and Gregory Smith Knows it.

The Passion behind the Inspiring Photos

I came across Gregory Smith’s photostream at Flickr last night. I was looking for a nice photo to put into an article that I wrote, and his photos made me stop to listen to the stories of the children who he photographs. Many photographers would like to bring a smile to a person’s face, most photographers would like to tell a story, but all photographers would love Mr. Smith’s gift of allowing the picture’s subject to instantly change your life.

Gregory Smith is one of the world’s most inspiring photographers, but he shares his pictures for free on Flickr through a Creative Commons license. He isn’t spreading his photos in search of personal fame nor achieving great personal wealth. Instead, Mr. Smith uses his amazing gift from God as an amplifier for the impoverished children in Brasil and Norway.

Helping At Risk Kids of Brazil

If you click on Mr. Smith’s flickr profile,  you notice he uses it as a plug for the organization CARF - Children at Risk Foundation. When I contacted Gregory Smith about doing an article on him, he explained to me that he is the founder of this organization. This inspiring photographer founded CARF in 1992 by helping children in Norway through “defending their rights and offering them a dignified solution so that they could live and grow within a family-oriented context and healthy social environment” (Gregory Smith). After having success in Norway, Mr. Smith went to set up a CARF community in Brazil.

In 2001, CARF Brazil built the Hummingbird Arts & Cultural Activity Centre. Its 600 capacity building consists of programs that are “… primarily preventive in nature and promote the confidence, character, competence, and ‘connectedness’ of that population to their family, peers, and community” (CARF Flickr). The programs at CARF can be categorized into three different areas - Sports, Arts and Cultural, and vocational. Their goal is to develop gifts and skills that will help these children succeed in their personal and professional lives.

CARF is known and sponsored all around the world, and the inspiring photography of Gregory Smith is a large contributing factor for this publicity. He uses his gifts and talents as a photographer as a way to spread the message and story of millions of at-risk children around the world. The smiles, actions and emotions jump off the pictures that he takes. Take a moment to browse his photos and experience all the joy, pain, and hope of the people you will never know.

Will you please take a second of your time and help me spread the inspiring stories of the children who are at risk in Brazil through Gregory Smith’s inspirational photography?

Click on the sharethis link below and choose your facebook, stumbleupon, digg, twitter or myspace account to share this inspiring story.

If you would like to view more of Mr. Smith’s inspiring photos, you can go here and check out some of his most inspirational photography.

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All pictures are taken from wonderful photographers who allowed their work to be shared with a Creative Commons license.

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Everyday, it seems like life is filled with meaningless tasks. We go to work and hope that something out of the ordinary happens so that we might have a chance to live and think for 10 minutes of our working day. It might be  something as unremarkable as a seeing eye dog running around your office building and licking everybody in the face. It isn’t that we enjoy the mess the dog leaves. We just enjoy experiencing life.

Because we all could use a little inspirational wake up call, I have decided to list 5 inspirational Bible quotes that will enhance your day. I hope these verses might help encourage your faith and remember that even though life can be mundane, every day is a beautiful gift from God.

Inspirational Bible Quotes

• “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6) When you think that there is just too much pressure and too many deadlines in your life, remember that God walks with us. For 40 years, the people of Israel roamed the desert but God always supplied them with food and shelter.
• “And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32) - We don’t realize it, but it is easy to neglect people when life becomes about mundane tasks. Paul reminds us that we are to care for everyone no matter our situation.
• “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ.” (Galations 3:28) - It is easy to get lost in our titles and placement in this world, but remember that with God we aren’t deemed important by the amount of hurdles we jump in life. We are still one in Christ when we succeed and when we fail.
• “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) - Life can become a place of confusion. We are bombarded with images of things we should would and told the direction we should take, but remember not too worry because God will direct your way.

Share These Bible Verses

I hope that these bible verse and quotes might help improve your day. We all could use an inspirational thought or message from time to time. If you did enjoy these verses, think about spreading the love by sharing this on your favorite social network such as Facebook, Myspace or Stumbleupon. Simply click the little “share this” link below and find your favorite site.

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Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. - Apostle Paul [Galatians 6:1]

“He is an idiot for doing something that stupid.” We’ve all thought this at some point in time in our lives. It might have been as recent as NFL Wide Receiver Plaxico Burress shooting himself in the leg at a night club or several years ago with a major political figure (I’m not going to shoot out any names). There is a good chance that you had this thought while listening to a mistake of someone you care about - possibly a brother or a friend. It is perfectly natural to have this thought and it might even help us grow so that we don’t do the same stupid thing. But the issue isn’t your initial reaction, it is your deliberate actions following.

How do you react when somebody does something so terribly wrong that it hurts another individual?

Seeking Justice For a Betrayed Friend

What if your cousin just got caught lying to your mom for several years by gambling money that was supposed to go towards old debt? This is generally not a legal issue, but there is no doubt that your cousin took advantage of his or her situation. What is your reaction? Your mom deserves justice and your cousin needs to be punished.. right?

I agree, but thats not what is important to me. I do not promote an idea of allowing an individual to keep on walking all over you nor refraining from any punishment. I believe in justice, fairness, and using punishment as a form of motivating future actions, but I also believe in redemption.

The Heart of Restoring Hurt Relationships

When all the dust settles and everyone has returned to their rational selves, it is important to consider how you will consciously make an effort to restore the confidence of this individual and return them back into his community’s relationship. You can consider the justice and consequences as the surface issue, but you then need to consider restoring the individual as the interior issue and is the matter of the heart.

We do not need to allow our pride take over with feelings of animosity, bitterness, and betrayal. When someone gets caught hurting another individual, we do not need to act superior or treat them as they are dumb. Instead, we need to encourage them and help them find their way back onto the right path. We need to let them know that they can trust us and we have been/will be in the same shoes. Finally, we need to show them how to ask for forgiveness and restore their broken relationships.

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Its that time of year again. The air is cool and there is a wonderful sense of joy in the atmosphere. You walk into your local mall or Wal-Mart and there are holiday decorations everywhere. The clerk at the register is wearing a Santa hat and says, “Have a happy holidays” as you walk out of the store. Then, while walking to the parking lot, a nice individual from the Salvation Army stops you and asks for some change.

It is all part of the Holiday Season, and it brings a smile to your face through the first week.

But do you actually drop any change into any of the Santas’ tin can containers?

Forgetting Charity This Christmas Season

This Christmas probably seems easier to just look the other way when it comes to giving donations to charities. We all are pinching our pennies and hoping that we will have just enough to give to those that we love. We aren’t looking to neglect other people, but its just a tough economic situation.

It is definitely harder to give, but this Christmas is our best opportunity to do it.

We all are going through some hard times, but everyone reading this article is still more secure and comfortable than many other people inside of our world. You, at least, still have that piece of technology which you are using to read this article. Instead of giving as an automated action like in years past, this Christmas you are  completely conscious of every dime and dollar leaving your pocket. Therefore, leaving you more aware of the stories of those who are receiving our helping hand.

and that is what makes this Christmas season special for giving to charity.

The Beauty of Charity and Christmas

The true greatness of giving to charity isn’t necessarily the money. It is our ability to get involved in the story of someone who needs our help and then applying that same compassion to our world around us. When we are conscious of our giving, we allow its influencing powers to take a hold of us. We no longer see the world as an object with tasks to be done. Instead, the world becomes full of life with individuals who are in need of help. We know this is true, because we are all in need of a little help.

So.. will you take the opportunity this Christmas season to give a little more to those in need of your own needy hands?

If you enjoyed this article on Christmas Charity, then you might enjoy reading our article 6 Things to Remember When You Check Out Charities.

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I want to record verse 2 again, but I am exhausted and wanted to post something tonight.

Press On - Take Two.

Leave a comment and tell me what you think.

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Be warned. Listen to this song as you would Bob Dylan - The lyrics not so much the vocal prowess.

Here are the lyrics (so far)

Press On - Stephen Miracle [click the title to hear the song]

sitting all alone
underneath a shadeless tree
minutes before
My eyes learned to see
life is more than
joy and childhood dreams
broken hearts, broken bones
mix the lives we lead

bruised and pushed down
I scream but no ones around

born into this lonely new world
a dream they label as what is real
pinch me so I can wake from this misery
No chance to return to when I was free

To Dream

Press On
whispers in the distance
Press On
a voice that comforts

I will lead you out
I will show you how
I will be your light
Throughout the night
Press On
Press On

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“Heroism feels and never reasons and therefore is always right” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

What separates a hero from the rest of the world?

Is it the ability to fly.. or have enough money to afford cool gadgets.. or maybe the mutant gene that he was born with that makes him more special than everyone else?

Epic Heroism

Even in these modern day comic book fantasies, these talents are nothing about heroism and does not separate a hero from an average individual. Bill Gates has more money than Bruce Wayne ever could, but you don’t see him jumping around in a bat suit with a cape. I don’t believe that anyone becomes a hero because of any extra gifts or talents.

There is no superhero gene or skill to learn.

It is actually quite the opposite. We, as average individuals, are more evolved than heroes, because we have a gift that these super-humans do not. We have the ability to think rationally, and would find a more rational alternative or justification than leaping from one skyscraper to the next.

The Mystery of Heroism is About Suspending Thought

I watched the new Batman movie a couple of weeks ago, and I was sitting on the edge of my seat for most of it. There was one scene where the joker threw a girl out of Bruce Wayne’s highrise. Batman didn’t stop to think about which funeral home could hold the right amount of grieving relatives. Instead, Batman dove out of the window after her. He didn’t have the stunt planned and it just so happened that he had a cool gadget that would save them in this scenario.

But the point is that cool talents or skills have nothing about heroism.

True epic heroism is made when one is able to suspend the natural human gift of rational thinking to rescue someone else at whatever cost.

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A Biased Survey

Several days ago I surveyed a few of my friends and family. It wasn’t a long survey. It actually consisted of one question.

“Why did you do that?”

I wanted to know what processes were going through their heads while choosing to make a decision in life. I didn’t take notes on their answers nor did they even realize they were participants in a survey. But I was quick to judge their answers and was biased towards my own thinking. In other words, the survey was completely unscientific.

but it did bring up good conversation.

Three Ways To Make Decisions

I also figured out that there are 3 types of people when it comes to decision-making.

1. Those Who Decide From their Mind - A Politician
2. Those Who Decide From their Heart - A Hero
3. Those Who Decide From their Emotions - An Entertainer

A politician is always successful, but is never loved. He carefully manipulates situations with his mind so that he will come out on top. You can never turn your back on him.

An entertainer is always loved but is never in control. Their decisions are always made by the outside influences surrounding them. They might be a flower floating downstream being led by the water’s current, but they still are always loved by everyone around them. They have an unmatched ability to connect with everyone around them, because their lives are guided by emotions.

A hero is hardly loved or successful. She makes decisions based on a larger idea of what is right. She will lose everything she owns because her heart pushes her to go for something more than herself. There is a greater good out there, and she strives for it everyday. In the simplest of choices, her will tugs on her and guides her to help out those around her. She might not be the richest nor the most popular..

but she is a hero.

Who are you?

Stay Tuned..

Next time at AltNoise I will be writing about why it is not always smart to be a hero. Make sure you are subscribed to the free feed so you don’t miss this exciting article.

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“He liked to observe emotions; they were like red lanterns strung along the dark unknown of another’s personality, marking vulnerable points.” -Ayn Rand

By what motivation do you lead your life?

Tough question.

She Wasn’t Rational

I saw her sitting on the park bench the other day. It had been several years from when I last saw her, but I had heard stories. I couldn’t believe them, nor could I believe that she would do such things. This was the same girl I dated years earlier and laughed with over the phone. As an honest friend, I wanted to know what her rationale was for doing this dreadful thing to the poor unsuspecting individual.

Of course, I didn’t receive any honest answer or good justification. There really isn’t much rationale in most of our decision making… good or bad.

Her answer?

“I felt at peace about the decision.”

I wanted to call her an idiot, but I didn’t. Instead, I moved on to another topic and caught up with her current life. I did think about her given rationale while we were talking. I decided that she, like many of us, live our lives through our emotions and feelings. We come to our decisions based solely upon a personal analysis of the chemical sensations known as emotion.

To Live By our Emotions

But is this the right way to live…

Guided by our emotions?

Any rational human being reading this would say “no”. But then he or she would go out and make important decisions based upon what they feel is right or what they want. He’ll buy an iPhone because he wants it and feels like it will make him more productive. She’ll buy fat-free salad dressing because it makes her feel healthier. We don’t necessarily want to be safer, healthier or more productive. We just want to feel as if it is so.

So I ask..

Is there any other way to live?

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