Good Advice

Reading: 1 Peter 5:1-11

In 2013, I attended a CrossFit Level 1 Certificate Course. My business partner and I were moving forward with plans to open our own gym, and while he was already certified, I was still coming into the sport of fitness. The two-day seminar was not only a wonderful introduction to CrossFit’s methodology, it was also foundational in understanding how to identify and correct movement. Something I discovered the hard way. During our small group breakout to review the squat, I noticed the instructor watching each of us closely. I was overjoyed when he invited me into the center of the group to “demo” my squat. As I reached the bottom and returned to the top, he asked the group, “Did you see what was going on there? Trey has an immature squat.” A what? I was flabbergasted and embarrassed. Slowly he began to explain the issues with my squat and gave me some good advice.

How do you know what is and isn’t good advice? I mean this guy’s got a PVC jammed in my hip literally yanking my heels off the ground with every rep. How do I know this isn’t some fun party trick he learned at instructor school? When I’m evaluating advice, I often begin with credentials. My instructor was just that, an instructor. Not only was he a certified instructor on the L1 staff for CrossFit, he also owned his own gym. He had years of experience in the sport and could relate back to when he first started, because he also had an immature squat. People have the best intentions when it comes to giving advice, but before you receive it as good information, consider the credentials of the person giving it to you.

In addition to a person’s credentials, when I’m evaluating advice, I also like to consult other credible sources. And no, I don’t mean YouTube. At least not YouTube in like the global sense. Certainly, there’s credible content on almost every distribution channel out there, but the channel itself doesn’t necessarily make the content credible. When I was looking for information on my squat mechanics, I started with my Level 1 course manual. Sure enough when I reviewed what good should look like, I realized I had a ways to go. Then I supplemented that with other coaches. When I got back from my seminar, I asked other coaches to evaluate my mechanics and confirm the diagnosis. Finally, I researched drills that initially would reveal my faults, but ultimately over time, it would correct them. And I’m just talking about an air squat! Think about how much “good advice” you come across every week. If you don’t have a solid filter for what good really is, you may spend your life chasing the wrong things.

In today’s reading, the apostle Peter gives us some good advice. How do I know? Well, let’s run back through the grid. First, it’s credentialed. Peter was one of the Twelve Disciples, he knew Jesus intimately, and was an eyewitness to both His miracles and His ministry. Believe me when I say Peter got lots of coaching up from Jesus. His letter also comes from a credible source, the Bible. Did you know that since 1815 over 5 billion copies of the Bible have been printed? In addition, the most popular digital Bible app has been downloaded 495 million times and is available in over 1600 languages. That’s some serious distribution. And Peter’s advice is supported by almost 2,000 years of real-world experience. I invite you to find a quiet place, click the link to today’s reading and let the words of the apostle bring you what we all need – good advice.

Questions for Reflection:

What’s your filter for determining what is and is not good advice?

Can you tell the difference between a mature and an immature squat? If so, where were you in my life before my L1 course, lol!

Tempo

Reading: Acts 3:1-19

Our gym is currently in the middle of an eight-week strength training cycle. Now you might wonder, where in the world am I going with this. Stay with me. While it’s not unique for our gym to strength train, and it’s also not unique to work in an eight to twelve week cycle, the way in which we’ve approached this cycle is unique. We’ve slowed things down. At least two or three times a year, we force athletes out of their comfort zone by programming the speed with which the lifts are performed. This is a tempo cycle.

Tempo cycles are powerful. If you’ve never tried one, let me articulate how it works. In a typical strength cycle, the number of sets, reps, and weight lifted are the focal points. This leaves the athlete freedom to perform the lift at whatever speed they choose, within reason. Over time, every athlete develops their own lifting tempo. In tempo cycles, we control the speed. For a squat, this could be something like a three second descent, a two second pause at the bottom, normal speed coming up, and a one second pause at the top. Now if that doesn’t seem like it would have an effect, try it. Tempo cycles are great at developing new kinds of power.

But they don’t just tax the body, they also tax the brain. We call it, “greasing the groove.” Athletes now must get their tempo in line with the programmed tempo. And that’s not as easy as it sounds. Neurologically, there’s a ton going on adjusting to the new tempo. And while there’s greasing of the groove, there’s also overcoming of the fear associated with the increased time under tension or the full stop at the bottom of a lift. And the beauty of these cycles is while all that’s going on mentally, physically you are actually dealing with a different stimulus than you normally do. It’s total body in every sense.

Tempo cycles are also incredibly effective in building spiritual fitness. When I first started this whole spiritual journey, I had a tempo for my life, but I didn’t realize it. I thought I was just trying to keep all the balls in the air, which could feel incredibly overwhelming. My tempo was try, fail, retreat. For example, I would try to be a good husband, eventually I would fail at it, and the next thing you know I would retreat to escape reality. When I succeeded it was because of me, and when I failed it was either because I didn’t try hard enough, or it was someone else’s fault. It took a tempo cycle with Jesus to show me just how broken mine was.

In Scripture, Jesus invites us all to take His yoke upon us. Now, that may sound strange, but it’s really an invitation to join Him in a tempo cycle. To learn from Him. To realize He’s the rest your soul is really craving. To finally discover that trying to get it all right is a burden only He can bare. Ten times out of ten, when I’m starting to spin out of control, it’s because I’m out of tempo with Jesus. And usually, I’m ahead of Him. Just ask yourself this – Does the tempo of my life match the tempo of my Lord? No matter where you are on your spiritual journey, today may be a good day for a little tempo work.

Questions for Reflection:

How has Jesus changed the tempo of your life?

Where have you seen Jesus change the tempo in your friends or family?

Today's Work

Reading: James 3:13-18

Wayne Gretzky is one of the greatest players in the history of any professional sport. In his 20 seasons playing hockey, Gretzky racked up quite a few records. In fact, he holds or shares 61 records in the NHL, including 6 for the All-Star Game alone. I think he has a bigger record collection in stats than my parents did in LP’s. Gretzky came across my feed this week. Apparently, Instagram knows my perfectionist tendencies, and in response offered me an ad for Masterclass. If you’re not familiar, Masterclass is a collection of on-line lessons, each taught by a true virtuoso in their field. Gretzky’s class is titled, “The Mindset of an Athlete.” In the class preview, he shares the following, “You don’t become good because you think you’re good. You become good because you’re committed to becoming better each and every day.” Gretzky discovered a valuable, yet simple lesson – do today’s work.

In CrossFit, work is commonly referred to as “programming.” There’s a good reason for that, and no, it’s not to charge more for a membership. Programming is the elegant and intricate weaving together of work. While CrossFit is constantly varied, the work is far from haphazard. Sit down with any great programmer and you’ll get a sense of what I’m talking about. Even though a workout of burpees, pull-ups and kettlebell swings may seem random, underneath it is a fabric of purpose pulling it together. That’s why we do today’s work. It may not be what we want or what we like, but as Gretzky so clearly stated, it’s what we need. At least if the plan is to build fitness. After more than a decade of coaching, I’ve still yet to encounter anyone who got fit simply by thinking they already were. You become fit by being committed to today’s work.

This may be an even tougher concept to grab in our spiritual lives. Let me pose it like this – do you become kind by thinking you are kind or by doing kind things? Some of you might feel this is like a chicken or egg thing, but I disagree. I think plenty of people resolve to think differently. Whether that’s caring less about what others think or using their words to build them up. And those are some great thoughts. But until you stop allowing Facebook to wreck your evening or you quit pointing out the faults of others, there’s no real growth. It’s not enough to commit to new thoughts, you must also commit to today’s work. To help, I’ve programmed a nice little spiritual workout for you:

As Many Rounds As Possible in 60 minutes

Let everything you say be good and helpful (Ephesians 4:29)

Take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5)

An emotionally healthy soul thrives when it is conditioned. It must be nurtured and cared for. The unhealthy impurities must be removed, making way for new growth and flourishing. This is the work of the Holy Spirit as we complete today’s work. Your best life isn’t simply the result of what you think. It’s also the result of what you do.

Questions for Reflection:

How would you define “today’s work” from a spiritual perspective?

What do you include in your daily spiritual work? What may be missing?