Thought I’d put this up just in case anyone ever wants to go on a cool trip. Miranda and I would be happy to be the guinea pigs – you pay and we’ll go to Fiji to check this place out for you – and we’ll even take plenty of pictures and tell you all about it (or write up a report for you) so you wouldn’t miss out on the best things they have to offer. Any takers?
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUbkQyZrpl4]
Week 8 – Well, I guess I’m a quarter of the way now. Down to 227.5 lbs. I have lost 12.5 lbs of the 50 lbs that I need to lose – that’s a fourth of the way – 25%!! Since this is a lifestyle (and lifelong) change, and I’m only 9 weeks in, I figure I’m doing pretty well.
Last week was interesting. I didn’t eat well at all! I was on a mission trip with our youth and I ate anything and everything that I felt like eating. Sometimes (but not always) there were more healthy choices, but in general, I still just ate what I wanted. I knew that I was working hard and sweating like crazy on the work sites for large portions of the day, so my hope was that it would somehow balance out. Luckily, I was right. Even with the bad eating habits, I ended up losing another lb and a half. That puts me @ 227.5 lbs now. I wonder how much I would have lost if I had done well with the eating part too???
No pics this week – something is wrong with the camera. 
Just wanted to post a quick pic of the view I had last week on our camping trip. McKinney Falls State Park is a pretty cool place.
We had 13 youth/adults with us for 4 days worth of camping. It was a great trip. Swimming, Hiking, Hanging with friends, smores, cooking over the fire, a side trip to Volente Beach Waterpark, etc. Good times. I missed my bride and kids, but had a good time too.
February of 1996. I was 26 years old. I had been a youth minister for 8 years. Full-time for 4. The youth had all gotten together for my birthday and given me $$ to go skydiving (on my bucketlist of things to do). My Pastor, Mike Mathews, (He is now my Father-in-Law) was organizing a trip to Israel and came to me saying he’d arrange for me to be able to go for free, but I’d still need some $$ for a passport, food, etc. I decided to skip the skydiving experience in favor of the trip. It was one of the best decisions of my life!
We got to walk in Jesus’ footsteps for 9 straight days. We saw Jerusalem and the temple mount, the wailing wall, the empty tomb of Jesus, Golgotha, Lazarus’ tomb, Bethlehem, & Nazareth. We rode a boat across the Sea of Galilee, hiked Masada, and explored Qumran. Seeing these sites was truly remarkable! I now understand why robbers placed themselves on the road between Jerusalem and Jericho. (It’s a steep road and travelers would be too tired to fight them off.) I will never read the scriptures the same way again. Phrases like “Land of milk and honey” and “Armegeddon” have new meaning!
When Mike described the experience to me, he said that I’d feel like I had gone “home” when we got there. I didn’t believe him. How could I feel “at home” in a strange country, where most spoke another language, and machine guns were seen regularly? He was right! I did feel “at home.” There’s something about that place that goes beyond description. Well, it’s not “something” – it’s someone, and His name is Jesus. If you love Jesus, you will love Israel. Some have called it the “fifth gospel.” Just like the other four, Israel has as story to tell about Jesus, the land itself testifies to His glory!
I hope to go back one day. You should consider a trip too. It will change your life.
If you’re interested, here’s a link to my journal entries from the trip.
The Holy Lands – Through the eyes of Steve Corn (Just right click and select “save as” to download.)
PS – My beard, hair, and clothes crack me up these days.
