This post is in honor of my first post today. If you haven't read it you need to in order to have the right background. You can check it out HERE.
This video is from the band OK GO. The name of the song is Here It Goes Again. (Capitol Records 2006)
Clearly my treadmill skills need some work.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
2 For Tuesday How Your Gut Can Kill Your Pride.
Ok, I have to be honest. I'm the man. I know that I'm supposed to be humble and all that but for real, I'm the man. It's hard to be humble when you are as awesome at exercising as I am...
That's what I thought before yesterday.
At the end of August my wife and I decided to start a weight loss challenge. Every other day we head to the YMCA and do some cardio and some light weights. We watch what we eat and we make it a point to try to be healthy. And since the last week of August, I have lost 8.8 pounds. Pretty impressive right? Yeah, I thought so.
To be honest, my weight aside, it's the most active I've been in my entire life. I run 3+ miles three times a week. Every new week I push myself to work harder and go longer. And as a result, I've developed a little problem with pride.
That brings me to yesterday. Yesterday I was running for distance and speed. I cranked up the treadmill and ran at 6mph which is a tough pace for me (I started at 4.0 mph in August). Today I was busting it and it wasn't even phasing me. Here's what I was thinking:
"ha! 6 mph isn't even a big deal anymore! I'm so amazing at this." I kept running in a way that was almost strutting. My stride was long. My back straight. A big smile on my face. "Look at me world...Look at......"
And then it happened. Apparently when I was in my prideful stride I didn't realize I was running faster than the treadmill. I slowly crept up on the front of the treadmill. My gut reached the front of the treadmill first (because it was sticking out). It was at that time that my stomach pressed the "emergency stop" button.
The treadmill track stopped instantly. The only problem was that I was still in my pride stride. I lurched at the front of the treadmill and bounced off of the handle. I then bounced from one side to the other. I felt like I was playing treadmill pinball.
I even let out a yelp which caused the guy next to me to look over. I took my earphones out to see what had happened. I looked over at him and he simply looked at me and said "your stomach hit the button".
Ouch. All my pride was quickly gone. What I was prideful about minutes earlier was replaced with the realization of the work I had left in front of me.The following verse came to mind.
18 Pride goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall.
I find it interesting that in my case yesterday, pride led to literally a fall. Sometimes my pride keeps me from accomplishing what God wants for me. This is a good reminder to approach everything in life with a lot humility. I'm going to continue to exercise and run. It's a good way to lose weight and relieve stress. From now on I'm going to be a little more humble about it...
jon
That's what I thought before yesterday.
At the end of August my wife and I decided to start a weight loss challenge. Every other day we head to the YMCA and do some cardio and some light weights. We watch what we eat and we make it a point to try to be healthy. And since the last week of August, I have lost 8.8 pounds. Pretty impressive right? Yeah, I thought so.
To be honest, my weight aside, it's the most active I've been in my entire life. I run 3+ miles three times a week. Every new week I push myself to work harder and go longer. And as a result, I've developed a little problem with pride.
That brings me to yesterday. Yesterday I was running for distance and speed. I cranked up the treadmill and ran at 6mph which is a tough pace for me (I started at 4.0 mph in August). Today I was busting it and it wasn't even phasing me. Here's what I was thinking:
"ha! 6 mph isn't even a big deal anymore! I'm so amazing at this." I kept running in a way that was almost strutting. My stride was long. My back straight. A big smile on my face. "Look at me world...Look at......"
And then it happened. Apparently when I was in my prideful stride I didn't realize I was running faster than the treadmill. I slowly crept up on the front of the treadmill. My gut reached the front of the treadmill first (because it was sticking out). It was at that time that my stomach pressed the "emergency stop" button.
The treadmill track stopped instantly. The only problem was that I was still in my pride stride. I lurched at the front of the treadmill and bounced off of the handle. I then bounced from one side to the other. I felt like I was playing treadmill pinball.
I even let out a yelp which caused the guy next to me to look over. I took my earphones out to see what had happened. I looked over at him and he simply looked at me and said "your stomach hit the button".
Ouch. All my pride was quickly gone. What I was prideful about minutes earlier was replaced with the realization of the work I had left in front of me.The following verse came to mind.
Proverbs 16:18
18 Pride goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall.
I find it interesting that in my case yesterday, pride led to literally a fall. Sometimes my pride keeps me from accomplishing what God wants for me. This is a good reminder to approach everything in life with a lot humility. I'm going to continue to exercise and run. It's a good way to lose weight and relieve stress. From now on I'm going to be a little more humble about it...
jon
Saturday, October 2, 2010
How I Made Two Girls Cry.
I've actually made more than that cry. It's sad I know. But the other day I was sitting and thinking about all of the things that God has done in my life. I was thinking about how far he has brought me. All of a sudden I pictured too girls. I had made both of them cry. One was in 7th grade. The other was this past spring. These two girls pretty much define what God has done in my life.
One was named Wendy.
The other one I never caught her name.
Wendy was a girl who was a year behind me in middle school. I was in 7th grade and she was in 6th. She was a little overweight and she had a feisty attitude. In middle school we would have "put down" contest. Pretty much we would be on the bus and two kids would face off and start slinging "put downs". "Your mom is soooo fat.." "You are soooo poor..." and you would add a witty ending. Everyone on the bus would crowd around and laugh the whole time and cheer on the winner.
Wendy was in a contest with one of the 8th graders one day. They were going at each other pretty bad. At one point I decided to join in. The 8th grader threw out a put down and I moved and added an extra line. The extra line clinched it. The kids on the bus howled with laughter. They gave high fives to each other and to us. They had declared our side the winner.
We laughed and cheered. Wendy sat and cried.
I'm unsure of the specifics but there was something about what I said (it was about her father) that really cut her. It cut her deep. She sat and cried. I stopped cheering and just stared at her. I had done that. I had cut her. My victory didn't matter. I felt like the biggest loser of them all.
(FAST FORWARD 13 YEARS)
I was going to eat Chick Fil A earlier this spring. On the way in I noticed a young lady standing on the corner with a sign. God immediately let me know that I should do something for her. I went and grabbed my lunch and ate it. On the way out I bought her a combo meal. As I was pulling up to the corner where she was standing I noticed something. She wasn't like the other people who stood at this corner. She held a sign but she didn't look up. She looked at the ground. Her shoulders slumped forward. She wore her shame like a jacket.
I pulled up next to her and rolled down my window. I called her over and gave her the bag. She thanked me and I told her that God loved her. As she glanced in the bag she looked and me and said "WOW!" There was genuine shock on her face. Just then a woman came up behind her and gave her something as well. The girl broke into tears and started to cry on the side of the road. They weren't tears of shame, but instead they were tears of joy. I drove off and prayed for her.
It's amazing how you can influence other people.
You can give them tears of shame, or you can give them tears of joy.
Which one will you give?
jon
One was named Wendy.
The other one I never caught her name.
Wendy was a girl who was a year behind me in middle school. I was in 7th grade and she was in 6th. She was a little overweight and she had a feisty attitude. In middle school we would have "put down" contest. Pretty much we would be on the bus and two kids would face off and start slinging "put downs". "Your mom is soooo fat.." "You are soooo poor..." and you would add a witty ending. Everyone on the bus would crowd around and laugh the whole time and cheer on the winner.
Wendy was in a contest with one of the 8th graders one day. They were going at each other pretty bad. At one point I decided to join in. The 8th grader threw out a put down and I moved and added an extra line. The extra line clinched it. The kids on the bus howled with laughter. They gave high fives to each other and to us. They had declared our side the winner.
We laughed and cheered. Wendy sat and cried.
I'm unsure of the specifics but there was something about what I said (it was about her father) that really cut her. It cut her deep. She sat and cried. I stopped cheering and just stared at her. I had done that. I had cut her. My victory didn't matter. I felt like the biggest loser of them all.
(FAST FORWARD 13 YEARS)
I was going to eat Chick Fil A earlier this spring. On the way in I noticed a young lady standing on the corner with a sign. God immediately let me know that I should do something for her. I went and grabbed my lunch and ate it. On the way out I bought her a combo meal. As I was pulling up to the corner where she was standing I noticed something. She wasn't like the other people who stood at this corner. She held a sign but she didn't look up. She looked at the ground. Her shoulders slumped forward. She wore her shame like a jacket.
I pulled up next to her and rolled down my window. I called her over and gave her the bag. She thanked me and I told her that God loved her. As she glanced in the bag she looked and me and said "WOW!" There was genuine shock on her face. Just then a woman came up behind her and gave her something as well. The girl broke into tears and started to cry on the side of the road. They weren't tears of shame, but instead they were tears of joy. I drove off and prayed for her.
It's amazing how you can influence other people.
You can give them tears of shame, or you can give them tears of joy.
Which one will you give?
jon
Saturday, September 25, 2010
The Absurdity of it All - Slow People
A while back (as in 2008) I wrote about something I like to call the Absurdity of It All. Essentially it means that in any given situation in my life something annoying will happen. It happens all the time. My wife and I have grown used to it and now laugh whenever it happens...let me give you an example.
Slow People.
I'm talking about people who are physically slow. For some strange reason I am always stuck behind that person. The person driving 45 on the interstate. The person paying with exact change....in pennies. The person who is paying for groceries with a check. (do people still use those?)
No matter where I go I get behind slow people. It usually happens when I'm in a hurry. For example.
I want to grab a bite to eat for lunch but I'm in a hurry so I head to Chick-Fil-A. At any of the Chick-Fil-A's around my house, lunch time means loooong drive through lines. Seeing the line I think, it'll be faster if I go inside. Before I pull into the parking space I make a note of the last car in the drive through so I can compare which method is really faster. It's a green Ford Explorer. I got you Ford Explorer, I got you.
Inside there is a sea of people. The people at the registers keep the lines moving quickly so that you don't have to wait too long. It's my kind of place! I'm strategically move to the shortest line. I glance out the window to see where the Ford Explorer is. Not even to the corner of the building yet. I'm so going to win this.
Here's a quick tip for you guys. The shortest line is not always the fastest. You have to look at a number of things in order to gauge how long it's going to take you to get your food. What is the make-up of your line? Is it made up of hungry looking people or people who could put off lunch all together to ask the cashier every intimate detail of their lives?
Is your cashier being trained? You can usually note this if they keep leaning over and asking someone where the Coke Zero button is. Also if the apologize profusely. If you have a trainee cashier, you can add at least 5 minutes to your wait.
None of those were the case on this day. Ford Explorer didn't have a chance. Until....
Here's the one that got me that day. .Are the people in front of you in line looking at the menu while they wait? My line was moving great until the person in front of me. She was a sweet little old lady. But she didn't even think of what she wanted before she got to the register. She got to the register and began looking over every single item. And she asked questions.
Does the number one come with fries?
Are your chickens raised free range?
How many lemons are in each gallon of fresh squeezed lemonade?
What is the ratio of honey to mustard in your honey mustard sauce?
On and on and on. With each question I lose a bit of my sanity. I glance out of the window. A red Subaru Forrester...whew, there is still time left.
Then comes the clincher. The special order.
I would like a number 1, except I want the bun only buttered on half of it. Can you toast just the bottom portion? I would like no pickles, but I would like a piece of cheese. I also would like half lemonade and half tea. Of the lemonade part I want half of it diet. Of the tea part, I want half of it sweet. I would like the ice to fill up roughly 67% of the cup. I would like all of my fries to be in the shape of Abraham Lincolns beard....(what?) I think that will be it.
Behind her I'm going crazy. Not only has every other line gotten down to one person left, but they have also served twice as many people as my line. I feel like I'm in some sort of Twilight Zone episode. This can't be happening. I came inside. I got in the shortest line. It was moving quickly....but now....now TIME HAS STOPPED!
As the lady is paying with a change purse full of nickels I let my gaze drift to the window. There I see a Green Ford Explorer. It's driver is eating a waffle fry and laughing with glee. I stand in line and start to cry. Just then the little old lady sees me and says, "I know dear, they are so slow here."
Ok so I might have exaggerated a little but I run into slow people everywhere! Do you? Drop a story in the comments section below and share the absurdity of being behind slow people!
Jon
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Two For Tuesday: The Serious One
What does it mean to follow Christ? I've been reading a book called "Radical" by David Platt. It's an interesting read but every so often I have to put it down because of the implications that it has for my life. I was reading it a couple of weeks ago and a thought crossed my mind. A terrifying thought.
Now let me disclaim something before I tell you the thought. I am NOT suggesting this. I don't think this is what God is telling me I should do. I'm a pastor and so this thought scared me personally.
In the book, Platt mentions that often times in church we tend to create God in our image and worship Him that way. I started to think about my life. Do I transform God into something that He is not? How about the programs that the student ministries have? Do they create a box that tries to fit God instead of following Him?
Sometimes, I follow thoughts for a long time. I think that's what happened here. I ended up at the following.
Are we serious about following God in everything that we do? I mean everything. Would we follow God even if it meant giving up something that we lived for? What if God told us that He wanted us to close our church and make disciples elsewhere? Would we do it?
That thought crushed me. No way. Look at all of the things that we are doing FOR GOD! Look at all of the good things that we are doing.
But God doesn't just want good things....God wants US. He tells a rich man to give up everything he has. He tells someone to forget about burying his dead father.. He tells someone else that following him might mean hating his family. Ouch. Following Christ is not pretty, or easy for that matter.
I once heard Phil Vischer speak at a conference. He is the creator of Veggie Tales. He tells a similar story of how he followed Veggie Tales more than he followed God. Veggie Tales was later sold into bankruptcy after being sued by someone. Vischer talked about having to realize that even though he was doing good, he wasn't putting God first. A tough lesson to say the least.
What does it mean to follow Christ? It means being willing to give up everything. Even if that everything is something that is good. Even if it's a Bible study, a youth ministry, an older adult program, a choir, a Sunday school class, VBS, or the most popular animated series of all time.
Being a pastor, this thought scares me. I mean that's my livelihood. It's how I feed and shelter my family. But that thought also encourages me to seek God in every part of my life. I know and trust that God will take care of me. I also trust that the best place for me to be is right in the center of His will.
Again, I'm not suggesting that you do this. (unless God tells you of course). What I am suggesting is that we need to evaluate how serious we take the title, "Christ Follower". Are you ready to take on all that it means to follow Him?
Now let me disclaim something before I tell you the thought. I am NOT suggesting this. I don't think this is what God is telling me I should do. I'm a pastor and so this thought scared me personally.
In the book, Platt mentions that often times in church we tend to create God in our image and worship Him that way. I started to think about my life. Do I transform God into something that He is not? How about the programs that the student ministries have? Do they create a box that tries to fit God instead of following Him?
Sometimes, I follow thoughts for a long time. I think that's what happened here. I ended up at the following.
Are we serious about following God in everything that we do? I mean everything. Would we follow God even if it meant giving up something that we lived for? What if God told us that He wanted us to close our church and make disciples elsewhere? Would we do it?
That thought crushed me. No way. Look at all of the things that we are doing FOR GOD! Look at all of the good things that we are doing.
But God doesn't just want good things....God wants US. He tells a rich man to give up everything he has. He tells someone to forget about burying his dead father.. He tells someone else that following him might mean hating his family. Ouch. Following Christ is not pretty, or easy for that matter.
I once heard Phil Vischer speak at a conference. He is the creator of Veggie Tales. He tells a similar story of how he followed Veggie Tales more than he followed God. Veggie Tales was later sold into bankruptcy after being sued by someone. Vischer talked about having to realize that even though he was doing good, he wasn't putting God first. A tough lesson to say the least.
What does it mean to follow Christ? It means being willing to give up everything. Even if that everything is something that is good. Even if it's a Bible study, a youth ministry, an older adult program, a choir, a Sunday school class, VBS, or the most popular animated series of all time.
Being a pastor, this thought scares me. I mean that's my livelihood. It's how I feed and shelter my family. But that thought also encourages me to seek God in every part of my life. I know and trust that God will take care of me. I also trust that the best place for me to be is right in the center of His will.
Again, I'm not suggesting that you do this. (unless God tells you of course). What I am suggesting is that we need to evaluate how serious we take the title, "Christ Follower". Are you ready to take on all that it means to follow Him?
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