Fran Trascritti discipline, Jesus

Finishing Well…

FinishingIn November of this year, I am planning to run my first ever half marathon (13.1 miles). To do this, I have to train faithfully, pushing myself beyond what I have ever done before. I will be pacing myself, adjusting my stride, mentally monitoring my pace and staying focused along the way. My wife, Teresa, will be with me along the way as she also runs in this event and I hope that we will be able to encourage each other. All in all, my hope is not to start the race well, but to finish it well.

On a similar note, Teresa and I will be attending a state convention sponsored conference soon to help us in our spiritual walk. The Finishing Well Boot Camp is a conference designed to minister to a small group of pastors and their wives. It is a chance for each of us to assess and evaluate our ministry through the eyes of Christ, to encourage us as we look to finish well in him, and to find ways to expand and pass on the ministry to the next generation of leaders. Being that this year marks my twentieth year of ministry in the Lord, this is such appropriate timing!

I am excited about the opportunity that we have to grow in God’s grace as we serve Him. Romans 1:17 says, “This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life” (NLT). This reminds me that we are all a work in progress, and we are all growing in our faith. And as we go through life, God works on us to make us right in His sight, from start to finish, by faith.

Training, whether physical, mental, or spiritual, amounts to a degree of dedication and discipline. The same questions that applies to us should also apply to you: How dedicated are you to grow? Are you growing in Christ? Are you making adjustments in your life so that you are finishing well?

Let me encourage you to assess your own walk in the Lord, see where you need to make adjustments, and run with strength and confidence in Him. In Christ, we are all in the same race, the race of life, and the prize of the upward calling in Him is what we strive for as we hear the wonderful words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” May God do a continued work in each of us!

Pastor Fran

Fran Trascritti discipline, ministry

Pump it up!

I have had a revolution in my thinking on health. For years, I pursued growth in different areas of my life. I studied and worked hard to earn a PhD. I tried to grow and increase to utilize and teach biblical knowledge. On a personal level, I came to Christ and grew in Him spiritually. I even tried to improve in my own communication and relationship with my wife, sought friendships with men, and focused on my own emotional health. These areas were all important for me to grow and improve in as a father, a grandfather, and a servant of Jesus Christ.

However, in doing so I neglected my physical health. I gained weight, I grew physically weaker, and I had less energy. What I realized was that the physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional areas of my life affected each other. I took action to exercise and eat better, and I am making progress while being careful not to neglect the other areas of my life.

I thought about the Apostle Paul, who wrote in 1 Cor 9:25, “Everyone who competes in the games exercises self control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wealth, but we an imperishable.” We are in a race for life, a journey to pursue God’s glory in all things. When we discipline ourselves in Christ, we present ourselves as a testimony of His work within us, His grace. We are sanctified as we humbly surrender ourselves to Christ in all our strongholds.

That’s tough to do, and I am not there yet, but let me ask you: What areas of your life do you need to change?

Fran Trascritti discipline

Fat man in a Small Coat…

1 Cor 9:23, “I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.”

I have a confession to make to you: I had come to realize that I was becoming a fat man. 

Okay, now I’ve admitted it. I know that some of this extra weight was related to genetics, but this isn’t the only reason. I know that some of the weight was due to my daily activity of sitting to study, counsel, talk, and pray, but this isn’t the main issue. I know that some of the weight was due to a diet that was based more on convenience than on making healthy choices, but I can’t blame this, either. These are all excuses, of course. No, for me, the weight problem was a personal discipline problem.

As a result of this poor discipline, I realized that I was becoming a poor testimony of God’s work in my life as a fat man. Now, please hear that I’m not saying that all people who struggle with weight are poor testimonies. I’m also not saying that you are a poor testimony. What I am saying is that I have been a poor testimony because I knew my own self and my own shortcomings.

Last Spring, I went to the doctor’s office and found out that I weighed more than ever before- 250 pounds (ouch!). I had problems going up stairs, walking long distances, even tying my shoes. Because of my wife’s own food issues with red meats, I decided at that point that I would change my diet and begin exercising. It was hard and time consuming, but I felt strongly that if I took better care of myself, that I would be more effective for the Lord as a testimony for Him and as I serve Him with more energy.

I am happy to report that at this point, I have lost 30 pounds, with a goal to lose 30 more. I can do push ups, sit ups, leg lifts, burpees, etc. and still have energy to spare the next day. I have cut down my carb intake to around 100 grams a day, and I eat a diet high in lean protein and vegetables. My wife, Teresa, has had a similar change. She is going to be running her first half marathon next month, and she writes about her health progress almost each day in her blog.

We both feel great, and we feel motivated to share this with others. We feel that a person effective for Christ should be able to be disciplined in a variety of areas, of course, with a healthy view of God’s grace when we don’t quite make the mark. Starting in January, I feel led to make a temporary change and depart from the Isaiah series for a few weeks to do a five part series called, “Making Changes for God’s Glory.”

In a time when people are talking about weight loss, exercise, and resolutions, I think it’s appropriate to see what God has to say about all of this. Each week, I will present a different aspect on how you as a believer might make a change in your life to grow, serve, and share Christ in your daily life. We will explore how to grow in areas of your life such as dealing with the emotional, growing in your mind, connecting in the spiritual, serving in your daily ministry, and of course, the overcoming the physical.

I pray that you will be ready for this fresh new series to learn and grow in Christ. The sermons will also be posted on YouTube each week. Starting in February, my wife, Teresa will lead a study on Wednesday nights from Rick Warren called The Daniel Plan. You will learn more and grow in five areas: faith, food, fitness, focus, and friends. If you are local to Cincinnati, I hope that you can plan to join this group and begin making changes in your life for God’s glory.

God is not done with me or with you yet- we are all a work in progress! Many of you have been supporting and encouraging me- I hope and pray that you can keep doing that. Be ready to make changes as I have, and together, we can do all things for the sake of the gospel, as Christ changes us and we give Him glory!

Pastor Fran

Fran Trascritti discipline

Staying positive in the midst of discord…

Titus 3:10-11, “If people are causing divisions among you, give a first and second warning. After that, have nothing more to do with them. For people like that have turned away from the truth, and their own sins condemn them.”


At first glance, it may seem that having to deal with sowers of discord would be a negative thing, but the truth is that it should produce positive results. Those who wreck the peace in a body are people who have “turned away from the truth,” and thus have been condemned by their sins. 

It is very tempting to ignore, run from, or roll over, but while this may seem loving, it is actually very cruel and very unhealthy. When the truth is ignored and “peace at all costs” becomes the practice, unholy long term conduct continues. This cancer will spread and affect the godly. 

We will be coming to this topic when I preach 1 Cor 5 in a few weeks while going through the sermon series on 1 Corinthians.  For now, however, you may ask, “how do you deal with a factious person?” Very simple rule: keep the spiritual battle in the Spirit. Speak the truth in love. Don’t insult the person directly, but focus on the spirit and the conduct that resulted. Call them to repent, and call them to change (as Paul instructed in this passage and others). Give them suggestions to get help, whether it is through the church, through counseling, or through a mentor. Most of all, be ready to receive the repentant, hoping for a change in heart and in action. 

The idea is to restore the sinner, the goal is truth and love expressed, and the hope is the glory of God. It IS a positive thing, though it IS very difficult. May we live holy and call one another to be holy!