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p90x Day 1

Well it’s my first full day in Uganda and lets get started with p90x, today was Chest & Back, and Ab Ripper X.  Josh (my work out partner) and I did the first workout in the morning then Ab Ripper X after lunch.  Neither workout was great form for either of us.  We both feld like we had our butts kicked by the end.  Took some before pictures, I look worse in them then I do in the mirror but I guess that’s why I’m doing this.

Blogging again

Haven’t blogged in a while, going to try to start p90x monday and blog about how it goes.  Prabibly end up like all my other bloging and get board with it.

Writing a book

I’m going to start putting some thoughts together and maybe but them into a book.  I’ve been thinking alot about the short comings of my guitar playing ability and my  Christian life.  I really enjoy both but see places where I don’t do a good job.  Some times I’ll be talking about playing guitar and one of my friends ask me how long I’ve been playing and my response is always “about 10 years but I’m not very good”  It’s true I have been playing for about 10 years, and I’m not very good, mainly because I don’t spend the time practicing to be a good guitarist.  The comparison to my Christian life is I’ve been a what I would call a dedicated Christ follower for around 10 years, and really about the same person I was 10 years ago, and just like my guitar playing if I want things to change time spent “practicing” is what it takes.

our earthship

Kate (my wife) and I have decided to build an Earthship in Missouri. We want to get started in the next year or so, if you don’t know what Earthships are google them or do a YouTube search they have some cool videos. We have the land to build it, it’s a beautiful ridge on my family farm in Missouri.

beware of the cartoon Leprechaun

my wife and take the responsibility of raising healthy children very important, raising them spiritually, emotionally, and physically healthy.  now were not perfect, we make mistakes 90% or more my mistakes.  but we try to set a good example with the things we eat and what we get our kids to eat.  we try not to get that worthless sugar filled nutrition less cereals(not mentioning any names cause i don’t want to be sued) and the kids do pretty good with it.

we’ll kate called me at work the other day with a funny story about jewell our 6 year old daughter.  seams jewell was watching tv and saw something that she thought was pretty cool, she came down to kate and told here that marshmallow cereal had 12 vitamins and that was all that jewell needed to be convinced that that marshmallow cereal was god for you.

well i thought that it was a funny story and have told it to lots of people this week and got a lot of laughs, but i was thinking about it today.  kate and i tell our kids things like it’s important to eat healthy everyday, we tell them that junk cereal isn’t good for them and it took one cartoon leprechaun to change our little daughters mind, not don’t get the wrong impression of what i’m saying.  i’m not mad or anything like that at jewell, it’s just a example of how influenced our children with the media even at 6 years old.  if our child who believes us and trusts us can question what we are telling her on something simple like breakfast cereal then what about the bigger things is she going to believe tv, her friends, the radio, or something else when they tell her something different then we do, are your kids?  jewell is truly a great daughter and she does believe us and it’s she was being rebellious in any way she just thought mom and dad were mistaken, that this cereal was good for her because they said so on tv.  our kids are always hearing things that are opposite of what we tell them this isn’t just about crappy cereal, it’s about sex, drugs, believing in Jesus, doing the right thing when everyone else isn’t, so any parents if your read this lets just be clear with our kids so when they hear something (and they will) that contradicts with what we tell them they will know the truth.

when the light hurts

a couple days ago i had my eyes checked to see if i could get lasik surgery done, the good news is that i am a good candidate and in a month or so i should have a surgery date, i guess the only down side is that i got my eyes dilated, they gave me some sun glasses that go under my prescription glasses so i can drive and be outside.  one day later i am still sensitive to the light, it hurts and gives me headaches.  i have the day off so i’ve just been spending most of my time inside.

this is a lot tike my christian life.  there are times when God shines his light on me and it makes me feel uncomfortable.  God’s light shines on me when He wants me to do something or go somewhere, when He wants me to stop doing something or give something up.  but my normal reaction is to stay in places where the light doesn’t bother me, places like church, ministries, even fasting and prayer.  what is that, church, ministries, fasting, and prayer can be a hiding place from God?  for so many christians in the west these things have become a thing of complacence, we go to church, are faithful to teith, teach sunday school, pray before we eat, and even fast from time to time.  Jesus talked about the pharisees and how they did all of these things to, but they were doing for them selves to make them feel righteous Jesus called them out “you whitewashed tombs” he says looking good on the out side and full of rot on the inside.  those were people who were hiding from God at church just like i do.

i’ve been trying to seek the light, and to seek Jesus’ will for my life, last night i was praying and it felt like a voice told me to “pray for kate to have a vision of where we should be” and that was kinda weird because i’m the man, i’m suppose to have the vision right?  well i did and i prayed that what ever vision kate had i wouldn’t fight it.  so with out me asking her kate tells me last night she doesn’t think that i should be in the air force and that we should live in missouri.  no a little back ground on missouri, it is where i grew up and where kate and i got married.  kate and i helped out in the youth program there in my home town before i joined the air force and when we were there a few weeks ago the old youth minister said that he and his wife were retiring.  last time i was at my dads house he told me i could have a piece of land on the family farm to build a house on.  and every time we go back there it just seams like we have such peace.  so i told God i would fight Him on this so i’m going to put in a application to palace chase out of the air force and leave it up to him.

fast day 3

well i made it into day three, i really wasn’t hungry and that suppressed me but i have been very weak i don’t thing most of it was due to fasting but i am getting the flu that kate has, she is very sick and jonathan is getting sick to, kate can hardly get out of bead or walk up and down the stairs.  so after praying about it today i feel good about ending my fast.  it has been a great 3 days and God has spoke to me an opened my eyes to faults in my christian life.  i’m tired of being born again lazy and ready to make a change.  i want to find ways to live and serve Christ starting now.  i think fasting is a great tool that God has given us to draw close to him.  i think it is hard (put not impossible) to fast for extended periods of time with out having the ability to go off and be by your self, Jesus did go out into the wilderness when he fasted.  but it has truly been a good three days even though i’ve been sick.  so if anyone is feeling led to fast don’t fight it go where God is leading you and you will be blessed.

jesus is still hungry

Jesus was hungry, he saw a fig tree and went to get a snack, when He got there the fig tree had no fruit on it.  now i grew up in the country and our farm had quite a few fruit trees and vines and in the spring and summer i know where to get an apple, grape, or mulberry, and i do love mulberries.  and sometimes a season is better than others some years there is more fruit then others.  but when Jesus went to the tree he was empty, the tree hadn’t produced the fruit that it was made for, and Jesus didn’t just stand for it, he cursed it and the tree died.  us as Christ followers are made to produce fruit just like that fig tree, if we do i think it’s pretty obvious that Jesus won’t stand for it.  God is a God of second, third, forth, . . . chances, but if you look at the story of mosses leading israel out of egypt, pharaoh had a lot of chances to do it Gods way and one time he submitted to God only to change his mind but there was a line that pharaoh crossed when he no longer had the option to make up his own mind, it went from pharaoh hardened his heart to God hardened pharaoh’s heart.  i’ve herd a lot of people speak on this lesson and have said that God wanted to kill pharaoh from the start but that is just not true according to scripture.  pharaoh had many chances, God showed him many merricles to convince him but pharaoh dug his own watery grave.  the question is are you producing fruit today? if not how many times do you think you have to turn your back on Jesus will come to you looking for fruit one day, and do you want to leave him hungry, i don’t.

midlife crisis

for a few years now i can tell i’m feeling the effects of getting older, i’m knocking on 30s door and this is a time when a lot of people start having a midlife crisis.  growing old doesn’t really bother me, i’m a little slower on the basketball court, put on a few pounds, and am getting more and more grey hair, but that doesn’t really mater to me.  some people talk about waking up one day and look in to the mirror and discover that they have aged 10 years and didn’t even notice, they feel like they have lost a chunk of there life and they will ask them selves what do i have to show for it.  i’m not that guy i am completely content with my age in fact i am looking forward to turning 30 because i get to play in the over 30 basketball league and my air force physical fitness test gets a little more relaxed.  in the last 10 years i have married a wonderful woman and have two great kids.