Another great video from Jeff Bethke. So much truth in such a short amount of time.

Marriage today is struggling. Divorces, adultery, misconceptions, etc are plaguing not only the marriage itself but products of those marriages (my generation and the next). My hope in this poem is to highlight the most frequent and problematic issues marriages face today while also pointing to Jesus as the ultimate healer, redeemer, and restorer of every marriage. Whether single or married, my intention would be that this poem would allow you to look more deeply to Jesus to either better your current marriage, or prepare for your future marriage.

Poem inspiration: http://realmarriagetour.com/

Book that inspired the poem: http://amzn.to/zdxCFv

Jeff’s INFO:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jeffersonbethkepage
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/jeffuhsonbethke
website: http://www.jeffbethke.com

After 3 years of being self-employed I’ve started to get used to this roller coaster but I’d like to get into a rhythm where I learn to ride the coaster and it becomes a joy instead of a nightmare.

Right now I’m working on 3 websites, one that has a logo project attached to it. Two PowerPoint projects. A mega tour launch for one client which requires a boat load of graphics and a plethora of new page designs. In total I have booked around 250 hours of work this month. But, around 50 hours of that will be unpaid hours going to and from clients offices, phone calls to take initial requests for projects and back and forth emails from prospective clients as well as day-to-day maintenance of running two businesses. Booking clients for DJ events and making out invoices and doing taxes.

Being self-employed is not easy – but I’m really not complaining. I don’t have to set an alarm in the mornings. I get to set my own hours – which translates to me working all the time – and I don’t have a boss, I have clients and that is much different than having a boss – even though I always had great bosses when I worked in the corporate world.

Anywho, I better get back to work, I just thought I’d make a quick post while waiting for some files to upload.

Cheers!

This recipe has no flour or artificial sweeteners.

Ingredients

• 3 Large Onions Diced
• 2 Green Peppers Diced
• 12 Large Tomatoes seeded and cut up into chunks
• 2 Jalepeno peppers – seed and chop one finely
• 1 large mango diced
• 2 Pounds Ground Beef
• 4 Table Spoons of Chili Powder (I use the kind that comes in a bag. It’s normally with all the Mexican/Spanish spices)
• 3 Table Spoons Onion Powder
• 3 Table Spoons Garlic Powder
• 4 Cloves fresh Garlic – Minced
• 1 Tablespoon of Mediterranean Sea Salt
• 2 Tablespoon of course ground pepper – (Any pepper will do)
• Cayenne Pepper – only use a dash or else it will be really hot.
• Handful of cilantro, rinsed and chopped
• 4 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

Directions

In a large pan pour olive oil in until it coats the bottom of the pan. Not too much, but enough to sauté a large quantity of vegetables.

Add all veggies and mango –  except tomatoes

Add all seasonings

Cook for about 30-45 minutes on almost medium heat stirring often. You want your onions and green pepper to be translucent. This base is what give the chili it’s sweetness.

Add in the tomatoes and let simmer for another 30 minutes or until the tomatoes really start to break down.

Put in your two pounds of lean high quality beef – like Laura’s lean 92/8 beef or Nolan Ryan’s 90/10 and stir the meat thoroughly into the vegetable mixture.

Cook on a low heat for about 30 minutes until meat is browned and then let simmer at the lowest heat setting for another hour to allow the flavors to marry. If possible, store overnight and eat the next day – that’s when it’s best and thicker.

Serve fresh diced onions and avocado.

My friend Jes asked me to post my daily menu which has proved harder than I expected cause I’ve been so busy, but, my days consist mostly of this:

Breakfast:

3-4 Eggs scrambled with onions
Snack – Cashews and Pineapple

Lunch:

Grilled chicken breast
Avocado
Mixed veggies – squash and zucchini

Dinner:

Fajita meat, brisket or some type of beef. I love beef. It’s what’s for dinner.
Vegetables – broccoli and cauliflower

I have not been weighing every day. In the past I have found that to be detrimental. If I see no progress I get very discouraged instead of just digging in and realizing that it is going to take time. I plan to weigh once a week and be happy with whatever weight loss I have. Loss is loss.

What do I miss most? McAlister’s Sweet Tea. I used to drink 4-5 glasses a week. I would order it half sweet half unsweet and I plan to get some on Superbowl Sunday. That will be my first “cheat” day after this 30 day challenge is up.

But… this “diet” is supposed to become a lifestyle. I’m still trying to mentally wrap my head around never having dairy or sugar or bread or anything artificial again for the rest of my life, but maybe I can cut those things back to like 10% of what I used to eat. So the occasional half-and-half and cup of coffee instead of 2-3 cups every morning. I’ve spent 36 years learning how to eat poorly, it’s going to take some time for me to figure out how to enjoy eating like this. Variety is the spice of life and right now mine is lacking variety for sure – but part of that has been because I have been really watching my carb intake as well. The fruits that I have eaten have been in moderation just so that I don’t get too many carbs and I burn the fat a little faster.

For now, wish me luck, I need to get below 300 pounds this year. It’s been too long that I’ve put this off… too, too long.

When I look back over 2011 it is a jumble of work, school and more work. I started the year with the goal to lose some weight, but I only stayed the same for the entire year. I got a personal trainer for 3 months and realized that personal training is worthless without a serious diet change – and I changed my diet, just not enough and not consistently enough.

Work was a nightmare. I worked for Denton Bible Church for the first 8 months of the year and was self-employed running both http://www.eddierenz.com my web design business and http://www.soundandshow.com – my DJ Business all while juggling the financial responsibility of Dallas Theological Seminary – which cost me about $5000 out of pocket which might not seem like a lot, but when you have to pay $600 a month on a self-employed/part-time church worker budget it can be a real burden.

As far as actual income for 2011 I did pretty good. I made almost the same Salary that I made with Texas Instruments but I still don’t have health insurance and I sometimes miss the security of that weekly paycheck, but, there is nothing like being your own boss. There is a thrill that comes with not knowing if you are going to make any money for the next month and literally living by faith and watching God provide week after week, month after month. I live a very nice life and the challenges that I face are mostly self-induced.

Some of the Highlights from 2011

1. Found Author Harlan Coben and have enjoyed reading his books.

2. Re-Branded my Web Design business to Chemist Creative.

3. Started going to The Village Church and I LOVE it.

4. Started my Masters in Media and Communication at DTS

5. Started Crossfit

So, what’s in store for 2012?

I plan to kick off the New Year with a 30 Day Paleo Diet challenge. This year I’m doing it with friends and we have consequences for cheating. How do you stick to a plan? Accountability with consequences. Our consequences is 30 burpees for every cheating incident. If you don’t know what a burpee is you can check it out here:

I’m also doing Crossfit which is definitely a challenge for me. Well, I think it is a challenge for everyone that does it and the real challenge is being mentally tough and pushing yourself beyond your limits. Here is a quick video so you can get the idea of the ridiculousness of these workouts:

While personal training pushed me to my limits I don’t think it pushed me like these Crossfit workouts have pushed me. Plus, you are doing the workouts with other people and so there is a community aspect to the workouts.

By the end of 2012 I’d like to look like Alistair Overeem… who by the way defeated Brock Lesnar pretty effortlessly last night in UFC 141.

Big Goals for 2012

1. Reach a Goal weight of 300
2. Pay off all miscellaneous debt
3. Visit Jimmy in Shang Hai
4. Run the 8 Mile at the Turkey Trot

Special-Edition iPad 2

The Real Marriage Tour kicks off this February with 7 tour stops, starting in Corona, California. To celebrate, we’ll be giving away a special-edition, Real Marriage iPad 2 preloaded withPastor Mark’s entire sermon archive, thanks to Logos Bible Software, as well as the following ebooks, courtesy of Vyrso:

Preloaded Books by Mark Driscoll

• Real Marriage
• Doctrine
• Religion Saves
• Disciple
• Death by Love
• Vintage Church
• Vintage Jesus
• Church Leadership
• Who Is God?
• The New Testament
• The Power of Words and the Wonder of God

How To Win

To be entered to win you can fill out the Giveaway form over on the Real Marriage Tour Facebook page  (you’re one-stop shop for all the updates on the RM Tour).

Here’s the best part: you have 7 chances to win, and the more you share, the more chances you’ll have to win. Each winner will be announced the Monday before each event. So, tell your friends on Twitter and Facebook about the contest and the Real Marriage Tour to up your changes for a free iPad 2.

If you haven’t already, make sure to check out the Real Marriage event nearest to you, or visit our Real Marriage Tour page to find out info on times and locations.

Get a Free Autographed Copy of Real Marriage

If you are planning on coming to the conference, round up a group of friends, purchase 10 tickets or more and you’ll receive a free autographed copy of Mark and Grace Driscoll’s book Real Marriage.

How to Get Your Free Book

When buying your group tickets of 10 or more, please enter promo code FREEBOOK at checkout.  When you arrive at the registration desk on the day of your event, just give them your name and your autographed copy will be given to you then.

Your friends all tell you “Don’t get into a rush, you’ll find the ‘Right One’ soon…” but you expected “soon” to have happened years ago and so you have grown impatient and maybe even a little angry. Trust me. I know. At 35 I’m still single. I’ve had a lot of great relationships (and a few not-so-great) but for some reason (God) they never worked out. I tried various dating sites and participated in various singles groups at church, but here I am, still single – just where God wants me.

I think that as I’ve gotten older I’ve learned to appreciate the freedom that being single provides, but more than that, I’ve learned to understand that there can be a joy in the anticipation of waiting. Immediate gratification starts to sour after a while and always getting what we want can really take the fun out of waiting for something great…

This Holiday season is the first year that I have heard of Advent. I’ve been a Christian for 30 years and very active in church and ministry and so how has this wonderful tradition escaped me? While attending The Village Church in Denton they showed us this great video. It is a “must-watch” this Holiday season.

Advent: God With Us from The Village Church on Vimeo.

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait…

I love this video and how it repeatedly says that the Israelites “Waited”. They waited on a Savior, they waited on Jesus. They waited for this Messiah that was going to set them free from the curse of the law. Abraham and Sarah waited. Over and over in the Bible we see people waiting for the Lord and when they wait patiently, there is this great blessing. But what happens when we get impatient? What happened with Abraham, Sarah and Hagar? We try to come up with alternative solutions that circumvent God’s perfect plan for us and in the end it only leaves us miserable and in pain.

So this year I rejoice in knowing that the Lord has something great in store for me whether that is a single life which allows me much more freedom and flexibility or a wife (and kids?) that will allow for more challenges and opportunity to grow. Either way I’m complete in Jesus Christ. This year I’m not looking around for a woman to fill some Holiday void. There are no voids this season. This year I’m focused on Jesus, His birth and His ultimate gift and I wait patiently, but with much anticipation and joy, for his return.

Be blessed this Holiday Season!

-Eddie Renz

Eddie is an avid fan of Lord of the Rings, Adobe Software, Dr. Pepper and Apple products. He is the graphic and web designer for The Hub.

Karaoke will be provided by www.soundandshow.com

I’ve got some ideas brewing in the pot. I’m looking forward to moving forward.