If you didn’t need sleep, what would you do with all the extra time?

Sacrifice the lesser to obtain the greater. Few things will be more important in 10 years than having gotten your 8 hours of muscle building beauty sleep each night. Sleep is anabolic and restores the soul. There will be times when sleep must be sacrificed, but let those be the rare exceptions and not the daily routine. A far better way to gain more time is to turn off the television and unplug from social media.

Psalm 127:2: It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.

Who are your current most favorite people?

My most favorite people of all time are eyewitness of the life of Jesus Christ. There are four known by the names of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Just as four different sportscasters watching the same football game will add their own unique flavor when describing the exact same play, so do the four books of the good news of Jesus Christ written Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John provide slightly different descriptions of the same events. Do you want to know Jesus Christ? Go read the recorded testimonies of these four eyewitnesses for yourself. (2 Corinthians 13:1; Isaiah 53:1-6; Matthew 1:22-23; Mark 1:1; Luke 1:1-4; John 20:24-31)

What book are you reading right now?

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, it is the most popular book in the history of the world with 100 million copies currently sold each year. The Holy Bible is the greatest book of all time and it is not surprising why. I have been reading it everyday for the past 16 years and the practice has totally transformed my whole life. (Joshua 1:8-9; Hebrews 4:12; Romans 12:2; Psalm 1)

What part of your routine do you always try to skip if you can?

I would skip the getting up so early every morning. I would skip the hard work. I would skip the daily climb and just start at the top with a mega-giant-billion-dollar-power-ball jackpot without ever having to earn any of it. If there was anyway I could skip the effort, persistence, and work I would. On second thought, I wouldn’t. The difficultly along the way is the secret ingredient in all goal achievement that makes the reaching of it so good. (Proverbs 20:21; Proverbs 30:15-16; 2 Thessalonians 3:12; 1 Timothy 6:3-8)

What’s something you believe everyone should know.

More money only makes one happier when it covers lack. For example, it you can’t put food on the table or pay your bills, more money will make you happier. Money in excess however, only increases the things that eat away at happiness. When you are in pain, removing the source of the pain will make you happier until the next pain comes along. If we don’t like where we live, moving will make us happier for a short time until we get settled again. This world is full of problems, pain, and difficulties. More money, being pain free, and not having a problem in the world are temporary. So, if your happiness depends on any physical thing, your happiness will increase and decrease with the wind. Lasting happiness doesn’t come for external things or the elimination of all problems and tough times. Lasting happiness comes only from within and doesn’t depend on the weather. (Psalm 62:10; Proverbs 23:5; 1 Timothy 6:6-10; 1 Corinthians 3:11; Matthew 7:24-27; Proverbs 3:13; John 15:11; John 14:27; Philippians 4:7)

What is your favorite form of physical exercise?

Live is heavy. Perhaps this is why strength training has always been my favorite. My reasons and goals for lifting have changed now that I’m older though. I am no longer interested in lifting 100s of pounds of deadweight just because I can. I still like lifting heavy things, but now mainly to make everything else in life that must be moved feel lighter. (Ecclesiastes 9:10; Luke 9:62; Psalm 27:14; 1 Corinthians 9:24-25; 1 Timothy 4:8; Proverbs 3:5-8)

Daily Writing Prompt: How much would you pay for a trip to the Moon?

Why spend money, limited resources, and precious time to visit a dead rock that cannot support life? Listen carefully and you will hear the call from the third heaven well beyond this merely physical universe. It is a call to life. (John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 12:2; Acts 7:55-56; Hebrews 1:3; Matthew 11:25-30; 1 Peter 5:6-7)

Daily writing prompt

What have you been working on?

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One of the reasons journaling comes so highly recommended is because putting your thoughts on paper forces you to clarify things in your head. I have been journaling daily for over a decade now and that has certainly been the case for me. Currently, I am working on a series of books (one for each month of the year) for those who would like to begin the practice of journaling. These books are the helps I wish I had when I began journaling all those years ago. Each one consists of a daily selection of Scriptures from the King James Version of the Bible, a faith and fitness oriented quote relating to those Scriptures, and then ample space to record your thoughts. Use this link to find out more: https://www.amazon.com/My-Thoughts-How-to-Be-Better-Each-Day-with-Faith-and-Fitness-6-book-series/dp/B0CBVH2CZP

Daily writing prompt

What principles define how you live?

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Wisdom is the principle thing from which every good thing grows. Not all wisdom is equal though. Being wise in one’s own eyes is a mistake, and being wise only in the ways of the world breeds many flies. Godly wisdom on the other hand, brings peace. (Ecclesiastes 10:1; Proverbs 4:7, 3:1-8; 1 Corinthians 3:18-20; Psalm 32:9; Proverbs 16:3; Psalm 94:19)

Daily writing prompt

What have you been putting off doing? Why?

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I have known for weeks now that is it time for me to start intermittent fasting (IF). I know from personal experience that IF is the most effective way I’ve found to get rid of visceral fat. Excessive visceral fat is responsible for the thickening of the midsection, which is a tell-tale sign of the beginning of the end of youth. IF has worked for me in the past, but I’ve been dragging my feet. Several reasons for this: 1) Just like most things, it is hard to get started; 2) I just started a new job and don’t need the added stress of dealing with hunger and the low energy that starting IF will bring; and 3) It will be better to start once things slow down for me. I’m glad I took the time to think about this writing prompt today. I see how I have only been making excuses. There is only one difference between an excuse and a reason. A reason provides comfort for the soul making it easier NOT do what needs to be done in order to reach the goal. Now is the time. (Proverbs 22:13; Matthew 26:41; 1 Peter 5:10-11)