You Are Served!

Are you as frustrated as I am with party-line votes? Or, have you accepted that this is the way of Washington politics? How can two political parties that purport to act on behalf of the American people produce laws that only one party will support? It is incredible that 95% of the votes in Congress are along party-lines. Does this mean that our country is run by ideologues who ignore the wishes of the people and govern based on a hidden agenda?

My contention is that there is no Bill that comes before Congress that is entirely bad. Whether initiated by Democrats or Republicans, every Bill has some good in it. The overall Bill may be bad for the country; hence the need for debate, but there is something in each Bill that can be fine-tuned to benefit the country. Why then does a respective committee review end with a party-line vote, followed by a party-line on the floor of the House of Representatives or Senate?

In my humble opinion, there are a handful of reasons for that:

1. Congress is occupied by ideologues whose motto is: “My way or the highway.”
2. Congress is occupied by too many selfish people who do not want the other “man” or in this case “party” to have any kind of victory.
3. Congress is run by people who are so a washed with power that they do not give a ‘hoot” about the people they represent.
4. Congress is occupied by spoiled children always crying, “Mine. Mine. Mine.”
5. Congress is occupied by “lost people” who enter with good intentions and are quickly pulled over into the dark side.
6. Congress is occupied by people who are more concerned about winning the next election than doing right for all people – Democrats and Republicans. And,
7. Congress is occupied by people who have called the place home, some for too many years, and refuse to allow intruder-like ideas to flow into that great institution.

The truth is Congress should never be controlled by one party. More Americans must get this. Our system of government was built with checks and balances. When one party controls everything it becomes full of itself and makes a mess of things.

It you read this, I challenge you to pass it on to everyone you know:

The two houses of Congress must never be controlled by one party!

Lie #6 – You just don’t have enough belief!

Ughh!!  Aren’t you sick of this one?  Of all the lies in network marketing are there any that are more annoying than this one?  The evil lie of motivation and belief has got to be one of the greatest shams in the history of sales (not just network marketing).  Millions of distributors everywhere are told that the reason they aren’t successful yet is because they just don’t have enough belief.  Or they don’t have a big enough “why.”  Don’t you just want to lose your lunch when some big shot in front of the room tells you that?  The heavy hitters in your company would have you believe that you just need to get to that “breaking point” where you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired and then…nothing will be able to get in your way!

So what do you do?  You listen to inspirational CDs.  You cut out pictures of the car you want to buy and the places you want to go.  You put those pictures everywhere – your fridge, your dashboard, your cupboard doors, your computer monitor – so you’re constantly reminded of what you’re working so hard for.  You think positive. You go to every meeting you possibly can to energize your battery and “pump” yourself up for the week.  You go to the annual national rally because you know that just seeing all those massively-successful stars up on stage will be enough to kick you into overdrive.  You’ll be so overwhelmed and inspired that you’ll be unstoppable!  You’ll reach that magical turning point where everything starts working and your bank account is filled with cash!  Stop and think about it for a minute.  Really think about it. Is that how it works? Is fanatical motivation really the missing ingredient to success?

Last time I checked, you don’t need to have a huge “why” and a dream board just to make an average $30,000 income with a job.  So why do we need all that stuff in network marketing?  I mean, wouldn’t it make sense that if you were doing what you’re supposed to be doing, you’d at least be able to make a comparable income with your business?  Now I know what you’re going to say.  Yes, of course owning your own business is different.  It’s harder than working a job.  You don’t make money immediately. It’s called delayed gratification. You have to lay the foundation first before you get paid. We all understand that concept.

However, network marketing doesn’t have to be as hard as it is for most people.  The point is, if you’re truly building your business correctly, you’ll start seeing positive results, small as they may be at first.

(TheRenegadeNetworkMarketer.com/report/)

If you’ve been hard at it for over 3 years and you still aren’t cash-flowing…something is seriously wrong!  And I can guarantee you it’s not your motivation.

Think of it this way:

If You’re Using A Shovel To Dig The Foundation For A House – When You Could Be Using A Bulldozer – Then yes, You’re Going To Need A Lot Of Motivation To Get The Job Done.

Make sense?  The more inefficient your system is and the more ineffective your tools are, the harder you’re going to have to work to get results.  And because of that, you have to make up for it big time with motivation.  When you’re using the right tools for the job…you’re seeing steady, consistent progress and things are trucking along smoothly…motivation becomes almost an afterthought.  Let me ask you: If you had highly-qualified prospects to talk to every day that understood what you do, expressed an interest in learning more and were eagerly awaiting your response, do you think that motivation would be a problem for you?

No!

But motivation becomes a major issue when you have to force yourself to pick up that 10,000 lb. phone to call your son’s soccer coach who you know doesn’t give a rip about your business!  That’s when you need to whip out your handy-dandy goal statement and remind yourself exactly why it is you’re annoying the heck out of people.  That’s what I did.  I willed myself to harass everyone on my names list 5 times over until eventually people just stopped talking with me. Lost a few friends in the process.

You know what though?  I finally did reach that “magical” turning point in my business where all of a sudden everything started working.  I went from barely signing up 1 person every 5 months…to sponsoring 10 people every month like clockwork. I went from trying to set up appointments with Perkins waitresses…to having success coaches calling me to ask if they can do what I do.

What happened?

I stopped worrying about belief and started concerning myself with the real nuts and bolts of how to market a business. Which is this: Find the people who’re looking for what you have, use an effective marketing system to automatically sell to them for you, and then spend your time working with the best ones.

(TheRenegadeNetworkMarketer.com/report/)

If you would like a copy of the entire report, email me, Peter @ tjmatel3@gmail.com.  Thank you!

Obama Slams Senate Republicans

Today, July 19, 2010, President Obama, flanked by three unemployed Americans, stood in the Rose Garden and slammed Senate Republicans for blocking an extension of unemployment benefits to nearly 2.5 million Americans. Obama quickly pointed out that the Republicans extended unemployment benefits under President Bush. The President also noted one reason some Republicans refuse to move the Bill forward – They believe that by continually extending benefits some people will grow dependent and refuse to look for jobs. There is one key thing that the President failed to emphasize.

Republicans have voted to extend unemployment benefits since Obama became President – yes, Mr. President – and they are willing to do so now in light of the many Americans who are still struggling to make ends meet. However, what Senate Republicans are asking is that we take care of the unemployed without adding to the national debt and increasing the budget deficit. Senate Republicans have even suggested how to accomplish that – use $30 Billion from the unused stimulus fund. At the last count, there were about $300 Billion of such money.

Now that we understand what is really happening, who is really playing politics? President Obama scolded Senate Republicans for being partisan, but is he bipartisan? The fact is, the Democrats, who hold every ounce of power in Washington, are bent on doing everything possible without Republican input and with seeming little concern for our skyrocketing deficit. Didn’t they ram a massive healthcare bill through Congress without one Republican vote? Now that Republicans get a tiny bit of opportunity to demand accountability and common sense, they are the bad guys.

Someone has to stand up for the country. Someone has to think of our children’s and grandchildren’s future.

Interestingly, President used the bully pulpit today knowing that tomorrow Robert Byrd’s replacement will be sworn in, giving the Democrats enough votes to block a filibuster. They then plan to vote on the unemployment Bill shortly after the swearing in ceremony.

This begs the question: was President Obama’s address today a waste of time, or was he just being disingenuous?

Mr. President, have the Republicans voted to extend unemployment benefits since you became president? Mr. President, what is wrong with using some of the already allotted stimulus funds to cover this Bill and avoid adding to the debt?

Atlanta, GA – Xpress Bus Service

Heading home on Xpress ride.
Ride is sweet, no need to weep
People around me, fast asleep.

Sitting here comfortably still
Thinking of the coming increased bill.
Like everywhere and everyone
Economic woes, Xpress begun.

Analysis done, the count is in
Xpress’ future lies very dim.
No funds allotted next budget year
Xpress eliminated? Oh, my dear!

Someone said there is a plan
To push operations next summer long.

Plan’s contents not very good
But maybe, the best job that could.
Fares are set to sail fast and high
No more 20- or 40- ride.
One’s monthly fee going way up:
Think 79 to 185 -
Not a step up, no not a dive
A mighty leap! O what a jive!

There’s already excited chatter
Steps necessary, but what a matter!
A whopping 100 plus increase
Some say, “We’ll be driving, please.”
Yet the truth be known
Who wants to drive
In any place that’s Atlanta zone?
Added too, though fares go high
They’re cheaper than
A month’s gas supply.

So what will it be?
More carpools, vanpools galore?
Will many exit Xpress’ door?
Time will tell.
The pain is real
Economic woes on Xpress’ heels.

My family went with friends on a Bahamas cruise in July 2010 via Royal Caribbean. Our ship was the Monarch of the seas, one of Royal Caribbean’s older cruise ships. Nevertheless, it was grand in architectural design, but short on cabin space.

Our itinerary included two stops: Coco Cay, a Royal Caribbean private Bahamian island and Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas.

As usual, the cruise was great family fun. I have added a peak into our cruise vacation.

By the way, if you are looking to cruise, you may check rates at Cruise Direct.

This cup is the New Testament (Covenant) in My Blood…

What wonderful words!

On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus held the Passover with His twelve disciples, including Peter and Judas who would deny and betray Him, respectively. The Bible tells us that Jesus broke bread and gave to His disciples declaring that it represented His body which would be broken for them. He then took a cup with probably wine or grape juice and uttered a statement which signaled the defeat of sin’s power and provision of life-giving power to any person:

“This cup is the New Testament (Covenant) in My Blood…”

Jesus declared the beginning of a new covenant between God and man. Wow! This brings me great joy each time I think of it. But what is this new covenant?

The Bible further explains that as a result of the new covenant, any person may become a child of God – His heirs and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ. This is powerful stuff!

Let us add some more. The fact that Jesus declared a new covenant means that there was an old covenant. Are you following? What was the old covenant? This dates back to an agreement that God made with Abraham’s descendants, the Jews, that if they would keep God’s commandments He would always be their God and they would be His people. Later on, through Moses, God provided a set of rules (Ten Commandments plus) that governed how the Jews (Israelites or Hebrews) lived and He also established a priesthood. Within the priesthood were priests and a high priest, who offered sacrifices to God on behalf of the people. Whenever the Israelites transgressed God’s laws, they delivered an animal (dove, ram, or calf) of some kind – it depended on the type of sin and the economic status of the sinner – to the priest, who killed it and burnt it as a sacrifice for the person’s sin. The sacrificial offering meant that the transgressor’s sins were absolved or pardoned.

The system of sacrifice worked, but had its flaws. Once per year, the high priest had to enter into the most sacred place of the Temple to offer sacrifices on behalf of everyone. However, before he entered, he had to offer sacrifices for his own sins – the sinner offering sacrifices for other sinners. Additionally, high priests died and had to be replaced.

God decided to change this.

The Lord realized that He needed a sinless high priest and one who would always be available. In addition to that, the old covenant provided that an outward action would atone for an inward problem – sin begins in the heart. Something had to be done to remedy the interior.

Here comes Jesus.

Through the prophet Jeremiah (Old Testament), God declared that He: 1. loves us with an everlasting love and has drawn us to Himself; and 2. would create a new covenant. The new covenant would ensure that man no longer had to sacrifice animals which could not adequately wash away sin and, God would indwell man – dealing with the root of sin – and casting out all our sins “never to be remembered against us anymore.” Isn’t this beautiful?

In the book of Hebrews (New Testament), the writer declares that Jesus met all requirements for the New Covenant:

1. A sacrifice had to be offered for sin and blood had to be shed – Jesus offered Himself and poured out His own blood on the cross at Calvary;

2. The sacrifice had to be spotless – Jesus is the sinless Son of God;

3. The high priest had to be sinless – Jesus has become our High Priest by offering Himself for our sins;

4. The high priest had to be immortal – Jesus is from everlasting to everlasting; and,

5. The New Covenant had to remedy the root cause of sin – Whoever accepts Jesus receives power to be called God’s children, living with power over sin, which is enabled by God indwelling us by the Holy Spirit. Hallelujah!

And so, Jesus had every right to declare: “This cup is the New Testament (Covenant) in my blood…” He now says to all who accept this new covenant – I will dwell in you and you in me. I will be your God and you shall me my people. I will forgive your transgressions and your sins and iniquities I will remember no more.” Amen! Amen!

Welcome to the New Covenant!