I would like to say that as I grow older (I will be 33 at the end of next month), that I become wiser.  Wiser, not by purely studying, but from experience.  I believe that there exists 2 types of wise people.

 

There is the ‘Wise by what I read and study’.  This person can definitely talk the talk.  Wise by people’s standards because he/she can talk about all those experiences that other people have.

 

Then there are the ‘Wise by experience’.  This person supports what they read by having their own personal experience.  I fit into this category.

 

This takes me to religion.  I attend church as much as I can on Sunday.   Lately, I’ve been attending Mass.  I’m not Catholic, but also not opposed to Catholicism, as I may have once been.  (For personal reasons that I can dive into later).  Personally, I feel empty when I attend Mass.  Not that I don’t feel God’s presence or use that time to reflect on the week’s or weekend’s activities.  I just don’t feel revived and refreshed, like I’m ready to take on the world with this very positive attitude.  I sometimes feel very negative leaving.

 

Now I will probably get a lot of criticism from long time Catholics, but please give me the benefit of the doubt.  I’m attending Mass, as a non-Catholic and trying to adopt and learn what it means to be Catholic.  I’ve attended services at other churches for a period of time – Seventh Day Adventist, Anglican, Presbyterian, etc.  I won’t say I’m an expert, but there’s one thing for certain that I notice.  There are some individuals that go through the motion and there are some individuals who are actually getting something out of it.  They are actually feeling God’s presence and applying it to themselves that very second, that very day, that week.

 

This is a real challenge in any religion, belief, practice, etc.  To apply what you’ve read, listened, and studied to your everyday life.  So this takes me back to life experiences.  If you don’t reflect on your life experiences and compare them to what you’ve learned, studied, read, or listened to, you don’t become wiser.  You merely become a person who knows a lot in theory, but doesn’t know a lot in practice.  This may be very common sense, but it’s surprising the number of people you come across (even myself sometimes), when they fall into the first category of Wisdom.

 

I leave you with one last thought.  I subscribe to a daily Bible verse (www.biblegateway.com) and sometimes I like to reflect on the verse that is sent to me.  Now, whether or not you are Christian, I encourage you to just read the verses as if they were written by a wise person who is experienced.  Think about your experiences and how the verse can be applied to your life.  This is the verse from today:

 

Ephesians 4:2

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

 

I can’t really say more about this verse.  If you live like this, I guarantee that you will have a great life.

 

Have a blessed and wonderful day!

 

I’m Christian.  I believe that our Lord and Saviour died for our sins and rose again.  I believe that there will be a second coming of Jesus Christ.  It took me a while to become a believer – though I never doubted; I just questioned.  Is that the same thing?  I never tried to disprove.  I just tried to learn more.  What I did learn is simple.  Apply the teachings of Jesus Christ to your life – NOW.  It’s never too late.

 

I receive a verse of the day from www.biblegateway.com everyday and there are times that the verse of the day really speaks to me.  Or I take time to analyse it and apply it to my day.  I might be going through something at that moment, experiencing something that week.  Whatever it is, God does speak to me.  Here is the verse from today:

 

Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

 

I’ve bolded and underlined what I believe is the application of today’s verse.  We love God, we love our brothers and sisters.  If we love God, we should love all of his creations – our brothers and sisters.  This is so important in today’s world as we STILL struggle with racism, hatred, jealousy of others.  Just because we look different, talk different, eat different – we should NOT HATE.  And then when this turns to violence, this is NOT LOVING GOD.  We can forgive – but we can never forget.

 

Have an awesome and blessed weekend!

 

Your brother in Christ – Jeff

When you think of planning your own wedding, do you really think you are able to do it on your own?  Are you really capable of managing multiple vendors?  Organising and prioritising all the various tasks that need to be completed?  Do you really know the appropriate timeline to achieve the wedding you dream of?  Planning a wedding can be an overwhelming responsibility, so why not let someone help you in the process so that you can enjoy the fun parts of the wedding – picking flowers, selecting your dress, choosing colours, etc.

 

Depending on the timeframe you have between the time you said ‘Yes’ and the date of the wedding, your wedding planner will help put together a timeline of what needs to get done and when it needs to be completed, so that on the day of your wedding, EVERYTHING will be all set to go without any issues.   Here’s an example of a wedding that will be in a year’s time.

Phase I – Month 1

• Develop guest list (this can be done before or after selecting the venue)
• Select venue/location (this will determine the timing of everything else)
• Create ‘Save the Date’ email/invitation (this needs to get out in the first month to allow your guests plenty of time to plan travel, hotels, etc.)
• Discuss theme of wedding (depending on your venue/location this might dictate or help you with the theme of the wedding)
• Develop a website, RSVP email address (not required, but a nice to have)

Phase II – Month 2 – 6

• Determine invitation design
• Select flower vendor and determine flower requirements
• Select bridal dress and shoes
• Select hair and makeup stylist
• Select bridesmaid dress style and colour
• Select videographer
• Select transportation
• Plan tea ceremony
• Plan hair combing ceremony
• Other

 

Phase III – Final Preparation

• Develop wedding day schedule
• Coordinate logistics with various vendors
• Develop photography and videographer schedule
• Purchase miscellaneous wedding day items (e.g., gift box, sign-in book, etc.)
• Schedule wedding rehearsal
• Other

 

Phase IV – Wedding Day

• Ensure flowers are delivered
• Ensure photographer and videographer are on schedule
• Ensure transportation is on schedule
• Other

Do you really need that cup of coffee from Starbucks every morning? How about that sandwich from Pret? Or that burrito from Chilango?  I know that you’re a baller and can afford not to bring your own lunch for the rest of your life.  You might also think it’s a bit anti-social and uncool to bring your lunch.  But do the math and you’ll see that you can save yourself about £4k annually (assuming you spend about £15 a day and work 5 days a week for a full year).  But even if you do this half the year, you can still save yourself £2k annually.  That’s a nice amount you can invest in the next year and make it work for you.  Or you can buy your g/f or wife something nice.  But think about it.  Even if you make a ton of money and I’m talking 6 plus figures, you can benefit from this.

 

I know that it’s convenient, but just think after 1,2,3 years you’ll have extra money in your pocket and that’s by just bringing your lunch.  Now that was pretty easy, huh?

 

But I’m sure you’re all wondering, well what am I going to eat then?  Honestly, if  you’re a high powered banker, consultant, doctor, lawyer, or whatever, I’m sure you are able to make a sandwich that Pret makes for you.  Now I’m not saying you can’t enjoy Pret or Chilango once in awhile, but think of the extra cash you’ll have.  You never know until you try it.

 

Another non-monetary benefit to this is that you’ll eat healthier, be healthier, and learn to take care of yourself!  Plus you’ll have the extra cash in your pocket that your colleagues who eat out everyday won’t have.

 

With rising costs in transportation and pretty much everything else you need, you can always control your eating habits.

 

Happy eating.

 

Cheers, Jeff

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