This blog post is more of an experiment. I am trying to from a remote computer to post to my typepad using only my email account. We shall see if this works. It is utterly amazing how much you can do with the internet and email nowadays.
What is your favorite app?
Good is the enemy of great, or at least that is what Jim Collins says. The truth is that I am back much slimmer than I was and much more a healthy. I got down to 255 but have stabled now to about 265. But I am realizing that all my exercising was great and all the good things I do can interfer with that.
Along with working out I plan to keep writing, about my reading and about my life. I need an outlet because I am going crazy by always taking in. So we shall see. I need to make a habit out of this, for my own sanity and my own voice.
So here we go. I am back internet and ready to party!
On January 1, 2007, my weight was between 300 and 305 lbs. It stabilized there since seminary. When I moved from Nashville to Philadelphia to go to Westminster Theological Seminary, I gained between 40-50 lbs. Who knew that cheesesteaks, pizza, and cola would do so much harm. The lowest point, or the heaviest, was after doing 2 papers in one night I celebrated by having 2 cheesesteaks and a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Mmm, I mean yuk! After I did that, I felt like an addict.
So, this year as whim, I decided to run a 5k, and start lifting weights again. Lifting weights is like reading the Bible. It is amazing and so good for you, but you make all kind of excuses about doing it. No more. As of September 2007, I weighed 285 lbs.
I seemed stuck there for while and then Hesed had an idea. You have heard of a golf a thon, walk a thon, and even a read a thon, but she had an idea for a git fit a thon or lose weight a thon. So here is the situation, I am going to try to lose 30 pounds in 3 months. So on October 1, I weighed 285 and the goal is to be 255 by December 31, 2007. I am asking people to support my college minstry by either pledging a dollar amount per pound, pledging an amount if I lose 30 achieveing my goal, or pledging an amount as an encouragment gift.
Below, is my before picture so let me know if you want to jump on the bandwagon. It takes a villiage to make Jerry lose weight.
Yes, if you really want we do still have tapes, but we skipped over the whole DVD thing and now they are on the web. If you would like to listen to sermons by me or our other fine pastors at New Life Dresher, just click here.
If you have any feedback, please comment on this blog!
As I look back to my last post, I realize how much has gone on this past summer. My last post was on May 4, that day I also found out that my wife was pregnant. We ran a 5k on the 5th, my new year's resolution was to run a 5k. Then, getting ready for church on Sunday, my wife felt a sharp pain and was very ill. I went to church as usually expecting her to meet me. She had gotten worse, and so I just went home to be with her. Around 6pm that night, Hesed lost consciousness and went into shock. We live close to the hospital and the paramedics where there in minutes.
Hesed had an ectopic pregnancy that had burst, they had to remove her tube and the baby. God was so gracious through it all. A sad time but a time when we felt his goodness and faithfulness admist the pain and loss. Hesed is a remarkable woman, and she is recovering nicely. God will make plain one day why this happened, but now I am so thankful that Hesed is alive and at full health
We continued our fitness theme, doing a program called "Body for Life" for 12 weeks, I lost about 15 pounds and built some strength, off the momentum of the 5k.
In July 2007, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She found it early, and now she is having a great time looking forward to a family trip to Disney World this Christmas. The ironic part is that she got her check-up 5 months early because she wanted to go to DW. God does work in mysterious ways.
The summer was a difficult time to say the least but in all of that, I found Jesus to be a refuge and an anchor. I am continually reminded of the Cross of Jesus Christ that reveals that suffering leads to resurrection glory. Praise his wonderful name! It is sweeter than honey in the mouth.
You have heard it said that the US is the land of opportunity, and that anyone can suceed. Thomas Wolfe alluding to this idea said, "…to every man, regardless of his birth, his shining, golden opportunity ….the right to live, to work, to be himself, and to become whatever thing his manhood and his vision can combine to make him."
We call this idea the American Dream. But when does a dream become a nightmare? Matthew Warshauer writes about the changes in the American Dream in this on-line article. Warshauer summarizes that the original dream has been replace by a desire for quick wealth. The original idea of the Protestant Work Ethic and a caste-less America emphasizing sacrifice, sweat, and then success has been replaced by radical industrialization and materialism. Hard work is now replaced by good luck.
Upon reflecting on this article, this morphing of the dream drives the marketing emphasis of the American Dream. This makes debt a constant reality and the accumulation of goods the ends and goals. Greed becomes good as Wall Street's star Gordon Gecko proclaimed. People go to college, to get a good job, so that they can get money, which gets them lots of money.
But what about meaning or purpose? Some surveys suggest that 87% of Americans hate their jobs and every day 1 million people call in sick. In her book Bait and Switch, Barbara Ehrenreich takes on the hunt for a corporate job finding that no one hires. But even her idea of the American Dream is not the original one, but the new "gimme gimme" American dream of luck and stuff
The original American Dream had its roots in the Protestant view of calling, work ethic, and thrift. What we need to get out of this American Nightmare is a return to the understanding of calling, purpose, and living simply. Then, we become generous people giving to the community, to the poor, and the Kingdom of God our time, talents, and treasures. This giving is not on top of their work but the very nature of it. If our work is not giving, then we may be chasing "stuffitis" and being enslaved to debt.
How can we begin to change our perception of the American Dream to a Dream that is faithful to Christ?
So, I am very inconsisent blogger. I know that. Everytime that I wish I had an internet connection because I have a thought that I would like to blog about, I realize that I should have home internet access. But, alas, I don't want it that bad. In all of my thinking, the natural response would be that I should just pack it up and move on.
But instead, I will now have two blogs. This one for personal and ministry reflections and the other is our churches. My church, New Life Presbyterian Church, has launched a new website. Along with this we have decided to start a blog to share the story of our Church our story, and how our church works together in that story as a community. If you want to check out the blog of New Life Dresher, please click here.
I guess now I will do twice as much blogging! Right?
So this past Wednesday night, the young adult ministry called YADA (Young Adults Demonstrating Authenticity) had a great discussion on the Bible led by John Fryling. He said that often we have a high view of the Bible but a low use. We responded saying that this leads to guilt, boredom, and/or ignorance. As John spoke about Bible Study, for him and many Christians born before 1965, as something exciting. I often think that Bible Studies are great for relationships but I never come away thinking, "Wow, the Bible is amazing. I want to sit down and read more of it." I have done that with sermons, books, and lectures, but never Bible Study. The classic "Observe-Interpret-Apply" approach may be part of it, but I am looking for answers.
What do you think? Have Bible Studies given you that "I love the Scripture" impulse? What were they like? Is this a generational thing? What would it mean for us to take the Bible serious in our generation? Would it be questioned based? Would it be based in a daily gathering? These are many questions but take one and let us know what you are thinking.
We returned from Lexington, KY on St. Patrick's Day. It was the end of our Spring Break trip and a return to normalcy apart from the snow. All our cars were packed in the snow, and after 12 hours in a church van, you would think that everyone would be complaining and annoyed. The opposite happened. We jumped out of the van and split up to work as a team to get out all the cars and the luggage in the proper cars. It was great team work but would have been very different if we had not come back from Habitat for Humanity in Lexington, KY. Hesed and I formed a solid friendship and partnership with these students from Montgomery County Community College
The house above was the bulk of our work this week. It is an old Habitat house that was being remodelled for a new family. The previous owner married another Habitat owner and was able to sell this house back to Habitat. While there, we painted, hung siding, put a roof on a tool shed, and put down a new wood floor in half a day when everyone thought is would take the whole day.
Every night at dinner time our group sat down to eat, have a devotional, and talk about our highlights and low lights. Through this time, we became a team joined through our work and living together at a camp for the week. We had an incredible team and we were joined by some wonderful students from the University of New Hampshire.
One of my favorite nights there was Tuesday. We all had a bonfire out by the creek, and the President of our Christian fellowship, Sergei, told his story. What is very unique is that Sergei was a Russian orphan who was adopted by a Christian family here in Philadelphia. So when Sergei told the story of his life in an orphanage and being adopted at 13, he proclaimed the power of the Gospel. It was a night I will soon not forget Segei sharing his story and sharing the story of Christ.
My highlight of the whole trip was the people. Everyone terrific and it reminded me of why I love college ministry, its all about the students. 
My wife, Hesed, threw me a belated surprise birthday party..... and I have an Ipod.... I cannot believe it! A whole new world of entertainment.
