For Your Viewing Enjoyment

One of my most favorite Looney Tunes of all time:

Now I Remember Why I Don’t Do Squats Anymore

One of the benefits (or pitfalls) of cleaning out our garage (which we did about a week and a half ago) is that I can get to my very basic home gym and begin working out again. At one time – prior to getting engaged (and then married) – I was very serious about exercise and fitness, going to the gym about four to five days each week (of course, this was over thirteen years, and four kids ago). I tried to maintain a regular workout schedule after getting married, but it became increasingly more difficult with each passing year until, finally, structured workouts became a thing of the past. This was by no means Pam’s fault, but can and should be attributed to my laziness and lack of motivation and planning as our lives became more and more hectic.

To get ready for our annual winter trip to Florida in January (with our business down time being this time of year along with the flexability of homeschooling), Pam and I decided that we had ten days before we left to at least begin the process of getting back into shape. We wanted to lose a few pounds, to be sure, but our primary objective was physical fitness. So, three days ago (Wednesday-12/27), Pam and I – at the amusement of our children – ventured out into the garage to begin our journey to health. Pam started on the treadmill and I began some basic exercises on the home gym using very light weight and high reps. After thirty minutes we swapped places and I did something that I absolutely detest – walking on a treadmill. I would much rather pedal my magnetic resistance recumbant bicycle, but it was upstairs in the playroom, so the treadmill would have to do.

That first day went great, leaving me and Pam feeling quite good about ourselves. Then I decided to step it up a notch on Thursday and add to my routine some squats. I remember now why I don’t do squats, as I have not been in this much pain in quite some time (and I mean ‘PAIN’, yesterday I could hardly go up and down our stairs, and rising from a sitting position? F’get about it!). And I thought that I had taken it easy by using light weight and medium reps. But, as the aircraft carrier Commander said to Maverick in Top Gun, “Son, your ego is writing checks that your body can’t cash!”.

I tried doing just a few squats today to loosen up my legs, and it seemed to help a little bit. I also know that the worst is over and, if I can keep up my routine with the squats and the rest of the workout, I should begin to see some results in the not-too-distant future. But I don’t ever want to go through that pain again.

All of that to say: any pain we experience here on earth is but for a moment. It is fleeting. It is temporal. What really matters is not what we do to our physical body, but what we do with respect to our spiritual body as we lay up our treasure in heaven. And, NO, that is not a picture of me doing squats!

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. – 2 Cor. 4:16-18

Lisa Asks – “Does My Life Match My Words”

Please take the time to go read Lisa’s post at Deo Valente that was sparked by Dan’s post over at Team Pyro (yes, I know…multiple links with multiple posts…but you can do it!). Here is an excerpt from Lisa’s comments:

“Every Christian struggles with that [selfishness and lack of faith]. I struggle with that. I know the truth. I know that God’s strength is powerfully displayed in my weakness. So yes… Lord forgive also my selfishness and little faith. We serve a faithful and mighty God and I may have all the right words to say… but will my actions match my words in times of affliction or if the Lord so chooses a path for me that includes a wheelchair or debilitating disease”

Don’t Sugar-Coat it Kim; Tell Us How You Really Feel

A few days a go I did a quick post on how Fox News was going Rick Warren crazy this past weekend, showing a Saddleback “Christmas” sermon from Warren three times on Christmas Eve, and twice on Christmas Day (in addition to running another special featuring Warren during this same stretch of time). Well, I didn’t have the stomach to watch it, but Kim Riddlebarger – who is part of The White Horse Inn – stumbled across the program Christmas morning and has just a few choice words about the apparant real meaning of Christmas – according to Rick Warren, anyway.

Here is a quote from Kim’s post:

“Did anyone else see this? It was absolutely awful. Apparently, I’ve misunderstood the meaning of Christmas. I thought it had something to do with the Incarnation and with Jesus coming to save me from my sins. No, Jesus came to give me purpose and to give Rick Warren slogans. Warren did not preach from a text. He repeatedly turned gospel into law. He spoke in clichés and referred to his “peace” plan over and over. It was the worst bunch of self-promotion in a pulpit I have ever seen. Don’t even start me on the “worship service,” or whatever that abomination was . . . “

(HT: Slice of Laodicea)

What I Got for Christmas…Like You Really Care!

Totally Practical and Needed:

• Stainless-Steel Claw Hammer
• Leather Cell Phone Holder
• $$$
• Iomega External Hard Drive
• Clothes

Word, Music & Video:

• Geneva Bible (1599 Edition)
• John MacArthur – God’s Gift of Christmas
• Casting Crowns – Lifesong
• iTunes Gift Card
• Pirates of the Caribbean – Dead Man’s Chest

Miscellaneous:

• Ga. Tech Embroidered Cap
• Ga. Tech T-shirt
• Football Stadium Bench Chair
• LED/Halogen Flashlight w/Emergency Power Hand Crank
• Wireless Thermometer – Transmits Outdoor Data
• Collectible Die-Cast Car – Lightning McQueen (from the movie ‘Cars’)

Noteworthy Archives

WORMS & WEINER DOGS: Frank over at TeamPyro has opened the perverbial can of worms with respect to art, the gospel and U2, while at the same time suggesting that an army of dogs such as my beloved Peanut is the equivalent to the Christian worship music and art of our day that is supposed to confront the culture.

FROM HEAVEN:

“I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.” – John 6:51

Rum Balls…A Loophole In the SBC’s Resolution Against Alcohol

You may or may not remember the bruhaha that erupted back in June over the Southern Baptist Convention’s ‘Resolution 5‘, which made a definitive statement against – and condemnation of – the use, manufacturing, advertising, distributing, and consuming of alcoholic beverages. Setting aside the utter error of using the word ‘use’ instead of ‘abuse’ within this resolution (as that is a whole ‘nother issue that should be addressed), I would instead like to focus in this post on the inconsistencies that lie within many individuals who wholeheartedly agree with the SBC’s resolution declaring alcohol use as something that is to be regarded as evil and inherently wrong in and of itself, but who have no problem with using alochol in, say…a holiday treat.

The SBC repeatedly uses phrases such as, ‘alcohol use’, ‘use of alcohol’, ‘user of alcoholic beverages’, and ‘consumption of alcoholic beverages’ in this resolution. The intent (at least from my perspective) is to make the statement – in no uncertain terms – that any and all uses of alcohol are wrong. Now, as I have read from at least one other blogger on this subject, the SBC’s intent may very well have been to address only the use of alcohol in a purely unmixed, undiluted liquid beverage form (apart from using it as an ingredient in other consumable goodies), but the resolution does not state that. So, barring any qualifiers to the contrary (and there are none in the resolution), and to be consistent, I think one must read this resolution to mean ANY use of alcohol… ANY consumption of it…whether it be recreational, medicinal or culinary.

Having said that, let me now turn my attention to the title of my post. Pam and I went to a social gathering this past Saturday along with our children. And as an aside let me say that I do believe that Pam and I may have been the only ones there who were not members of a church that belongs the Southern Baptist Convention. We were sitting with a group of about 10-12 men and ladies, of which four of the men either are presently or have formerly been ministers on staff at various SBC churches (their wives were sitting at this group also).

In the course of conversation in this particular group, the topic of Rum Balls came up. Now, I don’t know what the exact makeup of this concoction actually is, except to say that it obviously calls for the use of Rum, which is an alcoholic beverage. They can also consist of pecans or walnuts or almonds or chocolate chips…crushed shortbread or vanilla wafer cookies…confectionate sugar…cocoa powder…and corn syrup. Anyway, several of those involved in this discussion (I was not directly involved in this discussion, but just listening in) were going on and on about how good these Rum (one person said they were really Bourbon) Balls were…how they gave a warm feeling after being eaten…and how they burned the throat going down. There was also joking about them being used as a sleep aide. Now, believe it or not, I am not a prude…and I know this was just a lot of horsing around and joking about these Rum Balls. But, it got me to thinking as I was sitting there listening to this about how these same people would react if I was telling a story about drinking a Rum & Coke and describing the warm feeling it was producing and the burn as it slid down my throat, and how well I slept after consuming it. Somehow, I just don’t think they would have thought that to be an amusing subject or an appropriate topic of discussion…especially among fellow Christians and in the company of children.

I even asked Pam afterwards what she thought of my Rum & Coke analogy, and she said that I should have asked that question of the group that day. For a split second I had indeed considered opening my mouth during the discussion, but thought better of it. Later, I did get to ask one of those (who earlier was one of the primary talkers) about the difference between Rum Balls and a Rum & Coke, and the response was that, since the balls are baked, much of the alcohol content of the Rum is cooked away in the baking process, so the comparison to a Rum & Coke was not a consistent one to make. That sounded like a reasonable reply at the time. However, since then I have discovered that Rum Balls are not baked, the result being that the alcohol taste and alcohol content are not lost as would normally happen when something is baked or cooked using alcohol.

As I said before, I am not a prude…and I am certainly not trying to be ‘holier-than-thou’ or to be a party pooper. I am also not trying to promote the consumption of alcoholic beverages (though I do hold that Scripture allows for it and even instructs the use of it at certain points…I have talked about that previously a littel bit here and here). I just wish that people would be more consistent with their convictions and declarations about what is right and what is wrong…especially when it comes to setting standards and expectations at levels that are beyond what is written in Scripture. If you are going to condemn the ‘use’ of alcohol – to be consistent – you need to be prepared to condemn it across the board…not just when it suits your purpose of putting forth an unbiblical resolution such as total abstinence from alcoholic beverages.

So, there it is…a loophole in the SBC’s resolution against using alcoholic beverages – Rum Balls. Apparantly it is okay to eat alcohol…you just can’t drink it. I need to go to bed now, and as I am having trouble getting to sleep. I think I’ll have a Rum & Co…no…make that a Rum Ball, to put me in la-la land.

(ps. I apologize if this article sounded soap-boxy, and I admit that I might even be wrong about my position. If you think I have erred, I would appreciate hearing from you. I would also love to hear from those who agree…and why.)

What Christmas Is All About…

(HT – lil’ Sis)

24 Hours of ‘A Christmas Story’

One of my favorite movies of all-time is the classic, ‘A Christmas Story’. I know, I know…some of you just don’t get it. You may be thinking, “What is so funny about a movie that tells the story of a little boy who wants a Red-Ryder BB Gun for Christmas?”. Well, all I can say is, I don’t know what to tell you except that I think it is hilarious from beginning to end.

TBS began a tradition a few years back of playing this great classic for twenty-four hours straight starting around 7pm or 8pm on Christmas Eve and running through the end of Christmas Day. Normally, we will have it on during some of our Christmas Eve festivities, and then we usually have it on quite a bit on Christmas as we spend our day at home as a family and then prepare to have the grandparents over for dinner.

My sister and I can recite most of the scenes by heart, and I am not ashamed to tell you that one of the things I look forward to this time of year is knowing that I can see it whenever I want to from Christmas Eve all the way through Christmas. Come on and sing with me now…

Deck the halls with boughs of horry

Fa, ra, ra, ra, ra…ra, ra, ra, ra!!!

Merry Christmas!

I Did NOT Accept Jesus As My Personal Savior

Do you possess the ‘just me and Jesus’ mentality? Do you think that your salvation is all about your personal relationship with Christ? Are you a ‘personal Savior’ Christian…or a kindom-focused Christian?

The following are some notes I took from the sermon that my pastor, Butch Rumble, preached this past Sunday at RCC. For the last several weeks we have been covering what Butch calls the Basics of Reformational Protestantism, and this past-Sunday’s message was part one of two parts on basic #9. But before I give you that one, allow me to list the first eight basics of Reformational Protestantism:

1. Authority of Scripture
2. Sovereignty of God
3. The Grace of God
4. God’s Covenant of Grace
5. Thankfulness/Being Grateful
6. Biblical Unity
7. Delight in the Law of God
8. Proper Vew of the Church

The ninth basic of Reformational Protestantism is that reformational believers are Kingdom Focused. If you have the time this weekend, I would strongly encourage you to listen to the audio of this message. Here are some brief notes from the sermon:

• Personal salvation is not the end of the road for the people of God. God’s plan is greater than personal salvation.
• There is nothing greater than salvation…but it doesn’t end there. There is something much bigger than myself.
• Jesus is King. He has brought me into His kingdom.
• I did not accept Jesus as my personal Savior. Where in Scripture is the “personal” salvation? There are personal valet’s and personal bodyguards, etc. Definition of personl=private…which is foreign to Scripture…ie, “Repeat this prayer and Jesus will be your ‘personal’ Savior”.
• Yes, He saves personally…He called me by name.
• Yet, Jesus did not personally save me to be my personal Savior to be an end in and of itself.
• He saved us to be living stones in His church…to spread His kingdom to the ends of the earth.
• Reformational Christians are not personal-Savior Christians…we are kingdom Christians.
• If you have been in the ‘personal Savior’ mode, ask God to give you the bigger picture.
• We cannot allow out faith to stop with us: We are called by God to go beyond our own personal salvation and to be salt and light to a lost world. We are not to assimilate into the culture, we are to confront the culture.

Luke 1:30-33

The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.“

Matthew 13:47-50

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Click here to listen to the audio of the sermon.