Yesterday Rhianna and I took our new Vibrams for a spin around our normal cemetery route. I was amazed by how different it felt to run with this barefooting feel. It seemed to "open up" my calves. My calves are notoriously tight and well, I don't have a problem with shape or muscle there. Running in these shoes made it feel like I was elongating everything. Also, it felt good the way the toes grip the ground.
I was anxious to see how this good feeling translated to cross-training so we wore them to Body Boot Camp. You get so used to the idea of shoes with shock absorption and cushioning that the thought of plyometrics without that is a little curious. Well, there is a lot to be said for no cushioning and shock absorption except the God-given kind. It was AWESOME. Rhianna was so impressed by how she felt - she said it made her feel like she could jump even higher (and that would be impressive, indeed, because she is like a Tigger). Plyometrics felt great; everything did. The balance benefits were noticeable immediately, but particularly with the single legged deadlifts. Also, they made all of the yoga stretching feel more natural.
It was as if someone had dropped off a black suitcase with a superhero suit (like in Greatest American Hero). We felt injected with energy. So torqued were we, that even after the 65 minute kick-butt class I had put together, we still felt like running. We head out for a 55 minute trail run, cell phone cams ready for the beautiful scenery. I got to experience stubbing my foot on a big root - almost wiped out - but it DID NOT hurt more than when I do it in standard running shoes. Rocks were no problem. Now there were some acorns on steroids that did feel uncomfortable, but I'm pretty sure they would have felt uncomfortable in any shoe. Running on the trails - which have experienced a bit of erosion since our last run there - gave our feet an amazing sensory buffet of different textures. Rocky ground, sandy ground, pine needles, grass, roots and clay, stubbly who-knows-what. Rhianna likened it to a massage. And hills - running up hills felt good. Actually good. Really! And I usually am not a fan of hills.
I can't imagine going back to regular Asics or Sauconys. The freedom to feel the ground beneath you like never before is just too wonderful. Then there is the way it seems makes all my muscles feel more fluid. The Vibram site talks about the biomechanical advantages of barefooting running...well, now I'm a believer.
And...I really don't mind if my feet look funny! Rhianna plans on getting a pair of hot pink ones for in the gym. I wouldn't mind going with grey or khaki.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Obsessed or Dedicated?
Obsessed or Committed?
“Probably millions of Americans got up this morning with a cup of coffee, a cigarette and a donut. No wonder they are sick and fouled up.” Jack LaLanne
I saw a great quote a few weeks back: “Obsessed is just a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated.” As a fitness enthusiast I have been called obsessed to my face a few times and I’m sure behind my back many more. Other fitness fanatics that I know have received the same scorn from those firmly planted on the couch. The above quote explains in a nutshell just how I feel about the label.
The dictionary definition of obsessed reads:
–verb (used with object)
1. to dominate or preoccupy the thoughts, feelings, or desires of (a person); beset, trouble, or haunt persistently or abnormally: Suspicion obsessed him.
–verb (used without object)
2. to think about something unceasingly or persistently; dwell obsessively upon something.
The connotation is negative. However, the definition for “dedicated” is quite positive.
–adjective
1. wholly committed to something, as to an ideal, political cause, or personal goal: a dedicated artist.
2. set apart or reserved for a specific use or purpose: We don't need a computer but a dedicated word processor.
Michelangelo said it well when he stated, “The great danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.”
Ever since I can remember I loved the feeling of movement. The wind in my face, the spring in my step, the stretch of a limb. As a young girl I was always flipping around on gymnastic mats, running around the block, swirling around on a frozen pond. One of my earliest memories is of watching Jack LaLanne and his exercise show, I had pulled up a chair and was following along doing chair squats along with Jack. I think I was age 3 at the time. My friend, Michele, and I spent hours creating gymnastic routines so we could do what Nadia and Olga before her had done. On the pond, we were Dorothy Hamil and Peggy Fleming. My parents never supported me doing any school athletics; although in elementary school I was in rec league softball. However, I read all the fitness tips in Glamour and Mademoiselle and after the high school day was done, Michele and I walked and we ran together. As a teenager I discovered yoga and then at age 17, aerobics. Around that time I also purchased my first copy of Runner’s World and quietly dreamed of running a marathon someday. By age 18 and 19, I had discovered Rachel McLish and “Flex Appeal,” Gladys Portugues’ “Hard Bodies.” I was hooked.
At that time I was working at a Department of Defense facility outside my hometown. There I had my first experience pumping iron. I loved the gym facility and happily got up extra early to start my day lifting and running. I would hit the gym for some weight training and then run around the back roads that were encased in the Army facility. A quick shower, a long time blow drying and off to my office. It was wonderful and I *felt* wonderful.
Eventually, I moved away and to another state – New Mexico. There I hiked and walked, did body weight exercises at home. The money wasn’t flowing freely and there was no affording a health club. When I moved to FL just after the birth of my first child I availed myself of the sunny weather to walk and run some more…and it was there that I discovered step aerobics. I especially loved the dance step videos created by Victoria Johnson. She was an inspiration!
Three children came along and I still worked out in whatever way I could. Walking – a lot, step aerobics, light weights. Fitness was a part of my life and never left. It was as much a part of me as were my hazel eyes.
Sometime around 1999 I discovered Oxygen fitness magazine and Muscle & Fitness Hers. Gone were the magazines I considered “fluffy.” This was *real* meat and potatoes fitness advice. Bill Philips published “Body for Life” and it seemed the world was learning how to pump iron. I wanted badly to get back to the lifting days and around that time we bought a Weider home gym and some free weights.
Time passed and I joined a gym, I began to run in 5K races with my friend, Julie. I was never Speedy Gonzales, but if the turnout for my age group was low I sometimes ended up with an age group award. I didn’t matter – I did for the T-shirt and for the sheer joy of movement and fellowship with others who enjoyed it the way I did. I ran a 10K, then a 15K and eventually I ran that marathon I always dreamed about.
There were definitely trials and tribulations along the way. I suffered from Graves’ disease in 1996 and that slammed me back a bit. When training for the marathon, I *gained* weight and found that my thyroid had gone the other way – hypo. I had to go through the whole slow, arduous process of getting my thyroid back in order (and that is another story entirely)…but I kept at it. Even when my legs felt like they were made of wood, I ran. I lifted. I moved....and it helped me.
I’ve explained how fitness was such a part of my life – and at first glance you might say, “Okay, so maybe she IS obsessed with it.” BUT hold your horses! During that time my life was full of so many other things – fitness was just a part, a dearly loved part, but not the whole. During those years, I worked, I had babies, I taught Sunday school, children’s church, AWANA club – I wrote poems, published a few articles, homeschooled my children, taught Shakespeare appreciation from a Christian perspective, became an outreach childbirth educator, volunteered for a presidential campaign…I had a very rich life, a life of many facets.
And here’s where I make my stand take issue with “obsessed” and say a resounding “NO!” to that misnomer and “YES!” to the adjective of choice, DEDICATED.
Through thick and thin, ups and downs, busy seasons, dry seasons, regardless of what was going on in my life – I made fitness and movement a PRIORITY. As necessary to my life as the air I breathe, I made a commitment to serving my body well, with doing my utmost best to take care of my physical health. I’d been to the scary side of disease and had been forced to lay low after surgeries and thyrotoxicosis. I knew my body wanted to be well and to function at its best, so I fought back for fitness and health.
My hero, Jack LaLanne said this, “By exercise. I'll tell you one thing, you don't always have to be on the go. I sit around a lot, I read a lot, and I do watch television. But I also work out for two hours every day of my life, even when I'm on the road.” It’s not an obsession – it’s a dedicated part of each day. It’s about DISCIPLINE. Accountability to the only body you have, to take care of it and help it to function at it’s best.
Another quote from Jack, “I do it as a therapy. I do it as something to keep me alive. We all need a little discipline. Exercise is my discipline.”
Isn’t that the truth? Discipline is not a popular concept nowadays, but I believe we need it just as much as ever – if not more. I’m glad I have it – that discipline that allows me to keep a regular exercise program also serves me in other areas. It helps me to do what needs to be done, it helps me to be organized and productive. It just plain helps (and that is another blog, as well).
To the folks that have called me obsessed, I’m sorry for you. I’m sorry that you haven’t discovered the joy of purpose and of a healthy habit. I’m sorry that you are blind to the difference between obsession and commitment – oh, that you would receive your sight! It’s my wish for you that you find the exuberance of movement and you work to make it a regular part of your life. I hope that you are never satisfied with just the status quo, but that you find the exhilaration that comes from pushing harder, going further, doing more. May you find peace, love and fitness.
“Probably millions of Americans got up this morning with a cup of coffee, a cigarette and a donut. No wonder they are sick and fouled up.” Jack LaLanne
I saw a great quote a few weeks back: “Obsessed is just a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated.” As a fitness enthusiast I have been called obsessed to my face a few times and I’m sure behind my back many more. Other fitness fanatics that I know have received the same scorn from those firmly planted on the couch. The above quote explains in a nutshell just how I feel about the label.
The dictionary definition of obsessed reads:
–verb (used with object)
1. to dominate or preoccupy the thoughts, feelings, or desires of (a person); beset, trouble, or haunt persistently or abnormally: Suspicion obsessed him.
–verb (used without object)
2. to think about something unceasingly or persistently; dwell obsessively upon something.
The connotation is negative. However, the definition for “dedicated” is quite positive.
–adjective
1. wholly committed to something, as to an ideal, political cause, or personal goal: a dedicated artist.
2. set apart or reserved for a specific use or purpose: We don't need a computer but a dedicated word processor.
Michelangelo said it well when he stated, “The great danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.”
Ever since I can remember I loved the feeling of movement. The wind in my face, the spring in my step, the stretch of a limb. As a young girl I was always flipping around on gymnastic mats, running around the block, swirling around on a frozen pond. One of my earliest memories is of watching Jack LaLanne and his exercise show, I had pulled up a chair and was following along doing chair squats along with Jack. I think I was age 3 at the time. My friend, Michele, and I spent hours creating gymnastic routines so we could do what Nadia and Olga before her had done. On the pond, we were Dorothy Hamil and Peggy Fleming. My parents never supported me doing any school athletics; although in elementary school I was in rec league softball. However, I read all the fitness tips in Glamour and Mademoiselle and after the high school day was done, Michele and I walked and we ran together. As a teenager I discovered yoga and then at age 17, aerobics. Around that time I also purchased my first copy of Runner’s World and quietly dreamed of running a marathon someday. By age 18 and 19, I had discovered Rachel McLish and “Flex Appeal,” Gladys Portugues’ “Hard Bodies.” I was hooked.
At that time I was working at a Department of Defense facility outside my hometown. There I had my first experience pumping iron. I loved the gym facility and happily got up extra early to start my day lifting and running. I would hit the gym for some weight training and then run around the back roads that were encased in the Army facility. A quick shower, a long time blow drying and off to my office. It was wonderful and I *felt* wonderful.
Eventually, I moved away and to another state – New Mexico. There I hiked and walked, did body weight exercises at home. The money wasn’t flowing freely and there was no affording a health club. When I moved to FL just after the birth of my first child I availed myself of the sunny weather to walk and run some more…and it was there that I discovered step aerobics. I especially loved the dance step videos created by Victoria Johnson. She was an inspiration!
Three children came along and I still worked out in whatever way I could. Walking – a lot, step aerobics, light weights. Fitness was a part of my life and never left. It was as much a part of me as were my hazel eyes.
Sometime around 1999 I discovered Oxygen fitness magazine and Muscle & Fitness Hers. Gone were the magazines I considered “fluffy.” This was *real* meat and potatoes fitness advice. Bill Philips published “Body for Life” and it seemed the world was learning how to pump iron. I wanted badly to get back to the lifting days and around that time we bought a Weider home gym and some free weights.
Time passed and I joined a gym, I began to run in 5K races with my friend, Julie. I was never Speedy Gonzales, but if the turnout for my age group was low I sometimes ended up with an age group award. I didn’t matter – I did for the T-shirt and for the sheer joy of movement and fellowship with others who enjoyed it the way I did. I ran a 10K, then a 15K and eventually I ran that marathon I always dreamed about.
There were definitely trials and tribulations along the way. I suffered from Graves’ disease in 1996 and that slammed me back a bit. When training for the marathon, I *gained* weight and found that my thyroid had gone the other way – hypo. I had to go through the whole slow, arduous process of getting my thyroid back in order (and that is another story entirely)…but I kept at it. Even when my legs felt like they were made of wood, I ran. I lifted. I moved....and it helped me.
I’ve explained how fitness was such a part of my life – and at first glance you might say, “Okay, so maybe she IS obsessed with it.” BUT hold your horses! During that time my life was full of so many other things – fitness was just a part, a dearly loved part, but not the whole. During those years, I worked, I had babies, I taught Sunday school, children’s church, AWANA club – I wrote poems, published a few articles, homeschooled my children, taught Shakespeare appreciation from a Christian perspective, became an outreach childbirth educator, volunteered for a presidential campaign…I had a very rich life, a life of many facets.
And here’s where I make my stand take issue with “obsessed” and say a resounding “NO!” to that misnomer and “YES!” to the adjective of choice, DEDICATED.
Through thick and thin, ups and downs, busy seasons, dry seasons, regardless of what was going on in my life – I made fitness and movement a PRIORITY. As necessary to my life as the air I breathe, I made a commitment to serving my body well, with doing my utmost best to take care of my physical health. I’d been to the scary side of disease and had been forced to lay low after surgeries and thyrotoxicosis. I knew my body wanted to be well and to function at its best, so I fought back for fitness and health.
My hero, Jack LaLanne said this, “By exercise. I'll tell you one thing, you don't always have to be on the go. I sit around a lot, I read a lot, and I do watch television. But I also work out for two hours every day of my life, even when I'm on the road.” It’s not an obsession – it’s a dedicated part of each day. It’s about DISCIPLINE. Accountability to the only body you have, to take care of it and help it to function at it’s best.
Another quote from Jack, “I do it as a therapy. I do it as something to keep me alive. We all need a little discipline. Exercise is my discipline.”
Isn’t that the truth? Discipline is not a popular concept nowadays, but I believe we need it just as much as ever – if not more. I’m glad I have it – that discipline that allows me to keep a regular exercise program also serves me in other areas. It helps me to do what needs to be done, it helps me to be organized and productive. It just plain helps (and that is another blog, as well).
To the folks that have called me obsessed, I’m sorry for you. I’m sorry that you haven’t discovered the joy of purpose and of a healthy habit. I’m sorry that you are blind to the difference between obsession and commitment – oh, that you would receive your sight! It’s my wish for you that you find the exuberance of movement and you work to make it a regular part of your life. I hope that you are never satisfied with just the status quo, but that you find the exhilaration that comes from pushing harder, going further, doing more. May you find peace, love and fitness.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Frosty Friday Five
A sprinkling of the stuff on my mind this morning:
1. I caught up on my workout blogging - Sweat Report. At the gym today I heard an old favorite by Van Morrison. Gotta love Van Morrison!
Wild Nights - Van Morrison
When I headed out to the gym this morning the windchill was -27F. Now that is COLD.
2. Researchers studying how hormones influence behavior reported this week that women with higher levels not only feel prettier, but they appear more attractive to others. Earlier this week, U.S. and British researchers showed that male financial traders whose finger lengths indicate high testosterone levels in the womb made more money.
3. I always wonder who is it who wants to be hired to be a sniffer for sweat studies? This week a report was released about a pheromone study done by Rice University psychologist Denise Chen and her colleagues. 20 heterosexual males were asked to stop wearing deodorant and scented products for a few days. Cotton pads were placed in their armpits and they watched some arousing fare. Those sweaty pads were removed and new pads were put in place to be worn while the men weren't stimulated. 19 courageous women were recruited to sniff the pads while simultaneously undergoing brain scans. According to the study, "Sure enough, the women's brains responded very differently depending on which sweat they sniffed. (And no, none of them passed out.) The sexual sweat, but not the normal sweat, activated the right orbitofrontal cortex and the right fusiform cortex, brain areas that help us recognize emotions and perceive things, respectively."
Basically, the gist of it is that you can probably smell someone is interested/in the mood whether it is something he wants to divulge or not.
Interesting factoid: A quarter of all people with smell disorders find that their sex drive disappears. To me that says that not all people with smell disorders have their pheromone receptor damaged. Definitely an fascinating science to explore.
I wonder how much sweat sniffers get paid? It's a pretty stinky job!
4. According to the Associated Press, booze sales are not recession proof. As the economy has slumped, so have beer sales.
5. I am reading a wonderful book: "A Stroke of Insight" by Jill Bolte Taylor, PHd. At age 37 this neuroanatomitist had a hemorrhage in her left brain. Being a brain scientist, she knew what was happening to her and was amazingly able to keep it together to get help. Within just a few hours she could no longer walk, talk, read or write. The book chronicles what it was like over the next 8 years - and what incredible lessons she learned. Turns out the Oprah did a piece about her and you can view it here.
1. I caught up on my workout blogging - Sweat Report. At the gym today I heard an old favorite by Van Morrison. Gotta love Van Morrison!
Wild Nights - Van Morrison
When I headed out to the gym this morning the windchill was -27F. Now that is COLD.
2. Researchers studying how hormones influence behavior reported this week that women with higher levels not only feel prettier, but they appear more attractive to others. Earlier this week, U.S. and British researchers showed that male financial traders whose finger lengths indicate high testosterone levels in the womb made more money.
3. I always wonder who is it who wants to be hired to be a sniffer for sweat studies? This week a report was released about a pheromone study done by Rice University psychologist Denise Chen and her colleagues. 20 heterosexual males were asked to stop wearing deodorant and scented products for a few days. Cotton pads were placed in their armpits and they watched some arousing fare. Those sweaty pads were removed and new pads were put in place to be worn while the men weren't stimulated. 19 courageous women were recruited to sniff the pads while simultaneously undergoing brain scans. According to the study, "Sure enough, the women's brains responded very differently depending on which sweat they sniffed. (And no, none of them passed out.) The sexual sweat, but not the normal sweat, activated the right orbitofrontal cortex and the right fusiform cortex, brain areas that help us recognize emotions and perceive things, respectively."
Basically, the gist of it is that you can probably smell someone is interested/in the mood whether it is something he wants to divulge or not.
Interesting factoid: A quarter of all people with smell disorders find that their sex drive disappears. To me that says that not all people with smell disorders have their pheromone receptor damaged. Definitely an fascinating science to explore.
I wonder how much sweat sniffers get paid? It's a pretty stinky job!
4. According to the Associated Press, booze sales are not recession proof. As the economy has slumped, so have beer sales.
5. I am reading a wonderful book: "A Stroke of Insight" by Jill Bolte Taylor, PHd. At age 37 this neuroanatomitist had a hemorrhage in her left brain. Being a brain scientist, she knew what was happening to her and was amazingly able to keep it together to get help. Within just a few hours she could no longer walk, talk, read or write. The book chronicles what it was like over the next 8 years - and what incredible lessons she learned. Turns out the Oprah did a piece about her and you can view it here.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Thoughts on a piece by John MacArthur, etc.
I'm planning on writing about false unity in the church, but this article by John MacArthur entitled "Raising the Error Alert" caught my attention today. Here is a snippet (click on the link for the full article):
Bible teaching, even in the best of venues today, has been deliberately dumbed-down, made as broad and as shallow as possible, oversimplified, adapted to the lowest common denominator-- and then tailored to appeal to people with short attention spans.
Sermons are almost always brief, simplistic, overlaid with as many references to pop culture as possible, and laden with anecdotes and illustrations. (Jokes and funny stories drawn from personal experience are favored over cross-references and analogies borrowed from Scripture itself.) Typical sermon topics are heavily weighted in favor of man-centered issues (such as personal relationships, successful living, self-esteem, how-to lists, and so on)--to the exclusion of the many Christ-exalting doctrinal themes of Scripture. In other words, what most contemporary preachers do is virtually the opposite of what Paul was describing when he said he sought "to declare . . . the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27).
Not only that, but here's how Paul explained his own approach to gospel ministry, even among unchurched pagans in the most debauched Roman culture:
I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)
Notice that Paul deliberately refused to customize his message or adjust his delivery to suit the Corinthians' philosophical bent or their cultural tastes. When he says later in the epistle, "To the Jews I became as a Jew . . . to those who are without law, as without law . . . to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some" (1 Corinthians 9:20-22), he was describing how he made himself a servant to all (v. 19) and the fellow of those whom he was trying to reach. In other words, he avoided making himself a stumbling block. He was not saying he adapted the gospel message (which he plainly said is a stumbling block--1:23). He did not adopt methods to suit the tastes of a worldly culture.
Paul had no thought of catering to a particular generation's preferences, and he used no gimmicks as attention-getters. Whatever antonym you can think of for the word showmanship would probably be a good description of Paul's style of public ministry. He wanted to make it clear to everyone (including the Corinthian converts themselves) that lives and hearts are renewed by means of the Word of God and nothing else. That way they would begin to understand and appreciate the power of the gospel message.
--I've heard some try to say in his Mars Hill discourse that Paul was appealing to the culture by adapting to it yet he was not. He used a piece of their culture to point the way to God. That false understanding is often used to justify "seeker friendly" churches where outsiders can feel comfortable about all this Jesus stuff. Guess what? It's not comfort that leads us to Christ - it's stumbling. It's falling headlong into Him and denying ourselves. He's a stumbling stone and a rock of offense according 1o 1 Peter 2:8.
Itching ears crave to be tickled, so easy listening from the pulpit is trendy and hearing the "whole counsel of God" is not. Here's what John MacArthur says about "seeker friendly" churches in this article taken from his book "Ashamed of the Gospel."
-o-
And on another note -
People are frail. People trip up, they fall, they sin. What happened to grace? What happened to mercy? And what happened to standing up for what is right and true? What happened to bearing with one another, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave us? It seems like Colossians 3:13 and Ephesians 4:32 are too often tossed out like yesterday's news.
A friend called the other day hoping for help finding a good church in the area. Recently their pastor was forced into resignation by a board that has done this before. From all accounts this man's service really turned around that church after a very low time - and yet a group of power members under the banner of "church leadership" did not consult the rest of the Body or ask them for prayer about this decision (feeling they did not have to) and made a decision that has emptied their church. The rest of the body was expected to accept that decision and show unity...or leave. Most chose to leave. I definitely understood what she was going through - I told her we must live in parallel universes.
It gets very disheartening to hear once again of a church stabbing its own. It's shameful really - and so often it is done in the name of "church unity" and "obeying the leadership." How often do we see something done to someone else, something that seems terribly unjust and no matter how the Scriptures are bent and twisted, it just doesn't seem quite right. And yet we stick around - for all the wrong reasons. For fellowship, out of obligation, etc. Chances are that the discernment which screamed "This is wrong" will still be inside, crying out until you find out in the hardest way possible that you should have listened. Or worse yet, you might become numb to that voice. That deafness, I believe is, far, far worse.
If you do stick around, yet make your feelings known that you are not in agreement and don't want to be party to that sort of bogus Christianity, then guess what? You can expect to be an entertaining source of gossip. You will be called "poison" and other things. Unless you're willing to sit back and see injustice and all its ill fruits, you can expect a target drawn neatly on your back. It shouldn't come as a shock, after all Christians have a reputation for shooting their own wounded.
The - for want of a better word - cool thing about that is that when you find yourself being persecuted, there can be an amazing peace. What an opportunity it is to identify even in the slightest way with the mockery and suffering that Christ was up against! When you find yourself betrayed by those you thought were friends, who led you to trust them...you can rejoice knowing that it was a friend that betrayed the Lord. As the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:18 "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us."
Bible teaching, even in the best of venues today, has been deliberately dumbed-down, made as broad and as shallow as possible, oversimplified, adapted to the lowest common denominator-- and then tailored to appeal to people with short attention spans.
Sermons are almost always brief, simplistic, overlaid with as many references to pop culture as possible, and laden with anecdotes and illustrations. (Jokes and funny stories drawn from personal experience are favored over cross-references and analogies borrowed from Scripture itself.) Typical sermon topics are heavily weighted in favor of man-centered issues (such as personal relationships, successful living, self-esteem, how-to lists, and so on)--to the exclusion of the many Christ-exalting doctrinal themes of Scripture. In other words, what most contemporary preachers do is virtually the opposite of what Paul was describing when he said he sought "to declare . . . the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27).
Not only that, but here's how Paul explained his own approach to gospel ministry, even among unchurched pagans in the most debauched Roman culture:
I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)
Notice that Paul deliberately refused to customize his message or adjust his delivery to suit the Corinthians' philosophical bent or their cultural tastes. When he says later in the epistle, "To the Jews I became as a Jew . . . to those who are without law, as without law . . . to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some" (1 Corinthians 9:20-22), he was describing how he made himself a servant to all (v. 19) and the fellow of those whom he was trying to reach. In other words, he avoided making himself a stumbling block. He was not saying he adapted the gospel message (which he plainly said is a stumbling block--1:23). He did not adopt methods to suit the tastes of a worldly culture.
Paul had no thought of catering to a particular generation's preferences, and he used no gimmicks as attention-getters. Whatever antonym you can think of for the word showmanship would probably be a good description of Paul's style of public ministry. He wanted to make it clear to everyone (including the Corinthian converts themselves) that lives and hearts are renewed by means of the Word of God and nothing else. That way they would begin to understand and appreciate the power of the gospel message.
--I've heard some try to say in his Mars Hill discourse that Paul was appealing to the culture by adapting to it yet he was not. He used a piece of their culture to point the way to God. That false understanding is often used to justify "seeker friendly" churches where outsiders can feel comfortable about all this Jesus stuff. Guess what? It's not comfort that leads us to Christ - it's stumbling. It's falling headlong into Him and denying ourselves. He's a stumbling stone and a rock of offense according 1o 1 Peter 2:8.
Itching ears crave to be tickled, so easy listening from the pulpit is trendy and hearing the "whole counsel of God" is not. Here's what John MacArthur says about "seeker friendly" churches in this article taken from his book "Ashamed of the Gospel."
-o-
And on another note -
People are frail. People trip up, they fall, they sin. What happened to grace? What happened to mercy? And what happened to standing up for what is right and true? What happened to bearing with one another, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave us? It seems like Colossians 3:13 and Ephesians 4:32 are too often tossed out like yesterday's news.
A friend called the other day hoping for help finding a good church in the area. Recently their pastor was forced into resignation by a board that has done this before. From all accounts this man's service really turned around that church after a very low time - and yet a group of power members under the banner of "church leadership" did not consult the rest of the Body or ask them for prayer about this decision (feeling they did not have to) and made a decision that has emptied their church. The rest of the body was expected to accept that decision and show unity...or leave. Most chose to leave. I definitely understood what she was going through - I told her we must live in parallel universes.
It gets very disheartening to hear once again of a church stabbing its own. It's shameful really - and so often it is done in the name of "church unity" and "obeying the leadership." How often do we see something done to someone else, something that seems terribly unjust and no matter how the Scriptures are bent and twisted, it just doesn't seem quite right. And yet we stick around - for all the wrong reasons. For fellowship, out of obligation, etc. Chances are that the discernment which screamed "This is wrong" will still be inside, crying out until you find out in the hardest way possible that you should have listened. Or worse yet, you might become numb to that voice. That deafness, I believe is, far, far worse.
If you do stick around, yet make your feelings known that you are not in agreement and don't want to be party to that sort of bogus Christianity, then guess what? You can expect to be an entertaining source of gossip. You will be called "poison" and other things. Unless you're willing to sit back and see injustice and all its ill fruits, you can expect a target drawn neatly on your back. It shouldn't come as a shock, after all Christians have a reputation for shooting their own wounded.
The - for want of a better word - cool thing about that is that when you find yourself being persecuted, there can be an amazing peace. What an opportunity it is to identify even in the slightest way with the mockery and suffering that Christ was up against! When you find yourself betrayed by those you thought were friends, who led you to trust them...you can rejoice knowing that it was a friend that betrayed the Lord. As the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:18 "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us."
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Snow, dreams, etc.
I love shoveling snow. I shoveled mid-morning and we had a good 7". I wanted to get the driveway cleared for Pat so it would be nice for him when he got home from the doctor. When he did come home he grabbed a shovel and helped me clear the sidewalks plus made a path for the garbage cans. I'm about ready to go out and do another round of it.
While I was shoveling I was thinking about the book I picked up from the library - "You Can Do It! The Merit Badge Handbook for Grown-up Girls" by Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas. As the back cover says it "offers all the practical information, how-to-support and kick-in-the-pants encouragement you need to accomplish your dreams."
I started to think about some of the things I already have done and the things I might want to do.
Done:
Running - Run a marathon. 26.2 miles between Akron and Cleveland on the Towpath Trail (turned out to be more after Julie & I took the wrong fork in the trail). Thanks to autoimmune disease my doctor doesn't think that running another marathon would be a good idea for my immune system. It might just wig out again - and that is *not* a pleasant thing.
Dance - I took lyrical ballet with my daughter for a couple of years and also a tap class. I even performed in the recital. I would like to get back into that.
I would also like to continue in belly-dancing training. I think, should finances allow, that I'll sign up for an intermediate class up at the college. I had been doing it regularly and somehow got out of the habit. I came across one of my coin skirts today while cleaning and thought...yeah, I should dance later.
Public speaking - I was a guest speaker at NEOUCOM's M-1 orientation for three years in a row. I also put on a "Get started in homeschooling" seminar twice with my friend, Jan.
Personal training - I always wanted to earn my personal training certification and after completing 500 hours of coursework, I passed my exam with flying colors. I just need to go get my CPR/First Aid re-certification before I "do" much of anything with it.
So those are some of the things I've always wanted to do and have done. So what about the things in this book that are sparking an interest in me?
Dream possibilities:
Hiking - Pat & I have both always wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail. It doesn't have to be the whole thing, just bits and pieces. I'd also like for us to climb "X" number of mountain peaks.
Gardening - That is something which requires patience and that would be a good virtue to cultivate. I've been able to grow one absolutely perfect pumpkin and keep some flowers alive. That's the extent of my gardening at this time.
Cooking - I like to cook and am a pretty good cook. I wouldn't mind learning to be extra creative. With the food allergies around here, it would be great to have the confidence to be creative with the foods that are safe.
Acting - I love to act and actually do sporadically at the medical school. I've casted/directed/produced half a dozen Christmas plays - and made the sets. Not to mention the sets I've made and the skits I've written/performed for vacation Bible school over the years. I keep telling myself that I'll take the step toward getting involved in community theater. I really enjoy building sets and making things "work" with whatever I find at hand.
Martial Arts - I would love to kick some butt! However, I'm a bit unsure about being thrown to the ground. This is one I'll have to think over a bit better - and consult my chiropractor about.
Figure competition - Right now Jenna and I are training to burn off the remnants of body fat and show all the muscle we've built underneath. Figure is softer than bodybuilding and doesn't require the gymnastics ability that fitness competition requires.
Volunteering - This is something I do all the time. However, I've always wanted to help at a crisis pregnancy center. I would like to learn the ins and outs and how to really, truly help someone get the hand-up that they need.
I can definitely say there are things in this book that DO NOT interest me. If I dreamed of these things, it would be in nightmares.
Definite No-s:
Car care - Ick. I have no interest and no mechanical ability to speak of. If there is a man available to do it, let him have at it. I'm blessed with Pat who is AMAZINGLY skilled.
Skydiving - Uhm, that would be a resounding "NO" on that one.
Wine appreciation - Laughable - I don't drink and don't want to.
Do-It-Yourself Handyman - Another one that is most decidedly not up my alley. Again, I'm blessed with a husband who can do pretty much anything.
Scrapbooking and Stamping - I'm lumping those together. I despise them both and will refrain from getting on my soapbox about how much I dislike them.
There are all sorts of "badges" and a world of things to dream about. "You Can Do It!" is certainly an inspiring book. It's nice to look at these possibilities and realize, "I'm not too old to do this! I'm not too old to have fun and to explore life."
The other day I read a poem where the writer was capturing the essence of mid-life depression - it was about all the beautiful things that were past as if they were never to be experienced again - from the romantic like kissing in the dark, lying on the beach staring in each others eyes, to the walking not running, etc. I say, "WAIT!" It's not over. You can still make out in a dark alley or run under a sprinkler. You can lay under the stars and dream; you can splash through puddles. I think we become old when we decide we're too old to do these things.
I'm at a place in my life where I know that the empty nest is just over the horizon. I don't want to be mourning my lost youth thinking that the good old days are all behind me. I want to be able to look back with fondness, but yet still look ahead with expectation.
Maybe I'll go out and make a snow angel now, before I shovel...
While I was shoveling I was thinking about the book I picked up from the library - "You Can Do It! The Merit Badge Handbook for Grown-up Girls" by Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas. As the back cover says it "offers all the practical information, how-to-support and kick-in-the-pants encouragement you need to accomplish your dreams."
I started to think about some of the things I already have done and the things I might want to do.
Done:
Running - Run a marathon. 26.2 miles between Akron and Cleveland on the Towpath Trail (turned out to be more after Julie & I took the wrong fork in the trail). Thanks to autoimmune disease my doctor doesn't think that running another marathon would be a good idea for my immune system. It might just wig out again - and that is *not* a pleasant thing.
Dance - I took lyrical ballet with my daughter for a couple of years and also a tap class. I even performed in the recital. I would like to get back into that.
I would also like to continue in belly-dancing training. I think, should finances allow, that I'll sign up for an intermediate class up at the college. I had been doing it regularly and somehow got out of the habit. I came across one of my coin skirts today while cleaning and thought...yeah, I should dance later.
Public speaking - I was a guest speaker at NEOUCOM's M-1 orientation for three years in a row. I also put on a "Get started in homeschooling" seminar twice with my friend, Jan.
Personal training - I always wanted to earn my personal training certification and after completing 500 hours of coursework, I passed my exam with flying colors. I just need to go get my CPR/First Aid re-certification before I "do" much of anything with it.
So those are some of the things I've always wanted to do and have done. So what about the things in this book that are sparking an interest in me?
Dream possibilities:
Hiking - Pat & I have both always wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail. It doesn't have to be the whole thing, just bits and pieces. I'd also like for us to climb "X" number of mountain peaks.
Gardening - That is something which requires patience and that would be a good virtue to cultivate. I've been able to grow one absolutely perfect pumpkin and keep some flowers alive. That's the extent of my gardening at this time.
Cooking - I like to cook and am a pretty good cook. I wouldn't mind learning to be extra creative. With the food allergies around here, it would be great to have the confidence to be creative with the foods that are safe.
Acting - I love to act and actually do sporadically at the medical school. I've casted/directed/produced half a dozen Christmas plays - and made the sets. Not to mention the sets I've made and the skits I've written/performed for vacation Bible school over the years. I keep telling myself that I'll take the step toward getting involved in community theater. I really enjoy building sets and making things "work" with whatever I find at hand.
Martial Arts - I would love to kick some butt! However, I'm a bit unsure about being thrown to the ground. This is one I'll have to think over a bit better - and consult my chiropractor about.
Figure competition - Right now Jenna and I are training to burn off the remnants of body fat and show all the muscle we've built underneath. Figure is softer than bodybuilding and doesn't require the gymnastics ability that fitness competition requires.
Volunteering - This is something I do all the time. However, I've always wanted to help at a crisis pregnancy center. I would like to learn the ins and outs and how to really, truly help someone get the hand-up that they need.
I can definitely say there are things in this book that DO NOT interest me. If I dreamed of these things, it would be in nightmares.
Definite No-s:
Car care - Ick. I have no interest and no mechanical ability to speak of. If there is a man available to do it, let him have at it. I'm blessed with Pat who is AMAZINGLY skilled.
Skydiving - Uhm, that would be a resounding "NO" on that one.
Wine appreciation - Laughable - I don't drink and don't want to.
Do-It-Yourself Handyman - Another one that is most decidedly not up my alley. Again, I'm blessed with a husband who can do pretty much anything.
Scrapbooking and Stamping - I'm lumping those together. I despise them both and will refrain from getting on my soapbox about how much I dislike them.
There are all sorts of "badges" and a world of things to dream about. "You Can Do It!" is certainly an inspiring book. It's nice to look at these possibilities and realize, "I'm not too old to do this! I'm not too old to have fun and to explore life."
The other day I read a poem where the writer was capturing the essence of mid-life depression - it was about all the beautiful things that were past as if they were never to be experienced again - from the romantic like kissing in the dark, lying on the beach staring in each others eyes, to the walking not running, etc. I say, "WAIT!" It's not over. You can still make out in a dark alley or run under a sprinkler. You can lay under the stars and dream; you can splash through puddles. I think we become old when we decide we're too old to do these things.
I'm at a place in my life where I know that the empty nest is just over the horizon. I don't want to be mourning my lost youth thinking that the good old days are all behind me. I want to be able to look back with fondness, but yet still look ahead with expectation.
Maybe I'll go out and make a snow angel now, before I shovel...
Friday, January 9, 2009
A Friday Five
1. Josh Hillis has posted a little blog about the ridiculousness of a crazy spiked hula hoop that is supposedly a new fitness fad. Ouch!
2. And on the topic of fitness fads, I keep seeing advertisements that say, "Flat abs guaranteed! No crunches necessary!" Well, of course I know that crunches aren't the be-all and end-all of abdominal exercises. There is an "abs-travaganza" of other things that you can do. But, please...crunches aren't that bad. There are things far worse than crunches. In fact, I bet I could turn a crunch-hater into someone who would scream for relief, "Just let me do crunches instead!" by just making them do a couple of my favorite ab exercises.
Anyhow - just because an ab workout is advertised as "crunchless" don't be silly enough to think it will be easy. If it does turn out to be easy, I'm 99.9% sure you won't be seeing results. That's because results take E - F - F - O - R - T...effort.
3. Anne Hathaway (The Princess Diaries, etc) will be wearing a ribbon at Obama's inauguration. That ribbon signifies her protest against Rick Warren (Saddleback Church, author of "The Purpose Driven Life") who Obama has chosen as he clergy of choice to give the invocation. Heck, I'd protest Warren, too - but it would be for entirely different reasons. Hathaway finds Warren's views too conservative (laughing, coughing sputtering over here as I type this). She thinks Rick Warren represents (a chuckle here) the religious right. HA. I think evangelicals are far more critical of Warren than the left - because of his watered down gospel, faulty handling of Scripture in "The Purpose Driven Life," etc. (The PDL claims from the get go that "it's not about you, it's about Him" but the more you read the book you find he thinks, yep, it's all about you). Great book recommendation: Decieved on Purpose by Warren Smith.
I actually think he's a great choice for a liberal president to pick. Obama tries to walk a fence between liberalism and conservatism, as does Rick Warren. He's got the ability to be a bit of a bridge. And really, did anyone think with all of the Hollywood liberal posse in town that he was going to pick someone like Franklin Graham or John MacArthur?
4. A read a scary article at Fox News about anti-psychotic Alzheimer's meds and death. While the two drugs the VA psych doc has given my father are not mentioned in the studies, there certainly have given my father trouble. Too much trouble.
5. We're under a winter weather warning and are expecting 6 - 10" of snow tonight. I'm happy it's happening on the weekend and that we have no place we really need to go. I'm hoping we can get bundled up and head out to our favorite sledding hill and actually enjoy this round of the white stuff.
~o~
I drove Caren to her appointment today and I am happy to say she doesn't have to get a hard cast. Of course, she's still in the sling and she's not allowed to do anything...but praise God that she doesn't have to have an itchy cast on her arm for weeks!
2. And on the topic of fitness fads, I keep seeing advertisements that say, "Flat abs guaranteed! No crunches necessary!" Well, of course I know that crunches aren't the be-all and end-all of abdominal exercises. There is an "abs-travaganza" of other things that you can do. But, please...crunches aren't that bad. There are things far worse than crunches. In fact, I bet I could turn a crunch-hater into someone who would scream for relief, "Just let me do crunches instead!" by just making them do a couple of my favorite ab exercises.
Anyhow - just because an ab workout is advertised as "crunchless" don't be silly enough to think it will be easy. If it does turn out to be easy, I'm 99.9% sure you won't be seeing results. That's because results take E - F - F - O - R - T...effort.
3. Anne Hathaway (The Princess Diaries, etc) will be wearing a ribbon at Obama's inauguration. That ribbon signifies her protest against Rick Warren (Saddleback Church, author of "The Purpose Driven Life") who Obama has chosen as he clergy of choice to give the invocation. Heck, I'd protest Warren, too - but it would be for entirely different reasons. Hathaway finds Warren's views too conservative (laughing, coughing sputtering over here as I type this). She thinks Rick Warren represents (a chuckle here) the religious right. HA. I think evangelicals are far more critical of Warren than the left - because of his watered down gospel, faulty handling of Scripture in "The Purpose Driven Life," etc. (The PDL claims from the get go that "it's not about you, it's about Him" but the more you read the book you find he thinks, yep, it's all about you). Great book recommendation: Decieved on Purpose by Warren Smith.
I actually think he's a great choice for a liberal president to pick. Obama tries to walk a fence between liberalism and conservatism, as does Rick Warren. He's got the ability to be a bit of a bridge. And really, did anyone think with all of the Hollywood liberal posse in town that he was going to pick someone like Franklin Graham or John MacArthur?
4. A read a scary article at Fox News about anti-psychotic Alzheimer's meds and death. While the two drugs the VA psych doc has given my father are not mentioned in the studies, there certainly have given my father trouble. Too much trouble.
5. We're under a winter weather warning and are expecting 6 - 10" of snow tonight. I'm happy it's happening on the weekend and that we have no place we really need to go. I'm hoping we can get bundled up and head out to our favorite sledding hill and actually enjoy this round of the white stuff.
~o~
I drove Caren to her appointment today and I am happy to say she doesn't have to get a hard cast. Of course, she's still in the sling and she's not allowed to do anything...but praise God that she doesn't have to have an itchy cast on her arm for weeks!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
