Kicking Ass and Chapter Five

Ok, so I am pretty excited. Why you may ask? Come on ask! Oh, wait I am sitting at a keyboard typing and you are wherever you are. Hmm, i guess it's just out with it. Things that make me feel like I am kicking ass:

1. I have signed up for the 1/2 Ironman in Miami! So if your in Miami on Novemeber 9th You better be cheering! Click the logo to see more about the race.


2. I have registered for the Baldwin Park sprint Triathlon! So if your in Orlando on June 29th, well you get the picture. PS my birthday is the next day...subtle plug...Click the logo to see more about the race.


3. I raced my first time TT (Time Trial) today. It was a small event to test the members of the tri club and give us a check on how were doing. The distance was approx, 8 miles. I rode the TT in 22:39 with an average speed of 21mph. I don't know about you but that kicks ass. No, I wasn't first but then neither am I a little 145lb gazelle....yet : )

On to the Purpose Driven Life,
Shame on me for missing a couple of days. But as with all things in life, there are times when we stumble and fall and it would appear that in a round about way I am receiving encouragement to continue the process and tear down these walls! : ) It has been a good journey, Joel Osteen, whether you like him or not had an interesting lecture I'll call it. He doesn't really strike me as a true pastor, more like a teacher. But that's for another time. anyway he was talking about how God has the power to turn back time and provide you with make up time so to speak. If you work at recovering and repairing the things that led you down the path that got you into whatever situation your in. Isn't that excellent motivation? It feels like removing a stone from your shoe on a long hike, letting go of some this baggage we carry around. I digress...

Chapter five's nugget of thought: What has happened to me recently that I now realize was a test from God? What are the greatest matters God has entrusted to me?

Ironically, I was just telling this story the other day. My answer here is two fold. One, please see my post on Roosters and Jesus. If you don't want to read about roosters skip to the bottom. The rooster part is rather funny though. Second, I think part of the test is having the bravery to share the story, not just absently on the blog, but with people who need to hear that God can touch us.
As far as the matters entrusted to me? It is the weight of the world. Part of the trials for eternity include stewardship of the planet. Now, i don't me that in a left wing don't drill in ANWR kind of way. Let's tackle that thorny bush later... But in a and here is where i go all hippie, act locally, think globally kind of way. Do right by the planet and the creatures that inhabit it, in your daily choices, as you would for others. I believe my other mission is to encourage the golden rule. Do unto others, etc. Sometimes people think I'm overly sarcastic, obnoxious, caustic, oh so many euphemisms for me. As an aside, i have also been told thats one of my more attractive qualities :) But, i like to encourage people to think about the long term implications of their behavior and to remember the important things in life. It doesn't mean I am beyond making the same mistakes. Everyone knows I "F" up as much if not more than the next person. But the matter entrusted to me is to get back on the bike, learn from those mistakes and encourage others to do the same.

One question I liked from the Chapter was for others as well. So I ask you "How do you see your life?"

Now get out there and:

Chapter Four: Thinking About My Purpose

Tonight is early to bed night so no long dissertations on tonights topic. The question is:
Since I was made to last forever, what is the one thing I should stop doing and the one thing I should start doing today?

I think the one thing I should start doing today is this. Getting my life back into focus. Dropping those excess pounds that have been following me around. Getting my brain working again thats phase two and of course this looking deeper into myself. It is good to take a look in our own mirror every so often.

As far as what I should stop doing, It also involves this exercise. I need to stop doing what 99.9% of us do and that is living in fear. Fear of what other people think, fear of how they'll perceive our actions and behaviors. I read through my posts and think....Crap I look like I'm turning into one of those Jesus freaks! I took a perfectly empty blog where I never really wrote anything and then with one right turn, I am blogging daily about a journey into religion. I spent K - 12 trying to dodge religion and here I am researching and studying a way to get back into it.

The LC front has been good today. 1600 yard swim, a 40 min spin class and then I walked the dog tonight. I rock! Ok so I am a bit pleased with myself. I even made the decision to sign up for the Miami Man 1/2 Ironman. So once again I am embarking on 70.3 miles of goodness.

Chapter 3 - WHAT DRIVES YOUR LIFE?

Did I mention that I like to think of 2008 as my cocoon year? Maybe it's the precursor to my mid life crisis, but I think of this time as sort of a rebuilding time. I think I'll expound on this more tomorrow. I am very sleepy... The Cocoon Nebula for a visual : )

What Drives my Life? Day 3 of a Forty day challenge: Odd enough I am supposed to think on what my friends and family think; What would my family and friends say is the driving force of my life? What do I want it to be?

I would definitely be curious should any of my friends and or family read these words what they really think the driving force in my life is? Maybe I should ask them? Anyway, if you know me, drop a comment and give me the feedback...Oh and don't read on until you do...

Or...



I hope that people see that I try to do the right thing. My commitment to friends and family and that I while I can put up some pretty thick walls, and that through exercises such as this I can remove them. Brick by brick if need be. In the words of Pink Floyd:

" Since my friend you have revealed your deepest fear
I sentence you to be expunged before your peers

Tear down the wall "

Chapter Two and a conversation about signs that in hindsight. I am to much of a coward to post.

First Chapter Two, Two days and two chapters I am really moving along here. The book quotes a poem by Russel Kelfer:

You are who you are for a reason.
You're part of an intricate plan.
You're a precious and perfect unique design,
Called God's special woman or man.

You look like you look for a reason.
Our God made no mistake.
He knit you together within the womb,
You're just what he wanted to make.

The parents you had were the ones he chose,
And no matter how you may feel,
They were custom-designed with God's plan in mind,
And they bear the Master's seal.

No, that trauma you faced was not easy.
And God wept that it hurt you so;
But it was allowed to shape your heart
So that into his likeness you'd grow.

You are who you are for a reason,
You've been formed by the Master's rod.
You are who you are, beloved,
Because there is a God!

and then asks? I know that God uniquely created me. What areas of my personality, background, and physical appearance am I struggling to accept?
it's funny that as human beings we all struggle with the the same things...ultimately. Who we are, where w come from and how we look to others. I am pretty proud of where I come from. my parents were a strong influence on my life. Most of my friends can guess my personality defects and I suppose those they don't know about probably aren't fit for immortalization on the www. As for my physical appearance, hey this blog is all about losing clyde...I may have worked hard earning my 6 +++ pack, but i am working even harder to trim few +'s off of it. : )



Speaking of the Losing Clyde Front:
Spin Class

My Philospohy and Another Day One of Sorts

Anyone who has seen my Road ID band and read the inscription on the bottom knows that there are three words I try to organize my life around. Spiritual, Mental, and Physical. I view them forming an inverted pyramid of sorts. Spiritual forms the point and the crux which holds the pyramid up. It is a delicate balance, one's faith. More on that later. The middle level is mental, keeping one's brain active, constantly learning. And finally as this blog started, and initially failed :( as a journal about my journey out of obesity. Thanks Uncle Sam and your crazy BMI standards! Physical, the largest and most visible top of the pyramid. Again, more on all of this later.

Today's Day One revolves around my committing to the 40 day journey in the
"Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. It is just a step in the spiritual part of my journey. As with any spiritual or religious books this one has it's proponents and its detractors. I suppose I can't know it's validity until I'm done, or at least on the way.

Day One: (Thinking About My Purpose)
In spite of all the advertising around me, how can I remind myself that life is really about living for God, not myself?

This is kind of a funny question, I truly believe we allow the marketing world to impact us far to much. If you ever questioned what you thought of as the media's version of beautiful you should check out this website periodically. The media's version of reality is so far gone that it's ridiculous and equally sad that we as a society don't know any better than try to live up to their perceptions of beautiful and real. So I guess the short of it is we have to realize the pitfalls of the media and decide our own values. Take the media with a grain of salt as they very rarely encourage a sense of community and sell the compassionate values of Christianity.

On the Losing Clyde front:
I went Mountain Biking locally at the Little Big Econ State Forest.
Only 5 miles, it is a maze out there and ton's of sugar sand. But it was nice to dust off the old Stumpjumper M2.