The Plan

 April ended with a wonderful South Texas District Council. We had wonderful speakers for every service and the Spirit of the Lord moved in the hearts of those in attendance. Stacey and I are truly blessed to be part of a wonderful fellowship.

Thursday morning during the prayer service the Spirit of God spoke a powerful and timely word into my heart. The Spirit said to me, "I have given you the vision, and I will lead you in my plan to see the vision fulfilled.”  I just began to weep before God as He also reminded me of Jeremiah 19:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

As many of you know I am a detail guy, someone who likes to have a plan and follow it. By God’s grace he has given me many great visions for His will in my life and I have been privileged to see some of them come to fulfillment. As I reflect on those victories I see that it was never my plans that led to eventual success. It is only when I surrendered to God’s plan that success was realized.

As Stacey and I began this new missionary endeavor God gave us a vision of a church in Stuttgart full of military families growing in grace, sharing their faith, and daily worshiping God. So I formed a plan to get us there, my plan, not His. That Thursday morning in prayer at council God showed me my foolishness, and I was broken.

The new plan is this, trust the Lord and His plan as He chooses to reveal it to me in prayer and His Word. My daily goal is to walk in obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit. This time the vision is too big for my plan and the stakes too high to fail. God has called us and given us a great vision and He knows the plans He has for us. Our only job is to follow the plan.

Tips for Staying Fit on the Road

About 3 years ago I weighed 280 pounds. The bottom came while trying on size 50 pants and they were not fitting. I decided in the dressing room to lose weight by exercising and eating right. I lost 80 pounds in about eight months, getting as low as 199 pounds.

I put about 30 pounds back after a year following several missions trips to Germany and Romania. I have been between 215 and 230 ever since then. My goal weight is between 190 and 200 and I have yet to keep it there for any length of time. But recently I have rededicated myself to the effort and am well on my way to reaching this goal.

Of course being on the road 80% of the time makes staying fit and eating right a real challenge. I am currently making some progress in reaching my weight goal and thought the tips I have learned over the years night help others. If you are interested in maintaining your current weight or losing a few pounds I hope the following tips help.

1. Pray - Food can be an idol, it is for me, and I need the power of the Holy Spirit to empower me to gain the victory over my idols. Pray daily for the Holy Spirit to guide your food choices.
   
2. Eat In - This can be tough for an itinerating missionary, but make a deal with yourself that you will not eat out unless it is a special occasion, or in the course of building a ministry relationship.
3. Good Choices - When you do go out remember that you eat to live not live to eat. It's easy to lose control at a restaurant so try and look at the menu online and research the calorie and fat content before arriving. That way you will know what to order before the smells and pictures hit you.
4. Brand Loyalty - Seek out restaurant chains that have several healthy options but keep in mind not everything on the menu is healthy. Some examples include: Subway, Genghis Grill, Chipotle Grill, TGI Fridays, Soup or Salad, Jason's Deli, Panera Bread, Applebee's, Orange Leaf Yogurt.
5. No Red Meats - This is a must if you are trying to lose weight, there are some benefits to eating red meat but the negatives outweigh the positives here. Instead eat chicken, turkey (best choice), fish, and once in a while lean pork.
6. Drink Water - Your body is mostly water and many times when you feel hungry you are just thirsty. Before snaking (healthy of course) drink a tall glass of water and two tall glasses at every meal. Cut out sodas (including diet) all together.
7. Portion Control - Most restaurants serve way too much food with your order. My number one way to not eat it all is to ask for a take out container right away and split my meal (if I am not sharing with my wife, also good) and take it home or to the hotel for lunch the following day. Never eat until stuffed only until you are no longer hungry.
   
8. Join a Gym - Joining a good gym with plenty of weight machines, aerobic options, and locations close to your home is an important step in getting fit.
9. Schedule Workouts - When can you dedicate 60- 90 minutes a day three times a week to working out? Look at your calendar and see what days you are most likely available. If you are a morning person go in the morning, if not, then in the evening. Be sure to give yourself at least one day in between workouts to recover.
   
10. Strength Train- Aerobic activity helps you burn calories while active, but strength training keeps you body burning calories 2 to 3 hours after working out. More is not better here, you are looking for 14-18 reps with moderate exertion levels. If you are unfamiliar with strength/resistance training getting a trainer for a few weeks is recommended.
11. Free Training - This is a term I use for training when you are traveling. I hate to run but it is the one thing I can do wherever I am. Get a good pair of running/walking shoes and pack workout clothes. Make every attempt to stay on schedule no matter where you are. Choose a hotel with a fitness center (most offer this amenity) when traveling. You can also visit a park and play basketball or Geocache as a family.
12. Stay Active - Leading an active lifestyle on days you are not working out will accelerate your fitness and weight loss levels. Play golf, walk, go to the park, and other activities will help you lose weight faster.
13. Shop Smart - Choose foods that will strengthen and build your body, not make you feel sluggish and tired. Avoid processed food if possible. If you cannot buy fresh all the time get frozen not canned veggies. Pay attention to portion sizes and nutritional information. Try to plan out balanced healthy meals for your family.
14. Pack Your Snacks - One thing that really works is buying road snacks at the market before your trips. Convenience stores don't often have a wide selection of healthy snacks so buy ahead and back a grocery bar with nutrition bars, nuts, fruit, and water.
15. Be Persistent - If you slip, get up, analyze why you slipped, and develop a plan not to slip again. This is a marathon not a sprint so once in a while you are going to stumble. Being healthy and fit is not a fad, it's a life choice.

I hope this serves as a blessing. I am not a fitness guru or a expert, I am just a guy who struggles in this part of his journey with the Lord and has learned some things along the way. I am convinced that bringing discipline to this area of my life brings glory to God and refusing to do so brings dishonor. 


Philippians 3:19, Matthew 6:25, Romans 8:12-14

Three Keys in Missions Giving

At a national conference, a pastor of a large and growing church asked a colleague for some counsel: “We are starting another building program, but we have many financial problems. We are constantly in debt and under pressure for more money. What is our problem?”

After asking a few probing questions, the colleague correctly diagnosed the twofold difficulty: First, the pastor was not teaching his people to tithe and give offerings and alms as directed in Scripture. Second, he did not regularly promote missions in his congregation with such things as missions conventions, faith promise giving, and adding new missionaries and projects to the church’s support list. In other words, the troubled pastor had overlooked three key principles related to missions giving:

1. Missions and world ministries outreach is not an optional program. Every local church, regardless of its size or income, is part of the active body of Christ and must share in the task of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19–20; Mark 16:15–18).
   
2. Part of a church’s spiritual program is to develop a missionary vision and program. A well-planned missions convention can become one of the spiritual highlights of the year.
   
3. When churches begin to give to missions or increase their missions giving, the general income of the church usually increases as well.

One particular congregation was giving only $255 annually to missions. Within six years, however, it had increased its annual missions giving to $43,000. At the same time, the annual amount the members gave for local operating expenses and ministries increased to $46,000. Moreover, this church had been burdened with a debt of more than $80,000. Yet during the time of missions growth, the church paid off its debt in full and purchased a parsonage for its pastor.

Kilpatrick, J. (2006). Church Administration, Finance, and Law (48–49). Springfield, MO: Global University.

Is He Risen In You?

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” (Colossians 3:1, ESV)

 Do you remember the day you gave your heart and life to Jesus? The day that you cried out to Him in complete surrender and asked Him to fulfill His promises in you? That is the day of your death, the day you died to yourself. Or did you?

So many people in churches today come forward and make a decision to be a Christian, come to church, volunteer, make friends, sing cool songs, do the right thing, etc. There are very few who come forward to die. There is no acknowledgment of guilt, no repentance, and no death.

“This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” (Matthew 15:8–9, ESV)

The blame for most of the false or weak conversions in our churches rest primarily on the pastors and spiritual leaders in our churches. In an effort to see our altars full we have watered down the message of the cross. The message of the cross calls us not to just raise our hand in our seat, or say a prayer, but calls a man to come and die.

After three days Jesus rose from the dead and He is now at the right hand of the Father making intercession for the saints. Has Jesus risen in you? Is He the author and director of your life? Does Jesus and your relationship with Him take priority over every other thing? In order for Christ to rise to this place of prominence in your life you must share in His death.

Examine your heart and ask Christ to put to death every thing that is not of God in your life so that the life of Christ may rise up in you.

“For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:13, ESV)