Confirmation Bias

Confirmation bias is the tendency to find evidence to support what one believes. It is a syndrome that is naturally common to mankind. In order to achieve safety and sustainability there may need to be complete changes of thought. For sure new paradigms must be embraced. The effect can be exhibited in ways that lead us down the wrong path.

There is a song that seemed to have some lyrics that did not make sense. I did not recognize the singer's voice. For some time I have periodically searched for the lyrics. I looked for "no stop and go love," "no stop and go love in your heart." I found nothing and was baffled.

I decided to contact the radio station that frequently plays the song. They asked me when I last heard the song so they could search the log. Coincidentally I had been at a drive up ATM when I last heard it and had the receipt with the time on it. The song was "No Stopping Your Heart" by Marie Osmond. The reason that I could not find the lyrics was that I was looking for "no stop and go" when  I should have been looking for "no stopping no." Confirmation bias did not allow me to think that the reason I could not find it was because it did not exist as I thought it to be. I was encouraged in my wrong thinking when I discovered that others had been searching for the same thing as me and were asking on answer websites such as ask.com to no avail.

While the search tool was reliable I was also believing in the search terms. Results were nil. I did not consider that my own hearing had been faulty.

David Sneed

Hampstead Theatre and Propeller

There are three reasons to go to Hampstead in North London. The tube stop stairway is 320 steps so there is a challenging walk "because it is there." The KFC makes chicken the way it used to be made with plenty of salt and MSG. And there is Hampstead Theatre. Actually there are plenty of other reasons.  

Edward Hall is the artistic Director of Hampstead Theatre and the artistic Director of Propeller the all male travelling Shakespeare ensemble. At Hampstead Theatre he does at least 10 new shows a year. At Propeller there are multiple Shakespeare productions.  

At end end of June and into July 2011 Hampstead Theatre has Propeller doing Comedy of Errors and Richard III on alternate nights. Entertainment is the first and foremost goal. "Tales of discord in perfect harmony" is what one reviewer has said. 

Hampstead Theatre and Propeller are two distinctly different organizations that are both models of how any business should work today. 

In general both have a clear cut customer target, an efficient and effective business model, sustainable resources for new products and empowerment to create unique experiences. 

 

Hampstead Theatre is a small, 325 seat, venue in a good location near the underground public transportation. There are elevators and so there is no need to walk the 320 steps! The neighborhood is safe. Refreshments and other conveniences abound. The specialty is new productions. 

Propeller can operate anywhere as it is a traveling group. The idea of all male is consistent with early Shakespeare groups. Fixed costs are low. The costumes may  often be contemporary and the stage design minimal.  

 

I could be totally wrong but it is my guess is that Hall does not attend any strategic planning or business meetings of either organization. Both companies are non-hierarchial and succeed with siloing. Everyone has the same vision and mission yet work separately. Hall is able to concentrate 100% on the development not only of new plays but new actors and directors.   

Look at their websites and their press. Come on! You could be just as memorable.

David Sneed

How Can An Owner-Operated Business Possibly Do Strategic Planning?

Several years ago I attended a meeting where the speaker was the CEO of Black Hills Power in Rapid City South Dakota.

This stodgy old power company had become a mover and shaker and was growing rapidly with acquisitions. My way of thinking was shaken when he told of how he, as CEO, was not a part of most of the board meetings. He went to give reports and to answer questions but was not a part of strategic planning.

A CEO represents administration. Chief Executive Officer. An executive is one who carries out orders. Administration has a vested interest in the status quo. The CEO could stifle the Board from coming up with ideas.

Strategic planning is the process of determining how to get something done. It may involve dong away with some existing process. It may involve adding a new one. It may involve outsourcing. It is only after the Board determines the strategy that the Executive should become involved. New skills come into place to implement strategy.

How can an owner-operated business separate planning from execution? Owner-operated businesses can stagnate with old administration ideas conflict with new needs. "We've always done it this way" becomes dominant.

The book "The E-Myth" and its update "The E-Myth Revisited" by Michael Gerber tells of how to work on an business and not in a business. It tells how to own a business and not just own a job.

Going beyond Gerber, business needs to develop customer experiences. The best way to do that is to know its target customers and creatively develop experiences for them.
Asking customers may not be the best idea. As Jerry Garcia once said "Don't be the best at what you do. Be the only one who does what you do."

Do see my blog about Cowboy Safety Cases where we go into details.

David Sneed

Blossom Dearie

Blossom Dearie was a jazz singer. Her full given name at birth was Marguerite Blossom Dearie. She died on February 7, 2009 at the age of 82.

There is a good chance you do not know who she was. She was most private but was well known by those who heard her perform. She alternated between New York and London. She never played in big venues but only in small ones. In New York it was mostly at Danny’s Skylight Room on West 46^th Street. 

It was at Danny's that I heard Blossom Dearie perform. 

The obituary in the New York Times on Monday February 9, 2009 described her work as a genre unto itself. They say she blurred the line between jazz and cabaret. “An interpretive minimalist with caviar taste in songs and musicians. “

It is most inspiring when someone can devote her life to something and keep going for so long. If she had kept on and not retired she might still be with us. 

Blossom Dearie would qualify as a proponent of Cowboy Safety. She knew who she was. She did not seek levels that had no lasting value. She was sustainable. Her style of music is classic. By alternating between New York and London she could renew for each location. When she returned to Danny's it was like a reunion and it was like she was new. She created a type of scarcity. She was able to operate independently. So many singers have a large entourage and a tractor trailer and a bus as a minimum. There is no time off. Blossom Dearie had no travel time except the occasional move between New York and London. She did not have to write music.  She could select from the standards. 

For a treat go to You Tube and look her up. “I’m Hip” was one of her main songs.

Cowboy Safety Principles

The purpose here is to organize the principles of Cowboy Safety.

There are some conflicts with conventional wisdom.

As an  example Say's Law works on the concept that Supply Creates its Own Demand.

Cowboy Safety often works on the principle that Demand Creates its Own Supply. You may have heard it as "Necessity is the Mother of Invention."

David Sneed

Cowboy Safety Cases

The intent here is to give some real cases. I have an accumulation going back many years and also that are current. I've been getting them sorted out in the last few days.

Case studies can be most helpful.

David Sneed

The Feeding of the Five Thousand

Read John 6:1-14.

What really happened at lunchtime on that day? There have been many speculations. The feeding of the 5,000, actually more because that was just the count of men, is described as a miracle. The feeding of the 5,000 and the resurrection are the only miracles recorded in all four gospels.

There are questions.

Why did Jesus and the disciples not plan ahead? Apparently they did not expect the people to follow.

Did the people have food? Jesus approached it as if they did not.

Philip knew how much money they had and knew it would not be enough.

Andrew noted that a boy had five loaves and two small fishes. That would certainly not be enough. Possibly no one else had food.  If the people had food then  Jesus would not have needed to be involved. 

There was a need and there was no visible means of filling that need. The solution to that problem is certainly worthy of a report in all four gospels.

The spiritual principle involved is that God cannot meet a surplus. He can only meet a need.

How often do we ask God for a solution when we already have it? That is a most serious lack of faith.

I am going to be doing some entries on God's economy. We all, starting with me, need to get more into that subject.

David Sneed

Expecting the Unexpected

Trucks, cars and motorcycles crashing into trains is a fairly common occurrence. The drivers are usually killed and so there is no way to hear their story. In all cases when they saw the train there was not adequate time to stop.

On Friday June 24, 2011 an empty gravel semi collided with an Amtrak passenger train near Reno Nevada. The driver, who was killed, attempted to stop 320 feet before the tracks. If he was traveling at 65 miles per hour that distance equates to less than 3 seconds. 1001, 1002, 1003. Not much time. Whatever speed he was traveling a football field plus of distance was not enough distance to stop. In the Nevada desert with no traffic he may have been going more than 65 mph.

A train cannot stop. This train was doing 78 mph in an 80 mph speed limit area. That equates to 115 feet per second. Trains blow their horns starting at 1/4 mile away. So the horn was blowing 12 seconds ahead of the crossing. The gates came down, the lights flashed and the bells rang 20 to 30 seconds before the train arrived.

Look at the photo below. The roads are all flat. There were no buildings or obstructions to views.

Much is yet to be learned about the cause. It may be a year before a determination is made.

There is something we know right now. Something that applies to all of us. We need to expect the unexpected. What could happen and how can we be ready if it does? Think of the rare events.

Expecting the unexpected goes beyond expecting the expected. Driving between midnight and 3 am on a weekend night has some expected hazards. Drunk drivers. If we have to drive at that time we know what to expect. How about Tuesday morning in rush hour traffic?

Everyone needs to do planning for the unexpected. And not just on the roadway. You just got a bill for insurance and you don't know how you will pay it? You knew about it a year in advance. That's not unexpected. You got laid off? Not too rare an event.

Sit down right now and see what kind of list you can make. You might be surprised. It can be a life changing and business changing experience.

Colorado Shakespeare Festival has $950,000 shortfall

The Colorado Shakespeare Festival at the University of Colorado in Boulder Colorado is an example of a long time organization meeting the needs of a niche market in both customers and people resources. It ran into problems when it forgot it's mission.

Brittany Anas, Staff Writer at the Boulder Daily Camera, on June 20, 2011 did a concise summary of what had happened. In the three year period from 2007 to 2009 expenses exceeded revenue by $950,000. The Festival broke even in 2010. According to Festival officials it is on track to break even in 2011 and to pay back $50,000 of the amount that has been covered by emergency funds.

This is a most important case for anyone in a niche business. Since everyone today should be in a niche business this case applies to almost everyone in business.

Many Shakespeare festivals are diversifying to other types of productions. Why are they doing this? According to the news story, the Colorado Shakespeare Festival did this to boost sales, help attract youth, and build revenue. The claim was that this did not happen because of the economy. Why did it take three years to determine that? A private business could well have gone under by then. The revenue of the Shakespeare Festival is about $1.4 million. A loss of $950,000 could well consume all of the profit and cash flow and make a business unable to borrow money.

According to Todd Gleeson, the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, expenses met the target but revenues did not. The solution has included cutting expenses and a new executive board has been formed to give more oversight. No longer will shows run concurrently. Season length last year was shortened though this year the season has been  lengthened. "A couple weeks longer than last year." This year there are only about 130 summer employees instead of the usual 170. Apparently revenue increases are not expected.

In examining this case there are other questions.

1. The Colorado Shakespeare Festival has been running for 50 years and "grew out of the desire of students and faculty in the English department who wanted to experience Shakespeare not only as literature to be read, but as a performing art." Before making a fundamental change to its mission with new products was there much soul-searching? Is it possible that the failure to meet revenue expectations was because the loyal customer base wanted Shakespeare and not Christmas Carol? Did it want summer theatre outdoors or a holiday production indoors?

2. Does the Colorado Shakespeare Festival have some special expertise that would qualify it to move into other types of productions?

3. Is there a business need to add non-Shakespeare productions? There are plenty of other theatres in the area.

4. The Colorado Shakespeare Festival has a number of full time year round staff. That means a high fixed cost. A business today needs to lower or eliminate fixed costs. Does the Colorado Shakespeare Festival need to consider why it needs year round staff and other Shakespeare Festivals and other seasonal theatre companies do not?

5. Did no one at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival or the University of Colorado know about the recession for three full years? Early in 2007 it was well known. It is vital that a business understand its environment. Even if we do not understand why the plight of Greece is so important world-wide we do need to know that there is universal agreement that a Greek debt default can have worldwide impact. What about here at home? The U.S. Government is borrowing 42 cents out of every dollar it spends. The deficit is expected to be at lest $1.4 trillion per year for years to come. We should all learn what we must do to sustain our businesses.

6. The Colorado Shakespeare Festival has been bringing in expensive directors from out of state and out of the country. This year one is coming from Russia. That increases variable costs. Many if not most college based Shakespeare Festivals have students and local people as actors and directors.

7. Is the recession to blame? During the same time period that the Colorado Shakespeare Festival had a revenue shortfall of $950,000 a dinner theatre in the same market area started, built a multi-million dollar building and is doing well. It keeps adding show dates because it has sell out crowds.

This case is most important as we consider our missions, our fixed costs, our variable costs and our economic environment. We need to make sure we know if the economic environment has an effect or if that is an excuse. Since economic environment has so many uncertainties a sustainable business should always have a plan for the worst.

What are some recommendations?

1. Examine the Shakespeare market. It has been around for 400 years. It is done everywhere even by non Shakespeare Festival theatre companies. Have a creative team that can look at new ways of presenting Shakespeare. Theatre for a New Audience in New York has been doing some great things and at lower costs for stage design with minimalism. Maybe concentrate on summer theatre.

2. Develop a better way of tracking knowing financial projections.

3. Develop a way of knowing the effect of the economy on revenues.

4. Use more students and local talent rather than out of state and out of country. Implement new techniques of co-employment as private business is doing.

5. Cut back on year round employees.

6. Last but not least get out of the insanity mode of believing that doing things the same way as in the past will give different results.


David Sneed

Why We Should All Wait on Tables

I was at a dinner theatre last Sunday. We had three grandchildren with us and I wanted them to understand how it all worked. I explained to them that the actors and actresses were also the waiters and waitresses. As it happened one of our servers was the Artistic Director for another theatre in the area. She had been through a most interesting transition. A transition concept that should work for all of us in the new economy.

Actors and actresses are often unemployed and even when working most do not make much. Waiting on tables is a workable side job. Being a bank teller would not be. Flex schedules is a must. This lady when she became an Artistic Director expected to not have to wait tables. That was Stage 1.

Then she determined that by waiting on tables she could become a better artistic director by keeping in practice creating experiences. That was Stage 2.

Then by waiting on tables at this dinner theatre she was a part of the creative collaboration  community that was there. Again she became a better artistic director as a result. Stage 3.

I think there will be a stage 4. Separately we will deal with that stage.

Somewhat related is that I have noticed that generally stage performers are better servers than professional servers.

In the new paradigm of sustainable, low fixed cost business there are often no titles and no hierarchy. Overhead is reduced because everyone is either serving a customer or is serving someone who is serving a customer. There are no other jobs.

David Sneed

Dedham Kayak Company

Many year ago I wanted a boat of my own that I could take in shallow places and be light enough to carry. I found the Dedham Kayak Company. I saved for a long time and one day my mother took me to the place to get my boat. It was a barn in Dedham Massachusetts. We lived in Ayer. Probably 40 miles away.

I paid my $19 or so. The man gave me paper grocery bags of parts. There were wood frames, rolls of canvas, and a container of butyl stearate also called airplane dope.

I went home and put my kayak together. I used the butyl stearate for waterproofing. Then I painted the boat gray.  Next to my house was a pool of water in a swampy area. Testing took place. The boat worked.

Why are things today so complicated?

The man built my trust with his ads and in person. The parts were all there. The instructions for assembly were there. He checked the order. I was all set.

I took the boat down a river. Later I took it from Boston to Cape Cod. I had learned what my boat could do.

Dedham Kayak Company made money. The customer was happy.

Safety from 1014 B.C.

Cowboy Safety goes way back.

This morning I ran across a new reference from 1014 B.C. It is from the Bible. I use King James. Here is I Kings 4:25:

"And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon."

I could write a book about this. So could you.

This definition  of safety is easy to understand.

There is nothing complex. There is no equipment. No training. No licensing.

If you have ever been to the Mediterranean countries you can understand even better. There are vines and fig trees and olive trees and other types of plants. They provide shade and shelter. I love going to a restaurant. The tables are outdoors under the vines. RElax. There is no rush. Have a cold beer or a glass of wine. In Greece you would at least start with Raki that is already on the table. What would you like to eat? The proprietor is there. He or she will get it for you? "Have you got fish?" "Sure. Come in the kitchen and pick out what you want. My son just caught it this morning right over there." Do you get the point? This is the way to live all the time.

Safety is all about how to always feel that way where everything is what you want when you want it with no trouble.

Cowboy Safety is the technique for how to get it for yourself and your business and how to give it to others.

David Sneed

Safety from 1014 B.C.

Cowboy Safety goes way back.

This morning I ran across a new reference from 1014 B.C. It is from the Bible. I use King James. Here is I Kings 4:25:

"And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon."

I could write a book about this. So could you.

This definition  of safety is easy to understand.

There is nothing complex. There is no equipment. No training. No licensing.

If you have ever been to the Mediterranean countries you can understand even better. There are vines and fig trees and olive trees and other types of plants. They provide shade and shelter. I love going to a restaurant. The tables are outdoors under the vines. Relax. There is no rush. Have a cold beer or a glass of wine. In Greece you would at least start with Raki that is already on the table. What would you like to eat? The proprietor is there. He or she will get it for you? "Have you got fish?" "Sure. Come in the kitchen and pick out what you want. My son just caught it this morning right over there." Do you get the point? This is the way to live all the time.

Safety is all about how to always feel that way where everything is what you want when you want it with no trouble.

Cowboy Safety is the technique for how to get it for yourself and your business and how to give it to others.

David Sneed

Safety from 1014 B.C.

Cowboy Safety goes way back.

This morning I ran across a new reference from 1014 B.C. It is from the Bible. I use King James. Here is I Kings 4:25:

"And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon."

I could write a book about this. So could you.

This definition  of safety is easy to understand.

There is nothing complex. There is no equipment. No training. No licensing.

If you have ever been to the Mediterranean countries you can understand even better. There are vines and fig trees and olive trees and other types of plants. They provide shade and shelter. I love going to a restaurant. The tables are outdoors under the vines. RElax. There is no rush. Have a cold beer or a glass of wine. In Greece you would at least start with Raki that is already on the table. What would you like to eat? The proprietor is there. He or she will get it for you? "Have you got fish?" "Sure. Come in the kitchen and pick out what you want. My son just caught it this morning right over there." Do you get the point? This is the way to live all the time.

Safety is all about how to always feel that way where everything is what you want when you want it with no trouble.

Cowboy Safety is the technique for how to get it for yourself and your business and how to give it to others.

David Sneed

How to do well in Commerce

Thou will do well in commerce as long as thou does not believe thine own odor is perfume.

 Haimchinkel Malintz Anaynikal

This is a great old saying. Think on it. It will tell you much of what you need to know to maintain a sustainable business.

What is a Christian?

Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” To look at some “Christians” one would think that they believe in someone who said “I am come that they might have DEATH and have it more abundantly.” These people are dead in spirit and they are just biding time until their body is dead and their soul is cast into Hell.

According to the Bible, Christians were first called Christians at Antioch. And not by a church committee or a pastor. They were called that by the unbelievers. They were called that because they lived their life totally by “What would Jesus do?” The word Christian means “little Christ.” It was a derogatory term. “Who do you think you are anyway, Jesus?” the unbelievers would say. They knew what Jesus did. They knew that he taught and did differently from the world.

“Why are you so different?” the world will say. “Because of what Jesus did.” That is the reply of  a Christian, a “little Christ.” “What did Jesus do?” “He died for me and then he rose from the dead.”

The Bible says that we should “confess with our mouth.” According to the Roman Catholics it means to recite the Apostles’ Creed in church along with everyone else. Outside of church you may say “I believe in God.” According to the Bible, so do the devils “and they tremble.”

A Christian can say to unbelieving family, to believing family, to friends, to co-workers and to everyone, “I live because of what Jesus did for me.” A Christian will say that not just because people ask why they are different but because they want others to know.

Jesus went to the man at the pool of Bethesda. “Do you want to be healed?” he asked. The man did not say yes or no. The man gave Jesus an argument. After Jesus explained to him a better way the man got up and walked away healed. He knew that 38 years had been wasted doing things his way. That is repentance. Many so-called Christians today of all denominations continue to let their pride rule and they continue to sit by the pool unhealed.

“I hit him because he hit me.” “I took from her because she took from me.” “Why should I do that?” With that attitude no one will dare call you a “little Christ.” Unfortunately many churches today will call you a Christian particularly if you go to their meetings and give them money.

“Servants obey your masters.” “Children obey your parents.” “Wives obey your husbands.” “Obey all those who have authority over you.” These are commands from the Bible but they are not Christianity. Christianity starts after these things are done.

Teenager, when your parents say “Clean up your room.” Do you argue and talk back? That is not Christianity. Do you go clean up your room? That is not Christianity. Do you clean up your room, ask God to forgive you for letting it get so bad that your parents had to tell you, and resolve to keep it neat?  Do you apologize to your parents for the mess? After you clean your room do you then go to your brother or sister and offer to help them clean up their room? “Say… who do you think you are, Jesus?”

You work at Burger King. Do you smile at customers, wipe down the counters, bring out more cups, help a co-worker wait on a customer? Or do you slouch around with a frown and do as little as possible?

Do you parents say “work for me for one hour” and you argue about it and maybe refuse to do it? Or do you say “how about if I work two hours?” Say..who do you think you are, Jesus?”

He does bad to you. You willingly do good to him. That is Christianity.

Your sister takes your clothes. You say “That sweater really looks good on you. Why don’t you keep it?” That is Christianity.

George Washington Carver was a believer. He had to endure the humiliation that was the condition for Negroes and for the poor. But Carver read Jeremiah 33:3 and could believe for great knowledge and works. He walked 100 miles to get to college. He slept on a shed floor and did all the menial jobs that no one else would do. “Carver, why do you do that?” “Because of what Jesus did for me”

A farmer is standing by the fence and a passer by says “God sure gave you a beautiful farm.” “He did” says the farmer. “But you should have seen it when He had it all to himself.”

One time Martin Luther was working in his garden. Someone came by and said, “What would you do if you knew that Jesus was coming back at 5:00 this afternoon?” “Well,” said Luther, “the first thing I’d do is finish weeding this garden.”

It is one thing to do rituals and call it Christianity. That is why we have so many different churches. In Jesus’ time as a man, there were only two denominations. He explained to the woman at the well that the Father did not distinguish churches. “The Father is looking for those who will worship in spirit and in truth.” Said Jesus.

I can get up and give a lecture on all the things that Zeus, Thor and other “gods” did. But no one will call me their follower. That is because those “gods” have not made a difference in my life.

If I truly believe that Jesus died for me and then his death made a difference to me I am a Christian. If I truly believe that what He did on the cross is important then I can tell others and I can tell others that Jesus did it for them. Like Paul, I will do whatever I have to do and even do it more so as an example to others. That is being a Christian.

 David Sneed

All things are possible from Brother Lawrence

“That all things are possible to him who believes; that they are less difficult to him who hopes; that they are more easy to him who loves, and still more easy for him who perseveres in the practice of these three virtues.”

Brother Lawrence

What is Cowboy Safety?

Cowboy Safety is a common sense approach to safety that reduces injuries and other losses while enhancing profits and company image. It reinvents safety for the 21st century global economy.

Cowboy Safety does not dwell on industry statistics, average costs of a workers’ comp claim or on making and enforcing rules and regulations. It does not concentrate on high-cost reductionist safety management processes that often fail. Press reports of refinery fires, confined space incidents, train and bus crashes and many smaller incidents show that more often than not the obvious is not considered.


Cowboy Safety assumes limited resources yet a job that must be done. The nameless cowboy in Clint Eastwood’s High Plains Drifter survives not just with his technical skills but by constantly anticipating what could happen and being prepared for it. Having a gun on his lap in the barber shop is more important than a stack of training cards. Cowboy Safety starts with real needs and attitudes rather than a safety video filmed in a studio.

While anchored in the past Cowboy Safety is taken from a vision of how things could and should be. Sources may be anecdotal in origin but are scientific in practice. With history and fictional stories, a laboratory is created that is unaffected by the “noise” and familiarity of the present world.

As an example picture if you will three cowboys riding in a pickup truck. Which one is the real cowboy? The answer is the one in the middle. He does not have to drive and he does not have to get out of the truck to open and shut gates. He could be described as lazy and may be napping. In fact he is a pragmatist. There is a lower probability of an incident that would keep him from his real job. Many injuries and fatalities occur and much collateral damage is caused from driving when driving should not be done and working when working should not be done.

In a real incident near Lander Wyoming three men were injured in a head-on crash on a snowy day with low visibility. They observed all of the defensive driving techniques of slowing down, lights on, seatbelt usage, scanning and driving to the right. But why were they driving? They had gone back to the shop for more parts because they had not planned properly at the start of the day. There were costs other than the crash that involved their entire company and its mission. Cowboy Safety would have prevented this incident.
Cowboy Safety programs are customized and localized. The process is boiler plate but the deliverable is not. Each program is collaborative and is reconciled with the business and relevant environmental models. A dynamic safe experience involving social technology is designed that considers all stakeholders. The organization achieves sustainable and measurable improvements with dramatically reduced costs.

David Sneed

Does God Heal Through Doctors?

The thought that God heals through doctors prevails today. But we should be careful about this doctrine because the Bible says rough things in Revelation 22:18-19 about anyone who adds to the word or takes away from the word.

In Genesis 50:2 we read that Joseph called a physician to embalm his father.

In 2 Chronicles 16:12 we read that Asa “was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians.”

In Luke 8:43, we read that “a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any.” The account in Mark 5 also says that there were “many physicians” and that she “rather grew worse.”

In Colossians 4:14 we read that Luke was a physician. But in Luke’s account of the visit to Melita in Acts 28:8-9 it was Paul who ministered healing. “And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed and laid his hands on him, and healed him. So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in the island, came, and were healed:”

Where is a there any scriptural basis that God heals through doctors? Did someone receive a special revelation that God had a new plan?

When Eve was approached in the garden she saw (Genesis 3:6) “that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat,”  The serpent convinced Eve that God must want her to eat it or it would not have been there.

Just because something seems right does not make it right. The Bibles says (Proverbs 14:12) that “there is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

The medical profession seems to be the right thing. Not a week goes by that we do not hear of some new drug or some new procedure. Does that mean that the medical profession is God at work? Let’s see if the medical profession has the characteristics of God.

God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). But the medical profession is a respecter of persons. If you are a white American male with private health insurance or if you are  wealthy you can have the best treatments available.

God’s gifts cannot be purchased. In Acts 8:20, Peter said, “Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.”  The Bible says in Revelation 22:17 that “whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” But medical care takes money. And the more money you have the better off you are.

God’s gifts are appropriated through faith. But doctors are selected by sight for their reputation. The Bible says “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). A common church dinner conversation involves people bragging about the excellent coverage they have on their medical plans.

God does not take away a gift. In Romans 11:29 we read “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. Then why do Christians complain when some treatment is no longer covered by their plan?

God calls his ministers through his gospel (Ephesians 3:6-12.) Medical practitioners are often unbelievers. The Bible says in John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” Are these unbelievers also his sheep?

God set gifts of healings in the church (I Cor 12:28).  Medical profession healings are licensed by the government and often paid for by taxes collected by the government or by tax subsidies and deductions allowed by the government. If you’ll watch your newspaper almost daily, medical profession deficiencies are dealt with by the Congress and the Legislature and not by prayer.

God does not change. But medical care keeps changing. In Malachi 3:6 we read “For I am the Lord, I change not.” In Hebrews 13:8 we read “Jesus Christ the same, yesterday, today, and forever.” In Ecclesiastes 3:14 we read “I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken away from it:”

If you believe that God heals through doctors and if you have had your life extended through medical procedures then when you give your testimony you should be sure to thank God that you are a white American and not like those such and such people in some country. You should thank God for noting how worthy you are to be able to afford such good surgeons who you believe are the ministers of God.

In Matthew 8 when Jesus was making some comments about how the Centurion was more of a believer than the church people, Jesus said “But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Read the Bible and you’ll see that he was talking about church people who don’t believe in healing by God’s ways.

The Bible says in Psalms 103:3, “who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases.” If God now heals through heathen doctors maybe he now saves through some heathen practice. Maybe salvation is now of works.

If you run to your doctor when you’re sick maybe you’re closer to him than you are to Dr. Jesus. Maybe you don’t really believe in eternal salvation either. 

David Sneed

Is Healing for Today?

Much of the teaching we hear is that God did things in the past,  will do things in the future, but at some unknown point quit doing it. Hebrews 13:8 says “Jesus Christ the same, yesterday, today and forever.” If you want to know what God is doing today look at what he did yesterday.

A woman with an issue of blood for 12 years spent all of her money on doctors and was not made any better (Luke 8). Somebody (with faith) told her about this man Jesus who had healed others. The woman went and the place was crowded. “If I can just touch his clothes” she said. When she touched, Jesus asked, “Who touched me?” His disciples answered, “Who touched you? Everyone’s touching you”  He turned and saw the woman and said “Thy faith hath made thee whole.” That’s how Jesus healed then and that’s how he heals today. If you’re such a good Christian, have you told anyone that Jesus heals? Do you believe in Hebrews 13:8?

Was it different then because she could touch his clothes and we can’t do that today? The Centurion in Matthew 8 told Jesus that his servant was sick and needed a healing. Jesus said he would go to the house and heal him. The Centurion said “I’m not worthy to have you come to my house. But speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. Jesus said, “as thou hast believed so be it done unto thee.” The servant was healed in the selfsame hour. As you go about as a disciple of Christ do you ask Jesus for healing of unsaved people who have no faith? Do you have the faith of the Centurion (who was not even of Israel or a child of the kingdom)?

But that healing was just for that one person you say. Well the Bible says in Matthew 4 that Jesus healed everybody that wanted to be healed. The only time that Jesus did not heal everybody was when he went back to Nazareth. The Bible says “And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief (Matthew 13:58). If you are not seeing healing is it Jesus’ fault? The disciples in Matthew 17 could not cast out a demon and they asked Jesus why they could not. “Because of your unbelief” (verse 20). Jesus told them that they needed to pray and fast.

In Matthew 8 when Jesus was making some comments about how the Centurion was more of a believer than the church people, Jesus said “But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Read the Bible and you’ll see that he was talking about church people who don’t believe in healing.

But, you say, my church does believe in healing. But we also believe that God calls people home. A few weeks ago we had Sister Jones on our prayer list. She wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t come to church. Then the next week we prayed that when she went for tests that they would come back negative. Then the next week we prayed that she would get through surgery ok. Then the next week we prayed for her full recovery. This week the Lord called her home and we had her funeral.

Well since your church is such a strong believer in healing why didn’t it do what the Bible says? James 5:7-15 is talking to church people. “Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.”

Most churches ignore this command. If this command is followed it’s usually done as a religious ritual while the “believer” is under the care of a doctor. The church did not teach Sister Jones about this scripture because it really does not believe it does any good. The church today has lost the power of the early church but it is not because Jesus changed. There is so much carnality in the church today that like in Nazareth, Jesus can do no mighty works “because of their unbelief.” For sickness it’s much safer to publish a list in the church bulletin even when the sick person didn’t ask for it.  So what if it’s not scriptural. It seems ok and we’ve always done it this way.

I heard one woman say, “We used to preach it and we went to the altar and didn’t get healed.” In other words she no longer believes that God heals. Maybe the churches no longer believe God saves. Maybe that’s why many of them have quit giving altar calls for salvation.

I’ve been to healing services where people didn’t get healed. But I’ve been to many more evangelistic services where people didn’t get saved. That does not mean that salvation is gone.

Psalms 103:3 says, “who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases.” If God does not heal any more maybe he does not forgive sin any more either. You say you believe in Jesus in John 3:15 when Jesus says that “whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Why do you not believe in Jesus when he says “as thou hast believed so be it done unto thee.” Why do you not believe him when he says that you fail “because of your unbelief?” In Luke 17:5 the disciples said “Lord, increase our faith.”

Today we hear that God heals through doctors. I have yet to see any scriptural basis that God now works through a system that is flawed and constantly changes. The Bible says rough things in Revelation 22:18-19 about anyone who adds to the word or takes away from the word. It also says (Proverbs 14:12) that “there is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

Some say that Jesus healed then because of all the unbelievers. We’ve got more unbelievers today than there were then. If there was ever a time that healing was needed to show God’s power it’s today.

In Malachi 3:6 it says, “For I am the Lord, I change not”

God has not changed. He still heals and he still saves.

What do you believe? 

David Sneed

Two Definitions

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 KJV


FAITH IS

Believing it is so
When it is not so
Until it becomes so
Because God said so

Post-Consumerism

Post-Consumerism is a term that is used in Cowboy Safety. The term covers many things. It is new in the sense that in the path of time we are in a society that is much different than it was even 75 years ago. It was not that long ago when it would have been quite laughable to say that the time would come when people would spend $1.50 for a bottle of water at a gas station.

Post-consumerism includes a philosophy that there is too much junk in our lives and we need to be more thoughtful about what we do with our money.  That does not mean to stay away from chain coffee shops. It just means understanding that we do have a choice and we should understand what products and images we are buying and we should not let advertising make our choices for us.

One of the oldest money management concepts, dating back thousands of years, is to put 10% in savings up front, 20% for debt repayment and 70% for consumption. Post-consumerism deals with the spending of the 70% and the production of commodities, goods, services and experiences in the marketplace.

Cowboy Safety works with the idea that there is more profit and less work in doing things that make a difference for good. It says that we all can be social entrepreneurs and that we do not have to have a non-profit organization or live in poverty to do it.

The Magical Number 72

With a gift from her father, Mildred Furiya paid $16,000 cash in 1966 for a townhouse on state Street in Brooklyn NY between Smith and Hoyt Streets. Today it is on the market for $1.895 million. That represents an annual return of a little more than 11%. It illustrates the power of compounding.

The magical number 72 can be used for making estimates of compounding.

Dividing 72 by the expected rate of return will give the number of years it takes for something to double. In Mrs Furiya's case that was 6.28 years. She has lived there for 45 years.

Dividing 72 by a planned doubling time gives the annual rate of increase needed.  To double in 10 years requires an annual rate of 7.2%.

Simple concept. So what?

Too often planning is done on the basis of cash flow, profit percent or income taxes.Compounding should be considered and even built into the plan. An understanding of compounding can be a way of seeing alternatives. For an individual it can be a way of allocating that limited stuff called time. For families it can be a way of understanding if there both spouses need to work and for how long.

The Cowboy Safety approach builds a model that considers the personal lifetime goals of the people involved.Then using a post-consumer approach, an approach that includes the magical number 72, a value plan is created over expected time available. It is a model that quantifies the unquantifiable. What will be the real value of education? Should you take a job or be self-employed? What type of house should you buy? Should equipment be bought or leased? What should be outsourced? What if one devoted less time to work and more time to vacation? How can intangibles be made to gain value?

There are a number of complex financial tools. Cowboy Safety uses a simplified version that is based on realistic easy to understand variables.Risks are more easily understood so that choices can be made.

Mrs Furiya subconsciously did the analysis and made the right decisions. She did not need an MBA and she did not need to go to Starbucks every day to network with the MBAs.