Peace is the Word

"..and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace." --Ephesians 6:15 

We've all been fitted for shoes at one time or another, and if you're flat-footed like me, you know immediately whether a shoe is gonna work or not. As kids, it was important for them to measure our feet with that little foot-measuring thing, remember? But it wasn't until your mom or dad found your big toe and you walked around a little that you and everyone else had a peace about them. A peace? Well...walk with me.

Consider the athlete. Most major sports -- from baseball, basketball to football -- have shoes that fit the game. It's simple, right? The athlete needs to be sure-footed for the surface. Sure-footed. At peace. Think of a golfer swinging a club on slick wet grass or a sprinter getting into the blocks. There's a peace in knowing you're firmly planted.

Consider Paul. When he described the full armor of God, he didn't forget the feet. In Biblical times, Roman sandals had thick spikes on the soles to ensure that the warrior was grounded, anchored, and less likely to slip. It's no wonder Paul urged for our feet to be "fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace."

Imagine. Athletes wear the shoe that best meets the needs of their sport. Ancient warriors dressed for battle. It's neat to consider God fitting His children - His athletes and warriors - to be sure-footed. And for every believer, one shoe fits. The gospel of peace. (Peace from head to big toe.)

- Jimmy Peña

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A Peace of the Gym

At Calvary Community Church in Westlake Village, we've begun a 6-week teaching series called ENGAGE: Living and Loving Like Jesus in Your Everyday Relationships. It's a church-wide initiative that will touch as many hearts as possible. The message from the pulpit is driving the same curriculum being taught to the younger children, to the high school kids, young adults and even to those affected by special needs. Even the thousands of small group attendees in the local area are using it as a guide over the next 6 weeks. 

The interpretation is pretty simple and impossible and daunting and motivating and humbling. See, because our relationships often reflect the brokenness of the world around us, living and loving like Jesus is extremely challenging for many reasons. But here's the peace, here's the grace, here's the truth, here's the promise, here's the hope. According to Pastor Shawn: Jesus always engaged with people in ways that added value to their lives and ultimately shaped culture for good.

So what about us, the health-hunters, the fitness-minded, the seekers, the hard-gainers, and the illness-fighters. How does the way Jesus interacted with others influence the way we go about the business of bodily stewardship? Can the Christian be the most peace-full, peace-filled, peace-giving person in the gym? Should we be the peace of the gym? 

If it's alright with you, I think I'll let PrayFit have some themes over the next few weeks. This week's focus: peacemakers.

Perhaps it'll change the way we approach the gym, the studio, the guy on the treadmill, the lady behind the counter taking membership cards, the custodian cleaning up the restroom, the family member that wants us to stay home instead of heading out for our run. And maybe it'll change the way we see the person looking back at us in this morning's mirror. 

Happy Monday, everyone. More than progress, let's make peace.

- Jimmy Peña

To Do:
Warm-up: Think about someone you need to make peace with (could be any of those I mentioned above, maybe someone else) and then just pray for them.

Exercise: Memorize this verse: "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." - Romans 12:18

Sounds. Crazy.

In his book, Crazy Love, Francis Chan writes, "Why would God create more than 350,000,000,000 galaxies (and this is a conservative estimate) that generations of people never saw or even knew existed? Do you think maybe it was to make us say, "Wow, God is unfathomably big"? Or perhaps God wanted our response to be, "Who do I think I am?"

Today when you walk into the gym and approach your first exercise, do me a favor and pause for a moment. Close your eyes and listen. Treadmills are to your right; feet pounding at varying paces. From the cable crossover area, weight stacks clang with regularity. Beyond them, someone is squatting in the power rack. You can faintly tell that someone behind them is offering encouragement.

For others, the sounds you hear are different. Your physical therapy clinic is shy a squat rack, but heavy on therapy bands. Rather than a seated row, there's plenty of leather-covered beds where therapists re-train people to stand, to walk, and even less. The truth tugs at your heart with your eyes closed.

From cycle studios, to gritty gyms, to delicate rehab centers, the sound is unmistakeable. coming in many forms and with a pitch that each ear detects differently. Regardless of the surroundings, each clang, boing, swish, boom, huff and puff make up a song titled, "We Are Not God." 

Certain things in my life recently have me asking, "Who do I think I am?" Can anyone relate? Paul Tripp writes, "The more you understand the magnitude of God's grace, the more accurate your view of the depth of your unrighteousness; and the more you understand the depth of your unrighteousness, the more you will appreciate the magnitude of God's gift of grace." Here's a question. How does your battle for physical stewardship help remind you of who you are not? 

- jimmy peña

This Month in iPrayFit: All sorts of delicious goodness from The PrayFit Kitchen this month. Are you a member? Please take a look and see what all PrayFit's resident dietitian, Jennifer Fielden, has served up for you. In fact, she's designed an original, whole-food, energy-boosting, all-natural 3-day plan for you. And she does it each month! 

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New In Store: 

One of the most widely shared posts in PrayFit history is now available as a poster! The PrayFit Prayer, seen here, reminds us of our ultimate motivations for health. This durable, tear-resistant poster has a smooth matte, non-glare finish and is designed with a 1" white border to give it a clean look whether it is framed or pinned to a wall.

Poster Size: 20"x24"

Finally, The Chorus

Finally, The Chorus.

prayfit.org

Finally, the chorus. As a noun, the definition of chorus means, "A piece of music, especially one forming part of a larger work." And as a verb it means, "To say the same thing at the same time." Yes, finally, the chorus. As I've found my corner of the house each night to punch this keyboard, I've turned this song on. And each day that I've gotten out of bed to start the day, it's been my theme. So finally, Friday, the chorus.

Friday is typically a recap or summary of the week, and it's been a good one, amen? Neat to circle the wagons around a theme. The prodigal son and his turn for home - coupled with a father's grace - is enough to fill a week like this, and it's enough to fill the weak like me.

Carry on my wayward son
For there'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more

The chorus. My life and health - YOUR life and health - beautiful music that forms part of a larger work; the song of creation. And guess what? We're saying it at the same time. The definition of me and you is the life we live for Jesus. Faith is the key, love is the rhythm, and grace is the bridge. And if we're listening, Jesus our Savior and Conductor is giving us our only note: "me, me, me,...Me."

- Jimmy Peña

For Discussion: Much love guys. Have a good weekend. Thank you for your constant prayers and faithful reading. Power, off.

Wayward Son - Part II

"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have food to spare and here I am starving to death!'" --Luke 15:17

If you read my latest book, you know where I'm going, because you know the story. A silhouette appears on the horizon. Too far away to distinguish, but a father who's been waiting for his son to come home can't help but wonder. Squinting, he raises his hand over his eyes to block the sun's glare. As the distant figure gets closer, the father begins to walk in that direction; slowly at first, trying to match the pace of his visitor. Until he realizes this is...this is no visitor. It's him. It's his boy. His long, lost son was home. And with compassion and forgiveness, he ran to him, embraced him, kissed him, clothed him and fed him. Grace happened.

You know the story. The prodigal son is nothing new to you. The son takes his inheritance and high-tails it his way to the highway. You know the story. And in one way or another maybe you've lived it. Perhaps you're living it now. Maybe not with an inheritance, but perhaps with your inherited health. Long hours, long days, obligations, deadlines, family matters, friends that matter, must-see TV and your must-read social media find you on foreign soil; a place you were never designed to be. Maybe it's time to go home.

--Jimmy Peña

For Discussion: How could I not revisit the prodigal son during our "Wayward Son" review? Grace happened. Who can we be praying for today? 

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Wayward Son

Our theme for the week comes from an unlikely song; Carry On Wayward Son by Kansas. Do you know it? Look up the word 'wayward' in the dictionary and synonyms like willful, stubborn, headstrong, disobedient, undisciplined, unruly, wild, unmanageable, difficult, rebellious, defiant and impossible make the list. Any wayward sons and daughters reading this today? Well, a wayward son is writing it.

I tell you, few lyrics of any song carry as good of a picture of grace - even as it relates to our temporary health - as this one. And over the next few days I'm going to try to navigate us through them. Hopefully, whatever you're facing, something you read this week will help your sweet spirit and strong soul carry on.

"Carry on my wayward son... 
There'll be peace when you are done...
Lay your weary head to rest...
Don't you cry no more."

- Jimmy Peña

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New at iPrayFit:
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Clear Eyes

In his recent "Grace-Full" prayer, my dear friend Scotty Smith writes, "Heavenly Father, nothing is more daily and revealing than our words--the conversations we carry on in our minds, and the communications we share with our lips. We don't want to contradict our love for you by a graceless use of our words. We want our hearts to be SO full of your loving-kindness today, it'll be difficult to waste our words on self-deprecation or self-exaltation."

Wow. 'It'll be difficult to waste our words on self-deprecation or self-exaltation.' 

Man, guys, are our hearts so blasted by the gospel that we despair to either think too low or too high of ourselves? Are we finding it as difficult to be anxious about our illness as we do to boast about our fitness? I hope so. The goal of PrayFit is to help us all see both our sickness and our ability through the same gospel; to realize that either state is a chance to reveal the glory of His grace. After all, our healthiest moment may come on our sickest day.

John Piper once asked, "Is the glory of God the brightest treasure on the horizon of your future?" What a perfect question for us. Whether you're a fitness-minded believer trying to either gain perspective or lose inches, this is the question we need to ask ourselves.

If the answer is yes, it throttles us, does it not? It controls the desire, tempers the enthusiasm, or it ignites a passion to honor God with better choices of food and fitness.

The glory of God - like an unexpected reflection of the sun -divinely blinds us. We shut our eyes, turn our heads and wait for our vision to adjust. PrayFit - God-willing - provides that period of time of necessary adjustment.

Blink, blink, blink, blink. Ok, bursts gone, shadows removed. Clear eyes again. May the light of His glory and grace make it difficult for us to see ourselves as anything more or less than what we are.

- Jimmy Peña

 Going Deeper: Is the glory of His grace the highest motivator for your soul? Is it the reason you're being as modest as you are motivated? 

Train To Win

There he is. He's been up all night. If you've been with us the last couple of days, you know what he's writing and to whom. He's almost to the end of one of his letters. The rhythmic regularity of the occasional drop of water echoes off the cold walls of the prison, and the light of the lamp is now competing with the small ray coming from a window near the ceiling. Staring at the new patch of light on the floor, he finishes this sentence. "...training it to do what it should."

Paul knew that athletes live, eat and sleep their sport. He understood the rigors, the devotion, the sacrifices, and the quest to be the one to win. If you're a competitive runner, he could've easily been describing you. That up-at-dawn discipline inside you? The dedication toward winning your next race? Paul got it.

But unlike the runner who trains for a race, we train during one. We train daily and compete daily, don't we? So with that in mind, notice carefully his choice of words. "Training" (a process) "it" (the body) "to do" (to act, proceed) "what it should" (the right thing). Paul wants us to train our eyes to notice the lonely, our ears to hear the helpless, and to deny the flesh. We're to run to Christ, run away from sin, run to those in need, and to do it all the time.

And he knew that in order for us to do that, we have to live, eat and sleep the Word of God. You know, like Christian athletes. The kind that -- like Paul -- train to win.

--Jimmy Peña

For Discussion:  Yesterday I asked for your definition of a Christian athlete. Amazing responses. Someone wrote me, "Someone who trains like a lion and lives like a lamb." Wow. Incredible. Tomorrow we'll finish our study, but as you may have realized, Paul isn't talking about a concern for how the body looks, but he's claiming the kind of spiritual discipline in his life that athletes have in their sport. Are we training our lives?

Like An Athlete

Where were we? Oh, yes. Under the light of the lamp; mid-letter. As we look over his shoulder, we find Paul telling his readers about the need for self-discipline. Not in order to earn salvation, but for the eternal rewards of reflecting the Lord in life. "I discipline my body like an athlete..."

In the book of Hebrews, the author writes, "For they (earthly fathers) disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness."

Paul knew that God wants us to live holy lives, and because we fall and fail, we need to be disciplined like children. And here, what we find Paul proclaiming -- and eventually carving into our hearts -- is a preemptive strike upon his own. As the sports-minded or health-conscious person may appreciate, Paul uses the analogy of an athlete who perseveres through training. He allowed the athlete's life of sacrifice to describe how he lives the sacrificial life of a Christ-follower.

At first glance, it's an incredible parallel drawn by the most influential man the world has ever known this side of Christ. But even more amazing when you consider that the man who wrote these words would be given 39 lashes five times, beaten with rods five times, pelted with stones, shipwrecked three times, and who would go without sleep, food and clothing; all because of his heart for churches, people and the message of Jesus.

In sports or fitness, it's tough for an athlete to go without food or sleep, but this most amazing man of God didn't seek to 1) look like, or 2) win medals or even 3) get adored like an athlete. No, the man we find under the lamp trained his LIFE like one. And when he finishes this sentence, we'll find out why.

--Jimmy Peña

For Discussion: In one sentence, what is your definition of a Christian athlete?

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PrayFit RISE Los Angeles: Speaking of Christian athletes, Jimmy Page will be speaking at RISE in October. Jimmy serves as a Vice President of Field Ministry and the National Director of the Health & Fitness ministry for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Jimmy has coauthored four books, WisdomWalks, WisdomWalks SPORTS, PrayFit, and One Word That Will Change Your Life. Jimmy is a frequent speaker at schools, churches, camps, and retreats and a trainer for corporate, sports, and nonprofit organizations, challenging people to maximize their life and make a difference. He has a contagious enthusiasm and passion for life. As a lifelong athlete, Jimmy enjoys coaching, cycling, and triathlons. Jimmy and Ivelisse were college sweethearts, and they reside in Maryland with their four children: Jimmy, Jacob, John, and Gracie. You don't want to miss him.

The Light of the Lamp

Every once in a while we'll begin on Monday by talking about a principle -- such as courage or hope -- embracing it all week, infusing it into each day's message of health. Welcome to such a week. But rather than circle our wagons around a singular truth or Godly characteristic, a verse will be our central theme. And while there are no ordinary verses, this is no ordinary verse. I'm even guessing some of you know it by heart. But whatever you do, don't miss a day. We're going back.

We're going back to sit with Paul in prison cells and dark corners. We'll watch as he painfully and poetically places each word of this sentence in its place. Of the many treasures he crafted, this was worth its weight in gold. If he were writing sheet music, this was a high C. If this were his closing argument, consider this his exclamation point; a point he made to help meet the needs of the people in Corinth, and a point that meets ours.

So as we begin a week full of every kind of obligation -- obligations we've scribbled on our to-do lists -- let's meet each day right here. Let's share the light of the lamp as he dips his pen. In order to do that, we have to get close. Let's gather around him. No time to be shy, squeeze in. There's room, so don't hesitate. He's about to write his first words.

"I discipline...

--Jimmy Peña

For Discussion: Paul wrote Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians and Philemon from a prison cell. The actual cell is pictured here. Many that have traveled to Rome have taken this picture. I actually can't describe my thoughts. It was God's will that what Paul wrote in this room would reach our hearts. Unfathomable. Let's honor Paul's work and read his letters. It may mean less TV, a shorter workout or turning off social media. But God speaks to us through His Word.

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Of Discipline: Our resident dietitian, Jennifer Fielden, is preparing and praying over so many new meal plans and recipes for you in the iPrayFit membership. Enjoy. We're here to serve you.
 

Out of Place

Max Lucado once told a story about a musician playing in a D.C metro station. After a day of playing - and accepting donations - the young man made about thirty bucks. Only one person out of thousands that passed by recognized him as renowned violinist Joshua Bell.

Max writes, "You can't fault the instrument. The Stradivarius-built treasure was worth 3.5 million dollars. You can't fault the music. Bell successfully played a piece by Johann Sebastian Bach that Bell called one of the greatest achievements of any man in history. But scarcely anyone noticed. No one expected majesty in such a context."

Wow.

Yesterday at church I sat and listened to the executive director of a ministry that serves Iran. Incredible what God is doing in growing His church in the most seemingly unsuspected places. 

Got me thinking about noticing others in the gym, seeing the fitness center and its dwellers as a captive audience; to simply notice; to be ready to serve God when it's time; to see majesty in our context.

When Jesus sent the disciples to all nations to preach the Gospel, He didn't put conditions on it. "Go and make disciples - just not at their place of business, or at school, or in the government, and by no means disturb their workouts." No, on the contrary. It's in the most unlikely of places - and even in the busiest of places with the busiest people - that we're called to see Him in them. "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it for me."

I say the next time we get to the gym, we keep our eyes open for the one with the violin.

-Jimmy Peña

For Discussion:  Do you have someone in mind that you could serve as someone in need? Who do you know or see at the gym each day that may be ignored by everyone (for any number of reasons)? Is God calling you to stop and listen?

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FAST FOOD: Attention iPrayFit Members! All new recipes, meal plans, strategies and tips are loaded inside iPrayFit for August by our new resident dietitian Jennifer Fielden, so please be sure to check it all out! You will be blessed, educated and inspired. Watch her cook and then Click here!

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DON'T MISS IT! PrayFit RISE is fast-approaching. If you're in the area or if you're out-of-state, we invite you to join us for PrayFit RISE Los Angeles 2017. Benefitting kids affecting by special needs and global missions, PrayFit Rise 2017 is an experience that celebrates Jesus, His love, our growth in grace and service to the community while seeing health through the Gospel’s lens. 

PrayFit RISE will allow everyone of all ages to celebrate grace while learning to live a healthier, humble, modest, service-driven, grace-filled life.

Pastors, world-renowned Christian speakers, dietitians, fitness experts, and more will be on-hand to make PrayFit Rise 2017 an unbelievable experience for everyone.

Click here to register

Wheels Up

Tomorrow will be a special day. I'll apply my sunscreen, pack a few snacks, put on my sandals and adjust my cap. Tomorrow is beach day, but not just any beach day. 

The special needs ministry at Calvary Community Church with Gina Spivey (you've heard me mention it before) is Luke 14 in the flesh. From weekly ministries, monthly buddy breaks for parents, to high school proms and retreats, to yes, beach days.

But, let me back up; yesterday afternoon to be exact. Loretta was going through her checklist. Toothbrush? Check. Extra socks? Check. Passport? Check. Tool belt? Cheee...what? That's right. Tool belt. Indeed, deep breath, Letta was packed and ready for Africa. On mission, as her leadership says, she's off to build wheelchairs to give "the gift of mobility and hope of the gospel to those affected by disability worldwide. In certain parts of the country, disabled people are the marginalized, overlooked and forgotten. People with limited mobility are tragically often excluded from life in their communities because they have no way of moving around. Receiving a wheelchair allows them to attend school and church, therefore becoming part of their communities and villages, changing their lives forever."

Which reminds me, tomorrow at beach day, wheelchairs will travel across the sand from the street to the shoreline. Volunteers will lay planks of plywood down and push each chair along, picking up the wood and running it to the front of the line; think of applying asphalt down as the car approaches and then running ahead of the car to repeat the process. Well, people of all ages- some at the beach for the first time and some at the beach in a long time - will be making sandcastles, riding boogie boards, running away from the waves up the sand, breathing in ocean air. Can you hear a seagull as you read this sentence?

A few miles from my home in L.A. lies the longest indoor wheelchair ramp in the world; a ramp that supports the wheelchair of the second longest surviving quadriplegic ever. A diving accident in 1967 left Joni Eareckson, then 17, a quadriplegic in a wheelchair. She eventually founded Joni and Friends in 1979 to provide Christ-centered programs to special-needs families and churches.

Guess what? Sunday night, I'll be watching and listening to her speak LIVE at Calvary Community Church in Westlake Village as she hosts the re-release of the movie "Joni." Some of you may remember her life's story when Billy Graham put it on his shoulders for the world to see. If you're in the area, come join me. In fact, Joni is celebrating her 50th year in her chair. And yes, she's celebrating. Not since Charles Spurgeon have I ever read or heard any words on the purpose and meaning of suffering like the ones penned and spoken by her. 

So, looking at my watch, and based on the time she took off, you're likely reading this as Letta is landing. Reminds me, before she left she was busy ironing her t-shirts and pants. I told her that her clothes are going to wrinkle in flight, so don't worry about that. She stopped, set the iron down and said, "According to our mission directors, to these people, getting a wheelchair is the biggest day of their lives and many of them will wear their best clothes for the occasion. I want to respect that as best I can." She continued to iron in tears; much like the ones that stream down my face as I type this sentence.

And now here we are at the end of a week where many of us - including the pride-soaked author of this blog - gave little thought to how easy it is to get around, get to the gym, walk to the store, grab a coffee. We need grace to remind us to thank God for the gift of mobility. Hopefully you will do so right now.

Oh, by the way, Loretta is heading to Africa on behalf of...you guessed it...Joni. Joni has delivered over 100,000 wheelchairs and Bibles to needy, disabled persons in developing nations through volunteers. All Letta wants to do is please the Lord, help build wheelchairs and honor Joni. (You're doing it, babe.)

Ya'll pray for my wife, for those dear people who will receive wheelchairs in Africa and for the special needs families on the beach this weekend. Wheels up.

- Jimmy Peña

Undone

Why did we ever leave Egypt?

— Numbers 11:20

Did you catch our verse above? The Israelites actually missed prison. Not long after the Israelites met freedom, they actually longed for captivity. Behind bars they had no choices. As inmates, they had no responsibility. Even though they were trapped, they were warm, cozy, and full. Their prayer for freedom was a dangerous one. But nothing a generation in the desert couldn't answer.

What about us? When was the last time you and I prayed dangerously? About finances, a relationship...our health? See, once they were set free, the Israelites faced the need for obedience and responsibility; so do we. Folks, our bodies are merely tools, not finished products. Better "fitness" simply means better equipped. It's tough to visit the poor from the couch, and it's impossible to see the hurting in our own mirror. But we're warm, cozy, and full (even if of ourselves). (Note: this should speak to both the fit and the not-so-fit.)

If God allows us the opportunity for better health the rest of the year, what will we do with it? Will we sit? Focus on ourselves? Will we allow a generation to wander before we see health as a means of praise? If so, why did we ever leave Egypt?

- jimmy peña

UPDATE:
Speaking of dangerous prayers, last week Team PrayFit gathered. Last week Team PrayFit came undone. From around the country, members of the small PrayFit family circled the wagons to pray and plan. In one respect, being undone means being made free. Unchained. Restored. Made right. And in that regard, we are. But being undone also means being unfinished. Yeah. In one word, undone, you have the make-up of a small band of brothers and sisters who choose Christ and count everything outside of bringing glory to God's grace as loss. Fitness and food are "meaningless vanity" unless God is glorified through them.

I am still spinning from the things we said, planned, agreed upon, unanimously denied, rose above, realized, and targeted. Helping the church with humble, bodily stewardship while simultaneously making Jesus famous in the fitness industry is complex. It's dangerous. But we're praying those kinds of prayers.

PrayFit RISE:
Here we come, guys. PrayFit RISE is fast-approaching. If you're in the area or if you're out-of-state, we invite you to join us for PrayFit RISE Los Angeles 2017. Benefitting kids affecting by special needs and global missions, PrayFit Rise 2017 is an experience that celebrates Jesus, His love, our growth in grace and service to the community while seeing health through the Gospel’s lens. 

Promoting PrayFit Rise is Exercise Physiologist and New York Times bestselling author Jimmy Peña - founder of PrayFit Ministries. PrayFit RISE will allow everyone of all ages to celebrate grace while learning to live a healthier, humble, modest, service-driven, grace-filled life.

Spanning Los Angeles and surrounding areas, invitations will touch as many as possible and marketed as a celebration of Jesus, His love and grace, faith, fitness, food and more! 

Preachers, world-renowned Christian speakers, dietitians, fitness experts, and more will be on-hand to make PrayFit Rise 2017 an unbelievable experience for everyone.

Click here to register

The Price Tag of Real Worth

After reading Tozer's excerpt on meekness yesterday, I came to many conclusions, but none more evident than this: I am not meek, and I certainly am not resting in Jesus like God wants me to.

A few key thoughts jump back to me, and maybe they resonated with you too:

• The labor of self-love is a heavy one indeed. 
• As long as you set yourself up as a little god to which you must be loyal there will be those who will delight to offer affront to your idol. 
• The heart's fierce effort to protect itself from every slight, to shield its touchy honor... 
• The meek man cares not at all who is greater than he, for he has long ago decided that the esteem of the world is not worth the effort.
• He rests perfectly content to allow God to place His own values.
• He will be patient to wait for the day when everything will get its own price tag and real worth will come into its own.
• As he walks on in meekness he will be happy to let God defend him. 

Guys, I don't know, but there must be a reason why as I read these sentences and phrases, a strange peace comes over me. There has to be a reason why as I read them, I am - even but for a brief second - given deep release as if I'm actually living this way or that I've been given the keys to freedom; my heart buoyed in a sea that so easily causes me to sink. And I think the reason I feel that way is because Jesus truly does call us to His rest and meekness is the method by which we can.

Social media makes me anxious. It always has. I'm not on it much, but I relate social media to walking into a crowded restaurant and listening to every conversation at every table. Madness, right? And not only that, everyone in the restaurant is doing the same. Or imagine listening to every conversation and song of everyone sharing your daily commute to work. Crazy! And so here I come, like I'm climbing the onramp of the 405 freeway on a tricycle. Be clever, be inspirational, make a difference, grow, reach more people, keep up Jimmy or get run over! Keep up! HONK! HONK! 

Ok, maybe that's pushing it, but it is but one example of the things of life that if we let meekness be our method, we won't care what the world thought. And if God is pleased, it doesn't matter what the world thinks. Same goes with our health, our bodies. All we want is for God to be pleased, amen? I'm gonna get off at the next exit and finish this brief series tomorrow, but is anyone feeling this with me? What is God speaking to you about?

In His rest,
- jimmy

NEW IN STORE: 

Thank you so much for taking a look at some of our new items in the PrayFit store. Everything you purchase helps us continue doing what we do.

Meekness is His Method

As we study meekness, let's give ourselves homework. Tomorrow we'll review together this excerpt from Tozer as it pertains to our health and our pursuit of fitness. But find a good corner, a soft lamp, and a few moments to soak this in.

"Let us examine our burden. It is altogether an interior one. It attacks the heart and the mind and reaches the body only from within. First, there is the burden of pride. The labor of self-love is a heavy one indeed. Think for yourself whether much of your sorrow has not arisen from someone speaking slightingly of you. As long as you set yourself up as a little god to which you must be loyal there will be those who will delight to offer affront to your idol. How then can you hope to have inward peace? The heart's fierce effort to protect itself from every slight, to shield its touchy honor from the bad opinion of friend and enemy, will never let the mind have rest. Continue this fight through the years and the burden will become intolerable. Yet the sons of earth are carrying this burden continually, challenging every word spoken against them, cringing under every criticism, smarting under each fancied slight, tossing sleepless if another is preferred before them.

Such a burden as this is not necessary to bear. Jesus calls us to His rest, and meekness is His method. The meek man cares not at all who is greater than he, for he has long ago decided that the esteem of the world is not worth the effort. He develops toward him self a kindly sense of humor and learns to say, "Oh, so you have been overlooked? They have placed someone else before -you? They have whispered that you are pretty small stuff after all? And now you feel hurt because the world is saying about you the very things you have been saying about yourself? Only yesterday you were telling God that you were nothing, a mere worm of the dust. Where is your consistency? Come on, humble yourself, and cease to care what men think."

The meek man is not a human mouse afflicted with a sense of his own inferiority. Rather he may be in his moral life as bold as a lion and as strong as Samson; but he has stopped being fooled about himself. He has accepted God's estimate of his own life. He knows he is as weak and helpless as God has declared him to be, but paradoxically, he knows at the same time that he is in the sight of God of more importance than angels. In, himself,,, nothing; in God, everything. That is his motto. He knows well that the world will never see him as God sees him and he has stopped caring. He rests perfectly content to allow God to place His own values. He will be patient to wait for the day when everything will get its own price tag and real worth will come into its own. Then the righteous shall shine forth in the Kingdom of their Father. He is willing to wait for that day.

In the meantime he will have attained a place of soul rest. As he walks on in meekness he will be happy to let God defend him. The old struggle to defend himself is over. He has found the peace which meekness brings."

Homework: Study this passage, reading it again and again if need be. How does this apply to our pursuits? Can meekness be our method? Our motto?

Muscle. Meekness.

“Blessed are the meek: 
for they shall inherit the earth.”

— Matthew 5:5

Max Lucado once wrote, "A small cathedral outside Bethlehem marks the supposed birthplace of Jesus.  Behind a high altar in the church is a cave, a little cavern lit by silver lamps. You can enter the quiet cave where a star embedded in the floor recognizes the birth of the King. There’s one stipulation, however. You have to stoop. The door is so low you can’t go in standing up. The same is true of the Christ. Blessed are the meek, Jesus explained. You can see the world standing tall, but to witness the Savior, you have to get on your knees. While the theologians were sleeping, and the elite were dreaming, and the successful were snoring, the meek were kneeling. They were kneeling before the One only the meek will see."

And that's what we will do over the next few days. We will imagine the doorway to our gym or our studio has somehow been lowered; shrunk to the point that we - the typically upright and able hard-chargers - have to stoop. Our new posture - before and after every rep, every pose, every hold, and every goal that we set - will serve as a reminder that our health and our opportunities to succeed all come from God.

We have nothing in our hands, no grip, no nerve, no sinew, no muscle, no motivated mind, no desire in our hearts, no fire in our belly, and nothing in the mirror's reflection displaying the byproducts of those intangibles that we did not receive from God.

But may we all be warned. FOR that to happen, and IF that happens, there are consequences. It may mean - on the shallow periphery - less success, less strength, endurance or achievement. It may mean - on the invisible soul - that the weight of the opinions of others weighs less, and it may mean that the accepted and expected competition with yesterday's self is actually less competitive, less fierce, less intense, less obvious. But my prayer for all of us - especially for the pride-filled writer of this sentence - is that the consequence will be a blessing; one given to those that will inherit the earth.

-Jimmy Peña

Melt The Ice

Salt. Our week's theme. Salt. That's us to the world. Countless articles have been written on the subject; the metaphor, the meaning, the explanation of what the Bible means when it says that we are the salt of the earth. But what does it mean for us in the fitness industry? What does salt do?

It preserves.
It seasons.
It cures.

It also melts ice.

One of the single greatest obstacles facing the fitness industry isn’t a lack of Christians supplied with the gospel, it’s in the distribution of it. In some cases, it’s fear. Fear of being a radical. Fear of being the freak. Or rather than seeing the gym, fitness center or ‘box’ as a mission field, we’re competing for attention on a physical level. 

But imagine if one of our “fitness goals” each week was to mention Jesus to just one (1) perfect stranger we encounter (or even to someone we’ve been training with for a long time.) No attention, no glitz, no new “likes,” no new followers, no hearts on Instagram, but just a simple, humble desire to reach those God has brought into our midst for the cause of Christ. 

Frankly, I’m convinced that one of the most devious of the enemy’s ploys has been to convince us that our time in the gym is “me” time. "Yes, block everyone out – especially those that need Jesus – and focus on your SELF. Turn up the music, ignore the have-nots, disregard the lonely. You’re here to take care of the body after all." 

Cold.

Meanwhile, the sound of clanging iron echoes like prison doors, while those sentenced to "life" believe that more size, more beauty, more strength, more attention are the keys to freedom. 

Guys, wanna set some prisoners free? Ask questions this week. Be salt. Melt the ice. Start talking about how God has blessed you. Drop His name: 

“Man, I don’t know where I’d be without God.”
“Bro, are you a Christian? No? Cause you’d make an awesome Christian.”
“Dude, would you like to get a protein shake after we lift so I can tell you about a time that changed my life?” 

Guys, the fact is, the gym is as much of a mission field as the mission field. What if we rocked the world – the fitness world – for Jesus? Worth a try, don't you think?

- jimmy peña

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The One That Came Back

I wonder if I would have come back. Ten lepers - lepers who were outcasts to society, unable to be with family and friends - saw Jesus and from a safe distance exercised faith. Let's read the powerful passage together. 

"It happened that as he made his way toward Jerusalem, he crossed over the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten men, all lepers, met him. They kept their distance but raised their voices, calling out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” Taking a good look at them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” They went, and while still on their way, became clean. One of them, when he realized that he was healed, turned around and came back, shouting his gratitude, glorifying God. He kneeled at Jesus’ feet, so grateful. He couldn’t thank him enough—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus said, “Were not ten healed? Where are the nine? Can none be found to come back and give glory to God except this outsider?” Then he said to him, “Get up. On your way. Your faith has healed and saved you." Luke 17: 11-19

First thing that jumps out of the story to me is the fact that they kept their distance. In that day and age, those suffering with leprosy weren't allowed near clean people, so they stuck to protocol behind an invisible, uncrossable border. Faces pressed against it, hands up, they did the only thing they could; scream. Their plea mirrored their pain. If octaves equaled misery, theirs was a high C. Then after a 'good look at them' Jesus told them to go show the priests. Catch that? They figured they were keeping a safe distance, and yet Jesus got a good look at them. Wow. (I could get a full week of lessons from that one phrase). And then, it happened. On their way to see the priests, new skin. Fingers replaced nubs. Faces filled voids. Thoughts of holding children and kissing wives ran through their minds.

Now, one of them did what I hope I would do. He stopped. Wait a second, he thought.
I cried, He cared.
I moaned, He gave mercy.
I have to go back. 

And here's another great moment for me in this story. He came back shouting his praise. He figured if his suffering called for screaming, his healing called for hollering. But this time, no barrier. No outer marker. No holding pattern. He was clean and he knew it - and getting close to the One that made him that way was his default reaction. Like I said in the beginning, I wonder if I would have gone back.

-Jimmy Peña

For Discussion: I've moaned in pain over the years, and I know many of you have too. Did my praise of His healing mirror my plea for His help? Did yours? Well, we don't know exactly how far the healed man traveled before turning back to thank Jesus, but I do know it's not too late for you and me to do the same. Let's take a second right where we are and thank Jesus for getting a good look at us. Let's go back. If you have a praise you'd like to share with everyone, please share it in the comments section below. If you'd like to keep it private and yet raise your hand, just say "Unspoken" and we'll celebrate with you. 

Someone To Be

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 my workout is and how precious my 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 your body has been dying to work upon only to find that lo and behold 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 farfetched? Well, if I'm not describing you, I'm probably describing me from back in my gym days. (Boy, do we miss the meaning?) But 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 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 a special 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 easily 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 be salt.

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

- Jimmy Peña

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Deep Calling

"You are the salt of the earth...Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven." - Matthew 5:13-16 

Loretta and I recently took a short drive up the coast to visit some friends in Carmel, Ca. If the phrase "God's Country" ever applied, it's there. We always love seeing Carmel, and we've determined that if we ever move cities, Carmel awaits. The only thing better than the view was the couple we were there to visit. If the phrase, "Salt of the Earth" ever applied, it's to them.

Speaking of salt, one afternoon we toured their resort in Carmel and on the grounds they have an actual salt house. It's the neatest thing. They harvest the resort's salt directly from the waters of Monterey Bay. And something I read while I was there made me think of all of you as we return to our devotions. In order to farm the salt, the salt company "heads out about a mile into the deeper, hallowed waters of the Bay where the water is pure and fresh."

Friends, isn't that the goal each day for our lives, work and health? To go deep? It's deep into God's word and deep on our knees in prayer, and deep into our perspective of the body where we find real, lasting meaning. Shallow is easy. Shallow is quick. Shallow is popular. But we're called to a deeper love. Peter wasn't called out of the boat where his feet could touch the bottom, and neither are we. In order to be God's salt of the earth in this industry or any industry, we know where to go; to the gospel. To the gospel where water is pure and fresh.

- Jimmy Peña

BE SALT: Over the last few weeks, we've been knee-deep in A PrayFit Summer, and one aspect of the challenge was the "PrayFit Dare." Daily or weekly, we'd challenge participants to a certain dare; to "BE" something. Be forgiving, Be giving, Be invisible, Be rare. And today's entry makes me want to dare us; to be salt wherever we train. What would it mean today for you and me to be salt to those we're around? I wonder, when we walk into the gym, do we have in mind the awe and wonder of God on our faces and in our words and delivered in our actions so that we season our surroundings? Yeah, be salt. That's the dare of the week.

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