What a difference a day (or two) makes

Man! I love exercising, now! My wife and I have been attending a class called BodyFlow© at our local YMCA's, and let me tell you, my abs have never hurt so good!

It's a class combining yoga, tai chi, and mat pilates. The only objection I can even come up with in the class, is the slight,very slight use of relaxation and meditation techniques from yoga. (The word namuste makes me cringe, but that's usually said at the end of the class, and I ignore it as best I can.) During the relaxation time, instead of "finding my center" and stuff like that, I just begin reciting "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want..." What better thing to meditate on than that?

The biggest thing about it, I thought it would be an "easy" class, as Tai Chi and Yoga are slow, controlled disciplines. Yes, but that's where the work comes in...

Try doing the "crocodile pose": Similar to a push up, but with elbows at your sides, and your body in the lowered position. Hold it there for about 10-15 seconds. "Flow" into "upward dog": Lift your chest and torso off the ground, but don't let your upper legs touch the ground, only hands and feet touching the ground. Hold it for 10-15 seconds. Then "flow" into the "downward dog" position: without letting your body touch the ground, lift your butt up in the air, feet and hands on the ground, straight back and legs. Hold this for about 10-15 seconds. Then flow to the "bear position": Bend your legs at the knees, don't let them touch the ground, and shift your weight forward over your hands. You guessed it. Hold for 10-15 seconds. Repeat the whole cycle 3-4 times. I'll admit, I'm sweating at this point, and this is only about 1/4th of the whole program.

It's really relaxing, but it's also a great form of exercise! At another local Y, they're giving a 7 week class on Tai Chi, which I really want to try!

I'll try to update you all on my progress as the days go by. Get out and excercise!You're body'll thank you.

Getting a handle on this thing called life

Have you ever been in a car that was out of control and you were the driver? That's a tough position to be in.

Now imagine that car was an aircraft carrier on wheels, going about 100 MPH. That's what trying to control an out of control life is like. But what options do we have when trying to gain control? Try to do it ourselves? Yeah, that's how you got in the mess in the first place. Ask someone else. That only works partially, because they can tell you how they got control of their life, but that doesn't necessarily apply to your life.

The only way I know of that is foolproof in gaining control is... spending time with the Creator. God says that the fruits of the Spirit are, among other things, self-control. Self-control, mind you.

If I could ask of any of you who read my blog to do one thing, it would be to pray that I would tap into the lifesource of the Universe, and cultivate the fruits which I and my family most need. Pray that we will make a determined effort to move closer to Him, so that we may bear the good fruit he wants us to.


Lord,
I need you, not to fix everything, but to fix me. Help me to seek you every day. Help me to cultivate the good fruits, and pare away the bad. Help me grow closer to you, to fill in where I am deficient. Be my God, and help me to love you more.

In Christ's Name,
Amen

Lean on me

Who would have thought that making a change in your life would be so hard? That the rewards aren't always immediately evident, and that discomfort could result from said changes, and that the "good things" would not be immediately apparent?

Ok, you know I'm being facetious. But no wonder most people don't want to change anything. Change is difficult. It's chaotic. It throws a wrench into all one's plans. But I'm fortunate in this life. God has granted me a partner to lean on, in the words of the classic song.

Of course, we ultimately lean on Christ, our Brother and Friend. But I cannot count the times I would have fallen to pieces were it not for my beautiful wife. Regardless of what she's going through, if I'm beginning to fall apart, she has a mysterious and wonderful way of helping me hold together. She is an ultimate blessing.

Lord
Thank you for the wife that you have given me. Thank you for her strength when mine falters. Thank you for her compassionship, and her love. I could not endure this life without her.

In Christ's Name,
Amen

Another lapse

I am so bad at this whole blogging thing right now. I have so much else on my mind that I forget to put anything here. Such is life.

I'll get to making more regular posts....eventually.

Anyway, the family and I have had a good past few days. I've spent alot of time with the kids. I'm trying to enjoy my family, instead of seeing them as an interference, which, when I get selfish, I do. (Sorry family. God's working on me in this.)

I don't feel that way conciously, obviously. And I don't say it to my family. But when I get snippy, I feel it afterward, and I'm so sorry.


Lord
Help me to see what I have as a gift, and not a hinderance. Help me to enjoy every good thing you have given me. May I always feel your blessings in all that happens.

In Your Son's Name,
Amen

Inspiration through tears

Honey, I love you for how God teaches me through you.

Who am I, thinking that I have anything to offer God? How egotistical for me to say, "God, use me." Me, who has been as as inconsistent as the rain, faithful to Him as rain is to the desert, trusting as a lone wolf. I have nothing to offer Him. No talents. Nothing special. Only me.

What does a man need to change? He needs to see that he is really nothing in himself. He needs to realize that, in the words of Socrates, that "true knowledge lies in knowing that you know nothing." He needs to cry out to God, saying, "I am yours, do what you will with me!" He must understand that God never uses the stength of a man to do His will, but his weakness. God never relys on the foolishness of man, but His own wisdom through our ignorance. God used Moses, who, by all accounts stuttered, to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. He used Peter, (who I really identify with) who always talked big, but seldom followed through. (I'll never deny you, Lord! Hey, Peter, is that the rooster crowing for the third time?) He used Paul, who was ugly (so would you after being stoned many times) and such an "exciting" speaker that someone fell asleep while he was preaching, and fell out of a window!

The great men of the Bible? They weren't great because of themselves. They were normal, pathetic men, made great by God.

That's what I want to be. I want to be God's tool, poorly crafted but used in the skillful and masterful hands of God to bring about His will. I am Yours, God. Here am I.

God,
I am Yours to do with as You will.
Make me.
Mold me.
Hold me in the fire of Your love until You see Your reflection in me.
Cast out all impurities.
I have nothing to offer, but myself.

In Christ's Name,
Amen

Still true, 25 years later

This is one of the first clippings I found in my dad's folio. It went back to the old debate back before the Brady Gun Bill was law.

Brady gun bill wouldn't have stopped John Hinckley

James Brady is misleading when he claims that a handgun waiting period would have stopped John Hinckley Jr. from shooting him and Ronald Reagan in 1981 (commentary, April 5). Had Hinckley not bought the handgun he used, he could have used one of several he already owned, or purchased it on the black marked.

Anyone who will break a law against murder is not going to be deterred by another law saying he can't legally own a gun. (Just for the record, such a law wouldn't have stopped Stockton schoolyard killer Patrick Purdy either -- he passed a background check and a 15-day waiting period in California.)

Brady then goes on to claim that his namesake legislation, known as the Brady bill, is endorsed by every major law enforcement group in America and by rank and file law enforcement officers as well. In truth, only the political leaders of some of these groups support him. The rank and file don't support more gun legislation.

He also knows better than to say that "concealed" handguns, especially assault pistols ...are increasingly the weapons of choice for crack peddlers and drug addicts." What he doesn't say is that drug dealers are more likely to kill with a baseball bat or a more conventional (and probably stolen) handgun like a Colt, a Ruger or a Smith and Wesson. Use of legally acquired "assault weapons" by drug criminals is and always has been a minor fraction of weapons used. Brady also doesn't say that many responsible gun owners own and use those listed "assault pistols" for legitimate target shooting and self-defense. Such would be my weapon of choice, if I could afford one, for protecting myself and my family.

Worst of all, Brady implies that the bill would stop criminals who, by their actions, and by the very definition of the word "criminal," wouldn't obey or be affected by such a law. At least five out of every six guns used in crimes are not legally acquired anyway. Usually they are stolen.

The Brady bill could, however, be used to create lists of legitimate gun owners, lists which have historically been preludes to confiscation of those guns. Recent events in Lithuania demonstrate the legitimacy of this concern. The Soviet authorities knew who had any capability to resist military repression with force.

In the United States, the Bill of Rights was designed as an insurance policy against government tyranny, foreign and domestic. Because gun owners are a key part of this insurance policy, they have every right to object to a waiting period or background check, and should do so.

Gun control has a long and black history of political repression and tyranny abroad. Promoted as a tool of crime fighting, gun control has been a spectacular failure. James Brady is using disinformation and misguided emotions to argue his case, because the facts don't give him the results he wants.


Joon Stignani, Lindstrom, Minn. Civil servant for the city of St. Paul.

-Taken from a Minneapolis Star-Tribune editorial, ca. 1990


I don't know about you, but I don't remember a single statistic purported recently that would back the claims that the Brady bill, or any "gun control" law has ever stopped violent crime, or even violent crime involving a gun of any sort. As my dad always said, "Criminals don't obey the law anyway." So here, over 15 years since the editorial, and 25 years since the actual shooting, and where are we? We are living in a country where it's more dangerous to live in the Nation's Capitol than it is to serve in the Armed Forces in Baghdad, Iraq, a city that is supposedly decimating our troops. We live in a country where the criminals are still getting guns, illegally, where law-abiding citizens have great difficulty buying them to protect themselves from said criminals.

It didn't make sense then. It doesn't make sense now. It will never make sense. Laws only work with those who choose to obey them. For the law-breakers and criminals, they can only add to a sentence if they are caught.

Bottom line, get rid of these stupid laws. The states with some of the loosest gun control laws (Texas and Florida) have some of the lowest violent crime rates in the nation. Go figure.

Agree with me or not, the facts are there. Find them for yourself. I did.

Tidbits of wisdom from a great man

My mom was going through things at her house, cleaning up and stuff. She found an old photo album that my dad had filled with newspaper clippings, editorials mostly, that he read over the years. I thought I'd take my next few posts, post a few of those clippings, and post my own comments on what was said.

I do this as a tribute to my father. You see, he passed away 4 years ago on March 2nd, due to Ideopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). IPF is a rare, but fatal disease, of which there is no cure. It effects the lungs by slowly filling them up with fibrous material, depriving the victim of oxygen. It's a horrible disease. Not one a son likes to watch his father go through. More recently, it's become more known, with the likes of Rev. Bill Bright and Jerry Lewis both having the disease, but still, nothing can be done for the people with the disease, and most die within 5 years of diagnosis.

Needless to say, I really miss my dad. So, in the coming days...


Here's to you, Dad.

Looks like a fish. Moves like a fish. Steers like a cow.

That is a quote from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by the late Douglas Adams. He uses the phrase to describe a particularly nice looking spaceship docked at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe. But it is also an apt description of a "planned out" life. It looks like everything will go smoothly, until you have to make a sudden change, and then it's nearly impossible to turn.

Fortunately, I have a couple of secret weapons for this. A good, loving family, and a God who knows the path better than I do. All I can really do is what I can, and leave the rest to God. I must be faithful and just accept that I can only do what I can.


God,
You are the Author and Perfecter of our faith. That's what it says in Your Word. I pray that you would write my faith stronger, and more consistent. Help me to have faith to know that even though I don't know what's going to happen, You do. Help me to make the sensible choices, and leave what I cannot change to you. You are a God of miracles, and I long to see one, now.

In Christ's Name,
Amen

In Loving Memory

It was a sad day today as our beloved pet, Mr. Whiskers, passed away. He was our first family pet, and lived to the ripe old age of 3 and a half years. He passed away in his sleep and will be fondly remembered.

He is survived by our "girls", Violet and Cookie, who have also given us much joy in their time with us.

I hate to be a pest...

...But I'd like to ask you who visit my blog to click on the ads. It's a small thing, but if you see something you like, and you click, it can subsidize what I'm doing here. It's a little bit of your time, and you might like what you find.

I just found a site called Meant4More run by Campus Crusade for Christ International. They were very instrumental to my growing up in the Faith while I was in High School, and I hope that one of my dear friends is still involved in their ministry. They are reaching for the hearts of our young people, which I feel is a most noble goal.

I also wish they would put in an ad for Tecate Mission. And since they probably won't, I will. Tecate Mission is where my wonderful wife spent about 5 years of her life while growing up. It's on the American side of the US/Mexico border in Southern California. Please check out their site as well.



Ok, enough plugging. Taxes were good this year, but not as good as last year. But all in all, things will start off well this year.





Lord,
Thank you for the wondrous works you are doing in my life, and the life of my family. May you keep it growing strong and safe in this dangerous world. May we always feel you presence in all that we do. Be our strength where we are lacking it, and our support when we feel we have none. Thank you for loving even the least of us, even after you have created all of the wonders of this galaxy and the entire universe. Your creation speaks of your love for us.
In the Blessed name of Christ,
AMEN!

A Long Time

...That's how long it's taking me to learn life's little lessons. I talk a great talk, but when I try to walk it, I stumble like I did when I was 10 months old. I have all these grandiose ideas, but none of them ever come to fruition. I wish there were a "magic" little something that I could do or take that would allow me to focus, be responsible, and do what I say, and say what I do.

What I really need is prayer.

I'm alone in my inner struggles without God. I need Him to grant me wisdom and the ability to deny myself. I need to overcome this pervasive disease called life, and live the true life He has for me. But I keep going back to the "easy" path I've been following so long, though I know it's broke. I believe I feel comfort knowing what I'm dealing, rather than wanting to go into something new, that will be hard, but will be infinitely more beneficial.

Dear Lord,
I pray that I will have a change in attitude, and do the right thing, for myself, and my family. I know that the life I'm now living is not the life you want for me. Give me the courage and strength to take a bold new step and do what I know I'm meant to do. Grant me wisdom and the resolve to put the wise thoughts into action.

In Christ's name,
AMEN!

The Hardest Thing

Man!

Sometimes life tries its best to get you down. It's doing it's darnedest to do that just now. We are sadly faced with having to put our daughter into public school next year. Mainly because we have...I take that back. Mainly because I have not been taking the required care of our finances, we are unable to make ends meet without Kim working.

It, of course, didn't happen overnight. It's been a pattern of inaction over a few years. So, tonight, after our Condo Owners Association meeting, we will talk and pray about what to do until then. If you read this, and fear God, lift us up in prayer. He is able to do immesurably more than we could even dream, but sometimes, that means we have to do something we don't want to do, in order to achieve what he wants for us.

Dear Father,

I come before you broken to the soul, a hollow pit in my stomach. I cry out to you! Hear me! I've lived too long without your counsel, and I now know what I have to show for it. Give me peace, grace, and surety that what Kim and I decide tonight is in your will. Give me the peace you gave me that I was not going to die after my accident. Help me to know your mercy and grace. Help me to love your correction, so that I may walk with you always.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen

The Best Laid Plans

Well, unfortunately, because of some unexpected goings on, Kim and I were unable to go dancing on Saturday night. But such is life, eh? Life has it's own way of disrupting all of our plans, but it is up to us to make the best of them.

So instead of dancing, the whole family went to see "Dreamer", a great movie starring Kurt Russell (my vaforite actor) and Dakota Fanning. That was such a Daddy/Daughter film. I caught myself crying at least five times during that film. It was the best story I've seen in a long time. I'd like to read the true storry off which it was based. A family on the verge of bankruptcy, a lame horse, and a dream that works out. Going from nothing to winning $14 million in the Breeders' Cup? That was utterly amazing. It's a movie our family will own.

I urge you all to see it if you can!

It's Just Makes Me Feel Like Dancing!

Well, the anniversary dinner my wife and I had last night at the The Olive Garden was PERFECT! It was so very romantic, and we talked like we haven't in a long time! It's amazing what a difference a year makes! And my mother and her husband were so wonderful taking our two lovely children for the night. I am so in love with her, and it feels the same as it did when I married her four years ago. (Not five, and you know who you are who didn't remember.) But tonight is a whole different story!

WE'RE GOING DANCIN'!!!

I'll tell you about it when I can!

Anniversaries

It's amazing that we've just had our 4th Wedding Aniversary yesterday. It was no huge deal, as it was the middle of the week. But we are going to make the best of the next few days. Diner tonight at our favorite date restaurant, and dancing to-morrow night at a new club neither of us has been to.

The funniest thing about this year was that everyone thought it was our 5th year. It must be a big year, because everyone is getting it wrong. It feels like a much bigger year than the last three for some reason. Almost like it's a milestone, rather than the way point that 5 years sounds like.

I for one really look forward to this new year. Today is day 2 of our fifth year together, Kim, Faith, Josiah, and I. (Well, only two and a half years for Joe-Man.)

Well, here's to another year, praying that it is much better than this last year.

In Christ!

A New Start?

Hello! Well, today is going to be a good day, it seems. I have the famous 2nd interview for a new position within my company. Now this will be the first move I've made since coming here, but it is definately in the direction I want to go. This will be a great move for me, with the possibilty of more income, and a chance to move up faster in the company.

Wish me luck!


UPDATE:

Well, the interview went fine, but was a bit difficult to read. We'll see what happens in the next few days!

Sorry I've been gone.

Ok, I'm back, and a big "Sorry" to those of you who have been waiting to hear me rant once again.

I've been doing other things as many of you understand. But I tend to be a person who starts many a thing, but always gets interrested in a new thing when it comes around. So I started another blog at MySpace, but I figure I'll keep that one more as a diary than a blog. This is where I'll come to post the absurdity of the world around us.

So, starting with the New Year, I'll try to post here at least once a week, if not more. I thank you to anyone who visited me recently, and ask you to look forward to more!

See ya!

It's a Happy Day

It's a happy day, and I thank God for the weather.
It's a happy day, and I'm living it for my Lord.
It's a happy day and things are going to get better.
Living each day by the promises of GOD'S WORD.

Man, that's a song from my past, and it means so much to me, especially since the weather is turning colder here. It was below freezing yesterday morning, and we're supposed to be getting snow over the next three days. But I have to remember, as I told my beautiful wife this morning, that every day is a brand new day. Mistakes made yesterday are gone forever, though we have to live with what they left us, but we should not have to repeat them if we have learned from them.

Thomas Edison once said that in all of his time experimenting on creating the electric light bulb, he never had a single failure. He went through about a thousand different designs, all of which failed until he found one that wouldn't, yet he said that he never failed. He said that he had succeded in finding 1,000 ways not to make a lightbulb! What a wonderful way to look at life! You can't fail if that's the attitude you take!

So, if anyone ends up reading this, I hope that you take to heart that you can never fail, even if you think you, as long as you can turn that failure into a success. If you end up hurting your wife's (or husband's) feelings by something you said or did, please remember that you succeded in finding a way not to please her/him. If you're practicing your, say, trombone (dear to me because I played it before) and you sound like a goose, you've succeded in finding yet another way not to play the trombone! That's called learning. If you can find out what you're moving toward, and can focus on that, even "failures" can be part of your success story!

Couldn't have put it better myself...

In Wednesdays Pioneer-Press, one of my favorite columnists, Joe Soucheray, put forth a vastly convincing arguement for taking a very deep look at Education in MN. (And probably a full audit of Education Minnesota as well!)

"I think we spend enough on education, there being no evidence that we don't or any reasonable explanation where all that money goes, almost half the state budget."

I knew we spent a ton of money on Education in this state, but "almost half"?!? That's absurd! Especially considering there is little to nothing to show for the expenditure. Twelve billion dollars in the coming biennium will be spent on education. Twelve Billion Dollars? Can you imagine what that could be actually used for in the state? Of course, in Minnesota, if we aren't spending tax dollars of education, we're spending it on welfare, or MNCare. But $12,000,000,000; look at that! That's a whole bunch of money! Per year, that is over $7500 in tax dollars per student! That is about as much as the tuition at a local community college. And every taxpayer doesn't have children. So, they are paying for somebody else's kids to go to school. Some are paying extra to send their kids to private school, and they are paying for somebody else's kid as well. Still more are homeschooled, like my kids. And I'm still paying for somebody else's kid to go to public school!!! That's outrageous! Since I do not partake of the public school system, I would prefer to have that money that I paid back, please. Get the rest from those using the system. If school is going to be fee based, don't cover it under the guise of taxes. Start charging tuition at all state schools, and not just the post-secondary schools. While we're at it...

Why are we paying for a full rennovation of a section of the UofM that will only be used by a tiny percentage of the students there? Half a Million dollars to tear up an old tennis court, and put in a lush new garden? Please!

Minnesota tax-spenders...uh..."Lawmakers" should think twice before continuing to screw the Average Joe out there. Soon, they won't be there to spend the taxes any more...

The hard times...

My wife and I have been recently beset with the "hard times". Money is tight, mainly because we were "careless" (to say the least) with our purchasing. We know we can get ourselves out, but these first few months are going to be the hard ones. Getting back on top, and then staying there can be a hard thing to do. But for those of you in similar situation, the alternative is far worse, even though it may not seem so at some times.

I know that most people that we know would probably say to just file bankruptcy, but I can't allow that. I know what that would really do to our lives. The sense of accomplishment alone will be enough for me, but more importantly will be to be in a position where days like this will be few and far between. The ultimate goal is to never let ourselves get into this position again, and thereby eliminating the need of the same Spartan lifestyle. Living within our means will be our goal, and not mortgaging our future.