I pledge aledgience to the flag ...

It's been a long while since I muttered those words. In fact, I'm pretty sure it would have been the last time I was in a public school classroom - senior year, Pittsford Mendon HS, 1993.

If you have been wondering about my age, now you can do the math. Or you could have just looked at my bio (to the right with a bunch of cool links and other information.)

As Billy Self's guest, I made my first Rockwall Rotary breakfast. We opened with prayer and then said the pledge together - Rockwall's finest Rotarians in unison. On the verge of asking myself "Why am I here?" an overwhelming feeling of oneness came over me. That may sound weird but it took me back to the simple days of elementary school. The Pledge of Allegiance. A presentation of the Colin County Cold Case/Fugitive Unit by DA, John Roach. Good eats. Not a bad way to start a morning.

I have a lot to say today and no one to listen. Or is it a little to say and too many people talking to me? Something about my persona was revealed to me today. I complain about complaining. Amazingly I was not surprised.

Have you ever been in a God coma? Something wakes you out of it. Blink.

At work catching up on Google Reader, I started sifting through a post called Blink. Nothing makes you feel less manly when your tear ducts well up at work. I felt broken. Darn you, Angie Smith! Ya finally got me. I was broken. Read the post for yourself ... but I will share the beautiful conclusion:

...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you...Philippians 4:8-9

Blink. She's good.

There is a world outside of our own. We lose site of it. I have a photo memory of Boxtown. This is just a blog, but together we can open the door to change on the streets. As I approach the trek back to downtown Dallas' most desperate areas, I pray that all involved can use Angie's application of the snapshot to our local mission work.

Boxtown.

"No Reserves. No Retreats. No Regrets." ~ William Borden ... truly a great missionary.

In 2 days I will be back here to rename the blog - CLICK HERE for a recap on the renaming campaign. It will be a busy day for sure. Celebrating Dad's birthday in Plano, new blog name, friends visiting in the evening for fun and games, church on Sunday. It's shaping up to be a great weekend.

So press on, look for that Boxtown email, and enjoy these links.

• FrontBurner (way better blog than mine)
• The Hugging Lion
• The Venture Bros

Here's Rusty Venture (image on the right) - my Team at work seems to think I was the model for the character's likeness. What do you think?

Whores, whores, whores.

Subtitle: Why most whores are better at marketing than you.

Motley Crue certainly had a hit when they penned the eerily similar Girls, Girls, Girls. I am neither a Crue fan or about to express my disgust of most glam rock.

On my recent visit to Galveston, I learned of the well-known issue of the town's battle with prostitution. If confronted during a debate, I would certainly consider myself an adversary of the practice. Nonetheless, you have to admire the ingenuity of this taboo magnate.

In order to keep the "business" rolling while dumb-founding local authorities, ongoing investigations, and an overall distaste for the professional, organized pimp organizations, the island's escort distributors changed tactics. We all know when to look the other way, keep the doors locked and cover the kids' eyes, right? When the sun sets on the strip.

Wrong! Most of the sexual transactions now occur at COB - close of business. Right when the men get out of the office and kill a little time before going home to the wifey. Genius. Pure genius.

Why can't we be more thoughtful and driven towards the needs of the customers in our respectable, respective businesses. Or for that matter, don't we tend to minister when it fits our schedule? "That prayer can wait", "this person will be there next week", "the homeless are always homeless." Typical thoughts of the average Christian. I am as guilty as anyone.

I'm not out to bring anyone down today or level the playing field. Life is good and there are tons of Christians out there doing the right thing. My point is that there might be something to learn in the strangest of places. Check out this video of the past weekend's message from Wes Hamilton (not a strange place to learn just a great commentary on obedience) ...

Title: "Old School - Gideon" by Wes Hamilton on July 27, 2008

• Click to Listen
• Click to Watch
• Click to Download

Is there anything good or is this all about gloom and doom? In case you feel like not reading anymore or skipping to a particular topic, here's the agenda for remainder of this post:

1. SCRUM for the non-SCRUMMER
2. The Wii Fit and Mii
3. Fun links from the Web
4. Conclusion

SCRUM for the non-SCRUMMER
When people learn that I'm a certified scrum master, I usually get a few odd looks, occasionally get called a SCUM master, and from time to time, the person justs walk away in disbelief. It's not my position but a way to manage agile projects. In my case, agile projects are software headlines that deliver value back to the customer in an incremental, iterative fashion. Each increment is shippable (ready for the world) and the work is defined as a planned, committed iteration.

That's all there is to it. Of those of us managers that implement this scrum style, there are even more questions. Folks just get lost in the details. Here are my Top 3 rules of SCRUM:

1. Common Sense
2. BOCTAOE (click the link to find out)
3. "Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment." - (Google says) Mullah Nasrudin
   

The problem with these rules? Common sense is not so common, exceptions turn into panic buttons, and failure is frowned upon.

A lot of people say Scrum is about common sense. I wonder if it's because of hindsight, after a person has learned about Scrum, it appears like it should have been common sense all along. Everyone in my profession has been conditioned to think about and carry out software development in a non-commonsensical way for the past several decades. When someone finally points it out, it's only natural to react with, "Oh, yeah. Of course. Why didn't I think of that?"

If you really want an overview of the Scrum process and some case studies of success and failure, pickup the following book:

• Agile Project Management with Scrum by Ken Schwaber

The Wii Fit and Mii
So I got a Wii Fit. This is an amazing advancement in gaming. Alright - so I'm not a gamer. But I'm having a blast. The poularity of the Wii unit and its accessories is astonishing. The poor kid at Game Stop can't even keep a copy of Mario Carts for himself.

Elizabeth and I basically wrestle for position on this thing. It is a fun, organized, and accountable way of working out. I wouldn't suggest it for the triathlete, but it has certainly improved the quality of life for this psoriatic arthritic, sendintary, software manager.

Fun links from the Web
On my way around the Internet, I occasionally run into little jems ... noticably bais towards my tastes:

• BeerAdvocate | Respect Beer.TM
• Rush plays Rock Band to Tom Sawyer NOTE - I despise Rush but thought it was interesting to see an actual band interact with the game (other than Slash being drunk on a commercial.)
• Shatter Sports - Did you know this is a Rockwall based company?!
  

Conclusion
We've gone on a roller coaster ride - whores, Jesus, Scrum, Wii, beer, Rush, and Rockwall. Not the finest or well planned posts of the week. But this blog is as obscure as a Malaysian beauty contest winner. So be it.

For inspiration and a cleansing of filth from this post, read Psalm 7 today.

Stay wise.

Without Jesus we'd all be Ukranian.

When you feel like crying ... do you feel a piercing pain in your fingers?

Now that I don't have your attention (see Angie Smith's blog for well written, purposeful prose), I would like to share some wisdom from the Word that was just revelaed to me last night:

Titus 2:4-5 (New International Version)

4 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

Now before anyone freaks out, I'm not going down the male shovanistic route - OK? What is revealed here is a description of a Godly woman as a Servant-Lover. If we men were built to be Servant-Leaders, than this certainly makes a lot of sense. More interesting is the company that women are placed in when described as Servant-Helpers. There are only 4 people in the Bible mentioned as Helpers ...

• God the Father
• God the Son
• God the Holy Spirit
• and Woman
  

Noodle on that the next time you look at your wife, girlfriend, mother, etc. Moving forward, I'd like to share a personal story.

I have psoriatic arthritis. There have been rare moments over the past 7 years that I've felt comfortable saying that. Recently, I've been getting more confident in sharing the disease. It just sounds fake, doesn't it? So allow me to explain ...

I am not a talented writer or expert in loss and pain (again - see Angie Smith's blog for literary power in laying your life down.) Psoriatic arthritis is similar to rheumatoid arthritis in that that treatments and effects on the body are related. However, PA is an extension of psoriasis, the better known skin disease that has been historically and erroneously treated as a dermatological disorder. That topic is for another day (psoriasis is an autoimmune disorder.)

As the arthristis started to take over my joints, a rush of worry polluted my thoughts for several years. More and more inflamation, increased pain, and less physical activity led to an overall feeling of being less of a man. Eventually, I could not hold my children, button my shirts, or even have confidence that I would stand up after getting out of bed.

My wife, Elizabeth, and I delt with this alone for several years, continuing our rapid pace of life, hoping God would just swoop in and heal me. When we heard the wonderful news that she was pregnant with our third child, we decided that I needed to take some action.

To shorten the story, I had become an expert on psoriasis over the years and knew of only one possibility. We scheduled an appointment with a rheumatologist to discuss the options for biologics to supress my immune system, essentially "sponging" up the extra cells that my body repidly produces. I went to the teaching hospital, University of North Texas Health Science Center, in Fort Worth and asked every question I could conjure. The doctor was patient with me and after much prayer and diliberation, I chose Enbrel as my biologic.

Combined with methotrexate and a folic acid balancer, I not only was redeemed from a cripling disease, but my skin went from 80% covered in psoriasis to less than 1% ... in 3 weeks. Praise Jehovah-rapha, right? You betcha.

But every so often, He reminds me that this disease is just supressed. I still have psoriasis and PA. It is a blessing. And I'll tell you why ... when I am confronted with other people's pain or suffering, I can feel it in my fingers. A piercing pain will shoot through my digits allowing me to shift to an empathatic mode or in some cases act on what God wants me to do.

OK - so I proabably just lost anyone because of how crazy that sounds. I can assure you it is neither crazy or even sensational. Everyone has this gift. You may not feel it in your digits but you do have the ability to see people through Jesus' eyes and apply this in ministry to God, the Church, and the World.

Boxtown is my ministry - "Feeding the Hungry One Soul at a Time." It has been since Christmas of 2002. I'm reorganizing this effort. I'm scheduling it. Scheduling is something that I used to steer clear from. But if there is one thing I've learned from my buddy's triathlon team (Tri-Prosoap) is that you must train. In ministry, we must train our hearts. So get ready. An email will be broadcast with the details on what happens during a trip to Boxtown. If you don't get that email, my Google Calendar will be updated and open for folks to join the guest list.

To conclude, here is a note from our former ABF leader with his thoughts on the Boxtown ministry:

One of the things that has always drawn me to Jesus was the fact that he genuinely loved those who were considered by society to be worthless, filthy and low. When asked why he was spending so much time amidst the "unclean", he responded that it wasn't those who were healthy that needed a doctor, but those who were sick. In essence, Jesus came to minister specifically to those who lived in the "bad" parts of town, the forgotten and overlooked parts of town, the parts of town that we wish would just go away or simply did not exist. Jesus reached down into the gutter, healed the sick, spoke the truth in love and, in doing so, painted a beautiful image of what the transformative power of God's love in our lives can look like.

When we entered into the shadows of the looming overpass that is Boxtown at midnight armed with little more than clothes, a large bag of hamburgers and loads of bottled water, we had no idea what we would encounter. Guns, knives, drugs; anything was possible. We didn't bring any Bibles. We didn't bring any tracts. All we brought was a desire to see the light and love of Jesus penetrate a place as dark and hopeless as this. The mere fact that we had ventured from wherever we came from just to do this seemed mind-boggling to the people we met. When they asked why we were giving away clothes, food and water, we told them it was because of Jesus: because he loved us, now we love you. That was it. Plain and simple. Some thought it remarkable; others didn't care. Many were just happy for what we had brought with us. Some, however, were truly intrigued by this rag-tag group of young men willing to enter their world just to show them some love.

We had chances to share about our lives and so did they. We even prayed with a few of them; for their health, for their families they no longer saw, that God would speak to them again. Mostly, we just loved them and listened. I left that place that night feeling like I had walked in that narrow way that Jesus talked about. You know, the one that few will ever find? I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to watch God work as we stepped out in faith; to take part in Jesus' ministry. I pray that you might consider doing the same.

You will be changed.

Peace, grace and truth,

Charles

Boys, Beer, Baby food, Bug spray, & Bananas

Yup - most of our vacation photos included at least 3 of the above. It was a wondrous trek around Texas culminating in a relaxing, beach-bumming foray around Galveston. Rich with historical perspective, warm gulf waters, good eats, and plenty of commercial excitement, I could not have been more impressed with our dirty, little Gulf city - the seat of the county bearing the same name.

Did you know Galveston was home to a number of state firsts, including:

• the first post office (1836)
• the first naval base (1836)
• the first Texas chapter of a Masonic order (1840)
• the first cotton compress (1842)
• first Roman Catholic Cathedral (St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica) (1847)
• the first parochial school (Ursuline Academy) (1847)
• the first insurance company (1854)
• the first gas lights (1856)
• first Jewish Reform Congregation (Congregation B'nai Israel) (1868)
• the first opera house (1870)
• the first orphanage (1876)
• the first telephone (1878)
• the first electric lights (1883)
• the first medical college (now the University of Texas Medical Branch) (1891)
• and the first school for nurses (1890)

That only scratches the surface of this town's historical importance. If you like history and beaches, I strongly suggest visiting this little gem. And ask me where to go and NOT to go. I got some great advice from former locals and students. Hint: eat at The Original Mexican!

Why am I blogging like I'm some sort of travel review columnist? 3 reasons:

1. This is the HEB Plus of blogs - no one really goes there unless you live near by and ran out of gas.
2. I work for one of the largest OLTAs, which gives me an insider's perspective on the travel industry.
3. I'm always in the hunt for some self-indulgent, mundane, inane nonsense which I could publish only to never be heard.
   

Moving on ... a few days ago, Hotwire.com (a Hotels.com sister company - both are owned by Expedia.com) introduced an excellent new site for all the travel freaks out there. It is called Travel Ticker, dedicated to hot travel deals.

This is the first time Hotwire has introduced a new site since the original Hotwire site was created in 2000. Travel Ticker is a consumer-focused model versus a transactional site so visitors are taken off the site when they actually book any travel items. This allows the site to be fully devoted to uncovering great deals for U.S.-based travelers in a fun and innovative way.

Selections are updated hourly and geo-targeted – meaning visitors will first see deals related to where they live, whether its Seattle, St. Louis, or Sarasota. The site also uses a click-based rating system so deals sorted and ranked by visitor popularity throughout the day. As background, Travel Ticker was first established in 2006 as a free online newsletter for people looking for great travel deals. When the newsletter reached more than 11 million subscribers, it was clear that more frequent updates were needed and that a true community had formed. Thus, a new site joined the Hotwire family.

So how do they find these great rates? The team works around the clock to search for bargains and relies on the relationships and network of more than 10,000 contacts Hotwire has in the travel industry to highlight little-known deals for travelers.

• Visit today at http://www.travel-ticker.com.
  

Now that I've bored everyone to tears (I think I'm up to 5 visitors now) I leave you with a "must-see" movie recommendation. American Splendor. Have you seen it?

Daily Manna from the 'Net for Tuesday, July 22, 2008

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 'Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' 'But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' 'I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.' Luke 18:9-14 NIV | Listen

Amish Bling & The Art Of Bookmark Sharing

How 7 guys eating greasy food can turn a prayer request session into a full blown discussion on the Amish is beyond me. But it does happen. We had a great time this morning ... really covered a lot of ground. African ministries, aging mothers, pregnant wives, ABF demographics, eating crow, travel mercies ... the list goes on and on.

As I get ready to leave on vacation, I thought I'd NOT come up with some insane analogy or attempt at being interesting. Instead, I leave you with some fun work. Kinda like home work but better. Warning! Some of these links may offend you. But I can assure you there are no naked women or grotesque violence. I was going to say no dirty pictures but there is literal dirt in some of them so that would be inaccurate. Plus, not all of them have pictures. And everyone knows I don't like to be misleading ... have a great next week and I'll see ya on the flip flop!

Christian

• The Authenticity of 2 Peter
• The Authorship of Second Peter
• Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram - http://lote.org/listen/listenDaily.php
• Margaret Feinberg Books - http://www.margaretfeinberg.com/?page_id=4
• Reunion Church Radio Message Guide - http://reunionchurch.org/dallas.php/radio

Fun

• Traveling to Minnesota? Best concert of the summer - http://www.10klf.com/
• Turn Yourself Into A Simpson Character
• Ghost Cars Of The World ** NOTE: I've been known to drive a few of these to work.
• The Dilbert Blog - http://dilbertblog.typepad.com/
• Sound Bites From Movies - http://www.moviewavs.com/
• Google TISP - http://www.google.com/tisp/

Links with a certain synonym for the word "donkey" but aren't related in any way

• "Donkey" Driven Development (ADD) for the programming geek ** NOTE: This is a must read ... my fav being Cover Your A** Engineering (CYAE)
• Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't
  

Sports

• Hockey Futures - http://www.hockeysfuture.com/teams/dallas_stars
• Tri-ProSoap Schedule & Results - http://www.tri-prosoap.com/schedule
• Tri-Breakfast ??? No link yet ...
• Custom NHL Shoes by RbK
  

Technology

• Cool Bookmark Sharing for IE & Firefox (or across both) - http://www.zinkmo.com/
• Don't buy a Mac before reading this site - http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/
• Geek to Live: Automatically download and install your favorite software
• AT&T Announces 3G iPhone Pricing and Plans

Youtube Clips

• How do you get to Carnegie Hall?
• Jason Becker - Guitar Clinic
• Rick Nash 1/17/08 amazing goal vs. Phoenix
• The Bears Still Suck

--- best links ever ---

Daily Manna from the 'Net for Thursday, July 10, 2008

'Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise. Isaiah 43:18-21 NIV | Listen

I'm just here for the paycheck.

Yes ... I am an IT concubine ... or so it would seem. My resume has always been the most interesting parts of the interview process.

• "How many places have you been?"
• "When were you there?"
• "They actually paid you to do that?"

I never really heard the last question verbatim but the subject has been encroached upon. Where am I going with this? Right ... 15 guys piled in a church shuttle last night for Boys Night Out at the Ballpark. The Rangers squeaked out a win and everyone had a pretty good time.

What was even more impressive to me was the array of dudes that are connected through this wonderful church body at Lake Pointe. I didn't get to talk to everyone but discovered so many new things. The remarkable nature of each man's walk and how that translates into their family structure and careers is mind boggling. My career flakiness is really troublesome when considering some of these guys dedication.

So here's some more shameless promotions of local business dudes that are dedicated to their craft that I HAVEN'T mentioned before:

Jason Cooley - Integrity Mortgage
I've used Jason 3 times and would refer him to anyone looking to purchase a home that needs a loan. You just can't say that about too many lenders. He's been there longer than I've known him and never flounders. Check out his bio.

Eric Gebhardt
Another long-time empoyee in the lender biz (one of the biggies so I don't feel the need to promote.) The real story here is that Eric has been planning a career change for months. His goal is to become an art teacher. You wouldn't believe the arduous process he's going through. The planning and patience in execution is most impressive. Our community will be better off with someone like him in the class room.

Justin Graves - Pharmacist
Our fearless ABF leader has been a pharmicist for 15 years! Now that's dedication. I think he works for Walgreens or something ... but did you know he has aspirations of owning his own business? I was shocked to learn he even has a location and space! Maybe we could encourage him in that and provide some inspiration. Entrpreneurs, UNITE!

Paul Flemming - Westport Church - Hillsboro, Oregon
If you went to the Ballpark last night you proabably would ask why I would list someone that lives in Oregon. However, Paul came up several times. Cooincidentally, I received a LinkedIn invite from Paul while we were at the game. Several years ago, Paul left the exciting world of being an IT concubine to plant a church outside of Portland, OR. Westport has now become one of the best Lake Pointe sister church sucess stories. If you're looking for a national ministry to get involved with, look no further. Or simply make a meaningful contribution at http://www.westportcontributions.com/.

I could go on and on. As usual, I have no point. But I did bring the IT concubine reference from beginning to end! Sorry about that Paul.

Thanks for a great evening guys! I leave you with scripture and a You Tube video that may or may not work in your browser. If ou can't see it, I suggest becoming more technical ... it's the year 2008!

Proverbs 27:17 (New International Version)
17 As iron sharpens iron,
so one man sharpens another.

The Blog Formerly Known As JWebInfo

What the heck does that mean anyway ... JWebInfo?

Well ... our family domain for years has been jweb-info.com. JWeb is an acronym that stands for:

Jerry Welch Elizabeth Barnett

It was inspired by my Grandpa Welch's business named WelMet - a combination of Welch and my late Grandma's maiden name, Metty.

So why not just jweb.com you ask? Amazingly it was taken - and written in Chinese. That's the skinny.

Recently my originality was challenged by my friend, Billy Self. He claimed that jwebinfo.blogspot.com was just too boring for such riveting commentary. Billy, the owner of such compelling domain names as:

• ProSoap.com
• Tri-ProSoap.com (wow - big reach there to name his triathlon team)
• SailWithScott.com (guess what Scott does?)
• BillySelf.com (what an amazing concept!)
  

He'll argue his business prowess against that list, but we're talking about originality here. So the question is, should I go with something benign like JerryWelch.name? Should I splurge and get some crazy new domain like ManTheFlyingSaucer.com? DuckButterAndTheChodes.org?

So I made my decision and will forward my name domain (jerrywelch.name) to the current blog URL and release a new blog URL on August 2nd. Why 8/2? It's my dad's birthday and has nothing to do with the new blog name. How's that for twisted originality, Mr. Self?

Instead of losing another bookmark or emailing me that the blog is gone, just sign up for an RSS feed (see to your right) so you get the latest and greatest ... and come back on 8/2 for the exciting release of the new blog name!

Here's my alternative list for Billy's major domains:

• BestManufacturersSoapInTheWorld.com
• RockwallIronmenRule.com
• CharterOurCatamaranOrDie.com
  
• BillyLovesRedPolkaDots.com

Tune in next week as I hack DallasRaceWeek.com to route to DrinkBeerAndSailForCharity.org.

Stay wise.

Jesus, could you get that for me?

We take that for granted. What would it take for you to get down on your knees right now and let God know that you love him more than anything else in your life? That you trust him implicitly? That there is no sin you love more than Him?

Please visit this site http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/2008/01/beginning-of-story.html.

I don't speak directly about my wife much in this blog. But Elizabeth is a stellar chicky! She's a great mom, a great wife, supports me, serves our church body, serves our community, works out every day (with 3 kids to mother!), plans cool date nights, and still gives me butterflies when she touches my leg.

Recently she has been very moved by the commentary of Angie Smith through her blog. This lady has really challenged that way that Elizabeth and I see our personal relationship and walk with Jesus. I strongly urge you to read and react in your own way.

One thing Elizabeth does for our class is posting recaps of the weekly lessons on a blog. I think over time that it will be a great repository on how the church guides us through the Word. You can find a link at GravesABF.com under the Class Lessons page. The direct link is ...

• http://gravesabf.blogspot.com/

Don't forget all the other popular domain names that will lead you to GravesABF.com like ...

BeyondOurFood.com

... and the easy-to-remember ...

IWantSomeoneToBringFoodToGravesABFThisSunday.com

And, yes, the links actually work. Anyone that reads this blog knows I only report the most precise information known to Rockwall County (cough, cough.)

In other news ... blah, blah, blah ... funny picture for no reason:


Peace.

Jane Fonda & Family Business Succession

Jane Fonda is a ridiculous pop icon with links to infamous activities such as political activism and acting (if you can really call what she does acting.) Her divorce from Ted Turner was actually a planned media event for TBS revenue increase needs. You know, the Braves needed a new player spa in the locker room, or something.

Speaking of Ted, he shares a popular hobby/lifestyle/sport fetish with our boy, Billy ... sailing. Billy's dad, Scott, is an accomplished sailor. Billy and his dad used Ted's business succession planning for family business.

Personally, I think that should be a priority for every family business.

But as we found out, Robert could really use some mentoring in this area. Billy was happy to share his experience planning the empirical take over of ProSoap.com. Robert listened ...

Hey Logston - go pick up these books (kudos to Billy's suggestion):

• Wars of Succession: The Blessings, Curses and Lessons That Family-Owned Firms Offer Anyone in Business by Roger Fritz
  
• Call Me Ted by Ted Turner
• Tandy's Money Machine: How Charles Tandy Built Radio Shack into the World's Largest Electronics Chain by Irvin Farman
• Succession Planning For The Family Owned Business by Mike Fager, Dave McKinney
• Family Business Succession: The Final Test of Greatness, Second Edition (Paperback) by Craig E. Aronoff (Author), Stephen L. McClure (Author), John L. Ward (Author)

Anyone else reading this blog that owns a business or works in a family business should do the same before you destroy each other!

That being said, Robert is the head foreman for a pretty cool little local business that I've never mentioned. It's called LL Clean Rooms. The web site isn't there but they have a domain so I linked to it!

One of the coolest services they provide is the construction of a CLEAN ROOM? Awesome stuff ... so if you need something like that, please call Robert at 214.325.9157.

I know I said Boxtown would be my next promotion but we talked about too much this morning ... being good husbands, encouraging our wives, encouraging each other, sports, etc, etc.

This blog has been saved since last Thursday so I have no train of thought to write any further ... it's a good thing to because I started to really bore myself.

Based on some user feedback I may be changing the name of this blog and/or possibly pointing it to a new domain. Any suggestions?

Warning ... you may be dumber after reading this.

Sub-title: Feeling Bloggy This Week

I just feel like blogging this week. Not about anything in particular. Just an endless stream of irrational thoughts that I could be expressing.

Principal: Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

Billy Madison: Okay, a simple "wrong" would've done just fine.

I've been feeling like that a lot lately. All of a sudden, there's no keeping up, no restful peace, no kudos, no accomplishment, no sense of satisfaction. Not even a little win. Everything seems to be a struggle.

Called my good buddy, Kevin ... nothing but the same on his noggin. So I'm praying ... or am I?

Quite often when I get to feeling this way is when I find that something is lacking in my relationship with God. There is nothing in particular that is causing the problems. Life is actually quite good. But something is stealing my joy. And I'm not filling the void with the Bread of Life. Daily Manna is not good enough for me.

That's the problem. I'm a selfish bastard. Too wrapped up to let God come meet me in that place where He can rebuild, rest, renew, reveal ... heck, my laugh is probably there. So, if you're reading this, let's all stop ... park ... and go meet our Savior.

Don't know how to do that? Post a comment. I'll respond.

Or go to biblegateway.com and start reading Proverbs. Or Matthew. Or anything in the Living Word that lets God speak to you.

Stay wise.

Daily Manna from the 'Net for Wednesday, July 2, 2008

'If only you would hide me in the grave and conceal me till your anger has passed! If only you would set me a time and then remember me! If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come. You will call and I will answer you; you will long for the creature your hands have made. Surely then you will count my steps but not keep track of my sin. Job 14:13-16 NIV | Listen