4.4 Pounds

I went to my weekly weight watchers meeting today. I scored the biggest single week loss of weight since I have been going.  I totaled up 4.4 pounds!  That brings my grand total so far to 13.6 pounds.  Again, my goal to get my membership fees back to me is 19 pounds.  Only five more to go!

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Gotta Look at Cars

As I shared earlier, my van died a few weeks ago. It seems as if the fuel pump has gone out. To fix this small piece of metal, one has to drop the gas tank and replace the pump. I am not very keen on dropping the tank myself, and I am not very keen about taking it in and spending between $500 and $600 on a vehicle that might break down again in a few weeks. The van is on its last leg no matter how I look at it. I have oil in the blow by. I also have oil pressure problems. The passenger window doesn't work. The headlights flicker in time with the motor. So unfortunately, I am forced to look at other vehicles.

I am looking at a van tonight that sounds promising. It is owned by a private person and seems like a good deal. But, I hate bartering. I hate dealing with cars. If I had the money, I would buy a new car every year. But alas, I am a poor man and do not have the means to do something so drastic. I will let you know what happens.

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Mileage Tax Because Our Cars are Too Efficient

I just heard on the news that Massachusettes is thinking about putting GPS chips in cars to track people's car mileage.  The idea is, as the cars get more efficient the amount of money that the state goes down because people aren't fueling up as much. 

Oregon already has this in place.  So now matter what we do, we are screwed.  My only reason for buying a fuel efficient car would be to save money on gas.  That idea is out the window if this idea catches on.  Forget the environment, if I am going to be charged for the amount of miles I drive, I am going to buy the biggest, baddest gas guzzling suv or 4x4 truck and enjoy every single one of those purchased miles!

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2 More Pounds

So far I have managed to lose 9.6 lbs altogether. I think I have six weeks to go.  I really hope I make my goal.

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Practical Ministry

My van died a few weeks ago. Car troubles have to be one of the most obnoxious things to me. If there is anything that challenges whether or not the fruits of the Spirit are present it is this life situation.

Thanks to facebook, a friend of mine hooked me up with a friend of his who was generous enough to come over and give me a diagnosis. He said it was the fuel pump and informed me that it would probably cost between $500-$600 to get fixed. I really don't know if I want to spend that much money on a vehicle that could possibly break again in a few weeks. So we are stuck trying to figure out what to do and how to get some wheels that have six seats.

But the point of this blog is to talk about what I consider a practical ministry. I found out from one of our friends at church that they have a loaner van for people with car troubles. We called up and asked about it, and they gave us the key with no questions asked. This is a practical ministry.

Most churches are so wrapped up in the newest "Saddleback" program or how good their worship, daycare, coffee bar, or preaching is; that they forget about what really is important. How can we serve people in practical ways.

My question to you is, what are some other ways that we can serve people in practical ways? What things are you doing? What types of things is your church doing?

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Questions for Guys

I see all of these little deals on Myspace and Facebook, but none of them are ever catered towards guys specifically.  So I want to make a questionnaire that will help us find out a little bit more about the men around you.

This one is just for men!!!!

1. What was your favorite TV show when you were a child?
A-Team

2. The General Lee or the Sheriff's car?
General Lee

3. Hulk or SpiderMan?
Hulk

4. Do you like sports?
I didn't when I was younger but I do now

5. How old were you when you went on your first date?
15

6. Did you camp?
yes

7.  Did you fish or hunt?
fish..never hunted

8. Did you play any sports?
yes. little league baseball

9. Rock, pop, or country?
everything

10. Do you play video games?
very little, i like them but there are better things to do in life

11. Do you ever struggle with self-esteem?
yes, all the time

12. Do you cry easily?
no

13. Do you wish you could cry easily?
yes

14. Were you the bully or the bullied?
bullied

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week 3 Weight Watchers

Well I lost another 2 pounds.  So far it has been fairly consistent.  Total has been 7.4 pounds.  I had to walk to Kim's work where the meetings are held yesterday because our vehicle is broken, so I am guessing that most of that weight was shed yesterday alone!  I have to lose 19 pounds before the 12 weeks is up.  So far I am making pretty good progress.  Now I if I can just get my butt into the gym!

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