Apr

The Death of Fast Eddie

Fri Apr 27th 2012 @ 2:20 am

During all the wild excitement that I experienced following my conversion, one thing became perfectly clear: I needed to change not only my lifestyle…I needed to change the way I made a living! No more gambling, no more deal-making with shady “businessmen,” and most of all…I needed to get out of the ad agency business which was the source of most of my income.

Perhaps I should briefly explain how ad agencies work: the agency persuades various companies to allow them to spend their advertising dollars because the agency’s expertise and contacts will get a “bigger bang for the buck.” The ad agency makes its money by charging the client fees and receiving commissions from various media vendors. The bigger the client and the more money it spends on advertising, the more money the agency makes. It’s a perfectly legitimate business model and can be extremely profitable. And very competitive. Which often means that success or failure depends on your ability to woo clients… and then continue wooing them to keep them.

While I did a good job for my clients; I helped increase business and won awards with some of the stuff I created, that wasn’t why they lined up to hire my firm: It’s because they loved “Fast Eddie!” Other firms much bigger and more established than mine could also have produced results, but “Fast Eddie” offered the bored, tired executives who made the decisions something extra: a shot of excitement!

To wine and dine is an important part of building a client list: “Fast Eddie” just took it to the next level. I took clients and prospective clients to places where they could rub shoulders with local celebrities, gamblers, gangsters and, of course, women. Lots of pretty young women. It went on all the time and I made a lot of money. It seemed like an endless cycle of work, parties, women, booze and money.

As I said earlier, once I accepted Christ, I knew I had to find another way to make a living. Looking now through the eyes of a new creation, I was disgusted with what I had been doing. I felt dirty. Not only was I sinning, I was actively luring other men to sin. I used to absolve myself of guilt by saying that I never actually procured party girls for these guys… I just took them where the women were and let whatever was going to happen, happen. I don’t know if my tactics were responsible for any broken families: I pray not.

Let me hasten to say that not all ad agencies operate this way: many just bid for contracts and let their presentations rise or fall on merit. Why couldn’t I? Greed. Pride. I believed I could make more money and hold on to clients longer, by taking business relationships to a more personal, confidential level and by convincing clients that “Fast Eddie” ruled. To do that, I felt I needed to put on a full court press…all the time. Before long, the image became reality. Before long, I WAS “Fast Eddie.” Now, if I wanted to walk with Jesus,” Fast Eddie” had to die. So I killed him.

I walked away.

Epilogue

A London businessman told the story of a warehouse property he was selling. The building had been empty for months and needed repairs. Vandals had damaged the doors, smashed the windows, and strewn trash around the interior. As he showed a prospective buyer the property, he took pains to say that he would replace the broken windows, bring in a crew to correct any structural damage, and clean out the garbage. "Forget about the repairs," the buyer said. "When I buy this place, I'm going to build something completely different. I don't want the building; I want the site."
Compared with the renovation God works in us, a wrecking ball on a warehouse is a minor renovation. When we become God's, the old life is over (2 Cor. 5:17). He makes all things new. All he wants is the site and the permission to build.

Thought for the Day

A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.   George Bernard Shaw

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Semi-interesting fact

Different nails on the same hand or foot grow at different rates. It's a fact but there seems to be no explanation. The rate for fingernails, by the way, is about 1/32 inch a week. Nails grow faster in the summer than n the winter, and fastest on someone between twenty years old and forty.

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Joke Du Jour

The manager of a large office noticed a new man one day and told him to come into his office. "What is your name?" was the first thing the manager asked the new guy.

"John," the new guy replied.

The manager scowled, "Look...I don't know what kind of a “touchy-feely” place you worked before, but I don't call anyone by their first name! It breeds familiarity and that leads to a breakdown in authority. I refer to my employees by their last name only...Smith, Jones, Baker...that's all.   I am to be referred to only as Mr. Robertson. Now that we got that straight, what is your last name?"

The new guy sighed, "Darling. My name is John Darling."

"Okay John, the next thing I want to tell you is . . ."

Questions I ask myself

If someone with multiple personalities threatens to kill themselves, is it considered a hostage situation?

Really?? Actual News

She’s not whistling Dixie A Tennessee teen is fuming at her school after she was booted from her senior prom for wearing a Confederate flag-themed dress.

Texanna Edwards showed up to prom at Gibson County High School on Saturday in a knee-length red dress with two blue and white ribbons crisscrossing at her hip, but wasn’t allowed in after school officials said the gown was “offensive and inappropriate” Edwards said she was floored by the snub, and asked several promgoers whether they were offended by her custom-made rebel flag frock. “We kept asking people walking inside — black and white — and everyone said they loved it,” she said. “Two black women even went off on the principal. They were upset with the principal. No one was upset with me.” Gibson County director of schools Eddie Pruett says there have been race-related issues at the school recently. Edwards said students wore Confederate-flag themed garb to school all the time, and there was never any problems. Kim Lee, Edwards’ mom, said they spent about $500 on Texanna’s dress, makeup and hair. Pruett told the newspaper the school was trying to keep everyone safe. “I hate that the girl was not able to attend prom, and this is an unfortunate incident,” he said. “But as a school district, we have to look out for the best interest for all students.”

Talk about a Fat Cat A 39-pound cat needs home and a new lifestyle. The feline weighed in at 39 pounds -- or the equivalent of 600 human pounds.

Veterinarians at Santa Fe Humane Society say the tubby kitty is now on a diet and has already lost 2 pounds after her 87-year-old owner put Meow up for adoption. They say the cat should be about 12 pounds. Like obese humans, Meow will likely suffer some heart problems because of the excess fat her small frame is supporting. Shelter workers say they are keeping a close eye on her health in hopes of getting her fit enough to be permanently adopted. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the fattest cat weighed in at 46 pounds in 1987. In 2003 there was a new contender that weighed 50 pounds, but Guinness stopped accepting nominations in this category to discourage pet owners from over feeding their cats.

She’s a real doll A Russian woman has apparently become an internet sensation in her home country after turning herself into a real life Barbie doll.

Valeria Lukyanova, 21, claims her doll-like features, long blonde hair and 'perfect' body have made her the most famous woman on the Russian-language internet. Her tiny waist and large breasts are so similar to the plastic doll's that web users have been speculating about whether or not she is real. In a spoof video posted on YouTube an animated version of the model undergoes surgery to enhance her already prominent assets. Horrified viewers have slammed the model over her looks but it's still not clear whether Valeria is real or an elaborate Photoshop hoax.

World's fastest man A Japanese man who taught himself to run like a monkey has been recognized as the world's fastest man on all fours. Kenichi Ito, 29, says he decided to learn his unusual skill after being teased and bullied at school.

He modeled his running style on the patas monkey of Africa and can run 100 meters in less than 20 seconds. "You know, my face and body kind of look like a monkey, so from a young age everybody used to tease me," he said. "I had this ambition to adopt one of their traits. When I saw a monkey that could run fast, I knew I'd found it - and from that point on, I practiced running like a monkey every day. "Ito now boasts a Guinness World Record certificate confirming his status as the fastest man on all fours.

Cool Music

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Are you kidding me???

The only domestic animal not mentioned in the Bible is the cat.

Groaner

Did you hear about the guy who lost his left arm and leg in a car crash? He's all right now

Point to Ponder

John Bisagno former Pastor of Houston’s First Baptist Church tells the story of his coming there to candidate for the position of pastor many years ago. He said that as he entered the auditorium it was dimly lit, with just a few people huddled together. They were singing some old slow funeral type song that was depressing.

Later that day he took a walk in downtown Houston and came upon a jewelry store. It was some sort of grand opening and there were bright lights and a greeter at the door to welcome you in with a smile. Inside there was a celebration going on. There were refreshments and people having a good time talking and laughing with each other. They welcomed him and offered him some punch. He said that after attending both the church and the jewelry store, if the jewelry store had offered an invitation, he would have joined the jewelry store!

Remember, Christianity is more about walking than about talking