Finding your way

The other day there was a knock at my door. To my surprise there was a nice mid/late 40ish German woman there. She said that she had talked to my wife and was back to see her. "Your wife is Korean?" "No, she's not." "Oh, how long have you lived here?" Needless to say, she was looking for the someone that had already moved out of the area. Since the nice Korean woman no longer lived here, she decided to attempt to launch into her speech to sell me on Christianity. This was mistake number one. Her second mistake was to see if I was worried about the state of the world because of "the bombings in England and all the terrorism." This sales tactic made mistake number one so much bigger in my mind.

First, know your audience. I am an ordained minister. Even before I was ordained I was well versed in my spiritual search. Thank you, but no, I am not in need of your spiritual saving crusade.

Second, do not exploit the tragic loss of life of others to advance your personal agenda. This is especially true for a member of the United States Armed Forces that has happen to have served in a combat zone and personally spoken to the residents of Afghanistan.

I find it personally insulting that instead of relying on the message of God, this woman was using scare tactics to convert.

To everyone that is out there: If you cannot sell God by showing God, you may need to re-evaluate what you are doing.

Freecell Update Number 43871 (or something like that)

25 July 2005

Total 90%
Won 280
Lost 31

Streaks
Wins 28
Losses 2
Current 17 Wins

Technique #37 in How to trap an obsessive personality

I admit it, I have an addictive personality type. I can start something, and as long as my attention is kept, I have an extremely hard time stopping. Thankfully in life there are few things that keep my attention for so long. There are usually enough breaks where I can do something else. But then there are certain things that I start and then keep going and going and going. After quite a few hours playing Game 2 at a certain website I had to just go to bed. Let me say that I voluntarily stopped at level 200 and over 5 million points. Can you?

What do I want?

I asked a very good friend what she wanted. And she answered this question the other day on her blog, and while she didn't ask me to answer the same question, I feel that it is only fair that I give my answer as well. My entire answer can be summed up in one word: Happiness.

I do not desire fame. I do not want money. I do not need things. All I want is to be happy. My wife and son make me happy. My cats make me happy. Reading makes me happy. Learning makes me happy. My job makes me happy. Giving my best at whatever I am doing makes me happy. Doing a good job makes me happy. Doing a great job makes me happy. Doing a not so good job, but giving my best makes me happy. Seeing that my family is happy makes me happy. Heck, breathing makes me happy.

I did not grow up with money. Nor, did I grow up wanting. There was a roof over our heads and clothes on our backs. At one point as a child I could literally put my hand through the hole on one side of my shoe and it could go all the way through and out the hole on the other side. But, when winter came, my clothing was enough for the elements.

I was never into the latest greatest things. Sure things are nice, but they are not anything that I actually desire.

Now, after you get to know me you may come to the conclusion that I want to change the world. Not true. Oh, I will admit that I expect to change the world. That belief though comes from the fact that one person can have an impact on the life of someone else. May actually change the course of that person life. It may be three people, four, one hundred, or even more. If you try your best, and people see it, it can't help but to make those people at least stop and think about it for a second or two. If enough people see you the odds are in your favor that by your example alone you will get someone else to attempt to give a little bit more somewhere down the line. How much effort are you giving?

Freecell Update

Total 90%
Won 257
Lost 29

Streaks
Wins 28
Losses 2
Current 3 Wins

It's within you!

What is it about life that people find so hard to deal with? In the past two months I have come across so many people that find the pressures that others place on them overwhelming. These people find it almost impossible to see that their future actually lies within their own hands. It reminds me of something that happen to me while I was in Basic Training.

During one of our "classes" one of our Drill Sergeants asked what gave them power over us, the recruits. Many answers were given, from the Constitution to "The Law". Then I raised my hand and was called upon. My answer was very simple, "We give you power." The Drill Sergeants laughed, said I was wrong, and started to move on, but I was able to say, "Your power comes from that which we give you. Without that, you don't have any power." Basically, they moved on very fast, talking about different Army Regulations.

Here is the truth about most of life, as a global community our underlying belief is that we can prosper individually as long as we cooperate. To accomplish that goal, we go along with what others say to the extent as to proceed with our immediate or long term goals. It is the same in our personal lives. What is your goal and how do you get there. Much can be achieved without sacrificing your dignity and happiness. If you find yourself blocked, step back, re-evaluate, and try again.

Freecell Update

Total 91%
Won 248
Lost 26

Streaks
Wins 28
Losses 2
Current 3 Wins

The oldest standing Synagogue in Prague. Thank you Allysther for this wonderful picture. 

A wonderful meal of lamb in a nice Greek restaurant in Amberg, Germany. A bit fatty, but very satisfying. 

A terrible History that must be remembered for its lesson: WWII and the Holocaust.

Over the Fourth of July weekend my family and I had the privilege of visiting Prague the capitol of the Czech Republic. Other than the slightly confusing drive through the hindquarters of Germany the trip turned out to be quite enjoyable.

This former communist country seems to be steadily developing with a sense of personal identity, while remembering its centuries old history. One segment of their history is WWII. “Do you see that monument on the hill? That is where the statue of Stalin once stood. After it was torn down, Michael Jackson had a concert there and his huge statue was there.” Anyone remember the album cover with the giant silver Michael?

From the view of this transition from Stalin to Michael Jackson to Modern Art it is only a two block walk to the old Jewish quarter. This extremely small section of the city was once populated with Prague’s Hebrew citizens. Then the German Army came. Don’t think that it was only the German Army, the Nazi party, and Hitler that killed millions of Jews. They could not have had such success without the willing participation (directly or indirectly) of the European population. You can let your neighbor be taken away or you can stand beside your neighbor and fight for life and right.

Well the “German Army” came and what Jewish people had not gotten away, were taken away. Ask yourself, “What would have happen if everyone refused to allow his or her neighbors to be taken away? What would have happen if the world had opposed the advances of Germany in the beginning instead of at the end?” What would have happen?

Current-ish Freecell Stats

For the 4th of July: I have not been able to sign onto the internet for over a week. So here are the last few couple weeks of stats.

Total: 91%
Won 211
Lost 21

Streaks:
Wins 22
Losses 2
Current 10 wins

Sorry, I forgot to post my Freecell stats as of Monday. Here it goes, without any additional play to try to boost my stats.

Total: 91%
Won 185
Lost 18

Streaks:
Wins 22
Losses 2
Current 1 win