Habits, Their Importance and Purpose

I'm a big believer in good habits.  I don't always have them,  but I know I should. Sometimes I make habits I know are bad for me.  It starts innocent enough, "Sure I'd like Jelly Cake with my Bread Pudding!" Next thing you know, extra desserts are a habit.
And you're 50lbs over weight.
Good habits are harder to start I think because the reward is more ephemeral. There's usually some pleasurable carnal reward for bad habits. Sugar tastes good, laziness is self gratifying... you get the picture.

James 1:14 talks about some of the consequences of developing bad habits though: Desire leads to sin, sin leads to death. This makes developing good habits important, and indeed, James 1:2-4 talks about how testing our faith leads us first to steadfastness, then to completion. The contrast is between faith and desire. Test your faith, do not indulge your desires. I think that the same situations can lead to one or the other.

My plan over the next few months is to make some good habits, and through these good habits, my faith will be tested. These habits include:

physical

• regular exercise. Jogging and weights
• Intentionally eating differently. More protein, fewer carbs. 
• Eating less overall.
• Early to bed - in bed by 11pm every night
• Early to rise - up at 5am to start the day

Spiritual

• Regular Devo time with the family
• Praying over my kids. I mean through physical contact. 
• Pray alone in the mornings
• Pray with my wife in the evenings

To Your Health!

Recently several things have converged in my thinking on life, society, The Way Things Are, and the Way Things Should Be.
1.  Through the efforts of my beautiful, loving, caring, sensitive, knowing, wise, and hott wife, I am discovering something I've known for a long time.  The "food" I have been eating is killing me.  This includes Doritos and ice cream.
2.  I have been watching the economy lately, here and abroad.  Several things are converging which lead me to believe that we live in interesting times.  I think primarily, it's an issue of democracy.  We live in an era of democritized media, democritized entertainment, and democritized government. People everywhere are showing a lack of discernment.  If people lack discernment, they will give their power to one who will sieze by force whatever the selfish want.  Caesar is not dead. He waits.
3.  My kids are growing.  I want them to be useful.  I want them to know how to make things, to be unafraid in making them, and to know that what they do is for the good of a Kingdom, and not for just themselves.
4.  I am meant to be stronger than I am.

I've talked before about inertia being my enemy.  I've made bracelets to fight inertia, read books, expanded my mind, exercized logic, and now it is time to exercize my body.
I'm changing my regular diet.
I'm reading more of my Bible, and watching less entertainment, and more informational TV (If TV can properly convey information, whole nother subject for a whole nother time.
But most importantly I'm exercizing my body.
A little at a time.
A little more some days, a little less others.

It's slow.
Mainly, right now, I am working on a solution to the problem, not a solution to the symptoms.
Make sense?
Lassiez les bon temps roulez!

The Gravy Speaks on Marital Holiness

James makes some straightforward comments to all men everywhere!
Heed his words my brothers!

PS,
He's there to listen, and he's one of the best at understanding what you are saying I know.

Chicken Wings & Jesus Things: Men...protect your marriage and family...: "I want to have a heart to heart with men.   Men who have been washed in the blood of the Lamb.   Men who love Jesus and their family.   Chri..."

The "Half Mexican"

I built an omelette today, inspired by quesadillas and enchilladas. I used no tomatoes, no cilantro, and no bell peppers, so it's only half mexican. I did use sour cream, 'mexican Cheese', and a habanero. The more I eat habaneros the more I realize that I haven't been giving this pepper a fair shake. On this particular go round, I noticed a distinctly sweet characteristic to the spicy suckers. Right before the heat hits you you taste something nice. I think that's the way it's supposed to be. I may start using habaneros in everything, sneaking them into dishes. Cook them a little bit, they won't be so hot.
Here's the recipe rundown:

One pinch each of fresh:
thyme
oregano
sage
basil

and then:
1 Tbsp Sour Cream
1/4 cup shredded 'Mexican Cheese'
3 eggs
1 habanero
1tsp butter

Clarify the butter, cut the habanero into thin strips, and discard the seeds (or save them for the interior of the omelette, if you are a little bold!). Saute the habanero in the butter. Beat the eggs, add to the pan. When the eggs firm up, add sour cream, cheese, sage, oregano and thyme. Shortly before folding the omelette, add the basil. Garnish with a little bit of basil/sage held in reserve, and a dash of Tiger Sauce to give it that last little bit of something. Enjoy!

Omelette, ready for consumption.
In the pic you can see one big chunk o' sauted habanero that I didn't cut thinly. Guess what my first bite was :)

So I'm Sitting Here...

Ok,
I am sitting here looking at myself in the reflection of my laptop, wondering exactly how I can complain about being tired. I then realized that I want to complain because of how redicously out of shape I've become. I may not be out of shape compared to you, but I am compared to where I was two years ago, and I didn't think I was in all that great of shape then. I am definately down from my peak performance age of about 27 when I was working landscaping, just married, and i had recently (re)discovered the joys of real off road biking. Non-coincidently this was immediately preceding the birth of my firstborn.

Stress + time = out-of-shapeness. That's my secret formula for the day.
out-of-shapeness + time = inertia. Inertia is my enemy, my oldest foe, my greatest fear, my sure adversary. Inertia wants me dead quicker, and wants me happy while dieing (one day I will do a post entitled "I don't want to die happy" and it will make sense). It's easy to submit to inertia and die. As soon as a course change is needed, there is inertia, as soon as the course change is no longer needed there is inertia. There's inertia when I wake up, and when I lay down...

I've been undergoing several changes over the last few years, changes that seriously impact my identity and relationship with those around me. I got to thinking about these changes critically when I read this tweet from @ArronChambers, a man I know, love and respect:

"prepping my message for #CelebrateRecovery tonight @journeygreeley. i'm speaking on #confession...which is still good for the soul :)"

In my subtle war against inertia, I had been doing more reading in my Bible, and recently re-read one of my favorite books, First John. We all know what 1 John 1:8-10 says:

8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

My confession is this:
I've been lazy. I've let inertia beat me up. I've chosen good things and not God things. I've take the easy way, from mac-n-cheese instead of (better tasting) grilled chicken and salad, to self-centered church instead of Christianity. I believe that the only way a Christian can live and die is under the philosophy of "I'll Be Mellow When I'm Dead."

Inertia's been my enemy a long time, and I've always been fighting it, and I'll even be fighting it when I can't fight it no longer. Until then I am fighting it using the following actions:

1. I will grow as much of my food as I can. That way I know what I'm getting. When I can't grow my own, I will buy as healthy as I can.
2. I will read my Bible every day. I believe that change happens best when you change according to the rules of the One who made you.
3. I will exercise every day. More on this to come later, but after posting this, I am taking my girls on a bike ride. It will be short, I will sweat, and it will probably hurt when I get done. Yet, I will do this.
4. I will eat a hot pepper. It's cathartic, and I LIKE IT!

My basic strategy is this: "When you are not beating inertia, inertia is beating you" and I accept that I can't win. What I can't accept is that I can't fight.

ps,
I love my wife!

Peppers!

So I found a package of Cayenne seeds left over from two years ago, the last time I seriously tried to start a garden. They were an heirloom variety, and pretty spicy from what the package claimed at least. At some point last fall I said "what the heck!" and planted them in a yogurt cup. I figured if anything, I will grow a small pepper plant in a small pot over the winter, and it will be fun. I put the pepper in the windowsill, and watered it. It bloomed, but it was cool enough all winter that the blooms fell off, and the pepper slowly grew. Finally, in February, the blooms set fruit! I had tiny cayennes on my bush, even though the bush was growing in a yogurt cup. I started taking pictures when the pepper started turning red, mostly to upset my yankee cousins who are still experiencing the thralls of winter, whatever winter is.... (side note, Florida has four seasons: They are Dry, Rainy, Summer, and Hurricane, in that order.)

So I now present to you a complete timeline of my amazing over winter cayenne pepper goodness. This morning I ate it.





Omlette ingredients include: 2 eggs, splash whole milk, two chopped cayenne peppers (one red, one green), salt, cheese, 1 clove sliced garlic, and sage.

Yet Another Transition

People,
I have been changed...
It was the most natural change I could have ever made, yet I hadn't. I needed catalyst, and I received that catalyst a week ago Monday while still on vacation. I experienced shock and awe, but in an awesomely magnificent bicyclally kinda form. I went REAL Mt Biking. well, real mt biking by Florida Standards at least, the guy at the bike shop said the place we went was "for the masses". usually that is shop speak for easy, and stuff. Kelly and I rented full suspension bikes, Specialized to be exact. She had the XC, I had a Stumpjumper. It rocked. We rode a couple of trails, and went to a waterfall. We both fell in the water, and Kelly skinned her knee. I skinned my knee too, but Kelly's looked a lot more impressive. We were having so much fun that we didn't take many pictures. Next time, I'm mounting a camera on my handlebars or something. The trails rode great, too great almost, like maybe people take a lot of time maintaining them and stuff ;-)

Anyway. My main point is that I've been ruined now. I rode an awesome trail, on an excellent bike, and I can never ride the local trails the same way again. I've been refusing to go to the local bike shop for fear that I'll come home with a bike. I've been thinking Cannondale Rush. Kelly really liked the XC, so I think I'll buy one for her. I've also been thinking about upgrading some parts on my hardtail to make it into a machine worthy of taking to work and back. Disc brakes and an upgrade in shifting would do a lot. ultimately, I would like new brakes, drivetrain, and fork, something with a lockout preferably. So that's my life. I am crazy in love with gettin' on a trail with a better bike. I had too many, "this is awexome" moments the short little time we rode.

Some things to note:
If you go to Brevard, NC, visit Sycamore Cycles to do your bicycle outfitting. They didn't pay me to say that, we just had an awesome experience there. The helpful staff turned us on to some trails that while not the hardest I've ridden, they were a lot of fun. Very smooth. The only bad thing about them is that they don't open shop until 10am, but because the weather is usually pleasant, it's not such a big deal to a Florida boy to start riding at 11 or 12. Go see Wes, and tell him that the guy who was sent by Nixon sends you now.

Buy a map of DuPont state forest. It's kinda like a fundraiser for park maintenance and they keep the trails there in great shape.

watch out for horses, and associated horse poopy.

see you out there.
GB HOYT

The Blackness that is my Hand

ok, blogging with a 8mo in the house is rough.
she nappin' now though.

d00dz.
i wish you could see my right hand. it's awesomely bruised. i played superman with my bicycle saturday, and sprained my wrist. also wound up with some awexome ridge rash on my left knee and left shoulder.

hehe!
anywho. gettin' ready for some summer break action on vacation involving north carolina, and Mt. Pisgah national forest. Should be ::The End:: when it comes to mtbiking so far in my life. hey i'll be at a real mountain for a change!!
hehe, i can't wait. but i gots to padd up my skillz.

i need a new helmet now...

dag, yo!

GB HOYT

ps -- never try to install kde components from regular gnome based ubuntu 8.04.
apt-get autoremove removes about half your packages, including gnometerminal.
time for some bash hackin'!!

Exciting things afoot...

M'k ya'll listen up,
it's my daughter's third birthday! Yeah!
we marked this milestone by taking her to the dentist, and having four teeth removed and replaced with a bridge. Does that make me a mean dad?
maybe, but we did have a party saturday already, and it rawked! She's at her grandmother's house recuperating along with my traumatized wife. Poor things.

anywho:
Did install the heron on the ole lappy... ... and the lappy is about dead me thinks. Fans are goin' down, it's just a matter of tiempo. stupid fans...
who wants to buy me a mac?

ok, so weird ruby thing I learned last week:
entering:
system("cd ./some_dir/") will not change directories!
cd is not a command found in bin. idk what's up with that, enlighten me oh great Internet Mystics!