Silence Broken and a new initiative

So here we've been in Winnemucca for almost 9 months and I haven't updated this thing once since getting here. So consider the silence broken. So for the new initiative. 'Pastor Josh is a Big Loser'

I've listened to the Simply Youth Ministry Podcast since episode 00. It has inspired me and helped shape my personal philosophy of Youth Ministry. So with that being said, two of the hosts are rather rotund and a couple of weeks ago someone e-mailed a question about having a weight loss challenge with them. They accepted and opened it up to the whole podcast listening community. Of course I wanted in. I don't even know what the prize is and I still wanted in.

As I was thinking about how I was going to lose weight I also thought of a great idea to help keep me motivated and accountable. So I created the 'Pastor Josh is a Big Loser' weight loss pledge with my church congregation. Our Youth Ministry is taking a group of teenagers to Lusaka, Zambia this summer and there is a need to raise over $4,000 a person to participate. I thought that I would ask the church to pledge per pound of weight they think I will lose. For example if they pledged $5.00 per pound and I lost 5 pounds they would in turn donate $25.00 to our trip to Zambia. It's pretty exciting and seems like it's a creative way to earn funds, instead of just having bake sales and car washes.

So with that said, I will be attempting to keep you all updated as to my progress on a daily basis. The Contest for the podcast lasts for 12 weeks, and the pledge program at church lasts an additional 3 weeks. I'd love for anyone who feels lead to participate. If you're interested, send me and e-mail at joshmaxwellyp@gmail.com or just a message on facebook.

And to prove what my starting weight is, I had Corrie take some pictures of me, and I'll be updating that picture on a weekly basis so you can see the progress. Don't worry I'm fully clothed in the pictures. ok bye.