Good News, my son gets a fall break, and we're going to head to Roanoke, VA to visit friends and hear a good sermon...there you go Scotty, the pressure is on.
Bad News, we thought fall break was the last week of October, wrong it is the 3rd weekend. This is also the weekend of the Louisville Marathon. Scratch the Marathon.
I have been told that travel to run a race is out of the question, so I'm left with the trail Marathon in December. Not what I planned, but it'll have to do.
19 September 2007
Home
Well I'm back home, and working from home today, so I'm taking a moment to update my Blog page. I've added NY, NY to the places I've run, put up my Tuesday and Wednesday mileage and changed my sons age from 5 to 6 on my profile (HAPPY BIRTHDAY J-ROD) and thought I'd write a couple of lines.
New York is an interesting place, and if you get the chance, I encourage you to visit. I spent most of my time for the conference in Times Square (Broadway), but did manage to scrounge the time to see the following; Staten Island Ferry, Statue of Liberty (from the ferry), Ground Zero, Wall Street, The Empire State Building, Grand Central Station, a Yankee's game at Yankee Stadium, and Central Park in the dark, running at 5 am and in the daylight on my last day.
Had I seen the park in the daylight prior to running, I wouldn't have survived. Luckily, in the dark you didn't see the hills 'til you got to them.
Ground Zero was blocked out by construction fencing, but being in the area gave new perspective to that day. The streets in this oldest part of NYC are narrow, the photos and video from that day don't give the proper perspective. Reminders are everywhere, names of falling PD and FD members adorn stations and vehicles.
Within a few blocks of the site are several old denominations standing among the skyscrapers. Next to one, St. Peters Cathedral, stands the steel beam Cross you see in the photos. It stands there waiting for it's permanent home among other symbols of that day.
Don't believe what you've seen in the movies, New York is very clean, considering the number of people. The people I dealt with were very nice, one gentleman offered his assistance when our group seemed to be figuring out the Subway map. (We actually had an experienced member of the group, but had chosen the spot for a conversation while waiting for the bus.)
Despite being down on the depth, or should I say heighth, chart, the Empire State Building is impressive. Even more so considering when it was constructed. When downtown, or uptown, or midtown, its height is masked by the heighth of other buildings and it's proximity to them. When viewing the skyline or from its observation deck, it is apparent it is still king of the city.
While impressive, I can't help but remember seeing the skyscrapers of Denver, with the Rocky Mountains as the backdrop. Man's greatest accomplishments are nothing compared to the works and wonders of God.
New York is an interesting place, and if you get the chance, I encourage you to visit. I spent most of my time for the conference in Times Square (Broadway), but did manage to scrounge the time to see the following; Staten Island Ferry, Statue of Liberty (from the ferry), Ground Zero, Wall Street, The Empire State Building, Grand Central Station, a Yankee's game at Yankee Stadium, and Central Park in the dark, running at 5 am and in the daylight on my last day.
Had I seen the park in the daylight prior to running, I wouldn't have survived. Luckily, in the dark you didn't see the hills 'til you got to them.
Ground Zero was blocked out by construction fencing, but being in the area gave new perspective to that day. The streets in this oldest part of NYC are narrow, the photos and video from that day don't give the proper perspective. Reminders are everywhere, names of falling PD and FD members adorn stations and vehicles.
Within a few blocks of the site are several old denominations standing among the skyscrapers. Next to one, St. Peters Cathedral, stands the steel beam Cross you see in the photos. It stands there waiting for it's permanent home among other symbols of that day.
Don't believe what you've seen in the movies, New York is very clean, considering the number of people. The people I dealt with were very nice, one gentleman offered his assistance when our group seemed to be figuring out the Subway map. (We actually had an experienced member of the group, but had chosen the spot for a conversation while waiting for the bus.)
Despite being down on the depth, or should I say heighth, chart, the Empire State Building is impressive. Even more so considering when it was constructed. When downtown, or uptown, or midtown, its height is masked by the heighth of other buildings and it's proximity to them. When viewing the skyline or from its observation deck, it is apparent it is still king of the city.
While impressive, I can't help but remember seeing the skyscrapers of Denver, with the Rocky Mountains as the backdrop. Man's greatest accomplishments are nothing compared to the works and wonders of God.
14 September 2007
"Come along and listen to...
...the lullabye of Broadway." Come on sing it with me. "The Hip Horay and..." Ok, how about, "I want to be a part of it, New York, New York..."
One guess where I'm writing this from. I'm about as lost here as Oliver Davis (whoops, it was Oliver and Lisa Douglas) was in Green Acres, but it is definitely interesting.
Unfortunately this conference is cutting into my running. Doesn't look like I'll get in my long run tomorrow. I'm hoping that running on Sunday, usually an off day, will make up for it. I'm starting to get nervous. Travel and injury have me behind where I would like to be for my long runs, and I'm down to only a month or so before the Louisville Marathon. Losing this weekend is not a good thing.
The bright spot is I'll get to log some miles in Central Park, and run with a co-worker and friend whom I've been trying to meet up with and run with for a year now. Unfortunately, he is usually headed the opposite direction, visiting his account cities.
I hope to be able to post my experiences as I go, but I don't know how much I'll get to a computer after tonight.
One guess where I'm writing this from. I'm about as lost here as Oliver Davis (whoops, it was Oliver and Lisa Douglas) was in Green Acres, but it is definitely interesting.
Unfortunately this conference is cutting into my running. Doesn't look like I'll get in my long run tomorrow. I'm hoping that running on Sunday, usually an off day, will make up for it. I'm starting to get nervous. Travel and injury have me behind where I would like to be for my long runs, and I'm down to only a month or so before the Louisville Marathon. Losing this weekend is not a good thing.
The bright spot is I'll get to log some miles in Central Park, and run with a co-worker and friend whom I've been trying to meet up with and run with for a year now. Unfortunately, he is usually headed the opposite direction, visiting his account cities.
I hope to be able to post my experiences as I go, but I don't know how much I'll get to a computer after tonight.
11 September 2007
Rocks and Glass Houses-Additional Comments Added
On the way home today a well known nationally syndicated Christian commentator was delivering a positive message....
One of my friends shared a tape with me this past summer in which a backwoods Christian radio show is spoofed. Now having driven through Tennessee for years and more recently through the Ozarks in NW Arkansas, I can attest to the fact that such shows exist, but the spoof took it a bit farther.
If I recall correctly, the singing was of the Southern Gospel genre, poorly sung, and the message concerned long hair taking you to hell. Lucky for my balding readers. Today's syndicated talk show host was putting "fist to pulpit" over the provocative clothing designed for and worn by tween and teen girls. Ever notice no one ever cares what boys wear; sorry,I digress. While I won't disagree with him, I'd like to remind him that the moral degradation of the fashion industry has been discussed since the first low cut bear skin adorned our early female ancestors. Funny, I couldn't help but compare the backwoods orator and his highly esteemed counter part.
I recall the Bible instructing us not to conform to this world, but I'm a little fuzzy on where it calls us to conform it to us. Early Christians spent their time reaching their lost brethren, not arguing against Roman culture and Roman policy. Couldn't this guy deliver a positive commentary....
Here comes the Rock in a Glass House! I hadn't prayed today. Hey where did that come from? When was the last time I prayed? Yesterday, lunch, hasty blessing. My commentator friend was off the hook, I needed to address my own short comings. Perhaps I didn't have enough letters after my name..."Let it go James!" But he puts his pants on one leg at a time just like I do. But of course his will be properly fitted so as to not be too revealing or entice in any way, shape, or form..."JAMES!"
OK, I tried to have a little fun at the end there, but honestly, Christ said it best...
One of my friends shared a tape with me this past summer in which a backwoods Christian radio show is spoofed. Now having driven through Tennessee for years and more recently through the Ozarks in NW Arkansas, I can attest to the fact that such shows exist, but the spoof took it a bit farther.
If I recall correctly, the singing was of the Southern Gospel genre, poorly sung, and the message concerned long hair taking you to hell. Lucky for my balding readers. Today's syndicated talk show host was putting "fist to pulpit" over the provocative clothing designed for and worn by tween and teen girls. Ever notice no one ever cares what boys wear; sorry,I digress. While I won't disagree with him, I'd like to remind him that the moral degradation of the fashion industry has been discussed since the first low cut bear skin adorned our early female ancestors. Funny, I couldn't help but compare the backwoods orator and his highly esteemed counter part.
I recall the Bible instructing us not to conform to this world, but I'm a little fuzzy on where it calls us to conform it to us. Early Christians spent their time reaching their lost brethren, not arguing against Roman culture and Roman policy. Couldn't this guy deliver a positive commentary....
Here comes the Rock in a Glass House! I hadn't prayed today. Hey where did that come from? When was the last time I prayed? Yesterday, lunch, hasty blessing. My commentator friend was off the hook, I needed to address my own short comings. Perhaps I didn't have enough letters after my name..."Let it go James!" But he puts his pants on one leg at a time just like I do. But of course his will be properly fitted so as to not be too revealing or entice in any way, shape, or form..."JAMES!"
OK, I tried to have a little fun at the end there, but honestly, Christ said it best...
Matthew 7:5 (New International Version)
5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
Below is a quote from a post by Scotty. (See a link for his blog in my left hand column). I went back to see his post on hypocrisy and discovered he had made my point for me some time back. (take a look at the whole post if you haven't already done so). By the way, I was always finishing behind him in races as well, so him being a step ahead of me is nothing new.
Does the Church have a right to tell people what to do?Perhaps
the answer lies in reading what follows the admonition not to judge people.
Matthew 7:3-5 says the following: 3“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in
your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can
you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the
time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out
of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your
brother’s eye.The right to speak to people must be earned. People must know that
we genuinely care about them. Too often we appoint ourselves as ambassadors to
the world to tell people how they should live even though we haven’t earned the
right to do so. We must be honest about our own shortcomings. Our goal isn’t to
make people look like us. Our goal is to bring people into the presence of
Christ. He does a pretty good job of cleaning us up.
This pretty much covers how I felt about my radio friend's topic and my own precarious position when I was ready to play Mr. Self Righteous.
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