Christmas Story 2013

Before He was born the government, wanting to increase taxes

in order to squeeze even more money out of the people, required

that every person register at their home town. At nine months

pregnant His mother, knowing that bureaucrats would not make

exceptions, made the difficult journey with her husband.

Concern for the life of a person who believed in only one God

was not a concern for a government that would later order

the death of hundreds of innocents in order to find the One

who threatened the authority of the ruling elite. When He

began His ministry the devil offered Him everything for free,

but He refused. Instead He set free those who were in bondage to

sickness, evil spirits and sexual sin. “Go and sin no more” He

advised a lady who was about to be stoned to death by a group who

harbored their own sexual perversions. Ironically He made friends

with a tax collector, sending him out with others to begin the

establishment of a kingdom where the poor could have One that

would make sure they were clothed and fed. Freedom of the

individual was not popular with any of the ruling classes He

would encounter. Eventually they would try to silence Him by

lies, defamation and eventually execution. But they could not.

He defeated not only death but the bondage’s caused by sin. He

takes from no one but gives to all. He loves all and calls all to

be free from the judgment that their sin will require. He gave

all freely and because of that in Him is our redemption, our freedom.

Merry Christmas to all and may you experience His blessings this

coming year in new and exciting ways.  

The Three Thirty Three Workout

The concept for a revolutionary new workout came to me early one morning after my usual breakfast of a large glass of orange juice, honey nut cheerios and chocolate doughnuts.  I saw an ad on TV demonstrated by a 30'ish guy and gal wearing tight stretchy shorts and showing off sculptured six-packs and abs in which they were going crazy doing one difficult and complicated exercise after another.  I looked at the screen, looked down at my belly and thought, oh well, not going to happen.

But then it occurred to me that change was possible.  In a moment of brilliant clarity I realized that the trick to making a workout or diet successful is to find something that one can realistically do, over time, without giving up and returning to the old lifestyle.

This can be done with my easy to remember and simple to execute Three Thirty Three Workout.

Three times a day, three times a week you engage in a thirty second workout.

I have designed 33 maximum effort 30 second workouts that will push you to your aerobic limits and will melt off comfortable but ugly fat by the pounds.  Combined with slight dietary changes you should expect to eventually lose 33% of that excess fat (unless you get hit by a car or something).

There are no DVD's required.  No fancy equipment.  No books or pamphlets or charts or trips to a so called health club with their questionable hygienics, high pressure salespeople and the guy in the corner who eyeballs all the ladies.  The Three Thirty Three Workout can easily fit into anybody's busy schedule.

Special clothing is not required (although I will offer a spiffy Three Thirty Three Workout shirt and bandana to be worn in public so the world can find out about it and get healthy).  You can fit in the exercises at home or at work and not have to worry about nasty sweat ruining your appearance.  Heck, after a few months you will begin to sport that healthy glow that says - LOOK AT ME.  I CAN DO ANYTHING!.

Here are several of the thirty second exercises I have designed.  Some may take a few weeks for you to be able to last the entire thirty seconds, but that's OK!  Eventually you will get there and get good doing them.  You are free to mix and match the exercises any way you want.  One day or one week you might want to do the same one all three times.  Perhaps like me you get easily bored and so will not have any two days be the same.  No matter what way you choose in time you will become master of your body and master of the Three Thirty Three Workout.

Running In Place  -  Find a place with a sturdy floor, clear of any close obstacles and run in place as fast as you can.  This may take a few weeks to work up to the full 30 seconds.

Praying Hands  -  Place your fingertips and palms together, elbows up, and push together as hard as you can.  Prayers done while doing this get sent up extra fast.

Double Fist Pump - Make two fists, elbows up, imagine someone or something that really irks you, and shake your fists as rapidly as possible.  You may be tempted to instantly repeat this one so discipline is required.

Belly Pound -  This is one of my favorites.  Make two fists and then pound your fat belly like a drum with the finger side of your fists.  Move the abuse around for maximum benefit and less bruising.

As you can see, if done properly a full range of muscle groups can be engaged.  You will begin looking good, feeling good and maybe even start acting good.  Not bad for only thirty seconds a day, three times a day, three days a week. 

Heaven Or Hell

The other night I had just finished shoveling the driveway.  It was about 12 degrees and as I looked up, sharp cold against my face, I could see that the sky was mostly clear except for puffs of white clouds streaming rapidly above me from West to East.  The whole experience was incredibly beautiful.

"Are there cold shimmering nights in Heaven where one stands in awe of what God has created?" I wondered.  "Does the Eskimo think of Heaven being like this?  Can man even comprehend the tenth of what awaits us?"

I have been reading the gospel of Matthew this month and in it Jesus tells a bunch of parables about the kingdom of Heaven.  The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in the field . . . The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field . . . The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until is was all leavened . . . The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field . . . The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls . . . The kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea . . . The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard . . . The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.

It says in Matthew 13: 34-35  All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He did not speak to them without a parable.  This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:  "I WILL OPEN MY MOUTH IN PARABLES: I WILL UTTER THINGS HIDDEN SINCE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD."  After this Jesus disciples come to Him and ask Him to explain the parable of the tares of the field (a man who sowed good seed in the field).

And He said, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one;

and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels.

So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age.

The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of the kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness; and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Then The Righteous shall shine forth as the Sun in the kingdom of their Father,

He who has ears, let him hear . . .

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind,

and when it was filled, they threw it up on the beach;  and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away.

So it will be at the end of the age;  the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will throw them into the furnace of fire,

in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

We are confronted in Matthew with a little shocking news; not all will be sons and daughters of the kingdom and those that are not will end up in a place which is described in two ways; a furnace of fire and a place where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

This little bit of information does not come from my imagination or made up by theologians to be placed in  the canons of organized religion.  It was proclaimed to us by Jesus as heard first hand by one of His disciples, Matthew, the tax collector.


Just as I cannot begin to comprehend God who made the heavens and the earth and created in them incredible beauty which ultimately speaks of Him, so too I cannot comprehend the anguish and pain of being separated from the love of God for eternity.  Heaven I can dream of but what it really looks and feels like is mostly speculation.  And Hell?  It is not for me to downplay and suggest that Jesus didn't really know what He was talking about.

The world wants to ignore ultimate truth.  It calls darkness light and says that God cannot judge because God is love.

God is love, but I don't get to define what that means.  He is holy and righteous and worthy of all praise, and I only slightly understand what that all means.  He is just, and I certainly only partly comprehend what His justice requires. Sometimes when I realize my ignorance I tremble.  He is so much more than I can take in. Now I see through a glass darkly but one day I will see Him face to face.

We all know the verse from the 3rd chapter of John where Jesus says that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life and it goes on to say that God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

Jesus then goes on to say;  

He who believes in Him is not judged;

he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

This is the judgment,

that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.

It is time to step out of the darkness and into the light.  It is time to humble oneself and learn that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  I would rather witness to the joy and peace that He gives each and every day and tell you how I see my Lord in things both great and small.  But we must also hear this clear warning.  There is a place called a furnace of fire and in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.   He who has ears, let him hear . . .