Hello, yeah, it's been a while...

My computer blew up. Yes, I mean it blew up. Crack, bang, pop, fizzle sizzle, smells like mom's cooking, blew up. Today the new Dell came. I know nerds, there's better, but this is a pretty nice machine and the price was right.

I've been trying to get this thing set up like I want it. Obviously I've reached the world wide web, but there's more I need to fix. For one thing, I'd like to get rid of all this extra junk that Windows XP has in order to "help" me. Ugh...

But more pressing is saving the info on my old hard drive. Here's my problem, techies (yep, you're nerds when I want to be quiet, and techies when I need your help) -- My old hard drive needs IDE cables, but the new Dell has the SATA type drive/cables. So, how's a guy hook up an IDE slave to an SATA master? I wonder do they have external thingies that I can use to plug the old drive into a USB or something? Help would be appreciated.

In other news...

Ever have one of those heart in your throat, nearly wet your pants, don't want to go into a room for fear of what you'll find, kind of moments? Here was moment like that tonight:

"Dad! Daniel got Cole's knife stuck in his mouth!"

It was not as bad as it sounded, all thanks be to the Good LORD.

That's it for now.

The Dad Workout

Ok, quick for you dad's who wanna workout but don't wanna spend money on joining a gym or buying weights:

1. Have a child lay on his back on the floor. Standing with feet shoulder width apart, straddling the feet of the child, bend at the knees and grab the kid's ankles. Slowly stand up and pull the child up in front of you as high as you can. There's your deadlift and front deltoid raise all in one.

2. Sling a kid over your shoulders (kata guruma/fireman's carry style). Squat till it burns.

3. Line up the kids and carry them up the stairs, over and over until you sweat.

If you want, you can also military press your kids, and have a kid hop on your back during pushups.

When you become strong enough that your kids become to easy to lift, move on to your wife.

There you go, the Dad Workout.

Christ our Wisdom, Righteousness, and Sanctification

Where it is said that Jesus Christ is given to us to be our redemption, [1 Cor. 1:30] St. Paul declares at the same time how it is done, namely because (he says) he is given us to be our wisdom, righteousness, and sanctification. And how for wisdom? In order that our whole mind may rest upon him and not wander from him on this side or that. Again, he is given us to be our righeousness, in order there should not be any spot or wrinkle in us when we appear before the face of our God, but that the blood of Jesus Christ should suffice us for the whole of our uprightness. Also he is given to us for our sanctification, in order that we should be renewed by his Holy Spirit. And whoever separates these things one from another intends to tear Jesus Christ in pieces as much as lies in him.

~~John Calvin, Sermon on Ephesians 5:25-27.

The strangely familiar face of tyranny...

Kata Guruma x2

Kata Guruma is a throw used in Judo. It is also contained in the karate system we study, as found in Wansu and Sunsu kata (kata being something different in karate than it is in judo -- in judo kata is a move, and in karate it is a set series of moves contained in a solo exercise).

I like kata guruma, it's fun. Here's a good example of one, countered with the same move:



I know, maybe you don't like stuff like this, but I do and it's my blog.

Time

Time keeps flying by. It seems like a blink and a month half-passes. I used to feel like I had too much time, and now it seems I don't have any.

And yet, I'm so far too easily distracted from important things.

This I find to be frustrating.

The Duty of Singing Psalms LOUDLY.

"And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them" (Acts 16:25).

This proves that the singing of psalms is a gospel ordinance, and ought to be used by all good Christians; and that it is instituted, not only for the expressing of their joys in a day of triumph, but for the balancing and relieving of their sorrows in a day of trouble. It was at midnight that they sang psalms, according to the example of the sweet psalmist of Israel (Ps. cxix. 62): At midnight will I rise to give thanks unto thee. (3.) Notice is here taken of the circumstance that the prisoners heard them. If the prisoners did not hear them pray, yet they heard them sing praises. [1.] It intimates how hearty they were in singing praises to God; they sang so loud that, though they were in the dungeon, they were heard all the prison over; nay, so loud that they woke the prisoners: for we may suppose, being at midnight, they were all asleep. We should sing psalms with all our heart. The saints are called upon to sing aloud upon their beds, Ps. cxlix. 5. But gospel grace carries the matter further, and gives us an example of those that sang aloud in the prison, in the stocks. [2.] Though they knew the prisoners would hear them, yet they sang aloud, as those that were not ashamed of their Master, nor of his service. Shall those that would sing psalms in their families plead, in excuse for their omission of the duty, that they are afraid their neighbours should hear them, when those that sing profane songs roar them our, and care not who hears them?

~~Matthew Henry's Commentary upon Acts 16.