Instant Gratification: That Inner Beast That Threatens To Overwhelm Us

     One of the things we as Americans struggle with most is our need to be instantly gratified.  Whether it is wanting someone to answer their phone each and every time we call, or complain because our fast food dinner took 2 minutes instead of the 60 seconds they promised us, we just have to have what we want right that instant.

     As I went through college I suffered from this greatly, and even well after school.  I would always go for the job that paid a high amount of tips, but would never take a job that paid a minimal amount.  I wanted the immediate gratification of the money being in my pocket that instant.  In retrospect, it would have been far more beneficial to sacrifice a few years of lower pay in return for greater rewards in the future.

     Cell phones are a great source of gratification and also a great source of stress.  I would like you to think about the following for a few minutes.  Have you ever called someone you really care about, and they don't answer?  What is your first thought?  Maybe, 'I know they have their phone on them.  Why don't they answer!'  So you let it go for 10-15 minutes and then you call again and there is still no answer.  At this point you begin to feel a little irritated, and the next call will follow in about 5 minutes now.  If no answer at this point your mind begins to entertain wild imaginations of what may be happening on the other end of the phone.  Now the calls begin to happen every minute until there is finally an answer.  When the phone is finally answered you have worked yourself up so much that you're convinced; a) They were having an affair, b) they died in a horrible car crash, or c) they are mad at you and avoiding your calls.  Lol.  And don't pretend you have never been there, because some of you have called my phone and done that exact thing!

     If we really analyze this need for immediate satisfaction of our needs it is a little embarrassing.  Before we had cell phones what did you do?  You would simply tell someone you would call them when you got home and then you let the matter drop, and most likely didn't think about it until it was time for them to call.  As with many things in our lives, we need to control that beast within us that is constantly on the prowl for the next fix.  Because as technology evolves and we are available to everyone at every time possible, it will begin to tear us apart if we feed these desires.  So next time your wife or husband doesn't answer, just leave a message and fight the urge to call back.

By Jeffrey Brandon Lee

Quote of the Day: Haggadah

Quote of the Day:

From the Haggadah

"This is the bread of affliction which our fathers did eat in Egypt.  Let all who hunger come and eat.  Let all who are in need come and partake of the paschal lamb!  This year we are here; Next year-in the Land of Israel!  This year we are slaves; Next year-free men!"

Quote of the Day: Josephus (Regarding Nephilim)

Quote of the Day:
Josephus:


"For many angles of God coupled with women, and begat sons that proved unjust, and despisers of all that was good, on account of the confidence they had in their own strength; for the tradition is, that these men did what resembled the acts of those whom the Grecians called giants."

It's interesting to hear it out of the mouth of a Jewish scholar, alive at the time of Christ, that they believed the Nephilim of Genesis 6 were the offspring of angels and women.

Huge Market Correction Coming? Oil Headed Lower?

     A few months ago I predicted that the DOW would experience a several thousand point pull back within the next year, and it appears that may be around the corner, as the market dips over 229 points at the time of this writing.  Many are giving reasons such as; the market is getting ahead of itself, or the earnings are good, but not great.  The reality is what most of us know, and feel, and that is the economy has never really recovered to anything that resembles the recent past.  So why would the market surge from just over 6000 to over 15000 during Barak's administration?  Quoting Alan Greenspan, 'Irrational Exuberance'. 

     When we see companies like Cisco laying off workers, and Walmart missing earnings estimates by a couple billion dollars, it is a sign that things are much worse than the market has shown.  Our government has been printing money as if it really did grow on trees, but none of it has made it to the lower-end consumer.  Jim Cramer of CNBC said, "We have to deal with the four walls of the corporate canvas, and they are simply not able to turn this macro positive into micro earnings gains."  This from the former hedge fund trader who is never shy about sharing his opinion.

     If I was to make an educated guess, I would say that the government paper that is entering into the economy through the banks, is actually flowing from the banks into commodities and other hard assets.  The banks have been unwilling to lend to the average consumer, and it is well known that banks don't like to leave money just sitting pat, so oil and other necessities of life seem to be the only good investments.  The chart to the left shows that since Obama took office, when government spending began to skyrocket, the price of a barrel of oil went from $66 in January 2009 to over $107 today.  

     With my own money, I would put it in Gold, Silver, or another hard currency.  The longer we put off the needed huge correction, by voting in huge spenders, the worse it is going to be when we are forced to face the reality.  Think of your kids.

By Jeffrey Brandon Lee

Quote of the Day: Earl of Darthmouth and Samuel Adams

Quote of the Day:
From: Paul Revere's Ride
by David Hackett Fischer

"Keep the measure secret until the moment of execution, it can hardly fail of success...Any efforts of the people, unprepared to encounter with a regular force, cannot be very formidable."

-Earl of Dartmouth to General Gage







"We may all be soon under the necessity of keeping Shooting Irons."

-Samuel Adams to Stephen Collins

Quote of the Day: Charles Stanley

Quote of the Day:

Dr. Charles Stanley

"Colossians 3:15 urges you to 'let the peace of Christ rule in your heart.' Regardless of the pressure you may feel, wait for peace.  You may seek confirmation from others, but be careful that their confirmation is in keeping with what God has said in his Word.  Perfect peace is God's verdict when you have His mind and His way.  Don't budge until you get God's peace.  This is the final confirmation of a wise decision."

Baghdad, Iraq: Not the Peace Obama Promised

     We were told by the incumbent administration that the violence in Iraq was because of the mistreatment by our soldiers and our 'occupation', but the murderous last month in Baghdad would suggest otherwise. Once again, we have Al Qaeda claiming responsibility for 'scores' of deaths achieved through bombing and IED's.  So where is the peace we were promised once we left the region?  Is an Iraqi life worth less, now that Obama said they're living in peace now?

     Once again, as in Egypt, we have extreme Muslims blowing up their fellow countrymen on their holiest holiday.  The Iraqi government will have only one choice, and that is to react to this kind of action the same way as Saddam Hussein did, and it appears they're doing just that.  As one reported writes,"Maliki said security forces had arrested more than 800 suspects and seized large amounts of explosives and weapons since the security campaign started last month."  I'm sure the Iraqi government is going to treat these prisoners the way the American government would, and would never torture them to get information.  Yeah right.

     The Obama administration has made a huge mistake in nearly every action they have taken in the Middle East, and the main reason for this is their lack of understanding regarding Islam.  When facing a militant foe, you must use the same or greater force to contain them.  We in the 'West' will never be able to sit down with radical Islam and negotiate a peace.  The only option is to contain and pray for the second coming of Christ, which will bring the peace we desperately need.

By Jeffrey Brandon Lee

     

Egypt and Radical Islam's Bloody Quest

     As our President Barak Obama touted that he had brought peace to the world, especially Egypt and Libya, the reality is much darker than this.  History has shown us over and over again that when Muslim extremists are empowered, or take power, they will not relinquish it without a bloody end.  This is precisely what is happening in Egypt.

     While some in the press want to label today's violence with titles such as the AP's Hundreds reported killed as Egypt smashes protests, the reality is found later on in the same article.  Interviewing a Muslim Brotherhood fighter, on the way to attack the police, the author quotes the combatant as saying,  '"If I have to die, I will die," said the father of one child carrying several bottles of beer he said he intended to use as firebombs.'  FIREBOMBS!  Does that sound like a person who is engaged in peaceful protest?  The news media is in a constant battle to defend the Muslim extremist in a futile attempt to pacify them, but as the protesters once shouted, "We are all Osama, Obama.". 

     The sad, but true, reality is that there can never be peace with someone who's religion will not allow them to live peacefully with other religions.  They may quiet down for a period of time, while methodically planning out their next step, but in the end they will strike again!  

     In the 13th century Marco Polo witnessed the fanaticism that is Islam, when a young Muslim ruler pointed to a man on a minaret tower and motioned for him to jump.  The young man jumped to his death without a second thought.  The young ruler went on to tell Marco Polo that they cleverly brainwashed the young Bedouins into believing in 70 virgins, and a heaven of milk and honey, if they would submit to their authority. So NEVER let the news media trick you into thinking this is a modern development of the Muslim faith, because the reality is moderate Muslims are the exception, and not the rule. 

By Jeffrey Brandon Lee

Quote of the Day: John D. Rockefeller

Quote of the Day:
 John D. Rockefeller

"Sam, we are prospering.  We have a future before us, a big future.  But I don't like Jim Clark and his habits.  He is an immoral man in more ways than one.  He gambles in oil.  I don't want this business to be associated with a gambler.  Suppose I take them up the next time the threaten a dissolution.  Suppose I succeed in buying them out.  Will you come in with me?"

When contemplating going into business with someone you should always take a look at their character and moral virtues.  If they're known to be late, untrustworthy, or prone to bad investments...it is unlikely to change once you start a venture with them. 

Quote of the Day

Quote from an unnamed saint:

"And I may return in faded armor
Full of patches bent and aged.
And my face the heat of battle,
To free the damned and free the slaves.
And I may know both pain and rejection,
The betrayal of my friends.
But the glory that awaits me,
Will make it worth it in the end-in the end."

Failure Can Breed Great Success!

     Failure is something most people experience at least once in their life, if not more.  The crucial factor in this type of experience is whether the person gives up, or continues to fight.  Some of the greatest businessmen of recent history have experienced very challenging times in their lives and were able to overcome.  One simple character trait separates these individuals from the person who gives up in life...Perseverance.

     Rockefeller grew up in anything but a stable family, and had a father that was everything his son strove not to be.  Instead of heading down the same path as his father, Rockefeller dedicated his life to Christ and living a disciplined and frugal lifestyle.  Was it easy?  Of course not!  At one point he was forced to take out a loan for $1000 from the very father he sought to be different from.  It was well placed moments of confidence, frugality, and humility that allowed him to rise above the situation he was born into.

     The apostle Paul is another great example of someone who overcame great odds to achieve his life's purpose.  Whether it be; beatings, shipwrecks, or imprisonment Paul never gave up or quit.  Instead, as with other great men in this life, he doubled down on his beliefs and pushed ahead.  In the end Paul was responsible for writing the majority of The New Testament, the greatest piece of work ever to be pinned.

     When we face a great challenge in life such as; financial, health, or a host of others, it is important that we go through that trial with an eye on the big picture.  Don't cower in fear of what may happen, but rather stand up and resolve to meet the challenge head on.  When we move forward in times of discouragement it shapes our character and moves us to greater levels of success!

Jeffrey Brandon Lee