theChampy

“…I have learned that I will not change the world. Jesus will do that. I can, however, change the world for one person… And if one person sees the love of Christ in me, it’s worth every minute. In fact, it is worth spending my life for.” - Katie Davis

Finish Year

If you look at my various social media feeds, it becomes obvious that I focus on three things: Jesus, music and food, hopefully in that order. This post begins with the last of the three, but becomes so much bigger than that.

I really like food, more than I probably should. I like to eat, I like to cook and I like to go to restaurants and try new dishes. Most of the time, those dishes are not very healthy. And quite often, they contain bacon. (I know that last statement made your jaw drop to the floor.)

I’ve never really been disciplined when it comes to what I eat. I’ve known that I need to be, and I’ve even convinced myself to start, but I’ve always quit pretty soon afterward.

Another area where I’ve lacked discipline in the past few years is fitness. When I first started working out, I was in the gym every morning. I felt great and saw results. That consistency led me to sign up for and run the Disney Half Marathon. It was an incredible accomplishment. When I was done, I wanted to train for the Full Marathon the next year. That didn’t happen, and for a long time, not much exercise happened.

Sure, I could give you excuses. I moved to Tampa, got involved in more ministries, worked more hours, focused on school, got internships, spent more time with friends, etc. Life happened, but I neglected to take care of myself.

A couple of years ago, I decided to train for a sprint triathlon. I wanted to start working out again, but I realized that I’m goal oriented when it comes to fitness. I need something to work towards, so I worked out and participated in the triathlon. My goal was to finish, and I did! It felt great, and I immediately wanted to work on cutting my times down so I could do another one later that year. But, you guessed it, that never happened.

Excuses? I had them. They were different ones than before, but they were still excuses. Now I’ve decided to stop making them.

As of this post, I have completed the fifth week of the Insanity workout program. You can check out their website to find out more about the program, but that’s not really the point. The point is that I’ve developed the discipline of exercise in my life, and I’m working towards a goal:

In January 2013, I’m going to run the Disney Marathon.

That’s huge for me and it’s really exciting, but it’s not the only reason I wrote this post. It gets bigger than that.

I read a blog post last year by author Jon Acuff about making 2012 a Finish Year. The point he was making is that he is really good at starting something, but not finishing it. In talking about himself, he hit the nail on the head about a lot of us. We are notoriously bad at carrying through on our “resolutions” and goals. Jon has resolved that this year, not only will he start things, he will finish them.

When I read that blog post and the various commitments that some of my friends were making, I thought, “that’s a great idea, but I’m much too busy to focus on that.” Besides, I was moving to Texas and beginning a new journey. That was enough for me to focus on this year, right? Wrong.

In February, we did the Daniel Fast as a church. Among the lessons that God taught me through the 21 day fast was a very convicting one: that I had let my stomach become a god in my life. I let it rule me. Through being disciplined about what I ate, I learned that that doesn’t need to be the reality in my life. I could say no to certain foods. I could eat better than I had in the past, and I’d still be happy.

I decided after the fast that I needed to be disciplined about what I ate, and I needed to take care of my body. After a few weeks of eating whatever I wanted and enjoying the foods (Bacon! Cheese! Chocolate!) that I could’t eat while on the fast, it was time to buckle down. At that point, a friend and I decided that we would both do the Insanity workout. So after Easter, it was on!

About a week into the new workout routine and my healthier eating habits, I realized that I was committing to a Finish Year without officially saying it. I was working towards multiple goals, so why not make it official?

Welp, here goes: 2012 is going to be a Finish Year.

Below is my list of Finish Year plans. If I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it right. My year can’t just consist of meeting a fitness goal. It has to be bigger than that. I have made goals that will not only grow me physically, but spiritually and intellectually as well.

1. Complete Insanity We have four more weeks left, so this one is looking good!

2. Train for and run the Disney Marathon Once Insanity is done, it’s time to start running!

3. Read the Bible in a year Harmony Hill is doing this together, so there is great accountability built in. I’ve fallen behind a little bit, but I’ll be catching up!

4. Read 12 books this year I’ll be reading mainly nonfiction, but I started my goal with the 3 Hunger Games books. I’m on my fourth book right now, Sun Stand Still. I’m a little behind the pace of one book a month, but I’ll be getting rid of cable this week, so my reading time will be freed up greatly!

5. Memorize James Chapter 1 I study the book of James every year, and I’m actually leading a study on it this summer, so I’m excited to commit the verses to memory. I might memorize more, but let’s stick with one chapter a year as the goal.

And there it is, my Finish Year. I know this seems a little ambitious, but God has already done so much in my life this year. The momentum is there and I’m trusting that God will honor the effort I’m putting forth. And you better believe that He will be receiving the glory for it all! I know that my strength and power come from Him alone.

Every few weeks, I’ll be providing an update on my Finish Year. I ask that you would pray for me as I seek to be a great steward of the mind, body and soul that He has given me. Pray for God to show me more of His character as I seek to honor him in every aspect of my life.

This post was longer than normal, and I appreciate you sticking with me. I hope that 2012 is the year that you finish what God has told you He wants to accomplish in your life!

Grace & Peace

Three Months, Y’all

Easter Sunday marked three months of officially being on staff at Harmony Hill Baptist Church. A lot has happened since that first Sunday on January 8, where I sat and simply observed what was happening around me and soaked in the fact that I had just started on a new adventure.

Sitting here in my favorite local spot, the Standpipe Coffee House, I can’t help but be overwhelmed with gratitude as I think about the last three months of my life.

I knew that God was calling me to take a step of faith, to leave a good, comfortable situation for something that He considered greater, but was largely unknown to me. I took the leap, knowing that time and time again, He always reveals that His ways are higher, and He always provides. I’ve always known that when God calls me to something, it will exceed my expectations, and this has been no different.

I had no idea just how much God had in store for me here in Lufkin, TX.

The opportunities that I’ve been given in my short time here, I wouldn’t have expected until I was here for many months, maybe even a year or more. I’ve always been one to feel like I had to prove myself before I would be considered worthy or capable in the eyes of others. But God has continually shown me that it is He who uses me and gifts me to do what He’s called me to do. I could never prove my worthiness, it all comes from Him.

I’ve gotten to lead Life group Bible studies, bring the word to students during their Wednesday night service and pour into the lives of college students.

I coordinated and oversaw a multi-site Easter service with the help of an incredible team of volunteers. It was a new endeavor for me, and something new for Harmony Hill. It was challenging, but a lot of fun. And through that, God showed us that He is readying us to take ministry to the next level as He continues to use us in Lufkin.

Most of the equipment that we use is new to me, so I’ve been in a constant state of learning. I’ve also been able to learn software that I thought I would never have any time to learn, allowing me to stretch my creativity and expand my abilities. I even edited my first television commercial. Never did I ever think that would happen.

I’ve made friends with some great people, and I feel at home here in Lufkin. I miss my girlfriend, family and friends back in Florida, but I know that this is where God has me. I am so thankful for the support systems that I have in Florida and Texas.

There is so much more I could talk about, but you’d be reading forever.

My goal in writing this is not in any way to bring praise to myself, but to boast in God and how He has provided in just three months. I’m humbled to the core every time I think about what He is doing. I deserve none of it, but He has given it graciously. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there is no feeling that compares to knowing that you are exactly in the center of God’s will!

Are there challenging days? Yes. Are there days where I feel overwhelmed, or things don’t seem to work right? Yes. Are there some people that doubt me and my fit for this ministry? Maybe. Ministry is not cupcakes and roses, but if it was, it wouldn’t be worth it. And through it all, God provides encouragement and confirmation at just the right time.

If these past three months have been this incredible, I can only imagine what the future holds. God has given me vision for ministry here, and there’s a lot of work to be done. I’m just getting started, and I can’t wait to share with you all of the things that He accomplishes in, through and around me!

Thank you all for your prayers, love and encouragement. I hope that my life is an encouragement to you to follow where God leads!

Thanks for reading.

There will always be those who question whether or not you are called to be where you are. Hold on to the times when God has confirmed that you are right where He wants you to be, so that you don’t question His calling.