You don’t even know what tomorrow will bring–what your life will be! For you are like smoke that appears for a little while, then vanishes.
James 4:14
I’m sitting here prepping the grill for some burger patties. I notice the smoke was blowing this way one moment then that way the next. This verse came to mind and I thought about how frustrated we can become by trying to force things to be the way we want them or expect them to be.
We should probably learn to relax and let the wind direct us where it will. It’s not lost on me that the Holy Spirit is sometimes represented as a wind.
This article was first published on May 2, 2015 and was recovered using AI and web.archive.org.
We all face adversity in our lives. Sometimes we face it with a coworker, a boss, or a subordinate. It may be a neighbor, a financial setback, loss of a job, or dealing with sorry customer service when you need it. Regardless of where or when you find it, anyone with any life experience knows that it will be found.
In reading the book of Proverbs, I find that 24:10, in the HCSB, says:
If you do nothing in a difficult time, your strength is limited.
As happens once in a while I wanted to look this up in different versions for more clarification. Many different translations choose to translate צרה (tsarah) as adversity. The second half of the verse has varied translations. The YLT version words it thus:
Thou hast shewed thyself weak in a day of adversity, Straitened is thy power,
Straitened? Words such as this are the price of reading a translation 114 years old. Characterized by poverty is what you’ll find in the Oxford dictionary. Your strength being characterized by poverty does not have a very flattering sound to it. It sounds at least a little bit like something one should be embarrassed of.
In the mid-eighteenth century John Gill wrote men who do nothing in the midst of adversity have “a lack of manliness” (definite source of embarrassment, if you’re male) in them and that they act like children. Maybe it’s my age showing but it seems that such behavior is growing more prevalent today in Western thought. It shows in the lengths to which politically correct speech has gone. While certainly some words are exceptionally offensive and should not be uttered, the amount of posturing and crying we in the modern world sometimes put on for hurt feelings is, at times, dumbfounding. I can’t help but think that reflects an impoverished strength.
Is there a principle here to apply to our physical health? Adversity restated is difficulty. The fact is taking charge of your health is difficult. We are constantly bombarded with anti-health messages. Advertising works. Companies spend billions on it. When for-profit enterprises spends billions every year for ages on something, you can rest assured that happens only because it works.
Take this constant barrage and combine it with the fact that being weak is easy and you have a pretty good blueprint for rampant chronic diseases. Why do I say being weak is easy? Read my former mantras below and see if they sound familiar:
Cook at home? I don’t know how.
Healthy lunch? I don’t have time.
Give up sugar? I don’t eat that much.
Buy unprocessed & fresh foods? Too expensive.
Whether you’re talking about your health, your professional life, your social life, or some other aspect our existence here on earth, overcoming adversity always leads to greater rewards than fleeing from it. When you find yourself facing adversity, take comfort knowing they are temporary. Take heart knowing the choice to be characterized by impoverished power is yours.
This article was first published on March 29, 2015 and was recovered using AI and web.archive.org.
While we were camping recently, I rolled out of bed one morning several hours before the sun was scheduled to make an appearance. When I stood I thought, “My calves are killing me!”
The previous day we went for a short trail ride (thirty minutes), a decent walk (ninetyish minutes), and a short run (thirty or so minutes). I don’t usually go on long walks. Not in minimalist shoes. Certainly not on outdoor trails. While I can comfortably ride outdoors all day, walks are usually an afternoon or evening event around the neighborhood.
The last time I felt similar soreness was when I moved several railroad ties to make a raised garden bed.
Sticking to one type of exercise in training neglects certain muscles or their parts. These neglected muscles may play a key supporting role that prevents injury during your preferred exercise when they are used during cross training. Cross training is cited elsewhere as helping in recovery and reducing the monotony of training among other things.
Interestingly, cross training in the workplace has similar organizational benefits. Cross training in the workplace provides protections against injury when key players are out. It help employees stay motivated by breaking up the monotony of their job. It strengthens the entire organization by having more trained employees to apply to a problem when needed.
So why am I writing about calf pain and organizational health in the same post?
We just completed teaching a class at our church over generally becoming more healthy. It wasn’t anything we sought out but rather were asked. It certainly exercised some atrophied parts of my person. Those parts that involve speaking to a group of people. I have never cared for doing that. In the end, the class strengthened parts of me unrelated to speaking in front of people. It helped reduce a repetition in my walk with God. A repetition that could easily lead to monotony and eventual boredom if one were not careful.
Sunday – go to church
Monday – read Bible in the morning
Tuesday – read Bible in the morning
Wednesday – read Bible in the morning
Thursday – read Bible in the morning
Friday – read Bible in the morning
Saturday – read Bible in the morning
repeat ad infinitium
So the principle here is that going outside of your normal routine will promote growth, increase strength, reduce the risk of injury, and help motivation through reduced monotony. If you are experiencing boredom, lack of growth, or want to prevent injury in your life, throw some cross training in. Mix it up a little bit and reduce the monotony. Feel the burn from using parts of yourself that have been abandoned. Even if, like my calves, there is some initial discomfort, going outside of your routine will do wonders.
This article was first published on February 23, 2015 and was recovered using AI and web.archive.org.
Merriam-Webster defines humility as “the quality or state of not thinking you are better than other people.” What a strange alien concept that is to this world anymore. Working for a public safety agency brings me into contact with people from across the spectrum of society. Some of them are employees, some are prisoners or criminals, some are elected officials, and some are members of the general public. I’d be a liar if I said I never saw someone say, “No that’s OK. You go ahead” or show some similar deference to another; the more egregious lie would be to say I witnessed such an act routinely. Instead, society is sadly becoming more and more self-centered, self-serving, and in the process self-defeating.
It seems that time-and-time again I’ve witnessed the unintended effects of an action are longer-lasting than the intended effect. In government a slight policy or process change result in an effect no one expects or is looking for. As a result it goes undetected for some time. When it’s finally discovered, the original cause is either forgotten or so entrenched that undoing the effect is difficult if not impossible. The point here is that our actions frequently produce results that are both unintended and more durable than what we sought.
Our lives are the same way. The more we work to gather honor and glory for ourselves, the less likely it is that we will truly get it. More likely is that we hurt people in our efforts. We leave a path of pain and hurt that eventually catches up to us. Like those changes mentioned above, we can find ourselves at a loss for why we are in that position. The book of Proverbs provides some interesting points on humility. It tells us:
When we seek those things listed above directly (wealth, honor, and life), all we really end up attaining is our own distorted perception of them. I would encourage you to help someone else succeed next week. If you find yourself in line at a cash register, invite someone to move ahead of you right before you get to check out. Thank a truck driver for all they do to help keep our economy and goods moving.
Do something to put others first. You will be rewarded. The payoff from putting others first is an unintended positive payoff. It makes no sense that practicing humility will be so rewarding, but it is.
This article was first published on January 22, 2015 and was recovered using AI and web.archive.org.
I started a couple of weeks off from my “real job” the other day. I was looking forward to the time with my family. It promised to start a bit different than any other vacation I’d taken before since it was the same day we would bury my grandmother. And another birthday for me.
The day began with a leisurely run and a few quiet minutes with my wife. Then… My smart phone started blowing up. An error happened at work that might cause some employees to be shorted pay. I took a minute to read an email and spent another minute writing one that put the issue to rest until I returned. So I thought.
I spent the next hour trying to get ready for a funeral with continuous interruptions. Each and every time my phone made a noise, one of my kids, who still think I am the most capable, important person in the world, came running with it in one hand yelling that so-and-so was calling or sending a text. Obviously, that overrode any concerns or thoughts I had about getting to go to my dear grandmother’s funeral. I allowed myself to become very frustrated and turned into a bear, and not the yummy gummi kind. Eventually, the situation was worked out and I only needed to call one person to apologize.
All this made me think about our cellphones and how much we “rely” on them. The elected official I work for holds an office that’s been around since 1882. While I’m not telling my kids because they’ll figure it out soon enough, I’m certain the office won’t implode without me there. So what have I been telling them?
It seems watching me has taught my children a poor lesson. Rather than learning that technology is a thing to be used to improve ourselves and our returns, they seem to have learned that it is something that should control us. I know I’ve been guilty of interrupting someone speaking to me with, “Sorry, I have to respond to this text” or worse, just reading messages while I ignore the speaker. How many times have you heard someone, or perhaps yourself, say, “I can’t wait to get the new insert phone, computer, tablet, video game console, etc?” Is it more often than you’ve heard it asked, “How can I help you?”
Technology in and of itself is amoral. A phone or computer makes no moral judgment and possesses no moral qualities. Since Christ stated that to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind and to love our neighbor as ourselves summed up everything, our interactions with devices carry moral and social consequences. Actions speak louder than words and my actions have been screaming to my children that I love my cell phone.
Blech!
I find that exceptionally strange because if asked I think I’d state I hate the thing and the way it continuously interferes with my life. As such, this vacation is a vacation from that particular bit of technology as well. It’s working great too.
One week in and my phone rings in the other room and not a sound is made by anyone. Gone is the desire to run and answer it. Gone also is stress I’ve been feeling but unaware of. Coincidence?
cura ut valeas
This article was first published on December 22, 2014 and was recovered using AI and web.archive.org.
So you’ve come to this site through a search for health information. Maybe a link off another site. Who knows? You’re here and you’ve noticed spiphywarfare is a bit different, what with references to God, the Bible, and stuff. That doesn’t go on a site about being healthy. Does it?
Yes. True health encompasses your whole being.
Some people strive for the world’s vision of success. Always putting in a few more hours of work. Seeking one more material good that will surely be the one that finally satisfies. It rarely does. Can contentment be found?
It is impossible to read or watch news without being exposed to tragedy and human failure. Every day. More and more unbelievable stories are blasted at us and then left in the past so quickly they become like old technology. Something unbelievable becomes something simply passé. Those stories build up on our souls in layers, weighing us down over time.
Health-wise, the prosperous countries are losing a battle against obesity while in other countries people can’t find enough nutrition to survive. An increasing number of people are finding success in LCHF, paleo/primal, and other diets place carbs where they should be. Unfortunately, many still try and fail. Each failure an added chain tying them to a belief they are destined to be burdened with obesity.
What is the answer?
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.~Matt. 11:28
Our Lord Jesus Christ is the answer.
Coming to Him requires us to accept that sin in our lives has separated us from God and His presence.
“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
This separation by sin requires a price be paid. Jesus paid it on a cross long ago.
“God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
It was paid for us out of love, not because we deserved it or earned it.
“He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy.” Titus 3:5
Our own efforts to obtain eternal bliss will fail. It is only through grace that we can obtain this gift.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
The good news is that if you believe, you can have eternal life. An eternity free of current ailments and weaknesses.
“For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16
All that is required is to take the gift being offered to you. Speak it out loud and believe it. It’s there for the taking.
“If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10
Many years ago I was in the fast lane on a highway to hell. God turned me around. I try hard not to beat people over the head with the Bible and my beliefs. When I have seen that, it is rarely done out of love. But, I felt the need to put this out there very clearly this one time.
Peace.
This article was first published on April 29, 2014 and was recovered using AI and web.archive.org.
For years I was concentrating on things like career and education. Some were exceptionally lean years financially. Time to work on home maintenance was scarce and often the funds for routine maintenance were directed to another semester of tuition. Over the last eight weeks my phone has filled with pictures similar to these:
Scraping “popcorn”
Starting to replace siding
Eavesdropping
Much needed help
Floor work
If this initially seems like a strange set of images to have on this site, please bear with me for one moment. These pictures represent what happens when the many small fixes over the years were deemed not high enough in priority to address at the time. In the end, they all added up to one HUGE job.
It was a huge job I attempted by myself initially. After about three weeks of going it alone, one family member and one friend came along on their own (I don’t ever ask for help) and started helping. The difference in how quickly things were getting done after that was amazing. They showed up right as I began experiencing something new for me. I wanted to give up.
prin·ci·ple [n] a fundamental truth
Two principles were driven home to me during this time. Principles that apply to our spiritual and physical health. Principles that apply to pretty much any area of life.
Small problems left unaddressed will grow into seemingly overwhelming issues.
Facing insurmountable problems becomes much easier with even a little support.
Weight loss can seem like a lost cause. Maybe you’ve tried and it seems as if you’re getting nowhere. Possibly you’ve been at it for a while and only a little weight has come off. This is especially true if, like me, you have treated your body like I treated my house. All of those maintenance issues still had to be taken care of. But there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Failure to maintain our spiritual health has similar results. Unchecked sin can become such a burden that you can feel it chaining you down. It has to be cleaned out as well to keep your spiritual home clean. The longer it builds up, the harder it is to overcome. Again, there is a light.
You CAN improve your health. You CAN lose weight. If you must, you CAN do it by yourself. Do not follow my example. Ask for help. If you can get someone you are close to join you it halves the burden. If you can get several around you, it actually becomes less burden and more fun. Oddly enough, my Bible study this morning was based on 1 Cor. 6:19.
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
The good news is that if you are one of God’s children, you don’t have to face either of these alone. Need to clean out or shape up the temple you’ve been given? You have help. “From God” in fact.
By the way, the house went on the market. The realtor, when she saw it, commented “You all did a great job! This is much better than what I expected.” I wouldn’t have believed that would ever be said a month before that. So keep after it. If you are working to rebuild yourself spiritually or physically, keep after it and don’t give up. Those issues that added up can still be addressed, it just takes more effort. And don’t go it alone.
This article was first published on April 23, 2014 and was recovered using AI and web.archive.org.
Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
Romans 8:34
I read this and see a rhetorical question from Paul. One asked with a touch of derision, at least to me. Who is he who condemns? It doesn’t matter who he is or who he thinks he is. We condemn ourselves through our sin, others condemn us, the devils tries to convince us we have been condemned. All of that pales in the light of our Risen Savior, Jesus Christ. May you know the freedom that He gives from condemnation.
This article was first published on April 20, 2014 and was recovered using AI and web.archive.org.
It was embarrassing, but today I’m thankful for my confession to you. Without it I would have not bothered to keep trying to meet my goal, because most likely no one would have remembered my declaration of not giving up without me reminding them.
It was a little difficult to get in exercise of any sort during the month of February. I set some personal goals to achieve before summer, and working out regularly and pushing myself will help get me there. So Monday I decided to get back trying to complete stinky week 4 day 1 of C25K doing the running intervals at 5mph. I did about as well as expected for someone who had a month off from regular exercise. In my frustration I told myself I have to get on the treadmill six days a week until I could do it. Tuesday I managed to walk. An entire one mile. In installments. Some days are like that I suppose.
Ah, Wednesday, my lovely, lovely Wednesday. I love you Wednesday. On Wednesday, I did it!
:::record scratch:::
Whaaaat? How? I had to do a little pushing through, but I was not feeling like I was going to die. I even checked to make sure I had pressed five and not four on the treadmill panel.
It is not me who is powerful, invincible, and conqueror.
I never ever again want to see, hear, type, read “week 4 day 1.”
I will not be making any new running goals. I do want to run the City Lights 5k faster than I did last year– God willing. That shouldn’t be too hard as it was my first one, and I was slow as molasses at the North Pole. It may have been actually warmer at the North Pole that day. It was so cold the organizers asked if we were really going to run or did we just want our shirt.
This article was first published on March 13, 2014 and was recovered using AI and web.archive.org.
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