My resolution that isn't a resolution

Greeting friends and family and anyone else that finds their way to my blog. It has been awhile. Some might expect that the new year brought about a renewed desire to share my life with strangers and nonstrangers. The answer is no...I think. It is hard for me to discern if my desire to come back to blogging is motivated by the changing year or if I simply think I have enough interesting things to tell people to get back to blogging.

Personally, I believe it is the latter, but either way, I am back.

I am back and better than ever (credit to the great radio show Mike & Mike in the morning, may it rest in peace). Near the end of 2018, I started working for a financial marketing company that sells various types of insurance and other financial services. The name of the company is Primerica. I know most of you are now trying to figure out how you will avoid the phone call or text message you get from me asking if you want to meet and talk about your money.

I get it. I understand. I would probably do the same thing if I saw that someone I know started working for a company that fits the description I just gave you. I also ask that you would trust me, and the reason that I got into this work is because I know how little I actually knew about money. I have learned so much in two months and I very much desire to share what I have learned with people that I care about. If I call you, it's because I want to help you, not because I want to make money of you. I promise.

I will assert to you now that I will never try to deceive you. I will never advise you to do anything with your money that doesn't benefit you or that I wouldn't do myself.

The primary services that Primerica agents focus on are helping clients develop plans to pay off debt effectively and efficiently, educate about the two main types of life insurance (whole life insurance vs. term life insurance), and create a FIN (Financial Independence Number).

My job is to sell you on the idea that Primerica wants to help and more importantly that I want to help. Once I do that, we work on creating an FNA (Financial Needs Analysis) using a computer. We plug in numbers and I show you the math. I am not going to tell you that this company tried to rob you or that company is out to screw you over. I am going to give you numbers and help you understand them, so that you can make the connections on your own.

Our debt stacking plan comes from the common idea of debt repayment from Dave Ramsey. It is called snowballing and our FNA will create the most efficient way to pay off the debt. When Claire and I plugged our numbers in, it told us that if we continued paying off debt in the way that we presently were, it would take us 21 years to get out of debt. The debt stacking in our FNA cut that down to 15 years and 4 months and saved us almost $30,000. That debt includes the student loan debt of a woman with a doctorate degree and a $200,000 home that we just bought last July. Miracles people, miracles.

Truly diving into the differences in life insurance and why Primerica is the best life insurance company in the country requires an entire blog post, but I will briefly discuss the most important idea. One of the defining financial ideas that Primerica utilizes is "buy term invest the difference." Term insurance is life insurance that has a set period of time that the insured is covered. That time limit can be in multiples of 5 year increments. Whole life insurance is life insurance that will last for the entire life of the insured or until the insured turns age 100.

Whole life insurance was created with the intent to provide insured people with an opportunity to put money away for savings while also providing a death benefit should they pass away. In theory, it sounds like a great idea. So you are asking this life insurance agent of two months, what's the problem? The problem is that whole life insurance is significantly more expensive than term insurance. The excess money is then invested into some kind of account to help increase the amount in the savings portion of the policy. However, most people don't know that they will almost never see that money.

Individuals (really the beneficiary of the policyholder) who purchase whole life insurance will only ever see one pile of money. If the insured dies before they turn 100 years old, their beneficiary will either receive the face value of the policy OR OR OR the cash value that has accrued. Whichever number is higher.

This is why Primerica agents will encourage clients to buy term and invest the difference. You can get significantly more coverage for less money with term insurance and you can invest whatever else you would have spent on whole life insurance in a retirement account. That way you can get BOTH your death claim and this big pile of money you have built up over the course of your lifetime. You also are going to almost always be able to find an account that grows your money at a faster rate than the accounts that your whole life policy will be invested in.

Finally, the FNA will help to determine your Financial Independence Number. The software will calculate the lifestyle you want to live when you are retired, when you want to retire, and take into all kinds of other things like inflation. It will then give you an amount of money you need to save at a particular percentage to ensure you have that money when you retire 10, 20, 30, 40 years down the road.

I know that is a lot, and many of you may have stopped reading. For those that didn't, please don't be afraid to answer my call or my text. I want to help you, I promise. I want to help the people that you care about. Maybe you will like what I have to say enough that you want to work for Primerica yourself.

It is good to be back.

Go Cubs Go!

It’s 12:02 am. Two minutes ago, it became November 3, 2016. Two minutes ago, when it was November 2, 2016, is a day that I will never forget thanks to five simple words, “The Cubs are World Champions.”

It all began 16 years ago when I was just seven years old. I remember the moment vividly. My family was on vacation, we were staying in a hotel somewhere. I was ready to go do whatever it was we were supposed to do next and no one else was, so I sat down on one of those extra-hard hotel beds and turned on the television. I start flicking through the channels and come upon a familiar, red letter C. I had just started playing baseball at the time and our team name was the “Cubs.” All of the sudden I hear the guys on the television start talking about the “Cubs.” I think to myself, “hey, that’s me.” I was instantly mesmerized, especially when the batter crushed the ball and started hopping as he watched it go over the fence. My first memory as a Cubs fan was a Sammy Sosa home run. It was glorious.

Later, came the dogs named Sammy and Sosa. My mom always liked to remind people that we named Sosa before the player Sammy Sosa was found to be using a corked bat like it somehow made him shameful. Meanwhile, every baseball player and then some (Sammy included) was juiced on every steroid under the sun. It was an exciting time to be a baseball fan and Sammy will always be the reason I chose to start rooting for the Cubs.

I remember the pain of 2003 and feeling so sorry for Steve Bartman. I remember Dusty Baker pitching Kerry Wood and Mark Prior into the grave. I remember Carlos Zambrano punching out Michael Barrett. I remember the years where the Cubs were out of the race by May 31. I remember feeling jealous of Cardinal fans.

Above all else, I remember feeling like I would be like all those other Cub fans. I would grow cynical and believe in curses. I would be afraid of postseason baseball. At the ripe age of 21, I thought that I might never see the Cubs win the World Series, just like so many other Cubs fans over the past 108 years.

But then, last year happened. I saw and got to root for a team that believed in themselves and believed in each other. They were not going to let any billy goat or black cat or fan impeding the catching of a foul ball define them as men and define them as a team. They were youthful and it showed, but they were talented and that showed more. All of the sudden I knew. I knew that if not this year, sometime very soon I would get to hear those precious words, “The Cubs are World Champions.”

Tonight was surreal. I never believed for a second they would lose that game. From the moment Dexter smacked that ball over the fence in the first inning to the moment Rajai Davis tied the game at six in the bottom of the eighth, I knew the Cubs were going to win tonight because this Cubs team was different. All season, they were never rattled. They never showed any signs that they didn’t believe in each other and in their coaches, despite everyone around them second guessing anything and everything Joe Maddon did.

It couldn’t have happened to a better group of guys. Everyone played a part and I am just so glad I got to witness history. I love this team. Congrats to the Indians on a great season and a historic Game 7 effort, but tonight is the Cubs night.

“Hey Chicago, what do you say?
The Cubs are gonna win today.
They’re singing….
Go Cubs Go!
Go Cubs Go!

Unwholesome Speech

As I was reading through the book of Ephesians today, I came across a part of the book that really impacted me while I was a student at Northwest Missouri State. During my sophomore year, the Navigators Bible Study I participated in was about the book of Ephesians. Many of us guys really tried refining our speech because of the truth found in the back half of Ephesians 4 and front half of Ephesians 5.

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." -Ephesians 4:29-32

Pretty heavy stuff eh? This set of verses just really struck me this morning with everything I have seen on social media the last month or so. From a gorilla being shot to the travesty that happened in Orlando a couple of days ago. People have poured out their opinions all over Facebook with an incredible force.

I know for me personally, one of the more igniting things that I read about had to do with Chick-fil-a. I was so impressed with how they were representing the Gospel it actually made me angry with the people that I worked with this last year who repeatedly talked about how awful Chick-fil-a was because they do not support marriage equality. Woah did I feel convicted this morning. "Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." I don't think for a second Chick-fil-a did what they did because they felt like they needed to prove to anyone that they are good people or a respectable company. They were simply being kind and compassionate towards a group of people that were/are spiritually, emotionally, and physically broken. (Side note, if you don't know what Chick-fil-a did, here is a link http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jun/13/chick-fil-responds-orlando-massacre-free-food-bloo/)

For the rest of us, I imagine many of you have felt some sort of way about gun restriction recently. By no means, do I believe that having an opinion on this issue is sinful or wrong. However, I do think there may be something wrong with believing that these types of discussions have to happen right now. I understand it is human nature. Orlando was the cause, outcries of how we distribute guns is the effect. I just ask that you remember the truth that the Holy Spirit gave Paul some 2000 years ago. Do not allow any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths. More importantly, ensure that everything you are saying is seeking to build others up according to their needs. Right now? The families and friends of those slaughtered don't need to hear about the right to bear arms. They need to hear about how Christ loves them and died for them and is standing right there beside them while they are in pain. He knows the feeling and can help them for eternity. Taking away assault rifles from American citizens is going to do nothing for their emotional pain.

Later on Ephesians 5 Paul gives us some guidance on how to make our speech reflect these things.

"Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving." -Ephesians 5:4

It is simple really. Dive into thanksgiving. Start thanking God for all the incredible things he has done and is doing in your life. It will make the things like the second amendment arguments and gorilla killings seem a lot less important. Leave sarcasm and hurtful speech at the front door aka don't bring it to the internet, instead seek to fulfill the needs of others.

The Power of Social Media: Aggie Edition

The credit for the foundation of this blog goes to Mike & Mike in the Morning, a sports talk radio show on ESPN every weekday morning.

The power of social media is a real and slightly terrifying fact. It must not be ignored. I am sure many of you have been instructed about the importance of protecting your image by being cautious about the things that you tie to your name on the internet. However, it seems that no matter how many warnings we receive, we allow for emotion to overcome us and cause us to post things on social media that we don't want to be there. 

This morning I was listening to Mike & Mike and they were talking about the wide receivers coach at Texas A&M that had posted the following statement on Twitter,

"I feel sorry for ppl who never understand loyalty. I can't really even vibe with u. At the end of the day trust is  & everything else is BS"

At face value, it doesn't look to bad except for the fact that he spelled people without any vowels and used the letter "u" in place of the actual word. Bottom line, loyalty and trust are the most important things in this world. We can regard anything that doesn't resonate with trust and loyalty as some bull taco.

The problem? This was tweeted exactly 6 minutes after Texas A&M recruit, Tate Martell, announced this on Twitter...

"After talking with my family aboutwhat is best for my future, I havedecided to reopen my recruiting process."

Honestly, the player has the right to do this and he did so in a very clean, no disruptive manner. He didn't slander A&M or even talk about what caused him and his family to come to this decision. He made a verbal commitment to them, but never signed any papers and colleges do this same thing to players all the time so I have zero sympathy for A&M.

I feel like you are starting to see what happens. Well the coach followed up that tweet with this gem about 24 minutes later...

I wasn't even talking about who everyone thinks I'm talking about. I didn't even know #badtiming #relevanttho #stillnoloyalty

This would have been a fine response had he stopped at the #badtiming. Instead, he opened up an uncontrollable can of worms. Now, the world is seeing the Texas A&M wide receivers coach as the kind of person that will call high school kids out on Twitter.

Think this is bad? It got worse.

An hour later, a wide receiver named Mannie Netherly announced that he was removing his commitment to Texas A&M for the following reason...

"After tonight I see what kind of person my "future coach" is & I myself don't wanna play for someone like that so without further adu I would like to announce that I am decommitting from Texas A&M" 

Of course, the dude doesn't notice that he is already drowning and says...

"People act like the truth is all the sudden a bad thing. Society is too sensitive. Y'all boys soft. #texastough"

"I love Texas A&M football. I guard it and respect it with my life. I don't take that lightly day to day"

That last bit is nice in theory, but this guy has already lose his beloved Texas A&M football team a recruit tonight. I would say that's some pretty bad guarding.

"I would like to say thank you to TAMU & fans but due to some tweets subtweeted towards my brother, I will no longer be looking at A&M."

And....another one bites the dust. Tyjon Lindsey tweeted this later that night. Granted he was not yet committed to A&M, but he is surely not going to be doing it now.

Moral of the story? Well, there are a couple. First, if you are the adult, act like the adult. I don't know if the original tweet was in response to the decommittment or not, but it doesn't matter because I imagine that everything would have just gone away if he hadn't sent out that second tweet. It's obvious the coach was riled up by people responding to his tweet about trust and loyalty. All he had to do was say to himself "okay, who cares if they think that." Instead he tweets again and starts saying things with the intent to hurt peoples' feelings. A couple hours later he has shamed the school and football program he loves so much. I imagine today he is kicking himself because all he had to do was not hit ENTER and much of this would not have happened. Second moral: think about the consequences of the things you do and say.

Man, I can't imagine how pissed the head coach is.

Chapter 2: The Girl Across the Track

 Okay, some of you probably read Chapter 1 of my short story. I have written Chapter 2, but it takes place about 1 year before the scene in Chapter 1. I will distinguish them with italics. Everything that is in italics from here on out is a memory aka in the past. Anything not in italics, is the present tense. This Chapter is particularly confusing because I have a memory inside of the past. The memory is all indented and bolded in a different font so you can really tell what is a memory and what isn't. Hope it's not too confusing, but I believe this particular memory needs to be in this part of the story. If you have questions I can answer them. Without further adieu, Chapter 2....

Chapter 2: The Girl Across the Track

     I jog over to the water jug, sweat dripping from my brow. The first glass goes in my face as I try to offer my skin a little relief from the ever-present Waco, Texas sun. As I bring the second glass to my lips I stop, frozen by one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. 

     Long, strong legs freshly tanned from the beating sun. Blonde hair, stopping just above her shoulders. Her eyes, a deep enough blue that I can see them clearly from almost 200 feet away. And her smile, it's mesmerizing. I suddenly start to feel myself smiling as well. 

     She made me smile. It feels unnatural. I think back to the last time I smiled. 

“It’s been awhile Jackson, I miss that beautiful smile of yours,” my mother said, her voice barely exceeding a whisper.

“Not a lot to smile about these days ma,” I respond, my voice choppy as I struggle to hold back the tears.

“Which is why you need to let me go. I can already feel myself fading away. Your time caring for me is over, it needs to shift to your brother now. He is going to need you now more than ever.”

“Stop it. You can’t leave us. I’m not ready.” My voice elevating as I give up trying to stop myself from crying.

“Would you – give this to – Harrison for me?” She hands me a note, her question interrupted by fits of coughing. “I know – he is going to be – angry with himself for not being – here. I want – him to know that – I forgive him.”

“This can’t be it, I –“

“I love you Jackson. Be strong my son.” And just like that, her eyes closed and she was gone.

I drape my arms over her, my sobs muffled by the sheets of the bed. I don’t notice the nurse come and close the drapes. I close my eyes, remembering. Remembering the joy and honor with which my mother lived her life and I was overcome with an untimely sensation. I felt at peace. 

     I break free from my daydream. I notice I am much more in control of myself than I generally am when I remember my mom. For the past six months, every memory has resulted in thrown objects, screaming, uncontrollable crying or some combination of those three.

     This girl. There is something about her that makes me feel alive in ways I haven’t felt in a long time.

She turns and for a brief second we make eye contact. It feels strangely divine, but I turn away instinctively, looking back towards my now half-empty glass of water. Soon after, I am interrupted by the sound of someone approaching. 

     “You alright bro?” 

        I turn; it’s my best friend Nigel also known as Ninja by everyone that doesn’t want a fist to their nose.

     “Yeah Ninja, I’m good. Just thinking about my ma, that’s all.”

     “Still hurts doesn’t it? You need anything you let me know. Coach Baxter wants us over on the blocks to practice our starts. Head over when you good.”

     “Thanks man.”

      I turn to look at her one last time, this time I catch her staring at me this time. She quickly dashes her eyes away and continues stretching. I finish my water and head over towards where Ninja and the rest of the sprinters are practicing their starts. But the only thing I can think about is the fact that I have to meet the mysterious, beautiful girl from across the track.   

Artemis Fowl: Reliving my Youth

For the most part, I really dislike reading fantasy. Of course I love the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, but the has some really awesome illustrative ideas. Pretty much everything else, Harry Potter included, just can't really get me going. That being said, when I was younger I fell in love with the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer. I can't quite discern why it happened, but it did.

Recently, I have discovered that I still really enjoy the books. Maybe it's driven by nostalgia or maybe the books are just well written. For those that don't know, the Artemis Fowl series revolves around an incredibly intelligent teenage boy that has a fascination with the supernatural. Thanks to his father, he is obsessed with acquiring money because as daddy always said, "Aurum Potestas Est." Translation: Gold is power. The connection? As legend tells, leprechauns always carry a pot of gold around with them. Ergo, capture a leprechaun, capture their gold.

Little does Artemis know that there is actually much more to the supernatural race that even he realizes, and he knows much much more about "The People" (as the book calls them) than any other human ever has. Unfortunately for The People, he also knows more than any of them would ever expect.

I won't tell much more because I don't want to spoil the books in case someone finds them interesting. However, I can offer up some general information.

Some characteristics of the series...

• High action - Artemis is constantly looking for his next adventure and it drives each book through a variety of twists and turns
• Awesome characters - You will fall in love with so many of the characters. They each have such a dynamic impact in each book and Colfer does such a great job of building a unique personality for each one.
• Great villains - Hint: Artemis Fowl is not always the villain. Sometimes he is and sometimes he plays an interesting antihero, but overall the villain in each book is really well done. It makes you root for the protagonists hard.
• Really interesting relationships - There are some fascinating relationships among characters, some right out in the open and others kind of subtle. This is particularly true among the characters that are a part of "The People."\
• Redemption - There is a ton of redemption in the series. Characters are constantly changing and mostly are seeking to better themselves. (Can't share much here because it's a big part of the stories)

All this being said, I think the thing that I love the most about the series is the fact that it's just fun. The books don't make me think about great moral questions or force me to look into my life introspectively. They don't take a ton of effort to understand and can be read through quickly. (I have finished the first three books of the series in 2 and a half weeks.) It opens your mind to something that is so beyond the realm of possibility it provides a cool escape from the world. If anyone has read the series and has their own opinion about it let me know.

Once a Bearcat, Always a Bearcat

If you clicked on this blog hoping to see some sort of Bearcat Spirit post you are probably going to be pretty underwhelmed with what I bring to the table. Don't get me wrong, I love Northwest and I love that I will be a Bearcat forever. Maryville, MO and everything that comes with it will always have a special place in my heart.

From Wing Night at Carson's to Mozingo to Happy Garden to the little patch of slippery pavement where we always played basketball to even the corny little paw prints that lead you from downtown Maryville back to campus. The memories are endless, especially when I think about the things that Claire and I got to do together in a little town in the corner of the state.

However, at the root of each of these wonderful things are people. The relationships that I had and still have and experiences I shared with these relationships are what make me excited about saying "once a bearcat, always a bearcat."

I am sure I will expand on this at some point and talk about my favorite places in Maryville. Heck, I might even do it today, but for now this is not the purpose of my post. Over the past six months, I have deduced that it is pretty sweet to work a high school students' schedule. Being that I am not a teacher, I get all "Teacher Work Days" off just like the kids do. Tomorrow is a teacher work day, aka party time for paraprofessionals because we can sleep in and don't have to work.

Therefore, I will be taking advantage of my day off to travel north to one of those places that just always warms my heart: Maryville, MO. It has been a while since I got to visit Bearcat Country and even longer since I have been able to enjoy a Thursday Night Nav Night. In fact, for those keeping a record at home, I haven't been to Nav Night since I cried my eyes out during my final Nav Night as a student. Man, it's going to be weird being back.

I will be doing my best to get some time with anyone that would like to catch up, but my time is pretty limited. Claire and I have to live in separate cities during the week because of an internship she has for school, so I will be leaving Friday afternoon to go spend the weekend with her. OABAAB