Intentional Gesture

A lot times we donate our time or help some in need because we have been asked to react. When is the last time you purposely set out to help? Looking back, in my life, I can't think of a recent example. Most times I receive a phone call, say yes and chip in my time. Too often we don't make it an objective to go out and help someone in need. I hope to show my family in the near future the importance to set aside our personal time and intentionally help someone in need.

God Bless. Thanks for reading.

Tip of the Day

I had a teacher in high school that gave the perfect words of advice. Considering this was all I can remember learning from him, even though he taught Economics, World History, Accounting and etc, his advice still rings today: "Don't study something you already know the answer to."

I try to apply that to many other functions in my daily life. It could be decluttering the house, reading a blog or jobs around the house. Regardless of the situation, if you know the answer or haven't used the item in the last year, save yourself the time and study or keep something you will use.

On a side note:  Thunderstruck by AC/DC sometimes is just the perfect song to start a day.

God bless and thanks reading. 

Points of No Return - Blog reference

Please check out my brother-in-law's latest blog entry: Points of No Return. This is a great blog post in regards to Christians current stance within our culture. As Christians we tend to become defensive and even aggressive. We like to express what we are against rather than share the awesome news of Jesus Christ. Little Johnny gets teased in school and we put him in home school, when Little Johnny could be an excellent messenger of God to other children his age.Great points View of the Hill.

God bless....thanks for reading.

Morning Priorities

My mornings have a nice routine. If I am lucky, the kids sleep into 7am. If I am really lucky, Amanda wakes up with the kids, closes our bedroom door, feeds Brody and goes for an early morning walk with the kids. It's unfair to consider this an option and probably more naive. Life with young kids and a dog is active and personal priorities have to go out the window. But there are personal priorities that cannot be ignored. Besides exercise and good eating habits, we should prioritize time with God. Now don't assume I am the example to follow. The point of this blog is to not follow my example.

Each of my mornings consist of letting the dog out, feeding the dog, breakfast for the kiddos, read the paper and grab the phone for the latest social media updates. This morning I noticed a bad habit. I enjoy my smartphone. The conveniences are endless. First thing each morning I use it to check the weather, fantasy football/baseball, Facebook, blogs and lastly my devotion. Strongly recommend Charles Stanley's In Touch devotional. As I got to the devotional this morning, I thought it myself, "why are you checking this last?"

Often times we get stuck putting worldly pursuits in front of God's. I am guilty and many of us are. Something to think about next time we have some free time with our smartphone.

God Bless...thanks for reading.

Sherlock Holmes

If there are any Sherlock Holmes fans out there, then I highly recommend BBC's Sherlock. Click the link for the wikipedia breakdown. I enjoy how they take modern day technology and apply it to the life of Sherlock and Dr. Watson. I am a huge fan and love the books. I have only been able to see the show via Netflix. Once you start one episode, you won't be able to stop.

God Bless and thanks for reading.

Old Man Sandwich

 Aaron Schauer and I have this wager with our wives. If we reach our goal weight by the end of May, then we get to go out and buy shotguns (hunting), but if we don't, then our wives get cash of equal value. Our wives are amazing bakers and could easily sabotage our mission, but they also are sick of seeing their husbands with the extra weight. They have been great support. So far so good. Since Christmas I am down 16 pounds and have another 12 to lose by May 31st. In order to reach this goal, I need to workout and this brings me to my unique story.

Wednesday this week I went to the NDSU Wellness Center to workout. I like to go during the late morning. A lot of the students have class and access to a machine is easy. There are little to none negatives about working out at this time of day until this last Wednesday.  About 5 minutes into my workout, an older gentlemen steps up to the elliptical next to me. Not a big deal, but then he had a fan. His fan was positioned opposite of me, but pointing at him and then me. First, I don't like fans blowing on me during a workout, but more importantly, I don't like fans blowing the smell of a 70 year old man who clearly forgot deodorant and had been working out prior. Don't get me wrong. I smell when I work out. I sweat and release smells only POWs would appreciate, but I don't blow my smell to other people. I was only 5 minutes in and I didn't want to switch. I decided to suffer through it and continue. Enter old man number two with a fan. No joke, two minutes later, old man number two takes the elliptical on my other side and he too has a fan. I was being sandwiched. That was the last straw. Second old man must of have applied BenGay to 90% of his body and he too decided to blow his fan in my direction. It was time to pack up and choose another machine.

I guess there are times God puts us in situations we are not comfortable with. How we handle those situations determines our character and sometimes sense of smell. 

God Bless...thanks for reading.

Boston Marathon Tradegy

The Boston Marathon bombing is a tragic event. Unfortunately I am not surprised. I feel non immune to the possibility of a tragic event taking place where people congregate. This is our life and there is no sign of bombings or shootings going away. What can change is the way we raise future generations. We need to show young boys they are loved. We need to show the next generation they have a father and mother supporting them and loving them all throughout their years of growth. We need to show future generations that God is the answer and there is no other way to happiness. There is too much hate in our world and our self destruction will continue.

God bless. Thanks for reading.