Monthly Archives: April 2009

Problogger Book Winner #2!

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As you can see, I used Random.org to pick the winner of this month’s free copy of Problogger: Secrets to Blogging Your Way to a Six-figure Income. The winning entry is… (sound of drumroll) #21. Now, counting down from the top leads me to…

Dan Roloff, one of the Higher Calling folks who blogs over at Ramblin’ Dan! (sound of crowd cheering)

Yee-haw, Dan, and congratulations – a big ol’ tip o’ the topper to ya!

Now, don’t give up hope, y’all – I still have three more copies of the book to give away. So be sure to tune in for the next What I Learned From… groupwrite project!

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All Entries: What I Learned From Adversity

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A big ol’ Texas-sized Yee-Haw (sound of big ol’ Texas sized Yee-Haw) for everyone who chose to join us for this month’s group writing project: What I Learned From Adversity! Thanks again for sharing your stories (and more importantly, your lessons learned) with the rest of us!

This month we had a total of [UPDATED, YET AGAIN!] 35 entries (sound of crowd cheering enthusiastically). Way to go, folks! I think Joanna Young said it best when she described group writing project entries as a kind of gift. That’s exactly how I feel about ‘em, and I’m truly grateful that y’all took the time to participate.

Hey, and don’t forget to tune in tomorrow when I announce who wins the FREE copy of Problogger: Secrets to Blogging Your Way to a Six-figure Income!

You’ll find the entire list below (in no particular order, other than it’s how I found ‘em). Hey, there’s some very interesting and thoughtful writers here this month, I’m tellin’ ya! Do yourself a favor and check ‘em all out. Heck, drop by the authors’ blogs and start a conversation, why don’cha!

And last, but hopefully not least, here’s a couple of entries from yours truly:

Y’all give yourselves a big hand, my friends! And as usual, a big tip o’ the hat to ya! Be sure to tune in for the next exciting edition of What I Learned From…!

So, what’s the subject going to be, you ask? Well… I’m afraid that would be telling. But I can assure you – it’s gonna be a good’un!

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Easter Sunday, 2009

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Today, Christians throughout the world celebrate the fact that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, rose from the dead. It’s a day marked with celebration and joy as we consider His sacrifice in our place.

A sobering thought, that One so perfect, pure and holy would willingly lay down His own life as a substitution for us – just because He loved us. Kinda hard to find fault with that level of love, don’cha think? Yet some folks do. Go figure.

As for me, I’m just glad He did!

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Painting: He is Risen, by Jesus Martinez Gordo

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Turning Point

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"Untitled", by Digit Al

"Untitled", by Digit Al

[Note from the Proprietor: This is an entry for this month's What I Learned From... groupwrite project. We'd love to have you join us! See the bottom of this post for details - after, y'know, you read this post, of course! Just sayin'.]

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Two armies faced each other across the ravaged earth. Each understood, from the nature of the conflict, that there could be only one victor. By now many skirmishes had occurred – indeed, the very ground they occupied evidenced the terrible forces that had already been brought to bear.

Nevertheless, the Conclusion of the matter was still to come. Both sides, opposition and incumbent, knew it would be long and fierce, with no holds barred. Both understood the stakes involved. Each had committed to see the battle through to its inevitable finale.

THE OPPOSITION GENERAL marshaled his forces in vast ranks to either side. All that remained was the disposition of a few last arrivals, and the battle would begin. He knew it was all or nothing, and was grimly determined to be the victor, no matter what the cost. Everything he was, everything he dreamed of would be determined by the outcome of this final battle. There were no greater stakes, and he knew it.

He surveyed again the impressive ranks of daunting warriors at his disposal. Their size, their determination, their dedication to himself… A deep and profound feeling of pride rose from within as he contemplated his command of so invincible a force. His eyes narrowed as he turned and carefully scrutinized the massed ranks of the incumbent’s forces. Their strength and self-confidence was evident, but he knew they would be no match for the power of his own forces. Victory, he knew, would inevitably be his.

The appointed time approached with all the ponderous inevitability of a glacier. He stood tall, raising an arm toward his trumpeters. They lifted their flaming instruments, long prepared to boldly signal his command. As the moment approached, all of creation seemed to hold its collective breath in anticipation.

It was time.

BUT A SUDDEN FLURRY of motion began within the facing ranks, making him pause for a moment. Brilliant light flooded upwards from the midst of the enemy line, so bright as to be nearly intolerable. Taken by surprise, the General halted the order to better concentrate his not inconsiderable intellect upon the new development. Wary of trickery, he waited and watched, bewilderment increasing as a remarkable scene unfolded before his astonished eyes.

The distant ranks of enemy soldiers began to part like the pages of a vast and timeless book, revealing an extraordinary panorama. Right there, exactly in the middle of a blasted and torn battlefield, an anomaly had appeared. Where once the land was twisted and black, a vast patch of brilliant green had simply appeared, as if commanded into existence.

His jaw dropped as he watched the patch of emerald light resolve itself into a huge garden. Snow-capped mountains appeared, accompanied by the threaded silver lines of rivers and streams filled with clear, fresh water. Every kind of tree and bush thrust newly-formed limbs skyward as if in supplication. Flowers burst open in eye-popping arrays, sweeping across the hills in broad strokes of color as far as the eye could see.

An incredible variety of insects, birds, and animals began to appear everywhere. Strangely, they appeared almost rough-hewn at first, as if molded from clay by a sculptor’s hands. But then, with an explosive flicker of motion, they burst into life. Birds exuberantly flapped their wings as they soared upwards into the now clear blue sky. Cattle munched sedately on fresh green grass as they slowly ambled away. A trout, tossed like a lump into the river, changed in an instant to a flash of silver motion as it turned and joyfully burst from the liquid surface in a fantastic leap.

IT MADE NO SENSE whatsoever. What was going on? And why now, just as battle was about to be joined, would his counterpart stop everything for this… this petty diversion? That’s when he noticed a small gathering of figures in the midst of the garden, next to one brightly spectacular tree.

Abruptly, he stopped to take a closer look. Yes! One of the figures was the arch enemy himself! He grimaced in self-satisfaction, anticipating the coming delicious confrontation. To finally vanquish his foe once and for all! The thought stirred his heart as nothing else could.

But… what was he doing? Two other figures stood in front of him – one male; the other, female. Oddly enough, they didn’t appear to be wearing any armor. In fact – and this was strange, considering the conflict that was about to be unleashed – they weren’t wearing anything at all!

Was it a planning session for the upcoming battle? Perhaps they were special envoys, being briefed to send a message. Maybe even to me, he thought. Could the enemy be willing to give up so easily? He doubted it, but one never knew. It was dangerous to underestimate the shrewdness of his opponent.

But no, they seemed to be just… talking. Finally, his nemesis stepped forward, kissed them both, and joined the male and female’s hands together. That’s when the truth became evident – it was obviously some kind of ceremony!

It was an astonishing revelation. All those eons spent planning the coming confrontation, and he thought he knew his opposition down to the last aspect. Nothing, he thought, could possibly take him by surprise. This, however – this was something completely unexpected.

He silently watched as the ceremony ended and the ranks of soldiers smoothly reformed themselves with machinelike precision into their former battle lines. The bright, eye-searing glow faded from sight, and one could almost physically sense their determination gathering as both sides prepared themselves for the coming action.

BUT CONFUSION REIGNED in his mind for the first time in a long, long while. He understood the fact that his opponent had wanted him to see this – but for a while, he had no idea what to do – a first for himself. What could possibly be so important that an epic battle would be held up for a… a… ridiculous ritual!

Then confusion gave way to anger. This will have no bearing on the inevitable outcome, he told himself. But still… there was that niggling doubt. He knew his adversary was a shrewd campaigner and wouldn’t hesitate to do something unusual, just to throw him off. He stoked his anger into white-hot fury. There was nothing – absolutely nothing – left to chance. This moment of show, so obviously for his benefit – well, he was determined it would change nothing! As for those two… humans – he practically spat the word – well, he’d deal with them later.

He angrily turned and raised his arm to give the signal…

Something Very Odd

[Note from the Proprietor: I realize there's plenty of folks who don't take the story of Adam and Eve literally. Heck; there's some who haven't even heard of 'em! No problem, my friends; believe it or not, even among Christians there seems to be some discussion about their actual, literal existence. Hey, that don't bother me none. As far as I know, it's pretty much a free world out there (at least, inside our own skulls, anyway), and you're welcome to believe they were real - or not - as you see fit.]

OK; I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that something very odd happened in this story. I mean, think about it for a minute, won’t you?

In truth, what turned into (or will turn into, depending on how you look at it) the Ultimate Battle actually started out as a rebellion by an angel then known as Lucifer. However, by the time the smoke cleared (figuratively speaking, you understand), Lucifer-turned-Satan and a third of the angels had been swept from Heaven.

Now where, exactly, they ended up isn’t really clear to me, although it seems apparent from the narrative in the Book of Genesis that even the Earth itself had been decimated in the ensuing conflict. Be that as it may, to me the story of Adam and Eve still remains an amazing anomaly. Or maybe… it was a turning point?

The Turning Point

I mean, here we are, in the midst of the Battle of the Eons. Both sides know it’s a conflict with only two possible outcomes: total victory – or total defeat. As we say here in Texas, there weren’t no ‘ifs’, ‘ands’ or ‘buts’ about it.

And yet, right in the middle of this epic conflict, God himself stopped the whole shebang – not to conduct a planning session, nor to regroup, nor even to take a breather. Nope; it was to conduct, of all things, a wedding!

Kinda fills you with a sense of wonder, doesn’t it? I mean, the institution of marriage must be pretty important, don’cha think, if the God of the Universe would do something like that. So… it seems to me we ought to at least take our marriages a bit more seriously than, y’know, your average sporting event, political issue, or financial statement.

Hey, I’m just sayin’.

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[Yet another note from the Proprietor: This is yet another entry in this month's What I Learned From... groupwrite project. If you'd like to participate - and maybe win a free copy of Problogger - well, just click on that cute little link and read all about it!]

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The Trouble With Trouble

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[Note from the Proprietor: This is an entry for this month's What I Learned From... groupwrite project. We'd love to have you join us! See the bottom of this post for details - after, y'know, you read this post, of course! Just sayin'.]

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Have you ever wondered what was the point of adversity – y’know, trials and troubles? I know I used to.

I mean, it ranked right up there with the other Questions of the Ages. Important questions, like: Why do we face adversity? Why do the righteous have to suffer? Why do we fall in love? Why was it that, no matter how hard he tried, the Coyote could never catch that stupid Roadrunner?

But I found out that, when it came to adversity, I was completely missing the point. And I finally got to share that with someone.

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Ask and Ye Shall Receive… Uh, What, Exactly?

Back when I was in my early twenties (insert respectful moment of silence here in memory of my *sigh* lost youth), I belonged to a fairly small church near my home in northwest Houston. Now, if you’ve ever been a young single person in a very small church, you’ll understand the dilemma.

See, the problem was, there usually aren’t all that many singles in a small church. As a matter of fact, in our case there were exactly, uh, two. Unfortunately, there were inherent problems with that basic fact, to wit: she was a woman of the female persuasion. (Not that there’s anything wrong with the fairer sex, mind you! No, it’s just that her parents kept tryin’ to, well, nudge us towards gettin’ hitched – something neither of us were ready for yet! But I digress.)

Anyway, one day a young single man decided to join our little fellowship. I thought to myself, Halleluiah, someone to “take the heat off”, if you follow me. And as luck would have it, we kinda hit it off in relatively short order.

I’m tellin’ ya; he was one sharp cookie, too. He worked as a foreman at a large oil tool company – in fact, at 24, he was the youngest one they’d ever hired. And with me bein’ in the engineering field as well, we could easily talk shop with each other.

One fine spring Saturday, we had volunteered to help repaint the covered walkways linking the buildings at the church. Right in the middle of a brushstroke, he suddenly stopped working, looked at me, and blurted out, “Man, I’ve got a real problem!”

Now, this came as no surprise; I could tell he’d had something on his mind. But you know how it is, right? I figured he was either gonna tell me – or not. So I just waited.

“The problem,” he said miserably, “is that nothing’s going right at the plant!”

This kinda startled me, so naturally I asked, “What do you mean by that? Are you worried about your job?”

“Oh, no, not that,” he quickly reassured me. We decided to take a break and moseyed over to the soda machine. (Although he’d just moved to Texas, he was already startin’ to pick up the finer points of moseyin’. Told you he was sharp!)

Several quarters later, he continued. “It’s stuff like… well, I’ve got automatic cutting machines breaking down all over the place, my work schedule is totally bonkers, and I can’t seem to get the programmers to understand why they can’t just do whatever they want!”

I could tell he was pretty frustrated about it. But the kicker came when he said this final statement:

“I mean, I’ve been praying like crazy, asking God for patience – but it seems like it’s not working!” By now he was really upset. “Instead of help, all I’m getting are more problems!”

Up the Creek

Trust me; I’ve been there.

But y’know; sometimes I wonder how many of y’all out there feel like you’re in exactly the same boat. How many times have you done everything you possibly could to make things go just right – whatever things they might happen to be – and next thing you know, you’re up the creek with a paddle – but without a canoe?

Isn’t that the way it is sometimes? You spend a lot of extra time and effort in making sure every ‘t’ is crossed, and every ‘i’ gets that little dot… and yet… and yet. I think you can fill in that blank, can’t ya?

Well, it just so happened I couldn’t offer him any help. At least, not directly. But  I did recall an interesting thing one of my favorite writers, the Apostle James, wrote one time, and it’s always, well, not exactly solved my problem, but at least it’s helped me understand what the deal was, if you get my meanin’.

Here’s what ol’ James had to say (if you have a Bible handy, you’ll find it in verses 2 through 4 of Chapter 1):

My friends, be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble. You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested. But you must learn to endure everything, so that you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything.

Now, if I’m readin’ this right – and I think I am – it seems like James is telling me to be happy when troubles come my way. After all, there’s a reason for them – to learn to endure. And, even further, he says it will help us to become mature.

Hey, if you’re like me (and sincere condolences if that is, indeed, the case!), then you probably zeroed in on that fourth word like a laser beam: glad. Uh, say what? Is he kidding?

I’ll be honest with you here. My near automatic impulse when troubles come a-knockin’ at my door is more like Run! Run for your life! I mean, who in their right mind thinks, y’know, glad of all the things going wrong around ‘em?

The Trouble With Trouble

But therein, I believe, lies the nub of the gist, not to mention begging the question: Can you ever get to the point where you can learn to, y’know, laugh in the face of adversity?

See, the thing James is rather delicately pointing out (well, OK; he’s stating it in no uncertain terms) is that there is a purpose for all that mayhem that seems to be following you around. And it’s to help you grow as a person – and eventually, to become a complete one at that!

The basic problem, though, is pretty simple: most of us like things just the way they are! We’d just as soon not face a challenge of any kind, thank you very much. We’re in our comfort zone, and that’s where we like things to be, y’know?

C’mon; admit it – wouldn’t you rather not go to the trouble of having to completely change everything you know for something new? Isn’t it true that every learning experience has its measure of “tearing things down” to go through first? Sure it is!

That’s why most of us get frustrated when life throws us a curve ball every now and then. Or when machines out on the shop floor start breaking down for no apparent reason, no matter how well you’ve planned the maintenance schedule…

But here’s the thing.

When stuff doesn’t happen according to plan, well, that’s when you learn – and grow. It may seem obvious, but how many times have you found yourself in the same boat, wondering, as my friend did, why on Earth this (fill in the blank here) was happening to you? Hey, don’t feel like the Lone Stranger – we all do it.

BUT (and you’ll note – that’s a mighty BIG ‘but’ – wow, I’m so happy I have a post to go with that expression now!) once you worked your way through it, didn’t you realize a sense of accomplishment? Weren’t you in some small way (or big way, for that matter) glad at the outcome? Wasn’t it a wonderful feeling when you took that truckload of lemons life unloaded on you, and turned it into a huge shipment of Lemon Pledge – making a killing on the market?

Guess my buddy James was on to something.

Anyway, after I shared that little tidbit with my disheartened friend, he looked up at me in astonishment, his eyes wide. “You mean all this time, every time I’ve been praying for patience, I’ve actually been praying for trials?”

I put a friendly arm around his shoulders as we walked back to the painting equipment and took up our paintbrushes.

“Yup,” was about all I could say. “That’s about the size of it, Bubba!”

It Comes Down to This

How do you face troubles? Do you forge ahead, savoring the challenge? (Believe it or not, there actually ARE folks like that. Go figure.) Or are you more like me: I usually grumble a bit at first, then work my way through it, maybe even finally laugh (and now that I’m blogging, perhaps write) about it afterwards.

Hey, don’t be shy. I know you are well and truly all kinds of folks out there – along with all your great experiences. Share some tips, why don’cha? Trust me; we can all use ‘em!

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[As I pointed out 'waaaay up there at the top, this here post is my entry for our What I Learned From... groupwrite project. The topic this month is ADVERSITY, and if you've got a lesson learned on that particular subject, hey, why don't you join the fun? You might even win a free copy of Problogger for your trouble! Just click on that link and read all about it. You have until Sunday night at midnight to get your entry in.]

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Photo Credits:

I got trouble, by ndemi

How to laugh in the face of adversity, by true2source

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What I Learned From… Adversity

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Howdy y’all!

Hey, guess what? It’s the first Monday of the month! You should all know what that means, right? (No, silly; not that!) No, it means it’s time for your favorite groupwrite project (and mine): What I Learned From…! (sound of crowd cheering enthusiastically)

Last Monday, as has been my custom (so folks who needed the extra time could have it), I announced this month’s topic: Adversity. And what a topic it is, don’cha think?

C’mon, show of hands: Who among us has ever experienced adversity? Uh-huh; just as I thought. Yup; it’s pretty much a universal subject, wouldn’t ya say?

Not only that, but it’s a genuine true fact that adversity can be quite the schoolmaster, if you get my meanin’. I mean, who of us (or is it “whom”? I can never get that straight), once adversity rears its ugly head, hasn’t learned a thing or two about… well, hasn’t learned anything?

I’m tellin’ ya; that ol’ sayin’, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it” really is true, ain’t it?

So here’s your chance to share with us a story, a thought, an idea, or even an example of what adversity has taught you. Don’t be shy, y’all – I know you’ve got something up your sleeve.

And, A Free Prize!

Once again, thanks to the generosity of Internet Superstar and all-around fellow Bubba, Chris Garrett, I have yet another copy of his and Darren Rowse’s book, Problogger: Secrets to Blogging Your Way to a Six-figure Income to give away (sound of more cheering). So grab the writing instrument of your choice, folks, and get ready to rumble write!

How to Participate

What should I write, you ask? Hey, good question!

The fact is you can write pretty much anything you like, as long as it relates to the topic. A story, a soliloquy, a poem; hey, you get to choose! No limits or restrictions on length, either. (Trust me on this; we’ve already had a couple of one- and two-word entries, so you can be as brief – or as eloquent – as you like. In the other direction, you can also write more than one. For a previous WILF, one participant wrote FIVE! Over-achiever, no doubt.)

Entries will be accepted from now through Sunday, April 12, at midnight, CST (-6 GMT), so you have plenty of time!

Here’s all you have to do:

  1. Write one or more new post(s) on your blog. As I said, feel free to be as eloquent (or concise) as you like. C’mon; show off for us, why don’cha?
  2. Include a link to THIS POST (uh, the one you’re reading now).
  3. Send me an email (rhruzek@sbcglobal.net) containing your name, the title of your post, and the permalink of the post. (This is just to make sure I don’t miss it.)

That’s all there is to it! (See? I told you it was easy!) On Monday, April 13, I will post the entire list of entries right here at the Middle Zone, so be sure and drop by to check ‘em all out. (By the way, that list will also have a permanent spot in the WILF archive page.)

Oh, and the winner of the Problogger book will be announced on Tuesday, April 14. Just so ya know.

As always, groupwrite projects are open to anyone (you don’t even have to have a blog to enter – just send it to me and I’ll post it as a guest post). But again, please remember, we only have two simple rules around here:

  • For the sake of the general blogging audience, please keep it G-Rated. (Also please note: this is a request, not a demand, since after all it’s your blog and you can do what you want. Fair warning, though: I reserve the right to link to you – or not.)
  • Be nice.

All right, ladies and gentlemen; you know what to do! Grab the writing instrument of your choice and go for it!

[Further note from the Proprietor - I realize it takes time to write your entries (ordinarily, I announce our topics a week ahead of kickoff day), but would you mind too terribly not waiting until midnight on Sunday night to notify me? When everyone waits to the last minute (you know who you are!) it sometimes gets a little difficult to get them all compiled by Monday's 6 am post time. I surely thank you, and as a token of my appreciation - have yourself a cookie!]

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“Adversity” image created with the help of a clever little application called Spell with Flikr, by Erik Kastner

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I'm Free! I'm Free!

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There’s a very old joke I remember telling when I was a kid:

A man, just released from jail, ran shouting down the street, “I’m free! I’m free!”

He passed a woman and her young son, who took notice of the ruckus. The young fellah, however, was completely unimpressed.

“So what?” he told his mom. “I’m four!”

(sound of rimshot)

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Hey, I never promise good jokes around here… BUT – there is something FREE coming up just the same!

See, starting on Monday morning at 6 am CST (that’s -6 GMT, in case you feel like working it out from wherever in the world you are) we’ll kick off our next What I Learned From… groupwrite project! (sound of crowd cheering)

The topic, as announced last Monday, is ADVERSITY.

AND, just like last time, I’ll pick an entry at random to win ONE FREE COPY of Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett’s book, Problogger: Secrets to Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income.

So, you’re welcome to come join the fray – just drop by on Monday for the kickoff!

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