In the Pursuit of Happiness

26 Jan

I’ve learned a few things over the last few months of my life.  1.  Commitment is scary.  2.  Community is by far the best comedy on TV and 3.  Happiness is a choice so choose wisely.

Job 5:8 – 18 “But if I were you, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him.  9 He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.  10 He provides rain for the earth; he sends water on the countryside.  11 The lowly he sets on high, and those who mourn are lifted to safety.  12 He thwarts the plans of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success.  13 He catches the wise in their craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are swept away.  14 Darkness comes upon them in the daytime; at noon they grope as in the night.  15 He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth; he saves them from the clutches of the powerful.  16 So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth.  17 Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.  18 For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal”.  

Like I said, happiness is a choice.  In that, we choose what makes us happy.  A full bank account, cupboard full of food, job security are all things that usually to make people happy.  But all of the aforementioned tend to fluctuate.  If money is what makes you happy and you have an empty bank account, you will be miserable.  If you rely on a full stomach to make you smile but have nothing to eat you will be miserable.  If having a job makes you feel safe and secure but you get fired you will probably be miserable.  While it’s possible for these things to provide some sort of happiness, it is a superficial happiness.  The first step towards true happiness is putting your faith in God.

If you put your faith in anything other then God you are going to live a “Stock Market Life”.  Meaning, there will be lots of ups and downs.  God, however, is like a line constantly trending upward.  When you put your faith in God, it gives you the opportunity to be happy even when things go wrong.  When money is tight God will take care of your finances.  When you need to find a job God will find you a job.  When you are hungry God will feed you.  Yes, we have OUR part to play in all of those things but we can trust God to do his part.  Like it says in Job 5:9 “He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.”  And again in Job 5:15 , “He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth; he saves them from the clutches of the powerful.”   We know we can trust God to provide because he is a provider of all things!

This blog was hard to spit out.  All I really wanted to say was God will make you happy.  We know he will!  We just have to let him.

peace,

Jimmy

the-sugarshack.com – A Christian blog

23 Jan

To the reader:

This blog is now dedicated to God.  It is for God and it is about God.

For too long I feel I’ve been on the fence when has come to Christianity.  I would never shy away from admitting I’m a believer but at the same time I could never say that I was “all in” either.  I’m all in.  I want to talk about him.  I want to tell you about him.  So, from here on out I will be using every avenue at my disposal (Blog, Twitter, Facebook, music, etc) to talk/sing about God and to tell you the good things he is doing.

I hope you’ll all stick  around and read about what I believe to be important.

peace,

Jimmy

Commitment

19 Jan

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.” Ecclesiastes 9:10

Something that has been on my heart recently is commitment.  More specifically, what it is and what it means to be committed to something.

I’ve wanted a dog for my entire life.  Ever since my family put our dog down when I was a kid I had always admired families that were able to pull off having dogs.  As a kid, I would lobby my parents for getting another kick at the can.  Day after day I would beg and plead for another chance for a dog.  However, I was unsuccessful and disheartened.  I promised myself that when I grew up I would get a dog, I would raise it right, he would love me and I would love him.  So, when my house was built in the winter, it only seemed logical to add my favourite four legged animal to the mix.  I did my research on which dog to get which included in talking to people, reading books and websites, and of course watching The Dog Whisperer.  When I decided on which breed to get the last step was to pick a breeder and buy a dog.  And I did.

The days leading up to actually getting my dog were mixed with second guessing my decision and being excited to welcome a puppy into my home.  Some days I would be really excited and other days I would be completely regretting my decision.  The car ride down to pick up my dog was even worse.

The whole ride to the breeder I was regretting the decision I made.  The conversation I was having with God was something like, “God, I don’t have enough time, I’m not prepared, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to afford it.  WHAT ABOUT THE MESS THAT WILL MOST CERTAINLY BE MADE in his first few puppy days, God!”  I had convinced myself that I had made the wrong decision.  I was literally in panic mode.  I have wanted a dog ever since I was a little kid and on the way down to pick him up, I wanted nothing to do with dogs.  I wanted to go back home to my clean house, curl up into a ball and fall asleep.  But I went through with it.  I got the dog, against every feeling I had in my body.

Did I make the right decision on getting a dog?  I’m not sure if I believe in right or wrong decisions anymore.  I just think there are decisions we have to make.  I think God is more concerned with what we do after we make a commitment.  In the verse “Whatever your hand finds to do, do with all your might…”, more value is put into how we perform after the decision we have made.  Commitment is 1% words and 99% follow through.

Did God want me to get a dog?  He probably wanted me to get a dog because I wanted a dog.  What God is more concerned with now is that I put everything that I have into raising my dog right, no excuses.  I need to feed my dog, walk him, bathe him, train him, keep him healthy, clean up the messes he makes and give him the affection he needs.

If I knew then what I know now about how free will should be exercised, I would not have asked God “What do I do?”  That is the wrong question to ask.  I think even asking that question is insulting to him.  He gave us free will so we can make our own choices and forfeiting that right because you are afraid to make the “wrong” decision is like a slap in the face to him.  God isn’t in the business of making your decisions for you.  What I believe he wants you to do is Evaluate your options, Make a decision , COMMIT to that decision, be Responsible for your actions and then God will surround you with people to help support the decision that you made.  Is any of that easy to do?  No!  But I think that’s the point.  Commitments aren’t meant to be easy.  There will be ups and there will be downs.  There will be days you will love the commitment you made and there will be days you totally regret the commitment you made.  I’ve discovered all of that is quite normal.  It’s all part of the “Cycle of Commitment”.

God doesn’t want to make your decisions for you.  He gave you free will.  It was meant to be a wonderful gift, not a terrible curse.

FYI,

Here is a picture of Bruce Wayne.

So far so good!

Peace,

Jimmy

 

Christianities worst enemy…

14 Dec

Christianities worst enemy is, and always will be, Christians.  We are hypocrites, sensitive, arrogant, mean, angry, and all around terrible messengers of a really great message.  I mean, let’s face it, people don’t like Christianity not because of what we believe in (How could they?).  No, they don’t like it because of Christians and how people who call themselves Christians act in the world.

There is no “War on Christmas”.  Christians need to chill.  First of all, Christmas hasn’t been about Jesus in a long time.  In fact, the last time people probably cared about Jesus on Christmas was when he was born 2000 odd years ago.  Christmas is about the Grinch, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and presents.  That’s what Christmas is and that’s what it will remain.  I understand why people would make it about Jesus being born all those years ago but, as Christians, our LIVES are supposed to be a celebration of his birth.  That means everyday we should celebrate his birth!  Not just on the 25th of December.

We need to stop being so offended by people who say “Happy Holidays” etc and we need to stop saying things like “keep Christ in Christmas”.  First of all, Christ is in Christmas….it’s in the first six letters.  Second of all, nobody is forcing you to take Christ out of Christmas!  Saying things like “Happy Holiday” is just a marketing term.  There’s a reason why Starbucks cups say “Happy Holiday”.  It’s because there isn’t enough room on the cup to list all the holiday’s going on this time of year.  STOP BEING SO OFFENDED BY EVERYTHING CHRISTIANS.  We are a sensitive lot.

We need to be better represented on the world stage and we need to do a better job of telling the world WHO God is.  We have to stop letting people paint our God as a monster.  We worship a God who loves us.  He gave his only son up to death so we could live.  That’s not the God the world knows.  The God the world knows is not an accurate representation of who he is.

Let’s recap, the man who wanted to have a “Burn a Koran Day” called himself a Christian.  The people who protests funerals and carry the signs that say “God hates fags” call themselves Christians.  The Florida Family Association, who is calling for boycotts on stores who pay for advertising on the TV show “All-American Muslim”, have aligned themselves with the “Conservative Christian” crowd.  You may not like it, but these are the people who represent us.  These people have done a good job of telling the world that God is a Koran burning, Muslim hating, Gay person hating monster!  Do you understand what I am saying?  THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO REPRESENT CHRISTIANS!  It’s embarrassing, frustrating, and angering.

Have you ever heard of the term, “The Sqeaky Wheel get’s the grease”?  Well, in this example the squeaky wheel will be represented by a bunch of hateful people who have made it their mission to tell the world that our God is a monster and the grease will be represented by the attention those people get.  Christians need to do a better job of telling people that’s not who God is.  We need to be a squeakier wheel.  We need to do a better job of telling the world who God is, no excuses.

So, in the end, a Christians worst enemies aren’t Muslims, Gay people, etc.  It’s themselves.  It’s always been themselves.  If we want people to come to Christ then we need to do a better job of letting people know who he is because right now REAL Christians have let God become a monster.  And we know that’s not who he is.

Be the squeaky wheel for God!  We will eventually get our grease.

peace,

Jimmy

Why the Muppet’s still have merit

6 Dec

I recently took in the new Muppets movie which was written by co-star Jason Segal.  It was fantastic!  Now, if you’re an adult (ages 18-30) you have to go into this movie recognizing what the movie is…it’s the Muppets.  If you are older than 30 chances are you are there with your child and then that means you will probably go in thinking, “I’m just watching this movie for the kid.”  Whatever you are thinking when you go into this movie you will come out thinking the same thing as everyone else, Kermit the Frog can still bring it and the Muppet’s still have merit.

Growing up, I was never really a fan of the Muppet’s but I knew of them.  I knew Kermit was the leader, Miss Piggy was the tough guy, Gonzo was the daredevil, and Fozzie Bear was the funny guy.  Yeah, looking at the Muppet’s from the surface they were just a kid show.  They came on the television made kids laugh and that was that.  However, this movie represented much more than a kids show.  It had LOTS of substance.  To the kids in the theatre, yes, they were just a bunch of weird looking characters saying zinger after zinger, performing not stop slap stick comedy but to the adults, aged 18-30, the movie was about forgetting how cool you are and just laughing at Fozzie Bears terrible jokes or Gonzo’s stunts gone wrong.  It was about remembering what it was like to be a kid again.

As far as I’m concerned, we need the Muppet’s back.  In a world of Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, et all, we could really use a group of characters in the pop culture realm that teach us that it’s okay to be ourselves.  It’s okay to laugh and we shouldn’t take ourselves to seriously.  And it’s not just the kids who need to learn that it’s okay to be themselves, grown ups need to realize that as well.  That sentiment is universal.

To some it was just a Muppet movie.  To others it was a little more than that.

peace,

Jimmy

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R.E.S.P.E.C.T

2 Dec

Sometimes I really feel like we as a society, as a group of individuals, are failing each other.

I always hear these stories on the news of people all over the place being under valued and mistreated. This is terrible! There are many areas where we miss the mark completely. Supporting 3rd world countries, child poverty and helping the homeless are just a few examples of the many things that I feel more support is needed. People need to care more about this stuff, but this list is HUGE. I could probably write a whole blog just listing the number of issues people face in todays society.

What’s really bothering me lately is very very basic. It makes me angry even thinking about it. People can’t take 5 seconds out of their super important days just to be NICE, to people. That’s right, basic respect. We are failing to help provide some of the most basic of human needs: respect and love. That’s a big part of the larger problem. People are more wrapped up in their own bullshit to care about anyone else.

I’m not saying people don’t have problems. I’m not saying people can’t worry about their own issues. What I am saying is that people need to stop looking out for themselves.

If everyone took the time to ask someone else how they are doing, and really cared, that would mean someone would be asking them the same question. You hear things like this all the time: ‘Love your neighbour’, ‘Do onto others as you would have them do onto you’ etc etc. Do you know why you hear things like that a lot? Because its a GOOD idea! No one wants to be treated poorly.

Mike

*This blog is coming at a good time. There are a lot of commercials on now for We Day. This is a great movement encouraging young people to be the change they want to see in the world. We day is all about going from ME, ie putting my needs first,to WE, caring about others and putting their needs first. I didn’t know too much about We Day when I started writing this post but it feels important to include it.

Community – Spanish rap

29 Nov

Community is a show that desperately needs saving.

peace,

Jimmy

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Michael Fassbender on The Hour

29 Nov

This guy is going to win 15 Oscars.

peace,

Jimmy

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Beatles – Twist and Shout

23 Nov

peace,

Jimmy

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What Happens in Vegas…

16 Nov

What happens in Vegas only happens in Vegas.

This blog has been a long time coming. I got to travel to Vegas with work a few weeks ago for a massive nerd tech conference. I also told Jim that I’d write about it. My apologies – I’ve kind of been procrastinating.

So Vegas. Right. Vegas…is WILD. Everything is oversized and in your face. No holding back, anything goes. The entire place is set up for you to believe and feel that if you are ever going to do anything in your life, this is the place.

Do you know that I, while in Vegas, seriously considered doing 2 things:

  1. Getting a tattoo
  2. Going bungee jumping

I must explain, because those are two very common things that people do all the time. For me though needles make me faint and I am deathly afraid of heights. But, in Vegas, I actually felt courageous about doing both of those things. I thought, ‘I can do that, it won’t be too bad, and besides, I am in Vegas’. My wife laughed at me when I told her this.

I didn’t get tattooed or throw myself off a perfectly good structure but I did think about where this courage came from. The answer: Oxygen. They pump it right onto the casino floors! This must have been what inspired me to do things that I would never do otherwise.

More likely though, is the great job that Vegas has done selling itself as such a ‘anything goes’ destination. I bet you can’t even count the number of times you’ve heard someone say the ‘What happens in Vegas’ line.

And that’s how they do it. They put all of these over the top, glitzy crazy opportunities in your face. Where else are you going to be able to destroy stuff with a giant front end loader, shoot a bazooka and possibly win large amounts of cash in one day?

Nowhere. I bet there is nowhere else where such a random and crazy combination of things exist for the taking. Except maybe Dubai.

Mike

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