Where Do I Start with Exercise?

Let's assume, just for fun, that something I said on this blog has piqued your curiosity about starting to exercise on a regular basis. You're thinking about jumping in, maybe even on Jan. 1. The question naturally arises, What shall I do? Where do I start? 

Well, let me say this. It makes a lot of sense to join a gym. It doesn't have to be Gold's Gym by any means. Nothing fancy is necessary. Your local Y is fine. 

Make believe you are starting a new "job" and the Y is your new "office." This will give your exercising some structure. Write your exercise "appointments" in your calendar and don't let anything get in the way. Learn to operate on "automatic." This is what I have done, and it's the habit and routine of it all that has led to many of my successes.

Just a thought! 

The Grammar of the Gospel

When you learn a foreign language, especially a language that doesn't belong to your own language family, one of the things you discover is that languages work in different ways. In some languages (like Biblical Hebrew), the verb needs to come at the beginning of the sentence. In other languages (like Korean), the verb is delayed to the end. If you don't have a grasp of the way language works -- what we call its grammar -- you will never be able to speak that language properly.

Now, in my beginning grammar of New Testament Greek, we cover the entire indicative mood before we move on to the imperative mood. Moods are grammatical features of verbs that express the speaker's attitude toward the action. Two primary moods in language are the indicative and the imperative moods. The indicative mood is used to convey facts or opinions, such as "He's reading a book." In contrast, the imperative mood is used to give commands or requests, like "Read the book." Generally speaking, the majority of verbs in language are in the indicative mood. People tend to state information as facts more than they give commands, instructions, or directives.

Just as there are certain fundamental patterns in languages, so there are certain fundamental elements of the language of the gospel. Every important imperative of the gospel that tells us to obey is rooted in the indicatives of the gospel. 

In other words, the Christian life is lived on the foundation of grace. It's because we've been justified in Christ that we begin to do things for Christ. The book of Ephesians is a good example. For 3 chapters Paul has been describing the new society (called the church) that God has brought forth through Jesus Christ, who died for sinners and was raised from death. But in chapters 4-6 Paul moves on from the reality of the new society to the new standards expected of it. He turns from exposition to exhortation, from indicatives (what Christ has done for us) to imperatives (what we must do in response). Theology moves from theory to practice. Thus in Eph. 4:1, Paul calls on the Ephesian believers to lead lives that are worthy of the calling to which God has called them. Any complacency when it comes to obedience is unworthy of the church's high calling.

Likewise, in his letter to the Romans, Paul moves in chapter 8 from Christian doctrine to Christian behavior, from people who believe in the gospel to people who live and adorn it. Indeed, the purpose of Christ's death was that "the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us" (Rom. 8:3). In Romans, Paul teaches not only the essense of the good news but also the essence of the good life. He never stops with mere knowledge. He gives people plain, practical, ethical teaching. The new life in Christ is a holy life, a life determined to please God by obeying his commandments. 

We need to keep this biblical pattern clearly before us. In the Christian life, obedience is required. But it is also enabled. The Scriptures call us to hold the two together, which should not be difficult for Spirit-filled believers since the Holy Spirit himself is "the Spirit of truth" (John 14:17), and his firstfruit is "love" (Gal. 5:22). 

Aging Is NOT the Problem

Ask people what it's like to be getting older and they will give you the standard gloomy "Aging is so hard, full of aches and pains." There's a lot of truth to that, of course. But I've got good news! Turns out that the last quarter of life can be every bit as dynamic and full of potential as the first 3 quarters, and in some ways even more so! Aging is not the problem. Decaying is! And the fact of the matter is, it is optional. Sadly, decay has become the standard for the majority of people over 70. But some of us are determined to rewrite the rule book!

Believe it or not, even at 73 I am able to regain an amazing amount of the playfulness, coordination, balance, and fitness I had when I was in my 40s. The energy that comes with a fit body can be a powerful thing as you navigate the final years of your life. Friend, may the Lord give you the drive, the energy, and the sense of purpose to live your life on your terms for decades to come!

P.S. Today I lifted at the gym and then got in my steps for the day. 

Some of us will live well into our 90s. How we live those years is largely under our control! 

God's Power of Motion (Acts 17:28)

In Athens, Paul made it clear to his audience that none us can live, move, or even exist apart from the motive power of God. Every single step I've taken as a runner, not to mention every ultramarathon I've run, would be completely impossible without God's power of motion. God is the source of all life, energy, and motion. Nothing you and I ever do can happen apart from his power. In essence, the ability to be active is a gift from God. In a fallen world, it is a wonder to have hands and feet and lungs that work. 

Let's steward well what God has given us, shall we? God made these mortal bodies of ours to move. We believers want to be the kind of people who are known for our discipline in areas like food, exercise, and proper sleep. Why, then, should we allow ourselves to be encumbered by a sedentary lifestyle? 

Running at Ala Moana Beach Park in Hawaii. 

Competing in the Bolder Boulder 10K race in Colorado. 

Jogging on Hancock Avenue in Gettysburg. 

Notes on Inerrancy (6)

A number of years ago, an evangelical teaching at an evangelical seminary wrote a book on the synoptic problem in which he asserted that Mark's Gospel contained numerous "errors" that were later "corrected" by both Matthew and Luke in their respective Gospels. Such assertions are a common line of reasoning used to support the so-called Markan Priority Hypothesis, which is the consensus view among the great majority of New Testament scholars today. However, merely asserting that Mark contains errors is not sufficient. Such an assertion needs to be tested against the actual linguistic data in the Gospels themselves. And in point of fact, not a single one of these so-called errors in Mark can be shown to be actual errors by the existing linguistic evidence, as we attempted to show elsewhere. Even one error in the Bible would mean it's not the word of God because God cannot err in even one thing he affirms. To even assert such a thing is a serious breach of biblical inerrancy. This assertion, in my opinion, is purely a straw man even though it claims to be supported by the linguistic evidence.

"But," someone may say, "an error (or two) in Mark would be a mere peccadillo or a minor scratch at worst." The problem is that the doctrine of biblical inerrancy (to use an analogy from Sproul) suffers from hemophilia. You merely scratch it and it bleeds to death. It is not enough to affirm inerrancy in principle only. The Bible is not "generally" inerrant. It is either inerrant or not. If it's not, then we're wasting our time reading it, studying it, teaching it, and preaching it. Moreover, to admit even a single"error" in Mark's grammar is handing the enemies of biblical inerrancy a powerful weapon. We must all hope that such assertions will be repeated no more. As much as I believe in linguistics, we don't need a "neo" linguistic approach to the synoptic problem. The old grammatical-historical approach is sufficient, as it has been through the centuries. 

In every generation, biblical inerrancy will continue to be a "litmus test" of evangelical orthodoxy. 

Notes on Inerrancy (5)

Cambridge professor C. H. Dodd wrote in the preface to his Romans commentary, "Sometimes I think I Paul is wrong, and I have ventured to say so."

Sorry. We have no liberty to think or act this way. I may err. You may err. But the authority of the apostles of Jesus Christ was the authority of Christ himself. 

On Grades

Students: You don't get the grade you want. You get the grade you're willing to work for. 

It's Official: I'm Stoopid

I didn't get a single one of these Jeopardy questions correct! 😕

Notes on Inerrancy (4)

"I couldn't believe the Bible is untrue if I tried." -- John Piper. 

Notes on Inerrancy (3)

How in the world did this book make it into print? 

There aren't 5 views on biblical inerrancy. There are two. 

It is (so Mohler) or it isn't.

Period. 

Notes on Inerrancy (2)

You can't affirm the truthfulness of the text without affirming the historicity of the event. 

Notes on Inerrancy (1)

As long as you have those in our seminaries who continue to use the term inerrancy while eviscerating the word of its meaning, the Bible is safer in the hands of the people in the pew than in the hands of scholars. 

A Day in Farmville

Work.

Reward.

In that order haha. 

Don't Wait to January 1 to Start

Becky and I lived in Switzerland for 3 years. Almost nobody in Switzerland has a gym membership. The Swiss eat bread, drink wine, and enjoy pasta. Yet they have one of the lowest obesity rates in Europe. 

Compare that with the U.S.

In the U.S., the percentage of adults with a BMI of over 30 is 42.9 percent.

In Switzerland, the percentage of adults with a BMI of over 30 is 13.7 percent.

How?

The Swiss burn more calories than we do. 

But how can they burn more calories when they don't work out? 

They walk everywhere.

• They walk to work.
• They walk to the store.
• They walk to church.
• They walk to get a gelato.
• They walk to the theater.
• They walk to the mountains. 

Everything's closer in Switzerland. In Basel, Becky and I had no need for a car. We walked everywhere. And if we were in a hurry, we could always take the bus, the tram, or the train.

America is huge. We drive everywhere. Even to the gym. But you can change that. Walking burns more calories than you think. And you don't have to go to Switzerland to walk. Just walk more.

By the way, nothing says you have to wait to January 1 to start. A new year doesn't mean much of anything. The excitement almost always fades. Most of you gave up on your 2025 goals months ago. So start now. 

If you do start now, you'll move into 2026 with real momentum. You've still got a couple of weeks left. If you start now, January won't be a "fresh start." It will just be you continuing something you've already committed to.

Go for it! 

Today in History

On this day in history -- Dec. 12, 1862 -- Union soldiers marched across the Rappahannock River downstream from Fredericksburg. As the sun rose on Dec. 13, a dense fog clung to the ground by the river. Facing the blue-clad troops was a wooded rise set back from the river, defended by Confederate troops. Like at Antietam, Federal forces were sent into battle piecemeal. The infantry could do no better than lie in the mud and endure the enemy's shot and shell. Today, a portion of the battlefield is even called the Slaughter Pen. 

The inept Federal commanders had now allowed 3 distinct occasions to take Richmond slip through their hands. Days later, Hooker replaced Burnside as commander of the Army of the Potomac.

The war would drag on for 3 more weary years. 

Speakers Up

Yearly Snapshot

2025 in numbers:

It's been an incredible year. All praise be to God. Some highlights include summiting the Riffelhorn and surfing Waikiki. Thank you to everyone who supported me this year. 2026 is shaping up to be even bigger. Here's to more adventures ahead. Thank you all, and I can't wait to share what's next. 

Wishing you great adventures in 2026.

Dave 

The Importance of Editing

On Dec. 7, 1941, my father, who was born in Honolulu in 1918, witnesses the bombing of Pearl Harbor from his home in Alewa Heights. 

4,888 miles to the east in Washington, DC, president Roosevelt prepares to address the nation. The next day he is planning on going to Congress and requesting a declaration of war against the Japanese. He knows that whatever he says on Dec. 8 will have to be the very best message to bring the country together.

Roosevelt puts on his sports coat and calls for Grace Tully, his secretary. Tully walks in and Roosevelt is smoking a cigarette. He tells Tully that he wants to dictate a speech. He knows in his mind exactly what he wants to say. Roosevelt asks Tully to sit down and begins to dictate, without any pause or hesitation, the message he will present the next day to a joint session of Congress. Roosevelt begins:

"Yesterday, Dec. 7th, 1941, a date which will live in world history, the United States of America was simultaneous and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the empire of Japan." 

A few moments later, his dictation comes to an end. Then Roosevelt begins to edit the speech. He crosses out the words "world history" and writes down "infamy" in their place. 

It is one of the most famous edits recorded in human history.

Editing, they say, is more important than writing. The job of being a writer is mostly editing. I may have written a book once, but I edited it 5 times. Editing, as any publisher will tell you, is just a part of the writing process. It's always a joy to see the writing get better, clearer, tighter. 

I'll leave you with a quote by the one and only James Michener:

"I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter." 

The Virgin Birth: A Hill to Die On

"If I profess with the loudest voice and the clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except that point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved, and to be steady on all the battlefields besides is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point." -- Martin Luther.

Did you know that the first person to doubt the doctrine of the virgin birth was the virgin herself? "How can this be?" she asked the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:34). But upon further explanation of the miraculous nature of the Messiah's conception, her doubts evaporated. "I am the Lord's servant, and I am willing to do whatever he wants. May everything you said come true" (Luke 1:37).

In the 19th century, German scholars such as Albrecht Ritschl questioned the virgin birth, saying that it required a "special biological miracle." This skepticism became a trend among German theologians. Eventually, in Germany and elsewhere, the authority of the Bible was almost completely replaced with liberal theology and a secular worldview. We were told that only the most naive person could accept such a teaching and make such a confession. Indeed, in our day the liberal attitude on this doctrine is not so much argued as assumed and is represented as the "assured consensus of scholarship."And yet, as the great J. Gresham Machen declared, "If the Bible is regarded as being wrong in what it says about the birth of Christ, then obviously the authority of the Bible, in any higher sense, is gone."

Against this trend of skepticism, may we take a stand against the current unbelief and for the full truth of the gospel. No true follower of the Lord Jesus can deny his virgin birth. Let us therefore sing, with full assurance:

Christ, by highest heaven adored,

Christ, the Everlasting Lord!

Late in time behold him come,

Offspring of the Virgin's womb.

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see.

Hail th' incarnate Deity,

Pleased as man with men to dwell,

Jesus, our Emmanuel.

Nice 9-Mile Run at the Tobacco Heritage Trail in Victoria

The weather was perfect. 

Nice step count too.

Hope your day is going gangbusters!

This Is Why the Internet Was Invented

I'm speechless. 

Lovely!

The view on my drive home after my afternoon run.

It never gets tiring. :-) 

Is a 3-Day Per Week Workout Program for You?

If you are in the later stages of your life, you don't need 2-3 hour workouts, 5-6 days a week. All you need is a program that allows you to:

• train hard
• fully recover between workouts
• and build muscle progressively and consistently 

That's what a 3-day per week workout program will do for you. And you'll need no more than an hour per workout to reach your goals. 

This may sound too simple to be effective, but believe me, it can deliver results. As someone has said, muscle growth doesn't come from endless sets; it comes from effective sets. Those high-quality, close-to-failure sets generate enough volume to trigger significant muscle growth. 

So if you want to save time and enjoy life without living at the gym, create a system that lets your body rest and your muscles grow. You'll train your entire body 3 times a week. That's it. Each set will be taken close to failure. With just 3 days a week you can train your entire body efficiently without being sore, exhausted, or feeling like your gym time is competing with everything else in your life.

Try it in 2026 for yourself and see if you don't get the results you're after. 

From today's gym session: 

r

A Fascinating Use of "Litotes" in Heb. 4:15

Have you ever noticed how the New Testament writers sometimes express an important truth by saying what it isn't rather than what it is? That's "litotes" at work. You use this figure of speech when you want to make a positive affirmation by negating its opposite. It's often used for emphasis or to create a particular effect (such as irony). It can also serve to highlight a certain quality while denying its opposite:

"With God, nothing is impossible."

"It's not warm today."

"He's not a bad cook."

In Heb. 4:15 -- a verse I am committing to memory today in Greek -- Paul is saying something profoundly important but he's doing so with purpose and rhetorical skill. 

Instead of just saying, "We have a high priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses," he chooses to express this truth by asserting the exact opposite. The combination of the negative "we do not have" with the negative "who is not able" creates a positive. The technique is designed to make the reader think more deeply about the statement. 

And indeed, it's an amazing thought!

Ponder it. Christ not only suffers with his people. He identifies with their weaknesses. He is "not without concern" (to use a litotes!) for us in our lowly condition. Having been made flesh, the Son of Man himself experienced all the temptations and infirmities common to man, sin excepted. He is therefore abundantly qualified to sympathize with us in our afflictions. As God, he is infinitely holy. As man, he is infinitely compassionate. He knows the difficulties of living righteously in this world. I love how Phillips captures this amazing truth:

"For we have no superhuman High Priest to whom our weaknesses are unintelligible."

And here's the way Eugene Peterson has rendered the verse:

"We don't have a high priest who is out of touch with our reality."

God says, "You must be holy because I am holy." On our own, that's as impossible to attain as growing another foot in height after reaching adulthood. The good news is that God in Christ is at work in us, giving us both the desire and the ability do what pleases him. It's just a matter of allowing him enough elbow room to do his work! 

Have a wonderful day! 

Finding Gratitude in the Simplest Things of Life

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know how much I enjoy the seasons we have here in southern Virginia. This includes winter. Snow I don't mind at all. The only element I avoid is ice because I don't like broken bones. Personally, I can't imagine living in a place where the weather is the same all year long. This includes, yes, Hawaii. Call this island boy crazy, but I love the variety and the changing landscapes. I am someone who likes to train all the time, including the winter months. These were today's steps:

Today was the first real snowfall we've had in 2025. I guess that's why the YMCA was completely empty when I got there this morning. 

But I do want to give a huge shout out to VDOT. The roads today were in tip-top condition. Upon my return home I snapped a bunch of pics of the farm for nostalgia's sake. Bradford Hall never looked prettier. 

Then it was time to fed the animals. 

I tell you, having a warm wool coat must come in awfully handy in the snow. 

A recurrent theme over the past 12 years of my life has been gratitude and giving thanks in all circumstances. In so doing, one gets perspective on all that is good in one's life. Conversely, gratitude minimizes feelings of negativity when things don't necessarily go the way we think they should go. Today I found gratitude in the simplest things of life. Life after Becky got a bit hard. And it still hurts. My goal in life is to find gratitude even when things feel hard, even very hard. Never underestimate the power of gratitude. My life is not perfect, but there are a gazillion things to be thankful for. When all is said and done, life with Christ is so satisfying. It shows me that in him, I am stronger than I think I am. 

To My Fellow Lifters: Thank You

Your journey shows what discipline and consistency can really create. Those gains aren't just physical. They're proof of your mindset. Keep going. You're inspiring more people than you think. 

Weight Training for Dummies

1. Train as heavy as you can.

2. For as many reps as you can.

3. With the best form that you can.

When your form fails, your set is done. 

How much weight, how many reps, and how many sets is up to you.

Yes, it's really that simple. 

An Attention-Grabbing Semitism in Matt. 1:20

For 5 decades now I've been teaching the language of the New Testament. Greek never gets old! 

Today was no exception. All this month of December, I am reading through Matthew's narrative of the birth of the Messiah and producing my own fresh translation of the Greek. I feel like I'm feasting on God's word! Here's a snippet from today's notes on Matt. 1:20. But first, the context.

Joseph, the text says, was inclined to act mercifully toward Mary when he discovered that she was pregnant. "I'll hand her a bill of divorcement and that will be that." He wanted to avoid exposing Mary to public shame. Still, he must have wondered to himself, "And I doing the right thing?" 

That's when we come to verse 20. Here we read that Joseph began to ponder in his mind his next steps when an angel of God suddenly appeared to him in a dream. 

If you will look at the Greek text here you will see that the little particle idou precedes the words "an angel of the Lord appeared." Many modern translations ignore the word altogether. These versions include the CSB, CEV, GW, GNT, Phillips, TLB, MSG, NET, NIV, and NLT. The word itself can be rendered in any number of ways, including "behold," "look," "listen," "suddenly," and "just then" -- that is, in any way that arouses interest. Here the word seems to call attention to the startling nature of the angel's announcement to Joseph that Mary had conceived her child not in a natural way but in the power of the Holy Spirit. Hence my translation:

"But as Joseph was mulling these things over in my mind, you'll never guess what happened next! An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said ...." 

Incidentally, Matthew's use of idou is a reminder that his Gospel contains many Semitic-style constructions. The idiom "behold" is not necessarily unGreek, but it occurs with greater frequency in Semitic languages than in Greek. (Its Hebrew equivalent hinneh occurs about 100 times in Genesis alone.) This seems to be a good time for me to remind everyone of the indispensability of the study of Hebrew (as well as Greek) for the proper interpretation of the Gospels. Semitic influence on the language of Matthew is apparent on every page. (I've summarized these Semitisms in an article in The Bible Translator in case anyone is interested.) 

But this post is getting way too long. Back to writing! (I'm trying to finish a book on basic Bible study methods for layfolk.) 

What Are Your Fitness Goals for 2026?

Fitness is good because it's the right thing to do with our bodies. It helps us lose weight. It dispels fatigue. It improves appearance. It increases life span. It lowers cholesterol and blood pressure. 

With fitness, we are beginning to care for God's temple -- the way we look and move. We want to be good stewards. We acknowledge our responsibility. We follow the rules of good health because that's how God made the world to work.

But you must make a choice. None of us has enough time to do everything we want to do. We have to choose our priorities. Some of us find the Y absolutely essential to our fitness goals. Apparently, when you pay to exercise you find reasons to do so. 

As you think about your goals for 2026, remember: actions are always impelled by some good we want to attain. What fitness goals are you pursuing? And what's the best way to bring that about? No one can answer these questions but you.

Most of us go through life completely unaware of our capabilities. One look at the Matterhorn gave me all the inspiration I needed to become a mountain climber. I am not yet what I want to be. But I'm trying, and that makes a difference. 

Thanks for reading. 

Today's post-workout progress photo. 

From the Vault: "A Day Which Will Live in Infamy"

Today is Sunday, Dec. 7. That's my generation's 9-11. 

Please share the story of Mitsuo Fuchida's conversion to Christ with your children and grandchildren. 

Why I Love Watching NFL Football

Watching NFL football is a favorite American pastime. The demand for excellence the sport imposes on its athletes may account for its popularity. Save for war, there's no better showcase for heroism. And that commitment to excellence is required of everyone involved in sports, not merely football players. I once ran the Chicago Marathon. 

That day a woman from Kenya broke the world record in the marathon distance. 

It was one of the greatest moments in sports history. Yet everyone who ran that day had their great moment.

Dick Kazmaier, upon receiving the coveted Heisman Trophy, said, "I learned [from football] all the lessons you don't learn from a textbook. I learned about dealing with people, with adversity, and with a competitive climate." 

Kazmaier went on to serve as director of the American Red Cross, trustee of Princeton University, chairman of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition, and president of the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame.

Sports? Nothing else this side of actual combat will help us to pursue excellence, to be dedicated to something, and to give ourselves wholeheartedly to some project.

James Packer on Holiness and Sanctification (AMAZING!)

Guess what? Next semester we get to study the book of 1 John in Greek class. I love how simply this letter describes the process of sanctification. I think there's a parallel with physical fitness. We know how to get the most out of our physical bodies because the rules for physical fitness haven't changed literally for centuries. The do's and don'ts of exercise science are well-established. Likewise, we also know the basic principles of spiritual growth. These too are well-established. For models, we can look to the spiritual giants God raises up in every generation. One of these was James Packer. As providence would have it, my generation grew up with men of that caliber. And what it takes to grow in holiness is well laid out in a lecture Packer once gave to group of seminarians. 

According to Packer, there are 5 basic principles of the believer's sanctification.

1. Being is basic to doing.

2. Knowing is basic to acting.

3. God's work of justification for us underlies God's work of sanctification in us.

4. God's work in sanctification is basic to our obedience.

5. The purpose of pleasing God is basic to the purpose of avoiding sin. 

I am so eager to pass these principles on to my students in the spring. Through justification, the new birth, and the power of the Holy Spirit, these principles become realities in the life of everyone who has been born again. Renewed inwardly by the Spirit, we embrace Christ not only in justification but also in sanctification. And as the Holy Spirit moves us to embrace Christ in that way, a new vitality is implanted within us. As a result, we have in ourselves new desires. We have a desire, as Packer says,  to know God. We have a desire to love God. We have a desire to please God. And we have a desire to serve God. Obviously this does not mean sinless perfection. Sanctification is a process. What it does mean, however (quoting Packer here), is "we are not penally liable for our sins" as believers. God is never going to require us to pay for our transgressions because Christ has already paid for them. The retribution for all of our sins has already been inflicted on the Lord Jesus, born by him at Calvary. As a result, we don't have to face any possibility of condemnation. "God," says Packer, "is going to treat us for all eternity as righteous persons, sinners though we are." See how clearly this is spelled out for us in 1 John 2:1-2 (my paraphrase):

"I'm writing these things to you my precious children so that you do not sin. And yet if anyone does sin, we have an advocate in the most intimate presence of the Father, Jesus Christ, one who is perfectly righteous. And it is he and he alone who is the atoning sacrifice that satisfies God's wrath for our sins, and not only for our sins, but for the whole world's."

As Lewis and Demarest put it in their magnificent work called Integrative Theology, "Sanctification assumes that the forensic status of justification is permanent" (p. 205). They add: "Sanctification is a response to the Holy Spirit's initiatives much as conversion is" (p. 209). 

This is magnificent theology!

Incidentally, I really want to commend to you Integrative Theology. The authors cover each doctrine of the Bible under 5 basic headings: historical theology, biblical theology, systematic theology, apologetic theology, and practical theology. I've never seen anything like it. If nothing else, this unique approach will make you a student of the history of theology and the church fathers! 

Today's Progress Pics

It's not about information. 

You already know what to do. 

You know you should eat healthy. 

You know you should exercise. 

You know you should get a good night's sleep. 

You know these things. 

Now you need to hold yourself accountable. 

Do you understand? 

The Day I Became a United States Marine

I was running the Marine Corps Marathon in DC. The race starts at the Arlington National Cemetery. It finishes -- uphill -- at the Iwo Jima Memorial. We runners numbered about 15,000. In effect, we had joined the Marine Corps for the day. We'd taken basic training, gone to boot camp, and been our own drill instructor. Raw recruits at one time, we were now seasoned warriors, ready to face one of the most grueling challenges known to man. Forget that some of us were elite athletes while others were back-of-the-packers. Together we comprised a people's army, a militia with a single motto: Semper Fi. Like the Marines in Fallujah, we'd found in ourselves a courage we never knew we possessed.

Taking a body through a 26.2-mile race does immeasurably more for you than years of psychological counseling. The only experience I can compare it with is a brisk autumn gallop with your horse or maybe a 20-foot wave at Sunset Beach. "Man must be stretched," wrote William James. "If not in one way, then another." In a marathon, the runner is pushed to his absolute limit. But like a Marine, you are willing to pay the price in pain and even agony. 

And the enduring, the surviving, does not stop with the finish line. 

No Ultra Tomorrow :-(

Okay, you can stop sending me texts and emails asking me what I'm doing now that the semester is over. Well, at least one of you was nice enough to do that. As you know, I was planning on doing a 50K race tomorrow but I'm going to bow out. There, I said it. Chastise me. Sue me. Lest you feel like I'm whimping out, yesterday and today we've gotten both snow and ice and I don't exactly relish the thought of running 32 miles on the equivalent of an ice skating rink. 

Rest assured, I am as disappointed as you are. What to do with all that pent up energy? How about doing 10 miles on the treadmill at the Y instead?

Please tell me I'm not the only old dodger who got to the gym today. It's always fun when the holidays are sprinkled with surprises both weather-wise and activity-wise. I'm now trying to figure out when my next race will be. I am still very, very much on the fence about doing the St. George (Utah) marathon again next year. After all, this is where I got my marathon PR. We shall see!

Care to Try Daily Dumbbell Curls (Fitness Dailies)?

Have you ever thought about doing 5-minute daily dumbbell curls? It's a great way to develop literally every area of your physique. All you do is biceps curls no heavier than 5 pounds of weight in each hand. The idea is to lift for 100 reps. This is what literally got my physique where it is today. They were utterly transformative for me. The point is that is that this exercise is relatively short -- no longer than 10 minutes a day. You can do them at the gym.

Or at home.

Once you get going it won't be long before you look back on some nice results.

Yes, You Can Simplify Without Being Simplistic

Youtube is out of control. New weight lifters are told to do an exercise described as the excitation of the biceps brachii, the brachioradialis, and the anterior deltoids in non-exhaustive 6-10 rep sets using 8-RM with the forearm in a supinated position coincident with the concentric and eccentric action of the primary movers while combining both neuromuscular and mechanical stress on the targeted muscle group.

In other words: A biceps curl.

That's why it's called a DUMBbell.

Why do authors feel the need to hide their amazing ideas behind overly complex language? Two of the most recent beginning Greek grammars total a whopping 600 pages, while the latest introduction to New Testament textual criticism uses a method that even I don't understand. Students have only so much mental bandwidth. Weird and esoteric explanations are huge impediments to learning for the vast majority of our students. 

Would your architect start by telling you he is there to solve the complex problem that comes with integrating floor space with a single blueprint for an inhabitable dwelling? Or would he just give you a basic floor plan? Being good in your field is an entirely separate skill from being able to communicate ideas clearly. I am 100 percent sure that certain scholars hide their vacuous ideas behind inflated speech. Plain language means sharing only the most important information. But figuring out what to leave in and what to omit takes both time and thought. 

The Word of Man Versus the Word of God

In my book The Jesus Paradigm, I devote an entire chapter to the Anabaptists, those radical reformers of the 16th century. I've learned a great deal from these valiant believers, not least that there comes a time when you have to become your own teacher, your own guide, even your own pastor. The word of God alone is your best authority. We must therefore develop a healthy distrust of the experts. The Anabaptists turned away from Zwingli not because they disrespected him but because they respected God's word more. 

Today's Workout

My philosophy of sports is about the same as my philosophy of life. Sports isn't something I have studied. It's something I have lived. 

There is no better arena of life for evaluating your philosophy of existence than athletics. I live it every day. 

We Are Body, Soul, and Spirit

The 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy will soon be upon us. 

Every 4 years the nations of the world bring their best to the games and say, "Here is what we can become." Don't let anyone tell you that a commitment to your fitness is narcissism. The Creator intended the sportive use of the body. We are body, soul, and spirit. Our daily energies must be concentrated on the shaping and making of the total personality. 

I dream of a world in which the most prescribed medicine is exercise. 

I Thank God for Greek

The study of Greek gives one self-control, the discipline needed to profit from the lessons it offers. It prepares for hardships and teaches about pain. It demands logic and teaches us how exegetical results are obtained -- through hard work, over time. 

I thank God for Greek. 

There's a Greek Word for It

It's shocking how many Greek words are misinterpreted in our pulpits nowadays. There's a Greek word for that: hogwash. 

Paul's Longest Sentence (Eph. 1:3-14)

What a great message this morning from Eph. 1:3-14, which is perhaps the longest sentence in all of Paul's writings. 

I love how Hendricksen refers to it: "a snowball rumbling down a hill, picking up bounce as it descends." He adds that the sentence's 202 words (in Greek) are arranged like "prancing steeds pointing forward with impetuous speed." 

Paul's heart is aflame. 

So is mine. 

Waste No Potential!

Nothing makes me sadder than to see untapped potential, be it in the gym or the classroom. If you stop and look around in any typical gym, it's obvious that a good number of people just aren't pushing themselves hard enough. At the end of the day it doesn't matter which exercises you do or how great your form is or how many sets you perform. If you're not training hard enough in the gym none of these other factors are going to make any difference to your bottom line results. Muscle growth is basically an adaptive response to stress. It's the result of challenging your body's existing strength capacity. If you're not performing your sets close enough to muscular failure, your body will not have any incentive to put on new muscle mass. So if you really want to put on some significant muscle size, you need to buckle down and take every set seriously.

Likewise in the classroom. Every semester I am so disappointed by those students who fail to live up to their potential. I'm not talking about students who run into mid-semester challenges such as the death of a family member or a significant health challenge. I'm talking about those students who simply fail to put in the work required to come out with a good grade in the class. They fail to do the memory work and to adequately prepare for the quizzes and exams. It's not a matter of lacking good study habits or time management skills. It's a matter of simply being too lazy to do what is required. 

Friend: Waste no potential!

Today's 9-Miler

This week is predicted to be on the rainy side, but today was beautiful (though cold) and therefore perfect for a 9-mile run in preparation for next weekend's big race. 

Running is really not all that hard. (You mastered running when you were 3 years old.) You just take two steps (one with your right foot then one with your left) as you inhale and exhale. Try not to vary your cadence too much. 

Today's step count. 

And remember, at the end of the day only one organ is required to run -- your brain. If you can tap into your willpower, you will become an accomplished runner. You don't need to be perfect, just persistent. It's the way we humans accomplish anything. We hunt down our dreams. 

Winners never quit, and quitters never win. 

A Lesson on Doing Church from Zacchaeus

I'm often asked why our church gatherings aren't more like what we read in 1 Cor. 14. The way our worship services breed spectatorism reminds me of the story of Zacchaeus. 

He wanted to be a spectator but not a participant. He wanted to be a fan of Jesus but not a follower. There are plenty of such people in our churches today. They come to the gathering to look, to observe, to spectate but would never dream of doing anything themselves. They are content to stay up the tree for the rest of their days.

Blessed is the person who comes down from the tree and serves Christ joyfully. 

Exercise PLUS Nutrition

Myth: Fitness and health are synonymous.

Fact: A person may be fit and not healthy. 

Health cannot exist without exercise. But exercise cannot automatically buy you health. Your health depends to a major extent on your nutrition. 

Been to a Book Burning Lately?

During the great spiritual awakening at Ephesus under Paul's preaching there was a book burning. 

No book can even begin to compare with the Book of Books. I recall speaking with Eta Linnemann when she was visiting campus. She had rather famously converted to true Christianity from Bultmannianism. 

She ended up asking her readers to literally destroy all of her previous publications. Sometimes an actual conflagration of visible trash is necessary. But perhaps more often there needs to be a mental destruction of our volumes that have replaced God's word in our lives. One tiny sip from the Living Water of the word of God is more important than all the world's books put together. 

Have you had a book burning lately?

P.S. In her German obituary, Dr. Linnemann is quoted as saying, "Ich erachte alles, was ich gelehrt und geschrieben habe, bevor ich mein Leben Jesus übergab, für falsch." That's one of the most powerful statements I've ever read, in any language. 

When the Race Starts

When a race starts, all of the runners follow the same course to the finish line. But each of us has taken a different path to the starting line. There are a thousand different reasons why people run. But after the race begins, there's a genuine "we're all in this together" mentality among the runners. 

The body of Christ should not only match but exceed this spirit of camaraderie.

At the start of the Chicago Marathon. 

Think for Yourself

The bodybuilding and fitness industry is full of misinformation. Just because someone looks great doesn't mean the advice they're giving is true. Don't believe everything you hear. Get your information from a variety of dependable sources. Think critically and look for solid reasoning behind what people are telling you rather than take it at face value.

That's going to serve you well not just in bodybuilding but in any area of your life. Just because someone has a Ph.D. behind their name doesn't make them trustworthy. Haven't you ever met someone who was educated beyond their intelligence? 

The Danger of Procrastination

In November of 1862, Ambrose Burnside's Army of the Potomac arrived in Falmouth, Virginia, on the opposite side of the Rappahannock River from the target: Fredericksburg. 

Lee was caught completely by surprise. All the Union army had to do now was to assemble its pontoon bridges and cross the river. All the vastly outnumbered Confederates on the opposite bank could do was put up token resistance. Unfortunately for Burnside, he arrived at Falmouth long before his pontoon bridges did, and the bridges were the key to the entire campaign. No bridges, no attack. 

As a result, Burnside's army remained immobile and impotent on the north side of the river. It seems that no one in the entire Union chain of command had placed the pontoons at the top of their priority list. By the time the bridges finally reached the army, Less had filled in his defenses behind Fredericksburg.

I've run the Marine Corps Half Marathon several times in Fredericksburg. While there I always drive down Lee Drive to see the ground over which the union army advanced. None of their attacks was successful. The battle was over. The Army of the Potomac had lost 12,653 men, the Army of Northern Virginia 5,309. Sullenly, the Federals crossed back over the river under cover of darkness.

In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul tells the Corinthians that they had ample time by now to develop and progress out of Christian infancy. But they had failed to do so. They had put it off far too long. Hence they failed to advance beyond a state of carnality. The ideal as set forth in the Scriptures is continual progress away from carnality and toward manifestations of maturity. Yet how often do we give in to the sin of procrastination? Every distraction feels like another endless pit of wasted energy. 

Let's not waste our lives reliving the failures of the past. The idea of a healthy soul lies within everyone's grasp. If you're not growing, you're dying. Always be looking to improve. 

Don't Let the Gym Become Your Life

I keep running into people who have recently caught the gym "bug." If it's something you really enjoy doing, then go for it. But don't let the gym become your entire life. Proper training doesn't require you to spend hours and hours in the gym. Three 60-75 minute workouts per week is all you're going to need. Letting weight training get in the way of your daily time with the Lord or with your other responsibilities just isn't necessary and it's not going to be healthy for you in the long run. I'm not saying that the gym can't be your passion. It is one of mine. Just don't let it turn into an unhealthy obsession.

Today was lat day at the gym for me. 

I also got in my steps for the day. 

But here I am back on the farm, showered and ready to face my other responsibilities. 

Like Goldilocks, finding what is "just right" is ultimately a game of trial and error. The real satisfaction comes when we find the balance between exercising too hard and too easy! 

I'm Ultra Excited

The "Freight Train 50K Ultra" is coming to Farmville a week from this Sunday. I've completed this distance three times. The first time I did, it was to learn what it felt like to be part of the ultra experience. I could immediately tell that the ultra environment was so much more laid back and casual than the marathon environment. I have to say, I loved it. I just plodded along for 32 miles. Every so often we would stop at an aid station and get some water, have some chips or cookies, and carry on our way. The ultra experience is all about survival. About moving forward and never stopping. That's really about it. Not only is it okay to walk during an ultra, it's expected and necessary. People are pushing themselves beyond their limits. They dig deep. At an ultra, there are no cheering crowds and external rewards, except for maybe a t-shirt. Just the internal satisfaction of knowing you persevered amidst challenges and didn't give up. Even making it to the starting line feels like a victory. I am always inspired by the determination and courage of every one of those runners you meet during the race. When you finish your first ultra, you are overcome with joy after accomplishing a goal that had been years in the making. Even when you are feeling miserable, one thought keeps you going: You chose this. Nobody is making you do this. It's your choice. 

An ultramarathon will strip you bare. It's just you and your doubts and fears -- and the finish line. But step after step, hour after hour, that finish line gets closer and closer. And when you find it -- oh my goodness, words fail me. You shuffle back to your car looking like Frankenstein. Your legs are shaking like a newborn giraffe trying to stand for the first time. You don't care one bit about what your finishing time is. No one has done less than their absolute best. And in a real sense, their best is better than everyone who finished ahead of them. All are winners and heroes. 

Well, early this morning I drove to Farmville for a 50K training run on what turned out to be a cold but gorgeous day. 

As you can see, the Freight Train 50K begins and ends in downtown Farmville (near the old red caboose). 

I divide the race into 4 different legs, each 8 miles long. 

1. You run from Farmville to Rice (8 miles).

2. You run from Rice back to Farmville (8 miles).

3. You run from Farmville to Tuggle (8 miles).

4. And finally you run from Tuggle back to Farmville (8 miles).

Today I trained for legs 1-2, that is, running to Rice and back. 

I wanted to see how many steps that would take me. And the answer? Voila!

Now all you have to do is double this number and you arrive at the total number of steps it will take for you to complete the race. It's simply a guide to help you run the best race possible. This means getting to the starting line healthy and neither overtrained nor undertrained. 

Today, the last couple of miles were a bit of a sufferfest. I was again reminded that if you set out to run 16 miles, your body only wants to go 16 miles. If you set out to go 20 miles, then your body can go 20 miles that day. This was my highest volume training week of 2025. You are putting in some serious mileage, which means you are putting in some serious time. Your kids and grandkids wonder if they will ever see you in non-running clothes again, or if you could shower a bit more because you are beginning to stink up the house. Meanwhile, your friends let you know they think you're a bit daft. Even the sheep look at you like you are out of your mind. But to me, it feels good to be doing something to challenge myself. As long as I can keep it in zone 2-3ish, I think I'll be okay. 

For me, running boils down to equal parts of inspiration, motivation, dedication, and celebration. Each contributes to making running fun. And on their foundation, each of us finds our own unique way of expressing ourselves as runners. 

Thanks so much for reading, and I'll talk to you in the next post.