It’s that time of year, again. Time for the mark of another year gone, and a new one on it’s way. I have been trying to work my way through Michael Hyatt’s “Life Plan” but am still in the “reading” stage. I have most of my thoughts in place, just haven’t made them into a collective organized format yet.
I use to never make so-called “new year’s resolutions”, and for the most part, I don’t. They are so cliche, and are usually not reasonably obtainable, so I just didn’t make them. I do however set goals, and make continuous strides after them, or adjust them as plans change. That is basically what Hyatt’s Life Plan is about.
Looking back, 2011 was a tough year, but I did do, or continue towards, several things that were on my long term list. I took 67,000 images (that doesn’t include deleted images) in 2011, and trying to look back and pick a “favorite” out of 67,000 shots is impossible. I couldn’t even pick a favorite of mine, so that’s me, sitting in Entebbe Airport, waiting for our KLM flight from Uganda to Amsterdam. My two trips this year to Uganda were marks that altered my direction and focus, and in a strange turn towards the end of the year, helped solidify my reasons for continuing to pursue my seminary work.
Looking at what possibly lies ahead for 2012 is hard. There are certainly highs, and lows, on the way, but I will make the greatest attempt this year to give any worry about those things that make up life’s trials to the Lord once and for all. I hope I will complete the requirements to earn my first graduate degree in seminary, and develop in those areas I have identified for 2012. Most of all, to strive to use the time I’m giving to the very best of my ability. Not doing the things that don’t need to be done, and focusing on those that do.
When looking at the New Year, these two verses stood out to me earlier this morning, and I love how they mold together into a cohesive unit. Matthew 5.6 and 5.48 which says: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Happy New Year everyone, and War Eagle from the Georgia Dome tonight where we will most likely still be when the new year comes to our part of the world.
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2009 was a busy year that saw a lot of changes in our household. Throughout each month of each year for the past 15-18 years or so I have taken photos every chance I get, but it has only been in the past several years where I have taken photos of just about everything my wife and I do as we go about the year. This puts a new perspective on the year when you look back at an entire year of photos and see what all we were able to do.
People often think you need special equipment or expertise to be a good photographer, and in some cases that is probably true, but for every day events, any picture is better than no picture. Most cell phones have cameras now and they are around the 2MP range which is certainly good enough to shoot a passing smile. In fact, a good majority of the photos you will see in the video below came right out of my iPhone camera. It has taken some practice but I have gotten very good results with just using my iPhone camera, and there are many photographers that have made a point to compose a gallery here and there using their iPhone camera.
This video below is a combination of about 1,200 photos over about a 5 minute period, hope you enjoy it, happy new year to everyone. If you want to watch the video in a larger window just click 2009 Year End Photo-Video.
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I finally finished my 2009 year end photo video, as soon as I can get it processed I am going to up load it, in the mean time, here is the cast that makes an appearance in the video. The video is a collection of photos I took throughout 2009 of those listed below.
Deborah Fillmer
Ebby the Dog
Blazer the Dog
Dave Ramsey
Mark Gottfried
Korvotney Barber
Rusty Hutson
DeWanna Bonner
Brian Johnson
BJ Gilbert
Aubie
Quantez Robertson
Cornerstone Youth
Josh Agerton
Lynn Blount
Steve Fee
Brad Lomenick
Andy Stanley
Craig Groeschel
Lanny Donoho
Trey Fetner
Dale Fillmer
Tay Waller
Rob Slocum
Ann Jackson
Carlos Whittaker
Jon Acuff
Seth Godin
Jack Fisher (with dog)
Ashley Coxwell
Larry Fillmer
Fee Band
Bill George (Harvard)
Ernie Johnson
Tony Morgan
Dewayne Reed
Jen Slocum
Tea-Party Protesters
Caitlin Beidler (Redemtion Art)
Hillsong United
John Wayne
Ravi Zacharias
Rick Warren
Francis Chan
Bon Qui Qui
Daley Hake
John Maxwell
Liz Murray (Homeless to Harvard)
Kevin Carroll
Mike Fisher
Townsend Fisher
Katy Fisher
Amy Coxwell
Julia Farrow
Buddy Blount
Tim Hawkins
Guy Kawasaki
William Fillmer
Amy Fisher
Teresa Cardin’s Car
WVU Fans
Kristen Johnson
Chris Slagley
The Duck
Dan King
Ben Agerton
Leslie Agerton
Issac Marchio
Levi Marchio
Martha Marchio
Marchio Family
Alabama Million Dollar Band
Auburn Marching Band
Abby Marchio
Bryan Fillmer
Oregon State and BYU
Virginia
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Well this is start of the first full week of the new year, and actually the first official week in my position here at work. I want to say I am getting settled in but I think I did that in the month of December. As I sit here in a borrowed office for today I am thinking about so many new things going on here at Cornerstone that makes it an exciting time here, and a busy time.
This week we started a new series called “Alive”. We will be going through the book of Colossians for the next month, and at the same time starting a walk through journaling our thoughts and questions as we study through this book.
The creative minds over here decided to do something different and actually engage (not that we don’t try to do that anyway) with everyone on a different level. We started a website (http://www.thealivejournal.com) that corresponds to a paper journal everyone received on Sunday.
As we walk through the book, the website will be updated with new scriptures and an application each day for the remaining of the series. A fresh approach and something that will hopefully catch on with others. I know writing is like many other things in life. The more you write, the better you get, and the more you write.
How Do We Continue to Create?
How do we continue to create? It doesn’t matter if you are working for a church, a school, self-employed, or whatever, creativity is important, it keeps our minds “alive”. Opening up and becoming more creative is something I strive to do each day, but I don’t buy into the notion that there are creative people and people who are not creative. Everyone is creative, but not everyone allows it to come out, or deems it to be important.
Looking ahead I don’t want this to be the pinnacle of creativity this year. To me, there are basically three areas of creativity (I know there are many more but follow me here) that pretty much encompass everything else; writing, o-graphy (that would be photo-video), and music. So, to me, the key is how to grow in each of these areas and find new ways to create in each of these areas.
Anne Jackson wrote a great piece today, The Death of Publishing as We Know It: Who Holds the Smoking Gun? that talks about how the publishing industry has screwed itself into the ground by publishing so many mediocre books. True, we are not all writers, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t write. As a photographer I would say the same thing. Just because you are not a professional photographer does that mean you are never going to pick up a camera again? My key for myself is to write more, shoot more, and read more.
So, as some say, here is a “mind dump” in no particular order.
10 Ways to Create Original Ideas
- Write more, read more, and learn more about media
- Surround yourself with creative minds when you can
- Ask someone for help or suggestions
- Expand what you normally do and be different
- Get out of your routine, go outside your normal elements
- Remember your focus – what is it, making money, salvation, discipleship?
- Don’t copy —- take, redesign, and create something new
- Don’t be afraid of the box – throw the box out and don’t worry about what is “correct”
- Think for yourself. Don’t let others tell you how to think. Study and think for yourself
- Be prepared to fail and try something else
Number 7 is a little vague I know. What I mean is what we read from Solomon in Ecclesiastes 1:
9 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.
Most “new” is something that was improved upon from something or someone else. So find something good and make it great. My problem is always “finding the new”.
This is really my list for myself. I have never felt like I was a very creative person but most of that is because I refused to let it surface. It had no real purpose. Perhaps the older I get the more important it is and the harder I have to work at it to get better.
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As is customary during this time of year, we all have a tendency to look back at what 2008 had in store for us and look ahead to 2009. A lot happened in 2008 and I thought I would do what many bloggers are doing of course and post of few of my favorite blogs posts, top posts, searches, and tweets for 2008. What was the highlight of your year? I think we tend to remember the mosts recent and forget about what happened in January or February of this year but that’s what is great about a blog, all you have to do is go back and look at your archives.
What Was the Highlight of 2008?
For me personally, my highlight was probably joining the staff of Cornerstone Church as their IT person in December. This was something I had been looking at, praying about, and preparing for, for many years, long before I ever moved to Auburn. What made it even better to me was how outstanding the existing leadership staff (Rusty, Josh, Brian, and Jack) was when I came on board, and I can’t wait to move ahead in 2009 with the goals set forth by the church and the Church body as a whole.
I have only had time to just get my feet wet through the month of December but looking ahead there are great things in store for this small, but growing, church body, and hopefully I can contribute to its continued success in leading people to know and serve Jesus.
What Was the Lowlight of 2008?
Can you have a highlight or a best without a worst? I know many who believe this to be true, that you don’t have to have the existence of evil to good but that is for another post. Probably the low point of 2008 for me and my immediate house was when we lost my mother-in-law Georgia to cancer. It was not something I will ever forget, and is something I remembered in one form or another every day from April to this day. I learned a lot, prayed a lot, and miss her as well.
Best of the Blog in 2008
These are some of the best according to me stats, but I am also picking the blog posts that I liked the best, which is not something stats will tell you. It is interesting that stats will only tell you exact numbers, not feelings, so enter a feeling into the equation and it will change everything.
My Favorite Posts of 2008
- A Cold Day on the Beach in February is Empty and Fun – February 15, 2008 €“ 5:53 am
- Does a Church Really Need a Website? – March 27, 2008 €“ 12:58 pm
- Humidity, Storms, and Lightning in Alabama are Back – July 30, 2008 €“ 9:09 am
- Opening Day for Encounter at Auburn University – August 23, 2008 €“ 5:00 pm
- Auburn vs Tennessee Photos, Tigers Football Wins 14-12 // Game 5 – September 28, 2008 €“ 3:31 pm
- The Speakers at Catalyst08 Conference from Thrusday // Catalyst Photos – October 11, 2008 €“ 9:52 am
- Caitlin Beidler from Redemption Art in Worship // catalyst08 Photos – October 27, 2008 €“ 12:04 pm
Top Posts by View
- I am Giving Away a Free Dell Dimension Computer and 17€³ Flat Panel in 29 Days 1,059 Views
- Nikon Picture Control Modes and Capture NX2 // Part 1 661 Views
- Skype Video Baptism from Innovate08 in South Bend to Auburn 500 Views
- About Scott Fillmer Photography and His Blog 416 Views
- Cindy Wall, Called to be with the Lord Today 377 Views
- The Speakers at Catalyst08 Conference from Thrusday // Catalyst Photos 225 Views
Most Active
- How to Make a Custom iPhone Wallpaper 73 Views
- Nikon Picture Control Modes and Capture NX2 // Part 1 71 Views
- Update Old Photos with New Nikon Picture Controls // Part 2 20 Views
- Merry Christmas to my Blogroll 16 Views
- Going Low Tech with Lopi to Heat the House 12 Views
And as a bonus, the top searches. This one is always weird to me. If you pay attention to your searches (much deeper than this) you will see that people find your blog in some of the strangest ways, but yet the information is still relevant.
Top Searches
- nikon picture control
- how to make iphone wallpaper
- morgan out island 33
- boys feet
- mission bookcase and trim images
I can’t imagine what posts will be done in 2009 but each year I try to improve the blog in total with better writing, editing, photos, design, all with my readers in mind. So, happy new year to my readers, thanks for a great 2008 on the blog.
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This past Sunday we were privileged to have Brian bring the message to us and he spoke around John 3:30, He must increase, but I must decrease. It was a thought-provoking message but it left the details on how we are to carry this out in our lives something for us to think about and tackle on our own. There were and are many applications for this, but I started chasing my rabbit trying to think about why, and somehow landed on the song, “When Love Comes to Town” by U2. If everything we do and have comes from the Lord, and our actions are to glorify the Lord, then how do we do this.
To do this, we must not take His glory for ourselves. Not something very easy to accomplish, especially when you take today’s culture and modern technologies into consideration. We do almost everything for ourselves, with ourselves in mind.
Driven and drilled into us from day one in our great country (for those who live in the U.S.), life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, which sometimes seems like the pursuit of ourselves. The American dream, to own a house, 2 cars, have 2.4 kids, a good career, and a full 401k. For some reason, “when love comes to town” reminded me of the reason for Christmas and even moving on into Easter, and the love He showed for all of us when He became flesh, and is why He deserves the glory.
The point of this message (at least in my interpretation) was to bring the Christmas season series to a close and bridge into our new and upcoming series on bringing our spiritual life alive, but I think we use the example we were given and use love to accomplish this. For God to increase, I must decrease, for me to decrease, I must do this out of love. To me, matters of faith start from the heart.
I was there when they crucified my Lord
I held the scabbard when the soldier drew his sword
I threw the dice when they pierced his side
But I’ve seen love conquer the great divideWhen love comes to town I’m gonna catch that train
When love comes to town I’m gonna catch that flame
Maybe I was wrong to ever let you down
But I did what I did before love came to town
As the year comes to a close, I always start thinking about a recap of where, what, when, and how of this year and what is coming up next year. This year and leading into next year, to bring my spritual life “alive”, I must decrease. [I am not sure why we only do this at year-end instead of all year-long, but it just seems like a natural break where we mark a point in time that has an end and a beginning at 12:00 midnight at on December 31st.]
Some random thoughts on how I can try to extend this into next year:
- read more
- do less for my reasons, more for His reasons
- work as if no one will ever know or see the results of my labor but God Himself
- remember I am working for His glory, not any one person
- give more :: time, money, effort, support, attention
- give up more :: control, of self…
- don’t give up when… I feel like it
- appreciate :: time, life more (not to be confused with Time Life)
- serve more
- make a don’t do list, and don’t do the things on my don’t do list
I like top ten lists but all the items above can be narrowed down to “love”, and I did what I did before love came to town. Happy New Year everyone.
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If you have been reading my blog at all you know our church had a huge celebration for 2008 last night called Celebration Dinner. It was a fantastic evening of looking back and also ahead to 2009. One of the highlights of the night to me was when the band did a great version of Coldplay’s Fix You. Below you will see some photos of the band and b/ (the worship leader) playing Fix You. To see the entire Celebration Dinner gallery click here.
I have been waiting for months to get some good images of the worship leader, Brian, and tonight I finally got what I was looking for, not to mention having an incredible time of worship and fellowship with the rest of the church. I am really looking forward to this coming year and what God has in store for this church.
