Facing Things Head On

Pioneers and historians

2012-01-06T20:03:00.001-08:00

I heard a great statement on ESPN radio when Mike & Mike were interviewing Ron Jaworski, former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, and now a well-known football commentator.

Jaworski was asked about the new Penn State football coach Bill O’Brien and some of the controversy this choice is causing within the ‘Penn State family’. The controversy has to do with the fact that O’Brien has no connections to Penn State or Joe Paterno.

Given the allegations against Jerry Sandusky, a former coach, and some University officials this appointment makes sense. Someone from outside the ‘family’ was the best choice

Jaworski’s comment was something to the effect that there are enough historians and not enough pioneers at Penn State regarding this issue. Pioneers see the future.

Pioneers take paths that no one else has taken, discover new things and forge ahead regardless of conditions. Many times their discoveries exceed what they set out to accomplish. Historians review and study the past to see what occurred.

It’s good to learn from the past but not to dwell there. We in America are where we are now more due to pioneers than to historians. But there seems to be a change that is occurring that is causing us to be more concerned with our comfort and not having to struggle and work hard and not take risks.

The pioneers are those we admire for their courage and willingness to take risks. I think we will be better off if we encourage people to be pioneers.

Second Chances

2012-01-01T16:11:00.000-08:00

Watching a piece on ESPN about Chris Herren titled ‘Unguarded’.

Chris was a star high school basketball player from Massachusetts who played at Boston College and Fresno State. He had drug problems and left BC.

Jerry Tarkanian had just become the new coach at FS and called Chris to come and play for the Bull Dogs. Tarkanian, former coach of UNLV, said he was getting a second chance and he wanted to give Chris a second chance.

Herren went on to play for the Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics in the NBA and for teams in other countries – Italy, China, Turkey and a few others. He used cocaine, Oxy and heroin while he was playing. He was ultimately arrested for using drugs and was in and out of rehab several times.

The piece showed Chris, now clean for several years, talking with students in middle school or high school, a high school sports team, military personnel and prison inmates about his journey through life and his fall from the pinnacle of professional basketball to a junkie.

It seems like everyone likes to see stories about others getting second chances.

But I think what happens more frequently is that people aren’t willing to givesecond chances to others who have done something to them. Those of us who are Christians are directed not to be judgmental. When we don’t forgive, when we don’t give others second chances we are being judgmental. Jesus died so we could be forgivenand we would have more than second chances. He expects us to forgive others to give them second chances.

Who do you need to give a second chance? What are you waiting for?

Stay Plugged In

2011-12-21T20:38:00.001-08:00

There is a system of thought out there that says ‘If it ain’t broke don’t fix it!” I agree with that. But I can also see the wisdom of the idea that if you aren’t growing then you’re dying. That means that you can’t stay the same by repeating the same thing over and over.

But what I don’t get is for someone who is affiliated with a group of people that like to have fun together, that enjoy each other and that challenge each other on their ideas or behaviors when they don’t seem appropriate, to stop meeting with them.

This group described above is an example of the principle called iron sharpens iron and that means you become like the people you associate with. Ideally the group contains others that can help you learn and grow beyond your current level.

You indicate your agreement with what the group stands for by your attendance and participation with the group as well as your willingness to accept their suggestions, advice and / or criticisms.

Why would you stop attending a group like the one above after several years? I guess there could be a number of reasons from a disagreement with one or more of the group members, something or someone else gets your attention or interest, or you find your beliefs are changing and aren’t the same as the group members. There also may be some other reasons.

Some advice that was given back in the early days of Ancient Greece is applicable I think. The advice is to ‘know thyself’. Good advice but it isn’t always easy to figure everything out for yourself. You can save time and heartache by heeding the advice of others who know you, who have already gone down the path that you are moving down or learn from others who are more knowledgeable in areas that you aren’t. Just as your group can do.

Trusting only in yourself may not be the best approach.

What a movie can do

2011-12-17T18:03:00.000-08:00

Sometimes watching a movie triggers some thoughts, some emotions or some old memories. And sometimes a movie just entertains you.

Watching a movie tonight triggered some thoughts about my dad. The movie was ‘A Warrior’s Heart’.

Watching the movie tonight brought back memories and emotions. I saw a dad who was involved in his son’s life - at least involved in helping his son with his Lacrosse career in high school. His dad would teach him how to be a better player.

My dad and I weren’t real close as I grew up but we did talk occasionally. We talked mostly about sports and some current events after he got home from work at night, if I was home. As I got older I was out most nights.

We didn’t do much together. We didn’t hunt or fish or golf or do chores or walk together or anything like that. Mostly my dad came home from work ate dinner, read the newspaper, listened to the radio, drank a few bottles of beer and then went to bed.

It was pretty much the same on weekends.

During the summer months I would occasionally take him to work so I could use the car during the day so we talked during those times but it was only a 10 or 15 minute trip so we didn’t have a lot of time together.

We did do a few things together. Occasionally I could talk my dad into playing catch with me with a baseball and I did get him to help me deliver papers on my Sunday newspaper route when it got colder.

When I was young and even early into my adult life I would have difficulty with anger. I never understood why I would get upset so easily. And it took a while to get through it.

After participating in a ‘Men’s Fraternity’ group a few years ago I started to understand why I was angry when I was younger. One of the causes identified is that an absent father, either physically or emotionally, can be the reason for anger in men, both young and old. This translated means that the dad isn’t there to teach the son how to do things or to teach him about life or to just spend time together.

I would have blamed my dad when I heard that if I hadn’t already realized some time earlier that my dad didn’t have a dad that was involved in his life. So he didn’t have a good relationship or a good example that he could learn from.

My grandfather worked all day then came home to get cleaned up and eat and then went out to the backroom of a local restaurant to play poker all night according to my mom.

What helped me through the anger more than anything was my relationship with God. God transforms your life when you accept Him and let Him lead you. And the way this is made evident in your life is through the fruit of the Spirit. Some of the fruit is kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control. Read about the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5.

A good example

2011-12-14T20:20:00.001-08:00

I saw a guy today that I haven’t seen in a number of months. We have known each other for several years but don’t see each other very often.

I always feel good after talking with him for even a few minutes because he always asks how I am doing, how my projects are going and how my wife is doing. He always encourages me.

After I left I took some time to think about why I enjoy seeing him and I wrote down the following: He is strong in character, committed to his cause, consistent in his beliefs, willing to serve others and positive in attitude. He is sincere and I never feel that he is using me or taking advantage of me.

What I finally realized is that he is the kind of guy I would follow into war because his words and actions are in agreement. He is a good example. He is a man of character and someone I trust even though I don’t agree with all his ideas.

It was good to see him. It was a good reminder.

Stop the Insanity

2011-12-09T05:21:00.001-08:00

I think it is time for the NFL and NCAA to take control of the assaults that are occurring on quarterbacks in their respective leagues. Quarterbacks that in many cases are standing defenseless after releasing a pass, that don’t practice for contact and that don’t work out in the weight room to bulk up.

Behavior can be controlled by rules and regulations with the exception of those who refuse to abide by the rules for whatever reason. Are the inhabitants of our prisoners rule followers?

People will do whatever they can get away with and many times in sports players are encouraged for making the big hit by the fans and media. So it is up to the leagues to take the lead to protect layers.

In fact I am all in favor of putting the defense on defense by giving the offense opportunities to attack the defense by giving them the opportunity to hit, hold and block anywhere on the field.

But the penalty that can have the greatest impact is one that makes the defensive player, or the player who delivers the injury causing blow, sit out for the same period of time as the injured player. A series, a game, a season or a career. But it must be a player of equal impact for both teams. Not a substitute or second team player who takes out an All-Pro player. Then the Team should be penalized if they have more than one of these types of players during some period to be defined by the league.

The way to make this more effective is to increase penalties geometrically for the first, second and third offense. Only three episodes in a career and then the player is banned from the league.

Harsh? Sure. But this idea or something like it can change things. Football hasn’t always been about and taking out other players. But it can remain fun and enjoyable eliminating intentional hits to seriously injure other players.

Do wishes have a cost?

2011-12-06T18:22:00.001-08:00

Forbes Thought Of The Day

“ Wishes cost nothing unless you want them to come true. ”

— Frank Tyger

Don't ask don't tell

2011-11-14T18:47:00.001-08:00

Did Penn State have its own version of don't ask don't tell in place since the mid 90's? If so, it doesn't appear that it was formal or sanctioned by the university but nonetheless there is the impression that many more people in the community and at the Universaity knew what was going on with Jerry Sandusky and the kids he was molesting than have let on.

According to published reports authorities were notified numerous times through the years of Sandusky's alleged abuses but nothing was done until just recently as a result of a Grand Jury investigation.

Penn State officials, including coach Joe Paterno, have indicated that they fulfilled their legal responsibilities by reporting things through the appropriate channels but for some reason warning lights didn't go off when Sandusky frequently turned up at football games and other events accompanied by children. There were also claims that he would take kids out of their schools for periods of time.

Is it too much to expect that football coaches, university officials, teachers, townspeople and others pay as much attention to details like these as they do to the details in a game or to what is happening with their employees, or other students or their neighbors?

What many members of the public think is that these folks noticed some things but may have chosen to ignore them either due to formal directives or informal pressures to keep quiet. Perhaps the football program or the University or the Head Coach or all of them were deemed to be more important than the boy's well being.

Identify the cause not just the reason

2011-11-10T20:09:00.001-08:00

During the election for Montgomery County Commissioners this week the Republicans lost control for the first time in about 100 years. There were some comments on the story on KYW and after reading them I thought I would offer an opinion.

'Bruce Castor, Republican candidate and incumbent commissioner, may be right in his assessment of why the Republicans lost the Montgomery County Commissioners race. According to Castor the Democrats won because they had more money and more votes. That is more the reason than the cause.

But I think it comes down to the lack of a compelling reason to vote for the Republicans or even a compelling reason to vote. Republicans many times seem to come up short on motivating the voters.

Certainly it can’t be because the other side doesn’t provide the material to work with. I think the GOP has to figure out how and when to use that material rather than expecting that people will automatically vote for Republicans just because they talk about lowering taxes or creating jobs. It has to become a more personal message directed at the voters.'

Some Wsidom

2011-10-09T19:13:00.000-07:00

Interesting things I heard this week.

‘Be strong on vision but flexible on details’

- heard on the Charlie Rose show and attributed to JeffBezos of Amazon.com

‘The best things in life aren’t things’

‘- on a sign attached to a church marquee

Three points from Steve Jobs’ Commencement address atStanford in 2005

- Youcan only connect the dots of your life by looking backwards. Cannot connect thedots looking forward. Have to trust that the dots will connect in the future.Have to trust in something. Believing gives you confidence.

- Lovewhat you do – you will only be satisfied if you find great work. You’ll know itwhen you find it.

- Liveeach day as if it were your last. Each day ask yourself would I do what I amgoing to do today if it were the last day of my life?

Other points from the Jobs commencement address

- Deathis very likely the single best invention of life. Death is life’s change agent.It clears out the old to make way for the new. Your time is limited so don’twaste it living someone else’s life.

- Don’tbe trapped by dogma which is living with the results of other people’s thinking

- Don’tlet the noise of other people’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. Havethe courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know whatyou truly want to become.

- StayHungry – Stay Foolish’

The final message from thepublication ‘The Whole Earth Catalog’

Jobs has always wished that forhimself and he wished it for the Stanford grads.

To Humor or not to Humor

2011-09-29T19:53:00.002-07:00

How important is your behavior with different types ofpeople? Another way to state this is, does it matter if you can relate to manytypes of people?

I was part of a discussion recently where a question likethis was asked of us. There were numerous suggestions including be yourself,God made you the way you are, it depends on your audience, the Apostle Paul wasall things to all people and some others.

I think it depends on your objectives. What are you tryingto accomplish? If it involves people then you will have to learn how toinfluence them to get the outcomes you desire. To influence people you need to relate to them through yourwords, your actions, your appearance and your behavior.

There is choice to be made here. Do you remain the way youare or do you try to become better at relating?

In most cases you will need to act differently with kidsthan with adults. Although with your adult friends you may act more like a kidthan you do with the kids. The relationship you have developed with your friendsover time will determine how you act with them.

For a presentation to potential investors or to people youwant to join your team to accomplish some important objectives or to hire you youshould act differently if you want results. Not like a teenager or immatureadult. People won’t trust you and take you seriously. They won’t trust you withtheir money or their time if they are busy.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t use humor if it is one ofyour traits or gifts from God. Don’t overuse humor all the time. Humor isvery effective in communication if used properly and at the right time. If youaren’t sure how to use it search the internet, get some books, find aneffective speaker or trainer who uses humor well and watch and learn or findsomeone skillful in using humor to mentor you.

Choose whom you listen to and whom you get your advice fromcarefully. That means use your discernment or learn how to develop thatdiscernment because your life or career may be in the balance.

As part of the process you will also have to learn how toread people for feedback to know when you are effective in your communication.

To be effective with people you need to influence them

To influence them you need to relate to them

To relate to them you need to make them feel comfortablewith you.

When they are comfortable with you they will listen to you,support you and help you achieve the goals you have.

You could say relationships make the world go ‘round.

A Manhood Definition

2011-09-26T17:55:00.000-07:00

I have been in a number of meetings where the question came up many times about a definition of manhood. Many of the meetings were where men were asking questions because they had young boys and they wanted to know how to raise them and other meetings were with authors or speakers who were imparting their knowledge and wisdom about this topic and its importance.

While reading through a book I recently purchased I came on a good manhood definition. The book provides some explanation as to how the authors arrived at this definition that is helpful in understanding how a boy advances through puberty to manhood in ways other than physical.

The physical part is the easier part. Muscles develop, bones grow, voices change automatically. It's the intangibles like maturity, responsibility, accountability, learning etc. that can be more difficult to acquire especially if there is no one teaching the boy / young man.

A man, regardless of age, who has learned these things and can model manhood is the best teacher for boys. Even though we all haven't had a good model in our lives we can still learn how to be good at it. It takes effort and commitment and a desire to become better.

A Definition of Manhood
A man is an adult male
who accepts his masculinity
speaks and acts with maturity
embraces responsibility
functions independently
can lead a family faithfully
and recognizes his accountability
as an image bearer of God
from 'The Resolution for Men' by Stephen & Alex Kendrick with Randy Alcorn

Most everything in life is a process. Some processes occur as a normal part of life and are automatic. Some require us to participate and to make decisions and take steps along the way. For manhood it's about the choices we make along the way.

Exciting Times

2011-05-11T12:49:00.000-07:00

Mark Turgeon, the new basketball coach at the University of Maryland, said some interesting things at his introductory press conference today.

When asked his style he said it is winning.

He commented that he would be whatever his players needed for them to succeed – Father, Uncle, Mentor – whatever they needed.

He said his family comes first and his players are second.

I think if I was a Terrapin Basketball player I would be encouraged and excited.

I think if I was a Maryland basketball fan I would have a lot of hope due to another statement he made. As part of an answer to a question he said: ‘If you have tickets, keep ‘em. If you don’t have tickets, get ‘em.’

Turgeon played for Larry Brown at Kansas and coached with Roy Williams. He also coached in some other college programs, most recently at Texas A & M and for awhile with the Sixers.

Could be a fun time ahead for the Maryland Terrapins.

Who really needs to be rescued?

2011-04-03T16:06:00.000-07:00

What is it with guys now days? Every few weeks or months an article or several show up in newspapers or magazines or on web sites and talks about how difficult it is to be a man in our modern society. I saw some book reviews recently that have prompted me to write this.

I have been to many men’s seminars that talk about the reasons why this happens to men and why it isn’t fair to men. Hopefully this gives you guys a hint that whining doesn’t solve things.

The old way of living with women is way over. You may remember that lifestyle where the woman was supposed to jump and get the man whatever he wanted whenever he wanted it. Kinda like your parents may have lived depending on your age. To see what it was like go watch some episodes of ‘All in the Family’.

The women were forced or encouraged to stay home and take care of the kids or if they did work in most cases it wasn’t in a very high paying job. Men weren’t challenged and had no reason to change.

Since the 60’s that has been changing as women have demanded and received equal treatment in most cases. So what has really happened?

Women have gone on to complete high school and college in greater numbers than men so they now realize that they can do many of the things that men can do and sometimes more. This has also caused a problem for women in finding quality men to marry.

I think the big problem with men is their egos. Women have made choices and taken actions to equip themselves to succeed in life whether the men are doing the same or not. Actually I overheard a few women saying how they couldn’t wait to marry the guy they know who still lives with his parents and who gets the highest score on a certain video game. Yea right!

Guys you should stop reading the books that guys are writing, to make a lot of money, by telling you that life is unfair for men and start making decisions and taking actions to improve your self, to accomplish more.

Who is stopping you from running a marathon, climbing a mountain, rafting on the Colorado, skydiving, scuba diving, writing a book, driving a truck on the ice road, having a team in the Iditarod, surfing, driving a race car and whatever else it else it is that you aren’t doing. Is it a woman? Come on!

Oh and by the way you should know that your beauty doesn’t need to be rescued as John Eldredge in his various books including ‘Wild at Heart’ tries to convince you. Your woman is now qualified to do whatever you can do and maybe even more.

If you are really wild at heart then no man or woman is going to hold you back or limit you. The only one who can do that is you.

Reasons to risk

2011-03-27T17:42:00.001-07:00

From the discussion of ‘Do you have what it takes’ by John Maxwell at the Maximum Impact Club. This section deals with Risk.

‘I think it is unfortunate that to some degree the word ‘entrepreneur’ has taken on the connotation of a gambler. Many times action is not the most risky path. The most risky path is inaction.

Experience has shown me that taking risks has specific advantages.
One – you learn things faster than the people who don’t take risks.
Two – you have a broader range of experiences
Three – you bump into more obstacles sooner than the people who play it safe.
Four – you learn to get around those obstacles.

So it’s not that you’re smarter than other guys; you just get a better education – quicker.

Risks
To laugh is to risk appearing the fool
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental
To reach out for another is to risk involvement
To expose feelings is to risk exposing you true self
To place your ideas and dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss
To love is to risk not being loved in return
To live is risk dying
To hope is to risk despair

To try is to risk failure
But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing
The person who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing and is nothing
They may avoid suffering and sorrow but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, live
Chained by their attitudes they are slaves, they have forfeited freedom

Who do you or will you serve?

2011-03-27T12:44:00.000-07:00

Following is God’s direction to Joshua after Moses had died and that was recorded in Joshua 1:5-9. Joshua became a great warrior for God.

No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

- Joshua eventually led the Israelites across the Jordan and into Canaan and took the city of Jericho. The conquest of Canaan had little to do with Joshua’s military savvy or the Israelite’s bravery. It had everything to do with a promise God made to an old man (Abraham) with no kids. God delivers on His promises.
- Joshua listened to what God told him above and trusted God. Why don’t we listen to God? Oh, it’s because we’re too smart you say. At least smarter than Joshua.
- It is more important now than ever to have faith in God and to live for Him.
- Why don’t we believe God? Well it’s a nice story but it’s just a story you say. And besides how can I believe in a God if he doesn’t really ever make himself visible or do the things he has done in the Bible or lets bad things happen to good people.
- One of the most important things we, my wife and I, have decided is stated in Joshua 24:15: ‘But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.’

Don't sacrifice the gift

2011-03-20T17:55:00.000-07:00

A quote attributed to the Head Basketball Coach of Virginia Commonwealth University Shaka Smart is below. After researching it on the Internet I found it was credited to Steve Prefontaine a distance runner I believe.

One thing that is not questionable is the way VCU plays basketball. The VCU kids are aggressive, talented and in the opponents' face constantly. Love the aggressiveness.

VCU is leaving it all on the court every game. There is no doubt that they are giving it their absolute best.

'To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift'

Charlie Sheen isn't the only one who needs a do over.

2011-03-15T19:37:00.000-07:00

Ever do something that you regret and wish that you had the opportunity to do it over? Well most likely your faux pauxs are more private and are not broadcast all over the world.

Talk about someone who needs a do over. Read on.

‘CEO of Burger King slammed after calling British women ugly, saying U.K. food is 'terrible'’
BY PHILIP CAULFIELD  DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

The CEO of Burger King is getting grilled for telling a group of students that British women are ugly and that food in the U.K. is "terrible."

Bernardo Hees, who was named the head of worldwide fast food chain in September, was speaking to a group of students in Chicago late last week when he unfondly recalled his days as a young scholar working on an MBA at the University of Warwick in England.

"The food is terrible and the women are not very attractive," Hees said, according to the University of Chicago's student paper, the Chicago Maroon. "Here in Chicago, the food is good and you are known for your good-looking women."

Hees was trying to make a point that his MBA experience was a breeze because he wasn't worried about wining and dining, but officials and chefs in the U.K. have pounced on his remarks.

Principles

2011-03-14T19:31:00.001-07:00

"It's far easier to fight for principles than to live up to them..."

Adlai Stevenson (1900 - 1965)

A Different Weekend

2011-03-12T17:09:00.000-08:00

This was a different kind of weekend for my wife and I. My wife isn’t available due to work obligations so I had to find some other things to do myself.

Something I already know and that was reinforced today and that I tell people is that my wife is truly my best friend. Usually on the weekend we do some things together and we spend time talking together. But we always know where the other is and we can interrupt each other during the day to talk or whatever.

We are both busy and don’t always get a lot of time together during the week. Between evening and weekend meetings, separate outings with friends and other activities or obligations we don’t always get a lot of time together.

We decided some time ago that rather than worry about the time we don’t get to be together we would try to take advantage of the time we do have together and maximize that time. We respect each other’s needs and desires and work together to make our lives work together.

Not everyone wants to do that but whatever your situation you have to do what works for you.

Today I got to catch up on some reading, do some shopping that I rarely ever do, do some cleanup at the house, spend time visiting with a friend and his family, hit some golf balls at a local range and there were about 20 other people with the same idea, caught several NCAA games simultaneously at a local restaurant, dinner out, did some writing and yet to do some walking/running, preparation for a meeting tomorrow, a little more reading and some more NCAA basketball.

Looking forward to the next time I see my wife. It’s always more fun doing stuff with her.

Something about serving and pride

2011-03-12T00:04:00.000-08:00

Who is the most difficult person you have to deal with? You may have named one or more people without having to think very much. But you should read on and see if you agree with John Ortberg.

In his book ‘The Life You’ve Always Wanted’ Ortberg has a chapter titled “Appropriate Smallness’ that deals with pride. He offers examples of pride including vanity, stubbornness and exclusion.

But he offers a way to deal with pride. It is through servanthood and this is part of the chapter subhead. 'The primary reason Jesus calls us to servanthood is not just because other people need our service. It is because of what happens to us when we serve.'

One form of servanthood he identifies is 'The ministry of 'Bearing.' This spoke to me about the way I think about some people. An excerpt is below.

‘We are called to bear each other’s burdens…But at times it may feel as if an entire relationship is burdensome. I may need to ‘bear with’ people until I learn to love them.

…The leader of the group gave some thoughtful advice. She said we should set aside any tendency we might have to evaluate the people and their comments and simply let God speak through them.

I realized that I tend to approach things the other way. As a reflex I had started sizing up the group from our first meeting. Here is a troubled, whining, recovery junkie type, I thought as one person spoke. And here is a traditional, hyper-rational, old school character who will not discover or reveal his heart. And here is a wise, high functioning person I can really learn from. On I went, putting people on a kid of maturity continuum, ready to listen to and try to connect with those who seemed advanced and to endure those who seemed to lag behind.

The leader’s directive - to let go of evaluations and allow God to speak – was, unknown to her, a gentle indictment of my whole way of listening. I realized that my evaluations, while perhaps not totally off base, had more to do with me than with the people I was evaluating. More important, they kept me from listening to what God might want to say to me through people. They kept me from seeing the truth that all of us are somewhere on a journey to God, and the gap between least and most advanced is infinitely smaller than the gap between the most advanced and God himself.

The ministry of bearing with one another is more than simply tolerating difficult people. It is also learning to hear God speak through them. It is learning to be ‘for’ them. It is learning that the difficult person I have most to deal with is me.

This means that…I am called to free people... – repeatedly if necessary – from the little prisons to which I consign them….It may be the most difficult kind of person of all – one in whom I see the same struggles that rage inside me.’

Iron Sharpens Iron sample

2011-03-08T18:35:00.000-08:00

Rod Cooper is a Professor of Discipleship and Leadership Development at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

Following are some comments he made at a workshop titled ‘How to Help Your Marriage Hold Up and Not Fold Up’ during the Iron Sharpens Iron Men’s Seminar held in Hershey, PA, on Saturday, March 5, 2011.

oOne thing that couples don’t count on when they get married is change. It you aren’t prepared for it you’ll want to go back to the good old days.

oMarriages go through stages or seasons - each depends on the other. How you prepare so it is a transition and not a crisis? Recognize the signs. Have a strategy. If you are serious (about your marriage) you will make the changes.

oMarriage is your last best chance to grow up!

oIf you want your wife to respect you, you have to put some deposits in the emotional bank account.

oTo be the leader of your family don’t run from conflict. Don’t treat your wife like a child. Don’t resort to childish behavior yourself.

oHow you fight is one of the most telling ways to diagnose the condition of your marriage.

oRuth Graham, the wife of well-known Evangelist Billy Graham, was once asked what would you change about Billy if you could? Ruth’s response was eye-opening. My job is to love Billy. It’s God’s job to change Billy.

oAn explanation of the word love in the Bible scripture calling husbands to love their wives means to look out for your wife’s interests before you look out for your own.

oCommitment to improve your marriage is more than about you. It’s about enhancing your relationship.

oBest question to ask if you want a better marriage is ‘God what do you want me to learn?’

Next Iron Sharpens Iron Men's Seminar is in the Philadelphia area (King of Prussia, PA) on Saturday, April 9, 2011. See umof.org for more details.

A big Prayer

2011-03-05T01:48:00.000-08:00

I saw this at ‘Kingdom Business’. It was linked on the Regent University Regent Center for Entrepreneurship site. The link to the RU site is below.

It is a prayer that encourages us to realize that we have a God who is capable of great things and we should remember and apply that. It is a good reminder for all of us that many times we don’t ask God for enough. Be bold is the message.

Bearing the Arms of Moses; Ten Ways to Pray for Mobilizers and Cross-cultural Workers

By Shane Bennett (see on original site at Missions Catalyst)

It's a fascinating picture, isn't it? As long as Moses holds his staff aloft toward the throne of God, Joshua and his army prevail against the bad guys. But Moses, though a galactic superman, got tired. Exodus 17 tells us his buds Aaron and Hur got a rock for him to sit on. Then they began to hold up his arms! I know you've heard this story since you were a kid, but think about it for a second: They used their arms to hold up his arms. I suppose Moses got tired of holding the staff, but how long until Aaron and Hur got tired of holding his arms, holding the stick? Couldn't have been long. Yet they persevered through sun, fatigue, and smelliness ... and it worked. Come evening, Joshua prevailed on the battlefield below.

Now maybe it's a stretch to equate missionaries and mobilizers with Moses. If it doesn't totally feel like you're cheating on your hermeneutics prof, try this on: We have the opportunity, through prayer, to be Aaron and Hur for our friends who are holding up the staff of God for the advance of his kingdom among the least evangelized peoples on the planet.

When I think of you who read this column, I realize that (unless you were assigned to read this as a "bad example" of persuasive writing) you probably have some stake in the completion of the Great Commission. You've made sacrifices in an effort to see the good grace of Jesus go to where it hadn't before. So I asked myself, how I would pray for you? How would I hold up your arms so that the dreams of your heart might find success?

Here it is. Here's what I pray for you. Maybe these things would be good to pray for every last one of us, but I think they have particular relevance for those who have laid it on the line for the "sheep of another pen."

1. Freedom from Fear

Perhaps more frequently than any other command, the Bible tells us not to fear. At the same time many of us live in cultures both saturated with and fueled by fear. I know I fear failure. I fear discomfort. I fear the loss of my health, security, and status. But this is not normal life for a follower of Jesus. John tells us that "perfect love drives out fear."

E. Stanley Jones, a world-class missionary who lived most of his life in India, encourages, "Then discipline yourself against all anxiety and fear. Fear is the enemy - not the thing of which we are afraid, for most of our fears are never realized. They never come. Those that do come can be used in the purposes for which we live."

May God add his grace to our discipline, resulting in lives free from fear.

2. Growing Hope

If you've been a Great Commission groupie for a while, perhaps you've wondered from time to time why the job's not done yet. Maybe (on dark days) you struggle to believe it ever will be. God's promises are huge. His commandments are extensive, and the effort exerted to obey them has been epic. But there's so much still undone. So much pain. So much despair.

As you add days to days and years to years, may you look increasingly like your father Abraham who "against all hope, in hope believed and so became the father of many nations."

My God fill us with hope. May he rekindle within us the conviction that "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea."

3. Big Faith

As that hope grows, I pray big faith for you. Faith that allows you to pray audacious prayers. Faith that compels you to ask for the nations. Faith not content with one Muslim here and one there following Jesus, but that asks God for hundreds of millions from the sons of Ishmael to find life in Christ. Faith that asks God for what you not only can't accomplish on your own, but can barely imagine.

4. Battle Skills

May you have eyes to see what's really coming at you. May you have wisdom to discern between the focused attacks of your enemy and the normal challenges of a world that produces thorns and thistles. May you have the kind heart of the truest Mennonite with the fighting skills of a Navy Seal (or their spiritual equivalent). Let these skills be deployed under God not only for the protection of your family, but also for the release of many captives from their prisons and the rolling back of the work of our enemy.

5. A True Band of Brothers and Sisters

As you exercise your faith and hone your spiritual warfare skills, may God gather around you a team like Moses had in Aaron, Hur, and Joshua. May he give you, as he sees fit, a husband or wife, colleagues, pals, counselors, and mentors - people who will speak the truth to you even at great risk, love you even through great failure, and accept you even though they know you deeply. May he bring you a band of people for whom you would gladly die.

6. Authority

I pray for you to grow in authority. May God fill you with such spiritual authenticity, such power, such tangible presence of Jesus that though you never raise your voice, the room is quieted. May men and women of power care what you say, even do what you ask, because the scent of Jesus is strong on you. May no pain you experience be wasted, but rather captured for the maturing of your character, readying you to prevail in the next challenge ahead.

7. Wisdom

As your authority grows so will the trickiness of your problems. Get wisdom and keep on getting it. May God push that wisdom into the depths of your heart and all the way out to the edges of your consciousness. May you understand how to humbly love people, both submit to and lead people, inspire hope and great sacrifice in people. May you have sufficient wisdom to hear and follow the voice of your shepherd and thereby give your youth, your energies, and your very life in the place of your greatest usefulness.

8. Perseverance

May you walk all the way to the end of your road. Though it seems the road will never end and for long stretches you walk alone, don't stop walking. May the resilience and perseverance we imagine, or know, to have been in our ancestors also be found in you. I ask God for your strength, determination, and commitment. Keep walking.

9. Rest

Stop walking from time to time. Obey the fourth commandment. Rejoice that you are a creature and not the Creator. Accept his gift of rest with open arms. As you pause, I pray God will restore your soul, that he will speak to the core of your being, and that he will give you strength to get up and walk again.

10. Joy

Finally, I pray for joy for you; for a radical love for God and a daily, intimate connection with him. May Jesus be your shepherd and friend. May the Holy Spirit empower you and counsel you. May abundant life be yours. Right now. And forever. May you breathe in God and radiate out the peace, power, and purpose of a God intent on defeating every evil and winning the whole world.

Amen.

http://kingdomentrepreneur.blogspot.com/2010/10/bearing-arms-of-moses-ten-ways-to-pray.html

Who will be the next coach?

2011-02-17T18:13:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my son for this great piece from Rivals.com on the search for Penn State’s next Football Coach.

Interesting items that stand out:

- Penn State Coaches looking for jobs – they identify unrest on the staff as well
- Candidates that will revitalize Penn State’s recruiting. Who would you want to play for, a coach who has developed a contender for the National Championship or a coach who seems content to be a middle of the pack Big Ten team
- Candidates with reputations for developing quarterbacks. It seems like quarterbacks don’t improve when they get to PSU. Also notice all the great Penna High School quarterbacks that have gone to play at other schools
- Coaches with great recruiting experience – Someone is needed who can get the best talent to come to sometimes happy, Happy Valley

I think the most interesting criteria is that there will be a ‘minimal connection to Joe Paterno’. So a connection with Paterno now is guilt by association where a while ago it was a badge of honor. Reminds me of the song ‘you gotta know when to hold them, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away…’. There’s a leadership / management principle in there somewhere.

I have pointed out some of these things in a previous post

Check out the remainder of the article and the Bio’s of each possible candidate at this site.

http://bwi.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1180543

Penn State's Next Coach: The Update
BWI Staff
Three months have passed since we went public with the definitive list of candidates (read now if you haven't already) from which Joe Paterno's replacement will be chosen. Three months later, we still believe the name of the next Penn State football coach is on the list.

Did we mention it's a new list?

Well, not really: The criteria are the same, and 10 of the 15 candidates from our initial list remain. We trimmed five from the first batch either because they got new jobs (although, as you'll see, that wasn't necessarily a deal-breaker...) or because events of the past three months made it unrealistic to keep them on the list. We replaced them with five coaches who (mostly) fit our criteria, and who became contenders either through circumstances or their own on-field success.

We'll get to the candidates in a second; first, let's review our previous post. We can start with the timeline. As we wrote in October: "We're convinced that Penn State will hire its first new head football coach in almost half a century no later than February 2012." We should know better than to try predicting when Joe Paterno will finally step down, but given his contract status, the uncertain prospects for his 2011 team, hints of unrest on his staff and the still underachieving state of recruiting, we'll stick with our prediction that this will be Joe's final year.

Now, onto our criteria - and what the events of the past three months have taught us about just how right we were.

Qualifications - We told you the next Penn State head coach would be a current head coach, and we still think that'll be the case. The high-profile hires this offseason have gone to a mix of head coaches (Brady Hoke at Michigan, Al Golden at Temple, Randy Edsall at Maryland, and, ultimately, Todd Graham at Pitt) and top assistants (Will Muschamp at Florida, David Shaw at Stanford), and while a dynamic coordinator with a record of success at a major program could make the cut (yes, we did add one such candidate to our list), we remain convinced the university will want someone with CEO experience.

Age - We continue to believe the most likely candidates for this job are 55 or under.

Broad Recruiting Reach - The demographic reality hasn't changed in the past three months, so a coach with recruiting connections in places like Florida, Texas or California will have an advantage in this race.

Minimal Connection to Joe Paterno - This might've been the most controversial of our criteria, and if anything, events of the past month or so confirm it's also the most correct. The fact that as many of half of Paterno's assistants have reportedly looked for other jobs since the end of the regular season tells us what we already knew: Barring Paterno's unexpected and sudden resignation to due health issues, his replacement will not come from his current staff. Period.

Titans win it!

2011-02-12T13:01:00.001-08:00

Watching the movie ‘Remember the Titans’. One of my all-time favorites

Set in early 70’s. Races come together involuntarily to form an integrated football team. From the desire of players of both races to be separate to a championship team that didn’t recognize color but only performance and team work.

It happened because of relationships that developed between the players that were based on trust. Even though the community, the parents and fans didn’t understand how blacks and whites could get along or agree with the integration the players pushed forward to win the championship.

Underlying the movie was a mixture of music from that period by black and white artists.

An important part of the story was the head coach, Herman Boone. He was given the position over a successful white coach, Coach Yoast. This in itself could have created big problems but Boone wouldn’t let it. He treated everyone the same way

The quote that captures the essence of the film was delivered by Coach Yoast, the defensive coordinator, at half time of the championship game with the Titans down 7-3. ‘You have taught this city to trust the soul of the man rather than the look of the man.’

Unity is powerful. One phrase I remember from history that will ensure defeat was ‘divide and conquer’. Unity made the difference.

Surprising Messenger

2011-02-08T19:57:00.000-08:00

Randall Wallace spoke at the most recent National Prayer Breakfast.

Randall Wallace planned on becoming a minister or a songwriter, not a filmmaker. After leaving the seminary to write music, he worked as a novelist and television scribe before penning the award-winning script to Braveheart (1995) and Pearl Harbor and embarking on a directing career.

He also wrote, directed and produced the critically acclaimed ‘We Were Soldiers’ and the ‘Man in the Iron Mask’. Most recently he directed ‘Secretariat’.

His talk starts at 36:25 just after the President.

http://www.breitbart.tv/braveheart-screenwriter-randall-wallace-at-national-prayer-breakfast/

Don't we all want another chance?

2011-01-23T13:33:00.000-08:00

I came across this piece at ESPN and it points out the importance of second chances and forgiveness. I think some will read this and not agree with giving Casey Therriault another chance. But some of you will understand the point.

What is interesting is who gave him the second chance.

I feel sorry for those of you who can’t forgive because your life won’t be as great or as enjoyable as it could be. You will always be uncomfortable especially when you are in the presence of the person you can’t forgive. And trust me that will occur.

When you don’t or won’t, which is more like it, forgive you are enslaved to the unforgiveness. You become a different person and show others a side of you that they won’t like. They will also think that someday you may hold them in the same type of contempt.

I am convinced that the only reason I can forgive is because of Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. When you realize that God forgives us for all the crap we have done in our lives we can begin to see the importance of forgiving others.

Read the entire piece to get the whole picture. I have only excerpted a short portion of it.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=6021619

"I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice."
-- Martin Luther King Jr., Aug. 28, 1963

JACKSON, Miss. -- Scenes from an oasis:

A fence separated the old black woman from the football field, but it didn't stop her. She wanted to meet the young white quarterback. She asked the coach to bring him over. If you don't have a place to go for Thanksgiving, the old woman told the quarterback through the fence, we will feed you.

In the stands in Memphis, Tenn., weeks earlier, a black stranger struck up a conversation with the white quarterback's father. He was easy to pick out, after all, a pale face in a section full of dark faces. By the end of the game, the quarterback's father had been invited to stay at the stranger's house for the next home game.

Everyone wanted to reach out to the white quarterback. He had come hundreds of miles from his native Michigan to this strange place -- to Jackson State University, a historically black college -- because he had nowhere else to go, with a past he was trying to escape. He didn't know what to expect. He sure didn't expect all this. All the support and attention and generosity directed his way was startling.

Just a few months before, no college wanted anything to do with him. Now, this novelty act of a quarterback was suddenly a minor celebrity.

In a state that was crippled by racial intolerance, the Jackson State fans didn't care that he was different from them. They didn't care about the trouble in his past and the chilling word that was attached to him. Or maybe it was because of the differences, and because of the trouble, that they reached out.

Maybe this was the latter stages of a dream come to fruition.

Look around

2011-01-22T14:36:00.000-08:00

‘Yep, life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile you could miss it!’ -Ferris Bueller

Who are we trying to please?

2011-01-17T18:59:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had someone try to teach you something and that teacher, who doesn't have to be a trained teacher, got frustrated with you because you weren't getting whatever it was they were trying to teach you?

While reading a few chapters from Romans this week, I noticed some scriptures that got me to wondering if God gets that frustrated teacher sensation with us. Surely if God was a human he would be frustrated with us because we just don't get the things he has laid out for us in His book, or we don't take the time to understand or we're too stubborn to even read what he writes.

But fortunately for us God is patient and He repeats things over and over for us. He wants us to get it!

And God not only has to fight for the non-believers, sometimes He has to fight for the believers who have been influenced by those who insist that they are the only ones who know what God means. I ran into a friend last week who told me that many of us suffer from this affliction, from a Messianic Complex.

These selected lines from the book of Romans, Chapters 14 and 15, are things that I believe God wants us to be more aware of and to put into practice so we don't try to control what people believe.

o Accept those whose faith is weak without quarreling over disputable matters.

o Who are you to judge someone else’s servant?

o You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat your brother or sister with contempt?

o Therefore, let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.

o Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.

o We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. We should all please our neighbors for their good to build them up.

They don't quite get it

2011-01-16T17:35:00.000-08:00

The excerpt below appeared in the book titled ‘The 33 Strategies of War’ by Robert Greene. It appeared in the chapter on 'The Turning Strategy' in the Interpretation section and the example used to demonstrate it was about Julius Caesar.

Caesar was very strategic in everything that he did. He was also unpredictable and an example is used showing how he did not extract retribution from enemy troops when they surrendered and all the laws of war would indicate that he could. Then these troops joined Caesar’s forces to fight against their former leader. How often has this happened?

Here is the practical advice the author suggests we use that is derived from the examples presented in the chapter.

“Life is full of hostility – some of it overt, some clever and underhanded. Conflict is inevitable: you will never have total peace. Instead of imagining you can avoid these clashes of will, accept them and know that the way you deal with them will decide your success in life. What good is it to win little battles, to succeed in pushing people around here and there, if in the long run you create silent enemies who will sabotage you later? At all cost you must gain control of the impulse to fight your opponents directly. Instead occupy their flank. Disarm them and make them your ally: you can decide later whether to keep them on your side or to extract revenge. Taking the fight out of people through strategic acts of kindness, generosity, and charm will clear your path, helping you to save energy for the fights you cannot avoid. Find their flank – the support people crave, the kindness they will respond to, the favor to disarm them. In the political world we live in, the flank is the path to power.’

The suggestions in themselves are not bad but are not the best suggestions for us. The author's purpose is to help you have success but success won't solve your problems. His advice about creating enemies is right on, and getting control of your desire to fight your opponents is definitely helpful but not for the reasons he is identifying. How you treat others impacts your relationships with them. His purpose is to encourage you to manipulate others for your benefit.

We should find their flank as he indicates near the end of the piece not for the reasons stated but because we should want to live with and love others as we are taught through God's Word. Life is a whole lot easier and more fulfilling that way. Plus we are being obedient.

Occidental or Oriental

2011-01-13T19:48:00.000-08:00

Parenting. Isn’t this an interesting experience? Now there is a new entry into the how-to parent advice book arena. The book referenced below is very different from what most Western parents are encouraged to be. And may be something that may arouse your ire.

An excerpt from the book ‘Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother’ by Amy Chua, a professor at Yale Law School, appeared in the Wall Street Journal last week and it is still one of the most popular articles at the WSJ web site. The title of the article is ‘Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior’.

My own view is that the modern day Western parent is afraid that their child(ren) won’t like them if they are strict and insist on certain behaviors or actions.

Read this excerpt and then see the full article at WSJ.com

Western parents try to respect their children's individuality, encouraging them to pursue their true passions, supporting their choices, and providing positive reinforcement and a nurturing environment.

By contrast, the Chinese believe that the best way to protect their children is by preparing them for the future, letting them see what they're capable of, and arming them with skills, work habits and inner confidence that no one can ever take away.

I've thought long and hard about how Chinese parents can get away with what they do. I think there are several big differences between the Chinese and Western parental mind-sets.

I've noticed that Western parents are extremely anxious about their children's self-esteem.

Chinese parents believe that they know what is best for their children and therefore override all of their children's own desires and preferences.

What Chinese parents understand is that nothing is fun until you're good at it. To get good at anything you have to work, and children on their own never want to work, which is why it is crucial to override their preferences. This often requires fortitude on the part of the parents because the child will resist; things are always hardest at the beginning, which is where Western parents tend to give up.

But if done properly, the Chinese strategy produces a virtuous circle. Tenacious practice, practice, practice is crucial for excellence; rote repetition is underrated in America. Once a child starts to excel at something—whether it's math, piano, pitching or ballet—he or she gets praise, admiration and satisfaction. This builds confidence and makes the once not-fun activity fun. This in turn makes it easier for the parent to get the child to work even more.

Finding the right guys

2011-01-10T15:20:00.000-08:00

In anticipation of the Auburn – Oregon BCS football game tonight I got thinking that if I was a major college football coach I would want the Auburn Football Coach who found, recruited and signed Cam Newton, the Heisman Trophy winning Auburn quarterback, on my staff.

Recruiting the best players is essential to winning Championships as Auburn has done in the SEC. Now they are competing to win the National Championship against Oregon.

I will be glad with whichever team wins tonight as I think they are both worthy of the title of Champions of College Football.

Another Holiday Song

2010-12-30T21:17:00.001-08:00

During the last couple of weeks we saw Adam Sandler on a SNL Highlight show singing the ‘Hanukkah Song. It’s a fun song that hopefully you have heard and here are the words including a brief introduction.

Intro: this is a song, that uh, there's a lot of xmas songs out there, but not too many about hanukkah, so I wrote a song for all those nice little jewish Kids who don't get to hear any hanukkah songs--here we go...

Put on your yalmulka, here comes hanukkah
Its so much fun-akkah to celebrate hanukkah,

Hanukkah is the festival of lights,
Instead of one day of presents, we have eight crazy nights.

When you feel like the only kid in town without a x-mas tree, here’s a list of People who are jewish, just like you and me:

David lee roth lights the menorrah,
So do james caan, kirk douglas, and the late dinah shore-ah

Guess who eats together at the karnickey deli,
Bowzer from sha-na-na, and arthur fonzerrelli.

Paul newmans half jewish; goldie hawns half too,
Put them together--what a fine lookin' jew!

You don't need deck the halls or jingle bell rock
Cause you can spin the dreidl with captain kirk and mr. spock--both jewish!

Put on your yalmulka, it's time for hanukkah,
The owner of the seattle super sonic-ahs celebrates hanukkah.

O.j. simpson-- not a jew!
But guess who is...hall of famer, rod carew--(he converted!)

We got ann landers and her sister dear abby,
Harrison fords a quarter jewish--not too shabby!

Some people think that ebeneezer scrooge is,
Well, he's not, but guess who is:all three stooges.

So many jews are in show biz--
Tom cruise isn¹t, but I heard his agent is.

Tell your friend veronica, it's time you celebrate hanukkah
I hope I get a harmonica, on this lovely, lovely hanukkah.

So drink your gin-and-tonic-ah, and smoke your mara-juanic-ah,
If you really, really wanna-kah, have a happy, happy, happy, happy Hanukkah! happy hanukka!

Problem Solver

2010-12-30T20:10:00.001-08:00

‘…Whatever your job title is, your real job is problem solver. This is what you do all day long. Where there are no problems to be solved, there are no jobs. The bigger, the more difficult, more complicated, and more expensive the problems, the greater the opportunities there are for you to get paid more and promoted faster.

The highest paid people in every industry are the very best problem solvers in that industry. And remember, a goal unachieved is just a problem unsolved. Your job is to find ways up, over, around and through any obstacle or difficulty that is thrown in your path. Your ability to solve problems will determine your entire quality of life, both at home and at work.’

From: ‘Create Your Own Future’ by Brian Tracy

Which way do we go?

2010-12-27T20:20:00.000-08:00

It’s time to decide. Which will it be?

‘Not often, but every once in a while, God brings us to a major turning point— a great crossroads in our life. From that point we either go toward a more and more slow, lazy, and useless Christian life, or we become more and more on fire, giving our utmost for His highest— our best for His glory.’

Source: December 27 of ‘My Utmost for His Highest’ by Oswald Chambers

What kind of letter would you hope to receive?

2010-12-25T16:39:00.000-08:00

Below is an interesting letter to a Dad from his daughter reprinted from the 12/24/10 Wall Street Journal.

After reading this letter I wondered what type of letter would I hope to get from my son or my daughter when they turn 45. Hopefully it would deal with the things that we taught them that have benefited them in some way. I'm sure we may have messed up on some things and hope that the good outweighs the untaught or the overlooked.

You should know that we have not provided the type of education identified in the letter for our kids and we are not capable of fulfilling the requests that are made. Just think of the things that you can provide based on your income.

This letter identifies one type of giving and that is the giving of money or material things that most people desire. Things that they think will make their lives easier and more satisfying. Things that don't last.

The things that will most benefit our kids are the intangibles, like qualities of character for example, that last a lifetime and beyond.

‘All I Want for Christmas’

Dear Dad,

Can you believe your baby’s almost 45? I can’t believe how the years have flown. It’s all thanks to you. Putting me through Vanderbilt. Sending me to Harvard for an MBA. Buying me a starter home. And look at how it’s paid off, Dad – a great job, a fabulous husband, a lovely son…I’m all grow up! Anyway, here’s what I want from Santa this year.

A Car. I would visit more often if I had some modest conveyance to get to you, for example, a Starfire Pearl Lexus LXII with burled walnut interior accents and a rear-seat entertainment system. Call the Skokie dealership and ask for Patrick at extension 481. (Patrick is out of the office from December 23 – 28, but he said you could call his cell 847-555-4901.) I think I could even join you and Mom for Easter if I had a car! (If out of pearl, get onyx, not black.)

Timmy’s Tuition. Kindergarten costs more than it used to, Dad. You can’t give an enterprising boy a nickel and a stick of gum and then watch him build a multimillion dollar business, like you did. If kids today want to get ahead, they need a serious advantage, and trust me, $40,000 is well spent on giving Timmy that edge.

A Job for Richard. I don’t see why Santa can’t help my husband find a job in your company, Dad. I’ve asked for this Christmas gift before, but Santa didn’t hear me. No one is saying that Richard is the best personal-injury attorney in the world, but neither is he “negligent, obtuse and woefully unprepared” – I don’t care what Mom or the State of Pennsylvania has to say about it.

A Kitchen. I love to cook. But you try cooking for your family in a kitchen without Clive Christian cabinetry and granite counter tops. A new kitchen would motivate me. Just think of what you’d save on restaurants!

And Daddy, to start paying you back for all that you have done for us, I want to invite you and Mom over for Christmas dinner. I should warn you that my culinary skills haven’t improved much since last Christmas – or “mouth Armageddon,” as you joked – so if you wan me to make a reservation at your club, just let me know!

Love,
Julie

It is hard being you

2010-12-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

I think this line from the movie 'The Fighter' will bring clarity to a lot of people who have ever wondered why they either couldn't be or couldn't be like someone else.

‘You can’t be me! You have a hard enough time being you…’

Thoughts lead to a destiny

2010-12-16T19:39:00.000-08:00

I have seen the following phrase many times in the past and I believe it makes a lot of sense. It is a simple formula that will allow you to do new things or to change things you are currently doing.

I am not sure who to attribute it to but here it is:

Sew a thought, reap an action,
Sew an action, reap a habit,
Sew a habit, reap a character,
Sew a character, reap a destiny,

Here is my interpretation of what it means:

Your thoughts (positive or negative) can lead you to take an action. You have to make a decision to take a specific action.

Your choices will cause you to repeat actions and in the process develop habits. I have read that if you do something for 21 days straight you will develop a habit.

Your habits make your character. Think about the people you know with good character. What habits do they consistently exhibit? Honesty, integrity, dependability, timeliness, etc.

People know us by our character. A good character means we can have a good and positive influence in people’s lives. A bad character means we turn off the majority of people because of who we are and what we do.

Our character influences people and people will remember us by our character. This is our destiny.

The way we live now will determine our destiny unless we consciously make choices to make changes.

Are you happy with your destiny?

To move beyond

2010-12-15T19:20:00.000-08:00

The author or speaker from whom you learn the most is not the one who teaches you something you didn’t know before, but the one who helps you take a truth with which you have quietly struggled, give it expression and speak it clearly and boldly.

From December 15, in ‘My Utmost for His Highest’ by Oswald Chambers

A Pattern for Change

2010-12-14T19:45:00.000-08:00

‘How to change things when change is hard’. This is the subtitle for the book 'Switch'

It seems like change is most always hard and that is probably why many people don’t like change.

I recently read this book on change by Chip and Dan Heath who became well known through their best selling book ‘Made to Stick’.

Their book ‘Switch’ …is a book to help you change things. [They] consider change at every level – individual, organizational and societal.

…all change efforts have something in common. For anything to change, someone has to act differently.

So there are hard changes and easy changes. What distinguishes one from the other? In this book we argue that successful changes share a common pattern. They require the leader of the change to ...consider a three part framework...that can guide you in any situation where you need to change behavior:

o To change someone’s behavior, you’ve got to change that person’s situation

o Change is hard because people wear themselves out. What looks like laziness is often exhaustion

o If you want people to change, you must provide crystal-clear direction

Good Information

2010-12-14T18:42:00.000-08:00

For all of you leaders and would be leaders this book, ‘The Truth About Leadership’ written by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner, is very informative and interesting. Kouzes and Posner are the best selling authors of ‘The Leadership Challenge’ and several other books.

This is the index for the ‘The Truth About Leadership’:

o You make a difference

o Credibility is the foundation of Leadership

o Values drive commitment

o Focusing on the future sets leaders apart

o You can’t do it alone

o Trust rules

o Challenge is the crucible for greatness

o You either lead by example or you don’t lead at all

o The best leaders are the best learners

o Leadership is an affair of the heart

o Leaders say yes

Impact of the Messenger

2010-12-13T20:01:00.000-08:00

…If you are highly credible, people are much more likely to enlist in your campaign for the future. But if others don’t believe in you, then the message you are delivering about an uplifting and ennobling future rests on a weak and precarious foundation.

People may actually applaud your vision of the future but be unwilling to follow you in that direction. They may agree that what you are saying needs to be done, but they just won’t have the faith and confidence that you are the one to lead them there.

We refer to this principle as The Kouzes-Posner First Law of Leadership: ‘If you don’t believe in the messenger, you won’t believe in the message’.

Source: The Truth About Leadership by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner

Ask Him to send you!

2010-12-11T09:11:00.000-08:00

Below these comments is a post I made to my blog on 6/1/08 and titled ‘What I saw’ after a group of us from our church had come back from a trip to Juarez, Mexico. We are talking again this year about sending people, at their own expense, to Mexico, Haiti and Kenya as part of our church’s outreach efforts so I thought I would re-read this post.

The trip was an encouragement to me as I look back on it for many reasons. Will I ever do it again? I don’t know.

But if you are not sure about doing something like this perhaps my thoughts and observations may encourage you. I know it may not be the best time for you to do something like this for lots of reasons – finances, family situations, job problems, health, questions about your faith, concerns about your church, or whatever else there is.

Doing things for God requires stepping out on faith. If we all wait for conditions to be perfect before we do anything then not much will get done.

But most importantly God’s strength will allow you to do this and many other things. He will provide whatever is necessary for you. You need to provide the willingness and the desire to serve Him.

Be like Isaiah who said in Isaiah 6:8:

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
"Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

Pray for God’s guidance and depend on Him and His strength and take the steps necessary to impact people for Him.

You can do this.

Just trust God.

Following is my 6/1/08 blog post:

The mother of the woman we built a house for in Juarez, Mexico, came over for the dedication of that house on a Wednesday evening. She lived next door and her grandson, Jonathan, who would be living in the new house with his mother, had helped us in building his mother’s house.

His grandmother was short, about four feet tall. Her skin was tanned, wrinkled and appeared leathery. She wore a scarf over her head and wore a long dress and she carried her Bible.

She smiled during the dedication service and read some scripture in Spanish when given the opportunity. At the end of the simple proceedings there were many hugs but more tears as the house was presented to the new owner.

I didn’t think much more about the grandmother as we went to the dedication of the second house just a few hundred yards up a dirt road where we encountered another family that was truly thankful. Again many hugs and more tears.

Thirty four of us had traveled from the Philadelphia area to El Paso, Texas, where we boarded four vans. In El Paso we had stayed in a church on Sunday, Thursday and Friday nights where we slept on the floor, on pews or on chairs.

On Monday morning we went to the offices of Casas por Cristo to meet up with our project managers, Scott and Jason. After we got some tools and made plans we added two pickup trucks to the caravan and headed to Juarez, Mexico. Juarez has had a lot of crime recently and the US State Department had issued a warning to Americans traveling there.

Casas has a fairly new community center they had built in the area where we would be working. We would be sleeping on the concrete floor of this center and making and cooking our food here from Monday to Thursday.

This area of Juarez is on top of an old dump with dirt roads, run down shacks, lots of stray dogs, empty plastic bags and plastic bottles everywhere and lots of dust. There were dust storms and hot sun every afternoon.

Interestingly there were used tires everywhere and many appeared on roofs apparently holding roof coverings secure.

Casas has been a presence in this area of one million plus people since 1993, I believe. They have had such a positive influence that whenever people, whether adults or children, saw our caravan they waved and smiled.

As we loaded into the four vans on Wednesday evening to leave the second dedication we drove down the road toward the first house we had built. Up to this time I had not been moved emotionally by this experience. I was glad that I came and glad that we could do a little to help these people in such difficult circumstances.

As we passed the first house we had built, I noticed the grandmother stepping into the doorway of her house next door. I watched her as she looked at our van and clapped her hands for us – she was applauding us. She then raised her right hand high over her head and gave us a thumbs up sign.

The only thing that came to my mind was ‘what you do for the least of these you do for me’. I know it isn’t the exact scripture but I think it captures the meaning. You can check it at Matthew 25:40.

For me that was the reason we had come.

A good principle

2010-11-30T09:56:00.000-08:00

This is a good piece about expectations in relationships. It is difficult for many people to be bigger than the problem or the situation and take responsibility, or as some would say ’take the blame’. I think how you phrase it has a big impact on your attitude. Responsibility is positive and shows you are being proactive and want to resolve things. Blame is negative and causes you to see the other person negatively and I believe makes it harder to overcome.

See my Blog Post titled ‘Best & Worst on November 7, 2010 that also talks about expectations and relationships.

Following is an Excerpt from 'The 100/0 Principle' by Al Ritter posted at Simple Truths by Mac Anderson, Founder

What is the most effective way to create and sustain great relationships with others? It's The 100/0 Principle: You take full responsibility (the 100) for the relationship, expecting nothing (the 0) in return.

Implementing The 100/0 Principle is not natural for most of us. It takes real commitment to the relationship and a good dose of self-discipline to think, act and give 100 percent.

The 100/0 Principle applies to those people in your life where the relationships are too important to react automatically or judgmentally. Each of us must determine the relationships to which this principle should apply. For most of us, it applies to work associates, customers, suppliers, family and friends.

•STEP 1 - Determine what you can do to make the relationship work...then do it. Demonstrate respect and kindness to the other person, whether he/she deserves it or not.

•STEP 2 - Do not expect anything in return. Zero, zip, nada.

•STEP 3 - Do not allow anything the other person says or does (no matter how annoying!) to affect you. In other words, don't take the bait.

•STEP 4 - Be persistent with your graciousness and kindness. Often we give up too soon, especially when others don't respond in kind. Remember to expect nothing in return.

At times (usually few), the relationship can remain challenging, even toxic, despite your 100 percent commitment and self-discipline. When this occurs, you need to avoid being the "Knower" and shift to being the "Learner." Avoid Knower statements/ thoughts like "that won't work," "I'm right, you are wrong," "I know it and you don't," "I'll teach you," "that's just the way it is," "I need to tell you what I know," etc.

Instead use Learner statements/thoughts like "Let me find out what is going on and try to understand the situation," "I could be wrong," "I wonder if there is anything of value here," "I wonder if..." etc. In other words, as a Learner, be curious!

Principle Paradox

This may strike you as strange, but here's the paradox: When you take authentic responsibility for a relationship, more often than not the other person quickly chooses to take responsibility as well. Consequently, the 100/0 relationship quickly transforms into something approaching 100/100. When that occurs, true breakthroughs happen for the individuals involved, their teams, their organizations and their families.

Learning economics from Seinfeld.

2010-11-23T07:36:00.000-08:00

Many people are Seinfeld fans. When I hear people discussing the old episodes that are playing in reruns on cable channels most of the time I only hear about the humor that is gained or recognized in the episodes.

Now some economists have created websites that explain economics by using episodes of Seinfeld. I read about this at ‘Economics: Using Seinfeld to Teach the Dismal Science’ at Bloomberg Businessweek.

There are discussions about:

• The Soup Nazi being a monopolist
• Elaine and the contraceptive sponge
• George joining the book club to impress a girl
• Jerry bartering away the intellectual property rights
• And 200 other scenes at the site referenced

Economics may not get any easier or understandable but you will probably enjoy some of your favorite episodes as well as see things from a different perspective.

Here are the sites. You can comment at the sites if you choose.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_48/b4205026175789.htm
http://www.yadayadayadaecon.com/

Finding Your Purpose

2010-11-23T07:16:00.000-08:00

Good Advice to help find your purpose in the following from ‘Simple Truths’ by Mac Anderson.

What are you trying to do with your life?

What are your greatest gifts?

What are you meant to do here?

How can you best serve mankind?

These are questions you must answer to find your true purpose in life. They sometimes surface during major life transitions such as family strife, job loss, spiritual awakenings, or the death of a loved one.

I feel fortunate to have found my purpose in life. I have that reason to get up in the morning and it fuels my passion. In one of the greatest compliments I ever received, someone said to me, "Mac, when you write you've been blessed with the ability to connect with others...soul to soul." I thought about those words and have chosen to shape my life around that gift.

Every person is a unique being. There is only one of you in the universe. You have many obvious gifts and other gifts waiting to be discovered.

I truly believe, however, that one of the most important questions you can ask yourself in your journey to find your purpose is, "How can I serve others?" Albert Schweitzer said it well:"I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve."

Success is a very personal thing, but I think most people would agree that true success is about being fulfilled in life. It's that feeling of deep satisfaction that starts in your soul and radiates through your being. The end result is true happiness and peace of mind.

Blog Topics

2010-11-22T20:29:00.000-08:00

I get lots of ideas for blog posts most days. For me the difficulty is spending the time to write the idea down, think it through, determine the important points and arrive at some kind of conclusion.

Over the weekend my wife and I were traveling and we had lots of time to talk. We usually talk about lots of stuff every week. Some of the topics include families, jobs, friends, finances, future plans, travel, health,sports, spirituality, donations, economics, travel, challenges, business, politics, sex, volunteering, etc. Usually nothing is off limits.

Our discussions don’t always follow the order of the items above but we usually cover most or all of these topics at least weekly and sometimes more frequently. Some times the discussion is polite and civil and sometimes it gets a little heated because we both have some views on topics that are in opposition to each other.

An interesting aspect of our discussions is that many times one idea leads to another and this to another and then to another.

My wife is a good discussion partner (in discussing what word to use here we both thought ‘foil’ may not be understandable to all) because she is well read, a good thinker and a quick processor. Many times she asks questions that I haven’t thought about or challenges my ideas and conclusions. That isn’t always fun because if I like what I am writing and think it is really good I don’t want to be questioned or challenged.

So what’s the point of all this? I am finding that some days I have good ideas and some I don’t. Some days it is easy to write about a topic and some it is hard. And some days there’s nothing there.

I have gained a greater respect and appreciation for writers who can successfully craft a piece or a book that is interesting and flows well and keeps your interest.

Have a positive impact

2010-11-17T13:26:00.000-08:00

About a month ago I had a discussion with a friend about one of his children who was running for an office in a school group. Sounded like there was some trepidation on the child’s part because it was a new school, I think, and all that being the new kid brings with it but a real desire to see this through.

Saw that friend today and found out the child had lost the election but all is well.

As adults many of us realize that that first election or recital, game, event is or can be just a stepping stone to more elections, more achievement and more success for the child if handled properly. Handling properly is the parent’s responsibility and that includes encouragement, teaching and support. The power and influence that a parent has with a child is enormous.

So if you don’t do the positive the other options are apathy or negativity. Choosing either of these just creates more problems for the child and the parents in relationships and development.

A great example of the positive behavior is displayed in the Bible when God spoke to Moses to encourage him that he could lead the Jews out of slavery in Egypt. And then when Moses was succeeded by Joshua. God and Moses both said to Joshua several times ‘Be strong and courageous!’.

If you didn’t get the positive piece from your parents or other important people in your life then learn from the positive that God and Jesus displayed. Don’t continue the problem. Learn to be a part of the solution.

What you say and do has a great impact on your children and those you lead.

Best & Worst

2010-11-07T11:50:00.000-08:00

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it
was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness. . . .

from ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ by Charles Dickens in 1859

This quote has been used to describe many topics but one that comes to mind for me is marriage. For two people to meet, get to know each other over a short time, make a (lifetime) commitment to each other and expect that everything will be simple, easy, perfect and without conflict for the remainder of their lives seems foolish to those of us who are currently or have been married.

Although we used to have a neighbor who was married three times and divorced three times. I don't think she was able to identify the problem and repeated it three times.

Our marriage, that covers several decades, has experienced both the best and the worst during this time. Not intentionally but because of the dynamic of two different personalities trying to work together and stay in harmony and then adding two additional personalities, our children who are each married now, our expectations of a lifetime of constant peace and harmony were at best naïve and at worst bordering on the ridiculous.

Our mistakes included each of us expecting the other to change and adapt to the other's expectation. How often does that happen successfully without coercion? Expectations of certain behaviors or actions from a spouse, children, family, friends, managers, employees and others can only lead to difficulties and broken relationships. This is pure unadulterated selfishness.

Through lots of trial and error and two times at a minimum where we thought seriously about divorcing we have come to a pretty good place where we love and respect each other and have developed a mutual appreciation for each other and our particular gifts and talents.

We started out as friends (which I think is very important because we developed trust in each other from the beginning), became interested in each other romantically prior to and into marriage, evolved into a strained relationship with animosity toward each other, communicated our desire to each other to have a better relationship, found the best way for us to live our lives together was by giving our lives to and dedicating our lives to God and constantly seeking his direction through Bible reading, prayer, serving and fellowship with other mature committed Christians.

I only know what has worked for us and I think some or all of this can work for you. We are currently best friends and I always look forward to our opportunities to be together where we talk, laugh a lot and show each other that we truly care for each other.

I think the more important thing for a successful marriage or relationship to work is to stop blaming each other for the problems or situations. Accept your responsibility for making things work and include God in your life and marriage. It may not be simple to turn things around but it is possible.

Benefits of struggle

2010-11-03T19:49:00.000-07:00

Struggle marks our time on earth. As Booker T Washington points out below it is from the struggles that we learn the most. If all goes well all the time we don’t have to work to get better or to improve. If everything were easy for us all the time we wouldn’t change. There would be no need to change.

So you may need to rethink your attitude about difficulties, challenges and struggles and the benefit they provide to you. The seeds of success are in the struggles.

I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.

Booker T Washington

Change the future

2010-11-01T19:02:00.000-07:00

What can be a future altering election is happening on Tuesday, November 2nd, in the US.

The current administration and their supporters in the US Congress and US Senate want to retain power so they can control the future of the US and that means controlling you, your family and future generations. And government means less choices for you.

By watching their actions you can see what they are about. Giving the government more control and the individual less control over their lives. By giving money to people the government is all about controlling them and getting their votes to remain in control.

A government interested in helping people is one that encourages and challenges them to get better. To do more and to accomplish more. This helps all of mankind not just the unions, trial lawyers and the friends of big government.

You can have a great impact on the future by accepting responsibility to vote out those who don’t believe in the people of America but believe in more government at all levels.

The future of the US can be and will be driven by Americans who don’t want government handouts but want opportunity to control their destiny.

Government has its purpose as identified in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. By allowing government, rather than these documents, to be the grantor of our rights and privileges we acknowledge that they can control us because they decide when to give and when to take rights.

It will be challenging but we can do it. Let’s start right now!

Build up noble character

2010-10-29T08:55:00.000-07:00

I found the following Taekwondo Tenets (rules) at a local site. Rules can bring structure to a person’s life, help them control their behavior if the rules are consistently followed and can help you obtain a ‘noble character’ as stated below. This is good stuff!

Perhaps we should have everyone in the world take TKD so they can learn better behaviors and treat each other better.

Or you can become a Christian where we are encouraged to live the same way without all of the physical stuff. We learn these things by learning about Jesus and the way he lived. For us it is a choice.

I don't think there is much choice in TKD.

I wonder how many people don’t take TKD because they don’t like the rules? Many most likely take it because they want to learn these things or need help learning them.

Tenets of Taekwondo

Definitions that are in bold are for children younger than 6.

COURTESY (Ye Ui)
Taekwondo-Do students should attempt to practice the following elements of courtesy to build up their noble character and to conduct the training in an orderly manner as well.
1) To promote the spirit of mutual concessions / To agree to disagree
2) To be ashamed of one's vices, and avoid the tempting of others' vices.
3) To be polite to everyone.
4) To encourage the sense of justice and humanity.
5) To distinguish Master from Instructor, Instructor from Student, Elder from Youth, Man from Woman.
6) To behave oneself according to etiquette.
7) To respect others' possessions.
8) To handle matters with fairness and sincerity.
9) To refrain from giving or accepting a gift when in doubt.

INTEGRITY (Yom Chi)
I do not lie to myself or others.
I do not cheat myself or others.
I do not steal from myself or others.

PERSEVERANCE (In Nae)
To pursue your dreams earnestly and strenuously without giving up / To follow through

SELF-CONTROL (Guk Gi)
To be in control of oneself.
I am in control of my feeling.
I am in control of my actions.
I am in control of my thoughts.

INDOMITABLE SPIRIT (Baekjul Boolgool)
To do what is right at all times even when it doesn’t benefit you / To follow through no matter the cost.

Giants in 4

2010-10-29T06:24:00.001-07:00

I’m thinking the Giants win the World Series in 4 games. Maybe 5

Tough Times for Pot Farmers

2010-10-28T08:35:00.000-07:00

Does the harvest party make it all worth it?

This excerpt is from Bloomberg Business Week titled ‘From Reefer Sadness for Pot Farmers’

Now a new set of variables has thrown the business into even greater uncertainty. On Nov. 2, California will vote on Proposition 19, the "Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010," a ballot initiative introduced by an Oakland pot enthusiast named Richard Lee that proposes to legalize marijuana for personal use. The new law would permit individuals to possess up to 1 ounce and cultivate 25 square feet worth of plants at private homes, with no medical requirement. Beyond that the initiative's language is murky. Regulation of commercial production and sale of cannabis would be done by counties and municipalities, leaving the mechanics of how it would all work undefined.

One thing seems clear, though, if the measure is adopted: A quasi-black market will be replaced by a much more legal one, and prices for pot are likely to go down. It's impossible to know by how much, but a 2010 Rand study called "Altered State? Assessing How Marijuana Legalization in California Could Influence Marijuana Consumption and Public Budgets" estimates that retail prices could eventually drop by 80 percent. First, suggests Jonathan Caulkins, a public policy professor at Carnegie Mellon University and a co-author of the Rand study, there would be a "honeymoon" period of several years when production would ramp up as California product began to push out inferior Mexican pot across the country. Once that happens, you could have "a real change in industry structure," according to Caulkins. Growers would have to professionalize their operations and become even more industrial-scale to squeeze out smaller margins of profit. In such an environment, people probably won't make the $150,000 or so Jason says he clears every year, and "mom and pop" farmers will be wiped out. Jason is planning ahead. "You wanna go up top and walk through them fields of glory?" he asks. "If you can grow twice as much, you'll make the same amount of money, even if the price is half."

At harvest time, which starts in October, he hires trimmers to cut the buds off plants for $200 a pound. "Somehow I tapped into this endless lesbian crew. They come out from North Carolina or Idaho, jumping trains the whole way," he says. "One year I had a CPA from Paris." He hires a cook to feed them and provides music, wine, and, of course, plenty to smoke. "It's a party," he says, bouncing up and down and making Edward Scissorhands motions with his fingers. His plots are scattered around the forest along with a collection of greenhouses that are visible from overhead but, he hopes, aren't numerous enough to invite a raid.

Jason says he clears $150,000 to $200,000 a year in profit from the land surrounding his house, depending on how good the crop is. He earns more from other plots he owns nearby. He doesn't pay taxes on the income because he doesn't file a return ("I don't lie about it. That's when you get in trouble"). Spending all that cash in the middle of nowhere can be a challenge. He and his wife eat all-organic, and he's got a few trucks to play with as well as a $28,000 Kubota backhoe. Some of the money is "seasoned" slowly into a bank account, so as not to draw attention.

We are all teachers

2010-10-28T05:16:00.000-07:00

So here’s my premise.

Many people when asked by another person, let’s use the term ‘questioner’, for help with something will look at the current situation or status and begin to solve or propose solutions almost immediately.

It seems like the ‘expert’ doesn’t try to understand what caused the problem but they assume that the ‘questioner’ is ok getting to the current point and if the ‘expert’ just offers some suggestions or solutions then it will fix the problem.

What is helpful for me is for the ‘expert ‘to try to understand what I comprehend to this point, without going into a lot of detail, to make sure I have an understanding of the process for example. This may be considered using a holistic approach.

Granted I have a responsibility in the questions I ask and how I ask them to further my understanding but I think many times the ‘expert’ is trying to solve things in as little time as possible.

As a result maybe I won’t get the understanding that I need to be able to perform this task or process on my own. I think this is or should be the ultimate aim of training and education. And at some point we are all teachers.

Calling

2010-10-27T09:49:00.000-07:00

I recently saw a reference to this quote by Bob Shank:

‘Career is what you are paid for, but a calling is what you are made for’.

Passion

2010-10-26T19:19:00.000-07:00

‘What carries you through the tough times? What gives you the power to overcome adversity? Passion! Poet William Arthur Ward suggested that the key to success is to

Believe while other are doubting
Plan while others are playing
Study while others are sleeping
Decide while other are delaying
Prepare while other are daydreaming
Begin while other are procrastinating
Work while other are wishing
Save while other are wasting
Listen while other are talking
Smile while other are frowning
Commend while other are criticizing
Persist while other are quitting

What will give you the energy to believe, plan, study, decide, prepare, begin, work, save, listen, smile, commend and persist? The answer is passion!’

Quoted in ‘Put Your Dream To The Test’ by John C. Maxwell

Near – Death Experiences

2010-10-26T18:44:00.000-07:00

It may be difficult for you to believe in an after life but the piece below references some evidence to that effect. Do you think you have to be able to see spirits in order to believe they exist? How much impact does the spirit world have on us?

Is it fact or fiction?

The excerpt below is from an article titled ‘Seeking Proof in Near-Death Claims’ in the 10/26 Wall St Journal

‘In addition to floating above their bodies, people often describe moving down a dark tunnel toward a bright light, feeling intense peace and joy, reviewing life events and seeing long-deceased relatives—only to be told that it's not time yet and land abruptly back in an ailing body.

The once-taboo topic is getting a lot of talk these days. In the new movie "Hereafter," directed by Clint Eastwood, a French journalist is haunted by what she experienced while nearly drowning in a tsunami. A spate of new books details other cases and variations on the theme.

Yet the fundamental debate rages on: Are these glimpses of an afterlife, are they hallucinations or are they the random firings of an oxygen-starved brain?

"There are always skeptics, but there are millions of 'experiencers' who know what happened to them, and they don't care what anybody else says," says Diane Corcoran, president of the International Association for Near-Death Studies, a nonprofit group in Durham, N.C. The organization publishes the Journal of Near-Death Studies and maintains support groups in 47 states’.

Some investigators say the most remarkable thing about near-death reports is that the core elements are the same, among people of all cultures, races, religions and age groups, including children as young as 3 years old.

In his new book, "Evidence of the Afterlife," Jeffrey Long, a radiation oncologist in Louisiana, analyzes 613 cases reported on the website of his Near Death Research Foundation and concludes there is only one plausible explanation: "that people have survived death and traveled to another dimension."

Dead or Alive?

An analysis of 613 near-death experiences gathered by the Near Death Research Foundation found:
About 75% included an out-of-body experience
76% reported intense positive emotions
34% described passing through a tunnel
65% described encountering a bright light
22% had a life review
57% encountered deceased relatives or other beings

Note: Patients could report more than one sensation.

Rangers in 4

2010-10-25T09:45:00.001-07:00

I’m liking the Texas Rangers to win the World Series in 4 games. Maybe 5.

Hello?

2010-10-23T20:23:00.000-07:00

Interesting thing about when you ask God for something. The answer may never come, it may come eventually or it may come quickly.

I believe I got an answer from God this afternoon to a prayer I prayed and posted on Friday that was looking for truth.

Was it a positive answer like the one that I expected? Not necessarily.

Was I full of hope as I expected I would be when I heard it? Not necessarily.

Was I surprised when I head it? Not necessarily because I didn’t realize it was an answer when I first heard it. I came to a realization later in the evening that I was hearing truth as I was reading through the Bible.

I don’t think it was the passage that I was reading at the time as much as it was that I was reading the Bible and I was reading it and trying to concentrate and understand what I was reading.

Some of the truth that I had heard earlier was that I didn’t give myself a chance to hear God because I always have noise (radio, TV, etc) around me.

I believe there is a great deal of truth in what I heard because it was a confirmation of some of the things that I was thinking over the last few weeks as I asked God to help me. This message put things into context and offered some possible steps to take and some solutions.

How, you ask, was the message delivered? It was offered through my wife who, as she explained it, has been praying for me. She stated her love and concern for me but also explained how she was able to hear more from God in recent weeks by reducing the amount of noise in her life.

It is easy for me to get caught up in everything that is happening around me so this seems like an appropriate answer to the prayer and who God chose to deliver it. Because it both included some things that I had thought of and it also included some things I did not think of and these would be challenging for me to do. It was also delivered by my wife who I trust explicitly. I may not always agree with her but the timing of the message and the appropriateness cause me to believe that it was from God.

It requires me to trust God and stop thinking about myself.

I asked. I heard. Now I have to be faithful and follow what I believe is God’s direction.

Truth

2010-10-22T20:18:00.000-07:00

Lord,

Bring your truth into my life today

Help me to recognize that truth

Help me to be willing to accept that truth

Help me to respond to that truth in a way that is honoring to you

Thank you Lord,

Amen

Heat, Baby!

2010-10-22T20:13:00.000-07:00

Neftali Feliz, closer for the Texas Rangers, brings it at 100MPH. Awesome!

Growth is a process

2010-10-20T13:13:00.000-07:00

This excerpt on Personal Growth by John Maxwell is from ‘Leadership Wired’.

I’ve heard it said that we are either growing or dying. There is no cruising in life although that is what many people attempt to do. People who want to grow are constantly looking for and seeking ways to grow, change and improve.

Personal Growth requires a conscious decision and consistent effort. It is a process. Anything in life worth having requires constant effort. Some things we value more than others so we pay more attention to those things and apply more effort.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. So does personal growth and accomplishment. Anything is possible a step at a time.

Read the article and then begin your journey by taking the next step.

*******************************************************

Five Ingredients of Personal Growth By John C. Maxwell

As any farmer knows, the growth of a crop only happens when the right ingredients are present. To harvest plentiful fields, the farmer has to begin by planting the right seed in rich topsoil where sunlight and water can help the seed to sprout, mature, and bear fruit. If any of the ingredients (seeds, topsoil, sunlight, or water) are missing, the crop won't grow.

Growing as a leader also requires the proper ingredients. Unless the right attitudes and actions are cultivated an aspiring leader will sputter and fail rather than growing in influence. Let's look at five basic qualities essential for growth in leadership.

1) Teachability
Arrogance crowds out room for improvement. That's why humility is the starting point for personal growth. As Erwin G. Hall said, "An open mind is the beginning of self-discovery and growth. We can't learn anything new until we can admit that we don't already know everything."

Adopting a beginner's mindset helps you to be teachable. Beginners are aware that they don't know it all, and they proceed accordingly. As a general rule, they're open and humble, noticeably lacking in the rigidity that often accompanies experience and achievement. It's easy enough to have a beginner's mind when you're actually a beginner, but maintaining teachability gets trickier in the long term especially when you've already achieved some degree of success.

2) Sacrifice
Growth as a leader involves temporary loss. It may mean giving up familiar but limiting patterns, safe but unrewarding work, values no longer believed in, or relationships that have lost their meaning. Whatever the case, everything we gain in life comes as a result of sacrificing something else. We must give up to go up.

3) Security
To keep learning throughout life, you have to be willing, no matter what your position is, to say, "I don't know." It can be hard for executives to admit lacking knowledge because they feel as if everyone is looking to them for direction, and they don't want to let people down their people. However, followers aren't searching for perfection in their leaders. They're looking for an honest, authentic, and courageous leader who, regardless of the obstacles facing the organization, won't rest until the problem is solved.

It took me seven years to hit my stride as a communicator. During those seven years I gave some boring speeches, and I felt discouraged at times. However, I was secure enough to keep taking the stage and honing my communication skills until I could connect with an audience. Had I been insecure, then the negative evaluations of others would have sealed my fate and I never would have excelled in my career.

4) Listening
Listen, learn, and ask questions from somebody successful who has gone on before you. Borrow from their experiences so that you can avoid their mistakes and emulate their triumphs. Solicit feedback and take to heart what you're told. The criticism of friends may seem bitter in the short-term but, when heeded, it can save you from falling victim to your blind spots.

5) Application
Knowledge has a limited shelf life. Unless used immediately or carefully preserved, it spoils and becomes worthless. Put the lessons you learn into practice so that your insights mature into understanding.

ABOUT
John C. Maxwell is an internationally respected leadership expert, speaker, and author who has sold more than 19 million books. Dr. Maxwell is the founder of EQUIP, a non-profit organization that has trained more than 5 million leaders in 126 countries worldwide. Each year he speaks to the leaders of diverse organizations, such as Fortune 500 companies, foreign governments, the National Football League, the United States Military Academy at West Point, and the United Nations. A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Business Week best-selling author, Maxwell has written three books that have sold more than a million copies: The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Developing the Leader Within You, and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader. His blog can be read at JohnMaxwellOnLeadership.com. He can be followed at Twitter.com/JohnCMaxwell.

Phillies struggle again

2010-10-19T20:02:00.000-07:00

At least the Texas Rangers can hit!

New Experience

2010-10-17T20:53:00.000-07:00

Went away with some guys I know this past weekend and had some fun and a new experience. We did some shooting of sporting clays or what I would refer to as skeet shooting.

I have not had much experience shooting rifles and have never shot a pistol. This weekend we used a shotgun and it was fun and a good experience although it didn’t start out well because I couldn’t get them targeted in but eventually I was able to hit the clays pretty consistently. It was a good feeling and I am looking forward to doing it again.

This was just one thing we did but we had fun with a number of activities and games that I think most guys would enjoy.

The real value in the weekend was in getting to know the other guys better through interaction and discussions. These guys have been meeting together for a couple of years and have great bond of friendship. Although I know each of these guys, some better than others, I have only been attending the weekly sessions for about 5 or 6 weeks.

During the weekend there was a time with a serious discussion and there were times of just having fun and joking with each other and sometimes challenging each other.

One interesting aspect of the weekend was that there was no real ultra competitiveness expressed or evident. There was some trash talking but it wasn’t crazy and guys were more interested in having fun as far as I can tell. There was a level of respect and appreciation for everyone that made the weekend enjoyable.

These types of experiences are available to other men but I’m not sure many men are interested in participating. You might ask, why not.

After working with men closely over the last few years I think there are several reasons.

o Some guys are shy and because of this are very uncomfortable in this kind of setting especially if they are encouraged to meet other men or to express their thoughts or opinions.

o Some are insecure and think everyone is looking at them and judging everything they do. But in reality almost everyone else is only worried about themselves and they don’t care about others and what they are doing.

o Some are prideful and think they have it all together and don’t need or want that type of experience. In fact many think they are much better than the guys who are involved in that group and so don’t need that type of thing.

o Some guys don’t want to think about attending and participating because this allows them to avoid the decision.

o And some guys don’t go because they have obligations they can’t get out of, like work, family or other commitments. Although I have expressed in other posts that many of the things we do can be postponed and rescheduled many times we just don’t choose to do that.

If you haven’t thought about improving yourself as a man or in your relationships with other men then that is most likely a reason why you don’t go to these types of events that are typically called retreats. I have been to many men's events both large and small and usually gain something that helps me to be a better man.

As men we all need to improve because we aren’t great or even good at everything and it takes a conscious decision and effort. Your family will appreciate it if you make this effort because as you become a better man you become a better husband, father, employee, manager and /or friend.

Don’t let any of the reasons above stop you from going or getting involved with a group of guys. Do yourself a favor and get involved with a group of guys, or talk with the guys you are already meeting with, and start to plan a weekend away each year to have some fun and get to know each other better.

Interestingly, during the weekend the guys were making suggestions of things we could do next year.

If I were the commissioner...

2010-10-14T18:35:00.000-07:00

If I were the Commissioner of all sports, all Leagues, all broadcasts etc there would definitely be some changes. I will make the rules for all leagues.

Here is part of the change (did I really say that?) I will propose:

o All football teams would have to use the no huddle offense – Huddles are passé and waste a lot of time. And the ball can be snapped for the next play whether the defense is ready or not.

o The offense in football should be able to move any time they choose and move anywhere they want up and down the field on any play. The defense in football has had an advantage for a long time. It’s funny to hear the defenders complain when they think someone goes after their legs but it doesn’t bother the defense when they throw shoulders into another player’s head or upper torso and cause players to be helped off the field does it.

o Anytime Lou Holtz appears on TV the sound will automatically be turned down until he is done talking. Lou likes to talk about Notre Dame every time he is asked a question or asked to comment. Or he talks about how good ND is at recruiting or something similar. I think Bob Costas qualifies for turning down the sound also.

o The clock doesn’t stop at the end of any basketball game for fouls the way it does now. It’s annoying and makes the game too long. The new rule would be that if a player commits a foul in the last three minutes of the game the team that is fouled gets three points for every foul and the clock keeps running. Let’s keep the game moving.

o Baseball umpires can hang it up too. We can use electronics and computers to make all the calls, including balls and strikes. For any sport we may only need one or two officials in the booth to review the calls and override calls when necessary.

o One way to stop fights in all sports, including hockey, is that anyone involved in fighting is automatically thrown out of the game and suspended for three games whether the player started the fight or retaliated. Plus the team of anyone who is involved in a fight automatically gets a loss for every fight.

o All whining in Pro Soccer would result in immediate suspensions and then maybe soccer would go away. Did you see the World Cup this year and all the complaining? Or is that just a cultural thing?

I am starting to like this I think I can come up with some more great ideas. Maybe I need to take a look at the mascots.

It’s Half Time!

Success and Significance

2010-10-12T19:53:00.000-07:00

'...Organizations led by servant leaders are more likely to create environments where people at all levels can experience both success and significance.

We’ve found over the years that when you focus only on success, you will never reach significance. That’s the problem with self-serving leaders – they never get out of their own way. On the other hand, if you focus on significance – generosity, service and loving relationships – you’ll be amazed at how much success will come your way. Take Mother Teresa. She couldn’t have cared less about accumulating wealth, recognition and status. Her whole life was focused on significance. And yet what happened? Success came her way. Her ministry received tremendous financial backing, she was recognized all over the world and she was given the highest status wherever she went. She was the ultimate servant leader. If you focus on the significance first, your emphasis will be on people. Through that emphasis, success and results will follow.’

Leading at a Higher Level' - Ken Blanchard

Giants and Braves down to the wire

2010-10-10T16:42:00.000-07:00

Currently watching the San Francisco Giants and Atlanta Braves in the MLB (Baseball) National League Division Series. San Francisco has been in control for most of the game until the 8th with a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the eighth the Atlanta Braves got a two run home run and took a 2-1 lead.

Is this more deflating to the Giants now than if the Braves took the lead 2 or 3 innings ago?

I know the Giants are professionals, they get paid like professionals and the expectation is that they will come back, if possible.

So the question is does the money they get paid create the attitude of a winner? Or did they have the attitude that they would win before they got the big bucks?

BTW the Giants just tied the game in the top of the 9th with two outs.

Advantage Giants? Is it the attitude, the talent, the synergy of the team or a combination of these items?

Give it a go

2010-10-09T19:21:00.000-07:00

It’s not always easy for men to ask for help whether from their spouse or from other men. But if a man has a friend who he likes to spend time with and as their friendship grows and their trust for each other grows they each realize they can ask each other for their opinions or thoughts on specific situations. This may be different for you because you probably think you have all the answers.

Being willing to ask about things then becomes the issue. Do you realize that people who know you well can figure out when you are hurting, under pressure or having some difficulty? And you don’t have to say anything for them to know this.

And then those who know you well wonder why doesn’t he ask me or someone else, he has a relationship with, for some assistance or guidance or how to handle these situations. It can come down to you looking foolish for asking some questions or looking foolish for not asking some questions. Either way you may look foolish. But if you think you are above the other man it will be hard to talk with him about these things. You are more concerned about 'losing face' than resolving the issue.

But from my own experience I have found that when you are sincerely seeking answers and willing to work to resolve situations then you gain even more respect. More respect than was previously afforded to you. And isn’t this what you really want?

If necessary, start small. Ask some lighter, easier questions that don’t make you feel too uncomfortable. And then progress from there. Take a step at a time. It can get easier over time depending on the issue. And as you develop the habit it should become easier.

In the quote below Howard Hendricks provides a simple explanation of how this type of relationship works.

‘…But has it ever occurred to you that spiritual growth is rarely the product of assimilating more information? If it were, we could have transformed the world several million books ago. But inasmuch as knowing Christ involves a relationship, growing in Christ also involves relationships. One of the most helpful of these involves a mentor. That’s because most of us don’t need to know more nearly as much as we need to be known more. We don’t need a set of principles to practice nearly as much as we need another person to help us. We need someone to believe in us, stand by us, guide us, model Christ for us. We need another’s encouragement, wisdom, example, and accountability. We need his smiles, his hugs, his frowns, his tears…People will forget most of what you say: they will forget almost nothing of what you do. Therefore, whatever behavior you model for your protégé is the pattern he will tend to follow – or in some cases reject.’

This quote is from Chuck Swindoll’s book ‘The Church Awakening’ quoting Howard Hendricks from his book ‘Standing Together: Impacting Your Generation’

A song remembered

2010-10-09T18:16:00.000-07:00

One of the songs that I remember from the past is 'Ramblin' Gamblin' Man' by Bob Seger. This was the song that was playing when I went to my first official fraternity party. I have never known or cared to know the lyrics I just liked the tune and the sound of the song.

It is a cool upbeat song with a lot of energy.

Just thought this would help

2010-10-09T17:22:00.000-07:00

During the course of my life there are a number of things I have noticed while out and about that I think will improve all of our lives and society in general. Here are a few thoughts:

o You, and we, would be better off if you would save your change each month and take it to a store with a change counting machine rather than standing at the checkout counter at any store and digging around in your purse, wallet, pockets or whatever for a few coins so you can pay with exact change. You’re extending the time that the rest of us have to wait in line and watch you struggle while you try to produce the coins that you thought you had. And many times you didn’t have the coins. It seems this happens whenever I am in a hurry.

o If you are prone to be distracted easily, and you may not realize this about yourself, but you may want to go grocery shopping either very early in the morning, before 8:00AM or very late in the day, after 10:00PM. Otherwise you will stand in the middle of the aisles looking at the shelves and trying to find something or decide what brand or size to buy or you may be talking to someone and those of us who are trying to get our shopping done quickly are forced to stand and wait or go back the way we came and go down another aisle and it take longer than we planned.

o When driving in an area where you aren’t too familiar with the exits on the Interstate or expressway it would probably be better to not panic when you realize that you are at your exit and traffic is flowing at about 70mph and you have to cross two or three or four lanes of fast moving traffic to try to get to that exit. Worse yet is trying to stop and force everyone behind you to transfer almost all of the rubber on their tires to the road surface. It would be better to start to get over to the right lane when traffic allows and drive on to next exit. Get off at that exit and go under or over the highway and head back in the direction from which you came so you can get off at the correct exit. A simpler solution is to get a GPS unit.

o If you drive a hybrid or electric car, like a Prius, you would help all of us out by staying out of any lanes on the highway other than the very far right lane. Hybrids or electric cars are like the train we learned about as a kid that keeps thinking I think I can…, I know I can. It just doesn’t seem to happen so everyone is slowed down.

These are just suggestions that may help us all as we strive to make it through life. Granted there may be one or two things I have to work on so I’ll try to figure out what they could possibly be and then try to get some resolution on these.

Wizzdom from a song

2010-10-09T16:38:00.000-07:00

Jim Croce was a singer whose life ended too soon at age 30. He had some interesting songs and it occurred to me that the refrain from his song ‘Don’t mess around with Jim’ released in 1972 could be advice that will live through the ages for your career.

o 'You don't tug on Superman's cape' – SM was the man of steel. Faster than a speeding bullet. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. The man. So don’t challenge the Big Dog unless you are prepared and ready to defend your argument or recommendation or to depose him. This could be the fight of your life. If you mess up you’re done.

o ‘You don't spit into the wind’ – As kids we used to say don’t wizz into the wind the reason being that the blow back would mess up your clothes. This is the same as knowing which way the wind is blowing. This doesn’t mean don’t do anything but be aware and know if you have to make adjustments to get your ideas accepted and/or implemented. Be in control.

o ‘You don't pull the mask off the old Lone Ranger’ The Lone Ranger was a a Texas Ranger who wore a white hat and a black mask over his eyes. The point is to have your facts and arguments ready because you are going to expose the LR and take away the LR’s identity or position or power or all of these. He will be exposed and embarrassed. Do your research and due diligence and be prepared for a fight but go for it.

And you don't mess around with Jim, da do da do...
Web Site
http://www.jimcroce.com/dontmess.shtml

Meetings: Good or Bad?

2010-10-07T18:19:00.000-07:00

Have you complained or heard others complain about having to attend meetings?

In this blog by Ron Ashkenas titled ‘Why We Secretly Love Meetings’ at the Harvard Business Review site, he identifies some interesting reasons in favor of having meetings.

'Unfortunately these basic and widely understood guidelines for effective meetings are probably the least followed procedures in corporate history. If the government conducted "meeting audits" almost every company would fail. Most managers still complain about ineffective meetings, and then proceed to schedule multiple meetings and run them poorly. It's an amazing phenomenon.

This leads to one of the dirty little secrets of organizational life: Despite their protestations, at an unconscious (or conscious) level most managers actually like meetings, and for several reasons.

They encourage social interaction. Most people don't enjoy working alone; they want contact and relationships with other people. Meetings make them feel part of a community, and give them an outlet for sharing their personal feelings and opinions, not only on work issues but also on personal or political topics. So, some of the seemingly off-target chatter in meetings (even the complaining) is actually the realization of an important social outlet.

They keep everyone in the loop. As firms have become more matrixed and interdependent, meetings serve as the informal loom that weaves together the organizational threads. People need to know what's going on in other parts of the organization. They need informal sources to supplement the formal communication mechanisms — and to guide them through political and personal minefields. These information networks are created, reinforced and expanded through meetings.

They often represent status. Membership on multiple committees means that you are important, your opinion is valued, and you have a seat at a decision-making table. Attendance at staff meetings means that you are part of the leadership team. Even being asked to present or answer questions at a meeting on a one-time basis gives you visibility with senior people and is status-enhancing.

These psychological drivers of meetings are very powerful — and usually trump all of the logical and rational "meeting management" advice that is doled out in courses and articles. In other words, what seems like wasted or unproductive time for many managers is actually fulfilling important personal and organizational needs.

This does not pardon meetings run wild and the time we lose to them. Managers at all levels need to be continuously on guard against unnecessary meeting proliferation and poor meeting disciplines. For example, several years ago in GlaxoSmithKline's research organization there was a realization that — as a result of multiple project meetings and the inclusion of all functions on drug development teams — many people were spending as much time in meetings as they were on actual drug development work. As a result the company developed a "fit for purpose" meeting process in which only the people directly involved in a particular phase or issue of the project attended the meetings, while others just received information.

All organizations should periodically look at their meeting patterns and make adjustments like this in addition to encouraging the use of agendas, virtual meeting approaches, and all the rest. However just complaining about too many meetings or poorly run meetings won't do much good. Like moths to a flame, we'll keep coming back, no matter what we say.'

India or China

2010-10-07T17:37:00.010-07:00

China and India have the largest populations in the world and will soon have the largest markets in the world. Each has advantages and each has disadvantages when you analyze them.

What would you think would give one the advantage over the other? The two paragraphs below are from the end of the article titled ‘India's surprising Economic Miracle’ that appeared in the September 30 issue of The Economist.

It is a fairly short article but one worth reading.

‘The Indian government recognises the need to tackle the infrastructure crisis, and is getting better at persuading private firms to stump up the capital. But the process is slow and infected with corruption. It is hard to measure these things, but many observers think China has done a better job than India of curbing corruption, with its usual brutal methods, such as shooting people.

Given the choice between doing business in China or India, most foreign investors would probably pick China. The market is bigger, the government easier to deal with, and if your supply chain for manufactured goods does not pass through China your shareholders will demand to know why. But as the global economy becomes more knowledge-intensive, India’s advantage will grow. That is something to ponder while stuck in the Delhi traffic.’

Missin' it

2010-10-06T06:38:00.000-07:00

We are missing something great today in Atlanta, GA. From October 6 – 8 the Catalyst Conference ‘happens’ in Atlanta.

It is a great conference designed to reach the ‘next generation of Christian Leaders’. But we find it is great for anyone who wants to be around people excited about God. You learn. You get recharged. You get inspired. You do more.

My wife and I have not attended Catalyst during the last two years but we were there the three years previously. As with many conferences it is motivational and inspirational but it is also challenging.

It is almost as if the issue you are dealing with at the time will be addressed by one of the speakers and you will encounter someone who has had the same situation you are dealing with and found a way to get beyond it with God’s help.

That may not matter to you and that’s ok. But I think if you are a Christian you will want to know as much as you can about God and his word and how to live the way that God wants you to live. It is a process and one that you grow into every day.

I pray that you get a hunger to know God like no hunger has ever possessed you before.

What kind of hunger is that? The kind that you have when you are learning about a sport, like football, and you start to watch every game on TV, you go to as many games as you can, you get a team jersey and wear it everywhere, you debate anyone about how great your team is, you get into a Fantasy Football league and know all the statistics and you think about football almost all the time. That is someone who truly loves football. Substitute your own interest. Do you have the same passion?

God wants us to love Him in the same way. With the same passion that we may love football. One of the ways you get that is by getting together with people who are excited about what you are excited about. Who are passionate about God and want to live like Christ. And people who will challenge you.

It could be about new ideas. But many times it’s about refining and applying what you already know and learning how to share that with others.

It’s not just showing up at church once a week or hanging out with the same people every week and talking about the same type of stuff all the time although there is some importance to that.

It’s about becoming more effective as a Christian.

Previous post on Catalyst
More Catalyst 5/7/08

Catalyst Site
http://catalystconference.com/

Make a wise choice

2010-10-06T05:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was in a meeting with some co workers when a disagreement broke out with some pretty heated exchanges. The two people involved have known each other for some time and work together well, normally. As is usually the case things eventually settled down but there was some discomfort for all in the room for awhile.

While this disagreement was occurring I started to wonder if I was going to have to choose a side to support. Usually that is not the best approach as you become an enemy of the party you oppose at worst, or strain your relationship with that person at best.

It occurred to me almost immediately after having the thought above that I need to choose to side with Jesus as I profess Him as my Lord and proclaim that I want to be more like Him. God said He first wants us to love Him and then to ‘love others as we love ourselves’ but unless we work at it I don’t think that will happen.

Too many times in the past I have chosen a side in a dispute and lost a friend or ended up in a long term disagreement that was very uncomfortable for all as everyone knew that eventually something would happen or something would be said that would cause the peace to be interrupted.

I am glad that God helps me to understand how to deal with these situations by helping me to remember some scripture that gets me to focus on Him. My reminder was from Psalms.

But what was it He said in Matthew? Something like ‘blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God’. By focusing on how and what the world does we lose sight of what God wants us to do and we become less effective in being examples of Christ.

Laying it on the line

2010-09-26T17:13:00.000-07:00

To see what the US and Allied Troops are dealing with in Afghanistan see the piece on Sunday night’s ’60 Minutes’ titled ‘A Relentless Enemy’.

We owe all of the US and Allied troops, both men and women, a debt of gratitude for their willingness to put themselves in harm’s way as they attempt to eliminate the terrorist threat to the world.

When you see a member of the US or Allied forces make sure to thank them for their commitment, their service and their willingness to protect us.

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/60minutes/main3415.shtml

Is improvement needed?

2010-09-25T20:55:00.000-07:00

The excerpts below are from ‘How to Raise Boys Who Read’ by Thomas Spence in the 9/24/10 Wall Street Journal. I have some comments and suggestions at the end.

‘Everyone agrees that if boys don’t read well. It’s because they don’t read enough. But why don’t they read enough? A considerable number of teachers and librarians believe that boys are simply bored by the ‘stuffy’ literature they encounter in school. According to a revealing Associated Press story in July these experts insist that we must ‘meet them where they are’ – that is, pander to boys’ untutored tastes.’

‘AP reported that one school librarian treats her pupils to ‘grossology’ parties. For elementary- and middle-school boys, that means ‘books that exploit [their] love of bodily functions and gross-out humor.’ ’Just get ‘em reading’, she comments cheerily. ‘Worry about what they are reading later’.

There certainly is no shortage of publishers ready to meet boys where they are.

‘If you keep meeting a boy where he is, he doesn’t go very far’.

‘The secret to raising boys who read, I submit, is pretty simple – keep electronic media, especially video games at home and recreational internet, under control (that is to say, almost completely absent). Then fill your shelves with good books.’

‘Most importantly, a boy raised on great literature is more likely to grow up to think, to speak and to write like a civilized man.’

‘I offer a final piece of evidence that is perhaps unanswerable: ‘There is no literacy gap between home schooled boys and girls.’

*************************************
It’s not that boys don’t want to learn or can't learn it’s just that they have been exposed to a newer way of learning and communicating (electronically) and they like it.

That boys can learn and excel at video games tells a lot. It tells that they are capable of learning in a fast paced environment. This is an environment that many or most schools don't offer. So why not change the learning environment, the methods and the content?

Why not update the (stuffy or classical) books and stories to modern examples to get the student's attention and then provide some appropriate comparisons to the original? Or use electronic media and then after they have some interest start to read from the books.

Why not develop videos that depict various circumstances (life situations, skills and subject related items, etc) to introduce topics that the boys and girls can watch and solve problems. Options from there could include multiple endings or solutions to the videos that require different thinking skills, discussion situations where they could work in teams to come up with suggestions and solutions, and moving to the books that they think are boring, etc. May need to wet their appetite.

The author of this article is the president of a publishing company so it is obvious that he isn’t in favor of the new media because of his suggestions.

Satellite learning environments may need to be set up at other areas that may be more conducive to learning.

Just having a teacher lecture students all period was boring when I was in school and it probably still is boring for today’s young people. We may also need a new kind of teacher or instructor to help our kids move into this new millennium.

If you see my post titled ‘History Repeats‘ about young people and advice from older people this may help you realize that young people know how to learn but we are just not keeping up with them. Current methods may even be slowing them down.

More evidence

2010-09-25T13:46:00.000-07:00

FYI -

Judge Grants Discovery of Postings on Social Media (in New York State)

Plaintiff must give defendant access to private postings from Facebook and MySpace that could contradict personal injury action claims

Joe should go

2010-09-25T12:09:00.000-07:00

I was a fan of Penn State football up to about 10 or so years ago when Coach Paterno had several losing seasons. I totally gave up on him because he wouldn’t apply to himself the same criteria he does to his players.

If a player can’t get the job done he is replaced. The only reason Paterno could provide for continuing to coach during and after the losing seasons was that he ‘loved coaching’ and what would he do if he retired. Who cares Joe?

Paterno has created more of a problem for Penn State now than the wins he has accumulated since that period. As much as the media like to hype Penn State the Lions are no longer an elite football team. That’s because Joe has the ultimate say in what happens and the premier high school players don’t see PSU as the place to go to win or to improve their prospects to become a pro.

I know what you sycophants are saying, what about the high graduation rates? I think Joe uses that to cover over his lack of championships. I think the great players may be harder to deal with and Joe doesn’t like that so what may have started out as a legitimate reason to work with young men has now turned into an excuse for why PSU is somewhat mediocre.

Penn State turned into a power by beating up on the weak teams in the East during most of its history. They did win some bowl games against some strong teams but given the amount of time a team has to prepare for a bowl game it is not surprising that PSU won many bowl games.

But, Joe, why can’t you win the big games week after week. It seems to me that that is what the premier recruits want to know.

Just like everything else in life when you lift your head up to look around you realize that there is a lot of world out there and there are better, more interesting and more exciting teams and coaches out there.

I for one will be glad to see Joe leave coaching.

Go PSSnooze!

Go BLUE!

2010-09-25T11:59:00.000-07:00

I am watching some of the U of Michigan – Bowling Green Univ college football game and find myself hoping that Michigan is back to its winning ways and that the dry period is over.

I am not a Big Ten fan but I would like to see Michigan become a college football power again because Ohio State, the perennial Big 10 champion, needs a team to whip them and Michigan has done that many times in the past but not so much in recent years.

The Big 10 will be a much stronger league with a powerful Michigan program.

And besides while Michigan has floundered no other team has stepped up to take their spot. Iowa and Penn State have tried but both seem to be posers. Iowa tries but can't seem to get it done. Penn State needs to replace Paterno before they will consistently challenge for the league title. I'll be blogging on that topic.

Go BLUE!

History Repeats

2010-09-24T19:27:00.000-07:00

If you are older, giving advice to young people is no longer easy. And young people seldom or often don’t listen to advice from older people.

This piece from the Wall Street Journal and titled, ‘Want my advice? Um, Not Really’ addresses this issue.

This is a quote from a 28 year old woman: ‘The older generations totally mean well,’ she says, ‘but they’re giving advice based on things they did in the past, when times were different.’

Older people have always offered advice to younger people, with words of wisdom culled from their memories of youth. And, of course, in every era, young people have found advice from elders to be outdated and ineffectual. These days however, given how fast the world is changing, there’s been a clear widening of the advice gap.

It’s rooted in a devaluation of accumulated wisdom, a leveling of the relationships between the old and young. On many fronts, people from Generation Y –now ages 16 to 32 – assume their peers know best. They doubt those of us who are older can truly understand their needs and concerns.

‘Among tips from young adults for their advice giving elders:

Question your assumptions:
What worked in your youth might have little relevance today.

Offer suggestions, not pronouncements:
Say ‘you could’ not ‘you should’.

Welcome a dialogue:
Listen, don’t lecture; you’ll learn things and give better advice

Resist saying:
‘When I was young’.

Don’t belittle technology:
If you’re critical of social media, young people may dismiss you as a dinosaur.

Accept your limitations:
The young understand the world today. Sometimes the best advice is: ‘Trust your instincts’.

If you ask many older people today about the advice they accepted or rejected when they were young I bet many would say that they learned a lot from their elders when they were willing to listen.

What’s that quote about forgetting the lessons of history? Oh that’s right you young people never learned it and obviously you won’t listen to any of us older people so I guess you’ll have to learn it the hard way.

All about your example

2010-09-23T19:14:00.000-07:00

God always wraps His truth in a person. That's the value of a godly mentor. He shows what biblical truth looks like with skin on it.

'Iron Sharpens Iron' by Howard Hendricks - p 28

For a friend

2010-09-23T04:30:00.000-07:00

When we experienced challenging times in the past some of our Christian fiends would offer Bible scripture as a solution. I used to really resent that and couldn’t understand why they did that.

I have come to realize after going through many difficulties (health, relationships, finance issues, job loss, etc) and getting closer to God that God’s words provide comfort, assurance, direction and hope.

These words are for a friend going through a difficult and challenging time.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (New International Version)
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
  and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
  and he will make your paths straight. [a]

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,  
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul.
  He guides me in paths of righteousness  
for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
  your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me  
in the presence of my enemies.  
You anoint my head with oil;  
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
  all the days of my life,  
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

Teaching others to lead

2010-09-22T20:19:00.000-07:00

‘Are you willing to take the time to work with people to help them accomplish their goals and task assignments?

One aspect of ‘building people’ is that you take time with them. This means you will have to organize your calendar so that you have time to meet with the people you lead. For the leader who takes a hands – off approach for leadership, this may not be easy. The people you lead need to spend time with you, and you need to spend time with them. This is a vital step in practicing the principles of leading like Jesus. Jesus always made time for His disciples: we must follow His example as we make time for the people we lead. Although you may not be with them 24/7 you do need to be with them in all kinds of situations, not only at work.’

From ‘Lead Like Jesus Study Guide’ by Ken Blanchard, Phil Hodges, Lee Ross & Avery Willis p.155

Pottsville, PA NFL Team

2010-09-22T19:43:00.000-07:00

In 1925, the Pottsville Maroons, a football team from the heart of Pennsylvania coal country, joined the fledgling National Football League.

Built by an eccentric owner, molded by a visionary coach and loaded with hardscrabble miners, college All Americans and the 'sky's the limit' ethos of the Roaring Twenties, the Maroons did the unthinkable and dominated the NFL in their rookie season. (Their improbable rise was chronicled each week in the local paper by a rookie Pottsville sportswriter named John O'Hara.)

Little Pottsville outscored its first seven opponents 162-6. The boys so thoroughly pummeled one opponent, angry fans shot up their train car as the Maroons rode out of town. In the final game of that first season the Maroons traveled to the Midwest to face the league-leading Chicago Cardinals in what was viewed as the championship game for 1925. The Maroons overcame a Windy City snowstorm and an injury to their best player to defeat the Cardinals 21-7.

Is he wrong?

2010-09-21T20:48:00.000-07:00

‘Don’t run when you lose, don’t whine when it hurts. No one likes a cry baby’

Michael Gouglas as Gordon Gekko
From the movie ‘Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps’

Will he or won't he?

2010-09-21T20:06:00.000-07:00

Lots of speculation about whether Joe Torre will manage again.

J. P. Ricciardi on ESPN tonight said that he thinks Joe Torre may manage again but not until 2012. Torre, age 70, has announced his retirement as Manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers at the end of this season.

The primary requirement would be a team that is close to winning it all and doesn’t need much building to be a winner according to J.P.

Ricciardi didn’t name a team where he thought Torre would manage but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Torre end up at Atlanta. The Braves will come close to winning the National League East this year and Bobby Cox, current manager of the Braves, is retiring this year.

Where are you from?

2010-09-21T19:33:00.000-07:00

Best Selling Non Fiction books in 1995

1. Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, John Gray
2. My American Journey, Colin Powell
3. Miss America, Howard Stern
4. The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, Deepak Chopra
5. The Road Ahead, Bill Gates
6. Charles Kuralt's America, Charles Kuralt
7. Mars and Venus in the Bedroom, John Gray
8. To Renew America, Newt Gingrich
9. My Point...and I Do Have One, Ellen DeGeneres
10. The Moral Compass, William J. Bennett

Check out numbers 1 and 7. Same author. Same theme.

Are you wondering why these are best sellers? Understanding your spouse is important to a long and happy marriage.

It's what you believe

2010-09-21T19:13:00.000-07:00

Watching the Phillies and Braves on Monday night I was made aware of a peculiar habit of the Rookie Pitcher for the Braves. It was more than a peculiar habit, it was a superstition.

Between innings the pitcher would unlace and lace his spikes.

I believed in superstitions while playing sports when I was growing up. I didn’t play organized football but we played a lot of touch football. I had a Purdue Univ football jersey that I liked to wear every time we played. I thought it made me play better.

I just think it is interesting that pro athletes that are blessed with such great talent and great ability believe in superstitions. Wearing the same socks or, not stepping on the lines, carrying a good luck charm or loosening and tightening their batting gloves after every pitch or slapping a sign that says 'play like a champion today' are just a few of the many superstitions.

Even Michael Jordan had a superstition. He always wore his blue North Carolina basketball shorts under his Chicago Bulls uniform for good luck.

I tend to think that it is a habit that athletes grow up with or maybe it is just a part of the culture of sports.

Is the superstition necessary to play well, to play the best you can or to win? Whatever it is the athlete believes the superstition helps them perform and maybe that's all that matters.

Leadership

2010-09-21T18:47:00.000-07:00

Leadership is poise under pressure

Mack Brown
Head Football Coach
Univ of Texas

Would you like a free bottle of water?

2010-09-19T18:28:00.000-07:00

This was the phrase we used as we had a great experience yesterday in New York City at an outreach event that was called Love NYC. My definition of outreach is an event where the people of the church work to create positive interactions with people and show these people the love of God.

People from a number of churches from Indiana, Maryland, New York State and Pennsylvania came to New York City to support the outreach efforts of two new churches located in the city. This event has gone on for five years for one church and I believe this was the first year for the newer church.

By offering people who were passing by us on the streets of New York, free items (bottled water, granola bars and chewing gum) we were able to show them the concern of the church for the people of NYC and most importantly by symbolically providing them with something free, a gift, we were showing them the free gift of love that God has offered to all of us.

It was a successful event, I believe, as our group of 10 people were stationed in teams of 2 or 3 all around the Columbia University campus. The people we were able to interact with represented people from many countries, many cultures, many races, many sexual orientations, many ages and many beliefs.

The reaction we received to our free offers was interesting. Some ignored us completely and just walked by, some stopped and questioned our motives and refused our offer, some stopped and questioned our motives and then accepted the gift and some immediately accepted our offer.

That free gift brought us to a moment where we accepted them for who they were, they did not have to qualify, and they did the same for us. There were no guarantees that this acceptance would continue but at that moment they accepted our offer and hopefully would consider the offer to come to church and come into a closer relationship to God.

We believe we were doing what God calls us to do - to reach out to all people.

You should plan on participating with us next year.

Wrong message for VW

2010-09-17T20:06:00.000-07:00

In my life to date I have owned or driven 8 different volkswagens.

I have found them to be dependable and durable and a lot of fun to drive. That’s the way I prefer to think of the VW.

Not like the current campaign where people punch each other when they see a VW.

Yo, Vdub! I just want you to know that when that commercial comes on I either turn down the sound and ignore the commercial or I change the channel.

Pull a Jeter

2010-09-17T19:55:00.000-07:00

By now you have most likely seen the incident with Derek Jeter of the Yankees dozens of times when he was hit by a pitch, or was he. It depends on the camera angle used.

Your reaction may be determined by whether you are a Yankee fan or not. It depends on whether you believe in winning at all costs.

The excerpt below from a USA Today article by Mike Lopresti indicates it happens frequently in many sports - football, baseball, basketball.

The desire to win by both players and fans appears to override our values.

Should Jeter have told the umpire he didn’t get hit? I don’t know. Will this change the future of the world? Doubt it.

Aren’t there more important more pressing issues to be concerned with? Yea there are. Let’s forget the trivial stuff and make an effort to focus on the important stuff.

What we do in our everyday lives is much more important than one incident in a baseball game.

****************************************
‘Jeter is what makes this so fascinating. You wonder if that .262 average has him desperate to find new ways to get on base. You try to decide if there is something unsettling in watching a Bronx god indulge in human chicanery.

Perhaps. But there is really no more reason for condemnation here than there is for the receiver who holds the football high in the air with two hands after trapping a pass, trying to convince the side judge a catch was made.

Or the shortstop who holds up his glove, trying to win an out call on a tag he missed.

Or the basketball forward who collapses like a soufflé, hoping to draw a charge. Some notoriously flop, but nearly everyone at least ... emphasizes.

The word is "gamesmanship," and this is the way it is in professional sport, where not only glory but also livelihoods are at stake. More accurately, it is trying to make use of the power of suggestion. Feel free to throw this matter onto the pile of reasons for the use of more replay in baseball. The camera is immune to the power of suggestion.

If one could quibble with anything about Jeter's performance, it'd be his postgame script. He needed to be, ah, fuzzier in his memory of the event.’

Using SCRUM to get things done faster

2010-09-17T18:41:00.000-07:00

I was aware of the term scrum in rugby but just became aware recently of how SCRUM is used in business. The process has been used primarily in IT and software development applications. It appears that it has applications in many different areas.

The following adaptation is from the site:
http://knol.google.com/k/what-is-scrum#

How does Scrum work to get product development done faster?

Scrum is a very powerful agile project management tool that improves team collaboration and helps improve team productiveness and product quality through a clear definition of roles and responsibilities.

At a more expansive level, however, Scrum is a framework, a value-system, and a process.

Scrum is a framework for managing projects or, more generally, work. It is iterative and incremental.

Scrum is a value system that asks teams to work together to accomplish a common goal, focusing on the output of the team rather than the input of the individuals. It values communication, openness, transparency, self-organization, and the worth of employees as individuals and professionals.

Scrum is a process that invites the application of those values by asking that teams generally organize themselves into three roles, participate in four regular meetings, and produce and maintain three artifacts.

What are the benefits of Scrum? First, it provides structure without unnecessary bureaucracy or hoops to jump through. This structure regiments communication and makes room for conversations that might otherwise not take place, resulting in less miscommunication. Reduced miscommunication often results in fewer defects and mistakes.

Scrum gives both team members and management a voice and increases the day-to-day control individuals have over their work. Unsurprisingly, this results in higher employee retention and satisfaction. Regular interactions help make things visible and transparent earlier than they may with more traditional, heavyweight processes.

Output is also considered more valuable than input that means that Scrum helps teams focus on big picture metrics like ROI, not how busy they are or look to managers. Therefore, Scrum helps us make more stuff that works for all the reasons above. If you’re in the business of selling stuff that works, you will probably make more money using Scrum.

Ultimately, that’s what it comes down to: With Scrum, you will probably produce better work for less money, in less time than using any other project management framework, value-system or process.

A Worthwhile Search

2010-09-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

I heard something disturbing tonight.

While with a group of guys tonight one of them, a younger man, talked about being disappointed over a number of years by a number of men he had asked to mentor him. He explained that he asked several men several times if they would mentor him but none accepted so he took it upon himself to try to find out what he didn’t know and harder yet to find out, what he didn’t know that he didn’t know yet.

He understood the importance of learning from another man or from other men and what that could mean for him and his future. Gaining knowledge, wisdom, an understanding of better or easier ways of doing things, dealing with relationships, learning about and growing closer to Christ and many other things.

Fortunately for him he didn’t give up. He worked and developed relationships with men, asked questions and earned a college degree.

He is now working on a Master’s of Divinity degree and interning at a local church.

His experience is not the exception but more like the rule. In the book ‘Iron Sharpens Iron’ by Howard Hendricks he explains that there are many young men who would welcome mentors but have a hard time asking or finding mentors.

Many men think they don’t have anything to offer younger men. But every man has something to offer. Examples include: taking care of a car, learning to fish, playing the guitar, learning a language, managing employees, getting promoted, relationship issues, becoming a Christ follower and just about anything you can do.

Guys, don’t hesitate to ask other men for help. And guys if you are asked for advice or guidance don’t hesitate to participate. And if you are having trouble finding a mentor you can use books, cds, dvds, mp3's and seminars to help you grow until you find someone.

Hendricks also suggests not using the word mentor but rather asking someone if they could help you with something or if you want to mentor someone just ask them to go for coffee or lunch or some other activity that you both may enjoy and let the relationship develop.

Oh yea, one of the reasons it was a disturbing night for me was because I was one of the guys my friend repeatedly asked for help. Hopefully I have learned from this and will be more aware next time.

Men only

2010-09-14T07:06:00.000-07:00

Being a man is not always easy unless of course you always plan to take the easy way, the way of least resistance, not taking responsibility or not being accountable for your actions or lack of actions.

But if you are the kind of man who wants to be better at being a man and wants to develop and or improve those things that make you a better man then the way to do that is by associating with men who have accepted the responsibility, not ignored their obligations and commitments, live with integrity and are men of character.

Iron sharpens iron is not an empty phrase and you can sharpen yourself by attending the Iron Sharpens Iron Men’s Seminar on Saturday, October 2, 2010, at Mountain Chrurch in the Baltimore area.

Steve Farrar, best selling author and speaker, is one of the keynote speakers. Steve has worked with men all over the country and can help you on your journey as a man. In addition there are break out sessions where you can learn more in many different areas that impact men.

Opportunities like this don’t happen frequently and especially at this price. I suggest you change any plans you have for that day and plan to attend. If you are like me, most of what you are doing can be done another day. Bring a friend or group of friends with you.

If you are interested in travelling together contact me at ekarchner@hotmail.com

For more information and to sign up go to: https://ironsharpensiron.net/conference-details.php?conference=168

Patience Grasshopper!

2010-09-12T12:28:00.000-07:00

This is a phrase from a 70’s television show called ‘Kung Fu’ starring David Carradine. In that show Carradine’s teacher, Master Po, called him grasshopper.

A phrase that was used in that show and that was used by Master Po was ‘Patience, Grasshopper!’

It may sound a little silly to you but do you understand the wisdom of that saying? Your current level of wisdom will allow you to see the wisdom that you can comprehend in this statement.

Not only did Master Po see the importance of patience but so did Benjamin Franklin.

‘He that can have patience, can have what he will’ – Benjamin Franklin

Here is a cut from a page called Patience Grasshopper by Gina Bower at yourneedtoknow.com that provides some more insight into patience.

‘Improving your patience will help you to keep your perspective. Whatever it is that challenges your patience – a difficult person or situation – probably isn’t life or death. It is just a minor obstacle to deal with. Deal with it patiently, without anger or frustration, stress or high blood pressure. When you do, you will begin to enjoy many of life’s moments that used to frustrate you.’

We may understand what patience means but do we take the time to be patient?

Cool Songs

2010-09-11T19:52:00.000-07:00

Watching two different college football games tonight I got thinking that a team from each game has a really cool song written that includes the name of their state. My state on the other hand has a not so cool song written that includes its name.

I love the song ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ by Lynyrd Skynyrd which I thought of while watching the Alabama – Penn State game. Sweet Home Alabama is a great sing along song. I also got to thinking about all the other great Skynyrd songs – including ‘Free Bird’ which someone inevitably asks for whenever there is a band playing.

Another song which is cool is Rocky Top which talks about Tennessee. The Tennessee fans at the Oregon - Tennessee game were singing this song in the stands. We used to sing this with a rock band and 10,000 people at the Charlotte Coliseum years ago. Love the chorus – ‘Rocky Top you’ll always be home sweet home to me…’ It was a blast!

The not so cool song about my state is the Pennsylvania Polka. It may have been good 50 years ago but we need an upgrade.

We need some cool lyrics, a catchy tune, and a fast pace. Come on guys you can do this!

Was it won or lost?

2010-09-11T19:11:00.000-07:00

I saw much of the Ohio State vs Univ of Miami football game today. And I am wondering did OSU win the game or did Miami lose the game.

I think with all the mistakes that Miami made (interceptions, missed tackles, penalties, dropped passes) they lost the game. Miami would win this game without the mistakes.

If Miami can correct these types of errors they will be a force to be reckoned with this year.