Why Do I Blog?

There are thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of thousands of blogs on the Internet.  Everyone has their own specific reason for creating a blog, as did I.  As I hope you can tell, my purpose is to use everyday life situations, some my own, and some from observing others, to provoke thought, and more importantly, to hopefully bring a sense of encouragement to our lives that can sometimes be so chaotic.  

If you have read my posts, you know I occasionally make reference to faith, the Bible, or God.  While I have my own beliefs, and am not ashamed to share them, I understand and respect the fact that everyone does not share my views.  Perhaps some may think I should be more "preachy”.  Others may wish that I would refrain from making any reference to God. I would never intentionally offend anyone, I just type what I’m thinking or feeling and it comes out how it comes out.  I strive to be authentic and not be influenced by how others may, or may not want me to be.

Today, I started to write about a situation in which I experienced a degree of hurt, but eventually led to a more positive outcome.  I didn't publish it because I didn't want anyone familiar with the situation to get the impression I was sending a message to someone through my blog.  I will revisit that post in the near future, but for now, I decided to instead, post why I blog to reassure you that my agenda is not to take shots at anyone through this blog. 

I'm not writing to become famous, but if by some crazy miracle this blog were to become wildly popular, it would not in any way change my purpose.  I'm not trying to project a life that is perfect or better than anyone else's.  In fact, while I certainly don't want my personal business spread all over, sharing my mistakes, faults, fears, insecurities, weakness and other liabilities, along with my strengths and victories is something I may do if it can contribute to lighting up someone’s day, or just encourages one person.

So, there it is, the reason why I blog.  Feel free to share it with anyone who you feel would be encouraged by what you read.  The other day, someone asked if they could share a post on their social media page.  Tweet it, post it on Facebook, or share it on Google+, no need to request permission.  If you want to be notified when a new story is posted, you can subscribe by putting your email address on the main page of the blog and it will automatically email you.

Thanks for reading, I appreciate it and hope you are encouraged!!! 

JP

Ps-If you can't even remember what your 2013 New Years Resolution was, it's not too late to get back on track! Read this:

Read this:  http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6346664444597874914#editor/target=post;postID=539848335561122658;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=7;src=postname

What's Wrong With Cleaning Up Someone Else's Mess?

This morning as I drove to church, I saw an unusual sight.  A middle aged woman was out taking a walk along the side of the road.  What caught my attention was that, as she walked along, she stopped every few feet to pick up the trash that others had presumably tossed out of their car windows.  My mind immediately began to wonder why she cleaning up other peoples litter.  Obviously I don't know her answer, perhaps I should have stopped to ask, but I concluded that she must be doing it out of some sense of love.  Love for her neighborhood, love for this city, love for the earth, who knows?

As I drove on, I couldn't stop thinking about why this lady was out picking up the mess that others had left behind.  A few minutes later, a Bible verse that says, "Love covers a multitude of sins" popped into my mind.  I began to think about how many people, including myself, have made mistakes in life, and in the process, have littered our lives with multiple messes.  It is so easy to see everyone's problems, and just continue on with our lives.  Just as we drive past, or perhaps even walk right over garbage on the ground, often times, we ignore the plight of those who find themselves in a mess.  After all, they made the mess, not us.  Why should we clean up the results of someones bad decision? To make matters worse, we will often gripe and complain.  "Why doesn't someone clean up this trash on the road?" we will ask.  "Someone needs to do something about all this!" we declare with an air of feigned conviction. 

Two things came to my mind as I continued driving down the road.  The first was the thought that this is my neighborhood, my city, my place of residence.  The city of Fresno, like many other cities, is in a financial mess and budgets are being cut left and right.  It is easy to drive down the road, see a problem, complain about it, but do nothing to solve the issue.  What would happen if we started to care for our neighborhoods, and instead of waiting for them to hire more people, we ourselves began to clean up our own block?  What would happen if we decided that, since we live here, lets make it the best we possibly can?  Anyone can complain about all the trash lying around, but it takes a bigger person to actually bend down and pick something up.  I know, "that's what we pay taxes for", but that is clearly not working and its getting worse.  We can sit around, complain about it, hope it gets better, or we can do something about it.  Sure, one person can't clean the whole city, but one person can make a difference on their own block.

The second thing that came to my mind is, how much better of a place would this be if we took a little time to help someone who has made a mess of their life?  What would happen if we genuinely loved people and truly cared for each other?  What if, instead of bashing others on Twitter or Facebook, we began to cover their mess with love?  Many of us were shown a great amount of grace and mercy by God.  He forgave many of us for some serious stuff.  His love covered our multitude of sins.  Don't we owe it to someone else to help them clean up their own mess?  Some will argue that many don't want help, and that could be true, but are we at least trying?

So, as you drive out of your neighborhood tomorrow, or as you take your morning walk, you can do one of two things.  You can complain about everything that is wrong, or you can take action and do something about it.  And as we go through life, we can keep complaining about how bad society is, how messed up people are, and how crazy the world is getting, or we can step out and take a little time to get involved in peoples lives.  We can try to help those we can, and pray for those who we cant.  The choice is ultimately yours, cry and complain, or try to be a solution to the problem.  After all, what is so wrong with trying to help clean up someone else's mess?

Get Back Up And Finish!

A few months ago, my son Ethan tried out for the track team again.  Last year he mainly competed in long distance running events.  This year he competed in the triple jump and the 80 meter hurdles, two events he had never tried before.  He clearly did not get his track and field talents from his father.  I strongly dislike running, and then to have to jump over a hurdle on top of that, no thanks!  He made it to the district championships in the triple jump and has had even more success in the hurdles.

The interesting part of the story is that he advanced to the district championships by finishing third out of four runners.  Then in the district championships he advanced to the area qualifiers by again finishing third out of four runners.  In each race, the top four advanced to the next level, so he moved on.  This past weekend, he ran in the area qualifiers and something strange happened!  Again, he is a beginner who had never run the hurdles before, but to this point had done very well in spite of his inexperience.  

Only three runners showed up early Saturday morning, so he was guaranteed third place.  The race began and the three boys quickly moved down the track.  At the second hurdle, Ethan stumbled and crashed to the ground.  My heart sank and I immediately felt bad for him, and became concerned about whether or not he was hurt.  Before I could move, he jumped back up, climbed over the next hurdle and got back in the race.  Needless to say, he was too far behind to have any chance at winning.  He made his way down the track and finished the race about five seconds behind the other runners.  I made my way towards him and chewed him out for not tying his shoe, then hugged him and told him he did a great job this year, and would be even better next year.

As we were gathering our stuff to leave, his coach came around, and after inquiring, we discovered that even though he stumbled, fell and finished third (last), because he got back up and finished the race, he still advanced to the area finals!  Had he not gotten back up and completed the race, he would have been disqualified and would not advance.

We live in a day and age where it is so easy to just give up and not finish what we started.  Give up on the marriage, leave the team before finishing the goals you set out to accomplish, whatever the case, most of us simply give up rather then get back up from an embarrassing mistake or painful experience.

What is my point today?  Simple!  If you have stumbled and fell in the course of this life, don't quit, don't give up, get back up and finish what you started.  Stumbled and didn't finish school, get back up and go register.  Messed some things up in the marriage, get back up and go fix it.  Made a mistake and messed the career up, go brush up the resume up and find a new job.  Whatever the circumstances are, no matter how severe your case is, in most cases, people will not remember whether or not you stumbled and fell, how long it took you to finish, or what all the negative circumstances were.  In most cases, people will simply remember whether or not you finished!

So to you who find yourself in a position that I have been in many times, I encourage you to "Get back up and finish" and ponder the words of Ernest A. Guest:

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow,
Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

Make Every Day Count

As I celebrated yet another birthday a few weeks ago, the reality of "over the hill" hit me in a very real way.  As I get older, I realize that some day God will call my number and my time on this earth will end.  While this may sound like a negative thing, I'm confident in my destination after I die, so that in itself does not worry me.

Thinking about this has really made me reflect on and re prioritize my life.  The first thing I realized was that at my age, thanking God for another year of life is no longer sufficient.  When you have no idea when you will take your last breath, being thankful for each day somehow seems more appropriate. 

I have also realized that some of the things that were once so important have become almost foolish and a waste of time.  At the risk of sounding arrogant (those who know me best know that I'm not), it has become necessary to even let some old relationships die.  No time for people with nothing but problems and drama, yet are perfectly content to stay there and do nothing to change.  No more time for one sided business relationships or even "friendships" that are one sided and unbalanced.  Maybe it’s drastic, but it’s working great for me!

If nothing else, join me in being thankful for every day of life you are granted.  When you begin to be thankful on a daily basis, you will realize that, because there is no endless supply, every day really does count.  As each day begins to take on a new, more meaningful purpose, your priorities will have to change.  You will understand that you have no time for those with drama, because there are so many people with various needs that will gladly take the help you offer.  The experience of helping other less fortunate individuals will show you how blessed you really are, and in spite of the negative things that we experience in our own lives, will show us how good our life really is.

So, whether you are seventeen, thirty seven, or seventy seven, life is precious and every day could be our last, so make sure to "Make Every Day Count"!

We Avoided The Valentines Day Trap!

So we did it again, we managed, for the most part, to avoid the Valentines Day trap!  We avoided the pressure to spend hard earned money on flowers that just became 25% more expensive.  We ignored the barrage of commercials that tried to convince us to buy a ton of stuff that we don't even need, and more than likely can't afford!  The 2 for $100 dinner seems like a great deal, until you realize how many groceries $100 can buy; not much these days, but you get the point!  All for what?  Just to "show" someone how much you love them?

We continued our tradition of having a mom/sons and a daddy/daughter date.  Dinner at home as a family, then off to have an ice cream treat with my baby girl!  The boys seemed to have fun with mom, so overall, the night was a success!

Whats my point?  Not to criticize anyone who spent the money on stuff, but to simply make you think.  Does a $75 bottle of perfume or cologne say "I love you"?  Do a bunch of flowers or chocolate say "I love you"?  In my opinion, no!   That steak dinner will probably be 50% cheaper next weekend!  So, what if we bought flowers throughout the year, just because? What if we just treated those, that we say we love, with kindness, respect, and unselfishness, all year long?  What if we just made up our minds, that telling someone that we love them should extend way past February 14th? 

Maybe I'm crazy, but I'm going to do it my way, and will not criticize you for doing things your way.  The interesting thing is, there were three other people I talked to today, who in differing ways, had the same concept.  Why let the commercialism drive how we do things, what we spend our money on, and when we spend it?  The reality is, if we need someone to remind us when to show our love to others,  we are in deep trouble, and a box of chocolate and a sappy card wont fix that!

Don't Let Fear Paralyze You!

It seems to me that one of the greatest obstacles in our lives is one simple four letter word; fear! It has been said that we are born with only two fears, the fear of falling, and the fear of loud noises. If that is true, then we must conclude that every other fear is a "learned" fear.

Remember when we wouldnt hesistate to lift our hand and ask a question in school? Now we hesistate to ask a question for fear of appearing weak!  Remember when we would make friends so easily in school, and now we have a hard time speaking to a stranger in the elevator?

Fear is a funny thing. It seems that the older we get, the more fear we have in our lives. Fear of failing, fear of not having enough money, on and on our fears go.  I'm reminded of a Bible verse. Whether you believe in the Bible or not, this could apply to your life in one way or another. 1 Peter 5: 8 says, " Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." We all have enemies in our lives. We all have people who want to destroy our lives, or see us fail at the very least. How we react to these enemies can be the diference between sucess or failure. It is well known that in the animal kingdom, a lion simply needs to roar and fear will spread amongst the weaker species. The lion does not have to be near them, or even pose an immediate threat for them to feel fear.

So, who or what are the enemies that are striking fear in your life? Are you allowing the loud roar of a naysayer, a hater, a critic, or a flat out enemy to plant fear in your life? Is fear keeping you from starting a new business, accepting a new position, getting married, or leaving an abusive relationship? How many more opportunities will pass you by before you stop letting fear paralyze you?

Today, you can stand up to fear, stand up to those critics and naysayers and, as Nike so plainly put it, "Just Do it"! Go start the business, pack up and move to the city you have longed to move to. Go skydive. Go do whatever it is that "they" said you couldnt do! Don't let fear paralyze you and stop you from acheiving greatness, and becoming who you were created to be!

New Years Resolutions Gone Bad!

Happy New Year!  So, a whole week has gone by in the year 2013.  Usually by this time, the resolutions I have made have long been broken, revised, or not even started.  This year I decided to do things a bit differently.  Too often I would focus on all the different areas of my life that I needed to improve on, and would resolve to improve all of them.  It hasn't worked before, so I was pretty sure 2013 would be no different.

So, this year, I resolved to just focus on two things:

1. Work on little things that are easy to do and don't require much work.  Simple things like making my desk look clean at the end of the night, even if the pile I put it all in is a mess!  Not leaving junk in the car  is another easy thing that takes little work, but if not done, can lead to a car that slightly resembles a swap meet.

2.  I decided to focus on my weight for the entire year of 2013.  I'm going to walk/run/bike when I can.  Instead of a soda, maybe grab a water once in awhile. I have already started doing some squats and pushups.  I may even just order a single instead of a Double Double at In-Out.  Ok, who am I kidding?

I wont ignore the other areas of my life that need improvement, but I will focus on my weight and try and put most of my energy towards that.  It may not work, but if it does, I'm sure I will feel better, look better, and will be healthier than I am right now.

Care to join me?  Just try and find something in your life that needs to be fixed and lets give it a shot!  After all, while I hope we succeed, if we don't, we can always try again in January of 2014!