BuddhistCatholicContemplativeEvangelicalGeneral ChristianHinduJewishLatter-day SaintMuslimNew VisionsProgressive Christian
Beliefs
- Buddhist
- Catholic
- Contemplative
- Evangelical
- General Christian
- Hindu
- Jewish
- Latter-day Saint
- More Voices
- Muslim
- New Visions
- Pagan
- Progressive Christian
Topics
- Religion News
- Food and Religion
- Sports and Religion
- Religious Art
- Religious Music and Entertainment
- Religious Events
- History and Religion
- Style and Religion
- Politics and Religion
- Women in Religion
- Recreation Outdoors and Religion
- Business Finance and Religion
- Careers Workplace and Religion
- Education and Religion
- Family Parenting and Religion
- Health Fitness and Religion
- Home and Religion
- Relationships and Religion
- Technology and Religion
- Travel and Religion
Columnists
- Buddhist Columnists
- Business Finance and Religion Columnists
- Careers Workplace and Religion Columnists
- Catholic Columnists
- Contemplative Columnists
- Education and Religion Columnists
- Evangelists Columnists
- Family Parenting and Religion Columnists
- General Christian Columnists
- Health Fitness and Religion Columnists
- Hindu Columnists
- History and Religion Columnists
- Home and Religion Columnists
- Jewish Columnists
- More Voices Columnists
- Latter Day Columnists
- Muslim Columnists
- New Visions Columnists
- Nonreligious Columnists
- Pagan Columnists
- Politics and Religion Columnists
- Progressive Columnists
- Recreation Outdoors and Religion Columnists
- Relationships and Religion Columnists
- Religion News Columnists
- Religious Art Columnists
- Religious Events Columnists
- Religious Music and Entertainment Columnists
- Sports and Religion Columnists
- Style and Religion Columnists
- Technology and Religion Columnists
- Travel and Religion Columnists
- Women in Religion Columnists
Resource Library
- 2026 Calendar
- Library of World Religions
- The 100 Most Holy Places on Earth
- Patheos Answers
- Podcasts
- Videos
- Faith Leaders Database
- Anglican Episcopalian
- Bahai
- Baptist
- Buddhism
- Christianity
- Confucianism
- Eastern Orthodoxy
- Hinduism
- Holiness and Pentecostal
- ISKCON
- Islam
- Judaism
- Lutheran
- Methodist
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- New Age
- Paganism
- Presbytarian and Reformed
- Protestantism
- Religion Behind the Scenes
- Roman Catholic
- Scientology
- Shia Islam
- Sikhism
- Sufism
- Sunni Islam
- Taoism
- Zen
- See all religions
Research Tools
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support
- Trending:
- Forgiveness
- |
- Marriage
- |
- Consciousness
- |
- Death Penalty
- |
- Election
- |
- Halloween
- Home
- Progressive Christian
- Spam I am
Spam I am
Last updated on: July 22, 2015 at 9:55 am by John Shore
Spam I am 2015-07-22T09:55:33-08:00 John Shore
Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.
Lately I’ve grown pretty darn tubby, to the extent that I feel as if a whole other person—like, say, an eight-month-old baby—is strapped to my stomach, a baby which, like any baby, has a whole arena of needs and desires of its own.
I’m now so much heftier than I’ve ever been in my life because I spent 2014 and well into this year writing a novel that … let’s see, how to put this? … motivated me to buttress myself, to self-protect. Which meant (surprisingly, actually) my eating a lot of comfort foods.
While sitting at my desk.
Almost literally around the clock.
For sixteen freakin’ months (that went by like a week).
Thank God for my gym/basketball pants: without them I’d now have nothing to wear at all. All my regular pants scoff at the idea of my squeezing into them.
Man, if there is one thing I cannot abide, it’s scoffing pants.
But what can I do? That’s the thing about pants: they know when they’re right. And they lord it over you like Henry the VIII on a turkey leg.
Anyway, lately I’ve been thinking about how I might best go about losing my extra poundage.
And in preparing this post, I discovered something fascinating: the most efficacious way in the world to instantly start losing weight is to look at a really clear photograph of Spam. (For extra … other-weirdlyness, just add blue to the background!)
Whew. Problem solved!
Wait.
Shoot.
No it’s not.
I love Spam!
Gottdangit it! How does anyone ever lose weight?
Sigh.
Anyway, why, you ask, did I want as an illustration for this post a picture of gelatinously delicious Spam?
Because I wanted to say this: Last Wednesday, the 15th, I emailed out the first issue of my new newsletter. (Which, as ever, is totally ad-free—and cost free, which I mention only because a few folks have asked if it costs anything to receive: it doesn’t—and it’s pretty, so … you know. It’s like flowers. Edible flowers! Wait—no. Sorry. Just flowers.)
If you received my newsletter, you know that it’s an absolute wonderment of revelation, and also a bunch of personal stuff that has no more to do with Christian concerns than does, say, a delicious bowl of B & J’s Cherry Garcia ice cream, which I now believe should actually be illegal, despite the fact that, even as I type this, I’m inwardly impaling myself on a spoon because I know there’s none left in our freezer.)
If you did not receive my newsletter, but know that you did, in fact, subscribe to it, look for in your You Know What folder.
Your Spam folder. I’m talking about your Spam folder. Cuz that’s where it’s probably frying lying.
If you want to get the next issue of my newsletter (which’ll be out in about three weeks), subscribe below.
If you are a brand-new subscriber, and want to see the issue you just missed, email me ([email protected]), and I’ll send it to you. (Oh! You’ll see the first newsletter itself is dated March 2013. That’s just a date I forgot to change before hitting Ye Oldye Send Button.)
If you did receive, and have read, Issue Numero Uno, check this out! Yesterday we got plans from our architect! Our Future Abode is so … awesome looking. If you’re Cat and I, anyway. I’ll show it to you in the next newsletter.
Okay. Righto. Good job. Onward and upward. And definitely outward. But not for long, I hope. Because you know what they say: scoffing pants are the worst.
Subscribe to John’s awesome newsletter
Email Address:
}); } function mce_success_cb(resp){ $('#mce-success-response').hide(); $('#mce-error-response').hide(); if (resp.result=="success"){ $('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').show(); $('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').html(resp.msg); $('#mc-embedded-subscribe-form').each(function(){ this.reset(); }); } else { var index = -1; var msg; try { var parts = resp.msg.split(' - ',2); if (parts[1]==undefined){ msg = resp.msg; } else { i = parseInt(parts[0]); if (i.toString() == parts[0]){ index = parts[0]; msg = parts[1]; } else { index = -1; msg = resp.msg; } } } catch(e){ index = -1; msg = resp.msg; } try{ if (index== -1){ $('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').show(); $('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').html(msg); } else { err_id = 'mce_tmp_error_msg'; html = '
'+msg+'
';
var input_id = '#mc_embed_signup'; var f = $(input_id); if (ftypes[index]=='address'){ input_id = '#mce-'+fnames[index]+'-addr1'; f = $(input_id).parent().parent().get(0); } else if (ftypes[index]=='date'){ input_id = '#mce-'+fnames[index]+'-month'; f = $(input_id).parent().parent().get(0); } else { input_id = '#mce-'+fnames[index]; f = $().parent(input_id).get(0); } if (f){ $(f).append(html); $(input_id).focus(); } else { $('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').show(); $('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').html(msg); } } } catch(e){ $('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').show(); $('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').html(msg); } } }
// ]]>
(If for any reason the above subscription form comes out looking weird in your browser, you can also sign up for my newsletter on my website.)
Previous Post

July 14, 2015
An explanation of my editor, ghostwriter, and writing coach services
Next Post

July 30, 2015 5 ways to make your girlfriend (or boyfriend) kind of start hating you
Browse Our Archives
Select a Category Christian Issues Christian Spirituality Dear John En Espanol Everywhere She's Not Humor Look See Pastor Bob's Corner Personal Portuguese Relationships Russian Short-short story Smith Family Chronicles Uncategorized
Select a Month March 2024 August 2022 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 February 2020 December 2019 June 2019 December 2018 May 2018 May 2017 January 2017 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007
TAKE THE
Religious Wisdom Quiz
What instrument did Miriam play?
Select your answer to see how you score.
Harp Lyre Trumpet Tambourine
Books by This Author Books by John Shore
Related posts from John Shore
An explanation of my editor, ghostwriter, and writing...
Want me to evaluate, edit, co-write, ghostwrite, or...
Why the Christian middle ground is no place...
Priest denies confession to girl desperate to tell...
TRENDING AT PATHEOS Progressive Christian
Why Christians Have a Sacred Duty to Vote:...
The Bible offers strong support for the sacred duty to vote. Here...
What Being a Modern-Day Apostle Means to Me
In my last column, I discussed the ins and outs of modern-day...
Did Ancient China Once Worship the God of...
Across human history, a common thread weaves through the origins of the...
Love Your Neighbor – Including Earth-Kin: Lev. 19,...
God’s command to love your neighbor means acting in an ethical and...
Lead a Church Study of “Jesus and Lao...
Guest writer Jack Thomas (The Irreverent Reverend) reflects on leading his church...
Principles for Understanding the Apostolic Ministry Today
Whenever people discover that my formal ministry title is "apostle," as in...
view all Progressive Christian blogs
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support
- About Us
- 2026 Calendar
- Videos
- Podcasts
- Library of World Religions
- Faith In Media Tracker
- Advertise With Us
- Write for Us
- Privacy Policy
- Terms of Service
- Do Not Sell My Data
- Contact Us
- Radiant Digital
- Manage Newsletter Subscriptions
- Unsubscribe From Notifications
- Sitemap
Copyright 2008-2026, Patheos. All rights reserved.
Subscription Support Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In











