#SocialExperiment called HashMob

This is a new idea I have been drumming up in my head and I wanted to share and get some feedback from my readers. As always, I am very thankful for your support!

#MOB, pronounced "Hash Mob" is an idea that incorporates suggestions and opinions of the people around us and lists them in an easy to access manner for later use. We define #MOB as an online place to "Hash it out". Have you ever been driving around looking for a good place to eat and your mind is blank? Yes there is Urban Spoon and many other sites that offer suggestions based on location and reviews but sometimes all we want or need is a simple list of suggestions. #MOB is exactly that!

Over the last few months we have been asking for suggestions on Coffee shops, restaurants, things to do on a holiday weekend, etc via social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter. When we do this, we actually get some pretty valuable responses but have had no real way of displaying those for later use. We started creating some images and lists but really they are not easily accessible for future use unless you print them out. Where do you keep these printed out lists? Exactly...you don't!

Currently our website, HashMob.com is under construction and is expected to be launched sometime in September. For now, we are working to grow our user base via our Facebook page @#MOB. At different times through out any given day we will post certain categories or Hashtags (#) with the idea being that our fans and followers will comment and help us create these useful lists. We hope that many will get involved, including small business owners looking to get free advertising for their business. As our user base grows beyond Austin we will start to separate the lists by location.

Below are some examples of the type of information you can find on #MOB

#BreakfastTacos

#healthyeats

#WedHappyHour

#bucketlist

#BYOB

#badcustomerservice


The list can go on and on and the great part about #MOB is that we encourage our users to create their own Hashtags (#). This site is for the people so you can create any category you want and see if the community will support it and help you build it. Nothing inappropriate please, thanks.

Click the gray text below to "Like" our Page:

#MOB on Facebook

If you like what we are doing, please help us spread the word! Thank you so much for your support #blessed

Hashin' it out
-EC

not the way you live, but why you live.

So today I had one of those light bulb moments in which God spoke to my heart. The thought occurred to me that it is not about the way you live, but rather why you live. What I am learning is that being a person of God does not mean you have to change who you are and what you do. You see if God wanted us to be something different than who we are, wouldn't He have made us that way?

It often seems that being a christian, or a believer in your God, for that matter, means that you have to "be good" or "be like them"! The truth is that God loves you exactly for who you are and in fact He made you that way on purpose. He is, however, a jealous God and wants to be first in your life. That does not mean He wants to be the only, just the first. In fact, God loves you so much that He wants to provide many things to you and pour out his blessings in your life. He wishes that you could handle those things and keep Him above all. I catch myself every day forgetting about who God is and what he has blessed me with. For that reason, God has to either remind me or limit what He gives me. God doesn't want me to stop selling real estate or doing business, at least for now. God wants me to do business for God. Its about spreading His word, sharing the Gospel with more people, and extending His grace to everyone possible.

Yesterday in church they talked about living your life for God. They talked about how the artists need to work their hardest to paint the most amazing pictures to share the beauty God has created. The called the musicians to play beautiful songs and remind the world how great His creations are. They called me and you to change, not how we live, but why. With this mentality we become a better city, a better nation, a better people. We become brothers and sisters, neighbors and friends.

The call is not for us to change our lives or change who are but to understand why we are who we are and live that out in our everyday lives. It is no coincidence that last weekend I started thinking about how I need to reconnect with a good friend that is one of the strongest followers of God I know. Of course, being distracted by everything that is around me, I put it off. No joke, today I received an email from him after I already started writing this post. The email, of course, was about individuality and how God wants us to be exactly as He made us. That to me is mind blowing that God is aware of what is going on in my head and meets me in that exact place. #PraiseGod

The good news is that you and I can continue to be who we are. We can continue to
live out our lives and only need to alter the reason we live. Being a follower of God does not mean we have to be perfect or be a certain way. The bible tells us that we are in fact shackled by our sin and that through God we become free to be who we really are!

"Everyone who sins is a slave to sin" ~ John 8:34

"If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" ~John 8:31-32

Think about it!
-EC

Misunderstanding of Freedom

We have a huge misunderstanding of the word "Freedom" in this country. Ever since we were born we have been taught about our freedom as an American and how we are free to do as we please. While Freedom is the foundation on which this country was built, it seems as though there has been a little misunderstanding and misuse of the word.

It is my opinion that Freedom was intended to allow us to make decisions about how to live and contribute in society. But, we Americans, have twisted this right and used it to mean we are free to do nothing if we so choose. But being Free does not mean you do not have to do or be. Being Free means you have the right to choose what you will do and be, but doing nothing or being nothing was not the purpose.

Being free means you have the right to choose what religion you will believe in but it was not intended to mean you have the right to not believe. Freedom means you have the right to vote for whichever political candidate you would like but it was not intended to mean you have the right to not vote. Freedom means you can work in whatever industry or job you choose but it was not intended to mean you can choose to not contribute to society. Freedom means you can say whatever you feel and you can speak your mind but it was not intended to mean you are free to say mean things to hurt others and bring them down. Being free means we can travel to other countries throughout the world but it was not intended to mean that we can go to those countries and act in a disrespectful manner.

Freedom was intended to be a right for us to choose different paths, beliefs and options in life. Freedom was given to us so that our lives are not ruled by someone else but rather we are able to make decisions for ourselves. One thing the founding fathers failed to realize was that we are a selfish people and that we will often argue for a very literal meaning of the word and will not to try and understand its intended purpose. We take freedom to mean "we don't have to" rather than "we get to". Congratulations, we found the loophole!

Our military does not fight oversees for us so that we can be worthless. They are not sacrificing their lives so we can be mooches. They are not going to war for us to be able to sit back and be nothing. They fight for our freedom which gives us the opportunity to be more.

Freedom should be looked at as a gift and not a right and thus should be appreciated and utilized for the betterment of our world and the improvement of our society, not the destruction. You are free to do as you please so do something worthwhile and make a difference!

"Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better"~Albert Camus

People around the world would do anything for freedom, so make sure you are doing something with yours.

giving it my all
-EC

What will it take?

While reading Exodus and learning about how God led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt I quickly saw a strong parallel to my everyday life that I wanted to share. Maybe you can relate.

The story is one you have probably heard but basically God instructs Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. He shows the Pharaoh his mighty power by performing huge acts such as turning the Nile river into blood, creating a massive hail storm, creating infection amongst the people and the list goes on all in an attempt to free the Israelites. What I find very interesting and relevant to my life was the constant refusal of God by the Pharaoh, even when God made his power so obvious. This, to me, is similar to how I am often unwilling to give up my sense of control in my own life and submit to God even when He shows me how real He is. Often times I feel as though obeying and following God means that I can no longer be how I want to be. God, on multiple occasions, showed His ability and power to the Pharaoh and each time the Pharaoh would plead for God to relent. However, each time God would ease up, the Pharaoh would then return to his wicked ways and not hold up his end of the bargain. It almost as if God did not exist when He was no longer needed. Have you ever pleaded with God and then quickly forgot about your promise to God? Have you ever promised God in prayer that you will never do "that thing" again if he just let you make it through?

As the story continues the Pharaoh decides to send his army to regain control of the Israelites that just escaped. God parts the Red Sea allowing the Israelites to cross to the other side by dry land. When the Egyptians attempt to chase after them, the sea converges on them and they all drown. Now clearly if something of this magnitude happened in anyone's life, believer or not I think it would be hard to not put their faith in God. It is not every day that a sea is parted before your eyes to save your life and defeats your enemy. Now we see the Isrealites forget about what God has done for them and turn.

Within three days of the parting of the sea and them being freed, the Israelites are faced with a relatively small amount of adversity as they become thirsty. They immediately forget about where God has lead them and begin to complain. Could they really think that God could part a sea but not provide water to quench their thirst? Has God ever performed miraculous acts in your life and yet you have doubted Him in much smaller instances? Of course God hears their cries and provides an abundance of water. The bible actually says that God takes them to a place called Elim where there are twelve springs and 70 palms; basically paradise. What a surprise!

Does this sound like a familiar story? This is the story of my life. God is all around me in every way, answering my prayers and the prayers of others in my life. He punishes me in obvious ways when I disobey, showing me He cares. He rescues me when I am being chased. Once I get what I need I quickly turn back in my old ways and forget what He has done for me.

What will it take? What more do we need to see to have total faith in Him?

tryin' to make sense of it all
-EC

Distracted by His blessings....#fail

So its been a little while since I have written a blog. I am not hear to make any excuses but rather to confess the reason why I have not written anything lately.

The last few weeks and even months have been amazing for me, a true blessing from God. However, being the sinful person that I am I was easily distracted and pulled away from God because I was too busy and was not making time for Him.

Lately, the majority of my blogs have been inspired by church sermons or readings from the bible that have really hit home with me. Over the past few weeks I have been going to church and sitting down to read the bible but it has been very difficult for me to focus on what I am reading in the bible or the message I am hearing at church. Its like I have been distracted by all the other things going on in my life and have not made time for God. I sit down to read but my mind is elsewhere. I try and listen in church but something distracts me. I have just been going through the motions.

The worse part is that God is the one that has blessed me with all the things that are distracting me from Him and I hate that I am a weak being that cannot continue to keep him at the forefront of my life. Whats even crazier is that I am trying hard but I am realizing that even with much effort I still fail.

Yesterday I attended a church in Marble Falls called Lake Shore. There was a soft spoken, older man that stood up and spoke during the service. In his quiet voice he expressed his conviction for God and you could see in his eyes that he had 100% faith in God. His faith in God was so strong and his conviction so real that he begin tearing up while talking about it. He wasn't talking about anything sad or bad that had happened in his life, or any recent experiences he had been through but rather the great exchange in which Jesus died for all man's sin.

This site really hit me hard because I started thinking about how I have felt so distracted by everything else and not focused on God and here is a man that is totally focused on God without any distractions. I could see in 5 minutes of him talking that he had a faith stronger than anything I have ever seen. I want that to be me. I want God to be the forefront of everything that I do and I want to always put God first.

I would love to have the continuous passion I have for my company, for God. I would love to make time for studying His word like I make time for running and exercise. I want to have no doubts about putting money into the offering basket that goes by just as I have no doubts about spending money on clothes, a nice dinner or a marketing piece. I want to be excited about God like I am excited about the real estate game. I want to be on fire for God, always!

Psalms 1:2-3 – Blessed is the man who’s delight is in the law of the Lord and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not whither. Whatever he does prospers.

All these gifts were given to me by God for a reason and I want to use these instruments for His purpose and kingdom. I know where I want to be....the challenge is getting there! And it cannot be done without Him.

Below are two relevant blog posts I wrote (clearly this is a common struggle):

Seek when you are not weak

Why is it so easy to stray from God?


Pray for me
-EC

EVERYONE Needs Compassion

I may take some heat for this post but I have to share my thoughts as they come to me. Please do not get frustrated or emotional but try to understand and think about it in a different way.

We all know that the verdict came in for Casey Anthony as not guilty and all day yesterday and today I cannot find a media outlet that is not discussing this topic as the main headline. If I log in to Facebook or Twitter there are many posts bashing Casey Anthony or the legal system. I have no idea on whether she committed the crime, nor am I the judge. I think murder is terrible and I really am just torn that something so tragic has happened in our society.

In John chapter 8 of the bible, we learn about a woman that has committed adultery. According to the law of the time, the punishment for this crime is to be stoned publicly. In the story the teachers of the law and the Pharisees bring the women to Jesus asking him to punish this woman for her sin. Jesus basically ignores their request and continues to draw in the sand. As the people continue to question Jesus he finally stands up and says "If anyone of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."(John 8:7) One by one the people turned and walked away.

This is a very interesting story and one that is very hard to hear. Jesus never approved or condoned adultery. However, Jesus shares this story because he wants us to understand that it is our job as people of God to offer forgiveness and compassion. It is God's job to judge. Now I understand that one may argue that killing a child and cheating on your husband are of no comparison. Other's that may have been cheated on may argue differently. The point is that it is all subjective and thus we must respect all sin, as sin.

Either way, the crime that has been committed is horrendous to say the least. But can we not show some compassion for this woman who clearly has many issues? I find it very hard to believe that anyone on this earth is just out to kill, "just because". Rather, I believe that people that commit these horrible crimes, do so because they are ill mentally. Something in their mind is different than that of you and I.

What if we were a people that rather than publicly bash this poor woman, we would fall to our hands and needs and offer up our prayers for her, "That the good Lord would fill her broken spirit and remove any bad from her life"? What if we prayed for this woman for the loss of her daughter, the destruction of her family and the public shame and humility she has endured? No matter what the verdict is, this woman needs our prayers, compassion and forgiveness now more than ever.

I know that I would never kill someone, but I also know that I have made many mistakes in my life. I also know that with the bad things I have done, I am undeserving of forgiveness. I am, however, grateful that I have been shown compassion and forgiveness in my life which has allowed me to move forward and improve on my "problem areas". Let us not lose site of who we are in all of this and let us set our eyes on God to be the ultimate judge. I trust with everything that I have that He is in full control of all that took place in that trial. He knows the truth and will handle the situation in a way that is pleasing to Him. In that I trust. But as a follower of Christ, I must show compassion and forgiveness, especially when it is the hardest. That is the call, whether you like it or not.

Listen to this song - Might to Save


A few good quotes on compassion:

“Compassion is the basis of all morality”~ Arthur Schopenhauer

“It is lack of love for ourselves that inhibits our compassion toward others. If we make friends with ourselves, then there is no obstacle to opening our hearts and minds to others.”

“Compassion will cure more sins than condemnation.”~ Henry Ward Beecher

“Compassion is sometimes the fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live inside somebody else's skin. It is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too.”~Frederick Buechner


Prayin for compassion!
-EC

Momentum

Momentum - the impetus and driving force gained by the development of a process or course of events


Momentum is a powerful fact of life that can really enhance the direction in which we are heading. As things start to pick up and move in the right direction we can feel a bit of momentum start to take hold. It is so important to use this momentum as a catalyst for more forward motion and not "ride it out" until it dies.

“If you're coasting, you're either losing momentum or else you're headed downhill.”~Joan Welsh

You see, many people can feel the momentum and see it as an extra "push" allowing them to use less force while maintaining the same speed. Others, see momentum as an opportunity to move forward at a faster pace. Combining the initial effort you were applying prior to the gaining the momentum with the newly created momentum will allow you to gain more ground, faster.

It is even sometimes that without momentum we are unable to get where we want to be. You see, sometimes it takes our natural effort plus some momentum to give us the needed push to make it over the edge. There are many things we encounter in our life that take more than just good effort and it is momentum that we can leverage to overcome these challenges.

Enthusiasm is the energy and force that builds literal momentum of the human soul and mind ~ Bryant H. McGill


So now that you are on a bit of a roll, how are you going to respond? Does this mean we can sit back and take break? Is it time to coast for a little while? Or is this when we are supposed to dig in deep, use the momentum to our advantage and move mountains?

Hustlin'
-EC