Mr. 3000

Well....you guessed it I have reached the magical number of 3000 hits for my blog. To celebrate I will of course honor other momentous 3000 occasions. To start, my title is stolen from a movie Mr. 3000. The movie surrounds a MLB player and his quest to reach the momentous 3000 hits club. Staying on topic with baseball, Pete Rose holds the record for most hits in a career with 3562. Another baseball record club that is in the 3000's is the strikeout club. There are only 15 pitchers in history to record more than 3000 strikeouts in their career however John Smoltz is looking to make that number 16 this season only needing 25 more to join the elite club.
Switching gears slightly to the entertainment world is Andre 3000, Andre is a vegan and in 2004 was named by PETA as World's Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity. Well that is about it. As of right now I have 3005 hits. Keep it up faithful readers.

And in case you were wondering the counter at the top of my page is a countdown (in Days and Hours) until the next Lost episode.

Coffee: Friend or Foe?

Well... as I am sure many of you struggle with the same thing as me I may have a slight addiction to coffee or more specifically caffeine. I am currently sitting in a coffee shop on campus and am observing person after person putting the toxic liquid into their bodies and was thinking to my self; "Jack, is it worth it to buy a cup of coffee right now?" (For those of you who do not know, I refer to myself as Jack when conversing in my head. It helps me differentiate between who is talking, whether it be Carson or Jack). And then I got to thinking; not is it worth it financially but is it worth it to pollute my body with it? This is coming from a man (maybe boy) who worked at a coffee house for nearly two years, then another cafe for a few months and now make myself coffee every morning and am always looking for other opportunities to make coffee for a living. I Like Coffee! But how unhealthy is it for me to day after day pour that oil like substance down into my body for what? So now I want to dive into the effects of coffee and caffeine on the human body and how much damage is it really doing and is it worth it.
Among other things caffeine stimulates the central nervous system. It gives a short term benefit of heightened awareness and alertness and energy. However if you consume caffeine over a long period of time it can cause crashes to lower levels of energy requiring you to drink another cup and so on making it addictive and eventually resulting in exhaustion. Caffeine gets in the way of adenosine which is a chemical that typically calms a person down. Also through the raising of Cortisol, a coffee drinker has higher blood pressure. Cortisol is called the stress hormone because it regulates your stress levels. Coffee has also been associated with low birth weight, birth defects, miscarriages, premature birth, inability to conceive, and sluggish sperm. Along with may other things that caffeine does to your body, coffee whether it decaf or regular does many other things to your body. Coffee contributes to tooth decay and cavities and also decreases quality of sleep and aggravates stress in people who drink it every day.
On the flip side there are things that coffee and caffeine do for your body in a positive light. Caffeine increases intellectual activity when fatigued or bored. There are many illnesses that coffee has shown to help prevent including colon cancer, gallstones, and cirrhosis of the liver. Coffee also enhances performance and memory and is a great anti-depressant.
Experts say that an adult should have a moderate amount of caffeine per day which is about 200-300 mg. And now if you are wondering how much does that come out to in food and drink intake. If you have one normal sized cup of coffee in the morning (about 10 oz) then you have already reached your daily limit (230 mg). And now to leave you with some basic guidelines on when and how much do you drink. Do not drink coffee if you have mental illness or anxiety. Also do not intake high amounts of caffeine if you have high blood pressure, heart disease or high cholesterol.
All this to say I love coffee and because of this will not stop drinking it but just felt the need to share these facts with others so that they can at the very least make an informed decision about their addictions or next cup of coffee. So next time you pour yourself a glass, maybe you will think twice and think about the consequences of what you are about to put into your body.

I Can't Read

Well...I can read, just not a book. Well...I can read a book, I just can't finish one. It is not because I don't like the books but for different reasons never finished any of them. Let me highlight the last few books I have started but have never finished.

Blue Like Jazz

This book by Donald Miller is either loved or hated. I myself do not have an opinion because I have never made it past page 15. I originally started reading it this summer during a family vacation but I was to busy playing Frolf and never made it past 15. I started reading it again at the beginning of the semester but had too much reading in my classes to really devote time to the book.

Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
This book is one that I really enjoyed and wanted to continue to read but again due to class schedules and readings I gave up trying to read it during a semester. It was recommended to me by a good friend Jared. John Piper and Wayne Grudem team up to write this really good book for those interested in recovering there manhood (or womanhood).

Maybe I'll actually finish a book this semester before the summer.

"Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"

Well...what does that mean you may be asking. Well some translate it as

"My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"

These words uttered by the Christ ring so true in my life. The problem is that he has not forsaken me but rather the inverse. I abandon God however what differentiates those statements is that he doesn't need me or rely on me. The other problem is that I do not rely on Him either. In Psalm 22 David asks the same question. I feel like God has forsaken me because I have distanced myself from him. His Glory, Majesty, Power and Might are so far away from me because I am so secluded in my secular driven world. I choose to waste money, time, and energy on things that are unimportant and worldly yet I know this and continue to do so. With every penny spent, every second wasted, and every bead of sweat rolling down my face I draw further away from Christ. I want to draw nearer to him, and the Word says in the often quoted passage of Romans chapter 8

"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

While this passage is so encouraging I still find myself unable to move down the path that He has laid out for me. I guess this is why my two favorite songs right now are Wedding Dress by Derek Webb and Everything by Lifehouse. First Wedding Dress by Derek Webb.

"So could you love this bastard child?
Though I don’t trust you to provide"

This is Everything by Lifehouse.

"How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?"

Those words cut straight through to my heart and pierce it like an arrow. Another song that I can't stop listening to is Prodigal by One Republic. Actually I can't stop listening to the whole album however more specifically Prodigal.

Run away, run away
Like a prodigal
Don't you wait for me
Don't you wait for me
So ashamed, so ashamed
But I need you so
And you wait for me
And you wait for me

Well...thats all I got for now. Just actually examining my heart like my blog title states. Hope you can gain from it somehow. Til next time.

Valentine's Day and TLR

Well... as you know today is Valentine's Day. What you may not know is the day originates from two early Christian Martyrs. Well maybe you did know that but here are some facts that I may be able to impart to you.

• The day became associated with romantic love with Geoffery Chaucer.
• About 1 billion greeting cards are sent on Valentine's Day.
• About 85% of all Valentines are purchased by women.
  
• In Saudi Arabia in 2008, religious police banned the sale of all Valentine's Day items, telling shop workers to remove any red items, as the day is considered an un-Islamic holiday.
• It is said that if Cupid's arrow hits you, you will fall hopelessly and madly in love with the next person you meet. (Watch Out!)

Well, a large part of this Hallmark Holiday is giving gifts and The Legit Rappers wanted to give a gift to all of their fans. Ladies, this one's for you. Enjoy and Happy Valentine's Day!

Team Germany Sports

Well... I have spent a lot of time with my teammates who I will be traveling with in May lately. So I figured I would show how much fun we are through a few pictures. I did not take these pictures but last night we had a Spaghetti and Wii night that was really fun of just hanging out and eating food.

This is us just being awesome!

She thought this was the FUNNIEST thing ever.

Super Bowl XLII Champions!!

Congratulations to the Super Bowl XLII Champions the New York Giants. Justice was served on the field and the classic saying proves true, "Cheaters never prosper."