Working Hard?

"the size of your pay packet may be important, but so is its purchasing power. helpfully, a UBS report published this week offers a handy guide to how long it takes a worker on the average net wage to earn the price of a big mac in 73 cities. fast-food junkies are best off in chicago, toronto and tokyo, where it takes a mere 12 minutes at work to afford a big mac. by contrast, employees must toil for over two hours to earn enough for a burger fix in mexico city, jakarta and nairobi."

so, how hard are you working for your food? if you had to spend over two hours hard at work in order to afford the "special sauced" sandwich, might you think twice before pulling up in the drive-thru line? how different might your waist line look? your wardrobe? your social life? what is you definition of 'fortunate'?

source: economist.com

How He Loves

i know, two youtube clips in a row…pretty lame. but i just wanted to share this song…How He Loves. i’ve heard several versions lately (thanks to david crowder band for introducing me to this beautiful hymn), but this one just might be my favorite. there’s something about a song being cut back to the bare essentials that seems to hit a deeper meaning for me. “and my heart turns violently inside of my chest”

O Praise Him

stumbled upon this video tonight and had to share it. please watch. how many of us would be right with this guy at around the 4:00 mark!? a beautiful sign of praise....enjoy.

What Excites You?

i received an email today from a friend. the message was short and the intent was purposeful and clear. one of the questions he posed to me was, “what excites you?”

here was my response.

"what excites me?

- those little moments when i can sit alone and be still. i know that sounds silly, but those are few and far between.

- silence is exciting.

- breathing is exciting.

- community is exciting.

- running further than i planned, feeling healthy,

- being disappointed by the taste of fast food,

- looking back and seeing real change in my life,

- knowing that im going to look back in a few years and laugh at the person i was when i was 30,
- going to africa,

- seeing people living up to their talents and potential, that excites me.

- being 30 excites me,

- playing golf and walking 18 holes, sweating profusely, and feeling my body completely exhausted afterwards excites me.

- seeing my dogs face at the front window ever day when i get home,

- hearing katy laugh,

- the beauty and destructive powers of nature,

- the lack of cable tv,

- salvation and pursuit,

- the mystery as to how and why all of this came to be, that excites me."

so, my question to you is, “what excites you?”

Re-Edit

"ferris bueller's day off" is the best movie ever made, and that is a scientific fact. i will not argue about this.

i stumbled upon some 're-edited' movie trailers today and wanted to share them. funny how the movie could take a completely different perspective depending on how a selected few clips are presented. enjoy....and remember, best. movie. ever.

the touching, sensitive trailer



requiem for a day off trailer



the psycho thriller trailer



the other psycho thriller trailer



the "i'm not gay" trailer



the "stand tall" trailer


source: chris higgins, mental floss

The Moment of (un)Change

do you ever look back over a period of time in your life and realize just how much you have changed? if not, go ahead, take a moment…i’ll wait...
…

……

okay, so you’ve changed some. no real revelation there, right?

isn’t it funny how things just seem to change though, often without us even noticing? take for example (lame example) something as generic as a tip after a haircut. what use to be an automatic $2 suddenly turned into $4. (typical men’s haircut tip. women’s tips must to be calculated by nasa.) when did this happen? you have no idea right…it just did. odds are, you don’t remember the moment that you decided that $2 was no longer enough for the 7 minute hair trimming process that you just received. it just happened without you realizing it. it was a process.

aren’t our lives just like this? or at least, shouldn’t they be?

suddenly…

…laziness ends…

…daydreams turn into reality…

…we no longer ‘need’ the lifestyle built on money and possessions, because we have come to realize that those things are just that…’things’…and they will fail…

...we finally layed our pride aside and asked someone how to fill the emptiness within us...

…something is in process…

we are all in process.

An HIV-Positive Muppet

"in 2002, sesame workshop released a statement saying that they would be introducing an hiv-positive muppet to sesame street. what most people in the u.s. missed was that kami, the muppet in question, would not be appearing on the domestic version of sesame street, but the south african version, which is called takalani sesame. the producers of takalani sesame agreed that an hiv-positive muppet would be beneficial because south africa has the highest percentage of aids-infected people in the world, many of which are children. people became outraged that pbs would allow a children’s show to feature an hiv-positive character, and news sources and pundits went to town on the story. kami never appeared on the american sesame street, though she has proven to be a very successful character on takalani sesame."

is that too real for people?

-source: mental floss

Your Attention, Please

when something bad happens in your life, how often does your initial reaction turn to praising God for the circumstances that have just unfolded? is that ever your first thought?

i’m guessing i’m not alone in saying that i don’t always see the glory and beauty in The Creator when troubles hit…but why not? isn’t everything that happens part of His magnificent plan? isn’t it our duty to praise Him in the wilderness? after all, God works all things to His glory, right?

are you seeking Him in all things? are you waiting patiently for the darkness to lift? is God trying to get your attention?

”Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” – Romans 12:12