Zenful Thoughts
An intersection of Conservative Thought and observation of human behavior.
Monday, February 28, 2005 :::
Hey you I love your soul!!
I wanted to share an insight that God laid on my heart last week. I have shared this with the guys, but I feel all could benefit from this. God calls us to love EVERYONE. Not only the ones who smell nice or who are nice or who are rich or who don't have Alzheimer's or who haven't abused or mistreated us, but everyone.
That doesn't mean we have to love everyone's nature, everyone's actions, everyone's attitude, everyone's jokes or everyone's friends. We are called to love their souls. Our relationship with GOD has to be deep enough that we can love and care for each other's souls and desire that all souls are with us in heaven. It is tough to love your enemies as I have recently found; but I am comforted by the fact that I don't have to like them or approve of their behavior, I just have to love them enough to pray for their souls and conduct my life in a way that makes them realize I have some different and great.
What if you don't like other Christians you say? You still must love their soul and pray for their relationship with God while also praying for reconciliation between your physical beings. We are eternal and spiritual. Deepen your love and deepen your soul. I like to style my hair and smell good, but God sees that and laughs. If I can spend 30 minutes in the morning getting ready for the day, I can deepen my love for others by praying throughout the day for everyone's soul and salvation.
Remember God loves our souls and we were definitely his enemies before we accepted him. That didn't stop his love. If we are supposed to be little Christs, we should love everyone's soul regardless of their acceptance of us or if they are our enemies.
My inspiration was from the Skillet songHey You I Love Your Soul (see lyrics below).
Hey Your I Love Your Soul By Skillet
Am I a man who knows how to love When you hate what you fear the most I'll wash your feet as you spit in my face
Hey you, I love your soul I'm going love you when you hate
You can't outrun or escape this liquid My life poured out like water I'm gonna drown you with maddening forgiveness Hey you, I love your soul
I can't depend on your hate to define my love Am I strong enough to love your soul
Love doesn't care to receive what it gives Bleeding compassion to extreme Love stretches out to die for its enemies Hey you, I love your soul
I can't depend on your hate to define my love Am I strong enough to love your soul No bounds on the deep, no bounds on the wide
Am I deep enough to love your soul God I want to swim in the deep of You God in You I'm strong enough, Strong enough, strong enough
I can't depend on your hate to define my love Am I strong enough to love your soul No bounds on the deep, no bounds on the wide Am I deep enough to love your soul
Thursday, November 13, 2003 :::
Twin Cities...Welcome me home.
So I am all moved in now (thanks to my buddy Scott Fiddler). I started work today and was immediately given plenty to do. I should be able to stay busy through Christmas which is when the bidding season will begin (even more work to do).
I was happy to find today that my 20 mile commute to the office (in a city called Savage {like Jared for fattening food when the Subway camera moves off him}) only took me 30 minutes. While the Minnesotans do not speed to much on the highway, they keep the traffic moving during rush hour.
I went to Minnesota Heat game tonight with Tom and Jimmers tonight. We got the sweet Koch hookup with club level seats. I had a pretty good time. It was nice to catch up with both guys, not to mention it was my first NHL game in 4 years.
Cooking class tomorrow night at Byerly's. It should be a good time. If not, I will at least get to eat some Hearty Stews!!! They are also having a wine sale so I plan on picking up some good wine to share with Nichole when she comes in town. It's not that I need to drink to spend time with Nichole (because she is beautiful and I love her), but I must keep her intoxicated to not discover the real Nat lurking beneath my exterior.
In politics, haven't been keeping up much on things with the move. I know that the Left still is trying to raise money to beat George Bush. They say that Bush has ruined all the prosperity brought on by the Clinton administration yet they reccommend policies in contrary to Clintons. I must admit Clinton did see the nation through a time of prosperity and managed not to screw things up. Bush, however, has done a more astounding job by pulling the country out of a terrorist disaster and re-establishing consumer confidence that was waning at the end of the Clinton administration.
Bush is not without his faults (e.g. lack of charisma so possesed by his predecessor), but it is amazing to see what he has been able to accomplish with the hand he was dealt. Gore would have folded like a Mormon at a BlackJack table.
Tuesday, October 28, 2003 :::
So it looks like I am moving to the Twin Cities on November 8th. I have picked out a nice little unit in St. Paul 808 Berry Place. It looks like a pretty nice dig. I will get a chance to check it out tomorrow when I head up there to discuss my new role with my new boss.
Koch is going to take care of my moving expenses, though the situation with Aaron is a little testy as he has to decide whether or not to break our lease here. It sucks that he is in this situation, I truly feel bad I put him in this situation.
My new role in the Twin Cities will include supporting the asphalt emulsion sales for one of the highest grossing plants in the nation. I will have a chance to work with some of the best Marketers in Koch Materials and the chance to learn new marketing skills and techniques. A few people were laid off in our corporate restructure. It is always tough to see great people lose their jobs, though I am in some ways glad I was able to retain mine.
MMost of my time now is being absorbed with the details of getting moved. I got quotes from full service moving companies and geesh they wanted a lot (upwards of $2500!!!). So I am going to go the Penske route and fly up my buddy from childhood, Scott Fiddler. Now last time he came to help me move, he got a kidney stone and couldn't help. Let's hope that doesn't happen.
Nichole's Car is for sale. Anyone wanting a 1991 Honda Accord Coupe with 114K miles, I will cut you a great deal. New tires, new brakes, well taken care of!!! No rust. Mmmmmmmmmm...rust.
Ice fishing in Minnesota is my new goal. It will be great!!
Monday, October 20, 2003 :::
One week..time to blog. I had a great weekend with Nichole and Ques in DC. It was good times to hang out with Ques for the weekend. I reminded me of my summer in DC, except I could actually go out to bars this time. Joking with Ques and just talking about how things were was really nice. Spending an extended vacation with Nichole was just as excellent as well.
We went to the DC zoo and saw the panda bears eating bamboo. Of course, my fiance loved this as she has some odd obsession with the cuddly black and white (in this case dirty white) creatures. We then stopped by the Washington Memorial only to find you either have to buy tickets a few weeks in advance or wait in line at dawn with sniffley nosed kids to get your ticket (didn't happen).
The purpose of our trip was to go to Corey Keith's and Anne Poore's wedding (www.coreyandanne.com). I know Corey from college and my summer in DC further strengthened our bonds. We have not kept in touch much since DC, but did visit the few times he did come back to the Haute. Long story short, the wedding was great and I wish the couple the best.
The most surprising thing of the trip (besides Kyle Smith's curly jet black locks) was the Nord's baby. So you don't see people for 9 months and they have a kid. Catholics don't like birth control and Woodsies don't want to work (overgeneralization but mostly true). So that made the Nord's arrangement great. A kid after two years of marriage. Let's hope Nichole and I aren't there :)
Big announcement coming out of Wichita next week concerning the future of Koch Materials Company. I can't wait. Maybe I will get a huge promotion, or maybe they will just move me to Fargo (hah, doubt it).
Morale: Weddings are fun but they lead to babies in two years.
Monday, October 13, 2003 :::
So it has been incredibly long since I blogged. Mainly due to the fact that I found it hard to find the time to do so while in school. Now I am working, I have a little more free time to do so. I am going to try harder to updat things more often. I do find it as a way to find relieve from the toils of daily life. This is a short entry as I am at work, but I need address a comment from my last posting (back in March).
"zenful. . . .
more like sinful.
you know even less about zen than you do about history, music, or narrative skill. and that's saying quick a lot."
Not only did this coward not leave his or her name, he or she did not leave any contact information. I can deduce therefore this person is either Hussien himself or one of his cronies.
Lighten up whoever you are. I am sorry if you didn't find your moment on Zen (if you had half a brain you would realize this is no way dedicated to the exploration of a false and misleading religion such as Buddhism) on my website or you feel I am uneducated, but you seem about as cowardly as a Democrat in election season not leaving any contact info. The one thing I can credit this mystery person for is picking up on the correlation between zenful and sinful (kudos for that, want a treat). Finally, since when did a blog become a representation of one's knowledge of history, music or narrative skill (btw nice comma splice in your comment English expert!). I thought it was about me expressing my views. I really would like to read the Pulitzer price winning blog that belongs to the author of this comment. I am sure it is insightful because of his or her knowledge of history yet refreshing because of its amazing adherence to classical literary narrative style (yay for you, come on you probably have a BA in literature or something, wow that will get you all the way to the Front Counter at McDonalds, bravo). Also in your moment of outrage against me you made a mistake please explain this comment to me: "...and that's saying quick a lot."
Feel free to comment on my blog. If I know you and you express your view I will not barrage you with insults, but will pleasantly disagree with your view. If I do not know you, leave some type of indicator of who you are and I will give you the same courteousy as my friends. If you are a coward and leave only your username and no other info, I am not responsible for responding harshly to your pathetic diatribes. Now that is saying "quick a lot" (whatever the hell that means).
Monday, March 17, 2003 :::
I just thought everyone might enjoy the lyrics to Darrel Worley's new Song about the war in Iraq.
I hear people saying we don't need this war
I say there's some things worth fighting for
What about our freedom and this piece of ground
We didn't get to keep 'em by backing down
Now they say we don't realize the mess we're getting in
Before you start your preaching let me ask you this my friend
Have you forgotten how it felt that day?
To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away
Have you forgotten when those towers fell?
We had neighbors still inside going thru a living hell
And you say we shouldn't worry 'bout bin Laden
Have you forgotten?
They took all the footage off my T.V.
Said it's too disturbing for you and me
It'll just breed anger that's what the experts say
If it was up to me I'd show it everyday
Some say this country's just out looking for a fight
Well after 9/11 man I'd have to say that's right
Have you forgotten how it felt that day?
To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away
Have you forgotten when those towers fell?
We had neighbors still inside going thru a living hell
And you say we shouldn't worry 'bout bin Laden
Have you forgotten?
Now I've been there with the soldiers
Who've gone away to war
And you can bet that they remember
Just what they're fightin' for
Have you forgotten all the people killed?
Some went down like heros in that Pennsylvania field
Have you forgotten about our Pentagon?
And all the loved ones that we lost and those left to carry on
Don't you tell me not to worry about bin Laden
Have you forgotten?
Have you forgotten how it felt that day?
To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away
Have you forgotten when those towers fell?
We had neighbors still inside going thru a living hell
And you say we shouldn't worry 'bout bin Laden
Have you forgotten? Have you forgotten? Have you forgotten?
Monday, March 10, 2003 :::
Break was exciting. Nichole and I got a chance to go around in Memphis and talk to some wedding people. My sister's friend was just married last weekend. I figure since she did all the work at finding the best deals, we are going to reinvent the wheel and use most of the same people. We are hoping Pike will let us use the Memorial HQ to do the wedding. We should hear something this week.
So I am heading off to the Great White North tomorrow. I am really looking forward to that. MUN conference with over 800 people!!! So they released a press memo announcing there would be international guests at the the conference. Funny thing is they didn't mention the U.S. as an international guest. Those Canadians, with their milk in a bag, are so odd. So a member of their parliment is mad at us because of the war effort. That's funny, Canada has a government. I was pretty sure Washington DC was their capital city so I am looking forward to seeing Ottawa (their "supposed" capital city).
The war effort at hand...ah what to think. So look at it this way, what everyone considers is wrong is all due to their point of view. England and other Western Europeans believed what the Nazis were doing in the 1930s was wrong. It directly affected their economies and systems of government. The U.S. on the other hand did not have any direct interest until Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese. Okay now flash back to the present. What Iraq has the capability to do directly effects the U.S, our economy and our way of life. So Colin Powell hasn't shown that smoking gun that the myopic liberals and Frenchies want to see. Does that mean that Iraq cannot pass certain materials (nuclear and/or biological) into the hands of their Islamic brethren which can use it a terrorist attack?
Riddle me this, Batman, why does a country that holds 1/10th of the world's oil supply (Iraq for you slow ones out there) want a nuclear reactor (that they got from the French)? Certainly they are not low on fossil fuel and aren't using the reactor to create nuclear. Hmmmm, what then is the reactor being used for? Maybe, weapons grade plutonium, maybe a big block of Swiss cheese? Yeah I can see why the left wing is confused now.
The great thing about America's military is it is voluntary. I do not feel pity for those that are chosen to serve in the conflicit in Iraq. For those lives that are lost, I will grieve. I will not triumph in the death of my fellow Americans, but it was the choice of those fallen hereos to fight for our country and its freedom and to defend the U.S. against its enemies.
Some democratic senators are calling for the re-enstatement of the draft so the decision makers will keep their own children in mind when they are making decisions about war. Most of the decision makers don't have men that are eligible for the draft. What good would this do? We have plenty of volunteers for now that will serve the war effort. If need be American men will be called up to fight this war. If I am called, I will serve my country to the best of my ability. I hope that I don't ever have to face the ugly machine of war as I don't feel that is my calling in life. I do, however, applaud the American soliders that have made that choice to serve their country in that capacity. A fraternity brother of mine, Bill Middendorf, has been deployed to Iraq. I wish his detachment well and will keep him in my prayers. He is proud to serve America and kick some Sadaam butt.
When all is said and done in Iraq, hopefully Sadamm will be dead and the U.S. will be trying to build democracy in the Middle East. The war, however, does promise to be interesting as we try to eliminate more sources of terrorism. Bush and his aides have made great strides against terrorism. We have captured many in the al Queda network and will continue to do so in the future. In order to break this fundamentalist network, we must change the government in the Middle East. We are not fighting Iraq for oil, but for the protection against future terrorist attacks.
Iraq has the capacity to affect everyone one of us in a harmful way. We must create a sphere of acceptance in the Middle Eastern world and encourage the growth of democracy. Iraq is NOT Vietnam, our soliders will prove strong and will make a difference in the world becasue our leader chose to do what is right and defent our way of life in spite of the opposition of blood hungry politicians who are only seeking to go with popular opinion to ensure their re-election.
Shame on America for questioning the motives of its leaders. Shame on all the countries opposing this war. France cannot contest our stance on this war. We saved them from Germany when their likelihood was threatened and they should support our interests in our time of need. People need to wake up and see the threat Iraq is to us.
There is no smoking gun to prove Iraq is dangerous, but are you ready to see dirty bombs exploding all across America to see Sadamm holding the smoking gun. He had motive and he has opportunity. He hasn't acted on that opportunity, but no one is stopping him, especially not the international community. We all need to realize Iraq has pulled the wool over our eyes long enough. The fact that he is setting up bombs around oil fields means that he knows we are going to attack and is trying to threaten the worlds economic interests. He has made no attempt until just recently to disarm. Even his recent disarming is all a facade to appease American setiments.
Remember 9-11 and the terror caused then. Remember America united. We don't need to face another tragedy. Two years from now I don't want to say, I wish we would have attacked Sadamm then we wouldn't have to witness this awful attack on our country...~NB
