Catch up

The last 2 months or so have been pretty busy and have included things like, a Halloween party, buying a house, moving into our house, going to Las Vegas and San Diego, Thanksgiving in Yosemite, friends having a baby, sister in law having a baby, the approach of Christmas, and upcoming trips to Northern California (3 between Amy and I).

I've been told by various people that I should post pictures on my blog and give updates as to what is going on in my life. I am a little reluctant to do that because that seems to be what everyone uses their blog for and that wasn't my original purpose for starting this blog. I suppose it won't hurt to every once in a while post a picture or something but don't expect it too often.

Here's a picture of the house we bought, so far we are really happy with it, but living in your own house definitely takes some getting used to.

Here's a shot of us in Yosemite, you can see half-dome far in the distance and I believe that is El Capitan off to the left.

Here's a waterfall.

Here's us at the top of it.
(apparently people don't say 1,2,3 anymore before pictures.)

This waterfall had like 3 progressive falls, then a big drop down the cliff face into a gorge. The hike to get to this one was about 9 miles round trip so it wore me out but the top was cool.

Don't tell people how to vote!

I got a call the other day from some one that is trying to get Bill Hedrick elected to office to replace Ken Calvert as the congressman from my district. The lady told me she would like to tell me about Bill Hedrick and proceeded to tell me that Ken Calvert has been voted one of the 20 most corrupt politicians. Then she asked me if I would like her to mail me some information about Bill Hedrick. On a daily basis I also receive mail and doorhangers telling me how to vote on the different propositions. To me it seems like millions of dollars are wasted every year on trying to get people to vote a certain way. I feel like when people vote they are supposed to base their decision on their personal beliefs, morals, preferences, and how the decision will affect them and their family. I'm guessing their must be evidence to show that all this advertising is effective otherwise it probably wouldn't continue year after year. What is embarrassing is the thought that people are voting based on what they see in these advertisements. When groups like the teacher's union, the prison guards of California or the LA Police Department are paying money and saying you should vote a certain way they are not doing it because they think that is what is best for you, they are doing it because it is what they believe is best for them. If everyone would block out all the outside influences and decide on their own then we would get decisions based on what the majority of voters actually think. As it is our decisions are overly influenced by whoever pays the most money and badgers people the most. If some one can't read a proposition and decide if it will be good for them or bad for them then they should just not vote rather than mindlessly giving their vote to some one else.

Voting is tomorrow and I plan to participate, but I think the next person who tries to tell me how I should vote is liable to get an earfull on how my decision process and what I ultimately do vote is none of their business.

Politicians not doing their jobs

The other day I decided to take a look at the two candidates' voting records and I was surprised to find that they frequently don't show up to vote when congress has a decision to make. In the current congress McCain has been absent around 60% of the time and Obama has been absent about 50% of the time. I really can't understand how this is tolerated. How many people can not show up to work over half the time they are supposed to and keep their job? These two politicians were chosen by the people of their states to represent them in decisions made by the government. If they don't show up to vote then those people are not getting fair representation. I decided to see if this was common so I looked up my two congresswomen from California, Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein who have been absent 5.6% and 2.7% or the time respectively. When I've mentioned this to some of my friends I've been told that they've been out campaigning so that is why they have missed votes. I don't think that is justification. That is basically saying that if a career opportunity comes up they can neglect their current job in order to pursue it. The big question here would be, do they still get paid for being a congressman while they are campaigning? And if they lose the election do they simply return to finish their term as congressman? Either way I am surprised candidates never get called to account for this, I think it can be a testiment to their work ethic and a certain degree of not realizing or valuing the significance of their job in our goverment.

On a somewhat similar note, I am tired of feeling like when I go to vote I have to pick the lesser of two poor options. Maybe one of these days the two party system will start to break down and we can get some outsiders in to bring a different vibe and a different experience base into our countries leadership. I would be very quick to vote for some big business leaders to change things up a bit (i.e Jack Welch, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett).

How do you feel about politicians not doing their jobs? Any ideas on a better way to find candidates?

My Survivor Strategy

I was watching the premiere of Survivor and it seemed like the same things started happening that happen on every other season of that show. Some people butt heads right away. Some people are quiet and go unnoticed. Some people immediately form alliances. Some people who you think will be horrible competitors do well, and others who look strong or competent for the challenges are really losers. Every time I watch this show I can't help but think about my strategy.

If ever on the show Survivor I think I would approach it as follows. I would encourage the team to have open sharing time around the fire each day to discuss what's been going on and how the team is doing. I would encourage people to share with the group who they would like to vote off and why so that the team could discuss it and have a decision before we show up to tribal council so there are no surprises and we have some team unity with everyone on the same page. I realize this could potentially create conflicts but I figure it is better if we work those conflicts out publicly rather than with secret meetings down by the lake. If these conflicts errupt beyond control I am confident that I could keep myself in a position to serve as a sort of moderator of the discussion or a mediator to help resolve the conflicts. My challenge would be to keep myself from getting wrapped up in the arguments. Through this strategy any secret alliances that were going on would likely come out, the team would know how we all stand with each other, and we could more easily move on and focus on the next competition after some one gets eliminated. I would also bank heavily on my ability to dominate in the challenges. From the challenges I've seen on the show I don't think I would every be in the position of the person who doesn't contribute or holds the team back.

That's just my idea for strategy. I like the challenges in Survivor but the whole sleeping in the wilderness thing wouldn't be my favorite experience so its not necessarily at the top of my list of reality shows I'd like to compete on.

What's your strategy? And what do you think my chances would be if I used mine?

Jury Duty

Well I just finished my first experience with being on a jury last Friday and it was a very interesting experience.

I wanted to get out of it but the defense attorney didn't feel the need to ask me if I wanted to be on the jury so I had no chance to say "no thanks" (he asked other people this question and they all answered "yes").

Some people gave answers that indicated they obviously wanted out of jury duty. Like one guy, who said "the defendent looks like he probably has an evil side". But I couldn't bring myself to lie or misrepresent who I am, and apparently I am desireable as a juror.

Once the trial started it was really interesting as well as intense and I felt compelled to give my full attention to every detail. The charges were: a criminal threat to kill or cause great bodily injury, threatening a police officer or public official, growing marijuana, using an electronic device to send messages with the intent to harrass or annoy. Those aren't the exact works but a summary of the charges. I found myself anticipating the points the lawyers were going to make with their questioning as well as critiquing their tactics. It was really interesting but also very stressful given the significance of my job as a member of the jury. It really wasn't fair to make light of anything and not give the case my full consideration. So I took it very seriously and wracked my brain to make sure I was making the right decisions when I gave my vote for the verdicts. Some of the jurors seemed to have their minds made up completely as soon as we entered deliberations, some were on the fence, and some seemed to be willing to just go along with the group. I was on the fence and found myself annoyed by the other two groups.

Ultimately we found him guilt of charges 3 and 4, not guilty of charge 2, and we were split on the first charge so it was a mistrial on that one.

Afterward we got to talk to the attorneys more casually about the case and it was interesting to hear their true views and what they thought of the case. They were also interested to hear about our deliberations and what points or evidence we had the most discussion about.

All in all it was an experience I'm glad I had but I just wish the court was more efficient with their time. We started each day at 9:30 though we usually let in 10-45 minutes late every day. We would take a 15 minute break around 10:30. Lunch was from 12:00 to 1:30. We would have another break at about 2:30 and we were always done by 4, usually earlier. Lots of time was wasted in my opinion.

oh yeah, and lastly, the defendent's name is "I am the Beast", how's that for interesting.

Making wise decisions

Do you ever find yourself revisiting decisions you've made in the past and wondering if it was the right decision? I usually don't just because by the time I actually decide something I am usually thoroughly convinced it was the right decision to make. Though occassionally I find myself pondering how different my life would be had I done a few things differently.

In high school when it came time to apply for colleges I hadn't really put much thought into where I would go. I always wanted to go to college but I never took the time to do research and figure out a good place for me to go. A lot of people I knew were going to be attending Sonoma state, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and San Diego State, but I didn't want to just follow the crowd to college. I had heard of Cal Baptist because my dad went there, I basically chose it because I knew I would get accepted and I figured I could walk on to their soccer and tennis teams. If I decided to go somewhere else I'm certain my life would be a lot different and probably a lot worse than it is now. I can't imagine not having the friendships I made at CBU and the learning/experiences that came while I was a student there. After a year at CBU I decided to quit playing soccer. It was a gut wrenching decision and to this day I still have doubts as to whether or not it was the right choice. I guess I could say that it didn't make much difference, that pretty much everything in my life would be about the same, but its hard for me to say that soccer was that inconsequential. I don't know if its because playing sports is frivolous and I don't want to give credit to the notion that all the years I spent practicing and playing was a waste. I'd be quicker to say that soccer became part of my identity and to give it up was like giving up a part of who I was.

Anyway, I'm sure you've all made decisions that you can look back on and question whether or not it was the right choice. I think what I take from this is how important it is to make the right decisions. I don't want to encourage some sort of "analysis paralysis", a term I use to describe those that can't seem to make a decision at all because all time is spent debating and considering information. As a Christian I would say my best course of action is to align my decisions with what God would like me to do. This isn't easy because the Bible doesn't always seem clear to me and prayer can be just as challenging, but I believe that if approached in earnest and with an openness to answer that I might not have considered or might not like, God will give me wisdom. This is a reliable to me because I believe that God loves me and knows everything I am capable of and how best to make my life worthwhile. For those that don't believe that I suppose the Bible and prayer aren't the best resource for good decision making and they have to rely on themselves.

Just something to think about.

I'm sick of celebrities

It will never cease to amaze me that people are so interested in the lives of celebrities. These people have nothing to do with us and yet our society is consumed with following their every move. On Yahoo right now the top news story listed is that Uma Thurman got engaged. How is that news? I understand that the definition of news is really just information about a recent event, but I feel like people have come to understand news to be information that should be important to them and has impact on their life. I guess it is news for all those guys out there that were planning on proposing to Uma but for the rest of us, is that really "need to know" information. Also on the Yahoo page I noticed that today's top 4 searches are Angelina Jolie, George Clooney, Nicole Kidman, and Madonna. Amazingly more people are interested in those celebs, than are interested in things that would seem to me to be more important like finding a job, choosing a presidential candidate to vote for, getting out of debt, or what happens when we die.

Some of you may be thinking that I am just jealous because these people are rich and famous and get everyone's attention. Those of you that know me well can probably imagine what I would be like in their shoes. Do you really see me tolerating people following me around taking pictures of me, let alone enjoying it?

If you enjoy reading about celebrities, fine. You have every right to do so and there is plenty of material for you to read. But let me finish by saying this. Actors are pretenders. They pretend to be things like doctors, lawyers, teachers, coaches, astronauts, soldiers etc. By pretending to be a real person they have become more important to our society than what our troops are doing in Iraq. It just sounds pretty ridiculous to me.

The Finer Things

As my school quarter winds down and I complete all my projects and tests I always start to feel much more relaxed. So I've decided to revisit a post from a while back in which I just listed things I really enjoy. With the stress of school relieved I am going to take advantage of this brief time period in which I can be a positive thinker before the misery of Summer in Riverside consumes me.

Some things I really enjoy:

An ice cold Dr. Pepper straight from the can or soda fountain makes pretty much every situation better.

The feeling of handing in a paper or project knowing it is going to get an A.

The realization that I just learned something, or thinking back on an experience and realizing that I am now more knowledgeable and wiser because of that experience.

Being part of a play in a soccer game that goes perfectly; a series of passes precisely made, the right movement by those not in possession of the ball, completed by a shot that is placed just right leaving the goalie with no chance at making a save.

Similarly in the heat of competition realizing that unless a change is made the competition will be loss. Then finding the intensity and the drive to make that change and turn the tide of the game.

Playing Rockband - I know I have no musical talent, I can't sing well at all, and I am not really even that good at the video game. But while I'm playing I get a small taste of my dreams of being a rockstar.

Playing baseball - Running down a fly ball where the only chance of making the catch is to slide for it. Making the catch is great but getting there and having a real chance at making the play is what I enjoy. Also, making a quick scoop on a fast grounder, or having to leap to snag a line drive out of the air.

These simple joys need to be a part of everyones life. They may not happen everyday but I think they need to be experienced on a regular basis. As you think about the simple things you enjoy also think about how often those things occur. It may be that it is not as often as you would like, I suggest you remedy that.

Friendship

I have been reading a book my Dad gave me a while back called "The Speed of Trust". This book talks a little bit about John Adams and Thomas Jefferson and their friendship. When John Adams became the 2nd president Jefferson, being of the opposite political party and receiving the 2nd highest number of votes, was made vice president. The two had grown close while creating the declaration of independence and basically helping establish our country. When they took office Adams expected that he would have Jefferson's full support as he ran the country, but that was not the case. Jefferson wanted to be president and their friendship was greatly strained by the constant butting of heads. Years later Adams was encouraged to extend an "olive branch" to renew the friendship. When he did so Jefferson responded positively and the friendship was renewed. Interestingly enough the two both died 14 years later on the same day, the 4th of July none the less and the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. I can't help but think God has a hand on situations like that. Anyway, what really made me think was a quote from John Adams to Thomas Jefferson. It is as follows, "While I breathe, I shall be your friend".

To me this quote says that no matter what may occur, as long as I'm alive I will consider you my friend. That is an expression of a powerful bond and it made me consider some of my friendships. I would say I have a handful of friends that I feel that way about. That no matter what were to happen I would still consider them a friend. Having said that I also remember past friends with whom I felt very close and may have said the same thing but now I am not close with them at all.

These words are moving and the bond that they reveal is definitely something to be strived for. But I would say the quote is also a statement of a commitment. How committed are we to our friends? Are we so committed that we can look past a friends mistakes or shortcommings? Are we so committed that when a friend hurts us, offends us, or casts us aside we are able to forgive and continue to pursue the friendship. If so, is this something we communicate to our friends? I value my friends very much and try to be good to them but I don't know that I have ever told them straight out how much I value them. My name "Jonathan" comes from the Bible and in the Bible Jonathan is best known for his friendship with David. I feel like the quote John Adams made about Thomas Jefferson is one that Jonathan probably would have said to David. I've never been one to say your name and what it means or where it comes from should play any sort of guiding role in your life. But in this particular circumstance I think it gives good insight into the level of friendships God likes to see among his people.

Just some stuff to think about. Enjoy!

Bumper Stickers

I've decided I don't really care for bumper stickers or any sort of sticker people put in their windows or frames that go around license plates. Mainly because I feel like they are usually one of 3 things: some sort of advertisement, some statement that makes a jab at some one else or a group of people, or some lame shot at humor. On occasion you will see that random bumper sticker that is kind of funny but those ones don't ever seem to be mass distributed. The ones that are all over the place are usually the crappy ones.

Over the next few days pay attention to what you see on cars and let us know if you see any good ones. You can also point out some of the bad ones too.

Here's some of the typical ones I see that I'm tired of, if you have one of these don't take it too personally that I don't like one of your car decorations.

Anything related to the Skin Industries brand - these are the window stickers that outline girl devils and what not.

NOTW - the not of this world window stickers can be very ellaborate but I think it's kind of an odd message to give everyone driving behind you. Most people probably don't know what it means.

Any "I'd rather be..." license plate frames. Quite frankly I don't really care and it is usually stuff I could guess anyway considering most people would rather be doing anything than driving around town.

Political stickers - I don't need to know who people voted for 12 years ago, "Clinton/Gore" is really no longer a valid sticker.

Social Issue statements - When you put these on your car, are you really doing that much to improve the issue? Do people really make an effort to save the dolphins because it said to on your car. Or do I have the power to legalize marijuana and I was just waiting for your bumper to tell me to do it?

Bands - what's funny about a lot of these is if you read it and you've never heard of the band, chances are you don't realize its a band name you are reading.

Honda Sticker - When you're driving a Honda Civic it doesn't seem necessary to put a big sticker in the window that says "Honda"

Calvin - I'm almost curious with this one of what all people can portray calvin doing, and where is Hobbes in these illustrations?

This list is getting long so here's all the rest: Honor Student/Student of the month, Any sort of ribbon sticker that tells people to do something like support our troops, pencil sketches of your family members with their names on them, old harvest crusade stickers, in memory of window decals.

I hope I don't anger any of you too much with these!!

My parents spanked me

At work today we some how got into a brief discussion on disciplining kids. In this discussion I was basically told that it is no longer acceptable to spank your kids. My question is, when did things change? When I was a kid I was actually a pretty good kid and didn't get in too much trouble, but when I did I was usually spanked by my parents. A spanking was usually done on a spur of the moment basis, like I just talked back or said something I shouldn't or hit my sister or something and my parents would say "Hey! Get over here!" then they would spank me on my butt once or twice and say "you are not allowed to talk like that" or "don't talk back to your mother that way". It wasn't so much that these spankings hurt, especially as I got older, but they sent a firm message that what I was doing would not be tolerated by my parents. In instances where my parents found out about something I did in the past, maybe a few days ago my punishment would be "something like go to your room and we'll talk about this later" then when they would come speak to me they would explain their dissappointment in my actions and explain or re-explain that it is not acceptable behavior. I think ultimately both the spank and the firm talking to served as a wake up call to me, to let me know that doing what I did was wrong and should not be done again. The spank was often a little more abrupt but I think the shock of it, that shock of my parents suddenly turning on me because of my behavior sent a strong and clear message.

Now I know some people prefer to use a time out system or something that rewards the good and ignores the bad or whatever and I am fine with that. I really don't care how other people choose to discipline their kids, I think its completely up to them. What I don't like is how people have suddenly decided that it is some sort of crime to spank your kids and if there is any sign of it you should be reported to the authorities. Sure no kid should be excessively beaten and if for some reason they are warranting a spanking on a regular basis then things are out of hand. But my parents spanked me simply to keep me on the straight and narrow and I believe it worked very well. Therefore I plan to spank my kids if and when I have some if they behave in a way that I feel warrants it.

I'm interested to hear your thoughts on this. How did your parents discipline you? was it affective? why or why not? how do you plan to discipline your kids and if its different from how your parents did it why?

Quote Me...

I like to read business books and usually they include a lot of quotes from famous historical people and big business people. A lot of times the quotes are really like a common sense statement that isn't really much of a quote. Sometimes I'll read a quote and I can't help but think "man, I wish I came up with that". Here are some quotes I really like and wish I could take credit for them.

"Imagination is more important than knowledge... " - Albert Einstein

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do."
-Confucius

"Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names." - John F. Kennedy

"Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." - John F. Kennedy

"It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace--but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have?Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!" - Patrick Henry

"They may take our lives, but they will never take our freedom!" - William Wallace

These are just a couple quotes I like, and I think it would be cool if I had said them. Do you have any particular quotes that maybe inspire you or are important to you for any reason? Please feel free to share them. Also, is there anything you frequently say or have said that you think people should quote you on? Let me know and I'll see if I can find a way to use your quote and I'll give you credit for it.

Here's one of mine, (hopefully it hasn't been said before)
"Don't treat some one how you want to be treated, treat them how he/she wants to be treated"
or maybe this one:
"Tolerating poor customer service as a customer is an encouragement for that service to continue poorly."

Have fun with this, I'm sure you all have some great stuff to say.

Honesty

I like to think of myself as an honest man. I am pretty good about making sure I do the things I say I'm going to do. If I don't want to do something I don't typically feel like I have to make up an excuse. When people ask my opinion (or when I just give it whether people want it or not, which is often the case with me) I try to be very honest, not sugar coating, fudging a little or imbellishing. However, there are instances in which even I feel like it would be much easier to just lie than to deal with the truth. Now I know there are certain situations in which probably all the populous would say that it is better to lie. For example, lets say a close friend of your's recently underwent Chemotherapy and most, or all of their hair fell out. If they asked, "Do I look bad or ridiculous?" All of us would probably say "no, its not bad at all." This in most cases would be a lie, but given the situation is there really any value to telling some one who is dealing with a potentially terminal disease that they don't look good? Ok so this is an extreme in which we can all lie and I am confident that God isn't going to be angry at us in that situation. However, I think it can be easy to take this liberty in other situations that really don't warrant it. I'm not saying we should go out and be brutal with people telling them "yes you do look fat, and its not because of that article of clothing its because you are fat" or "no you can't be on my intramural sports team because you really aren't good at this particular sport and you'll hold back the team". What I'm saying is our lack of honesty puts us on a path of lying. If we were honest with people from the get go I believe we would find ourselves in fewer situations where we have to decide between taking the easy/comfortable way out by lying or face the ackwardness and potential scuffle that could come with the truth. Think about the instances recently where you have either told a little lie or considered it and back track to see if there was a time in the past where you chose the lie that probably brought you to the point of having to decide again.

Here's an example: 6 months ago person A and person B are hanging out and person A says "I've been gaining weight and it sucks, none of my clothes are fitting like they used to. Do I look fat?" Person B could say "well if you think you're gaining weight then you probably are, what can we do to reverse that?" But chances are the response would be a little bit of a lie, something like "no I don't think you look fat, lets go shopping and we'll get you some new clothes"
So then 3 months later they are at a restaurant and person A says "what should I get, the double cheeseburger with unlimited french fries, or the chicken salad with light dressing" now, if person B lied 3 months ago and said "no you don't look fat" then they are in a bit of a jam now and will likely lie again to a degree by saying "get whatever sounds good to you" But, if person B had been truthful in the first situation they could then say "hey you're trying to keep your weight down remember, go for the chicken salad since its healthier and just as tastey, and we'll go for a jog later to take care of the dressing."

This example may be overly simple but I think you get what I mean. Consider whether or not you tell these kind of little lies and imagine your life without them, would it be good or bad?

What have you always wanted to do?

Alright folks now is your chance to tell the whole world (or at least those that read this blog) all the things you have always wanted to do, even if they are things that you are pretty sure you never will do. Regardless of whether or not they will happen or not, I think it is fun to imagine, so to get your creative juices flowing I'll list some of mine and who knows, perhaps you'll be inspired to make some of things on your list come to be.

1. I'd like to be the star of some big epic action movie like Gladiator or 300. Though I am well aware that I don't really have the look or the voice for a role like that so maybe I would be content with being a close friend of the main character who does something really tough or heroic.

2. I would like to compete in the olympics, play in the NFL, and play in the U.S Open (Tennis, not golf), and compete in an Ironman competition.

3. I would like to be a politician, if not president then at least Governor of California.

4. I would like to be an author of fantasy novels

5. Bill Gates gives somewhere around 45-55% of his wealth away, I would like to be the one to decide where that money goes. (No, I would not just pocket it for myself, I have it in me to be a great philanthropist)

6. I would like to be on American Gladiators, Survivor and the Amazing Race.

7. I would like to go back to the 16/1700's and spend some time as a sailor.

8. After I'm dead I would be very pleased to know that books were written about me and that I had some positive impact on humanity outside just my family and friends.

9. I would like to race in the Iditarod (that's the dog sledding race in Alaska)

10. I would like to try shooting a real life sniper rifle to see if my video game skills transfer over.

11. I would like to have the 1984 movie Red Dawn really happen and lead the resistance against the invading Russians.

Alright so now you know some of my most far fetched fantasies. Let's hear what you can come up with. Maybe, just maybe I have the power to make it happen for you, we'll see!

Listening to God

Amy and I have been praying a lot recently because we have some big decisions to make in our lives and I have found that I have a hard time listening to answers from God. I often pray for his guidance and then I find myself trying to take action based on what I think is best. So I have been trying to pray and then spend some quiet time just listening or at least making myself ready to listen if he decides to answer audibly or inaudibly right then. This is really hard for me to do, I am very impatient and I have a very active imagination so it is really difficult for me to sit there and not have my mind wander. I think I also stress myself out looking for answers in places and people. I will start over interpretting events or things people say in an effort to find an answer from God about what I'm dealing with. It's a frustrating situation because the things we are praying out really will have a strong bearing on the rest of our lives. I really do want God to lead us in what pursuits we should undertake but I have a hard time giving up control and just letting him do his thing. So I'm trying to practice being patient and I am trying to have faith that I will know beyond any doubt when God is speaking me and showing us the way he would like us to go.

For those of you that pray do you find that you have a hard time receiving God's answers? Sometimes I think I might pray and not expect an answer at all, like I'm doing it just to try and be courteous to God but ultimately I am going to decide on my own anyway. I'm trying to break this habit. I have this belief that if I really can let God direct my life and use me in a way that best suits me then those deep desires of mine that are often hard to verbalize would come to be. I think I would feel comfortable, confident, joyful, and proud. We'll see if I can ever get there.

Help with a name

Amy and I might be getting a personal training business going that we would ultimately like to grow into our own gym. If we were to do this we would need to have a business name. If you guys have any ideas I'd love to hear them. Think along the lines of anything pertaining to health, wellness, fitness, exercise, feeling good and healthy...etc. I have some ideas but let me know what you think, don't worry I won't give you any negative feedback so feel free to try and be creative and original.

Thanks in advance for all your great ideas.

Tipping at Restaurants

Tipping waiters and waitresses (henceforth referred to as waiters, not because I'm sexist but because it's a shorter word and easier to type) at restaurants has been the subject of many debates that I have had. Ultimately I believe that tipping is a personal decision. Every individual should decide what they are comfortable with when it comes to tipping. Furthermore I don't think anyone should force their tipping practices onto others, nor should the think poorly of some one or openly ridicule some one for how they choose to tip. This being said I will proceed to tell you my thoughts behind tipping but I promise I will not make any effort to compell you to follow my practices (unless I do so subliminally in which case you will have no choice but to do things the way I do and you won't even know that I am compelling you to do so).

I aknowledge that waiters are not well paid by the restaurants they work at and that much of their money comes from tips. Many people like to give big tips based on this fact, but I don't. Waiting tables doesn't require any skills beyond be able to talk to people, write, and carry food. The first two are learned by pretty much everyone in the United States and the last one can be done by pretty much anyone who practices for a little bit. So waiters don't get paid a lot for a reason, the fact that tips are commonly given to them is a great bonus that most other jobs don't offer. I also don't sympathize with the low pay because they know what they will be paid when they take the job, it's not like they are forced into beint a waiter.

I am perfectly willing to tip if I feel like some one deserves it but I am a big stickler for customer service so I have high standards for what warrants a tip. I really try to refrain from basing my tip on the amount I spent on the food simply because just because an item is more expensive doesn't mean the waiter had to work any harder so why would they get a bigger tip. Whether I order the salmon or just a little side salad the waiter does the same amount of work. Along this same vein I have no idea who came up with 15%, people have come to feel obligated to tip that much for some reason.

I like to base tips on performance. Is the waiter friendly and respectful, do they know about the food they are serving, are they quick with getting drinks and to they get me refills regularly or do I have to ask for one, Can they answer my questions and if I have a question are the able to answer it. These are fairly easy things for a waiter to do and I would consider them the basics of their job and yet very frequently I am dissappointed with the service I receive.

I close with this, if you want to tip some one a large amount feel free to do so and feel proud that you did something very nice for the waiter. If you don't think a waiter deserves a tip and you don't want to leave one, don't, and feel proud that you are making a statement that in order to get your money the service industry has to perform at a level that is acceptable to you. I reiterate that tipping is a personal choice and no one should be made to feel guilty however they choose to do it, and no one should be pushed to tip like some one else does.

We can ease up on ourselves.

The last few weeks at church have been very good sermons. Our pastors have really challenged us to do some self evaluation and to make action plans in order to follow through on some positive changes. I really like this but the last couple of days I have beginning to feel like it is easy to become very self centered in our spiritual lives. I think we can easily get caught up reading the Bible, listening to sermons, and praying all for the sake of making improvements in our lives. Don't get me wrong I think we can all improve and further our relationship with Christ. But self improvement should not be the only reason we indulge in these things. Recently I have been reading the book of Hosea and it is really interesting to consider God's perspective. In Hosea he is pretty angry with his people and their persistence in worshiping other gods and breaking his commands. He puts Hosea in a position to care for children that are not his but that his wife had as a result of her prostitution. What an awful situation for Hosea to be in and yet that situation is representative of the way God was feeling about his people at that time.

I know that we should look for areas of our life that might not be pleasing to God and we should remedy them, and that through scripture and prayer we can identify those areas. But if that is the only level of interaction we have with God and the only aspect of our faith that we practice then I can't help but think we will be dooming ourselves to a life full of failure and depression. I think there is significant value in taking time to pray and study the word in an effort to get to know God better like we would if we were trying to get to know a friend. Similarly I think we should be taking the time to marvel at what God has done in this world as we read it in scripture and as we experience it in the world around us. That is where we can truly find joy and the encouragement that I think we need to live as followers of Christ in a world that has a lot of evil running around.

Hope everyone had a great month of January. Mine was really busy, but it felt like I got a lot done. We'll see how February goes.

New Direction for the Blog

I've decided to take my blog in a new direction. I will still include posts similar to what I have posted in the past but I intend to do more than just that. This blog is going to serve as a sort of journal of what I am studying, learning, praying about, interesting topics covered at church or Bible Study.

I encourage you to check back regularly to see what I'm posting. I invite your responses to my posts both agreeing and disagreeing and maybe just more insight that you might have to offer. Feel free to post what you are studying or learning as well as ask questions. You can also give me suggestions on what you would like me to post about.

I intend to post at least once a week but maybe more as things occur to me.

I hope you enjoy the things I write, and I apologize in advance if I offend anyone but I don't plan to.