BABY STEPS
I'm a food addict. I am just beginning to come to terms with that. After years of beating my head against a wall with weight loss, diets, workouts, and massive failure, I have finally seen my life clearly. So today, I begin this little exercise, the first step in my admission of guilt- I am saying it out loud...well, not literally out loud, but you get the idea. I don't even know what to do from here, but as I figure it out, I will let the web know!
7.29.2010
6.16.2010
STARTING OVER AGAIN...AGAIN
So I stumbled back across this blog today, and I'm going to write myself some notes. I need it today. I've allowed myself to slip out of focus on pretty much everything, and I'm feeling it. I am drained from the feeling of failure, and weary of my own whining about it. I've done so little in the last year, and I feel THAT too. One year older, and little to show for it. I'm tired of it, but I know that I have within me the inclination to lay down and die at the first sign of frustration. So...where does that leave me? A man in need of a Savior. Great, I've got him, now what does He do with me?
So I stumbled back across this blog today, and I'm going to write myself some notes. I need it today. I've allowed myself to slip out of focus on pretty much everything, and I'm feeling it. I am drained from the feeling of failure, and weary of my own whining about it. I've done so little in the last year, and I feel THAT too. One year older, and little to show for it. I'm tired of it, but I know that I have within me the inclination to lay down and die at the first sign of frustration. So...where does that leave me? A man in need of a Savior. Great, I've got him, now what does He do with me?
5.15.2009
AN UPDATE
I never cease to amaze myself with my ability to forget about this blog....maybe I should quit. Maybe I'll have more to say soon....who knows? I am starting a little adventure for the next few weeks, leading worship at a church 45 minutes from home. Maybe I'll talk about that....maybe I'll talk about why I'm doing that or what God says about the whole thing....hope I hear Him. Gotta get my "ears" checked.
I never cease to amaze myself with my ability to forget about this blog....maybe I should quit. Maybe I'll have more to say soon....who knows? I am starting a little adventure for the next few weeks, leading worship at a church 45 minutes from home. Maybe I'll talk about that....maybe I'll talk about why I'm doing that or what God says about the whole thing....hope I hear Him. Gotta get my "ears" checked.
3.04.2009
DIVINE IRONY
It's funny the things I've never noticed about the Bible. Or sad really, I guess. I'm reading the NT this year, one chapter a day, Monday through Friday, and I am finding things IN THE GOSPELS I never noticed before IN MY LIFE. Yikes.
I like all those moments in Scripture, and they happen in life as well (life imitates art...err, truth), where God fulfills a prophecy or does something semingly ironic, right under the nose of unsuspecting people. In the crucifixion on Christ, in Chapter 15 of Mark, I guess I just never noticed all the underlying "God stuff" happening there, aside from the obvious. Jesus, as he is dying, cries out in a loud voice....pretty odd for a man dying from a form of execution that brings about gradual suffication. And oh, it takes like 3 hours, instead of days. It's so odd, that when Joseph of Arimathea asks for Jesus' body, Pilate acts surprised, basically saying "He can't be dead YET". Weird that the Son of God couldn't hang on for more than a few hours.....until you look at the big picture.
It was the day before the Sabbath, and they couldn't have someone on the cross over the Sabbath, so normally, soldiers would break the legs to speed up the process. BUT, prophecy said that no bones would be broken, so God somehow steps in at that moment and moves the process along, so that there can be no mistaking the fulfillment of prophecy. And when Jesus dies, the centurion standing there is so taken withthe way Jesus dies, he says "this guy had to be the real deal."
That's amazing to me, just the little details, the little things I've never noticed that take you deeper into an understanding of who God is, how He sees the world and His plan. Its hard to udnerstand it all, because our minds are stuck in the context of time and space, but God operates above all of that. The best (worst) analogy I could come up with to wrap my mind around that was when I was using my iMac to edit a DVD project for my wife. Now, WATCHING a movie, you don't know the end when you start, and you don't know for sure how you're going to get there. BUT, MAKING a movie, I've got all my clips dropped into iMovie, and I have a timeline. I can pull back and look at the whole thing, start to finish, and can move things around, put things together, and make the whole project make sense. I can see the end from the beginning, and can line things up in such a way that everything works together to create one story.
That's how God views the world, in my humble opinion. He sees the whole timeline of past, present, and future, and he makes it all tie together, moving people and working with their lives, the things they do, to put together the story of His creation. It's even harder because you have to factor in free will, so it's like editing a movie where the scenes constantly change. Wow. I'm tired now, that just weirds me out. Anyway, that's as deep as my puny intellect will go today!
It's funny the things I've never noticed about the Bible. Or sad really, I guess. I'm reading the NT this year, one chapter a day, Monday through Friday, and I am finding things IN THE GOSPELS I never noticed before IN MY LIFE. Yikes.
I like all those moments in Scripture, and they happen in life as well (life imitates art...err, truth), where God fulfills a prophecy or does something semingly ironic, right under the nose of unsuspecting people. In the crucifixion on Christ, in Chapter 15 of Mark, I guess I just never noticed all the underlying "God stuff" happening there, aside from the obvious. Jesus, as he is dying, cries out in a loud voice....pretty odd for a man dying from a form of execution that brings about gradual suffication. And oh, it takes like 3 hours, instead of days. It's so odd, that when Joseph of Arimathea asks for Jesus' body, Pilate acts surprised, basically saying "He can't be dead YET". Weird that the Son of God couldn't hang on for more than a few hours.....until you look at the big picture.
It was the day before the Sabbath, and they couldn't have someone on the cross over the Sabbath, so normally, soldiers would break the legs to speed up the process. BUT, prophecy said that no bones would be broken, so God somehow steps in at that moment and moves the process along, so that there can be no mistaking the fulfillment of prophecy. And when Jesus dies, the centurion standing there is so taken withthe way Jesus dies, he says "this guy had to be the real deal."
That's amazing to me, just the little details, the little things I've never noticed that take you deeper into an understanding of who God is, how He sees the world and His plan. Its hard to udnerstand it all, because our minds are stuck in the context of time and space, but God operates above all of that. The best (worst) analogy I could come up with to wrap my mind around that was when I was using my iMac to edit a DVD project for my wife. Now, WATCHING a movie, you don't know the end when you start, and you don't know for sure how you're going to get there. BUT, MAKING a movie, I've got all my clips dropped into iMovie, and I have a timeline. I can pull back and look at the whole thing, start to finish, and can move things around, put things together, and make the whole project make sense. I can see the end from the beginning, and can line things up in such a way that everything works together to create one story.
That's how God views the world, in my humble opinion. He sees the whole timeline of past, present, and future, and he makes it all tie together, moving people and working with their lives, the things they do, to put together the story of His creation. It's even harder because you have to factor in free will, so it's like editing a movie where the scenes constantly change. Wow. I'm tired now, that just weirds me out. Anyway, that's as deep as my puny intellect will go today!
3.02.2009
FEAR
You can almost smell it, it's so thick around here. I was in a worship service this weekend at our church, and the pastor was talking about stewardship. He opened up talking about several economists view of our country's financial condition, and it was mostly gloom and doom. He did bring it back around to say thatr our hope is in Christ, but not before the collective sense of fear sucked the air out of the room. People are terrified, believer and non-believer alike.
I work with churches a lot, and the recurring theme I see is that while more and more are turning to the church and to Christ, giving is down. What's the problem? Unemployment? It's 7-8 %....which means EMPLOYMENT is at 92-93%. While the stock market is down, it seems people are still making money, but they're holding on to it. It seems to me that we've done a bad job as the Church combating fear with education- making people aware of the fear being spread, and offering them hope by following what God says about the money he gives us. Part of worshiping God is obeying His Word, and His Wordsays that we are to give back at least a tenth of what He gave to us through our work.....HE gav eit to us, so ultimately He should be the one to make the rules, right?
So anyway, I choose today not to be a slave to fear, but to trust and obey what God tells me to do with what He gave me to manage for Him. That's my two cents on that.
You can almost smell it, it's so thick around here. I was in a worship service this weekend at our church, and the pastor was talking about stewardship. He opened up talking about several economists view of our country's financial condition, and it was mostly gloom and doom. He did bring it back around to say thatr our hope is in Christ, but not before the collective sense of fear sucked the air out of the room. People are terrified, believer and non-believer alike.
I work with churches a lot, and the recurring theme I see is that while more and more are turning to the church and to Christ, giving is down. What's the problem? Unemployment? It's 7-8 %....which means EMPLOYMENT is at 92-93%. While the stock market is down, it seems people are still making money, but they're holding on to it. It seems to me that we've done a bad job as the Church combating fear with education- making people aware of the fear being spread, and offering them hope by following what God says about the money he gives us. Part of worshiping God is obeying His Word, and His Wordsays that we are to give back at least a tenth of what He gave to us through our work.....HE gav eit to us, so ultimately He should be the one to make the rules, right?
So anyway, I choose today not to be a slave to fear, but to trust and obey what God tells me to do with what He gave me to manage for Him. That's my two cents on that.
2.12.2009
DRINK THIS CUP
So there's Jesus, praying in the garden, waiting to be sold down the river by Judas, possibly at his weakest moment. He says that he is "overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death". 3 times he asks God to take away "this cup", but that if He can't, then Jesus is willing to drink it. I've read that a hundred times, seen it acted out in movies, but I don't know that I've ever totally understood it.
On the one hand, it's totally clear- the cup is the pain and suffering, the sin-payment he was going to take on for all of us. Seriously Jesus, no joke, that is huge.....that's a whole lotta justice about to be heaped on him, and that's just for the crap I do! Anyway, the second time he prays, he says "if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away UNLESS I DRINK IT, may Your will be done". What does that mean? He didn't say "take the cup away, but if you can't, I'll drink it". He said, "take the cup, but if the only way to take it away is for me to drink it, then I will". Is there something more than the obvious there? My initial thought is this- Jesus knew what had to happen, but he was scared. In his request, he is looking for another way, but knows that the plan is that for the sins of the world, and the punishment for those sins, to be taken away, that punishment has to be "drunk" by someone. God can't (because He is perfect and wouldn't contradict His commands) just give everyone a do-over....someone has to take the fall for all the crud we've done. Jesus knows this, and shows it in saying that if the only way to remove "the cup" is for him to "drink" it, then he would.
And he's not saying he WANTS to, either. He says "not MY will, but YOURS be done". So it's "God, I don't want to have to die to take the punishment for their sins, but if that's what has to be done, I will be the one to do it." Wow, imagine going through that thought/prayer process, just for a second. Yikes. It's amazing that someone, even Jesus, who was fully God and fully man, could defeat the "man" within him and follow through with the plan. Thank you God.
So there's Jesus, praying in the garden, waiting to be sold down the river by Judas, possibly at his weakest moment. He says that he is "overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death". 3 times he asks God to take away "this cup", but that if He can't, then Jesus is willing to drink it. I've read that a hundred times, seen it acted out in movies, but I don't know that I've ever totally understood it.
On the one hand, it's totally clear- the cup is the pain and suffering, the sin-payment he was going to take on for all of us. Seriously Jesus, no joke, that is huge.....that's a whole lotta justice about to be heaped on him, and that's just for the crap I do! Anyway, the second time he prays, he says "if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away UNLESS I DRINK IT, may Your will be done". What does that mean? He didn't say "take the cup away, but if you can't, I'll drink it". He said, "take the cup, but if the only way to take it away is for me to drink it, then I will". Is there something more than the obvious there? My initial thought is this- Jesus knew what had to happen, but he was scared. In his request, he is looking for another way, but knows that the plan is that for the sins of the world, and the punishment for those sins, to be taken away, that punishment has to be "drunk" by someone. God can't (because He is perfect and wouldn't contradict His commands) just give everyone a do-over....someone has to take the fall for all the crud we've done. Jesus knows this, and shows it in saying that if the only way to remove "the cup" is for him to "drink" it, then he would.
And he's not saying he WANTS to, either. He says "not MY will, but YOURS be done". So it's "God, I don't want to have to die to take the punishment for their sins, but if that's what has to be done, I will be the one to do it." Wow, imagine going through that thought/prayer process, just for a second. Yikes. It's amazing that someone, even Jesus, who was fully God and fully man, could defeat the "man" within him and follow through with the plan. Thank you God.
2.06.2009
YOU GOT SERVED
Reading this morning in Matthew 25, where Jesus was talking about the Judgement, viewing men as sheep and goats. God says basically, "you're in, because you saw needs in this world and served people. As my creations, when you serve people you serve Me." It reminded me of earlier in Matthew where Jesus says, "I didn't come to BE served, but TO serve, and to give my life as a ransom". So, wrap it all up together, being Christ-like means being a servant, obedient to God and meeting needs in this world, BECAUSE of the hope we have of the next. Man, I suck at that!
My wife and I have had the opportunity over the past 2 weeks to befriend and help out a family in need, and through the whole process I've seen just how crappy at serving I really am. It's not out of outright selfishness, more just out of discomfort and cynicism. My wife had a feeling she needed to go to a certain store (she had already been to), and met a single mom there, several kids at home, living in 1 room of someone's apartment, on one mattress, because they had fled from an abusive dad. She had a baby die this week, and is just in a lot of pain. My wife just instinctively jumped into action, but of course I am being all careful and verifying the story, all that kind of thing. Of course I want to make sure we're not being scammed, but seriously, this whole process has shown me just how hard my heart can be, when it actually comes time to put my money where my mouth is. Part of my prayer today is that God makes me more like Christ, and I guess I also want God to make me more like my wife....
Reading this morning in Matthew 25, where Jesus was talking about the Judgement, viewing men as sheep and goats. God says basically, "you're in, because you saw needs in this world and served people. As my creations, when you serve people you serve Me." It reminded me of earlier in Matthew where Jesus says, "I didn't come to BE served, but TO serve, and to give my life as a ransom". So, wrap it all up together, being Christ-like means being a servant, obedient to God and meeting needs in this world, BECAUSE of the hope we have of the next. Man, I suck at that!
My wife and I have had the opportunity over the past 2 weeks to befriend and help out a family in need, and through the whole process I've seen just how crappy at serving I really am. It's not out of outright selfishness, more just out of discomfort and cynicism. My wife had a feeling she needed to go to a certain store (she had already been to), and met a single mom there, several kids at home, living in 1 room of someone's apartment, on one mattress, because they had fled from an abusive dad. She had a baby die this week, and is just in a lot of pain. My wife just instinctively jumped into action, but of course I am being all careful and verifying the story, all that kind of thing. Of course I want to make sure we're not being scammed, but seriously, this whole process has shown me just how hard my heart can be, when it actually comes time to put my money where my mouth is. Part of my prayer today is that God makes me more like Christ, and I guess I also want God to make me more like my wife....
1.28.2009
YEAH, I KNOW IT'S PINK, BUT.....he's still my buddy, and he loves to play the guitar. Since this picture, we hooked him up with a "manly" acoustic that has Disney "Cars" stickers all over it. But this is my buddy, my jam session partner. 2 years old, and he loves to play and sing. I love that.
Will he grow up to love music? Will he play guitar like his dad? Will he play for God? These questions are hitting me more and more these days. I need to make a better effort to instill in my kids the love for, trust in, and obedience to God. Will they catch it? I hope they do. They have so much joy now, so little concern for the future. I have to keep them looking up, looking to God for their help and their strength. Hmmm....where am I lookng?
1.27.2009
LESSONS FROM SUNDAY
Sunday was good- I had the chance to lead worship for our church's family service. Family service is basically all the little kids and their parents meeting in the youth building for worship, and then afterwards the kids go to class during the sermon. It's fun, more than I expected it to be. The thing I think that made it fun was that it was HONEST. I had to direct the kids, tell them what motions, and when to sing, and what to sing, and what we were doing next, so it felt like real life, like being at home with my own kids....who were there running around while daddy sang.
Anyway, I learn from those kids every time I do that service, about being real, being authentic, and about the uselessness of pretense or pride in worship. They aren't there for me, and as long as I do fun songs, they will sing and dance along. Doesn't have to be perfect, but it does have to come from the heart. I made a mental note how much lower my stress level was during rehearsal and during the worship time, compared with leading the "big kids", the adults, who are always complimentary, but even in that I can often see people "consuming" worship, glad that they got the songs they like with the leader they like. I appreciate it, but at the same time it's just not what we're there for. Let's come in to worship like the kids, dancing and singing and happy to get to sing and dance and play. So much to be excited about.
Sunday was good- I had the chance to lead worship for our church's family service. Family service is basically all the little kids and their parents meeting in the youth building for worship, and then afterwards the kids go to class during the sermon. It's fun, more than I expected it to be. The thing I think that made it fun was that it was HONEST. I had to direct the kids, tell them what motions, and when to sing, and what to sing, and what we were doing next, so it felt like real life, like being at home with my own kids....who were there running around while daddy sang.
Anyway, I learn from those kids every time I do that service, about being real, being authentic, and about the uselessness of pretense or pride in worship. They aren't there for me, and as long as I do fun songs, they will sing and dance along. Doesn't have to be perfect, but it does have to come from the heart. I made a mental note how much lower my stress level was during rehearsal and during the worship time, compared with leading the "big kids", the adults, who are always complimentary, but even in that I can often see people "consuming" worship, glad that they got the songs they like with the leader they like. I appreciate it, but at the same time it's just not what we're there for. Let's come in to worship like the kids, dancing and singing and happy to get to sing and dance and play. So much to be excited about.
1.22.2009
WEIGHT-LOSS TIP #999,999.1
Sleep. Seriously, you should definitely sleep. 6-7 hours a night, no more than 8. Your body does as much work during that time as it does while you're awake. And you won't feel like booty...sure wish I had been able to sleep last night. Anyway, big tip right there. That made the difference form week to week as I've bene losing....when I was tired, I generally lost less weight.
Sleep. Seriously, you should definitely sleep. 6-7 hours a night, no more than 8. Your body does as much work during that time as it does while you're awake. And you won't feel like booty...sure wish I had been able to sleep last night. Anyway, big tip right there. That made the difference form week to week as I've bene losing....when I was tired, I generally lost less weight.
11.10.2008
WORSHIP AND COUNTRY MUSIC
So I think I'll start a cowboy church. OK, no, I'm lying. But I've had a thought brewing, and I forgot it for a while, but flipping through the radio stations yesterday brought it back to mind- I've learned more about God and my own faith from listening to country music that from listening to Christian music. (AHHHHH, INTERVENTION! Get this guy some Casting Crowns, STAT!) No seriously, hear me out on this.
I'm not saying that there is something inherently doctrinally-sound in every country song (see Kenny Chesney's "Everybody Wants to go to Heaven"), but it all boils down to this- country music cuts the crap. Seriously. And I don't consider myself a die-hard country music fan- I enjoy all kinds of music, and I love leading the praise band at our church. but it just seems like a GOOD country song gets to the heart of the matter, says it plainly, and tugs at the heart strings just enough to not make you feel manipulated. I look at so much of Christian music, even worship music, and it seems like it all just recycles the same old cliches over and over, and I feel like we get so caught up in getting the next worship "hit", working it into Sunday service, that we fail to truly understand the meaning. Do we even know the meaning? Is there a clear meaning?
Bottom line, as cynical as it sounds, listen to "I Saw God Today", "Watching You", "I Thought I was Tough", and you get more per-song wisdom on how to view life, how to love your wife well, and our responsibility to be an example to our children, than ten of your average "Jesus is my boyfriend" worship songs. Don't get me wrong, i am SOLD OUT to worshipping God- but I guess my observation is really how sad it is that I can get more spiritual "meat" listening to country radio than by popping in the latest worship CD. Man, I've gotta stop being a hypocirt and start writing some worship tunes, and put my money where my mouth is. We've got to raise the bar on our COMMUNICATION OF LOVE TO GOD, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! Yippee Ki-yay, sweet baby Jesus!
So I think I'll start a cowboy church. OK, no, I'm lying. But I've had a thought brewing, and I forgot it for a while, but flipping through the radio stations yesterday brought it back to mind- I've learned more about God and my own faith from listening to country music that from listening to Christian music. (AHHHHH, INTERVENTION! Get this guy some Casting Crowns, STAT!) No seriously, hear me out on this.
I'm not saying that there is something inherently doctrinally-sound in every country song (see Kenny Chesney's "Everybody Wants to go to Heaven"), but it all boils down to this- country music cuts the crap. Seriously. And I don't consider myself a die-hard country music fan- I enjoy all kinds of music, and I love leading the praise band at our church. but it just seems like a GOOD country song gets to the heart of the matter, says it plainly, and tugs at the heart strings just enough to not make you feel manipulated. I look at so much of Christian music, even worship music, and it seems like it all just recycles the same old cliches over and over, and I feel like we get so caught up in getting the next worship "hit", working it into Sunday service, that we fail to truly understand the meaning. Do we even know the meaning? Is there a clear meaning?
Bottom line, as cynical as it sounds, listen to "I Saw God Today", "Watching You", "I Thought I was Tough", and you get more per-song wisdom on how to view life, how to love your wife well, and our responsibility to be an example to our children, than ten of your average "Jesus is my boyfriend" worship songs. Don't get me wrong, i am SOLD OUT to worshipping God- but I guess my observation is really how sad it is that I can get more spiritual "meat" listening to country radio than by popping in the latest worship CD. Man, I've gotta stop being a hypocirt and start writing some worship tunes, and put my money where my mouth is. We've got to raise the bar on our COMMUNICATION OF LOVE TO GOD, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! Yippee Ki-yay, sweet baby Jesus!
11.03.2008
10.30.2008
HEY, THAT'S ME!
Wow, so I preached this weekend...and nobody walked out. I spoke about stewardship at my home church, and it went pretty well. It was weird, talking openly and frankly about money, challenging people to do what the Bible says about money....it was a little un-comfy, but that in and of itself was awesome.
So yeah, if you're curious, you can click HERE (Oct. 26) to listen to my 45 minute rant. I can rant though, because I'm as guilty of the things I was talking about as anyone else. I included a riveting, very basic outline of my message below. Gaze upon it in shock and wonder.... that is all for now.
I. Stewardship= Managing resources for God
II. Basic financial concepts from Scripture
A. Tithe- 10% (Matthew 23:23)
B. Save (Proverbs 13:22, Proverbs 21:20)
C. Greed (I Timothy 6:9-10)
D. Debt (Romans 13:8 (NASB)).
E. Charity (Acts 2:44-47)
III. Where Are We?
A. As A Nation
2 Chron 7:13-14- God’s “Bailout plan”-
Parable of talents (Matthew 25 14-28) 0
B. As Believers
Proverbs 22:7
Proverbs 6:1-5
Louie Giglio- “Follow the trail of your time, your affection, your energy, your money, and your allegiance. At the end of that trail you’ll find a throne; and whatever, or whomever, is on that throne is what’s of highest value to you. On that throne is what you worship.”
IV. The Challenge
A. Malachi 3:6-12
Wow, so I preached this weekend...and nobody walked out. I spoke about stewardship at my home church, and it went pretty well. It was weird, talking openly and frankly about money, challenging people to do what the Bible says about money....it was a little un-comfy, but that in and of itself was awesome.
So yeah, if you're curious, you can click HERE (Oct. 26) to listen to my 45 minute rant. I can rant though, because I'm as guilty of the things I was talking about as anyone else. I included a riveting, very basic outline of my message below. Gaze upon it in shock and wonder.... that is all for now.
I. Stewardship= Managing resources for God
II. Basic financial concepts from Scripture
A. Tithe- 10% (Matthew 23:23)
B. Save (Proverbs 13:22, Proverbs 21:20)
C. Greed (I Timothy 6:9-10)
D. Debt (Romans 13:8 (NASB)).
E. Charity (Acts 2:44-47)
III. Where Are We?
A. As A Nation
2 Chron 7:13-14- God’s “Bailout plan”-
Parable of talents (Matthew 25 14-28) 0
B. As Believers
Proverbs 22:7
Proverbs 6:1-5
Louie Giglio- “Follow the trail of your time, your affection, your energy, your money, and your allegiance. At the end of that trail you’ll find a throne; and whatever, or whomever, is on that throne is what’s of highest value to you. On that throne is what you worship.”
IV. The Challenge
A. Malachi 3:6-12
10.29.2008
JON ACUFF
So, in the spirit of change being the only consistent thing, I am once again changing directions on this blog. Or rather, I plan to actually blog, not try to figure out some stuff people might link to or want to hear, then get discouraged cuz no one does and I feel phony, and then give up on blogging and go back to life.....yeah, that sucks. I'm still doing the martial arts thing, still love it, but it's not so much the focus of my life that I can devote my whole blog to it, for crap sake.
ANyway, title line. Jon Acuff. If you haven't been to stuffchristianslike.net, go there. He's got us pegged. Seriously. We're THAT BAD. HA! He spoke at our office today, just a funny, unassuming, honest guy who just happens to share my "spiritual gift of sarcasm", except he REALLY has it, I just have moments of it....WOW. So good. His talk provided some good points to ponder, and like the good little christian I am, I had to go right back and COPY everything he said.....he said tell your story, don't write or do just what people want you to, so I am doing just that. Starting with the blog, we'll see if I can get some of that into my actual life without imploding....should be fun. A people-pleaser trying not to people-please. It's like, "Hey, I could give two craps what you think of me.......seriously, if you want two craps, I will totally get those for you, I hope that's OK.". Yeah, that's me ALL DAY.
So anyway, here we go. Maybe I'll blog a time or two now.
So, in the spirit of change being the only consistent thing, I am once again changing directions on this blog. Or rather, I plan to actually blog, not try to figure out some stuff people might link to or want to hear, then get discouraged cuz no one does and I feel phony, and then give up on blogging and go back to life.....yeah, that sucks. I'm still doing the martial arts thing, still love it, but it's not so much the focus of my life that I can devote my whole blog to it, for crap sake.
ANyway, title line. Jon Acuff. If you haven't been to stuffchristianslike.net, go there. He's got us pegged. Seriously. We're THAT BAD. HA! He spoke at our office today, just a funny, unassuming, honest guy who just happens to share my "spiritual gift of sarcasm", except he REALLY has it, I just have moments of it....WOW. So good. His talk provided some good points to ponder, and like the good little christian I am, I had to go right back and COPY everything he said.....he said tell your story, don't write or do just what people want you to, so I am doing just that. Starting with the blog, we'll see if I can get some of that into my actual life without imploding....should be fun. A people-pleaser trying not to people-please. It's like, "Hey, I could give two craps what you think of me.......seriously, if you want two craps, I will totally get those for you, I hope that's OK.". Yeah, that's me ALL DAY.
So anyway, here we go. Maybe I'll blog a time or two now.
9.23.2008
BACK ON TRACK
Things I did since my last post:
1. Ran a half-marathon (Virginia Beach...3hr, 1 min...not what I wanted, but it was also 85 and 80% humidity)
2. Broke 300!- I am now 293 lbs. 68 lbs to my goal weight of 225. We'll see from there.
3. Wore an XL shirt for the first time in 9 years.
Training continues to go well, though I've been out a bit lately, busy with work and gigs on the weekend. BUT, our cross-training in Brazilian Jiujitsu is GREAT- I always look forward to geting pounded and doling out poundings. Those hour-and-a-half sessions are some of the best workouts I've ever had (I lost 6 lbs in one night). It adds a practical, "messy" element to martial arts, which gets us momentarily away from the form and structure of Taekwondo and allows us to focus simply on survival. I thought I would hate it, and 5 minutes before we begin I DO, but as soon as we get going, I relax into it, and it is a BLAST.
I think I am going to shift into less running and more biking until the new year- I am burning out with running, though I do want to run the Music City Half in April. So, off I go, spending what little "me" time I get on maintaining MOVEMENT!
Things I did since my last post:
1. Ran a half-marathon (Virginia Beach...3hr, 1 min...not what I wanted, but it was also 85 and 80% humidity)
2. Broke 300!- I am now 293 lbs. 68 lbs to my goal weight of 225. We'll see from there.
3. Wore an XL shirt for the first time in 9 years.
Training continues to go well, though I've been out a bit lately, busy with work and gigs on the weekend. BUT, our cross-training in Brazilian Jiujitsu is GREAT- I always look forward to geting pounded and doling out poundings. Those hour-and-a-half sessions are some of the best workouts I've ever had (I lost 6 lbs in one night). It adds a practical, "messy" element to martial arts, which gets us momentarily away from the form and structure of Taekwondo and allows us to focus simply on survival. I thought I would hate it, and 5 minutes before we begin I DO, but as soon as we get going, I relax into it, and it is a BLAST.
I think I am going to shift into less running and more biking until the new year- I am burning out with running, though I do want to run the Music City Half in April. So, off I go, spending what little "me" time I get on maintaining MOVEMENT!
8.22.2008
SCARED CALM
So I arrived hom from work yesterday, and heard screaming inside my house....nothing new, my daughter is 6 going on 30, and spends her afternoons locked in combat with my wife most days. This was different though- as I made my way up the walk, I heard my wife begging for help, and saw my daughter huddled by the front window, crying. Not.Good.
So after a few moments of panic trying to get my keys in the lock, I get the door open, only to find my wife on the phone with a 911 operator, begging for her to get help to us quickly, for my almost-2-year-old son who is at this point having a seizure in her arms. My wife and daughter are both hysterical...I am about to join them. But, as I walk in the door, my daughter asks me through her sobs, "Dad, is bubby going to die?". Reality check. I look at her, smile, and calmly say "no honey, sometimes when kids get real sick they get shaky like that, and it's scary, that's why mommy is upset". She seems instantly relieved.
Now all the while, mom is screaming, understandably so, so I run over and turn off the music that's been playing in the background, just to get some clarity. I reach for my boy, and let her focus on talking to the operator. THey are on the way, and he is in the last minute or so of what would be a 2-3 minute seizure. He is unresponsive, his arms are locked rigid and sticking out from his sides, and his little hands are unnaturally curled up. He is staring off into space, but you can see life behind his eyes- he is struggling to breath and is awake, but can't move or speak. As I look at him, I say "hey man, daddy's here, whatcha doin? You're ok. Just relax". If only I could do the same.
I notice pots bubbling ont he stove, and as he begins to relax and begins grunting, and trying to move his arms, I walk over and turn off all the burners...I know we're leaving. I tell Anna some firmen are going to come in, so she could pick up toys off the floor to make room for people.....this gives her a mission and she seems excited to do it- at the least, it gets her attention off of little man for a second, who is now trying his best to cry, but can't, and trying to touch my face, but he just can't seem to control his hands, which tears me up inside....but he's coming around.
Paramedics arrive and take over, we get the carseat buckled into the ambulance, and away we go- no panic, no lights, just a quick ride to Vandy, to get hm checked out. 6 hours, a dose of Motrin, a popsicle and a sippy full of juice later, they let us head home- he spiked a fever so fast it made him seize- may happen again sometime, may never. No big deal, but scary to no end.
So, here I sit, 17 hrs later, at work on 2 hrs sleep, still feeling like I'm running on adrenaline. He's at home, awake and playing, and I feel good, but bad all at the same time. That was the msot scared I've ever been- I'm glad I stayed calm, but the weird thing is that now I feel tense and sad inside, but can't let go of it or show it. Weird. So anyway, the boy is good, and I am reminded how fragile we are, and how far I have to go in taking care of myself and my family. Nothing else for today, just need to go punch holes in something.
So I arrived hom from work yesterday, and heard screaming inside my house....nothing new, my daughter is 6 going on 30, and spends her afternoons locked in combat with my wife most days. This was different though- as I made my way up the walk, I heard my wife begging for help, and saw my daughter huddled by the front window, crying. Not.Good.
So after a few moments of panic trying to get my keys in the lock, I get the door open, only to find my wife on the phone with a 911 operator, begging for her to get help to us quickly, for my almost-2-year-old son who is at this point having a seizure in her arms. My wife and daughter are both hysterical...I am about to join them. But, as I walk in the door, my daughter asks me through her sobs, "Dad, is bubby going to die?". Reality check. I look at her, smile, and calmly say "no honey, sometimes when kids get real sick they get shaky like that, and it's scary, that's why mommy is upset". She seems instantly relieved.
Now all the while, mom is screaming, understandably so, so I run over and turn off the music that's been playing in the background, just to get some clarity. I reach for my boy, and let her focus on talking to the operator. THey are on the way, and he is in the last minute or so of what would be a 2-3 minute seizure. He is unresponsive, his arms are locked rigid and sticking out from his sides, and his little hands are unnaturally curled up. He is staring off into space, but you can see life behind his eyes- he is struggling to breath and is awake, but can't move or speak. As I look at him, I say "hey man, daddy's here, whatcha doin? You're ok. Just relax". If only I could do the same.
I notice pots bubbling ont he stove, and as he begins to relax and begins grunting, and trying to move his arms, I walk over and turn off all the burners...I know we're leaving. I tell Anna some firmen are going to come in, so she could pick up toys off the floor to make room for people.....this gives her a mission and she seems excited to do it- at the least, it gets her attention off of little man for a second, who is now trying his best to cry, but can't, and trying to touch my face, but he just can't seem to control his hands, which tears me up inside....but he's coming around.
Paramedics arrive and take over, we get the carseat buckled into the ambulance, and away we go- no panic, no lights, just a quick ride to Vandy, to get hm checked out. 6 hours, a dose of Motrin, a popsicle and a sippy full of juice later, they let us head home- he spiked a fever so fast it made him seize- may happen again sometime, may never. No big deal, but scary to no end.
So, here I sit, 17 hrs later, at work on 2 hrs sleep, still feeling like I'm running on adrenaline. He's at home, awake and playing, and I feel good, but bad all at the same time. That was the msot scared I've ever been- I'm glad I stayed calm, but the weird thing is that now I feel tense and sad inside, but can't let go of it or show it. Weird. So anyway, the boy is good, and I am reminded how fragile we are, and how far I have to go in taking care of myself and my family. Nothing else for today, just need to go punch holes in something.
8.21.2008
WHERE HAVE I BEEN?
I am fairly sure at this point I have no readers left, but what they heck, I'll update and see what happens. Got down to 297 this week, ran 10.6 miles this weekend, and gave up on the "elliptical marathon training" plan. TOO BORING. I need to be out and about, not stuck inside in one spot.
Anyway, I am now a recommended black belt, and now begin the final climb towards black belt, which will hopefully culminate in a mid-December black belt testing. We shall see. My fitness has to keep improving, so even after the race next weekend, the running will continue. More to come.
I am fairly sure at this point I have no readers left, but what they heck, I'll update and see what happens. Got down to 297 this week, ran 10.6 miles this weekend, and gave up on the "elliptical marathon training" plan. TOO BORING. I need to be out and about, not stuck inside in one spot.
Anyway, I am now a recommended black belt, and now begin the final climb towards black belt, which will hopefully culminate in a mid-December black belt testing. We shall see. My fitness has to keep improving, so even after the race next weekend, the running will continue. More to come.
6.25.2008
HOW TO LOSE 90 POUNDS IN 6 MONTHS (or, How I Did It)
1. ACKNOWLEDGE- that you are going to fail, and that WHEN you do, you just start over....it's OK, everyone messes up their plan.
2. EXERCISE- cardio, lots of it, 30-40 minutes a day, 5 days a week (6 if you're just that crazy).
3. REST- 6-8 hours a night (you won't lose weight consistently without it).
4. HYDRATE- at least 64 oz. a day of WATER, though some will say drink half your body weight in ounces.
5. SUPPLEMENTS- All I really take is a good whole food multi-vitamin...anything else is mostly hype.
6. ACCOUNTABILITY- find someone who is doing this with you, helpful if they've already done it and can prepare you for what's coming (Gracias, Senor McIntyre).
7. DIET- Ready for it? Each meal should have a fist-size portion of lean protein, a fist-size portion of fruits or vegetables, and half a fist of fat (avocado, walnuts, almonds).
NO refined sugar (though I do use honey, less impact to blood sugar and it's natural)
NO high-fructose corn syrup
NO artificial sweeteners
NO soda, diet or otherwise
NO juice, eat a fruit if you want juice
NO margarine or cooking oils- Cook in real butter or coconut oil.
NO table salt- Sea Salt only.
NO- simple carbs (potatoes, breads, pasta, etc). They're all out, at least for the first 8 weeks or so. You can add back in a bit of brown rice, whole grain bread with no preservatives or corn syrup after that.
I'm sure I'll think of more, but that's the basics of the diet. I take one meal a week off and eat what I want, and generally feel like death the following day, FYI. Drink green tea, lots of water, and DO NOT forget the fats. It seems weird, but if you don't eat some fat, nuts, avocado, something, you will NOT lose weight.
There are lots of good resources out there for diet and exercise- I've had some success with most of them. The big thing about this is that you have to make it work with your life AS IT IS NOW. Don't reinvent the wheel. Fill the house with the kinds of foods you CAN eat, and get rid of all the rest. Go OUT for your cheat meal, so you don't eat a block of cheese or a package of Oreo's at 3 AM after a bad day that just won't quit! (It's like I've been there). Always reference #1 above also- you WILL fail, so acknowledge that and be prepared to start over every time you do. THat will make the difference between just another New Year's resolution failed and a conscious decision you developed an unstoppable plan for, and then EXECUTED IT.
1. ACKNOWLEDGE- that you are going to fail, and that WHEN you do, you just start over....it's OK, everyone messes up their plan.
2. EXERCISE- cardio, lots of it, 30-40 minutes a day, 5 days a week (6 if you're just that crazy).
3. REST- 6-8 hours a night (you won't lose weight consistently without it).
4. HYDRATE- at least 64 oz. a day of WATER, though some will say drink half your body weight in ounces.
5. SUPPLEMENTS- All I really take is a good whole food multi-vitamin...anything else is mostly hype.
6. ACCOUNTABILITY- find someone who is doing this with you, helpful if they've already done it and can prepare you for what's coming (Gracias, Senor McIntyre).
7. DIET- Ready for it? Each meal should have a fist-size portion of lean protein, a fist-size portion of fruits or vegetables, and half a fist of fat (avocado, walnuts, almonds).
NO refined sugar (though I do use honey, less impact to blood sugar and it's natural)
NO high-fructose corn syrup
NO artificial sweeteners
NO soda, diet or otherwise
NO juice, eat a fruit if you want juice
NO margarine or cooking oils- Cook in real butter or coconut oil.
NO table salt- Sea Salt only.
NO- simple carbs (potatoes, breads, pasta, etc). They're all out, at least for the first 8 weeks or so. You can add back in a bit of brown rice, whole grain bread with no preservatives or corn syrup after that.
I'm sure I'll think of more, but that's the basics of the diet. I take one meal a week off and eat what I want, and generally feel like death the following day, FYI. Drink green tea, lots of water, and DO NOT forget the fats. It seems weird, but if you don't eat some fat, nuts, avocado, something, you will NOT lose weight.
There are lots of good resources out there for diet and exercise- I've had some success with most of them. The big thing about this is that you have to make it work with your life AS IT IS NOW. Don't reinvent the wheel. Fill the house with the kinds of foods you CAN eat, and get rid of all the rest. Go OUT for your cheat meal, so you don't eat a block of cheese or a package of Oreo's at 3 AM after a bad day that just won't quit! (It's like I've been there). Always reference #1 above also- you WILL fail, so acknowledge that and be prepared to start over every time you do. THat will make the difference between just another New Year's resolution failed and a conscious decision you developed an unstoppable plan for, and then EXECUTED IT.
TRADITION MEETS MMA So I was pretty excited about this when I read it- I posted a story from MMAFighting.com, about a crossover from Chuck Norris' World Combat League (WCL). WCL is ole' Chuck's answer to MMA, where teams of fighters from various cities duke it out for points, going towards a team win. From what I've seen, WCL elevates the class of MMA a bit, with more focus on proper striking techniques, and a bit less "ground and pound" (which, don't get me wrong, I do enjoy a bit of). This is a league more for the master of traditional martial arts, though that is not to say it is sub-par in any way.
The unfortunate side-effect of being founded by Chuck Norris though, is that though everybody loves Chuck, anything he puts his name to is just never taken quite as seriously as it's "non-Chuck" alternative....I blame it on "Walker, Texas Ranger" (you know you've seen it).
At any rate, it's cool to see this guy, Raymond Daniels, crossing over into the MMA world, and I sincerely hope he does well. I think it would speak well of WCL, and of traditional martial arts in general. The guy is a 5th degree black belt in TKD (props to him), as well as Karate, and I am stoked for him. If you read interviews with him, you'll probably note what I did, that he could use a little less attitude. I am of the opinion that actions speak louder than words, and usually, when some guy is saying he wants to be the best, it's generally the guy quietly training behond him who ends up whooping his ARSE in the end. Oh well, here's hoping.
Posted on MMAFighting.com 06/23/08—12:14 PM
Featured Story:
Chuck Norris' World Combat League champion Raymond "The Real Deal" Daniels will make his mixed martial arts debut at this Friday's Strikeforce event in San Jose.
Daniels has drawn comparisons to Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le for his unblemished kickboxing record. But instead of San Shou, Daniels' background is in Karate.
"I still haven't had any challenges or anything like that so I decided to come over to MMA and see how good I really am," Daniels said of the move.
Daniels compiled a record of 18-0 in three seasons with the WCL. As captain, he led his Los Angeles Stars squad this season to a championship. Daniels capped off the season by knocking out his opponent with a spinning back kick.
Daniels will fight Jeremiah Metcalf (8-4), who will enter the middleweight contest with a three-fight winning streak.
A lightweight title bout between champion Gilbert Melendez and challenger Josh Thomson will headline the Strikeforce event from the HP Pavilion.
6.23.2008
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