Deep (and Shallow) Thoughts

Obedience
I few years ago I heard a speaker at a youth conference I attended (as a leader), who posed the question: "Why should we obey God?" One of the speakers in church today spoke about obedience as well, and it made me reflect on what I learned at that youth conference. Several of the youth rattled off answers including: Because it's our duty to obey God; Because we fear being punished; Because we want to be blessed; Because we have a testimony of Jesus Christ. I don't remember exactly how each of these reasons was responded to, but none were exactly right. These are not bad reasons to obey, but they are not the best reason. I remember being surprised that the last reason given--our testimony of Jesus Christ--wasn't the right one.
In 1 John 2:3, we learn that the we gain(or strengthen) our testimony of Christ by obeying, not the other way around. Titus 1:16 reminds us that just because someone claims a knowledge or testimony of Jesus Christ, doesn't mean they will be obedient. The answer lies in one of the most quoted scriptures in Christendom, John 14:15, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." We should be obedient because we love God.

The Economy
This article, written before the "stimulus" package was approved, and before the election was decided, pretty much sums up my feelings about the state of our county's (and our personal) finances.
I think it is a BAD idea to bail out these automakers because they are in a slump. I was taught in Econ 110--if a business fails in a free market, this is because consumers are not choosing to consume there. Bailing out Ford or GM will not suddenly make consumers start buying more cars from them. It will just postpone the inevitable. Sure, some jobs may be lost, but thanks to the Invisible Hand, the consumption that used to be with Ford is now somewhere else, perhaps with Honda or Toyota, and autoworkers can try to get a job there--since demand will be up and they will need to match with their supply. Artificially creating jobs in an industry just to help a company,even--no ESPECIALLY--a big company has been done before. In socialist states such as East Germany and Russia.
And I can't understand why powerful people--be they Repulican or Democrat--can't seem to apply to the government what we try to apply to our family budget when we accrue a little debt--CUT SPENDING. Wow. We don't go get another credit card to pay off the one we've maxed out. I don't know what the equivalent to raising taxes in a household would be--but we don't do that either. We just hold off on eating out, going to movies, or taking trips for a while until we can get back on top. Why can't our gov't do that??!?!

Mean Dog
I've had a certain Mean Dog chasing me on at least one run a week since we moved here almost 5 years ago. I've trained him now to turn and walk away when I point my pepper spray at him, but this progress only came after he once bit me on the heel. It didn't break through my shoe, but scared me nonetheless. I had the thought on Saturday as he started after me, and I turned to cock my wrist at him, "Dogs are so much braver than people. Can you imagine biting a person's heel while they are running?" This kind of courage/stupidity, thankfully, is not a part of the human genetic makeup (except for, maybe, Mike Tyson.)

Yogurt
I have started eating yogurt regularly. Without going into details no one would care to hear, I believe it has helped prevent some minor health issues I had been dealing with for a while from recurring. Anyway--so since I now eat it almost daily I have tried several new kinds (and if you don't eat yogurt often, stop and look at the VAST variety out there these days--you could probably eat a different flavor every day for 6 months). I now have, not just a favorite yogurt, but probably a new favorite food. Yo-Plus Blackberry Pomegranate. It is heavenly. And all natural.

Workout Log:
Monday: I ran pushing the jogging stroller 7.5 miles with Asher.
Tuesday: Biked 55 minutes downstairs. Did full-body weights
Wednesday: Ran with Ashley 6.2 miles, averaged an 8:01 minute/mile pace.
Thursday: Biked 45 minutes. Did full-body weights.
Friday: Ran on the trails 52 minutes. I love that it is now light enough outside at 6am to run the trails. It's pretty much impossible to run really fast on the trails, which is kinda nice.
Saturday: Ran 9.5 miles. My legs were a bit tired, but I managed to keep about a 8 minute pace for most of the run.