What do you see?

Look at the cute puppy dog!

It amazes me what I see as I drive. I put in quite a few hours on the road each week, and I see some of the worst driving and I see some crazy things almost everyday.

Last week I saw…

The picture above - what do you see in the back of the truck (hint - it’s not a dog and it’s shown at the bottom of this post)?

I saw someone dragging a 4 foot chain behind their truck, with pieces flying off. I passed him and beeped and he began the process of road rage, by jumping in behind me on my bumper...made me nervous, for a moment. I pointed to the back of his truck twice and he finally got it, pulling over to take the chain off.

I saw several really nice vehicles.

I saw some wrecks.

I saw some really rough looking cars.

I saw an incredible number of people texting and driving. Not just a quick text, but down in their laps.

I saw one guy reviewing, what looked like a term paper, as he was driving, on his steering wheel. This was not for just a moment...crazy.

I saw lost of people cutting others off, and running stops signs.

I saw some road rage.

I saw a couple of bumpers falling off cars, as they drove.

I watched people laughing hysterically, as they drove. This always makes me laugh.

I saw a couple of folks crying.

You can tell, I like to observe my surroundings. I think there’s a lot of interesting things in our world, and I’m a discovery channel kinda guy.

The strange thing is, we don’t always know what we’re seeing. We think we see something, like the “dog” in the back of the car, in the picture. It was actually a stick horse. Some of the road rage, was likely not road rage. Some of the cut offs, were likely accidental. We don’t always have our sight and thoughts matching up.

Here’s my fail, or point today…

Sometimes, I take a glance and figure I have the answer. 

I think that, just because I saw a little bit about something, that I must have the whole picture and the that my quick assumption must be right.

This may not be a big deal with a small traffic situation, or guessing what’s in the back of a truck, but with people this can really hurt. The old saying, “You can’t judge a book by its cover,” is true. 

We tend to make quick judgments about others, and don’t get down to the facts. What a relationship killer that can be, and it can sure hurt another person too.

I think we make these quick assumptions, because our whole society has become addicted to instant info and instant answers. 

Lessons Learned: Sometimes, we need to take time to get to the bottom of people, instead of quick guesses.

Thoughts: Do you ever trust only your first thought?

#failalot

Supportive Sunday…

I had to alliterate. I couldn't put…

Thankful Sunday

Appreciative Sunday 

Grateful Sunday

Obliged Sunday 

Indebted Sunday

They all work, but alliterating is so much cooler, and you know how cool I am. I’m the ultimate in cool. I’m the ice in your Mountain Dew. I’m the A5 chip in your MacBook Pro. I’m the batteries in your flashlight (wait, who uses a flashlight anymore - we have Apps?. I’m the “chool” in school. You get the picture - alliterating is cool and it obviously comes naturally to me...wow, did I go on about me...that’s not too supportive for this Sunday.

Look here for other thankful posts.

My goal today is not to fail in this important task…

Silly Saturday…

I love to laugh…I think life without laughter would be awful. Truly, I don’t even like to go an hour without laughing. I think that God made us without a laughter mechanism, that we shouldn't waste. 

I especially think that we need to laugh during trials, tough times and the saddest points in our lives. It helps us release the hurts and bring in the joy.

You can look at any of my posts under the label of funny, or specifically at these…

Today, I’m just sharing some funny sayings, quotes and other silly stuff…

I hope you enjoy. I don’t know who these are from, so if credit is due, then take it...sorry...

1. Save the whales. Collect the whole set

2. A day without sunshine is, like, night

3. On the other hand, you have different fingers.

4. I just got lost in thought. It was unfamiliar territory.

5. 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.

6. 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.

7. I feel like I'm diagonally parked in a parallel universe.

8. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted, then used against you.

9. I wonder how much deeper the ocean would be without sponges.

10. Honk if you love peace and quiet.

11. Remember half the people you know are below average.

12. Despite the cost of living, have you noticed how popular it remains?

13. Nothing is foolproof to a talented fool.

14. Atheism is a non-prophet organization. (Love this one - think about it)

15. He who laughs last thinks slowest.

16. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

17. Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

18. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

19. I drive way too fast to worry about cholesterol. (surely you are giggling by now)

20. I intend to live forever - so far so good.

21. Borrow money from a pessimist - they don't expect it back.

22. If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?

24. Quantum mechanics: The dreams stuff is made of.

25. The only substitute for good manners is fast reflexes.

Lessons Learned: Laughter should be a priority.

Thoughts: Do you love to laugh?

#failalot

You are amazing!

I saw this picture posted on someone’s Facebook status, and I thought you should know it. I think we forget how mazing we are sometimes and we keep our bottom lip read with a “quiver button” most all the time, as we look at our inabilities, lack of success, and failures. 

We forget that God made each of us wonderful, but we end up comparing ourselves to others and we don’t ever fit the right mold. This makes us feel like we’re not worth very much and reminds us of our failures. Usually it hurts and, usually it makes us think about the negatives of our life, rather than the successes. 

Really, I’m not sure we have the right measuring stick, on most days…

We measure by:

Success. What is success anyway? Is it money? Is it fame? Is it position? Is it awards? It’s not about our position in life. It’s not about wealth. It’s not about who we know, who knows us or how many friends we have. It’s not social status. The problem is, we measure our worth by our successes in life.

Spirituality. We often measure this by do’s and don’t’s and that’s not the correct stick either. We look at the fact that we “don’t smoke, don’t chew and don’t go with girls that do,” and we think we’re just fine. Or we think that we checked the right boxes for the day and that makes us good. We read our Bible, we prayed our list, and we said a nice word to someone and so, we are on the right track. 

These are all good things (it’s okay to be successful and it’s certainly good to be spiritually minded), but they aren’t what makes us amazing. It’s all the Lord, and never us. It has nothing to do with us. I know that’s a little harsh, but this isn’t our measuring stick for how we feel about ourselves, or if it is, it’s false.

Maybe we should measure by:

That God wonderfully made us and loves us. I know this is generic. I know it may sound cliche, but it’s a measuring stick that can’t be taken negatively. It’s a stick that always encourages us. It’s a stick that always improves our day. You are amazing!

Who we helped or encouraged. Have you influenced someone? This is truly success and this is truly what makes us amazing. This is a great measuring stick for your value. It doesn’t have to be a ton of people, but are you having an influence on at least one, or those that are around you? You are amazing!

We made it through this day. We too often worry about the next day, week, month or year, and forget about the way we were blessed, helped someone or saw our needs provided for. You are amazing!

2 thoughts I want you to leave with:

1. Be encouraged that You Are Amazing! No matter what you are going through, or have done wrong, you are still amazing.
2. Be focused on what really impacts and causes success. It’s the other part that makes you amazing.

Lessons Learned: YOU ARE AMAZING!!! Don't forget it!

Thoughts: What is amazing about you? 

#failalot

Sometimes you can be hugely tired…

I just couldn't resist the pun...some of you are still trying to get the humor in my title combined with the picture.

I’m not sure if the grammar is correct, but there is some truth to the statement. We can get to a point where we are beyond the normal tired.

I just saw a show about it…

Quotable quotes…2

This is the second in a series of quotes that I think will be helpful to you...look here for the first one.


I start off with the same paragraph, but the quotes are different...


Sometimes I see a quote from someone and I sit back and think “What in the world are they saying or meaning by that?” or “Why would that quote be published?” There are quotable quotes that are worth repeating and some that are an utter waste of time. 

We won’t all agree on what quotes are important, in life, but when I see one that I like, I copy it and save it to a list of quotes that I have found over the last 15 years or so. I don’t have many, but here are a few that I thought might make you think…

Something’s missing…again...

Same pic, different thought...

When you look at this picture, what do you see? Or, what don’t you see?

Wait, didn’t I read this one yesterday? Not exactly - thought number two below.

BTW - there were several chairs with this same issue at this location.

What’s missing is often overlooked in life…

Have you ever looked at something (just a hint - this is a link to yesterday's post) and thought, “What’s different about that?”  

You didn’t notice…

Something’s missing…

When you look at this picture, what do you see? Or, what don’t you see?

It’s not the shoe style, although those would be fine not to see.

It’s not the bad looking carpet squares.

It’s not the dirty chair legs.

It’s the missing part of the chair...one of the connectors to the legs is completely missing…

What’s missing is often overlooked in life…

What are you doing?

I love this license plate - DNTLQQK - Don't look...

What are you doing on my blog today?


I appreciate you coming here, but today, I want to ask you to do something different. 


I want you to...


Go spend time with your children.


Go spend time with your spouse.


Go spend time with a friend.


Go spend time with a person in need.


Go spend time with an elderly person.


Go spend time with another loved one that needs you.


Go spend time at your church helping with a task.


Let's make this Sunday a little different. If you cant do these in person, then...


Text,


Skype,


Email,


Call...


Again, I really appreciate you coming here to read, and if you can't do one of the above, or if you already did, then you can look at one of my posts from this past week, if you like...


Titanic... Do you think better of yourself than you should?

Quotes... Some great quotes that can help you.

Relevance...  Are you relevant? How?

Auto-renew... What are you renewing?

Centurion... My amazing dramatic skills...LOL.


Hope you have a great Sunday!

Boredom rules…

What a handsome picture...looks like I have no teeth...

Do you ever get bored? 

I was yawning big-time in the photo. Boredom hits most of us regularly, even in the midst of being busy at a task. It’s something that’s hard to control, because it can even hit when we are doing something that we like to do.  It’s kind of a strange thing, but since we all have it happen to us, I thought we should have some rules involved…

My first musical release…

Can you pick me out in the pic?

You’re probably amazed that I’ve been in the music business for over 25 years now. I have posted before about my acting career, but I have a musical side too.  (You can look at Frosty, Rodeo Clown and Centurion to see the other posts, if you like). I worked very hard on my hair, for this photo, so do not make fun of it - I’m serious - you will hurt my feelings...you can make fun of my hair here, if you like...

A Titanic 100 years…

It’s been 100 years since the the Titanic. That’s a long time. Just think - it was the most amazing technological advancement of that day. What has happened in the last 100 years? What advancements have taken place? What changes have occurred?

Wait a minute, how many reading this blog are 100 years old?

How many of you are able to remember the Titanic sinking?

Do you remember 1912? What a great year that was?

We often do this. We consider the past and compare it to the present. It’s not a bad thing, and the last 100 years have shown amazing technological advances and changes. 

Quotable quotes…1

Sometimes I see a quote from someone and I sit back and think “What in the world are they saying or meaning by that?” or “Why would that quote be published?” There are quotable quotes that are worth repeating and some that are an utter waste of time. 

We won’t all agree on what quotes are important, in life, but when I see one that I like, I copy it and save it to a list of quotes that I have found over the last 15 years or so. I don’t have many, but here are a few that I thought might make you think…

Relevance…

My picks were not very relevant in the end...other than the winner - GO UK!!!

This word has come to mind several times over the last few days...I’m not totally sure why, but it’s an important word. The definition of this word shows it has important value…

“Closely connected or appropriate to the matter at hand”

“ORIGIN early 16th cent. (as a Scots legal term meaning ‘legally pertinent’): from medieval Latin relevant- ‘raising up,’ from Latin relevare.”

This may not mean much to you, but some important questions should be raised with this word…

Auto-renew…

A lot of businesses use auto-renewals on their payments now. When you sign up, you are set to keep going, until you make an effort to stop the payment, and it usually requires at least a 30 day notice. You sign up for personal vision insurance and it renews the next year. You sign up for Sirius satellite radio and it just keeps charging you. Many businesses do this because it’s easy for them to create consistent cash-flow and many of us forget that we had auto-renew or don’t know how to get out of it.

The Centurion effect…

Man, am I scary looking...

By now you already know of my famous roles on stage and in the public eye. You are aware of my multiple areas of talent, including Frosty the Snowman and the Rodeo Clown. You know how adept I am in taking on dramatic sequences in acting arenas. I can’t help my talent or my ability to wow a crowd. It’s truly God-given and I am blessed beyond so many.

Obviously, I jest…

Stats of thanks…

I’m a stat guy - I like numbers and details and statistics have always fascinated me. They may or may not be important, but I see numbers everywhere. I’m not a psycho, like in the movies, but I think that numbers influence and, in my case they help me.

Here are some numbers I am thankful for today…

Beep...beep...beep…

You may have read the title and had one of many thoughts about his post…

Was the alarm clock going off?

Was the house alarm going off?

Did a reminder just make an alert on a smartphone?

Did Craig just cuss and mute himself?

Was a smoke detector battery out? 

If you guessed the last one, you nailed it…of course, the picture gave a pretty good hint too...

Answers and fear…

About a month ago I posted a blog about having a bad day. I talked about being downsized recently and the lessons that I learned and how we can make it through with trust in the Lord and we can watch His Grace abound as we need it.

Six weeks into my joblessness, I found that I trust in me way too much…

There’s an App for that…

I love technology and am so thankful that God allowed me to be alive during this time in history. I’m not sure I would've been very good in the middle ages, or Little House on the Prairie’s days, or back in the days of Noah (wait - that would've been really bad - my last name isn’t - hold on, what was Noah’s last name? - you get the point - I wasn’t in his family - although, I am now...), or during the time of the plagues, or when the walls of Jericho came down (although that would've been cool to see, unless I was on the inside), or even in the victorian era, with all those crazy suits and dresses…

I love this time of history and the rapid growth of technology and the interesting things you can learn and do, especially with Apps…

Dreaming yourself awake…

The other day, I dreamt myself awake…

One wrong move…

Some of you know that I really enjoy playing Angry Birds. It’s not just the birds and the pigs, it’s strategy and consideration and focus on how things come apart, that I like, about the game. I often just try to improve my scores, because I enjoy the game so much. I do use an iPad, so it’s a little easier to see that on a smartphone or iPod, but it takes thinking, strategy and effort to win the game.

It’s not a simple game, but it’s concept is simple, which is one of the reasons it’s so popular. There are approximately 900 levels in the series of games that are out: Angry Birds, Angry Birds Rio, Angry Birds Seasons, and the newest member, Angry Birds Space. I have completed all those levels with three stars and am in the top 120 in the world in Rio (out of 1,778,113) and top 85 in Space (out of 961,962) - at least for right now - more players join and move up the ranks all the time. My point is that I like these games. They are addictive, keep me thinking and fun!

The thing, with the Angry Birds series, is that…

The Christian fruit kabob...

I'm not sure what you thought when you saw this title, but the reason is simple...


The Christian life has fruit that shows...fruit is good, when it grows. To have a full kabob (isn't that a crazy word - i love to say it) of fruit, is a great thing, since their are so many parts to that fruit. 

Missionary Skit…

Select here to watch the video - it links to my Facebook page - I couldn't get it to upload within this post...sorry. Feel free to friend me, so you can see my other posts, if you like...the video should be near the top of my timeline...enjoy. It's also in the picture and video section.

Tadpole humor…

I’m really enjoying blogging...I never thought I would enjoy writing so much. I may not be good at (don’t comment, unless you intend to encourage me...LOL), but it’s a great expression of what God allows in my life each day and what I bump into.  

Sometimes, however, I learn from my mistakes, as in the picture above…

Tadpole explosion…

I recently took this picture of a bunch of tadpoles that had come to life on a pool cover. It wasn’t a planned event. It wasn’t a desired event. It wasn’t a “wonder if I let this frog in my pool…” event. It was just a part of life. (BTW - this post is part of my animal theme (in this case, amphibian) posts...you can look at the others here, if you like - you will see links to several post there).

My thoughts went like this…

Did you see it?

Did you see the turkey in this picture? I’ll bet that some of you saw it right away, and others are still looking for it right now. It’s amazing how something can be right in front of our eyes and yet, we miss it. Sometimes, people can point it out and we still can’t see it. It’s like those old pictures they call, “Starreos” where you starred at a picture to see another picture. It’s hard to do because our mind’s get focused on one thing and we just can’t see the other, no matter how hard we try.

We have a lot of things in life like this too…

Work - a four letter word?

I wrote, the other day about how connected we are in life and one other time about connections. There was also this time.

I think that our connections could be influencing us wrong, if were not careful…

I will repeat, that I like technology and that I like social networking, but I’m seeing a trend, that I think could be an issue in people’s lives.

Our online involvement is impacting our work attitude…

How many of us are involved in social networking while at our jobs?

Are you blogging while at work?

Do you take time to Google personal items while on the clock?

On the other side of the concerns that I see that we get so addicted to being online that we neglect our responsibilities in life…

Do you ever put off laundry to check Facebook?

Do you neglect the yard to write a new blog post?

Do you take time to work online, instead of face-to-face with your children?

I don’t think that any of those things are wrong, in and of themselves, but we have to keep a balance. If what you are supposed to be doing is lacking, because you’re focused online, then there’s an issue. 

Lessons Learned: Moderation is a key to living an appropriate balanced life. Keep online, but keep offline too.

Thoughts: Have you ever neglected the important things, in life, for something online?

#failalot

Bee stings leave red marks…

I think that everything happens, in life, for a reason, even bee stings…

Who do you know?

I’ve noticed that our society is changing. I’m sure you've noticed it too. We are a more social group than in the past. Just think, 125 years ago, we had just family, a small school and a church, and that was about it. Maybe a small town with some local stores, but our “community” was small and our “friends” were likely 50 or less. Even 10 years ago, we could count our friends much easier than now.

Today it’s’ hard to count who we know...

Now we have online communities galore and our friends are counted in the thousands, not including our “contacts” in life - we likely have 10,000+ people that we “know”, and depending on our jobs, that number could be much larger. 

I’m in sales and have literally been to at least 8,000 - 10,000 different business locations over the last 14 years, in multiple cities and states. If I met just 3 people at each stop, that means I’ve connected to between 24,000 and 30,000 people, just in prospecting and serving my customers. That doesn’t include the companies that I’ve worked for (one company had 3,000, one 33,000, and one over 90,000), or the other people I’ve met in travel, on vacation with my family, know on the mission field, in churches I attended in the past, or have spoken at, in my own church, through blogging, social networks, in the three colleges I attended (at least 2,500 different people there), in my K-12 education (over 2,500 in the schools I attended and it changed each year). I could have connected with well over 100,000 people in my little lifetime alone. And I’m just an average guy...

We also know people all over the world now, and know about people all over the world, not just within 50 miles only, anymore. 

I’m not knocking this at all - I like the connections and I think that we have an opportunity to influence more people than ever now. It’s truly amazing how we’ve changed over the last few years, and it’s absolutely cool to think that I can communicate instantly with people all over the world.  

Here’s what I have as a concern nowadays though…

What are we doing with our contacts?

How are we influencing the vast numbers of people we know?

Are we choosing to influence lives?

Are we enriching those around us?

Are we considering the testimony we have?

Do we consciously realize how many people see us?

Have we focused intently on the way we do the things we do?

Have others been encouraged because we are alive?

What do we do with those we know?

How can the connections be used for an even better purpose?

Lessons Learned: There’s a lot to consider in our connected world and we better be sure to influence correctly with what we are doing socially or we’re wasting a precious opportunity to impact.

Thoughts: Who do you know?

#failalot