Summer Goals

In one week my "summer break" officially begins. I have set the following goals to accomplish before I return to school in two months:
- lose 20 of the 35 pounds I need to lose. Twenty will satisfy my doctor when I go for my annual physical in August. Thirty-five will satisfy me.
- Resume (begin?) running. I'd like to be back up to at least 3 miles a day when I return to work.
- read Twilight and find out what has all my female students so captivated that many of them have read the entire series several times this year alone.
- develop an integrated math and science curriculum for a class that will begin in the 2011-2012 school year.
- develop a men's discipleship curriculum with my pastor that will kick off this fall with at least three small groups.
- develop a better physical conditioning program for my volleyball team before tryouts begin this fall. Also develop a broader set of skill development drills.
- catch up on all the episodes of Heroes I missed this year
- begin watching season 1 of Lost to see what everyone else is so excited about
- finish the first draft of my juvenile fantasy novel. I'd like my boys to be able to read and enjoy it before they outgrow it.
- go fishing AT LEAST once a week.
- come home with a cooler full of trout after our camping vacation in Cherokee, NC
- complete the honey-do list
- do an in-depth study of the book of Hebrews

My first and easiest goal will be accomplished on June 15. I WILL not get out of bed that morning before 10:00 am. The rest of the goals are fairly attainable, but will require lots of discipline. Discipline is a key component in our faith journeys. "Discipline" and "Disciple" have the same root. The Holy Spirit begins, continues, and will complete changes in our lives, but we must also be disciplined in our faithful obedience to God. What goals do you have for your faith journey? What discipline will be required?

The Not-So-Harsh Reality of Losing

Scan the television listings and you find 3 basic types of shows on the airwaves nowadays - karaoke gameshows, crime dramas, and reality tv. Several weeks ago while channel surfing in order to forcefully shut down all higher brain functioning for the day, I came across the reality tv show The Biggest Loser. The premise of the show is that between 15 to 20 extremely obese people compete to see who can lose the most weight. They are put into teams, given coaches and physical and dietary training. To make it exciting tv, they have to face challenges each week to make the process a little difficult and to also earn rewards. The show ends with the weigh-in. Each contestant steps on the scales to measure their weight change. The team that loses the lowest percentage of weight has to vote off one of their teammates, true to reality tv gaming.

I've never watched an entire episode of this show. I do, however, try to catch the weigh-in and voting at the end. They always show a picture of the person voted off today, compared to when they first came to the Biggest Loser complex. It's amazing the transformation each person has gone through.

Here's what I like about what little I've seen of the show. Unlike other reality tv game shows, the purpose of the game is to actually help someone out. You still have tempers flaring and interpersonal conflicts, but overall, the atmosphere is generally encouraging. These individuals have been selected because of their need to lose weight and their need for a better support system in order to do so. When it comes time for voting, there are genuine tears, unlike those found on those matchmaking shows. The rationale almost always given by the team as they explain the reason behind their vote is, "This person is strong and can make it happen when he/she gets home." It's like they do not want to put anyone in a situation where he/she won't succeed, despite how it might drag the team down.

Every time I have watched this happen, I have been amazed. I have been convicted. I have turned off the show wishing reality was actually like this, especially in the church. When you are on a faith journey, you want to be surrounded by people like this. Find a place where people can help you along your journey.

When you are on a faith journey, you also want to be that kind of support to others. You have a responsibility to help others on their journey. That's part of what Jesus meant when he said we had to lose our life to gain it. It's also what Paul meant when he said to look out for each other instead of looking out for ourselves. Losing doesn't sound so bad.

Just a thought.

I Did It! (again!)

As I was running this morning, slowly and gradually getting my body ready for my half-marathon this November, several thoughts crossed my mind. "Why am I doing this? I'd really rather be in bed." "How far can I go today? How difficult will that last hill be today?" "I have to learn to relax my arms more" "Discipline is a good thing."

The thought about discipline is the important one. Discipline has been on my radar a lot lately. I have a few friends who frequently take stock trading classes. They do a lot of "practice trading" with no money to hone their skills. Their goal is to be able to retire three to five years once they start doing it with real money. One guy commented that it was important he practice because it developed discipline within him that transferred to other areas of his life - even spiritually. He reads his Bible more. He takes his faith journey more seriously.

Another friend one time spoke about the negative aspects of discipline transfer. When he was in high school, his youth pastor was really into weightlifting. The youth pastor used physical fitness as a metaphor for spiritual fitness. It was a good idea. Eventually, it became a legalistic pursuit. "If you are really following God, you will take care of your body and be in peak physical condition" became the underlying message. My friend drifted away from his faith journey for a while. You must learn to avoid those kinds of traps, not mistaking the means for the ends.

The good thing about discipline is it allows you to say "I did it!" Accountability helps with that. Accountability helps you accomplish good things, not just avoid bad things. Everyone likes a feeling of accomplishment, whether it be a clean house, losing 20 pounds, running a marathon, or even reading your Bible.

What are the things you want to accomplish on your faith journey? What type of discipline would help you? How can you implement that discipline? Do you need help in any of these areas? What traps do you need to be wary of? Do you want to be able to say, "I did it!"?