February 29, 2016 #PrayerRequest

February 29, 2016 #PrayerRequest

My fellow Christians and non-believers alike, I have a special prayer request for all who desire the Lord’s hand in our lives daily, throughout our nation and throughout the world as a whole.

So much is going on in this world today from apathy and corruption to hatred, murder and terrorism.  Many of us state that we’re tired of it and we want someone to do something about it.  I agree but I believe that “someone” is each one and all of us.

I believe that we as a nation of peoples and citizens of the world need to take action and conduct a time of adjoined prayer.

I am asking everyone to set aside 9:00 pm (1800) (where ever you happen to be in this world at your 9:00 pm (1800), where many people will be praying at one time for a 24-hour period) for a few minutes of prayer in which, we start with acknowledgement and praise to the Lord, our sovereign God, creator of everything from just His spoken word; let us give thanks to him for His creation and His sacrifice of His Son, Christ Jesus as payment for the sins of all people; thanks to him for His grace and forgiveness for whoever believes in the sacrifice of Jesus, that he died and was resurrected, conquering even death, and that we accept this gift from Him with a humble heart; let us ask for our own forgiveness and for Him to tenderize our hearts to forgive others that we know or believe have done us wrong; let us pray for a resolution and true unity of our families, communities and nations; let us pray for God’s will to be done by all and that He bring us the return of Christ Jesus, Sovereign Ruler, King of Kings and King of Glory sooner rather than later.  Let us pray that He ends the suffering of our children.

You will not be alone–If you are a single person, your prayers will be adjoined by the Holy Spirit to the families, friends, groups and other peoples throughout the world as part of one voice, one prayer to the One True God.

Matthew 18:19 (NIV)

“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.

I will speak to as many people as I can and pray daily over the next 40 days for the Lord to open the hearts and minds of as many people that are willing.  You are welcome to join me in these daily prayers, as well.

1 Kings 8:28 (NIV)

Yet give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy, Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day.

If you are willing, forward, copy and paste, transfer, speak to your family and friends and ask others to join in a worldwide prayer for the defeat over evil in our individual lives so that we may make a true Spiritual difference in our individual worlds.

For those of you who say that you do not believe, now…get a head start while there is still time for there will come a day when:

Philippians 2:9-11 (NIV)

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

I make this request in humility as a son of the Living God, in the name of Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior, Amen.

 

 

We Live in an Ambiguous Society

Disclaimer: The following is an opinion diatribe…read at your own interest.

Wha?

If bald is beautiful, why is hair restoration so important?

Vagueness seems to be common place in our society. Why?

Political Correctness, not wanting to hurt others’ feelings, personal and mental sensitivity; not being able to see past one side of a situation or object; or perhaps, we lack the ability to express or describe something for fear of all those things. Moreover, I think the answer is actually within us, personally, because we’re afraid. Yes, afraid of how we will be perceived.

Take the blunt person. How many times have we complained that person is a bully, contrary, argumentative or that they’re just a(n) (smart)ass? We often hear that he or she is just mean, not to mention the vulgarities used to describe them. Do we ever take into consideration of what they are telling us, regardless of how it is delivered?

Then there is the meek person, the person who doesn’t make themselves clear because they are afraid of how they will be perceived. And then, we call them weak, timid, shy and often make fun of them or just dismiss their views altogether.

How about the uninformed person? They speak to be involved even though they do not have a grasp of the facts of a situation, person or object. We are quick to describe them as a village idiot and also ignore them.

The gamers, liars, performers, politicians…just to single out a few, all bring up negative views in our minds but yet, we are reluctant to describe them as they truly are [perceived].

Think about how many times we denounce violent behavior but do nothing to stop it because the solution often requires, yes, violence.  How can we coexist with people who literally want to kill us?

Our personal standards of what is right and wrong, our own filters and barriers, our fears, fears of rejections, retaliation, or of being ostracized, often dictate how we describe the world around us.

I enjoy when people like me but I don’t care if they do. I really mean it. I am somewhat of an extrovert because my life has ran the course from here to there, so many “new” environments and places—personally as well as employment. I wasn’t raised to be meek but I have learned to tone down my bluntness; and I am now more reluctant to fight at the drop of a word—argue maybe but not fight.

In the midst of the destruction of our society, as we have known it, dialogue is so beneficial. However, when one group seems to have all the answers, for everyone regardless of our differences, no matter which side of the situation we are on, we will find the enslaved and oppressed on the other side. I do not say this about a particular group of peoples based on color, ethnicity or religion. I say this based on a free people of this country, the United States of America, which for at least the past decade has been anything but united.

It is ideology that is changing our way of life and regardless of the ambiguity of our situation, it appears ambivalence is a driving force. One size does not fit all, in spite of what “they” tell us.

No, violence is often not the answer but when survival is at stake, sometime we must defend ourselves. But what will be the reasons behind our fight? Will it be so that we can have more and someone else have less? Will it be so that we can be recognized for ourselves, our individual ways of life(styles)? Will it be for our religious freedoms and whether ours will be the dominate one? Will it be for our children, so that if there is a future, it will be a good and prosperous time for them?

Or, will it be for our freedom? Freedom from tyranny brought on by those that seemingly know what is better for us as a “society” regardless of what is better for us as individuals of a nation.  Regardless of what we really want?

I would hope that we cast our ambivalence aside and make a stand for our individual freedom over a society of leeches. When someone receives, it has to come from somewhere. Are we as a hard-working people going to let them take it (whatever the “it” is) from us without some kind of stand? I would hope not.

Open dialogue is good – intimidation is not. Do not allow yourselves to be intimidated anymore. Speak up before they tell you your speech is no longer free. Don’t be vague, tell us how you really feel about something. Ambiguity may be killing you.

I can’t see the top of my head, in your opinion, am I bald, yet?

Jay 🙂

 

 

Time management: perhaps you should have departed sooner…

2nd Oil

Time management: perhaps you should have departed sooner…

That’s my new bumper sticker. Well, it soon will be once I receive it in the mail next week.

Okay, so I’m the guy you hear about at work from one of your irate co-workers explaining why they are late for work—you know, the one who is late all the time. They will rant and rave about this guy in a perfectly healthy Jeep Liberty who apparently had nothing better to do than to hold up traffic and cause them to get caught by every light, and stop sign. They will not, however, take responsibility for their own lack of time management that led to their tardiness.

Yep, I’m the speed limit guy. Occasionally, I drive over the speed limit by a couple of mph but normally it’s the speed limit. If my wife wants to get somewhere in a more timely manner, she’ll offer to drive.

I must note that it drives me nuts when someone else drives under the speed limit when there are no reasons to do so, such as, inclement weather, construction, a parade or heavy traffic. I do my best to plan my events, manage my time to where I can get to where I’m going and be there on time. Even traveling the speed limit, I’m usually there ahead by 10 minutes or right on time. Sometimes I miss the mark but not by much (unexpected parades).   😉

You see, I used to be in a hurry and yell at all the other drivers for their mistakes. It was not pretty. My so-called road rage was really just inside my car most of the time with an occasional hand signal to other drivers to let them know I was not pleased with their road skills.

It took a while for me to mature in this area but now that I’m an olderly guy, I like having less stress in my life. I drive to work, at ease.  When I get to work, I’m calm and relaxed because I’ve had no drama to kick me up. I can recommend it to anyone who suffers from time mismanagement. If you have to, get up 10 minutes early.  Enjoy your coffee, watch the weather and traffic reports and leave at a time that is most convenient to you for you to enjoy your drive. If you have little kids, well, that’s on you–do your best.  Maybe people at work will notice your calmness and appreciate it.

I’ve started noticing landmarks that I previously did not know existed.  When people say to me, “You know, down by such a place or such a street,” I can say, “Yes, I do.”

Oh, to the guy in the little white Toyota that sped around me in the no passing zone and almost got hit by the firetruck…you know.

And to the rest of you that like to drive fast because you don’t care about rules and laws and think they don’t apply to you, don’t whine and cry if you are the survivor.

Jay 🙂

Every day is someone’s judgement day…be prepared or be extra careful.

 

Unique Perspectives

I enjoyed a picture today on g+ shared by Rose Barbara of which two snails were facing each other on a dew-dripped plant stem.  The photo had a blurred bright green of foliage background and sharp foreground of brilliant green, brown-orange snail shells, unique tan-colored snails and the crisp clearness of dew drops on the stem.  It was in itself, as a picture, a very striking view.  Many people commented that it was beautiful or romantic.  However, that is not the first thought that came to mind when I saw the photo.  My first thought was, impasse.  Though the photo may have been staged (who knows how long it would have taken them to get there in the first place just waiting for a person with a camera to happen by), my first thought was that these two snails were headed in different directions and neither was going to get there without the other giving up their position.  I know nothing of the snail anatomy, so I do not know if they can back up…possibly not.  I can surmise that if one attempted to continue forward but decided to do it from the underside of the stem that it would probably fall to the ground–gravity sort of works that way.  In addition, if one did not turn around and both head in the same direction, then perhaps one would over power the other and slime over it and continue on its way leaving the other behind wondering what had happened–that is if snails wonder.  I wish them the best but as my cousin said, “because of that photo, they’re stuck there forever.”

In another scenario, I spoke with a few acquaintances this morning about what President Obama proposed to do about undocumented persons in our country.  One person said he was fit to be tied because of the blatant disregard for the Constitution and the laws that govern the position of the president (he is a natural-born US citizen).  Another, who is a legal immigrant said that the president didn’t go far enough and he should legalize everyone and give them jobs because they work hard.  He said that it is not fair that Canadians can come and go all they want with only a driver’s license for identification.  He is from a country in Africa. On securing the border, he said that it could not be done and presented the analogy of a jar of sugar with a lid on it–the ants will find a way to get to the sugar.  Yet, another legal immigrant that said it took her 7 years to go through the system to establish permanent residency for she and her family.  She said that she felt cheated.  I spoke to a woman who is undocumented (actually, that is not true–she has four drivers licenses with four different names and addresses) who said that she is relieved because now she can legally be herself.  I suggested she hold off a little while longer until all the details get worked out.  And then there is me.  They all wanted to know what I think.  Well, I do believe that the president does not have legal authority to ignore, alter or decide to not follow the laws already on the books.  One of them asked me what I would do if I were president and the Congress failed to act.  I said that the first thing I would do, after exhausting all attempts at persuading congress, is to go the Mexican president and ask him if he would like to be annexed by the United States and then we would take care of that little cartel thingy.  If he said yes, then I would do my best to persuade the American citizens of why this would be beneficial the United States and proceed accordingly if the American voters approved.  If he said no, then I would do my best to persuade the American citizens of why it would be a good idea to conquer Mexico and change their government and economic landscape.  WHAT!  Extreme perspectives have a way of capturing someone’s attention.  And of course the look on their faces was priceless.

So, we each have our own unique perspectives in life.  Whether we see a photo of a cute snails, kittens or puppies; whether we see or are affected by weather, bad guys or politicians, we each take away a different story depending on our perspective.  Some things happen to us or because of our actions; some things affect us.

As a Christian I have a different view of life that someone of another religion or no religion has regardless of what is placed before us.  Each day we make choices based on knowledge of presented or known facts — and yes, sometimes the facts are different depending on the point of view.  Keep in mind, though, sometimes the facts are lies placed before us to persuade our perspective.

I do think many things in life could be solved by sitting down with someone over a cup of coffee with cocoa mixed in for added sweetness and flavor and sharing our perspectives without trying to change someone’s mind about something–just sharing–but then again, that’s just my perspective.

 

Jay 🙂

 

What’s your story?

When it comes to telling your story, do you know what experiences you have that will tell the world about what made you who you are?

I read an article earlier today about an answer Mike “Dirty Jobs” Rowe gave in response to an interview question.  It had to do with not following your passion in life if it doesn’t prove successful in sustaining your life (of course that’s my take on it).

I’ve already proven to myself that my passion for writing stories and painting pictures will NEVER pay the bills, it shall remain a minor focus, part time at best.  There are a few reasons for this.  First, I work a little over 40 hours per week (no complaints, I’m blessed to have a low-paying job while others struggle to get work).  Second, although I have been writing for many years, I have not been properly trained in literature (specifically, creative writing) and therefore, will not appeal to very many (outside of my favorite people–very common folks).  My audience is and will remain limited.  And then, there’s the fact that it is important for me to follow God’s path for me with life, family and friends.  There is no guarantee that being an author is in my future but I will give it my best shot and see what happens.

After reading Mike’s response, I remembered when a friend asked me why I ever thought I could be a writer and what in the world would I know enough to write about.  I thought about my experiences in life (1) and how that could be a factor in helping me write (there are many stories, my friends).  I told my friend that would not be the problem.  The problem would be how I could accomplish it.

I’ve studied a few things here and there but I haven’t taken writing courses, yet.  In jobs as analyst and for reports writing, the style is very different from writing a book–the “government style guide” is quite different. With the knowledge I have, it would probably be easier to write a how-to book than a story book but I’m not in this for easy, I’m in it for creativity sake–an outlet for what’s inside my mind.  I already have a few stories that I’m working on.  What I have found in my research is that I can utilize skills from jobs and experiences I’ve had over the years, coupled with human observation, to put into characters.  Also in my research, it has been told to me that I should, “write how I speak,” and “just let it flow because you or someone else can fix it later.”  So, that’s my plan or was my plan.

Recently, I became a publisher.  I knew nothing about creating ebooks or printed books.  I had a couple of unknown writers provide me their books a few months ago; to learn about the processes, I bought ebooks and searched the internet for articles and blogs, and I viewed a few YouTube videos for information on self-publishing.  As of yesterday, I have three books with several sales on Amazon.com, in Kindle format and one of those on Createspace for print.  Oh, and I have this here blog website.  I had to learn to set up a website, too and it only took something I already possessed, my administration and self-management skills.

I believe that I have enough life experiences to create many stories.  I promise, I will apply syntax in a way that will make some cringe and others glad that they don’t have to struggle to read.  And, I will tell my stories, one page at a time.

So, what’s your story?  How can you use your experiences to tell it?  Just don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t tell it.

Jay 🙂

1 List of experiences (alphabetical order):  Administrator, Chauffeur, Classified Material Handler, Commercial Anodizer, Data Mining Specialist, Data Warehousing Administrator, Delivery driver, Document / Photo Scanner, Editor, Electronic files archiving, Events Planner, First Aid / CPR, Firefighter, Help Desk / Customer Service Representative, Information Technology assistant, Janitor, Leadership and Development Instructor, Legal Clerk, Military Intelligence Reports Writer/Analyst, Office Management, Painter (art / home), Personnel / Career Counselor, Personnel Management & Logistics, Personnel Pay, Poetry, Postal Clerk, Project Manager, Property Management/Leasing, Publisher, Records Management, Research Analyst, Retail and Business to Business Sales, Safe custodian (combination control), Security, Singer (Church Choir / Karaoke), Supply Clerk, Technical Manuals Librarian, Trainer and Subject Matter Expert Facilitator, Writer (Fiction / Non-fiction)

 

Networking (simplified) (CSR-related)

My wife and I were discussing networking some time back (don’t ask me when, I thought it was last week when it was actually months ago).  Anyway, she says to me she says, “I need to be networking with people that I can actually work with helping each other, not just me recommending them and their company but getting little or nothing in return.”  I agreed because it definitely seemed logical.

People in business working together to help each other promote business.

That is what networking groups are supposed to be providing.  Often, I found myself paying money to belong to a group that some fit into much more readily than I ever did.  Besides, I have to work, I don’t have time to be going to all those meetings and group luncheons.  Don’t get me wrong, some of what they do is quite beneficial but I always felt that the groups benefit a few, more than the many.

Today, I had the opportunity to put the thought into practice.

A nice woman came into my office.  We’ll call her Dawn because that is the name on her business card.  😉  Dawn is very professional, courteous and friendly.  She and I were able to chat for a few moments about our businesses and I was impressed with her sense of CSR (which, as we all know, around this place means customer service relationships).  Dawn is a consultant for a security company.

I rambled, she was polite; I offered her coffee, which is something I would’ve done anyway but it being National Coffee Day seemed more fitting.  She declined (because she really prefers tea) but thought it was nice of me to offer and wondered if the beverage company representative from the business card I have on my counter had told me about National Coffee Day.  “Actually, I heard it on the news this morning,” I replied.  And then it struck me as fast a lightening.

My wife is sales manager for the water filtration and beverage company she works for; Dawn is a consultant for her company; they’re both really nice people who do not believe in high-pressure sales tactics and they probably have or would have many of the same type customers.  Why not make the suggestion?  I thought to myself.  So, I did; and will when I get home.  Dawn appeared thoughtful and said she thought that was a good idea and she took the business card.  They may not use each others’ services but they might be able to point each other to appropriate customers that they think will be interested in the services the other can provide.

So, imagine in your own business, instead of just handing out cards to most everyone in the room, discover who has the same or similar customer base. That’s right, you must communicate with other people.  Exchange ideas through speech and hearing.  Build a relationship(s) with that one or those few people and work together, the way a networking group should to promote each of you when the opportunity arises.  You’re not going to recommend the other person to everyone and anyone but you will when you know or believe their is a potential need of someone for the other person’s services; as they will for you.  Now, you’re part of a team dedicated and willing to work together to forward the progress of each others’ success.

And in the process, you may find, wait for it…a friend.  It’s worth a try.

Update:  Since I got home, my wife informed me that Dawn phoned her and they will be checking their calendars to set up a meet.  “Ture Networking”

Jay 🙂

 

Resumes (Not just selling your experience(s) but selling you)

A friend and colleague asked me to review his resume. Dun…dun…daaaaaa!

One is always a little nervous when someone says, “Hey, do me a favor and check out my updated resume.”  I’m no different.  After a busy weekend, I was able to get to it this morning.

My first thought was, this is a great resume why does he want me to look at it? Then it occurred to me, the same reason I want someone else to look at mine.  We all want that little bit of assurance that what we’re putting out there about ourselves is acceptable.

The only thing I could suggest to my friend was to shorten it a bit and that he obviously has the qualifications and experience that any qualified hirer 😉 would need.

I was fortunate a couple of years ago.  Well, I’m fortunate everyday but for the purpose here, let’s stick with a couple of years ago when I was “between jobs.”  I say fortunate because I met a man named Randy Wooden.  Randy is the Director, Professional Center at Goodwill Industries of Northwest NC (Greensboro/Winston-Salem, North Carolina Area Professional Training and Coaching).  Trust me, he’s every bit of that and more.  Randy is the kind of guy that helps to put you at ease and let’s you know that you are not alone in your job search; you’re not the only one who has trouble with resumes; and you’re not the only one who didn’t notice when the employment world changed and you didn’t.    Randy’s specific advice to me:

• keep it simple,
• use important keywords that promote skills and experiences;
• in a life time of experiences, make it as short as possible;
• and list your achievements.

I received positive responses within a few weeks–after I had been at it for several months.

Randy helped me to see the job-seeking world differently than I was pursuing it.  Perhaps his advice or someone like him can help you too.  Don’t be alone.  Randy’s Career Advice can be seen in video at http://myfox8.com/tag/career-advice/ and he is also a special correspondent for the Winston-Salem Journal (catch the article here:  http://www.journalnow.com/business/localcolumnists/networking-tips-to-follow-to-make-your-job-search-more/article_dc983ee6-80f5-5b6f-b394-caf264cfb50f.html).
Randy may not be available to everyone but I’m sure there is someone like him accessible to most everyone.  Maybe that someone is you.

By permission — Randy Wooden’s email:  rwooden@goodwillnwnc.org

Jay 🙂

 

Cassette to CD

Oh boy!  Havin’ fun today.  A client has a cassette tape that she wants on a cd.  Simple enough — maybe.

So, I’m thinking I need a special program and/or device to accomplish this but it turns out that all I need is a double 3.5mm jack cable.  The geek guy at Best Buy said as much but didn’t know how to make it happen.

So, again, someone created a youtube vid that helped me out.  I didn’t see the name of the person otherwise, I would share that, too.

Okay, you take your tape and put it in the cassette player, plug cable into head phone hole, plug other end into pc/laptop mic in hole; open sound recorder in Windows 7; start cassette player and sound recorder.  Once done, click stop recorder and save file.  Then, listen to ensure quality and burn to CD.  I’m working on quality issue by adjusting output sound and mic sound levels to get the best I can from a very old cassette.  But, that’s the simple way to do it.

Regardless of why, people put info out there that is helpful.  Hopefully, this helps.  Otherwise, hire someone like me to do it for you.  I don’t trim trees, I save my money and hire a guy to do it for me.

According to Dr. Deming, “Knowledge is power.”  I’ve had the mindset in my adult life that knowing where to obtain knowledge is also quite powerful.  Seek, search, find and conquer your lack of knowledge.  You may find yourself doing things you did not think or see yourself doing just because you did not have the knowledge.  For years I painted simple water color pictures and was afraid to attempt oils because I didn’t know how to work with oil paints.  I took a few Bob Ross classes with a local certified instructor last year and I successfully painted three oil paintings.  They are still simple paintings but I obtained a knowledge that I can use should I decide to paint more pictures using oil paints. (In order to paint better pictures, I may want to attend many more classes and practice more).

Try not to over think what you want to do, it can become frustrating.  Make it easy on yourself and allow some thoughts to come to you during your day.  Keep paper and writing tool with you and write down a few ideas.  Then, take some time out of a lazy day and start researching one idea at a time.  I found that most projects go easier when concentrating on one idea at a time.  You can already have come up with numerous ideas but work on one at a time.  As you research each idea, you will find yourself discarding this one or setting aside that one for further inspection.  Keep doing that until your list is down to one to three ideas.  At some point, one will stick with you and there you have it.  And then, gather as much knowledge as you can to do more easily as time passes.  Easily said but it might take a few attempts.  Give it a try and see what happens.

Well, that’s my voice for tonight.

Jay 🙂