So, one of my childhood rock icons was Steve Taylor of Steve Taylor and Some Band fame. Well, Steve hasn't made an album in like 20+ years now but is finally getting off the snide and making a new album much to my unsurpassed joy via Kickstarter. However, his new band's name is called the Perfect Foil... they go by Steve Taylor and the Perfect Foil because he is Steve Taylor and that is how he rolls.
What is the perfect foil? I don't know. For the purposes of this blog though I am thinking of aluminum foil, like a perfect sheet of non-crinkled up aluminum foil. I am imagining that perfect foil is representative of all of the New Year's resolutions, life changes, dedicated blog entries I would do without missing one, hours I can maintain without sinning, how many weeks I can go to church without missing once, how many days I can get out of bed before 7:00 a.m., etc... but then life happens. I screw up. A crinkle appears in my aluminum foil, then another, then another, then another, then I try and fold it and start over thinking the crinkles aren't there because you know they are all on the bottom side and out of sight, but life keeps happening, I keep screwing up, then I find myself folding it again and again and again... then I try and distort the foil into other shapes, pretend that the flaws aren't there. Heck, I might even call it art, make these disturbing crinkles in my armor seem like badges or medals or something to be proud of. Yeah, that is it. The crinkles are my trophies, and the distortions are now my masterpieces. Who made you an art critic? Who are you and how are you qualified to judge me? Are you an aluminum expert? I think not. Besides, no one is asking you opinion anyways. On and on it goes, more crinkles, more folds, more twists, a few tears here and there as the strain of living of to expectations start to break through the seams made by the crinkles. Ultimately, there is just this magnificent ball of screwed up foil and I end up throwing it away.
I really wanted to throw it away. Wait a minute, I DID THROW IT AWAY... and I celebrated the two point jump shot when I saw it rebound into the trash can.
That is the wonderful thing about the nature of God. He holds the trash can. He has all of our imperfect balls of foil. With His master craftsman hands, Jesus gently smooths out the crinkles, repairs the breaches, exposes the folds, and stands in the gaps. Once your foil is perfect again, He invites you to do the same for another. Will you? Will I?
"Those from among you
Shall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In..."
~ Isaiah 58:12
I hope so.
Friday, January 10, 2014
Sunday, January 5, 2014
The Pressure of Pressure
I love church. I really do. However, some days it is just more difficult to get out of bed. Today was such a day. I could not identify the reason at first, but then it dawned on me. Another work week was coming, and I did not feel prepared. The mounds of files were beginning to accumulate. Not only were the mounds of files beginning to accumulate, but the tyrannical procession of "after the case is over paperwork" that tends to flow from the courts that needed to be filed in those files was overwhelming my mounds of file piles like a tsunami. I had (have) today to deal with it. Yes, part of the way I am dealing with it is to blog about it so I don't feel like I am so alone in dealing with this.
Emotion is so fickle, and yet it can pickle you in a jar as surely as sure can be. The fear of tackling the project subconsciously was getting to me. I did not want to tackle this. Not today. Not any day. I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them Sam I am. Just like Sam was feeling the pressure of eating those green eggs and ham, I was feeling the pressure of my organizational inadequacies.
John Maxwell has said everyone can improve themselves on a scale of 1-10 by just a point or two. In the area of organization I am like a four. Rather than sink tons of effort into my four to get it to a six, I work in other areas (you all would know my gifts better than I, but I try to improve those areas). However, it must get done.
In addition to the filing that needs to happen. Last years files need to be boxed and put in storage somewhere. I also have billing to do for the City of Chewelah and the City of Kettle Falls. I have to renew my bar license sometime soon (no, not my license to drink or to go to a bar... though... oh never mind... but my ability to practice law... yes, for those of you that don't know that is a privilege and not a right and costs about $400 a year in relicensing fees... not to mention the oodles in cash that needs to be spent every three years on continuing legal education credits, some can be had for free, some are up to $500 for six credits... we need forty-five), I have to renew my legal malpractice insurance which soaks me for $700 year (I just need it for my public defense work), then there is getting the proof of all that paperwork to the courts, then of course there is some other paperwork. Uggghhhhhh!
So even though I did not go to church today I turn to me "read leather bound edition" and find...
"We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed -- always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body."
~ 2nd Corinthians 4:8-10
If you are feeling like I am today, don't give up. Tap in don't tap out and find for yourself some of that life we were talking about yesterday because it exists even in the midst of it, whatever "it" is for you.
Below is a classic from Billy Joel...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iyv905Q2omU
Emotion is so fickle, and yet it can pickle you in a jar as surely as sure can be. The fear of tackling the project subconsciously was getting to me. I did not want to tackle this. Not today. Not any day. I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them Sam I am. Just like Sam was feeling the pressure of eating those green eggs and ham, I was feeling the pressure of my organizational inadequacies.
John Maxwell has said everyone can improve themselves on a scale of 1-10 by just a point or two. In the area of organization I am like a four. Rather than sink tons of effort into my four to get it to a six, I work in other areas (you all would know my gifts better than I, but I try to improve those areas). However, it must get done.
In addition to the filing that needs to happen. Last years files need to be boxed and put in storage somewhere. I also have billing to do for the City of Chewelah and the City of Kettle Falls. I have to renew my bar license sometime soon (no, not my license to drink or to go to a bar... though... oh never mind... but my ability to practice law... yes, for those of you that don't know that is a privilege and not a right and costs about $400 a year in relicensing fees... not to mention the oodles in cash that needs to be spent every three years on continuing legal education credits, some can be had for free, some are up to $500 for six credits... we need forty-five), I have to renew my legal malpractice insurance which soaks me for $700 year (I just need it for my public defense work), then there is getting the proof of all that paperwork to the courts, then of course there is some other paperwork. Uggghhhhhh!
So even though I did not go to church today I turn to me "read leather bound edition" and find...
"We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed -- always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body."
~ 2nd Corinthians 4:8-10
If you are feeling like I am today, don't give up. Tap in don't tap out and find for yourself some of that life we were talking about yesterday because it exists even in the midst of it, whatever "it" is for you.
Below is a classic from Billy Joel...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iyv905Q2omU
The Lamp-Post
"It will
not go out of my mind that if we pass this post and lantern, either we
shall find strange adventures or else some great changes of our
fortunes."
~ Lucy Pevensie (The Chronicles of Narnia).
Now, for a little historical background, the lamp-post is a major geographical feature in the land of Narnia. It originated in the land on the first day of Narnia's creation, brought there by the evil Queen Jadis (aka the White Witch) who had torn off a bar of iron from a London lamp-post to throw at Aslan who was in the middle of creating Narnia with his song. Through the creative power of his song, the bar was transfigured into the enduring lamp-post that burned without fuel for quite a long time. It was, in fact, a living organism. I personally like to call it Mr. Tumnus' lamp-post because that is roughly where Lucy met Mr. Tumnus the fawn when the children emerged from the wardrobe.
Why bring up and blog about a lamp post on this occasion? Well, I was wondering about what to blog about this evening and then I received a neighborhood alert from my neighbor to lock the doors, turn on the lights, etc... as there had been a shooting about eight blocks from our house. The police were still searching for the subjects and had a helicopter and eventually K-9 units out looking for the suspects. I have a lamp-post in my front yard that pretty much illuminates the middle of our cul-de-sac, and I made the comment on Facebook that Mr. Tumnus' light had been activated.
Why is light such a good defense? Well, for one, when people do evil deeds they generally do it in the dark and they want to try and get away with whatever mischief they are doing. Light dispels darkness. Light also defends me from harming myself. This is I carry around a flashlight (or nowadays a cellphone) to guide my way when hiking or even walking in the dark. There is a security in not only preventing to expose someone if they come onto my lighted residence but also by exposing the inherent dangers my own property poses to me should I venture about without light. Have you ever stubbed that toe on the bedpost in the middle of the night while walking zombie like to the bathroom? I know I have. Hurts like a #&%$*@!^. You get the point.
Do you have light?
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." ~ Psalm 119:105
"God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good..." Genesis 1:3-4
"All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." John 1:3-5
The nature of God is to take some discarded thing, something ripped off and used as an instrument of violence by a cruel person (in Narnia this was a metal bar and a White Witch) and giving it life and turning it into something majestic, something beautiful so that it can give guidance, illumination, and a sense of security to countless generations. With Christ, He took the sin of the world to become that twisted metallic thing, that discarded punishment for our sins, only to be raised in glory and to give light to us for all eternity.
Prayers to the 61 year old man who was shot tonight in Deer Park. This is unusual for our little community, but I fear that this will become all the more common as the uncomprehending darkness will continue to fall upon our land.
"In the Light" by Charlie Peacock
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTPjb_amfsE
~ Lucy Pevensie (The Chronicles of Narnia).
Now, for a little historical background, the lamp-post is a major geographical feature in the land of Narnia. It originated in the land on the first day of Narnia's creation, brought there by the evil Queen Jadis (aka the White Witch) who had torn off a bar of iron from a London lamp-post to throw at Aslan who was in the middle of creating Narnia with his song. Through the creative power of his song, the bar was transfigured into the enduring lamp-post that burned without fuel for quite a long time. It was, in fact, a living organism. I personally like to call it Mr. Tumnus' lamp-post because that is roughly where Lucy met Mr. Tumnus the fawn when the children emerged from the wardrobe.
Why bring up and blog about a lamp post on this occasion? Well, I was wondering about what to blog about this evening and then I received a neighborhood alert from my neighbor to lock the doors, turn on the lights, etc... as there had been a shooting about eight blocks from our house. The police were still searching for the subjects and had a helicopter and eventually K-9 units out looking for the suspects. I have a lamp-post in my front yard that pretty much illuminates the middle of our cul-de-sac, and I made the comment on Facebook that Mr. Tumnus' light had been activated.
Why is light such a good defense? Well, for one, when people do evil deeds they generally do it in the dark and they want to try and get away with whatever mischief they are doing. Light dispels darkness. Light also defends me from harming myself. This is I carry around a flashlight (or nowadays a cellphone) to guide my way when hiking or even walking in the dark. There is a security in not only preventing to expose someone if they come onto my lighted residence but also by exposing the inherent dangers my own property poses to me should I venture about without light. Have you ever stubbed that toe on the bedpost in the middle of the night while walking zombie like to the bathroom? I know I have. Hurts like a #&%$*@!^. You get the point.
Do you have light?
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." ~ Psalm 119:105
"God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good..." Genesis 1:3-4
"All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." John 1:3-5
The nature of God is to take some discarded thing, something ripped off and used as an instrument of violence by a cruel person (in Narnia this was a metal bar and a White Witch) and giving it life and turning it into something majestic, something beautiful so that it can give guidance, illumination, and a sense of security to countless generations. With Christ, He took the sin of the world to become that twisted metallic thing, that discarded punishment for our sins, only to be raised in glory and to give light to us for all eternity.
Prayers to the 61 year old man who was shot tonight in Deer Park. This is unusual for our little community, but I fear that this will become all the more common as the uncomprehending darkness will continue to fall upon our land.
"In the Light" by Charlie Peacock
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTPjb_amfsE
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Growing Fat Like a Stall-Fed Calf
Ouch. Confession alert. I failed.
The rest of this blog is either written for you to enjoy, me to vent, or some smorgasbord of varying elements. So, let us get to it.
Malachi 4:2 says "But to you who fear My name... shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves."
This has to be my consolation today. (1) I fear the Lord Jesus Christ. (2) Today I went out. (3) After all my bluster yesterday about surviving on raisin toast... today, I caved and enjoyed a thoroughly large hand-tossed pizza from Pizza Hut with pepperoni, Italian sausage, onions, jalapenos, mushrooms, and pineapple with the crushed red peppers and parmesan cheese. Did I stop there? No. Unfortunately, I did not. I also ate some buffalo wings and that was where the problem began.
I was going about my day doing some routine errands and then going to the bank to deposit some checks for work. Boom. My credit union happens to be right next store to this Carl's Jr. restaurant. Well, it has been my habit on occasion to drop into this place for lunch because I have a friend that works there and because I enjoy their buffalo sauce, especially on their blue-cheese criss-cut fries. I know, I know... you are saying "JOSH. DON'T eat the french fries!!!" I hear you. I see you. However, they are just too dang good. So, after I am done with the bank (and literally, I here Dave Ramsey speaking in my mind "wealthy people eat less than 300 calories of junk food a day" to which my response is a hearty harrumph!) I head on over the Carl's Jr. and intend to get those buffalo fries with a spicy chicken sandwich, hold the lettuce, and add blue cheese crumbles and buffalo sauce. Needless to say, the gal behind the counter says they have discontinued all things blue cheese. I am like WHAT? Well, one less fast food restaurant I have to worry about since I only ever order one thing from every restaurant I go to. I am a weird creature of habit in that regard. I might blog to you sometime what exactly I order from every spot in town I frequent... but that is a topic for another day.
By this time, I am AS (American Starving) again, and I am driving home and it is approximately 3:45 p.m. I call up my wife to ask her what she is planning for dinner. She throws out a couple suggestions and then a light bulb goes off in my head. I can still satisfy that craving for buffalo sauce and blue cheese by getting some wings at the Deer Park Pizza Hut on my way home. Bingo. I tell Karen the what what. And there you have it.
Now. Scripture says in Matthew 4:4 that man shall not live by bread (or in this case pizza) alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. This is so true. Today I am finding that as much as I am enjoying blogging, it is a pretty self-absorbed endeavor. One can get very "me" focused. The best passage in Scripture that I could think of to read today to combat that in my life is the book of Malachi.
The first two chapters are aMaZInG! It is like God reaching down and smacking you across the head and saying really? It is not about you. It IS about ME. Let us look at this together.
Malachi 1:6 Where is MY honor?
Malachi 1:6 Where is MY reverence?
Malachi 1:6 MY name
Malachi 1:7 MY altar
Malachi 1:10 MY altar
Malachi 1:11 MY name
Malachi 1:11 MY name
Malachi 1:11 MY name
Malachi 1:14 MY name
Malachi 2:2 MY name
Malachi 2:4 MY covenant
Malachi 2:5 MY name
Malachi 2:9 MY ways
Malachi 3:1 MY messenger
Malachi 3:7 MY ordinances
Malachi 4:2 MY name
I (and perhaps we?) need a change of perspective. If I can begin to think of myself as small in the great grand scheme of things and begin to elevate the position of God in my life and keep His altar, His ordinances, His name, His messenger, His ways as the most important aspects of my life and give them the proper honor and reverence they deserve (which is everything), how might my life be different?
Malachi gives a glimpse. Marriages would be better. Governments would be better. Worship would be better. There would be financial peace. Overall, blessings would abound... and I would grow like a stall-fed calf. Unfortunately, today I think I grew more like a golden calf than a stall-fed calf as I gave into instant gratification and desire.
The rest of this blog is either written for you to enjoy, me to vent, or some smorgasbord of varying elements. So, let us get to it.
Malachi 4:2 says "But to you who fear My name... shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves."
This has to be my consolation today. (1) I fear the Lord Jesus Christ. (2) Today I went out. (3) After all my bluster yesterday about surviving on raisin toast... today, I caved and enjoyed a thoroughly large hand-tossed pizza from Pizza Hut with pepperoni, Italian sausage, onions, jalapenos, mushrooms, and pineapple with the crushed red peppers and parmesan cheese. Did I stop there? No. Unfortunately, I did not. I also ate some buffalo wings and that was where the problem began.
I was going about my day doing some routine errands and then going to the bank to deposit some checks for work. Boom. My credit union happens to be right next store to this Carl's Jr. restaurant. Well, it has been my habit on occasion to drop into this place for lunch because I have a friend that works there and because I enjoy their buffalo sauce, especially on their blue-cheese criss-cut fries. I know, I know... you are saying "JOSH. DON'T eat the french fries!!!" I hear you. I see you. However, they are just too dang good. So, after I am done with the bank (and literally, I here Dave Ramsey speaking in my mind "wealthy people eat less than 300 calories of junk food a day" to which my response is a hearty harrumph!) I head on over the Carl's Jr. and intend to get those buffalo fries with a spicy chicken sandwich, hold the lettuce, and add blue cheese crumbles and buffalo sauce. Needless to say, the gal behind the counter says they have discontinued all things blue cheese. I am like WHAT? Well, one less fast food restaurant I have to worry about since I only ever order one thing from every restaurant I go to. I am a weird creature of habit in that regard. I might blog to you sometime what exactly I order from every spot in town I frequent... but that is a topic for another day.
By this time, I am AS (American Starving) again, and I am driving home and it is approximately 3:45 p.m. I call up my wife to ask her what she is planning for dinner. She throws out a couple suggestions and then a light bulb goes off in my head. I can still satisfy that craving for buffalo sauce and blue cheese by getting some wings at the Deer Park Pizza Hut on my way home. Bingo. I tell Karen the what what. And there you have it.
Now. Scripture says in Matthew 4:4 that man shall not live by bread (or in this case pizza) alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. This is so true. Today I am finding that as much as I am enjoying blogging, it is a pretty self-absorbed endeavor. One can get very "me" focused. The best passage in Scripture that I could think of to read today to combat that in my life is the book of Malachi.
The first two chapters are aMaZInG! It is like God reaching down and smacking you across the head and saying really? It is not about you. It IS about ME. Let us look at this together.
Malachi 1:6 Where is MY honor?
Malachi 1:6 Where is MY reverence?
Malachi 1:6 MY name
Malachi 1:7 MY altar
Malachi 1:10 MY altar
Malachi 1:11 MY name
Malachi 1:11 MY name
Malachi 1:11 MY name
Malachi 1:14 MY name
Malachi 2:2 MY name
Malachi 2:4 MY covenant
Malachi 2:5 MY name
Malachi 2:9 MY ways
Malachi 3:1 MY messenger
Malachi 3:7 MY ordinances
Malachi 4:2 MY name
I (and perhaps we?) need a change of perspective. If I can begin to think of myself as small in the great grand scheme of things and begin to elevate the position of God in my life and keep His altar, His ordinances, His name, His messenger, His ways as the most important aspects of my life and give them the proper honor and reverence they deserve (which is everything), how might my life be different?
Malachi gives a glimpse. Marriages would be better. Governments would be better. Worship would be better. There would be financial peace. Overall, blessings would abound... and I would grow like a stall-fed calf. Unfortunately, today I think I grew more like a golden calf than a stall-fed calf as I gave into instant gratification and desire.
Friday, January 3, 2014
To pizza or not to pizza...
You never know how or when temptation will strike. Sitting back enjoying my evening with my beautiful wife watching episodes of "Chopped -- All Stars" MEANDERING ALERT (according to Dave Ramsey 6% of wealthy watch reality TV vs. 78% of poor) kind of made me hungry... I mean seeing all of that gourmet food. Now I am NOT a gourmet food guy, so when my mind processes a concept like "gourmet food" immediately I think of pizza.
So, during the last episode we watched, the single goal I had going on in my brain was "I hope this episode ends before Yoke's closes so I can get a DiGiorno's pizza" because you know... I am hungry. No. It is true I am not feeling real hunger. I am feeling basic American hunger. Call it the hunger of fat people, not that I would consider myself fat... but whatever that index ratio thing they use to pinch you at the gym (bmi?) well... you get the idea. Anyhow, the show ends. I carry my daughter up to bed. Good night to all. I grab my jacket, put it on and look at the clock. It is 11:26 p.m. I find myself standing in the kitchen for a couple of minutes, transfixed on some nothingness on my phone. Karen comes in and says "well, are you going or not?" My response surprised me. I replied with, "I am wasting time so Yoke's has time to close." I mean, I WANTED that pizza. I still have to take my 7-8 pills to control my diabetes for the night. I still have to take my 50 some units of insulin... but I WANTED that pizza. I WANTED PIZZA!!!!
Historical Quote Alert:
"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
~ Neil Armstrong
I did not go get the pizza. After I right this blog I will go get eat some Sunmaid raisin toast, and yes, I might even have four pieces with butter. But to all you cynics out there thinking I shouldn't, well at least it isn't even more carbohydrates with the happy bonus of cheese, sausage and pepperoni.
"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."
~ 1st Corinthians 10:13 (NKJV)
Yes. I believe that my escape tonight lies with toasted raisin bread... and butter.
So, during the last episode we watched, the single goal I had going on in my brain was "I hope this episode ends before Yoke's closes so I can get a DiGiorno's pizza" because you know... I am hungry. No. It is true I am not feeling real hunger. I am feeling basic American hunger. Call it the hunger of fat people, not that I would consider myself fat... but whatever that index ratio thing they use to pinch you at the gym (bmi?) well... you get the idea. Anyhow, the show ends. I carry my daughter up to bed. Good night to all. I grab my jacket, put it on and look at the clock. It is 11:26 p.m. I find myself standing in the kitchen for a couple of minutes, transfixed on some nothingness on my phone. Karen comes in and says "well, are you going or not?" My response surprised me. I replied with, "I am wasting time so Yoke's has time to close." I mean, I WANTED that pizza. I still have to take my 7-8 pills to control my diabetes for the night. I still have to take my 50 some units of insulin... but I WANTED that pizza. I WANTED PIZZA!!!!
Historical Quote Alert:
"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
~ Neil Armstrong
I did not go get the pizza. After I right this blog I will go get eat some Sunmaid raisin toast, and yes, I might even have four pieces with butter. But to all you cynics out there thinking I shouldn't, well at least it isn't even more carbohydrates with the happy bonus of cheese, sausage and pepperoni.
"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."
~ 1st Corinthians 10:13 (NKJV)
Yes. I believe that my escape tonight lies with toasted raisin bread... and butter.
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Yooks and Zooks
So perhaps the highlight of my day today was reading "The Butter Battle Book" by Dr. Seuss to Eden. I had forgotten how it ended and she declared it a mystery. I asked her who she wanted to win and she said the Yooks, because the "good guys" always deserve to win. It is interesting how we get our notion of how we get "good guys" sometime. Although it is true that the winners write history, does that mean that the writers of the history are any more good than the less articulate? Hhmm... After she made her declaration I told her that in fact the Yooks did win, but they killed about 200,000 Zooks in the process. (I gathered this statistic from when the USA dropped the bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki). So did the Yooks really win? The Butter Battle Book is essentially a book about the escalation of war, how we always reach for the next great thing, and as soon as we attain it our enemy has something more deadly and better.
The other thing to consider in this book is why the two sides were fighting in the first place? Well, because the Yooks (like me) wanted to butter their toast with the butter side up, while the Zooks wanted to butter their toast with the butter side down. This is tricky for me, because I am not a believer in the COEXIST bumper sticker. We do need to be tolerant of each others' points of view, no matter how different, and at the same time not endorse those points of view.
On another note... I feel we are on day two and I haven't meandered enough yet, so today was filled with moving furniture. Shout out to my friend (you know who you are... not that you would ever in a million years read this, but your wife might)... and I looked over some differences in habits that Dave Ramsey compiled between wealthy and poor people. Perhaps I will discuss these another day... or perhaps not.
The other thing to consider in this book is why the two sides were fighting in the first place? Well, because the Yooks (like me) wanted to butter their toast with the butter side up, while the Zooks wanted to butter their toast with the butter side down. This is tricky for me, because I am not a believer in the COEXIST bumper sticker. We do need to be tolerant of each others' points of view, no matter how different, and at the same time not endorse those points of view.
On another note... I feel we are on day two and I haven't meandered enough yet, so today was filled with moving furniture. Shout out to my friend (you know who you are... not that you would ever in a million years read this, but your wife might)... and I looked over some differences in habits that Dave Ramsey compiled between wealthy and poor people. Perhaps I will discuss these another day... or perhaps not.
A New Year
So, I broke in the New Year watching all three Matrix movies with my son Jonah. A line comes to mind from P.M. Dawn and it is "reality used to be a friend of mine." I think we all want the courage to have taken the red pill, to jump down the rabbit hole to an unknown life of adventure, but the reality is most of us, including myself, are perfectly content to have swallowed the blue pill. So, the question I have to ask myself in 2014 is what am I going to do differently to be a little more purple, to inject some red into my otherwise blue life? After a little thought, here are some things I might improve upon. I shall not call them resolutions, because, in truth, to accomplish any of these would be more along the lines of mini revolutions but here goes...
1. I need to lose some weight. I don't know how much, but weight must be shed. There are only two ways to do this and these include a more balanced and controlled diet and the dreaded exercise. I hate, HatE, HATE working out but my diabetes pretty much demands it. I am currently at a comfortable 214... but by the end of the year if I could be around 195 or so that would be nice and I am sure I would "allegedly" feel better because of it.
2. I need to immerse myself in the Scriptures more. Garbage In = Garbage Out and vice versa. This should not be difficult to do, I would just have to cut out some more television... yeah... ummm... ok.
3. I need to be more disciplined in the area of finances. Uggghhh.The main areas I need to rein in are discretionary spending and dining. Do you see a pattern here how #! and #3 go hand in hand?
The overall purpose of this blog is to share some of the musings and meanderings my mind might dream up at whatever odd hour of the night I am writing this, but on another level, perhaps it will serve as some sort of self accountability. Maybe this will serve as a reminder of things that both impress and depress me, and maybe... just maybe you will join me on this journey down the rabbit hole.
1. I need to lose some weight. I don't know how much, but weight must be shed. There are only two ways to do this and these include a more balanced and controlled diet and the dreaded exercise. I hate, HatE, HATE working out but my diabetes pretty much demands it. I am currently at a comfortable 214... but by the end of the year if I could be around 195 or so that would be nice and I am sure I would "allegedly" feel better because of it.
2. I need to immerse myself in the Scriptures more. Garbage In = Garbage Out and vice versa. This should not be difficult to do, I would just have to cut out some more television... yeah... ummm... ok.
3. I need to be more disciplined in the area of finances. Uggghhh.The main areas I need to rein in are discretionary spending and dining. Do you see a pattern here how #! and #3 go hand in hand?
The overall purpose of this blog is to share some of the musings and meanderings my mind might dream up at whatever odd hour of the night I am writing this, but on another level, perhaps it will serve as some sort of self accountability. Maybe this will serve as a reminder of things that both impress and depress me, and maybe... just maybe you will join me on this journey down the rabbit hole.
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