Goals – 8 weeks after

Posted on July 6, 2009 by eig

In a previous post close to the beginning of the year I stated I didn’t believe in resolutions and I gave my reasons. I do however, believe in goals. Goals are meant to be measurable and reachable. Many times we are unrealistic about our goals that they almost become wishes. Once a goal is made we should develop a plan and stick to it. It should also be flexible enough to adjust if things aren’t going the way they should. I made some goals at the beginning of the year. One of my goals was losing some added pounds. I have always done exercise but when I got married I just ate too much and wasn’t consistent with my exercise. I tried many different products to try to lose some pounds. I joined 24 hour fitness and I was able to go from 180 to 175. Then I decided to just do weight training at home. I gained almost 10 pounds. I thought it was all muscle, but it wasn’t so. At this point my wife and I decided to start watching our calories. We both used “Lose it” on our iphone to track our calories. I also started biking for about a half an hour a day. I did this for about three weeks then I decided I wanted to run. I started running 3 miles the first day and I have moved to an average of 5 miles a day, six days a week. I also do some light weight training. I keep track of my weight every day and I get tips and encouragement from people at Calorie Count. In fact here is what I wrote in my journal there:

“Last week I ran 10 miles in 1 hour and 52 mins. I feel proud of this accomplishment. It hasn’t been easy. I have experienced some physical ailments that I’ve never felt before. I am suffering from headaches on my right side but they are not too bad. My knee on my right leg tends to hurt but I have minimized the pain by putting a bandage around it. The neck area become stiff but I have been massaging it after each run. I am not fast but I am building resistance and slowly building speed. I’m enjoying this. This is the longest I’ve ran since I did cross-country in Jr. High. For a 38 year it’s not bad. My goal is to run a marathon but I want to be ready first. Next week I am going to work on passing the 10 miles. I will keep running 5 miles, five days a week and one day I’ll do a long run. I rest one day.

As far as my weight, I am getting closer to my goal of 175. My ultimate goal is 165 which where I should be. I sticking to my diet by keeping track of my calories intake using Lose It on my iphone. So far so good. This hasn’t been easy either. Many nights I feel hungry and I wake up hungry. I know thought, that eventually I will get used to it and this will become part of my life and won’t need to keep count of my calories.”

After eight weeks of keeping count of the calories I ingest and after five weeks of running these are my results. They are not surprising but I’ve made growth and I quite satisfied. But I press on. Oh, I forgot to mention a book I began reading: “Born to Run.” I recommend this book to anyone interested in running or who is interested in cultures. It deals with the Tahumaras in Mexico’s who are considered the best runners in the world. It’s more of a narrative about them and not so much a how to book on running.

As a note, I also say that my wife has lost at least 5 pounds by keeping track of her calories. She also has began running with me some days even thought she says she hates running. I also have to say that without her help, especially in the food area, I would not be making this progress. She makes sure that we all eat right. We measure and weigh food. We encourage each other. We are making a lifestyle change for the well-being of our family.

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A Short Review of the movie “Sin Nombre”

Posted on April 12, 2009 by eig


I just posted a short review of the movie “Sin Nombre” on Flickster on Facebook and thought it would be a good idea to post it here too. There are two intertwined plots: a gangster among Mara Salvatrucha and a teenager traveling from Honduras to the US. It’s a very realistic portrayal of both. It’s not a very hopeful movie but its depiction is very real. Being from El Salvador I experienced traveling from El Salvador to Mexico by bus to cross the border in Tijuana. I can say I was able to empathize with the immigrants even though I didn’t experience much of what they did. But watching this movie revived my feelings. It is sad to see what many of those who are Salvadoreans like me, have done with their gang life. This movie makes it real. It will not make you feel happy after watching the movie but it will surely show you the “world” we don’t often see. The movie is very violent, has a sexual scene and uses strong language. If you understand Spanish you will get all the nuances. Definately not a movie for everyone. Only for those who are mature to understand (or want) the societal aspects surrounding gang life and the immigration dilemma.

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Closer to the truth: The X-Files meet God (sort of) or what the movie Knowing reveals about God, faith, Human Nature and the End of Mankind

Posted on March 22, 2009 by eig


My family and I just watched the movie Knowing. I don’t want to get into the plot and ruin the movie from anyone who hasn’t watched it. I don’t often recommend people watching a movie but this one is a must especially for those of the Christian faith. Instead I want to share some of the things that we Christians know that are evident in the movie and can serve as a point of discussion with others. In fact, I even thought it could serve as preview of a series of sermons on the End times. So this is a call for all preachers.
The movie is a mixture of a plot from the X-files with answers from the Bible. In fact, the basic premise is based on the passage in Ezekiel 1. Even thought this passage has nothing to do with the End times, it is used in the movie to support the idea of a higher power (i.e. the Sun) that eventually brings forth judgment to humanity. Read it before you watch the movie.]
Here are some concepts presented in the movie that are inline with Christianity:
1. Humanity has become evil and needs a new beginning. The movie shows how most humans when faced with tragedy behave like animals. It shows their basic selfish nature. We Christians agree with this clearly.
2. Humanity is incorrigible. No matter how many “signs” or warnings they get, they are unwilling or incapable to change on their own.
3. Humanity is not the result of chaos and chance but is the result of order. The main character in the movie, a scientist, believes in randomness until he gets the message from the Higher Power. It takes sometime though, and he even tries to disprove it but he ends up accepting it and in the end becomes convinced that there is purpose and meaning to life.
4. Those who are of faith or have been changed accept that death is not the end but the beginning. This is the case in the movie. It is interesting to note that the main character’s dad was a pastor. Both of them have been estranged due to the disagreements of beliefs. The son saw him as weird for his beliefs until he himself understands his fate. They both are reconciled. For once, Christians are portrayed as confident in contrast to those outside who until the end act like animals when faced with tragedy (e.g. Noah’s Ark).
5. There is a Higher Power. The movie is convoluted. We are led to believe aliens are the power behind everything (X-Files connection) but then we see it is The Sun but leaves us wondering (thus God is sort of). But for us Christians it is clear.

Having mentioned some truths revealed here are some misconceptions presented in the movie that can be used as a point of discussion with others (like I did with my family)

1. God is not the Sun or vice versa. He is not an impersonal force. After watching the movie I went back and read Ezekiel 1 and Revelation 19-20. It is interesting to note how fire, light and the sun is used in relation to God.
2. Humanity cannot have a new beginning by changing the environment. The person has to be changed from within (Redemption) and not from without. The tree of life cannot guarantee a perfect world (e.g. Genesis 1-3) Even if it was possible, procreation would bring the possibility of evil arising again (e.g. Revelation 20).
3. There aren’t any innocent beings. In the movie there are selected few (the children) who are chosen to start over. Christians believe that human nature is essentially predisposed to do evil. No one is innocent.
The movie ends with hope. We Christians believe in Hope. And this movie gives an opportunity to share it clearly.

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The End of Evangelicalism

Posted on March 11, 2009 by eig

Up till now, I have been hesitant to speak about what I believe will happen to the Evangelical movement. Evangelicals are all of those who believe in certain essentials among the most important is the belief that salvation is by faith alone. I often refer them to as the Church. I have been a Christian for over 20 years and have seen the evangelical church progress (or regress) to a state where I believe that it will be irrelevant. The more I visit churches, talk to supposed Christians and study the trend I have become more convinced that the Church or Evangelicals will fade away in the vast sea of our culture. Church members are almost indistinguishable from those outside the church in their daily living. Many confess to be Christians but in reality there is no essential difference. They are ignorant of their beliefs (see Barna’s Report here) and are unable to explain why they believe what they believe. Churches no longer teach; they entertain. They teach pop psychology. They make you feel good but that is about it. And those churches that do have solid teaching have become fat. They have become dogmatic, judgmental and isolated. Their beliefs will die with them because they haven’t learned how to confront the culture in a relevant way. Our young people are not being taught how to live out their faith in a post-modern society. The culture has become a powerful force influencing all of their lives and the Church does very little to counter act it. What is the future of Evangelicals? Today I read this article and found myself agreeing with Michael Spencer in almost everything he says. He writes: “I expect to see a vital and growing house church movement. This cannot help but be good for an evangelicalism that has made buildings, numbers, and paid staff its drugs for half a century.”
I also believe it is the Third World Church will bring a rebirth to America’s Christianity. Just like Michael Spencer, I’m not a prophet. I may be totally wrong. I really hope so.

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Live iPhone musical performance – Kids by MGMT played on iPhones and iPod Touches

Posted on March 8, 2009 by eig

Does this convince anyone to get an iphone/ipod?

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Mind Over Emotions

Posted on March 5, 2009 by eig

We are emotional beings. We are rational beings. Both are powerful. Both can work with each other. Both can work against each other. Both can be in harmony.
I have often been seen as someone who lacks emotion due to the fact that I don’t often show publicly what I am feeling. But those who are close to me know that I do have emotions. They are there. I just don’t feel compelled to show them; it makes me uncomfortable. It might be a guy thing. Yet, as I the years have passed I have felt the growth of emotions to the point where it is not hard to feel the tears in my eyes when I am watching a movie or I am speaking to someone who I care deeply. Why is this so? I am sure there is a logical explanation, but that’s not what I want to talk about here.
I want to talk about the importance of putting mind over emotions. Personally, this hasn’t been hard for me. I’ve always been a logical person always weighing my decisions on reason and not emotion. I remember how I decided that I wanted to marry my wife. It took intensive rational thinking and after three days I was ready to propose. Of course I felt emotions. I was enveloped in them. But I made a choice guided by reason as well.
But I have observed so many times how people make decisions based on what they feel. They sacrifice what they believe for what they feel. They put emotion over principle. They put emotions over mind. This is dangerous. Letting emotions guide us and control us lead us to make decisions that we may later regret. I remember giving counsel to a young woman about the spiritual abuse her church was imposing on her and others and how she rejected what I said based on her close association to the pastor only to later realize that her emotions had blinded her. Her emotions were put over her reason and it led her and others astray. Emotions are dangerous when given free will. They must be guided by reason.
When we don’t put our mind over emotions, we run the risk of being manipulated by others. It’s easy. A few weeks ago I was sitting in church listening a sermon on the prodigal son. I though the interpretation of the parable did not do justice to the text. But even worse, we saw a video that modernized the parable. As I watched it I felt more contempt until the music started playing. Then I started to feel like I wanted to cry. Some tears felt from my eyes. Many around me were crying even men! For a moment I forgot what I “thought” about the sermon and gave in to my emotions. They are powerful. They can blind us from reason. They can justify anything. That’s why it’s important to balance them with our reason.

Have you heard the expression “Common Sense”? Well, our sense is derived from our reason. But these days it means very little. We need some Enlightenment. But it can only come when we put mind over emotions.

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12-year-old speaks out on the issue of abortion

Posted on February 12, 2009 by eig

Moral Absolutes: Defending Life

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Ethics No More: Why Moral Absolutes Matter

Posted on February 11, 2009 by eig

The title of this blog seems to have an apparent contradiction but it does not. Let me explain. The first part is what I believe is our current condition as a society in the United States, whether you are religious or not. Ethics, what is right and wrong has become obfuscated in the vast sea of moral relativism. Expediency has become the norm and not the moral absolute. In colloquial terms, it is what “makes me happy” that matters ultimately and not what I “ought” to do. Everything I do is not guided by any moral compass, except that which is relative to my circumstances. There is no hierarchy of values that guide my life just a selection of choices all at equal level. Only those that benefit me the most are valuable for a period of time. But nothing is absolute. This is where I think we are now. I don’t really have to prove this, just watch the news, observe people and see how they make their choices.
The second part of the title is what I think we need. We need to understand the basics of moral absolutes. Moral absolutes derive from a source. That source is a Being that is transcendent and who has literally put a moral compass inside each one of us (I think C. S. Lewis has a more thorough examination of this concept in Mere Christianity ; audio here (in parts)). Whenever, we make a wrong or right choice, our conscience convicts us or confirms that we have done what is right or what is wrong. I also believe that our choices have a hierarchy. In other words, there are some absolutes that are above others. In the hierarchy of ethics, life is at the top. Life is God’s basic gift to all of us no matter what our part is in the creation of it. Thus, I believe that killing another life whether it is through abortion and/or euthanasia is morally wrong and should be at the top of the list of the things that are wrong. Any justification to end life in such cases, I believe, is morally reprehensible. Our duty as ethical beings is to protect life no matter what the cost may be or how much it may cause us to be uncomfortable. Anything that conflicts with protecting a life should be relegated to a secondary position for the option of protecting it. Out of this basic principle everything emanates.

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A Fictional Theodicy: A Review of the Shack

Posted on February 6, 2009 by eig

I finally finished the book The Shack by William Young , the book that has remained on the top ten books on Amazon and has taken Christians captive. When I started the book I had a lot more enthusiasm but half way through I stopped reading it. I did not get why this book was being called the new Pilgrims Progress. I saw no parallel. I pushed myself and finished the book and here are a few thoughts. Before getting to the book, I have to say a few things. First, I believe that America lives in fiction. Fiction books are best sellers. Stores are packed with fictional volumes that take most of the space. I have come to believe that most Americans live in this fictional world. Second, I think the Church in America is one that lacks discernment and biblical literacy.  The Church has become part of the world and it is no surprise that many Christians live no different that non-Christians. So it is no surprise that a book like The Shack would be so popular among Christians.

Now to the book. The basic plot revolves around Mackenzie Allen Philips’ daughter abduction and killing and how Mackenzie deals with what the author calls “The Great Sadness.” Mackenzie gets a note that apparently comes from God to meet him in a shack. It is in the Shack that Mackenzie meets God or Papa who anthropomorphically appears as an African American woman, Jesus who is a typical Middle Eastern guy and the Holy Spirit, Sarayu, who is of Asian background. It is during this weekend with the “trinity” that Mack learns that God is not the author of evil but is a loving aunt Jemima who understands his pain. Papa shows Mack that he was present with his daughter Missy during the abduction and killing. She shows him “heaven” where Missy is now enjoying her company. Mack is able to see her but is unable to speak to her, but through God himself, lets him know that she loves him. In the end, Mack is able to forgive the man who killed his daughter and acknowledge God’s sovereignty. He finds closure and the Great Sadness disappears. The end has a twist that leaves the reader thinking if it was only a dream but the author shows that it actually happened. Mack is changed forever and becomes a fervent believer sharing God’s goodness to everyone he knows.

The book itself is a theodicy, a defense for the goodness of God (in other words God is too good to condemn anyone) and strong critique of many institutions, including the Church. In its fictional characterization of God, it deviates from the “orthodox” view. It has a created a lot of controversy over it. But the bottom line is that this is a work of fiction. There is much that can be disputed biblically, but it begs the question. Why would we want to do this when we know the book is a work of fiction, which reflects the author’s view of God? To argue more only gives more credibility to this fictional theodicy. Christians who take it as theology are just proving my point that Christians are biblically illiterate and are virtually indistinguishable from non-Christians.

If you are interested in the discussion around this book, just Google it or read the reviews at Amazon. If you want good fiction dealing with God’s character, this may not be the book to start with. Try C.S. Lewis or even John Bunyan. You’ll get more bang for your buck.

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Every Man’s Death Diminishes…But A Friend Even More

Posted on January 14, 2009 by eig

“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend’s or of thine own were. Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee” John Donne Meditation XVII (see link above for full text) and here for the book form.

Recently I lost a friend who I knew for over 20 years. Even though we weren’t close in distance for a long time, a few months before his death we got in touch through Facebook. He posted his last message to me three days before his passing. Interestingly enough, I had been thinking and talking to my son about the influence he had in my life the weekend before. I don’t believe it was chance. What John Donne wrote centuries ago comes true. We are not an island ourselves. We don’t live in isolation. We are only a part and so is everyone else. Thus, when we lose someone through death it also affects us. It “diminishes” us in some way. We are not the same, we never will. It also reminds us of our own mortality. When John Donne wrote the Meditation, he was close to death, and likely sent people to ring the bell announcing his death. He survived his sickness but he became aware that the when bells of the church sound when a person dies, it is for us. We are mortal beings, books that won’t disappear, but will be changed into a better translation. But until then, we live our lives with the recognition that we are interconnected and anyone’s death affect us and changes us for ever.

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