For the past couple weeks, I have taken part in Gibborim Studio’s Hold the Pass Challenge.
Before I get into what that means, let me give you some context. Gibborim Studios was started about six months ago by Cliff Graham and Cody Bobay. Cliff Graham is an author of novels based of off the lives of Old Testament warriors, and was the man who organized my trip to Israel (which you can read about here). Cody Bobay is the founder of Soul Con Ministries, a men’s ministry that focuses on physical and spiritual health. Gibborim Studios was created to bring high quality content based on the Bible to television, streaming services, and perhaps even the big screen. In the meantime they produce podcasts on a near weekly basis, discussing all sorts of topics that deal with living as Christian men (men being their primary audience).
In order to help fund this venture, they encouraged men to join the Gibborim (the Hebrew term used by David’s Mighty Men, and other heroes in the Bible), by supporting them on a monthly basis. In return, the Gibborim (supporters) receive several benefits, from exclusive news about Gibborim Studio’s projects, access to the totally awesome merch store, and a health and fitness program that I have been following for the past several months with tremendous results. Because of this training program I am in the best physical shape I have ever been in.
Fast forward a few months, and Gibborim Studios is announcing their first major project, a short film based on the story of Shamgar. If you do not know who Shamgar is, you are not alone. His name appears only twice in scripture, and one of them is only a passing mention. Judges 3:31 gives us the most details:
“After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 of the Philistines with an oxgoad, and he also saved Israel.”
Judges 3:31 ESV
Now this isn’t much to go on, any venture to tell the story of Shamgar will make use of more than a little creative license. You can read some of my own opinions about Shamgar in this post. For Gibborim Studios, they picture Shamgar as a single person, standing in a pass blocking the Philistines from invading the hill country of Israel. He alone has to Hold the Pass.
From this idea, Gibborim Studios created the Hold the Pass challenge, a story-telling fitness challenge designed to push (mostly) men to attack life with the same ferocity as Shamgar. The idea was simple: Each day for two weeks the men taking part in the Hold the Pass Challenge would have to defeat 600 “Philistines” (some sort of exercise) with their “oxgoad” (a black tennis ball) in hand. These exercises could be throwing the ball against a chain link fence, burning 600 calories in a cardio session, or something more challenging like push-ups, crunches, or squats.
Needless to say, this challenge pushed me to my limits, and sometimes beyond them. Completing each day’s challenge was exhilarating. It really felt like winning a battle. It required integrity, discipline, and sometimes just pure stubbornness. I learned so much about myself during this process.
One thing I was surprised to see was how much my physical discipline carried over into my spiritual life. I found it easier to focus on prayer, devotions, and fighting temptation. It was as if by training my body, I also improved my spiritual health.
After a little pondering, I realized that these results should not be surprising. Jesus commanded us to love God “with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.” – Mark 12:30 He takes this commandment from the book of Deuteronomy, in a prayer known as the Shema:
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5
The word “might,” or “strength,” suggests physicality. We are commanded to love God with all our heart (thoughts and feelings), soul (the spirit or essence of our being), and might (physicality). What is interesting is that, through this challenge, as I improved my physicality, as an act of love and obedience toward God, I found it easier to honor God with my heart and soul as well.
Gibborim Studios is already scheduling the next round of the Hold the Pass challenge, and planning future challenges as well, I’d encourage any men who are capable to try and take part in the challenge, and see where it takes you. You can find out more by visiting their facebook page or by joining the Gibborim at https://www.gibborim.com