Just Charlie

A digital commonplace for a Regular Guy called Charlie Pharis

Author: Charlie Pharis (page 44 of 165)

June 4, 2007 / 0 Comments

Mighty Men…

David had The Three. He had The Thirty.

Men of great courage. Men of great loyalty – to God and to David personally. Men who were not afraid and who did not back down in the face of great adversity. Men who were used by God – and inspired by David – to undertake great exploits and achieve great things. Men who were willing to face overwhelming odds and impossible situations. Leaders in their own right – who subjugated their own sense of pride and ego for the cause of the king – and The King.

Everybody needs some guys like that in their lives. Guys who have your back. Guys who use whatever they have to win great victories. Guys who’ll stand in the lentil field – alone, if necessary – until the enemy is vanquished. Guys who’ll wield their sword until they can’t lift it – and win the battle. Guys who’ll charge through enemy strongholds to bring back a drink of water.

I wonder if I could ever inspire such a group of men. I’m wondering today if I’m really supposed be one of such a group of men. One of “The Guys,” and not “The Man”…

June 3, 2007 / 0 Comments

Sunday Night Unwind, 06.03.07…

WOW! A mixed bag unwind tonight! I was looking for something else and I came across a homemade CD simply titled “My Music,” and it’s just a bunch of stuff that I dumped from my hard drive from probably 2-3 years ago. There are some goodies! Everything from Todd Rundgren’s “Bang the Drum All Day” to the Big Bad Voodoo Daddy’s “You and Me and the Bottle Makes Three,” to Bill Chase’s “Get It On,” to The Blue Man Group to George and Tammy and everything in between! Good stuff!

May 30, 2007 / 1 Comment

Vision, Not Need…

John Maxwell once said something like…

People will give to great vision, not great need.

Today at The Serene Bean, I heard a Jerry Garcia lookalike say something like this…

You find me a world-class ministry project that changes the world, and I’ll find you funding in seven days.

Meanwhile, we’re think it’s OK to pay for satisfied paying for air conditioners and office supplies…

May 27, 2007 / 5 Comments

Anybody Got an Old Rocking Chair?

I mean one you don’t want. One that you absolutely don’t care about ever seeing again. The rattier the better. If you do, and you’re close by, I’ll take it off your hands if I can get it by June 8 or 9. Just wondering…

May 27, 2007 / 0 Comments

Sunday Night Unwind, 05.27.07…

Summer Solstice CD Image
Classic Windham Hill! Pretty good Memorial Day at church. Number 3 in the Joshua series – “Obstacle or Opportunity?” – Jericho, natch. Great almost free meal – thanks to a gift card from the lovely and gracious “Mrs. Just Charlie’s” recent birthday. A trip to The ‘Pot (HT: Kelsey Bohlender!) to get a few flowers on sale. Home to mow the dirt. Now unwinding with music that just sounds like summer. Not the top-down, cruisin’ kind of summer, but the hammock-on-the-porch, big ol’ glass of lemonade (with Splenda, of course!) kind of summer.

Ah, summer…

May 25, 2007 / 0 Comments

Stuck in the Future?

This morning I passed by one of the bulletin boards at our church and realized that there are pictures of formerly-fat me from about the year 2003. My first thought was…

Why are we so stuck in the past around here?

Then it hit me. Sometimes we who fancy ourselves as leaders talk proudly and loudly about our future-orientation. About how if only we could convince our people that they need to get out of the past. About how we’re going to make the jump “one century at a time.”

Could it be that our people are stuck in the past because we who fancy ourselves as leaders have been so busy stuck in the future that we’re not leading them to accomplish anything in the present? Could it be that they’re not really enamored of the past for the sake of the past? Could it be that they’re not really resisting change because they’re too comfortable? Could it possibly be that they are stuck in a time when something great (or at least near-great) was actually happening? Could it be that our focus on the future may be robbing us of some amazing opportunities in the here and now?

If you’re stuck, it doesn’t matter whether you call the bog “the past” or “the future.” You’re stuck. And you need to do whatever it takes to get unstuck. Or else the past – pre-bog – will be all you have to live on or live for.

May 24, 2007 / 0 Comments

Ironman, I’m Not…

triathlon image

…but I am working on a triathlon. Of sorts.

This month’s Men’s Health has a neat little article called “Build Your Own Triathlon” and it talks about changing up your cardio routine to get more benefits. So today, I started building my own triathlon.

I did 22 minutes worth of intervals outside in Heritage Park, then went into the YMCA and rode the stationary bike for 4.1 miles, and then finished up with 400 yards of swimming in the pool. Not exactly Ironman distance (or times, for that matter!), but it was good.

Now, my big cardio days are Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, and I think I’m going dub Tuesdays and Thursdays “T-Days” (Tuesday, Thursday, Triathlon…get it?).

In or around Canton, Georgia Tuesday or Thursday mornings? Come on…let’s go!

May 23, 2007 / 0 Comments

Ctrl-Alt-Delete: Reading…

I dumped my bag out today. Yep, I literally turned it upside-down and dumped it out in my office. Then I “re-booted” my current reading. I replaced some stuff I wanted to read with some stuff I need to read again. The new stack looks something like this…

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