Injury

Fiction Writing Practice 2014/01/27

The bombs are exploding around him. Joe can hear the bullets slam into the roof of the structure, another plane raid. He should be brave, strong, he should be out in the fray attacking back, like all his fellow soldiers. He doesn't understand this. He is paralyzed, he can't move. It's not like him to be this afraid. The rain is leaking through the holes in the roof and soaking him from head to toe. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath...



When Joe opens his eyes the building is gone. He's laying in his bed, back home in Joshua Tree, CA. There is no raid. It's just a dream... or is it a memory... He's not sure anymore. It's the same one he's had every night for two years now. The rain was just night sweats. The feeling of not being able to move is because he cannot, in fact, move. Gunshot wound to the spine paralyzed him from the waste down. This dream was more vivid than his usual dreams.



As he comes to he realizes there is storm outside today. As he picks up his legs with his hands and swings them over the bed, lifeless. The crackle on the roof alerts his suspicion. The white bumpy blanket outside the window confirms, ice storm, bad one this time. He's facing a battle, but it's a battle of another kind.



Funny thing is, this battle didn't start in a war. He would love to say that his spinal injury was from fighting enemy soldiers in a war in Afghanistan, but instead it was some punk 14 year old kid who didn't know what a good thing he had in America, stealing a wallet with $20 and some closed credit cards.





dw

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Injury

Fiction Writing Practice 2014/01/27

The bombs are exploding around him. Joe can hear the bullets slam into the roof of the structure, another plane raid. He should be brave, strong, he should be out in the fray attacking back, like all his fellow soldiers. He doesn't understand this. He is paralyzed, he can't move. It's not like him to be this afraid. The rain is leaking through the holes in the roof and soaking him from head to toe. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath...

When Joe opens his eyes the building is gone. He's laying in his bed, back home in Joshua Tree, CA. There is no raid. It's just a dream... or is it a memory... He's not sure anymore. It's the same one he's had every night for two years now. The rain was just night sweats. The feeling of not being able to move is because he cannot, in fact, move. Gunshot wound to the spine paralyzed him from the waste down. This dream was more vivid than his usual dreams.

As he comes to he realizes there is storm outside today. As he picks up his legs with his hands and swings them over the bed, lifeless. The crackle on the roof alerts his suspicion. The white bumpy blanket outside the window confirms, ice storm, bad one this time. He's facing a battle, but it's a battle of another kind.

Funny thing is, this battle didn't start in a war. He would love to say that his spinal injury was from fighting enemy soldiers in a war in Afghanistan, but instead it was some punk 14 year old kid who didn't know what a good thing he had in America, stealing a wallet with $20 and some closed credit cards.


dw

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How to use Blogger to set up your own domain name for less than $10 a year!

A step by step guide to setting up a hosted top level domain name on Blogger. 

Wanting my own domain:

I've always wanted my own domain name. I kept thinking it would be too expensive to host a full website on my starting budget. So I settled for using Wordpress and Blogger subdomains. And that wasn't bad. But it wasn't great either.

Have you ever wanted your website, non profit website, business website, or blog to have a more professional web address or domain name? But you just don't want to pay the big bucks for a "real website". At least not yet.

Maybe when you become more successful, but you are still trying to keep the rent/mortgage paid. Therefore you must keep costs down. So you came to Blogger because you tried Wordpress.com and you got tired of them stopping you from entering your own html and affiliate links. In the end, whether you chose Wordpress or Blogger  or both, you settled for a subdomain.

So instead of getting that cool "MyAwesomenessOfASite.Com" site you wanted, you settled for "MyAwesomenessOfASite.wordpress.com" or "MyAwesomenessOfASite.blogspot.com".

But what if I told you that getting a real domain name doesn't have to mean hosting a website yourself!? That's right! Blogger will host your domain name for free, and wordpress.com, will do it for just a few dollars a year.

In fact, although this post is about using Domain.Com and Blogger.Com, you could use these instructions to understand Domain.Com better and use Wordpress.Com's instructions for their part of it, which is really the smaller part anyway. That is, if you are still using Wordpress.com... for some reason.

The only thing you will pay for, if you use Blogger, is the domain name itself. Which for most people will be about $9.99 per year. It can be less and more depending on what name you choose. More on that in a moment.

Just in case, you don't want ALL the details and blow by blow screen shots, here are the steps right up front.

The Steps:

1. Buy a domain from Domain.Com (or you favorite place)
1. Buy from Domain.com! 
2. In Blogger, Settings, Basic, Publishing, +Add a domain name
1. Type in the name you bought.
2. Make sure to include the "www"
3. Expect an error message. You WANT the error message.
3. In Domain.Com set up your CNAME using the instructions Blogger gives.
1. Enter the www and ghs.google.com as well as the 12 digit and 21digit numbers as mentioned above. 
4. WAIT for it....WAIT for it....
1. After an hour or two, once the system has had time to reset things for you...
5. Go Back to Blogger and type in the new domain name.
1. Make sure to include the www.
2. Hit SAVE
3. This time there should be no error! 
6. You are basically done. 
7. You should also, go back and set up A Name listings as well. See my whole post for more on that. 

See my WHOLE post for more tips and extra advice. Now to a blow by blow explanation!

Buy your domain name and website from two different places:

So the only cost to you is to go buy a domain name from one of the many "registrars" out there. Eventually you will probably want to get a fully hosted site, maybe. If you do here is a thought about why you do NOT want to buy your domain name from the place that you may eventually host. 

I don't know all the details exactly... but here is what my friend Mark said to me, who has run websites for his own businesses for decades. He assures me that you do not want to buy the domain name from the same place you host your site. Something about the site you host on getting mad at you and shutting your site down and locking you out and making life difficult for you and you loosing the domain name in the process.

If you buy your domain name from one service and host with a different service and the host service causes you problems, you just go to your domain registrar and point the domain name at the new service you set up with someone else.

If you were, (*just for example not saying either of these places are good or bad), but let's say you went to Go Daddy and had problems but bought your domain name from Domain.Com. Well, just go to Blue Host, set up the new site and point the domain name to Blue Host instead.

You are up and running in hours while you work out the issues with Go Daddy. Again, just examples not saying either of those is better than another. I have no idea which fully hosted site is best, obviously I still use Blogger.

What Domain name should I buy?

When choosing a domain name make sure it fits what you want. I wanted DarrellWolfe.Com because I want to operate under my own brand. But for my food reviews site I chose lifeinfortworth.com because it fit the niche market I'm looking to serve there. Because of that, as I build it, the site should start to rank higher in search hits for things around fort worth just because of the domain name I chose. The domain name actually plays a part in your search hits. 

Please check these articles out before paying for anything, check them out in this order:

1. http://michaelhyatt.com/website-name.html
2. http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/a-checklist-for-evaluating-a-worthy-domain-name/
3. http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/domain-names-audience-youtube-blackboard-adsense-earnings/
4. http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/niche-site-duel-2-branding-domain-names/

I use Domain.Com

I use Domain.Com because I have had great experiences with them. Their website is clean and easy to use. They make things very simple. Really nice interface. Nothing much more complicated than that. Plus the very fact they own the rights to "Domain.Com" seems pretty sound to me. To read more "About" them click here. There is really nothing more to it than that. I like them. I've used them for several other websites for years. I will continue to use them because they make it so easy to do business. They have a host of services I haven't used yet, but probably will when I get more money coming in to do so. 

Now, as of today I am an affiliate. Which means I'll get paid if you sign up for a domain name through them by clicking the this link: Host your website with Domain.com!

But I would have written this anyway, even if I wasn't. I wrote most of this post before it occurred to me to see if they have an Affiliate Program, and they do! And it's free to join. So by the time this post goes live, I'll be a Domain.Com Affiliate. For more information about what it means to be an affiliate click here.

Setting Up Your New Domain Name:

You Will Need:

I thought it would be helpful to set you up for success. Here's what you will need to get started.

• Internet
• Web Browser (I use Opera)
• Note Pad 
• (Either real paper or electronic, doesn't matter but electronic would be easier to copy and paste).
• Three Tabs Open
• Blogger.Com
• Blogger Instructions
• Domain.Com
• Chosen Domain Name(s)
• You will have wanted to take time to consider what domain names you want to try to buy, come up with some alternatives. Choosing your domain name, depending on what you want and what's available may be the longest part of this task. 
• It took all of ten seconds to find that DarrellWolfe.Com was available. 
• But my LifeInFortWorth.Com was originally going to be TexasLiving.Com and it was taken. In the end I liked LifeInFortWorth.Com WAY better! Just hadn't thought of it.
• It probably took me an hour to figure out that domain name and choose it. I was happy with the end result, and very happy that I took my time and prayed about it before locking in my choice. 

Using Domain.Com and choosing a domain name:

First go to my favorite place to buy Domains: Domain.Com. Just search for the domain you want and when you find one available buy it, on Domain.com!

Now keep this window open because you are going to do some work on Domain.Com after you have done some work with Blogger.

+Add a domain name in Blogger:

In Blogger, on the left panel, last option, click on "Settings"

Then the first option "Basic" will have several options to the page on your right. One section, seen below, is "Publishing". Simply click "+Add a custom domain..."

You will then see the screen that has "Advanced Settings". Make sure to open the "Settings Instructions" because it gives you more details you need to do the following procedures.


Settings Instruction take you: HERE

Add in the domain name you bought. When you add the domain it must be a "Top Level" domain. Which means you must add the "www" to the front or it won't work. For example, put in "www.darrellwolfe.com" NOT "darrellwolfe.com". Now hit save and you will see an error message. This is what you want to see!

Now that you have your error message you can do the next steps. You should see two sets of data. One will say "www" and "ghs.google.com". The next set of data will look like a complete mess of numbers and letters. The first set may be about 12 digits, the next will be about 21 digits followed by "...googlehosted.com" These are the four sets of data you need for Domain.Com.

Now the www and ghs.google.com is going to be the same for everyone. The 12 digits and 21 digits are specific to your blog. If you have used Blogger to set up 20+ blogs, for example, each of them would have different digits that pop here, specific to this particular blog.

On Domain.Com Under DNS choose CNAME Alias

Go to your DNS section under your new domain name on Domain.Com...(*Note: NOT your nameservers, leave those alone.). There will be a drop down box next to "Modify:" Select the option that says: "CNAME Alias".

Now on the CNAME Alias you will need those four pieces from Blogger.

You will type in the www under host and ghs.google.com under points to. Then do the same for your specific info. Click "Add" and enter your 12 digit under the host section and 21digit.googlehosted.com under Point To.

Now we wait...

...no really... we wait... You can leave these screens up if you want, but walk away, for at least an hour or two. Go watch Captain America. Or better yet go read Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World.

Once domain.com has had anywhere from 10 minutes to two hours to update, you should be able to proceed by going back to Blogger.

Note: Don't use the "Nameservers" section. Use the DNS section and choose CNAME Alias from the drop down.

Going back to Blogger you will now hit save.

If you recall we started this adventure in Blogger hitting save and getting an error message. That error message was telling us that the domain name didn't recognize Blogger. If you waited the hour I told you to, and you did the other steps right, you should NOW be able to hit save. If you closed your screens that's perfectly OK!

Just go back to settings, basic, publishing, +add a custom domain name, type in your newly set up domain "www.mynewdomain.com" and make sure you use the "www" in front. Now hit Save. it should work this time with no error message.

If you did everyting right so far, you should now see under Publishing a note that mydomin.blogspot.com redirects to www.mynewdomain.com

If you go ahead and go back in and edit there will be a little button you can click that will tell "mynewdomain.com" (without the wwww) to forward to "www.mynewdomain.com". But only after it recognizes the top level version with the www. You will see a small check box followed be "Redirect example.com to www.example.com". Then hit save. 

There are a few other things to talk about if you want to make sure things are working to their best ability for you.

Extra Credit; things you should also do or consider. 

Set up your A Records:

You will also want to set up your A Records. This will be done back on the DNS Tab. Simple use the drop down again and click on "A Record". This ensures that if someone types in your website without the "www" in front they still get to you instead of getting to an error message.

There will already be many A records there. But you will want to set up four additional ones.

Pasted from Google Bloggers Instruction Page:

1. Optional: You can also enter A-records, which links your naked domain (example.com) to an actual site (www.example.com). If you skip this step, visitors who leave off the "www" will see an error page.
2. Optional continued: After completing Step 8, enter your domain name in the format example.com, and list the I.P. addresses shown below in the "A" section. You'll need to create four separate A-records which point to four different Google IPs.
   

   216.239.32.21
   216.239.34.21
   216.239.36.21
   216.239.38.21

   End of optional section

So, simply type in your website without the www under host. "example.com" and then paste one of the four numbers from blogger 216.239.32.21 under Point To. Repeat for each of the four, notice they are all the same except for the (32, 34, 36, 38).

Choose a personalized Email:

One last thing you could do, not required but it's worth doing, especially since you paid for the domain name. Use your personalized email. example@example.com. Me@DarrellWolfe.Com and Darrell@DarrellWolfe.Com are mine. Feel free to email me if you found this article helpful. Also comment below.

Now under the Overview Tab find the link that says Mail and click on that.

Simply click on the the Plus (+) Button on the right.

Click on Forward to another mailbox. Select the email you want @yourdomain.com and then what email address you have set up with one of the free providers that you want it forwarded to when someone emails you. You probably are using GMAIL because you have to have a google ID to access blogger because Blogger is a google product. Therefore, you could use that email. But you could also use your free yahoo, hotmail, live, outlook, aol, or any other such thing and no one would ever know you've been using those services because they emailed you at "Example@yourdomain.com".

Just to clarify. By doing this. It simply forwards your email. So they send an email to me@darrellwolfe.com and the email is forwarded to example@gmail.com. I still use gmail to access my emails, but I get to use a nifty email address!

Pretty neat huh?!

Lock Your Domain

As an added precaution it would be good to go ahead and now travel from the DNS tab to the Security tab and "Lock" your domain so that it cannot be transfered. You can undo this later if you ever need to transfer ownership of the name.

What the?! Why did I get an error asking if this is my domain? 

Best laid plans often have set backs. I set everything up. It worked. My site said the new domain. Then an hour later I went back and it looked like this:

Why did THAT happen? Well it takes time for the servers all over the Internet to figure out what to do with your new domain. Go to bed and figure it out tomorrow. Sure enough. I went to bed and the next morning all was well. In fact, my darrellwolfe.com without the "www" worked too, because I set up my A Records last night before going to bed!

Conclusion I now have a Top Level Domain:

Hurrah! I'm set up with a new name for an old blog. I never moved the blog, changed it, imported anything. I just gave the web address a facelift, and I only paid $9.99 for my domain name!

Review the Steps:

1. Buy a domain from Domain.Com (or you favorite place)
1. Host your website with Domain.com! 
2. In Blogger, Settings, Basic, Publishing, +Add a domain name
1. Type in the name you bought.
2. Make sure to include the "www"
3. Expect an error message. You WANT the error message.
3. In Domain.Com set up your CNAME using the instructions Blogger gives.
1. Enter the www and ghs.google.com as well as the 12 digit and 21digit numbers as mentioned above. 
4. WAIT for it....WAIT for it....
1. After an hour or two, once the system has had time to reset things for you...
5. Go Back to Blogger and type in the new domain name.
1. Make sure to include the www.
2. Hit SAVE
3. This time there should be no error! 
6. You are basically done. 
7. You should also, go back and set up A Name listings as well. See my whole post for more on that. 

If you found this to be helpful, feel free to try it yourself. Blogger is FREE and they charge nothing to host your domain name. So it's only going to cost you the going rate for a domain name at domain.com. Which can be anywhere from just a few dollars if you use a lesser used one like .info or .biz or something like that.

It may cost about $9-$15 for a more common one like .com or .org. You may even pay hundreds or thousands for popular domain names. So start with something that works well for you and doesn't cost you a bunch. After all. If you are using this method, it's because you didn't want to fork out hundreds a year for a self hosted site yet anyway... not that you won't, but you aren't ready.


Host your website with Domain.com!

Do you have any other powerful tips to help with setting up, using, or choosing a domain name? Please share by commenting below! 

______________________________________________


By Darrell Wolfe

www.DarrellWolfe.com

Connect

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Twitter @DarrellWolfe
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Disclaimers:

FOR MY FULL DISCLAIMER: See my "Start Here About" page. Click Here

* Information here is As-Is. These are the opinions of a fellow traveler and seeker of truth. I am not a doctor, lawyer, licensed financial advisor, tax preparer, etc, etc... I'm just one guy, sharing what he's learned. As such, the information may be as true or faulty as the guy on the buss stop giving you directions. If you need accurate information I encourage you to seek the help of a professional in your field. 

* I do make money from this blog. 1 Tim 5:18 says the worker is worthy of his wages. I do earn affiliate commissions or freebies from some of the products I discuss at various points on this blog. Regardless I only suggest things that have personally helped me, or someone I know. If you click on an "Affiliate Link" and you buy something I'll get a cut. Thanks for your support! 

* I am a conservative Christian. I write from a bible-centric point of view. I welcome people from other points of view to jump into the conversation. If you don't like bible-centric writing: I encourage you not to read my posts.... Unless you want to learn something new. 

* In all you do: Live Long and Prosper, with GOOD SUCCESS! 


Thank you, Darrell Wolfe

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In a hurry

2014/01/25 Writing Practice

An orange sits on a table. The shine of it's shell picking up the light of the morning sun through the window. Next to it, coffee and a donut. Earl left this morning without taking any of them, because he was late... again.









Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this. I'd love to make a community with this project. If you would like to add, comment on, critique, or otherwise participate... that would be great! Please include any information about yourself, your blog/wesbite/amazon author page that you want to share with the community also.





It's Author Fun By @DarrellWolfe



To Subscribe to the RSS: Click Here



For Non-Fiction writing by Darrell G. Wolfe: Click Here



Any work not otherwise attributed is Copy Right Darrell G. Wolfe



All Rights Reserved © Darrell G. Wolfe



Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I may also have received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” A Big Thank You to Michael Hyatt for helping us Bloggers with these new legal disclosure requirements.

    

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In a hurry

2014/01/25 Writing Practice

An orange sits on a table. The shine of it's shell picking up the light of the morning sun through the window. Next to it, coffee and a donut. Earl left this morning without taking any of them, because he was late... again.




Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this. I'd love to make a community with this project. If you would like to add, comment on, critique, or otherwise participate... that would be great! Please include any information about yourself, your blog/wesbite/amazon author page that you want to share with the community also.


It's Author Fun By @DarrellWolfe

To Subscribe to the RSS: Click Here

For Non-Fiction writing by Darrell G. Wolfe: Click Here

Any work not otherwise attributed is Copy Right Darrell G. Wolfe

All Rights Reserved © Darrell G. Wolfe

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I may also have received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” A Big Thank You to Michael Hyatt for helping us Bloggers with these new legal disclosure requirements.

    

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The Plight of the Black Pen

2014/01/24 Writing Practice

It's laying on the desk, next to several other pens. The only difference is it's color. Black and Silver pick up more of the light from the room than the other pens do. Maybe this is why he is more aware of his plight then they are. They lay there, simple, content to do nothing. Some are prettier, but less functional than he is. But they all lay, unchosen, for now. Is Black the only pen that chooses to ponder his fate, his plight, his meaning in this life?

Each pen is different, but this pen feels more different. He lays there. Incapable of moving until The Author chooses him for his craft. He was not chosen today. He will remain until he is either chosen, or discarded. The pen has no choice but to wait, and find out his fate. To see if The Author will use him today.

 Allas, The Author gets up to leave, off to work for the day. The pen was not chosen this day... but there is hope, tomorrow may be different. The pen will keep being who the pen is. Because one day, he just knows it, the pen will fulfill his destiny! 

Darrell





Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this. I'd love to make a community with this project. If you would like to add, comment on, critique, or otherwise participate... that would be great! Please include any information about yourself, your blog/wesbite/amazon author page that you want to share with the community also.





It's Author Fun By @DarrellWolfe



To Subscribe to the RSS: Click Here



For Non-Fiction writing by Darrell G. Wolfe: Click Here



Any work not otherwise attributed is Copy Right Darrell G. Wolfe



All Rights Reserved © Darrell G. Wolfe



Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I may also have received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” A Big Thank You to Michael Hyatt for helping us Bloggers with these new legal disclosure requirements.

Read more →

The Plight of the Black Pen

2014/01/24 Writing Practice

It's laying on the desk, next to several other pens. The only difference is it's color. Black and Silver pick up more of the light from the room than the other pens do. Maybe this is why he is more aware of his plight then they are. They lay there, simple, content to do nothing. Some are prettier, but less functional than he is. But they all lay, unchosen, for now. Is Black the only pen that chooses to ponder his fate, his plight, his meaning in this life?

Each pen is different, but this pen feels more different. He lays there. Incapable of moving until The Author chooses him for his craft. He was not chosen today. He will remain until he is either chosen, or discarded. The pen has no choice but to wait, and find out his fate. To see if The Author will use him today.

 Allas, The Author gets up to leave, off to work for the day. The pen was not chosen this day... but there is hope, tomorrow may be different. The pen will keep being who the pen is. Because one day, he just knows it, the pen will fulfill his destiny! 

Darrell


Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this. I'd love to make a community with this project. If you would like to add, comment on, critique, or otherwise participate... that would be great! Please include any information about yourself, your blog/wesbite/amazon author page that you want to share with the community also.


It's Author Fun By @DarrellWolfe

To Subscribe to the RSS: Click Here

For Non-Fiction writing by Darrell G. Wolfe: Click Here

Any work not otherwise attributed is Copy Right Darrell G. Wolfe

All Rights Reserved © Darrell G. Wolfe

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I may also have received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” A Big Thank You to Michael Hyatt for helping us Bloggers with these new legal disclosure requirements.

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Command the winds!

COME

2 Corinthians 10:3–5 

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.2 CORINTHIANS 10:3–5- See more at: http://gatewaydevotions.com/it-is-written/day-20#sthash.Q7Ifrj4u.dpuf

HEAR

In the devotional today The author tells this story:

...I was at the church teaching a Bible class and one of those wild, Texas storms came blowing in from the west. My wife was at home with our children and the storm sirens began to go off, signaling there was a tornado nearby. She turned on The Weather Channel and the radar map showed the tornados were in our neighborhood. So she grabbed the kids and went into the safest room in the house. They were huddled in there for about 15 minutes and my son, Seth, was tired of cowering under the tornado. He stood up, lifted his finger and said, “God, I command You, in Jesus’ name, to move that tornado! - See more at: http://gatewaydevotions.com/it-is-written/day-20#sthash.Q7Ifrj4u.dpuf

He starts to say that the kid needed to know who the boss was but God probably likes his spunk anyway... I was thinking about that. I was thinking about Jesus. He talked to storms. He said we'd do greater things. I KNOW Kenneth Copeland has talked to storms they've obeyed him. My own son has talked to storms and they obeyed him.

John 14:12
12 I am telling you the truth: those who believe in me will do what I do - yes, they will do even greater things, because I am going to the Father.

So here's my thought for today. I know, beyond any doubt, that I have authority over tornadoes and storms. But where I've struggled is the intangible things. I need to take authority over my life, job, career, sickness, finances, etc...

I'm going to live free of worry about money, just like Jesus did (with his 12 full time staff, 120 part time staff, and full time treasurer/CPA!) Accept I'll get a CPA who doesn't betray me. I hope.

DO

Start to ask myself...  instead of just speaking (complaining) about things, what things could I be speaking to?


DW

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I am a WRITER!

WRITER

I am a writer:

Books in my Tiny Office

Yesterday was incredible! I received revelation and clarity for 2014. I AM A WRITER! Jeff Goins talks about making that declaration being the most revolutionary part of his career. Everything changed when he decided that. It's amazing what clarity will do for you.

I was being torn between what I was becoming passionate about and what I thought I was supposed to be doing. For years everyone has told me that I should be a musician and in audio mixing. I pursued that career this year. I even took an audio course. I know that is still part of my calling. Music and Audio is in there somewhere. But it's not my focus for 2014. I am a writer. I'm going to explore that solely this year.

The moment of realization hit me when my wife, who has always seen more in me than I see in myself turned to me pointed out that even during my audio class I didn't talk about it. I didn't read the books and find new books and get "into it". It was mostly focused on one day a week. But at the same time all semester I WAS really getting into writing books, blogging books, two Podcasts on becoming a better writer and Blogger and more successful online business.

The book I read the most in the last month was Writing Fiction For Dummies. It kept repeating this theme that resonated with me. Fiction is about creating a powerful emotional experience. Everything we do in life is this way. We live life as an emotional experience, primarily. What would a movie be without Music? Why? It creates a powerful emotional experience. Story is this way too. We live life as a story, and we retell the past, and forecast the future as a story.

Lessons to Learn:

Sometimes it's hard to be self aware of what your real passions are and what you feel your "ought to be" passionate about, but aren't. To find your passion:

1. What do you do, when you have nothing to do... what do you find to do without trying?
2. When you have the opportunity to find a new book, blog post, project, music, song, podcast... what do you gravitate towards?
3. When you are still... what do you think about naturally?

Update: I needed to add this video. You need to see this! 

What are YOU passionate about?

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Published © Darrell G. Wolfe 

• http://darrellwolfe.blogspot.com/

• Connect 

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I'd love to hear from you on this. 

What thoughts or comments could you add to this topic?

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Moving On Up

I have decided to blog under my own name. For that reason my blog has a new address. Please visit:

www.darrellwolfe.com to find the continuation of this work, and other works by me. Thank you for your interest.

www.darrellwolfe.com

Darrell G. Wolfe The Blog

Eradicating Debt, Experiencing the Supernatural, Exploring Good Success

Who are you?

• You are someone who is:
• Tired of debt.
• Discontent with religion as-we-know-it
• Done feeling the stress and pressures of being merely natural. 
• You want to find:
• Lasting Prosperity!
• The Supernatural! 
• Good Success!

What can you expect?

• I will be posting here at least once a week. 
• Each post will be scheduled on Mondays. 
• I will put out special posts periodically. 
• I will send some Twitter posts to the blog when I feel it could help you. 

Labels:

 My aim is to bring my own focus, for the benefit of you my reader, and so I will post to the following categories:

1. Spiritual Growth
1. Things that will feed your spirit, including studies in the Word of God.  
2. Leadership
1. Things that will help you become the leader you were always meant to be.
3. Keys To Success 
1. Things that will help you succeed in the world marketplace. These could be concepts, ideas, professional growth tips, etc. 
4. Financial Excellence 
1. Things that will help you succeed in the area of finances.
5. Technology & Tools 
1. As a geek I'm always looking for new tools or toys. I tend to do things the hard way, try three new things and then pick the one I like. I'll share reviews that I think will help you as a reader narrow things down much faster if you are just looking to jump to the right thing. 
6. News & Events 
1. My personal commentary and perspective on recent news and events, either common news, local news, or news and events in my personal life.

Who am I?

My name is Darrell G. Wolfe. 

• I am a Child of my Father, Friend of Brother, Student of my Teacher.
• Husband, Father, Uncle, Son, and Friend
• Creative Writer
• Audio Mixer Musician
• Blogger and Author
• Professional trades have included...
• Banker
• Restaurant Server
• Tire Installer
• Cowboy Hat Shaper
• Other...

• My Bio and Resume
• Connect

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Armor of God

COME:

http://gatewaydevotions.com/it-is-written/day-17Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.EPHESIANS 6:11–12- See more at: http://gatewaydevotions.com/it-is-written/day-17#sthash.UVwCoELa.dpuf

HEAR:

I need to spend more time in the word. And put that before the other things. Even in my new dovotional schedule it seem to be the one thing that get's pressed out for time.

DO:

Put the WORD first, then prayer, then journal, then the quite time. Maybe I could even incorporate my reading for the day as a section of my journal and save posts on this site for longer studies... something to ponder.

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The Tale Overdraft Prevention Pt 1

Bad Day

The sizzle of steaming milk hits his ears as Joe releases the cold aluminum handle of the glass door. He heads in for his morning Venti Javachip Frap 3 extra shots. It would cost $4 of his last $10, but it was worth it.



The subtle murmur of 20 conversations bounce around him accented by a soft soprano and warm saxophone wafting down from above. He takes a deep breath as he is assaulted by syrup flavors and brewed coffees, a warm welcome before a long cold day.



His next client should be here in just over an hour, just enough time to prepare and get the jitters out. I really need this one.  As he makes his way through the line, images of stacks of unopened mail rise, as reminders of debts and overdue bills threatening to steal his one moment of morning peace... he brushes those thoughts aside as he takes a deep inhale of the coffee and pastries around him. It's his turn. He hands his card to the cashier and scans the cafe'.



People are sitting around talking with one another. Others are reading intensely. One young man is totally passed out, leaning against a wall. His eye drifted to the other end of the restaurant. His favorite chair was being evacuated...



"That's odd... Let me try that again..." The voice in front of him. The haze lifts as he is brought back to the moment... "I'm so sorry sir. Your card as been declined. I tried it twice but it's still not working. Do you have another card?" Such a sweet young voice to deliver such crushing news...



"No... I'm sorry..." his words trail off as he takes back his card and leaves, shoulders and head down. Not this again. Did he misjudge his balance again? He checked it just the other day.



"Hey! I've got his on my tab..." says a deep gentle voice from behind.



Joe looks back, slightly confused for the moment, to see a man in his mid 50's, threads of grey well blended into his black hair wearing a dark blue jeans and an overcoat. The man smiles graciously at Joe. Joe replies: "Thank you sir!" followed by a regained, though slightly self-conscious, smile in return.



The elder man simply put up his hand in a half wave and paid the lady, then walked to his own seat and pulled out a book... quickly lost to his own world again.



Joe took his coffee and sat down in his favorite chair. It wasn't usually available, but this time no body was there. He placed his coat over the chair next to him, reserved for his client, and melted into the smooth cool leather. He pulled up his Bank App to check his balance and confirm his suspicion.



"$367 Negative! What the...!?" He stares in disbelief at his phone. How could this happen to me. It's not fair. That bank is trying to rob me and I can't do anything about it, it's just not fair! ...moments later, he noticed the gentle stranger was standing in front of him.



"Do you mind?" The stranger motions to the chair with the jacket.



A faint nod of approval and the man laid the jacket on the back of the chair and took a seat. Joe's palms are sweating head begins to throb. Images of bills, and more bills come rushing back into his mind. Those telephone calls at odd hours from people demanding to be paid... "If you don't pay you'll leave us no option but to sue you!" the voice of his last phone call the night before still ringing in his ears.



"My name is Max. What's your name son?" The gentle man doesn't seem to be intruding, just coming over out of genuine concern.



That's when he noticed a few stares from other coffee shop guests. "Joe."



"What seems to be the problem?"



"My bank balance. It's negative."



"So the bank balance came as a shocker this morning huh?"



"Yes sir."



"What's causing the problem? Fraud in there somewhere?"



"I don't know."



"Well it seems you have a fancy little app there to tell you what transactions came through. Look them over and see if any are out of place. If you didn't do something you can call and let the bank know and they'll fix it for you."



Joe took a cursory glance at the purchases. But he knew what he'd find. "It looks like these are all mine. I just don't understand why the bank does this. They hold items and don't show them just to make me pay overdraft fees..."



"Now..." The man's eyes looked straight into Joe's, eyebrows crinkled slightly up, and a faint smile whisked his lips. "...this may overstep my place a bit, but I really want to help. Didn't you basically know before you opened the phone what you'd see?"



"Why would you say that? Of course not. Why would I be at the register handing a card I knew wouldn't work?" Of all the rude things to assume... then again, maybe he was right... just a little. 


"Well yes, that's true. But you looked like you knew, and half expected it, when she said it was declined. This isn't the first time is it?"



Nailed! "No sir." Joe was officially undressed before this kind man.



"Well, Joe, can I tell you that when I was younger..." Max readjusted in his chair and leaned forward a bit. "I paid $300 per month in overdraft fees for quite a while?!"



"You did?!" Joe sat forward too.



"What if I told you that you could make a few changes and never pay another overdraft fee for the rest of your life?"



"What? That would be awesome, but that's not possible. These banks have you over the coals. They post things out of order just to make more money off of you."



"Well..." Max's smile broadened. "Actually they post things according to very strict laws that deal with how merchants are allowed to process, and there are many things going on between the government, bank, credit card companies and merchant stores that you wouldn't understand right now. They post them when the merchant says to. The real question is..." Max pointed at Joe and leaned even further forward. "...are you going to be the victim of an over-sized bureaucracy or are you going to take control of your money are win? Max leaned back, folded his hands onto his lap and did nothing. Just breathed and kept his eyes locked onto Joe, even when Joe looked partially away.



This guy is good. He'd set out his hook, laid out his teaser and bait. Now he was through. He wouldn't make another move unless and until Joe did. Joe knew that because he was a trained sales person and this was the best sales pitch he'd ever seen. This guy was using all the right sales methods and words, but he was struck by how genuine and strong this man was. He couldn't really place his finger on why, but he instantly knew he could trust him. Glancing at his watch just to make sure he had the time, he did. "Sure. I'll bite. How can I avoid overdraft fees for the rest of my life?"



"It's actually not hard at all. But it does take understanding about how things work, and a new way of doing things. Pull up your app there, and find a link that will take you to services or customer service, whatever they are calling the self service area of their app. Once you get there, find anything that says 'Overdraft'."



Joe found the link to services. He found another link that said "Overdraft Services". "OK, got it."



Max leaned over to look at the app with Joe. "Good, now you see here that there are two services mentioned?" Joe nods. "This one here is Overdraft Protection. It's very standard, most banks offer it in one form or another. It refers to taking money from your savings or credit card and putting into your checking if you checking becomes negative. Now... when's the last time you had money in your savings?"



"I can't even remember a time." Joe replied.



"Exactly! So that's not very helpful. And how's your credit card?"



"My credit card is maxed out with them."



"Aha. The few times you do have something in your savings they charge you a fee to transfer you own money over...  So Overdraft Protection is basically pointless right?"



"Yes... I guess it is."



"OK, step one, De-Link your savings and credit card as Overdraft Protection." Joe clicks a few buttons and it's done. Interesting way of looking at things. Max continues, "Now you see this other service here? It's called Overdraft Service. It's completely different from Overdraft Protection. This is actually giving you a choice you probably didn't know you have. Right now you are enrolled in the Overdraft Service. So every time you swipe your card and the money is not there the bank is letting the purchase through and charging you fees for it. Then when the account is really overdrawn because you didn't keep a good record they stop approving the transactions until you bring it positive. So you are getting what you wanted to buy but paying fees for it right?"



Joe just keeps nodding and listening. "So then, you go to the gas station, you make a purchase for $50 to fill up and it was pending for $1 that first day. You see here, how that gas station was done on Monday, but it's barely posted last night? You checked your balance, thought you had money you didn't have so for two days you've been spending money you already spent. Then when those other transactions came through they all posted negative and caused fees. You ended up paying several fees last night and tonight for purchases. Then your bills came out in the form of checks and e-checks and they posted negative. It all snow balled. Half of this balance in fees."



Joe looked at Max. He was still smiling so he must not be done. "So I have a say in this?"



Max continued, "Yes you do! If you did not enroll in that service and you went to make a purchase with your card and there was no money in the account the card would have declined instead of being approved. No overdraft no fees."



"Yes... but in this case my gas station purchase wasn't showing and the balance thought I had money, so would that have helped in this instance?"



"Actually yes. Because the bank cannot charge you fees for card purchases if you are not enrolled in the Overdraft Service."



"So if I hadn't been enrolled, this whole thing would have played out the same, but with no fees?"



"Almost. No fees for card purchases. The checks and e-checks still would have had fees. But since 3/4 of the fees were from card purchases, that would have solved  3/4 of your problem, yes... " Joe noticed the sun breaking through the rain clouds through the window.



"So I can turn this off and no more card fees?"



"Almost. There is one caveat'. You can still get fees for Recurring purchases, such as Netflix, LA fitness, or your car insurance. But all one time purchases and ATM withdrawals will either be declined, no fee you just don't get what you're trying to buy, or if they do post negative due to checks you still won't get fees."



"I'm turning this off now! That is NOT how my banker explained it to me. He just said that setting it up will help me in an emergency and I would have 24 hours to make it up without fees."



While Joe scrolls through screens and options turning the feature off Max explains,"Turn it off, and your banker was an idiot. Maybe, there is a slight chance you get a deposit it the SAME DAY before they cut off their posting for the day, but it's unlikely, and definitely not 24 hours."



"OK! That's done. No overdraft protection and no overdraft service." Joe looks at his watch. "My client will be here in a half hour."



"I think that's good for now. I've got more ideas but I have to get running." Max pulls out a card from his coat pocket. "Why don't you email me if you have any questions about what we talked about. Let's plan on meeting here next Friday morning

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