While this is far from an accurate barometer of the national economy, it is worth noting. For the second Sunday in a row, my beautiful bride and I didn’t get to eat lunch at Cracker Barrel after church because they were too busy. Last week, the wait was too long. This week, they were so busy that we couldn’t even find a place to park, and we went to TWO locations.
Archive for November, 2008
Why Can’t I Eat at Cracker Barrel If We’re in a “Recession”?
Sunday, November 30th, 2008The Black Friday that was Golden
Saturday, November 29th, 2008The morons in the media who are doing their best to convince you the sky is falling, were wrong again. Chicago based Shoppertack reports that consumers spent 3% MORE this Black Friday (yesterday) than Black Friday last year, bringing sales up to $10,500,000,000.
An Email from Billy Graham
Friday, November 28th, 2008Though this was sent to thousands of people, it was exciting to receive this email from Pastor Graham:
Dear Friend,
Your kind greetings on the occasion of my 90th birthday were a great encouragement to me, and I want to thank you for taking time to write to me. I feel humbled and overwhelmed by the thousands of messages people have sent me. At the age of 90, I am responding to you by e-mail—something new for me! (Though I must admit that my staff is having to help me send it!)
You will be interested to know that I had wonderful celebrations for my birthday with family and close friends.
The prayers and support of people like you over the years have meant more to me than I can ever express, and I am grateful for your partnership with us in the work of the Gospel. Most of all, I am grateful for God’s constant faithfulness down through the years.
May God richly bless you.
Cordially yours,
Billy Graham
I Have A Special Thanksgiving Request
Thursday, November 27th, 2008If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq.
How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one! It’s FREE and it only takes a second.
Whether you are for or against the war, our soldiers over there need to know we are behind them.
Please take the time and please take the time to pass it on for others to do.
We can never say enough thank you’s to the men and women who are putting their lives on the line right now so that you and I don’t have to.
Another “Economic Stimulus Plan”?
Wednesday, November 26th, 2008The Einsteins in Washington that already spent $700 billion to “save us” have concocted a new $800 billion plan. And the new incoming guard wants another economic stimulus plan to “save us”. Oh yeah, that worked so well the last time.
While the Republicans and Democrats are competing to see who can spend the most money and buy the most votes, no one has the courage to acknowledge the 800-pound gorilla in the room. We got into this mess because of people spending money they didn’t have, and now the government is doing the same thing to fix the problem. Huh?
Even if these stimulus plans did work, the deficit is going through the roof, inflation will sky rocket, and taxes will soar. Our kids and their kids will be paying for the free-spending ways of these government bureaucrats for decades to come.
Isn’t there anyone out there with the courage to admit that Washington is not the answer. Politicians can not “save” people from their own bad choices.
Feedback on 11/25/08 Issue of Work Is Not for Sissies
Tuesday, November 25th, 2008Enter your name and email address (your e-mail address will not be published). Then type your comment, and click on the button labeled “Submit Content”.
Happy Birthday to My Beautiful Bride
Monday, November 24th, 2008Good morning, Mrs. Shepard! Though many others will read this, I am writing it for the only one who matters, because I know you read this daily.
On this special day, I wanted you to know that although we had to wait for an hour and a half to get dinner at the Big River Grill Saturday night, it was the best dinner I ever had. Although I couldn’t get my camera to work well in the dark setting, there is nothing I would have rather been taking pictures of.
As I have said so many times, you complete me. As Jack Nicholson said to Helen Hunt in “As Good As It Gets”, you make me want to be a better man.
Because I’m not a romantic writer like Judith and Jim, I found this poem on the Internet, to summarize how I feel about you:
The whisper of your voice, the warmth of your touch,
so many little things that make me love you so much.
The way you support me, and help with my emotions,
the way that you care and show such devotion.
The way that your kiss, fills me with desire,
and how you hold me with the warmth of a blazing fire.
The way your eyes shine when you look at me,
lost with you forever is were I want to be.
The way that I feel when you’re by my side,
a sense of completion and overflowing pride.
The dreams that I dream, that all involve you,
the possibilities I see and the things we can do.
How you finish the puzzle that lies inside my heart,
how that deep in my soul, you are the most important part.
I could go on for days, telling of what I feel,
but all you really must know is my love for you is real.
Happy Birthday Mrs. Shepard. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I love you with all my heart and soul.
We Got Spanked…Hard!
Sunday, November 23rd, 2008It wasn’t a surprise, but it still hurt. Today my hometown Tennessee Titans are unbeaten no more, after Brett Farve and the New York Jets handed us our first defeat. Not that a 10 and 1 record is anything to sneeze at. But it suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure was fun having a perfect record.
Dateline Galesburg, Illinois
Saturday, November 22nd, 2008As much as I wail on idiotic government bureaucrats who seem incapable of making smart decisions or being business-savvy, I love to recognize good government when I encounter it. The city of Galesburg, Illinois, is one such example. One of their managers who attended my seminar yesterday informed me that they have a 12 month probationary period on new hires. Good for them! It is nearly impossible to get a good read on someone in just 90 days, yet so many organizations make the mistake of hiring on a 90-day probationary period.
Dateline St. Louis, Missouri
Friday, November 21st, 2008Yesterday’s most memorable management minute came after my seminar at Maryville University, when I stopped for lunch at Subway. The woman in line in front of me refused to accept her foot long sandwich because the employee making it had touched ham with her plastic gloves and then touched the woman’s sandwich. The employee was probably 19, and didn’t understand the customer’s accent. She finally comprehended that it was against the customer’s religion, and then said sternly, “But you didn’t tell me that before!” While there was no way the employee could have known about the ham, this was a battle she should have walked away from. It wasn’t like the woman was going to say, “Well in that case, I’ll make an exception to my religious beliefs and eat the sandwich anyway”.