Ray Edwards: Master Copywriter, just got me to click…

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I’m listening to Ray’s podcast (one of my favorites) episode #231 because Ray persuaded me to click the link to listen. It was an awesome e-mail. Here it is:

I love the TV show Dirty Jobs.

 

It’s the only reality show I ever watched with anything resembling consistency.

 

Every week, Mike Rowe, the host, rolled up his sleeves and “got dirty” with people doing jobs that nobody wanted to do – but they were jobs somebody had to do.

 

Measuring the depth of sewers.

 

Wrangling deadly snakes.

 

Horse breeding (need I say more?)

 

Blood, pain, puke, and poo.

 

Mike Rowe discovered something interesting while doing the show. People who were doing the dirtiest jobs are often happier than people doing the cleanest, highest-paying jobs.

 

As in… the guy using a giant vacuum to suck crap out of septic systems, happier than most CEOs.

 

How is that possible?

 

The septic tank guy says he loves his work precisely because nobody else wants to do it. And he helps people. And he’s good at it.

 

Mike Rowe thinks that’s the secret of the show’s success. He says Dirty Jobs is actually a tribute to the nobility of useful work.

 

I think, going a level deeper, we see the common denominator: serving other people well.

 

And that’s something we can all do, whether we are knee deep in pain, puke, and poo… or elbows deep in balance sheets, quarterly reports, and board meetings.

 

It’s about serving.

 

Here’s the surprise: those who serve hardest often get paid most.

 

They are certainly, almost without fail, happiest.

 

It ain’t about how dirty your hands are. It’s about how clean your heart is.

 

Jesus had the dirtiest job of all.

 

Think about it. (Even if you’re not a “believer”… you can think of this as a bit of crazy allegory…)

 

Pretend you’re in Heaven, watching from “behind the scenes”.

 

Jesus, the Son of God, is right there, living in paradise, making art out of galaxies (or whatever Jesus was doing “up there”).

 

One day God the Father sits down and sighs.

 

“Son, I’ve got a dirty job for you,” God says. “I need you to hang up your God-powers, become a human, and wallow in their filth for 33 years. Then you’ll have to let them humiliate, torture and kill you.”

 

Imagine Jesus saying, “Um, why, Dad? That does not sound fun.”

 

Father grins.

 

“Well that’s the thing, Son. You get to serve them and save the whole human race – past, present, and future.”

 

Now Jesus grins.

 

“Dad, now that sounds fun. It’s a dirty job, but I’m in!”

 

Lest you think I’m being blasphemous, the Bible does say that Jesus “endured the cross for the joy set before him.”

 

What’s my point?

 

You might think I’m crazy, and you may be right…

 

But I think Jesus is alive today, active in the world, and vitally interested in your job. I think He wants to HELP you with your job or business.

 

Foolish? Maybe. But I have been a fool for lesser things,

 

Your work doesn’t have to be a “spiritual” job, or a “Christian business”, either.

 

It can be a dirty job. Even sucking the crap out of septic tanks.

 

How can you possibly get the help of the Creator at your job?

 

That’s the question I’m exploring on this week’s podcast, with my guest, Andy Mason of Bethel Church in Redding, California.

 

Andy is helping people in all kinds of businesses…

 

From folks baking pizzas for prisoners in penitentiaries, all the way up to top hedge fund managers.

 

From bakers to billionaires.

 

He’s helping them partner with God in their work.

 

And the results?

 

Miracles in the workplace.

 

Seriously.

 

You have to hear it to believe it.

 

Click here and listen to this challenging, amazing conversation.

 

Turns out no job is too “dirty” to be redeemed.

 

Even if you’re knee-deep in blood, pain, puke, and poo … or elbows-deep in balance sheets, quarterly reports, and board meetings.

 

Check it out.

To Your Prosperity,

Ray Edwards

PS – Even if you think I’m nuts, at least give me credit for this: I just worked a reality show, excrement, two Billy Joel references, and a loosely-interpreted Bible story into a single email. 

 

PPS – Yes, there really are two Billy Joel references in this email, big shot. (Okay, maybe three.)

 

PPPS – Go listen to the podcast, already!

Eat anything. Lose weight. Keep it off. Guaranteed.

I’ve lost 60 pounds!

I’ve also gained 60 pounds.

Three times, after a reduced calorie diet, I dropped 20 pounds. And three times I gained it all back.

What a yo yo.

Fool me once: shame on you. Fool me twice: shame on me. Fool me three times: I’m a yo yo.

Okay. I’m done with this “yo yo” diet thing. Something’s gotta give. I know how to lose weight. I can do it. I’ve done it before. It’s keeping it off: that’s the trick.

I’ve developed some bad eating habits over the years. If my new behavior (eating less, exercising more) doesn’t replace my old bad habits, the old habits will return and I’m back to square one.

So, how do I replace my bad habits with better ones? Instead of going into “weight loss mode” for a few months and then reverting to old habits, how can I make a permanent change that allows me to lose weight and keep it off?

For me, the solution may very well be “Appetite Control”, as detailed in a book by that title by Dr. Bert Herring.

Dr. Herring’s approach makes sense to me. It’s based on the simple truth of how we convert our food into energy. If we eat too much, our bodies convert the excess fuel into fat. Fat is our body’s “refrigerator “. It’s a way to store fuel for later use. But since we are constantly supplying our bodies with fresh fuel by eating three meals and snacking throughout the day, we never give our bodies an opportunity to draw from our fat fuel reserves. So, over time, as we consume more calories than we burn, the fat accumulates, and we become obese.

Dr. Herring’s advice is to give your body the time it needs to tap into your fuel reserves and burn off that fat. If you do, you will lose about a pound a week. It doesn’t matter what you eat so long as you give your body a chance to raid it’s fridge each day and use stored fat for energy. No more counting calories. No more eating food you don’t like.

To tap into stored fat for fuel, you have to hold off giving your body fresh fuel. We already do this when we sleep. The seven or eight hours of sleep we have each night gives your digestive system a break. You go without eating during that time. But to burn off all the food you ate the day before, your body needs more time. You’ll start consuming your stored fat for fuel after 10-12 hours.

Dr. Herring’s approach is to hold off on eating until later in the day, and then eat all you’re going to eat in a five hour window. You are already fasting 8-10 hours between your evening meal and your breakfast the next morning. If you extend that “fast” so you go 19 hours without eating, you then “brake” your fast with a healthy snack, followed by a good meal somewhere in that five hour window.

I’m thinking my window will be 2-7pm. Getting up at 4:30am, I’m in bed by 8:30pm.

The idea of not eating anything until 2pm seems daunting to me. While I understand the metabolic mechanisms at play here, I’m used to eating a “good” breakfast every morning.

But it can be done. Thousands of people do it every day. After the initial three week adaptation period, it’s easy. Or so they say.

Anyway, this does make sense to me. I’m going to give it a try starting January 1st. If it works for me, who knows, I may teach the approach and promote Dr. Herring’s book in a seminar: “Eat anything. Lose weight. Keep it off. Guaranteed.” While there’s no real guarantee it will work, if you try intermittent fasting for 60 days and don’t lose a pound a week, we’ll refund the price of the seminar.

I’ll let you know how I do. Wish me luck.

Get thee behind me, John Birch!

I love the new COS video parody of the old Apple vs. Microsoft ads!

But I must say, I like the Mac versus PC ads better. In those ads, the “cool” guy, who personified the Mac, was a nice guy. He actually liked the PC. He was funny, endearing and kind, and never called the PC names. He wasn’t mean.

My experience has been that our friends who are opposed to a convention for fear of it becoming a runaway are strong patriots, love their country, revere the Constitution, are generally “good guys”, and should be on “our side” in this battle. Many have worked tirelessly for years to increase our constitutional literacy. For this, I, for one, am grateful.

After carefully listening to and considering Michael Farris’s arguments, and considering what others had to say, including what the founders had written regarding Article V, I believe that a convention of states is called for and necessary. It is the only political solution I am aware of to our country’s significant, systemic problems.

So yes, I believe our JBS, Constitution Party and assorted Tea Party friends who have not yet come to see the wisdom and prudence in a COS are in the wrong here.

But calling these friends hypocrites and fear-mongers doesn’t get us anywhere.

Yes, for those fellow citizens who do not hold strong constitutional opinions, who aren’t sure who to believe, this name calling might have some effect. Maybe. But in the long run, I’d say it’s counter-productive.

We need to do a better job answering their objections. In fact, we already have, but I think we can do a better job of presenting and packaging.

We don’t speak German today, in part, because Hitler chose to fight a two-front war. A house divided against itself will not stand. It’s going to be an uphill battle fighting our ideological adversaries as we move forward. We don’t need to be fighting our friends as well. The “hypocrites” are our friends. I believe their misinformed, but they are on our side. We want the same thing. We want to restore the federal government to the size and scope envisioned by our founders.

I’d say we’re more at the “A gentle answer turns away wrath” and less at the “Get thee behind me Satan!” stage.

Not ready to start that big project? Think again.

James Clear shares the story told to him by Richard Branson about how Branson started Virgin Airlines:

I was in my late twenties, so I had a business, but nobody knew who I was at the time. I was headed to the Virgin Islands and I had a very pretty girl waiting for me, so I was — umm — determined to get there on time.

At the airport, my final flight to the Virgin Islands was cancelled because of maintenance or something. It was the last flight out that night. I thought this was ridiculous, so I went and chartered a private airplane to take me to the Virgin Islands, which I did not have the money to do.

Then, I picked up a small blackboard, wrote “Virgin Airlines. $29.” on it, and went over to the group of people who had been on the flight that was cancelled.

I sold tickets for the rest of the seats on the charter plane, used their money to pay for the plane, and we all went to the Virgin Islands that night.

Before you put off that big project again, read Clear’s article about “not being ready”. It’s well worth it!

I’m a hypocrite.

Are you a hypocrite? I know I am.

It’s been said the Church is full of hypocrites. Its true. So many of us say one thing and do another.

If the parable in Matthew 22 gives us any clue, us hypocrites are in deep, deep doo doo.

I’m helping my daughter plan her wedding, and it just so happens I read the parable of the great wedding feast in Matthew 22 this morning. Funny how that works.

The gist of the parable is this great king puts on a huge wedding feast for his son, but the invited guests blow him off. Not only did they blow him off, but they beat up and killed the guy who delivered the invites. Yikes! This king was furious, and, being a king, with rapid response seal teams at his disposal, sent his armies and pretty much nuked the ungrateful, murderous invited guests.

I took a little interpretive license here, but you get the idea.

So, the wedding reception goes on. Then the king finds this guy munching on the food, drinking a Heineken from the open bar and dancing the hokey pokey with the other guests.

But this guy isn’t dressed properly for a wedding. He’s got holy, raggedy jeans on, and a T-shirt.

While being dressed down like this for a formal event is tacky and even a bit rude, the king doesn’t ignore him, nor humor him, or ask him to leave. He tells the ushers to grab him, zip tie his arms and legs, and throw him out on the street!

Whoa! Now that’s serious!

I wasn’t sure what that scene was meant to symbolize in the parable. I get that the invited guests who blew him off were the Jews, but this dressed down guy was a mystery to me. So I looked up Matthew Henry’s commentary on the passage in my Olive Tree bible app. Mr. Henry was very helpful, and cast a sobering light on the passage:

The case of hypocrites is represented by the guest that had not on a wedding- garment.

It concerns all to prepare for the scrutiny; and those, and those only, who put on the Lord Jesus, who have a Christian temper of mind, who live by faith in Christ, and to whom he is all in all, have the wedding- garment.

The imputed righteousness of Christ, and the sanctification of the Spirit, are both alike necessary. No man has the wedding- garment by nature, or can form it for himself.

The day is coming, when hypocrites will be called to account for all their presumptuous intruding into gospel ordinances, and usurpation of gospel privileges.

Take him away.

Those that walk unworthy of Christianity, forfeit all the happiness they presumptuously claimed. Our Savior here passes out of the parable into that which it teaches.

Hypocrites go by the light of the gospel itself down to utter darkness. Many are called to the wedding- feast, that is, to salvation, but few have the wedding- garment, the righteousness of Christ, the sanctification of the Spirit.

Then let us examine ourselves whether we are in the faith, and seek to be approved by the King.

While I may be a hypocrite, I’m a reformed hypocrite. More accurately, I’m a reforming hypocrite. God isn’t done with me yet. He continues to make me more like Christ, yet it’s often hard to see that progress.

The church is still full of hypocrites, and I’m a shining example of one. But, thankfully, God will be letting me, and a bunch of other hypocrites, sit down at the great wedding feast in heaven some day. Our clothes are grubby, tattered and entirely inappropriate for a wedding when we arrive at the wedding ceremony. But we will be issued beautiful, white as snow, perfect wedding clothes… painfully tailored by the Lamb of God, washed by His blood. When we put on this wardrobe, we put on Christ and His righteousness. The King won’t see me. When He looks at me, he’ll see His Son, and I’ll be escorted to a seat of honor.

I will be there. I got my invite and sent in my RSVP.

Are you going? Need an invite? Learn more here. I hope to see you there!

Is Blaine Richardson really pro-life?

I remember one time my wife and I were going for a walk on our road. A car slows down and stops. The driver rolls down her window and introduces herself as a candidate for the state House of Representatives.

I thanked her for running and then asked, “Where do you stand on abortion?”.

The candidate’s response: “Personally, or politically?”.

As you might imagine, I was not impressed.

For me, abortion is the defining issue. I don’t care whether you’re running for dogcatcher or President. If you can’t see that abortion is murder, in my mind, you’re not qualified to hold elected office. It speaks to character.

The aforementioned candidate’s response was a wimpy copout. Sure. No one likes abortion. But the idea that you can be personally opposed to it but politically in favor of it is ridiculous. To quote the late, and great, Howard Phillips, “The first duty of civil government is to prevent the shedding of innocent blood.”. If you believe abortion is wrong, and that it is a taking of an innocent life, then, as an elected official you should do everything in your power, and expend whatever political capital is necessary, to right that wrong. That is what the civil government is supposed to do.

Fast forward to today. Curious about where the various congressional candidates stand on the abortion issue, I sent the Blaine Richardson campaign an email asking them where they stand on the issue. Now, bear in mind, that I did word the question in such a way as to make it sound like I was pro-choice. See the email exchange I’ve pasted in below:

—

——– Forwarded message ———-
From: <info@blaineforuscongress.com>
Date: Fri, Aug 2, 2013 at 11:02 AM
Subject: RE: Choice
To: Bill Clarke <bill@billclarke.us>

Bill,

Thanks for the question.

Blaine’s stance on the abortion issue is two fold: One, he believes life begins at conception. Two, Roe vs Wade is the law of the land and as the law of the land it gives women the right to choose. He doesn’t feel he has the right to “judge” what a woman may or may not do with her body.

I hope this answers your question,

Matt McDonald

Blaine for US Congress

2072133095

——– Original Message ——–
Subject: Choice
From: Bill Clarke <bill@billclarke.us>
Date: Fri, August 02, 2013 2:00 am
To: info@blaineforuscongress.com

Hello Blaine,

Thanks for running!

Do you support a woman’s right to choose? This issue is very important to me.

Thanks,

Bill

—

Bill Clarke

A quiet, beautiful spot

After dropping off my daughter at work, I had about an hour before my meeting. Itching to carve out a chunk of time read this book I just picked up at the library, I went to the public boat launch at Lake Auburn.

So I sat down at the end of the dock leaning up against one of those posts. What a beautiful spot! I got some reading done but it was a little distracting as I kept looking up, entranced by the glory of God’s creation.

Six reasons why McDonald’s is my favorite remote office

Say what you want about McDonald’s, but it happens to be one of my favorite restaurants. When I’m out and about and I need some office time, I look for a McDonald’s first. Here’s why.

McDonalds is convenient.
McDonald’s is open early and stays open late. There are a gazillion McDonald’s all over the place.

McDonalds is cheap.

Starbucks doesn’t have a Dollar menu. At McDonald’s, I can pay my remote office rent for one dollar. By getting a side salad on the dollar menu and a cup of water, I literally spend one dollar plus tax. If I’m really hungry and it’s near lunch or supper time, for another dollar I can buy a McDouble burger. Early in the morning, for one dollar I can buy a sausage and egg burrito that actually is pretty tasty. And it’s pretty filling. That is pretty tough to beat.

McDonalds is comfortable.

Well McDonald’s Black’s the extra comfortable easy chairs found that Starbucks, the seating is generally pretty comfortable. It’s clean, and the bathrooms are clean.

McDonalds has great WiFi.

This is very important to me. Since I use my iPad Mini as my primary computer and phone, it’s important that I sparingly use my data plan from Verizon. McDonald’s has one of the strongest Wi-Fi signals I’ve ever seen at a public Wi-Fi hotspot. The signal is strong anywhere in the restaurant and it’s easy to sign in. That can’t be said for Starbucks, at least at our local Starbucks.

McDonald’s has a diverse menu.

I’m not a coffee drinker, so I don’t go to Starbucks for the coffee. Although I do like their hot chocolate in the winter. But anytime of the day, it’s easy to find something on the McDonald’s menu that will work for me. Especially on the dollar menu.

Ray Kroc is one of my business heroes.

Ray Kroc built McDonald’s into the international brand that it is. His story is quite inspirational. I recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about business.

All in all, McDonald’s gives me a convenient, cheap and comfortable place to do some work when I’m away from my home office. Maybe it’s not the most nutritious overall menu, but you don’t have to eat the junk food. The salads are actually pretty good!