Reserve Master Sgt. William Jones has written a self-published book dubbed "Take Charge of Your Life" designed to help people balance body, soul and spirit into a healthy life style. (Jon R. Anderson / S&S)
HEIDELBERG, Germany — You might say Master Sgt. William Kelvin Jones is a man who has learned to practice what he preaches.
A reservist now on active duty for the Germany-based 7th Army Reserve Command, Williams helps organize family support groups for the command’s 22 units in Europe.
In civilian life, however, he’s a pastor for Full Gospel Christian Center in Schweinfurt.
Not long ago, his nondenominational ministry was moving in high gear, but Jones, 34, felt his life was out of balance.
At 5 feet 5 inches tall, Jones was tipping the scales at “well over 200 pounds.”
“A lot of things were going well, but I was tired of being overweight,” he said.
After years of off-again, on-again dieting and exercise plans, Jones said he finally got serious about not just fitness, but fitting fitness into the rest of his life.
From his biblical training, Jones said, he knew that God had designed man in three parts — body, mind and spirit. The key to making a fitness plan really work, he reasoned, must be finding a way to balance improving the body while exercising the mind and spirit in healthy ways as well.
“I call it the Body, Mind, Spirit Principle,” Jones said. “The reason we often fail is that we focus on only one side. We may be great spiritually, but our body is a mess, or maybe we’re physically buff or a mental giant, but spiritually we’re nowhere. The key is that we have to find balance between all three sides.”
These days Jones is down to 175 pounds, has just written and produced a play, and continues to pastor his thriving church, all while on an extended active-duty stint. Meanwhile, he’s penned — and self-published — a book designed to help others find the same balance he’s come to enjoy.
Titled “Take Charge of Your Life,” the book offers a 90-day program that is part exercise and diet plan for the body and part guided journal designed to spur the spirit and the mind.
“Every day you will work on improving your life by exercising these three important elements that make you who you are,” writes Jones in the introduction. “You will begin the life-changing habit of exercising and improving your mind, your body and your spirit.”
With the primary emphasis on fitness, “Take Charge” provides a combination of nutrition and exercise advice.
“It’s not a low-carb thing, but it’s a right carb thing,” Jones said. For example, he encourages using brown rice over white rice, wheat bread over white bread, and eating as many as six meals a day, but with smaller portions.
While Jones said the book is laced with some quotes from the Bible, “I didn’t want it to sound too preachy. It’s not intended to be a religious book. Instead, I tried to use the wisdom of Scripture without quoting it.”
Jones has sold 400 copies of his book and is preparing a second printing. Two months ago he began a seminar built around it.
Willard Moreland, a human resources expert for the 38th Personnel Services Battalion, attended one of the first seminars. He was so impressed, a few weeks ago he invited Jones to speak at the Victory Through Faith church in Kitzingen where he is the pastor.
“He slaps you on the cheek and brings you back into focus on things you probably already know you should be doing,” said Moreland.
While Moreland said he appreciated the fitness aspects of the book, “Take Charge of Your Life” helped him most in dealing with procrastination and balancing the various aspects of his life.
“For me personally, being a pastor and a government employee — not to mention a husband, father and friend — it can all be overwhelming without proper prioritizing. That’s where I really benefited: seeing how I could better prioritize my life,” said Moreland.
More information about “Take Charge of Your Life” and Jones’ seminars will soon be available on his Web site: www.wk-jones.com.
