What are You Afraid of?

If you feel fear in your life, this story is for you.  This is a subject most of us can agree on.  There is more fear in the world today than there was before this pandemic started.  The Dark Side must be doing cartwheels.  Suicides are on the rise.  Murder is rampant.  The world seems to be on the brink of war in more than one region.  If we haven't experienced fear in our own lives, all we have to do is turn on the TV and listen to the media.  Take a moment and ask yourself, "What am I afraid of?"

I'm doing three things in my life to help me cope with this crazy world and I believe with all my heart this is a winning combination.  I'll start with the first one, worshipping in person at my house of worship.  It was a nice gesture to grant permission to watch services online, especially for the vulnerable who are nervous about going outside.  There's something about being in a community that somehow fades when you are alone.  By the way, God commands us to worship, not because he needs us but because we need him and he wants to be the center of our lives.  This all begins with consistent worship with others so we can support one another in our trials.

The second major step for me to fight fear is supporting Christian shows that reveal who our Savior is.  The Chosen is the real deal.  My wife and I just finished the finale of season two last night.  For me, it's the second time I've watched.  You will have to get through some technical obstacles to see this show because it's not mainstream.  You can watch the first season on YouTube or view the show on your computer.  If you want to see it on your TV, season two is only available through their app which allows streaming from your phone to your TV.  By the way, I recommend purchasing a Chromecast device in order to set up streaming from your phone to your TV.  

Finally, I'm combatting fear by listening to the Bible on a daily podcast.  It's amazes me how twenty minutes a day of this removes any anxiety I'm feeling in my heart.  I'm only 31 days into this and I already feel like a new person.  It also helps that I met the person who is leading these daily podcasts in person while on a day job assignment in Minnesota.  Look up Fr. Mike Schmitz on YouTube if you want to give his Bible in a Year Podcast a try.  Narration helps me understand what's going on.

Here is the final question of the day... Do you want to be in charge of your life or are you willing to let God be in charge?  Do the three things I'm doing for thirty days and then return to this question.  I know from personal experience that one answer raises my anxiety levels and another answer reduces it.  If you happen to make it through the entire Bible, which is very possible in one short year if you stay with the daily podcasts, you will experience 365 times when Jesus tells us not to be afraid.  Have a great day.

The Lucky Ticket

 Our employee club at my day job has been in a quandary since the pandemic started.  Because the money we pay to be in the club is considered as a donation for tax purposes and we are not allowed to have large company functions which are paid for with these contributions, many feel jolted since the funds cannot be refunded.  Kudos to our team for finding a way to help the employees win.  The food truck they hired yesterday was a success and within company guidelines.  The prizes were out of this world.  I stuck around after my shift ended last night to witness the $15,000 giveaway.  Organizers went big, really big.  I walked away with a wine rack and a wine cooler.  This will fit nicely in our basement.  We may not be able to have large gatherings at my day job right now but I can assure you I will have a nice assortment of wine choices should you visit our home.  I'm thankful for the lucky ticket and for the committee who put this event together.  Have a great day.

It's All About the Habits

 You are what you consistently do.  Your habits define you.  Like it or not, you have habits.  Some people are late for everything.  That's a habit.  Some people stay up way too late and lack sufficient sleep to be at their best.  That's a habit.  The idea is to eliminate the bad habits and replace them with better habits that turn you into a better person.

Imagine what you could do in a lifetime by adding one new good habit every month of your life.  In my opinion, committing to twelve habits in the next twelve months can be life altering.  Why?  Because your life will improve so much that you may be encouraged to keep going.  It's never too late.  Just remember that your brain needs thirty days of focus on one habit in order to make this habit permanent.  If you started the new year with a goal to form a new habit and failed, start again.  Let February be the month that the habit sticks.  You will become what you consistently do and others will notice.  You may be the example they need to get started.  Have a great day.

Streaming Issues Resolved

The big boys have their reasons for making life challenging for end users.  They want to dominate market share.  Every time a new opportunity arises, like "casting" from your phone to your TV, and you need a product to make it work, these big boys fight for control.  They are often tempted to render their opponents useless in order to make their products more desirable.  In my case, I bought three different components in order to stream from my phone to my TV.  Some may question why this is necessary.  For me, it's a convenience thing.  My favorite show, The Chosen, stopped posting on YouTube after the first episode of season two in order to promote viewing on their own app they invented.  That set up a love-hate relationship with the big boys when I tried to find a solution.

I'm elated to report that I can now "cast" from my phone to my TV and the winner in the big boy battles in my household is Google.  The Google Chromecast is one amazing advance in technology.  I should have made this my first choice given my success with this free blog made available compliments of Google.  I'm now a happy end user.  It looks like Google and The Chosen app are a match made in Heaven, at least in my household.  We are looking forward to watching future seasons through this Chromecast device.  Have a great day.

50 Days to Go

My wife and I are on final approach.  We have fifty days until touchdown.  Those who know me as a writer understand that what I share is based on my experiences.  I don't really write chapters, I live them.  The financial part of my life could easily be titled, "War and Peace."  The emphasis is on the war part.  This flight we're aboard is our freedom flight and we're finally going to be on the ground on our favorite day of the year – St. Patrick's Day.  Looking down, I see many people who landed safely.  They found a way to retire all debt including their mortgages.  They all have their own stories.  The skies around me are crowded and air traffic control is busy.   There have been many times when I doubted that this flight would end well.  I feared running out of fuel and crash landing.  That's what happens when your finances are out of control.

If you've ever been on a scary flight, maybe you got this helpless feeling inside that you're really not in control.  The captain tells you there is turbulence ahead and you need to buckle your seat belt.  Maybe you heard him say there is a problem with the plane.  I understand how all this feels.  I also understand God is in control of my flight path.  He does desire for all of us to be free of our debts to sin.  This is only possible through his Son.  I'm landing because I turned everything over to God, including my finances.  Stay tuned for the rest of the story.  Have a great day.

It's Not Too Late

 Two important milestones were reached today on day 26 of the new year.  For me, it's also day 26 of BIAY (Bible in a Year).  I've been listening to a podcast narrated by a youth pastor I met during one of my day job travels to Duluth, Minnesota.  It was a double blessing for me because my wife flew to Duluth for the weekend and joined me at the Cathedral where Fr. Mike celebrates Mass with his college students.  One of my day job teammates also joined us for the service in Duluth.  I had no idea how much this pastor gives to the world with his podcasts.  What I did know was how much he helped my mother get closer to Jesus through his YouTube presentations.  If it weren't for my mother, I wouldn't be experiencing all the graces that come with spending time in the Bible.

I don't know what percentage of the population has actually read the Bible cover to cover.  There are places in the world where you can be killed if you're caught reading Scripture.  What I do know is the New Testament is much easier to follow because Jesus shows up and makes everything easier to understand.  Well, the Old Testament comes first and that's where many give up because it's complicated.  The Evil One likes complicated because it can lead to giving up.  In fact, the Evil One is also a champion of confusion.  He is always lurking, waiting for us to stumble.  We usually blow it by the third chapter, Leviticus.  I'm not there yet but I already know that I'm going to keep going no matter how many times I blow it.  Why?  Because these Bible podcasts I'm listening to come with an added bonus – commentary by Fr. Mike Schmitz.  I'm feeling really good right now because I just finished listening to Genesis and the last chapter of Job, one of the longest books of the Bible.  Both of these stories are rather disturbing.  That's okay with me.  God reveals himself in these stories and he calms the turbulence in my head.

The world is sick.  The Evil One is at every turn waiting for us to make a bad move.  He can't wait to pounce on us.  Well, if Job can stay faithful, I'm going to follow his example.  I'm also going to keep going with this Bible in a Year program that is available to anyone who wants to get some hope in a broken world.  It's not too late.  I would love to be your accountability partner.  We don't even need to be on the same page.  You can start on day 1 today and be done by this same day in January one year from today.  This is not a race.  This is an opportunity.  I'm thankful my pastor at my house of worship joined the party.  He heard about some people in his congregation who are doing this and decided to check it out.  Some believers in my church are repeating this Bible study for a second time.  Click here for the link and give this a try for the next thirty days.  If it helps you get closer to God, keep going.  What do you have to lose?  Have a great day.

Technology Remains my Achilles Heel

I failed again.  There seems to be a pattern here.  Every time I do something to get closer to Jesus, something gets in my way.  It is becoming obvious to me that the Evil One has too much time on his hands.  What's up here?  Why does he keep putting these obstacles in my way?  Yesterday I learned the difference between EZCast and Chromecast.   EZCast doesn't work with the Chosen app on my phone and Chromecast does.  I ordered EZCast but should have ordered Chromecast.  Like Thomas Edison, I'm learning all the ways something doesn't work before seeing the light.

I have one thing going for me, hope.  I believe I'm eventually going to get a firm grasp on technology.  Some day technology will no longer be my achilles heel.  Instead, it will be a valuable ally I will use to get closer to Jesus.  If you're thinking about streaming The Chosen from you phone to your TV, avoid purchasing a fire stick.  It no longer works.  Don't buy an EZCast either.  It's not compatible with The Chosen.  Stay tuned and I'll let you know how how my third mulligan (do-over) works.  As for the Evil One who keeps messing with me, I'm declaring that with God's help I'm going the distance.  It may get bloody.  My losses may appear overwhelming at times.  That's okay.  I'm staying in the race.  Have a great day.

Rec Center Membership on Hold

January is the month many of us re-evaluate our goals and reach for the stars.  Physical fitness is almost always at the top of list.  I'm going against the grain this year in order to help reach my most elusive goal ever, financial fitness.  What good is it to be in shape physically if you are in the dark financially?  I'm pinching pennies to make sure I cross the finish line and retire my mortgage in March.  There was no room to renew my annual gym membership.  I will miss the crowds of people that rush in at the beginning of the new year only to disappear the following month or so.

Speaking of pinching pennies, if I can hold out until July to get back to the gym, I get the senior discount for members 62 and over.  There are insurance companies that offer incentives for seniors who are willing to work out regularly.  This makes sense.  Why not lower risk by encouraging people to work out and get healthy?  For me, timing will be everything.  I'm planning on biking across my beloved state in July.  That should help eliminate any side effects from skipping out at the rec center.  My hope for you is that you are sticking to your goals, even if you need to make adjustments along the way.  Have a great day.

Technology Problem Solved

 Yesterday I ranted about my Fire Stick no longer working for my new favorite series, The Chosen, which is only available through streaming.  Although streaming is free, a special device is needed to allow the phone app to process the video on my TV.  The big guys in the world of technology are fighting for control and that leaves the little guys struggling to overcome their obstacles.  My new device arrives tomorrow just in time to resume watching season two with my wife.  The technology problem is solved.  There may be other issues in the future.  I'm going to do my best to stay on top of the new technology, especially when it helps me get closer to God.  If you haven't seen The Chosen, you can watch season 1 on  YouTube.  Should you decide to keep going, make sure you purchase a streaming device for connecting your phone to your TV.  Have a great day.

Technology Obstacle

 There is no doubt we live in a broken world.  We worship in separate houses of worship.  We are divided politically.  The pandemic is getting inside our heads as well as our bodies.  I don't know about you, but to me, there are only a few places I can turn to for encouragement.  I cut the cable to help me keep my sanity several years ago.  We use YouTube for entertainment.  Recently, we discovered a series that is not from Hollywood called The Chosen.  All funding was crowd sourced.  It's all about Jesus.  The first season showed up on YouTube and all was well.  The producer decided to launch an his own app for season two.  That was a roadblock for me because I'm not tech savvy.  I bought a fire stick and set it up for streaming from my phone to the TV and it worked so well that I binge watched all of episode two in one week.

I'm at another standstill now as a fight broke out between a couple of tech giants and one of them shut down my fire stick for streaming The Chosen.  I'm watching again, this time with my wife.  Well, this technology obstacle is preventing me from streaming.  I'm searching for a solution while my streaming ability is on hold.  This is yet one more sign our world is broken.  Sorry for the rant.  It's just how it is and all I want to do is enjoy my new favorite series.  Have a great day.

Day 21 of Bible in a Year Offers Hope

New Goals are like seedlings.  You plant the seeds when you set your goals.  For most, those seedlings don't last long after they sprout.  Your goals need attention, especially in the first weeks.  I'm on day 21 of my top goal for 2022 and it hasn't been easy.  Yes, I'm giving attention to the daily podcasts.  The challenge is in the Bible stories.  They are filled with scandals, family trauma, and nonstop challenges.  Don't we all suffer this already in our daily lives?  There have been days when I walked away feeling a sense of trouble in my heart.  

The good news finally arrived on day 21.  Keep in mind that the family tree in the Old Testament is the very family tree that Jesus came from.  Maybe that's the point.  Perhaps Jesus wants us to know we are all in this together.  None of us are exempt from daily troubles.  What matters is that we help each other get through our challenges.  If someone you know plants a seed, help them out.  Offer encouragement.  Whatever you do, please don't trample on their fields.  We need more farmers.  I'm doing my best to help my seedlings stay alive.  That's a challenge when the outside temps are like today, -13º not counting the winds.  The only thing I have going for me right now is twenty-one straight days of keeping my seedlings alive.  It's not too late to plant your own seeds.  Who says you can only make goals on January 1?  If you care to join me, here is a link to the podcast I'm listening to.  It's twenty minutes a day including commentary.  Warning!  The first 21 days are a challenge.  If you make it to day 21, you have a good chance of a bumper crop.  Here's the link.  Click here.  Have a great day.

One Day at a Time is a Winning Strategy

 Right now it's all about moving forward.  Once again, the high winds are upon us.  The combination of super low temps and high winds makes it feel like it's -20º this morning.  My body feels like it's near its limits.  I keep thinking, one day at a time.  I'm breaking everything down into single moments in time.  Spring is now two months away.  There will be more storms before the warm weather returns.

Wherever you are and whatever you're doing, make sure you have a winning strategy.  We all have our obstacles.  We all have our challenges.  Find a way to win regardless of your circumstances.  Have a great day.

We are Mother Nature's YoYo

 Last night it was barbecue weather.  It may not be the kind of weather you expect for your kind of barbecue but that's what we do when Winter temps warm up to 37º albeit for only a couple of days.  Well, today it's 5º not counting the high winds.  We have become Mother Nature's yoyo.  I think this is her favorite season here in the Midwest.  I just want you to know I'm not complaining.  I'm simply reporting what's going on.  

There are people who pay to expose their bodies to these kinds of conditions in order to raise the bar on their physical fitness.  I get the same benefit without having to pay big bucks.  My exposure time will be less than two minutes in the headwinds which make it feel like -15º outside.  While Mother Nature plays yoyo, I'll finish my day with a couple of hours of indoor tennis tonight.  Hopefully, it will be barbecue weather again next week.  Have a great day.

Can You Be a Better Person in Twelve Months?

I know people who have written off the last two years of their lives due to the pandemic.  They cancelled travel plans.  They locked themselves up in their homes.  Why?  In my opinion, the fear of dying exceeded the fear of living in dangerous times.  Living in isolation is dangerous.  We need each other to thrive.  If history should repeat itself, perhaps this year will be the end of Covid-19.  If this is true, do you believe today is a good day to begin preparations for a better life without interference from the pandemic?  If so, do you believe you can be a better person in twelve months?

I have been using the last three years of my life as a time to improve my habits.  It's not easy.  One of the best lessons I'm learning about forming new habits is something called habit stacking.  This is where you stack a new habit on top of another habit that is solidly in place.  In my case, it's a "triple stack."  I stacked guided meditations on top of my daily writing, a 4,500+ daily habit, to make this habit permanent.  On January 1, I stacked my newest habit, listening to the Bible daily on a podcast.  Experts say that it takes thirty days to make a habit permanent.  I'm still in the danger zone so I'm proceeding with caution during the first month of the year.  My hope is that all these daily habits I'm doing will make me a better person.  The final question I plan on asking myself at the end of my life is related to today's question about becoming a better person.  Here it is:  "Did I finally become the person God created me to be?"  Take it a day at a time.  Work on habits that will help you improve.  Have a great day.

Rest in Peace, my Cousin

 Mark Rubalcaba, my first cousin on my mother's side of the family, passed away yesterday after a long illness.  Please join me in prayer for his wife, his daughters, his mother and father, his siblings, his extended family, and all who knew him.  I'm thankful for the numerous gatherings we shared growing up. Mark is finally free of the pain he suffered in the final stages of his life.  Rest in peace, my cousin.  You are the first in our generation to get called up.  I'm praying for your family.  Your work here is done.  We will see you again when our work here is done.  You will be missed.  

Do You Believe in Deferred Rewards?

 Your belief systems have a great deal to do with your level of success when it comes to goal attainment.  Today is a good day to evaluate how you're doing with the new goals you set for 2022.  If you didn't set any or you already hit an obstacle, consider how deferred rewards can change your outcome.

The greatest challenge with deferred rewards is that you don't get instant gratification.  Discipline is required, sometimes for a great length of time.  As soon as I'm tempted to give up, I immediately go back to my why, the reason why I committed to a goal.  The why is tied to the reward.  You better life is where your deferred rewards are.  You can't get to those rewards if you decide to give up too soon.

If today is your first day fitting in the idea of deferred rewards, pick a goal that will bring you joy when you complete it.  Picture yourself ten pounds lighter, or in a greater state of physical fitness.  Picture what your family looks like when you cultivate new and better habits that enhance their lives.  All of these things are your deferred rewards.  Remember them every time you feel like giving up.  Have a great day.

Weatherman Says it Feels Like 0º

 We survived our latest bout with Mother Nature.  I will need to dig myself out of her latest offering, six inches of fresh snow on our driveway and some ice on my windshield.  The back roads are a bit tricky to navigate first thing in the morning until the snow plows work their magic.  The good news is Mother Nature is moving on.  I'm learning resilience.  The Karate Kid had his "wax on, wax off" training moments.  I have my own version here in the Midwest.  The training will continue until I pass the test.  Have a great day.

Bracing for Another Big Storm

 It's round two this morning.  Mother Nature is at it again.  This time it's another dump of six or more inches.  I'm moving fast to take care of my morning commute before the roads turn icy.  This is the worst type of storm where the weather hovers around 32º with a mixture of rain, snow, and ice.  The interesting part about our weather is what happened the last couple of days leading up to this storm.  A warm front passed through bringing temps above 40º and melting most of the snow from round one earlier in the new year.  

Time to bundle up.  It's going to be a challenging day.  Have a great day.

Lessons from the Dog Trainers

 Dog trainers know how to motivate our pets.  We can do the same thing to achieve outstanding results. It's all about the treats.  If you really want to achieve something, make sure to give yourself rewards, especially when learning new tricks that eventually turn into life-changing habits.

Rewards aren't necessary once your new habit is formed.  If you're like me, you may need to go heavy on the treats in the early days in order to stay with it.  That's okay.  Perhaps you can take a mulligan on a new goal you set for yourself a couple of weeks ago but slipped.  Try again.  This time, decide what reward you can give yourself for starting again.  Increase the size of the reward so you can't resist and you may surprise yourself with your results.  Have a great day.

Congrats to my Friend, Erin

 We are probably all in agreement that our world is in a hot mess right now and it's been that way for quite some time.  My friend, Erin, knows exactly what I'm talking about.  She is dealing with her second bout with cancer and this time it's stage IV.  The reason I'm offering her my praise today is because of the way she is dealing with the cards that were dealt to her.  She is very much alive.

Erin invited me to watch a play where she is the lead actress.  I've been wanting to see her on stage for a long time but the pandemic makes travel a big challenge, especially because she resides in New York City, a place where COVID-19 made it's presence known in a big way.  Well, that hasn't stopped Erin.  The show must go on.  Her team found a creative way to get around all the roadblocks.  All of her actors put on a live stream play last night and each actor performed from his or her home.  

I'm posting a snippet that I shot from my cell phone of her live performance from last night.  Way to go, Erin.  You are my hero.  Have a great day.

Failure is Only a Pause Button

 Your attitude regarding failure plays a significant role in your outcomes.  When you were a baby, nothing stopped you.  You could cry your eyes out until you got the desired result, food, a clean diaper, companionship.  You didn't let a fall stop you from getting back up.  Those first steps came with all kinds of falls.  Did you ever stop?  Well, if you did, you would still be crawling rather than walking, running, jumping and enjoying life.

Something happens to us as adults.  We succumb to peer pressure.  We listen to those negative voices in our heads telling us we are inept or incapable.  We fail and decide to give up.  There is a better solution.  It's about changing our perception about what failure is.  For me, it's a necessary step in the journey.  It's a pause button.  The key is learning to hit the play button before too much time lapses.  We must go back to our baby days when the pause button lasted only a few seconds.  Do this every day for the rest of your life.  Have a great day.

Final Approach

 If you were to measure your debt in terms of feet, where each dollar you owe represents one foot in altitude, how high above the ground would you be?  My flight plan calls for an average descent of one hundred feet per day in order to touch down on March 17.  Considering I was above 100,000 feet in elevation three years ago, I'm elated to be on final approach.

This has been one heck of a bumpy ride.  I'm going through the checklist to make sure I have enough fuel to reach my destination.  My copilot is giving me the thumbs up.  She is the one responsible for encouraging me to get my head out of the clouds and come back to earth.   Spending is easy.  Reducing budgets is another story.  Stay tuned for the rest of the story.  Have a great day.

Do You Have a Winning Morning Routine?

 In my opinion, if you can win the morning with a solid routine, you can set yourself to win the day.  Win the day, followed by winning the next day, and you can win the month.  A series of winning months leads to a successful outcome for the year.  I'm sharing my morning routine, something that has been refined in the fires of not so good morning routines from past years.  I do believe I have the best morning routine ever.  It's as if I'm now on some kind of autopilot.  As long as I don't mess with the controls, I'm ready for my best year ever.  I'm saying this even though we are only nine days into a new year.

Unless I'm getting up extra early to catch a plane before sunrise, I do not use an alarm to wake up.  That's because it's no longer necessary.  I make sure to go to bed eight hours prior to waking up and do so naturally.  How many times have you been mad when that alarm goes off?  It's simply not natural.  Why lose the morning because that alarm clock set you off in a bad way?

My first action of the day is to offer a few short prayers, mainly thanking God for great sleep and for the plan he has already laid out for me.  Once the morning prayers are complete, I do a guided meditation using head phones so I don't disturb my wife who has her own winning morning routine.  If we are in alignment, we listen to our guided Bible in a Year podcast together.  If she still has her own reading to do, I continue my podcast with my headphones.  This part of my morning is a new habit that is only nine days old.  

My eating habits have changed dramatically over the years.  This year I'm concentrated on when I eat, keeping my meals to about two a day without snacks.  My morning breakfast is a small yogurt with my molecules mixed in – NMN and Transreservatrol.  I have a side of granola with a mix of supplements based on Dr. David Sinclair's research related to longevity.

The final part of my winning morning routine is to depart for my day job fifteen minutes early.  This allows for challenges with traffic.  On snow days, I leave earlier to give me a wider safety net.  My music is from a Christian radio station.  The 25 minute commute is enough to keep  my mind is a peaceful state that began with a relaxing wake up.  I plan to continue this morning process for the rest of my life.  How about you?  Are you winning the morning?  Does a morning victory set up a win for the day?  My hope is that some of my habits may help you to have better mornings and a better life.  Have a great day.

Why Tennis is Important to Me

 This may sound like an exaggeration but it's not.  I believe tennis saved my life at the lowest point of growing up.  Think about the darkest moments in your life.  How did you get through?  Therapy?  Or maybe you turned to something else that wasn't a healthy solution, like drugs or alcohol.  My coping mechanism was tennis.  I hit the ball as hard as I could for as long as I could, sometimes playing up to four hours a day.  I wasn't very good at the time but that didn't matter.  What mattered was finding a way to release my anger and bitterness.

I'm at the age where many stop playing or slow down.  Every day that I can play at a competitive level where my team still wants me in the lineup is a good day.  Today is one of them.  I'm on three different teams, mostly composed of the same players who value the game like I do.  In a way, they are my accountability partners.  I came home the other night after playing over four hours with six different doubles partners.  It didn't matter that outside temps were in the negative range.  The only thing that mattered was the joy I felt inside that my body was fit.  

My hope is to play tennis into my 90's should my body and mind not give out.  Physical and mental fitness are important.  My hope for you is that you find something positive that you can do like I have with my tennis.  Have a great day.

YouTube Saves Day at -4 Degrees

 Sorry I'm late today.  My wife's car battery died yesterday.  I bought a new one after my day job shift ended and headed home last night.  I deferred the install the replacement until this morning.  Well, it helps to take the cap off the negative terminal first.  It also helps to know when the key freezes up it's not the weather, it's  just what happens when the battery is 100% dead.

I arrived at work with 2 minutes to spare.  See you tomorrow.  Have a great day.  P.S., I  learned how to do everything by watching YouTube.

70 Days to Go

I'm starting to get excited.  There are now 70 days to go to reach my most elusive life goal of achieving financial independence.  My track record looks like an EKG reading from a sick patient having a heart attack.  There are more peaks and valleys showing up than a Lewis and Clark expedition.  That's okay.  I can see the summit now.  The air is thin.  It's cold outside.  The closer I get the more my confidence grows.  

I don't know what it feels like to wake up knowing you are no longer a slave to debt.  I do know how these debt burdens can weigh you down.  More importantly, I'm learning to finish challenging tasks.  Although this has been a lifetime goal, the last three years have been a time of great focus.  I've learned to have discipline in my life.  This same discipline is now being used for new goals, like completing the Bible in a year.  Any worthwhile goal needs daily attention.  It's helpful to surround yourself with people who want you to cross the finish line.  I would like to thank my wife for being there every day.  The finish line is almost within reach.  Stay tuned.  Have a great day.

Do This When You Encounter a Pause

You did it.  You decided on New Year's Eve to make at least one resolution.  You woke up on the first day of the new year and started.  If you're one of the lucky ones, you woke up on day two and did it again.  Success!  Congratulations.  It's day five.  Are you still going?  If not, let's talk about that road block.  

There are all kinds of reasons for giving up.  It's part of human nature.  After all, this world we're all living in is broken.  I have an idea for you.  Instead of giving up because you hit an obstacle, consider the obstacle in front of you as a pause button.  When you wake up to a new day and you find your resolution on pause, hit the play button.  It's not about starting over, it's about pushing play.  Do this every single time you encounter a pause.  It's never game over until you give up.  Pauses are simply part of the game.  Have a great day. 

Does This Melody Have a Supernatural Source?

 Yesterday I wrote about my good luck playing Yahtzee with my family.  I rolled three Yahtzee's on the first four turns, followed by another one on the first round of the second game.  Today I'm sharing the music I was playing during the first game which the family banned, switching to country music for the following games.  The song has no copyright as it wasn't created by humans.

The "sheet music" is actually a 500 year old cactus plant that has a picture of Mary on it.  The picture is still high quality despite its age.  A mathematician studied the position of the stars and flowers on this image and discovered a melody from the arrangement.  According to the story of Juan Diego, the person who Mary spoke to about building a church, it was Mary who arranged the flowers in his garment before he presented the flowers to the bishop.  Also, the stars on the garment are in the exact location of the stars in the heavens the day of the event in 1531.  Scientists cannot explain why this garment hasn't decayed.  No human can explain why the garment didn't get destroyed when I bomb exploded beneath it.  Musical notes on a 500 year old cactus plant?  Listen to the melody below that is being played using the sheet music from the cactus plant.  You won't hear it in future family games.  This song is banned.  Here you go...

First Family Yahtzee Game of the New Year Ends After 4 Turns

 Today's story is a little bit country and a little bit supernatural.  We allow the winner of each round to choose the music for the next round.  I decided to introduce something out of this world for the first round.  Before I share the song I played on my cell phone, I want to set up the scene.  The three players involved in Yahtzee were me, my wife, and our youngest son.  It was New Year's Day.  We remained indoors due to the below zero temps, the heavy snowfall, and the high winds.  I rolled a Yahtzee on my first turn, followed by another one on my second turn.  The third turn revealed a Full House on the first roll of the dice.  I was feeling rather lucky.  Round four resulted in a third Yahtzee.  The family conceded while informing me my music would no longer be allowed during our family games.

My wife and youngest son are both huge country music fans.  My luck was still on fire and I rolled another Yahtzee on the first turn.  It was enough to claim victory for the second game.  The third and fourth games were uneventful.  My luck didn't return until the fifth game of the day when I hit a fifth Yahtzee while Rascal Flats sang, "God Bless the Broken Road that Led me Straight to You."  We played a sixth game before switching to Scrabble.  My wife collected the scorecards to throw away in the trash but I insisted I keep mine for prosperity, especially because I believe the first song I selected didn't come from a human creator.  

Come back tomorrow and I'll how share how I discovered the music that was playing during the first round of family Yahtzee.  You can decide for yourself if I'm just lucky or if there was supernatural assistance.  I will share the melody that was playing and how the song was found.  Have a great day.

Do You Have a Strategy for Achieving Your Goals?

 It's day two of the new year.  Sadly, many have already broken the resolutions they made.  If this sounds familiar, please stay with me.  I like to accomplish tasks in teams to keep me on track.  Why not participate with me and make this year different from all the previous years?  It's only day two.  The best time to right the ship is at the beginning of the journey.  Imagine you booked a cruise to paradise and to get there all you have to do is stay on the ship.  That's what your goals are – the game plan you set up to get to paradise.

I mentioned yesterday that my top priority for this year is to journey through the Bible cover to cover.  Some may accuse me of cheating because I'm not really reading it, I'm listening to it.   The narrator reminds me of a James Earl Jones type of voice except his voice is an octave or two higher.  It's soothing, like how a mother knows how to calm her child.  In fact, my mother spends her free time watching videos from the narrator.

Whatever your goals are for the new year, please don't give up.  Ask yourself why you made the goal and decide you won't give up under any circumstances.  If you fall down, get back up.  Correct yourself.  I'm thrilled that my wife is joining me on our one year goal to do the Bible in a Year podcast. Go back to my January 1 story for the podcast link if you would like to join me.  If you haven't made any new goals for this year, commit today to jump in.  The only way you can grow is by stretching yourself out of your comfort zone.  Have a great day.

Happy New Year

 We have a major storm striking at any moment.  Snowfall may reach a foot or more.  We're staying home.  I'm off from my day job for five days.  It's a great way to ease into my top priority for 2022, navigating the Bible in a year.  Would you likd to join me?  You don't need to be a believer or belong to any particular denomination.  All you need to do is set up the podcast I'm following.  I just listened to day one.  It was 20 minutes.  The narration is done by a youth pastor I met on a day job assignment in Duluth, Minnesota.  Fr. Mike operates out of a small home with a chapel that was converted from a garage.  This reminds me of baby Jesus being born in a manger.  

We follow an awesome God.  The Bible is his love story.  I believe understanding the Bible offers a great opportunity to get closer to got.  Try the first episode for yourself.  If you don't like it, you can move on.  If you stay, perhaps we can be accountability partners.  Let's do this together.  Here is the link to the podcast : Bible in a Year Podcast

Happy New Year.  Have a great day.