Christmas Time is Here Again

Every year around this time, I am reminded of the true meaning of the season. Love, sacrifice, God's grace, giving. I know you must be impressed that I even remember the truth about Christmas. After all the commercialism that the holiday now evokes, how is it possible for anyone to even have the first clue about Christ's love and birth?? I am as guilty as everyone else...I develop and implement plenty of "holiday" messaging focused on retail extravaganzas. It's sad when Christmas is reduced to snowflakes and clearance sales. Isn't there someway to incorporate the ultimate gift of love into our marketing messages? Are we so concerned that our companies will be labeled as religious, non-PC, right wing, or God forbid...compassionate?!?! Why can't we take one month out of the year to give back, instead of throwing useless merchandise down people's throats...or worse yet, using emotionalism to convince the general public to buy something that don't need, or take a flight they can't afford.

Christmas is a time to reflect on all that we have been blessed with through the year, show those we love how much we truly care, and reach out to those less fortunate than ourselves...the way Christ reached out to our sinful world 2000 years ago.

Merry Christmas

Travels

I thought I would take some time to share some of my Honeymoon trip with all of you. It was a great trip. We cruised for 7 days with stops in St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Dominica, Antigua, Barbados, and St. Lucia. It was an incredible trip. This is a shot of St. John (off St. Thomas). This was Russell's first snorkeling experience.


This is a photo of the beautiful waterfalls that we saw during our tour of Dominica. I thought I might pass out and die hiking there (remember the Bachelorette foot incident - see archives if need be). But the reward was worth it...just gorgeous!







This next picure was taken in St. Lucia. This stop was astounding to me. I was ablsolutely horrified and humbles by the juxtaposition of the poor parts of this island against the beauty of its natural state. How amazing that such a beautiful place can also be so ugly. Full of kind people who live in poverty...sell anything and everything they can to the tourists, wash their clothes in the same river that they bathe in. It's all so surreal.

Wedding

Well, it's official...I'm Mrs. Carter. I have to admit that I never thought it would happen, but alas, I'm sunk. I have taken the plunge, and couldn't be happier. I certainly agree that some are meant to always be single. Look at the Apostle Paul. He was single his whole life...and not because he wasn't a catch. What a wonderful impact he had during his time, and continues to have today. But then there are others of us with a different calling. One to be half of a whole. I pray that this day's happiness is just a taste of the joy to come in spending my life with another.

God bless.

Bachelorette Party - Las Vegas

What happens in Vegas...can't always stay in Vegas! :)

So my girls, whom I love, decided to take me to Las Vegas to celebrate my last days of singledom. We had a wonderful time! It's amazing how people treat you when you are with a bunch of girls, in matching shirts and boas, skipping down the strip having fun! Well after a great time at the Tangerine (a club that smells like oranges), we headed toward our next stop (which shall remain nameless). We were skipping across the street, and the next thing I know I go flying toward the pavement. Dear Lord in heaven...talk about some pain. My girls hailed a cab that we all squeezed into and rode half a block to the entrance of our hotel. Then my wonderful friend Lauren had to practically promise her first born to get them to give us a wheelchair to carry my sorry self up to the room...crying and covered in dirt all the way! :) According to the doc I will still be in a boot on the wedding day and through the honeymoon. Why must I be so clumsy!!!!

What happens in Vegas IS staying in Vegas, 'cause that is my last trip! :)

How do you know God is real?

The Atheist Alliance Convention was held this weekend in Washington D.C. with a sell-out crowd (and over 600 on the wait-list). This kind of response poses the question...when did it become trendy to deny the existence of God? People used to be classified by the type of church they attended. You have your "once saved, always saved" Baptists, your "Holy Rolling" Pentecostals, your "Moderate" Methodists, and your "Legalistic" Catholics. Now, it seems there is no longer the automatic assumption that you attend church or believe in God, but rather Do you believe in Him?

Describing the existence of God to friends or co-workers used to be easy. It simply involved telling them that it was easier and safer to believe than not to. See, if you're right about there being no God, and I'm wrong...then at least I have lived a good life, been kind and loved others. If I'm right and your wrong...then you go to Hell, while I live an eternity in Heaven. Things are no longer that simple. People are much more scientific in their logic, and they need irrefutable evidence and proof of His existence. Why is that? What happened to our child-like faith and innocence. What is it that makes a child rush off to try anything, no matter the consequences? It's their faith that someone will be there to catch them if they fall. They don't know that's how it will be, but they believe.

I see people who don't believe in the existence of God and I feel sorry for them. Without my faith, I would have no calling or purpose. And without that, why get up in the morning? Why go to a job that is unrewarding, and lacking true passion? Why would I go out of my way to help my brother if there wasn't a still small voice inside guiding me towards good and purity. I know God is real because of my want to do good things. I know God is real because I feel His comfort when I am sad. I know God is real because He has healed my illnesses time and time again. I see His power in the wind, the rain, all of creation. I know He is real because I am created in His likeness, full of His grace and love. I know He is real because if He were not, I would be insignificant. And frankly, we are all far from insignificant.

The Alpha

Last week, I attended a marketing conference that emphasized the importance of social marketing. Jackie Huba, author of Citizen Marketers, was the keynote speaker. She provided great insight into utilizing all avenues to get your message across. Her research suggests that one person with enough passion can make a difference in the world of marketing. We should strive to be "evangelists" of our product, market, or brand. As someone who is in the corporate world of marketing, I was intrigued by the notion that one large voice can have as much, if not more impact than traditional marketing avenues, such as a billboard for example.

One person possessed and passionate can spread a product or brand or idea like wildfire. So, here I am to see if can evoke enough passion and evangelism to spread my thoughts and ideas throughout the world. Who will be listening? I guess time will tell.

What ideas or opinions have you shared that seemed to take hold in the lives of others?