A link to behold!

Dear all,

I don't know why you would be checking this blog (and perhaps the 'all' that I am addressing are in fact non-existent) since I never update it save to say that I wish that I updated it regularly. Well, I am here, on this blog, with a new post to say something helpful. I would like this blog to be a regularly updated site commenting on everything from current events, popular culture, truth from God's Word, and various musings of my soul; I do not do this, however, and so I would like to offer an exceedingly superior alternative - the blog of one Jacob Douvier. Jacob is a brilliant man whose insights are carefully thought out and clearly explained. He does not change course for the carrot of convenience, but swings with all of his strength for truth as a passionate servant of God. He updates his blog regularly, is well read, and provides consistent thoughts for Christians to consider. Please find his blog bookmarked on my sidebar and make his writings part of your consistent diet of truth.

-Nathan

Hope is Born

“I wish Christmas were more like Halloween” a co-worker recently remarked. I went into soul-shock as the discussion of the upcoming Christmas party continued. “Oh God,” I thought, “what if that were true? What if Christmas were like Halloween? A time to dress up, debauch myself in drunken revelry, have a good laugh, and then be done with it all?” The thought was horrifying to consider, yet for this co-worker, Christmas was ruined by the confusion of holiday stress and religious overtones that sought to undermine her idea of a good time. I had never considered Christmas from a secular perspective until prompted by this comment. My soul wept bitterly as I considered how things might be: “If there were no Christmas, there would be no incarnation. If no Jesus, then no cross of salvation, and if no cross – then I’d be without a single hope in life…” The picture of my own lostness overwhelmed me.
Christ is hope for the world. His life and sacrifice alone add meaning and joy to life on earth, but without the hope of resurrection, Christmas could be a haunting time. Some people turn it into a consumer celebration of materialism; others wave signs to remind a forgetful world that “Jesus is the Reason for the Season;” and others still couldn’t care less about the ‘reason’ for the season, but hate the celebration of materialism in that hippy, love-the-earth sort of way. Jesus isn’t just the reason for the season though; He alone is hope for a world staggering in it’s own blindness.
Christmas is the celebration of “Emmanuel,” God with us, and a time to reflect not only upon Christ’s dwelling here, but also on why it was that He came – to point men to God and make a way for salvation. His aim was to glorify His Father (John 17:4,6) and to free mankind from the chains of sin. Without freedom in Christ, every effort to achieve ‘happiness’ fails because it takes self as the starting point. Jesus said that if He were lifted up, He would draw all men to Himself. The joy and fulfillment that the world craves is only found in Christ. God is calling worshippers from every tribe and tongue, and it was for the accomplishment of this task that Jesus came – to call out worshippers and point them to God as the all-satisfying delight of the world.
The story of Christ’s coming is the story of the Messiah who emptied Himself of more than we can fathom to become the perfect High Priest. He did this by living our every trial, facing Heaven’s wrath, and paying our debts. Christmas is an opportunity to reflect upon this story and examine how it affects our lives. For those without Christ, no amount of gift giving, Salvation Army bell ringing, or partying can numb the truth that man can find no hope within himself. As those who possess a light that the World is dying for, Christians have a great responsibility to be faithful stewards and witnesses of God’s glory.
This means that we must pull out our nets and become fishers of men. When we share the gospel, it is important that we do so for the glory of His name. It is not enough to love the lost of this world if we do not love even more the God that we are pointing them to. “Humanity does not deserve the love of God any more than you or I do. We should never be Christian humanists, taking Jesus to poor sinful people, reducing Jesus to some kind of product that will better their lot. People deserve to be damned, but Jesus, the suffering Lamb of God, deserves the reward of His suffering.” [1] The world doesn’t need another tourniquet to try and stop the pain, they need to hear the truth about their fallen state and God’s glory.
Revisiting my co-worker, the promise that Christ’s birth represents will make no difference to her unless the truth of the gospel breaks through her blinders. And how can she hear of this truth unless I share the gospel with her. I am compelled by a dangerous love for God to declare His worth to all mankind, as are all of His redeemed children. Living incarnationally and making Christ’s name known is not the job of missionaries only, it is the joy of children delighting in their great Father. Let us be ambassadors of Hope to a world without a Savior – may our lights shine brightly and remind all of the one Light, whose unassuming birth set the anvil to break the chains of sin and self.

1. John Dawson, as quoted in John Pipers’ “Let the Nations Be Glad” (Desiring God Foundation; Baker Book House Company, Grand Rapids Michigan, 2003) pg. 42

Free music

Michelle Tumes, a Christian music artist from Australia has two free songs for download at her myspace. I like her music, so I thought I would pass this on.
Blessings,
-Nathan

Update: I'm probably not going to be putting out my paper until a month or so - a good friend (Joel Maynard) recommended that I take a break before releasing it. I thought that this was sound advice and so will be waiting. FYI.

Someone in government still has sense!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,297384,00.html

Forgive the long absence

I have not contributed any posts for a while, but I have not been idle. I have just finished a long, three part series on being single and our obedience in Christ in pursuing marriage that will be coming soon, so stay tuned. I am having others look at it right now to make their suggestions before going to press with it, but look for it sometime late next week (the last week of September).

In the meantime, I would appreciate your prayers as I write my resume and start applying for jobs.

Blessings,
-Nathan

Come Thou Fount

This hymn is one of my favorites. The rich word pictures capture many of the longings of my heart. Singing it reminds me of the goodness of Christ and His sacrifice and reminds me of the deep joy and satisfaction found in His service.

Here are a few of the lines that I love most:
"Tune my heart to sing thy grace." I love this idea, of the Lord tuning our heart like an instrument; He is the perfect pitch and He tunes us until we resonate as He does, until His songs become ours and we can say truthfully that He is our all satisfying joy and that following Him fully is our greatest treasure in life, until we, like the One on the cavalry road, create that sweet, God magnifying, soul-satisfying melody of praise and humble obedience with our lives.

"He to rescue me from danger/Interposed His precious blood." I have been journaling through I Peter of late and have been given much to think about concerning the cost of Jesus' precious blood. In the first chapter he says "If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ." (1:17-19) Our salvation comes to us at a great price, the price of Christ's precious blood shed in order to rescue us from danger. God has been teaching me a great deal on fear recently, both re-evaluating my own life and the fears that I foster and understanding what it means to fear God. I have many thoughts on this, and it merits its own post, but for now this verse has convinced me that fearing God is not reverencing Him only. We are surely not to spend our whole lives quaking and fearing Him (for perfect love casts out fear), but to have a fear of Him that keeps in mind the high cost of his sacrifice. I must conduct myself in fear - Peter can hardly be more direct here - because:
He judges us according to our works and has redeemed us from a futile way of life.
Because to not do so would be to mock His sacrifice and abuse grace.
Because if we don't we will place ourselves under the wrath of Him who can not only destroy the body, but can destroy both the body and the soul in hell.
Because failing in this we will not treasure His mercy and may grievously waste our time on earth.

"Here I raise mine Ebenezer/Hither by thy help I'm come" "Now Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, and the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day against the Philistines and confused them, so that they routed before Israel. The men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and struck them down... Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, (lit. the stone of help) saying, "thus far the Lord has helped us." (I Samuel 7:10-12) An Ebenezer is stone of help, as here, dedicated to God. It is a tribute thanking Him and testifying that He is our strength and help. Equally as important is its service as a reminder of all that God has done for us. As Ebenezer was raised, it served to remind those who would pass by in the future of God's faithfulness to His people. When we raise our Ebenezer we are lifting up our thanks offering to Him for His abundant mercies while girding up our souls in Him to rejoice in His strength. We raise an Ebenezer to glorify God and to remind ourselves of his never failing faithfulness. "Here I raise mine Ebenezer/Hither by thy help I'm come."

Take note of each line and let the truths tune your heart to sing His grace.

Come, thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
Mount of thy redeeming love.

Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
Hither by thy help I'm come;
And I hope, by thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed his precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for thy courts above.

An Ode to Skydiving

In honor of my adventures on the 5th of August I composed this tribute:

Plummeting through the azure sky,
Is today the day I die?
Lickety-sploosh, kablamo-splat.
Will I soon be pancake flat?

Looming larger, mother-earth.
I return to her who gave me birth.
From dust I came, I now return
Still many lessons left to learn.

But all is not dreary and dour!
I may yet survive this hour!
Gracefully soar, with confident purpose
Or in a spell be 'neath the surface'
Oh jubilant poem, oh sweet reprise
Doth this bard sing his own demise?

Tumbling freely and gayly falling,
But to thusly live is not man's calling;
The avian dynasty to defame.
No simply this: live for the Name.
So that He is lauded in life or death
Must be the tune in every breath.
All earth bears the Maker's mark,
Our joy in thrill is His own spark.
Live in His will and know no fear,
So jump and scream for joy so clear.

-NW

Understanding Paul

I think that in a small way I can understand Paul's painful longing to visit the churches that he wrote to. I haven't started any churches as Paul did, but I have left one. I have spent much time thinking about Cement City Baptist and the people there since I graduated. I have been very impressed to pray for them and lift them up from across this nation. As fellow heirs of Christ's body we are all of us connected. Not as members of a similar organization are connected, but as those equally redeemed from our sins by His atoning sacrifice. A church body carries a specific lasting tie with it, also. It is more than a collection of saints in one place, as school was*, but it is a family sharing the joys and challenges of Christ centered living while here on earth. Unless one happens to be just a student passing through. It hardly felt like passing through though. The people did not treat me as just another stranger by the campfire. They took me in and loved me, and I loved them. I love Households dearly, but there is a care that a designated pastor can give which a board of elders cannot match; especially when that pastor is Pastor Drew. And what about youth groups? I don't see the foolishness of Pastor Kyle's love. Where are the dreaded traps of youth groups there? But I digress.

Heaven is our home and is a place of eternal reunion. Every goodbye among Christian's is no more than a "See you later," despite the pain we feel. Our lives here are united to those on the same narrow path, seeking to follow the dance that Christ taught us. We are helped on our way by the local body we are joined to. We are meant to be tightly woven, and a goodbye after three year's time can feel, appropriately, like losing a limb. But I cannot avoid this particular conundrum since I am suspended between two congregations. I am unable to be involved in more than one, and I'm not meant to be involved in more than one even if I could be. And thus I feel Paul's pain. Kind of. I have not started either church and I am only dealing with two of them, not the many that he was, but I have a glimpse into understanding the anguish that his letters begin with in wishing to personally visit the brethren there.

Until the reunion of heaven I am grateful to God for giving me a solid church family to help guide me through my time at school. I need fellow Christians to remind me that I'm not as strong as I think that I am, but that in my weakness, Christ is made perfect. I need to be reminded that my only hope and joy is in the Cross and Christ crucified. Cement City served to remind me of this many times. And so I am grateful for my time with that body and excited to worship Christ forever with my friends from school and the body at Cement City.

*I made a number of lasting friendships at school with those whose counsel and example will forever inspire me; yet, there is something about a church and the way God works through it that surpasses the abilities of Christians whose bonds are not found in a local body. For my friends though, I will eternally be grateful. There are many reunions in heaven that will be accompanied by long and rich embraces.

Greasy Hands

Working with my hands feels good. This week I have both replaced the window in my car and changed the starter in my dad's car. My window took me all day to replace. It was ridiculous that it took me so long, of course; I could do the same job in under an hour now, but the important things is that I didn't give up. I came so close to getting that window in but it just wouldn't quite fit and I was becoming very frustrated. You can't exactly force a window or it will break, and I was not about to break my window. So I kept trying new angles. I gave in when I started calling different window shops for quotes but since the average ran $90, I found new motivation became more creative. When my window was finally in and working properly and the tools put away, I felt a huge wave of accomplishment. I had finally won. My window kept defying me, but I beat it in the end and am very proud of my work.

The next day, Tuesday, I replaced my dad's starter. It wasn't a hard job, and the actual work only took me a little bit, but I really enjoyed it. Something about pulling a ratchet so hard that when the bolt finally lets go, you smack your hands into some hard part of the engine and give yourself cuts is really rewarding. Working on my car gives me both a physical challenge and a mental exercise as I exercise my problem solving skills.

Meanwhile, since graduating from school, I have been taking life pretty slowly, traveling and see friends while also being home and helping out here when the family needs it. This weekend my really good friends from school (Paul Mueller, Andrew Vanderput, and Joe McCleary) are here, so we are going to the beach and Multnomah Falls, and then hanging out with my family the rest of the time.

100: The Complete and Utter Failure

Thank you to those of you who kept asking me about my push ups and doing their part to keep me accountable: the Hubbs, Jonathan Walker,and mom. To the rest of you, thanks for making wagers on my failure. But who am I to be angry, I didn't exactly work all that hard, in fact, I failed miserably. I gave up after several weeks of consistent effort with little gain to show for it. My disgust with myself is not that I failed to reach 100 push-ups, but that I quit so easily. That makes me a quitter, and I'm not a quitter. I'm not. This revealed to me much about myself, though. It brought to light my inability to push myself when something is difficult, it brought to light how weak my resolve often is, and (duh!) what a lousy wimp I am. Now, I'm not fishing for your compliments or sympathy here, so just keep those mum. I'm simply saying that I've got some problems and this demonstrates that. Thank you to those who kept reading and were following my story. I am truly sorry to let you down so. I have other things to blog here, but I thought that I should write the concluding chapter of this sad saga.

Oh, and Lars was gracious in administering his punishment. After telling me that he knew I was going to fail, he said that I have to take that $100 and take a female of my choice out to dinner. If this is torture, chain me to the wall... ;)

Back Home

What to say after so long a silence? Much has happened this last semester that has not been told, some of it will probably remain so. Much has taken place and I have changed greatly. I have tasted the bitterness of goodbyes, longing for a heaven where I never have to say 'goodbye' again. I have made deep and lasting friendships in my four years at Hillsdale that were extremely difficult to leave. I dreaded leaving and had no idea how to face departing. I wanted so desperately to hold on to every moment but they kept slipping by until every last one was gone, my friends went home, and I was left lingering in Michigan as I wondered at all that God might be purposing for me. I am part of a body there that I will no longer be able to closely fellowhip with. So many families took me in and were kind to me at my church there, and I love my pastors there so very much.

That God is purposing much for me I know, because the work that He has been accomplishing in me He has been working on for some time now, and has prepared me for the changes that are beginning to bear fruit.

I have been so busy at school that, perhaps ironically, I have had no time to think. And I must think. I must take time to let the dust settle and wait patiently upon the Lord for guidance. He works on behalf of those who wait for Him (Isaiah 64:4), and so I will wait. I need time to think, and time to write. To read, to pray, to store up scriptures in my heart so that the Holy Spirit may prompt me with them and give me strength through them. I need time to seek His guidance for the future, and so though I am home, I will remain aloof for these first six months, living with and serving my family. This may be a selfish decision, I will not be very social during this time, but I must take time to orient my life properly.

I will be doing a good deal of thinking and I hope to post weekly on this blog. Thank you to all who read it. I am sorry that I have left you all for so long. I am back now.

Philippians 4:6-7

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

And the results are in...

This is definitely my favorite shot from our excursion.


Probably a close second. Both of these photos and the next one were from this huge abandoned church building. It was completely gutted.



Out of Service



The Unflappable John Thompson. John and I had a great time shooting and driving throughout south-central Michigan/Northern Ohio. We stopped at this tiny looking diner called "Feed Mill" for a lunch-time breakfast. We each got omelettes that were just fabulous and most filling. A definite recommended stop in my book. The "Real America."





The tree was actually growing out of this silo. We could have gotten some great shots had we disregarded the fact that it was someone's private property. Oh well.



This run down barn doesn't actually go with the above photos. This was behind a burnt out house on the side of the road. Again, many tempting shots were passed up to respect private property.



Art in the Making.




We roamed around on Lake Baw Beese for about twenty minutes (the ice was near a foot thick). I didn't put any of the pictures up but this one because I didn't really like any of them. One was a little comical though, it was a sign sticking up out of the ice about a foot that read "No Wake". Nice.



John and I had a great time. We'll have to make one more trip out before our time here at school runs out. Once it warms up a bit and some life starts popping up we'll head in another direction. Thanks for checking my site out.

-Nathan

Please go see this movie

Dear all, I hope that you are reading this post soon after I put it up. It is nearly
7 PM Friday evening and I am writing to beg you to go and see "Amazing Grace" (the God honoring story of William Wilberforce) this weekend. Not next weekend, THIS weekend. You see, the first weekend of a movie has much to do with how the movie fares for the rest of its running. Right now, Amazing Grace is in a limited number of theaters, but the numbers from its opening weekend have the ability to change that, prompting other theaters to order the movie and show it in their theater. Here is a Ted Baehr's review from the Christian Movie review organization "Movie Guide".

I am driving two hours on Sunday to go see it because I believe in supporting movies that are both well-made (ie, not Left Behind) and Christ honoring. On my docket to see VERY soon: "Bridges to Teribithia" - click here for Ted Baehr's review (showing here at the theater in town,) and "The Last Sin Eater" - review here (showing half an hour away).

We have seen a rise in mainstream, Christ honoring films of late, and the only way to maintain this trend is to mobilize those who cry the loudest for decent movies, let go of some of that cash and time we're so loath to lose, and support Christ(ians) in the arts.

Please. Go. See this movie.

-Nathan

Coming Soon...

I am going shooting with John Thompson this weekend, so stay tuned for more photos. Also, there are many things on my mind right now that are blog worthy, but for which I do not feel like composing a full blog just yet.

Instead I shall give you a preview of coming attractions. I am characterized by some very passionate and strongly held views on things, I am not always sure why, but that I hold them I know.

1) What is masculinity?

2) The powerful role of movies in our culture.

Other topics are milling around, but these two are definitely at the forefront. For now I'll say "Go and watch the Nativity as soon as you can!" I meant to say that months ago when it was in theaters, but I am saying it now because I really like that film a lot. If you have seen it, leave a note and let me know what you thought.

Stay tuned... pictures following shortly,

2/18/07

You know what? A hundred push-ups is really quite a few push-ups. This weekend I was at a retreat for Christian men here at Hillsdale and one of the contests in a series of physical feats was a push-up contest. Each team selected one member to represent them and do as many push-ups as possible. Paul Mueller took the cake at 64 push-ups (keep in mind that other physical feats had already been accomplished, and thus many of these men had already been taxing themselves,) and as I stood watching these men do their push-ups, I realized that one hundred push-ups is a whole lot. All this to say that I don't think I can make that number. I hope myself to be able to to do sixty-ish by the end of the semester. I would be pretty happy with that number, since that would still be a sizable improvement for me; but a hundred? I don't think so.

In the meantime, it has been a while since I posted regarding my own progress, and I pretty much lost hope right after my last post. Every time in the past when I have attempted push-ups, the same thing happens, I get to around thirty and I just can't break through. I mean I really can't. I try and try, and I actually regress a little bit, seemingly completely unable to break that barrier. So, that is where I am at right now. I am pretty discouraged with the whole thing; if I was able to increase my numbers consistently, that would be one thing, but I'm not, and it is hard to motivate myself to push as hard as I can when I'm not even going to be able to do as many as the day before.


In other news, we have called the rally off due to overwhelming opposition. I appreciate your prayers, but when we are seeking to unite Christ's body on campus, and the means through which this is going to happen is actually going to divide Christians more than it will unite them, then it is no longer serving the purpose intended for it. Much has been accomplished in the way of unity already, though. Discussions have begun among the groups of Christians as to what can be done that each group would be willing to do. With most of the groups, it's not that they are outright rejecting the entire idea of unity, they just aren't willing to participate in religious practices with Christians of other beliefs because they feel it too liable to a watering-down of the distinctions that make each sect different. Thank you all so much for your prayers in this, they have not been to no avail.

-Nathan

Thoughts

Current Time: 10:24 PM Sunday
Current Temp: 7 degrees

I've been able to watch a ballad of vehicles all today as I've been studying. Here is a picture from my window (taken with my macbook) of the parking lot down below. The slight hill on the right has given many vehicles difficulties, all for my general amusement as I take breaks from Aristotle to watch the ensuing dance.



It's good to be back at school. I love Pastor Woods and his family so much. He truly has the heart of a pastor. Today he preached on Romans 3:19-20, reinforcing the understanding that we are not saved by any works of our own.

If you would be so kind, there is a deal of no small significance coming up here at school which I am playing a key role in and would appreciate your prayers for. The leadership of Hillsdale Christian Fellowship (The Christian organization on campus) decided to put on a rally for all who profess belief in Christ. The purpose is to have Christ's entire body come together and magnify Him as Lord of our lives and of this campus, committing ourselves to radical change here in this, our temporary home. The belief is that God has brought quite a few Christians to this campus for a specific reason, and until we surrender our lives in obedience to Christ for the sake of seeing His name magnified in the hearts and lives of our fellow students, then we are missing our point in being here. When I heard about the rally and that they were asking for volunteers, I immediately signed up, and have become the point man for making it happen.

We are seeking to draw out all who profess belief in Christ on this campus, an event of a magnitude never before witnessed on this campus. Thus I seek your prayers and counsel. I require great wisdom and tact as I seek support and gain the help from the many scattered parts of Christ's body here at Hillsdale. We are shooting for a date sometime in the week before easter for this rally. Please remember me in your prayers as I talk with fellow followers of Christ and build a team of people committed to making this happen. Pray that we might have peaceful and unifying discussions, with each representative being willing to discuss matters calmly, and for the glory of Christ.

Thank You, Tortoise

I owe that diminutive, struggling-yet-consistent reptile so much. If were not for him and his victory against the evil hare, I wouldn't have a hope of reaching those hundred push-ups. He is my inspiration. Hang in there little buddy! I'm chugging along. I'm the little engine that could! How bad is it, you ask? I am making progress, just slowly. Here is my (ahem) progress thus far:

1-15-07
15 + 15 (I did it wrong this day though, because I gave myself several hours between sets)

1-17-07
15+15+15+15 (Much shorter rests, but still a little too long, five minutes or so)

1-19-07
15+15+15+15 (This time with rests of no more than three minutes a piece, as with my sets from here on out)

1-22-07
20+20+19+14 (+6 girl push-ups (trust me, when your muscles are done for, even girl push-ups are tough))

1-24-07
20+20+16 (+4 girl push-ups to hit twenty) + 7 (+ 6 girl push-ups)

1-27-07
20+20+20+9 (+2 girl push-ups)

I am sticking to a schedule of push-ups on MWF, but I think that I am going to start doing different push-ups on T-Th-Sunday that will work different muscles. We'll see how that works, I know that my T-Th-Sunday push-ups will be quite a bit more difficult, so I'm not going to be able do that many. You've been forewarned, so next post, when I only have sets of ten (or somewhere around there,) you can know that it is because I am doing more difficult push-ups.


We had a pretty big ice storm, so I snapped a few pictures. I had a difficult time setting up shots I liked. It was more difficult than I thought it would be. I have much to learn.


I took this picture from my bedroom window, not a bad sight to wake up to, huh?


We have these berry bushes around campus, its about the only color we get for half the year.



Frigid Conversation



Defiance

Oregon the Beautiful

A Gullible Model


Newport Beach


Discovery at the Ocean


The Horizon a'flame (I thought that I had fixed the sideways picture problem.)


Beached Log (Taken at night with a tripod with a 30 second exposure.)


Experiments in Black and White


Newport Beach at Sunset


Mt. Hood Foothills


Early Morning Goals


Mt. Hood at Sunrise

Starting Line

As a starting point, I can do 25 push-ups, and that's pushing it. My roommate prescribed workout for the first week is to do 15 push-ups M-W-F-Sat four times each day, and then rest the other days. Each week I'll increase the number of push-ups I can do by 5, more as I gain strength. Maybe I'll post once a week, on Sundays or around then, my max number of push-ups. I've got to say though, 25 (as the maximum) is a long way from 100, and I hate doing push-ups. Perhaps I'll enjoy them more when I am able to do more than just a few. I hope so.

The Quest

I have always been small. Not short, small. Whether it's playing football, basketball, or ultimate-frisbee, my playing has been marked by furtive movements at key moments to avoid being crushed. When heavy lifting must be done, I strain with my entire body to accomplish what the average male should only mildly struggle with. The goal for me is to show as little strain on my face so that if I can do something others can do as well, I simply must do it in such a way that they will not be able to tell that I am trying my hardest to do what they can effect with little effort.

Enough, I say. Well, actually, that's what Lars said. Oh Lars. No one can push me like that man. You work with someone for half a summer and next thing you know, they're making you strive for higher goals. We all need these friends. Why Lars, though? I don't know, exactly, except that I think he understands me like few do, and his honesty is so plain that I know I can trust it. I would say it is at times maybe even cruel, but the thing is he knows me and means well in his *ahem* constructive criticisms.

So here's the deal. I have changed the name of my blog, because you, the reader, are joining me on a journey to reach one hundred push-ups. Lars witnessed a pathetic attempt of mine at push-ups, and thanks to his challenge to bulk-up, I made him a deal. At the end of this semester, I'll be able to do 75 push-ups pat, or I give him $100. No deal, he says. One hundred push-ups. Fine. And I don't want your money, he says. "?" Now I do one hundred push-ups, or I have to spend that $100 however he tells me. That's real motivation. I imagine that Lars could exercise his genius to think of many, er, creative ways for me to spend that hundred dollars, none of which I want to experience. Thus this blog will be an honest update on my quest for one hundred.

Wish me luck, I'm going to need it!