Today i have an admission to make. I have failed to follow my own advice. Last year was a roller coaster year. It started on January 1st when I lost my Dad. We were not close that last few years but not because I didn't want to be. My dad was just a hard man to get to know and he lived in his own little world. He did not invite many people into that world.
After losing my Dad, I decided to make my life count. I started this blog and I began my journey to become a better me. Over the next few months, I lost 53 pounds by just controlling diet and exercising slightly more. During the first six months of the year, I lost more than weight. I lost my Dad, my boss, and a good friend all in the span of a few months. I was more determined than ever to keep up what I started.
In August, the next blow hit me. I was taken off of blood pressure medicine and the next week, my Dr. called me back in for blood work results: Diabetes. Blood sugar 425 and an A1C of 14! I was floored but I was determined not to let it be my downfall. The next visit was in November. WIth a small dose of insulin daily, I was able to reduce my sugar to normal levels and my A1C was at 7 in just three months. My doctor was happy but I wasn't. I had gained back 25 pounds and was now having more problems with my knee due to the excess weight. A month later I was sent to the Nephrologist to look at excess protein inmy urine. Now I have a definite damage to my kidneys.
The pain in the knee kept me from exercising as I used to and the insulin made me hungry all the time so it was difficult to lose the weight back off. For 6 months, I have exercised little and feel like crap. This week I went to the DR. and the Nephrologist. The doctor still won't take me off the insulin and the Nephrologist says I have Stage 2 Chronic Kidney Disease.
The good news? My A1C is now 6.4! I am on a reduced dose of insulin and with Blood pressure control and continued Sugar control, I should not have to worry about progression of the kidney damage. n Still there is the nagging problem of the weight. Reducing the weight will lower my sugar and my blood pressure and that is a good thing. The issue now is to exercise through the pain in the knee to lose the weight and to lower my BP and hopefully get off the insulin completely.
I will do this because I have no choice. Getting worse is not an option. I choose to get better and I choose to do it on MY terms. See, even the most optimistic persons sometimes lose sight of their goals. Now I am back on track and I will get back to where I was last year before the bad news hit. I am confessing this because I know if I do, I am asking you to place me under a microscope and hold my feet to the fire. Will you? TODAY I CHOOSE CONFESSION!
Friday, April 12, 2013
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
TODAY I CHOOSE TO BELIEVE IN MYSELF!
Do not ever believe it if someone tells you something you want to do can't be done. Well, if someone tells you that you cannot go back in time and change the destiny of your parents--believe that but elsewise don't believe them.
It is a proven fact that the people that are the quickest to tell you something can't be done are the very people that have not done anything themselves. These are usually the same people who will send you emails telling about kidney stealers, Butt Spiders, and needles in gas pumps and McDonalds playgrounds. However rational they think those things are, they find it irrational that you at age 40+ want to run a marathon, change professions, write a book, etc.
The truth is that it is the people who tell you that things are possible are the very ones who are most successful themselves. I want you to know that in the words of Zig Ziglar "Whether you think you can or think you can't...YOU ARE RIGHT." If you think you can climb Mt. Kilimanjaro nude in the winter, then you can. If you think you can become a singer, then try out for The Voice, American Idol, or America's Got Talent.
The only thing holding you back from achieving your personal goals are two things: 1. Having a Goal and 2. Believing you can attain that goal. Below is a symbol of my life over the last twenty-four years. If I had listened to the naysayers, I would have given up and never tried to reach my dreams. As it were, I have accomplished more in the last half of my life than in the first half. Much of it in the last seventeen years.
At age twenty-three I got married and had a minimum wage job, no college and worked as a manager in battery reconditioning retail store. At twenty-six I bought into a partnership in a ladies shoe store. At twenty-eight, my wife was pregnant and we lost our business and I took a job with my previous company and we had our first child while on Medicaid and I worked two jobs.
Six months later, we moved home and I got a job with a restaurant chain in their management program. A year later I was a GM with the company. Three months later, we were pregnant with our second child and I was demoted to Assistant Manager. When my son was six months old, we bought into a second partnership and moved to Missouri to run a Sonic Drive-In as managing partner. Nine months later, we had a parting of ways with our partners and we borrowed $500 from my mother and we moved back home and in with my mother for a few weeks while I waited for a job and a paycheck.
At 31 I joined my present company in the management program. I spent ten years with them as a DM before I got a promotion. I have been with them twenty-two years this year. In those twenty-two years:
At 38 I received a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do; at 39 I was divorced after 17 years of marriage and became a single dad; At 40 I became Director of Training; At 41 I lost my sister. At 43 I married my best friend; At 49 I became a granddad for the first time: At 50 I lost my Mother; At 52 I lost my Father and another sister, two of mentors (one my boss of 22 years), lost 53 pounds, developed diabetes, was promoted to Vice President and this year (still 52) I published my first novel. Never be afraid to take chances; it may be your Chance of a Lifetime.
It is a proven fact that the people that are the quickest to tell you something can't be done are the very people that have not done anything themselves. These are usually the same people who will send you emails telling about kidney stealers, Butt Spiders, and needles in gas pumps and McDonalds playgrounds. However rational they think those things are, they find it irrational that you at age 40+ want to run a marathon, change professions, write a book, etc.
The truth is that it is the people who tell you that things are possible are the very ones who are most successful themselves. I want you to know that in the words of Zig Ziglar "Whether you think you can or think you can't...YOU ARE RIGHT." If you think you can climb Mt. Kilimanjaro nude in the winter, then you can. If you think you can become a singer, then try out for The Voice, American Idol, or America's Got Talent.
The only thing holding you back from achieving your personal goals are two things: 1. Having a Goal and 2. Believing you can attain that goal. Below is a symbol of my life over the last twenty-four years. If I had listened to the naysayers, I would have given up and never tried to reach my dreams. As it were, I have accomplished more in the last half of my life than in the first half. Much of it in the last seventeen years.
At age twenty-three I got married and had a minimum wage job, no college and worked as a manager in battery reconditioning retail store. At twenty-six I bought into a partnership in a ladies shoe store. At twenty-eight, my wife was pregnant and we lost our business and I took a job with my previous company and we had our first child while on Medicaid and I worked two jobs.
Six months later, we moved home and I got a job with a restaurant chain in their management program. A year later I was a GM with the company. Three months later, we were pregnant with our second child and I was demoted to Assistant Manager. When my son was six months old, we bought into a second partnership and moved to Missouri to run a Sonic Drive-In as managing partner. Nine months later, we had a parting of ways with our partners and we borrowed $500 from my mother and we moved back home and in with my mother for a few weeks while I waited for a job and a paycheck.
At 31 I joined my present company in the management program. I spent ten years with them as a DM before I got a promotion. I have been with them twenty-two years this year. In those twenty-two years:
At 38 I received a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do; at 39 I was divorced after 17 years of marriage and became a single dad; At 40 I became Director of Training; At 41 I lost my sister. At 43 I married my best friend; At 49 I became a granddad for the first time: At 50 I lost my Mother; At 52 I lost my Father and another sister, two of mentors (one my boss of 22 years), lost 53 pounds, developed diabetes, was promoted to Vice President and this year (still 52) I published my first novel. Never be afraid to take chances; it may be your Chance of a Lifetime.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
TODAY I CHOOSE TO HEAR THE BELLS
I did not grow up Catholic, as a matter of fact I didn't grow up much of anything. What faith upbringing I received was the few years after my Mother moved us back to Etowah when I was five. My Granny, my Mother's Mother, took us small children to the local Church of Christ every Sunday morning and night and we attended Vacation Bible School too.
In my teens, I sought on my own to go to the local Baptist Church after my Mother contracted Cervical Cancer. I was looking for answers and found solace in God there on my knees. I stayed in that church until I graduated and moved away from home.
For several years I did not attend church at all as I didn't see the need. My life was good---or so I thought. Then at 21, I renewed my conversation with God and began searching again. During this time I felt the call to preach (I will say here that just because one feels the "call" does not mean that the call is genuine. Seek advice and pray) which later, mercifully for the people who heard me preach, I found to be a need for deeper relationship, not a call to preach.
When my wife was pregnant with our first child, I began to search for my roots. My father was Catholic and my mother had told me that if the Catholic Church had not been in another city, she would have continued going there when we were children. It is there that I began to search for what became my 15 year journey with the Catholic Church.
Over the next 15 years, I started as a novice and read everything I could about the Church, tradition and the Faith of the Church. Not everything I learned was what I believed and I knew that many things were just "tradition". I never changed my core faith I had learned as a child, however I did add to my love of the Church and God by using the traditions I learned.
The Mass is a solemn and wonderful experience. While some may call it repetitious and not meaningful, I would tend to disagree. There are moments of repetition but it is precisely those moments that keep in the forefront of my mind why I believe.
As a 'for instance', during the Mass, there is a moment called the Transubstantiation. It is the moment during the Mass where the Priest prays over the gifts of bread and wine, and they become through Transubstantiation, the actual Body and Blood of Christ. At that exact moment during the Mass, the bells are rung by the Altar Servers to Symbolize the Change. Do I believe that the bread and wine become the ACTUAL BODY and BLOOD? What I believe is that God can inhabit anyone or any thing and whether the actual Change takes place, it is the symbolism, the solemnity of the act that I remember.
There is something magical and spiritual about accepting that you just took Jesus' Body and Blood into your own. It demands reverence and respect, despite what one may personally believe. It is the same in my mind as someone "asking Jesus into your Heart". To the Non-Catholic, this is tantamount to partaking of the Eucharist. You are accepting the person of Jesus into your heart. In the non-Catholic, the act is taken as symbolic but never-the-less, it is believed that Jesus actually enters into your heart. So who is right to say that partaking of the Eucharist, which Jesus instituted at the Last Supper by saying "This is my Body" and "This is my Blood", is not just as real?
In a world where many of us who claim to be Christian, and who act polar opposite, I think sometimes that it is good to be a little repetitious and follow Tradition. It keeps in the forefront of our minds what we are supposed to be doing here on Earth. I honestly think I was much more mindful of others and more spiritual when I practiced the traditional Catholic rituals. It may have been borne of obligation but it became a genuine search for answers.
It is why to this day, even though I have been out of the Catholic Church almost as long as I was in it, that I still wear a Crucifix rather than the traditional Protestant cross. The Protestant belief is that Jesus was resurrected and is no longer on the Cross. I believe every time I place that Crucifix around my neck and see the Corpus Christi, I am reminded of why He had to go to the Cross and why He is no longer there.
It is why I miss the daily Eucharist and the weekly Mass. The church I go to now celebrates the "Lord's Supper" quarterly as the minister believes it becomes rote and meaningless if practiced too often. I will never agree with that. If the true searching of the heart and the contrition for our sins are followed, then how can remembering the final words Jesus Spoke before the Crucifixion, even if done Daily be repetitious and meaningless?
Still, when we do partake, I Choose to Hear the Bells. I choose to hear them as a reminder of what I really am partaking of. I am asking Jesus to forgive my sins and come back into my life where I have pushed Him aside. This Christmas, as I enter the Advent season, I pray that I hear the Bells daily.
In my teens, I sought on my own to go to the local Baptist Church after my Mother contracted Cervical Cancer. I was looking for answers and found solace in God there on my knees. I stayed in that church until I graduated and moved away from home.
For several years I did not attend church at all as I didn't see the need. My life was good---or so I thought. Then at 21, I renewed my conversation with God and began searching again. During this time I felt the call to preach (I will say here that just because one feels the "call" does not mean that the call is genuine. Seek advice and pray) which later, mercifully for the people who heard me preach, I found to be a need for deeper relationship, not a call to preach.
When my wife was pregnant with our first child, I began to search for my roots. My father was Catholic and my mother had told me that if the Catholic Church had not been in another city, she would have continued going there when we were children. It is there that I began to search for what became my 15 year journey with the Catholic Church.
Over the next 15 years, I started as a novice and read everything I could about the Church, tradition and the Faith of the Church. Not everything I learned was what I believed and I knew that many things were just "tradition". I never changed my core faith I had learned as a child, however I did add to my love of the Church and God by using the traditions I learned.
The Mass is a solemn and wonderful experience. While some may call it repetitious and not meaningful, I would tend to disagree. There are moments of repetition but it is precisely those moments that keep in the forefront of my mind why I believe.
As a 'for instance', during the Mass, there is a moment called the Transubstantiation. It is the moment during the Mass where the Priest prays over the gifts of bread and wine, and they become through Transubstantiation, the actual Body and Blood of Christ. At that exact moment during the Mass, the bells are rung by the Altar Servers to Symbolize the Change. Do I believe that the bread and wine become the ACTUAL BODY and BLOOD? What I believe is that God can inhabit anyone or any thing and whether the actual Change takes place, it is the symbolism, the solemnity of the act that I remember.
There is something magical and spiritual about accepting that you just took Jesus' Body and Blood into your own. It demands reverence and respect, despite what one may personally believe. It is the same in my mind as someone "asking Jesus into your Heart". To the Non-Catholic, this is tantamount to partaking of the Eucharist. You are accepting the person of Jesus into your heart. In the non-Catholic, the act is taken as symbolic but never-the-less, it is believed that Jesus actually enters into your heart. So who is right to say that partaking of the Eucharist, which Jesus instituted at the Last Supper by saying "This is my Body" and "This is my Blood", is not just as real?
In a world where many of us who claim to be Christian, and who act polar opposite, I think sometimes that it is good to be a little repetitious and follow Tradition. It keeps in the forefront of our minds what we are supposed to be doing here on Earth. I honestly think I was much more mindful of others and more spiritual when I practiced the traditional Catholic rituals. It may have been borne of obligation but it became a genuine search for answers.
It is why to this day, even though I have been out of the Catholic Church almost as long as I was in it, that I still wear a Crucifix rather than the traditional Protestant cross. The Protestant belief is that Jesus was resurrected and is no longer on the Cross. I believe every time I place that Crucifix around my neck and see the Corpus Christi, I am reminded of why He had to go to the Cross and why He is no longer there.
It is why I miss the daily Eucharist and the weekly Mass. The church I go to now celebrates the "Lord's Supper" quarterly as the minister believes it becomes rote and meaningless if practiced too often. I will never agree with that. If the true searching of the heart and the contrition for our sins are followed, then how can remembering the final words Jesus Spoke before the Crucifixion, even if done Daily be repetitious and meaningless?
Still, when we do partake, I Choose to Hear the Bells. I choose to hear them as a reminder of what I really am partaking of. I am asking Jesus to forgive my sins and come back into my life where I have pushed Him aside. This Christmas, as I enter the Advent season, I pray that I hear the Bells daily.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
TODAY I CHOOSE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!
This is an open letter to all Americans. It does not matter what your political party is, you need to hear me out. This is the future of America at stake!!!
Both parties will tell you that only they can win this election. It is this kind of mentality that makes a mockery of the political system. For over two centuries the two party system is the only thing we have known. Americans have been tricked into believing that they just vote either Democrat or Republican. This is not the case. Often, there are other candidates on the ballot; usually they are noton all 50 states ballots and as such, they are not viable candidates.
This year, Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate is already on 47 of the state ballots and the District of Columbia. Only three states are holdingout and they willsoon admit Johnson. For the first time in decades, there is a viable candidate in serious contention for a third party. I have heard many people on both sides of the two party fiasco there are a lotof people on BOTH sides of the debate that are fed up with their party candidate. Either they don't feel the candidate is right (as is my case for Mitt Romney) or they are dissolusioned about Preesident Obama. In the 1980 Elections, Ronald Reagan got a significant amount of what became known as "Reagan Democrats". These defectors of the party were fed up with the donothing policies of their own party and they decided tomake a change. They crossed party lines and did what they thought was best by voting for the man that they thought best suited their criteria for the ofice ofcommander in chief. Reagan won by a landslide forthe next two elections.
Now days, we are told that a vote for a third party candidate is a "spoiler" that will automatically give the election to the incumbant. This is not necessarily the truth. A serious look at the candidates will inform you that Gary Johnson is indeed a man of honor, integrity and experience. The first Governor in New Mexico to be elected to two consecutive terms, Johnson won by being fiscally conservative and by using his veto power to veto the most pork barrel spending of ANY governor in the country. He has vetoed more than all other governors combined during his two terms.
He is conservative enough to win over the people who think our government is headed to bankruptcy. He is also, being a Libertarian, liberal enough to win over the people who think that the government has its nose in everyones bedroom. I cannot agree with every position he has, but there is nothing he stands for that I cannot live with:
Johnson is for Fiscal convervatism--He wants to have a balanced budget.
He believes that the DOE and NATO have served their purpose and he wants them gone.
IRS? Get rid of it. Medicare? Fix it, before it is beyond repair.
Tax equity? He wants a expenditure tax. Abolish the income tax and cut out all the loopholes.
Parents should have a right to choose and school vouchers will allow parents to get their children into better schools.
The wars? Bring our people home from the countries that hate us anyway and secure our country. Stop involving our service men and women in wars that do not threaten the American way of life.
Johnson wants to stop sending money and weapons to our enemies....a wise choice in my opinion.
There are a few contentious issues that the Liberals will lioke but the conservatives won't:
He wants to legalize marijuana and tax it. This will stop the flow of illegal drugs and help stop illegal immigration.
Speaking of illegal immigration, he wants to provide a simple way for immigrants to obtain citizenship, where they are required to become taxpayers and be productive. He has a strong ONE STRIKE policy for immigrants who break our laws.
He believes in a woman's right to choose up to the viability of the fetus. WHILE I DON'T BELIEVE IN ABORTION, IT IS BETTER THAN WHAT THE FAR LEFT PROPOSE AND TOME, IT IS A START.
He believes in Gay Marriage. While I know the Bible speaks of homosexuality as a sin, there are many Americans who are not Religious and we who are Christians cannot expect them to abide by our beliefs. I believe sin is a personal matter between a person and God and that when the judgment day comes each man, woman and child will be accountable for their own personal sins---not those of others. I am most certain that there will be many "Christians" guilty of sins too. God never made a differentiation between sins. Growing up Catholic, I know the belief is that there are "mortal" or serious sins and "Venial" or not so serious sins. In truth, sin is sin and there will be a lot of people who were guilty of gossip just as guilty as the homosexual. I say let's follow Jesus' example and just love one another and allow Him to be the judge when that time comes. If we put as much energy into the real problems of this world (feeding the homeless, training people for new jobs, looking for ways to cure cancer and other dieases, stopping child and spousal abuse, etc) as we do in trying to "Save" the homosexual from the fires of Hell, what a wonderful place this world would be.
Back to my purpose for this message. There is no one candidate that will fit the bill for every American. What we have to do is find the one that will stop tearing this country apart. President Obama and Mitt Romney are the Status Quo--or as my mom used to say "Same old, Same Old".
While I believe President Obama really believes in what he is doing---I do NOT believe him to be a Muslim and I think he was born in the USA--He has done more to bring America to the brink of bankruptcy that even Jimmy Carter. Worse, he has done the exact opposite of his promise in 2008 to bring the country together. The atmosphere of division and the "us against them" caste system he has thrust the country into is the most reprehensible thing he could have done. Today, you are either FAR Left or FAR Right. You are Rich or Poor. THE 1% OR THE 99%. You are Racist or Inclusive. You are a "critical thinker" or an idiot. You are For or Against. There is no Middle or Common ground. I for one am sick of it.
NOW. THIS ELECTION. It is time for those of us who are in the middle to stand up and be counted!!! You do not have to choose between the lesser of two evils. I am not a racist just because I disagree with the president and his social re-distribution of wealth and government run everything and I resent being classified as such. I am not an idiot who cannot think for myself because I believe a man who has run his own business should be the man who runs our government.
A vote for either Obama or Romney is a vote for four more years of the same--division, division, division. If all the Ron Paul voters and all the Democrats and Republicans who are tired of the CRAP we have dealt with over the last three decades will stand up and vote for Gary Johnson, then Johnson would indeed become a "Spoiler" in the truest sense of the word. We would have a President that truly is for the people, by the people and of the people. Gary Johnson is not allowed in the debates because the MEDIA do not consider him a contender because he is not on the ballot in all 50 states--yet. This is exactly why he needs to be in the debates. The MEDIA decides who the president is going to be. They are afraid that if Johnson were allowed to debate, he would show up both candidates and their candidate of choice (Obama) would not win. True critical thinkers can make up their own mind by going to http://www.garyjohnson2012.com and read his platform and make up your own mind. It is time to tell Washington that we have had enough and to let Johnson in the debates so America can decide. Please feel free to post this blog on your Facebook, Twitter, Google +)
TODAY I CHOOSE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!!
Both parties will tell you that only they can win this election. It is this kind of mentality that makes a mockery of the political system. For over two centuries the two party system is the only thing we have known. Americans have been tricked into believing that they just vote either Democrat or Republican. This is not the case. Often, there are other candidates on the ballot; usually they are noton all 50 states ballots and as such, they are not viable candidates.
This year, Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate is already on 47 of the state ballots and the District of Columbia. Only three states are holdingout and they willsoon admit Johnson. For the first time in decades, there is a viable candidate in serious contention for a third party. I have heard many people on both sides of the two party fiasco there are a lotof people on BOTH sides of the debate that are fed up with their party candidate. Either they don't feel the candidate is right (as is my case for Mitt Romney) or they are dissolusioned about Preesident Obama. In the 1980 Elections, Ronald Reagan got a significant amount of what became known as "Reagan Democrats". These defectors of the party were fed up with the donothing policies of their own party and they decided tomake a change. They crossed party lines and did what they thought was best by voting for the man that they thought best suited their criteria for the ofice ofcommander in chief. Reagan won by a landslide forthe next two elections.
Now days, we are told that a vote for a third party candidate is a "spoiler" that will automatically give the election to the incumbant. This is not necessarily the truth. A serious look at the candidates will inform you that Gary Johnson is indeed a man of honor, integrity and experience. The first Governor in New Mexico to be elected to two consecutive terms, Johnson won by being fiscally conservative and by using his veto power to veto the most pork barrel spending of ANY governor in the country. He has vetoed more than all other governors combined during his two terms.
He is conservative enough to win over the people who think our government is headed to bankruptcy. He is also, being a Libertarian, liberal enough to win over the people who think that the government has its nose in everyones bedroom. I cannot agree with every position he has, but there is nothing he stands for that I cannot live with:
Johnson is for Fiscal convervatism--He wants to have a balanced budget.
He believes that the DOE and NATO have served their purpose and he wants them gone.
IRS? Get rid of it. Medicare? Fix it, before it is beyond repair.
Tax equity? He wants a expenditure tax. Abolish the income tax and cut out all the loopholes.
Parents should have a right to choose and school vouchers will allow parents to get their children into better schools.
The wars? Bring our people home from the countries that hate us anyway and secure our country. Stop involving our service men and women in wars that do not threaten the American way of life.
Johnson wants to stop sending money and weapons to our enemies....a wise choice in my opinion.
There are a few contentious issues that the Liberals will lioke but the conservatives won't:
He wants to legalize marijuana and tax it. This will stop the flow of illegal drugs and help stop illegal immigration.
Speaking of illegal immigration, he wants to provide a simple way for immigrants to obtain citizenship, where they are required to become taxpayers and be productive. He has a strong ONE STRIKE policy for immigrants who break our laws.
He believes in a woman's right to choose up to the viability of the fetus. WHILE I DON'T BELIEVE IN ABORTION, IT IS BETTER THAN WHAT THE FAR LEFT PROPOSE AND TOME, IT IS A START.
He believes in Gay Marriage. While I know the Bible speaks of homosexuality as a sin, there are many Americans who are not Religious and we who are Christians cannot expect them to abide by our beliefs. I believe sin is a personal matter between a person and God and that when the judgment day comes each man, woman and child will be accountable for their own personal sins---not those of others. I am most certain that there will be many "Christians" guilty of sins too. God never made a differentiation between sins. Growing up Catholic, I know the belief is that there are "mortal" or serious sins and "Venial" or not so serious sins. In truth, sin is sin and there will be a lot of people who were guilty of gossip just as guilty as the homosexual. I say let's follow Jesus' example and just love one another and allow Him to be the judge when that time comes. If we put as much energy into the real problems of this world (feeding the homeless, training people for new jobs, looking for ways to cure cancer and other dieases, stopping child and spousal abuse, etc) as we do in trying to "Save" the homosexual from the fires of Hell, what a wonderful place this world would be.
Back to my purpose for this message. There is no one candidate that will fit the bill for every American. What we have to do is find the one that will stop tearing this country apart. President Obama and Mitt Romney are the Status Quo--or as my mom used to say "Same old, Same Old".
While I believe President Obama really believes in what he is doing---I do NOT believe him to be a Muslim and I think he was born in the USA--He has done more to bring America to the brink of bankruptcy that even Jimmy Carter. Worse, he has done the exact opposite of his promise in 2008 to bring the country together. The atmosphere of division and the "us against them" caste system he has thrust the country into is the most reprehensible thing he could have done. Today, you are either FAR Left or FAR Right. You are Rich or Poor. THE 1% OR THE 99%. You are Racist or Inclusive. You are a "critical thinker" or an idiot. You are For or Against. There is no Middle or Common ground. I for one am sick of it.
NOW. THIS ELECTION. It is time for those of us who are in the middle to stand up and be counted!!! You do not have to choose between the lesser of two evils. I am not a racist just because I disagree with the president and his social re-distribution of wealth and government run everything and I resent being classified as such. I am not an idiot who cannot think for myself because I believe a man who has run his own business should be the man who runs our government.
A vote for either Obama or Romney is a vote for four more years of the same--division, division, division. If all the Ron Paul voters and all the Democrats and Republicans who are tired of the CRAP we have dealt with over the last three decades will stand up and vote for Gary Johnson, then Johnson would indeed become a "Spoiler" in the truest sense of the word. We would have a President that truly is for the people, by the people and of the people. Gary Johnson is not allowed in the debates because the MEDIA do not consider him a contender because he is not on the ballot in all 50 states--yet. This is exactly why he needs to be in the debates. The MEDIA decides who the president is going to be. They are afraid that if Johnson were allowed to debate, he would show up both candidates and their candidate of choice (Obama) would not win. True critical thinkers can make up their own mind by going to http://www.garyjohnson2012.com and read his platform and make up your own mind. It is time to tell Washington that we have had enough and to let Johnson in the debates so America can decide. Please feel free to post this blog on your Facebook, Twitter, Google +)
TODAY I CHOOSE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!!
Sunday, August 19, 2012
TODAY I CHOOSE TO RISE ABOVE!
Another Election year is upon us and like the last one, it is the worst I have ever seen in my lifetime. Our President in my opinion, is a man who sincerely believes what he is doing is right. His policies are Socialist and he firmly believes that government running things and having the populace dependent on government for everything is what is best to bring economic equality to the United States.
I happen to disagree. First, there will never be economic equality in society. There are those who have a desire to succeed and those that are happy to work for others and that is alright. There is a new class in America today brought on by the entitlement mentality our government has force fed us.
The Constitution says "all men are created equal". What exactly does that mean? I can tell you what it does NOT mean. It does not mean that all men are to make the same pay and the government will take from those who have to give to those who have not. It means that ALL MEN (and WOMEN)have the equal opportunity to make what they will of themselves. If I choose to go into business for myself, then I can. If I make it then I can reap the benefits of my efforts. If I fail, then I will suffer the loss and that is alright too.
Somewhere along the way, perhaps due to our sordid history as a nation when slavery was indeed legal and profitable; we have decided that anyone who ever had a reason to be claim they had no advantages to get ahead is OWED something. The problem with that is that firstly, no one is OWED anything.
Slavery was wrong and it was a horrific practice. However, over 160 years have passed since the practice was abolished and the Emancipation Proclaimation was signed. Affirmative action was established and there are laws in place to prevent discrimination. In fact, laws have been created so that now the classes that were once maligned are now given an unfair advantage over all other classes. Discrimination is and should be a crime. However, it should also be a crime to say that 160 years after the fact that the class who held the slaves should still be at a disadvantage because of something that happened nearly three generations ago.
It is absurd in this day and age to say that anyone is OWED anything other than the opportunity to succeed or fail on our own merits. I have heard the argument that those living in the inner cities, on government subsidies, have no hope of succeeding without government handouts. To say that those successful people who are wealthy, whether by inheritance or their own hard work, owe the poor a portion of their wealth or that because of their wealth, they continue to keep the poor, poor is a fallacy.
Microsoft was started in a recession. Bill Gates is now one of the wealthiest men in America and he GIVES away his fortune. No one has to force it from him, he gave and continues giving because it is human nature to help the less fortunate. On the other hand, it is human nature to hoard what you have when someone tries to take it against your will.
To say that the poor have no way of getting out of their circumstances is ridiculous as well. Some of the poorest people have become the wealthiest in America. Take Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart and Sam's Clubs. He was a poor Arkansan who worked hard and built an empire that is a global monolith. Sam Walton had no advantages over anyone else. If anything, he could have claimed that being from the poor south he had a disadvantage. Yet, this man of no means became the richest man in America before he died. He chose to rise above his means and he succeeded beyond his wildest dreams.
I was born to a poor family and was raised by a single mother who worked in a sewing mill to put food on the table. This was before food stamps, WIC, Medicaid, and other government subsidies (now called "Entitlements") and even if they had been available, my mother would never have taken them.
If it had not been for the thriftiness of my mother and the help of her FAMILY, then we would have been doomed to poverty for life--according to todays mentality. My mother raised 4 children on what she made in the sewing factory with no support from my father. Her mother and sister gave us refuge when she first left my dad for a few months. Then for years we lived in what we called "the projects"--government subsidized housing. It was not until I was 14 that my mother and my step-dad bought the first house we ever owned.
My mother could have claimed poverty, and lived on what she earned, the family gave us and in the housing subsidized by the government. However, she decided that she could rise above her means. She worked hard at her job, was promoted to supervisor and eventually went back to school getting her GED and graduating the same year as my older sister. She then went to beauty school. Later in life she became a retail manager and spent the last 20 working years doing that. My point is that she could have just accepted her lot in life and continued to wallow in poverty but she chose to do something in life and get off her tail and not feel sorry for herself. She was never rich, but she overcame her poverty and ended up as a middle class citizen. My mother, a staunch Democrat, never once felt like anyone OWED her anything but a chance.
I had two brothers and a sister growing up. Only my sister went to college and graduated--and that after she was married and had children of her own. I, who from the projects,rose above my means and became a successful businessman. I have owned partnerships in two businesses at an early age and now, after 22 years with my company, I have risen to the top position available to me. As V.P. of Operations, I answer to the President of the company.
I could easily said that since my parents couldn't afford college, I was doomed to be poor. Even though there were more government programs available to me than to my mother, I chose to work hard and I believed that my hard work would pay off. Sometimes it did and at other times, I felt I was taken advantage of. When I felt that way, rather than complain how unfair my bosses were, I chose another place of work where I felt I had a better chance to succeed.
The unemployment rate in the US is about 8% now and as a businessman, I can tell you that there are jobs out there. Granted, the jobs are not all high paying jobs but if someone truly wanted to work, they could. The problem today is that the government teat is too lucrative for people to work when they can easily sit at home and draw as much benefits as someone making $35,000 a year. As a matter of fact, they are penalized if they do work. A minimum wage job could cost them all of their food stamps or medical assistance. This is how the government keeps people dependant on itself. Instead of giving them the benefits IF they get a job, we take them away IF they work. This is WRONG!!!!
We as a society should assist those less fortunate and the government taxes we pay should go for part of that assistance but, as Former President Clinton said--Welfare should be a Hand UP, Not a HAND OUT. So long as we penalize people FOR working, then we will continue having the poor class and as long as the government and our President continue to blame the rich for keeping the poor that way, we will continue haveing a CLASS Warfare like Occupy Wall Street.
Bill Gates and Sam Walton did not make me poor, and they did not Keep me poor by making money for themselves. I was poor because of decisions my family made prior to my birth and I am no longer poor because I Chose to Rise Above my means and get off my rear end and WORK!
Our government, BOTH parties, have created an "Entitlement Mentality" in America and we no longer give people an incentive to get up and work themselves out of poverty. In fact, if we continue to TAX the Rich to the point of people giving up their citizenship to retain what they rightfully earned, then we as a society will crumble just as every great nation before us.
This November, we have a means to turn this country around and make it strong again. No matter your affiliation, vote for people that are for LESS Government and who will create Jobs and give incentives to the Job providers to stay here and grow. We need to weed out the officials who want to keep Class Warfare alive and who will give incentive to our citizens to take a chance. We can choose to accept the Status Quo and continue the Great Division our current President and Congress have begun, or we can choose to Rise above our means. TODAY I CHOOSE TO RISE ABOVE!
I happen to disagree. First, there will never be economic equality in society. There are those who have a desire to succeed and those that are happy to work for others and that is alright. There is a new class in America today brought on by the entitlement mentality our government has force fed us.
The Constitution says "all men are created equal". What exactly does that mean? I can tell you what it does NOT mean. It does not mean that all men are to make the same pay and the government will take from those who have to give to those who have not. It means that ALL MEN (and WOMEN)have the equal opportunity to make what they will of themselves. If I choose to go into business for myself, then I can. If I make it then I can reap the benefits of my efforts. If I fail, then I will suffer the loss and that is alright too.
Somewhere along the way, perhaps due to our sordid history as a nation when slavery was indeed legal and profitable; we have decided that anyone who ever had a reason to be claim they had no advantages to get ahead is OWED something. The problem with that is that firstly, no one is OWED anything.
Slavery was wrong and it was a horrific practice. However, over 160 years have passed since the practice was abolished and the Emancipation Proclaimation was signed. Affirmative action was established and there are laws in place to prevent discrimination. In fact, laws have been created so that now the classes that were once maligned are now given an unfair advantage over all other classes. Discrimination is and should be a crime. However, it should also be a crime to say that 160 years after the fact that the class who held the slaves should still be at a disadvantage because of something that happened nearly three generations ago.
It is absurd in this day and age to say that anyone is OWED anything other than the opportunity to succeed or fail on our own merits. I have heard the argument that those living in the inner cities, on government subsidies, have no hope of succeeding without government handouts. To say that those successful people who are wealthy, whether by inheritance or their own hard work, owe the poor a portion of their wealth or that because of their wealth, they continue to keep the poor, poor is a fallacy.
Microsoft was started in a recession. Bill Gates is now one of the wealthiest men in America and he GIVES away his fortune. No one has to force it from him, he gave and continues giving because it is human nature to help the less fortunate. On the other hand, it is human nature to hoard what you have when someone tries to take it against your will.
To say that the poor have no way of getting out of their circumstances is ridiculous as well. Some of the poorest people have become the wealthiest in America. Take Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart and Sam's Clubs. He was a poor Arkansan who worked hard and built an empire that is a global monolith. Sam Walton had no advantages over anyone else. If anything, he could have claimed that being from the poor south he had a disadvantage. Yet, this man of no means became the richest man in America before he died. He chose to rise above his means and he succeeded beyond his wildest dreams.
I was born to a poor family and was raised by a single mother who worked in a sewing mill to put food on the table. This was before food stamps, WIC, Medicaid, and other government subsidies (now called "Entitlements") and even if they had been available, my mother would never have taken them.
If it had not been for the thriftiness of my mother and the help of her FAMILY, then we would have been doomed to poverty for life--according to todays mentality. My mother raised 4 children on what she made in the sewing factory with no support from my father. Her mother and sister gave us refuge when she first left my dad for a few months. Then for years we lived in what we called "the projects"--government subsidized housing. It was not until I was 14 that my mother and my step-dad bought the first house we ever owned.
My mother could have claimed poverty, and lived on what she earned, the family gave us and in the housing subsidized by the government. However, she decided that she could rise above her means. She worked hard at her job, was promoted to supervisor and eventually went back to school getting her GED and graduating the same year as my older sister. She then went to beauty school. Later in life she became a retail manager and spent the last 20 working years doing that. My point is that she could have just accepted her lot in life and continued to wallow in poverty but she chose to do something in life and get off her tail and not feel sorry for herself. She was never rich, but she overcame her poverty and ended up as a middle class citizen. My mother, a staunch Democrat, never once felt like anyone OWED her anything but a chance.
I had two brothers and a sister growing up. Only my sister went to college and graduated--and that after she was married and had children of her own. I, who from the projects,rose above my means and became a successful businessman. I have owned partnerships in two businesses at an early age and now, after 22 years with my company, I have risen to the top position available to me. As V.P. of Operations, I answer to the President of the company.
I could easily said that since my parents couldn't afford college, I was doomed to be poor. Even though there were more government programs available to me than to my mother, I chose to work hard and I believed that my hard work would pay off. Sometimes it did and at other times, I felt I was taken advantage of. When I felt that way, rather than complain how unfair my bosses were, I chose another place of work where I felt I had a better chance to succeed.
The unemployment rate in the US is about 8% now and as a businessman, I can tell you that there are jobs out there. Granted, the jobs are not all high paying jobs but if someone truly wanted to work, they could. The problem today is that the government teat is too lucrative for people to work when they can easily sit at home and draw as much benefits as someone making $35,000 a year. As a matter of fact, they are penalized if they do work. A minimum wage job could cost them all of their food stamps or medical assistance. This is how the government keeps people dependant on itself. Instead of giving them the benefits IF they get a job, we take them away IF they work. This is WRONG!!!!
We as a society should assist those less fortunate and the government taxes we pay should go for part of that assistance but, as Former President Clinton said--Welfare should be a Hand UP, Not a HAND OUT. So long as we penalize people FOR working, then we will continue having the poor class and as long as the government and our President continue to blame the rich for keeping the poor that way, we will continue haveing a CLASS Warfare like Occupy Wall Street.
Bill Gates and Sam Walton did not make me poor, and they did not Keep me poor by making money for themselves. I was poor because of decisions my family made prior to my birth and I am no longer poor because I Chose to Rise Above my means and get off my rear end and WORK!
Our government, BOTH parties, have created an "Entitlement Mentality" in America and we no longer give people an incentive to get up and work themselves out of poverty. In fact, if we continue to TAX the Rich to the point of people giving up their citizenship to retain what they rightfully earned, then we as a society will crumble just as every great nation before us.
This November, we have a means to turn this country around and make it strong again. No matter your affiliation, vote for people that are for LESS Government and who will create Jobs and give incentives to the Job providers to stay here and grow. We need to weed out the officials who want to keep Class Warfare alive and who will give incentive to our citizens to take a chance. We can choose to accept the Status Quo and continue the Great Division our current President and Congress have begun, or we can choose to Rise above our means. TODAY I CHOOSE TO RISE ABOVE!
Thursday, June 7, 2012
TODAY I CHOOSE TO BELIEVE IN THE IMPOSSIBLE!
It has been a few months since my last post. I am sorry for the inconsistency but I have taken on many new responsibilities since my last post. In February, my company lost our long-term Vice President of Operations. It took us all by surprise because I think all of us thought he was going to outlive us all. God had other plans and took him home, leaving a great void in our company.
In April of this year I was asked to take on the position my boss's death created. I had long ago resigned myself that I was as far up the corporate ladder as I could get with this company. The only people above me were my boss and the owners. Since no one expected my boss to retire, I had sold myself a bill of goods where I could not go any higher.(In truth, had he not passed away, that probably would have been the case.)
God has a way of turning our thoughts into mush just when we get comfortable with them. I was happy to be where I was in life. I had a good job, a great family including a beautiful wife, two sons and two daughters and three granddaughters, and I was happy.
Sometimes when we get happy, we get complacent. I had begun to get comfortable in my job and life and the turmoil of February this year had a great effect on all of us. In my new job, I am responsible for the operations end of our 42 unit franchise. I have two Regional Directors and a Training director immediately reporting to me and four District Managers reporting to them. There is a saying that with great wealth comes great responsibility. The same is to be said for Position. With greater Position comes great responsibility. Responsibility that I embrace and take great pride in.
I, who has just a High School Diploma along with some scattered College credits, have the responsibility over the operations of my entire company. Growing up, I had no idea I could achieve this kind of position or responsibility. Conventional wisdom says I should not be where I am because I am not educated enough. History says I should not be where I am because business is just not done this way. I was chosen to do the job because I have believed in myself over the last 21 years and took on responsibilities that convention says I did not deserve and didn't have the education to obtain. Because I believed in myself, I have excelled in my previous positions within my company. Each successive promotion took me to new places I had never been until I arrived where I am now.
My point is this: While society and convention say I was never deserving or qualified to do the jobs I have had, facts and results say otherwise. Many people who have become successful entrepreneurs have had the tenacity to do what they were not qualified to do; to try what they had not been trained to do; to dare to believe that they deserved a chance despite all the naysayers told them. They never asked for approval to try, they just did it!
When I was growing up, I spent most of my youth in what we called "the projects". Yes, public housing for the underpriveleged. I lived a stigma that effected my self-esteem for many years. I got invited to spend the night with friends and then suddenly uninvited because of where I lived. In those days, poor people lived in the projects just as they do today. The difference is that many got out of the projects and went on to buy houses of their own, send their children to college, and become productive members of society.
Today, that is becoming harder to do because we have allowed Government to tell us we will never do any better because we had bad circumstances in our lives and we should just shut up and suck on the Government supplied teat and not try to succeed on our own because we will fail without Government help. This is the beginning of Socialism and we are conveniently becoming a Socialist country. When Government rewards the people for doing nothing by taking from those who have done something or; when Government takes away from those who try to better themselves, making it better to do nothing, we are conditioning them to depend on Government to get by. A government that can give you anything you need can also take away anything you have.
Government gave me nothing of what I have worked to achieve, and what I have achieved has been by the grace of God and the sweat of my brow. I came from the bottom of the economic scale and I have moved to the higher end of the Middle Class. Government and convention saying I do not deserve what I have earned and that people who suck on the Government teat should get a share of what I have earned because they can do no better.
This country was not founded on Government subsidies, rather we revolted from Big Government and chose to live our own way without Government interference. This is the country where Sam Walton came up from a poor man to be the richest man in America before he died. He created the icon that is Wal Mart. I came from being a poor boy in the projects to be the Vice President of Operations for my company--without a college education and without Government subsidy. Sam Walton was a Billionaire. I do not aspire to be but if I did, I know I could. We do not have a lot in common except that we both believed in the Impossible. We believed we could even when society said we couldn't. No one can take away our achievements because we worked hard to attain them. If you believe in your self, you can obtain that which we are told is impossible. TODAY I CHOOSE TO BELIEVE IN THE IMPOSSIBLE.
In April of this year I was asked to take on the position my boss's death created. I had long ago resigned myself that I was as far up the corporate ladder as I could get with this company. The only people above me were my boss and the owners. Since no one expected my boss to retire, I had sold myself a bill of goods where I could not go any higher.(In truth, had he not passed away, that probably would have been the case.)
God has a way of turning our thoughts into mush just when we get comfortable with them. I was happy to be where I was in life. I had a good job, a great family including a beautiful wife, two sons and two daughters and three granddaughters, and I was happy.
Sometimes when we get happy, we get complacent. I had begun to get comfortable in my job and life and the turmoil of February this year had a great effect on all of us. In my new job, I am responsible for the operations end of our 42 unit franchise. I have two Regional Directors and a Training director immediately reporting to me and four District Managers reporting to them. There is a saying that with great wealth comes great responsibility. The same is to be said for Position. With greater Position comes great responsibility. Responsibility that I embrace and take great pride in.
I, who has just a High School Diploma along with some scattered College credits, have the responsibility over the operations of my entire company. Growing up, I had no idea I could achieve this kind of position or responsibility. Conventional wisdom says I should not be where I am because I am not educated enough. History says I should not be where I am because business is just not done this way. I was chosen to do the job because I have believed in myself over the last 21 years and took on responsibilities that convention says I did not deserve and didn't have the education to obtain. Because I believed in myself, I have excelled in my previous positions within my company. Each successive promotion took me to new places I had never been until I arrived where I am now.
My point is this: While society and convention say I was never deserving or qualified to do the jobs I have had, facts and results say otherwise. Many people who have become successful entrepreneurs have had the tenacity to do what they were not qualified to do; to try what they had not been trained to do; to dare to believe that they deserved a chance despite all the naysayers told them. They never asked for approval to try, they just did it!
When I was growing up, I spent most of my youth in what we called "the projects". Yes, public housing for the underpriveleged. I lived a stigma that effected my self-esteem for many years. I got invited to spend the night with friends and then suddenly uninvited because of where I lived. In those days, poor people lived in the projects just as they do today. The difference is that many got out of the projects and went on to buy houses of their own, send their children to college, and become productive members of society.
Today, that is becoming harder to do because we have allowed Government to tell us we will never do any better because we had bad circumstances in our lives and we should just shut up and suck on the Government supplied teat and not try to succeed on our own because we will fail without Government help. This is the beginning of Socialism and we are conveniently becoming a Socialist country. When Government rewards the people for doing nothing by taking from those who have done something or; when Government takes away from those who try to better themselves, making it better to do nothing, we are conditioning them to depend on Government to get by. A government that can give you anything you need can also take away anything you have.
Government gave me nothing of what I have worked to achieve, and what I have achieved has been by the grace of God and the sweat of my brow. I came from the bottom of the economic scale and I have moved to the higher end of the Middle Class. Government and convention saying I do not deserve what I have earned and that people who suck on the Government teat should get a share of what I have earned because they can do no better.
This country was not founded on Government subsidies, rather we revolted from Big Government and chose to live our own way without Government interference. This is the country where Sam Walton came up from a poor man to be the richest man in America before he died. He created the icon that is Wal Mart. I came from being a poor boy in the projects to be the Vice President of Operations for my company--without a college education and without Government subsidy. Sam Walton was a Billionaire. I do not aspire to be but if I did, I know I could. We do not have a lot in common except that we both believed in the Impossible. We believed we could even when society said we couldn't. No one can take away our achievements because we worked hard to attain them. If you believe in your self, you can obtain that which we are told is impossible. TODAY I CHOOSE TO BELIEVE IN THE IMPOSSIBLE.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
TODAY I CHOOSE SET THE EXAMPLE
Today at the risk of alienating many people I respect, I feel like I must say something. Christians today have the most unique opportunity to share the love of Christ to an entire world. Over the centuries, there have been many who devoted their lives to just that cause. Many gave their lives in the effort.
We have computers, Internet, 24/7 news channels and a whole slew of other ways to communicate. In the beginning, there was only word of mouth and letters. We have come a long way.....or have we?
During this bitter election cycle there have been a lot of people pleading their case for their preferred candidate, myself included. The left has picked their GOP champion, the one they feel least likely to beat Mr. Obama. The right has chosen their candidate, the one that most represents their values. I have often joked that Liberals are the most tolerant people I know...so long as you agree with them. Sadly, I can now say the same for many of my Right leaning friends.
I agree with the Right that this current president has been a Great Divider rather than a healer of our Nation. We are now in the middle of a Class Warfare that has totally ripped this country to shreds. It is the Haves versus the Have-nots; the Left versus the Right; the Christians versus the world; you get the idea. Neither side is giving in and both are determined to win even at the cost of destroying this nation.
While I agree that President Obama has done much to divide this nation, I believe he is as sincere in his beliefs as the other side. The problem is that both have some good and many bad points, however like a couple of siblings fighting over a toy neither is willing to give in.
I personally voted for Newt Gingrich because I felt he had the best chance of bringing this nation back to center and healing the huge rift that has torn our country in two. Many on the Right refused to forgive that his past was not impeachable. On the Left, they called him a Crony, a career politician, and worse.
I would like to address a few things to both sides of the aisle.
Mr. Obama is the quintessential Crony politician. He has hired more of his buddies and donors than any president in recent history. He has rammed through the Congress, in the name of humanity, a massive insurance "reform" that mandates everyone must purchase insurance. There was no debate and the only way people could see what was in the bill was for them to pass it into law...curious as to why most items do not take effect until AFTER this election. He has made it clear that the views he takes are governed by the poll numbers. His positions change often.
Mr. Romney began the GOP debate cycle with the air of a right of assertion to the throne of the GOP and he has played every dirty card he could at every opportunity to sling mud at his opponents. In short, I call him Obama Lite. A friend posted on Facebook yesterday that every time he sees Mitt, he has the urge to buy a used car.
Mr. Paul has a few good views but his stance on homeland security is scary to me.
Mr. Santorum while a good man as far as I can tell, is too far right to ever win the office. He has the backing of the far right, which in my opinion would be like being endorsed by Rush Limbaugh at the moment.
Many of my friends have pushed for Santorum and are very vocal as to why. He is a "Godly" man who agrees with their values. There is a saying that the marriage of politics and religion make for an ugly baby. I don't know if the baby is ugly but the outcome of the marriage is a train wreck waiting to happen.
I do not mean to demean the "values" voters. We all vote our values to a certain extent. I for one, would not vote for anyone who espoused abortion as a means of contraceptive or choice because a life is involved. Those are my values. I personally do not like Capitol Punishment, but there is at least criminal activity involved in the taking of this life...still, if life unborn is to be valued, then all life is to be valued.
Voting your values is what opens up room for coming together. What divides us is when neither side is willing to budge on their values. I mentioned to someone yesterday that I could vote for a candidate who advocated gay marriage or civil unions so long as they could balance the budget. I was immediately hit with many replies that the reason America does not have a balanced budget is the "Godless" actions of this nation. Meaning abortion, an something called the "Homosexual Agenda". As if all the homosexuals in the world were plotting to overthrow the US Government and make us into another Sodom.
Many think that by my not calling out all gays as sinners, I am being untrue to my values. Nothing could be furthe from the truth. In fact, it strengthens my commitment to my values. When Jesus walked this Earth, he called out the Religious leaders more often than the sinners. I am beginning to see why my Savior hated Religion. Religion is the perversion of the faith. WHAT? Somewhere someone just said "Oh no, he didn't just say that!"
Let me explain. Religion is taking the faith and organizing it into a set of tenets that one chooses to follow. This is why there are so many different religions in the world. We all have different ideas of how our faith should be practiced. If not there would be one big religion and there would be no reason for Catholics, Baptists, Muslims, Mormans, Pentacostals, etc.
Just because a man or woman is a homosexual does not make them "Godless". Is homosexuality inborn or acquired? That is for the scientist and God to determine but I would lean to the thinking that we all have things which are born into us that we have no control over. The color of our skin, genetic diseases, mental illness, cholesterol and maybe even homosexual tendencies. None of those make a person Godless. Do I believe homosexuality is a choice? Yes. Everything about life is a choice. Even the things we have no control over directly, what we choose to do as a result of those things, is our choice. So I guess I am saying I can see both sides of the born this way or not argument.
Getting back to the Godless argument, the definition of Sin is the absence of God. (If you do not have faith in God, then you most likely will call sin by another name such as morals, conscience, etc.) in the eyes of God, all sin is equal and none is greater than the other. By this reasoning, if I call a homosexual Godless then I must also call a liar Godless. Likewise, a thief, an adulterer, a tax cheat, a murderer, a white collar criminal, ad infinitum. All of those people choose to commit their sin so by the above definition they would all be Godless. According to my detractors, homosexuals and abortion advocates are the Cheif of the Godless hordes. But in the strictest sense, even the liar makes this a Godless nation. Which in turn gets me back to the fact that Jesus despised religion. Religion allows us to pick and choose what we will follow and it also allows us the superiority to call anything we choose to dislike as sin.
It was good enough for the Catholic Church during the Crusades and the Inquisition. It was good enough for Adoplh Hitler and his followers, and it is good enough today to tear this country apart. it is good enough for a select group of radicals perverting Islam to justify killing the "Infidels". Religion or opposition to religion is tearing this country apart and if common sense does not prevail, then the world is doomed, and the United States specifically.
It is ok to have faith and beliefs. It is ok to not have faith and beliefs. I have faith and I believe God gives us all free will to choose how we live. I believe our lives are determined by our choices (hence the name of this blog) and our choices determine our outcome in life. Now that being said, I also believe others can and do make choices that directly or indirectly affect our lives. By this I mean a drunk could drive a car and maim me by his choice to drive drunk. I had no say in the matter and if I had the choice, I would not have chosen to be hit. But since I was hit, my reactions and choices determine whether I live a productive life or a poor pitiful me kind of life.
There are all kinds of people in this world. People of faith and not. We all must live together. Whether you believe in God or not, there is a basic moral principle that is taught in All major religions: treat others as you would like to be treated. Jesus said it; Mohammad said it; Buddah said it; and many Atheists or Agnostics said it too.
Why do we call out homosexuals as "Godless" yet we ignore the "Godlessness" of the person that cheated his employer at work today by surfing the internet at work? How about the man who has lunch with a woman not his wife, in a quiet restaurant? Or the woman who bought a dress at the mall today but hid the receipt from her husband? All are guilty of a sin, which makes them Godless.
There is also the fact that not everyone on this earth is a person of faith. It is okay to vote your values no matter which side of the fence you are on. We all have the right to believe as we do. What we do NOT have is the right to force our opinion onto others. We should agree to disagree on certain issues. Not everyone on this earth looks at Homosexuality as a sin, even some people of faith. And while it may be a sin in your eyes, it does not endanger a life. It is between those two people and their God. If you are a person of faith then believe they will answer for their sin to their God. If you are not a person of faith, then believe they will be happy together. A person of faith must remember, God did not appoint YOU the judge of the world. You can not judge a person by your standards because you are not their judge to begin with. You especially cannot hold a non Christian to Christian standards. You are not the police of the world.
To the non faithful person, by the same token you are NOT the conscience and INTELLIGENCE of the world either. Just because you do not look at abortion or contraception as wrong, does not mean you get to police the world and force them to do things against their beliefs.
The United States is made up of people of all possible mixture of faith or lack thereof. We must strive to work TOGETHER! Neither side has all the answers and neither side should be able to force their opinions onto the others. If homosexual marriage or civil unions are legal, then Christians can still be opposed, but that does not make this a Godless nation" destined to be the next Sodom. However, calling people names because they do not agree with you is wrong....no matter which side of the fence you are on.
As a Christian I have stated my view on homosexuality that the tendencies may be inborn but the choice is up to the individual, much the same as murder or theft. The Jesus I know ate with the sinners and called out the "holier than thou" religious. Granted, he did tell the sinners not to sin anymore but he still chose them because they recognized their own faults and the religious tended to call out the faults of others. He even quoted one in the bible who said "I am glad I am not like that other guy." (I am paraphrasing) in essence, when a Christian calls out someone who is different as a sinner or Godless, then they are essentially elevating themselves above the others and saying "Thank God I am not like them, I am without blemish."
America is NOT a Christian country. It is a country made up of all kinds of people and while a majority are Christian or other people of faith, that does not make us a Christian Nation. If we want to go back to the America that exhibits values identified as Christian but are really just Moral values, then it is time we began to follow the Teacher who told us to love one another and stop trying to be the conscience of the world. A true Christian will be known more by their actions than their hate filled words of love. If you want to win converts, stop trying to beat them to your way of thinking and give them an example worth wanting to know more about. Actions really do speak louder than words. TODAY I CHOOSE TO SET THE EXAMPLE!
We have computers, Internet, 24/7 news channels and a whole slew of other ways to communicate. In the beginning, there was only word of mouth and letters. We have come a long way.....or have we?
During this bitter election cycle there have been a lot of people pleading their case for their preferred candidate, myself included. The left has picked their GOP champion, the one they feel least likely to beat Mr. Obama. The right has chosen their candidate, the one that most represents their values. I have often joked that Liberals are the most tolerant people I know...so long as you agree with them. Sadly, I can now say the same for many of my Right leaning friends.
I agree with the Right that this current president has been a Great Divider rather than a healer of our Nation. We are now in the middle of a Class Warfare that has totally ripped this country to shreds. It is the Haves versus the Have-nots; the Left versus the Right; the Christians versus the world; you get the idea. Neither side is giving in and both are determined to win even at the cost of destroying this nation.
While I agree that President Obama has done much to divide this nation, I believe he is as sincere in his beliefs as the other side. The problem is that both have some good and many bad points, however like a couple of siblings fighting over a toy neither is willing to give in.
I personally voted for Newt Gingrich because I felt he had the best chance of bringing this nation back to center and healing the huge rift that has torn our country in two. Many on the Right refused to forgive that his past was not impeachable. On the Left, they called him a Crony, a career politician, and worse.
I would like to address a few things to both sides of the aisle.
Mr. Obama is the quintessential Crony politician. He has hired more of his buddies and donors than any president in recent history. He has rammed through the Congress, in the name of humanity, a massive insurance "reform" that mandates everyone must purchase insurance. There was no debate and the only way people could see what was in the bill was for them to pass it into law...curious as to why most items do not take effect until AFTER this election. He has made it clear that the views he takes are governed by the poll numbers. His positions change often.
Mr. Romney began the GOP debate cycle with the air of a right of assertion to the throne of the GOP and he has played every dirty card he could at every opportunity to sling mud at his opponents. In short, I call him Obama Lite. A friend posted on Facebook yesterday that every time he sees Mitt, he has the urge to buy a used car.
Mr. Paul has a few good views but his stance on homeland security is scary to me.
Mr. Santorum while a good man as far as I can tell, is too far right to ever win the office. He has the backing of the far right, which in my opinion would be like being endorsed by Rush Limbaugh at the moment.
Many of my friends have pushed for Santorum and are very vocal as to why. He is a "Godly" man who agrees with their values. There is a saying that the marriage of politics and religion make for an ugly baby. I don't know if the baby is ugly but the outcome of the marriage is a train wreck waiting to happen.
I do not mean to demean the "values" voters. We all vote our values to a certain extent. I for one, would not vote for anyone who espoused abortion as a means of contraceptive or choice because a life is involved. Those are my values. I personally do not like Capitol Punishment, but there is at least criminal activity involved in the taking of this life...still, if life unborn is to be valued, then all life is to be valued.
Voting your values is what opens up room for coming together. What divides us is when neither side is willing to budge on their values. I mentioned to someone yesterday that I could vote for a candidate who advocated gay marriage or civil unions so long as they could balance the budget. I was immediately hit with many replies that the reason America does not have a balanced budget is the "Godless" actions of this nation. Meaning abortion, an something called the "Homosexual Agenda". As if all the homosexuals in the world were plotting to overthrow the US Government and make us into another Sodom.
Many think that by my not calling out all gays as sinners, I am being untrue to my values. Nothing could be furthe from the truth. In fact, it strengthens my commitment to my values. When Jesus walked this Earth, he called out the Religious leaders more often than the sinners. I am beginning to see why my Savior hated Religion. Religion is the perversion of the faith. WHAT? Somewhere someone just said "Oh no, he didn't just say that!"
Let me explain. Religion is taking the faith and organizing it into a set of tenets that one chooses to follow. This is why there are so many different religions in the world. We all have different ideas of how our faith should be practiced. If not there would be one big religion and there would be no reason for Catholics, Baptists, Muslims, Mormans, Pentacostals, etc.
Just because a man or woman is a homosexual does not make them "Godless". Is homosexuality inborn or acquired? That is for the scientist and God to determine but I would lean to the thinking that we all have things which are born into us that we have no control over. The color of our skin, genetic diseases, mental illness, cholesterol and maybe even homosexual tendencies. None of those make a person Godless. Do I believe homosexuality is a choice? Yes. Everything about life is a choice. Even the things we have no control over directly, what we choose to do as a result of those things, is our choice. So I guess I am saying I can see both sides of the born this way or not argument.
Getting back to the Godless argument, the definition of Sin is the absence of God. (If you do not have faith in God, then you most likely will call sin by another name such as morals, conscience, etc.) in the eyes of God, all sin is equal and none is greater than the other. By this reasoning, if I call a homosexual Godless then I must also call a liar Godless. Likewise, a thief, an adulterer, a tax cheat, a murderer, a white collar criminal, ad infinitum. All of those people choose to commit their sin so by the above definition they would all be Godless. According to my detractors, homosexuals and abortion advocates are the Cheif of the Godless hordes. But in the strictest sense, even the liar makes this a Godless nation. Which in turn gets me back to the fact that Jesus despised religion. Religion allows us to pick and choose what we will follow and it also allows us the superiority to call anything we choose to dislike as sin.
It was good enough for the Catholic Church during the Crusades and the Inquisition. It was good enough for Adoplh Hitler and his followers, and it is good enough today to tear this country apart. it is good enough for a select group of radicals perverting Islam to justify killing the "Infidels". Religion or opposition to religion is tearing this country apart and if common sense does not prevail, then the world is doomed, and the United States specifically.
It is ok to have faith and beliefs. It is ok to not have faith and beliefs. I have faith and I believe God gives us all free will to choose how we live. I believe our lives are determined by our choices (hence the name of this blog) and our choices determine our outcome in life. Now that being said, I also believe others can and do make choices that directly or indirectly affect our lives. By this I mean a drunk could drive a car and maim me by his choice to drive drunk. I had no say in the matter and if I had the choice, I would not have chosen to be hit. But since I was hit, my reactions and choices determine whether I live a productive life or a poor pitiful me kind of life.
There are all kinds of people in this world. People of faith and not. We all must live together. Whether you believe in God or not, there is a basic moral principle that is taught in All major religions: treat others as you would like to be treated. Jesus said it; Mohammad said it; Buddah said it; and many Atheists or Agnostics said it too.
Why do we call out homosexuals as "Godless" yet we ignore the "Godlessness" of the person that cheated his employer at work today by surfing the internet at work? How about the man who has lunch with a woman not his wife, in a quiet restaurant? Or the woman who bought a dress at the mall today but hid the receipt from her husband? All are guilty of a sin, which makes them Godless.
There is also the fact that not everyone on this earth is a person of faith. It is okay to vote your values no matter which side of the fence you are on. We all have the right to believe as we do. What we do NOT have is the right to force our opinion onto others. We should agree to disagree on certain issues. Not everyone on this earth looks at Homosexuality as a sin, even some people of faith. And while it may be a sin in your eyes, it does not endanger a life. It is between those two people and their God. If you are a person of faith then believe they will answer for their sin to their God. If you are not a person of faith, then believe they will be happy together. A person of faith must remember, God did not appoint YOU the judge of the world. You can not judge a person by your standards because you are not their judge to begin with. You especially cannot hold a non Christian to Christian standards. You are not the police of the world.
To the non faithful person, by the same token you are NOT the conscience and INTELLIGENCE of the world either. Just because you do not look at abortion or contraception as wrong, does not mean you get to police the world and force them to do things against their beliefs.
The United States is made up of people of all possible mixture of faith or lack thereof. We must strive to work TOGETHER! Neither side has all the answers and neither side should be able to force their opinions onto the others. If homosexual marriage or civil unions are legal, then Christians can still be opposed, but that does not make this a Godless nation" destined to be the next Sodom. However, calling people names because they do not agree with you is wrong....no matter which side of the fence you are on.
As a Christian I have stated my view on homosexuality that the tendencies may be inborn but the choice is up to the individual, much the same as murder or theft. The Jesus I know ate with the sinners and called out the "holier than thou" religious. Granted, he did tell the sinners not to sin anymore but he still chose them because they recognized their own faults and the religious tended to call out the faults of others. He even quoted one in the bible who said "I am glad I am not like that other guy." (I am paraphrasing) in essence, when a Christian calls out someone who is different as a sinner or Godless, then they are essentially elevating themselves above the others and saying "Thank God I am not like them, I am without blemish."
America is NOT a Christian country. It is a country made up of all kinds of people and while a majority are Christian or other people of faith, that does not make us a Christian Nation. If we want to go back to the America that exhibits values identified as Christian but are really just Moral values, then it is time we began to follow the Teacher who told us to love one another and stop trying to be the conscience of the world. A true Christian will be known more by their actions than their hate filled words of love. If you want to win converts, stop trying to beat them to your way of thinking and give them an example worth wanting to know more about. Actions really do speak louder than words. TODAY I CHOOSE TO SET THE EXAMPLE!
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