Right Wisdom

There was a Seinfeld episode that talked about cherishing the cabin. This was George's future in-law's cabin and in Kramer fashion he accidentally burned down the cabin. There is some truth to that phrase, I sit here this weekend at my in-law's place at Grand View Lodge. I am reminded of three things that make coming here enjoyable, family, fun and food, with faith being the bond that binds it all together. I have never been part of a group that is so closely knit together as this family is. The six younger cousins are all very close and get a long so well. My son who is four absolutely adores his 12 and 14 year old male cousins and they don't mind hanging out with the little guy. Even when my two older daughters are around they are welcomed with open arms. There is rarely any incidences among the cousins. The fun extends in many areas from taking the kids swimming or to town or finding a number of other things to do depending on the season. The fun of course always...

Bin Laden, the mastermind behind 9/11 has been killed. After almost ten years since the devastating attack of 9/11 a covert operation by American special forces have found and killed Osama Bin Laden. This is great news, good job! Two questions arise from this monumental incident. Will this drastically change the face of terrorism in the world? I do not believe it will. America and the world should still be alert and on guard. I believe that this incident may even increase the possibility of terrorism. It will be viewed as retaliation for the killing of their leader. Don't let your guard down, stay vigilant America. The second question: Did Barack Obama just solidify himself a second term as President? I think he did. This may seem callous but President Obama just accomplished what America has been trying to do for almost ten years. This will be a huge feather in his cap. The only way he could mess it up is if he continues to lead our nation down the primrose path of socialism. ...

Recently the new inductees to Cooperstown were announced, Bert Blyleven and Robby Alomar. The interesting thing is that it took Blyleven 14 years to make the hall. His numbers were equal or better than other pitchers that were already in the hall. Why did it take him so long? Why does it take other deserving players so long? Is it because the baseball writers vote? Why do they get to vote and is there criteria that they must follow when they vote? There is where the conundrum comes in. There is no consistency in who the writers vote for, they have turned it into a popularity contest. Now that Blyleven is a member of the media it has become easier for the writers to vote for him. He should have been in the hall on one of his early ballots. What can we do to ensure the right players enter the hall at the right time? Not sure there is an easy answer. Writers see them everyday and write about them but there is always the personal side to that equation. Do you base it strictly on stats...

If you grew up in the 70's and 80's and you loved baseball you will enjoy this book. Josh Wilker shares his life through the eyes of his baseball card collection. It will make you pull out your baseball cards and relive the joy and sorrow of your childhood. Who are some of the cardboard gods that come to your mind as you recollect your childhood. For me, growing up in Minnesota it was my childhood idol Tony Oliva. He played baseball with an unbridled passion and an all out hustle. His knees cut his career short but he continues to be an ambassador for baseball and the Minnesota Twins. I remember 1965, not the World Series between the Dodgers and the Twins but my first game it was a rainout and there was tornado warnings. We had to line up in the interior of the stadium until we received an all clear. Needless to say the game was a washout, weather 1 Twins 0. As you peruse your cards let the memories flood back and escape to a bygone era. Relive your past and read this bo...

This is a condensed version of a speech I gave. The clap of thunder, the flash of lightening, a storm is coming, are you prepared. Storms occur on a regular basis whether they are weather related or life related we have all encountered a storm at one time or another in our life. The question is “are you prepared and will you survive? In the movie “A Perfect Storm” George Clooney plays a captain of a fishing vessel that gets caught up in the storm of the century. He has to make a quick decision about what to do under the circumstances. He had to react to a situation and make the best decision possible for all parties involved. During these perfect storms of life, decisions like these can be life changing. People get caught off guard during the storms of life because they are either ill prepared or they lack the leadership to make positive life changing decisions. In order to survive these storms in life we must follow strong leaders or be a strong leader ourselves. I am goin...

Watched The Birds by Alfred Hitchcock. It is a timeless classic. It gives you the suspense and thrill of a horror picture but it isn't just about blood and guts like the movies of today. It gives you something to think about. It gives you that thought "what if". What if a group of animals, in this case birds rose up and decided they were not going to take it any longer. Could humans fend off an attack if all birds united against us. How about other animals? Or all animals came together. Humans are the most intelligent beings on this planet but we are not the most numerous. Makes you think that you might not want to do anything to make an animal mad. What other classics leave you thinking and wondering "what if". If you have never seen this movie I recommend you do so. I won't give away the ending. Go out and read it and then come back here and leave me your comments on what you think about the movie.

I have been reading the book "Borrowing Brilliance" by David Kord Murray. It is fascinating to think that everything we do or have invented or created is just something taken from someone else and enhanced to make it better. If this truly is the case each and everyone of us have borrowed to make something better. What have you used to improve your work or your play? Murray is applying the idea to business innovation and gives steps on how we as business people can borrow from others to make innovative and creative ideas. If you have read the book I would like to hear your comments on whether you believe this is an acceptable practice or plagiarism. If you have not read the book I recommend the read, he writes it like a story so it is a easy read.

You may disagree with me but I think the Olympics are one of the most enjoyable sporting events to watch. The excitement and the drama of the events are unmatched in sports. We get an opportunity to see sports that we normally don't get to watch. If the luge isn't crazy enough they have the skeleton 90 mph on your stomach, face first. Won't catch me doing that but I applaud those athletes who take on the sport. Then there is the chills and spills of short track speed skating. How they stay on their skates going around those turns beats me. It is very exciting to watch. Ice Dancing is really not a sport it is dancing on ice. How do they score that activity anyway? Going into the final round the 1-5 places didn't move after the free skate. How are they supposed to move up in the standings? It doesn't make any sense. What do you think of the Olympics?

For those of you who are fans of my blog I am going to make an effort to blog nightly, or at least every other night. A lot has happened since I last wrote and far too much to talk about today. We live in a country that is changing daily and much of it for the worse. This is turning into an America we will not recognize. America needs to get back to business by relying on small business and the innovation of the nations citizens. America cannot become a nation dependent upon the government to meet the needs of the citizens. We all need to rise up and reclaim our nation by fighting for capitalism and starting businesses that show the innovation and drive of Americans. I would like to hear what you are doing to combat the purveying sense of socialism that is overcoming our nation? Are you embracing socialism or fighting against it by getting back to the roots of America, capitalism?

It is that time of year again, March Madness. hen the college basketball tournaments are driving everyone mad with excitement. There is nothing that beats an overtime thriller or a Cinderella upset. It is the time of year where dreams are made and dreams are dashed all on the same court. It is not just basketball that is madness but our economy is in turmoil. There isn't a bailout available that will really help the economy. Instead we must let some failure happen and purge the process. It is then that we will get back on our feet and survive this bailout madness and the decline of our economy. Basketball is a little escape from the craziness of the economy. It is nice to have a little respite among the madness. Don't forget we get to fill out our brackets and follow our favorite team. Mine has lost in both the men's and the women's tournament. The Golden Gophers didn't have it to find success this year. Maybe they could use a bailout.

I'm sorry! It has been a while since I last wrote. A lot has happened since then. The economy is in a recession the government is giving away all of our tax money and the socialist Democrats are going to be taking over and driving the economy further into the ground. Despite everything that is happening it has been history in the making for the recent Presidential race. For the first time ever America elected an African American President. It is great to be witness to history in the making. Let's hope Barack Obama does a great job as President. It is difficult times and I don't envy anyone who has to run this country considering the problems we are currently having. To top it all off the Twins lost the central division in a one game playoff, the Timberwolves stink and there has been the call for Brad Childress' job. The Wild are still good and the Gopher football team sure made an improvement.

How can one not get excited about the pure competition of the Olympics . I just witnessed the most dramatic swimming event ever. The USA came back from being behind in the freestyle 4 x 100 relay to beat the French by 8 100 ths of a second. WOW! It was a fantastic race! The Olympics are an example of pure human competition and extraordinary effort. It is a wonderful time to watch and witness these competitions whether the US wins or not it is exciting and fun.

Just this past week President Bush called for an increase in troops in Iraq. It was immediately met with consternation and outrage by those on the left. They are under the impression that the public voted them into office to help facilitate the pulling out of our troops from Iraq. They could not be more wrong! The public voted because we are not winning the war and we need to step up and show why we are the only super power left in the world. We need to stay in Iraq until it is safe to let Iraq control their own country. This will only come with victory and letting America do what we do best, defend and defeat the "Axis of Evil". President Bush is making it clear that he will not back down from the terrorists or even the liberals. Maybe they are one in the same? He is asking for more troops to be deployed to help speed up the process and this will then enable us to bring all of our troops home. The liberals in congress and the house need to let the President do his jo...

Well, another year has past and the older you get the quicker those years slip by. Remember when you were a kid, it seemed like you would never get older and those years seemed to drag by. Then as you got older those years started to speed up and there is no way to stop them. Have you made preparations for 2007? 2007 is already shaping up to be a busy political year. The Democrats think they are in charge and they have started to flex their political muscle to try and tell the Republicans who is in charge. They forget that our government allows us the use of checks and balances and give them a few days and they will be messing up and in 2008 they will be voted out of office. Have you vowed to stand firm on your principles and make the most out of your life. Now is the time to make a resolution that you really will keep and that is worth keeping. Unlike the democrats they will be unable to live up to their false promises.

VERSE: Matthew 26:35 Peter said to Him, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" And so said all the disciples. REFLECTION: How much conviction did Peter feel later on in this story? If you remember he did end up denying Jesus three times because he feared for his life. How much conviction should we feel for doing the same thing? If you have given your life to Jesus you in essence have told Him that you will not deny Him and that you will stand up for your beliefs and faith. Have you done that 100% of the time? What does it mean to stand up for your faith and not deny Jesus Christ? In the story of Peter he was around a group of people who identified him as a follower of Christ. He said he was not. At one point he even started cursing and talking badly about Jesus just so he could prove to the people that he was not a follower of Christ. For us in 2006 it really is no different and this time of year is a true test of our faith. Are y...

The following excerpt is found at this link http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/ to the Hugh Hewitt website. I suggest you read the whole story. My comments follow this excerpt. Yesterday the City of Chicago successfully pushed the German American Chamber of Commerce to drop New Line Cinema's The Nativity Story as a sponsor the traditional German Christkindlmarket. City officials said the new film --segments of which were going to play on televisions at the market-- "might offend non-Christians." Chicago, the windy city. Seems like a lot of hot air is blowing out of the mayors office in Chicago. This is ridiculous to drop a sponsor because a few people might be offended by the images of the story of Christs birth. Nobody is complaining about the offensive material we see daily on our televisions or that run in our movie theaters. Where were these people when the movie Saw III was been shown in theaters or for that matter trailers of that movie on TV. Aren't the horrific im...

Chick Flicks, the bane of every man's existence. Granted many of these so-called "chick flicks" do have quality acting and beautiful scenery. They are however wrapped in frustration and sprinkled with teasing romance. Men need to feed their thirst for movies on the action and speed that is represented in such fine movies as Mission Impossible or any Bond movie or any movie that contains car chases and blowing up of buildings and vehicles. Sure men like a good love story but it needs to be raw passion and not repressed love. I however don't recommend a movie full of nudity and promiscuous sex, these scenes are worthless and unnecessary . I admit it! Yes I have sat through my share of chick flicks. Some much better than others but I would never recommend a chick flick to my friends or relatives. Instead I like to recommend those with suspense, action or humor. With that said here is a list of 10 all time got to see movies. Some of these are old and some more recent t...

It is two days before Thanksgiving and it is time to reflect on those things that we can give thanks for. Just yesterday a group of Muslims were removed from a plane in Minneapolis as it taxied and readied for takeoff. These Muslims were standing in the plane and praying, they were asked to sit down and they refused. They were then removed from the flight. Was the reason they were asked to sit down because they were Muslim or because they were in violation of safety rules on a crowded airplane? I think it was a safety issue. It is nice to know that we live in a country where we can pray. It doesn't matter whether you are Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, Jew or some other religion. You have a right to worship any god that you want to worship. The problem is there are safety issues involved when standing on a plane that is getting ready for takeoff. It is also interesting to note that if you are a Christian and you decided to pray or worship Jesus in a public setting and it was i...

VERSE: Matthew 23:27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like the whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness." REFLECTION: Jesus was confronting the scribes and Pharisees to inform them that though they appeared righteous on the outside they were just as sinful on the inside as anyone else. I believe that Jesus confronted them for two reasons. First; He wanted everyone to know that we cannot put the holy and righteous up on a pedestal. If we do, we are bound to get hurt. Many of you may have heard or read the recent story about Ted Haggard, the former head of the National Association of Evangelicals and ex-pastor of New Life Church in Colorado. His experience demonstrates the fallibility of man and how it doesn't matter who you are, you can cave into temptation. Those who are leaders in our church are under a lot of scrutiny but that doesn'...

When Rosie O’Donnell said “radical Christianity is just as threatening as radical Islam in a country like the United States,” she generated a lot of controversy. Various segments of the population – especially those who are conservative Christians – had a strong reaction to her words. To learn how Americans react to a television personality challenging the nation’s most widespread faith, read the latest Barna Update. To get this free, brief report, click here on the link below or go to www.barna.org and click on the main story. Please read the full story of the above excerpt from the Barna Group. I would like to comment on those words spoken by Ms. O'Donnell. These words were likely spoken out of hate and based on the images that the dinosaur media projects about Evangelical Christians. Statements like these from celebrities are generally shallow and based on no foundation of truth. If Rosie O'Donnell were to really dig deep and read both the Bible and the Koran she would sh...