Big Ugly Weekend

I hope you had a good weekend. Mine got really ugly at one point. I'll explain in a moment.

Friday afternoon we decided to go to Indy to see Lester and Maddie. Kedra and Rebecca were going up Saturday anyway, with other female family members, to watch Toy Story on ice or something like that. Ben and I decided it might be a good time to hang out with Lester, so we all loaded up in the car and took off Friday evening.

Once we got to Lester and Maddie's apartment we ordered pizza and enjoyed some time visiting. A little later on the group decided that we must go to Huddles, a frozen yogurt place owned by Jim Irsay. It was a great idea since the temperature was nearing zero - the yogurt would not melt like it would in the summer. I am off sweets for the month, so I went as a spectator. I could also serve as designated driver if things got out of hand. Can you believe that Huddles was packed with people?

On Saturday the boys and I decided to go for a 5 mile run on the Monon trail, which is a really neat "rails to trails" track that goes for miles and miles. It was a cold run, but we got it done. After cleaning up, the plan was to head to Carmel, which is not very far from Lester's place, to find Bub's and get a hamburger. Bub's is quite famous. A Man vs. Food episode was filmed there last year.

We arrived at Bub's a little before 1 p.m. Much to our surprise there was a 45 minute wait to get a table! We waited. Bub's has a Big Ugly Challenge. A Big Ugly is a huge hamburger; it weighs 22 ounces pre-cooked and weighs at least a pound after cooking. If you can eat it all, you get your picture taken and then placed on a wall of fame. If you eat two, then you get a bigger picture. If you eat three, which is what the Man vs. Food guy attempted, then you get even a larger display of yourself.

I encouraged the boys to take the challenge, and after some hesitation they did it. The look on their faces when the burgers arrived was hilarious. I was not in a competitive mood, and I'm trying to lower my weight and colesterol, so I settled on a nice tasty quarter pound burger. I didn't think either boy was going to get the job done, but I started taunting Lester a little. He manned up, didn't throw up, and did the job. Ben couldn't get it done. He wisely stopped at 3/4, knowing he couldn't do it all. I think he regrets not doing it now and wants to try again.

It was fun to watch, since I wasn't stuffed. The Challenge idea was first introduced to me at the end of last year. My running friends had one in Bloomington, and more than a dozen people did it. One guy ate two! Amazing! I couldn't attend due to a wedding. After seeing the size of the burger, I'm kinda glad I didn't try it.

So, how's it going? Kinda chilly out there this morning! It's January.

It's good to feel nearly 100 percent better and to feel nearly 100 percent. The last couple of days have been pretty busy. Seems like I have spent a lot of time on the phone and meeting with people. Funny how that goes in cycles.

Yesterday's snow was beautiful. I loved watching it fall, and I had a nice 5 mile run in it. It was great! I feel that my running is getting back on track. My sickness lowered my miles considerably last week, and I lost a couple of days of full miles this week. No problem.

This morning I need to finish up my sermon, slide show, and life group discussion guide. I hope that all goes well. Sunday's sermon is going to be a little different, I think, so I hope it works. I am going to dress up as a carrot. Just kidding. Not sure where that came from.

I am going to talk about perichoresis - the divine dance, the interconnectedness of God and how he invites us into that through the church. Ephesians 5:21ff. talks about that, but we usually don't. It's time to elevate the view/status of the church. Too many have such a low view. Which is easy to do, if you look at it through purely human eyes.

Wow, it's good to among the well again. It happened yesterday. After I woke up feeling very disappointed about still feeling sick, by mid-morning I could tell things were getting better. By midday I was feeling much better - good thing because I needed to see a couple of people. I thought I would crash later in the day but didn't. Grateful!

I started getting sick last Wednesday, so for the nearly a week I have not felt very well. I was never sick enough to totally quit everything but did not feel like doing much. It reached a peak on Monday. After sleeping about 10 hours (normally sleep 7), I took two long naps during the day. In between I was able to get a lot of reading done, which was good.

Last night I resumed running. It wasn't much, but it was a start. I took Ben over to Bedford for Tempo Tuesday. I wasn't up to "tempoing" but he was. I got him started with the group and then drove to the tempo course. While I was waiting on them I managed to run a couple of easy miles. Ben had a good tempo run, averaging 7.18 per mile. He will continue to improve, and my days of beating him are quickly coming to an end.

Yesterday I was finally able to go see my neighbor, Roger, in the nursing home. I packed up his computer and took it to him. I found out that the nursing home has WIFI, so he can use his computer to communicate with family and friends. Roger didn't seem too well yesterday. I don't when he will get to come home. His poor dog, Benji, is so lonely. I visited him a little yesterday.

I have a few things on my schedule today, including more study for tonight's class. This week we are discussing loving the church. I think a lot of people don't; it shows up in lack of attendance, commitment etc. I've heard people say, "I love God but I'm not that crazy about his fan club." The church, at times, certainly gives people reason to not love it, but the church is still a vital part of God's plan in this world. Maybe the biggest test of how much we have appropriated the love of God is whether we can love the church in spite/in light of all its flaws?

Oh, I'll end with this:

Let it snow!

Honduras Trip

We booked our flights this evening for our next trip to Honduras. There are 4 of us going at this point. If you want to join us, then let me know. The trip is February 12-19, 2011, Saturday to Saturday.

One of the things we plan to do is install a water treatment system for people who live in/around the dump. The video above is what I shot during last year's January trip. The dump is the most disturbing place I have ever been. Unbelievable place.

We still need about $800 to complete the water system. Let me know if you or your church, club, or group would like to help with this. We could also use $1200 to build another house. We build these houses in honor or in memory of people, so if you would like to honor someone, then let me know.

The Room

A couple of things - the picture is a painting by Maka Batiashvili, and what follows has an unknown origin. I modified it heavily for use in a sermon yesterday, but it is not my work.

The Room

I don’t quite understand whether it was real or a dream. I only remember that it was late and I was sitting in my favorite chair with a good book in my hands. I was tired and I began to doze. In that world between asleep and awake I found myself in a huge room with a wall full of drawers like you find in a library, from floor to the ceiling, with no end on sight.

Each drawer had a different name. When I got close, one of the titles caught my attention: “Girls.” I opened the drawer and started to read the files inside. All of the sudden I realized that I recognized some names - girls I had lusted after or touched inappropriately. There were files that recorded all of my visits to internet sites where I had sinned. The file was huge. I slammed the drawer shut. I was so ashamed.

I started to realize where I was. This huge room with its endless drawers represented my existence. There was a record of everything I have ever done, large and small, good and bad. Some of the records made me happy and brought sweet remembrances. Others gave me a sick feeling of shame and guilt that was so intense.

I saw file drawers labeled, “Books that I have read,” “Lies that I have told,” “TV shows I’ve Watched,” “Jokes that I have told.” I was amazed by the volume of the information that I have compiled about my life. How could I have had the time to write each one of these millions of files? Each file had my signature; they were records of my life.

When I arrived to the drawer “Impure thoughts,” I trembled. I only opened the drawer a few inches… I was ashamed to discover its depth. Randomly I took a file out and read it. I felt sick knowing that moments hidden in obscurity and secrecy had been recorded.

I didn’t need or want to see any more… A single thought dominated my mind. No one should ever see these files. I have to destroy the evidence! I had to burn the files! But I couldn’t; they would not come out of the drawers.

I started to cry. Hopeless. Lost. Full of shame, I cried and cried. Then suddenly through my tears I saw Him. Oh no, not Him! Anyone but Jesus. I was so ashamed because these files revealed my hypocrisy and betrayal. Helplessly, I watched as Jesus opened the drawers and read each file. I could not stand to look at his reaction. He read file after file.

With sadness in his eyes he looked into mine. I lowered my head with shame. I put my hands on my face and started to cry again. He came near, put his hands on my shoulders. He did not speak. He simply stood next to me in silence. He wept with me.

Returning to the drawers, he started to open them and one by one, on each filed he signed his name over mine. I told him in protest, “No, those sins are mine, you shouldn’t have to take them.” But there it was–written in crimson–His name written over mine; written in his own blood.

He quickly went through all the files, as I watched in shame mixed with indescribable relief and gratitude. As he finished, He gave a tender look and said to me: “It is done, it is finished, I am carrying your shame and guilt.” At that moment we both left the room. The room is still open, because there are more files to be recorded.

I still don’t know if it was a dream or a reality. . .

A lesser person would probably be in the nursing home, but I refuse to bow to sickness. I keep battling back from the brink of death; scratching, clawing my way back to life. It has been a rough few days.

I thought my run yesterday would cure me. Wrong! I don't think it hurt me, but it certainly did not help me overcome this death bug. I was pretty useless yesterday and today. (Some would say that I am useless every Sunday.) Since today is the only day of the week that I work, I had to man up, Tylenol up, and go do what I do. What a hero I am.

OK, that's enough. I just want all of you faithful blog readers to be impressed and feel sorry for me at the same time.

Sorry about my absence for the last couple of days. I should have known on Wednesday that something was up/on its way. I just didn't feel right; it was a precursor.

I wasn't THAT sick, but certainly have not felt very well. I've slept more in the last couple of days than I have in a long, long time. I think I am on my way out of it now. I am going to try run this morning, which will help cook out the last vestiges.

So, how's it going? I think I'm about tired, but there is quite a bit of the day left. I will persevere.

We had Butch's funeral this morning, and it went well, I think; others felt the same. It was a positive upbeat funeral, if that makes sense. It was like Butch. I had several people contribute thoughts about him, and that always helps make it more personal. We talked about how Butch won. He and I had a conversation early in his illness about how he could not lose. We discussed Philippians 1:20-23 - to live is Christ and to die is gain. Can't lose; win either way. Life. Death.

I think I am going to get on the bike trainer today and do some work on my core as well. I don't feel like running. I went out last night with the group. It was like a blizzard for a lot of the run. The wind was blowing around 25 miles an hour, and it was snowing. It was fun! I really did enjoy it.

Looks like the snow is still blowing around and coming down a little. I hope school is in session tomorrow. I am beginning to have doubts.

OK, I don't feel like sharing anything else, so...