Awards Night...

To my surprise my friend Dawn nominated my blog for an award. I'd like to thank my handful of devoted fans. I enjoy the comments I receive, the comments I don't receive, the comments I hope to receive.



The rules of this award are:

1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog.
2. Link the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put links of those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs of the people you’ve nominated

There are so many blogs I enjoy reading. It's been an amazing period where I've learned so much, reconnected with some friends, and met new ones. The blogs I enjoy reading the most and would like to nominate are the following:

My wife Karen (insert a blog from her to come soon. She is going to have an awesome one)

Chip Ingram

Robert Dickie

Chris Brady

Orrin Woodward

Dustin Breese

Chelle (regardless of her secret, private, blog)


These are just the tip of the iceberg of blogs I frequent. Thanks again to Dawn for the award and thanks to all of you who read my blog. Good Night and see you all at the after the awards show parties!

Yearbooked....

Thanks to my friend Dawn, I tried this hillarious yet scary website (www.yearbookyourself.com) . Here I am over the years starting in 1952:

1952

1962

1972

1974

1982

1988


1992

1994

2000

Friday's Deep Thought...

Everyone have a great weekend, Be Safe, and be Breezy!

Public Service Announcement

For us Cat Owners....

CAPTION OF THE DAY

FUNNIES FOR THE DAY

BIGGEST FEAR PART 3

To wrap up the series from Chip Ingram, the last question, "What am I going to do to change and make questions number 1 and 2 happen?" One of my biggest weaknesses is procrastination. Believe it or not, for years I didn't even know that's what I was doing. I thought it was normal to wait to the last minute or sometimes not do things at all. I'm highly aware of this now and it's actually a thorn in my side. It's a common trait of people with my personality type. I do well thinking about what I need to do, I know what I need to do, but then comes action and my old philosophy of tomorrow is better than today to start kicks in. If you know my personality, I have two types. The first one being Melancholy- detail oriented, introverted, will strive for perfection. The Second one is phlegmatic- procrastinate, people pleaser, love people, everyones friend. These personality traits are complete opposites of each other. You can now see the struggles that go on in my own head. No wonder I get migraines. So, I have to be highly aware of the tasks I need to do and learn to do them now. No matter how small, I have to do it now or I fall back into old habits. I'm a great starter, but horrible finisher. So I've set up a plan of action for me:

Reading
1. Read 15 minutes of a my study bible each day. Then work through the questions.
2. Read 15 minutes of a leadership book.
3. Read something funny and/or uplifting.

Prayer
1. Pray with Karen in the mornings before work.
2. Pray at lunch for personal reflection with a daily devotional.

Relationships

1. Start getting know people I work with and meet on a deeper level. I have some books that help in this area in asking questions that draw answers on a deeper level.
2. Be the head of my household and work at my marriage everyday. I have a very forgiving wife who really doesn't ask much of me. I know at times I probably take and don't give as much as I should. I want us not to have a good marriage but a great marriage. I need to know my priorities which are God, Karen, Bella, Work. I don't always have them in the right order.

So, that's my plan. I can do it. It's reasonable and attainable. This will all probably change as I grow, learn, and when God feels I'm ready he'll move me into more.

So have a great day!

Quote for the Day:
"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." -Albert Einstein

Biggest Fear Part 2

Yesterday I began a new blog on everything outside of Bella. Have you ever started out in a blog with the best intentions, you have all these thoughts in your head, but they don't quite come out what you intended your point to be? I think God has blessed me in many areas but due to some overwhelming issues in my life right now I think I sounded like I'm aimless, derailed, and overly frustrated. True, I get frustrated when I know I'm doing the right things, being a good steward of my resources, but yet I'm not accomplishing desires and goals I have for my life. I am happy with my life because of the blessings of a great wife, great job, and Isabella. I learned a great lesson when God turned the mirror on me this week. Particularly after I've been praying, reading, and I even got answers after reading my own blog. One thing Karen and I have learned and almost have to remind ourselves daily is God doesn't operate in our timing. He operates in his. I've come to realize that I'm not ready for what he has planned for me and my family. He wants me to strive to be prepared. Not to sit idle but to read more, study more, and start working on my own heart before I can be effective. What I ended my blog with yesterday about being wide awake from the attacks of the devil I was talking about myself. He is trying his best lately to discourage me, to make me doubt, and wear me down. He won't win. He's tried it before. So I just ask that you keep me and my family in your prayers.



So to answer question #2 from Chip Ingrams series, "What do I wish for?". I wish for God to equip me with knowledge, Mentors in my life, emotional intelligence, and the ability to have a heart like Jesus so I can be effective in spreading the Gospel. Not by words alone but by action. I think each of our lives acted out is a better testimony than any words we speak. Not to be weird or preachy but treat everyone with understanding and love. This needs to start at home. I know the few people who read my blog have so much potential in their daily lives to affect the lives of so many. Words can not express how proud I am when I read your blogs and know the love, care, and compassion you have in the daily things you do. So tomorrow I'll answer #3. The Action Step! The hardest of them all.

So, that concludes todays ramble.

Love you all

Here a some quotes for the day:

Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired.
Mother Teresa

God doesn't require us to succeed; he only requires that you try.
Mother Teresa

I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world.
Mother Teresa

Biggest Fear

Karen ( for those who don't know me is my Beautiful, funny, passionate wife) was listening to one of our favorite pastors on the radio a couple weeks ago,Living on the Edge- with Chip Ingram . Chip talked about 3 questions to ask your spouse and yourself on a weekly basis that will revolutionize your life. They are:

1. What are you concerned about?

2. What do you wish for?

3. What are you going to do about it?

This really got me thinking. I think Karen and I were pretty much on the same page with question #1. We both believe our greatest concern is to be good at something that doesn't matter. I know some of us get caught up in worrying about having enough money to take care of our families, worrying about our children, worrying about will the car make it another month. Those are the small stuff. What really has been on my mind is, What has God really called me to do? I've found myself thinking about this a lot. So much I almost feel dead in the water. Like I've pulled off the highway of life and I am just sitting here. Like what I'm doing is not what he wants me to be doing. Fearful that I should just stop and not move any further. Just sitting there is not me. If I don't have some kind of direction I start to get panicky. I've been in deep prayer the last couple days asking God to help me to have patients, peace, and trust. I have to remind myself that there is always a calm before the storm. What I mean by storm is there has to be change (A combination of opposing forces to create a new formation. Well, my interpretation at least) if I expect different results. God knows in some ways I'm suffering with this. A lot of people get caught up in a perplexing question, "Why does God let his Children suffer?". There was a great blog on this topic by Robert Dickie, 9 Reasons for Suffering.
It is a great teaching. I've stopped asking God Why and have begun asking How. How can I take this experience and learn from it? how can I grow and become stronger? I just know that God has a plan and a purpose to do good in my life. I just continue to pray in my, as one friend puts it, desert experience to be sensitive to the holy spirit and not miss doors of opportunity that God wants me to move through.

At a later time I will blog on questions 2 and 3. So stay strong. Be wide awake to the attacks of the Devil. If you feel like you're getting bombarded everyday just smile. You're headed in the right direction. The Devil doesn't go after the lost. But, remember, he has a limited amount of tricks. When he knows you won't give in he'll move on. So stay strong, press in, and fight the good fight.

Love you all

What can I say......

Ok, most of you have been reading my blog concerning my and Karen's adopted daughter, Isabella. I created that blog for Bella. I want to keep that blog for Bella. However, there are times when things weigh on my mind, things that strike me as interesting, but if I would post it on Bella's blog it would just take away from the specialness of Boogie's own blog site. So, I've created another blog for those things outside and also including Bella. So enjoy and thank you for stopping by and experiencing the inner sanctum of what my not fully developed brain ponders on.