Strategic Eating….
by Scott on Feb.25, 2010, under Working it out...
Well in my quest to drop 15 pounds, run a half marathon, bike from Seattle to Portland, and complete a Sprint triathlon all this summer mind you, I figured I might want to start eating a little bit healthier? My plan you ask? my plan is simply to have a plan! Now I have been employing my new plan for only two weeks now, so do not wait for any book to be written on it. My ‘plan’ if you will has three phases, #1 Portion Size, #2 Planned Snacking, #3 Plenty of Water..this simple plan combined with what I consider moderate exercise (3 days a week avg) has provided me with renewed energy, as well as shedding close to 7 pounds!
#1 Portion Size; I cannot see myself ever on a ‘diet’ that simply forbids certain foods, just too much tasty food out there! However I can manage the quantity of food I consume, passing on seconds, eating slower, this way I still enjoy the taste of say 1-2 cookies without suffering the consequences of eating 2 dozen cookies, my wife and I like to share a burger at Red Robin for example….often eating out is where we tend to order too much food, so be intentional about it and do be afraid to ‘box it up’ for later
#2 Planned Snacking; For me the temptation to skip breakfast and grab a donut a Starbucks is just too easy, or how about that 2:3-3:00 hunger bell that always goes off? for me I was constantly in this rut of being hungry at strange times during the day, which would often result in a junk food fix. For me the solution has been first to make sure I eat a good breakfast, but also packing snack every morning that are healthy and can ‘carry me over’ until lunch/dinner. Fruit, almonds, peanut butter on crackers, are a lot better than the usual snickers or donut! I have a special snack bag that I make sure is always in the car…
#3 Plenty of Water; For many people this is a no brainer, but for me it has taken some work. I love coffee! and while nothing beats that ‘first cup’ in the am, I make myself start each day with a very tall glass of cold water first. Not only does is help wake me up, but it seems to make that cup of coffee taste even better! Our bodies just operate so much better when hydrated, I still struggle with this one, but I certainly have seen the benefits.
*PS…I should mention here that getting a solid 7 hours of sleep for me has never been a reality, but I have found that by cutting out my late night TV and reading more at night that I give my body the ‘permission’ that it needs to fall asleep quicker..I have been told that adequate sleep is essential to weight loss.
Just Finished Reading…..
by Scott on Feb.25, 2010, under Book of the Month...
Just finishe
d reading ‘Counterfeit Gods’ by Timothy Keller, who is fast becoming one of my favorite authors….I highly recommend this book. Keller really brings a contemporary and modern application to the reality of the ‘Idols’ that we easily worship and serve in the 21 century. This is not a ‘feel good’ book by any stretch, but rather a book that really sheds light on the ‘good’ things that I tend to default to for happiness and pleasure. The happy ending so to speak of this book is that when we replace these broken and useless idols with God, we most certainly can experience true success, happiness and contentment….
Sequence of Events….
by Scott on Feb.18, 2010, under Leadership Thoughts.., The Daily Grind
Was in deep 
thought the other day as I was stuck in a little Lynnwood traffic…..I was thinking about the growth cycle in my faith journey with Christ. Perhaps for you it has been a smooth ride with few if any ‘bumps’ along the way, but for me that has not been the case! As I looked back a little bit though I begin to see a bit of a pattern if you will, not that I have perfected this by any means, but as I wrote down the ’sequence of events’ in my relationship with Christ it brought me some comfort. I see these events in my life not as an end to themselves, but rather a continual and cyclical process that is constantly defining and refining my heart, faith and mission in life!
Event #1 To Know Him, Is To Love Him…this really is the heart of God, to make Himself known to us! And as I am brought into a place of ‘knowing Him’ I find myself Loving Him. Paul prays for the church in Ephesians 1:17, ‘that God would give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better’… I have found that the seasons in my life that I have been a student of His word, and a man of genuine prayer that I have grown in my love for Christ…For me the more I know about God, the more I love Him. I am not talking just about head knowledge, or some philosophical position, I am referring to knowledge of the heart, grace, power, and love of God.
Event#2 To Love Him, is to be Like Him.…The beautiful truth of God’s Grace for us is that is truly free! And the fact that we can enter in to a ‘love relationship’ with Christ is also gift that comes to us with no strings attached. Now to become like Him, well that will cost you everything you have and are! But if we are to truly love Him, we must become like Him. Now for some this may come as a bit of ‘bait and switch’, but really it is an opportunity to be completely free of this worlds hold on you! Jesus said, ‘If you love me, you will obey me’; this same Jesus promises us victory over death, abundant life, peace in the storms and forgiveness of sins! The cost of following Christ may seem quite high, but when you measure it against how much you are in love with Him, it reveals it’s true worth…..
Event #3 To be Like Him, Is to Serve With Him...As we watch the story unfold in the Gospels, we see Jesus revealing Himself to mankind(Knowing Him),providing access to a love relationship(Loving Him), calling us to life change(Christ likeness) and the sequence of events now leads us to the end? Or perhaps just back to the beginning! Either way Christ invites us to be on mission with Him! I believe we are never more like Christ than when we serve people. Just as Christ invited His disciples to ‘come and follow me’ He calls us today to a life of mission! If you find yourself in a place of confusion or discouragement today please consider that maybe all you need is to revisit your own ’sequence of events’, perhaps like me at times, you will discover that you have ’stalled’ somewhere along the line. Take courage, God has not given up on you; as a matter of fact He is powerfully committed to you!
Humble Beginnings…..
by Scott on Feb.11, 2010, under Working it out...
At the age of 41 I have decided that some very real changes are in order! So I have flirted with the idea of training for, and even competing in triathlons…. Last spring was my first attempt and to say the least I was a bit overwhelmed, this was a sprint (mini-triathlon) mini does not sound real impressive though so I will just call it a sprint triathlon, Ok? Anyhow I almost drowned to death on the swim portion, jumped on my bike cold and wet and dealt with some leg cramping, and then followed it all up with a pretty pathetic run where I am quite sure some 12 year old girls were passing me!
So here we are heading towards spring again and I am ‘ramping’ up my training to prepare for a couple of Triathlons, maybe a half- marathon with some cool people from the Rock Church, and the Seattle to Portland Bike Ride with my brother Steve! I will try to keep those of you who even care as to how I am coming along, if you would like to provide your stories or comments please join in fun! I always like to hear what has worked for other people and what has not. Please help me!
Working it out…with you!
Scott
Just Finished Reading…
by Scott on Feb.10, 2010, under Book of the Month...
Just finished reading ‘One Man’s Wilderness’ this book is a compellation of the journal entries by Dick Proennecke, whom you might recognize from the PBS special as the guy who moved up to Alaska, built a log cabin and ended up living by himself up there for over 30 years! If you are an outdoor enthusiast, or just wish you could be, this book will be a pure delight for you. I can only speak for myself but probably many of us have dreamed of what it might be like to simply move up to the mountains , build a cabin with you own hands, hunt and fish for your meals and rise in the morning with the sun and go to bed as it sets! I found myself lost in Dick’s observations and thoughts about life in the ‘Wilderness’, you will enjoy his very dry sense of humor as well as his very deep philosophical and spiritual nuggets of truth. Dick’s love and respect for nature and his role as a steward of all ‘the good lord’ created is refreshing and perhaps even a bit of a lost passion for many. So if you can’t wait for camping season to start, or if you have never camped in your life, you will discover a deeper appreciation for the beauty that is all around us every day. I think you will enjoy this very easy to read and yet somehow very deep book!
Courageous or Qualified?
by Scott on Feb.04, 2010, under Leadership Thoughts..
Acts 4:13
13When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
We all make observations about people right? I mean we quickly ’size’ people up, based on appearance, intellect, economic status, educational background…on and on it goes. Often lost in the shuffle is the presence of courage! How clearly we see this play out in the lives of Peter and John when the first thing that was really observable about their lives if you will, was not their qualifications, but rather their courage! To be sure the qualified person seems to be a safe bet, I mean there is a certainty to them, but the leader with courage? Well they tend to make us nervous! Now I am not saying that being ‘qualified’ is a bad thing, far from it; however it can never be the only thing. God has never seemed overly impressed with our qualifications in the first place, but after we as leaders have come in contact with Jesus we leave changed, not so much in our own giftedness, but with a heart of courage! It says of Peter and John that ‘they took note that these men had been with Jesus’….In a culture that is in love with ‘the best and the brightest’, what might happen if it began to take notice of a new brand of ‘courage’ the type of courage that does not come because of one’s own qualifications, but because some ‘ordinary and unschooled’ person came into direct contact with Jesus?
Just Finished Reading…
by Scott on Feb.01, 2010, under Book of the Month...
Just finished reading Donald Miller’s ‘A Million Miles in a Thousand Years’….. Truly a great read! Donald Miller is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers; he combines humor, insight, creativity and honesty to communicate truth. Truth about God, and about ourselves also. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years is a book about the story that each of us are living out every day and how for many of us we discover that ‘our’ story is somewhat boring and a little bit disappointing. Miller uses the story of his own life as the backdrop for this book; in it he is painfully honest about his failures, misconceptions about God and people, and his constant battle between faith and doubt! I found myself laughing and crying my way through this book as I found myself right in the middle of the story line. This book is an ‘easy’ read, but ‘hard’ on your soul just a bit. I highly recommend this book and look forward to how God might use it to help you rediscover ‘your story’ and live it in such a way that people can watch it unfold and only see it as a amazing story of God’s grace!
Happy Reading….
Check this link out for a little taste of who Donald Miller is…..
http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m2500INV3K9Y4L
Off to a good Start?
by Scott on Jan.28, 2010, under The Daily Grind, Uncategorized
Hey! well I came across this note on my Facebook page and I noticed that near the bottom I declared that I would start to blog once a week?!…along with some other challenges as well. So here we go….I really do not have much a clue as to what I am doing, but that has never stopped before. Welcome to my insanity…check back once or twice a week, just to see how things are going Ok? I have decided that the year of 2010 must be a year of ‘growth’ for me in these critical areas; Body, Mind, and Spirit. Below is a small outline of how I hope to accomplish it!
My Body- lose 15 pounds, run/gym 3 times per week, complete second triathlon.
My Mind- read and listen more, talk and try to solve problems less..
My Spirit- Recapture a lost discipline; everyday spend time with Jesus for daily inspiration , one overnight with Jesus a month for evaluation and two weekends a year Jan/Aug with Jesus (one alone and one with my wife) for revelation
2010 Theme…I must grow in my knowledge and understanding of who God really is, not just who I fancy Him to be!
*This passage pretty well sums up what I am praying for and intently seeking!*
Ephesians 1:15-23 (New Living Translation)
15 Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, 16 I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, 17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.
19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. 21 Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. 22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. 23 And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.
Side Notes; Start Blogging a least once a week, date night with my wife a least 2 times a month!
Well, that should keep me fairly busy for the year!
Happy New Year! (a little late, but still true)
