Jesus Does Not Work For Google

Jesus Does Not Work For Google...

Offer any question to the Google Search Engine and the universe
shall be opened unto you. The Googleverse that is. A Googleverse
that is coming across a more varied and sophisticated structure with Google Search Engine,
GoogleVoice, GoogleCalendar, GoogleScholar, and a soon-to-be Google
phone to usurp its revered predecessor-iphone. The Google Eye reaches
to many "forbidden" arenas such as North Korea, Alqaeda safehouses
in Pakistan, and that Washington DC 3-bedroom bachelorette pad that your current beau's
ex-girlfriend frolicks within.

In short, Google can navigate you to the furthest corners of the
earth, all from the comfort and "privacy" of your own home. You can
ask Google anything. It is the Trekkies dream come true.

To Go Where No Man Has Gone Before.

No proverbial stone is left unturned. For better or worse. Alas,
the truth is--Google Giveth and Google Taketh Away. Unphased by your
haughtiness, naughtiness, or all around annoying curiosity. No matter
what angle you take, google sits unchanging. Awaiting your deepest
and most secret queries. WIth its two BIG eyes and slot of a mouth.

Ready to gobble up your curiousity and spit out knowledge with the
click of your mouse. Google is omniscent, non-judgemental, forgiving,
everpresent as satellite imagery suggests, and potent with answers to
all of your questions. Could it be? Jesus-Powered?

Sigh with relief in knowing that JESUS DOES NOT WORK FOR GOOGLE.

Well, how do I know? You may ask. The universe poses questions
to us on a daily basis, which we as humans are tasked with answering.
These universal questions are uniquely unaswerable by Google. Some
examples follow:

-What is ____(your name)'s purpose on this earth?
-Should I forgive ____(name of transgressor) for ______(transgression)?
-How can we realize our dream for global peace and not end up
in pieces as a result?

Yes, some questions are unanswerable by our well-respected Googleverse.
Sorry Google, Jesus has you on this one. These are questions, universal
question, that can only be answered by our inner-voice. Whether you get
to that voice by asking Jesus to speak to your heart or by doing
yogic meditations is up to you. Some days Google doesn't have ALL the answers.

Falling Forward

Today I am going to reveal the hidden benefits of the F-word. Okay, we are all adults in here so let me just come clean and say it…Failure.


Many of us are afraid of this word. Afraid of the way it looks, the way it sounds, and the way it makes us feel.

Envision yourselves as that little baby we all were when we took our first hesitant steps. Our shaky legs learn the rhythm and the motion of walking, but before we have the formula down pact, we make an attempt to walk. There was a pitter patter of uncoordinated steps and then (CLAP) SPLAT! Down on our faces. More often than not we got up and tried again. All of us seemed to have learned how to walk—but I bet we fell more than once!

When we became adults, if we fall what is the first thing we do? Usually pop up and look around and think, “I hope no one saw that”. We become ashamed of our falls and failures. We hide from failure we avoid taking risks that may result in failure.

Me? I am well acquainted with failure. I have failed BIG—I got kicked out of the Peace Corps, a job I loved. I was escorted out of the country by an armed member of the Embassy. There was nowhere to hide from that failure. So I had to confront it. I’m glad I did. Failure is a great teacher. It teaches us more than success can. I learned about my limits, I discovered who my true friends were, and I uncovered strength I didn’t even know I had. But most importantly, I got up and tried again. Failing fast and failing forward is a hidden secret to success. I condensed this philosophy into 3 main points:

Accept Failure. Don’t be ashamed of the failures in your life. Accept and embrace them. I hope you realize from that little baby taking its first step—failure is a part of life. The sooner you accept failure the quicker you can move on.
Ask for Help. One thing we can learn from failure is that we are not alone in our struggles. When we were babies we fell down, got up, we may have looked around to see if anyone was willing to lend a helping hand or even get a kiss for the boo-boo on our knee. When we fail…it is good to reach out for help. Don’t be afraid to say you need it because everyone needs help sometime. Ask your true friends for help giving feedback—what did you do that caused the failure? What can be done differently next time?
Fail forward. The baby learning to walk will fall and get right back up and try again. The falls do not define us. They do not paralyze us or scare us out of giving it another shot. Failing forward means using failures as stepping stones to success.


Hopefully these tips will help you to remember how to make the most of failure. In this holiday season it can ironically force us to focus on our deficits—what we can’t do for our families, what we haven’t done in our personal lives or careers. Treat failure as a moment of abundant learning. As I mentioned earlier, failure is a great teacher. Make sure you are ready to be a great student. Learn what your limits are, uncover your strengths and weaknesses, what works and doesn’t work. Next time you fall, fall forward.