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“Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).

“You are the light of the world…let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven”  (Matthew 5:14-16).

Every morning I light a candle before settling into my quiet corner to be with God and His Word. This white glowing pillar helps me focus on Jesus as not only light of the world but light of my life.

Recently I noticed that the waxy sides of the candle were softening and shrinking, the flame not burning as brightly as before. I blew out the flame, emptied the melted wax and removed those now pliable edges. Though shorter, the candle again burns brightly.

With His gentle fingers God similarly fashions my life. I work for Him and find joy and satisfaction in the process as I see people drawn to Jesus. But occasionally my flame flickers, not burning as brightly as before. God gently removes layers of wax—perhaps by reminding me to reexamine my schedule, rest or exercise more, walk for mere pleasure or quietly gaze at the clouds.

My “candle” may look less perfect than before, but the flame again burns brightly so that others can more clearly see my Father.

Father, help me treasure the work of your fingers in my life instead of resisting your loving activity.  Amen.

Questions: Has you “light” lost some of its brightness?  How can you return to that original enthusiasm you once had for serving the Lord?

About the Author Marilyn J. Ehle

“If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (TNIV)

“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” 1 Peter 2:2

Here I am, preparing again to go to the gym for a strenuous workout. For a person who finds the most pleasurable exercise to be turning the pages of a book, these experiences are not high on my Happiness List.

Nine months ago I was the recipient of a new knee. The surgeon assured me that—in time—my mobility would be back to normal with a limping gait and constant pain only a distant memory. The key words in his prognosis were “in time.” While there have been no physical complications, recovery has not been without its challenges.

First there were six weeks of therapy at the hands of a skilled, persistent and somewhat compassionate professional. She pushed, prodded, encouraged and challenged me to increase my “range of motion.” Finally I reached the goal and was released from her care.

But that wasn’t the end. Surgeon and therapist both insisted that I continue an exercise program so that eventually I could be fully functional. Because discomfort was still present, warm water exercises were first on the list. Then it was on to the treadmill. My goal of a half mile seemed embarrassing as I saw people far older than I zipping along for three  miles. And that was after they had lifted weights and pedaled a bike.

Yes, I have a new knee. But now comes the necessary process of strenuous training so I can continue glorifying God by participating in whatever activities He chooses for me in His Kingdom. “The old has gone, the new is here!” The Apostle Paul also wrote that he consistently disciplined his body so that he could be ready for whatever future God chose.

But there is something far more crucial than keeping one’s body as healthy as possible for Kingdom activity. Just as going to the gym strengthens my muscles and increases my capacity for further action, the discipline of solitude and silence to hear God’s voice and the study and application of scripture provides nutrition for daily living.

New knees are wonders of medical science. New people are wonders of God’s love.

Thank you, Father, for all the new ways you work in my life. Help me be disciplined enough to stick to the exercises you desire.  Amen.

Question: What do you think about the author’s remark “New people are wonders of God’s love.”?

About the Author: Marilyn J. Ehle

“Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Philippians 2:12-13

Once you decide to get serious about becoming like Christ, you must begin to act in new ways. You’ll need to let go of some old routines, develop some new habits, and intentionally change the way you think.

The verse above shows the two parts of spiritual growth: “work out” and “work in.”The “work out” is your responsibility and the “work in” is God’s role. Spiritual growth is a collaborative effort between you and the Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit works with us, not just in us.

This verse, written to believers, is not about how to be saved, but how to grow. It doesn’t say “work for” your salvation, because you can’t add anything to what Jesus already did!

For example, during a physical workout, you exercise to develop your body, not to get a body. When you work out a puzzle, you already have all the pieces – your task is to put the pieces together. Farmers work the land, not to get land, but to develop what they already have.

God has given you a new life; now you’re responsible to develop it “with fear and trembling.” That means to take your spiritual growth seriously, because it will determine your role in eternity. When people are casual about their growth in Christlikeness, it shows they don’t understand the implications.

Question: What does it mean to be “working out” our salvation?

About this Author: Rick Warren

Exercising Safely In Heat
Summer is officially here. Summer offers extras hours of daylight and with it the opportunity to spend even more time enjoying outdoor activities. For many, this means more time doing physical activities and playing sports. So, it’s important to remember the potential dangers that also come with exercising in hot conditions. As long as you know the dos and don’ts of working out in the heat, then you can fully take advantage of all the fun of summer. What you should do: Read more

Take action: Are you a recent bride or a bride-to-be? Explore our Reflections for a Bride series of online interactive life lessons.

You said it: This week, mary commented on BBC Asks: “Does God have a role in the world today?”, saying “now dont get me wrong i beleive in god and that hes watching over us but i have a “?” how do people know the right relidion huh? whats the diffrence bewteen them from wat i hear there mostly the same(christian catholic lutheran) it makes no sense maybe one of you people here could help me” Read the responses and add your own thoughts: Read more

Blog: Affordable Summer Dates
If you’re looking for some great date ideas for that special someone, summer is a fantastic time to create memories without breaking the bank. Read more

Video: Edible Sunscreen
Prevention is the best medicine. In addition to regular sunscreen, did you know certain foods can help protect your skin? Read more

Coming up next week: One of the topics of our upcoming online chats is “Cultivating Joy” Join us in the chat room July 16th 2009 @ 9:30pm EST for this chat or see also our full chat calendar for other upcoming topics.

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things”  (Philippians 4:8).

“Speed Kills.” Or so says the billboard to encourage drivers to slow down. Thousand are killed every year on the nation’s highways due to excessive speed. But as I drove along and thought about the billboard message, I thought how speed can kill the body, but slowness can kill the soul.

Perhaps there is no more dangerous time for our spiritual life than when our brain is coasting, idling or in neutral. It is like going to sleep at night with the door unlocked. There is no telling what will sneak in and harm us.

Our most vulnerable moments are the unguarded ones, not the ones where we are focused on a mission and going ninety miles an hour with gusts to a hundred and twenty. What I think about in my unguarded moments reflects what my mind dwells upon and ultimately decides what kind of person I become.

I need to discipline and exercise my mind just as I do my body. If I fill my body with garbage then it turns to garbage. My mind is no different. What I dwell on in those neutral moments is a good gauge of what is in my heart. I need to be cautious and what I allow in my mind. The best way to exercise and guard my mind is to contemplate those things that are pure, lovely and of good repute.

I should not allow the world to fill my mind with ungodly thinking and focusing on the “things” of this world. The best way to keep the evil one and his devices from entering my mind is to guard its door with scripture and prayer and by focusing on that which is true, noble, just, pure, lovely and good.

The things I allow my mind to focus on will determine the way I live and if I focus on the evils and temptations of this world, I take down my guard and can be led into sin like a sheep to slaughter. If I fill my mind with the things of Christ, then I will become Christ like and if I fill my mind with the evils of this world then I become like the rest of the world.

Beware of neutral…. It’s a killer!

Lord, I know that whatever I fill my mind with is a matter of choice, my choice.  Please help me to be aware of those times when I am vulnerable and help me to guard my mind. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Questions: What do you think about in your unguarded moments? How can you guard your mind and keep it alert and ready for action?

About the Author John Grant

Daily audio podcast: A second daily devotional, The Danger of Being in Neutral, today on the Men’s Devotional Blog

According to Statistics Canada, 23.1% of Canadians aged 18 or older (5.5 million people) are obese, with another 36.1% (8.6 million) are overweight. This means that over half of Canada is overweight.

Although I am not overweight myself, neither is my lifestyle particularly healthy. But about two months ago I heard some friends from church talking about the P90X workout system, and decided to give it a try. P90X consists of a 45-60 minute workouts as well as a complete nutrition system. The idea is that you can go from flab to buff in 90 days.

Let me just say, it has not been an entirely enjoyable journey so far. (Also, I should make it clear that it is certainly NOT me in the photo to the left.) For one thing, I don’t have a pull-ups bar, which makes it impossible to do the pull-ups exercises. Pull-ups, plural, might be a bit optimistic for me anyways. Also, the nutrition plan is pretty hardcore. I imagine most people, like me, would have a very difficult time having the willpower and patience to keep to it. There have been times that, through pain, instead of shouting “Bring it!” along with the videos, and I’ve considered throwing out all this exercise stuff and buying some donuts instead!

Yet despite my struggles so far, I do feel healthier. And it does seem to be getting a little easier to keep it up now that I’m getting used to it. One thing I’ve found particularly helpful is keeping track on a calendar which workouts I complete to help me chart my progress.

Do you exercise? What is your favorite workout? What are the excuses that people often give for not working out?

Ready For More?
Work out your stress
Parents: Get active and become a healthy role model

Taekwon Do is a great way to build up muscle tone, flexibility, and lose a few pounds. Practicing martial arts can help develop discipline, reduce stress, and can even help you feel safer by learning self defense moves. It’s an activity that the whole family can enjoy together – students range in age from 5 to 60 or even 70 years old.

Taekwon Do is an internationally recognized sport with competitions held around the world. Based in Vienna, the International Taekwon Do Federation is the oldest Taekwon Do association in the world.

Rod Johnson is a full time martial arts instructor with 27 years martial arts experience and a former Western Canadian champion. His teaching style is positive, inclusive, organized and humorous. He encourages students to excel in all areas of their lives through developing focus and commitment to their martial arts training. Rod believes that the key to a student’s success in martial arts is to create a comfortable learning environment where each student feels welcome and appreciated.

Ready For More?
On the blog: Make a run for it
Work out your stress

It’s March, which means that for most of us our New Year’s Resolutions are but a distant memory.

For starters, that first step takes us out of “I should be” into “I am”.  Once you take that first step you are actively engaged in the goal.  Whether you’re trying to get fit, want to keep your house tidier  or are trying to start a business, it makes more of a difference than you might think.

I’ve been experiencing this this year with the simple habit of making my bed in the morning.  It is a easy thing to do, it only takes a minute, but it sets the tone for the whole room.  When it’s all neat and tidy and I bring in a load of laundry into the room I catch myself thinking, “I might as well put that away now, everything else looks so nice.”  One act in the direction I want to go helps steer the whole day that way.

It works in other areas of life too.  Several years ago I was talking to a Silicon Valley CEO and someone asked him what his most important habit was.  He said that every single day, before he opens his email he writes a thank you note to someone he was in contact with the day before.  Whether it’s one of his staff, or a new contact or a potential investor every day begins with gratitude.  He said it set the tone for his whole day, especially when there were major issues lurking in his inbox.

Stephanie Pearl McPhee,  in her book Things I’ve Learned From Knitting. . . Whether I Wanted to or Not wrote:

“Things get knit faster when you actually work on them. That’s why the scarf I’ve allegedly been knitting for two years just isn’t getting any bigger, no matter how long I leave it in the basket.”

Wise words indeed.  It’s easy to get stuck at the beginning of a goal, telling ourselves “I’m working in” when what we’re really doing is ignoring it.  One simple step can really help to get those goals off the ground.

What goals are you working towards? What is one step you can take today to get you started?

More ways to move forward:
How to set goals
Tips for persevering

First of all, let’s establish why we are starting a fitness regimen.

Longevity? …Usually not. Greater ease moving furniture?… Doubtful. When asked why they want to start exercising, my clients have invariably and euphemistically answered “I want to feel better,” which is a roundabout way of saying they want to look better. Although there are many factors that determine feelings of self worth, without a doubt, looking good is synonymous with feeling good. Most people’s fitness training goals are cosmetic, and that’s O.K.! This psychosocial phenomenon may seem primal and antiquated but it is however, real. It’s not politically correct to suggest that looking “hot” is the best reason to exercise, but the benefits of exercise are irrefutable and the drawbacks of dubious exercise motivations are innocuous.

There are four basic excuses I come across that can sabotage an intent to get fit.

1. In a world where time is money, it has become en vogue to say “I don’t have the time.” Time is budgeted by priority. We find time to perform tasks that we see a consequence of not performing. People find time to shower, brush their teeth, blow dry their hair and put on their make-up because the consequence of avoiding these daily activities outweighs the convenience of not doing them. Out of 168 hours in a week, I find it hard to believe someone cannot budget 3 hours to his or her health.
2. The second excuse which I also give little credence to is: “Well, I’ll see how I like it.” If you are walking into a gym with this attitude you will have no problem finding a reason that good health is not for you. These people can usually be spotted by their skepticism regarding the contract that the gym requires for membership. With them I wonder “When you’re getting into the best shape you’ve ever been in, how long did you plan on maintaining it…just a few months?” Fitness is a lifestyle, and not accepting that, or thinking it’s just something you are trying on for size is a recipe for failure.
3. Money can present minor challenges, however, there is always some way to exercise. For twenty to forty dollars a month, you can train in most commercial gyms. If a monthly gym payment is not realistic, you can purchase enough weights to do the trick for about a hundred dollars. As well, for about thirty dollars you can purchase a Swiss ball, which opens the door to scores of exercises.
4. Finally, the excuse that doesn’t have a simple answer “I have to think this over with my husband/wife.” I’m not suggesting that you disregard the conditions of your relationship; however, it is terribly unfortunate to contend with someone who has a justifiable interest in the rest of your life and does not have the foresight to value and invest in your health.

Many new fitness enthusiasts climb over all the psychological obstacles only to be discouraged by minimal results stemming from physiological and biomechanical intricacies never introduced to them.

The best approach for a beginner is to hire a competent personal trainer.

Deciding to implement a personal trainer for superior and lasting results is the first step; now, what criteria will you base your selection of a particular trainer on? You are hiring the trainer. Ask of him or her the same you would of any employee of yours. Have them provide a resume. Evaluate their education, experience, and certifications. Make sure they provide references and contact them. See if they have testimonials from previous clients. Interview them: do they have philosophies or a scientific explanation for the services they can provide you? Don’t assume your trainer is supposed to be a Marine drill instructor, tasked with making your life a living hell. If you don’t genuinely like your trainer, things probably won’t work out. Don’t use these guidelines as a ‘yea or nay’ checklist but as a system to take in the big picture and make an informed decision.

Experienced trainers have observed exercises performed more times in a few years than most people could ever see in a lifetime. Without a personal trainer laying the Biomechanical foundation you are likely to make a variety of mistakes ranging from spending ten sets on an abduction machine trying to slim the outer thigh, in reality, working the gluteus medius (an unnoticeable muscle in the butt, about the size of a biscuit!) to performing a set of bench presses, lowering the bar to a different point on the chest with each repetition exhausting few muscles sufficiently. Not only will a stronger foundation be laid by learning proper exercise function, but a good trainer can sense when minor or major changes in frequency, intensity, duration, and selection of exercise need to be instituted

Body composition and Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR: the amount of calories we burn hourly at rest) is greatly dependent on the amount of muscle we possess.

Whether you desire bulk, mass, or just tone you seek the same thing larger muscles. The qualities of muscle, i.e. shape and density, are predetermined by your parents. Your only option is size. An inspiring trainer can convey the message to those who lack the desire to become competitive bodybuilders, that they will not become mass monsters like Mr. Olympia, Ronnie Coleman, by accident. Increasing muscle mass will however raise their basil metabolic rate, facilitating decreased body-fat levels.

Training for an increase in muscle is not exactly simple; it integrates a variety of laws, principals, and general truths too detailed for many people, who often have lives too busy to commit to learning all of them. A trainer can be implemented to assess a client and develop programs respecting philosophies such as The Weider Principles as outlined by Joe Weider, founder of Muscle & Fitness magazine, or the four Laws of Strength popularized by Dr. Tudor Bompa. The Weider Principles state generalizations such as The Overload Principle which states that in order to gain in strength , size, or endurance from training, you must exercise against resistance greater than that normally encountered. Dr. Bompa devised a training chronology starting with law #1 simply stating, before you develop muscle, develop joint flexibility. Without an experienced trainer one can easily skip phases in Bompa’s or Weiders’s progressions leading to likely injuries, or limited progress.

In accordance with the myth that cardiovascular training has the greatest impact on body composition or more specifically fat loss, new fitness enthusiasts imitate a diet most appropriate for distance runners. A trainer, certified by a credible organization will possess the knowledge to personalize a diet for a client, unlikely to be as high in processed carbohydrates or low in fat as we have grown to accept as healthy. A good trainer can clarify the difference between dietary fat and fattening. Often dieters replace calories from fat, dispensing with oils, peanut butter, and their favorite meats, only to exchange those calories for high glycemic index carbohydrates which raise blood sugar levels quickly; therefore raising insulin levels which are culpable for fat storage. It would not be unusual for an attentive trainer to suggest replacing a fat-free pasta, and French bread dinner, with a baked chicken and broccoli dinner for a client emphasizing fat loss, after evaluating and consulting with their client.

The approach you take to challenges compromising your program is vital. If you haven’t learned to prioritize your training and nutrition, do so. This doesn’t mean that training is number one and that you have to drink protein shakes three times a day, seven days a week. It means you know just when to schedule training and how many days a week you eat right. For example, if your son just broke his finger playing basketball, you will obviously be passing on this workout and picking it back up tomorrow. If the neighbors invite you over for dinner, tell them “I have to go to the gym, maybe another night” (this is also a great excuse if you didn’t feel like visiting them anyway). When you’re dining out, make sure they prepare your food so you can stay within the confines of your diet. If your friends call you a health nut, so what!, you are.

Finally, arm yourself with all the knowledge you can, and integrate a support team, including your trainer, health care professionals, training partner, and significant other. This will get you off on the right foot.

This article offers you a great start to negotiating your fitness obstacles! But what if your “obstacles” go deeper than just fitness? Is there someone you can talk to about the things that just keep nagging at you? If not, feel free to contact us to chat, to be connected to someone who will privately & confidentially lend you a listening ear.