“All my life I have wanted to communicate,” says Brad Bloom. He states this truth with a deep passion fueled by his love for God and his desire to get the right message across.

Brad grew up in a strong family that shared a love of music. His family loved the Lord and valued ministry through communication. At one point they traveled the road with a family-based production of “The Music Machine,” performing at the well-known Cornerstone Festival in Chicago. At the age of seven, while attending a church service with his family, Brad made his profession of faith and committed his life to Jesus Christ.

Realizing a Goal

Brad’s desire for communication remained strong as he became involved in the music business and media production with a Christian film company. Brad founded Lifestyle Media Group and is the publisher of Faith and Fitness magazine (faithandfitness.net). Lifestyle Media Group is a network of communicators and media developers with a passion to inspire and motivate people to live life fully.

In addition to Faith and Fitness magazine, the team is working on two more areas to motivate and communicate with like-minded people. A travel lifestyle magazine is in the works and will feature articles that speak to those with a passion for travel. In addition, an outdoor lifestyle magazine designed for the individual with a passion for outdoor activities will feature extreme sports, backpacking, and more.

These online magazines are accessible to all. Besides the extreme expense to start a paper magazine, the future truly is in access to the Internet. Online publications can reach hundreds of thousands of people all over the world. When Brad started Faith and Fitness magazine, his goal was to develop a magazine that was dynamic, relevant, and captivating. In addition he wanted to help people make the connection between the Christian faith and their lifestyle choices (such as working out and fitness). When a Christian logs on to faithandfitness.net, Brad wants that person to be challenged, encouraged, and to make a connection between working hard at being fit and being fit as a Christian. When a non-Christian logs on, Brad hopes that person will discover Christ through reading about his or her personal interests in fitness.

Reaching Believers and Unbelievers

Brad’s editorial style is unique. He believes that a Scripture citation would serve as a stop sign to a non-believer reading a fitness article. Brad informs those writing articles for the magazine to feel free to include Scripture; however, he requests they leave the reference out. In addition he asks that they do not include sentences that would exclude anyone who is not a Christian (“As Christians, we . . .”). Brad’s goal is that those who write the articles write to a general audience with a love for sports and a passion for the fitness lifestyle. Once the connection to fitness is established, it is easy to transition that passion to faith.

Reaching out to those in the world of fitness, Brad has occasionally met with some conflict. Approximately two years ago while at a fitness conference with 300,000 attendees, Brad’s magazine handed out flyers that said “Rest your muscles, worship God.” While most people were receptive, he did have one individual who threw papers at him and his staff. Developing Faith and Fitness magazine has allowed Brad to meet people nationwide who desire to combine their fitness lifestyle with their passion for their faith. The magazine speaks to the interests of both men and women with articles on fitness and nutrition. Not only is Brad the publisher of the magazine, he also writes some of the articles featured. Some of his articles include, “Why Your Gym Should Give You a Spiritual Survey,” “Friends, Family and Fun,” and, most recently, “Does Your Gym Meet Your Real Needs?”

Brad is blessed to have a wife and family who support his passion. In addition, he has recuited a number of volunteers to take care of different aspects of the magazine, including graphic design, editing, and Web work. His goal is to bring on advertisers for nutrition, colleges, and other fields of fitness in order to expand the breadth of the magazine. Because he has a supportive family and colleagues, Brad has been able to combine his passion for fitness with his passion for faith. Using that passion he helps people build physical and spiritual strength. |L

Susanne Dacus graduated from Pacific Christian College with a degree in Christian Education. She and her husband Brad work with Pacific Justice Institute in Citrus Heights, California. Brad and Susanne reside in Sacramento, California with their two children.

OTHER COLUMNS:
June 15, 2008 - A time saver who knows the soul saver
May 18, 2008 - Working by faith 24/7
April 20, 2008 - Motown, music, and ministry
March 23, 2008 - Be One Sportswear
February 24, 2008 - Fighting for the faith
January 27, 2008 - Healing for the Healer
December 30, 2007 - Parenting faithfully
November 4, 2007 - Taking Christ into the classroom
October 7, 2007 - Changing lives through music
August 12, 2007 - Strategies for business and life
June 17, 2007 - Finding fulfilling work
May 20, 2007 - Faithful to his calling
April 22, 2007 - An unstoppable witness
March 25, 2007 - The perfect plan
February 25, 2007 - Teaching with faith
January 28, 2007 - Changing a community—one event at a time
December 24, 2006 - Business by the book
November 26, 2006 - Growing through life’s storms
October 29, 2006 - Giving God his best