Saturday, October 05, 2013

Finding Convergence

Talking with a good friend in Ministry yesterday he talked about the phenomena called convergence. It's what happens when after years of life and learning and frankly growing up a person comes to a point where everything comes together. Unfortunately that happens for most people right about retirement age.

It's the time when:

    Our Gifts,
    Our Passion,
    Our Skills,
    Our Life Experience,
    Our Spiritual Maturity begins to peak

It would  be good to find your sweet spot earlier... you can.  This is particularly true as you get older.






This is worth doing.  Your life is not over by any means.  You need to refire, not retire.

This self searching isn't that hard, but you need a quiet place.  Early.  After coffee.

You CAN do this on the computer, but it's not as good.

Better to do it with a legal pad and use shorthand scribbling to take the temperature

The first thing to clear you head is write down every job you ever hated, everything you ever did that was something you never want to do again and everything that is unappealing to you in your present mindset.  Whatever comes to mind.  DON'T edit. Don't second guess, don't correct.  Freud needs to operate, you need to function out of your non judgmental brain.  Just write... Everything you hate to do.  Picking up your socks.  ETC.  Spend at least an HOUR compiling this list. Longer is better.  You are using this for raw materials.  Don't worry about repetition, that only means you really really hate it.


Then put that list aside.  You'll come back to it later.

Then take a fresh sheet of paper.  Make a list of every skill, ability, talent, thing you know HOW to do.    Even if you don't want to do it any more, anything you have ever done that represents a skill.  You are taking inventory.  Don't worry if you liked doing it or not.  Turn off your red light thinking. Write down everything you ever did that you did pretty well.  Compile a long list.  For instance.  Light mechanics, furniture making, house building, remodeling, gardening, plumbing, electrical work, making movies, taking pictures, Building your own amplifier, developing film, make a long list.  Spend a couple hours writing down things, go back in time to your child hood. 5 years old if you can recall.  Then go UP from there.  What did you do that represents skills you have.  Teens.  Twenties.  Thirties, Forties, Fifties...   Review each decade of your life and unpack the skill sets you have.  You have a lifetime of skills and abilities the specifically inform your next...

After you have done that.  Take some time to clear your head.  The last step is the most critical.  This one is more subjective.  This one requires honesty and no judgmental thinking.  You MUST avoid the trap of deciding what will or won't work. No matter what, write it down.  You can be critical later.  Right now we are looking for the Blink of Gladwell phenomena.

You are going to triangulate these things..and you need raw materials.

So, after a bit of a break, don't do anything that robs you of energy, Write down everything you ever did that you enjoyed doing....even if you weren't great at it. Once again, go back to your childhood.  Think of the things you liked doing as a kid.  As a teen, In your 20's, 30's 40's and 50's. Look for those times when you were feeling pretty good about things.  You enjoyed them.  You found satisfaction in a job well done.  I know you have had some of these, now it's time to visit them.  Rethink and relive every decade of your life thinking hard about the kind of things you did that gave you any sense of satisfaction, pleasure or reward.

The longer THIS list is, the better the triangulation will be.


Now that you have this done... put it away for a week.  Revisit it once more.  Don't revise, add too.  Each of the categories.  Hate, Skill, Like.

You might want to do this twice.

Then, start to compile.  I would begin by your skill set.  Make a spreadsheet.  List them all.  If there is more than one entry compile.

After you have done this, try to rank yourself in skill 1-10 in each area.  Some things will be a three, others will be a 7  and  a few will be a 9 or 10.

You should now have a list.  However long.  Skills and a rating

Do the same thing later for Things you like to do.  Make a list.  Rate them 1-10.  Some will rank higher some lower.

Last take the things you HATE to do and do the same thing on the spreadsheet.  Rank them by intensity of hatred.

Now cut and past them into three columns.  Skill & rate --- Like & rate --- Hate & rate

DO a data sort based on the numbers.  Under Skill and Like descending, under hate ascending.

Once you have this compiled you will look at it and convergence will take place.  You will see your next step clearly.  Convergence is when our skills, our gifting and our competence all come together at one time.  


You can find convergence.

Friday, October 04, 2013

From Congressman Allen West

Woke up this morning to the sounds of whining coming from the White House: "President Obama has to cancel his trip to Asia because of the government shutdown." And of course those mean ol’ Republicans are to blame. I suppose this rates right up there with FLOTUS not being able to 'tweet' as much. Could it be the impeccably technologically savvy Obama administration has never heard of Skype? Sorry Mr. President you have to stay here with us sappy Americans and not trek off to Bali or Indonesia. Quite sure the leaders of those countries would be happy to tele-conference with you. How about this, just repeal the medical device tax and ensure Obamacare is a law that applies to all Americans -- no waivers, exemptions, and delays for some -- and we promise you can go out and play, little fella.

The tea party was renamed from Porkbusters

This is true. The tea party was renamed from Porkbusters and the Army of Davids author Glenn Reynolds. Glenn was around LONG before the Tea Party. IF you go back to the 2006 to Jan of 2009 on my blog, before the tea party came to be, I was already screaming about the money being spent on foolishness and was against raising the debt limit.. along with Barack H. OBAMA. Those who are ignorant of TEA PARTY origins make it up...wrong.

pop quiz

Here's a pop quiz the answer to which will shut up some mouths... WHO SAID THIS in a speech regarding raising the debt limit?? This person voted against the debt ceiling increase. WHO? Cruz? Paul? Boehner? WHO... someone else?? Fabulous prize for a correct answer:

""The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies. … Increasing America’s debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that “the buck stops here.” Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better"".

secret strategy

There is a secret strategy to the hard line conservatives who are on a quest to bring sanity back to the USA. That is to provide sound evidence of the state of our nation, not enabling those taking us further down, being optimistic that we can come back and winning slowly the hearts and minds first of the middle of the road republicans, then conservative democrats, then conservative independent minded people and with that as time goes on to create a competent informed majority to bring the nation back from the brink. 

The other part of the strategy is to ignore, dismiss, not argue with or even attempt to negotiate with the people that insist on not letting the facts get in the way of their opinions. Rush Limbaugh calls them low information voters...probably more like no information voters. Mitt Romney called them the 47%. In any case, they are dangerous only when they vote. Otherwise they are inept, ignorant and without real impact. 

 The path to reconstructing the USA is to slowly get everyone that matters to believe the truth. To think as we think. To come to the conclusions we have come to. Do we all agree with each other in the so called tea party faction, no, on some social issues we do not. Some of my fellows are atheists. Yet, the battle cannot hinge on our differences. So, as you see those who matter holding the line, don't become frustrated. This is a battle we must win on the way to winning the war. This morning I am optimistic. 

 Hold The Line.

When do you have enough cymbals?


The tinfoil hats are out big time on this


He may not have sin issues, but he is a radical misleader.

 The Apostle Paul had a few words to say about one such: "I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don't even eat with such people".
1 Corinthians 5:11 He in one translation call one such a "So Called Brother". That would be this man.

The Rhetoric of Claiming that the Affordable Care Act is the "Law of the Land," and Should be Respected.



On this page, in the media, I have heard people use the argument of the need for supporting the AFA "Obamacare" for no other purpose than it being the "law of the land" and people must accepted it as such, or go through the democratic process to have the law changed.

The Defense of Marriage Act, signed into law in 1996 by Bill Clinton, was a law that clearly defined marriage on the grounds of recognizing only marriages between one man and one woman. President Clinton and President Bush respectfully enforced the "law of the land." Barack Obama, shortly after becoming elected President in 2008, declared that his administration, not only did not support the law that was implemented in 1996, but his justice department would not enforce the law either. Through a non-democratic process, Barack Obama made the decision take it upon himself, and not the people, to decide not to enforce this "law of the land"

For as far and as long as I can remember, America has had laws regarding Illegal Alien deportation; however, President Obama's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has publicly stated that it would not enforce the laws of ICE when it involves an Illegal Alien as the provider for a minor, or other similar types of cases.

So when you guys talk or lecture about the law of the land, understand the man who you are defending is the biggest "land lawbreaker" in the history of this great nation of ours. If we were truly a nation of laws, as I would like us to be, then you guys should have lawfully protested Obama's negligence of the laws that were put in place that he bypassed without a democratic process.

Personally, I believe in referendums and if a referendum is put on the ballot and voted upon, then that is "THE LAW OF THE LAND!"

Funny, you guys only like the law of the land when it involves a mandate that was non-democratically created, and a vitriolic Senate that is displaying an intolerance to which I have never seen from a congress in my lifetime.

Thoughts....I mean, if we are to follow by accepting things as the law of the land, then how do you with a straight face tell me that Obama is okay not to enforce the "law of the land," but curse and damn people who do not want Obamacare to go into effect?

Obobservations

President Obama is a:
  • Uniter.......................................Not
  • Christian...................................Not
  • Honest.....................................Not
  • Transparent.............................Not
  • Hetero......................................Not
  • Law License............................Not
  • Law Professor..........................Not
  • Real Birth Certificate................Not
  • Real SS#..................................Not
  • Real Selective Service Card.....Not
  • You Can Keep Your Doctor......Not
  • Wants to Help America.............Not

Wednesday, October 02, 2013

Rep. Hoekstra: Obama Using Shutdown to Distract From Failures

 President Barack Obama is using the government shutdown and lack of cooperation with Republican lawmakers to divert attention from his failed policies, former U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra of Michigan says.

"The president wants to have this fight. He doesn't want to talk about the failures that we're having with a very, very weak economy . . . the failures that are happening as Obamacare rolls out . . . his failures on foreign policy,"

Rep. Hoekstra: Obama Using Shutdown to Distract From Failures

Obama: “I Shouldn’t Have to Offer Anything”

Obama

In an interview Monday with NPR’s Steve Inskeep, President Obama expressed his obstinacy and unwillingness to do what is best for the American people.


And — if — if we — Steve, when you say, “What can I offer?” — I shouldn’t have to offer anything. — President Barack Obama, on the eve of government shutdown, September 30, 2013

NOTICE


Monday, September 30, 2013


Barack Obama talks about God Stuff:

Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, actual words spoken by Obama:



20 Quotes By Barack Obama About Islam

#1 “The future must not belong to those who slander the Prophet of Islam”

#2 “The sweetest sound I know is the Muslim call to prayer”

#3 “We will convey our deep appreciation for the Islamic faith, which has done so much over the centuries to shape the world — including in my own country.”

#4 “As a student of history, I also know civilization’s debt to Islam.”

#5 “Islam has a proud tradition of tolerance.”

#6 “Islam has always been part of America”

#7 “we will encourage more Americans to study in Muslim communities”

#8 “These rituals remind us of the principles that we hold in common, and Islam’s role in advancing justice, progress, tolerance, and the dignity of all human beings.”

#9 “America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles of justice and progress, tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.”

#10 “I made clear that America is not – and never will be – at war with Islam.”

#11 “Islam is not part of the problem in combating violent extremism – it is an important part of promoting peace.”

#12 “So I have known Islam on three continents before coming to the region where it was first revealed”

#13 “In ancient times and in our times, Muslim communities have been at the forefront of innovation and education.”

#14 “throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality.”

#15 “Ramadan is a celebration of a faith known for great diversity and racial equality”

#16 “The Holy Koran tells us, ‘O mankind! We have created you male and a female; and we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another.’”

#17 “I look forward to hosting an Iftar dinner celebrating Ramadan here at the White House later this week, and wish you a blessed month.”

#18 “We’ve seen those results in generations of Muslim immigrants – farmers and factory workers, helping to lay the railroads and build our cities, the Muslim innovators who helped build some of our highest skyscrapers and who helped unlock the secrets of our universe.”

#19 “That experience guides my conviction that partnership between America and Islam must be based on what Islam is, not what it isn’t. And I consider it part of my responsibility as president of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear.”

#20 “I also know that Islam has always been a part of America’s story.”

Now take a look at 20 other things

20 Quotes By Barack Obama About Christianity

#1 “Whatever we once were, we are no longer a Christian nation”

#2 “We do not consider ourselves a Christian nation.”

#3 “Which passages of scripture should guide our public policy? Should we go with Leviticus, which suggests slavery is OK and that eating shellfish is an abomination? Or we could go with Deuteronomy, which suggests stoning your child if he strays from the faith?”

#4 “Even those who claim the Bible’s inerrancy make distinctions between Scriptural edicts, sensing that some passages – the Ten Commandments, say, or a belief in Christ’s divinity – are central to Christian faith, while others are more culturally specific and may be modified to accommodate modern life.”

#5 “The American people intuitively understand this, which is why the majority of Catholics practice birth control and some of those opposed to gay marriage nevertheless are opposed to a Constitutional amendment to ban it. Religious leadership need not accept such wisdom in counseling their flocks, but they should recognize this wisdom in their politics.”

#6 From Obama’s book, The Audacity of Hope: “I am not willing to have the state deny American citizens a civil union that confers equivalent rights on such basic matters as hospital visitation or health insurance coverage simply because the people they love are of the same sex—nor am I willing to accept a reading of the Bible that considers an obscure line in Romans to be more defining of Christianity than the Sermon on the Mount.”

#7 Obama’s response when asked what his definition of sin is: “Being out of alignment with my values.”

#8 “If all it took was someone proclaiming I believe Jesus Christ and that he died for my sins, and that was all there was to it, people wouldn’t have to keep coming to church, would they.”

#9 “This is something that I’m sure I’d have serious debates with my fellow Christians about. I think that the difficult thing about any religion, including Christianity, is that at some level there is a call to evangelize and prostelytize. There’s the belief, certainly in some quarters, that people haven’t embraced Jesus Christ as their personal savior that they’re going to hell.”

#10 “I find it hard to believe that my God would consign four-fifths of the world to hell. I can’t imagine that my God would allow some little Hindu kid in India who never interacts with the Christian faith to somehow burn for all eternity. That’s just not part of my religious makeup.”

#11 “I don’t presume to have knowledge of what happens after I die. But I feel very strongly that whether the reward is in the here and now or in the hereafter, the aligning myself to my faith and my values is a good thing.”

#12 “I’ve said this before, and I know this raises questions in the minds of some evangelicals. I do not believe that my mother, who never formally embraced Christianity as far as I know … I do not believe she went to hell.”

#13 “Those opposed to abortion cannot simply invoke God’s will–they have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths.”

#14 On his support for civil unions for gay couples: “If people find that controversial then I would just refer them to the Sermon on the Mount.”

#15 “You got into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton Administration, and the Bush Administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”

#16 “In our household, the Bible, the Koran and the Bhagavad Gita sat on the shelf alongside books of Greek and Norse and African mythology”

#17 “On Easter or Christmas Day, my mother might drag me to church, just as she dragged me to the Buddhist temple, the Chinese New Year celebration, the Shinto shrine, and ancient Hawaiian burial sites.”

#18 “we have Jews, Muslims, Hindus, atheists, agnostics, Buddhists, and their own path to grace is one that we have to revere and respect as much as our own”

#19 “All of us have a responsibility to work for the day when the mothers of Israelis and Palestinians can see their children grow up without fear; when the Holy Land of the three great faiths is the place of peace that God intended it to be; when Jerusalem is a secure and lasting home for Jews and Christians and Muslims, and a place for all of the children of Abraham to mingle peacefully together as in the story of Isra — (applause) — as in the story of Isra, when Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed, peace be upon them, joined in prayer. (Applause.)”

#20 “I believe that there are many paths to the same place, and that is a belief that there is a higher power, a belief that we are connected as a people.”

I have source for all these, but if you are good with google, you can find each and every one. He said it... and he means it.

Another thing our kids will never understand:

I miss this. I enjoyed roaming the card stax

I looked it up, yup it's true


Muslim DHS adviser to persecuted Christians: You incited Muslims

A muslim adviser to the Department of Homeland Security has used his Twitter profile to defend the Muslim Brotherhood while accusing Egypt’s persecuted Christian minority of inciting against Islam.

Sunday, September 29, 2013

I'm tired of being lied to by our politicians elected to serve us.

Followers of what a former president called the "Religion of Peace" raped our dying ambassador in Benghazi, beheaded a Catholic priest and a young boy who converted to Christianity and our government is spending untold millions supplying them with arms and supplies in Syria, left children in freezers in the food court in a mall in Nigeria this week with knives still stuck in their little bodies...and cut off genitals and fingers -then cut out eyes of tourists before executing them. They have beheaded our loved ones while making a video tape of the grisly act, thrown men in wheelchairs off cruise ships, killed Olympic athletes, blown up buses and cars in Israel, practiced sanctioned pre adolescent rape of "brides", and flown planes of people into our buildings and then celebrated with dancing and sharing candies and treats in the streets of what our current President calls "Occupied Territories" inside Israel.

I like this

Obama's Success - He fundamentally changed America

Homosex
Abortion
Warrior Cops
Queer Army
Steve marries Steve
Militarization of our cities
Free Speech gone
Full Time Job Gone
Benefits Gone
Middle Class gone
Domestic Terrorism
A blind private army... that WILL fire on US Citizens
Near Dictatorship
A Spy culture unlike we have ever seen
A crooked IRS
A corrupt Dept of Justice