A Clean Slate

Today is the first day in over thirty six years that I have waken up with no enemies. I began acquiring adversaries in my early teenage years. At times they included people from entire countries that had a beef with my country. Once someone was on the bad list, it was almost impossible for me to stop hating them. That is what makes this day so special.

I refuse to take any credit for my new life. As I look back, I see how God placed people in my life that helped me to change my perspective on the world. I recall the first person I met from the former Soviet Union. He was the kind of person I would have wanted to be around if we lived in the same hood. He came to America because he loved everything we stood for. We had music and jeans. We also had missiles pointed at his city but he ignored that. He told me his city was full of students that did not share his governments view of our country. He desired freedom and desperately wanted to live here.

As a youngster, I watched the news reports that showed other countries accusing us of being the "Great Satan" and burning our flag...that fueled the anger I felt inside. Later in life, I began meeting people from this country that fled persecution. These people were highly successful in their homeland. They gave up engineering jobs just to come here and live their dreams. They became taxi cab drivers and car dealers. I became good friends with these people. They showed me scars from the torture they endured because they thought differently from their leaders. Many lost parents or siblings. I will never forget that one of these people from a country that I once despised showed up at my father's funeral. He came in as the service was beginning and I invited him to sit with my family. He didn't even know my father but wanted to give me support. He was my only customer that made time for the service.

I was invited to a Muslim wedding. It was an incredible experience. The people were great and the day was filled with so much joy. They were so different from the flag burners that I saw on TV. They had family values and loved living in a country that valued freedom.

Gradually, my prejudice toward entire countries faded. Each new person I met helped me to understand that my views of the world were very wrong. Then one day something very special happened. A lady placed her hands over me and prayed for the Holy Spirit to enter my heart. Later she apologized for crying all over me. She told me when she put her hands over me, she felt heat and she knew something was happening. I told her that I never felt her tears but I did have a vision of all of my enemies and I was thanking God for them.

Today I understand the vision. The last enemy has been forgiven. There is an incredible joy to be so free. It took so much energy to hate that many people. The last one on the list remained there for a long time. The pain he caused affected all of my partners. His name is not important and the past hurt is not important.

Yesterday I asked for a meeting with my former enemy and talked with him in private. I confronted him about the past and told him I wanted everything to remain in the past. He told me that he thought all of us at Zoom were plotting to destroy the company he represented. He talked about our departure plans and the malice we had.

It is true that all of us had a great deal of anger directed at Goliath. We knew we had been black-balled. This was the number one reason we decided to move forward with our plan to compete. We saw this as our only hope to have a better life. I told this person that my partners and I made a pact that we would never speak to him again when we started Zoom. I kept my part of the agreement for over four and one half years. Yesterday I forgave my former enemy and then called the partners that were most affected by this individual. I told them that it was time to put the past in the past and move on and they agreed. We never wanted to destroy Goliath but it appears that when they attacked us, they self-destructed. There were 4,000 casualties. Was this a coincidence? My partners and I are too busy putting these people back to work to answer this question. I do feel that our presence in the marketplace may have caused a distraction for Goliath. I am sad for all the people that lost their jobs and pray that they recover.

Today is a new day. I have a clean slate. I cannot even begin to describe how good it feels to be in this world with no enemies. When I get to meet Jesus I will thank him for every person he placed next to me in His puzzle. Each one played a role in helping me to become a better person.

Today is a great day to have a clean slate. May you find a way to forgive your enemies and discover the joy of letting go of past hurts.

Peace Be With You

Peace is something we all seek. It is mentioned 247 times in the Bible. There is a difference between peace and trouble and it is very possible to have both at the same time. Peace is a state of mind and trouble is related to the external events that are going on in our lives.

I cannot imagine my life without peace as I face my daily challenges. So how do we get peace in our lives? I wanted to share some ideas that have helped me to have more peace in my life:

1. Decide that no matter what storm you are facing on the outside, you will be at peace on the inside.

2. Forgive your enemies. Pray for them to have better lives.

3. Make a poster board and place the word "peace" on it (See earlier post about the poster board).

4. Listen to peaceful music.

5. Read "In Pursuit of Peace" by Joyce Meyer (one of my wife's favorites).

6. Meditate daily.

7. Set worthwhile goals and achieve them.

8. Volunteer.

9. Pray for peace.

10. Remember that God wins!

For me, there is no greater peace than knowing Jesus is my personal friend. Now that He is in my heart, I know He is with me everywhere I go. I get stuck in traffic jams just like everyone else and sometimes I find myself standing in long lines. Maybe my Friend wants me to slow down so we can spend some time together? It prevents road rage when I view the bad traffic as an opportunity to pray.

May your day be filled with peace.


John 16:33

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Godincidences

Each day, more and more of the connections to God's puzzle are revealed. This week, while my family was in Arizona, we took my mother out to celebrate her 70th birthday. Our waitress recognized my mother. She grew up in the house next door and lived there for twenty two years before moving out to get married and start her own family. My mother has now lived in her home for forty five years. Our waitress commented on what a coincidence it was that out of the millions of people in Phoenix, we would all meet. I just smiled because I recognized the moment as another "Godincidence".

It is no coincidence that you are at this site. We are all connected in God's puzzle. Some of us are the hands, others the feet. Those of us with special hearts are to reach out and comfort others. When we are connected, the puzzle is complete.

Yesterday, I was driving to work and met Nancy and her daughter while they were on a walk. She gave me permission to use her name because she is another special part of the puzzle. I have known Nancy for nearly twenty two years. All three of her children were babysitters for my kids. My wife worked for Nancy and I worked with Nancy during my time in the cave.

Nancy called me recently to tell me she listed me as a reference for a job she was applying for. I am hoping to create a job for her soon as we expand in other cities. As I talked with Nancy, she told me that she reads this blog every day. I shared with her that another individual from the blog emailed me asking for prayers for wisdom and that became the inspiration for yesterday's post. Nancy immediately offered to send a copy of wisdom quotes to this person. She told me she keeps extra copies that she freely distributes to those in need.

This is how God's puzzle works. We are all connected so we can help one another in our journey. We know how the story ends. No matter how bleak our current situation may be, in the end, God wins. If we are connected to Him and to each other, we win too.

May your day be filled with "Godincidences" and may you be blessed with the wisdom to see just how active God is in your life. Stay connected and have a great day. Thank you, Nancy, for sharing your gifts with others. The wisdom another reader was praying for will be in today's mail.

Wisdom

If a genie were to appear in front of you and offer you three wishes, what would you ask for? Would your wishes include a better job or improved health? Maybe you would like to see more money in your bank account? This is pretty much the same question that God asked Solomon and Solomon's answer pleased God. He only asked for one thing, wisdom.

There is an entire book in the Bible dedicated to wisdom. We don't need some kind of magical genie to acquire wisdom. We don't need to buy wisdom, it is free...we just need to ask for it (and EXPECT to receive it).

In my life, I started praying for wisdom as a teenager. I never asked for a lot of wisdom, just enough to face each day so I could deal with my challenges. Since I never really expected to be wise, this prayer was answered very slowly over three decades. The more wisdom I obtain, the more I realize just how far away I am from reaching higher levels of understanding.

The Book of Wisdom contains nineteen chapters. The first six are meant for our leaders. The next three teach us that true wisdom only comes from God and that you can obtain it through prayer and leading a good life. The last ten chapters show us the effects of wisdom.

If you are seeking wisdom, you will find it if you look in the right place. Why not start with the Book of Wisdom? Have a great day.

Wisdom 7:7 - Wherefore I wished, and understanding was given me: and I called upon God, and the spirit of wisdom came upon me.

Man in the Mirror

Sometimes, looking in the mirror is painful. The more I look in the mirror, the more I realize that I am the source of much of the conflict in my relationships with others. Like Michael Jackson says in his song, "the Man in the Mirror", change starts with looking in the mirror.

A long time ago, I received an email from a friend and it was full of pictures of what people around the world eat. Each picture showed a family surrounded by the food that they were going to eat for the week. It also showed the food bill. The first picture was your typical American family. It was loaded with soda, ice cream, pizza, etc, etc. The food bill was enormous.

The pictures went in descending order according to the dollars spent. The family from South America had a diet high in beans, rice, vegetables, and water. What struck me in the picture was all the smiling faces. The last picture was a family from Africa. Once again, everyone in the picture had an oversize smile. There were a couple of jugs of water and some rice. The food bill was smaller than what we spend on one night at a restaurant, for dessert!

What do you see when you look in the mirror? I am going to keep working on making changes in what I eat. It is easier to make better choices when I think about the children in the other countries that are wondering when they will get their next meal. I am also going to keep working on being more accepting of others. This is easy to do when I look in the mirror and see what needs to be changed. Have a great day.

Role Models

I would like to send out a big thank you to my relatives for the invitation to the 50th anniversary celebration. It was so special to connect with all of you. The world is better because many of you have reached out and touched the lives of people around you. I am one of those people who have benefited from you.

Yesterday, one of my relatives noticed how much fun my daughter was having taking pictures of the party. She mentioned how important photography was to my grandfather and my daughter loved hearing about his passion. He had his own photography business and worked hard to support his family.

The first time I went to a 50th wedding anniversary celebration was for my grandparents on my mother's side. Yesterday, many of my relatives recalled just how special that day was. It seems rare these days to see couples stay together for life. We all need role models to show us how to make our marriages work.

I recall all the challenges my grandparents faced in their lives. First, my grandfather had to survive the Mexican Revolution. He came to this country prior to the depression and made a better life for himself and his siblings by working hard as a railroad worker before launching his photography business that covered two cities. He bought a house during the depression and made sure all four of his children received college educations.

When my grandmother discovered she had stomach cancer, they both stuck together through the challenging times. My grandmother lived a full life despite having two thirds of her stomach removed. She never complained even though she spent the rest of her life sleeping in a seated position. In fact, she is the most optimistic person I have ever known in my life.

When my first child was born, my grandmother gave me something she always carried around with her for inspiration. It is called "My Daily Bread". I never paid much attention to it until my "conversion experience". These days, my wife and I both read it regularly.

I am thankful for the many role models in my life. This blog is dedicated to all the people in our world that serve as role models for others. I want to acknowledge my grandparents on both sides of my family for all they have done. The photos above are of Victor and Mary Rubalcaba, my mother's parents. I know they were both smiling from Heaven yesterday as they watched their only son and his wife follow in their footsteps.

May your life be filled with great role models and may you also be a source of inspiration for others by living your life to its fullest potential. Have a great day.

Tribute to Victor and Patricia Rubalcaba-50 Years of Marriage

This is my first blog on the road. I am sitting in a Starbucks in Arizona typing this post as I pay tribute to my mother's brother and his wife. Today we will witness these precious relatives renew their vows in front of God, their eight children and extended family from all over the country. It is such a Blessing to be here with "la familia".

This couple has been so special and today's blog is dedicated to them. They made several video clips that were emailed to family members and there was one message in particular that is really for all of us. My relatives started a St. Vincent De Paul chapter in their hometown and they have spent much of their lives feeding the homeless. As they reached out to family members to announce their anniversary, my uncle Victor made a plea to make sure all family members reach out and give the homeless a snack to eat. My aunt Patty added, "don't just give them a snack, take them out for a meal!" This is what makes this couple so special, they are very focused on the people around them. They also understand that the best way to celebrate the renewal of their vows is to do it at God's table. So today, we have been invited to break Bread with Jesus in His House and witness this extraordinary couple say yes to each other and to God. This is what keep marriages alive. After the banquet, we will go to the park and a feast which will include home-made tamales prepared by this special couple. They are feeding the people that have been invited to their celebration today just like Jesus feeds us at his banquet. Should a homeless person walk up to the party, I know he or she will be welcome to join the anniversary party.

Thank you, uncle Victor and aunt Patty, for being such a great role model for me and my children. Thank you for being advocates for those around us that could use a helping hand. It is so awesome to see you following in your parents footsteps. It seems like yesterday that we were all together to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.

I will see you at the party. May God Bless you, your children, and your grandchildren on this special day and all the days ahead of you.