Pages

Monday, September 22, 2008

Lord give me patience and I need it right now

"The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride."
--Ecclesiastes 7:8(NIV)

Patient: bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint(according to Merriam-Webster)

Patient: A lost art that apparently no-one, including myself, is in a hurry to find.

The windstorm of possibly the century hit Louisville in the past week. 3/4 of the city was without power and the estimates for getting everyone back online was grim. 24 hours had not passed yet and people were complaining about the inconvenience. I've heard several stories of crews being harassed and cursed by people they have come to help. I know it was a massive inconvenience. We lost all of the food we had in our refrigerator and freezer. The day pretty much ended at sundown as reading by candlelight was not happening. We were blessed to get our power back in 36 hours, but even if it had taken all week we would have understood. Patience is key in these times. We've become too used to instant gratification. Buy now, pay later. 500 channels, video on demand. "Instant" messaging. High speed internet.

I'm convinced the election isn't about what is good for the nation. The candidate that wins will be the one that can convince the voters he will lower gas prices, taxes, and save the economy in the first quarter in office. We don't look to the big picture anymore. We've got to open up more drilling even though it will take 5-7 years to bring said oil to market. We've got to cut taxes and provide more spending money even though we've just reported the highest national debt ever. We've got to bail out the failing financial market, the same market that tried to shortcut its way to a bigger payday.

I'm not immune. I used to be the poster boy for compulsive outbursts. My lack of patience is what got us into so much debt. My lack of patience is what keeps me from sticking to what I start. I'm actually quite amazed I've stuck with writing for as long as I have.

Tomorrow I celebrate eight years of being married to a wonderful and beautiful woman. She has taught me more about patience in that time that I ever thought possible and I thank God for her each and everyday.

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."
--Colossians 3:12

Friday, September 12, 2008

The Wandering Mind

Newsflash, this just in.

- For whatever reason I felt it was a good time to rent an acoustic guitar and try to learn some music. I'm not sure why I thought this was a good idea. I have this insatiable need to create. That is why I write. That is why I put podcasts together. More than likely it is also the foundation for the amount of music I listen to and/or buy. The desire is there, the talent may not be so much. I know what I'm good at. I understand systems very well. God graced me with the ability to see the big picture, very well at times. I am tenacious when it comes to solving problems. I'm also a good facilitator. I know how to ask the right questions. I'm not saying this out of arrogance. I'm saying it because these are my strengths.

I haven't written here in awhile and it is killing me not to write. I don't know who said it originally, but Wil Wheaton passed on this bit of advice: "Don't be afraid to suck."

I'm not afraid to suck at writing in view of the internet. I may not be the most interesting, I may never find the voice. Right now I can't find the inspiration. I want to write, I don't know what to write.

- Gas prices shot up overnight on speculation hurricane Ike will cause major disruption in Gulf oil production. After watching the news tonight I feel it is time for me to add my voice and send out a reminder. If you cause a run on gas, the price will definitely go up. Gas, as with most things, is driven by a little thing we call supply and demand. Supply is not down, oil is selling at less than $100 a barrel as of market close today. Refined gas supplies may go down briefly with this hurricane. However, everyone panicking because they've "heard" prices are going up will drive supply down which will drive prices up.

Repeat after me: The news is anything but the news. The news hasn't been real reporting in probably 20 years. The media, whether intentionally or not, is very good at manipulating your emotions. Panic isn't going to help any of us and will probably cause the government, which is another issue altogether, to gain more control. Breath deep and remember things are probably not as bad as they seem to be.

- Have I mentioned I have no idea why I rented a guitar?