Bwige's Uncle

Hey,

I was just told that Bwige's Uncle probably has only about a day to live (his liver has given out). So be praying for him and his family.

To be honest, I don't know how to feel about this. He is one of those guys who didn't take care of himself, received a heart transplant, and still ate whatever he wanted and never exercised. So he's been sick for years now. He knows what he does, but didn't care enough to change it.

So what should I do with that?

On top of that, he has been a nominal Mormon for a while (married into it). But even that he didn't take seriously from what I know (he stopped practicing when his wifed died a long time ago).

So what do I do? I have no doubt his sister has given him all the evangelism he wants. I am sure he has heard it all. With his mind pretty far gone from sickness what could be said, what should be said? What is rude what isnt?

I dont what to feel on this. The practical side of me says that he is getting what he has earned repeatedly over the last many many years of irresponsible living. And its hard to find compassion for someone who has for all practical purposes killed someone else. (aka, he got a new heart and wasted it, therefore someone else died who needed one and would have used the second chance at life wisely). For me, a wasted new heart is one of the most despicable things you can do...

Then the compassionate side of me says that my sins make me the same thing before a holy God; my sins crucified Christ. And we are called to love people no matter what. But we are not supposed to empower them to do so and just put it aside when they do so. The compassionate side of me reminds me that he is a human being and worth love. I mean... I do care for this guy, I dont know him terribly well, but he is a nice, good guy. I have nothing at all against him.

And then I think... he is hours away from an eternity in hell... and my heart breaks for him despite all he has done. I shudder even at the thought of it... And I wonder if I should go and at least try and witness to him. But I'm pretty sure that his mind is far gone enough at this point that there probably isn't anything that can be done. And I would not say anything he hasn't heard 100 times before...

So what do you guys think? What should be done, what should be prayed for? How do I process this?

05/24/07

So I was at a friends house Monday night and he happens to be a doctor in training. I was talking about exercising to try and lose a bit of weight because I am going to be walking a lot in Italy this summer. And so, being the doctor that he is, he whips out his little PDA with handy calculators on it and asks me how much I weigh and how tall I am and it comes up with a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 33. I asked him how that was. He replied “Medically speaking, anything over 30 is obese. So you are mildly obese.”

Wow! I had no idea! I mean, I know that I’m a little heavy, but I would NEVER consider myself obese. But I am. That was really shocking to me.

Well, in the end, I’m glad I know that. I’m the kind of guy that works off of numbers, so now that I know, I can work towards a goal. So I have set my goal at 200 pounds (from my current 245) which will give me a BMI of 26.5.

So now for the funny part. I was looking up some health info on the net, and I came across this site that will calculate your BMI and stuff… and I really didn’t pay attention to the header, but thought it funny when it had a “Peoples Choice Ideal Weight” which is what other people my height/age/weight describe as their ideal weight, and then they have a “Medical Recommendation.” I thought that a bit odd that they would have a place where its just what other people want ABOVE the medical recommendation. Then I look at the top of the page and it says

“Set a realistic ‘Ideal Weight’ goal for your body,
Try to Feel Good about yourself even if you are overweight.”

How funny! How true! How appropriate. In America, one of the fattest countries on the planet, when I do a Google search for ‘Ideal Weight’ the first site that comes up says that even if you are overweight, that’s ok, just feel good about it; stuff some more fatty-burgers down your pie-hole and feel good. That’s really funny! Instead of saying, you should strive and work hard for health, it says that the BMI calculators are just out of date!

That’s exactly how I got to be obese! I looked at everyone else around me and saw that I was a bit bigger than some and smaller than some and I FEALT good about that. But when I was given the truth that I was obese, I’ve lost 5 pounds in the last week by eating healthy (skipping the ice cream at church and doing better at home also thank you very much!) and exercise (man that elliptical bike kills me!). When I examined myself against the unmoving standard, I saw myself lacking.

Now I could get all theological on you and say how we have to measure ourselves against the Bible and not other Christians, but I won’t. = )

Well that’s it, this house-wife must go finish dinner to take to my most gorgeous wifey. Laterz.

updated:

(From another page of the same sight)

"Above all, Don't Worry, Be Happy. It's unhealthy to have anxiety over a less-than-perfect body image. And, if this calculator's description of your body seems wrong for you, just trust your own judgment. A healthy mental attitude is just as important as physical fitness."

LOL, I was talking to my friend and she said, 'people love to make excuses for their obesity. "Well, I feel good!" "I exercise all the time!" and "Some skinny people are unhealthy!"

So true!

05/23/07

So.... apparently, last time Bwige and I were at the beach she must have swallowed something funny. I don't know how exactly to say this, but... well my wife has a family of whales living inside her belly. We know so because we heard them this morning. We were laying in bed before she had to leave for school and we could hear them talking to each other. "Baaaarruuuuu" one said. "Baarrooooooooooooooooo" another answered back.

So consider yourself warned; when going to the beach, don't drink the water because you may swallow a family of baby whales and they may grow up inside your belly. And I always thought Grandpa was kidding when he told me that if I swallowed watermelon seeds they'd grow out my ears. That just goes to show how young and ignorant I was.

05/20/07

With regard to my last post.... there are a few things I am pondering. Most of it falls under two main category.

1. First is, from the post, what does it take to be a Christian. Not just to become a Christian, but to be one. What makes someone Christian? praying a magical prayer?

2. Second, purity and holiness. God calls his people to be set apart and different from those in our culture. I think the American church has largely failed at that. 'Christians' eat, drink, dress, talk, and entertain ourselves the same way as those who are 'Not Saved'. So then are we any different than those around us? What does that say about our salvation?

Well, what are your thoughts on the matter? I have a few verses that pertain to each, but I think I need to read through the rest of scripture and see what it says.

What do you guys think?

05/17/07

My Life:

Umm, today I went to class in the morning. In the afternoon I stayed home and finished a photography project even thought I was supposed to be in class (I miss-predicted the time the project would take). Now I’m eating leftovers for dinner.

(OK.. if that’s all blogs are… I have no idea how they got popular, that was really boring)
Now for the interesting stuff –>

My Thoughts:

My thoughts today turn towards American Christianity in contrast with the Christianity of the rest of the world. As I see it, those who call themselves believers in the US are mostly made of pew-warmers who go to church on Sunday to get their ‘religion’ in. (If you disagree with me, well, you can just be wrong, but that’s a whole other post =) ). Anyways, when I see the struggles of Christians in other nations and the struggles I and others like me face, well… it is disheartening.

Today, 500 Pakistani Christians will live with the knowledge that at any moment militants could burst through the door with guns slaughter them and their families… and I consider myself a radical Christian because I carry my Bible around with me.

A few weeks ago, a woman who had volunteered her life to giving medical care to the poor in Turkey. A religious fanatic walked into the clinic and killed her in cold blood… and I consider myself on fire for God because I gave a guy on the street corner a bag of food and last month I gave out sandwiches to some homeless guys.

I struggle every day to live out my faith. I struggle to wake up in the mornings and spend more than 15 minutes in fellowship with my creator. I know that I must seriously study God’s message… but I don’t. Why? I don't know.

So what can I do? Maybe keep in front of me the life other Christians are living. My problems are nothing but ping-pong balls compared to the RPG’s hurling towards my Christian brothers and sisters. Yet I cower in fear at the welt the ping-pong ball will leave – if the slight discoloration could truly be called a welt. Can I even call myself a Christian when I can not even take 30 minutes a day to fellowship with Christ?

Now I know what you are thinking. All one must do to be a Christian is confess with your mouth and believe in your heart and you will be saved. Really? Those are the words of Romans 10:9 says, but what does scripture say in the bigger context?

Well… there is much more to be said on this subject, many pages worth. But my thoughts are not yet solidified and I haven’t yet done all the research so you’ll just have to wait.

Just to wet your appitite here are some of the verses I am pondering…

Ps 63:1, Isaiah 58:2-14,James 2:14-26, 1 John 3:17-18, Matt 18:23-35…

Prayer for our brothers

A side note for the day.... please be in prayer for our brothers. Let us not have such tunnel vision to think that we are the whole church.

---

Taliban Tells Pakistani Christians: Convert or Die

Thursday , May 17, 2007 — Pakistan

Christians in a Pakistani town beset by pro-Taliban militants sought government protection Wednesday, the eve of a deadline for them to convert to Islam or face violence.

About 500 Pakistani Christians in Charsadda, a town in the North West Frontier Province bordering Afghanistan, received letters earlier this month telling them to close their churches and convert by Thursday or be the target of "bomb explosions."

Several Christians, a tiny minority in the predominantly Muslim country, have fled town and others are living in fear, community leaders said.

Some complained that police were not taking the threat seriously.

"Police say someone is joking with us by writing these letters," Chaudhry Salim, a Charsadda Christian leader, said during a news conference in Islamabad. "They have deployed only two policemen at our churches ... this is the kind of security we are getting now."

(find the rest of the story at http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,273075,00.html )

05-16-07

This blog (wow, that’s really sad, I had to add the word ‘blog’ to the dictionary in Word)… anyways. This blog will serve 2 purposes. First, it will do the normal thing of mundane updates on my life; happy joy. Now those of you who care (mom and grandma) can keep abreast on the ins and outs without needing the phone calls. No, the calls wont stop; reading this will just allow you to ask more in depth questions – think of it as a briefing.

The second reason, however, is more why I started this blog. I am going through a time in life (which I hope will continue for a long time) when I am really trying to figure out how all this God stuff works. Yah, the theory is great, and good theology is important, but how do I live out my faith? How will it manifest itself in my daily walk? How do I take God’s words seriously? How will my life change as I am molded by my creator to look more and more like him everyday?

I look forward to finding out.

And I also look forward to your comments. Remember, we were not made to operate in isolation. I covet your ideas/comments/snide remarks. Hey, ya spent the time reading my thoughts; you might as well improve the site with your thoughts.

As for you, well I have to admit that I am doing this a bit selfishly. It helps me to process life when I write things down… so I figure why not let others peek in. God may use a nobody like me to encourage someone else every blue moon.

So here is where it gets interactive… I need some feedback from some of you that have been doing this since 2005. I will have at least 2 lines of thought going in this blog (maybe more). One will be the random happenings of my day; usually fairly short postings. But the second will be my drawn out musings on an issue which will probably be quite lengthy. Do I have separate blogs for that? Do I leave it up to you guys to wade through what you want? Can blogspot support parallel blogs on a page and you choose which one or both to display? Do I have different postings for each and lable one as ‘happenings’ and one as ‘musings’? How do I do that? And what if another thread comes in? Then what?

Well, that’s it for today. I need to get back to writing my paper for class. Laterz and God bless.

First Post

As my brother said to me, welcome to 2005.

OK, I know I'm a bit behind... but I'm catching up =)

look for my thoughts on life here. Enjoy

.... quick... who will be the first to post a comment? will it be you?