To blog or not to blog...

I've been thinking about reactivating this blog and writing more often instead of just a few social media updates a day. Would anyone be interested? I know it's been 6 years, but hey maybe I have something to say sometimes right?

Still Alive

I'm still, here and I know I have said this before, but I have got to be a better blogger. I guess I just get caught up in the quicker things like facebook or twitter and I forget to blog. I am hoping to do better though and I just got back from the National Youth Worker's Convention in Nashville, so there is a lot to chew on and talk about relating to youth ministry so I promise to do that soon. Beyond that I hope everyone has an amazing Thanksgiving, doesn't eat too much (if that's possible) and all is well. Drop a comment to let me know what's going on!

Keep trusting the Lord!

an open letter to priceline...

Dear PRICELINE...you really screwed up this time, and when your customer service rep tells someone they will have a resolution in 48 hours and it is now pushing close to 60 hours, I think you need to learn to count. I am afraid you have lost a loyal customer today for both personal and business trips and I'll continue to spread the word of your poor customer service until the issue is resolved appropriately, 2 phone calls, a guaranteed answer and still no resolution...UNCOOL PRICELINE UNCOOL!

weigh in-5

Well it's that time of week again-the weigh in, and it was a good week. I actually weighed in Saturday morning, but I am just getting around to blogging today. The weigh in for the week...342! I am down another 5 lbs. It really was a good week. Exercise has been switched up a bit each week, this week was full of yard work (yes you can burn calories working in the yard), and walking the golf course instead of using a power cart.

Some things I have noticed this week

• it is getting easier to walk the course-I don't seem to be as winded up the hills and seem to have more energy, I actually enjoy the time walking the course (although my golf game still needs LOTS of improvement)
• Keep fresh fruit on hand at all times-I have found that when I have a craving for something sweet, fresh fruit solves the craving and is fulfilling without the calories.
• If a salad comes with your meal, eat it first-not only is it healthier, but it will help to fill you up quicker with less calories-you are allowed to take the food home with you
• Water is a MUST-drink lots of it, especially right before a meal. I learned this the hard way after being dehydrated from being outside, but if you drink LOTS of water, you tend to eat less, it gives you a sense of being more full than you are
• Put the silverware down-I'm a fast eater, always have been, but I have learned that if I set the fork down in between bites I slow down a bit and don't tend to eat as much as fast and find that I am fuller quicker.

Those are just my thoughts for the week. It was a good week and can't wait to see what's up this week! If your on this journey as well, stay encouraged and don't give up...you can do it!

Losin' it, 1 lb at a time!

-Matt

weigh in-4

So it's the first of June and as you've probably noted if you're a reader of this blog that I've been quiet about the weight loss for the last couple of weeks. Last I blogged I had hit a little plateau and was hovering right around 350, well I actually gained a couple pounds and realized again that this is not going to be an easy battle, so over the last week or so I started tracking things again, trying to exercise more regularly again and finally jumped on the scale again and I'm down to 347. It was encouraging, I'm not sure I had to gain to lose, and I don't want to repeat this pattern, but it was good to get some encouraging news on the scale.

Also a couple weeks ago at church someone came up to me after service and politely said, "I can tell you've lost weight, and promise me one thing...you'll never wear those pants to church again." They were my "fat" pants and truth be told were just absolutely WAY too big now and they look bad on me, so the other day I went to the store to get some new pants and found that the new ones were not 1 size smaller, but 2. I am down from a 52 waste to a 48 waist pant size, so progress is happening.

I am encouraged and a little excited, but it is still a long journey.

Cons: I still have cravings for certain things, Pros: It is getting easier NOT to just grab something because I am bored, and I am starting to choose healthier alternatives like fresh strawberries over a box of candy.

Long way to go, but losing it, 1 pound at a time...

weigh in-3

So not much of a loss this week. Still hovering right around 350. Ahh, the first plateau, which seems to be expected. I am down right around 25lbs and my body seems to be content for awhile, so I am trying to find the way to shake it up a bit. I am still on track and and not discouraged, but a little frustrated.

I also am learning that I eat when I am bored. I am finding myself craving things-but usually only when I am bored so i am slowly but steadily training myself to realize what is hunger and what is boredom. So far for the most part I've been okay, but I did find myself grazing a bit this week which may explain the plateau.

Day by day-we'll get there. 100lbs for the year is the goal and I am 1/4th of the way there, so I'm going to keep it up!

weigh in day-2

Up a little bit this week (1.8lbs). I guess after 5 weeks of consistent loss I was due for an upswing. It is a little frustrating as I was still under my calorie allotment for the week, but I am pretty sure that it is because of the salt content of some of the food I had last week and the fact that I splurged a bit this weekend. Oh well, back to the grind!

I am starting the couch 2 5k plan today. I have walked several 5k's and I am confident of my ability to do them, but I have yet to run one so I have a goal of running the 4th of July 5k here in town this summer.

Here's to a healthy future....
-Matt

weigh in day

Weight in day for the week and I was a little worried with Easter having come and gone, but the scale read 350! Down another 2lbs for a grand total of 25 since December. I was just shy of my goal of 30lbs, but I'll take it, so I guess I'll be looking now towards the 20lbs by my birthday which would put me at 330. Here goes nothing...

A Little late on this one....

I started this in January and then got sidetracked, saved it as a draft and forgot about it...I have really got to be a better blogger...

"New Year New You-" So that seems to be the theme across the television and radio as is usually the case this time of year because of the all popular new year's resolutions. Companies capitalize on it, gym memberships increase, and all is well it seems for the first couple of weeks of they year. Of course, you and I both know that no one ever keeps their resolutions. as I've mentioned before I stopped making resolutions about 4 years ago. I have however started keeping goals. I have found that goals are more manageable and attainable and of course don't necessarily carry the stigma or guilt that comes with breaking the resolution.

I've been told that there are different types of goals. There are the "Dream Big" goals that cause you to think outside the box...I have a few of these, but generally keep them to myself. The other type of goals are those that are manageable. The general rule is that they should be short term, attainable goals that can be established within a timeline. They should also be written down because it helps keep them in front of you and creates a small bit of accountability. These are the goals that I have been most successful with, so they are the ones that generally try to put into place in my life. With all that said, here are my goals for 2010...

Personal:

• My dream big goal for the year is to lose 100lbs. I know, if your like me you're thinking, yeah I've heard that before and good luck. Truth be told though, I'm fat and I need to lose weight. I topped the scales in late December/early January at 375. This is unacceptable. I really want to have a life and not die young, so yet again I set the goal of losing weight this year and yes 100lbs this year is manageable, as it is only 8 lbs a month or 2 lbs a week which is manageable and safe by health standards. So here is how I set out to meet this goal this year: 30 lbs. by April 4th (Easter) update: I'll be just short of this goal. I started at 375 and I currently weigh in at 352 as of 3/29, 20 lbs. by June 16th (my Birthday), 30 lbs by September 6th (Labor Day), and 20 lbs by December 31st. It won't be easy but it is manageable.
• I am also choosing to be more active- I plan to exercise at least three times a week for at least 30 minutes each of those days. This includes continuing to play racquetball as well as other sports and when it warms up walking to work as much as possible. update: so far so good, hasn't been perfect but doing farely well, especially since it is warming up
• I am keeping track of what I eat. I have always been told that a food diary can help with weight loss and so I am committing to keeping track of what I eat as well as calories. I found an application for the iphone called "lose it" that has been VERY helpful to me. It allows you to keep a food diary with calorie count, and it lets you enter your goal weight with a weight loss tracking plan of no more than 2 lbs a week. This has been a blessing so far and has really helped with accountability as well as understanding what I eat.

Professional:

• I am now in my 15th year of student ministry. Having been a youth pastor for that long it is really easy to begin to think that you "know it all" when it comes to youth ministry. I have learned that this is not the case and I have SO much more to learn so I am committed to living the life of a student constantly trying to learn as much as I can. Youth ministry changes with the culture and we all know that culture has changed and will continue to change with time.
• I am committed to passing the torch on to the next generation of youth leaders. While I have no plans to leave youth ministry anytime soon, I know that most likely at some point and time I will pass the torch of youth ministry to someone else (even though I will always be actively involved in the lives of students in someway) because let's face it, I will get old. With that in mind I am trying to mentor the next generation of youth leaders in any way that I can (including teaching at Ohio Christian University and leading youth worker training events when opportunities arise). I don't claim to know anything about youth ministry except for the fact that I love working with teens and I want to see them come to Christ, maybe that makes me an expert, but for me it just means I get the chance to show the love of Christ to students.
• I am committed to being a better blogger this year, with the goal of at least one post a week on varying topics. update: okay so this one needs some work! but I'll get better.

So these are my goals for 2010, how bout you? Thoughts?

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. I know we did, with the usual amount of running from place to place and visiting family, but it was great to be together with family and friends and wake up Christmas morning next to the most beautiful woman in the world!

All is great for us, sorry I haven't blogged as often as I would like to. I tend to update facebook more than I do here, so feel free to follow us at facebook as well. One of my goals for 2010 is to be a better blogger, offering a few more youth ministry tips, life updates, and of course the all too familiar weight loss battle.

On the weight loss front though I am pretty excited. I have found a type of exercise that I really enjoy-racquetball. With this is fun sport and a great youth pastor friend I have been more active the last month and have lost 10lbs in just under three weeks (i unfortunately gained two back during the Christmas Holiday, but hope to be back on track this week).

Meg is doing great, loving her teaching position at Eastern Local Schools, and is now officially certified within the state of Ohio, so we thank the Lord for that.

I think that just about sums it up for now. I hope all is well with everyone, and hope to hear from ya soon!

-Matt

One Smart Baby!

What can I say, this is one smart baby!

Quick family update...

Sorry it's been awhile since I've written anything here. I am going to try and be better (even though I have made that promise before). Lot's of things have been happening in our lives over the last couple of months (no we're not pregnant, so don't ask...lol).

All is well with the church, we received a new pastor at the end of June and we are really enjoying serving with our new Pastor Dave Roach. He joins us from Upper Sandusky, but is originally from southern Ohio so he has a good feel for the area and for the church. I am excited about the things that are happening here and feel privileged to be a part of this congregation.

Meg recently got hired to teach elementary music at Eastern Local schools in Beaver, just about 15 minutes from here. This job was a complete Godsend. She had just accepted a position working for a local ministry here in town and loved it, but out of the blue she was contacted about this position. While she hated to leave the other position it is obvious that this is what God had in store for her. To top it all off, she passed her PRAXIS tests here in Ohio so she'll be able to get her certification quicker.

Something new in my life that I never expected, but I am excited about...I have been asked to teach a youth ministry course at Ohio Christian University (the former Circleville Bible College) this fall. I will be teaching one course on the traditional side (Christian Education of Youth) and also one class in their adult program (yet to be determined). This is going to be a stretch for me, but I enjoy teaching and helping to train other youth leaders so I am looking forward to this new adventure...but no plans to become "Dr. McKee" anytime soon (I'm still not sure a doctorate is for me).

Well that about does it. I still need to offer some movie reviews from the summer and I'll try to get to those soon, but that's just a little update for those of you that may occasionally wonder what's up with us.

Until next time!

May Movie Madness!

Every once in awhile it seems like there is always a movie to see. May has been that way for me as we kick off summer movie season. With that in mind, here is the breakdown and my thoughts on all the recent movies I've seen. I'm open to your thoughts as well, so let me know what you thought as well. These reviews won't be as extensive as some I've done, but will suffice to give you an idea of what to expect if you haven't seen them yet...

X-Men Origins-Wolverine: This is DEFINITELY a guy's guy movie. It is packed full of action and was exciting from start to finish. As far as comic lore goes, it did a pretty good job of unpacking what we know about the "ole canuck." The only area that it varied from the comics was in the treatment of the character known as "deadpool," but I won't go into detail as I don't want to spoil anything. Overall a great movie. This one is NOT a kids movie, it has it's share of language and the action sequences are pretty intense. There are a few talk points though that you can use with a youth group about anger, regret, revenge, and much more. It's worth seeing if you are in youth ministry because most of your kids probably have seen it already. Grade A-

Star Trek: Alas, the long awaited new Trek movie and JJ Abrams' (of LOST fame) reboot of the franchise. I really liked this one, although it did mess with Trek lore a little bit. Again, I won't give any details because I don't want to give any spoilers, but I really enjoyed it. The new actors did a great job of portraying their counterparts (although the guy who played Scottie was a bit over the top) and I believe that Abrams successfully reinvented Trek for the next generation. As it relates to family friendliness, there are some sexual overtones a couple of times in the movie as well some language, so again you may want to preview it first. As far as teachable moments, there is some great dialogue about destiny and living up to your potential that would be great for a youth talk or two. This one is definitely worth seeing. Grade B+

Angels & Demons: Overall it was a decent movie, but if I am being honest I would wait for it on DVD. I was turned on to the Dan Brown/Robert Langdon books when "the DaVinci" was creating such a controversy in the church and so I read both books. I honestly thought DVC was a better movie, but A&D is a better book and that is why I was disappointed with this movie. As I was reading the book I felt a sense of urgency that just didn't seem present in the movie, it just didn't move as fast as I should. Also they did a large amount of deviating from the book plot which was frustrating to me. I wouldn't have minded, but they changed MAJOR plot lines from the book to the movie which honestly I thought took away from the movie itself. It's not bad, but just not the best. This one is not family friendly, it's dark at times, and the action sequences are a bit graphic so I wouldn't take the kids to this one. The teachable moments come in discussing faith and why we believe what we believe, not to mention the discussion that can come in talking about the role that science plays in faith. Grade: C-

Terminator Salvation: Again, this is another reboot of the franchise to help carry it into the next generation, but I think they should have left it alone. It was a decent story and I thought the "Marcus Wright" story line was okay, but as far as Terminator canon goes it just took away too much and wasn't believable and it was somewhat slow too. It is worth seeing if you're a Terminator fan, but wait for video. Action sequences are pretty intense at times and somewhat graphic, not to mention the terminators themselves can be kinda scary, so not one for the kids. Teachable moments come in talk about redemption (don't want to ruin the plot, but there is a sense of redemption in one character making things right), and again you could plug in some discussion about legacy and living up to potential (but that might be a stretch) Overall not bad, but wait for video. Grade C

Those are the thoughts for now, we're heading to see "Up" tonight and taking the youth to "night at the museum 2" tomorrow so I'll try and have thoughts about them next week.

So what do you think about any of these?

the real story...

Yup, Memorial Day is almost here, so gas is up .40 cents in two weeks. However oil prices are still falling in the market...I smell a dead fish!

Updating more often?

Apparently I can now blog from my phone...maybe I'll update it more now

a month without TV

As I mentioned previously I gave up TV for Lent, which is a first for me. Television has always been a part of my life, sometimes TOO MUCH a part of my life, and I am now going on one month without it. The only exceptions that I have made were for the Presidential press conference the other night as well as the weekly couple of hours on Sunday which is allowed during Lent.

I have found that now each night it is getting harder and harder to live without it unless I have a busy night. This shows me even more that I have allowed it to become too much of a priority in my life. However, this has also been a benefit because this constant tension is reminding me daily of what IS most important in my life, my relationship with the Lord and with Megan.

So what will happen after Lent? I will be glad when Easter Sunday comes so I can watch TV again-it has been hard not to watch American Idol and other shows, but I don't think I'll watch as much. I am going to try and limit my time as well as keep busy with other things in the house so I don't repeat the cycle that ended on Ash Wednesday. It won't be easy though, so please pray for me. I grew up in a home where TV was just a part of life and I used TV as a way to stay up on pop culture, so believe me when I say this is a HUGE lifestyle adjustment for me.

That's the latest!

Cletus Take the Reel

I was recently introduced to Tim Hawkins via his "chik-fil-a" song, and laughed until it hurt.

I have also never been a fan of the song "Jesus take the wheel" by Carrie Underwood. I have always just thought it was just plain corny and campy...not to mention that her newer songs don't seem to reflect the same values as the Jesus song. After viewing this video though I was brought to a tear and I believe the song has finally been redeemed. Enjoy!

Still Here...

Sorry for the quietness lately, just seems like life has been crazy and I haven't taken the time to blog. I'll try to do better from now on. Not a whole lot is going on, but here's a quick update on life in our household...

First, I gave up TV for lent, which has been quite the adventure for me. I did this, because I found that TV had become TOO important in my life. While I do appreciate the freedom that Sunday brings to watch a little bit, if I'm being honest, I don't miss it near as much as I thought I would and I am finding time to do things I have wanted to do for awhile. While I am looking forward to Easter and being able to not worry about recording LOST, Survivor, and Heroes, as well as being able to watch AI I have realized that there is more to life than prime time.

Second, just for kicks and giggles Meg and I went to an open casting call for the Biggest Loser last weekend in Columbus. It really was a neat experience seeing how it works and getting to meet some of the previous cast members, but I don't think anything will come of it, and even if it did, you'd have to wait until next fall to see because I wouldn't tell you! So with that said, I guess the weight loss battle continues on our own. Meg is down 10 pounds, and me-well I've just plateaued and am still sitting pretty right around 360. It is getting warmer though, so I am trying to be more active outside and walking again.

Finally, we'll be heading to Pcola this weekend for the annual McGuire's 5k and I'll be speaking at Ensley Naz, so I'll have plenty of pics up next week sometime hopefully.

That's it for now!

Idol Thoughts...

Your winner of American Idol season 8 is...

Danny Gokey

I guess it's probably too soon to say for sure, but he's got my vote for the winner this year. What an amazing voice and a great performer, and he's a worship leader to boot!

Yes we can?

It is true that we have experienced history today in the inauguration of President Barack Obama. There is no doubt about that. My only hope is that he can live up to the expectations that we as Americans have placed on him. There almost seems to be a messianic expectation placed on him, so I believe now more than ever that we as believers need to unite in prayer for him, regardless of our political beliefs about him.

I wonder though, how different really was today than 8 years ago when President Bush took office? I really don't think it is that much different, there was a high expectation placed on Bush when he was inaugurated as well. He was coming into office on the heels of a presidential term filled with scandal-just of a different sort. I don't think I am alone either-my friend Adam McLane has some great thoughts about the whole idea here. Take a read and let me know what you think.

I also have been wondering-and I need to unpack it more before I blog about it, but I wonder if we have seen the death of "conservatism" as we know it with this inauguration. Basically, the world with the help of the liberal media and Hollywood seems to be making a cultural shift to what some would define as liberal. It began in 2006 with the shift in congress and now seems complete with the inauguration of President Obama. I'm not saying its the end of the world as we know it, but there just seems to be a shift taking place. I think the Republican party, and conservatives as a whole (I'd like to argue there is a rising difference between the two) will have a long road ahead of them to "take the country back" if you will.

Either way, we have experienced history today and I have to admit, I'm a little excited to see what is to come. Thoughts on any of this?