Good Morning and Happy Monday Church, 

It’s August. I don’t know how, but my calendar tells me this is the case. August always feels like a time of new beginnings and fresh starts for me. Like the crisp blank notebooks I would purchase this time of year as a student, August feels brimming with potential. Whether the upcoming change of pace is exciting, anxiety inducing, or hardly noticeable to you I want to encourage you to see the upcoming change of season as an opportunity to build lasting habits into your life.  

I’ve been going to physical therapy lately to help address a rotator cuff injury and I’ve been struck by how small, consistent exercises can actually help my shoulder pain. PT exercises aren’t flashy, in fact, they tend to look rather silly. But these small movements strengthen muscles and when done consistently they lead to positive health outcomes. As I’ve been doing these silly little exercises, I’ve been struck by how similar they are to spiritual disciplines. The small exercises of talking to God throughout the day, reading Scripture to know God, and serving friends outside the Church are what shape our lives and conform us more and more to the image of Christ.  

So, in this season of change I want to challenge you to look over the 12 ongoing actions on our discipleship pathway and consider which of them, if any, might need some spiritual PT. If one of these actions is absent in your life, it can feel like a monumental task to incorporate into your routine. So I would encourage you to start small. Ask the Lord for one small step you can take this week to rehab that spiritual muscle. It might feel silly, but like Paul says in 1 Timothy 4:8, “physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”

Let’s work those godliness muscles together church,

Steveie, on Behalf of the Elder and Minister Team