Jeff Daniels as Chamberlain in GETTYSBURG

Been rewatching Gettysburg directed by Ron Maxwell -- one of my favorite movies of all time. The actors were all superb, but none more so than Jeff Daniels as Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, the hero of Little Round Top. Gettysburg would not be the epic movie that it is without Daniels. His soliloquies are the heart and soul of the film. 

It's always been amazing to me that Daniels was in both Gettysburg and Dumb and Dumber within a year or two of each other. Talk about versatility in acting. In Gettysburg Daniels absolutely killed it when he went from the soft spoken college professor to a soldier shouting "Fix bayonets!" in just a few frames. 

Now that is acting. No one could have matched Jeff Daniels in that role. He should have won an Oscar for Chamberlain. He was more than merely "inspired." Who could have imagined a Bowdoin College professor becoming a Civil War hero and a Medal of Honor recipient? Daniels made that movie! Sam Elliott also gave an Oscar-worthy performance as Buford in a small, supporting role. 

Love this film!

The "Skinny Fat" Excuse

People often blame their physique on "bad" genetics. But should they? 

I've always been skinny. 

As I've aged, I've begun to become more "skinny fat" -- still skinny but with a pouch. I think what we need to do is acknowledge that it isn't just because of bad genetics that we're fat or skinny fat. It's because of our lifestyle choices and habits. In my 30s and 40s I would often come home from work and eat a whole bag of Doritos and a bunch of other junk food, so it was no wonder that I had a pouch. The good news is that through little lifestyle choices and habits we can overcome an unhealthy diet. You can begin to burn calories through things like walking and your general movement throughout the day. It's pretty obvious that you also need to build muscle by lifting about 3 times a week. You need to be contentiously doing this to make sure your body is continually adapting so as to get stronger and stronger. If you can, be sure to find a gym where the trainers are eager to help you track your progress with a camera. 

Walking definitely is a game-changer if you're getting up to 20k steps a day while keeping your calories low and your protein high. Together with strength training, this formula for weight loss is virtually impossible to fail. I'm now 72 and in the best shape of my life so far. People want the next gimmick or trick diet but the truth is that many of us are moving too little. Physical labor jobs are a no-brainer if you can go that route. If not, you have to get out of that chair and move.

Just some thoughts. Have a wonderful day! 

Snack Time

Hawaii Beckons

Lord willing, in 13 weeks from today I will hop on a plane for Hawaii, where I plan to spend 9 days surfing. This will be my 10th trip to Oahu in as many years. I spent the morning prepping for all the paddling I'll be doing by lifting and then getting in my 20,000 steps. 

For surfing you need a really strong core, arm strength for the pop up, and a strong back and rear delts for all the paddling you have to do, especially at Diamond Head. 

Really, surfing is a full body activity. You're mostly paddling and waiting, but once you're up and riding you're recruiting the muscles in your legs and core. To increase your time out in the water you'll also need to focus on cardiovascular fitness. Even in Hawaii, we have small and flat days when you might catch only one or two waves while you're out for 3 hours. But I'm never happier than when I am in "my" element, the ocean, where I was born and bred. 

Of course, the best exercise for surfing is surfing. Keeping my eye on the Virginia Beach surf report! 

How We Are to Rejoice in the Lord (Phil. 3:1)

I loved going through Phil. 3:1-11 yesterday in class. Thank you, Jesus, for making it so plain how we are to rejoice in you! I want to do every one of these things in the days I have left on this earth!

1. Boasting in Christ -- not in ourselves or our accomplishments, but in what God has done for us in Christ Jesus!

2. Gaining Christ -- because Christ himself is the true profit in life. We can't afford to lose him!

3. Being found in Christ -- that is, when we stand before his bema seat not on our own merits but the all-overcoming merits of Christ!

4. Knowing Christ -- which is much more than the acquisition of facts or a mere intellectual apprehension of truth but rather a personal and intimate relationship with him. It involves the mind, yes, but primarily the heart. To know Christ is more important than anything else in the world!

5. Becoming like Christ in his death -- that is, by renouncing our own selfish desires and saying "yes" to the Christ who calls us to take up our cross daily!

So there you have it:

• Boast in Christ!
• Gain Christ!
• Be found in Christ!
• Know Christ!
• Become like Christ! 

The prize of the Christian life is Christ himself and living our lives close to him and his cross! Friend, if you want a humdrum existence, a boring life with no adventure, no challenge, no excitement, no deep satisfaction, then you'd better not read Philippians any more because you can have that kind of life all by yourself without any outside help! 

Was Matthew Our First Gospel? Interview with Tim Miller of the Shepherd's Seminary

Now this was lots of fun!