| Mission Statement "I can do all things through Christ who strenghtens me." Philippians 4:13 We are Christians and everything we do gives glory to God. Our bodies belong to God and He has placed in each one the Holy Sprit. We pledge to build and shape our bodies to reach their potential, keeping in mind our bodies are a gift from God, to be cherished and developed, as He would want. We will not dishonor God by taking into our bodies any controlled or illegal substance that would unfairly alter our muscular development in order to gain a competitive advantage. We pledge to honor God in word and deed at every competition or athletic endeavor. We pledge to compete as good sportsmen and sportswomen by setting an example befitting His Warriors. We welcome Christian amateur and professional athletes, who admit to having used illegal muscle enhancers, and regretting their decision, are now adamantly against the practice and are willing to speak out in this organization about the evil of steroids and other illegal drugs. We take Jesus’ teaching about forgiveness to heart in this matter and we honor those athletes who would bravely witness to younger athletes about the dangers of steroids. We pledge to promote natural athletics by providing information on diet, supplements, training and natural competitions, stressing the "all natural" verses the "illegal muscle enhancers". We pledge to do all of this in His Name. |
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| About me "Trust in the Lord with all you heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6 Now, you are probably wondering who I am. My name is Bobby Barker. I am a Christian, a husband, a father and a bodybuilder. In that order. I began toying with weights like almost every kid out there when I was about twelve years old. My father purchased one of those plastic 60 pound beginner sets to get in shape and I, of course, had to join in! A makeshift bench made out of 4 x 4's served as my bench, and I performed every exercise that was on the chart that came with the set. I played with those weights on and off over the next few years, graduating to iron and my friend's basement. I joined my first gym - Mr. America's in Farmingdale, New York, The home of Mr. America Steve Michalik. I was mesmarized by all of the equipment and the professional bodybuilders I would see in there! I even spotted Albert Beckles on the bench! Quite the excitement for a novice. I trained there for a year or so and moved on to East Coast Health Club in West islip, New York. Then life happened, as it does for all of us, and I put my faithful friends, the weights on the back burner, but I came back to visit them often. When I turned 27 or so, I came back to them once more and joined another gym in Farmingdale, New york; Ken's Nautilus. A Great little gym with good equipment at a great yearly rate. I trained at 5:30 in the morning and there was a group of about ten of us who were regulars. In winter, we would be there training before the place had a chance to warm up and your forearms would cramp when you grabbed the bar! I miss that place! A move out of state and another gym were in store for me and I trained to be in shape and, as usual, to get bigger. While training in El Paso, Texas, I became certified as a personal trainer. At this point in time I had quite a few years of weight lifting experience under my belt and I was studying and learning the ins and outs of dieting and what not. After going to two bodybuilding contests sponsored by my gym I also decided to enter a show, or was I talked into it? I began to eat and train and eat and train until I was 285 pounds. At 6'5" I felt I was getting there. I was also searching for God at this time. I loved God, but just didn't know how to talk to Him; get to know Him better. For whatever reason, my desire to train faded and I dropped out of lifting for a while. In the meantime I had met my wife, who showed me the better path to knowing God and I was baptized on February 14th, 2001. My desire to train returned a short time later, or was that reinstilled by God because He had bigger and better plans? I took to it with a better attitude. I have God in my life now. I wanted to share Him with people, but didn't quite know how. My wife often told me that when the time was right that God would reveal His intentions for me and He has. While frantically searching the internet for anything related to Christians and bodybuilding, I came across the A.C.B.A.: the Amatuer Christian Bodybuilding Association. I was able to contact the founder and president, Butch Dennis and speak with him. The beginnings of Midwest Christian Bodybuilding has emerged. God has provided a way to combine the two things I love. God and bodybuilding. I still feel quite unsure as to how to speak to people concerning God, but knowing what God did for Moses, I know that he will give me the words to speak and the courage to act. As far as bodybuilding, I have amassed over 20+ years of experience in the sport and know that there are others out there who also have faith and knowledge to share. I don't have all of the answers, no one truly does, but oh what a journey that we are about to undertake and all for the glory of God! Come with me! |