Adventure In Life

"Every man can transform the world from one of monotony and drabness to one of excitement and adventure." -Irving Wallace

What are these folks getting themselves into?

I happen to be talking about friends Dave and Annie Spell. These are the folks moving to Brazil that I have been talking about this week. It is a week talking about them as they embark on a new adventure in Brazil; Curitiba, Brazil to be exact. Yes, they've sold everything, prepared as much as they can and the Visa paperwork is all in order. A plane will carry them south of the equator to a country that is large, vibrant and waiting for them.

To acquaint you with Brazil, here are some facts found laying about on the internet;

- Brazil is the largest country in South America and the world’s fifth largest.

- Brazil is formed by 26 states and a Federal District; the capital being Brasilia.

- The official language is Portuguese.

- There are 6 climatic regions in Brazil: equatorial, tropical, semi-arid, highland tropical, atlantic tropical and subtropical

- The population of Brazil is 201,009,622 with a couple of large cities; Sao Paulo 19.96 million and Rio de Janeiro 11.836 million

I look forward to visiting the Spells in Brazil and many of the friends I have made previously on visits to Brazil. You may even consider visiting Brazil during the upcoming 2014 World Cup or the 2016 Olympics. I encourage you to expand your horizon and visit some far off destination in your life time.

And while you are thinking about your next great adventure, consider supporting Annie and Dave Spell in their mission to help the people of Brazil. Use your tax deductible donation and click on the following link; Annie & Dave Spell - Brazil Missions. Consider a few dollars a month or one larger donation. The welcome mat is ready and all you have to do is ring the door bell.

For more information about what Annie and Dave are doing, check out DavidSpell.com, follow their progress, follow their adventure. It just might inspire you to do something that others may ask, "what are you getting yourself into?"

Stay inspired my friends.

Something Unexpected

"We are never prepared for what we expect." -James A. Michener

Today, Ps Ronald Berg arrives in Atlanta from Curitiba, Brazil. He will be speaking at our local C3 Atlanta Church this coming Sunday and I know it will be a great one to listen to. But somehow it feels like he is coming to take away friends of ours, Dave and Annie Spell. I know in fact this is not the case, but the human part of me hates to see them go.

You see, Dave and Annie are moving to Brazil in order to help build the C3 Church not only in Curitiba but also throughout Brazil and South America. Ps Ronald Berg has a great vision to help other people live a great life; to give them new hope and opportunity. As I have said before, this isn't about religion, it is about connecting with other people and lifting them up.

I have visited Curitiba, seen the church, spent time with Ronald and others in the community. My impressions are the same as anywhere I have been. It is a great city, great people, but the same issues exist for them as do for you and me. All are working to have the best life possible, raising families, and dealing with all of the mess that goes on in a normal, everyday life.

There are also people struggling to survive. There are addictions, poverty, abuse, and social strain just like those that exist in your own hometown. The same things we want to lift people out of are the same things they face in Curitiba and every other part of the world. So it really is not strange that two people from Georgia should go to Brazil to do the same thing.

If you would like to hear more and you are in the Atlanta area this Sunday, May 19th, come on over to the C3 Church in Lawrenceville, GA. Dave and Annie will be sharing their vision and Pastor Ronald Berg, of C3 Curitiba, will be speaking. It will be your last chance to see them as the Spells fly to Curitiba that same night.

We are never fully prepared for what we expect and you might be surprised by your own expectations in life as well. If you would like to help out the Spells with your tax deductible donation, click on the following link; Annie & Dave Spell - Brazil Missions.

Step out of the ordinary in your life and find something new.

And for those that know the Spells, they are fitness fanatics and here is a short video of the place I'm sure they will be working out at while in Curitiba. Stay inspired my friends.

Change of Latitude

“It’s not enough to have lived. We should be determined to live for something. May I suggest that it be creating joy for others, sharing what we have for the betterment of person-kind, bringing hope to the lost and love to the lonely.”
-Leo Buscaglia

From 34.1169° N, 83.9986° W to 25.4687° S, 49.2535° W, the coordinates of where and to our friends the Spells will be moving. They are moving from Buford, GA (in the United States) to Curitiba, Brazil. This is a straight line distance of roughly 4708 miles.

This move was not a whim but driven by a vision they have to help with a church and the people of Brazil. The church is C3 Curitiba and they will be working with Pastor Ronald Berg and his team in Brazil. You could almost call them "southern" missionaries going "south" on a mission.

But this is not strictly about church or even religion. This is about connecting with people and helping them raise up their lives. It is about sharing lives together and helping other people live their best life. And that is something all of us could use, whether it be in Curitiba, Brazil or Buford, Georgia or any place you want to name. All of us are trying to live the best life we can.

You can be a part of their adventure as well, at least in part by helping support them. Annie and Dave could still use a few more monthly partners. If you could make a commitment of $20, $30, or more (or less) a month, it would go a long way. Or you could make a one time donation of $250, $500 or $1000 towards connection and helping others achieve something more in life.

Step out of the ordinary in your life and click on the link below; it is tax deductible.

Annie & Dave Spell - Brazil Missions

Muito Obrigado for your donation. And to our good friends Annie and Dave Spell, happy trails to you!

Stay inspired my friends.

What Stays In Vegas Doesn't

"It takes less time to do a thing right than to explain why you did it wrong." —Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Here we are, home from a week long convention in Las Vegas called EMCWorld 2013. There were nearly 15,000 people in attendance and it really was a great week filled with technical presentations, product demonstrations and some really good people connections.

This completes the third year in a row that this event has been held in Las Vegas. In saying so, I am always amused at the Las Vegas tourism catch-phrase "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." It is meant to convey a free-spirited notion that you can let loose a bit, that anything goes while you are in Las Vegas. You can spend your money (which is really want any tourism board wants), have any and all kinds of fun and that when you leave, no one else will know what you did.

Another way of putting it would be to say "mum's the word" because everyone will keep quiet about what you did. So let loose, do as you want, no consequences. But that really isn't what happens in real life, outside of the commercials you may see on television.

In one respect, I really do hope that everyone in attendance to EMCWorld learned something about our company, our products and what we can do to help your business. I also really do hope you do not leave that learned experience in Las Vegas. We want you to take home that information to your colleagues, so please don't leave that piece of it in Vegas.

But on a broader look, beyond just Las Vegas, we do many things that we would just as soon stay there. The point being that everything we do in life has consequence of one sort or another. You can binge on drinking, gambling, eating and playing in Las Vegas, but you really can't leave those things behind. What we do, how we act, the impressions we leave with other people will last a very long time.

When you have the opportunity to choose between doing something that might not be the correct or proper thing to do, choose the right thing. Make your choice as if your wife, children, boss or grandmother will get a front page story about the choice made.

Stay inspired my friends and please don't leave that behind in Vegas.