Month: March 2010

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Year of Giving

I stumbled upon this earlier this week while browsing around the web with my mouse hand, while my headphone ear diligently listened to a conference call.

Unemployed D.C. man giving money away to strangers to help foster kindness

I was immediately blown away, and inspired at the same time!  This guy had lost his job, yet he is out giving $10 away a day – to complete strangers.  He also has been blogging about his encounters here.   This blog is definitely worth a gander as he retells of his encounters each day. Its confusing.  its a little mind boggling.  He should be saving everything he has correct?  Unfortunately, that’s the way we usually look at things like this.  But really imagine if we all took approaches like this.   I have taught many classes on this concept from Luke:

Luke 6:38 (New International Version)

38Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

But this at times is a hard concept to implement.  Yes, Ray its not all about money ( sorry that’s a little inside joke to my friend Ray), its about giving and trusting.  I am impressed with Reed Sandridge.  I am inspired by him and I hope to learn from him.

Today, give.  Give because it helps others.  (and as I blogged about two weeks ago, that’s good and catchy!)  Give knowing that it will come back to you in ways that you will never ever expect.

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Happy Ada Lovelace Day

Its Ada Lovelace Day!!!  The day that girl geeks treasure!

Who, many of you ask, is Ada Lovelace?  Well, Ada Lovelace is the world’s first computer programmer.  Yes, that’s right.  She wrote software for Mr Charles Babbage’s analytical engine way back in the 1840’s!  That’s right again – the 1840’s.  It was really even more then that, she really developed software development!  Talk about bootstrapping!  Learn more about this incredible piece of geekistry here or here.

So all geeks of the world, I being one of them, raise their handheld devices today in honor of Lady Lovelace!

Also, there is a group called findingAda.com, that is rallying around this day to recognize women in science and technology.  So, I thought I could give a quick shout out, in honor of Lady Lovelace, to several of the great women who I develop software with everyday including a fellow daily buffeter – Lisa Ignaszak!  Thanks Lisa for all the great work that you do!  I will raise my sweet tea up to you today!  (Make sure baby-j takes you out to lunch! )

So today, don’t be bound by things that don’t bind.

27for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:27-29 (New International Version)

Use the talents that you have been given, and make a difference in the world – one day at a time!

4There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but they all come from the same Spirit. 5There are different ways to serve the same Lord, 6and we can each do different things. Yet the same God works in all of us and helps us in everything we do.

7The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others. 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 (Contemporary English Version)

And to finish up a little bit of Ada to celebrate the day:

with Ada.Text_IO;

procedure Hello is
begin
  Ada.Text_IO.Put_Line("Happy Ada Lovelace Day!");
end Hello;
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Cha Cha Cha

There is only one of these reality shows that I get sucked into.  No, its not American Idol, or Biggest Loser, or Jersey Shore ( surprising I know) – Its Dancing With The Stars.  Yes, I can’t explain it.  I don’t even really want to watch.  I just keep getting sucked into the room where it is playing like the TV like I have some sort of fatal attraction.  If may also help that two of my most favorite people in the world are usually lying in the bed watching it- and sometimes a third one joins them.

Buzz Aldrin and Ashly Costa dance the Cha-cha-cha. (ABC)

Anyway, last night it kicked off for the tenth season, and it was a good and welcome relief from the events and the seriousness of the day.  With all the twisting and turning going on, the thing that impressed me the most was the one dude who could barely dance.  It was 80 year old Buzz Aldrin.  Yes the dude who walked on the moon in the sixties. Its amazing that his body can actually still get out on the dance floor at his age and that he actually had a few moves.  Now, its obvious that he probably will not last many weeks on the show this year with his dancing skills – but what an inspiration.

When his dancing partner asked him if he had any dancing experience he replied – sure, we had hops back at West Point.  Think about how long ago he was in West Point!  Essentially he had no dancing experience, and yet there he is out on National TV taking a major risk and stepping out. What an example of transformation and continual change!   This is the stuff that I spend a lot of time thinking about.  How to continually take risks and step out in our spiritual lives.  Continue to find ways to get out of your comfort zone and transform yourself.

What can you do today?  Whats holding you back.? If Buzz Lightyear can fly, and Buzz Aldrin can dance, what is it again that you are saying you can’t do?

Transform yourself, take a risk – one day at a time and watch what happens.

15So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.

16May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. 2 Thessalonians 2:15-17 (New International Version)

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An Anxious Weekend

Wow, what a weekend.  I am not sure what caused more anxiety for folks – watching some of these last minute bracket busting March Madness games or watching the house work until late at night passing this Health Insurance Reform Bill.  I had some other things in mind today, but on my morning run, I decided I  should probably touch on this rather historic bill, especially since after checking Facebook, it seems to be on everyone’s mind.

No matter how you look at this, America as a country will never be the same.  I have really not spent much time reading the details of the bill, and really who knows since it was passed in such an seemingly unconventional way last night.  I really don’t know whats in or out, and so its hard for me to judge the impact at this point.  I am sure some will be helped, and other will be harmed with the passing of this bill.  Time will tell us the real impact to America.  Some will offer praise today, some will ask for guidance and express concern.  Personally,  I am not overly excited about the deal.

If you are expressing joy today for this change in America – do so with a kind spirit.  If this bill was not to your liking, educate yourself, protest peacefully and lovingly and work for change.  But either way, the thing we can point to today, is something that is bigger than this bill.  Something that I hope will keep you striving today to impact the world immediately around you and to make a impact in peoples lives.

35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;

we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[a] 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39 (New International Version)

17The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:17 (New International Version))

Whether your team lost this weekend, or you think the country is going down the tubes, keep striving to impact your neighbor, and keeping doing the will of God – which is to love your neighbor!

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Keep Bubbling On

Hey! This is Jason, I am continuing to take time away this week, but I invited another guest blogger to keep you going.  Today’s guest is another great friend of mine, who hails from the State of Dade, Jeff Poston.  By the way Jeff will be performing in “Hey Haw” at the New Salem Community Center Tonight and Saturday night this weekend at 8pm.  Get up there if you can!  And, I will be back to it on Monday. Enjoy….

Top of the morning to you,
I hope you read that in an English accent. Winston Churchill, what comes to mind when you see that name? What words would you use to describe him? Leadership, steadiness, stubbornness, bravery, strength? I would bet these words are among some of the words you thought of. Shortly after the United States entered the war in 1941, Churchill went to see Roosevelt, he promised him that Singapore was strong enough to stand without the help of the Americans. When Singapore fell to the enemy Churchill was devastated, he was ridiculed by parliament and his ability to lead England was questioned. Churchill began to doubt himself, he went to see the King of England with the intention of resigning. The King told him that his resignation ” simply would not do” ( you should have read that last part in an English accent too). Churchill had a saying he used to inspire the people around him, “keep bubbling on”, the King reminded him of this and told him to buckle down, suck it up, and keep going.
I say all this because we think of people like Churchill, J.F.K., Roosevelt, Lincoln, and we think of unwavering leadership. This is simply not the case, these men suffered with self doubt, they experienced failure, they wanted to quit at times, but they “kept bubbling on”. These men fought battles and wars that in the grand scheme of things, do not matter.We fight a more important battle everyday, we fight for our souls, we fight for eternal life. Sometimes we doubt ourselves, sometimes we break our promises, sometimes we are weak, and some times we want to quit. Well that simply will not do!! Quitting is not an option!! Our King is wiser than the King of England, our King does more for us than the King of England. Christ is our King and he has already won the battle. He gave himself for us, so who are we to give up on him? When the doubts come, when weakness shows up, when we feel unworthy, buckle down, suck it up, and “keep bubbling on”.

therefore we do not lose heart. even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. for the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal2 corinthians 4 vs 16-18