The Wagon

Get me out of my rut, and I don't know what to do; I'm helpless. Well, a trip to Iowa did it, and I am milking it for all it's worth.

I fell off of the exercise wagon. No, that's not right: I swan-dived, I belly-flopped, while in full possession of my rational faculties [actually, I have never been in full possession of those], I leapt off of the exercise wagon [joyfully]. Probably the most rational act I have committed this summer.

Now, if anyone out there has been following the saga of our dalliance with the P90X nut-case exercise routine, please do not be too disappointed. I have been warned by the boss that the clock starts again, exercise, diet, discipline, the whole nine-yards, on MONDAY. Tony, the Chief Inquisitor, walks behind the proverbial wagon, hog-tying escapees and bodily chucking them back onto it, and he is coming for me. So--Monday is the day.

But this is Saturday, so I am taking full advantage: Snickers, Pepsi, apple pie, ice-cream, and other health foods are on my menu--until Monday. Then it's back to tree bark and water.

Two-a-days

Still here, still alive, still doing the P90X. Today for the first time, we did the "bonus round". There was a lot we didn't do; I won't get in to that (there would be alot of that to get in to).

Don't be impressed. If you had bugged our basement, you'd probably think we were dying every morning. And, you wouldn't be alone. We think we are dying every morning.

But that's what you ought to be impressed by: we are still available via an earthly area code; we're not dead yet. Very impressive.

In fact, I am so impressed, I've been thinking about starting a club, called WEGASP. Means, We're Geezers And we're Surviving P90X. Perhaps not one of my better ideas; my own wife insists she's not a member, even though she's down there dying with me every morning.

Anyway, today we started serious two-a-days. The P90X morning death wish in the basement with that madman Tony guy, and then a 5K Boot Camp in the evening. This happens every Tuesday and Thursday.

By the way - just to get this on the record - 'we' means WE, not 'me'. Doris is doing this whole thing, too. Very motivational, though it pains me to admit it. It's hard to wimp out of an exercise routine when your wife is enthusiastically doing all the moves. I, obviously, have too much sense to continue this lunacy if it was left to me. But it wasn't.

The most precious resource

What is your most precious resource? You have only a limited amount of it; it is not renewable; once spent it can not be recovered. You know precisely what you have spent, but you never know how much of it you have remaining. A decision to spend it in one direction is at the same time a decision not to use it in other directions. It can be invested wisely or poorly, it can reap dividends or regrets. What is this resource?

The answer? Time.

Moses wrote what I call the 'time psalm': Psalm 90. He begins by contrasting the eternality of God with mankind's brief and transitory life. Moses uses a metaphor found throughout Scripture: man's life is like the grass which flourishes today, and is gone tomorrow. God's fury expressed at our sin causes our days to decline.

So Moses constructs an eminently sensible prayer: "teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom." Moses prays that God would teach us to value our most precious resource, time. He prays that God's wrath would turn from us, and that we would experience His covenant faithfulness, and that the days of our joy would outweigh the days of our affliction. And lastly he prays that the God Who is from everlasting to everlasting would place His favor on us, and establish, confirm, or make of lasting value the work of our hands.

Time. Neither you, nor I, have any clue as to how much we have left. We know what we have spent so far, but we don't know when our time runs out. In light of our coming appointment at the judgment seat of the everlasting God, Paul the apostle tells us, "We also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent [meaning, dead], to be pleasing to Him" (2 Corinthians 5:9).

That ambition will produce no regrets on the final day.

A Memorial Day Tribute to America

Victor Davis Hanson is a historian and a classicist. He is also one of my favorite writers. You might appreciate his Memorial Day thoughts, which you can find here. It's a short read, but worth your time.

In Memory of an American Hero

Think the weather is bad here in Greenville? Tired of the rain?

Let's take a trip to the USS Belleau Wood, CVL 24, the week of Memorial Day, 1945, which was a week of bad weather, and listen in on the personal diary of Lewis M. Cobb. His job was to fly a Gruman F6F Hellcat whereever he was ordered and come back again, preferably in one piece. And preferably with his airplane, which didn't always happen.

Friday, May 25, 1945, At Sea

            Didn't fly today because of weather, only 4 teams flew. Pixton shot down a Frank and Skipper got a Betty. The expected air attack took place today but because of weather it didn't bother us much. I think many Jap planes were shot down around Okinawa.

Saturday, May 26, 1945, At Sea

            Off the deck at 5 AM for one of the most harrowing hops I've ever had. It was black and rainy with ceiling from 0-100 ft. Before we were launched the Hornet squadron commander, who was airborne, told them not to launch anymore planes because of terrible weather. We were launched on instruments and climbed to 4,000 ft before breaking out. Soon after the order came to land and we let down and landed. There were 2 mid-air collisions and 2 planes that spun in. Upwards of 150 planes jettisoned bombs and rockets in the drink, what a farce!

Sunday, May 27, 1945, At Sea

            Refueled today, did not have to fly. Rec'd 15 letters, 4 of them from Helen. I'm afraid she will be in for a disappointment because I don't see relief in sight for us yet. Guess its back to Okinawa for more support missions tomorrow. A jap plane landed wheels up on Yontan and 21 japs jumped out and blew up many planes and aviation gas before they were shot. Guess thats the reason we aren't going to Leyte on schedule.

Monday, May 28, 1945, At Sea

            Did not fly today because of weather. One hop got up. As of midnight last night we became the 3^rd fleet. Halsey has taken over though the change in command is not complete yet. Believe we will go into port for that. We are now Task Group 38.1. That really will ream us if we don't get relieved before he runs amuk.

Tuesday, May 29, 1945, At Sea

            Flew a 4 hr TCAP this AM over Okinawa, weather was better but no business.

Wednesday, May 30, 1945, At Sea

            Bad weather, no flights today. Refuel tomorrow.

Thursday, May 31, 1945,  At Sea

            Refueled today so I spent a peaceful day in the sack. Was surprised to get 4 letters, didn't expect any today. Weather pretty bad.

Good weather was an opportunity to fly sorties, complete with a good chance of getting your plane shot out from under you, or worse.

Bad weather was a chance to get some rest, or, unfortunately, an opportunity for your CAG [Carrier Air Group commander] send you up, but be unable to get you back down.

The amazing thing is that those men put their lives on the line every day, good weather or bad, and then got up the next day and did it all over again, until the war was over and the Axis was defeated.

My dad was one of those men, and was decorated numerous times for exploits of courage. He survived getting shot down, survived landing Hellcats so shot-up that they flipped upside down into the barrier, survived the war, and ultimately survived a distinguished career in the navy, retiring as a full Commander in 1966. By this time he had served in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.

He went on to enter Virginia Theological Seminary, and had a distinguished second career serving the Episcopal Church, retiring once again in 1988.

My brother, Lewis M. Cobb, Jr., has a good turn of phrase. In Louie's words, Dad experienced his final pre-dawn launch at around 5 AM, February 21. [Correction: it was actually my sister Georgia who first said that - she loved the imagery it connotes.]

This picture of the Commander and his bride of 66 years, my mom, was taken this past fall at the wedding of their grandson, Louie's son, Jake. Dad had not worn his uniform in years. Still looked good on him.

Miss you, dad. Remembering you on this Memorial Day. In my book, you're an American hero.

Brief Review of The Gospel according to Jesus, revised edition

MacArthur, John. The Gospel According to Jesus. revised ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008.

Why, you might ask, are you reviewing a book first published over 20 years ago (1988)? Good question. First, because I just finished it (I guess you can see how far behind I am in my reading). Second, because this is a significant book that should not be buried by anything as inconsequential as the mere passage of time. So I suppose that I am hoping to put it on your radar. Third, it remains a critical topic for the church today, perhaps even more so now than 20 years ago. At BFC, Pastor Robb and I have been hammering away for years at the false security of many who claim Christ but do not manifest the life-change that always accompanies regeneration.

This is a crucially important book. John MacArthur deals with the Lordship-salvation controversy in a thorough, convincing way.  He begins by examining modern manifestations of the gospel, and finds them inadequate. Specific examples are given, most of which involve reducing a confession of Christ to little more than intellectual assent to the facts of the gospel and the verbalization of it. In this deficient gospel, consecration to Christ’s Lordship is seen as a secondary decision sometimes far removed, chronologically, from the initial confession of faith. “Carnal Christian” is viewed as a state in which one might live, not a passing failure brought on by momentary stumbling.

MacArthur tours the gospels, demonstrating that the call of Christ is always a call to discipleship and commitment. This is illustrated through the encounters Jesus had with seeking sinners, the parables, and Jesus’ own theological statements as to the nature of salvation. MacArthur employs his characteristic skill as a careful expositor in these chapters.

In the appendices, the author marshals plenty of evidence to show that the response of faith manifested by life-change-and-commitment is the same response to the gospel that the apostles demanded (as evidenced by the epistles), as well as the response that the true church has always required as a manifestation of saving faith.

The book is easily accessible to anyone with a high-school education, and is, in my opinion, irrefutable. At critical turns in his presentation, MacArthur uses quotes from his opponents (usually Zane Hodges, Charles Ryrie, or Lewis Sperry Chafer) to illustrate the positions of those who disagree with the Lordship-salvation position (a term the author does not even like, but uses because it has become the main label for this particular debate). This is a critical book for all those wishing to evangelize in a manner faithful to Scripture, and for those who are fighting for the purity and holiness of the church.

BFC'ers: we have this in the library for loan. You can always ask the BFC bookstore to order you a copy for purchase. I encourage you to get it and read it.

I just know I'm going to regret this. . .

By popular demand [on this blog, that means three family members],

 I present. . .

The Dr.Seuss workout shorts

Quick P90X Update

Still with the program. That in itself is a major victory. Yesterday was core synergistics, today was cardio. Avoided blowing out my leg today; was able to reproduce the forms and moves much better and perform the workout more continuously. Can already see some improvements. Very encouraged.

Don't try this at home. . . .

Or at church, or seminary, or in the library, or in your study, or in your secret heart of hearts. Because you will fail.

What I am referring to is the lamentable tempation to set dates for the Lord's return. It is a really bad idea, especially since Jesus says in Matthew 24:36 that you can't do it.

So someone decided that they had it figured out. Note the date of this post: it is May 22. Are you still here? Because yesterday was supposed to be a bible-guaranteed judgment day. You realize, I could be posting this from heaven. Maybe you got left behind.

Relax, I am posting this from Panera Bread in Cincinnatti, which is about as far removed from heaven as you can get, this side of Sheol.

Take a gander at this screeprint from my browser - did it just a minute ago, wanted to catch it before their poor webmaster takes it down. Notice my very artistic red circles.

Here is a closeup of the big red circle:

And a closeup of the little red circle. Please believe me when I say that I have not monkeyed with the date:

5/22/2011. Okay, so the countdown clock ran down and the judgment fizzled. The more jaded side of my nature looks forward to the explanation that will have to be posted as to what went wrong. The better side of my nature is heart-broken, and here is why.

We live in a secular culture which has sold its soul for a mess of rationalistic, materialistic [nuance warning: speaking of philosophy here, not greed] pottage. Our neighbors reject the spiritual when it comes to talking about the personal God Who is, who has objective existence, who transcendently exists outside of and separate from all aspects of creation; I am referring to an active, living, thinking, choosing (and judging) personal God. And yet our culture delights in the paranormal, horoscopes, wicca, mother nature, gaia, and other non-theistic spiritualism. America is very picky as to what requires "scientific evidence" for its justification (such as the existence of the true God) and what does not (such as your latest flavor--and there are many--of humanistic spirituality).

By putting such a silly prediction on the front page, and then having it be so wrong (as it must be, because of Christ's statement in Matt 24:36), they make it appear to a secular, skeptical public as though the Bible, and biblical truth has failed.

The purveyors of the "Judgment Day" calculation claptrap above have trivialized and rendered liable to ridicule what is actually a traumatic and dangerous truth: Christ is going to return, personally, visibly, really, in judgment and every knee will bow to His sovereign majesty. We just have no idea when His return will take place; and we were told it would be at a time when we think not (Matt 24:44).

When believers chase ridiculous rabbit trails, they discredit the gospel and make it very difficult to have a serious discussion with a skeptic about the gospel.

Thank you, Family Radio.

Outlander Chronicles: Phoenix - Introduction and Pitch

[5/21/2011 - I have resolved my display problems, and so am reposting this. Note that this post contains only the pitch. Chapter one appears in a separate post. Sorry about the foul-up.]

This is my second novel, and like my first, it remains unpublished. I am working on my final major re-write of Phoenix. At some point maybe I will share what I have learned about re-writing, but that's not for this post.  Joshua, my son, convinced me to do the rewrite and provided me with some good reasons to do so, as well as a few fresh ideas to try. Based on his critique, as well as several others, I felt like the story could be improved. Other than the fact that I am doing a re-write, Phoenix is finished and the complete tale has been read by probably ten to fifteen people. It weighs in at about 100,000 words, an appropriate word-count for a small-to-average sized novel.

What appears in the at the end of this post is called the pitch. It is used to entice literary agents to look further into the story--hopefully to request a full manuscript. If, after reading the manuscript, the agent believes the tale is one he can sell at a profit to a traditional publisher, he will represent the writer to various publishing houses. The agent does much of the work that writers used to have to do for a small slice of the eventual profit.

The pitch is designed to hook the reader. A well-written pitch is going to appear on the dust jacket of the published novel. If, after reading the pitch, you decide you'd like to have a go at reading the finished first chapter, you can find a link to chapter one at the bottom of thi post.
Several things to keep in mind:

• You are welcome to leave comments (please do), but unless someone finds a huge flaw, I won't be revisiting this chapter.
• I have chosen to write in an omniscient narrator's point of view (POV). Many don't like this POV; I do, and I don't plan on changing it.
• Those who have read the story know that it has numerous surprizing twists. Please do not leave any spoilers in your comments.
• The setting of the story is meant to be mysterious. In the original version, I revealed very slowly, through the words of Hakim, what had transpired to bring the world of the story into its present state of destruction. Based on critique I received, you are learning a lot more about this world much earlier in the story. I am still not convinced that is the best way to go, but it is one point I have conceded. The pitch itself lets the cat out of the bag. Somewhat, anyway.
• Before writing this story, I wrote a ten-page single-spaced timeline that begins in 2012 and goes to the date of the beginning of the tale (2120). The timeline constructs a detailed series of global events that changed the world as we know it, leading to the setting of Phoenix. After reading my timeline, Laurielle (the viola-playing marathoner - my youngest) recommended that I turn the timeline into a novel. If Phoenix ever goes anywhere, I will.

Here goes. . . .

Jacen Chester is living in a world where the unthinkable has happened. Eighty years prior, the use of biological weapons had resulted in a pandemic of hemorrhagic smallpox. Only the naturally-immune survived. The global population leveled out at a mere eight million. The situation has not improved.

Jacen's collapsing world is hemmed in by death. His mother is dead; his friends are dead; and now he must bury his father. As Jacen grieves, he realizes mere survival is no longer a cause large enough to sustain him. Out of the ashes of the old civilization he determines to found a new one. This is the premise of the Outlander Chronicles: Phoenix.

The young man encounters a wanderer with a mysterious past, named Hakim, who begins to teach him the arts of self-defense and leadership, and the history of the recent global disaster. Together they gather a small group of people who sign on to Jacen's vision of the future. The entire project is continuously threatened from within by Jacen and Hakim’s own sharp differences, and from without by ruthless groups who have chosen slavery or anarchy as the model for the future. The characters grapple with ultimate issues in a world where the margin of survival is too slender to permit mistakes. Catastrophe strikes the growing community, putting everything Jacen has learned to the test.

5/3/2012 - Outlander Chronicles: Phoenix has been published.