Showing posts with label marriage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marriage. Show all posts

Friday, March 13, 2009

The YMCA and My Bicycle

YMCAThe wife and I were up until midnight last night, talking. Among other things, we discussed just how we can find ways to spend more us time together. One of the conclusions we came to was working out together.

My wife currently does yoga at home, runs on the treadmill -- even has an elliptical machine. But the way it works now, I come home from work, spend time with the kids after dinner while my wife does yoga or runs on the treadmill, then we bury our noses in our computers, and eventually go to bed. I haven't been getting myself any real exercise.

So, today we headed out to the YMCA  and took advantage of a special promotion they're running over the weekend: no registration fee if you sign up by Monday. It usually costs $100 registration fee plus the monthly membership fee to join the Y, so this promotion saved us $100. After a brief tour of the facility (there are several in Indy, at all of which our membership is valid), we signed up for membership.

I then picked up my recently repaired bicycle (a Specialized Crossroads 21-speed), which I am quite excited about. I bought the bike used from a neighbor very cheap last fall, and even after having some minor repairs done, I still have very little money invested in it. My plan is, on days that we don't go to the YMCA for a workout together, I'll go on a bicycle ride around the neighborhood for exercise.

We later returned to the Y for an hour-long workout. It was nice, my wife and I on the ellipticals together, running on the treadmill, the bicycle machine. According to the machines, I burned about three-hundred calories in the hour. Now, two hours later, my muscles are relaxed and rested. I'm sure tomorrow I'll feel it, but it was refreshing, and it was something I enjoyed doing with my wife.

And I can't go on for so long about the YMCA without sharing this:


Direct video link.

Your comments?

Joe





Friday, January 23, 2009

Marriage Is Not For Everyone

SOAPSOAP {Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer}:
FOR TODAY'S FULL READING, CLICK THE TITLE LINK ABOVE | ABOUT SOAP

SCRIPTURE
11 But Jesus said, “Not everyone is mature enough to live a married life. It requires a certain aptitude and grace. Marriage isn’t for everyone.
MATTHEW 19:11 [MSG]

OBSERVATION
Marriage is not for everyone.

APPLICATION
The Pharisees gave Jesus the hardest time, constantly trying to trip Him up, to trick Him into saying something that would go against their law, or against what they perceived to be the word of God. But Jesus -- being all-knowing -- could not be fooled.

Even when asked about divorce, and challenged with the direction that Moses had given Israel about divorce, Jesus came back clean and strong, and told the Pharisees that He was holding them to the bond of marriage.

We so easily forget today that marriage is intended to be forever. It isn't something to be entered into lightly. It isn't something to be readily discarded when times get tough. Marriage is the permanent bond between a man and a woman, and just because man's law today allows divorce does not mean that divorce is okay with God.

Most importantly, as Jesus concluded in this discussion with the Pharisees, Marriage isn't for everyone. It is something that we must make sure we are cut out for before diving in. After all, we don't dive into the deep end of a swimming pool before learning to swim, so why would we dive into marriage before learning how to live in marriage?

PRAYER
Father, I thank You for the wonderful marriage that you have blessed me with. I thank You for giving me a wonderful woman to be my wife. Help me to model for my children, Lord, just what a successful, happy marriage looks like. Use me, Lord, to instill in them the values that Jesus tried to teach to the Pharisees about marriage.

Your comments?

Joe


YouVersion


Tuesday, November 4, 2008

My Predictions for the Next Four Years

McCain / PalinShould Barack Obama fulfill four years as President of the United States, I believe we're going to see some interesting and some very troubling things throughout his Presidency. These are my predictions:
  • Republicans will regain control of the Senate in a huge landslide in 2010. The Democratic majority in the House of Representatives will narrow so much (in 2010) as to make it an insignificant majority.
  • Barack Obama will make several token appointments (or offers of appointments) to Republicans and/or Independents in an attempt to cross party lines (thinking of the 2012 re-election campaign). Most (if not all) of those bi-partisan appointments will resign before the midterm elections.
  • Barack Obama will speak about making amendments to the Constitution early in his Presidency. Congress might even concur and support prior to midterms, but the states will not vote to ratify.
  • Barack Obama's first budget proposal will include federal funding for stem cell research, federal funding to help unwed mothers pay for abortion procedures, federal funding to schools for sex education programs and contraception programs (he'll describe it as a program intended to reduce teen pregnancy) as well as contraception programs for low income women.
  • Obama's tax cut plan for the middle class will be lost among tax increases to fund increased spending and his plan to increase taxes on the wealthy to provide credits to the poor. The middle class will never see a tax cut under an Obama Presidency.
  • We will find ourselves in an energy crisis similar to the Carter years, as Obama will refuse to drill offshore, will tax coal companies into near oblivion, and the country's reliance upon foreign oil will become crippling.
  • America will return to an Affirmative Action state, with preferential employment for blacks and hispanics mandated and enforced through tax credits and penalties. Whites will begin to become the oppressed class.
  • Obama will push legislation providing even more protection to the credit unworthy than the Community Reinvestment Act. This plan will include protection for credit card borrowers, added mortgage protection for struggling homeowners, and socialized medicine. If acted upon before the midterm election, the bill will see several rewrites in both houses of Congress and the final version will include protection from credit card debt, mortgage debt, and medical debt, but will fall short of instituting socialized medicine.
  • Early in an Obama administration, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will announce her resignation. With a Democrat controlled Congress, Obama will nominate an extreme liberal to replace her on the bench, and Congress will confirm her nomination (yes, a woman, and likely a black or hispanic woman) quickly. Justice John Paul Stevens will either die or fall seriously ill and be forced to retire from the bench, resulting in a second speedily confirmed Obama liberal to the bench. The repercussions will be felt for decades.
  • The now liberal government will attempt to prosecute President Bush and Vice President Cheney for war crimes.
  • As more states enact legislation legalizing gay marriage, the Supreme Court will refuse to hear suits to ban it, resulting in gay marriage sweeping the nation on the state level. I would expect to see additional vacancies to the Supreme Court result in more liberal appointments and further Court action to legalize gay marriage on a national level.
  • Private schools and home schooling will suffer greatly under the weight of mandated sex education, to include mandated education that homosexuality is normal and okay. Home schoolers will go underground and faith based private schools will be forced to comply or be shut down. Public education will become over-crowded due to the lack of private schools and home schooling issues, resulting in poor education across the country.
  • Obama will attempt to fulfill his campaign promise on the Iraq war and will attempt to withdraw troops within 17 months. The progress of redeployment will be halted as terrorist elements will stage a dual attack on American troops in Iraq and on American soil. Obama will be forced to return redeployed troops to the region to restabilize Iraq and the middle east, and will order National Guard units to deploy on American soil in response to the attacks here. Martial Law will be all but officially declared in the new ground zero.
  • I do have a prediction about Obama's promise to meet without preconditions with leaders of Iran, North Korea, etc., but I think it prudent to exclude that prediction from this article for now.
I could go on and on, but it will only begin to sound more spectacular. I think we will see much more than we can even imagine at this point in American history. Most importantly, after the Republicans resume some parity (and possibly control) in Congress, we will see a Republican President returned to the White House in 2012. Much of the damage caused by an Obama administration will take several decades to reverse as a liberal Supreme Court will continue to legislate their liberal agenda from the bench.

It will be at least a generation before we see one party control of the Executive and Legislative branches again.

God Bless America (please). We are going to need it!

Don't believe me? Bookmark this page and check my accuracy over the next four years.

Your comments?

Joe

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Why I Love My Wife

Wedding RingsI love my wife because she always finds a way to put up with me.

I love my wife because she doesn't fuss when she goes to bed and I stay up getting caught up on political news and blogging.


Your comments?

Joe

Monday, October 20, 2008

Why I Love My Wife

Wedding RingsI love my wife because, during my only day off between two six-day work weeks, she let me play hooky from responsibility (with minimal nagging) and have a nice, relaxing day.

I love my wife because I can't imagine not loving her.


Your comments?

Joe

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Why I Love My Wife

Wedding RingsI love my wife because she isn't too proud to say when she isn't sure about the new church we've been attending.

I love when my wife gets angry at the liberal media spouting off in favor of one candidate over another because they've lost their ability to be objective reporters.

I love it when my wife makes me the kind of dinner I love, saying she won't really enjoy it, only to find that she enjoyed it quite a bit.


Your comments?

Joe

Friday, October 17, 2008

Why I Love My Wife

Wedding RingsI love my wife because she did the painting in our bathroom remodel project.

I love that my wife also painted our daughter's bedroom while I was at work, and did a wonderful job of it.

I love my wife for taking the kids to the Covered Bridge Festival, letting me off the hook.


Your comments?

Joe

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Why I Love My Wife

Wedding RingsI love my wife because she is constantly looking for ways to stretch the family budget further.

I love my wife even though we sometimes don't see eye to eye, and we're both too stubborn to back down as soon as we should.

I love my wife because she has chosen to stay home with the kids, home-schooling our son, rather than pursuing work activities outside the house, because she understands that our most important job is developing the next generation.


Your comments?

Joe

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Why I Love My Wife

Wedding RingsI love my wife because she has become very understanding when my obligations at work require me to be away from home more than either of us would like.

I love my wife because, even though she has reached her lowest weight in ten years, she is still hard at work at the diet and exercise, because her goal weight is still five pounds away.

Alas, no baked goods when I got home from work tonight, but I love my wife anyway.


Your comments?

Joe

Monday, October 13, 2008

Why I Love My Wife

Wedding RingsI love my wife because, for the second night in a row, I came home from work to homemade baked goods -- this time cookies!

I love that my wife found something she could enjoy when I took the family to Five Guys Burgers & Fries for lunch after church today.


Your comments?

Joe

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Why I Love My Wife

Wedding RingsI love my wife because I came home from work tonight to find homemade cookies waiting for me.

I love the way my wife has had the conviction and determination to get to her goal weight through diet and exercise.

I love my wife because I choose to love her, and it is the best choice I have ever made!


Your comments?

Joe

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Why I Love My Wife

Wedding RingsI love my wife because today she surprised me with homemade banana bread with chocolate chips. Unbelievably delicious!

I love my wife because she does an excellent job of managing the home so I can focus on my job of managing a retail store.

I love that my wife has found new and creative ways to save us money.


Your comments?

Joe

Friday, October 10, 2008

Why I Love My Wife

Wedding RingsI love my wife because she sat with my daughter on her first night in her "big girl bed" tonight helping her get to sleep when she was scared by the concept of change.

I love the way my wife sometimes gets such uncontrollable cravings for something sweet that I have to run out to the store in the middle of the night (yeah, really, I love her for it).

I love the way my wife wants to put all of the condiments and dressings on my burgers and sandwiches for me, even when I tell her I can do it for myself.

Your comments?

Joe

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Why I Love My Wife

Wedding RingsI love that my wife always knows just when it's time to have new portraits taken of the kids.

I love when I run home during lunch to grab something I forgot and my wife surprises me by making lunch for me.

I love when my wife sits through Presidential debates with me, and I sometimes can't hear the candidates because my wife gets infuriated with something one of them says.


Your comments?

Joe

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Why I Love My Wife

Wedding RingsI love my wife because she gets really frustrated when politicians say stupid things.

I love my wife because she has really started to look to the Word of God for guidance, direction, reassurance, and comfort.

I love the fact that my wife has changed so much in the ten years I've known her -- she has developed firm beliefs that she is actually willing to argue for rather than being easily influenced by those around her.


Your comments?

Joe

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Why I Love My Wife

Wedding RingsI'm going to try something a little new here. Each day, I will post a list of two or three (or maybe four or five) reasons I love my wife, or things I love about my wife.

It's so easy to go through life in marriage, never really showing our appreciation for each other. My wife and I recently went away for a kid-free weekend. We went to a concert and to see the movie Fireproof, and the movie really hit home with me. It made me realize that I just don't show my wife how much I appreciate her.

I think most people who know me know how deep my devotion is to my wife, but sometimes I think I tend to get caught up in politics, and reading, and blogging, and podcasting (though not much lately) that I don't give my wife the attention or appreciation she deserves. So, beginning today, I plan to share here some of the reasons why I love my wife. Feel free to comment with the things you love about your spouse.
I love my wife because she's just stubborn enough to stand firm in her convictions, but open-minded enough to consider other points of view.

I love my wife because she is a wonderful, loving mother to our two great kids.

I love my wife because she loves to bake delicious cakes and cupcakes from homemade ingredients.


Your comments?

Joe

The Bible Speaks

While doing a little walking through the Bible today, I came across some passages that I felt the need to share.

  • On Marriage: So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it. Colossians 3:12-14 [MSG]
  • On Worries: Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Philippians 4:6-7 [MSG]
  • On Delegation (and Trying To Do Too Much): Moses' father-in-law said, "This is no way to go about it. You'll burn out, and the people right along with you. This is way too much for you—you can't do this alone. Now listen to me. Let me tell you how to do this so that God will be in this with you. Be there for the people before God, but let the matters of concern be presented to God. Your job is to teach them the rules and instructions, to show them how to live, what to do. And then you need to keep a sharp eye out for competent men—men who fear God, men of integrity, men who are incorruptible—and appoint them as leaders over groups organized by the thousand, by the hundred, by fifty, and by ten. They'll be responsible for the everyday work of judging among the people. They'll bring the hard cases to you, but in the routine cases they'll be the judges. They will share your load and that will make it easier for you. If you handle the work this way, you'll have the strength to carry out whatever God commands you, and the people in their settings will flourish also." Exodus 18:17-23 [MSG]
  • On Over-indulgence and Self Control: When you're given a box of candy, don't gulp it all down; eat too much chocolate and you'll make yourself sick; And when you find a friend, don't outwear your welcome; show up at all hours and he'll soon get fed up. Proverbs 25:16 [MSG]
  • On Temper and Forgiveness: Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:31 [MSG]
  • On Greed: But if it's only money these leaders are after, they'll self-destruct in no time. Lust for money brings trouble and nothing but trouble. Going down that path, some lose their footing in the faith completely and live to regret it bitterly ever after. 1 Timothy 6:9-10 [MSG]

Some passage from the Bible just require no elaboration at all.

Your comments?

Joe


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