Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.

It's opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.

OH!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don' t
Because, sometimes, you won't.

I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.

You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.

You'll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be in a Slump.

And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both you elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a sting of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

NO!
That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. there are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You'll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don't.
Because, sometimes, they won't.

I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.

And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

But on you will go
though the weather be foul
On you will go
though your enemies prowl
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike
and I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3 / 4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!

-- Dr. Seuss

Hi all....sometimes I feel that I have something important to say... so I say it here. 

I heard another "Startling Statistic" from Crown Financial Ministries today on the radio.  According to the U.S. Commerce Department: For every dollar the average American earns he / she spends $1.22 !!!    That's 22 cents of debt for every dollar we earn!  So if you earn $20,000 / year you will incur $4,400 in debt !!!  Isn't that amazing!!    How long do you think this can go on before everything crashes??  Here's a real scorcher I heard the other day on the movie "Flywheel" "If you are in financial bondage, it's because of the choices you've made." Ouch!! 

By the way, "Flywheel" and "Facing the Giants" are two of the best movies I've ever seen.  You should make an effort to watch them....really!!!

I really think we, individually, and as a nation, need to readjust our attitudes toward debt.  I believe an economic crash is coming and I sure don't want to be holding debt when that happens.

Romans 13:8  "Owe no one anything"
Proverbs 22:7 "The borrower is servant to the lender."

I would really encourage you to visit http://www.crown.org  and browse the website.  It gives you some biblical and practical methods of getting yourself out of debt (especially view the Money Map section).  If you have no debt then it gives you guidance on what to do next.  I really believe God wants us to be debt free so we will be free to GIVE !!  The world tells us to buy, buy, buy.  God tells us to give, give, give (Psalms 37:21 "The righteous is gracious and gives.").  If we are saddled with debt we are not free to do what God has called us to do. 

God bless you today,
Jeff

Did you know that the average savings rate for Americans is -1% (yes, that's a negative sign!)?  Did you know that the average savings rate for Chinese is 50%?  (Savings rate is the amount money we save after we earn it!)

If you had invested $1,000 with Warren Buffet in 1956 you would have $27,000,000 today (yes, that's $27 million!).

The Bible has 2,350 verses dealing with money and possessions.

I've really taken a liking to the "Money Map".  It's a concept devised by Howard Dayton of Crown Financial Ministries.  The Map shows you how to get control of your finances and what to do after you have control.  There are 7 "destinations".   Of course there are more details in the plan, but the basic steps are:  

1. Start an emergency savings and spending plan
2. Become debt free
3. Improve spending plan and pay off consumer debt
4. Save for major purchases
5. Begin investing
6. Improve your estate planning
7. Your retirement is funded.  You are free to be more generous with your time, talents and money.

Go to www.crown.org  for details.    They also have a 30-minute program that airs on WBCL everyday at 10:00.  It's one of my favorites.  You can also download the programs and listen to them at your leisure.

Quotes:
"If a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will straighten up almost every other area of his life." --Billy Graham

"How we handle money is simply an outside indicator of our internal spiritual condition." --Larry Burkett

"[Be] free from the dominion of vice; by the practice of frugality, free from debt, which exposes a man to confinement and slavery to his creditors." -- Benjamin Franklin 

Well, that's it for today.  Let me know if you're interested in the Money Map.  Maybe we can go through it together!

God Bless,
Jeff