REAL DEAL

CURRENTLY LISTENING TO:

Lead Me - Sanctus Real ( http://bit.ly/ikt6q9 )

Last Week: ( http://bit.ly/iaWKwZ )

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I've been betrayed, lied to, talked about, been the subject of nasty rumors, stabbed in the back, sabotaged, dissed, had people team up against me, cut off, turned on, deceived, abused my trust, and pretty much every wrong thing you could do to someone you call a friend.

I've been through it all.  I've seen it all.  I've heard it all.  I've felt it all.

It stings after the first few times but when it happens over and over from people you trust, people you consider your best friend, people you call family, you become numb as if you expect it to happen.

Now, I'm not perfect.  I'm far from it.  I mess up and make mistakes every single day.  What's the difference?  I'll be the first one to admit it when I do and I'll work my hardest of to fix it and to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Real friends don't talk about you behind your back.  Real friends won't judge you based on your past.  Real friends accept you for who you were and for who you are.  Real friends would stand up for you if you were being talked about and you weren't even there.

Real people live a genuine existence.

The worst way to describe a person always starts off with, "I heard that he's / she's like this..." or "I heard he / she did that..." or "I heard he / she used to be..."

If you don't know the truth, don't say anything at all.  If you weren't there, then don't talk about it like you were.  If you only "heard" about something, get the facts first.

I've made a real, conscious, honest, effort the last few years to live a life of honesty and integrity.  I'll be straight forward with you whether you like what you hear or not.  I'll tell you the truth regardless of how it might make you feel.  I'll give you an truthful statement even if you may hate me for it after.

I know what it feels like to be the victim and the bad guy and I promised myself I would never be that or do that again.

I guess my straightforward approach to life has gained more haters than friends.  I'd rather be alone and hated for telling the truth, than to be loved and surrounded but live a fake existence.

I'm not as bad as you might've heard.  Try me sometime, I'm as real as it gets.

With Love,

Brian Franada, Founder

Noble House Foundation

1st Corinthians 16:13 - "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong."

TRANSFORM LIVES • RENEW HOPE • LIVE LOVE

POTLUCK

CURRENTLY LISTENING TO:

Sunday Morning - Maroon 5 ( http://bit.ly/enwJTx )

Last Week ( http://bit.ly/i2kVmk )

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Birthday parties, concerts, sporting events, enjoying a well prepared meal, buying new clothes, hearing your favorite song, getting something for someone special, watching a movie or TV show, posting pictures of a get-together; what do these things have in common?

They would all probably make a top 20 list of all the things that bring you joy.

When you read through a list like this, I'm sure you all have different memories and experiences associated with the different activities.  Along with the reflection are most likely images of the people who were there to share the experience with you.  What's interesting to me is that the memory I have of certain activities or events are clearer and more vivid when I can associate a person who was there with me at the time.

This holds true because joy is best when it's shared.

There's a major difference between joy and happiness, joy and excitement, joy and cheerfulness, etc.

You see, joy is what's captured in the pictures.  The difference between joy and everything else is that joy is unaffected by circumstances.  It's a state of mind and an orientation of the heart.

Joy is deep.

It's a settled state of contentment, confidence, and hope.  Joy remains the same regardless of all the negativity going on around it.

Joy is a straight line and can't be rocked, shocked, shaken, or moved.

Joy is being able to smile at someone even though you know they've been saying untrue things about you.  Joy is being able to keep pushing and pursuing after failing a hundred times.  Joy is loving someone unconditionally regardless of their flaws.  Joy is seeing the bright side to life even after losing a loved one.

Joy is a gift from God and He wants us to share it with the world.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to spend time with the new hires on our team.  We shared a few hours over food, games, karaoke, and good laughs.  Even though I don't remember every moment, I remember who was there and I remember that spending time together meant a lot to me.

I look forward to creating more memories with you all.

With Love,

Brian Franada, Founder

Noble House Foundation

1st Corinthians 16:13 - "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong."

TRANSFORM LIVES • RENEW HOPE • LIVE LOVE

SHATTER THE DARKNESS

CURRENTLY LISTENING TO:

Alive Again - Matt Maher ( http://iLike.com/s/94uJy )

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One of the most impressive and beautiful natural sights that God has blessed us with happens every morning when the sun begins to rise and erases the darkness of the night.  Most of us aren't awake to witness the opening scene to each day so it's easy to take something like this for granted.

During a church camping trip a few summers back I was seated on a hillside and was fortunate enough to have box seats as God opened the curtains to reveal a new day.  What amazes me so much about this is that we begin to see the light on the horizon but we can't see the sun yet.  We can feel the warmth before we see the source.  We don't know where the light is coming from.

This is a strong reminder for me of the countless blessings that I take for granted everyday.  God continues to bless us with everything that we need so we know that He's around but we tend to forget or disregard the source of those blessings.

The beauty of a new year, new month, new week, or a new day is that it brings a new freshness upon a person's attitude and outlook.  It's a chance to do something new, different, or make a change in their life.

The beauty of change, is that it doesn't need to wait for sunrise.

"Every man dies; not every man really lives."

I hope that when you look back on your life, you'll be able to smile and know that there's nothing you want to change.  I hope that you can proudly say that you took all the risks you wanted to, did all the things you wanted to, traveled to all the places you've ever wanted to, spent time with all the important people in your life, and told them everything you've ever wanted to.

Someone asked me:

"If you could travel back in time and meet the 10 year old version of yourself, what would you tell him or warn him about the future?"

My answer was simple.  I wouldn't get in his way.  I want him to make the mistakes, fail, fall, stand, succeed, and learn everything that life intended.  We are who we are because of where we've been and what we've been through.

The reality of life is that tomorrow is not guaranteed.  When you have to depend on everything in your body from your heart, brain, lungs, kidneys, and all other major organs to function perfectly just to take your next breath, you really don't know what's going to happen next.

I hope you all find your sunrise and shatter your darkness to make a change and start a new day.  Life begins when you find something worth dying for.

With Love,

Brian Franada, Founder

Noble House Foundation

1st Corinthians 16:13 - "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong."

TRANSFORM LIVES • RENEW HOPE • LIVE LOVE

SATISFACTION GUARANTEED!

CURRENTLY LISTENING TO:

Opposite Way - Leeland ( http://iLike.com/s/4fDbv )

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10 days goes by pretty quick.

Think about everything that can happen in just 10 days.  I watch TV and I see commercials that guarantees weight loss in just 10 days, or how about the product that's guaranteed to give you "fuller, thicker, longer" hair in just 10 days.  I've even seen a 10 day money back guarantee on a gym membership, and a guaranteed 10 day closing on a new house mortgage.

It's interesting to me that all of these marketing schemes use the word guarantee.  How can someone, guarantee something, in which they have no control?

10 days ago was the beginning of the new year.  10 days ago you, your family, and friends were all making a guarantee to yourself of what you would like to do differently this year.  The top 10 New Year's resolutions are:

- Lose Weight and Get Fit

- Quit Smoking

- Learn Something New

- Eat Healthier and Diet

- Get Out of Debt and Save Money

- Spend More Time with Family

- Travel to New Places

- Be Less Stressed

- Volunteer

- Drink Less

You know what's even crazier than that list?  Is the fact that those are also the top 10 most commonly broken New Year's resolutions.

I personally don't care for New Year's resolutions because I'm constantly learning and growing as the year progresses.  We must be able to grow and change at the snap of a finger being able to adapt to our always evolving environment.  I've had the same 3 life goals that I stand by and the New Year is just a loud reminder for me.

- Be a better son

- Be a better brother

- Be a better friend

I chose these because I believe that these are the things I will always be in life and these are the things that will never be finished.  Aside from school, business, and everything else, I always have the chance to improve on these aspects of my life daily.  I figure, if I can do these, then everything else will fall into place.

This New Year I encourage you guys to be better at whatever you feel it is that will help you get to where you want to be.  It could be anything.  It doesn't matter what you choose as long as you choose something.  The first step is always the hardest step when making a change.  It's already been 10 days.  How much longer are you going to wait?

A quote I came up with many years ago:

"Don't try to be different by doing, saying, and being what someone else has already done, said, and become."

This year:

- Don't just be another person in the crowd.

- Don't follow the trend.

- Don't do the same old thing.

This year:

- Stand out from the crowd.

- Be the trend.

- Go the opposite way.

I am blessed and honored to have you on my team; to call you family.  I look forward to everything that we will accomplish together in 2011.

With Love,

Brian Franada, Founder

Noble House Foundation

1st Corinthians 16:13 - "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong."

TRANSFORM LIVES • RENEW HOPE • LIVE LOVE