Dear God,

In today’s economy, with everyone trying to squeeze every cent out of a dollar, I am confused by those who still spend their hard earned paycheck buying a lottery ticket. Someone told me that they have a friend, who faithfully cashes their check at the end of the week, and goes directly to the convenience store to buy $10 worth of lottery tickets. With this unfounded logic……wouldn’t it just make more since to quit betting on the insermountable odd’s– and put it into a savings account?

I suppose that the same could be said about religion. There are those who keep waiting to find true happiness. Playing a game everyday of their lives, testing the boundaries of what this world has to offer. They spend all of their time and most of their finances awaiting the big pay off. Always hoping that their ship will finally come in, and with it, a boat-load of joy. While it is more often the case, that their demise is debt and uncertainty. Truth being told, there is no cost that need be paid to find the joy and happiness that fills beyond the half-full glass mentality. But will spill over into our lives so abundantly, that we simply can’t contain it all. YOU, Jesus are the one who sacrificed all that He had, to pay the price for each individual’s life.

My confusion comes from the misdirected thoughts of individuals whom will take the 1,000,000/1   odds with the dream of perhaps choosing the right set of numbers. Never knowing if they will strike it rich and gain untold millions. But……they still refuse to take the one and only step needed to gain unimaginable wealth by simply choosing to accept Christ. Is there a mindset that defers to one’s own set of common sense that says, “I have a better chance of winning the lottery”, than saying yes to You, and gaining eternal life”?

If we put this to the test, surly we will see the light of clarity. If you want to win the lottery…you’ll have to buy a ticket. When playing the monetary lottery, if you lose, then you simply face your disappointment and try again with yet another dollar and (probable) loosing ticket.  If we could only see that You are the “winning number” each and every single time! There is no consolation prize, or second best. When we choose to accept You as King and Savior, then we have won the ultimate lottery of life and there will never be anything that will measure up to that again. No amount of money can equal to the amount of love that is given, when we truly come to understand that Your love is unmeasured by any other man to walk the face of this earth.

If man chooses to play the odds of financial wealth, then he must also choose the possibility of loss. But, if man chooses to turn his entire life over to You, then all bets are deemed winners. There is no worry or fear of giving something, and receiving nothing in return.  All we have to do is trust in the one who always gives, and never takes away. The one whom always loves and never hates. The one who always forgives and never gives up. The one who died….so that I might live.

There is no gamble that is more certain, than when we choose to walk away from our comfort zone, and step out in faith–into the arms of a faithful God. There is no cost involved….only chance. If we take that chance, we stand to change our lives forever. True….for many they belive that those eclectic group of numerals will hold the key to vast wealth, but if they do….then they don’t have a clue what true joy is. No one will ever match the potential for an eternity where there is no pain or suffering. Where there is hope when all seems lost. When people let you down, and you feel you just can’t trust anyone anymore, There we will find You. Right where You always are. In front of us, with outstretched arms and a shoulder to lean upon.

Jesus, If buying a ticket to paradise is as simple as speaking “yes” to You, then I’ll give all that I have for the certainty of a winning life without regret. You are my heart, and my help in times of trouble and heartache. You give without any expectation of gratitude. You’ll never leave me, nor forsake me. You are this life’s  biggest  lottery payout!

Having already accepted the greatest pile of winnings ever told, I will await my King,

Gina

An interesting point by Andreas Andrianopoulos (in Greek), motivated by an article of Gideon Rachman in his blog (FT), on the Greek exception. As Rachman suggests that for nations, small is beautiful. Meaning that today, for a country to be small (both in size and population) is an advantage for prosperity, stability and rapid development. Most of the lists of the top ten countries indexing stability, prosperity, development, social protection are dominated by small countries. This is due to the fact that small countries are more flexible, have greater national and racial homogeneity and can direct their societies towards new and more creative objectives more easily avoiding ineffective practices of the past.

Andrianopoulos claims that despite the fact that the above tends to be the rule, Greece seems to be an exception. I have tried to capture the main idea in English as follows:

“A static society with weak leadership incapable of introducing revolutionary initiatives that runs back to convenient nationalism ideas when perceived as needed. A society lacking of planning, envisioning and dreaming of the future. We turn our advantages into disadvantages. Our small size and our national homogeneity are undermined by the constant desire for fame and wealth of each mediocre.

Altogether the problems indicate a country with a future full of uncertainty. Examples like the current discussion about the insurance system (which hasn’t yet been presented), while indifference characterizes the concerns about education. The examples including OTE (limit on the number of stocks ones is allowed to buy!!!!!), the Public Power Corporation, Olympic airlines and the insurance chaos, are signs of leadership in confusion, labor unions and media in crisis of existence and a society incapable of rejecting what is not useful by selecting people and strategies that will point towards a bright future.

Today, small countries are moving forward with the Greek exception that tries to move forward being stuck looking into the past.”

[via]

Já uso este plugin em alguns projetos e queria adicionar ele em um outro, mas não lembrava o endereço do reposotório. Fui ao bom e velho Tio Google, mas a busca não foi tão fácil quanto gostaria, então resolvi simplificar e publicar aqui!

Para instalar o plugin, digite no console:

ruby script/plugin install
http://dev.rubyonrails.com/svn/rails/plugins/ exception_notification

Se seu projeto está é armazenado em um repositósio SVN e você quer adicionar o plugin como external, basta adicionar o parametro “-x”, conforme exemplo abaixo :

ruby script/plugin install -x
http://dev.rubyonrails.com/svn/rails/plugins/ exception_notification

Para configurar, basta você dar uma olhadinha no post do Carlos Brando (Já tá virando sócio )