Is faith real & who has it? Part 1

So many ways, so many times, we hear the word faith.

- Keep the faith, man! As a greeting or encouragement in passing.

- I've got faith in you! Same as the "I think you can" encouraging people to greatness, or passing their next college exam.

- Walk by faith! In church setting, meaning trust in God, what you don't see.

- Have faith in yourself! Motivational speakers use it all the time, to encourage us to go beyond who we think we are.

So, what is this mystery? This faith thing? Does it really work or get you through? Where does it come from & how do I get it? Do I have it already? Come'on, that stuff isn't even real, get a life.

Webster's defines faith as - Belief; the assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared by another, resting solely and implicitly on his authority and veracity; reliance on testimony.

So, in simple terms, what does it mean to have faith?

Well, you get in your car and drive. You believe, to some extent, that you won't get in an accident, that you will get where your going. You believe that if you put gas in that car, it will start and you will be able to make it go. So, you have faith in your car.

In so many ways, in so many days, we put our trust in things we can't see. We believe that a baby bird comes from an egg. Yet, if you crack that egg to watch it, It's time for an omelet, because we all know it won't happen then.

The same with your car, if you cut the engine in half to see the miracle of how it works, you better have a good mechanic and deep pockets, or that engine isn't taking you anywhere, ever again.

So, faith is a simple trust, a belief that things, even things we can't see, will work as we are told. Everyone has it, at some level, just a little bit of faith. Faith that people will take green pieces of paper for products and services. Faith that food is edible and will nourish our bodies. Faith that companies are doing what they say they will.

Faith is real. It depends if you want to use it or not. If you drive 90 miles to work, but tell the boss, "Sorry... that'll take me two days to get there, I have a brand new car, but don't believe it works, I ride my bike because, at least I can see it working." You will probably have a serious problem, in fact, people will probably call you foolish.

The problem is, that there is an opposite to faith & trust. There are fear generators and hope thieves out there. Throughout the short history of banks and stock markets, companies have done bad things and gotten the boot, markets stabilize because we know that other companies are solid, producing.

So, now, we have the biggest fear generators of all. People are afraid, banks are afraid, money insurer's are afraid. (My personal belief is that our faith has to go deeper and depend on the one beyond and bigger than our financial systems.) Reactions to that fear have abounded. I've even seen financial guys & news anchors on TV asking where their 401k is going to.

So, they spread fear and uncertainty.

Is that what you want to spread? Is it really what you believe? I don't want to spread fear and I don't believe we have to give up. I don't believe that the American people are quitters and I don't believe we want to be a welfare nation. I drive by and stop in at quality businesses all the time that are keeping on in the midst of all the panic. Where is the press and the news on them?

So, today, lets make a pact to share a little faith, some hope, some smiles, if we share what we have, it will grow!




Romans 12:3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

Refuge in a time of trouble - God doesn't change

We are in a political climate where a lot of people are shocked and dismayed about the new President-elect. I have even written multiple times & in multiple places that I am disappointed. However, I'm not afraid or angry, because my hope doesn't come from who holds the office of president. I'm at peace about it.

Why? Don't you see the impending end of all things we hold dear with this man as president?

Come on people. He's only a man. God is still bigger. Maybe that sounds clichéd, but I can tell you that in my life and my family’s life, it's not clichéd. "But it has to be, you can't mean it", you say.

Yes, I mean it. God has been our Refuge, our whole Christian lives, our whole marriage. We have seen everything go, and we have been at the lowest point possible where we foolishly lost everything & He has promoted. He promoted us to the point where we were able to use finances to bless, over and over, many times. Even the home we are in, He not only provided and gave us peace about it, but we turned down looking at bigger homes, because we wanted to be wise & make sure our finances would be available for God’s use in times of need.

2^nd Samuel 22:31 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.

Over two years ago, things in our lives started getting tough. I had been a workaholic for a technology company, but yes, still a Christian and trying to make sure my life and my attitude were a testimony to those around me. (No, not perfect, just trying to live for Christ and others.)

Around Thanksgiving, we had pipes in the upstairs of our house freeze and burst, we had a hole in our ceiling for Christmas, New Years, Valentine’s Day, a really long time before everything got fixed. At first, I freaked out, but then, my family thought I was crazy, because I just kept telling them; we need to rejoice in all things, God never allows anything but He turns it for His good. Then, about a week and a half later, I fell, and severed a ligament in my ankle which lingered on for several months before being diagnosed and treated properly. After a lot of physical therapy, a surgery and then a lot more physical therapy, I was finally able to walk again. In the midst of all that, I had the blessing of losing a lot of weight. (Hint, pain is not advisable, but can be an excellent weight loss program). I dealt with many times of frustration, but I only wanted to keep face front, forgive, no blame, just keep thanking God and moving forward.

A few months after being blessed to be able to walk again, mostly without pain and done with physical therapy, February of 07, I believe, I started having severe pain attacks in my body. Going in to the ER, they thought I was an alcoholic because my liver enzymes were off the charts. Thing is, I didn't (and don't) drink. They couldn't find anything and the attacks and pain continued. About a week later (after blood tests every day/every other day) they discovered the problem was my gall bladder. Cool, we thought, a standard, easy surgery and everybody goes home happy.

Well, easy was true, but something went wrong. I wasn't supposed to continue in pain and it continued. After being released to go back to work, I found I was in intense pain just sitting at my desk. The doctor ran another week or two of tests, told me she couldn't find anything, and I went back to work again, still in lots of pain and taking a ton of Advil/Ibuprofen to combat it. She said, "Well, this will probably take a year to go away, it happens with some patients." Well, the all clear from the doctor was good enough for work and they laid me off the Monday after getting the note.

After the layoff, we did what anyone would do; we thanked God for His blessings and applied for unemployment. I think I was on unemployment for about two weeks, before we decided to start our own small computer services business. During this time was also when I did some heavy physical work to help out some friends and found out it was making me sick and tired in a weird way. (This continued with each camping trip However, I was determined to serve God, my family and others that I wanted to help grow their businesses, so we pressed forward.

I believe the best way for us to not get caught up in our own struggles and problems is to serve others. God then brought a couple of small family members into our lives that needed help. We jumped at the chance and delved into an adventure that fully tested us, to our limits. Throughout I continue to have to use ibuprofen, 3 to 4 pills, 3 times a day, to fight off the internal pain and to allow myself to work, sleep and drive as much as possible. God provided work for us and we kept pushing.

Well, I started having more problems with the pain and lack of sleep, which resulted in randomly dropping things or being in a lot of pain from doing too much, or pain when I go to pick up my little girl, even simple things like cutting the grass or weeding, leaving me in tons of pain the next day. The toll on my wife has been really tough too, as it has resulted in a change in focus of our business from onsite support services to remote support, simple web design services and things that can be sold through internet store fronts.

I’ve had days where, I’ve pushed too hard, and then been useless the next day, or left a client and got in my car to drive home and been in tears because my body was throbbing in so much pain. I pretty much have constant dark circles under my eyes, because I sleep between nerve blockers and ibuprofen wearing off. (Yes, I’ve been on a few different pain medicines and visits to the doctor, and thankful to a gracious family member and the doctor I’m now on nerve blockers too, which are at least having the effect of providing more sleep at night.)

So, where is the refuge, where is the joy in all of this? Funny, huh? But we are getting there. When driving hurts, you try to drive less. When sitting hurts, you find ways to sit that don’t. You also change your business and what you do, to something that you can do. You find out that the best laid plans and effort of a year’s work that is tied to something that will never happen, have to be restarted, rewritten. You also find that all the money and time you put into it, are gone, like vapor. You find that finances and money, become non-essentials. How is that possible, especially in this economy? Well, when the money is all gone and you let God take care of you, all things are possible.

It’s almost funny, because He is telling you to trust Him; He is going to take care of you. Keep doing what you know is right. People start to get mad at you. Even some Christians get upset with you. You can’t trust God for that stuff. You better do something. Heck, you better let the government take care of you. (For my opinion on that, go to http://www.phoenixfirst.org & click on the green "This Week's Service" button in the middle of the page, "The Future of America".)

Go, lie to people Tell them you’re body is ok, until you get medical insurance and last until they fire you; you can’t just trust God, that’s not enough. However, God has put a peace in us, that He’s in charge and He will provide all our needs according to His riches in glory. In Matthew 6:25 Jesus said “do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear”.

Then, your fridge is empty. You pray for Him to fill it. He does. We have seen, not just day after day, but month after month, God providing our needs. It has become commonplace, so much a miracle, where work will come in, or customers you never thought would pay, pay their bill. God keeps teaching you, sometimes through people you don’t even expect, that He will provide.

The thing is, people want to say, oh, you should have done this or that. I never would’ve done that! Why don’t you sue this person or that?

First of all, God is in charge. All of our steps are ordained by Him. He’s the one who took a former janitor and put him into high places. He’s the one that was there, when the body broke, the surgery went wrong and the layoff came. He was bigger than all of that. He has been there as the days have gone by and kept the fridge full and the mind and body full of supernatural peace.

He is that exciting of a Lord, that when people say “be practical”, He says to give. Look for ways to bless, look for ways to reach out, to encourage. He tells us to not focus on ourselves, focus on others and He will do the rest. It’s an amazing thing, when you find you don’t have any more in you and God steps in, picks you up and carries you. I want to shout it out, How great His love and provision are!

Second, God’s logic doesn’t match yours or mine. My logic says push yourself (and I’ve tried & I end up in a lot of pain and weak for days) go, do. See, Jesus says, Come unto me all you that are weary and heavy burdened and I will give you rest. Man’s logic says hold on to everything you have, God’s logic says give and it shall be given unto you.

Third, we have been trusting God, why would we stop now? Why would we let current events even effect our faith in God’s provision. Why am I not afraid? Because, the words of God are true, they are ALIVE, and they are relevant today. Heck, the Bible says God uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. Well, He definitely got that right with me and my family. We have done what we can, and serving where He tells us to and He keeps stepping in and doing the rest. God has been providing for us non-stop over the past year and a half, ways for us to be a tangible help and I expect no less for the next year and a half.

I wish I could shout this to you, shoot it straight through like a bolt of light into your heart and mind! God is our Refuge, our high-tower that provides joy and peace and strength in the midst of constant, ongoing pain and trouble. He Provides!

Some people have said they were afraid or worried for us! Thank you, but don’t worry, God is in charge, nobody is kicking Him off His throne! See, my Heavenly Father has more provision and more money than banks, mortgage companies, governments.

• So, today, I’m not going to the Sheriffs’ sale for this home.
• I'm not going to worry about those God has allowed in authority over our country, I'm going to pray for them.
• I’m going to go do what work I can to promote and build a future for a lot of people.
• I’m going to give and serve my family and others in joy and peace, not in fear and dismay.
• I’m going to look for a way to encourage you, to tell you that God is so faithful, even when we are foolish!

I believe that where we have been and where we are going are not there to tear your heart out, but to lift you up in joy and peace, to give you hope and faith in God’s provision no matter what!

Philippians 4:4-7 says Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

A Foundation of Hidden Strength...

We have been given a great gift. Freedom. A free nation. We are a beacon of hope and limitless opportunity to many throughout the world.

So many times we forget what we are and where we came from. We forget that our grandparents and great grandparents survived horrible things. Some of today's issues are but a shadow of what happened in their lives so many years ago. We forget the Boston Tea Party and the Revolutionary war. We forget that our forefathers were separating church and state, not personal faith, character, ethics or morals from their jobs in office. They were providing a foundation for us to have freedom of worship and freedom of speech. We tend to forget that they built this nation with their tears, sweat and blood.

Sometimes its almost too easy to forget, as we sit in our heated (hey, it's getting cold here in Michigan now) living rooms that so many have paid a great price for all the freedoms we have and enjoy. It's easy to shout how wrong they were, and are (a freedom of speech many, including our ancestors fought and bled for us to have,) to keep the wolves at bay that would claim our freedoms and try to take them away.

The somehow ironic thing of all this, is that those who defend and defended our freedom, would do it all over again, to give us that chance, that opportunity to live a better life of freedom and hope. No, I don't know all that my parents, grandparents and great grandparents worked for and gave up, so I would have opportunity. However, I do know that I would do the same for my children.

The coolest thing about that, is the grace of it. They have given me opportunity, that is so limitless, so boundless, if I had all the money in the world it would not be enough to cover the gift of freedom and opportunity, that came from their years of hard work, struggles and life. They've given me an opportunity for strength and courage.

Our ancestors gave that to all of us and to those who have come here seeking those very same freedoms. The freedom to own a business, whether you are a man or woman. The freedom to choose a husband or wife. The freedom to have an education without having to be in favor of a certain ruling system or be at a certain societal level or certain caste level.

We have been given great gifts and a great foundation of hidden strength in this nation. We may never be able to earn that grace that was given to us, but we can live our lives in honor and gratitude of it. We can hold on to that hope and strength of a future that has strong foundations and we can let the world know that it is in us and for us and that the light of it still burns bright.

Fall colors of joy and beauty

When he first woke up, his thoughts were "this is the day Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it." His second set of thoughts wondered if it was gone. He moved to sit up and sharp reminders told him it wasn't. The day then began, helping a 4 year old and 7 year old decide who got to play on the computer first, then helping them find their game. Drinking a cup of coffee and washing down a pill. About an hour later he then washed down some Advil with granola.

Later he left for a meeting. The drive wasn't as bad as usual, was this new pill working, or was he just hoping that it was so much, that it seemed like it? He changed his focus from the building pain, and started taking in the beauty of clear blue skies, with autumn leaf filled trees in the forefront. Then he started thanking God for all his blessings. Family, friends, a beautiful day, salvation. By the time he got to the meeting his focus was on his joy in Christ, not how he felt.

Bending and sitting at the meeting started taking its toll. Walking and standing it off helped some, but was somewhat counterproductive. The pressure was off his chest from sitting, but still built up, just more slowly and his foot and ankle were throbbing from running into a chest and a kids toy the week before. Standing and walking only made the foot and ankle throb more. 6 hours had passed and he could take more Advil, except.... he forgot to fill the bottle before he left that morning, so he only had one caplet, a teaser.

Driving home was hurting, both sides and his whole chest were hurting. Pain continued to ripple upward through it, into his shoulders. He tried distracting himself on the way home with a quick prayer and a couple phone calls. Entering the house, his excited children greeted him with smiles and laughter and boisterous, loud welcomes. Smiles and hugs were shared back and forth as he put down his bag and moved to the kitchen to take find the Advil. 3 more, down the hatch. Sweet relief in 45 minutes to an hour. His insides felt like a vibrating painful mush and every movement hurt, he'd waited too long and probably should've left sooner.

As dusk was falling, the kids were coming in for the night and his wife was going to the store, he stood in the kitchen, his body throbbing and watched a beautiful sunset occurring. Truly, he was blessed. A gorgeous fall sky was painted across with oranges and clouds highlighted and glowing, showing off trees and leaves of gold and red. You could almost taste and feel the burst of colors. He had to have a picture, maybe more than one.

Bending over to get his shoes on sent pain, rippling through his body. Why was he doing this? Because, people had to see this beauty, this joy of creation. Stepping out the back door, every muscle in his body hurt, the cool, crisp autumn air brushed his cheek, making him feel so alive. Breathing sent pain rolling up from his rib cage on both sides, up to under his arms and shoulders. He stopped to take a couple pictures. Walking into the front yard, he snapped a few more. Looking at the camera settings, he hoped that the pictures were coming out ok.

As he soaked in the beauty of the crisp cold air, he thanked God for His beautiful creation. Walking purposefully, and steadily, he continued around the corner, so he could get more of the sun coming down. With each step pain rippled through his foot and ankle, pain rolled and vibrated through his chest cavity up to his shoulders. Every breath was measured, trying not to breath too deeply, as it caused pain to roll across the bottom of the rib cage into both sides and up to below his shoulders, his chest feeling like a painful weight had been strapped under his chin. The crisp air had an alive, fresh leafy and backyard fire smell to it. Ignoring the pain, his pace slightly quickened.


Rounding the corner a beautiful panoramic sky of color stretched ahead of him.

He stood and took it in, once more seeing and feeling a beauty that could not be spoken with words or done justice with cameras.

Turning to walk down the next street, towards a nearby park, following the beautiful fall sunset, the young man felt like he'd stepped into a path to another world, maybe a tunnel to Narnia. Trees and vines grew along it, sounds of football games from nearby homes, crackling backyard fires and distant voices seemed to be from another world as the street rolled on in front of him.








Ignoring his pain and continuing forward, the young man absorbed the imagery and beauty into his soul. Thanking and worshiping God for the wonder of His creation the whole time.

At the end of the Narnia-like path, he crossed the street and walked into the park. Going forward a few feet brought him to a place where the view was breathtaking. A mixture of sound, light and glowing colors, took away his breath and made him think that almost the whole sky, leaves, trees and fields were singing a glorious song of worship to their Creator together.

Blessed is the man that trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is in the Lord, For he will be as a tree planted by the waters, that spreads out her roots by the river, and will not see when heat comes, but her leaf will be green; and will not need to be careful in the year of drought or stop yielding fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27



Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

To Be Determined

It's always interesting when you hear the phrase "Well, that's to be determined" or "That's to be decided". These phrases usually mean pending some future event. "We don't know if they'll make it or not, that's still TBD."

Well, for me, I think the way that phrase tends to be used needs to be put to rest. My life isn't To Be Determined. However, my choice is. My choice is to be, determined. It doesn't matter what our circumstances are. See, we can all choose that.

So many times in life, rough times happen. As a nation, as people, we have survived tough times, World Wars, Pearl Harbor, The Great Depression, Dotcom bubbles popping, September 11th and so much more. Yet through it all, we as people were determined. We were determined not to walk in fear, but in faith. We decided to push forward no matter what. We have a heritage of grandparents and great grandparents that persevered in the face of all that, so they could give us a future of freedom. Let's not sit idly by, lets earn it, lets grasp that freedom, that future, that's been given to us and move forward.

So, in the midst of all of the current events,

I choose to be determined to not allow financial markets define how I treat my neighbor.
I choose to be determined to not allow personal pain determine my ability to smile.
I choose to be determined to not allow circumstances define my joy.
I choose to be determined to offer an encouraging word and not drag people down.
I choose to be determined to keep moving forward, no matter what.
I choose to be determined to not walk or react in fear, to be not afraid.
I choose to be determined to treat people and relationships with integrity.
I choose to be determined to keep my faith and trust no matter what life brings.

I choose to be determined to Thank God every day for all of His blessings in my life. For my children, my wife, my family, my friends.
I choose to be determined to thank the people around me for their friendship and graciousness.
I choose to be determined to give more in this life than I get from it.
I choose to be determined to make someones day today.

(By the way, I saw from Google that its Paddington Bears Birthday today. So, here's a picture of one of my mascots I was given for my birthday a few years ago. ;-)


















Blessed is the man that trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is in the Lord, For he will be as a tree planted by the waters, that spreads out her roots by the river, and will not see when heat comes, but her leaf shall be green; and will not need to be careful in the year of drought or stop yielding fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8

Lets choose to be determined, even when we are in the tough spots in life. Lets determine to keep moving forward. Lets choose to be determined to give the fruit of hope or a smile at a moments notice, no matter what.

Light Bulbs, Perception, the Reset Button and a Laugh

So, the stock market is a mess. The financial industry is a mess. The credit industry is a mess. All the experts, naysayers and doomsayers are talking crisis. Funny thing is, it all appears to be perception.

Since my first lesson in finances years ago, (I was in a small private school where a CPA firm that visited was providing classes for us,) I was told that the price of stock doesn't really mean that share of a company is worth that much in dollars. It was only worth what people believed it to be worth.

So, if it was a light bulb company, buying stock, or pieces of a company simply meant that people believed that company was going to keep making light bulbs, because, gee... I was going to keep using light bulbs. So, this stock could be worth a lot of money, because we were going to keep buying light bulbs.

Now, these wise gentlemen explained to us that if someone convinced a bunch of people that the light bulb company couldn't make light bulbs anymore, that everyone would try to get rid of the light bulb companies stock, and noone would buy it, until the company either had no more shares and got booted from the stock exchange or it actually couldn't make light bulbs anymore and so stopped doing business.

So, I laughed, a little when I heard that traders didn't know what to do on Friday. I heard 3rd hand that some just stopped and stared at screens and couldn't figure out what to do. I thought it was a little silly.

Do you know why? I'm not an economist and won't pretend to be, but I know a couple things.

There are over 300,000,000 people in the US.

Guess what? We need stuff.

We need food for our kids. We need cars to get back and forth to work. Some of us need Internet services to work. We need computers and computer desks. We need houses to keep them in, so they don't get destroyed by the weather. We need chairs to sit in, at a home office or work office. Some of us will share germs and will need medicine to help us get rid of them. We need electricity, we need each other.

So, what does all that mean? We all have to figure out how to get stuff. We, as people, as a nation make those companies valuable. We make the stuff they make valuable. We are willing to trade our time, our creativity, our skills, for little green pieces of paper that we can use to buy the stuff to live.

So, some financial guy, a week or two ago, bought large portions of a company that makes light bulbs (among other things). All the pounding and fear aside. Darn it all, he must've known that my light bulb would burn out, and I'm going to have to go get a new one.

Sigh. I wish I was that smart. I would've bought the stock a year ago, cuz I bet we all bought a lot of light bulbs over the past year.

So... what were we afraid of again? Lol, I don't remember.

Excuse me, cause I'm going to need to find my car keys and figure out if I have gas in my car and where are those shoes I bought so my feet wouldn't get cold?

Fun with a cookie feast

There are lots of funny times that happen in our home.

All of our children have different passions and personalities. So, our 4 year old, Aaron, tends to be a light sleeper, in fact, we like to call him the night roamer. He has this nickname because he tends to wake up at 3am, 4am or 5am depending on the day of the week? We think he acquired the bad gene for it from his Dad (go figure, lol). Heather and I accuse me because she likes her sleep and I have traditionally been the 4 hours a night and how come the day hasn't started yet, person.

Well, the other night I was sleeping and our serious, almost 5, 4 year old got up during the night. Probably around 4am. He woke me up and announced that he was hungry. I decided, in my infinite lack of wisdom, that it was too early for him to eat and if he would like a sippy cup with Koolaid, would that suffice? He affirmed, at least I think he did, because I was in that half groggy state between awake and asleep where I was refusing to wake up quite yet and start my day.

I stumbled around the kitchen and got him a sippycup, turned the pre-school or toon disney channel on and laid back down on the loveseat to go to sleep. (All of this usually prompts him to play on the computer or watch cartoons.)

Well, the usual was not for that morning. It seems the evening before we had some packages of Vienna Finger, shortbread type cookies and some double stuff chocolate filling type cookie and had left them on the kitchen counter.

Well, Aaron decided that KoolAid was probably not enough, he was still hungry. So, he turned the tv down, grabbed a second comforter to tuck me in (I of course am oblivious and sawing many zzz's) and went exploring into the kitchen.

The end result was that I was getting hot and trying to figure out why the living room had gotten so quiet, if he was watching tv. So, I sat up on the love seat looking around, trying to figure out where Aaron was, and calling his name. There was no response. So I got up and walked over to the computer desk and there was Aaron, with a pile of cookie shells. He had opened every one and licked all the cream out!

I stood there, amused and dismayed and told him he needed to take the cookie shells to the kitchen table. He looked at me with big, solemn eyes, and said "Do I just throw them away, Dad, or do I save them for Ryan?"

Somewhere between laughing and getting upset about the cookie disaster (clearly, the parents fault :-P ) I said to him sternly and gruffly, as he looked up at me with eyes as big as nervous saucers, "No Aaron, you don't throw them away... You are supposed to eat the shells with milk."


He took a step back, in surprise, I think expecting to get in trouble and said "Ok". So, I poured him a glass of milk and he proceeded to dunking and munching.

Halfway through as I'm sitting in the living room again (not going back to sleep this time!) I hear his voice, all matter of fact and as if you had asked him the cure to world hunger, muffled by a mouthful of cookies and milk saying "You know Dad, this is really good with milk!"

Calm, peace and joy in the storm

Have you ever met someone with that infectious can-do attitude? How about that "the sky is falling, I'm giving chicken little a run for his money"? Who do you want to spend time with? Who do you spend time with?

So many industries today have reasons for negativity, layoffs, off-shoring, shaky money markets... All of these make people uncomfortable, nervous and worried. Many pundits (important talkers about stuff) report the sky is falling. It's good for their jobs. Chicken Little, real or not, sells. Should we be buying? Why are we spending our time with Chicken Little?

As a community, as a nation, as a free world we can't afford to buy the fullness of that story. We need to shake it off. Buying Chicken Little isn't about money markets and banks rippling in trouble. It's really about our peace in the midst of a storm. Markets stabilize. In the case of the US, our Congress realized the need to infuse cash and that is taking place.

That infusion made some people more secure. The emotions and feelings of people running stock markets, banks and insurers turned more positive, and they started buying again. And now, everything will continue along the tracks that give us confidence in our nations monetary stability.

So, how do you stay calm in the midst of that storm? The clouds were big and black, banks consolidated quickly in days and weeks that normally would have taken years. Some banks got hit by the economic lightening and were sold in the resulting fire sale. Now the US markets are shaking off the ash and dust, and some of our foreign friends and neighbors are picking up their firefighting equipment, because the storm has moved.

Criticism of how the US is handling and has handled this financial storm, is rippling everywhere. We made decisions, acted on them and are moving forward. So, now many analysts will pull out their pencils, dust off their keyboards and tell us everything we've done wrong and are doing wrong. But, we are going to keep moving forward. In spite of all the talk.

There are still brushfires here. There are many who are personally in the storm and have been for a while. Before the market and bank problems even began, and for multiple reasons. There are so many critics. So many Chicken Little's. Some know our lives and some don't. Many say they would do something else, what we are doing is wrong. But, in spite of all that, do we walk in peace? Do we walk in the calm and joy that is so infectious and can change the minds and hearts of men?

While everything around us may not cooperate, or the storms and complexities of the moment may seem overwhelming, whether hurricanes, destroyed homes, health, troubled financial and housing markets, gas prices, layoffs, offshoring, downsizing, foreclosures and whatever else you can think of, there is peace and joy available.

See, troubles come and go and come again. They have since the beginnning of time. There is a foundation that is stronger than time itself, that no manner of turmoil can shake.

This is where my peace, my joy comes from. It comes from Christ. It comes from the joy of my salvation! My confidence, peace and joy comes from who God is in His word and in me. See, the great mystery is this, God's plan is not for condemnation or judgement, its one of salvation. We feel condemned because of sin.

For some, that self condemnation, is that nagging feeling that follows them around that something just isn't right. For others, it gets down to a dragged down, self-loathing, knowing that something is horribly wrong inside and wishing it could change. God sent His son, Jesus, blameless and without sin, to become sin for us. To take the punishment for our sins. He did this, not so we would continue to live in this horrible loathing of ourselves, waiting for the big stick to bop us, but that we would have life and have it more abundantly!

As a Christian, I can tell you that I walk in the joy of my salvation. I want to share that joy, that peace, this ultimate gift with you. And, as some things in this world get scarier and more troublesome, I want to share Jesus with you, not some wavy, ghosty image, but the Christ, who wants to give you life and joy and peace in the midst of your storms. The Christ who died on the cross for my and your sins, the Christ who wants to live in our hearts and give us true peace and joy, not founded in the things or circumstances around us. He is the one who rose on the third day.

It's simple. It's not rocket science, its not stock and bank analysis. He wants to take all our baggage and carry it for us, to give us rest.

This is the success, calm, peace and joy plan I'm glad I took a long time ago. That if I would speak with my words Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart, that God raised Him from the dead, I would be redeemed and He would come to live in my heart.

After that, walk in the joy of your salvation. Being a Christian isn't about moping around in defeat, its about walking in peace and joy that supersedes our circumstances, even our health, finances or foolishness. Share that peace, that joy with people and you will be giving them something that is stronger than any oil consortium, any financial market any personal or national crisis.

In our weakness, He is strong. 2nd Corinthians 12:9 "And he said to me, 'My grace is enough for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.' ...."

Have an Awesome Day!

In the few moments that you read my blog, I could sit here and complain about all the bad things that have happened in life. I could drown you in negativity and depression and at the end we would have the biggest biggest pity party and case of poor me's or poor you's ever.

Do bad things happen. Yes. We know and live the reality of these things every day. Should I drown you in the sucking sound of sorrow that comes from them?

No! That's not fair to you and it's not fair to God. It's not fair to the kindness and generosity and opportunity I've had the joy of experiencing throughout my life. I will tell you that I have 5 awesome children who make me laugh and smile, who I can play with and pray with. I have an awesome wife that I am in love with to this day. I can tell you that I have experienced grace and mercy and such cool and awesome things in my life, that so many people said I wouldn't ever get or touch!

I truly have been so blessed. I didn't graduate from a traditional high-school. I graduated from a homeschool. I worked as a custodian, to help my mom pay bills. I had a gift of study guides on electronics, I read, learned and memorized as much of them as possible. I love to learn, geek that I am. I had a year of college in electrical engineering technology (and later on another semester) with ok grades. Then I went to work full time. After a couple years of ups and downs, I met and married my dream girl. Heather.

We married, ambitious and excited about our future, lots of money coming in, three cars and a new baby on the way... then we lost everything. Her father died shortly after we were married. Not long after that, our startup business failed, we lost our contract work for the newspapers, money and dreams were in short supply. We filed bankruptcy. People were worried that I would be battling the same depression my father did a lot of his life. We prayed, read our Bibles, praised God and lived. I also started listening to a cassette tape I found at a Barnes & Noble bookstore by Zig Ziglar, Goals.

I ended up at multiple part time jobs. But during that time, I was determined to become good at solving computer problems. Not because it was popular or had good income, but because I loved working with the technology. I had finally learned that being excellent at and doing what you loved would help you succeed more than anything. I also learned that helping other people be successful at what they wanted and what they do, would help you succeed!

After getting better at computers and going forward with an attitude of wanting to help whoever I worked for be successful, God continued to bless. It was funny, throughout those years, I would apply for a job and people would say "You can't do that, they won't hire you." Others would say "They aren't going to pay you such and such, you don't have a college degree." The reality is, they were wrong and God continued to bless.

So, when things happened a couple years ago, with my ankle and then, with my gall bladder and the pain after that surgery not going away. Now, with economic problems and having to change services we provide and other things, people say "What are you going to do?" "Why don't you do this?" "Why don't you do that?"

I am doing. We are trusting God. My wife and I are doing what we can to move our business forward, and when we can't move forward any further, we will stand. My attitude isn't going to change because of tough times. I'm still going to walk in faith. I'm still going to find ways to help and give. I'm still going to treat customers ethically and walk forward. I'm still going to talk about and tell people about God's hope, His love and the truth that He cares for us, no matter what.

We all grimace when we are hurting, in spite of that, I'm still going to tell you about the peace of God that is in my heart. I am going to tell you that I will walk in His joy, no matter what the circumstances that go on around us. I will also tell you that God keeps providing and surprising us every day! Things that I have never thought possible, happen. Many days I sit down at the end of the day, in amazement and thankfulness for the kindness and grace and joy that He has blessed us with.

When I share my heart about our nation, about our communities, I'm talking from a reality that we sometimes forget to look for or look at. The reality is that God can work through people everywhere. The reality is that when we work towards a goal together, we become stronger as a people, as a nation. The simplest reality is, when you share a bit of joy, of trust and kindness, it spreads like the best kind of infection that could ever revitalize a community or a nation.

It's actually good for economies. Credit card companies know it. They show you a joyful, heartfelt moment and tell you how you they can give you those memories. The thing is, that's a moment you can have or give, without a credit card, without money, without perfect circumstances. I had the blessing of hearing a woman the other night, who talked about how you can walk into a place and change the mood completely, if they are struggling or down or fighting angry customers, you can share a moment of joy that can turn a whole office around.

The secret?

That same thing can turn an economy around! It can turn a community around! One moment of shared encouragement, or a smile or hope from each of our days, can change the despair of foreclosures and layoffs and struggling businesses into a community of real hope. We can change a whole business deal or relationship with a creditor by dealing with kindness and by sharing hope. It really does change things.

That's why I refuse to be down because of personal circumstances. That's why I say and believe that tomorrow is going to be a better day! I'm not faking it, I'm telling you that kindness and friends and sharing and doing something good with and for someone makes every day a new opportunity that I look forward to!

Stand - Keep Holding On!

Whac a Mole

So many times, when bad things happen, Hurricanes, Tornado's, Businesses being bailed out by the Fed, layoffs, financial turmoil in a nation or more, it's easy for us to ask if we are being punished. It's easy to think God may be playing Whac-a-Mole with a people or a nation. He's not. Bad things have happened throughout the years. They will happen again.

While it can be so easy to fall into a Charlie Brown mentality and say "Why is everyone (or everything) picking on me?" We can look for opportunity in the middle of the mess. "Ah, but your being Pollyannish, you don't know what I'm going through!" You're right, I don't know. What I do know, is this...

Over the past few years, I've watched our nation go through attacks, natural disasters, financial upheaval. We struggle with the fact that we have men and women overseas defending, not just our freedom, but that of others. It's hard to watch our children, brothers, sisters, cousins, uncles and neighbors put their lives on the line for things we don't always know.

I know that our nation and our people choose to come out of these things stronger, than they went in. There is something amazing about the volunteers, from all different walks of life, individuals, different volunteer or religious organizations, even businesses or corporations, breaking out of the mold and volunteering or giving to pull their neighbors in another state or country out of the muck.

We become stronger as a people as a result of these times. When we go through fire, we have that choice. We can use it to change, grow and move forward or cower and run. The nation I know, doesn't do that. Yes, we have our weaknesses, but we have our strengths too. We have the ability as a people, as a nation, to stand up and choose good. The biggest mistake that those who would try to come after us make, is they underestimate the strength of our spirits. They underestimate the power of our people.

They think that when we are down, that means we are out. We aren't out, we are getting back up, stronger than before that hard time. Ready to live in victory.

One of the coolest things that I've learned as a Christian, is that sometimes God allows us to go through valley's, sometimes he allows us to walk in the furnace, so he can refine us, like gold, and get out the dross, the waste. But He doesn't leave us, He is there with us in the furnace, there with us in the valley. That hard time, that valley is simply training for the mountaintop.



Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Share a smile. Today is a new day of hope, we can move forward, through the valley, to the mountain.

What to vote?

I've had a few people ask me over the past few days, how was I going to vote? Is there this policy that you are for, or this one that you're against? Because elections are coming up, these questions are on the forefront of a lot of people's minds.

Well, I read something the other day which struck a cord with me, because it is how I do vote. I vote with my core values, biblical values too. So, my vote, like many others is based on the values of Life, Freedom and the fear (respect and reverence of, not the quaking in my boots type) of God.

I have to say that, "values voting" as some like to call it when they don't want to talk about people having a core set of beliefs that is balanced with the truth of God's Word, will turn this nation around.

So, I agree, when I hear people asking why we are talking about Change of this or that. Sorry, but in recent years we've seen what both of our major political parties are capable of in finances and in the midst of war. No party is able to prevent the massive destruction of a hurricane or keep wars and rumors of wars from happening around the world. No party is able to stop the enormous financial drains that these things can put on a country.

But, if that leader has the values, the core set of morals that lead to the right direction, I believe we can weather the storms together, if we remember that we are "...One nation, Under God..."

I think Twila Paris did a much better job addressing this on her site, if you want to read what she had to say, you can find it here.... http://www.twilaparis.com/thoughtsinfo.php?id=13

How to fail

So, you know you are not in control and God is. How much of that control are you willing to give up? So, what if it costs you money? Hundreds of dollars? Thousands of dollars? How about Ten Thousands of dollars?

Well, we had/have one of those moments on hand. Last night, when we found out about a bank transaction that was supposed to occur Monday, and hadn't, I was full of righteous anger. I was going to call up angry and ask what the heck they thought was going on, and blah, blah, blah. That was a failure. My finances, my home, my car, how do they think they can do this.... no. God's "stuff", yes.

I forgot, for almost a whole night. We are stewards, right? We are supposed to be living it, not faking it, right? My wife was also looking to me, what are we going to do? After my outburst last night, I pushed it away and we continued on, and actually had a pretty good evening. This morning I woke up to the quiet, yet firm prodding of God's voice. I thought it was mine. What are you worried about? Why are you upset, if it's my stuff?

Right there, I got down on my knees and asked forgiveness. I asked forgiveness for trying to take back what we have told people was a gift from God, a blessing. I asked forgiveness for my clearly unrighteous anger. I also asked God to take back that heavy burden, that yoke, that I ripped away from Him in one of my thick-headed and hasty moments.

So, when I called the bank this morning. I did it with humility. I didn't misrepresent the urgency of the matter and did ask to speak to a manager, who wasn't available, but will be calling me back later. I did tell the helpful young man that answered the phone, that I was frustrated, but not angry. I even asked him if a manager was the right person to talk to about this problem. His response was, "Oh definitely". I got off the phone, confident that the capable people at the bank would do what was needed. It's not my car, it's Gods, right?

Following that conversation, whatever happens, I'm at peace that it's in God's hands. See, following God isn't about being holier than thou, it's about God's grace in a circumstance, in a situation. We will all have failures every day. That's how we tend to learn. We are people, we do that. ;-) God wants to know that our heart is right, He uses the little failures to teach us not to fail in the big ones. (Sometimes He gives us an 8 hour window so we can get quiet enough to hear Him, too.)

I've had people say, "Wow, you are really good at computers, how do you know all this?" Yes, I read the manuals (so I know how its intended to work) and I work with it, but I guarantee I've broken it more times than you! That's how I've learned so much about computers. I've failed at them more times than a lot of people, and then had to figure out how to clean up the mess.

So, if you think I'm super spiritual or super geeky, because of this or that. I'm not. God just has had to pick me up out from under bigger busses, more times. I may have been raised in a Christian home, but I was taught, early on, to ask forgiveness and accept it. God knew that I'd be that kid that would learn to skateboard on a dirt road, with no knee or elbow pads.

Learn that it's ok to fail, give it to God and move on.

Smile - God is in Control

"Hello."
"This is God."
"I will be handling ALL of your problems today."
"I will NOT need your help."

"So Have a Good Day!"

The Joy of Hope

One of the saddest things I've ever seen is someone who doesn't believe in hope. There have been so many times in my life where I've seen desperate situations turned right.

To hear and see true life stories of good happening in this world and then to hear someone say, I wish that stuff was real, breaks my heart. One thing we have the ability to do, every day, is to give hope. Make someones life brighter with simple acts and words of kindness.

When I was growing up, one of the times when things were tight, my mother was in the kitchen, looking for food to make to feed us six children. I was sitting at the kitchen table watching all of this. Things were really scarce and she went through every cupboard and finally, she said a simple out-loud little prayer, "Lord, if I just had some flour, I could make some bread."

Not one minute later, there came a knock at the door from the little girl across the street. She told us that her mom was cleaning out her cupboards and was going to throw away this flour because she didn't have anything to use it for and wondered if we would be ok accepting it. She gave us an abundance of flour that made bread for a few days.

So, why do I have such a stubborn faith in God? Because, I watched these things happen all the time, while I was growing up. I saw, time after time when God took a near disaster and turned it good. I saw some people that didn't know we were having car problems, call my mother up and tell her that they were getting ready to sell their car, and they had been praying and felt that God was telling them to offer it to her for $1.00.

So, do I know joy in hope when all the signs point to sinking sand? I do. Will I continue to believe that God will make a way and care for His children, I do. Will a lot of people stand in judgement of my idealism and belief in God's goodness and faithfulness and that He still performs miracles today, in a modern day America? Maybe. Maybe not. But, regardless of what people think, or what God chooses, I will choose to say, with Job, "...though he slay me, yet will I trust in him...", and beyond that, I will praise Him and thank Him for what He does and has done.

We live in a world, in a place full of change, where people walk in fear every day. But we also live in a land of opportunity, of awesome opportunity. The one thing about fear is, that it feeds on itself. Why spread fear, when you can spread the joy of hope? Why not spread a smile... a hopeful, joyful smile, that changes someones day and lifts their spirits, instead of the alternative.

I believe, that if we spread that hope, good things will come from it, and hope will spread like those cottonwood seeds that blow all over Michigan, and from those seeds of hope will come trees of joy and growth that will make a few economic bumps in the road into yesterday's news.

I know that words sometimes fall so short of seeing hope in action, in actually participating in spreading it and having it happen to you. I wish that somehow, I had the ability to share that deep down knowing, from inside of me (and I believe given by God's grace) that tomorrow will be a better day, and that no matter what is going on around us, we can make it a better day, in some little way for someone. When we do that, we fuel something in us and around us, that grows and spreads like a flood, to the point where no wall of negativity or bad thing can stand against it!

Sorrow and tears may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning!

C'mon Detroit!! Give a little... to give a lot... together

I’m part of a business networking group called Motor City Connect (www.motorcityconnect.com) and one of the leaders there asked for something small. He asked that all of us do something small for a group called “walk4friendship” to support a place that gives a friendship and learning place of support to thousands of disabled and special needs kids and their families throughout the Metro Detroit area... called LifeTown, (on Maple Rd/15mile in West Bloomfield).

Do you know what he asked for? A $2.00 donation per member! (Yes, that was $2.00!!) When was the last time someone asked us for $2.00, most people want something big? Hey, we'll make you a platinum, platinum sponsor and give you a pie tin with your name on it, if you do such and such. Wow, I thought this was a really unique and cool way to ask. I personally believe it works this way too. I believe we can all give a little and together we can do and give big things!

Because of his asking this, my wife and I donated a small amount. We are asking everyone we know to consider donating or passing on the request to donate to anyone who might have a couple dollars and a minute or two to go online by or before this Sunday, September 7th and make a secure donation through http://tinyurl.com/bobwalk4friend . This will take them to my page and they can donate from there, or go to the Motor City Connect Team Page button at the top and donate through Motor City Connect directly. They get credit to meet their support goals that way also.

Now, lol (laugh out loud) this doesn't mean you 'only' have to give $2.00! If it's the right thing to do, you can give more. If not, you can give too by passing this note on and we can all help out disabled kids here in the metro Detroit area together!

Let's Give a Little to Give a Lot!

A short video about LifeTown can be found here...

http://www.kintera.org/faf/home/ccp.asp?ievent=270178%20&ccp=80451

God IS Faithful... and, by the way, He's in charge too

It's funny. Based on different things I was going to name this entry "Ask and you shall receive". However, over the past week or two, while I had this entry sitting in edit mode, God has been teaching my wife and I a thing or three.

In one sermon we heard, the teacher was talking about some of the hardest times in her life, when people kept saying to her "What are you going to do?" "How are you going to fix that?". She said sometimes her response was to try to "fix" things. But what happens when you can't fix things? That's when you learn the right answer all along wasn't about you. It's about God. What's God going to do? Isn't it folly for us to think, even when things are going good, great and swimmingly, that we had would claim the glory?

For instance, I told a friend the other day, that since I was a child, I've never been in a situation that I couldn't go whole hog and work hard and get things on the right track. There were times, when my wife and I were first married, that I was able to hold down two jobs. There were times, when as short as a couple of years ago, I could work days on just a few hours sleep. This friend of mine said that even that glory goes to God, it's because of Him and not me, and he was right.

I find that today a lot of people have a lot of advice and question. "You should do this." or "I would do this." or "I wouldn't do that!" or "What are you going to do?"

Well, plain and simple I'm a planner. I know formulas and catch phrases and how to plan and brainstorm. I've actually been taught and studied how to troubleshoot and plan. I've even planned how to recover from big messes, and done it. However, today isn't about me or my plan, it's about God's plan.

Another coincidence is that we were watching Evan Almighty the other night. It's a modern day story of a modern day Noah. What was interesting is that the depiction of God there was correct, when it showed Him as being more concerned about things that we don't think are the real reason for what is going on. Even when everyone may be looking on and calling us the fool, He is still in charge. And even then, God still pursues us, works in spite of us and uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.



It's an interesting thing to say you're a Christian. Sometimes we forget that its putting it all on the line, saying our life and the things around us no longer belong to us, they belong to God. It's easy to say it belongs to God when times are easy, it's easy to say your life is His, when you seem to be on top of the world, but then the question is, is God really first? How much are you willing to give and still praise him?

So, what am I going to do? I'm going to trust in God and His faithfulness. I'm going to go forward as far as I can and then I'm going to stand. I'm going to trust this adventure to God. And we are praising Him through it all.

What's your story?

Once upon a time....

... Is typically a beginning to a story, a fairy tale. What's interesting in life, is that everyone has a story. My story isn't yours. Your story isn't mine. I haven't been down your road and you haven't been down mine. Some of my story is silent, some of it is known and some parts of it are only known by a very few. My story isn't just my story, it never has been. I was raised in church, but not just in church as a "thing" you do. I was raised in what developed into a personal relationship with God. So, my story, is shaped by that. It's intersected by, overflowing with, affected, stretched and intermingled with that relationship. If you don't know about that part of me, then there is something missing, you don't know the whole me, you don't know the whole story.

As with all of us, some parts of my story have intersected other peoples lives, where it intersects, I don't always share; because sometimes those intersects might make me look good, but would wound or hurt other people, sometimes it might bring joy, but remove mystery. Also, there are parts of my story where I feel I failed and was less of the person that God or myself wants me to be. (Hopefully, in those cases of weakness, sharing those parts of my story would show how God steps in and rewrites a story, an intersect of divine intervention that is outside the bounds of the normal transcending normalcy and presenting forgiveness, grace and mercy.)

Funny thing in this world, stories affect us. We tell stories of history, of peoples and days gone by, of fictional persons and worlds and of modern people, real people; we look for hero's to cheer and monster's to boo. Some stories inspire us to greatness, others terrify us and make us wonder if we should go out at night. We learn from stories, we teach from stories. Sometimes, when something is too scary to deal with in reality, or reality is too real, we tell or remember a story of courage and hope, so we can help others and ourselves find the courage to face our fears.

Stories come in the form of parables, fables, gossip, allegories, biographies, auto-biographies, press releases, cartoons, tv-show's and more. Sometimes they come in the form of pieces of overheard conversations, half-truth's, real truth or outright lies. They are all stories, and they all tend to influence how we think and what we do. Lies have done in companies, stopped armies and started wars. Tales of hope, courage and integrity have built empires, saved businesses and inspired courage that makes us all stand up and take notice.

When it comes to stories, mine is as varied and diverse as many others. Whatever you may see on the outside, maybe it helps to know that I've seen times of hardship and nothingness. That, even since being married, we've lost everything and gained back even more. We've seen God perform miracles that defied all logic. There are many ways that our story influences our decisions, much as yours may influence your decisions. Our family doesn't make the same decisions everyone else does, or have the same reasons others do for making the decisions that we do make and have made.

So, does that make us self-righteous in our decisions or choices? No, it doesn't. But, we believe we are not called to walk the same road as everyone else. We work very hard to make choices that honor God, family and country. Sometimes, if you look at them from the outside, they seem completely wrong, in fact... if you made the decisions we did, they probably would be wrong for you. God doesn't intend for you to follow our path, our road. He has a road mapped out for you that will take you through your own set of refining fires and blessings.

Times may be tough, and we face the reality of them, every day. However, even in the midst of that reality, we know that God works out the impossible and won't give us more than we can handle. Besides, America was forged in battle and its freedoms created and protected with many lives. Jonah was forged in the belly of a whale, Daniel in the lions den. The examples go on and on. We have a story to follow, a road to tread, that is not only a great adventure, but has been tread by those greater than us, who cut that road with more than we have ever had to sacrifice. We choose to follow that road, humbly, in their footsteps.



So, why the long post and all the explanations of things that confuse? Simply put, my wife and I believe that there is more to how we are supposed to live. We are pressing on, we will take today's hardships to be shaped into what we are meant to be. We want to be more, live more. So, in spite of a little pain or hardship, we choose to push forward. May we honor God and those around us in that.