Losing Weight With Friends: A Better Way

This isn't a brag. It's a strategy that has worked for me. I'm sharing this in hopes it will help others.

After being overweight for decades, at 178 lbs (81 kg) I am now in the normal weight range for my height, as my body mass index (BMI) is now under 25. 

 

My wife tells me I look good and feel good. That's an even better motivator than BMI

Here's the strategy: On a camping trip in early June, two friends and I decided to lose weight. Each of us was overweight. It showed and we felt it. 

 

The next day, we sent our beginning weights in a text thread. Almost every day since then, we have continued to share our weights. Many days, it's just a number. Other days, it's a number and something humorous or encouraging....or a bad excuse for a small weight gain. 

 

We're men, so there's an element of competition here, of course. But honestly, the most valuable part of this is that we are each invested in the success of the other two. And it has worked: between the three of us we have already lost more than 60 lbs (27 kg). Each of us is approaching his goal weight. I'm down 16 lbs (7 kg) with 3 lbs (1.3 kg) to go. All of us feel better, and all are seeing health benefits.

 

How did we lose weight? Simple: we ate less and exercised more. There's all kinds of ways to go at this. I have been using Weight Watchers, and I find as a side benefit that it helps me understand good portion size and the caloric content of my usual foods. I also try to walk 8,000 steps a day.

 

But in my heart, what really made the difference was the encouragement of two friends!

University Education: Why Would We Pay for Leftist Indoctrination?

My university experience was a great time in my life. It is where I met my wife, it prepared me for a rewarding career, and it opened my eyes to new knowledge, new ways of thinking, and new ways to learn. The University of Alaska in the 1990s was very valuable to our adult children as well. 

But today, as I think about our two granddaughters, I am seriously doubting the wisdom of their future attendance at nearly any of the colleges and universities in the United States or even abroad. Most of these have left their honorable purposes to become leftist indoctrination camps. 

I am not concerned about exposure to ideas from both ends of the ideological spectrum. That’s healthy. What I AM concerned about is the overwhelming preponderance of leftist faculty and staff and a smothering teaching of “correct think”. 

Our family has poured years into our granddaughters’ healthy emotional and spiritual growth, and much money into excellent private education. For them to lose that would be a disaster for them and their family, and those that follow after them. 

Clearly, not everyone coming out of America’s colleges and universities today is steeped in neo-Marxism and nihilism, but many are, to the great dismay of their families, and to the diminishing of America. The massive college debt of many young Americans is bad, but the educational outcomes are worse. 

And speaking of debt, is a university education in many disciplines really worth what people are paying? 

So…..American colleges and universities: are you listening? I am one American father and grandfather and financial supporter of education who views you with massive distrust.

An Ordinary (But Deeply Powerful) Sunday Family Lunch

We did something ordinary today.  We ate our Sunday lunch together, the three generations of us here.  It's ordinary because we do this almost every Sunday.  We started this pleasant habit about four years ago -- now around 200 times.

But ordinary does not even begin to describe the deep human value of this simple activity. Sharing food is deeply woven into humanity. There is a bonding that happens each time we sit at table together. It feels like silken threads added layer upon layer binding us together.

Not only are we sharing food, we are sharing ideas, hopes, and dreams. While sometimes we have important subjects to discuss as a family, mostly it's just happy talk, the casual conversation of people who know each other well. Plans are hatched for other activities we do together. Sometimes we ask for help with a project or a need. We often talk about the church meeting we were part of earlier in the morning. And we're Americans, so we talk about politics. :) We often find that two or three hours slip away before it is time to go our separate ways.

I believe what is happening at a superconscious level is even more profound. In these regular gatherings, we are each teaching each other who we are as a people in a family, how we respond to life, and how we communicate and connect emotionally with each other. Family history is shared in little pieces, and the younger learn from the older who they are and where they come from.

And there is a simple profundity at the spiritual level as well. We begin our meals together with a simple grace. It's a habit, but habits are powerful, and this one reminds us each week that we live our lives with attitudes of gratitude and a recognition of Jesus, who is at the center of all. This is what we have sung together for many years:

Thank you Jesus, thank you Jesus

For this food, for this food

And our many blessings, and our many blessings

Amen amen amen

So......today, I'm deeply grateful for this ordinary thing we do, and the extra-ordinary family of which I am a part. 

 

 

Please visit my new blog location for newest posts!

America Is A Racist Nation, but.....

 

America is a racist nation.

Just as every nation is a racist nation.

But America is one of the least racist multi-racial nations on earth.

We have fought so hard and come so very far.

Yet, we are not done.

The problem is that every human is racist at some level.

Laws and regulations may help, but will never alone suffice.

Only changed hearts can right the wrongs.

I will never wear the label "racist" because of the light color of my skin.

The demand that I do is itself naked racism.

I will never bear the wrongs of generations past.

Americans of earlier generations made their own mistakes just as does ours.

I am not responsible for the evils of the past.  All I can do is try to lessen the evils of today.

 

I am proud of our history.  We are a noble nation and a noble people who out of many have become one.  But I am not proud of every part of our history.

Our historic wrongs do not define us.  Our noble impulses and behaviors define us.

Fools who attempt to erase or re-write our history will only cause future generations to make similar mistakes.

May God bless America, and all the peoples that are here

who make us who we are today and who we will become tomorrow!

It's NOT Too Late: We Can Rebuild America the Beautiful

America is in desperate need of awakening and revival. Better political representation at all levels will help, but government will never be more than a partial solution to our deep-seated problems. We have a heart problem, and only hearts healed and reshaped by the Healer will suffice. 

Founding father John Adams wrote, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." 

For 245 years we have been among the freest and most blessed people on the planet. But as many devolve into the "any other" Adams wrote about, one possible future is that we find his words prescient. 

I reject that future! 

Nehemiah said, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” His words ring clear even today. 

• You and I were born into this season to fight for all that is noble and pure and holy in America. 
• We were born to fight for a shining future for our sons and daughters and grandchildren. 
• We were born to fight this battle on our knees, living lives of holiness before the Lord. 
• We were born to fight by demonstrating the beauty of the Kingdom of God with our lives and our love.

It is NOT too late. We can rebuild America the beautiful.

Beating Nighttime Wakefulness with Peace: A Strategy that Works

A few months back, I shared a strategy for filling nighttime wakefulness with peace rather than the usual half-wakeful thoughts of the evils afoot in the world today.  This is an update: it not only works, it works REALLY well.

The strategy originated in a casual comment from the leader of the Bethel movement, Bill Johnson.  In the midst of a sermon on something else, he remarked that when he is awake at night, he will go over in his mind scriptures that he has memorized.

I thought to myself, “I can do that,” and I was motivated because at that time, I was plagued by wakefulness on and off during the night hours.  Often I would lay half-awake for a half hour or more.  Anyone else identify with that?

Anyway, I dove into it.  I started off with the 23rd Psalm: “The Lord is my shepherd.  I shall not be in want….”  That helps my peace.   I branched off into Colossians 3:1-3 and Romans 12:1-2 to remind myself to guard my eyes and ears and to renew my mind.  I will add more going forward.

Today, more than 6 months later, I can tell you that this practice has brought about a revolution in my sleeping patterns.  I ALMOST NEVER lose sleep these days.   I typically fall asleep again after only a few seconds…...and I know that because when I awake, I sometimes remember where I left off in my meditation on this or that scripture.  If I have trouble, I just switch scriptures.  Boom.  Back to sleep.

AND, while I typically sleep within a minute or two of my head hitting the pillow, if I have trouble, I just start reciting my memorized scriptures, or think on the scriptures I read just before I put my head down.  

Here’s another thing: I learned that my brain has figured out a way to do this.  It’s almost as if the 23rd Psalm has a structure.  I can almost touch it.  I believe with practice, I could learn much longer sections.

One last thing: this is renewing my mind.  I am no longer wasting mind share on things that spin me up that I cannot change.  I am thinking more on things above.  I don’t ignore what is happening in the world; I spend a little time each day looking at current events locally, nationally and internationally.  But that’s not where I keep my mind.  It’s just not profitable for me or my family or my calling.

Do I recommend it?  Sure!  Not everyone wants to memorize scripture, of course.  I would think that favorite lines of peaceful poetry would also serve well.

How do you manage your thoughts in times of mid-night wakefulness?

Image by wisconsinpictures from Pixabay

Following Jesus: Benefits in this Life, Too

The point of the Jesus-following life has always been and will always be love: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”  (Luke 10:27)

 

Jesus constantly demonstrated love, even for undervalued women and children as shown here.  
He is portrayed here by Jonathon Roumie in the brilliant and sensitive series, "The Chosen".
See below for information about how to watch the series free.

 

While love is the point, there are undeniable benefits of following Him. Jesus told us, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."

 

And in the two thousand years since He walked the Earth, "more abundantly" has been the reality for Christians, and even society at large. Social science confirms it.

 

John Stonestreet and Kasey Leander wrote recently about this in a recent blog article, Is Religion the Opium of the People, or the Ladder?

 

The wrote, in part,  "Regular attendance at religious services consistently correlates with longer life spans, stronger immune systems, and lower blood pressure, as well as decreased anxiety, depression, and suicide. Kids raised in religious households have a lower incidence of drug addiction, delinquency, and incarceration. They’re more likely to graduate high school. In short, the nearly unanimous scientific consensus is that religious belief is good for you."

 

And if that wasn't enough, Jesus also said "for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

 

In short: the Jesus-following life = better life + better life after life!

 

 

[You can watch the series The Chosen for free.  You will be invited to "pay it forward," but there is no obligation.]

Vote Values. For the Soul of America.

Presidential candidate Joe Biden remarked recently that this election is a “battle for the soul of America.”  He is right: more so than in nearly every other election in our history, the outcome of this election season could result in massive change to America’s soul.

Which makes it urgent that we each vote our values at every level of public office.  

Political campaigns may start nobly with discussions of ideals and platforms but typically devolve into brutal mud wrestling.  This year’s campaigns are no different.   The “mud” can be both an effort to discredit and an effort to obscure.  Mud works.  The most discredited often lose.

Mud can also be a strategy to obscure.  If the conversation centers on mud, the slingers of it can gloss over the values of their own candidates and party, thereby misleading voters.  Political mud will fade away, but once in office, it is the legacy of a politician's values that will remain. 

When we vote our values, we are freed from the small tyranny of having to vote “for” a candidate.  It’s ideal when we can support a candidate.  In my city, I am giving my time and resources to support a woman running for re-election to the City Council.  I like her values, and she is a powerful force for good in our community.  I will be voting “for” her.

In other elections in this season, I will be voting “against” some candidates and the “soul” of their parties.  That does not necessarily mean I am “for” the candidates I select on my ballot.  It means I am looking at values.  In some cases, the candidates I select will be the ones who least violate my values.  

In the case of the candidates for president, I am unable to vote “for” either major candidate.  Looking through the mud, however, I can see which candidate and party least violates my values.  That’s the one I will select on my ballot.

The chart below shows my own briefly stated views of how I believe American conservative and liberal politicians approach issues of the day, and what would be the result of their governance.  I understand there are nuances that I have not included, or that I have not fully known or understood.  Nevertheless, this is how I see the way each end of the political spectrum will try to mold the soul of America.  Red Line Issues are those deeply rooted in my convictions.   

Conservative Politicians	Issue	Liberal Politicians
The freedom to speak our minds is a foundation of our republic and must be protected.  “Cancel culture” is not okay.	Freedom of Speech	Speech must conform to current social norms. Culture and laws should punish those who violate those norms.
Abortion is morally wrong, although there must be room for some exceptions	Abortion Red Line Issue	Abortion is a basic human right and should generally not be infringed.  Disposal of unwanted children after birth is acceptable.
Less crime	Crime	More crime
Protect the environment with economically sustainable technologies, policies and expenditures	Environment	Protect the environment with policies and massive green projects, even if it means unreasonable economic costs.
Open the economy and normal activities as widely as possible consistent with protecting the most vulnerable.	Coronavirus	Close the economy and normal activities as needed to blunt the spread of the disease.
Less erosion	Freedoms Red Line Issue	More erosion
Little erosion	Religious Freedom Red Line Issue	Continuous erosion
Lower tax burden	Taxation	Higher tax burden
Fewer	Rules & regulations at all levels	More
The original meaning of the constitution should constrain the laws of today.  Low risk of “court packing”.	Supreme Court	The intent of the constitution is living and should change with the needs of present society.  High risk of “court packing” to obtain favorable decisions.
Higher growth	Economy	Lower growth
“It’s a concern.  We’ll take care of it later.  Our hearts are in the right place, but we are having trouble engaging action to rein in debt.”  Low to moderate risk of crippling inflation in years to come.	National Debt	National debt isn’t a problem, according to the “modern monetary theory” endorsed by many liberals.  Moderate to high risk of crippling inflation in years to come.
We have made great improvements as a nation in our treatment of minorities, and we must continue to root out racism where it exists.	Race relations	People of color are victims of white racism.  America is deeply flawed in this area and requires massive structural change.
Peaceful protests are fine.  Violent protests and property destruction are never acceptable: the first duty of government is to protect the people.	Violent Protests	Peaceful protests are best, but violent protests are a legitimate form of political expression
Treat other nations with dignity and respect, but protect American citizens and American interests first	Foreign policy	Treat other nations with dignity and respect, and make few waves even if that comes at great cost to Americans
Greater security	Security of Personal Savings, i.e. confiscation of savings by government	Less security
Based on traditional values with little change going forward	Morality Red Line Issue	Constantly evolving depending on the sentiments of the day
Stronger defense	National defense	Diminished defense
Protection of 2nd amendment rights	Firearms	Continuous erosion of 2nd amendment rights
Immigration policies that provide a continuous and sustainable flow of immigrants and visitors	Immigration	Anyone should be able to come to America and stay here at taxpayer expense.  No border.
Parents should be able to choose the best kind of school for their children.  Parents should have full awareness of and a strong voice in curricula selection.	School choice	Public schools are best for children and for society and other choices should be very limited.  Parents should have little voice in curricula, and in some cases, not even know what is being taught.
Low	Resistance to Kingdom of God in America Red Line Issue	High
….a great country.  It is not perfect, and we must press on to find equitable solutions for the problems of the nation.	America is...	….a desperately broken nation that can only be restored by massive change, great national sacrifice and public penance.
Americans need liberals to promote important social evolution	Change / progress / evolution	Americans need conservatives to reduce risks of breaking important values in the midst of evolution

All this said, one last thought: governments can make things better or worse for us, but my hopes do not ultimately rest in the hands of politicians or governments. My hopes rest in Jesus, the risen Savior and in the righteousness, peace, joy and power of His Kingdom that is advancing now across the Earth, and the more of that Kingdom that is yet to come.

Image by amberzen from Pixabay

Greeting Others With the Peace of the Kingdom of God

What if we as Jesus followers always greeted others in peace; if we spoke with grace and love in hard situations; if we responded with patience instead of reacting with anger?  

Could we be the catalysts for a transformation in how we communicate, and a depolarization of our culture? Could we begin to turn the tide of anger, hate and murder with the tongue?  

I know I have too often failed in these and other places to quietly demonstrate the righteousness, peace and joy of the Kingdom of God.   But no more.

It is essential that people of faith take responsibility for healing the divisions caused by polarization, and that we bear witness to the solution and not add to the problem. Americans generally, and Christians specifically, have a duty to act civilly, to will the good of others—or, in Christian terms, to bear witness to that divine love that knows no borders; to the God for whom love, mercy and justice are the only standards of human action. -- John C. Danforth & Matt Malone, Episcopal and Jesuit priests respectively, writing in The Wall Street Journal.

Finding Peace in the Turbulence of Today

2020 so far has felt like endless turbulence, with no end in sight.  Peace has seemed far away.  Maybe you can relate?

Early in the year I sought information, and then perspective, more information and then more perspective.  I sought much of it on the Internet: the news, social media, Zoom calls with friends, streamed church services, discussions with friends and family.  That produced mostly discouragement, depression and lassitude mixed with times of encouragement and peace.  

What I have come to is this: there is a way to approach the multiple difficulties we face with peace.  I believe I have found a bright path and along it I have already found more peace.

It’s simple really; just not easy.   Here it is:

“Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”    Paul the Apostle wrote that.

“Seeking” and “setting my mind on” has for me meant first reducing my input whatever gets in the way of that pursuit.  For me, that has meant turning down to a small trickle my input of news and social media.  Could we not all admit that these are both sources of unease in our lives? They both promise much and deliver little.

I then have had to direct my emotions and my mind to the serious business of “seeking” and “setting”.  

Early this morning my heart tells me I have found an important key: The things above are realities of the Kingdom of God.  Paul wrote elsewhere that the Kingdom is about righteousness, peace and joy.   Jesus spoke of another Kingdom reality: love.

Therefore, I will seek these in their fullness.  And, on them is where I will take my stand, rather than on the shifting ground of public opinions.  From them, I will order my thoughts and emotions and live my life -- especially in these turbulent days.