The Seasons of Work

 

The Season Cycles of Employment

I’m off again. It’s the last day of my dwindling vacation time for 2023. I’ll go in tomorrow (Friday) and come back again Tuesday to a New Year. Already I’m remembering the cycles of work: early, middle and late year responsibilities. Most jobs have a seasonal rhythm to them, despite peripheral changes in the underlying business. Ours runs alongside that of the school year. For me it’s busy summers and slow autumns. Winter picks up again with baseball uniform sales. Baseball keeps me almost as busy as football uniforms in the summer. Where football is concerned with large groups, baseball is all about individual teams. I handle a lot more teams but they’re each significantly smaller. I prefer baseball.

The Update

We’ll have a new wrinkle to deal with this year. Our software system that’s kept us afloat is getting old. Actually it was old 5 years ago, now it’s ancient. Medium sized companies have mostly moved to cloud based software for their operational needs. Our industry (sporting goods) isn’t known for its first mover status on new technology. Normally that’s not a big deal, but eventually legacy systems become a liability for keeping pace with new business. On site servers, choked with information take longer to load, glitch out more frequently and generally don’t work well newer payment systems.

Like most things, software is a giant expense. We’re finally ready to set it up. I remember the last big software update we did as a company. There are few things as horrible as transitioning your entire company to a new platform. Being sued in civil court and losing hundreds of thousands in net worth comes to mind. Surgeries that keep you in bed for months, skin diseases and 3^rd degree burns are all worse, but not much else.

The Grind

 New software implementation is a grind because no one is sure when a steady process will return to business life. Learning, unlearning and re-learning gobble up most of the early days. Reports look different, as do accounting sections, item lists and costs. As painful as it is, we need to get it done or be in real trouble come summer. Summer is our busiest time because fall season sports all begin at the start of school.  

When the high schools are on break, we’re working harder than ever. Doing an update at the beginning of the year is the best idea. Of course, it also means we’ll have to count the inventory before going live. Inventory gets done at the beginning of the year anyway. This is another piece of the cyclical nature of work. I’ve been with the same company for 15 years. In today’s marketplace that’s unusual. I’m not sure what the average time spent with a company is on a national basis. My instinct on this is purely anecdotal. It’s not unusual for the guys I work with. A handful have been there over 20 years and another few are like me, more than 12 years and counting. Certainly I’ve seen the business change from when I started, but the essentials of this industry are consistent.

We used to have a much bigger retail presence. Before Dicks Sporting Goods moved into the area our operation was 75% larger. But Amazon blew up, Dicks moved in and our interest in selling what customers could get elsewhere fell dramatically. Besides, we didn’t sell as much as we bought. That’s never a good thing. At least we had a yearly tent sale to clear out the excess goods at a discount. We don’t have the space for that anymore. That’s one big change that didn’t repeat itself when we moved into our current home in 2020. The second big change is my job description.

The Versatility

Officially I’m the retail manager, unofficially I pull orders, answer sales calls, order letter jackets and float around helping where I can. I like it better than managing a busy retail store only. Everyone should do retail at some time in their career however. The experience you get from customer service is invaluable. You have to present yourself as helpful at all times, even when you don’t feel like it. That means you must smile, listen and recommend. A lot of people struggle with this. Pop into a Burger King sometime and tell me the cashier is excited to greet you. Nothing again Burger King but you don’t have to look hard to find awful service. It’s difficult to put your attitude on the shelf and be helpful. It’s assumed that retail is easy, but it’s not easy to do right.

Conclusion

At a certain point we all burn out on retail though. After the new software install we’ll all get used to a new seasonal cycle again. Not completely different of course but slightly. Our focus has already shifted from order taking and shipping to an online ordering model. In a few years I imagine the online stores will take the larger share of financials. Maybe then we can downsize the warehouse a bit. 

The seasonal cycles remain the same even when the work looks different. The change in sporting goods reflects the changes in the overall economy over the last 15 years. Web stores will remain the most popular way to buy for both players and institutions. Can’t wait to see what the next 5 years will bring.

Week Before Christmas = Lawn Care

 

Leaf Cleanup and Lawn Prep In December

I had a successful Sunday this week, measured with a very low bar. I like to be productive, normally that means yard work or exercise. I spent close to 3 hours in the lawn mowing and raking the leaves for the second time. Why does it matter to anyone? It’s a slow news day in my world. Stay with me.

 Saturday was the first time. The size of my lawn dictates that I do leaf cleanup in 2 parts. It's a seasonal situation for me. Saturday I mowed the front, Sunday the back. The front lawn is much easier. I didn’t do any raking because the leaves are spread out enough and don’t clog the mowing deck. It does take a few passes to mulch them up effectively though.

However, the ground was still wet on Saturday. Nothing is worse than trying to mulch up heavy wet leaves. I managed with my small push mower. The trick is to raise it just high enough where the leaves don’t escape, but still crunch up to a fine powder. The next heavy rain will dissolve whatever organic material still exists in the leaves.

Sunday I had more time. Christmas this year is in Texas for me. Phil and Carolina are hosting me and my mom for 3 days. I’ll drive back on Christmas Eve. It’s a 5 hour trip so it’s not too dreary. Because we won’t have a family gathering this year, Justin and Tabitha hosted a dinner Sunday night. Dad and Joyce were there as well. We had a breakfast dinner complete with pancakes, egg casserole, bacon and Danish. I had all morning and afternoon to clean up the yard. Fortunately, the sun came up in the afternoon on Saturday and dried up the wet leaves. My back yard is much denser with leaves than the front is. My mower wouldn’t have been up to the task. I bagged a good section of it first, 6 bags worth. Then I ran the mower over it. I needed to make a few passes to properly chop them up.

That took a while longer than if I’d just mowed the lawn. With all the new grass seed in the lawn I’m hoping this year I’ll have a thicker growth and fewer weeds. Last year I paid a friend to come out and spray the whole yard for weeds. It killed everything in sight, not the grass thankfully. It was after that I realized how little in my yard was actually grass.  By August the soil was ready to plant again. I used a small tiller and dumped a healthy amount of seed on the bare spots. Not to mention, I overseeded the rest. After getting the leaves up I went to Lowes and bought two bags of crabgrass killer and threw it on the lawn. I asked for a “preemergent”. The clerk had never heard the term so I took my best shot with the crabgrass killer. I’ve got high hopes this year for at least 50% more grass and 50% less weeds. This is the first time I’ve considered improving my lawn and not just mowing it.

I called a few companies last year to get quotes on a treatment plan. None were less than $500 for the year. That’s just too much. I’m sure it’s worth the money but it’s a lot of money for me. The next best thing was to call Daniel (brother of Michael) to spray one good time. The rest was up to me. No matter how long I’ve lived here, it’s still strange to be talking about lawn care just before Christmas. I get that it’s technically not Winter yet, but up north it’s already snowed at least once. We didn’t always get a White Christmas but the threat of snow was usually there. Leaves cover the ground still in Oklahoma. I prefer this climate even though it’s not dramatically different. I’d say 10 to 12 degrees on average. That’s hardly Montana and Florida, but it’s an easier way to go in January and February.

Until the spring I’ll wait patiently and watch the ground. Merry Christmas everyone!

 

Brideshead Revisited: Book Review

 

Religious Themes Run Through Brideshead

Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred and Profane Memories of Charles Ryder is a novel by Evelyn Waugh set in the 1920s and 30s. After World War II, grand estates like Brideshead and a large swath of the nobility disappeared in Great Britain. The cost of both wars killed off a lot of wealth and land holdings. This is the setting for Brideshead, the twilight years of the nobility.

Brideshead is the estate of the Flyte family. It’s the central home and symbol for the characters, their Catholicism and culture. It ties them together through the years and hast a lasting impact on their characters even when far from home. The main characters are in college at Oxford in the early pages, circa 1925. Charles Ryder, the narrator, befriends a wealthy aristocrat named Sebastian Flyte. Imbued with a child’s desire for fun, Sabastian is mischievous and usually drunk. He carries a teddy bear around, representing his immaturity. The Flyte’s are Catholic. Charles rejects religion, criticizing whenever possible their beliefs in God and their adherence to church norms. It eventually causes friction. Brideshead is owned by the Marquis of Marchmain. Waugh uses Marchmain and Flyte almost interchangeably despite the first being a title. He married Teressa Flyte (Lady Marchmain) before the first World War. Then had an affair and moved with his lover to Italy, rejecting Catholicism and his wife.

The book begins in World War II but quickly jumps back to the carefree college years of Mr. Ryder. Charles Ryder is a Captain by 1944. Commissioned to paint great houses, his unit stumbles upon Brideshead Mansion. It’s been converted into a guest house for traveling soldiers. The recognition of the home prompts him to recall the Marchmains and his connection to the family. Here the novel really gets going. In their college years they drink and party a lot. Charles visits Italy with Sebastian and meets Lord Marchmain and his mistress Cara. Despite their wild fun, Charles begins to mature while Sebastian falls into alcoholism. Eventually he leaves school, unwilling to kick the habit. They remain friends but see less of each other after that. Lady Marchmain is lost on what to do about Sebastian’s drinking. Charles isn’t the help she was hoping he’d be for her son.

Years later, Sebastian ends up in Morocco at a monastery in very poor health. The monks care for him but he can’t kick the habit. It’s the last we hear of him. His sister Cordelia tells Charles he’ll probably die there, unable to go anywhere else. Charles has success as a painter and even goes to Latin America for a few years. He comes back to a wife and kids he hardly knows. That’s when he begins an affair with the oldest Flyte daughter Julia. Both are married but decide to divorce their respective spouses despite Julia’s Catholic tradition.

The final act of the story has Lord Machmain moving back home to Brideshead to die. Lady Marchmain passed on years ago, but it’s this coming back to God theme that drives the story. Wayward sons and daughters, scattered across the world all hold the thread of religion close at hand. It’s the reason why Lord Marchmain returns, it’s the reason Julia keeps bringing in the priest to read her father the last rites despite his public rejection of the faith. It’s why two of the Flyte's, Bridey and Cordelia, enthusiastically support the church. Even Sebastian, found solace in the monastery despite his crippling addiction and emptiness. Charles is moved as well to come to the faith. I won’t say how and spoil it though.

There is a description near the end that sums up the impact of religion in our lives. Charles, now Captain Ryder, walks out of the chapel at Brideshead after saying a prayer. He notices the occupying soldiers had lit an old lamp near the original stones that the early builders had started with. No one’s used it in years. But the efforts of the early builders who thought it essential to have a chapel were not in vain. He is telling us that God’s efforts to reach man carry on through riches and poverty, peace and war. The efforts of people like Lady Marchmain, who carried the torch, are alive still and affecting the next generation.

A lot of people think the book is about the good ol’ days of the aristocracy in Great Britain. That’s certainly present, but to me the religious themes were stronger. I say "religious" even thought it’s Catholicism that Waugh is concerned with. Despite the different personalities within the family, it remained the torch that burned bright for all of them.

Golden Corral and Buffet Food

 I Survived A Night at Golden Corral 

I went to Golden Corral tonight. I haven’t eaten there in years. As a kid we always went to buffets constantly. Actually it’s as close to fine dining as you get as a kid. When you have 5 siblings it’s just the best option. I remember the food being tasty, but how discerning was I as a kid? Lunch and dinner were always subpar at Golden Corral. I don’t remember them being this awful though. I’ve avoided going there for years because I knew the steaks were fatty and tasteless. Any of the sliced meats were risky. Not because they were undercooked but because they had no flavor.

 What possessed me to give it another try?

I wanted a hearty meal, comfort food as they say. Cracker Barrell would’ve been a better idea, but some part of my mind betrayed me. The mashed potatoes weren’t bad, you soak them with gravy anyway. The desserts were passable but the pot roast was fatty in spots and tough in others. I gave up cutting into what felt like a rubber ball and pushed the plate away. The mac & cheese was bland. The fajita chicken was dry and the vegetables were hard. I’ve never had a good meal at GC. But on a low scale, you know what you’re getting into when the group you’re with says “I vote for Golden Corral tonight”. You can make the best of it and select dishes that aren’t total crap. But for some reason, my brain glitched enough to where GC sounded like the perfect fit.  

With most willfully bad decisions you can claim a small victory. “I didn’t want to get drunk last night but Frank was in town! He’s always so much fun” What’s the upside with Golden Corral? The best you can hope for is to eat a reasonable amount instead of the Thanksgiving plus size portions you’ll put down. After that you’ll have mini food coma, if you don’t lie down from the stomach pain before that. Come to think of it, being hung over is less consequential.

 In my defense it had been probably 10 years since I’ve had dinner there.

I remember it being a typical buffet restaurant, low quality but passable. My old rule was that breakfast at GC was the best option of all three potential meals. It’s hard to screw up eggs and bacon. Even the biscuits and gravy tasted like something created in the kitchen instead of a frozen pack, opened an hour ago and warmed up. Potatoes are either hash browns or home fries, thankfully there is little to create. Just make sure the seasoning lands on the warm parts. 

And like most buffets you can always find a dish that suits your taste better than most. But dinner is tricky for some reason.

This isn’t true with the Chinese buffets. They aren’t fine dining either, but there are at least hot dishes with flavorful crab and noddle casseroles. If you go on a Saturday or Sunday the hosts rotate the food on a regular basis so it doesn’t get rubbery. Besides, Chinese buffets aren’t THAT Chinese. Most of them carry a few pans with American staples like meatloaf and sliced ham. In other words, I can’t think of reason to ever go back to Golden Coral. I’m putting it on the never-again-unless-family-demands-it list. It will sit right below Cici’s Pizza for the same reason. Both are suitable for holidays or special occasions. During those times you have to go to places that cater to large groups of families with kids.  

As expensive at eating out has gotten, I’ll have to learn how to cook. My resistance to cooking so far has just been the time it takes. When I get home from work I want to eat. I don’t want to spend 45 minutes making a meal. That’s why the crockpot is the best option, it’s ready when I get home. The grill is another possibility. I cook in the summer more than the winter though. Anyway, I burned out on brats and grilled chicken. I’ve cooked too much before, by the 4^th day of eating the same smoky flavored meat I’m ready for anything else. Also I don’t have a gas grill anymore. My incident from a few months ago ended my gas range for good.

Charcoal takes longer, is messier and requires fresh bag after fresh bag. You replace charcoal a lot more than you replace a gas tank. I’ll have to look for a new one after Christmas. It’s not difficult to plan meals for the week if you take the time. But I never want to take the time. Cost is going to change my mind eventually. I can’t keep going to GC and expecting a quality meal. They’ve lost me.

Foolishness and Sin Nature

 

A framework for Understanding Foolishness: Ecclesiastes 10

There are two kinds of foolish in the world, the lunatic and the intellectual. We usually lock the first type up for their own good. We used to at least. Now we let people roam the streets until they harm themselves or someone else. The second kind is respected but equally dangerous. They deny the existence of God and use their influence to undermine morality. Not all intellectuals deny God, but history is full of movements steeped in the philosophy of nihilism. 

Ecclesiastes 10:12-14 says “The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool shall swallow him up; the words of his mouth begin with foolishness, and the end of his talk is raving madness. A fool also multiplies words.”

In true Solomon fashion he gives a contrast, the wise does this and the fool does that. He leaves it vague enough so we can fill in the blanks. We’d rather hear something specific about the fool. What kind of foolishness, or what subjects does the fool focus on? But wisdom and foolishness should be self-evident. At least that’s the idea I get when I read this. Wisdom is clear when it’s beneficial. Foolishness is clear when it’s ruinous. It’s a distinction we all see.

Lunatic Foolish

I went for a short run a few years ago in my neighborhood. Homeless people are usually nearby. On occasion I’ll stop and talk to them. I’ve offered prayer. Some accept, others don’t. A few are completely out of their mind. That’s not a surprise. We use words like “homelessness” to describe people living on the streets because it fits. But it’s increased at an alarming rate. It’s beyond whatever natural distribution used to exist. I don’t pretend to know all the reasons, but it’s at least related to deinstitutionalization and laissez faire attitudes toward drug use. It’s just cheaper to get drugs and live in a tent than it’s ever been. Responsibility for this group was always done on a local level. Eventually the financial burden was kicked to the federal government when Medicaid came about.

That’s a complaint for another time though.

 People on the streets need Jesus. This hasn’t changed. One guy was sitting on the steps at a small Methodist church on the corner. It’s right along my normal jogging route so I stopped for a second. I offered him a granola bar and he declined. The exact details of our short conversation are lost to the ether. I remember thinking that he was completely insane. His thoughts, logic and stories were disconnected. He complained that the cops had beat him up. I got that much out of him. Did he realize how nutty he looked and sounded? Was he aware that most people would see him as dangerous because of his twitchy, shaky movements? He was most likely a junkie. I said a quick prayer when I could get a word in. He agreed to listen to me at least.  

Multiplied Words

Whenever I think of Solomon’s description, I imagine my encounter with this man. He multiplied words like a madman and spoke in disconnected ideas. At one end of foolishness there is a crazy man who dumps words and phrases like a snow plow salting a slick highway. He covers everything with foolishness. But I also think Solomon refers to something closer to home. We don’t encounter crazy people every day. But even people with rational thinking can be fools. Even those respected academics, writers, intellectuals and philosophers can have nonsensical ideas.

Anytime a respected individual disputes the existence of God, they speak foolishness.

Intellectual Foolishness

I watched a debate with Richard Dawkins and John Lennox. Dawkins is a renowned atheist and biologist, Lennox a Christian mathematician. Both men are Oxford professors. Dawkins rejects the existence of God, because of the “pettiness” of a creator who judges the sin of man. He’s a brilliant guy with a gigantic hole in his rationalization of the universe. The moral code we live by came from somewhere. Natural selection can explain why the fittest species survived, but it can’t introduce a moral code. The only lesson is survival at all costs. Our laws aren’t based on dog eat dog survival. They're rooted in Judeo-Christian tenets about morality. Dawkins seems to think morality is self-evident. Other times, he thinks morality itself is kind of irrelevant and tough to define. But a lack of definition and structure leads to chaos. In the long term, a society becomes tribal and war like.

Denied Reality

 Mankind lives in a state of sinfulness that’s been in existence since the garden of Eden. Without the “pettiness” of a Savior, we are doomed to eternal justice. Atheists like to separate the idea of God into categories or myths. “Which god are you referring to?” is a common refrain. But they clearly understand the basis of the question, do you believe in God, or at least, in a universal right and wrong? How about a creator? These might seem like different questions but they’re the same. There is a correct way for a created thing to behave. A toy car rolls forward when you crank the wheels back. It stops working when the wheels won’t crank. If you send the toy back to the manufacturer to have it fixed, you can expect they know what to do. If they said “We created it, but we have no idea how it’s supposed to work” You’d be confused.

Conclusion

Created things function a particular way because they were designed to. Humans were created with an inherent need to behave in a moral capacity. Sin puts up a wall between the Creator and the created, by introducing a ‘work around’. It says you don’t need God. It says you are God. It says there is no God, or creation or ultimate justice.

You can behave however you like. Solomon would call this “raving madness”. His description assumes a self-evident reality. We can understand how things work by observing creation. Foolishness comes in two varieties, socially acceptable or socially unacceptable. Neither is hopeless. Salvation is for all and redemption is for today.

Slowly then Suddenly: Maturity and Progress

 

How to Measure Growth: Yardsticks and Old Photos

A friend of mine gave me some Chicago Cubs memorabilia recently. 

His girlfriend is from Chicago and as such, was cleaning out her rental space and forgot about it. Fans of any time will recognize the bobble head souvenirs of their favorite players. There was a Jeff Samardzija bobble head, a Ryne Sandburg figurine and mini wooden bat with a list of the starting lineup from a particular year. Anthony Rizzo’s name is listed on first, as well as Junior Lake in the outfield. This bat had to be around 2012 or 2013. I might be a few years off. I don’t think Castillo was there in 2016 for the World Series win but his signature is also on there.

Temporary State of Mind

It was a nice gesture to offer me the items. I’ll probably keep them wrapped up for a while though. I feel like I’m at a transition point in life. I love my house but it’s a bit small and I’m not sure how long I’ll live here. The idea of selling my place for a much larger fee than what I paid is almost too much to ignore. I started painting 2 years ago. My 3^rd bedroom, which I used as smoke room, needed a lot of Kils paint to cut the smell down. Toward the end of its usefulness, I was using an attic fan to blow out the excess smoke. The smell wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been, but still needed a full do over. During that year I started thinking about selling. The place needs more work of course but it was a start.

Mostly it’s a fleeting thought. I won’t move just to move. I need to have a place to go and a reason to leave, but the thought is always top of mind. Why? I guess you outgrow things sometimes. For those who made marks on the wall every year as a kid, the mark moved up occasionally. Or rather, you remade it whenever you got significantly taller. The height mark in inches on the wall was a realistic reminder of where you’d come from. You had nothing to do with the growth itself, only the mark. God grows us up after all. I don’t remember having a spot on the wall where I regularly checked my progress. The closest I came to that was the Buggs Bunny sign at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois. He held a vertical ruler with the official height required to ride the roller coasters. Eventually you get to ride, everything before that was childhood.

Imminent Promotion Close By

There are other Knick knacks and memorabilia I’ve held on to since I bought the house. Part of me never wanted a shelf or display to show them off. That felt too permanent, as if I’d need to be ready to move again quickly if the need should arise. What would constitute a “need”? It was always ill-defined in my head, something important for sure though. Marriage, career and business opportunities all come to mind. Maybe it wasn’t realistic but the sense of imminent promotion clouded so many of my decisions. Not that I live out of a storage closet, but I’ve held off on turning this into as comfortable a home as possible. In recent years I’ve changed that trend a bit. A fair amount of the reluctance to organize the house is laziness too.

The painting, new flooring and electrical upgrades are all improvements I wouldn’t have done in the first couple of years. I can look at the few changes I’ve made the way a toddler looks as the mark on his bedroom wall. I’ve grown a little. Progress comes slowly for some of us and quickly for others. But it’s better to say that it’s slow for years and then, very fast. It’s like my favorite quote from Ernest Hemingway on how one goes bankrupt, “Two ways. gradually then suddenly”. Kids seem to grow tall (boys at least) right before junior high. In grade school they grow slowly. Before long they’re young men seeking a future and we all wonder where the time went. They were growing the whole time but we didn’t always notice.

Conclusion

I’m hoping my home is in a similar situation. I’ll occasionally catch older photos I took during my first few years. The detached garage was a real disaster before that one Memorial Day Weekend. I tore out a lot of rotten wood siding and replaced them with new planks. My Dad and brother helped me replace the roof with plywood and shingles the next year. I painted it shortly after that. The yard is less weedy and at least 2 of the trees are gone. It’s not exactly rapid progress, but I’ve added value.

There is more to do. I don’t know if I’ll ever sell it. Maybe I’ll turn it into a rental property and buy a condo. Wherever I end up though, my next home will have a space for the Chicago Cubs memorabilia. And possibly a vertical yardstick along one wall, so my kids can measure their progress.

 

The Covenant: A Review

 

Guy Ritchie's The Covenant Tells the Real Story of Duty and Reciprocity

The Covenant is straightforward. Two soldiers depending on each other to stay alive. One is wounded and near death, the other is in hiding from the Taliban. It’s easy to forget that this is a Guy Ritchie movie. The lack of stylistic violence and criminal syndicates was noticeably absent. His movies (I haven’t seen all of them) are known for fast sequences and colorful characters. Certainly, the warfare was intense but even Ritchie understands the seriousness inherent in combat. Slapstick violence would send the wrong message. 

It’s a lesson about survival and dependence but ends up being a sad commentary on America’s fickle commitment to her most susceptible allies. This is under the surface but still visible. 

Story Line

Sgt. John Kinley (Jake Gyllenhaal) runs a task force of American soldiers that looks for IED (Improvised Explosive Device) factories around Afghanistan. They operate on intelligence that’s a bit shaky most of the time. They rely heavily on interpreters whose loyalties are often in question. An early sequence in the movie shows how the crew lost its first interpreter. On a quest to replace him, Kinley meets Ahmed (Dar Salim) and quizzes him on why he wants the job. Ahmed isn’t trusted by a lot of other soldiers because he goes off script and takes big risks. Kinley takes a chance on him and despite a rough start, the crew starts to trust him. He saves their lives on one occasion by sniffing out an ambush.

It's clear that Ahmed needs visas for himself and his pregnant wife. His “traitorous” behavior in working for the Americans has made him a target for the Taliban. He was promised a visa at one time. It’s part of the deal with working with the Americans. He seems reluctant to trust anyone completely. This is examined in more detail.

Two Visions

The film is really two things. The first half is a traditional war film, a survival tale of escape and evasion. The second half is a war with the State Department’s bureaucracy and its impossibly large net. 

Kinley and his skilled group hit paydirt when they encounter a quarry that turns out to be an IED factory. They don’t realize how valuable the find at first. They call in air support and shoot up the place before the gunships arrive. But the Taliban managed to call backup of their own. In a matter of minutes the place is overrun with enemies, everyone but Kinley and Ahmed die in the gunfire. They make a desperate run for the open country and hide in caves, sleep in valleys and hustle to the nearest American air base. Kinley is wounded in the escape and nearly dies. Ahmed performs a superhuman feat by keeping him alive through rugged terrain with Taliban looking for them. He is both resourceful and determined to keep the soldier alive.

The second part of the movie is the frustrating effort by Sgt Kinley, now out of the Army, to get Ahmed and his family out. Ritchie uses similar emotional, imagery to emphasize the struggle faced by both men in attempting to complete their mission. For Kinley though it’s the agonizingly slow bureaucratic visa process that creates anxiety. Just like the stressful montages of Ahmed pushing a wooden cart up a mountain, are the images of a drunken Kinley threatening the State Department officials and generally losing his mind. Both men work for the other. One faces gunfire while the other an indifferent machine, designed to evade and confuse. Both men work within their unspoken covenant. But Ahmed’s race across the country was always with hopes of his visa promise, less so than his obligation to Kinley. Kinley’s obligation is to Ahmed because the man literally saved his life and risked his own on multiple occasions.

The Backstory (Spoilers)

Guy Ritchie keeps the focus on the two men and their respective missions. Both men’s wives and children are set pieces that the main characters interact with. We don’t see their concern as their husbands go missing or witness their emotional breakdowns. For a lot of films this would be a shortcoming, but deep character studies outside the main thread can interfere with the story. We know both men have families they care for. That’s enough for this movie.

I’m sure Ritchie intended for this to be a statement on unfulfilled obligations by the American government to the people who helped them in Afghanistan. I thought a clearer statement would be to have the family of Ahmed shot in front of him as the credits roll. It’s awful but probably more realistic. That’s what happened in the summer of 2021. We all remember those sad images of C130s lifting off as Afghans chased them down the runway hoping to escape the coming slaughter.

But I also remember stories of American citizens flying into the country to get people out. I attended a talk by a Force Recon Marine (Chad Robichaux) about his rescue efforts since leaving Afghanistan. Needless to say, there were a lot of organizations going back into a much more dangerous country and getting people out. A lot of them were interpreters, carelessly left behind. Private groups succeeded where the government failed. That’s usually the way it works. The ending of the film fits, because it’s a story about relationships and commitment to cause. I was sure this was a true story because so much of it rings true. It's not, but you'll understand why by the end. 

 

Justice Run 23

 

Savoring the Improvements: Justice Run 2

This past weekend I completed my second Justice Run in Forth Worth.

After a rough start and a grueling finish (is there another kind?), I came in at nearly the same time as before. The morning started at 5:00 am. I woke up my brother and he woke up two of his kids, Bella and Christian. The 4 of us, and my mom, headed for the Panther Pavilion in downtown Fort Worth along the banks of the Trinity River. The marathon runs along the path following the river. It’s a 13.1 mile loop that marathoners have to run twice. The city was still under a downpour with no let up in sight. We sat under the event center canopy and waited for 7:00 am.

The race had been pushed back from the original start of 6:00 am due to heavy rainfall.

A quick look around told me those of us running numbered less than 20. The marathon doesn’t usually get as many participants anyway, but the weather clearly had an effect on the participant’s decision to show up. My brother got an alert shortly after. The organizers were pushing it back 2 hours to 9:00 am. They must have also realized it would still be dark till at least 8:00. Normally not a huge deal but with driving rain and deep puddles it could be treacherous.

We decided to go find a coffee shop and get out of the rain. We found one just a few minutes from the pavilion that would host the run. This one was on a major city block corner with impressive floor to ceiling windows facing the whole of the city. We were able to watch the weather get worse, as the morning light tried to peek through the darkness. The sun never made an appearance but the darkness relented a bit. At this point I thought they might cancel. When we went back to the pavilion a much larger crowd was there waiting to run.

The event was on after all.

I was having second thoughts about running in this miserable weather. But with all the others lining up and checking their watches I fell in line and prepped like the rest. I borrowed a hooded sweatshirt from my mom, mostly to keep the rain off my head. I didn’t bring a hat, so I had to deal with wearing it for the first half of the run. Once they shouted “GO!”, we hustled through the first few hundred feet jockeying for position. The puddles appeared shortly after that. We tried to skirt the ankle-deep water by running through the grass along the side. But when the mud threatens to hold your shoes in place, it’s best to just trot through like a hefty Clydesdale on your way to the barn. I should’ve said “carefully” trot. I noticed a few runners slipping on the mud underneath the water covering the path and took cautious steps.

Once you step in the water a few times you accept it and splash on. Your shoes won’t dry, but neither will they be full of water the whole day. It gets a little easier after that. I checked in on my pace and heart rate like I normally do. Not that it matters all that much, but I’ve never been able to keep a 10 minute pace beyond the halfway point. It always jumps up to 11 and then 12. I could run harder and keep myself at 10 but my energy level won’t allow it so late in the run. During training this isn’t a problem. My heart rate too was up in the 160s during the race, which is high for me. I like to stay just below 150.

I’ll need to do some research to figure out why my heart was thumping so quickly. I wasn’t running faster but for some reason, it was working harder. I’ve googled around since the race to get a sense of how it might have happened. Coffee is likely the culprit. I always drink one cup before a run but because of the delayed start, I had two. It’s hard to reconcile one extra cup of coffee as being the deciding factor, so let’s call it a contributor.

 If it seems like I obsess about these minor inputs, it’s because it takes a lot of work to get here. I’m still in the ‘just happy to finish’ portion of my ability. But eventually I’d like to get faster and start breaking some personal records. Along the way I hope to weed out bad habits and learn how to best prepare. The sense I get from those who’ve run a lot more than me, is that training is highly personal. What works for a similar runner won’t necessarily work for me. It’s a puzzle, a problem to be solved. I enjoy it. Mostly I like to savor the improvements, no matter how small, and be encouraged by the progress.    

The rain eventually dropped off around the 10 mile mark. The drizzle continued for most of the race. The last 4 miles or so were almost too much. I knew I’d finish at a slow clip, limping and scooting along. My knee was begging me to stop and my legs felt like I had bags of ice melt wrapped around them. Having done this before, I knew to just grit my teeth and lean forward until I passed under the bright archway with the glorious word “Finish” across the top. The pain really is temporary, but the story lasts forever.

So I’ll keep going… and thank God for His strength in my weakness.

We All Need Adventure

 

Grail Lore and Adventurism in the Human Psyche

My brother bought me a replica of the Grail Diary from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

The family met for breakfast at my favorite restaurant the other day. I had a birthday recently so the gift had a purpose. It came in a faux leather binder and the same wrapper that Henry sent to Indiana from prison in Germany. I’ve always loved the movie, not to mention grail lore. Literature is full of references to the grail. From early stories about its search and the Knights of the Round Table to the boys from Monty Python. Nelson Demille wrote a book years ago called Quest. In it, a trio of expats (2 Americans 1 Englishman) take up the search for the illusive cup of Christ. He wrote the book in 1975 originally, but increased the length and reissued the story in 2013.

I read the later version and loved it.

Artifacts for Ancients

What is it about the search for sacred artifacts from antiquity that excite the mind? For some it’s the ‘magic’ of the pieces themselves. The selling of antiques connected to the disciples got out of control in the middle ages. Supposed body parts of disciples and bones of saints were commonly sold. Churches knew better than most how early Christians might react to supposedly sacred objects. They would assume some otherworldly power imbued the object itself. The high price put on rare objects as well, the biggest ‘proof’ of their worthiness. A local traveling con man might do alright with this kind of scam, but for local church officials to do likewise was an abomination. John Calvin became critical of the ‘worship’ of such relics but the practice continued. 

But just because of lot of them are fake doesn’t mean they all are. The Shroud of Turin is probably the most famous relic. The search for ancient, hidden pieces of antiquity has a long history as well. Most are either grave robbers seeking fortune or academics, hoping to add credibility to their efforts. A few believe in the magic of the piece itself.

Prestige for Collectors

Indiana Jones is an academic with a passion for adventure. His “It belongs in a museum” ethic views relics as public goods to be shared. The treasure hunter types like Donovan only care about the prestige of holding such a rare piece. Actually, Donavan is both grave robber and magic potion seeker. The prestige he craves is eternal life and not just the cup. 

Grail lore represents something larger in the human psyche, the search for the unobtainable or nearly impossible. The language even seeps into our pop culture. Industries have ‘holy grail’ awards, titles to which incredible feats are ascribed. In Physics it’s a theory of everything. In body building it’s the “Mr. Olympia” championship. In horse racing it’s the triple crown. It’s become a euphemism for a life-long journey of searching for excellence.

But holy grail mythology is less about finding the actual cup and more about keeping that sense of adventure alive. It’s escapism of the best kind. Instead of dulling the pain of everyday life with drugs or alcohol, when we put our imagination to work we become fully alive. When imagination is sparked the quest for meaning outside of ourselves burns bright. We all need an outside passion requiring effort and resource. We’re creative people with interests beyond the here and now. This is how God created us after all.

Adventure for Everyone

Adventure isn’t just for kids. It’s often dangerous or risky, forcing you out of your comfort zone. But it doesn’t have to mean skydiving or cliff jumping. You don’t need to sail around the world in a dinghy. You can find adventure in a mission’s trip to a poor country or a tour of ancient Greek ruins in Athens. I’m mostly interested in the kind of adventure that sparks passion. This is where life change happens. Discovery is the difference. You discover what you’re made of, and how you respond to stress and hardship. You find out your weaknesses, strengths and aspects of your character you’d rather keep hidden.

My trip to China qualifies. I remember how excited I was to take on a challenge alone in a foreign country. Teaching English was the job that got me into the country; adventure kept me going while there. From food to friendships and embarrassing moments, it all became a time that I look back on with pride. Not because I accomplished some amazing feat or became a different person, but because I took a risk. The first few months were lonely and confusing. I didn’t understand the customs and couldn’t communicate without gestures. Eventually I took more chances, traveled to more places and discovered a more confident version of myself.

Conclusion

I assumed the spirit of adventurism had passed in my mid twenties. But after seeing the silly grail diary and remembering my excitement toward travel, I feel the old passions rising up again. Is it just a fleeting sense of escapism or a recalled memory of a time when everything was possible? Maybe it’s a genuine sense that the passion of international affairs I always hoped to pursue is still alive and well. Maybe I should start my own diary.

“May He who illuminated this, illuminate me.” Dr. Henry Jones

Training with Faith: The Natural and Unnatural

Make it Make Sense

Why do I like to run?

 It’s not a straightforward answer but I’ve narrowed it down to a simple phrase, “It makes sense”. Put in work, get results. You can lie to others about effort but never yourself. You can tell your friends you “went ham” today. You can fill people in on your routine when they ask, or share what you’ve learned about stretching, breathing, eating. Nothing tells the tale like success, or lack of it. Your body knows.

This probably seems a little obvious. Fitness grows through consistency.

 Lower heart rates, stronger legs and low BMI are all rewards of a solid routine. It’s why people run, have always run. Running is good for you. That’s maybe the worst kept secret in human physiology. But it makes sense when other things in life don’t.

Faith for instance, doesn’t make sense naturally. It doesn’t respond to the physical laws of stress and strength. It requires less of you, not more.

Active Faith

A life of faith is trying. “Without faith it’s impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). That’s a principle we learn to operate from. But learning how to believe in the unseen is uncomfortable. I hear people say it’s like a muscle that you have to work. But faith isn’t like a muscle because there is no immediate feedback. You know when you’ve worked your biceps. Your arms become heavy and unusable for a short time. The soreness you feel when lifting a cup of coffee (Yes, donuts too) is directly related to muscle fatigue. But that soreness pays you back with strength. Faith takes longer and stays hidden, but it does come with benefits eventually.

Active faith works like a currency. It’s God’s medium of exchange in spiritual matters. But its value isn’t known to everyone, precisely because it’s not a physical commodity. There is no feedback when you exercise, no timeline for success.

It’s an exercise many of us aren’t up to. It’s ethereal, concerned with trust and patience not sweat and effort. You can’t manipulate it like a running pace. You can’t speed it up when it looks like rain is on the way. You can’t push it off till a more amenable time. Faith changes you. You don’t change it. It’s a currency with a sharp distinction between rich and poor.

Measurable Faith

You shouldn't only focus on what makes sense in life. But some of us are built differently. We’d rather a quiet run than a raucous party, an early morning to a late night. I don’t think runners are automatically introverts but I wouldn’t be surprised either. Running makes sense because we can measure it. Whether you like to use a watch to track your miles or just a look at the clock, we understand what improvement looks like. Beliefs aren’t measurable in the same way. We despise things we can’t measure. We reject ill-gotten. You shouldn’t get what you didn’t earn.

Faith as well, lacks a certain satisfaction that comes from a charted improvement. Humans learn to chart and measure at an early age.

How many had a growth chart on the wall to measure height? You couldn’t ride the roller coasters at Six Flags without surpassing a specific mark. Elementary teachers have grade charts posted at the front of the room. Usually notated with stars or stickers for excellent work. Students know who the achievers are. Maybe this has changed. We live in an increasingly sensitive ‘nanny state’ reality. Success is punished or downgraded at the expense of feelings too often. But even held down, excellence won’t be ignored forever. It keeps score and reaches new heights.

Currency of Faith

A life rooted in faith demands thinking about life counterintuitively. You don’t get to keep score here. You can’t exchange your dollars (You wouldn’t get much anyway). Excellence is rewarded but you can’t take credit. That’s enough for a lot of people to check out. How after all can I track my progress? What does ‘success’ look like?

If it’s a currency how do I get wealthy?

Here’s how it works. Living by faith in God is to give your desires, achievements and successes back, let God build something in you. You must trade your efforts and achievements for a peace of mind, that He knows better than you. It’s giving back your talents in exchange for a better reality and trusting in that trade off. It’s the opposite of running. Running takes the ability God gave you and improves it; Faith takes your ability to God and lets Him build His vision in you. The trust that comes from that difficult tradeoff is faith. He shows you a little, then he shows you a lot.

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

Conclusion

 It takes time and patience. You don’t get to check off a box or step on a scale, but He’s building a lasting kingdom in you. The trade off is the currency. The more you let you go in faith, the richer you get. It will ultimately make sense. 

  

Biden Administration Funding Attack From Hamas

 

Israel At War Again: Biden's Pro Iran Messaging

Hamas attacked Israel yesterday.

 I looked at my phone after my morning run to see my Dad’s text “Pray for Israel”. The news was still a mystery to me. I jumped on Telegram and caught up with some of the carnage unfolding. It’s still very new and unfolding; the details aren’t completely known. It appears hundreds are dead in the south around the country. Hamas launched a massive rocket attack that overwhelmed the Iron Dome missile defense system protecting its beleaguered country.

It's the fiftieth anniversary of Yom Kippur. Naturally, the scum in Gaza waited until then to build up weapons and attack. Once the defense system was down they burst through the border wall and started slaughtering Jews. Some of the footage is awful. I don’t like watching people get beat up and shot like that. I skimmed most of the posts. For the videos with a warning shield I avoid clicking on it. When I see civilians, especially women, being brutalized I have to look away. Hamas is also taking hostages. They started murdering civilians at a Burning Man style music festival.

 Israel is known for its spot on intelligence and historically preempting attacks on neighbor states like in Egypt (1967). The intelligence failed miserably this time. They’re always so good at preventing these large-scale incursions, one wonders what happened.

I read some early posts from Jack Posobiec about Joe Biden releasing $6 billion dollars of sanctioned money to the Ayatollahs in Iran. The Biden administration wanted to restart this deal with the Iranians ever since Trump put the kibosh on it. President Trump thought the deal would make the Iranians likely to spread that money around to their terrorists’ proxies in Gaza and Lebanon. What a crazy notion right? The Iranian regime, awash with money, might  make Israel less safe. That’s exactly what happened. The Biden regime is no friend to Israel. In the Middle East there are three powers competing for control, Israel, the Sunni states and the Shia states.

Saudi Arabia represents the biggest Sunni state, Iran the Shia power. Ever since Trump’s mid-east deal with a handful of Sunni states (Bahrain, UAE) and Israel, relations have normalized. Just the recognition of the Jewish state was major achievement. But Iran is the rival to Saudi Arabia and the Sunni Muslim powers. They fund terrorism through Hamas. This latest attack is very coordinated and suggests a lot of time and training went into it. The worst Hamas does, normally, is launch a few rockets that get intercepted by the defense system. This time is different. It looks like Netanyahu and the IDF get caught sleeping. That’s just unbelievable to say but it doesn’t make sense otherwise.

It used to be that the American president didn’t affect the relationship between the US and Israel all that much. Most of them tried to broker some kind of deal with the Palestinian leadership but none had lasting success. Trump was the first to treat the Jewish state like and ally with the Abraham Accords. Everyone else took the claims of the Palestinians at face value and tried to negotiate in good faith. That was always a suckers play. Neither the PLO nor Hamas wanted to live in peace. They only ever bought time until the next attack. I don’t think the Biden administration cared about Israel at all. They knew Iran would likely try to attack them, and still they released the funds. Our ally in the Middle East is paying a heavy price for the crooked American government.

I clicked on Fox’s Sunday morning show with Shannon Bream today. The White House trotted out some lackey to explain that ‘actually the money the Iranians will receive hasn’t been spent yet’. And my favorite part of the interview was when he said that they are permitted from using any of the funds for anything other than aid (LOL). These dopey officials are running the country, God help us! That’s like saying people getting food stamps aren’t allowed to use them for booze and cigarettes. As if they won’t use their earnings for booze and cigarettes and the food stamps for groceries. How stupid do they think we are. Shannon Bream said as much, implying that the Iranians might use the newly acquired money to cover their debt to the weapons manufacturers. The spokesman (can’t remember his name) was not having it.

That tells me that the Biden people know exactly how awful this looks. Donald Trump suggested this gift to Iran would hurt Israel, after the deal went down a month ago. Trump’s tweeting turns out to be a genius move most of the time. Sure, there is the occasional nasty bit about “horseface” Stormy Daniels. Mostly though, he puts attention where the media refuses to go. Then they have to cover it because it’s news. 

I don’t want to be negative here, but I think this incursion by Hamas reverberates around the globe. Already, two Jewish vacationers in Egypt were shot to death by a police officer. The Taliban is looking to join in the fight on the Holy Land. There is a good chance we see terrorism here in America as well. How many millions of "refugees" have poured in across the southern border? These Islamists don’t see this as a purely related to Israel. It’s a global jihad and there a lot of infidels to deal with.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

 

 

Moving on From Mistakes

Learn How to Fix Mistakes and Move On

What’s the best way to respond to a mistake while everyone waits with bated breath to hear your excuse? Depending on your personality, diffuse the situation and move forward as quickly as possible.

I’m a guilty by nature type.

Work is the best example of this. If a customer calls and says they never got something they paid for, I usually assume I forgot to order it. But that’s rarely the case. I make my share of mistakes, but I’ve gotten better about noticing the details that normally lead to them. I’ll investigate the issue and find a perfectly reasonable explanation. Either the customer didn’t pay, or they ordered something entirely different. Sometimes the item in question isn’t even within my purview. Another employee handled it and didn’t tell me. Customers miss our follow up phone calls frequently as well.   

Why then do I so often assume the worst about me?

My best guess, I’m trying to soften the blow if it turns out to be my mistake. I’m not sure if everyone gets as humiliated as me when they make a mistake. Those boneheaded ones are the worst too. You know you messed up so bad and so obvious, there isn’t any way around it. Incompetence stares you in the face and laughs, Nelson Muntz like at your flailing, incoherent explanations. People who hate being the center of attention, REALLY HATE being the center of attention. That’s me by the way. When you’re screw ups are on display it heightens that nervous energy to a fever pitch.

 Being the main attraction is uncomfortable when being acknowledged for helpful positive feats. Say, rescuing children from an apartment fire set by a careless smoker who dozed off. Your cringe responses are at least understandable.

“Umm…Well… you know…just doing my duty” you say bashfully after coughing the smoke out of your lungs. “Anyone would have done the same.” You can even add something about the children being our future or something to give your banal comments a little more heft. But you’re much happier when the questions cease. You can rest easy when inquiries about your heroic efforts abate. Being asked about your failures however forces twitchy, irritable responses. That’s on the mild side. On the other end of the axis is extreme prejudice. It comes in two forms, explosive and distant. Here it depends on the personality of the accused.

Explosive responses should come with red lights flashing and Defcon 5 alarms squawking with abandon. It’s about to get loud. It’s characterized by notes of self righteousness and a ‘how dare you’ tinged bitterness. Speeches will be made. Speeches about the level of hard work and lack of recognition. Speeches directed toward the accuser for their tone, lack of respect or negativity. At this point it’s a shout fest and regret begins to show up like a sun burn after a day at the lake. It’s embarrassing to lose it in such a public way. How many road rage incidents have you witnessed while driving past and thinking “How did it get that far?”

But when you get caught in an obvious screw up you can either look like a puppy who’s been whipped for peeing on the floor, or a grumpy old Cocker spaniel that snapped at the neighbor. Neither is good. In the first case you’re weak, in the second you’re not worth the trouble. In the case of a distant response to a blatant failing, you look uncaring. People might get the impression that maybe you did it on purpose. Or at the very least, you’d rather be doing anything else than working. Your cold responses give off a ‘so what if I did?’ vibe. Those that know you, know it’s a ruse. It irritates you more than most realize, but the low key “whatever’s” and shrugs obscure the boiling energy inside.

 In some cases, playing it off like you don’t care is the safest way to go. If you don’t do well operating at a high temperature, it’s for the best. Anger, especially the ‘righteous’ kind, can poison working relationships for a long time. Best to bite your tongue and if necessary, play it cool. Fix the problem later, when the internal caldron isn’t about to erupt. Say “I messed up” and move on. Most people are forgiving if you give them a straightforward, no excuses apology. It’s humiliating I know.

 If you hate being at the center find a way to manage it. Walk into another room and pretend to look for something. The more stressful situations you’re in the better you learn to manage them. Like anything, practice makes perfect. Remember, the explosive scorched earth response is the hardest to come back from. It’s like a train derailment. The wreckage can stretch for miles. You have to work with these people, so take a deep breath and settle your scores later.

Be safe out there.

Getting in the Miles: Obsessing about Routine

 

The Final Push Before the Big Race

Fall is almost here in Oklahoma. I don’t mean the actual calendar date, although that too, the weather is what I’m most interested in. Last Saturday was a wonderfully cool morning. My group ran 14 miles through the city. I felt great. Strong legs come from attacking hills at every chance. I run a lot of hills, both outdoors and on the treadmill.

 My marathon is at the end of October which gives me roughly 6 weeks to prepare. I decided to do the Justice Run again in Fort Worth. It’s a simple jog through a well-lit city park. We follow the pedestrian trail along the river. For marathoners it’s down and back, down and back. I hope to shave 15 minutes off my time. I wrote about my experience last year. Dehydration got the best of me. I ended the night at the hospital with an IV in my arm replacing lost fluids. My mom and brother waited for me at the hospital as we tried in vain to catch an Uber ride.

The nurse on duty informed us that Uber had trouble picking up the exact outpatient address. Others had tried to hail a ride from the same spot and had to walk a few blocks until the GPS could give an accurate location. Since it was very late, he asked one of the security people at the desk to take us over to that magical place where the GPS actually worked. We caught our Uber from there. To say we were all exhausted is an understatement. This year the race is in the morning. Most races are early and that’s when I train, so I was pumped about that. I never know if I’m ready. I guess that’s the conflict runners go though. You think about the days you missed when you should’ve run. Either you were sick or tired. Often, it’s because you’ve planned too many other activities to put in the work.

This will be my 3^rd marathon.

Naturally I want to improve my time, but I also want to figure out how to run the race. Those aren’t necessarily the same thing. There is a rhythm to the race. Your body responds differently at mile 2 than it does at mile 22. Understanding how to save energy for a final push is critical to finishing strong. Everyone is exhausted at the end. But losing time because of a slow pace is frustrating. I want to learn how to conserve energy until the end. Not so I can sprint to the finish, but so that I don’t collapse when the clock stops. I’ve talked to a lot of people who have experience with running marathons. There doesn’t seem to be any magic formula for eating, drinking and preparation. I don’t eat before I run, others do. I like to eat Gu gels during the race and avoid solid food. Others don’t like gels and only eat solid food.

All of this can change based on how I’m feeling on a particular day. I was having an allergic reaction to something last Saturday so I downed a cup of Dayquil. I didn’t want a runny nose halfway through my run. I also ate a half of a banana to settle the harsh syrup sloshing around in my stomach. Normally I wouldn’t eat anything, but I had to something about my allergies. I never noticed a thing once I started running. My legs felt great and I finished the distance easily. But can I draw any conclusions about eating before I run? Was the weather a bigger factor in my performance or the food I ate before I left? Could it be that I was just properly hydrated from the night before?

I’m probably thinking too much about it. I don’t want to change up any routine that might be working either. It’s easy to obsess over the inputs, much tougher to hit your running goals when your life gets busy. If there is anything the experts agree on it’s this, get in the miles. Do the work. It’s less important how you feel while doing it. Running schedules exist for a reason and although it’s tough to make every day, you should get as close as you can. I’ve never compared notes with the other runners to see if they’re getting their miles in. But each person runs their own race anyway. Mine is just around the corner now that Fall is here.

I Peter 2: Understanding Liberty and Vice

 

I Peter 2: Liberty Not Vice

Peter’s letter to the early believers reminds them of their new identity and calls them to live peacefully with their respective rulers. But where are the exceptions to the rule?

“Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.” (13 and 14)

There isn’t a lot of wiggle room for rebellion against crooked rulers here. But examples abound where rebellion was warranted. Think about Daniel. The King’s satraps passed an ordinance to entrap him (Daniel 6). If he prayed to God, Daniel would violate the law (or ordinance) against worshipping another god but Darius, the ruler.

How to be Disagreeable

 Jesus also told the disciples to eat the heads of grain when they were traveling through the countryside (Mathew 12). This was unlawful to do on the Sabbath. Yet, he permitted it. 

A lot of what Peter is concerned with is rooted in appearances. The Christian church was a new movement that the Romans would have loved to shut down for rebellion. Peter warns these Jewish believers to “abstain from fleshly lusts” so your enemies won’t find fault. It’s like when your dad tells you not to tarnish the family name. “Don’t’ make me look bad by fighting with your classmates and disrespecting the teacher. People will connect your actions with me, so behave!”

 We read “fleshly lusts” as sexually driven, but Peter could also be talking about anger, bitterness and resentment. Every natural instinct might be demanding you rebel. 

How to Maintain a Movement

 Some might be tempted to throw rocks at officials as they ride by on their horses. Peter might be saying, the minute your fleshly lusts take over and you start fighting against the government, our movement is done. Not only will the Romans come for us, but the citizens won’t support any rebellious religion. Instead of converts we’ll have enemies. So yes, submit because that’s what Christ did. We know the early church multiplied. Despite all the hardships it grew exponentially. They emphasized living like Jesus and carried it out through the beatings. Citizens of every town noticed and converted to Christianity.

In addition, the second part of the ‘submission to government’ starts with a warning against draping yourself in liberty. “For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of men—as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.” (15-16) There is an old SNL sketch where Will Ferrell wears an American flag speedo and a half t shirt. The office where he works relaxed the dress code to allow for patriotic clothing. He hilariously uses patriot day to bring attention to himself. It’s not exactly vice, but he is clearly taking advantage of a policy that wasn’t designed for that purpose. Ferrell takes the liberty of the day to get laughs, and mock the purpose of why it was created.  

How to Understand Liberty

The Liberty Peter refers to is the freedom found in serving Christ. Specifically, by not being bound to traditions of old. He reminds them at various points of their new nature as that “incorruptible” seed which “abides forever”. Throughout the New Testament, from Paul to Mathew, there is a theme of newness in Christ. Because of the work of the early church, the disciples write to remind their burgeoning churches of their new identity. This isn’t just a last ditch attempt to get them back on track. It’s a practical reminder of the change that’s taken place in their hearts.

Parents who’ve had to discipline a child for an infraction know this principle. I got in trouble for hosting a party when my mom left town for a weekend. She was disappointed because it wasn’t something I’d normally do. I received a heavy dose of “This isn’t like you” and a long-term grounding for that. But she couldn’t have used that scold on me if I was known to throw parties for my friends at every opportunity.

The reprimand brought me back to the higher standard which I’d forgotten. It’s like saying, “Remember the change that took place in you and do the right thing next time.”

How to Seek Peace

On the second half of the verse, Peter warns about “foolish men”. What’s that about? Who really cares what they think about Christian behavior? I think it means that foolish men look only to ordinances to be there guide when deciding infractions against you. In other words, they’re foolish (or simple) because they don’t have the same relationship with the risen Savior. They don’t understand the things of God because they interpret life through strictly carnal means. If you want to turn simple men against followers the Jesus, just act contrary to whatever restriction exists in society. If there are laws against eating meat or drinking wine, make sure to flaunt them at every opportunity. Foolish men look for a reason to smother this new lifestyle before it gets any air. Be careful.

So where are the exceptions? How might Peter interpret the modern world and would his advice be different?

How to Understand Responsibility

 It’s important to remember that Peter was writing to an occupied people. Their situation was not quite like ours. Jews governed themselves to an extent, but the Romans governed the territory. These were subjects to a government they didn’t vote for. His letter is for us as much as it was for them. But the situation reads different in a few ways. We have churches in America on every street. For now at least they are free to say what they want, despite increasing pressure to avoid certain topics. Christians understand liberty in Christ as axiomatic. We aren’t as bound by tradition. Our collective understanding of grace is much richer than what the early church knew.

A good short hand for knowing when to rebel is asking what’s at stake? The scripture supports this. Daniel was a government official and he broke an obviously unjust law. So did his three companions (Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego) when faced with bowing to the god/king Nebuchadnezzar. When law, ordinance, rule, pronouncement or decree drive a wedge between God and His people, disobedience is necessary.

Conclusion

We should promote good governance and leadership on this earth. Proverbs 29:2 says “When the righteous are in authority the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, the people groan.” We have the authority to expand righteousness in the civil realm. Beyond that, we must place a higher value on citizenship of God’s kingdom, than citizenship of our country. Also, lead with prayer and seek peace in the midst of chaos.

  

 

 

Hungary and America: A Fractured Relationship

 

Tucker's Interview with Viktor Orban: A Refreshing Take on How To Be a Sovereign Nation

I just watched the interview that Tucker did with Viktor Orban of Hungary. Hungary is not a country I know that much about. The first time I heard about President Orban was from vicious Economist articles painting him as a tyrant. Why? He regulated his border from being overrun by Muslims from Syria. They give every country with a sensible immigration policy the Stalin treatment. They've done it to Poland as well.

Tucker Carlson had been in Budapest to give a speech condemning the US ambassador’s remarks on Hungary’s supposed anti-gay laws. In trying to protect children from seeing smut in stores they’ve outlawed certain books; in Ambassador Pressman’s view this is unacceptable. Probably because he’s openly gay himself and more an ambassador for the homosexual community than for the U.S. Even if he was slightly more than an empty suit, you don’t rip the internal politics of the country you’re assigned to. There used to be a certain diplomatic respect with our representatives.

Wouldn’t he be more effective in Uganda or Zimbabwe? How about Saudi Arabia? I hear homosexuals have it slightly tougher there.

Global Ideologies

I had a few takeaways from Tucker’s interview. The most obvious being this, the world has changed so much in the last 20 years. Probably just my understanding of it has changed, that’s more accurate. I’m not a fan of going to another country to air grievances the way Tucker has but we’re in a different era. Obama did this during his first term. Some called it an apology tour. His presence sent a signal (supposedly) that the US had taken advantage of other countries and he would set it right. Most of this related to the war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan. It looked shameless to me. But what I didn’t realize was how connected international Leftism was and is. We live in an era of global interconnectedness. It’s not just economics but, ideology as well.

It's not a positive development. Alliances are great but spending money to influence the local politics of another country is ugly. But it’s the realm we fight in and there is no sense pretending it doesn’t exist. The rich world is governed by elites who want to keep their populations subservient. If they don’t see borders as an impediment to their ideas why should we? An educated and wealthy middle class is a threat to their power. It’s true in America and it’s true in Europe. It’s why we see such pressure to adopt silly emissions standards for the climate and unite behind countless treaties. 

We all chase our tails trying to keep up with the changing environment, losing a little freedom each time. Then the standards change and it’s on to something else that wasn’t a problem before, light bulbs or gas stoves. They’re just keeping us occupied and angry with our fellow citizens.

West Vs East

You have to admire leaders that do for their citizens and tell the rest to go away. It’s why Orban is persona non-grata among the Western leaders. He doesn’t want to lose the cultural significance of being Hungarian, nor do his people want to have Sharia law competing with its own native (and Christian) interpretations of legality. Nor do they want the same sexual confusion our children experience here. Sovereign territory must be respected. Just look at France and Germany, overrun with Muslim immigrants. Did the citizens of Germany get to vote? No. The EU decides a thing and everyone just lives with the consequences. The United States has no border in the south anymore either. Patrols pick up everyone from countries all over the world. In this way the elites can dilute the uniqueness of American culture.

I liked President Orban’s take on why the West is in such a mess. The liberal world is selfish. We look first to our personal advancement at the expense of the nation. In Hungary and much of the East, it’s a country first mentality. This also explains the mindset of people in Russia and certainly Vladimir Putin. In a saner world this would be a losing argument. I can’t imagine making this making sense even 10 years ago in America.

Our individualism was supposed to be the envy of the world. Was that ever true, or did we just push too far? Did we become greedy in our pursuits and ignore the real dangers of wealth? We’ve cast off restraint both spiritually and financially. We’ve lost control through the ballot box. Orban was telling Tucker that we don’t understand Russia because we assume Russians act like we do. They don’t. None of this is to give Putin a break or adopt their understanding of the world. But there are setbacks to investing too heavily in liberalism of the West.

Conclusion

Russia’s primary objective is to keep the country together. It’s a massive country too. Yes, he’s a dictator with tentacles in every part of the country. But somehow I’m not in the mood to talk about American greatness for a while. We pushed Ukraine into this war after opening weapons biolabs and conducting research within their borders. We fomented a color revolution and tossed out the Kremlin stooge, in 2014, so we could put in our own stooge. If that’s the way of international politics so be it, but when our media criticizes Putin for his reckless behavior it rings hollow. Hungary’s president didn’t say this but I think he meant it. He’s no friend of Russia either. It’s dangerous to be on the outs with the American State Department. He admitted this.

His solution is to bring Trump back. It’s probably the best part of the interview when he says that. That’s a major middle finger to the Biden White House. It’s also a sign of how broken the relationship is between Budapest and Washington.