Something has been on my mind and heart for a while, partly subjectively motivated by the fact that I’d like to get healthier. As I near 40 I’m like many who feel that 40 mark nearing and want to make some changes. I’ll be honest. Just like anyone who is honest, I have areas I’d love to see growth around, including gut health – not just appearance at all but also my literal guts. I’ve sought to work on avoiding things I’m allergic to and eating and drinking what I know to be good for me. I’ve also learned a lot about exercise and not over-doing certain things and keeping active in key areas. One critical thing I’ve learned through the years is the helpful habits I can form using every day life activities to stay fit. Instead of having water delivered to my office for instance, I like to run the big five gallon jugs to the store and fill them up and lift them into my cart and get some social interaction with my community and then carry them back into my office. I’m my own water boy! While I could drive to work every day, as often as possible I seek to ride my bike to work. If I need to get something done that I have specialty tools for but it would help me get a little more physical and fit to do it with manual tools, I don’t mind going that route. If I could ask someone else to grab something that is nearer to them in the house or yard, I tend to grab it myself as it means I’m getting up more often. Here is a big one: With our babies, I’ve enjoyed doing a good deal of holding my children and wrestling with them, going on bike rides, etc. These things lead to being “tighter” or “stronger in the middle” so-to-speak.

What would it look like if as Americans we were stronger in the middle? Not only stronger from a point of physical health but also stronger from the inside out? What would it look like if we took matters seriously that matter to God than that matter to us first and foremost? What would happen if we took God more seriously down at the gut level and really meditated on His goodness and holiness and love and grace and truth and eternal reality? What would happen if we cared for those God has given us paying attention to that gut sense of what’s right, moral, good, sweet, true, lasting, worthy of our focus?

It’s something to consider.

Love you all!

Torrey