The most common response I hear to the meaning of life is the pursuit of happiness. Interestingly, one of the most curious conversational topics is asking people what they believe about happiness. For the purposes of this post I’ll phrase it a different way. Is happiness living for yourself or living for others?
More often then not I hear from those I ask that happiness is a personal pursuit. More importantly, finding happiness for yourself is more essential than contributing to the happiness of others. This seems pretty reasonable. After all, you are the only one you have to deal with 24 hours a day. Many people seem to live with the goal of personal fulfillment as their primary objective. If you doubt me I’d ask you to take a look around your world for just one day, or walk up to Joe Average and ask him what he thinks. Do you see people living for themselves or living for others? I would almost bet my life on the fact that the greater majority of people are living in the pursuit of personal happiness, with little or no regard to the happiness of those around them except where it happens to be convenient.
Today we got a notice to vacate letter from our Real estate Agent. Our Lease expires on the 3rd of January. Originally we were going to see if we could stay on in this place until I have to go away for Airforce training next year. The owners of the place put the house on the market a few months ago with the intention of only selling it to an investor. They kept their word on this, an investor purchased the house this week, then decided that instead of renting it out to us like he originally intended he is going to move in and renovate.
So, we’re moving. For the past week we knew something was on the go and decided that whatever the case we would move anyway as soon as possible, only difference is now we have no choice. In order to find somewhere to live Mel’s been scouring the net looking for places to inspect. In the past week or so there’s only been one place that suites us and we’re scheduled to take a look Monday morning.
It’s been a bit of a effort finding a place that both allows pets and has husky-proof fences. Most of the places that have advertised as fully fenced have either not been on all sides or have been to about knee height… how useful.
Since the housing market has boomed since moving here, looking for a similar place now means we are going to pay a bit more then we would have liked. Good news is Mel one $1000 in a Women’s Day competition this week and now we don’t have to dip into our savings to cover the overlap of rent and bond between places. It is a real blessing to us both and it couldn’t have come at a more needed time. God really is looking after us. He’s definitely pulling out all the stops and showing us that he has our future under control. I can see this retrospectively through all the victories we have been having lately. All I can say is it’s a really exciting time!
Hi guys, I got a spectacular commentary on the recent US elections that I thought I would share with you. It’s written by my brother in law, Mark Gladman.
Here is an interesting fact about the last US election Analysts have ALL commented, no matter who they are, that George W. Bush has one group of people in America to thank for being put back in the Oval Office.
EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS.
I’m not kidding, without the vote of evangelical Christians, who apparently voted in droves for the Republican line, we would have John Kerry running the country. SO thank you to all the Pentecostal, Baptist, Church of Christ etc. etc. denominations out there for your help in putting a warmonger back into the hot seat. Perhaps it was the help you had from Benny Hinn, the Copelands, Jerry Fawell, Joyce Meyer, Pat Robertson, Charles Colson, Dr. James Dobson and so on that swayed you, all these and others made it clear on their radio and TV broadcasts, magazines and speaking engagements what you thought American ‘Christians’ should tick/number/punch a hole in at the polling booths. Only the mainline Protestant (Lutheran, Anglican, some Presbyterian etc.), Catholic, Buddhists and Other (Hindu/Muslim etc) voted in a majority way to tell the Bush administration what they thought of Dubbya�s methodology in handing 9/11 (how was Saddam associated with 9/11 by the way, and how did Bush successfully pull the wool over Blair and Howard�s eyes in regards to Osama?) and to take a hike.