Pastor A

COSTELLO: I want to talk about the unemployment rate in America ..

ABBOTT: Good subject. Terrible times. It’s about 9%.

COSTELLO: That many people are out of work?

ABBOTT: No, that’s 16%.

COSTELLO: You just said 9%.

ABBOTT: 9% Unemployed.

COSTELLO: Right 9% out of work.

ABBOTT: No, that’s 16%.

COSTELLO: Okay, so it’s 16% unemployed.

ABBOTT: No, that’s 9%…

COSTELLO: WAIT A MINUTE. Is it 9% or 16%?

ABBOTT: 9% are unemployed. 16% are out of work.

COSTELLO: If you are out of work you are unemployed.

ABBOTT: No, you can’t count the “Out of Work” as the unemployed.  You have to look for work to be unemployed.

COSTELLO: But …. they are out of work!

ABBOTT: No, you miss my point.

COSTELLO: What point?

ABBOTT: Someone who doesn’t look for work, can’t be counted with those who look for work. It wouldn’t be fair.

COSTELLO: To who?

ABBOTT: The unemployed.

COSTELLO: But they are ALL out of work.

ABBOTT: No, the unemployed are actively looking for work… Those who are out of work stopped looking. They gave up. And, if you give up, you are no longer in the ranks of the unemployed.

COSTELLO: So if you’re off the unemployment rolls, that would count as less unemployment?

ABBOTT: Unemployment would go down. Absolutely!

COSTELLO: The unemployment just goes down because you don’t look for work?

ABBOTT: Absolutely it goes down. That’s how you get to 9%. Otherwise it would be 16%. You don’t want to read about 16% unemployment do ya?

COSTELLO: That would be frightening.

ABBOTT: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: Wait, I got a question for you. That means they’re two ways to bring down the unemployment number?

ABBOTT: Two ways is correct.

COSTELLO: Unemployment can go down if someone gets a job?

ABBOTT: Correct.

COSTELLO: And unemployment can also go down if you stop looking for a job?

ABBOTT: Bingo.

COSTELLO: So there are two ways to bring unemployment down, and the easier of the two is to just stop looking for work.

ABBOTT: Now you’re thinking like Obama’s Liberals…

COSTELLO: I don’t even know what I just said!

And now you know why (and how?)

Obama is trying to get away with saying unemployment numbers are improving?!?! What a joke… indeed!

I must confess that my wife told me last night that I am too timid. Actually, it was quite the opposite. Oh well, let’s finish this topic today…

STUPIDITY FACTOID #3

Drinking is stupid! Drink too much alcohol and you cannot drive. Your judgment is impaired and your reaction is slowed down. All of this is proven. If you have ever had too much to drink you know this is true. I cannot speak from experience on this one so I must trust the testimonials of others. Yet, people still get behind the wheel of their car and drive. Sometimes they kill themselves. Sadly, they usually just kill others. Yet they know they were impaired when they started out. But they did it anyway. Again, would you call this intelligent behaviour?

I think you are beginning to understand what I am expressing; people are stupid. Stupid is defined as you know better but you do it anyway. Humans are the only creatures on the planet that spend every day doing things they know will only bring about their own destruction. People know they are killing themselves by how they eat, drink, smoke, and behave and yet, they do it anyway. What would you call that?

We continually do things we know are exactly the wrong things to do; things that are not good for us spiritually, emotionally, financially, physically, and psychologically. To me, that is stupid.

“Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.“  Albert Einstein

“Okay, Brent, aren’t you ever stupid?”

You bet, absolutely! I think all of us are stupid from time to time. All of us occasionally do things we know are not the best for us. I am fully aware I sometimes do things that are not good for me. I choose to do them anyway – that is stupid on my part. I am saying that knowingly doing the wrong things over and over again at the expense of your relationship with God, your family, your finances, your health, and your church family is stupid. So – if this applies to you today – STOP being stupid – in all areas; but, especially when it come to being healthy!

Over the next few days I am going to write about things I’ve learned about being healthy. I truly pray that this will be helpful to all who read this blog. We need (must) work on our health; especially, if we are going to have a greater impact on this world.

Don’t try today; DO today!

At least I have your attention… now of course I don’t think YOU are stupid – it would obviously be others… In fact, growing up in West Virginia, we were forbidden to even use the word “stupid,” so I apologize to my mother when she reads my post.

You ask, “So you think people are stupid?” In answer to your question, no, I do not think people are stupid. I know people are stupid. Sorry, mom.

First, let me explain what I mean by the word stupid. If you do not know any better, then you are ignorant. If you know better, then you are stupid. There is such a big difference. I will forgive you (for a while) for not knowing any better. The ignorant cannot really help being ignorant. But once you know what you are doing and do nothing about it, then would not that fall under the category of stupid? Is there forgiveness for knowing and not doing?

So you don’t believe me and are perhaps “offended” by my introduction today. Allow me the opportunity to prove it to you.

STUPIDITY FACTOID #1

We eat things we know are not good for us. We eat things that make us fat, clog our arteries, raise our cholesterol, and lots of other harmful things. Even after we are diagnosed with these problems and are told exactly what not to eat and what we should eat, we still eat the stuff that is bad for us! We continue to eat the stuff that will eventually kill us. Do you call that intelligent?

Perhaps an interesting comparison: we know that suicide is a sin. None of us would argue that statement. Why is it that shooting yourself and ending your life in a split second is a sin, but overeating, smoking, and drinking (which kills you over a 30-year span) is not? The end result is the same. It must not be killing yourself that is really a sin after all. It must be how long it takes to do it.

STUPIDITY FACTOID #2

People put things that are full of carcinogens and other toxins in their mouths or light them up and suck hot fire and smoke down into their lungs. Does that sound like an intelligent thing to do? No, it sounds pretty stupid. Then after being diagnosed with cancer, or emphysema, or some other death-causing problem, they are told that the only way to live is to quit smoking, yet many still continue to smoke. What is that really called?

Of course the simple thing to do is to sue the company that makes the cigarette because they made a product that gave you cancer. How smart is that? They did not give you anything. You willingly went out and spent your own money, stuck the cigarette in your mouth, and fired it up. You did it not once, but thousands upon thousands of times. You must have wanted cancer. The tobacco company printed the warning on the label telling you that you would get cancer if you smoked their cigarettes and you still bought them and smoked them anyway. We need people who will take responsibility for their choices!

Tomorrow we will look at #3 – if you are not too mad to return tomorrow!

Have a great day – make wise choices today – Don’t try today; DO today!

Now that I have returned from China, I return to blogging about our Do 12 in 12. How are you doing on your 12 goals for the year 2012? I am ahead on my reading and behind on a couple of my other goals. I am going to get caught up!

However, one of the areas that I have been reading is in the area of health and the progressive destruction that Americans have with their own bodies. It is quite disturbing! So I have decided to merge some of the experiences that I’ve had with counseling and that which appears to be true regarding our health.

I am becoming more convinced that you do NOT have to be sick… generally speaking. Just hear me out over the next couple of days before you dismiss my thought process. I believe that for most people, you can be healthy. It is a choice. I would like to encourage you to choose to be healthy. You ask, “Are you saying that I choose to be sick?”

I believe that you choose, on some level, everything you are experiencing in life. And yes, even sickness to some degree. Here is my argument: when you are full of frustration and negativity, your body reacts in negative ways. As a result, you will not sleep well. You may end up with stomach problems or even get ulcers. You will be nervous. You will have migraines. You will accelerate the aging process. You may develop high blood pressure or heart problems. Your immune system will become affected. Some even believe that negativity can even result in cancer and other devastating illnesses.

I do not have medical training to be able to prove any of what I just wrote, except that I have read those who are in the medical profession. Across the board, they agree 100% with what I just wrote. However, I am sure of this: psychological and emotional problems always manifest themselves physically. I know for certain from personal experiences that when the stress levels are lower, I sleep better. My body has more energy and functions better on every level when my life is right spiritually, mentally, and emotionally.

Is this all an oversimplification of health and illness? Maybe, but I like it simple.

I do know this for certain, there are things that you can do to become healthier. Your health is a temporary condition. It is on a sliding scale and it can and will change in either direction. And except in extreme cases (and sometimes even then), your health can be changed by things as simple as diet and exercise.

I have concluded that until we are ready and willing to DO something different about our current situation, we will continue to be unhappy, lazy, and unhealthy. So, over the next couple of days I would like to lay out a case that we MUST DO something about our personal lives through diet and exercise. I certainly recognize that I am not an expert in this area, but I have read, studied, and researched this area so it is time that I at least put it in writing. I know this: Nothing will contribute more to your health than a proper diet and exercise. But then again, you know that already.

I find it increasingly more fascinating that people “know” how to feel better and live better; yet, they choose NOT to do it. It is time to DO!

Don’t try today; DO today!

Chicken Dinner – including head

Friends: Mr. and Mrs. Andersen

Teenage guys at midweek meeting

Friends: Mr. and Mrs. Tolson

Four day old baby!

Mexican food in China

Group of friends at Red Orange Restaurant

My buddy: Ava

Another friend: Mrs. Laterza – acting as herself!

Another good friend: Jesse