Gene’s Blog

 

*****

Note: To view Gene’s Blogs posted before February 2012, just visit the “Articles” and “Odds ‘N Ends” sections of NuPathz at http://www.nupathz.com/

 

Download Free – James Allen’s “AS A MAN THINKETH” See below for info…

********

 

 

YOU KNOW YOU’RE IN A REDNECK CHURCH IF:

 

 

1. The finance committee refuses to provide funds for the purchase of a chandelier because none of the members knows how to play one.

 

 

2. People ask, when they learn that Jesus fed the 5000, whether the two fish were bass or catfish and what bait He used to catch ‘em.

 

 

3. When the pastor says, “I’d like to ask Bubba to help take up the offering,” five guys and two women stand up.

 

 

4. Opening day of deer season is recognized as an official church holiday.

 

 

5. A member of the church requests to be buried in his 4-wheel-drive truck because “It ain’t never been in a hole it couldn’t get out of.”

 

 

6. The choir is known as the “OK Chorale!”

 

 

7. In a congregation of 500 members, there are only seven last names in the church directory.

 

 

8. People think “rapture” is what you get when you lift something too heavy.

 

 

9. The baptismal pool is a #2 galvanized “Wheeling” washtub.

 

Read the rest of this entry »

 

*****

Note: To view Gene’s Blogs posted before January 2012, just visit the “Articles” and “Odds ‘N Ends” sections of NuPathz at http://www.nupathz.com/

 

Download Free – James Allen’s “AS A MAN THINKETH” See below for info…

********

 

 

THE FARMER’S DONKEY

 

 

One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.

 

 

Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey.

 

 

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement he quieted down.

 

 

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing.  He would shake it off and take a step up.

 

 

As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up.

 

 

Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

 

 

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

 

Read the rest of this entry »

 

*****

Note: To view Gene’s Blogs posted before January 2012, just visit the “Articles” and “Odds ‘N Ends” sections of NuPathz at http://www.nupathz.com/

 

Download Free – James Allen’s “AS A MAN THINKETH” See below for info…

********

 

 

*Some things are just worth sharing in their entirety…

 

 

17 Rules to Live By
From “A Better Way to Live” by Og Mandino

 

 

Count your blessings. Once you realize how valuable you are and how much you have going for you, the smiles will return, the sun will break out, the music will play and you will finally be able to move forward toward the life that God intended for you…with grace, strength, courage and confidence.

 

 

Today, and every day, deliver more than you are getting paid to do. The victory of success will be half won when you learn the secret of putting out more than is expected in all that you do. Make yourself so valuable in your work that eventually you will become indispensable. Exercise your privilege to go the extra miles, and enjoy all the rewards you receive. You deserve them!

 

 

Whenever you make a mistake or get knocked down by life, don’t look back at it too long. Mistakes are life’s way of teaching you. Your capacity for occasional blunders is inseparable from your capacity to reach your goals. No one wins them all, and your failures, when they happen, are just part of your growth. Shake off your blunders. How will you know your limits without an occasional failure? Never quit. Your turn will come.

 

 

Always reward your long hours of labor and toil in the very best way, surrounded by your family. Nurture their love carefully, remembering that your children need models, not critics, and your own progress will hasten when you constantly strive to present your best side to your children. And even if you have failed at all else in the eyes of the world, if you have a loving family, you are a success.

 

 

Build this day on a foundation of pleasant thoughts. Never fret at any imperfections that you fear may impede your progress. Remind yourself, as often as necessary, that you are a creature of God and have the power to achieve any dream by lifting up your thoughts. You can fly when you decide that you can. Never consider defeat again. Let the vision in your heart be in your life’s blueprint. Smile!

 

Read the rest of this entry »

 

*****

Note: To view Gene’s Blogs posted before January 2012, just visit the “Articles” and “Odds ‘N Ends” sections of NuPathz at http://www.nupathz.com/

 

Download Free – James Allen’s “AS A MAN THINKETH” See below for info…

********

 

 

WHATEVER…

 

 

I don’t really know if this is a word that is used a lot any more by teenagers even though I have been the recipient of the term on a couple of occasions when my granddaughter wasn’t especially pleased with the instructions I had given her.  The thing that brings “whatever” to mind right now is the African Gray parrot that is sitting on the door of her cage about six feet from me.  Yep, that’s what she’s saying… “Whatever…” – preen, preen – “Whatever…” - scratch, preen – “Whatever…”

 

 

Oh, she says a lot of other things, too and is especially skilled at duplicating certain sounds such as “good belch” and “bad gas”.  Hey, I’ve never claimed that she wasn’t totally tacky at times.  Wonder how she learned that stuff?  Certainly not from me…

 

 

Back to “whatever”.  I suppose I’ll have to take at least part of the responsibility for that one because I do use the word periodically.  Oh, not in a snide, sarcastic way.  More in the sense of, “Well, that’s OK and if that’s the way it’s to be, we can work with it”.  I guess it comes under the heading of flexibility.  I’ve found in the years that I’ve trod this good planet, that many of the things we experience are beyond our control.  Oh sure, we can have a lot of influence over what happens in our lives and in truth, the amount of effort we expend in building these influences will almost certainly determine how successful we are in reaching our goals.  But control is a different story entirely.

 

Read the rest of this entry »

 

*****

Note: To view Gene’s Blogs posted before January 2011, just visit the “Articles” and “Odds ‘N Ends” sections of NuPathz at http://www.nupathz.com/

 

Download Free – James Allen’s “AS A MAN THINKETH” See below for info…

********

 

 

I frequently like to think about where I am in my life and the things I’ve done – and the things I would still like to accomplish in whatever time I have left here on this old planet.  A few mornings ago (I like to do this kind of thing in the morning with a big, hot cup of coffee) the question popped into my head, “What should I focus on next?”  Now I’ve been at this personal growth stuff long enough to know that it’s not particularly easy to conduct an honest self-evaluation.  The information has a tendency to get skewed because of our already built-in mental programming or filters.  Then I remembered a technique that can usually help point us in the right direction.  It’s one simple question.  “What’s your trigger?”  What do other people do or say that is bothersome to you – or even pisses you off completely?  What hits your hot button?

 

In less than three seconds, I had my answer.  My trigger is people making statements about a situation, event or concept which they present as 100 percent fact even though it is “obvious” they don’t know what they are talking about.  Hmmm, it looks like there is a whole bunch of information – for me especially – in that sentence, doesn’t it?

 

Part one:  Some time ago, a good friend – and boss – made the following observation.  “Sometimes when people don’t know what they’re talking about – it shows!”  Even though at the time he was referring to a co-worker, I also think it was a nice way for him to pass on a tidbit of important information to me too.  And he was absolutely right.  It can be a huge mistake to pass on erroneous information to any person or group of people who just may know more about the subject than we do.  Occasionally we do this simply because we really think we have all the pertinent information about a topic.  Once in a while though, we wind up “shooting from the hip” for one reason or another - and yes, often it is because our logic processes have provided us with what we feel is an accurate assumption.  At times, we can even become so damned cock-sure that our opinions are correct that nothing – absolutely nothing – any other person says or does will change our mind.  We’re right and that’s all there is to it!

 

Occasionally, we do it just so we can feel included – a contributing member of a group who is capable of conversing intelligently on the current subject.  “If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit.”  Yeah, there are also times when we tend to manipulate the information a bit so we can promote our own personal agenda and prompt our own desired outcome to a situation.

Read the rest of this entry »

 

*****

Note: To view Gene’s Blogs posted before January 2011, just visit the “Articles” and “Odds ‘N Ends” sections of NuPathz at http://www.nupathz.com/

 

Download Free – James Allen’s “AS A MAN THINKETH” See below for info…

********

 

 

That’s it!  I’ve had it!  Here I am bustin’ my hump and all I get is busted in the chops!  Enough awready!  I’m sick and tired of trying to get anything to go my way.  From now on, I’m just going to get up, do my thing and whatever happens – happens!  To hell with it!

 

 

Yep, it does happen, doesn’t it?  To just about everybody I would imagine.  We reach a point where nothing seems to be going the way we’d like it to no matter how hard we try.  It’s like banging our head against a brick wall.  It’s not accomplishing a danged thing and it’s starting to really hurt.

 

 

So what’s the most logical thing to do next?  Let’s see.  If banging our heads against a wall is giving us a headache… well dang, why don’t we just stop doing that?  ‘Cause it sure as heck ain’t workin’!

 

 

Yeah, I know.  We keep hearing the same story over and over.  Set your goals and make your plans so you know what you need to do to reach those goals.  Then get your butt in gear and do stuff.  Keep doing stuff!  Never give up!  Persistence counts!  Go – go – go!  Rah – rah – rah!  Well rah-rah my rump!  There must be a better way…

 

 

Ya know, there just might be – a better way, that is.  Sure, setting goals, planning and doing stuff is a good way to move our lives toward a better future.  However, sometimes we get so over-focused on having everything happen “our way” that we lose sight of the possibility that there may be an even “better way” out there waiting for us.  And it might honestly be a way that will take us to a far better future than we could ever have possible imagined for ourselves.

 

Read the rest of this entry »

 

*****

Note: To view Gene’s Blogs posted before January 2011, just visit the “Articles” and “Odds ‘N Ends” sections of NuPathz at http://www.nupathz.com/

 

Download Free – James Allen’s “AS A MAN THINKETH” See below for info…

********

 

 

He is… she is…, they are…  Go ahead.  Complete the sentence.  Fill in the blank.  About anyone you know.  What words would you use?  Mean, grouchy, controlling, sneaky, nosey, conniving, kind, caring, funny, loving, giving, sexy…?

 

It’s not difficult to do, is it?  We can think about anyone we know and almost instantly assign at least one descriptive word – and usually several – to that individual.  We can categorize them.  And as a result, we are able to predict their actions, how their words and actions will affect us – and how we will continue to think and feel about who they are.

 

People are really predictable, aren’t they?  If someone has been mean to us, there is no doubt in our mind that they will continue on their mean streak.  If they’ve been kind and caring, we know that is the kind of person they are – and we know they will treat us well.

 

So what is one of the main determining factors that allows us to so easily assign labels or characteristics to another person?  What permits us to predict with a fair degree of accuracy how these other individuals will act and how they will treat us?

 

Us.

 

That’s right – us.  You and me.  Even though everyone else in the world is operating (functioning, performing, acting) with their own individual set of rules that determine their overall personality characteristics – and even peculiarities – our assigned “labels” and opinion of their character will be the primary influence on our relationship with them.

 

Here’s how it works.  Think of someone in your life with whom you have a somewhat strained or less than totally pleasant relationship.  Just for the sake of discussion here, we’ll call them “Butthead”.  Butthead is not a particularly fun person to be around.  He (or she) does and says things that bother us – that hurt our feelings or cause us to feel badly about ourselves or our situation.  Butthead has a history of living up to his or her name and we know – absolutely for certain, know – that he or she is not going to change and that our relationship and interactions with this person will not be pleasant.

Read the rest of this entry »

 

*****

Note: To view Gene’s Blogs posted before January 2011, just visit the “Articles” and “Odds ‘N Ends” sections of NuPathz at http://www.nupathz.com/

 

Download Free – James Allen’s “AS A MAN THINKETH” See below for info…

********

 

I received the following piece by e-mail a while back and thought it was well worth passing on.  Yes, it’s been around for more than a few years but unfortunately commonly without attribution to a source or author.  We’ll see what we can do to correct that…

 

 

THE OLD PHONE

 

When I was quite young, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood. I remember the polished, old case fastened to the wall. The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother talked to it.

 

Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person. Her name was “Information Please” and there was nothing she did not know. Information Please could supply anyone’s number and the correct time.

 

My personal experience with the genie-in-a-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer, the pain was terrible, but there seemed no point in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy.

 

I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at the stairway. The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the parlor and dragged it to the landing.  Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver in the parlor and held it to my ear. “Information, please” I said into the mouthpiece just above my head.  A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear.

 

“Information.”

 

“I hurt my finger…” I wailed into the phone, the tears came readily enough now that I had an audience.

 

“Isn’t your mother home?” came the question.

 

“Nobody’s home but me,” I blubbered.

 

“Are you bleeding?” the voice asked.

 

“No,” I replied. “I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts.”

 

“Can you open the icebox?” she asked.

 

I said I could.

 

“Then chip off a little bit of ice and hold it to your finger,” said the voice.

 

After that, I called “Information Please” for everything. I asked her for help with my geography, and she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math. She told me my pet chipmunk that I had caught in the park just the day before, would eat fruit and nuts.

Read the rest of this entry »

 

*****

Note: To view Gene’s Blogs posted before January 2011, just visit the “Articles” and “Odds ‘N Ends” sections of NuPathz at http://www.nupathz.com/

 

Download Free – James Allen’s “AS A MAN THINKETH” See below for info…

********

 

 

THE NEW BOSS

 

A large company, feeling it was time for a shakeup, hired a new CEO. The new boss was determined to rid the company of all slackers. On a tour of the facilities, the CEO noticed a guy leaning on a wall. The room was full of workers and he wanted to let them know that he meant business.

 

He walked up to the guy leaning against the wall and asked, “How much money do you make a week?”

 

A little surprised, the young man looked at him and replied, “I make $400 a week. Why?”

 

The CEO then handed the guy $1,600 in cash and screamed, “Here’s four weeks’ pay, now GET OUT and don’t come back.”

 

Feeling pretty good about himself, the CEO looked around the room and asked, “Does anyone want to tell me what that goof-ball did here?”

 

From across the room came a voice,

 

“Pizza delivery guy from Domino’s.”

 

 

##############################

 

 

A VISIT TO THE FORTUNE TELLER

 

During a recent publicity outing, Jennifer sneaked off to visit a fortune teller of some local repute. In a dark and hazy room, peering into a crystal ball, the mystic delivered grave news.

 

“There’s no easy way to say this, so I’ll just be blunt: Prepare yourself to be a widow. Your husband will die a violent and horrible death this year.”

 

Visibly shaken, Jennifer stared at the woman’s lined face, then at the single flickering candle, then down at her hands. She took a few deep breaths to compose herself. She simply had to know.

 

She met the fortune teller’s gaze, steadied her voice, and asked her question.

 

“Will I be acquitted?

 

 

############################

 

 

THREE MISCHIEVOUS GRANDMAS

 

Three old mischievous Grandmas were sitting on a bench outside a nursing home. About then an old Grandpa walked by, and one of the old Grandma’s yelled out saying, “We bet we can tell exactly how old you are.”

 

The old man said, “There ain’t no way you can guess it, you old fools.”

 

One of the old Grandmas said, “Sure we can! Just drop your under shorts and we can tell your exact age.”

 

Embarrassed just a little, he dropped his drawers. The Grandmas asked him to turn around a couple of times, asked him to jump up and down for a little while and then they all piped up and said, “You’re 84 years old!”

 

“How in the world did you guess?”

 

The old Grandmas snickered and laughed. Slapping their knees and grinning from ear to ear, all three happily yelled in unison, “Because we were at your birthday party yesterday.”

 

 

###########################

 

 

10-YEAR-OLD BLUES

 

A father asked his 10-year old son if he knew about the birds and the bees.

 

“I don’t want to know,” the child said, bursting into tears.  “Promise me you won’t tell me.”

 

Confused, the father asked what was wrong.

 

The boy sobbed, “When I was six, I got the ‘There’s no Easter Bunny’ speech.
At seven, I got the ‘There’s no Tooth Fairy’ speech.

 

When I was eight, you hit me with the ‘There’s no Santa’ speech.

 

If you’re going to tell me that grown-ups don’t really get laid, I’ll have nothing left to live for.”

 

 

******************************

 

 

And remember to take some time out every day just for you, to count your blessings, hug your loved ones and enjoy life’s wonders.  I hope you have a really great day!

 

**DON’T MISS THE WRAP-UP “THOUGHT FOR THE DAY”!!!

 

 

ARE YOU READY FOR A CHANGE?  Then be sure to check out the rest of our stuff (books, thoughts, quotations, links, articles, Words of Wisdom, Odds ‘N Ends, and much, much more) on our main site at:  http://www.nupathz.com/   We have over 1000 pages of everything from videos, jokes, useless facts, bumper stickers and silly signs to humorous stories, off-the-wall thoughts and plenty of terrific articles to help you with your self improvement and personal growth efforts! 

 

SAVE!!!  DOWNLOAD ANY BOOK FOR LESS THAN TWO DOLLARS!

FREE 15 page previews on all books!  Check ‘em out…

 

Also – Select Titles are now available through the Apple iBookstore. See Below…

 

Change Your Thoughts – Change Your Life!

FREE DOWNLOAD – James Allen’s “As A Man Thinketh”

Originally published in 1902, it’s the book that has provided the foundation for many of today’s self improvement and personal growth programs.  Read the original book that has helped millions of people find their way to a better, more enjoyable life.

Available from Nupathz.com at http://www.nupathz.com/Free_E-Books.htm

 

 

SEX AND VIOLENCE, WARS AND CONFLICTS!  Think our lives are not heavily influenced by our basic animal instincts?  Think again as you read through “JUST BETWEEN US CRITTERS” by Gene Simmons. It’s available at: http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/genenupathz   - and through the “Books” section of NuPathz.com at http://www.nupathz.cvom/newlit1.htm  

* ”JUST BETWEEN US CRITTERS” is ALSO AVAILABLE through any major book retailer…

ISBN 1-4116-6176-1

 

Note: This title is also available from the Apple iBookstore and may be downloaded directly to your iPhone®, iPad®, or iPod touch® using the iBook app.

 

 

MORE ABOUT “JUST BETWEEN US CRITTERS”

We are animals – mammals to be just a bit more specific.  As a result, we arrive here on earth with essentially the same instincts for survival and procreation as every other animal.  Whether we want to admit it or not, these instincts are frequently the driving force behind many of the things we do.  Sometimes they serve us well by prompting us to make good decisions related to our well-being.  If we’re not careful however, they might just drag us right into our very own alligator-infested swamp.  “Just Between Us Critters” highlights how our instincts – whether we like it or not - can produce everything from international conflicts to corporate scandals and troublesome sexual adventures.

 For a Quick Preview, click http://www.lulu.com/browse/preview.php?fCID=119028

 

 

OTHER BOOKS by Gene Simmons:

 

“Is This as Good as it Gets?”

ISBN 1-4116-4415-8

 

“What Am I Doing Here?”  (Also see note below…)

ISBN 1-4116-4824-2

 

“Up Close and Personal”  (Also see note below…)

ISBN 1-4116-5179-0

 

“Just Go For It!”

ISBN 1-4116-7577-0

 

“A Short Spiritual Journey”  (Also see note below…)

ISBN 1-4116-8567-9

 

 

***FOR MORE INFORMATION on all books, just go to http://www.nupathz.com/newlit1.htm 

 

SAVE!!!  DOWNLOAD ANY BOOK FOR LESS THAN TWO DOLLARS!

FREE 15 page previews on all books!  Check ‘em out…

 

Note: These titles are also available from the Apple iBookstore and may be downloaded directly to your iPhone®, iPad®, or iPod touch® using the iBook app.  Available in EPub format for most other eBook Readers.

 

 

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

 

Love is the answer - but while you’re waiting for the answer sex raises some pretty good questions. – Woody Allen

 

 

NuPathz.com – Your affordable source for self improvement and self help books & materials

Illuminating the path for personal motivation, growth and development

 

SUCCESS = TAKING THE STEPS TO DO THE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO!

JUST GO FOR IT!

 

*****

Note: To view Gene’s Blogs posted before January 2011, just visit the “Articles” and “Odds ‘N Ends” sections of NuPathz at http://www.nupathz.com/

 

Download Free – James Allen’s “AS A MAN THINKETH” See below for info…

********

 

 

Time.  I’m talking about Time!  Where’d it go?  Not just yesterday, or the week before, but last year – and the one before that – and the one before that…

 

Wow!  It seems like not all that long ago I was running through the alfalfa field on our central Nebraska farm chasing grasshoppers and butterflies and whatever other little flyie (yes, this is a brand new word that you may pencil in on the border of your dictionary if you wish) guys that happened to be hanging around that day.  And now – blink… click… flick… flash… here I am, sitting at the computer in a retired, Medicare world that I couldn’t picture – much less even consider – only a few short years ago.  OK, so maybe “few” isn’t totally accurate, but “short” fits entirely too smoothly.

 

As I remember back on the events of those years passed, the words that pop into my head are “Hey, it’s been a really cool trip!”  Oh, it’s not that I’ve gotten to travel extensively – other than a few sojourns across the western pond complements of Uncle Sam – and it’s not that I’ve been able to partake of the delicacies of a lifestyle of one of the “rich and famous”.  Nope.  I’ve just done pretty much normal-type stuff.  Went to school, put in some military time, got married, had kids, held some jobs, moved around, and now I’m here.  Sitting at my computer in a neat older house on a tree-lined street in a small town in the Ozarks.  Is that cool or what?

 

No, really!  It is absolutely terrific!  Because as I look back on the past years, I realize that I’ve generally been able to do those things I wanted to do.  Sure, some of the events and situations were totally uncomfortable, but they were important to me in that they permitted me to move on to a better – and more comfortable – situation.  And yes, I’ve screwed up and made my share of mistakes as I’ve sauntered down my life path.  Thank God!  Those goofs, those blunders and errors in judgment were the very things that allowed me to learn whatever I needed to learn so I could move on more easily to the yes, better – and more comfortable – situations.

Read the rest of this entry »