This is just gross…

I’m on my last week of a 4 week workout and eating plan.  It’s been difficult to say the least.

Exercise muscles to failure.  Eat 6 perfect meals a day. Only one cheat day per week.

Week one was brutal.  I was sore, hungry, and tired all the time… as if I needed one more thing in my life right now!

But then I settled into the routine.  And things got awesome.

In the last 3 weeks I’ve lost 6.5 pounds…and I’ve doubled every single ones of my lifts.  Hopefully by the time I get my fat % checked next week I’ll be down 15+ pounds of fat.  No bad for a total of 4 hours at the gym!

But more important than losing weight and gaining muscle is this- it’s changed my mindset completely.

10 years ago, I thought I’d be happy if I lived to age 30.  5 years ago, I thought 40 sounded pretty nice.

Now I want to make 100.  I also want to get in good enough shape to dunk 10 feet.  Michelle and I are planning to run up the CN Tower next year.  I want to be healthy.

I love the gym. I can’t wait to get back.  I think about it all the time.  It’s good for my body, and it’s good for my brain.

(and now the bumbling transition)

I need a mindset change when it comes to purity right now.  I need a mindset change for how I’m currently viewing life.  Our viewpoint determines our reality, and I know I’m not seeing life and the world as I could and maybe should be.

I want to see with God’s eyes.  I want to see things as He sees them.  As Paul puts it, I want to “have the mind of Christ.” And this is going to take a change of mindset.

Help me out here- what suggestions would you give me for how to get there?  I’m serious- what’s been working for you to change your mind?

Thanks brothers,

Jay

So as you`re reading this I am on my honeymoon, and I thank you for all the prayers we have recieved. We feel like God is going to bless our marriage in massive way.

As I mentioned in my previous post, we went to see Hillsong United and there was a couple who came to the worship experience on their wedding day. One of the last things they said was “We are married and now we are here to worship the Lord.”

This is more of a challenge to the married couples. What are you doing to worship God in your marriage? The best way to worship God is to serve each other in a loving, caring way.

Fulfill each other`s needs.
Pray with your spouse.
Admit when you`re wrong.
Bring out the potential in each other.
Go on dates together.

These are just small steps towards a lifetime of marrital bliss. One of our goals in marriage is to not have a honeymoon stage, but have a steady relationship of love, with steady doses of trust, respect, and hope. We will have our fights and our disagreement, but what gets accomplished in the end?

So worship God. And it is NEVER too late to start.

Ready? Go.

Aaron

A 6-pack of reasons not to get drunk…lol.

At Aaron’s wedding this weekend there was a superbly drunk man who’s name I do not know.  He was 26 years old.  After seeing him staggering in the hallways, I asked if he had a ride home and what his plans were.

“I’m going up the street to Solid Gold baby!”  (Solid Gold if you haven’t guessed is a nearby strip joint.)

To which I replied:

Come on man, you gotta treat women with a little more respect, don’t you think?

He says:

Hey man, you gotta ride a couple donkeys before you find a princess right?

So I say:

Well, I didn’t have to. (Introduce my wife).  Neither did Aaron.  (Nor did his best man).  Gotta make wise choices if you wanna find the love of your life.

His last response before we left:

I find the new love of my life every Saturday night!

I’ve seen the other side- I had a conversation two weeks ago with a 22 year old who has been a stripper for 6 years.  It’s not fun.  It’s not glamourous.  It’s not pretty.  It’s degrading.  It’s embarrassing.  She’s sick of the hurt and pain. She wants out.

Then I meet this guy.  The DEMAND that fuels the need for supply (God’s daughters).  What do you say to guys like this?  How can we structure our society in such a way that behaviour like this stops?  How can we bring back respect for women?  How do we see marriage brought back as a great thing?  How can we see purity and right-living be the path of choice?  How can we see men and women saved from sin?

Jay

The world needs godly men to lead this planet, you know that right?

Don’t tell anyone, but one of my more hardcore beliefs is this: I believe that evil people should be completely broke and that godly people should have lots of money.  Why?  Because evil people will do evil things with money, and godly people will do godly things with money.  The best part is that my opinion shouldn’t make anyone mad either: who considers themselves to be evil?  Who judges who is godly?  That’s right- God determines both.  Sorry for ranting, back on point:

There is a commodity much more valuable than money: leadership.

My definition of leadership:

The ability to influence the thinking and action of others through humble servanthood.

Men, WE NEED GODLY LEADERS TO CHANGE HOW PEOPLE THINK AND ACT.

In every sector, things could and would be drastically different if godly people took the lead.

In the labour movement we see equal rights and privileges for workers and not just for CEOs.

In politics we’d be rid of corruption, abuse, and scandal.

In churches we’d lose the hierarchy and religion and start moving quickly to love our communities to Jesus.

In communities we’d see neighbours actually becoming friends, helping each other out, improving our streets, and mentoring our children.

In inner cities we’d see drugs, prostitution, homelessness, and violence start to disappear.

In medicine we’d see less profiteering and more actually helping those who need it most- the poor, the HIV victims, those suffering from malaria and diseases from lack of clean water.

In law we’d see justice upheld, for women and child and the innocent and the defenseless.  We’d see no more bribes and payoffs and quick-witted word changing and semantics and beating around the bush.

In foreign policy we’d see governments that cared for the people of the world.  That they’d think of people more than territories, that they’d not worry about political pressure while people are being raped and mutilated and murdered.

In governments we’d see people elected who actually understood that they are civil servants of the public and stewards of our funds. By acting in such a way, they’d live for their people and not for their pockets.

In sports we’d see less idol worship and more praise to the fact that God created us in amazing and special ways. We’d see athletes become heroes as they helped millions of adoring fans through giving generously of their ridiculous salaries.

In food we’d see healthier options, sustainable growth practices, and a transportation plan that would made good food affordable to all.

In manufacturing and building we’d see a huge surge in quality and safety, of not cutting corners and making cheap products that poison our children and destroy our environment.

In music we’d see less worship of man and more people sparked with a passion to love others by watching their favourite musicians advocate for those without a stage.

No matter your sector, no matter your profession, no matter your location…

Men, this starts with Y.O.U.

In your personal life, walk with God. Work hard. Be disciplined. Be pure. Be righteous. Know where you’re going. Be on mission.

In your family, lead well. Serve your spouse. Your parents. Your family. Your children. Lead them to your family’s goals.

In your workplace, be a godly example. Listen to no evil thing. Shut down racism, people talking bad about others, or speaking of women in a degrading way. Work hard. Smile. Look people in the eyes. Be honest. Be truthful. Be loving.

The world needs godly men to lead this planet. Will you be one of them?

Jay

My fiance and I just got back from one of the best God experiences we have taken part in. We went to Toronto with family to see Hillsong United at Ontario Place, and it was unreal!!! There was even a couple who came on their wedding day (we talked to them after the experience, and they are the same age as us, 21 and 18 … the first thing the groom said was “Don`t let anyone tell you you’re too young”.)

If if you ever have the chance to check out Hillsong, it will be an amazing experience. What really got to me was the crowd. During the song “With Everything”, the crowd started the chorus. When the song was clearly over, Joel Houston had stopped playing, and it was really done, the crowd started again, and the words had so much meaning:

“With everything we will shout for your glory.
With everything we will shout forth your praise.”

It was so powerful, and you could feel God there in a huge way. But in a way, it challenged me. “Are you living the words, Aaron? What are you doing to shout onto My name, proclaim My glory?”

So I will redirect the challenge to you:

Are you giving your everything to God when you do your taxes or weekly finances?
Are you giving your everything to God in your friendships?
Are you giving your everything to God in your dating or married life?
Do people see normal, or do they see God’s loving spirit pouring out of your body?

There are always things that we will hold back. Give him everything you can, and take nothing back.

Aaron