Focused Living

Greetings,

It has almost been a month since I published my fist entry on this blog. One thing that I am learning about putting your life journey on the internet is that it must happen more often than once a month. Our culture seems to thrive on a chaotic process of trying to do many different things at once through the process of multi-tasking. I will admit that trying to do several things at the same time does indeed give us all the possibility of increased productivity. I will also admit that I try to be the superman of multi-tasking by being a disciple of Christ, husband, father, pastor, and seminary student. Although we have the possibility of increased productivity, I am learning that if I will take the road of single-tasking I tend to actually be more productive. One thing I am beginning to believe is that the guilt our culture puts on us to multi-task is simply another tool the devil may use to keep us distracted from the real important parts of life, most specifically being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Getting healthy takes focus. You cannot eat right for a couple of days and then lay off for a couple of days. You cannot exercise for two weeks and then take two weeks off. Sure the time that you spend eating right and exercising is not a waste, but consistent effort in this area will not yield the desired results unless done with focus. I have to admit that over the past month my getting healthy plan has not been what I hoped it would be. I have been inconsistent in my eating plan and the regularity of exercise. I think about the need for a more focused effort everyday, but at this point I have not made the life changes necessary to get my life on a different track. The worst thing we can say to ourselves when making major life changes is that we will get back on track tomorrow, after this weekend, or after vacation.

I heard on the John Tesh radio program the other day that every time you make a wrong choice to eat something you should not when trying to get healthy, you actually set yourself back in the process. This is not to say that we have to punish ourselves when trying to get healthy and never treat ourselves to something that is not on the plan, but it does mean that we have to be disciplined in staying on track. Every time we make the right choice to eat right and exercise, we move ourselves closer to being the person of health we desire to be. Staying focused is the key of getting healthy. A goal weight and a certain pant size is not the goal, for you can be a “healthy weight” while not living healthy. My quest is not just to look better and be in better shape. I believe that both of those will come by the means of being healthy. I want to be around to hold Emily’s hand 50 years from now if the Lord tarries and I want to be around to enjoy Anna Claire and her future family, all if the Lord wills.

This principle is even truer when it comes to being a disciple of Jesus Christ. My working definition of a Christian disciple is a focused, growing, witnessing follower and servant of Jesus Christ. There is a reason for putting the word focused first in this working definition. Unless we are focused on being a disciple we will not be able to serve Him and grow in grace and become more like Jesus in victory(holy living) over sin and love and relations with others. As well, our ability to help others find and serve Christ will be hampered by a non focus on being a disciple. I am afraid that the church is full of people who have prayed the sinner’s prayer, regular in church attendance, live moral lives, and try to be “good” people all the while expecting to make it to heaven someday when there really is a lack of focus in their lives when it come to actually being a biblical Christian. The church in America is full of church-ianity and people trying to live dual lives in the church and in the world. Christian discipleship requires a person to have a focused priority of living life for Jesus over all things. Only when we actually put Jesus first in our life, not just saying it because it is the right thing to say, will we be able to prioritize everything else into the proper place that engages us not only in glorifying God but engaging in life as the Lord intended us to do.

I can tell you what is first in your life by what you do with your time, money, thoughts, and energy. I will go so far as to say that I will not be able to get healthy in my life is Jesus is not more important that even taking care of my body. Not to mention that I will not be able to be the husband, father, son, brother, friend, pastor, and student that I desire to be unless my first focus is on serving Jesus Christ and being His disciple.

Please continue to pray for me as I am getting the focus I need to get healthy. I would also ask you to pray for me as I continue to put my first focus on keeping Christ as the number one priority in my life. I will pray for all of you as well as you endeavor to participate in the purpose of all living humans. Don’t get down on yourself and rebuke the devil when he tells you that you are failing at keeping Christ your first focus. The Holy Spirit will convict you and give you the grace to get back on track. Remember, just like healthy living is a life long process, Christian discipleship is also a life long commitment and forming process. Glorification will be a wonderful and satisfying thing for all of us who finish the race.

Peace of Christ!

Blessings,
Pastor Brad

The Journey

Greetings,

I have pondered over the past few months if I was ready to take the plunge into blogging. For the most part, I do not have a lot of time to spend responding to e-mails let alone reading the blogs of other people. I guess I decided to start a blog to be a place for me to express my views for others to read, for accountability, and for the purposes of journaling the journey I desire to be on.

This blog has several purposes. First, I desire to have a place to post my spiritual and theological thoughts for the reading of my congregation and anyone else that might stumble upon these posts. Secondly, I am starting a journey of health and weight loss for the next 12 months and for the rest of my life. I have struggled for the past decade to regain a control on my weight and a disciplined lifestyle of eating right, exercising, and getting enough rest. Thirdly, I hope that the sharing of spiritual insights gained while on the treadmill will help others who desire to make changes in their lives (especially changes that directly impact being a disciple of Jesus Christ) to see that there are others who struggle and who are trying to make changes.

This blog is going to be my internet accountability. I am going to document my journey to get my life in order. I will be honest about my ups and downs, but I have every belief that a year from now, I will be celebrating the joy of overcoming a great obstacle. As well, I am excited about having a virtual pulpit where I can infuse the realistic struggles of life with practical spiritual and theological perspectives that will hopefully help others on a similar journey.

I want to get healthy for myself, my wife Emily, our daughter Anna Claire, and for the purpose of giving the Lord my whole life, even my weight and health.

In the writings of the prophet Zechariah, he ends his work with a beautiful telling of what life will be like after the Lord destroys all of the evil on the earth and He makes a way for all who will come to worship Him in His Temple. He describes that everything will be sanctified for the purpose and use of the Lord. He uses this phrase, “Holy to the Lord,” as what will be inscribed on everything, even the horses used for war. I want my life to have that same inscription. For this to be so, I must surrender everything to Jesus so that I may be completely His. Holy to the Lord means everything, even our quest for better health. I must put the same effort into keeping my body healthy as I do in keeping my spirit connected to Christ. If I do not, I cannot with integrity call others to give their all.

Please join me on this journey to wholeness and holiness. I did not get this way over night, but I am committing to doing what it takes to fix it. Please pray with me, respond to my posts, and share your own wisdom and encouragement for all to see.
Blessings,
Pastor Brad