Paychecks: an Exchange of Value for Value

Having managed and supervised people for many years now, it is evident to me that the concept of "value for value" is not clearly understood by many workers within the context of the workplace.

Let me explain...

Most people make value judgments when they spend their own money to buy products or services. For example, when you get the oil changed in your vehicle, it costs you about $35. That seems like a fair price to you because you understand the cost of an oil filter, five quarts of oil and skilled labor. Additionally, maybe you've changed your own oil before and are more than willing to spend your $35 to have someone else do the dirty work. You understand the exchange of value for value: $35 for an oil change.

Now let's say that you drop your iPad and need to have the screen replaced, so you take it into the local PC repair store. You learn that the cost to repair your iPad is $150. You're probably not going to rant and rave at the computer guy because you only want to pay him $35...what you paid for your oil change. Why? Because if you've done your research, you understand the computer guy's skill and the time required to repair your iPad is greater than that of the oil change technician.

Now to the workplace...consider a computer help desk worker who is hired at the average salary of $37,000 to answer, route and document telephone calls for 8 hours each business day. At some point, the computer industry (or marketplace) has determined that this work is valued at $37,000 per year. Compare that with the average programmer's salary of $60,000. Again, the computer industry has determined that the skill required to program computer software is of greater value than that of answering a help desk telephone.

So why is it that some computer help desk workers believe that if they keep their help desk job long enough, they too can make $60,000 for performing the same work...answering telephones? Or maybe an easier example...why is it that people making burgers at the local fast food establishment believe they should make a higher minimum wage for performing the same work?

If you desire a higher salary, learn a skill that will enable you to produce a work product that is more valuable in the marketplace.

Ways of Thinking Employees Should Avoid...

• Many employees believe that their presence in the office warrants a pay check, whether or not they produce 8 hours of value for 8 hours of pay. This is evidenced by observing workers who often spend quite a bit of time socializing around the office rather than producing 8 hours of value. Strive to give your employer 8 hours of value for 8 hours of pay.
• Many employees believe they should receive greater compensation (a raise / bonus) because they have been employed longer than someone else, regardless of whether their work is producing greater value than when they were originally hired. Strive to give your employer greater value prior to asking for additional compensation.
• Many employees have a very high opinion of their own work product. Be willing to research the best methods for producing your work (outside of your own organization) and incorporate those methods into your work product.

In conclusion, understand that your employer is giving you a pay check in exchange for the value of work you are producing. The amount of pay exchanged for work is often dependent upon the skill level required, timeliness and quality of the work your employer expects from you.

Five Simple Recruitment, Hiring and Retention Recommendations

1. Employees in a Manager role should primarily be concerned with strategy and return on investment, Supervisors should primarily be concerned with the quality of the workers’ product and Workers should primarily be concerned with producing work.
2. Attempt to keep a 1:8 staffing ratio (manager:supervisor; supervisor:worker). Too few or too many direct reports will create inefficiencies.
3. Don’t limit your candidate pool by requiring specific knowledge of your company, processes or in-house computer software on the job announcement. Rather, focus on industry skill sets required to perform the work.
4. Job descriptions should be written for roles rather than individuals. Focus on what activities and skills the role will perform 80% of the time.
5. Focus on measuring employee performance based on the desired outcome (refer to item 1) rather than on process. A few, well designed outcome based measurements will outperform a host of process based measurements.

Obamacare and the Bible

Many good meaning people are adamantly in favor of government run healthcare. In fact, social media is chocked full of quotes and thoughts from people who obviously have a heart for the poor, the hurting, the sick and the needy. Many of these posts either quote the Bible or unknowingly promote biblical concepts like...

• Psalm 82:4 - "Deliver the poor and needy..."
• James 1:27 - "...visit the fatherless and widows..."
• Matthew 10:8 - "Heal the sick..."
• Psalm 102:20 - "...hear the groaning of the prisoner..." 

However, the Bible does not direct these instructions at the government; they are directed toward individuals. It is the responsibility of individuals to provide these services directly to their family members and neighbors.

One may argue that government is a collection of individuals who can be employed, through taxation, to carry out these activities. There are several challenges with this approach:

• As the taxes are taken from the people, they are not as financially equipped to assist the needy.
• The taxpayer expects the government to provide the services and may become complacent about assisting the needy directly.
• The taxpayer is robbed of the joy and personal satisfaction that comes with providing the services directly to the needy.
• The recipient may fail to understand the source of the assistance (the taxpayer) and lack a sincere gratitude toward their neighbor.

It is popular in our day to quickly point to the modern interpretation of the "separation of church and state" (a view which was not held by the framers of the United States Constitution, but I digress). However, it is a paradox to require the government to provide services to the needy (a "religious" concept instituted by a compassionate God) and maintain that the government should separate themselves from religious ideology.

One may argue that there are good people that are self-motivated to assist the needy without any religious promptings. According to the Bible, they are simply responding to God's law which is embedded in their own conscience...

• Romans 2:14-15 - "For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)"

You may ask, what is government supposed to do then? Consider this...

• Romans 13:3-4 - "For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil."

In conclusion, it is the responsibility of individuals to provide assistance directly to the needy. It is the role of government to execute revenge on those that do evil.

Building a Wooden Gate

I recently needed to build a wooden gate. After reading many websites and watching scores of videos, I realized that many people use the technique of building the gate on a flat surface (i.e. concrete floor) and then lifting it into place.

However, I found the method described in this video yielded a precision, built-to-fit result with the least amount of effort.

Excel Pivot Tables

Years ago, a friend introduced me to Microsoft Excel pivot tables. This is one of the most powerful and easy-to-use features of Excel, yet the vast majority of employees that work with spreadsheets know nothing about it. I am convinced that training employees to make use of this one feature could revolutionize the way that an organization looks at data.

Some of the immediate benefits include:

• Quickly analyze spreadsheets and provide summarized, meaningful reports and graphs
• Quickly identify data trends
• Quickly identify data issues

Microsoft has a no cost, online course from which anyone can benefit:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/pivottable-i-what-s-so-great-about-pivottable-reports-RZ001013617.aspx

Excel Formulas for Finding Column Letters and Numbers

Formula to return the column letter for any cell.
=SUBSTITUTE(ADDRESS(1,COLUMN(E3),4),"1","")
This formula will produce the result: E

Formula to convert a column letter into the column number:
=COLUMN(INDIRECT(CONCATENATE("E","1")))
This formula will produce the result: 5

The Bible on Alcohol

Proverbs 20:1
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.

Proverbs 21:17
He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.

Proverbs 23:21
For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

Proverbs 23:29 – 35
Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

Proverbs 31:4 – 5
It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.

Isaiah 5:11
Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!

Isaiah 28:7
But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble [in] judgment.

Mark 15:23
And they gave him [Jesus] to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not.

Luke 1:15
For he [John the Baptist] shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.

Romans 14:21
It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.

1 Corinthians 5:11
But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

1 Corinthians 6:9 – 10
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Ephesians 5:18 – 21
And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

1 Peter 4:3 – 5
For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.

Lights, Camera, Action...

As a full time information technology professional, there seems to be little time to pursue life long passions like filmmaking. However, in the past few years technological advances have brought what was once out of my financial reach a little closer to home.

With a growing interest in my own children for the creation of modern media, I have found that blending my passion with theirs has created a vehicle for experimenting with film production once again. Here are a few of our recent endeavors...

Are You Paid An Unfair Wage?

Do you feel that you are paid unfairly for the job you are doing? Does someone else make more money for the same type of work? Are you concerned about the so called "golden parachutes" of corporate executives?

Next time these thoughts come to mind, consider the following parable...

"For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen." Matthew 20:1-16

Picketing Theology

I recently saw a photograph posted on Facebook of a picketing sign which read, "Obama is not a brown-skinned anti-war socialist who gives away free health care. + You're thinking of Jesus. +"

Four people had indicated that they liked the sign and another individual had posted a favorable comment which read, "THAT is fabulous!"

With six people expressing favor for the sign (I'm including the person who originally posted the photo in the count), not seeing the obvious errors in the message, I was compelled to respond, "Jesus was neither anti-war (see Revelation) nor socialist (see Mosaic Law)."

A seventh supporter of the misguided picketing sign replied, "Words in red Dan. Jesus did not write either of those books." Another wrote, "Perhaps. However, the first person accounts of the Jesus described in the bible portray him as a person who more closely resembles a tolerant, peaceful, loving person who wanted people to care for each other (John 15:12)."

I replied, "Since Jesus is a member of the triune God, and since all Scripture is God breathed (inspired), in order to have a comprehensive picture of God's very nature, you must take the whole counsel of God into account (Genesis through Revelation). God the Son has the same nature as God the Father."

Their Response

"I am compelled to point out that your are stating an opinion rather than a fact in saying that what we know as the bible is the inspired word of the Christian god. But that is an argument for another day. What perplexes me is that you seem to be saying that since Jesus and the god of the Old Testament are the same person than we must assume that Jesus while kind and loving at times was also angry, vindictive, misogynistic and genocidal. And that is what we should aspire to?"

My Response

"...if a member of your family had a horrific crime done to them (i.e. murder, rape, etc.), and at the trial the judge passed the appropriate sentence on the perpetrator, would you categorize the judge as "angry, vindictive, misogynistic and genocidal"?

God, the Creator, has provided us with His law as well as the penalty for violating the law. He has stated the penalty for violating the law is death. As king, lawgiver and judge, He alone retains the right to pass sentence on the lawbreaker whenever He chooses.

We, as humans, are all lawbreakers. As a result, we are guilty and it is just a matter of time before our day in court. God as a just judge will pass sentence as dictated by the law. The good news is that God, having love and compassion for mankind, provided a way to escape the judgment required by the law in that He placed the death penalty on His own Son. In doing so, the penalty for violating the law was satisfied (the fine paid) by Jesus so that men and women could go free. We have a choice. To appropriate Jesus payment for our guilt or to reject the offer.

One more thing... my purpose in responding to this post was to point out that the person who made the sign in the photograph, does not have an accurate understanding of the nature of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Bible.

Regardless of one's religious beliefs, the Bible is regarded as the primary source of information for understanding the tenants of Christianity, including the very nature of the God and Jesus Christ. If we were to be discussing any other historical figure, we would expect this same level of academic rigor be applied to published statements, articles, books, etc.

My explanations above are intended to clarify the misinformation published by the individual in the photograph."

Their Response

"Dan: I think you are making a Straw Man argument. Let me ask you a question: is mass murder justified if it is done in the name of god? There are numerous accounts of mass extermination of human life in the bible which are exalted by Christians as examples of god's judgment on mankind for lack of belief while also serving as an example of his love for his followers. Do you really think that the children in Jericho were guilty of horrific crimes?"

My Response

Although I am getting way off my intended purpose of correcting the assumptions contained in the photograph, let me attempt to address your valid questions, and let me say, thanks for giving me the opportunity to do so.

First, let's look at the assumptions contained in your previous post:

"...judgment for the lack of belief..."

Never in the Bible is judgment passed for a lack of belief...not in the past, present or future. Judgment is passed because of the violation of law.

"...example of his love for his followers."

In the history of the United States, Congress has declared war and Presidents have sent our military into battle many times. We do not look at the war on Nazi Germany and criticize the United States for not demonstrating love. In fact, one might argue that the United States was demonstrating love for not only the Jewish people, but the many countries of Europe which were ravaged by the Germans at that time. War does not indicate an absence of love. Likewise one might conclude that a just judge that passes sentence on a criminal is demonstrating love for the victim.

"...mass murder justified..."

War and murder are two very different things. Governments and nations rightfully bear the sword (have the ability to declare war) to defend itself, to defend the weak or the execute justice. Was dropping the bomb on Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor justified? Were the children of Japan guilty? Of course they were not, yet they were the casualties of the war of their fathers."

More to Come...

Search Your Feelings

An old school buddy recently wrote me, "Nobody has ever died and come back from the dead 3 days later. It is a myth, a fable, a legend- deep down you kow this. I know there is hope for you, you can become enlightened. Search your feelings my old friend."

My Response

Deep down I know the resurection to be true, and this is evidence of the work of Almighty God in the very core of my being. He has birthed this conviction in me and nothing can separate it from me. I cannot explain the reason for this confidence.

"Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness." - Genesis 15

It is not blindly that I believe, for I have pondered many things in my 39 years. And the more I learn, the less I know. The universe is too vast, the complexities too precise, the mysteries too profound for there not to be a God.

Mankind probably knows less than 1% (and that's probably extremely generous) of everything there is to know in the universe. This is why the Psalmist wrote "The fool has said in his heart, There is no God." Someone would have to have comprehensive knowledge to make a categorical statement like this.

I am enlightened. The glorious light of Truth has illuminated my heart and mind to the point of unwavering commitment.

George Lucas will eventually come to know that the "Force" has a name...his name is Yaweh, Jehovah, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Alpha and Omega, the Bright and Morning Star, Elohim, the Great I Am.

Abraham knows Him, Moses knows Him, King David knows Him, I know him, and you, my friend, can know Him too.

The Education Model

At the university I attended in the early 90's, I had a phychology professor that talked about the "Medical Model" in America. One of the concepts he was attempting to convey was that most Americans, when one of their family members gets a sniffle, immediately run to the doctor and follow whatever advice the doctor prescribes.

I've come to realize that we have an "Education Model" in our culture too. Children are taught that in order to be successful, they must attend a four year college or university and should highly consider going on to graduate school to get a Masters or Doctorate degree. Campaigns like "Knowledge is Power" and "The More You Know" help solidify this message in the minds of the American youth.

My personal observation is that most college graduates are not prepared for the workforce and exit their institution of higher learning with tens of thousands of dollars in debt and an ego to match. Other managers I work with have told me that the workers they are getting right out of school are demanding large salaries, demanding promotions after 6 months and yet are unwilling to actually work.

I'll return and expound more on this later, but for the moment, check out this article and video by the National Inflation Association.

Article: College Bubble Set to Burst in 2011
Video: College Conspiracy

Order of the Polar Star

While researching my Swedish heritage, I decided to learn a little about Sweden's royal family. His majesty, Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden, ascended to the throne on September 15, 1973. As I read about the king and his family, of particular interest were the orders which the king had received. Royal recognition from not only Sweden but other countries have been bestowed on King Carl, and as King of Sweden, he has the authority to honor others with these royal awards.

For example, the Order of the Polar Star is an "order of chilvary" and serves as a reward for "civic merits, for devotion to duty, for science, literary, learned and useful works and for new and beneficial institutions" and can be granted to either Swedish or foreign honorees.

In the United States, the highest award that can be bestowed by the President of the United States is the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Imagine receiving an invitation from a monarch to visit his palace. Imagine learning that he intends to honor you with the highest honor he can bestow.

As I pondered these thoughts one evening while driving home, the Lord reminded me that he intends to distribute awards as well. Among the higest awards are the Crown of Righteousness, the Incorruptible Crown, the Crown of Life, the Crown of Rejoicing and the Crown of Glory. The Bible teaches that there are other rewards that will be issued as well.

In Sweden, crowns are reserved for royalty. For example, King Carl's eldest daugher Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, is next in line to ascend the throne. In June of 2010, Princess Victoria married her personal trainer, Daniel Westling. Upon marriage, Daniel went from being an average Swedish citizen to a member of the royal family.

I was not born into the royal Swedish family, nor do I anticipate marrying or being adopted into it.

But, as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, I have been adopted into the royal family of God. Romans 8 teaches that if you possess the "Spirit of Christ" then you are "children of God", and if children, then "heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ..." Revelation 21 states, "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son." And again, Revelation 22:12 reads, "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."

God made a point to inform us of His reward system. In 1 Corinthians 9:24, Paul exhorts us to "...run, that ye may obtain."

I don't know about you, but I can think of no greater honor than to be the recipient of God's rewards. Run, that you may obtain.

Strategic Planning for Life

The vast majority of people live their lives without specific direction. The daily rat race pulls them along from one thing to another and before they know it, they're retiring from their careers having lived their entire life, having never achieved anything significant, wondering what legacy they are going to leave for those around them. How can you avoid this pitfall?

The answer is planning. "Plan the work and work the plan" is a fairly simple concept, yet very few know how to achieve this. It has been called a number of things, but we'll call it "strategic planning" for the sake of this article.

In any organization (i.e. company, church, family, government, etc.) it is imperative that the members of the organization be in alignment with the leadership. It is also imperative that these goals and objectives be successfully communicated by the leadership to the membership. If these goals and objectives have been effectively communicated, the division managers within the company had better ensure that their division's work (projects and operational activities) are aligned with those directives or their division will cease to be funded or the manager fired.

In all of the organizations listed above, God has established clear goals and objectives for each. They each have specific, unique purpose and jurisdiction, and it is incumbent on each individual to ensure that they are in alignment with these God given "policies and procedures." Whenever we recognize a lack of alignment, it is the responsibility of each individual to assess the alignment gap and create a strategy for getting back under the established guidelines.

While there are many methodologies for strategic planning, you can boil them down to four simple questions:

• Where do I want to be?
• Where am I now?
• How am I going to get there?
• How am I going to know when I've arrived?

Most people, when discussing changes they need to make in their lives spend quite a bit of time thinking and talking about them, but rarely do they turn those desires into "actionable" steps which result in the success of getting from point A (where I am now) to point B (where I want to be).

To illustrate how you can use these questions to lay out an actionable plan for yourself, here are sample responses to the strategic planning questions. The answers below are hypothetical and should be replaced with the answers that are on your heart and mind. Remember to answer the questions by providing statements of alignment. In the case below, referring to scriptural mandates within the responses provides the necessary alignment to Biblical directives.

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Where do I want to be?

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 says I should "Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." Within one year's time, I want to have a vibrant prayer life where I talk to the Lord about everything, no matter how small.

Where am I now?

My prayer life is often limited to giving thanks at meal times, but I often forget to take issues at work to the Lord. I often become frustrated or upset when things aren't going my way, rather than believing that Jesus Christ is in control of all things. Hebrews 2:8 says, "Thou hast put all things in subjection under his [Jesus] feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him."

How am I going to get there?

1. During the next two month, I am going to research every place in scripture that speaks about prayer, document my findings, and share it with my accountability partner.
2. After researching, I am going to keep a daily prayer journal which I will keep beside my bed. Each night I will make an entry of the things I have brought before the Lord that day and any answers that He had given.
3. Once a month, I will bring the prayer journal to my accountability partner and demonstrate that I am following up on my commitment.

How will I know when I've arrived?

At the end of one year, I will be able to measure the results by looking back through the journal and identifying those items in which the Lord provided an answer, and those on which I am still seeking the Lord's guidance. Since there are 365 days in a year, I will count the number of days which I recorded an entry and divide by 365. If I only have 200 entries, then 200 divided by 365 is 54.7%. My goal is to achieve an 80% score or better.

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If you have any questions or comments, or are having trouble turning your answers into actionable steps, feel free to contact me.

Extra! Kungsbacka Article

Daniel från Florida på jakt efter sina rötter

Anders Peter Johansson från Hanhals gick till sjöss 1859 och hamnade i USA. Nu har hans sonsons sonson Daniel Johnson spårat sin förfader och kommit för att hälsa på sina släktingar.

Det har varit väldigt känslosamt. Fast det bara är några dagar sedan jag träffade mina släktingar så känns det som om vi känt varandra hela livet, säger Daniel Johnson.

När Extra träffar släktforskaren från Florida har han just ätit frukost på Hilmersgårdens Bed and breakfast och ska ge sig ut på dagens expedition. Schemat är späckat under veckan i Sverige.

Nio generationer

Hittills har jag lyckats forska nio generationer bakåt på min pappas sida, och i de bakre leden bodde nästan alla i Hanhals och Gressela. Många släktingar bor fortfarande kvar här, en del av dem visste inte ens att de var släkt med varandra förrän jag berättade det, säger Daniel Johnson.

Intresset för släktforskning är relativt nyväckt och Daniel Johnson började inte på allvar förrän i höstas. Men tack vare en utförligberättelse som hans farfars faster skrivit fick det hela en flygande start. I berättelsen beskriver fastern sina föräldrars liv och sin pappas barndom i Halland.

Han föddes 1845 och hette Anders Peter Johansson. Som 14-åring gick han till sjöss och när han slog sig ner i USA efter 15 år ändrade han namnet till Andrew Peter Johnson. Men han kallades oftast A.P, säger Daniel Johnson.

Med hjälp av släktforskarbaser på internet och Landsarkivet i Lund lyckades han spåra upp sin farfars farfars hemort och även leta fram levande släktingar. Till exempel bröderna Hans, Sten-Åke och Roger Herbertsson.

Deras farfarsfar Johan Emil var bror till A.P. När Roger Herbertsson och hans dotter Ida mötte mig på Landvetter hade både Roger och jag gåshud. Det kändes otroligt, säger Daniel Johnson.

Vill tillbaka

Idag, torsdag, går planet hem till Florida igen. Men Daniel Johnson hoppas komma tillbaka.

Min pappa, min fru och mina barn vill gärna följa med nästa gång. Dessutom hoppas jag att några av våra svenska släktingar vill komma och hälsa på oss i USA.

Det Sverige som förfadern A.P. lämnade var fattigt och överbefolkat. Men hans ättling är imponerad.

Människorna är fantastiska. Och precis som A.P, beskrev så växer det vackra blommor överallt, både i trädgårdarna och längs vägarna.

Gustaf Görfelt
0300-68 18 60

My First Trip to Sweden (Day 6)

Morning came early and Sten-Åke, his son Jonas, and his brother Hans Herbertsson (who everyone calls “Hesse”) came to pick me up at Hilmersgården. Hesse drove me to the Hanhals boat docks in his work truck where we were met by Chico (the other newspaper reporter). Chico had brought several copies of his newspaper article for me to keep. As we were boarding Sten-Åke’s boat, Chico took some final pictures.


We couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather and it wasn’t long before we were heading out to sea. While we were cruising along, Hesse gave me a sandwich that he had prepared for breakfast along with some coffee, of course.


On the ride out, Jonas and I got to know each other a little bit. Jonas is a database administrator for a small technology company in Göteborg. Jonas and I speak the same language…technology!


It took about an hour to get to the place in the North Sea where the Herbertsson’s wanted to fish. Once the hooks were baited, we dropped the lines in the water. I let my hook down about 9 meters and it was only a few seconds before I had hooked my first mackerel. Not long after, Hesse caught a fish shortly after.

Somewhere in the middle of our fishing trip the lack of sleep from the past several days caught up with me. With the warm sun shining on me, I suddenly got very sleepy, sat down and took a very brief nap as we were going to the next fishing spot.

But, as the sea would have it, we labored most of the day and only caught 5 fish. I learned that the number 5 in Swedish is pronounced “fem” and the word fish is pronounced “fisk”. So, when we got back to shore, I went around telling everyone that we had caught “fem fisk”, much to everyone’s delight.

We returned the boat to a small dock in Åsa near Sten-Åke’s house. After unloading the boat, we spent a few minutes touring Sten-Åke’s house. He has solar water heating panels and his home’s heating unit is geo-thermal. The system sends fluid down a long pipe in the ground and uses the earth’s constant temperature to partially heat his house in the winter. It seems that the heating systems in Sweden are much more efficient than those we have in the United States.

We left Sten-Åke’s house and drove to Hesse’s house back in Hanhals where Hesse began smoking the fish we had caught. While we were waiting, we looked at two beat up cars that Hesse used to race in demolition derbys. I also met one of Jonas’ young daughters and we jumped on the trampoline together. Not long after, we were all enjoying a fantastic meal of freshly smoked mackerel, potatoes and salad.

After dinner, we shared stories over ice cream and coffee. One particular story about a tree and a stick of C4 has us laughing. Sten-Åke commented on how nice it was to have me visit.

Hesse drove me back to Hilmersgården.

Earlier in the week, Ann-Helen had asked me to stop by her place to see if her other daughter, Helena, had made it back from vacation. So, I got in my car and drove to Ann-Helen’s house. No one was home. So, I drove next door to Astrid’s house to see if she knew if they were coming back soon. I had forgotten that Astrid didn’t speak English, but she quickly went and got her daughter Mariann (Ann-Helen’s sister), to translate.

I learned from Mariann that Helena had returned and was having dinner over at Mariann’s daughter Anna’s house. I asked directions and Mariann decided to lead the way in her car because the directions were a little complicated. When we arrived, everyone had just finishing desert. Charlotta was there and I was able to meet two more cousins: Helena and her family, and Mariann’s daughter Anna and her family.

As the sun went down, it occurred to me that this was the last time I would see my relatives on this trip. The flight back to the U.S. was leaving early the next morning. I don’t know how my cousins felt at that moment, but saying goodbye was difficult for me. I didn’t want to leave. I had connected with my Swedish roots for the first time. My ancestors had farmed this very land for hundreds of years, and I had spent the last few days getting to know some beautiful people…family I never knew I had.

I can’t wait to go back!

My First Trip to Sweden (Day 5)

The night before, Anna and Lena had agreed to meet me at 10 AM at the IKEA store just south of Göteborg, Sweden. As I was eating breakfast at the Hilmersgården, Eva informed me that the reporter from “Extra Kungsbacka” was on his way to interview me. Gustaf Görfelt, a young man from the newspaper, arrived about 9:30 AM with his camera and notepad. As we sat in the dining area, I began to relate my story and Gustaf began taking notes. After the 15 minute interview, we walked outside and I posed for a few pictures before heading off for Göteborg.

I arrived at the IKEA store around 10:15 AM and immediately found Anna and Lena. We walked through the store comparing the prices of things between Sweden and America. Some things were more expensive and some things were less. As we were leaving, I picked up a bag of Swedish Fish.

The three of us got in Anna’s car and began driving north. Lena handed me a tourism brochure which listed many of the places to visit and asked which I would be interested in seeing. After looking through the pages, I determined that the Aeroseum was first on my list.

When we arrived at the Aeroseum, Anna handed me a pass that they had purchased in advance that would get us into nearly every tourist site in Göteborg. They were so thoughtful!
Inside the underground museum, we were able to sit in the cockpit of a retired Saab Viggen jet and climb in the air intake, through the engine housing, and out the back of the aircraft.


After the Aeroseum, the three of us decided to eat at Burger King in downtown Göteborg. The burger was exactly like the American version. Following lunch, we walked down to the water and passed by the immigration building where many of the Swedish immigrants had boarded ships bound for the distant shores of America.

After the Aeroseum, we visited Maritiman which is an impressive floating museum of old ships including retired freighters, a naval destroyer and a submarine. We were able to walk through the vessels on a self-guided tour.


Not far from the Maritiman was the Götheborg, an authentic replica of an East Indian trade route ship that had originally been built in 1738. On September 12, 1745, the ship sank when it hit a submerged rock (known as the Hunnebådan) as she approached the Göteborg harbour. The replica was built using the same methods that were used in the 1700's. The Götheborg is scheduled to sail to New York in 2013.

Next, we took the Paddan Canal Boat Tour. I learned that when Göteborg was being built, the city’s founder hired Dutch engineers to help design the city because it was close to the water. The Dutch engineers designed and built a canal around the city. The Paddan Canal Boat tour is an open-topped boat, guided tour around the city by way of the canal. One interesting moment is when the tour guide asks everyone to get on the floor of the boat and to keep your head down. The boat passes under a bridge that nearly touches the top of the boat. This is called the “cheese slicer” because you are not able to sit in your seat and pass under the bridge.


Since most of our day had been walking the streets of Göteborg, I was needing a some serious energy. Anna and Lena told me that their brother Thomas had decided to join us for dinner. We agreed to meet him at the Hard Rock Café. Since Anna and Lena visit the Hard Rock Café quite often, they are able to get seated more quickly than most guests. Within a few minutes we had a table and I settled for a steak dinner. Our waiter was from Pennsylvania but had lived in Sweden for 4 years. During dinner, I learned that Thomas was in school studying Information Technology security and was planning to become a certified information security professional.

After dinner, Anna and Lena said “goodbye” and Thomas agreed to take me back to my car which was parked in the IKEA parking lot. Thomas drove a sporty, black Honda Civic which made it back to IKEA in no time at all.

It was an amazing day, thanks to my Larsson cousins, and I needed some serious rest. Tomorrow my Herbertsson uncles (Hans and Sten-Åke) are planning to take me fishing in the North Sea.

My First Trip to Sweden (Day 4)

Monday morning started with photography. Since it had been raining most of Sunday, I wanted to return to the Hanhals church with my camera. I could not have asked for a more beautiful day. After taking pictures of the church and surrounding cemetery, I retraced the route that Roger Herbertsson had taken me on the previous Friday and spent time documenting those locations with my camera.

Before leaving the United States, I had learned from the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) that Swedish parents desiring to teach their children at home were having their rights taken from them by the Swedish government. As a result, I had contacted the national Swedish organization for homeschooling (Rohus). Mrs. Caroline Olsson, a member of the Rohus board, had agreed to meet with me to discuss the current state of homeschooling in Sweden. I wanted to hear about the challenges first hand and understand how home educators in America could help, especially those of Swedish decent. Mrs. Olsson and I met at the café of the Kungsbacka bus and rail station. We had a delightful conversation which I will describe at a later time.

After my meeting with Mrs. Olsson, I drove back to Hilmersgården where I met two new cousins for the first time, Anna and Lena Larsson. Anna and Lena drove me about 30 minutes south to Veddige where I would spend the day with their family. Anna and Lena’s mother (Elvy Helgesson Larsson), their aunt (Alice Helgesson) and their uncle (Ingvar Helgesson) are all descendents of Olof Martin Johansson (Andrew Peter Johansson’s brother).

Both the Larsson and Helgesson families are flower farmers and have large green houses for cultivating the beautiful blossoms that are present everywhere in Sweden.

After a relaxing lunch on the Larsson’s covered patio, Alice Helgesson gave me two CD-ROMs full of old photographs and documents she had so graciously scanned for me. After she had explained each photograph, Alice was interested in seeing how I entered the information online. We logged on to ancestry.com and uploaded some of the pictures that she had given me.

Alice had also provided some old letters that had been sent from the United States, by Anders Frijof Olsson, to the relatives in Sweden. As I typed, Anna verbally translated the old letters from Swedish into English.

Not long after, we all headed over to Invar Helgesson’s house for an amazing dinner of grilled steak and pork along with some tasty side dishes Ingvar's wife Monika had prepared. After dinner, we took a few pictures of Ingvar’s farm and greenhouses. Afterword, I had a chance to talk to Ingvar’s two daughters, Malin and Emma, while enjoying fresh berries, ice cream and coffee.

As the night drew to a close, Anna and Lena drove me back to Hilmersgården so I could get rested for the big day tomorrow…touring Gothenberg.

My First Trip to Sweden (Day 3)

It was Sunday morning and the family had planned a wonderful day for me. During Saturday’s excursion, Ann-Helen had been encouraging each of the relatives to meet at the Hanhals church on Sunday. The service was scheduled to start at 9:30 AM and I arrived around 9:15 AM.

The day was overcast and there was a light mist of rain falling. Matthias, Linda and their three boys arrived the same time I did and we walked to the entrance together. As I approached the front door, Chico (the newspaper reporter) met me there with camera in hand ready to continue gathering facts and photos for his article. It was scheduled to be in the paper next week.

I walked in, shook the young minister’s hand and took a seat about half way down the aisle, on the right hand side, next to Ann-Helen and her family. Each row had its own door that you had to open to access the pew. As I watched some of the families with small children, I imagined that this door was to keep the children confined to the pew during the service. The pews were made of hard wood.

The service began and I could hear Chico’s camera in the back of the room taking pictures for the newspaper.

The service was in Swedish and I did not understand the words, but the order of service was very similar to what I am accustomed to in the United States. The congregation sang a few songs, an offering was taken, there was special music and the minister gave the sermon.

Once particular song was entitled “"Jesus är Vår Kung" which I realized meant “Jesus is Our King”. I had never heard this song before. A young lady named Malin was leading the singing from the piano and as the small congregation sang the words I could not understand, the spirit of the song and the sweet sound of the singing moved me as I pondered the notion that my ancestors and their decedents had been worshiping Jesus on this very spot for more than 200 years.

After the sermon, Malin pulled out a hand drum, started an appealing rhythm and led the congregation in a song that I had heard as a child. The song was entitled “Don’t Build Your House on the Sandy Land”. I later learned that the topic of the sermon was about this very thing and Malin had selected the song because it went well with the minister’s message.

At the end of the service, I recognized one word: “America”. The minister was looking right at me and was obviously announcing the fact that I was visiting from America and that there was going to be a coffee following the service in my honor.

As we exited the church, several other relatives were just arriving. Many came and hugged me and wanted their picture taken with me. It was here that I met Sten-Åke Herbertsson (Roger’s brother) who was planning to take me on a fishing trip on Wednesday.

A small group of family members walked me around the church looking at the grave stones of my ancestors. Many of the names I instantly recognized from the many hours of research I had performed prior to my trip. The graves were beautifully adorned with flowers and the surrounding lawn was perfectly manicured.

We then walked to another nearby building where many family members were gathered to have coffee and some snacks. Members of the family which had not yet seen the family tree gathered around and engaged in delightful conversation about where their names appeared on the tree. Many of them realized for the first time that they were related to neighbors they had known their entire lives.

Ann-Helen had learned that I could play the piano and during the reunion asked if I could play a song. I sat and played my arrangement of “Amazing Grace” which everyone enjoyed.

Not long after I was introduced to a new cousin, Christina, and told that she would be taking me to her house for lunch and showing me around later that afternoon. So, I followed Christina in her car to her house where I met her husband Niclas and two boys. Christina made a wonderful taco lunch and shortly afterwards, Christina, Charlotta and I set out for our sightseeing trip to Tjolöholm Castle. I thoroughly enjoyed walking through this incredible building with my two cousins. The tour was in Swedish but Christina and Charlotta helped interpret along the way.


Once we had returned to Christina’s house, I learned that Christina was taking me to Mathias and Linda’s house for dinner. Christina’s two boys were also coming so they could play with Linda’s boys. We had a wonderful time eating Linda’s delicious cooking and talking about all kinds of things. During the conversation, we were discussing cake baking and I had to call my wife to find out what to call a cake covering made from almond paste…marzipan.

As we got ready to leave, Christina accidentally backed her car into a big rock and damaged part of the bumper. I felt awful for her.

Christina dropped me off at the bed and breakfast. I said goodbye to her and her two sons, went inside to my room and went straight to sleep. I was really, really tired, but it had been an incredible day!

My First Trip to Sweden (Day 2)

I awoke Saturday morning at 8:19 AM. The problem here is that Roger and Ulrika had invited me to have coffee and go for a walk at 8AM. Roger, Ulrika and Ida were leaving for Turkey later that morning to visit their younger daughter and I wanted to see them one last time, and here I was already late. So I sent Roger a text message letting him know I was running behind, but would be over a little later.

The Hilmersgården has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, so if there are other guests, you have to share the bathroom. Fortunately, no one else was in the bathroom so I was able to get in and get out quickly. I got dressed, had a little breakfast, stuffed my backpack with a jacket and Nikon D70 camera, and headed out the door for Roger’s place. I had missed the morning walk, but was able to enjoy coffee with Roger and Ulrika. Roger and I also had an opportunity to look at the genealogy research that I have stored on ancestry.com.

After saying our last goodbye’s, I headed over to Ann-Helen’s house where I met her husband Anders and her cousin Margaretha. After looking at the family tree, we had cookies and coffee on the back patio and had fun looking up words in the Swedish-English dictionary. Ann-Helen also showed me some old land maps from the 1800’s which show where the old houses stood. She showed me the spot in her back yard where the Anders Larsson house used to stand.



After taking a few pictures, Ann-Helen, Margaretha and I headed off to meet Ann-Helen’s mother who lives next door. Astrid loves flowers and is said to have “green fingers”. We took a few photos at Astrid’s house and then headed off to see the old house at Gressela 5.


The old house at Gressela 5 is where Johannes Andersson (Anders Larsson’s son) reared his family. When Johannes Andersson died, his son Olof Martin Johansson reared his family there. The last person to live in the house was Olof Martin’s daughter Olga Olsson. Since Olga’s death in 1982, no one else has lived in the house.

After taking pictures of the old house at Gressela 5, we returned to Ann-Helen’s house briefly to pick up Ann-Helen’s daughter, Charlotta. The four of us then traveled to the Fjärås Bräcka visitor’s center where we had a nice lunch of cauliflower and crab soup, followed by some coffee.

Next, we went to meet Margaretha’s son, Matthias, and his family at their home. It might be interesting to note that Matthias and his father, Sven, raise more than 5,000 pigs at a time. They also maintain farm land to grow the crops to feed the pigs. In addition, the family has several apartment houses nearby that they rent for 5,000 – 6,000 Swedish crowns per month.

When we arrived, Matthias’ wife Linda was outside painting some tongue and groove boards while Matthias was inside watching his three small sons. Linda remarked that it was nice to be outside painting boards for a change while her husband was inside with the kids. We went inside and after everyone got a chance to look at the family tree, the boys showed me their Legos, miniature farm, trucks and tractors. We then admired the family garden while Charlotta and the boys jumped on the trampoline.

Not long after, we were on our way to Äskhult, an ancient village dating back to the 17th century. After walking through the old houses, we visited the village’s small café and gift shop where we had a snack. It was there that I learned the Swedish word for ice cream is pronounced “glass” and the Swedish word for glass is pronounced “gloss”. On our way back from the village, Charlotta mentioned that she enjoys talking to me because she is learning new English words.

We soon left Äskhult and traveled to Ann-Helen’s niece’s house. Christina also said to have “green fingers” and has a beautifully manicured back yard. She lives in a new development and has two sons. Her husband Niclas Hermansson works for Volvo Trucks.

After visiting Christina, we drove back to Ann-Helen’s house. I knew that family and friends back in the United States were eager to see some photographs, so Charlotta helped me get on their laptop and upload the first round of photographs to Facebook. Anders Davidsson showed me a shirt he had which was covered with old American cars and the words “Route 66”. Anders told me that it had been a lifelong dream of his to visit America and drive Route 66. He and Ann-Helen had been to New York several times to visit family they had there, but had not been able to fulfill his dream yet.

About an hour later, Anders and I left to pick up Astrid and we all went to Margaretha’s house for dinner. Margaretha had apple cider and pretzels, toast with goat cheese and roasted walnuts, potatoes, salmon with red onion sauce and salad. For desert, we shared vanilla and chocolate ice cream with fresh raspberries, strawberries and of course, coffee. It was a meal fit for a king. Ann-Helen’s sister Mariann, who was watching her grandson Gustaf, also attended the dinner. Margareth’a husband Sven has never been to America, but would love to come see the big farms. Since the family had planned to meet at the Hanhals Kyrka (church which is pronounced “shirka”) in the morning, the dinner guests asked questions about how often our family attends church in America, how often we take communion, do we baptize our children and a number of other questions. After an incredible meal, it was time to go.

Back at Ann-Helen’s house, I finished uploading the photos to Facebook and headed off to Hilmersgården. It was 11 PM when I finally got in bed.