As I am writing this, I am sweating and breathing hard. Tuesday is high intensity day and that means fifteen minutes of pure, non stop “fun.” I get a lot of questions about “if I lost weight” and the answer is a resounding “yes!” But that is not why I must workout.

In 2004, I started my earnest endeavors to get into shape. I was 37 and weighed at 231 pounds, which was the most I ever weighed. I decided that I wanted to be able to do whatever my kids asked me to do. So, I trained and ran in the Disney Marathon and did a number of triathlons with Kristin and the kids in the following years. But that is not why I must work out.

I left a year-end board meeting in 2007 and was so humbled by the hearts of the GFC Board. I left thinking, “They really believe in our church, the leadership and me as one of those leaders.” I want to be able to do whatever the church needs me to do. I don’t want to be hindered by any physical limitations. But that is not why I must work out.

After leaving that meeting, I met my personal trainer, Jodi Labban, of Fit Personal Training and Group Fitness. I told her my desire to be in the best shape possible to be able to do whatever my kids or God wanted me to do. We began slow…I remember tripping and falling doing one of my first (of many) shuttle runs. I was determined to “beat myself.” But that is not why I must work out.

Fast Forward to this year. I started the year weighing in at 220 pds. (I unfortunately gain weight when stressed and pastoring a church can be stressful at times.) After Casey’s wedding in February, Kristin’s uncle told me about how he changed his diet based on a hair analysis he did. I took the challenge and after seeing my personal results, changed my diet as well. I found out that I was working out too much and my body didn’t process sugars very well. The changes have been dramatic. I weigh between 203-206 pds. each morning, my BP went from 130/90 down to 116/72 and by cholesterol ratio is at 2.0 which is 4/10 lower than being at risk. I lift 2 days a week, do one day of High intensity, one day of recreational fun (golf, paddleboard, etc) and one group class. But that isn’t why I must work out.

Here is why I must work out. I am passionately in love with Kristin, my kids and our family. I love serving at GFC as one of the pastors leading the church in reaching the Tampa area and abroad. There are too many leaders for me to impact with my wisdom and experience. And honestly, God is far from done with me. So I must work out so that I am available to be used by Him at any time. I am far from done and hungry for more.

That is why I must work out…how about you?

August 2014

What is it like to see Pastor Craig’s vision for multi site campuses around the Tampa area in action? It is awesome! And it is humbling.

This past Sunday, I went to our Waters Campus to see it in action. Since Pastor Craig was gone all summer and he is usually going to be involved in most “big days” for the Waters campus, I have never been there on a Sunday. I have walked through it many times during construction but I hadn’t seen the final touches. Walking up to the building was like walking into a theme park – you know what is in it but you are excited to see what it looks like. I was not disappointed. The signage, colors and even the metal siding popped out, inviting you in. Once in the foyer, the Starbucks cafe, crazy floor finish, plenty of natural light and the furniture made you feel welcome and at home. Into the sanctuary, where Pastor Blaine, the musicians and singers were practicing for service. They sounded amazing and the colors and lights were vibrant. Then, I toured the humongous children’s rooms, the mothers rooms, the volunteer room and our Zone area. Wow! The kids at Waters were going to have a great experience.

If that was all that I encountered that morning, I would have been impressed. There was one more part that made my heart soar – the people! So many people serving and leading those coming for the message. Parking, First Impressions, Choir, All the Children’s ministries, Starbucks, Christmas Helpers, Tech and Visual production…Pastor’s Josh and Jerry have done an amazing job of developing a team of smiling, gracious volunteers. Watching Robert and Michelle Kuskin buzz around the room with the Blue Shirts was so cool.

If the environment and the volunteers weren’t enough, the services were tremendous! To see the sounds, lighting and stage come to life was great. Pastor Craig on video was about as realistic as we can get and we still had the personal touch through Pastor Josh. People laughed and responded throughout the entire service. Big Win!

So what do you do when your vision comes to pass? You say “Thank you” God for the provision and people to reach the Tampa area like never before. It is humbling. Yet, it also invigorates you to see more areas of Tampa reached with the gospel!

I spent a lunch with my friend, Jason Dittman. It is always a great experience because he owns a Chik Fil A. I know you are thinking nuggets and waffle fries. (In my case, salad and grilled chicken.) I enjoy the food – always great…but if you want to see excellence, head to Waters Avenue and ask for the tour.

Jason and his wife, Jodi, just opened up this location after having their existing building torn down and rebuilt. After a long construction process, they reopened the store in mid November. Business has been booming, they are rebuilding their staff and getting acclimated to a new facility. After a chat, Jason asked, “Do you want to take a tour?” Of course I do. We went through the door, I was offered a tour lanyard and a cool server’s paper hat. We didn’t go three steps before we stopped at three large boards that stated the store’s Core Values, the Water’s Basics and the Chik Fil A values. These principles are reviewed with the staff and team at the beginning of each shift. Take the tour and see what a commitment to excellence looks like. From the value boards, you go into a full on working kitchen. Here is what I saw in a nutshell: every person doing their job, with precision, without wasted actions and “get it down attitudes.” It was so cool to watch the team in action. When you see all the elements on the boards personified through the employees, it helps you understand why you have a great experience when you go to Chik Fil A.

Eat More Chiken…it’s worth it!

I am in a bible study with a group of men who are putting the bible under a microscope. Each week we read about ten verses and we discuss them. It is amazing what we are learning from hearing different observations. This post is in honor of them.

Luke 8: 43-48 NLT
As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. 43 And there was a woman who had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians,[e] she could not be healed by anyone. 44 She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. 45 And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter[f] said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.” 47 And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. 48 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”

Observations:
– Can you imagine the weariness of dealing with the condition for 12 years?
– Mark tells us she used all her finances and seen all the physicians she could and still was not healed of this condition.
– Because of her issue with blood, she would have been considered “unclean.”
– She approached from behind, not the front – was that shame?
– How did she make it through the crowd?
– Jesus called her out. He made her tell her story to the crowd. Maybe because these are the same people who knew she was an “outcast.” Not anymore.
– The result of her faith – healing and peace.
– How cool is it that Jesus was so sensitive to God’s leading that he could feel power go out in a touch of a hand?

Want a cool challenge today? Find a bible story from one of the Gospels and do the same thing. Let questions, thoughts and statements begin to flow. This story of one gutsy gal has been growing me for the last week. What will your bible story do with you?

We wrapped up the 7th GFC Freedom encounter this past weekend. Freedom is a small group based ministry where people “free” of the spiritual things in their lives that hinder them in their growth in God.

When I went through it, I realized that I let fear, insecurity and people pleasing keep me from being all that God wanted me to be. I walked in on the first night and said, “I am one of the pastors here at GFC, if it is going to bother you that I share my challenges, either you or I need to leave the group.” No one left. In fact, that group developed a pretty amazing bond. To this day, if I see any of them, we ask each other, “Are you still free?” The discussions and time of prayer together really crystalized some of the things I was struggling with in my walk. The relationships gave me a group to walk out the victories and stay pointed in the right direction.

The Encounter is the culmination of the ten week program. You spend part of Friday night and all of Saturday morning hearing a brief recap of each teaching and then personal prayer with a leader. Here is the coolest part – the leaders praying with participants are the leaders of the groups or alumni. It is one of the neatest pictures of “the body ministering to the body.” And the results are people walking out free of those burdens and things weighing them down.

I love this ministry for lots of reasons. I especially love the results. If you have been looking to get rid of the baggage in your life, check out the Freedom groups in January. You won’t regret the Freedom you will gain.

It has been a ride. If you noticed that I have not posted a blog in a while, so did I. I am coming off an interesting stretch of time, commitments and life events that just “took me out of my routine.” Traveling, got sick for a week, church events, family commitments – it all added up in the last few weeks.

One of the greatest lessons Pastor Craig taught me early in my time at Grace Family Church was “going back to your fundamentals when you are in dry times.” I can’t say this past few weeks have been dry times. However, that lesson has stuck with me so many times over the years. When you get busy, life gets tough, you don’t have any answers, or you just need to recalibrate….go back to your fundamentals. In sports, you go back to the basics. Musicians have scales vocally and musically. In leadership, vision and steps. In your relationship with God, devotion time, prayer and worship.

Are you stuck? Are you facing a situation bigger than you? Not sure of the next step? Instead of withdrawing from God, go back to your fundamentals. You will actually get closer to Him and back in the game.

As I stood at the front of the tent and prayed with a man, I heard me say some words I had not really articulated before. I said, “I used to focus on doing what was right. It allowed me to ‘be right.’ Now, I focus on slowing down and doing what the Lord wants me to do today.” It was neat what God did with him, but afterwards, I was still pondering over my own words.

Growing up, I was the kid who did a lot of things right. Since I was insecure and seeking other’s approval, there were times I strove to do things with such excellence that people noticed and appreciated it. Looking back, I appreciate my actions and even the heart to serve others. Yet, the drive was not healthy.

When I went through Freedom, I got rid of all that. Since then, my drive changed. I am slowing down and focusing on the day that is before me. I still plan and set upcoming goals, but that is part of a scheduled time. Now, I try to be present each day and give each thing on my calendar the best I have to offer…that day. I am finding that the results are just as good if not better.

Here is another win from this – I don’t get frustrated when things go a different way, even when “I am right.” In letting the Lord be my focus during the day, it allows me to roll those concerns and demands to be right over to Him. Before, I would say, “But I am right in this.” Now, I say, “Lord, help me to understand this and I put my trust in you.” Sounds corny but it works for me.

Do you need to this? Oh, yeah! We all need to allow God to lead and be a part of our daily lives. Believe me…I am right!

I am coming off a week of being sick.  I don’t get sick very often but this one kicked my butt. I was running a pretty hard schedule with a week of work, traveling, Man camp and lots of meetings. It caught up to me; I spent the next week going to bed early and sleeping extra hours.

On top of that, I had enough life stories that were challenging. Relationships, attitudes, job situations – it adds up.  Learning that a good friend’s 18 year old died in a motorcycle accident makes my head cold, work situations and unexpected house repairs pretty insignificant.

Before this gets too negative, I wasn’t getting discouraged. Instead, I was getting mad. I know we win the war – the Bible tells me “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Rom. 8:28 NIV. I don’t like to lose battles. I don’t like to see good people die, people make bad choices, attitudes go south or life throw curveballs at us. But it happens.

I grew up watching M.A.S.H. with my dad. In one of my favorite episodes, Hawkeye is being observed fighting to save a dying patient in cardiac arrest. (Profanity alert) He yells at the patient, “Come on. Live, damn it! Live! Don’t let the bastard win.” When asking the Commanding Officer what he meant by that, he responded, “Who was he talking about? Death. When it comes to death, Pierce is a sore loser. It’s a part of life, part of war. And we’re soldiers. Maybe we are, but Pierce isn’t. He’s just humoring us by wearing that uniform. He’s one doctor who’ll never be nonchalant where death is concerned. He’ll always take it personally.”

I don’t like to see the Devil win and yes, I still take it personally. I implicitly put my hope in God that he can bring comfort and peace in the face of death, relationships can be mended, attitudes can be elevated, sickness can be healed and He will restore what is taken away.

When my hope and expectations war against the enemy and the challenges in my life, I am going to win some and lose some battles. I’ve learned it’s ok to get mad.  I’ve learned how to pray though the anger.  I know who ultimately wins the war and I choose to trust Him in it.