Mike's Give It Away Journal - Week of 3.31.14

Week 7, and still going strong

Monday 3/31
The things I give away are not always big or worth much like this carabiner. You can probably buy a couple of these for a dollar.


Tuesday 4/1
This weeks is turning out to be the week of small things. I bought this stress ball a few years ago but haven't used it for quite a while. I think that means I'm not feeling as stressed as I once did.




Wednesday 4/2
Day 45 in my Give It Away journey. It is hard to believe that I've already given away 44 items. I can't say that I miss anything I've given away so far. Today, I'm giving away an old picture frame. The picture is of me playing golf at Trump National Golf Club in Los Angeles. It was a vendor sponsored trip. I need to go on more of those!

Thursday 4/3
At one time, I had 6 or 7 ties. Today, I have 3 but don't need all of them. This one I've had since the early 90s. The first person to comment below gets it.








Friday 4/4
When I upgraded my laptop to Windows 8, my Bluetooth mouse stopped working. I tried a few times to get it to work but eventually gave up. It is now my Give It Away time for Friday the 4th.




Saturday 4/5
I bought this book during my internship with University Christian Fellowship at the University of Washington in Seattle. I liked it at the time but recently was looking through it and decided it was more works-based than I like. If you want this book, let me know. I'm curious to see if the next person feels the same.




Sunday 4/6
I was a Blackberry fan for many years. I used this short adapter because the phones I used 2.5 mm instead of the more standard 3.5 mm plugs.

Courageously Grow

Set up at the greens keeper warehouse

As part of our Grow efforts, we held a 'meeting of the clans' (think Braveheart).  This collection of representatives from several men's groups came together to watch the movie Courageous and talk a little about our individual group accomplishments and coordinate overall efforts.
For those who have not seen the movie, it is a story about a police officer who has determined to stand up and be the man to his wife and family that God has called him to be.
The final speech in the movie is very motivational and encouraging for those struggling daily in the trenches of life and can be found at the following link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWZhHhuP1zo

Mike's Give It Away Journal - Week of 3.24.14

Week 6 of my Give It Away journey

Monday 3/24
First world problem. I have a shirt that I like but the sleeves are not long enough. My t-shirts that I bought at Costco have longer sleeves than this shirt allows. Into the pile of give away items it goes.







Tuesday 3/25
Back on Sunday 2/23, I gave away a RokForm iPhone 4/4s case that had a magnet in the back. My friend 3gdadnetwork blogger, Travis has been using it ever since. I had taken a used car holder and glued a piece of metal to it to create a handy phone holder for my desk. I'm going to see if Travis thinks this is a cool as I did.

Wednesday 3/26
I think the last time I played golf, Bon Jovi's Blaze of Glory was the #1 song. It really hasn't been that long, but it has been a few years. Needless to say, I don't need extra golf balls. If you can tell me when Blaze of Glory was #1, these golf balls are yours. Hint: Ice Ice Baby was #1 just 7 weeks later.




Thursday 3/27
Once upon a time, there was a guy who weighed 190 lbs the day he was married, but who grew to 255 lbs twelve years later. Guess who? Yep, that was me. Five years ago, I started eating fresh foods and have trimmed down considerably. These jeans are a leftover from my 255 days.

Friday 3/28
More pants that I found in the back of my closet.






Saturday 3/29
I moved my desk at home and downsized my desk. This Dell 1720 laser printer didn't make the cut. I've had it for many years but it still works well. I mentioned to a co-worker that I was giving away a laser printer and he said he would be happy to take it.

Sunday 3/30
My Give It Away item today is a Cisco/Linksys wireless access point. My Internet provider supplied me with a wireless access point so I no longer need this one.

Third G is for Go. So I Went.

Grow, Give & Go. Going means you go somewhere. Sometimes that is no further than your living room, other times it is to your neighborhood or city. For me, last October it meant going to visit an orphanage in South Sudan. 

I went with They Are One, a non-profit in Monterey County, California. The trip started from SFO, and 28 hours later we arrived in Entebbe, Uganda. From there we took a small plane that landed on a narrow dirt road that they call a runway, in Nimule, South Sudan.

As we were descending into Nimule, you couldn't help but notice all the tukals(small round homes) that dotted the landscape.

The kids at Cornerstone Children's Home were great. I tried to spend as much time with the boys as possible. They tend to take a while to warm up to strangers, and given that we were only onsite for 10 days, it wasn't easy. I made many friends and had many great experiences.

We made several trips down to the Nile, but I only dangled my feet into the water. After seeing a 20-ft-long snake swimming down the middle of the river, I decided that getting my feet wet was enough for me.

 Daniel Atwali is a special boy. You can read his story at theyareone.org. Before we left, we helped the kids write letters to their sponsors back in the USA. I helped Daniel with a letter to my wife. I barely held back the tears when he asked me to write that he wished I were his dad.

I had an opportunity to visit the local hospital and pray with the patients. I went with several gentlemen who visit the hospital weekly. I was talking with the nurse in the HIV & TB wing when we decided it was a good time to take a picture.


 On our way home, we spent the night in Entebbe and visited a local zoo. There were several animals I'd never seen before, like this bird with a massive beak. My favorite was the warthog. Talk about ugly!








It has been over six months since my trip, and in some ways it seems like yesterday. On the other hand, I'm already starting to forget some of the details. I hope to go back to keep the friendships I've started going.


One of the main things I learned in South Sudan was that life there is hard, but not complicated. Here, life is easy but complicated. One of the ways I'm trying to uncomplicate my life is by giving my extra stuff away. It's working, because every time I go to my home office desk and see space instead of stuff, I feel good.

Mike's Give It Away Journal - Week of 3.17.14

Week 5 of my Give It Away journey

Monday 3/17
I fancy myself a DIY type of person. Most times, that serves me well other not so well. I've had this laser level for at least eight years and haven't used it in over five. It works fine and could be useful to the right person.



Tuesday 3/18
We were given a couple shower heads that we never ended up using. I'm hoping someone will see them this weekend at the They Are One rummage sale.



Wednesday 3/19
As I've mentioned a few times, I'm a KC Chiefs fan. I bought this Chiefs titanium necklace a couple years ago, just before listening to a sermon series by David Platt called Radical. He has a great way of putting thing into perspective. I'll write a review of the book before too long.

Thursday 3/20
Here is another electronic item that has been left behind. This came in handy when I owned a rear-projection TV.

Friday 3/21

I've hung onto this Tripp-Lite travel adapter for years, but can't remember the last time I've used it.

Saturday 3/23
I went through a phase many years ago where I read novels like this one by Lee Child. These days, I only have time to read books that help me navigate life. Not sure Lee Child is the right choice for that.

Sunday 3/23
Back in October, I went to South Sudan. I did a bunch of research on the web and tried to get the appropriate electrical adapters before I left, but still ended up with the wrong one. When I got back, I bought a few of the right kind. Why did I buy three when I only needed one or maybe two? Today, I'm giving away the extra one.

I Manned Up and Started Loving My Wife

Our marriage started like many. We were in love and thought it would be that way forever. It wasn't long before reality hit and we settled into a pattern of disappointment and feeling sorry for ourselves. 

The first 15 years of our marriage could easily be characterized as "distracted." We spent several years dealing with infertility, then when we did have kids, they became our focus.


It started to change a couple years ago.

Back in January, our church, Shoreline Community Church did a series called Shockwaves - how our choices can send shock waves that ripple through our lives. They asked us to talk about the shift that changed our marriage. Listen to how Jackie and I describe the difference between then and now, and how I manned up and started loving my wife.

Mike's Give It Away Journal - Week of 3.10.14

Week 4 and still giving stuff away.

Monday 3/10
Sometimes an idea sounds great. Sometimes, those ideas are a bust. A couple years ago I decided that investing in a vacuum food saver system would help my fresh food last longer and save us money. The reality is that it took way more time than I wanted to spend and didn't keep my food as fresh as I'd like. It has been taking up space in a kitchen cabinet for the past year. Not after today.


Tuesday 3/11
I love to play golf but rarely do. It is hard for me to justify the time and money these days. I was given this wedge that I don't use so I'm giving it away. It is a used TaylorMade RAC Satin Tour 56 degree wedge with a decent grip.

Wednesday 3/12
We recently finished our garage so we can use it for hosting the mid-week middle school group meeting for our church. This was one of the casualties.







Thursday 3/13
Sometimes, you have something for so long that it starts to feel like part of the family. I tend to wear my clothes for a long time. I bought this shirt five years ago and really like it, mostly because it is comfortable. Plus, it is designed to be worn untucked which worked great for me when I was 50 lbs heavier than I am now. My wife has never liked it, so to honer her, I'm giving away my brown Hagger shirt.

Friday 3/14
Today's Give It Away item is a little different. I own several domain names including mjscott.com, mattscott.us and maxner.com. I registered maxner.com because my wife's maiden name was Maxner and I thought her parents or brother like to use it one day. Today, I'm offically giving maxner.com to her brother.

Saturday 3/15
A few years ago, when there still were Circuit City stores, I stumbled across these Sennheiser PXC 250 noise canceling headphones on sale. They work great on airplanes and I used them for several years. I don't use them anymore and decided to give them away today.





Sunday 3/16
This book was really helpful to me several years ago when I suffered from mild panic attacks. It helped me understand the physical changes that occur during a panic attack and how your body responds. I thank God that I don't suffer from panic attacks any longer.

Son of God - A Movie Review

I watched Son of God this past weekend at my local theater and decided to share my thoughts. Not sure why, except I started blogging a couple weeks ago and I'm starting to like it.

Disclaimer: I'm not a movie critic, as a matter of fact, this is the first movie I've ever reviewed. Although, I did sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night. 

Disclaimer: I'm biased and know it. Any movie that comes close to my own values will automatically get an extra star.

  4/5

Not many have rated it as high as I have. I'm OK with that, mainly because I think it's weaknesses can be a strength.

Strengths
Realistic Characters - I loved the disciples. They were gruff with shaggy beards. Some with hair and some without. I could relate to them because they seemed like normal guys.

Great Setting - It was filmed in Morocco and looked like what I expect Judea to look like in A.D. 30. I've never been to Israel and don't know what the area looks like personally, but I'm assuming it looks something like the movie depicts.

Thought Provoking - I'd love to say that I would never have reacted to Jesus the way the Pharisees did. The movie caused me to stop and ask myself how I would have reacted. The reality is that I'm part of the modern day religious system similar to how the Pharisees were in their day.  I could compare and contrast but I hope you get my point without it.

Weaknesses
Conclusion - While watching the movie, I tried to think about how someone who didn't know the story would interpret it. My first thought when leaving the theater was that they lead you to believe that 40 days after Jesus resurrected, he disappeared. Then all the original disciples died as martyrs except one.  End of story. Really. It would have only taken five more minutes to describe what God accomplished through the disciples, and show how the resurrection changed everything.

Lack of Tension - When you read the Gospels chronologically, you start to get a sense of God's plan and how the tension builds from Jesus' first miracle till he enters Jerusalem just before Passover. I have to admit that trying to recreate the last 3 years of Jesus' life in a two hour movie is nearly impossible. Personally, I was able to fill in the gaps, but again, if you didn't know the story, it might have seemed odd that Jesus was such a threat to the religious establishment.

Summary
I liked the movie, even with its weaknesses. There are many sites that describe all the inaccuracy, etc. but I didn't notice anything that warranted that much scrutiny.  I think they just create a reason to discuss the movie, and Jesus in particular.

Go see it and keep in mind that they are only presenting a very small slice of the whole story.

You can find professional opinions here:
Washington Post
Roger Ebert
Christianity Today

Sit, Stay, Heel...Come!

Nothing like a new puppy in your house to remind you of when the kids were young and that obedience needs to be taught and instilled in the little one. When the fluffy little puppy arrived, she quickly tried our patience, especially when she didn't come when her name was called. What does Jesus think when He calls and we ignore? Does He get impatient? Well, I am tired of trying His patience. It is time to listen up, hear the calling and OBEY. Don't wait to be schooled by God, the training can be brutal, obey now. My wife has been taking the pup to class and there is light at the end of the disobedience tunnel. "Brindle, come!"..."Good girl!!"

We Are Not Alone

Do you ever think to yourself that you are alone in this great big, huge, enormous, highly populated world? Ever feel like you are the only one going through your current situation? The only one to ever feel the way you feel? The only one that still has a morale compass that hasn't broke and gone haywire spinning like a top? Guess what! You are not alone! When Mike, Shane, Travis and myself started getting together weekly, checking up on each other and holding each other accountable, I thought, "this is cool, I bet there is no one else doing this". Then when we started getting real with God, our selves and our spouses, again I thought, "this is cool, I bet there is no one else doing this". Recently, when Shane started evaluating what is really important in this life and noticed that the current world view of money and possessions needed to be turned-on it's head I thought for sure that we were the only ones marching down the path of sanity. Mike found a blog that surprised me but re assured me that God is still working in the lives of many...not just mine. http://wearethatfamily.com you have got to read this, they broke it down beautifully. This is exactly what the church...no what I need to be doing. The new Matthew West song (Do-Something-lyrics-Matthew-West) lyrics sum it up best...Do something... Saw a world full of trouble now, thought, how'd we ever get so far down, how's it ever gonna turn around? "God why don't You do something?" he said, "I did, I created you". So whether you are going through pain or troubles or sickness... You are not alone, God is your friend and He loves you. If you are trying to do the right thing, the best thing, follow the heart of God and lead others to Him... You a not alone either. Keep the faith, fight the fight, run the race.

Mike's Give It Away Journal - Week of 3.3.14

It is week 3 in my Give It Away journey and it's already harder to find stuff to give away. The first couple weeks were easy. I could look anywhere in my house and easily find something to give away. Trust me, I still have a ton of stuff I can give away.

Monday 3/3
I'm a KC Chiefs fan who lives in California. I was born outside Kansas City and spent most of my life living in either Kansas or Missouri. My dad started watching the Chiefs play back when Len Dawson was quarterback and got me hooked. I've spent many years watching the Chiefs be mediocre. Seeing them go 9-0 to start the 2013 season was awesome.




Tuesday 3/4
I'm giving away another pair of glasses. When I first started needing reading glasses, I bought several pair before I found what worked best. These are tented to cut down glare from a computer's screen.


Wednesday 3/5
Today, I'm giving away another wire mesh desk organizer. The first piece was given way on 2/21. When I decided to give it away, I dumped all the stuff out of it and found old receipts from 2011 and three basketball cards (Micheal Jordan, Mark Jackson and Jon Koncak). The Jordan is from 1990. I think I'll make them my Give It Away items for tomorrow.


Thursday 3/6
I gave these basketball cards from 1990 to my son's friend who collects cards. They aren't worth anything but they came out 10 years before my son was born.

Friday 3/7
Over the years I've collected a few small bags that I use to hold computer accessories in my backpack, etc. I realized today that I had at least one more than I needed. Again, my co-worker Jason said he would take it. He is in first place in taking my Give It Away items.


Saturday 3/8
I'm giving away an extra smoke alarm.  Not in its original packaging but I'm pretty sure it has never been used.



Sunday 3/9
For a while now, I've been looking for a Bible translation that was easy to read and as close to the original text as possible. For the past 25 years, I've been reading the NIV but found it sometimes hard to understand. When I was looking for a Bible for my preteen, I came across the NLT. Last October I went to South Sudan to visit an orphanage and decided to get a copy of the NLT to take with me. I bought this one but realized I would need a magnifying glass to read it. The text is small but mostly my eyes are bad.