Category Archives: Relaxation

December 30, 2009

Goals of 2009 – Part 3

By alexpenduck

This week I am blogging about the goals I set myself for 2009 and how they have changed my life. Today I am writing about goals 3 & 4. To see why I set goals for 2009 click here and to view the post about the first two goals I set click here.

The first two goals I set myself for 2009 were more for professional development. The next two goals I set myself for 2009 were for personal growth and development. So here they are:

Goal 3: To lose 20 pounds of weight!

I remember looking at myself in the mirror at the end of 2008 and realizing I was 20 pounds overweight. Not only was I overweight but I realized that I had some minor health issues due to some excess poundage. Also I did not have the energy necessary to be fully productive in my life and I had some clothes in my wardrobe that were leaning towards the XL sign on the label!

My wife, Raquel and I decided this was going to be the year we got healthy. We first started out by watching our calorie in take. Then we made veggies, salads and fish a regular part of our diet, then we made an investment that changed our lives! No it wasn’t the ‘Total Gym’ but something even better! We bought a Wii Fit! Yes, you heard me, a Wii Fit! This little baby worked just the trick. I was 193 pounds back in January and before this Christmas season I was 160 pounds!

As a result I discovered energy I thought was never possible. I found losing weight had a tremendous impact on your spiritual life (a whole new meaning to being a temple of the Holy Spirit), I did not get very sick and I was able to look at myself in the mirror again without a look of disgust!

Goal 4: To follow-up on Facebook, Twitter and Email better

This one is still a work in progress. I have never been a great, ‘follow upper!’ However, I believe I am better today than I was one year ago. The reason for this was a little more intentionality on taking time each day to make sure I replied to messages and emails. Even though I still have a long way to go! After the Wii Fit the second best investment I made this year was the purchase of a new ‘super’ phone. I had a PDA phone before but this new phone allowed me to do everything I could do in the office at my finger tips! I still have a long way to go, but with the gift of technology I am improving.

Tomorrow, I will write about the final goal I set myself for 2009. This is a goal that seemed a far off dream, but has become a reality as I have watched as God has opened some impossible doors!

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Christianity, Fitness, Leadership, Life in general, Relaxation, Worship

December 28, 2009

Goals of 2009 – Part 1

By alexpenduck

This time last year I started to evaluate my life in a way that I had never done before. I was on staff at a growing church, had an incredible marriage and had many great friends. However, something deep down inside me cried out in a voice of  dis-contentment. I was unfulfilled and unsatisfied with my life but could quite put a finger on what it was.

As I began to evaluate my life I realized that God was leading me to start to walk the path he prepared me to walk before I was ever created, it was time to walk into my God-given destiny. The only problem was that I was unsure of which path to take. I knew God wanted me to go on a journey of discovery and there were certain areas of my life which needed more focus if I was to successfully walk on this path of destiny.

In January 2009 for the first time in my life I decided to set myself goals. These weren’t resolutions, but goals for the year that would either prepare me to walk into this God-given destiny or help me actually start walking it.

I set five goals that I knew I had to be intentional about which would help align my life to be ready to live a life of purpose and significance. Four of these goals were areas of my life I recognized were areas of weakness or neglect. The fifth goal was one of those strange thoughts that I couldn’t get out of my head but never thought it would be a realistic goal. However, I am here today in the last week of 2009 having attained all the goals I set one year ago. I am setting myself five goals for 2010, these goals are going to be a little different from my 2009 goals, but I believe they will help me live out the life God planned and designed for me to live. I’ll share these goals next year, but as I look back on the most interesting, difficult and also fulfilling year of my life I want to share with you my 2009 goals.

Over the next three days I am going to blog what these goals were and how I managed to attain them. Some of them were easier than others, but I know as a result of keeping these goals in my focus throughout 2009 I enter into 2010 a much more equipped, prepared and fulfilled person than the one who said goodbye to 2008!

What goals did you set in 2009? Did you fulfill them? Are you setting goals for 2010?

1 comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , | posted in Church, Church Planting, Direction, Leadership, Life in general, Marriage, Relaxation

September 4, 2009

Re-energizer Days

By alexpenduck

“For it is vain to rise up early, who sits up late….For he gives his beloved sleep” Ps. 127

I know when I have been pushing it too hard. I know when it is time to spend a day to re-energize. The first sign that my batteries are running low is when I can’t get a good nights rest!

I am one of those persons you people with insomnia hate! As soon as my head touches the pillow I am gone. I do not move nor wake until it is time to get up! I can sleep through noise or trials. There isn’t much in this world that causes me to lose sleep. However, there is one thing; a lack of energy! It may seem strange that when you don’t have energy you don’t sleep. Well I can’t really explain it but I toss and turn and wake up more tired than when I went to bed. Then I find myself losing patience and everything seems to bother me.

It is at times like this I know I need to re-energize! Jesus, on many occasions took time out to re-energize. He often went off on his own into the hills and prayed. He also spent times when he went off to take a nap! Jesus knew when he needed to re-focus and get his energy levels back.

If the God of this universe knew that, and needed that, then how much more do we need to know it and need to do it.

When I re-energize I seem and look to be very lazy. I wake up late, spend a little time worshipping God with my ‘incredible’ singing voice and then just veg! I’ll watch a movie, eat lots of fruit, drink lots of tea and nap! On the days I know I need to re-energize I’ll sometimes take two or three naps in the day. This is just way may I find to restore my energy.

It actually is the things I don’t do that helps me re-focus and re-energize. I don’t play golf, I don’t read, I don’t socialize or hang out with friends, I don’t facebook or twitter and I don’t go out of the house. These are all things I love to do, and if I have the chance I’ll jump at it. However, these are all things that take my energy away instead of restoring my energy.

Last night I didn’t sleep well and today I don’t have too much drive or patience. I think it’s time tomorrow to take a ‘re-energizer’ day! After all Sunday is a huge day for me! There’s a little thing call our Fantasy Football Draft going on! Oh! Also Sunday is the biggest day in the week for a Pastor! Must not forget that!

What are some of the things you do to re-energize?

3 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Relaxation, Worship

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 495 other followers