Gracias A Dios

"Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.'" --John 20:27

Read: John 20

"The usual?" she asked with a smile. The sweet lunchtime waitress and I have grown accustomed to each another. I'm greeted, not with a menu, but with a name. By now, she knows I don't like ice in my water, and that I prefer egg whites. Probably in her late sixties, she speaks beautiful Spanish and forces me to practice mine. I know she likes my PrayFit hat and goes to church just around the corner. Today, however, she lingered longer than usual after showing me to my booth. I knew immediately she was more empty than my stomach.

"Do you ever doubt?" she asked as she straightened her apron and adjusted her bifocals. Before I could answer, she began to serve up her hurt, and as she phrased it, the need to "see Him" in her life. A glimpse. That's all she wanted. Something to feel, something real. I didn't presume to have all the answers, but we chatted. By the time I ate and payed my bill, my friend was assured of two things: 1) she wasn't alone in her doubts, and 2) she wasn't alone at all.

Friends, Jesus understands. That's why when He showed His scars to Thomas, He showed them to you and me. In order to reach us, He let us touch Him.

Gracias a Dios.

--Jimmy Peña

THE POWER OF FAITH Jimmy Pena talks PrayFit in Chicago Sun-Times feature “We are bold to declare faith can move a mountain, and yet we doubt it can help us move a muscle," Pena tells Sun-Times writer Sandy Thorn-Clark during a recent interview.

The feature, which ran today, also discusses how PrayFit has managed to differentiate itself from other strictly-fitness products on the shelf today.

"After noticing communities — especially churches and schools — suffering physically 'at an alarming rate,' the native of El Paso, Texas, decided to use a gym as his pulpit in an effort to challenge Prayfit participants to do their best each day," Thorn-Clark writes.

>> To read the full article, click here.

>> YOUR TOWN OR BUST!: Fitness as a means of praise. Slimmer waistlines as a byproduct of obedience. The evangelism of fitness is catching on and your community could be next. Contact us at [email protected] to bring PrayFit to your church or community event, or visit our online store to purchase books or DVDs to set up your own fitness ministry or small group.