Category: Bryan’s Blog

Personal thoughts from Bryan.

Lord of the Line Dance

We did a line dance at church on Sunday. Yes, a line dance for Jesus. That’s pretty ridiculous on a lot of levels, but I experienced something during that line dance that I’d like to share. It reminded me of my early 20s. I had decided to rediscover my faith for myself instead of simply believing what I had been told. One of the philosophers I read was laying out his arguments for the existence of God and one of his points was that he had experienced God. That seemed pretty arbitrary to me, and I rejected it as invalid because I was looking for hard evidence. What I’ve come to realize over the years since then is that God does reveal Himself to us sometimes, and that we need to be looking and ready for those times. Those experiences are a piece of the puzzle in our search for understanding and knowledge of the Divine. They’re threads of enlightenment that can be woven together little by little. My experience may not teach anyone else about God, but it teaches me something, even if it happens during a line dance. Continue reading Lord of the Line Dance

I Feel Like I’m Getting Older (In Memoria. Jack LaLanne)

Jack LaLanne died on Sunday at the age of 96. He defied the years well into his 70s, but even he recognized his aging body wasn’t as capable as he got older. After performing incredible swimming feats throughout his life, when asked what he had planned for his 90th birthday he responded with a bit of mirth, “Tow my wife across the bathtub.” I hear you Jack. For the 2nd time in my life I feel like I’m getting older. It’s not related to my recent 37th birthday, or my graying facial hair, or a rapidly increasing bald spot on the top of my scalp. No, that’s not it. Let me take it back to the first time I felt like I was getting older, and then bring it forward. Continue reading I Feel Like I’m Getting Older (In Memoria. Jack LaLanne)

Workout Time Again

Well, it’s that time of year again. It may not seem like it now but in a few short months Spring will be here and that puts me in the mood to get in shape. Two years ago I did a low carb CKD diet along with a heavy lifting routine that showed great results but I don’t think it’s a very healthy way to eat. Last year Lianne and I did about 6 weeks of P90x, both the workouts and the diet, before vacations interrupted us and we never got back on track. This year I’ve got a new plan and the whole family is tagging along for the ride. Continue reading Workout Time Again

I Got Stung Twice

You may have heard people say that getting stung hurts about as much as getting a shot. I’ve found that to be true assuming the shot has a barbed needle that was soaked in an incredibly painful and effective neurotoxin. I can attest to the fact that bee stings hurt … but I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me start at the beginning of this story and explain how I ended up in my backyard, on a sunny Memorial Day in 2010, playing the part of the fearless, macho beekeeper. Continue reading I Got Stung Twice

So Busy Yet So Unproductive

Americans are busy people. Just ask one. The frenetic pace of modern life is expected. 5 or 6 hours of sleep is normal. Family time consists of scheduled events after school seemingly every day of the week. Busyness is a status symbol for most of us. If you’re busy you must be doing great things. Yet for all of that time spent doing stuff, we don’t actually accomplish anything. Americans are fat and in debt. Our families are falling apart. We aren’t reaching our potential as individuals or as a nation. We need to focus on being productive and on reaching purposeful goals, instead of signing ourselves up for every social event, business meeting, or after school activity that comes our way. We’re too busy to succeed. Instead of living the stress filled American life, let’s define what is truly important in our lives and say “yes” to those things. Then start saying “no” to everything else.

Being a Dad

Ava asked me the other day where one of her friend’s dad was. Just like that. Out of the blue. This friend’s dad recently moved out … I wasn’t exactly sure how to answer Ava’s question. I told her that her friend’s dad was gone. He left. He did a bad thing and moved out of the house. My simplified explanation seemed to get through to her. Then she made a confused/frowny face and asked, “Why?” Continue reading Being a Dad

The Road to Serfdom review

The Road to Serfdom: Text and Documents--The Definitive Edition (The Collected Works of F. A. Hayek) The Road to Serfdom: Text and Documents–The Definitive Edition by Friedrich August von Hayek

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
There was much confusion after WWII about the definitions of Fascism and Socialism. In the West, many politicians and scholars believed that socialism would work in a democratic society. It seems to me that the confusion still exists today. That makes The Road to Serfdom a timeless classic. Continue reading The Road to Serfdom review

Train Yourself in Godliness

I had the opportunity to preach a sermon at my church in July. My Dad is the pastor, and he was taking a break. I don’t aspire to be a pastor or preacher, but I don’t mind stepping in once a year or so. Here’s the audio podcast of the sermon. I think it’s reasonably entertaining, and I even managed to convey a couple of interesting points. For those of you who don’t want to listen to 36 minutes of audio, I’ll summarize the sermon below. Also, if you’re live in the Tidewater area and are looking for a church, come check out Acts 2. We’re friendly, fun, and we’re growing.

Train Yourself in Godliness mp3
Continue reading Train Yourself in Godliness