February Resolution Report

*This year I decided to make 2 resolutions each month


Resolution 1

25 Push-ups or Sit-ups each night. Originally it was going to be just sit-ups, but I took Jeff Cody's advice and alternated. I have to confess that I didn't do any on the weekends (except for the 1st weekend). As for results, even though it was just a small amount of exercise, I did feel like it accomplished something (especially the sit-ups). It was a bit embarrassing that less than a minute of exercise could tire me out a bit (but maybe that was partly b/c I did them right before bed). All in all, glad I did this one.

Resolution 2

Girls in bed by 9:30 each night. We've generally had the girls on our schedule. It was very common for us all to head upstairs b/w 11 and midnight. Again, I will confess that there were some nights that I didn't make the 9:30 cutoff, but I think we did really well. Katie also had me add a "NO TV" after 9:30 for them (they have a TV in their room). This worked remarkably well. Without TV, they fell asleep WAY faster in their beds. They did complain. They kept claiming it wasn't working. But then they kept falling asleep faster and waking up happier. This resolution led to more bed-time reading as well. Definitely a keeper. In fact, if anything, I'd be open to moving the time to 8:30 or 9!

January Resolution Report

Resolution: No chocolate, snacks, dessert, etc.


Confessions:
1. I ate some popcorn at a church movie night midway through the month. I didn't really see it as breaking my rules b/c I mostly ate it b/c the movie was really long and I didn't feel like just sitting there.
2. Also, I accidentally ate a piece of cake at Addy's birthday party yesterday.
3. Further, I didn't actually come up with the idea to do this resolution until January 6th.
4. I don't count ritz crackers and peanut butter as a snack


Results:

1. I experienced no change in weight

2. I was generally more tired (coincidentally, we do have an infant)

3. I noticed that I had 1 really long eyebrow hair... connection?

4. I drank a lot less milk


Conclusion:

1. It was easier than I thought

2. I plan to eat chocolate as soon as I'm done with this post, but I do think i'll do much better with quantity going forward. I definitely had a bad habit of eating lots of snacks... often right before bed


My other January resolution was to not bring my laptop home from work and to, instead, say YES to the girls when they ask to play. I liked this resolution a lot. I played A LOT of Sorry.

TSB IV

Here are the results of our 4th Tecmo Super Bowl Tournament

1st Place: Matthew
2nd Place: Joe
3rd Place: Nick

Brian (1-4)
Won against Cam 17-0
Lost to Matt 9-21
Lost to Joe 0-56
Lost to Nick 3-14
LOST to Jon in playoff 7-26
PF36-PA117 (-81)

Cameron (0-5)
Lost to Brian 0-17
Lost to Nick 7-44
Lost to John 7-10
Lost to Matt 7-21
LOST to Nick in playoff 7-42
PF28-PA134 (-106)


Joe (4-2)
Won against John 21-14
Lost to Matt 12-17
Won against Brian 56-0
Won against Nick 28-0
WON against Nick in playoffs 14-7
LOST to Matt in championship 6-41
PF136-PA79 (+57)

Jon (2-3)
Lost to Joe 14-21
Won against Nick 27-7
Won against Cam 10-7
Lost to Matt 0-28
LOST to Matt in playoffs 0-44
PF51-PA107 (-56)

Matthew (6-0)
Won against Brian 21-9
Won against Joe 17-12
Won against Cam 21-7
Won against Jon 28-0
WON against Jon in playoffs 44-0
WON against Joe in playoffs 41-6 (As Buffalo)
PF162-PA34 (+128)

Nick (3-3)
Won against Cam 44-7
Lost to Jon 7-27
Won against Brian 14-3
Lost to Joe 0-28
WON against Cam in playoffs 42-7
LOST to Joe in playoffs 7-14
PF114-PA86 (+28)

An Oracle Concerning America

Woe to you
Red, White & blue
Where Life & Liberty
Has become Death & Despair

You reject the good
Yet call yourself great
You destroy the weak
And call yourself strong

You claim to be wise
But you’re filled with lies
As child after child dies
Right before your closed eyes

And sometimes wide open

You sacrifice daughters
You sacrifice sons
To the gods of convenience
Of which there are none

Backed not by science
But by fallen man’s ruling
When you write sin into law
I’m not the one that you’re fooling

Beginnings stabbed short
Don’t cause you to weep
Maybe the dawn of death
Will stir you from sleep

So wake up America
Begin a new day
Choose me… Choose life
Repent… Pray

For the million and more
That each year in you die
Are not truly silenced
I. Hear. Their. Cry.

The Myth of Progressive

I find it frustrating that more and more people taking on the label 'Progressive Christian' are less and less vehement against the evils of abortion. They'll usually admit that abortion is unfortunate, but they often fall short of calling the killing of an unborn child wrong. They are more angry over the willingness of conservative Christians to call abortion evil than they are with social liberals calling it a legitimate choice.

The response of 'Progressive Christians' to the Planned Parenthood videos is an excellent case and point. Progressives are more likely to be found defending Planned Parenthood and critiquing the video-makers than they are grieving the atrocity that is the abortion industry. Whereas they were reluctant, but willing, to jettison the entire institutional church due to scandal in the ranks, they are apparently unwilling to jettison the institution that is Planned Parenthood. The former was quickly aborted, the latter should apparently be kept alive. If only the babies were considered as sacred!

The conversation for Progressives automatically went toward all the 'good' that the Planned Parenthood organization does. I have to ask... why not, at the very least, vocally call for the de-funding of the abortion branch of the organization? After all, it's just a line item on a budget (sort of like Planned Parenthood considers baby parts just line items).

In my observation, Progressive Christians are almost incapable of making a good argument (and they do have some good ones) without simultaneously expressing their inner-anger toward Fundamentalists and Conservatives. If a conservative says abortion is evil, the Progressives automatically assume that said conservative hates babies as soon as they are born. It's as if no one is allowed to say anything unless they say everything every time.

There seems to be a radical disconnect here. Progressives are supposed to be those most likely to defend the cause of the poor and needy. Don't babies fit the bill? I guess, maybe, babies get largely ignored by Progressive Christians because their are so many of them that they don't make up a minority group. If you point out that abortion is the leading cause of death in this nation, they are more likely to quibble over the amount (since it's impossible to deny the reality) than they are to lament the fact.

I've seen Progressive Christians defend Planned Parenthood because it's possible they didn't break any laws. IF they didn't break any laws, that only makes the problem bigger! Conservative Christians could barely care less about how 'legal' Planned Parenthood's practices are. We care about the babies. To hell with the laws! Literally...to hell with them. Some day we'll look back and wonder why it took so long to de-fund Planned Parenthood's chop shop. I hope that day comes before eternity.

Until then, I think it's time to re-evaluate the title 'Progressive' for these Christians. Progress can no longer mean just following two-steps behind social liberals. Sometimes you only make progress by going backward. Progress would be repealing Roe v. Wade. Progress would be de-funding Planned Parenthood's abortion program.  Progress would be defending these babies instead of the organizations that maul them (even while trying to find less crunchy methods for doing so) and negotiate prices for the leftover pieces.

When your version of progress looks like defending Planned Parenthood, the word progress has for you become a free-floating noun defined by the world instead of an adjective belonging before the word Christian.