If you type the words “home office” just like that or in any combination, in a search engine, you won’t have something show up that looks like my space in our home office in the Rogers house. What you’ll find online is chic, intentionally businesslike, metallic, ergonomic, manly, womanly, and on it goes. They will basically all appear that you will have to spend a lot of money to make them look like they should. That is unless you specifically search for sites that show you cheap office setups. This picture of my corner of our office is one I started to clean everything up for, but I decided this needed to be an honest picture of what it looks like. Big water jug to the right of the chair, box of dog biscuits on the floor under the desk, papers everywhere, and wires and papers hanging on the walls.

But I thought I would just throw this out because a lot of our friends have made their way back to this place in our house, which we affectionately call the “nerve center” of our home. And in fact it is probably the nerve center of our life. Now at this point, for those who can’t converse or read without finding some negative spiritual aspect of what they are reading or hearing, you don’t need to spiritualize this. This is about a place in our home in which every aspect of our lives is somehow touched on a daily basis. Both of our jobs are carried out (mine to a good degree, Cindy’s full time). We study for, and do Bible lessons. We prepare visual presentations.  We communicate with our Groups. We research and write articles. We keep records and do our taxes. We build web sites.  We assist with homework. The list is nearly endless.

I’m not going to review anything individually here. Some of these items will be reviewed, not for their brand, but for their usefulness, sometime in the near future. But the items you see collectively around my desk are necessities that I use weekly for everything from church work to web site maintenance. What you see here are 3 computers, a SLR camera, a HD video camera, a Droid-X phone, a Verizon Mi-Fi, a Nook reader, a printer-scanner-fax-copier, and some other assorted peripherals.

The other side of the room contains Cindy’s part of the electro-nerve center, but she didn’t really want me to photograph and post her side of the room. Understood.

So, did I put this here to show off? I don’t know who all will see this, but anybody who knows me well will know better than that. In fact, they have seen and become well acquainted with all this stuff in our home office because many of them have (agreeably) ended up on Facebook or a web site as part of an article or post about something that is interesting to a pretty broad base of people. Numerous people have received help through these electronics, and others have borrowed some of them.

But here’s a critical point. None of the stuff you see in the picture above is anything I use for entertainment. There is not a single game that I play on any of them. I don’t spend time “surfing” the net randomly hoping I’ll find something entertaining. There are weeks that if I could, I would throw all of it in the Arkansas River (except for the camera). Because what all these things amount to are tools to work with. I use them to communicate, do church work, research, and build web sites. That’s a broad view that doesn’t give all the details but suffice it to say those items put me on these tools on average around 50 hours a week.

That’s not to say I don’t enjoy a great deal of what I do with them. But it is all work. Some of it is funny. Some of it is rewarding. Some of it is just tedious and irritating, and some of it is financially profitable.

So here’s the real reason I took time to write this. It’s to encourage anybody who owns electronics, generally in the form of a computer and cell phone. Learn to use them in ways that go beyond wasting time, and enter into the age we live in where when used correctly, they can increase our ability to connect, to get information quicker, to assist others in getting projects done, and can actually save a good deal of money for us individually.

Here’s a real kicker. It can help your church save lots of money if you’ll learn to use the tools that we use to put information out to people in a very timely and thorough manner. Church members who use their computer to receive the information that the church sends out, helps the church save multiple thousands of dollars per year on postal mailing. And the quick, efficient way the information is passed helps us all get necessary ministry done in a much more intelligent and effective manner. So, if everybody uses the same tools cooperatively, we all win, work and minister more effectively.

I should insert here, you can do everything I’m writing about with a modest desk top or laptop computer. The stuff I have is not necessary for what most people will do if they decide to branch out into the well connected world online.

So go for it. If you have some electronics, learn to use them at a little bit different level to help us all do better. If you don’t have them and can afford a computer, consider getting one and assisting us with how we do ministry in today’s culture and going into the future. If you get one and have a problem figuring out some things, grab me at church or contact me by text or email. If I can’t help you there are plenty of higher level techno experts to get you started.

Just a basic understanding of some basic activities online can make a huge difference in your life and the life of your church. Consider getting in the middle of it with a “nerve center” of your own.

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We Christians are great at shouting what we believe.  We pray for each other and people outside the church and make all the claims about God and the Bible, all the while rebuking the devil and commanding him to adhere to Biblical admonishments. We are taught from a great many places that there are certain characteristics we should all exhibit, like love, joy, peace, patience, etc. etc. etc.  And unfortunately, we are also taught that there are certain things that we may exhibit that condemn us like anger, fear, grief, sickness, confusion, hesitation, and on and on it goes. This all comes without an inkling of consideration that we are all human, including the most famous of preachers who have ever before and still today preach to millions of people. In fact, over the last couple of decades with instant access to information, we have seen their humanity and weakness all too vividly.

Did you know that if you (or someone else) get angry that it does not mean you have lost your relationship with God, have backslid, are unusually carnal, or most things that are claimed by the most heavenly brained among us? In fact, anger is not necessarily a sin if handled and expressed correctly. Ephesians 4:26 “Be angry, and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down upon your wrath.” This clearly recognizes anger and the inevitability and even necessity of it sometimes. What it does is tells the believer how to handle it correctly.

Did you know that if you are under pressure and you, your life, your family, marriage, finances, job, business, ministry …… whatever, is threatened and you fear what is responsible, it does not make you less of a Christian or indicate cowardice in you? It means you are human. I’ve seen the most determined of preachers fold or nearly fold under severe life pressure after years of telling other people what they must do or not do. All because these preachers were not ready for a view into their own frail humanity. Spending more time doing what Paul wrote in I Corinthians 12 “ ….the members should have the same care for one another.” would prepare more Christians for more productive times walking people through their difficult times recognizing those times could come upon them.

And get this: If you get sick it does not mean you are in sin, carnal, without faith, non-biblical in your living, out of contact with God, or any other thing that preaching Christians will many times lay on a person who is ill. The apostle Paul, in Philippians chapter 2 mentions Epaphroditus, a “fellow soldier” and said this great man became sick near to death. And in his statements Paul did not presume upon God, or claim to have required something of Him as many modern day Christians do, siting the Word and insisting that God abide by it as though He wouldn’t without their style of praying. But Paul said “God had mercy on him, and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.” Paul here, didn’t “claim” anything or demand anything from God.  He was just thankful for God’s mercy in allowing the health of his fellow believer to return. And there were no disparaging words laid upon Epaphroditus for his sickness.

There have been a great many insights into Biblical truth over a 25 year period. But predictably, much of that has been taken, distorted, used to promote preachers rather than Christ, used as a vehicle to extract millions of dollars from believers, and now has developed into a whole generation of Christians who don’t know how to simply dedicate themselves to the most important organization on earth, a local church. They don’t know how to keep their heads down, tend to the business God has given them, and own the advancement of their church under the guidance of its Biblical leaders. “God told me” has become the most common statement among many “full gospel” Christians, when in fact the only thing that told them anything was their own carnal desires and their imagination.

None of this is to say that God does not communicate directly with us in assigning us certain things. It is not to say we need to dwell in any of the negative conditions listed and refuse to seek and take good, experienced, Godly counsel. What it does say is that to be human is not to instill guilt when we experience the emotions that all humans are born with. And times when we are not at our best are not times to instill permanent guilt in us, but times to learn from our mistakes, brace up under the hand of God, and go forward stronger than we have ever been ……. and a bit wiser too.

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Outdoor exercises, for me, are the mainstay of physically defying age. With a short attention span and a low boredom threshold, I am not well suited to indoor gym workouts. Not that I don’t use them when the outdoors is not available for whatever reason of nature, but in general if outdoor exercise is available, that’s where I go. With what’s available out there, I can get a far superior overall workout than I can indoors. So without further ado, I’ll lay out one of my workouts that I do in the hills near my home. For these type workouts most of your outdoor exercise equipment will be in the form of rocks.

Caution: Remember to consider where you are and how far you will be going into the woods. If going into isolated wooded areas take measures to protect yourself. Also, be sure to carry plenty of water for the distance you will be going and the intensity of the workout you have planned.

Walking: Pretty astounding huh? Well, we’re not talking about putting on walking shoes and strolling around the block or around an  exercise hill air conditioned, padded running track. I’m talking about putting on some radical tread trail/hiking boots with strong ankle support and taking off into some rough terrain. Up long hills having to traverse ditches, rocks, trees, brush, etc. Some of the trails I make my way up cause me to drop and convince myself I’m not going to die from lack of oxygen when I reach the top of them. This is one of them. It goes up forever, making you feel like you’re never going to reach the top of it. Multiple trails like this populate my #1 workout area and makes my outdoor exercise as challenging as possible. And because it is on uneven terrain, it forces your body to use muscles in a way that improves balance and posture. Add a back pack with some weights in it or a weighted vest for a gut wrenching cardio and led strength challenge.

Lifting: Just like in a gym only with rocks. Your outdoor exercises should be planned to work all muscle groups and your cardiovascular system as well or better than working out in a gym. So here are some basic exercises you can do with rocks.

Bent Rows: As an outdoor exercise, bent rowing with rocks obviously eliminates a bar to hold the weights. That means you have to dig in and use all of the muscles in your hands and arms while doing this back exercise. If warming up to do any kind of lifting is important it is especially important out in the woods where you will be gripping differently and standing on uneven surfaces. Start with a rock that you can easily do 10 reps with to warm up. Bend over at the waist until your upper body is slightly elevated upward. Grip the rock with both hands and pull it up to your chest and back down to arms length. Repeat for 10 reps. If you are used to working out increase the weight by finding a flat, wide rock and stacking more on it to add weight for more sets and reps. You can vary this significantly by pulling the rock up to your chin when standing to work the traps, forearms and biceps.

Caution: When lifting rocks, first turn up the edge away from you and pull the rock back toward you to turn in over before picking it up. This is in the event some kind of angry critter is under it. In Arkansas you may find a tarantula, scorpion, or small rattlesnake or copperhead under rocks that you lift. So use care when first lifting up the edge and you’ll be fine.

Overhead Presses: Here rocks can be used as a barbell (one at a time) or dumbbells (one in each hand). If using one rock, hold it in both hands by getting a good grip on each edge and lifting it to your chest. Then press it overhead and back to your chest exhaling as you lift, breathing in as you come down. If using a smaller rock in each hand, do the same thing with both hands at the same time or alternately. You can also do standing flyes by gripping a small rock in each hand. With arms down and hands (with rocks) at your sides, slowly lift the rocks straight out to the side until your arms are just a little higher than parallel with the ground. Repeat for 10 reps. Increase weight and number of sets as needed.

Bicep Curls: We can’t have a good round of outdoor exercises without some standing bicep curls. Stand with a rock in each hand, arms extended down at your sides. Bend your arm at the elbow and raise the hand toward your bicep while turning the palm in toward the body. At the top of the movement, squeeze the bicep and return to the starting position. Use rocks that allow you to do 8-10 reps for strength development. You can vary this to get a very good forearm workout by simply leaving the palm facing outward doing the movement the same way.

Pushups: For a great chest workout, find a small, narrow ditch. Put one hand and one foot on each side. Then lower yourself with your arms down in the ditch. This will allow for a maximum stretch of the pectoral muscles and maximum use of the triceps. Then push yourself  back up to arms length. For strength and muscle size increase wear a weight vest for extra resistance.

Crunches: To do crunches in the woods, find a couple of rocks. One big enough to sit on, the other one you can just grip with your feet to keep them from rising. Grip the rock with your feet while sitting on the larger rock. With your hands at your ears lower your body back as far as it will go over the edge of the rock. Lift your body back up “crunching”or tightening your abs at the top of the movement. Start with 25 reps and increase as you get stronger.

These and lots of variations can be done in an invigorating, entertaining, and healthy environment outdoors. Learning to do outdoor exercises and embracing this method of exercise will go a long way in defying age.

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