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My undergraduate education took place at an institution that believed in educating the whole person: spirit, mind, and body. This is clearly a Biblical philosophy—and, like most Biblical teachings, it is easy to believe in but hard to put in practice. God has worked on me for many years to teach me the balance necessary to live a life of wholeness. At times the journey has been challenging—and I'm not sure that we ever completely arrive.
I have been learning not only to set aside time each day for prayer and meditation on God's word, but to be in a state of continual prayer while doing other things. I am always reading a book in the category of Christian living (see Spiritual Reflections), so that I can grow from the insights of other Christians. I believe in life-long learning, not only in my chosen field, but in a wide variety of areas.
Perhaps the most difficult challenge has been the commitment to staying physically fit. This has been one of the more difficult disciplines to develop. For me, the key has been scheduling time several days each week for swimming laps. This discipline has allowed me to reach a healthy weight and to be in excellent cardio-vascular respiratory health. I feel better and look better, and have been an inspiration, without really meaning to be, to other graying middle-aged friends and acquaintances.
 In his book, The Rhythm of Life, Richard Exley talks about the balance of work, worship, rest, and play. Finding and living this balance is crucial to mental health for believers; it's part of a commitment to wholeness.
Many pastors have exhorted us to manage our priorities, putting God first, then family, then work, then church. I have come to believe that such teaching is not only dangerous, but Pharisaical. When we manage our priorities in this way, we are still on the throne. God wants to be on the throne. Jesus teaches us that we are to seek God's kingdom and righteousness first, and then everything else will be taken care of (Matthew 6:33). To be committed to wholeness means that we must be committed to Christ being on the throne of our lives, directing our actions so that the resulting priorities bring glory to Him. It is not easy getting off the throne of our lives—it means being crucified daily with Christ (Galatians 2:20). But it is worth it.
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