Change is brewing in the Giant Buzzer percolator. The thrust, the look, and the feel of this blog is about to get a major re-working. It is all for the better and I am very excited about the direction. Good things are coming. Stay Tuned.
In the meantime, read You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One). It’s awesome. Thanks to Jeff Goins for the inspiration!
WOW! Just WOW! I’m going to go ahead and say it. Watching Felix Baumgartner ascend in the Red Bull Stratos Capsule to over 127,000 feet and take that jump from the edge of space is the coolest thing that I have seen thanks to the Internet. It got me excited about the next phase of our relationship with space and what lies ahead as the privatization of space travel and exploration becomes more of a reality. If you missed it I would stay tuned to the Red Bull YouTube Channel. Also, keep your eye out for an upcoming BBC documentary on today’s incredible jump.
**UPDATE**According to the press conference from Red Bull Mission Control this afternoon Felix Baumgartner jumped from an altitude of 128,100 feet, experienced a freefall lasting 4 minutes and 20 seconds, and reached a maximum velocity of 833.9 miles per hour! That is Mach 1.24! He broke the sound barrier without the use of a plane!
Below you can check out a few screen captures that I snagged while watching the live jump today and a video from the last test jump which was from just over 96,000 feet a couple of months ago.
Congratulations to Felix Baumgartner and the entire Red Bull Stratus Mission Crew! Simply Amazing!
The Green Lake Loop – 2.8 Miles – Seattle, WA
Changing your diet is an important part of improving your health, losing weight, and being the best you that you can be. Changing your lifestyle is another big component in being able to enjoy that healthy life to fullest. One simple thing that you can do to contribute toward your health is to increase your overall activity and going for a walk is a great way to do that! There are many benefits to regularly going for a walk (Even the Mayo Clinic agrees!). Use those benefits as an excuse to get out and explore the city, town, countryside where you live! I am starting that practice myself with this blog and I welcome anyone who would like to share information on great places to get out for a walk/hike/run in their area as well. If you would like to share your favorite walks on this blog just send an email my way and I will let you know what details I need to make that happen. Email me HERE.
The first walk that I want to share with you is a Seattle classic; the Green Lake Loop. Green Lake Park is one of Seattle’s most loved parks and boasts a wide variety of activities from rowing/paddle-boating/paddle boarding, to sports fields, to a great community center. My favorite part of Green Lake Park is the 2.8 mile loop, perfect for running, walking, skating, or biking, that takes you around the edges of this beautiful lake. The path is blacktop with a dividing line that invites walkers and runners to take the inside loop and anyone on wheels to use the outer edge of the course. Start and end your trip around the lake at the Green Lake Community Center which offers a convenient parking area and other amenities. See you at Green Lake!
Course: Green Lake Loop
Distance: 2.8 miles
Incline: Flat (Total Climb: 115 ft)
Path: Blacktop Surface
Setting: Urban Green Space/Totally Sweet Park
Difficulty: Easy
Cost: FREE!
I love hummus! This is a great recipe that I was inspired to make my own by the Healthy Hummus Recipe by the author of the Engine 2 Diet. Feel free to experiment with other healthy whole food ingredients (like dark Kalamata olives or spinach) to give your hummus the flavors that you are looking for. This recipe made enough that I took it for lunch with carrots and celery to dip in it for a little under a week. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
• 2 cans chick peas, rinsed & drained
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 4 sun-dried tomatoes
• 3/8 cup water
Instructions
Blend ingredients in blender until you have a smooth and thick paste.
(Hint: It may help to stop the blender and use a spatula/spoon to mix the unblended ingredients toward the bottom)
***Disclaimer*** Before you make any changes to your diet or decide to adhere to a specific meal plan you need to discuss it with your physician and a nutritional professional. Making drastic dietary changes without the supervision of a doctor is not recommended or endorsed by this blog or its owner.
When I posted how much weight I had lost this past week (12 pounds) after making some strategic dietary changes on Facebook I received a few public inquiries on how I did it and more than a few private ones. Since enough people asked I decided to post it as a blog rather than an email because I figured that there may be a few more people out there who may have interest that didn’t ask and I believe it to be great information. This is not HCG, the 3-Day Diet, Atkins, or any number of other fad diets that are out there. This is actually a lifestyle choice in regard to my diet. I would imagine that you could use it for temporary weight loss, but keep in mind, if certain patterns don’t change in what you eat, the weight will come back. Your results may vary, but I do know that it will work for other people considering my wife lost 15 pounds this week as well.
Before I tell you how we made it happen, I like to recommend that you take the time to watch two documentaries. The first film is called Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead and you can actually watch it online for free HERE. It is also currently on Netflix streaming. The second film is called Forks Over Knives. It is available on Netflix streaming right now as well. Knowledge is power and when it comes to your food, ignorance can kill you.
Now, without further adieu, here is how we did it:
First I went to talk with my doctor about the concept of juice fasting as well as switching to a whole foods diet. After hearing his advice and getting his blessing on it we started last Saturday by doing the 3-Day Juice Fast from Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead I highly recommend doing your first juice fast over a weekend to get used to it at home. You can read more about how the juice fast went for me on my post from Monday: HERE
After the fast was over, I would have 1/2-3/4 of a cup of breakfast granola with soy milk for breakfast and a cup or two of decaf coffee.
For lunch I would have a 16-20 ounce juice that we made in the morning and I had a natural trail mix (except for a light sprinkling of M & M’s in it) as a small snack throughout the work day. Typically no more than a handful. 3 out of 7 days during the week I had a healthy hummus with carrots and celery to dip it in. On those days I used my lunch juice as a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack.
For dinner we ate only whole food recipes (no animal products) from the Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook.
Other then fresh juice I drank plenty of water and tea everyday.
The juicing and the meal plan is the easy part. Making the decision to stick to it is the tough part for some. I had two occasions at work this where I was confronted with Ezell’s Fried Chicken and a smorgasbord of donuts and cookies in the office. I was as simple as saying no in the moment and realizing that the decision that I had made was so much better for me than the alternative.
Going forward, I plan to do the 3-Day juice past at least twice a month and maintain a healthy plant-centered whole foods diet when I am eating solids.
I hope you all give it a try. If you have questions or want someone to call when you are thinking you might go face first into a cheeseburger then call me and I will help you get past it. No matter how much of this or how little of this you implement, I hope you consider taking steps to give yourself a healthier and happier life!
If you aren’t ready to consider my meal plan for yourself, consider this interesting idea as an option.
This recipe is for a granola that we use as a healthier breakfast cereal with soy milk. My lovely wife discovered this recipe on AllRecipes.com. It is called Megan’s Granola.
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment or aluminum foil.
2. Combine the oats, wheat germ, oat bran, sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, and walnuts in a large bowl. Stir together the salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat. Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking sheets.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until crispy and toasted, about 20 minutes. Stir once halfway through. Cool, then stir in the raisins or cranberries before storing in an airtight container.
Ingredients:
8 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups wheat germ
1 cup finely chopped almonds
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup honey
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups raisins or sweetened dried cranberries
2 cups cherries
1 1/2 cup coconut
Enjoy!
***Disclaimer*** Before you make any changes to your diet or decide to adhere to a specific meal plan you need to discuss it with your physician and a nutritional professional. Making drastic dietary changes without the supervision of a doctor is not recommended or endorsed by this blog or its owner.
Bacon! Beef! Brats! Fire up the grill and let’s eat! This has long been my battle cry when it comes to food. I love to eat and I have maintained a robust, full-tilt, all-American, Western diet all of my life. Had you asked me at any point in my past three decades of life if I would consider becoming a Vegetarian or shifting to a Whole Foods Diet I would have laughed my way all the way to the butcher shop and asked you if you were out of your mind. That being said, I should tell you that I have not had a single bite of solid food or any form of animal products in the past 72 hours. Only fruit and vegetable juice.
Woah?! Say what?! Yep, my wife and I decided to give the 3-Day Juicing Reboot a try this Labor Day Weekend and I have to confess that I feel amazing! Let me qualify that statement a bit more for you. I have slept better than I can recall in the past 10 years, my energy level has jumped up considerably, people have commented on how great my skin looks (that has never happened before) and I have lost 8.5 pounds.
After seeing the documentary Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead we decided that some changes needed to happen in our diet to improve our overall health and begin to fight against heart disease, cancer, and diabetes; three of the top killers of people in the United States. I went to see my doctor for an annual check in and we had a discussion about the concept of juice fasting as well as other long term dietary changes. With his approval to try this adventure (within reason…he wasn’t willing to sign off on a 60-day fast like the film demonstrates) we made our shopping list and headed out in search of fruit and vegetables.
We picked up a pretty sweet juicer and some blender bottles on our way to the store and then we ventured into a place that I had only seen at a distance…the produce section. Now, you have to understand, until this week I could tell you what type of steaks to pick up or which brats went best with this beer or that beer. Heck, I could even give you a short dissertation on which NFL stadium has the best mustard (for the record the title goes to Cleveland….Browns Fans, Rejoice!). I could not, however, tell you what on earth Swiss Chard looks like or why I should care. As you can see from the photo at the top of this post, I got a crash course in greens.
I won’t say that it was a piece of cake, but it was a lot easier than I expected. I was bracing myself for withdrawals from caffeine (that’s right…not a drop of coffee) and the onset of raging cravings for my favorite foods. I expected this mostly due to my experiences with fad diets that caused this type of reaction. I can happily say that 99% of what I was worried about didn’t happen. I did have a 6 hour window when I wrestled with vicious craving for one of Ozzie’s fantastical omelettes. Other than that I didn’t even feel abnormally hungry during the fast; I felt great!
After doing more research we have decided to overhaul the way that we interact with food. We are starting by continuing to substitute at least one meal a day with fresh vegetable juice as well as continuing to conduct 3-day juice fasts 2-3 times a month. We are moving our toward a Whole Foods Diet over the next couple of weeks and keeping it….for good. I am very excited about this change and sharing the results with you. There are a ton of great resources out there and I will be sharing those with you as well. Start with another great documentary Forks Over Knives.
If you are looking for me…I’ll be in the produce section.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” -T. Roosevelt
What does God want for my life as a Christian man, a Christian husband, a Christian father, a Christian neighbor? In my mid-thirties I find myself unable to confidently answer that question. I am a Christian and I have been blessed to be in a loving and faithful Christian marriage to my lovely bride for the past four years. I must confess, I still don’t feel like I am very good at being who God is calling me to be. A big part of that is simply not knowing enough about what God has outlined for me and other men in Scripture. I feel like I have started to build a house without looking at the blueprints first and I am beginning to notice that things aren’t coming together quite right. Thankfully, there is still time to move the build in the right direction by getting with the program and seeing what the architect intended.
Defining Biblical Manhood is something that has been discussed quite a bit in the past several years within the church. I wish I could say that I have been able to uncover what Biblical Manhood is thanks to a men’s retreat, a particular sermon, or men’s breakfast. Unfortunately, the programs that I have checked out in this regard felt more like hollow man-targeted marketing rather than useful guidance and tools. In all fairness, part of that may be on me for not being ready to hear what they were trying to tell me. Maybe I was looking for an easy answer and that is downright lazy of me. Whatever the reason, none of it got me any closer to understanding what God asks of me.
Recently, I found myself inspired by a film called ‘Courageous’ from Sherwood Pictures. When the film ended, I felt convicted for the first time in a long time to get myself in gear and find out what it takes to be a better man for my God, my family, my community, and myself. It is a part of me that had been put into some sort of coma by the cycle of work life, daily stress, to-do’s, and the demands of the world that I allowed to become my priority. The story from the film served as quite a wake up call for me. I did a little more research and I found some of the resources that the creators of the film offer to help you actively start learning about who God calls me to be. I am currently reading a book that explores the issues from the film called, ‘The Resolution for Men’. The book has moved me to independently seek out what God says about what it takes to be a Godly man, a Godly husband, and a Godly father.
One particular section of the book has launched my Scripture seeking mission. In ‘The Resolution for Men’ on page 67, there is a basic framework for defining Manhood in the context of Scripture that looks like this:
A man is an adult male (Leviticus 27:3) who accepts his masculinity (1 Corinthians 16:13), speaks and acts with maturity (1 Corinthians 13:11), embraces responsibility (Genesis 1:26, 2:15), functions independently (Genesis 1:26, Matthew 12:46-50), can lead a family faithfully (Genesis 2:24, 1 Timothy 3:4-5), and recognizes his accountability (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14) as an image bearer of God (Genesis 1:26, 1 Corinthians 11:7-9). From: ‘The Resolution for Men’ By Stephen & Alex Kendrick with Randy Alcorn
As I worked my way through each of these verses of Scripture I found myself wanting an even deeper understanding. I felt called to begin my own exploration of Scripture to have my own conversation with God about who He wants me to be as a Christian man. So, I am writing this blog series, ‘Seeking Biblical Manhood’ about my experience and my journey into a conversation with God about who I am to be for Him, for my wife, my children, and my neighbors. I am by no means a theologian by qualification or otherwise, but a normal guy trying to own up to my responsibilities in a way that I have neglected to do in the past. I hope this blog series might be helpful to you in some way if you are on your own similar journey. I invite comments from others who are walking this path or have done so in the past. Share your experiences, what passages of Scripture have spoken most powerfully into your life? Please share comments, experiences, and Scripture in The Forum section for the ‘Seeking Biblical Manhood’ blog series. I am looking forward to hearing from you and sharing this experience with you.
Onward!
Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what seems good to Him. – 2 Samuel 10:12 (ESV)