When it rains...things get wet

Here in Christchurch we've had allot of rain over the past 24-48 hours, check it out here.

As you would know, my family & I have recently moved here from Perth, and as a result we have several boxes & other household item stored in our garage. During heavy rainfall, the water seems to get into the garage under the side door.

We had allot of stuff on the floor at the front of the garage where the water was getting in, after the rain had stopped this morning I went out to the shed to asses the damage. I spent about half an hour clearing stuff away from where the water was & then sweeping the water out of the garage, onto the lawn.

There were a few boxes that had water damage on the bottom, but they were empty anyway, so it didn't really matter.

So now I have moved all the stuff to the back of the shed so that when it rains again, nothing will get wet.

Rain is good, and we need it, but just make sure nothing valuable will get in the path of the water.

The Principle of Tithing

I have always believed in the principle of tithing. In the Bible, God commands us to give back to Him 10% of our income. Now this can be in a number of ways, whether you put money into the offering bag when it comes around at church, or whether you give to a ministry or individual, or however else God tells you to give.

Over the last 18 months is has not been easy for Jo & I, after Jo quit her job to have a baby, and so we went from 2 good incomes down to one which proved a challenge. At times we were living from one pay check to another & often we found that we didn't have enough money to tithe after all our expenses had gone out.

I was thinking about the whole tithing principle & all of a sudden God gave me a revelation that I have never realized before. God says that He requires the first 10% of our income, and in Matthew 6:33 it says "Seek first the kingdom of God, then all these things will be added to you". So basically if I honour God with my tithe first, he will make sure there is enough for everything else. It's a simple principle, but one that I have never considered until now.

I don't know what tithing means for you, if anything, but I truly believe that if you apply the Biblical principles as God has commanded, you will feel such satisfaction & peace, just like I have now.

Flex

I've been posting a few video clips lately; I get a few of them through the email, and a few of them really are worth sharing. I'm actually thinking of starting a video blog.

I had a friend whose nickname was flexi-man. Well the man in this video certainly does suit that name.

WARNING - This video contains twisting body parts.

Gentle Thoughts for Today

The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time, but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.

The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight, because by then your body and your fat have gotten to be really good friends.

The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement .

He who hesitates is probably right.

Did you ever notice: The Roman Numerals for forty (40) are ' XL.'

If you think there is good in everybody, you haven't met everybody.

If you can smile when things go wrong , you have someone in mind to blame.

The sole purpose of a child's middle name is so he can tell when he's really in trouble.

There's always a lot to be thankful for if you take time to look for it. For example I am sitting here thinking how nice it is that wrinkles don't hurt .

Did you ever notice: When you put the 2 words 'The' and 'IRS' together it spells 'Theirs.'

Aging: Eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it.

The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.

Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me, I want people to know 'why' I look this way. I've traveled a long way and some of the roads weren't paved.

When you are dissatisfied and would like to go back to youth, think of Algebra.

You know you are getting old when everything either dries up or leaks.

One of the many things no one tells you about aging is that it is such a nice change from being young.

Ah, being young is beautiful, but being old is comfortable.

First you forget names, then you forget faces. Then you forget to pull up your zipper. It's worse when you forget to pull it down.

Long ago when men cursed and beat the ground with sticks, it was called witchcraft. Today, it's called golf

Lord,
Keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth... AMEN..!

Free Phone Calls

I know you've probably heard of Skype already, but I just wanted to give it a good report.

I've attempted to use Skype in the past, but I gave up because firstly, none of my friends used it and secondly because my internet connection was obviously not quick enough, and I had allot of trouble with delay & crackly reception.

I've now got a quicker internet speed here in NZ & have re-installed Skype, and it works perfectly. I made my first phone call to my sister in Perth about 10 minutes ago.

What about you, do you use Skype? Does it work well for you. I know I'm behind the times a bit, but the internet certainly make life easier and cheaper.

Partial Movie Syndrome

What is Partial movie syndrome? It's when you see a movie several time without actually seeing it in it's entirety.

Now while I have seen Terminator 2 once in it's entirety, I have seen it many times in parts; usually the first half and then bits of the ending.

It was on the telly last night again, but it started quite late, so I only saw up to where Sarah Connor escapes from the hospital, then it was bed time.

Do you have the same trouble? Isn't it annoying when you don't quite get to see a movie all the way through, more than once?

What movies have you had Partial Movie Syndrome with? I think I might have to purchase my own copy of T2 on DVD.

Are We Spoiling Our Kids?

Take a walk down memory lane in your mind, and go back to your childhood days when you were about 8-13 years old; what gadgets (toys) were you using?

I was playing with action figures, toy trains, and the old Commodore 64 computer & then Sega Master System.

Now that we're on the 21st Century it seems that the new electronic gadgets are the in thing. Kids today have Play Stations, X Boxes, Ipods, and mobile phones.

Also allot of kids have their own TV in their bedroom & the internet has become an everyday activity. I remember we had one TV in the main lounge & then we had 1 12inch TV which was shared around between the three bedrooms on a rostered time table; and that was a luxury.

So are we spoiling our kids too much, or is the world changing so much, that we need to be exposing them to the worlds technology at a young age.?

What are your thoughts?

Need a Laugh?,,,,,,,

Check out the video below. It's the best 4 commercials of the year from the USA.

Tips for Re-fueling Your Car

With the price of petrol as high as it is today, we need all the helpful information we can get. I received the following information through the email today. Take a look.

Tips on Filling your Vehicles...

This is a Message received from a friend:
I don't know what you guys are paying for petrol... but here
in Durban, we are also paying higher, up to 47.35 per litre.
But my line of work is in petroleum for about 31 years now,
so here are some tricks to get more of your money's worth
for every litre.
Here at the Marian Hill Pipeline, where I work in Durban, we
deliver about 4 million litres in a 24-hour period thru the
pipeline.
One day is diesel; the next day is jet fuel, and petrol, LRP
and Unleaded. We have 34-storage tanks here with a total
capacity of 16,800,000 litres.


ONLY BUY OR FILL UP YOUR CAR OR BIKKIE IN THE
EARLY MORNING WHEN THE GROUND TEMPERATURE IS
STILL COLD. Remember that all service stations have their
storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground,
the denser the fuel, when it gets warmer petrol expands, so
buying in the afternoon or in the evening.... your litre is not
exactly a litre.
In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the
temperature of the petrol, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and
other petroleum products play an important role. A
1degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business.
But the service stations do not have temperature
compensation at the pumps.


WHEN YOU'RE FILLING UP, DO NOT SQUEEZE THE
TRIGGER OF THE NOZZLE TO A FAST MODE. If you look,
you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low,
Compiled by Ramesh Patel on 16.03.2008 @ 10:00Hrs. Page 1 of 2
middle, and high. In slow mode, you should be pumping on
low speed, thereby minimizing the vapours that are
created, while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump
have a vapour return. If you are pumping on the fast rate,
some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapour.
Those vapours are being sucked up and back into the
underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for
your money.


ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TIPS IS TO FILL UP
WHEN YOUR TANK IS HALF FULL. The reason for this is,
the more fuel you have in your tank, the less air occupying
its empty space. Petrol evaporates faster than you can
imagine. Petroleum storage tanks have an internal floating
roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the petrol
and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation.
Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that
we load is temperature compensated, so that every litre is
actually the exact amount.


ANOTHER REMINDER, IF THERE IS A FUEL TRUCK
PUMPING INTO THE STORAGE TANKS, WHEN YOU STOP
TO BUY, DO NOT FILL UP - most likely the petrol/diesel is
being stirred up as the fuel is being delivered, and you
might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the
bottom.
Hope, this will help you get the maximum value for your
money.


DO SHARE THESE TIPS WITH OTHERS! LET’S SHARE
INFORMATION AND BENEFIT ALL, FOR THE BETTER OF
MANKIND.
***********************
Compiled by Ramesh Patel on 16.03.2008 @ 10:00Hrs.

Very interesting. Does it make sense to you? I'd be interested to know your thoughts.

Don't Dial & Drive

It's been on the news here in NZ recently about a new law they're trying to pass about using a hand held mobile phone while driving. It's ok to use hands free.

It would seem that they're a bit behind here in NZ. This law has been in place in Perth for several years. That was one of the things I noticed when I first arrived in Perth back in 2002, using your phone while driving is illegal.

Personally I think there should be a complete ban on the use of mobile phones while driving. Whether you are holding the phone or not, you have to concentrate on the conversation, which takes your complete concentration off the road, especially in busy areas or peak hour traffic.

I have to admit to talking on the phone while driving, but I do make the effort not to send text messages. How about you?

Park n Ride.....if you can!

This morning on TVNZ's Breakfast programme, they were testing whether it is quicker to drive to work on the busy freeway during morning peak hour or catch public transport, ie, bus or train.

They had two people leave a specific point in Auckland at the same time; one drove his car while the other rode the bus. The person who took the bus arrived at the destination point 20 minutes before the person driving the car.

What they didn't do was include the time it takes to get to the bus or train station & find a car park. They then showed us a live aerial shot of the car park at the bus station which was pretty much full by 7:30am.

Now having lived in a city like Perth, where they have a large public rail system, I often found the problem finding a park at the train station after 7:30am. Often you have to drive around the car park several times or even drive further away, which can often add 20-30 minutes to your travel time. One has to ask whether it is quicker to drive.

Do you have the same problems where you are? Public transport is great, if you can get to it!!

How Is It Done?

This video is absolutely hilarious. When I first looked at it, I thought it was just another magic show that I would probably delete, but you really have to watch the entire thing. Let me know what you think!

Do You Pay Much Attention?

Here are some questions for you about things that we take notice of (or not) in everyday life. This is mainly based on Aussie. info, so use all lobes of your brain.

This can be more difficult than it looks - it just shows how little most of us really see!
There are 25 questions about things we see every day or have known about all our lives. How many can you get right? These little simple questions are harder than you think-- it just shows you how little we pay attention to The commonplace things of life. Put your thinking caps on. No cheating! No looking around! No getting out of your chair! No using anything on or in your desk or computer! Can you beat 23?? (The average is 7) Write down your answers as you go. Check answers (on the bottom), AFTER completing all the questions.
REMEMBER - NO CHEATING!!! BE HONEST!!! That means no looking at your phone or anything on your desk...
BE HONEST

OK here we go.

1. On a standard traffic light, is the green on the top or bottom?
2. How many states are there in the Australia ? (Don't laugh, some people
don't know)
3. In which hand is the United States' Statue of Liberty 's torch?
4. What 3 colours are on the our shop SPOTLIGHT logo?
5. What two numbers on the telephone dial don't have letters by them?
6. When you walk does your left arm swing with your right or left leg?
(Don't you dare get up to see!)
7. How many matches are in a standard box?
8. On the Australian flag, how many stars are there ?
9. What is the lowest number on the FM dial?
10. Which way does water go down the drain, counter or clockwise?
11. Which way does a 'no smoking' sign's slash run?
1 2. What is the channel range available on a AUST TV ?
13 On which side of a women's blouse are the buttons?
14. Which way do fans rotate?
15 How many sides does a stop sign have?
16. Do books have even-numbered pages on the right or left side?
17 How many wheel nuts are on a standard car wheel?
1 8. How many sides are there on a standard pencil?
19. Sleepy, Happy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Dopey, Doc. Who's missing?
20. How many hot dog buns are in a standard package?
21 On which playing card is the card maker's trademark?
22 On which side of a Venetian blind is the cord that adjusts the opening
between the slats?
23. There are 12 buttons on a touch tone phone. What 2 symbols bear no
Digits?
24. How many curves are there in the standard paper clip?
25. Does a merry-go-round turn counter or clockwise?


And now for the answers.

1. On a standard traffic light, is the green on the top or bottom? BOTTOM
2. How many states are there in Australia ? 6 (plus the two territories)
3. In which hand is the United States' Statue of Liberty 's torch? RIGHT
4. What 3 colours are on the our shop SPOTLIGHT logo? BLUE, RED, WHITE
5. What two numbers on the telephone dial don't have letters by them? 1, 0
6. When you walk does your left arm swing with your right or left leg? RIGHT
7. How many matches are in a standard box? 50
8. On the Australian flag, how many stars are there ? 6
(FEDERATION STAR +5 IN THE SOUTHERN CROSS)
9. What is the lowest number on the FM dial? 87.5
10. Which way does water go down the drain, clockwise or anti-clockwise ? CLOCKWISE
11. Which way does a 'no smoking' sign's slash run? TOWARDS BOTTOM RIGHT
12. What is the channel range available on a AUST TV ? 2 ABC
13 On which side of a women's blouse are the buttons? LEFT
14. Which way do fans rotate? CLOCKWISE AS YOU LOOK AT IT
15 How many sides does a stop sign have? 8
16. Do books have even-numbered pages on the right or left side? LEFT
17 How many wheel nuts are on a standard car wheel? 5
18. How many sides are there on a standard pencil? 6
19. Sleepy, Happy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Dopey, Doc. Who's missing? BASHFUL
20. How many hot dog buns are in a standard package? 6
21 On which playing card is the card maker's trademark? ACE OF SPADES
22 On which side of a Venetian blind is the cord that adjusts the opening
between the slats? LEFT
23. There are 12 buttons on a touch tone phone. What 2 symbols bear no
digits? *, #
24. How many curves are there in the standard paper clip? 3
25. Does a merry-go-round turn clockwise or anti-clockwise? ANTI-CLOCKWISE

So how did you go? I got 11 right; thought I did better than that, but obviously I was wrong. If you're not ashamed to tell us how you did, you can leave a comment below. This is also something that yo could post on your own blog, if yo have one.

Eat Your Vegies

It seems that men today are not eating their veggies.

A 2006/7 survey of more than 17,000 people has found that the proportion of men eating enough vegetables, declined by 7.3 percentage points to 56% from the last survey taken in 2002/03.

So it would seem that the majority of men are meat eaters more than veggie eaters.

I have to admit that I certainly do prefer my meat over veggies. At potluck dinners or serve yourself, I often find myself going for twice the amount of meat than veggies; even to the fact that if I don't get veggies, I'm not to concerned about it. Thankfully my wife, Jo, knows the great importance of regular veggie eating, & we have at least 3 servings of veggies with our evening meal most nights. Thank God for the women in our lives.

Will you admit to being guilty of not eating enough veggies, or do you actually make sure you get your daily serve of veggies.

One man who was surveyed who was a veggie eater, added that the old myth of "eating enough veggies will put hairs on you chest", he has found to be a fallacy! Eating veggies for 35 years has not done him any good.

Perhaps, that's WHY we don't eat our veggies!

Fly Fishing Guide

I've just started selling a new product online. "Fly Fishing, Learn To Angle Like the Pro's", is a e-book about fly fishing that I've just started to sell online; so if you or anyone you know is interested in fly fishing, this book is available (for a price) here at my website.

If you have your own blog or website, can I ask you to place a link to my website on your blog to help get the word out there about this new product. All the extra traffic I get will obviously help. Thanks.

My website address is http://easyflyfishinguide.com





Technorati Tags: Fly Fishing - E-book

A good outlook

On those forwarding emails

It's for those of you who are sick of getting emails that tell you to forward to at least X number of people in the next 15 minutes so that wonderful things and miracles will happen if you do, or there will be serious consequences if you don't - watch this video.

This is hilarious! (and it's about time someone did this!).

Click here - turn on your speakers.......