The weekend has come and gone and we are on to a new week. Darla spent the weekend at a women's retreat with the church and left her men behind to fend for themselves. We ordered pizza on Friday night and then I decided to cook on Saturday night and made a couple of frozen pizzas for dinner. You could say it was a GUY weekend.
They told a story at church this weekend that I was not aware of. If my grandfather on my Dad's side was still alive, he would have known it. They told it in the context of Faith and Hope. Eddie Richenbacher was the ace of World War I. He had more kills than most pilots and won many medals for his bravery and his markmanship. Eddie volunteered to fly special missions in WWII specifically for the Pentagon and it was on one of these missions in 1942 when his plane lost all radio control and Richenbacher became totally lost in the Pacific. He finally ran out of fuel and had to ditch his plane in the ocean. His crew of 8 climbed into an 8 foot raft and spent the next eight days hoping and waiting for rescue. On the eighth day, the crew, near starvation prayed together and prepared to die. A seagull landed on Eddie's head and slowly he reached up and grabbed the legs of the bird. They were able to fashion the intestines into fishing line and were able to catch fish and survived for another 15 days when they were finally rescued. After Eddie retired and moved to Florida, he would go to the ocean every Friday and feed shrimp to the seagulls, his way of thanking the seagull for saving his life. He did this faithfully until he died in 1979. Do you think that God intervened in Eddie's life? I do.
I've been invited to a special marketing meeting in Philadelphia in mid May. It is being hosted by USLI, one of Warren Buffet's insurance companies. We will be in Philly from May 18th-20th. I look forward to the trip and lament that I will not be able to do any sightseeing while I'm there. Most of the Branch Managers will be there from Burns and Wilcox and several of the Vice Presidents will also be in attendance. Our President and CEO will be there and I hope to have an opportunity to talk to him about the future of this office.
I played golf twice this past week, once on Thursday and then in a tournament on Saturday. Thursday was a beautiful day in the 80's and I shot 38+40=78, my best round of the year. I played against three agents and won $28.50 out of a pool of $31 in skin money. Did I feel bad? Uh...no. I didn't think it was going to be a good round, especially after the first hole. It is a 300 yard par 4, but you can attempt to cut the corner of the driving range and the green is about 265 yards from the tee. I took the corner and landed on the green about thirty feet from an eagle. I proceeded to three putt the green for a par. I then played in a 2 man best ball tournament on Saturday at Diamond Oaks in a driving rain. Most of the players really struggled with wet grips and wet conditions, but I managed a 40+43=83, which given the conditions, I'm even more proud of. My partner struggled and we finished tied for fourth with a 65. I play in the Roseville City Championship this coming weekend and look forward to it. My game is finally starting to round into shape and my index of 11.5 is at it's highest since July of last year. In other words, I'm playing better than my handicap right now and have a chance to do some damage.
David is still struggling with his decision on college. He was accepted by Cal Poly Pomona as a Construction Management student. David wants to take an Architectural degree and be a Computer Assisted design engineer. He is toying with going to Sierra College in Rocklin for two years and then seeing if he can transfer to Cal Poly SLO, his first and only choice for college. He did not get in, but Darla has a friend who knows a Dean at Cal Poly SLO and they are trying to work out something. (The old "it's not what you know, but who you know"). Hopefully they can work it out. David is so focused. IF he goes to Sierra, he can continue to work at the engineering firm where he interns and they will hold a position for him. I'll keep you informed.
The office continues to do very well and we are following up our biggest month in a year with another solid month. I may be buying the staff lunch again in May, which would be GREAT. Our turnaround is turning heads in Home Office. The President is not convinced that I am the right candidate for the job as Branch Manager, which is frustrating for me, but all that I can do is continue to run the office, make money and have a staff that is engaged in their jobs and growing our book of business. I think perhaps I have some of the stink of my predecessor on me as I weas hired by him. The bottom line is what matters and they won't make a change while things are doing well. The only fly in the ointment is that I will not continue to be an "acting" Branch Manager indefinitely. They will have to fish or cut bait soon. I've given them until the Branch Manager meeting in October to make up their minds.
My old underwriter at Republic Western, Pete Morrison, continues to call me. He turned down my job offer and went to work for a competitor. I think eventually he will end up working for me over here. I've heard through the grapevine that he is struggling over at Crouse. Their corporate culture is one of large accounts and moving paper, whereas our culture is defined by developing relationships with agents and is more of a marketing oriented workflow. We, frankly, fit Pete's strengths much better. We have the pen with four carriers, which allows us to respond on the smaller accounts quickly and efficiently. At Crouse, they are 100% brokerage and have to send everything out for quote. There, they are at the whim of a company underwriter. Here, about 60% of our business is contract business where we are the underwriter. The only thing holding us back is ourselves.
Speaking of that, I need to get on with my day. I hope you are all engaged in the sport of life and follwing the true King of Kings, Jesus Christ. Ciao.
Monday, April 25, 2005
Monday, April 18, 2005
Blue Skies...smiling at me
Good morning, Vietnam. It is another tremendous Northern California morning with a high blue sky and shadows that give evidence of the light breeze that is blowing as the trees sway and shake in the early morning air. The day invites me outside to play golf. Alas, work awaits me and the siren song of paychecks and responsibility trumps the call of nature. I seem to be in a somewhat whimsical mood this morning.
It was a great weekend filled with golf, yardwork, dinner out with my bride and a visit yesterday to the town of Auburn, where Darla and I wasted away a few hours while three bug bombs were busy wasting some moths in our house that have proven to be quite a project to rid ourselves of.
I played golf with my assistant (soon to be former assistant), Anthony, Anthony's brother and Mel at our course in Roseville. The city had just aerated the greens on Monday and they are still recovering. We struggled around the course, hoping to get a good bounce out of the sand filled holes on the green as we bumped our putts along toward the hole. Anthony doesn't play much golf and asked that we play the white tees rather than the blue and I managed a 41+42=83 on the day in spite of the bumpy greens. Anthony shot 47 on the front, but came on fire on the back side and shot 43 which is a great round for someone who doesn't play much. He even trundled in a putt from about 40 feet on a par three for a birdie. He was pretty thrilled. His brother shot 86 and Mel shot 87, recovering from a tough 47 on the front side with a 40 on the back. I've decided to sign up for the Roseville City Amateur which will be held April 30 and May 1st. I figure that I play so much golf, I might as well give the City Championship a try. I'll play in the handicap division and give it my best. It should be fun.
Jennifer called on Saturday while I was on the course and talked to Darla for about a half hour. It was two in the morning in Kuwait and Jenn was up and felt like checking in on the home front. Jenn, if you want to call me, do it M-F at night and call me at the office. Of course, I'll be out Wednesday afternoon this week getting a crown on one of my molars and out Thursday afternoon marketing... on the golf course. Jennifer is doing great. She can't wait to come home in July and is anxious to hang up her combat boots and join us here in the civilian world. Darla and I are taking Jenn to Puerto Vallarta in 2006 and I'm inviting Dad and Shirley to join us. We will likely go in March of 2006 and we will stay at the Sheraton Buganvillas resort. You can either trade your time share for rooms there or the resort will put you up in the hotel side of the resort at $59 a night as guest of a condo owner. Put it on your radar. Anyone else that wants to join us, let me know as we can get you the $59 rate as well. The resort is on the beach, has two pools, five restaurants and two night clubs. Nice. I'll give you the exact dates as the time draws a little closer.
Darla and I went out to Bella Italia on Friday night. Bella is slowly becoming one of our favorite restaurants, although it is a restaurant located in a storefront close to our health club. The ambience actually isn't bad, but it is a little tight in the restaurant. The food more than makes up for the inconvenience. I had a lasagna and Darla had their award winning gnocchi. We then went over and worked out on a full stomach, which I don't recommend.
I played golf on Saturday afternoon in the sun and was exhausted after the round. Darla, however, was antsy waiting for me at home and had set up a reservation for a racquetball court and I limped over to the health club and played three games with Darla. I just about fell asleep in the shower after that. We watched movies that night and it was nice to relax at home. We saw Hotel Rwanda with Don Cheadle which is a pretty intense film.
Sunday we ventured to church and heard that the special collection for the orphans in Uganda had exceeded $200,000. The power of our large congregation is mind numbing. We have it so good in the US and stories like the one that Jackson Sonyonga told and the movie Hotel Rwanda showed makes us realize just how great it is here in the Western world.
We studied the 1st chapter of the book of Ruth on Sunday and the story of Naomi is so close to that of my Dad, it is strange. Naomi lost her husband and then her two sons and began to question God. Not that I know Dad questioned God, but I can imagine when he lost his wife and parents all in the course of a year. The love that Ruth showed to Naomi was her saving grace. When we are hurting God will put special people in our lives to help us through. Shirley is Dad's Ruth.
Darla and I did set off three bug bombs in the house after church and we had to skeedaddle for four hours. We had breakfast in Auburn and then strolled the shops in the old town of Auburn. We bought six books at a small book store and I bought a new wallet, which was 50% off. Darla said my wallet was a joke and she wasn't convinced that the new wallet was the answer. It is soft leather and very nice, but is a Jack Daniels brand wallet and she wasn't sure that sent the right message. For me, I just need something to hold my license and my credit cards and a picture of my wife. Darla tried on some wild clothes, which I convinced her not to buy. She then bought some supplies at the bead store and we headed back to the park across the street from our house for some reading and a bit of sleep.
Work awaits. I have four people out this week, two attending a training class and two in home office at a personal lines seminar. I've already had two others call in and tell me they are not feeling well. Both plan to be in later this morning, but it is obviously a Monday morning. Take care. Look around you for your Ruth. She is there, you just have to look. Ciao.
It was a great weekend filled with golf, yardwork, dinner out with my bride and a visit yesterday to the town of Auburn, where Darla and I wasted away a few hours while three bug bombs were busy wasting some moths in our house that have proven to be quite a project to rid ourselves of.
I played golf with my assistant (soon to be former assistant), Anthony, Anthony's brother and Mel at our course in Roseville. The city had just aerated the greens on Monday and they are still recovering. We struggled around the course, hoping to get a good bounce out of the sand filled holes on the green as we bumped our putts along toward the hole. Anthony doesn't play much golf and asked that we play the white tees rather than the blue and I managed a 41+42=83 on the day in spite of the bumpy greens. Anthony shot 47 on the front, but came on fire on the back side and shot 43 which is a great round for someone who doesn't play much. He even trundled in a putt from about 40 feet on a par three for a birdie. He was pretty thrilled. His brother shot 86 and Mel shot 87, recovering from a tough 47 on the front side with a 40 on the back. I've decided to sign up for the Roseville City Amateur which will be held April 30 and May 1st. I figure that I play so much golf, I might as well give the City Championship a try. I'll play in the handicap division and give it my best. It should be fun.
Jennifer called on Saturday while I was on the course and talked to Darla for about a half hour. It was two in the morning in Kuwait and Jenn was up and felt like checking in on the home front. Jenn, if you want to call me, do it M-F at night and call me at the office. Of course, I'll be out Wednesday afternoon this week getting a crown on one of my molars and out Thursday afternoon marketing... on the golf course. Jennifer is doing great. She can't wait to come home in July and is anxious to hang up her combat boots and join us here in the civilian world. Darla and I are taking Jenn to Puerto Vallarta in 2006 and I'm inviting Dad and Shirley to join us. We will likely go in March of 2006 and we will stay at the Sheraton Buganvillas resort. You can either trade your time share for rooms there or the resort will put you up in the hotel side of the resort at $59 a night as guest of a condo owner. Put it on your radar. Anyone else that wants to join us, let me know as we can get you the $59 rate as well. The resort is on the beach, has two pools, five restaurants and two night clubs. Nice. I'll give you the exact dates as the time draws a little closer.
Darla and I went out to Bella Italia on Friday night. Bella is slowly becoming one of our favorite restaurants, although it is a restaurant located in a storefront close to our health club. The ambience actually isn't bad, but it is a little tight in the restaurant. The food more than makes up for the inconvenience. I had a lasagna and Darla had their award winning gnocchi. We then went over and worked out on a full stomach, which I don't recommend.
I played golf on Saturday afternoon in the sun and was exhausted after the round. Darla, however, was antsy waiting for me at home and had set up a reservation for a racquetball court and I limped over to the health club and played three games with Darla. I just about fell asleep in the shower after that. We watched movies that night and it was nice to relax at home. We saw Hotel Rwanda with Don Cheadle which is a pretty intense film.
Sunday we ventured to church and heard that the special collection for the orphans in Uganda had exceeded $200,000. The power of our large congregation is mind numbing. We have it so good in the US and stories like the one that Jackson Sonyonga told and the movie Hotel Rwanda showed makes us realize just how great it is here in the Western world.
We studied the 1st chapter of the book of Ruth on Sunday and the story of Naomi is so close to that of my Dad, it is strange. Naomi lost her husband and then her two sons and began to question God. Not that I know Dad questioned God, but I can imagine when he lost his wife and parents all in the course of a year. The love that Ruth showed to Naomi was her saving grace. When we are hurting God will put special people in our lives to help us through. Shirley is Dad's Ruth.
Darla and I did set off three bug bombs in the house after church and we had to skeedaddle for four hours. We had breakfast in Auburn and then strolled the shops in the old town of Auburn. We bought six books at a small book store and I bought a new wallet, which was 50% off. Darla said my wallet was a joke and she wasn't convinced that the new wallet was the answer. It is soft leather and very nice, but is a Jack Daniels brand wallet and she wasn't sure that sent the right message. For me, I just need something to hold my license and my credit cards and a picture of my wife. Darla tried on some wild clothes, which I convinced her not to buy. She then bought some supplies at the bead store and we headed back to the park across the street from our house for some reading and a bit of sleep.
Work awaits. I have four people out this week, two attending a training class and two in home office at a personal lines seminar. I've already had two others call in and tell me they are not feeling well. Both plan to be in later this morning, but it is obviously a Monday morning. Take care. Look around you for your Ruth. She is there, you just have to look. Ciao.
Monday, April 11, 2005
A Powerful Weekend
Wow. This weekend was really one for the books. We had a visit by a Christian Evangelist from Uganda that was life changing. This man showed us how the power of Jesus Christ has transformed his country from one of famine, blight and poverty. From a country ravaged by an epidemic of AIDS, it has been transformed into a country on the brink of political, cultural, economic, and health-related revival. Uganda was torn apart by the rule of Idi Amin, a tyrant equal to Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden in his disregard for human life and his quest for ultimate power. The country was left torn and broken, with an incidence of AIDS that reached 33% and an economic crisis so bad that the country was almost bankrupt. The country was also left with an epidemic of witchcraft and demon worship that threatened the moral fiber of the country. It was through the power of prayer and hope that comes with the emergence of Jesus Christ in a community that saved the country. Jackson Sonyonga is a powerful speaker that is a world crusader for the power of prayer. His country holds monthly prayer meetings in large stadiums throughout the country where millions of Christians come together and pray from 6 PM to 6 AM and ask for Jesus Christ to intervene in their lives. Through that power of prayer, Uganda is the only country in the world that has seen a decrease in the incidence of AIDS to the point that it is now less than 5% in the country and dropping.
Uganda is still very poor, but many of the demon worshippers and even the witch doctors have seen the power of our Saviour at work and have come to Christ. It is an amazing story and he is preaching the power of prayer and how we need to become a church who is committed to prayer. How we need to have a set time in our homes to pray as a family and not just as a blessing over our meal or a token prayer before we go to sleep at night. We went to church yesterday and were blown away by Jackson and returned Sunday night at six PM to the largest turnout in our churches' history. The 3000 seat church was filled to capacity and every classroom was filled with video monitors. There were people standing in the aisles and double parked in the parking lot. It was an awesome sight to behold. Our life group will meet at church tonight and sit together to watch and listen to Jackson speak further on how to turn our country around through the power of prayer.
It is amazing to see the work that God is doing in our church as we had a special offering last week to help bridge the gap in Ajai Lal's church in India to help build orphanages. He was $40,000 short of his needs and we raised $62,000 in two services to humble Ajai and his family. Jackson is also building some orphanages to house the orphans of AIDS who number over 1.8 million in Uganda. The orphanages will each be manned by a Christian family and will house up to 36 children who have lost both of their parents to AIDS. I'm anxious to see how much money our church donates to Sonyonga. He will be here tonight and tomorrow still to finish his series on prayer.
I played poker on Friday night with the guys and won about $40. I sat and listened to a story of how 6 Roseville teenagers, several of whom played youth football with David, have been charged with the rape of a 15 year old girl in Folsom. The girl was so badly injured that she required 23 stitches. This follows the revelation that nine Woodcreek students have been implicated in a theft ring at the local Best Buy electronics retailer. One of the students worked there and allowed his friends to go through his register and he would not charge them for their electronics purchases. They would come through his line with an MP3 player or a car stereo along with a CD and some gum. He would charge them for the gum and the CD and give them the large item without charging them. Most of the students implicated are Seniors and Juniors and most played on the varsity football team and are friends of David. Our community is morally bankrupt and it is being filtered down to our kids. It was good to see David and Daniel at church praying for the ills that affect our society.
Both David and Daniel were baptized this past week at the home of one of the youth directors at church. They chose Earl to baptize them and there we were on a cool and cloudy Wednesday night gathered in the backyard of a home overlooking the 2nd tee of my golf course, Diamond Oaks, and eight students were baptized and made a stand for Christ. With all that is going on around them, it is so encouraging to see the boys choose a path that is so different from their peers.
The boys are locked into the youth group now, so much so that David has invited one of the girls in the group, Destiny, to his Senior Ball next month. Destiny is a blonde gal who stand almost six foot and is a leader in the youth group. They became friends in Mexico and David has eyes for this young lady. She is a committed Christian, but also a beautiful girl. I'm happy for the choice the boys are making and doubly happy that they resisted the group that stole from the local store. It is so easy for these kids to justify it in their minds. I'm just glad that they got caught and glad that the main offenders are all over 18 and get to be tried as adults. Reality will smack them in the head. Mom and Dad can't save them from this.
I played golf twice this week and I struggled on Thursday at Northridge Country Club. My driving is what sets my game apart. I'm usually long and straight, but I picked up a slice on Thursday. I managed to shoot 43+44=87, but was beside myself after the round. I went to the driving range early on Saturday and realized that I was standing too close to the ball. I stepped back about a foor and was again drilling the ball down the middle. it didn't help me score on Saturday in the wind and wet. I shot 44+44=88, but was glad to figure out my problem on the tee box and look forward to getting back down in the low 80's and upper 70's as the weather improves.
Well, work awaits. Jennifer has updated her blog. She is still a little studette soldier and continues to set personal bests in her Physical Training. She is homesick and looks forward to coming home in the next couple of months. Jen, did you get our package? E-mail me. Be good, hit your knees and pray for our country and for your loved ones. We need the power of Jesus Christ in our lives. He will sustain us and help us to prosper in a world gone bad. Ciao.
Uganda is still very poor, but many of the demon worshippers and even the witch doctors have seen the power of our Saviour at work and have come to Christ. It is an amazing story and he is preaching the power of prayer and how we need to become a church who is committed to prayer. How we need to have a set time in our homes to pray as a family and not just as a blessing over our meal or a token prayer before we go to sleep at night. We went to church yesterday and were blown away by Jackson and returned Sunday night at six PM to the largest turnout in our churches' history. The 3000 seat church was filled to capacity and every classroom was filled with video monitors. There were people standing in the aisles and double parked in the parking lot. It was an awesome sight to behold. Our life group will meet at church tonight and sit together to watch and listen to Jackson speak further on how to turn our country around through the power of prayer.
It is amazing to see the work that God is doing in our church as we had a special offering last week to help bridge the gap in Ajai Lal's church in India to help build orphanages. He was $40,000 short of his needs and we raised $62,000 in two services to humble Ajai and his family. Jackson is also building some orphanages to house the orphans of AIDS who number over 1.8 million in Uganda. The orphanages will each be manned by a Christian family and will house up to 36 children who have lost both of their parents to AIDS. I'm anxious to see how much money our church donates to Sonyonga. He will be here tonight and tomorrow still to finish his series on prayer.
I played poker on Friday night with the guys and won about $40. I sat and listened to a story of how 6 Roseville teenagers, several of whom played youth football with David, have been charged with the rape of a 15 year old girl in Folsom. The girl was so badly injured that she required 23 stitches. This follows the revelation that nine Woodcreek students have been implicated in a theft ring at the local Best Buy electronics retailer. One of the students worked there and allowed his friends to go through his register and he would not charge them for their electronics purchases. They would come through his line with an MP3 player or a car stereo along with a CD and some gum. He would charge them for the gum and the CD and give them the large item without charging them. Most of the students implicated are Seniors and Juniors and most played on the varsity football team and are friends of David. Our community is morally bankrupt and it is being filtered down to our kids. It was good to see David and Daniel at church praying for the ills that affect our society.
Both David and Daniel were baptized this past week at the home of one of the youth directors at church. They chose Earl to baptize them and there we were on a cool and cloudy Wednesday night gathered in the backyard of a home overlooking the 2nd tee of my golf course, Diamond Oaks, and eight students were baptized and made a stand for Christ. With all that is going on around them, it is so encouraging to see the boys choose a path that is so different from their peers.
The boys are locked into the youth group now, so much so that David has invited one of the girls in the group, Destiny, to his Senior Ball next month. Destiny is a blonde gal who stand almost six foot and is a leader in the youth group. They became friends in Mexico and David has eyes for this young lady. She is a committed Christian, but also a beautiful girl. I'm happy for the choice the boys are making and doubly happy that they resisted the group that stole from the local store. It is so easy for these kids to justify it in their minds. I'm just glad that they got caught and glad that the main offenders are all over 18 and get to be tried as adults. Reality will smack them in the head. Mom and Dad can't save them from this.
I played golf twice this week and I struggled on Thursday at Northridge Country Club. My driving is what sets my game apart. I'm usually long and straight, but I picked up a slice on Thursday. I managed to shoot 43+44=87, but was beside myself after the round. I went to the driving range early on Saturday and realized that I was standing too close to the ball. I stepped back about a foor and was again drilling the ball down the middle. it didn't help me score on Saturday in the wind and wet. I shot 44+44=88, but was glad to figure out my problem on the tee box and look forward to getting back down in the low 80's and upper 70's as the weather improves.
Well, work awaits. Jennifer has updated her blog. She is still a little studette soldier and continues to set personal bests in her Physical Training. She is homesick and looks forward to coming home in the next couple of months. Jen, did you get our package? E-mail me. Be good, hit your knees and pray for our country and for your loved ones. We need the power of Jesus Christ in our lives. He will sustain us and help us to prosper in a world gone bad. Ciao.
Monday, April 04, 2005
A New Beginning
The day has dawned with a bright blue sky and a freshness to the air that is electric. It is the day after a cleansing rain and there is something mystical about the shadows that the trees cast across the dew strewn lawns. The streets are all dry, but the parking lot still has traces of rain water in the parking spaces. There is a lone white bird that is walking along the curb looking for worms in the morning light.
My commute this morning was disrupted by an overturned big rig that spilled fuel onto the roadway on the major thoroughfare that I use to cross town from Roseville to Rancho Cordova. Luckily, I sensed that there was a problem and cut over to a side street before getting caught in traffic. I was able to slip around the logjam and get into the office close to my regular arrival time of 7:10 a.m. Cora, our typist, has been promoted to an Underwriter Assistant position and she was not here this morning when I arrived. She worked an alternate schedule of 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM, but will be assisting the two ladies in Modesto and I assumed was changing her schedule to at least 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, but she rolled in at 7:30 and had forgot to set her clocks ahead. I asked her to check with the gals in Modesto to see what schedule they want her to work as she is their conduit to the Sacramento office. We have our new typist....or more correctly, our Technical Services Rep I beginning this morning. Her hire is a bit of a coup for me as she is graduating from Sacramento State University next month with a degree in Insurance. I was skeptical of hiring her at such an entry level position, but she wants to learn the insurance job from square one. My goal would be to quickly move her up the food change with the ultimate goal of making her an Underwriter within 4 years. I could see her in an Assistant Underwriter position by year end as we continue to grow. I was able to pay her about 15% more than the position called for because of her degree.
The Sacramento office had our best month since I joined in 2003 and we beat our budget by 30% in March. I took the staff out on Thursday and we celebrated the results at a big lunch at Chevys. I have a great staff and Anthony, my former assistant, is already writing new business in his first month. He was so proud to point out that he was ahead of me as of Friday. Bear in mind it was April 1st and he is still my de facto assistant. He had booked his premiums while my renewals sat waiting his touch. I truly want him to experience early success as it will motivate him for the tough months and weeks ahead.
We had a missionary from India visit us yesterday. He is a third generation Christian born in India. Bear in mind that India is a country of 1.6 Billion people and less than 2% of the population is Christian. He had some very interesting facts to share, the most alarming is that the Islamic religion is growing ten times faster than the Christian faith and at it's current growth rate will be the world's largest religion by the year 2015. He also told us that the name Osama Bin Laden is known by almost 90% of the world's population, but only 70% of the world's population has ever heard the name Jesus Christ. It is appalling and although his call was for additional funding for the world's misiionaries, his points were hammered home in his message. We need to be World Christians insrtead of American Christians.
We had a nice relaxing weekend. I was supposed to play golf, but my friend, Mel is from the Phillipines. He called Wednesday and invited me to play golf on Saturday. I said, "Sure, what time?" He said, "Well, I don't have a time, why don't you set something up?" I said, "No. If you want to play, set up a time and let me know when." Mel is a great guy, but comes from a very privileged existence in the Phillipines and I have to try to retrain him in how we do things here in the US of A. He called me late Friday and asked if I'd set up a time. I told him, "No. You were supposed to make us a time." He said he'd look into it and let me know. He called me Saturday at noon and said he couldn't find anything and we'd play next weekend. No kidding. Perhaps he'll learn. Perhaps not. We play on Thursday at a Country Club in town with his boss and then again on Saturday in our Masters tournament. We will have dinner at Mel and Cora's on Saturday night and the boys are invited. They are becoming Americanized.
Darla and I firmed up our Airline travel to Hawaii last week before the latest increases due to fuel prices. We fly out of San Francisco on Sunday June 12th and have a direct flight to Lihue in Kauia. We will stay in San Francisco at the Best Western in Milbrae. They will keep our car for the ten days we are gone and the cost with the room is just $125. We will also stay over on Wednesday the 22nd when we return as we get into SF at 9:00 PM. The cost for that night's stay is only $79. It is exciting as it feels real now. We leave in about nine weeks and it will be a great vacation. I'm just a little sad that neither Darla's folks nor Dad and Shirley could join us. We'll have to plan a trip perhaps late Summer up to Vancouver.
Darla called me on Friday and told me that she had a special mandatory meeting that she HAD to attend at work during our vacation and wouldn't be able to go with us. I didn't fall for her little April Fool's joke, but only because I had just called a meeting to announce that the girls in Modesto had quit. Cora was telling everyone that and they didn't believe her until she cajoled me into calling a special meeting to announce that they had decided not to run the Service office. I made a big deal about how rude it was of them and how telling me on April 1st was the kicker. Everyone laughed and Cora got the biggest kick out of the ruse.
The boys have decided to be baptized this week at their High School life group. The were both christened as infants, but the Bible says that we must announce our decision as Christians and be baptized in the faith. They have decided that they want Darla's Dad, Earl, to baptize them and will call him tonight to see if he will do it. I'm sure Earl will be touched and perhaps humbled that the boys look to him as their example of a Christian man. The boys have really ramped up their involvement in the church and I'm proud of them.
Well, work is a constant and I need to get at it. I hope your week is full of family, friends, laughter and you look to the Lord for your decisions in life. Ciao.
My commute this morning was disrupted by an overturned big rig that spilled fuel onto the roadway on the major thoroughfare that I use to cross town from Roseville to Rancho Cordova. Luckily, I sensed that there was a problem and cut over to a side street before getting caught in traffic. I was able to slip around the logjam and get into the office close to my regular arrival time of 7:10 a.m. Cora, our typist, has been promoted to an Underwriter Assistant position and she was not here this morning when I arrived. She worked an alternate schedule of 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM, but will be assisting the two ladies in Modesto and I assumed was changing her schedule to at least 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, but she rolled in at 7:30 and had forgot to set her clocks ahead. I asked her to check with the gals in Modesto to see what schedule they want her to work as she is their conduit to the Sacramento office. We have our new typist....or more correctly, our Technical Services Rep I beginning this morning. Her hire is a bit of a coup for me as she is graduating from Sacramento State University next month with a degree in Insurance. I was skeptical of hiring her at such an entry level position, but she wants to learn the insurance job from square one. My goal would be to quickly move her up the food change with the ultimate goal of making her an Underwriter within 4 years. I could see her in an Assistant Underwriter position by year end as we continue to grow. I was able to pay her about 15% more than the position called for because of her degree.
The Sacramento office had our best month since I joined in 2003 and we beat our budget by 30% in March. I took the staff out on Thursday and we celebrated the results at a big lunch at Chevys. I have a great staff and Anthony, my former assistant, is already writing new business in his first month. He was so proud to point out that he was ahead of me as of Friday. Bear in mind it was April 1st and he is still my de facto assistant. He had booked his premiums while my renewals sat waiting his touch. I truly want him to experience early success as it will motivate him for the tough months and weeks ahead.
We had a missionary from India visit us yesterday. He is a third generation Christian born in India. Bear in mind that India is a country of 1.6 Billion people and less than 2% of the population is Christian. He had some very interesting facts to share, the most alarming is that the Islamic religion is growing ten times faster than the Christian faith and at it's current growth rate will be the world's largest religion by the year 2015. He also told us that the name Osama Bin Laden is known by almost 90% of the world's population, but only 70% of the world's population has ever heard the name Jesus Christ. It is appalling and although his call was for additional funding for the world's misiionaries, his points were hammered home in his message. We need to be World Christians insrtead of American Christians.
We had a nice relaxing weekend. I was supposed to play golf, but my friend, Mel is from the Phillipines. He called Wednesday and invited me to play golf on Saturday. I said, "Sure, what time?" He said, "Well, I don't have a time, why don't you set something up?" I said, "No. If you want to play, set up a time and let me know when." Mel is a great guy, but comes from a very privileged existence in the Phillipines and I have to try to retrain him in how we do things here in the US of A. He called me late Friday and asked if I'd set up a time. I told him, "No. You were supposed to make us a time." He said he'd look into it and let me know. He called me Saturday at noon and said he couldn't find anything and we'd play next weekend. No kidding. Perhaps he'll learn. Perhaps not. We play on Thursday at a Country Club in town with his boss and then again on Saturday in our Masters tournament. We will have dinner at Mel and Cora's on Saturday night and the boys are invited. They are becoming Americanized.
Darla and I firmed up our Airline travel to Hawaii last week before the latest increases due to fuel prices. We fly out of San Francisco on Sunday June 12th and have a direct flight to Lihue in Kauia. We will stay in San Francisco at the Best Western in Milbrae. They will keep our car for the ten days we are gone and the cost with the room is just $125. We will also stay over on Wednesday the 22nd when we return as we get into SF at 9:00 PM. The cost for that night's stay is only $79. It is exciting as it feels real now. We leave in about nine weeks and it will be a great vacation. I'm just a little sad that neither Darla's folks nor Dad and Shirley could join us. We'll have to plan a trip perhaps late Summer up to Vancouver.
Darla called me on Friday and told me that she had a special mandatory meeting that she HAD to attend at work during our vacation and wouldn't be able to go with us. I didn't fall for her little April Fool's joke, but only because I had just called a meeting to announce that the girls in Modesto had quit. Cora was telling everyone that and they didn't believe her until she cajoled me into calling a special meeting to announce that they had decided not to run the Service office. I made a big deal about how rude it was of them and how telling me on April 1st was the kicker. Everyone laughed and Cora got the biggest kick out of the ruse.
The boys have decided to be baptized this week at their High School life group. The were both christened as infants, but the Bible says that we must announce our decision as Christians and be baptized in the faith. They have decided that they want Darla's Dad, Earl, to baptize them and will call him tonight to see if he will do it. I'm sure Earl will be touched and perhaps humbled that the boys look to him as their example of a Christian man. The boys have really ramped up their involvement in the church and I'm proud of them.
Well, work is a constant and I need to get at it. I hope your week is full of family, friends, laughter and you look to the Lord for your decisions in life. Ciao.
