Mansions In Africa Need Quality Hand Soap

OK - I'm a shameless promoter of local businesses that happen to be run by my friends ... but give me some latitude here ... what you're about to read is pretty damn cool.

1. No one reads this blog so I can promote anything I want sans agenda.
2. ProSoap.com rocks the house - literally.
3. Why stay in a hotel when you can build your own guest home in Africa?

I know what you're thinking ... Jerry has gone off scatter shooting again while watching re-runs of the '99 Stanley Cup Western Finals. No, no ... keep reading.

The last morning breakfast featured the very first MMM leader (Dave McIlrath) and one of the most recent (Billy Self - or Silly Belf depending on how much sleep you've had.)

Billy's company, ProSoap.com, may not be a house hold name, but he truly goes the extra mile in trying to spruce up his visitor's experience. I've been meaning to ask him for months how he could have a tag line "Talk Dirty To Me" and not play the Poison hit of the same title in ALL radio, TV, and on-line audio promotions. Well ... he must have had that ESPN thing going on with me and delivered them all.

OK, OK. Poison isn't in them all BUT the latest additions to ProSoap.com's home page features the not-ready-for-prime-time soap manufacturing video, a dynamic juke box jamming out to "Talk Dirty To Me" as well as a nostalgic mix of questionably fun tunes. Everyone likes GnR, but November Rain? C'mon Billy ... great stuff overall. Additionally, you can hear the latest radio promo which is excellent. My only suggestion would be to overdub the radio lady's voice on the manufacturing video because the narrator sounds like a robot.

So what the smeltering plant does that have to do with Dave McIlrath? Well ... me and Dave go as far back as I wish to remember. He is one crazy bastard. Not only does he run his own Christian Coaching empire, TruthCoaching.com, but he's also incorporated his entire family into a successful network marketing conglomerate that funds an outpouring of ministry around the world. In other words, this Mick has more scamolas going on than the Irish Mob from Chicago. LOL!

Earlier this year, Dave and his wife adopted 2 children from Africa. You'd think he's nuts with 3 daughters of his own. But if you knew the McIlrath's hearts and how they open their home and make so many feel welcomed, it was just a matter of time before the world moved in.

But Dave didn't stop there ... no, no, no ... this man saw an opportunity to use his talents to serve the adoption process end-to-end. I couldn't believe it when he told me over a beer, but a simple vision of a guest home in Africa is a monumental, successful reality.

I can't do it justice, so please visit http://www.ethiopiaguesthome.com/ for all the details.

I know - how can I tie these 2 together? Well ... ProSoap.com manufactures the finest hand soap in the world and is always looking to expand into new markets. Ethiopia Guest Home is only the first in a string of adoption guest homes around the globe. Their workers need good soap. Both of these guys go to the same church, love the Lord, and run their businesses based on their own Christian values ...

C'Mon! It works. Get a PO together or something. Free samples. Blah, blah, blah ... the rest is up to you 2 crazy entrepreneurial pioneers. The rest of us need to focus on working for the man and writing stupid blogs with numerous grammatical errors, erroneous statistical claims, and mildly witty anecdotes that no one reads.

See ya Thursday ya crazy bunch of animals. And get ready for Boxtown ... that's my next promotion!


Hebrews 13
1Keep on loving each other as brothers. 2Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. 3Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

Farewell to a friend ...

Yesterday I got up early, showered, kissed my wife, put in a day at the office, met my family at the in-laws for dinner, wrestled with my 2 boys, and planned a vacation with my wife.

Yesterday, my friend from college, long suffering from a brain tumor, went home to be with the the Lord.

Joy in Texas. Sorrow in Ohio.

But when I say he went home to be with the Lord, I really do know he received his inheritance. Dave Gartrell spent the last few years of his life witnessing the Word to the world. Our brief friendship in a fraternity seemed meaningless as I watched him share his life, pain, and faith through it all.

Although we hadn't seen each other in years, I watched in awe as he stood strong, rejecting passivity, and caring for his family through the bitter end. He is in a wonderful place and is healed ... praise Jehovah-rapha.

I ask that anyone who reads this blog pray for his wife Sarah and their 2 daughters who have to continue life on this earth without him.

As the men met this morning, I could not describe how fortunate and diverse our existence is in this little, quiet, lake community. We had Kevin, Billy, Robert, Dave and myself sharing our lives and ministries while joking and being anecdotal. A printer, a president, a supervisor, a coach, and a manager. Reconciling, empathizing, preparing, sacrificing, and enduring. Selfish, ashamed, anxious, busy, and ... well, wicked selfish.

It's all amazing yet fleeting. We're food for worms lads so seize the Truth, spread the Word, and live for your inheritance ... Peace.

"Leadership is not a title."
~ Robert Lewis

Mini-Oprahs really do suck!

So ya think you're a talent just because you cover the mike on a crappy radio station, eh? Oh yeah ... I'm starting off ornery today!

The Ticket came out to broadcast from the 27th Dallas Race Week yesterday on Lake Ray Hubbard. Sounds exciting, right? If they would have actually mentioned the corporate sponsored sailing event benefiting community service projects of the Rockwall Breakfast Rotary Club, than maybe it would have been cool. 15 seconds is what we got ... the rest of their crappy broadcast involved incoherent, self-indulged babbling.

But why complain about radio trash when that's what they think makes them successful? What do I know anyway? The Ticket is one of the most popular radio stations in the area. Although ... I don't really know where to turn the dial to get The Ticket. That's probably a good thing considering the volume of complaints that would blog up.

Despite The Ticket ignoring all the cool statistics surrounding Dallas Race Week, it's been a great success. We thank the Rockwall Breakfast Rotary Club for facilitating a great local event in our lake community. Go out to dallasraceweek.com to see all the cool sponsors, pics from the races, and other great info.

We did have substantiated conversation this morning at the MMM breakfast. Great praises in our families, businesses, and personal experiences. We also argued the pros and cons of corporate-run, non-profit, thrift stores. It was quite a heated debate until we realized they are nothing more than mini-Harpo corporations in a mini-Oprah world.

Kevin finally showed up but offered nothing up for ridicule. Billy on the other hand ...

Ahhhh yeahhhh ... he tries to deny it but basically pulled a Freudian slip and told us the true identity of his favorite author (drum roll, please):

Billy has been sitting home in the dark reading Joel Olsteen's latest book. Why read when you can watch? Probably because his wife is hogging the TV watching Oprah!

Become a Better You is marked down to $14.95 from $25! What a deal ... grab you a copy before supplies run out.

LOL! I think I've really asked for it this week.

I leave you with this:

Why don't more men relish community over competition? Please comment.

Fun links to waste some time:

• Jay Is Games
• 8 FREE Blackberry Games
• Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram
• The Authorship of Second Peter
• BillySelf.com (you can purchase Joel O's books there)

How Baggage Policies and Fees Add Up

From Expedia Corporate Travel ... not really a blog by me ... I just thought it was good info ...

These days keeping track of airline baggage policies is a lot like keeping track of Abbot and Costello's "Who's on First?" You're never sure who's doing what. Sometimes it helps to have all the information in one place as travel rules change from week to week. Here's the latest in airline baggage policies with links to each airline's baggage policy section for the most up-to-date rules and fees as posted by the carrier. In addition, the following chart is available by link: checked bag policies.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL TABLE (for some reason I could not fit this table on the blog site with the way things are formatted.)

Airlines	Applicable destinations	Effective Date	1st bag1	2nd bag1	Mishandled baggage/ 1,000 passengers2
	Domestic	6/13/08 View policy	No Fee	$103	3.25
	Domestic	7/01/2008 View policy	No Fee	$50	5.36
	Domestic, Mexico	5/12/2008 View policy	$15	$25	6.85
	Domestic, Latin America	5/05/2008 View policy	No Fee	$25	4.6
	Domestic	5/05/2008 View policy	No Fee	$25	6.9
	Domestic, International	6/10/2008 View policy	No Fee	$25	6.17
	Domestic	N/A View policy	No Fee	No Fee	2.25
	Domestic	6/01/2008 View policy	No Fee	$20	3.27
	Domestic	5/24/2008 View policy	No Fee	$20	N/A
	Domestic	5/05/2008 View policy	No Fee	$25	4.68
	Domestic, International	5/05/2008 View policy	No Fee	$25	N/A
	Domestic	5/05/2008 View policy	No Fee $15 on/after 8/18	$25	5.44
	Domestic	7/01/2008 View policy	$15 on/after 7/09	$25	5.36

Share your thoughts on the baggage fees at Overheardbin.com. Comment here.

¹ Baggage policies apply each way for select flights.
² Mishandled baggage data collected on domestic flights only by Air Travel Consumer Reports for 2007. Click here for monthly data
³ The charge for a second checked bag will be $10 when paid using Online Check-In or $20 when paid at the airport kiosks and ticket counter

Note: Baggage policy and fees are subject to change by the airlines at any time. Please see the airline's Web site for the most current information.

State Department Alerts

Read U.S. State Department Travel Warnings and Consular Information by Country.

A Salute to the Texas A&M Galveston Sailing Team

It was another great MMM breakfast outing - lost of thrashing, trash-talking, fun stories, current life situations, etc. It can make one feel very blessed. But we rarely look at it that way ... until a tragedy hits home.

One of the topics discussed at the round table was the horrific wreck that the Texas A&M Galveston Offshore Sailing Team endured last weekend. To the amazement of most, only one life was lost. That life was a beloved sailor named Roger Stone. By all accounts, his selfless actions save the rest of the crew.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and family of Roger Stone and the survivors.

Here's a link to one of the dozens of nationwide news stories:

http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou080607_tj_missingboat.d9411d3.html

The question I have for us men is ... what would you do if the keel just fell off?

Feel free to comment ...

Male Domination & The Spelling Bee

"Male domination is a personal, moral failure ... not a biblical teaching." ~ Robert Lewis

I quoted this at the last mens' morning mentoring breakfast session with no intentions of it going much further. But it sparked a wonderful, personal discussion between 3 guys that struggle with the topic ourselves and the presence of male domination in our fathers' generation. Bad things happen when those worlds collide but we're learning and maturing the way we translate it and mold it into authentic male leadership.

'Nuff said.

What the bugger does that have to do with a spelling bee, you ask? Even if you didn't, I'm going to tell you.

One of my favorite dudes to write about is my new friend Billy Self. He has become a breakfast regular and routinely shares his life. I've mentioned before that he is the president of my favorite Rockwall business, ProSoap, and that he competes in triathlons with his team, Tri-ProSoap (check out the latest race results, Billy's highest finish ever ... click here). But now, and forever more, he will be remembered as the obscure segway that could have saved a young runner-up from the cloak of failure.

Allow me to explain ... A few weeks ago, Sameer Mishra, a 13-year-old from Indiana, crushed a field of nearly 300 to become the 2008 National Spelling Bee Champion. The winning spell came on "guerdon." But what was more interesting was the word his opponent stumbled on to give Sameer the winning word ... "prosopopoeia." No - it is not the method in which ProSoap is manufactured (although it should be.)

Anyhoo, the word means "a rhetorical device." Now ... if the child had known of the company ProSoap, he would have had a rhetoric link to the correct spelling! And since he obviously doesn't, we should give him a free sample tub so he can cleanse himself of the disappointment of choking on national TV.

OK - maybe I'm the only one that thinks that's funny.

I know Kevin (one of the other 3 people that may or may not read this) is wondering how he could get a contrived blog written about his life by his good friend ... well, frickin show up for breakfast ya banana head. You're a founding father of the MMM!

Speaking of the early knights of the MMM, Old Man Secules graced us with his presence which was a nice surprise. With the grave yard shift, 2 kids, and a wife that just went through ear surgery, this Bud's for you ... Mr ham-radio, AT&T cell tower, uber-geek van-driver guy ... a real American Hero in my book. Seriously though ... it was good seeing you.

Speaking of Bud, don't forget Dallas Race Week coming up ... details are at the site:

• http://www.dallasraceweek.com/

In conclusion, I have nothing to conclude. This blog has officially digressed into one of the worst planned, poorly edited, and random writing efforts of my life. But it sure does feel good to express some thoughts from time to time. In this day and age, why not do it digitally?

I leave you with the following thoughts:

• Where in the world are Kevin, Justin, Chris, Mike and Robert and the other Justin?
• For MMA Justin, will the upcoming movie Redbelt be a must see for MMA enthusiasts? It's by the same guy that did Glengarry Glen Ross and Wag the Dog!

Stay wise ...

Castro Sails & Dissidents Thwarted

Ahh ... a few thoughts left unheard from last week. I thought this was a funny description of my blog's admin setting before opening up for spam today:

"Tricky way to keep the man down and keep dissidents from commenting."

So bring it! Ya bunch of animals.

Last Thursday was also the Rockwall homecoming for Jason Castro of American Idol. Our very own breakfast stalemate had a cool connection to this fiasco ... Billy's dad, Scott, allowed Castro to steer the SeaWolf! I found a You Tube (1 of 10 million probably)




The guy with the hat is Scott Self, captain of the SeaWolf. You can read more about the boat at SailWithScott.com.