Taking some small steps!

Hello there friends and ruffians!   Well I dont know about the last part, The last time I talked with  you about making more laughter in your life, Today I want to talk to you today about taking small steps, literally! Well what I am trying to say is that i have embarked on a new hobby, and have found it fascinating and quite challenging! Why would I talk about dancing? good question.. Its because it is representative of a bigger theme in my life, change!

A few years ago, i received my first baptism into dancing, and what a thing it was! I took or started to take shage lessons with an ex girlfriend. Trouble was I wasnt getting the steps and the rythm and she was, So was everybody else. I felt like the elephant in the room, and the room was full of mostly seniors! I had to check my ego at the door. Here I was taking too big of steps or stepping on toes! I kinda felt like musical chairs and each time the music stopped, I was still up and couldnt find a chair!! My mistake was too quit! to easy and convenient.

I once had a very wise sucessful businessman ask me how do you handle frustration? At the time I was too dense to really appreciate that question. but I did later! Part of growing up is learning to channel your emotions and frustration into a productive mode. Many folks stop short of their intended target because frustration dashes their resolve! I felt i was very coordinated and athetic and wouuld handle dancing with relative ease. Wrong! We expect things to be easy and when theyre not, we cave in. Well this time, i have decided to enroll in a dance class to learn ballroom dancing stules plus a little Latino styles including salsa.. should prove to be interesting,

Can i get my body to move with my brain lol? well see. Its not easy but it will be so worth i… when it expands my social life and increases my confidence! I full well know the benefits. The biggest benefit of all is the positive momentum. When you conquer a challenge, it creates momentum and confidence to tackle more!! .. and that is what we are looking for!

Momentum!

As always you are always welcome to share your comments and stories.. Until next time, create momentum with consistent small steps!

Laughter is the best Medicine!

Laughter is the best Medicine!.

Laughter is the best Medicine!

” Laughter is the best medicine..    Quick, tell me what did the call the chicken

who crossed the road,  ” Poultry in motion!”  hah  lame I know..  Have you ever noticed

that  anyone going slower than you is an idiot, anyone faster than you  is a maniac?  —George Carlin..  I caught you grinning.    What do you call a short fortuneteller than escaped from prison?   I tell you later,  lol but follow along in my article and maybe

youll find out more.  Laughter brings out the best in us  and helps to  navigate the tough times together..  Have you ever felt the delicious rush of  laughter as it pulsates through you and gives you the light headed feeling?  Dont you feel  much better after having a good laugh?  i  know i do!

I kow many Christians who appear to just as miserable as many unbelievers, and i reflect:  How is the name of God being represented to the world?  If Christians arent happy or joyful if you prefer, than how can we expect to be a witness to the world in which we live ?

I think God is laughing and has  a great sense of humor, and one of the most effective communicators  I know are good at making you laugh.

One of the first things that you have to learn to  laugh at yourself!  Too many  people take themselves too seriously!  I crack myself up as i get older, Im forgettting things and having temporary blackouts, lol  Yes Ill admit it.  I forget my passwords, or my log in information, and sometimes I forget one of my sister’s eight kids, God forbid!

Laughter is talked about in the Bible… but its more between the lines.  Im sure Jesus had those lighter times with his disciples.  Especially when he was confronting the Pharisees who trying to  trap him!  Cant you see  the disciples  snickering in the background over the embarassed red faced relgious leaders?….. The  leaders who thought they had him in the bag,and he escaped.. k   This kind of reminds me of Wiley the Coyote who used elaborate means to trap the RoadRunner Beep Beep .. you remember. lol  but every time Wiley Coyote ended up with egg on his face!!  God has a sense of humor too!   Why  would he create the hyena or the  duckbill platypus , or the kooko bird?

I enjoy listening to the Swan man..    Dennis Swanberg, and   Mark Lowry.   These men though no stranger to tragedy have cultivated a dynamic sensoe of humor and I think it serves us as well! . I  have started a  record of pleasant memory and intend on keeping it  updated.  I want to remember the happy and hilarious times of  life, so I thought why dont we use technolgy to store those happy times!  If the media can blare the latest bad news in our faces 24/7, why cant we keep a file of good stuff around?

Recently we had an incident at work, that turned pretty serious with an employee.. Eventually EMS came in and stabilized  him.  However before he started to go downhill, it was humorous to watch him deny that he had a problem!  everyone saw that he wasnt himself, but he didnt.! he was stumbling around, slurring her words, and losing control over his coordination, but Hey everything is ok! Sometimes, we need to listen to what others tell us… Our pride wont let us admit we have  a problem, but we do indeed have a big problem when we dont listen what others tell us in good faith!

I keep comedy videos and some good clean standup comdedians to help me with altering my mindframe, I suggest  that  you keep  keep
some audio comedies to help your mood as you commute!

Proverbs, the wisest person, ” A merry doeth good like a medicine! but a broken spirit drieth the bones” Provervs 17:22 How wise would it be for us to listen to his counsel and laught often!

I see a lot of Christians with long looks on their face and its small wonder that nnbelievers say,I want no  part of that!.. I am not suggesting that we be Pollyanish about it, life  can be trememdously difficult and tragic at times!.. but the glimmer of hope that we all have  while we are travelling throught the tunnel of  life, is the light that shines on the other end!

I  remember reading and listening to one of my heroes, Earl Nightingale, who has since passed  but I remember some of what he taught me, One, we become what we think about.. and  two how to handle slights and offenses.    Youre gonna get hurt, but kee a light heared attidude, Laught abougt it. the next itme saomebody says something about you in a desultory manner, Dont come back and try to one up him/her,  LAUGH IT OFF! INE MOST OF LIFE SITUATIONS WHERE STRESS BUILDS AND  OUR EXPECTATIONS ARE CRUSHED!  LAUGHTER HELPS A GREAT DEAL.,   IT FRESHENS OR PERSPECTIVE AND ALLOWS US TO SEE THE HUMOR AND LESSONS IN IT!

One of my nephews made a comment about my age in a derisve manner. Not wanting to be outdone, i prepared a withering comeback. Then i realized that it was me not him that had the   proble!  I laughed it off,  a lot better than going around nursing an offense lol

This week start building your repertoire of comic material, ranage far and wide, dont just use old familiar materials. Record your funny moments, savor the simple things that  strike you as funny!.   What  did they call the  fortune teller that  escaped the  prison?

A medium at large!  Remember Wiley the Coyote.. he would always try valiantly to capture the swift elusive Road Runner, all to no avail, Didnt stop him from  trying now did it?  If we can find mirth in that, surely we can find much humor in this thing we  call life!

Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive!

>We all hear it  since we re young “Work hard and youll get ahead”   Honesty is the best policy!  Do the Christian thing and by and by youll get rewarded. or how about”Be sure your sins will find you out”  I  used to hate that verse, because everything in me said I  can get away with it, I can outsmart the system!  

Lance Armstrong thought so too! His deceit was so complex that he believed in all of his chicanery that he was a special case!!. Somewhere along the way he reasoned that in order to
get ahead, he not only had to cheat, but he had to cooperate in a widespread coverup in doping.
He knew darn well that if he was to continue his reign atop the cycling world, and keep his awards, endorsements, and reputation as the million dollar goldenboy; he had to keep his up his
story!

Unfortunately the bloodhounds the truth finally tracked him down and the truth came spilling out!

1 he had been doing this for a very long time

2 he had used other people to cover for him while he made his millions

3 he agressively sued everyone that would expose the truth

4 He collected endorsementsand duped the American people while representing a Al-American iconic image

5. Saying sorry and apologizing is a good start, but it doesnt come close to gaining trust
with the public or even his family. Once trust is lost, it takes a very long time to gain
it back, if ever!

We all can gain from this story. Lessons are clear and obvious, but if we re honest with ourselves
well see it in our dealings with others. In business are we being totally honest with our customer or our prospects?

Are you being honest with your girlfriend, or boyfriend, if we tell them one thing and then send
another message by behaving in a different way. Today people like to play the dating game as
long as they dont get caught in their own deceit. They dont want to committ but they want to ‘
keep you around just in case. They might use you to get what they want and discard you when they dont need you. They say one thing but just change it later if it doesnt suit them.

Businesses do this all the time, by misleading advertising. They stretch the truth or even make
up stories , ala many salesmen to give you the impression that they are a much more expererienced
and successful than they are! The pervading influence in our culture is “the end justifies the means” We know better!

In the end, at the end of the day, truth speaks volumes. Deceit eventually works its way into out
bones and tells on us, better off being truthful!

Psalms 51:6 I want to know “truth in the inward parts”

OH OH WHAT A TANGLED WEB WE WEAVE WHEN FIRST WE PRACTICE TO DECEIVE! SIR WALTER SCOTT.. ITS LIKE THE COILS OF A BOA CONSTRICTOR SOMETIMES THE PREY DOESNT KNOW THAT ITS TRAPPED UNTIL ITS TOO LATE!

Good writeup

http://blog.chron.com/modernfaith/2013/01/lance-armstrong-and-the-deception-of-greatness/

Attuned to Technology

I was walking down Main Street Greenville, when it hit me!,,, A man was dressed nicely in a suit and tie, (very good manners and bearing),, and was passing out tracts.   I noticed a bunch of young people out, and a group of guys passed by.. mocking what he head to say about Jesus!  Sad but true,,,  and I thought isnt there a better way?   Now Ill be first to admit that tracts are useful in some situations, but not on Main Street as hordes of people pass by.. Thats like trying to thread a needle through the tighest of places!

A friend of mine once told me that she didnt believe in handling out tracts, it didnt work,, anymore, I bristled at that, but I began to see her point in action that night! Time after time he tried to hand out tracts, albeit politely, and each time, people passed on the offer!

Last week I had stoppped into a restaurant that had great cheesburgers and noticed a young Mexican girl of 9 playing with her Kindle, surfing the net and reading a book, I can remember at her age not even having any of the gizmos people have today.. The access to information is unprecedented, and and so is the ability to share the Good News of Jesus Christ!  when I was her age, computers were around, but they were not in people’s hands,,,  I asked her about her the marvelous invention, and  to her it was no big deal, but I know better!  In just a short time ten to fifteen years the internet has exploded, computers have become  small, and ubiquitous.  And yes the opportunity to share the Good News, have grown exponentially!!

Now people will ridicule you no matter what you do sometimes in sharing the gospel, but there is no sense in making it easy for them! In some ways, I think that tracts have gone the way of the dinosaur!   When you can download an e tract online, or listen to a gospel presentation, or even a service online, why do we insist on standing on the street corner and passing out tracts?  Well tracts  certainly  have their place in spreading the Word, or in countries where the Word is not widely known.  In other words, where the access to technology that we have, is not readily available!  For instance, the people in India or Turkey  might respond to a tract better than say an American.   The message is still the same, but the platforms to share it have shifted, and we need to be up on that curve!

People still need to  hear about Jesus, but they need to experience it more in the nediums that they live and work, That is the internet, email, and messaging, thats where they live!   Flash presentations, webinars, etc etc,. E books,  and other more cutting edge ways to get  the  Word out!    If we are messengers of the Greatest Story ever told, then we should we up on the tech curve as well!   Christians should be obervant for what works and what doesnt, I know the Spirit can work in any situation, with anybody, however, i hardly think that street preaching in this country or handing out tracts en masse is the answer!

To be sure a personal approach will always be needed,. but the BIble also tells us, “to not cast your pearls before swine!”  When you do share the Word, do so in a way that it whets their appetite! not turns them away, or disinterests them!  Now I can hear some of you say, the Bible says, “the preaching of the Cross will be an offense!”  true but the approach had better not be!  Jesus had a way of presenting Truth in stories and in ways that sparked interest and so should we!

I listened to a Webinar about the explosing of Ebook sales, especially through the growth of Kindle readers.. It almost reached a billion dolars in 2011, and  its going to triple according to experts in the next year or two.  That is a trend that is here to stay and Christians should take advantage of it! Paint the picture in a Ebook or Etract.. share it in a context that will galvanize their attention!  Many people will buy Kindles, and buy from Amazon, why not take advantage of this platform!

The Billy Graham organization is doing an outstanding job in internet evangelism with its Search for Jesus organization. There are many ways to share Christ without someone screaming in your ear, or shoving a tract in your hand.,. Granted there are places in this world, where this is effective,  but here it is suffers from the law of diminishing returns!

http://www.searchforjesus.net/

“Hes Got the Whole World in His Hand!”

“Hes Got the Whole World in His Hand!”.

“Hes Got the Whole World in His Hand!”

 

A few weeks ago I was traveling on my way to Charlotte and once again, traveling up the 85 North corridor, I noticed the skyscrapers of Charlotte rising in the distance. I picked out the Bank of America Tower, and some of the other towers.  Architecture has always been a fasincating study for me,  It might be the Hagia Sophia in Instanbul , the New York skyline, or the towers here in Charlotte:  it is a triumph and marriage of concrete, glass and steel.

 

In fact, one tower in Dubai approaches 3000 feet!.. The sheer planning skyscraper takes years to execute and a myriad of details. Building a skyscraper such as the Woolworth Tower, once of the first in New York City, or the Sears Tower  now the Willis tower in Chicago, requires a intensive amount of manpower and expertise.

 

I read about what they spray on vermiculite, ( a substance that prevents corosion and heat expansion) The careful drilling into the bedrock to lay the foundation is a time consuming process. It usually a couple of years to build a skuscraper,. and the weight of the building is born by the supporting pillars and the core of the buildings.

We all take it for granted the sheer miracle of skyscrapers and the ability that man has attained to keep a million pounds of granite and steel suspended in mid air indefinitely…

A far greater miracle is the work of God in creation to suspend all creation by sheer comand of his voice!

At creation God commanded all the laws of science into existence and hold together the matter (atoms) that actually holds our bodies together!  We saw in  vivid detail what man can do when he EXPLODES ONE ATOM BOMB!   Imagine what  would happen if God took his hand off the controls, and allowed matter to roam free and unrestrained!

One gets the idea if he simply looks to the stars. When quasars explode it is truly a galactic even, and unbelievable amounts of energy  are released. Thankfully we are nowehere near the stars for we would surely be incinerated.  The stars  have incredible amounts of energy and exoplode with the power of many atomic bombs!   Keep in mind there are billions of stars in the sky, and we get the sense of not only great God is, but the extent of His Power!

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quasar

 

The achievement of a skyscraper is stunning, still more remarkable is the hand of our God who holds it all together. The explosive nature of atoms, are kept in check by His control!!

 

Colossians 1:17   God  holds all of creation together..  He mantains it (holds it all together) and sustains, and energizes the world. That is a mammoth task that we cant even begin to describe, explain or comprehend.!!!

Seeing the laws of creation in effect, the trajectory of a falling star, or the gallop of a wild horse across the plain humbles us.  The myriad of processes that go around us, from photosynthesis to the work of our bodies to fight infection, point to a all powerful God.

This week see how many things you see in life around you that remind you of the awesome power of God. More amazing still, is the fact that the very God who did all this, wants to have a personal relationship with you!  Something that we  cant be quiet about, but express! 

Play by the Rules!

PLAY BY THE RULES

Now chess is not my game, Ill admit that upfront.  Even    my nephews can beat me easily.  The prospect of having to think several steps ahead on a board in a narrow confined space, irather daunting for me.  I admire those who can almost carry out a pregame sequence in their head, even play the game in their head. However I was not gifted with that ability!

However, I decided to play my little bro.(Malakye) in chess  and checkers. Well the game wasnt much in doubt, but the process along the way was interesting! In checkers its pretty much cut and dry what the moves are, but in chess you have to learn all the figures and what they CAN AND CANNOT DO.  For instance, a bishop  cant move vertically and a rook cant move diagonally. Well Malakye had the pawns moves down pat, but was a little shaky in using the horse or the other advanced figures, So I  began to teach him.

Its much this way in life. We are tempted many times to NOT PLAY BY THE RULES IN BUSINESS, IN OUR PERSONAL LIFE, IN OUR DEALINGS WITH OTHERS,  buyt we are compelled to as Christians.  The Bible tells us “that we are to provide things honest in the sight of all men”   Romans 12:17                              Bernie Madoff ran a major worldwide scam, but there are countless other people that defraud others on a more minor scale.  Many play like Goldman Sachs and do the default swap thing in their own way.

They might sell something that they dont tell the complete and honest truth about.Companies shade the truth in advertising all the time in order to catch eyeballs on the internet.  There is nothing wrong with a good hook, but one that partially conceals the truth is wrong. Now one might say, hey that the way it is in business and in real life,  “If you dont play it smart and street smart you are going to get run over”  and I agree to a point,  You dont have to be naive, but you do need to be honest..

A huge temptation looms in front of us all the time, to do the right thing, or to fudge the rules to get ahead!  Im far from perfect and I struggle with this as well as any man, but if we need to tell the truth even if it does hurt.

Well Malakye will be better the next time I play him, and eventually hell beat me too, Not hard!  However maybe hell learn that playing by the rules is the best advice you can give a kid. One of these days he might come back to ssay thank you!  Remember they are watching us to see if well do what we really believe! and then follow  our example!

Truth Serum? We need to administer this to our…

Truth serum what is it? We know it to be a drug adminstered to criminals or alleged criminals to extract the trut. . It was first brought to the fore by a Dr William Blacksteen in 1930 and used it as in CIA training manuals in 1996, This despite being ruled unconsitutional in the early 1960’s.

The drug consists  of sodium bentathol  which  was used on psychiatric patients to induce mania or catonia. The jury is still out on the effectiveness of this

drug because,GET THIS,  THE  TRUTH SPOKEN IS OFTEN MIXED WITH FANTASY OR FALSEHOODS.  How appropriate, I thought!!  Our leaders havve this veneer of speaking the truth, but very often speak and believe the opposite of what they want  you to believe!  You might remember Arnold Schwartzneggar  and Jamie Curtis in  TRUE LIES where he  plays a double agent a super spy. In the end however his wife Jamie  Curtis administers the truth serum and draws the whole truth out of him!

Sometimes I think we need to do that with every politician that sets foot on Capitol Hill!  If they only could find some drug that would be 100% effective!! LOL

* Consider that we have been told that we have cutting spending, when in fact we have not, we have increased the spending of big   govt every  year for a long tim!

*  Consider in the current election cycle we are told on thing  during the campaign and another during the next term!  Its exhausting just to keep up with the verbiage from Washington!

* Consider that the TRUTH HAS BECOME A RELATIVE CREATURE NOT AN ABSOLUTE!  and that anything  that achieves an end is more likely to be accepted as norm!   We no longer can accept our leaders word for it because it seems the only thing they swear upon is the sustaining their own careers.

Distorting, exaggerating, stretching, and obfuscating the truth is as normal as hot dogs apple pie and Chevrolet! When senators and  Congressman swear upon the Bible to tell the truth and nothing but the truth it appears meaningless!

Ill cut taxes, Ill create jobs, Ill get tough on terrorism, Ill get tough on Congress and reign in uncontrollable spending, Yet what do we have at the end of each cycle?  A painful facisimile of  the last!!

It doesnt matter if you are Republican or Democrat or Independe3nt, this stretches across all party lines. Consider how easy it is to lie, and how God’s Word (the ultimate truth serum needs to be applied)  Its far too easy to get caught up in the  excitment of the election and the promise of a change, forgetting that the system is broken: and we as people need fundamental change in our hearts!   MOST PEOPLE WOULD RATHER HIDE THEIR HEADS IN THE SAND, THAN LOOK SQUARELY AT AN ISSUE A PARTY OR AN IDEAL FOR WHAT IT IS.  They would rather stick with what they know, instead of donning a critical thinking cap and be open to true change!!

The Prophet said that “Truth is fallen in the streets’ and indeed it has. What was once a man’s bond, is totally situational and fluid with whatever the

priority is at the moment. That is not Truth! We need to wake up and take the truth serum ourselves and ask  ourselves some deep questions.

What do I want for this country?  Do I  realize that  celebrity cult of Americana compromises the truth that people need to hear? Am I open to hear from both sides and am willing to invest time to really explore the issues, rather than fall back on the same pary lines? Am I going to let my country deterioriate or am I going to do my part in RESTORING AMERICA TO GREATNESS.

I am not here to advocate any party, or political action group, some of the ones I like are on FB page.  Rather I  want to stimulate you to action and serious thought.  No we cant make every politican or local leader take the truth serum or polygraph, but we should hold them to a much higher standard than we are!  We cant let them get away with the widespread influence peddling and pandering to special interest. We elect our leaders and as such we can jerk the thumb downwards when we arent happy with their preformance or decisons!

MAN IS LEAST HIMSELF WHEN HE TALKS IN HIS OWN PERSON, GIVE HIM A MASK, AND HE WILL TELL YOU THE TRUTH!

OSCAR WILDE

Hello friends. A link to share that might be of help. Family Foundations International

Here ihttp://www.familyfoundations.com/index.php/seminars27s the link.  Craig Hill is an annointed man of God in the area

of family finance, A successful financial professional he has turned his focus to the American family and holds seminars and events

to assist the family to reach their goals, and exorcise the curses that hold them back,

As always I recommend links that I think to be helpful… Add to your reading and if you  like to your favorite link list.

 

I will be writing an article on Truth Serum, something our country desperately needs. One wonders how our country would change if our

politicians decided to tell the whole truth. To deal with the consequences of their poor short sighted decisons NOW, rather than LATER. Truth

is not the easiest things to swallow, but if it will heal our land and aright our country, WHAT ELSE CAN WE DO?  DO WE WANT TO CONTINUE

DOWN OUT DESTRUCTIVE PATH, AND PRETEND LIKE HIGHER TAXES AND POLITICKING IS GOING TO SOLVE IT,?  OR DO WE KNUCKLE DOWN AND GO BACK TO THE PRINCIPLE  UPON WHICH OUR COUNTRY WAS FOUNDED?

STAY TUNED AND COMMENT ON MY BLOG WEIGHING IN WITH YOUR OWN COMMENTS!