PRICELESS AND UNCONTAINABLE

I was checking out the Apple Cup special that was on last night on FSN. It really was pretty cool. The show highlighted the rivalry between UW and WSU on the football field. FSN even broadcasted the 1992, BLIZZARD BOWL. That game was a doozy....snowing sideways, shoveling the field just to see a few lines, snow piles in the end zones, and Mark Brunell and Drew Bledsoe going at it.

It was really cool seeing and listening to Don James (head coach for the University of Washington) and Mike Price (head coach for the Washington State University) talk about that game and their remembrance of the various details was quite vivid.

As I watched them, it struck me how fast 16 years has flown by. My oldest daughter was 3 months old. Now she is one year away from attending either UW or WSU!!

Time is priceless and you can't contain it. It's here and gone. You can't buy more of it and you can't sell any of it. If you try to grab it and store it, you can't. Ask any person who is moving through life and too busy and what would they like more of.....time. Money is good, but time is better. If you have time you can make money. If you have money, you can't buy time. I've known countless people who have much more money than others, but they seem to accomplish less with their time than those who have less dough.

I always end these blogs with MTC.....Make Today Count! We all have the same amount of time. Use it and do good or lose it forever.

MTC!
Mark

NAVIGATING THROUGH THE FOG

Up here in Washington state, the fog can get really thick! Even though you know exactly where you are and where you are going, when the fog rolls in, it becomes a challenge to find your driveway. For people who live on country roads, they go to great lengths to mark their driveway or lane. Reflectors, barrels with reflective tape, flags, goofy metal works of someone's mental machinations....all to find their way home.

We are all kind of doing that now with the economic fog we all find ourselves in. We know where we are at, but it is a bit tricky trying to get through it all. My heart goes out to the millions who are out of work and to those individuals who have just retired only to find their retirement severely depleted.

When I was a little boy, I couldn't say 'foggy' very well. One morning I was looking out the window and I said, "Momma....it's really hoggy outside." Well, it is a bit hoggy outside for all of us right now as we try to maneuver through these new and interesting times.

This I know for sure: tough times don't last, tough people do! Be strong. Put your hope in God and be tough.

We're going to make it just fine.

Make Today Count!

Mark

TIMING IS EVERYTHING

Stock Market.
Coaching the Seahawks one final year.
Red light.
Hunting.
Baking.
Grilling.

You make you own list, but timing has such a huge part to play in so many different aspects of our lives. Have you thought about the whole idea of timing lately?

Farmers rotate their crops so as to give the earth time to replenish it's nutrients.

Timing between a quarterback and his receivers.
Timing between a pass from one soccer player to another.
Timing belts on our autos.
Timing in music....don't get me started!

Sometimes timing either breaks a relationship or makes one. Timing can mend or wreck a marriage.

How?

Words. Acts. Deeds. Attention to detail and a response to it. Timing. Is it in you?

Make Today Count (MTC!)

Mark

WHO ARE YOU VOTING FOR?

I gotta be honest whichya....I cannot wait for this election season to be over. I'm really sick and tired of the commercials on tv and radio, the flyers, the signs, the 'he said' 'she said'........

However, I am grateful to live in America and to have the opportunity to vote my conscience. To not vote is just plain not taking advantage of the great privilege we have that people groups around the world would, well, die for.

I could care less if by the time the Presidential race is called, Washington's votes don't factor into the win or lose totals, I will have cast my vote, committed to a candidate and once again said a simple and quiet prayer of thanks to God for the USA!

The vote for our gubernatorial race will be different in the sense that we will be able to see in real-time how our votes are influencing the outcome.

So,Let's get it on! Let's vote! Let's move on and clear the air-waves of the whining!!!!! Make sure you vote! You might just be the 'swing vote!!'

MTC!
Mark

BILL WAS RIGHT!

In his book, AUTHENTIC LEADERSHIP, Bill George speaks directly at and about the nonsense we are seeing played out on every news channel each and everyday regarding the financial mess we are in.

Bill's thesis is simply this: "Timeless leadership is always about character and authenticity."

The book is a fantastic read regarding his view of what true leaders are to be and what authentic companies are to achieve. Anything from over greedy CEO compensation packages to efforts to fraud the shareholder via bogus acquisitions to 'creative' accounting so as to meet quarterly estimates.

Let's face it, character and authenticity will stand up against slick, shiny, and hip and will outlast them all. Without authenticity and a strong moral compass, nothing else really matters or makes sense. Ask Wall Street!

So here you go: are you an authentic leader? To your kids? To your spouse? To your company? To your church? To your team? To the people who depend upon you?

MAKE TODAY COUNT!

Mark

MARRIAGE

In just a few hours, I will be doing a talk on Marriage. I told my wife earlier this week that I was actually kind of stressed out over this one. We've been married for 21 years and in putting this talk together, I really see some glaring weaknesses in myself and I need to shore them up with God's help.

When I told Karen I felt like a lousy husband she laughed at me...that was not the help I was looking for!!

So, today, once again, I will be talking to myself while people listen in...isn't there help for that kind of stuff?

Here's your daily quiz:

1. How's your marriage?

2. What are your secrets for keeping it exquisite?

3. What are you doing to make it better?

4. What do you do to meet the needs of your mate?

5. Do you understand the needs of your spouse and do you work at meeting them even when you don't feel like it?

MAKE TODAY COUNT!
Mark

HOW DO YOU...

Ever do the old Google search by typing in "How do you...." Funny and interesting some of the stuff that pops up. What really is funny is how it shows me how lousy my initial inquiry was!

So, on the topic of "How do you....." Here's a few ?'s for you personally.

How do you process your anger?

How do you process when someone disrespects you?

How do you process your feelings and emotions when you've 'had it up to here!'?

How do you process the feelings you have when you feel the people nearest you don't care or begin to understand who and why you are you?

I know it's a bit heavy, but those questions have been rumbling in my head as of late and when I look at other people and see a sad face I wonder how they got there. Bums me out.


I do believe that God provides for us what we need to be more than overcomers, winners, achievers in life. But....there are people who believe it too, yet really struggle with these issues. Indeed I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength... but what about those who don't yet know about that strength and his amazing grace?



MAKE TODAY COUNT!!!!

Mark