dan_williams

New phase of life & ministry

Last day  with our Grace AG family, the Williams boys, and our introduction to B'hamton church...

Soldier quote about battle from "Band of Brothers"

Ronald Spiers: You've got some nervous privates in your company.

Pvt. Albert Blithe: We do, sir. We do.

Ronald Spiers: They just don't see how simple it is.

Pvt. Albert Blithe: Simple, what is, sir?

Ronald Spiers: You just do what you have to do.

Pvt. Albert Blithe: Like you did on D-day, sir? Lieutenant, sir, when I landed on D-day, I found myself on a ditch all by myself. I fell asleep. I think it was airsickness. When I woke up, I didn't really try to find my unit to fight. I just kinda stayed put.

Ronald Spiers: You know why you hid in that ditch, Blithe?

Pvt. Albert Blithe: Scared.

Ronald Spiers: We're all scared. You hid in that ditch because you think there's still hope. But Blithe, the only hope you have is to accept the fact that you're already dead. And the sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll be able to function as a soldier is supposed to function. Without mercy. Without compassion. Without remorse. All war depends upon it.

Wow. Couldn't say THIS any better.

"Characteristics of Influential People"
Tim Elmore / www.GrowingLeaders.com

In their fascinating book The Influentials, Ed Keller and Jon Berry document the type of person who carries great influence in America. Their research says that one in ten people pretty much tell the others where to eat, how to vote and what to buy. They are the people that others listen to, watch, and follow their lead. Keller and Berry call these folks “the influentials.” While I was intrigued by much of their research, I was especially drawn to the conclusions about what qualified a person as an “influential.” What is the make up and personality of an “influential”? According to nationwide Roper research, the following qualities sum up these influential persons.

1. They are able to sort out and define what matters.
These influentials can sift through all the noise and clutter and determine what’s important. Then, they follow through on what they believe are the top priorities. They don’t get lost in the mundane.

2. They are more optimistic than the average person.
Influential people believe the future is bright and consequently, they plan to engage in it. Their dreams are bigger than their memories, and they live with the hope of an amazing 21st century.

3. They are selective and discriminating in their choices.
People listen to these influentials because they scrutinize their decisions, skeptical of empty promises in the media. They’re not Pollyannas. They’re discerning as they plan what to do or buy.

4. They are authentic; they don’t just follow the norm but think for themselves.
These “influentials” don’t merely follow he crowd. They carve out a life that suits their identity and aren’t afraid to live a life that is a bit different than mainstream society.

5. They are good listeners and are very teachable.
According to research, these influentials list good listening skills as a high goal for themselves, especially if they’re in leadership positions. Although they know a lot, they listen to learn more.

6. They believe in God and are active in serving their communities.
More than the average person, influentials believe in God and claim to have a relationship with Him. Consequently, they are active in serving voluntarily in their communities and churches.

7. They value education and believe it is key to the future.
These influential folks place a high value on education. Most of them are college educated and want the same for their children. They believe it is key to the “good life” and realizing dreams.

8. They demand a job that is interesting, enjoyable and contributes to society.
They want a job that’s defined by three criteria: interesting to perform, enjoyable to them and one that benefits or adds value to society at large. Work must benefit others not just generate a profit.

9. They are visionaries, and keepers of society’s high ideals.
They possess a vision of tomorrow and it helps them maintain hope. They tend to dream and hold fast to society’s highest ideals and values. People lean on them to remind others of the big picture.

10. They feel they're responsible to their communities and the world around them.
This was interesting. Far and away, these influentials are most likely to feel responsible to their communities. They cannot just “live and let live.” They believe they are accountable to others.

11. They define success as loving and be loved by their family.
Along with their spiritual beliefs, they define success not with money, but as loving their spouse and kids. They want to “win at home” before trying to accomplish something on the job.

12. They believe in growth and change.
Finally, these influentials are predisposed to growth and they welcome change. They are the first to adapt and change in order to grow. They are into progress and improvement.

Let me ask you the obvious question. As a leader—do you possess these qualities? These are not necessarily the characteristics that make a person highly influential, but the vast majority of the most influential citizens of our country carry these virtues. It can’t be just a coincidence. I believe they explain part of the reason others listen to them. 

Latest shots of home...

Mildly ironic, kinda'.

I read this while sipping one of my very favorite beverages...Dr Pepper: Diet Cherry Vanilla (kinda' like the now extinct Red Fusion from early 2000's  ! )

Diet sodas and juices
In an attempt to become thought of as healthier, soda companies have diversified into non-carbonated beverages and diet sodas. While these are an improvement in some ways, they are hardly a solution to the problem.

First off, most juices and other caloric non-soda alternatives are mainly just sugar and water without the carbonation. A quick label comparison between a commercial orange juice and a Mountain Dew would show a similar "bottom line" with regards to calories and sugar. The only improvement would be the lack of the non-caloric offenders.

But that's no small matter, as the true effects of these ingredients have not been thoroughly studied. Despite their no-calorie status, diet sodas have been linked to assorted illnesses. There is no good science on this yet but my own anecdotal evidence is, so far, 100% accurate. I've yet to have a client not lose weight by kicking diet soda. Granted, all of my clients drank an excessive amount, but regardless, there is little doubt that the pH balance of diet sodas hinders the body's ability to absorb nutrients. One client, a female athlete, lost 15 pounds by making no other dietary change but eliminating diet soda. Fifteen pounds and zero caloriesâ€more weird science. The bottom line to all this is that, for best results, your body would be happier if you cut most of the calories out of your liquids and cut out soft drinks €”caloric or not altogether.

Also -- this may just save my life: TEA!  This drink seems to have been created for me personally!  A natural anticdote for IBS, GI trouble, congestion, allergies & stress ?  Hey!  Stay out of my journal!

Peppermint Tea. It freshens your breath, and it can also freshen your gastrointestinal tract. Peppermint can be used to ease symptoms related to irritable bowel syndrome, may help dissolve gallstones, and help with congestion, allergies, and stress.

http://www.beachbody.com/jump.jsp?itemID=604&itemType=NEWSLETTER_ISSUES

Feeling fit changes everything

During my most recent fitness campaign I came across one of the most helpful articles I've read .  Helpful for anyone at any level of fitness.  For me, "knowing better" is half the battle in making better choices.  This article is eye opening for sure.

Just Eat This: 5 Rules for a Healthy Diet

By Steve Edwards

"Can't you just tell me exactly what I'm supposed to eat?" is a question I'm often asked. Today, we'll look at the answer that, incidentally, is "no." It's a good thing that there isn't one perfect diet because we don't all like the same foods. The world would be a pretty boring place if we did. It also means that you have many choices when it comes to eating healthy, so why is it so hard?

Eating well, for most of us, requires eliminating junk from our diets. Therefore, it's easier to tell you what not to eat. But based on the questions I receive, that's leaving you too much leeway. Since I can't tell each of you exactly what you individually should eat, let's have a look at what I eat, why I eat this way, and how you can alter my diet to suit your personality and lifestyle.

There are a few rules to achieving a healthy diet. These will give you a far greater understanding of why I do what I do. So let's look at them first.

Rule 1:   We should not all eat the same diet.

Humans are all different, even if it's only slightly. So when it comes to diet we cannot expect that foods will all work exactly the same for us. This is in contrast to what the myriad of diet books you can choose from will tell you. Most of those want us to think that there's only one way—theirs, incidentally—to transform and keep your body healthy. Of course, if this were true there'd only be one book to buy. So, just the fact that there have been hundreds of best-selling diet books is the best argument that there are many different healthy ways to eat.

There are many other scientific reasons for this as well. Some are proven, like allergies. Some are more speculative, like eating for your blood type, but all have some anecdotal evidence that they work, which is all the validation we need.

Dairy products are the best example to illuminate this point. There is plenty of science showing both pros and cons to consuming them. But regardless of what science tells us, some people do well eating dairy and others do not. When a food allergy is suspected, eliminating dairy is the first step most nutritionists recommend trying. It often yields great results, but not always. This makes dairy a food group that some of us can eat and others cannot.

Similar examples can be found within any food group. What it comes down to is that, no matter how you want to eat, you're going to need to evaluate your diet and see how it's working for you. This requires some trial and error. While that probably sounds daunting, read on and you'll see that it's not. By cleaning up your diet and eating for what you are doing, it becomes fairly easy to identify foods that agree with you and those that don't.

Rule 2: Eat for what you are going to be doing.

You've probably heard this before, especially if you're a longtime Beachbody member. Similar to not putting gas in your car when it isn't going anywhere, your body doesn't have the same nutrient requirements when you're sitting as when you're moving. Since it's simple to understand that you burn more calories attempting an Ironman than watching Oprah, it shouldn't be a stretch to understand that you have different nutrient requirements on different days.

Furthermore, most of us have different periods in our life where we not only do things differently on a daily basis, but have different goals. Some common goals, where diet and lifestyle are concerned, are:

• to lose weight
• to gain fitness (regardless of weight)
• to maintain weight
• to train for an upcoming event

For each of those objectives you will want to eat differently. We will discuss all of them.

Rule 3: There are things you shouldn't eat.

Or, at a minimum, that should never be in your kitchen. These are items that, somehow, have made it onto our daily menus that we could easily live without and, at least, should be treated as desserts, anomalies, rewards, or emergency rations. For a more complete list, visit your local 7-Eleven. Let's look at the major offenders.

• Soda. How soda has made it into our daily lives is a testament to marketing. It's a dessert, at best, and when consumed daily makes it nearly impossible to have a balanced diet. If you'd like more info, read The Worst Food on the Planet.
• High fructose corn syrup. It's not just for dessert anymore. HFCS is now found in bread, salad dressing, and probably 80% of the stuff at most convenience stores. It's not just that it's bad for you; it's also an indication that a food item is made using the lowest-quality ingredients possible. A 15-second label check can protect you.
• Trans fats. These man-made fats help foods sit on shelves longer but serve no nutritional purpose for you. They do, however, have a terrible downside. Fortunately, they're on the dangerous food radar and now much easier to detect.
• Alcohol. Again, it's not so bad in moderation but as a daily accoutrement to your diet you're adding a lot of calories and very little food value. While I'll be the first to extol its merits as a reward, it has no true place in your daily diet. This will also help to understand which alcoholic beverages are better than others.
• Splenda, aspartame, and Sweet n' Low. Calories aren't the only thing to worry about. These sweeteners have been proven safe enough to not kill you but have no place as a regular part of your diet. They also can lead to an enhanced sweet tooth, something that won't make your fitness goals easier to achieve. Here are a few options and why you'll want to avoid them.

Rule 4: You don't have to be perfect.

Or even close to it. In fact, there are times when you should relax and let yourself eat whatever you want. I can even come up with a scenario where junk food is what you want to be eating. But we'll get to that later.

Your body is very resilient. Your mind, however, can be the opposite. A constant client excuse is to quit a program due to some type of misstep that they've stigmatized as "I've blown it." That's not how it works. As long as the big picture is better than what it was before, you'll be making progress. One bad meal, day, week, even month doesn't matter. All that matters is that you're moving in the right direction. As long as you're doing better than you were before, you'll feel and look better than you did before. And the fitter you become, the more your body programs itself to toss out those bad days. Translation: the more fit you are the more you can cheat. It's one of the best examples of being rewarded for your work in the natural world.

Rule 5: If it's processed, don't eat it (well, sort of).

 

Your diet should consist of as much whole food as you can fit into it. This means vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and meats that have been processed as little as possible. If your diet consists mainly of these foods then you're on the right track. Whole foods are also more regulating than processed foods. Eating them causes your body to respond in a natural way. It's pretty much exactly the opposite of what happens with soda and candy.

But you don't have to avoid all processed foods. As we learn to read ingredients and understand what types of nutrients our body needs we'll see that not all processed foods are evil. Look for processed foods with whole food ingredients. An easy guide to processing is the fiber content on the label. The more processed something is, the less fiber it usually contains. And fiber is your friend.

So let's get to my diet. I'm what is called a periodizational dieter. Meaning that I eat differently for what I'm doing throughout the year. Generally, I'm maintaining, but that changes as soon as I target an event to compete in, which is similar to you beginning a new Beachbody program. So over the next few months, I'll be providing examples of my daily diet for different sets of circumstances. Stay tuned!

 

The call to preach should come with some talent , or something...

FROM MY YOUTH MINISTRY WEBLOG:
Here's a reasonable question to consider:
*Miss a Weekly Remnant meeting due to a busy schedule?
*Hungry to review your study notes from Wednesday's message?
*Want to prove to your family & friends you really DO go to church every Wednesday...by CHOICE?
*Want to hear Pastor Dan's verbal snafu over & over? (like when he smashed "people everywhere" into the brand new & very zesty word "peepers")

Download these mp3's into your Music Folder and Sync it in a Media Device:

(to download file: Right-Click link & choose SAVE LINK AS, name file , click save//ok)

(to listen in your browser just click on link)

Download WhoIsJesus1_AbsoluteTruth.mp3 (8722.9K)

Download WhoIsJesus2_TheNativityGift.mp3 (25620.8K)

Download WhoIsJesus3_OurScapegoat.mp3 (21717.0K)

Download WhoIsJesus5_Colossians1Review.mp3 (6813.4K)

Download WhoIsJesus6_MyAnchor.mp3 (13020.8K)

Download these mp3's into your Music Folder and Sync it in a Media Device:

(to download file: Right-Click link & choose SAVE LINK AS, name file , click save//ok)

(to listen in your browser just click on link)

Download WhoIsJesus1_AbsoluteTruth.mp3 (8722.9K)

Download WhoIsJesus2_TheNativityGift.mp3 (25620.8K)

Download WhoIsJesus3_OurScapegoat.mp3 (21717.0K)

Download WhoIsJesus5_Colossians1Review.mp3 (6813.4K)

Download WhoIsJesus6_MyAnchor.mp3 (13020.8K)

Heads Up! Here's my next phone!

See the future of Dan Williams' gadget life!
Apple's iPhone

Thank you to Apple & Cingular for bringing needed new year-i'm-getting-older-relief and device harmony to my world!

5 Steps to Being More Photogenic | Clipmarks

Are you also, like me, unhappy with the way the camera lens insists on incorrectly portraying you're stunning good looks for all to see?  Here's a shortcut on how to pump up the way the world sees your beauty.  Now they can see you the way you see you- here is undoubtedly one of my favorite photography "how to" articles on one of my favorite Web sites!
Link: 5 Steps to Being More Photogenic | Clipmarks.

New post, please...

I can hardly bear to dwell on the truth behind this mostly undisciplined delay in posting on my own weblog.  There must be an adequate reason , right?  I mean a decent explanation as to why I don't spend at least 30 minutes a week "bloggin' " ?  In an ongoing effort to be transparent and risk-free at the same time, here's some of my more frequently entertained excuses I tell myself (followed by a parenthesis that will identify how often that excuse allows me to write):

1.  ..."everyone's blogging now, don't be just another mindless blogger -- write later, when you've got something important to say" (never)
2.  ..."you're a leader, only make entries that achieve influence purposes so you don't end up waisting time & consequently sabatoge your own time-sensitive purpose & calling"   (never)
3.  ..."blogging is the most subtle form of arrogence & self-flattery, stop the weblog right away.  Stop the indulgence, you jerk. No one WANTS to read your pontification (or something)!  No one DOES read your stuff...and seriously, would the humble Jesus blog his own life? You're like Jesus, champ!-- so stop bloggin' ! " (never)

4.  ..."only gay men blog, don't SEEM gay." (never)

Isn't it obvious?  How could one "post" in good conscience in light of those above revelations? 

Oh. 

And... 

I'm lazy too.

When you mix a little busy into the pot of lazy and let it simmer for the weekend, you can pull off the cover and expect your eyes to see the the same goo every time -- stale, foamy, bland and room temperature blog entries.

Yuk.

PS_ Has anyone read John, chapter 6?  Why would Jesus purposely drive followers away?  Courage to tell the Truth, dependence on the Holy Spirit to keep the authentic followers, an insatiable appetite for authenticity.

I like Jesus.