Simple Health Progress Report

Although it is not a comprehensive indication, still those measurements from high school are proven to be a good general indication of health.  Time to brush up on those push-ups!

Push-Ups
Number of push-ups by age group

Age:	20-29	30-39	40-49	50-59	60+
Superior	62	52	40	39	28
Excellent	47	39	30	35	23
Good	37	30	24	19	18
Fair	29	24	18	13	10
Poor	22	17	11	9	6
Very Poor	13	9	5	3	2

Age:	20-29	30-39	40-49	50-59	60+
Superior	45	39	33	28	20
Excellent	36	31	24	21	15
Good	30	24	18	17	12
Fair	23	19	13	12	5
Poor	7	11	6	6	2
Very Poor	9	4	1	0	0

Age:	20-29	30-39	40-49
Superior	42	39	20
Excellent	28	23	15
Good	21	15	13
Fair	15	11	9
Poor	10	8	6
Very Poor	3	1	0

1-Minute Sit-Ups
Number of sit-ups by age group

Age:	<20	20-29	30-39	40-49	50-59	60+
Superior	62	55	51	47	43	39
Excellent	51	47	43	39	35	30
Good	47	42	39	34	28	22
Fair	41	38	35	29	24	19
Poor	36	33	30	24	19	15
Very Poor	27	27	23	17	12	7

Age:	<20	20-29	30-39	40-49	50-59	60+
Superior	55	51	42	38	30	28
Excellent	46	44	35	29	24	17
Good	36	38	29	24	20	11
Fair	32	32	25	20	14	6
Poor	28	24	20	14	10	3
Very Poor	25	18	11	7	5	0

Sit And Reach Flexibility
Distance of reaches in inches, by age group

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The Lord’s Day 1.13.07

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”
(James 1:22-25 ESV)

If there is one thing that characterizes Christians today, I would offer that it is inaction.  No, I don’t mean that we don’t do anything, for we certainly are busy.  But we aren’t making the changes that God prescribes.  Certainly, while 47% of those Americans polled in 2005 said that they attend church on a given Sunday and perhaps qualify as hearers of the Word, sadly the state of affairs in our nation betrays the great void between hearing and doing.  James paints this stark picture by offering two illustrations, one of a man and his mirror, and another and the law.

A Pastoral Call to Action

1. The Hearer Only -

First we must understand this mirror used in the illustration.  It is perhaps the only mechanical object used in a parable or illustration, and is different than our mirrors in many ways.  First, it was not common.  We have mirrors all around us, but they would have to be deliberate to seek one out.  They didn’t know how they looked at every moment.  Second, it was primarily for the wealthy.  Mirrors were made of highly polished metal, and were highly valued.  And third, the image it offered was unclear and obscured.  One did merely glance in the mirror, but would gaze into it to distinguish himself and his features.

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Personal Resolutions Pt. 2

Well, I was not completely successful this week, but it has been an encouraging start.  Here continue the resolutions:

1. I will be in bed by 1am every day.
2. I will wake up by 9am every day.
3. I will play no single-player games.

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To Love God

A dear friend posed a poignant question to me tonight.  What, if anything, would I hope or desire for the future?  Among the answers I gave, finally I lit upon one that became the focal point of our conversation.

Simply put, I wish for myself, for my family, for my friends, and for all people to grow in love for God.

If we were to love God more, it logically follows that we would love the world less.  Should we love the world less, we would not be distracted by the shiny things it offers.  If we were to love God more, we would seek to please him and glorify him willingly and often.  Should we seek to please him, we would not need to moderate behavior and tell people what to or not to do.  If we were to love God more, we would spend time with him in his Word and grow in knowledge and in his grace.  This is my prayer, that we love God more.

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Personal Resolutions

It’s never to early to begin to set resolutions! I’ve realized over the course of this semester that I’ve been compromising on many things (sleep especially), and being the type that likes structure, I’ll be setting some tangible boundaries/guidelines for myself as well as thoughts upon which to meditate. Each week I’ll add something new, which hopefully will be enough time for past resolutions to become a healthy habit and the current resolution to be memorable.

1. I will be in bed by 1am every day.

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Saturday Sentences II

Many of these sentences may need some explanation, but that defeats the purpose of the post. Hopefully some of them provoke consideration or interest and are edifying to you this weekend.

Quotes:

• “He that at a feast feeds with temperance has much greater pleasure of what he eats and drinks than he that gluts himself and vomits it up again.” -Jonathan Edwards
• “Why polish the brass on a sinking ship?” -Unknown
• “We should enjoy the taste of honey.” -Jonathan Edwards
• Mark Twain’s reason to believe in God. “Israel.”
• “God has made us for himself, and we are restless, until we find our rest in him.”-Augustine
• “We don’t typically enjoy thinking of ourselves as not worthy of something; in fact, we often think we deserve far more than we do.” -Stephen Nichols
• “Doubtless that which is a part of the happiness of heaven is pleasant and delightful here in this world.” -Jonathan Edwards
• “Each night, as I confront my need again for sleep, I’m reminded that ‘m a dependent creature. I am not self-sufficient.” -C.J. Mahaney

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Faith in Action: Driving

I do not admit to driving dangerously nor grieving other drivers.  In fact, I consider myself a very good driver.  Yet as I was commuting home this afternoon I realized the depth of my depravity as evidenced through my driving, and how our attitudes on the road are very much a litmus test of our personality and character.

Recently I’ve been convicted about driving much closer to the speed limit.  For this reason I make a conscious effort not to always catch up to the car in front of me.  It takes some discipline, but I remind myself not to be in a hurry and to budget sufficient time to get from place to place.  This afternoon I watched as a car began to draw near from behind me, signaled to the right, and began to accelerate in an clear attempt to pass. 

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Sentences that Change Lives I

Books don’t change people…paragraphs do…sometimes even sentences. – John Piper, A Godward Life

In recent days I’ve been persuaded that while a deep understanding of the most technical of subjects can be to the glory of God, still the practical depends upon short, perhaps pithy, sentences.  If I cannot summarize a sermon, a lecture, a book, or a lesson in one or a few sentences, then I don’t understand it myself.  For, teaching is not about doing an information dump, but purposefully arranging and organizing information to drive at a thesis or main point.  When people ask what I’m learning in seminary, for example, I’m quick to explain the most interesting bit of trivia from that day rather than impart some bit of wisdom or broader understanding to the glory of God.

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Games for the Family: Blokus, Settlers, etc.

Some of my fondest memories as a child include playing Monopoly, Risk, Yahtzee, Stratego, Chess, and the list goes on. Sadly, board games are on the decline. I had overlooked the trend until recently when it was brought to my attention. Perhaps video games and some other forms of entertainment have taken their place, but still there are wonderful opportunities for families to build memories, interact, and get to know each other by playing board games together.

If you’re interested in something new with your kids or family, some of the more recent games that I’ve played and heartily recommend are Blokus for four players (or travel edition for one-on-one) and Settlers of Catan (for up to four players, six with expansion). One of the reasons I mention them tonight is that ironically I’ve been introduced to Settlers online either here for the basic game or here with all expansions.

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Boice on Psalm 30

Today I turned to Psalm 30, having experienced joy and refreshment this morning.  Boice gives us some excellent contextual information, as well as a wonderful practical illustration.  As I discussed with a good friend last night, often I struggle with the faith he mentions, and I pray that I can not just mentally assent to God’s promises but fully trust in them and allow them to change my life.  May that God gives me the faith to answer as Ironside’s father when my time of testing comes:

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