Halloween has always been one of my favorite times of year and what better way to spread the spooky love than to invite Madame Leota from Disney’s Haunted Mansion to “cast a spell” on this creepy holiday!

My Mom is a rock star.

Now, before you start yelling about me being a “Momma’s Boy” let me fill you in some of my mom’s most recent accomplishments…

…and that was just over 1 weekend!!  She is a ROCK STAR!

And she turns 61 today.  I can only HOPE to be as awesome as she is in 20 years.  Happy Birthday, Mom.  Here’s to many, many more!

It’s taken me a while to get used to this, but I think I can honestly say this with a straight face and truly mean it: I am a runner! I may not be a LONG DISTANCE runner yet, but I run almost as much as I walk for 2, 3, 4 miles and I have even competed in several 5K events.

I hear you out there: “But John, you’re a….BIG GUY…and you can HONESTLY call yourself a runner? Dude…seriously?”  And to that I say…absolutely!  I am over 300lbs, I’m losing that extra weight, and have run/walked 5 Disney 5Ks and also competed in last year’s Disney’s Wine and Dine 1/2 Marathon Relay.  So, yeah naysayers…suck on that!

So the REAL point of this little article was to try to encourage all you other BIG GUYS (male and female) to get off your cans and get healthy and become runners too!  Here’s 5 (Not) Easy Steps to go from Fat Guy to Runner!

Step #1 – GET OFF THE COUCH!

I know you have the highest score on RedKillAlienDeathMegaCoolAwesomeShock, but seriously, is THAT what you want on your tomb stone? Do you REALLY need to watch that episode of WHATEVER?  Look, we would all LOVE to just sit on the couch and WISH those extra pounds away, but we live in this little place we like to call REALITY!  The ONLY way those pounds are going to fall off and turn you into a runner is to get you butt off that deadly life-sucking couch and DO SOMETHING!

Step #2 – Put One Foot in Front of the Other

Go for a walk.  You may only be able to get to the mailbox, but start there.  Then go to the end of the street….then go to around the block.  Then go TWICE around the block.  Keep adding more and more laps until you get one mile, then two, then three…  You get the idea.  The only way to start running is to walk.

Step #3 – Eat Less and Drink Water

Look, it isn’t rocket science, if you pound 2 cheeseburgers, a large fry and Coke, no matter how much you work out, you’re not going to drop any weight.  But you don’t have to go cold turkey…start buy just eating 1 burger, a small fry, and forget the Coke.   Then start making better (wiser) substitutions like salads and eventually dropping fried, greasy foods from your life all together.  Carry a gallon jug of water with you everywhere you go and drink LOTS, and LOTS, and LOTS of water.  You’ve probably been living your life dehydrated.  You’ll be AMAZED at how much better you feel when you ditch the coffee and Cokes and chug some good old H2O!

Step #4 – Sign Up for a 5K

Look for a “Fun Run” or a 5K that isn’t to strict on TIME and sign up for it.  You will find an AMAZING amount of motivation when you pay YOUR MONEY to participate in a run.  Put your name, and more importantly, your reputation on the line and sign up for a run.  Better yet, tell your wife, your friends, your co-workers, and your kids that you signed up for a run…there is all the motivation you will need.

Step #5 – Find a Training Plan That Works

Once you get past the walking, eating correctly, and get signed up for that first 5K…you’d better get to training, because if you don’t…your butt will DIE on mile 2 or 3, trust me…I’ve been there.  I use the Jeff Galloway method to train with is basically two 30-minute runs during the week and a longer run on the weekend.  We also try to to do some other type of workout on our “non-run” days.    So Monday-Friday we’re training and Saturday, we’re running for distance.  This also gives us a day off…which is nice.

But Seriously

If you take anything away from this article, please let it be this:  I don’t care if you’re a runner, walker, bicyclist, or swimmer…you must do something to get healthier.  We’ve become a society of fat, lazy people who are leaving a legacy of fat, lazy kids.   I want to have a family one day soon and live a long, long time, but if I don’t get healthy and drop this weight, I’m not going to be here for my wife or (future) kids.  And I want you here with me too.  I chose running, but you may choose something else…whatever it is, I don’t care, but please do something.  If not for your family, do it for yourself!

One of the things that I learned years ago was from author John Maxwell, he says that “Leadership is Influence.” And he is 100% correct.  So when I made the decision to step away from my occupational ministry life and step fully back into the secular world, questions began to arise as to what my influence would be.  And in a shocking way, God answered that question in of all places, Walt Disney World.

Frequent readers to this blog will know that my wife and I are full-on Disney Geeks.  We accept that and all the ridicule and judgment that comes with being in love with a place built by a mouse, but that is beside the point.  Being as passionate about Walt Disney World as we are, Sarah and I began to discern how we could still DO ministry in my post “occupational” ministry life.  The answer came at an after dinner gathering at the “Top of the World Club” at Bay Lake Tower, next to the Contemporary resort, near the Magic Kingdom.

Walking away from “the church” also meant that we lost a LOT of our friends.  Of course you COULD make the argument that just because we left the church doesn’t mean that we coouldn’t keep our friends..“  But that was not how it happened for us.  When we left the church, we DID lose our friends.  But that’s not ALWAYS the case.

But on this special night, we were surrounded by a group of people who accepted us for who we are, support and encourage us, and seek us out to spend time with and invest in our lives.  And some of these people, we have had real, difficult discussions with. God brought us a new group of people that we can HAVE influence on and also BE influenced by! And it all made sense.

In the immortal words of my favorite Disney character Stitch, “This is my family, it is small, and broken, but still good…yeah, still good.” These are some of the people who I have to lean on and be a solid for them to lean on.  These are people who I can confide in and be a confidence to.  I have been blessed with some amazing relationships and I value each and every one.  Much like some of our other great friendships, these people are AWESOME, and they are there for us.

The focus of my leadership may have shifted, but my call and my desire to serve is still strong and passionate today.  I feel very blessed and humbled to allow these people to have influence on my life.  And I hope to one day have some influence on theirs.  I know that loving God and loving others makes God very happy, but I also think that Uncle Walt would be happy too.

Who has influence on YOUR life?  Who are YOU influencing?