Your life — slow down and soak it up
I did not witness the bright orange ball pop up above the horizon on the day we departed, but I was able to snap a pre-dawn picture before the beach was bathed in light. Compare this to this morning’s sunrise before church. It is very different — no sand and no beach — but still beautiful. God is the daily artist and His canvas is vast, creative, varied, and beautiful.
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
With our vacation over, we woke up early so we could hit the road and begin the 10 hour road trip home. The truck was packed and we had already cleaned up what needed to be done so all we had to do was wake up, pack up the small remainder, say goodbye and grab some donuts for the road. While packing up the small remaining items into the truck, I looked up at the beautiful morning Florida sky and saw the last stars in the dark blue sky resisting the daylight rushing upon them. Venus was bright and hung brightly and surprisingly, was assaulted by a gorgeous streak of bright light — a shooting star. It began my morning off right as we departed and hit our favorite Florida donut store — the Donut Hole. A dozen donuts are split by a family of 4 so we each selected 3 of our favorites — mine being a blueberry cake, pumpkin spice and devil’s food. Coupled with a tall glass of 2% milk in an adult sippy cup, I was geared to drive 10 hours.
We departed Destin going over the cross bay bridge and were treated to a gorgeous sunrise over the water. Due to my wife’s bridge phobia, I was not able to multi-task and snap a picture while I drove across (which is probably a good thing). However, let me assure you that it was a beautiful send off and nice way to end our time down there.
The 10 hour drive home actually took 12 hours due to potty breaks, two gas stops, a shared What-A-Burger lunch in ‘Bama with one of our vacation families, and more potty breaks. We arrived home to the happy whining of the dogs, the upset meowing of the cats and a mildly chilling autumn evening as the sun went down in Kentucky. We loved our beach week vacation but were all so glad to get back to our country home. We thanked God in prayer for our family time, our safe travels, our return home, and the memories that were created with family and friends.
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
I was blessed enough to enjoy the sunrise and sunset bookends that God placed in our day at the beach today.
Destin sunrise
Destin sunset
These never get old.
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
Yesterday was quite the unique day. I can truly say that I have never had a day such as yesterday. Let me explain why.
Some background first. Before we left home on Friday, we took my son to urgent care in Kentucky. He had a terrible cough for a week and a half and it wasn’t getting any better. It turns out he had bronchitis — just what you want to hear as you are leaving on a 10 hour road trip on vacation. But the service at the local urgent care was quick, nice and effective. Soon enough my wife had the prescriptions filled as I was finishing up getting cash at the bank (we were doing the whole vacation Dave Ramsey cash budget style — but more on that in another post).
Well, it seems that I have done a good job teaching my son values because he shared his cough with me. I first felt it Sunday during service at the local beach church. When Wednesday came along it was all I could do to keep the cough from going uncontrollable at times. I did not talk, did not laugh and did not take big breaths. After donuts at the local Donut Hole eatery, my wife and I headed to the local Destin urgent care. They, like the urgent care back home, were quick, nice and effective and within an hour we were out of there and had my medication in hand. So now I was relegated to rest in the beach house at least for the day as my body took the medication and fought the respiratory infection.
As I took a shower, I prayed that I would wisely use my day and even though I was sick, that I would make the most of it. And during my shower, I felt the Holy Spirit speak to me that I needed to be in prayer — and that I should pray for each person on my Facebook friend list specifically by name. And when I was finished I would post a status update to let each person know — believer or not — that they were spiritually covered in prayer that day. And what better way to spend a sick day on the beach.
So I grabbed my Bible, a tall glass of sweet tea, some Mission tortilla chips and my laptop and set up camp on the master suite balcony. I opened in prayer that I might be used as an instrument of God. That I might be obedient. That I persevere for however long it took. (I have 175 FB friends. At only 1 minute each, that would take 3 hours and I knew that if I were going to be specific and intentional with each beloved person on that list, it would easily surpass 3 hours and probably take up at least half the day.)
I then opened up my Bible to read specific Scripture passages on prayer. Below are a few that stood out to me:
” As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.” — 1 Samuel 12:23-24
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” — Ephesians 6:18
And then at 10:45am Central time I begun my prayers, starting on my FB friend list alphabetically. Now an interesting thing about Facebook is who is on your friend list. Of course, I have immediate family on there — my wife, children, parents, sister, etc. For these beloved people it was going to be very easy to pray specifically. I know their dreams, needs, and walk with Christ and could probably spend a hour for each one of them. However, there are others on my FB friend list that might be old acquaintances or neighbors or long lost friends or someone you met on a plane once (yes, I have one of those). For those folks it was going to be more challenging. Some of these folks might not even know Jesus or believe in God. However, I felt it my calling to pray even more specifically for these knowing that God knows what I do not, and He would fill in the blanks, so to speak.
My prayers came easily for these were all people who were woven into my life at one point and for some reason. Some had merely a scrap woven into my tapestry while others’ dominated the pattern of my life quilt. It was a peaceful time and really allowed me to feel each person and to pour love onto them, their situation, their needs, and their walk with God. There were challenges of distractions, of noises, of the beautiful beach scenery, and of biological breaks but I was persevering through my group of friends and deepening my prayer life. At the end of the first hour I had covered 29 people specifically by name in prayer. And being the type of person I am quickly figured out that this was easily going to take two, three or four times longer than I had imagined. I wondered to myself, “Did I bite off more than I can chew?”
But my job was to pray and be obedient. I knew God would take care of everything else.
I did take a few breaks. One for lunch and a nice turkey sandwich. Another 10 minute break to fly a kite with my son and my Accountability friend on the beach. And a nice walk to the convenience store with my son so he could buy a candy bar. That might be another post because we were able to have a nice conversation about God and his commandments. I was even able to confirm to my son that we were doing exactly what God wants us to do — Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” — Deuteronomy 6:4-7
The afternoon was consumed in prayer as I continued along not only praying but in amazement at the interwoven paths God had placed all of these people on. As the afternoon surrendered to evening and dinner, I took a break to dine with family and friends. Returning to my home stretch of special people and prayers I ended my prayer time with the sunlight retreating below the watery horizon and in darkness as I asked the Holy Spirit to fill my heart and to guide the message I was going to send all these people as my FB status. In His words, not mine it read — I TRULY BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF PRAYER. Today I spent time praying for you specifically. I prayed for each name in my Facebook friend list by name. This is not a chain message cut and paste. I started at 10:45a and am just now finishing – from A to Z each one of you was spiritually covered in prayer today. Some of you might be encouraged by that. Some might be offended. Others might not ever see it because I am blocked. But I KNOW that my prayer got through because God hears all prayers. I pray this message arrives to you in God’s perfect timing and know that I love you and Jesus loves you.
I have received some beautiful comments from that post but must acknowledge that none of it was me. I was merely a broken vessel that God was using. My only act was one of obedience. I only wish it happened more often.
Jesus Loves You
To continue in the spirit of this post, please feel free to comment on any prayer requests you might have so that I might also pray for you. Or you can email me your prayer requests. I would be honored to pray for your needs.
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
Dave Ramsey had the best response I have seen so far to the misguided, immature, entitle-ists who are whining and blathering about the work ethics and capitalist mechanisms that have built and made this country greater than any other in history. I will call it half-ideas and half-wits.
Dear Occupy Wall St
By Dave Ramsey
“I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore!” Yeah, that’s great. But what do you want? What are your goals? What are your demands? What result are you looking for?
The beauty of being vague is that anyone who has any emotion can get caught up in the excitement and join your crusade. They’ll just get mad at something and assume that you’re both mad about the same thing. Put a few hundred of these people together, and boom. You’ve got a crowd, a headline and a lot of attention … but no message.
A lot of people on Twitter are saying I totally agree with the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) demands and goals. The only problem is that I have no idea what their demands and goals are. And neither does anyone else. If all you ever do is stomp around, yell and hold up signs protesting a million different things, sure you’ll get some attention, but over time, you’ll just look foolish. You end up coming across like a three-year-old having a temper tantrum.
This is what’s happening to the OWS movement. They’re being discredited because no one has stepped forward and really stated what it is they’re after. The whole group is just coming across like a bunch of jacked-up, jobless, wannabe hippies. That’s not going to change anything in this country. You’ve got to state your goals clearly if you want to accomplish something.
So in the absence of any clear goals, let me comment and offer some helpful advice in some areas that seem to be getting a lot of disorganized OWS attention.
“No Government Bailouts!”
Banks and big companies should not receive taxpayer money for a bailout while their CEOs are making hundreds of millions of dollars. If that’s your gripe, then you’re protesting in the wrong location. Pack up and head to Washington, D.C., to deliver your message to the current administration. Don’t get me wrong—I totally support a company’s freedom to pay their leaders well. I just don’t believe that I, as a taxpayer, should subsidize those huge salaries in the form of taxpayer bailouts. I pay my own team members; I don’t need to pay everyone else’s too.
By the way, you may be shocked to learn that the Tea Party agrees with you on this one—and so do I.
“Down With Corporate Greed!”
Gordon Gekko was wrong. Greed is not good. Greed is bad—very bad. It’s a spiritual disease, and it is a disease that sadly affects a lot of companies across the country. If you believe a specific company is acting purely out of greed, then don’t just get mad—do something. Point out where and how they’re greedy and let the world know. Stop doing business with them. If enough people listen to you, the company will get the message because you’ll hit them where it hurts: the bottom line. If they don’t get their act together, then they’ll go out of business and another business will take their place.
But if you’re saying that all businesses are greedy and that capitalism itself is evil and ineffective, then I’m sorry—you’re just being stupid. You’re being misled and misinformed by some of the louder voices around you. Are you wearing clothes? Have you eaten any food lately? Do you have an iPhone in your pocket to check in with Twitter and Facebook while you’re out marching around? Good. All of those products and services are brought to you by quality companies dedicated to serving you well in a capitalistic system that works just fine.
“Wall Street Is Evil!”
If you have this painted on a sign, well, now you just look ignorant. Wall Street is a street that people drive on. The New York Stock Exchange is a building where people exchange stocks in New York. This is the flea market of the financial world. Don’t turn Wall Street into some terrible monster attacking American citizens. It’s just a road with some buildings on it.
But here’s what happens. Sometimes when people don’t understand something, they start to fear it. And as the fear grows, it turns into anger. But just because you don’t understand something, you shouldn’t see it as bad or frightening or a conspiracy. You should just think of it as an opportunity to learn something new—something that could actually be a blessing to you.
For example, imagine a group of natives out in the jungle in the farthest part of the world. I mean, picture a group of people who have never seen anyone outside of their tribe and have certainly never seen any kind of machine. What would they think if they saw a Red Cross helicopter land near them? And what would they think of the strange-looking men and women who jump out of the chopper and start walking toward them? They’d be freaked out! They wouldn’t know or care if the Red Cross was there to help them with food or medicine. They’d think it was the end of the world or something because their minds would be totally blown!
I hate to say it, but a lot of OWS protestors are just about as uninformed as those jungle natives when it comes to how the American financial system works. A road and an office building. That’s Wall Street.
“Wealth Redistribution Is the Answer!”
I’ve heard a lot about wealth redistribution over the past few years, and I’m sure you’ve heard it too. Call it whatever you want, but this is how it usually sounds to most Americans: “We are the 99% of Americans who don’t have as much as the 1%, so we’re mad and think the government should take their wealth and property away so that I can have a piece of it. Wealth inequality is a moral breakdown! We should all spread the money around so everyone gets a fair share!”
I have my toughest critique for those who believe this: You are a thief. When someone takes my money and gives me no say in the matter, that’s called theft—whether they’re using a gun or the government. At the core of this demand is envy. And that’s not the same as jealousy. Jealousy just says, “I want what you have.” Envy is a different beast. Envy says, “I don’t think I can ever have what you have, so you shouldn’t have it either.” Decades of horrible economic teaching and the politics of envy have kept this monster alive and growing and moving forward.
This way of thinking makes you assume that all rich people are evil and have scammed their way into wealth. That may be true in the tale of Robin Hood, but I choose to live in the real world. Sure, there are some scoundrels, but the vast majority of successful men and women got that way by working hard and serving people—lots of people. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates changed the world in ways we’re just now starting to realize. Their positive impact on the world has helped all of us live better lives, and they made fortunes for themselves by doing so. Why is it that you’re holy if you help one person but evil if you help a million? That’s just stupid.
A good friend of mine is a country music legend. He’s made a bazillion dollars over his career, and he just bought a $400,000 car. He’s worked like a crazy person his whole life, spending decades in tour buses, writing songs in the middle of the night, and entertaining enormous crowds of cheering fans. He paid a price to get there, and I’m happy for his success. Would it be right for me to walk into his house and demand my “fair share” of his wealth? Heck no! I’m a terrible singer! I didn’t do one thing to contribute to his success, so why would I be entitled to a share of his wealth? He’s given me years of entertainment through his music. That’s my fair share of his hard work.
My problems aren’t his fault. And my problems aren’t McDonald’s fault or Home Depot’s fault or Walmart’s fault, either. My problems are my fault! And the more people these companies serve, the more money they make—and that’s none of my business! If you don’t like McDonald’s, then here’s an idea: Don’t eat there. But don’t walk into the restaurant and demand a portion of their proceeds for the day.
When you scream, “I’m in the 99%!” you just look like a whiner. Those of us willing to pay the price to win look at you and shrug. Heck, when it comes to the music business, I’m in the 99% myself! But that doesn’t mean I have to tear Toby Keith, Brad Paisley or even Kanye down. Oh, and a special note just for Kanye: Capitalism has been pretty good to you. I celebrate your success, but you look a little hypocritical protesting capitalism while wearing a $50,000 watch.
Celebrate the Land of Opportunity
This is the greatest country on the planet, but even here, you’re not guaranteed wealth, talent, fame, a full head of hair or six-pack abs. Those things are not in the Constitution. You are, however, guaranteed the freedom to make your life what you want it to be. And when you do that, when you build your life around your dreams and passions and hard work, you’re guaranteed the right to keep it. No one has the right to take it away from you.
So to summarize, I’m not very impressed at the moment. I’m not impressed by your temper fit. I’m not impressed at your lack of goals and focus. I’m not impressed by the fact that the only thing I see about your movement is ignorance, immaturity and envy. Grow up—and get a job.
Yes, there are jobs out there. There are jobs out there that haven’t even been invented yet. Go create the next Facebook or Weed Eater. Go pick up so much dog poop that you can start your own fertilizer company. And stop complaining that companies are TOO RICH while also complaining that they aren’t RICH ENOUGH to hire you! I’ve seen a lot of you guys. I wouldn’t hire you, either. But if you take all of that energy and excitement and pour it into something new and creative, you’ll get the chance to serve a whole lot of people really well, and over a decade or two, you’ll get to become the very thing you’re now protesting: rich people who actually earned their money.
I could not have said it any better. The only thing I would add is an exclamation mark “!” .
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
A picture of “D” walking into the Destin sunset. This never gets old.
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
The video below is only 6 minutes and 45 seconds and is well worth the time you take. The warning is clear and action is necessary before it is too late. The fire alarm of values America is going off and we need to respond before we lose her.
Again, please take the time to watch. H/T to Dad for sending this my way.
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
The best way to get back into the swing of writing blog posts is just doing it. So enough with the good intentions. Enough with wanting to catch up backlogs to backlogs. As the shoe folks say – “Just do it”.
Our family relationships are critical in more ways than one. Family are some of the closest folks that tend to know us best — good, bad and ugly. They are also the folks we have the biggest influence on. I can guarantee you that my wife, kids, parents and siblings have way more long term and eternal influence on me than any neighbor, boss, co-worker or acquaintances have. So it is very important we give these special God-favoring relationships much respect, honor, and credence. These family relationships will also tend to cross generations and have the biggest “chain” or downstream impact — positive or negative.
On the way home this evening from Scouts, I asked my son if he could do a huge favor for me. He looked over at me inquisitive and said “I think so”.
I prefaced the favor as saying it would probably be one of the biggest, most important favors I would ask of him. His eyes got big and he sheepishly said “OK” in confirmation — even if it was a bit hesitated.
Now thinking through a kid’s mind, he is probably thinking that this is beyond mowing the lawn, cleaning his room, or being diligent in home school. And it was.
I asked him if he would make sure to pass on the love and faith for Jesus Christ to his children. And then when they were of an age of understanding like he is that he would ask this same question of them. His look lightened up and he agreed to the fulfilling of my request, maybe because he then realized that it had nothing to do with his dishevled room.
I then proceeded to explain that it was critical that I pass on my faith in Christ to him and that he does the same for his children and that they do the same for their children. For our faith did not come to us accidentally but rather through our family’s obedient lineage. It is our duty and responsibility to ensure future generations are covered by the forgiveness, salvation and blood of Christ. And one of God’s most entrusted vehicles for that is the family.
As quoted in Deuteronomy 6:7 — “Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
It is extremely critical that we do not neglect this responsibility. It is a mission trip right in our own back yard. One that is ripe, one that is available, one with the greatest potential for acceptance, and one that often is overlooked.
Interestingly, I have recently begun praying for the spouses of each of my kids. While none of them should be getting married any time soon, their spouses are out there and will be 50% of the team that will be raising MY grandchildren. I pray God is preparing their hearts and minds so that when His will finally intersects their paths together, they are put on His joint path and are equally yoked pulling for His kingdom. Additionally, I have also begun praying for my grandchildren who are even farther down the family tree. But prayer is powerful and an integral part of a spiritual walk — my spiritual walk.
I look forward to referencing back on this post to see how God has grown our family tree for His glory. I also need to have that same favor-request conversation with each of my daughters.
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
I spotted this quote on a friend’s page and decided it was well worth sharing…..
“Making money is the way you make a living
and giving it away is the way you make a life.”
By the way, it has been a very long time since I’ve seen any church sign messages. I wonder if they ran out.
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
It has been a very long time since I posted. And so much has transpired. We took R to college, FDA fun at work, remembering 9/11, starting Financial Peace University with my wife, and many cards handed out via my roadside ministry. I was hoping to blog about many of these and had the beginning of posts started in my head, but life continued on and my want to post those important events prevented any additional posts which further damned things up because other cool posts started in my head. Soon enough, I was behind on my behind on my behind — kinda like debt on debt on debt, the way our country runs.
Well enough of that. I will see if I go back and blog about those important events. But in the meantime, I will just start chipping away at life and blog posts as they come at me now.
Yesterday, after my Men’s Accountability gathering, I swung by Costco before I met my wife and D for his 10:30a soccer game at church. I had a strict list of 8 or 9 things — all of which had coupons. I started in the vitamin aisle and said hi to the Costco lady stocking the shelves. It was early in the morning right when they opened and there weren’t many people in the store yet. She replied with a hi and how are you. I responded with a “better than I deserve”. He reply was “Oh, a Dave Ramsey fan”.
As a side note, my wife and I started the 13 week Financial Peace University class created by Dave Ramsey. I have also been podcasting his radio shows during my commute to and from work. One of his sayings when people ask how he is doing is “Better than I deserve”. I like it, agree with it, and have duplicated it for my use.
So back in the aisle of Costco, I formally met Sami. She and I shook hands and proceeded to have the coolest 8 minute conversation about faith, struggles, Dave Ramsey and moving from California. She said she had her emergency fund (step 1 and step 3) and was working on the other steps but her emergency fund had been depleted (which is exactly what it is for. I asked her if it was anything I could pray for. The big one was surgery for her husband Dave. He had appendicitis and when he was in the hospital, a spot was found on his kidney. Additionally, there was another issue with their house circuit panel that could have caused a fire which was a priority to repair. All of these items drained their emergency fund…..which again, is exactly why you need one.
I also found out that Sami and Dave go to a local church I like. This church, Fern Creek Christian Church, has some very good radio spots and I enjoy hearing them on WJIE. We had some good conversation about faith, prayer and God’s will right there in the Costco vitamin aisle. I was surprised at how quickly two believers in Christ could converse and connect.
We switched to the financial benefits of Costco pricing and their bulk deals. Sami said “if you can stay on this side of the store (meaning the food side) and stick to a list you can save money”. I thought her local was interesting because my wife and I have cursed Costco because of some of the other purchases we have made there. They might be good deals, but they are usually of things that we don’t need — electronics, holiday decorations, household knick knacks, etc. I agreed with her advice and made mention of Kentucky in pre-Costco days (2006 when the store opened). I made mention that we enjoyed Costco in California and she asked where we lived. She said they were from San Diego and had moved to Kentucky to open the store. They wanted to get out of California and moved because of the price of living in Kentucky. When they had the opportunity with the Louisville Costco store opening, they jumped at it and haven’t looked back. They really enjoy it hear and their older college kids have also followed them.
Soon enough I realized I had monopolized her paid work time and wanted her to resume what she was doing before I got there. I said goodbye and thanked her for the conversation. I then dutifully proceeded to get each of the items on my list combined with a coupon like the good guy shopper I am and checked out.
Please keep Sami and Dave in your prayers for healing and strength.
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
