Jeremy Street Dot Com

jeremystreet.tumblr.com

2011-09-14T16:58:00.001-05:00

Please note that I have moved to tumblr. Please change your bookmark to http://www.jeremystreet.tumblr.com. My jeremystreet.com domain name has also expired. Thanks

on being thankful

2010-09-14T12:56:00.001-05:00

When negativity starts to run rampant throughout your mind, stop to take notice of your blessings.

Things I am thankful for right now:

The dogs that I got to pet at the YMCA 5k.
The emails that I get from my wife
The reconnection with an old friend over music
The awesome family dinner on my dad's birthday
That Marty Estes overcame his hospital visit a while back
That my extended family has grown again
That God sees through my failures
The quesadillas at Market Street Fountain
That hockey season is almost here
The Beatles albums

Ah, feeling better already.

I Don't Know What Amazes Me More...

2010-03-30T17:17:00.000-05:00

...that Teen #1 will kick over a drink and then stand up and walk away.

or

that Teen #2 will walk in and stand in a puddle of Sprite without doing anything about it because, "hey, I didn't kick it over."

The Mayor is fed up with his tv...

2010-03-18T17:18:00.000-05:00

...and all the lies that it tells. He bought that body wash but the girls just ignored him all the same.

The Reviews Are In!

2010-03-10T23:35:00.000-06:00

See what others are saying about JeremyStreet.com!

"This is the best site on the internet, you are such a smart boy" - Jeremy's mom

"It isnt the worst site Ive ever seen" - Jeremy himself

"Stop looking at me, you are creeping me out" - lady in line at Walmart

It Aint Easy Being Green

2010-03-09T20:15:00.000-06:00

So here we are, a million cars idling in line as we wait for our emissions test. Oh The Irony.

The Mayor Prayed For Rain...

2010-03-05T20:03:00.001-06:00

...but this is ridiculous

The Mayor still subscribes to Men's Journal, Cosmo, and Vogue...

2010-02-24T21:13:00.000-06:00

...because a good man doesn't risk running out of toilet paper without having a backup plan in place.

The Mayor Is Afraid Of The Dark

2010-02-22T23:59:00.001-06:00

and is suddenly not thirsty anymore.

The Mayor Has Big Dreams

2010-02-22T23:48:00.002-06:00

...but needs help financing them.

Jeeping Through The Snowpocalypse of 2010

2010-02-12T15:16:00.000-06:00

The King Of Pop Has Me Thinking

2010-02-11T01:51:00.001-06:00

So tonight I watched Michael Jackson's This Is It.

Yes, he was eccentric and maybe he did or didn't have a whole host of personal problems. I don't care to get into all of that. All I know is that I've always loved watching the man move.

So tonight I grabbed This Is It from the redbox and settled in to catch a last glimpse of his iconic dance moves. I was also excited to get that rare peek at all the hard work that goes into creating a show of this magnatude.

I started the movie eager and excited, but by the end of the movie...

I was just so sad.

It hit me about 3/4 of the way through the movie when Michael started talking about how much he loved the Earth. The sadness wasn't about environmentalism but something else.

Michael started passionately talking about how much he loved the planet and especially trees. A pretty amazing video was made of a little girl in a rain forest. It was supposed to be played in the background while he peformed one of his songs, Ive already forgotten which one.

At one point he said something along the lines of "the Earth is sick, like it has a fever, and we can't sit around and wait for someone else to fix it, we can't wait for the government, who is the government?, it is up to each of us." He went on to say something else to the effect of "at this rate, 4 years from now irreversible damage will have been done. We have to heal the Earth and give it to our children."

And that is when the sadness came over me.

He wanted so bad to inspire people to "heal the world" and his passion for it was evident here and again at the very end of the movie. He also fully expected that 4 years from now he would be here see it happen.

And of course, he won't be.

So tonight the King of Pop has me questioning and searching, turning my life over and over in my mind.

Will I be here in 4 years? It is such a short amount of time, surely I will be. But is there any guarantee?

What am I passionate about? Am I living a passionate life?

What fears do I need to slay? Isn't my life too precious to be held captive by fear?

I should dance more.

What are the things that I want to or need to do but keep putting off? Let's not say "oh we will do that next month or next year or 4 years from now."

My very wise friend and band mate once sang to God,

"I woke up this morning, this beautiful morning, ready to meet the day..., so speak into this day, a beautiful Monday, a treasure that's perfect for me, may it be a hard lesson or obvious blessing, I'll just have to wait and see..., This is the life, what a beautiful life, it keeps getting better with time..., and the best part is while yesterday was lovely, every new day turns out to be the best day of my life, I want to be nearer to you today than I've ever been before"

and suddenly some of my joy is restored. If you could use this as inspiration, send me a message and I will see about getting this song to you.

Feast on God's grace and live the life that He has given to you.

I love you all

-Jeremy

STRAWVERINE

2010-02-02T17:21:00.001-06:00

Watch out for Strawverine! All your drinks are doomed!!!

Digital Cartoons

2010-02-02T15:40:00.000-06:00

Digi Cartoons are coming soon. You will have to hit the Paper Cartoons tab for now. My hope is to release a cartoon of some sort at least once a week depending on my schedule.

The Mayor is a volunteer fire fighter

2010-02-02T15:34:00.001-06:00

but is considering his options.

The Mayor is a vegetarian

2010-02-02T12:39:00.005-06:00

...and making new friends all the time.

My Favorite Places On The WWW

2010-02-01T12:27:00.010-06:00

Real Friends I Actually Know

Derelict Theology by Marty Estes aka Martimus Prime
Transforming Me by Marty Estes

The Adventures Of Bucksnort And His Boy by Charley Lowery

Forty Watt Rocket - Rock for the rest of us

Daydreaming In Color - Collective writings of Sean Hadley and Kenny Born

Soft Blue Hills Of Santo Domingo by Sean and Sarah Hadley

Jesus Loves Geeks because someone needs to

Thought Hoarders Anonymous - soul speak from Daisy Black

Comics, Toons, and Related Misc
The Dog House Diaries - a subtle commentary on life, love, and sandwhiches

Hockey
TSN - Like ESPN but better. The best in professional NHL coverage

The Nashville Predators - Official Team Site

The Milwaukee Admirals - Nashville's AHL affiliate

Admirals Short Shifts - Best unofficial Milwaukee Ads site on the web

HFBoards - The best hockey forum on the web

Section 303 - Preds commentary from Cellblock 303

Lets Be Friends

2010-02-01T11:52:00.008-06:00

You can find me several places on the www.

Let's be friends. Hit the links.

Let's Trade Links!

2009-09-24T23:00:00.007-05:00

So Im changing things up and when I switched blog templates I lost some info that I had put in there. If you want a link on my blog I'd be happy to trade links! Leave a comment, send me a link to your site/blog, and link up to http://www.jeremystreet.com/

also, this is Skipper, my dog-in-law:
how cute is that pup?

The Question Echoes On

2009-03-27T01:54:00.001-05:00

Jesus is the authority, and it's basically all a matter of perspective. As the heavens are higher than the earth, His ways are higher than ours.

I was reading about this great storm and how terrified these men were as they were being tossed about in their boat (Mark 4:35-40). The greatest part was that the storm that made them panic made Jesus drowsy. What put fear in their eyes put Him to sleep. What they felt was a tomb, He felt was a cradle.

Then He gets up, tells the wind and water to be still and then there is a perfect calm.

They had asked, "dont you care if we drown?!" Of course He cared, but He had a different perspective. He saw the storm as a little shower. One that He was in complete control of.
He replies, "Do you still have no faith!"

...even today the question echoes on...

Why We Have To Watch Crap Movies.

2009-03-06T10:51:00.002-06:00

[Or Why I Won't Be Seeing Watchmen]

Ladies and gentlemen. This may be seen as an oversimplification but I submit to you a simple tenet: if we keep going to the movie theaters in droves to watch crap movies, thus making crap movie producing people rich, we will do nothing but perpetuate the crap movie market.

If you are happy with the steady stream of flicks that appeal to the baser undersides of our human nature, then feel free to disregard this post. As for me, I feel like I'm being made a fool of everytime I see how much money some of these movies yank out of our pockets. We easily shell out $10 at a time for the sake of 2 hours in front of the silver screen all the while being happily deluded.

My case in point is G4TV's review of Watchmen. This paragraph sums things up the best:

If there is one weakness in the cast, it’s the performance of Malin Akerman as Silk Spectre. Akerman’s performance sums up the entire movie -- great to look at, but hollow. Granted, I don’t think she was given great material to work with as her character’s dialogue seemed flat. However, she didn’t do anything with what she was given, especially considering that her relationship with Doctor Manhattan is central to the emotional core of the film. She’s undeniably hot, however, and you get to see her naked.

The paragraph that stands out the most to me from pluggedinonline.com's review was this:

An old-school female superhero kisses another woman. The two are later found dead in bed together, the words "lesbian whores" scrawled in blood across the walls. A male superhero is a sadist. A villain is said to be a masochist who follows superheroes around, begging to be beaten.

That's the tame stuff. Watchmen put the "graphic" in "graphic novel" when it was released piecemeal in 1986 and '87. It's as bloody a comic book as you'll likely see, and it, as Slate reports, "helped kick off a decadent death spiral that would see adolescent violence peddled as adult content full of rape, murder and corpse-burning."

We are stooges and the blockbuster makers know how to take advantage of us accordingly. Although, it isn't really taking advantage if we blindly and willingly follow, movie in and movie out. I guess that is what has me thinking the most right now.

G4's Full Watchmen Review
Plugged In Online's Full Review

I highly recommend bookmarking http://www.pluggedinonline.com/ This site reviews popular movies and breaks them down into content levels. They will let you know plot direction, violent content, sexual content, spiritual content, language, and more. The reviews are balanced and well written. I can't begin to describe how much I've been saved by not going out to see things that would violate my personal ethics and how much money I've saved by not going out and seeing crap movies that would needlessly violate my wallet. Check it out and I think that you too will find it to be a useful oar as you glide across the sea of entertainment.

Happy New Years

2009-01-01T08:18:00.001-06:00

James Agate
New Year's Resolution: To tolerate fools more gladly, provided this does not encourage them to take up more of my time.

Bill Vaughan
An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.

Charles Lamb
New Year's Day is every man's birthday

G. K. Chesterton
The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul and a new nose; new feet, a new backbone, new ears, and new eyes. Unless a particular man made New Year resolutions, he would make no resolutions. Unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective. Unless a man starts on the strange assumption that he has never existed before, it is quite certain that he will never exist afterwards. Unless a man be born again, he shall by no means enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

and my annual favorite from Mark Twain:

New Year's Day--Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual. Yesterday, everybody smoked his last cigar, took his last drink, and swore his last oath. Today, we are a pious and exemplary community. Thirty days from now, we shall have cast our reformation to the winds and gone to cutting our ancient shortcomings considerably shorter than ever.

We shall also reflect pleasantly upon how we did the same old thing last year about this time. However, go in, community. New Year's is a harmless annual institution, of no particular use to anybody save as a scapegoat for promiscuous drunks, and friendly calls, and humbug resolutions, and we wish you to enjoy it with a looseness suited to the greatness of the occasion.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-22T14:42:00.001-06:00

Luke 2:1-20

The Birth of Jesus 1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to his own town to register.

4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels 8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

The Religion Of Homer Simpson. Prayer And Magic.

2008-12-21T15:13:00.002-06:00

taken from The Gospel According To The Simpsons by Mark I. Pinsky

"In Homer, we find still another form of Protestant Christianity. He is one of the best examples of what sociologists call folk religion. He is the kind of religious person who goes to church regularly, but is in reality more into a religio-magic belief system than anything that resembles biblical Christianity.

For Homer, God is like a parachute that he hopes he never has to use, but He wants God to be there, just in case. When Homer is in deep trouble he turns to God and begs for miracles, but when miracles do happen, they do not make him into a man of faith or deep moral convictions. Once a crisis has passed, Homer's thinking about God is over. God, for him, is somebody you bargain with in times of trouble, making all kinds of promises to change which are never lived out, if God will just deliver on a needed miracle.

The anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski, in his book Magic, Religion, and Science, explains some key differences between religion and magic. Magic, he says, is an attempt to manipulate spiritual forces so that the supplicant gets what he or she wants, whereas in pure religion the individual surrenders to spiritual forces so that those forces [God] can do through him or her what those forces desire. Given these definitions, Homer is certainly into magic rather than religion.

Do not go too hard on Homer Simpson because more people in our churches are where he is than any of us in the mainline denominations want to acknowledge. If you ask probing questions, you will quickly learn that most church members are into some form of religio-magic Christianity. For instance, I remember my Sunday School teacher telling me that when I was a boy that, if I wanted my prayers to be answered, I had to be sure that I ended them with the right words - "In Jesus' name, Amen." Without that magic formula I was told I would be unlikely to get my desired results. My teacher led me to believe in a petty God who could look down on people begging for help and say, "I really would love to meet your needs but you didn't give the proper ending." God, for Homer, is a great Santa Claus in the sky who gives people what they want if they just remember to state things with the proper incantation.

Prayer, for Homer, is not a time of intimate communication with God. Instead, it is something you do when you can't get what you want on your own.

Church, for Homer, has nothing to do with worship. Its value lies in the fact that it teaches moral lessons to his children. Homer wants his children in church every Sunday, not so much to express gratitude to God for the blessings of life, but to receive lectures on what is right and wrong. He believes, as do most people who are into the folk religion of our society, that those who learn from these moral lectures and do what is right will go to heaven, and that those others who on Judgement Day discover that the bad they have done outweighs the good, will go to hell."

I have 2 thoughts:

1. Homer Simpson is ridiculous
2. I am too much like Homer Simpson

Sometimes Life Is Like This

2008-11-23T21:27:00.002-06:00

You get to go see your favorite band. But you have to stand behind the guy with the big fro and you kinda wish you had just stayed home. Sometimes life is like that.

Atheist Christmas Ads

2008-11-20T10:45:00.001-06:00

Atheism is looking more and more like organized religion, which is both interesting and absurd. This is the second article this week that I've seen about atheist who are organizing and trying to promote or spread their message in one way or another.

Usa Today reports that ads saying, “Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness’ sake,” will appear on Washington, D.C., buses starting next week, sponsored by The American Humanist Association.

Action Figure Paintings

2008-11-18T18:27:00.002-06:00

If you were a boy growing up in the 80's then you absolutely must go see Robert Burden's paintings. His site is HERE.

I especially recommend the Voltron and the Battle Cat.

Alpine Hero. I Can See My House From Here.

2008-11-11T17:19:00.002-06:00

I climbed a 55 foot alpine tower today and now I feel awesome.

If you are in Nashville, go to the YMCA's Camp Widjiwagan and climb that thing as soon as possible. You will feel like Spiderman, James Bond, Indiana Jones, and your favorite athlete all at the same time.

I'm Not An Eco-Freak, Really!

2008-10-29T22:21:00.001-05:00

Ok, so maybe I am a little bit, but not like Al Gore or anything...

Anyway, I thought this was interesting and worth passing on:

You can help to educate people who you see tossing trash from a vehicle or something falling from an unsecured truck load by reporting the following information online at http://www.stoplitter.org/ .

Provide the following information: License plate number (Tennessee plates only), Type and make of the vehicle, Day and time the incident occurred, Location where the incident occurred , and the type of item tossed or blown from the vehicle

The owner of the vehicle will receive a letter from the State of TN informing them that a concerned citizen (does not give your name) reported them littering. The letter informs him/her the law that was broken, the cost of the fine if caught by an officer and the harm the litter does to our environment and communities.

Obey Your Media: Obama trumps sexy woman

2008-10-24T13:00:00.001-05:00

So we are less than 2 weeks away from the big Presidential Election and I've been hearing a lot of conservatives complain about liberal media ripping McCain apart while putting Obama on a cushy pedestal. Quite frankly I got a little tired of hearing this over and over.

But then I went to Walmart today and something really stood out to me as I was walking down the magazine aisle. At least 7 different magazines had Obama's face plastered across the cover. Everywhere I looked, Obama was staring back at me. He was on the cover of everything from Rolling Stone to magazines about Entrepreneurship to men's interest and everything in between.

Obama had taken the place of the rock star and the sexy woman on these magazine covers. It should be noted that not a single magazine cover on the whole wall sported McCain's mug.

This in itself is amazing and enough to think about. However, I don't mean this to be overly political.

What really has me thinking the most is the question of who controls the media exactly? When you read as much as I do, listen to as much music as I do, watch tv and movies, and go to hockey games or other sporting events, you are bombarded with messages, advertisements, etc. Literally millions and maybe billions of suggestions per week subtly flirting with my conscious.

Am I even thinking for myself anymore? Are we really making our own decisions here? So many questions...

--------------------------------------------
follow up:

I was talking with some of my teens today about the election and they were all talking about how great Obama is. One particular part of the conversation went like this:

teen: Sarah Palin is so stupid. It would be awful if she became President. She is always saying dumb stuff.

me: So you would be cool with Joe Biden as the next President?

teen: Who? I don't know who that is.

This is what happens when your ideals are shaped by the cast of Saturday Night Live.

Follow Up To The Qu'ran Recall

2008-10-22T09:29:00.001-05:00

G4tv.com reports "it looks like Sony might have been trying to avoid a backlash that never would have come. What do you think: Is it better to be safe than sorry? Or should Sony have just ridden out any potential backlash?"

The report includes this interesting quote:

"M. Zuhdi Jasser, M.D., head of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, said:
Muslims cannot benefit from freedom of expression and religion and then turn around and ask that anytime their sensibilities are offended that the freedom of others be restricted... The free market allows for expression of disfavor by simply not purchasing a game that may be offensive..."

_________________________
The conversations taking place in the 'comments' section are interesting and worth taking a few minutes to read through.

Qua'ran Quote Causes Worldwide Recall

2008-10-17T11:57:00.001-05:00

g4tv.com reports that Sony is recalling PlayStation 3 platformer LittleBigPlanet across the actual planet. The reason for the recall:

"During the review process prior to the release of LittleBigPlanet, it has been brought to our attention that one of the background music tracks licensed from a record label for use in the game contains two expressions that can be found in the Qur'an. We have taken immediate action to rectify this and we sincerely apologise for any offense that this may have caused." Sony said in a short statement.

------------------
Wow, watch this major corporation jump to it in an effort not to upset the Muslim community. Is this respect, fear, tolerance, or something else?

The question that I found myself asking was, "would we take half of these measures to show tolerance or respect for Christian teachings?" And why or why not?

Cherepanov Dies At Age 19

2008-10-13T16:28:00.001-05:00

New York Rangers first round selection and a top prospect died today when he collapsed on the bench during a hockey game. He was only 19. The TSN report is HERE

My friends, life is short and precious. This young man who was in top athletic condition shows us that none of us know when our time will come. My sympathies are with his family.

Trust God. Make peace with yourself. Love your friends and family. Heck, even love your enemies and complete strangers. Live.

Lord, Save Us From Your Followers [pt 2]

2008-10-09T08:17:00.001-05:00

Lord Save Us From Your Followers by Dan Merchant

If I were to sit down for tea with Jesus, I would not feel comfortable saying, "Hey Lord, this whole love one another thing isn't working out for me."

"You mean, my new commandment?" Jesus smiled.

"Yeah dude. That one is super hard. Besides, there were already the ten commandments; did we really need a new one?" I'd protest.

" I was thinking this one wrapped them all together," The Savior would reply between sips of tea.

"Yeah, I don't know, with the ten I could sort of pick and choose and fell good that I obeyed, like seven or eight, which out of ten is pretty good." I wasn't going down easy.

" I'm afraid you may be missing the point," He reached across the table and put a gentle hand on my shoulder. "The ten are for you, gifts to remove the burden from your journey; the new commandment is the journey. If you want to show me that you love me and you love your Heavenly Father, show me by loving my people."

I'd nod and smile, trying to comprehend what He was saying. Then I'd accidentally spill my tea all over my lapin order to change the subject.

-----------------

"If we love somebody, we go out of our way to learn the best of who they are. And when you caricature someone you're saying, "I don't care enough to actually know you." - Tony The Beat Poet.

eyes that ruin

2008-10-07T11:51:00.001-05:00

"The eyes of other people are the eyes that ruin us. If all but myself were blind, I should want neither fine clothes, fine houses, nor fine furniture."
-Benjamin Franklin

Lord, Save Us From Your Followers [pt1]

2008-10-04T21:16:00.001-05:00

Lord, Save Us From Your Followers by Dan Merchant

"I wasn't able to ignore Dr. James Dobson when he claimed that gay marriage could mark the end of Western civilization, that polygamy and men marrying dogs would come next. I wonder if the 'slippery slope' analogy is where Jesus would go with that complicated legal issue.

I also wondered if Jesus would care about the end of Western civilization. And by Western civilization, I mean our American privilege, our comfort, my cozy do what ever I want, buy whatever I want life. I know Jesus cares about each and every heart, but many empires have risen and fallen since Jesus walked the earth. I can't imagine protecting our castle is what Jesus had in mind.

But Dr. Dobson has written a couple of excellent books on raising children that were helpful to my wife and me in raising our boys. Through the years, Ive spent many hours listening to his radio program on topics like family dynamics and have been truly blessed by those shows.

Again, there's the rub. I'm not going to sign on with Dobson on his Culture Wars Cruise through America, and I'm concerned that too much preaching to the choir will alienate those we are called to love and share. I don't know what to do with this dichotomy, but the queasy feeling in my stomach isn't going away."

"Are we trying to fit Jesus into what we're doing as people, as a country? Or are we trying to fit into what Jesus is doing?"

Modeling Disrespect

2008-10-01T21:09:00.002-05:00

So yesterday I am sitting at my desk working on my computer. One of my teenagers walks into my office, comes behind my desk, and leans over me to look at the computer monitor as if I'm not even sitting there working.

He says, "What are you doing in here?"

I say, "Excuse me, you are all over my personal space and I'm kinda in the middle fo something here."

He says, "My mom pays $40 a monthe for my membership [which is not true] and I can be wherever I want to be."

I says, "You are mistaken, your mom pays a membership so that you can enjoy the Teen Center, not so that you can come into my office and be in my business back here."

He then starts going through one of my cabinets.

I say, "Excuse me, what do you think you are doing? I made it clear that I don't want you back here going through my stuff."

He then proceeds to turn around and open my mini fridge in case there is anything that he feels like helping himself to.

Without losing my cool, but feeling like that is the path that I am speeding down, I stand up and say, "What do you not understand about this office and everything in it being off limits?

and this is what he says to me, "You aren't going to wear me down, I have a teacher who talks back to the principal."

That's it. That's what he said to me. That was his answer.

He looked at me and literally said, " I have an authority figure in my life who set a horrible example for me by being disrespectful to authority and I'm going to run with it. She doesn't have to honor limits, rules, or authority and I'm not going to either." [my paraphrase of course]

Our example screams volumes.

St Francis of Assisi said, "there is no use in us walking somewhere to preach if our walking is not our preaching."

If It Isn't On Youtube, It Didn't Happen

2008-09-27T23:52:00.002-05:00

I've started to share some videos with the world. Enjoy them HERE

Wrestling With Angels

2008-09-20T12:44:00.001-05:00

Today I give you things that really stood out to me, made me think, challenged me, etc from Wrestling With Angels: Adventures in Faith and Doubt by Carolyn Arends. Compliments of my good buddy Storm, by the way.

referring to God's people in the Old Testament:
"They dream big, the fall far, they learn the hard way that God is larger than they are and they can't out-sin His grace (try as they might)."

"Imagine that. God names not just Jacob, but His people, His nation, His church: Israel. God wrestlers...So much of my struggle has been about the struggle itself, feeling that faith should be easier, that encountering God should be a walk in the garden, not ten rounds in the ring. I've always known I was supposed to be a God believer, a God follower, a God lover, even a God pro claimer, But I did not know I could be - should be - a God wrestler."

"All the grandiose and mundane and silly things that happen to us, the wonderful little epiphanies and the ugly little thoughts that cross our minds and change our hearts, the times when nothing much seems to happen at all except that we are sitting around becoming who we are - it all matters. And so, when we gather around campfires and kitchen tables and begin, "Have I ever told you about the time..." we engage in a profoundly human activity. We acknowledge our connection to each other. We learn to listen to the meaning encoded in the happenings of our lives."

"I can't help but think that all the realists who keep insisting that life is no walk in the park, have just never found the right park."

"Prayer is the point of access, the place where the finite and the infinite intersect and converse. To pray is to enter at least a little way into the Mystery, or - and this is even more dangerous - to invite the Mystery to come to you."

"Like flowers breaking through the sidewalk cement, our souls endure under the greatest adversity - Forget-Me-Nots stubbornly blooming even in the cracks of our brokenness."

and some quotes:
"Every happening, great or small, is a parable whereby God speaks to us, and the art of life is to get the message." - Malcolm Muggeridge

"My idea of God us not a Divine Idea. It has to be shattered time after time. He shatters it Himself. he is the great iconoclast. Could we not almost say that this shattering is one of the marks of Hos presence?" - CS Lewis

Flashbang. How I Got Over Myself

2008-09-16T20:51:00.001-05:00

These thoughts are from Flashbang: How I Got Over Myself by Mark Steele.

"I must swallow my pride.
Forget what I believe I deserve.
And get over myself.
Resist the world's freedoms.
Embrace God's parameters.
Allow myself to be accountable and restricted.
Choose to go without every little thing I want.
Strengthen my character.
Determine where I am incorrect.
Humble myself.
Stop manipulating God's way to look like my preferences
and choose His plan-His way- for every detail.

If I can just deal with life and allow God to use those dealings
to transform me into the right person-the explosive person,
the person with gun powder in my veins-
then the noise I make will be worth hearing.
The fire that is seen in my life will scorch the room.
The substance of my life will pierce the hearts of those around me.
And where I stand, I will always leave a mark."

"It should take a sacrifice on many levels to accomplish God's task because this task is supposed to change me, and change does not occur where circumstances are predictable and comfortable."

"recently I did the [read the Bible through in a year] plan

Impressive. How long did it take you?

2 years, 8 months

Forget what I said about impressive

I was looking for the common theme that connected all the books together because I've always been a little nonplussed by the genealogy chapters where they list 367 unpronounceable names in one sitting

you don't enjoy those?

Not a big fan. No.

So, did you come up with anything?

In fact- I did.

And?

Every book of the Bible doe have on central theme in common, and it was a vastly important lesson for me.

The tension is mounting.

Never forget God.

Okay, Now, I'm intrigued.

Well think about it. Why would those genealogies be there in the first place? It means that history is extremely important to God. How we got to where we are-how we learned what we learned-and how God made it all happen. God gets the people in the Bible out of scrape after scrape and tragedy after tragedy because- let's face it- a lot of those guys made some pretty bad choices.
But the grandest mistake of all is that after God would help them, rescue them, or change them, they would have a tendency to eventually forget. So God appears as fire and smoke to remind them. he has them build a tabernacle. He sends tablets of stone down from the mountain. He puts a ram in a bush and a star in the east and a rainbow in the sky and a child in an animal trough and sends prophets and psalmists and judges and angels and dreams and goes to the great lengths necessary so that we are constantly reminded that He loves us and does not want us to FORGET that He loves us because when we forget that he loves us- bad things happen.

why do bad things happen?

Because when we forget that He is God, we have a tendency to believe that we are.

oh.

Why Pro-Life: Caring for the Unborn and Their Mothers

2008-09-10T22:19:00.001-05:00

I just finished Why Pro-Life: Caring for the Unborn and Their Mothers by Randy Alcorn. I'm inspired, burdened, enlightened, confused, happy, sick to my stomach, and about a half a million other emotions.

Why Pro-Life

I could make a million posts on each chapter from this book, but I think I will just throw a few tidbits out there that I found really interesting, challenging, or thought-provoking.

"...every argument that appeals to a mother's inconvenience, stress, and financial hardship can be made just as persuasively about her 12-year-old, her husband, or her parents."

"...all of this happens in the first trimester, the first 3 months of life. In the remaining 6 months in the womb nothing new develops or begins functioning. The fully intact child only grows and matures- unless her life is lost by miscarriage or taken through abortion.

It's an indisputable scientific fact that each surgical abortion in America stops a beating heart and stops already measurable brainwaves. What do we call it when a person no longer has a heartbeat or brain waves? Death. What should we call it when there is a heartbeat and there are brain waves? Life. Every abortion ends a human life."

Is The Unborn Part Of The Woman's Body

"A body part is defined by the common genetic code it shares with the rest of its body. Every cell of the mother's tonsils, appendix, heart, and lungs shares the same genetic code. The unborn child also has a genetic code, but it is distinctly different from his mother's. Every cell of his body is uniquely his, each different from every cell of his mother's body. Often the blood type is different, and half the time it's gender is different."

Women's Rights

"In their publication The American Feminist, Feminist For Life features the beautiful face of a child and asks, "Is this the face of the enemy?" They argue that they stand on 200 years of pro-life feminist history, and that it wasn't until the 1970's that the women's movement embraced abortion...

...It's ironic that abortion has been turned into a women's rights issue when it has encouraged male irresponsibility and failure to care for the women and children.

...One of the ironies of feminism is that by its advocacy of abortion it has endorsed the single greatest means of robbing women of their most basic right-the right to life. Abortion has become the primary means of eliminating unwanted females across the globe.

The Right To Choose

"There are many things you are not pro-choice about-including whether someone has the right to choose to assault you, rob you, break into your house, steal your car, or cheat you in a business deal. It's self evident that people have the freedom to make these choices, but that doesn't mean they have the right to make them.

Does Abortion Harm a Woman's Health

"I read a newspaper editorial arguing that abortion is just another surgery, no different from a root canal or an appendectomy. But why don't people remember the anniversary of their appendectomy twenty years later? Why don't they find themselves weeping uncontrollably, grieving the loss of their appendix? And where are all the support groups and counseling for those who've had root canals?"

Does Abortion Prevent Child Abuse

"The argument that aborting a child prevents child abuse is true only in the same sense that killing a wife prevents wife abuse. Dead people can no longer be abused...but preventing their abuse by killing them is convoluted logic.

...Studies indicate that child abuse is more frequent among mothers who have previously had an abortion. Dr. Phillip Ney's studies indicate that this is partially due to the guilt and depression caused by abortion, which hinders the mother's ability to bond with future children."

What About Adoption

"Do women really want abortions? Frederica Matthewes-Green, past president of Feminists For Life, says, "No one wants an abortion as she wants an ice cream cone or a Porsche. She wants an abortion as an animal, caught in a trap, wants to gnaw off it's own leg. Abortion is a tragic attempt to escape a desperate situation by an act of violence and self-loss.

...The National Council for Adoption estimates 1.3 million couples are waiting to adopt a child. Yet each year, while 1.3 million children are being killed by abortion, less then 50,000 new children are made available for adoption. This means that for every new adoptable child, thirty others are killed. For every couple that adopts, another 40 wait in line."

Before I Die...

2008-09-02T12:04:00.001-05:00

I stumbled upon an interesting site called Before I Die I Want To.... The idea is simple, people take a picture of themselfe and they write something that they want to accomplish before they die.

The idea sounds interesting, but it really isn't. After scrolling through about 20 pictures you get the idea that all anybody wants to do is travel a little and then call it a life. I find this very strange but I'm not sure why. Wanting to travel is a legitimate desire. Heck, I'd like to travel back down to Florida instead of going to work today.

But is that really the ultimate? I'm trying to decide how I would feel on my deathbed if I could say, "well at least I traveled around a little bit." This answer isn't satisfying me, I guess I just can't believe that this is the overwhelming response on this website.

hmm...

before I die, I want to...

Back From The Sunshine State

2008-09-01T13:40:00.002-05:00

Back at work after an excellent vacation. I will post more on that with some pictures later. Hope everyone is enjoying their Labor Day Holiday. I'm on limited time so I'm just leaving you with 2 quotes for today.

"Twixt optimist and pessimist
The difference is droll
The optimist sees the doughnut
The pessimist sees the hole"
-McLandburgh Wilson

""Friendship with oneself is all-important, because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world." - Eleanor Roosevelt

You Better Not Pout, You Better Not Cry

2008-08-17T14:07:00.001-05:00

So the deal with Santa Claus is that he can see you. He sees when you are sleeping and when you are awake, he knows when you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake.

So Santa is watching all the time, taking notes on the good things and especially the bad things that you have done so he can decide whether or not to reward you with a present on Christmas. This is all fine and well if you are a parent trying anything you can to keep your young one in line. But what happens when we grow into adulthood and these ideas linger in the recesses of our minds?

Just this summer I overheard one of my teenagers here at the YMCA say, "religion is just something that people make up to scare you into acting right."

I have to admit, I've pondered the idea of an all knowing, all seeing God and walked away with uneasiness in my gut. Usually, because I know that I have plenty that I'd rather keep hidden than bring out into the light for anyone to see.

However I've recently come across a quote by A.W. Tozer that sheds light on how God's ever present eye works in our favor, not against us.

"How unutterably sweet is the knowledge that our Heavenly Father knows us completely. No talebearer can inform on us; no enemy can make an accusation stick; no forgotten skeleton can come tumbling out of some hidden closet to abash us and expose our past; no unsuspected weakness in our characters can come to light to turn God away from us, since He knew us utterably before we knew Him and called us to Himself in the full knowledge of everything that was against us."

As the Bible states, There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. -1 John 4:18-19

More Messy Spirituality

2008-08-13T20:22:00.001-05:00

part 2

"I want to lurch forward to Jesus, where the unwelcome receive welcome and the unqualified get qualified.I want to hear Jesus tell me I can dance when everyone else says I can't. I want to hear Jesus walk over and whisper to this handicapped, messy Christian, "Do you want to dance?" " - M. Yaconelli

Supporting Quotes:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you." - Nelson Mandela

"No punishment anyone might inflict on them could possibly be worse than the punishment they inflict on themselves by conspiring in their own diminishment." -Parker Palmer Let Your Life Speak

Messy Spirituality by Michael Yaconelli

2008-08-01T14:33:00.001-05:00

So Ive figured out what I am going to do with this thread. Instead of my own musings, I am going to pass off some of my favorite passages from the books that I'm reading. Ive been reading like crazy lately and I'm coming across some really good stuff. Currently I'm reading Messy Spirituality.

"What landed Jesus on the cross was the preposterous idea that common, ordinary, broken, screwed up people could be godly. What drove Jesus' enemies crazy were his criticisms of the "perfect" religious people and his acceptance of the imperfect nonreligious people. The shocking implication of Jesus' ministry is that anyone can be spiritual.

Scandalous? maybe.

Maybe truth is scandalous. Maybe the scandal is that all of us are in some condition of not-togetherness, even those of us who are trying to be godly. Maybe we're all a mess, not only sinful messy but inconsistent messy, up-and-down messy, in-and-out messy, now-I-believe-now-I-don't-believe messy, I-get-it-now-I-don't-get-it messy, I-understand-uh-now-I-don't-understand messy...

...Accepting the reality of our broken flawed lives is the beginning of spirituality not because the spiritual life will remove our flaws but because we let go of seeking perfection and, instead, seek God, the one who is present in the tangeldness of our lives. Spirituality is not about being fixed; it is about God's being present in the mess of our unfixedness."

In Real Life

2008-05-15T17:18:00.001-05:00

Do you ever find yourself standing in the bathroom looking at the towels and thinking, "those are ugly towels. Whoever picked those out shouldnt be allowed to make decisions." And then you remember that you were the one who picked them out?

What do you do with that? And yes, the towel is a metaphor, I just dont know what it represents yet.

So last night I watched Dan In Real Life. The cover said that it was "blissfully funny" or something like that. I dont know if Id even call it a comedy. The family dynamic in the movie really has me thinking.

Anyway, the music was done by Sondre Lerche and that is the part that I enjoyed the most.

What Ive Learned

2008-05-14T12:13:00.002-05:00

So Im reading the Jan 08 edition of Esquire magazine and I stumble across an article called "What Ive Learned." There are interviews from actors, athletes, musicians, movie directors, comedians, etc. Some of their responses have had me thinking today.

Johnny Depp, “I don’t think anybody’s necessarily ready for death. You can only hope that when it approaches, you feel like you’ve said what you wanted to say. Nobody wants to go out mid-sentence.

Ray Charles, “Nowadays they say you need to get a special chip to put in the TV so the kids cant watch this and that. In my day, we didn’t need that. My mom was the chip. End of story.

Muhammad Ali, “What you are thinking about, you are becoming”

Carrie Fisher, "Resentment is like drinking poison and then waiting for the other person to die.”

Rodney Dangerfield, “What good is being the best, if it brings out the worst in you?”

Vonnegut said the existence of music is proof of the existence of God. Don’t agree? Go see Springsteen on a Saturday night and go to church on Sunday morning, and then tell me which event made you feel more alive.” –Timothy McGann

Willie Nelson, “Cruelty is all out of ignorance. If you knew what was in store for you, you wouldn’t hurt anybody, because whatever you do comes back much more forceful than you send it out.”

Any thoughts?

I Want My Opryland Back

2008-04-24T16:26:00.001-05:00

I had the most amazing lunch with a man that works here at the YMCA. I found out that he used to do shows at Opryland. He also confirmed that the park was indeed as fantastic as I remember it, that it wasn't getting run down, and that it wasn't losing money.

From his first hand accounts and other sources that I have pulled together I have learned:

1. Some management was handed down through the family to a man who wasnt interested in running a carnival so he made plans to bulldoze the park in favor of a business venture that would become known as Opry Mills. The public believed they were getting a Mall Of America type attraction, an indoor Opryland USA. We ended up getting a mega retail outlet that didnt live up to the hype. It isnt the money maker that it was expected to be and the owner cut out after a year and a half. The Opry name is only licensed to the mall.

2. Many of the rides were sold to Premier Parks, a buyout happened through Six Flags, and the Opryland attractions ended up rusting in a field in Indiana. A few rides resurfaced in other parks, some trains were auctioned off, and the rest was sold for scrap metal. Yes, that is right, some of my fondest childhood memories were sold for scrap metal after wasting away in an Indiana field.

3. A few years ago, there was interest in building a new park, more land was needed, Two Rivers Baptist Church refused to sell the land that was needed.

4. The track from the Grizzly River Rampage can still be seen and is the only visible remnant left from the park, however, there are plans to expand the hotel and it too will be demolished.

We sat at lunch the other day and talked about the rides, the shows, the good times. I'll admit that I am a man who has spent a good deal of time running from his past and specifically his childhood, but I was ready to go back in time, jump into the green station wagon with my family, and head to Opryland. I have such fond memories that I literally feel like crying when I think about it long enough. I can vividly see each member of my family's face on those rides and in that atmosphere. What a great time that was.

And now it is...a mall.....a land of dreams dozed for a dollar...

Ive been thinking about this nonstopfor a few days now. Im still researching and fact checking. If you have any corrections, news, or stories to share please contact me.

I suggest that everyone go to Youtube and search for Opryland rides.
Also check out the Opryland Wikipedia Page and Thrillhunter.com for a nostalgic trip to the park and "where are they now" ride info.

long live mitch

2008-04-10T19:53:00.001-05:00

I think pickles are cucumbers that sold out.

They sold their soul to the devil.

and the devil is dill.

-Mitch Hedberg

Church: One Size Doesn't Fit All

2008-04-03T11:10:00.002-05:00

So I stumbled upon a very interesting blog called Once A Youth Pastor. It was started by a man who is still commited to ministering to teens but has left his church work to do so, which happens to be the exact same mission that I embarked upon last year.

Tuesday he posted:

A few weeks ago a reader left this comment:
"What I feel Jesus leading me to do in youth ministry and what my church expects me to do in youth ministry are often quite different. My church expects the T-shirts and the hundreds of kids laughing and playing and having a good time. Oh yeah, and then they want those same kids to show up for "real" church. My team and I feel Jesus calling us to a much quieter, more "insignificant" (as far as numbers) existence that allows students to question, struggle, doubt and grow in their faith at their own pace - something much more lasting than the emotional high of a bait-and-switch
event.”

I have a young youth pastor friend who faced a similar dilemma. He
recently resigned from his first youth ministry position because his pastor (aformer youth pastor himself) wanted the high-profile, event-driven, bells-and-whistles youth ministry mentioned above.Walking away is an option.
But is it the best (or only) option?

I think this happens more than we will ever know. why do we run church like a business, trying to fit every ministry into this mold? What will it take for us to be open to the idea that just maybe God wants us to really build a life long sustaining faith in the lives of 3 teens over planning blow out events that bring in 50 teens but reach none?

Am I being clear as mud here? thoughts?

Adolescence And The Power Of Play

2008-01-30T22:35:00.001-06:00

My professional life as a youth minister and more recently here at the YMCA has been devoted to serving, growing, and leading teens. Teens are a special calling, a special cross section of our population, a special challenge, and a special reward. I know that many of you out there are commited to the same duty and I commend you for that. You will probably never know the impact that you have had on these young lives until you reach the other side of eternity. I also know that many of you would rather get poked in the eye with a hot stick than work with young people. That is ok too, as long as you are loving on and supporting those of us who are in the teen trenches.

My focus today is Adolescence and some information that I gleaned from the September/October 2007 issue of Youthworker Journal. [yeah I’m way behind on my magazines]

The magazine paints this picture of adolescence:

Adolescence is that difficult but all important in-between time that is supposed to help transform children into adults.

Along the way, young people experience rapid and sometimes radical change in their bodies, minds, and hearts. They become more independant from parents and sometimes fight with parents. They create new social networks. They devlop more individualized interest in pop culture. They begin to question the vaules and beliefs that they have received. They experience and sometimes experiment with their sexuality. And they try on a number of identities until they find one that seems to fit.

When all goes well, young people emerge from this turbulent period with a solid sense of who they are and what makes them unique and valuable. But for others, he problems experienced now can signal the beginning of a long and difficult journey.

Like I said, teens are a special calling. They need a navigator, a friend, a support system, a moral compass, and a mentor. I say this again just to say thanks to all of you who are striving to be these things and more for our youth. Anyway, back to the main idea.

To those who do not truly understand the dynamic between teens and youth workers, success is a masterfully drawn out program. The rest of us realize that the triumph lies in the relationship, not the program. We will let that be our best kept secret for the time being.

David Elkind is a man who understands the folly of overprogramming our children and teens. He has written a book called The Power of Play. In an interview with Ron Jackson of the Youthworker Journal he answers the question “Over the past two decades, children have lost twelve hours of free time a week, including eight hours of unstructured free play and outdoor activities. Why is play so important, and how can we reclaim this unstructured time?”

Some excerpts from his answer include:
"Play is our creative impulse, our need to adapt our world to ourselves; and we all need to do that. "

"Another function of play is to create new learning experiences. Children play, and they create new experiences they could not have in any other way. When preschool children play, they are learning about taking turns; but they are also learning about whether they are a leader or a follower, whether they are fast or slow, whether they are athletic or not. They are learning alot about themselves through self-created experiences in play. "

"…Through their own play adolescence also create thier own learning experiences. Even when the experiences are negative - for example, when they are being teased…play is always the creation of new experiences through activities. There are many things that children and adolescence can never learn unless they themselves are involved in the creation of those activities. "

"This is why self created activities are so important. This is also why children who are overprogrammed - so busy in one organized acitivity after another - don’t have time to engage and create those new rules. "

Elkind goes on to explain that one of the reasons we see bullying in schools is that young people have not had enough self-created experiences to develop the social skills to relate to one another. he points to binge drinking in college as resulting from the same phenomenon stating, “These kids have not had enough learning experiences with each other to know how to relate socially with one another.”

He wraps up his interview by saying:
"It is a healthy need and an important need. It can be abused and misused, but so can love and work. Play is an essential part of what it means to be a human being. and to the extent that we eliminate it is to the extent that we become more narrow people. "

So don’t take my humble word, listen to the voice of David Elkind, child pyshcologist. I’m not saying we need to do away with all of our precious programming, but what I am saying is let the teens play. Give them some unstructured time to relax, to grow, to enjoy being with each other. You may be doing more for them than you realize.

And while you are at it, meet up with a friend, grab your wife by the hand, or call for your dog and get out there and do a little playing yourself! It just might lead to a happier, healthier you.

And now you know what I know,
Jeremy

Planting Grass And Feeding The Listeners

2008-01-30T22:33:00.001-06:00

If you are a leader, a minister, mentor, or anyone who works with people:

Go directly to Itunes and subscribe to the Catalyst podcast. Download Episode 5 entitled Catalyst TV :: Francis Chan. The clip is only 6 minutes long and it will give you direction and plenty to think about as you go throughout your weekend.

Chan speaks candidly on why he almost walked away from the booming church that he started and ultimately why he is heading in his new direction. This man has caught a vision that we should all have as leaders.

You can also download the Catalyst Podcast from catalystspace.com or you can follow this link.
Go do it right now! Especially if you work in ministry.

Are You Rich Or Poor?

2008-01-30T22:32:00.001-06:00

“Content makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor”
-Ben Franklin

Praise Quotes

2008-01-30T22:30:00.001-06:00

Insults should be written in the sand, and praises carved in stone.
~ Proverb

I can live for two months on a good compliment.
~ Mark Twain

I have yet to find the man, however exalted his station, who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than under a spirit of criticism.
~ Charles M. Schwab

Blind Spots In Leadership

2008-01-30T22:22:00.001-06:00

The following is an excerpt from John Maxwell’s e-newsletter that is available for free at maximumimpact.com, I recommend him for any of you leaders out there.

The Blind Spot By Dr. John C. Maxwell

After World War II, a general and his young lieutenant were traveling by train in England. When they boarded, the only seats left were across from a beautiful young lady and her grandmother. The soldiers sat facing the ladies. As the train pulled out it went through a long tunnel. For about ten seconds there was total darkness. In the silence of the moment, the train’s passengers heard two unmistakable sounds – a kiss and a slap. Everyone on the train had their own perceptions as to what happened.

The young lady thought to herself, “I’m flattered that the lieutenant kissed me, but I’m terribly embarrassed that Grandmother hit him!”

The grandmother thought, “I’m aggravated that he kissed my granddaughter, but I’m proud she had the courage to retaliate!”

The general wondered, “My lieutenant showed guts to kiss the girl, but why did she slap me by mistake?”

The lieutenant was only one who knew what had happened. For, in the brief moment of darkness, he had seized the opportunity both to kiss a pretty girl and slap his general.

BLIND SPOTS

Blind spots are the areas where we are in the dark about ourselves. We are oblivious to our blind spots, and they may wreak havoc on our leadership. Last edition of Leadership Wired, I began a discussion of leadership blind spots by looking at the dangers of a self-centered perspective. In this article, I’d like to examine another widespread blind spot—insecurity.

The Blind Spot – An area in the lives of people in which they continually do not see themselves or their situation realistically. This unawareness often causes great damage to the people and those around them.

BLIND SPOT: INSECURITY

Personal insecurity may be the most widespread blind spot in leadership. Insecurity causes a leader to think selfishly when the very essence of leadership is to focus on others. Insecure leaders place their followers in jeopardy, put the organization in peril, and even endanger themselves.

Telltale behavioral signs make insecure leaders easy to spot. First, insecure leaders…
If you are interested in reading this article GO HERE