2.28.2008

The Irresistible Revolution

can i just say that the irresistible revolution by shane claiborne is an amazing book!? i'm currently on my 2nd read of it (that must say something...it doesn't even have pictures and i'm reading it again) and discovering new things within it, new feelings towards situations he encounters and new ways to live them out in my life.

i don't usually recommend books to people, because i don't want them annoyed with me if they don't like my reading selection, but i guarantee that this one will be enjoyed by all, or your money back*. but as levar burton from reading rainbow use to say, "but you don't have to take my word for it".

From Publishers WeeklyStarred Review. "If there is such a thing as a disarming radical, 30-year-old Claiborne is it. A former Tennessee Methodist and born-again, high school prom king, Claiborne is now a founding member of one of a growing number of radical faith communities. His is called the Simple Way, located in a destitute neighborhood of Philadelphia. It is a house of young believers, some single, some married, who live among the poor and homeless. They call themselves "ordinary radicals" because they attempt to live like Christ and the earliest converts to Christianity, ignoring social status and unencumbered by material comforts. Claiborne's chatty and compelling narrative is magnetic—his stories (from galvanizing a student movement that saved a group of homeless families from eviction to reaching Mother Teresa herself from a dorm phone at 2 a.m.) draw the reader in with humor and intimacy, only to turn the most common ways of practicing religion upside down. He somehow skewers the insulation of suburban living and the hypocrisy of wealthy churches without any self-righteous finger pointing. "The world," he says, "cannot afford the American dream." Claiborne's conviction, personal experience and description of others like him are a clarion call to rethink the meaning of church, conversion and Christianity; no reader will go away unshaken."


*but not from me, go complain from the bookstore you bought it from. and seriously, there's no way this book won't blow you away.

2.27.2008

2 Birds With 1 Stone

Not only did the New England Patriots lose the Super Bowl earlier this month, but all the "Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots" apparel was donated to World Vision, then given to the poor and needy across the world. In these photos, people in Nicaragua enjoy their new t-shirts. Check out this article from the World Vision web site all about donated the clothing to impoverished countries. For many, this is the first brand new article of clothing any of them have ever owned. Gotta love it!

2.25.2008

Live It Out

this past weekend (friday, feb. 22nd thru sunday, feb. 24th) we had a college/career retreat at alto frio baptist encampment. pretty much all weekend, i carried around a notebook and wrote down whatever seemed relevant to me. some of the words, phrases or thoughts were directly from a lesson or speaker, others were from quite times or converstations with others, while others were just thoughts or themes that i saw during the weekend. below are those words, phrases or thoughts (along with photos taken throughout the weekend) that i and about 20 of my friends experienced also. i'm not sure if this blog entry is more for me, the reader or both. perhaps if nothing else, its a good way to remember such a wonderful weekend spent with God.










- the tribe

- 1 peter 4:12-19 - how do you consider trials pure joy?
its only a trial when your actively seeking Him. when you're just living for yourself and your own selfish pleasures, Satan is already winning, so then there are no trials. God will not tempt you. be joyful when seeking God's will through all the trials. thru trials we gain wisdom.

- perserverance: to stand firm in faith. to come thru the trials placed upon you.

- pride: a sense of satisfaction or dignity. humilty with proper dignity.

- we will always be lacking something. wisdom comes from God. knowledge of God relenquished doubt.
- trials, tests, temptations

- perservere: we are called to constanly seek God in everything








- lewis the "live it out" lime

- identity determines activity - hebrews 9 - we are called to advance the kingdom.












- my wife, the dare-devil.

- mark 4: it wasn't faith, it was fear that the disciples asked for. the word is "we are going to the other side", but when the storm came, they lost track, became fearful. moral: pray in faith, not fear.








- 50 foot tree climb, 400 foot zip-line. that's me, the jumper.









- crotch crushing swing (just ask travis how it felt)
- confidence vs. condemnation

-condemnation: judging to be unfit for use. we are not condemned in Christ.










- ladies








- thanks career point.
- romans 8:1 - there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus - that's where it doesn't come from.

- where does it come from? our enemy, satan. when things don't work out, he holds us down from forgiving. he has NO power over us except what we give him. this world is dark and we are the light.
- satan is trying to find our flaws and weaknesses so that we seek forgiveness; the funny thing is that as a believer, we already have it.









- jose, ryan, taylor, me, vanessa, lindsay & travis jumping in the the very cold frio river (redundant, i know)
- we are not intended to live by our feelings. we are intended to live by God.
- jason craft is amazing. he is just like so many of us. none beyond salvation.











- very nice, i like!
- God is a lover looking for lovers. believing isn't an exercise, it's a life.

- 2 corinthians 10 - confidence, not arrogance. you reap what you sow. your past is in the past through God.



- duplex cookies commercial - tiff is amazing!

- 2 chronicles 29:11 - stand before Him, serve Him, minister before Him, pray to Him.
- we are destined to be a praying people.
- bears love cottage cheese! just ask jay!
- 5 children were adopted thru world vision thanks to ryan and tiff and their beautiful, sincere words. if us poor college students can sacrifice so little ($30 / month) to help better the life of those less fortunate, then image what else is possible!

- live it out...































2.19.2008

Rough Day?

think your day was bad? well, i was struggling today. i am tired, i am physically and mentally exhausted. i actually spent a few minutes today online searching or something that would encourage me...keep me going...make me realize just how fortunate i am. i came across some prayer requests today that put it all into perspective. check them out and then ask yourself just how bad do you have it? is what you're complaining about really all that important? try putting yourself in their shoes...


My Aunt Jan just got back her results from her mammogram and they are very concerned about something they saw in her right breast that they had been tracking for about a year and want her to come in immediately for further testing. She is extremely scared. They are also very concerned about her heart and high cholesterol and she has to go to a heart specialist for testing. She lost her husband to cancer and almost lost her son to cancer. Please pray with the Lord's healing light to ensure that she she is healthy and cured. Our financial situation is dire and we need help. We are also very scared of strange things happening in our house, scary noises and "dark looking things" please expell these "things" that are not of the Lord. This I ask in Jesus' name. Sincerely, Jason (Texas)— Jason

Please pray for the healing of my mother Nancy's cancer— Todd

pray for my son mark who has skin cancer for my grandson logan who who needs open heart surgery he is only 7months he was born at 2lbs for my son steven who has adrug problem my husband ian who had a leg removed and has heart trouble and money problems i only can work — Gwen

lease pray for Ruby who is battling cancer. Pray for maria's finances. pray that the mortgage company will work with us to keep our home. pray for rickey's continued remission from caner.—

Please pray for me as I find it hard to bare with the past, and present with such unhealthy friendships(Im to blame.) and dysfunctional parents(I still love them)...— Andrew
I AM STILL PRAYING FOR MY MARRIAGE TO BE RESTORED, FOR MY WIFE KIM, TO GET RID OF THE HEART OF STONE.— Jamie

My 21 year old son needs to be saved and he needs godly friends.— Deb

Please pray for my marriage be restored. For my Kids as well. Also I have addictions that i want to stop. Drinking and smoking— Joe

I RELAPSED ON CRACK COCAINE LAST NIGHT AND I CAN NOT COME TO THE TERMS OF WHAT LED ME BACK THERE. I KNOW NOTHING GOOD COMES FROM A BAD SITUATION. THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS CONVICTED ME OF MY WRONG DOINGS! I WAS ON THE STREETS FOR 10 YEARS AND I AM LEARNING TO OVERCOME CERTAIN SITUATIONS BUT SOME HOW I LET THE DEVIL TAKE TOTAL CONTROL OVER ME AND IT SCARES ME OF HOW BAD THE DEVIL TRIES TO GET YOU WHEN YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD. I DON'T WANT TO LIVE ON THE STREETS AND MY FAMILY HAS HAD ME HOME FOR THREE MONTHS ONLY IN THE LAST TEN YEARS.MY AUNT THAT I LIVE WITH WON'T TALK TO ME. LORD PLEASEHELP ME WITH MY ADDICTION AND HELP ME TO GROW MORE IN YOUR WORD AND LEARN YOUR PROMISES. PLEASE PRAY FOR ME AND MY FAMILY THAT WE WILL GROW AND LEARN FROM THESE SITUATIONS . THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS . IT REALLY HELPS ME TO GET ALL THIS OUT AND BE — Rachel

My daughter is filled with bitterness and anger and espically toward me she emails and call my job to have me fired and every way possible she tries to find ways to hurt me. I love my daughter but I do not know how to help her except to give her to the Lord and pray for her heart to find the way to Love as only God can Love and that she be a better mother to her childern— Deborah

2.15.2008

To The Least Of These

so i sent an email out back on november 1st of last year (pre blog days) to practically everyone on my email list. what follows is the content of that email:

"Okay, real quick, just wanted to share with you something I saw this morning on the way to work that literally brought a tear to my eye.

I was stopped at the traffic light on Blanco. There was an old, short, wrinkled, hunched over homeless man walking very slowly (and most likely quite painfully) with a cane and an tattered camoflouge coat on. Then a SUV pulls into the parking lot next to him. Out of the SUV comes a 40-something man wearing a suit; obvisouly on his way to work; and he has a bag in his hand. He walks over to the homeless man and hands him his bag, it was his lunch! I could see him tell the homeless man something (I could only assume "I want you to have this", or "This is for you", something along those lines), pats the old man on the shoulder, then walks back to his car, gets in and drives away.

All of this happened in less than a minute! It took me longer than that to fully process what I had just witnessed! What a wonderful sign of love and hope. This man gave of himself so that others may have. He didn't do it for any glory...Odds are I might be the only person that even witnessed it. Just thought I'd share a good story in a world full of so many bad ones!"

well, i told you that story to tell you this one...the giving hasn't stopped! granted, the homeless man turned out to actually be an old woman (when i first saw her it was cold and she was bundled up. i guessed wrong...sue me), but that's not the point. the point is, everyday i pass by this homeless woman, and everyday she has food and drinks with her that people have given to her. mcdonalds, bill millers, taco cabana, valero coffee, heck, even starbucks!

one day i passed by and saw that she had nothing, so i turned around and gave her my granola i was planning to eat at work. no other time have i seen her empty handed, and i see her everyday! what an amazing example of giving. i imagine that even this woman feels blessed.

but what i saw yesterday (valentine's day) had to be the icing on the cake. i was stopped at the red light (its amazing how poorly timed those lights are on blanco road), and there was a middle aged man who had a very striking resemblance to multi-billionare richard branson stepping out of a brand new red chevrolet corvette (still had the paper liscense plate new). he walked over to this homeless woman, handed her one of those large, red, heart shaped boxes full of chocolate, gave her a hug and smile, then walked back to his very expensive sportscar and drove off!

again, i'm amazed! somehow i'm always the one who feels blessed to have witnessed such an act of selflessness. and it always leaves me questioning myself, "what have i done for someone else? how selfless am i?" i pose those same questions to you today...

2.14.2008

Quotations

so, back in the day kyle and i came up with a pretty ingenious idea to open a bar. i mean, what better way to feed your addiction than to own it, instead of it owning you, right?! but it wasn't going to be just any bar. no, this was to be a special bar. one that people came to and stayed for hours...and spent lots of money. one that a person could show up at, not even speak to another individual and enjoy countless drinks within our 'controlled' environment. see, our bar was different. it was unique. it fed off of nostalgia, memory, knowledge and entertainment. our bar was to be named Quotations. we were to have famous (and semi-famous) quotes all over the walls... hundreds of them. there was to be classic sports and bar trivia games on tv's all over the place. great music playing all the time, but not too loud, like many bars have a tendency to do... and in between each song we would splice a famous audio clip from a movie, tv show, presidental speech or historical figure (see, our bar would be educational) butcher paper on every table with crayons and chalkboard walls in all the restrooms, so our customers could write whatever cleaver thought their drink brought to their head and make a Quotation of their own.

i think the dream of he and i opening this bar has faded, but perhaps it would make for a wonderful coffee shop. so, if anyone wants to invest in this, we would love to sell them this idea! that being said, why not still throw some Quotations out there? after all, that was the premise of the entire project. so, below are some famous (and semi-famous) quotes than may have just made the wall of our bar (or our coffee shop, investors, call me!!) feel free to comment and add your own.
"We're talking paranoid delusional psychosis. I saw the guy's room. Cozy... if you're Hannibal Lecter” – Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

"You must be the change you want to see in the world." –Mahatma Gandhi

“Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue” - Airplane

“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” -Jesus

“She wrote me a 'John-Deere' letter... something about me not listening enough, I don't know... I wasn't really paying attention.” -Dumb & Dumber
“You make me want to be a better man.” – Jack Nicholson (Melvin) As Good As It Gets

“Here's looking at you, kid.” -Humphrey Bogart (Rick) Casablanca
“He's a man from outer space and we're taking him to his spaceship.” -Henry Thomas (Elliott) E.T.

“And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country” – John F. Kennedy

“People will come, Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway, not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door, innocent as children, longing for the past.” - James Earl Jones (Terence) Field of Dreams

"Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it." -Mahatma Gandhi

“Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it.” - Mykelti Williamson (Bubba Blue) Forrest Gump

“My most fervent prayer is to be a President who can make it possible for every boy in this land to grow to manhood by loving his country--instead of dying for it.” –Lyndon Baines Johnson

“Someday, and that day may never come, I'll call upon you to do a service for me. But until that day accept this justice as gift on my daughter's wedding day.” - Marlon Brando (Don Corleone) Godfather
“I saw...its thoughts. I saw what they're planning to do. They're like locusts. They're moving from planet to planet...their whole civilization. After they've consumed every natural resource they move on...and we're next. Nuke 'em. Let's nuke the bastards.” - Bill Pullman (President) Independence Day

“Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” -Lou Gehrig

“You know that was the time I was most frightened? Waitin' for my turn. I'll never put on a lifejacket again. So, eleven hundred men went into the water. Three hundred and sixteen men come out, the sharks took the rest, June the twenty-ninth, nineteen-forty five. Anyway, we delivered the bomb.” - Robert Shaw (Quint) Jaws


"The future belongs to those who prepare for it today." -Malcolm X (1925 - 1965)
“Feed me, Seymour!” - Levi Stubbs (Audrey II) Little Shop of Horrors

“Cross over children! All are welcome! All welcome! Go into the Light. There is peace and serenity in the Light.” - Zelda Rubenstein (Tangina) Poltergeist

"If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything. " -Mark Twain (1835 – 1910)

“Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father: prepare to die.” - Mandy Patinkin (Inigo Montoya) Princess Bride

"Hollywood is a place where they'll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul."-Marilyn Monroe (1926 – 1962)

“You're gonna eat lightnin' and you're gonna crap thunder!” - Burgess Meredith (Mickey Goldmill) Rocky

“I believe in two things: discipline and the Bible. Here you'll receive both. Put your trust in the Lord; your ass belongs to me. Welcome to Shawshank.” - Bob Gunton (Warden Samuel Norton) Shawshank Redemption

"Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love."-Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 – 1968)

“A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.” - Anthony Hopkins (Hannibal) Silence of The Lambs

"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." -Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)

“You were great in your day Superman, but it only stands to reason. When it came time to cash in your chips, this old "diseased" mind would be your banker.” - Gene Hackman (Lex Luthor) Superman

“Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.” –C.S. Lewis
“The point is ladies and gentlemen that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of it's forms - greed for life, for money, knowledge - has marked the upward surge of mankind and greed - you mark my words - will not only save Teldar Paper but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA. Thank you.” - Michael Douglas (Gekko) Wall Street
"Baseball is 90% mental, the other half is physical" -Yogi Berra (1925 - )


“Guess what, I do. I know that one day Veronica and I are gonna to get married on top of a mountain, and there's going to be flutes playing and trombones and flowers and garlands of fresh herbs. And we will dance till the sun rises. And then our children will form a family band. And we will tour the countryside and you won't be invited.” Will Ferrell (Ron Burgundy) Anchorman

"Retirement at sixty-five is ridiculous. When I was sixty-five I still had pimples." -George Burns (1896 – 1996)

“The first rule of Fight Club is - you do not talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is - you DO NOT talk about Fight Club. Third rule of Fight Club, someone yells Stop!, goes limp, taps out, the fight is over. Fourth rule, only two guys to a fight. Fifth rule, one fight at a time, fellas. Sixth rule, no shirt, no shoes. Seventh rule, fights will go on as long as they have to. And the eighth and final rule, if this is your first night at Fight Club, you have to fight.” -Brad Pitt (
Tyler Durden) Fight Club

"Don't let it end like this. Tell them I said something." -Panch Villa (1877 - 1923), last words
“Eight, Bob. So that means that when I make a mistake, I have eight different people coming by to tell me about it. That's my only real motivation is not to be hassled; that, and the fear of losing my job. But you know, Bob, that will only make someone work just hard enough not to get fired.” -Ron Livingston (Peter Gibbons) Office Space

“What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent videos, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?” -John Cusack (Rob) High Fidelity

2.13.2008

Don't Fight Monday

check out this video. i don't think i've ever seen it put any better. how often do you feel this way? about once a week?

2.12.2008

Serve or Servant?

so, the other night, some friends of ours took katy and i out to dinner. basically, they told us that they wanted to take us out to eat and weren't taking no for an answer. so, naturally we obliged. we ended up going to the nicest resturant i've probably ever been to in my life. it was amazing and we all had a great time! guys, i don't know if i ever really told you, but thank you so much for a wonderful evening and amazing meal.

i did realize something though. i think the service was too good! the wait staff was constantly doing their job, which might have been a bit much for me. they were constantly filling up my water and tea, switching out the bread every 5 minutes, knowing exactly how each and every food item is prepared, telling us about every wine on the menu and what flavors would hit your pallet, placing black napkins on our laps, constanly rearranging the table and removing used plates and utensils.

so, basically i think i would make a better server than served. i don't like feeling better than anyone else...basically because i don't think i am. i enjoy making others feel welcomed more than i need to feel welcomed by others. i guess i can blame my mom for this one! she is always the one working her butt off in the kitchen making dinner for her family while we all sit around, talk, play games, etc. i'd love to help her, but i wouldn't even know where to start. mom, thanks for being my favorite waiter of all time...and teaching me to serve!

2.08.2008

JT and Pigpen

today, i reached my limit. my cup began to overflow. i had so many things on my plate, and i was trying to succeed at all of them....and i ended up failing....at all of them!

exhausted, frustrated and at a loss at what to do, i fell to my knees and cried to God,

"please God, i beg for your forgiveness. i know i'm weak! please, have mercy on me and give me strength. give me vision God, so that i may see You in all things, even when times are hard, struggles are present and negativity surrounds me. forgive me for not seeking Your council sooner, more often, with every decision i make. give me Your heart, to do Your will, in all things presented upon me. i thank You for times like these. thank You for my failures, for i know that it's only thru these that i'll truely learn to depend on You and no one else. You are the only truth...thank You for the painfully beautiful reminder!"

at that, i got in my car, cranked up a song by hillsong united (saviour king), and thanked God for all he had given me and all that i was missing. i went and met katy for lunch along with 2 boys she's watching, john thomas (jt) and jackson (pigpen). upon arriving, i walked up to katy's car and immediately felt my burdens lifted when i saw their smiling faces through the window. it put tears into my eyes again. it's amazing how God can work through the face of a child.

all this while, i thought i was being burdened, but perhaps i was just being a bit selfish. God doesn't care what deadlines i have to meet, papers i have to write, or lessons i have to prepare... all He cares about is how i'm worshipping Him through everything i do. like my beautiful wife often says, "if you don't do it with a loving heart, don't do it at all".

God, thank You for showing me your love and mercy through the smile of those 2 boys. jt and pigpen, thank you for smiling, allowing me to hold you, play with you on the playground, and make fish faces with our mouths...





2.07.2008

My Life

well, its been a few weeks since i last wrote to my future son (still son, not daughter) concerning the way the world was in 2008. i kinda feel like this is a "my life" moment. remember that movie starring michael keaton, when he films his life, stories and lessons to his unborn son, because he's dying of cancer and knows he won't be there to help him along? yep, it's kinda like that, only i'm not dying (at least i don't think i am) and katy's not pregnant (at least i hope she isn't)! but besides the entire premise of the movie, it's exactly the same. so, that being said, allow me to indulge for a moment,

dear son,

i'm am writing you again from the year 2008. it's been a few weeks since i last wrote you regarding your future health issues. i hope your stomach is still intact and your gas isn't too smelly! also, try to lay off the salt. i know it's hard, considering you live in san antonio and all, but believe me, you'll thank me when your 30. now that it's the year 2025, i have to wonder, has the fast food craze faded, or are people now literally exploding due to obesidy problems? (and if they're exploding, i imagine that creates a lot of new job posibilities. but i digress)...

what i wanted to write to you about today is the general state of this country in the year 2008. perhaps give you some topics to look up in your history book, or your virtual reading machine of the future. (books were made of paper back in my day and contained many pages full of text, to read the next page you literally had to use your hands to turn the page. archaic, i know; but they had a good run. something like 570 years or so). so, here are the hot topics of today (click on the highlighted words for links): the presidency of george "dubya" bush, AIDS and the global impact, Jesus (please tell me he survived the virtual revolution), britney spears (actually, nevermind that one, she was always pretty irrevelant), angelina jolie and brad pitt (im curious to know how many kids they've adopted by 2025), tim duncan as the greatest power forward to ever play basketball, traffic problems in san antonio before lightrail, the hollywood writers strike which actually forced people to turn off their tv's and get active (what a wonderful side effect), the official race times for the 2008 rock 'n' roll san antonio marathon (please tell me i finished), the fall-out following the nfl releasing all information regarding the new england patriots and their multiple years of cheating, the commercial real estate market crash of 2009 (just a guess), the NASA spacecraft landing on mars in may 2008, the beijing olympics and the opening of the china central headquarters buildings (it's looks like a giant donut).

well son, that should fill you with enough useless knowledge for now. perhaps next time i write i can tell you about manual door locks and windows in cars, your uncle greg's now-legendary daily leg cramps, music on records, cassettes and compact discs, and why not to hit on women in bars.

love,

Dad

2.05.2008

Running, For A Change

so, we officially started the tribe running club today (officially, meaning i sent out an email about it. the first meeting on the track is sunday evening). not that anyone really needed to know that exercise is good for you, but here's 4 more reasons that your body was made for activity.

1. movement detoxes the body.
your skin is the largest organ in your body and sweating is one of the methods your body uses to rid itself of various toxins that deplete energy. the vigorous breathing used during exercise also helps the immune system ward off disease by stimulating the lymphatic process, thus cleaning the toxins from the body.

2. rhythmic movement overcomes fatigue.
generating energy through exercise replaces tiredness with stimulation of organs and nerves. vigorous motion reorganizes the flow of your energy and tones your heart, lungs and limbs, along with your circulatory and digestive systems.

3. movement improves mood.
your mood can be drastically influenced by exercise. since movement alters the flow of energy through your entire body, it lifts you from a sense of emotional weariness to one of emotional well-being.

4. movement induces relaxation of body and mind.
research shows that the degree of relaxation improves when one first tenses the body and then releases that tension, rather than directly attempting to relax. inactivity is very stressful for your body and mind.
our short-term goal is to get a large group together to run the rock 'n' roll san antonio half-marathon (13.1 miles) in november. who knows, perhaps even a few of us will go the whole 26.2 miles! but on the long-term, imagine how much healthier we can be, how our lifestyles will change for the better and what a difference we can make for ourselves and others.

change leads to more change...





2.03.2008

From Non-Violence And Civil Rights To Brutality As A Form Of Global Entertainment

in the past 24 hours, i've watched 2 amazing stories unfold on television... and those 2 things would be the movie "gandhi" and super bowl XLII. that's right, you read that last line correctly...i just compared one of the most selfless men to ever walk to face of the earth with a silly football game! but, what sticks out to me is that there's important lessons to be learned in all things, not just deep and impactful events.

in the movie "gandhi", you can't help but be moved and humbled by watching the story of a man who gave up everything he had to stand up for what he felt was right. through countless beatings, multiple imprisionments and near death through fasting, gandhi never waivered and never lost sight of the way to live. he could have sat back and gone about his day for the betterment of himself, but instead he dedicated his entire life for all his people, even if it meant dying for his cause. he was a living symbol of determination and a reminder to all of us that life could always be much harder.

now, on the opposite end of the spectrum, super bowl XLII was an event full of glitz, glamour, inflated egos and fat paychecks. in other words, not gandhi. there was some ridiculously big production thing with the reading of the declaration of independence by current and former players and coaches and a couple of their wives. there was a fly-bye of like 6 or 7 military planes; but i'm not sure why; seeing as the retractable roof was closed and all. i guess someone just wanted to waste a few hundred thousand taxpayer dollars. the halftime show featuring tom petty was large, over the top and entertaining. the new york giants played an amazing game, tom brady was knocked down about 2,582 times, david tyree made one of the most amazing catches that i've ever seen, eli manning finally got the recognation he deserved as a premier quarterback and the patriots head coach bill belichick looked like a complete jerk by leaving the field with 1 second remaing and giving a rude and sarcastic post-game interview. and in all, pretty much what i'd like to see in a super bowl and a game that i'll remember for quite some time.

so, to sum it up...there was fighting, hitting, fasting, pain, victory, defeat, walking, death, joy, crying and love. like i said, an amazing 24 hours!

2.01.2008

Sunny Day, Sweeping The Clouds Away!

why are we all like this guy sometimes?


no one likes it when others are grouchy and mean to them, so why do we act the same way sometimes? tired? bad day at work? flat tire? all common excuses, but justified? i think not! so, why is it that we constantly complain...about the driver that cut us off or the waiter that forgets our refill? did we just lose sight, or never have a clear vision to begin with?