Screwtape on Chastity

If he must think of the medical side of chastity, feed him the grand lie which we have made the English humans believe, that physical exercise in excess and consequent fatigue are specially favourable to this virtue. How they can belive this, in face of the notorious lustfulness of sailors and soldiers, may well be asked. But we use the schoolmasters to put the story about — men who were really interested in chastity as an excuse for games and therefore recommended games as an aid to chastity.

- Screwtape

C.S. Lewis

Avoiding Ministerial Burn-out

An interview w/ Gregg Strawbridge:

The way to avoid burnout is by addressing body, soul, spirit [without being overly-tripartite].

1. Body – frequent, rigorous physical exercise and activity [I would have become burnt-out if I hadn’t started training for triathlons because physically, you get worn down by dealing with other people’s problems no matter what your situation.]

2. Mind – refresh yourself by regularly stimulating intellectual growth.

3. Spiritually – the most important point is to put away your sin – whether it’s obvious sin like lust or a very ‘respectable sin’ like the fear of man/ being obsequious to people in authority or greed and a desire for money … there are many different sins that can control you and if you’re letting sin control you it’s easy to want to escape from people, escape from the church and ministry, and that’s really just a precursor to burn-out.

Sons, Sports, and Wisdom

Recently, a friend whose son is a professional athlete in Europe, pulled me aside to encourage me to think carefully about cultivating the athletic abilities of one of my sons.  I respect this man [an ordained minister] and so have been - for the first time in my life - seriously thinking about how best to incorporate sports into their lives.  The following article has been a big help, so I thought I'd share it.

Picking the Right Sport
By Richard & Jane Hawes [abridged]
Phase One: Laying the Foundation

Between the ages of 5 and 11, you just want to lay the foundation for future learning – "teach the nerves how to talk to the muscles" (before age 5, just let them play).

Another droll quote from another kill-joy Puritan

Games may be divided into three sorts: games of wit or industry, games of hazard, and a mixture of both. Games of wit or industry are such as are ordered by the skill and industry of man. Of this sort are shooting in the longbow, shooting in the caliver, running, wrestling, fencing, music, and the games of chess and draughts...These, and all of this kind, wherein the industry of the mind and body hath the chiefest stroke, are very commendable, and not to be disliked.

- William Perkins

Forget Swine Flu - watch out for Guitar Hero-itis!

"Get out of the house because those video games are death."

- Aaron Fotheringham

Born with spina bifida,17 yr old Fotheringham invented "hardcore sitting" [extreme wheelchair stunt riding]. He's pictured below performing his signature wheelchair back flip [the first person ever to do so].

Now, I have no intention of encouraging my sons to spend 4 hours a night practicing skateboard tricks. But I can't help but admire this kid. It makes me marvel at the 'dominion potential' our sons possess, even those with providential handicaps. Aaron is gaining publicity these days, but says - in his typically soft-spoken and humble way - that all he really wants is to keep getting better and find some guys who can give him some competition. What a kid! In his own way, Aaron Fotheringham is a true inspiration. [photos: top: Lisa Wyatt; bottom: Bancroft Media]

Get up and move a little

The average adult burns 2650 calories walking and standing for eight hours. That same person will only burn 1300 calories sitting at a desk [kind of like you're doing right now].