Thanks

Thanks for your Prayers Friday!

To keep the election theme going on the polls, I've posted a 4 horse, I mean 2 elephant, 2 donkey, race in the poll. I also gave you an out as well. Vote if you want to, might be fun to see if it is a predictor of the elections to come.

Thanks again for your prayers.

...thou preparest a table before me...

A Personal request from me to my handful of readers.

I can't elaborate, but please pray for me today. The 23rd Psalm, unfortunately, seems very appropriate today.

Thanks in advance.

James

Cat's in the Cradle...

This song rings ever truer for me these days, my travel schedule has been keeping me away from home the past couple of weeks, and the next two weeks are not much brighter. No this isn't just a "James is whining" post, I've got a point.

As I was walking down the steps of the YMCA in Raleigh (nice brand new facility by the way), I noticed one particular verse from Proverbs posted next to a collage of kids pictures. For the life of me I can't remember the chapter and verse and my online searching struck out. So to paraphrase in the "Non-King James Version":

"Raise your children in the ways of the Lord, and when they grow old they won't
depart from them."

For me it made me question my current career. What was I teaching my kids? Would they draw from my absence a knowledge of sacrifice to provide for my family? or "Would they simply remember it as a dad who wasn't there for ball practice and stormy nights?"

But, as I said, this post isn't just about me. The verse that I can't remember, trust me it's there in Proverbs, should cause us to examine every aspect of our lives and our behavior. What are our children learning from us? It's really easy to point the finger at the TV, or video games, but in reality our children learn from us daily from not only our words, but also our actions and those lessons reach far deeper and remain far longer than any others they'll ever learn.

Perhaps in today's world Christians can have a bigger impact on the world not by seeking change in our communities and country, but by changing our homes.

Just a thought!

Cup of JOE

After years of decrying coffee as a foul tasting elixir, some cold weather mornings found me drinking it to try and stay warm. Also, because I had cut back on my consumption of caffeinated soft drinks, the jolt of caffeine sets me buzzing pretty darn good.

My first mixture of coffee with exercise came before the Snowman Shuffle 4 miler, and while the evidence is anecdotal, I do think my performance was enhanced over this distance. This morning I grabbed a cup of instant coffee on my way out the door to the gym, and again, it's anecdotal, but my hill workout on the treadmill went rather well.

So tonight I've done a little research and have found pros and cons of caffeine, with the cons tied to the mega doses consumed by many in the US these days, whether from all day drinking of coffee, massive cola consumption (I was one of those until recently), or the new energy drinks that are all the rave.

My initial research, which is still very thin, seems to indicate that consumption of the amount of caffeine in 1 to 2 cups of coffee per day may have some health benefits, and according to some websites has benefit for endurance athletes as well and for high intensity activities in a shorter time frame (i.e. sprinting).

I've got to do some more digging, but for now I think I'll enjoy a cup before heading to the gym for the next couple of days and see how I feel and how the workouts go. I've committed myself to making sure that I keep my consumption to the early morning cup and with the exception of the occasional ice tea, doing my best to avoid the caffeine for the balance of the day.