Investing in Precious Metals: Gold, Silver and More

When you get into college (or even better before) it is insightful to stash some money for a future house, property, business etc. If it never makes it to those ends, it will help ward off debt (which should be top priority). But how does one do this in an economy where money is hard to come by?

Investment

Using our money wisely has a lot to do with spending it well. However, the other half to effective stewardship is saving it well too. You may have never thought about it like this, but in a way, money can be idle. Just saving it for future use puts it in limbo where it sits static: not increasing (unless you add to it) and most likely decreasing because of inflation. So what do you do? You put your money to work and invest it… Where? That is a fantastic question that will take a lot of research. But to start you out, here is a fantastic informative six minute video on investing in precious metals. Josh Renfro is a good friend of mine and a fellow Alumni at Patriot Academy. He is working for Lone Star Bullion, which is one of the fastest-growing precious metals suppliers in the US. His video is a good resource on the profitability of investing in Gold and Silver. Please watch it and support him by dropping a comment at his website. I know he would appreciate it immensely.

Check out the original article here.

Entrepreneurship

Another great way to put your money to work (with slightly more risk) is to invest in local entrepreneurs. These up and coming business’ can posses a great amount of potential. Be careful which ones you choose to support. To be frank, I would invest in an entrepreneur I know to be humble, transparent, God fearing and hard working.

The Most Reliable Investments…

…are investments you make in the talents, blessings and relationships God has given you. Today, we have forgotten that our mental and physical capabilities (talents) are one of the most important investments we can make. How many people do you know set aside time every day to sharpen their minds by reading and commenting on a good book? (it works wonders you know) How many people do you know are devoted to self development for the benefit of others, the glory of God and their own efficiency? How about family? What about a relationship with your Creator? Can some one say video games?

Silver Time

In summary, time is your currency. It can sit idle, but it will not be saved for another time. Orison Swett Marden stated, “God never gives but one moment at a time,  and does not give a second until he has withdrawn the first. The worst of a lost hour is not so much in the wasted time as in the wasted power.” That currency should be invested in what is important and immediately available: Family, Talent, God… You fill in the blank. Time may be money, but I prefer to think of it as potential power.

Wisely was it said that lost wealth may be regained by industry and economy, lost knowledge by study, lost health by temperance and medicine, but lost time is gone forever.
~ Orison Swett Marden

A Boy Who Works… And Works Well

One of my good friends wrote a paraphrase based off of Rosemarie Urquico’s response to Charles Warnke’s ‘You Should Date an Illiterate Girl’ It was really quite well done, and I enjoyed it so much that I decided to add my own paraphrase to the mix as well.

I would encourage you to see what Grace wrote. I think you will enjoy it as much as I did and it will give a background for what I am about to write.

In the meantime, here are my Two Cents on The Quirks and Benefits of a Boy who Works… and Works Well. Two or three of these lines are courtesy of Elbert Hubbard, from A Message to Garcia, 1899. I would also encourage you to read this short essay as well. You can find the apologia here, and the full pdf here. Additionally, I used a few lines from A Real Man, which you can find here.

 

 

 

 

-His hands are strong, callused and familiar with all manner of tools.

-If he is the kind that works well, his hands also know how to gently lead in a dance and shake another’s hand with controlled power.

-He would rather do a job right, than do it at all.

-If he is the kind that works well, he knows the value of leisure with loved ones, a book or silence.

-He doesn’t look for help if he does not need it.

-If he is the kind that works well, he speaks well of his employer, thinks well of him, stands by him and stand by the institution he represents.

-If he is the kind that works well, he knows how to work in the world, without getting sucked up in its rat races.

-He understands, and is a good steward of, the incredible currency: time. (Luke 16:10-11)

-If he is the kind that works well, he whistles at his task and wears a cheerful countenance. (Col. 3:23-24)

-If he is the kind that works well, he will take a missive to anyone and not inquire as to why or how or whether or not there is any hurry.

-If he is the kind who works well, he does the right thing without being told, and if he is told, there is never a need to tell him again.

-He is not afraid of hard work, and takes every challenge with both fists.

-If he is the kind the works well, he understands the concept of work; that he does it to glorify his creator and make the life around him thrive. (Rom. 12:1-2)

-He is that absurd individual who is up before the birds are because he believes the morning is the most beautiful time of the day.

-If he is the kind that works well, he can accept criticism of his work and use it to better his next venture. (Prov. 12:1)

-If he is the kind that works well, he doesn’t try to prove himself but is simply confident as he walks in the fear of the Lord.

-He likes well-kept tools and has always aspired to drive in a nail with one blow.

-A boy who works well is loyal, devoted, creative and efficient. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, find a boy who works. More so, find a boy who works well.

I cannot say I ran alone

Do I have an end of the year re-cap? Not quite, my time has come to be measured in semesters so I have an, “end of semester recap.” But, if you want to know what I did earlier this year, see my NCFCA Nationals and Germany posts.  Those were good times. The present is good as well. I have met some wonderful people, and I look forward to running next semester with them.  My time runs thin, so I conclude.

Looking at the late semester,
I can not help but remember,
The company with whom I spent it.

The race is not even half way run,
Though this lap is mostly done,
I can not say I ran alone.

I missed the old and loved the new,
Each challenge posed was blasted through,
Now one more mountain stands conquered.

But I can not say I ran alone

Looking at the late semester,
I can not help but remember,
The company with whom I spent it.

Thank You…

Licensed to…

DIVE.

Yup, I am now a certified Open Water Scuba Diver. Cool stuff. Now, all I need to do is go sky diving… and then… base jumping! oh boy!

An Ode to Facial Hair

Facial Hair + Caramel Apples = No

I found that out the hard way during a Fall Fest party with my college buddies. Despite its incompatibility with caramel apples, this facial hair thing has been an interesting experience. I have learned many things…

Shel Silverstein wrote a poem on the subject…

My beard grows down to my toes,
I never wears no clothes,
I wraps my hair
Around my bare,
And down the road I goes.

Most educational…

But more importantly, I rebelled against this busy college finals schedule and I wrote you a poem to recount my epic experiences.

An Ode to Facial Hair

(Warning: The following limerick has masculine themes.)

Back in the golden days of yore,
When I was in my tweens or more,
I thought I might just look fair,
If I had some facial hair.

I declared that when I’d grown,
And my own shaving kit I did own,
I should grow a mighty mane,
One to wear without shame.

Little did I know that it would eat my face,
But this part is out of place,
So I continue.

Then came college’s first semester,
My cousin I was sure to pester,
To see if he would join the best,
In my epic hairy quest.

‘Twas September when I strategized,
To beat all fellows to the prize,
The greatest beard to be remembered,
With a lead on No-Shave-November.

Little did I know that it would eat my face,
But this part is out of place,
So I continue.

The trimmer did I learn to wield,
In time my stubble came to yield,
To the Scissors and the blade,
My face took up a different shade.

It spread to boundaries held by me,
As far as length it was quite free,
It grew out to a hue of red,
More vibrant than my well-kept head.

And then it ate my face,
This part is now in place,
So I conclude.

If you ever should desire,
Some extra flair with your attire,
Facial hair should not be done,
Lest you can grow a decent one.

Now in these college days of yore,
My facial hair, it is no more,
But now I think it would be best,
To grow a manly hairy chest!

© Nathan Exley

I have always wondered what a beard was like and… now I know. I am only slightly disappointed. Some day, when I am old and my hair migrates down (like my parents say it will) I will grow a beard that will be feared. But for now, I have had my fill.

When you wonder if it really counts

Hello again! I wish I could keep you posted more often, but college tends to prohibit that. ;(

I have a few spare minutes and I’ve got a praise on my heart:

College has been going well, or to be more exact: God is good. A verse comes to mind:

Proverbs 3:1-4
My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.

I have a lot of Joy in my heart because of what God has been doing in my life. By God’s Grace I have found favor and a good name in the sight of God and man, as well as grown closer to Him through some trials. To all of you still in high school, or even fellow college kids, (yes, I have come to conclusion that ‘kid’ is a suitable description for our comical state of existence.) when you wonder if it really counts…

That you have (or are) devoted(ing) your life to keeping God’s word always in your heart,
That you have bound love and faithfulness around your neck,
That you have pursued the hard to reach with a commitment to do your honest best,
That you have decided to value humility and meekness more than recognition,
That you have chased after whatever GODLY BIBLICAL thing God has called you to cherish,
Then I am here to tell you this…

It counts

Oh yes it counts

My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.

This is not a prosperity gospel. There will be some really trying times in your life, but how can those compare the knowledge and joy we can have in knowing our creator more intimately? How can those trials compare to a better understanding of the incredible future we have on earth and in heaven if and when we surrender our lives to Him?

Actions have consequences. Good actions = Good Consequences, Bad actions = etc.

When you wonder if it really counts…
That you pursued God in all those ways…

Know this,

It counts

See yall at Thanksgiving!… I think…

Prayer in a can

In college, I eat many things. Because I am living with some wonderful relatives, much of it is actually palatable and safe. I have come to especially appreciate canned goods, which are indeed a most wonderful commodity. Some things that come in cans are not good, like whole chickens, or other odd things that should never be offered for consumption… ever.

But my favorite canned good is prayer.

***

I recently finished reading a book called The Prayer of the Lord, by R. C. Sproul and I heartily recommend it to anyone looking for a good read. The reason I do, is because it took what was a canned prayer for me, and made it a staple in my spiritual diet. I fell in love with The Lord’s Prayer.  Wait… didn’t it un-can it too? er… no. He gave an in depth explanation about each facet of the Lord’s prayer and its significance. Why would it need to be un-canned?

Why is it that ancient creeds, theology and prayers are more frequently reserved for Seminary students and not general use? Our modern spirituality seems to have morfed from the individualistic spirituality birthed by the early revivals, into a home made scratch recipe.  I have no problem with that, but we cannot just view the old stuff as stiff and… well… old. We have begun using the phrase ‘canned,’ “Yeah, it was a canned sermon.” Or maybe even, “well, he did the same old canned prayer.”

If something is ‘canned,’ should we disregard it? I contend not and a great example of why is in The Lord’s Prayer. We can not scrap the old elements of church history and replace them with our more ‘enlightened’ views of life. Why? Because we stand on the shoulders of giants, and to toss the church fathers’ incredible work in favor of our own recipe is rather arrogant. But, that is just a piece of what I really want to share with you. I want to show you the incredible stuff Dr. Sproul showed me; I want to give you a taste of prayer from a can.

***

The Lord’s Prayer

By: Jesus Christ

Best if used right now and in a quite and secluded place.

 

Our Father who art in heaven,

…Reminds us that we may approach Him in a familiar way, as ‘Abba’ father. But as a completely Holy God, we must approach Him with humility, profound respect and reverence.

Hallowed be Thy name…

…In other words, “may your name be treated as sacred.” This is more of a reminder to us that God’s name must be regarded, and more so, treated respectfully. Where His name is hallowed is a place where there is a legitimate existence of the Fear of the Lord.

Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

…God is sovereign and His kingdom will come and His Will will be done whether we pray so or not. This section is an adamant reminder to us to focus our attention on God’s kingdom and the completion of His Will. THY will be done, not, MY will be done.

Give us this day, our daily bread…

…A reminder that we need God every day. Here, ‘bread’ means a lot more than just food.

And forgive us our debts as we forgive out debtors.

…For me, this prompts me to ask further that I might come to forgive like God does. Because in my present state, I am not eligible to be forgiven for anything! This also serves as a call to repentance. Granted, we have all ready been forgiven, but if we skip recognition of our wrongs through repenting, we begin to be less sensitive to them. We become hard hearted.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

…God does not tempt us, but sometimes he sharpens us through trials. Trials can be deadly, heart breaking and great learning experiences. Nevertheless, it is a good idea to avoid them. the evil on is always looking for an opportunity to devour us, thus we must continually ask for protection.

For Yours is the Kingdom, Power and Glory. Amen!

…This whole prayer is essentially an increadible and vital reminder as to who is wearing the ‘pants of the family.’ What better way to cap it off, than with an aknowledgement of God’s Lordship over all?

That was prayer in a can. Yeah, there is a lot more in that tin than you thought huh? Just because something is canned doesn’t mean its less desirable or even bad. Some the most beautiful, complex and deep cries came from the ones before us, and what they spoke was in King James Version, strict, and old but it is still incredible stuff.

A Child’s Poetry

In the beginning,
I scribbled entries in a notebook,

Misspelled words, broken grammar, a child’s poetry

A month or so ago I moved to college,
I pulled that notebook out from a pile of its fellows,
And I read it…

Misspelled words, broken grammar, a child’s poetry

In our beginnings we long to mature,
Faster than our short legs will carry us,
Looking back, I am humbled by how far God has taken me from the…

 Misspelled words, broken grammar, a child’s poetry

I don’t know what to think,
This notebook records my beginnings,
Secrets, mine only to hold.

Misspelled words, broken grammar, a child’s poetry

In the beginning,
I scribbled entries in a notebook; my past stored on leaf.
Eleven years later my mature mind cannot remember,
That blessed simplicity behind…

 Misspelled words, broken grammar

a child’s poetry

ID3nt!ty

Kudos to 4US2BE

Fish bole,
Ocean,
I lost my aquarium,
Now I’m in this big place,
And I can’t find the glass!

Well…
This is new,
I lost what was so familiar,
Now I am building a new familiar,
And I can’t find my ID3nt!ty!

College!!!!….

One week down…. a lot more to go.

That was legitimately the longest week of my life, but I can’t wait to do it again.

A short synopsis:

Professors…

My favorite would have to be my history Prof. On the first day of class, he sourly informed us that he was a grouchy old man and then proceeded to tell us the details of what we could expect from him this upcoming semester.

The second day was when I decided I liked him; He’s a story teller. In fact, he did the first lecture, which was on the events preceding Columbus’ voyage, in story format.

He was clear enough to follow and take notes on, but what made him my first impression favorite was that he was sarcastic, and asked us questions. He somehow involved all eighty of us students in the story he told. It was entertaining, interesting and intense ( I sat in the front row).

Housing…

I am blessed to be living in my Aunt and Uncle’s house for this semester and most likely the next. I room with my cousin Philip, and Catherine (other cousin) is right across the hall. But most importantly, Philip and I now occupy one of the most epic Man Cave’s you ever saw.

Yes. Be jealous.

Dad and I built this beautiful red loft and I built an oak bookshelf, which we put in Philips room. They turned out very well. The loft functions as our Man Cave (we do have sharp pointy objects to mount beneath it, and snacks ) And my bookshelf (the first of its kind) now holds my growing library.

Classes…

College is presenting a new kind of challenge that I am starting to look forward too. So far, the professors I’ve met are here because they love to teach and they expect a lot from us. My favorite class is Technical Writing. The lady who teaches it is quirky and a no-nonsense kind of professor. My not-so-favorite class is biology. The text book jams evolution down your throat and I didn’t care for that at all. If they were going to teach it, they should teach it like it should be taught: as a scientific THEORY, but they teach it as if it is a law. I was starting to flow my arguments (yeah, the debater in me came out) and I prepared to ask the professor about it, but I was relieved to find that she didn’t teach it like the textbook did. This put most of my concerns to rest. The others, I made sure to vocalize through inquiry in class.

Fun stuff, if done correctly and with the right attitude. So far, no conflict…

Most Memorable Moment…

… Was probably last night. I found a great church to go too and joined one of their home groups. Last night was our group’s Circus Party. One of the many contests involved a water balloon *toss* and we had all the water balloons ready in a cooler. Ben pilfered a water balloon and had it hidden in his pocket for some sinister end. We were standing in a circle and preparing for the pie fight (yes. We chunked pies at each other… ) , when all of a sudden, a waterfall exploded out the bottom of Ben’s pants! There was a VERY awkward silence for a second before we realized what had actually happened. But before we could say anything, someone snickered: “he, he. Ben’s water broke!”

We nearly died laughing, while Ben stood grinning in his puddle.

Good times.

…In conclusion…

I am enjoying college. New challenges are all over the place and God’s blessed me with some awesome people to tackle them with. I have been looking forward to college for some time, and now that I am here… I don’t quite know what to do with myself. But, that shall soon be remedied, once I learn the ropes.

Meanwhile… as a parting note. College IS all that it is made out to be, but my advise to you is this…

Come prepared.

There is evolution, atheism, discovery, excitement, fun, depression, suicide, belief, growth, and friendships out there; there are challenges in college, but my gosh… I am having the time of my life. So don’t come afraid of who or what you’ll meet…

Come prepared to meet them.