My friend is trying to turn me into a member of Geek Squad

I have been pretty quiet this week because my laptop was out of commission for a couple of days this week.  One of my virus scans detected a worm attached to a file in another one of my anti-virus softwares.  Of course, that led to panic when another tech person I consulted said it must be pretty bad considering where it is attached.  The advice given there was to go to a "professional", like commercial tech support.  And to think that I came across 8 different topics I wanted to blog about that day!  Hmph!

To make the long story short, I ended up begging/bribing/cajoling asking my friend Rob for help.  Rob is one of those amazingly talented "Mr. Fix-It"s.  There does not seem to anything that he cannot fix.  Really!  So Rob spent a lot of time scanning my hard drive and then refining my laptop's performance the very next day.  And what you know?  There is no virus (my virus scanner gave me a false positive) and the sluggishness of the last couple of weeks (or is it months?) is gone!  

And Rob's patience in trying to teach me about technology -- words cannot describe how painful it must be to teach a tech-phobe like myself.  Truly, I am very happy to just use the programmes.  I am perfectly happy not having to know anything more about electronics and technology (though electronic and techno are a separate matter...)  So what did I learn from the Learned One of Technology anyway?  Let's see what I remember...

• How to use my new softwares for anti-virus/-spyware, registry cleanups, repairs, etc.
• How to stop programmes from auto-running (and sucking up all my power!)
• A rather impressive browser called Opera (I might have to switch from Mozilla Firefox!)
• Something(s) about Linux
• Something about unlocking cell phones
• Something about video editing
• Something about converting analog to digital (video/cassette tapes to DVDs/CDs) but we want to record through analog to digital to warm up the sound
• Something about data backups, including hard drive images, and comparing backup tapes to other forms of backup
• Something about WordPress (Oh, can I mention that here??)
• Something about...

 So how did I repay my friend?  With food, of course!

Really, I cannot thank you enough Rob!!  You're awesome!!  Thanks!

What Is The Gospel?

Love how this video answers it.

Resplendent Jewels

"Extraordinary afflictions are not always the punishment of extraordinary sins, but sometimes the trial of extraordinary graces.  God hath many sharp-cutting instruments and rough files for the polishing of His jewels; and those He especially loves, and means to make the most resplendent, He hath oftenest His tools upon."

~Archbishop Leighton

As you might have read in the last couple of months, things have not been going well for me to say the least.  It has been one thing after another, most of which have not been mentioned here.  Every aspect of my professional and personal life has been hit... hard... and repeatedly...  Where does one go or hide when your life falls apart?

There is only one place and one person to turn -- God. 

I remember the first time I read Archbishop Leighton's quote -- I cried for an hour after reading it. It was most agonising to read those words while going through severe emotional pain. Even as I read it now, I have to confess that I am not jumping for joy. However, it does bring me comfort to know that I am so loved that He means not to leave me in my imperfection but to continue refining me.  (He must really love me this year! )

Seriously, nothing that happens is an accident.  God does not come up with contingent plans in case something detours His original plan.  I cannot say that I understand how He can see and know all things, how He has all power, yet how His divine purposes can be accomplished without contingency in spite of us throwing detours in.  I am not infinitely wise so of course I cannot understand that.  I just know that He can.

I know that God is faithful -- He will never be inconsistent or act inconsistent with Himself and His attributes.  He can never change and He is full perfection.  Knowing that gives me confidence in knowing that I can trust Him.

I know that one day I will be a resplendent jewel that He has fashioned Himself, and it will only be because of His extraordinary grace.

Economics 101: Minimum Wage Laws

Congratulations Chicago

As painful as it is to write this, congratulations to the Blackhawks for winning the Stanley Cup.

Hopefully we will not have to wait as long as you did.

Dark Night of the Soul 2010 – Round 2

“Though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him.”

~ Job 13:15

In the past couple of months, I have had every single aspect of my life attacked. I have no wish to relive my experiences by writing of them here, but just simply know that things that could go wrong have gone wrong, and the past week has been exceptionally bad. I have been battling a severe depression that I believe only a demon can bring on. I keep getting hit financially and things are so bad that all I am looking for is to survive and not even that is plausible at the moment. I have felt abandoned by both God and the one who matters most to me.

I know that I know that I know that the following are true:

• God knows all there is to know.
• He sees everything that happens.
• He cares for and loves me.
• He has all power.
• He has never abandoned me and He never will.

Yet I do feel like He has left me alone. His silence is deafening and devastating.  Knowing all that I know about Him and yet not sensing Him or hearing from Him hurts beyond what words can describe. I have been feeling such anguish over feeling like He has chosen to sit out on my suffering.

I keep going back to last Sunday’s sermon on tested faith, and I ask myself Todd’s questions: What is it in my life that I have to have to be happy? What is it apart from God that I have to have for life to possess meaning? What is it in my life that if God took it away would send me into total utter despair?

“…even the promises of God, the good things of God, can become idols to us if we end up treasuring those good promises even more than we treasure the One who gives them.”

~Todd Pruitt

Could that be my problem? Perhaps I have been treasuring His blessings more than I treasure Him?

“It’s not unlike God, that for reasons belonging only to Himself, to take something away from us that will cause us pain in this life.”

~Todd Pruitt

Whatever it is, I know this: I do not have to like what I am going through, but I can “count it all joy” because of the effect of tested faith – a pure refined faith more precious than gold. As much anguish as pain brings, and as unwelcome as testing can be, God has said that I can count it as joy.  As difficult as that is, and as unwanted an action as I wish to run from, I know that is what He wants -- for me to focus on the end-product of testing my faith.

“What we gain from the test is better than going through life without what we gain from the test.”

~Todd Pruitt

“Our job in life is not to be successful, but to be faithful.”

~Billy Graham in “Hope For The Troubled Heart”

Living A Life Of Purpose

"The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going. "

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"If you don't know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else."

~Lawrence J. Peter

"Sometimes the path you're on is not as important as the direction you're heading."

~Kevin Smith

"If you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time."

~Zig Ziglar

The four quotes above have one thing in common – knowing where you are headed. You cannot know what direction you ought to go without knowing your purpose.  I also believe that you cannot know your purpose without knowing this Absolute -- the one immutable all-powerful God of the universe.

There is a difference between goals and purpose. Goals are simply milestones in the journey, but Purpose is the direction in which you must go. You can hit all the goals you set, but if they are not in the direction you ought to be going, well… it does not do anyone much good, does it?

I have known since I was little that I was meant to change the world and make it a better place. I was meant to help people and make their lives better. That is my purpose. I aim to add value to people. It has taken me almost two decades but I am finally in pursuit of my purpose in life.  I had previously set goals in all sorts of different directions, resulting in no real impact anywhere.  I am finally getting somewhere now.

There are some rules for goal-setting.  Whatever your goals are, they must be:

• written
• personal
• specific
• achievable
• measurable
• time-sensitive

Believe you me, if those six things are not done, no amount of goal-setting or goals will see any results. 

ps.  This post was originally written a week ago.  Just delayed in posting...

Permission To Stop The Craziness

The last couple of days have been weird and somewhat difficult for me.  It is not often that a driven person like myself gets into the mood of not wanting to (go to) work.  It actually took a lot of energy to get out of the house.  While dealing with people drains much energy from me anyway, it took considerably much more effort in these past couple of days.  I do not know if it is the full moon or my unbalanced hormones, but things have really been out of  whack -- in both businesses, the people with whom I am dealing (or at least trying to), business meetings being cancelled without notifying me, business projects being put on hold, other business tie-ups, etc.

This morning was a real kicker for me, and even after a whole day, I am still feeling kind of weird.  I woke up and felt that I could not (or did not want to?) face the world today.  I just really wanted to crawl into a hole and wrap myself up into a tight cocoon.  I just felt so depressed today, and I have no idea why.  I literally curled myself into a ball as tight as possible and lay in bed crying.  I cried out to God.  I felt like I was doing everything He said to do the best that I could do so, and yet I was spinning my wheels in the air and not accomplishing anything.  I knew that I was facing some of Satan's finest and I really did not have the strength to fight them.  All I could do was to cry out to God for His protection and strength.

I did not actually get up until 1pm and only because I was hungry and thirsty.  I vegged out in front to the television (another less common thing with me) for hours and finally got ready for a business meeting this evening.  I drove out to the meeting and the person was not even there.  Then I drove home, listening to the Flyers game.  I watched the rest when I got home, and as good as a game it was, my boys lost and it has not helped me to feel any better than 12 hours ago.

On my way home, I stopped by a store to pick up some windshield wiper fluid and also a bag of chocolates.  I had three during the game and printed on one of the wrappers was, "It's OK to not do it all."

I guess I do need little reminders that I cannot and am not supposed to do it all... and it is alright.

I know that (thankfully) God is in control and that everything is according to His plan.  Nothing happens by my strength or planning.  I guess God is allowing Satan to sift my heart and spirit at the moment.  For what purpose?  I have not a clue.  And I do not like feeling the way I do.  I do not have energy or desire to do anything, not even to sit out on the deck in the sun today.  I just feel like crying, in a hole.

For children of the early 1980s and Atari lovers

This is great!  LOL!

Going Out On A Limb

"Playing it safe isn't really that safe...
If you do that, you miss out on a lot of the great things life has to offer."

~Matt Green

That quote is taken from an interesting article I read this afternoon about a man who has dared to get out of his comfort zone and pursue his dreams.  Too many people are held back by their fears, especially their fear of insecurity or (in)stability or worse, their (perceived) fear of other people.  

What have you missed out on because you were too afraid to go out on a limb?  What would your life look like now if you had pursued that "unsafe" path?  What if you took a chance on something that could lead to rejection or failure?  Do you realise that there can be no great success without many failures? 

"Success is the progressive realisation of worthwhile goals." -- That means that success is not the end product, it is the journey!

I have been told that "The enemy of Great is not Bad; the enemy of Great is Good."  And also, "Do not confuse the Good Life with the Great Life."  I intend to live the Great Life.  How about you?