photo by: Mrs. W.  

After recieving a lengthy email from a friend about my last post, I decided that I need to clarrify some things. 

My last post was ment to be more sarcastic than whiney (I probably should have added a few to help clarify that).  After rereading it, I realized that it did come across whiney.  I’m sorry if you look at me differently because of that now (and why exactly are you judging me? )

But I really am curious as to why people don’t leave comments on my posts.  I have my theory (which I’ll share in a second), but I don’t necessarily think it is completely my writting style.  I’ve been working hard at studying other blogs on the net and learning from their writting styles. 

Of all the blogs that I read none of them have problems with getting comments.  Now I don’t write exactly like them, but I’m not completely different.  So this makes me ask the question again…why no comments?

My theory is that it is my audience (yeah I’m passing off the blame ).  I know that the majority of the people that read my blog are friends who don’t really read any other blogs.  Therefore they don’t realize that commenting on a post is a natural part of reading blogs.

The beauty about reading blogs, unlike books, magazines, and other printed material, is that it gives you the opportunity to share your opinion.  It’s not a one way conversation. You get to interact with the author in a way that any other form of writting doesn’t afford.

For example, I wouldn’t be writting this post write now if it wasn’t for a freindly email from one of my readers/friends.  I would have just gone on with my merry day and put up a post on Photoshop Express. 

So tell me what you think. Am I wrong?  Do I need to change my writting style to be more provacative?  Should I give up looking for emails in my inbox that tell me I’ve recieved a comment on my site?  Should I just quick blogging all together and join a convent in Italy some where (I hear that they can revirginize you)?

Leave me a comment and let me know. 

So as I’ve been blogging over the past few years, I’ve noticed a trend that I don’t know what to think about.  There has been a significant drop in the number of comments (at least that I recieve). 

I don’t know why this is.  Does my writting style lead to people being passive readers?  Are my posts not commentable?  Are people to lazy to write something back?  Is the comment form to hard to fill out? 

I really don’t have a clue.  My stats tell me that I have a steady flow of people reading my blog.  But the number of people who comment are nearly non-existant.  Like my dog asking for a treat, I have to beg to get comments (hence this post).   The top commenter on my blog has commented on three posts (you go Dave).

I really don’t know why no one wants to comment on my site.  The same is true for Shannon and her blog.  She’s only had three people leave her a comment since she sarted (and technically mine doesn’t count).

So whats the deal people.  Are you afraid?  Is my writting so intimidating and perfect that you can’t leave a comment.  I’m just going to assume this until you prove me otherwise. 

So until next time, have a good day you pansy non-commentators.

Hey if you haven’t heard yet, my wife has her own blog now.  You can check it out at ShannonQualls.com.  She wanted one for her birthday.  So, I hooked her up.  Her most recent blogs are a political rant that I must say is pretty darn funny.  So check it out and leave her lots of comments.

photo by: moriza

We are almost two weeks into the Lent season now. I’m sorry for the delay on this last post in my Lent series. Things haven’t allowed me to sit down and write it. But for those who have been waiting patiently (and I guess the impatient ones too), here is the final post.
Once again, I’m not the most generous person you’ll ever meet (that’s probably why this list is shorter than the other ones). I don’t even like to share candy. But I’ve realized my short comings and here are some things that I’ve learned that help me to be a little more generous with my time and money.

1. Make it a priority
   You’re not going to do it until you make it a priority. As I said in another post, I learned this from a wise friend when I was in college.

   I had a moment of enlightenment when I was in college. I was a poor college student (which for some is a load of crap statement…but that is another blog), and I went out to eat with a group guys. At the end of the meal, an older gentleman in the group paid for the meal. I remember telling him how I wish I could do the same. And he responded in the kindest of words, “If you aren’t generous when you have nothing, then you won’t be generous when you have everything.”

   You have to make being generous a priority in your life. There are too many other shinny things that will take center stage if you don’t (this comes from the guy with the iPhone…I know about shinny things taking center stage…and I’m still learning). Make it a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly task to look for ways to be more generous in your life.

2. Have a budget
   You won’t know what to give until you know what you have. This works for both your money and your time. For your money, you should have a budget for every month. This takes away the excuse of saying, “I just don’t have any money to give.” You don’t have money to be generous with because you don’t plan.
   When Shannon and I first started budgeting, it was like I got a raise. Before we budgeted, we just tried to keep an eye on our checking account and when it got to low we stopped spending (don’t judge you know you do the same thing). When we started budgeting, we were finally able to plan. We were able to make our money work for us instead of the opposite (check out DaveRamsey.com for more information on budgets).
   You also need to budget your time. Some of us don’t have time to serve our fellow man because we never have any extra time. I’ll give you a tip…there is no such thing as “extra” time. There are 24 hours in a day and that is all you have. Just like you’re pay check only has a set amount of money, your life only has a set amount of time. You have to budget your time wisely so you serve those around you (check out ZenHabits.net for more information on budgeting your time).
3. Give first
   This is has two implications. You can take the idea of biblical “first fruits.” This was the commandment given by God that everything that you received (animals, harvest, children, ect.), the first of it was to be given to God. The top line of your budget should have a line for a certain percentage of your money that you want to give away. When you get paid you should automatically take that percentage of money out of your check to give away. No questions. No ifs, ands, or buts. Just do it. Then budget the rest to live off. If you don’t do this…you’ll just make excuses and never be generous with the money you have. This will teach you to be generous.
   The other implication is if you have the option to serve someone or to do something else with the “free” time in your life, serve. Give of yourself first. Generosity now has the priority. So skip the basketball game and go do a generous act.
4. Have a separate checking account
   This is a little trick that Shannon and learned when we weren’t part of a local church for awhile. We didn’t have a place that we could write a check to for a weekly tithe. So we opened up another checking account and we transferred a percentage of our pay checks into the account every time we got paid. Then we knew we could use this account to be generous whenever the opportunity presented itself without having to worry about whether we were using money that was needed to pay the bills.
   When we started going to City on a Hill we started giving our tithe to them. We still transfer the money into the account so we don’t get it mixed up with the rest of the money we have, but we enjoyed having the freedom of the extra checking account so much that we transfer an additional amount of money into it every month so we can be generous when the opportunities present themselves.
5. Give first ask questions later
   Now this might sound like I’m say to give money to anyone on the street who asks you for it (in fact I would say not to do that…give them food, clothing, bottled water, a cup of coffee…but don’t give them money. Read “Under the Overpass” to see why). What I’m saying is that my tendency and I know some of your’s tendency is to ask the question “Why?”. Why should I be generous with my time and money. The reality of it is that I can’t answer that question truly. I could give you scripture. I could give you stories in my own life. I could paint a picture of a vision of bringing heaven to earth. But you won’t get it.
   You won’t get it until you take a homeless guy across the street to Arby’s for lunch. You won’t get it until you mow your elderly neighbor’s yard for them without them asking or paying you. You won’t get it until you help your wife’s single-mother-coworker pay her rent. You won’t get it until you pay for lunch for you and your friends knowing that you might not be able to eat dinner.
   If you decide that you aren’t going to be generous until you understand why, you’ll never be generous. The reality is you need to give first and then ask questions, because by giving you’ll find the answers.

I must say it has been weird not writing over the past few days (this isn’t writing this is me giving an update…or something). But I wanted to give a quick update and let you know that I’ll be back in the saddle as soon as possible.  I had a great weekend with my parents hanging out and painting the nursery.   I’m all relaxed and ready to get back to my blog.

On a side note.  If you hear on the news about a refinery blowing up in Big Spring TX (it’s Big Spring…not Big Springs…there’s only one spring and it’s big…kinda), that is where my mom and step-dad live.  It is only about a mile from where they live.   My mom said that it shock the whole house and when she first looked outside there was a mushroom cloud.  Kinda cool.  They evacuated all the schools too (my niece has to be happy).  There is reports that only one person got injured in the explosion.  Anyways if I get any further news, I’ll let you know.

My friend Dave Ortega (I’m telling you man…get a blog…or start posting on mine…or something) sent me an email with a link to a new video game that is coming out called Guitar Rising.  Now I’m a huge fan of Guitar Hero (check out my stats…oh yeah).  I’ve always said it is a way for mediocre guitar players (like myself) to play like rock gods.  With this game, mediocre guitar players can now become a rock god.  It even uses a real guitar.  I must say.  If the price is right, I’m going to be trying this one out (unless the company wants to give me a free copy….)  

A few months ago I listened to a lesson by Wayne Cordeiro that changed the way I spent my time in the Bible every day (you can listen to it here. The lesson was so practical but also so relevant and inspiring. The reality was that I wasn’t going to the Father with my needs. I wasn’t going to Him and growing in my relationship with Him. I was basically getting spiritual crumbs from books, podcasts and my pastor. I was living vicariously through others’ relationships with God.

Wayne’s lesson was a needed kick in the pants. He reminded me of my need for a one-on-one relationship with God. While it’s good to learn from others, Jesus calls us to follow Him (not follow others who are following Him). This has always been one of my biggest struggles. After listening to Wayne, I knew that I needed to go to the Source.Wayne gives some helpful tips for spending time in the Bible. Being the nice guy I am, I’ll share those tips with you (and some others that I picked up along the way).

Tip #1:
The first tip is actually from zenhabits.net and writetodone.com. The author of both of these blogs (Leo Babauta) talks about putting triggers in you life to make you do the things that you don’t want to do.

What’s a trigger? It’s the event that sets off your habit. For example, when I used to smoke, I had a number of triggers: I would smoke upon waking, when stressed, after a meeting, etc. When I wanted to change that habit, I had to change each trigger so that I had a new habit to replace smoking. Upon waking, for example, I would exercise instead. To create a new habit, you need to strongly associate your habit with a trigger. For example, let’s say you want to write in the morning — you might awake, use the bathroom, make your coffee, and then start writing. So making coffee is the trigger for writing, and using the bathroom is the trigger for making coffee, and waking is the trigger for using the bathroom. And as you wake every day, you have no problem. Choose a trigger that you know you’ll do every day, and then do your writing right after it, without exception.

My trigger is getting dressed for work. Like Leo’s example above, I have other triggers before that, but this is the trigger for me to spend time with God.

Tip #2:
Have all the right resources. Wayne suggests that when you sit down to spend time in the Bible, you should have the following items.

1. A Bible – This is a no brainer. But make sure it is version that you can understand (different versions of the Bible are written at different reading levels). I use the ESV…but you might find another version to your liking. Just go to your local book store and test a few out. See how easy they are to read and if you can understand the words that are being used.
2. A Journal – This is where you are going to write down your thoughts. I use a blog to keep my daily thoughts, and it works well for me. Plus, I can share with my friends my daily reflections. Otherwise Wayne recommends using a paper journal and using the first few pages to keep an index of what you are learning. This way you can look back and see what your have been learning (another reason I use a blog…this is done automatically for me).
3. A Reading Plan – Use whatever you want. Just have a plan. I am using the Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plan to read through the Bible each year. But you could make it as simple as reading two chapters a day or two pages. Whatever you do use a plan or else you’ll spend half your time trying to figure out what to read.
4. A Planner - It’s going to happen. You are going to be in the middle of having a wonderful time with God. Journaling your heart our…and you are going to remember that you’re out of milk. This is where your planner comes in handy. You can write down, “get milk” and go right back to your journaling. If you don’t have a planner, just use a scratch piece of paper. This is probably the best advice that I got from Wayne. I don’t know how many times my God time was hijacked by random thoughts of things I need to do for the day.

Tip #3:
Use S.O.A.P. This is Wayne’s structure for your time with God. It stands for the following:
Scripture: Start off with the Bible. Read the verses that are on your plan for the day.
Observation: As you read, write down any observations that you have from the text. I use the questions, “Who is God?,” and “How do I enjoy Him?,” to focus my observations even better.
Application: Based on what you have read…what should you do? I try to make this practical and realistic. I set a goal for the day based upon my reading. Write it down and hold yourself accountable to it.
Prayer: Last but not least, spend some time in prayer to God. Confess and repent of any sins that were brought to light while you were reading. Spend time thanking God. Also spend some time in silence listening to God.

Tip #4:
Keep it simple. The goal of your time with God is to try to grow closer to Him. It’s not to check off your list. Don’t add extra burdens to this focus. “I have to make at least 15 observations.” “I have to write at least 5 pages in my journal.” “I have to pray for at least 45 minutes.” The goal is to spend time with God and to grow closer to Him. Do what it takes to do just that…the rest is just distractions, burdens, and religion.

Hey everyone…sorry I missed the last two days. I’ll have a post up later today showing you why I haven’t been posting. For the time being, I wanted to post a quick blog about Woot.com. My friend Donald turned me onto this the other day and I wanted to share it with you.

Woot.com is an online store that sales one item at a discounted price. The thing is that it has a new item every day. You have only 24-hours to buy the item at that rate, and then it’s gone forever. It’s the one day sale on steroids. I haven’t bought anything from them…but it is cool to go drool over what they have every day. It’s a procrastinators dream.

They also have shirt.woot.com and wine.woot.com. Sometimes the shirts are pretty sweet.

Here’s a quick recap of last weeks blogs:

Monday: I forgot to write a blog (ok I was just lazy)…so I vowed to do two on Tuesday.

Tuesday: “Give it up.” was a post about the lack of generosity in the the church and people today. Huckabee Hater was one of my most commented blogs for the week. I talked about my dislike for Huckabee’s Christian platform.

Wednesday: You got another two for the price of one as I talked about the Belkin Podcast Studio and how I need one. I also put out a desperate plea for some suggestions for the use of my iTunes Gift Card.

Thursday: In Waaaaa. I’m Not Getting Fed, I commented on Vince Antonucci‘s posts by the same name.

Friday: The The Black Screen of Life covers our need to get rid of distractions.

Saturday: The book UnChristian gave me the idea to post my own survey.

Sunday: I used this Week in Review as a sly way out of getting to write a new blog.

-picture courtesy of WriteRoom.com

If you haven’t noticed yet, I have really tried to start writing at least one post a day. I don’t necessarily have any planned goal in mind. I just decided that I really wanted to write more (with the encouragement of my wife and my friends). So I’ve been trying to find ways that will help me to do this.

One particular blog that I recently came across gave some helpful suggestions. Leo Babauta on his blog WriteToDone.com gives some really good advice on writing.

Think about it for a moment — if you could write consistently for an hour (or two) a day:

* You’d write a whole lot over the course of a month, or a year. Your output would be prodigious.
* You’d meet writing deadlines, because procrastination wouldn’t be a problem.
* Your writing would improve, simply from the amount of practice you’d be getting.
* You’d feel great about your writing, which in turn would motivate you to keep going.
* You’d solve the problems of war and world hunger, from the brilliance of your writing.

Now the last part might not be true (or could it), but the rest has been true. I have truly enjoyed witting something everyday (sometimes more than once). And the constant red underlines has really improved my spelling (plus Shannon’s proof reading). The one thing that I have had problems with is just sitting down and writing.

It’s not that I don’t want to…it’s that I get distracted. I’m like a toddler who trades the priceless ceramic figurine in his hands for a set of keys. I’ll sit down to type and all the sudden I’ll wake up and realize that I’ve spent the past 30 minutes watching videos on YouTube.

Leo had another blog on this post that I read today that was of great help. He made several recommendations…but the one thing that I have found to help the most is:

3. Use Writeroom. Writeroom if you’re on a Mac, or some other similar software (Writer.app is another good Mac writing program, and DarkRoom works well for the PC — I’ve used all three and love them).

Basically, these programs are for writing text, and nothing else. They block out the rest of your computer with a black (or otherwise faded) background, so that you have the text … and that’s all. They aren’t chock-full of features like Microsoft Word or OpenOffice. You write in full-screen mode, with no distractions.

After reading this point, I downloaded WriteRoom immediately. I must say it felt a little weird at first writing with nothing but my text on a black screen. But then it became liberating. I was able to do what I set out to do…write. It’s amazing how many distractions we can fill our lives with (cell phones, email, web browsing, online games…email…and I have all these on just my phone). Sometimes we just have to get rid of all the distractions and do something.

If you like to write…I recommend WriteRoom. If there are other things in you life that you like to do but are distracted from…I recommend taking the time this weekend to decide what is distracting you from your goal. Take the time to find a way to eliminate those distractions and then do what you enjoy. It really is very liberating.