Some of the most incredible outcomes happen in the most unlikely of places. Take my gym for example. They have several group exercise rooms, a spin room, the cardio room, and another room with selectorized weight machines and various other gear. Then there’s the free weight room. AND THEN there’s the iron pit or what we now fondly call the gym confessional.

To get to the iron pit you go past the water fountain, down the hall and at the back of the building you literally go down steps into the “pit”. There you’ll find more free weights along with squat racks, deadlift platforms, sleds and more -A LOT MORE! Here, even though there’s AC, you’ll find a big shop fan blowing. Gym chalk isn’t just allowed it’s encouraged. – so that you can grab hold of your greater potential. The pit is known for some serious lifting by both men and women and for some seriously tough gym attitude too. It’s a place with it’s own culture, which is why the gym confessional became such a powerful counter culture.

You’ll find my friend Chet Priest in the iron pit usually 3 times per week. Guy’s call him “Priest the Beast” and for good reason. He’s huge. He’s never pursued getting his pro card. Said he didn’t need it – didn’t want it. Maybe that’s why people are often surprised to discover that he’s even a huger Christ follower, with, I can tell you, the hugest amount of humility and grace.

The iron pit was on the verge of being closed by management. Frequent and loud profanity, wandering eyes, lots of lust topped with arrogance, lies and mean spirited behavior was the reputation of the pit. Yeah it was bad and some of the worst there were puzzled how Priest could push so hard right along with them and yet never join in any of the ugliness. It drove ‘em crazy.

One day, with a guy spotting him and several others watching, the Beast squatted a new personal best — barely. In the midst of his lift, Andre, yelled from behind, “Come on man, for Christ’s shake, show us what your F***in’ made of!” With the lift successfully complete, and everyone now cheering, Chet returned the weights to the rack, looked at Andre and gently said, “For your sake, Christ died.” The room got real still – real fast. Priest then looked at everyone and continued, “Christ died for all of us that we could be made new.” Then he started to walk out of the room.

Andre scoffed with a smirk on his face, “Bless me Father, for I have sinned. It has been … too long – maybe never, since my last confession.”

Priest slowly, quietly and yet deliberately turned around and looked directly into Andre’s eyes. Everybody thought he was going to beat the crap out of him. In that long silent moment we all stood stunned and caught off guard. The fan roared. Andre’s head dipped as he repeated the grave truth, “I… I HAVE sinned.” Chet walked up to him and gave him a big bear hug – and I swear I’ve never seen Andre weep like he did that day, first with pain and regret, then with repentance, and most notably with joy as he experienced God’s grace that day. To this day Andre still calls that moment his personal best.

That was a few years ago and all of us since then have found that the gym confessional isn’t just a place to lift heavy. It’s become our place to be accountable to each other, repent and grab hold firmly to God.

THINK ABOUT IT

1. Your gym may not be the ‘iron pit’ but chances are you’ve seen more going on than just physical exercise. In fact, if you’re honest, some of what’s going on is going on inside your own head. Take a moment to look directly into you. Give it a long silent moment. What is the culture of your heart?
2. In this story humility and grace are two qualities identified that give Chet Priest a reputation of loving Jesus. What Jesus qualities do you want people to see in you? How do you communicate and demonstrate those qualities?
3. Sometimes life circumstances can come together to create a pivotal point. On a spiritual level that point can be the Spirit of God calling you to be obedient and be used of God for His purpose. In this scenario it was Andre’s choice words spoken in the presences of others as Chet was in a physically challenging moment that led to Chet speaking faith-building life-giving words. What extreme or dramatic moments with others have you experienced? In those moments how has God’s Spirit moved on you? How did you respond? What was the outcome?
4. The concept of making a sincere confession, whether to God alone or in the presence of someone is difficult for many. What challenges do you face in this regard? What does it mean to have a mindset that is freed by God? Identify the qualities you would need in an individual or small group to pursue deeper fellowship and accountability. How would you grow in God if that was a consistent part of your lifestyle?

The post The Gym Confessional appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

In a world of AI, vegetarian hamburgers, baby formula, vanilla scented candles, protein supplements, Photoshop, Genetically Modified Organisms, even BMI – a measurement of fitness, many people in today’s culture find RAW to be revulsive. As we elevate ourselves to be God-like, food, faith, lifestyles and more that are in a natural condition, not processed or refined strike caution, fear, resistance and even hate in all kinds of people. Would you drink raw milk?

Tommy Wheatley and best friend (since kindergarten)/business partner Luke Kidwell founded Raw Milk & Deadlifts. They’re farmers who have a passion for fitness, health and wellness, and God! AND yes, they love RAW milk.

Watch this Faith & Fitness Magazine video to learn more about how bringing together raw milk and deadlifts transforms your mindset about fitness and nutrition.

IT’S DELICIOUS AND…

If you’re a raw milk lover, Tommy says there’s a good likelihood that you’re into overall wellness, good food and trying to take care of your body to the best of your ability. If you’re an ‘iron addict’ (you like to exercise and lift weights regularly) then, once you get drinking raw milk, you’re going to discover just how much it will help your workouts.

Raw milk delivers some powerful benefits to your workout:

• It is nutrient dense
• It is full of healthy fats
• It provides good healthy calories

FIND RAW MILK NEAR YOU

Thirsty for some real dairy goodness? Tommy and Luke recommend that you use the locator on the A Campaign For Real Milk website to find possible local sources of raw milk near you. Once you’ve had some, post a comment below and share about it with the Faith & Fitness Magazine community.

MORE ‘RAW’

We think RAW is a mindset worth lifting up before you. So, check out these other links to raw goodness!

Faith & Fitness Magazine article: Revert To Raw: 7 Snacks You Can Eat Anytime – Anywhere!

Theology in the Raw is a ministry that helps Christians think Christianly about theological and cultural issues. Sounds like a no-brainer but it’s just as challenging as it is to get people to want to drink raw milk. We think it is a ministry, podcast and conference you should consume as a healthy way toward greater spiritual wellness.

Faith & Fitness Magazine article: The Raw Truth Of Faith And Fitness

WORSHIP IN THE RAW

Raw milk is basic, authentic and unadulterated food. The deadlift, often called the king of lifts, is likewise a very classic move. So, we offer the song below to you as a way to worship and reflect on some of the core tenets and truths of the Christian faith.

The post Raw Milk & Deadlifts appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

For more from Tommy and Luke go to their website Raw Milk & Deadlifts.

This video is Copyright 2024 by Faith & Fitness Magazine and Lifestyle Media Group, https://lifestylemediagroup.com stock music: Aoustic Crossing by Les FM, https://lesfm.net, under a free use creative commons license. stock photos and video by Raw Milk & Deadlifts

The post Raw Milk & Deadlifts – VIDEO appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.

Are you angry, hurt, frustrated, confused, lonely, addicted, stressed, proud, poor, broke or broken?

All that stuff going on inside of you isn’t just your personal battle with some really bad junk that you don’t need. It’s exactly what is holding you back. AND – it’s not just holding you back physically but also mentally and emotionally and especially spiritually.

HOLD ON, THAT’S WHY I’M WORKING ON MY MINDSET…

If you want to improve your mindset you need only search on Instagram to subscribe to any or all of the following:

• mindset.therapy – “You are the greatest project you’ll ever work on”
• motivated.mindset – “Its on you to get you where you want to be”
• mindsetofgreatness – “helping you achieve greatness in life”
• alphamindset05 – “never be afraid to treat people the way they treat you – mirror their vibe”
• juliachangcoaching – “unleash your inner warrior – bust through your fears”

Tony Robbins invites you to step into your power and become unstoppable. But mindset gurus in the fitness culture can help you go even further. There’s no end to the can-do, push-push-push, positivity, “til you puke’ ad nauseam coaching. That’s the good stuff on which you should feed and fill your mind, right?

It’s not just the bad that’s bad, it’s the things we pursue with obsessive relentless desire that also hijack our mindset. Things like strength, beauty, money, success, advantage, acceptance, respect, position, influence, and simply happiness. Yeah, seriously they all become idols when we elevate them in our day to day life. If we’re not on guard we give them greater importance than God.

If it doesn’t point you to Christ, it’s a product of warped philosophies in a massively corrupt culture.

Both the negative things and the positive things that take you away from a selfish God are not of God. They have no place when God is present. They can’t be in you when God is in you.

OOOOOK, SOOOO …?

Let’s get back to the really good news. God is the only one who can give you decidedly different tools to smash and tear down barriers and to clear away the obstructions. Through Christ alone can you achieve beyond you and everyone and everything else. Only in God’s Spirit can you truly be joyful, healed, encouraged, clear, befriended, grounded, peaceful, humble, wealthy, capable and restored.

What you want to be – all that God intended for you to be can’t until His son, Jesus sets you free.

This isn’t nirvana, an enlightened way of being motivated. It isn’t a higher state of mind, a can-do attitude that guarantees ultimate achievement and success. Mindset: Spirit Free is transformation through salvation empowered by God’s spirit filling you and dwelling in you.

This is better than your greatest physical prowess, gained wisdom, evolution to your fullest potential even magic. This is life in a totally different realm. It looks a lot different than any of the highly celebrated positive mindset outcomes that people are telling you that you need and want to have.

And if all that sounds a bit too ultra-spiritual for you (after all you just wanted to check out a fitness magazine for a few exercise ideas and wellness tips, right?) think again.

Self-improvement begins AND ends with self. Big gainz are big roadblocks to loosing everything you thought you needed for Christ’s sake. You can go further, get better, do more and live your best life OR you can BE LIFE – the life of Christ.

This is Mindset: Spirit Free. Pursue God and see His greatness.

The post Mindset: Spirit Free appeared first on Faith & Fitness Magazine.