Posting daily at 1pm central about all kinds of things. One day it's dating, the next it's TV commercials. I hope you're entertained. Professional photos on SmugMug – https://benwilder.smugmug.com
John Roberts performed an original song for Maggie Dunn, a friend of his who passed away. Sheesh. He might have strummed his way to the top 5 with this one. Check out a more detailed recap of the Easter episode here. Here’s the wonderful and wonderfully traditional-sounding song… then scroll down for the lyrics.
No words can describe how I truly feel. But I hope these will try. It’s a feeling that I can’t explain. Deep and endless, like the sky.
And though we may not know the reason, it’s not for us to understand. Lord, won’t you tell that angel I love her as soon as you can.
Because sure the sun will come up but it won’t shine on her skin. And I’d give anything I have to talk to her again.
Sure, the sun will come up but it won’t shine on her skin. And I’d give anything I have to talk to her again.
Each tear that falls on my guitar is a hug from afar. Tell that angel I love her.
Every year for the past however many years, I’ve participated in “Jesus, the Risen 1K” which, based on my own amateur research, is how far Peter (and Mary, John, and others I’m sure) ran to the tomb of Jesus when he (they) were told Jesus was no longer in the tomb. Can you imagine that plot twist?
I really like imaging myself in that situation. The people who were devastated by the death of Jesus, mourning and confused for a handful of days, then all of a sudden everything changed. I’m sure that was a moment that lived in their memory for the rest of their lives.
“Hey, remember when Mary came running up and told us Jesus’s body was gone? That was wild.”
A moment in history that literally means so much in the Christian faith (see how I’m less dramatic than I was in yesterday’s post!?). So on Easter Sunday, I put my running shoes on, along with my Garmin watch, and run approximately 1.2 km, or about 0.75 of a mile. That distance still makes sense to me for the time in which all of this happened. There weren’t cars, bikes, etc., so I believe most of the things that happened were in a short walkable distance… or in this case runnable.
As a man of Christian faith, Good Friday means everything!! But also, Easter Sunday means everything!! But also, Christmas means everything!! Can you tell I’m a little dramatic? I guess it’s probably more accurate to say that each of these foundational moments in the Christian faith are so, so, so important. Without Good Friday, are our sins covered by Jesus? Without him rising three days later, do we have access to eternal life with God? Without his birth (Christmas), what even are we talking about??
The life of Jesus is very interesting and I dare even call it fascinating. He was an outcast, a friend of lowly people, yet he had no reservations about speaking boldly to the rich, elite, spiritual leaders, government officials, people in circles he wasn’t running in. And even with that kind of charisma, he still was humbly serving those around him, people in need of just something simple like relief from the obstacles of life.
I love him.
This week means everything!! Dang it, there I go again. Today is Saturday, the day between mourning Jesus’s death (Friday) and then Sunday rejoicing his unfathomable act of coming back to life with no secret outside help at all. Remember when Peter ran to the tomb (about 1 kilometer, I think) to see for himself what his friends said happened? How can all of that be anything but divine (not that Peter ran almost a mile with a robe on, although I wear a bathrobe in the morning and that seems like a pretty obvious impediment)? But back to the reason Peter went to the tomb… Jesus. Divine. Especially considering everything else he said and did that we know about. It must be true that Jesus was/is either a liar, lunatic, or Lord. There are no other choices. Psalm 22, “…all who go down to the dust will kneel before him– those who cannot keep themselves alive.” That’s either the biggest lie, the words of a crazy author (King David), or it’s true. It’s also pretty clever (good writing, your majesty!) but what choice am I making today? What choice will you make? There’s a lot at stake!
Because of his radical love, grace, forgiveness, patience, not to mention that his death covered my sins and in all the ways finished the punishment I (and we) deserve, I’ll kneel now before I go down to the dust. Am I doing everything perfectly? Ummm, did you read my post from Wednesday? 👀
Yeah, go back and read that sometime if you need a reason to feel good about your situation. Gee wiz I suck sometimes! OK OK, I’ll try to be less dramatic. I love in the Bible where it says “consider Jesus.” That’s all God’s ever really asked. Just think about what his life and death and resurrection could mean for us. I’m really starting to think it means… everything!!
It’s not porridge that Goldilocks wants, it’s power. But that’s not the only twist on the well-known story of Goldilocks and the three bears. In this interpretation, Goldilocks is a man!
The golden locks in this instance belong to actor Glen Powell, who seems to be in all the movies lately. I recently watched Twister 2 and I didn’t hate it. Here’s the adventurous twist on the classic Goldilocks story, featuring Glen, a couple of kids, and a family of bears (who *might* be cocaine bears, by the looks of it… a reference to that wild movie, one of the few Glen Powell isn’t in!).
This ad is perfectly suited as a Super Bowl commercial. It’s fun, memorable, and it’s a good reminder that maybe, just maybe, Super Bowl-worthy commercials are still filling slots during the, *cough, cough* Super Bowl.
Yesterday was the most raw confession I’ve ever written about. If you read it (here), you can probably guess that the wide range of emotions I’ve felt in the last few days are still very present. And sometimes we just need a break from all of that, don’t we? Part of my break, a distraction if you will, was to get in some laps this morning. So on a lighter note, here’s how it went at the community pool today…
I arrived. I put on my tight pants. Swim cap on. Goggles down. Nose clip secured. And yes, I wear a nose clip (here’s why)! I slithered into the pool as calmly as possible because even though it’s temper-controlled, there’s always that initial chill. George Costanza was right, and that’s all I’m gonna say about that.
So why do I swim when I’m not fast? Well, because I’m not fast. How am I supposed to be a better triathlete if I swim like a manatee?? Actually, side note: Did you know one reason alligators don’t prey on manatees is because manatees are fast in the water? That’s not something we discuss enough, I think. So maybe I’m more like floating debris. But I’m working on it because I have a triathlon coming up next weekend. Funny that as the weather temp goes up, so does my training. Isn’t it easier to do things outside when it’s not frickin’ cold!? The last time I swam in cold water it took a few hours to stop shaking. I guess that’s why I’m a big fan of hotness whether I’m swimming, biking, or running. Give me all the sweat!
The swim went good this morning, 1200 yds in two intervals (2×600) and even though my Tyr swim jammers are as tight as they should be– I can’t fathom how men… or women for that matter… are confident enough in public to wear speedos or bikinis when another human being can witness it– where was I going with this run-on sentence?? Oh yes, even with the “tight pants” on, it was good to get into the pool and burn some energy.
Plus, at the pool I randomly (or was it a divine thing?) saw a couple of guys I know, one from triathlons. I’ve been really happy to connect with him since he’s new and the race coming up next weekend is his first! Very cool. The other guy, I had chatted with at the pool once back in 2024 and the convo quickly turned into such great spiritual encouragement to me. Haven’t seen him since then but it’s not a coincidence that I saw him today. A little God moment just for me.
Also, no-one seemed taken aback by my pants and their level of tightness. I’m calling that a win.
Out of the Wilderness 