Manly Men of the Church: It's Crunch Time!

INTRODUCTION

Physical fitness for a believer is important--God has given us life, and has given us a body intended to do work. The less fit you are, the less work you can do; therefore, the less fit you are, the less useful to God you are. Sounds harsh? God doesn't see a large amount of gray area in most areas. Being overweight isn't necessarily evil, but allowing yourself to get heavy enough to damage your health is just plain wrong, and does not honor God in the least. It prevents you from being the best husband, father, and employee you can be.

Being overweight reduces your lifespan, meaning you're less useful to the woman you promised to cherish and care for. It also reduces your testosterone, further reducing your usefulness.

You don't have to have the body fat of an Olympic sprinter, but we could all improve some.
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body," (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

Pastor Hart can do more of the tie-ins with Scripture; my job is to put together a decent workout that will help you be a fitter, better man (or woman--these workouts can be performed by either sex).

GENTLEMEN: CHOOSE YOUR GROUP!

I'll put together 3 groups, based on how much time you can spend at the gym. You'll also have assignments outside the gym. Be honest with yourself, and pick a group you can stay in for at least a month. Err on the side of caution, but the process is also designed to make us more disciplined, so take that into account, too.

Without further ado, here are the groupings:

Joshua Group: You have a little more time to devote to defeating fat. You could even be in the gym seven days per week if you wanted to (we'll keep the Sabbath holy, however, and keep it to 4-6). Just don't toot your own horn.

Jonah Group: You've been going the wrong direction, but can spend 3 days per week getting things turned around. You know you've been naughty, and you don't really want to workout, but you've committed to it, and you can still redeem yourself.

Gideon Group: You have no time to fool around--your time is limited, and you have to get it done fast. You'll have 2 strength workouts per week. Don't bring a water bottle--use the drinking fountain, and slurp fast.

Don't worry about diet yet--that'll come after the first couple weeks of working out.