Entries Tagged 'personal' ↓

If you have been following me on my Facebook status, you know I have been battling my sleeping mask that came with my CPAP machine.  I wore it for two nights and it destroyed my nose (see photo).  I have been wearing a band-aid over the bridge of my nose since, but it is taking it’s own sweet time to heal.

Last night was my first night I would consider OK with the mask, in that it wasn’t leaking all night or causing me pain.  Perhaps I can get used to it, but I am still not sure.

I’m not one for New Year Resolutions, other than the last one I kept, which was not to have any more Resolutions, but I am working on doing better at setting goals for myself.  As part of my goal setting for 2009, I’m sharing some of them with my blog friends so that you can encourage, tease, etc., me into accomplishing this.   This is similar to the weight loss contest that Cynthia and I are publicly battling on Facebook.  Knowledge = Accountability.  So here are some of my goals for this year.

To be at 180lbs by May 31st, 2009

This is an extension of my contest with Cynthia.  The 180 doesn’t have much scientific basis (I was around 140-150 in my skinny high school days), but I think it will be a good place to settle in for as a goal, and I think it is reachable by that date.

To run a 5k by December 1st, 2009

This one is a little more of a stretch for me.  I’ve never been a big runner, and have suffered from shin splints ever since playing basketball in high school on a concrete floor.  But I would like to give it a shot.  I want to reach the weight goal first, to reduce the pounding on my legs before I wear them out, and then I will need to find a race, but in looking around, there seem to be plenty to choose from.

To be free of consumer debt by July 31st , 2009

If you didn’t know it, Cynthia and I are big Dave Ramsey folks.  I’m leading my second Financial Peace University class at our church starting next week, and we have been on his Baby Steps plan for the past two years.  We are still on Baby Step 2, but from what we can forecast, we should have our last debt paid off by July.  That will be AWESOME!

To have a regular family Bible study

We have already started this one, and as a family we are reading through the gospel of Mark together, with time for the boys to ask questions and really understand what it is all about.  May take a while, but I need to make sure we keep at it regularly.  With our various schedules it is hard to have it on the same night every week, but I’m hoping that we will settle into an expected routine soon.

Have a special Daddy/Child day for each of my children this year

I want my kids to know that I am there for them and love them, and I do stuff with them each week, but I want this year to make the time to take a day for each of them to do something special with just the two of us.

Well that is all I am going to share for now.  I’ll keep you updated on these as the year progresses.

Well, the verdict is in.  I have been through the testing and diagnosis, and I have Sleep Apnea.  My dad, uncle, and father-in-law all have it, so I knew what I would be facing if it were true.  Nights with the CPAP – A mask that forces pressurized air into your breathing passages so that your throat doesn’t close at night and cut off your breathing.

To be honest, I’m actually relieved.  I haven’t been feeling rested from sleep in some time, and I know my LOUD snoring has been causing problems for Cynthia at night as well.  I’m hoping that getting this diagnosed and treated will make life a little easier around the house and help some with my health.

Anyone else using a CPAP out there in my limited readership?  Any thoughts?

I’m sitting here watching the 4th quarter of the BCS title game (Oklahoma just scored in the 4th to tie it), and I am once again reminded how terrible the current division one system is in determining the national champion.  Why, why, why can’t we have a playoff?  I just don’t understand why this can’t happen, unless (and I think this is the case) the good-old boys in charge of the schools and the BCS just don’t want it.

I can’t believe that a program like Utah’s that has had two undefeated seasons in the past 5 years isn’t really given any consideration.  How USC doesn’t get a shot.  And as much as I hate it (being an Aggie and all), but Texas should probably be the team playing Florida tonight instead of OU.

This is one of the reasons why I just can’t seem to get to involved in College Football anymore.  I just don’t have any faith that they can pick the best team to win anymore.  All I want anymore is chaos in the BCS.  Go Chaos!!

One thing I have been working on this fall is to reduce the amount of television that I have been watching.  I have usually watched several hours of TV a night, but I have found it is just a drain on my productivity.  So I committed to do a few things to start reducing how much I watch.

First, I committed to not add any new programming this TV season.  No new shows.  I’ve stuck fairly close to that commitement, other than I have been watching the new Star Wars Clone Wars animated series with the boys.  But in the past, I may have tried out 5-6 new shows each season to see what I wanted to watch.

Second, I decided that each month, I would take one of the shows on my watch list, and not watch it any longer.  If a show was ending, that could be the show for that month (January is easy, as Survivorman is ending this week).

I’m not planning on eliminating every show I watch, but I want to get down to just a handful of shows that I invest my time in.  Many of the shows I plan on keeping are more educational than entertainment only (I love Mythbusters and other Discovery shows).

Anyone else cutting TV these days?

Why is it that the back is so critical to everything else in your body? My back has given me problems on and off for a few years now, but over the past few weeks it has been worse than normal. This past weekend was bad enough that I could barely get around. It’s time to call the Dr and see what is wrong.

Over the past year, I have been trying more to fill my mind with more spiritual things.  One way I have done this is through listening to great preachers from around the country.  As things have progressed through the past year, with starting a church, and having to take the mantle of leadership, I have relied more and more on these good teachers to encourage and build me up.  I thought I would share with you those who I have found to be the best, IMHO.

At the top of the list for me is a local pastor, Matt Chandler, with The Village Church in Highland Village, TX.  I have had several chances to hear him preach and teach this past year.  He never fails to step on my toes and challenge me.  He is one of the most insightful teachers of the word I have ever heard.

Next on the list is Andy Stanley with North Point Church in Atlanta, GA.  He is the son of legendary pastor Charles Stanley.  Andy has been very influential on me in how to preach and teach so that those who listen can better understand.  He is marvelous at making things very understandable.

One of my favorites to listen to because he tells it as it is with no limits is Perry Noble with New Spring Church in Anderson, NC.  Perry is one of the most frank pastors I have ever listened to, and I love that he is able to speak the word with no reservations or fear of what people think.  He is only worried about what God thinks.  His blog is one of my favorite reads on the web each day.

The final one of my regulars is probably one of the most brilliant biblical minds of my generation.  He is Mark Driscoll with Mars Hill Church in Seattle.  He pastors in one of the most unchurched parts of the US, and has a large following in the coffee capital.  He has a way of explaining the scriptures so that they are deep yet understandable.

If you want to listen to any of these pastors, you can catch them on iTunes podcast or at each of their churches web sites.

There is something about first learning a sport it is both cool and frustrating for the teacher.  We are starting both Noah and Luke in the local youth basketball leagues this fall, and I am helping out with coaching Luke’s 5 year old team.

It is so cool to see the enthusiasm of the 5 kids we have.  They are having so much fun, even though we are just doing drills (shooting, passing, dribbling) right now.  Some are doing ok, some need lots of practice, and some (like Luke), are just getting started for the first time.

One of things I’m trying to keep in mind as we are working with these kids is that they need to be encouraged constantly as we go along.  I’m trying to find ways to do that for each of them.  Some of the kids have problems due to their size or strength just getting the ball a few feet over their head, much less all the way to the 7′ basket.  But each shot, I try to find some way to encourage them:  “That was much higher than last time”, “That one was right on line”.   I try to do the encouraging before I then coach and show them the right way to do it.  My hope is that this will help them not to be discouraged as they develop the skills needed to play.

Of course, for me I mainly want the kids to have fun while they are learning, so I am trying to make it fun for them as we go along.  Luke told me afterwards that he really enjoyed practice.  I’m glad, as this is his first foray into organized sports.  I hope that I can continue to help them both get better at the game, and still have loads of fun as they go.

I had some issues with my old blog, so I have set up the software again. Clean start if you will. I’m going to try to be more consistent this time and write about many different subjects. Perhaps some reviews of books and technology, things I use, religion, etc. Hope you like what you read.