Author Archives: Brent

Be a Blesser

Just watched a talk of Reggie McNeal, the Missional Leadership Specialist for Leadership Network of Dallas, TX. In this video, McNeal talks about about the similarities of the church now and the church in AD 30. What struck me most is the reminder that we really need to get out and meet the people and pray for them. It’s not about hoping someone will walk in the doors of our church but about going out and meeting the people where they are at. That’s what Jesus did. What did the video say to you?

On the Run

A few weeks back I decided, with some prodding from a friend, that is was time for me to get off my rear and start exercising. Last summer when a new Snap Fitness opened in our neighborhood, my wife encouraged me to sign up. That lasted for 6 months and was the place I could be found between 5:00 & 6:00 am every morning. Until my kids started waking at 5 am. And then winter came. And then other priorities took precedence.

Fast-forward a few months and now it’s spring again and I need to work exercise back into my regimen. The first thing I did, thanks to the recent acquisition of an iPhone was to download the Livestrong.com Calorie Tracker. This program has a large database of items and allows you to track not only what you eat but also your weight and your exercise. After tracking for a week, I switched it to a 2020 calorie per day goal setting, or there “Lose 2 lbs per week” setting. But the great thing is that it’s working. I have never thought before about how many calories are in various foods. To me, it’s been eat till I’m full. And sometimes that has been bursting full. Now I think about every thing that I eat. From the 100 calorie slices of bread with 120 calories of peanut butter and 50 calories of bananas to the 330 calorie bean burrito from Taco Bell. (For the record, a Carmel Peacan Cinnabon is 1092 calories. Let that soak in next time you smell one of those in the mall or airport! And no, I haven’t had one in years but they are tempting.)

The second thing I did was to get a heart rate monitor. After looking around, I bought a $62 Polar FS1 with a chest strap. It is giving me a good awareness of what my heart rate is and where I want it to be when I’m in the ‘zone’.

The third thing I have is a program for my iPhone called Run Keeper. Run Keeper will use the GPS in your phone to track where you are, how fast you are going, how far you have gone and then give you a map where you ran and, if you log in to the website, a record of your past runs as well as a graph of your speed and elevations. It’s a great tool, as long as the phone can get the GPS signal.

Finally I’ve been running. While I would like to get out more, I have been going at least 4 times a week. Usually, it’s clumped around the weekends but sometimes I just go at night after the kids are down.

The scales is starting to become my friend again and my pants are harder and harder to keep up. All this is a good sign. I like getting smaller. There has always been too much of me!

Making Changes

Change… It has certainly been in the news with people talking about change from Washington State to Washington DC. And since I’m in Washington State, it probably makes sense that I’m having to deal with change. In October, I was informed that my job would be no more after December 31st. It was both startling and expected. Actions speak much, much louder then words. While the stated reason for the downsizing was financial, my gut tells me that it’s costing them much more then they paid for our department to replace the functions that we provided.

In looking back, I am acutely aware of the fact that God has been working and moving to provide even before I knew that I would be looking for work. In the ensuing months, a job opened up that didn’t require me to move, get new co-workers, or even change offices. It was a huge relief for me to know that I would have work, and a pay check. Providing for a family and paying the mortgage is hard without work.

Then at 5am on December 28, a fire broke out on the roof of the office that I work at. During the course of the fire, two-thirds of the building was lost. Thankfully, my office was at the far end away from the fire but it has made for a huge disruption my new job, with days of work time spent dealing with recovering lost items and setting up an office in my basement. I spent several hours on the day of the fire at the office, helping remove computers and other equipment as well as taking pictures of the burning building. You can view those pictures on my Flickr account.

Here it is February already and I’m wondering where the time has gone! I spent 3 days in Washington DC area in mid January, have had weekly staff meetings that consume more than half a day each time.

So in the midst of all that has been happening, I haven’t had much time to actually spend writing for my website. I hope to rework this site, possibly into two different sites, as well as widen the content area. After using it now for 6 months, I have realized that I don’t write like it was designed for.

Change… it’s always happening.

Give them an ‘A’

Benjamin Zander is the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and a professor at the New England Conservatory. After watching several of his videos, it makes me wish that I could have had a cello teacher with that much enthusiasm and wisdom.

Last time I wrote about him it was to post a video of his presentation at TED. This time he is speaking at Pop!Tech about embracing challenges and inspiring enthusiasm and excitement in others.

If the video doesn’t work work, open the Pop!Tech site.

(Via Presentation Zen)

(Mis)Trust

Another great explanation of the sub-prime mess that this country finds itself in from XPlane. It makes me grateful that I never fell for the terrible sub-prime mortgages that were being offered so readily when we bought our house.

While I love this country, we have become, over the years, a country of materialism. Spend, spend, spend. And if we can’t afford it? Who cares. Charge it.

(via AirBag Industries)

Did you know?

Just watched an amazing video that is just loaded with facts and numbers about technology and rate that things are expanding. (I looked for a while to try and find it on YouTube but could now. Sorry!)

They do an excellent job of presenting the information in an easy to digest format, too.

(UPDATE: The original link disappeared so I have uploaded it to YouTube.)

Gideon’s Last Days

Over the last few months, I have been rereading the Old Testament stories of the children of Israel and their journey through the wilderness from Egypt to Canaan. I’ve been amazed yet again to see how over and over they turned their back on God. After so many amazing things that He had done for them. And it didn’t stop once they got to Canaan, the promised land either. God blessed, Israelites got self-sufficient and proud, God sent someone in to rule over them, they repented, God sent someone to bail them out. Over and over and over.

Finally we get to Judges 6 and read about a humble Israelite how is thrashing his wheat in the winepress to prevent the Midianites from finding it.

“When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”

“But sir,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.”

The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

“But Lord,” Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.”

— Judges 6:12-16

So an angel shows up and tell Gideon that he will be the next deliverer of Israel. What an amazing assignment. We have, no doubt, heard the rest of the story many times. How he gathered 32,000 men and then God said that was too much and narrowed it down to 300. 300… against all the forces of Midian numbering close to 135,000 men. That could seem like overwhelming odds yet got brought him the victory.

And that is the story that we equate with Gideon. Yet Judges 8:22-27 tells the rest of the story.

After the victory, the people asked him to rule over them but he said no. He did, however, collect an offering and with it he made an ephod and “[a]ll Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there”. Wow. This man who saved Israel from there captors that were over them because of their idol worship turned around and took them right back into idol worship.

Gideon thought that because the angel had burned his offering on the rock before him that he had been made a priest. (Judges 6:20-21)

The story ends with these solemn words: “and it became a snare to Gideon and his family.” (Judges 8:27)

It reminds me that just because someone does something great for God, it doesn’t mean that he will always follow God after that. I have often equated leaders in the church as people who should always be looked up to. While we should respect those in authority, we must also never neglect to compare there actions and words to scripture and see how it measures up. Just because they are in positions of authority does not mean they are above the Bible.

(Read the story for yourself staring in Judges 6.)