Healthy Living

For a while now I have been focused on losing weight and being in shape, and I have seen the benefits to my body but more importantly to the lifestyle of my family. I love seeing my 2 1/2 year olds picking up the dumbbells or the bands or jump rope and trying to do what Daddy does. I tell them I'm going to go downstairs to exercise and they wanna follow me down. I get to work out and be an example for my kids. In a trend of fast food, obesity, and sugared candy overload, my kids get a glimpse of healthy living and they even want to eat their veggies with Daddy.
I think it's important to live healthy so we can reach our God given potential and stick around long enough to be used by Him for a while!

How Working Out at Home Transformed My Life

     I've written posts about my Transformation with P90X, Insanity, and P90X2, but I can even begin to try to put into words how working out at home has transformed my life.

     For years, I tried going to the gym and getting in shape, but every time I was there, I felt overweight next to the fit people on the treadmill, or puny next to the guy doing 300+ pounds on the bench press.  Plus, I had NO CLUE what I was doing.  When I first joined, I was given a trainer that would help me workout.  It worked for a while having an idea of what moves to do, and how much to lift, plus someone yelling at me that I could do it helped.  The fact that this guy was a professional bodybuilder gave me some reassurance that I would build some muscle.  The only problem was that it was expensive to keep it up, and there weren't any nutritional tips or advice, so my diet didn't change, and I didn't reach my goals.  So...I gave up.
    
     Whenever I would actually go to the gym to workout, it would be maybe once or twice a week, or to play basketball with some buds, but nothing ever really consistent like it should be when you are trying to get into shape.  We paid up front for our membership, so we still actually have them for life only paying about $5 a month.  Other folks pay upwards of $50 a month for a gym membership, plus hundreds of dollars for personal training.  Those things may work for the folks with big bucks, but when I discovered P90X I knew that was something I'd have to give a try.

     I ran into problems there, too, though, because I always thought it would be too hard, and I never really believed it would work like the info-mercials said it would.  It took my years after I knew about it to actually give it a try.  With a little "twinspiration" from my brother who started a month before me, I borrowed a friend's copy and went after it.  I was sore for days, even weeks, but I kept pressing play because I knew that he was.

     The beauty of working out with these DVD's at my house is that I don't have to drive to a gym, change clothes, workout, shower, then head to work.  I just head downstairs, pop in the DVD, and do my workout.  I have someone showing me the moves, AND yelling at me that I can "BRING IT!"  My wife and I did the program together, and we had motivation to keep at it.  There are some days that I don't want to get up early to do it, so I do it in the afternoon after work.  I can do it when my kids are home and they even see me being healthy.  My 2 year old sons will even get on the floor with me and try the mountain climbers and push ups.  I've even had them sit on my back for push ups, and hang on my neck for pull ups.  Try doing that at a gym!  You want your kids at the gym, then you gotta pay extra for that!

     It may not work for everyone to get the motivation to press play, but it worked for me.  I have saved thousands of dollars on expensive gym memberships, training, and even home gym equipment by doing P90X (which need minimal equipment), Insanity (no equipment), P90X2 (more equipment, but you can modify the moves without), and RevAbs (no equipment necessary).  I'm off to start Insanity: Asylum in a couple of weeks, and continue to get in the best shape of my life.  If you want to join me, I can motivate you to press play with one of my Challenge Groups that I start each month, and you can get back to your high school weight!
   Sign up for a FREE membership at my Coach page: www.beachbodycoach.com/pastorgregg42

Elevation 2 Year Anniversary

Thanks again for those of you supporting us monetarily and through prayer as we continue to do ministry here with Elevation Christian Church.  Today, we celebrated our 2nd anniversary being in existence as a church.  God showed up in a BIG way with people accepting Christ, and others being prompted and called to serve God in a new way!  God is on the move in Aurora, and we get the chance to a part of it. 
  

 I'm excited that we are starting our Community Groups this week, and that I get to co-lead a group for adults.  This will be quite the difference for me as I've always done small groups with students.  Hopefully, the adults can humor me with a round of "Fluffy Bunny" or the "Oreo Slide" - a couple of youth group small group games that are great for a laugh!

  If you are interested in learning more about Elevation, or even watching one of the services, you can visit our website at www.elevationcc.com.  Don't forget that you can also "Support The Barbours" with monthly support set up online just by logging in to CCB and setting it up.  If you need assistance with that, let me know! 

  On a personal note, Jenni is almost 37 weeks pregnant, and the doctors say that is full term, so she can pop our 3rd little guy out anytime and he should have no problems with breathing, etc.  Keep praying for a healthy pregnancy and delivery as we anticipate the arrival of Baby Jaxon this month!

The "B" Word

I'm not sure if you have a problem with the "B" word in your house but in mine, it has been pretty crazy! We had a meeting about the "B" word just Friday afternoon and we had to lay it all out on the line. It was time to kick back into gear our monthly Budget meeting. After getting out of credit card debt, we slacked off with the budget and just did whatever we wanted with the money. Too much spent on groceries, shopping, and out to eat, & we have noticed it!
With the third barbour boy due this next month, & uncertainty with the support raising, it was time to bust out the "B" word once again. We are back to Dave Ramsey's cash envelope system, & we are tightening the belt!
We are grateful to God for all the support that has come in so far and we want to be the best stewards of it! We are hoping to get back to a place where we can give to those in need and expect nothing in return.
Luke 6 tells us to "give and it will be given into you...good measure, pressed down,& shaken together"
Giving God our best means we start with Him in the budget!

Man Vs. Wife

I have to say that I'm excited for our new series beginning this coming Sunday.  As the Worship & Arts Pastor at Elevation, I get the privelege to help people understand what worship is, and to express that through music and creativity.  In this series, we'll be doing some popular songs that will hopefully get people to think about their marriages, relationships, or what they'd like out of their marriage or future marriage.  The thing I'm most excited about is that God is going to do a miraculous work in saving marriages that are on the brink of divorce.  We are praying that He shows up in power through the Elevation Experience each week so that people will leave better than when they came in.  I love one of our mottos, "it's OK to not be OK, but God doesn't want you to stay that way."  It's OK if you are having problems in your marriage, but God is on the verge of a breakthrough and He may just want to use this series to help you overcome those struggles and be better together!  Come check it out!  Or watch online at www.mediasocial.tv/elevationcc! 

Support The Barbours

My wife and I have been on quite a spiritual and emotional roller coaster ride over the last six months.  During a season of prayer, we sensed God calling us to plant a church.  Jenni and I began to seek more earnestly for God’s direction and guidance.  When we announced that we were considering planting a church we received many different reactions.  Mostly, we were told that planting a church would be the hardest thing that we would ever do.  Now, those were really encouraging words!  Jenni and I were scared and unsure of where to start.  I wasn’t quite certain what our church would look like, but I knew that I wanted to be in a church that existed for people who did not like church.

So, we decided to look at some churches in the area.  We mainly wanted to get a sense of what church planting looked like, but we also endeavored to see if any churches in our area were reaching the un-churched.  We were told to check out Elevation Christian Church in Aurora, Colorado.  We decided to visit and I remember leaving that Sunday thinking to myself, “This is exactly how I would do church.”  As we continued to pray for God’s hand in our lives, Elevation asked me to lead worship on a Sunday morning.  It was such a great experience seeing the churched and un-churched worshipping God together.  Wow!  We even witnessed several people surrender their lives to God that day.  Every Sunday I witness God working in the lives of the lost and I would not change it for the world.

We believe that God has called us to Elevation to learn and be a part of a church planting team that is excited about reaching the un-churched.  We just celebrated our 100^th baptism in less than two years!  God is moving here in Aurora, Colorado and Jenni and I would like to invite you to be a part of our experience.  Here is how:  First, please pray for us.  Second, ask God to send people to our church that do not have a relationship with Jesus.  Finally, consider giving financially to support my position at Elevation.  We believe that God has called us here and we also believe that God will provide.  By the way, Jenni and I are expecting our third child (Jaxon) in October.  Perfect timing, right? 

Despite our circumstances and worries, we are placing our faith in Jesus and his promises that are found in Scripture.  Will you help support our family, ministry, and my position here at Elevation?

We are trusting God to provide for our needs, and we want you to be a part of our journey! Would you be willing to step out in faith and support my family financially as we pursue God?  We need to raise $30,000 to continue here at Elevation and we know that with your help, God will richly provide over and above our need.

Here is a breakdown of what we need and how you can partner with us:

1.    3 people to give $1,000.

2.    20 people to give $500.

3.   30 people to give $200.

4.   40 people to give $150.

5.   50 people to give $100.

Please feel free to give what you can.  You can sponsor us with a one-time gift, or with automated monthly gifts set up online.  All gifts are appreciated and will be tax-deductible. 

Thank you so much for your support and your prayers.

             

If you want to hear more about my journey, click the video below!  You can give online here!  Don't forget to specify "Support the Barbours"

Insanity!

After pressing through 60 days of Insanity, I got my free shirt in the mail! Now, I'm in good company with those who dug deeper to see some results. I lost 5 lbs & 5% body fat in 60 days! If you or someone you know is interested in getting in the best shape of their life, then let me know!!