CrossFit has been called a lot of things: hard, challenging, scary, intimidating, frustrating, humbling, and painful (in a hurt-so-good kind of way). One word that is rarely used to describe CrossFit is boring. Newcomers to CrossFit are struck by how much fun it is even as its kicking (and shrinking) their butt day after day. […]
A Personalized Training Experience
For context read these posts first: My Health Club The Problem With Many Churches CrossFit is Personal What’s missing in many churches is the kind of personalized training and attention that athletes in a CrossFit box receive. Church leaders must find ways to transition members from private, anonymous attendance to the pursuit of personal goals […]
August 12, 2011 by 3 Comments
CrossFit Is Personal
This post is part of an ongoing discussion about what churches can learn from CrossFit gyms. For context, read these two posts first: My Health Club The Problem With Many Churches The CrossFit experience tends to be more personal than the typical big-box health club experience. When an athlete joins a CrossFit gym their experience […]
August 9, 2011 by 2 Comments
The Problem With Many Churches
One of the problems with many churches is that they function like a health club. They put considerable effort into getting you to sign up and the join the community. There’s a mandatory 101 class where you can learn the history, beliefs, and strategy of the church. It usually concludes with a tour of the […]
August 8, 2011 by 4 Comments
Why Measurement Matters Over the Long Haul
After the Thrill is Gone As important as measuring progress is for newcomers, it’s even more important for CrossFit and Church veterans. Consider this scenario: Hank shows up at the Wooly-Mammoth Church for the first time knowing he needs to make some serious changes in his life. After attending for a few months he buys […]
August 2, 2011 by Leave a Comment
How Do You Measure Christlikeness?
In this series of posts, I’ve been drawing on my experience from Crossfit to suggest some ways that churches can become more effective in helping people improve their spiritual fitness. You can find all the posts I’ve written related this topic in the Ready for Anything category of this blog. Today’s post is a continuation […]
August 1, 2011 by 6 Comments
The Necessity (and Danger) of Measuring Spiritual Fitness
Many Christians busy themselves with church-related activities that don’t necessarily help them get in better spiritual shape. Week after week, they show up at gatherings, attend small groups, and serve in ministries. Some do it out of habit, and others duty. Many do it for a long time and burn out. One of the reasons […]
July 28, 2011 by 4 Comments
The Numbers Don’t Lie
One of the reasons CrossFit works is because it makes it easy to define success and chart progress. When you start CrossFit you step on a scale, get your body fat measured, and do a baseline workout to give you a starting point for improvement. The results of these tests are sobering and humbling. Many […]
July 27, 2011 by 5 Comments
Have You Seen My Stretchy Pants?
My wife and I recently enjoyed a week in Spain. We turned our dietary consciences off and ate everything we wanted to, taking full advantage of the exchange rate between American and European calories. We ate more bread, rice, and chocolate in one week than we had in the previous year combined. On our return, […]
July 26, 2011 by 4 Comments
A Clear Definition of (Spiritual) Fitness: Ready for Anything
In these posts I’ve been applying what I’ve learned about physical fitness from CrossFit to the pursuit of spiritual fitness. Specifically, the need to have a clear and functional definition of (spiritual) fitness. Read Part One Read Part Two Beyond the specific spiritual domains and accompanying exercises, there could be an even simpler, and more […]
July 20, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons