The Path to Paradise

When All Else Fails...Persevere

2011-08-23T10:04:00.000-05:00

A lot has been going on recently in my personal life and to be honest it has been very trying. The only place I know to turn to is up above to my Lord and Savior. I feel unworthy of His love and comfort knowing that I placed Him on the backburner over the last couple of years. I need to lean on God not only in the difficult times, but also in the glorious times. However, I have learned over the past week, thanks to wonderful friends, that God loves us no matter what and that He calls on us to reach out to Him especially in times of trouble. None of us are worthy of His love, but he freely rains love down on us because we were made in His image. We are broken souls searching for a place in this corrupt world, yet God knows our true hearts. We don't have to remain broken if we place our trust and faith in Christ. Regardless of how I feel the only thing I can do is to continue pressing on--persevere! I opened a book that I have shelved for too long. It is "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers. I happened to open the book and came across this devotional.

Perseverance means more than endurance--more than simply holding on until the end. A saint's life is in the hands of God like a bow and arrow in the hands of an archer. God is aiming at something the saint cannot see, but our Lord continues to stretch and strain, and every once in a while the saint says, "I can't take any more." Yet God pays no attention; he goes on stretching until His purpose is in sight, and then He lets the arrow fly. Entrust yourself to God's hands. Is there something in your life for which you need perseverance right now? Maintain your intimate relationship with Jesus Christ through the perseverance of faith. Proclaim as Job did, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him" (Job 13:15).

Faith is not some weak and pitiful emotion, but is strong and vigorous confidence built on the fact that God is holy love. And even though you cannot see Him right now and cannot understand what He is doing, you know Him. Disaster occurs in your life when you lack the mental composure that comes from establishing yourself on the eternal truth that God is holy love. Faith is the supreme effort of your life--throwing yourself with abandon and total confidence upon God

God ventured His all in Jesus Christ to save us, and now He wants us to venture our all with total abandoned confidence in Him. There are areas in our lives where that faith has not worked in us as yet--places still untouched by the life of God. There were none of those places in Jesus Christ's life, and there are to be none in ours. Jesus prayed, "This is eternal life, that they may know You..." (John 17:3). The real meaning of eternal life is a life that can face anything it has to face without wavering. if we will take this view, life will become one great romance--a glorious opportunity of seeing wonderful things all the time. God is disciplining us to get us into this central place of power.

Fight for Love

2011-08-17T12:18:00.000-05:00

Would you fight for love in the face of adversity? Is knowing what true love is worth the risk of falling flat on your face? Is the pain that will come going to make you stronger or crush your will to seek true love?

Being a fighter doesn't mean being the strongest. Being a fighter doesn't mean being without fear. In fact fear is highly prevalent in a fight...especially one that means so much. Courage is all we need to give it our all and let the chips fall where they may!

I have fought a few battles in my day. I've been bloodied and bruised and my heart has been crushed. I am weary and not sure I can go on like this, but I know I survived and became even stronger as a man and steadfast in my belief in true love.

Believe me when I say the fight is worth it. You may get knocked down many times just as I have, but you must keep getting up and moving forward no matter how battered, bruised, and defeated you become.

True love is worth it.

Cleaning Up

2011-02-12T22:33:00.000-06:00

So today Tammy and I spent much of the afternoon in Nashville doing some shopping in the Green Hills area. Tammy got to experience the wonderful Trader Joe's for the first time. We had a great time looking and shopping for healthy, organic food selections. I hope that Murfreesboro gets a Trader Joe's one day. The selections are great and the prices are more affordable than one might think. Much better than the prices of our next stop...Whole Foods Market.

This is the first time we've been to the one in Green Hills. It is very swanky with all that crunchy, granola feel you typically get at a Whole Foods. Despite the prices and the swankiness we journeyed through the store and found some really good options for the Eat Clean direction I am taking my everyday diet. The best buy and something I have really wanted to try for a long time was Bison meat.

After a long day of shopping we came home and grilled up the Bison steak along with some veggies. The meal was excellent. Bison is the same texture as beef just with a richer flavor and much leaner and cleaner as Bison is grass-fed and most commercial beef is not. Even though I've only recently taken on the Eat Clean philosophy, I find myself feeling much better and not nearly as hungry during the day. I continue to make the small steps, but as long as the foods I get to eat are like the Bison I had tonight then I believe the Eat Clean way of life will the easiest change I've ever made.

A Rewarding Journey

2011-02-09T21:01:00.000-06:00

As mentioned in the previous post, I am developing a rewards system as I lose weight. I got this tremendous idea from a friend named Heather. Tammy had read a blog posting Heather wrote detailing a system of fun rewards for every 10 pounds lost to keep her motivated. When Tammy asked me to read the blog I instantly knew that was for me. I mean come on! Who doesn't like getting gifts for doing a good job?

So my brain went to stormin' to figure out what gifts would I like for each ten pounds lost. After a while I still had nothing. I found that major milestones were easy to develop gifts. Obviously the ultimate goal is a trip to an island. The halfway point will be a weekend getaway. So as it stands I have two trips as rewards and not much else. This is definitely a work in progress and I am happy to take any ideas from anyone who may read this.

Below is a breakdown of the rewards for pounds lost:

5-Book
10-
20-
30-
40-Weekend getaway
50-
60-
70-
80-Hawaii or some other tropically island!!

Thinking of gifts I would want is not easy!!

Some Changes

2011-02-08T22:32:00.002-06:00

Change is hardly ever easy, but often times it is absolutely necessary. That is where I find myself, particularly my health...or the lack of it. I am drastically overweight, constantly getting headaches, out of breath just going upstairs, and staring a family history of Diabetes in the eye. So it is here on this blog that I will chronicle the changes I will be making to not only create accountability, but hopefully set an example for someone else going through a similar situation.

I've actually made one change already and it was to this blog. The name of the blog has changed (former name was "A Little About a Lot"). The blog was started two years ago as a way to just have fun and hone some writing skills that have served me well in my Masters degree program at University of Tennessee. But as you may see from the last posting date I have not been on here in quite a while thanks to school, laziness, and forgetfulness...the last two reasons I look to change in my life as well.

The new name is inspirational in nature for me. I am in the process of developing a reward system as I lose weight with the ultimate reward being a vacation for Tammy and me to Hawaii or some other island vacation. I have a tall order as that means I have to reach 80 pounds lost, but I know I can do it!

I started at the New Year eating better and less, but I had a difficult time developing a plan of action. After losing five pounds I got my first reward...a book on eating clean. I've had to be honest with myself and accept that my eating habits are killing me. This is the key change for me. I have friends who are eating clean and the results are amazing. Add some exercise in there and there is no reason I cannot reach my ultimate goal of losing 80 pounds.

The steps along my path have begun! Here's to change!!

Permanence

2009-07-13T18:38:00.005-05:00

After a bit of a hiatus and some sincere badgering by my lovely wife Tammy, I return to the blogging world. It has been too long I admit, but it is much more tough to write when you have a job...not that I am complaining after being unemployed for 4 months, but I have missed writing.

So let's see! A lot has happened since my last post. The swine flu is still making itself around the world, celebrities are dropping like flies, and my beloved Cubs suck, but lucky for them though the rest of their division does too, so they still have a chance for the playoffs.

From a personal standpoint a lot has happened as well. The summer has been chock-full of activities. (Sidenote: Using 'chock-full' in a sentence was number 999 on my list of 1001 things to do before I die! Check! ;). My gardening has been a wonderful way to stay outdoors. My tomatoes have really done well and they taste amazing. Our friends Jon and Kelsey stayed with us for about 5 weeks and that was great to have housemates! We were happy to open our house to them as they returned from Jerusalem. Also I started a new job after being unemployed for a time. It isn't necessarily what I wanted, but I feel blessed to have a job and to be able to bring an income into the house. Regardless of how long I am at Lowe's, God has me there to learn something that will be valuable down the road.

With the busyness of the summer and now a new job I definitely have had my moments of being stretched thin. That always brings vulnerability in my emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. June was a tough month. Tammy and I barely saw each other due to work schedules. I was adjusting to the new job plus trying to deal with the fact that it was a major paycut. I felt so isolated even from God. Prayer didn't seem to matter. Needless to say my mind was assaulted with negative thoughts that were pulling me away from the Grace of God. I was even letting it affect my marriage. The turning point came when I began to wrestle and get angry with God for allowing these demons to creep into my life. There is nothing like trying to fight with someone you can never defeat that will bring you to your knees and humble you like a little child. It wasn't God letting this happen at all. It was because of my lack of focus on Heavenly matters that I found myself apart from God. My worries, my insecurities, and my pride had begun to corrupt me.

The good news is that like always God showed up!! The permanency of God is a gift that should never be overlooked. When we find ourselves apart from God we can be sure that it was us, not God that moved. God shows up in a variety of ways...through the Holy Spirit, through friends and family, circumstances, and prayer. He wants the best for His children and like a good Father he corrects our mistakes and embraces us when we need Him most.

In a world that can be turned upside down by pandemic fears, deaths of people we respect and grew up with, and economic turmoil, just remember the permanency of God in your life!! It will never fail you!

Pig Suey

2009-04-30T00:38:00.006-05:00

It seems that the good ol' pig just can't catch a break. First it was the Jews and their Kosher laws that forbid eating pork. Then the Muslims came along with their Halal laws that also forbid eating pork. Now the WHO (World Health Organization) is calling out the pigs by labeling the newest influenza strain "Swine Flu."

**Sidenote: Christians might want to take a hard look at the whole pork-eating debate. Jews and Muslims don't agree on much of anything, so when they agree on anything it is worth an investigation. I don't know how many Jews and Muslims die of heart disease, but Americans, who are predominantly Christian, are dropping like flies because of it. Looks like another reason to pick on the pig to me. I'm just saying!!

Technically this new strain is actually called the "H1N1 Virus"...for whatever that means to my scientifically inept mind. It is a combination of the human flu, bird flu, and swine flu, yet it was the pigs that took the full blame. Poor pigs!

According to the WHO, a worldwide pandemic is imminent. I haven't decided yet whether to go all "Michael Jackson" and buy some surgical masks or whether I'll take my chances. Lucky for me I have a wife who is a nurse and knows what to do in these situations. Plus she can always sneak a few surgical masks out of the ER at her hospital for me. Being unemployed I am always looking to save a few pennies!

What is so ludicrous to me about this whole mess, as well as, all the other "imminent pandemics" (i.e. SARS, Bird Flu, et al.) is that the media takes on the role of "Chicken Little" and creates mass hysteria. We never see anyone come on the news and rationally inform the public as to why the "Swine Flu" is any worse than the "Common Flu." According to the WHO website, between 250,000 and 500,000 people around the world die from influenza each year. The elderly are the most susceptible to death by influenza. I am not sure what the definition of pandemic is, but 250,000-500,000 people seems a lot to me. Is the "Swine Flu" going to kill more than this? Are we talking millions of people? Hospitals are being overrun by hypochondriacs believing that eating pork results in the "Swine Flu." Without intelligent reporting and educational information, the public is left to fend for itself. I used to have a lot of confidence in people in general, but that has changed over the past few years. In truth I believe the vast majority of the public will believe anything and everything that is spewed from the mouths of the newscasters. If the government and these health agencies can't give us the truth about "Swine Flu," how can we be sure we are getting the truth when it comes to terrorism, economic meltdowns, and anything else that impacts our lives so deeply??

All this ranting has made me hungry. I think I'll get off my soapbox and eat some leftover pulled-pork BBQ...then off to the ER to get tested!!

Thankful

2009-04-11T21:56:00.010-05:00

A day after one of the worst tornadoes to hit Murfreesboro a community picks up the pieces of a life, once complete, that is now strewn all over the city streets. Houses, vehicles, and mementos destroyed. A mother and her nine-week old baby dead and many more people injured. Millions of dollars of damages. The list goes on. After the tornadoes made their way east across the state I felt blessed by the fact that my house was still standing and my electricity and water still worked. But for me to feel blessed, in my mind, implies that those whose homes were completely leveled were not blessed. So maybe I am just thankful. Thankful that Tammy, our friends and I are alive. Thankful that I live in a community that has rallied to support those in need. Thankful that on a weekend where we celebrate our resurrected Lord, Jesus Christ, I live in a community that by the grace of God will rise from the rubble and be renewed!

The pictures posted are from the local newspaper Daily News Journal.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye, Like a Big Pizza Pie...

2009-03-13T19:09:00.000-05:00

That's Amore!!!

This is a great classic lovesong sung by the late, great Dean Martin. The song just makes you happy, especially if the one you love is standing right next to you. What makes this song so great though is that the songwriter incorporated love and pizza into the song! The only thing that goes better with pizza is a nice cold beer!

Eating pizza is one of the best things about living. A great tasting pizza can make a crappy day become the best day ever!! Sharing pizza with family and friends strengthens bonds and makes bellies fatter. The only problem with pizza, at least here in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, is that it is really hard to find a great pizza. I am a snob when it comes to pizza. I will not eat Domino's, Papa John's or Pizza Hut unless all other options have been exhausted or its free! I do like Papa Murphy's, but I have to drive too far to get one. I think I've finally found the answer!! I've decided to start making my own pizza. Thanks to my uncle Price who gave me a video, book, and starter flour I am now in business.

So today I tried my hand at making my first-ever homemade pizza! Those of you that know me know that I can find my way around a kitchen. I love to cook and I really love pleasing the palate of those who are eating my food creations. I am usually not intimidated by the challenges a recipe or process can throw at me, but a pizza is very manual in the creation process. I am used to kitchen appliances giving me a hand. Pizza making all starts with the dough. On Wednesday I actually began the process by creating the dough with flour, water and yeast. I kneaded the dough into a ball for 10 minutes and then slid it into a bag to chill in the fridge for 2 days. (Needless to say, if you are craving pizza really badly making it may not be the best option!!)
Working the dough was an adventure! My thoughts were, "how do I get a stretched out dough crust from this blob that is staring back at me?" Like I said, this is the first homemade pizza ever for me. I started working the dough out into a disc-like shape, but the fun part was still to come! Next I had to start slapping/throwing the dough between by hands. There is a rhythm to this that I will someday master...I hope!! I am sure if you could see me doing this you would be reminded of a white person dancing...absolutely no rhythm or coordination was involved!! But after about 5-10 minutes of stretching this dough out I finally had what looked like a pizza pie crust!! I was proud that it resembled a pizza and did not have holes in it!!

Now that the hard part was done and the pizza stone was in the oven heating to 550 degrees. I was ready to throw some toppings on this bad boy! I went pretty traditional with italian sausage, black olives, onions, 'shrooms, and of course loads of mozzarella! Once that stone reached 550 degrees the pizza went in for 9 minutes. That 9 minutes seemed quite a long period of time. I was ready to test the fruits of my labor. More importantly I was excited for Tammy to sink her teeth into this pizza. Between the two of us, she is the pizza connossieur. Quite frankly, I am one of the only people I know who gets burned out on pizza pretty quickly. Tammy and her sister Becky I believe would eat pizza everyday for every meal! Suffice it to say, Tammy's favorable opinion of my pizza was of the utmost importance if I hope to continue with the homemade pizza making.

As Tammy took her first bite I wasn't sure of what to make of the face she was making. Thoughts of disaster filled my brain. She took her sweet, prescious time chewing. "Do you like it or not?" I was thinking. Finally she swallowed the pizza and proceeded to tell me it was probably the best pizza she's ever had!! "Wow," I remarked. Tammy can lay it on pretty thick when she is encouraging me, but she said she was serious. I had my first bite, and I thought much the same. Some of you may not know, but I do not care to brag about my food when it is really good. Just ask Tammy!! While I don't truly know if this pizza was really the best Tammy or I have ever had (I am still partial to Giordano's in Chicago), but my pizza definitely ranks right up there. All I do know is it tasted a heck of a lot better than Domino's, Papa John's, or Pizza Hut which is all I wanted to accomplish anyway.

I felt like a "King of the Kitchen" today. I tackled a challenging process with relative ease and the product came out beautiful and tasty. I got to enjoy my masterpiece (see pic below) with my beautiful wife and strengthen the bond that we share. If only I had had a cold beer!!!

Now that would've been AMORE!!

For My Friend Cathy

2009-03-11T00:06:00.000-05:00

What is it about the word "cancer" that strikes fear into the hearts of many? Is it the fact there is no known cure? Is it the chemotherapy and losing your hair? Is it...?...well you know. I personally do not know and honestly hope I never have to find out. But my outlook isn't so positive. According to the American Cancer Society a man has a 1 in 2 chance of developing cancer over the course of a lifetime and a woman has a 1 in 3 chance. I definitely do not like those odds. I'd rather take those odds to a horse racetrack and win some money. At least that activity is enjoyable...win or lose!

Recently, Tammy and I have had the displeasure of seeing cancer a bit closer than we'd prefer. My father had skin cancer removed from his nose in January. A friend, Barb, from Florida that Tammy worked with has a daughter who battled cancer in 2008 and is now in remission. Barb also has a husband who is now valiantly fighting cancer. And just today, one of mine and Tammy's best friends, Cathy, was diagnosed with colon cancer. The cancer news just doesn't seem to go away!!

It is such a shock to the mind when a cancer diagnosis is announced. You are not really sure of what to say. Inside my heart is breaking, yet I want to remain strong in the presence of my friend. I want to say sorry, but first of all I didn't cause it, and second, my friend doesn't want my pity! And then for the rest of the family, Larry and the boys, my heart breaks as well. What do I say?

It is times like these that I am humbled by God! I am reminded that my words do not matter, but my actions and my faith do. God's wonderous glory is about to be seen through my friend Cathy. You see, this isn't Cathy's "first rodeo" when it comes to cancer. Joe, one of her 16-year old twins (Josh being the other), was diagnosed with cancer a few years back. Through the grace of God he is cancer-free, but I truly believe this only prepared Cathy for this day. Her determination in the face of fear is exemplary. God works in such awesome ways and I am excited to see The Great Physician at work through this. Cancer is no match for the strength, grace, and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

So take that cancer!! No longer will you strike fear in the hearts of many. You can continue to afflict over half of the population, but you will not conquer us. When you've afflicted just one person you've afflicted all those in direct contact with that person. And cancer, those are a lot of people willing to fight back and to kick your butt!! So Cathy we share your illness. Maybe not physically, but spiritually! We are all part of the Body of Christ and we will be there to support and encourage you during this time of challenge and growth! On behalf of everyone we call mutual friends, we Love you and we will be there to celebrate God's glory as He defeats this cancer!!

Psalm 121:1-2
I raise my eyes toward the mountains --
from where will my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
the maker of heaven and earth.

The World's Most Perfect Food Comes to Life

2009-03-04T23:13:00.000-06:00

In the past week I was with my wife Tammy while she was checking her Facebook. I got to see something that absolutely made me LOL. And I don't mean just a normal laugh. I mean a laugh like a three-year old giggling at someone as they play peek-a-boo!! Sometimes those are the best laughs. Something that can let you be a child again if only for a second or two.

I like to share things like this with my friends so that maybe you too can experience a good laugh.

So without further adieu......Here's NANERPUS!!!!

Easy Persuasion

2009-03-02T13:46:00.000-06:00

Greetings! So I finally decided to create a blog. The idea has been there for awhile, but the actual moving and clicking of the mouse plus a few keystrokes needed to enter information some how eluded me. Maybe it was that I was more elusive...or lazy, although I prefer the elusive label. Why now you may ask? Because I am so easily persuaded to do just about anything including putting my thoughts, observations, and opinions in an open forum for just about anyone to read who-so chooses. To show how easily persuaded I can be, my friends who are 8 or 9 time zones ahead in Jerusalem expressed their desire for me to start a blog. They thought I would be good at it. I don't know about that, but I thought "What the heck! Let's give it a go!" That is all I needed to end up here writing this first blog. BTW, thanks Jon and Kelsey!! I truly mean it! I sometimes need coaxing to actually get up and do something. Call me a pushover if you will. I just call it being adventuresome! How else will you know if you like or dislike something??

So what do I hope to do with this blog? Well the title of it sums it up for me. I've always prided myself on knowing "a lot about a little," although many times I wish I could go as deep in my knowledge on most things as I am able to with Chicago Cubs baseball. The Northsiders look good this year and I gotta believe that in this 101st year since the last World Series Championship, the Cubs will win it all, but I digress. Back to what I want to do with this blog. Sometimes it will be opinions. Sometimes it will be just the facts, ma'am (a little homage to Dragnet). It will definitely sway from opinions to facts, news to sports, liberal to conservative, and current events to personal stories. For those of you who choose to read I thank you and feel free to leave comments! I like to discuss. I love to disagree, I just don't handle hot-headed comments very well...so be warned!

So to wrap it up...Welcome to a slice of Jeremy's mind!!