Some of you I get to talk with and see on a regular basis and I absolutely love that I get that opportunity; others of you I haven’t talked with in quite some time and I just want to say that I really miss getting that chance.  Despite that fact, I hope this letter finds each of you in good health, on track with God’s plan for your life and ultimately living out that plan to the fullest!  For I realize and take to heart the promise that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him and in what he has called us to do for his Kingdom.

A few years back, a friend of mine here in Rome by the name of Ryan Simmons graduated from Berry College and started a non-profit called Project H2O.  You can view his website HERE. His goal with his new organization was to raise awareness of the need for clean water on the continent of Africa and to be a catalyst for change by raising funds to build wells in the local villages and begin eradicating the dirty water problem.

I write to you today because an incredible opportunity has come across my lap.  Ryan has asked me to partner with him in traveling to Africa this summer to create a full-length documentary film that will show the dire water situation that this large continent and it’s villages face on a daily basis.  The devastating effects that dirty water can have on the human body is heartbreaking and we intend to use this documentary to show the world and be that catalyst to change the continent of Africa for good.

A team of 4 (including myself) will be traveling over on May 24th and we will be shooting the documentary for the entire month of June.  Then 2 members of our team will be leaving to come back to the states in the beginning of July.  For the remainder of our trip until the beginning of August, I along with my fellow team member will be staying to work with a missions organization in Nairobi, Kenya called Camp Bluesky.  They are an adventures camp that ministers to missionaries and their children year round.  While I am there working with Bluesky, I will also be filming a promotional video for them to use in their marketing of the organization.  We will also be traveling around to a few local villages in this time to meet some of the locals and begin building relationships with them in hopes that these bonds will last for when we want to partner with them in future clean water projects.

How can you help?  Great question!  First off, prayers for our team are much appreciated.  Secondly, financial contributions will be the only way our team can pull this trip off.  My total cost for this trip is $5000 – this includes the cost of living while we are over there and also some film equipment that needs to be purchased for the trip.  One way the Lord confirmed this trip to me was by allowing Project H2O to cover my roundtrip plane ticket!  If every person who reads this letter could give at least at least $20, the cost would be well on its way to being completely funded.  And the beautiful thing for you is your donation is tax deducible.  Simply click DONATE to navigate to my secure Paypal Donation Page.

The Lord is doing a mighty work across this earth and IS making himself known through people just like you and me who are willing to go and be his hands and feet.  I pray that you would prayerfully consider sponsoring us in some capacity so that we can show the world the physical needs our African brothers and sisters face so that we in turn can meet those physical needs and then meet their spiritual needs.  Thank you so much for your prayers and support for our team.  It means the world to us!

Attention Real Estate Investors, Jason Free Realty is pleased to announce their Affiliate Commercial Division Website launches on December 8th, 2008!  It is our desire to be your premiere source for Commercial Real Estate in Georgia.  Our full service Commercial Real Estate Brokerage and Consulting Firm has over 40 years combined experience and provides detailed, strategic solutions to Real Estate Owners, Investors and Corporate Occupants.

Please visit http://Georgia-Commercial.com for more information.

Also, the Official Georgia Commercial blog can be found at http://GeorgiaCommercial.wordpress.com. Bookmark this page for up to date News, Trends, Articles, and other information surrounding the Georgia Commercial Market.
]]> http://aaroncblevins.wordpress.com/2008/12/08/georgia-commercialcom/feed/ 1 Blevins http://aaroncblevins.wordpress.com/2008/12/05/we-can-all-learn-a-lot/ http://aaroncblevins.wordpress.com/2008/12/05/we-can-all-learn-a-lot/#comments Fri, 05 Dec 2008 18:32:25 +0000 Aaron Blevins http://aaroncblevins.wordpress.com/?p=176 ]]> So I got this from a friend of mine.

I normally don’t do these kinda things, but I figured I might as well this time around.  It’s on my Facebook wall, and I figured I’d also put it on my blog.  So here goes.

Rules: Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 16 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 16 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you.

1. Three years ago, I almost went to North Carolina School for the Arts and majored in Film. Thank God they are a fancy art school that wouldn’t accept me. I would’ve missed out on the extremely valuable experiences I’ve had in the last three years and I wouldn’t be blessed with the life-long friendships I’ve developed.

2. I have an unhealthy love for Texas Holdem.

3. I love big cities. I hope to live in many over the course of my life.

4. When I was little, I dreamed of having many simultaneous professions when I grew up. But living in the now, I’ve realized that it is difficult to be very effective when you’re spreading yourself thin. I’m passionate about many aspects of life and living, but choosing the areas to focus my passion in order to be most effective is something I’ve had to come to terms with. I’m getting there .

5. I’m a nerd. I watch Star Wars. I have a huge tub of Star Wars action figures under my bed at home. I was made fun of on the Voice of Truth trip for buying Star Wars action figures from FAO Schwarz in New York City.

6. One passion I’ve focused is Real Estate. For almost two years I have been a licensed Real Estate Agent (or the fancier title is REALTOR ®……. yes, with the “R” for registered beside the title, crazy I know) with Jason Free Realty in Rome. I can sell any property that is currently on the market in Georgia.

7. Another passion I’ve focused is bridging my Creative Passions for Art, Film and Music with Ministry. I am a part of a team of people planting a new church in Rome Georgia called Connect Rome. Our mission is to Make it Simple for People to Connect to God and Each Other. Our goal is to be a organization that engages people who are far from God. We desire for the environments we create to be so irresistible that people WANT to come back. We want people to know it’s about a Relationship with a Father who will love them no matter what and not some rigorous religion filled with pasty traditions. We want to love on the people who are at the end of their rope and show them the love of a Father that can catch them when they fall. We will always preach Jesus, Jesus and more Jesus and we will never water anything down.

8. I love U2. They might be my favorite band of all time.

9. I believe transparency is very important in many aspects of life – Work, Finances and Relationships just to name a few. Think about it…. would we be in half the messes both individually and as a society if we were completely honest with everyone?

10. I use X3 Watch to keep me from looking at things on the internet I shouldn’t. Pornography is a real addiction with real consequences that too many men write off. X3 Watch is an accountability program put out by XXX Church in California. XXX Church targets Porn Stars with the Love of Christ. Visit www.XXXChurch.com for more info.

11. There is a book called “Good to Great” written by a man named Jim Collins. In this book, he discusses how to go from being a good leader to a Great Leader. There is a quote from the book that I have made a conscience effort to try to live by. The quote is simply this – “Spend more time being Interested and less time being Interesting.”

12. I’m in the process of looking for a mentor who is over the age of 40. If you know any potential candidates, let me know.

13. It is sad I know and I am working on it I promise, but Northpoint Community Church in Alpharetta Georgia and anything that is related to them is like a drug to me.

14. I have love handles and a huge forehead, both of which piss me off and won’t go away. But, I’m slowly coming to terms with the fact that God created me this way for a reason.

15. My family has ties to Jesse James and Donald Trump…. just throwing that out there.

16. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t live in Rome Georgia the rest of my life. There are too many other fascinating locations to experience.

BONUS!
17. Filmmaking (writing, directing and editing) is one of my passions, yet I haven’t seen as many films as most other people. Everyone always asks how I can be a filmmaker if I haven’t seen………………….

http://www.eyeblast.tv/public/video.aspx?v=Q4IrVrkU

I don’t think there has ever been a better time in our Nation’s history to be on our faces, seeking wisdom and guidance for our new Leader, for the American people, and for the future generations of the United States of America.  This is a pivotal point in our nation’s history and I strongly believe that starting today, America has the potential to transform into something we’ve never known living in our Free Nation.  But take heart, for we know that God is still in control.  Daniel 2:21 speaks to this: “He determines the course of world events; He removes kings and sets others on the throne.”

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,445110,00.html

People from all walks of life are now easily able to keep up with or “Follow” what is going on in the lives of their Friends, Co-Workers, Business Partners, Heroes, or Idols by simply reading their own Homepage.

Even the News Media is starting to take notice of this phenomenal new service.  CBS News recently did a piece on Twitter where they discussed how the Current Political Candidates are using Twitter as an Effective Tool in their Campaign Strategy.  So how can Twitter benefit those of us in the Business World?

Twitter is all about Openness, Communication, & Putting Yourself Or Your Business ‘Out There’ For All To See.  Openness and Honesty not only about the person you are, but also receiving and accepting the other people around you.  But it doesn’t end there, for where there is no Communication there is no Community.

Community is created when people of like minds come together and build one another up for the Common Good.  The old method of trying to get ahead of the people around you and stepping on whoever it takes to get there is no longer the most effective path.  We as human beings should have the desire deep down inside of us to create and add value to the people we come in contact with so that we can assist them along the path to success.  That is where Our True Success is found.

That brings us to the final aspect of Twitter – Putting Yourself Or Your Business ‘Out There’ For All To See.  When you interact with the people you come in contact with on a daily basis, you usually don’t hit them up  about your product or service everytime you speak.  Actually, you probably mention your work to these people very rarely.  If they don’t already know what you do for a living and they ask, you usually give them a informative but brief overview.  Because of the shift in today’s culture, nine times out of ten, you won’t “Sell” someone through a Sales Pitch.  Tim Sanders in his book “Love is the Killer App” says “The traditional self-focused selling approach is no longer effective because today’s new buyers are unwilling to follow you.  They don’t want to be ‘Sold.’  They want to make educated buying decisions.  To make a sale, you must join them on their buying path.”  To join them on their buying path, you must know the path they are on currently.  To know the path they are on currently, you must be in Community with them.

To be effective in Today’s Culture, you must prove to the people in your Community that you are Trustworthy.  There must be no hidden agenda.  You must be able to demonstrate that they are not just a stepping stone to get to your next goal, but an actually person who you care about investing in.

Twitter is a great tool that when used effectively can set you on the path to building a community that believes in and trusts you.  I’d like to share with you a report on some of the other secrets of Successful Social Marketing.  This report can be found at http://www.SocialMarketingSense.com.  This report goes into a few little known secrets of how you can be more effective at getting traffic to your site and ultimately build and add value to the relationships you form.
http://www.SocialMarketingSense.com

We are ALL guilty these things.

Let’s all just take a few seconds here to own the fact of how important it is to SLOW down, breathe, evaulate where we are in our life, and know that what we do matters but not at the expense of other important aspects of living.