HELP !! Divine Guidance Needed !!

Ever had some tough decisions to make in life and not sure where the answer will come from ? Certainly, in this life we have all had to deal with difficult decisions of all sorts. As a person of faith and a believer in Jesus Christ, I believe that I have an added advantage in that I can speak to God and he will reveal his answer to me "in due time". And my friends, the "in due time" is where most of us find our difficulties. With this "microwave" society in which we live where we are all so used to getting what we want, when we want it, and how we want it, it can often be difficult to "wait on God".

"They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, ..." it says in the scripture (Isiah 40:31). Well Lord, that is easier said than done and that is where many of us get into trouble. Because we are not getting the answer that we want or we are not getting a clear indication as to what the answer is from God, we often decide that we will just "walk by sight and not by faith" though the Lord asks us to "walk by FAITH and not by sight".

There is a limit to what we can see and a limit to what we can comprehend with our mortal minds. God sees the full vision and is able to look out over the landscape and the horizon and see what we do not see. We do not get that promotion at work and are ready to walk into the bosses office and overturn the desk and raise pure hell in there. That is what our earthly mind sees and that is how our mortal being wants to act. What we don't see is that God is orchestrating a "per-chance" meeting between you and a former colleague which will result in you creating a hugely successful business that dwarfs the accomplishments of your present company. We get our hearts broken in a bad relationship and are ready to slash and burn everything in sight having to do with that ex. What we don't see is that treasure of a soul mate that God has in store for us to meet as we sit in the local coffee shop.

So as I sit and contemplate these tough business decisions which are on my immediate horizon, I just keep in mind that God sees what I don't see. He has the plan and I must just continue to pray to him and ask for guidance and ask Him that he reveal His plan to me in the appropriate time. So I pray and I wait and I pray and I wait and when God directs me to act, I will do just that ... all in accordance with His plan; NOT MINE.

Sharp Left On The Journey

Well it has been over 5 months since we last spoke and believe you me, there have been a myriad of life changes since my last post. I believe my most recent thoughts regarding my job were, "I'm not happy here. I need a change. I need to live my destiny. I need to use all of the wonderful talents that I've been blessed with to fulfill my purpose and my destiny". That, in a nutshell, summed up my thoughts for the last few months at which I was employed with the "footstools" (this reference will be explained later). In retrospect as I look back on the circumstances that ended my 1 and 1/2 year tenure with that company, the unhappiness I was feeling, and the desire to achieve bigger and better things, were God speaking to me and directing me along a certain path. Perhaps, I wasn't moving fast enough or perhaps God knew that it would take a dramatic turn of events in order to get me to step out on faith.

"Chris, I need for you to take a walk with me to Greg Larson's office", said the Lead Footstool. Those were the words that marked the beginning of the end. The occurrences over the course of the next hour or so, made me realize that there were enemies within my midst for the past year. As I tried and tried and tried to plead my case in explaining why the problematic situation that occurred was no fault of my own, I realized my case was falling on deaf ears. As my back was turned the knife was been sharpened by Hal, Fred, & Sean; yep, the same Sean whom I had known and worked with for years and was responsible for getting him hired at the company ... the same Sean, previously my Junior, who had been elevated to a position above me, that sewed the seeds for most of my unhappiness. Yep, this same Sean sat there and uttered NOT ONE SINGLE WORD in my defense, though he knew the most about the situation, knew the most about me, and knew that a few words in my defense would add much credibility to my case. HE SAID NOT ONE WORD !! Instead he sat there and watch me sweat and stutter and explain and rationalize, .... all for naught. To say I was disappointed, does not even come close to summing up my true feelings.

To sum it all up, after about an hour of discussion, I WAS RESIGNED. Given the choice of been terminated or resigning, I decided to "sort of" leave on my own terms. I resigned that Friday afternoon with no job to go to on Monday, a beautiful understanding wife, and GOD ON MY SIDE ... Turns out that was more than enough.

Over the course of the next 2 weeks, God showed up in my life in so many ways and clearly laid out the roadmap that he had for my life. God showed me that, it may seem like you have nothing and can come nowhere close to paying all of your bills on time, but I will give you all that you need. Just listen to my voice and obey my commands. God showed me what another friend had told me a while back, "A Job Ain't All That !!". I am all you need and I will show you how. God showed me that He did not want me to go back to full-time employment. He lead me to launch Clarksonville Technologies, a technology company through which He will do tremendous works in me. He lead me to the book "The One Minute Millionaire" through which he has illustrated so many Christian principles of successful entrepreneurs. He lead me when I was lost and knew not where to go next. He lead me to an absolute gem of a wife who in the midst of these trying times, believed in me and believed that God had a plan for us. Her support was just the added wind in my sails necessary to continue along this journey that God has planned for us. God said in his word that " ... I will make your enemies thy footstool". I now go forward, learning from my experience and not dwelling on what happened or those who orchestrated it. God has a plan for me and has charted a course that I must take. The footstools will get what God has in store for them. It is not for me to concern myself with. There is, however, a tremendous source of motivation within me to have levels of success that is leaps and bounds beyond what anyone at that company or the company as a whole could ever dream of. I lift my head to the hills and continue to follow the path that God has outlined for me. The Footstools will hear from me again ...

A Husband & Father's Ultimate Sacrifice

There was a recent story in the news that will tug on the heart strings of everyone with a pulse and bring tears to your eyes. The story illustrates the love that a man had for his family and the extent to which he would go to provide for them even if it cost him his very life.

James Kim, an editor for C-Net News, a technology website, went on vacation with his wife and infant daughter in the hills of Oregon in the midst of a bad winter. On the way back from vacation, the Kim family made a wrong turn and ended up getting lost. This wrong turn would end up being a fatal mistake. With the roads covered with snow and getting worse by the hour, they ended being stuck in the snow with no where to go. As they sat freezing in the car, they could turn the car on for brief moments to heat up the car before eventually burning all of their gas. Days went by and the family remained stranded with no hope of being rescued. Desperate time calls for desperate measures so James Kim set out on a journey that he hoped would save his family even if it was at the ultimate cost. With his wife and young daughter in the car, James decided to embark on a journey to get help. His family was freezing, starving, and desperately in need of help and it was up to him to provide. He walked and walked and walked ... for miles and miles and miles ... surrounded by bears, hoping to reach a nearby town to bring much needed refuge for his family. Unfortunately, with the weather conditions as they were, James ended up walking in a big 10 mile circle and ultimately never making it to that town. With the freezing weather conditions, the fatigue from walking 10 miles, the many days without food or water, James eventually succumbed to these conditions. James Kim set out on a journey to save his family and ultimately made the ultimate sacrifice.

James' efforts, however, were not done in vain and there is a lesson in his sacrifice for us all. As James embarked on his journey, plowing through the snow in the Oregon hills, walking in a huge circle, he left a trail, he left a path, he left an imprint in the snow that would ultimately lead rescuers to the point where his wife and young child were stranded. The trail blazed by this loving husband and father, provided a path that lead rescuers to his stranded family. His family was found safe and alive. James, however, was found days later face-down in a creek, his body having succumbed to the adverse conditions.

The love that James Kim had for his family lead him on a desperate journey to provide for them. This journey left a trail that ultimately lead to their survival. The lesson in the life and ultimate sacrifice of James Kim is this. As we live our lives, we must live them in such a way that we blaze a trail. We must strive to go where no man has gone before. We must strive to do what no man was ever done before. We must set forth a path that is worthy of being followed. In the case of James Kim, the trail that he blazed saved his family at a high cost. That is the ultimate sacrifice for a loving husband and father.

With You ...

"Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

When you started drinking in the evening, I was with you.
When you went to the party, I was with you.
When you stopped drinking at 1:30am, I was with you.
When you started your drive home, I was with you.
When you ran that stop sign, I was with you.
When that cop saw you run the stop sign, I was with you.
When the cop pulled you over, I was with you.
When the cop smelled alcohol on your breath, I was with you.
When the cop asked you step out of the truck, I was with you.
When the cop asked you to perform the tests, I was with you.
When you passed the tests, I was with you.
When the cop couldn't make up his mind and called another cop, I was with you.
When the 2nd cop asked you to perform more tests, I was with you.
When you passed ... well ... MOST of those tests, I was with you.
When the cops had their 5 minute discussion to decide what to do, I was with you.
When the cops decided to arrest you, I was with you.
In the 2 and 1/2 hours that it took the cops to convince themselves that they "had to get this one", I WAS WITH YOU !!

As you called your brother to come and get your truck before it got impounded, I was with you.
As your brother hurried to beat the tow-truck to the scene, I was with you.
WHEN your brother beat the tow-truck to the scene, I was with you.
As you rode silently in the back of the squad car, I was with you.
As you pondered on whether or not to take the breathalizer, I was with you.
As you recalled advice from lawyer friends NOT to take the breathalizer, I was with you.
As you got booked at the station, I was with you.
As you jotted down the necessary phone numbers from your cell phone, I was with you.
As you called your boy at 5am Sunday morning and he answered the phone, I was with you.
As your boy communicated the situation to your brother, I was with you.
As you sat for hours and hours in that holding cell, I was with you.
As your boy waited by the phone for each of your calls, I was with you.
As your boy, your brother, and his wife worked out the plan, I was with you.

When your sister-in-law met a good friend several years ago, I was with you.
When that friend met a good lawyer years ago, I was with you.
When your sister-in-law called that friend asking for a good lawyer, I was with you.
When she called that lawyer's office, I was with you.
When that lawyer's representative drafted the documents to get you out, I was with you.
When you were one of the first to get out that morning, I was with you.

When you hurt your knee years ago playing basketball, I was with you.
When you had surgery on that knee, I was with you.
When years of basketball caused wear and tear on your feet, I was with you.
When you went to see a doctor about this pain in both feet, I was with you.
When the doctor prescribed treatment, I was with you.
When you unknowingly piled up this evidence as to why you were physically unable to properly perform the tests that the police asked you to perform, I was with you.

As you met face to face with the lawyer for the first time, I was with you.
As the lawyer asked you about past injuries, I was with you.
As you remembered that you had documented record of these foot injuries, I was with you.
As the lawyer mentally began to build your defense, I was with you.
As you arrived in court, I was with you.

When you were one of the few able to afford a good lawyer, I was with you.
When your lawyer mentioned that the judge was a big Houston Astros fan, I was with you.
When the Astros made a big trade the day before, I was with you.
When you inadvertently heard the details of the trade the day before, I was with you.
When the judge did not hear the details of the trade the day before, I was with you.
When the judge asked you the details of the trade and you recalled, I was with you.
When this lead to you, the judge, and the lawyer having friendly chatter about baseball, I was with you.
When you were humanized in the eyes of those that would determine your fate, I was with you.

When you and your lawyer walked across the street for your license revocation hearing, I was with you.
When you and your lawyer arrived on time to see a group of cops waiting to testify, I was with you.
When you looked around the room and didn't see any of your cops, I was with you.
When you waited and waited and waited in the hearing room and still no sign of your cop, I was with you.
When the time came to hear your case and STILL no cop, I was with you.
When the state representative asked for the case to be rescheduled, I was with you.
When your lawyer provided sufficient evidence why the case should NOT be rescheduled, I was with you.
When the judge agreed with the evidence provided by your lawyer that there was not sufficient reason for the case to be rescheduled, I was with you.
When the judge motioned for the license revocation case to be dismissed, I was with you.

When your lawyer met the prosecuting attorney 20 years ago, I was with you.
When your lawyer and the prosecuting attorney remained friends over the years, I was with you.
When your lawyer presented the evidence to the prosecuting attorney, I was with you.
When the prosecuting attorney opened his mind to the evidence, I was with you.
When the prosecuting attorney opted to pursue a much lesser charge than the dreaded DWI, I was with you.

When the final terms of the resolution of your case are to be decided, THEN TOO I WILL BE WITH YOU !!


"Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
- Joshua 1:9

The ideal workday

Most of us have dreams of retiring early and being able to spend ample time with friends and family and other things that we like. Most people want to get out of that corporate job that has them up at 5am, scrambling around with the kids til 6am, drop off the kids at 7am, in traffic til 8am, at work until 6pm, in traffic until 7pm, brief family time until 8pm, do more work until 10pm, intimate time with your spouse until 10:30pm (if it's a good day), to bed by 11pm, then up again at 5am, ... and so the cycle continues. Man was not meant to live like that. We weren't born to be caged up in little cubicles all day long working long hours and giving away half of our pay in taxes. We weren't meant to have to settle for 30 minutes-1 hour of family time weekly while our relationships with our children and spouse suffer. This is simply not the ideal workday.

You see, most people don't have a problem with working or with working hard for that matter. Most people have a problem with working hard long hours at something that they are not passionate about and were not born to do and does not fulfill them. I believe everyone in life deserves to be able to do something that they are truly passionate about. As I've heard dozens of successful entrepreneurs say, find something you are passionate about and learn how to turn that passion into profits. Long hours do not seem quite as long when you are working off passion rather than chasing that carrot ... or paycheck, as most of us call it.

The ideal workday should entail ample time spent on your passions. We should be passionate about our business related endeavors and likewise be passionate about our family. Our days should be flexible enough where we get 2-3 hours of family time each day in the midst of pursuing our business passions. If we need to take an hour away from business in the middle of a workday to go and see our little girl in a school play, we should be able to. If we need to take a couple hours to help our son grasp some difficult Math concepts, we should be able to. We should not be slaves to the alarm clock, the traffic report, the 1 hour lunch, the 2 weeks vacation, the 10 hour work days EVERY DAY, and all of these other ills of the corporate lifestyle. Whether our business passions involve music, entertainment, real estate, education, or all of the above, we should be able to exercise our full efforts in these passions while still being able to place full emphasis on our ultimate passion, which is quality with friends, family, and other loved ones. NOW THAT is the ideal workday.

Thanks for Thanksgiving ...

They say that Thanksgiving is a time for ... well ... giving thanks. The Mrs. and I went to Florida to spend Thanksgiving with our sunshine state family. Prior to arriving in Al Gore's favorite state, we already had lots to be thankful for. Having left just yesterday, we received a gift that will go a long way towards realizing and fulfilling our dreams. Of course it is always wonderful to spend time with loved ones who you see at most once or twice a year. When these loved ones are living their entrepreneurial dreams and fulfilling their life's passions, then you tend to cherish the experience even more.

My sister is ... in a word or 2 ... an entrepreneurial genius. She has a business mind that won't quit. You name the idea and she can outline a path for how to take that idea from the conceptual stage to a successful business. The same can be said about her husband. To top it off, the both have the work ethic to put many of these ideas into motion. My brother who lives in Florida is also on the cusp of entrepreneurial greatness following the recent release of his motivational book of poetry and other ideas that have been recently set in motion. I give thanks for being in the proximity of all of these great ideas being set in motion. Though I certainly had no doubts about my ability to do the same, it is very motivational to see those that you know and love and have been around your whole life, step out on faith and watch their steps be guided according to the entrepreneurial roadmap that God has laid out for them. Give Thanks ... soon others will say the same about me.

My Cup Runneth Over ...

Today, I had to fill a cup !! It seems to me that most people take the miracle of conception and birth for granted. It's miraculously easy when you're not trying; ask any teenager who "experimentally" got pregnant while just having some fun. It's a whole different story when you are at a point in your life when you are ready to have children and you are ACTUALLY trying. Me and the Mrs. decided to give it the "good ole college try" after our years of "experimentation" wasn't planting the seed. It is at the point when you are sitting in the doctor's office and he/she is explaining in great detail the different steps that we have to go through to eliminate possible reasons for lack of conception, that you realize what a tremendous miracle it is that each one of us is in this world today. Millions of sperm embark on a journey through the female body but only 1 lucky guy makes it to the finish line and gets to live happily ever after with the egg produced by the female, IF she has produced an egg. The tremendous number of biological steps that have to fall in order crosses no one's mind when you meet that special someone or ,more simplistically, meet that someone with that special body and you are in the midst of enjoying the physical pleasure brought about laying in bed, or on couch, or on carpet, or on kitchen counter, ... with that person. In those situations when you are not trying and it is not on your mind, it just seems to happen whether you want it to or not. However, every minute detail of this process becomes abundantly clear when you have reached that point in your life when you must try.

So today, I had to fill a cup... As me and the Mrs. embark on this journey towards parenthood, the doctors not only have to check out all of her parts and biological processes, they have to make sure that ... ahem, ahem, ... all of my soldiers are marching and marching in an orderly upright fashion. So how do I prove this to the doctor you ask ? Well, let's say it involves a small gin & tonic-sized cup, a mouse, and Al Gore. Well he did invent the Internet didn't he ? Yep, I had about 30 minutes on a lunch break to go home and navigate to any website of my choice looking for images and video clips that could help me to "fill the cup". Considering I wasn't really in the mood, it took a while. The pressure was on, the clock was running out, I had 10 minutes to go and still ... EMPTY CUP. As it got down to 5 minutes, 4 minutes, 3 minutes, .... I focused and concentrated and came through in the clutch like all great athletes do. I filled the cup and "my cup runneth over". Now we just ask for that the blessings of the Lord runneth over in our journey towards parenthood. One overflowing cup deserves another, right ?