What if women ran the World?

I observed the following to be true many years ago when I starting my career. I noticed that the women managers, in the companies I worked for, searched more widely and tactfully for solutions to workplace issues than men. Also, there was more sign-on by the fellow employees, to the implementation process following decisions of women managers. This article puts into words many of the ideas I already believe because of many observations I 've made over the last 30 years.
Male hubris has made a mess. We need more female qualities.
By Mark Lange from the March 26, 2009 edition San Francisco - It is getting harder to escape the sense that most of the trouble in the world – whether it's coming out of the Senate, a mortgage lender, or a tank turret – can be traced to one overriding problem: too many men steering. Had our economic, domestic, and foreign policy been more informed by women, we might be enjoying a safer ride.
Doubt it? Here's a test. Would any of the women you admire have set up a healthcare system as byzantine, costly, and underperforming as America's? Or a financial system where mortgage lenders don't have to care about being paid back? Or a bailout that spends $1 trillion in public money to subsidize the purchase of junk debt from the same geniuses that generated it?
It may be time for guys to hand over the keys, ask for directions, and sit (quietly, please) in the back seat for a while.
Forget gender politics; just look at results. Our computer-based fantasy financial instruments have erased perhaps 45 percent of the world's wealth. We've waged two wars at the same time for six years at a fully loaded cost in the trillions. And we've managed the simultaneous implosion of what amounts to most of the male industrial complex, from banks to newspapers to automakers.
Women's effectiveness as decisionmakers is well documented, even if it isn't entirely accepted by either gender.
An MIT study of female leaders running village councils in India found that by objective measures (building better wells, taking fewer bribes) women ran their villages better. American women are about to eclipse men in sheer payroll numbers – and they're now majority owners of nearly half of the private companies in the country. Yet somehow the average working woman still devotes much more time to child care and housework.
What's clear is that, on average, men overestimate their IQ while women underestimate theirs. And that may be a clue, in terms of effectiveness: While decisiveness and risk-taking matter, hubris (too often male) creates problems. Humility and collaboration (more often female) solve them. What explains the difference?
It could simply be a matter of emotional need, reinforced by generations of gender stereotyping. Seeking competition and challenge, guys do tend to cast things in shades of conflict: defaulting to a win/lose, right ("my") position versus wrong ("yours"). On this point, scientists, who are mostly men, disagree. But there's no doubt that social stability is compromised by masculine habits such as hostile takeovers, and paying enormous retention bonuses to men who've driven a business into the ground and have already left.
The difference could be evolutionary. Primordial hunters (men) had to make rapid decisions and act on them, right or wrong, but quickly. Chase that bunny! Club that rival! Run away! Gatherers (women), meanwhile, needed an awareness of the larger context – knowing which berry bushes would ripen when, how to keep the kids from clonking each other with rocks, and generally holding the tribe together and getting things done.
Or, in a world where our reverence for stature remains primitive, it's possible women just have to be more creative, collaborative, and clever when they average five inches shorter and 27 pounds lighter than men.
But it's also possible that even men are ready to learn that women make better leaders than they know. A Pew Research survey last year showed that the public rates women equal or superior to men in seven of the eight qualities they value most highly in leadership. The results were striking on the questions of honesty and intelligence, which registered as the two most important characteristics of leadership, and which lately have been in relatively short supply. On these dimensions, women were more than twice as likely to be rated superior to men – by both women and men.
Male cognitive patterns of linear, command-and-control thinking are no longer optimal – either with Gen-Y talent in the workplace, or with geopolitical conflict around the world. We're heading into an era when we need leadership that enlists self-interest in support of the larger outcome – less transactional and more transformational. Rather than punishing failure or reinforcing conflict, motivating progress.
Many question America's standing and role in the world. Whatever we might do to mitigate climate change will be completely swamped unless we can positively engage India and China. Complex and interconnected questions of nuclear prolifer-ation, resource scarcity, and interconnected human demands will put an unprecedented premium on collaboration and cooperation.
As women ascend as leaders in policy and business, the decisions they make will be more accountable to a wider array of interests, stakeholders, and outcomes. By example, they will teach us to lead less through positional authority and more through positive influence- with more of a bias toward informed action and a clearer connection between everything we know, and all we have to do.
• Mark Lange is a consultant and former presidential speechwriter.

Let's Be Less Critical

Kingdom living, as opposed to reaching salvation and stopping our Christian growth, has been a theme I've been hearing lately. Our leaders are teaching this approach but the ball must be picked up by the mature Christians to be more successful in sharing His light with love and good works. If not, how can we shine it in baby Christians' face with the complaint that we wish they'd stop squinting their eyes, slapping out at us or turning their backs completely. Salt, forced fed rather than sprinkled, is embittering; and light, glared rather than glowed, is only more blinding. We, more mature brothers/sisters, need to be more patient with His sheep. The world is looking at how we treat each other to determine whether they want what we profess to have.
Let's Be Less Critical

I liked this article by Ray Hollenbach, It’s Time to Stop Using John 3:16 for Outreach

I recently reflected on the below article by  Ray Hollenbach, a Chicagoan, writes about faith and culture and think its good. You can check out his work at studentsofjesus.com
I hate bumper stickers, even when I agree with them. How can anything important be reduced to so few words? Our media soaked, marketing driven age has generated a sound-bite generation. We have been trained to reduce life and death thoughts into catch phrases and slogans. It’s even true in the church, where for the last 60 years the most popular verse in the Bible has been John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Researchers find that one person likely drove Bitcoin from $150 to $1,000

I've been leery about cryptocurrency investing for a longtime. In an article posted by John Biggs, found on the website techcrunch.com,  researchers have written a eyeopening paper on Bitcoin price manipulation. Entitled “Price Manipulation in the Bitcoin Ecosystem” and appearing in the recent issue of the Journal of Monetary Economics the paper describes to what degree the Bitcoin ecosystem is controlled by bad actors.

To me, since I've experienced thin market trading in currency futures trading 10 years ago,  it’s been obvious that the Bitcoin markets are, at the very least, being manipulated by a few big players. “This paper identifies and analyzes the impact of suspicious trading activity on the Mt. Gox Bitcoin currency exchange, in which approximately 600,000 bitcoins (BTC) valued at $188 million were fraudulently acquired,” the researchers wrote. “During both periods, the USD-BTC exchange rate rose by an average of four percent on days when suspicious trades took place, compared to a slight decline on days without suspicious activity. Based on rigorous analysis with extensive robustness checks, the paper demonstrates that the suspicious trading activity likely caused the unprecedented spike in the USD-BTC exchange rate in late 2013, when the rate jumped from around $150 to more than $1,000 in two months.”
The team found that many instances of price manipulation happened simply because the market was very thin for various cryptocurrencies including early Bitcoin. A theory, initially espoused in a Reddit post shortly after Mt. Gox’s collapse (Anonymous, 2014b), is that hackers stole a huge number (approximately 650,000) of bitcoins from Mt. Gox in June 2011 and that the exchange owner Mark Karpales took extraordinary steps to cover up the loss for several years.
The bottom line is simple: if Bitcoin wants to be taken seriously it probably shouldn’t be this easy or legal to manipulate the markets. While decentralization is supposed to replace regulation it’s clear that there is still a way to go before it can be truly taken seriously. “As mainstream finance invests in cryptocurrency assets and as countries take steps toward legalizing bitcoin as a payment system (as Japan did in April 2017), it is important to understand how susceptible cryptocurrency markets are to manipulation. Our study provides a first examination,” write the researchers.

Tips of Living Debt Free

Tips of Living Debt Free

Here are some tips for handling credit card debt in pursuit of living debt free.

1. Get rid of gold and platinum cards, which usually have annual fees which are high
2. Payoff high interest rate cards first, you'll have more money left to pay other debts and more money in your pockets.
3. You don't need a lot of cards maybe a Visa or Mastercard and or American Express. Get rid of department store cards and gas company cards.
4. Pay a little extra each month, over and above the minimun payment. Start with $10 per month, the sooner you payoff this debt, you'll save a lot of interest.
5. Don't miss any payments, the credit card company will raise your interest rate. When it hits your credit report, your other card companies may increase their's too.
6. Ask for no annual fee or lower interest rate, they may do so just to keep your business.

I hope these tips are helpful and they give you the confidence to continue working on ways for proper.

Cash 4 Books

Now that its spring time, you may want to sell some of your old books. I did some spring cleaning and mailed a group of books to Cash 4 Books. It was very simple to do and I got cash shortly thereafter.

Use the link to the right and you can do the same.

Happy New Year to all.  I'm retired now and look forward to spending my days in a more relaxing way.  Hasn't 2017 been an interesting year with the new president, North Korea, Bitcoin and the stock market continuing to rise?  I will try to share more insight into these and many other topics in 2018.  I was just looking at the fact that I started this blog in 2009 when my son was 14 now he is 21 years old, my does time fly.  Also, I have added Amazon links here where you can enter the Amazon site to buy items and I've been selling books online on Amazon online under the name Salespro. 
Here is my link

Is your local government constricting your property rights?  Read this article I found today.  Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal dealt a major blow to property rights when it upheld the Village of Miami Shores’ ban on front-yard vegetable gardens. This means homeowners Hermine Ricketts and Tom Carroll—and others like them—are still banned from growing a front yard garden to provide food for themselves. Hermine and Tom are represented by the Institute for Justice (IJ), which first challenged the ban in November 2013.

Obedience or Guided by the Holy Spirit

Found on a blog from 2010 about obedience hurts.  Its thought provoking, a little different but I can’t deny it hits the mark.  I truly believe we are to live under the mercy and grace of God.

"Obedience plays no role in the life of believer. The minute somebody tells you that you must “obey God,” you have met somebody who is a slave to sin. Why? Because in order to be obedient you must define what it is that you must be obedient to. And that leads you to putting yourself under law. “For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace (Romans 6:14).” The Christian life is one of trust and dependence on the indwelling Holy Spirit, not one of repentance and obedience to rules and laws designed to modify our behavior. The more “law” we subject ourselves to the more sin we will stir up. Therefore, we become mastered by it. That is why the Bible says that “the power of sin is the law (1 Corinthians 15:56).” Laws, rules, tenants, precepts and principles are not what guide a Christian. It is the grace of God that “teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age (Titus 2:12).” The sooner we trust in the Holy Spirit to guide us from within the quicker we will stop relying on our flesh’s inability to be obedient."

Check out new tea buying website for you tea drinkers

Why working harder or longer maynot be effective.

In “The Productivity of Working Hours” by John Pencavel, Department of Economics, Stanford University.  Observations on munition workers, most of them women, are organized to examine the relationship between their output and their working hours. The relationship is nonlinear:  below an hours threshold, output is proportional to hours; above a threshold, output rises at a decreasing rate as hours increase. Implications of these results for the estimation of labor supply functions are taken up. The findings also link up with current research on the effects of long working hours on accidents and injuries. Looking at findings like these, we come away with  the reasons we give for working more are wrong.  We should take time off from work to avoid stressors, take time with family, relax and renew our minds.  Allowing the brain to go through regular rest and stimulation cycles prepares your body for optimal activity. 

I Am that I Am

“God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM.  This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'"  (Exodus 3:14)

When Moses stood before God at the Burning Bush inquiring about His name, God understood how important it was that Moses was able to reveal to the Israelites this important piece of information.

In response, God told Moses ‘Ehye Asher Ehye’ (אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה ) or simply ‘Ehye’ ( אֶהְיֶה ).

In most English Bibles this name is translated as “I Am Who I Am” or simply “I Am. (Exodus 3:14)” 

As in all the names that God uses to reveal Himself, this key name of God tells us some essential information about who He is.

The Hebrew alphabet gives a clue to the meaning behind this name.  

The fact that it begins with Aleph (אֶ), the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, is indicative of the future tense.  Therefore this name can be translated ‘I Will Be Who I Will Be.’ 

We have the power to change ourselves

If you want to make a good impact on the world around you, you need to focus on changing your internal beliefs and reactions to what happens to you.  As we reflect on how we handle the challenges that come against us everyday, reacting in a negative manner, only increases our anxiety and creates fear.  Practice a proactive response to these challenges, this will neutralize the impact or reward you get.  Time is the space between response and reward,  so if you are proactive with positive actions, regardless of what you encounter, you will learn from the experience and gain capability to handle greater challenges.

Bible for our Jewish friends.

Coaching: My Boys Gymnastics Team

Congratulations on my boy's for a great meet on January 29 at Eric Will's gym. A big pat on the back for Sean for placing FIRST in his level age division. He is our very first competitive gymnast to place FIRST at a sanctioned USAG meet! We are all very proud of you, Sean!!

Next competition will be Sunday and Monday Feb 19 and 20 at Azarian Gym in Aliso Viejo.

Buy made in America when possible. A Repost.

MADE IN AMERICA
I DIDN'T KNOW HALLMARK CARDS WERE MADE IN CHINA ! That is also why I don't buy cards at Hallmark anymore, They are made in China and are more expensive! I buy them at Dollar Tree - 50 cents each and made in USA

I have been looking at the blenders available on the Internet. Kitchen Aid is MADE IN the US. Top of my list
already...
Yesterday I was in Wal Mart looking for a wastebasket. I found some made in China for $6.99. I didn't want to pay that much so I asked the lady if they had any others. She took me to another department and they had some at $2.50 made in USA . They are just as good.
Same as a kitchen rug I needed. I had to look, but I found some made in the USA - what a concept! - and they were $3.00 cheaper.
We are being brainwashed to believe that everything that comes from China and Mexico is cheaper. Not so.
One Light Bulb at a
Time...

I was in Lowe's the other day and just out of curiosity, I looked at the hose attachments. They were all made in China .
The next day I was in Ace Hardware and just for the heck of it I checked the hose attachments there.

They were made in USA .
Start looking, people . . ...In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else - most often, their job.
My grandson likes Hershey's candy. I noticed,
though, that it is now marked "made in Mexico ." I don't buy it anymore.
My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico ... Now I have switched to Crest.

You have to read the labels on everything.
This past weekend I was at Kroger . . . I needed 60W light bulbs and Bounce dryer sheets.
I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to the GE brand I normally buy -- was an off-brand labeled, "Everyday Value." I picked up both types of bulbs and compared them: they were the same except for the price . . .the GE bulbs cost
more than the Everyday Value brand, but the thing that surprised me the most was that that GE was made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand was made in - you guessed it - the USA at a company in Cleveland, Ohio.
It's Way past time to start finding and buying products you use every day that are made right here.
So, on to the next aisle: Bounce Dryer Sheets... Yep, you guessed it, Bounce cost more money and is made in Canada . The Everyday Value brand cost less, and was MADE IN THE USA! I did laundry yesterday and the dryer sheets performed just like the Bounce Free I have been using for years, at almost half the
price.
My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA - the job you save may be your own or your neighbors!

If you accept the challenge, pass this on to others in your address book so we can all start buying American, one light bulb at a time!

Stop buying from overseas companies - you're sending the jobs there. (We should have awakened a decade ago....)
Let's get with the
program and help our fellow Americans keep their jobs and create more jobs here in the USA .
I passed this on .. .. . Will you???

Running the Race or Energy to Serve

Today, while I was exercising at the park, I encountered two guys I know. We struck up a conversation about staying in shape. One brother mentioned that exercise generates the energy for fellowship building in a lively and uplifting way. He said, "No one wants to be around someone who is always tired and complaining. When you are meeting with others in a group, each person should be lifting up the others." It reminded me of the scripture in 1st Corinthians 9:24, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize". We began to talk about other similar scriptures like, 2 Timothy 4:7, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." Hebrews 12:1, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."
We can spiritualize the words, but there is another dimension to our role here on earth. We must encourage those we meet with love and lively interaction. Show the deposit of eternal life that we claim to believe to others in joy, energy and good health, so they will realize that our Lord truly loves us and want to give us healing in all areas of our life.

Control Your Thoughts

Controlling your thoughts is a critical skill for all athletes to develop and use on a regular basis. Alison Arnold, Ph.D. writes in her article entitled, "The athlete Warrior: 10 Principles for Becoming a Champion", thees principles which should be studies and applied by gymnasts. She lists the following principles: Intention; Belief; Awareness; The Present; Discipline; Trust; Joy; Compassion; Change and Purpose. Each of these principles will help the athlete or anyone in the gym or in life to bring the good or bad experiences into perspective, to use as a teacher to propel them to the next level in performance. For a full read of this article go to www.headgames.ws.

I just came across this article. Good read.

Laodicea USA

By Grant Phillips

When examining the church of Laodicea, it is like looking in a mirror and seeing ourselves. The Laodicean church, in Revelation 3:14-22, strongly typifies the modern day churches of this country. Let’s take a brief look at this great city first.

Laodicea was located on a very important trade route in Roman Asia Minor (modern day Turkey), and was thereby an important and flourishing commercial city. It had fertile soil for farming and handled large money transactions and extensive trade. It was famous for its large banking interests, textile industry, and its production of a special eye-salve. Even though it suffered from earthquakes, it was able to restore any damage by means of its own wealth. (They were so wealthy, they did not even accept assistance from Rome to rebuild.) The inhabitants themselves were wealthy and had a taste for the arts. The city boasted a great medical school and beautiful monuments. It minted its own money. The people worshipped several gods. It was titled a free city by Rome, a capital city of Rome (of 23 other cities), held court trials, had a large Jewish community, became a chief seat of Christianity. It proudly displayed stadiums, gymnasiums, theatres, aqueducts, and several temples. Extravagance and luxury were everywhere.

Finally, the water supply for Laodicea was calcareous and lukewarm. Six miles away, Hierapolis had hot springs, and nine miles away, Colossae had pure cold water. Laodicea piped water from these two cities by aqueducts, but by the time the water arrived at its destination in Laodicea, it was lukewarm.

From the above short description, we can see that Laodicea excelled in the medical field, various religions, politics, finance, science, agriculture, trade, geography, sports, art, entertainment, beautiful buildings, justice centers, manufacturing, and freedom. Does this remind you of any place you know?

The city and its people had everything going for them. Life was a luxury. They lived on easy street. They had “pie in the sky” and lived their dream. So what was the problem? There was no major problem with the city or the general populace. The problem was in the church of Laodicea that was supposed to be a light for Jesus Christ.

Jesus said of His church located in Laodicea, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit [vomit] you out of My mouth. Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.” (NASB)

How could this church have been so pathetic when it had everything materially going for it? History has proven that a life of ease is most always detrimental to the growth of the church.

Let’s take a very brief look at the similarities between Laodicea and us. Are we alike in any of these areas?

In every single area, we are a mirror image of Laodicea. Anyone who cannot see this, has got to be spiritually blind. I believe it would be safe to say, that at least most of the other six churches Jesus describes, do clearly see the striking resemblance between Laodicea and many churches in America.

I repeat, history has proven that a life of ease is most always detrimental to the growth of a church. In other countries, where persecution is rampant, true Christianity is growing in leaps and bounds. They may be poor materially, but they are rich where it counts … spiritually.

Our country has received more blessings from God than probably any other country that has ever existed. In the last several years though, our unappreciative attitude has come full circle. We think we are rich, and have become very wealthy materially. We have need of nothing, particularly from God.

I do not know how Laodicea started out, but their spiritual condition is obvious at the time Jesus sent His letter to them by John. The church, as a whole today, is in exactly the same spiritual condition as Laodicea at the time of Jesus’ letter to them. We did not start out this way, but over the years, the more we were blessed, the further we strayed away from God. Now, many churches in America should just go ahead and have their names changed to Laodicea.

The church of Laodicea USA has definitely become wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.

This country has produced some great men and women of God, but today most of the production are those with “get rich quick” schemes. These churches exude an air of “it’s all about me”. They worship God with their lips, but not their hearts. It is very difficult to find a true Bible believing, Bible teaching group, whether it be in your local home town, or on the radio or television. In some home towns, it is at best improbable, if not impossible.

Jesus tells the Laodicean church that (1) they need to buy gold from Him, that is refined by fire, because they are actually poor, (2) they need to buy white garments from Him, because they are naked and their shame is being revealed, and (3) they need to buy eye salve from Him, because they cannot see the Truth.

The same message can be given to the church in America.

Gold:

The Laodicean churches today meet in grandiose buildings, with plush carpets and pews. (Note: I am not implying that all churches with these physical characteristics are a Laodicean type. Many may be poor materially, but full of the world and full of themselves.) The furniture and other disposable assets alone are disgustingly expensive. Most every church has built a “play” area, each giving it a special name, such as “Activity Center”. The music is loud, and the sermons “inspiring”; urging us to reach out in faith, to satisfy the hunger for ease and comfort, that envelops our souls. The crocodile tears match the emptiness of our souls, while we contemplate our next adulteress affair with the world. By the time the show is over, our skin just crawls with goose bumps, and we can hardly wait to get home to write another check, to insure no rocking of our boat. We’re rich! We’re rich! We’ve got it all! “But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? (Luke 12:20)

White Garments:

If you think the Pharisees died off, think again. The Laodicean “holier than thou” crowd is alive and well. These are the “special” people with special seating areas and special titles, revered by all. Don’t you dare sit in their spot, and if your community status falls short of theirs … well, too bad … nice to have you, but maybe you should go somewhere else. If they walked out in the rain, they would all drown. These are those the outsiders call “hypocrites”. “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.” (Luke 18:11-12) “Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.” (Matthew 7:5)

Eye Salve:

Many in the Laodicean church of America, from the pulpit throughout the pews, can’t see past their noses. They are sinking in the quicksand of liberalism or legalism, and the mucky mire of egotism. Their minds are in neutral, as they coast down the road of life, thinking all is well. Everything is okie dokie between them and God, because they have something special worked out with God, since they are such special people.

Wake up Laodicea! Jesus says to you, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20) If you are in a Laodicean church, get out! Find one that has gold, refined by the burning Word of God. Find one dressed in garments of righteousness provided by God. Find one with true vision, healed by the eye salve of the Great Physician.

The Laodicean church is like the people of Noah’s day just before the flood, frolicking along, totally unaware of their impending doom.

Jesus is coming soon! His last message was to the last church age, Laodicea, just prior to the Rapture depicted in Revelation 4:1. The church age that we are in right now is not just a hint of the Laodicean age. It is the Laodicean age … full blown … ripe and ready.

Notice that Jesus said they were neither cold nor hot, but lukewarm, and that He will vomit them out of His mouth. Now I realize that this is disgusting, but just imagine yourself vomiting. Think about it for awhile……. For your body to get to this point, something must be going on badly enough in your stomach to cause it (your stomach) to throw the contents back out through your mouth. Quite literally, your stomach is saying, “What on earth have you dumped on me!? Here, you can have it back!” This is exactly what Jesus is saying to the Laodicean church, “You make me sick! What on earth have you dumped on me!? Here, you can have it back!” Folks, as disgusting as it is to think about it, this is what Jesus thinks of the Laodicean attitude. It is nothing more than vomit residue.

Laodicea, you are not rich. To the contrary, you are poor, blind and naked. Open the door, and let Him in. Time is running short.
Grant Phillips grantphillips@winstream.net

Please Love Our Young People

Today I was working in San Luis Obispo and happened to hear and see a young man calling out for someone to smile at him. He was homeless and spiritually lost. I asked him his name and he said it was tattooed on his face. I noticed the tattoo read "Bull Shit". I asked him why he felt that way and he began to tell about being "on his own" of his home in New Orleans when he was sixteen and he's been wondering around since then. He feels that life has nothing to offer him anymore and he wants to die before he's thirty.

I began to encourage him and tell him that all the hurts people have inflicted upon him can be overcome by changing his thinking. I told that I have been going through a major change in my thinking and have been able to overcome many past hurts I felt. I told him that I believe in him and that he can make a change in his life and lead others to freedom too. He told me that no one has ever said anything like that to him in his whole life. He and I walked down the block talking, until we had to go our separate ways. When I was about half a block away he called out "Hey", I turn around and he yelled "keep your chin up" and gestured the same by using his hand to lift up his chin.

I've attended some of the Doug Addision training seminars and strongly believe we have opportunities to encourage others we know or don't know each day if we look and listen. Our children will stop and listen to us if we stop and listen to them. They are struggling today with the pressures of limiting beliefs and false accusations people have labeled them. They can be reached with our love and caring.