Archives for October 2019

Words to Live By

October 1, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

“Words to Live

My friend’s “Words to Live By” were given to his daughter &^sons at their graduations from H. S. & College, as a gyroscope for their lives. He shared these “Words” with the troubled van driver, who was struggling that day as a recovering alcoholic. That driver later told him that they helped a lot. Mothers in my friend’s subdivision put copies of my friend’s “Words” on their refrigerators, hoping to help their children. Perhaps, reading, retaining, or sharing a copy of these “Words” may help someone dear to you?

“The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”
Vince Lombardi

“If you meet with Triumph and Disaster, treat those two imposters just the same.”
Rudyard Kipling

“It’s the man in the arena, muddied and bloodied, whether he has won or lost, who is honored, and not the cold timid soul on the sideline, who has tasted neither victory, nor defeat.”
Teddy Roosevelt

“Always do more than is required of you.”
George Patton

“Love one another as I have loved you.”
Jesus Christ

“Learn to write your hurts in sand, and kindness to you, in stone.”
Your Dad

“Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the boot that crushed it.”
Mark Twain

“You are fearfully and wonderfully made in the Image and Likeness of God.”Genesis/Bible

The above YouTube music video expresses the Essence of of “Words to Live By

“We are spiritual beings expressed through humanity.”
Malone

“You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.”
C. S. Lewis

“The Christian soul experiences peace & joy that the secular mind can’t imagine.”
Your Dad

“It’s not about you. Focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life’s purpose. We were made by God and for God. Until we understand that, life will never make sense.”
Rick Warren

Asking, “What’s in it for me?” – is a selfishness that calcifies the heart,
Your Dad
is “A life full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
Shakespeare

“Grant me neither poverty nor riches. Lest I be full, and deny my God. Lest I be desperate, and by stealing defile the name of my Lord. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”
Psalms/Bible

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” Winston Churchill

The above YouTube music video lyrics express sharing what you have, asking nothing in return – the blog post message

“The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives.”
Albert Schweitzer

“Esse quam videri: To be, rather than to appear.”
Anonymous

“Don’t forsake the good, in search of the perfect.”
Your Dad

“We want power over experiences, and control over outcomes. We need to trade the control we crave for the companionship of God.”
John Eldridge

“Everyone eventually surrenders to something or to someone. If not to God, you will surrender to money, to approval, to pride, to lust, or to fear. Surrendering your life to God requires gratitude, humility, obedience and trust.”
Rick Warren

“God wants men concerned about what they do.”
“Satan wants men concerned about what happens to them.”
C. S. Lewis

Success:
“To laugh often, and much. To earn the respect of intelligent people, and the affection of children. To know that even one life breathed easier, because you have lived.”
Emerson

Success:
“To fulfill your calling, not to satisfy your ambition.” – Patrick Morley

The Above YouTube Music Video Expresses How to Live According to the “Words To Live By”

Enough said.

Kindness Begets Kindness

October 1, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

Kindness Begets Kindness

After a complex surgery, my friend couldn’t stand or walk. Confined to a wheelchair, he needed a Transport Van to get him from his home to the outpatient clinic, for physical therapy. All of the drivers picked him up in his driveway, and dropped him off in the clinic’s driveway, then reversed the process for the return trip home.

Except one driver.

That driver would wheel him from inside his home to the van,
And then from the van, inside into the clinic, to the Reception Desk.
When my friend was finished with his therapy, the driver would come into the clinic and wheel my friend into the van.
After the ride home, that driver wheeled him from the van inside into his home, rain or shine.

One day, this kind driver seemed unusually troubled. He still performed all of his extra acts of kindness without complaint. But the driver’s heightened distress was palpable. My friend felt compelled to assuage his anxiety.

So, he told the driver a poetic verse from Kipling’s poem, “If”: “If you meet with Triumph or Disaster, treat those two imposters just the same.”

Then, he told the driver Emerson’s verse about “Success”:

“Success is to laugh often and much.
To earn the respect of intelligent people, and the affection of children.
And to know, that even one life breathed easier because you lived.”

My friend told the driver, “You clearly made my life breathe easier. You certainly are a success.”

For all of the driver’s acts of kindness, regardless of personal circumstance, my friend told him that he deserved a “Blessing”:

“May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm on your face, and the rain fall soft on your fields.
And for the rest of your personal & professional life,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.”

With a wide smile and tears in his eyes, the driver said, “Thanks. I really needed that today. I am a recovering alcoholic, and some days are harder than others. That helps a lot.”

When they met a week later, their mutual smiles were enough said. My friend handed the driver an envelope. Inside the envelope were the “Words to Live By” that my friend had given to his 4 children upon their graduation from High School & College, as a gyroscope for their souls.

There is a genuine, rock-solid, Cosmic Communion of Souls that whisper to each other to fill the holes in our hearts. Some call it, “Random Acts of Kindness”. Others call it the “Grace of God”. “It” flows from one broken vessel to another. Whatever it is, it makes other lives breathe easier.

Kindness begets kindness.

The world would be a better place if we just made someone happy. Just one someone happy.

Who are we?

October 1, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

Who are we?

Man walking towards the light from darkness

The correct answer to that question is the spine of our existence.

We must choose one of two answers to that question: We are:
Either, “The progeny of a common ancestor, formed by random chance through time, by the natural selection, of the survival of the fittest.”.
Or, “We are made in the image and likeness of God, as children of God and heirs to heaven.”

The Former Choice expresses itself through the Secular Culture.

The Secular Culture’s Creed is, “What’s in it for me?” and “If it feels good, do it.” The hard currency of the Secular Culture is Pride, Greed, Lust, Anger, Envy, etc. Compromise and rationalization are its pocket change.

As a result, mothers abort babies, gang-bangers kill randomly, and addicts snort themselves into oblivion. Substituting porn for love, results in waking up so lost, in a place so dark. The suicides of the rich and famous are the tragic legacy that fortune & fame are not the solutions they promise to be. They are illusions.

More insidious, are the secular lives of quiet desperation asking, “Who moved my cheese?” and “Is that all there is?”, living, “Lives full of sound and fury, signifying nothing”, ”Strutting their hour upon the stage, to be heard no more”.

Magazine titles have morphed from “Life”, to “People”, to “Us’, to “Self”. “Selfies have replaced family photos. Life is all about “Me”. Sadly, some react to the Secular Culture’s unfulfilling promises with anger. Road rage has morphed from a honking horn, to the “finger”, to a gun.

The Secular Culture’s Social Darwinism festers in the soft underbelly of our humanity, unfulfilled.

The Second Choice expresses itself through the Christian Creed:

Everything was made by a Majestic Creator, who made us in His image and likeness, to be children of God and heirs to heaven.

The above YouTube music video expresses the up-lifting relationship, enjoying the companionship of God

God so loved the world, that He sent His only Son, to die for the sins of all mankind, so that all who believe in Him, will have eternal life – an eternity of Peace, Comfort, and Joy.

God also sent an Advocate, who provides the Gift of Grace, which flows through “broken vessels” one to another, sharing the Creator’s power and wisdom, the Redeemer’s mercy and love, and the Spirit’s peace and joy, to make other lives breathe easier.

All that is expected of us is to love God, and each other, as Christ has loved us. After all, life is not about me. The world, with one exception (me), is made up of “others”.

And most important, God knows that humanity is imperfect, and will turn its face from God. But God allows humanity to repent. When each of us sincerely asks, “Create in me a new clean heart”, the companionship with God is restored. No sin, no matter how vile or frequent, can exceed the forgiveness of the welcoming embrace, of the out-stretched arms, of the Redemptive Cross.

“We don’t have a soul. We are a soul. We have a body” As a result, “As the deer pants for the flowing stream, our soul thirsts for the Living God.”

That’s who we are.

“The Saddest Words of Tongue & Pen, Are Those of What Might have Been.”

October 1, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

“The Saddest Words of Tongue & Pen, Are Those of What Might have Been

My friend negotiated a lucrative, exclusive 6-State Distributorship Agreement for a unique fuel additive that burned gas or diesel fuel more completely in the combustion chamber. The benefit was more fuel economy & power, with negligible carbon emissions.

It also was far cheaper than any other fuel additive on the market, because it worked in “Regular” gasoline, and not the 12 cents more expensive “Reformulated” gasoline with Ethanol. The challenge was to get EPA approval to market the product nationwide.

Investors offered my friend a generous 6-figure salary& benefits, plus 50% of Pre-Tax Profits, along with 50% of Ownership Equity in the new company. All other competitive companies failed to achieve EPA Requirements, despite tens of millions of dollars spent and tens of thousands of man hours allocated. My friend combined his creative insights with his compelling presentations, and persistence to obtain all EPA, State, and Municipal approvals, by:

The above YouTube music video captures the essence of insurmountable obstacles listed below, that my friend conquered. Achieving what others couldn’t imagine:

1) The US EPA ignored all of his initial proposals and phone calls. So, my friend contacted his Congressman, who liked the idea of lowering gas emissions without relying of expensive Reformulated Gasoline with Ethanol. The Congressman said my that someone from the EPA would contact him. The next day, my friend explained the project to the EPA Manager of Mobile fleets, who approved the project on 2 Condition: 1) He must use the State’s Emission Testing Facilities, and 2) He must use Municipal Fleet Vehicles.

2) So, my friend contacted the Head of his State’s Emission Testing Facilities, who initially denied my friend’s request, saying it was only granted once before to the Schell Oil Company. When my friend explained that His Goal & Shell’s were congruent: “To lower emissions.” The size of the company was irrelevant. He received the State’s approval on the Condition that the company operating the State’s facilities, agrees to the testing.

3) So, my friend contacted the company operating the testing facility and met the VP of Operations, who asked, “What’s in it for them to do the project?”. Their company was only paid to test auto gas emissions. My friend explained that the State would also pay them to test Diesel trucks, if diesel emissions were lowered. My friend’s product lowered emissions on all carbon based fuels, alike. The company agreed to do the testing.

4) So, my friend contacted the Mayor of his local community. She referred him to the City Engineer, who referred him to the Maintenance Supervisor in the Municipal Garage. The Garage Supervisor loved the idea. He hated what ethanol did to the engines and loved that fuel costs would be reduced by 10 cents a gallon. He arranged for 10 Municipal Police cars to have a Base-Line test, and then return 3 months later, after using the product. My friend’s product reduced the Municipal Police cars’ emissions 12%, while saving the City 10 cents a gallon in fuel costs.

5) The EPA Mobile Fleet Manager was surprised, but delighted with the results. (So was my friend’s Congressman.) The EPA Manager required 2 more tests, using different vehicles, from different Counties. My friend garnered permission from the County North from him to test their School Buses. He gained approval from the County West of him to use their DPW Vehicles. Both County Fleets experienced the same 12% reduction in vehicle emissions, and the 10 cents a gallon reduction in fuel costs, because the additive worked in “Regular” gasoline, and didn’t require the 12 cents a gallon more expensive “Reformulated” gasoline with Ethanol.

6) These arduous, step-by-step approvals over 3 years produced compelling, positive test results that allowed the EPA Manager of Mobile Fleets to grant my friend permission to market his product, nationwide.

7) My friend negotiated a Guaranteed Compensation Agreement with a National Distributor of Non-Competitive fuel products to UPS, Fed EX, etc., nationwide Truck Stops, and the Major Oil Companies. That Agreement guaranteed my friend 2 million dollars the 1^st year, 5 million the 2^nd year, and 10 million the 3^rd year, or 10 % of the Gross Profit, whichever was greater.

That was the climax to the crescendo of the above 3 years of hard work, that others couldn’t imagine or accomplish. The President of the National Distribution Company explained those terms to my friend’s wife over dinner.

The above YouTube Music Video Expresses the Essence of this Blog Post’s Message: “Sic Transit Gloria” – “Fame is Fleeting”.

That guaranteed financial windfall was beyond my friend’s wife wildest dreams. It was more than just the college educations for her children and their retirement. More than gracious homes on the coasts, mountains, or wherever. More than the cars, yachts, planes or whatever trinkets the fabulously wealthy enjoy. It was peace of mind, security, and freedom. All of that would begin in about 5 weeks, after the legal documents were “Signed & Sealed”.

All of that disappeared 3 weeks later, when the County Sheriff knocked on my friend’s office door. The Sheriff handed my friend a Court Order “To Cease & Desist” the sale of the fuel additive to anyone, effective immediately, upon the date of legal service of the Court Order. The International Distributor of the fuel additive declared bankruptcy. That Bankruptcy VOIDED all Distributorship Agreements, which included my friend.

That International Distributor held the patents to the fuel additive product. His investors convinced him to void all the existing distributorship agreements by bankruptcy, then start a new company, and “step into my friend’s shoes”.

My friend told the EPA Manager of Mobile Fleets what happened.

When the President of the New International Additive Company called the EPA, he was told that all the approvals given to my friend’s company were null & void. They ceased to exist when my friend’s distributorship company ceased to exist. His “New Company” would have to replicate all the emission testing my friend did, using State Testing Sites, with more Counties, and more types of vehicles, over a 3-year period of time. The “New Company” couldn’t comply to the EPA’s requirements. It also lost all of the previous distributor’s customers, who were disgusted with the “New Company’s” take-0ver tactics.

So, no one made money. The “New Company”declared Bankruptcy, it had no customers or prospect of EPA approval.. My friend lost everything: his income & assets, his home, his life insurance & retirement, spent on legal expenses, fighting the corrupt International Distributor’s “Bankruptcy”. But his wife stood by him “For Better or Worse.“ I guess that made my friend the richest man in town.

The YouTube Music Video Lyrics Sum Up the Blog Post’s Message

You can read about what subsequently happened to my friend in this website’s “Most Popular Posts”: “A Life-Changing Experience for $5 Bucks, at Mc D’s”