A Wii Update – July 14, 2009

No, Wii is not a new toy in our home, just a play on words and  though Logan probably wouldn’t complain too much if it were a new toy for him.  No, this is just a quick writing update.

So far I have not met the goal I had for 2000 words a day starting July 1 but I have filled a few holes in the plot line and hopefully make things a little more three dimensional so I have not been idle.

I have been praying for God’s guidance and I think I’m learning some things from this “test” novel. It is not easy and with my short attention span it makes focusing on a thread of plot or sub-plot is not too good. This is maddening because on rare occasions I am able to focus, I have an awesome time! I wish I could do this more often.

Right now I’m toying with having Lon and Breia having to get a ride on a Trogan Slaver ship. This helped me add some tension on their trek from Majica and Raven’s Point on their way to the Isle of Bane. It has been a hoot and I love using my imagination! You can create anything with your imagination. What a gift from God!

At this point in time I have forty pages written. This is, of course, the rough draft and rough it is! I have had to immobilize my internal editor but he still strains to see over the fence and even lofts his criticisms from way back there! I did let him out for a few hours a week or so ago because I had to do some clean up because of a new revelation and had to remove the “old way” I had started. At some point you have to stop making changes but for now my novel is a hot bed of experimentation! (Is that cliché or what?)

That’s it! (I KNOW! Such a short post!)

 

Bye for now!

Various Updates – July 5, 2009

I know this is a bit out of character for me to post this close to my last post but now that I have actually been writing I feel I have some things to talk about.

I continue to bring my writing before the Lord and He keeps confirming that I should be doing this by the peace I have in my heart and the desire He has set in that place.  He has not; however, told me that I would ever be a best selling author or a selling author of any type but once I hit the “zone” I have a hard time stopping and I think about the story more and more often.  I have to say it is FUN! It taxes my brain and I have despaired once or twice but God has helped me over those hurdles. In one instant he has provided a good friend who enjoys the same genre of books I do so I have been able to explain what I want to do and he and I have talked through the issues. Twice now God has used him to help me past some sticky points. And then He uses the very imagination He has blessed me with. Sometimes to get past one of those pesky obstacles I have simply sat back and stared thinking through the possibilities and an idea forms. It has been great fun! Wouldn’t it be great to do this full time? At this point I have no religion in my story and I feel it is missing something so I would not be surprised if some type of religion pops up and gets woven into the story web, but I can’t say for sure!

The 2000 word\day mark I set for myself has not yet born the fruit I had hoped it would but I have run into more storyline problems than I had thought I had. This time has not been all wasted though! I have been able to work through some of the problems I had and I actually let my internal editor out for a little play time and he helped me to clean up some problem areas I had and redirect the plotline in the new direction. He had fun and he was so cute to watch! (I wish I had taken some pictures!) Anyway when I finally put him away I had most of my rough draft problems cleared up along with some of the confusion that was starting to creep in. It was looking like a big mess but it is all better now and I should be able to write at a faster rate, at least for a while.

I have completed thirty-six pages of rough draft as of this writing and I am not done yet tonight. Kim and I took a nice walk and I wanted to get another posting out but I would love to make the forty-page mark before I go to bed, I just don’t know if it’ll happen or not. On the plus side I am not overly tired right now. In fact, lately my mental faculties have been much better than they have in a long time. I am not smarter just seem to be able to use what I do have in a more effective manor. I praise God for this because I hate the fog I walked around in for the last 30 years! I am convinced it has to do with the fact that I have stopped drinking pop. I have no way to prove my theory but only to say that my mind’s functioning has improved since I have stopped drinking pop. (now if I could only cut back on the rest of the crap I intake!)

Alyssa leaves tomorrow for a week at Chicago to get some evangelism training. It should be a very good experience for her and I hope the Lord will use it in her life. Please pray for her in those lines and for safety for their traveling.

Logan has one more week of baseball with the 8th grade team. There have been a lot of rainouts this year, it does not seem like we’ve had a full season but it has been enjoyable.

The Holy Spirit has been having me focus on the lives of Joseph and Daniel in my Bible study times. There are a lot of parallels and some cool lessons.  I will pass on more to you as I learn.

Well, I’m getting back to my other writing!

Keep your dreams alive and work hard. Lay your plans in God’s hands and He will help you!

Bye!

Writing Update –June 28, 2009

I am praising God write now! (You’ll understand the pun later!) I finally feel that I can use this blog for what I had originally planned to use it for:Writing updates! As I mentioned in my last post I am actually writing! Hands dirty, nose to the grindstone, writing! As of this moment I have completed, in rough draft (VERY rough!) close to 26 pages so far. I even experienced a phenomena that writers say is a good sign that you have some passion, I almost cried with one of the scenes I was writing. It was a scene where the twins lost almost everyone of their family members in a brutal attack by Trogan slavers. (These names won’t mean a thing to you unless you actually read the finished product) I could feel their grief as they remember. It is very cool! Very exciting!

God has blessed me with a good friend in Chris Watson. He and I like to hike together and my prayer is that when we walk together I can encourage him as much as he always encourages me, though I know that he encourages me way more than I encourage him.

We walked yesterday. We talked about a myriad of topics and it was simply a joyous time! I then brought up the subject of writing, and as always, God used this fellow to encourage my heart and free me to be used as God intended me to be use. These talks, though not specifically about my stories but, instead, about how God could use me and writing, has freed my mind and because of that I have been able to fill more gaps in my story and I introduced yet another character, (ALWAYS cool when a new and unexpected person joins the group!) who I am afraid is an unsavory type but necessary to fill in some holes. I do not like him at all, in fact I board on hatred. That is very cool! Not that I hate but that I hate my character! He is really evil though he appears to be, at first, an angel of light. He needs to be developed more but so far he is BAD and I do not like him!

I have also set myself some writing goals that are bigger than I am currently following but it is necessary if I really want to finish my story.

Starting July 1 I will begin writing 2000 words a day. Right now that is about an hour and half’s worth of work. This does vary but in general terms I can pump out about 10000 words every forty-five minutes.

With this goal in mind I intend to be done with the rough draft by Sept.1. I will then give myself a couple weeks off to let the whole thing simmer and then I will release the beast…my internal editor! This fellow is a nuisance when trying to bang out a rough draft but he is absolutely a welcome guest during the editing process. You see, when you are pounding out the rough draft you don’t need that turkey keeping you grounded, nagging you about every mistake, every slip of the grammar wheel and every spelling error, not to mention telling you what he thinks of the ideas themselves! No, what you need to do is lock that turkey up and soar with the eagles where freedom resides. Where you are free to put down on paper whatever comes to your head instinctively knowing it may not be the best…yet…but that soon enough you will take the time and, carefully working with your internal editor, fix the problems that as a free spirit, you did not care about.

With his help I will begin the burdensome task of editing. The first pass will be to fix obvious errors in spelling, grammar, and story flow. Once I feel good about the first draft, which I have until Dec. 1 to finish, I will, gulp!, recruit some folks to read what I have and start giving me feed back.

Then around the Jan. 1 timeframe I will take the ideas I have been given, (I will be reading it too and making changes I think are needed) I will take all the ideas start draft two.

About April 1 I hope to have draft two done and from there I am not sure what I will do…

If I receive a lot of genuinely positive feedback from draft one, I may send out draft two for a second reading. If that comes back favorably, I will seriously think of getting an agent and trying to publish the thing.

I want to clarify positive feedback. Family and friends can sometimes be so gracious that they are not willing to be honest lest it hurt my feelings. I want to say now that you CANNOT HURT MY FEELINGS!

If you choose to help me, though I do not want you to be mean spirited, I do want brutal honesty. I need brutal honesty to be able to make appropriate changes. If the plot is flat or boring, tell me. If the characters lack depth and you can’t tell me which character is talking without me actually writing, “Fred said”, or “Mary said”, then tell me. I can’t improve unless I have constructive criticism

On the other hand if you like the way something is working I would love to know that too!

This is happening! This is really happening and I give all the credit to God. He has orchestrated all the details for me to come this far. I do not want to sound like what I am doing is going to sell or even be good but I don’t care. I will say that again for clarity, I do NOT care! If I gain nothing else from this it will be experience so that maybe the next time I can create something saleable. I am excited about my story, I like it but if no one else does at least I will have experience under my belt and with that, like practicing any sport or musical instrument, I will improve. I already feel I have improved somewhat and the fear I used to have is gone right now. When fear leaves freedom moves in and then you can do wonderful things! What a great ride this has been and continues to be!

For now I press onward with the strength and freedom God has granted me! If you are out there and maybe fearful of stepping out in faith to accomplish what God has in store for you, don’t wait any longer! Take the leap! Jump! You will see that fear is only, as they say, a paper tiger, it looks real but it has no power over God and His enablement! You will see that, though the road may not be smooth or without certain pitfalls, the freedom you will ride on is, well, freeing!

(After all of that do you now understand my pun? LOL!)

Come and fly! God’s waiting for you. Trust Him!

Bye!

A Slight Hesitation – June 24, 2009

I almost hesitate to mention this because if you have been a follower of this blog for very long you will note that I can spin wild tales of me actually writing something…at least something more than a blog about writing. But now I am not only going to mention it I already have some momentum built up and, it appears to me, fuel to keep the train going.

In past attempts to write my first story (I REALLY hesitate to call what I am doing a novel) I got seven pages done and had no idea where to take it from there. I slogged around and jotted down an idea or two here or there and I even have attempted to motivate myself by telling you all that I WAS GOING TO WRITE! Nothing really worked. In fact, I almost talked myself out of writing because if I wasn’t going to work at it diligently, why do it all. I just could not let go though!

I have prayed about writing, at least a little, but nothing seemed to happen then I learned a definition of discipline that hit me square in the forehead (I noted it in a previous blog…there it is…just scroll down a little farther…There you go!) That has helped tremendously and I was amazed (dismayed??) that the book of Proverbs is plumb full of verses about the lazy man, the sluggard, the slothful man. If you use Chuck Swindoll’s method of personalizing scripture you get the following:

“The slothful Greg”, “The lazy Greg”, “The sluggard Greg”…Do you start to see a pattern? Me too and I did not like it. I think I’ve known it for a long time but was too proud or too ignorant (Mom always used to tell me not to say “Stupid”…Thanks, Mom!) but the Lord finally, in His eternally gracious and merciful way, helped me to face the truth. If I was ever going to accomplish anything I needed to work at it. An amazing revelation!

And then there were the two books on writing. I won’t say they changed my life because I’ve already waxed too melodramatic already but they were insightful and full of good, concise writing advice.  One was Stephen King’s “On Writing” ( I do not recommend this book because Mr.. King tends to allow vulgar language into the mix rather liberally…Be ye warned!) which came across to me as real, down to earth and actually showed some real examples. I stumbled over the language but the advice was sound.

The other book is by a guy named Chris Batey. Mr. Batey started a writing…challenge about ten years ago called NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month (or at least something very close to that.) His challenge is to start writing every day beginning Nov.1 and ending Nov. 30 an in that time frame write a 50,000 word novel!  If you faithfully write every day in November this number equates to 1,667 per day that you need to write. Not really too hard actually until you realize you kinda need to have some sort of coherent story on the other side. It is a challenge I intend to take up this coming turkey month.

Anyway, from these two books I learned to start small, work every day, and shut off my internal editor. That pesky voice that hovers over my shoulder and tells me every mistake I make such as spelling, grammar, and spelling again; and likes to critic every sentence (If he even finds something he would consider a sentence!) and generally telling what a horrible example I’m setting for the writing world.

For those of you who are now completely lost or a at least felling a little dizzy, I have 1) Found a supply of discipline and am employing it to best of my abilities; 2) Writing 1000 words (sometimes more!) per day; and 3) I have evicted, temporarily because he will be needed to for the editing process, that blasted internal editor. (When you do this you really don’t care what you have written because you know you will go back at some point and edit. (It sounds like a long and tedious process to me too!)

Employing this set of tools for the last week and a half, I now have over 14, 000 words written which is roughly 15 pages. This count is five partial scenes out of over seventeen plus as I am writing I am finding all sorts of holes that will need to be filled and there have even been some surprise new characters that I never even knew existed before I started writing! It is so exciting! Each word I lay down is a new adventure and I hate the fact I have to break into my day for things like work when I have this adventure waiting for me at home! I have never been so exited about writing as I am now! Is it hard? Yes it is mentally taxing but I find a pleasure in it as maybe a runner feels when he or she gets that runner’s high. Dare I say I feel God’s pleasure when I am writing? I think I can! Do I think this is bragging? NO WAY! I think I am doing what God has designed me to do! And now that He has been helping me begin to overcome the things that I let hinder me I feel free! Free!

There are times where the muse seems to slog along but it’s those times that discipline comes along and pushes me to the finish line! “Only 100 words?”; “Only 400 words?”; “Only ten more words to go!” “Only 990 words?” Other times its like I hit 1400 words and wonder where the time went! It’s great!

Whew! I see I’ve done it again! But that’s what happens when I let my mind go and my fingers fly!

Good bye for now!

Total Sickness – June 5, 2009

Before I get to today’s missive I need to get something off my chest.

Today, as noted above, is June 5. Friday, June 5th to be precise which means the end of another school year. This is not just any school year though but a year with a couple of milestones.

1) Alyssa is now officially a high school senior (YES THAT IS CORRECT! A HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR!); 2) Logan is officially in high school! I can’t believe it! the time has gone so fast, but here it is and I’m not sure our kitchen table can hold any more college information packets! WOW! Sigh…What will the next couple years bring?

I have had a first this week. I was home sick for four out of the last six days. Some sort of virus I think. Kim had a similar something two weeks ago so I’m sure it was the same thing I had.

I went to work Monday and yesterday but it was not fun (Monday was not bad but yesterday was a mistake.)

Anyway, sinuses, sore throat, plugged ear ducts, coughing, hacking, wheezing, jumping, reading, writing…Opps! Sorry. Got a bit carried away as usual. I think you get the idea though.

The odd part is that I usually do not get sick for this long, but it happened! I guess that’s what we have sick days for, isn’t it?

The other odd thing is that I read a 285 page almost in one sitting. I couldn’t put it down! The really unusual part is that the book was by Stephen King. I can’t say I’m a fan of King’s mostly because I do not enjoy the genre he writes in but I had heard so many good things about his book “On Writing” I thought I would give it a try.

I was blown away! It was a fluent read and for some reason I could not put it down. Kim picked it up for me at the library at 4:00 PM on Wednesday and I had240 pages read by bedtime with a fine supper thrown in the mix. I just finished it.

King had some interesting things to say on the craft and his writing style is wonderful. I am considering reading one of his book just to taste it on the fiction side. But be aware! If you decide to read this book understand that King is real. He says what he means and means what he says and because of that there is a LOT of profanity and I do not mean mild profanity either! If it is a “four letter” word, it is in the book! Yes, this does bother me and most of the time when I run into too much of that kind of language I will stop reading the book but King had so many good things to say I trained my eye to “ounce” over those words when I came to them.

(When I say “real” I do not mean to say that because he uses profanity he is any “realer” then you or I but he does not pull any punches. He says what he says.)

I felt as though what he had to say really resonated with my heart. I don’t know why but it really did.

I am not recommending it just because of all the “four letter” words but the book did have an effect on me.

I have also have began to actually write my new story. Right now I have a goal of 1000 words a day and since this is my second day of doing this I have two thousand words written. They are not good words yet but I have started moving forward.

I had hoped that once I started writing I could throw discipline out the window because creativity would have stepped in and carried the day but that is not the case. Once I start writing I do enjoy it but I still must discipline myself to do it each and every day. Two down…X more to go! ;-)

Good bye for now!

An Item or Two… May 26, 2009

I see from the calendar that I have once again delved deeply into the mines of laziness and have not posted since April 19th!

Well, now I have a couple things I would like to share.

First, I have been world building for my story. It has gone OK... I know I don’t sound excited but it really is fun. The more I think about the different scenes the more holes I see that need to be filled. There are a lot of questions to be answered and I am still uncertain about the ending. I have a couple of twists I have been toying with…:-)

Though I have spent at least a few minutes almost every day for the last month or so working on it I still feel that I have not dedicated myself to the process as I should have been doing. You’re right, it’s not too late but I still bemoan the fact that I could be much farther along than I am. It can be daunting at times if not down right overwhelming! But when I think of the possibilities I can soar with ideas. In fact, I am considering adding some scars from an ancient wizard-war that could add some intriguing twists…

Discipline:

This is an area that I have admittedly been somewhat thin on…I am so easily distracted for one thing. I really hate that!  Those times that God grants to me focus I fly and good things seem to happen but the other times this lack of focus is a real enemy!

I want to leave you with a saying from a gentleman who spoke at our church for our annual Spring Bible Conference. His name was Dr. Ron Sauer and he is a neat individual. He had a wonderful series with plenty to muse over but one particular saying I have come to memorize. In fact, I have made a special print copy and hung it in my cube.

It goes like this:

Discipline: Doing what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, in the manner it ought to be done, regardless of how I feel about it.

…

The Photos – Apr. 19, 2009

Here are some of the photos I took while on my adventure on the 17th.

I was pleasantly surprised at how well they turned out (digital photography can make the most inept look good!) mostly because the little, I mean tiny, video screen I can’t see in the best of times and the sun was so bright the only thing I could see was my reflection. So what I did was point the camera at the object I hoped to capture and pushed the button. Here are the results. I hope these will entice you to setup a time to go hiking with me sometime!

 

Here is a picture of Indian Creek right off the main path.

You can see the beautiful sky and if you really squint, I mean really squint, you can see the moon. (It’s the white speck right in the middle of the picture) The day was so incredible the moon stuck around to take it all in.

One week ago Pastor Bryan and I followed this same path and the green you see in this picture was all black from he burn they did. Maybe not so impressive until you realize that it was black less than seven days ago! God’s creation is so amazing!

You can see one of the snobbish musk rats in the picture. He likes the limelight and so I got him in the middle. He was not so amiable when I asked him to tea. How rude!

Here we have the curious Mr... Turtle. He is just one of four that I saw and he was watching me as closely as I was watching him, in fact I think he may have had a camera too as I swear I saw a flash once in awhile. I’m probably being posted on his blog as we speak. (If you run across it let me know. I’d like to see if he got my good side.)

Here we have the melodious red wing black bird. Although not overly friendly, they were curious.

These are the last three photos I will submit for now. This has become one of my favorites. It is a wetland down in a little valley and at this time of year, has an abundance of water. It is just a peaceful and beautiful area.

Let me know know if you would like to see these up close and personal. I would be overjoyed to take you on an in-person tour!

For now…

BYE!

Trying Something New – Apr. 19, 2009

Since it’s been awhile since my last post I decided to go big and try something new. I decided to do a photo journal.

On Friday the 17th, I took our digital camera and my binoculars; my walking stick and notebook and hit the Indian Creek Nature Trail.

It is not unusual to see walkers on the path but I thought, I had hoped, I would not see many people this day because I wanted to be able to catch some wildlife. I also intended to get some scenery shots but it was not as important for there to be less people because the scenery seems to be not quite as skittish around people.

The day was absolutely perfect. Mid 40’s upheld an almost spotless blue sky with just the hint of a breeze. I could not have asked for more. Well, maybe one thing more…

As I parked the car and got my equipment together I could not keep my feet in line as they were most excited to get on the trail. (I had a hard time keeping up with them!)

As I got closer to the tributary path I that would take me to the prairie I started hearing a sound that caused the sun to dim and blue sky to fade to a bright gray…construction work. At this time I had come to the hard decision to not let this…this…noise…ruin my day, but it was not easy. In fact, I was surprised that this little thing had hit me as hard as it had. I finally talked myself into growing up and stop acting like a baby!

I found my turn off and wandered down the path and found to my horror, that the construction was actually taking place on the prairie!

There was a bulldozer tearing up the ground and two lumbering dump trucks waiting to remove the carnage, all the while aiding to the trampled affect. I consoled myself with the story that they were probably adding a pond…

I’m afraid that I can’t tell you how much area this prairie covers but it makes for a good walk. There are ground hog mounds and other areas of concern that one should endeavor to avoid so that the ankles and knees can maintain their created functionality without the aid of man-made supports, you know, sprained ankles, twisted knees, and varicose  veins. I have flexible knees and ankles, plus an implanted GPS system so that I am able to skillfully avoid these pitfalls. Nevertheless, there are enemies on the prairie that the most skillful of outdoorsmen fall into or step into…In all of the vastness of the prairie I found and stepped in, the only pile of doggie pooh within a hundred leagues. Of course…

One thing I like to do is try and keep track of the critters that Gods puts in my path. I love the discoveries that are within three miles of my house. Very cool!

I saw: A turkey, not just a turkey but a turkey in flight, that is almost frightening, two deer, four vultures (YES, Virginia, Iowa does have vultures! How do you think all the dead animals get cleaned up?), a myriad of birds, including one of my local favorites, Red Winged Black birds! The colors are so vivid, and their songs are enchanting. I was privileged to encounter two musk rats, they were not as thrilled with the encounter as I was as they swiftly swam away, four turtles, and three red headed wood peckers. These guys have a wonderful voice as well. I saw four painted turtles, and to my delight, they were almost as interested in me as I was in them. It was most delightful and peaceful to just look for the awakening of nature.

Now recall my rant about the people and technology that I discovered and forget about it as I share with you one oddity in this regard. There are train tracks that run just to the south of the prairie area. These tracks are the self same tracks that run through downtown Ames, IA which gives me an unusual connection to my home town!  BUT the odd thing is that as the trains go through, they seem almost as natural as the vultures or musk rats. I don’t know why this is so but I do not mind the trains and the wildlife seems ok with it too.

Well, I have broken the rules of blogging and created a monster but it was so much fun!

I will do a second posting and post the pictures, or at least some of them, in that post.

If you want to go hiking with me, let me know! It is one of my greatest joys to take people around this area and spend time in fellowship. Let me know!

Bye!

Opps! Forgot One Item -- Mar. 15, 2009

 

One last note I forgot and then I promise I'll leave you alone. I have an immense amount of work to do in the next three weeks so I might appear to be falling off the wagon again (which could be the case!) but it also might just be the strain of a enormous application roll out we will be doing on March 29th. So far testing has gone well but the opportunity for trouble always exists with such a large roll out as we are planning.

So long!

Bye!

Mercenary Writers! -- Mar. 15, 2009

Or, writers for hire! (I just like the sound of the title! :-)) Freelance writers, to be precise!

One thing I have always wanted to do is to have a business of my own. It does not have to be fancy but something I can feel proud of and maybe make a little extra money.

Kim and I have looked into a lot of options over the years and have made some bad mistakes in times of over zealousness but we have never really got any idea to take. To be perfectly honest, we have not put into our desires the effort it takes to start even a small little business so the blame falls squarely on our shoulders but not for lack of ideas, just effort. I think it was Thomas Edison that once said something like, "Invention is 90% perspiration and 10% inspiration", we fall squarely on the 10% side...so far. I have discovered I am a slow learner but one thing that I have learned is that beginner's luck works fine when playing a new game but not for business. It takes planning and clear thinking to get up and running. A dose of courage can't hurt either!

We have friends (no details because I don't have permission to write about them) that are starting a new business and I can't think of better people to to do this task. They are brave and smart and have a double portion of creativity! They love the Lord and I know they have put in a lot of prayer to this business, as have a lot of us, and I am excited for them and hope the Lord will bless their socks off with this new endeavor!

Well, having said all of that (you can see I have come out my lax state!) I would still like to get a business started and what I would like to do is freelance writing. I have been reading about it and it sounds like something I could do. I just don't know how to get from here to there. One thing I need to stop doing is procrastinating! Though, on second thought, one of the ways one can make some side money is to write informational reports on subjects you know and I DO know procrastination, so maybe I could write a document on "The Ten Steps to Becoming A Professional Procrastinator". It could be a best seller! I know a lot of people are good at procrastinating but my ten tips would take these folks to the next level, a professional level! I'll have to put some real thought in on that...but not today.

So, though I have little to nothing planned and the only asset I have right now is a desire to get something started, I do have one step I must take. The father of a friend of mine used to do copy work before he retired. I have been told he would be glad to talk with me about this dream of mine but, as noted above, my professionalism will not yet allow me to try and setup a time to meet with him...yet. This just strengthens my position as a professional procrastinator but does nothing to further my dreams.

Next, I know a lot of folks who are in a number of businesses in the area that I could try to hook up with through networking and possibly land some freelance work. But...

But what if I can't do it? What if the person who hires me doesn't like what I've done? What if I fail?

None of these questions are valid because they project worry onto the future in which I am not privy to know. In the vernacular of the Bible, I need to have faith that God will direct my paths if I leave my plans in His hands.

This does not mean that I will be successful in this world's eyes but that I will be successful in God's eyes. He knows what H e wants me to do and if I feel led in a certain direction it does no good to worry about the "what if's" they are irrelevant if I am trusting God. It does not mean that they won't be painful but how do I know what will work and what won't if I don't step out in faith and take a stab at it? I can only speculate on what could go wrong and that can lead to unfounded worry. Sinful worry. What is "sinful worry"? Worry is sinful worry. We are taught to trust and not to worry. Worry says that we don't think God will take care of us and fear of the future causes us to focus on our circumstances instead of God's provision.

Ok! I get it! If I think God has called me in this direction I need to move. It is no less sin to not do what God has called us to do than it is to do things we know we should not do. Sin is sin.

Though I do not have a solid plan I will move forward with what I do have and let God fill in the details. Sounds like a plan to me! Hey! That's exactly what I need, a plan! Praise the Lord!

I will now, finally, bring this to a close. I'm so glad to be writing again and I enjoy sharing my heart with all of you. As always, feel free to contact me and share your heart with me!

Bye!

Filler -- Mar. 15, 2009

Yes, I know...The last post was dated Feb. 20, almost a month ago! I hate that but I have been  very busy and also a bit lax in keeping up so this is just some fluff until I get my blogging feet under me again.

My alma mater, Ames High School, played one of the local high schools in the Marion area, Linn-Mar, last night for the Iowa 4A High School championship basketball title and it was a great game! I was excited that Ames got there in such grand fashion, 25-0 season, but I had to cheer for Linn-Mar because I know some of the players and their families.

Though Ames won, Linn-Mar gave them the closest fought game that Ames had had this year only losing to Ames by ten points and, a good half of those points were due to the fact that Linn-Mar had to foul to try and get the ball back. It was a great game!

In most of the other Games Ames has played they have been forced. out of courtesy to the other teams, to take out their all-star, Harrison Barnes, to keep the game within a merciful amount. You see Ames has beaten most of the teams they've played this year by an average of thirty points, thus, Barnes has only averaged eleven minutes of game time. The play of Linn-Mar forced Ames to keep him in the game the entire time and Linn-Mar was down their top scorer due to a "misjudgment" on his part that caused him to lose his spot on the team for the remaining games of the season. It could have been a different game. No doubt that Ames was tested. It was a great game and Ames looked really good! I understand why they are number one in the state. Wow!

One of elders at my church happened to see Harrison Barnes play against West Des Moines Valley a while back and reported back that he was not as impressive a player as everyone thought but I must respectfully disagree, I thought he was outstanding and every bit deserving the press he has received. Not only that, but rumor has it that he is an excellent student and leads a morning Bible study at the high school. This kid seems to be in good shape all around.

It was a really good game, and even though Linn-Mar lost, they played like champions and have no reason to hang their heads though I understand the disappointment. There is no room for shame though! They played a real titan of a basketball team and turned in a better performance than any other of the twenty-five schools that faced Ames previously. Great job guys! And congratulations on a fine, fine season, Ames! It makes me proud that I was once black and orange follower too!

Logan was sick ALL of last week with what we believe was Influenza B but on Saturday he was fully recovered and could not wait to get out of the house. It was good to see him back to full strength!

Alyssa competed at state for speech yesterday and, though I don't understand the whole process, she got all one's which means she did really well. Now she just waits until tomorrow to see if she makes All-State. She likes the idea of all one's but she says she would be content to keep the one's and not go to All-State. She has been so impressive in my mind and it appears the judges think a lot of her performance as well. We'll see...Stay tuned.

Bye!

The Mormons All Over Again! -- Feb. 20, 2009

After I submitted my post last night I spent some time in deep thought. One thing I have learned about myself is that when something burns my heart like this web site did I jump in to make some sort of comments. Often these comments are "spoken" in the heat of the moment, so after I pressed "SUBMIT" I spent a long time thinking about what I wrote.

One thing I have learned from my wonderful pastor, is to be objective and fair. When I jump in with both feet I loose that objectivity and can become somewhat legalistic myself. So to take time and meditate on God's word, seeking wisdom and understanding from God, is a good thing!

This weighed on my heart so I went back out to the web site and did some more reading. One thing I believe is that these people are Christians, born-again believers bought by the blood of Jesus Christ. Beyond that, I lose connection with their thinking. They did have some good points, I cannot deny that at all. But the overall tone is pride and arrogance which I cannot tolerate.

At this point, I closed down my laptop and tried to sleep but he Holy Spirit kept the wheels spinning and I found I had to get out of bed. I grabbed a No. 2 pencil and a pad of paper and started to ask questions. When God says "seek and you will find..." I believe I found some things. I am not going to share them now because I want them to be more coherent than they are now but I will say I felt great peace at spending some in-depth time with the Father. It was not a new "revelation" or audible voice but felt the hand of God guiding me.

Here is the bottom line: And just before I went back to bed about 0100, one more thought entered my mind, "This is just like your encounter with the Mormons the other night. What you have read tonight challenged what you thought you believed and forced you into God's word for guidance. What a great blessing!" Right, wrong, or indifferent, going to God for answers is always the right way. You may not like what you find, and to be sure I do not have all the answers packed away as nicely as I wish I did, but I truly believe that there are some points within God's word that one simply has to take on faith. They can't be puzzled out. There is no earthly answer. There is simply the belief that God does know what He is doing, He does love us and all will be revealed in time.

I know that I do not have the market cornered on truth nor is everything I believe today so solid I can't be taught a different lesson later, but God does not change and His love toward us endures forever.

I am excited to learn more and to post what I learn. Please pray for me that God would give me good wisdom to know His truth.

Thank you.

Bye!

Rebirth- The Return of The Pharisees -- Feb. 19, 2009

The Pharisees were so busy trying to "do" God's law that they missed the most important part: People. They were so caught up in in themselves that pride became the alter at which they worshipped. Jesus stated that these people honor God with their lips but their hearts are far from Him. They were legalistic and considered anyone not of their class to be beneath them. There is no room for love in their puffed up hearts. The pride they felt as they "served" God was all-consuming. This is the story of some modern day Pharisees. It is a tale of sorrow and woe.

In modern times it seems there has been a rebirth of the "Pharisees". Their only purpose on this earth is to dig under every rock so as to discover anything that might resemble sin. One misspoken word, one foot out of step and they are there to set you straight, to warn you against that teacher or organization. How does the saying go..."Brushing aside the dollars to find the dimes". Perfection is theirs!

One thing that gives me great comfort is the fact that the authors of this web site have removed the log from their eye so as to be able to get the speck out everyone else's eye; you know, so we can see clearly. "God, I thank Thee that I am not like other men...like that tax collector over there..."

You will see, if you are bold enough to venture to this web site, that there are few ministries that have not felt the wrath of these modern day Pharisees.

To be fair, they do have a lot of known cults and misguided people on their lists, and we do need to be aware of them, but the pride they have in their "ministry" is blinding them to the fact that God's word has a second side to it: love. God is love, He is just, to be sure but He is also love. They highlight "justice" and conveniently leave out love.

Probably the most disturbing part of the web site is their stance on salvation: You must believe and repent. Jesus is not good enough, what He did on the cross is not sufficient, you must act as well. This is a lie and fits in perfectly with the rest of their "work". The sour, scowling faces I see in my mind (oops! I said, "mind", that is complete whacked out heresy in their...minds???) epitomize what so many think about Christianity that it is no wonder people don't want to listen to us! Their message is only a heavy, legalistic yoke to burden the masses, the very ones Jesus came to free. The very sin of the Pharisees. The truth belongs to them.

My heart does not feel much better but I wanted to get this out on "paper". By the way, in their estimation (notice I did not use the word "minds" here..OOPS! I said it again!), journaling, writing in a journal, is a sin too. Don't ask, I have no clue! I am really freaked out about this web site!

I try not to rant too often but this web site has my hackles up.

I don't know why I'm posting this here but check it out if you want to:

http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/

We are created in God's image, we are fearfully and wonderfully made. We have been given...m-i-n-d-s...to...t-h-i-n-k...with. To learn, to study, to grow. It is not a sin to learn. Man has taken learning and twisted it to try and squeeze God out of it but learning in and of itself is not wrong, even if we are trying to learn about the mind. We are not robots. We, like God, have the capacity to think, to learn, to love, to choose, to imagine (another wicked sin, apparently) but I think we honor God when we use these things. He certainly was imaginative when He created this wonderful world! Can we go too far? Yes! But to exercise our minds and imaginations is not wrong. What I can't imagine is the world in which these authors must live. A one room shack with a non-scented candle as the only source of light, digging in God's word for one more way to condemn another ministry! Do I sound angry? I am angry! This causes more damage to the cause of Christ than any act of sin ever could! What would happen if these men channeled their energy to reaching out in love to the lost and let God deal with the rest?

Jesus was angry with the Pharisees because of their hardness of hearts. they clung to their traditions and their perceived righteousness more than they did to God's truth. They rejected Jesus and they put Jesus to death. What I see is that the "religious zealots" caused more grief to God and did more to hinder what God was trying to accomplish than all the sinners and tax collectors combined! Jesus was hard on those who did not love but tender with the lowly. Did He condone sin? Absolutely not, but it was not with the sinners that He contended, but it was their so called teachers. 

If you go to this web site you will not find love, for there is none there, it is not welcome. What you will find is a dry and barren wasteland, you will find the heart of the Pharisees.

I am far from perfect, Any of you who know me know this for a fact, but my heart burned within as I read the garbage found on this web site!

As always, I welcome your comments, questions and feed back.

...

Looking at The World -- Feb. 18, 2009

I just finished looking at the headlines and I am simply amazed! How did this country, this world, get so messed up? How can these huge corporations be in such trouble? The car makers got a huge shot in the arm and now they claim they need more?? Huge, old banks all going over the edge. Investors have stolen millions if not billions of dollars from their clients to the hurt of so many people. What is going on?!?!

I think our time is getting short on this earth. No, I am not making a prediction and God's word is quite plain that no man knows the day, but as I look around it appears that we might actually be getting into the birth pangs of the end times.

Our world has shrunk. I remember geography class in third grade where the countries we studied seemed so remote and exotic to me. I was fascinated. Now Iraq, Iran, Russia, England, Japan, all seem as though they are in our backyards. This also means that as the world shrinks we become increasingly one-worldly. For example, the current financial situation could easily culminate in the development of a one-world currency which could then give rise to a one-world government, and, perhaps, a one-world religion. Is this a stretch? As quickly as power changes hands and all of the monetary systems tied together as closely as they are today (our markets influence other markets around the world) it is not so farfetched. Our sin is bringing the world to its knees. I really believe this, but it is all within God's control. That is where our comfort comes into play.

Regardless of who we are or our position in this life sin will catch up to us and in one way or another we suffer for those sins. Don't get me wrong on this point, God is incredibly merciful as proven in Jesus dying for our sins but in one way or another we suffer for our sins and this can't be swept under the rug. Let me give you an example. If a teenaged girl becomes pregnant and if she seeks forgiveness, God will grant it and even parents too, but the girl is still pregnant and has to, if she does the right thing now, go through the blessings and trials of being a mother. God does not take that away. She is suffering for her sin. This can and does happen with any sin. I believe this is what is happening to our world now, but I really think this could be what actually pushes us in the direction of a one-world system.

To knit all of this together, I have to say I am not a prophet nor do I claim to be, but with what God says in His word and what I am seeing in this world now it could be the method God chooses to use get the one-world system His word talks about it.

As always, I welcome comments and questions. I am not smart in these areas but it is what I see from my perspective.

As we go through these times, turn your anxieties and worries to God, He will not fail us.

Bye!

The Mind: More of God's Image -- Feb. 16, 2009

As I look back on my life there are a number of things that I picked up from my parents. These things do not always come readily to mind but when I sit and think through my life, I mean really wonder the corridors of my past, I find just how many times my parents impacted me.

For instance, I give a great deal of credit to my mother for my spiritual growth. There was a time when I was, oh, around seven years old. My mother was cooking supper and I was in the kitchen with her. I do not recall the reason, perhaps she just sensed an opportunity to share some teaching about God, but whatever the reason, she told me about the Holy Spirit and that when we quieted our hearts we could hear what He had to say to us. I then, being wise beyond my years, said one profound thing, "SHHH!" That did not go over well at all! The second lesson that day was not to make fun of the things of God. Whatever God had in mind that day, I must have learned something because it is still with me to this day.

One other thing that I learned was something my dad taught me though I bet he never knew it, and that was a desire for counseling others. My dad was the family councilor for his side of the family. No, he was not a professional nor did he receive payment for his services but I can not even begin to guess how many times he was on the phone with a cousin or one of his siblings doling out advice. Everyone knew to call "Uncle Bob" whenever there was a problem. I'm still amazed to this day. He seemed to have some sort of ability to empathize with people because they always came back for more.

I find this fascinating and God has opened in my heart a desire to know people better, to better love them. I am a slow learner but I am learning.

I love to watch people and I always wonder what their thinking. What are they going through? What is hidden behind the outer facade? I know in my life there is a whole complex me on the backside of the exterior. This is not to say that I am a completely different person on the inside but there are most certainly things I do not willingly share with the world around me which forces me, at times, to put up a front. This is most helpful to understand this about myself because most people live their lives in a similar fashion so I can be sympathetic toward their feelings even if I don't have any specifics of what they are in the middle of at the time. Human nature fascinates me!

God's word is the ultimate authority on the human condition. The more I understand Him the more love I have for others. Though God's word does not endow us with the ability to read minds or communicate telepathically it does give us enough insight into the human heart that we do gain a measure of discernment because deep down we have the same nature. This does not happen because we want it to but because we take the time to get into God's word, study what it says and by faith apply it to our lives.

I am learning. I am not "there"; I have not "arrived" but I see a desire to work with people and help them to see the truth that can set them free. No, I am not an active evangelist but more and more I see that only in the truth of God can we find true peace and freedom that we desire.

I am reading a wonderful book at the moment called, "When People are Big and God is Small", by Edward T. Welch.

In a nut shell, Mr. Welch is saying that we have trouble with self-esteem, peer pressure, codependency, etc. because we try to fill the emptiness we feel inside with other's opinions, approval, and overall thoughts of us. We are so obsessed with gaining others' approval that we make them our gods and what they think of us becomes our driving force and we become enslaved to others. People become  big in our lives and we forget that they are created beings and not the Creator. We fall into worshipping the idol of others. We need to step back and realize that what really counts, what really matters is what god thinks of us. Not that we can win His favor by what we do but when we turn our lives to Him in trust, faith He is pleased knowing that He is our refuge and strength. Is this simple? Not on your life! It takes daily discipline and trust. This is beyond what I fully comprehend or at least what I am able to communicate properly, but our esteem needs to come from God. He loved us so much that He was willing to die for us so that we would not have to pay the price for our foolishness. He has proven just how much we are worth by paying the price we could never pay even though we were enemies in His sight. What more do we need to know to understand how precious we really are?

Maybe you are not the best looking, or the smartest or most talented but if you are trusting God, if you have had your eyes opened to the fact that you are very special in God's sight, this is freedom. This is true esteem. This is peace in the face of worldly hardships.

No, I am not a real councilor but if God can use me in some way to encourage someone else, I am willing. The ultimate hope is that these people should see Jesus and not me. This, however, is a different subject for a later post.

This is a lot to chew on but learning is happening, if not for you certainly for me. Please feel free to add to my learning by contacting me with questions or comments. I have a lot of learning to do but I am ready for the challenge! For God's glory!

Bye!

On The Mission Field -- Feb. 13, 2009

Last year my friend and co-worker, David, and I started walking on a fairly regular basis in the evenings and on Tuesday night I had the privilege to do so once again. The day had been pleasant and the night was most comfortable for a sweatshirt and ball cap.

We partook of our usual banter about management and leadership, when we inadvertently stumbled onto the Mormon mission field. What a surprise to be walking in the dark night with two sharp dressed young men approaching and as we moved aside to let them pass it happened...

This has never happened to me before but they stopped us and started their pitch. Though they were, as always, well prepared with defenses and arguments, I could not help but feel that they were desperately trying to "sell" me something, as though their very lively hood depended on "making the sale".

There was a taller blond young man who did the majority of the talking with his slightly shorter sidekick interjecting a phrase or two here and there in support of his fellow missionary. They were well versed in their technique. Well prepared. In fact, I have never run into a Mormon who was not prepared, though I dare say I have never run into one who was quite so persistent.

In any event, they injected a lot about prophecy and the Holy Spirit and how He would guide me to the "truth" if I sat down and spent time in God's word (which I agree with 100%) and talked a lot about how the Bible came into being but not a word was spoken the whole time about Jesus, or at least nothing that comes to mind.

I am improving as I grow in my walk with the Lord and He guides me the way I should be going, but I have never enjoyed getting into debates with people. Indeed, I do not even like to watch others debate. I hate to see the perceived divisions; I want everyone to get along and not argue. It's my personality. So when I am thrust into a situation of debate the first thing that usually happens is that my mind shuts down, no coherent thought will pass. I really hate this because later, as I reflect on what happened I see all sorts of wonderful arguments I could have brought out. Not to "win" or embarrass the other but to show God's love. It is a real bother to me and that night was no exception. They "won" because they were prepared and I was not. It was not a matter of who got zinged or who trumped the other but it is all a matter of preparation, a matter of the heart, the deepest most inner part, who you really are, and I was not ready.

This bothered me because this is not the first time that I have not "been ready". This is to my shame; however, in God's always-present, overflowing grace, He helped me to see this...again and He has shown me some real positives. I have been spending a great deal of time praying and meditating in my heart over God's word and through His Spirit He is opening up passages to me that bring me peace and comfort as to who He is and, ironically, the Mormons were right, the Holy Spirit has been revealing truth to me. And the truth is that it really does not matter how the Bible came into being, or how God has revealed Himself throughout the ages but that we realize that He sent Jesus into this world to pay the price for our sins that we could never pay. That He opened the doorway for us to be with Him forever in Heaven. Not because of anything we have done or not done but simply on the basis that He loved us so much that He was willing to die in our place and all that He requires of us it to trust in Him. Simple trust, simple faith.

They made no in-roads in my heart or mind thanks to God's good grace but I am grateful to them in the fact that God used them to show me the truth that I am not where I should be and without a regular time in God's word we are none of us prepared for what satan throws at us. "For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.". I have learned, once again thanks to God's great patience with me, that I am not as prepared as I should be and that frightens me. Without God I am vulnerable and weak, easily deceived.

How about you? Where are you at today? What if the Mormons stop at your house today? We are not here to defend God, He does not need to be defended but we are called into relationship with Him and the only way to develop that relationship is to spend regular, quality time with Him each day. Oh, look! There's a spot on my mirror...

Lord, Your patience with me is beyond my comprehension but I am so grateful You do not give up on me. You have, once again, taught me I need You now and forever more. I pray You will continue to work in my heart and the hearts of all those who desire to know You better. As we seek You with our whole hearts please guide us into Your truth that we might be united as one in Your Spirit. I pray that as You present to us opportunities to talk with the Mormons or anybody else that You would help us to see those people as You see them and help us to love them them as You love them. Help us to understand that we are not spending time learning about You to "win" a debate but to present Your truth. And help us to remember that it is not our job to convince one of who You are but to simply speak to them the truth of Jesus and what He has done for us and that You will make the changes as You see fit. Thank You. Amen.

Have a God-filled day and keep your eyes and heart opened to God's leading.

Bye!

Appropriate Title -- Feb. 11, 2009

This blog certainly has been living up to its title as of late and it is just due to lethargy. I have find that the stress I talked about in my last post settled into lethargy as silt settles in a river. My mind was not active. Since it has been awhile, I decided to post at least something today.

I'm doing a study in the Life of David with the goal of discovering what it really means to be "a man after god's heart...", it is not an easy question to answer but I am starting to get a little picture of what it might be about.

I went for a walk last night with a friend of mine and got stopped by a couple of Mormon missionaries. Though I do not shy away from talking to those folks I usually don't think of the things I should say until much later. I'm nit talking zingers here, I mean solid Biblical truth. My mind just seems to shut down in these situations. On the positive side, it makes me realize what areas of  doctrine I need to work on. Interesting conversation. Though friendly, they seemed to be quite desperate to help me see the "truth" and that I should take one of their booklets. I really felt as though they were car salesmen.

Well, I have got to go.

See ya.

 

Bye!

The Stress Factor -- Jan. 23, 2009

I discovered this week that stress is a killer of thinking. I had the opportunity to be under an unusual amount of high stress this past week and I found that my mind shut down all major functionality except the bare necessities: Breathing, pumping blood, etc. (I am grateful for that!) But everything else was black. Nasty business for certain! But I have learned from the past and from that knowledge blossomed wisdom. (I define wisdom as knowledge put into practice) My first stop was the Throne of Grace. I can't remember a time in my life that I have ever been so humbled. (I know it's probably killing you to not know what my trouble was but I am not going to tell you. I am not trying to be mean, I just do not want to go into all of the details) I found to my great joy that promised peace that transcends all comprehension. I was amazed! One day, no answers, I was frantic and shutdown. The next day I had no answers but I was full of peace as I continually sought God's hand. What a humbling, joyous time! I do not want to go through that pain again but it was so blessed. Whenever you are drawn closer to God it is a good thing for sure, even if the circumstances are not what you would choose!

Now I have answers and my joy is even more full! But it was not a time I look back on with fondness other than the afore mentioned closer walk with God.

It is good to be on the other side of pain. But even so there are other tunnels that are approaching but if we take what we have learned from our past trials the future tribulations don't look as dreary as they one time might have, if, that is, you have taken what you learned from past trials and apply the lessons. Remember: Wisdom.

 

Bye for now! I hope you all have a peaceful quiet weekend.

 

Bye

Today's Muse -- Jan. 15, 2009

I'm at lunch right now and just finished my daily dose of Helium.com ratings. There are so many opinions about various subjects that the best one can do at times, is to agree to disagree. Even within one's own circle of friends who share common beliefs, there are differing ways of looking at certain topics. Unfortunately,this is why we have many church denominations. The various and differing beliefs drive us to seek out those of a more common belief structure. I am sure it does not please God. Unity is His call and we fall far short of that calling.

When I rate an article I am looking to see how the article fits in with the subject title. I then look for mechanics and structure. One thing that will turn me off in an instant is preaching. If an author is preaching to me, even if I totally agree with his or her stance, I instantly give a lower rating or choose the competing article; as long as that article is not a complete mess. I have been known to do a skip if both articles are terrible or if both are preachy. There is no room to be preachy. I have found that it is a relatively simple task to get your point across without in-your-face- preachy-ness.

On the other hand, a well thought out article, even if I am am totally opposed to the author's point of view, will receive a higher rating based on its form and quality. I'm not necessarily looking for what I agree with but how well the article is written. I do have to say that if there is an article subject I do not hold with, it is much harder reading than with subject matter I do agree with, but I try really hard to be a neutral "editor".

Switching gears now...

I was diagnosed with asthma almost twenty years ago. It has not been something that causes me great problems and I have never been in the hospital for it. But my asthma seems to be more of a ninja warrior, a stealthy invader. One of whom I am not aware until I actually treat it. Here is what I mean:

I initially went to the doctor because at the most unusual times I would have this irritating dry cough. I didn't think too much of it until one evening, I worked the 3-11 shift at this time, I was sitting with some of the ladies of another department and they told the story of how one of the ladies husbands had a strange cough that had been misdiagnosed and and it turned out he had terminal lung cancer. I'm not usually paranoid about these things but for some odd reason this story really struck my heart, so I went to the doctor only to discover I had asthma.

My asthma is triggered, for the most part, by allergens; dust, mold, and cat dander are among the most potent of the triggers. Times that I am in areas with such things in the room will trigger an allergic reaction and launch an asthma attack. (Too much caffeine A couple puffs of my inhaler and I am good. However, there are the more usual and subtle attacks; attacks I don't really associate with asthma. Aches, pains, especially in my lower back and the upper sides of my torso. these pains can last for days and cause me to loose sleep even. Case-in-point: This past month I have had all these signs and symptoms and have had a tremendously poor sleeping record. So last night I decided to take a stand. I still did not realize I was dealing with asthma but I took three Ibuprofen, used my Netty Pot to cleanse my sinuses (highly recommended!) and I was my inhaler.

Now I have to say I do not like using my inhaler because it tends to freak out my nerves and I can get jittery. In fact, I absolutely will not use it on the days I donate plasma because it elevates my heart rate. So I try to use it at night whenever possible.

I did this last night and the combination of the Netty pot and inhaler really sent a swig of oxygen to my brain and I gladly went to sleep. It was the best sleep I had had in weeks! Once again, my stealthy enemy had attacked my lungs and caused my more trouble than it should have caused! By the time I realize what's happening, I have been suffering for days, if not weeks (as in this case) and not realized what was happening to me.

It is a tricky enemy but I love experimenting to see if there are natural things that will can help my condition. I do know for a fact that my overweight condition is not helping and I am working on that area but I also want to see if there are other things that would help too.

I am not a naturalist nut job but I really do believe there are natural things that can help us in our daily ailments. I am convinced of it! I just need to research more and see what is true. What I find to be the most reliable source of truth is people I actually know who have tried things for themselves. With that in mind, as I experiment I can then be a witness to the benefits of the things I try. We'll see what happens.

My goodness how I have rambled! Well, I will let you all go now and rest your weary eyes. Talk to you soon!

Bye!

An Experiment -- Jan. 14, 2009

I have been reading a lot about a couple of products that people seem to be raving about: Bromalite and Acai. Now, I am not usually one to go in for pills and that sort of thing but the more reading that I have done about these two products the more I thought I would give them a try, and for $10 for a 30 day supply, I did not think I could go wrong.

The Bromalite is supposed to help cleanse your colon, something I have been intrigued about for a long time but up until now have not put much stock into it. And the Acai is made from the Acai berry and is supposed to give you a good shot of energy.

A couple months ago I did the same thing with a product called FRS touted by the one and only, Lance Armstrong. I was skeptical about that too but for shipping and handling, I gave it a two week trial. It worked GREAT! I loved it! The only problem is that I can't afford to keep using it now so I have not. This is the reason I decided to try these two products too. It is cheap and there is enough to let me know if it will work or not. I will keep you posted.

One last note: If you are trying to sell a product and you truly believe in it, give away samples! It is a great way to get your product into the hands of interested buyers and could end with you making some good and loyal customers. I would be one of those with the FRS product if I could afford it. It really worked! I hope Acai and Bromalite work. I want it to...does that count?

For now I will sign off but keep looking up, your salvation is nigh!

Bye!!

Just Plain Frivolity! -- Jan. 6, 2008

Unlike my usual posts today I do not have anything earthshaking to share with all of you out there. Normally, my posts are full of useful information and witty and whimsical prose that you cannot bear to wait for! This time, however, I just feel like banging out a few words just for the sake of writing. I hope you're not too disappointed...

We are already six days into the new year and I have not written '2008' on anything yet. (Well, except for that 2008 I just wrote here and that one there...other than that, I have not written 2008. (OPPS! I did it again!) That fact, in and of itself is most unusual. It usually takes me 4-6 months before I'm over that little problem. Anyway, the year has started out somewhat quietly work-wise. I have a couple carry-over projects from last year (2008...There it is AGAIN!) but there is still a long ways to go before I really have an in-depth part to play but I must be involved now so I know how to implement my portion of the project.

MY calendar looks pretty empty but Alyssa's...that is a whole other story! She is a busy girl! At least she can drive! If she was still a non-driver, MY calendar would be much busier too! And speaking of driving, this is the year Logan can get his learner's permit! YIKES! is all I have to say! (At least I didn't write 2008 again! CRUD!)

It looks like we will be doing the GPL Foundation Pancake Breakfast the third week of February this year. If you're going to be around, come on out for some pancakes. We do not charge a thing but we do take donations. We use this event to help with the expenses of our summer softball tournament. It is always a good time. (Unless, of course, there is an ice storm like we had two years ago.)

I am co-teaching with Pastor Bryan in Sunday School on a few of the parables. They are really something! I have never really taken much time to study them prior to this class and they are full of great lessons! I did the "Pharisee and the Tax Collector" last Sunday and plan to teach on the parable of the "Rich Man and Lazarus" this coming Sunday. At this point I will also teach on Feb. first but I don't know what parable I will teach on then, at this point.

Well, I think that sums up 2009 so far. I hope you and yours are having a wonderful new year and that the Lord would bless your plans as you leave them in His hands this brand new shiny year!

Bye!

It's Here! 2009 Has Arrived! -- Jan. 1, 2009

The New Year is upon us and one thing that I have in mind for the start of this new year is a time of reflection. To look back at was has been and see if there is anything that I need to change or improve upon. With introspection I have seen many areas that need to change in my own life and many Mistakes I have made, not just in this past year but from way back when and have whipped up on me in this past year. But instead of backing up the dump truck and unloading all the guilt and shame I will allow myself some grace, as my God has, and try taking bite sized chunks to start the improvement process.

There are two areas that I have set out as a starting point:

1) My weight. I am way too heavy and I am tired of being tired. My goal is to lose 30 pounds this year. (I need to lose more but I will start small.) This equates to about less than three pounds a month which I believe is obtainable.

2) My writing. Though I have become more prolific in the last couple of months I want to do even better than that. I also would like to stretch myself more in the areas of research and becoming more profitable with my writing.

I did not mention a couple of other areas that I have seen take a nose dive this past year, because I want them to be a part of all I do and not just be something to strive for.

1) Make God a art of everything. In everything I do I want to do my very best. No more half way. No more mediocrity.

2) Integrity. I have always thought of myself as being a man of integrity but I saw this area slip this past year and I was in shame at some of the things I did or did not do.

Without the hand of God on my life I cannot hope to attain to any of these things so it is to Him I look first and foremost. I also need to come up with a plan, a mission, if you will, to get me on track and keep me focused on the things I need to do this year. Saying "No" will be a part of the plan.

Take some time to reflect on this past year. This is a new year with new challenges and new opportunities! Make plans, turn them over to God, and put your heart into all that you do! I think you will be surprised at the results!

Happy New Year to all of you!

Bye!