Greeting Cards

Have you ever been looking for a greeting card and can't find one that really fits what you're trying to communicate? I think it should be socially acceptable to purchase an alternate card and make customizations. For example, for a wedding, purchase a Happy 1st Anniversary card and marking out the 1st and changing it to 0th. Or a Happy Birthday and changing Birthday to Wedding. Or perhaps you want to congratulate someone on weight loss. Purchase a Sympathy card and change it from "So sorry for your loss" to "Congratulations on your loss"

Vibrato

Vibrato is kind of like ketchup. Used well it enhances the song. Used too much and one forgets that there's a tasty burger underneath.

Last Birthday Ever

Well ladies and gentleman, I believe this will be my last birthday ever. Hence forth, we will only celebrate anniversaries of this, the 29th. :) The past year has been filled with lots of good times mixed with a few discouragements along the way.

From a travel perspective, I got to visit California's San Diego, La Jolla, Joshua Tree National Park, and L.A. Atlanta and Nashville were also visited. International travel included a trip to the Cayman Islands. I didn't do any overnight backing trips but did several local day hiking trips.

Musically, I continued playing bass in the worship band at church which has continued to be a source of enjoyment and honor to serve. From a teaching standpoint, I've continued to teach some guitar lessons with just one student at the moment. As far as live concerts, I went to a Dierks Bentley and a Pat Green concert as well as the National Worship Leader conference with numerous well known worship leaders such as David Crowder Band, Mac Powell, Jeremy Riddle, Paul Baloche, and Laura Story. Recently, I've written several songs which has been fun to get back into. It's been quite a while since this kind of musical production has been undertaken but in the past month or so, I've written complete or fragments of around 5 or 6 songs.

From an education perspective, much of my free time was consumed by taking classes in financial planning which I just completed and have a certificate in financial planning. In addition to coursework, I also began helping counsel people through the Crown Financial Money Map program as well as Financial Peace University.

Athletically, I'm running around 3 times a week and try to lift weights a couple times as well. No big time races but I did run a 5k at the beginning of this summer.

Spiritually, I've been involved with a men's bible study group over the past 8 months which has been good in spending time with and investing in each other's lives as we study the Bible and live life. God has taught me through this year and recently I've been walking very closely with Him. He has been my rock and stronghold, always leading when I follow. I don't know where He will lead me in the future but am excited for all He has planned.

Good Ideas vs. Priorities

There are many things that we think are good ideas. For example, hanging with friends, running/working out, reading, spending time with God, cleaning the home, practicing an instrument, getting out in nature, getting enough sleep, eating healthily, cooking/baking, writing a note to someone, taking a class, starting a small business; all of these are good ideas. However, there may be a host of good ideas but if we don't make them a priority and take steps to make them happen, they remain just a good idea.

For me, I've made running and lifting weights a priority (the former because I truly enjoy it. The latter because a skinny white boy can use all the help he can get :) and do so fairly consistently. Studying is usually a priority and the accountability of a class structure helps enforce that though it sometimes falls down the list. Getting enough sleep is both a good idea and mostly a priority though sometimes other things bleed over into sleep time. I've tried to make a more concerted effort to follow a routine in the evening to help with this.

On the opposite end of the spectrum I think cleaning and organizing things at home is a great idea but it's just not a priority for me. It really doesn't bother me that much. I generally do keep things clean but from a neatness standpoint, not so much. As long as the cave is mostly warm (or cool depending on season) and dry we here at The Wisdom of Dre are generally pretty happy.

So, I think the take away is that we should be honest with ourselves in making priorities and not confusing priorities with good ideas. Acknowledge some things as good ideas but also recognize you're living in reality and don't get down on yourself for not always living perfectly. At the same time, some of those good ideas should be priorities and we need to structure things so that they actually happen rather than sitting in the closet of good ideas gathering dust. Take them out, dust them off, and put them in action.

You Will Be Filled

From an emotional and spiritual perspective, we each have buckets that do not remain empty of their own accord. We can choose to fill them with the things of this world: alcohol, relationships (good & bad), eating or not eating, lust, anger, money, clothing, television, internet, music, material possessions, gossip, excessive focus on a career, one's physical image, status, pride, envy and jealousy, see Galations 5: 19-21 for more. Or we can choose to be filled with the things of God "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control" (Galations 5:22-23) This is a daily process and even an hourly and moment by moment choosing to be filled with God and to make Him the center of our desires. It is so easy to fall away and be distracted by the earthly things all around clamoring for our attention.

These emotional and spiritual buckets consistently replenish us and determine our perspective and outlook on life. If we seek the buckets with good, clean, pure water, the associated sponge of our lives will be soaked with the life giving, spirit filled nature of God and will seep out everywhere we go and onto everyone we come in contact with. At the same time, if we fill our sponges from buckets not of God, His joy and righteousness will not fill our lives and we end up operating in our own power. (Not a good spot to be in) The sponge drips and dries out over time and must be refilled.

You will be filled, so choose to be filled with God and His abundant life.

C-O-O-O-L-L-L-D-D-D-D

I've decided there are varying types of cold in Kansas City. Cool, Chilly, Cold, Frosty Cold, Snowy Cold, Icey Cold, Hurry-and-warm-up-car-it's-freezing-Cold, Bitterly Cold, and WOW-I've-got-icicles-in-my-beard-after-walking-42-seconds-to-the-car-Cold. There is something that seems very un-"cool" about this. And yes that is a - sign in front of the 4.

Vision for 2009

I really like the chorus to the Hillsong United song "Came To My Rescue."

"In my life be lifted high
In our world be lifted high
In our love be lifted high"

During 2009 I want God to be lifted high in my life. In whatever I do, I want to lift Him higher and give Him more glory.

I also want to be intentional in the way I spend my time. Time can have a tendency to slip away and by being intentional in how I choose to spend it, I feel like I'll be more effective whether that be in work, play, faith, or other areas.

Is the Government the Best Doctor for the Economy?

While I think there are some things that the government can do to assist the economy and companies through legislation, I am very much in support of a free market system. It is aggravating that financial companies, insurance companies, and now the auto industry have made business decisions which have led them to the brink of collapse and then ask for the US taxpayers to bail them out. These same companies charge high prices to the very taxpayers they are receiving a rescue package from.

By dilly dallying around and not significantly improving car quality compared to foreign cars, the big three have allowed foreign car makers to overtake them through better a better quality product. Consumers can not be expected to "buy American" if American made cars do not offer the same quality level. It is a matter of survival of the fittest. Yes, there are some good quality American made cars but in several cases the comparable foreign cars are simply better.

While I sincerely hope the American car companies can improve in quality and in their business practices, it is not right for the taxpayers to provide a rescue to them for a crisis they have brought much on themselves.

An area I do agree with the government on is the request for management changes if assistance is to be provided. A leader must take responsibility for where his or her organization is at and the current dire straits of the companies are largely the responsibility of the executives in charge.

If a parent always bails out a child whenever they get in a tough spot, it does not encourage the child to take responsibility for his or her actions. Similarly, I think that companies should be allowed to go through some tough times to encourage them to make wiser and more responsible business decisions. I sympathize with the individual employees who work for these companies that may suffer. My hope is that companies will turn things around, become competitive and prosper in the future.

One way the government can help is by working with countries that have trade embargoes and tariffs in place. By pursuing fairer market practices internationally, the worldwide economy will benefit.

From a government involvement perspective, I understand the desire to stimulate the economy but at times, it is better to let things run their course. If we compare the economy to the human body being sick, government interaction is like pumping drugs into the body to make it well again. Can it work? Sure.

At the same time, the government is not always the best doctor and does not always prescribe the right medicine. When these cash infusions, funded based on budget deficits and increasing debt loads, are pumped into the market, sometimes they help and sometimes they don't. There are also the ever present lobbyists pushing agendas and skimming precious dollars off the top that are intended to help the economy not line the pockets of lobbyists. The best medicine is a dose of thoughtful planning followed by a regimen of good business practices.

I believe the economy has the ability to heal itself if the government will stay out of the way and allow things to settle down. America's economy and business community is resilient and will bounce back in time.

What It's Like

Asking out girls is a lot like jumping off the diving board. There's the nervous anticipation where you build up the guts to do it. Then once the jump is made, the question asked, a few moments of heart pounding free fall. This followed by either sweet success or painful flop.

Brave is he who after counting the cost takes the the plunge no matter the result.

Looking in the Mirror

Do you ever look at yourself in the mirror? Really look. Not just check your appearance. What does your face say about your outlook on life? Where are you going? What is written in it? Do you stop for introspection and ask yourself who you really are? When no one's around and it's just you and the mirror do you take a moment to reflect on what you really see in yourself?

I think this can be a useful exercise in gaining a visual representation of your emotional, mental, and physical state. We can get caught up in the busyness of life and just check appearances, make sure the exterior is in place and not pause to check out the interior. Next time you look into a mirror take a moment to reflect on how you look inside. Are you all hustle and bustle or calm and collected? Does God's peace sit beneath the exterior?

The Progression from Mountain Man to Boy Wonder

So 3 years ago I began the quest on the trail of the bearded man. It began as full beard then went to goatee then back to full beard then back to goatee. Recently, the Drew Manchu was introduced followed by the 'stache with the end result of once again arriving at a state of smooth faced. Having facial hair certainly saves on time getting ready in the morning but I believe I'll try the smooth faced look for a while.

The Righteousness of God or the Anger of Man

I was reading the book of James recently and chapter 1 verses 19-20 popped out at me. The verses read, "My dear brothers, take note of this: everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires." My natural human inclination is not to take circumstances that do not seem fair and equitable in a calm and peaceful manner. It is more likely that I jump to the thought of "that's not fair" and come up with 47 reasons as to why and how the other side is wrong.

God's been showing me that while this type of reaction may be the natural one, it is not of Him. It's one of those my-own-power-and-not-His type of things. There is such a thing as a righteous and holy anger and times that are appropriate for this but so many times we experience anger that have undertones of selfishness. Whether we're right or not is not the point. Instead we should focus our reactions, words, and expressions on surrendering to Him and His view on the importance of things. Put very simply, what's eternal and what's temporary?

There are numerous examples throughout the Bible of people who got done wrong but instead of dwelling on the circumstances they chose to make the best of things and bring honor to God through their actions. Jesus, David, Job, Paul, and Daniel are prominent figures who experienced such persecution. By choosing to direct their focus on God rather than the unfair situation, they remained in communion with God and did not allow others to rob them of their ultimate joy and relationship with Him.

As I face the world and the stuff of the world, I can choose "the righteous life that God desires" or the anger of man. I'm thinking God's got the better option.

eBay

Well, I made my first sales on eBay. All told with shipping, postage, and gas spent driving to the post office, I may have netted out a profit of a few dollars. However, it did provide for a good learning experience and gave me a better idea of how to do things if I sell something in the future. I also sold a DVD on eBay's partner site Half.com.

In some ways I like Half.com better. An item can be listed indefinitely and an insertion fee is not required. With eBay the item is only listed for 1 week and you pay a minimum of $0.20 as an insertion fee plus a host of other small fees if you use gallery pictures or take advantage of other options.

When the actual sale occurs, eBay is a bit cheaper charging a commission of around 5% of the final sales price. Half.com charges around 15% so is a bit steeper from that standpoint.

Hot

The other day after filling up my gas tank, I reset the odometer settings such as MPG, total miles, total time, and average speed. I also tried resetting the temperature but was unsuccessful.

Homeward Bound and Happy Birthday

"I'm sittin' in the railway station
Got a ticket for my destination
My suitcases and guitar in hand
And every stop is neatly planned
For a poet and a one man band

Homeward bound
You know I am
Homeward bound
Home, where my thought's escaping
Home, where my music's playing
Homeward bound"
-by Simon and Garfunkel with slight modifications by Andrew Allen

I am homeward bound and will be returning to Kansas City on March 9th after 6 months (+ some change) in London and various other parts of the UK and Europe. My new project management role will be similar to that which I've been doing in London. Overall, I've really enjoyed my time here. The opportunities to experience living in another country and travel around to the many places in Europe were quite enjoyable. God definitely showed me my need for community no matter where I'm at in life. Being a lone ranger can be just that at times, lonely. As a whole, I'm very happy I took this opportunity.

We'd also like to pause for a moment and celebrate the 1st birthday of The Wisdom of Dre's home on Blogspot which occurred on February 28th. TWOD existed in a past life at http://www.xanga.com/aallen820. This is additionally the 100th edition of TWOD. We've had fun, wisdom, musings, and engaged in miscellaneous other pursuits during this time. We look forward to the future and what lies ahead in the ever after. Keep tuning in for more of the same quality programming.