40 Years to When

“Always remember, others may hate you, but those who hate do not win unless you hate them. And then you destroy yourself.”
Richard M. Nixon (1914-1994)
"Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God."
-Aeschylus

So it has been 40 years since the assassination of Martin Luther Kind Jr. Where would the world be if RFK and MLK were still with us? 2 of the best speakers I have ever heard, through YouTube of course since I am but 25 years old.
Before his death he was in Memphis assisting with the Sanitation Strike. A true servant of people. Not a God, but a man who served one. 2 days before his death he gave a speech in support of the workers. He quoted this passage.

Luke 10:30-37
30In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two silver coins[a] and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'
36"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
37The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
What a relevant scripture to show support of fellow men and women. It continues on with the Priest and Levite saying,
"If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But then the Good Samaritan came by. And he reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?"
MLK uses this and says, “That’s the question for you tonight. Not, "If I stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to my job. Not, "If I stop to help the sanitation workers what will happen to all of the hours that I usually spend in my office every day and every week as a pastor?" The question is not, "If I stop to help this man in need, what will happen to me?" The question is, "If I do not stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to them?" That's the question.”

What a beautiful man. A man of love.

Now on to Bobby,


So Bobby was in Indianapolis when the assassination occurred. He gave this speech. Now, when the country found out about the assassination, riots broke out in almost every major city. Who can not think that after hearing this RFK speech, why people in that city did not, nobody knows? A man of true inspiration. So sad we never got to live through a presidency with him.

Good Boss Bad Boss

"So Much of What We Call Management Consists in Making It Difficult For People To Work."

Peter Drucker (1909-2005)

There is a dramatic change in the world with views on leadership. A certain paradyme if you will. Leadership in the industrial age or even further back to the agrarian age, leaders were viewed as the powerful. Those who "made it" must be smart or connected...or even kiss asses. Leaders viewed themselves as the ones who made decisions for the people and were in control. They told others their jobs and defined people without even knowing their capabilities. Well, this past decade there has been a dramatic shift in thought for the role of a leader. The leader is the servant. They are at the will of workers. And, they will have to learn this is they wish to be a good leader. This article below seems to share the views of many success based principles of the 21st century.

By Martha Beck from "O, The Oprah Magazine," January 2005.

Few things incite a frothing, wild-eyed rage like asking people to talk about bad bosses. People aren't just annoyed by poor leadership -- they sputter and snarl as they describe their superiors, lusting for the chance to hit that bad boss with a perfect, withering insult. Or perhaps a truck.

It's a little scary, then, to realize that we're all likely to occupy a leadership role, from motherhood to mogulhood, at some point in our lives. When we blow it, our imperfections will be magnified by our authority.

Leadership is simply too complex to do perfectly. I believe that the key to being a better boss lies in accepting that fact.

Ineffective leaders expect their role to be easy and think -- no matter what -- that they're doing the job just right. Although good leaders often begin with similar expectations, convinced they're natural-born chieftains, they soon run smack-dab into a little thing called Monday morning.

The best leaders let go of the fantasy and become fully present and responsive to the complexities of each new situation. They're the ones -- the few, the proud, the downright worshipped -- who earn their followers' respect.

To become one of them, you need to turn bad-boss behaviors on their head to find your way toward good-boss techniques.

Bad-boss self-concept: As a leader, I'll be a higher-up.

Good-boss self-concept: As a leader, I'll have to go lower down.

The bad-boss tales I've heard include many stories of managers demanding the undoable, responding to objections by simply reiterating that it had to be done. This creates nothing but hostility.

"If you want to govern the people, you must place yourself below them," said the philosopher Lao-tzu (who is my favorite management consultant, despite having been dead for centuries).

That doesn't mean you become a slave to your followers' whims. Great bosses acknowledge their own ignorance and ask questions of everyone to gain a better grasp of two important things: What's going on? What needs to be done?

Bad-boss target setting: Now that I'm the boss, I give orders to others.

Good-boss target setting: Now that I'm the boss, I bring order to what others do.

Many people thrill to giving orders or critiques but have unclear, uninformed or ambivalent ideas about what they're actually trying to accomplish -- that is, they know what they want this second, but the big picture is as fuzzy as a winter mink.

Leading well means forming a crystal clear image of what must happen and communicating that precisely. After giving an assignment, ask that person to describe the task in their own words. If they can't, or if the account they give doesn't match what you were trying to convey, you need to try a new tack. The first step could be as easy as clarifying your directives -- or you might have to rethink your organizational chart and who reports to whom.

Bad-boss position on feedback: Now everyone must tell me when I'm right.

Good-boss position on feedback: Now everyone must tell me when I'm wrong.

Most humans go through the world trying to elicit validation. Al Preble, a leadership consultant for Cambridge Leadership Group in Cambridge, Massachusetts, says this isn't the way to go. The most powerful way for leaders to communicate, he believes, is to use just three simple steps.

When a problem arises:

1. Clearly tell your subordinate what you really think.

2. Describe the facts that led you to this opinion.

3. Ask to be disconfirmed; in other words, honestly request that people tell you where you're wrong.

Bad-boss protection strategy: As a boss, I'll be protected from taking blame.

Good-boss protection strategy: As a boss, I'll protect others by taking blame.

The successful bosses I interviewed emphasized that a good leader helps her followers feel safe from the dangers that come from both inside and outside the organization.

An incompetent supervisor, on the other hand, feels that the best way to secure her position is to appear faultless, and works mightily to make clear who fouled up or even to lay blame on a scapegoat. But that behavior turns people into twitchy, record-keeping, blame-tallying masses of ectoplasm.

Bad-boss problem solving: Being the boss means I can avoid problems.

Good-boss problem solving: Being the boss means I must seek out problems.

You can tell if you're making mistakes as a leader because things go wrong -- not just one catastrophic computer snafu but repeated errors. Bad bosses turn away from these realities. They don't discuss problems; they just hunker down and hope the issue will go away. It won't. Untreated, a minor concern becomes a major issue becomes a catastrophe.

This is the core of good leadership, whether you're managing a corporation, your immediate family, or just your own life.

Lao-tzu puts it this way: "When [the Master] runs into a difficulty, she stops and gives herself to it. She doesn't cling to her own comfort; thus problems are no problem for her."

Embracing the fact that you'll encounter many obstacles -- and that this is all right -- allows you to understand, listen, give clear instructions, invite negative feedback, and protect those you lead. You'll be comfortable with leadership, even when it's uncomfortable. And that will make you an easy act to follow.

Just wanted to Share

In Pursuit of Potential by Dr. John C. Maxwell

The enemy of great is good. The primary reason so few leaders or organizations ever become great is because they get good and then stop. They stop growing, learning, risking, and changing. They use their track record or prior successes as evidence that they've arrived. Believing their own headlines, the leaders in these successful organizations are ready to write it down, build the manual, and document the formula. This mentality shifts their business from a growth to a maintenance mindset.

Neither you nor your business ever "arrives." We never get to the place where there's nothing more to be done and nothing more to be said. In the words of my friend Dave Anderson, "Yesterday's peacock is tomorrow's feather duster." What you strutted yesterday; the next day is just cleaning dust off of shelves.

I like to distinguish between a "goal mindset" and a "growth mindset." A person with a "goal mindset" has very tangible, numerical goals to achieve over a specific period of time. Nothing is wrong with clearly defined goals, but there's a better way of thinking that I call a "growth mindset." A growth mindset recognizes goals on the journey, but only as part of a process—not as the end results.

When goal-oriented people hit a milestone, they have tendency to settle very quickly, but when growth-minded individuals hit a goal, they blow right on by because they're constantly learning and growing.

Success has a brutal side: It can make you arrogant, it can make you complacent, and it can close your mind. To survive the temptations of triumph, we must realize that success is not the point and should never be the ultimate objective of an enterprise. The goal of business is to strive to reach full potential. I define full potential as focusing on seeing how far you can go, how good you can get, and how many people you can bring with you. Reality dictates that you will most likely never reach your full potential, but the journey keeps you humble, hungry, and focused. What you become in the process helps you and your organization make the leap from good to great. Use your success as a stepping stone, not a pedestal.

Leaders of successful organizations are tempted to stop working on themselves. They continue to work hard on their job, but they have a tendency to neglect personal growth. They use their experience and track record as a license never to read another book and an excuse never to attend another developmental course in their field. They point to their acclaim and accomplishments and decide to rely on the skills they have learned in the past to run the rest of their career. They develop an arrogance of intelligence that creates a disabling ignorance. This ignorance disables them, their people, and, as a result, their business.

Growing people grow people. But when you don't grow, you plateau. It's just a matter of time. Once this happens, you plateau everyone working for you. When I as a leader go flat, my influence with everybody in my organization fizzles and fades. When the leader doesn't grow, the people don't grow. It's the Law of the Lid; a stagnant leader stunts the growth of the organization.

Let me give you four benefits of pursuing your potential, even during seasons of success.
• We have higher self-esteem. People that are constantly learning and growing have a good self-image.

• We are willing to change and risk. One of the obvious evidences of growing people is that they are constantly changing and risking. Show me a person that doesn't change, that doesn't risk, and I'll show you a person that's not growing.

• Our passion increases. When we begin to grow personally, our passion for life and learning begins to increase proportionately.

• We lift the lid for others. What a leader does determines what everybody else is going to do. The people don't pass the leader. An organization's growth doesn't outpace the leader's progress. As I lift the lid for myself, I lift the lid for others.

One of the most amazing things to me is how much room there is at the top. On the other hand, it's jam-packed and crowded at the bottom. On the streets of average, there's traffic and congestion, but success has so few people on the roads. It's amazing how the higher you go, the less people there are. Three percent of the people in the United States have a library card. Six percent of Americans believe Elvis is still alive. Trust me, there's a lot of room at the top.

As a leader you should learn like you'll live forever and live like you'll die tomorrow. Either way, you're covered.

Criminals Don't Obey Laws

“The Framers of the Bill of Rights did not purport to "create" rights. Rather, they designed the Bill of Rights to prohibit our Government from infringing rights and liberties presumed to be preexisting.”

William J. Brennan, Jr. quotes

“Every man has a right to be wrong in his opinions. But no man has a right to be wrong in his facts.”
Bernard M. Baruch



I am a strong supporter of owning firearms for home protection, personal concealment for public protection, and recreational use like hunting and tactical training etc. But, I am a devil’s advocate and love a good debate. So let’s review the facts.
We must first start with the 2nd Amendment. It states

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Do not let people use it as it is commonly misused and out of context, “A right to bear arms”. It is not a right to bear arms just because I am a civilian in the U.S. It clearly states a well regulated militia for the security of a free state.

Now some of the controversy comes from people like me who try and dig into things a little deeper than necessary. What is written and approved by congress and the senate was not the same grammatical writing of what was dispersed to the states. I think this argument is total BS. But we will acknowledge it anyway.

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.


So, it is clear there is a difference in punctuation. What are the meanings and what is really supposed to be emphasized? Whether the word “people” is capitalized or not, you can’t argue that the first 4 words are not in the mix. And that is where I stand. Again, a well regulated militia. So what is a militia…well there are several changes to what it is over the last 230 years. State militia’s eventually evolved into the National Guard. There is a strong movement going on now to return back to militias regulated by civilians because the guard is beginning to be an army too controlled by the federal government. Militias are for civil protection against governments, and yes that includes the United States of America. You can read more about them here on Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militia_%28United_States%29

Let me ask how many of you belong to a well regulated militia? How many times have other states come to your town to take over? Have you ever used your gun to defend your free state? This “right” is clearly used in the wrong context.

Now let’s move on to my own personal beliefs about the rights of Americans. This amendment has been in effect and has shaped our country for too long now to just go and say civilians who do not belong to a militia can not own firearms. Too many have guns and it has shaped our lives that we as civilians can own guns. The more and more rights we are used to having that get slowly taken away will create a huge problem. The government will continue to take and take and take. That is the one thing I do not believe is right. But I do think the laws regarding firearms should be reviewed for the current lifestyle we live in. So screw the damn debate and make new legislation that is for the protection of the people against criminals. Gun laws do not stop criminals. They help them.
The debate is also over whether assault rifles should be legal. I do not think it is necessary to own an assault rifle. They should be banned. They aren’t for home protection; they are for tactical assault and should only be issued by government agencies for such. Most attacks aren’t from assault rifles except in gang/drug related instances. Most are for handguns and hunting rifles. Handguns account for 81 percent of all murders. I would hate to live in D.C and not have the ability to own a handgun in my home and let a robber come in to rape my wife and she can’t protect herself because it is illegal to own handguns in the D.C. That law was past some 32 years ago. D.C. is continuously on the top 5 murder rate cities in the country. That is not right! They should be able to have one. The law is clearly not making a dent on the crime rate there.
Gun related crimes in Texas are lower (keep in mind the size of our state and the fact we have 3 major cities with over a million in population, and one very close to it) than any other state. Most states require you to attend a class, get a certificate/license and several week background checks before you can purchase a handgun. Here in Texas all you need is a driver license. You walk into a store, they will run a 20 minute background check, you sign some forms and pay. You can literally walk out the door in 30 minutes with your gun. Does the thought of how easy it is to own a handgun in Texas deter people from committing gun related crimes wondering if this person or that person might be carrying? I think it does. Not to mention we have the highest number of concealed permits here too. Just a plug, California has more cities in the US on the top 65 list of crime rate. Is it due their gun bans and “hippie” left wing mentality? I am all for peace. I would love to have no violence but I also believe in the devil and know it is not possible.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_cities_by_crime_rate

Now I am not saying we should have a complete arsenal in our house for protection. If the argument is you need a gun to protect yourself then you should be able to purchase one for that. If you want to go hunt deer or shoot birds then you should be able to purchase that. Maybe even get 2 or 3 guns for different areas of your house. I think your gun should be legal, certified, numbered and registered. I do not think you need an AR-15, a 50 caliber Desert Eagle, an M-16, an SKS, a 1911 45, 4 different gauge shotguns, a 30/30, a 30/6, a Glock tactical 9mm, and a .380 scattered throughout your house for home protection. That is BS. Get your certifications, get your concealment license, take some shooting classes and have a limit on how many guns civilians are allowed to own if you want to protect yourself. If you want to hunt, get a rifle and do it. That is what I feel. Guns deter crimes though. Look at the difference between the Virginia Tech shootings and the Appalachian School of Law Shooting. It was the difference between 32 dead because nobody was prepared and 2 dead because others went to their cars and had firearms to assist.
Your 2nd Amendment isn’t to bear arms wherever you please. The amendment is if you are in a well regulated militia, your militia can provide you arms for protection of your state against governments looking to overtake your state (again this includes your own government). So stop stretching it to do whatever you please and use this right to bear arms crap. That is not what the right is, but I do think we should have the right to guns but have a limit and a use. It is time to change the laws for the people.

Here is a link to the preceedings of the Supreme Court yesterday and several great points were made. They are viewing this Amendment as an individual right to bear arms. But one justice said "I can not imagine that in those days, the father would tell the son to get his arms to go and hunt some food." The word arms is for protcetion of country. Not for protection of your house. I am on the fence here. I do not believe the amendment is valid at all. I think new legislation shoudl be written to protect the people who wish to safeguard their belongings and safehood.

Enjoy article and podcast.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16476741

Who Determines A Hero?

“We Can’t All Be Heroes Because Someone Has To Sit On The Curb And Clap.”

Will Rogers (1879-1935)

From CNN.com

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/12/nz.whales.ap/index.html

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- A dolphin swam up to two distressed whales that appeared headed for death in a beach stranding in New Zealand and guided them to safety, witnesses said Wednesday.
The actions of the bottlenose dolphin -- named Moko by residents who said it spends much of its time swimming playfully with humans at the beach -- amazed would-be rescuers and an expert who said they were evidence of the species' friendly nature.
The two pygmy sperm whales, a mother and her calf, were found stranded on Mahia Beach, about 500 kilometers (300 miles) northeast of the capital of Wellington, on Monday morning, said Conservation Department worker Malcolm Smith.
Rescuers worked for more than one hour to get the whales back into the water, only to see them strand themselves four times on a sandbar slightly out to sea. It looked likely the whales would have to be euthanized to prevent them suffering a prolonged death, Smith said.
"They kept getting disorientated and stranding again," said Smith, who was among the rescuers. "They obviously couldn't find their way back past (the sandbar) to the sea."
Along came Moko, who approached the whales and led them 200 meters (yards) along the beach and through a channel out to the open sea.
"Moko just came flying through the water and pushed in between us and the whales," Juanita Symes, another rescuer, told The Associated Press. "She got them to head toward the hill, where the channel is. It was an amazing experience. The best day of my life."
Anton van Helden, a marine mammals expert at New Zealand's national museum, Te Papa Tongarewa, said the reports of Moko's rescue were "fantastic" but believable because the dolphins have "a great capacity for altruistic activities."
These included evidence of dolphins protecting people lost at sea, and their playfulness with other animals.
"We've seen bottlenose dolphins getting lifted up on the noses of humpback whales and getting flicked out of the water just for fun," van Helden said.
"But it's the first time I've heard of an inter-species refloating technique. I think that's wonderful," said van Helden, who was not involved in the rescue but spoke afterward to Smith.
Smith speculated that Moko responded after hearing the whales' distress calls.
"It was looking like it was going to be a bad outcome for the whales ... then Moko just came along and fixed it," he said. "They had arched their backs and were calling to one another, but as soon as the dolphin turned up they submerged into the water and followed her."
After the rescue, Moko returned to the beach and joined in games with local residents, he said.

Well Mr dolphin man, I am clapping. What a hero. What a story. I truly wish all news around the world was more like this. It may get numb but it sure is ispirational. In spire, in spirit. I wish I was there to witness such an act. Dolphins are an amazing species with huge hearts. I can not wait until the day I take a trip to New Zealand off of the western coast to a place called Milford Sound. It is just north of Fiordland National Park and is the one the most peaceful places on earth. This place has not been touched by any development and probably will never. You go here and it looks the same as it did 10,000 years ago. What is really cool though is that the hum of the motorboat brings in dozens of dolphins to play and swim with. I look forward to the trip. Here is a picture of the Fiord National Park, New Zealand.

Can You Take A Yoke?

Everybody has a yoke. It may not be the yoke of the Lord but you have one and you are wearing it. If you are weary Jesus will give you His work.
Matthew 11:28, Then Jesus said, “Come to me all who are weary carrying heavy burdens. Ill give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you because I am humble and gentle and you’ll find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly and the burden I give you is light.”
So what’s killing you? What are you picking up that God didn’t give you? He said my yoke is easy, my burden is light. All day throughout work I notice mostly overstressed people, weary people, and exhausted folks living at an increasing breakneck pace.
Neil Postman said in his book Amusing Ourselves to Death wrote that “Our culture is no longer print oriented but rather image oriented. The overload of all the information we are now getting is called info stress. You are getting so much input it is almost impossible to process it.” 100 years ago the only news we got was from an immediate family in a near a neighborhood. If something big happened in the U.S or a foreign country we wouldn’t know about it for months. What info people we got back then came in small doses. People had time to process it and handle the info. Today with satellites and instant global communication we are constantly bombarded with so much news and so many images from all over the world that as soon as it happens and are about to process it something else occurs.
Jesus says come to me. He says come unto me and I will give you rest, take my yoke and you will find rest. There are 2 kinds of rest. One rest is given and one is found. The one that is given is our salvation. So if you have been saved, you have been given the rest in God. You are forgiven and should not be working for his acceptance. Jesus called this good news. You don’t have to work for anything except a living.
There is another kind of rest. A rest you have to find. It’s a sense of peace and well being and comes when you know God and take his yoke upon you. In Exodus 33:13, Moses said “Lord, if I found grace in your sight show me your way that I may know you” and God said “My presence will go with you Moses and I will give you rest.” Can you take a yoke? Christ offers a yoke but you have to take it. If you receive something you must take it. It’s not passive; you reach out and take it. He said take my yoke, so it requires effort on our part. Jesus is saying, if you are tired, weary, broke, exhausted, come to me and I will give you more work. But it’s not just any work He is giving to you. It’s His work, and He says His work is easy, His burden is light…so what the heck did you pick up that is causing you to burn out, have psychiatric care and emotional due rest or be angry and upset, restless and frustrated? Unsatisfied, giving you Monday morning blues and the desire to shoot someone while driving to work or say thank God it’s Friday and I’m off. I had to learn recently that God loves me and everyone else has a plan for my life. But God’s plan is for my life and that yoke will fit me like a tailor made suit. His yoke requires you to submit to his will. It’s an analogy people. A wooden yoke put over the shoulders of plow animals. The neck in scripture has to do with the will. When God talks about rebellious people He says you’re a stiff necked. A yoke allows the plowman to turn the submitter left or right. It also goes over the shoulders to signify carrying a responsibility. So if you hear the saying he has big shoulders it’s because he carries heavy responsibility.
Now when I got saved I didn’t know Jesus as provider, or comforter, or healer. But when I took on a yoke in that area I got a revelation of Him that I couldn’t get from reading a blog, or listening to a tape or hearing that sermon. God is more than sitting in the chair every Sunday. Now we hear all the time he will provide all you need and it sure sounded nice but I was uncertain and insecure. I wondered if I would have enough. I always worried about if this or that happened. But when I got into the yoke of my provider and honored Him my tithe and generosity, I got to know Him as my provider. Strange and sudden things that make you wonder and go wow. Our tiredness, fatigue and weariness come from wearing our yoke, not His. Here’s an example, John 4…the disciples and Jesus were walking thru Samaria, they are tired and hungry, it is hot. Jesus sends them into the city to get food. When they came back Jesus had already witnessed to a Samarian woman. He led her to Himself as messiah and she ran into town to tell everyone Jesus is sitting on the well. And the disciples tried to get Jesus to eat food but He wouldn’t eat anything. They are baffled! He said I have food to eat that you don’t know anything about. He said my food is to do the will of Him whom sent me. Now Jesus had a secret we could learn from. He knew if He was doing the will of God, wearing that yoke He wasn’t going to lack energy, be hungry or unsatisfied for his life. Sticking to the analogy of food and doing His father’s will, let’s examine food. Food provides 3 values, sustenance, without food you can’t endure, you get weak. Food provides strength and energy; there are low energy foods and high energy foods. Stop living a low carb lifestyle. You need a bigger dream. And finally, it provides satisfaction. Good food well presented gives everybody a great feeling. So spiritually catch what He is saying. Jesus is saying my food meaning my sustenance, my strength and satisfaction is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish that work. So your design is to be self-sustaining, self-sufficient and self-fulfilling. Zoe, my ex’s dog never had blue Mondays, “Well its Monday, I am not chase that bird or run fast in the park. I don’t feel like getting excited when you come home and I certainly don’t want to play with you. Thank God it’s Friday! I am just going to lay here and won’t even scratch a flea.” No matter what time or what day, you just call her name and she’ll go crazy tail wagging nuts. Birds don’t have bad days, worms don’t either. Worms just worm away all the time or do whatever worms do regardless of Monday or not. They just do what they are made to do. Everyday it’s a good day. Only humans come up with this crap. That’s because you aren’t in the yoke God gave you. You’ll be better at it, you’ll be fruitful. Get satisfaction and a sense of esteem and pride. You’ll want to be, you’ll grow in it. Every person has an assignment. Ask yourself if you are pursuing a divine purpose. Your satisfaction depends on it. God yokes us for a work. Make a commitment. Put on the yoke and pull your load. Even in church. Parents want their kids to clean their room, make their beds, wash the dishes, mow the lawn, wash the floors, wash the car and have all kinds of responsibility in the household family but in the spiritual family the parents don’t want to do anything. They just come to church and sit. The issue is this, has God joined you to do his yoke with someone? If God has joined you let not man tear it apart. Now I know you use that in a wedding which gets all twisted and used in understandably applicable ways but if you read it, it reads Paul speaks of a mystery, a personal revelation from Jesus, about Christ and the church. He didn’t even mention a wedding. Again it’s true about marriage, but it’s about the church. If God joins you, don’t let the flesh and don’t let men break it up. My point is that being a Christian alone won’t change the world. Being yoked to the Lord and being yoked to those He calls you to will. Different races, different cultures, different backgrounds, different sex, beliefs and denominations. God says if I am going to use you to do a great work then you have to be bigger than African American or Anglo-Saxon. You’ve got to be bigger than Baptist, Assembly of God or 7th day. God is going to yoke you with different people and if the only thing that attracts you to someone is that you like the same music or hairstyle then it is not going to work. Don’t be so intolerant. Don’t tear so easily. Have a little flexibility and open-mindedness and less judgment. If you only meet with Christians then you won’t go were Jesus went. Truth doesn’t change but styles will. Sometimes you don’t know if God has yoked you together for a while. Don’t judge a person by appearance. Listen to their words and heart to see if there is wisdom you could learn from. Sometimes we just get complacent and dull due to our ignorance and can’t touch people because of our own beliefs, ignorance about cultures, racism and world differences. 1 Corinthians 12:18, God sets every member in the body as it pleases him. Not them…Him. God does the yoking and God does the placement. You get to choose whether or not you take the yoke, He chooses where to place you. Have you ever played sports and been chosen third? Did you choose to be picked third? You don’t get to chose in God. Does the furniture tell you where be placed in the house? No, you choose to put the ashtray next to the bible. Don’t get all worked up all the time because things don’t go your way every single time. Lose some battles. Not everyone is like you. I really believe I can lower my potential if I break the joining God brings to me. So for me, I am glad you read this blog or are in my life if God has joined you to me. We will find out sooner or later when I say something to offend you (which God says will always happen. It is in the bible read it) and then we will find out if God joined you to me or not. He says that he will send storms to wash out which is not meant to be in the body. So if you aren’t joined by God then we will see how long you stay. So point again is that God has a yoke for you and it will be a much better life if you choose to take it. I am done rambling now. Thanks,

6 Steps To Breaking Out Of Lifeless Routine

“Winning is a habit and so is losing.”
Vince Lombardi

Occasionally winners lose but continue figuring out how to win, losers win on occasion but somehow screw it up and are determined to not change. Will Rogers said, “Even if you’re on the rite track you are gonna get run over if you just sit there.” James 2:17 states Faith by itself if not accompanied by action is dead. The purpose of life isn’t just to believe in something but also to do something. I once read that if more husbands were self starters, fewer wives would be cranks. All of us fall into ruts and routines. Kind of like watching television, the show isn’t that good but we are too lazy to change the channel. It’s not just when we see the light that makes us move, it’s the heat from the light that makes us move. We have to get desperate to make a change. In the story of The Progigal Son, he had to hit rock bottom before turning it around. Sometimes that is exactly what it takes. Some won’t go to the dentist until the pain is unbearable. Proverbs 20:30 says, Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our way. Most don’t know what it takes to get an eaglet to fly. Some think the mother just pushes the baby out of the nest when she thinks they are ready and poof…well…not true. In most cases after the eaglet is hatched and it just lays in the comfortable nest for a long time with its mouth open hollering feed me, feed me (Pray for me, Pray for me) And the mother does just that, stuffs food down the eaglets throat. There has to come a moment when the momma makes them self-sufficient in order to survive. They need to fly and defend themselves and feed themselves. So how does she do it? She afflicts pain to her children. She destroys their comfort zone. She makes the nest a painful experience. How? Well, she pulls all their feathers out. She goes berserk. She tears the down fur out of them and rips the nest apart. It’s too prickly and uncomfortable to lie on. The eaglets have no idea what’s happening. Mothers insane they think, she is gonna hurt us. Then she kicks them to get them flying. Until your misery factor exceeds your fear factor, you won’t change. It is not that God inflicts the pain, but He will use it to get you moving. It may take the well drying up for you to get working. Sometimes people want what others don’t appreciate and those people will take better care of you. (I am glad I can be the Halloween joke though…stings a little but whatever, I am infamous) So maybe pain that was inflicted on you turned out to be a great thing. Otherwise we might still be a comfortable and routine bleh…or as you say, flour.
Step 1-Assume responsibility for your own life
There are 3 kinds of people. Accusers; often heard saying it is not my fault. It is always someone else’s fault… Adam took it like a man and blamed his wife Eve. I have been married 3 times, divorced 3 times and the guys were always to blame. Of the 3 different guys she was with…well…she was the one thing in common with all of them. “If you believe you are a victim you are too dumb for help.” That is what Dr. Phil said.
Excusers, I didn’t marry the right person, if I just had her looks, my momma didn’t hold me enough, or worse, momma held me under the water for too long. George Washington Carver said, “99 percent of the failure comes from a bad habit of making excuses.” Now, of course there are those who are beat and assaulted. They are absolutely victims. I feel so much sorrow for them. As hard as it is, you have to move on. But when you stay and go through it over and over you can only accept fault. Accept personal responsibility.
And then there are Choosers who accept responsibility and admit mistakes. Proverbs 28:13, A man who refuses to admit mistakes can never be successful. Take responsibility, God gives grace. Admit the area(s) you were wrong in and you may get another chance.
It is not his responsibility to make you unhappy, you can be hurt by him but not be made unhappy. God works all things for good to all who love Him and that are called according to his purpose…even bad things.
Step 2-You have to believe you can change your circumstances
Yes, I know it sounds stupid but there are lots of people who don’t believe they can change. That is why they stay in the abuse for instance. What can I do on my own? Who am I without him? I can not survive by myself. Stop saying I can’t, start saying I can through Christ. Attitude determines ability AND THAT takes reprogramming your mind.
Romans 12:2 reads, Let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of mind. Success starts in your mind. A good attitude is paramount if you are on a team or coach a team. When I become an employer, if you have a bad attitude, you are gone. You choose your attitude, there is nothing worse than a bad attitude, bad things happen but you better have a good attitude. And parents, please don’t let your kids develop a bad attitude mentality. This is one of the hardest things I think to change. God came to Moses, what did Moses say? I stutter, I am the wrong guy, I have murdered. God went to Gideon; he said I’m the youngest kid here from the poorest family in the smallest tribe in the nation of Israel. Talk about an inferiority complex. God comes to Jeremiah he HeardI’m just a teenager. So when God wants to use anybody, it’s typical we put up excuses…I can’t, I’m not able, I’m the wrong one, I can’t do it…and he had to build faith in all of them. Mark 9:23, Everything is possible to him who believes. You have to believe your situation can change or you need to get out of Christianity and find another faith, try radical Islam since you are suicidal anyway. He gives you a new identity. What would you like to change about your life? If you won’t change it because you can’t believe it can change then stop complaining about it. If you are gonna keep it, don’t complain about it…at least do us that favor. Hush up. But, if you hate it and want to change let’s come together and be a force to do so.
Step 3-Clarify what you really want
(Wow this sounds like I am writing a Succeed in Network Marketing Book) Famous psychiatrists say after years of practice and experience in the field that the most important thing they could do to help get patients’ life in order and happy again is to help them establish personal goals.
James 1:8, A double minded man is unstable in all that he does. There are lots of people who can’t make up their mind and don’t know what they want. They are either half in or half out. I could be a real nasty ugly person without Jesus. Most people have no idea the anger and hatred I have inside. I can choose to love or hate. God can change your heart…you can’t live hating her and want to hold her…make up your mind. Clarify what you want and move towards it. But don’t sit there and bitch about him all the time and go home and cuddle. You look like a fool. God says you are unstable and let not that man think he shall receive anything from the Lord. So you have to decide for yourself basically. Offers come, opportunities come, enticement, seduction comes. You are in trouble if you have to make a choice on that day about the offer if you haven’t already made the choice of what you want. I know, trust me. Because I know what I want doesn’t seduce me, never doubt it. Now in business and hobbies, things may be fun. You may have your goal set on something but get distracted easily by other “ventures” without knowing what you want you will never achieve anything. If you had to make a choice on any day, at any time about what you want, you will have to know what must be expendable if it doesn’t assist in the progress of your decision for what you want. And one last note on this section, the only way to change other people is by changing yourself.
Step 4- DON’T WAIT FOR IDEAL CIRCUMSTANCES!
You can’t wait for things to be perfect. If you wait for the wind and weather to be just right, you won’t plant anything and never harvest anything. Whatever you are decide to do, you will have to do it in less than perfect circumstances most of the time. It is never convenient to borrow money, buy a home, take that risk, volunteer, start a business or whatever. I’m gonna get married when it’s the rite one. You have to risk to say I do, you will never know even after you are married. It is something that unfolds over time. It is a calculated risk with faith you must take. It is never a convenient time to have kids. The thing is did Jesus say do it? Did the word of God say do it? Did He say come? Then you can walk on the circumstances. Interest rates will always go up and down; the President is going to change every 8 years. So why is waiting for the perfect circumstances dangerous?
1. Perfection makes us procrastinate. There is a great poem I use,
Procrastination is my sin. It only brings me sorrow,
I know I outta change my ways, in fact I will, tomorrow.
I’ll be generous when I make just a little bit more money. No you won’t, liar. Just decide to do your best now.
2. Perfection paralyzes your potential, if I can’t do it perfectly I am not gonna do it. Then what is the point of practice?
Step 5-Exercise your body
1 Timothy 4:8 says Exercise your body. Physical exercise has its value. Most people are too tired to change. It is not that they don’t know what to do; it is that they are too tired to do it. Most of what is done in the world is by people who didn’t feel like doing it. God made our bodies for movement and for activity. Fatigue is a major cause of procrastination. We live in a culture were we are either over committed or sit and do nothing and either way we vegetate and die. Ever notice now when you go to a hospital how quickly they make you walk after surgery or having a baby? As soon as you get that baby out they say next, kick you out and change the sheets. They want you walking. Back in the day you used to be in bed for 3 days. Now it’s off you go, surgery, stitch you up and get you moving because the quickest way to get healing is to get moving. Are you in a rut? Get moving! Something happening makes something happen. You feel better, look better, and live longer. Take care of your body. You need energy to change that and the only way to get energy is to expend energy. Most people suffering clinical depression are advised by psychologist to start walking. When you feel better you generally act better, but when you don’t feel well man it can be negative. It helps your attitude, creativity, makes you think, enhances your mental state, and your endurance. Acts 9:34 says, Get up and make your bed. So if you’re tired expend a little energy and get a lot, remember give and it shall be given to you, good measure, press down, shaken together and running over. It’s not only applied to money people. Go exercise and you come back home with a great new feeling, positive energy.
Step 6-Do it now!
3 words to that will change your life forever. When are you going to commit to Christ? When are you going to give up the hidden addiction before it becomes scandalous? When are you going become a better person? When are you going to be generous? Do it now!
Proverbs 27:1, Never boast about tomorrow. You never know what’ll happen between now and then, Luke 9:62, No procrastination, no backward looks. You can’t put the kingdom off until tomorrow, seize the day. You won’t find God saying, you know that’s a good idea…do it tomorrow. God says NOW is God’s time, stop aiming and pull trigger. Don’t presume on future, I don’t know the next hour much less the next day. Make that call, write that letter, and make that decision. None of us are guaranteed another day. Ever been around that person that says “I’m gonna do it one of these days.”? There is a good saying, thus say it the lord means none of these days. One of these days is none of these days. Stop praying about it, if it’s rite, do it. I think people and all this praying is messing folks up. You’ve prayed enough about it. It took 17 words to rain fire from brimstone. Stop waiting on something to sneak up on you. James Albry wanted to be a writer. When he died he had this on his tombstone, “He slept beneath the moon, he baked beneath the sun, he lived a life with going to do and died with nothing done.” Greatest tragedy in life is to waste your life. Everybody has dreams but dreams are a dime a dozen. It’s the person who takes action. Again, faith without action is worthless. What will it take to get you moving? Pain? Get moving! If you wait ‘till you feel like it you’ll never do anything. Motivation follows action. What will it take? Successful people are self-starters.
So, are you blaming anyone? What excuses are you giving for not growing and accepting responsibility? Have you decided to make your life count? Have you let the enemies whisper creep in saying, “I’ll never change; I like me just the way I am”? Let God transform your mind, clarify what u want. When time is rite? No! Don’t wait. What do you need to start doing it today?

He Who Laughs, Lasts

"Laughter is the closest distance between two people."
Victor Borge (1909-2000)

Joy and Laughter. What an amazing blessing. Imagine life without laughter. I love being around the joyfullness of infants. They have few worries. So fresh and new. Innocent and hopeful. I look forward to the day when I can sit with my baby and laugh. Life has been a little down for the last well, little while...but this video was awesomely helpful and well...much needed. I hope you enjoy it too...

20/20

“Cherish your vision and your dreams as they are the children of your soul; the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.”
Napoleon Hill

Everyone pictures children as being nice, sweet kids, but they aren’t. We live naively not knowing the torment and cruelty that goes on. Harsh words and bullying are common. Fist fights are common as well. I am not a fighter by any means. Some people are more natural but it definitely is something that is developed with training like anything else in life. My first fight was with this punk David Brink, and man…I remember it vividly. Wow did I get my ass whooped that day. After sometime I learned a little more about fighting. I eventually was able to hold my own and he learned to find someone else to mess with...I will leave the details out but there was one important lesson I learned during that phase that can apply to life. The lesson was that in order to win, you must open your eyes. No matter how hard you swing, how fast and wild you fight or how much energy and stamina you have to last, without vision you have no chance in success or victory. You have to open your eyes and see where you are going in order to get there. So many times we go through life swinging wildly, aimlessly, thinking we are getting somewhere but lack the vision to know. We stand there getting hit with blow after blow after blow. Fat lips, black eyes and bloody noses. We know life hits hard and yet we continue to stand there fighting blindly. Open your eyes and see! Take a moment and get some vision. See where you want to be in 5 years and start developing an action plan. Take small steps that will get you there over time. Get a mentor to help guide you. Try Jesus. As time changes, so will your vision, always reevaluate it. Make sure you are on track. This is what helps you feel you have purpose in life. Otherwise, you will be alone wondering when you are institutionalized and crystallized from life’s glorious miracles.

Who do you really say Jesus is?

"I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish He didn't trust me with so much."
Mother Teresa


We evangelize every day. Deliberately or not, consciously or not, we are evangelizers. The question is, what are we evangelizing about? What kind of Jesus are we teaching to others?
One of the most frequent ways that we evangelize about the truth is by genuinely living true faith, especially during hardships, in sight of those who are inexperienced at relying upon God. If we deal with problems without true faith, our behavior teaches others that God is not reliable and that he doesn't actually care.
It's not our words that make a difference; it's what our lives say. It's the message implied in our responses to everything that happens to us during the day. Jesus asks: "Who do YOU say that I am?" Did he mean, "Who do you SAY that I am?" as if he were more concerned about what comes out of our lips than out of our lives?
All too often, our words say one thing and our behavior another. People don't believe our words if our lives don't prove their validity. They can sense when our faith is not authentic. So let's start the unworded interrogation:
"Who do you say Jesus is? Who is he for you? How real is he for you? Is he everything that you tell me he is? Why should I obey the teachings of the Church when you haven't bothered to see if you can get an annulment after your divorce? Why should I trust God if you tell me you pray and yet you worry so much?"
You know what my pastor said one day that was pretty well...in your face. He was talking about all this gays in the church crap, during the sermon he said, you know I will tell all the gays to stay out and lets also kick out all the fornicating singles too... the point was that there would only be about 12 married people let inside the building, and hopefully those couples aren't cheating, or swinging, or deceiving his wife because he likes to be humiliated by a mistress. We all sin. We are all guilty of something every single day. So why come to church? To get better and learn and grow. Great point huh? Lets lock out all the sinners! He did say to not come in here recuiting people to gay, but hey...how many people go to church just for lust in looking for a pretty, young "innocent" girl?
What young people are looking for are authentic examples of God. Teenagers and young adults are in transition, moving from childhood's unquestioning acceptance of their parents' faith into an adult ownership of their own faith. They are "chadults"...all my friends know my made up words...no longer children but not yet true adults until they own the responsibilities of adulthood. This phase might last many years. It's hampered by every Christian they meet. And since we're all imperfect examples of what God is like, we shouldn't wonder why our youth stray from what we've taught them about faith.
Rebellion is strong during the chadult years. But, young people are not looking for ways to reject true faith. What they're seeking is proof that the faith they learned truly...well... true, truly safe to continue believing, truly worth building an adult life upon. And every person they encounter in the Church who fails to be Christ-like sends them off seeking God in other directions. The good news is: Our repentance from sin is a powerful way to show them authentic faith, the truth of God's mercy, and a faith worth believing.

He wants us back! Watch this great video on it.

That's MY King!. Inspiration Felt.

My King is Amazing! It has been just one of those bad months. I guess we all go through them right? Sometimes we just feel so alone out here don't we?
I came to San Antonio with high expectations of friends being strong commited christians and I was under the impression that they were on fire for Him. Maybe God is trying to once again have me depend on Him alone. But why?! Why would you not have mentors, role models and friends to walk with too? It is up to God and me I guess. Thank God for God sometimes. He never gives up on people. People give up just the very moment you needed them the most. Time to move on and find new hope in different people? I don't think so. This month of September has been a true test of prayer. No need to get into details. It has a lot to do with my family though. I feel like Jeremiah. His prayer is so perfect for me this month. Read below if you truly dare to see inside my feelings inside.

Jeremiah 20-
14 Cursed be the day I was born! May the day my mother bore me not be blessed!
15 Cursed be the man who brought my father the news, who made him very glad, saying, "A child is born to you—a son!"
16 May that man be like the towns the Lord overthrew without pity. May he hear wailing in the morning, a battle cry at noon.
17 For he did not kill me in the womb, with my mother as my grave, her womb enlarged forever.
18 Why did I ever come out of the womb to see trouble and sorrow and to end my days in shame?

Wow, now that is amazing how relveant it is. Can you imagine praying such a prayer. My closests friends know my birthday is the hardest time of my life. My loneliest time. I feel like my life should be so much further but yet I stay stuck in Shit somehow. I try to spend it with my closest friends but somehow each time, I feel like the ones who matter most are too busy. Well, not all of them so I don't want you to think nobody is there. But, how hard is a simple birthday call? For the longest time I never even sent cards or thank you notes to people. I sewed poor seeds then and am reaping it now, but I have since changed that because it is invaluable to me and wish to get more than the thought of wandering if anyone is going to even take the time to text. Nope. I need to give more though. Where do you want me lord?! Where am I supposed to be. This burden I carry is not lite and I know you said it should be. So, what am I doing wrong? What a prayer. To pray that the man who pulled you from the womb, who probably lit a cigar and popped the wine cork in celebration while shouting "It's a boy!" should be so cursed for it. Man, he must have had some serious strife in his life. Sometimes I feel the same way. Wondering what if I gave up and left this Earth, but knowing God has more for me. To never give up, but sometimes I feel so alone.

Psalm 46 says God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble! Refuge!!! It is said that God created 6 cities where men can find refuge in the event of anything. Say for instance you make a huge mistake and commit manslaughter accidentally. You could run to this city for refuge before the avenger comes for execution. If to be found guilty at which point then you would be handed over to the avenger but this refuge saved many men who were innocent. Thankfully God is our refuge from the storm. But its asking for his refuge. Like I said, in my past life has been difficult at times. This past week in fact has been one of the most difficult weeks I have faced in 2 years. But, we all have our problems and I should not expect the devil to ignore me right? But then I have a great King!
Enjoy this wonderful video for one of the greatest ever. Dr. S.M. Lockridge. I did a search to find out what the S.M stands for...Know what the SM stands for? Shadrach Meshach. Crazy his mom had such an insightful vision to name him that. He is said to be the "T.D. Jakes" of the 60's. Enjoy.

First Step Towards Victory

On Friday, a federal court judge in Utah denied an attempt by convicted felon Barry Minkow and his for-profit company to evade an expedited discovery order that was originally issued on August 1, 2007. As a result of this ruling, Mr. Minkow will be required to respond to written discovery requests, submit requested documents and sit for a 4-hour deposition.
As part of this discovery process and under the penalty of perjury, Mr. Minkow will be asked to reveal a variety of undisclosed information related to his and his unidentified partners' alleged attempt to profit from deliberately driving down USANA's stock price. Specifically, he will be required to identify his financial backers as well as any and all financial institutions, short sellers or individuals with whom he has shared involvement on this matter.
USANA has filed a lawsuit against Mr. Minkow and his for-profit company in U.S. District Court, District of Utah, Central Division, alleging that he has engaged in a public relations campaign to intentionally and illegally manipulate the market for USANA's stock for the economic benefit of himself and his undisclosed associates. USANA is demanding judgment against Mr. Minkow and his undisclosed financial backers and associates including among other remedies, injunctive relief, restitution, damages and recovery of attorney fees and other costs related to defending against the defendants' conduct.
"We are pleased that the judge has recognized the merit of USANA's position that it is entitled to expedited discovery to learn the identity of Mr. Minkow's financial backers and his associates in the investment community who have benefited from illegal stock price manipulation," said D.J. Poyfair, attorney with Shughart, Thomson & Kilroy P.C. and legal counsel to USANA. "We believe Mr. Minkow and his associates have been engaged in a well-coordinated effort to line their pockets through illegal manipulation of USANA's stock price. The fact that nearly 9 million shares, or approximately 125% of the public float, are shorted we think is evidence of stock manipulation. Minkow has already admitted that he will gain financially from a decrease in the company's stock price, and we believe the evidence will demonstrate a deliberate campaign to damage USANA with misinformation and false statements. We look forward to the discovery process and taking this first important step in exposing this crime against USANA."

Sincerely,

Dan Macuga
Vice President
Network Development & Public Relations
USANA Health Sciences, Inc.

I was reading a great book by Jim Cramer entitled "Real Money". In that book he talked about all the people he would manipulate into writting articles in the Wall Street Journal. I didn't know all the ins and outs and still don't but it's a shame that it happens. It is not fair, but all things good will prevail. There was a nasty article written up in the Journal about Usana that caused some serious damage. Amazingly, we are going to still make another quarter of consecutive record growth now of 20 quarters. When you are on top for 9 years in a row, people will do anything possible to bring you down. Damn devils. Do your due diligence and get to the truth before reading things at face value. It is not always as you perceive. I mean seriously, Dr. Myron Wentz just received the Albert Einstein World Award for Science. It is given as a means of recognition, and as an incentive to scientific and technological research and development", with special consideration for researchers which "have brought true benefit and well being to mankind." The Albert Einstein World Award for Science, salutes leaders whose vision and commitment have contributed to the critical advancement of vital life-saving and life-enhancing technology to benefit mankind. Dr. Wentz received the award in recognition of his contributions to nutritional science, as well as his many humanitarian endeavors.“I am honored and humbled to receive an award that bears the name of Albert Einstein,” Dr. Wentz said. “As both an extraordinary scientist and dedicated humanitarian, he serves as a great inspiration for my life’s work, helping people lead healthier lives through nutritional science.”That is a serious award people. But you know...maybe its a scam.

Break A Vase

A compliment is a gift, not to be thrown away carelessly, unless you want to hurt the giver.
Eleanor Hamilton

The excellence of a gift lies in its appropriateness rather than in its value.
Charles Dudley Warner (1829 - 1900)

1Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some sly way to arrest Jesus and kill him. 2"But not during the Feast," they said, "or the people may riot."
3While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.
4Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume? 5It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor." And they rebuked her harshly.
6"Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

Mark 14:1-9

Growing up I had such a terrible mentality. My father raised me to pay attention to how and where I spend my money. Let me first make this clear. I am not advocating being a ridiculous irrational spender here. I am simply stating in some heartfelt moving times you should be an extravagant giver. Be a wonderful giver of extravagant gifts and acts of love.
For at least the past 5 years I believed in abundance but obviously not a bountiful abundance. It took time for me to truly believe that anything was possible. Even then for sometime I felt it was only necessary to give to those who needed instead of giving for the love of giving. I am sure we all have felt the immediate thought of love and sacrifice to give. I just did not understand it fully.

It is funny looking back now on my immaturity and lack of understanding with true giving. Giving without any limits or writing a check for someone or some purpose that makes you feel uncomfortable. About 2 years ago I was sitting in a restaurant and Angie had this off the wall desire to just buy everyone’s meal in that restaurant. At the time it seemed like such a ridiculous action to me. Why? I thought. There is so much more opportunities in the world to do better things with money than to buy an entire restaurant their meal. I mean think of all the poor people in the world. My calculating mind determined the expense to be roughly $3,000. That would feed an entire village in Africa for an entire year. $3,000. But for some reason that day I ripped her wonderful feeling of giving a joyful, extravagant gift to shreds and called it ridiculous. I tore it apart with my calculating mind. Abundance. $3,000 is nothing to a lot of people in this world. To some, it’s 1/4th of their annual salary. To a couple of friends of mine here in Texas it’s a days pay. “There will always be poor.” That’s what Jesus said in verse 7. What does he mean by that? He is simply stating that no matter how much good you do there will always be poor people out there. I remember the scene in Schindler’s List where after all the wonderful things he did that saved thousands of people’s lives, he could only think of the things he did not do. I respect that thought, but sometimes you need to splurge on yourself and on others and realize there will always be poor people to help. Jesus was not condoning this act for every time you rather give to yourself or people who are more fortunate instead of the poor. Everyone knows all the wonderful things He did for them. But this lady wanted to do something for him. To pamper Jesus and this is the feeling she was given to do so. She poured pure nard (extremely expenssive fragrances) all over Him. It says this nard was worth her annual salary. Jesus recognized it as a true gift of love. I have since realized that people in higher statuses of life need gifts of extravagance and love just as much as the poor. Some people go through horrible things in life no matter what their finances look like. Jesus, the Son Of God could have had anything. He certainly did not need to be pampered by such extravagance. It was the heart of this woman He praised while others only thought of the action which could have been better spent on a more “worthy” cause. What a poor mentality. If you have been through something, say a friend has lost a loved one in their life and they are finally pulling through it, do something extravagant for them. Write a check that makes you feel uncomfortable. Give them an unexpected gift at an unexpected time.

Don’t Miss The Boat

When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her gladness she did not open, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. But they said to her, “You are beside yourself!” Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, “It is his angel.”

-Acts 12:14-15

"Unless You Believe, You Will Not Understand."

-Saint Augustine (354AD-430AD)

You can say prayers in your mind but doubt in your heart. At times God will answer such prayers as He did when Peter was in prison, scheduled for execution. The believers in Jerusalem were powerless to free him, so they prayed. When God released Peter, their reaction revealed the doubt in their hearts. They argued that Peter could not possibly be free, even as he stood outside knocking on the door!
It is possible to be a “person of prayer” and yet still not have faith? Absolutely! If you study habitual liars, they actually believe their lies to be true. If you tell the same lie over and over again, you too will come to believe your lie to be true. Is it possible to fool yourself into believing that because you ask God for help, you have faith in His ability to meet your needs? Is your faith so weak that you are surprised when God answers your prayer? As a child of God, you ought to expect God to answer your prayers. Not play God like a puppet which is in your control but know undoubtedly that he will answer them the best way He decides. And…sometimes those prayers may be just the way you wanted, that’s where we see the true essence of faith. Are you surprised or are you grateful? Not, surprised and grateful. Just grateful. Do you ask God to do something without adjusting your life to what you are praying? If you are praying for revival, how are you preparing for its coming? If you are praying for forgiveness, are you still living with guilt and bitterness? If you have asked God to provide for your needs, do you remain worried and anxious?
Ask God to increase your faith, and then begin living a life that reflects absolute trust in Him. Out of His grace, God may choose to respond to your requests despite your lack of faith, but you will miss the joy of praying in faith.
I like the commonly used story about the woman stranded on top of the house where the waters are rising due to a massive flood. While waiting she prayed earnestly for God to come and save her. As she was praying a man rowed by in a canoe and asked if she wanted help. She declined and remarked “No thanks, God is going to save me.” So he rowed on. She continued to pray and a country boy came by in his air powered boat and asked her if she wanted help. She waived him on as well remarking the same thing. Then the Coast Guard came in with a helicopter. Again the same thing. Well, she died. When she went to heaven she asked God, “What happened? I prayed for you to save me and now I am here.” He looked at her, shook his head and responded, “I sent you 2 boats and a helicopter. What more did you expect?” God is not going to be this giant arm that comes through the clouds to do what it is you are asking…well, he might but it is highly unlikely. So live faithfully that he has an arm through the clouds right now helping but you just can’t see it.

And now for Napoleon Hill's Thought of the Day.

IF YOU ARE AN AMERICAN CITIZEN, DON’T LET ANYONE TELL YOU THAT YOU ARE DOWNTRODDEN.

We still live in the greatest country in the world. The United States is the great experiment in positive thinking; our entire system of government is based upon faith in the inherent goodness of the individual. It was a revolutionary idea more than 200 years ago when the Declaration of Independence was first signed. Borrowing from the greatest thinkers in history, our founding fathers established a form of government of the people that is today the model most imitated around the world. Economic and political conditions ebb and flow, but as long as we have a democratic society that celebrates the individual, we can achieve anything in life we desire. All you require to be successful in the United States is the desire to achieve success and the determination to stick with it until you reach your goals.

You Are Your Worst Enemy

A Blog from Get Rich Slowly.

My friend Gillian called the other day — she’s been having money trouble and was looking for help. “I’m not really a financial advisor,” I told her. “I write about money, and I try to help people at my web site, but I’m not qualified to coach you one-on-one.” Still, she’s a friend, so I resolved to at least give her some advice. I asked her to explain the situation.
“Tom and I are working all the time, but we’re always broke. He just wrecked his car, but we don’t have money to get it repaired. We’ll have to use the credit cards again. We don’t have any other choice. There’s never anything left at the end of the month,” she said. “I need some help budgeting so that we don’t keep having this problem.”
“Well, let’s see what we can do. I guess the best place to start is with your monthly income and your monthly expenses. How much do you and Tom bring home each month?” I asked.
“About $4,000 after taxes.” That was about what I expected.
“How much do you spend?” I asked.
“All of it,” she said, laughing. I expected that, too.
“How much do you have saved?” I asked. “Do you have any savings at all?”
“No, we don’t,” she said. “There’s never been anything left over to save.”
They don’t have anything left to save because they’re very good at spending money. Gillian and Tom live well:
They have a nice custom-built home.
Each of them drives a late model SUV.
They have no kids.
They enjoy expensive hobbies.
I have friends who make half what Gillian and Tom do, but have built a nest egg because they maintain a frugal lifestyle. It should be easy for these two to reduce their spending to create a budget surplus. “Well, let’s see if we can find a way to free up some cash,” I said. “Let’s list your fixed monthly expenses.”
Gillian listed their bills one-by-one. I jotted them down, making note of anything that seemed particularly extravagant. “Okay, let’s see what we have,” I said. “You’re paying a housekeeper $50 a week. If you were to clean the house yourself, you’d save $200 a month.”
“But…” she began.
“I think you’d be surprised at how much difference $200 a month can make,” I said. “I know from experience that even a $50 positive cash flow can make the difference between feeling broke and feeling flush. A $200 difference is huge.”
“Yeah,” said Gillian, “but I don’t want to clean the house. It’s too much work.” I was puzzled. To me, this was a quick and obvious way to free up money. If I were in her shoes, the housekeeper would be the first thing to go — it would be worth some extra work on my part. I tried a different approach.
“You each have a cell phone,” I said. “Do you both need one?”
“Yes,” said Gillian. “I don’t know what I’d do without one. And Tom needs one for work. I need to be able to reach him.”
Her reasoning seemed thin, but I pressed on. “Well, what about the cable bill,” I said. “You’re paying $60 a month for that. That’s an easy one. What about cutting back to basic cable?”
“Oh, we can’t get rid of cable,” Gillian said. “We watch TV all the time.” I was silent. “Are you there?” she asked.
“I’m here,” I said. “I’m just trying to figure out what to do. In order for you to turn things around, you’re going to have to make some sacrifices.”
“Yeah,” she said, “but we can’t cut cable. Tom would have a fit.”
“Gillian,” I said, “this is a little frustrating. I thought you wanted to get out of your money situation.”
“I do,” she said, “but so far you’re just suggesting things for me to get rid of. Isn’t there something else we can do? Can’t we use a budget to get more money?”
“That’s what I’m talking about,” I said. “Cutting things like these is making a budget. I know it seems terrible to have to give things up, but you need to make sacrifices — at least in the short term — in order to get ahead. You don’t have any savings. Any disaster means you’re putting money on your credit card. You need to build up some savings. You need to pay off your existing debt. In order to do this, you need to spend less than you earn. Right now you’re spending exactly what you earn, and you’ll never get ahead that way. I know, because for years that’s how I operated. You’re going to have to tighten the belt, Gillian. It’s the only way.”
I paused, and then said, “You need to decide what’s important.”
It was obvious I wasn’t going to be able to help her. I hadn’t even explored the Big Ideas, like moving down to a smaller home or trading one of their SUVs for a used car. I had started with the medium-sized stuff — the obvious chaff. But Gillian wasn’t interested in making changes if it meant altering her lifestyle. I changed the subject.
We talked about summer. Gillian asked how our garden was. I described the knee-high corn, the ripe raspberries, and Kris’ monster tomatoes. “I’m jealous,” she said. “I don’t have time to garden. I did get a chance to go to the nursery last week, though. I was able to pick up five shrubs on sale for about $10 each.”
The shrubs were the final straw. There was nothing I could do to help her because she wasn’t ready to be helped. She wasn’t ready to listen. She said she wanted to change, but she didn’t really. She was looking for a magic pill, something that would make life easier without any effort on her part. That’s not how it works. Eventually Gillian will reach a place so bad that she’ll begin to see the need to take responsibility for improving her situation, but she’s not there yet.
Our conversation reminded me of an episode of This American Life I heard recently.

http://www.getrichslowly.org/files/Dave%20Ramsey%20clip.mp3

The show profiled debt guru Dave Ramsey, and at one point the reporter played a segment in which Dave experienced similar frustration:
Tina calls Dave because she’s upside-down on her car loan. She recently wrecked the car, but rather than use the money to repair the vehicle, she spent it. “Ooooo-kay,” says Dave, obviously flustered. “I’m afraid what you’re looking at is probably a really good part-time job, about six or eight months of 80 hour weeks.”
“Eighty hour weeks?” says Tina. “That’s too much work.”
“I can’t help you, Tina,” says Dave.
And I can’t help you, Gillian.

Once again, a great example of Ready, Able, and Not Willing.

What More Could Have Been Done?

"What more could have been done to my vineyard that I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes?"

-Isaiah 5:4

The prophet Isaiah told the story of a man with a vineyard on a fertile hill. The man cultivated the ground and removed the stones so that nothing would hinder the vines’ growth. He planted only the best quality vines. He built a tower in the middle of the vineyard so he could watch for wild animals and intruders. He constructed a wine vat so that he would be ready for the ripe grapes. Then he waited. Rather than producing good grapes, however, the vineyard produced worthless ones.
The story illustrates the relationship between God and His people. God has done everything necessary for us to produce an abundance of spiritual fruit in our lives. He saved us when we were without hope. He gave us His Holy Sprit so that we can produce fruit in our lives. (Gal. 5:22-5:23) He removed our sin so that we are free to serve Him.
We have access to more Christian books music, videos, conferences schools, radio and television stations, magazines, and seminars than ever before. There are churches of every kind and size. We have the bible in numerous translations. We have teachers and pastors to instruct us and encourage us. Most of all, we have direct access to God through prayer. Jesus said that to whom much is given, much is expected (Luke 12:48). One day God will hold us all accountable for all that He has done for us. He will ask us to show Him the fruit of all His bountiful provision for our lives. What will He find?

Well it is the Fourth of July! Happy Independence Day!!! The United States of America is absolutely the best country on the face of this earth for more reasons than one. The countdown has started. I have exactly one year from this day until my Financial Independence Day Party which will occur either here in San Antonio or Tampa Bay. Due to this wonderful country I have been blessed with the ability to create enough wealth to retire at such a young age of 25. You have to ask yourself one question. Am I pursuing His calling in my life? “We are all here blessed to be a blessing” as my friend Slim says. If you are blessing others you will be rewarded. The world is out there for you to grab it but we all conform in line and do what everyone else does and expect to get different results. I have chosen to walk a different path. I took the blue pill in the matrix and see things much differently now. What a wonderful world and what a great country we live in. God has blessed America and now it is time for us to receive it and plant new life for the next generations to come.

Who Declares The Path To Success?

You don't need fancy highbrow traditions or money to really learn. You just need people with the desire to better themselves."
-Adam Cooper and Bill Collage

"America believes in eduacation: the average professor earns more money in a year than a professional athlete earns in a whole week!"
-Evan Oscar (1899-1995)

"The First Rule Of Education Should Be:'Do No Harm'"
-Shaun Kerry, M.D.Diplomate, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

Article From http://www.education-reform.net/dropouts.htm

The present day educational system is damaging to young people. Evidence of this harm is being presented from psychological, neurological, sociological, statistical, and common-sense perspectives. There are many notable people, who did not complete their formal education, but accomplished great things. Bill Gates, founder of the software giant Microsoft, and the wealthiest person in the world, dropped out of Harvard in his freshman year. His incredible rise to prominence in the computer industry is testimony to the fact that formal education is not synonymous with success. In fact, his phenomenal knowledge of computers was not acquired in the structured environment of the classroom. Instead, Gates pursued this interest after school by studying the BASIC language from a manual with his friend Paul Allen, helping a local company debug its computers, and designing computer programs.
Many will dismiss Gates as an exceptional individual, who may have dropped out of college, but excelled in high school before being accepted at Harvard. There are, however, many other people who have reached the highest echelons of their profession without even completing elementary school, let alone high school. The following list offers a small sample of the thousands of individuals who have achieved tremendous success in their lives without completing their formal education:

• Albert Einstein: Nobel Prize-winning physicist; "Time" magazine's "Man of the Century" (20th century) (after dropping out of high school, he studied on his own and passed the entrance exam on his second try to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology)
• John D. Rockefeller Sr.: Self-made billionaire American businessman-philanthropist; co-founder of "The Standard Oil Company;" history's first recorded billionaire (dropped out of high school two months before graduation; took business courses for ten weeks at Folsom Mercantile College [a chain business school])
• Henry Ford: Self-made multimillionaire American businessman; assembly-line auto manufacturing pioneer; founder of the "Ford Motor Company"
• Walt Disney: Oscar-winning American film/TV producer; animation and theme park pioneer; self-made multimillionaire founder and spokesperson of "The Walt Disney Studios/Company; "Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient; Congressional Gold Medal recipient; French Legion of Honor admittee/Medal recipient (received honorary high-school diploma from hometown high school at age 58)
• Abraham Lincoln: 16th President of the United States; (little formal education - Lincoln himself estimated approximately one year; home schooling/life experience; later earned a law degree through self study of books that he borrowed from friends)
• Carl Sandburg: Pulitzer Prize-winning American author (little formal education; later passed entrance exam to Lombard College and graduated)
• Diana, Princess of Wales
• George Burns: Oscar-winning actor/comedian (elementary school dropout)
• Dave Thomas: Self-made multimillionaire American businessman; founder-spokesperson of the "Wendy's" fast-food restaurant chain (equivalency diploma)
• Martin Van Buren: 8th President of the United States (little formal education; began studying law at age 14 while an apprentice at a law firm, later became a lawyer)
• Andrew Carnegie: Self-made multimillionaire American businessman and philanthropist (elementary school dropout)
• John Chancellor: American television journalist; evening news anchorman
• "Colonel" Harlan Sanders: Self-made multimillionaire American businessman; founder-spokesperson of the "Kentucky Fried Chicken/KFC" fast-food restaurant chain (elementary school dropout; later earned a correspondence course law degree)
• Samuel L. Clemens ("Mark Twain"): Best-selling American author and humorist (elementary school dropout)
• Christopher Columbus: Italian explorer (little formal education; home schooling/life experience; went to sea in his youth)
• Davy Crockett: Early American frontiersman; U.S. Congressman (Tennessee Representative); died at the battle of the Alamo (little formal education - less than six months; home schooling/life experience)
• Charles Dickens: Best-selling British author (elementary school dropout)
• Joe DiMaggio: National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee; Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient
• Sir Francis Drake: British explorer; knighted in the United Kingdom (little formal education; home schooling/life experience; went to sea in his youth)
• George Eastman: Self-made multimillionaire American inventor; founder of the "Kodak" roll film camera, corporation, and chemical company
• Thomas Edison: Self-made multimillionaire, most famous and productive inventor of all time; invented the filament electric light bulb, phonograph, and motion picture camera; electrical power usage pioneer; Congressional Gold Medal recipient; knighted (France: bestowed the rank of Chevalier, (had no formal education - home schooled)
• Benjamin Franklin: American politician - diplomat - author - printer - publisher-scientist - inventor; co-author and co-signer of the U.S. Declaration of Independence; one of the founders of The United States of America; face is pictured on the U.S. one-hundred dollar bill (little formal education [less than two years]; home schooling/life experience)
• Clark Gable: Oscar-winning actor
• George Gershwin: Oscar-nominated and most celebrated American songwriter-and classical composer; Congressional Gold Medal recipient
• Amadeo Peter Giannini: American-born founder of "Bank of America"
• Cary Grant: Oscar-winning actor
• W.T.Grant: Self-made multimillionaire American businessman; founder of the "W.T. Grant Company" department store chain
• H.L. Hunt: Self-made billionaire American oil industrialist (elementary school dropout)
• John Huston: Oscar-winning American film director-actor (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Maltese Falcon, The African Queen, etc.)
• Elton John: Oscar-winning songwriter-singer; Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee; knighted by the United Kingdom
• Andrew Jackson: 7th President of the United States (no formal education; home schooling/life experience)
• John Paul Jones: Scottish-born American Revolutionary War U.S. navy commander; famous quote: "I have not yet begun to fight." (little formal education; home schooling/life experience; went to sea in his youth)
• Henry J. Kaiser: Self-made multimillionaire American businessman; founder of "Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporation," "Kaiser Steel," etc.
• Kirk Kerkorian: Self-made billionaire American businessman
• Ray Kroc: Self-made billionaire American businessman; founder of the "McDonald's" fast-food restaurant chain
• Jerry Lewis: Actor-comedian-singer-entertainer-humanitarian; knighted (France: Chevalier [or Chev.] Jerry Lewis)
• John Major: British Prime Minister 1990-1997
• William Shakespeare: British playwright; best-selling British author
• George Bernard Shaw: Nobel Prize-winning Irish-born British playwright; best-selling author
• Frank Sinatra: Oscar-winning actor-singer; Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient; Congressional Gold Medal recipient
• John Philip Sousa: American composer-conductor (elementary school dropout)
• Zachary Taylor: 12th President of the United States (little formal education; home schooling/life experience)
• George Washington: 1st President of the United States; former general; Chairman of the Constitutional Convention; U.S. nickname: "The Father of Our Country"; face is pictured on the U.S. one dollar bill and twenty-five cent coin (quarter) (no formal education; home schooling/life experience; went to sea in his youth)
• William Faulkner: Nobel Prize-winning and Pulitzer Prize-winning American author; screenwriter (dropped out of high school in second year; later attended University of Mississippi but did not graduate)
• Herman Melville: Best-selling American author and writer of Moby Dick, arguably the greatest novel of all time.
• Liza Minnelli: Oscar-winning actress-singer • Robert Mitchum: Oscar-nominated actor
• Claude Monet: French painter (elementary school dropout)
• David H. Murdock: Self-made billionaire American businessman • Florence Nightingale: History's most notable nurse; best-selling Italian-born British nursing book author (no formal education; home schooling/life experience)
• Thomas Paine: American Revolutionary War era political theorist; best-selling British-born American author; famous quote: "These are the times that try men's souls." (little formal education; home schooling/life experience)
• Millard Fillmore: 13th President of the United States (little formal education - six months; home schooling/life experience; studied law while serving as a legal clerk with a judge and law firm; later became a lawyer)
• Will Rogers: American author-humorist-lecturer-actor-entertainer; famous quote: "I never met a man I didn't like."
• Frederick Henry Royce: Self-made multimillionaire British businessman; co-founder-designer of the "Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Company"; knighted (United Kingdom: Sir Frederick Henry Royce) (elementary school dropout)
• Edmond Safra: Lebanese-born billionaire banker-philanthropist
• David Sarnoff: Russian-born American radio and television pioneer; given the title "Father of American Television" by the Television Broadcasters Association
• William Saroyan: Oscar-winning screenwriter; Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright
• Vidal Sassoon: Self-made multimillionaire British businessman; founder of "Vidal Sassoon" hairstyling salons, academies, and hair-care products
• Walt Whitman: Best-selling American poet (elementary school dropout)
• Orville & Wilbur Wright: Aviation pioneers; Congressional Gold Medal recipients
• Grover Cleveland: 22nd and 24th President of the United States; face is pictured on the one-thousand dollar bill, which is no longer printed; (dropped out of school to help family earn income; studied law while serving as a clerk at a law firm, later became a lawyer)
• Irving Berlin: Oscar-winning American songwriter-composer; film story writer; Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient; Congressional Gold Medal recipient

Ultimately, what distinguishes the aforementioned individuals from the rest of us is their passion for learning that transcends the structured environment of the classroom. Instead of limiting their education to formal schooling, they were curious about the world around them. With their fearless spirit of exploration and their desire to experiment, these individuals discovered their true passions and strengths, which they built upon to achieve success later in life.
Imagine what a loss for the world it would have been had Thomas Edison decided to conform to the system, and invest his time in doing homework, rather than pursuing his love for invention. What if Walt Disney had confined his learning to the requirements of his school's curriculum, and followed only the guidance of his teachers, rather than his own internal motivation. His extraordinary animated features may have never been created.
Ultimately, formal education - by placing the control of learning in the hands of teachers and administrators, and imposing rules and requirements on students - stifles the natural love for learning. We must learn from these exceptional individuals who had the courage to defy the coercive force of formal education and carve their niche in our history.

• H.G. Wells.......best-selling British author (dropped out to help family earn income; later returned and went on to college)
• Jim Clark........self-made billionaire American businessman; founder of "Netscape"; first Internet billionaire (17, U.S. Navy)
• Jimmy Dean..........singer-songwriter-actor; self-made multimillionaire American businessman; founder of the "Jimmy Dean
Foods" brand sausage business (16, U.S. Merchant Marines; 18, U.S. Air Force) • Andrew Jackson......7th U.S. President; face is pictured on the U.S. twenty dollar bill (13, U.S. Continental Army; orphaned at 14; little formal education; home schooling/life experience; studied law in his late teens and became a lawyer)
• Leon Uris..........best-selling American author (Exodus, etc.) (17, U.S. Marines) • Walter L. Smith.....former president of Florida A&M University (equivalency diploma, at age 23)
• W. Clement Stone....self-made multimillionaire (some sources indicate billionaire) American businessman-author; founder of "Success" magazine (elementary school dropout; later attended high-school night courses and then some college)
• Jack London.......best-selling American author (dropped out at 14 to work; later gained admission to the University of California; left after one semester)
• Arthur Ernest Morgan....American flood-control engineer; college president-author; appointed by President Roosevelt to be director of the Tennessee Valley Authority public works project (left high school after three years; later attended the University of Colorado for six weeks)
• Ray Charles.........singer-pianist; Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee
• Cher......Oscar-winning actress-singer • Maurice Chevalier.... Oscar-winning actor-singer; French Legion of Honor inductee/Medal recipient (note: rank bestowed in 1938
• Pierce Brosnan......actor
• Ellen Burnstyn......Oscar-winning actress
• Raymond Burr.......actor
• Sammy Cahn.......... Oscar-winning American songwriter-composer • Michael Caine.......Oscar-winning actor; knighted (United Kingdom: Sir Michael Caine)
• Glen Campbell.......country music star
• Daniel Gilbert......Harvard University psychology professor (equivalency diploma)
• Dizzy Gillespie.....musician-composer (received honorary diploma from high school he attended)
• Patrick Henry.......American Revolutionary War era politician; Virginia's first governor; famous quote: "Give me liberty, or give me death!" (little formal education; home schooling/life experience; later studied on his own and earned a law degree)
• Peter Jennings......Canadian-born American television journalist; evening news anchorman
• Ansel Adams.........American wilderness photographer; photography book author; Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient
• Julie Andrews.......Oscar-winning actress-singer
• Louis Armstrong.....singer-musician
• Brooke Astor........wealthy American socialite-philanthropist-author; Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient
• Pearl Bailey........singer-actress; Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient
• Lucille Ball........actress-comedienne-producer; Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient
• Bill Bartman........self-made billionaire American businessman
• Count Basie.........bandleader-pianist
• Jack Benny.......... comedian-actor-violinist
• Humphrey Bogart.....Oscar-winning actor
• Peter Bogdanovich....Oscar-nominated American film director-screenwriter (The Last Picture Show, Paper Moon, Mask, etc.)
• Whoopie Goldberg....Oscar-winning actress-comedienne
• Benny Goodman.....bandleader-clarinetist
• Lew Grade.........British film/TV producer (TV: The Avengers, The Saint, Secret Agent, The Prisoner, The Muppet Show, etc.); knighted (United Kingdom: Sir Lew Grade)
• Philip Emeagwali....supercomputer scientist; one of the pioneers of the Internet (high-IQ high-school dropout; left school in native Nigeria due to war conditions and lack of tuition money; continued to study on his own and earned an equivalency diploma; later won a scholarship to Oregon College of Education in the United States; transferred after one year to Oregon State University)
• Danny Thomas........actor-producer-humanitarian (actor: Make Room for Daddy/The Danny Thomas Show; co-producer: The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Andy Griffith Show, etc.); Congressional Gold Medal recipient
• Peter Ustinov.......Oscar-winning actor
• Hiram Stevens.......American-born engineering inventor; knighted (United Kingdom: Sir Hiram Stevens)
• Patrick Stewart..... actor-writer-producer-director; former captain of the Enterprise on TV's Star Trek: The Next Generation and in films.
• Kemmons Wilson.......self-made multimillionaire American businessman; founder of the "Holiday Inn" hotel chain
• Kjell Inge Rokke.....self-made billionaire Norwegian businessman
• David Puttnam.......Oscar-winning British film producer (Chariots of Fire, Midnight Express, etc.); knighted (United Kingdom: Sir David Puttnam)
• Anthony Quinn.......Oscar-winning actor
• Julie London....... singer-actress
• Sophia Loren.......Oscar-winning actress; best-selling Italian-born author; former model (elementary school dropout) • Joe Louis..........boxer; Congressional Gold Medal recipient • Roy Rogers..........actor-singer-guitarist
• Walter Nash.......New Zealand Prime Minister 1957-1960; knighted (United Kingdom: Sir Walter Nash)
• Olivia Newton-John.... singer-actress; British-born Australian author
• Rosa Parks.........U.S. civil rights activist-pioneer; Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient; Congressional Gold Medal recipient
• Mary Pickford......Oscar-winning actress; early Hollywood pioneer; co-founder of "United Artists Corporation" (little formal education [six months]; home schooling/life experience)
• Sydney Poitier.....Oscar-winning actor (elementary school dropout)
• Frederick "Freddy" Laker.... self-made multimillionaire British businessman; airline entrepreneur; knighted (United Kingdom: Sir Frederick [or Freddy] Laker)
• Tommy Lasorda...... baseball team manager; National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee
• David Lean.........Oscar-winning British film director (Lawrence of Arabia, Dr .Zhivago, etc.); knighted (United Kingdom: Sir David Lean)
• Anton van Leeuwenhoek....Dutch microscope maker; world's first microbiologist; discoverer of bacteria, blood cells, and sperm cells)
• Richard Branson.....self-made billionaire British businessman; founder of "Virgin Atlantic Airways," "Virgin Records," etc.; knighted (United Kingdom: Sir Richard Branson)
• Isaac Merrit Singer....American sewing machine inventor; self-made multimillionaire founder of "Singer Industries," "I.M. Singer and Company," etc. (elementary school dropout) • Alfred E. Smith.....New York Governor; 1928 Democratic U.S. Presidential candidate (elementary school dropout) • Charles Chaplin.....Oscar-winning actor-writer-director-producer; knighted (United Kingdom: Sir Charles [or Charlie] Chaplin) (elementary school dropout)
• Sean Connery........Oscar-winning actor; knighted (United Kingdom: Sir Sean Connery)
• Jack Kent Cooke.....self-made billionaire Canadian-born American media businessman
• Noel Coward.........Oscar-winning actor-director-producer-playwright-composer; knighted (United Kingdom: Sir Noel Coward) (elementary school dropout)
• Joan Crawford....... Oscar-winning actress; former dancer
• Charles E. Culpeper....self-made multimillionaire American businessman; early 1900s' owner and head of "The Coca Cola Bottling Company"
• Robert De Niro......Oscar-winning actor-producer; knighted (France: Chevalier [Knight] of the Legion of Honor; Chevalier [or Chev.] Robert De Niro)
• Gerard Depardieu....Oscar-nominated actor; knighted (France: Chevalier [or Chev.] Gerard Depardieu) (elementary school dropout)
• Richard Desmond.....self-made billionaire British publisher
• Thomas Dolby........ musician-composer; music producer
• Joe Lewis........self-made billionaire British businessman
• Carl Lindner.......self-made billionaire American businessman
• John Llewellyn.....U.S. Labor leader pioneer; for 40 years until his retirement, president of the United Mine Workers' Union
• Marcus Loew........self-made multimillionaire American businessman; early Hollywood pioneer; founder of the "Loews" movie-theater chain; co-founder of "MGM" studios (elementary school dropout)
• Mary Lyon.........American women's education pioneer; early American teacher; founder of Mount Holyoke College (America's first women's college)
• Sonny Bono...........singer-songwriter-actor; U.S. Congressman (California U.S. Representative)
• Duke Ellington......Oscar-nominated American composer-bandleader; Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient
• Ella Fitzgerald.....singer; Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient
• Aretha Franklin....singer; Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee
• Horace Greeley.... American newspaper publisher-editor; U.S. Congressman; 1872 U.S. Presidential candidate; co-founder of the Republican party in the United States
• Thomas Haffa......self-made double-digit billionaire German media businessman
• J.R. Simplot.......self-made billionaire American agricultural businessman
• Robert Maxwell.....self-made billionaire British publisher
• Rod McKuen.........best-selling American poet (elementary school dropout)