Tamara's Blog

RealAmericanStories.com: Where We Tell the Story

Did you enjoy your 3-day weekend? Spend time with family and friends? I spent the 4th with some of my favorite Dutch immigrant friends - Henriët, Fred and Dina (Henriët's mom). We fired up the grill, ate Cold Stone ice cream and enjoyed Seattle's firework show (the best yet!). It's a great American holiday.

You don't have to look far to appreciate what America is all about. People from around the world continue to come here. In my own family, my dad and his family came from Australia over 50 years ago. My sister's in-laws are from Italy. And my cousins' father is Hispanic.

That's why I really like a new website from the Fox News Channel:

     Real American Stories - One Nation United

The mission of this site is "to share American stories and to help us appreciate who we are, where we came from, and how truly fortunate we are to be part of the American experience."

The site is a collection of short video clips of some people you know and many you don't telling their story and why they value living in America. It's good for someone like me - who was born in America and knows nothing but a life of freedom - to be reminded of what I often take for granted. The stories are very inspirational.

What sets the site apart, though, is that anyone - meaning you and me - can upload their own video clip and share their story. Do you have a story to tell? Grab your camcorder, press the "Record" button, and start talking. In the meantime, be inspired by what others are saying.

              www.realamericanstories.com

The Gratitude Campaign: How to Say Thank You

Watch this short video (1:10) and learn a universal way of showing your gratitude to those who serve us - in the military and in public service. 

This video is part of the Gratitude Campaign. Check out the site to learn more and start saying Thank You in a new way.

[If you're reading this in an email or feed reader, you may need to click through to the blog to watch the video.]

HT to my brother-in-law, Dino.

About You: John Torres

"That's right! I don't see visions. I see vision statements!" John exclaimed. I was truly baffled as John tried to explain how he can't envision an image in his mind (like a vision of what the future could look like), but he can envision words (like a vision statement). I didn't know whether to feel sorry for him or laugh. I mean, how does one get excited about a bunch of black-&-white words in one's head? So I resorted to laughing because I could hardly relate...

Meet John Torres

I met John a couple of years ago at my church. He comes up a few times a year from Los Angeles - Mosaic LA, in fact - to share with us his phenomenal gift of singing, and more recently, acting. When he sings, his voice penetrates the inner vibrations of your soul. He is truly loved in the Pacific Northwest.

Listen and judge for yourself: SE. [Link from John's Web site.]

See John in Action

In December, John performed at Tangier, a premiere lounge and cultural hot spot in downtown Los Angeles. Here he is performing Rocket Man.

Contrary to Popular Belief, I Am Not Addicted to Blogging

54%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Or so the survey says. Some of you may challenge these results. Me too. The truth is that I do enjoy blogging - I don't think anyone will argue that fact - and I enjoy the challenge of encouraging people to take that step into the Blogosphere. Even if it's just to window shop and read around.

Outstanding New Blogs

This week, I learned that this blog was awarded the ON Blog! award. "ON" stands for "Outstanding New" and the award is to recognize new blogs and bloggers. I want to thank Troy for his vote of encouragement to keep doing what I enjoy doing.

If there are other new blogs you've stumbled upon that you believe deserve recognition, submit your nomination on orbitnow! and make a blogger's day!

What If the Internet Went Down and Bloggers Couldn't Blog?

If you see it on cable, it must be true...

[HT to Billy Calderwood.]

Paul Potts, A Man of Incredibly Humble Talent

Earlier this year, a shy, humble phone salesman stood before Simon Cowell on "Britain's Got Talent" and announced that he wanted to sing opera. You can only imagine how intimidating that would have been. For anyone.

Simon and his fellow judges responded politely, and Paul Potts proceeded to sing Nessun dorma. Within seconds, Paul captured the hearts, tears and applause of the judges and the millions of viewers watching.

Paul went on to win the competition in June, and his life has been forever changed. You can read more about Paul and what he's up to on these two Web sites here and here.

I encourage you to watch the two videos below. I promise that they will touch your heart. You may even cheer out loud. There are no words to describe this man's amazing story and talent.

Paul's Audition on "Britain's Got Talent"

Paul's Final Performance on the Show

[HT to Julia.]

Day 10: Eric Bryant

Oops! I forgot to post Day 10 of my Caleefohneea adventure. The kewl factor of that day (Tuesday) was having Eric Bryant from Mosaic LA join some of us for lunch.

Many of the folks in my cohort had heard about Mosaic LA. This was an opportunity for them to learn up-close-&-personal about the church and about Eric's new book, Peppermint-Filled Pinatas: Breaking Through Tolerance and Embracing Love. [I also wrote about Mosaic in May.] Everyone really enjoyed Eric's visit. Thank you Eric!

Eric does a lot of fun videos. One of my favorites (so far) is this 1-minute promo video for his book. Check it out!

Two Videos to Honor Our Troops

Video 1: "Remember Me" by Lizzie Palmer

Lizzie posted this video on YouTube, and within 6 months, it solicited almost 6,000 comments. Two months ago, she had to disable commenting because some of the commenters were being mean-spirited and began to argue with one another. For the rest of us, it is still a wonderful reminder. The video is about 6 minutes long. [HT to Julia.]

Video 2: "Remembering the Fallen"

This 6-minute video is an amazing news story about an artist in Utah who uses her talent to honor our fallen troops. She's a spitfire personality with a heart of gold. You will love her, her heart and her work!

Click here to view the video. [HT to Char.]

About You: Eric Bryant

I met Eric in early 2005 at a Leadership Vision workshop in  Redmond, WA. When I learned he was from Mosaic LA (which I had not yet visited), I knew I had to meet him. I'm so glad I did.

The title on Eric's business card says "Navigator" for Mosaic. This can be loosely translated to "pastor" - but that's not even the half of it.

He's a Blogger

Check out his blog at http://ericbryant.org/blog/. He shares his life and insights, both serious and fun. And if you sign up for his newsletter, you'll be entered into a monthly drawing to receive free stuff...like his new book...

He's an Author

In June, Eric is releasing his book called Peppermint-Filled Pinatas: Breaking Through Tolerance and Embracing Love. I will admit, I haven't read the book yet, but I have read the sample chapter he posted (which tells the story behind the title). It was a great read and I'm eager to read the rest! Click on the book image to download the sample chapter and read some of the reviews.

Calling All Seattleites!

Eric wanted me to let you know that he will be doing a book signing at the Alderwood Barnes & Noble (near Lynnwood) on Friday, May 18th, at 7:00 PM. [That's tomorrow if you're reading this today. He!] Come on by to meet Eric and get a signed copy of his new book. You know where I'll be!

He's a Stand-Up Comedian

This comedy video was recently posted on YouTube. It's hilarious. Learn why he's bald at 32 and how he cleared the beach for his new bride on their honeymoon.

Mosaic, a Community of Faith, Love and Hope

I became acquainted with Mosaic in 2003. It intrigued me enough to read all the books by Erwin McManus, the lead pastor for Mosaic LA. I learned very quickly that Erwin was no ordinary pastor and that Mosaic was no ordinary church. I was hooked.

What is Mosaic?

In a word, it is a community. From the Mosaic LA Web site:

We are a community of followers of Jesus Christ, committed to live by faith, to be known by love, and to be a voice of hope. The name of our community comes from the diversity of our members and from the symbolism of a broken and fragmented humanity which can become a work of beauty under the artful hands of God. We welcome people from all walks of life, regardless of where they are in their spiritual journey. Come to Mosaic, and discover how all the pieces can fit together!

There Are Lots of Mosaics

Mosaic LA is not the only Mosaic community. There are Mosaic communities sprinkled all around the globe. One such community is in Seattle called Mosaic Seattle. It is truly a community of faith, love and hope. For information about other Mosaics, check out the Mosaic Alliance site.

Watch the Mosaic LA Video

Let Mosaic LA show you what they're all about. Here's their 2-minute video recap for 2006. This is where I attend "church" when I'm in southern CA. Turn up your speakers and enjoy!

Video Highlight: A Simple Thank You Goes a Long Way

I have one of those Total Responsibility with Zero Authority and Zero Budget types of jobs. It's an interesting situation because when you're stripped of any "because I'm the boss" power and any money (to bribe), you have to rely on other stuff to get your job done. Like relationships. Like integrity (as Henriet is writing about this week). Like simply saying Thank You.

February has been hectic as I've worked with our Engineering team (in the US and India) to prepare for a few product releases next week. I have a good relationship with these bright engineers. You wouldn't believe the difference it makes when I take a brief moment to tell them: "Thank you! Excellent job!" There's no power play going on. There's no money. It's just a simple and sincere Thank You. What do you think happens when I go back and ask them to do something else? Right. They do it. And I thank them. And the cycle goes on... 

A Dallas friend sent me a news video clip featuring Bert Brady, ABC's Person of the Week recently. It's a heartwarming, 3-minute clip that shows the power of a simple Thank You - how it started with one man and how others joined in. This is what missional living is all about. More on missional later...

Watch this and be inspired!