a different-kind-of-biggest-loser-CHALLENGE!

i find it very intriguing to see the amount of time, effort, and sometimes money people put into losing weight and staying healthy.


i mean...it's not like i, myself, don't put time into staying healthy as well.
i do.
(some months more than others!)
but, i guess that the reason that i find is most intriguing is because of the following verse:


"For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things." I Timothy 4:8
Interestingly, giving all your goods to the poor actually profits nothing. (I Corinthians 13:3)
as does foolish questions and controversies, and arguments about the law.


*side note: it  has always blown my mind with the amount of  time and energy people put into spouting about being King James only, or the necessity of expository preaching! 
for the love of peter!!
is it me? or is this a bunch of foolish controversy?


ok. moving on.


what IS profitable is this...
and we are told to affirm constantly, or insist on, or stress:


to be careful to maintain (or, devote yourselves to) good works.
does this surprise you?


in a way...it surprises me!


to think about maintaining good works sounds..
almost...
legalistic.
which is what i do not want to be anywhere near!!


but interesting, right?
now, what would i have to be doing to devote myself to good works, in a non-legalistic way?


well..working so hard on my relationship with my Father, that i am just dying to please him.
just dying.
you know, the way a 5-year-old wants to make his daddy proud of him
the way a 16-year-old wants to do everything possible to show her boyfriend she likes him
not because they have to...
but because they just want to so badly!
and it's not so other people will look and applaud.
it's wanting to work hard because of the relationship that is there.


so that is where i want to be, and where i am going to challenge you to be.


this is a full fledged challenge, people!!


and i am totally serious about it. 
serious, because i want to surround myself with people who are striving for the same things i am.
serious because of this verse i found that i love that says "Be diligent with these matters; give yourselves wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers." 

so serious that i am offering a prize at the end of the month to the winner!!

yep!

you read me right!

a real. live. prize.

i mean, it's not a trip or anything...but it is a gift certificate to CBD.

which you can, in turn, use to help yourself continue to maintain good works!!

yay!

ok. so here's how it works.

we are starting the competition on next tuesday. (november 8th)

we are starting on a tuesday, because i love the idea of starting something new and hard 

not on a monday!

and it will go until thursday, december 8th.

this will work sort of the same way the actual biggest loser show works.

there are challenges during the week.

there will be a "weigh in" at the end of each week, 

and there will then be a final "weigh in" at the end of the month, determining the winner!

(weigh in will be decided by points earned)

here are the basics:

1. Bible reading

2. Prayer time

3. Scripture memory

4. Church/small group attendance

5. Ministry 

this is open to any person of any age in any location.

i will have a more detailed chart of how it works for everyone as soon as i have a list of who will be joining the challenge.

so - either leave a comment with your email, or email me personally at ajnrileysmommy @ hotmail dot com.

oh. and one more thing

i will be like jillian michaels all up in your face pushing you..

except instead of screaming 

DO ONE MORE PUSH UP!!!

i will be screaming

READ ONE MORE CHAPTER!!

ha!

so. 

instead of counting my calories this month?

i am going to count how many people i have on my prayer list...while eating apple pie.

i mean.

it is fall, after all.

who's in?!?!

let's do this!!

I Timothy 4:15-16 "Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. ¹⁶ Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers."