Christmas Time is here

For the last couple weeks my wife, Jesika, and I have been working on recording a Christmas album. It's a thing we do for fun around the holidays every few years. We usually just give them to family along with their gifts as a little personal touch. But this year going along with this project I wanted to share some of it with you! It has been a big part of getting this "Consume Less / Create More" project rolling. We spent many early mornings and late evenings recording all the parts and mixing it all. We'd appreciate it if you'd go have a listen at ReverbNation.com/opportune. There's also 2 free songs you can download. If you choose to download one of the songs that you have to pay for you can put it on your mp3 player, phone, tablet, and take it wherever you go! Plus you'll be helping us out, as well as
"Charity: Water" that is working to provide clean drinking water to the millions who don't have any.

I love the Christmas time of year because of what it means to me and my family, and what it represents in our Christian faith. I also have mixed feelings about a lot of things that happen around this time. I love the atmosphere and, even though I work in retail and people can get crazy this time of year, I enjoy seeing more people buying gifts (mostly) for others. So during this time that is generally spent acquiring more things, spending money, and wanting for more. My family and I have decided to avoid the typical Christmas activities and instead focus on spending more time with each other and giving to others something other than material things that can just be used up. Think about most of the things you, your spouse or your children have gotten in years past. Of course there will be a few things you remember and you really cherish. And don't get me wrong, those are great to get to show your loved ones you appreciate them. I just think that our society has become consumed with the gift buying idea. I mean look at black Friday, and how it has crept into Thanksgiving Day. Just because retailers wanted to one-up each other and get to us greedy consumers money before the others do! We gleefully oblige, and are so proud of getting a better deal than the ones who didn't get there 6 or more hours before the store opened.
So this year our family has decided to take a trip together after Christmas and create memories for ourselves and our children. Because I know we took a few really good trips when I was younger, and I know I will always remember them way better than the gifts I got when I was 5 or 6 (the Sega Genesis I got for Christmas was pretty cool back then though.) But all of that can be broken, lost, stolen, or forgotten. But the memories we create with our families will be there to help us through the hard times in life.

So as we approach the day that we celebrate as Jesus Christ our Savior's birth, please let me urge you to not let your hearts, and minds be engulfed by the status quo. We don't have to have the biggest TV, the best game system with the newest game, or the best or nicest of anything really. We have it so good in America and most of us have all of our needs provided for. Let's choose do give to someone who could really use the help. Like I said before it doesn't have to be material or even monetary. Just sow into the lives of some people who really need it. Show them you care and that they are not forgotten, that there is a God who loves them and he can use us to show that. Be Jesus to someone this year and give and create together!
Merry Christmas!