Agent of Influence

Interesting SA Recycling Trivia

If you recycle plastic water/soda bottles be sure to remove the lids...the plastic is compressed in the truck and in the process the lid can shoot off due to the pressure and potentially hurt someone seriously.

Opportunities

Well, just on here wrapping up another good day. I can't believe its already time to start shutting down though, it seems like it wasn't fifteen minutes ago that I was getting ready to head out the door and start another day.

Came across this article on singleness and the church. Its a He Said/She Said article and truth be told, I think both authors really hit on something. I know I've been guilty of this attitude in the past though thankfully I'm starting to grow out of it. You know the one I'm talking about, 'what's the church going to do for ME' I like how the authors pointed out that its always better to be a blessing and let the blessings flow back to you rather than just being a passive consumer. It may or may not be an apt metaphor but my parents always told me growing up that whenever I got in a negative spot I should do something nice for someone and it'd take my mind off whatever it was that was bothering me. Well, seems like it applies to this too cause in my experience at least, good deeds have a miraculous way of changing my perceptions which influence my behaviors which tend to lead to good things in the end. Anyways, that's my take on it. :)

Something else sort of wandered through my head today and more or less got stuck there, since I'm writing about it tonight. The word 'opportunity' got stuck in my head and its been rolling around on spin cycle for the past twelve hours or whatever the length of time has been. I think so much good can come when we have our eyes open for the opportunities that come our way every day. They can run the range from taking the time to listen when a coworker needs to vent to something as bold as sharing the Gospel with someone. It just seems like a responsibility we have to be in the moment and to do our best to maintain an open heart as well as a receptivity to the Holy Spirit. Its pretty neat, when I hit the sweet spot on that really cool things seem to happen. E.g. like my irritation level with people takes a nosedive (which can be a pretty big deal for me at certain times and with certain folks) and with that peace comes a deeper understanding of the spiritual realm.  I don't know what that looks like with other people but that's what it is for me...and I wish everyone could latch on to that more strongly (myself included).

Reminder: Be aware that the smallest gesture can have eternal consequences.

Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. ~ Proverbs 28:13

One 'mean' little girl

Last night was seriously funny! My niece came over and went swimming. It seems like a pretty irrational fear, to my adult mind at least, but she has this abject fear of the dogs, Roscoe and Flash. Actually, it makes sense since they both weigh about twice as much as she does and they're kind of tall (in comparison to her three year old self). She's broken down in tears and screaming when I've tried to take her out there in the backyard with them. Its to the point where she freaks out if they aren't tied up to the slider that's on the other side of the porch

Well, we were all outside swimming and having a good time when it occurred to me that it might be pretty entertaining to see her react to me letting the dogs loose. And of course I thought it'd be pretty interesting to see how they'd react to her as well. So, I made sure she knew I was going over there and I was intending to let the dogs go. Needless to say, she kind of wigged out on me... NO NO NO TYLER (which was kind of a big deal since that was the first time she had ever ennunciated my full name like that) Anyways, to get to the point, she was showing her 'mean' face while all this was going on and seriously, she looked like her head was going to autorotate 360 degrees and pea soup was about to come out in a fountain of disgustingness. Yeah, it was probably one of those 'you had to be there' moments but trust me, you'd have been laughing just as hard as I was if you'd seen it in person ;-)

8 Marks of A Lasting Friendship :-)

None of that 'Sissy Stuff' Are you tired of those sissy 'friendship' poems that always sound good, but never actually come close to reality? Well, here is a series of promises that actually speak of True Friendship. You WON'T see cutesy little smiley faces here-

Just the stone cold truth behind great friendships

 1. When you are sad, I will jump on the person who made you sad like a spider monkey jacked up on Mountain Dew!!!

2. When you are blue, I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you..

3. When you smile, I will know you are plotting something that I must be involved in.

4. When you're scared, we will high tail it out of there.

5. When you are worried, I will tell you horrible stories about how much worse it could be until you quit whining, ya big baby!!!!

6. When you are confused, I will use little words.

7. When you are sick, stay away from me until you are well again. I don't want whatever you have.

8. When you fall, I'll pick you up and dust you off-- After I laugh my rear off!!

Friendship is...

Friendship is like peeing your pants...everyone can see it but only you can feel its true warmth

(Thanks Pierre :))

Morning in Review

It just dawned on me that we're already halfway done with the day...Had a meeting this morning and it was PAINFUL! The actual topics on the agenda were good so they weren't the sources of my pain. What made it hurt was that it was so cold in the room my joints literally started aching...That kind of thing makes me grateful that its summertime. Its an easy fix, all I have to do is just step outside for five or ten minutes and then I'm golden again :-)

Nothing in particular

Well, Tuesday is upon us again...seems like just the other day it was Tuesday as well. No super outstanding plans for my agenda, at least nothing too far outside the normal run of the mill stuff. It was funny but last night I was feeling a real sense of connection with Ecclessiastes (sp?). I don't know what it is or why but it seems like the author of that book was really desperate. Everywhere he turned, and everything he did, to find satisfaction turned out to be nothing of value. I'm not the leader of a world power like the author was but I think I can relate to that a little. Life has a way of peaking and then rather quickly turning into a continuous series of moments that subtly grind the enjoyment out of me. Well, speaking of enjoyment, I think I had better get down to it and start my day. I'm just praying that it goes as well as I want it to and that I'm given an opportunity to be a blessing today. :-)

Good Reminders & Random Observations

Spouses, partners, friends and family are not here to make us happy. They are here for their own spiritual journey. When their lives intersect with ours, we can love one another, support each other, demonstrate kindness, and enhance our experience of being on this planet. But our ultimate happiness is not derived from other people, or even from our external circumstances. It comes from an attitude within us, our connection with God, and our choice to take personal responsibility for our own lives. Even a purported “soul mate” has no power to sustain our joy, our happiness, or our value and self-worth.

Wish I had read this last night... Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. ~ Psalm 37:1-6

I figure we all need a reminder occasionally, right? ... This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. ~ 1 John 1:5-10 This reminds me of how cathartic and strangely pleasant it feels to get things off my chest sometimes...

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. ~ 1 John 2:15-17

Well, I don't have too much else to write. Things seem to be going relatively well, and I feel quite a bit more peace. At least in comparison to where I was at last night. Sometimes I question myself pretty harshly. I have all these grandiose ideas and concepts and they all seem to more or less fall flat. I wonder if its me having a weak grasp on reality or am I just not aware of the opportunities that are already in front of me. Thankfully I can fall back on the ultimate reality that regardless of what I think I perceive I'm a child of an awesome God who's already laid it all out for me and put me on the path to get there. Just hope I have the clarity of vision to see those opportunities and I'm not like Pharaoh back in Exodus

Dora Envy

My parents took Ella to the Majestic to see Dora The Explorer yesterday afternoon and as much as it pains me to admit, I wish I could've gone with them! No, definitely NOT because I'm a fan of that particular cartoon. As a matter of fact, there's something quite disturbing about that show...I prefer Ren & Stimpy when I get in a retro kind of mood and then there's always Spongebob for everything else. I think it would've been funny as all get out to see Ella's face when she walked into that theater. The Majestic is pretty cool. I visited it for the first time about six weeks ago and all the interior detailing and stuff really caught my eye. The closest phrase I can think of to describe it is sorta 'Italian grotto on crack in downtown San Antonio." Just a fair warning to all my ADD-inflicted brothers and sisters, the decor will mess with your mind a little bit. At least it did mine. (But then again, I also have the attention span of a gnat so the impairment didn't last long lol)

Bursting

Gosh, I have so many different thoughts and feelings running through my head right now I feel like I'm going to pop. Don't worry, they're all really good but the thing is, I don't quite know how to process them. I just need to pray about them and try to calm down. The one particular thing that's been on my mind the longest isn't going anywhere soon and in all actuality the more patience and prayer that go into it the better... Its amazing how the Word reaches out and speaks to you. I'm feeling that old feeling like its time for a change again, though trust me when I say the change I'm talking about is a really good one. I'm glad I am who I am in Christ and that he's already laid out the path for me and he's just waiting for me to take that first step down the road... Then again, I have to wonder if God would get mad at me if I tattooed this on my forehead, backwards, so I could see it in the mirror... Ultimately, I know that I'm going to have to get on my knees about it and put it to the test and see whether it passes or fails. I don't want my judgment/opinion/impatience to screw things up.