I just wanted to announce that after an unexpectedly long absents, I am back! It's good to be back too. It has been a long road of growing, learning and did I say growing? What I mean by that is personal growth. A lot has changed since my last post. All of it has been for the better too.
In the next several posts my plan is to share some experiences and give others the chance to glean something from them.
For those of you who have been following my Facebook page and Twitter, you may be wondering how my dad is doing. He is doing great considering. That is one of the miracles I witnessed in the last couple months and will be a good part of my posts since that played a big part in my absents.
So, without further due I welcome myself back and all of you. Expect some goods reads!
Helping you get the upper hand to change your life forever,
Peter Bunn
M3 Master Consultant
Ready to change your lifestyle to the one you desire? Own your own business and experience that freedom today: http://www.peterbunnhasfun.com
Monday, July 18, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
My Paradigm Shift
I have been reading through Stephen Covey's book "7 Habits of Highly Effective People," and in the beginning of the book Dr. Covey talks about paradigms and what they are, how everyone experiences them to some extent.
Through all this that is going on with my dad and our whole family, I have experienced a paradigm shift. A paradigm, according to Dr. Covey, is how people perceive the world and life. A paradigm shift is when that perception is changed by an event or realization, and you see everything in a whole new light.
This is what has happend in my life. Experiencing this change in our lives and realizing its impact, I now see life itself and death in a whole new light. This is something that is hard to explain, but is very real to me.
In my upbringing I have been taught and studied about life and death according to God's Word. But now I am seeing what I have read in the Bible and been taught my whole life come to a new light. It's like it's being played out right in front of my eyes.
I know I am not the one practically looking at death in the face, but I am right there with my dad, and know his response to it. For a believer in Christ, death is actually a beautiful thing. It is the beginning of real life; life with Him forever. As my dad has quoted his life verse many-a-time, "...for me to live is Christ and to die is gain." Oh how true that is.
Now I see life and death through my dad's eyes and God's eyes so much more clearly, and I realize how perfect God's plan is in all of our lives. He has so intricately, in His wisdom, put together a plan for each of us, and we should be striving to live by that plan so that we can truly live in our death for His glory. Amen!
Helping you get the upper hand to change your life forever,
Peter Bunn
Rising Leader
Want a more stress free life and be able to be home with your family? Learn how to empower yourself with this experience: http://www.workingathome.co/19415?go
Through all this that is going on with my dad and our whole family, I have experienced a paradigm shift. A paradigm, according to Dr. Covey, is how people perceive the world and life. A paradigm shift is when that perception is changed by an event or realization, and you see everything in a whole new light.
This is what has happend in my life. Experiencing this change in our lives and realizing its impact, I now see life itself and death in a whole new light. This is something that is hard to explain, but is very real to me.
In my upbringing I have been taught and studied about life and death according to God's Word. But now I am seeing what I have read in the Bible and been taught my whole life come to a new light. It's like it's being played out right in front of my eyes.
I know I am not the one practically looking at death in the face, but I am right there with my dad, and know his response to it. For a believer in Christ, death is actually a beautiful thing. It is the beginning of real life; life with Him forever. As my dad has quoted his life verse many-a-time, "...for me to live is Christ and to die is gain." Oh how true that is.
Now I see life and death through my dad's eyes and God's eyes so much more clearly, and I realize how perfect God's plan is in all of our lives. He has so intricately, in His wisdom, put together a plan for each of us, and we should be striving to live by that plan so that we can truly live in our death for His glory. Amen!
Helping you get the upper hand to change your life forever,
Peter Bunn
Rising Leader
Want a more stress free life and be able to be home with your family? Learn how to empower yourself with this experience: http://www.workingathome.co/19415?go
Monday, April 4, 2011
The Beginning Of A New Spiritual Journey
God has taken us on an extraordinary and unique journey this past week when we found out that my dad was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive cancer in it's end stages. This was a shock to all of us including the doctor, and caused us all to re-examine our lives in a whole different way. I wanted to share what I have observed and experienced so far in this adventure (as my dad called it with a smile).
Faith
From the beginning, my dad has demonstrated the strongest faith I have witnessed in real life. After hearing about his cancer some of his first words were his life verse, " I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Philippians 1:20-21. He was at peace with whatever God was going to allow; whether he lives or dies.
Many people visited while he was in the hospital. Some came to be encouraged by my dad because they knew he would be the only one that could encourage them, which he did.
Unity of the Church
There has been no time or place that I have seen the unity of the church of God better demonstrated than what I have witnessed in this past week. We had many Christian friends visit and offer to help in any way they can. My mom's boss was an angel brought to us. She coordinated meals that were brought to us throughout the week. She also screened calls for us so we wouldn't be bombarded with calls. Several people gave money as well as groups from church and work.
Before dad was discharged, he asked the elders from their church to come and pray over him. We had a great prayer session and dad was anointed with oil. What a great example of the passage in Romans about the unity of the church.
Relationship of Husband and Wife
In the twenty plus years my parents have been married, I have never seen a better example of the affection and intimate relationship of a married couple as was demonstrated to me this past week. I witnessed the best biblical example of true love of a husband and wife in my parents. What a blessing it was to witness such a incredible thing in this time.
The Sovereignty of God
God has shown Himself in many ways through all of this. He has shown us all that He is in control, will take care of us and knows what's best for us. A lot of questions have been asked though. We don't know what's going to happen to dad, but we do know that he is in God's hands and whatever happens, God will get the glory.
It is hard to trust a God we cannot see and let Him take total control when we can't see the big picture and only have a small piece of the puzzle. But we CAN trust Him because He is the only One that sees the whole picture and the only One that knows exactly what we are going through.
This past week has been a growing experience for all of us. We have cried. We have laughed. We have shared many things together. As my dad said it, it isn't going to be easy, but this is going to be an adventure. We trust God for His will to be done and are satisfied that He will carry us through this adventure and provide us with the strength and peace we need to get through it.
Helping you get the upper hand to change your life forever,
Peter Bunn
Rising Leader
Want a more stress free life and be able to be home with your family? Learn how to empower yourself with this experience: http://www.workingathome.co/19415?go
Faith
From the beginning, my dad has demonstrated the strongest faith I have witnessed in real life. After hearing about his cancer some of his first words were his life verse, " I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Philippians 1:20-21. He was at peace with whatever God was going to allow; whether he lives or dies.
Many people visited while he was in the hospital. Some came to be encouraged by my dad because they knew he would be the only one that could encourage them, which he did.
Unity of the Church
There has been no time or place that I have seen the unity of the church of God better demonstrated than what I have witnessed in this past week. We had many Christian friends visit and offer to help in any way they can. My mom's boss was an angel brought to us. She coordinated meals that were brought to us throughout the week. She also screened calls for us so we wouldn't be bombarded with calls. Several people gave money as well as groups from church and work.
Before dad was discharged, he asked the elders from their church to come and pray over him. We had a great prayer session and dad was anointed with oil. What a great example of the passage in Romans about the unity of the church.
Relationship of Husband and Wife
In the twenty plus years my parents have been married, I have never seen a better example of the affection and intimate relationship of a married couple as was demonstrated to me this past week. I witnessed the best biblical example of true love of a husband and wife in my parents. What a blessing it was to witness such a incredible thing in this time.
The Sovereignty of God
God has shown Himself in many ways through all of this. He has shown us all that He is in control, will take care of us and knows what's best for us. A lot of questions have been asked though. We don't know what's going to happen to dad, but we do know that he is in God's hands and whatever happens, God will get the glory.
It is hard to trust a God we cannot see and let Him take total control when we can't see the big picture and only have a small piece of the puzzle. But we CAN trust Him because He is the only One that sees the whole picture and the only One that knows exactly what we are going through.
This past week has been a growing experience for all of us. We have cried. We have laughed. We have shared many things together. As my dad said it, it isn't going to be easy, but this is going to be an adventure. We trust God for His will to be done and are satisfied that He will carry us through this adventure and provide us with the strength and peace we need to get through it.
Helping you get the upper hand to change your life forever,
Peter Bunn
Rising Leader
Want a more stress free life and be able to be home with your family? Learn how to empower yourself with this experience: http://www.workingathome.co/19415?go
Friday, March 25, 2011
Not-So-Good Healthcare or Obamacare?
This new health bill that has come out has been quite a controversy since it's inception. I can't claim to know everything about the bill, but what I do know does not seem to be very positive for the American people. I also can't vouch for our current healthcare system either. There are many problems with that too. So let's look at some facts and see what we have.
I know this can be a sensitive subject for some, so I will try to lay this down as lightly as possible. I first think that it is strange that the Obama administration pushed this bill so hard and tried to get it passed so quickly. The healthcare system is not something you can change over night (which it won't, but...) and neither should it be something taken lightly. I personally feel it should have been thought out better and that the planning process had been more structured and transparent.
I do agree with one thing; we definitely need an overhaul with the healthcare system. Prices are not going down anytime soon and healthcare cost continues to rise. It is getting harder and harder for even companies to provide health benefits to their employers. Just seeing a doctor could cost 100's of dollars and going to the ER is easily in the 1000's. This I know. I see it every day at work. Our current system just isn't working. But what is the solution to this? Is the new healthcare bill going to help at all?
There are a few things in this bill that might be worthy of the people's demands, but most of the bill and the general concept is not acceptable. This new system is based on models in Europe and Canada and is grossly like a socialistic system. I have friends and family in Europe and Canada and all of them have more negative to say about the system than positive. There are several states that have ruled this bill to be unconstitutional. This is partly due to the fact that part of the bill requires people to get insurance and the government is meddling too much in the American people's lives and not giving them the freedom to choose for themselves.
It all boils down to this. Our country is in dire need of a major makeover of our healthcare system. The Obama administration had the right idea of looking at this problem, but may have tried to solve it too quickly. This might be just a bandaid on a gaping wound and could later give our children and children's children gangrene. I hope this doesn't come to that, but we will see soon enough.
Helping you get the upper hand to change your life forever,
Peter Bunn
Rising Leader
Want a more stress free life and be able to be home with your family? Learn how to empower yourself with this experience: http://www.workingathome.co/19415?go
I know this can be a sensitive subject for some, so I will try to lay this down as lightly as possible. I first think that it is strange that the Obama administration pushed this bill so hard and tried to get it passed so quickly. The healthcare system is not something you can change over night (which it won't, but...) and neither should it be something taken lightly. I personally feel it should have been thought out better and that the planning process had been more structured and transparent.
I do agree with one thing; we definitely need an overhaul with the healthcare system. Prices are not going down anytime soon and healthcare cost continues to rise. It is getting harder and harder for even companies to provide health benefits to their employers. Just seeing a doctor could cost 100's of dollars and going to the ER is easily in the 1000's. This I know. I see it every day at work. Our current system just isn't working. But what is the solution to this? Is the new healthcare bill going to help at all?
There are a few things in this bill that might be worthy of the people's demands, but most of the bill and the general concept is not acceptable. This new system is based on models in Europe and Canada and is grossly like a socialistic system. I have friends and family in Europe and Canada and all of them have more negative to say about the system than positive. There are several states that have ruled this bill to be unconstitutional. This is partly due to the fact that part of the bill requires people to get insurance and the government is meddling too much in the American people's lives and not giving them the freedom to choose for themselves.
It all boils down to this. Our country is in dire need of a major makeover of our healthcare system. The Obama administration had the right idea of looking at this problem, but may have tried to solve it too quickly. This might be just a bandaid on a gaping wound and could later give our children and children's children gangrene. I hope this doesn't come to that, but we will see soon enough.
Helping you get the upper hand to change your life forever,
Peter Bunn
Rising Leader
Want a more stress free life and be able to be home with your family? Learn how to empower yourself with this experience: http://www.workingathome.co/19415?go
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Spring Break: Hot Destinations
My week has been off all week for my postings, but tomorrow I hope to get back on schedule. Since my regular Wednesdays are about travel, I decided to do a post on spring break. Most of the east coast is going on break starting this weekend, and since I live on the east coast I thought that fit in just right.
There are a lot of hot destinations to go on spring break. For those of you wanting to travel out of the country some good spots to look into are in Mexico such Cabo San Lucas, Cancun, Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta. Montego Bay in Jamaica is always good too, and other locations in Jamaica. You can't go wrong in the Bahamas either.
For those who want to stick to the mainland and not venture into foreign waters, there are some good spots nationally that are great destinations. How about South Padre Island, Texas or Panama City Beach, Florida or Southern California destinations like Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and Long Beach.
These are all great places to go that are warm and usually have great weather. Now I do have to admit that I am not saying this out of experience, but I do know that these places are known to be great destinations. This is a great time to get plane tickets too. The spring sales are coming out and there are some pretty cheap tickets if you keep your eye out. Again, I have to mention Kayak.com. It's a great site and you can even set up alerts for just about anything.
So I hope everyone enjoys their spring break and happy travels.
Helping you get the upper hand to change your life forever,
Peter Bunn
Rising Leader
Want a more stress free life and be able to be home with your family? Learn how to empower yourself with this experience: http://www.workingathome.co/19415?go
There are a lot of hot destinations to go on spring break. For those of you wanting to travel out of the country some good spots to look into are in Mexico such Cabo San Lucas, Cancun, Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta. Montego Bay in Jamaica is always good too, and other locations in Jamaica. You can't go wrong in the Bahamas either.
For those who want to stick to the mainland and not venture into foreign waters, there are some good spots nationally that are great destinations. How about South Padre Island, Texas or Panama City Beach, Florida or Southern California destinations like Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and Long Beach.
These are all great places to go that are warm and usually have great weather. Now I do have to admit that I am not saying this out of experience, but I do know that these places are known to be great destinations. This is a great time to get plane tickets too. The spring sales are coming out and there are some pretty cheap tickets if you keep your eye out. Again, I have to mention Kayak.com. It's a great site and you can even set up alerts for just about anything.
So I hope everyone enjoys their spring break and happy travels.
Helping you get the upper hand to change your life forever,
Peter Bunn
Rising Leader
Want a more stress free life and be able to be home with your family? Learn how to empower yourself with this experience: http://www.workingathome.co/19415?go
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
The Power Of Prayer
It seems that no matter what religion or faith you practice that there is some sort of version of prayer that is incorporated into it. Prayer is a very powerful tool and as an evangelical Christian, prayer is very important to me.
There are several different forms of prayer. There is prayer of gratitude, confession, praise, worship and supplication (in which you bring your concerns and worries in prayer). Sometimes we ask for things and sometimes we just want someone to talk to.
The most powerful prayer anyone can pray is salvation. Salvation from sin, a life of ruin and emptiness and into a life of forgiveness, meaning and purpose. The prayer of salvation can change someone's life dramatically.
There are also times when we come before God or whoever you are praying to and beg for mercy and ask for help in time of need. It is prayers like these that we definitely get answers. They might not be what we would intend them to be, but there is always an answer.
Another powerful prayer is praying on behalf of someone; intercessory prayer. A good example of this is when someone is deathly ill and you pray for them for God to heal them. These are powerful prayers.
There is also something about prayer that brings comfort to the one praying. I guess it's because you know that the One you are praying to is hearing you and knows best and has total control. It's always relieving to lighten a burdened load off your back and be able to give it to someone else who is capable of carrying that burden for you. Then again, you have to know for sure that whoever you pray to exists and has your best interest in mind. I know that the God of the Bible is that way. He has proved Himself time and time again. What about you? Something to think about.
Helping you get the upper hand to change your life forever,
Peter Bunn
Rising Leader
Want a more stress free life and be able to be home with your family? Learn how to empower yourself with this experience: http://www.workingathome.co/19415?go
There are several different forms of prayer. There is prayer of gratitude, confession, praise, worship and supplication (in which you bring your concerns and worries in prayer). Sometimes we ask for things and sometimes we just want someone to talk to.
The most powerful prayer anyone can pray is salvation. Salvation from sin, a life of ruin and emptiness and into a life of forgiveness, meaning and purpose. The prayer of salvation can change someone's life dramatically.
There are also times when we come before God or whoever you are praying to and beg for mercy and ask for help in time of need. It is prayers like these that we definitely get answers. They might not be what we would intend them to be, but there is always an answer.
Another powerful prayer is praying on behalf of someone; intercessory prayer. A good example of this is when someone is deathly ill and you pray for them for God to heal them. These are powerful prayers.
There is also something about prayer that brings comfort to the one praying. I guess it's because you know that the One you are praying to is hearing you and knows best and has total control. It's always relieving to lighten a burdened load off your back and be able to give it to someone else who is capable of carrying that burden for you. Then again, you have to know for sure that whoever you pray to exists and has your best interest in mind. I know that the God of the Bible is that way. He has proved Himself time and time again. What about you? Something to think about.
Helping you get the upper hand to change your life forever,
Peter Bunn
Rising Leader
Want a more stress free life and be able to be home with your family? Learn how to empower yourself with this experience: http://www.workingathome.co/19415?go
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Disability Compared
I want to start by clarifying that when I am talking about disability, I am not talking about the short and long-term disability benefit you receive from your employer. I am talking about Social Security disability. This is a permanent benefit that provides an income for those who are unable to work. This is provided from the Social Security Administration and is a federal program.
I would like to compare the two disability benefits that Social Security has and explain the general process that happens to reach a decision. These two programs are SSI (Supplemental Security Income) and SSDI (Social Security Disability Income).
Social Security Disability Income
I trust this has been useful information. There will most likely be more posts in the future that share more detail about these programs and the process for applying for them.
Helping you get the upper hand to change your life forever,
Peter Bunn
Rising Leader
Want a more stress free life and be able to be home with your family? Learn how to empower yourself with this experience: http://www.workingathome.co/19415?go
I would like to compare the two disability benefits that Social Security has and explain the general process that happens to reach a decision. These two programs are SSI (Supplemental Security Income) and SSDI (Social Security Disability Income).
Social Security Disability Income
- Only those who have paid enough social security taxes while working can receive this benefit. The key number is 40 work credits but does vary by age. You can earn up to four credits a year.
- There is no maximum or minimum amount for this benefit. It is based on how much you have paid into the "system."
- There are no income limits or resource limits to qualify.
- Family members can draw from your benefit as well (specifically children)
- Is retroactive to the date you can prove your disability began.
- The application can be done online. Other paperwork can be done online too.
- If you return to work, you lose the benefit.
- Program is available to newborns who meet weight and health requirements, young adults with no work credits, adults that don't have enough work credits, and those 65 and older who meet income requirements.
- Payout is usually based on how much income is coming into the home two months before the disability, and has a maximum payout of $674 this year for singles and $1011 for couples.
- There are income and resource limits to receive the benefit. They usually coincide with Medicaid or are close.
- If you receive SSI you are almost automatically eligible for Medicaid. You just need to apply and provide proof of the benefit.
- Family members should still be able to draw benefits from you.
- Is not retroactive. Benefit begins the month of application and payment the month after application.
- The application must be done by calling 1-800-772-1213 to set up an appointment. Social Security is moving toward allowing this to be online also like SSDI is.
- If you return to work and don't make of $674 a month, you can still receive this benefit.
I trust this has been useful information. There will most likely be more posts in the future that share more detail about these programs and the process for applying for them.
Helping you get the upper hand to change your life forever,
Peter Bunn
Rising Leader
Want a more stress free life and be able to be home with your family? Learn how to empower yourself with this experience: http://www.workingathome.co/19415?go
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Me and my wife Sara enjoying Las Vegas at the Venetian in November 2010