Act your wage

I keep hearing about a recession that is supposed to be crippling America, and most of the world. I looked outside, but didn’t see it. I checked my garage, the cars are still there. I checked my savings account, yup, still something in it. I went to work and I still have a job. I went by the church and it’s still full of people. I got my paycheck and it’s still as much as it was last month. I drove to the Fiesta celebration and people are still participating. Hmmm. I can’t seem to find this recession.

I know I’m making light of this, and I also know that it has touched the lives of many people. I just wanted to make a point that it can be your choice not to participate in the recession.

The reason it hasn’t touched my life is because I’ve recession proofed my life. I live within my means and follow some very simple rules for using my money. Here they are:

1. Give faithfully. It is not a coincidence that the more I give to God’s work, the more I seem to be blessed with extra money at the end of the month.
2. Don’t live on credit. Americans have been sucked into the world of materialism so much that they think it’s “stuff” that makes them somebody. It doesn’t, you’re still the same person you were before you bought that cool car. But now you’re totally broke.
3. Save for a rainy day. The “rainy” days are here in the form of a depressed economy. But even if the business I work for is affected and I lose my job, I’ll be ok for quite some time because I’ve put money away to cover my expenses for several months.
4. Pay it off! Take steps to get rid of your bills. You can make extra payments on your loans and credit cards, you just make excuses why making the minimum payment is the only thing you can do. Bull biscuits! Just cut back on eating out a few times a month and you’ll have that extra house payment!
5. Put down the credit card and slowly step away from it! Seriously, either cut up the cards or learn self control. Because the alternative is what you’re experiencing now.

All this isn’t hard. It’s a matter of self control, something we Americans have little of. But I guarantee you’ll feel a whole new sense of freedom that you’ve never experienced once you’ve paid off your credit cards, your car, and even your house. Your view on life will change dramatically, I promise.

So live within your means, not your desires, and act your wage!

“God, thanks for your many blessings in my life. All that I have is yours, and I will do my best to be a good steward of it. Give me wisdom to use your resources wisely. And God, please help those who have been hurt by this recession. Guide our leaders to make wise fiscal decisions so our economy can grow, and give us strength to endure the lean times. Amen.”

The Freedom to Agree to Disagree

The stink being raised over Carrie Prejean’s answer to a question asked during the Miss USA competition is something I just have to say something about. So hang on.

First, Perez Hilton’s question was loaded. He thought that in the environment of the Miss USA pageant a contestant wouldn’t dare disagree with the gay lifestyle. He was expecting Carrie to say that same-sex marriages should be legalized. It would have given his agenda national coverage and he felt it would be a feather in his cap in the fight to normalize same-sex relationships.

He never expected Carrie to answer the way she did, and what bothers me is that she actually answered his question in a positive way. All you remember is the last thing she said, but do you remember the first part? The first answer she gave was that in this country we have the right to choose between same-sex and opposite-sex relationships. That was her answer related to his question and what she should have been scored on. But Carrie didn’t stop there, she went on to tell Hilton that she was raised in a family that believed marriage was between a man and a woman.

Hilton didn’t score her on the first part of her answer, instead he got mad and scored her on her personal beliefs, which shouldn’t be allowed in a pageant. He gave her a zero on the question and even admitted that before her answer she was the front runner in the competition. Hilton’s score helped push Carrie to second place.

The second thing I want to say is about how California’s state pageant directors Shanna Moakler and Keith Lewis treated their candidate for Miss USA. They both blew up initially and didn’t even greet Carrie after the pageant ended or bother to congratulate her. They said she was out of touch with her generation.

I disagree because over 7 million Californian’s voted against same-sex marriage in their state, so actually Carrie is part of the mainstream majority.

Moakler later twittered against Carrie saying “The MISS CALIFORNIA USA title is NOT supposed to be used to push your own agenda, that is NOT what pageants are about."

That’s funny because Hilton was doing just that! If Carrie would have given the answer he expected, they’d all be cheering for her. But instead Hilton is on his web site spouting hate speech that should be condemned. It was so bad that even CNN did a report on his hate speech and how it shouldn’t be allowed. That’s saying a lot when CNN denounces a gay liberal.

The point to all this is that Carrie Prejean is an American citizen and has the right to her opinion. She answered the question honestly, but now the left is berating her for being true to her beliefs.

I spent 21 years in the military defending people’s right to free speech, and I think it’s a shame when someone is attacked because of what they believe. I think both sides have a right to their opinion and should respect each other’s stance. People should accept that it’s ok to agree to disagree.

“God, give me the strength to endure these days. Help me to continue making a difference where I can, and lead others to you. Amen.”

Reaching across the world

There has been a lot of talk lately about president Obama visiting foreign countries. He’s taken a lot of criticism for bowing to the Saudi King and being nice to Hugo Chavez. People are saying that he’s running around the world apologizing for America and making us weak.

I’m torn on this. I believe our president should always show strength, but how will relations with other countries change if someone doesn’t offer a hand in friendship first?

Some believe we shouldn’t talk to people like Chavez because he’s a human rights violator and avid hater of America. He should come to us and apologize for hating us first. It’s the old “I’m not saying I’m sorry until he does first” mentality we had in grade school. It’s ridiculous and we need to change our mindset and think about making friends with someone like him, then maybe we could help change the way he treats his own people. It’s basic psychology: if you tell someone who hates you not to do something, they’ll do it to spite you. But if tell a friend, they’ll listen.

So I’m watching our new president with interest, trying to give him some leeway to see what he’s going to do with his turn in office. I like that he’s trying to talk to people who hate us. It’s the only way we have a chance to change how they see us.

For now I say go ahead and reach out Mr. President. Extend a hand of friendship, cautiously. Open doors that have been shut because of hard-headed Americans who think they don’t have to answer to anyone. The world is growing smaller, so we’d better get used to playing nice with others before we’re completely surrounded by countries who hate us.

“God, please give our president wisdom. Strengthen his relationship with you so that he will always turn to you first, and lead our country with a spiritual heart. Amen.”

Are You Ready?

Every once and a while I’ll catch a line in a movie or song that is very obscure in comparison with the entire movie or song, but it impacts me in a way that the author probably didn’t intend.

One of these moments was not too long ago while watching the movie “Joe Dirt.” I know you’re probably wondering what in the world could that movie teach anyone? It’s slapstick, low-brow humor about a kid who is abandoned by his parents and ends up living an interesting, as well as funny, life.

One scene shows Joe Dirt walking into a town where he encounters several local hooligans who take it upon themselves to pummel him. Its slapstick and they don’t really hurt him, but during the punching and shoving that Joe endures he says “Is this what you wanna be doin’ when Jesus comes back?”

He says it almost subliminally, but I caught it, and wow did it have an impact on me. “Is this what you want to be doing when Jesus comes back.”

That phrase has almost become my Mantra as I go through my daily routine. Is everything I’m doing each day something that would bring glory to God, or would I be embarrassed if Jesus suddenly walked in the room?

This simple line from a movie where a guy eats French fries off a giant ball of excrement he mistakenly thought was a meteor after an over passing airliner did a waste dump, has turned out to be an important piece of my Christian life. It’s amazing what can give us theological insights. Even from Hollywood.

So what are you doing today? Are you glorifying God in your actions and speech? Are the jokes you’re telling ones you would tell Jesus? Do you make excuses about your behavior and say it’s not that bad? Would you do what ever it is you’re doing if Christ was standing next to you?

I know I’m not perfect and I wouldn’t condescend to tell anyone how to live. I’ll just leave it with you to decide – is this what you want to be doing when Jesus comes back?

"For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.” I Thessalonians 5:4

Are you ready?

“Jesus, thank you for your sacrifice and washing away my sins. Help me to overcome the things that make me stumble, and give me strength to boldly act out my faith so when you return I will have no reason to hide my face from your glory. Amen.”

How Facebook killed the Blogger

I’ve been a blogger since 2007. It’s an enjoyable hobby, one that has helped me grow as a writer and given me an outlet for what might be deemed as insights. Of course that is a matter of opinion.

Then I joined Facebook. It’s a very interesting social network, and I find it almost impossible not to check it several times a day to see how all of my friends are doing.

The downside is that I seem to have much less to say on my Blog. I’m not sure why. I don’t write articles on Facebook because it’s not really the venue. But it seems that quickly jotting my thoughts in the box that says "What's on your mind?" has sucked the essayist right out of me. Does anyone else suffer from this? Or is it just my ADD mind needing quick and easy blurbs as apposed to semi-intelligent rants?

I will admit that my schedule has placed me in a position of less time for concentrating on insightful prose. Between work, church, school, and family I find I barely have time to sleep, let alone put together several paragraphs of text.

Or maybe I just don’t have a point to make anymore? Have I spoken my position so ardently that there isn’t anything else to say?

Tune in… I have a feeling I’ll find something worth commenting about that will force me to dance my digits across this keyboard again.

“God, I appreciate all that you give my mind to wonder about. I hope I don’t ask too many questions.”