These days we see Chuck Norris more on the road propping up presidential candidates and pedaling Mountain Dew, than fighting bad guys. If you watch TV after 11pm or before 11am on Saturdays, you might see him pedaling exercise equipment.

I saw this commercial last weekend of Chuck (Can I call you Chuck?) trying to sell me a new exercise machine. The reason (some) exercise machines actually make you stronger is resistance. The machine resists the normal motion of our muscles and breaks down our muscles to cause them to rebuild themselves stronger than before.

In leadership, we go through difficult times where we feel like it would be easier to withdraw and hide from all the storms. One of my favorite churches is Granger Community Church in Granger, IN. Tim Stevens, Granger’s Executive Pastor, posted a video of their Senior Pastor, Mark Beeson on his blog, sharing a very difficult time in his ministry. It was the first time he had publicly spoke of that time.

This video is six minutes long, but before you watch, think about this statement from Mark Batterson in his book, “In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day.” (which I think every Christ Follower should read, you can order from Amazon by clicking on the cover to your right)

“Adversity can produce an increased capacity to serve God.”