FEATURED IMAGE ABOVE: Family – Eduardo, Jose, and Lucy (Loya), provided by Fran Poloni, Special Strong, West Valley, Arizona.

ARE YOU ADAPTIVE?

Can the fitness culture at your gym, training studio, church fitness ministry, school, group class or even your own home workout be adaptive? Specifically, if you were to intentionally exercise with someone who has special needs could YOU “adapt”: adjust what you do, how you think and behave and become suitable and useful for that particular relationship? Could you get beyond it being a 1-time special experience and instead build it into a consistent and ongoing passion to nurture, in both you and that other person, abundant life in Christ?

Special Strong is a nationally recognized innovator and industry leader for changing lives through adaptive fitness. They help people with mental, physical and cognitive challenges including Down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, rare genetic conditions and many more conditions.

This story is meant to inspire you, call you to pray, seek God and use your fitness lifestyle to BE LIFE to others. That could ultimately be you making a difference in your community with a rewarding Special Strong gym franchise or it might simply be you following God’s Spirit to be the influence someone needs. Whatever it may be, the time is ripe for you to adapt to what God wants.

We all have life and that’s a great gift to have. The person who is active and fit AND has experienced and knows the strength of God has an even greater gift. Great gifts mean great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities! Go beyond your routine and what you think your agenda is and respond to the special call of being faithful to God by being strong with someone else.

THE BEGINNING, THE MISSION AND NOW

Daniel Stein will be the first to tell you a spiritual truth: We’re all born with a void that only God can fill. You’ve likely heard people who love to workout share how fitness saved their life from drug or alcohol addiction or more. That was the story for Daniel too until he realized that fitness was not enough. It left him empty still. It wasn’t until he fully gave his life to Jesus Christ that he was able to experience the richest kind of life that God intended for him – true fulfillment found only in Christ. That was the beginning of Special Strong.

Early in the formation of Special Strong, Daniel realized that God wanted him to found the business on a Biblical anchor. The specific Bible verse, John 10:10, speaking first of Satan and then of Christ says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (more and better life than they ever dreamed of, more abundantly).” Stein explains, “[that] really is a focal point to filter everything we do.”

Now, with more than a dozen Special Strong locations throughout the U.S. people with mental, physical and cognitive challenges are receiving fitness training – and something more. While the fitness training is what people see, Daniel offers this insight, “We’re creating opportunities for people who don’t have many opportunities, to live an abundant life.”

THIS is the distinct value that a Christ-centered fitness ministry/business can deliver: Good quality training and services PLUS the motive and direction to not just do good but anticipate the Spirit of God to deliver over and above abundance. Daniel and his team look for it and find it.

He says, “There’s nothing more powerful to anchor into than the Word of God. There are a lot of successful companies that are not Christian… and they still have a lot of success. For any Christian who is truly surrendered to Jesus on a daily basis we actually have very divine and distinct advantages in the marketplace. No matter how good their mission is they don’t have that kind of access. If Christians want to have an eternal mindset, we can’t just come up with this stuff on our own and put God’s name on it. He wants us to seek him first. If I had just picked a mission I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to draw closer to God. That’s the thing about business: You’re either doing business by yourself or you’re doing it with God. There’s a big difference between the two.”

EVERY PERSON HAS A STORY TO TELL – EVEN IF HE CAN’T TELL IT

Eli was my first Special Strong athlete. He was born with Hypotonic Cerebral Palsy which makes his muscles weak and floppy, his flexibility excessive, and makes stability challenging. He is also unable to communicate verbally. We’ve gotten to know each other as we meet to train, and learn how to communicate overcoming verbal barriers. When stretching, Eli will let me know that I can continue extending a muscle with a ‘thumbs up’ and when at full extension will give me an open palm with five fingers out to stop and hold the stretch. This non-verbal communication has been noticed by other gym goers, who now encourage and motivate Eli with high-fives, fist bumps, and smiles when they see him at the gym. When Eli overcomes challenges, he always has a smile on his face! -Fran Poloni, Owner & Adaptive Fitness Trainer, Special Strong West Valley, Arizona

THE DIFFERENCE GOD MAKES THROUGH SPECIAL STRONG IS VERY BIG

All of us, beyond the real biological need to be physically active, need to find purpose, be productive and bring value to others. Whether someone believes in God or not, that is spiritually hardwired into everyone.

People with disabilities as Stein says, “Have significantly greater challenges than most people will ever face. [When they] don’t get services the enemy comes after them very hard. He gets them in isolation, where they don’t have any community and they feel like they have no hope.”

This is THE huge calling that the church (every individual who follows Christ) has: to bring the hope of Christ to others. So, the muscle to exercise, the skill to develop, the strength to gain and then flex in daily living is to be an obedient and eager tool for God to use to give hope and life to others.

Daniel sees (and you can too) the incredible change in lives when that happens. He describes it this way, “They were just breathing in the air. That’s all they did. They get into these fitness services and God breathes life over them. Suddenly, they’re contributing to society. They’re getting jobs for the first time. They’re replacing the victim mentality with a victor mentality. I know they’ve got a tough life but God did not design life to be that way. He has designed us to live like a victor… to live an empowered, abundant life.”

RESOURCES

Tips For Befriending Someone With Disabilities

To Be Befriended: A Meditation on Friendship and the Disabled

Tips for Disability Accommodations in Church and Ministry Settings

MORE FROM

NubAbility Athletics/Sam Kuhnert, 2019 Faith & Fitness Magazine Fitness Ministry Award Recipient

Driven To Access And Adapt

Positive Exposure, Picture The Spirit Of Difference

Nice Isn’t Good Enough – Pastor James Dixon

How God Gives Me ‘Different Abilities’ Through ADHD by Heath Ellenberger

Inclusion – Simple Accessibility by Heather Pennington

The post Special Strong – An Adaptive Fitness Culture That Builds Abundant Life In Christ appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

Testosterone Trap Trauma is related to marriage in that marriage solves a lot of the problems brought on by boys and young men living through the Testosterone Trap period in their lives. This is the time in a boy and then young man’s life, generally between ages 15 and 25 when they will experience the highest testosterone levels in their lives. Testosterone causes a great deal of acting out on the part of young males in this age group. Much of it is meant to be impressive to members of the opposite sex.

YOUNG AND RECKLESS MALES

It leads to a high level of risk-taking and sometimes life-threatening situations. Even before this adolescent time frame, because of the influence of testosterone on male brains before birth, boys experience near drowning nearly twice as frequently as girls and die from drowning four times as frequently as girls. For every girl that gets seriously burned by fire, three boys sustain similar burns, boys are injured and killed more frequently than girls while riding bikes, on playground equipment, and during sports activities. For every girl who is injured on playground, four boys are.

MALE DANGER ZONE 15-25

During the 15 to 25-year-old time phase of life that I call The Danger Zone, males have approximately a four times greater chance of death by homicide, suicide, drug overdose, and car accident than females of the same age. Most of this violence is practiced against males in the same age group. Men killing men occurs 30 to 50 times more often than women killing women. Males murdering other males occurs most from ages 18 to 25 and more frequently in unmarried rather than married men. Around two thirds of males killing males results from social conflict rather than crime. And here’s a very important point, more than half of these murders are related to status competition.

When young males get into a competition with each other their testosterone rises. It also rises when they are around attractive females. This is most especially true if the young men are not romantically committed to anyone. The winner of the competition continues to experience his testosterone rising and the loser experiences a drop. This unfortunate scenario plays out in gangs in cities around the world. The gangs provide a substitute for the family that the young man is missing coming from. There are very few positive male role models in many of these young men’s lives. This situation is a recipe for disaster for many of our young men. Also, think of the tragedy of school shootings. What percentage of the shooters are males 15 to 25 years old? I think we all know the answer to that question already. Having a place that boys and young men can call home and a traditional family is a huge advantage!

EXCESS TESTOSTERONE PHYSICALLY UNHEALTHY

Not only is excess testosterone bad for young men behaviorally, continued high levels of it is bad for them physiologically as well. Across God’s creation, male creatures only carry high levels of testosterone during their mating season. For instance, in the fall male deer sport antlers with which to fight other male deer in order to display dominance and be able to mate with the females in the herd. As soon as mating season is over their testosterone levels drop and they shed their antlers.

Testosterone it turns out, is an immune system suppressive hormone. A male creature has to be very fit and healthy to have even temporary high levels of it. Estrogen on the other hand is an immune enhancing hormone. That is one of the reasons that human females on average outlive males. This overall picture of male-focused harm is what I have named Testosterone Trap Trauma. Like Natural Lifestyle Matching, most people are unaware of this phenomenon to their detriment.

GOD’S REMEDIES

Fortunately, our maker God knows all about how we are made and how we function. In Part 2 we are going to learn about His wise instructions to young men in these areas. For right now, I will point out that Proverbs chapters 5 through 7 illuminates much wisdom that is focused on and communicated to young men in this area specifically. I am not aware of any other similar instructions given to young adult females in the Bible about their sexuality.

“Though the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey and her words are smoother than oil, in the end she is bitter as wormwood and as sharp as a double-edged sword” Proverbs 5: 3-4 CSB

At your convenience, please read those chapters of Proverbs and I believe you will see what I mean. We will also see in Part 2 how Marvelous and Magnificent Marriage, as God designed it, helps solve many of these self-destructive problems.

The post Testosterone Trap Trauma Therapy Part 1 appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

This is a question Anthony and Denea’ Widener explored in depth before launching their unique faith and fitness program, Crash Fitness, in the summer of 2019.

When you dig into the Bible you find that every single follower of Christ is part of one body. There is no separation by denomination or location. Instead all are identified as children of God.

Having a ministry background as well as expertise in the gym world, the Wideners could see the strong connection between physical health and being able to say yes to the calling God places on Christians’ lives. Without caring for your physical body, it is a struggle to have the energy and health needed to live your life fully for Christ. With this understanding they asked, “What if there is a way to truly unite believers from all over the world on a spiritual and fitness journey for God’s glory?”

Crash Fitness was the answer to that question. Crash Fitness is unique in that church congregations and individual believers in the United States can be a part of the same platform along with their fellow Christians serving on mission in other countries like Guatemala, Haiti, and nations in Africa to name just a few.

TOOLS FOR GLOBAL TRAINING

Crash Fitness members are challenged and encouraged by devotionals and led through strength training and functional online fitness workouts. Utilization of the Internet breaks the barriers of time and location allowing members all over the world to receive spiritual and physical training through online fitness with minimal equipment and requirements.

Through the online workouts members can get help to get in phenomenal physical shape. Then through the online community group they can connect for accountability, encouragement, and prayer. Denea’ shares “We just want to help the body of Christ get healthy and stay healthy so that they can accomplish all that the Lord is calling them to do.”

EVERYONE IS YOUR WORKOUT PARTNER

Kristen and Jared Schulte, who live in Florida, discovered Crash Fitness in its beginning phase and found it be life changing in the midst of the busyness of life. The couple has been thrilled with the results and how the program affords them the freedom to workout on their own schedule from the convenience of home. For the first time ever they have been able to maintain a consistency with their workouts.

Kristen admits “I honestly never even considered putting God at the center of my health, fitness, or wellness…it truly was a lightbulb moment when I realized that my entire life had changed having handed over this last big part of my life to Him. I can only believe that God put Crash Fitness in my path so that I could experience these life changing truths that I can now walk confidently in. It’s so much deeper than weight loss and physical gains. Wow, it’s truly all about the personal relationship with God.”

Seth Switzer, a pastor in New York, has gotten his whole family on board completing the workouts with his wife and often including their children as well. He had been going to the gym 5 to 6 times a week prior to COVID gym shutdowns and was looking for a way to maintain his fitness. He found that joining Crash Fitness was much more than just a temporary solution. He got better results with this program than he had with his old regimen. He was able to lose over 20 pounds and lower his elevated blood pressure to normal levels.

The physical combined with the spiritual continues to be huge for him. He shares, “I’m [doing online fitness and] working out along someone who may be in India, Haiti, or some other country. We may be thousands of miles away, but we serve the same God and have the same goal of being healthy both physically and spiritually. Far too often we neglect taking care of the bodies that God has given us, which hinders us from being used fully for God and His calling on our lives.”

Josh Anderson, a missionary in Haiti, explains that as a former athlete, exercise has always been a part of his life. But as an adult he began to struggle with consistency as family and demands grew. He has been pleased with the ease Crash Fitness provides to take his workouts with him whether he is on the mission field or back visiting in the United States. Josh continues to experience results both physically and spiritually.

He notes that the community group really has an impact as it is easy for missionaries to become isolated. Josh says, “Having that support, accountability, and encouragement, from everywhere from India to Haiti, is unlike anything I’ve seen any other organization be able to do effectively.”

MORE THAN AN EXERCISE GROUP – IT’S A CRASH!

A group of fish is called a ‘school’. A group of pigs is called a ‘herd’. But a group of rhinos? – They’re called a ‘crash’. It’s a great term to apply to a group of Christians who commit to being an unstoppable force. God’s people can move together full-force with confidence. Doing online fitness together is 1 way to do that. There’s a future to be created, a humanity to be liberated.

Something you will hear Anthony say throughout Crash Fitness trainings is the challenge, “Let’s move with passion and purpose!” That truly is what this is all about.

Whether you’re a pastor looking to get your church on board, a missionary overseas, or an individual believer just looking for a way to take your health and fitness to the next level, Crash Fitness is for everyone. It is truly a unique way of uniting the collective body of Christ through a life changing program.

JOIN THE CRASH – ONLINE FITNESS WITH THE UNSTOPPABLE BODY

Health and overall wellness tend to take a backseat to other things in life, especially in ministry and serving others. That’s why Crash Fitness Co. is partnering with you, your church or your missions organization to bring body, mind, and spirit fitness to YOU! Get your first 30 days of the Crash Community for free.

Learn more about Crash Fitness. To inquire about getting involved in this online fitness workout as a church contact anthony@crashfitnessco.com

The post Crash Fitness – One Body, Unstoppable appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

NATURAL FITNESS AND NUTRITION

My mother grew up starting her day with chores like hand pumping 100 gallons of water for the cattle she had to walk to retrieve each morning from the other end of their 80 acres, carrying water into the house for use there and then out, milking the cows, gathering eggs, and many other tasks. She then went to school where she had PE and sports. When she returned home, she had many of the same chores to repeat.

Her life was full of exertion and my dad’s was even more strenuous with dawn to dusk cotton picking for one dollar a day. They ate natural, whole foods that they mostly raised themselves and harvested and butchered. You could say their lives literally consisted of a strenuous, laboring style workout combined with very clean eating. They lived a lifestyle that was much closer to our ancestors Natural Lifestyle that stretches, without much change in natural exertion, back to prehistoric times.

“A worker’s appetite works for him because his hunger drives him on” Proverbs 16:26 CSB

My lifestyle as a youth in contrast consisted of very little physical activity and a great deal more soda pop drinking etc. up until seventh grade. Then my middle school PE teacher, who doubled as the football and baseball coach made me a deal. If I could do one pull up by the end of the semester, I would not fail PE. My father who was a steelworker built me a pull-up bar out of pipe on the shed that he worked his second job in welding at the back of our property.

“If you find honey, eat only what you need; otherwise you’ll get sick from it and vomit” Proverbs 25:16 CSB

 I struggled for three weeks to be able to finally do one pull up. Do you know what I discovered after I got one? Three came a lot easier than one did. My whole life changed. I started running around the blocks in our neighborhood and tried to go faster each time. I didn’t know what I was doing but it all worked out because I became driven to exercise and eat well and became successful in both PE and athletics.

NATURAL LIFESTYLE MATCHING

This is where I began to study the biochemistry of healthy lifestyles versus unhealthy lifestyles. I have not ever stopped. What I’ve discovered is that trying to live a Natural Lifestyle Match leads to the best wellness outcomes on almost every level. What do I mean by this? Science has discovered the importance of the natural circadian rhythm of being exposed consistently to bright light during the day and to darkness at night as well as the natural vegetation outdoors which give off oxygen. With all of our screen use many of us are destroying this rhythm. Relatedly, it has been discovered that eating should align with the active daylight hours. Most importantly along the way I also discovered that the truths of the Bible align with this wisdom as I have alluded to with the Scripture inserts. The most recent example is the realization of the value of fasting, since our ancestors had periods of time they didn’t have food.

There are many other examples that we will explore but for now the one I want to emphasize is the Natural Lifestyle Match of traditional courtship, marriage, and family. God designed humans for marriage and the family that the sexual integrity of the bond produces. Again, natural, and social science agree. Jesus said in Matthew 19:5 that “for this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh” CSB. As we explored in the previous two posts, He also created a Natural Lifestyle with regard to the birth of children and the health benefits that accrue from that, especially for women.

NATURAL LIFESTYLE MARRIAGE BENEFITS

Both sexes benefit from creating a Natural Lifestyle Match in the area of lifelong marriage. Being married significantly reduces your chances of hospitalization, need for surgery, dying after bypass surgery, getting pneumonia, getting rheumatoid arthritis, gum disease, viral infection, dementia, clinical depression, heart attack, cancer, being jailed, being murdered, being killed in a car wreck, and committing suicide.

We are going to talk much more about this powerful insight but for now let’s just summarize by saying that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and the wisdom of the Bible brings wholistic human wellness.

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Unfortunately, this has become an easy out for far too many dads to get comfortable on the couch, polish off another bag of chips, or push off the gym for yet another week. It’s time to ditch the dadbod not just for your own sake, but also to honor God and your family.

Why You Need To Kick Your Dadbod To The Curve

Being a dad is hard work. It takes a lot of physical, mental and emotional energy to train up a child according to the bible. It can be easy to use your busy life as an excuse for letting your health and physical appearance fall by the waist side. You might think that trading a workout for more playtime with your kids is honorable. You might even feel its objectively the right thing to do for your kids. This is understandable, though a bit misguided. 

Do It For Yourself

All too often one of the first things new dads abandon is their own self care, specifically anything having to do with improving their own personal health and wellness. Time becomes scarce and the kids become the main priority. 

This happens with the best of intentions. The problem arises when doing what’s best for your family trumps your own mental and physical wellbeing. Abandoning your own needs for the needs of your loved ones is an honorable gesture, but one that will eventually have you feeling very negatively about yourself.

You can turn this around by focusing on a couple of things. Commiting to exercise regularly and eat healthier provides dads with numerous benefits, like those shared below. 

Making the decision to stop using your kids as the excuse for your slipping health and wellness is step one. Step two is taking action to get rid of your dadbod and keep it away for good. 

Do It To Honor God

Part of following Jesus includes taking your health seriously. One of the more well-known bible verses that speaks to this is when the apostle Paul talks about our body as the temple of the holy spirit. 

For the Israelites the temple was God’s original dwelling place. It was His sacred, holy home until Jesus was crucified. The temple was treated with reverence, respect, and honor. We are to mimic this attitude with our own bodies. This means, among other things, being careful about what we put into our bodies and refusing to use excuses for why we slowly let our bodies atrophy as we get older. It is our duty to honor God with our bodies by eating right, engaging in physical activity, as well as being intentional about prayer and meditation to keep our minds and hearts in alignment with the purpose He has for our lives. 

At the same time, we need to be cautious not to take this to the extreme. Is there anything wrong with getting ripped? No, unless your physical appearance starts to become more important to you than investing in your relationship with Jesus, or spending time with your family. You need to find the right balance that will allow you to keep your temple holy, while also not turning this type of activity, or lifestyle into an idolatrous act.

Your health is a key factor in honoring God, but you must remember that Satan can twist your mindset into focusing on insecurities about your weight, beauty, or age to distract you from sharing your faith. As you ramp up your physical activity you may or may not be able to get your body back to the peak physical condition you were once in.

That’s okay. That isn’t your goal. Your goal should be to invest in your physical and spiritual health, without sacrificing other important aspects of your life. You can find peace in knowing that we’re all created in the image of God no matter what type of body we possess. 

Do It To Put Your Family First

Like most dads, you’d do anything for your family. You’re committed to giving your kids the best life possible. You want to be there for them for years to come. This is why you shouldn’t be okay with “rocking the dadbod.” 

Ironically enough, by putting your children first you’re doing a disservice to them. When you neglect your physcial well-being for the sake of you children, you aren’t giving them the best version of yourself. Even worse, you may eventually rob them of years they could have spent with you due to your poor physical, mental and spiritual health. 

If you’re like me, you all too often use your kids as an excuse for why you “deserve” that heaping bowl of ice cream at night, or time to veg out on the couch and stream the latest netflix series instead of foregoing dessert or hopping on the exercise bike. This thinking is flawed. 

Firstly, these unhealthy habits will just make you feel even worse about yourself and cause you to continue making unhealthy choices. It’s a vicious loop. A little t.v. or dessert now and then is okay, but the problem arises when these behaviors become a mindless daily pattern. 

Stop using your kids as an excuse to prop up unhealthy habits and instead use them as motivation to do better. Think of your kids when you’re making decisions that affect your body. After all, doesn’t your wife deserve her spouse to be by her side into old-age? Don’t your kids deserve to have their dad around for graduations, wedding celebrations and the birth of their children? 

How You can Get Started Right Now

Once you’ve made the decision to ditch your dadbod you might be tempted to sign up for that half marathon, tough mudder, or start a 48-hour fast. These are lofty and difficult goals to start off with. If you chase after challenges like these too soon you’re more likely to fail and head right back to the couch. 

1. Start Small

Its best to focus on one thing and develop a consistent habit. You could decide to do daily walks, jogs, hikes, or bike rides. Pick something that you can stick with for the long haul. It may take anywhere from 21 to 60 days to develop a solid habit.

2. Take Control of Your Diet 

An obvious starting point is altering your diet to include less sugar and processed food. Eat three good meals a day that include generous servings of fruits and veggies, and drink lots and lots of water. There are lots of popular diet options out there, but if you want these habits to be sustainable you need to find something that works for you. Focus on changing your lifestyle rather than following a short-term diet. 

This is particularly difficult for me as I enjoy a sweet bite after dinner. Breaking that habit has proven to be a challenge. If you’re in the same boat do what I do and focus on stacking small wins.

• Resisted dessert this evening. Win!
• Choose a salad for lunch over pizza. Win!
• Have a smoothie for breakfast rather than a doughnut. Win!

Over time these little wins start really piling up and contribute to your success in a big way. 

3. Incorporate Your Kids

Physical activity doesn’t have to be boring. Include your kids when you can, and make it fun! The options are endless. Also, be sure to take advantage of little moments throughout the day. 

• While the kids are playing do some pushups. 
• Do some jumping jacks as you push them on the swings. 
• Give them a ride using a running stroller 
• Play tag with them, or make an obstacle course

4. Call For Backup

Don’t go it alone. Like a wolfpack, you’re more likely to succeed if you have others surrounding you, encouraging you, and watching your back as you go down this road. 

If you’re having a rough day, or make a bad decision, don’t beat yourself up. It happens. Reach out to a friend, co-worker, or family member who’ll give you the support you need. You may also want to consider joining a mastermind, or support group of like minded people going through the same experience as you. 

5. Be prayerful

It goes without saying that you should be prayerful as you begin this journey. 

Seek God’s wisdom and strength as you strive to honor him with your body, mind and spirit. Ask for grace as you hit bumps in the road and become discouraged. Thank God for His direction and encouragement as you celebrate your wins. Finally, pray for the resolve and courage to resist temptation and make sound choices that will not only benefit you and your family but will be pleasing to God. 

Conclusion

It’s time to stop making excuses and get rid of your dadbod. Doing this will not only benefit you but your spouse and children also stand to gain from your decision. In addition, doing what you can to take care of your body honors and pleases God. Start small by choosing to eat healthier foods. Take advantage of little moments throughout the day to squeeze in some exercise and try to make it fun by incorporating your kids. Be prayerful throughout, and seek God’s wisdom and strength as you make the commitment to honor him with your body. 

The post Ditch Your Dadbod To Honor God And Your Family appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

SHOW YOUR KIDS WHAT’S REALLY IMPORTANT

The bible talks about training up your children in the way they should go so that when they become parents someday they can teach the same things to their children. What would you rather have for your children and grandchildren, a life where happiness is defined by the closeness of the relationships around them or the “stuff” that they accumulate? The answer to most is obvious, but the way you live doesn’t always reflect that.

Dads need to lead the way and start teaching their kids what’s truly important. It’s incumbent upon us, as dads, to follow the path that God laid out and show our children that true joy comes from the closeness of the relationships in their life and not from the amount of stuff that they have.

THINKING INSIDE THE BOX

I have 4 children, three toddlers and a newborn, and they’re all under 5. It was only recently that I started to realize, appreciate and apply to my life that giving them more toys, books and dress-up clothes isn’t something that brings them more joy. Let me explain, One night as I was driving home I found myself racking my mind trying to think of something fun and exciting to do with my kids. 

• What game could I invent? 
• What toy could we play with?
• Maybe we could dress up and “go on an adventure” 

Then after dinner cleanup, it was playtime. I was still working through ideas I could try out when I saw my kids all piled in an empty box in the kitchen. We played in that box for the rest of the evening and they loved it. I pushed them around and closed the box flaps on them (per their request). They thought it’d be fun to do the same to me. I realized that what my kids really need isn’t a new adventure, new toys, or well-thought-out games. All they really need is me. As long as I’m fully present and engaged with them they can be happy doing almost anything.

GIVE YOUR KIDS MEMORIES NOT STUFF

Experiencing this moment encouraged me to examine my heart and what’s truly important. Jesus tells us that the condition of our hearts will be obvious, and can be discovered simply by looking at the things we treasure in our life. It’s easy to say that we don’t value material things, but it’s another to actually live that out. Here are some strategies to help make the shift.

• Be intentional about spending time in reflection and prayer. Allow God to realign your heart. 
• Find a mentor. Allow other godly people you trust to offer wisdom, guidance and encouragement. 
• Journal. Sometimes the act of journaling can be a great place to interact with God. Jot down some notes on where you feel He is leading you. 

Being fully present is one of the pillars for leaving behind a powerful legacy for your kids. Click here to check out the rest. It doesn’t matter what age they are. All they really need is time with you. In order to be fully present, you’ll need to put down your phone, turn off the tv and engage. That’ll get you started. Let God show you how you can build on these essential first steps and experience lasting memories and connection with your kids. Here’s a few fun ideas to try.

• Chase them. 
• Play monster. 
• Go for a walk.
• Have a conversation. 

You can even invite them into helping with the things on your to-do list. Let them cook dinner with you. Create a space for them to help you wash the dishes. Show them how to do the laundry. Maybe even give them a role in assisting in your next remodeling project around the house. All they want is your time.

Kids spell love T-I-M-E. It doesn’t have to be an exorbitant amount of your day. What matters the most is the quality of the time that you’re spending with them. It may only be 15 minutes, but if you’re fully present and engaged your kids will notice and remember that time.

If you’re caught in the same “material” trap that I was, I’d encourage you to examine your heart to see what’s truly important to you. I would challenge you to limit the amount of material things you allow in your children’s lives. Teaching them that true joy comes from the closeness of our relationships stands to set them on a much better path to success in their relationship with God, friends, and family.

HOW YOU CAN TAKE ACTION RIGHT NOW

• Be prayerful about what material items you might be able to cut out of your own life. Set the example for your kids to follow. 
• Commit daily to investing in real quality time with your children. Set aside at least 20 minutes to be fully present with them.
• Think about encouraging your kids to prayerfully consider what toys/games they may be able to donate to a worthy cause or a child in need. Remind them of how you’ve done this in your own life. 

Learn more about how you can build a powerful legacy your kids will be proud of. Connect with the Hero Dad Mission on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

You can also subscribe to get weekly tips on how to break free from being just an ordinary dad and start living as the hero your kids deserve. 

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PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The Internet is loaded with all kinds of content that talks about superhuman strength. Some of it fuels your imagination with fantasy, illusion and special effects – that superhero kind of stuff. A little more ground in reality, within the scope of human performance, there are endless examples to inspire you with amazing displays of strength and athleticism. Through sports, acts of heroism and extreme made-for-tv stunts people do the unimaginable as they figure out some of the finer points of physics, do incredibly demanding training and then go for it with a fear-no-danger daring spirit.

BUT – there’s another kind of superhuman strength. It’s the kind you’ll likely need at some point in your life but also wish you didn’t have to utilize. It’s the kind that you, all by yourself, can’t really cultivate because the source of it, God, is beyond human definition and understanding. You can’t build it physically, learn it intellectually, wear it altruistically, or use it recklessly. None of us can own it. But all of us can receive it by grace.

I spoke with Pastor Dan McClure in a season of his life where he and his family are living with superhuman strength. They are all managing through his metastatic cancer. It’s certainly not the only devastating news that would make your heart skip a beat, your hope to be challenged, or legitimately give you a reason to be fearful, anxious and even filled with hate. Bad stuff is happening all the time to a lot of people. (At the time this article was written an extremely rare and unexpected winter tornado ripped through a large swath of the midwest killing several people.)

Despite our best efforts and yes, even our righteous living for God, disappointment, frustration, devastation and death happen. The question is this: will you be found wanting – driven by forces away from God or will you be found faithful going after God?

The first half of my conversation with Dan offers insight into his life and helps us consider how we both manage and mismanage our days and ways. The second half offers insights that I believe can help all of us deconstruct confidence and our can-do attitudes and humbly build on the only thing that transcends our present reality – the divine superhuman strength of God.

DAN’S STORY – GOING AFTER GOD!

I was born and raised in Redwood City, California and live now in Sunnyvale in Silicon Valley. I had an amazing childhood – great parents, 2 brothers and 2 sisters. Even though I went to church on a regular basis I didn’t really have a relationship with God. I had a decent childhood and fell in love with health and fitness in high school. I picked up a Muscle & Fitness Magazine, saw those buff body builders and since I was a tall skinny kid I said, “I wonder if I could look like that someday!”

When I went to college at San Jose State I walked through the psychology and engineering departments and thought, “I don’t think this is for me.” Then I walked into the physical education department and I saw all these people laughing and having a blast and I said, “I’m going to major in Physical Education.” So I did that with a minor in Nutrition for Sports Performance. I loved the (Kinesiology) degree and worked hard though I was partying too much. I got my first job at a YMCA.

I hadn’t even graduated yet and they asked, “Can you start today?” It was with a group of older adults in a cardiac rehabilitation program. They wanted me to lead exercise classes for them. So, I was thrown right into the fire. So I did some light dumbbell work with them and within about 10 minutes one of the participants drops to the floor and passes out. The nurses raised his feet and he (regained consciousness). I was like, “Wow this is amazing” and I continued to lead that class for another 10 years. It inspired me to get my Masters in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Gerontology. Even though I didn’t yet have a personal relationship with God I can say that He was absolutely guiding me and he was using physical fitness and my career as a way to draw me closer to Him.

Eventually, I got into the management side of fitness and started working with Bay Clubs – kind of like the 5-star resort of health clubs. It serves the wealthy. I was blessed to get the job but in my mind I wanted to be super-filthy rich. I wanted my name on the outside of a health club. I wanted to be known.

Even though I was having success on the outside on the inside I was completely broken. I was drinking too much, I was addicted to pornography — I was a broken vessel AND I was going through a divorce. An employee there saw me struggling and invited me to church. I walked (into the church) and felt God greet me in a way I had never experienced. I was getting wrecked for the first time by God. A few months later I was laying in bed weeping because I realized my world had crumbled and I heard God say, “Come to me.” At 31 I was crying out to God thanking Him and realizing He was thanking me for obeying His call to come to Him. From that moment I decided I was going to show up every time He called me.

So (I became) a pastor at a 125 year old church. That’s what God did for me. I did that for 5 and a half years and recently resigned. It was a blessed experience.

I know a lot of people in the fitness industry that go into ministry (and vise versa). You can do both simultaneously. I think the most important thing is that you are listening to God’s prompting. If you are feeling the prompting you have to obey what God is calling you to do. You will be blessed by the opportunity.

Hidden Treasures – A Pastor’s Journey Navigating Stage IV Cancer

Hidden Treasures is a book about true victory. In it you will explore the hidden treasures that God revealed to author Dan McClure during his own experience with cancer. These deep truths are relatable to all who suffer with cancer and other chronic diseases.

In this book, as Dan shares his personal journey of navigating his own cancer diagnosis, you’ll discover:

• The role of lifestyle and diet in the healing process
• How to live life to the fullest
• Why intimacy with God is so important
• How your thought life impacts your immune system
• What to do when you have nothing in your wagon
• The benefit of the Spirit through thankfulness, hope, and worship

Plus, you can spend time recognizing the truths God wants you to learn through workbook sections with homework assignments at the end of each chapter.

My book, Hidden Treasures, is about my journey with terminal cancer. In 2017 I was given 3 to 6 months to live. I went on another fitness kick of exercising and eating healthy and I saw my condition start to improve. But since then it hasn’t proven to work completely. The cancer is still spreading.

I thought, “You know what, if I’m going out, if this is it for me I want to write about it. I want to tell people the truth about this journey both the good and the bad, the highs and the lows. I want to be honest with people. Tell them about my experience and the impact it has upon me and my wife. I’ve discovered 10 treasures over my journey (with cancer). It impacts the whole family so dramatically. My kids have learned to be grateful for the moment – that we’re given today. Go after the things God says go after.

This is not anything I can do under my own strength. It is only by the grace and mercy of God that we have strength. It’s what He provides for us. We think we can power through our challenges. But, when we can let go then (things like) cancer don’t become that big of a burden because Christ strengthens (us).

I pray for a miracle. This is just a moment in time and we use this time the best we can. You have to take risks and be OK with making mistakes. Superhuman strength is defined as “your growing faith” so that the faith of others can increase.

AUDIO: Pastor Dan McClure shares in this 1-hour audio about his life. He entered into the fitness business in California’s Silicon Valley after college. That led to launching and managing a non-profit to help those who were underserved to receive better help with health and wellness. After that he was called by God into church leadership where he served as the pastor at Palo Alto First Christian Church. The conversation then shifts to an intimate look at how God gives him and his family superhuman strength as they journey through his diagnosis with metastatic cancer.

Click the play button below to play this direct from the Faith & Fitness Magazine site. This audio was originally recorded via Zoom and has been edited for length and to minimize technical problems due to poor connection.

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The autumn season with all the refreshingly cooler temperatures is great time for you and your family to get outside and exercise as a family together. This fall is a wonderful season to plan some vigorous exercise, fun times together, and renewed conversations with those most important to you.

MAKE PLANS, SET GOALS AND ENJOY THE HARVEST

Every autumn as the trees lose their leaves we all start to become more aware that we’re losing too. For those in the northern hemisphere that means losing more daylight. For everyone it means we’re getting closer to losing all of the remaining days in the current year. Yeah, it’s not long until winter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and then the new year. Yet there is so much to do before then. Family may just need to pretty much take a back seat for at least one more week or two or … STOP! God’s got something bigger for you. It’s more golden than the brightest yellow leaves. It is time with your family.

Want to really get that time this year – and truly enjoy it? Then make plans now for just a few days from now and then for a week later too while you’re at it. Plan what? Fun! Think about the where, who and what of it. Where could be in your yard, your kitchen, at a farm open to the public, a park within a 3-hour drive, that place you enjoy but haven’t been able to visit yet this year – – – you get the idea. The who is your immediate family, your neighbors, your church small group, your gym contacts, co-workers and yep, even your extended family. Finally, plan for the what. When was the last time you made a pile of leaves and jumped into it? Delicious autumn spices and food invite us to make some dishes together that we can savor. And then there are all those boxes of apples, stacks of firewood for a campfire, corn mazes to explore at a walk or jog and all those pumpkins. You can do so much with small, medium and large pumpkins.

Beyond the plans talk with someone close who will help you execute and decide what goals you want to have. Here are a few we think you should consider:

Get active together and actually sustain that activity for a good 30 minutes.

Discover each other through communication. That is both speaking and listening and in-person fellowship too. Look into each others eyes and share a genuine embrace.

You can also make it spiritual too. Now is a good time to let everyone share what they hope to accomplish yet this year or what has been a challenge for them. Then transition to everyone offering words of encouragement and then taking a moment for prayer.

Is there a project that needs to be done before winter or someone who needs a little help. While you’re together as a group exercise the moment to get together again soon and do that good work together. That is a big step toward all of you becoming more socially, emotionally and spiritually “jacked”.

Finally follow through and DO your fun fall workout. You’ll harvest much more than good exercise and great times. Here is what is really amazing to consider: God is faithful. When you make the commitment and put forth the effort He will return unto you much more than you can imagine.

ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR GOURD?!

If a workout using pumpkins with family and friends to have fun sounds a little crazy then that is all the more reason to go for it. This will literally be an exercise of your faith. You’ve got to trust that God can use the most unusual of experiences. Pursue some innovation and don’t be afraid to see what God can reveal.

We want you to add your fun fall workout to this page. Here’s how easy it is:

1. Do it.
2. Use your phone to shoot video of it.
3. Post the video on send it to us.

THERE ARE 4 CATEGORIES OF WORKOUT YOU CAN DO

1. Cardio (pass the pumpkins around, run around them or dance)
2. Strength (lift the pumpkins like weights)
3. Core (using pumpkins for stability of abs, glutes, back)
4. Nutrition (let’s see what good and healthy food you can pair with a healthier pumpkin pie)

Think about doing several in a category and at least one in each. When you bring together several families or a group of friends you can make it even more fun by creating teams. Each team creates a workout and then everyone takes turns going through the entire circuit. You can add a relay race, wheel barrel push, pumpkin tower build and more. Just remember that like weights in the gym these pumpkins can be heavy. So, keep it fun but keep it safe too.

Conclude the fun with a meal that everyone makes together, conversation, fellowship and then a time of singing praise and worship songs around a campfire along with a Bible reading and optional discussion.

There are 4 categories of “workout” that you can do:

Make it fun. Do it with family or friends. We prefer for you to upload your video to an online service like YouTube or Instagram then just email us the URL/web page address for your video.

Then watch for your video to be posted here. Get ready to see how others are having a fun fall workout.

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Towns all across America and the world are facing daunting obstacles. Regardless of whether you consider health and wellness to be a right or a privilege, for many it doesn’t exist. Perhaps they don’t try hard enough for it. Maybe they don’t value It? If you’re faithfully fit they may not even be on your radar. But they could be a co-worker, classmate or neighbor. Are they working out at your gym or worshiping at your church? Hopefully – they could be – as a result of YOU!

Doctor William Cooke’s book Canary In The Coal Mine, invites you to take a closeup look at the opposite end of the health and wellness spectrum. There you’ll find everyday people, a lot of them, struggling with sickness, disease and despair.

Many are battling substance abuse and it begs you to think a lot more about what role faith in God- that “substance of things hoped for”, can truly have in your life and their life too.

At first glance you may wonder how this story is relevant at all to “faith and fitness”. Listen to it all, using the highlight notes below and discover some profound insights that you can prayerfully apply and take your faith and fitness to a level that can bring health and wellness to the bigger team where you live – your town.

HIGHLIGHT NOTES

1:08 TRUST AND OBEY Dr. Cooke begins this conversation by saying, “I quickly settled on medicine. I know that is an odd ministry but I felt God could use me in an area that didn’t have medical access to bring hope, opportunity and wellness”. As you listen to him share, start to think about how you view your physical fitness, the activities of your daily lifestyle and your vocation. You too may feel that the things you do and the passions you have are unlikely tools that God can use. BUT, open yourself up to prayerfully exploring how God could use you to bring hope opportunity and wellness.

3:20 HOW TO BRING FITNESS AS ONLY GOD CAN In the fitness culture we see a huge emphasis on continually trying harder to achieve new levels in self-improvement. Cooke reveals in this portion of the conversation how his worldview was challenged. What he discovered by listening to his patients made him change how he thought about others and their outcomes. Can you, by showing the love of Christ to those around you, help them to feel safe? He candidly shares the sobering truth that despite our positive intentions and even our calling from God, we can never be the Savior that others need.

7:00 YOU CAN’T ESCAPE IT – YOUR TOWN NEEDS YOU Feel like everything you’re trying to do isn’t getting any real results? He did too. Feeling like you want to give up or just escape? See where he went to get away, how he ran out of words to pray and what it was like when he didn’t know what the next steps were. Listen to how he then found himself in the presence of God – and listened. Get ready to grab hold of a powerful perspective on what it means to be part of a team.

14:10 THE BIGGER PURPOSE OF FITNESS Embrace a divine but demanding approach to the “purpose driven life” where you choose to be obedient to God and go out of your way to be life to others. What if your training only helps you see in part? Often you simply need to be a resource for others agenda. As Cooke says, “The purpose to become more fit is to be able to live our lives better.”

25:00 THE ART OF LISTENING Can you intentionally represent Christ strongly among others? Yes! The good news is when people share with you about the real problems they have, you don’t have to have the answers but you can help them work through their challenges.

29:00 MORE THAN SNAPSHOTS – IMAGES OF STRONG TEAMS Dr. Cooke shares his #TeamProgressPic that he has with his wife, his office staff, and his community network.

39:00 START WITH YOU THEN GROW WITH THEM God’s model that we are to follow is to disciple others. In our conversation Dr. Cooke draws a bulls eye model and talks about how he helps people to first start with getting “self” in order, then a healthy home and finally a healthy community.

43:25 BEYOND PREACHERS AND PROFESSIONALS THE WHOLE TOWN CAN BE THE TEAM What can gyms and churches do that he has found successful in his healthcare business? Cooke talks about nurturing clients/members to become peer-workers with lived experiences. How is that done? See the gym and church not as “ours” but as “theirs”. Find champions who want to help and then connect them with help and resources to do it.

49:00 STEPS TO START SHARING HOPE Want your gym, recreational group or church to reach new populations? Have conversations without agendas. God’s kingdom is upside down.

54:00 Listen to ideas that you can apply to nurture your community to have passion and be Team Town. After you’ve finished listening to this conversation CONTACT US for help in moving forward in your community and sharing what is happening in your town.

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