Gluten Gluttony

Dec. 12, 2011 (Monday)
Yesterday Kels and I celebrated her 22nd Birfday. Sniff, my wifey is growing up *wipes a tear from my eye*. It was a good day. The day started as Sunday's usually do with Sunday school followed by church. Afterward we went out dinner at Kels' favorite restaurant, the one, the only... RED LOBSTER, of course. I'm starting to wonder if there is heroin or some addictive substance hidden in their cheesy biscuits because cannot ever put them down. Maybe I'm just a glutton. But I'm not because I do not feel the same way about other things like broccoli. Ooohhhhh... I've got it. I'm a glutton for gluten. Cheesy biscuit gluten. Am I the only one feels a hint of shame when the server comes by and I ask for that 3rd basket of biscuits? (Or if you prefer Olive Garden, that 3rd basket of breadsticks?) Maybe they taste better simply because they are free. I dunno, anyway... Kels got her crab legs and I got some shrimp dish mostly as a side for my biscuits. The highlight of the meal, for me anyway, was giving Kels her gift. A 32gig 3rd Gen iPod Touch (already synced with all her fav tunes). I love giving my wife nice things (purchased with blood money, erm I mean plasma money). I think I was more excited to watch her open it then she even was opening it. After dinner we headed over to the Stearns County Museum which sounds lame but was fairly large and impressive, and pretty cool considering it is a Minnesota county museum. It was fascinating though learning about granite quarries, and the baseball farm team (Saint Cloud Rox), and other Saint Cloud history. We finished our celebration by curling up on the couch and watching an episode of Firefly. Not a bad birfday considering it wasn't mine =)

15 Miles Nowhere

Dec. 6, 2011 (Tuesday)
Yesterday I watched Monday Night Football also known as MNF. This is not unusual. However I do not have even basic cable in the apartment so I usually watch the game at a friends house or at a bar and grill. My favorite way to watch MNF is with Parmesan Garlic wings sitting in front of me. Don't judge, I do not like habanero and it's nice not worry about vampires coming after me. I digress. This week I had a hot date with a hot wife (who happens to be mine) and we watched the game together. Well I watched the game while she watched some cake decorating competition. Screw that, I don't want to watch you make cake, I want to watch me eat cake. The cool thing about this date is that we were riding bikes whilst we viewed our preferred competitions. These bikes did not take us anywhere. They were stationary. I was riding one of the tall ones similar to a normal bike and Kels was on my right on the short one with a back and your legs are pedaling in front of you. Watching MNF was quite a different experience while pedaling 15 miles to nowhere. I like going to a gym that has tv's built into the bikes. And I am sure it was funny for those around me to see me jump for joy on my bike when Maurice Jones-Drew scored me a touchdown*. I mean scored a touchdown for the Jaguars, erm. At halftime, we ditched the bikes and my girl came to watch me flew my biceps and work them out. That lasted all of five minutes. I ask you, "What is the best way of negating all of the exercise I just got?" Having asked myself this same question my quick response was "$3.99 appetizers at La Casita with a Pomegranate Margarita to wash it down!" For not being Parmesan Garlic wings from B-Dub's those apps were YUMMY. And thus ended another spontaneous date with a girl named Kelsie...

*This propelled my fantasy football team, the Ginja Ninjas, into 6th place to finish the season. Let the playoffs begin!

Fresh Start (Yesterdays)

Yesterday I decided to revive my blog. Big deal. There have been many incarnations of a blog written by me over the years and I have eventually lost interest in every one. This will be different (I hope). Kelsie mentioned to me the other day about something she had read in a book called Too Busy Not Too Pray by Bill Hybels. SIDE NOTE - I attempted to underline the title of that book and this blog would not allow it. I think Google is promoting incorrect grammar - END NOTE. I guess Bill or someone Bill mentions in the book has never really been a "journaler". However, he commits to writing one full page every day beginning with the word "Yesterday" about anything and everything. No parameters aside from the kick-off of "Yesterday". He also chose to write a prayer to God on a second full page. I found this idea interesting because I myself have never been much of a "journaler" either. Yesterday I put this plan into action. It went well. My creative juices began flowing. And this is what I came up with...

Dec. 5, 2011 (Monday)
Yesterday something occurred to me. God does not give me joy. Let me rephrase that. I do not find joy in my Lord. Hmm, I should rephrase that again. I do find joy in my lord, however Abba Father is not this lord. He is a Lord. He is Creator of all and worthy of praise, but he is not my lord. Lordship over my life has belonged to me for awhile now. I regularly find joy in things not directly related to God, yet I rarely find joy in his words, his creation or his truth. Yesterday I heard an awesome sermon. Even then I knew how life-changing it could be, the words I was hearing. It did not stir up joy in me. I think my response was a yawn. Perhaps, a few yawns. Because I didn't think highly enough of church to go to bed early the night before so that I could be alert and receive His truth. Though had I gone to bed early and woken up alert I gather that I still would not have been interested in what our pastor had to say. Would you like to know what caused me joy yesterday? Discovering that Cam Newton, Rookie Quarterback Sensation of the Carolina Panthers had posted a 41.26 fantasy statline in my PPR league (he is my starting QB). Another bit of irony is that simply by looking at his stats (204 yards, 1 touchdown passing / 54 yards, 3 touchdowns rushing / 1 reception, 27 yards receiving) I could calculate that into 41.26 fantasy point in my head in about 30 seconds. I am relatively good at math. However in 30 seconds I guarantee you I could not recall one verse about finding my joy in the Lord. I don't think enough of Him to commit His Word to heart or to memory. Don't misunderstand me, please, I am not condemning fantasy football. I (and others) find it immensely enjoyable and it inspires camaraderie between myself and my co-workers with whom I am in a league. It is merely an example of how off kilter my priorities have become. It is a portrait of how my heart has been decaying these last 3 years. I hate it. I hate serving myself as lord, because frankly I am pretty freaking demanding, incredibly selfish, lacking in grace, and generally unremarkable. Yahweh, on the other hand, is selfless, full of grace, and downright beautiful. And he loves me, in spite of the state of my heart. It will change over time. Perhaps getting these thoughts onto paper (first loose leaf, and then digital) will help that change.

"God loves you just the way you are; but he loves you too much to let you stay that way." Ashley, Junebug