The Tour de France Always Gets Me Going.

I finally broke it out...my dusty bike. I've been putting it off for I dreaded the hard work of getting back into shape. I just could not imagine putting up with the pain of pushing hills when I knew I had allowed my weight to get over 50 pounds greater than what is optimal for me. It came on slowly, the weight, until finally I found myself almost glued to the couch. But my heart has always been excited about biking. My parents gave me my first ten speed in 1962. It was a time when those types of bikes were very, very rare. It was actually professional in quality and to a degree too large for me. But, I managed and off I went. Learning to shift took some tears and trials and my father's patience I will for ever be thankful for. Once I got the hang of it I became mesmerized by the speed and distance. At the ripe old age of 10 I rode fifteen miles from my home in Denver to the Rocky Mountain foot hills and back. My folks never knew. I remember no fear and always knowing where I was. All of a sudden I could go places my parents took us in a car. I LOVED IT! I have ridden bicycles seriously ever since. At one time in my late 30's and early 40's I was riding nearly 300 miles per week. Not a lot of people do that. Talk about being in shape. Health matters have slowed me down some and the complexities of life too. My love for the bicycle has not abated.

I remember being challenged to a race by a fellow named Ray. He was the neighborhood bully. Looking back I now understand that he was jealous of the new kid's bike. He too had a ten speed, but it was a toy by comparison to mine. It had only 26 inch wheels and had knobby tires. Mine had full 27 inch wheels and I had what are called sew up racing tires. Though his bike was smaller it was perhaps 40% heavier. The most important thing was that mine was geared much, much higher. With his smaller wheels and lower gear ratios Ray took off to an early lead. Since the race was around a huge suburban block (over one half mile) I was not worried. My dad had taught me about gearing and strategy. I reeled good old Ray in at about the half way point. When I passed him I was just hitting my stride. I looked at him and knew he was exhausted. I proceeded to bury him. He was so far behind me when I passed the finish line, where all of my friends and his victims were, it was a joke. When Ray finished he didn't stop. He went right home...I think to avoid shame and to throw up. What a day, what a race, what a memory. That my friends was 45 years ago and I remember it like it was yesterday. I was never bullied by Ray, though he had opportunity. He never spoke to me again. I was all right with that. He never knew what hit him...ha, ha.

I am riding again. I hope to get back some of my discipline. I saw a T-shirt one time that said, "Pain is weakness leaving the body." There is some truth to that . I am continually reminding myself of that thought as I ride while out of shape. It hurts pretty badly. But, with each successive day the pain becomes less and less and my average speed and pushable gear ratios go higher and higher. So far I have ridden about 150 miles in the past two weeks. That is not much, but I am breaking through. I'll be in the 150 mile per week range in about another week or so. Perhaps I'll be able to do 300 in a week again, but not as quickly as before. I am now ten pounds down with another 40 to go. The hurt now feels good.

Discipline is something that we are told we need to live a full and productive life. In a future post I'll talk about discipline from a biblical basis. There is something mysterious about being a teen aged person. When a teen many of us feel that discipline is painful and must be avoided at almost all costs. There is an element of submission in it that we chafe at. Life is so much easier when you don't have to work at anything on a regular basis. Doing what you want to do and no more seems to be the goal. Acting in obedience to what someone else thinks is right causes us to dig our heals in. Yet, Scripture certainly points to discipline as necessary. As we grow older we realize that life without some level of discipline is most difficult if not impossible.

In the mean time I am going to continue to push those pedals. I can not wait until all that weakness has left my body and that extra weight too. To get a bicycle that is lighter by a pound or two over another bike could cost $200 per pound more. Just think how much money I'll be saving by loosing the extra weight that I am carrying around my middle section. Why, if I loose 50 pounds it will feel like I am riding a bicycle that costs perhaps $10,000! Wow, wouldn't that be great! Something tells me that the physics of bike riding won't work out exactly that way (I'll have to talk to my old friend Andrew about that), but it is fun to dream.

Large Coffee Goes Above 3 Bucks! I'm Seeing Stars!

Speaking of the business market Starbucks has announced that it will be raising its prices, as of July 31, 2007, about three percent on all prepared coffee products. A large cup of coffee will now break the $3.00 plateau. For a business to take such a step is quite dangerous...it can scare the CEO big time. This does not apparently include the prices on the whole and ground beans that they sell nor on the other "on the shelf" items that they market. Food is going to be left alone. Starbucks says that it is increased production costs due to fuel and rising raw product expense that has forced them to make this decision. There you go...more money will be coming into Starbucks and interestingly their stock price went right up. I wonder if the growers will see even a penny more? They were vague on what is driving production costs up. Their corporation will be pocketing the increased cash. Here is a short entry that I placed on a blog sight, again, just for fun.

I will still purchase coffee at Starbucks, but less of it. I like the store nearest me as they provide a wonderful reading environment. I enjoy a good book and a nice, large (Venti), dark roast cup of coffee. (I add cream and three packets of Equal. I like sweet and smooth.) That atmosphere is actually more important to me than the products they serve. At the same time I have to admit to a fondness for McDonald's premium coffee, which I understand is produced for them by Maxwell House. Though M. H. "is the richest kind", Starbucks will certainly take that honor, or better "you will have to be of the richest type" to pony up for a cup of their Joe. If I were in the driver's seat at Starbucks, I'd raise the price if I felt I had too, but going over $3.00 for a cup...that would make me loose some sleep perhaps more than the caffeine would.

I may have to give up my reading space at the local Starbucks because of cost...maybe I'll have to read at home. I can give up coffee if I have to. I am not so sure about books. Is there something in your life that perhaps you feel you need to give up? I remember the story of the rich young ruler and the question that he asked Christ. "What must I do to follow...?" The reply..."give it ALL up and let's go!" (my little paraphrase) Sadly the young man could not let go of his worldly possessions nor his concerns. So, he walked away. Sometimes we are following Christ, or at least we think we are. We read Scripture and the Holy Spirit convicts us that we need to improve or go another direction. We need to give up a coffee of sorts in our lives. These things can be hard to do. What do you do when you come to that realization? Some times it is a thing, some times a behavior, some times it is about giving up control of your life. Whatever the case may be, letting go of something we are fond of having or doing can be difficult to the extreme.

What helps me most is gaining God's perspective on the issue at hand. Where can we go to get good perspective? Pilots go to their instruments. Tired boxers go to their corner to recover some between rounds and listen to their managers. Lost hikers will seek higher ground to either see better where they are or, if they have a GPS device, connect with at least three satellites. As Christians, where should we go? First, I would suggest the Bible. If you are looking to get into some serious Bible study I know a place where you can get it. Just give me a jingle. It is also a nice place to read at instead of Starbucks. Secondly, I would suggest a trusted adult who is a longer time follower of Christ than you. Thirdly, I would strongly suggest prayer. Those are the three sources I would go to for new perspective and not necessarily in that order, but all three without fail...kind of like GPS satellites...you need three.

Life can be difficult at times. I am sure the decision to raise the price of a cup of coffee at Starbucks was the product of tremendous research, a study of the market place, and thorough evaluation of their variable and fixed expenses. Management had to see what could be saved or changed before making the decision to raise prices. The steaks are very high for them. Money earned by raising the price can be more than off set by lost revenue if people are unwilling to pay that extra three percent. Maybe Caribou will drop their prices three percent? Who knows? Time will tell.

We all need to make some difficult decisions in our lives. Some times we need to give something up. Sometimes we need to go another direction. What we need when we get to crossroads such as these is the best information we can get. With good information making a decision can be much easier, less stressful, and, most importantly more in accordance to God's will. Look to Scripture, look to those who have wisdom greater than yours (there is always a bigger fish), and talk to your "Heavenly Daddy."

Hail 14,000! Hail the Dow Jones Average!

I wrote this as a response to an article on AOL praising and questioning a new all time high reached by the stock market on July 19, 2007. I posted it on AOL and saw my work there, but a couple of hours later it was deleted though the other entries around it remained. Go figure. I just thought I'd let you guys look at it and comment if you so desire. I'll let it speak for itself, but you might find it a little politically threatening. I am willing to be challenged. Take me on. It will be fun.

The rich remain rich and prosper more. The poor remain poor, not poorer, just flat poor. The stocks are hot potatoes. They get warm, warmer, exciting, then too hot. As they begin to glow white from their heat (perhaps we are almost there) those who are best at the game drop them on those less expert. The great players remain__rich, and the others, well, they oft times get burned. Wages go down. Hopes for an early retirement gone, back most of us go to reality...creating our own livings with our hands, minds, and mostly time. Seems the money ends up in the same pockets and never really ends up changing the lives of those who are of lesser means. Yachts get bigger, hotels rise higher, Airbus builds ever bigger planes, Boeing ever faster, more efficient ones. More ways of taking others money are invented either by Madison or Pennsylvania Avenues. The control stays in the circle...the circle of the rich and the educated. I can not get too excited about the market...we celebrate ourselves, we don't help others. We celebrate the bigger house, the blacker BMW, the awesome HD wide screen in our entertainment rooms. But, real never seems to change much. When the bubble (illusion) bursts we cry for ourselves. I don't play, perhaps I am a fool, perhaps I am not smart enough, perhaps I know my limits, perhaps I've watched the system enough to know better. I have to keep reminding myself to not store up my treasures where moth and rust destroy. There are few things more rusty and moth eaten, less trust worthy, than our stock markets. Still, I guess I'll vote Republican again. I always have...somethings never change (maybe). But, I keep thinking...one can't eat carbon fibre or drink ethanol for breakfast. And, silicone chips go lousy with Easy Cheese.

Oh! My Aching Brain!

1. I don't have much to say with this post as I've been reading those Greek dramas and the philosophers for the past few weeks. I have also obtained, from a close friend, a three volume video series developed by an education service called The Learning Company. This video series is of college level lectures on ancient mythology which is both Greek and Roman. It has been wonderful in providing for me a more informed context. The professor helps with geographical insight, cultural meanings, time placement, religious thought, and world view understanding. Not only this but she helps me with pronunciation too. That actually is no small thing. It helps me to hear the word I see, mentally grasp it, and eliminates reading hiccups or blocks and I can cover more text with better understanding in less time. The reason that I don't have too much to say is that, "I think my brain is temporarily fried!" There is so much to contemplate. It is, to my view, most wonderful. Surprise, surprise I actually think that it is faith building. I will, in a later post, explain the irony of this. What I need to do is take some more time and sort my thoughts out before going to print with the ideas that I feel have come to me in this frenzy of ancient Greek reading.
   
   Here are are some of the thoughts that are swirling around in my mind:
   
   1. Ancient people were very, very religious.
   
   2. These same people were extremely pious.
   
   3. They thought the world flat, so they had a limited or wrong understanding.
   
   4. Though they had a wrong understanding of the world they certainly knew the human condition.
   
   5. They struggled with the same great questions we all do. We are, in this, the same.
   
   6. Why did bad things happen to good people? They had an answer for this, which is to some, shocking. It was the gods' fault. But, at some level are they not correct? Hummmmm?
   
   7. Sacrifice was key to religious expression.
   
   8. They were what is called fatalistic in their approach to life. Many of us actually are that way too.
   
   9. We think of Freud as the father of modern psychology yet much of what he said is mentioned thousands of years before by the Greeks. What does this mean?
   
   10. Blood sacrifice was essential for their gods. Why blood?
   
   11. Vegetable offerings were sometimes acceptable, but not always. Cane and his sin carried on.
   
   12. Religion and politics were mixed, but the potential for conflict was recognized.
   
   13. They honored and sought freedom, but they kept slaves. What parallels are here to modern cultures particularly our own?
   
   14. Representative democracy and court systems were in place before 600 B.C. We citizens of the USA have much to thank the Greeks for as pertaining to law, justice and governmental form. Do we owe as much to the Greeks and Romans as we do our Judeo/Christian heritage? Is our heritage as much Greek as it is Christian? Hummmmm?
   
   15. Personal honor was a paramount issue. Have we actually fallen behind ancient Greece in some ways?
   
   16. Women, though being thought of as property and even at times a curse, were of utmost importance to society and they lead a lot more than the ancients would admit. Yet, the dramatists certainly took shots at the traditional view of women's role in society compared to what power they actually exerted. Some things seen not to change much.
   
   17. The understanding of myth simply being a lie or a false view is not the understanding scholars or we should have. The myths of the Greeks and Romans were in fact the stories that defined the world that they lived in. What are our myths and how do they work in our 21st Century world? Can they be both good and bad? Myth seems to be found in every culture.
   
   18. Mixing politics and religious practice was considered very dangerous. Surprised?
   
   Wow! So much to contemplate. I'll take some time now to sort things out through a Biblical perspective. Then, hopefully, I'll be able to put into words some clear suggestions and righteous implications and communicate them clearly to you. In the mean time I'll continue to read, think, pray, and then later write.