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I know I’m in the minority these days, but I still love to listen to music on vinyl records. The long play (“LP”) record, which was introduced by Columbia in 1948, was pushed to the brink of extinction by the cassette tape, the compact disc (“CD”), and now digital media. Today it is enjoying somewhat of a comeback, but is still little more than a small niche in the overall music industry.
There are two main reasons why I prefer the LP format. First, I love the warm, rich sound that is the hallmark of most vinyl pressings. Music just sounds more authentic on a record. Second, the LP puts the emphasis on listening to the album all the way through from beginning to end. When I listen to a record, I know I’m hearing the album the way the artist originally intended for it to be enjoyed.
This emphasis on the album as a whole has been slowly eroding with each passing generation of music recording technology. The cassette tape allowed for fast-forwarding or rewinding to a particular song on the album. The CD made it possible to “skip” straight to individual songs we wanted to hear. With digital media we can forgo the album altogether and merely purchase the tracks we want, assembling them together in any way our heart desires. The focus on the album is almost non-existent in today’s music culture.
Unfortunately, the same thing can be said regarding the trend of how the “Ancient Record” (i.e. the Word of God) is studied and taught. It used to be common for preachers and teachers to employ “expository” methods in presenting scripture. The aim of expository preaching is to dig deep into the Word of God and attempt to present a section of text in the way the author, and ultimately God’s Holy Spirit, intended for it to be received. This often involves the consideration of context, culture, original language, and other factors. In other words, expository teaching requires a willingness to work hard and dig deep to find the truth contained in God’s Word.
For students in my Wednesday night class on Paul’s letter to the Colossians: Handouts and Notes for Colossians 2:6-15 are now available online. Lord willing we will cover this text tomorrow night at 7pm at Bellevue Church of Christ!
P90X Ate My Lunch!
Week 1 of P90X is in the books, and what a humbling week it was. Not sure how this played into my string of injuries, but my lack of dedication to cross-training became painfully evident last week. This was especially true during the lower-body workouts like Legs & Back, Yoga, and Plyometrics. I couldn’t even do all the leg reps during the Legs & Back workout, which was quite surprising to me. I knew I would struggle with the upper-body stuff, but never dreamed I was in this bad of fitness in my legs.
This is my third time to do P90X, but even my very first time doing Plyometrics was not as difficult as it was last week. I wasn’t wearing a heart rate monitor, but I know it was through the roof. I’ve got LONG way to go.
Taking my initial weight was also quite eye-opening. I’m over 20 lbs heavier than I was for the 2009 Chicago Marathon, which was my first Marathon. This has to change, and I’m getting serious about my diet along with doing the P90X workout.
So….I’ve got my work cut out for me, but I’m determined to get myself back into shape, and ultimately back on the road doing marathons again!
I was putting on a record just as Sara came into the room…
Sara
What record is that daddy?
Me
Are You Experienced?
Sara
No……What record is that daddy?
Me
Are You Experienced?
Sara
No…..What record is that daddy?
Me
Are You Experienced?
Sara
YES! Now, what record is that daddy?
For students in my Wednesday night class on Paul’s letter to the Colossians: Handouts and Notes for Colossians 1:24 – 2:5 are now available online. Lord willing we will cover this text tomorrow night at 7pm at Bellevue Church of Christ!
Baby Steps…
After 2 weeks of doing absolutely no exercise, I finally got off the couch today and headed to the gym. I spent an hour on the elliptical, and then participated in a hour-long “Bodyflow” (i.e. yoga / tai-chi / pilates with music) class with Olivia and Kate.
As I mentioned yesterday, I was fairly apprehensive about doing a group yoga class since I really stink at it. I was also nervous about the possibility of being the only male in the class (which turned out to be the case).
All-in-all it turned out to not be that bad. Though I was a little self-conscious, it was a very challenging workout and showed me several areas where I’m badly out of shape.
Olivia and I are talking about using this class as our weekly yoga workout for P90X, which will be good. It’s much easier to stay motivated with an instructor and a group. Anyway, hope to get started officially on P90X on Monday.