Gifts for Dad for physical and spiritual health

Given that this is a blog whose sole purpose is to support Christian men in their physical and spiritual journeys, I thought it would be appropriate to highlight some gift ideas for Father’s Day that tie into that core purpose.  These items are all available via Amazon.com, and most qualify for free shipping for orders over $25.00. (And for certain people who might be reading this, the heart rate monitor and the book by David Moore are both really cool - hint, hint….)

Timex T5G971 Unisex Sports Personal Heart Rate Monitor Watch - I don’t normally wear a watch, but it would be helpful to have one while I run to keep track of the elapsed time and my heart rate as well. At $43.99, this one is fairly affordable.

DietMinder Personal Food & Fitness Journal (A Food and Exercise Diary) - One of the best tricks for losing weight (or maintaining once you’re at your goal) is to closely monitor how much you’re eating, and how much exercise you’re getting. This journal helps you track both your food intake and your exercise routines, and the format appears to be very user-friendly.

The Last Men’s Book You’ll Ever Need - Author David Moore combines his Bible scholar background with a humorous Dave Barry-esque style of writing that makes sensitive subjects like sexual temptation, love of money, busy-ness, and “the shrinking American soul” much easier to ponder and improve upon.

Moleskine Large Notebook Ruled - I received a Moleskine last year as a gift for a seminar I attended, and I absolutely love it - in fact, I’m almost done with this one (hint, hint). It’s great for journaling, for taking notes for sermons or meetings, or for developing future blog entries. I’ve come across many bloggers who have ditched their PDAs for Moleskines, and I can understand why - sometimes it just feels better to have something solid like this in your hand. The price from Amazon is pretty good, too - I haven’t found a better price at any brick-and-mortar store.

Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana (Christ the Lord) - while some of the theology may be questionable, Anne Rice does a masterful job of painting a picture of what life might have been like for Christ as he started his tumultous 3-year ministry with the Miracle at Cana. This is the 2nd in a series (the first was Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, and was really fascinating), and would be a great summer read. In addition, the life story of Anne Rice is fascinating, too - to go from writing vampire novels to writing about Christ is pretty amazing.

Face to Face: Praying the Scriptures for Intimate Worship - If you’ve ever struggled with what to pray about, this small book by Ken Boa is a great resource. It’s divided into daily readings of 2-3 pages, and each reading is divided into sections with names like ‘confession,’ ‘intercession,’ ‘praise,’ etc. It’s a great resource to bring greater intimacy with God into your prayer life.

Thera-Band Exercise Balls - These inflatable balls, also known as Swiss balls (what the Swiss have to do with it, I have no idea), are great for adding instability to many different types of exercises. Why add instability? Because it forces your body to use additional muscle groups that it wouldn’t use with normal exercises, in order to maintain stability. Do a set of 25 situps using a Swiss ball compared to the same 25 regular sit-ups, and I guarantee you’ll feel the difference. Another killer is a push-up with your hands close together on the ball - these are killers! There are several sizes and prices - choose the one that is designed for your height.

A Man, a Can, a Grill: 50 No-Sweat Meals You Can Fire Up Fast - and finally, what’s a Father’s Day gift idea list without something to do with grilling?  I’ve owned this book for several years, and the recipes are really straightforward and good. Be careful, though - just because it’s grilled doesn’t mean it’s low carb or low-fat. But then again, isn’t it okay to have a cheat meal every once in a while, and wouldn’t Father’s Day be a good day for one? (And if you cook it on the grill to the left, it will be done in 27.5 seconds!) Enjoy!