I stumbled upon this blog recently and it really hit me.  So I clicked the contact link.  Since then, I have been in talks with Lee and Jenny Amstutz, the people who had this idea.

The idea is that global hunger is happening around the world daily.  So, people are vowing to give something up, in efforts to support a child through Compassion International. This movement has taken off so much that Dr. Stafford, President and CEO of Compassion International has also joined the challenge in giving up cacao.

So, me, my wife (maybe) along with a few other people are going to be doing this.  What I need from you?  A pledge.  A pledge to donate money to compassion.  It can be a vow to donate 10 cents if I give up my vice for a year, or it can be a vow to donate 10,000 dollars.  Either way, it will help. Comment or Email me I can help point you in the direction you need to go.

Starting sometime in July, (Date is still tentative) I will be giving up energy drinks for a year, and since I have already given up smoking, I’ll throw that in there too. (Smoking is permanant)  I pledge to give this stuff up… What I need is some pledges.  1 dollar a week, a penny a day, whatever!  As an added little bonus, I will also add you to my blog roll.  (YEE HAW…. ok, not really but still)

So.. Let’s go.  One Year Without.  Who knows, maybe you even want to join in on the fun!?

This is a direct copy from Joshua White’s blog. The same guy that brought the “Taste something you’ve never tasted challenge”.  He has a new challenge and it spoke to me.  Recently I’ve struggled with my temper. I’ve written about it.  When I get in bad moods it’s difficult for me to get out.

It’s pretty much shaking my entire world.  I’m recognizing it and trying to fix it, and this is a great challenge that will A) challenge me, and B) possibly have positive repurcussions.

Once you read what he’s written (Below) you’ll understand why I follow this cat.  He’s cool, he’s smart, and he thinks about stuff and challenges the online community to REALLY practice what we preach.  It’s great.

–Joshua’s Blog–

I haven’t written a lot lately.

I read Ragamuffin Gospel and it jacked me up.  God has entered my life full time, and it’s really jacking me up.

I am struggling through a lot of things, that I am trying really hard to deal with.  I’ve become my mother in a lot of ways, and it bothers me.

I try so hard to not let my anger show, or worse, say things I will regret, but I do.

I’m praying God will move me through these times.  I’m praying God will soften my heart, and help me be the man I want to be.

Thank you to who ever still stops by.  I will start writing again soon.  Once I work all this stuff out, there will be some real, authentic, and probably uncomfortable writing going on here.

Thanks for your prayers.

Something big is happening.  It’s bigger than winning that new iPhone from Squarespace.  It’s bigger than your bad day at work.  It’s bigger than your boyfriend breaking up with you.

The social networking frenzy is not just for the yahoos anymore.  No one can say that Twitter is pointless.  No one.  Supporters for defeated Iranian presidential Candidate are rallying, and using twitter to organize.  It’s actually pretty stinking huge.  Check this link to read some of the live tweets going on as we speak.

I can’t get over the fact that this is real life.  This isn’t some internet game.  People are dying.  Do some research, see what you can do to help.  But for the love of God.  Don’t just sit here and ignoring it.  There are some specific things you can do to help support the movement, scroll past the image to see a good checklist as how to help..  Stuff like this is happening every day, all over the world.  I think it’s about time it’s brought to the forefront of our attention.  It’s time we stop ignoring it because it’s not us.  Compassion guys… compassion. If nothing else, pray as much as you can for this country, these people’s families, the lives of everyone.  Pray. Pray. Pray.

(From http://www.i-policy.org/)
The purpose of this guide is to help you participate constructively in the Iranian election protests through twitter.

1. Do NOT publicise proxy IP’s over twitter, and especially not using the #iranelection hashtag. Security forces are monitoring this hashtag, and the moment they identify a proxy IP they will block it in Iran. If you are creating new proxies for the Iranian bloggers, DM them to @stopAhmadi or @iran09 and they will distributed them discretely to bloggers in Iran.

2. Hashtags, the only two legitimate hashtags being used by bloggers in Iran are #iranelection and #gr88, other hashtag ideas run the risk of diluting the conversation.

3. Keep you bull$hit filter up! Security forces are now setting up twitter accounts to spread disinformation by posing as Iranian protesters. Please don’t retweet impetuosly, try to confirm information with reliable sources before retweeting. The legitimate sources are not hard to find and follow.

4. Help cover the bloggers: change your twitter settings so that your location is TEHRAN and your time zone is GMT +3.30. Security forces are hunting for bloggers using location and timezone searches. If we all become ‘Iranians’ it becomes much harder to find them.

5. Don’t blow their cover! If you discover a genuine source, please don’t publicise their name or location on a website. These bloggers are in REAL danger. Spread the word discretely through your own networks but don’t signpost them to the security forces. People are dying there, for real, please keep that in mind.

6. Denial of Service attacks. If you don’t know what you are doing, stay out of this game. Only target those sites the legitimate Iranian bloggers are designating. Be aware that these attacks can have detrimental effects to the network the protesters are relying on. Keep monitoring their traffic to note when you should turn the taps on or off.

7. Do spread the (legitimate) word, it works! When the bloggers asked for twitter maintenance to be postponed using the #nomaintenance tag, it had the desired effect. As long as we spread good information, provide moral support to the protesters, and take our lead from the legitimate bloggers, we can make a constructive contribution.

Please remember that this is about the future of the Iranian people, while it might be exciting to get caught up in the flow of participating in a new meme, do not lose sight of what this is really about.

My mother and my sister both passed away in June. June is kind of a bitter sweet month for me. This last weekend my brother was in a car accident with an 18 wheeler. It wasn’t the worst accident in the world. But, when I talked to him, I have to say, I’ve never been so happy to talk to my brother. 18 wheeler accidents can turn bad quick. And my brother walked away from it. Not bump, bruise or scratch.

I have to shout praises for this one. I can’t thank God enough for not taking my brother from me. Because it could have happened. But it didn’t. I know he’ll say it wasn’t that bad, blah blah blah, but the truth is, every time I think about what could have happened, I get a little emotional. Thank God for any of us waking up this morning! But, today especially, thank God for letting my brother wake up.

I can’t say much more, I’m sitting here getting emotional all over again. Praise God!