Wake Early to Jump Start Your Success

March 12, 2012 Leave a comment

Many people I know tell me they never have time to do the things they want to do a midst all of their other tasks and commitments. Depending on what you do for a living you can keep yourself busy from the time you wake until your head hits the bed. This week, I want to share some ideas about refocusing your life to give you hours you never knew you had. Today’s message: Wake up earlier!

By reworking your sleep schedule and waking an hour or two earlier each day you will free up time to be more creative, follow your dreams, and knock out important tasks before others are even rising to start their days. In my own house, I love waking early, getting a shower, and enjoying my first cup of tea or coffee to get my day rolling. It’s just easier to do some things in the quiet before every one else rises. My time reading the bible, writing, and doing some household tasks like helping my wife with laundry, all come in these early morning hours from around 5am until I wake the kids at 6:30. It’s surprising what you can get done once you make it a part of your routine. Now I already know what you are saying, especially if you were me a few years ago…

I’m NOT an early riser

I have to work at night, I’m too tired to wake any earlier than I do

I’m a night owl

Etc., etc., etc…..

Okay, so understand the principle here…freeing up time. Most of what I stated are just what they are, EXCUSES. A few suggestions are in order. First, prioritize your time. If you think you can’t get up earlier, why not cut out some television viewing and hit the bed earlier. In today’s era of DVR’s there is no reason to stay up to watch a late show when you can record it and watch it the next day (and save time by zipping past the commercials). Most shows you can cut out altogether. Try getting to sleep a bit earlier and waking that much earlier. Over time, increase this. I routinely go to sleep by 10pm each night and have no problem waking at 5am. Some nights I go to bed even earlier.

The key is to re-think your commitments and control your time expense. We’ll talk about this in a future post also. For now, keep a time journal if this helps. Log your time. See what you’re wasting time on and think of ways you can cut the “fat” out of your day. You might be surprised just how much extra time you have when you commit to this. From there, your dreams can soar!

Filed under Leadership, Simplicity

My Weight Loss Journey – Part Three

March 2, 2012 2 Comments

As this final segment is being written there is so much I could say about the HOW of my weight loss journey. So many have asked about what I did. After battling this for years, how did I succeed now? I’ve thought about it and boiled it down to some essentials. Again I want to state that you MUST determine your WHY before any of this works (Read Part Two if you haven’t already!). That being said, here’s the basics of what finally did it for me AFTER I had my WHY….

Drink plenty of water. I had no clue how important this truly was but it is. My diet plan required 80 ounces of water a day! It sounds like a lot but if you think about it, a bottle of water like you buy from a machine is two 8 ounce servings. That’s 1/5 of what I was required to drink. Five bottles a day? Yep…and it was amazing how much better I felt doing it. I hardly drink soda anymore and I really don’t miss it. I just squeeze some lemon into my water with my meal.

Good carbs and fewer carbs. I was eating FAR too much white bread and flour based products. When I finally realized what I was doing, I resolved to cut back to whole grain, lower calorie products (think 45-calorie per slice bread) and it made a world of difference.

Fruits and Veggies. Yea, nobody wants to hear this but the reality is we are not getting enough. There are some great tricks to make veggies more of a regular part of your diet. Message me and I’ll share them but suffice it to say you HAVE to get more greens into your system. You will be amazed at what it will do for you and how good you’ll feel. Fresh fruit should also be consumed but not in excessive quantities. My plan stressed more veggies because of our  tendency to shy away from them. I was forced to account for my veggie intake each day.

Clean Proteins! Lots of chicken, lean turkey, fish, and greek yogurt. These are all good. Beef? Yes, you can have beef but limit yourself to good portions and not so much of them. This was a biggie for me. I didn’t realize the metabolic impact of beef in my diet. Beef IS good for you and good to lose weight but you have to eat it in the right amounts and space it out. Fatty fish like Salmon also need to be spaced out like beef. For me though, most of my diet was chicken and turkey. The switch was tough at first but now, I am a convert.

Exercise. You didn’t expect to get away without this right? It is crucial you exercise to aid in your weight loss. Diet IS of vital importance but you MUST move your body also. At first, I was fairly sedentary but am now now walking and jogging 4-6 miles at a time. You just have to start small and work your way up to it. I started with a quarter mile walk at first. That’s how little it took to start. The point is GET MOVING. Do something you like to increase physical activity.

Those are the big things. I can share more privately if you are interested but the reality is there is no magic bullet. A focused goal, with measurable action, brings results. You can do it if your WHY is big enough. The payoff? My wife is now a happy woman. As of this post I’m now down over 115 pounds! I don’t have trouble breathing anymore when I go to bed and my wife’s complaint now? “Don’t get tooooo skinny!” I never thought I’d ever hear those words in my entire life!

 

Filed under General Topics, Leadership

My Weight Loss Journey – Part Two

February 29, 2012 1 Comment

“I’ll eat gravel if that’s what it takes to lose this blubber!” So were my words to the counselor at the weight loss center I went to in the weeks following my breathing incident in bed with my wife at my side. I had enough. After 20+ years of always being heavy and finally hitting rock bottom, I was ready to change.

Let me say that I’m flattered by all of the comments I receive now when people see me. I’ve lost well over 100 pounds and feel terrific but on that fateful day I stepped into the weight loss center I was still fat, wearing size 3x and 4x shirts and my pants were bulging at the 48-50″ size! My gluttony had so consumed my life I knew it would take a year or better to get back to health. I was ready. So many have asked “How did you do it?” and “What did you do?” Let me encourage you by saying ANYONE can do what I did if their “why” is big enough. WHY did I do it? That is the key question on this journey…Here’s why:

  • My grandson is little. I wanted to play with him
  • My wife deserves a healthier mate
  • My children need to know that Dad isn’t an overweight slob!
  • My church congregation deserves the very best pastor I can be

These reasons and more were the ones I had written down as I prayerfully considered my next move after feeling I had cheated death a few weeks back. I had done some research on weight loss plans, consulted with my doctor, and then the Lord brought a friend of mine back who told me of the success he was having on a program called “Slimgenics” (I’m not being paid for mentioning them!) He had lost considerable weight and I decided I would look into it. The short of it was after meeting with the counselors at the center, I prayerfully weighed my options and decided this would be my best and healthiest option.

Once I settled on a plan, I strengthened my resolve and got to work. The eating plan and natural supplements all helped but let me say that NONE of that will truly work if you are not motivated to achieve. As I stated earlier, your WHY has to be the biggest question you ask in all of this. If the WHY is big enough, you’ll figure out the HOW. That’s true in this situation and in just about every decision we make in life. For me, I was done being fat and wanted to prove to myself I could do this. In short, it’s been nearly a year and I’ve lost the weight! I’ll share more about the practical things I did that you can incorporate into your own life in my third and final post in this series. Today, I want to encourage you to first strengthen your resolve. Figure out WHY before you take any action. Otherwise you are wasting your time!

Some final thoughts for today….

I could not have done this without my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ strengthening me when I was weak and just wanted to quit and eat a whole pizza! I saturated this in prayer and God didn’t have to answer but He did! He gave me willpower and strength and today I am wearing pants smaller than I did in high school!

My wife has been a great support and put a face on my weight loss! Seeing her surprised looks and tears (this time for joy) at watching her hubby shed the pounds and give away his “fat” clothes was the best practical payoff a man could ask for.

My grandson can now play with me and I can get on the floor with him and NOT be winded. Life is good!

Last but not least…YOU can do this. If it’s not weight but some other monumental task, search for the WHY! Contact me directly if I can encourage and strengthen you on your journey. THIS IS DOABLE! GO FOR IT!

Now that we have discussed the WHY…I’ll finish with the HOW in my final part in this series!

Filed under General Topics, Leadership

My Weight Loss Journey – Part One

February 27, 2012 1 Comment

“I AM NOT going to be a widow THIS early in life! Do you hear me?” With those words from my wife in the early morning hours one day last year I had hit my wall. Rock bottom. Nearly 300 pounds and I could not breathe. How did I get here? Let me recap the story leading up to my wife’s well placed comment.

We had went to bed that night like every other night. A quick snack and brushing of the teeth and off to bed for me and my wife of 24 years. I had been heavy pretty much all of my adult life and now tipping the scale just a few pounds shy of 300 (for a man only 66 inches tall!) I knew I needed to lose weight but I’d deal with it tomorrow…Like I had promised her for years.

I don’t remember the time exactly, only that it was dark and early morning. I had risen because I could not breathe and my body had gotten me up to alert me to this critical action necessary for life. I’m certain I had sleep apnea for years but blew it off. My body had gotten me up several times over the years when I could not breathe and my snoring was legendary to my wife and children.

This time it felt different. For some reason I couldn’t breathe and I felt a bit light headed. I struggled to get up and because I was dizzy fell to the floor. Still, I could not take a breath. Why? I got up, nudged my wife and tried to speak. Nothing. Now, fear set in. What was happening? I had never experienced this before. I was 44, in reasonably good health (other than being morbidly obese), and happy. There was nothing to indicate to me I was in danger of dying. Of course, my doctors had warned me a year earlier that I was nearing type 2 diabetic standards and that my blood chemistry was changing because of my weight as I entered mid-life. “No bother” I thought..”I have plenty of time”. Looking into my wife’s eyes that night I realized my time was now up. Would I be able to tell her I loved her?

As my wife realized I was not able to talk, I saw tears well up in her eyes. She told me she loved me and to please speak to her. I could not. I looked compassionately on her face even as I began to lose consciousness (or at least, that is what it felt like). This was it I thought. I’m going to die. I wouldn’t see my kids again (they were sleeping), I needed to phone my father, and my wife was going to watch me die. What a loser I was! I saw our marriage flash before my sight. The memories, the birth of our children, my call into ministry, our move to Denver, everything. It’s amazing what our mind is capable of when we feel we are in our last moments of life.

As I fell to the floor it happened…God opened my lungs. You might say the fall jarred my system. I say God pushed me off the bed. Regardless of HOW it happened, I hit the floor a second time and I was able to take a breath. My wife’s shaky hands on my back with her gentle touch told me she was relieved. I was not prepared for her next move. She then came around the bed, knelt beside me as I regained normal breathing and uttered the words “I AM NOT going to be a widow THIS early in life! Do you hear me?” Tears began flowing down her face as I came face to face with the realization that 2011 would be different. I would take the weight off no matter what I had to do.

I never wanted to see her like that again…

Filed under General Topics, Leadership

Mid-Life Manual for Men – Review

February 22, 2012 Leave a comment

Stephen Arterburn and John Shore are both men who are firmly planted in mid-life. That’s the place every guy gets to when he hits age 40 or so. As a 40-something myself I realize I’m firmly in this demographic as well. With life expectancy creeping up every few years I know I (hopefully) have several more years of productive living left so it was with some hope to view this season of my life that I picked this book up (in audio form) and gave it a listen.

The authors spend significant time focusing on the position of the mid-life man and the preconceptions that come with this period of life. For certain I think about a time when I can’t control many things like my body’s natural aging (I can slow it but NEVER completely stop it), my value to the workplace, and my own self-image. From there, the authors begin by breaking down the archetype that most men feel they have to be, the “he-man” hero and then proceed to take the reader to the four basic types of roles all men have. That of Father, Son, Provider, and Husband. They give both the good and bad of these roles taking into account the cultural expectations of our society, what the media paints as ideal, and what is truly real, especially from a Christian perspective (The authors write from a Christian viewpoint). At the end, they summarize the four roles, give suggestions for improvement and finish by putting a balanced view of how all men should look at this time in their life as the best years ahead and not simply “getting by”.

I enjoyed this book. There were several things here that helped me see myself in a bit more humorous light. I think many men at this stage of the game view themselves as being past the point of no return where their life is pretty much predetermined based on their life decisions up to this point. That isn’t true of course but the reality is it IS harder for guys in this stage of life given the workplace expectations today. Couple that with kids growing up and a soon to be empty nest and your personal life might be affected also. To say all of this bundled up isn’t worrisome to many men would be to ignore the elephant in the room. As a pastor, I see many men hit this stage of life without a clue as to how they will navigate the uncharted waters they are facing.

If you’re in mid-life or headed there within a few years, pick this up and give it a listen/read. There’s some good material to be mined here to help you see the value of your life at this stage of the game. You don’t have to feel like you are wandering. God has great things for you in this next stage of your life.

Filed under Book Reviews

Recommendation: Grant Horner’s Bible Reading System

February 10, 2012 Leave a comment

As a professional I take my personal growth seriously. Follow me on Twitter or scan through the history of this blog and you’ll find a number of posts that I’ve written and/or reviewed on the subject. As a Christian, I see my personal growth as a spiritual journey also. Obviously, reading the bible is a discipline that’s paramount to my growth but one that I’ve always struggled with outside of my normal sermon preparation time as a minister. Some pastors see their time in preparation as the “bible” time in their day but I’m not one of those. Preparation for a message is more research based while reading the bible for growth is more “heart” driven. So how do I get more of God’s Word into my life?

For years, I’ve tried various methods. I’ve downloaded numerous reading plans over the years and would gladly share them with you if you email me. Many bibles today have a plan printed in them for you to get started and those are great too. This year, I decided to try something new and after 40+ days of doing it, I can honestly say it’s something I would recommend to anyone who asks. It’s the reading system developed by college professor Grant Horner. You can download a copy of the system by CLICKING HERE.

I call this a system of reading because I really am not a fan of plans. Most plans are calendar based and the reason nearly everyone fails on them is because life happens and we get behind on the “plan”. This in turn leads to frustration and ultimately to giving up. Horner’s system of reading simply has you reading a chapter a day in ten different places in the bible. The system is not calendar driven so you can start today and begin reaping the rewards. If you’re a tech type reader, there are apps you can download for the system and use your smart phone or tablet PC for reading. Personally, I prefer my traditional bible and have printed out the bookmarks for the plan, laminated them, and use this as my daily reading tool. One other helpful tip for me was using those colorful “post it” type flags you can buy in any office supply store and mark my chapters as I read in the ten places each day. That way, if two chapter headings our on the page, I know where I’ve left off in that section.

Ten chapters a day sounds like a lot and initially it is until you get used to it. After a month of reading this way I’ve found many benefits within the system. The main benefit for me is that I see many cross references within scripture that I had not seen before unless I was using a specific tool in my research time. God’s Word is infusing my life with a joy in reading I had not had before. I’ve not reading for deep study initially so I get through my chapters within 30-40 minutes. The only tools I use while reading are some highlighters and a small notebook. As I’m reading, I take note of specific passages I want to return to for research and study. I highlight a few and that’s it. Later in the day, I can go back and do a deeper study if I wish on those places in scripture that I want to research.

Reading the bible is a discipline that’s sorely lacking in most Christians’ lives. We cannot grow in our faith if we do not give ourselves to the reading of scripture. As a pastor, I highly recommend Horner’s system to you. Download it, try it for 30 days and see if you do not agree. If you’ve already tried it and have thoughts to add, please comment below!

Filed under Church Life, Leadership, Spiritual Growth Tagged with , ,

Making Time for Personal Growth – Pt. 2

November 16, 2011 Leave a comment

“It’s about priorities.” One of my mentors once told me that if I kept a journal of my time he could find out what I considered most important. He was right. I said I wanted to improve my personal growth, lose weight, and spend more time with my family but my time log said something much different. It wasn’t that I intentionally neglected the areas I wanted to improve in. It was just that I wasn’t making them a priority in my daily life. On Monday, I gave you some tips to make time for some growth in listening to audio books that will improve your life. Today let’s talk about our time and how our mastering it will help us grow.

Notice I did not say “Time Management” but rather “Master”. Time mastery is all important because our lives will always have interruptions. You must plan for these as you plan to improve yourself. Do this..Get a small notebook, I don’t care what kind just so long as you use it, and track your time for one week. When you check email, write it down. Facebook? Yep! Everything. Now, at the end of the week, take a look at where you spend hours of your time and tell me there isn’t a way you could work 30 minutes into your busy schedule to take a brisk walk and/or exercise. Are there some things you could cut out to get you to your goal? I recently cut a majority of my cable channels back because I simply wasn’t watching them. I read a lot and this is a habit that is valuable to me. More valuable than wasting away on a couch with a bag of Doritos catching up on the shows I recorded on my DVR. No, I cut back to only a few programs I truly want to see. I then eliminated the rest and took away the temptation to watch more by killing the extra channels. Not only did I gain some valuable hours for other things but I saved money in the process.

I get up a bit earlier now than I used to. That means my bedtime routine has changed slightly. I still do late night dates with my wife but we try to plan them better to allow for an earlier sleep time for me so I can get up earlier to walk or jog. My quite time with my Bible is still a priority so I had to adjust my schedule to accommodate the jog and my quiet time. After a few months of the new routine (I’ve waited to write about it through the summer), I can now say it’s working fine and because I’m not watching as many shows on the DVR, I have more time for my graduate school work, my family, and my health. It’s about being intentional with what’s most important for you.

What steps can you take right now to change your life? What small changes can you make that will pay big dividends before the trees begin to bloom with the coming spring? You can do it! You have the time to make a plan and go for it. NOW is the time to do it. Just take the time and move forward. You will not regret it.

~Til Friday

Filed under Leadership, Productivity

Making Time for Personal Growth

November 14, 2011 Leave a comment

If you’re a regular reader here you know of my love for books. It doesn’t matter if they are traditional paper books, eBooks, audio books, you name it. I love to explore and tinker with ideas shared in the content of a good book.

More and more though I hear people telling me they have less time to read and for some, they see little value in the expenditure of time for what they perceive is very little growth. This week, I want to focus on simple tips for your personal growth. You CAN find a way to do this and starting small will help pay big dividends in the end.

Let’s start with audio books. These are handy because you can listen while you drive, exercise, do housework, or shuttle between classes at school. If you can carve out 20-30 minutes a day, then you can absorb some great growth material. Here are two books that can get you started…

1) The Art of Influence
This is a great audio book that explains the simple techniques for learning how to communicate with others and to build your leadership skills into a great leader.

2)The Art of Exceptional Living
Jim Rohn is one of my favorite speakers and this condensed audio book is brief but packed with great ideas. There is so much here to learn and benefit from.

I picked these two books not only because of their content but also because they are brief. For someone starting a new habit like allowing themselves time for audio books, these are two that are short but power packed. You could finish either one in a week’s time if you just allow yourself 20-30 minutes a day to listen to them. That means in two weeks time (conservatively) you will have completed two books in your personal growth and hopefully will have a number of great ideas to implement from them. Remember, you must take ACTION to benefit from this teaching. Believe me, there is enough here to take action on within the time you will invest to listen to these books. Better yet is cost. I was able to check out both of these books in audio form from my local library! That’s right, two outstanding books and it didn’t cost me a dime! Even if you did buy them, the price is reasonable enough and the benefits worth it.

There’s no excuse not to take in great ideas. In less time that you will take to watch ONE television show, you can be growing in your personal development and these two books are just a start! Make it a point to listen while you finish house work, wash the car, or take a walk! You can do this and if you do, by the time you finish these two books, I guarantee you will build a habit that desires more!

Give it a try and happy learning!

Filed under Leadership, Productivity, Spiritual Growth

Book Review: Radical

November 4, 2011 Leave a comment

Radical by David Platt

What if you were asked to give everything you had for the cause of Christ. Everything. Would you do it? Could you? In “Radical” pastor David Platt asks the church to re-think its mission and purpose. No doubt many Christians have heard of this book and it’s companion follow up volume “Radical Together” which outlines a plan of execution. The premise is this: The “American Dream” has clouded the eyes of the Western church to a faith that is comfortable and nice. Jesus however, calls us to take up our cross and to follow him daily (Luke 9:23). Getting our hands dirty in ministry means more than just giving financially to a cause. It’s about sacrifice and living a faith that puts others ahead of yourself.

Platt develops this theme through nine chapters in his first book. He begins with a chapter on our obligations, weaves this theme through a call to think and then lays out the starting points of where we are today. Many have criticized him for this all out treatise on living a “radical” life of faith for Christ but what the book does is challenge the reader to examine their life and its purpose. Are we serving others as Christ told us to? Are we meeting the needs of the least of us? If not, why not? Excuses are easy to give but Platt offers no condolences or ways out of this maze of examination. The author then takes the next four chapters of his book to explain the “Why” of this new way of thinking and then the “How” in terms of what the church today can do to fulfill it’s Christ given mission. By bringing us to a starting point and then showing the reader what they can do to move into a mind set of meeting needs. He then concludes the book with a challenge and some reflection on the real work of the body of Christ.

Many have taken this book over the past year and have dissected it for it’s different way of thinking. Some have partitioned it for the parts they like. Others have responded with rejection rebuffing his words and asking “who does he think he is to question us?” The reality is we need balance in the church today. The church needs times of refreshing and worship and there’s nothing wrong with having a decent place to worship and the time to fellowship with a body of believers. But there’s also a time when the church MUST serve others and do so in a way that is uncomfortable to the masses. Christ called us to this. If we do nothing but meet weekly we are not fulfilling the vision Christ had for us. Likewise, if all we do is meet for social justice initiatives, we will burn out and nothing good will be accomplished. “Radical” was written to challenge your thinking. Platt wants to bring the church back to its first century roots. This book is a good start.

Filed under Book Reviews

Changes coming!

September 30, 2011 Leave a comment

I’m spending these next few days considering some changes to the blog. My writing in September was limited at best and my blogging suffered as a result. All for good things though. I appreciate my readers and the comments sent my way. I’m planning to change some things up next month and over the course of the rest of the year organize here a bit better for my future endeavors! Your prayers are welcome at this time!

On Monday, I’m bringing back my “energy” series I needed to complete. My Power Nap post from a few weeks ago is the first in that series and will be brought back Monday, October 3rd.

Filed under Snippets

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