Hit Me With Your Best Shot

"The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me." John 12:25-26 Ouch. That's the first word that came to my mind after reading this passage this afternoon. Not the playful "ouch" delivered with a half-smirk, but and "ouch" that stems from deep in my soul as the Spirit grabs my ears and makes me stare straight ahead at truth. As I look at my life, (the things I have, the things I do, how I spend my time and money, my thought life, the many comforts I surround myself with) I come to one conclusion: I LOVE MY LIFE! Now as I say that, those who are close to me know that outwardly I haven't shown that I love my life over the past 6 years as I struggle with the dark night of the soul, but the self-satisfying that goes on in my life is the tell-tale sign that I TRULY LOVE MY LIFE MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE. MY LIFE is where I put the majority of my time. MY COMFORT is where I place the most emphasis with my energies and finances. I have to "hate my life in this world". I don't need to walk around and live a depressed, suicidal existence, I don't believe for a minute that is what Jesus is teaching. Rather make your life, your comforts, and your needs secondary. Don't love the comforts of your life so much that you fail to give of yourself completely for the sake of eternity. Don't be afraid of rejection. Don't make excuses for not taking care of the needy when you have Dish and eat out all the time. Don't allow your "down" time or "me" time to get in the way of you serving and ministering to those who desperately need the love of a Savior. DON'T! Later in John chapter twelve, we see a group of leaders that have fallen into this trap, the trap of loving their own lives more..."Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God." (v.42-43) God, help me to hate my life on this planet. Help me to love You more. Help me to disregard the praise of men, the selfish urges, the comforts...for Your praise.

Confessions of a Fat Man Two (A Lesser Man)

On January 4th I wrote a blog, "Confessions of a Fat Man" in which I described my life and feelings as a fat man and basically let you all know that I was sick of it and doing something about it.

This is an update. I can't say that it is without pride and boasting that I post this, because there is a little of that here. I can say that part of my posting this information is for accountability purposes.

On Monday, January 3rd, 2011 I signed up for Weight Watchers for Men Online. I chose Weight Watchers because they teach you healthy, balanced eating and portion control, along with a steady regimen of daily exercise.

I had tried Weight Watchers before from hand-me-down materials my mother and friends had given me. It would work and then after 3 months I would quit. ( I say three months because that is the longest I ever lasted)

This time seems different to me. I am committed to taking off the weight and being healthy. There is a resolve that is God-given...a self-control given by the Spirit, that is allowing me to commit to this and get things done.

As of Monday, April 11th, I have lost 51 pounds! I can tell a little bit of a difference around various parts of my body and can feel a bit more energy. My ultimate goal is to get down around 225 pounds. I still have a long road ahead of me and many more pounds to shed.

I share this and get this out in the open because I do want to continue and need you to bug me about it now and again to make sure I'm doing it.

Again, I'll ask you to raise one of your 8 daily glasses of water...Here's to healthy living!