BoomRethink

Find this blog now at www.boomrethink.com

I have now changed providers.  You can now access this blog via www.boomrethink.com.

Typepad has been a great platform for me but hopefully, this new platform will serve better.

Now a word from the 16th Century

This is the reason that they named high schools after this guy!

We can never love our neighbor too much.  

There is nothing small in the service of God.

--St. Francis De Sales

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Check out our April Giving Project via link on left hand side of page!  Thanks for helping!

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Helping The Band

 

In the end, it all comes down to Box Logic

An Open Letter to My Family:

The older I get, the more it become obvious to me that we humans are more "stewards" of all that is around us, than we are "owners."  Throughout our lives, God places people and things around us--not to own--but to enjoy while we are here.  Even the very bodies we have are "on loan."  Our spirits live in these bodies for a season and then, by God's grace, we enter His presence. 

Since I'm not an owner of this body, but I am to manage it, I want to let you know what is to be done with this "loaner-body" once the "Owner" empties it out.  (PS: Nothing is wrong and, God willing, I'm here for a time time yet to come.) As the steward of this body, I want to make clear that I have a need to avoid pretense in my life.  And even pretense after this life is over.

I've never met a funeral home director that I didn't like or one that I completely trusted.  Because our state laws don't require the hermetically-sealed iron lung coffin that the funeral homes sell, I want this body I've been loaned to be put in a simple pine box.

This "loaner-body" has served me quite well, but in this life..

• I have never indulged it in smooth glossy wood and handles that shine.
• I have never pampered it with satin cushions and pillows.
• I have never protected it with sleek bullet-proof steel.

If I didn't treat this "loaner-body" this way while my spirit was in it, why should this "loaner-body" be treated that way when empty?

After I'm gone, if anyone should say anything about the pine box just tell them that it's the way the manager wanted it to be.

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With the use of the internet and overnight shipping, securing a pine box is not difficult. No one in the family will have to make the "Mattie Ross True Grit" trip in order to get a box.  The Old Pine Box takes pride in their work that offers a simpler alternative to the funeral homes' stock inventory.

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Check out our April Giving Project via link on left hand side of page!  Thanks for helping!

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As always, send this post to your Facebook or Twitter using the buttons below.  Thanks! 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

 

 

How Twitter can make some REAL money

Confession Time:  I have followed some folks on Twitter that I thought were clever.  Yet after a day or two, I realize these folks "retweet" more ideas than than generate.  After watching a person regurgitate the ides of others for a few days, I quickly press the "unfollow" button.

I thought you were clever but you wound up just being an echo chamber for others.

I attempt to make it a habit not to "retweet" too often.  When you decide to follow me, it was because you made some sort of judgement that maybe I had something to say. You didn't follow me because you thought I could pick out the best religious/political/gosspy things to pass on from others.

But some people love to "retweet" ...way too much!

I think this compulsion could be a gold mine for the folks at Twitter.  Like Facebook, Twitter could take this opportunity to "monitize" upon the idocricies of others.  Just as some people like to play Mafia Wars or Farmville and use real-world money to do so (this is me shaking my head), there are people on Twitter who are so addicted to retweeting that they would pay to do it if they had to.

My proposal: Everyone on Twitter can retweet five tweets a day, max.  No exceptions.  If you wanted to retweet more, you could buy credit and do so.

Then I could at least have the satisfaction of knowing that people who think a "retweet" is so important are willing to back it up with real money.

 

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Check out our April Giving Project via link on left hand side of page!  Thanks for helping!

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As always, send this post to your Facebook or Twitter using the buttons below.  Thanks! 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

 

 

Real (uncomfortable) and Pretend (visiting)

A few weeks ago, I was visiting in-laws in Atlanta and found myself attending church with my son at a church neither of us had attended before.

Uncomfortable.

For some reason attending a church out of town makes me feel uncomfortable.  Having a few weeks to think over my feelings, I have come to two observations:

As a Christian, I believe that one day there is an afterlife that involves people from around the world "every nation, tribe, people and language." (Rev. 7:9)   I don't know all of these people now, so won't I be uncomfortable "up there"?  I'm just going to trust that I will be healed of this before that time comes.

Smaller churches might ask visitors to raise their hands. (A bad idea, in my opinion) However, I think if a church does ask for visitors to raise their hands then they ought to have half of the regular attenders pretend to be visiting and raise their hands as well. This would make the real visitors feel more comfortable.  I don't have an ethical problem with church members pretending to be visitors.  After all, we are all "strangers" in this world (1 Peter 1:1).

A big thank you to the fine folks at Riverstone Church in Buford, Georgia www.riverstonechurch.net  They meet in a business park environment, have great coffee and warm fellowship.  Hope to see you all again soon!

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Check out our April Giving Project via link on left hand side of page!  Thanks for helping!

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As always, send this post to your Facebook or Twitter using the buttons below.  Thanks! 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

 

Ugliest Man on the Airplane

Of all the modes of transportation, we have tended to over-glamorize airplane travel the most.  The reality is that air travel is not glamorous or even fun.  But there was a time--a time before patdowns and 3 ounce bottles--a time when flying was more fun than it is now.

One such fun experience happend to me in the mid-1990s.  I was flying out of Jacksonville, Florida to a connecting flight in Chicago. In route, our Southwest Airlines flight had to make an unscheduled stop in Macon, Georgia. 

While on the ground waiting to be cleared for takeoff, the flight crew decided to have a contest.  All the passengers turned their driver's licences over to the crew.  The crew picked out the top five strangest ID photos.

In most contests, I don't make the qualifying round.  In this one I did.  The five licenses were shown to all the rest of the passengers.  I wish I had boarded a plane full of visually impaired people...at least then I would have an excuse.

In one quick round of voting, I won the contest.  In fact, the breeze caused by hands going up in my favor almost lifted the plane off the runway.

Being the ugliest-man-on-the-plane does have its rewards.  I got an extra Coke and bag of peanuts and a memory of when air travel was fun.

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Check out our April Giving Project via link on left hand side of page!  Thanks for helping!

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As always, send this post to your Facebook or Twitter using the buttons below.  Thanks! 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

 

New Jersey Rock Band Has a Dream

Have you ever had a dream...a dream so big that it required the help of others to realize that dream?

Ruth, Sam and Josh Rios have a dream that can come true with a little help from others...yes, maybe, even help from you.

Ruth Sam and Josh are the three-sibling band called Sweeter Than Honey from Florham Park, New Jersey.  Over the past six years, they have been performing gigs in Jersey, Ohio and New York.  The next destination on their dream is producing a CD of original music before they hit the road touring this summer.

Working through kickstarter.com, Sweeter Than Honey is needing to generate $3000 during April for this CD project ( read more about kickstarter.com below).

If you love live music and young people who can rock it with old school covers and orginals, I would encourage you to visit kickstarter.com to find out about Sweeter Than Honey.  Be careful, though. You might fall in love with them. I'm a long way from Jersey, so the CD will be my surrogate NJ Road Trip.

You too can help with a simple $5, $10 (or more) donation that will take Sweeter Than Honey to their dream.

More about Kickstarter.com

Kickstarter.com is a site where artists (musicians, writers, painters, etc.) generate funds for specific projects.  The artist sets a dollar amount goal and a date of reaching the goal. Obviously, as the goal is met, the artist is funded.  If the goal is not met, then no contributions are collected.  This is a win-win for both artist and those who want to help.

Giving is super easy and secure as payments are made through Amazon.com.

PS: As you contribute to Sweeter Than Honey, you will receive back some nice "perks" as they reach their goal.  Check it out at kickstarter.com.

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As always, send this post to your Facebook or Twitter using the buttons below.  Thanks! 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

 

Bananas and Gasoline Don't Mix

A friend on Facebook sent me a link to the National Gas Boycott for April 15.  There are a couple of boycott plans floating around.  Usually these boycotts stem from anger directed to:

• Oil Companies
• Politicians who are puppets of Oil Companies
• Oil Producing Nations.

A more insidious issue is happening at the gas station and few have spoken up about it yet.  It is the problem with gas station bananas.

The gas station chain I frequent has a series of baskets containing fruit: apples, oranges and bananas.  All are priced at 89 cents...each.

In grocery stores, one could buy four or five bananas for 89 cents.  Yet the gas station charges at least four times more than the "market price" for fruit.  The same fruit price-gouging reality is true for the apples and oranges.

Obviously, such a price structure puts people who are traveling with monkeys or people with potassium deficiencies at an economic disadvantage.

Sorry, I will not join the National Gas Boycott on April 15.  But if you send me out for bananas next Friday, rest assured I won't get the bananas while filling up my car.

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As always, send this post to your Facebook or Twitter using the buttons below.  Thanks! 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

 

Two Questions for Florham Park, New Jersey

 

Being Present (Second of 2 parts)

At times,  I have been in a room yet I was so distracted by a TV screen or a newspaper that my mind was not really in that room.  I was physically present but my attention was AWOL.

 People who are attentive to others are a blessing.  Such people--in these days--are also rare.  Yet being present takes conscious effort. By very definition, the mentally absent are also mentally unconscious.

 Ways in which you and I can practice the fine and vanishing art of being present:

• Acknowledge others who are in the room. Simply done by a smile or a short greeting.  People are important and we validate their worth by interaction.
• Consider interruptions before they happen. Being fully present with others means that we must plan (often in advance) what we will do with life's interruptions before they happen.
• Controlling our world. We own cellphones, they do not control us. If you are with others, consider ignoring your ringing cell phone. Very rarely are there dire consequences that will befall you for letting the call go to voice mail.
• Letting others shine. Everyone has a story. Everyone wants to be known and understood. Being present means that we allow them their chance to tell their story.  We take the time to let others shine.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

 

 

Being Present (First of 2 parts)

Just as I approach the retail clerk to make my purchase, it happens. The phone on the counter or the clerk's cellphone rings.  The clerk raises her hand toward my face  so that I don't say anything to interrupt this telephonic event.

Commerce and face-to-face human interaction come to a screeching halt.  My reactions: irritation, confusion, impatience.  In my mind I think: I am a real customer with real cash in hand and yet I am signaled to be silent and wait while a "potential" customer calls.

The culprit in this scenario is not the phone. As I hear it ringing, I know that the phone is doing its job.

The culprit?

• The sales clerk who answers the phone while at the counter.
• The taxi driver lost in his newspaper as we wave to him from the curb.
• The dental hygienist rocking out to her iPod world while we try to get her attention.
• The worker at the DMV office who takes his work break at his desk, fooling us that his physical presences means he is available to help.

The old equation was: 

Physically Present = Available to Others

The new equation is:

Physically Present = or (not=) Available to Others

The distractions of our day are legion:

• A screen to watch
• A phone to answer
• A writing to read
• An alarm to answer
• A song to hear
• A device to program
• A computer to surf
• A non-active thing to activate and an active thing to deactivate.

No longer can you and I make the assumption that people who are in the room with us are actually present and with us.

What does "being present" mean today?  

(Part 2: How we can practice being present)

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”