Only four days in and there is so much to talk about: the opening ceremonies; the tragic murder of the volleyball coach’s family; last night’s amazing Men’s 4×100 relay; Russia and Georgia escalating to a war; Chinese humanitarian issues; George Bush’s presence…. I could go on and on.

At the very least, Bush was spot on last night when he told Bob Costas (paraphrasing) that it is important for us to remain engaged with China despite our differences and disagreements. We have a better chance at being a positive influence in reforming the authoritative nature of their government and their poor humanitarian track record if we build an amicable relationship between our governments. We’re dealing with a major powerhouse who is still “up-and-coming” in modern power / politics. I know we want to think we live in a world that is above expansion through force, but we’re not. WWII was about expansion of power. Even in our short history it was only 100 years ago we got into with Spain over Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the like and only 150 years ago that we wrestled away much of the south from Mexico. *sigh*….

I know i’m getting far too historical on your rears (perhaps even out of my league) and losing half my audience to boredom… but I can’t help but see a shift of world power taking place over the last several years; not necessarily a shift towards China, but certainly away from America. The view of America has quickly taken a turn for the worse world wide. If there is one thing I’ve learned in my World Civ classes these past two semesters, most “world powers” only remain the world power for about 300 years… lets see… 2008-1776= 232 years of dominance…. hmmmm…. I don’t think the decline is going to reach its peak (or… valley i guess) in my life time, but “soon;” I also think it will look more like Britain’s decline, where we are not destroyed by any means, just less of a force politically and influentially around the world but not so much that we can’t rebuild our influence, much like Britain has done. I hope I’m wrong on all accounts… I hope we can recognize our shortcomings and rebuild from this point rather than falling further into decay. There is still so much good in what we are and what American is supposed to stand for, but I fear we are blinded by green (i’m talking economic green, not environmental green) and perhaps by our own sometimes-hidden-sometimes-blatant elitist attitude.

blech… rambling too much as it is and about to get into other things that would just convolute this site… stuff about “illegal” immigrants, American pride, the war in Iraq and such… I guess seeing what China is doing and reading up a (very) little bit on the Russia/Georgia conflict got my mind to wandering again… struggling with the whole concept of American Identity vs Christian Identity vs American-Christian Identity.

So, anyways, I haven’t had any Dr. Pepper since Friday and I started the hundred push up challenge… Go me!

I … am … fat(ish).

Dang it! See… i can’t even write it correctly. *sigh*… anyway, i’m overweight, it’s causing issues in several areas of my life (though obviously not in the baby making part of life *HIGH FIVES GUYS AROUND HIM*!), and its getting old fast. More accurately, its aging me fast. I have a few problems that a 27 year old shouldn’t have such as really jacked up knees flaring up over the course of this summer.

My lack of discipline is nine four fold:

* I love me some Pizza and Dr. Pepper (and cheese, mexican food, etc).
* I’m lazy when it comes to working out. I’m not lazy in every area of my life, but this is one of them. I enjoy working out, I just don’t enjoy the sweat and the working part of it. I like the adrenaline, though.
* My dad is fat(ish). I know that isn’t nice to blame it on genetics, but he didn’t exactly provide a good example for me growing up. I love him deeply, but he missed the boat on this one.
* My mom loves me too much. She does, and thats great. Growing up she made me eat my veggies, but nachos and quesadillas weren’t off limits when i was fending for myself. Now she tells me I need to lose weight, but her fridge is always stocked with DP despite the fact that she doesn’t drink DP (mom, i know you read… stop buying stuff for me…).
* I don’t really believe i’m fat. I believe i’m overweight and need to lose weight, but not to the degree of many people that I know, see and work with every day. As long as I think like this, its too easy to ignore.
* I work a desk job. In high school i wasn’t some buff athlete, but i was active. Street B-Ball, riding bikes, and general screwing around (TPing your pastors house is quite the aerobic workout… especially when your Youth Pastor thinks it’s funny to lay on the horn and drive off).
* My cardiovascular system sucks… and blows, but doesn’t do either very well. I know, it’s because i’m fat(ish), but I can’t do as much during exercise that I want to do, which discourages me and makes me feel like a loser. Who wants to feel like a loser?
* Xbox 360, PS2, and Freekick.org are far more entertaining than a punching bag (although of the workouts I have available, i do enjoy the heavy bag the most). When I have free time away from work, school, and family, these things call my name louder than exercise… almost like an addiction.
* Jesus didn’t work out. I’m going to toe the Church of Christ line here and say since it’s not mentioned other than in an analogy in the new testament, than it’s sinful (i.e. - instruments in church). He probably didn’t have to work out, he walked everywhere and built awesome stuff with his hands… and you know, he’s God… but lets not worry about that, okay?

If you could fight through the stricken text above, you know the real reason, don’t you? I don’t take responsibility for my lack of discipline. I blame my situation, my surroundings, my upbringing, and everything but myself. But I have a plan; some of it you will see on here, starting with the One Hundred Pushup challenge that my bloggin’ buddy Blake threw down. We’re rolling with it this weekend.

Today, the fat me is dying, and the new me is emerging…

WHO’S WITH ME!?!

(cheers and applause, feet stomping and fist pumping, all that revolutionary jazz fills the air)

Good… now lets get started! … just as soon as i finish this Dr. Pepper.

The journey to higher education so I can be smarter than all you fools continues tomorrow: World Civ II, with assignment one due at beginning of class. As of now, I am ahead. Call me in a week though, i’ll be behind probably.

Business Math starts in two weeks (online). The first chapter of the book is entitled “whole numbers” … excuse my sweaty palms, i’m not sure i can handle whole numbers. /sarcasm … I’ve gotta believe we’ll be well past whole numbers by the end of the first week. I’m actually looking forward to some of the later content which could help with several financial things we need to get under control. I’m a closet math fan. Ask my wife, I actually create spreadsheets for some of my online games that helps me determine the efficiency of… oh geeze, never mind. If you ask me, i’ll just say “math sucks!”

On the Blog Docket for this week:
* Church Search Update
* New family pics
* Summer Review
* The effective use of asterisks and bold lettering on a blog entry

Then the Dark Knight came along…

I wanted to see it, but i’m callous towards any public hysteria about a movie. I know it’s setting records, I know Heath Ledger supposedly does the most amazing acting job in the last 3.2 million years or something, but it’s just another comic book movie (which are getting old) getting far too much rave reviews for me to get all hot and heavy over. Understand, of all the movies out it’s what i want to see the most, but I just have this fear that it’s not going to live up my expectations based on everything I’ve heard. I have a tendency to fight the norm anyway… sometimes for no reason at all… it’s stupid, i know, butthat’s how i roll, dog… just keepin it real, yo… just manny being manny…

anyway… date night Friday, neither of us wanted to do anything too active so bowling was out as was dave and busters… Nothing good on at the cheapie theaters and I was off early enough for us to beat the crowd and go to the 5:35 showing of The Dark Knight, so I gave in.

I’ll spare you the suspense…

That… was… freakin’… awesome. Probably the best movie I’ve seen in theaters since Gladiator, and it immediately jumps near the top of my personal favorite all time movies (just to keep you in perspective, i’m pretty much into epics or dark movies. Probably the only non-epic, non-dark movie on the top of my list would be Shawshank Redemption, so take my claim that it’s an all time favorite with a grain of salt). They hype is legit. Nearly three hours of complete greatness. The acting was top notch all the way around. I know I know, Heath died so I assumed people were overstating how good he was in this movie, but when you see it, you realize just how amazing of an actor he was. I knew he was good, I’ve liked him for a while now, but this would’ve propelled his career to the upper echelon of actors. I’ve not paid twice to see a movie since tickets were still south of 6$; I might consider it with the Dark Knight, especially once it goes to the dollar theater, just to see it on the big screen one more time.

the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight.

More than just knowledge, rather erudition coupled with perspicaciousness. I think this is a good summation of Biblical God-Given wisdom as well. People all over the known world sought Solomon’s advice; it wasn’t just that he had unlimited knowledge, rather he knew what to do with it and how to apply it to everyday life. Proverbs 4 tells us that the pursuit of wisdom will cost all we have, yet the benefits far outweigh the cost. But the admonishments against trusting earthly wisdom are nearly as prevalent in scripture as the encouragements of seeking Godly wisdom. And when it comes down to it, I have no doubt that most Christ followers understand that our finite understanding is no match for Gods omniscience. James 1:5 tells us that God gives wisdom generously to all who ask it of him; knowing there is hope yet for my stupidity brings great comfort, because I’ve certainly made a few bone-headed moves over the span of my decision making life.

But don’t you love how God likes to throw a paradox into the mix every now and then? We can seek God-given wisdom for years, mature in that wisdom, and even have others hold us in high regard concerning our wisdom in various situations because we have sought God and held with faith James’ words, trusting their divine inspiration. We analyze situations with wisdom and understanding that God has blessed us with in order to make decisions that are most in line with God’s character… And God throws a wrench in gears and cranks out the next level of wisdom which we can never obtain or even begin to comprehend: Divine Wisdom.

It’s the proverbial exception to the rule, where every ounce of our Christian self says “no! this is not the way to do it!” but God answers with Job-like proportions “Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’? Who endowed the heart with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind?” (Chpt 38) … in other words “What do you know of my wisdom? I have only given you a taste of my wisdom so that you may know that I am God… My foolishness is wiser than your wisdom and my weakness is stronger than your strength (1 Cor 1:25). What do you know of my wisdom?”

It’s not hard to humbly accept those words from the Creator of the universe, but it’s often difficult to realize that what appears to be a contradiction of Godly wisdom is simply God being God and using Divine wisdom that stretches beyond our understanding. Asking “why, God?” is a legit question, but for what its worth, you won’t always understand the answer…

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
Romans 11:33

* Weed-eat the yard since the lawn mower went kaput
* Find someone to fix my lawn mower
* If it’s not cheap, buy new lawn mower instead
* Meet buddies for breakfast
* Jog with said buddies after breakfast
* Library as always
* Meet with pastor of Church 4
* Read many pages of a book I’m currently reading

And much much more.

I need to revolt against myself.

Who will join me in my fight? Who’s ready to kill what holds them back from the awakening that is within? Who thinks I’m crazy and need to lay off the red bull?

(none of those questions were rhetorical)

The initial impression of the church once inside was similar to that of the website. You could tell they spent time on keeping the place presentable without going over the top to try and impress. It had a bit too much feminine touch in some areas but wouldn’t make an average Joe feel uncomfortable. Our first interaction with humanoids was pleasant as well. I’m not sure if they knew we were new, but they acted natural and inviting.

We found our way to the toddlers area and we were treated with pleasant surprise #1 of the morning: Mac didn’t cry! She just walked in, albeit solemnly, and looked for someone to play with. The helper was great in getting a slightly older girl to “show her around” the room. It helped that they built a castle into the wall which even called my name (seriously, castles are awesome). I think we were in so much shock at Mac’s willingness to go without crying that we lingered a little longer than expected.

After we snapped out of it, we walked around the corner to Tristen’s area. I guess we were a little early and they were still having Sunday School (i’m not sure what they call it, but essentially that is what it is), which i found odd because we were only like five minutes early according to the times on the website. This made for quite an awkward exchange between us and the teacher (who we later found out is the children’s director). After we sorted it out and interrupted him far too much, we just kinda left her there in hopes she’d have a good time.

Now it was our turn. Walking into the back of the auditorium, we found ourselves in the proverbial coffee shop: donuts, tables, literature, and a catchy name (which escapes me now). We decided to go ahead and have a seat near the middle of the main seating section. Interestingly enough, the center aisle and the far left / right aisles were removed for more tables and chairs, inviting people to bring their coffee or other beverage of choice right into the main service, but allowing enough traditional seating room for others.

Enough about the atmosphere. I hate to say it again, but I have to… the worship fit right along with the website and the atmosphere: Very well put together, up to date, with a balance of tradition, solid musicianship, but nothing showy… This is a very good pattern I’m seeing here… There was a break in the middle to highlight the ongoings of the recently finished VBS through song, dance and video (+1 family focus). The end of VBS week was capped off with the kids putting packages together for missionary contacts in Chile (+1 missions).

Then came the message. The story of this church visit isn’t really what the message was about or even who spoke. The pastor was there, but taking a break and letting a member of the congregation preach before he heads off to the Philippines for six months. Rather it was what the pastor said in the introduction when he stated that the speaker had been learning under the pastor for the past couple of years. The church not only encourages their staff to take on mentors (which i’ve heard before) but *gasp* they actually do it!! (+1 Discipleship). To top it off, they had a meeting afterwards to discuss further involvement in Chile and another country (+2 missions).

There were several other pluses to this church and only one evident “minus,” but it is such an insignificant thing that it would never keep me from coming back (they need a lot of help in the A/V department). But it is still far too early to tell seeing as we haven’t heard the pastor preach and have only experienced one week’s worth of the people. But by far, church # 4 has had the most promise of any of the other places we’ve visited. We’ll definitely be back soon and often to get a better feel for everything.

This past Sunday we saw more familiar faces and enjoyed visiting a church we used to serve at. I’ll be back at some point to let you know how it went. Thanks for journeying with us.

We arrived at the orange-brick building to an onslaught of “who are you here for?” questions and looks that said “we know you’re a visitor, but that doesn’t surprise us this week, so we’ll smile, but no need to make a big deal about it.” … Ah, yes… The week when family and friends from all over show up to your local church to partake in a ritual found in churches all across the nation: Graduation sunday.

Have I told you yet that there is usually ZERO point in visiting a church on a special service? Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Easter, Christmas, and Graduation Sunday… What is the point? Thankfully there were only two students graduating and the pastor did his normal thing, so I think we got a good taste of what to expect.

Everything edged on “decent” on our mental checklist, wavering slightly to one side or the other. Worship and the communion on the high side, kids program and preaching on the low side, atmosphere, friendliness, and everything else right in the middle. And lets rename this “Church of the Sons of the Nephilim” … seriously, i’ve never seen so many tall people in my life!

We planned on going back, but excuses kept coming up, then came vacation and father’s day and we found ourselves nearly a month removed from going to any church. The overall “average” impression of the church coupled with general apathy doesn’t preclude another visit to the church in the near future. Which brings us to Church 4, which we visited last week… but that’s for a new post at some point soon…

thanks for listening…