Having yo-yo’ed my weight over the last four years in an attempt to get back into shape, I found this article very interesting.

Nutrition prof sheds 27 pounds on Twinkie diet – Chicago Tribune.

A few things to note:

• The professor isn’t recommending this diet, just observing the effects of calorie reduction.
• Not only did he lose weight, but his body chemistry (LDL, HDL, Triglycerides) all improved on the junk food.
• Exercise wasn’t mentioned.  It’s all about the intake of calories.

I’m sure the professor would encourage exercise as a part of everyone’s overall health.  It’s just that he studies nutrition, so that’s what he measured and reported.

The bottom line, though… Stop eating so much.

Where’d I put those Twinkies?

You may recall that Ray Boltz “came out of the closet” last year and openly confessed that he is living a homosexual lifestyle in Florida now.  You can read my article and the link to the Washington Blade magazine that carried the news in an interview with the singer:  Ray Boltz Confesses He Is Gay.

He’s just released a new single paralleling the desire of homosexuals’ to marry and the struggle to do so in America with the 1960′s era struggle of a white man’s struggle to marry a black woman detailed in the 1967 Supreme Court decision from the suit “Loving v. Virginia,” in which Chief Justice Warren wrote, “Marriage is one of the basic civil rights of man, fundamental to our very existence and survival.”

You can read the lyrics, hear the song and read what Boltz has to say about it on his blog:  Ray Boltz Blog.

I’ve heard it several times predicted, and Ray seems to agree, that this issue will be the next great civil rights struggle in America.

*NOTE:  No bashing in the comments.

Even though the NFL relented from its harsh stance against churches showing the Super Bowl, our church decided that we would be better to spin out our gatherings to homes of members in hopes that unchurched friends might feel more welcome and more likely to participate.  We had two sites last year and branched out to 5 sites this year.  Also, our sites were age graded 1st – 5th grades were invited to the home of some faithful children’s workers so they would have something special and their parents would be free to mingle at their parties.  Youth went to another house, Young adults, Median adults and Senior adults all had other gathering places.

We like this model because it is a step toward decentralizing our “programs” and creating more opportunities for conversation.  Eventually, we would like to get to a place where each small group chooses how to incorporate our Missional values into its own gathering and use the Super Bowl as it chooses.  (We are not yet utilizing small groups, but hope to transition within the year.)

As I told the church the week prior, it isn’t about the game, but about conversations that build relationships that open doors to the Gospel.  It’s always about the Gospel.

Well, what did you do?  Why did you do it?  How did you do it?  What happened as a result?

Just curious, but why is it, especially among media writing negatively about Christians, but even among those writing more “neutral” stories, are pictures shown of a group at a point of ecstatic worship (speaking in tongues optional)?

For an example, check out this picture, entitled “evangelicals.jpg” used in an article slanted harshly against Christians in general and evangelicals in particular:

You can find the article here:

Evangelists: Cashing in on Hard Economic Times

Most of the Evangelicals I know NEVER look like this, and those that do, only for a couple of moments per week.  Do people think we really walk around like this all day long?

Here’s a quote from the Washington Post Article:

The study detailed Americans’ deep and broad religiosity, finding that 92 percent believe in God or a universal spirit — including one in five of those who call themselves atheists. More than half of Americans polled pray at least once a day.

This is what comes when attending church becomes the culture instead of the Church shaping the culture via the proclamation of the Gospel which results in the salvation and then sanctification of the lost.

Read the whole thing here: Most Americans Believe in Higher Power, Poll Finds

Have you gotten your “Economic Stimulus Check” from the government yet?  If not, like me, there is a pretty easy solution for finding out your check’s status.  The website has a printed schedule, but the IRS seems to be behind in sending out the money.  Hmmm.  Surprised?

Anyway, if you call the IRS’ automated hotline, with a few easy questions, you can find out when your check is due to be mailed.  The number is:  1-866-234-2942.  You should know where you stand in a few minutes.

Now, what will you do with yours?

Today is the 13th Anniversary of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building building in Oklahoma City. It’s a scar that the heartland still bears.

photo by Kent Harville.

You can find some interesting pictures and a first hand account over at the Lifeway News Blog in a post called Friday Photos 4/18/08: Remembering The Oklahoma City Bombing, 13 Years Later.

I remember that I was in Seminary and my Mother-in-Law was in OKC for the day when I heard the news on the radio. It was tense until we were able be sure she was alright. She later said that the explosion shook the chandelier in the meeting room where they were in a hotel all the way by the airport.