Insanity is...

To quote someone (can't remember who said it):

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again,
and expecting different results.

Day after day, I come across people who live the exact above-mentioned definition. Regardless of socio-economic status, level of education, IQ level, and every other possible describable strata of society, that definition exists across the board.

For example, I meet people who say they keep their options open (though often that means they keep their eyes peeled for money coming their way without work involved), and/or are seeking income diversification. When I sit down with them to talk about how they can actually do it, they conclude my interview of them with "Let me think about it" or "I have to talk to my [Mom/Dad/Husband/Wife/posse]" and eventually give me "I'll keep my job until I retire".

Firstly, there is the mistaken notion of retirement being age-dependent. It does not take age to retire, it takes money.

Secondly, we all know there is no such thing as job security. There never was. You are counting on something that is completely out of your control, just like putting things on credit cards and counting on the money you will make in the future to pay it off.

Thirdly, write down and look at your 5-year goals, material and non-material. Consider carefully if your job will help you get there. If you know your job is not going to get you where you want to be in 5 years, and you keep acting like it will, you are either on drugs or insane. Point proven.

A Gem

I wanted to end my posting tonight with something positive, hence my third and last post tonight. I am very excited about a new person we are bringing on board in our business. He is a rare gem and one that many businessmen would sift through a hundred or more people to find.

Mr. S had worked for many years in a labour-intensive industry alongside with family and they owned the business. Then the jobs started drying up and he was out of work for 12-18 months. About 6 months ago, he found some work as a valet, and that is how we met. We later set up a time to "talk shop" and now, we are both very excited about a partnership.

Mr. S is a gem for several reasons:

1. He has dreams and goals he wants to achieve and he knows that his current situation will not get him there. He is not afraid of trying something new, and he is not afraid to write down his dreams and goals on paper.
2. He gets the business and has already begun taking ownership of it.
3. He knows work ethic and knows that good things take time and effort. He is willing to work at it.
   
4. He knows that he may get laughed at, ridiculed or put down for having dreams and goals for his life and pursuing them and he is not going to let them steal his dream. He understands the phrase, "we are looking for the ones who are looking."
5. He is already excited about this opportunity and is not letting anything or anyone get in his way.

Mr. S, welcome aboard!

Not An Experience I Want Again

Last night, we went to a party put on by some longtime friends. They live about an hour and 45 minutes away. It took us about 2 1/2 hours to get there because of unexplained traffic. We had a good time and left really late, around 2am. After driving for about an hour, I had to pull over at a rest stop to take a nap. After a 45-minute nap and a bio break, we hit the road again. Less than 10 minutes later, we hit a standstill on the interstate highway. It was a very recent accident (by God's grace we avoided because of my bio break), and emergency personnel were soon on the scene, rushing by us on the shoulder.

By this time, I had shut off the engine and lights, and was becoming sleepy again. In our groggy state, I believe each of us were in prayer for all involved in the accident. It was serious and involved an overturned vehicle. Within an hour, I could tell that the 2 ambulances and at least 1 cop car were driving off. I figured that it wouldn't be long before they opened up the road again and let us on our way. I decided against taking a nap since we would be driving again soon.

For the next 2 hours, nothing moved.

I do not know why it took so long and what was going on. I was extremely tired and it was cold. I actually restarted the engine a couple of times to turn the heat on for a little while before shutting the engine off again. My exhaustion finally overcame me and I succumbed to a nap. It wasn't even a decent nap since my body and mind were on standby for driving off.

My spouse woke me up when the vehicles ahead of us restarted and starting driving off. We pulled over at the next rest stop about 20 minutes later for a much-needed bio break. By the time we pulled out, there were 4 other vehicles next to us.

So we finally got back in time for breakfast -- my wake-up alarm on my cell phone was going off when we were seated at the diner for breakfast. We had to stop by church to pick up the other vehicle we left there last night, and I had to take another nap (2 hours?) before driving any more. I finally got home around 11am -- 7 hours after I should have.

All I have to say is this: I hope the folks in the accident are alright, and I don't ever want to repeat this experience.

People Who Drive You CRAZY!!

(This post will be particularly meaningful for married couples!)

"What you heard is not what I said!"

Communication is such a tricky thing, especially between men and women. It is even more difficult when one person hears (not listens; there is a difference!) something through the filter of his/her assumptions and hears incorrectly.

Issue #1: Hanging out vs. Connecting

For the menfolk out there, read this carefully: hanging out with the guys is connecting with the guys, but it is NOT connecting for women. Women may enjoy spending the time with you, but to get to know you requires that you open your mouth to talk about things -- your opinions on events/happenings, what is going on in your/her life, what this week's schedule looks like (so that she can plan accordingly, not to control you!), work through some issue that is coming between the two of you, etc. Talking about what happened at work today and what you had for lunch or watching a movie together (and not discussing it later) is not connecting at the deep level that women desire, and for some, absolutely require. If you truly value your mate, do not neglect this because you will alienate her.

For the women: your man is happy just to spend some time with you without talking, and sometimes, you just have to give them that and be positive about it.

Issue #2: We need to talk

For the men: it is not the dreaded talk about what you did wrong (though too often it is). Sometimes, when your wife wants to talk, that is all she really wants to do -- connect with you, find out what is going on in your head, get to know you. Good grief! Talking is not the start of World War 300!

For the women: watch how many times you talk and it is about what your man did wrong -- drastically reduce that number, okay?

Issue #3: What are you doing? Where are you?
What does your schedule look like this week?

For the men: She is not trying to control you! She does not want to know where you are to keep tabs on you. She just wants to know that you are okay (not hurt and lying abandoned in a ditch in nowhere) and maybe she just wants to hear your voice. Letting her know your schedule this week helps her plan hers accordingly so that she can set aside time for you! She is sorry that you have to work 6 1/2 days this week, and she will give you some time alone, but she needs some time with you too! If you want to continue being selfish and spend all that time by yourself all the time, you may very well end up being by yourself long-term. She might accept an hour or two if that is all you can give her that week.

For the women: It helps to tell him first that it is "just for planning purposes" or "just worried about you when you did not call when you said you would" before going into the 3 questions above. And if your man does work 6 1/2 days that week, it is perfectly okay to give him a couple of hours to himself.

Issue #4: GROW UP!

For the men: That is honestly what your wife thinks many times when the two of you argue. Often it is true AND sometimes it is not. When it is true, man up and mature some. When it is not, remember that she is in need of God's grace and mercy, just like you.

For the women: I know this goes through your mind and often it is true. Remember that you are his wife and not his mother, so do not lecture him like a 5-year old. You may still think it, but do not show it. Show respect for your man and remember that he is in need of God's grace and mercy, just like you.

Ocean of Grace and Mercy

Recent devotions have been reminding me about the depth of God's grace and mercy. His mercy is infinite and the ocean of His grace is immeasurable -- that is why we can keep fouling up everything and still come back to Him and stand before Him alive. Scripture says that God's mercies are new every morning. Every day is a clean slate. Sometimes, I have to change those words to "Every five minutes is a clean slate."

I also have to constantly remind myself that every person who offends me is in need of just as much of God's grace and mercy as myself and I am no better than they, even when they yell at/be rude to me or slam the door in my face, cut me off in traffic, not let me merge onto the highway, etc. It is quite a challenge to not let my emotions at that time rule me.

Out of God's goodness, I get nothing I deserve and more than I need. It is so easy to forget that when things go badly. I drink not only out of the Spring of Life, but also out of the ocean of God's grace and mercy. There is so much to be thankful for.

IT IS DONE!

Our new upgraded retail website! WHOO-HOO!!!

ps. It might take a couple of days to actually be available to the public... I'm no techie. What do I know?

Lou Pritchett's Open Letter to President Obama

I just had to post this after finding it in my email. And yes, I did verify it first with my usual hoax databases. This email has been verified to be authentic and correctly attributed, beginning circulation around May 2009.

Lou Pritchett is a living legend in corporate America. You can read up all about him in the verifying web pages linked above.

AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA

Dear President Obama:

You are the thirteenth President under whom I have lived and unlike any of the others, you truly scare me.

You scare me because after months of exposure, I know nothing about you.

You scare me because I do not know how you paid for your expensive Ivy League education and your upscale lifestyle and housing with no visible signs of support.

You scare me because you did not spend the formative years of youth growing up in America and culturally you are not an American.

You scare me because you have never run a company or met a payroll.

You scare me because you have never had military experience, thus don't understand it at its core.

You scare me because you lack humility and 'class', always blaming others.

You scare me because for over half your life you have aligned yourself with radical extremists who hate America and you refuse to publicly denounce these radicals who wish to see America fail.

You scare me because you are a cheerleader for the 'blame America' crowd and deliver this message abroad.

You scare me because you want to change America to a European style country where the government sector dominates instead of the private sector.

You scare me because you want to replace our health care system with a government controlled one.

You scare me because you prefer 'wind mills' to responsibly capitalizing on our own vast oil, coal and shale reserves.

You scare me because you want to kill the American capitalist goose that lays the golden egg which provides the highest standard of living in the world.

You scare me because you have begun to use 'extortion' tactics against certain banks and corporations.

You scare me because your own political party shrinks from challenging you on your wild and irresponsible spending proposals.

You scare me because you will not openly listen to or even consider opposing points of view from intelligent people.

You scare me because you falsely believe that you are both omnipotent and omniscient.

You scare me because the media gives you a free pass on everything you do.

You scare me because you demonize and want to silence the Limbaughs, Hannitys, O'Relllys and Becks who offer opposing, conservative points of view.

You scare me because you prefer controlling over governing.

Finally, you scare me because if you serve a second term I will probably not feel safe in writing a similar letter in 8 years.

Lou Pritchett

Quoting from snopes.com:

"Mr. Pritchett confirmed to us that he was indeed the author of the much-circulated "open letter" quote above:

I did write the 'you scare me' letter. I sent it to the NY Times but they never acknowledged or published it.

Man in the green uniform

Today, I watched a family tearfully bidding farewell to a young man dressed in a green uniform (I am so very sorry that I cannot remember whether it was a USMC or US Army uniform!!). They were crying and they were taking pictures. I suspect that he was reporting to his unit for deployment.

After he had boarded his flight, I walked over and caught a member of his family. Tears were still streaming down her face. All I could do to show my appreciation of this family's sacrifice was to choke out words to the extent of "Millions of people in this country appreciate what he is doing and what your family is giving up." Her look of gratitude and soft "Thank you" almost opened my own floodgate of tears.

To that young man and all military personnel: Thank you for showing us what courage and honour is. Thank you for serving our country and fighting for freedom, regardless of whose it is. Thank you for giving up your time with your families and your lives here at home.

To the military families: Thank you for the sacrifices you have made by allowing your loved ones to serve our country.

I hope we show our appreciation of the troops and their families much more. They do not get enough credit or encouragement and support.

Clear as mud

Things are still difficult though I am not crying as much or hurting as badly as Monday night. That is not to say that I am not hurting -- it still hurts like heck. I had the opportunity to see a counsellor today. I was looking for some direction, some kind of road map, someone to tell me what to do. After talking with him, the road I must travel is still as clear as mud, but at least now I kind of have a direction to head towards.

I am one of those "Get it solved last week!" kind of person and I know this road will take time. There is some hope that it will not take as long as I originally anticipated, but it will still take longer than my current pain would care for.

I keep looking for God's light out of all the muck. It is difficult to see it, but I know it is there. I know His Goodness is at work, and that His purposes will be accomplished, whatever they are. Usually, I would be grateful that He would have even given me a part to play in accomplishing His Will. Regardless of my emotion, I know that God is working. I know that He is good, and that His plans are good. That is what sustains me.

Eloi Eloi

Tonight, I became overwhelmed with this sense of loss and deep grief. It hurt like I have never hurt before. I felt like I lost my best friend, no, my soul mate. I cried for over 4 hours, only stopping because I am exhausted. I never knew that you could cry so much that you don't just stuff up your nose and stop being able to breathe through it, you stuff yourself up so badly that even your Eustachian tubes get blocked and hurt.

I talked to two of my confidantes but am no more comforted than before (not that they did not try). All I can do is to cry out to my God. I know He sees what is going on. I know He feels my pain. I know He cares and I know that He is not abandoning me. I know that He will make everything right according to His will and purposes.

I know that my God is all I have, and so I cry out to Him.

Relationships ARE painful work

It seems that many of us are living in intense pain caused by relationship problems. I could just chalk it up to "it's part of living in a broken and fallen world". As true as that statement is, it offers no comfort or encouragement, at least not to me. I am aware of many people with serious problems in their marriages and families. I feel your pain even though it may not appear so. I just want you to know that you are not alone, and that there are others who can and want to help.

If you are like me -- I tend to withdraw from people to deal with my pain, then I offer some book recommendations (to start with) for trying to understand relationships and how to help them work or work better: Max Lucado's "Facing Your Giants", Billy Graham's "Hope For The Troubled Heart", Gary Chapman's "Hope For The Separated: Wounded Marriages Can Be Healed", Joyce Meyer's "Battlefield of the Mind", Gary Chapman's "Five Love Languages", Emerson Eggerichs' "Love and Respect".

I have to say though that the most important thing in any relationship is your relationship with God because by golly, you need a ton of God's grace and God's help to make it work. You can choose to focus on the problem(s), but better yet, focus on the God who can do anything -- nothing is impossible for Him. He can not only understand, but also heal.

Love and Easter

So far, the weekend has been about a bloody mess of a way to obtain forgiveness. The interesting thing is that the forgiveness was offered by, atoned for and given by one party -- God. Usually the offending party would have to do something to make up for their offense(s). Not in this case. God was the one offended yet He was the one who made up for it.

"Why would anyone do that?" The simple answer is because of love.

God loves us enough to give us the freedom to make our own choices. If we make good choices, we reap benefits. If we make bad choices, we reap the consequences. As with any loving parent, He tries to protect us with rules but He allows us to make our own judgment calls and decisions. Likewise in love, He sees our offenses but does something to not hold them against us so that we can be allowed in His presence. That is what Good Friday is about, but it is not the end of the story.

When Adam and Eve sinned (disobeyed and rebelled against God), death and sickness came into the world that you and I have come to know with all its weaknesses. Death seems so final that many people avoid talking about it or even thinking about it. We have all lost loved ones, whether by death or by geographical/emotional/relational separation, and the pain is often so intense. Since God loves us so much that He cannot leave us in our broken and fallen state, He offers the one atonement to free us, and then frees us from the power of death by the resurrection of Christ.

That is what we are celebrating today -- death is no longer the final ending. The all-powerful Almighty God, who raised Jesus Christ from the dead, is the only who can promise and assure us of our future, as long as we believe and trust in Him.

I love because He loved first. I forgive because He forgave. I worship because He is worthy. I have victory because He is Victory.

Forgiveness and Easter

It seems fitting that I broach the subject of Forgiveness on the night of Holy Saturday, leading to Easter Sunday. Let's revisit Good Friday first.

Good Friday -- the day Jesus Christ was brutally tortured, humiliated, scorned and jeered at and spat upon, and had spikes driven through his hands and feet. (And you think a paper cut is bad??) As if that wasn't bad enough, then the wood he was nailed to was raised, which led to his entire body weight being supported by his nailed feet. The usual natural cause of death in crucifixions was suffocation -- when the person could no longer push their body up enough to get a gasp of air to fill their lungs. For hours, Jesus endured this -- the physical pain, the emotional assaults, the spiritual abandonment. For what purpose was all this crazy suffering? What victory is there in dying?

Holy Saturday -- for most of the Jews, Passover was over. It was just another tradition, which I speculate many had chalked it up to "just another holiday". For the ones who believed the words of Jesus, they were likely still stunned by the last 48 hours. What a complete 180 degrees! What now?

What was all that about?

Would you believe all that was about forgiveness, about wiping the slate clean? The holy and perfect God, who could not spare the lives of any unclean (sinful) people or animals who came near Him, had told His people that blood must be shed in order for them to approach Him, and that from a distance. The people were sprinkled (more like splashed) with blood as a symbol of covering up their sins before the holy God, so that they could approach Him. So year after year, they kept having to offer these bloody sacrifices to make atonement for their imperfect, sinful nature... until Jesus Christ. The only perfect sacrifice, offered once for all on the bloodstained cross. God's provision for God's forgiveness of God's people. The blood of Christ -- the permanent atonement of the sinful nature of God's people, giving us access to Him now in a way that most of the ancient Jews never had.

The story continues, but that's tomorrow.

Tonight, I share that because God has forgiven me, I have a spiritual and moral obligation to forgive another. If God has accepted the blood of His own Son for the forgiveness of my sins, and the sins of all His children, how much more so should I forgive one who has wronged me, no matter how badly I have been hurt? I forgive because God has already forgiven.

Back from the wilderness

It was difficult and sad to leave my recuperative solitude, yet it was also time to come home. I did not want to leave, really. All too often, I forget how important it is for me to withdraw from the demands of daily life and just spend my waking hours contemplating and seeking God. There is a rejuvenation that I can receive no way other way, along with insights from and conversations with God on a level that I seem unable to have in the "regular" world. Yet, just like Moses, I could not stay on the mountaintop.

God continues to amaze me in the ways and things He chooses to reveal to me. For instance, having grown up in a city and living in populated areas, I would be lucky to catch a star here and there. In the dark sky unpolluted by lights, you do not just see the major constellations someone taught you (I remember only two, and I cannot even remember how to get to the North Star from one of them!). There are millions of lights in the dark sky, sometimes as if you could see galaxies surrounding some of the stars in the sky.

First of all, I am in awe that my God has the raw power to create this planet, the galaxy around Earth, and space as far as a person can comprehend and some. Every single star in that dark sky was placed there by God, in its position for a purpose. He has the power to place them there! I often forget that He possesses all power and that He is mighty, and I end up treating Him as if He were some genie or divine bellhop. Then the thought came to me,

The whole universe is not enough to contain You, O God, and yet You love me and You give me personal access to You! Who am I that You show such mercy and grace and favour to me?

Indeed. What have I done to deserve the God of the universe as my adopted Father? Nothing at all, except to acknowledge His Son as my Lord, my Saviour, and my best friend.