I don't really care what you did today, I just needed a convenient way of telling you what I did today. Since I'm in no mood for idle pleasantries, I'll get right to it.
What I did today, at 5,000 feet above sea level:
Boston Marathon in 5:04:01
50 miler in 13:25:02
Resources used:
6,157 calories burned
5,360,121 steps taken
3x cups cereal
4x bagels
2x baggies of gummy fruit snacks
11x ibuprofen
2x ice packs
14x bottles water
5x bottles gatorade
2x cups rice and beans
1x tuna sandwich
3x thick slices of bread
4x shirts
2x pair of shorts
5x pairs of socks
7x doses of Vitamin Awesome (you can never have too much Awesome in your system)
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Dogs on BAF
I spent most of this week pretty sick. I had some bad ribs at the DFAC on Saturday dinner, and was sick for the next 2 days. I didn't stop feeling terrible until Wednesday, I stopped having splitting headaches on Thursday, and yesterday was the first day I was able to eat anything normal. Existing off corn flakes, shredded wheat, and ginger ale is not fun. Fortunately, I am feeling much better today.
Last Saturday, before I got so sick, I was following a stray dog around base. That may not seem all that great to you, but here on BAF, all strays are treated like they have rabies, since it's such a problem over here. I kept a safe distance the whole time, but wanted to see where it went. After following it for a time, I figured it WAS sick. Maybe not rabies, but something you wouldn't want chomping on your leg. It was still being very friendly, but you could tell by looking at it, and how it wandered about it was not well. The MPs were eventually called. I haven't seen it around lately, so I figured they trapped it and put it down.
Our hutch has 2 sides, each with 4 little "rooms." For the last 2 months, one of our roommates has been out and about, so it's just the three from the unit. However, one my friends who lived across from me moved to a different building this morning, so now it is just me and one other fellow. It kind of took me by surprise that he would move so suddenly, since I brought him over to our hutch back months ago. However, he said it was because the other half of the hutch is loud enough to keep him awake. I don't hear it, but I also have a small fan going which is pretty loud.
Today is Easter. We had a minimal manning day in the office, which meant I got extra time off. Typically I have Sunday mornings off, but have to go in by 1200. Today I didn't have to go in until 4PM, and that was for a specific meeting. If the meeting was Sunday, I doubt I would have gone in at all. I slept in and enjoyed relaxing this morning.
It rained a little today, but not too bad. It's days like today I really miss sitting out on my front porch and watching the rain come in down the street. The storms and clouds come right up the street, so we can sometimes see the line of rain move torwards us. Otherwise, it's nice to watch the rain and hear the thunder, and still be nice and dry and cozy on the porch. Especially when the sun is setting and there's a light rain, because the sun sets directly in front of our house, so we get lots of nice colors from the sun and its reflecting off the leaves.
I am looking forward to running and working out again. I've been generally sick or fatigued for over a month, and now that I've mostly regained my energy, I'm looking forward getting back into the gym. Nothing too hard, since I don't want to storm back in too hard and get hurt and have to miss it again for a while. I do miss the time away from the office, so I'm excited about tomorrow.
Happy Easter everyone. I hope you had a Blessed day!
Last Saturday, before I got so sick, I was following a stray dog around base. That may not seem all that great to you, but here on BAF, all strays are treated like they have rabies, since it's such a problem over here. I kept a safe distance the whole time, but wanted to see where it went. After following it for a time, I figured it WAS sick. Maybe not rabies, but something you wouldn't want chomping on your leg. It was still being very friendly, but you could tell by looking at it, and how it wandered about it was not well. The MPs were eventually called. I haven't seen it around lately, so I figured they trapped it and put it down.
Our hutch has 2 sides, each with 4 little "rooms." For the last 2 months, one of our roommates has been out and about, so it's just the three from the unit. However, one my friends who lived across from me moved to a different building this morning, so now it is just me and one other fellow. It kind of took me by surprise that he would move so suddenly, since I brought him over to our hutch back months ago. However, he said it was because the other half of the hutch is loud enough to keep him awake. I don't hear it, but I also have a small fan going which is pretty loud.
Today is Easter. We had a minimal manning day in the office, which meant I got extra time off. Typically I have Sunday mornings off, but have to go in by 1200. Today I didn't have to go in until 4PM, and that was for a specific meeting. If the meeting was Sunday, I doubt I would have gone in at all. I slept in and enjoyed relaxing this morning.
It rained a little today, but not too bad. It's days like today I really miss sitting out on my front porch and watching the rain come in down the street. The storms and clouds come right up the street, so we can sometimes see the line of rain move torwards us. Otherwise, it's nice to watch the rain and hear the thunder, and still be nice and dry and cozy on the porch. Especially when the sun is setting and there's a light rain, because the sun sets directly in front of our house, so we get lots of nice colors from the sun and its reflecting off the leaves.
I am looking forward to running and working out again. I've been generally sick or fatigued for over a month, and now that I've mostly regained my energy, I'm looking forward getting back into the gym. Nothing too hard, since I don't want to storm back in too hard and get hurt and have to miss it again for a while. I do miss the time away from the office, so I'm excited about tomorrow.
Happy Easter everyone. I hope you had a Blessed day!
Friday, March 16, 2012
Candy and Counter-Terrorism
Some have heard of my "new" job. I put it in quotes, because it's not so much new, as made up. After unplugging from my previous job, the powers that be created a position and stuck me in it. Now I mainly do procedures writing and other pet projects. It's nice to be able to leave for a stretch of time during the day with no repercussions to the troops, but also disheartening that I can leave for hours at a time and it affects no one. This leads me to believe this "job" is just a placeholder and isn't really relevant to anything. I try to look on the silver side, that at least I have more non-work time. even though that's not really the case. It only appears that way because I can just stop in the middle of something and resume it hours later.
Some of the pet projects aren't too bad, and mildly engaging. I prefer to work a little at a time on several at a time, so 3 or 4 complete at generally the same time. I find when I'm working on several things at once, I can think better about the projects altogether and get ideas for one based on what I'm doing with another. It is annoying when something I'm working on, however, is held up by someone who doesn't want to do their job. But I figure, that's the way most of the world works. It's giving me a real insight into how a business should NOT be run, and the overall inefficiencies of the Army as a whole.
I'm reading two books at once right now, aside from my Bible. One is a dark, everyone dies book called On the Beach, a famous and classic book from several years back. The other is a Christian Living type book called "This Little Church Stayed Home," in which the author rebukes several seemingly apostate practices in mainstream Christianity. I say seemingly, because you take this kind of book with a grain of salt. If he didn't have a strong opinion about his topic, the book wouldn't be interesting and wouldn't do very well with the readers. I don't question his sincerity, or even the truthfulness of his main points, but I do think he exagerrates the influence some people have in the Christian community.
I recently put an order in to Amazon which contained, among other things, 14 pounds of M&Ms. I figure, with what anyone else sends me, and this order, I should be set for the Spring. Around here, we call it the Spring Fighting Season, or just the Fighting Season, and there's lots of talk about supplies this and movement that. I like to think I'm building up my stock for the Fighting Season in my own way. M&Ms are great morale boosters, for me and everyone else, so I use it as a tool to fight terrorist-caused boredom and frustration. I'm fighting terrorism with M&Ms.
Other ways I'm combating terrorism is working out and staying fit (so I leave excess fat and weight here for the enemy when I leave), carving a walking path out of the ground between random locations (so the enemy doesn't know where our walking routes truly are), and taking pictures and writing letters, (so I take all the good stuff away from the terrorists and export it back home). I think my candy line of effort, however, is the best practice yet.
Some of the pet projects aren't too bad, and mildly engaging. I prefer to work a little at a time on several at a time, so 3 or 4 complete at generally the same time. I find when I'm working on several things at once, I can think better about the projects altogether and get ideas for one based on what I'm doing with another. It is annoying when something I'm working on, however, is held up by someone who doesn't want to do their job. But I figure, that's the way most of the world works. It's giving me a real insight into how a business should NOT be run, and the overall inefficiencies of the Army as a whole.
I'm reading two books at once right now, aside from my Bible. One is a dark, everyone dies book called On the Beach, a famous and classic book from several years back. The other is a Christian Living type book called "This Little Church Stayed Home," in which the author rebukes several seemingly apostate practices in mainstream Christianity. I say seemingly, because you take this kind of book with a grain of salt. If he didn't have a strong opinion about his topic, the book wouldn't be interesting and wouldn't do very well with the readers. I don't question his sincerity, or even the truthfulness of his main points, but I do think he exagerrates the influence some people have in the Christian community.
I recently put an order in to Amazon which contained, among other things, 14 pounds of M&Ms. I figure, with what anyone else sends me, and this order, I should be set for the Spring. Around here, we call it the Spring Fighting Season, or just the Fighting Season, and there's lots of talk about supplies this and movement that. I like to think I'm building up my stock for the Fighting Season in my own way. M&Ms are great morale boosters, for me and everyone else, so I use it as a tool to fight terrorist-caused boredom and frustration. I'm fighting terrorism with M&Ms.
Other ways I'm combating terrorism is working out and staying fit (so I leave excess fat and weight here for the enemy when I leave), carving a walking path out of the ground between random locations (so the enemy doesn't know where our walking routes truly are), and taking pictures and writing letters, (so I take all the good stuff away from the terrorists and export it back home). I think my candy line of effort, however, is the best practice yet.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Peace of sorts
I found out last week I was being replaced in my job! The guy came up and said he was my replacement and I was supposed to train him. I didn't know anything about it, but I figure it's for the best. Even though it's kind of a step down from what I was doing, this new job should give me a little extra time to do things I need to, like sleep, workout, and so on.
The incident with the Koran recently riled up the locals here, and they were out in mass doing protests and generally causing trouble. It's funny, though. Of the folks protesting, I don't see them at the 5 times daily prayers. I guess religion is only good when it allows you to do bad things. The response to the protests has been we expect these people to riot and get violent. I have to ask why we expect that?
Some of it comes from our own racism, that that we put all Arabs in a stereotype. You're Arab, therefore you're Muslim, therefore you are fundamental, therefore you will riot and cause trouble. But is that any different from when the same people we put in a box think all Americans are terrible and evil because of the acts of 1 or 2 people?
The problem is this: I've seen friends die in combat, but was I expected to find the first Arab I saw and shoot him, then destroy his home and kick out his family? Am I allowed to have violent protests and riots about it? The obvious answer is no because no one would allow it. But we allow it for these people here why? Are we so afraid of Muslims we won't hold these people accountable? If we believe what we say about Afghans meaning as much as Americans on a PERSON context, why are we allowing for one to scorn the other? To me, that sounds like bad parenting, and we shouldn't be surprised when the one with no accountability of discipline grows up to be a criminal.
The fact that we expect rioting is based in fact, however. Part is our racism, but an equal part is the pattern and history of such events. Islam across the world has shown when it is bothered, it protests and doesn't mind violence. No other religion causes violent protests in completely unrelated parts of the world just because they are of a different faith. If Islam wants to be a Religion of Peace, like they claim, they need to be a peace of the process.
The incident with the Koran recently riled up the locals here, and they were out in mass doing protests and generally causing trouble. It's funny, though. Of the folks protesting, I don't see them at the 5 times daily prayers. I guess religion is only good when it allows you to do bad things. The response to the protests has been we expect these people to riot and get violent. I have to ask why we expect that?
Some of it comes from our own racism, that that we put all Arabs in a stereotype. You're Arab, therefore you're Muslim, therefore you are fundamental, therefore you will riot and cause trouble. But is that any different from when the same people we put in a box think all Americans are terrible and evil because of the acts of 1 or 2 people?
The problem is this: I've seen friends die in combat, but was I expected to find the first Arab I saw and shoot him, then destroy his home and kick out his family? Am I allowed to have violent protests and riots about it? The obvious answer is no because no one would allow it. But we allow it for these people here why? Are we so afraid of Muslims we won't hold these people accountable? If we believe what we say about Afghans meaning as much as Americans on a PERSON context, why are we allowing for one to scorn the other? To me, that sounds like bad parenting, and we shouldn't be surprised when the one with no accountability of discipline grows up to be a criminal.
The fact that we expect rioting is based in fact, however. Part is our racism, but an equal part is the pattern and history of such events. Islam across the world has shown when it is bothered, it protests and doesn't mind violence. No other religion causes violent protests in completely unrelated parts of the world just because they are of a different faith. If Islam wants to be a Religion of Peace, like they claim, they need to be a peace of the process.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Things to do
Even though my R&R leave isn't for a while, I've been thinking about it, and more specifically what to do when I get home. I'll be spending some time in my home state, visiting sets of parents, getting my youngest baptised, and other such things. I'll attend a July 4th parade and hopefully eat a lot of hamburgers, sirloins, and steak-um sandwiches. However, I've also thought about a few "special" things I want to do.
Top on my R&R bucket list is I want to go skydiving and/or parasailing or bungee jumping. The skydiving and parasailing is likely something I can do at the shore, but the bungee jumping may have to be from one of those boardwalk towers. They have one at the NY state fairgrounds, but it is more a sling than a straight jump. One of the Officers here does skydiving as a hobby, and the videos she took just look awesome and a lot of fun. I'm sure my less-adventuresome parents will balk at the idea, but jumping out of a plane at 10,000 feet and freefalling for 2 minutes sounds really fun to me.
I also look forward to the quieter things, like having a peaceful Saturday afternoon at the park, splashing in our wading pool at home with the kids, things like that. I range between high adrenaline and totally boring in my interests, as I think adventure sports are just as cool and fun as Scrabble on a rainy night.
I am desperately trying to hobble my marathon relay team together. I've had 2 drop outs, and one other is highly suspect. I am already doing 50 miles, I'm now consigned to do about 65 or so. No big deal. As long as I don't run out of clean shirts, I should be ok. I ordered some great race day snacks for in between legs (Ostrich Jerky and sunflower seeds of all things) and have been slowly building up my miles. I'll essentially be running 2x Marathons in one day, so it'll be taxing for sure, but I'm preparing well and my cautious but bold approach is helping me get to where I need to be. The race is on April 8th, I believe.
Top on my R&R bucket list is I want to go skydiving and/or parasailing or bungee jumping. The skydiving and parasailing is likely something I can do at the shore, but the bungee jumping may have to be from one of those boardwalk towers. They have one at the NY state fairgrounds, but it is more a sling than a straight jump. One of the Officers here does skydiving as a hobby, and the videos she took just look awesome and a lot of fun. I'm sure my less-adventuresome parents will balk at the idea, but jumping out of a plane at 10,000 feet and freefalling for 2 minutes sounds really fun to me.
I also look forward to the quieter things, like having a peaceful Saturday afternoon at the park, splashing in our wading pool at home with the kids, things like that. I range between high adrenaline and totally boring in my interests, as I think adventure sports are just as cool and fun as Scrabble on a rainy night.
I am desperately trying to hobble my marathon relay team together. I've had 2 drop outs, and one other is highly suspect. I am already doing 50 miles, I'm now consigned to do about 65 or so. No big deal. As long as I don't run out of clean shirts, I should be ok. I ordered some great race day snacks for in between legs (Ostrich Jerky and sunflower seeds of all things) and have been slowly building up my miles. I'll essentially be running 2x Marathons in one day, so it'll be taxing for sure, but I'm preparing well and my cautious but bold approach is helping me get to where I need to be. The race is on April 8th, I believe.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
The Long, Intermittent Winter
The weather comes in chunks here. That's not quite accurate, since there's always weather. As my wife tells me, it's not whether there will be weather, but what the weather will be. That's true enough. Here the weather goes from snowy and cold to just warm enough to melt it and then cold to freeze it all again. Recent;y we've gotten 2 days of snow, followed by a day of bright sunshine that melts it and turns it to slush and frozen mud. My new sneakers are fully worn in and I have ended evening runs two times now with waterlogged socks.
I enjoy the snow here, since it reminds me of home. I miss getting up 45 minutes early and shoveling our 2-3 inches every morning. It stinks when you're doing it, but it's also a nice opportunity to get a little physical activity in before work. And I get to feel like I did something for my family, clearing the driveway and making little walkways for them along the house. I also miss knocking over icicles, but that's just my love of smashing things, I think.
I am back on track with my running, although I have a lot of ground to make up. We are 2 months from the Marathon and 50 miler, and I can't afford to miss anymore time if I am to run confidently in April. I don't expect to run very fast, and the only thing I have truly to worry about is blisters. This is why it is so important to get a lot of miles under me now, so my feet toughen up as much as possible.
Things are quieting down at work, which is nice. I spend most of the day putting out fires other staff members start or trying to get our subordinate units to follow order as directed. Working with our subordinate units is like having children at daycare, since I have no real amount of authority. You can only punish them for naughtiness so far until you're yelled at by the boss.
I bought a mug and started drinking hot chocolate mixed with coffee. We have lots of swiss miss packets from the DFAC and a hot water heater, so there's no shortage. I also decided to eat a little healthier, since living off chili and turkey sandwiches wasn't really paying the bills.
I enjoy the snow here, since it reminds me of home. I miss getting up 45 minutes early and shoveling our 2-3 inches every morning. It stinks when you're doing it, but it's also a nice opportunity to get a little physical activity in before work. And I get to feel like I did something for my family, clearing the driveway and making little walkways for them along the house. I also miss knocking over icicles, but that's just my love of smashing things, I think.
I am back on track with my running, although I have a lot of ground to make up. We are 2 months from the Marathon and 50 miler, and I can't afford to miss anymore time if I am to run confidently in April. I don't expect to run very fast, and the only thing I have truly to worry about is blisters. This is why it is so important to get a lot of miles under me now, so my feet toughen up as much as possible.
Things are quieting down at work, which is nice. I spend most of the day putting out fires other staff members start or trying to get our subordinate units to follow order as directed. Working with our subordinate units is like having children at daycare, since I have no real amount of authority. You can only punish them for naughtiness so far until you're yelled at by the boss.
I bought a mug and started drinking hot chocolate mixed with coffee. We have lots of swiss miss packets from the DFAC and a hot water heater, so there's no shortage. I also decided to eat a little healthier, since living off chili and turkey sandwiches wasn't really paying the bills.
Monday, January 23, 2012
School's in Session
I have been thinking about what I will do after this deployment, and more specifically, after I leave this unit. It's no secret I struggle to find significance or satisfactions with my current job and field, so I have been looking at other options once we re-deploy. Most of them involve school of some kind. The most imminent upcoming is a basic psychology class needed for medicine. One thing I have considered is going into nursing, but with my current undegrad I have several deficiencies, psychology being one, biology another. I can take them both here, so I hope to take Biology in the Spring. Also an EMT class when they get the instructors lined up, although that is seeming to be a problem.
I have a meeting with the COL later today to talk about job issues and my immediate future with my current assignment. I hope it brings about a change, that will allow me to, if not get into a more fulfilling position, than in a more logistically relevant one. Watching little truck icons move across the screen from A to B and then telling other people about it has nothing to do with logistics, and if I can't get out of this career field, I'd like to have some knowledge of what it's all about before I leave this logistics unit for the real world. I am signed up for platelet donation today. Platelet donation is an every 2 weeks thing, so it means twice a month, I can at least leave the office for 2 hours and be away from the misery.
It snowed Saturday night and all day yesterday. We have about 7 inches. This is nice, and reminds me of home, although the sun came out this morning and it is starting to melt it into slush and ice. Not fun when you walk everywhere on either rubber soled boots with worn treads or summer weight boots with good treads. I have yet to fall down, except for a few almost slips. Our Safety person in the unit (yes we're required to have a civilian safety "expert") is too anxious about "slips, trips, and falls" so I try to avoid it as much as possible to avoid his annoying lectures.
I am recovering from 2 weeks off from working out due to shin splints in my right leg. It is very frustrating, because I get into a schedule and rhythm, then have to stop or interrupt it. I enjoy the time away from everyone while I am running or doing a road march, so being cooped up with nothing to do is a real bummer. I have a short tun (2-3 miles) tomorrow, so I will get back on track for my 50 miler in April.
I have a meeting with the COL later today to talk about job issues and my immediate future with my current assignment. I hope it brings about a change, that will allow me to, if not get into a more fulfilling position, than in a more logistically relevant one. Watching little truck icons move across the screen from A to B and then telling other people about it has nothing to do with logistics, and if I can't get out of this career field, I'd like to have some knowledge of what it's all about before I leave this logistics unit for the real world. I am signed up for platelet donation today. Platelet donation is an every 2 weeks thing, so it means twice a month, I can at least leave the office for 2 hours and be away from the misery.
It snowed Saturday night and all day yesterday. We have about 7 inches. This is nice, and reminds me of home, although the sun came out this morning and it is starting to melt it into slush and ice. Not fun when you walk everywhere on either rubber soled boots with worn treads or summer weight boots with good treads. I have yet to fall down, except for a few almost slips. Our Safety person in the unit (yes we're required to have a civilian safety "expert") is too anxious about "slips, trips, and falls" so I try to avoid it as much as possible to avoid his annoying lectures.
I am recovering from 2 weeks off from working out due to shin splints in my right leg. It is very frustrating, because I get into a schedule and rhythm, then have to stop or interrupt it. I enjoy the time away from everyone while I am running or doing a road march, so being cooped up with nothing to do is a real bummer. I have a short tun (2-3 miles) tomorrow, so I will get back on track for my 50 miler in April.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Tim Tebow vs God
A recent survey (before the Broncos-Patriots game) found that 43% of Americans believed God helped Tim Tebow. The study implies since Tim Tebow is outspoken about his faith and so public about it, God helps him in his job/life/whatever. This shows that, at least for the group surveyed, almost half this country has been deceived by incredibly dangerous and false doctrine.
Follow the train here. Why should God help Tim Tebow? What has Tebow done to make God serve him in this way? God helps each one of us through the Holy Spirit indwelling us. The Bible says in too many places to count God chose us and selected us for this gift before even our parents were born. It is not because we pronounce God's name or publicly confess Him that we are given special ability or power, as Tim Tebow clearly has physical and athletic ability most of us never will. God predesintes us to have ability or power or skills or "help" so that we will use it to further His glory, not our own.
What is disturbing about the study is the implication about our perceived relationship with God. it turns God into a quid pro quo entity who is, if we prove ourselves good enough, has no choice but to to "help" us with football success, big checkbooks, and beautiful women. Nevermind the fallen concept of what blessing is or defining successful, God is not a quid pro quo anything. If He chooses to strengthen us in some way in this world, it is not because we merit it, but because He ordained it for His glory before time began.
This dangerous and heretical doctrine can destroy the very foundation of our relationship with God. It undermines the entire concept of God's Sovreignty by putting us on par, on a bargaining level, with God, as if we have something to offer God in exchange for cosmic superpowers. If we can bargain with God, He isn't absolute authority, cannot be trusted, and is therefore irrelevant in our lives as a deity. We render God to nothing more than a self elected political leader who is too powerful for us to de-throne, which is merely a reflection of our own fallen world. Attempting to replace God's perfect holiness with sin and deceipt is extreme heresy and deadly poison and must be stamped out at all cost.
Indeed, God has blessed Tim Tebow with incredible ability, but God doesn't help Tim Tebow any more than He helps you or I or any other Child of God. Tebow is part of the body, but no more important than anyone else, despite the publicness of his faith. God doesn't owe us anything, no matter how hard we try. It's best then for us to live to serve God with gratitude and obedience. Tim Tebow is trying to do it, now we must all follow suit and join the huddle.
Follow the train here. Why should God help Tim Tebow? What has Tebow done to make God serve him in this way? God helps each one of us through the Holy Spirit indwelling us. The Bible says in too many places to count God chose us and selected us for this gift before even our parents were born. It is not because we pronounce God's name or publicly confess Him that we are given special ability or power, as Tim Tebow clearly has physical and athletic ability most of us never will. God predesintes us to have ability or power or skills or "help" so that we will use it to further His glory, not our own.
What is disturbing about the study is the implication about our perceived relationship with God. it turns God into a quid pro quo entity who is, if we prove ourselves good enough, has no choice but to to "help" us with football success, big checkbooks, and beautiful women. Nevermind the fallen concept of what blessing is or defining successful, God is not a quid pro quo anything. If He chooses to strengthen us in some way in this world, it is not because we merit it, but because He ordained it for His glory before time began.
This dangerous and heretical doctrine can destroy the very foundation of our relationship with God. It undermines the entire concept of God's Sovreignty by putting us on par, on a bargaining level, with God, as if we have something to offer God in exchange for cosmic superpowers. If we can bargain with God, He isn't absolute authority, cannot be trusted, and is therefore irrelevant in our lives as a deity. We render God to nothing more than a self elected political leader who is too powerful for us to de-throne, which is merely a reflection of our own fallen world. Attempting to replace God's perfect holiness with sin and deceipt is extreme heresy and deadly poison and must be stamped out at all cost.
Indeed, God has blessed Tim Tebow with incredible ability, but God doesn't help Tim Tebow any more than He helps you or I or any other Child of God. Tebow is part of the body, but no more important than anyone else, despite the publicness of his faith. God doesn't owe us anything, no matter how hard we try. It's best then for us to live to serve God with gratitude and obedience. Tim Tebow is trying to do it, now we must all follow suit and join the huddle.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Herding Tigers, Caging Kittens
The problem with working on a staff is many folks lose touch with the reality of the war around them, and most of them outrank you. Yet, you are given the task of keeping them in line and on task.
Before I deployed, I took the family to the circus in town, and we saw a man making Bengal Tigers do tricks. Tigers aren't social creatures, and it was exciting to see them take a swipe or growl at him, and he turned just fast enough to stare it down or crack the whip. Because of their lack of a pack mentality, the tigers couldn't figure out they could easily take the tamer down if they just worked together. Individually, he mastered them, but if they teamed up, they very definitely had the upper hand.
This is like working on a staff. Often times the most vicious are also the most isolated, and when you stand your ground and swing your whip, they'll get in line. They're so focused on themselves and their little piece of earth, they can't see beyond their own whiskers. So even though it may seem impossible odds, as long as you can keep the tigers isolated or focused on themselves, they're actually pretty harmless.
Domestic house cats are different. They will often work together against whatever foe they encounter, be it dog, canary, or house plant. This is because house cats start life as kittens, in a group, dependent on one another. If you don't separate them, they'll protect each other their whole lives. When you have a kitten, however, you don't need a whip, just a lap and a hand ready to give massive pettings.
This shows me the most dangerous animal is not always the most vicious or he who has the sharpest teeth. Try to pet a tiger and he'll eat you. Whip a kitten and his brothers will grow to hate you. The trick is to know who to whip and who to stroke. You must understand the language of the animal, and speak it, whether it's aggressive, alpha mentality, or supportive and loving.
You can always herd tigers, because of their inate selfishness. Use it against them and you will face no danger. However, you'll never see a kitten coming, so you must lock it behind bars of encouragement. In a way, kittens are the most dangerous creatures on earth.
So next time you hear about meekness, recognize it for what it is, or can be, both a great character trait but also a terrible weapon. How many times have we seen the shameful "private" lives in the fall of great men in the church, who presented such godliness and meekness, only to be revealed for the liars they were? God directs our designated church leaders (in one sense, all men are spiritual leaders, at the very least in their home) to be above reproach, to not lead others down into sin; for following such a charge, these men are given a great reward in God's Eternal Kingdom.
But who thought up the idea that meekness, one of the godliest traits, could be turned into something terrible? The Chief Liar, the Main Pretender, that's who. Such is the fallen world we live in, that reality can be so cynical, so pervertedly twisted. God has a reason when He tells us to test every spirit, to expect wolves to sneak into the flock. Because you can see the danger a tiger represents, but you'll never expect a kitten to scratch out your eyes.
Before I deployed, I took the family to the circus in town, and we saw a man making Bengal Tigers do tricks. Tigers aren't social creatures, and it was exciting to see them take a swipe or growl at him, and he turned just fast enough to stare it down or crack the whip. Because of their lack of a pack mentality, the tigers couldn't figure out they could easily take the tamer down if they just worked together. Individually, he mastered them, but if they teamed up, they very definitely had the upper hand.
This is like working on a staff. Often times the most vicious are also the most isolated, and when you stand your ground and swing your whip, they'll get in line. They're so focused on themselves and their little piece of earth, they can't see beyond their own whiskers. So even though it may seem impossible odds, as long as you can keep the tigers isolated or focused on themselves, they're actually pretty harmless.
Domestic house cats are different. They will often work together against whatever foe they encounter, be it dog, canary, or house plant. This is because house cats start life as kittens, in a group, dependent on one another. If you don't separate them, they'll protect each other their whole lives. When you have a kitten, however, you don't need a whip, just a lap and a hand ready to give massive pettings.
This shows me the most dangerous animal is not always the most vicious or he who has the sharpest teeth. Try to pet a tiger and he'll eat you. Whip a kitten and his brothers will grow to hate you. The trick is to know who to whip and who to stroke. You must understand the language of the animal, and speak it, whether it's aggressive, alpha mentality, or supportive and loving.
You can always herd tigers, because of their inate selfishness. Use it against them and you will face no danger. However, you'll never see a kitten coming, so you must lock it behind bars of encouragement. In a way, kittens are the most dangerous creatures on earth.
So next time you hear about meekness, recognize it for what it is, or can be, both a great character trait but also a terrible weapon. How many times have we seen the shameful "private" lives in the fall of great men in the church, who presented such godliness and meekness, only to be revealed for the liars they were? God directs our designated church leaders (in one sense, all men are spiritual leaders, at the very least in their home) to be above reproach, to not lead others down into sin; for following such a charge, these men are given a great reward in God's Eternal Kingdom.
But who thought up the idea that meekness, one of the godliest traits, could be turned into something terrible? The Chief Liar, the Main Pretender, that's who. Such is the fallen world we live in, that reality can be so cynical, so pervertedly twisted. God has a reason when He tells us to test every spirit, to expect wolves to sneak into the flock. Because you can see the danger a tiger represents, but you'll never expect a kitten to scratch out your eyes.
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