I should have known.  I should have remembered...the third day is always the worst day after beginning a new exercise program.  As easy as yesterday seemed to be, today was at the opposite extreme.  I woke up hurting...my back, my legs, my arms, my stomach...basically I was sore all over, kinda like you get when the flu hits you.  Those of you who have been through this know what I'm talking about.  Or if you have ever had surgery...you will remember the third day after the surgery always hurts the worst!  Same with this exercise routine.  So, I'm hoping tomorrow will be better.

Devotionally, this morning I focused on Revelation 21:5, "And the one on the throne said, 'Look, I am making everything new!'  Yea, keeping with the theme of "newness"...I can't wait for this "new" body to come about, but already I seem to have more energy and enthusiasm, so God is also renewing my attitude, mind and spirit as I push on.

Suprisingly, today went better than yesterday, in spite of being a little sore.  The treadmill seemed to go easier and I limited myself to the 20 minutes again...probably for the rest of the week and then add 5 minutes each week until I'm back up to 40 minutes.  I'm not happy with my weights and power bands, so I may look at getting some new equipment. 

Food wise, I'm looking at cutting back on the amounts and yet eating more times a day...three meals and then 2-3 snacks of nuts and/or fruit. At breakfast today I had a banana and a chocolate protein bar...lunch was a turkey sandwich and an orange...going to a fund raising dinner tonight for UM ARMY...so probably rubber chicken for supper.  I still have my Bluebell each night, but instead of eating out of the half-gallon bucket, I now get just one of the small cups.  I'm not certain, but I believe there's probably Bluebell in heaven...afterall God wants the best for us!

The Bible study centered on Jeremiah 31:33, "But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,"says the Lord. "I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts.  I will be their God, and they will be my people."  You are probaly noticing a theme emerging in my studies...it has to do with newness, new life with God, and the new person we are called to be in Christ.  If we are not striving to be that new person in Christ...constantly growing and maturing in our faith and relationship with God...then we are becoming stagnant and stalled in our development.  Ever been around a stagnant pond...It STINKS!  Does our relationship with God "stink" because we are not working on it?  If it does...if you are not growing...then the time to make some changes is overdue!

In the passage I used this past Sunday from II Corinthians 5:17 are these words..."anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old is gone; a new life has begun."  The Apostle Paul reminds us that we have become a new creature...a new creation in Christ!  That is an ongoing process, and today I began again in terms of taking care of the body that God has given me, to pursue a healthy lifestyle and to get in shape!  How many times have I been there?  How many times have you been there?

Two years ago I was doing great.  I had an online fitness coach, I was exercising, eating right and ended up losing 40 pounds and getting back into great shape.  Then that August, I blew out my right knee...kneeling at the altar to pray during the church service I felt it "tear."  The pain was great and I was grateful that I didn't cry out in pain and say something inappropriate!  The surgery went well and I started walking the next day even though the surgeon said I would be on crutches 8-12 weeks.  Then in September Hurricane Ike hit, flooding the church I was serving and doing nearly two million dollars worth of damage.  Needless to say, my whole life and ministry changed.  I got out of the routine of working out every morning...to the point now where I am back over 230 pounds.

So with your help and God's, I started over today...to become that newer and healthier creation.  As Paul says in I Corinthians 6:19; "Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?"  While my "temple" has gotten larger, its not in very good shape (Yes, round is a shape, but not the desired shape at this point).  So today I started over...going at it slowly, only 20 minutes on the treadmill, a little light lifting, and core training.  The goal is to get back up to 40 minutes six days a week on the treadmill, core training each of those days, and light weight lifting five days a week.  The outcome is to lose 30-40 pounds and keep it off this time.

You might say in a way, "Today is the first day of the rest of my life."  Not a bad prayer is it...as I seek to be that new creature made new each day in Christ.  Keep me in your prayers as I push on.