Random Thoughts

This last week a video titled “Why I Hate religion, But Love Jesus” went viral on YouTube.  At the time of this writing it had  11,514,233 views.  Not only did the video go viral but it caused many video replies both in agreement as well as disagreement.

We each have our own opinions when it comes to religion. We have our own type of relationship with Jesus and we each are at different levels when it comes to learning and knowing the Bible.

The one great thing that has come out of this video whether you agree or disagree with it is the fact that it is getting people to think about both religion and relationship with Jesus.  How many days go by when you don’t share either your beliefs or relationship with Jesus with someone?  If this video causes you to do just that, then in my opinion it is a good thing.

I have seen how some people put on a facade when they are at church.  They dress up, carry a Bible and attend weekly but that is the extent of their religion based on their actions the other six days of the week.  In addition I have personally known individuals who can quote the Bible regardless of the situation, they know the rules and doctrines of their religion like the back of their hand and yet they have walked out on their spouse, are cheating on their spouse and/or are verbally, physically and/or emotionally abusive to their family, or do other things that would be considered against their religion or is not in agreement with the very Biblical teaching they teach.

Some think that you are a Christian if you know the Bible.  Others think you are a good Christian if you attend church regularly. Personally I think if you have relationship with Jesus Christ then you will want to get to know Him better by reading His Word.   I also think if you read His Word you will build relationship with Him, if that is where your heart is.  I also think that you can get closer to Jesus while fellow-shipping with other like-minded people which may be at church but it doesn’t have to be.

With that said, I don’t believe the corporate organization of an official religion is what defines your relationship with Christ.   I have known pastors of religions/churches whose actions did not appear as though they had a relationship with Jesus instead they used the pulpit to hide behind.  This is why you should insure you worship and follow Jesus and not a church or pastor.

At the end of the day this conversation is good in that it is happening and I pray that it will cause many to ask Jesus to come into their heart.  Build a relationship with Christ and know that:

“Whenever two or three of you come together in my name, I am there with you” Matthew 18:20 CEV

That doesn’t mean at church or in a building that represents a religion, it could be a home in a living room with family or outside the office on a picnic table with friends and co-workers.  One thing I know for sure, Jesus is there wherever you are all the time waiting for you to reach out to HIM.

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When Frugal Costs You Money

by Kim on September 26, 2011

fcmFrugal, not cheap, but frugal is an important trait in those who are working toward becoming debt free and living in financial freedom to build wealth. I promote frugality to my clients. It is important to price shop, use coupons, by generic, etc.

There is a time however, when being frugal turns into being cheap and it starts to cost you money. Like the old saying goes, “the bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.” With that said, it is important to know where that line in the sand is between frugal and cheap.

For example, I have a friend who will drive 25 miles out of her way to save three cents per gallon of gas, now when you think about it, that extra 50 mile round trip to save .51 cents on a 17 gallon tank of gas. The trip most likely used up and extra 3 to 3.5 gallons of gas assuming she gets 12 to 15 miles to the gallon. So that savings of .51 cents for the cheaper gas cost an extra $9.80 if gas is $2.80 per gallon. That is an example of frugal turning cheap and costing you money.

Another thing to take into consideration when being frugal is the value of your time. Many times referred to as soft dollars. Sadly, many people do not actually put a value on their time. But your time is valuable and must be used wisely just as money must be spent wisely.

How do you put a value on your time? One way is to take your gross (before taxes) annual income and divide that by 2080 (number of working hours in a year based on a 40 hour work week) this will give you your hourly rate of pay from your job, so that hourly rate is a good starting point for a value on an hour of your time. What if you are a stay at home mom? Well, it is near impossible to put a value on stay at home moms because your service to the home and family is really invaluable, but non-the-less, your time is of value and must be used wisely to not take away from the kids, and other duties around the home, so you must determine what it would cost if you had a sitter watch the kids for an hour as well as the hourly rate of someone cleaning the house, add those two amounts up and that is a good starting place of your personal hourly value (of course you are worth much more because you do so much more.)

Using this thought process will help you to insure you are actually being frugal and wise with both money and time, verses being cheap and just looking at the dollars involved in spending rather than the whole savings picture.

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What Attributes Do You Look For In A Mate

September 24, 2011

Perhaps the reason there is so much divorce in this country is related to how men and women choose each other.  The other day I was in a conversation with several women and one man.  The conversation had moved to relationships and the man ask: “What kind of attributes do you ladies look for in [...]

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My Own Little World

May 23, 2011

Yesterday while mowing the back 40 I was stung twice by two separate wasps. I immediately put some Benadryl lotion on the stings but that was not to stop the allergic reaction that followed.  My elbow and ring finger began to swell beyond recognition. I headed to the drug store and purchased some liquid Benadryl [...]

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Merry Christmas To All!

December 24, 2010

Merry Christmas May you find and have Tranquility Through Him! Kim Staudenraus

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Losing Someone You Love

December 20, 2010

What happens when you lose someone you love at Christmas? This is a question I am now dealing with.  I lost my uncle to cancer this weekend.  It wasn’t a surprise, he had been fighting for a year or so, but that doesn’t make it any easier.  My prayers go out to my aunt & [...]

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Derailed But Not Wrecked

November 13, 2010

Life is unpredictable.  You think you have things planned out and next thing you know you are blind sided with something that totally derails all the plans you had made.  Being derailed for a season doesn’t mean you are wrecked for life. Regardless of what derails your plans, whether it be divorce, job loss, or [...]

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The Void

October 25, 2010

Life happens.  There are times when a major life change occurs that you didn’t want and/or expect. When these changes occur, you can’t let it stop you.  It may slow you down a bit but you can’t let it stop you from living life.  With that said, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t knock the wind [...]

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The Cut – Ouch!

October 7, 2010

So many times I have mentioned that I am no Martha Stewart.  Well, last evening I confirmed that to myself yet one more time. Some Background As you know there have been several people in my life who have recently been diagnosed with cancer.   One of which is a close family member.  Now cancer does [...]

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A Bad Egg

September 19, 2010

It’s Sunday morning.  A beautiful day.   Sunday’s are a relaxing day for me.  It’s my day do some laundry, do some house cleaning, maybe even mow the lawn.  (Funny as I wrote that it doesn’t sound too relaxing.)  Part of my Sunday’s include making a nice breakfast for myself and today was no exception.  I [...]

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Whose Standard?

September 18, 2010

Yesterday I heard a wonderful little snippet from Kay Arthur of “Precepts Of Life” her reference was: Proverbs 17:24 “A discerning person keeps wisdom in view,  but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.” CEV The above text can be interrupted like this; a smart man will keep his eyes on God [...]

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