Our team is working to correct the issue and take steps to prevent this in the future.

It seems only appropriate that I should make sure my site(s) are up to date after handing out nearly 50 business cards with the site address printed on them. However, I have a couple things I need to take care of outside, first.

So, while the rest of you are livin’ on Tulsa Time, I’ll be in my car getting wired up for a storm chase tomorrow night!

The answers to these questions will help you identify your passion and determine just how passionate you truly are. Words are great, but what about action?

I’ve been thinking for the past two years about work and passion — including the relationship between the two. I’m looking at the idea of a zero-hour workweek, and the existence of true passion. A place where you are so passionate about what you do — your skills, talents and abilities that you share and contribute to the world — that you could care less if you ever earned another cent for it, and you would still sacrifice your time and possibly money to contribute that knowledge to others. Mix this idea with one where your work and play are indistinguishable from each other and you’re paid to merely do what you love. This is the Passionate Zero-Hour Workweek.

What is greatest about this is that anyone can do it. If and only if it is truly your passion and others can see that passion in you. There are people who do this everyday, and they are not all millionaires, but they are all happy — at least in a human sense, and at least temporarily. These concepts do, at first blush, leave God out. However for a Christian, this makes you reliant on God to help — for God to step toward the middle as you approach from the other side — and helps build your relationship with Him further.

I’ve found it takes a few restless nights and a couple heartbreaks to really start to wrap your head around the whole concept. Sometimes, you can’t fully get the idea until you’re at the bottom looking up. At some point, when you get it, and decide you’re dedicated enough and passionate enough to go for it — you’ll jump off the diving board at the top of this skyscraper of thought and you’ll trust God and trust (some of) your built-in instincts to build your own parachute on the way down, deploying it into the wind with enough time to glide over the ocean that separates thinkers from doers and finally come to rest on the other side in the Promised Land.

Turn your thoughts into action and succeed.

Money stands before me asking — no, pleading for me to allow it to sit by my side.

Then friends, some closer than a brother and others as mere acquaintances beg silently in their own minds for someone to notice them and give them attention that in one sense, they deserve.

Finally, I turn to look for anyone else who wishes to be with me, by my side, ready to honor any wish my mind would desire.  That’s when I saw him –  a man standing in the shadow of a tree, who now is stepping forward into the glow of the street lamp, silently gazing toward me.  His eyes, tender and still, speak volumes of the thoughts that are on his mind and love that is in his heart.  He steps toward me and places his left hand on my shoulder, and extends his right hand to grab mine.  In a small-town, friendly gesture, I reach out as well and shake his hand.

The whole world suddenly seemed to fade away, leaving only he and I together in the street, staring at each other, speechless.

It took no more than a split second for me to realize whom I had forgotten, but that short moment seemed life a lifetime.  Twenty four years to be exact.  With consciousness and memory returning to the foreground of my mind I realize that I should have come to this man first, to ask him to walk with me and help me make these other, now relatively insignificant decisions.

For some reason, I recall coming to this man several times, needing help, but soon after forgetting to continue growing our friendship.  I hate to label myself as a hypocrite, but I’ve never been fond of it when others do the same to me; befriending me on the weekends only, during the week completely forgetting I even exist.  It seems as though now I’ve committed a personal evil against my fellow man.  Actually, gazing into his eyes again I don’t think this can even be a man.  His compassion flows through his gaze like a fresh spring that, after racing down a mountainside, turns to a larger river and brings life to people, plants, animals and entire civilizations.  Such grandeur from such a small source.  An infinite source.

I begin to recognize the background fading back into the scene, as time, money and friends take their rightful place behind this man.  I noticed, as I dipped my head down to wipe away a tear, that this man carried no luggage, no phone, no computer and no — anything.  He was here by himself.  He needs nothing else to accomplish his mission, and has open arms ready to take my burdens upon him as I was able to identify that these wounds were deep and must not have been properly cared for when they occurred.  They’ve been there for awhile, but were not infected, and didn’t appear to bother the man.  “Perhaps he’s used to them by now,” I thought.  He’s carried so many things for so many people, I suppose he had more important things to worry about than himself.  This is my kind of friend.

After a few more moments, I looked back up and caught his gaze again.  His hand released mine, and he simply asked, “Do you trust me?”

“I do.”  I replied.  I couldn’t think of any reason not too.  He’s been there any time I needed him, regardless of my attitude, actions or my forgetfulness of him.  “I will.” I restated.  “Will you help me?”

“I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” He promised.  He’s told me this before, yet I still forget him.  He is so good to me.  God is so good.

With this in mind, I’d like to reprint my story from September of last year, in the hopes that those who have just begun reading here will get the information they’ve missed, and that those who have already seen it will be encouraged again.

Read More . . . http://bit.ly/84fMhc

1. A word used to describe the feeling one gets when they are a little tired from all the extra work, but the work is done and rest is coming.

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  – Hebrews 12:1-2

Pronunciation: \tran(t)-ˈsi-shən, tran-ˈzi-, chiefly British tran(t)-ˈsi-zhən\

1 a : passage from one state, stage, subject, or place to another : change b : a movement, development, or evolution from one form, stage, or style to another
2 a : a musical modulation b : a musical passage leading from one section of a piece to another
3 : an abrupt change in energy state or level (as of an atomic nucleus or a molecule) usually accompanied by loss or gain of a single quantum of energy
4: a time of reflection on one’s relationships, priorities and goals, included with some action to make those things work better.  Without action, this would be known as thinking or in some cases, procrastinating.

I want to ask you to do one thing with me today — try.  Try to do something today, just one thing, to make the world a better place, or at least prevent it from getting worse.  Whether it’s recycling, bicycling or power cycling – try something.

Recycle: It’s one of the easiest things you can do to slow down our consumption of resources.  Sure, it takes a while for change to be made, tress you will use next month for paper have already been cut down, but if you demand less paper, you will eventually demand fewer trees.

Bicycle: Once in awhile, consider a short ride to the store, school or work, over using the car.  You’ll save a little gas money, work off a little of your lunch and hold off on polluting the air.  Yes, I’m tlaking to you, uncle Joe!  Your truck burns more oil than it does gas and I don’t want to smell it today.

Power Cycle: Turn off your computer at home today before you leave for work.  You can save a little money here, too.  Maybe not much, but every penny counts right?  Christmas is coming, as well.  Put a timer or light sensor on those lights.  It will save you the effort of turning them on and off and save energy during the day or while your neighbors are asleep.

Hey, seriously.  It’s not the end of the world yet.  We’re not going to melt into a firey ball of lava.  Try anyway — today, do yourself and your neighbors a favor and recycle, bicycle and power cycle.  You may be surprised what we can do if we do this together.

{Blog Action Day 2009, http://www.blogactionday.org/}