Thought Control

2:15 AM

Somewhere

Someone's mind (maybe yours)

"What am I going to do? What if that job doesn't come through? How am I going to pay the rent? I should have not quit that other job. That was stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. No wonder I am alone. Who would want to be around me? What am I going to do about my weight? My clothes don't fit. I am so weak. Weak and stupid! Now that is a combination..Geez, it is after 2 AM and I am still awake. I bet I oversleep in the morning. What if I miss that interview?....."

Does this happen to you or anyone else you know? This example is Stinking Thinking on Steroids. In the "biz", we call this rumination. I explain it as how a cow chews a cud. Mentally, we chew and chew only to yak it up and chew it all over again. Sure, I have talked about worry on other posts but today, I am searching for empowerment and control.

Thoughts like I described in the beginning of this blog possess power. There is no denying that thoughts like that control a person. The thoughts control a person's rest pattern (up at 2:15 AM), control one's emotions, and eventually will control one's actions and effort. Thoughts can leave a person exhausted, bewildered, frustrated and defeated. All of this arises from thoughts conceived in your own mind. These thoughts are YOUR WORK. And some of you do not think your thoughts count or have power. Humpf, your thoughts can make or break you. Remember that.

Think of it this way: In the example above, the thoughts are holding the person hostage. In other words, those nasty, hateful thoughts are calling the shots in regards to sleep and esteem. As sleep dwindles, so does solid decision making and as decision making falls apart, so does self esteem. Then a poor self esteem builds more worries and soon you are hold on to the horse on the "merry go 'round" of worry and rumination...step right up for another free ride!!!

ENOUGH! This blog has never, and will never, apologize for its Christian base. I do not care if I ever gain more than 12 followers. (I do appreciate you guys that do read me though). Last night, at a local service, a testimony talked about taking thoughts captive. Here are 2 versions of that verse (2 Corinthians 10:5)

2 Corinthians 10:5

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

⁵ and every bit of pride that keeps anyone from knowing God. We capture people’s thoughts and make them obey Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:5

New International Version (NIV)

⁵ We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Wow, instead of our thoughts holding us hostage, we are instructed here to take the thoughts captive and make THEM obedient to Christ. I think it was bold of Paul to put it this way. Remember, in his day, every time a nation was overtaken, the survivors became captive slaves. I would think that being held captive was a particularly frightening reality. By informing us that we had the right and obligation to take those nasty thought and put them away, Paul educates Christians then and now not to tolerate crappy thoughts any longer.

What thoughts can we hold captive? Of course we can hold those sinful thoughts captive and get them out of our thinking pattern. You know the ones I am talking about-the ones that you feel ashamed that you have but they keep coming back anyways. Paul also means any thought provided by the enemy that makes a person feel less than how God intended you to be. I have heard it said, "God does not make junk".

Earlier I told you to remember that your thoughts can make or break you. I am sure you all acknowledged times in your life where your thoughts broke you down and defeated you. But, if you agree that thoughts can BREAK you, then you must accept that thoughts can MAKE YOU. THOUGHTS CAN MAKE YOU. It is as simple as ABC--To achieive, you must believe what you conceive.

I am begging to be a big believer in affirmations. You must believe that you are unique and special. Those of you that really know me understand if I was there with you, I would reaffirm that you are special and have wonderful, God given and blessed traits. I still fall prey to the thinking at the beginning of the blog. I talk to myself in these blogs as much as I do to anyone else. So, take those nasty thoughts, lock them up and beat them down if the resist.

Diggin up Bones

You ever known a kid who absolutely struggles with school? This kid aces the academics but cannot handle the social aspects. It is a guy who is so painfully shy that it becomes obvious as nervousness overcomes him. He gets tongue tied, he gets sweaty and anxious, and physically he becomes a wreck. His reaction to stress, which may be as minor as talking to a girl, causes others to take notice and laugh or poke fun at him. As a result, the boy stays far away from all dances and bonfires. He defines "socially awkward".

I was that guy. I can still remember girls laughing and poking fun at me just to see me blush or sweat. And, believe me, I can name names if I need to as I certainly have not forgotten the pain. When the rest of my friends were dating, I shot free throws in my driveway. As a result, after a period of warm up, I can still ht between 5-8 BACKWARD free throws. This is a skill without a lot of applicability in life, however.

I finally and slowly overcame shyness. I have devoted a lifetime and a career helping people to the best of my ability. I have spent a lifetime helping people seek out their inner beauty when they do not see it through the veil of life's pain. Most days, I do not even think about the painful past, but I have to admit I really have no desire to do anything associated with former high school "buddies".

Last night, out of the blue, I was insulted on a social media site. Someone from "those days" inferred that I was never and would never be attractive. OK, I can see that evidence in the mirror, but this person has no idea what my inner attractiveness may be. You see, they did not speak to me back then to assess the "real" me and they have no idea what makes me tick today. I guess I did not let this water run off my back like I normally do. In some of the settings in which I have worked (prison, state hospitals) I have been called some pretty inventive names. But, last night some bones were dug up close to Halloween.

How do we deal with stuff like that when it arises?

1. Avoid the primal response. As I re-read the comment made the second time (the first time I was shocked and did not absorb it all), my mind conjured up some not so nice quick responses that most would admit they would entertain. What good would that response do? None. Instead, I simply mentioned that I did not appreciate an insult that apparently aged like cheese for 30 years.

2. Understand that people will always be critical. It does not matter how much I feel I have helped people and how I think my life's work matters to mankind, man (or woman) possess individual agendas and motives that are in no way connected to me. Expressing them, I suppose, is cheaper than the therapy they may need.

3. "To thine own self, be true". My life continues despite someone's opinion. Yes, I look back at the experiences from middle and high school with great disdain. To me, it is like thinking about last year's stomach flu. I am glad its over and never want to experience it again.

I would be a liar if I said the comment did not bother me. It did cost me a few minutes of sleep.This morning, it motivates me to look deeper inside myself and really see what I am. Things, big or small, helpful or hurtful, happen for a reason.

I want to wrestle Shute

You hard core movie buffs from the 1980s may recognize the quote from Vision Quest. I can relate to Louden Swain. Well, except for the obvious differences: he was young, lean and, as the movie plot summary says, Louden "comes of age" in the film. I have certainly already come of age and I am a long way from lean.  In the opening scene, Louden is jumping rope and his hair bounces with each jump. When I recreate the scene, everything but my hair(s) bounces with each jump.

Louden wanted to make a dramatic impact and ended up facing Shute in an epic wrestling match. Shute represented a challenge that would take a superhuman effort to overcome. Hollywood assured that Louden defeated Shute.

In life, I am ready to do something worthy of a real legacy. It is time to face the Shute. I can relate the nuts and bolts of this blog to making a template to beat the Shute.

If you have seen the movie, everyone thought that Louden was nuts. If a person embarks on a life changing adventure, their sanity should be questioned. Chris Columbus--remember he was nuts to sail off into the sunset. Charles Lindbergh was crazy too. Throw Henry Ford and Bill Gates into the deep end of the Looney Pool.

I am ready to take the body, soul, heart and mind mantra to a new level of crazy. And, I since I have little sense, I am going to chronicle the whole journey. It will apply to everything--job, exercise, diet, family...every thing that gets in the way of my maximal experience with my family, my God, my job and my life will be viewed as Shute.

And, if you have never seen the movie, the full version can be found on YouTube. If you have seen the movie, do you remember Louden's best friend's name? And you get bonus points for knowing Shute's first name.

Old School Success

I am constantly looking to do something that improves either my life or the lives of those around me. I am an avid reader and I also find my way on to YouTube at times because I can find inspirational stuff there, too. Recently, I have been fascinated by Jack LaLanne. Now, as a kid, my dad was a big fan of his but I could not get past the cheesy presentations and those freakish jumpsuits. Dad always said LaLanne was knowledgeable and deserved some of my attention. Dad knew I loved all that fitness stuff, but I just never got into him.

This is yet another time that Dad was right. Jack LaLanne knew his stuff and I feel he may be THE best fitness role model of all time. Read and watch some of the amazing things he did, like swimming MILES while shackled and towing boats.. Ironically, the only way I could “swim” miles would involve being towed by a boat. He performed an unheard of number of pushups on a television show. Jack was a stud!

Today, I am going to look at his 10 point plan for success and I am only making a little tweak. The narrative for each point is mine but the points themselves are 90% untouched and all the credit goes to Jack.

1.     Faith. This is the tweaked one so we will start with it. LaLanne says to “keep the faith” and he meant to keep the faith that positive things will happen. I see it differently. I say that we should have faith in God.  I get so sick of reading where “God has no place in _______ (fill in the blank). I hear God has no place in work, school, sports, politics, and everywhere else anyone else feels the need to expound. “God bashers” have an open platform and that gets so very old. I work in a prison and I have been told that God and Christianity have no place in what I do in the prison. The way I see it, the depths of Hell on earth mixed with hopelessness and despair is a PERFECT place to interject the message of Jesus Christ.

But I digress. In regards to a success plan, I feel that God and Faith need to be placed right in the center. This allows a person to keep things in perspective and it allows us to worship God the way we were designed. I feel if we center our life on Him (remember, body, soul, heart and mind), we stand a better chance of succeeding on the other 9 points. LaLanne said, “Exercise is king. Nutrition is queen. Put them together and you've got a kingdom.”. I feel that this is so true; I am just adding “Make the Lord sovereign over the kingdom.”

2.     Adequate exercise. I love the word “adequate” and that is one that hits a sore spot with me. It must be taken into context with NUTRITION but exercise by itself deserves discussion. I have often teased that I am the hardest exercising fat guy in the world. Sadly, the truth is that I am STILL fat despite running miles, lifting literally tons of weight in my lifetime and all the other stuff I have done. ADEQUATE exercise, to me, is like the Holy Grail. I hear it exists but I have not found it, and I am pretty sure Indiana Jones does not have it. My personal quest is to determine “adequate exercise” and teach all the people I can about what I learn.

3.     Healthy nutrition. If exercise is the Holy Grail, nutrition is Bigfoot. Everywhere a person looks they see a diet or a plan that claims to be better than all others. If you watch the old videos of LaLanne, he is dead on accurate about Americans and diet today. But remember, he wrote that stuff some 50-60 years ago. Goodness knows I have tried just about everything. Some things work for me because I am able to abide by the plan and some do not work for me. All I know is that healthy living free of disease depends greatly on diet and nutrition.

4.     Positive thinking. Again Ol’ jack was way ahead of his time. He pre-dates many of the books, seminars and programs that teach the importance of positive thinking and the law of attraction. Thinking is a process in which we have quite a bit of control. That being said, thinking requires effort or bad thinking will certainly take root. I completely understand that when you feel like crap and your butt is dragging, it proves challenging to be perky, chipper and optimistic. No matter how hard it is to feel positive, put forth the effort and try. If nothing else, your positive attitude may inspire or touch someone who feels worse than you do. You may help them in ways you could never imagine. Think of it this way: positive thinking leads more often than not to positive results. Attitude carries a lot of weight. It boils down to choice. Choose to be positive and better or negative and bitter.

5.     Cultivate good habits. This is one of the points I find easier to talk about what NOT to do. Seems like bad habits for me start with peanut butter. I admit I use it as a crutch. I eat peanut butter when I am mad. I eat peanut butter when I am sad. I could go on with the Dr Seuss lines but you get the idea. Habits can be good, however. Exercise is a habit that has always come naturally to me. Now, I am focusing on changing the habit of eating bad things when I am in the car. At least I no longer buy cakes from the gas station but I have been known to eat a peanut butter sandwich in the car. Today, it was an apple. Bananas make sense to me and I can create this habit by holding back some of my breakfast to eat on the drive.

6.      Groom yourself well. This topic of LaLanne’s program is one of those you just have to take. He was attempting to tell housewives (mostly) the importance of taking care of themselves. In today’s world, I feel it can apply to appearance. We must “dress” the part because all of us should be interested in developing a personal brand. Believe me, if you wear your shorts around your knees and show off your stylish boxers, you are branding yourself. Likewise, if you own a small business and you are out with your family, you should be aware that someone might have a first impression towards you. For this one, I want to add “handle yourself” to the grooming command. Grooming can mean more than your visual appearance. Grooming means your image and you must put forth an image of success.

7.     Smile. A smile means quite a bit. It shows that a person is happy, confident and approachable. The last time I checked, these were 3 qualities that would enhance an image or a business. A smile takes voluntary action. YOU can control it.

8.     Have an erect posture. Jack goes old school again and when I read this I imagine school aged kids walking around with erasers on their head. Oddly, the image is in black and white and sounds like one of those old school films. Jack was interested in promoting the visualization of fitness, health and vigor. It is true, good posture will play a role in maintaining cervical and lumbar spine health. It also will reduce fatigue, especially in trunk and core muscles.

9.     Help others. I love this one and I am going to expand this beyond the obvious. Yes, do something for someone everyday that has no possibility of repayment. Be kind, complimentary and supportive. Treat others how you wish people would treat you. Along with this basic concept, go one step farther and do something that takes you out of your comfort zone. For those starting a business or growing a business, we get set in our ways and we do not engage others like we should. You never know if you can help someone unless you simply ask. Strike up a conversation and build rapport with people you do not know. Maybe it is by using the phone or maybe you can market to people that you come into contact. LISTEN to them (which is helpful because people rarely listen anymore) and you will find ways you can help them and bless their lives. More often than not, your business exists to help others, and we will not know how we can help if we do not ask. Comfort zones stagnate growth. Sure, they are safe and keep you where you are. And, well, where you are might be a pretty good place but if you summons the courage to go outside of your comfort zone, then magical things will happen.

10.  Find time to relax. Wow, I am so guilty of ignoring this one. I hear LaLanne say once that Americans are so obese for 3 reasons: Poor food choices, lack of exercise and too much stress and aggravation. Stress and worry can affect sleep and then the whole system gets out of whack. Finding time to relax eludes me. It seems like every second of everyday is already taken and I struggle to find to me to devote to my start ups. Relaxation time, when it does happen, does in fact help keep things in perspective and keep me centered.

Now, these 10 steps are fundamental and straightforward. They make a solid foundation for one who is willing to step up to the challenge. If you look at this and then look at LaLanne’s sample menu and eating habits, this challenge could put you out of your comfort zone literally and figuratively..Success will only come to those who actively seek it..

Samson and Mathias

Parents have enough pressure when it comes to raising kids. In laws, friends and family all hold expectations on what our kids should be. If a parent is intelligent, then the child must be a great student. If a parent is athletic, then the child is raised with the expectations of being great athlete.

In the book of Judges, Israel has been floundering as a nation because of disobedience. They (like us) never seemed to learn from their mistakes.

Now enter a couple who had never had any children. One day, an angel of the Lord appeared and dropped a bombshell. Not only were they going to have a child, but he would be responsible for starting the process of setting Israel free.
  
JUDGES 13
Manoah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of Zorah. His wife was not able to have children, ^3-5 but one day an angel from the Lord appeared to her and said:

You have never been able to have any children, but very soon you will be pregnant and have a son. He will belong to God^[a] from the day he is born, so his hair must never be cut. And even before he is born, you must not drink any wine or beer or eat any food forbidden by God’s laws.
Your son will begin to set Israel free from the Philistines.

Wow, talk about parental pressure. Imagine the proud parents with little toddler Samson playing on the playground. They KNEW what was in store for their little boy. Manoah, I am sure, had some sleepless nights hoping he made the right choices.

Then the rest of the story of Samson in nutshell: He became the absolute baddest man on the planet, took his responsibility lightly, fell to temptation, suffered for his mistakes and then redeemed himself in one big grand finale. Seriously, read the story as my shortened version does not do it justice.

Samson had strength beyond comprehension and that came directly from God. God blessed this mighty man and he no doubt inspired so many around him. Samson gave his people hope.

The picture here is of my son Mathias. I took this on Sunday morning as he preferred to stay in the sanctuary instead of going to his class. He is standing in the aisle as he is too short to see the pastor from his seat. Yes, he stood for the whole sermon. An angel did not come to me to tell me that God had plans for Mathias. Mathias has Prader Willi Syndrome which is the polar opposite of Samson. Mathias has very poor muscle tone and very poor strength. But Mathias loves God like no one I have ever seen and I can not explain it. He plays church, he already understands and can explain salvation, he praises God and Jesus freely and often, and I have seen him witness to grown men in line at Taco Bell. 


I would like to sit and share a cup of coffee with Manoah. I would talk dad to dad and ask him one simple question: WHAT DO I DO WITH THIS KID?


God has entrusted this boy to ME. The kid looks up to ME. But, I know ME and I know my struggles, my shortcomings and my quirky ways that sometimes may not be too "godly". I fight a good fight daily and I know I come up way short daily.


So, I can tell you that daily I tell Mathias that we are to love others as we do ourselves and that we need to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. I think God is happy with me when I share that with my boy.

Got Chaos? This can help

I don’t know sometimes if the ideas that I get while running come from inspiration or hypoxia. I run in the stillness of the very early morning. I like it that way. Less traffic (although I would like it more if cars shared the empty road better). There is “less” of everything, including people, light and chaos. 

I find that running early gives me “my time” and it gives me quiet time.

Today as I plodded along, I realized that life is very short. We stay in such a rush and stay moving constantly. Take me for example, I get up early, work a job all day, and then keep up the pace all evening. Some days I feel like I never sit down. Add other obligations like swimming and special events and I end up running on empty.

The pursuit of chaos comes at a price. Stress affects the same things we are supposed to love God with: body, soul, mind and heart. Stress affects the body and has been linked to everything from diabetes to high blood pressure to cancer. Many experts feel obesity, one of the largest threats to American health, can be grossly worsened by stress.

Chaos affects my spiritual walk with God so I am sure others feel that way. When I am under the influence of stress, I tend to push and push and attempt to do more on my own. This goofy response is opposite of what Matthew 11:28-30 suggests: 

²⁸ If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest. ³⁰ This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light.

Does chaos affect the mind? Oh, but yes. Worries, stress, fears, and insecurities flood our minds until we feel like screaming. Sadly, screaming does not work long term and public screaming may cause more stress to accumulate. So, since screaming does not work, people pick even more unhealthy choices such as alcohol, drugs and many other vices too numerous to count. Many times these vices, along with prescription medications, allow a person the ability to take on even more stress.

We know that stress affects the heart in a literal sense, but it does have figurative meaning as well. Constant chaos and stress can change the way a person deals with another. In a way, I think chaos can ‘desensitize” a person and strip them of their empathy. In other words, a person can only be subjected so many times to a chaotic situation before they just don’t care anymore.

STRATEGIES TO STOP THE CHAOS
When things get chaotic, a big long list of ways to combat chaos only makes it worse. So, I have kept it simple and the 3 ways are somewhat similar.

REJOICE
When things are bad, and I mean REALLY bad, take time to thank God. What? Yes, Thank GOD for all He has done for you and the blessings you may take for granted. God appreciates our praise and no matter what is happening in our life, we still can find the blessings.

REFOCUS
When you are stressed and worried all you think about is that stressor. You spend hours going over every ”what if” scenario. That wastes time and energy and robs you of sleep. Instead, refocus on how you can seek God during that time. Remember, Jesus encouraged us to bring our burdens.

REDIRECT
Simply stated, do something different during that time of stress. Use the same 4 characteristics (mind, soul, body and heart) but engage in a different activity. For example, the stressor in your life is making you nuts. Take a time out and spend time helping someone else. Go for a walk. Read a book. Say a prayer.

We all are going to face chaotic situations. The more we try to do in life, the more chaotic it may become. Slow down and use the 3 Rs to minimize the stress.

Meet my guest blogger: Missy Radune

I have had the opportunity to meet people who I admire. Working in health care allowed me to meet Missy. I have read many of her Facebook posts and have felt uplifted and motivated by her words. I am not a selfish guy. I am sharing her words with you. 

First, I would like to thank John for asking me to contribute to his blog. It means a lot to me that he believes that I may be able to say something that may help someone. I will start by introducing myself. I am Missy Radune. I am a nurse for the Department of Veterans Affairs in Chillicothe, Ohio. I met John while he was working in a Veterans Community Based Outpatient Clinic. I am honored to call him a friend.  I have been married for 15 years to the most amazing man ever. We have three children. Connor, a seventh grader, Baleigh, a fourth grader, and our miracle son Cooper who is 4.  I have had many struggles in life but know that with God anything is possible.

I grew up in a small Christian Holiness Church in Kentucky, no, no snake handling. One thing that I learned growing up was the power and God in any situation, IF you give it all to God.

As I grew up, I would see many people’s lives changing. I would see parents praying for their children. I would hear children praying for their parents. I would see the love of a parent and a child; a love like no other.

I began to realize when I married and started having a family the sacrifice that God gave to us, by allowing his son to die for our sins. I could not imagine allowing one of my three children to be sacrificed so that others would be saved. But God loved us that much. God loved me even before he knew me, just like my parents loved me before they ever held me. Just like I had love for my three children the minute I knew God had blessed me with them.

Imagine what it must have been like for God to know that his son would have to die. Not just a normal death, such as a heart attack or death from old age, but Jesus had to suffer. Jesus had to give it all to God and say, “I’m yours, let it be finished.” Do you think that Jesus struggled in turning everything over to God? I think so, when he asked why he had been forsaken. God doesn’t want us  to suffer. God doesn’t want to us to hold anything back. God wants it all, the good, the bad and the ugly. God wants to take our lives, no matter how important or how minute and turn it into something wonderful.

Do I struggle in giving it all to God? Sure, an Christian does at some point in their life. What I strive for is to take one day at a time. As obstacles come before me, I try to focus on how God wants me to handle them. If I can’t do that alone, I ask God to help me. Life isn’t easy. I try to remember that with each curve ball that life throws at me, God is in the outfield. He is making sure that I can make around the bases because all God wants is for each of us to make it “HOME”.

Philippians 4:11 I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

How Prison Can Be Encouraging

For those who do not know, I work in a prison and provide mental health care to inmates. Clinically, I have always been known as being very positive and quite nurturing. I pride myself on being a provider that genuinely cares.

Needless to say, my "style" is not completely accepted in the setting. Compassion may be confused with weakness, but not by the inmates. The corrections staff have began to warm up to my honest, consistent style. The thing is, I do not care if they endorse my style, I am not changing.

If you have read this blog, you know I think things happen for a reason. I see my job and profession as a gift from God so I attempt to use it to my best ability every day. Even if I do work in a prison.

Today, I saw a young man who has made angry decision after angry decision. He has been in and out of trouble for over half his life. He talked about wanting to change but knowing he would not be able to change the patterns of his life. Talking to him, I realized he was quite a bit brighter than the average inmate. I do not mean this disrespectfully, but sometimes it is obvious how some of the inmates were caught.

I talked to him about his response when angry. I asked him if he thought Dr.Martin Luther King ever got angry and that caused anger to swell in him. He said he would love to be like Dr. King but Dr. King "did not grow up like me."After discussion, he was beginning to see that he, indeed, was limiting his own future.

The Bible is full of stories in which self imposed limitations limited possibilities. Think about the Israelites initial reaction when they saw the inhabitants of the Promised Land. Think about the disciples initial reaction when Jesus began feeding the huge crowd with fish and bread. Remember what most of the religious leaders thought when Jesus said he would destroy their precious temple.

God knows no limits. He tells us ALL things are possible and my 5 year old son sings this all day long. I know that it is difficult some days to see that. I struggle myself and then begin to think I will not reach the levels of "success" I want to reach. Gee, I would like this blog to reach hundreds of people a day. But, I keep on doing what I can, and to quote a line I hear in prison every day, "it is what it is", so YOU decide what IT will be.

Rubber rafts, a king, and the Byrds

I thought of my dad yesterday. Buck, as he was known to his friends, loved to hunt and fish more than anything. He owned about 12 guns and no one ever could have counted his fishing poles accurately. He also owned a military-like and quality rubber raft. He made some simple adaptations to the raft and used it for fishing and duck hunting.

Dad spent hours planning and calculating what he was going to do and how he was going to enrich his outdoors experiences. He reminded me of a mad scientist or at least a Thomas Edison of hunting and fishing. Picture a room in the basement that was dimly lit and one of the nastiest rooms I have ever seen. This was his sanctuary and his fortress of solitude.

He spent an entire winter planning his biggest adventure. He was determined to enter the Atlantic Ocean from the shore using his raft. He had calculated the best way to get out over the breakers. He used tide tables and tried to control all variables. He decided he needed someone on shore to help him by using a rope tied to the raft. I think he felt it would add stability and he picked my aunt to man the rope because she possessed brute strength. However, she did not have nerves of steel and never fully followed his direction which led to an amazing home movie of dad and raft getting absolutely wiped out by waves. He never tried again after that.

When dad died, we found countless notebooks with ideas, inventions and plans he devised to enjoy his hobbies of hunting and fishing. I also found the raft, which because of inactivity, had dry rotted.

King Solomon wrote a famous passage in Ecclesiastes Chapter 3. Later the Byrds released a folk classic based on this passage:

1. To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2. A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, a time to reap that which is planted;
3. A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5. A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6. A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7. A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8. A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.   

The memories of dad sparked a realization. Do we spend too much time preparing, procrastinating, or over analyzing things in our life and actually never doing them? I have heard people say that this can be called "paralysis by analysis". Life is unpredictable. Life is short and there are so many things that each of us want to do and experience. We need to realize that time does matter. Do you have a "bucket list" of any kind? I do. I want to spend the night at Alcatraz, I want to go to Wrigley Field and Fenway Park. I want to go on a Bigfoot expedition. I want to sing the National Anthem at a ball game. Maybe I will find time. Maybe I will make the most of my time. And I am sure I could find some more "time cliches" to write. But now is not the time.

For my Facebook Family

Hi

First and foremost, thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I appreciate each and every one of you. This blog defines and symbolizes a very different path for my life. I realize some of you will end up liking me more while some of you will like me less and question my sanity. It is ok, as my sanity has been questioned before and I realize sane may be overrated. Regardless, know that I thank God for the pleasure of knowing you.

This blog exposes me in a very raw way. You may learn details that you did not know and details that not everyone shares. I expect that some of my family members and closest friends may question my motives and might criticize me for my efforts. That is ok with me because I feel that some self -disclosure is needed.

My personal testimony has never been as visible as with this blog. I sincerely feel that God has a hand, not only in my life, but also in this blog. Initially, I thought I would put my writings out in the “blog world” and I would get whatever traffic and readership by those who stumbled to my site. Oddly, I have done very little on Facebook for many months as I have had technical difficulties associated with the site. Then, for the life of me, I could not recall the password. I woke up from a nap today and the correct password came to me.

So, if you have come to my blog through my post on Facebook, I want to tell you how much it means to me you actually did come and check me out in this format. I ask for your prayers as I intend to educate, inspire and entertain you with my writings and above all else, I want to make each of you think. I want to write stuff that sticks to your ribs. Things that, out of the blue, come back in your mind like an annoying jingle. Not annoying in a bad way, but rather in a way that makes you smile or even chuckle if I am having particularly good day writing.

And remember, if y’all read things on my blog and then mention it to my mom or mother in law, well, that’s ok. I don’t think they will be surprised that I may have lost my mind. (For the record, Denise has long known that I ain’t right.)

May God bless you

John

Nicodemus and business

In the New Testament, there is a Jewish leader named Nicodemus. In his culture, he was pretty powerful and successful. People knew him on sight and respected him and his position. If there would have been paparazzi back then, they would have followed him. I am sure when he walked down the street; people stared and talked quietly to themselves that he was coming. Nicodemus paid attention to the happenings in Jerusalem and he intently followed the activities of Jesus.

Nicodemus also listened to the teachings of Jesus and his curiosity was stoked. He wanted to meet with Jesus and he decided to meet Him at night. I am not going into the details of the meeting, but rather want to explore the reasons people do things under the cover of darkness. And, I am going to narrow that down to doing legitimate things under the cover of darkness so I won’t be discussing meth sales, extortion plans or trysts. Nicodemus visited Jesus under legitimate circumstances, so I will focus on that.

I see that night was used because Nicodemus thought he could be embarrassed if not ruined and because being seen as a friend of Jesus put him outside his comfort zone.  You have to remember, a short time after their super secret meeting, Jesus was brutally crucified. Nicodemus probably played that through his mind and thought crucifixion was just not for him. At the worst, the same people who would eventually demand Jesus’ death would strip Nicodemus of his position, wealth and stature. He had a lot to lose. Plus, his actions may forever taint his family legacy. Aside from ruination, how could this Jewish authority ever want to do something as radical as befriend this common carpenter who no one could explain?

Now, how many of us have professions, occupations or roles that are expected of us? Now, how many of us develop passions outside of those established expectations that we never share with as many as we should? But what if this new, ethical, legal and moral venture provided one with satisfaction, freedom, and lots of enjoyment? Well, most of us, if we are honest, would still sneak around and do it but would never fully or publically embrace the change. For example, I am a nurse practitioner. Ask anyone who knows me and that is how I am described. Yes, I enjoy it and I am good at being a nurse practitioner. I also desire more freedom and I enjoy real estate and health (outside of health care). I have been blessed with opportunities in each and I will meekly whisper about them as I proclaim I am a nurse practitioner. I keep it in a box and only show it to people I really trust.

Define yourself on your own terms and not by the expectations of others. That is easy to type, but hard to follow. I literally hesitated for a couple of minutes after that last sentence before realizing that I am even doing it on a blog! Yes, I am a nurse practitioner but I am also a real estate investor, a blogger and a firm believer and associate in USANA. Wow, I typed that and I did not faint or barf. And I even said it in the daylight (typing this on my lunch hour). Please, I sense that others struggle with this. Write it down, read to someone and then start telling it everyone you know. I am not Nicodemus and I will not be crucified for my new found passions.

"Core training"

He answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Luke 10:27

Core training holds the fascination of the fitness and wellness world. To me, it makes perfect sense and the other aspects of life could also stand some core strengthening. Jesus tells us to love with all of our strength, heart, soul and mind. Jesus defines the areas of humanity here and these are the aspects of my life I am getting zealous about improving.

Strength We have all been temples (bodies) that we use to work, play and WORSHIP. I am among those who have neglected the, shall we say, maintenance of the temple. Strength, to me, equates as fitness and I must use my knowledge to make some changes.

Mind. Oh, my I struggle with this one. How can I be diligent and zealous about praising God when all I say is negative stuff (mostly about myself?) My mind is polluted with doubt, fear, sadness, bitterness and about every other vile and nasty trait imaginable.

Soul My soul belongs to God through the actions of Jesus, my Savior. I need to act like I am eternally grateful and explore more of what Jesus means by "soul" in praise.

Heart. Wow, this means all the great things that Paul mentions in Galatians. I know, they are called "fruit of the spirit", but if I have them in my heart, then my mouth will follow and I will be living a life closer to the ideal of Jesus. Oh, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control"--Galatians 5:22-23

Now, I am embarking on a journey. Tonight, I will continue my prayers and start mapping out the details. Tomorrow is Monday and I know a 4:30 AM wake up call to exercise is in the cards. The rest will follow and all I know is that God does have plans for me because he has not made any junk.