Hopefully you all know what my P.E.A.C.E. acrostic stands for.  Many years ago I simplified (for myself) what I thought were the most important activities involved in leading a successful life.  The EagleLaunch definition of a successful life is; “a continuous journey of setting and attaining worthwhile goals that will positively impact your life as well as the world around you.”

I believe in having a Plan, putting forth productive Effort, with an effective Attitude, with a willingness to be helped and to be of help to the Community of people we surround ourselves with; all while taking care of our spiritual, emotional and physical aspects of our being in order to have the Energy required to effectively carry out our plans.

Since I started this blog four years ago, you may recall how I often refer to my morning devotion time.  My morning devotion time involves my quiet time with God where I talk to God (pray) and he talks to me (through his scripture) and then I reflect on my day ahead as well as my roles and responsibilities.  It is during my morning time where I take a look at my goals and reflect on how I am doing.  Then I place everything in God’s hands and go off and hopefully do his business through me.

It is during my morning devotion time where P.E.A.C.E. comes alive for me.  It is where I ask God to live in all aspects of my P.E.A.C.E. acrostic.

We are starting our fourth week of 2012.  Maybe you are losing your edge in staying on top of your goals you set for the new year.  Try gaining the edge back by taking time to talk with God about your goals (sounds corny but it works).

God wants us to seek his help, he wants us to gain an edge so we can share with others where we get our edge from.

Thus, one of the primary purposes of my blog.

P.E.A.C.E.

Jay@EagleLaunch

Psalms 121:2, “My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.”

Are you leading and if you are, are you developing others?  Are you motivating those you lead?  Are you helping those you lead work through the pain of growth?  Are you listening to those you lead?   Do you truly care about those you lead?  Are you able to lead without becoming defensive?  Are you able to lead without taking things personally?

If you are a leader or want to be a leader you will need to be able to easily answer yes to the above questions.

Leadership is not about status, title, wealth, fame, fortune or control.  It is simply the effective handling of people.

P.E.A.C.E.

Jay@Eaglelaunch

Hebrews 13:7, “Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God.  Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith.”

P – The plans of the Godly are just…(v.5)

E – Work hard and become a leader…(v.24)

A – Worry weighs a person down…(v.25)

C – Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others. (v.15)

E – The way of the godly leads to life…(v.28)

Sounds like a plan to me.

P.E.A.C.E.

E  -Proverbs 13:4, “Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper.”

A  -Proverbs 12:25,  ”Worry weighs a person down,; an encouraging word cheers a person up.” 

C  -Proverbs 12:15, “Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.”

E  -Proverbs 13:9, “The life of the godly is full of light and joy, but the light of the wicked will be snuffed out.”

As I read my daily Proverb I always look forward to chapters 12 and 13.  I consider them the “power Proverbs.”  These sayings from Solomon really cut to the core of what it takes to lead a successful, godly life.

I pulled out some of my favorites from my New Living Translation Bible (NLT) and matched them with my P.E.A.C.E. acrostic.  Throughout Proverbs Solomon writes about Planning, Effort, Attitude, Community and Energy but none so more than his writings in 12 and 13. 

P.E.A.C.E.

jay@eaglelaunch.com

Matthew 6:11-12, “Give us today our daily bread.  Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

I would estimate well over 1000 people in the Miami Valley have participated in AdvoCare’s 24 Day Challenge over the past 8 months.  The 24 Day Challenge is a weight management program that combines pharmaceutical grade nutritional products with a healthy diet and moderate exercise.   The goal of the 24 Day Challenge is to create new health and wellness habits while losing weight and gaining more energy.  (See my AdvoCare link on my homepage)

This blog is about another type of “weight” and when left unattended can cause more problems in our life than fat.  The weight I am talking about is debt.  We live in a society where debt continues to weigh us down in more ways than one.

First of all, financial debt is a huge burden and should be avoided at all “costs.”  The only reasonable justification of debt is when it is being placed towards an asset that you confidentally know will grow in value.  A house, when paid for at a reasonable price with a reasonable down payment is a pretty solid asset (at least it used to be prior to the 2008 real estate collapse).  Debt incurred for a college education that will be paid off through gainful employment because of the college education is debt that turns into an asset.  Debt incurred for things that lose value is another story.  I know people who drive automobiles that cost more than they make in a year’s salary.  I know people with 6 digit incomes who live paycheck to paycheck because of  the habit of spending beyond their means.  Carrying this type of debt can become a huge burden and can weigh us down and zap us of our energy.  The key is to be “wise” with your money and spend less than you make.  In the Proverb above, Solomon does not mince words when he says “but a foolish man devours all he has.”  (This Proverb was written well before credit cards, imagine what Solomon would say about those of us who “devour more than we have.?)

The second type of debt that often weighs heavy on us is the debt Jesus refers to when he teaches us how to pray The Lord’s Prayer in the 6th chapter of Matthew.  This debt comes in the form of our own sinful thoughts, words and deeds.  In the Lord’s prayer Jesus says “Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our debts.”  Which means we are actively pursuing Jesus (the bread) to come into our lives and with Jesus our debts (sins) will be forgiven if we ask for them to be.  Ongoing repentence is a great way to ease the burden of this type of debt/weight.  Sometimes it takes more than a “dear God forgive me” when other people are involved, as God may call you to make direct amends to those you have harmed.  (Steps 8 & 9, from Alcoholics Anonymous)

The third type of debt is the debt (sin) others have directed at us.  It could be in the form of harmful words or actions.  There seems to be alot of this going on these days as envy, jealousy and anger are all quite prevelent in our society.  If you read Jesus’ words he states in a matter of fact manner “Fogive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.“  If you read these words slowly you will see that Jesus is basically saying we must first forgive our debtors (those who sin against us) before we can expect to be forgiven.  “Forgive us our debts, as we also have, forgiven our debtors.  At the very least Jesus expects us to forgive others and ask for forgiveness simultaneously.  Most of us don’t have a problem with asking God to forgive us of our sins/debts but forgiving others’ for the sins/debts they have committed toward us in another story and is one reason why there are so many miserable self-righteous religious people…just my opinion.   As a recovering addict and alcoholic, I know resentments are a toxic poison and must be dealt with immediately as they will weigh our lives down significantly more than 200 pounds of fat.

So if you are looking for a way to lose a “ton” of weight without dieting, exercising and utilizing nutritional supplements, try doing “God’s 24/7 Challenge” and:

1.  Spend–less than you earn.

2.  Seek forgiveness–even though you’ve not earned it.

3.  Forgive–more than you believe others have earned.

Life becomes much lighter when we try our best to avoid the weight of debt.

P.E.A.C.E.

jay@eaglelaunch.com

Being a pharmacist, it was important for me to know that the AdvoCare products are pharmaceutical grade and are manufactured under strict guidelines to assure their safety and effectiveness.  AdvoCare has a medical advisory board comprised of physicians well known for their knowledge in the field of nutrition. 

The AdvoCare products are also utilized by thousands of college and professional athletes.  Drew Brees (Sports Illustrated Man of the Year) is the national spokesperson for AdvoCare and Eric Lichter, Ohio State’s director of strength and conditioning for the football team, is on AdvoCare’s Sports Advisory Council.  As I stated in my blog 3 months ago, I’ve always used nutritional supplements in order to help me train for triathlons,  but never before have I achieved the type of results I’ve achieved while using the AdvoCare products.  Not only has my training gotten better but my overall feeling of wellness has improved immensely.

One of the greatest systems AdvoCare has in place is called “The 24 Day Challenge.” 

“The 24 Day Challenge” is a program that combines some of AdvoCare’s finest nutrional products with the right foods to not only help you lose unwanted pounds but to generate an overall better feeling of wellness.  I’ve had over 2 dozen people do the challenge and all of them have received extraordinarily successful results…with the exception of a couple of them who quit prior to completing the challenge…I won’t mention any names.

If you are looking for a great system to jump start your New Year’s resolution of dropping some pounds, or maybe you are training for a marathon or triathlon or just training to stay in shape, or if you simply want to feel better, give me a call (937-405-7677) or shoot me an email at jay@eaglelaunch.com or visit my AdvoCare website at www.advocare.com/10091993/ and order some products and test them out for yourself.

I would love to help you with your health and wellness goals for 2011.

P.E.A.C.E.

jay@eaglelaunch.com

Check this out  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncoSRKoU6GQ

P.E.A.C.E.

jay@eaglelaunch.com

The other day I was talking with a group of Christians and shared with them the fact that accepting Jesus would indeed save their souls but it would not save them from “stupid.”  I got a mixed response from that statement and I could tell I had provoked some thought and reflection.

How many Christians do you know that still do stupid things?  I don’t have to look too far to answer that question…as the guy typing this blog has done some unbelievably stupid things while professing to be a Christian.

I’m not saying Christians will be perfect as we will always have a “stupid” moment here and there, but as followers of Christ we have a responsibility to love God and to love others in all we do and that is impossible for me unless I am letting Christ run the show for me.

As Christians the fruit we receive from the Holy Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control-Galatians 5:22) is not for us to keep but it is for us to give to others in representation of what a life run by Christ looks like.  There is a tremendous amount of freedom gained and stupidity lost once we decide to die to ourselves and have Christ live through us.

Dieing to self and allowing Christ to live through us is a step by step process that does not happen overnight.  It takes daily prayer and scripture reading which is best done first thing in the morning…the days I put it off until noon are days I play “stupid” for the first 3 or 4 hours of my day.  It takes interaction with other people who are trying to do the same thing.  It takes boundaries to stay away from the old spaces, faces and places that take us back to “stupid.”  For many people it takes the 12 Steps to clear away the wreckage of the past in order to make room and replace “stupid” with Christ.  NONE OF THIS IS ONE AND DONE…it is a daily walk.

Who is living inside you today and what kind of fruit are you producing?  Is the fruit attractive or is it “stupid?”  

“Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many.  I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.  When you walk your steps will not be hampered; when you run you will not stumble.” (Proverbs 4:10-12 NIV).

P.E.A.C.E.

jay@eaglelaunch.com

 

“Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize?  So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training.  They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.  So I run with a purpose in every step.  I am not just shadowboxing.  I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should.  Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”  1 Corinithians 9:24-27 NLT

A huge part of my life today involves doing things that generate energy (i.e. eat right, sleep right, and exercise) because the more energy I have the better chance I have in effectively taking on the challenges of the day and accomplishing my goals as well as God’s.  

Several years ago I started competing in triathlons as I knew if I had something I was working towards I would be more disciplined in my eating, sleeping and excercising habits.  Competing in triathlons gives me the opportunity to stretch my body to limits I once never thought imaginable and it also gives me a natural peace to my mental state which is always needed.  Triathlons involve swimming, biking and running total distances of anywhere from 16 to 140 miles…dependent on how crazy you are . 

A couple of Sundays ago, I had the opportunity to spend my Father’s Day with my oldest son in Washington D.C. competing in the inaugural D.C. Triathlon.  I must admit we were both a little nervous about the swim as it involved swimming in the Potomac River.  We both had experience in swimming in lakes and pools but never a huge body of water with only two boundaries and an undercurrent like the Potomac, plus the swim started at 5:30am.  The good news is there were 3500 other “crazies” in their swim gear at 5:30am getting ready to do the same thing.

It all came down to trusting our abilities to swim because once in the water there was no turning back and yes my son and I had decided before the race that it was “game on” and “may the best triathlete win.”   Prior to the race we were reminiscing about the many times we had competed against each other in the past.  I used to crush him in Candy Land but then he got revenge in Memory (I had an excuse because the drugs had burned my memory) and we both chuckled as we recalled the many epic one on one basketball battles in our backyard.

Walking the Christian walk is quite similar to competing as an athlete as Paul so eloquently states in first Corinthians.  It takes discipline (the bridge between goals and accomplishment-Jim Rohn) in order to train our body and mind to do what it takes in order to be prepared to do what God wants us to do and in turn have “purpose in every step.”

Discplining ourselves as Christians involves the daily routine practice of scripture reading, constant contact with God through prayer and meditation, interaction with accountability partners, weekly worship and opening our hands to others…to name a few.  Eventually this practice develops into a habit and then when we are faced with a tough decision of whether or not we will continue to “swim” or turn back, we will trust our instincts (i.e. the Holy Spirit) and continue on and do what we’ve trained ourselves to do.  A true Christian walk means there is no turning back as our daily disciplines and faith keep propelling us forward.

Although we had some fear going on as we looked at the Potomac while the sun was beginning to rise over the Washington Monument, we trusted our instincts that told us we had trained and prepared ourselves well enough to take on the battle; and that we did.  

Even though I was battling age and my son was battling dehydration, we finished the race strong. As you can tell by the pictures we finished together.  Which simply means we both know today there is a bigger and better race we are running which involves an eternal prize.  What a great father’s day gift.  Thank you God and thank you Jason.

P.E.A.C.E.

jay@eaglelaunch.com