"Born to be Wild"....or Mild?

"Get your motor runnin' Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure
And whatever comes our way
Yeah Darlin' go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space

I like smoke and lightning
Heavy metal thunder
Racin' with the wind
And the feelin' that I'm under
Yeah Darlin' go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space

Like a true nature's child
We were born, born to be wild
We can climb so high
I never wanna die

Born to be wild
Born to be wild"

Bought my first motorcyle last week. Suzuki Boulevard M50.
Sweet machine. I have wanted a bike for a long time and last week I was at
just the right place and just the right time for it to happen.


I went riding with my buddy Bob on last Tuesday. "We are going to
take it easy and stick to low traffic, back country roads", he said.
I really liked those words. "Easy". "Low traffic". The first
thirty minutes were both exciting and nerve racking. This was my first
real ride on a street bike. We were riding some very easy, low
traffic, back country roads. Then 5:30 came. 5:30 PM. If you
are familiar with southern Wake County, 5:30 PM, think of the
following roads: Ten-Ten Road, Old Stage Road, Highway 401. Do they
embody the words, "easy", "low traffic", "back country"?


Four hours later when we pulled back into my driveway I couldn't stop
smiling. We made it! I had survived to ride another day. It
was all I had imagined and more.


Thinking back to when we traversed the highways with 4 million other
people that day this song comes to mind. Head out on the highway, looking
for adventure, heavy metal thunder, racin with the wind...Born to be wild!
If I had bought this bike 10 years earlier I might have been born to be
wild. But now, at 39, with a wife and two beautiful daughters, I
think I'll stick to the easy, low traffic, back country roads. I was
probably born to be mild.

The Shack

I just finished reading "The Shack" by William P. Young. Wow. This was really an amazing book. I have heard a lot of people discuss it, both positively and negatively. I loved it from cover to cover and highly recommend you read it for yourself. I am not really going to discuss the book in this post, but rather quote a passage from the book. The church I pastor in Raleigh is called The Revolution. The main character in the book is Mack and the book states he is hoping for a revolution, "...one of love and kindness -- a revolution that revolves around Jesus and what he did for us all and what he continues to do in anyone who has a hunger for reconciliation and a place to call home. This is not a revolution that will overthrow anything, or if it does, it will do so in ways we could never contrive in advance. Instead it will be the quiet daily powers of dying and serving and loving and laughing, of simple tenderness and unseen kindness, because if anything matters, then everything matters." That's what I want in my life. A revolution. That's what I want for my city. A Revolution. Great quote. Great book. Give it a read. I know you will enjoy it.

Fat Boy returns....

Wow, I am now four weeks into my "new" lifestyle. I have been doing pretty good with the new eating habits and have actually enjoyed working out. My weight has flucuated but at one point last week I was actually down 10 lbs!

Then came Friday....

I went to Mama's house. Everytime I go home it happens. Food, food, food. It seems the favorite Penry Pastime is eating. Everytime I turned around I was eating. Hot dogs, sushi, potato chips, cookies, real soda, waffles, and about anything else you can imagine. It was fun for a season but no more. Fat boy returned, but he was not welcomed. A new day has dawned and I am looking forward to the gym this afternoon. 8 weeks to go.

Confessions of a Pastor - Part 1

I am currently reading Confessions Of A Pastor, by Craig Groeschel. Honestly, I am not a big reader, especially of books sans photos, but this one really caught my attention. It was probably the photo and caption on the cover of a pastor saying "I can stand a lot of Christians...".

Craig writes in chapter one about disliking some Christians because, "...they can be so darned judgmental. The act holier-than-thou, and they can be incredibly condescending. They'll fight and argue about the dumbest things.....These 'church experts' are often the ones who don't know their own lost next-door neighbors name!" The refreshing part of this chapter is that the Christian he most despises is......get this......himself. Wow. Isn't transparency is wonderful?

I could probably sit here and dog a bunch of different types of Christians but I think the best thing I could do is just go look in the mirror. What about me do I dislike? There aren't enough blog pages to write it all down. I think those who know me would probably agree. There is so much about myself that needs to improve. The great thing is this....God loves me just like I am. He loves me too much to leave me that way.

So often we Christians have plenty of time to sit around and judge others, but how much time do we take to look inside before we judge those outside? Just a thought.

Fat boy goes to gym.....

I have recently decided it is time for personal "mass" reduction. I kept wondering why I was having a hard time breathing while tying my shoes. When I realized my fat gut was blocking blood flow to my body I knew it was time for a change. Life is too short to be overweight and out of shape. I want to enjoy life and be there for my kids when they are older.

The PLAN:
1. Quit eating like a maniac - I am eating 6 small meals a day and drinking lots of water. I have found that the secret to weight loss is having to run to the bathroom 53 times a day from drinking so much water. Being a cop and a preacher lends itself to eating lots of fast food and drinking too much soda. No more. Fat boy has left the building.

2. Exercise (on the brink of heart attack exercise) - I am working out 5-6 days a week alternating weight lifting and cardiovascular excercises. 220 lbs. of blubber rattling the treadmill in an un-airconditioned gym, what a sight.....

3. Visual stimuli - nothing will increase desire to lose weight like the "before" bathing suit photos I taped to my bathroom mirror. Brushing my teeth will never be the same again.

I have set a goal to lose 25 pounds in 12 weeks. I started on July 28 weighing in at 220 lbs. I will keep you posted...

A Blogging Rookie

This is officially my first entry to my blog. I have never written a blog, or journal for that matter. I have only read a couple of blogs but I wanted an avenue to talk about my family, my job(s) and my life. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I anticipate the joy I will receive from writing it. I have never been much of a writer, so this will all be new for me. Blah, blah, blah.....