Accountability

So, in light of my recent leg injury, I have placed my running shoes back in their box and called it "quits" for 2009. A little disheartened, but I'm okay with it. Because... I just started a new workout program. Well, it's not entirely new. I did this program about a year and a half ago, and have decided to do it again. The program is called p90x. It stands for Power 90 Extreme. Basically, for 90 days my butt gets kicked around and at the end I'm in great shape. These workouts may be the most insane thing I have ever done. Each workout is about an hour long. There's pullups and pushups, jump training, weight lifting, yoga, lunges, kenpo, cardio, abs, and just about every other imaginable exercise. It's hard, but it's awesome!!
This week I started this workout program with Courtney and my friends, Chris and Matt. Courtney and Matt are doing this for the first time. Chris has gone through this a couple of times and is basically serving as our coach. The great thing about the way we are working out is we get to keep each other accountable. Every morning, I have thought about Courtney, Chris and Matt while I exercised. Every time I wanted to quit, or not finish a rep, or take an extra break, or not follow the nutrition plan, or whatever else, I thought these three. Plus, we talk to each other. We send each other texts and emails. We check in with each other... We are all very sore right now, but we're in it together.
Accountability is such an important aspect of our lives. The reality of life is we are not alone. We get to do life together. God wants us to keep each other in line with His plan for us. He wants us to have strong friends who will help us through situations. Some days, the hour long workout is the hardest part of my day. But, it's easier knowing that I'm not doing it myself. While I may be the only one hanging from the pull up bar, or the only one screaming during bicep curls, I'm not alone. These three are going through the same thing. We can encourage each other, bounce ideas off each other, criticize the stuff we're not doing right, and help each other make it through these 90 days. It's awesome!!
This just like our daily lives. Some days are the hardest days we have to go through. Some parts of the day are the worst things we ever do. Let's be honest. Some days suck. BUT, when you know you're not alone, it gets a whole lot easier. My friend Ryan and I get together weekly to do a Bible study. We are reading a John MacArthur book entitled, "The Book on Leadership". Each week we assign a new chapter. It's our homework. I know Ryan is going to ask me about my opinion of the chapter I read. I better have spent the time reading it. If Ryan and I weren't doing this together, I probably would never finish the book. Just look at the stack of books in my office and the one at home that I started reading and have not finished. I'm also working on my ordination for the C&MA. Jim serves as my mentor. We have set a two year schedule to complete this process and we meet monthly to discuss my progess. I know he is going to ask me how I am doing. Plus, he's going to want to see results. There is a lot of work to do and I must remain faithful to the tasks assigned to me. This 2 year project will not happen if Jim doesn't hold me accountable.
Accountability is a wonderful thing. It makes the load a whole lot easier to carry. Plus, you develop great relationships with people who are living your life with you. It's awesome!!

Just my thoughts...