fit all day long

OK, I admit it, I'm out of shape. In fact, last fall when I left AAFP in order to take a job at Barkley one thing I left behind was an exercise facility right there in the office that I had used for ten years. My fitness level during the last 9 months has taken a serious nosedive.

Barkley doesn't have an exercise facility in the office. But it does offer a great benefit--monthly health club dues reimbursement.

So, I did it. Last night I joined a health club. I'll keep you posted on how the whole thing works out. I expect to stick with it. If I can do that through the first couple of months, I should be alright.

I wonder if the club will mind if I run on a treadmill while eating Doritos.

today's mercy seat

My employer, Barkley, is located in the Crossroads Arts District of downtown Kansas City. It's a really cool neighborhood to walk around in at lunchtime. Among many local interesting, even odd, businesses, there is a tattoo and piercing parlor by the name of Mercy Seat Tattoo.

Mercy Seat's logo is a drawing that appears to be an electric chair. I have no idea how they came up with that logo or what it means or anything.

But, it started me thinking about THE mercy seat and the fundamental misunderstanding that so many have of their relationship with God. Too many see God as a merciless judge who is just waiting for a slip up so he can show them straight to the electric chair. But the God I know is a God of mercy. He sits and waits, not for the slip up, but, anxiously, for the opportunity to show mercy. The very name of the place where he sits is the mercy seat.

The mercy seat of the Old Testament was in the most holy place in the tabernacle. It was gold-plated opulence. Only the High Priest could approach the mercy seat once a year with a blood offering for the atonement of sins.

Today's mercy seat is different. You see, something, amazing happened at the crucifixion. As His (Jesus, the Son of God) blood poured out as an atonement for sin for all of time, the temple curtain separating man from God was torn apart (from top to bottom). Any of us, no matter how lowly or sinful can approach the mercy seat and not die, but receive mercy and live eternally. Jesus, through his own blood, made atonement as a High Priest, before the true mercy seat of God which is in Heaven (Heb. 9:11,12).

He chose to do this. The Lamb has been slaughtered. The sacrifice has been made. The sins are forgiven. Salvation is provided. FOR those who come to the Father through the Son, Jesus. Coming to Jesus is easy. Jesus (Emanuel--God Incarnate--God with Meat) came to us. All we have to do is believe his message and accept his free gift.

There is a judgment seat in the New Testament. It's found in Matt. 25:31 and following. Jesus sits on the judgment seat. That's right--the great High Priest who made atonement for my sins. Vs. 46 says that the righteous will enter into eternal life and in Heb. 10:10 "we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

19 And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20 By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. 21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, 22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. (Heb. 10:19-23, NLT)

we remember

Today is Memorial Day. Our flag is out.

I'm proud to be an American. I'm proud to be the son of a U.S. Marine, the son-in-law of a U.S. Army officer (Vietman veteran), the grandson of a WW II P.O.W. (6 months in a German prison), the nephew of service men (by now we're up to all branches of the armed forces). I come from a long line of men and women who have served our country in peace and war times.

I'm proud of my great-grandparents and their generation who raised the "Greatest Generation." Their are many parallels between their generation and the young adults who are now referred to as Generation-X. Similarly, their children (the Millenials) are being called by some the "2nd Greatest Generation."

I never served in the United States military, but I have the greatest respect for those men and women who place it on the line every day. Regardless of politics, you Americans serving all over the world--especially in Iraq--right now are to be respected, commended and supported.

More than 4,000 of your colleagues have died in Iraq. The price of your sacrifice is hard for us to understand. Thank you for protecting freedom. Thank you for serving. May God bless you all and bring you home soon.

captivated on captiva

Mrs. kcrazorback and I just returned from a long weekend in Florida--a long kid-free weekend in Florida, that is. Kid-free weekends are the best kind. Don't get me wrong: I love my kid.

But I love my wife, too. In fact, I don't get enough time with her. In those rare moments that we have that aren't dominated by the concerns of this world--work, kid, home, cars, paying for gasoline, whatever--those old college days come flying back.

We were college sweethearts, you see. We've now been married for 19 years. But, every time I look at that girl I see my college sweetheart--just as she looked in 1986. One of my strongest memories is what her perfume smelled like in college. I hear her voice and summer of 1988 late night phone calls come to mind. Her every touch reminds me of two decades ago.

I still love: walking with her, talking with her, eating out together, traveling with her, making plans with her, laughing together. I can't get enough of her. I never will.

I'm so thankful for last weekend on Captiva Island. Florida is wonderful.

Thanks to my inlaws for watching our daughter for the weekend. I enjoyed watching theirs.

spare $13.9 billion laying around?

Nothing to do with calculators here--except for the need for a good 12c to analyze this deal: hp is buying EDS for a sweet chunk of change, I've seen $12.6 to $13.9 billion. That's quite an acquisition. See EDS or hp for more info. Opinions on whether this is a good deal for our calculator company, please comment?

skin is in

It's not my deal, but I know lots of folks who put skins on their mobile devices and iPods, etc. Now, however, I may have good reason to start.

Skin It is now offering skins for hp calculators. Wow. I did notice, however, that my alma mater Arkansas was not listed among the long list of colleges with skins available. Thanks to Wing Kin Chueng's hp blog for the heads up. Also, I noticed that my beloved 33s is not one of the models available as well.

So, Skin It, as soon as I can dress up my 33s in a little Hawg outfit, you might get my business. Until then, probably not.

five is just too old

I suppose it's not really too old. But for mom and dad it comes too quickly. We see our sweet little kcrazorback daughter growing up too fast. Before we know it, she'll be in kindergarten, um, grade school, really, high school already, you mean she's in college, I mean home from college...

I know, between now and then there will be a million soccer games, sleepovers, lemonade stands, skinned knees, church camps, school days, sick days and snow days. I know she'll still need us. But the need will be different.

Until now, in a lot of ways, we were her world. From now on we will support her, help her, protect her and even lead her in her own world--not ours, but hers.

It's supposed to be this way. What good would it be if 13 years from now she went away to college still dependent on us? Still, our co-dependence is hard to lose. You see, she doesn't need me in the same way anymore. But there's not a switch to turn it off in me.

We are learning new ways to communicate. This weekend I opened something for her as she protested "Daddy, I can do it." I said "I know you can. I just wanted to do it for you." We've entered a new stage--a good one.

I really am happy for her--but, five is just too old.