The Disciple's Will - Dr. David Platt Posted by JD on 5:05 AM

Galations 2:19-21 --> "...for through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

The Bad News…
Countless people are confused and wondering, "How do I find God's will for my life?"

The Good News…
God's will is not lost, so we don't need to find it.

The Bottom Line…
God desires for me to follow His will so much that He lives in me to accomplish it.

The Transformation of the Will (our will)…

1. Christ gives us a new identity - the great exchange at the cross:
• I give Him my sin; He give me His righteousness.
• I give Him my slavery; He gives me His freedom.
• I give Him my judgment; He gives me His mercy.
• I give Him my death; He gives me His life.

Our will is now lost in Him.

2. Christ gives us a new direction:
(These are some contemporary methods for discovering the will of God…)
• The Random Finger Method
• The Miraculous Event Method
• The Striking Coincidence Method
• The Cast the Fleece Method
• The Open Door Method
• The Closed Door Method
• The Still Small Voice Method

A Biblical method for discovering the will of God…
• The Faith Method:
• Knowing God's will is secondary to simply knowing God!

The will of God is not a road map; it is a relationship whereby Christ gradually overtakes our will to become one with His as we:
• Trust in His Word
• Pray for His desires
• Walk in His will

Instead of trying to figure out His will, God intends for us to become His will.

3. Christ gives us a new purpose.
The question is no longer, "God, what is Your will for my life," but the question is, "God what is Your will for human history, and how can I align my life with Your will?"

We live to magnify the grace of Christ. We work to accomplish the mission of Christ. We die to spread the Gospel of Christ.

WATCH THE VIDEO

The Company Men Posted by JD on 9:12 PM

Corporate greed. Downsizing. Success. Failure. Resilience. Triumph.



Rarely do I see a film that keeps me up at night, keeps me thinking about it. The reality of "The Company Men" hit home. Being a self-employed husband and father, who at times, considers going back to the comfort and security of full-time employment, I saw this film through a different lens. Mind you, it was long and drawn out and times, but I wasn't checking my clock to see how long it had been on either!

Movie synopsis via Wikipedia:
"The film, set in and around Boston, Massachusetts, analyzes the effects of corporate downsizing. Ben Affleck plays an aggressive white-collar corporate ladder climbing employee who, after losing his six-figure salary, gradually loses the trappings of his white-collar life (Country Club membership, Porsche, and finally his home) and finally has to take a job installing drywall with his blue-collar working brother-in-law, played by Kevin Costner. Chris Cooper plays a middle manager who has risen from the factory floors to the corporate offices. He also loses his six-figure salary job, but because of his age is finding himself unemployable. The pressures on the two men (both of whom had comfortable, but paycheck-to-paycheck lifestyles, and have children to support), grows as weeks and months pass by with no prospects of employment appearing. On the other side of the coin, the cushy lives of executive management are noted with both Tommy Lee Jones and Craig T. Nelson playing characters who suffer no misfortune during the trying times, until Jones' character is served his walking papers. Although Jones' character is a well-liked executive within the company that Affleck and Cooper's characters are close with. Maria Bello plays the unfortunate senior HR manager forced to deliver the bad news to staff whose jobs are cut and are shown the door. Jones is clearly in a much more comfortable position after being fired, and begins seemingly a form of retirement, seeking no other employment. Yet the effect of the downsizing upon others, along with his blue-collar tendencies to want to get back to the basics of men and women working hard to actually produce something of value, weigh upon his conscience and mind."

All-in-all, I would definitely recommend this one. Not for everyone, but it was inspiring, intriguing, and insightful to me! I really taught me the value of "owning your own" and the importance of Proverbs 13:22!


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JD
twitter.com/JRold

Black History Month Facebook Profile Pics Posted by JD on 1:21 PM

I don't know what inspired me to do it, but it really started with the Muhammad Ali pic. After I created it, I thought...why not do it for the whole month. Business was kind of slow early in that week, so I spent a day putting together a month's worth of profiles on African-American accomplishments and achievements. Some, of well known people, and some of people I just learned about. Hopefully someone learned something or was inspired and encouraged to keep pushing in whatever is they're aspiring to do!

Be Great!

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JD
twitter.com/JRold

























































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This was the end of the month, but I had a couple more that I created, that didn't make the cut...

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Small Business Tax Tips Posted by JD on 2:31 PM

Tax Angles for Small Businesses

Looking for tax angles for small business owners? Tax-deductible business expenses can help improve your bottomline. Make sure you understand these tax tips for small business owners and find an accountant who can help you minimize your tax expenses.

Taxes are something that many small business owners don't like to talk about.

You spend the whole year trying to scrape out a few dollars of profit and then Uncle Sam swoops in and takes a big chunk of it away at the end of the year. It can be frustrating, to say the least.

But it might surprise you to learn that Uncle Sam has a good side. Small business owners can discover his good side by taking advantage of the many tax benefits available to small businesses. In fact, by leveraging some of the tax benefits that are available to you, you just might be able to hold on to a little more of your hard-earned cash at the end of the year.


Car Deductions for Small Business Owners

Do you use your personal car for business purposes? If you do, you may be able to claim a deduction for the cost of the business use portion of your vehicle. There a couple of ways this can be calculated, but most small business owners track their mileage and expense it at the I.R.S. rate, which in 2006 is 44.5¢ per mile.


Home Office Deductions for Small Business Owners

Many start-up small business owners operate their business out of their homes. Under certain conditions, you can claim a deduction for a portion of your housing expense. This deduction is based on the square footage of a space that is devoted completely and entirely for business use. If you use the kitchen to prepare meals and conduct meals, you won't qualify for a deduction. But if you use a spare room exclusively for business purposes, then you may realize a sizeable deduction.



Personal Asset Deductions for Small Business Owners

You may also be able to claim the business use of other personal assets such as computers, fax machines, tools, etc. If you qualify for these deductions, you can typically claim an amount equal to the percentage of business use multiplied by the overall costs associated with the asset.


Entertainment Deductions for Small Business Owners

You can deduct entertainment expenses? Absolutely - or at least 50% of entertainment expenses that are directly related to the operation of your business. Qualifying entertainment expenses include things like meals with clients and other activities that you can prove have a legitimate business purpose.



Travel Deductions for Small Business Owners

Business travel is also deductible, but only to the extent that it is used for business purposes. If you take a trip that has both business and personal components, you need to prorate the deduction to account for business use.



Retirement deductions

It is possible to structure a tax-free retirement plan for yourself that qualifies as a deduction for your business. Your business benefits from the deduction, and you benefit personally because the funds channeled into your retirement are not taxed - at least not until they are withdrawn when you retire.

The best advice for leveraging tax benefits for your business is to consult with a qualified tax professional. A capable professional will keep you out of trouble with the I.R.S. and offer suggestions for deductions you may not have considered.


(Article taken in full from Gaebler.com.)

Been a Long Time... Posted by JD on 11:29 AM

It has been the longest since the last time I've posted anything. We have been through so much these past couple months, I don't even know where to start. First off...we've relocated to McDonough, GA, which is about 25 miles south of downtown Atlanta. It's waaaay different from what I'm used to, but I still believe this move was what God wanted us to do. And because I believe that, I'm at peace with the move. I miss alot of the people I came to know and love in Chicago, my family up there, and being able to drive an hour or so up to Milwaukee to see all my childhood friends...but s'all good. Like I said, I'm at peace with the move. The kids are happy at their new schools. All of us our getting used to the difference between them being at the private Christian Academy last year, and the public school they're in now. Don't get me wrong, the schools in our county are great, but the private/public switch is pretty apparent. Charmaine is still getting used to being the "Boss" at her new job as Director of Student Accounts at GSU. I am constantly working to build/expand my business, but entrepreneurship is a daily grind. I believe I was built for this, so I'm going to continue pushing! I have had to relaunch my company, Daniels Design Group, so dealing with registering it, getting all my paperwork in order, etc., so that's been a job in itself. I've met some really good people along with road so far though. A really dope attorney, I got an extra cool financial planner, still on the lookout for an accountant (if anyone knows a good accountant in the Atlanta area, please shout me out). I've partnered my company with what can be called a "parent company." My man, Mike Cork, started a marketing solutions company about 6 or so years ago, MACORK SOLUTIONS, so it made sense for me to bring my talents on board to help him expand his brand and build his company, which getting my own company in order. Things are going pretty well right now!

The house is far from furnished, but we at least have furniture in all of the rooms lol. The walls are still bare, and alot of the nick nacks that fill a "home" are still missing. Charmaine has her hands full, so there is no rush on all that. We still walk around and just wonder at the faithfulness of God. We prayed for what we wanted and He provided our "exceedingly abundantly..." Charmaine and I laugh sometimes...like, "Dude, we have a living room set in our bedroom!" It's crazy! We know how it happened, so give all the credit to a good God! The kids are happy they all have their own rooms now. Well, Jazz is used to it, but AJ and Lauren having been sharing since Lauren came into this world, so they are both ecstatic about having their own space, to decorate and do with, as they please. We've got a huge unfinished (but studded) basement where I finally put together the pool table/air hockey/ping pong table their uncle bought them for Christmas last year...so they spend alot of time down there too. It's so stupid hot outside, I sometimes let them ride their bikes down there...lol, #dontjudgeme!!


After begging for the past couple years to play football, AJ is finally on a team. He plays for the MYA Florida Gators and he's loving it. I think the reality of playing is weighing against his fantasy of playing Madden lol. He's not as fast as he thought he was or nearly as tough lol. But he's sticking with it and I think he wants to get better at it, so that's good enough for me! He plays Tight End and Defensive End, but has aspirations to play Running Back or Wide Receiver one day. I think he has the raw talent to do it, but this is his first year playing, he's got alot to learn. On another note...they take football REAL serious down here lol!! They start at 4, and they're yelling in their faces even at that young age! I'm going to see what becomes of it all though...

What else is going on...Charmaine got it in her mind to do this Insanity workout with this guy Shaun T (the jury is still out on homie lol) The workout is NO JOKE though. Like seriously, at the end of each workout, we're are dripping in sweat! It's 60 days, and we're only on like day 7 lol. And I KNOW it gets tougher over time...but we're in it and we're going to keep at it!

The Kloser Posted by JD on 10:21 AM

Been a minute since I posted anything on here...been so busy with the relocation to Atlanta and the setting up of the new business venture. That's another post, on another day! But yo, came across this video of the homie Kobe, and I'm lovin this joint!! Check it out!





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JD
twitter.com/JRold

When Your Hut Is on Fire Posted by JD on 11:03 AM

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, 'God! How could you do this to me?'

Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! 'How did you know I was here?' asked the weary man of his rescuers. 'We saw your smoke signal,' they replied.

The Moral of This Story: It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.