The 2009 Tour de France starts July 4th.
I'm really not much into spectator sports. I'm normally bored by watching some game on TV; I'd much rather be out doing something instead! However, in the last few years, as I've become interested in the sport of cycling, I've made a point to keep up with some of the Tour de France each year. Of course, I can't catch all of it; it's 3 weeks long! Despite my disinclination to enjoy watching a sport, I have truly been fascinated by the complexity of this race.
The Tour lasts 3 weeks and consists of 21 individual daily races. It is considered a great career achievement for a professional cyclist to win even one individual stage. So, many riders are in the race with no hopes of winning the overall event, but might possibly pull out a stage win. The overall leader of the race wears a yellow jersey, and (should he wear it to the finish line in Paris) is the winner in the general classification (or g.c. for short). This is decided by taking each rider's individual race finish time every day and adding them up as the race progresses; at the end of the event, the rider with the lowest cumulative time wins. Also, there are various other winning classifications within the race that riders can vie for.
The other major categories are the green sprinter's jersey (based on a point system for finishing well in the mass finishes as well as at intermediate sprint points along the route), the red-and-white polka dot "King of the Mountains" jersey for the best performance over the mountain stages, and the white best young rider jersey for the best performing rider under the age of 25. To make it even more confusing, there are 3 different types of races involved: the standard mass-start stages where all participants begin together, the individual time trials, where the participants depart in one-minute intervals and each rider races alone on the road against the clock, and the team time trials which are similar to the individual TTs except that whole teams work together to ride the fastest they can along the day's course. For more detailed information, read Wikipedia's Tour entry here.
A pro cycling stage race is an endurance event that is unparalleled in all of sports. And the Tour is the granddaddy of all stage races. Wikipedia quotes the July 16, 2006 edition of the New York Times as saying "The Tour de France is arguably the most physiologically demanding of athletic events. The distance and time of the Tour is comparable to running a marathon several days a week for nearly three weeks. The vertical distance climbed traversing the Alps and Pyrenees is equivalent to climbing three Everests. Participants consume and burn as much as 10,000 calories per day."
It has occurred to me that we could learn a lot from the perseverance, teamwork, strategy, and sheer determination needed simply to finish this event, much less be a contender to win a single stage, a category, or the whole event! Here are some of my thoughts and observations inspired by the sport of cycling and Le Tour de France:
1. You can't just go it alone.
Until I learned more about cycling, I had no idea that it was a team sport, every bit as much as basketball or baseball. A team of cyclists can ride the same course in a much faster time than an individual cyclist attempting it alone. Having ridden both alone and in groups of riders, I can attest that when you are out there by yourself--just you, the bike, and the wind--it is much harder. Having someone else in front of you doing the hard work fighting the wind resistance makes your job much easier. In fact, sports scientists have calculated that by proper drafting, a cyclist conserves as much as 25% of his energy. That means he can go 25% faster or 25% further with help than he could by himself! Of course, if the same person takes the lead by himself for too long, he won't be able to set much of a pace for the riders behind him. A cycling team rides in a rotating formation called a paceline, taking turns in the lead, so that no individual rider takes the brunt of the wind for too long. The optimum draft occurs when your front tire is within just 2 inches back from the rear tire of the rider in front of you, so you have to stay very close to your leader. All of the team members have to keep an eye out for each other to avoid collisions when they are riding so close together. One second of inattention could cause you and everyone behind you to crash. The guy in the front is constantly scanning the road for any obstacles, and everyone else is following his lead, since they can't see around him. You have to trust your leaders.
2. Sometimes you have to lead, and sometimes you have to serve.
The unique thing about this sport is that the majority of the team is racing in a support role. Each team of nine members has one leader and eight domestiques. The job of the domestiques, literally "servants", is to take care of the lead rider. When the leader is racing close to the front of the peloton, the main pack of riders, one of the domestiques may be called on to fall back to behind the pack to where the team cars are in order to get water bottles to re-supply the leader and the rest of the team. Then he will have to virtually sprint in order to catch back up to his team to deliver the needed water. This extra effort expended makes it nearly impossible for this rider to be a contender to actually win the day for himself; he uses his energy to support others so that they will have the strength to sprint for the finish line when the time comes. Other riders serve as lead-out men in the final sprint over the last mile or so of a day's racing. They will wear themselves out setting the pace for the strongest rider, who rides in their draft, conserving his own energy, sometimes until the final few seconds, when the team leader gives it his all and pushes for the finish line with everything he's got, leaving the riders who did much of the work to get him there to finish several back in the ranking. But the Tour is a tough race; one never knows when a lead rider may have to drop out due to injury, illness, or exhaustion. So the support riders do their best to help out the strongest rider, but they could be called upon to take on the leadership role themselves if something happens to the original team leader. You've got to do your best to accomplish the goal regardless of your personal position.
3. Cooperation is key.
While it is a team sport, with the extremely long distances and arduous mountain climbs of this event, inevitably the strongest riders sometimes find themselves separated from their teammates. Sometimes this is by design, when a particular rider sees an opportunity to break away from the group and put some time between himself and his rivals on other teams, and sometimes it is simply a result of most of the weaker riders falling behind as the race gets tough, leaving only the very strongest in the lead. Now, the dynamic of teamwork changes. You may have 5 or 6 riders together, all from different teams, all hoping to win the day for themselves. I have seen a breakaway group like this with an advantage of several minutes over the peloton many times. Most of the time, however, these groups are eventually caught by the crowd and their extra effort to break away is for naught. To be successful, these multi-team breakaway groups have to forge a temporary alliance and work together in order to make it to the sprint ahead of the pack. (Then it's every man for himself.)
4. Always try to hang with the leaders.
The safest place to be in the peloton is with the leaders in the front. It's also the easiest place to ride, assuming you intend to finish with the pack. The rules of professional cycling stipulate that everyone who finishes with a group of riders receives the time of the first rider in the group to cross the finish line, so if there is a massive pack of 85 or 90 riders that roars across the finish line together, the guy in the last position earns the same time as the one whose tire crosses the paint first. (This reduces agressive and potentially dangerous maneuvering within the peloton. The only way to gain time on the pack is to succeed in a breakaway.) So you would think it wouldn't really matter where in the pack you are riding. However, the guys in the front expend much less energy than the tail of the peloton. If you can visualize a large group of bicycles maneuvering through an intersection, you will understand why. The first few have an unobstructed path to choose the most efficient line around the corner, shaving off a bit of distance. They are able to maintain most of their speed through the turn and accelerate smoothly back to their cruising speed once they are back in a straitaway. The guys in the middle and back of the group, however, are forced to slow down and to take less than ideal routes through the intersection. As the pack moves into a turn, there is an "accordion effect" where the group bunches up as they slow down through the turn, then extends out again after the turn is complete. Those who weren't in the front end up having to work much harder to maintain their position. That precious energy expended is then unavailable if needed later on should the pace pick up. Add to this disadvantage the fact that there are that many more people ahead of you that could potentially crash, taking down many of the riders in their wake, and you quickly see that cruising along in the back of a group is not the best position to be in. In order to stay in the lead, you should hang with the leaders.
5. Even when you fall down, you just gotta get up!
One of the salient features of the Tour is the crash. With flesh, bone, titanium, and rubber vying for position in the peloton and trying to remain poised above the pavement while careening down a mountainside at over 60 miles per hour, bad stuff is bound to happen. Many have suffered broken bones and bruised egos, and a few riders have even lost their lives over the years. At times a rider in the middle of the peloton goes down and dozens more pile on top of him like so many dominoes, limbs and tires flailing dizzyingly in the air. The truly amazing thing about this event is not that some have to drop out due to injury, but just how many actually make it to the end of the race! You'll never win the race by lying on the ground. If the crash was bad enough and you are too injured to continue for the day, focus on your recovery and get ready to start training for the next race as soon as you are able. A rider sometimes suffers a nasty-looking fall, but the true contenders don't allow themselves the luxury of wallowing in pain and pity on the pavement. I have seen riders jump up from the ground after a terrible fall, thrust the mangled metal of their bike aside, get a replacement bike from their coach and start cranking the pedals immediately to re-join the racers down the road. So, when you fall down, check to make sure nothing is broken, dust yourself off, and get back on the bike! The race goes to the one who endures!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Thoughts on Discipline
From time to time, I fill in teaching the teen Sunday School class for my friends Stewart and Galadriel, who are the regular teachers. Such was the case last week and I felt to teach about discipline. This is something that God has been dealing with me about for several months, since before the beginning of the year.
As I was thinking about the concept of discipline, it occurred to me how close the word is to "disciple". If we are His disciples, we must live lives of discipline. A disciple is a follower. Paul says in 1 Cor. 11:1 "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ." We must find leaders who are following Christ and be disciplined in following them. If you look up the word disciple, you find that the root means "student" or "pupil". We must be disciplined to learn from the Great Teacher. How can He teach us if we don't take time to listen?
To help me be more disciplined in my life, I sat down at my computer last Saturday and wrote myself a tentative daily schedule. If I follow it, I will get in all of the important stuff that I ought to be doing and won't burn up so much time with the meaningless time wasters that so easily distract us from what truly matters. This brings to mind an axiom that I've heard that, unfortunately, has often applied to my life:
"Too often we major in the urgent and minor in the important."
I don't want to be guilty of this. There will always be urgent stuff that comes up in my life, but if I am a disciplined person, I will make time for the things that matter, like daily prayer time and Bible study. What could be more important than spending time with the Lord?
I was doing these things before, but not as much, and not with the same regularity. Daniel prayed with his windows open toward Jerusalem three times a day. It seems that we benefit from regularly taking time out to acknowledge our Creator and focus on Him for a few minutes. It recenters us and reminds us of Who is truly important (and it's not us!). We have to take the focus off of ourselves and put it on Him.
Please don't misunderstand me. I don't feel like doing these things will somehow help me to obtain God's grace. I feel like I am called to do these things in response to God's grace. Nothing I can do will obligate God to do anything for me, but He has already done so much for me, it obligates me to do more for Him.
Well, during my first week of striving for greater discipline, I have not stuck to my schedule 100%, but I have done pretty well. I have spent a few minutes every morning in prayer right after waking up, and it just makes such a difference in my outlook every day. I have been reading His word more, and meditating on it more throughout the day. Twice this week I have awakened in the morning from a dream in which I felt the Holy Spirit greatly. This is not something that happens to me often. I am responding to God's grace and He is giving me more, obligating me even further. God's grace truly is amazing.
As I was thinking about the concept of discipline, it occurred to me how close the word is to "disciple". If we are His disciples, we must live lives of discipline. A disciple is a follower. Paul says in 1 Cor. 11:1 "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ." We must find leaders who are following Christ and be disciplined in following them. If you look up the word disciple, you find that the root means "student" or "pupil". We must be disciplined to learn from the Great Teacher. How can He teach us if we don't take time to listen?
To help me be more disciplined in my life, I sat down at my computer last Saturday and wrote myself a tentative daily schedule. If I follow it, I will get in all of the important stuff that I ought to be doing and won't burn up so much time with the meaningless time wasters that so easily distract us from what truly matters. This brings to mind an axiom that I've heard that, unfortunately, has often applied to my life:
"Too often we major in the urgent and minor in the important."
I don't want to be guilty of this. There will always be urgent stuff that comes up in my life, but if I am a disciplined person, I will make time for the things that matter, like daily prayer time and Bible study. What could be more important than spending time with the Lord?
I was doing these things before, but not as much, and not with the same regularity. Daniel prayed with his windows open toward Jerusalem three times a day. It seems that we benefit from regularly taking time out to acknowledge our Creator and focus on Him for a few minutes. It recenters us and reminds us of Who is truly important (and it's not us!). We have to take the focus off of ourselves and put it on Him.
Please don't misunderstand me. I don't feel like doing these things will somehow help me to obtain God's grace. I feel like I am called to do these things in response to God's grace. Nothing I can do will obligate God to do anything for me, but He has already done so much for me, it obligates me to do more for Him.
Well, during my first week of striving for greater discipline, I have not stuck to my schedule 100%, but I have done pretty well. I have spent a few minutes every morning in prayer right after waking up, and it just makes such a difference in my outlook every day. I have been reading His word more, and meditating on it more throughout the day. Twice this week I have awakened in the morning from a dream in which I felt the Holy Spirit greatly. This is not something that happens to me often. I am responding to God's grace and He is giving me more, obligating me even further. God's grace truly is amazing.
Friday, September 26, 2008
What can YOU do about the economy?
I don't think I've ever actually written to my elected representatives before now, but after reading Dave Ramsey's column on the current bailout proposal, I wrote the letter below and sent it to my US Representative, both US Senators for Kentucky, as well as to the members of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Feel free to borrow from this letter if you would like to contact your elected officials as well. The entire process (even including posting this blog) has taken me about 30 minutes. It could take you even less if you borrow my letter! :-)
You can read Dave's column here: http://www.daveramsey.com/etc/newsletters/company/092608.cfm?ectid=cnl0809_06
He includes links at the bottom of the article with contact info for who to write.
Here's my letter:
Dear Congressman Whitfield,
I happily voted for you last election. I am a conservative committed to fiscal responsibility in my personal life and expect my government to be equally accountable with my money.
I implore you not to vote for the bailout of Wall Street companies that made stupid decisions and are now endangering our economy. I understand that something needs to happen, but we the people don't need to be in the mortgage business! Here's what our elected officials should do:
1. Swiftly vote to change the "mark to market" accounting rule at least for these subprime loans so that these companies don't have to mark these loans down to junk status. My understanding is that this is the primary reason the credit markets are frozen up. I understand that this is one of the options on the table, but that it isn't being reported in the media. Please advocate for this position.
2. Extend the current FHA insurance program to guarantee these mortgages to make them more marketable. I don't like guaranteeing these poorly-issued mortgages with my tax money, but it's certainly better than owning them, and should be much cheaper than the $700 Billion plan as proposed.
If you vote to spend $700 BILLION of OUR money on this plan to add all of this BAD debt to our already staggering national debt, I will vote to send you home at my next opportunity, and will commit my financial resources to help elect someone who will better represent our interests.
Thank you for your time. Please do not disappoint us.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Durr
You can read Dave's column here: http://www.daveramsey.com/etc/newsletters/company/092608.cfm?ectid=cnl0809_06
He includes links at the bottom of the article with contact info for who to write.
Here's my letter:
Dear Congressman Whitfield,
I happily voted for you last election. I am a conservative committed to fiscal responsibility in my personal life and expect my government to be equally accountable with my money.
I implore you not to vote for the bailout of Wall Street companies that made stupid decisions and are now endangering our economy. I understand that something needs to happen, but we the people don't need to be in the mortgage business! Here's what our elected officials should do:
1. Swiftly vote to change the "mark to market" accounting rule at least for these subprime loans so that these companies don't have to mark these loans down to junk status. My understanding is that this is the primary reason the credit markets are frozen up. I understand that this is one of the options on the table, but that it isn't being reported in the media. Please advocate for this position.
2. Extend the current FHA insurance program to guarantee these mortgages to make them more marketable. I don't like guaranteeing these poorly-issued mortgages with my tax money, but it's certainly better than owning them, and should be much cheaper than the $700 Billion plan as proposed.
If you vote to spend $700 BILLION of OUR money on this plan to add all of this BAD debt to our already staggering national debt, I will vote to send you home at my next opportunity, and will commit my financial resources to help elect someone who will better represent our interests.
Thank you for your time. Please do not disappoint us.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Durr
Monday, September 8, 2008
Pondering Sarah Palin: Life Imitating Star Trek?
For those of you who aren't familiar with the penultimate Trek series "Star Trek: Voyager", let me give you some background information...
Voyager was the first ST series to feature a female captain. A Star Trek fan of several years, the captain's position always held appeal to me as the moral authority for a community of travelers on a mission. In the various series, the captain was always the go-to guy when the going got tough. He was the driving force behind the ship, lending stability, gravitas, and confidence to his crew through ethical conundrums and life-threatening situations. Each captain had his own distinctive personality, but all were unquestionably in command. At times the captain had his doubts about a mission, but he himself couldn't be doubted by his stalwart crew. To this young fan, Star Trek's captains had served as models of masculinity. Then along came Voyager and Captain Katherine Janeway.
I must admit, I had reservations about a woman in the captain's chair. How could a woman manage to be in command and in control, to fill the shoes of the fabled captains Kirk, Picard, and Sisko, and still be, well, womanly? I was afraid that the Janeway character would either not be convincing as the leader of a crew of several hundred people or else would be a mannish woman who was unpleasant to watch from week to week. In short, I was afraid she would be Hillary Clinton.
In early episodes I was a bit concerned, as the writers seemed to confirm my fears by writing the character as a bit wooden, a one-dimensional all-business career woman who wasn't particularly likeable, but as the character evolved and the actress Kate Mulgrew got more comfortable with the role, Captain Janeway let her hair down (literally and figuratively) and became a superb example of an accomplished woman who was every bit as effective as the other captains from previous Treks, and yet distinctively feminine. Captain Janeway became one of my favorite ST captains, right up there with Jean-Luc Picard and Benjamin Sisko. She brought her own personality to the role, just as the other captains had, but she didn't sacrifice her femininity. She was a woman and a captain. She became a mother figure to her crew, who found themselves in need of guidance, stranded on the other side of the galaxy, far from home and isolated from their own families. Captain Janeway was in command, but a nurturer as well. The crew respected her, looked up to her, and could not bear the thought of disappointing her. Just as other ST captains had been emblematic of masculine authority, Janeway developed into a model of the feminine authority figure.
Recently, when John McCain selected Sarah Palin as his choice for Vice President, I experienced a bit of the same reservations that I'd had about Katherine Janeway. I thought that perhaps her selection was more of a gimmick than anything. Then I heard her first speech the day that McCain announced her selection, and I thought, "Maybe she will prove to be better than I thought. I will give her the benefit of the doubt." Then I heard her speech at the Republican National Convention and became a bona fide Palin fan. Here is a woman that I could follow. She is smart, accomplished, persuasive, and comfortable in her own skin. She comes across as authentic, and authentically feminine.
Having read several profiles of her tenure in Alaska politics, she is described as "a mother and a governor". She never tried to build walls between her family and her career. They were simply two aspects of her full life. Her kids and/or husband were often seen around the Alaska Statehouse; she even was known to nurse her baby unseen during conference calls. She would be parenting one minute, then would excuse herself saying, "Mommy's got to go do this press conference." She stands in stark contrast to Hillary Clinton, who entered the national spotlight on her husband's coattails, while Palin has come up through the political ranks from the PTA to the City Commission, Mayor, Governor, and now VP candidate, on her own merits. She seems to be anchored by her values and convictions as opposed to being driven by blind ambition. She provides a real-life example of a powerful woman who has not tried to prove herself to be as tough as any man, but has simply been who she is, which happens to be one tough lady. Tough as she may be, one of my favorite things about her is that she still has the softer, maternal side as well. Her words at the convention about her youngest child were inspiring and heart-felt.
I believe that John McCain exhibited a stroke of genius in choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate. Beyond the political aspect of the choice (she has certainly shaken up the race, and I believe has significantly improved the Republican ticket's chances of winning come November), I truly believe that she would be a refreshing voice in Washington, DC.
Did the character of Captain Janeway help prepare me to accept a woman candidate for high office? Maybe so. I just may have found my real-life Captain Janeway in Sarah Palin. Win or lose this year, Palin's candidacy will no doubt go down in the history books. Perhaps a young Katherine Janeway, some 200 years hence, will read in those history books and be inspired to a life of leadership by a certain 21st-century female leader. :-)
McCain-Palin 2008!
Palin 2016?
It could happen!
Voyager was the first ST series to feature a female captain. A Star Trek fan of several years, the captain's position always held appeal to me as the moral authority for a community of travelers on a mission. In the various series, the captain was always the go-to guy when the going got tough. He was the driving force behind the ship, lending stability, gravitas, and confidence to his crew through ethical conundrums and life-threatening situations. Each captain had his own distinctive personality, but all were unquestionably in command. At times the captain had his doubts about a mission, but he himself couldn't be doubted by his stalwart crew. To this young fan, Star Trek's captains had served as models of masculinity. Then along came Voyager and Captain Katherine Janeway.
I must admit, I had reservations about a woman in the captain's chair. How could a woman manage to be in command and in control, to fill the shoes of the fabled captains Kirk, Picard, and Sisko, and still be, well, womanly? I was afraid that the Janeway character would either not be convincing as the leader of a crew of several hundred people or else would be a mannish woman who was unpleasant to watch from week to week. In short, I was afraid she would be Hillary Clinton.
In early episodes I was a bit concerned, as the writers seemed to confirm my fears by writing the character as a bit wooden, a one-dimensional all-business career woman who wasn't particularly likeable, but as the character evolved and the actress Kate Mulgrew got more comfortable with the role, Captain Janeway let her hair down (literally and figuratively) and became a superb example of an accomplished woman who was every bit as effective as the other captains from previous Treks, and yet distinctively feminine. Captain Janeway became one of my favorite ST captains, right up there with Jean-Luc Picard and Benjamin Sisko. She brought her own personality to the role, just as the other captains had, but she didn't sacrifice her femininity. She was a woman and a captain. She became a mother figure to her crew, who found themselves in need of guidance, stranded on the other side of the galaxy, far from home and isolated from their own families. Captain Janeway was in command, but a nurturer as well. The crew respected her, looked up to her, and could not bear the thought of disappointing her. Just as other ST captains had been emblematic of masculine authority, Janeway developed into a model of the feminine authority figure.
Recently, when John McCain selected Sarah Palin as his choice for Vice President, I experienced a bit of the same reservations that I'd had about Katherine Janeway. I thought that perhaps her selection was more of a gimmick than anything. Then I heard her first speech the day that McCain announced her selection, and I thought, "Maybe she will prove to be better than I thought. I will give her the benefit of the doubt." Then I heard her speech at the Republican National Convention and became a bona fide Palin fan. Here is a woman that I could follow. She is smart, accomplished, persuasive, and comfortable in her own skin. She comes across as authentic, and authentically feminine.
Having read several profiles of her tenure in Alaska politics, she is described as "a mother and a governor". She never tried to build walls between her family and her career. They were simply two aspects of her full life. Her kids and/or husband were often seen around the Alaska Statehouse; she even was known to nurse her baby unseen during conference calls. She would be parenting one minute, then would excuse herself saying, "Mommy's got to go do this press conference." She stands in stark contrast to Hillary Clinton, who entered the national spotlight on her husband's coattails, while Palin has come up through the political ranks from the PTA to the City Commission, Mayor, Governor, and now VP candidate, on her own merits. She seems to be anchored by her values and convictions as opposed to being driven by blind ambition. She provides a real-life example of a powerful woman who has not tried to prove herself to be as tough as any man, but has simply been who she is, which happens to be one tough lady. Tough as she may be, one of my favorite things about her is that she still has the softer, maternal side as well. Her words at the convention about her youngest child were inspiring and heart-felt.
I believe that John McCain exhibited a stroke of genius in choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate. Beyond the political aspect of the choice (she has certainly shaken up the race, and I believe has significantly improved the Republican ticket's chances of winning come November), I truly believe that she would be a refreshing voice in Washington, DC.
Did the character of Captain Janeway help prepare me to accept a woman candidate for high office? Maybe so. I just may have found my real-life Captain Janeway in Sarah Palin. Win or lose this year, Palin's candidacy will no doubt go down in the history books. Perhaps a young Katherine Janeway, some 200 years hence, will read in those history books and be inspired to a life of leadership by a certain 21st-century female leader. :-)
McCain-Palin 2008!
Palin 2016?
It could happen!
Saturday, July 14, 2007
My handwriting analysis...for what it's worth:
I have recently been endeavoring to improve my penmanship, since my handwriting is sometimes not particularly legible. Anyway, I was researching some handwriting help sites online and ran across a do-it-yourself handwriting analysis. I don't buy into everything that it says about me, but much of it is surprisingly accurate! I would be interested to see what others think about this. To try it out on yourself, check out http://www.handwritingwizard.com/info.phtml . Let me know what you think! Here's what it had to say about me:
Jonathan has a healthy imagination and displays a fair amount of trust. He lets new people into his circle of friends. He uses his imagination to understand new ideas, things, and people.
Jonathan is sarcastic. This is a defense mechanism designed to protect his ego when he feels hurt. He pokes people harder than he gets poked. These sarcastic remarks can be very funny. They can also be harsh, bitter, and caustic at the same time.
Jonathan is a practical person whose goals are planned, practical, and down to earth. This is typical of people with normal healthy self-esteem. He needs to visualize the end of a project before he starts. he finds joy in anticipation and planning. Notice that I said he plans everything he is going to do, that doesn't necessarily mean things go as planned. Jonathan basically feels good about himself. He has a positive self-esteem which contributes to his success. He feels he has the ability to achieve anything he sets his mind to. However, he sets his goals using practicality-- not too "out of reach". He has enough self-confidence to leave a bad situation, yet, he will not take great risks, as they relate to his goals. A good esteem is one key to a happy life. Although there is room for improvement in the confidence catagery, his self-perception is better than average.
In reference to Jonathan's mental abilities, he has a very investigating and creating mind. He investigates projects rapidly because he is curious about many things. He gets involved in many projects that seem good at the beginning, but he soon must slow down and look at all the angles. He probably gets too many things going at once. When Jonathan slows down, then he becomes more creative than before. Since it takes time to be creative, he must slow down to do it. He then decides what projects he has time to finish. Thus he finishes at a slower pace than when he started the project. He has the best of two kinds of minds. One is the quick investigating mind. The other is the creative mind. His mind thinks quick and rapidly in the investigative mode. He can learn quicker, investigate more, and think faster. Jonathan can then switch into his low gear. When he is in the slower mode, he can be creative, remember longer and stack facts in a logical manner. He is more logical this way and can climb mental mountains with a much better grip.
Jonathan is secretive. He has secrets which he does not wish to share with others. He intentionally conceals things about himself. He has a private side that he intends to keep that way, especially concerning certain events in his past.
Jonathan will demand respect and will expect others to treat him with honor and dignity. Jonathan believes in his ideas and will expect other people to also respect them. He has a lot of pride.
Jonathan is moderately outgoing. His emotions are stirred by sympathy and heart rendering stories. In fact, he can be kind, friendly, affectionate and considerate of others. He has the ability to put himself into the other person's shoes. Jonathan will be somewhat moody, with highs and lows. Sometimes he will be happy, the next day he might be sad. He has the unique ability to get along equally well with what psychology calls introverts and extroverts. This is because he is in between. Psychology calls Jonathan an ambivert. He understands the needs of both types. Although they get along, he will not tolerate anyone that is too "far out." He doesn't sway too far one way or the other. When convincing him to buy a product or an idea, a heart rendering story could mean a great deal to him. He puts himself in the same situation as the person in the story, yet he will not buy anything that seems overly impractical or illogical. Jonathan is an expressive person. He outwardly shows his emotions. He may even show traces of tears when hearing a sad story. Jonathan is a "middle-of-the-roader," politically as well as logically. He weighs both sides of an issue, sits on the fence, and then will decide when he finally has to. He basically doesn't relate to any far out ideas and usually won't go to the extreme on any issue.
People that write their letters in an average height and average size are moderate in their ability to interact socially. According to the data input, Jonathan doesn't write too large or too small, indicating a balanced ability to be social and interact with others.
Jonathan has a healthy imagination and displays a fair amount of trust. He lets new people into his circle of friends. He uses his imagination to understand new ideas, things, and people.
Jonathan is sarcastic. This is a defense mechanism designed to protect his ego when he feels hurt. He pokes people harder than he gets poked. These sarcastic remarks can be very funny. They can also be harsh, bitter, and caustic at the same time.
Jonathan is a practical person whose goals are planned, practical, and down to earth. This is typical of people with normal healthy self-esteem. He needs to visualize the end of a project before he starts. he finds joy in anticipation and planning. Notice that I said he plans everything he is going to do, that doesn't necessarily mean things go as planned. Jonathan basically feels good about himself. He has a positive self-esteem which contributes to his success. He feels he has the ability to achieve anything he sets his mind to. However, he sets his goals using practicality-- not too "out of reach". He has enough self-confidence to leave a bad situation, yet, he will not take great risks, as they relate to his goals. A good esteem is one key to a happy life. Although there is room for improvement in the confidence catagery, his self-perception is better than average.
In reference to Jonathan's mental abilities, he has a very investigating and creating mind. He investigates projects rapidly because he is curious about many things. He gets involved in many projects that seem good at the beginning, but he soon must slow down and look at all the angles. He probably gets too many things going at once. When Jonathan slows down, then he becomes more creative than before. Since it takes time to be creative, he must slow down to do it. He then decides what projects he has time to finish. Thus he finishes at a slower pace than when he started the project. He has the best of two kinds of minds. One is the quick investigating mind. The other is the creative mind. His mind thinks quick and rapidly in the investigative mode. He can learn quicker, investigate more, and think faster. Jonathan can then switch into his low gear. When he is in the slower mode, he can be creative, remember longer and stack facts in a logical manner. He is more logical this way and can climb mental mountains with a much better grip.
Jonathan is secretive. He has secrets which he does not wish to share with others. He intentionally conceals things about himself. He has a private side that he intends to keep that way, especially concerning certain events in his past.
Jonathan will demand respect and will expect others to treat him with honor and dignity. Jonathan believes in his ideas and will expect other people to also respect them. He has a lot of pride.
Jonathan is moderately outgoing. His emotions are stirred by sympathy and heart rendering stories. In fact, he can be kind, friendly, affectionate and considerate of others. He has the ability to put himself into the other person's shoes. Jonathan will be somewhat moody, with highs and lows. Sometimes he will be happy, the next day he might be sad. He has the unique ability to get along equally well with what psychology calls introverts and extroverts. This is because he is in between. Psychology calls Jonathan an ambivert. He understands the needs of both types. Although they get along, he will not tolerate anyone that is too "far out." He doesn't sway too far one way or the other. When convincing him to buy a product or an idea, a heart rendering story could mean a great deal to him. He puts himself in the same situation as the person in the story, yet he will not buy anything that seems overly impractical or illogical. Jonathan is an expressive person. He outwardly shows his emotions. He may even show traces of tears when hearing a sad story. Jonathan is a "middle-of-the-roader," politically as well as logically. He weighs both sides of an issue, sits on the fence, and then will decide when he finally has to. He basically doesn't relate to any far out ideas and usually won't go to the extreme on any issue.
People that write their letters in an average height and average size are moderate in their ability to interact socially. According to the data input, Jonathan doesn't write too large or too small, indicating a balanced ability to be social and interact with others.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Balancing Act
Sunday night's service was my 31st church service in 31 days. I am sure that is a personal record! I have really enjoyed my time "off" and being able to visit several churches and go to several meetings. I never did really conclude my historia of the Texas trip from my previous 2 blogs, but now I've already been to the "Campvention" as well. There is so much to tell...I couldn't possibly get it all in! So just order the DVDs! ;-) I plan to watch them again myself...I was helping in the video department at the Campground, and it is difficult to really process what's being said in a meeting when you're working during the service.
One thing is for sure...my scale is way out of balance. God is calling on me to respond appropriately to the good things that I have received. Bro. Wilkinson used this illustration to explain how the grace of God works. He said that when John the Baptist told the Pharisees to bring forth fruit meet for repentance that the word "meet" is the same one translated "worthy" in many locations, and that it was a common market term used to refer to the process of weighing out the proper payment to buy a certain commodity. He calls us to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called. We are constantly indebted to God for His grace. We can never truly get the scale balanced, because as soon as we respond appropriately and get the scale moving in the right direction, He piles on more grace! I thought that this was a wonderful illustration of how God's grace doesn't give us license to sin; on the contrary, it obligates us to good works!
I thought of the scripture that says "To whom much is given, much is required." He's done so much for me, surely I am required to live for Him! We can't outgive God, but we can sure try to do as much as we can for Him. I remember what it meant to me as a child to hear my father say "I'm proud of you, son." It still means so much today to know that my dad is pleased with me. Just imagine what it would be like to hear our Heavenly Father say "Well done, my child." I want to make it!
One thing is for sure...my scale is way out of balance. God is calling on me to respond appropriately to the good things that I have received. Bro. Wilkinson used this illustration to explain how the grace of God works. He said that when John the Baptist told the Pharisees to bring forth fruit meet for repentance that the word "meet" is the same one translated "worthy" in many locations, and that it was a common market term used to refer to the process of weighing out the proper payment to buy a certain commodity. He calls us to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called. We are constantly indebted to God for His grace. We can never truly get the scale balanced, because as soon as we respond appropriately and get the scale moving in the right direction, He piles on more grace! I thought that this was a wonderful illustration of how God's grace doesn't give us license to sin; on the contrary, it obligates us to good works!
I thought of the scripture that says "To whom much is given, much is required." He's done so much for me, surely I am required to live for Him! We can't outgive God, but we can sure try to do as much as we can for Him. I remember what it meant to me as a child to hear my father say "I'm proud of you, son." It still means so much today to know that my dad is pleased with me. Just imagine what it would be like to hear our Heavenly Father say "Well done, my child." I want to make it!
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Tex-Mex Trip Report (Part 2)
We got up extremely early Wednesday morning and got a ride across the border with Bro. Memo to get on a bus in Matamoros to go to Monterrey. It was about a 4-hour bus ride and they showed a couple of movies along the way. Of course, the movies were in Spanish so the rest of the crew couldn't get much out of it, and it was hard for me to follow as well! (It's much easier to understand someone speaking directly to you than a movie where you can't ask them to repeat something or to slow down!)
We arrived at the bus station in Monterrey and Bro. Jose Luis Medrano, the pastor of one of our three churches in the city, met us and served as chaffeur for the rest of our time in Mexico. Monterrey is a city of about 6 million people if you include the metro area, so as you can imagine, traffic is quite thick. Add to that the Mexican daredevil driving philosophy and we had several whiteknuckle near misses. (I was accustomed to Mexican driving since I'd been there before, but the others were definitely prayed up by the time we got to church that night! LOL) Bro. Jose Luis speaks a little English, but I served as translator the majority of the time. When he heard Eddie praying out loud and saw his expression of terror when a taxi stopped within inches of the van we were in, he did manage the English phrase "It's no problem, brother." I'm not sure that Eddie was particularly comforted. ;-)
We went to eat at Los Generales, a very nice buffet-style restaurant with LOTS of food. We all ate our fill (and probably more). I think that between the 4 of us, we probably gained 20+ pounds on this trip... It's definitely time to get back on my bike! After eating, we did a bit of shopping in the Artisan's Plaza in the downtown business district before getting to where we were staying for the night and getting ready for church.
Kyle and I stayed in Bro. Jose Luis's home. The air conditioning wasn't working in our room, and it was very hot while we were getting ready for church. Thankfully, we had a fan and the windows open during the night, and we slept quite comfortably.
The church that Bro. Jose Luis pastors is the newest body work in Mexico. It was quite an experience to visit there. The city of Monterrey is surrounded by mountains, and being so large, has some neighborhoods of great wealth as well as some of extreme poverty. All of the mountains have houses that are built right up the side, extending up perhaps a third of the way to the top. On some mountains, the houses are mansions and the wealthiest of the city live there. The views of the city are breathtaking.
On other mountains, the poorest people live up the mountain, and the neighborhoods are very poorly developed, with no roads wide enough to drive on leading up to the houses--only paths for people to walk up the mountainside to their homes. This church is in a very poor area of town, a few blocks from the base of one of the "poor mountains". Many of the people in the church have very little. Some of them live up the side of the mountain and have to walk some distance to get to church.
One brother in the church had a real desire to serve in the music department. He played the guitar but he wanted to learn the piano as well. The church had a little electronic keyboard, and Sis. Cora (the pastor's wife) showed him some of the basics and gave him some sheet music to practice with. He didn't have the money for a keyboard, so he actually drew out a piano keyboard on a peice of cardboard and practiced with the sheet music at home every week on his cardboard "piano". He came early for services and practiced on the actual keyboard some more. Finally, the church was able to purchase a nicer keyboard, and they gave the old keyboard to this brother so that he could practice at home with something better than his cardboard drawing of the keys. He played for some of the songs during the service and did quite well. What an example of dedication!
The other amazing story from this church is how it came to be in fellowship with us. This church had been a Pentecostal church pastored by Bro. Sergio and not affiliated with us. He was a pastor for 30 years. He started to fellowship with one of the other body churches in Monterrey and began to realize that there was a greater truth there than what he had.
After some time, he asked for a pastor to come and take over his church, and said that he wanted to just sit in the congregation under this ministry so that he could receive the truths that he lacked. What humility! Bro. Jose Luis was sent to pastor the church, and Bro. Sergio sat out in the congregation for some time, refusing to take a seat on the platform. After 2 or 3 months, Bro. Jose Luis urged him to sit on the platform as well, so he now works with him in the ministry again. No doubt God will richly bless Bro. Sergio for his willingness to submit to a younger man and his desire for greater truth.
Before service Wednesday night in Monterrey, we all stood to pray together. In Paducah, when we pray at the beginning of service, Bro. Encil says that we are standing to invite God in and to ask him to accept our sacrifice of praise. I began to pray to that effect in Monterrery that night, and when I asked God to accept our sacrifice, my heart was smitten within me. I thought, "My God, what sacrifice do I make compared with these people here?" We are blessed with such abundance in the American assemblies; I would encourage everyone to go into a mission field at least once and see the hunger that the people have for the Lord, notwithstanding their lack of material means. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. In our society which is so centered on material things, we must take care not to hunger and thirst after stuff. We cannot serve God and mammon. We must keep our priorities straight.
We had a wonderful service in Monterrey that night. I was the translator for the service, so I got plenty of practice with my Spanish! I had to translate both ways, depending on who was speaking. Then, after talking all night long interpreting for others, Bro. Jose Luis asked me to have something to say myself. He smiled and said "He's been preaching all night long, but I'd like him to preach some more!" I actually tried to translate for myself, but after a few minutes, I just told my 3 fellow Americans that they already knew a lot of what I was saying anyway and that I was just going to speak in Spanish. It was much easier that way!
After service we went to find somewhere to eat. Some of us were craving American food and they told Bro. Jose Luis that while we really loved it, we were actually getting a bit tired of Mexican food. It was late, so we had a bit of trouble finding an American-stlye restaurant that was still open. After perhaps 30-45 minutes of driving around, Bro. Jose Luis (who is constantly joking around or teasing someone) said "I'm getting worried that if I don't find something soon, you all will eat me!" As soon as I had translated this, Kyle replied, "No no, you don't have to worry. We already said we're getting tired of Mexican food!" LOL Kyle is quick! I think he really earned Bro. Jose Luis's respect after that! ;-)
We arrived at the bus station in Monterrey and Bro. Jose Luis Medrano, the pastor of one of our three churches in the city, met us and served as chaffeur for the rest of our time in Mexico. Monterrey is a city of about 6 million people if you include the metro area, so as you can imagine, traffic is quite thick. Add to that the Mexican daredevil driving philosophy and we had several whiteknuckle near misses. (I was accustomed to Mexican driving since I'd been there before, but the others were definitely prayed up by the time we got to church that night! LOL) Bro. Jose Luis speaks a little English, but I served as translator the majority of the time. When he heard Eddie praying out loud and saw his expression of terror when a taxi stopped within inches of the van we were in, he did manage the English phrase "It's no problem, brother." I'm not sure that Eddie was particularly comforted. ;-)
We went to eat at Los Generales, a very nice buffet-style restaurant with LOTS of food. We all ate our fill (and probably more). I think that between the 4 of us, we probably gained 20+ pounds on this trip... It's definitely time to get back on my bike! After eating, we did a bit of shopping in the Artisan's Plaza in the downtown business district before getting to where we were staying for the night and getting ready for church.
Kyle and I stayed in Bro. Jose Luis's home. The air conditioning wasn't working in our room, and it was very hot while we were getting ready for church. Thankfully, we had a fan and the windows open during the night, and we slept quite comfortably.
The church that Bro. Jose Luis pastors is the newest body work in Mexico. It was quite an experience to visit there. The city of Monterrey is surrounded by mountains, and being so large, has some neighborhoods of great wealth as well as some of extreme poverty. All of the mountains have houses that are built right up the side, extending up perhaps a third of the way to the top. On some mountains, the houses are mansions and the wealthiest of the city live there. The views of the city are breathtaking.
On other mountains, the poorest people live up the mountain, and the neighborhoods are very poorly developed, with no roads wide enough to drive on leading up to the houses--only paths for people to walk up the mountainside to their homes. This church is in a very poor area of town, a few blocks from the base of one of the "poor mountains". Many of the people in the church have very little. Some of them live up the side of the mountain and have to walk some distance to get to church.
One brother in the church had a real desire to serve in the music department. He played the guitar but he wanted to learn the piano as well. The church had a little electronic keyboard, and Sis. Cora (the pastor's wife) showed him some of the basics and gave him some sheet music to practice with. He didn't have the money for a keyboard, so he actually drew out a piano keyboard on a peice of cardboard and practiced with the sheet music at home every week on his cardboard "piano". He came early for services and practiced on the actual keyboard some more. Finally, the church was able to purchase a nicer keyboard, and they gave the old keyboard to this brother so that he could practice at home with something better than his cardboard drawing of the keys. He played for some of the songs during the service and did quite well. What an example of dedication!
The other amazing story from this church is how it came to be in fellowship with us. This church had been a Pentecostal church pastored by Bro. Sergio and not affiliated with us. He was a pastor for 30 years. He started to fellowship with one of the other body churches in Monterrey and began to realize that there was a greater truth there than what he had.
After some time, he asked for a pastor to come and take over his church, and said that he wanted to just sit in the congregation under this ministry so that he could receive the truths that he lacked. What humility! Bro. Jose Luis was sent to pastor the church, and Bro. Sergio sat out in the congregation for some time, refusing to take a seat on the platform. After 2 or 3 months, Bro. Jose Luis urged him to sit on the platform as well, so he now works with him in the ministry again. No doubt God will richly bless Bro. Sergio for his willingness to submit to a younger man and his desire for greater truth.
Before service Wednesday night in Monterrey, we all stood to pray together. In Paducah, when we pray at the beginning of service, Bro. Encil says that we are standing to invite God in and to ask him to accept our sacrifice of praise. I began to pray to that effect in Monterrery that night, and when I asked God to accept our sacrifice, my heart was smitten within me. I thought, "My God, what sacrifice do I make compared with these people here?" We are blessed with such abundance in the American assemblies; I would encourage everyone to go into a mission field at least once and see the hunger that the people have for the Lord, notwithstanding their lack of material means. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. In our society which is so centered on material things, we must take care not to hunger and thirst after stuff. We cannot serve God and mammon. We must keep our priorities straight.
We had a wonderful service in Monterrey that night. I was the translator for the service, so I got plenty of practice with my Spanish! I had to translate both ways, depending on who was speaking. Then, after talking all night long interpreting for others, Bro. Jose Luis asked me to have something to say myself. He smiled and said "He's been preaching all night long, but I'd like him to preach some more!" I actually tried to translate for myself, but after a few minutes, I just told my 3 fellow Americans that they already knew a lot of what I was saying anyway and that I was just going to speak in Spanish. It was much easier that way!
After service we went to find somewhere to eat. Some of us were craving American food and they told Bro. Jose Luis that while we really loved it, we were actually getting a bit tired of Mexican food. It was late, so we had a bit of trouble finding an American-stlye restaurant that was still open. After perhaps 30-45 minutes of driving around, Bro. Jose Luis (who is constantly joking around or teasing someone) said "I'm getting worried that if I don't find something soon, you all will eat me!" As soon as I had translated this, Kyle replied, "No no, you don't have to worry. We already said we're getting tired of Mexican food!" LOL Kyle is quick! I think he really earned Bro. Jose Luis's respect after that! ;-)
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