A Good Start

I am feeling somewhat pleased with myself...is that a sin? Its just that I have these new lifestyle commitments - does that sound pretentious? - that I've managed to adhere to today...some of thought processes that lie behind these...

> When you work a lot from home it becomes important to create some boundaries around your work life - for me that includes pastoring but also the online teaching that I do from home - now its a good thing to avoid the drive to work in traffic, the expense of parking and the loss of time in my day - but it can be a bad thing to have the spectre of work constantly hovering in the background. So, a new rule - no computer until AFTER my time alone with God, journalling, gym and breakfast. I'm also thinking of a night time finish time as well, but I do like recreational computing...Its a start.

> I am fat. I have always tended to fat. But right now its just plain gross. A pastor friend of ours has proposed establishing a new website "fatwesleyanpastors.com" You could imagine such a site getting record hits if everyone wasn't chowing down...Anyways, not only is gluttony one of the 7 deadly sins, its also an abuse of my body as a temple. So despite my great love for food I am going on a diet. I am viewing this as not only a way to drop some weight for my health's sake but also a kind of fast. It is 9:23am - I had breakfast less than an hour ago and I am starving...so I'm inventing the "Food Fast" - its just like fasting except you eat...I'm also back into the exercise - it nearly killed me today, but I did get to read a chapter of Andy Stanley's "Next Generation Leader" between gasps...

I plan to lose 10kgs. Thats about 22 lbs. So far I am down 2lbs. Its a start.

> My devotional exercises were getting squeezed by my schedule. As someone who's spent a lot of time training for rugby and then in gyms for personal fitness, I really get the metaphors in scripture that relate to training the spirit. So I'm not only physically training, I'm doing the other as well. For me that starts with scripture, journalling and worship - the rest flows from there - 2 out of 3 today...its a start, a good start.

The other thing I need to do is work...I'd better start...

Jonesboy