Will someone please listen to this man?

Worse things could happen...

And worse things ~have~ happened, but I'm still a bit bummed.

My angel fish died... the jewel of my aquarium is gone! Now I don't have any mid to high level swimmers in my tank. It looks empty. The angel fish taught all the other fish who's boss, and they all swim near the bottom.

Surviving are: 1 Pictus catfish, 1 Ruby/Rainbow shark, 1 Pleco, 1 black molly, 3 blood fin tetra, 2 black skirt tetra, 1 siamese algae eater, and a tiny little cory that's cute and has a mustache.

Now what should I do?

DON'T YOU QUIT!!!

This is the sign that hangs on the wall of my garage at my squat rack. I hung it up as a reminder to... well... not quit!

I need the reminder because of something I've been experimenting with -- 20 rep squats, aka "breathing squats," aka "man-makers," aka "super squats," aka "squats and milk" (named for the drink that helps pack on the muscle).

Here's the concept: Take a weight with which you can squat about 10 times (not 11 or 12), and stand there until you're done with 20. It just may be the hardest exercise you'll ever do. It's physically and psychologically brutal. It makes you feel like you might pass out, throw up, cry, shout things you shouldn't, and QUIT.

Reps #1 through #10, simple enough, just like an ordinary set of squats. Rep #11 can only be done after pausing a bit to get some air into you. Stand there with the weight on your back... breathe... deep and slow... and squat... #12, stand there and breathe, squat #13... etc. Somewhere around #15 to #17, your body starts getting to your mind... "What in the world are you doing? Rack that weight and be done with this nonsense! Just quit!" Then I look at my sign. DON'T YOU QUIT. It's my reminder to keep going, now matter how bad I want to give up.

It's a simple and short phrase, because at the time of the greatest struggle, long or detailed arguments are not going to register very well. Breathe... huff, huff, huff, inhale BIG and... squat... back up again... #18. "I can't do this anymore, I'm going to quit before I pass out or puke."

At this point, it is nearly impossible to reason thusly, "Jerry, if you intend to get the maximum benefit of this very difficult exercise, you need to complete the set. It is precisely these moments of great struggle that provoke the physiological response that you seek. If you continue and finish the set, your body will release growth hormones and testosterone, and your muscles will grow bigger and stronger. Also, Jerry, before you put that barbell down, you may want to consider that your heart is also getting quite a good workout from these breathing squats. I urge you to continue until reaching your original goal of 20 squats with your 10 rep max."

No, no. That's not how your brain is working right then. It's more like, "oh.... huff, huff, huff, I can't do this... huff, huff, huff, I think I'm going to die...I quit, I quit." Then, I look at my sign again... DON'T YOU QUIT. Short and sweet. Very effective. "Why shouldn't I quit? I don't understand... this hurts!!! I should quit." DON'T YOU QUIT. Ok, ok, keep going. Yes, keep going. You'll understand it later, just obey it now.

After finishing the squats, some people collapse on the floor, others go the bench and do pullovers to help breathe and expand the chest. Me, I just head towards the door on my wobbly legs and try to get as much air as I can, knowing that I just finished a very difficult thing, and I didn't quit. Now I can go have some milk and enjoy the benefits of my workout (well, after the Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness becomes tolerable).

Ok, what's the point of this post? DON'T YOU QUIT!!! That's the point. Consider this workout story to be some sort of metaphor for life. Times get tough. Our patience is tried, our energy gets zapped, our faith gets shaky, and sometimes we want to quit. DON'T YOU QUIT.

Need a sign telling you not to quit? Here it is. Post it up in your memory:

"If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small" -- Proverbs 24:10.

Note, 1. In the day of adversity we are apt to faint, to droop and be discouraged, to desist from our work, and to despair of relief. Our spirits sink, and then our hands hang down and our knees grow feeble, and we become unfit for anything. And often those that are most cheerful when they are well droop most, and are most dejected, when any thing ails them. 2. This is an evidence that our strength is small, and is a means of weakening it more. “It is a sign that thou art not a man of any resolution, any firmness of thought, any consideration, any faith (for that is the strength of a soul), if thou canst not bear up under an afflictive change of thy condition.” Some are so feeble that they can bear nothing; if a trouble does but touch them (Job_4:5), nay, if it does but threaten them, they faint immediately and are ready to give up all for gone; and by this means they render themselves unfit to grapple with their trouble and unable to help themselves. Be of good courage therefore, and God shall strengthen thy heart.

--Matthew Henry.

Psalm 71:20

Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

Note, [1.] The best of God's saints and servants are sometimes exercised with great and sore troubles in this world. [2.] God's hand is to be eyed in all the troubles of the saints, and that will help to extenuate them and make them seem light. He does not say, “Thou hast burdened me with those troubles,” but “shown them to me,” as the tender father shows the child the rod to keep him in awe. [3.] Though God's people be brought ever so low he can revive them and raise them up. Are they dead? he can quicken them again. See 2Co_1:9. Are they buried, as dead men out of mind? he can bring them up again from the depths of the earth, can cheer the most drooping spirit and raise the most sinking interest. [4.] If we have a due regard to the hand of God in our troubles, we may promise ourselves, in due time, a deliverance out of them. Our present troubles, though great and sore, shall be no hindrance to our joyful resurrection from the depths of the earth, witness our great Master, to whom this may have some reference; his Father showed him great and sore troubles, but quickened him and brought him up from the grave.

--Matthew Henry.

Inter arma silent leges

(Amidst the din of arms the voice of law is unheard).

Peace is a gift from God (Psalm 29:11). It is also something we are required to search for and chase down like a hunter pursuing his prey (Psalm 34:14). What are some practical ways to pursue peace?

In the case of Asa (2 Chron. 14), we see that God granted him peace and quiet for a period of ten years. What did he do during that time of peace? He reformed that overwhich he had dominion -- in this case, his kingdom -- removing all idolatry, requiring all his subjects to obey the Law of God and to seek the Lord. A heart for reformation may be a good pre-requisite for peace. Who would not seek peace who seeks to honor the Lord?

We also find in Asa a good example of how to maintain peace in the face of conflict. Ethiopa rose up to fight with Judah. Asa called on the Lord His God, and presented the battle to the Lord as being a matter of the Lord's glory -- "O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee." To Asa, the battle he faced was not a personal issue; it had to do with the glory of the Lord God. Viewing our conflicts as being a matter of God's glory is a good way to deal with them, and an excellent way to present them before God in prayer. Will God not act upon matters of His own glory?

Thusfar, we have two general principles to facilitate peace. 1. Have a heart for reformation, seeking peace because it is during peace that reformation can be accoplished. 2. Frame any conflicts as being matters of God's glory, and not matters simply of personal interest, and present it to God in prayer as such.

But what further may we do to find peace, especially between ourselves and others? Matthew Henry provides some good advise in his comments on Psalm 34:13, 14 -- " Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it." He writes,

Would we pass comfortably through this world, and out of the world, our constant care must be to keep a good conscience; and, in order to that, 1. We must learn to bridle our tongues, and be careful what we say, that we never speak amiss, to God's dishonour or our neighbours prejudice: Keep thy tongue from evil speaking, lying, and slandering. So great a way does this go in religion that, if any offend not in word, the same is a perfect man; and so little a way does religion go without this that of him who bridles not his tongue it is declared, His religion is vain. 2. We must be upright and sincere in every thing we say, and not double-tongued. Our words must be the indications of our minds; our lips must be kept from speaking guild either to God or man. 3. We must leave all our sins, and resolve we will have no more to do with them. We must depart from evil, from evil works and evil workers; from the sins others commit and which we have formerly allowed ourselves in. 4. It is not enough not to do hurt in the world, but we must study to be useful, and live to some purpose. We must not only depart from evil, but we must do good, good for ourselves, especially for our own souls, employing them well, furnishing them with a good treasure, and fitting them for another world; and, as we have ability and opportunity, we must do good to others also. 5. Since nothing is more contrary to that love which never fails (which is the summary both of law and gospel, both of grace and glory) than strife and contention, which bring confusion and every evil work, we must seek peace and pursue it; we must show a peaceable disposition, study the things that make for peace, do nothing to break the peace and to make mischief. If peace seem to flee from us, we must pursue it; follow peace with all men, spare no pains, no expense, to preserve and recover peace; be willing to deny ourselves a great deal, both in honour and interest, for peace' sake. These excellent directions in a way to life and good are transcribed into the New Testament and made part of our gospel duty, 1Peter 3:10, 11.

Peace -- let us seek it, and pursue after it. It is a matter of God's glory. We now have some practical things to work on in order to pursue peace. May God bless us by granting us the grace to pursue peace, and to obtain it.

Has it really been?

Since mid-April since I posted here? Wow...

Antichrist read Calvin's Institutes!

"During a coffee break, the Roman Catholic cardinal picked up on a point Wells had made, launching into a detailed discussion of the 'Institutes of the Christian Religion,' the seminal theological book by John Calvin and a key work on the Reformation."

Thou in Faithfulness Hast Afflicted Me

"I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me." -- Psalm 119:75.

Still David is in affliction, and being so he owns,

1. That his sin was justly corrected: I know, O Lord! that thy judgments are right, are righteousness itself. However God is pleased to afflict us, he does us no wrong, nor can we charge him with any iniquity, but most acknowledge that it is less than we have deserved. We know that God is holy in his nature and wise and just in all the acts of his government, and therefore we cannot but know, in the general, that his judgments are right, though, in some particular instances, there may be difficulties which we cannot easily resolve.

2. That God's promise was graciously performed. The former may silence us under our afflictions, and forbid us to repine, but this may satisfy us, and enable us to rejoice; for afflictions are in the covenant, and therefore they are not only not meant for our hurt, but they are really intended for our good: “In faithfulness thou hast afflicted me, pursuant to the great design of my salvation.” It is easier to own, in general, that God's judgments are right, than to own it when it comes to be our own case; but David subscribes to it with application, “Even my afflictions are just and kind.”

-- Matthew Henry.

See also Making Sense of Suffering, a sermon by Gary Milne.

Score! (Needle in a hay stack)

I have the algae problem in my freshwater aquarium. Not the green algae that you just put a couple drops of chemicals in to kill it, but this "black" algae, which is actually a tenacious form of red algae. It's hard to get rid of.

Enter the Siamese Algae Eater -- one of the only fish known to munch on "black [red] algae." So I go to the pet store, and I find the tank where the algae eaters are held... well, let me explain something here first.

It's apparently quite rare to find actual Siamese Algae Eaters [SAE's] in pet stores, as they more frequently stock "false SAE's" and pawn them off as SAE's. The differences may be hard to pick up on at first glance (Images snagged from http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/saes.htm):


<--False SAE






True SAE!-->


It's a good thing I usually read a little about things before I just dive in. Anyway, so here I am at the tank simply labeled "Algae Eaters." They all look the same... kinda dirty yellowish with a black stripe, all swimming around in an undifferentiated cloud of fishies -- except for one, sitting alone, on a rock.

"I'll take that one with the black stripe that goes from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail," I told the shop keep, as I remembered that as one of the distinguishing features of a genuine SAE, the kind that eats the algae blooming in my tank.

He's in his new home now, and sure 'nuff, he's eating that black junk like Pac-man. Wacka-wacka!

YES! I found the one genuine SAE in a field of imposters. I'm sure there's some life lesson here for us all, but I'll leave it up to you to ponder what it is.

Maybe I'm a terrorist...

Maybe you're one too?

All those laws that get passed under the guise of protecting U.S. citizens from the vague enemy called "terror," have resulted in there being so many people on the government's terrorist list to make the list meaningless to target any real terrorist threats. One of every few hundred American citizens are on the terrorist watch list? What a great argument to let me KEEP MY GUNS, because you know and I know that the government cannot protect us from so many of... well... us.

Sleep soundly, though. At least we know Osama Bin Laden (who's been dead for years) will NEVER be able to board that train from Philadelphia to New York.

teh r34l krotty

I’m sore all over due to the supreme beating I got in karate class last night.

At the beginning of class, all the black belts were removed from the regular class and taken into “the back room.”

There I was shown some things I never saw before, and was hit, kicked, bent, twisted, and mangled. The simple self-defense moves we’ve been taught thus far were now supplemented with wicked and vicious finishing techniques.

I was kicked in the groin, swept clear to the floor, chopped on the neck causing a brief but scary flash of “nothingness,” had a thumb shoved up under my zygomatic process (a friendly though painful substitution for sticking the thumb in the eye socket), and was placed in several arm locks that I’m still not sure what they were as it’s hard to see with my face planted on the floor.

I felt like a white belt again – getting beat up by smaller dudes with greater skill, knowing there is something cool here to be learned, but feeling embarrassed at my inability to keep up with what was being taught.

Driving home I noticed my neck was slightly swollen on the right side, and when I touched my neck near where my jaw is connected, it shot pain through my jaw similar to that caused by super sour candy. Today might right arm feels bruised on the tricep (???from what exactly???), a bruise on the back of my right hand (there are a couple things that may have caused that, and my jaw and neck are sore.

I pay good money to get beatings like this, and it was fun.

Sirmon, Josh's Arkansas Cousin

I have to say a big fat thank you to Josh for providing my children with a song to sing every minute of the day all day long until I can barely take it anymore.

Here's Josh putting on a ~slightly~ thicker southern drawl as Sirmon, Josh's cousin he didn't know about:

Psalm 147:1-11 - Scottish Psalter 1650

Possessing your soul

"In your patience possess ye your souls" (Luke 21:19).

Note, First, It is our duty and interest at all times, especially in perilous trying times, to secure the possession of our own souls; not only that they be not destroyed and lost for ever, but that they be not distempered now, nor our possession of them disturbed and interrupted. “Possess your souls, be your own men, keep up the authority and dominion of reason, and keep under the tumults of passion, that neither grief nor fear may tyrannize over you, nor turn you out of the possession and enjoyment of yourselves.” In difficult times, when we can keep possession of nothing else, then let us make that sure which may be made sure, and keep possession of our souls. Secondly, It is by patience, Christian patience, that we keep possession of our own souls. “In suffering times, set patience upon the guard for the preserving of your souls; by it keep your souls composed and in a good frame, and keep out all those impressions which would ruffle you and put you out of temper.”

--Matthew Henry.

"Though you are surrounded on all sides with many miseries, yet nonetheless be valiant and courageous, and bear out these things bravely." -- the note from the Geneva Bible on Luke 21:19.

(Opens creeky door)

(and blows the cobwebs off my blog)

It's still here, and looks like it still works. Looks like it could use some maintenance though. Let's try this...

It's now Friday, and the week of my birthday is coming to an end. This year I decided that instead of just celebrating my birthday, we were going to celebrate the whole family. So, we had "Family Day," and we exchanged gifts, ate our favorite foods, and just hung out together enjoying each other. It was fun, and I think we'll be adopting it as a new family tradition.

Yesterday we painted our dining room. We painted two of the walls a color called "Burnt Clay" or something like that. It's kinda like a terra cotta ("baked earth"). It looks nice. Please let me know when you're coming over for dinner, so we can put it on the calendar.

Looks like a little bit of a winter storm hit us over night. Nothing too brutal, maybe 3 or 4 inches of snow, but it looks like it's now a mixture of stuff that floats to the ground softly, and stuff that bounces off the street when it hits. Maybe I'll just stay inside today.

Ok, that's all for now... back to Facebook. :)

(closes creeky door)

'Tis Monday

This cold/flu thing is quite pesky and lingering. Some of the kids are now going through another round of it. It seems at some time some one in this home has been sick, for like a month or two. Yuck.

But in case your feeling like you're having a bad day, here's one of those stories that makes you think, "Well, I might have had a rough day, but at least my bride didn't die in my arms on my wedding day."

It'll be my 37th birthday coming up here on the 20th. My Pops gifted me with this baby:

That's a squat cage! I can squat and bench in there without a spotter, do pull-ups on the front bar, and dips on the side dip-handles. I've been experimenting with squatting recently, as it along with the deadlift are one of those total-body stressing exercises that increases testosterone levels, and makes your whole body grow big and strong. But I was doing it in a not so safe manner, thus not piling on as much weight as is necessary to really do the job. Ah, but now... I can't wait to hit those squats! For now, I have to finish my coffee and get to work. ~sigh~

Good day, all!

Prescription: A couple beers and a weight set

Hey, you don't have to tell me twice.

Physical activity and moderate consumption of alcohol are a healthy combination!

So, go ahead and have a Troegenator after karate class, or a weight lifting session, or whatever it is you enjoy doing to keep moving. It's good for you.

Faith to Victory

Teach me how to rule my own spirit, O God, and to bridle my own tongue. Give me, O Lord, that faith which giveth the victory, that overcometh all things. And let me never think that I have done enough for Christ, but forget the things that are behind, and press onward.

-- Thomas Chalmers, Sabbath Scripture Readings, on Luke 17.

Baseball Burglar

Kid hits a double on a dude, protects his home. Should've gone yard on him.

Spurgeon not a Calvinist?

"If you have read much of Spurgeon, you know that you will read a thousand pages and not come across anything that is exclusively Calvinistic. He teaches the same gospel that is taught by so-called Arminians, like Wesley and Finney." -- Michael Pearl, No Greater Joy Ministries.

Huh? He must not read very much, or very well.

"The old truth that Calvin preached, that Augustine preached, that Paul preached, is the truth that I must preach to-day, or else be false to my conscience and my God. I cannot shape the truth; I know of no such thing as paring off the rough edges of a doctrine. John Knox's gospel is my gospel. That which thundered through Scotland must thunder through England again." -- C.H. Spurgeon.

"What is the heresy of Rome, but the addition of something to the perfect merits of Jesus Christ—the bringing in of the works of the flesh, to assist in our justification? And what is the heresy of Arminianism but the addition of something to the work of the Redeemer? Every heresy, if brought to the touchstone, will discover itself here. I have my own private opinion that there is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified, unless we preach what nowadays is called Calvinism. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else. I do not believe we can preach the gospel, if we do not preach justification by faith, without works; nor unless we preach the sovereignty of God in His dispensation of grace; nor unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah; nor do I think we can preach the gospel, unless we base it upon the special and particular redemption of His elect and chosen people which Christ wrought out upon the cross; nor can I comprehend a gospel which lets saints fall away after they are called, and suffers the children of God to be burned in the fires of damnation after having once believed in Jesus. Such a gospel I abhor." -- C.H. Spurgeon.

"The doctrines of original sin, election, effectual calling, final perseverance, and all those great truths which are called Calvinism—though Calvin was not the author of them, but simply an able writer and preacher upon the subject—are, I believe, the essential doctrines of the Gospel that is in Jesus Christ." -- C.H. Spurgeon.

See also Free Will: A Slave, and Are You Sure You Like Spurgeon?

Say you don't agree with his Calvinism, say he wasn't the best example of Calvinism, but don't say he wasn't a Calvinist. That just makes you look ignorant or dishonest.