Procrastination or Joy. Choose.

Why do we procrastinate? Why do we put off what should be done now? Why do we sacrifice a clear conscience with procrastination? 

Procrastination, or time on credit is... SERIOUS! 

Why am I going on and on about procrastination? Because I procrastinate all the time. Take my school work for example.. I am way behind because of procrastination. Today I just did 1/7th of an entire History school year... in 10 hours. Do the Math, thats a school year of History in a week. I did this while keeping my grades above a 90% except on one test.. I got an 88%. Sure, I had an energy drink.. powdered.. the healthy kind that I never get... I rarely drink energy drinks... and now I know what speed reading feels like... but look at what I missed out on. If I would have done this along time ago, I'd be done with school right now. Yes, I realize you have to have a certain amount of hours in a school year, but I'm behind... so I can go as fast as i want right now with nothing to worry about. Believe me.. I have the hours. Did I sacrifice? yeah.. I didn't spend time messing around with pictures or photoshop... but let me tell you my friend, it was worth it. You have no idea how good I feel right now. I know that I have done everything that I could do today, and it is paying off. I'm so happy.. I want to sacrifice again tomorrow.. and Monday.. and the next day and the next... until I'm DONE with school. 

Why do we procrastinate in terms of spending time with God? Why do we put off time with God right now? Why do we sacrifice real joy for selfish procrastination? Procrastination is serious. 

Like getting lots of work done, and the joy it gives you when you know you did everything you were supposed to.. even greater is the joy you get spending time with your heavenly father. After spending quality time with God, and being right with Him.. I often ask myself.. "What have missed out on!". The Lord has blessed me today. He has given me the intense energy to get loads of school done. He has given me the joy of knowing I got my work done. He has given me the true joy in being right with Him and walking in His path for me. Did I sacrifice? From a worldly standpoint, you bet I did. I didn't get stuff done that I WANTED to get done. I didn't get ME time. I was totally pre-occupied the whole day. I'm not watching TV with my family right now.. I'm missing one of my favorite shows. Is it worth it? You better believe it! In light of eternity, it was no sacrifice. 

So, here's a challenge. If you want true joy.... live your life for God and He will bless you. Depressed? Give God the throne of your life. 

Commando Krav Maga

"An estimated 9.1 million Americans were victims of violent crimes every year. A murder is reported to the police every 27 minutes, a robbery every 59 seconds and an aggravated assault every 31 seconds..."

I bought the Ground and Guns DVD set, and love it. It is four discs covering gun disarming and how to survive ground attacks. It teaches you how to handle grapplers and anyone else who might threaten you. Moni Azik is my DVD instructor. Moni Azik was asked to improve the Israeli army's existing hand-to-hand combat system, using his extensive knowledge of reality based Jiu Jitsu and competitive Judo, specifically for the use of their special forces. He has over 30 years of combat experience, and is an excellent teacher. I would highly recommend any of the Krav Maga training DVDs.
~Jim

Choices

Because of the accident, I've been looking fto buy a car. I found a '94 Grand Prix on craigslist (side note, craigslist is amazing) it's in good condition and it's only $1,688. On the way to look at it the other day I found a Bronco, same year. The outside is very good condition, minor rust on one of the fenders and the rear bumper is sagging a little. The interior is mint condition. And just so you know, I love SUV's. I called the guy about it and he gave me more info, it only has 106,000 miles, it's got a viper alarm system, and some other cool stuff that I won't take the time to list. But he was asking $3,995.

So then I was faced with the delema, do I buy a really cool vehicle...or an ok vehichle...well, to make a short story even shorter, I'm planning on getting the Grand Prix...even thought I want the Bronco. I believe (in my situation) saving money is my best choice.

-Matt

Does it make sence?

There is a blessing or a curs (you pick) to having a blog like this. There are a few authors here who all have different points of view, we all see things differently, and all of us have different "posting moods". Obviously this gives the readers allot of verity. Wether or not you like that, is your problem.

I tend to stay more on the shallow, less interactive for the mind, less though provoking, more about a good laugh or "here's a simple useless tidbit" side of the fence. I'm not necessarily proud of this, so weather or not you enjoy this post, I hope it at least will get you thinking.

I have some brothers and sisters in the Lord that I look up to a great deal. Their life style is far more reserved for the things of God than most any of my friends. To put it plainly, they put most Christians to shame. As I observe these few people, I see a joy in their lives that isn't common even among Christians, and a testimony that pleases God in the good or bad times alike. The life they live is an inspiration to me on what it means to live for God. Just one problem. Even though I see the joy in their lives, I just cant seem to let go of things that I probably should, simply because these things give me "joy" or they make me feel happy. No matter how many times I tell myself that I would be even happier if I gave my life FULLY to God.. I just don't seem to get it. More like, I don't have the discipline to give up these things. Take TV for instance. There are some new shows that have been coming out that I really enjoy. There is no way I want to ditch TV and miss out on what happens next. I find myself saying "maybe after this season"... yeah no. Did I mention I'm a procrastinator?
So while I'm content (not really) to have shallow happiness from worldly pleasures, I'll continue to miss out on real joy. The joy that comes with a close relationship with God. I'm sure I'm not the only one out here that realizes this. Its about time that all of us wake up and get a grip. Want to experience true joy no matter what happens in life? Get to know God. "Glorify God always, in ALL ways", and He will give you true joy.
Make sure you post any thoughts or comments you might have. Leave a comment.

Life

I was in a car accident last Friday on my way to school. I hydroplaned into a car that was stalled on the side of the road. Because of the weather conditions (and perhaps the fact that I was driving too fast), the impact speed was around 70mph. Both cars were totaled. I walked away from that accident without a scratch. If there had been anyone in the other car, I seriously believe that they would have been in critical condition. I know that the thought came into my mind, why did this have to happen to me. But at church today, my pastor made an interesting comment to me. He said, "ask yourself why you're still alive." This wasn't an "accident" as we say. God had a plan in this. This situation has given me new appreciation for circumstances that I find myself in. God has a plan for everything, we just need to trust Him.

-Matt

Apple iPod Nano the Fourth

As you all probably know, the fourth generation iPod Nano came out this week. I own a second generation Nano, and love it. I did not like the third generation version. It just wasn't a Nano. I am very pleased to see that the Nano is back to its beautiful self, and loaded with new features. First, it comes in nine different colors. They also kept the bigger screen from the third generation version. And the biggest, bestest feature yet? The Nano now has the tilt feature. So you can view pictures in portrait and landscape, watch wide screen movies, play games that use the tilt feature as a controller, use Cover-flow, etc. You can also shake to shuffle. If you are feeling random, just give your iPod a little shake, and a different song starts playing. I don't yet own one, but will be purchasing one soon. When I do, I will probably hit this topic again, not just from a spectator/fan point of view, but from a "I have one and love it" point of view. Thank you Apple for bringing back the Nano. I don't mind change, but drastic change, like going from a beautiful, sleek, fits-perfectly-in-my-hand rectangle to a little square thingy...that I couldn't handle.
~Jim

9-11-08

Seven years ago our nation was attacked on our soil. It was a brutal display of unconventional warfare against military personnel and civilians alike. It was an act of war. Unfortunately it seems that a lot of people only remember this day one day a year.
As most of my readers probably know, I am planning on joining the military. A lot of people have asked me why, and there are a lot of answers I could give. A lot of people just wouldn't understand some of the reasons. People don't always understand convictions. I have always flirted with the idea of joining the military, and some of my closer friends who have spent a lot of time with me can attest to the fact that my plans have changed more than a few times concerning the branch, or the MOS (Military Occupational Specialty). But the military has always been a plan. The events on September 11 sealed it for me. God willing, I WILL join. I want to know I am doing everything I can do to make sure that something like that never happens here again. My heart goes out to the families of the 9-11 victims, and the families of fallen and wounded soldiers who are sacrificing so much for this cause. People tell me that right now we are fighting the wrong war. That this war has nothing to do with 9-11. Well, last I checked, we are fighting the GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR. And there are just as many terrorists in Iraq as there are in "Palestine", Iran, and Afghanistan. If the fight is in Iraq, so be it. If its in the Persian Gulf, so be it. If it is in Afghanistan, so be it. As long as we can keep it out of America. You can call me what ever you want to call me because of this conviction. I think I would call myself a plain old patriotic American.
I realize this post is not as light-hearted as some of my previous posts, but I hope I have clearly set down my convictions and planted my flag. May God protect our police and fire personnel and our soldiers, and may God bless America.

What browser do you prefer?

Below is a chart that shows the favored web browser among... well, the people who voted.
You won't be able to see the whole thing, unless you click and drag it about a half inch. Sorry.

(taken from marketshare hitslink)

That is kinda sweet... since I'm a Firefox and Safari guy myself.

Dial-up of death

For a long time now, I and many other people all around the world have been suffering from the evil and horrifying "Dial-up of death" syndrome. This is particularly hard for somewhat of a "technology interested freak" as myself. People RELY on me for new info and tips in the world of computers! (thats what I tell myself).... that and the fact that I don't like the slowness factor.. even if people never asked me anything again.. or just kept giving me out dated computers to fix.. I still would have a dastardly hard time. The reason I don't post on this blog as much as I should is the fault of DIAL-UP!!! I have put my pain into a short poem.

Good times with friends all end it's true
Dial-up wants it all to be through.
The sunrise goes away, but why?
'Cause dial-up hates the pretty sky.

the things that make us free and glad
and cheery and happy and joyously mad
Have all been shunned by dial-up
Your face has been shunned by dial-up.

Got a web page to look up lighting fast?
Dial-up wants the speed thing last.
And if your in the "I think I can live with dial-up.. it's not that bad" sect
Just wait till you see the message "reconnect?"

I know that rhythm was kinda lame,
But dial-up put me behind my game.
If dial-up was gone, gas prices would be right,
no one would be hungry and mosquitos wouldn't bite.

no one would be in a dark prison cell,
And you wouldn't need that nasty hair jell.
The days will be grand when dial-up is dead
And everyone's using high speed internet instead.

If any of you can come up with a short poem about the terror of dial-up, email it to me and I will post it.

How could the dial-up crises be fixed? We need to bring ideas to Washington so they can act NOW! Its so simple! I have a small list of ideas.

-Super laser powered Z-Rays of highspeedness beamed down to every home in the UNIVERSE!!!

-Toilet Internet.

-HSIzone layer. Similar to the ozone layer, only placed directly below the ozone layer, it reflects and multiplies all wifi signals.. EVER! even from back in time or in the future! (not affected by burping cows or SUV's)

-inferpink high speed internet links. Just point your computer at the moon... and instant connection. (on cloudy days or when the moon is not visible.... your cooked)

-Universal Teleportation Hub. Reach your hand through one end of the portal, and plug into an internet connected hub. Plug the other end into your own wifi equipped hub or computer.

If you have anymore brilliant ideas, make sure you tell me about them.



On a side note, Google Chrome has just been added to the list of web browsers. So far, its not available for mac or Linux yet, but it'll get there.

You can check out the official google blog article about it here.
It looks pretty snazzy.. if you ask me. Its supposed to be fast too..