Featured

Adam Smith | July 1, 2015 | Leave a Comment

Build Classrooms and Change Lives

This project is all about impacting the lives of children in Gulu, Uganda and encouraging them to dream. What we need from this is backing for $30,000 to build a school.

Here are the individual expenses it will take to build a classroom building:

Foundation: $8000

Hydraform Bricks: $9000

Veranda and Pillars: $3000

Roofing: $10,000

But, even when we raise this money, we still can’t do it on our own. That is one reason I have chosen to do this through Restore International. Restore’s goal is to bring hope, justice, and restoration, which is a mission that I believe all of us can rally behind and they are doing just that. My goal with teaming with Restore International and Bob Goff is to not only bring awareness to the needs of the children of Gulu, Uganda, but the need for us as individuals to begin putting leadership into action.

You see, no matter where you are at today, you can make a difference. Here are two short videos showing you the real difference we can make:

Find out more info on Restore International and Restore Leadership Academy by clicking here.

Jackie Bledsoe, Jr. | February 17, 2014 | 1 Comment

5 Surefire Ways to Take Your Relationship to Another Level

Valentine’s Day just passed, and I am sure over the weekend many of us did something for our spouse, or significant other to celebrate. This past weekend was probably all about your relationship.

I know we did. We sent our kids out of town to spend some time with their grandparents, so we could spend some time alone. In spite of some unexpected snowy weather here in Indiana we made sure to do something very special.

The same ole same ole

It wasn’t the typical dinner and a movie date. We really enjoyed our evening. But now Valentine’s day is over, and it can be easy to slip right back into “regular relationship” mode.

Regular relationship mode is that mode where it takes very little to cancel plans you have for a date, or just time alone. When Valentine’s Day, birthdays, or anniversaries come around we make special plans, special childcare arrangements, and even drive through special weather conditions (a snow storm in our case) to make sure it all happens.

Making it happen year-round

When regular relationship mode is happening, sometimes there isn’t any advance planning, childcare is an afterthought, or last minute at best, and the mere thought of cold weather can derail date night.

I don’t want you to drift back into that. I want you to do something special for your relationship on a regular basis. I hope to help take your relationship to another level all year-round. Below are some ways you can do that.

5 ways to take your relationship to another level

Invest in your marriage. When we try to grow our bank accounts, or our businesses, we invest in them. That can cost money and time. In your relationship this can be done by reading relationship books together, taking the time to find good childcare and setting aside childcare funds if needed.
Plan consistent one-on-one time together to do nothing. Taking your relationship to another level doesn’t have to involve a big event, or special date night. One of the best ways to grow your relationship is by having regular time to just talk, and be around each other. With three homeschooled kids, who all have busy schedules, my wife and I have realized we don’t get enough of this. We plan to change it by making it a priority to get an hour or two of time alone daily to just talk.
Do something active together. Before this cold winter season hit this year, my wife and I were exercising together just about everyday. We enjoyed it, we were improving our health, and our relationship seemed to be at another level. Since we’ve stopped it seems we have had more disagreements, big and little riffs, that really seemed nonexistent during that time. I think it is time to go back to that.
Get away for a day or two. One of the highs for us last year, was getting away to a weekend marriage retreat. If anything it was just good just to not have the day-to-day tasks and responsibilities we had each day. Then to spend it doing something intended to build our relationship took it to an entire new level. It truthfully felt like our dating years, when we both did the extra thing to make sure one another’s needs were met, and didn’t just focus on our own.
Work toward a goal together. This year my wife and I have some major goals and projects we are working toward. One of the biggest projects we have is the launching a web show together, called The 7 Rings of Marriage web show. The web show was an idea we toyed with last year, but wasn’t sure what exactly we’d do until we created The 7 Rings of Marriage. Now we are full-go and the excitement of working on such a big project together is fun, and fueling a fire in our marriage. We’ve already done one interview and have many more planned before officially launching.

It is so easy to go back to regular relationship mode after a big event, or special day we have geared up for like Valentine’s Day. I encourage you to not let it happen, but to be intentional about taking your relationship to another level throughout the year.

How do you keep your relationship from hitting those lulls?

photo credit: ChrisGoldNY via photopin cc

Vincent Russell | February 16, 2014 | 5 Comments

The Tiny House Movement – Part 2

Last week’s article touched on some of the advantages to owning a tiny house such as becoming debt free due to lack of a mortgage payment and living a minimalistic lifestyle. Daniel, the focus writer for this blog, wrote an article (seen here) that also spoke on minimalism. It is funny how things like that work out. It is my belief that the idea behind the tiny house movement carries more weight than living in a small home. It also affords us an opportunity to really look inside ourselves, fighting to determine what is really most valuable in life. Will possessions make us happier? I do not believe so. Will having the biggest house on the block make us happier? I do not believe so either. In a world driven by materialism and clutter, being thankful for what we have, without striving for more material items, and making use of the space we have, undeniably opens our minds to a more simplified and fulfilling lifestyle.

Sandra Cisneros once said, “but I deal with this by meditating and by understanding I’ve been put on the planet to serve humanity. I have to remind myself to live simply and not overindulge, which is a constant battle in a material world.”

After saying all that, how does that tie into the tiny house movement? Well, I am glad you asked! Here are some advantages of owning a tiny house:

1. Clutter free

When moving into a tiny house, one quickly learns that all the junk they have been saving over the course of a lifetime simply will not work. Daniel recently challenged us over the course of 30 days to get rid of one non-essential item each day as to free up space and remove clutter from our lives. I cannot wait to see how much space I’ll have after these 30 days.

If you are the type of person that likes to hold on to things like I am, then owning a storage shed might be a good option for you. These can be found at Home Depot or various other supply manufacturers. Owning a tiny house affords you an opportunity to reduce clutter and make space for more valuable items as well as for living space.

Image by: Lincoln Barbour (An example of a tiny house on foundation interior)

2. Time

Time is of the essence. You have heard this term before, yes? Having no mortgage or a small payment on a tiny house will afford you an opportunity to work less and enjoy time with your loved ones, and friends. Not only that, but having no mortgage payment would also afford you new opportunities to pick back up those childhood dreams you once had and make them a reality. We all want more time, don’t we?

3. Self-sufficiency & solar energy

Image by: www.tinyhouseoverthehill.blogspot.com

This is where solar energy comes into play. Now, I know that solar energy may not work well for everyone, due to geographic location and less exposure to direct sunlight, but for the majority of us, it will work.

“The most modern systems use a method of sun exposure to generate electricity via semiconductors. Simple, direct exposure to the sun and its heat generate electrons that are then captured into the system and translated into electricity. The design can be used for a variety of things as small as powering a mobile phone to as large of a system as that needed to power your home.” – solarenergy.com

Many tiny house owners live an off-grid lifestyle, in terms of how they cool, heat, and operate the electronics in their home. For an in-depth overview of solar panels, how to determine how much power and energy are needed, as well as a complete overview of an installation process, visit this tiny house blog.

Another resource of information for powering a tiny house with solar energy can be found here. For more information on tiny houses, as well as plans, videos, blogs, and more, visit these websites: www.thetinylife.com – www.tinyhouseblog.com – www.tumbleweedhouses.com