Portmanteau

Upbeat billboards fight recession

From today's (Friday, July 17, 2009) News and Observer.  A billboard campaign dubbed "Recession 101" and funded by an anonymous East Coast donor is now appearing on more than 1,000 billboards across America.  They sayings include:

• Interesting fact about recessions...they end.

• Bill Gates started Microsoft in a recession.

• Self-worth is greater than net worth.

• This will end long before those who caused it are paroled.

• Stop obsessing about economy; you're scaring the children.

• Don't switch to cheaper scotch.  Drink slower.

  •  Trey's version:  Don't switch from Starbucks. Drink slower.    

     

• Nobody can repossess your future.

• The only downturns comparable to this were in: 1797, 1807, 1819, 1837, 1857,1873, 1893, 1907, 1918, 1929, 1937, 1945,1948, 1953, 1957,1960, 1969, 1973, 1980, 1981, 1990, 2001 and Hmmmmm? never mind.

The point is not to be flipid to remind us of our resiliency.  Will we experience something on the level of Japan's lost decade?  I don't know the answer to that question.  Is God in control?  I do know the answer to that one.

peace,

Trey B.

Do Not Worry About Your Life

I have a confession.  I worry.  I try to play it off....act calm, stay cool and collected and process the information and daily challenges in a logical manner.  I tell myself that "I know God is in control," and that "I am His child and He loves me."  I read scriptures like the Matthew 6: 27-33 (The Message)and understand them in my head: 

"If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.

 ^27-29"Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.

 ^30-33"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving.

So, I know I am not supposed to worry.  I get it, yet the very fact that I have to tell myself the same things over and over again surely must prove to my Father that I allow worry to preoccupy my thoughts.  Honestly, most of my worry is about "getting".  Getting ahead, getting more business, getting prepared for the future...I am in getting mode which is a nice way of saying I worry. 

This morning I went for my 5 mile run through the Quay.  I love to run early in the morning.  I have my ipod in, worship tunes blaring and I talk to God about....well, about my worries.  There are plenty of them right now with the uncertain economy and business challenges.  As I was explaining to my Heavenly Father that I needed to shift my time from one area to another because it seemed like the financially wise thing to do, He prompted me to stay the course.  I resisted and said, "it's not like money is just falling from the sky now God," at which time I looked down as I was striding along and found a crisp, brand new $5 bill on the ground.  COME ON...is God really that funny?  I was reminded about how HE provided manna from Heaven for His children as they wondered in the desert.  While I tried to laugh it off as I plucked up the bill and put it in my pocket, the more I have thought about it the more it has messed with me.  He wants to give and I do concentrate on what I want to get. 

That chapter of Matthew wraps up with, "People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. "

Hello, my name is Trey and I am a recovering worrier.

Running the Quay

I just finished running"The Quay" which is a 5K run (just over 3 miles) in historic Fuquay Varina. I know that's not as big a quest as completing the Boston Marathon however I am quite pleased with the fact that I finished my first ever distance race and learned a little something.  I am a very casual runner.  I try to get out and jog three or four days a week and usually go for three to three and a half miles.  Sometimes I do push it to five, but those days are rare.  I have never done any research or anything so I don't know anything about what types of times I should be averaging...I just run.  My time for just over three miles is usually between 39 and 31 minutes.   

What I learned (or affirmed) today was the power of community.  There were probably 450 people running the quay today.  My time at the halfway mark was 13 minutes.  Honestly, I was holding myself back even at that point because I thought for sure I was not going to have enough to finish even though I felt great.  The "community" of runners really caused me to get into a much better flow than I ever do by myself.  My final time was just over 26 minutes.  OK....I wasn't the first guy across the finish line but not too bad for a 40 year old, non-athletic first time 5K runner. 

Throughout my career I have know the power of encouraging and "coaching".  After I served in ministry I learned the power of small groups or "community."  For too long I have not brought those two elements together.  That's going to end soon.

More to come soon.  I'm getting online and looking for a local half marathon to work towards now. 

peace and blessings,

Trey B.

I Dare You to Pray this Prayer

 A great guy I had coffee with yesterday shared this YouTube video with me.  If you have not read Crazy Love by Francis Chan or heard him speak before you are really missing something.  Check this little "devotion" out.  Peace, Trey B.

Remarkable Toilet Paper

Under the category of "what will they think of next," comes a new product from Japan that would even make Seth Godin pause and possibly wonder if the search for remarkable has gone too far.  A Japanese company is advertising a new literary experience - a horror story printed on toilet paper.  You can read all about it at the News and Observer, Horror Story Printed on Toilet Paper.  

I might have to order a roll just for kicks. I'm sure advertising is soon to follow.  I assume they are using horror stories to scare the.....well, you make up your own joke there.  

Trey B.  

A prayer for everyone in the market place

I realize this post is after the National Day of Prayer, however I thought you might enjoy seeing what one market place leader did with his staff on the National Day of Prayer.  Below is an excerpt from an email that a NC Clerk of Superiour Court had the courage to share.  The Honorable Mr. Hunt indicated he wrote this prayer the night before and prayed it with his entire staff on the National Day of Prayer. 

James "Hunt" Johnson, Alamance County CSC

Alamance County Clerk of Courtƒs Prayer

Almighty God, our Father in Heaven, we thank You on this National Day of Prayer for our work and workplace, the Office of the Alamance County Clerk of Court.

We thank You for our family, friends, colleagues, and co-workers, and our opportunity to serve the North Carolina Court System and the people of Alamance County.

We thank You that with our work we can provide for our families even in these difficult economic times.

We ask for Your continued guidance.

We ask You for the ability to show patience, compassion, and grace in our work as we often serve members of the public who are in difficult situations, find themselves in a crisis, and may be engaged in conflicts with others.

We pray that we are able to remember that all the people who we encounter are Your children, Your creation, just as we ourselves are Your children and Your creation.

We pray that we will remember this at all times, and that we can always serve You with a servantƒs heart, even during our toughest days at work.

We give thanks for these many blessings we have received from You.

In Your Holy Name,

Amen.

Sober Remedy

Excerpts from Pink's hit song, Sober:

"I'm safe up high nothing can touch me...why do I feel this party's over? No pain inside, you're like perfection...How do I feel this good sober?" 

"When it's good it is so good until it  goes bad, until you are trying to find the you that you once had. I have heard myself cry never again...broken down in agony just trying to find a bed."

Excerpts from David Crowder's Surely We can Change:

"Where there is pain bring grace.  Where there is suffering bring serenity. For those afraid help them be brave.  Where there is misery, bring expectancy.  And surely we can change. He's the remedy."

The world is crying out to us...His children.  I pray to introduce someone to the Remedy this weekend. 

Peace and blessings,

Trey B.

You know a purple cow when you see one

In Seth Godin's book, Purple Cow, he states that you are either remarkable or invisible.  There has been much said and done around the concept of creating a purple cow or being remarkable.  The truth is however that most businesses are not remarkable and don't have a story worth repeating.  How about yours?  Below is some text from an e-mail I received from the landlord of my office space regarding a new project of theirs.  It's simple and most of all has remarkable elements.  It goes to show you that when you have a story to tell you can leverage technology (like Facebook) and begin a dialog with people.  When's the last time you saw someone with space to rent do more than just run an ad and put a sign in the window?

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:

We have launched a new website for “The Mitchell” at 101 South Main Street, Fuquay Varina, NC.

Check it out at www.themitchellfv.comand become a fan of facebook page “TheMitchellFV”.  We will be posting blogs, video and pictures as the building progresses during renovation.  Watch for news on the installation of a 10KW solar photovoltaic system that will be added to the roof the week of March 23^rd.  This system will collect 1500KW hrs of energy from the sun each month. 

Our prospective tenant Cellar 101, an upscale wine bar/wine shop will be moving in shortly after renovation.  We are also looking for additional retail shops and a restaurant to complete the Tenant list.  If you know anyone interested in opening a retail or restaurant establishment, please let us know.

Quotable

OK...I'm a bit of a quote junkie.  After a leadership training session the Honorable Michael J. McArthur, Clerk of Superior Court, Chowan County, sent me a nice handwritten note with an attached sheet of some quotes he had saved over the years.  Here's some of my favorites:

"When you stop giving and offering something to the rest of the world, it's time to turn out the lights."  George Burns

"Whether you think that you can or you can't, you're probably right."  Henry Ford

"You can't win all the time.  There are guys out there who are better than you."  Yogi Berra

"Volunteers are unpaid, not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless."  Anonymous

"Men often oppose a thing merely because they have had no agency in planning it, or because it may have been planned by those whom they dislike."  Alexander Hamilton

New Twist on "When Life Gives You Lemons"

We have all heard the saying that when life gives you lemons to make lemon-ade.  So, what do you do when life gives you dirty windshields?