In keeping with doing life differently I wanted to make CHRISTmas 2007 different not partake in the materialism of culture. This letter to my Grandmother should summarize how giving something from the heart is what Jesus wants us to do.
Dear Gram- 12-27-2007
A late merry CHRISTmas to you! The three DVDs you see in this package are pictures of our family taken over the past 40 years. I have scanned and organized over 2,000 photos dating back to the 1940’s. After having scanned all the paper photos to digital I then organized them loosely by decade. The next step was to put them into a format in which I could share them with anybody especially those who don’t have access to a computer. The DVD can be played on any DVD player that one has attached to their TV.
I wanted to also share with you the reason for making this project. It was about the Joy of the past. Photos are a great way to remember the GOOD in life, the joy of specials days like CHRISTmas, birthdays, births and family visits. It is our human nature to remember the bad parts of life; the tough days but we need something to remember the joy. I hope this brings tears of happiness to you as it did for me. It reminds of how blessed I am to have lived a life filled with great people such as you.
In making this project I wanted to show my kids the joys of my life as grew up. It is important that they see the people who shaped me. So as I show them these same movies they ask lots of questions and it is in those times I share with them the great and joyful memories of the past.
Lastly this project was about celebrating the birth of Jesus the way he would have wanted us to celebrate how his birth changed us all. I believe he wants us to share joy of his new covenanted; his new way of life and life that was so different then that of the Old Testament. Jesus showed us how to love everybody no matter what. In this season of CHRISTmas I celebrate in a new way, to give gifts to which tell them how much I love them. This means giving from the heart not the wallet. Its not about the material things its about gifts of love. To give something that means something or crafted by your heart means so much more than a shirt that goes out of style in a few years. A great example of this is the fisherman’s sweater you knitted and gave to me at CHRISTmas many years ago. I still wear it and it keeps my heart warm thinking about how great of gift and its memory of you and the time it took you to make it. Thank you!
In closing I am also sorry for not being present in your life. I promise to make in a priority to make it to Maine this summer with the kids so they may get to know you.
With great love I give this gift. May you remember the joy of time spent with us and the family you bore, a family that makes earth more like God’s intended kingdom.
Love, Michael
Here is a little 3 minute sample of the video I created using Microsoft PhotoStory 3.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Things I don't do enough of
Things I don't do enough of;
-showing my kids how much I love and respect them.
-telling my co-worker how much it means to have them apart of our mission.
-telling my mom and dad how thankful I am for moral support, for how they raised me, for being role models, for being nice people.
-telling my mom how much it means to me that she loves my daughter and shows it all the time.
-offering my friends more of my time.
-praying for God to help me with my flaws
-showing the joy that I have inside.
-telling my sister how gifted and proud I am of her strength and capacity.
-telling everyone how much I enjoyed being married.
-expressing how hard divorce is on me.
-telling how hard being an entrepreneur is everyday.
-playing with my kids.
-giving hugs.
Help me God with these things you so want me to do.
-showing my kids how much I love and respect them.
-telling my co-worker how much it means to have them apart of our mission.
-telling my mom and dad how thankful I am for moral support, for how they raised me, for being role models, for being nice people.
-telling my mom how much it means to me that she loves my daughter and shows it all the time.
-offering my friends more of my time.
-praying for God to help me with my flaws
-showing the joy that I have inside.
-telling my sister how gifted and proud I am of her strength and capacity.
-telling everyone how much I enjoyed being married.
-expressing how hard divorce is on me.
-telling how hard being an entrepreneur is everyday.
-playing with my kids.
-giving hugs.
Help me God with these things you so want me to do.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Remodeling Success
I so struggle with the need to be successful although I am feeling less and less compelled to it as I am releasing culture’s pressure to be that way. My kids don’t care they ask for nothing beyond our means and I love them for that beyond what I can show them at their age. When I use the term success to mean doing better than my peers. Making more money have more stuff. As I peel those layers away I very aware of how my needs have changed.
What really matters is I pay my debts for my past materialistic behaviors. Those are debts I have promised to pay and I will make good on them. It would be a scary edgy feeling if I was debt free, owned my own home and car outright what I might be able to do instead I chance more money to repay those debtors. Do I so every regret my past arrogance and belief that I am so good that I can repay that debt anytime. What a burden it has put on me for so many years. It caused so much stress on me that I sometimes kick the cat so to speak.
My father was such a great role model who saved his money and is retired without a financial worry at 60 years old. He is so tight that his flare jeans he received as a gift in the 70’s are still like new in the closet and now are back in style.
Maybe my issue is thinking that I am at this center of this world and everything I do I have control over. When in reality I control nothing. This thin flimsy belief in my abilities is so wrong and so stressful I could just blow up at times and I did when things weren’t perfect. Now I realize my gifts, my God given talents are not about control or money or status or what I own or posses it’s about giving my gifts to others.
I have also realized that giving my gifts is both rewarding and also flat out scary. My success now is about giving my gifts to everyone I meet. I know some will not like the gift but that is not my responsibility. If I give you something it is because I had too. The longer we go without giving our gift the farther from joy we stray.
What really matters is I pay my debts for my past materialistic behaviors. Those are debts I have promised to pay and I will make good on them. It would be a scary edgy feeling if I was debt free, owned my own home and car outright what I might be able to do instead I chance more money to repay those debtors. Do I so every regret my past arrogance and belief that I am so good that I can repay that debt anytime. What a burden it has put on me for so many years. It caused so much stress on me that I sometimes kick the cat so to speak.
My father was such a great role model who saved his money and is retired without a financial worry at 60 years old. He is so tight that his flare jeans he received as a gift in the 70’s are still like new in the closet and now are back in style.
Maybe my issue is thinking that I am at this center of this world and everything I do I have control over. When in reality I control nothing. This thin flimsy belief in my abilities is so wrong and so stressful I could just blow up at times and I did when things weren’t perfect. Now I realize my gifts, my God given talents are not about control or money or status or what I own or posses it’s about giving my gifts to others.
I have also realized that giving my gifts is both rewarding and also flat out scary. My success now is about giving my gifts to everyone I meet. I know some will not like the gift but that is not my responsibility. If I give you something it is because I had too. The longer we go without giving our gift the farther from joy we stray.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Xmas Conspiracy! Are you a part of it?
Christmas has just seem all wrong to me for so many years. It just felt like it was about what each of us was going to get or give to one another. Its not like any of us in "cupcake land" need anything that is given to us or our gifts to others is really that meaningful at least thats my take. The time factor alone it takes to think and then acquire these gifts seems like a huge waste time or missed placed energy.
Is Christmas really about giving gifts to friends, family, co-workers or is about the birth of Jesus? Yes, thats right its to celebrate the birth of a baby that change the course of life for all of us.
How can you not be some what perplexed that on December 25 some 2,000 years a child was born that so changed the world you cannot name another moment in history that even comes close to matching the magnitude of life changing event. The material feeding frenzy so ingrained in our culture that most people have no idea what they are celebrating. This way of celebrating highlights our selfish human nature, the need or greed to satisfy ourselves is so immense I doubt that anything apart for the 2nd coming of Christ will every change the direction of our culture. Please take a minute to consider this website's message http://www.adventconspiracy.org/
Join the cause to reclaim Jesus's birthday. Let's give him the same birthday you would give your son or daughter.
This year I pledge to give gifts to my friends and family that not materialistic but memorable. After the New Year I will provide you a list of gifts I gave to everyone.
Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday Jesus
Is Christmas really about giving gifts to friends, family, co-workers or is about the birth of Jesus? Yes, thats right its to celebrate the birth of a baby that change the course of life for all of us.
How can you not be some what perplexed that on December 25 some 2,000 years a child was born that so changed the world you cannot name another moment in history that even comes close to matching the magnitude of life changing event. The material feeding frenzy so ingrained in our culture that most people have no idea what they are celebrating. This way of celebrating highlights our selfish human nature, the need or greed to satisfy ourselves is so immense I doubt that anything apart for the 2nd coming of Christ will every change the direction of our culture. Please take a minute to consider this website's message http://www.adventconspiracy.org/
Join the cause to reclaim Jesus's birthday. Let's give him the same birthday you would give your son or daughter.
This year I pledge to give gifts to my friends and family that not materialistic but memorable. After the New Year I will provide you a list of gifts I gave to everyone.
Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday Jesus
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