Over half way there. This was one of the toughest weeks. Today I walked/jogged 4.8 miles in 60 minutes. I had a 5 minute warm up, 3 minute run, a 90 second walk, a 5 minute run, a 3 minute walked and then repeated. I spent the rest of the 60 minutes alternating between walking and running. It was one of the toughest workouts yet. I burned over 950 calories. This week I have increased my running by 30%. I walked 12 miles total. I had my best 5K distance and my best mile. Next week the running increases even more.

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Friday, January 28, 2011 Posted in | | 0 Comments »

Kicked off the fourth week of couch to 5K training this morning. Did not want get out of bed. I ran/walked 3.7 miles in 45 minutes. Today I ran for 22 minutes out of the 45 minutes. Thats the most I have ever run. I ran the distance of 5K (3.1 miles) in 39 minutes flat. I warmed up for 5 minutes, ran for 3 minutes, walked for 90 seconds, ran for 5 minutes, and then repeated that cycle. After that I continued another 15 minutes doing 1 minute walking/running intervals. After I finish my run on Wednesday I will be half way through with this training plan. Stepped on the scale today for the first time in a couple of weeks and I am 3 pounds down.

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Monday, January 24, 2011 Posted in | | 0 Comments »

Man this morning started off rough. This was the first morning in a couple of weeks that I got up at 4:30 a.m. to go to the gym. As I began to run, I really started feeling better. Today's trip on the treadmill was 3.51 miles in 45 minutes. After my 5 minute warm up I ran for 90 seconds, walked 90 seconds, ran 3 minutes, walked 3 minutes, and then repeated. After that I ran for 1 minute and walked for 1 minute until my 45 minutes were up. I ran for a total of 18 minutes today. If I could piece all of that together at one time it would be almost 2 miles. I am enjoying running more and more. While I am on the treadmill, I am not really focusing on anything but finishing. There is no stress, no worry, nothing else matters for that 45 minutes.

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Tuesday, January 18, 2011 Posted in | | 0 Comments »

Our church is in a 21 day fast and several people are reading through youversion.com 21 day fast Bible reading plan. Today's reading was Luke 4. I was stirred by two verses that to me reveal a lot of about fasting.


Luke 4:1, "Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness."

Luke 4:14, "Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside."

Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit and lead by the Holy Spirit but after 40 days of fasting and a season in the wilderness, He was in the power of the Holy Spirit. As you read this text, you see that fasting did not rebuke Satan and Jesus never address His fasting as a way of countering His temptations. He used the Word of God. What fasting does is give us the strength and the power to stand on His Word and follow His leading.

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Genesis 37:9, “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other."


May this be said of you today. May we be people who act of the dreams that God gives us. I believe that dreams that are not acted on turn into bitterness, jealousy, and resentment. What dream is God giving you?

May we be the church and be dream facilitators. Be a fertile place where dreams can be rooted and cultivated. May we be a community that helps people be who God called and created them to be.

My prayer if for dreams that scare me, bewilder people, and make God smile. To dream is to believe God for the impossible. To step out on that dream is to trust that God is in control.

I want to dream! I want a dream!

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Monday, January 17, 2011 Posted in | | 0 Comments »

Because of my week I am starting my week 3 training a day early. This morning's walk/jog was challenging but not torture. I went 3.5 miles in 45 minutes. This week the training has me doing a 5 minutes warm up walk, then a minute and a half run, followed by a minute and a half walk, then a 3 minute run, then a 3 minute walked, repeat, and then a 5 minute walk. I continued on for another for 45 minutes total. I ran for a minute and then walked for 2 minutes. I seems real monotonous at times but I have to stick with the plan. Rest days are important and my body might appreciate two in a row but that will not happen for a couple of weeks. I am really enjoying this training and not focusing so much on my weight loss but on fitness.

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Sunday, January 16, 2011 Posted in | | 0 Comments »

#4 - Don't just preach at them, show them: Students are not looking for great speakers or great leaders, they are looking for people who are who they say they are. They want people who are real and backs up what they say with how they live. They take what Paul said seriously in 1 Corinthians 11:1.


#5 - Count students but get to know them: This is a relational generation. Students need people in their life that care more about them then they care about the number that is in their service. Students have to be more than a number. It is okay to count your attendance, track it and keep up with it. That is very wise, but you have to know the students behind that number.

#6 - Bigger students not bigger ministry: If our goal is to build big ministry then we are building a big machine that mass produces cookie cutter programs. Our goal has to be to build big students. Give them the tools they need to be life-long followers of Jesus. I promise you that if you focus on building bid students, big ministry will soon follow.

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Saturday, January 15, 2011 Posted in | | 0 Comments »

Finished up my second week of training for a 5K yesterday. I had my best day yet. I walked/jogged 3.6 miles in 45 minutes. That gave me 10.5 miles for the week, a mile increase from last week. I also had my best mile and fastest 5K time. My schedule will be a little off this coming up week and will actually start my week 3 training tomorrow morning. I will up my running by 30%. My goal is 11 miles next week. My plan is to register for the race next week. It is March 19th. I am going to start jogging in my neighborhood in the middle February to get used to running on the road.

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The last 12 years I have had the privilege to be a part of Youth Ministry. I am grateful that God has given me passion for this generation. I do not claim to know all things Youth Ministry, not even close. I love to study trends and learn, if we stop learning we start dying. I believe over the last 10 years we have seen some shifts in Youth Ministry. I just want to share some thoughts over the next couple of days.

#1 - Students are looking for community and not an event: With all my heart I believe students are looking for somewhere to belong more than they are looking for a show. It is not about the lights, the smoke machines, game rooms, or cafes. If there is not an environment that is inviting for the Holy Spirit to move and welcoming to students from all walk, then it is just an event. There are way that as the ministry grow you can still keep your sense of community. You have to be strategic and very intentional.

#2 - Discipleship is a mission and not a method: Our ten step discipleship process does not work effectively. We have disconnect the message of Christ from the mission of Christ. As we reconnect those things and give students the opportunity to put application with knowledge, I believe that we will see true discipleship. This is a cause driven generation and the mission of Jesus is more than a cause. They are looking for something bigger than themselves to join with. If the church does not give it to them, someone else will.

#3 - Create a dialog instead of giving a monolog: We have teach students how to think for themselves. We can not do that unless we know what they think and hear what they think. We have to find ways to engage them in conversation where they are at. Standing up and preaching a 20 minute sermon and then dismissing is not teaching them how to flesh out their faith. You may be surprised at what they think and the questions they have.

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Friday, January 14, 2011 Posted in | | 0 Comments »

If you are a Christ Follower can you remember when you first had a realization of what Jesus did for you? When you saw the cross and the empty tomb, when you felt you sins where forgotten and washed away? Do you remember what it was like to feel God in everything that you did, everything looked different and the way you viewed things was different? Here are some questions I can not get out of mind about this:


At what point did we quit trusting God for everything and trusting our own ability? Doesn't that create worry?

At what point was God's love not enough and we started look to people for affirmation and approval? Doesn't that create insecurity?

At what point did we stop building God's Kingdom and start building our own? Doesn't that create pride?

At what point did the feeling fade that if God be for us who can be against us? Doesn't that create doubt?

I am just dumb enough to believe that God has more for us. That this is not all there is and that it is time to quit settling and go after what God has called us to do.

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Thursday, January 13, 2011 Posted in | | 0 Comments »

Today was the toughest day yet. I have pushed myself this week pretty hard and I could feel it today. At one point I thought my hamstrings were going to come loose and slap me. I jogged/walked 3.45 miles in 45 minutes. I am going to spend some time on the elliptical tomorrow and workout my shoulders, back, and arms.


The thought behind today was just finish. It really did not matter what my time was or how far I made it, just finish! Nobody wins the race for starting, it is the finishing that counts.

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Wednesday, January 12, 2011 Posted in | | 0 Comments »







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Tuesday, January 11, 2011 Posted in | | 0 Comments »

Today was the biggest challenge I have ever had to get to the gym. Last night it snowed about an inch or more here and then iced over. The roads were rough, and the trip took a while but we made it. There is a thin line between commitment and insanity. Today I believe that I came really close to that line. I did not want to miss a day of training, I can really feel like I am getting in a rhythm. Still a little sore from cross training Saturday but really think the cross training is helping me with me endurance. Today I jogged/walked 3.5 miles in 45 minutes. Started with a 5 minute warm up and then jogged 1 1/2 minutes and walked 2 minutes for 25 minutes. I kept going an extra 15 minutes. This week is going to be a little challenge but I have a feeling it is going to get real next week.

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Monday, January 10, 2011 Posted in | | 0 Comments »

Made it through my first week of 5K training. Today was the best day yet. I jogged/walked 3.4 miles in 45 minutes. I did the couch to 5K training and then walked for 15 more minutes. I know that it gets tougher from here, but I think I can handle it. It is all about mindset. From what I am learning running is more mental than anything. I have to remember that my legs will not fall off and if I quit breathing I will pass out and then start breathing again. I will be okay, I can make! I did step on the scales for the first time in 3 weeks. I have put on 6 pounds. I have started back this week getting my eating in check and my routine reestablished at the gym. My goal is to loose 20 more pounds before camp!

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Friday, January 7, 2011 Posted in | | 0 Comments »

As I am training for this 5K my running days are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Tuesday and Thursday I am cross training on the elliptical and lifting weights. Not sure about how I will handle the weekends. Going to keep them flexible and allow one day to let my body rest. Today was day 2. I guess it will not get any easier from here huh? This is something I really want to do, and I am excited about but I have to take a moment and be honest. I am scared. What if I can not run it? What if I fail? What if? Those questions were dancing in the back on my head as I got on the treadmill at 4:45 a.m. but I ran anyways. I believe it is okay to ask yourself questions like that, but it is not okay to give into them. To let them rule your life. Let them control you. This is going to be tough, but I know it will be worth it. The juice will be worth the squeeze.


This week the couch to 5K plan has me walking a 5 minute warm up, then running 1 minute, walking 90 seconds, and then a 5 minute cool down. I then walk 15 more minutes. Today I pushed myself a little harder. I jogged/walked 3.25 miles in 45 minutes. Tomorrow is cross training and I am looking forward to it, just have to stay away from the ab machine.

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Wednesday, January 5, 2011 Posted in | | 0 Comments »

The other day I was reminded of a truth, spiritual maturity is not measured by how much of the Bible you have read. It is not gauged by how many times you go to church in a week or how well you speak christianese. Spiritual maturity is not about what you know or how much you know. Spiritual maturity comes from what you do with what you know.


Knowledge is not power unless it is used, unless it is lived out. It does you know good to be able to quote scripture about forgiveness if you are holding onto a grunge that you can not let go of. It does you no good to be able to quote anything out of the Word of God unless you are willing to live it out. Knowledge is not power, application is.

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Tuesday, January 4, 2011 Posted in | | 0 Comments »

Today I began training for my first 5K. Yes, I want to run 3.1 miles at the end of March. No, aliens have not sucked out my brains. I just think it will be cool. I think for someone who has be overweight most of their life, it will be an accomplishment. Last year at this time I weighed over 350 pounds. 105 pounds later I think I am ready for this. Ready to be in better shape. Ready to live life to the fullest. No excuses. Leave everything on the table. Go big or go home baby. This journey is no longer about weight loss, it is about sheer determination. It is about willpower and mind over matter.


This morning I walked for 5 minutes for a warm up. Then jogged for 1 minute and walked for 90 seconds. I did this for 20 minutes. I then walked the last 20 minutes at 4.3 mph pace. I walked/jogged 3.15 in 45 minutes. I am excited to see where this journey takes me. I have not stepped on the scales since the Holidays, I am going to wait a couple of weeks for that :-)

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Monday, January 3, 2011 Posted in | | 0 Comments »

A lot of people have set a lot of resolutions and will not stick with them. More than likely they have already broke them. Other people are negative where New Years resolutions are concerned. Every year I try to set a few resolutions or goals on things I want to work on and make better in my life. I read a quote yesterday that has really challenged me. "It is never to late to be who you might have become." Today is a good day for change and a good day to begin to let God mold you and shape you into who He created and called you to be. I am resolved in 2011 to really look into a mirror and work on some things in my life.


I am going to run a 5K in the end of March. I begin training tomorrow. I will be blogging about that a lot.

I want to begin school. I really want to earn a bachelors degree. I believe I know where I want to go, just praying about what degree to get.

I want to loose about 20 more pounds. In 2010 I lost 105 pounds but have gotten complacent over the Holidays. I am going to work on my last 10 pounds.

Go on an overseas mission's trip again. I really want to go back to Colombia.

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Sunday, January 2, 2011 Posted in | | 0 Comments »