Thursday, February 17, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
It. Works.
When I'm excited about something I want to share it. Ever feel that way about something in your life??
I'm Troy Lown and I've lost 14 pounds in 12 days with little or no hunger.
In my home alone, house spouse hours between vacuuming dog hair and deciding what gourmet specialty I'll make for dinner that night, I usually read up on the internet's daily news and see what's going on in the world. One topic that I'd seen was about a substance called hCG which claimed some kind of drastic weight loss results, but I figured it was another fad crash diet which left me fully disinterested... until my in-laws told us that they had been doing this program with equally impressive results. Suddenly I became a little interested.
It's one thing to read fantastic claims over the internet, but it is another thing entirely to have people I know and trust validating those claims.
But if you know me, I still need more convincing. So I set off on the web to research this hCG thing to see what the fuss was about. Here's a summary of what I discovered:
HCG is a hormone called Human Chorionic Gondaotropin which is secreted during pregnancy. Research begun in the 1950's by an Italian (Dr. Simeon) showed that patients given doses of hCG along with eating a specific very low calorie diet (VLCD) were able to lose an average of one pound of abnormal body fat per day... with zero or very low amounts of hunger and without being devoid of energy.
The basic explanation behind the mechanism involved is that the hormone works in the human body (both male & female) to burn abnormal fat, while essentially leaving normal fat and muscle alone. Just like a woman's body needs extra energy to support a growing fetus along with all the amazing efforts involved in such a feat, hCG enables the body's mechanisms to use it's "deep storage" (abnormal) fat to provide energy needed when a VLCD is in place.
The amazing thing about this that while ingesting a daily caloric intake of only 500 calories seems excessively punishing, the hCG is telling one's body to burn between 1500-4000 calories DAILY and hunger is all but abated during the process!
I'm telling you, I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't been experiencing it myself.
So after doing some reading, and then reading some more... and then asking lots of questions, I decided to proceed with doing some more research. :)
Dr. Simeon's protocol involved doing daily injections of hCG. Not being a needle fan, I was glad to see that there was an option of taking oral drops. However, my temporary joy was muted by the thought that so often things don't work the same way they did when the mode of application is changed. So my research focused on the effectiveness of drops versus shots.
I must say that by this time, I had read enough to cause me to ask for the contact information of a reputable source for oral hCG (referred to as "Homeopathic HCG") and begin the process. It was during this time that I began to read news stories of hCG and the FDA calling it "fraud, waste of money, and dangerous." I was definitely interested in those stories because I had just spent a fairly good chunk of change on 2 bottles of this stuff and was off and running! But just like "they" say that every story has 2 sides, here's another side of that story...
The FDA (the United States' Food and Drug Administration) is charged with ensuring that safe & accurately promoted food and drugs are marketed to the mass public. This is a noble purpose if you think of snake oil salesmen from days gone by. For the privilege of being "FDA approved" however, there is a long and VERY expensive process that prospective companies must pay for in order to get their products approved and on the market. And as we all know, costs are then passed on to the eventual consumer... IF the product is allowed to pass scrutiny.
A fairly recent trend has been the rise in popularity of homeopathics, or natural substances, to aid in health promotion. Many of these items have been around for eons-- with reputations for helping treat or cure hosts of varied maladies and conditions (think of chinese or indian medicines that have worked for centuries before the advent of "modern medicine"). The point being, just because something isn't FDA approved, doesn't mean it doesn't work. But it does mean that you aren't allowed to make ANY claims on something that has not been rigorously tested and told is okay to say by the FDA.
I could go on, but I simply wanted to address that for a moment because the FDA articles became the reason I decided to write this.
While I understand the FDA's purpose is ostensibly a good one, I have now personally seen how their overzealous warnings are misleading in themselves! HCG works. I am here to tell you. The key is finding a reputable source in order not to get ripped off by a charlatan taking advantage of a product not subject to FDA rules and scrutiny.
Regarding the specific claims of bona-fide hCG, I wouldn't say that I never had ANY hunger, but I have lost 14 pounds in 12 days and I have all this energy with not a shred of the hunger I would expect while losing over a pound a day. Think about it: how hungry do you think you'd have to be to lose a pound a day were it not for some other mechanism at work? BEYOND STARVING, I'd say! And this bears repeating... "were it not for some other mechanism at work!"
Here's another reason why I say hCG works: Can you lose a pound a day by simply starving? I would say "no" because the body would go into starvation mode in order to preserve itself for as long as possible. Following the VLCD protocol, my wife and I began to lose weight INSTANTLY and wake up every morning to another pound or so gone from the scale. I would say that it defies explanation to be losing so much weight so quickly were it not for the hormone working as described by Dr. Simeon in his work.
One final thought I'd like to make abundantly clear is that I went into this program (for I hate the word "diet") full-well knowing the dangers of fads & crash diets. To know me is to understand that I fully realize the medical warnings of nearly all diets are well-founded and fact-based. However, when my wife (who is a doctor of psychology) has knowledge of other MD's recommending this to their patients, and these people are all experiencing similar results while KEEPING THE WEIGHT OFF LONG TERM, I fully opened my mind to the idea that perhaps there was something superbly effective and yet based on sound knowledge of body chemistry.
They say that seeing is believing. Every morning when I step on my scale and I see another full pound lower on the readout, I believe something amazing is at work in my body. I cannot wait to reach my goal of 34 pounds total lost when my program is complete in another 3 weeks. And the best part is that I am also learning how to prepare completely fresh & healthy foods that we will be ravishing for years to come!
For anyone interested in reading more, I have added a link from where I got my hCG. The site is loaded with information for those with questions. I bought from this person because her product worked for my in-laws, so I knew it was a good product. There may be cheaper stuff, but if it's too cheap, it may not be real.
http://lose1Lbaday.com/
Oh, and stay tuned for an "after" picture (by then I'll be able to stomach showing the "before" picture along side it). ;)
I'm Troy Lown and I've lost 14 pounds in 12 days with little or no hunger.
In my home alone, house spouse hours between vacuuming dog hair and deciding what gourmet specialty I'll make for dinner that night, I usually read up on the internet's daily news and see what's going on in the world. One topic that I'd seen was about a substance called hCG which claimed some kind of drastic weight loss results, but I figured it was another fad crash diet which left me fully disinterested... until my in-laws told us that they had been doing this program with equally impressive results. Suddenly I became a little interested.
It's one thing to read fantastic claims over the internet, but it is another thing entirely to have people I know and trust validating those claims.
But if you know me, I still need more convincing. So I set off on the web to research this hCG thing to see what the fuss was about. Here's a summary of what I discovered:
HCG is a hormone called Human Chorionic Gondaotropin which is secreted during pregnancy. Research begun in the 1950's by an Italian (Dr. Simeon) showed that patients given doses of hCG along with eating a specific very low calorie diet (VLCD) were able to lose an average of one pound of abnormal body fat per day... with zero or very low amounts of hunger and without being devoid of energy.
The basic explanation behind the mechanism involved is that the hormone works in the human body (both male & female) to burn abnormal fat, while essentially leaving normal fat and muscle alone. Just like a woman's body needs extra energy to support a growing fetus along with all the amazing efforts involved in such a feat, hCG enables the body's mechanisms to use it's "deep storage" (abnormal) fat to provide energy needed when a VLCD is in place.
The amazing thing about this that while ingesting a daily caloric intake of only 500 calories seems excessively punishing, the hCG is telling one's body to burn between 1500-4000 calories DAILY and hunger is all but abated during the process!
I'm telling you, I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't been experiencing it myself.
So after doing some reading, and then reading some more... and then asking lots of questions, I decided to proceed with doing some more research. :)
Dr. Simeon's protocol involved doing daily injections of hCG. Not being a needle fan, I was glad to see that there was an option of taking oral drops. However, my temporary joy was muted by the thought that so often things don't work the same way they did when the mode of application is changed. So my research focused on the effectiveness of drops versus shots.
I must say that by this time, I had read enough to cause me to ask for the contact information of a reputable source for oral hCG (referred to as "Homeopathic HCG") and begin the process. It was during this time that I began to read news stories of hCG and the FDA calling it "fraud, waste of money, and dangerous." I was definitely interested in those stories because I had just spent a fairly good chunk of change on 2 bottles of this stuff and was off and running! But just like "they" say that every story has 2 sides, here's another side of that story...
The FDA (the United States' Food and Drug Administration) is charged with ensuring that safe & accurately promoted food and drugs are marketed to the mass public. This is a noble purpose if you think of snake oil salesmen from days gone by. For the privilege of being "FDA approved" however, there is a long and VERY expensive process that prospective companies must pay for in order to get their products approved and on the market. And as we all know, costs are then passed on to the eventual consumer... IF the product is allowed to pass scrutiny.
A fairly recent trend has been the rise in popularity of homeopathics, or natural substances, to aid in health promotion. Many of these items have been around for eons-- with reputations for helping treat or cure hosts of varied maladies and conditions (think of chinese or indian medicines that have worked for centuries before the advent of "modern medicine"). The point being, just because something isn't FDA approved, doesn't mean it doesn't work. But it does mean that you aren't allowed to make ANY claims on something that has not been rigorously tested and told is okay to say by the FDA.
I could go on, but I simply wanted to address that for a moment because the FDA articles became the reason I decided to write this.
While I understand the FDA's purpose is ostensibly a good one, I have now personally seen how their overzealous warnings are misleading in themselves! HCG works. I am here to tell you. The key is finding a reputable source in order not to get ripped off by a charlatan taking advantage of a product not subject to FDA rules and scrutiny.
Regarding the specific claims of bona-fide hCG, I wouldn't say that I never had ANY hunger, but I have lost 14 pounds in 12 days and I have all this energy with not a shred of the hunger I would expect while losing over a pound a day. Think about it: how hungry do you think you'd have to be to lose a pound a day were it not for some other mechanism at work? BEYOND STARVING, I'd say! And this bears repeating... "were it not for some other mechanism at work!"
Here's another reason why I say hCG works: Can you lose a pound a day by simply starving? I would say "no" because the body would go into starvation mode in order to preserve itself for as long as possible. Following the VLCD protocol, my wife and I began to lose weight INSTANTLY and wake up every morning to another pound or so gone from the scale. I would say that it defies explanation to be losing so much weight so quickly were it not for the hormone working as described by Dr. Simeon in his work.
One final thought I'd like to make abundantly clear is that I went into this program (for I hate the word "diet") full-well knowing the dangers of fads & crash diets. To know me is to understand that I fully realize the medical warnings of nearly all diets are well-founded and fact-based. However, when my wife (who is a doctor of psychology) has knowledge of other MD's recommending this to their patients, and these people are all experiencing similar results while KEEPING THE WEIGHT OFF LONG TERM, I fully opened my mind to the idea that perhaps there was something superbly effective and yet based on sound knowledge of body chemistry.
They say that seeing is believing. Every morning when I step on my scale and I see another full pound lower on the readout, I believe something amazing is at work in my body. I cannot wait to reach my goal of 34 pounds total lost when my program is complete in another 3 weeks. And the best part is that I am also learning how to prepare completely fresh & healthy foods that we will be ravishing for years to come!
For anyone interested in reading more, I have added a link from where I got my hCG. The site is loaded with information for those with questions. I bought from this person because her product worked for my in-laws, so I knew it was a good product. There may be cheaper stuff, but if it's too cheap, it may not be real.
http://lose1Lbaday.com/
Oh, and stay tuned for an "after" picture (by then I'll be able to stomach showing the "before" picture along side it). ;)
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Good Quote
“Don't be envious when the grass is greener on the other side because you don't know how much crap it took to fertilize that ground.”
Sy Rogers
Sy Rogers
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Courtroom Justice
Last week I had the chance to experience something that, I'm sure, many disgruntled ex-spouses would give at least a small toe or two to see. At a post-divorce court hearing, I saw my ex-wife arrested for an outstanding probation violation warrant. And I had a front row seat.
Here's a little background...
As far as ugly divorces go, I've been told that mine was among the most extreme ever seen. Well, if a lawyer from Portland's most prestigious family law firm has any legitimate opinion, then there ya go.
Here's the backstory: In a nutshell, I had a period of time after my first wife died where I made some fairly poor decisions. One of those decisions was when I decided it was a good idea to marry a (supposedly) former heroin user.
(You don't think I can hear those groans!??!;)
My well-analyzed mindset at that time is a topic for another book. For today, we'll just continue with this story.
Anyone who has personal experience with addiction can relate to my story. As a matter of fact, they can probably write a lot of it; for, as we learn in co-dependent recovery, addiction is progressive and always ends up in one of the same places if left untreated: jail, death or insanity.
In my case, I got together with a woman who (unbeknownst to me) had fled a drug charge in another state. The charge? Prescription drug fraud for pain killers. Why flee? Because she violated her parole by "accidentally" getting into heroin. Mmm-Hmmm.
Fast forward to a couple years later and you'd find this woman having gotten pregnant on purpose in order to have me marry her. It worked.
During that time period her addiction was never honestly treated. She "played" at recovery with NA (Narcotics Anonymous) meetings here and there, but also with a continued litany of "problems" that always allowed to her to be prescribed something or another.
There were anti-depressants for depression that was alternatively denied and then used as legitimate reasoning by her. There were benzodiazepines for a new "anxiety problem." There were hidden dentist pain prescriptions for tooth pain from cavities that were left untreated (in order to continue to have "legitimate" pain claims).
There were more, I just get tired of listing them.
Then there came the Meth.
Again, once you introduce Meth into the mix, things go from worse to exponentially catastrophically horrendous.
With Meth use you get to experience things like mom disappearing from the kids for hours when Dad is away on a business trip. You find the kids new Christmas toys slowly "disappearing" one by one. You see a once full piggy bank completely empty except for a few pennies. You can't seem to find your chainsaw, salmon pole, or first wife's pearl jewelry purchased in Hong Kong that you were going to give to your daughter on her 16th birthday. Not to mention the continual nonsensical fighting & lack of peace in the home.
Situations like this were commonplace and led to the inevitable divorce.
** Now I must pause here and say that there is SO MUCH more to the story, but in the interest of time I am only telling the Reader's Digest version.**
The divorce was kicked off like a 4th of July fireworks display in reverse-- where the grand finale came first and the rest was a long, slow trickle of anti-climacticism where you weren't sure when the end was truly coming.
In my case, I had to file a restraining order when my Meth-induced wife tried to kidnap my kiddo after I had simply taken her to her grandfather's house. When you factor in a mother-in-law who is also an addict and who tried to help her Meth-daughter kidnap the child AGAIN, then you can start to see what I was dealing with. But again, this is not the HALF of it (and that is exactly why I am writing a book).
The divorce case settled on the eve of a scheduled THREE DAY trial. Let it be said that my lawyer wanted to go to trial SO BADLY... but alas, she saved me thousands and we got basically everything we wanted by settling anyway. Yes, including custody. :)
So that brings me back to why I am writing this. That is a result of a Facebook post describing my mood the day I had box seats to seeing the most evil person I know put in cuffs. It was not due to any "set up" of any kind on my part. It was strictly the result of consequences of her own actions. Since our separation, she had at least two arrests for shoplifting and false statements to a police officer. This latest arrest was for probation violation stemming from the conviction of one of those other offenses. Our day in court was to finally settle the monetary issues regarding the house I bought before we were even married (it's still not settled). So she showed up (late) to court with an outstanding warrant and-- BOOM: Book 'em Dan-o!
Some people may think I am gloating or classless for "bragging"about watching my ex get arrested.
If that is you, consider this...
I am not gleefully pointing my finger doing a happy dance here. I even left the scene before it was over in order not to heap on 'humiliations galore.' I simply had a degree of satisfaction that, I'm sure, many people never get to experience in their lifetime. I write for all those who think justice will never come to them.
Based on sworn deposition, I had first-hand knowledge of things the ex was going to attempt to testify to. The partial list includes physical abuse, child porn, child abuse, animal abuse, contributing to her addiction, and more. This is the same person who the law required I pay between $60,000 - $80,000 for less than two years of marriage!
When one considers how low a person can go... where truth is only a distant memory and ruining a person's reputation is an afterthought... then perhaps you can begin to understand why I had a minor sense of satisfaction to watch the Princess of Lies bound in front of me and my sweet, current wife.
I mourn for my ex's two teen girls whom she has taught to hate me. But perhaps this is part of her "rock bottom" where she can gain some clarity and start making life saving choices.
But based on my experience with her, she just learned to hate more and blame someone else.
Here's a little background...
As far as ugly divorces go, I've been told that mine was among the most extreme ever seen. Well, if a lawyer from Portland's most prestigious family law firm has any legitimate opinion, then there ya go.
Here's the backstory: In a nutshell, I had a period of time after my first wife died where I made some fairly poor decisions. One of those decisions was when I decided it was a good idea to marry a (supposedly) former heroin user.
(You don't think I can hear those groans!??!;)
My well-analyzed mindset at that time is a topic for another book. For today, we'll just continue with this story.
Anyone who has personal experience with addiction can relate to my story. As a matter of fact, they can probably write a lot of it; for, as we learn in co-dependent recovery, addiction is progressive and always ends up in one of the same places if left untreated: jail, death or insanity.
In my case, I got together with a woman who (unbeknownst to me) had fled a drug charge in another state. The charge? Prescription drug fraud for pain killers. Why flee? Because she violated her parole by "accidentally" getting into heroin. Mmm-Hmmm.
Fast forward to a couple years later and you'd find this woman having gotten pregnant on purpose in order to have me marry her. It worked.
During that time period her addiction was never honestly treated. She "played" at recovery with NA (Narcotics Anonymous) meetings here and there, but also with a continued litany of "problems" that always allowed to her to be prescribed something or another.
There were anti-depressants for depression that was alternatively denied and then used as legitimate reasoning by her. There were benzodiazepines for a new "anxiety problem." There were hidden dentist pain prescriptions for tooth pain from cavities that were left untreated (in order to continue to have "legitimate" pain claims).
There were more, I just get tired of listing them.
Then there came the Meth.
Again, once you introduce Meth into the mix, things go from worse to exponentially catastrophically horrendous.
With Meth use you get to experience things like mom disappearing from the kids for hours when Dad is away on a business trip. You find the kids new Christmas toys slowly "disappearing" one by one. You see a once full piggy bank completely empty except for a few pennies. You can't seem to find your chainsaw, salmon pole, or first wife's pearl jewelry purchased in Hong Kong that you were going to give to your daughter on her 16th birthday. Not to mention the continual nonsensical fighting & lack of peace in the home.
Situations like this were commonplace and led to the inevitable divorce.
** Now I must pause here and say that there is SO MUCH more to the story, but in the interest of time I am only telling the Reader's Digest version.**
The divorce was kicked off like a 4th of July fireworks display in reverse-- where the grand finale came first and the rest was a long, slow trickle of anti-climacticism where you weren't sure when the end was truly coming.
In my case, I had to file a restraining order when my Meth-induced wife tried to kidnap my kiddo after I had simply taken her to her grandfather's house. When you factor in a mother-in-law who is also an addict and who tried to help her Meth-daughter kidnap the child AGAIN, then you can start to see what I was dealing with. But again, this is not the HALF of it (and that is exactly why I am writing a book).
The divorce case settled on the eve of a scheduled THREE DAY trial. Let it be said that my lawyer wanted to go to trial SO BADLY... but alas, she saved me thousands and we got basically everything we wanted by settling anyway. Yes, including custody. :)
So that brings me back to why I am writing this. That is a result of a Facebook post describing my mood the day I had box seats to seeing the most evil person I know put in cuffs. It was not due to any "set up" of any kind on my part. It was strictly the result of consequences of her own actions. Since our separation, she had at least two arrests for shoplifting and false statements to a police officer. This latest arrest was for probation violation stemming from the conviction of one of those other offenses. Our day in court was to finally settle the monetary issues regarding the house I bought before we were even married (it's still not settled). So she showed up (late) to court with an outstanding warrant and-- BOOM: Book 'em Dan-o!
Some people may think I am gloating or classless for "bragging"about watching my ex get arrested.
If that is you, consider this...
I am not gleefully pointing my finger doing a happy dance here. I even left the scene before it was over in order not to heap on 'humiliations galore.' I simply had a degree of satisfaction that, I'm sure, many people never get to experience in their lifetime. I write for all those who think justice will never come to them.
Based on sworn deposition, I had first-hand knowledge of things the ex was going to attempt to testify to. The partial list includes physical abuse, child porn, child abuse, animal abuse, contributing to her addiction, and more. This is the same person who the law required I pay between $60,000 - $80,000 for less than two years of marriage!
When one considers how low a person can go... where truth is only a distant memory and ruining a person's reputation is an afterthought... then perhaps you can begin to understand why I had a minor sense of satisfaction to watch the Princess of Lies bound in front of me and my sweet, current wife.
I mourn for my ex's two teen girls whom she has taught to hate me. But perhaps this is part of her "rock bottom" where she can gain some clarity and start making life saving choices.
But based on my experience with her, she just learned to hate more and blame someone else.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Shack Ambiguity
For those who have not read it, do yourself a favor and click the blog title and buy it as soon as you're done reading this entry. You will NOT regret it one iota. I promise.
If you've never heard of the book-- besides me asking where you've been hiding-- I would like to state a couple tidbits just to put things in perspective:
- Selling 7,500 books means it's a "best seller."
- Selling 100,000 books means Hollywood will talk to you.
- John Grisham sold 15 million books in his writing career.
- In only a couple years, "The Shack" has 12.5 million copies in print in over 30 languages.
So, suffice it to say that there is something going on with this book and I would strongly encourage you to check it out.
So, in this intimate gathering of fathers from my child's elementary school, we got to have a Q&A session with Paul (as he is known to his friends).
For those not familiar with the book, let me quote the synopsis from the recent publisher's website:
Mackenzie Allen Philips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, ostensibly from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.
Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever and quite possibly your own.
In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant The Shack wrestles with the timeless question, “Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?” The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You’ll want everyone you know to read this book!
Pretty heavy, eh? Well, evidently a LOT of people think so too are being changed by what they read in the pages.
One of the results of the book's release is, of course, a certain level of controversy. Can any discussion of religion or God-- ESPECIALLY when literally MILLIONS of people are involved-- be bereft of controversy? Well, this book jumps into it straight away in how it challenges commonly held conceptions of God, sin, salvation, the Trinity and other issues.
Oh, ok. I'll give one example: What author would dare present the character of God (The Father) as a large, African-American woman who LOVES to cook? The main character, Mack, asks the same question and seems to become quite satisfied with the biblically consistent answer. God is, after all, the One who created mankind in His own image- male and female, he created them both- did (S)He not? And He represents the fullness of all His creation. And how many biblical terms describing God are of the female gender (a hen guarding her chicks, the Spirit travailing as in labor...)? I think you get the idea.
So the idea that the book is controversial is out there. Just like Jesus was in His day. Hmmm...
There was one thing Paul said in our time together that really struck me. He was addressing something having to do with the controversies in answering a question by a man sitting next to me who happened to be a pastor. His question-- along with some of the controversial issues-- had to do with one of the christian doctrinal ideas brought up in the book. I can't remember the question or even the doctrinal issue brought up, but the two men had to agree to disagree. And then Paul went on a short time later to make a wonderful observation about biblical ambiguities.
(As an aside, I am terribly interested in the whole idea of biblical ambiguity right now; especially since I have been having an ongoing Facebook tete-a-tete with an atheist who believes in nothing than cannot be "proven." Funny how he believes evolution though. ANYway...)
So Paul Young is discussing ambiguities and the question of "If God wanted us to know the truth and follow it, then why is so much of it ambiguous at times? Why didn't He put in a FAQ's at the end of the Bible and let us all have definitive answers to the big questions of doctrine, faith, creation, etc?"
Paul's answer (which stuck a chord in me) went something like this...
I think that one reason for the ambiguity is that-- in the example of two people discussing an apparent difference of biblical interpretation-- ambiguity highlights one's heart.
Think about that.
Out of the overflow of one's heart comes the words of the mouth.
In two people vehemently discussing their conviction of the correct interpretation of some doctrinal key point, how do they express themselves? Are they opinionated, angry, forceful, defensive, pushy, arrogant, haughty or rude? Or are they gracious, respectful, humble, open-minded, peaceful, easy-going and other-oriented? Are the fruits of the Spirit manifested when the going gets heated?
It's quite an eye-opening way to think about such things, no?
How often are we reminded of sign carrying, church going masses who hurl intentionally inflammatory slurs at those they should hope to reach with their message of hope?
I, for one, greatly appreciated the expressed thought that God's ambiguity has a purpose. If for no other reason than to grow our faith, which is how we are counted righteous after all.
Monday, March 8, 2010
The satanic cellist
I saw something that a person pretty much never sees this past weekend at church.
While sitting a few rows back and just settling into the worship band's opening songs, I noticed the cello player who customarily sits right up front, stage right.
He was there as usual and the rest of the band was in their normal places (drums, piano, keyboard, 2 guitars and electric bass). But I was struck by what he was wearing.
It's not that he was wearing a T-shirt because our church is very casual and somewhat non-traditional, so that was very par for the course. But it's what was on his T-shirt that struck me.
Yes, he was wearing an ACDC rock T-shirt! Up front, at church, playing cello!!
For those unfamiliar with ACDC, they are a hard rock band from Australia who have been around since I was a kid. And they scared me then! Just to put things in perspective, here is a partial list of some of their biggest hits: Highway to Hell, Hells Bells, Back in Black, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap... Anyway, get the idea?
So, the whole thing just seemed ODD. Some questions running through my mind were: "Why would the worship leader let him wear that?" "Don't the church leaders know who ACDC is?" "Why would a cellist like ACDC anyway??"
But then I began to think another way...
You know, when all is said and done, it's a T-SHIRT. Perhaps the leadership cares more about other, more important things than just clothing.
Yes, one could make an argument that advertising something that purports to diametrically oppose one's own purposes is self defeating and unwise; but on the other hand, perhaps making a big to-do of judging an un-offensive T-shirt would be more self-defeating and unwise.
As I thought more about it, I realized that I liked belonging to a church that didn't make a big deal out of a T-shirt. Think of how many other people-- perhaps new to the church scene-- noticed that too and thought, "Wow, that's cool. Maybe I CAN be myself here."
After all, isn't that what the whole point of church/religion is supposed to be: reaching people where they are and being REAL? I think so.
I just hope I don't see a Slayer shirt anytime soon.
While sitting a few rows back and just settling into the worship band's opening songs, I noticed the cello player who customarily sits right up front, stage right.
He was there as usual and the rest of the band was in their normal places (drums, piano, keyboard, 2 guitars and electric bass). But I was struck by what he was wearing.
It's not that he was wearing a T-shirt because our church is very casual and somewhat non-traditional, so that was very par for the course. But it's what was on his T-shirt that struck me.
Yes, he was wearing an ACDC rock T-shirt! Up front, at church, playing cello!!
So, the whole thing just seemed ODD. Some questions running through my mind were: "Why would the worship leader let him wear that?" "Don't the church leaders know who ACDC is?" "Why would a cellist like ACDC anyway??"
But then I began to think another way...
You know, when all is said and done, it's a T-SHIRT. Perhaps the leadership cares more about other, more important things than just clothing.
Yes, one could make an argument that advertising something that purports to diametrically oppose one's own purposes is self defeating and unwise; but on the other hand, perhaps making a big to-do of judging an un-offensive T-shirt would be more self-defeating and unwise.
As I thought more about it, I realized that I liked belonging to a church that didn't make a big deal out of a T-shirt. Think of how many other people-- perhaps new to the church scene-- noticed that too and thought, "Wow, that's cool. Maybe I CAN be myself here."
After all, isn't that what the whole point of church/religion is supposed to be: reaching people where they are and being REAL? I think so.
I just hope I don't see a Slayer shirt anytime soon.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Boeuf Bourguinon
As one can tell by my blog, besides offering a different viewpoint on various topics, I also like to share the results of some recipes I attempt. In this endeavor, my mother has been coming over about once a week and we have determined to cook the "most complex thing" we can think of. This is where my christmas present, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," comes in.
Last night, as Julia's recipe for Beef Bourguinon was in the oven, my mother read me something from a magazine I've recently been receiving free on my front porch about once a month. The magazine is MIX & it is about "Portland's food and drink scene." Anyway, she just happened to pick up the mag and just happened to read that TODAY (Feb 11) is the anniversary of Julia's revered program; and to celebrate, they encouraged everyone to make Julia's famous beef recipe (as popularized in the movie "Julie and Julia")!
We found it quite odd, coincidental and entertaining that we JUST HAPPENED to have already had that dish cooking on the eve of the show's anniversary. Cool.
And as for the dish itself? Besides being a savory sensory experience, it was fun and educational too. Oh, and of course it tasted fabulous!
The smells wafting through the house were utterly amazing. To sniff the air as each procedure's result released its own wonderful aroma, co-mingled with the previous and following step... it was an odiferous orgasm of the finer things. I only wish words could convey smells.
We also learned some very cool things (once again) by following Julia's book.
-- We have been "crowding our mushrooms" all our lives. Anyone who likes sauteed shrooms might benefit from this tidbit. If one puts too many mushrooms in the pan, they end up sitting in their own liquid and they end up boiling or steaming each other. Cook less mushrooms at one time or use a bigger pan. (For example, it took me 3 batches to do 1 lb of quartered mushrooms with a 10-inch skillet-- although I probably could've done it in 2).
--Also, combine 1Tb oil to 2 Tb butter over high heat and add the shrooms when the butter "just stops foaming." It is then hot enough to cook them properly.
-- The shrooms will immediately soak up the fat (butter/oil) as you keep tossing them. Soon they will release the fat again and start to brown. This is what you never see if you sautee too many shrooms at once or don't use the correct heat.
-- Don't salt shrooms until just before being served. I assume it's because, like a slug, they will shrivel and release their moisture in the cooking process.
(For my little secret of sauteed mushroom seasoning: make the oil garlic infused oil-- that's how I store my garlic cloves in the fridge. Peel 'em, put 'em in a jar- usually a smaller empty olive jar- and fill with canola or vegetable oil. It keeps the garlic & infuses oil for ready use. Just add more oil whenever you use some. Back to seasoning shrooms: you can add a few finely sliced shallots (or onion) just before the shrooms in the pan, and just before the shrooms are browned & done add a couple splashes of red wine vinegar + a dash of Tabasco. Salt and pepper just before serving. YUM!)
Anway, the whole thing turned out perfectly. I wish the above photo could ooze odor. Oh-- you have no idea!
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