn’t hold back…the tears flowed.

At the end of the day, another man said to me, “My tear ducts have been cleaned out today.” I could honestly say to him, “I know what you mean”.

Thank you God for your abundant mercy and grace poured out upon us.

Do you think professional athletes are paid too much? Recently on my Facebook a good friend encouraged me to post on this subject. She was enraged to learn that Albert Haynesworth had signed a contract for 7 years worth $100 million to play for the Washington Redskins.

I understand the theory behind this. The owners and managers of the team believe Haynesworth can generate enough revenue for the team to justify the expense. When one considers the business of sports, the truth is that every player is a profit center. Ultimately, every player either needs to earn his keep or help others earn theirs so that in the end the team is profitable.

If Haynesworth is his own profit center, for example, he would need to earn $100 million for 7 years to cover his pay, plus he would need to generate enough revenue to cover his percentage of the team’s overheard, including coaches, support team, advertising, facility costs, etc, and still provide the owners with a profit. Which probably means 1 player will have to generate several hundred million dollars over the course of 7 years to be a good deal for the team. Evidently the Redskins think they can do that with Haynesworth.

That’s not the point though of my friend’s frustration. She sees the current state of the economy. She knows that the public is frustrated with CEO pay and bonuses. She’s fully aware that many Americans are personally struggling. My friend also has walked among some of the poorest people of the world doing mission work, and she knows what a little bit of that wealth could do to help others. For example, Blood: Water Mission reports that $1 will give a person in Africa clean drinking water. If Haynesworth was paid just half of his amount, in 7 years 50 million people could potentially have life-saving water to drink.

I think when I consider it like that I understand what my friend is thinking.

What do you think?

YouTube has several versions of this song, but when I hear it I’m reminded of the commitment I have made as a husband.  I suggest you watch/listen to one of them before reading this post.

Clint Black/Lisa Hartman \”When I Said I Do\”

Can I be completely honest with you about my marriage?

Cheryl and I both are in our second marriage. Most people in our church know this, because I have shared it numerous times. If you don’t know, listen to the podcasts. I certainly don’t share it every week. If it bothers you for me to be a pastor there’s not much I can do about it now and I will not try to convince you I should be one. I know my calling.  I also know that my story is my story and I can’t change it. The purpose of this post is not to defend my qualifications. I know what happened in my situation and where I stand with God. His grace has been more than sufficient in my life and I wouldn’t be who I am today apart from the experiences of my life, good and bad.

All that said, one of the greatest miracles I have known is how God brought Cheryl into my life. Each of us having been deeply wounded by our past, probably never expected life to be so good again. As a single man, so many people attempted to “hook me up” with females, and while I was fully interested, (I know a pretty girl when I see one) I never sensed God allowing me to date. At one point I began praying that God would bring someone into my life again. An aunt of mine had called about 6 months earlier with Cheryl’s name. I wrote it down at the time, laid it on my desk with the other “suggestions” and waited for God to release me. After a season of asking God daily, one day I sensed Him saying, “It’s time”.

Top on my “stack” of suggestions, and the one I had prayed about most frequently, was Cheryl. After a little private background search (seriously) I called Cheryl and asked her to lunch that week. That weekend we went to a movie and dinner. (I asked her if I could kiss her goodnight.) I never dated anyone else. After a year and half dating, we married.

I never imagined how well God could complete me, especially in my ministry role. Cheryl is the perfect pastor’s wife. She is sweet, kind, intelligent, giving, and loyal. She’s my best friend. Her unconditional respect for me (Which is all men’s greatest need by the way) astounds me, knowing the person I am sometimes.

Lately life has been full of stress for both of us. The church is growing faster than we could have imagined. I am always doing more than I should. Sometimes it seems I never have enough time in my day. I work at least 6 days a week, many weeks 7 days. Cheryl is equally busy. She is a professional accountant. She is a conscientious employee and goes beyond the call of duty in her work. In addition, the demands as a pastor’s wife are overwhelming at times. On top of all that, we, of course, want and need family time with each other and our two boys. Frankly, a lot of people expect us to be everywhere. (I took some time over the past week to plan some getaways for this year, including this next weekend, because we need it!) Our relationship gets stretched as with every married couple.

Every week I watch marriages fall apart. I understand, more than most pastors, the pain of divorce. When God says, “I hate divorce”, I believe I know His heart. I am so thankful for a wife as committed to us as a couple as Cheryl is. I want you to know Cheryl, that whatever it takes, I’m in this for the long haul.

I love you sweetheart. When I said I do, I meant I will. Forever.

Can’t wait for this weekend together!