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Friday, January 16th, 2009 | Author: Brian Stevenson

ouch kiss it betterJanuary 14 was not a good day.

It all started with a drive to work. It’s been cold lately and the roads were a little icy. As I was waiting at a red light, a pickup truck hit the SUV behind me and that SUV hit my truck. It was like one of those moments when you hear a loud BANG and then by the time you look in your rear view mirror to see what the noise was all about, you then get the BANG and the jolt a split second later. The good news was that I didn’t get hurt and the damage to my truck appears to be minimal.

As I get out of my truck to survey the damage I saw a police car parked in the parking lot right next to the intersection of the accident. I travel about 50-or-so yards to get his attention and he agrees to come take a look. As I head back to my truck, I stepped on some uneven frozen slush left over by a snow plow. My foot twisted inward and I realized it was a pretty good sprained ankle after trying to “walk it off” on my way back to my truck.

After I finished up with the police and gave them my information, I drove to work and got out of my truck. By this time, my ankle was really starting to hurt pretty bad and I didn’t feel like the typical sprain. I hobbled around and got into my normal routine at my desk. Later on that morning, I got up to take a break and the pain in my foot was MUCH worse, and my ankle had swollen to about the size of a tennis ball. I finally broke down and called my family physician.

They were able to schedule me for an appointment that afternoon. So around 1:30pm I met with my doctor and he gave me a couple of prescriptions to help with the pain and swelling and he sent me to the hospital to get an x-ray. I drove to the hospital and checked into the Imaging department. I took a seat in the waiting room and I was greeted by a medical assistant who was from the Pacific Rim (probably Indonesia). She led me down long hallway to the x-ray room, it felt like 100 yards away! About half-way through I stopped and I said, “Do you guys have a wheelchair or something?” She replied, “Sorry” and she motioned me to keep walking because we were getting close.

She had me take off my shoe and sock and they took three x-rays of my ankle. After they were done, she led me to the hallway and pointed down the hall to show me the exit. I look at her and said, “Can you get me wheelchair or something? That’s too far for me to walk on my own?” As it so happens, there was a wheelchair right around the corner and she pushed me down a hallway that was probably 75 yards long. I thanked her and hobbled the rest of the way to my car.

When I got to my truck, I gave Tanya a call to see if she wouldn’t mind meeting me at the Kroger pharmacy because I was having quite a difficult time walking and I really needed some lovin’ after a crazy morning and afternoon. Not to mention, I was physically and emotionally exhausted. When we got to Kroger, Tanya helped me into the store. I put my right arm around her neck and shoulders so she could help take weight off my foot.

The pharmacy said it would take 30 minutes to fill the prescription, so we decided to do some shopping around the store. For the first time ever, I got to use one of those motorized grocery carts. Those things are down-right dangerous! They’re jerky when you stop and go and the steering is way too sensitive.

After we picked up the meds, Tanya followed me home and I spent the evening icing my ankle.

To be continued…

Category: Happenings  | 4 Comments
Wednesday, December 24th, 2008 | Author: Brian Stevenson

Today, I got a Christmas Card from the owner of our company. The message at the bottom puzzled me, so I thought I would post the text of the greeting card to see if anyone can help me understand.

May the Christ Consciousness “catch you” in unexpected ways this holiday and bring you great joy!

christ consciousnessI have posted an artist’s rendition of the Christ Consciousness. This was not the image that came with the card, but rather an image courtesy of Google Images.

What do you think is the Christ Consciousness?

Category: Christmas, Happenings  | 2 Comments
Wednesday, December 17th, 2008 | Author: Brian Stevenson

I found this picture on a major news site. I love edgy statements!

Will Blog For Food

Tuesday, December 09th, 2008 | Author: Brian Stevenson

Between the years 2016 and 2020 we will see the beginnings of a revolution that will transform the face of Christianity. I have been opening my eyes to the children of today (age 5 to 12) and I believe we are going to see a massive resurgence of mysticism, a fresh openness to the supernatural, and a strong desire for social change.

What is our generation (those 18-35) doing to train and equip these young people in the areas of the Kingdom of God? *Now* is the time to build up the body of Christ! *Today* is our opportunity to make a difference. It’s time get involved the lives of today’s children. We must love them and be good stewards of the grace that has been given to us.

We can’t wait until middle school or high school or even college to reach *these* children. Their worldview is being formed *today*.

Wednesday, December 03rd, 2008 | Author: Brian Stevenson

Greed, Money, Banks, Corporations
1. When Banks Compete, You Lose!
2. When Banks Compete, You’re Screwed!
3. When Banks Compete, You bail them out with over 1-trillion dollars in taxpayer money.

Do you remember all the Lending Tree commercials leading up to today’s banking crisis? They had a catchy saying, “When Banks Compete, You Win”. I was curious if they chucked that slogan after the financial melt down. After all, many of the problems we’re experiencing today were a result of banks competing for customers who could never afford a house in the first place.

I’ve been reading articles lately that explained the creative financing options offered by banks. I read of one financing option that required $0 down and the payments were so low that the amount that they owed on the house actually increased each month! Don’t ask me how that’s possible. And this one takes the cake: How could a strawberry picker earning $15,000 a year qualify for every penny of a $720,000 mortgage? Unbelievable!

I’ve been strongly against the bail out since its conception and I think congress made a lapse-of-judgment by getting so involved in Wall Street. It violates my sense of justice. If a corporate entity makes bad business decisions, it should seek bankruptcy. That way, the impact of the fall is absorbed by shareholders and those directly involved in the situation, the high-level executives who made the bad decisions will be replaced, and the entity will emerge leaner with a clean balance sheet.

I have my theory behind the root of banking meltdown. I think it stemmed from greed. What do you think?

Category: Happenings  | One Comment