The Five Phases of a Worship Workout

The first in a two-part series on how to keep your church (this week) and each individual in it (next week) in prime spiritual shape.

How many of you have recently been on a vacation or are shortly going on a vacation, which includes some kind of summer sports? It's usually during July and August that the fruits of our long-forgotten New Year's Resolutions are borne.

There has never been such an emphasis on physical fitness for all age groups as there is today. The more our lifestyles and work schedules remove the need for any kind of physical exertion, the more determined we become to fine-tune our bodies, sculpt our muscles, improve our endurance and build up our strength.

But when it comes to our commitment to our spiritual health we seem content with a much more lackadaisical attitude. Instead of conscientiously exercising our spiritual muscles on a regular basis, we seem to think we can maintain a healthy, vital faith with the scantiest of exercise. Are we in good enough spiritual shape to muster up the ministries required to save this world for Christ?

This week and next we will be introducing spiritual...