“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” I Timothy 6:12

Every so often, I like to share a little bit of what I do when I’m not writing. It helps to understand why I’m so hard-hitting with my words. Not only that, I hope it inspires others to get up and move. I know what I do is extreme, it can be anything.

I’m happy to say that at almost a year after my hip replacement surgery, I’m back to training pretty intensely, hitting the bag and even jogging. No kicking, not sure if I will ever do that again. But there is never an excuse for not being the best that you can be with what God has given you.

I escaped an abusive marriage by starting to run in Kensington Gardens. Every day, I ran a little bit further. It got me out of my head. It stopped me from wallowing in self-pity. Every day, no matter how many excuses I could give myself, I made the choice to put on my old running shoes and walk out that door.

Once I got out of the marriage, I started training in martial arts and progressed to full contact fighting. Along with my faith in Jesus, the importance of which I could never over-emphasize, this physical (and mental) training became a lifelong DISCIPLINE. The word discipline is very important. It is not about feelings; it is about commitment. Making that commitment, no matter how you feel, is how you overcome. It is how you get stronger.

In the video below, it’s all about footwork. Boxing is more complex than it looks. If your feet aren’t right, nothing else is right. It’s like your mind and your spirit, you have to be standing on a firm foundation that you reenforce daily, or when the first attacks start coming, you will fall.

Here is one of my classes. I don’t teach anymore although sometimes I still teach one-off special classes. As I do with my writing, I love nothing more than giving of my knowledge to others, hopefully inspiring them to overcome discouragement and uplift their spirits. My classes, like my writing, are not for the faint of heart.

Another class. When you know you give your best, no matter what that is, because everyone is NOT the same, you get stronger. That’s how it works.

At the end of class, you can go home satisfied that out of all the choices you could have made that day—like sitting in front of a screen, doom scrolling—you made the best choice.

And that’s it! Now I’m going to a little cafe to write and then I’m going for a hike! God bless you all this week!

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