Thursday, January 21, 2010

Personal Finance

During the past year and a half or so I have enjoyed reading on finances.  My wife, Kayla thinks I'm a nerd for actually enjoying balancing the checkbook, creating monthly budgets, maintaining a sinking fund account for our savings, and especially reading books about all this.  The book I am currently reading and would strongly recommend is by Steve Diggs called
No Debt! No Sweat!
If you have not taken control of your financial situation, there is no better time than now!  Paul told Timothy, "But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever" (1 Tim. 5:8).  I have helped a couple of people with personal finance and love to do so.  If you have any questions, I would love to discuss them with you.  Just comment on this post, shoot me a message on Facebook, or e-mail me.

Friday, January 8, 2010

What Color Is Your Bra?

A recent trend has come about on Facebook concerning breast cancer awareness. Newsweek wrote an informative article about it. A few quotes from that article include: "No one yet knows who started the meme...someone kicked it off a few days ago with a chain-letter-style Facebook message to a bunch of women, asking them to virtually flash the world in the name of supporting medical research."

Kate Daily, the author, goes on to write, "
At this point, there can't be a person in the world who isn't aware of breast cancer. What we need is not a context-free reminder of its existence, but a cure, as well as some scientific clarity about how best to prevent the disease. Does anyone think the Facebook meme contributes an iota to that? I doubt it...It ends: 'It will be fun to see how long it takes before the men will wonder why all the girls have a color on their status!' That's what this is mostly about: not cancer, but flirting."

I have been thinking about this all day and the author of this article summed up my conclusions about the motives beautifully: "
So after all this, why did I end up describing my lingerie on Facebook anyway? I guess for the same reason anyone posts anything on Facebook: I wanted a little attention."

You may have honestly had good intentions in your status update if you participated, but if you truly wanted to raise "awareness" for breast cancer, why not instead post a picture of the nationally known symbol of breast cancer? OR...if you are computer illiterate and don't know how to post a picture on your status, why not just simply write, "Pink Ribbon."? I think it comes down to
you wanted attention, whether or not you want to admit it.

I certainly am not a perfect and sinless person, I have far too much sin in my life and thankfully it has been washed away. Before you posted your lingerie color and pattern all over Facebook for the world to see, did you stop to think of the implications it might have on the men out there? If you are a woman, you may not not realize it, but men constantly struggle with lust...posting what your wearing (or not wearing) as a bra certainly does not help the constant struggle Christian men face. So please, show some dignity, respect, and modesty.

A simple question that was a fad for a while and sadly has died out was: What Would Jesus Do? Would Jesus tell his women disciples to go tell everyone what type of undergarments they were wearing to spread the news about the healing he was performing. I could be too far out on a limb here, but I'm gonna say "No." Jesus was a doer, not a talker. You want to do something productive about breast cancer? Stop talking about it, get off Facebook, get a part-time job, sell some things, raise some money somehow and donate it to a breast cancer foundation.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Snow Day!

Most if not all of the local schools around Searcy are out today (and if Searcy cancels it's amazing!). The roads are pretty bad, so working from home.

Keep our family in your prayers...Kayla's grandmother passed away this morning at 2:30.