Total Body

Spiritual Training Cycle: Perspective (wk. 8/13)

Reading: John 4:19-26

Back and Biceps. Chest and Triceps. Legs and Neck. In the gym culture where my fitness journey started, these were commonly referred to as, “parts.” The idea was simple. Each day in the gym would focus on training specific muscle groups. The next day, we would rest the ones we trained the day before and turn our attention to a new group. To be honest, I’m not sure how “neck” found its way onto leg day but that’s just what it was. When I entered the world of endurance sports, my training changed. Muscle mass is like the enemy of endurance athletes. A quick glance at any of them will confirm my statement. When training for marathons or long-distance triathlons, the primary muscle in view is the heart. In 2013, CrossFit showed me something completely different. The program was defined as, “Constantly varied, high-intensity, functional movement.” In other words, this method of training is total body.

But the body is more than just the physical muscles we train. There’s a mental aspect to physical exercise. Athletes must work through the voices in their head often trying to hold them back. There’s also a gut component. You have to check yourself internally and reach deep into what cycling commentator Phil Liggett calls, “the suitcase of courage.” Physical exercise cannot be isolated to physical movements alone. That’s because human beings are both physical and spiritual. One of my professors referred to this as integrated complexity. You see, what we do in the gym ultimately affects every aspect of our life and in the same way our physical performance can go through peaks and valleys as we navigate the difficulties awaiting us outside the gym. That’s why your training must be total body.

Our spiritual training this month is focused on worship. Worship is the giving of our entire self, our thoughts, and our emotions, to God’s use. It’s a state of our heart. The word itself means, “the quality of being worthy.” When we worship, we are saying that God is worthy. He is worthy of our praise. Praise from both our bodies and our souls. The result, or effect, of worship is a renewal of the mind, transforming us more and more into the image of Christ. Worship is a total body exercise. Not in the sense of raising your hands when you sing, but rather shaping you as a complete human being.

Worship is a total body exercise that shapes you as a complete human being.

Here’s the thing about worship. The closer you are in your relationship with God, the deeper the intimacy of your worship. One of the ways we grow closer to God is through His word. For many of us, that’s daily Bible reading. Others grow closer by memorizing and meditating on particular verses or passages. This is what Jesus points us to when he tells the Samaritan woman at the well that, “true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth” (John 4:23). God’s truth is revealed in His word, so let His word become a part of your worship. Let it be total body.

Questions for Reflection:

How does physical exercise affect your soul?

How would you worship God in truth?

Praise

Spiritual Training Cycle: Perspective (wk. 7/13)

Reading: Psalm 150:1-6

In our gym, we have some familiar phrases. It’s not uncommon to hear our coaches saying things such as, “we’re all working on something,” or, “look around, it’s hard for everybody right now.” There’s also the classic, “what challenges you changes you.” But one phrase resounds at CrossFit 737 above all others. In fact, it’s such a strong part of our culture that we embed it into the DNA of every class. At the end of every workout our athletes hear, “Once you can say your name out loud, go tell somebody else they did a good job. That’s called encouragement and we all need it.” As athletes get busy high fiving, fist bumping, and encouraging each other, you feel a sense of bonding, strengthening, and unifying. That’s the power of praise.

Praise is a critical part of the coaching and development process. Or at least it should be. I can only recall a few coaches in my life who didn’t integrate praise into their process, and it wasn’t a great experience. But not just any praise will do. To be fully effective, praise must be authentic, timely, and specific. A general “good job” or “keep it up” can get you started, but authentic, timely, and specific praise must be the foundation. It’s important to note that praise is not feedback. Feedback is a form of constructive criticism designed to correct or improve. I like to keep the two separate. In my years of coaching, I’ve found that trying to “soften” feedback by sandwiching it between two slices of praise dilutes the effectiveness of both. Feedback is an important part of the process, but to bond with an athlete, to strengthen them, and to unify them to a community of encouragement, you must provide praise.

Praise is also part of how we worship God. Worship is the giving of our entire self, our thoughts, and our emotions, to God’s use. It’s a state of our heart. The word itself means, “the quality of being worthy.” When we worship, we are saying that God is worthy. He is worthy of our praise. Praise from both our bodies and our souls. The result, or effect, of worship is a renewal of the mind, transforming us more and more into the image of Christ.

Praise bonds us closer to God. Not only the praises we offer Him, but the praises He lavishes on us. Praise strengthens our spirit. We learn that as we praise God, even in the difficulties of life, He upholds and sustains us. Finally, praise unifies us with Christ. Jesus loved to praise the Father. Our praises unite with His praises, transforming us more into His image. When you worship, let it be more than just songs or actions. Let it be filled with praises. There is power in praise.

Questions for Reflection:

In all the ways the Psalmist writes of praising God in Psalm 150, which one speaks to you the most?

Accumulate 12 minutes praising the Lord. What theme dominates your praises?

Teams

Spiritual Training Cycle: Perspective (wk. 6/13)

Reading: 1 Peter 2:1-10

Of all the sports I’ve ever played, kickball is my least favorite. First, I must tell you my athletic career wasn’t exactly budding in elementary school. I was the kid who was already wearing “husky” jeans if you know what I mean. And back then, we even wore jeans to play kickball. Talk about nuts! But I digress. The reason for my disdain has less to do with the game and more to do with the post-traumatic stress I suffered just getting onto the field. The process began with our P.E. teacher selecting captains. Then we would all be directed to stand in a line and like draft day in the NFL, those who knew they were going in the first round were all smiles. As captains made their choices, the number of people in the line began to dwindle, and inevitably, it would finally be just one lonely kid who knew he sucked at kickball. Yeah, that was me. Reluctantly, my soon to be captain would kind of utter under his breath, “we got Steele.” The game could now begin because we had chosen teams.

If you belong to a gym, you belong to a team. Some of you might belong to large gyms whose membership is huge. Planet Fitness for example averages about 7,500 members per location. If you belong to a gym like that, you probably don’t get the sense you’re on a team. But in community fitness gyms, the team is everything. You all wear the gear, you promote your team on social media, and you bond with one another through suffering, support, and celebration. The gym is not a place, it is the people. This is your team!

In our pursuit of spiritual fitness, we also belong to a team. We belong to Team Jesus. Unlike my trauma in kickball, joining Team Jesus is completely the opposite. God isn’t looking for the best talent or the quickest wit or the fastest runner. He wants your heart. And when you put your faith in Him, you are rescued from death, raised to life, and permanently known as a child of God. That’s the team to be on right there! But does the world know which team you’re on? In the same way you wear the gear and sing the praises of your coaches and athletes, do you do the same with God? The world should know which team you’re on by the way you worship.

Worship is the giving of our entire self, our thoughts, and our emotions, to God’s use. It’s a state of our heart. The word itself means, “the quality of being worthy.” When we worship, we are saying that God is worthy. He is worthy of our praise. Praise from both our bodies and our souls. The result, or effect, of worship is a renewal of the mind, transforming us more and more into the image of Christ. Today’s Scripture call us to, “declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness and into His wonderful light.”

One of the best ways to do that is through song. I’ve always been a big music guy. So, when I joined Team Jesus, I dove right into the genre known as worship. What started as listening to Christian radio in my car has morphed into a curated playlist I maintain on Apple Music as well as Spotify. You can find it by searching, “The Hope Project Worship.” One of my anthem jams is a song called, “Now Here” by Red Rocks Worship. Check out the video…

One of the verses I can’t stop singing says:

I see joy rising,

I hear hope calling,

I see fear hiding,

I hear chains falling.

Let the world know you’re on Team Jesus. Leave no doubt in anyone’s mind who it is you are living for. And spend some time today declaring the praises of the one who called you into the light. Worship is life changing.

Questions for Reflection:

Is listening to worship music a regular part of your spiritual exercise? How is it integrated into your life?

How do people know you’re on God’s team?