At 55 years of age and a year and a half layoff I am finally back at the gym. WOW. It almost feels like starting over from the beginning again. I used to joke with my kids about getting ripped. They laughed hysterically. I’m sure this picture on the right is more in line with what they were imagining.

For those of you who know me a little you can understand how my children could think something like this.

You don’t even have to know me that well to know that sometimes I can be, um… forward? Brash perhaps? Some of you might even say ‘cocky’. If my “attitude” was muscle I’d probably look like this….

Not very humble looking eh? But then again, don’t you think that someone like this would likely be a very interesting cleric? Well this is not a realistic goal for me anyway. I don’t have lofty ‘muscly’ goals and I don’t push lofty weights . A few years back I had a personal trainer help me realize my goal for more muscle tone and energy. While he ‘tortured’ me with correct form, we’d talk about spiritual fitness and played around with fitness metaphors for the church.

We quickly came to the conclusion that most people do not think of the church as having much muscle. We do fundraisers because we don’t have huge financial muscle. We have to lobby and petition with our local politicians but often feel that we do not have much political muscle.

Many denominations in the Christian faith are concerned with their shrinking numbers and many folks, both inside and outside of the church, see the Church of North America as weak and anemic at best. Our big question became, ‘just what does church muscle look like?’ What makes a strong church? My trainer, not a regular church going character, had all kinds of thoughts about what kinds of things you’d find at a church with serious spiritual muscle.

Check the items below that you feel make a strong church. Since no church ‘has it all’, pick 7 only.

great facilities … Friendliness … wonderful programs … Location … historical significance … multi-media
professional band … traditional worship … charismatic leader … locally active … outreach focused .. family oriented
Jesus centered … community oriented … Bible based … Spirit focused

Not that simple is it? God tells us, “My strength is made perfect in weakness”. That is not an excuse to let my self go and get all flabby”, it is a reminder that what we think will make us or the church strong is not always true. What it means is that we should not ‘let go’ of our focus on God.

I let myself go for almost two years and I reaped the reward. I am sure there are people who have let their spiritual muscle get flabby too and like it or not that brings it’s own rewards or lack thereof. The Apostle Paul reminded his young protégé Timothy that, “God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline”. (2 Tim.1:7) Elsewhere Paul also reminds us, “25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training…..26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”(1 Cor.9:25-27).

At the gym I learn about weight training, and discipline. It has also helped me to put some of my attitude aside. Being a 55 year old in a room full of ripped young people also helps in the humility department. I have learned that everyone trains differently and that only those serious about what they are doing are enjoying results and I’ve also realized that their results are also an encouragement to me. I now wish that I had started earlier in my life.

Slowly but surely I see improvement. My kids are not laughing anymore either and their comments re: my flab and so forth have stopped. I guess that means that it’s never too late to get back into shape. That goes for spiritual discipline too. Just because you may have been away from the faith for ten or twenty or even more years does not mean that you cannot enjoy a comeback. His strength truly is made perfect in weakness but do not use that as an excuse to stay away.

Your and my comeback can strengthen the church too. After all, the strength of the church is directly proportional to our spiritual fitness. Since we are told that our “bodies are a temple of the Lord”, it is our own overall fitness in relationship to God that truly counts.

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