The Maker's Diet

A while back someone recommended a health book to me called The Maker's Diet by Jordan Rubin. I'm not really a "health nut" by any stretch of the imagination, but after reading this book I was fascinated by Rubin's claims. It is hard not to consider a healthier diet after some of his statistics and information about what American's eat. The Standard American Diet (SAD) is straight up harmful to your health. Even fruits and vegetables you buy at a local grocery store are filled with chemicals in order to mass-market them. To me this is pretty eye-opening.

Rubin is a naturopathic doctor and nutritionist who in college suffered from a severe case of Crohn's disease. After trying hundreds of medications, supplements, "miracle" drugs, and visiting doctors all over the world, Rubin turned to the Bible for answers. Through the aid of a doctor, Rubin began following the strict dietary laws that God commanded the Israelites to in the Old Testament. Through this and a few other supplements Rubin was completely cured of Crohn's disease. His "miracle" drug was an ancient book written for primitive people living thousands of years ago.

Through this he has created The Maker's Diet along with other supplements to help aid people towards the healthy lifestyle that God designed us to have. There is a 40 day health challenge at the end of the book that is extremely rigorous and I have decided to take that challenge. I'm not going to follow it to a "T" but I will be within 90% of it. I just can't afford doing it 100% - organic food is expensive! On top of that, there are 5-6 supplements that are required for it. Nevertheless, I am excited to see how good I feel after doing this and not having fast food for 40 days! So don't ask me to go to lunch at In and Out, ok!

If anyone is interested in health and wants an education about just how bad our diet is in America, then I highly recommend reading this book whether you do the 40 day challenge or not.

Here are some of the supplements that I am taking for the next 40 days:
- Perfect Food: A green food supplement. This is nice b/c I don't like many green vegetables
- Super Seed: A whole food blend of seeds, sprouted grains, and an excellent source of dietary fiber
- Vitamin Code (Men's Formula): a RAW multivitamin
- Oceans 3 Beyond Omega-3: This is more than just Omega-3. It also has OmegaXanthin from the ocean

OTHER HELPFUL RESOURCES
www.makersdiet.com
www.gardenoflife.com
www.oceans3.com/
www.beyondprobiotics.net

A Great Weekend!

Last weekend was one I will never forget! First, we had a guest speaker at church, William Paul Young, the author of a NY Times Bestseller, The Shack. It was a great time and the story of his life is amazing. He talked about how he came to write the book and how God has used it to bless many people - there a so many incredible stories! One of the questions he posed to the crowd was, "Can God do anything that is not motivated by love?" He went on to say that the answer is "no" because God's character is love. He further said that even God's wrath is motivated by love because he wants to save us from the very crap we put ourselves through. What an awesome thought that God doesn't do anything that is not motivated by love.

If you have not read The Shack, then you need to! It will cause you to think deeply about your faith and about God. It's a book you won't be able to put down.

Also, this weekend I officially became a Triathlete! It was a lot of hard work on a very hot day, but it was well worth it. I will put some pictures up soon. I can't wait for the next one!

Highlights of 2008

I got to do some cool stuff in 2008. Here are some favorites...

Travel:

- in February visited my friend JJ in LA
- in March I lead a mission trip to Salamanca, Spain
- in April the 3F team went to New York for the Q Conference
- in July I visited friends on Nantucket Island and spent a few days in Boston
- in November I visited my Grandma in Boise, ID which is where I grew up



Favorite Books:

- Lone Survivor by Marcus Lutrell
- The Shack by William P. Young
- Jesus Wants to Save Christians by Rob Bell
- Following Jesus by NT Wright


Favorite Movies:

- The Dark Knight
- James Bond: Quantum of Solace
- Ironman
- 21
- Get Smart
- Valkyrie
- The Spirit - NOT!

The Sabbath

I had a chance to have some time of rest this weekend which was nice and much needed. I am definitely not a "go-go-go" type of person and when life gets busy I just need to slow down. Relax. Chill. Breathe in life and live in the moment. I started reading a book called The Sabbath, by the great Jewish scholar, Abraham Joshua Heschel. In the opening chapter he describes the Sabbath as being all about time rather than space. Humans tend to view spirituality through the realm of space, focusing on things. We even tend to view God as if He were a thing, rather than a spirit.

Here are some quotes that I found extremely interesting and insightful.

"To gain control of the world of space is certainly one of our tasks. The danger begins when in gaining power in the realm of space we forfeit all aspirations in the realm of time. There is a realm of time where the goal is not to have but to be, not to own but to give, not to control but to share, not to subdue but to be in accord. Life goes wrong when the control of space, the acquisition of things of space, becomes our sole concern."

"Indeed, we know what to do with space but do not know what to do about time, except to make it subservient to space. Most of us seem to labor for the sake of things of space. As a result we suffer from a deeply rooted dread of time and stand aghast when compelled to look into its face. Time to us is sarcasm, a slick treacherous monster with a jaw like a furnace incinerating every moment of our lives. Shrinking, therefore, from facing time, we escape for shelter to things of space."

"The higher goal of spiritual living is not to amass a wealth of information, but to face sacred moments."

"One of the most distinguished words in the Bible is the word quadosh, holy; a word which more than any other is representative of the mystery and majesty of the divine. Now what was the first holy object in the history of the world? Was it a mountain? Was it an altar?

It is, indeed, a unique occasion at which the distinguished word qadosh is used for the first time: in the Book of Genesis at the end of the story of creation. How extremely significant is the fact that it is applied to time: 'And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy.' There is no reference in the record of creation to any object in space that would be endowed with the quality of holiness."

"The meaning of the Sabbath is to celebrate time rather than space. Six days a week we live under the tyranny of things of space; on the Sabbath we try to become attuned to holiness in time. It is a day on which we are called upon to share in what is eternal in time, to turn from the results of creation to the mystery of creation; from the world of creation to the creation of the world."

Two Encounters

I've been participating in the 3F Daily Bible Readers group, which is a group that is going through the New Testament in 90 days. Right now, I am reading in the book of John. I have enjoyed John so far, as it is different from Matthew, Mark, and Luke. John tells some unique stories, two of which grabbed my attention:

Jesus' encounter with Nicodemus (John 3:1-21)
Jesus' encounter with a Samaritian woman (John 4:1-45)

There are some extremely interesting contrasts to these two stories that I think are intentionally put there by John. These are fascinating!

1] GENDER
Nicodemus was male
Samaritan woman was obviously female

2] ETHNICITY
Nicodemus was a Jew
Samaritan woman was obviously Samaritan

3] MORALITY
Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin - aka He was "blameless" & Law abiding
Samaritan woman was an adulterous woman who had 5 husbands and was sleeping with another

4] TIME
Nicodemus came seeking Jesus at night
Samaritan woman met Jesus during the middle of the day (the sixth hour, which would be noon)

5] EDUCATION
Nicodemus was an expert in the Law
Samaritan woman was uneducated

6] ISSUE
Nicodemus needed to be born from above
Samaritan woman needed the Living Water

7] PLACE OF WORSHIP
Nicodemus worshipped at the Temple (Jerusalem) - to the Jews this is the only place to worship
Samaritan woman worshipped on Mt. Gerizim where all Samaritans worshiped

8] RESPONSE
Nicodemus' response was meditative with no immediate action
Samaritan woman's response was energetic and she immediately began sharing the Good news

9] CONFESSION
Nicodemus called Jesus Rabbi
Samaritan woman proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah

What do we learn from these encounters? For me, it shows that Jesus meets each individual where they are at and speaks to them on their level according to their own issues. Nicodemus misunderstood what Jesus was saying by being reborn, but in reality he was simply just having a hard time accepting what Jesus was saying. He was a Pharisee, an expert in the Law so the concept of a spiritual rebirth would not be foreign to him (OT prophets speak a lot about that).

Jesus broke all the rules in talking to the Samaritan woman, but he didn't care. I think he sent his disciples away so that he could speak to the woman alone. John tells us that Jews didn't associate with Samaritans - strike 1. On top of that, women were not to speak to men in public - strike 2. When the disciples came back they were shocked that he was talking to a Samaritan woman. However, Jesus found it too important to dismiss her for some lame cultural rules. Because of their conversation the whole town came to know Jesus as the Messiah. Pretty cool if you ask me!

Top 5

Lately I have been in conversations about movies, tv shows, bands, songs and such. So, I thought it would be cool to do a "Top 5" post. I would also like to know what everyone else's Top 5's are so if you feel like it then post yours on your blog as well. Well here we go...

Favorite Bands:
1] Coldplay
2] Dashboard Confessional
3] The Fray
4] John Mayer
5] Jimmy Eat World

Favorite Songs from those bands:
1] The Scientist by Coldplay
2] Swiss Army Romance by Dashboard Confessional
3] How to Save a Life by The Fray
4] Why Georgia by John Mayer
5] Sweetnes by Jimmy Eat World

Favorite Movies:
1] Gladiator
2] Braveheart
3] The Patriot
4] 300
5] Elf

Favorite Trilogies:
1] Star Wars [the original 3 - episodes IV,V,VI]
2] Back to the Future
3] Beverly Hills Cop
4] Indiana Jones [the original 3]
5] Rambo [the original 3]

Favorite recent/current TV shows:
1] LOST
2] 24
3] The Office
4] Seinfeld [technically this is classic but I put it here to b/c it fit!]
5] Anything on the History Channel

Favorite classic TV shows:
1] Macgyver
2] Quantum Leap
3] Cheers
4] Save by the Bell
5] Leave it to Beaver

Favorite Resturants:
1] Native New Yorker
2] PF Changs
3] BJ's Brewery
4] Tum Nuk Thai
5] Sullivan's Pier

Favorite Fast Food:
1] Chick Fil-A
2] Filaberto's [yeah that's right and it's not cat meat!]
3] Wendy's
4] Jason's Deli
5] Pirate's Fish and Chips [thanks Mitch!]

Favorite Places I've been in the World:
1] Switzerland
2] London
3] Kenya
4] Rome
5] Australia

Favorite NON-Fiction Books [other than Bible]:
1] Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell
2] Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller
3] Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster
4] Lone Survivor by Marcus Lutrell
5] Sex God by Rob Bell

Favorite Fiction Books:
1] The Grail Quest Trilogy by Bernard Cornwell
2] Byzantium by Stephen Lawhead
3] The Shack by William P. Young
4] The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell
5] The Iron Lance by Stephen Lawhead

Lone Survivor

I just got done reading one of the most incredible stories I have ever read. Lone Survivor is the story of Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell and Operation Redwing. It is absolutely gut-wrenching! I highly recommend this book to anyone. You will not be disappointed.

Marcus talks about the principles that he learned in the Navy as a SEAL. These principles include: honor, courage, commitment, confidence, discipline, determination, leadership, respect and teamwork. This is what the SEALS live and die by, and in Lone Survivor, we get a first hand account of these principles in action.

The discipline that the Navy drills into SEALS is completely ridiculous. I cannot believe the vigorous training that they have to endure. They push them and push them until they can’t be push anymore. Then they push them some more. It made me hurt just reading about their training. I can’t imagine wading in freezing cold water for twenty minutes only to have a couple minute break and then doing it two more times. Or running four miles in boots and wearing eighty pounds of gear, all in under thirty-two minutes. The list goes on, but as cool as it sounds to be a Navy SEAL I am thankful that I have never had to go through any of that. These guys are tough.

Another thing they instill into SEALS is confidence. They are taught a “never-quit” attitude in which they believe to the core that they will be successful in whatever they do. There is no room for failure. They are taught to never surrender. You die before you surrender to the enemy. This confidence and drive is admirable. Though it comes across as arrogance at times, SEALS believe they are the best of the best. Indeed, they are for they have earned it through their training.

Respect is something that is demanded of the SEALS. You are to respect your teammates and are to obey anything your superiors command. “Always remember your own accountability, to yourselves, your superiors, and your teammates. The chain of command is sacred. Use it” (91).

Teamwork is a non-negotiable for the SEALS. I enjoyed reading about this value and it served as a great reminder for me that life is not meant to be lived alone. We need each other. The SEALS recognize that the only way they can be successful is to work together. There is no room for self. This, I believe, is exactly what Jesus taught his followers to be like. It is the very definition of the body of Christ. I found this quote inspiring, “We’re all in it together, and the first thing they instill in you at Idoc is that you will live and train as a class, as a team. Sorry. Did I say instill in you? I meant, ram home with a jackhammer. Teamwork. They slam that word at you every other minute. Teamwork. Teamwork. Teamwork” (81).


Here are a few other quotes that were really powerful for me:

“I give it everything. On time. Every time. Might not always be good enough, but it’s always my very best shot” (88).

“always listen, and always jump all over anything your instructor tells you. Get out in front. Fast. Then make sure you stay up there” (89).

“Stay alert. Be on time. And be accountable for your actions at all times, in and out of uniform. Remember, your reputation is everything” (109).

“He closed by telling us the real battle is won in the mind. It’s won by guys who understand their areas of weakness, who sit and think about it, plotting and planning to improve. Attending to the detail. Work on their weaknesses and overcome them. Because the can” (123).

I can't really do justice to the Operation Redwing story by telling it, but just to give you an idea, it was a Navy SEAL team mission to take out a terrorist in the mountains of Afghanistan. Luttrell and three other SEALS set off, but after being compromised, the 4 SEALS were left to fight 100+ Taliban fighters armed with AK-47 and RPG's. Watch this interview with Luttrell and read the book! It will change your life!

The Legend of Hood

I absolutely love reading fiction books. I mean, who doesn't love a great story that draws you in as you get lost in the adventure? A few years ago one of my professors, Dr. Baloian, recommended a book called, Byzantium by Stephen Lawhead. Intrigued, I read it and it immediately became my favorite fiction book (One of the easiest ways to judge how good a fiction book is that you have to keep reading to find out what happens). Its about an Irish monk named Aidan, who sets out on a journey to Constantinople to deliver an important manuscript to the Byzantine Emperor. Aidan experiences many trials and through his unfortunate circumstances he loses His faith in God. God, however, does not give up on him, but rather floods Aidan's life with grace, compeling him to rekindle his faith.

Since Byzantium I have read other books by Lawhead that have just been alright. One that I was extremely excited about was Hood. I just finished it last week, but was sorely disappointed with it. It is the first book in a trilogy that gives a retelling of the legend of Robin Hood. I have always loved the story of Robin Hood, yet Lawhead's story is lacking good action. It is mostly filled with character development. In other words, this book was hard NOT to put down and I had to push through it. I was really bummed with this book and I seriously doubt I will be finishing the trilogy.

The Language of God

This past April the 3F team went to the Q Conference in New York City. One of the presenters was a scientist named Francis Collins. Collins was formerly the director of the Human Genome Project, but now has resigned on August 1st to pursue writing and other opportunities. After hearing Collins talk about evolution and how it fits into God's plan of Creation, I knew I had to read His book called The Language of God to hear this heretical idea.

The Language of God is Collin’s argument that science and faith are compatible and complimentary to each other. For hundreds and hundreds of years the debate of science vs. belief has been met with extreme contention. Through historical evidence, scientific data, and some supernatural mystery, Collins attempts to bridge the gap.

I was blown away by some of the things I learned about evolution and biology. I willingly admit that this was a tough read and that a significant amount of the scientific data went right over my head. Nevertheless, the information I was able to grab a hold of was extremely insightful.

The biggest intellectual transformation for me was my view of evolution. I used to think that this was a naughty word. Growing up as a Christian I was taught that evolution was an atheistic theory to prove that God does not exist. It is true that many people hold to this strong of a view. However, there is a more balanced view of evolution, which Collins lays out in this book. Collins claims that God is indeed the Divine Creator, yet somehow in His own infinite way He uses the process of evolution within his plan of creation.

I learned so much about how the scientific world works and how theories like evolution have evolved (no pun intended ☺). This book has opened my eyes and has burst my “Christian Creationist bubble.” I feel enlightened, really confused, somewhat frustrated, but most of all reassured that there is a Divine Creator who is so powerful and far beyond my understanding.

I did not agree with a lot of Collins views by any means, but it did open my eyes to the science world. Some of the scientific evidence simply cannot be ignored, even when it contradicts Christian tradition. Ultimately, there is no way to prove many of the things that science claims. Though scientists try to have "everything" figured out, no one can comprehend the mind of God - not even close. He must laugh at some of the "theories" and "facts" we come up with.

Here are some interesting things Collins says in his book that I wrestled with:
- The universe was created with the Big Bang approximately 14 billion years ago
- The Earth came into existence approximated 4.5 billion years ago
- Homo Sapiens start showing up around 500 million years ago (I don't quite know what to do with the fossil records)
- Human beings evolved from apes and share a common ancestor with Chimpanzees (yeah right!)

If you are interested in some of this scientific stuff, here are some links that will help you in your journey:

God and Science
Human Genome Project
Theory of Evolution
Reasons to Believe
The Hubble Site

Two Books Worth a Read

I recently read two works of fiction that were simply "can't put it down" reads. I would recommend that all followers of Christ read these books. They bring such a fresh perspective to life, love, and relationship to God.


The first book is called The Shack. This is about a guy named Mac who has been plagued with a few traumatic circumstances. Because of this, he finds himself having a supernatural experience that will leave him changed forever.

The thing I appreciate most about this book is that it deals with real life issues. It also addresses many misconceptions about Christianity. Through Mac's weekend away at a shack, he has an encounter with God and is forced to face a past that is filled with guilt, fear and plenty of doubt. I give this book a 5 out of 5!

You can even get a free copy of the book at papaslove.org.



The second book is called Redeeming Love. It takes place in the late 1800's and is a loose retelling of the book of Hosea in the Bible. It's technically a romance novel, but I didn't know that going into it :-)

What would you do if God asked you to marry a prostitute? This story will send you on a roller coaster of emotions. The thing I appreciate about this book is how it captures God's heart for His people. I give this book a 5 out of 5 too!

Following Jesus

I recently read a book by NT Wright (a fantastic author and theologian) called Following Jesus: Biblical Reflections on Discipleship. I am constantly challenged by the concept of discipleship. For some reason I can easily understand my faith in terms of a teacher/student relationship. If there is anyone who I relate with in the Bible it would be the disciples. Though they were slow and didn’t get it most of the time, Jesus still poured His heart and soul into them with confidence that they could be like Him. And they turned out alright. They completely changed and revolutionized the world. There is still hope for you and me after all. :-)

Wright writes this book to help bring a clearer picture of the real biblical Jesus. He admits that many people inside and outside of the church have made up a ‘Jesus’ for themselves, inventing Him to be whatever they wish. Jesus to many Christians makes them feel warm and happy inside, but doesn’t challenge them or suggest them to do something about the plight of the world. However, the real Jesus cared more about the world than our comfortable little feelings. The call of discipleship for us is to do the same.

Something that was incredibly insightful was a chapter about who Jesus is according to the book of Hebrews:

- He is the true Son of God that is higher than the angels (Hebrews 1)
- He was 100% human that ‘lived our life and died our death’ (Hebrews 2)
- He is the true Joshua who leads His people to the promise land (Hebrews 3-4)
- He is the true high priest (mediator between us and God) forever (Hebrews 5-7)
- He is the final sacrifice and the new covenant (Hebrews 8-10)

This leads to the great heroes of the faith in chapter 11. Then chapters 12 and 13 sum everything up. Wright says,

“...it is the Jesus who will guide us through life, the Jesus who meets us today as we feast at His table, the Jesus who summons us gently but clearly to follow Him. And at the heart of this picture we find the cross: the cross which Jesus endured on our behalf, which was the climax of his life of suffering and rejection, which was, as we shall see, the final sacrifice.”


What an amazing and refreshing picture of Jesus!

Wright also wrote about the kingdom of heaven and what that meant to Jesus. He, like many others today, insists that God wants to bring heaven to earth. He points out how so many Christians are sitting around waiting to die and go to heaven. But Jesus wants heaven to be here in this world, NOW! And we, His disciples, are the ones charged to bring it here. This is a scary thought. That is what the disciples must have felt when Jesus gave them the great commission, putting the responsibility of His kingdom in the hands of His students.

If this seems like too daunting of a task, the writer of Hebrews encourages with this:

Hebrews 12:1-3
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."