I had another double session on Christmas day. In the early afternoon, my sister Jen and I had about 25 minutes to get a quick workout in. We did the following in a city park in Middletown, OH. We used an eight pound medicine ball for all the exercises with a med ball.
Walk 1/4 mile to park.
Easy Lateral med ball tosses, each side.
Balance walking forwards x 4
Balance walking backwards x 4
The gauntlet! x 6
(this is done by going to a row of swings, pushing each swing in the opposiste direction, creating a gauntlet of sorts. Then run through as many times as possible before the swings stop swinging. Oh, and don't get hit by the swings!)
Various Play Ground Opstacle courses (we just made up fun ways to crawl through and over various play ground equipment).
Med Ball Chest Passes x 20
Run up Hill
Med Ball Granny Passes x 20
Run Up Hill
Med Ball Shoulder Passes x 20
Run Up Hill
Med Ball Trunk Twisting Passes x 20
Run Up Hill
Med Ball Leg/Hip Extension Rolling Passes x 10 each leg
Run Up Hill
Med Ball Alternating Squats and Granny Rolling to partner x 20
Run Up Hill
1/4 mile walk home
This work out was done on Christmas day after all the festivities and stuffing of the face! I worked out in a very basic gym (a treadmill, a couple of benches, and a few machines and some dumbbells) in the middle of a neighborhood of condos. My sister went with me just to do the eliptical and stationary bike. We had 45 minutes to get it all done.
Warm Up
Walk 1/4 mile to gym.
Eliptical
-10 minutes
-every minute switching between no hands, two hands, and one hand
Core Circuit three times through, no rest between rounds
1. Quadraped, 30 seconds each side (I did variations each time through)
2. Oblique Bridges with side flexion, 20 reps each side, moderate pace
3. Single leg squat holding 10 pound dumbbell, 12 reps each leg, moderate pace
Jump Circuit, one time through, all jumps 20 times, moderate pace
1. Wall Jumps
2. Soft Bounding (stationary) alternating legs
3. Scissor Jumps
4. Four Point Star Jumps
5. Side To Side (Right to Left to Right to ....)
Mini Circuit, 3 rounds, no rest between rounds
1. Dumbbell Bench Press, 40 pounders, 12 reps, moderate pace
2. Bent Scapular Row, single arm, 20 pounder, 12 reps, moderate pace
Mini Circuit, 3 rounds, no rest between rounds
1. Lat Pull Downs, medium weight, 12 reps, moderate pace
2. Stationary/Isometric Lunge w/ single arm shoulder press, 20 pounder, moderate pace
Eliptical
go until it says you've burned 100 calories
1/4 mile walk back
Friday, December 26, 2008
Recovery Day
For my recovery day on 12/24/08 I did the following:
In the morning:
Stationary Bike
20 minutes
moderate pace
moderate resistance
At night:
I also went on a walk with my sister
2 hours
constant walk
the terrain: city streets, trails, hills
In the morning:
Stationary Bike
20 minutes
moderate pace
moderate resistance
At night:
I also went on a walk with my sister
2 hours
constant walk
the terrain: city streets, trails, hills
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Double Session
The theme for the next couple of weeks is building a a solid FITNESS BASE.
I want to be ready and prepared to do any type of sport or physical activity, whether it be helping someone move heavy awkward objects all day long or play a pick up game of touch football on campus. I'm doing this by primarily focusing on the OXIDATIVE ENERGY SYSTEM through doing exercises that will build STABILITY and STRENGTH.
I did the following work out at the new YMCA in Middletown, OH. I was really impressed with their service and their facilities and would highly reccomend this place to be a homebase for working out for you and your friends and family.
Duration: 1 hour, 15 minutes
WARMUP
-forwards to backwards running
-active flexibility
-dynamic flexibility
-form running
Jump Rope
-100 jumps
-100 jumps with criss cross
-100 jumps forwards
-100 jumps backwards (rope moving forward body moving backwards)
-100 jumps backwards w/ criss cross
Core Circuit (through 3 times, 45 seconds of race between rounds)
1. Leg Lowering with single arm medicine ball hold (10 pounder) 10 each leg, moderate pace
2. Single Leg Squat w/ single arm medicine ball (4 pounder) raising, 10 each side, moderate pace
3. Bridge (hip extension)w/ long arm medicine ball (10 pounder) hold (engage the lats)
2 minute drill
(alternating athletic movement continuously every 15 seconds)
Mini Circuit (rest 45 seconds between rounds)
1. Squat, 135 pounds, 8 repititions, moderate continuous pace
2. Pull ups, up to 30 reps, moderate pace
With this circuit I set out to do 30 pull ups in total. So I would do 8 squats into doing however many pull ups I could do in a row. Then I would rest, then back into doing 8 squats, then however many more pullups I could do. If I could have done 30 reps in a row, I would have only done one round on the circuit. This is what the rounds looked like for me yesterday: 8 squats-10 pull ups-rest-8 squats-8 pull ups-rest-8 squats-5 pull ups-rest-8 squats-4 pull ups-rest-8 squats-3 pull ups.
2 minute drill
Mini Circuit 3 rounds (30 seconds of rest between rounds)
1. Machine Hamstring Curl, 30 pounds, 12 reps, slow continuous pace
2. Bench Press, 135 pounds, 10 reps, moderate continuous pace
2 minute drill
Lunge to curl to press
10 pound dumbbells. 12 reps each leg
walking lunge to curl to press, single arm, 20 total
Eliptical
go hard until 100 calories have been burned
Cool Down
-active flexibility
-gentle move through of various ranges of motion
This workout really made me sweat and made me really tired. I did the work out with my sweat shirt on. I think i really like working out with it on and my hood up!
Later in the evening I took a kick boxing class with two of my sisters at the YMCA in Maineville, OH. The instructor was very motivating and we had a lot of fun while doing some challenging moves and burning a lot of calories.
I want to be ready and prepared to do any type of sport or physical activity, whether it be helping someone move heavy awkward objects all day long or play a pick up game of touch football on campus. I'm doing this by primarily focusing on the OXIDATIVE ENERGY SYSTEM through doing exercises that will build STABILITY and STRENGTH.
I did the following work out at the new YMCA in Middletown, OH. I was really impressed with their service and their facilities and would highly reccomend this place to be a homebase for working out for you and your friends and family.
Duration: 1 hour, 15 minutes
WARMUP
-forwards to backwards running
-active flexibility
-dynamic flexibility
-form running
Jump Rope
-100 jumps
-100 jumps with criss cross
-100 jumps forwards
-100 jumps backwards (rope moving forward body moving backwards)
-100 jumps backwards w/ criss cross
Core Circuit (through 3 times, 45 seconds of race between rounds)
1. Leg Lowering with single arm medicine ball hold (10 pounder) 10 each leg, moderate pace
2. Single Leg Squat w/ single arm medicine ball (4 pounder) raising, 10 each side, moderate pace
3. Bridge (hip extension)w/ long arm medicine ball (10 pounder) hold (engage the lats)
2 minute drill
(alternating athletic movement continuously every 15 seconds)
Mini Circuit (rest 45 seconds between rounds)
1. Squat, 135 pounds, 8 repititions, moderate continuous pace
2. Pull ups, up to 30 reps, moderate pace
With this circuit I set out to do 30 pull ups in total. So I would do 8 squats into doing however many pull ups I could do in a row. Then I would rest, then back into doing 8 squats, then however many more pullups I could do. If I could have done 30 reps in a row, I would have only done one round on the circuit. This is what the rounds looked like for me yesterday: 8 squats-10 pull ups-rest-8 squats-8 pull ups-rest-8 squats-5 pull ups-rest-8 squats-4 pull ups-rest-8 squats-3 pull ups.
2 minute drill
Mini Circuit 3 rounds (30 seconds of rest between rounds)
1. Machine Hamstring Curl, 30 pounds, 12 reps, slow continuous pace
2. Bench Press, 135 pounds, 10 reps, moderate continuous pace
2 minute drill
Lunge to curl to press
10 pound dumbbells. 12 reps each leg
walking lunge to curl to press, single arm, 20 total
Eliptical
go hard until 100 calories have been burned
Cool Down
-active flexibility
-gentle move through of various ranges of motion
This workout really made me sweat and made me really tired. I did the work out with my sweat shirt on. I think i really like working out with it on and my hood up!
Later in the evening I took a kick boxing class with two of my sisters at the YMCA in Maineville, OH. The instructor was very motivating and we had a lot of fun while doing some challenging moves and burning a lot of calories.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Yesterday's Workout
I did this work out with my 33 year old sister. She's in really great shape. We both found the workout to be very doable, but still challenging. Try it out! Comment if you have questions. I might begin to post pictures if there is a need.
Total time of work out: 30 minutes
1/4 mile slow jog to fitness center.
Warmup: Active flexibility to Dynamic flexibility
-general slow athletic movements
-upper extremity
-lower extremity
-combined lower and upper extremity
Core circuit
2 rounds, rest for 45 seconds between rounds.
1. Isometric Oblq. Bridge for 30 seconds into OB w/ lateral flexion, 10 reps
2. Single Leg Squat and touch (alternating hands), 10 reps each leg, moderate continuous pace
3. Superman w/ long arm shoulder blade squeeze, 15 reps, moderate continuous pace
Pass the dumbbell situps, 10 pounds, with partner, moderate continuous pace
2 minute drill with partner
Change a continuous athletic movement every 15 seconds. Be spontaneous. Each partner picking athletic movement of their choice. Can be any athletic movement, from bouncing, to leaping, to hopping, to boxing, to jumping jacks, to bear crawling, to rolling. Level of difficulty depends on the partners.
mini circuit
2 rounds, rest for 45 seconds between rounds
1. Dumbbell bench press, medium-light weight (30 pounders) 15 reps, moderate continuous pace
2. Dumbbell squated bent rows, medium-light weight (20 pounders), 15 reps, moderate continuous pace
2 minute drill with partner
mini circuit
2 rounds rest for 45 seconds between rounds
1. Step ups, medium weight (30 pounders), alternating legs, moderate continuous pace
2. Single arm shoulder press, medium-light weight (15 pounder), 15 reps quick but controlled
2 minute drill with partner
1 Get Up and press for each side, 5 times
A "get up," is a total body movement that begins laying down, flat on your back. Hold a dumbbell (or preferably a heavy awkward object) on your shoulder with both hands. Simply, try to stand up without using your arms to help you. This looks like first, doing a sit up, second, rolling onto a foot with one leg tucked underneath, and third, pressing with the planted leg to a standing position. The press is simply pressing the dumbbell into the air, straight over head. This movement should be very tiring since you have to use everything in your body to get to the standing position.
Cool down
active flexibility
-various slow athletic movements
-1/2 mile walk back home
Total time of work out: 30 minutes
1/4 mile slow jog to fitness center.
Warmup: Active flexibility to Dynamic flexibility
-general slow athletic movements
-upper extremity
-lower extremity
-combined lower and upper extremity
Core circuit
2 rounds, rest for 45 seconds between rounds.
1. Isometric Oblq. Bridge for 30 seconds into OB w/ lateral flexion, 10 reps
2. Single Leg Squat and touch (alternating hands), 10 reps each leg, moderate continuous pace
3. Superman w/ long arm shoulder blade squeeze, 15 reps, moderate continuous pace
Pass the dumbbell situps, 10 pounds, with partner, moderate continuous pace
2 minute drill with partner
Change a continuous athletic movement every 15 seconds. Be spontaneous. Each partner picking athletic movement of their choice. Can be any athletic movement, from bouncing, to leaping, to hopping, to boxing, to jumping jacks, to bear crawling, to rolling. Level of difficulty depends on the partners.
mini circuit
2 rounds, rest for 45 seconds between rounds
1. Dumbbell bench press, medium-light weight (30 pounders) 15 reps, moderate continuous pace
2. Dumbbell squated bent rows, medium-light weight (20 pounders), 15 reps, moderate continuous pace
2 minute drill with partner
mini circuit
2 rounds rest for 45 seconds between rounds
1. Step ups, medium weight (30 pounders), alternating legs, moderate continuous pace
2. Single arm shoulder press, medium-light weight (15 pounder), 15 reps quick but controlled
2 minute drill with partner
1 Get Up and press for each side, 5 times
A "get up," is a total body movement that begins laying down, flat on your back. Hold a dumbbell (or preferably a heavy awkward object) on your shoulder with both hands. Simply, try to stand up without using your arms to help you. This looks like first, doing a sit up, second, rolling onto a foot with one leg tucked underneath, and third, pressing with the planted leg to a standing position. The press is simply pressing the dumbbell into the air, straight over head. This movement should be very tiring since you have to use everything in your body to get to the standing position.
Cool down
active flexibility
-various slow athletic movements
-1/2 mile walk back home
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Rest and Work and Rest and Work and Rest and...
I'm really tired. Well, I was this past Sunday. Most people describe me as an extrovert, and this past Sunday I didn't want to talk to anybody. I just wanted to be left alone. I put on these really nice clothes, a bright yellow shirt, to look really nice, but that's not how I felt at all. Blaaaa. And my job consists of talking to lots and lots and lots of people. And for the most part, I'm really good at it and enjoy it. That's pretty much what my work is all about, connecting to people and I did not want to do that in the least bit. I was dreading having another conversation. I actually feel much better today, and I think it's because I got sleep. Eight hours actually, two nights in a row! It's amazing, and I highly recommend it! So, how did this highly extroverted person who loves people and loves having conversations and spending time doing this with others reach such a place where he hated himself and hated the thought of showing up for a church lunch?
I started working out in 2nd grade. I was already extremely active, but I had sisters who had discovered the joys of running and my dad had just gotten a weight set. So I was surrounded by people who loved working out. I would go on runs with my sisters and "lift" weights with my dad (I mostly just roller bladed around in the basement while my dad got jacked). I quickly discovered that if you work out and train for something you got better at it...not to mention I wanted to have six pack abs, in 2nd grade. So we had this thing called the Presidential Fitness Challenge at school with various tests of flexibility and strength and speed and endurance. The boys, and some of the more athletic/tomboyish girls, got really fired up about this every year! So I took what I was observing and put it to the test, I started training for the challenges. I started running up and down our 1/2 mile long lane with a wheel barrow, I started doing sit ups and push ups, and I began, intentionally being as active as possible, jumping and leaping whenever I had an opportunity, and began sprinting whenever I got the chance. This resulted in me crushing everyone in the challenges (except the V sit and reach, which caused me to get a red patch and not a blue nearly every year!).So, I developed this philosophy of work and fitness, that if you want to get better at something you just do it a lot and the more you do it the better you get at it. And for the most part this was true.
This philosophy has worked it's way into my spiritual life and in the very spiritual work I do. I'm good at having conversations with people, it's yielded some results, so why not do it more! Have more conversations, sleep less, meet more people! GO! GO! GO! And part of this is reality. I've been in the process of replanting an InterVarsity Chapter that experienced a really serious death in 2006. It was ugly. So a lot of what has been required of me is to meet lots of people, share the vision, and invite other into the vision. This is a lot of work and takes a lot of time and is very consuming. So why not do more of it! I've also been a part of a team of people who've been planting a church, and this too, is consuming. And the work is awesome. But I've tried doing the same things I tried doing when I was a little kid. My knee jerk reaction to any situation when things get hard is to just do more of what I'm good at. I'm good at interacting with others, so just do it more! I'm good at training and working out, so just do it more.
(There's also a lot of other things tied up in this, what gives me value and how I view myself, which I won't go into now, maybe another day)
This philosophy of life really produce some amazing things. In High School I was the Long Jump champion at the Sate meet (I won't tell you what state, but it's the smallest state in the USA, but hey, I still won!), I broke tons of records at my school in Track and Field, and I was on pace to break a lot of records in the state for football. This all changed in college.
In College, you are competing at a whole new level. Our work outs became much more focused. We had detailed programs we were required to follow in Football and in T&F. But I still did more working out on top of that, because I wanted to be the best. And I still had that little kid mentality of running and jumping whenever I got the chance not to mention I studied Theatre and Dance, so I was almost constantly intensely moving.
My Freshman year of College, after one meet, where I had competed in 6 events, I decided it would be a great idea to max out on squats. I had competed poorly and so I needed to work harder to get better. So, I was still feeling pretty warm, got off the bus and went into the weight room by myself. There's a huge window in front of the squat rack and when my coach walked by, he saw me and yelled in, "You need to rest." And I just thought to myself, I need to get better. So I began squatting like a machine, repping it out, feeling the burn, yelling, sweating, and then I ran to the bathroom and puked my guts out and crapped out an intestine (not really) and fell down very sick. I ended up in the health center that night with a temperature of 104. Sometimes I think God struck me down to protect me. I had carried this philosophy too far.
I think what strikes me the most about this story is my coach yelling in through the window, "You need to rest." A year and a half later a new coach was hired and he didn't just yell through the window, he forced us to rest. Rest was built into the work out. We had days where we would be running intensely one minute and not moving the next. Rest was not something you did in your spare time but it was something worthy of your time right now. And it wasn't a waste of time, but was necessary to make you a better athlete. Rest was just as significant as the running, as the lifting, as the jumping. Rest was precious. Rest was all important. If you didn't rest he didn't want you to practice because you were wasting his time and your time, because with out it, you couldn't practice to your full potential, and over the course of a semester, with out adequate, intentional rest, you would be having some pretty crappy practices and competing at a very low level. I started having better practices and better more consistent performances on competition days. This coach blew my mind when it came to thinking about rest.
I think God does this in our lives. He doesn't just yell through a window, "Hey you need to rest," but actually structures in rest to our lives and teaches us how to rest. I think this is what the Sabbath is all about, and what day time and night time are all about. The day to work, the night to rest. These natural rhythms of work and rest and work and rest and work and rest. I have not been resting lately. But I need to rest. And I'm not talking about staying up late watching movies or checking my email kind of rest. But really good, 8 solid hours of sleep kind of rest. Rest when I have my meals where I'm focused on eating and enjoying the food go into my mouth and onto my tongue and chomped up by my teeth, sliding down my throat, filling my tummy, and not hovering intensely over my computer freaking out about my next task or next person to contact while I'm eating dinner.
Also, there's a comfort in knowing that my rest is significant because I can rest fully in God. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that people who believe in God sleep soundly eight hours every night or don't stay up late watching movies or don't have late night family fun nights or don't stay up worrying about their children, i don't think that's the case at all. But there's a supernatural rest that can happen when we go to God. Often times, Jesus would take the guys he was training and developing on how to live life and to train and develop others to do it, away for a bit. Sometimes in the midst of some really crazy stuff, where it seemingly doesn't make sense to rest. One time in particular, Jesus is in the midst of healing all kinds of people with diseases and demons, and he just pulls away to a desolate place, to be alone, and to pray, with not all of the work finished. He goes away to seek God, and to rest. Later he says, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." So not only does our work make us tired, but life does that to us. And Jesus promises us that if we go to him we will find rest and it has something to do with him teaching us about the way things are and training us how to live.
There's a conclusion in here somewhere. I think it's to have a rhythm of work and rest day to day so you don't hate life (or for me hate doing the thing I love to do) and to ultimately go to Jesus if you're soul is tired and weary and you'll find rest there.
I started working out in 2nd grade. I was already extremely active, but I had sisters who had discovered the joys of running and my dad had just gotten a weight set. So I was surrounded by people who loved working out. I would go on runs with my sisters and "lift" weights with my dad (I mostly just roller bladed around in the basement while my dad got jacked). I quickly discovered that if you work out and train for something you got better at it...not to mention I wanted to have six pack abs, in 2nd grade. So we had this thing called the Presidential Fitness Challenge at school with various tests of flexibility and strength and speed and endurance. The boys, and some of the more athletic/tomboyish girls, got really fired up about this every year! So I took what I was observing and put it to the test, I started training for the challenges. I started running up and down our 1/2 mile long lane with a wheel barrow, I started doing sit ups and push ups, and I began, intentionally being as active as possible, jumping and leaping whenever I had an opportunity, and began sprinting whenever I got the chance. This resulted in me crushing everyone in the challenges (except the V sit and reach, which caused me to get a red patch and not a blue nearly every year!).So, I developed this philosophy of work and fitness, that if you want to get better at something you just do it a lot and the more you do it the better you get at it. And for the most part this was true.
This philosophy has worked it's way into my spiritual life and in the very spiritual work I do. I'm good at having conversations with people, it's yielded some results, so why not do it more! Have more conversations, sleep less, meet more people! GO! GO! GO! And part of this is reality. I've been in the process of replanting an InterVarsity Chapter that experienced a really serious death in 2006. It was ugly. So a lot of what has been required of me is to meet lots of people, share the vision, and invite other into the vision. This is a lot of work and takes a lot of time and is very consuming. So why not do more of it! I've also been a part of a team of people who've been planting a church, and this too, is consuming. And the work is awesome. But I've tried doing the same things I tried doing when I was a little kid. My knee jerk reaction to any situation when things get hard is to just do more of what I'm good at. I'm good at interacting with others, so just do it more! I'm good at training and working out, so just do it more.
(There's also a lot of other things tied up in this, what gives me value and how I view myself, which I won't go into now, maybe another day)
This philosophy of life really produce some amazing things. In High School I was the Long Jump champion at the Sate meet (I won't tell you what state, but it's the smallest state in the USA, but hey, I still won!), I broke tons of records at my school in Track and Field, and I was on pace to break a lot of records in the state for football. This all changed in college.
In College, you are competing at a whole new level. Our work outs became much more focused. We had detailed programs we were required to follow in Football and in T&F. But I still did more working out on top of that, because I wanted to be the best. And I still had that little kid mentality of running and jumping whenever I got the chance not to mention I studied Theatre and Dance, so I was almost constantly intensely moving.
My Freshman year of College, after one meet, where I had competed in 6 events, I decided it would be a great idea to max out on squats. I had competed poorly and so I needed to work harder to get better. So, I was still feeling pretty warm, got off the bus and went into the weight room by myself. There's a huge window in front of the squat rack and when my coach walked by, he saw me and yelled in, "You need to rest." And I just thought to myself, I need to get better. So I began squatting like a machine, repping it out, feeling the burn, yelling, sweating, and then I ran to the bathroom and puked my guts out and crapped out an intestine (not really) and fell down very sick. I ended up in the health center that night with a temperature of 104. Sometimes I think God struck me down to protect me. I had carried this philosophy too far.
I think what strikes me the most about this story is my coach yelling in through the window, "You need to rest." A year and a half later a new coach was hired and he didn't just yell through the window, he forced us to rest. Rest was built into the work out. We had days where we would be running intensely one minute and not moving the next. Rest was not something you did in your spare time but it was something worthy of your time right now. And it wasn't a waste of time, but was necessary to make you a better athlete. Rest was just as significant as the running, as the lifting, as the jumping. Rest was precious. Rest was all important. If you didn't rest he didn't want you to practice because you were wasting his time and your time, because with out it, you couldn't practice to your full potential, and over the course of a semester, with out adequate, intentional rest, you would be having some pretty crappy practices and competing at a very low level. I started having better practices and better more consistent performances on competition days. This coach blew my mind when it came to thinking about rest.
I think God does this in our lives. He doesn't just yell through a window, "Hey you need to rest," but actually structures in rest to our lives and teaches us how to rest. I think this is what the Sabbath is all about, and what day time and night time are all about. The day to work, the night to rest. These natural rhythms of work and rest and work and rest and work and rest. I have not been resting lately. But I need to rest. And I'm not talking about staying up late watching movies or checking my email kind of rest. But really good, 8 solid hours of sleep kind of rest. Rest when I have my meals where I'm focused on eating and enjoying the food go into my mouth and onto my tongue and chomped up by my teeth, sliding down my throat, filling my tummy, and not hovering intensely over my computer freaking out about my next task or next person to contact while I'm eating dinner.
Also, there's a comfort in knowing that my rest is significant because I can rest fully in God. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that people who believe in God sleep soundly eight hours every night or don't stay up late watching movies or don't have late night family fun nights or don't stay up worrying about their children, i don't think that's the case at all. But there's a supernatural rest that can happen when we go to God. Often times, Jesus would take the guys he was training and developing on how to live life and to train and develop others to do it, away for a bit. Sometimes in the midst of some really crazy stuff, where it seemingly doesn't make sense to rest. One time in particular, Jesus is in the midst of healing all kinds of people with diseases and demons, and he just pulls away to a desolate place, to be alone, and to pray, with not all of the work finished. He goes away to seek God, and to rest. Later he says, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." So not only does our work make us tired, but life does that to us. And Jesus promises us that if we go to him we will find rest and it has something to do with him teaching us about the way things are and training us how to live.
There's a conclusion in here somewhere. I think it's to have a rhythm of work and rest day to day so you don't hate life (or for me hate doing the thing I love to do) and to ultimately go to Jesus if you're soul is tired and weary and you'll find rest there.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Metamorphosis: More than Conquerors.
This was part preparing a sermon I preached over this past summer. I haven't blogged in a while so I thought I would post it. This is really complicated stuff.
I keep coming back to this verse in Romans 8:28-39, the section I've been preparing to preach on this past week for this Sunday at Mercyhouse, verse 37. It's really peculiar. To conquer means you have victory over something or someone. You vanquish it, destroy it, conquer it and have victory over it. But what does it mean to be more than a conqueror? And what does this kind of conqueror look like?
Paul is writing this in response to a question he's asked, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" The "us" are Christians, who are in Christ. Paul goes on to give a list of possibilities and asks them to consider each one. Shall tribulation? Shall distress? Shall persecution? Shall famine? Shall nakedness? Shall danger? Shall sword? Shall any of these separate those who follow Christ from the love of Christ? He quotes Psalm 44:22, a time when Israel felt like they were following God but disaster was all around them. So no, none of these things can separate them from this love. Not Roman soldiers dragging them off to execute them, not starvation, and not even being so poor they have no clothes. Paul is able to write these things with confidence because he's experienced all these things first hand. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 Paul writes of some of his experiences:
"I am talking like a madman--with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was a drift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure (nakedness). And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches."
Yikes! Paul is speaking from experience. And he writes that nothing will separate us from this love and he knows what he's talking about! He's lived it out and was still loved by Christ. So from these experiences, he extrapolates and looks ahead to the future. Not even execution, the sword, can separate. He's totally convinced that "neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers (demons), nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39). Why, why can't we be separated from this love? In the world around us people are separated from the love of someone all the time. Divorces, break ups, death, misunderstandings.
Here's a contemporary interpretation for us. "I'm talking like a crazy person because that's how I feel right now. I've been driven to the brink of despair. I've suffered early mornings, the loss of friends, and busted relationships. I've spent hours on an empty stomach. I've had heated discussions about faith that never seem to go anywhere. I've been in car accidents and had my house broken into. Friends have betrayed me. My parents have died."
What makes this such a sure thing?
Before this, Paul lays out God's plan for the working out of salvation. He writes in 8:28-30,
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified."
So, the whole time, from beginning into eternity, it is God who does this working out of salvation in our lives. So, those who follow Christ are destined without a question to become conquerors over whatever comes there way. But this conquering doesn't look quite like what we would think it to look like. The way this conquering was worked out was through the suffering and death of Jesus. So a conqueror doesn't look clean and pretty, but bruised, beat up, and dying. But this dying was reversed. What looked like loss was victory.
It's a battle that's been fought and won and we are invited into the victory of it.
The metamorphosis is complete. As we are formed into the image of this conqueror, Jesus, we also take on this conquering, over sin, over sadness, over pain, over evil, and ultimately over death! This is your destiny Christian!
Revelation 19:11-16
So what does this mean? It means that God has worked out our salvation and that no matter what comes our way, we are more than conquerors in the face of any opposition of sin or physical atrocity be it disaster or murder. This is not "I get saved, I go to heaven," this deep truth is how we have joy in the face of suffering and death and pain. Joy! Real joy in the midst of this, because you can look into the future and know that you have won because of a battle you did not fight but have been drawn up into.
I keep coming back to this verse in Romans 8:28-39, the section I've been preparing to preach on this past week for this Sunday at Mercyhouse, verse 37. It's really peculiar. To conquer means you have victory over something or someone. You vanquish it, destroy it, conquer it and have victory over it. But what does it mean to be more than a conqueror? And what does this kind of conqueror look like?
Paul is writing this in response to a question he's asked, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" The "us" are Christians, who are in Christ. Paul goes on to give a list of possibilities and asks them to consider each one. Shall tribulation? Shall distress? Shall persecution? Shall famine? Shall nakedness? Shall danger? Shall sword? Shall any of these separate those who follow Christ from the love of Christ? He quotes Psalm 44:22, a time when Israel felt like they were following God but disaster was all around them. So no, none of these things can separate them from this love. Not Roman soldiers dragging them off to execute them, not starvation, and not even being so poor they have no clothes. Paul is able to write these things with confidence because he's experienced all these things first hand. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 Paul writes of some of his experiences:
"I am talking like a madman--with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was a drift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure (nakedness). And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches."
Yikes! Paul is speaking from experience. And he writes that nothing will separate us from this love and he knows what he's talking about! He's lived it out and was still loved by Christ. So from these experiences, he extrapolates and looks ahead to the future. Not even execution, the sword, can separate. He's totally convinced that "neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers (demons), nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39). Why, why can't we be separated from this love? In the world around us people are separated from the love of someone all the time. Divorces, break ups, death, misunderstandings.
Here's a contemporary interpretation for us. "I'm talking like a crazy person because that's how I feel right now. I've been driven to the brink of despair. I've suffered early mornings, the loss of friends, and busted relationships. I've spent hours on an empty stomach. I've had heated discussions about faith that never seem to go anywhere. I've been in car accidents and had my house broken into. Friends have betrayed me. My parents have died."
What makes this such a sure thing?
Before this, Paul lays out God's plan for the working out of salvation. He writes in 8:28-30,
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified."
So, the whole time, from beginning into eternity, it is God who does this working out of salvation in our lives. So, those who follow Christ are destined without a question to become conquerors over whatever comes there way. But this conquering doesn't look quite like what we would think it to look like. The way this conquering was worked out was through the suffering and death of Jesus. So a conqueror doesn't look clean and pretty, but bruised, beat up, and dying. But this dying was reversed. What looked like loss was victory.
It's a battle that's been fought and won and we are invited into the victory of it.
The metamorphosis is complete. As we are formed into the image of this conqueror, Jesus, we also take on this conquering, over sin, over sadness, over pain, over evil, and ultimately over death! This is your destiny Christian!
Revelation 19:11-16
So what does this mean? It means that God has worked out our salvation and that no matter what comes our way, we are more than conquerors in the face of any opposition of sin or physical atrocity be it disaster or murder. This is not "I get saved, I go to heaven," this deep truth is how we have joy in the face of suffering and death and pain. Joy! Real joy in the midst of this, because you can look into the future and know that you have won because of a battle you did not fight but have been drawn up into.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Man Thought
This is like glass.
A puff of smoke couldn't break you.
You're like boxes of nails
and a hammer made to squish little boy thumbs.
My admiration goes beyond the gentleness
of thorns. Thank you for separating my skin
again, the fine nuances of slicing.
My thought life is like a finger painting.
Little boy, you should have known better.
Here he goes again.
He always goes here.
A soft belly.
A hiding place.
A tangible reign.
This word.
A puff of smoke couldn't break you.
You're like boxes of nails
and a hammer made to squish little boy thumbs.
My admiration goes beyond the gentleness
of thorns. Thank you for separating my skin
again, the fine nuances of slicing.
My thought life is like a finger painting.
Little boy, you should have known better.
Here he goes again.
He always goes here.
A soft belly.
A hiding place.
A tangible reign.
This word.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
The Question
So it has been a while since I last blogged. Something I've realized lately is that I am overwhelmed with the question, "So, how are you doing?"
When I was in college (at Colby, go Mules!) I went through this really long drawn out phase of getting fed up with people being fake. So I decided to always be absolutely honest with how I was feeling at the exact moment someone would ask me how I was doing. It wasn't until after graduating that I realized small talk is not evil and spilling your guts to absolutely everyone is not a good idea, because of unnecessary emotional attachments or even just taking up way to much of somebody's time..."Uh, I have to actually get going, I'm late for class..."
"But what about me!? Don't you want to know how I feel!?"
But now, here I am, 25 years old, in full time ministry and I barely know how to field this question. I feel utter turmoil when someone asks me this! I want to be honest, but not too honest. I want to be concise and to the point but say enough where I'm giving this person a sincere answer especially if they care. I want my anser to be emotionally invested (in any direction, because that's who I am) but not too emotional, because crying or being extremely joyful usually makes people feel uncomfortable or, as I wrote before, could potentially open the doors to unwanted emotional attachments mostly with the opposite sex. I'm an extreme person. I experience the extremes of life. Extreme joy or laughter and extreme anger or sadness. I'm a bit of a basket case!
This is why I love God. The other night, if someone would have seen the way I was praying, with my leaping, screaming, throwing, wailing, crying, and chest thumping, they would have probably contacted the local authorities or would have been deeply disturbed or confused..."Is that Patrick? The one who's always so nice and friendly? Well, that's just not nice at all."
I have always struggled with self-hatred. You would never guess it. From the time I was very small, I remember deeply hating myself, sometimes for ridiculous things, like missing a ground ball in little league, or not making people happy. In baseball, when I struck out or got thrown out, I would actually drop to my knees and begin slamming my head into the ground as hard as my little body would allow me to, because I had failed.
As I grew up, continuing to experience the same feelings, I would stare into the mirror and punch myself in the face or slam my head into brick walls, sometimes causing electric sharp pains to shoot down my spine. I really despised myself. And it grew to be this thing where it was my reaction to anything that was going poorly until I eventually wanted to kill myself.
When I became a Christian, at 12, these emotions and feelings did not go away and continued early into college. But something happened along the way. The punching, the frustration, the mutilation, believing I was this dumb, stupid, little worthless boy, actually turned into prayers. I would begin to yell at God.
One of the lowest points of my college athletic career was when I was fighting back for a starting spot on the football team my junior year. I had been bumped down the depth chart because of a missed coverage and a few games in, I thought I was making progress. One day at practice, while the first string offense and defense were going at it, I was on the side lines with freshmen (that's how far I got bumped down!), just ready in case we were called up. That's when the head coach came up to me. Thoughts began rushing around my head, he's going to pick me, he wants me to jump in there and show him what I've got, he's going to tell me I'm starting again... then he said "Patrick, hey, could you go grab my jacket, I left it on the other end of the field."
My face was calm. My eyes steady. My hands relaxed. My brain began exploding "YOU SUCK PATRICK! You're awful! Look at how terrible you are at life AND football!" I imagined myself stripping down out of all the college issued equipment, leaving it on a pile on the field and going to the locker room to get my stuff and smash my face into a mirror.
But, I went, got his jacket, cheered on the team, went to the locker room, got showered, and waited for everyone to leave. My heart was roaring inside my chest. I then began to walk home across the field. Looking up at the moon I stopped mid way across the field and I exploded before God. I yelled and cried and swore. I exposed the nastiest parts of myself to God.
And that's what happened the other night. God, this is me, angry, frustrated, confused, tired, manic. It was like a psalm. I believe this is the best way to pray. It's not like God can't see all that's going on anyway. This is how I am doing.
This is why I'm thankful for Jesus. That I can actually come before God and tell him that I cannot even live with out him in my life. I can't function. I can't find joy. Because of Jesus dying for our sins, I'm able to come before God and God declares me "This man is not condemned!" Romans 8:1, Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. None. We're not condemned to hell, we don't have to suffer God's wrath because of our sin. We don't have to condemn ourselves for failing or screwing up.
Back to that question. How am I doing? God can actually handle the full brunt to the answer of this question. And Jesus, because we can now forgive one another because he forgave us, makes it possible for people to also handle the full brunt of the answer to that question. So now, we don't have to go this life alone. We can actually reveal this stuff to God and to others. There's so much grace, so much forgiveness, so much mercy, even when others do see the deepest craziest parts of us coming to the surface. Because of Jesus we can, not only bare these burdens, but be released of them!
So, it's not that these crazy emotions or thoughts all go away, but that I can take them to God, and trust that I will experience his peace as I follow Jesus.
I still have a tough time answering that question, but I'm glad people ask it, I'm glad I'm a part of a church that cares, and I'm glad that God cares.
When I was in college (at Colby, go Mules!) I went through this really long drawn out phase of getting fed up with people being fake. So I decided to always be absolutely honest with how I was feeling at the exact moment someone would ask me how I was doing. It wasn't until after graduating that I realized small talk is not evil and spilling your guts to absolutely everyone is not a good idea, because of unnecessary emotional attachments or even just taking up way to much of somebody's time..."Uh, I have to actually get going, I'm late for class..."
"But what about me!? Don't you want to know how I feel!?"
But now, here I am, 25 years old, in full time ministry and I barely know how to field this question. I feel utter turmoil when someone asks me this! I want to be honest, but not too honest. I want to be concise and to the point but say enough where I'm giving this person a sincere answer especially if they care. I want my anser to be emotionally invested (in any direction, because that's who I am) but not too emotional, because crying or being extremely joyful usually makes people feel uncomfortable or, as I wrote before, could potentially open the doors to unwanted emotional attachments mostly with the opposite sex. I'm an extreme person. I experience the extremes of life. Extreme joy or laughter and extreme anger or sadness. I'm a bit of a basket case!
This is why I love God. The other night, if someone would have seen the way I was praying, with my leaping, screaming, throwing, wailing, crying, and chest thumping, they would have probably contacted the local authorities or would have been deeply disturbed or confused..."Is that Patrick? The one who's always so nice and friendly? Well, that's just not nice at all."
I have always struggled with self-hatred. You would never guess it. From the time I was very small, I remember deeply hating myself, sometimes for ridiculous things, like missing a ground ball in little league, or not making people happy. In baseball, when I struck out or got thrown out, I would actually drop to my knees and begin slamming my head into the ground as hard as my little body would allow me to, because I had failed.
As I grew up, continuing to experience the same feelings, I would stare into the mirror and punch myself in the face or slam my head into brick walls, sometimes causing electric sharp pains to shoot down my spine. I really despised myself. And it grew to be this thing where it was my reaction to anything that was going poorly until I eventually wanted to kill myself.
When I became a Christian, at 12, these emotions and feelings did not go away and continued early into college. But something happened along the way. The punching, the frustration, the mutilation, believing I was this dumb, stupid, little worthless boy, actually turned into prayers. I would begin to yell at God.
One of the lowest points of my college athletic career was when I was fighting back for a starting spot on the football team my junior year. I had been bumped down the depth chart because of a missed coverage and a few games in, I thought I was making progress. One day at practice, while the first string offense and defense were going at it, I was on the side lines with freshmen (that's how far I got bumped down!), just ready in case we were called up. That's when the head coach came up to me. Thoughts began rushing around my head, he's going to pick me, he wants me to jump in there and show him what I've got, he's going to tell me I'm starting again... then he said "Patrick, hey, could you go grab my jacket, I left it on the other end of the field."
My face was calm. My eyes steady. My hands relaxed. My brain began exploding "YOU SUCK PATRICK! You're awful! Look at how terrible you are at life AND football!" I imagined myself stripping down out of all the college issued equipment, leaving it on a pile on the field and going to the locker room to get my stuff and smash my face into a mirror.
But, I went, got his jacket, cheered on the team, went to the locker room, got showered, and waited for everyone to leave. My heart was roaring inside my chest. I then began to walk home across the field. Looking up at the moon I stopped mid way across the field and I exploded before God. I yelled and cried and swore. I exposed the nastiest parts of myself to God.
And that's what happened the other night. God, this is me, angry, frustrated, confused, tired, manic. It was like a psalm. I believe this is the best way to pray. It's not like God can't see all that's going on anyway. This is how I am doing.
This is why I'm thankful for Jesus. That I can actually come before God and tell him that I cannot even live with out him in my life. I can't function. I can't find joy. Because of Jesus dying for our sins, I'm able to come before God and God declares me "This man is not condemned!" Romans 8:1, Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. None. We're not condemned to hell, we don't have to suffer God's wrath because of our sin. We don't have to condemn ourselves for failing or screwing up.
Back to that question. How am I doing? God can actually handle the full brunt to the answer of this question. And Jesus, because we can now forgive one another because he forgave us, makes it possible for people to also handle the full brunt of the answer to that question. So now, we don't have to go this life alone. We can actually reveal this stuff to God and to others. There's so much grace, so much forgiveness, so much mercy, even when others do see the deepest craziest parts of us coming to the surface. Because of Jesus we can, not only bare these burdens, but be released of them!
So, it's not that these crazy emotions or thoughts all go away, but that I can take them to God, and trust that I will experience his peace as I follow Jesus.
I still have a tough time answering that question, but I'm glad people ask it, I'm glad I'm a part of a church that cares, and I'm glad that God cares.
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