Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
For this Season of Lent, I will be focusing my energy entirely upon myself and my own health. These 40 days of self-centeredness and God-centeredness will hopefully be remarkably healthy for me and those around me.
As people living in modern America, I think it's easy to forget that our bodies are temples and we were purchased for a price. Whether your quick fix is a Big Mac, a cigarette, or some insane drink order at Starbucks, I think we're all guilty of amassing a lot of quick fixes.
We bring our tithes to the temple, just as our forefathers did so long ago. They were called to bring the good crops and animals for sacrifice in the Old Testament. What are we doing today when we bring trans-fat and corn syrup laden food to the temple where the Holy Spirit resides? Is this our offering, is this how we fuel ourselves to go and make disciples of all nations?
For Lent I will be doing/quitting a lot.
I will be in the gym four days a week, minimum.
I will not smoke.
I will not drink or eat anything with high fructose corn syrup in it.
I will make most of the food I eat myself, focusing all my meals around a high lean protein, vegetables, fruit, greens, and low-fat and low-carbohydrate diet.
I will try to sleep at least 7 hours every night.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Friday, December 9, 2011
Ultimate.
2011 has been riddled with tragedy. On January 8th we in Tucson saw 6 people killed outside of a Safeway. This included Christina Taylor-Green and Judge John Roll, two amazing Christian people whose families I've come to know and love.
Then in May 27 I took a shot to the gut. My friend Tyler passed away in a car accident. We'd known each other at varying levels of depth since we were both Juniors in high school, 2003-04, him at Mountain View in Marana, and me at Flowing Wells in Tucson.
In college we grew closer and would hang out more frequently during and after U-Life, or Young Life College. And then in 2008 we were dating twin sisters, I got to know him intimately well. I was one of the first people he talked to before proposing to his girlfriend, and one of the people he asked for advice from on how to ask her father for his blessing. The year before his death we were in Disneyland together, and on the beach in San Diego, sharing a hotel room at both.
Then me and my half of the twin sisters broke up, and it was ugly. Actually 'Reflect and Revise' were the lessons learned in the aftermath of this epicly bad break-up. It got to such a point that me and Tyler severed ties, and the last thing I said to him was this:
"this whole situation is weird and i don't really like the awkwardness, i love you and nicole, your family and her family. I want to get to the bottom of whatever is going on and try and mend some broken friendships if it's possible. If you don't think it is at all possible, just ignore this and we'll go on with our lives." December 23, 2010
He ignored it, and I went on with my life. My bitterness grew after that. Sometime in February he waved from across the room at church when he saw me, and I turned away to continue a conversation. After December 23, 2010 I never texted, facebooked, called, or said one word to Tyler because I valued my pride more than pursuing a friend.
Since May 27, I've pursued friendship with my former girlfriend and her twin sister. I can now say that we are friends. But from now on, I will always remember the last thing Tyler saw from me was turning my head.
The lessons 2011 has taught me are these:
1. Identify yourself in Christ, you are not your relationships, intellect, athleticism, or anything that is temporary and of this world. If your identity is not based in Christ, then you are only buying time with the gifts you've been given for as long as they may last, and we have no guarantees on this life's longevity.
2. While you are blessed with this time, use it to build people up. Never let insignificant bitterness cloud your judgment. The greatest commandment is to Love God and Love Others. Not love others who are really cool, really nice, really funny, easy to get along with. We are made to love others, no exceptions.
Then in May 27 I took a shot to the gut. My friend Tyler passed away in a car accident. We'd known each other at varying levels of depth since we were both Juniors in high school, 2003-04, him at Mountain View in Marana, and me at Flowing Wells in Tucson.
In college we grew closer and would hang out more frequently during and after U-Life, or Young Life College. And then in 2008 we were dating twin sisters, I got to know him intimately well. I was one of the first people he talked to before proposing to his girlfriend, and one of the people he asked for advice from on how to ask her father for his blessing. The year before his death we were in Disneyland together, and on the beach in San Diego, sharing a hotel room at both.
Then me and my half of the twin sisters broke up, and it was ugly. Actually 'Reflect and Revise' were the lessons learned in the aftermath of this epicly bad break-up. It got to such a point that me and Tyler severed ties, and the last thing I said to him was this:
"this whole situation is weird and i don't really like the awkwardness, i love you and nicole, your family and her family. I want to get to the bottom of whatever is going on and try and mend some broken friendships if it's possible. If you don't think it is at all possible, just ignore this and we'll go on with our lives." December 23, 2010
He ignored it, and I went on with my life. My bitterness grew after that. Sometime in February he waved from across the room at church when he saw me, and I turned away to continue a conversation. After December 23, 2010 I never texted, facebooked, called, or said one word to Tyler because I valued my pride more than pursuing a friend.
Since May 27, I've pursued friendship with my former girlfriend and her twin sister. I can now say that we are friends. But from now on, I will always remember the last thing Tyler saw from me was turning my head.
The lessons 2011 has taught me are these:
1. Identify yourself in Christ, you are not your relationships, intellect, athleticism, or anything that is temporary and of this world. If your identity is not based in Christ, then you are only buying time with the gifts you've been given for as long as they may last, and we have no guarantees on this life's longevity.
2. While you are blessed with this time, use it to build people up. Never let insignificant bitterness cloud your judgment. The greatest commandment is to Love God and Love Others. Not love others who are really cool, really nice, really funny, easy to get along with. We are made to love others, no exceptions.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Iron
“Goodness gracious sakes alive!” is what any UCLA basketball player in the 60s and 70s would tell you was their most feared sentence. Coach John Wooden believed in three rules in his practice sessions:
1. Be on time
2. No profanity
3. Never criticize a teammate
Coach John Wooden also won 10 NCAA championships and still holds the longest winning streak in NCAA basketball of 88 straight games. He did this not with scouting out other teams or constantly strategizing for each game, he did this by perfecting his own team to execute their job and position with seamless action.
In his rules we find a dedication to fostering mutual respect among all of his players. Everyone on time, no one swears, and only the coaching staff gave criticism to build the team.
The Bible says “iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” in Proverbs 27:17.
There was a small group in the 20th century called The Inklings. It consisted of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and Owen Barfield. They would meet in one of Lewis’ rooms at Magdalen College on Thursday or at a local pub on Friday. In this setting the men would read excerpts from their writings, such as The Hobbit and Screwtape Letters of Tolkien and Lewis, respectively. Then the other members would engage in “the cut and parry of prolonged, fierce, masculine argument” to use the words of C.S. Lewis.
The great works of this group owe a large debt to the sharpening remarks of the other members in the group. To the extent that now all are familiar with the Chronicles of Narnia and the Lord of the Rings series’ around the world.
When you are part of a team, you are part of something greater than yourself. We must enter into the team without selfish desire for success as an individual, but only when you enter with the desire to bring success to the team as a whole will all the individuals find success.
1. Be on time
2. No profanity
3. Never criticize a teammate
Coach John Wooden also won 10 NCAA championships and still holds the longest winning streak in NCAA basketball of 88 straight games. He did this not with scouting out other teams or constantly strategizing for each game, he did this by perfecting his own team to execute their job and position with seamless action.
In his rules we find a dedication to fostering mutual respect among all of his players. Everyone on time, no one swears, and only the coaching staff gave criticism to build the team.
The Bible says “iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” in Proverbs 27:17.
There was a small group in the 20th century called The Inklings. It consisted of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and Owen Barfield. They would meet in one of Lewis’ rooms at Magdalen College on Thursday or at a local pub on Friday. In this setting the men would read excerpts from their writings, such as The Hobbit and Screwtape Letters of Tolkien and Lewis, respectively. Then the other members would engage in “the cut and parry of prolonged, fierce, masculine argument” to use the words of C.S. Lewis.
The great works of this group owe a large debt to the sharpening remarks of the other members in the group. To the extent that now all are familiar with the Chronicles of Narnia and the Lord of the Rings series’ around the world.
When you are part of a team, you are part of something greater than yourself. We must enter into the team without selfish desire for success as an individual, but only when you enter with the desire to bring success to the team as a whole will all the individuals find success.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Reflect and Revise
Being in a relationship with another human being is difficult. Exponentially more so when it is a romantic one.
The first and most important part of that relationship is the presence of love. Not love in the sense that you have found 'the one', but love in the sense that you find your new partner to be wonderfully created, and someone worthy of your admiration and respect.
Men have it hard. We're told from an early age that our emotions and feelings stem from internal weakness and they need to be controlled and suppressed. This is not how you love another person, you love others by being willing to share your life with them, and being willing to listen to the victories and struggles of the other, and to empathize alongside them in their journey.
Proverbs 31 is used frequently in lady small groups because it devotes most of its word space to being a good woman in a relationship, specifically as a wife, but the lessons crossover to dating in my opinion.
Men are addressed three times in Proverbs 31
11. Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
23. Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
28-29. Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
"Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."
As men we are instructed to
1. Trust the women we're in a relationship with,
2. Be worthy of their respect and love by being respected in our own community, and
3. We need to praise and encourage the women in our lives.
Christian men know very well the verses in the New Testament where women are asked to serve their husbands. But we easily forget that we're meant to love the woman in our life as Christ loved the church. How did Christ love the church? He sacrificed everything he had for it, he loved it so much that he gave his life for its gain. That's huge.
But at the end of the day, we're all human and imperfect. We cannot love perfectly as God does. Our efforts to love each other will at times fail. The only way to make a relationship last is to 'truly, truly, truly love each other' according to John Wooden. Coach Wooden also said 'There are many things that are essential to arriving at true peace of mind, and one of the most important is faith, which cannot be acquired without prayer.'
Without seeking God's love and guidance as a team, our efforts will ultimately fail.
If we as men are not actively seeking to love Christ in our daily lives, then we are not putting forth our best effort to love in our romantic relationships.
But, if we do seek Christ and take into our actions His guidance, we can live and love abundantly.
1. Love God. Seek His love, blessings, and guidance through prayer, meditation, and biblical study.
2. Love her. We can show this by being open and honest, as well as being willing to listen and empathize.
3. Trust her.
4. Try to make yourself worthy of her love... financially, physically, spiritually, and mentally... 'success(worthiness) comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming', to once again quote John Wooden.
5. Be encouraging and praise the woman in your life.
PS: Since I quoted John Wooden so much I would be remiss if I omitted his definition of love...
Love means many things. It means giving. It means sharing. It means forgiving. It means understanding. It means being patient. It means learning. And you must always consider the other side, the other person. You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving. – John Wooden
The first and most important part of that relationship is the presence of love. Not love in the sense that you have found 'the one', but love in the sense that you find your new partner to be wonderfully created, and someone worthy of your admiration and respect.
Men have it hard. We're told from an early age that our emotions and feelings stem from internal weakness and they need to be controlled and suppressed. This is not how you love another person, you love others by being willing to share your life with them, and being willing to listen to the victories and struggles of the other, and to empathize alongside them in their journey.
Proverbs 31 is used frequently in lady small groups because it devotes most of its word space to being a good woman in a relationship, specifically as a wife, but the lessons crossover to dating in my opinion.
Men are addressed three times in Proverbs 31
11. Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
23. Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
28-29. Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
"Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."
As men we are instructed to
1. Trust the women we're in a relationship with,
2. Be worthy of their respect and love by being respected in our own community, and
3. We need to praise and encourage the women in our lives.
Christian men know very well the verses in the New Testament where women are asked to serve their husbands. But we easily forget that we're meant to love the woman in our life as Christ loved the church. How did Christ love the church? He sacrificed everything he had for it, he loved it so much that he gave his life for its gain. That's huge.
But at the end of the day, we're all human and imperfect. We cannot love perfectly as God does. Our efforts to love each other will at times fail. The only way to make a relationship last is to 'truly, truly, truly love each other' according to John Wooden. Coach Wooden also said 'There are many things that are essential to arriving at true peace of mind, and one of the most important is faith, which cannot be acquired without prayer.'
Without seeking God's love and guidance as a team, our efforts will ultimately fail.
If we as men are not actively seeking to love Christ in our daily lives, then we are not putting forth our best effort to love in our romantic relationships.
But, if we do seek Christ and take into our actions His guidance, we can live and love abundantly.
1. Love God. Seek His love, blessings, and guidance through prayer, meditation, and biblical study.
2. Love her. We can show this by being open and honest, as well as being willing to listen and empathize.
3. Trust her.
4. Try to make yourself worthy of her love... financially, physically, spiritually, and mentally... 'success(worthiness) comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming', to once again quote John Wooden.
5. Be encouraging and praise the woman in your life.
PS: Since I quoted John Wooden so much I would be remiss if I omitted his definition of love...
Love means many things. It means giving. It means sharing. It means forgiving. It means understanding. It means being patient. It means learning. And you must always consider the other side, the other person. You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving. – John Wooden
Monday, October 19, 2009
Doc King.
Yet, in spite of these spectacular strides in science and technology, and still unlimited ones to come, something basic is missing. There is a sort of poverty of the spirit which stands in glaring contrast to our scientific and technological abundance. The richer we have become materially, the poorer we have become morally and spiritually. We have learned to fly the air like birds and swim the sea like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of living together as brothers.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Dr. King had a way of saying things then, that remain important through time. His words are constant, whether they are concerning the civil rights movement, the war in Vietnam, or a just another Sunday sermon.
Dr. King was the last black man to win the Nobel Peace Prize. I was reminded of that when President Obama won his. That is why I have been reading and listening to his words lately, they rang of peace and love. His words rang of justice and equality. His words lead a nation through one of its darkest times.
Maybe his words can be heard again today. Let's live together as brothers, love your neighbor more than your Mac book. Let go of the materialism and impatience in our society, culture and especially our generation. Thanks Dr. King for your wise words.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Dr. King had a way of saying things then, that remain important through time. His words are constant, whether they are concerning the civil rights movement, the war in Vietnam, or a just another Sunday sermon.
Dr. King was the last black man to win the Nobel Peace Prize. I was reminded of that when President Obama won his. That is why I have been reading and listening to his words lately, they rang of peace and love. His words rang of justice and equality. His words lead a nation through one of its darkest times.
Maybe his words can be heard again today. Let's live together as brothers, love your neighbor more than your Mac book. Let go of the materialism and impatience in our society, culture and especially our generation. Thanks Dr. King for your wise words.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
I'm such a Jew
Today at sundown is Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. I plan to observe the Jewish holiday.
I like the idea of a holiday set aside strictly for atoning for sins, and untainted by the commercialization so prevalent in traditional Christian holidays.
My girlfriend had a good point, she said we do have that holiday, it's Easter. Easter is three days thanking Jesus for his sacrifice and asking for forgiveness for ours sins, and maybe even asking to help us in our daily walk if you're feeling super religious that particular weekend.
Yom Kippur is 25 hours of fasting, recognizing our broken-ness, and repenting for it all. Only thing is I have a leg up on the Jews because I have a guy I can directly talk to and seek forgiveness from, YAHWEH hooked me up in that sense. Paul tells us in Acts 27:9-10 that he also celebrated this high holiday by fasting.
It's not something that every Christian should have to do. I think the best consensus that me and my girlfriend came to is this, as Christians we should seek time to fast, repent, and ask for help in our faithfulness. For me, I like the idea of tradition in the old covenant by the Day of Atonement, for others it may just be some random weekend.
The important thing is, take some time out of your life to think about the sacrifice that has gone into salvation, the thankfulness we owe to God, and to seek guidance in our everyday life.
I like the idea of a holiday set aside strictly for atoning for sins, and untainted by the commercialization so prevalent in traditional Christian holidays.
My girlfriend had a good point, she said we do have that holiday, it's Easter. Easter is three days thanking Jesus for his sacrifice and asking for forgiveness for ours sins, and maybe even asking to help us in our daily walk if you're feeling super religious that particular weekend.
Yom Kippur is 25 hours of fasting, recognizing our broken-ness, and repenting for it all. Only thing is I have a leg up on the Jews because I have a guy I can directly talk to and seek forgiveness from, YAHWEH hooked me up in that sense. Paul tells us in Acts 27:9-10 that he also celebrated this high holiday by fasting.
It's not something that every Christian should have to do. I think the best consensus that me and my girlfriend came to is this, as Christians we should seek time to fast, repent, and ask for help in our faithfulness. For me, I like the idea of tradition in the old covenant by the Day of Atonement, for others it may just be some random weekend.
The important thing is, take some time out of your life to think about the sacrifice that has gone into salvation, the thankfulness we owe to God, and to seek guidance in our everyday life.
My First Real Blog Post
Okay, so I'm doing this bible-in-a-year reading. It's in Chronological order, so it follows biblical events as they happen. (www.oneyearbibleonline.com)
I totally dislike these read the bible-in-a-year deals. Normally I like guiding myself, opening randomly, or going to where another person/book I'm reading directs me. The bible-in-a-years normally last about 1-2 weeks for me tops. This one is kind of different, and interesting, since it follows an order and you aren't taking a literary shotgun to the bible and cherry-picking what some random guy said you should read in what order, God made this order of events, so it might be worth reading.
God, as he always does, showed me something cool. I had to read one of the parts that you normally skip when reading through the bible, the stuff you already know (i.e. Ten Commandments, Jesus' lineage, the story of Creation). I was reading Genesis 1:14-17...
I totally dislike these read the bible-in-a-year deals. Normally I like guiding myself, opening randomly, or going to where another person/book I'm reading directs me. The bible-in-a-years normally last about 1-2 weeks for me tops. This one is kind of different, and interesting, since it follows an order and you aren't taking a literary shotgun to the bible and cherry-picking what some random guy said you should read in what order, God made this order of events, so it might be worth reading.
God, as he always does, showed me something cool. I had to read one of the parts that you normally skip when reading through the bible, the stuff you already know (i.e. Ten Commandments, Jesus' lineage, the story of Creation). I was reading Genesis 1:14-17...
...14
And God said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs and tokens [of God's provident care], and [to mark] seasons, days, and years,15And let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light upon the earth. And it was so.16And God made the two great lights--the greater light (the sun) to rule the day and the lesser light (the moon) to rule the night. He also made the stars.17And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth... (Amplified Bible)
... And here is what I got out of it. God created the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars. It's ordinary, you learned it in Sunday School, come on get to the real scripture right? But the extraordinary thing is, God created some big, burning, complex stuff and the purpose behind it was the existence and survival of myself and those loved ones and less-loved ones around me (I'm a Christian person, not a perfect one).
The stars were what dictated important things to people with brains, hearts, emotions, blood, fears, and realities just like us. They showed us direction on the darkest nights. They were the foreshadowers of the seasons so we knew when to plant certain things so we wouldn't starve. They were how we found our way around when we were fishing out at night. They were the source of light when the moon wasn't bright.
The importance of this scripture is the not the grandness or the usefulness, but the lostness. I look at the stars when I go hiking, I think, "Aw, that's pretty", hike back to my truck and plug in my Ipod, text my girlfriend, and drive home to watch 24 hour cable news, comedy, music videos, reality TV, food being cooked, whatever. I don't need the stars, nobody today needs those stars. It's sad to see such a useful, wonderful, creation so full of intent just fall to the wayside. Something that we relied on for food and direction, is now something pretty we admire one weekend a month if you're lucky.
Our lives are more "convienient" now, I'm sure there are gardening and compass apps for the Iphone. The scripture I normally overlook, overwhelmed me with the feeling that every thing that modern society and culture is telling me is inherently false, wrong, and not what was intended. I was meant to rely on God and what he created. Instead everyday we are told to rely on our materialism, when none of that leads to a simple God-centered life. What does it take to live like Noah and Abraham, Paul and Jesus. I'm not about to go walk off into the wilderness and live off the land, but how can I live closer to God, how can I not worship the "I need more stuff, and better stuff" idols that are so prevelant in my life, and everyone's life?
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