Wow, it’s the 3rd day of 2010 already! It’s not too late to try to develop new and good habits. Start with these three suggestions: (1) Read your Bible through cover-to-cover for the year, (2) exercise aerobically for half an hour 4-5 times weekly and (3) pray/journal for a solid 15 minutes daily. It’s a small investment of a little over an hour daily. Yet, the dividends (payback, profit) to your quality of life are priceless.

For as long as I’ve been writing these bulletin articles, it has become a personal tradition for me at the beginning of the year to write on the subject of keeping a healthy soul (pray/journal-reflection), mind (read through entire Scriptures) and body (aerobic exercise).

Know & Be Known

Here at FFAC, we take being healthy seriously. I remember the men hosting a basketball league last year. You’ll never know, they just may come up with another series of basketball games where guys could come, shoot some hoops and sweat it out on the court. That’s the physical side. Before every game, there’s always someone who shares some “chicken soup for the soul” - except the ingredients are pretty rich and healthy because the food for thought is based on God’s Word. Then the players pray, then play. That way, we hope to get to know God in Jesus better. Friendships develop among the players, and what used to be strangers and acquaintances become friends and become known to one another.

It’s the same deal that happens every time a small group of people care enough for each other that they commit to meet together every week. Take your church staff meetings for instance. Before we discuss church related matters, we take the time to ask each other how life is - not the superficial “how are you doing” exchange that is no more than a “hello” and I don’t really care to listen for a well-thought answer. It’s a lot deeper. It’s personal. It’s a care group of sorts. I look forward to staff meetings. It’s where your staff meets together and recognizes God present among us - to know Him and before God and one another, be known.

If you desire to grow spiritually and are serious about becoming more Christ-like in character, make sure you actively participate in a small group or care group. Our pastoral intern Sam Karanja and I make the trek to St. Albert at midweek. We meet with sisters in the Lord who are exploring what Scriptures say about church membership, about life. You see, in a small group, you get to spend unhurried time with people. While sincere greetings and warm handshakes after church services are good, it’s next to impossible to get to know people in that context. Jesus Himself belonged to a small group, His twelve apostles. It’s a place to know God better, to know one another and be known.

Take the Challenge

Go ahead. Dust off your Bible and give it some mileage this year. It only takes 20 minutes or so daily to read it through cover to cover for one year. For five years, I fell off my physical fitness routine. I’m thankful for some extreme-minded exercise geek who produced a DVD set that I stick into our machine just about daily (4-5 times weekly). My gym is the space between our television and the coffee table - suits me just fine especially bitter cold days when the wind chill drives the mercury into the 40s below the freezing point. On stressful days, it feels like God does not give me any other choice but to be quiet in prayer before Him. You can slow down and take mini-Sabbaths (rest) everyday. You’ll be refreshed, renewed, and refilled. Get into a small/care group. Then, watch people around you notice the difference. Lord willing, you’ll be a better person uniquely designed by God with character qualities resembling Jesus.

Happy New Year!

ricky p. mapa, pastor