One of the best things in life is to dream big

I have struggled with my weight on again and off again since I was 12 years old. It has always been a fight. I have lifted weights most of my life. However, it seems as I have gotten older, right when I get to developing some massive gains, I do something to derail my progress. I either injure myself or busyness becomes my adversary.

There have been four times in my life when I have been in fantastic shape. My sophomore year in college, I was 20 years old and weighed in at 191. When I was 33, I found my life in transition, and I started getting my health back. I weighed in at 235 pounds. However, I was a healthy 235. I kept the weight off for about a year and a half. In 2017, I found myself again making incredible gains. However, it got away from me serving the community after the flood. I also suffered a back injury that took me about a year to recover from.

After the flood in 2017 and then the pandemic in 2020, I found myself at my heaviest ever, 320 pounds. In June 2021, I decided to do something about it. I started working out again, I started watching my portions and drinking lots of water. I gradually started to take the weight off and over a two-year time span, I have lost 71 pounds and I have kept it off.

Over the past two years, I have recovered my energy and strength. In April 2022, I finished my first Tough Mudder. I now am putting in two hours in the gym almost every day, eating right and drinking lots of water. I also work a 10 to 12-hour workday. I think the key for me has been getting into an organized life rhythm. I get up early in the morning. I pray, I read my Bible, I study scripture, I take care of my personal needs, eat breakfast, write for about 2 hours, check my messages and emails, and then I head to the gym for two hours. My goal is an hour of weights and then an hour of cardio.

In all of my years of battling my health and weight, there is one thing I have never accomplished. Though, I have had a strong core most of my life, I have never developed and abdominal six-pack. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to walk around shirtless showing off a beach bod! I just want to be physically strong enough to just persevere and endure. To preach well 20 years from now. Play with my future grandchildren. I want to go explore caves with Heidi with a strong body and agility.

I decided to dream big, I have decided to set a huge goal, one that is bigger than myself. By Nov. 6, 2023, on my 54th birthday, I want to have accomplished the impossible. By that date, I want to have developed an abdominal six-pack on my body. You may ask how do I plan on accomplishing this? I want to get to the point where I am physically able to do 1,000 abdominal crushes a day! You may say, “Dave you are crazy!” Or to quote my friend and accountability partner Dennis Luce, “Bro! That’s a lot of crunches!”

Dennis is correct. That is a lot of crunches. However, I am going to use this accomplishment to raise some money for one of my favorite charities.

You may wonder how I plan on doing this? I really do not know how, but somehow through tenacious perseverance, I am already up to 450 abdominal crunches a day. When I finish this article, I plan to complete 480 crunches.

Over the past few months, I have commented about things that we say in the church but may not truly believe in. One I have harped on has been, “You can’t outgive God.” This is true and I believe it because my experience has shown me I can’t outgive God.

Here is another thing we say in the church, but sometimes we have a hard time believing it, This one can be more offensive when we struggle with it because it is not a cliche, it is scripture.

Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Jesus Christ who gives me strength.” Here is the big revelation for you. Are you ready? The scripture is true! Yes, you and I can do all things through Jesus Christ who gives us strength! How do I know this? Another scripture confirms it, Matthew 19:26 says, “ … But with God all things are possible.

So, dream big! Set goals that are bigger than yourself. By the spring of 2024, I will have completed my second Tough Mudder. Dream big and then plan to complete it! Expect the naysayers, but do not listen to them. God believes in you and so do I. Your dreams were meant to be big because you have a big God that will help you accomplish your dreams, goals, and then some.

Have a great week!

Dave Truncone is the pastor of First Assembly of God Church in Van Buren. He is married to Heidi and they have two daughters, Hannah and Abigail. They live in Van Buren.