Last Monday I wondered allowed on this site if it was possible to lose 30 pounds in 10 days. I started dieting and working out something serious in an effort to see if that was an accomplishable task – it just might be.

I weighed 363.3 last Monday and 343.2 today. How you ask? By eating less and working out more.

I decided to use all my years of combined dieting success and failure knowledge to my advantage. Lowering my carbs has always seemed to work well for me but it never seemed satisfying or sustainable. Counting calories was too complicated and cumbersome. I needed a program that allowed me a tiny bit of flexibility along with long-lasting results.

I kept eating my almonds for breakfast and for dinner along with lots and lots of water and a small lunch that normally consisted of about 30 carbs and lots of protein and fat.

The body actually burns fat better as a fuel than carbs and so you would think that I would be too tired to sustain three hour workouts EVERY. SINGLE. DAY last week. But I did and the intensity only increased instead of decreasing despite the decline of my caloric intake. That includes weight lifting to insure I don’t lose muscle mass – which, I can still bench press 275 10 times and so I think my muscle mass is doing just fine.

I’ve been sure to take my vitamins and joint supplements with this regime as well and I’ve never felt better.

Some people may say, “that’s unhealthy!!!” or “It’s mostly water weight!” – but they say that only because they really don’t know their butt from a hole in the ground.

Water weight is normally stored on people who don’t exercise or diet and secondly, God created our bodies so that they would be able to store so we could use it when needed. It’s like a wharehouse full of gasoline and I’m burning it up with exercise.

Part of my plan has come from reading Wilbur Smith books where these hunters in the African bush would literally chase elephants for 20 miles in a single day jogging through rough terrain with minimal water and food. Their bodies would lose fat quickly, but they would only become more fierce.

So my goal is to lose 60 pounds by Aug. 1st and I figure if the 360 pound guy on the biggest loser can do it, so can I.

I will let you know at the end of 10 days.

On Monday I started a diet. I’m self-employed and so I get to set my own hours and it really helps when sticking to a diet and exercise routine. South Beach always works great for me and so I thought I would give it a whirl. I got up and weighed Monday a heft 363.3 pounds. Ouch. That was what the scale said, I wasn’t in any pain myself.

I decided to go for  a long bike ride and then to eat healthy all day and by healthy I mean strict low-carb with a few almonds and very little dinner.

Tuesday I got up and weighed 360.0 – not bad I thought, but that could easily be water weight. Yesterday I repeated the day almost exactly but I added in an extra hour of cardio and some weight training.

Wednesday morning I got up and weighed 355.0 – wow – that’s 8 pounds in 2 days. Would it be possible for me to lose 22 more in 8 days? I don’t see why not.

This morning I got up for the 4th day in a row and road my 14 mile bike ride. Then after I went to the gym and lifted for about 30 minutes followed by 90 minutes on the treadmill.

I’m eating almonds and water for breakfast with a spoonful of peanut butter tossed in the mix.

Lunch is an omelette with sausage (Yep, I fell off the no pork wagon) and the omelette is made with some extra egg whites and avacado, some onion and some salsa. Dinner has been almonds and cashews.

I’m wondering if I can handle a night at the gym tonight for some extra cardio? Perhaps a quick hour on the elliptical machine will do me some good. If I weigh 352 tomorrow then I am going to keep this up for the full 10 days adding more and more workouts until I have dropped 30 pounds. It might kill me, but it will be fun to see if it is possible.

On Friday I play racquetball with one of my buddies and I love it. It is the highlight of my week. After we had finished playing he asked me how I was doing spiritually and physically. “Not Good” I replied. He continued to probe and question and I kept giving him these reasons for my lack of focus and overall complacency and when we were finished talking I felt like a big toad.

Normally a good talk makes me feel better. You get some things off your chest and you breathe a big sigh of relief. That didn’t happen form me on Friday. Instead I kept replaying the conversation over and over in my head and I thought, “Wow, that was a load of crappy excuses. How pathetic!”

It was a pathetic outburst followed by a wave of clarity. It was as if voices all these inner complaints helped me to see them for what they were – whining and feeling sorry for myself.

I don’t like to admit this, but I find that sometimes showing weakness allows other people to relate to me better. Weakness makes us human and in our weakness we realize that we must rely on God.

So after this talk I resolved to stop making excuses and to start making some adjustments. If I can’t correct my problems immediately I can stop the self-sabotaging behaviors and the excuses which are nothing more than tools of the incompetent and I had quite a few in my toolbox.

As a leader I am someone that should be setting an example. Life is hard for all of us and when we overcome challenges, when we fight for what we want then that makes reaching those goals all the more pleasurable.

I recommend finding someone in your life that challenges you to do better, to be better, all the time. It’s not always easy to hear that you need to make improvements, but it’s nice to know that someone cares enough to say something and challenge you to be the best you can be.

I’ve had two interviews now with Fellowship Church and I am quite excited and a little apprehensive. This would be a big change for me, something new and totally different and the guys that have interviewed me have expressed repeatedly that this place will reshape you. Which is exactly what I want. I’m so bored all the time. Even with all of my jobs I feel like it is too easy or has too many limitations for me to really grow and shine. Like I’m some potted plant and in order to really grow I need to be moved to a large pot or planted outside of my comfy house where I can really flourish.

Here are the concepts I came up with for interview #2. In the first interview they asked a lot of great questions and then sent me home with homework. I came back with this:

FC Singles Event Coordinator
Creative Project by Eddie Renz

1.    Creation VS. Evolution
a.    Fight Night – The Fight of the Millennium
i.    Cage Fight with real people
ii.    Interviews with fighters placed on YouTube
1.  Example Questions:
a.    Evolution, despite your many weaknesses, you always seem to stay in the fight, what is the secret to your success?
b.    Creation – There have been some new theories concerning your strategy to win this fight, what will make this fight different from all the rest?
iii.    Web Page created with the ability to leave comments
iv.    After Fight Party
v.    Live Streaming Video of the fight
vi.    Commentators will actually give the talk while overhead projector screens are used to capture key lines of information that we want to communicate such as statistical data, theories, back story, thinking questions, etc.
vii.    Facebook and Twitter Pages and possibly local news coverage and an ad in the Dallas Morning News
viii.    Class Description: The Epic War of Creation VS. Evolution has been raging for centuries and that fight continues LIVE June 30 at FC Fight Night. Watch as Evolution and Creation go head to head in a literal Fight for Life.

2.   GLBT – Alternative Lifestyles
a.    Desperate – A Love Story
i.    Front Room filled with true storyboards on the walls.
ii.    Either Video footage of real people or actual real people/actors on stage
iii.    Create a journey through the lives of 4-8 people who struggle with identity/sexual issues.
iv.    After the talk have groups of people go to the back room to discuss and talk about sharing the gospel with people who live alternate lifestyles.
v.    Class Description: In a world where everyone is desperate to fit in where do you turn when you don’t?  Take a look into the lives of eight individuals who found themselves searching for their identity, seeking happiness, and desperate to be loved.
vi.    Example Script – Dear Diary, today I just want to be normal. I’m so tired of living a lie. Shame and Fear are my constant companions.

3.   Giving instead of Taking
a.    Loaded –  A Night of Money, Guns and Glamour or Money, Cribs and Cars.
i.    Gimme More Britney Fashion Show
ii.    Create an event that is sleek and flashy filled with fast cars, money, clothes and material things that are our cultures idea of success.
iii.    Use video clips from MTV Cribs and other shows that highlight wealth
iv.    Borrow some nice cars to place inside the building or outside
v.    Bring Paparazzi with cameras – red carpet
vi.    Find people to Model the clothes
vii.    Generation Now – Black-Eyed Peas could be a song that is played instead of Gimme More as the main theme is “I can’t wait, I want it now”
viii.    Class Description: Give it to me, or I might just take it… yep, you heard me. I’ve got to have it, I want it all and I want it right now – Nita Moore

b.    The G-Now Success Conference and Expo – Have Nothing. Possess Everything.
i.    Video at the beginning of the show focuses on something inspirational like Lance Armstrong winning his race, Olympics, Marathons, then have it transition to Race for the Cure, Providing post hurricane aid, etc.
ii.    At the end of the video we will use the tag line: What is your measure of success?
iii.    The entire night will be a juxtaposition of various types of success.
iv.    Live speakers will take the stage and discuss what it feels like to give back and how it is truly better to give than to receive
v.    Wrap up the session with Paul’s verse from 2 Corinthians 6 – known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything
vi.    Outside in the smaller room setup booths for people to sign up for Habitat for Humanity, Missions, Red Cross, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Charitable Organizations, etc.
vii.    Class Description: The G-Now Success Expo will feature interactive workshops that will help you reach your ultimate life goals. Explore new and creative strategies for being successful in all areas of your life.
1.    Small Group breakout sessions
2.    Question and Answer panel
3.    Swag Bags filled with opportunities to give.

4.   Sharing Your Faith

a.    Jesus Rambo Explosion – It’s a battle, come equipped.
i.    Army tanks and hand grenades
ii.    The entire theme is based around setting the captives free, equipping the soldiers, etc.
iii.    Use the back room as a “base camp” of sorts for planning.
iv.    I’m envisioning uniforms and guards at the doors
v.    I think a stomp routine might be fun to interject at some point. Military style complete with a drumline from a local high school band if possible.
vi.    Class Description:  Why do people lose their battles? Because they are ill equipped. In every situation the proper tools are necessary to get the job done. Your mission is to use the tools and training we give to set the captives free.
vii.    Flyers will include an outline:
1.    Training
2.    Equipment
3.    Deployment
4.    Post Op
5.    Recruitment

So these concepts included some pictures and ideas to go along with them all neatly bundled and bound at Kinkos.

Keep me in your prayers as this will be a big change for me and I only hope to do the Lord’s will.

And possibly change your life.

Yesterday when I was eating dinner with my mom I said, “I need someone in my life that constantly checks in on me, listens to me when I talk about my goals, and supports and guides me.”

This person is often referred to as a mentor, I decided to use the term Life Coach. Coaches have whistles and they yell, but you like them for it because it means they care.

I’d like a life coach like Fred. Fred is one of those people who seem to really have done things right. Great family and well-balanced.

I’d even like to start a LifeCoach system where older men mentor younger men and there is a trickle down affect. Like if you are being mentored, you have to mentor someone else. Maybe not at first, but eventually.

The title of this post is from the husband of a very popular mommy blogger. I love both of these people and this isn’t a “hate” post or anything like that, it is rather a post about how people that are passionate about their ideas often feel that the opposing party is being a baby or whining when they are being passionate about their ideas.

As I’ve gotten older one of the things that I have come to realize about “Hot Button” issues is that they are complicated and both sides normally have very valid points.

Healthcare
Abortion
Religion
Politics
Same-Sex Marriage
Evolution v. Creation

These are just a few topics that come to mind when I think of people being extremely touchy. Why do we feel touchy? Because we feel threatened. When you give one person a certain freedom we may feel, whether it is a realistic fear or not, that we are going to be giving up something that we hold dear.

If I say yes to free healthcare for those in need, what is it going to cost me? If I say that abortion is okay, then where will humans draw the line on playing God? If we say yes to Same-Sex Marriage will that erode traditional family values?  If I say I accept my neighbors religion and that religion happens to believe in human sacrifce where does that leave me?

Some items are more black and white than others. There is a such thing as moral absolutes, most people just don’t want to use the Bible as a guide for moral absolutes. But if you don’t use the Bible, where do you get get your moral compass? Where do you find truth?

In the end we each must have to come to our own conclusions about what is right and wrong in life and we each individually will have to deal with the consequences of our actions and those choices. When interacting with people who don’t have similar beliefs as yours it is important to be respectful. Don’t name call, patronize, condescend or insult. Instead, seek to understand why they believe their believes and be prepared to intelligently back up your own.

I had an interview yesterday with http://www.fellowshipchurch.com and it was awesome. Not only did we talk for 2 hours, but I learned a great deal in those 2 hours – about Fellowship Church and about myself.

In my interview yesterday I was given homework which is due next Wednesday. We were given 4 topics to plan a night around and I have 4 really great ideas – but I can’t share them with you here. They are my babies and I have to protect and nurture them. However, I was wondering what your thoughts are concerning Alternative LIfestyles which happens to be one of the topics of discussion. It’s a hot-button issue in our culture today that is gradually becoming warmer and warmer and eventually it may not be an issue at all – or will it?

I’d like to know if you are for or agains homosexuality and why? Do you believe people were born with a same sex attraction? Was it nature vs. nurture?  What about transgendered individuals, bisexuals?

I’ve really appreciated some of the great feedback I’ve gotten on here. Keep it coming please!

http://www.songofsolomon.com/junedevo.htm

It’s simplified, less clutter.

In an effort to improve the effectiveness of our Monthly SOS Newsletter I have updated it with more content.I’m trying to figure out how to create dividers to make it look more compartmentalized, but so far all of my attempts have only made it feel more cluttered. I’m also thinking about redoing the header image in something more fantastic…

It is now chock full of useful information and a free digital download of Romans Vol. II session 1 by Tommy Nelson.

You can checkout the Newsletter here.

Also, if you want to subscribe to the Newsletter then go to http://www.songofsolomon.com

(The Subscription option is on the left hand side of the screen.)

I’ve used this site many times to convey information about companies and I am always surprised at how effective it can be.

Recently I posted about Genator Johnson, and attorney that is supposed to help with fixing speeding tickets. The post pretty much talked about what poor customer service I got when I called.

Yesterday, Genator Johnson himself, left this comment on my site:

I am the attorney of the Genator Johnson Law Firm. Mr. Renz, I am sorry that we did not meet your expectations when you called in. I will address your complaint with my staff.

As a matter of accuracy, no one in my office is to promise that we can get a ticket dismissed for $39–that would be untrue. We do get a significant percentage of our clients’ tickets dismissed, but that is not possible in every case. Most of the dismissals come from the failure of the State to meet each and every procedural prerequisite to charge or convict someone of a violation. In the remainder of the cases we almost always secure a reduction in the fine AND an arrangement that will keep any moving violations off of the client’s record.

The legal fee is only $39 per violation due to the fact that my office is located a short drive up the street from the court referenced in the letter to you and the fact that I handle a high volume of citations in that court. I am sorry that I did not have the opportunity to employ my experience and expertise to secure a better deal for you than simply paying the citation in full.

After that comment a girl named Amanda left this comment:

It sounds like the appropriate thing to do would have been to ask for the supervisor. Because of your impatience, you paid for your ticket that will now show as a conviction on your driving record. If you’re that bothered by poor customer service, you should make the supervisor or owner aware of the issue rather than taking the unproductive route (complaining online). Hopefully in the future, you can try to help businesses rather than try to destroy them.

I was delighted to see that Genator Johnson was going to remedy the situation and I replied to Amanda with this:

Amanda,

Not trying to destroy the company, rather enlighten my readers both positively and negatively.

My job isn’t to educate every company that gives me poor service. That would be like telling Chili’s how to make a better burger. I don’t have time for that. This is a capitalist society, survival of the fittest, and sometimes you only get one chance to make a first impression.

As a small business owner myself I have to deal with the harsh customers and it makes me be on my best behavior all the time even when sometimes the customer is impatient.

***

At Posted Note I always try to keep my readers informed. If I got amazing service, which I always get at Chick-Fil-A, then I let my readers know. However, this is the power of the internet, the power to write a single post that can warn and inform – like the post I wrote about JK Harris telling people NOT to use them that they are scam artists.

Consumer feedback is very powerful, more powerful than any paid advertising. I like to use Angie’s List whenever I am going to use a contractor service and there are of course other consumer report sites out there for virtually every product.

Matt Chandler is so great at teaching SOS…

This is available on SongofSolomon.com

It’s 7:00 p.m. and we’ve arrived in Arlington at the University of Texas. My sister is about to graduate…

I remember my own college graduation as being anti-climactic. After 7 years of hard work and graduating without any student loans I felt as though there should have been a greater feeling of completion. We went to Good Eats after graduation and that was it.

My sister’s graduation was a little better. There were two parties planned leading up to her graduation and relatives came into town from Oklahoma to help celebrate.

When we walked into the auditorium my real dad was there standing by the aisle in a nice suit and tie. I was expecting to see him there, but I never really know exactly what to say when I am around him. He’s like a second cousin twice removed that looks like an older, shorter, rounder version of me.

I give him a hug and then move to the far end of the row to get me a seat. My step-dad sat in the row in front of me and we laughed and joked and talked and it seemed odd that after so many years that we are desperately close. We laugh at each others jokes and we have fun together, real fun like I have when I am with my buddies.

I looked down the long row and saw my real dad sitting down there next to some of my sister’s friends. I wanted to say something, but I didn’t know what to say.

The day before I had seen my real dad at a graduation luncheon. Once again I was at one end of a 35 person table and he was at the other. I was infinitely aware of the distance that separated us both literally and figuratively.

I distracted myself with conversation with my step-dad and a friend of the family Eliana. Eliana has a 1 year old boy who is beautiful and sweet. I held him tightly and pressed his cheeks against mine as he stood on my leg. His warm chubbiness felt like a small piece of forever was sitting their in my grasp and I never wanted to let him go.

I saw my real dad looking at me while I was holding Elijah. I wondered what he thought. I wondered if he had ever held me like this. If my cheeks had pressed to his and if so,  had he felt that feeling that I was feeling at that moment? If he had, how could he have ever let me go?

A client requested this song and I had never heard of it. This makes being a DJ the coolest job on the planet. You always get to find out about the newest music.

Well, this song wasn’t available for download on iTunes and so I found it online, downloadable, FOR FREE.

So I am sharing it with you. Here You Go!

You have to RIGHT CLICK on this and then choose “Save Link As…” and it should let you save the MP3.

With over 450 names submitted, we have narrowed down the names we like to these:

TruthPark Media
Soul Road Media
Change MEdia
OneClick Bible
Deliver MEdia
Trust MEdia
Edified Media
Yearn Media
Heart Change
BibleTV
WordTV
VoxLight Media
Move Me Media
Move MEdia
Hud Media
Epic Love Media

Can I get your thoughts? Which of these names do you like?

If you aren’t sure what this is about, we are rebranding www.songofsolomon.com since our site now encompasses more than just Song of Solomon.

Thanks for your feedback, it is Extremely important!!

I thought I was complete
I’d dotted my i’s and crossed my t’s
But before you, I was a run on sentence
An incomplete phrase, an unfinished book
A knight without a princess in a tower
A hero without anyone to save.
A frog that had never been kissed.

Before love came into my life
I was an empty glass waiting to be filled.
Perfectly complete, but somehow empty.

You are my silence when the world is yelling
My hope when all seems lost
My support when the ground is shifting
My warmth on a cold night

Until you I’d never known longing
True joy was just beyond my reach
It was as if I’d spent my life in a coma
And now suddenly I am awake… and I don’t ever want to go back to sleep.

I’m looking for a personal assistant. I’d prefer someone leggy who wears smooth tight fitting business skirts – think Ali Larter in “Obsessed”.

I don’t have a lot of money right now so I would have to pay you about 100 dollars  a week for about 50-80 hours worth of work. That means answering my phone at all times, 24×7, updating my calendar and bringing me latte’s whenever I scream out, “WHERE THE HELL IS MY LATTE!”

Experience Required:

• Must be able to type 80 words per minutes
• Must understand and be able to use Twitter.

Considered a plus:

• Ability to give deep tissue massages
• Enjoys wearing Stilettos at all times

Judith pulled into her garage and left the car engine running as the garage door closed behind her. She thought how easy it would be to just lie there, still and quiet, allowing the carbon monoxide to just carry her away.

It wasn’t that her life was depressing, it was just that she was tired. More and more she felt like staying in bed as there seemed very little reason to get up. The things in life that once allowed her to escape from reality had lost their thrill, food became tasteless, people became an annoyance.

She shut off her engine and allowed the darkness to settle around her. Suicide was such a cowardly way to go and in comparison to the people around her she really had no reason to be bored with her life. She got out of her Camry and made her way into her house.

Without flipping a light on she dropped her keys on the kitchen table. They clanged loudly disturbing the silence but not bringing it fully awake.

Then Judith bumped into something and screamed. There was a man standing there in front of her. His face wasn’t dark and menacing, on the contrary it was warm and inviting. He pulled her toward him without seeming to move at all. One minute he was standing there and the next she was clutched tightly in his arms.”Don’t resist” He said.

His voice was deep and throaty and instead of fear she felt a twinge of excitement. Only moments ago she was thinking about death and now this? She felt her legs go weak as the man began to kiss her neck gently. Then he slammed her against the refrigerator, magnets and pictures fell to the floor as the assault continued.

Could this be happening? It felt like something out of a Lifetime made for tv movie. She couldn’t believe what she was feeling, joy, excitment, fear. She was suddenly turned on and without realizing it she was kissing back, greedily and lustily pulling off her attackers clothes. His eyes met hers and they was a break, a moment of hesitation as he sensed that the tables were being turned. He tried to pull away but Judith kept on pulling him toward her. She twisted and spun in such a way that pulled him to the floor and she fell on top of him.

She reached down between them groping for the buttons on his pants. She ripped his shirt open and bit his nipple. The intruder yelled in pain and tried to push Judith away but she held him down relishing the feeling of being in total control. She slapped his face hard and then kissed him devouring his face like Thanksgiving dinner.

When she pulled her mouth away from his she heard him saying something and shaking his head, “No, No, No”. The fear in his eyes seemed to ignite an animalistic need in Judith that she didn’t know she had. The power was all-consuming she reached up into the drawer and pulled out a knife and held it to his throat. With a single slice she cut his carotid artery and whispered, “Thank You”.

Judith sat quietly in the dark waiting for Mr. Parsons to get home. She held her breath and then pressed the cool steel of the blade to the side of her cheek. the cold cause her to gasp with shock. Before the intruder had come into her life she could feel depression lurking in the shadows waiting for a sign of weakness so it could swoop in for the kill, but she decided to show depression she wasn’t as weak as he thought. As she slid the knife into Mr Parsons heart she smiled at the thought of death and laughed…. life has a funny way of working things out and finally she had something to live for.

I’m not sure if I posted on here about trying e-Harmony again in December of last year, but  I did. Surprisingly I was matched with very few women and the ones I was matched with weren’t a match at all.

What is it about online dating services that makes me feel like I am bargain basement shopping? It’s like I have this selection of women served up before me that are last year’s models or returned items that someone else didn’t want. I know what you are thinking: Harsh Much! But it’s true.

I’ve been trying Match.com for a month now and it seems that everyone they are matching me with is divorced. When did people start getting divorced in their twenties?

I’m probably being too judgmental or even unrealistic cause I know there are some amazing divorced women out there, but I sort of want to be my wife’s first husband. When someone has already been married then I feel like “Hey, you already had your turn, let some the rest of us have a shot!”

Match.com gives me 5 new matches a day and most of the time I can look at their profile and tell if we would actually be a good match. I have talked to a couple of girls through email and I can’t help but be bored.

One girl said, “It’s torture for me to get to know someone through email.” And I wanted to respond back, “If that is the case, then you should give me a good reason to want to meet you in person. Be interesting. Be funny. Be witty. Charming. SOMETHING!” Snore.

I have a tendency to quickly write out a long email that gives insights into who I am and what I am looking for without coming right out and saying it. I ask important questions up front like, “Were you ever a dude?” and “Are you a Wiccan?” It’s important to get these questions out of the way at the beginning instead of finding out on the third or fourth date and you’ve already french kissed on the front steps of her lair.

I promise that I am not hardened or set in my ways, but the last 4-6 relationships, the girls I took out from e-Harmony, Wilbur Smith novels and the 33 years I have lived on this Earth have wizened me and enhanced my bullshitometer.  Online dating services allow people to put their best foot forward on an online profile but I think it also attracts people that fall into these categories:

• Desperate
• Shallow
• Married
• Divorced
• Perverts
• Crazies
• Hopeless Romantics
• Gold Diggers

I’m sure that makes me sound jaded, but I’m just drawing a conclusion based on my own personal experience and observation. But I also believe that in every field full of weeds you can find a beautiful wild flower… Somewhere in this great wide world there is a woman who will understand my heart and see me for who I am – flawed, but awesome.  She’s out there somewhere and I plan to find her.