tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426224917278407629Sun, 27 Nov 2011 23:20:49 +0000State of the WorldChristian TeachingFuzzy ThinkingWork LifeMotivationPublic PolicyMediaCoaching.Governmenthttp://withoutvision.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Paul)Blogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426224917278407629.post-7602324002271899716Sun, 22 May 2011 04:57:00 +00002011-05-22T02:12:33.851-04:00I feel dry at times in my walk with God.  You know what it's like.  For a while your relationship with God is going well.  It feels peaceful and all seems to be going well.  Then there are times when God seems far and you feel rather distracted.  You may wonder why things seem to going roughly lately.  You send up some quick prayers to God hoping that these will get you through, You may say to http://withoutvision.blogspot.com/2011/05/how-dry-i-am.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426224917278407629.post-4643967777063309024Tue, 03 May 2011 10:04:00 +00002011-05-03T07:25:51.297-04:00Have you ever been in financial trouble?  It's hard to imagine anyone who hasn't.  Whether poor or rich, financial trouble seems to find it's way into everyone's life.   In cases like that do we respond like Pollyanna, who believes that all things will turn out well as we go on about our lives as we always have?  Or are we like a ship in a storm where the crew begins to dump cargo overboard?    http://withoutvision.blogspot.com/2011/05/pollyanna-lives.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426224917278407629.post-8253408076058988882Fri, 19 Mar 2010 11:00:00 +00002010-03-19T07:00:06.158-04:00Budgets happen. Some people actively monitor their budget. Some plan their budgets and stick to them. Others spend and look back and call that a budget. Either way everyone has a budget. One of the purposes of advance budgeting is to consider whether current spending patterns are sustainable into the future. We may figure this out for ourselves or someone may come along and decide for us thathttp://withoutvision.blogspot.com/2010/03/what-can-you-live-without.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426224917278407629.post-7617867757670008613Wed, 17 Mar 2010 07:09:00 +00002010-03-17T03:11:56.270-04:00I heard this from a friend recently followed up with the reason why he and I are opposites in regard to public policy.  I'm always asking how much things cost or what the cost / benefit of an idea might be.  He and others have great ideas about helping people but hate the numbers.  Those of us obsessed with numbers are portrayed as mean or heartless or lacking in compassion even if we may donate http://withoutvision.blogspot.com/2010/03/i-hate-numbers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426224917278407629.post-6281709648381390853Sat, 06 Mar 2010 08:29:00 +00002010-03-06T03:32:12.264-05:00Are you annoyed by other cars that play their music too loud while you are stopped at a signal?  Are you annoyed by people who stop suddenly in front of you while you are walking?  Are you annoyed by people who agree to meet you at a certain time but regularly show up late?  Are you annoyed by loud, rowdy children in public places?  Are you annoyed by someone snoring in the theater as you try to http://withoutvision.blogspot.com/2010/03/footprints.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426224917278407629.post-7960346125793433226Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:37:00 +00002010-01-08T08:37:31.129-05:00Have you ever been listening to someone tell a story and it seems to take forever to get to the point if they ever do?  Have you ever been telling a story that you weren’t finished with when someone interrupts or their eyes glaze over or in some way they are no longer listening? There are many ways to tell a story but the two most common ways are  1) a novel where the characters are http://withoutvision.blogspot.com/2010/01/helping-others-listen-to-your-stories.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426224917278407629.post-3043415847220059356Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:13:00 +00002009-11-27T06:16:39.791-05:00Only the ignorant believe that the gov't has fixed anything or can fix anything.   There is a lot of criticism of corporations because the managers there seem to conduct their plans to achieve the results each quarter and each year. If they don't their shareholders may punish them by dumping their stock. But sometimes these plans are at the expense of longer term growth. Our government is http://withoutvision.blogspot.com/2009/11/crisis-now-or-crisis-later.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426224917278407629.post-6294348101567610535Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:27:00 +00002009-10-29T09:27:37.455-04:00Do you send in for rebates?  You have to gather your receipt and often cut a piece off the packaging, fill out a form, stick all the above in an envelope and see if you can dig a stamp up from the junk drawer.  If you're lucky you can put it out in the mailbox at the end of the driveway. Otherwise you may have to drive somewhere to find a mailbox.  How much of a rebate makes this all worthwhile?http://withoutvision.blogspot.com/2009/10/opting-out.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426224917278407629.post-6539187067613395085Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:36:00 +00002009-10-23T13:36:15.182-04:00"If you fail to plan, you plan to fail" Have you heard this before?  Have you given up on planning because failure/missing the mark/disappointment has been all too common?   Have you ever had to pay a penalty because you didn't plan ahead?  I.e. miss a flight and paid a change fee?  Paid a late fee because you ran out of money before all the bills were paid?    Maybe you're a workaholic and you http://withoutvision.blogspot.com/2009/10/planning-to-fail.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426224917278407629.post-8682658697213498520Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:37:00 +00002009-10-18T09:37:55.005-04:00I hate repetition. Teachers tell me that repetition is an essential tool in learning. I'll have to take their word for it. I hate maintenance because it really is repetition by another name. But hating it and not doing it are different.I can hate maintenance but if I don't clean my house, my car, my body you can see the outcome. My lawn doesn't stop growing after I mow it. Don't you hate that?I http://withoutvision.blogspot.com/2009/10/repeat-after-me.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426224917278407629.post-7940778956238779855Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:10:00 +00002009-02-11T13:04:27.594-05:00GovernmentRomance, in it's broader definition, portrays a rosey picture of reality. Most often this is of a relationship where the realities of life are set aside for awhile in order to enjoy some moments of mythical bliss. Romance can often be applied to nostalgia where we remember things better than they were and perhaps we try to relive those experiences. In it's broadest sense, romance allows us to http://withoutvision.blogspot.com/2009/02/romance-and-economic-crisis.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426224917278407629.post-273159521516138543Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:03:00 +00002009-01-28T13:44:05.178-05:00Coaching.Jesus said that we should love our enemies. After all if you love only those who love you how are you any different from those who are far from God? Seems to me that loving people is a bit like the concentric rings of a target. Where someone comes into our circles could possibly be measured by what we might be willing to do to help them. Those living in our inner most ring are those closest tohttp://withoutvision.blogspot.com/2009/01/god-and-blindspots.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426224917278407629.post-5366130762743652182Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:56:00 +00002009-01-16T12:00:54.895-05:00Coaching.There is alot of material in the community of Jesus' followers about grace and forgiveness for screwing up. Though most of us still struggle with forgiving others and receiving forgiveness ourselves. We have high confidence, dare I say "Faith", that God is big on forgiveness and grace as well. And most of us are pretty well acquainted with our own screw ups, whether from our own discovery or http://withoutvision.blogspot.com/2009/01/god-and-performance.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426224917278407629.post-3698290361147707460Thu, 15 Jan 2009 13:20:00 +00002009-01-15T09:00:32.300-05:00MotivationCoaching.Each year it's fashionable to make resolutions of the things we would like to accomplish in the new year. The most common resolution is to lose weight followed closely by getting out of debt. This year I have both of those and one more, I would like reach some level of proficiency with Spanish. I've had the first two on my resolution list for so many years I've thought of having them tattoo'd http://withoutvision.blogspot.com/2009/01/god-as-coach.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426224917278407629.post-2245501262830247629Tue, 02 Dec 2008 00:06:00 +00002008-12-01T19:20:59.600-05:00Imagine that you are on a tall ship, a ship of long ago with tall masts carrying 2 and 3 sails. You can hear the creak of the wood and the splash of water against the hull. There is a gentle breeze ruffling the sails and the sound of gulls circling above. Breathe in and imagine the smell of the sea. Suddenly, there is the loud whistling sound of a projectile in the air coming across the bow. In http://withoutvision.blogspot.com/2008/12/finding-joy-in-house.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426224917278407629.post-8716248969411741756Tue, 28 Oct 2008 22:55:00 +00002008-10-28T19:47:49.065-04:00This has become a hot topic during this election season and many different ideas have confused the meaning. Historically, in every culture wealth has moved around. After every revolution wealth starts out somewhat widely distributed and over time it always ends up in the hands of a few. America was designed to be different. With it's great resources there has been tremendous "opportunity" http://withoutvision.blogspot.com/2008/10/redistribution-of-wealth.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426224917278407629.post-6936481020919535612Sun, 26 Oct 2008 09:33:00 +00002008-10-26T05:59:08.890-04:00Showing up is more than half of success. This sounds so simple but in reality it is harder than you think, apparently. Any of you who have your own business' and have to hire people know what I talking about. I hear the complaint often from small business' about how hard it is to get people just to show up for their appointed schedule. We hear excuses like they overslept, they had a flat tirehttp://withoutvision.blogspot.com/2008/10/finding-success-i.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426224917278407629.post-7248596554783842380Mon, 20 Oct 2008 23:27:00 +00002008-10-21T15:11:58.427-04:00My best friend passed over last weekend. 11 years and an untimely end. Diagnosed with Cancer 3 months ago. Remedial therapy added only months. Some say that he could not feel the loyalty of his canine counterparts yet...he met me at the door. He slept on my pillow and my keyboard. He chased the mouse pointer across my screen. He looked at me with the expectancy of a retriever. He came to http://withoutvision.blogspot.com/2008/10/untimely-end.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426224917278407629.post-6252791022884928226Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:29:00 +00002008-10-15T13:19:41.017-04:00Public PolicyI've been a life-long Republican. I cried when Reagan died. Unfortunately, the conservatism that brought me into the party died with him. I had such great hopes when my party finally gained control of both houses of congress in 1994. Even with a Democratic president we had such great opportunity to return this country to the values of the founders and of the constitution. If it hadn't been http://withoutvision.blogspot.com/2008/10/man-without-party.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426224917278407629.post-8763142066809760599Tue, 07 Oct 2008 18:15:00 +00002008-10-07T15:27:50.502-04:00Public PolicyYou might not believe in freedom if ....1) you believe that the gov't is the answer to anything.2) believe that anyone should pay more taxes than you.3) believe anything a politician says.4) believe that it's unfair for anyone to have more stuff than you.5) believe police can protect you from crime.6) believe that the gov't wants to protect you from anything.7) believe that you have a right to a)http://withoutvision.blogspot.com/2008/10/you-might-not-believe-in-freedom.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426224917278407629.post-7949429228616767764Thu, 11 Sep 2008 11:21:00 +00002008-10-07T15:20:16.063-04:00Christian TeachingI’m a particularly skeptical person. I rarely believe things that I read or hear in the media. Regularly, we hear studies that contradict other studies.I don’t believe in global warming. I don’t dis-believe it either. I am not in a place to form a strong opinion because the sources of information are suspect to me.I was like this about the Bible too. I grew up in a Christian home and studied the http://withoutvision.blogspot.com/2008/09/faith-for-forgiveness.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426224917278407629.post-634334835884080574Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:27:00 +00002008-09-04T06:35:00.337-04:00MediaPeggy Noonan writing in a WSJ editorial. Very perceptive and honest.Let me say of myself and almost everyone I know in the press, all the chattering classes and political strategists and inside dopesters of the Amtrak Acela Line: We live in a bubble and have around us bubble people. We are Bubbleheads. We know this and try to compensate for it by taking road trips through the continent -- we're http://withoutvision.blogspot.com/2008/09/bubbleheads-in-media.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426224917278407629.post-8557368358471301687Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:49:00 +00002008-08-29T09:53:50.626-04:00State of the WorldSorry that it has taken me so long to get back to you. This topic is loaded and I've thought a great deal about it over the last couple of years. I won't overwhelm you with all the research that I've done but here in a nutshell is what I believe: (I hope that it is not too gloomy for you.)1. The expansion of Islam is a problem for the whole world and in particular the US but I believe that that http://withoutvision.blogspot.com/2008/08/chilling.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426224917278407629.post-4897592865590984255Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:04:00 +00002008-08-22T08:21:45.343-04:00Christian TeachingHave you made any bad choices in your life?It’s hard to live too long without a rap sheet of choices that turn out in hindsight to be ill conceived.Maybe it was a bad relationship.Or bad judgment in your job.Or a bad business deal Or a bad grade in a class that you chose not to attend.<?xml:namespace prefix = o />In answer to the question, “What is the greatest gift that God ever gave us?”, most http://withoutvision.blogspot.com/2008/08/use-your-power-for-good-not-for-evil.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426224917278407629.post-6588855335809960292Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:41:00 +00002008-08-21T11:40:38.790-04:00Societies have come around to the impact that second-hand smoke has on non-smokers and many regulations have been passed to force smokers outside and further away from civilized areas. While there have been a few jurisdictions that have passed ordinances on night clubs whose sounds have escaped their premises, there has been little discussion of the impact of second-hand noise in other http://withoutvision.blogspot.com/2008/08/second-hand-noise.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Paul)0