Mike Outler's Blog

Today I survived the 9:00 O’clock Spin Class at my local gym.  And I mean SURVIVED it!  One hour of torture orchestrated by a nice lady who evidently needed to vent.  I needed the abuse and I’m glad it’s over. 

Ice therapy.

Since it was my first time in a long time to take part in a group workout, I was very aware of my surroundings.  So much so that I noticed every little behavior and movement outside of the normal pedaling.  So I’ve listed people “YOU DON’T WANT TO BE” while in a spin class.

THE GUY WHO DANCES TO THE MUSIC

If you ever feel the urge to stand up on the bike and make the “Can’t Touch This” moves like MC Hammer, for the sake of everything sacred, DON”T!  Yes you look stupid and I just might hop off my bike and push you over! 

THE PERSON WHO HAS TO DO MORE THAN YOU’RE ASKED

You know who you are–teacher’s pet!  You don’t have to cycle twice as fast as everyone else while the rest of us are drinking water, towelling off, trying to catch our breath, etc.  I thought this behavior stopped in jr. high?

THE ONE WHO USES 27 PAPER TOWELS AND TOSSES THEM ON THE FLOOR

We know you’re sweating dude!  News Flash: The rest of us are as well.  Next time, instead of killing 3 Southern Yellow Pine Trees (Yes I work for a paper mill), bring a towel! 

THE LADY WHO GRUNTS LIKE A PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER

If you need to let out a yelp, scream like you’re giving birth, or grunt like Jimmy Conners used to, maybe this class isn’t for you.  You scared me and I’m just glad you weren’t giving birth.  Delivering a baby wasn’t on my to-do list today.

As I type this, one news source has reported that former Penn State Coach, Joe Paterno, has passed away from complications of cancer.  Other sources have not!  Sometimes, navigating the murky waters of the internet can be tricky.  While one website can be reliable, other sites can not.

Either way, if he has passed on or not, there’s only one word to sum up the last six months,

SAD!

 One thing that kept coming to the frontal lobe region of my head is this: WHAT IS THE PROPER RESPONSE, AS A CHRISTIAN, TO THE EVENTUAL DEATH OF JOE PATERNO?

I ask this because I truly believe there’ll be some who will spew vile comments about the former Nittany Lions coach, simply because of what has transpired in 2011.  Let’s get one thing straight, Joe Pa made a terrible mistake and had a lapse in judgment when he failed to report Sandusky for allegedly abusing young boys on school campus.  He admits it himself.  Monumental mistake!  There’s no telling how many kids could have been saved from the evil hands of Sandusky had he gone further with personally investigating the matter.

I certainly do not want to grant him sainthood, but as believers, we have an obligation to be careful with our words.

I vividly recall how some Christians responded to the sudden and untimely death of Michael Jackson.  Pedophile or not, it really bothered me how some almost rejoiced in the fact that he died.  It was as if they were thumbing their nose at such tragedy.  All I could think of was, “Wow!  You’re really not making a good name for us as Christians!”

Whether Joe Paterno has asked God to forgive him for sins of omission, I don’t know.  BUT, it isn’t our place to stand in judgement and ridicule him or point the finger, lest we make a similar mistake.

I believe our position should be as such: Be kind and thoughtful with our words and not come to a conclusion about him that isn’t warranted.  

Whether or not Joe Pa has passed from this life into the next, isn’t the main thing for us.  How we respond as Christians is important.

I would like to say that I hope he’s resting peacefully and not in pain–if he’s still alive.  If not,

God speed and Rest In Peace!

Long time friend, Michael Jones, who’s a minister near Detroit, Michigan, shares my frustrations with the common misconceptions about taking Christ out of Christmas as well as the greater part of American society.

However, THIS TIME, IT’S THE OPPOSITE!

Here’s what he said:

I say this every year. “X” in Xmas is not the English letter X, it is “chi,” the first letter in the Greek word “Christos” which means “Christ.” Since X is an abbreviation for the word “Christ” (and has been for two millennia), “Xmas” means “Christmas.” It is not a 21st century attempt to remove Christ from Christmas. Now please, can we all just let it go.

Check it outXMAS

Do you find that this sign is almost extinct?  If not, then it sure wins the award for the “MOST IGNORED”.

What sign do you see that people just can’t seem to follow?

LIKE IT

Can Florida Basketball Coach Billy Donovan catch up with Coach K?  I’m not so sure but I really have a great deal of respect for this man.  In my opinion, he’s a class act!  That’s right, coming from a Georgia Bulldog fan, through-and-through, I can say that Coach Donovan has my utmost respect. 

Yes, he did pull the first Urban Meyer “escape move“ for Florida but he quickly changed his mind.  Confused?  Check it out here.

Meanwhile, Coach D won his 400th win and he’s still doing a great job!

Read it here: 400th Win

LOVE IT

As for the situation going on at Penn State University, there are so many things that can be said, so many fingers to point, BUT, we must focus on those who have been victimized, not the ones who’ve covered their tracks or the ones who’ve made sure they are loyal to an institution.  Afterall, there are victims in this situation.  Innocent lives who’ve been forever damaged by the evil acts of one person. 

What point am I trying to make?  Just read this Open Letter from Tyler Perry to Penn State 11 year old.

I hope you enjoy this first of many!

Mike

Please take a minute to read this before you post your next status update.  If there’s one thing (among many) that gets on my last nerve when it comes to Facebook, it’s the misspelling of words.  Most noticeably in the status update section. It makes me want to climb to the top of the tallest building in South Georgia and scream, “For the love of everything sacred, please CHECK…YOUR…SPELLING!!!“

I could write for hours on end about the butchering of words while hammering out your thoughts on the World Wide Web, via the end-all, be-all of social realms–FACEBOOK.

If I had to list the top 3, they would go as follows, starting with the misspelling first:

ALOT- This word is commonly mistaken for the 2 words, “a lot“.  When typing this out, a good rule to remember is this, while writing similar words, would you write, “alittle“, or “afew“?  IT’S TWO WORDS!!!  Give them some space, please!

YOUR- This word is proper in some cases, but NOT when you are writing a contraction.  YOU’RE is a contraction of  “you are“, as in “You’re nice to me“.  YOUR is actually a possessive adjective.  It describes a noun by telling us to whom it belongs.  Example; I love your status update.  Got it?  Good (-:

THERETHEYRETHEIR- This one gets messed up and I just don’t want to get into the nuts & bolts of it now, I’ve got shows on DVR to watch–so go to this site.

If you have any other words to add to this list, please feel free to comment below.