PUBLISHER’S LETTER
Preparing for my daughter’s outdoor summer wedding at our home was a real workout. The landscaping, the tent installation, the decorations, the getting everything in order and the making everything just perfect is just my part of it. My wife, daughter and her fiancé all did a whole lot more. With all the expense, planning and time invested I’ve found along the way any number of people that ask, “Is it worth it”? We reply with a confident, “Yes”!
I was speaking with a pastor recently who shared with me his perspectives on the importance of marriage counseling. He said, “The wedding is just a short event but the marriage lasts forever.” I totally agree but I think the event has huge importance. Like a bodybuilder preparing for a competition, a speaker preparing for a major presentation, a performer preparing for a show, a business preparing to open and a mother preparing for birth, the event is significant. Events I think are key for at least two reasons – the preparation and the presentation. As humans, God designed us to need both.
I’m concerned that a pervasive attitude among Christians today is that only super-spiritual things should be recognized as being from God. Christians are not doing the work of daily life for the right reasons (the preparation) or fully living out the grand reflection of God (the presentation) when they exclude the everyday things from their faith. This disservice to God and our human community is made even worse when Christians fail to recognize the evidence of God in the preparation and presentation of others. Either God is at work in everyone or in no one at all.
In this issue we want to help you tackle perhaps one of the hottest topics on your mind when it comes to personal fitness and faith. What do others see in you? The real questions are: How do you feel about yourself and what would you look like if you let God shape your perspective? Consider the theme Rugged Beauty. Tackle the ugly truths and discover the gorgeous realities. Let this be your time to get a makeover to enliven your body and renew your spirit.
A friend recently shared with me about her wedding day. She recounted how it, like life for most of us, had rugged edges. Then as she reflected further she paused and smiled, “I remember I was very happy that day. It was beautiful.” Preparation and presentation are our daily activities that marry us with God. A beautiful now that is fit for forever. Here comes the bride.
Train strong in Christ,
-Brad Bloom, Publisher
