Facebook fail - 10 things Christians should avoid posting on line...

1 Your grievances with someone, leaving out their name, with a description that makes it clear to everyone who you are talking about. 2 Your grievances with someone, including their name, that makes it clear to everyone who you are talking about. 3 Your grievances and your strong opinions about things that upset you using the words RANT OVER! Because clearly its not over if you leave it on your timeline for the rant to live on with the same intensity it began. 4 Mindlessly reposing strong statements about people you don't know and cant verify. As Christians we have a responsibility to truth not hear say. 5 Conspiracy theories because 99.9 present of the time they are outrageously untrue. 6 Viral causes, as often there can be a back story that comes to light much slower than these viral causes travel...Christian have inadvertently been caught up in moral questions that come to light after their participation. 7 Negative criticisms of political leaders, personal assaults and media driven untruths or half truths. On moral and biblical issues I believe we can make comment though, making certain it is confirmed by multiple independent sources given with respect. 8 Open ended questions in an attempt to get people questioning faith, moral, ethical or biblical issues. You never know who's watching and what conclusions they are determining without anyone to assist them come to peace on a subject. We are held responsible if others stumble because of our actions. 9 Expressing negative opinion of the Church often these conclude sweeping generalisations and misrepresent the incredible nature of the church and the amazing generous spirit invested by these pastors, leaders and volunteers. These people give there lives away daily for the cause of Christ and most are deserving of our respect. The church is Christ's work and his bride. Take it easy and don't touch what is precious to God. Its not perfect but that is already stated in God's word anyway. Christ is perfecting Her, She is not perfect yet but neither are you. He without sin comes to mind! 10 Any kind of division, "don't leave online". Don't announce your breakup with a friend, partner, employer or church. Don't leave and inform all your face book friends of you action, reasons and grievances in the heat of the moment. Remember God is not in favor of division. If you have something against your brother go to them personally in love and in private. If you cant do that just forget it and forgive it.

Stay Positive

It’s so important to be positive at all times - the lives of so many in our world depend on it. Creating a positive environment, not a negative one, is the only way to return the positive results I’m sure we all seek. We need to be willing to watch the way we view the world, to watch the way we speak and interact with the world in which we live. Negativity destroys our ability to view the world in a positive light, as it alters the perspective through which we view it.

A motto I want to live by in 2012 is “say no to negativity.” because if you can do that you’ll experience a much more positive year.

I believe negativity to be the single most destructive force in society today. But here’s the problem - sometimes unfortunately, we the church, are not exempt from this reality.

As Christians “our product” is the Good News. Yet at times we misrepresent this amazing message of life by frustration, carrying hurt and unforgiveness, sometimes misunderstanding, we struggle to believe.

We call ourselves believers but our attitude and demeanour or dementia as I like to call it, causes us to forget to demonstrate that we are BELIEVERS, people who actually represent the nature of the message we say we confess. Our lives should be defined more by what we believe in than what we DON’T believe in.

The problem is our attitude will leech out and affect everything else in our world…in other words you can’t say you love “that person” when you hate ”that person”. Your lack of love “there” will affect your ability to love “here” Lack of belief “here” affects your ability to believe “there”.

It’s important that you “fine-tune” the environment that surrounds you because a positive outcome can never be produced from a negative outlook. The two will never flow from the same source. James 3: 9 .. We cannot with the same tongue praise God, and with it then curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth comes praise and cursing and this should not be so. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

What’s happening at work is about what’s happening in you. If you have a bad day at work, bad reactions can often leech out at home. If you have a difficult relationship with one partner that ends badly, sometimes those same dynamics can follow you into the next relationship. We say things like "care factor zero" and so zero is exactly what we get back. The Bible says “Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath”. Have you ever had a curry or a marinated meal and had left overs? After sitting in the fridge overnight sometimes the left overs can taste stronger the next day. Negativity, hurt and pain are a little the same. Time may not in fact heal all wounds as the statement suggests, it may in fact make them stronger. Sometimes we feel we have the right to harbor negativity and we use justifications like…if you knew what I’m going through you’d understand why I’m feeling so hurt. Or, one of my personal favorites, sometimes we call it realism - “being real” - and it’s just an excuse, not for being “real” but being “real nasty.”

Or when we are negative we can sometimes come to terms with it, then include it as part of our identity and say, it’s just the way I am. Don’t define yourself by a season you're going through or the season could in fact define you. If you’re going through hell don’t stop! If life throws you a curved ball, don’t catch it. Here’s what happens, like the curry, it intensifies the longer we hold on to it. If we don’t get rid of it, it will be stronger the next day, month, year. Here’s what you do with rubbish, you take out the trash. Ever seen one of those houses where for years no one has ever removed any rubbish and now the inhabitants are living in squalour and filth. If we don’t deal with negativity it remains in us rotting away and creating a toxic environment that eventually poisons us. Don’t expect favor and and don’t expect blessing if you constantly view life though the lens of negativity.

This is the objective view of God, even sin now (since Jesus) is seen through the perfect sinless and sacrificial life of Jesus Christ, so when God looks at sin He views it through the positive perspective of Jesus. His view of humanity with all its failure, fault and inconsistency is that none should perish - a motto used in the movie, “The Guardian”. In this movie, the life-saving force would rescue distressed boats trapped in mountainous seas. Nothing would deter them, even at the expense of their own lives, they refused to see the conditions, the huge winds and gigantic waves. All they saw was the lives they were about to save. Great things are achieved only when we refuse to look at the negative and focus on the possibilities. It’s all about perspective, what you refuse to look at. So believing is “NOT SEEING.” Faith is the evidence of things we “CAN’T SEE.” God states in His word that, I will do over and above what you imagine or “EVEN SEE.” Then this “EYE HAS NOT SEEN,” ear has not heard what God has prepared for those who love Him……

You’ve got to see past what you see with your eyes, what you feel with your emotions what you hear with your ears. All great things come from this ability to see what cant be seen, to believe what is unbelievable…to know what is unknowable. Peter only attempted to walk on water because he looked past the negative data. When he refused to consider what he believed he could not do, preferring to believe what Jesus said he could do, then he could walk on water.
But the moment he returns to looking at what’s happing around him, to see the situation through the view finder of the natural, the wind and waves, he immediately sank. That’s why much of the great things achieved actually occur in the closet first. Away from public scrutiny, away from the distractions, things that seek to steal your attention.
Spiritually often we are preconditioned to think .. I’ll believe it when I see it. If we make the mistake of doing this, we cut off faith, disable belief and anything positive doesn’t stand a chance.
Jesus pointed to very few people having qualities He could promote as Godly. Strong faith or belief was one of them….
A woman who argued with Him for a miracle, a centurion soldier who believed all Jesus had to do was speak a word for his servant to be healed.
A woman who washed His feet out of complete thankfulness, without one thought for the fact she shouldn’t have even been there. Yet in Luke 7:50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” In contrast Simon could not see past the prostitute to see the saint. Sometimes we live in the world (we see)… Jabez changed his perspective refusing to see himself as a pain any longer but blessed. We live in a trashy world so often only because we refuse to take the trash OUT, we refuse to “SAY NO TO NEGATIVITY” Jesus only came to give life, the devil only comes to bring death. Don’t live in that negative world, don’t even walk down that street or live at that address.

Negativity is like a little grain of sand that gets into a bearing joint and slowly grinds away at all that works until it no longer does.
Negativity is a little like cancer, it produces rapidly after its own like at a rate healthy cells can't, eventually killing all that is healthy if not removed totally. Here’s the real problem with negative words: they will travel far more extensively than you ever intended them to. Prov 26:2 Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse (negative words) will not come to rest. Send out negativity it will never find rest it will flutter around trying to find a place to roost but never will. They will flutter back to haunt you for years. But in contrast Prov says…A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. Jaybez believed….he said NO to negativity, in the midst of adversity rejection and humiliation he remained positive.
“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. You will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word you have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Jeremiah 42:16 Says "the sword you fear will overtake you, the famine you dread will follow you" Negativity will not rest till it tracks you down and overtakes you.

No matter what you SEE of the circumstances, the point is no matter what they show Stay positive, say No to negativity.
There’s a guy named Nick Vujicic who was born with No legs and no arms, he tours the world preaching a positive message that is inspiring. His motto says it all, No legs No arms No Worries.
Stay positive.

The green thing

The modern version of “green” is so tame. When it comes to recycling material, living without disposable goods, and leaving a smaller carbon footprint, the real experts are the long lived people who’ve been there, done that, they did it so much better, so long ago.

I saw this on a friend's status, and thought it was brilliant reminded me of growing up in the 60's Thanks Peter Pilt for reposting it.

Checking out at the grocery store recently, the young cashier suggested I should bring my own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment. I apologized and explained, ..."We didn't have this green thing back in my day." The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations." She was right about one thing -- our generation didn't have the green thing in “Our” day. So what did we have back then…? After some reflection and soul-searching on "Our" day here's what I remembered we did have.... Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles repeatedly. So they really were recycled. But we didn't have the green thing back in our day. We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day. Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw- away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me- down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that young lady is right. We didn't have the green thing back in our day. Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she's right. We didn't have the green thing back then. We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn't have the green thing back then. Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus, and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24- hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint. But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?

I can personally remember that we didn't have phones; we wound up our watches and alarm clocks. We drank water from the garden hose, walked across the city to get to a friend's house and to school every day. I can remember being woken at the crack of dawn as a child by the sound of a horse and buggy going up our street to deliver the milk to our door. I can remember our bread was delivered and we had to leave a bread tin at the door because the bread had no packaging, our fridge was powered by a block of ice again delivered to the door. Most of my pocket money was earned by collecting bottles and getting the 5 cents or less back for them. I often wondered why we went away from that system it seemed to be so simple and efficient. I often mowed our huge yard with a hand mower. If our parents needed to find us for dinner they would yell over the back fence and that neighbour would do the same until someone knew which house we were at and yell back, “Ashley, dinner's ready” but yes we didn’t have the green thing back then. Oh and we used cloth nappies...Can you still buy them?

I'm not sure I would want to go back to that era, I like my big screen TV, but it may be a good idea not to judge people till you have walked a mile or so in their shoes.

Dog or Cat?

Life is often divided into 2 camps, one must decide which side they favor and live with the consequences...

The Dog's Diary

8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!

9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!

9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!

10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!

12:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!

1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!

3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!

5:00 pm - Dinner! My favorite thing!

7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!

8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!

11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!


The Cat's Diary - Day 983 of my captivity...


My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again throw up on the carpet. Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates my capabilities. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. SAVAGES!

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow, but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released, and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded. The bird must be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now ...

Jesus v Religion... What would Jesus really do?

It was not Jesus intention to abolish religion. Jesus did deal with wrong motives in the hearts of hypocritical people. For example he taught, don't pray just to be seen, or in Luke 11:42 he said it IS right to tithe but not without neglecting justice and love....In Matthew 5:17 He says,

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.”

Jesus called the scribes and Pharisees as hypocrites because they lived in contradiction to the belief system they said they practised.

In Matthew 23:3 Jesus told the disciples to live according to the way the scribes and Pharisees told them to.

"practise and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practise”

To judge a group of people unrighteously because you’re a Jesus follower disqualifies you from being the follower you say you are. Proverbs 11:1 says, "an unbalanced judgment is an abomination to the lord." God says, "don’t say you love me if you refuse to love your brother."

DON'T judge what Jesus is not judging, DON'T make sweeping statements... who hasn’t been caught in others' judgments, that don’t reflect your real intention.

There are a lot of great religious people who have achieved great things....and pleased the heart of Jesus.

RELIGION is a Noun... The belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, or a personal God.
Synonyms: are faith - belief - creed

Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power regarded as creator and governor of the universe.

A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader.

A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion.

Some will try and state that in the original it means "to bind" in an attempt to make you think it's bad, but really "to bind" in the original means "to bind you to" or to connect you to something. It's a little like Paul saying I'm in chains to the gospel. Religion seems ok to me...just dont use it to mask hidden motives like strong unbalanced judgments.

Religion is not the enemy Sin is...lets stop fighting the wrong battles
Just sayin

Top 10 New Years Resolution Ideas

1 BE POSITIVE ABOUT OTHERS...Richard Steele said, "Fire and swords are slow engines of destruction, compared to the tongue of a Gossip. It’s so important to be positive at all times, about all people and encourage others to do the same by speaking up against Gossip, you'll have a much more positive year if you do!

2 FORGIVE QUICKLY...Develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr. So forgive people quickly even if they haven't asked you 2

3 WATCH THE WAY YOU SPEAK...It's been said that harsh words don't break bones but they often break hearts. So be nice! Strong words stir up strife but a kind word turns away anger.

4 LOVE UNCONDITIONALLY... Mother Teresa Said. Intense love does not measure it just gives...Love people without expectation, It’s the power of sowing and reaping. Only what you give out can come back to you!

5 LEARN TO TRUST...Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly and they will show themselves great. Ralph Waldo Emerson. One of the great failures of modern society is our unwillingness to trust believing that trust must be earned, this is contrary to God’s value who first loved us. Trust is an investment not a dividend.

6 DEVELOP WISDOM...A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination. Nelson Mandela People often value their own opinion over an ability to grow and learn from others. We’ll take encouragement but recoil from taking advice. This is never wise and will rob us of developing wisdom. To have a good heart you actually need a good head.

7 REACH PEOPLE "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." -John Wesley God’s intention is that his heart for people is delivered by your hands. Reach People with a benevolent heart and the message of life we have been given in Christ.

8 BELIEVE FOR FAVOUR...Jabez cried - bless me, and enlarge my territory, let your hand be with me, keep me from evil' And God granted that request." Favor is asked for. God tells us we have not because we ask not. Jabez was not satisfied with his position in life and asked for more. Ask God for his favor to rest on you.

9 DEVELOP UN-NEGOTIABLE FAITH..."If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all." Isaiah 7:9 When it comes to life and the great needs our world faces everyday, people need us to believe with a faith that will not quit. Good intentions don't help anyone out of their need but faith does. Without faith its impossible to please God. Why His intentions for humanity are great and are only unlocked by great faith.

10 STAY FAITHFUL...Edwin Louis Cole said Your faithfulness makes you trustworthy to God. Faithfulness is the final standard by which we will be judged. You’ve been faithful with what you have, now I will make you lord over much. It's those who endure till the end that will be saved.

God Bless, have a great 2012

The size of greatness

When it comes to achieving greater things in our lives ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL! Many people stirred on by the motivational industry or some warped spirituality look for quick pathways to complex destinies. The universe will cause my destiny to just come to me if I think positive thoughts, that’s “the secret” they say.
The scripture says, Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with the little things; Now I will put you in charge of many things.
The size of greatness is firstly size Small.
We all can sing that song "From little things big things grow".
The final reward is produced by attention to detail the process of meticulously applying ourselves to the little things.
Saving regularly - consistently thinking of others rather than ourselves.
Ruth in a desperate situation, simply followed after the reapers in a field, picking up the food they dropped…this attention to detail caught the attention of the field owner who arranged for them to leave more behind for her to pick up… he ultimately married her and she was given ownership of these same fields.
A university degree is achieved, one assignment at a time.
A share portfolio grows one investment at a time.
A loving relationship is built one act of giving, one statement of love at a time.
To write a book you have to arrange the letters to form a particular word, the words are then placed together logically to form sentences. The sentences are arranged to ensure that a thought is expressed and the paragraphs contain about one or two ideas. When the paragraphs are then read together they will form the sum total of the subject you desire to communicate.
To translate ideas into understanding you have to engage in a tedious and often painfully slow process without excluding even the simplest attention to detail.
The big accomplishments therefore are the fruit of diligence and a laborious process of faith, hope and a commitment to a final product.
It’s this daily belief that keeps us progressing toward a greater goal but it’s the regularity of the doing that maintains the pathway to that higher goal.
They say you must say 7 positive things to counteract just one negative, so before anything encouraging even finds its way to the starting line, you must make sure you have lived a life in the positive so that it outweighs this life in the negative we all seem to be a little addicted to.
A sportsperson is a perfect example of how little things add up to reflect major accomplishments.
Kenya and Ethiopia produce the most of world class, middle and long distance runners.
They attribute this success to the fact that most of them come out of poverty and had to run the long distances as children to get to school.
Wilma Rudolph the First American woman Runner to win three gold medals at a single Olympics said “My mother taught me very early to believe I could achieve any accomplishment I wanted to". The problem was first she had to conquer the painful challenge of learning to walk, a step at at a time without using braces. You see Wilma was born prematurely at 4.5 lbs, the 20th of 21 other brothers and sisters, she caught infantile paralysis (caused by the polio virus) so her left leg and foot had become deformed as a result. She would travel long distances with her family to seek painful medical intervention to straighten her twisted leg.
Never underestimate the power of the diligence we dedicate to the little things. What small things can you be doing consistently - that will bring greater blessing into your world.
What "well dones" can God attribute to your world, that will cause greatness to grow as a result?
The second size of greatness is Large.
Abraham had to have the big picture before he could ever navigate this subjective challenge asked of him. Abraham was only able to offer Isaac on the altar because he knew the big picture. That this boy was part of the greater plan of God. This stabilised his heart as he navigated what seemed so inconceivable to him.
Only by having a clear understanding of “the big picture” can we run with the daily challenges asked of us. Hab 2 instructs us to make the vision clear so we will be able to run with it.
Over the years our resolve is slowly diminished by the relentless challenge of the little things - that’s why you need the big things in your life in clear focus to keep you accountable to the little things.
For the Joy set before him, Jesus was able to endure the shame and agony of the cross.
Jesus suffered in a garden - this way is far too hard, is there another way - yet quickly focused on the bigger call, saying nevertheless not my will but yours be done.

What are the big ticket items for you? What is God seriously asking of you? ”
Earl Nightingale said “The more intensely we feel about an idea or a goal, the more assuredly the idea, buried deep in our subconscious, will direct us along the path to its fulfilment.”
You’ll never navigate the challenging road to greatness without a vision of something greater that you actually believe you’re meant to achieve.
That’s why so many never actually achieve anything with their lives they start out ready to take on the world and end up readily taking on the worries of their world.

Greatness is not only measured by size small or size large,there’s also a third size Medium.
The things in the middle that define you.
Prov says, "Search me oh God see if there’s any variation inside of me".
You must define the values at the core of your life in the middle before they actually define you.
You see in between the small things that we must do consistently and the big things we are pressing toward, there are these things in the middle.
On the way to family or domestic success or personal fulfillment in life, there’s a thing called the middle life.
For example the commander of an Army battalion can walk across a base and have hundreds of men snap to attention, while his marriage is falling apart at home, while his children may have no respect for him. This is because he has paid less attention to certain values his life should have been based on.
Yet at the same time the perfect nuclear family, may command the admiration of everyone in the family but be missing a true cause to live by.
Opportunity, the big things, longevity, the little things are sometimes defined by these middle things, a set of values you live by.
What are these middle values, can you describe these things you will not negotiate?
For me it's to build God’s house and a general desire to build my life relationally.
The bible says, "and Samson took hold of the 2 middle pillars on which the entire house was borne up and he took out the entire house, he took hold of one with his right hand, and the other with his left. So the damage he brought on his enemy that day was more than he has inflicted in his entire life".
The middle pillars can be things like, our health, it stands in the middle of all I do and I won't achieve everything I want to, if I don’t stand in the middle of my life and manage this well.
A friend in ministry made a DVD series on Family Values. The series was costly to produce and really needed to be sold to help pay for its production. Soon after making it he was asked by a church he knew, in a community experiencing serious family and youth problems, if he had any resource on the subject. The community had asked this church to assist and this represented a significant opportunity to affect this city positively. When this friend understood what it was being used for, he offered to make it available free of charge and for it to be used in any way they saw fit, even to rebrand it or change it in any way. He did this because it was one of these middle values, something at the centre of his life that was a driving motivation.
In the building of anything great you will discover these 3 aspects.
1/ the small things 2/ the big things, but holding these 2 together will always be the middle pillars, these things we hold dear.

I recently read this on Wikipedia something I believe reflects this so well….I feel like I’m living the first line of my obituary. I don’t think there will be anything else that I do in my life as important as what I do now for Wikipedia. We’re not just building an encyclopaedia; we’re working to make people free. When we have access to free knowledge, we are better people. We understand the world is bigger than us, and we become infected with tolerance and understanding. Wikipedia is the 5th most visited website in the world. I work at the small non-profit that keeps it on the web. We don’t run ads because doing so would sacrifice our independence. The site is not and should never be a propaganda tool. I work at the Wikimedia Foundation because everything in my soul tells me it’s the right thing to do. I’ve worked at huge tech companies, doing some job to build some useless thing that’s designed to steal money from a kid who doesn’t know any better. I would come home from work crushed.
You might not know this, but the Wikimedia Foundation operates with a very small staff. Most other top-ten sites have tens of thousands of people and massive budgets. But they produce a fraction of what we pull off with sticks and wire.
When you give to Wikipedia, you’re supporting free knowledge around the world. You’re not only leaving a legacy for your children and for their children, you’re elevating people around the world who have access to this treasure. You’re assuring that one day everyone else will too. Thank you, Brandon Harris
Programmer, Wikimedia Foundation.

America has actually written out these values in the declaration of independence…. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

What is your declaration of independence? What are the values that motivate the little moments and drive your big vision? Try these 3 on for size and you’ll find your future will fit well.