God works in Mysterious ways!
Apparently, this line came from an old hymn.
But I can see how God has worked, just in the past 24 hours.
I was wondering how I could be at the office to start a new person I hired while at the same time getting dad out of the hospital.
Then there was a weekend storm. It rained for many days (not 40, but many).
We saw the usual flooding, but a bit more pronounced.
I just happened to power up my work laptop to get a phone number (for a benefit at work that allows us to get help for elder care). I thought, well, while I'm in here, I might as well check my email. And, there was an email that the power was off at the office and we should work from home!
God works in Mysterious ways!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Difficult times
Wow! What a week (or two) it's been!
- We attended 3 wakes and a funeral (sounds like a movie title) the week before last and into last weekend
- This past week, my dad went in the hospital for a skin condition (he's coming home today)
- This past Saturday, Ocean Grove (where I'm a trustee) had a big fire (see links below)
- Also, on Saturday, a church in the next town had an explosion (link)
- We had a record rainfall for days resulting in my Aunt's foundation collapsing under her house... flooding, trees, and power-lines down all around (as of Saturday 323,000 in New Jersey without power, dozen's of thousands without power in NY)
- Power is out today in the area where my office is (92,000 without power in Bergen County NJ with news that power may not be restored until Wed/Thurs)
- I heard that there are trees and power lines down near the office - it looks like a disaster area
- One of the people from work in Fort Lee NJ (by the cliffs near the Hudson river across from New York City) told me cars were moved in the parking lot from the high winds
- Flooding with roads closed all around
- Where my daughter works, they are being told to boil their water (note: if you are in a similar situation, keep in mind that I don't think a water filter will filter out bacteria, so do boil the water when they tell you to)
- Not to mention the Haiti and Chile earthquakes in recent weeks
Yet, with all going on in my personal life and all these storm related issues, I keep remembering the word that the Lord has had for me lately:
- John 16:33 Jesus said (My paraphrase) "In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world"
- And, the scripture written on the wall at the Hospital my dad is in: Psalm 55:22 Cast your cares on the Lord and he will SUSTAIN you.
So, be of good cheer in the midst of it all, God is in control!
Links to Ocean Grove fire:
- http://www.flickr.com/phot
os/mikeblackphotos/4429356 148/ - http://www.app.com/article
/20100313/NEWS/100313025/B REAKING-NEWS--Ocean-Grove- fire-spreads-through-block -of-homes - http://www.nj.com/news/ind
ex.ssf/2010/03/fire_in_nep tune_spreads_throug.html - http://blogfinger.wordpres
s.com/2010/03/13/fire-rava ges-the-manchester-and-adjacent-houses/ - http://photos.nj.com/4504/
gallery/fire_in_ocean_grov e_spreads_through_resident ial_block/index.html - http://www.app.com/apps/pb
cs.dll/gallery?Avis=B3&Dat o=20100313&Kategori=MULTIM EDIA02&Lopenr=3130802&Ref= PH
- http://www.app.com/article
/20100313/NEWS/100313025/1 004/NEWS01/UPDATE-Two-inju red-battling-Ocean-Grove-b laze-no-fatalities
Saturday, February 13, 2010
My Car Turned 150,000 Miles Today
My Champagne Colored 2000 Chrysler Concorde turned 150,000 miles today!
I pulled over and took this close-up photo:
You can see that I have a sticker on my dash that says "Not about me." This is a reference to the book "The Purpose Driven Life" ( you can read the first seven chapters at the link to the book). The author starts the book by making the point that the purpose of life is bigger than us, it's about God. I have these "Not about me" stickers in other places too. They are great reminders to me in my life of following Christ. They remind me that instead of focusing on me, I need to focus on him and how big, great, loving, mighty, powerful, overcoming, and saving he is.
I bought this car new in April 2000, so it will soon celebrate it's 10th birthday.
It's been a good car without much maintenance required. The original battery died just last week. Car batteries usually last only about 6 years or so and this one lasted almost 10!
Here's some good advice on how to get your car to last past 150,000 miles:
http://cars.about.com/od/adviceforowners/a/ag_livepast100k.htm
We've given names to most of our cars, but this one has yet to be named. I just haven't been able to think of a name for it. Any suggestions?
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
I experieced today the depths of our recession
Today, the depths of our recession hit home for me.
We had about 2 to 3 inches of snow overnight and I set out to shovel. We usually pitch in to help two neighbors with their shoveling (our neighbors also help them).
You've probably seen teenagers walking around your neighborhood looking for a few extra dollars in return for shoveling your snow.
Well today, I saw three grown men walking around with snow shovels! That's when it hit me. It's come to that point! Men who are looking for work to support their families are now to the point of need that they also do snow shoveling.
I paid them to finish the shoveling for one of the neighbors while I finished off our 125+ foot sidewalk around our corner. I thought it was good to see people willing to work for an honest pay. When they were done we paid them. I asked them where they were from. "Mexico" was their answer. I sent them off with a hearty "Dios Te Bendiga" and said "Thank you and God Bless you!" to them.
I continued on to finish the driveway shoveling for our neighbor who is almost 90 years old now. He and his wife have been in the neighborhood here for more than 60 years; they were the first owners of their home when this development was built in the 1950s. They're Jewish and have great stories to tell about the war. He said it's his back that gives him pain. I told him we'd pray for him. It was great to hear the birds singing while I shoveled and prayed.
Maybe you'll pray for him too. And, while we're at it, let's take the time to say a prayer or two for the many people looking for work.
Dios Te Bendiga!
We had about 2 to 3 inches of snow overnight and I set out to shovel. We usually pitch in to help two neighbors with their shoveling (our neighbors also help them).
You've probably seen teenagers walking around your neighborhood looking for a few extra dollars in return for shoveling your snow.
Well today, I saw three grown men walking around with snow shovels! That's when it hit me. It's come to that point! Men who are looking for work to support their families are now to the point of need that they also do snow shoveling.
I paid them to finish the shoveling for one of the neighbors while I finished off our 125+ foot sidewalk around our corner. I thought it was good to see people willing to work for an honest pay. When they were done we paid them. I asked them where they were from. "Mexico" was their answer. I sent them off with a hearty "Dios Te Bendiga" and said "Thank you and God Bless you!" to them.
I continued on to finish the driveway shoveling for our neighbor who is almost 90 years old now. He and his wife have been in the neighborhood here for more than 60 years; they were the first owners of their home when this development was built in the 1950s. They're Jewish and have great stories to tell about the war. He said it's his back that gives him pain. I told him we'd pray for him. It was great to hear the birds singing while I shoveled and prayed.
Maybe you'll pray for him too. And, while we're at it, let's take the time to say a prayer or two for the many people looking for work.
Dios Te Bendiga!
Friday, January 08, 2010
Who's Special?
Our son just went back to college today. We miss him already.
The other night, while having one of our last meals together before he went back to school, he got
the "Special Plate."
Yes, we have a "Special Plate" that is different from all the others. We put it out at one of the settings on the dinner table at our home to let someone know they're special! It's a blue Churchill Willow plate.
So, I said to my son: "Wow! You're the special one tonight!"
I remarked about how it was humorous when sat down to eat at our friend's house because they use the same Willow plates at every place setting. Their family also has a special plate they use and we know other other families that do too.
As a matter of fact, my wife makes it a point of using our fine china for everyone at the table when we celebrate a birthday, so that everyone is special!
I was thinking the other night about applying this "Special Treatment" to two areas of life that are special to me: my efforts to follow Jesus Christ and in my career as a project manager.
As a Christ follower, I want to take the time to treat people special. John 3:16 says that God loves the whole world. I want to keep asking myself: am I showing God's love to others? I've been working at trying to be "in the moment" and to spend time with the people I'm with, while I'm with them, to make them feel special.
As a Project Manager, I want to think about the people on my team. Am I complementing them and helping them to know how valued they are? Am I giving them the positive and specific feedback they need in order to feel appreciated?
So, who's special to you?
The other night, while having one of our last meals together before he went back to school, he got
the "Special Plate."
Yes, we have a "Special Plate" that is different from all the others. We put it out at one of the settings on the dinner table at our home to let someone know they're special! It's a blue Churchill Willow plate.
So, I said to my son: "Wow! You're the special one tonight!"
I remarked about how it was humorous when sat down to eat at our friend's house because they use the same Willow plates at every place setting. Their family also has a special plate they use and we know other other families that do too.
As a matter of fact, my wife makes it a point of using our fine china for everyone at the table when we celebrate a birthday, so that everyone is special!
I was thinking the other night about applying this "Special Treatment" to two areas of life that are special to me: my efforts to follow Jesus Christ and in my career as a project manager.
As a Christ follower, I want to take the time to treat people special. John 3:16 says that God loves the whole world. I want to keep asking myself: am I showing God's love to others? I've been working at trying to be "in the moment" and to spend time with the people I'm with, while I'm with them, to make them feel special.
As a Project Manager, I want to think about the people on my team. Am I complementing them and helping them to know how valued they are? Am I giving them the positive and specific feedback they need in order to feel appreciated?
So, who's special to you?
Sunday, January 03, 2010
Happy New Year! Goals and Planning
Talking with some of our friends the other day, we were talking about setting goals and planning for the new year.
I try to set goals at the beginning of the year. I try to keep them S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely).
When I was younger, I didn't like to set goals because I wanted God to be able to direct me. I figured he should set my goals.
Now, I realize, I need something to work toward. Some of our friends don'set goals, they like to be open to the Lord's leading. I can see that. I think it depends on your personality. For me, I need the structure and the goals.
I was just reading about goal setting the other day and my take away is that they need to be measurable. For example, I need to set a goal for my weight (something I'm currently working on) with a target date. As a Project Manager Professional (PMP) this fits right in with my regular practice: setting dates with measurable goals!
If you're the type to set goals, I'll provide you with some ideas here of the areas I set goals in:
1. Spiritual: What are the goals in my spiritual walk. In 2010, my goal is to "walk with the Lord" just as Enoch walked with the Lord. I want to continually be walking with God. For me, this also includes praying constantly and reading through the Bible.
2. Emotional: Goals for relationships and for my own emotional health. This includes what I want to do for those around me (family, friends, work colleagues) and for my own health.
3. Physical: This is were exercise and diet come into play.
4. Financial: How can we make better use of the funds that God has sent our way? What do we want to contribute to? What and how will we save? Spend? I also work with my wife to take a financial snapshot and do some financial planning.
5. Development/Career: What will I do to learn more about my career? What learning? What books? Courses?
6. House and Home Goals: What do I plan to accomplish in the house this year?
Keep in mind, that I still want God to set my goals. He is far better to direct my paths. So, I ask him for his leading, guidance, and wisdom. I am flexible and open to his leading. If he wants to re-arrange my goals, I listen for him to lead me.
There is a church nearby that is doing 3 sessions on Completing a Personal Life Development Plan. They will be covering our gifts, setting 1 and 5 year plans, as well as much of the areas I outlined above. I'm hoping to attend and maybe I'll post more.
I try to set goals at the beginning of the year. I try to keep them S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely).
When I was younger, I didn't like to set goals because I wanted God to be able to direct me. I figured he should set my goals.
Now, I realize, I need something to work toward. Some of our friends don'set goals, they like to be open to the Lord's leading. I can see that. I think it depends on your personality. For me, I need the structure and the goals.
I was just reading about goal setting the other day and my take away is that they need to be measurable. For example, I need to set a goal for my weight (something I'm currently working on) with a target date. As a Project Manager Professional (PMP) this fits right in with my regular practice: setting dates with measurable goals!
If you're the type to set goals, I'll provide you with some ideas here of the areas I set goals in:
1. Spiritual: What are the goals in my spiritual walk. In 2010, my goal is to "walk with the Lord" just as Enoch walked with the Lord. I want to continually be walking with God. For me, this also includes praying constantly and reading through the Bible.
2. Emotional: Goals for relationships and for my own emotional health. This includes what I want to do for those around me (family, friends, work colleagues) and for my own health.
3. Physical: This is were exercise and diet come into play.
4. Financial: How can we make better use of the funds that God has sent our way? What do we want to contribute to? What and how will we save? Spend? I also work with my wife to take a financial snapshot and do some financial planning.
5. Development/Career: What will I do to learn more about my career? What learning? What books? Courses?
6. House and Home Goals: What do I plan to accomplish in the house this year?
Keep in mind, that I still want God to set my goals. He is far better to direct my paths. So, I ask him for his leading, guidance, and wisdom. I am flexible and open to his leading. If he wants to re-arrange my goals, I listen for him to lead me.
There is a church nearby that is doing 3 sessions on Completing a Personal Life Development Plan. They will be covering our gifts, setting 1 and 5 year plans, as well as much of the areas I outlined above. I'm hoping to attend and maybe I'll post more.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Yes, Virginia, There is a Savior!
Yes, Virginia, There is a Savior!
Perhaps you've heard the story about the little girl who asked if there was a Santa Claus. The answer was published in the newspaper with the famous line, "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus!" (links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yes,_Virginia,_there_is_a_Santa_Claus and http://www.newseum.org/yesvirginia/ )
Just like that little girl who had a big concern at Christmas, we have concerns, too!
What are our concerns at Christmas time? Maybe choosing the right gift? Or getting invited to parties (the right parties)? Busyness? Being ready for Christmas?
I know I've had some of these concerns. I know I haven't felt ready. I haven't felt like it's Christmas yet.
In all the hustle and bustle, when will it feel like Christmas? Among all of this crazy preparation, when will Jesus show up? When will I have the "epiphany"?
Talking to someone other day, I asked if they were ready for Christmas. They said they weren't ready for Christmas. What surprised me was that this was a ten-year-old! Even children feel they are not ready for Christmas, let alone us adults!
So, I thought I should write a new headline in the newspaper, for everyone young and old alike, titled:
Yes, Virginia, There is a Savior!
Christmas is not so much about buying gifts, it's about the greatest gift! God loved us all so much that he gave his only Son! That son later died for us to give us eternal life! That's what the true Christmas is all about! (John 3:16)
So, let's be ready! He will show up! He will break through! Listen! He is knocking at the door of your heart now! Let Him in!
(add a comment below and tell us what your concerns are at Christmas and how Jesus broke through for you!)
Perhaps you've heard the story about the little girl who asked if there was a Santa Claus. The answer was published in the newspaper with the famous line, "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus!" (links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Just like that little girl who had a big concern at Christmas, we have concerns, too!
What are our concerns at Christmas time? Maybe choosing the right gift? Or getting invited to parties (the right parties)? Busyness? Being ready for Christmas?
I know I've had some of these concerns. I know I haven't felt ready. I haven't felt like it's Christmas yet.
Talking to someone other day, I asked if they were ready for Christmas. They said they weren't ready for Christmas. What surprised me was that this was a ten-year-old! Even children feel they are not ready for Christmas, let alone us adults!
So, I thought I should write a new headline in the newspaper, for everyone young and old alike, titled:
Yes, Virginia, There is a Savior!
Christmas is not so much about buying gifts, it's about the greatest gift! God loved us all so much that he gave his only Son! That son later died for us to give us eternal life! That's what the true Christmas is all about! (John 3:16)
(add a comment below and tell us what your concerns are at Christmas and how Jesus broke through for you!)
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Are You in Transition?
I know a bunch of people in "transition" at this time. In other words, they're out of a job.
In all cases, it's not due to their lack of productivity, but due to so many companies cutting costs in this economy.
Today I talked with someone and gave him some thoughts about some ideas for job searching. He asked me to send him an email about it. So, I've put my thoughts here so that other can take advantage of these ideas too.
Networking:
Networking is the number one way that people find jobs. Here are some ideas of how to get started.
Books I suggest you read right away:
If you're in New Jersey, you can also take advantage of these opportunities:
In all cases, it's not due to their lack of productivity, but due to so many companies cutting costs in this economy.
Today I talked with someone and gave him some thoughts about some ideas for job searching. He asked me to send him an email about it. So, I've put my thoughts here so that other can take advantage of these ideas too.
Networking:
Networking is the number one way that people find jobs. Here are some ideas of how to get started.
- International Networking group: Empowering Todays Professionals: etpnetwork.com - Rod Colon, a good friend, mentor, and past career coach founded this group. Look for great articles and if you join the ETP network (nominal fee) you gain access to great networking meetings, newsletter, phone calls, and more!
- Jibberjobber.com - Jason Alba (his website has great info too) created this jibberjobber.com website to track your career. In addition to the tracking tool, it has lots of free information in the blog, library and more. Here's a recent article on his blog titled "Where to Find Network Contacts" - he also hosts free
- Follow Job Angels on Twitter
- Build a network for yourself in linkedin.com
Books I suggest you read right away:
- "Never Eat Alone" by Keith Ferrazzi - this will teach you how to network with ease. I hear his new book "Who's Got Your Back" is also very good.
- "How to Win Friends and Influence People" - This book will teach you principles on how to win a job, win a career, and more than that, how to be a great friend to people. Written by Dale Carnegie decades ago, you can pick the book up for very little money, but you'll find great value in it.
- "Rites of Passage" by John Lucht - This book has great information for the job search, including one great lesson I learned about interviewing: Whenever asked a question, only speak for two minutes.
- Vega Consulting - Kim Shand and Maggie DaRonco have been great help to me personally and others in our PMlessonsLearned.com group. They will be especially helpful to you if you're in I.T., but if you want any general job search or career information they are there to help. They believe, like Zig Ziglar says, that if they keep giving to others it will come back to them.
If you're in New Jersey, you can also take advantage of these opportunities:
- The Breakfast Club of New Jersey: I've not been to this group, but have heard great reviews of it.
- Dover Professional Services Group (PSG: doverpsg.com): This group is open to all professionals who are in the NJ Unemployment system. I am a past member and found the group very helpful. I highly recommend it.
Friday, December 04, 2009
Thank God for Glasses!
My friend, Amechi, got me started a few weeks before Thanksgiving this year on posting something that I'm thankful for every day on Facebook. I've continued this practice past Thanksgiving. Who knows when I'll run out of things to be thankful for!
Well, today I decided that I'll post tomorrow about how thankful I am for glasses! I don't see well without glasses, so I'm very thankful for them!
Today I went for a checkup with the eye doctor. We had to dilate my eyes. Well, when I came out of there (I hadn't got my sunglasses out of the car yet), I passed the UPS lady who was going into the building. She was such a bright light in the sun that I couldn't even look at her! And they wear brown uniforms that aren't all that bright!
I can still picture how bright she was. It reminded me of the dazzling brightness of the transfigured Jesus (Luke 9:28-35) and the resurrected Jesus as he appeared to Paul (Acts 9). I can only imagine how bright he was and how difficult it must have been to look at him.
I saw star-bursts coming off every glint of light. There were star-bursts of lights shining off the cars and off the Rockaway River. In a way it was beautiful, yet it made it difficult to see.
I couldn't help but think about the wonder of how God created us. If it were not for the exact functioning of the iris in our eye to regulate how much light comes in, we might see things too brightly (or too dim) all of the time!
So, I'm thankful to the Lord for how I am wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). I'm thankful that he gave someone the idea to invent eyeglasses and he gave all those other people ideas to make so many improvements to eyeglasses! Why, I haven't had to use a paper clip to fix my glasses for years!
Well, today I decided that I'll post tomorrow about how thankful I am for glasses! I don't see well without glasses, so I'm very thankful for them!
Today I went for a checkup with the eye doctor. We had to dilate my eyes. Well, when I came out of there (I hadn't got my sunglasses out of the car yet), I passed the UPS lady who was going into the building. She was such a bright light in the sun that I couldn't even look at her! And they wear brown uniforms that aren't all that bright!
I can still picture how bright she was. It reminded me of the dazzling brightness of the transfigured Jesus (Luke 9:28-35) and the resurrected Jesus as he appeared to Paul (Acts 9). I can only imagine how bright he was and how difficult it must have been to look at him.
I saw star-bursts coming off every glint of light. There were star-bursts of lights shining off the cars and off the Rockaway River. In a way it was beautiful, yet it made it difficult to see.
I couldn't help but think about the wonder of how God created us. If it were not for the exact functioning of the iris in our eye to regulate how much light comes in, we might see things too brightly (or too dim) all of the time!
So, I'm thankful to the Lord for how I am wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). I'm thankful that he gave someone the idea to invent eyeglasses and he gave all those other people ideas to make so many improvements to eyeglasses! Why, I haven't had to use a paper clip to fix my glasses for years!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
I Accidentally Deleted My Digital Camera video picture files!
Here's my latest story:
I played my guitar for the first time at the Ocean Grove NJ Crosstown Acoustic Cafe Coffee House the other night. Our good friend, Nancy, took some great videos with my digital camera.
At home, I connected the camera and started copying the files to my computer.
Later on, I stopped by the computer and it looked like it was done, so I deleted the files from the camera. To my surprise, two of the longer videos (the two I wanted the most, of course) were not there! It seems that it must have still been in the middle of copying them when I deleted them. Oh, No!
Well, my daughter brought over my son-in-law's USB reader for my SD High Capacity (HC) card (mine didn't work for these new HC type). It allowed me to read it like a disk drive. It was mapped to K: now on my computer.
A friend at work, Prentice, told me about Pandora Recover, a free program that finds and restores deleted files. (Note: don't take more pictures after accidentally deleting something until after you use this program, otherwise the new photos you take might write over the remnants of what's left of the old pictures or videos).
Pandora Recover worked quickly and easily. I got my files back quickly!
http://download.cnet.com/Pandora-Recovery/3000-2094_4-10694796.html
It says it works for USB drives, hard drives, etc. and finds pictures, videos, and other types of files too!
I first scanned the version that I downloaded with Norton Anti-virus before I installed it and Norton Anti-virus said there were no viruses in it. However, you might want to scan it yourself. Also, you may want to skip the optional install of the cnet tool bar.
The tool worked very well for me!
Monday, November 23, 2009
How to make a Travel box and ideas for Car Games
Ideas for Car Games
We've had fun making a "Travel Box" for family and friends when they are taking a long car trip. We just take a box and put a bunch of things wrapped in comics or paper lunch bags.
Label these things with messages like:
* open on the way home after lunch
* Open after 100 miles
* Open after you go through 2 states
* Open after you see the first sign for Florida
* Open after you see the first sign for your Destination (College, State, Town)
* Open after you see the first Palm Tree
* Open when you stop for gas
* Open if you feel silly (or it could read "tired" or "bored") in Georgia
* When you see a license plate from such and such a state
Some silly examples are:
* Open this when you're feeling nuts (wrap up some nuts)
* Open this when you're feeling silly (Silly Putty or Silly String)
* Open when it gets dark (light sticks)
* Open when you're thirsty or hot and tired of driving (Wonka Fun Dip / Lik-m-aids) (or Nik-L-Nip bottles)
* When you need a morning snack (granola bars)
* When you're bored (Wooly Willy - we bought one at 5 Below)
* When you hear a rock song on the radio (Pop Rocks candy)
* When you're low on cash (100 Grand Candy bar)
* When you see an animal (Cow Tails candy)
You can also pack the box with other things:
* Jokes
* Car Bingo (look for the signs or license plates)
* Comics section from the newspaper
We also put some envelopes with game ideas written on them (sometimes with statements like above)
* Song Fest - Take a well known song (like "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" and change the words to a silly song or a christian Song
* Open when you need encouragement - put Bible verses or nice words of blessings or the little encouragement cards you get at the Christian Bookstore
You can also put a card in there with a list of the things they need to find/do/reach in order to open the items.
Here are a few websites that I also found helpful:
http://www.momsminivan.com
http://www.momsminivan.com/printables.html
http://www.classroomjr.com/category/worksheets/printable-mad-libs/
http://travelwithkids.about.com/cs/printgames/a/gamesprint.htm
http://www.airlinecreditcards.com/travelhacker/27-free-games-to-keep-your-kids-entertained-on-a-road-trip/
http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/list/top10/121613/article.html
String Games: http://alysion.org/figures/main.htm
Mad Libs: http://www.teach-nology.com/worksheets/language_arts/madlibs/
What ideas do you have? Please leave a comment!
We've had fun making a "Travel Box" for family and friends when they are taking a long car trip. We just take a box and put a bunch of things wrapped in comics or paper lunch bags.
Label these things with messages like:
* open on the way home after lunch
* Open after 100 miles
* Open after you go through 2 states
* Open after you see the first sign for Florida
* Open after you see the first sign for your Destination (College, State, Town)
* Open after you see the first Palm Tree
* Open when you stop for gas
* Open if you feel silly (or it could read "tired" or "bored") in Georgia
* When you see a license plate from such and such a state
Some silly examples are:
* Open this when you're feeling nuts (wrap up some nuts)
* Open this when you're feeling silly (Silly Putty or Silly String)
* Open when it gets dark (light sticks)
* Open when you're thirsty or hot and tired of driving (Wonka Fun Dip / Lik-m-aids) (or Nik-L-Nip bottles)
* When you need a morning snack (granola bars)
* When you're bored (Wooly Willy - we bought one at 5 Below)
* When you hear a rock song on the radio (Pop Rocks candy)
* When you're low on cash (100 Grand Candy bar)
* When you see an animal (Cow Tails candy)
You can also pack the box with other things:
* Jokes
* Car Bingo (look for the signs or license plates)
* Comics section from the newspaper
We also put some envelopes with game ideas written on them (sometimes with statements like above)
* Song Fest - Take a well known song (like "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" and change the words to a silly song or a christian Song
* Open when you need encouragement - put Bible verses or nice words of blessings or the little encouragement cards you get at the Christian Bookstore
You can also put a card in there with a list of the things they need to find/do/reach in order to open the items.
Here are a few websites that I also found helpful:
http://www.momsminivan.com
http://www.momsminivan.com/printables.html
http://www.classroomjr.com/category/worksheets/printable-mad-libs/
http://travelwithkids.about.com/cs/printgames/a/gamesprint.htm
http://www.airlinecreditcards.com/travelhacker/27-free-games-to-keep-your-kids-entertained-on-a-road-trip/
http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/list/top10/121613/article.html
String Games: http://alysion.org/figures/main.htm
Mad Libs: http://www.teach-nology.com/worksheets/language_arts/madlibs/
What ideas do you have? Please leave a comment!
Friday, September 18, 2009
Twitter for beginners
This is for Bill who wanted to know about Twitter and for others who are curious.
What is Twitter?
How to use Twitter to send messages (Tweet)
References:
What is Twitter?
- What is it? Twitter is a online service you can sign up for. It's free to use.
- What does it do? It allows people to send out short messages (140 characters or less) to anyone and everyone who wants to read them. It works like texting on a cell phone, but it get's sent out and anyone can read it, like a broadcast. You can also "follow" someone's broadcasts (called "tweets"). If you send out "tweets," some people might decide to "follow" you (in other words, they will read your "tweets" in their account.
- What are the benefits? You can read information from other people (like the news headlines, or your favorite author, or a friend). You can let people know about you, like what you're doing, or the story you want to tell, or information you want to share.
- Setup an account (details below) It's easy and Free!
- Follow what's going on for a while - you can just do this for a few hours, days, months, years...
- Find people to follow
- Observe RT, @, #FollowFridays (more on this below)
- Find out about Hashtags - maybe make one of your own (more on this below)
- Then, Dive in and start posting messages
- Web - The basic account is set up so you can use it with the web. After getting an account, you just login and use it. You can look at posts of those you follow, search for people, and post your own "tweets"
- Phone - You can also set up tweeter to send and receive messages using your phone
- Follow first before starting to send out "tweets"
- Look around at who other people are following, click on those people to see what they are "tweeting" about and then follow them if you like what you see. You can always stop following or follow anyone as much as you want, whenever you want.
- What it means to have followers - People who "follow" you will see your posts on their "home" page. Usually people follow you to see what you're posting ("Tweeting") about, or because they want you to follow them. You'll see many organizations try to follow you because they want you to follow them. It's your choice though.
- How to follow someone - You can follow anyone by searching for them or by clicking on their icon in someone else's "following" list and then once you see that feed, there will be a link/button near the top left that allows you to "follow" them
- Examples of people to follow: @nytimes (news headlines, you can click on a link to get to the details of the news), @zondervan (gives bible quotes). You can also search for famous people (entertainers, politicians, etc.) or authors, etc. You may like to track packages using twitter (see http://www.usetrackthis.com)
- Once you set up an account, there is a "find people" link at the top to search for people to follow
- You can also find people by clicking on anyone in your list of people who follow you or who you follow and then look at the list and click on them to see who they follow or who follows them. Whenever you see someone you like, just click on the "follow" button to follow them.
How to use Twitter to send messages (Tweet)
- How to "Tweet": Just click on "home" and then type something in the "What are you doing?" box. Then click on "update." You're "tweet" will then be viewable by anyone following you or looking at your profile.
- Short URLs (links) - If you want to send a link in your "tweet" you will find that shorter links will fit better in the 140 character limitation for "tweets." You can shorten your link (called a URL in tech-speak) by going to bit.ly (no .com here, just http://bit.ly), entering the URL (link with the http:// on the beginning) and clicking "shorten." You will get a shortened link that is something like http://bit.ly/9dwZb which should be shorter so it uses up less space in your 140 character "tweet"
- DM: You'll like to know that you can also DM (Direct Message) someone if they are following you (this is like sending an email to that person). Nobody but you and that other person will see these messages.
- @: and you can also send a message to someone that everyone can see by putting @ with their name (like @henrywill) in the message. This allows that person to see what you sent them, but so will everyone else.
- You can also mark tweets as favorites (see the link to the right of the tweet posting). You can look at favorites later (and others can also look at your favortites)
- # is a special character in "tweets," see the information in the section below about "hashtags"
- RT = Re-tweet. This is used when someone takes someone's message and decides it is good enough to send to their followers. Example: you see someone post a message, like "Johndoe: Free fries at "Joe's Cafe" this Saturday!" You would like your friends to know about it, so you send out a retweet "RT @JohnDoe: Free fries at "Joe's Cafe" this Saturday!" - You just add the "RT @" to the beginning of JohnDoe's message. You can also add your own text at the end if you want. Note: you'll notice, if you want people to retweet your messages, you need to keep them short enough so they can add the "RT @" and your Twitter name to your message and still fit within the 140 character "tweet" limit.
- @ - as explained before, this is a way to send a message to someone, but allow others to see it. Example: if your friend "SusieSmith" tweets "John, did you get to "Joe's Cafe" for the free fries this past Saturday?" you can reply with "@SusieSmith yes, Joe's Cafe fries are the best, even if they weren't free!" - everyone, including @SusieSmith can see this. (note: if you don't want others to see your reply, use DM)
- By putting a # in front of some special keyword text, it allows people to search for that keyword. For example, #PM allows people to search for #PM as a keyword (called a hashtag because the # is known as a hashtag in addition to a pound sign). You can search on all types of subjects in twitter to see what people are saying about that subject. Look at the bottom right of your home page to see the "trending topics" of which hashtags people are using. You can also find a list of hashtags and graphs of how much they're used at http://hashtags.org
- One popular hashtag is #followfriday or #fridayfollow - people use this hashtag on Fridays with a list of people they think it would be good for their followers to follow. It's a good way to find out about people to follow.
- You can find other popular hashtags at hashtag.org
- How to get followers: First find people you like to follow, many will follow you back. You can also ask people you know to follow you.
- Good practice when someone follows you - It's best to thank your new followers, tell them what "tweets" you like to read or what you're intersted in, and/or what you like to tweet about.
- I mentioned earlier about how to track packages in twitter, but there are new uses of twitter coming on line all the time. Twitter can also be used to update your status in facebook and to read news headlines, jokes and more. Read the followers and following lists of some people you follow or who follow you to find good ideas. Let me know of any good ones you like in the comments of my blogpost here.
References:
- http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Twitter
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddO9idmax0o&feature=player_embedded
- http://www.usetrackthis.com (track packages via twitter)
- 9 Scientifically Proven Ways to Get Retweeted http://tinyurl.com/nx7wna
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
The Five R's of Dealing with Temptation
I was listening to a copy of one of Lloyd Pulley's presentations the other day. He speaks on a show called "Bridging the Gap." He gave this list of the Five R's for Dealing with Temptation.
The Five R's for Dealing with Temptation:
1. R: Remember: Remember who you are. You are the Salt and Light. Matthew 5:13
2. R: Realize: Realize the cost of yielding to temptation and the Reward for not giving in Romans 6:23
3. R: Ruthless: Be Ruthless with your flesh - Make to provision for your flesh to sin - Matthew 5:29
4. R: Renew: Renew your mind Romans 12:2
5. R: Rely on His Grace: His grace teaches us to say "No."
Psalm 138:6
He also said we should get busy!
Spurgeon said: Some Temptations come to the industrious, but ALL temptation comes to the idle
I hope this encourages you to overcome temptation!
The Five R's for Dealing with Temptation:
1. R: Remember: Remember who you are. You are the Salt and Light. Matthew 5:13
2. R: Realize: Realize the cost of yielding to temptation and the Reward for not giving in Romans 6:23
3. R: Ruthless: Be Ruthless with your flesh - Make to provision for your flesh to sin - Matthew 5:29
4. R: Renew: Renew your mind Romans 12:2
5. R: Rely on His Grace: His grace teaches us to say "No."
Psalm 138:6
He also said we should get busy!
Spurgeon said: Some Temptations come to the industrious, but ALL temptation comes to the idle
I hope this encourages you to overcome temptation!
Barre Chords, Minor and m7 Chords on the Guitar
I've been learning new things on the guitar this summer and thought I'd post about them.
Barre Chords, sometimes called Bar Chords, allow you to move the same Chord "shape" up the guitar to another fret and form a new chord.
Keep in mind that each Fret is a half step. So, good examples are that the E chord, moved up 1 fret (you need to bar the 1st fret then to do the equivalent of moving up the Nut, the place where the strings go over the top part of the guitar neck) forms the F chord! (Because in half steps, the scale is A, A#, B, C, C#,D, D#, E, F, F#,G, G#, ...)
If you move it up 2 frets from the Nut, it would be the F# chord.
Also, the A chord, moved up 2 frets becomes the B chord!
The guitarforbeginners website shows what I'm explaining with a little animation.
Minor Chords
I also learned how to easily form Minor Chords from the E and A chords.
When the highest string (the highest frequency, the one closest to the floor) being held down is moved down one fret towards the Nut, a half step (to the minor 3rd), the chord becomes a Minor chord.
So, if you take the A chord and move your finger on the B string one fret lower (toward the Nut) you'll have an A minor chord.
For the E chord, you move your finger on the G string (actually playing a G#) down a half step (1 fret) which in this case is the nut (or an "open" string) to get Em (E minor)!
Am7 and Em7:
To get these minor chords to be minor 7th chords, just remove the 2nd finger (counting from the side of the neck furthest from the floor) so an open string is played.
So, to change the Am to Am7, lift your finger on the G string.
To change the Em to Em7, lift your finger on the D string (you'll only have one finger left, it will be on the A string 2nd fret (playing a B)
The same is true for the A7 and E7 chords.
If you look at some chord diagrams, you'll see what I'm talking about.
Barre Chords, sometimes called Bar Chords, allow you to move the same Chord "shape" up the guitar to another fret and form a new chord.
Keep in mind that each Fret is a half step. So, good examples are that the E chord, moved up 1 fret (you need to bar the 1st fret then to do the equivalent of moving up the Nut, the place where the strings go over the top part of the guitar neck) forms the F chord! (Because in half steps, the scale is A, A#, B, C, C#,D, D#, E, F, F#,G, G#, ...)
If you move it up 2 frets from the Nut, it would be the F# chord.
Also, the A chord, moved up 2 frets becomes the B chord!
The guitarforbeginners website shows what I'm explaining with a little animation.
Minor Chords
I also learned how to easily form Minor Chords from the E and A chords.
When the highest string (the highest frequency, the one closest to the floor) being held down is moved down one fret towards the Nut, a half step (to the minor 3rd), the chord becomes a Minor chord.
So, if you take the A chord and move your finger on the B string one fret lower (toward the Nut) you'll have an A minor chord.
For the E chord, you move your finger on the G string (actually playing a G#) down a half step (1 fret) which in this case is the nut (or an "open" string) to get Em (E minor)!
Am7 and Em7:
To get these minor chords to be minor 7th chords, just remove the 2nd finger (counting from the side of the neck furthest from the floor) so an open string is played.
So, to change the Am to Am7, lift your finger on the G string.
To change the Em to Em7, lift your finger on the D string (you'll only have one finger left, it will be on the A string 2nd fret (playing a B)
The same is true for the A7 and E7 chords.
If you look at some chord diagrams, you'll see what I'm talking about.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Guitar with a Capo
Did you know that Capo is short for Capodastra?
Neither did I until I started reading up on the Capo to figure out what some of my friends (who are guitar teachers) were trying to teach me about Capos.
Here are some websites that teach about Capos on guitars. Some of them have tables that you can print. You'll find that they each have a different way of expressing the table of the use of Capos. The basic idea though is back to the "Capo Triangle" that one of my friend/instructors told me about, it has 3 "sides" which are: The Key of the Chord, The chord shape (and where the Capo is), and the root note of the chord.
http://www.guitarforbeginners.com/capo.html
http://www.cyberfret.com/misc-wisdom/capo/page5.php
http://www.cyberfret.com/misc-wisdom/capo/transposition-chart.htm
http://www.5min.com/Video/Learn-To-Play-Guitar-Using-A-Capo-Part-1-31245935
http://topguitartraining.com/index.php?key=how_to_use_a_guitar_capo.php
http://guitarwebapp.com/pdf/capopos.pdf
And for those who want to go beyond, there's chord transposition with some music theory here:
http://www.abclearnguitar.com/transpose.html
Neither did I until I started reading up on the Capo to figure out what some of my friends (who are guitar teachers) were trying to teach me about Capos.
Here are some websites that teach about Capos on guitars. Some of them have tables that you can print. You'll find that they each have a different way of expressing the table of the use of Capos. The basic idea though is back to the "Capo Triangle" that one of my friend/instructors told me about, it has 3 "sides" which are: The Key of the Chord, The chord shape (and where the Capo is), and the root note of the chord.
http://www.guitarforbeginners.com/capo.html
http://www.cyberfret.com/misc-wisdom/capo/page5.php
http://www.cyberfret.com/misc-wisdom/capo/transposition-chart.htm
http://www.5min.com/Video/Learn-To-Play-Guitar-Using-A-Capo-Part-1-31245935
http://topguitartraining.com/index.php?key=how_to_use_a_guitar_capo.php
http://guitarwebapp.com/pdf/capopos.pdf
And for those who want to go beyond, there's chord transposition with some music theory here:
http://www.abclearnguitar.com/transpose.html
Thursday, September 10, 2009
The Clock that Lost it's Second Hand
We have a clock that was always a bit behind on the time. It seemed as though the clock was having difficulty lifting the second hand as it made it's way from the 6 back up to the 12.
Well, recently, the clock fell off the wall and I put it back up. A few days later I realized that the second hand had fallen off and was laying inside, but I didn't have any interest in taking the time to fix it.
Then, just the other day, I asked my wife if the clock was keeping time. She said that now the time was correct! The clock is now running on time without the burden of lifting the second hand!
My wife and I talked about how sometimes our lives are like that clock. We each came up with our own lesson. My wife remarked that sometimes we get too busy doing many things, just like the clock trying to tick out every second, and because we are trying to do too much, we get behind. That's a great point!
I had a few thoughts about the clock:
So, I hope you, like me, can take a lesson from the clock that lost it's second hand
Well, recently, the clock fell off the wall and I put it back up. A few days later I realized that the second hand had fallen off and was laying inside, but I didn't have any interest in taking the time to fix it.
Then, just the other day, I asked my wife if the clock was keeping time. She said that now the time was correct! The clock is now running on time without the burden of lifting the second hand!
My wife and I talked about how sometimes our lives are like that clock. We each came up with our own lesson. My wife remarked that sometimes we get too busy doing many things, just like the clock trying to tick out every second, and because we are trying to do too much, we get behind. That's a great point!
I had a few thoughts about the clock:
- Sometimes we try to keep track of everything and schedule things with such precision that we don't leave any margin (this reminds me of the book I read some time ago, that I would highly recommend, titled "Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives" by Richard A. Swenson)
- We get so bogged down in the "overhead" of scheduling and keeping track of things so closely, that we are slowed down and are less effective
- Sometimes too, because we're so concentrated on over-managing our time, we miss the things that are most important!
So, I hope you, like me, can take a lesson from the clock that lost it's second hand
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Focus
Recently I read a book summary that mentioned the importance of always keeping your top 3 goals written down so you can concentrate on them.
Lately I've been getting lots of messages from the Lord about Focusing. I need to Focus and concentrate on the most important things. And, now this is very important, I need to start removing the distractions.
I was mentoring someone the other day about this subject.
Did you ever notice that when you use a magnifying glass to look at something, it magnifies the area your looking at and at the same time, the area below the glass that you're not viewing is obstructed?
Well, we need to put that same principle into effect in our lives. We need to purposely obstruct all of the items that are not in our focus.
Let me give you some examples:
I realize that much of my email that comes in is from mail lists I signed up for so I could be informed in case I might be interested in something. Well, Gmail lets me create a filter that puts them directly into an archive. So, I don't have to read them, but if I'm ever looking for something, I can just search my email to find them when I need them. It's like having a reference library that only stores things you're interested in!
And, in my personal life, there are THINGS that distract me from PEOPLE. I have to remind myself that people are way more important than things. So, I have to remove the frustrations and time consumption that the things pull away from the people I need to care about!
I hope this all helps you to gain more focus and more concentration on the things that are important to you! Of course, before you focus, you need to establish your goals of what to focus on. I'll have to write about that sometime too.
Lately I've been getting lots of messages from the Lord about Focusing. I need to Focus and concentrate on the most important things. And, now this is very important, I need to start removing the distractions.
I was mentoring someone the other day about this subject.
Did you ever notice that when you use a magnifying glass to look at something, it magnifies the area your looking at and at the same time, the area below the glass that you're not viewing is obstructed?
Well, we need to put that same principle into effect in our lives. We need to purposely obstruct all of the items that are not in our focus.
Let me give you some examples:
I realize that much of my email that comes in is from mail lists I signed up for so I could be informed in case I might be interested in something. Well, Gmail lets me create a filter that puts them directly into an archive. So, I don't have to read them, but if I'm ever looking for something, I can just search my email to find them when I need them. It's like having a reference library that only stores things you're interested in!
And, in my personal life, there are THINGS that distract me from PEOPLE. I have to remind myself that people are way more important than things. So, I have to remove the frustrations and time consumption that the things pull away from the people I need to care about!
I hope this all helps you to gain more focus and more concentration on the things that are important to you! Of course, before you focus, you need to establish your goals of what to focus on. I'll have to write about that sometime too.
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Continuous Partial Attention (CPA)
This Past Sunday, Dr. Cleophus LaRue, the preacher at the Auditorium in Ocean Grove, NJ spoke about the concept of Continuous Partial Attention (CPA) which was coined by Linda Stone, the former VP of Microsoft.
From what I understand, CPA is the notion that in the current age, people are giving partial attention to many messages all at the same time and therefore we are sharing our attention between these several messages and activities. I can see it occurring at work. There is so much work to do that we all find it difficult to give full attention to any one thing; we are constantly "multitasking" between tasks and what we're listening to. For an example: I have actually been listening in on 2 webinars at once while I was also doing work. It certainly is making it difficult to concentrate on any one subject and I can see that it spills over into my home life as well.
How does CPA effect your work? Your home life?
Dr. LaRue made the point that due to the advent of CPA, it is even more difficult for us to tell others the good news of what Christ has done for us all on the cross, yet we still need to tell the story!
From what I understand, CPA is the notion that in the current age, people are giving partial attention to many messages all at the same time and therefore we are sharing our attention between these several messages and activities. I can see it occurring at work. There is so much work to do that we all find it difficult to give full attention to any one thing; we are constantly "multitasking" between tasks and what we're listening to. For an example: I have actually been listening in on 2 webinars at once while I was also doing work. It certainly is making it difficult to concentrate on any one subject and I can see that it spills over into my home life as well.
How does CPA effect your work? Your home life?
Dr. LaRue made the point that due to the advent of CPA, it is even more difficult for us to tell others the good news of what Christ has done for us all on the cross, yet we still need to tell the story!
Monday, September 07, 2009
The Big Great Invitation
The Big Great Invitation:
This past Saturday, two of our friends: a father and daughter, were out in a canoe with one of their young friends on a lake. The daughter remarked that it was on the very island they were heading to that she had asked Jesus into her heart. She then asked her friend if he had ever asked Jesus into his life. He replied "no," but that he would like to. Once on the island, he also asked Jesus to be his Lord.
The story helped me to realize that sometimes people might be involved in a church, yet they've never been given the invitation to give their lives to Christ.
I realized from the story that there might be people who read my blog who fall into that same category. So, if you've never been invited, and if you want to give your life to Christ, here it is, I'm extending to you the BIG GREAT Invitation to the most important decision you'll ever make; a decision that will be the best decision you could ever make for yourself: that of giving your life to Christ Jesus.
If you have any questions about it, I'd be happy to discuss it. Just contact me via the contact link at henrywill4.com
I like to write to encourage people, well, this is the most encouragement I can give: eternal life now as part of God's kingdom and the assurance of hope for the future!
This past Saturday, two of our friends: a father and daughter, were out in a canoe with one of their young friends on a lake. The daughter remarked that it was on the very island they were heading to that she had asked Jesus into her heart. She then asked her friend if he had ever asked Jesus into his life. He replied "no," but that he would like to. Once on the island, he also asked Jesus to be his Lord.
The story helped me to realize that sometimes people might be involved in a church, yet they've never been given the invitation to give their lives to Christ.
I realized from the story that there might be people who read my blog who fall into that same category. So, if you've never been invited, and if you want to give your life to Christ, here it is, I'm extending to you the BIG GREAT Invitation to the most important decision you'll ever make; a decision that will be the best decision you could ever make for yourself: that of giving your life to Christ Jesus.
If you have any questions about it, I'd be happy to discuss it. Just contact me via the contact link at henrywill4.com
I like to write to encourage people, well, this is the most encouragement I can give: eternal life now as part of God's kingdom and the assurance of hope for the future!
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Raising the Threshold and Getting Things Done
In a conversation with my manager yesterday, I was reminded of the book "Getting Things Done" (GTD) by David Allen (see part of the book here). The book describes having a system to process all incoming information (requests, actions, FYI, etc.). It works for job assignments, monkeys on your back (this is a reference to the Harvard Business Classic "Management Time: Who's Got the Monkey?" by by William Oncken, Jr., and Donald L. Wass), and email too.
In the GTD book, there is mention of how some incoming items should be handled right away if they take about 5 minutes or less to get done. This has worked great for me. Yesterday, my manager mentioned that since I have lots of small work tasks piling up, maybe I should try to tackle some of the small tasks ("low hanging fruit") to get them crossed off my list. It was then that I realized that sometimes we need to "Raise the Threshold." We need to change the 5 minute threshold to 30 minutes or 60 minutes so that we can get some of the tasks hanging around on our list moved off and completed. I'm working on that now. Maybe this idea will help you too!
By the way, if you're interested in GTD, take a look at the links above. You might also be interested in the related inboxzero.com information for managing your email.
In the GTD book, there is mention of how some incoming items should be handled right away if they take about 5 minutes or less to get done. This has worked great for me. Yesterday, my manager mentioned that since I have lots of small work tasks piling up, maybe I should try to tackle some of the small tasks ("low hanging fruit") to get them crossed off my list. It was then that I realized that sometimes we need to "Raise the Threshold." We need to change the 5 minute threshold to 30 minutes or 60 minutes so that we can get some of the tasks hanging around on our list moved off and completed. I'm working on that now. Maybe this idea will help you too!
By the way, if you're interested in GTD, take a look at the links above. You might also be interested in the related inboxzero.com information for managing your email.
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