Thought I would write a post for the blog since I do so infrequently these days. There is not that much to talk about as the part of the country I live in begins to heat up. Planning some travel and working a lot as usual. Working down the list of goals for 2024 that are on the white board in my office.
Working on the personal finance/financial literacy/wealth creation book, with the goal of getting it published by a big publishing house this year. It is comprehensive and would be a valuable tool to Gen-Z through Millennials, and anyone else who wants to put their financial house in order and grow personal wealth.
Leonid & Friends
For the Ksenia fans out there, I see that Leonid & Friends have been on their Spring tour in the U.S., performing in Florida today. (4/22/24). I see they are touring the eastern U.S. during the Spring and hitting a couple of shows in the west during the Fall tour. Their rendition of Boogie Wonderland was tremendous, like everything else they do in the studio. If you follow the band, you have no doubt seen it already, but if not, find it here.
Christian Persecution; a Bishop Attacked
I was troubled by the recent stabbing of the Australian bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel. The Assyrian bishop heads the Christ The Good Shepherd Church in the suburb of Wakeley in western Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia. Wakeley is a mostly immigrant community with mixed ethnicities. The bishop often talks about modern culture alongside the love of Jesus.
Apparently, some of his comments left him in the crosshairs as a 16-year old Muslim teen approached the bishop wielding a knife and repeatedly stabbed him during a life stream of the church’s service and the bishop’s sermon. Members of the congregation rushed the assailant and pinned him to the ground, and even as the bishop lie injured, he prayed for the young man. Talk about displaying the love of Christ. Wow. He then did a recorded message from the hospital stating that he loved and prayed for the teen who had just attempted to take his life. Hear his message here. (UPDATE: The Bishop lost his right eye in the attack)
The Last Days?
One thing that many Christian leaders are feeling deep in their cores, and I join them in this belief, that the end times, the last days are at hand. Many people who are not Christian will hear this and think that I am some kind of nut case. Others who are Christian, will correctly point out that Jesus Himself said: “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Mat. 24:36) We are told we would see the signs, and I believe, as many Christian leaders do, that the signs are everywhere.
I don’t often discuss faith in this blog, since I have a website, News of Joy, that for many, many years, has had that purpose. I also don’t mention the topic of politics in the posts on this blog as a rule, but after ghost writing hundreds of articles on economics topics, I find myself perplexed.
People; Get Your Priorities in Order
Compared with 3 years ago, the average family pays out $1,035 a month more just to cover their expenses. I have tracked my personal expenditures and find that I am paying 35-40% more for groceries than 3 years ago. Where I live, I have also observed an incredibly marked increase in every category of crime; a direct result of an open border and no vetting of millions of people pouring over it. The first duty of an American president is to protect Americans. There are countries emptying prisons and sending criminals to the U.S. How can polling show such a slight difference in who voters will cast a ballot for? In some cases, the difference is within the margin of error.
How can you harm the middle–class and the working-poor, reduce the quality of life for millions, subject people to crime, stand with terrorists and criminals, and not have 80-90% of the country firmly against you? Are bad policies really overlooked by so many people because they don’t like the other guy’s personality? People are suffering.
Keep Moving and Use Resistance Training
My message to other older people; exercise. We have learned a lot about health and disease and we know that exercise every day is so important in many ways. Also, obesity is a risk factor in many health conditions and diseases. Staying a healthy weight and exercising every day is important at any stage of life; but doubly important when people get older. If you rest; you rust. A body in motion; stays in motion.
Hope every person who reads this is well and blessed.
