Learn Something New Every Day!

Typically - just after being enlightened by some seemingly useless piece of information - anyone of us may be heard to exclaim, “Well…you learn something new every day!” But I wonder if we really do fully appreciate just how powerful that practice can be?

At fit4service, we know that intellectual fitness is essential to leading a balanced life. We know that keeping your brain active and constantly seeking wisdom is - in every way - subject to the philosophy of progressive success. A little effort always leads to big results! Read a little poetry. Listen to a new piece of music. Do a crossword puzzle. Watch a documentary film. Try anything that might consistently engage your mind and open your eyes to something new. Learning all you can about the wonders of life all around us needs to be a lifelong adventure!

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.” ~ Henry Ford

“Like the muscle in our bodies, the brain gets strong in the places where we train it." ~ Eileen McDargh

“The important thing is not so much that every child should be taught, as that every child should be given the wish to learn.” ~ John Lubbock

"Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening whatever. Never let the brain idle." ~ George Carlin

“Learning is the beginning of wealth. Learning is the beginning of health. Learning is the beginning of spirituality. Searching and learning is where the miracle process all begins.” ~ Jim Rohn

"He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; he who cherishes understanding prospers." ~ Proverbs 19:8

“Seeing much, suffering much, and studying much, are the three pillars of learning.” ~ Benjamin Disraeli

“A single conversation with a wise man is better than ten years of study.” ~ Chinese Proverb

“There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning.” ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti

“Learning is not attained by chance; it must be sought for with ardor and diligence.” ~ Abigail Adams

“It is utterly false and cruelly arbitrary to put all the play and learning into childhood, all the work into middle age, and all the regrets into old age.” ~ Margaret Mead

“One of the greatest and simplest tools for learning more and growing more is doing more.” ~ Washington Irving

“It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.” ~ Harry S. Truman

“If you hold a cat by the tail you learn things you cannot learn any other way.” ~ Mark Twain

Attitude of Gratitude

So…have you given enough thanks this week? Were you able to toss around a few expressions of appreciation in between the parades and the football games and the sweet potatoes? We sure hope so!! Because at fit4service, we know that a grateful heart is a powerful heart! And saying “thank you” for all of your blessings needs to be a daily exercise! Living a complete life includes seeing the good in everything. Having an “attitude of gratitude” can turn a menial job into a meaningful joy, an act of drudgery into a labor of love or a tedious task into a tireless act of service.

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” ~ William Arthur Ward

"Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation." ~ Brian Tracy

“When we become more fully aware that our success is due in large measure to the loyalty, helpfulness, and encouragement we have received from others, our desire grows to pass on similar gifts. Gratitude spurs us on to prove ourselves worthy of what others have done for us. The spirit of gratitude is a powerful energizer.” ~ Wilferd A. Peterson

“Gratitude should not be just a reaction to getting what you want, but an all-the-time gratitude. The kind where you notice the little things and where you constantly look for the good, even in unpleasant situations. Start bringing gratitude to your experiences, instead of waiting for a positive experience in order to feel grateful.” ~ Marelisa Fábrega

“Blessed are those that can give without remembering and receive without forgetting.” ~ Author Unknown

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." ~ John F. Kennedy

“The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.” ~ Eric Hoffer

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” ~ Philippians 4:6

"Life without thankfulness is devoid of love and passion. Hope without thankfulness is lacking in fine perception. Faith without thankfulness lacks strength and fortitude. Every virtue divorced from thankfulness is maimed and limps along the spiritual road." ~ John Henry Jowett

“Real life isn’t always going to be perfect or go our way, but the recurring acknowledgement of what is working in our lives can help us not only to survive but surmount our difficulties.” ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach

"Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don't unravel. ~Author Unknown

“For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice." ~ Meister Eckhart

Progressive Success

Ask anyone at fit4service what "progressive success" means to them and you're likely to get 1,000 different answers. For some it means they can now do 7 pullups, when last month they couldn't even do 1. For some it means they have that new found energy to get the important presentation finished at the office when at the last big project, they petered out early. For others it means horsie-back rides for their grandkids, when last year they had trouble getting out of the recliner. However others define it, at f4s, we know that "every journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step". Let today be the day when you find what progressive success means to you.

“Success is not a destination, it's a journey.” ~ Anonymous

“To me success would be to be able to do your very best in everything you do." ~ Paul Cummings

“I do not think there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature." ~ John D. Rockefeller

“In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins - not through strength but by perseverance." ~ H. Jackson Brown

“Consider the postage stamp; its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing until it gets there." ~ Josh Billings

"There is no failure except in no longer trying." ~ Elbert Hubbard

“Defeat is simply a signal to press onward." ~ Helen Keller

“Sometimes a noble failure serves the world as faithfully as a distinguished success." ~ Dowden

“Achievement seems to be connected with action. Successful men and women keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit." ~ Conrad Hilton

“Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.” ~ Winston Churchill

“Life asks us to make measurable progress in a reasonable time. That's why they make those fourth grade chairs so small.” ~ Anonymous

“To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the approbation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;
To give of one's self;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;
To have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived ?
This is to have succeeded."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Easy Does It...

The pace of our lives can get really hectic sometimes. With work and family and community obligations always looming, things can pile up pretty quickly. It's easy to "fly off the handle" or "lose perspective" when things start to feel so out of whack. At f4s, we take a good hard look at takin' it easy! We know that rest and relaxation is an integral part of living a content and balanced life!

"Genius is the ability to renew one's emotions in daily experience". ~ Paul Cezanne

"When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion". ~Dale Carnegie

"To give vent now and then to his feelings, whether of pleasure or discontent, is a great ease to a man's heart". ~Francesco Guicciardini

"All humanity is passion; without passion, religion, history, novels, art would be ineffectual." ~ Balzac

"If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins". ~ Benjamin Franklin

"For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness". ~Author Unknown

"All emotions are pure which gather you and lift you up; that emotion is impure which seizes only one side of your being and so distorts you". ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

"There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living". ~ Nelson Mandela

"The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up". ~ Mark Twain

"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be". ~Abraham Lincoln

"Every now and then,
when the world sits just right,
a gentle breath of heaven
fills my soul with delight..."
~Hazelmarie ‘Mattie’ Elliott

"We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements in life, when all we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about:". ~ Charles Kingsley

"Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for". ~Joseph Addison

"Jumping for joy is good exercise". ~Author Unknown

The "I"s Have It...

Notwithstanding what it did to that poor cat...curiosity is a very important factor to living an intellectually healthy and balanced life. Looking at something...a gadget, a smiling baby, a math problem or a sunrise and saying, "Hmmm, that's awesome, I wonder how that works" is a great start to flexing your brain and helping it grow. Asking, wondering, questioning and learning are great exercises for your mind...

“All the world is a laboratory to the inquiring mind.” - Martin H. Fischer

“Explore. Dream. Discover.” - Mark Twain

“Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton asked why.” – Bernard Mannes Baruch

“Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence.” - Abigail Adams

“Learning never exhausts the mind.” - Leonardo daVinci

“All of the top achievers I know are life-long learners looking for new skills, insights, and ideas. If they're not learning, they're not growing... not moving toward excellence.” - Denis Waitley

“A generous and elevated mind is distinguished by nothing more certainly than an eminent degree of curiosity.” – Samuel Johnson

“It is important that students bring a certain ragamuffin, barefoot irreverence to their studies; they are not here to worship what is known, but to question it.” - Jacob Bronowski

“The important thing is not so much that every child should be taught, as that every child should be given the wish to learn.” - John Lubbock

“Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God do you learn.” - C. S. Lewis

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.” - Albert Einstein

“All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work.” - Calvin Coolidge

“Seek and ye shall find…” - Matthew 7:7

“Life is a learning experience, only if you learn.” - Yogi Berra

At fit4service, we know that complete living means total giving. Some think an act of service needs to be magnanimous and vast in order to have an actual impact. f4s doesn't tell us that at all. How you use the gifts you've been given isn't the most important thing....just that you use them. Anyone can be a ripple of hope!

“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do. “ - Edward Everett Hale

“Only a life lived for others is a life worth living”. - Albert Einstein

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." – Gandhi

“The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But... the good Samaritan reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?" - Martin Luther King, Jr.

“The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but to reveal to him his own.” -Benjamin Disraeli

“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” - William James

“Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need; the remainder is needed by others.” ~Saint Augustine

“We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” - Mother Teresa

“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” - John Wooden

“This is the true joy in life - being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.” - George Bernard Shaw

“I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.” - William Penn

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” - Winston Churchill

“The only gift is a portion of thyself.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Find a need and fill it.” ~Ruth Stafford Peale

“I've seen and met angels wearing the disguise of ordinary people living ordinary lives.” -Tracy Chapman

“I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catchers mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.” -Maya Angelou

“Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope... and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.“ - Robert F. Kennedy

Everyone can serve.

If you had tried to tell me just a couple of years back that I would be spending the last few months prepping for a 140 mile bike ride…I would have told you that you were nuts. The very fact that I actually even KNOW what “Lateral Lunges”, “Renegade Rows” and “Bulgarian Spilt Squats” are… is in itself pretty wacky…but the reality is that I have been regularly performing those crazy things for months-on-end in preparation for this upcoming week.

It is all for a really good cause and it is all for some really amazing kids.

I am heading out west to join the leaders and friends of The Scranton School for Deaf & Hard-of-Hearing Children on what promises to be an adventurous [and hopefully profitable!] bike ride from Pittsburgh, PA to Cumberland, MD. The terrific kids from this new school are in need of a van to get them around town for extracurricular activities and community service projects. The vehicle is going to cost $20,000 and a few of us are trying to put a dent in that. The cost that is…not the van!

So why am I telling you all about this? Well, as the senior-est citizen of fit4service, I guess I’m hoping you might somehow conclude that “if that old guy can pull off something this crazy…then there really must be something to all this P.I.E.S. stuff”!

But mostly, I just wanted to share with you how grateful I am for the chance to put "fit4service" to the test!

You see, these kids are really great kids. They range from kindergarten to high school seniors and they are smart and kind and funny and fun…and they also happen to be deaf. And let me tell you…just because there may be a “P” glitch with their ears…these kids have an extraordinary grasp on the “I. and the E. and the S.”!!!

I have had the most remarkable time getting to know them and witnessing their high-spirited goodness this past year. The school opened its doors in September and my wife is the new librarian there. The campus is right up the street from our house. When she was hired, she was challenged to learn a whole new language [American Sign Language] and we have been studying it together at classes in the school. ASL is a beautiful and expressive language and it has been both challenging and fulfilling “getting my I on” in learning all of the intricacies of a whole new language...even as I learned more and more about how really great these amazing young people are.

Last winter, the kids at The Scranton School showed me ~ in a direct and measurable way ~ what Dr. King always said, “Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve.” During an awful snap of sub-zero weather here last winter, a shelter for the homeless found itself in dire need of coats and clothing. The kids, faculty and families at The Scranton School came to the rescue. In no time at all, they collected and delivered a stunning load of goods to help out. It was so impressive how they all stepped up. The whole effort wasn’t about them…it was about them helping out someone else.

My friends at The Scranton School personify for me the true value of fit4service…living out our purpose to the best of our ability, accessing all our God-given talents and gifts and committing them to serve Him and others. They don’t just talk about being fit4service…they live it!

I am always so grateful for f4s. It challenges us to challenge our bodies, our minds, our attitudes and ours hearts to strive to that ultimate purpose of serving Him by serving others.

So if I have had to endure a whole bunch of seemingly meaningless [yet progressively successful!] exercises in order to participate in this challenging 140-mile sojourn…it will have all been worth it just to be able to say I too tried my best to help out someone else. Wish us luck!

Laughter.

You all know that phrase about laughter being the best medicine, right? Well I'm no doc, but I sure do heartily prescribe that remedy for whatever ails you!

A good chuckle can significantly boost your "P" and your "I" and even your "S". But especially when your "E" is a little out of whack...I highly recommend taking a healthy dose of knee-slapping, side-splitting, can't-catch-your-breath laughter.

Go watch one of your old favorite comedy movies [Jerry Lewis always does it for me...heeey laaady!!!] or read the funny pages [Zits is hysterical and Calvin and Hobbes never fails to crack me up!] or ask a little kid to tell you their favorite joke [you're bound to hear about some poultry crossing the street!].

Or best of all...give a friend a call and share those one-of-a-kind inside jokes that only you two understand. Nothing beats that kind of laughter. Nothing. You'll feel better in no time at all!

Mirth is God's medicine. Everybody ought to bathe in it.” ~ Henry Ward Beecher

“Laughter is an instant vacation.” ~ Milton Berle

The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.” ~ e.e. cummings

The human race has only one really effective weapon and that is laughter.” ~ Mark Twain

“To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone, and a funny bone." ~ Reba McIntyre

“Seven days without laughter makes one weak.” ~Mort Walker

“Nothing shows a man's character more than what he laughs at.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul.” ~ Yiddish Proverb

“God is a comedian, playing to an audience too afraid to laugh.” ~ Voltaire

“I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge - myth is more potent than history - dreams are more powerful than facts - hope always triumphs over experience - laughter is the cure for grief - love is stronger than death” ~ Robert Fulghum

“The person who knows how to laugh at himself will never cease to be amused.” ~ Shirley MacLaine

“Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh.” ~ W. H. Auden

“Laughter is the shock absorber that eases the blows of life.” ~ Unknown

“Laughter on one's lips is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life.” ~ Hugh Sidey

“I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose.” ~ Woody Allen

“He who laughs last didn't get it.” ~ Helen Giangregorio

Balance.

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.
~ Albert Einstein

The key to keeping your balance is knowing when you’ve lost it.
~ Unknown

We need to maintain a proper balance in our life by allocating the time we have. There are occasions where saying no is the best time management there is.
~ Catherine Pulsifer

Enough is as good as a feast.
~English Proverb

The most pleasant and useful persons are those who leave some of the problems of the universe for God to worry about.
~Don Marquis

Be moderate in order to taste the joys of life in abundance.
~Epicurus

To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short.
~Confucius

Everything in moderation, including moderation.
~Author Unknown

To character and success, two things, contradictory as they may seem, must go together... humble dependence on God and manly reliance on self.
~William Wordsworth

No matter what happens... somebody will find a way to take it too seriously.
~Dave Barry

The Gift of Service

I mentioned last week that while shoveling out from the mountain of snow, I realized 3 very important things. One of those realizations is that some people seem to be born with the gift of service.

You may remember that my wife and I just had our third child (not pictured) and it's our tradtion to move out to my parents' house to let my wife recover and to get some help with the kids. Although I've always realized my parents were special people, I've finally been able to put my finger on why they are so special. They have the gift of service!

Over the last 2 weeks I've watched my parents completely put their life on hold to help my wife and I adjust to our new family member. They've gotten up in the middle of the night with our other kids depriving themselves of much needed rest. They've picked up and dropped off our older children at the daycare so that I could get to work on time. They've helped shovel our snow, made dinner, given the kids baths etc. etc. I could go on and on.

The coolest thing about their gift is that it just didn't start two weeks ago. They've been living this life of service as long as I can remember. They serve the Lord by serving their kids, their church, their neighbors, their employers. I've never once heard my mother or father say, "But what about me?" Their life has been dedicated to others and what a joy it is to be a part of.

Do you know anyone with the gift of service? Give them a little public recognition and talk them up in the comments section of this page or on facebook! Let them know how thankful you are for them!

CAN YOU DIG IT!!!?

Yesterday my ability to be fit4service was extremely tested. As everyone knows we had a huge snowstorm on the east coast with some reports of up to 23 inches in our area. My wife, kids and I have been staying at my parents house after the birth of our son a week ago. It's huge blessing because my parents help with the kids and it gives my wife a chance to recover a bit before we go back to the "real world."

After spending some time getting my parents' place cleaned up for the snow, we needed to drive into our place and dig us out. We have on street parking in our town and you have about 12 hours to get shoveled out before they issue fines. Anyway, as we pulled down our street we saw the biggest pile of snow in front of our house! Long story short, because we were not parked in front of our house, the borough snow plows decided to deposit most of our streets' snow in our spots for us to dig out. On top of that, there was no where to move it except across the street. Let the fun begin!

My dad and I preceded to start shoveling. Pick up a shovel full of snow, turn around, walk across the street, put it down, turn around and repeat. For 3 hours! We are estimating (and my dad is a mechanical estimator by trade so this is probably pretty accurate) that there was about 2 tons of snow in this spot. Talk about a test of PIES. It truly tested our physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual bodies. But I learned some pretty cool things in the experience.

1. I was physically prepared. No I don't train to shovel snow but because I had taken care of my body, I did not get tired while I was working. (but trust me, I slept well last night)

2. Because I was not getting fatigued, my emotions stayed in check. It is very easy to become frustrated with a situation like this, especially when you are physically exhausted, but I was able to stay in balance. Actually it was a joy to spend some guy time with my dad. (But I could think of better ways)

3. As I was working, the bible verse that talks about doing all things as unto the Lord kept ringing in my ears. Although it was monotonous and potentially overwhelming, I knew that the Lord was pleased with our efforts and attitude yesterday.

4. A major part of life is about community and strangely enough other than my dad and an extremely nice neighbor, no one offered to help. Even as plow after plow, and snow blower after snow blower drove by, no one said, can I help you? This is something that fit4service aims to change.

5. Some people have the gift of service. I'll talk more about this later in the week but let me first say I'm not talking about myself. I'll fill you in later.

Anybody else have anything happen this week that stretched their PIES Post it in the comments below!

Let's Get Physical

Remember this song? I'd have to say early 80's maybe later was when Olivia Newton John belted out this memorable (if not disturbing) tune. Interestingly enough, the title ties perfectly with next installment of the "Daniel Fast" Diaries....hey, that's not bad, I'll have to remember that.

Now you would think that going on a fast would lead someone to feell extremely weak and tired. Possibly losing strength at each passing day just longing to eat that next burger from Wendy's only to survive. To you I say, Au Contraire (I did take a semester of French. That word is french right?) . Now don't get me wrong, the Daniel fast is not exactly an enjoyable experience at first. Eliminating meat, dairy, sugars and seasonings from my diet was like 90% of my nutritional intake some days. But I made it through and interesting enough, I actually began to enjoy it.

Over the course of the 21 days, I physically began to feel better. I slept extremely peacefully despite a 7 month old that insisted on waking up every night. However, this was a perfect opportunity to spend some time feeding her and in prayer. Each morning I felt well rested and ready to begin the next day. It was as if I didn't need as much sleep as I first thought. However , now that the fast has ended I seem to be needing more sleep again. This is probably not coincidental.

In addition to the sleep, I noticed no major change in physical performance. My workouts continued to go well and I experienced no major drop off in strength or endurance during the 3 weeks. Speaking of dropping off, I did manage to lose about 15-17 pounds during the 3 week fast. A bit much and not what my intentions of the fast were, however I have begun to wonder about the possibility of a Daniel Diet. Just kidding...or am I?

Anyway, all in all, physically the fast was tremendous. I will admit that I couldn't wait to add meat back into my diet, but besides that have stayed pretty true to the Daniel fast lifestyle. (Except for the occiassional pancake and hot chocolate. I love hot chocolate.)

However, in hindsight, why should we be surprised that this is what happens physically on this fast. In the book of Daniel 1:15-16 At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king. So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the rich foods and wines. Seriously, I think it just did what it was supposed to.

New Workout

Thought It might be time to post a new workout. Give this one a shot and let me know what you think. It's a great "hybrid" workout combining dumbbells and bodyweight exercises. Move through it as quickly as possible resting only as needed for the following sets.

Monday - 2 sets of 15 reps
Wednesday - 3 sets of 10 reps
Friday - 4 sets of 6 reps



Remember why you are working out....you are preparing your body to better be used for the service and purposes laid before you. With each rep remember you are glorifying God with your body!

fasting4Service

I promised I'd recap my fasting experience. Hopefully by now, you've checked into the Daniel Fast just to get a better idea of what I was eating or not eating. However, although my mind was originally focused on the "P" part of the fast, it quickly became an IES event.

As you know, in a spiritual fast, the idea is to spend time reading and praying for certain things. I decided to take my 21 days and pray for several different topics but the main ones being a financial breakthrough for my training facility, (I own a personal training studio that is going through some ups and downs....on a side note, the studio's site is being converted to a ning.site so I hope you all will join that one as well), a final resolution to my anxiety issues, and finally my family. (Obviously I prayed for other things like friends, fit4service members, our country, but you get the picture)

Without delay, my prayers seemed to come alive. I was barely into the fast when it seemed no matter what I read in the Bible, or show I watched on television, God was shouting out his promises to me. I was being lifted out of the "pit" and onto the mountaintop. I experienced many emotions of spiritual joy/sadness, overwhelming humbleness/worthlessness, unbelievable boldness/power. These mountaintop feelings seemed to continue day in and day out as long as I was seeking Him and his word. Never have I experienced such a daily refreshing as I did during this fast. God truly rewarded my sacrifice by meeting me day in and day out.

Interestingly enough, my current conditions haven't changed much. There hasn't been a multitude of people rushing into the gym....yet (although we have seen some nice growth since the fast) I still must make a concious decision to choose peace over fear. So in our human eyes, was the fast a waste?

Not a chance, in the midst of the turmoil, I can still hear the promises shouted to me on the mountaintop. I can still sense the peace that I experienced during the 21 days. Now don't get me wrong, when the bills come up at the gym and that feeling of anxiety begins to grip me, I have to make that decision to Be His and not mine. I have to return to the verses that jumped off the page to me only days before. I have to get on my knees and seek a refilling of His Presence. But yet at the end of the day, He always comes through. He always gives me that "manna" for today. No more (unfortunately) but no less either (thankfully). If I've learned anything from the spiritual part of this journey, it's that I really have no idea how God is going to work....I just know that He is. And maybe, that's all I need to know

fit4tubing!

I went snow tubing today. Have you ever done it? It is a BLAST! I went for two primary reasons...most importantly because my youngest daughter asked me to... and also simply because I can!

Just a few short years ago, I would have been in NO condition...physically, intellectually, emotionally or even spiritually...to have EVER considered doing what we did today.

I very easliy would have come up with 5, 10, 15 reasons why I should NOT honor my daughter's request.

"I'm too busy with work today", "I have too many things to get done around here", "I'm too old for that kind of nonsense", "I'm liable to break my neck"...are just a few of the rationale that would have been employed to avoid sliding down a snow covered hill at breathtakingly speedy speeds!

That was before I better understood what "complete living for total giving" really means. Every last excuse I would have handed to my daughter would have resulted in a very disappointed young lady. Please note that none of the excuses that would have been advanced by me were focused where they should have been...on her wish to spend time with her dad.

"I", I'm", "I'll"...me, me, me would have been all that I could have come up with...never considering the opportunities that would be missed by that kind of self-centered thinking.

Don't get me wrong...some of the reasons for not doing it may have been valid. My work is very demanding. I do have a ton of responsibility. Speaking as the senior member of fit4service... I am old and I could break my neck!

But I now better understand that being fit to serve my family means always trying to do the things that keep me in shape and ready to serve. It means always trying to take better care of my health, always trying to manage my time better, always striving to live a more balanced life and always praising God for keeping my eyes, mind and heart open to the value of His blessings in my life.

A life in service to others is very demanding. It's hard work. It takes commitment and focus. It is not for the feint of heart. But it is always worthwhile.

Sometimes it means swallowing your pride. Sometimes it means facing the unknown. Sometimes it means skipping the dessert. Sometimes it means doing the lunges when you really don't want to do the lunges...ever!

All so that you may be fit to serve. Whether you're staying up all night with a newborn or comforting a grieving friend or giving it your all in a new business venture or careening down a huge hill hanging out all over the sides of an overblown innertube just to make your daughter laugh her head off when she sees her old man wipeout with a face full of snow...being fit4service is always worthwhile!

Everfasting Life

Back in college, my friends and I would play this game where you make a word up that kind of describes a situation but might not quite be a word. For example:
1. If it was 32 degrees out, it would be like Nat King Cold outside
2. If I was really tired, I would be like Little Bo Sleep
3. If someone needed a shower, they were like Dirt and Eernie

You get the point. We had so much fun with that game. Little did I know it was preparing me to come up with future blog titles....The Everfasting Life would be a great name for a book though.

Anyway, as you know, 3 weeks ago, I started the Daniel Fast. This is my second time on a fast like this and have had an amazing time on them both.

It's called a Daniel Fast because 3 times in the book of Daniel, he talks about choosing to neglect certain foods for a period of times. In Daniel 10, he fasts for 3 weeks of meat, any seasoning, alcohol etc. In Daniel 1, he requests to only eat fruits and veggies for 10 days and ends up being in better condition than his Egyptian peers that were eating the fat of the land. Another time in Daniel, he full fasts for 3 days. (Haven't done this one yet)

Anyway, there are lots of great resources in our World Wide Web about the Daniel Fast but it basically breaks down to not eating meat, dairy, anything sugary or processed, alcohol, and anything of seasoning etc. You can eat however, fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, and whole grains like oatmeal, brown rice and whole grain pasta. it is by no means a very strict fast and some people actually live this way. However removing meat, dairy and seasonings for me proved to be quite a challenge.

Both times that I've done this fast, 10 days and most recently 21 days, I felt like garbage for the first 2 days as my body rid itself of the toxins and addictions of my "normal" diet. My mother experienced a headache for 36 hours when she did it. However, without fail, in a few short days....everything started to change. I'll write more on that tomorrow. The lions in my den are growling...I need something to eat! (that's a reference to daniel in the lions den for those of you who might not get me yet)

Snap Back to Reality

I know I was going to blog about my experiences on the Daniel Fast these last 21 days, but first I wanted to comment on what happened with me today.

As you know, I'm back to eating a little bit more normal and today added in some processed foods that I haven't eaten in the last 3 weeks. What an interesting day. I could literally feel myself getting tired. In addition to the fatigue i also experienced an edginess and anxiety that I haven't felt in weeks and to top it off I wasn't definitely a bit scatter brained today as I seemed to have trouble focusing on a task and was all over the map today accomplishing very little.

Crazy! Now call it coincidence if you want, but adding in some non-natural foods has definitely made a huge difference in my ability to be fit4service. Even more scary is the realization that I actually lived that way day in and day out. It's kind of like having a dull headache. You forget what it's like to feel normal because you are so used to having that headache. That's the way we live. I am now convinced more then ever that nutrition is the cornerstone of living a physically healthy life.