The calorie counter

Been trying to get a lot better at tracking my calories. I feel like I do pretty good during the week and stay below my recommended 1900ish calories. However, the weekends tend to do me in.

We often end up eating with friends or family and I find it hard (and someone intrusive) to sit and try and figure out everything that’s going into the food I’m eating. Even harder when we do potluck for our community group each Saturday. Suffice to say, I usually track all I can on the weekend and then tag an extra 2-3k calories on top of that.

livestrong calories 04/21/09

It’s really amazing to see how many calories you ingest day to day. For example, my huge salad from Chili’s last night was 850 calories where as the roast beef sandwich I was given for lunch from Corner Bakery weighed in at 1000 calories. I did however check the Corner Bakery and saw that it reported the calories at 790. So of course I submitted the changes to Livestrong.com.

Either way – I would have to say I’m eating less as well as smarter now that I realize how quickly those calories add up (of course I guess the real judge is the scale and Laurie :-)).

WIN :: Gardening Eden

The view from our family's farm in Nebraska (circa 2004)

I’m right in the middle of reading Gardening Eden by Michael Abbaté. It’s a great timely read – especially with Earth Day on Wednesday.

I’ve got an extra copy of the book, so as a thank you to folks who read this blog, I’m giving away a copy of the book on Friday afternoon. Read the synopsis and then find out how to win below…

Before the snake, the apple, and the Ten Commandments, God created a garden, placed humans in it, and told them to take care of it.

“Spiritual environmentalism” did not start out as an oxymoron—it was an invitation. Yet today, many believe God’s original job description for humankind has been replaced by other worthier pursuits. So when did this simple instruction become so controversial? How does one sort through all the mixed messages? Is making the world a healthier place for the next generation really a responsibility—or even possible?

Gardening Eden is a new understanding of how the spiritual dimensions of life can find expression and renewal through caring for our incredible planet. Empowering, simple, and never polemical, Michael Abbaté outlines the Bible’s clear spiritual benefits of caring for creation, exploring new motivations and inspired ideas, and revealing the power of our basic connection to all people and living things through the growing interest in spiritual environmentalism.

Green living is no longer a fad—simple lifestyle solutions are now available to everyone. Gardening Eden shows readers how this shift transforms not only our world, but their very souls as they’re drawn into deeper harmony with the Creator. This book invites them to discover the powerful spiritual satisfaction of heeding the call to save our world.

To win:
All you have to do to enter is leave a comment sharing what you think about “spiritual environmentalism.” It can be a short response, a long response, pro or negative, just so long as you share your thoughts in the comment below. This contest will go until Friday afternoon @ 5pm (my time) and then a winner will be randomly chosen.

Easy cheesy. So what are you waiting for?

On the issue of gun control

gun control - http://www.flickr.com/photos/cmiked/232984651/

As you may have seen, I received an e-mail last week that bothered me a bit about gun control. I shared my response here on my blog.

I’ve received a couple good responses to the blog post via Facebook and on another blog.

Continue reading On the issue of gun control

JustOneDallas :: May 16th :: Life in Deep Ellum

JustOneDallas – May 16th – Life in Deep Ellum

Can’t wait!

justonedallas_front1

justonedallas_back

JustOne is a non profit organization that was formed to stimulate greater global awareness about extreme poverty, and to provoke compassionate ideas and intelligent giving in order to provide sustainable relief. We are a collective voice for the victims of social injustice––the one(s) living in geographical and situational poverty; the one(s) orphaned through death, disease and desertion; the one(s) trafficked into slavery throughout the world.

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How

Through our innovative development of resources, creative awareness campaigns, educational gatherings, speaking engagements and activist mobilization, JustOne provides reprieve to the marginalized and the oppressed.

We believe in an economy of enough that is established through the cooperative practice of sharing and redistribution. These practices are central to the Laundry Love Project, A Trashcan can Make a Difference and the Activist initiatives. We hope to see these initiatives expand throughout the US and overseas giving others the opportunity to be the enough for those living in localized poverty.

—
Inclusion and Accountability

We are a social mercy foundation that exists to change universal issues of social injustice effecting millions of people regardless of race, culture, sex, age, or religion. We have an open policy partnership, meaning we will collaborate with a diversity of people(s) and organization(s) regardless of differences while holding to wisdom, discernment and the collective council that directs the mission and future of JustOne. The collective council comes through the Board of Directors and organizational Partners.

Want to take it a step further and help sponsor the event? Download our sponsorship info pdf.

Responding to e-mails

Every couple weeks or so I get e-mails from folks that often go against many things I believe.

I’m not sure why they send them to me. Perhaps they think I agree with them, or perhaps they’re hoping to sway me to their side.

And while I hate seeing those messages in my inbox, for some reason, I always feel like I have to respond, I need to respond — at least once. I know it won’t sway their opinion but for some reason I can’t bring myself to simply deleting them and ignoring them.

This morning I received another one of those e-mails.

Gun control

The e-mail was entitled “Why I carry a gun.” With a list of reasons for owning one mixed in with the following images attached:

Here’s my response to the e-mail. For regular readers of my blog, it may not be anything new. But what do you think? Do you respond to e-mail propaganda (from either side)? Do you simply hit delete?

I hope my responses never come across as accusatory or judgmental (I’m sure they may to those who view things differently). But what do you think?

It’s obvious we see this differently. But since you sent your thoughts, here are mine.

“I’m a pacifist because I’m a violent son of a bitch.” – Stanley Hauerwas

As a follower of Christ, I must embrace non-violence because I am, by nature, violent.

I am sinful so I must embrace virtue.

To be more specific…

I lust after women who are not my wife, so I must embrace monogamy.

I covet your cell phone and your neighborhood and your jeans, so I must embrace simplicity.

I lie to get a laugh or make my life easier, so I must embrace honesty.

I think I’m smarter than you, so I must embrace humility.

I need to be in control, so I must embrace submission.

I’m a loner, so I must embrace community.

I want to ruin your name, so I must embrace forgiveness.

I want to be served, so I must embrace service.

And I want to harm when I’m harmed, so I must embrace non-violence.

– Shaun Groves

And here’s a semi-related story told by Dr. Tony Campolo:

During World War II, a group of Bulgarian Jews are rounded up at a train station to be taken off to Auschwitz. Yet,despite Bulgaria’s alliance with Germany in World War II, the leader of the Orthodox church in Bulgaria comes walking up to a train station in the middle of the night. The leader of the church is followed by 300 members of his church.

He walks to the fenced in area where the Jews are being kept and the guards tell him, “Father you’re not allowed in there.” He laughs and brushes their machine guns aside as he walks into the gated area. The Jews gathered around him, waiting to see what the Christian leader in Bulgaria would say in their moment of despair.

As they cried and begged for help the leader of the Bulgarian church quoted a simple verse from Ruth.

Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. (Ruth 1:16)

The Jews cheered. The Christians outside the fenced in area cheered. The noise became so loud that it woke up everyone in the community and they came to the train station and heard the news. Quickly the hundreds grew to thousands.

The Nazi soldiers suddenly realized there was no way they could overcome everyone there. There was no way they’d be able to get away with carting off the Jews to the concentration camps. The train left a short time later with none of the Jews on board and never returned again. And after that point, no Jews from Bulgaria were taken to a concentration camp of any sort.

“Because the Church of Jesus Christ boldly stood up and said we’re not going to kill the enemy, we’re going to identify with the suffering and suffer with them. This is Jesus’ way.”

And finally,
With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.

“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” – Matthew 26:51-54

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
 – Psalm 20:7