+ I really enjoyed this book. Compelling life and Malcolm X impresses me most of all as being amazingly charismatic. Watched a fair number of video clips on YouTube and he's almost mesmerizing to me. In interviews, he seemed to be able to absolutely disagree without making it personal. He remained polite. I admire that mix.
+ I agree with a lot of what Malcolm X says about the oppression of black people by whites. How can we ever atone for that? Should we?
+ Obviously, the stuff from Elijah Muhammad and Fard is crazy. As impressive as Malcolm X is, it's hard to believe he got taken in by some of that stuff. Not to mention the extent of Muhammad's ultimately-revealed adultery.
+ Then again, Malcolm X was very naive about areas of life he did not know. On one hand, he was a very hardened, streetwise crook. On the other, he was taken in completely by Elijah Muhammad and also by Islamic and African dignitaries. All of them could do no wrong, in his opinion.
Thursday, April 29
Monday, April 12
The most evil people in history
Studying Hitler and Stalin and got to thinking about this question. I know you, my friends, will have good contributions. Stupid answers like 'Bush' or 'Obama' will be deleted with extreme prejudice.
Started with this search and found:
Top 10 Most Evil Men
Top 10 Most Evil Women
Most Evil Men and Women in History
Nominees:
Mao
Stalin
Hitler
Leopold II of Belgium
Pol Pot
Hirohito/Tojo
My main criteria is body count. Did Pol Pot and Hirohito/Tojo get into the millions like the top 4?
What do you think? I'm sure there's much I don't know that you can teach me.
PS: reading 'The Autobiography of Malcolm X' now and wonder how to factor slavery in. More on that in a subsequent post...
Started with this search and found:
Top 10 Most Evil Men
Top 10 Most Evil Women
Most Evil Men and Women in History
Nominees:
Mao
Stalin
Hitler
Leopold II of Belgium
Pol Pot
Hirohito/Tojo
My main criteria is body count. Did Pol Pot and Hirohito/Tojo get into the millions like the top 4?
What do you think? I'm sure there's much I don't know that you can teach me.
PS: reading 'The Autobiography of Malcolm X' now and wonder how to factor slavery in. More on that in a subsequent post...
Wednesday, March 31
Three things I noticed watching 'Iron Man' again
1. They used the wrong 'reins' on the fake cover of Fortune (or Forbes, whatever it was). 'Tony Stark Takes the Reigns'.
2. The main terrorist bad guy, Raza, was played by the same guy who played the captain of the USS Kelvin (Faran Tahir).
3. Peter Billingsley (Ralphie from 'A Christmas Story') played Stane's lead scientist!
2. The main terrorist bad guy, Raza, was played by the same guy who played the captain of the USS Kelvin (Faran Tahir).
3. Peter Billingsley (Ralphie from 'A Christmas Story') played Stane's lead scientist!
Sunday, March 14
Flash Gordon!
I really loved the 1979 Flash Gordon cartoon when I was seven. Oddly enough, it came on Saturday afternoons. In fact, I had it in my Netflix queue. So when I saw it at Target for $5, I decided to buy it to watch with Wil.
A lot of the show doesn't age very well, of course. And, especially as the shows went on, the quality drops markedly.
I really love some of the visual designs: Zarkov's rocket, Ming's ships, the Hawkmen in general.
I really loved the opening sequence, especially the music. Here it is:
Wil and I watched through the 14 episodes on this particular DVD and enjoyed it.
So it got me thinking I might enjoy the original Flash Gordon comic strips by Alex Raymond, and I sure have! Thankfully, our library has the first three volumes of the Raymond strips. Finished the first book last week and looking forward to getting the next volume soon.
A lot of the show doesn't age very well, of course. And, especially as the shows went on, the quality drops markedly.
I really love some of the visual designs: Zarkov's rocket, Ming's ships, the Hawkmen in general.
I really loved the opening sequence, especially the music. Here it is:
Wil and I watched through the 14 episodes on this particular DVD and enjoyed it.
So it got me thinking I might enjoy the original Flash Gordon comic strips by Alex Raymond, and I sure have! Thankfully, our library has the first three volumes of the Raymond strips. Finished the first book last week and looking forward to getting the next volume soon.
Thursday, February 4
Watchmen mini-review
Recently re-watched 'Watchmen' and really liked it. Such a great adaptation of the graphic novel, often panel by panel. It was a little more violent, which I didn't need.
Also really liked the music choices. 'First We Take Manhattan' by Leonard Cohen (second song over credits after obligatory 'Desolation Row' cover) is new to me and I really like it.
I found the changed ending to be, actually, better than the graphic novels psychic alien squid-monster.
Really my only complaint is the original work itself. I deeply disagree with peace, even global peace, founded on a lie. Thanks for nothing, Alan Moore ;-)
Also really liked the music choices. 'First We Take Manhattan' by Leonard Cohen (second song over credits after obligatory 'Desolation Row' cover) is new to me and I really like it.
I found the changed ending to be, actually, better than the graphic novels psychic alien squid-monster.
Really my only complaint is the original work itself. I deeply disagree with peace, even global peace, founded on a lie. Thanks for nothing, Alan Moore ;-)
Tuesday, February 2
District 9 (almost-haiku review)
Really cool concept
Really worn-out, evil, soulless, arms-manufacturing, corporate villain
Otherwise, loved it
Really worn-out, evil, soulless, arms-manufacturing, corporate villain
Otherwise, loved it
Sunday, January 17
The post Xmas/birthday loot report
Major kudos to Christine for managing my Amazon wishlist so well, as usual. Thanks, Purd!
+ PS2 Guitar Hero World Tour - Band Kit
+ Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization
+ San Juan
+ Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years & the War Years
+ Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters
+ The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun
+ The Mind of the Maker
+ Amazon gift certificate
Great, great haul. Thanks to all who contributed :-)
+ PS2 Guitar Hero World Tour - Band Kit
+ Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization
+ San Juan
+ Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years & the War Years
+ Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters
+ The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun
+ The Mind of the Maker
+ Amazon gift certificate
Great, great haul. Thanks to all who contributed :-)
Sunday, January 3
Sermon: Why you (and I) are almost certainly greedy
Treasure vs. Money
How money exercises power over us, why, and how we break it.
What does the eye section mean here?
If your eyes aren't working, whether there's light or not, you are in darkness. cf Luke 12.13-34.
Materialism is an inordinate desire or dependence on money and material things.
And materialism has the peculiar effect of blinding you spiritually, of distorting the way you see things. It has a power over the way you see everything.
Materialism has the power to blind you to materialism. We don't think it's true of us. That's why Jesus says it's an 'eye' sin. Greed hides itself and blinds us. We all have friends or relatives who are 'more greedy' than us. If we say 'this does not apply to me', that's a very bad sign.
Some of us choose jobs just for the money. We work for a few years and then find ourselves empty.
Some of us work for companies that exploit people. We're not trying to do it. We're just not asking questions. 'Is my company hurting people?'
As professionals, we rub shoulders with people who make a lot more money than we do, and that makes us think we can't possibly be rich or greedy. We don't ask 'Do I really need to be spending this much money on home, apartment, clothes, etc?' We don't say 'Aren't there ways I could be giving more?'
In 1635 the First Congregational Church of Boston disciplined Robert Cain for greed because he was making a 6% profit on his goods and they had set the maximum at 4%. The good thing here is the accountability. What accountability do you have for your spending? Who can challenge you on money?
Jesus talks about money all the time.
Money has the power to keep you from asking hard questions about how you make it and how you spend it.
Why?
We live in the most wealthy society in the history of the world. 70% of the world's wealth is in the hands of 5% and being a professional puts you in the top 20% of the 5%. Is there anyone in this room who dares to say 'I really am doing just fine when it comes to material things. I couldn't give anymore away than I already do. I couldn't live any more simply. I couldn't be more generous with my money.'
The rest of the world knows better. They look at us and say 'There are so many good things you could be doing in this world if you just didn't think you had to have that gadget.'
It's astounding that we live in this place and time and won't even think about the possibility that we are greedy. That shows the power of greed.
Why?
Where you treasure is, there is your heart also. The place where your heart really rests is revealed by money. For many of us, money is a way of getting significance. It's why we spend it on ourselves too much and don't give it away like we should. Where we live, where we can afford to eat, the social circles we move in make us feel more important.
We have a tendency to look at those who are below us economically and say 'You are below me.' And you don't have to be very rich. Middle class people feel superior to the poor. Do you really think you'd be that much better if you'd started in the same circumstances?
Significance, approval, importance
Security, control, safety
For others, money is their security.
Why are you not radically generous? Are you giving away an amazing amount of money?
Jesus says 'running after these things can't add a minute to your life'.
Addison Leach story (second husband of Elisabeth Eliot): 2 college girls became Christians and wanted to be missionaries. Their parents said 'You've had a religious experience; how wonderful. But you need some security: a Master's degree, a job or two to get your career off the ground, and some money in the bank for security.' The girls came back and said 'what should we say?'. Leach said 'One day a trapdoor is going to open and you're going to fall into the Everlasting Arms or nothing at all. You think a Master's degree's going to give you some security.'
People who look to money for their significance [and succeed] become arrogant people that nobody likes. And people who look to money for their security can't stop death, tragedy, broken relationships.
So how do we break the power of money in our lives? How do we get to the place where we're really radically generous? How do we get to the place where we're not worried about money?
Literally: don't treasure earthly treasures but treasure heavenly treasure.
To treasure something means 'If I have this, it's all worth it. If I have this, I'm worth it.'
Everybody's got something: money, career, status, romance. 'If I have this, it'll all be worth it.'
Lord of the Rings. The One Ring. Whoever has it calls it 'the Precious'.
Anything that your soul treasures, you will pay any price for it.
Every treasure but Jesus will insist that you die to purchase it. Jesus is the one treasure who dies to purchase us.
How do we treasure Jesus?
Jesus dies for us because we are His Precious. He died for us because He said 'if I have them, it'll all be worth it'.
How do you react to rich people? Many of us resent rich people and feel morally superior to them. That shows that money still has power over us. It shows a lack of awareness of spiritual wealth and a lack of humility.
If you envy and honor rich people, money also has power over you.
Awareness of our sin should keep us humble and not needing to feel superior to rich people. Awareness of God's love for us should keep us from feeling inferior to rich people, like they have some great thing we don't have. Money doesn't compare to the riches we have in Christ.
Respecting poor people is another sign that money doesn't have power over you.
Third sign money no longer has power over you is being really generous.
'If your eye is good' - Greek word translated 'good' here can also be translated 'generous'. 'If you have a generous eye.'
How much should we give? Jesus gave everything. He gave sacrificially.
Use the tithe if that requires sacrifice for you. If it doesn't, you'll have to give more.
Old letter: 'We [Xians] share our table with all, but we do not share out bed with all.' We're promiscuous with our money, but not with our bodies.
Which kind of person benefits their neighborhood more?
Greed is a particularly dangerous sin because it hides in our hearts while binding us to our materialistic desires. Money has tremendous power over us: for some it is our significance, for others it is our security. We can break free from our slavery to money by treasuring Jesus, who was willing to pay the ultimate price so that we may be his ultimate treasure.Matthew 6:19-34
How money exercises power over us, why, and how we break it.
What does the eye section mean here?
If your eyes aren't working, whether there's light or not, you are in darkness. cf Luke 12.13-34.
Materialism is an inordinate desire or dependence on money and material things.
And materialism has the peculiar effect of blinding you spiritually, of distorting the way you see things. It has a power over the way you see everything.
Materialism has the power to blind you to materialism. We don't think it's true of us. That's why Jesus says it's an 'eye' sin. Greed hides itself and blinds us. We all have friends or relatives who are 'more greedy' than us. If we say 'this does not apply to me', that's a very bad sign.
Some of us choose jobs just for the money. We work for a few years and then find ourselves empty.
Some of us work for companies that exploit people. We're not trying to do it. We're just not asking questions. 'Is my company hurting people?'
As professionals, we rub shoulders with people who make a lot more money than we do, and that makes us think we can't possibly be rich or greedy. We don't ask 'Do I really need to be spending this much money on home, apartment, clothes, etc?' We don't say 'Aren't there ways I could be giving more?'
In 1635 the First Congregational Church of Boston disciplined Robert Cain for greed because he was making a 6% profit on his goods and they had set the maximum at 4%. The good thing here is the accountability. What accountability do you have for your spending? Who can challenge you on money?
Jesus talks about money all the time.
Money has the power to keep you from asking hard questions about how you make it and how you spend it.
Why?
We live in the most wealthy society in the history of the world. 70% of the world's wealth is in the hands of 5% and being a professional puts you in the top 20% of the 5%. Is there anyone in this room who dares to say 'I really am doing just fine when it comes to material things. I couldn't give anymore away than I already do. I couldn't live any more simply. I couldn't be more generous with my money.'
The rest of the world knows better. They look at us and say 'There are so many good things you could be doing in this world if you just didn't think you had to have that gadget.'
It's astounding that we live in this place and time and won't even think about the possibility that we are greedy. That shows the power of greed.
Why?
Where you treasure is, there is your heart also. The place where your heart really rests is revealed by money. For many of us, money is a way of getting significance. It's why we spend it on ourselves too much and don't give it away like we should. Where we live, where we can afford to eat, the social circles we move in make us feel more important.
We have a tendency to look at those who are below us economically and say 'You are below me.' And you don't have to be very rich. Middle class people feel superior to the poor. Do you really think you'd be that much better if you'd started in the same circumstances?
Significance, approval, importance
Security, control, safety
For others, money is their security.
Why are you not radically generous? Are you giving away an amazing amount of money?
Jesus says 'running after these things can't add a minute to your life'.
Addison Leach story (second husband of Elisabeth Eliot): 2 college girls became Christians and wanted to be missionaries. Their parents said 'You've had a religious experience; how wonderful. But you need some security: a Master's degree, a job or two to get your career off the ground, and some money in the bank for security.' The girls came back and said 'what should we say?'. Leach said 'One day a trapdoor is going to open and you're going to fall into the Everlasting Arms or nothing at all. You think a Master's degree's going to give you some security.'
People who look to money for their significance [and succeed] become arrogant people that nobody likes. And people who look to money for their security can't stop death, tragedy, broken relationships.
So how do we break the power of money in our lives? How do we get to the place where we're really radically generous? How do we get to the place where we're not worried about money?
Literally: don't treasure earthly treasures but treasure heavenly treasure.
To treasure something means 'If I have this, it's all worth it. If I have this, I'm worth it.'
Everybody's got something: money, career, status, romance. 'If I have this, it'll all be worth it.'
Lord of the Rings. The One Ring. Whoever has it calls it 'the Precious'.
Anything that your soul treasures, you will pay any price for it.
Every treasure but Jesus will insist that you die to purchase it. Jesus is the one treasure who dies to purchase us.
How do we treasure Jesus?
Jesus dies for us because we are His Precious. He died for us because He said 'if I have them, it'll all be worth it'.
How do you react to rich people? Many of us resent rich people and feel morally superior to them. That shows that money still has power over us. It shows a lack of awareness of spiritual wealth and a lack of humility.
If you envy and honor rich people, money also has power over you.
Awareness of our sin should keep us humble and not needing to feel superior to rich people. Awareness of God's love for us should keep us from feeling inferior to rich people, like they have some great thing we don't have. Money doesn't compare to the riches we have in Christ.
Respecting poor people is another sign that money doesn't have power over you.
Third sign money no longer has power over you is being really generous.
'If your eye is good' - Greek word translated 'good' here can also be translated 'generous'. 'If you have a generous eye.'
How much should we give? Jesus gave everything. He gave sacrificially.
Use the tithe if that requires sacrifice for you. If it doesn't, you'll have to give more.
Old letter: 'We [Xians] share our table with all, but we do not share out bed with all.' We're promiscuous with our money, but not with our bodies.
Which kind of person benefits their neighborhood more?
Saturday, December 12
I got yer Christmas music right here
My favorite Xmas collection 4 years running is Sufjan Stevens' 5 disc set. Here are the last 3 years' posts:
+ That was the best Christmas album ever!
+ That was the best Christmas album ever! (again)
+ That was the best Xmas album ever! [now with songs!]
If you're at all like me, you will certainly want to buy these discs. To find out, you can stream the whole thing here: http://xmas.asthmatickitty.com/. Click on 'Musical Downloads'.
My second favorite Xmas album is 'A Charlie Brown Christmas'. I realized a couple of days ago that I hadn't listened to it yet this season, so I fixed it.
I like some of the stuff on the Aimee Mann, Sarah Maclachlan and Barenaked Ladies Xmas albums...
Another great source for Xmas music (from hipsters): http://hypem.com/search/christmas/1/
Then I needed to listen to the early Messiah stuff (OT texts). Did that Thursday night.
You might enjoy the Wartburg Choir's Xmas album: Stille Nacht.
Now I'm just listening to my 200-some Xmas tunes on random play, but I might listen to more by album.
+ That was the best Christmas album ever!
+ That was the best Christmas album ever! (again)
+ That was the best Xmas album ever! [now with songs!]
If you're at all like me, you will certainly want to buy these discs. To find out, you can stream the whole thing here: http://xmas.asthmatickitty.com/. Click on 'Musical Downloads'.
My second favorite Xmas album is 'A Charlie Brown Christmas'. I realized a couple of days ago that I hadn't listened to it yet this season, so I fixed it.
I like some of the stuff on the Aimee Mann, Sarah Maclachlan and Barenaked Ladies Xmas albums...
Another great source for Xmas music (from hipsters): http://hypem.com/search/christmas/1/
Then I needed to listen to the early Messiah stuff (OT texts). Did that Thursday night.
You might enjoy the Wartburg Choir's Xmas album: Stille Nacht.
Now I'm just listening to my 200-some Xmas tunes on random play, but I might listen to more by album.
Wednesday, December 2
Sherman, set the Wayback Machine
If you want to take a trip down memory lane, you can just watch everything this guy has, but here a few notable ones:
"Old School" CBS Holiday Special Intro
Isis Intro
Isis transformation
ARK II
The Super Friends Intro
Challenge of the Super Friends Intro
SHAZAM! Intro
Well, that's enough for now. Thanks to Kelly for getting me started.
"Old School" CBS Holiday Special Intro
Isis Intro
Isis transformation
ARK II
The Super Friends Intro
Challenge of the Super Friends Intro
SHAZAM! Intro
Well, that's enough for now. Thanks to Kelly for getting me started.
Tuesday, November 24
The best sermon on money I've ever heard
The main idea: money is the bottom line in faith. It shows whether or not you've been changed by God's grace.Grace and Money
Listen: I know all this stuff, but, man, is this a convicting sermon about how grace should affect us.
Plus, there's no guilt in it. If you feel guilt, that's your baggage. Keller is not preaching guilt here at all.
Acts 4.32-37
The grace of God - how it impacts our lives, changes our understanding and use of money.
The early church was very different from those around them when it came to money. Drastic, unreasonable generosity was an engine that drove influence on community around it.
The apostles' preaching was backed up by an unaccountable generosity. The people on the outside looked and said 'We don't get this! Nobody treats their money like this.'
252 AD: plague in Carthage. Healthy people left if they were able, but Cyprian called Christians to serve (including financial aid) those remaining without regard for their faith or persecution.
Emperor Julian wanted to stem Christianity and wrote in disgust 'Their success lies in their charity to all. They take care not only of their own poor, but ours as well.'
Christianity is a religion of grace and every other religion relies on moral effort.
Grace revolutionizes our attitude toward money, our procedure and the benefits of giving.
1. Grace revolutionizes our attitude toward money.
It's my money.
Christians say 'it's not my money'.
If people ask you for 'your' money, it annoys you.
Scrooge's attitude is changed because he's had an experience of grace - a second chance. That's not a lot of grace, but it's some. Scrooge looks at his money totally differently. He's gleeful and scheming about giving his money away.
The Bible says if you've experienced God's grace, you too will have a revolutionized way of looking at your money.
Money is the bottom line. It tells companies how they're doing. The Bible says money is the bottom line in our lives - how you spend it and what your attitude is toward it.
Scrooge has his attitude changed by the comparatively small grace of a second chance. How much more should our attitude be changed by Christ's grace. It is not a second chance. It is not just a model. (I could never live up to Jesus' example, if that's all there was to it.)
Jesus came and died to pay the penalty of our failures and if we receive Him, his record becomes our record. 'If you trust in me, the Father will welcome you as complete in Me.'
Lay your deadly doing down, down at Jesus feetSince that's so much more grace than Scrooge got, why aren't why so far beyond him?
Stand in Him and Him alone, gloriously complete
If you have experienced grace, your bottom line changes.
Martin Luther used to get up every day and look up to heaven and say 'You are my goodness, I was Your punishment. You assumed everything I deserved and was so that I can receive everything You deserved and are. I'm rich. I'm adopted into the family of God. I have an imperishable inheritance. I'm going to shine like the stars in the kingdom of My Father. And even now I've got His holy power and joy has come into my life through the power of the Holy Spirit and it's begun to grow and it will eventually swallow up all my foolishnesses and all of my sadnesses and all of my weaknesses.'
So, we look at our material possessions and say 'This is a small thing compared to what I've got and will never lose. And you look at your material possessions and say 'This is all grace! I was in my grave and suddenly it's Christmas.' It melts away your possessiveness.
Paul says in 2 Corinthians, when he's asking for giving to hunger relief, 'I'm not commanding you to give. I'm just looking for the sincerity of your love for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ who, though He was rich, for us became poor so that through His poverty we might become rich.'
There is never any need to lay guilt on a Christian to get them to be generous.
Rich young ruler: Luke 18:18-23
Is there anything else I need to do?
Jesus says 'Yeah, one thing: sell everything you have, give it away, and then you'll have treasures in heaven.'
He confronted him because He loves Him. 'You have a lot of money, but it's all going to burn up. If you have Me, you have everything - my record, my forgiveness. Unless you see that my dying love is your real treasure, that, frankly, salvation is not a matter of doing or adding one more thing to your good life. But, rather, it's a matter of throwing it all over and trusting wholly in Me. Until you see that if you have Me you have everything, you cannot inherit eternal life. If you understood that I am eternal life, your attitude toward money would be very different.'
Remember how God tells Abraham to put Isaac on the altar? He didn't really want Isaac to die. In fact, as soon as Abraham said 'Ok, You are the most important thing. If I've got You, I've got everything - all the love and wealth.' As soon as Abraham understood the Gospel, that eternal life does not come through adding but rather throwing everything over and having everything in Jesus; as soon as Abraham understood that, God said 'You don't have to kill Isaac.'
And probably that's what would have happened to the rich young ruler. If he had understood that in Jesus he had everything, he would have said 'Sure, if you want me to give it away, whatever' and Jesus would have said 'you probably don't need to now.'
What's the bottom line? You will always give money effortlessly to that which is your god.
[Then my god is myself and my own pleasure and comfort. That's what I give money effortlessly to.]
If you see that your salvation is in Jesus, then your attitude toward your money is 'I want to give it away in radical and drastic proportions. I want to change people's lives through it. It's not mine.'
On the other hand, if you salvation is clothes, looks, romance, status or security, then you're going to hold onto it and it's going to go effortlessly toward those things which are your real gods.
Your money is the bottom line. It tells you what your religion is, it tells you what your real salvation is. If the idea of giving great amounts of money away to the church or the poor appalls you, it shows that your heart is someplace else. If the idea of spending a lot of money on a new home sounds like a good idea because it is a great investment, but putting a whole lot of money into the poor, a whole lot of money into the church is not, it just simply shows you what your real salvation is and where you think grace really comes from.
2. Grace changes the procedure of your giving. Our giving without grace is passive and spontaneous. It's my money. I'm not looking for ways to get rid of it. I don't have enough of it anyway.
Most of us have to motivated by someone pulling on our guilt strings, like the Jerry Lewis telethon. Once someone gets through to us, through our passivity, we might give as much as we can afford. Cash in the wallet or bank account.
Christians are totally different. You will be active and intentional in your giving as a result of experiencing grace. Scheme about how to get rid of your money! 'Look at how God planned to poor out his riches on me! I'm going to plan, too.'
To be active and intentional, you have decide ahead of time how much you're going to give away, what percentage. It's a little harder if you have the kind of job where you don't know what your income's going to be, but you can still do some planning.
[We plan for retirement. We take out 6 or 10% off the top. How much more important is storing up treasures in heaven?]
The guideline in the Bible is the tithe, 10% to ministry and the poor. In an agricultural community, the tithe was the firstfruits. God got his gifts off the top. We have a tendency to fund out lifestyle first and then give God the leftovers. Instead, the Scripture says decide what you're giving God and then you live off of the leftovers.
Since, after Christ, we are more indebted to God, more blessed by God, it's inconceivable that God would expect or we would give less than the OT standard of 10%.
No legalism: Before or after taxes? I don't know. [But do you want to be blessed on the gross or on the net?] Does it all have to go to the local congregation? No.
If you begin your economic life using the tithe as a guideline for your giving, it's not hard. You just act like it's not there. But most of us have to transition, and it's very hard. It's impossible to do immediately and still pay our debts and bills. It might have to be something you're moving toward.
3. Grace changes the benefits of giving.
If you haven't experienced God's grace, what are the benefits of giving?
Jerry Lewis said 'If you give, you'll be able to look in the mirror tomorrow and say 'You are a caring person.'' It's true, and that's about as great a benefit as you get if you're doing it simply because Jerry Lewis got you to feeling guilty. There's nothing wrong with what he does. The kids need the money, that's the only way you can get it out of people who haven't experienced God's grace.
'Great grace was upon them all.'
The benefits are to others and to you.
To others:
People look for ways to invest their money in ways that will go on past their lives. Foundations and schools, but the future trustees don't share their values (like Harvard).
Lk 16: 'Make sure you make friends in heaven with your money so they will receive you when you come to their dwellings.' It's possible that some of you will come to Heaven and meet people whom you've never met that will thank you for giving to a ministry that pointed them to God. Money will burn up, but we can have wealth forever.
Go to your broker and say 'I want to put my money into something that lasts' I doubt that s/he'll think of this.
A billion years from now, do you want your wealth to still be with you? It's possible.
To you:
Some of you do not give as much as you should because you're worried about your money; you don't have enough. Some people can't give because they've got too much. If you can't give, money has you by the throat. You're so worried. Grace changes that. It makes you say 'Hey, He gave me His own Son. He's not going to let me starve now.' You're liberated.
Change your lifestyle so you can't do many of the things you're doing now because of your generosity. Then you'll be free, too.
Do you see the power of money over you receding because of your generosity?
Do you see glory being awakened in other people through your money?
Have you come to the place where anybody who knows you realizes you're different, incredibly generous, hospitable and welcoming?
Are you finding this a tremendously irritating sermon? So you think it's incredibly cheeky for a minister to talk to you like this? Does the idea of giving 10% of your income to charity or the church strike you as ridiculous?
You don't need to give your money away. You need to find the Christ that turns you into a person of radical generosity.
I'm not after your money. I don't want it. I'm after your blessedness. The Bible says it's more blessed to give than to receive.
If you're not sure where you stand with the Lord, we certainly don't want your money. We want you to find Him. Because you're in the same shoes as the rich young ruler. He thought all God wanted was for you to be a moral, decent person.
Christianity is never an addition to what you already have. Christianity is not just a little boost to make you a little better person. It' explosive. It explodes in your hands. It wipes away what you already have and puts something brand new in there. It says 'Jesus is your Savior entirely, you're save wholly by grace and therefore you follow Him entirely and it changes your attitude toward everything. Things that used to be very precious to you, you snap your fingers at because you've got Him.'
Don't think I'm saying 'Better give. That'll get you to heaven.' It's the exact opposite of everything I mean. You want to change your life, find Him.
[Keller applies this to nonChristians at the end, and that makes sense, of course. But I am so convicted by this sermon. I am not a cheerful giver, and, chances are, you are like me. No guilt: we need to find Jesus. We need His grace to change our lives more. He said 'You will find me when you seek me with all of your heart.' Amen.]
Thursday, November 19
A few cartoons from my childhood
I was looking up the Toothbrush Family (pretty cheesy now) and came across a few others:
+ Picture Pages
+ Fat Albert
+ Underdog
+ Peabody and Sherman (actually, a lot more clever than I remembered)
Fun :-)
+ Picture Pages
+ Fat Albert
+ Underdog
+ Peabody and Sherman (actually, a lot more clever than I remembered)
Fun :-)
Saturday, November 14
Keller on absolute truth
Absolutism: Don't we all have to find truth for ourselves?[NB: there's a small problem with the streaming file on this page. Simplest thing is to just download the mp3 that's offered.]
Galatians 2:4-16, Dr. Timothy Keller, October 8, 2006
In today's society, absolute truth is thought of to be the enemy of freedom. But truth is more important than you think, freedom is a lot more complex than you think, and Jesus is a lot more liberating than you think. Surrendering to God's absolute truth gives you a deeper, richer freedom in every area, without oppression.
Foucault: truth claims are power plays.
Nietzsche: Hermeneutics of Suspicion
Jesus brings the same criticisms against the Pharisees.
If Foucault, Nietzsche and Jesus all agree on something, it has to be true ;-)
But, not all truth claims are power plays. Not all of them destroy freedom.
Saying no one has the truth is itself a massive truth claim.
Everyone makes truth claims. We have to. We cannot live in a world with content, without truth, without belief. 'Fundamentalism' does not always lead to oppression. It depends on what the fundamental is.
There is no freedom without truth (and it has to be a truth beyond 'there is no truth', itself an arbitrary truth claim).
Only the truth will set you free. Example: navigation. You say 'maybe that's true in the empirical realm but not the moral/spiritual realm'. No, we see people run aground on moral/spiritual rocks every day. Freedom comes from submission to the truth. We think freedom is doing what we want, maybe getting free from 'truth'. Sure, then you're free to run aground.
Freedom in Christ does entail constraint to Biblical ethical norms.
We can't just eat anything we want, especially as we get older, if we want the richer, deeper freedom of good health and long life.
No one is free to be great at music without the restriction of practice. You say no to the 'freedom' of doing whatever your heart might desire at the moment for the greater good of the freedom to play well.
Freedom is the presence of the right restrictions.
A fish on the grass is not free. 'Oh, I wish I were free of this water!' ;-) It has lost it's freedom to move, even to live.
Love brings the freedom of fulfillment and security and joy.
John 1: The absolute truth is a person. When two people love one another and rely on each other and sacrifice their independence for the other one, it's heaven.
Only one religion has a god who sacrificed His freedom for us.
Thursday, November 5
Walter's CrossFit workout
My buddy, Walter, is a beast. He's been working out at CrossFit in Austin and he recently got his own workout!
Here's the workout:
And here's the interview with Walt:
And, if you're still with me and interested, here's the workout at CrossFit Central.
Here's the workout:
And here's the interview with Walt:
And, if you're still with me and interested, here's the workout at CrossFit Central.
Tuesday, November 3
Live Healthy: Catching up
Don't worry. I've been doing ok. Just haven't been posting about it :-)
+ The best news is that Friday I was down to 199! New low for this effort. Took the weekend off (Halloween and all). Back to work today. Reasonably, based on how I've been doing, I'd like to lose 2 more pounds by Thanksgiving.
+ I've had this nagging feeling that I should be doing more body weight exercises on Thursdays. Tuesday and Saturday have been my normal days, and I'm probably not going hard enough to have to take Thursdays off. So I added up 10 negative pullups (really have been meaning to do more of these), some miscellaneous exercises from Wil's physical therapy (I do it with him sometimes, mostly as a means of supervision), some of the exercises that came with my new stability ball (that I got with my SparkPeople gift certificate for pre-ordering 'The Spark') and a couple more. That felt more like it ;-)
+ Rode >12 miles in an hour with my father-in-law on Saturday during the second half of the Iowa game.Considering how tumultuous that game was, it was probably for the best ;-)
Rode down on the Three Rivers trail and it was a beautiful day, but not too crowded. I really bombed the southern end, including the boardwalk portion. Fun to go fast!
+ Jogged 2.4 miles in 25 minutes with my friend, Scott, on Sunday. I felt good about my pace and endurance.
Experiencing a very little soreness in my knees that I'm paying attention to. Probably normal and nothing to worry about.
That was the end of week 6 of Couch-to-5K training. It was also the end of walk breaks. 25 minutes of jogging per outing (3) this week, 28 next week and 30 the following week. Then, the Sleigh Bell Trot. Will I be able to achieve my goal of 31 minutes (6 mph)? Stay tuned! ;-)
+ The best news is that Friday I was down to 199! New low for this effort. Took the weekend off (Halloween and all). Back to work today. Reasonably, based on how I've been doing, I'd like to lose 2 more pounds by Thanksgiving.
+ I've had this nagging feeling that I should be doing more body weight exercises on Thursdays. Tuesday and Saturday have been my normal days, and I'm probably not going hard enough to have to take Thursdays off. So I added up 10 negative pullups (really have been meaning to do more of these), some miscellaneous exercises from Wil's physical therapy (I do it with him sometimes, mostly as a means of supervision), some of the exercises that came with my new stability ball (that I got with my SparkPeople gift certificate for pre-ordering 'The Spark') and a couple more. That felt more like it ;-)
+ Rode >12 miles in an hour with my father-in-law on Saturday during the second half of the Iowa game.Considering how tumultuous that game was, it was probably for the best ;-)
Rode down on the Three Rivers trail and it was a beautiful day, but not too crowded. I really bombed the southern end, including the boardwalk portion. Fun to go fast!
+ Jogged 2.4 miles in 25 minutes with my friend, Scott, on Sunday. I felt good about my pace and endurance.
Experiencing a very little soreness in my knees that I'm paying attention to. Probably normal and nothing to worry about.
That was the end of week 6 of Couch-to-5K training. It was also the end of walk breaks. 25 minutes of jogging per outing (3) this week, 28 next week and 30 the following week. Then, the Sleigh Bell Trot. Will I be able to achieve my goal of 31 minutes (6 mph)? Stay tuned! ;-)
Sunday, November 1
My incredible Iowa game recap!
How did I not know about ESPN360.com, where a bunch of college games can be watched online, including after the game has finished?! Watching the second half that I missed yesterday starting from midway through the 3rd quarter.
+ Ricky Stanzi owes the defense, big time. He also owes Indiana for not being good enough to capitalize on all those picks.
+ So much less anxiety watching afterward and knowing what the score is and who's going to win :-)
+ Wegher's pretty impressive for a white, true freshman. You don't see many starting white halfbacks these days. Of course, a lot of his yards were after the blowout began...
+ Ferentz says he never considered benching Stanzi? How can that be? Obviously the right call, but the worst quarter of football of his life.
+ Heard Hawks will drop in the polls, but haven't read anything on that yet. What should really happen is that USC should drop a good bit and Oregon should not leap us. We'll still be fine with the computers, but who far will the voters drop us for losing to IU for three quarters?
+ Ricky is obviously a gunslinger. He can keep throwing with no remorse.
+ I found Bob Davies very annoying, but it's probably because of my own partiality. And I applied my famous 'if he knew so much about [insert sport] he'd still be coaching'. But here are some things Bob Davies said that I agreed with:
+ Great job just riding Wegher at the end of the game. Wish the Vikes would have ridden Peterson last week against Pittsburgh :-(
+ Really didn't like seeing Ricky run and dive head-first a couple times at the end of the game.
+ At the end of the game, Davies says 'We've seen the worst Iowa football can be.' Not true. Ricki Stanzi was horrible in the third quarter. The rest of the team was pretty good the whole game, especially the defense. If the defense hadn't shut them down so many times, Iowa would have lost.
Ok, obviously the AP and USA Today rankings are out by now and the AP is a total rip off. You rank a one-loss Oregon team above an undefeated Iowa team with a stronger strength of schedule? Asinine.
A little more commentary for you: It's more than chemistry in Iowa's and Oregon's winning formula (furthermore, he's picking them to play each other in the Rose Bowl).
At least at this point, I'm not feeling greedy. I don't need Iowa to be in the national championship game or to win it. Like Kirk Ferentz said, our team doesn't look like world-beaters right now, but they keep winning games. Heck, I don't even need them to go undefeated. I'd like Iowa to win the Big Ten outright and the Rose Bowl. That's all I ask. Pretty modest, aye? ;-)
People I want to read this post and add to it (tagging in Facebook): Tyler Luebke, Phil Luebke, David Rodnitzky, Jason Streed, Andy Knox, Suzy Swenka and anyone else who loves to follow and analyze the Hawks.
+ Ricky Stanzi owes the defense, big time. He also owes Indiana for not being good enough to capitalize on all those picks.
+ So much less anxiety watching afterward and knowing what the score is and who's going to win :-)
+ Wegher's pretty impressive for a white, true freshman. You don't see many starting white halfbacks these days. Of course, a lot of his yards were after the blowout began...
+ Ferentz says he never considered benching Stanzi? How can that be? Obviously the right call, but the worst quarter of football of his life.
+ Heard Hawks will drop in the polls, but haven't read anything on that yet. What should really happen is that USC should drop a good bit and Oregon should not leap us. We'll still be fine with the computers, but who far will the voters drop us for losing to IU for three quarters?
+ Ricky is obviously a gunslinger. He can keep throwing with no remorse.
+ I found Bob Davies very annoying, but it's probably because of my own partiality. And I applied my famous 'if he knew so much about [insert sport] he'd still be coaching'. But here are some things Bob Davies said that I agreed with:
- Hidden yardage. This is the way the Hawks win with such a modest (though clutch) offense (86th in the nation). Scoring Defense: 14th, Turnover Margin: 6th, Net Punting: 12th, Kickoff Coverage: 18th, Penalty Yards: 3rd. So the knock on the Hawks is that they don't have enough offense to beat a really good team (like those ranked above them in the AP. But look at all of these other ways they add up to beat you. Of course, it didn't apply yesterday...
- The Iowa way: base defense and the next man in line steps up and plays. That's what you get with a good, strong basic system, offense and defense.
- Iowa has reaped the success of sticking with Ferentz through some sub-par years (especially given the size of his contract!). Patience has paid off.
- The Iowa strength and conditioning coach gets props for Iowa's total and complete 4th quarter dominance.
- The wind really did make a big difference to the QBs. What was it, six picks against the wind?
- Where should Iowa be in the polls?
+ Great job just riding Wegher at the end of the game. Wish the Vikes would have ridden Peterson last week against Pittsburgh :-(
+ Really didn't like seeing Ricky run and dive head-first a couple times at the end of the game.
+ At the end of the game, Davies says 'We've seen the worst Iowa football can be.' Not true. Ricki Stanzi was horrible in the third quarter. The rest of the team was pretty good the whole game, especially the defense. If the defense hadn't shut them down so many times, Iowa would have lost.
Ok, obviously the AP and USA Today rankings are out by now and the AP is a total rip off. You rank a one-loss Oregon team above an undefeated Iowa team with a stronger strength of schedule? Asinine.
A little more commentary for you: It's more than chemistry in Iowa's and Oregon's winning formula (furthermore, he's picking them to play each other in the Rose Bowl).
At least at this point, I'm not feeling greedy. I don't need Iowa to be in the national championship game or to win it. Like Kirk Ferentz said, our team doesn't look like world-beaters right now, but they keep winning games. Heck, I don't even need them to go undefeated. I'd like Iowa to win the Big Ten outright and the Rose Bowl. That's all I ask. Pretty modest, aye? ;-)
People I want to read this post and add to it (tagging in Facebook): Tyler Luebke, Phil Luebke, David Rodnitzky, Jason Streed, Andy Knox, Suzy Swenka and anyone else who loves to follow and analyze the Hawks.
Friday, October 30
Columbia Wave
+ Columbia ranked 14th strongest metro. I always tell people Columbia's economy is diverse and robust.
+ Marks say I'm the champ of Google Wave. It has been fun to find my way around and give out invites. Found some new stuff today and added it to my Intro wave.
+ Marks say I'm the champ of Google Wave. It has been fun to find my way around and give out invites. Found some new stuff today and added it to my Intro wave.
Tim Keller's 'Counterfeit Gods'
Website for Tim Keller's new book, 'Counterfeit Gods'. Tim Keller is the most insightful preacher I know. Here's the intro from the website:
Success, true love, and the life you’ve always wanted. Many of us placed our faith in these things, believing they held the key to happiness, but with a sneaking suspicion they might not deliver. The recent economic meltdown has cast a harsh new light on these pursuits. In a matter of months, fortunes, marriages, careers, and a secure retirement have disappeared for millions of people. No wonder so many of us feel lost, alone, disenchanted, and resentful. But the truth is that we made lesser gods of these good things – gods that can’t give us what we really need. There is only one God who can wholly satisfy our cravings – and now is the perfect time to meet him again, or for the first time. The Bible tells us that the human heart is an “idol-factory,” taking good things and making them into idols that drive us. In Counterfeit Gods, Keller applies his trademark approach to show us how a proper understanding of the Bible reveals the unvarnished truth about societal ideals and our own hearts. This powerful message will cement Keller’s reputation as a critical thinker and pastor, and comes at a crucial time—for both the faithful and the skeptical.If that interests you at all, I urge you to check out the website (perhaps including the introduction to the book) and consider reading the book.
Sunday, October 25
Great Vikings game. Disappointing end.
My thoughts progressing through the game:
Vikes are ok. Need to improve their tackling! They need to catch the ball, too. At least two drops in the first half. I don't really think they will beat Pittsburgh there. I just want them to play well. And, of course, I hope they win.
I'm finding Daryl Johnston very annoying. Is it just my own bias?
Two bad calls by the officials against the Vikings. We can't beat Pittsburgh away and the refs.
(The first return for a touchdown never should have happened because the tripping call that brought back our TD on the drive was bogus.)
We had it in hand, tie or win and disaster strikes. Not Brett's fault; he hit Chester in the hands. Not really Chester's fault, either. A few too many passes. Wish they would have run more. Something is bound to go wrong.
Credit to the Steeler's D. They kept fighting.
Oh, well. Well played, Vikes. We'll keep playing hard. Know we did a good job. Never really figured on going undefeated. Still in good shape int he NFC North and the NFC in general.
Vikes are ok. Need to improve their tackling! They need to catch the ball, too. At least two drops in the first half. I don't really think they will beat Pittsburgh there. I just want them to play well. And, of course, I hope they win.
I'm finding Daryl Johnston very annoying. Is it just my own bias?
Two bad calls by the officials against the Vikings. We can't beat Pittsburgh away and the refs.
(The first return for a touchdown never should have happened because the tripping call that brought back our TD on the drive was bogus.)
We had it in hand, tie or win and disaster strikes. Not Brett's fault; he hit Chester in the hands. Not really Chester's fault, either. A few too many passes. Wish they would have run more. Something is bound to go wrong.
Credit to the Steeler's D. They kept fighting.
Oh, well. Well played, Vikes. We'll keep playing hard. Know we did a good job. Never really figured on going undefeated. Still in good shape int he NFC North and the NFC in general.
Friday, October 23
Live Healthy: Getting back to it
I've been doing okay, I just haven't been posting about it.
+ The actual ride last Saturday was not great. Had to walk up the first hill because I couldn't get my borrowed bike to change gears. Seriously deflating. Tom was having problems with his bike, too, so we were hanging back. I finally started to get the hang of my bike, but Tom continued to have problems with his. After about 8 miles of struggling, he decided to just go back. But we lost quite a bit of time.
I wasn't dressed warmly enough. It was about 40 degrees and rainy and I only had on two cotton layers. I brought my fleece, but left it in the car. That was ok for going up the hills, but I was freezing going down hill. It became two bad choices: labor uphill but don't freeze, or coast downhill but freeze ;-)
Made it to the planned refueling stop. Had 1.5 Snickers and some coffee. Should have asked Eric for his windbreaker before we left. Asked him back on the road if I could borrow it at the next stop (which did happen).
I forget when we made the decision to shorten the ride. We were supposed to be meeting some people for dinner at 5:30 and it was going to start getting dark. The final mileage was a little over 30 miles. We had to settle for 40 km for Bryan's 40th birthday instead of 40 miles, but these things happen. Don't know if I could have made the full 40, the way things went. I think I could have if I'd had a better start...
Thankfully, most of the last part of the ride was flat or downhill because my legs were gone. Limped to the end.
It took me quite a while to recover. I continued to shiver some while we waited at the restaurant for a seat. Maybe it was from being cold, but I felt like it was more from being drained. Maybe I didn't refuel enough as we went along. I wasn't incredibly sore the next day or anything. (But I'm still keeping my promise to take a week off of biking. Back to it Monday :-)
Well, that's enough of that. The main thing is: it was a good visit with my friend, Bryan.
+ Bryan and Sarah eat incredibly healthy! There's not unhealthy food in their house. So, I ate pretty well while I was visiting there. I ate a little too much and am back up a little on the scale, but that was all expected and I am not alarmed. I am getting back to my program now.
+ My primary training focus now is the Sleigh Bell Trot on November 24th. I will probably shoot for 3 10 minutes miles or 31 minutes overall. We'll see as we get closer if I can really pull that off. Started jogging again yesterday after taking 5 days off. Went fine. Actually was my 2nd fastest pace so far, 11:14/mile.
+ I never did get around to doing my September evaluation and a new October contract. I should definitely do it again for November...
+ The actual ride last Saturday was not great. Had to walk up the first hill because I couldn't get my borrowed bike to change gears. Seriously deflating. Tom was having problems with his bike, too, so we were hanging back. I finally started to get the hang of my bike, but Tom continued to have problems with his. After about 8 miles of struggling, he decided to just go back. But we lost quite a bit of time.
I wasn't dressed warmly enough. It was about 40 degrees and rainy and I only had on two cotton layers. I brought my fleece, but left it in the car. That was ok for going up the hills, but I was freezing going down hill. It became two bad choices: labor uphill but don't freeze, or coast downhill but freeze ;-)
Made it to the planned refueling stop. Had 1.5 Snickers and some coffee. Should have asked Eric for his windbreaker before we left. Asked him back on the road if I could borrow it at the next stop (which did happen).
I forget when we made the decision to shorten the ride. We were supposed to be meeting some people for dinner at 5:30 and it was going to start getting dark. The final mileage was a little over 30 miles. We had to settle for 40 km for Bryan's 40th birthday instead of 40 miles, but these things happen. Don't know if I could have made the full 40, the way things went. I think I could have if I'd had a better start...
Thankfully, most of the last part of the ride was flat or downhill because my legs were gone. Limped to the end.
It took me quite a while to recover. I continued to shiver some while we waited at the restaurant for a seat. Maybe it was from being cold, but I felt like it was more from being drained. Maybe I didn't refuel enough as we went along. I wasn't incredibly sore the next day or anything. (But I'm still keeping my promise to take a week off of biking. Back to it Monday :-)
Well, that's enough of that. The main thing is: it was a good visit with my friend, Bryan.
+ Bryan and Sarah eat incredibly healthy! There's not unhealthy food in their house. So, I ate pretty well while I was visiting there. I ate a little too much and am back up a little on the scale, but that was all expected and I am not alarmed. I am getting back to my program now.
+ My primary training focus now is the Sleigh Bell Trot on November 24th. I will probably shoot for 3 10 minutes miles or 31 minutes overall. We'll see as we get closer if I can really pull that off. Started jogging again yesterday after taking 5 days off. Went fine. Actually was my 2nd fastest pace so far, 11:14/mile.
+ I never did get around to doing my September evaluation and a new October contract. I should definitely do it again for November...
The Power of the Gospel (through Tim Keller)
Are you looking for something 'devotional', something to encourage you in your (historically orthodox) Christian faith?
I can't think of anything better you could do than to listen to all of the free sermons by Tim Keller that Redeemer Presbyterian Church has put up.
Hell: Isn't the God of Christianity an angry Judge?
Stream or download the mp3.
'Hell is just a freely-chosen identity based on something else beside God going on forever.'
'There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God 'Thy will be done' and those to whom God says in the end 'thy will be done'.'
His discussion of Miroslav Wolf is amazing and typical Keller: he performs judo on the typically liberal mindset of peace without justice. There is no basis for non-violence unless you believe that God will ultimately be just. If you've seen your family raped and killed (eg, the Balkans), you want justice and not liberal non-violent blather from the comfort of their suburban existence.
Fear of hell won't keep us out of it.
Naked miracles won't convince us. Sometimes we think a miracle would convince us to believe in God. Wrong. The Bible is full of miracles, OT and NT, followed by people who did not believe and love and obey. In some ways, Jesus had to come because miracles do not work. Only love will draw us to God from ourselves and an eternity of Hell.
Jesus talks about Hell more than anyone else in the Bible. Why? Because He took it. 'He descended into Hell.'
I can't think of anything better you could do than to listen to all of the free sermons by Tim Keller that Redeemer Presbyterian Church has put up.
Hell: Isn't the God of Christianity an angry Judge?
Stream or download the mp3.
Hell begins with a grumbling mood, always complaining, always blaming others . . . but you are still distinct from it. You may even criticize it in yourself and wish you could stop it. But there may come a day when you can no longer. Then there will be no you left to criticize the mood or even to enjoy it, but just the grumble itself, going on forever like a machine. It is not a question of God 'sending us' to hell. In each of us there is something growing, which will BE Hell unless it is nipped in the bud.- CS Lewis, The Great Divorce, ch 9
'Hell is just a freely-chosen identity based on something else beside God going on forever.'
'There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God 'Thy will be done' and those to whom God says in the end 'thy will be done'.'
His discussion of Miroslav Wolf is amazing and typical Keller: he performs judo on the typically liberal mindset of peace without justice. There is no basis for non-violence unless you believe that God will ultimately be just. If you've seen your family raped and killed (eg, the Balkans), you want justice and not liberal non-violent blather from the comfort of their suburban existence.
Fear of hell won't keep us out of it.
Naked miracles won't convince us. Sometimes we think a miracle would convince us to believe in God. Wrong. The Bible is full of miracles, OT and NT, followed by people who did not believe and love and obey. In some ways, Jesus had to come because miracles do not work. Only love will draw us to God from ourselves and an eternity of Hell.
Jesus talks about Hell more than anyone else in the Bible. Why? Because He took it. 'He descended into Hell.'
Thursday, October 15
Five little links
Cleaning out my tabs. Have I mentioned I'm on staycation? Woot!
+ Use pitch tracking technology to call strikes in pro baseball games
+ Once I learned what 'vomitoria' were, I figured what I'd heard previously about them was a myth.
+ Recent article on Gamecocks' comparative success.
+ Limbaugh gets dropped from Rams bid. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.
+
Pack QB Rodgers Won't Criticize Porous Protection. What I said before: he's good, but the o-line has problems. The quotes in this article make it sound like there's a little dissension in the locker room. Seems dumb of McCarthy to say Rodgers is holding it too long when the o-line sucks so much. Kid's doing about all he can.
+ Use pitch tracking technology to call strikes in pro baseball games
+ Once I learned what 'vomitoria' were, I figured what I'd heard previously about them was a myth.
+ Recent article on Gamecocks' comparative success.
+ Limbaugh gets dropped from Rams bid. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.
+
Pack QB Rodgers Won't Criticize Porous Protection. What I said before: he's good, but the o-line has problems. The quotes in this article make it sound like there's a little dissension in the locker room. Seems dumb of McCarthy to say Rodgers is holding it too long when the o-line sucks so much. Kid's doing about all he can.
Wednesday, October 14
Live Healthy: The hardest thing?
When I lose this weight, will it be the hardest thing I've ever done?
On the one hand, yes: I can't think of anything I've tried and failed at so much.
On the other hand, surely not. I've done other hard things, right? Earning my Master's degree required a lot of perseverance.
What do you think? Is losing weight so hard? Is it hard for you? Am I forgetting something harder?
Diary
Down to 200.5 on the scale today, so that's good, but I'm not counting it until I get to 200. Gotta' keep fighting it down!
Exercise is still going well. I rode 20 miles again on Sunday and I feel ready for my 40 mile ride coming up. I jogged 2.6 miles last night at the fastest pace I've done so far: 11:18 min/mi. That included a 1 minute walk break for every 4 minutes of jogging. One more jog and two more rides before my 40 miles ride coming up. Feeling good about it.
My preliminary goal for jogging is to get back to 3 miles in 30 minutes (comfortably and conversationally). Doubt I'll reach the comfortable part by the Sleigh Bell Trot on 11/24, but we'll see. If the training continues to go ok, I'll probably shoot for 3 miles in 30 minutes even if it wipes me out.
Oh, yeah. By the way, I did register for the Sleigh Bell Trot 5K. Crazy ;-)
Something I'm wondering about (that I've maybe written about before): Is it harder to lose weight when you're working out so much? In effect, I'm pursuing two goals at once: better fitness and weight loss. Working out can certainly make you hungrier (though I think I've been doing a pretty good job of not eating everything in sight ;-)
For example, Saturday and Sunday I burned about 1000 calories in exercise alone. But then you have to be disciplined to not overeat. It was kind of fun to have second breakfast, though, both days. Saturday was cold pizza and Sunday was 500 calories of toast, cheese and cashews. Hit the spot! :-)
On the one hand, yes: I can't think of anything I've tried and failed at so much.
On the other hand, surely not. I've done other hard things, right? Earning my Master's degree required a lot of perseverance.
What do you think? Is losing weight so hard? Is it hard for you? Am I forgetting something harder?
Diary
Down to 200.5 on the scale today, so that's good, but I'm not counting it until I get to 200. Gotta' keep fighting it down!
Exercise is still going well. I rode 20 miles again on Sunday and I feel ready for my 40 mile ride coming up. I jogged 2.6 miles last night at the fastest pace I've done so far: 11:18 min/mi. That included a 1 minute walk break for every 4 minutes of jogging. One more jog and two more rides before my 40 miles ride coming up. Feeling good about it.
My preliminary goal for jogging is to get back to 3 miles in 30 minutes (comfortably and conversationally). Doubt I'll reach the comfortable part by the Sleigh Bell Trot on 11/24, but we'll see. If the training continues to go ok, I'll probably shoot for 3 miles in 30 minutes even if it wipes me out.
Oh, yeah. By the way, I did register for the Sleigh Bell Trot 5K. Crazy ;-)
Something I'm wondering about (that I've maybe written about before): Is it harder to lose weight when you're working out so much? In effect, I'm pursuing two goals at once: better fitness and weight loss. Working out can certainly make you hungrier (though I think I've been doing a pretty good job of not eating everything in sight ;-)
For example, Saturday and Sunday I burned about 1000 calories in exercise alone. But then you have to be disciplined to not overeat. It was kind of fun to have second breakfast, though, both days. Saturday was cold pizza and Sunday was 500 calories of toast, cheese and cashews. Hit the spot! :-)
Saturday, October 10
Coming around on Obama's Nobel
I was stunned to wake up yesterday and read BHO has won the Nobel Peace Prize. Here's what I wrote on Facebook:
Furthermore, I commented on a lot of other people's posts that I just couldn't see it and didn't agree.
But a couple different perspectives are bringing me back around.
1. Obama's stunning Nobel win
2. Obama's Nobel--on second thought
3. Christine felt it was a sign of the world's gratitude for our change and I take her opinion seriously :-)
4. A slightly different perspective on the Prize
5. Finally, I liked the opening of Obama's speech. Nice and humble:
If you know me well, you know I hate being wrong, but I feel like I was yesterday, that I kind of over-reacted. Oh well :-)
wow. i like BHO, but i find this pretty shocking. surely there were nominees who were more deserving...
i guess it just goes to show how much the world wants America back as a team player.
can this also be construed as backhanded commentary against GWB?
Furthermore, I commented on a lot of other people's posts that I just couldn't see it and didn't agree.
But a couple different perspectives are bringing me back around.
1. Obama's stunning Nobel win
But this prize isn't about political partisanship inside the U.S. Again, it was a clear signal from an old friend.
As usual, though, America is too obsessed with itself to notice.
2. Obama's Nobel--on second thought
So when you step out of the American perspective, you understand just how much the world appreciates the shift he's accomplished in such a short time--and at such a dangerous time.
We have made amends, and the world replied with "thank you."
Shows you what a nice apology can do--even for the world's sole superpower.
...
Some grace is called for, though. We've been in this endzone before. No need to act like boors.
3. Christine felt it was a sign of the world's gratitude for our change and I take her opinion seriously :-)
4. A slightly different perspective on the Prize
However, the fact is that there are billions of people in the world (people with different political and cultural baggage than most Americans) who definitely see Obama as a larger than life man of peace -- not because of what he has done or will do but because of who he is and what he represents.
President Obama is a person of color in one of the most powerful positions in the world. To much (most?) of the world this is more encouraging than peace-treaties or development projects for the poor -- as important as those things might be. To the poor of the world our president signals a new era where even a dark-skinned person can get ahead in life. To them that is hope. That is peace!
Americans just don't realize how big a deal this is for the rest of the world.
Might it be that our definition of what constitutes peacemaking is too insular and narrow -- too exclusively Western -- too lacking in shalom?
5. Finally, I liked the opening of Obama's speech. Nice and humble:
Good morning. Well, this is not how I expected to wake up this morning. After I received the news, Malia walked in and said, "Daddy, you won the Nobel Peace Prize, and it is Bo's birthday!" And then Sasha added, "Plus, we have a three-day weekend coming up." So it's good to have kids to keep things in perspective.
I am both surprised and deeply humbled by the decision of the Nobel Committee. Let me be clear: I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations.
To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize -- men and women who've inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace.
But I also know that this prize reflects the kind of world that those men and women, and all Americans, want to build -- a world that gives life to the promise of our founding documents. And I know that throughout history, the Nobel Peace Prize has not just been used to honor specific achievement; it's also been used as a means to give momentum to a set of causes. And that is why I will accept this award as a call to action -- a call for all nations to confront the common challenges of the 21st century.
If you know me well, you know I hate being wrong, but I feel like I was yesterday, that I kind of over-reacted. Oh well :-)
Wednesday, October 7
Live Healthy: Do diets work?
I've been thinking about it a lot and I've found a point of disagreement with Gwen Shamblin's 'Weigh Down Diet' and Bethenny Frankel's 'Naturally Thin'.
Both are quite strong in their arguments that diets don't work, period, and this includes counting calories. Then they recommend their systems which focus more on mindful eating, not eating until you're hungry, stopping when you're full and other 'rules' like that (Frankel calls her guidelines 'rules').
My theory is that it's true: diets don't work when the diet is looked to as a temporary, almost magical fix so I can get the weight down and then go back to 'normal' life. Diets don't work when they entail bizarre, unhealthy or unsustainable eating.
To me, the key factor in successful weight loss (which I haven't even yet achieved, not to mention maintained, so take it with a block of salt) is willingness to make a lifestyle change: what I've done before does not work. I'm going to change my life, especially my outlook, eating and exercise. And, when I'm done, my behavior if not going to change much. I'll be able to eat a little more than when I was losing weight, but, if I want to keep it off, I'll still be working the new lifestyle and not returning to the old one.
Counter-evidence to WD and Naturally Thin: there are a lot of people on SparkPeople who have lost weight and kept it off in a program that includes counting calories.
I read recently (though I can't remember where) that most people who successfully lose weight try and fail a number of times (six or seven?) before they succeed. This is certainly true of my own experience and I would say it matches up with trying to find quick, magical fixes and finally getting fed up and ready to change lifestyle.
To be clear, my theory is that willingness to make a lifestyle change is the key to weight loss. Once that point is reached, there are probably many healthy 'diets' (where 'diet' is construed in its broadest sense of 'what you eat') that will work for weight loss and maintenance. The key may be finding what approach works best for you.
Personal update
I have suffered a minor weight setback due to a lot of exceptional socializing, mostly around football. Went to the Gamecocks game Saturday night with my brother and ate game food. Then went to a bar Monday night to watch the Vikes (I don't have ESPN) and had some tortilla chips and a couple drinks. Tonight's the last soiree for a while and then I'll be back on plan for at least a week and a half. I'm a little disappointed in the lapses and in going backwards on the weight loss (203 this morning after 201 last week), but it seems most 'natural' (for whatever that's worth).
On the exercise side, I'm still doing great. Making progress with the Couch to 5K program; completed day 1 of week 6 last night.
Further, I've been invited to ride 40 miles for a friend's 40th birthday coming up. Since I haven't ridden near that recently, I rode 20 miles this past Sunday as sort of a warmup and it went pretty well.
I'm feeling a few tweaks in my left knee and ankle from all the training. Seriously considering going Gallaway (taking frequent walk breaks) on the Couch to 5k for the time being, until I get through the 40 mile ride. Then I can back off the bike mileage a little and resume my training for the Saluda Shoals Sleigh Bell Trot in late November. I know I could finish it now, no problem, taking walk breaks. The question is what will my goal be? Will I set a time I'm shooting for? Do I want to run it without walking? Not sure yet...
Both are quite strong in their arguments that diets don't work, period, and this includes counting calories. Then they recommend their systems which focus more on mindful eating, not eating until you're hungry, stopping when you're full and other 'rules' like that (Frankel calls her guidelines 'rules').
My theory is that it's true: diets don't work when the diet is looked to as a temporary, almost magical fix so I can get the weight down and then go back to 'normal' life. Diets don't work when they entail bizarre, unhealthy or unsustainable eating.
To me, the key factor in successful weight loss (which I haven't even yet achieved, not to mention maintained, so take it with a block of salt) is willingness to make a lifestyle change: what I've done before does not work. I'm going to change my life, especially my outlook, eating and exercise. And, when I'm done, my behavior if not going to change much. I'll be able to eat a little more than when I was losing weight, but, if I want to keep it off, I'll still be working the new lifestyle and not returning to the old one.
Counter-evidence to WD and Naturally Thin: there are a lot of people on SparkPeople who have lost weight and kept it off in a program that includes counting calories.
I read recently (though I can't remember where) that most people who successfully lose weight try and fail a number of times (six or seven?) before they succeed. This is certainly true of my own experience and I would say it matches up with trying to find quick, magical fixes and finally getting fed up and ready to change lifestyle.
To be clear, my theory is that willingness to make a lifestyle change is the key to weight loss. Once that point is reached, there are probably many healthy 'diets' (where 'diet' is construed in its broadest sense of 'what you eat') that will work for weight loss and maintenance. The key may be finding what approach works best for you.
Personal update
I have suffered a minor weight setback due to a lot of exceptional socializing, mostly around football. Went to the Gamecocks game Saturday night with my brother and ate game food. Then went to a bar Monday night to watch the Vikes (I don't have ESPN) and had some tortilla chips and a couple drinks. Tonight's the last soiree for a while and then I'll be back on plan for at least a week and a half. I'm a little disappointed in the lapses and in going backwards on the weight loss (203 this morning after 201 last week), but it seems most 'natural' (for whatever that's worth).
On the exercise side, I'm still doing great. Making progress with the Couch to 5K program; completed day 1 of week 6 last night.
Further, I've been invited to ride 40 miles for a friend's 40th birthday coming up. Since I haven't ridden near that recently, I rode 20 miles this past Sunday as sort of a warmup and it went pretty well.
I'm feeling a few tweaks in my left knee and ankle from all the training. Seriously considering going Gallaway (taking frequent walk breaks) on the Couch to 5k for the time being, until I get through the 40 mile ride. Then I can back off the bike mileage a little and resume my training for the Saluda Shoals Sleigh Bell Trot in late November. I know I could finish it now, no problem, taking walk breaks. The question is what will my goal be? Will I set a time I'm shooting for? Do I want to run it without walking? Not sure yet...
Friday, October 2
Live Healthy 10% at a time
Here's a concept that will be front and center when I write my diet book ;-)
The 10% Solution
Any of us approaching weight loss should set an initial 10% goal (assuming we have that much to lose) and not get too ambitious or freaked out about anything beyond that. Especially for those of us with a lot to lose, by the time we lose 10%, everything will be different ... for the better! So let's not get too focused on the whole number in a way that is daunting or discouraging.
In my case, my initial goal weight was 170 because that seemed reasonable. I don't even remember where I came up with that. I think it was a function of BMI and the fact that I used to weight less than that back when I was 28 and fit. Sounds ok, aye? Maybe it was.
But I've re-evaluated. I've changed my initial weight-loss goal to something closer to the top of the BMI for my height: 180. A nice round number and a resulting round number to lose overall: 30 pounds.
And, changing gears to the subject of this post, 10% of my beginning body weight is 21 pounds, which will put me at 189. That's a nice, firm, doable preliminary goal.
To their credit, Weight Watchers emphasizes shooting for a 10% loss first, but, when I was in that program, for whatever reason, I wasn't ready for that to motivate me.
More about things getting better: think about how much easier the rest of the weight will be to lose once you've hit your 10% goal. You'll be that much lighter and have many better habits. Your lifestyle will have improved.
Or, if you still have a lot to go, you can set a goal for the next 10%, which will be a nicely smaller number than the previous achievement, with a much better foundation. Sounds good, right?
So, what's your 10% goal? (You don't have to post it if you're too shy.) Does it seem more doable than your conceptual goal weight?
The 10% Solution
According to the study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the average "Dream" weight loss is 38% of the dieter’s current weight. Also:I totally understand this way of thinking. In fact, it's pretty similar to my ongoing low-grade disappointment that my weight loss has not happened faster. But, friends, we have got to change our mindset!
* a 31% weight loss would make the average dieter "Happy"
* a 25% weight loss would be "Acceptable".
* a 15.7% weight loss would be "Disappointing".
So the 200-pound woman who loses 30 pounds would actually be disappointed in her results!
Any of us approaching weight loss should set an initial 10% goal (assuming we have that much to lose) and not get too ambitious or freaked out about anything beyond that. Especially for those of us with a lot to lose, by the time we lose 10%, everything will be different ... for the better! So let's not get too focused on the whole number in a way that is daunting or discouraging.
In my case, my initial goal weight was 170 because that seemed reasonable. I don't even remember where I came up with that. I think it was a function of BMI and the fact that I used to weight less than that back when I was 28 and fit. Sounds ok, aye? Maybe it was.
But I've re-evaluated. I've changed my initial weight-loss goal to something closer to the top of the BMI for my height: 180. A nice round number and a resulting round number to lose overall: 30 pounds.
And, changing gears to the subject of this post, 10% of my beginning body weight is 21 pounds, which will put me at 189. That's a nice, firm, doable preliminary goal.
To their credit, Weight Watchers emphasizes shooting for a 10% loss first, but, when I was in that program, for whatever reason, I wasn't ready for that to motivate me.
More about things getting better: think about how much easier the rest of the weight will be to lose once you've hit your 10% goal. You'll be that much lighter and have many better habits. Your lifestyle will have improved.
Or, if you still have a lot to go, you can set a goal for the next 10%, which will be a nicely smaller number than the previous achievement, with a much better foundation. Sounds good, right?
So, what's your 10% goal? (You don't have to post it if you're too shy.) Does it seem more doable than your conceptual goal weight?
Live Healthy: Greed for food
I don't think my problem with food is gluttony exactly. It's more like greed.
I think about eating all the time. I look forward to eating. I feel like I'm going to die if I don't get to eat. But then I wolf down my food, hardly tasting it. What is wrong with me?
It seems almost like I need to possess the food. Like I said: greed. It's strange.
I've read quite a bit about mindful eating and similar topics. And I'm terrible at it.
In some ways, I don't want to do it. I don't want to slow down. I don't want to make that effort. I don't want to work so hard at eating.
But the alternative is bad: eating my food without really 'tasting' and enjoying it.
Do you know the dynamic? I want and long to have something that tastes really good. Then I can get to the end of it and feel like I haven't really tasted it at all. It's just gone, down the pie-hole. I wouldn't eat something that was healthy for me, but maybe a little less full of taste. No, it had to be really tasty. And then I hardly tasted it!
Relatedly, both 'Weight Down' and 'Naturally Thin' recommend leaving some food on your plate. This is almost impossible for me to conceive, not to mention do. Leave food on my plate when I'm not stuffed to the gills? I might need that food! Furthermore, I need the enjoyment in my life! (Never mind that I usually hardly taste my food.)
I don't have any great answers right now...
Diary
Still doing well with my exercise. I've modified my Couch to 5K training a little to make sure I'm in good shape for next week's 40 mile bike ride. I felt a little tweak in my left knee after doing 20 last week and I don't want any interference. So I'm taking 1 minute walk breaks after every 4 minutes of jogging (unless I'm going downhill). Then, when I have succeeded with next week's 40 mile ride, I'll get back to the 5K training in earnest.
The scale's still stuck at 202 or 203 after doing a lot of social eating this week. But I'm hoping to see some good movement again soon. My eating, otherwise, has been pretty good. I burned almost 1000 calories today between jogging/walking, mowing the lawn and trimming the hedge. And I'll burn another 1000 tomorrow with my 20 mile training ride. The key, of course, is, having worked that hard, not to eat everything in sight ;-) I think I've done pretty well, though.
I think about eating all the time. I look forward to eating. I feel like I'm going to die if I don't get to eat. But then I wolf down my food, hardly tasting it. What is wrong with me?
It seems almost like I need to possess the food. Like I said: greed. It's strange.
I've read quite a bit about mindful eating and similar topics. And I'm terrible at it.
In some ways, I don't want to do it. I don't want to slow down. I don't want to make that effort. I don't want to work so hard at eating.
But the alternative is bad: eating my food without really 'tasting' and enjoying it.
Do you know the dynamic? I want and long to have something that tastes really good. Then I can get to the end of it and feel like I haven't really tasted it at all. It's just gone, down the pie-hole. I wouldn't eat something that was healthy for me, but maybe a little less full of taste. No, it had to be really tasty. And then I hardly tasted it!
Relatedly, both 'Weight Down' and 'Naturally Thin' recommend leaving some food on your plate. This is almost impossible for me to conceive, not to mention do. Leave food on my plate when I'm not stuffed to the gills? I might need that food! Furthermore, I need the enjoyment in my life! (Never mind that I usually hardly taste my food.)
I don't have any great answers right now...
Diary
Still doing well with my exercise. I've modified my Couch to 5K training a little to make sure I'm in good shape for next week's 40 mile bike ride. I felt a little tweak in my left knee after doing 20 last week and I don't want any interference. So I'm taking 1 minute walk breaks after every 4 minutes of jogging (unless I'm going downhill). Then, when I have succeeded with next week's 40 mile ride, I'll get back to the 5K training in earnest.
The scale's still stuck at 202 or 203 after doing a lot of social eating this week. But I'm hoping to see some good movement again soon. My eating, otherwise, has been pretty good. I burned almost 1000 calories today between jogging/walking, mowing the lawn and trimming the hedge. And I'll burn another 1000 tomorrow with my 20 mile training ride. The key, of course, is, having worked that hard, not to eat everything in sight ;-) I think I've done pretty well, though.
Wednesday, September 30
Perfect living healthy day!
I thought my face looked thinner yesterday, and Christine said the same thing last night.
1. Exceptionally good news: down to 201 today, my new low (for this effort). Woo hoo!
2. Welcome, dear Autumn! I love you so much!
3. Seriously impressed with myself:
Christine and the twins were gone for the day. Didn't really want to eat supper here at home. But also didn't want to blow out that 201. Want to keep rolling.
Finally decided to make the most of this Autumn day and bike the mile to Wendy's, get a Chicken Caesar salad, and bike back home.
How about those choices for living healthy?!
Analysis:
The salad was just ok. And the bike ride wasn't that enjoyable because I was by traffic the whole time and it was hard to really relax.
However, good effort. Way to go, me. And I got some fresh air, right?
4. Rewarded myself with a glass of red wine when I got home (only 100 calories).
5. Went out for my walk/jog, middle of week 5 of Couch to Five K. Ran into a guy jogging, too, a little slower than me, and we jogged together. I was only 'supposed' to jog 16 minutes tonight (and walk 15), but ended up jogging 26 minutes at better than 12 minute mile pace! Yep, upon further review, figure I ended up jogging about 2.5 miles. Pretty awesome, aye?!
Furthermore, this gentleman and I made friends and I told him about SparkPeople. And we're planning on jogging together again.
6. Then did 10 inverse pullups to hit my upper body another time after yesterday (since I wasn't sore today).
7. Then did 25 minutes of yoga.
Who am I and what have I done with Sean? ;-)
Finished out September strong. Time to evaluate, type up a new October contract, maybe make a few measurements to chart progress, maybe test a few things...
Sure, I wish the weight loss were going faster (like Aaron and Chris :-), but I'm pretty happy with the package right now.
1. Exceptionally good news: down to 201 today, my new low (for this effort). Woo hoo!
2. Welcome, dear Autumn! I love you so much!
3. Seriously impressed with myself:
Christine and the twins were gone for the day. Didn't really want to eat supper here at home. But also didn't want to blow out that 201. Want to keep rolling.
Finally decided to make the most of this Autumn day and bike the mile to Wendy's, get a Chicken Caesar salad, and bike back home.
How about those choices for living healthy?!
Analysis:
The salad was just ok. And the bike ride wasn't that enjoyable because I was by traffic the whole time and it was hard to really relax.
However, good effort. Way to go, me. And I got some fresh air, right?
4. Rewarded myself with a glass of red wine when I got home (only 100 calories).
5. Went out for my walk/jog, middle of week 5 of Couch to Five K. Ran into a guy jogging, too, a little slower than me, and we jogged together. I was only 'supposed' to jog 16 minutes tonight (and walk 15), but ended up jogging 26 minutes at better than 12 minute mile pace! Yep, upon further review, figure I ended up jogging about 2.5 miles. Pretty awesome, aye?!
Furthermore, this gentleman and I made friends and I told him about SparkPeople. And we're planning on jogging together again.
6. Then did 10 inverse pullups to hit my upper body another time after yesterday (since I wasn't sore today).
7. Then did 25 minutes of yoga.
Who am I and what have I done with Sean? ;-)
Finished out September strong. Time to evaluate, type up a new October contract, maybe make a few measurements to chart progress, maybe test a few things...
Sure, I wish the weight loss were going faster (like Aaron and Chris :-), but I'm pretty happy with the package right now.
Sunday, September 27
9/28 Football thoughts
+ Happy the Vikes won, but not real impressed. Took a 50 yard pass with 2 seconds left against the Niners (who are not world-beaters, though improved) without Frank Gore at our place.
Take away one 35-yard run from scrimmage and AP didn't do much.
Here's something good: Favre's first interception was tipped up by the Vikes. He didn't just throw it to the other team.
Percy Harvin is really fast.
I'd be afraid to have the Vikes play anyone in Peter King's Fine Fifteen right now. He's got the Vikes at 3, which I find impossible to believe will be borne out by their future play, but I guess we can hope...
+ Didn't watch the game. What in the heck happened to my boy, Drew Brees?
Upon further review, looks like their running game was working pretty well.
Great fake field goal by the Bills.
+ Wow, the Raiders are really bad, aren't they?
Fumbling the ball and not being in range to try to get it back must be a really sickening feeling.
+ Yes, McGahee was a good pickup for my fantasy team.
The Browns are pretty bad, too.
+ The Patriots - Falcons game sure was ugly.
I think Randy Moss' injury is holding him up. He's not even trying for balls he would normally win.
+ I used to hate Cris Collingsworth, but I don't mind him anymore. He seems much humbler than, say five years ago, when he seemed like kind of a punk.
Clark for the end-around. Love it!
I still like Kurt Warner and wish him well.
+ King has Baltimore as the best team in football. The scoreboard sure looks that way, but I haven't seen them play yet...
Take away one 35-yard run from scrimmage and AP didn't do much.
Here's something good: Favre's first interception was tipped up by the Vikes. He didn't just throw it to the other team.
Percy Harvin is really fast.
I'd be afraid to have the Vikes play anyone in Peter King's Fine Fifteen right now. He's got the Vikes at 3, which I find impossible to believe will be borne out by their future play, but I guess we can hope...
+ Didn't watch the game. What in the heck happened to my boy, Drew Brees?
Upon further review, looks like their running game was working pretty well.
Great fake field goal by the Bills.
+ Wow, the Raiders are really bad, aren't they?
Fumbling the ball and not being in range to try to get it back must be a really sickening feeling.
+ Yes, McGahee was a good pickup for my fantasy team.
The Browns are pretty bad, too.
+ The Patriots - Falcons game sure was ugly.
I think Randy Moss' injury is holding him up. He's not even trying for balls he would normally win.
+ I used to hate Cris Collingsworth, but I don't mind him anymore. He seems much humbler than, say five years ago, when he seemed like kind of a punk.
Clark for the end-around. Love it!
I still like Kurt Warner and wish him well.
+ King has Baltimore as the best team in football. The scoreboard sure looks that way, but I haven't seen them play yet...
Saturday, September 26
Live Healthy: Feeling blah
Have you noticed I haven't written in a few days? I've been feeling pretty blah in general, including specifically about my healthy living and weight loss. Not least of all, I haven't lost any weight since Saturday; totally stuck at 203.
Complaint: Why is my weight loss so slow? When I try to cut more calories, I feel like my body just goes into starvation mode and I stop losing weight. Why can Chris and Aaron lose so much faster than me? It seems unfair (wah! ;-)
Confession: I haven't been doing my motivation work, which it says in my contract is the most important part. Sometimes it seems boring before starting it, but it's not bad once I get started (usually).
This is no criticism of my wonderful friends, but I think I'm feeling a little less motivated from the comparative lack of interaction I'm getting on these posts. The first month was great, but we all seem to be getting weary of this means of interacting, at least, if not trying to lose weight in general.
You know, not surprisingly, even just writing this stuff out helps me feel better. I am living healthy now. The weight really will come off eventually. I am feeling fit on the inside, including my muscles. The outside just needs to catch up :-)
Complaint: Why is my weight loss so slow? When I try to cut more calories, I feel like my body just goes into starvation mode and I stop losing weight. Why can Chris and Aaron lose so much faster than me? It seems unfair (wah! ;-)
Confession: I haven't been doing my motivation work, which it says in my contract is the most important part. Sometimes it seems boring before starting it, but it's not bad once I get started (usually).
This is no criticism of my wonderful friends, but I think I'm feeling a little less motivated from the comparative lack of interaction I'm getting on these posts. The first month was great, but we all seem to be getting weary of this means of interacting, at least, if not trying to lose weight in general.
You know, not surprisingly, even just writing this stuff out helps me feel better. I am living healthy now. The weight really will come off eventually. I am feeling fit on the inside, including my muscles. The outside just needs to catch up :-)
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