September 24, 2008

#3 - Fasting

So I'm fasting again. Some of you may know that I did this about a month ago for 5 days (I was going for 7, but I started getting sick - not fasting related) and lost 9 pounds. So far, I've been going 2 days (going for six - we're eating out with friends Sat. night), and I've lost 6 pounds. The weight loss is encouraging, but it's kind of hard on me mentally. I get a bit irritable, and with this being our busiest time at work, it is kind of exacerbated. I pretty much want to quit every night when I get home from work. I ask for your prayers that I can keep this up, and pray for my wife and daughter that I can stay positive.

September 17, 2008

#2a

I just wanted to post a follow up to my #2 post. I feel as if I didn't make myself clear. I was not questioning my 'faith' (Apostolic Christian denomination). The post was more of a reminder that we should meditate on the fundamentals of our faith in Christ, what He did for us, how we can live in His grace in an evil world, and how we can be a light to this evil world. I hope this clears things up.

#2 Didiche

All of you who go to church with me and were there on Sunday got to hear a very thought-provoking sermon by Art M. from Belvidere in the morning (Sorry to those in Sunday School, get the CD). Anyway, he spoke about the fundamentals of Christianity, and if we really meditated on what the fundamentals of our faith are. It's an interesting question. Do we really know what it is that we can fall back on?

Matt K. pointed out after the sermon that there may be a fear in Protestant denominations in general to really have a creed, or list of fundamentals. As children of Christ, we don't want a law, and as Protestants, we shy away from ritual. Is that why Protestantism has seen so many schisms? Is it the struggle to unify around something?

Maybe we do need something, though. Art talked about the Didiche. It is believed by the Eastern Orthodox Church to be the set of instruction given to the early churches by the Apostles. They claim to be a church unchanged for almost 2000 years. Is it because they had a set of fundamentals to unify around? It is a pretty interesting text. If you would like to check it out, you can go to http://genuineorthodoxchurch.com/didiche.htm. Does anyone have any other suggestions for how we can focus on the fundamentals?

September 14, 2008

#1-First Post

Well all, I welcome myself to Blogland. The purpose of the blog is really to give myself a way to express myself to all those who may be interested or may stumble across this web address. I expect this blog to be a bit random, but the topics will primarily focus on spiritual matters, politics, my pet peeves, and football. I also hope to start a male blogging revolution. Without further ado, on to my first post.

Let me set up the scenario for you: You run into Wal-Mart (I normally do not suggest ever going to Wal-Mart, but that's for a future post) to pick up an emergency tube of toothpaste (really, any single item will do). After making your selection, you quickly head to the front of the store towards the checkout aisles. You scan the aisle identification signs to find the one that will ensure your remaining time in the store will be short: the express lane. The 20 items or less line. You stride confidently toward your goal. As you near the line, you notice that one person that you dread seeing: the customer with the overflowing cart who has bypassed all the regular lines filled with patiently waiting, law-abiding customers. Their eyes dart from you and your solitary item to the "20 items or less" sign and back down as if they had never noticed it. You know that they will beat you to it. The rage begins to build. What gall! What disregard for all that is decent!

Does this not bother anyone else? We live in a world filled with rules. You can't just go into someone else's house and use their stuff just because you are in a hurry or there is a line in front of your house. The express line is essentially someone else's. It "belongs" to the person who is purchasing less than 20 items. What these "thieves" are saying is that because they are impatient, they should just use something that does not belong to them, regardless of how it affects the people it does belong to. Do they not understand that this kind of behavior could lead to the complete breakdown of society?

My dream is that when I retire I would stand at the entrance to the express line with a bullhorn. As customers approach, I would quickly make a count of their items. If they fall within the constraints of the line of which they've chosen, I will smile and wish them well as they contribute to a just society. If they do not, I will quickly block the lane, instruct them to move on to a lane that allows more than 20 items and make an announcement over the bullhorn to all in the store that this customer feels that they do not have to abide by the rules that have been laid down to perpetuate a civil society.

What a beautiful world that would be.