For me, it was not a victory that happened overnight it was a process. The first step I had to take was to admit that I was sick. Once I confessed this to my husband, Steve, we began to take steps to get me well. It was so freeing to begin to feel the heavy chains fall off as I began to see that I didn’t have to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders. God showed me that as my best friend He would do that part and all I needed to do was trust in Him. I learned that He wanted to have a relationship with me and not just have me see Him as the big eye in the sky looking down on my shortcomings.

I love this study that Toby wrote. I am so excited that I have a tool now that can help me when times get tough. I would love to say that my life never has any dark moments but I’m an ordinary person and that is not reality. Our lives are a journey and so is our relationship with God. I have studied and learned that in order for me not to just talk about God I need to have walked out experiences with Him and trusted Him. That way when I share my heart with others I can actually say that I know Him. I pray that you do the same. When life gets tough, trust in Him and let Him be your best friend. With Him on your side you can conquer anything that may be out of balance.

Smiles,
Michele

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The Bible talks more about money than the words believe, pray and love combined. I believe God did this for many reasons. First, if you are like me sometimes money can grip our hearts and affections without our knowledge. It can creep up on us. I find myself wanting it, chasing more of it and never feeling like I have enough of it. It can quickly become my first love and pursuit if not kept in check.

Second, I believe he mentions it because we need to be reminded that all we have is not ours. Trust in the area of finances looks like more than just throwing a few dollars in a salad bowl, it is about allowing your faith to influence your financial decisions. That is not always easy for me. Sometimes when I look at my bank account with my natural eyes I wonder how I can afford to give, but my Spirit says how can I not give based on all He has done for me. Trust is giving when you are not sure how it is going to work and knowing God will use that for far more than we could.

Third, it shows us through stories like the widow who gave her two mites, essentially two pennies in our culture (Luke 21:1-4) that giving is about quality versus quantity. Giving is a matter of the heart, rather than the amount. This story reminds us that trusting God with our finances is not a ritualistic habit, but an act of discipline, love, sacrifice and trust. The widow trusted without borders.

Lord, teach us to trust. Teach us to give from our heart, rather than our habit. Help us to chase you rather than chasing fading pleasures like money. Teach us to be like the widow.
Darrell Halk

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• ran a 12 person 199 mile relay race (on his own)
• ran a marathon at the South Pole
• won The Badwater, the most difficult footrace stretching 135 miles in 120 degree heat, on multiple occasions
• most recently, ran 50 marathons in 50 different states 50 days in a row

A few years ago, when I heard Dean was going to run one of his 50 marathons in Dallas, I slipped into a mental episode and decided to join him and a small group for 26.2 around Big D. I had never run more than a half marathon and only had 6 weeks to train and prepare. Seemed like plenty of time to me. Needless to say that in less than three weeks, my hopes were shattered when I suffered a calf injury. Dashed were my dreams of running a marathon with my hero.

That kind of extreme athletic stuff gets me excited, but doesn’t sustain my health and wellness. In the past, I have been overconfident in the area of fitness and have subsequently dealt with injuries. Instead of recognizing my limits and simply enjoying what I can do, I’ve pushed my body and suffered the consequences of knee, back and other injuries.

1 Corinthians 3:16 and other verses remind me that I’m a steward of my health and my body and that not only should I avoid vandalizing it, I should be intentional about caring for it. “You realize, don’t you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? No one will get by with vandalizing God’s temple, you can be sure of that. God’s temple is sacred—and you, remember, are the temple.” (The Message)

I wish I could say that I read these scriptures years ago and decided to adjust my workout routines to reflect what would be healthy, but the fact is that I learned the hard way. Now, I find incredible benefit and joy in a spin class, a swim or a short trail run. I’ve released myself from the pressure to obtain a certain pace or time and instead thrive on the endorphins and simply being in shape so I can effectively do what God has called me to do.

I love the encouragement of my former hero to just do something…“If you can’t run, then walk. And if you can’t walk, then crawl. Do what you have to do. Just keep moving forward and never, ever give up.”
Dean Karnazes, Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner

Danny Stokes

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On a regular basis, I spend time with a man I call a friend. The first time we met for lunch was a sort of “blind date” set up by a mutual acquaintance that thought we might relate. We both serve in the same professional capacity, and the roads we traveled to holding the same job title were eerily similar. It didn’t take long for Chuck and me to hit it off famously. Any hint of awkwardness (well, neither of us meets many strangers) disappeared following the first utterance of the words, “I know…me too!” We shared our journeys and proceeded to empathize with one another’s struggles, frustrations, victories, and vices.

It’s amazing how someone who was a total stranger one morning can emerge as a kindred spirit after a conversation littered with “I know…me too.” Those four words are powerful relational catalysts when spoken properly. We gain confidence when someone agrees with us. Our hope increases when we meet someone who lives in the light at the end of a tunnel we are in. We become more healthy and whole when we regularly, intentionally invest time in relationships.

Somehow Satan has convinced most of us that there is no one out there who has walked our unique path. The risk of vulnerability with another person becomes too great when we don’t regularly unite in authentic conversation. There is trepidation when we blurt out our story, our struggle, or our sin. The courage to take one step out of the corner and extend beyond ourselves is scary.

If the fear of being ‘found out’ keeps you from engaging in deep, raw relationships, I know how you feel…that same fear paralyzes me, too. However, if our journey toward wholeness means fostering significant connections, let’s bring our brokenness to the table and let Love bind us together.

Blake Mabry

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Driving southbound on I-35 at 70 mph is not the time for surprises. Yet, that’s exactly where recently I found myself. After a full day of errands, appointments, and long lines with my 6 and 3-year-old kids, we had hit “that” moment. The moment where a perfectly normal day comes unhinged. We were tired, hungry, and ready to be home, when both kids began to beg/scream/cry/demand a snack. This particular stretch of interstate offered no 7-11 style oasis, so I told them we would have to “wait.” That’s when the resourcefulness of my 6 year old kicked in, “It’s okay dad, and we’ll eat this!” It was in this exact moment of parental helplessness, as I glanced in the rear-view mirror to see him eat a “McNuggett” leftover from God only knows when, that I realized what kind of shape the interior of my car was in. Somehow in the rushing about of my “everyday” life I had neglected to look in the backseat. I hadn’t noticed that the few recipients, straw wrappers, and occasional random toy, had multiplied during this period of neglect. It was now an official mound of Barbies, PTA letters, granola bar wrappers, matchbox cars, and shoes. I don’t know which was more shocking the heap of trash my kids were sitting on top of or the fact that I hadn’t even noticed it.

The real kicker for was the fact that I’m in my car all the time, driving between work meetings, school drop offs, lunch dates, and in-between campuses. I should have been the first one to notice the state of decay my car’s interior was in. Yet, I had missed it.

I’ve watched some of my best friends make poor choices that ruined their lives. Countless relationships lying devastated in the wake of someone’s mess up. The headlines are full of leaders who have made grave mistakes that have caused untold amounts of heartache and misery. I can’t help but think that they didn’t intentionally set out to make these mistakes. It’s just that as they got busy doing capital L life or capital W work. They neglected the one area that was easiest to forget. The Soul.

•  King Solomon said to “guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

•  John Ortberg calls the soul “the operating center of my life.”

Yet, much like the backseat of my car, it’s the one thing we don’t pay attention to, until it’s too late. So as we dig into this “It Is Well” study, let me ask you a couple of questions….

Is it well with your soul?

When was the last time you took a minute to look at your soul and survey the contents?

The great news is that it’s not too late for your soul (or my backseat). Now is the perfect time to take a look and see what kind of shape your soul is in.

This promise in Lamentations is just as true for us today…

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning;
Great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.’”

Be well,
Matt Ferguson

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I get this a lot on Sunday mornings. I say it a lot, too. Even on days when it’s not really true. But we can’t just go around dumping all our honesty everywhere, right? Or can we?

Over the years, I have spent quite a bit of time with Toby. We have laughed together and cried together, prayed together and learned more about God together. During this time I’ve seen first-hand that he is deeply passionate about wellness. His own wellness matters to him. My wellness matters to him. And your wellness matters to him. He desires and pursues wellness.

The It Is Well message series and small group study were put on his heart some time ago and he’s been living his way through it personally before he dared to share it with us. He believes and I believe, that this is the season for our church to walk through and embrace this teaching together.

Each week, we will focus on a different aspect of wellness. Toby will lead us through a specific topic and then you will study it in your It Is Well book. You will also have a chance to discuss the weekly focus in your small group. One of the heartbeats of Cross Timbers is relationship. Not just any type of relationship but authentic relationships that are Christ-centered and God-honoring. If you’ve never experienced that kind of friendship, you can discover it and begin to develop it by being part of this small group study.

This is a six-week commitment. I know you’re busy. Me too. But as Toby tells us… “You can do anything for 40 days”. No matter what–the Lord willing–40 days are going to come and go in our lives. The question is what are you and I going to do in the next 40 days that will strengthen the very core of our being and bring purpose and clarity to our future? This study can do just that.

I am excited about what you will learn about wellness in the upcoming weeks. Some weeks will be easier than others. Some will require you to dig deep and discover answers you’ve been searching for (and hiding from) all your life.
My prayer is that in the near future when someone asks, “How are you?”
You’ll be able to answer confidently and honestly and without hesitation…

“I am well.”

Here’s to the journey,
Kent Sparks

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