What's this all about?
Bible Reading Program
Today's reading for the program covered Genesis 17-20.
In chapter 17 we see what Abram must do for his end of the covenant, circumcision. There would be no way that Abram, his male descendants, or any of his tribe would be able to forget their promise to God. It was now etched in their very flesh, they would see it every day, a few times a day!
Chapter 17 is also a chapter with a lot of name dropping and changing. Abram becomes Abraham, the irony is not lost on Abram whose name means "High Father". Now his new name means, "Highly Exalted Father". Yet he still has no offspring with his wife Sarai. Sarai's name is also changed, it becomes Sarah. The childless Sarah is told she will "be a mother of nations." These predictions get laughs from both Abraham and Sarah and so God names the son to be born to them Issac which means, yes, "He Laughs." God has a great sense of humor!
In chapter 18 we see Abraham pleading for the righteous in the city of Sodom. Abraham has Lot in mind for sure. However, we see in chapter 19 that you can take folks out of Sodom and Gomorrah but it was extremely difficult to take Sodom and Gomorrah out of the family of Lot. His future son-in-laws think he is crazy for wanting to leave. His wife looks back and is turned to salt. This always puzzled me especially in light of the fact that at nearly the same time Abraham is looking at Sodom and Gomorrah. I believe that Lot's wife had been corrupted and was looking back at the cities with longing and was punished. Lot's daughters too are corrupted by the culture of Sodom and Gomorrah. They get their father drunk and have sex with him and conceive.
Chapter 20 reminds me that I often commit the same sins over and over. Abraham again tries to pass his wife off as his sister in order to save his own skin, again. The Lord appears to the king of the land and punishes him, again. The ruler releases Sarah and reads Abraham the riot act...again. God help us in our weaknesses.
Max Workouts Program
Speaking of weaknesses...I was clinging this morning to the words of St. Paul when he speaks of being strong when he is weak. I was weak but I am getting stronger.
Today I started with a good warm-up and them moved directly into the day's exercises. Today the program called for doing as many of the exercises as you could in a 20 minute period. There were three exercises with 8-12 reps each, all three done in sequence counting as a round. The exercises moved from pull-up to push-up to burpees then back to pull-up and so on. I was ready to puke after three rounds. They should call those dang burpees - barfees. I did three rounds in almost ten minutes. I never thought this could be so difficult. I'M NOT GIVING UP!
Tomorrow is a day of just about any activity. I am going to get up and work on some of the optional ab exercises that are part of the program. I may go hike behind the house to. We're supposed to get about 8 inches of snow so that should make for a good workout!
Showing posts with label scripture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scripture. Show all posts
Friday, February 5, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
90 Days - Day 4
What's this all about?
Bible Reading Program
Today's Bible Reading (Genesis 12-16) covers the blessing of Abram and his entering into a covenant with God.
In chapter 12 Abram journeys into Egypt and does a strange thing. He is fearful for his life so he tells his wife to act as his sister so that the Egyptians won't kill him and take her. This is a cowardly action and shows a lack of trust in God. God in turn punishes the Egyptians for taking Sarai and so they release her after giving Abram a good tongue lashing.
In chapter 13 Abram and Lot go their separate ways to avoid anymore strife between their two tribes. However, Lot is captured during a war between a number of kings and Abram must go and rescue him. After the rescue Abram meets up with Melchizedek, King of Salem. Abram is blessed by Melchizedek and this is significant since the blessing of God usually passes from one person to another. Adam blessed Seth, Seth's blessing passed through generations to Noah, Noah blessed Shem and then the blessing appears to disappear. Some suggest the Melchizedek is actually Shem. Anyway, God's blessing is passed on to Abram and we also see a foreshadowing of the Eucharist in the offering of bread and wine rather than an animal sacrifice.
Chapter 15 is an odyssey of events with animals split in two, vultures, and mysterious fire. This all constitutes the covenant God makes with Abram. God promises to bless Abram with offspring too many to count. Often when we read this we imagine that Abram is going out and looking at all the countless stars in the night sky. However, a close reading indicates that it was actually day. After the promise, the sacrifice of the animals, and the birds of prey (which would only be out in the day), we read, "As the sun was going down..." (Genesis 15:12)
God had Abram go out and look for stars, "count them if you can" in the middle of the day. Thus showing Abram that God is faithful even if he couldn't see a single star! The stars are there but just not visible at that time!
In chapter 16 we see Abram and Sarai taking their childless situation into their own hands and not trusting God. It is at this time that Ishmael is born; the son of Abram and Sarai's maid, Hagar.
These chapters are about trust, will Abram trust God? Will you trust God, even when nothing makes sense?
Max Workouts Program
I finally felt good today. I got out of bed without much effort and the soreness of the first couple of days is starting to give way. Today was a bike day. It was pretty intense but much more tolerable. I warmed up with 5 mins of varied resistance on the bike. For 25 mins I did 40 second sprints of intense resistance followed by 40 seconds of lighter resistance.
Tomorrow is another workout so I may stop and get some lighter dumbbells. Saturday has nothing prescribed so I may drop back and do the optional ab workouts. So far, I'd still recommend the program and I am very much enjoying it. It takes some time to learn the exercises, for me at least, and their names but hopefully, with the help of the videos, I'll get a good handle on those so I can really dive into each workout.
Bible Reading Program
Today's Bible Reading (Genesis 12-16) covers the blessing of Abram and his entering into a covenant with God.
In chapter 12 Abram journeys into Egypt and does a strange thing. He is fearful for his life so he tells his wife to act as his sister so that the Egyptians won't kill him and take her. This is a cowardly action and shows a lack of trust in God. God in turn punishes the Egyptians for taking Sarai and so they release her after giving Abram a good tongue lashing.
In chapter 13 Abram and Lot go their separate ways to avoid anymore strife between their two tribes. However, Lot is captured during a war between a number of kings and Abram must go and rescue him. After the rescue Abram meets up with Melchizedek, King of Salem. Abram is blessed by Melchizedek and this is significant since the blessing of God usually passes from one person to another. Adam blessed Seth, Seth's blessing passed through generations to Noah, Noah blessed Shem and then the blessing appears to disappear. Some suggest the Melchizedek is actually Shem. Anyway, God's blessing is passed on to Abram and we also see a foreshadowing of the Eucharist in the offering of bread and wine rather than an animal sacrifice.
Chapter 15 is an odyssey of events with animals split in two, vultures, and mysterious fire. This all constitutes the covenant God makes with Abram. God promises to bless Abram with offspring too many to count. Often when we read this we imagine that Abram is going out and looking at all the countless stars in the night sky. However, a close reading indicates that it was actually day. After the promise, the sacrifice of the animals, and the birds of prey (which would only be out in the day), we read, "As the sun was going down..." (Genesis 15:12)
God had Abram go out and look for stars, "count them if you can" in the middle of the day. Thus showing Abram that God is faithful even if he couldn't see a single star! The stars are there but just not visible at that time!
In chapter 16 we see Abram and Sarai taking their childless situation into their own hands and not trusting God. It is at this time that Ishmael is born; the son of Abram and Sarai's maid, Hagar.
These chapters are about trust, will Abram trust God? Will you trust God, even when nothing makes sense?
Max Workouts Program
I finally felt good today. I got out of bed without much effort and the soreness of the first couple of days is starting to give way. Today was a bike day. It was pretty intense but much more tolerable. I warmed up with 5 mins of varied resistance on the bike. For 25 mins I did 40 second sprints of intense resistance followed by 40 seconds of lighter resistance.
Tomorrow is another workout so I may stop and get some lighter dumbbells. Saturday has nothing prescribed so I may drop back and do the optional ab workouts. So far, I'd still recommend the program and I am very much enjoying it. It takes some time to learn the exercises, for me at least, and their names but hopefully, with the help of the videos, I'll get a good handle on those so I can really dive into each workout.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
90 Days - Day 3
What's this all about?
Bible Reading Program
Today's reading (Chapters 9-11) gives us the geneology from Noah to Abram. Some interesting things to note:
1) We are lead to believe that up until all left the Ark the animals had no natural fear of humans. This would help further explain how such an event could have taken place. Genesis 9:2
2) Are we also to understand that up til this point man did not eat animals? Genesis 9:3
3) I have heard that the incident with Ham and "Noah's nakedness" was actually an instance of incest between Ham and Noah's wife, Ham's mother. This is alluded to in Leviticus 18:6-8. Depending on the translation (RSV-CE) both read "uncover the nakedness of your father."
Max Workouts Program
Today was a very tough day. I won't make excuses but I do think I need some lighter dumbbells for some of these exercises. I did some great warm-up exercises even though I am still extremely sore. Today's exercise consisted of using dumbbells for three exercises, never putting them down until the end of the first round and the beginning of the 1 min break. I only did 3 out of the 5-6 suggested rounds. I simply couldn't move the dumbbells one more time. I was using 30 lb dumbbells and probably need to drop down to twenty or fifteen.
I must say this is the most challenging program I have ever tried. What is nice is that the author/designer is a participant in the forums so he will read, reply and encourage everyone to stick it out and not give up. It makes it a little more personal and you don't feel like your left out on your own after your purchase.
I feel good even if can't do all the exercises yet. Just sticking with that personal commitment to get up everyday and try helps so much physically and mentally!
Bible Reading Program
Today's reading (Chapters 9-11) gives us the geneology from Noah to Abram. Some interesting things to note:
1) We are lead to believe that up until all left the Ark the animals had no natural fear of humans. This would help further explain how such an event could have taken place. Genesis 9:2
2) Are we also to understand that up til this point man did not eat animals? Genesis 9:3
3) I have heard that the incident with Ham and "Noah's nakedness" was actually an instance of incest between Ham and Noah's wife, Ham's mother. This is alluded to in Leviticus 18:6-8. Depending on the translation (RSV-CE) both read "uncover the nakedness of your father."
Max Workouts Program
Today was a very tough day. I won't make excuses but I do think I need some lighter dumbbells for some of these exercises. I did some great warm-up exercises even though I am still extremely sore. Today's exercise consisted of using dumbbells for three exercises, never putting them down until the end of the first round and the beginning of the 1 min break. I only did 3 out of the 5-6 suggested rounds. I simply couldn't move the dumbbells one more time. I was using 30 lb dumbbells and probably need to drop down to twenty or fifteen.
I must say this is the most challenging program I have ever tried. What is nice is that the author/designer is a participant in the forums so he will read, reply and encourage everyone to stick it out and not give up. It makes it a little more personal and you don't feel like your left out on your own after your purchase.
I feel good even if can't do all the exercises yet. Just sticking with that personal commitment to get up everyday and try helps so much physically and mentally!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
90 Days - Day 2
What's this all about?
Max Workouts Program
Today was a cardiovascular day, a day of really getting the heart pumping. I woke up at 5 and began the scripture program (see below) and then moved into some warm-up exercises. Frankly, these hurt. I was still tight and sore from yesterday but once I got into them I felt a bit better. However, I realized that they weren't really necessary since I would be doing all of my work on the bike today.
After limbering up and warming up I sat down at the bike. I spent about five minutes at a steady pace before beginning the day's program. As I have said before Max Workouts focuses on intensity. It focuses on quality work rather than quantity work. This bike program for Tuesdays and Thursdays is basically the equivalent of sprinting for thirty seconds and then jogging for thirty seconds, sprinting for 30, jogging for 30. This continues for about 20-25 mins. It was not easy and it really got my heart pumping. In order to get that sprint power I tightened the bike resistance and then let off for the jog. Again, today, my legs are hurting. It can't last forever, right??? Right?
Bible Reading Program
Today Genesis 5-8 takes us through the lineage of Seth to Noah and then the story of Noah and the Ark.
Chapter 5 gives us the family history of Noah. We begin with Seth and work our way through all of the sons, grandsons, etc. One interesting thing to note is that not until we get to Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah, do we read "Enoch walked with God." I have to wonder if the other ancestors of Noah did not walk with God. Also, only Noah has three of his sons named while the others had only one named.
Chapter 6 basically retells the story of man from the time of Adam and Eve until Noah. We see that those who followed God, "sons of God", married those who did not follow God, "sons of men", and the human race beings to seriously fall out of favor with God. When we finally get to Noah we once again read that he "walked with God." There is something for us to consider. Do we walk with God?
In the remaining verses of the chapter God tells Noah to build the Ark, why, and who and what is to come aboard.
Many don't believe in the ark account. They read it as a myth. They ask, how could Noah get all of those animals on the Ark. Well, he didn't, God did. I have seen how God can do this too. In the days after Hurricane Katrina I read a story in the New Orleans paper about how they found all of these animals located together on this one spot of high ground. The remarkable thing was that they were animals that would not naturally get along. They were predators and prey, yet they were all seeking safety and accommodating one another. I have also read stories of how animals react before an event of nature takes place.
Another beautiful part of the Ark story is that they go on two by two but scripture tells us that when the Ark came to a rest, over a year after the flood began, they all "went forth by families out of the Ark." It was the original "love boat" by all accounts!
Max Workouts Program
Today was a cardiovascular day, a day of really getting the heart pumping. I woke up at 5 and began the scripture program (see below) and then moved into some warm-up exercises. Frankly, these hurt. I was still tight and sore from yesterday but once I got into them I felt a bit better. However, I realized that they weren't really necessary since I would be doing all of my work on the bike today.
After limbering up and warming up I sat down at the bike. I spent about five minutes at a steady pace before beginning the day's program. As I have said before Max Workouts focuses on intensity. It focuses on quality work rather than quantity work. This bike program for Tuesdays and Thursdays is basically the equivalent of sprinting for thirty seconds and then jogging for thirty seconds, sprinting for 30, jogging for 30. This continues for about 20-25 mins. It was not easy and it really got my heart pumping. In order to get that sprint power I tightened the bike resistance and then let off for the jog. Again, today, my legs are hurting. It can't last forever, right??? Right?
Bible Reading Program
Today Genesis 5-8 takes us through the lineage of Seth to Noah and then the story of Noah and the Ark.
Chapter 5 gives us the family history of Noah. We begin with Seth and work our way through all of the sons, grandsons, etc. One interesting thing to note is that not until we get to Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah, do we read "Enoch walked with God." I have to wonder if the other ancestors of Noah did not walk with God. Also, only Noah has three of his sons named while the others had only one named.
Chapter 6 basically retells the story of man from the time of Adam and Eve until Noah. We see that those who followed God, "sons of God", married those who did not follow God, "sons of men", and the human race beings to seriously fall out of favor with God. When we finally get to Noah we once again read that he "walked with God." There is something for us to consider. Do we walk with God?
In the remaining verses of the chapter God tells Noah to build the Ark, why, and who and what is to come aboard.
Many don't believe in the ark account. They read it as a myth. They ask, how could Noah get all of those animals on the Ark. Well, he didn't, God did. I have seen how God can do this too. In the days after Hurricane Katrina I read a story in the New Orleans paper about how they found all of these animals located together on this one spot of high ground. The remarkable thing was that they were animals that would not naturally get along. They were predators and prey, yet they were all seeking safety and accommodating one another. I have also read stories of how animals react before an event of nature takes place.
Another beautiful part of the Ark story is that they go on two by two but scripture tells us that when the Ark came to a rest, over a year after the flood began, they all "went forth by families out of the Ark." It was the original "love boat" by all accounts!
Monday, February 1, 2010
90 Days - Day 1
What's this all about?
Max Workouts Program
Today was the first day of my 90 day program. Last night I reviewed the exercises with the help of the available online videos that come with the program. I made sure that I could do them all and had the necessary equipment. I also found replacement exercises for those I couldn't do since I don't have pull-up or chin-up equipment. After reviewing and planning out my morning, I set my alarm for 5 AM and promptly went to bed at 9 PM.
I can't say I jumped out of bed but I didn't hit the snooze. I got dressed and went downstairs to my "man cave" area and cracked open the Bible for my 90 day reading program (meditations below). After scripture I began with the recommended warm-up routine. This routine isn't just sissy stretches and jogging in place. It is designed to get things kick-started and I was dang near worn out by the end of about 7 minutes of warm-ups!
After the warm-up routine I moved right into the workouts. I thought that I was pretty much in shape. I've been hiking every Saturday about 10+ miles, doing push-ups, etc. By the second round I was begging God to just take me then and there.
This program focuses on high-intensity workouts. It's not doing curls and then looking at your biceps. It's more like those times in high-school sports when you thought you'd probably feel better if you could just throw-up after the given exercise. There are only three exercises each day to begin with but they are killer and they don't even call for a great deal of weight. The 4 rounds took only 20 minutes.
When I finished I was a quivering pile of jell-o. I could barely walk back upstairs for some breakfast. And, to be honest, with you, my brothers, I only did 4 rounds of the prescribed 5-6. I just couldn't do any more. My body and I are not speaking right now.
I jumped on the forums at Max Workouts to find another poor soul that began the program today and he too only did 4 rounds. Misery loves company. Tomorrow is a cardio day and I'll explain that tomorrow. For now, I'm going to focus on recovery, 5 hours later my legs still don't cooperate when going down the stairs!
Bible Reading Program
The 90 Day Bible Reading Program comes from The Great Adventure Bible Timeline program by Jeff Cavins. In order to access the free study you need to register and download the single page PDF file. Or email me and I can sent it to you.
Today - Genesis 1-4 In the beginning, what better place to start a reading program or an exercise program! I can't possibly give commentary on everything I read but I will highlight some meditations that I had during the reading.
7 Sins - I found it fascinating that we can see all 7 of the deadly sins at the fall of Adam and Eve.
Pride - Adam & Eve desire to be like God. (Gen 3:6)
Avarice (greed) - They had everything, what more could they want? Yet in their pride, they desired the only thing forbidden them. (Gen 3:6)
Gluttony - Again, God had given them all they would need, yet they are tempted to reach for more, one more morsel "good for food." (Gen 3:6)
Sloth - Adam & Eve, though they know what is forbidden, give no fight, no exertion to resist offending God, and entertain conversation with the devil. (Gen 3:2-6)
Envy - Our first parents were envious of God, they felt as though He had something good and was hiding something from them. (Gen 3:4-5)
Lust - At the fall Adam & Eve no longer looked upon one another with self-giving love but rather with selfish love, thinking in their hearts "how can I use this person." (Gen 3:7)
Anger - The episode of the fall turns into a blame game - Adam blaming Eve, Eve blaming the serpent. The anger of one is vented against another, confession is never considered. (3:12-13)
Another passage that caught my attention is "and dust shall you eat". God addresses this to the serpent who we know is the devil. I wonder if this was meant to be a play on words. Consider that we are told both Adam and Eve are made of...dust of the earth. Is this meant to convey that the serpent will be in constant pursuit, trying to consume man?
That's it for now, time to let my body and brain relax! God Bless!
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