God was testing me
In the heat of last summer, I weighed in at 300lbs and had just undergone a male double mastectomy. While recovering in the hospital with two tubes draining from my chest, I took inventory of my life. My relationship with God was strong, but my body had grown weak. I needed to make a decision to change my life, improve my health, and lean heavily and completely on Jesus Christ in doing so. I had allowed the Temple God built in me to fall into ruin. Couple that with a health scare, and I had to do something. My choice was simple, I needed direction and support from our Lord, and He gave it freely. When I think back on this period I realize how easily I could have just given up on life. God had other plans for me. I joined a large gym and started working out daily (five days a week). It was hard, I couldn’t squat my own weight when I started. I used online trainers (contact me for more info), some of the best in the nation. Starting with a 12-week program that reacquainted me with free weights and cardio, and then a six-week program that included intense cardio between sets (all timed).
Since returning to the gym for the first time in nearly two decades, I put on significant muscle and lost enough weight to clone a 7-year-old. I still have more work to do. God is responsible for getting me thru the last seven months, it has been difficult.
God tests me again
In the later months of this period my relationship with the two men I had founded a ministry with wained. I felt lost and questioned the several preceding years of ministry with these men. I believe them to be good men, but we had apparently grown apart as close friends. The ministry I poured myself into was coming to a close. I was wandering in the desert and prayed it wouldn’t last 40 years.
Enter Evan Anderson
Over the past 7 months, I have scoured the internet for inspiration to keep improving my physical fitness, health, and understanding of the methods and processes necessary to achieve my goal. I’m not interested in becoming a bodybuilder or fitness model at my age, but there is much to be learned from the folks that are. I was following a lot of trainers and fitness experts on social media. One of those trainers was Evan Anderson. Evan is an incredible, strong Christian, who has absolute faith in our Father God. His walk with Jesus Christ is on a narrow path and it does not waver. One day I saw a post from Evan on social media that he was going to help Christian men lose weight … for free.
I’m a Christian man who needs to lose weight
Even though I had lost a small human in weight, I have more to go. I applied to Evan and was accepted. I had a friend who once said he couldn’t learn anything from someone younger than himself. I on the other hand was sure I had everything to learn from Evan. Age is no barrier to faith or ability, and Evan was sharing both with the men he was mentoring, yes a young mentor. From health and nutrition tips to inspiration for the mind, body, and soul, I was taking it all in. Evan even shared his journal where he writes notes to God. He is sharing so much of himself with this group of Christian men (of varied ages), and it made me think about his generosity.
Still wandering in the desert
With the ministry I had poured myself into over the past several years coming to a close, I was lost. What would God have me do with the time I had spent on that ministry. God spoke to me and said to be like Evan, sharing your faith and skills with others for free. FaithFit7 was born as my new purpose. My goal is to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, help other Christian men grow in their relationship with God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and strengthen their temple while sharing my own areas of knowledge with others. Now I’m no fitness trainer, but I do know how to point folks in the direction of trainers like Evan that can help them.
We’ll get more into my own skill set later. Don’t forget to subscribe and please leave your thoughts in the comments.
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