On the show Sunday night, Bill Mitchell of Cruser Mitchell gave two tickets to the NFC Championship (Falcons/Niners) to be given to the person willing to make the largest gift to benefit the Murphy Harpst Children's Center for viciously abused children. Help and hope for traumatized children.

Send me a FB message or an email (allen@allenhuntshow.com) with your offer of a charitable gift and I'll announce the winner by 5:00 on Friday. Opening bid was a $400 gift to Murphy Harpst.

Thanks Bill Mitchell! You're the BEST.

NOTE: Tickets have face value of $230.  Section 109, Row 34.  (Lower bowl end zone corner?

I love Mister Fish. Let me explain. In high school, I worked at a sporting goods store after school most days. When the school day ended, I often walked down the street to the store, located next to Mister Fish. 

Mister Fish is a hole in the wall. They serve fish sandwiches, burgers and various fried foods. And the same family has done so for more than 40 years. Most days I feasted on a Fish Burger and a Mountain Dew.

I ate at Mister Fish yesterday again. Visiting my mom, my brother and I are helping her make some life decisions for a new season in her life. Given that my mom may relocate, I likely will not be visiting Mister Fish much, if at all, anymore.

So I enjoyed a burger, fries, and sweet tea. We sat outside at a picnic table in the warm January sun of Florida. And I realized how many times I had eaten there and not really paid attention. I had just gone through the motions of eating my food and moving on with life. Not so yesterday. I savored each bite, treasuring the time with my mother and also the memories that Mister Fish brought back. 

If we're not careful, our lives, especially our prayers, can be just like that. Going through the motions and not really paying attention. Yesterday, I gave thanks to God and relished His goodness in the little things. Today, I will do the same for other small joys that fill my life this day. And I resolve to pay attention to those small joy-producers, like Mister Fish, each day in 2013 so that I do not miss the little things that really make up my life.

May your 2013 prayer life be fiiled with gratitude and joy in the small things, including your own version of Mister Fish.

Encountered this marvelous prayer by Raissa Maritain. Too good not to share!

My God I am here before thee

I crumble into nothing before thee

I adore thy greatness

My need is immense

Have pity on me

Let thy spirit dwell in me

Let the Holy Spirit live in me

The love of the Father and the Son

So that I may love thee and thou me

My God let my heart be pure

My intention be upright

My body be chaste

My God, let no one suffer through me,

May thy truth enlighten me,

May thy will be done.

Amen.

I'm turning 49 this weekend. On his 50th last week, Fr. James Martin, SJ, shared thoughts that inspired me and made me chuckle.

For your enjoyment:

For a lark yesterday, on my 50th birthday, I Tweeted 12 things that I wish I had known at 25. Or more accurately, 12 things that, had I put them into action, would have made my life a lot easier. Some are bits of advice that wisdom figures have told me and took years to sink in. Others are the result of some hard knocks. A few are insights from the great spiritual masters that I've adapted for my own life. Maybe a few will help someone you know who's 25. Maybe one or two will help you.

1. First up: Stop worrying so much! It's useless. (I.e. Jesus was right.)

2. Being a saint means being yourself. Stop trying to be someone else and just be your best self. Saves you heartache.

3. There's no right way to pray, any more than there's a right way to be a friend. What's "best" is what works best for you.

4. Remember three things and save yourself lots of unneeded heartache: You're not God. This ain't heaven. Don't act like a jerk.

5. Your deepest, most heartfelt desires are God's desires for you. And vice versa. Listen. And follow them.

6. Within you is the idea of your best self. Act as if you were that person and you will become that person, with God's grace.

7. Don't worry too much about the worst that can happen. Even if it happens, God is with you, and you can handle it. Really.

8. You can't force people to approve of you, agree with you, be impressed with you, love you or even like you. Stop trying.

9. When we compare, we are usually imagining someone else's life falsely. So our real-life loses out. I.e. Compare and despair.

10. Even when you finally realized the right thing, or the Christian thing, to do, it can still be hard to do. Do it anyway.

11. Seven things to say frequently: I love you. Thank you. Thank you, God. Forgive me. I'm so happy for you! Why not? Yes.

12. Peace and joy come after asking God to free you -- from anything that keeps you from being loving and compassionate.

Dan Lucas and his team at Credo Financial Services do my taxes. He and they are quite excellent, I might add. 

And I am now glad to welcome Credo as a sponsor of the Allen Hunt Show. As we've gotten to know each other, I've learned about their remarkable span of offerings. High quality work from real CPA's, with hands-on customer service, all at a very competitive price. No hacks who have two days training on taxes, and no high-priced huge accounting firms.

And for small business people, Credo Financial Services can be a huge help. Check out this posting about how they can fulfill CFO responsibilities for your business as you grow. 

As 2013 begins, I will begin my new year with 3 resolutions: one professional, one family, and one spiritual. 

To start your new year well, I recommend my favorite prayer - may it bless you as it does me.

My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think that I am following your will
does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.

I will not fear, for you are ever with me,
and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
Amen

(from T. Merton)

Saw Skyfall last night. Brilliant. Masterpiece on 50th anniversary of James Bond. Daniel Craig now fully owns that role. Well done. Loved it!

This film really was the breakthrough for Craig as the real Bond. No more Pierce Brosnan and Timothy Dalton nonsense. Craig fully steps into this role and demonstrates a real ability to act, not just perform stunts or be a brute male. He combines his nerve and physical prowess with an emotional capacity and range that thrusts him to the categories of Connery and Moore, and perhaps beyond. Didn't think he had it in him but he proved me wrong.

Plus, the moviemakers have re-tooled Bond for a new generation and for another 25 years. Q, M, amd Moneypenny all recast and refreshed. Love it!

AHS Grade: A

Great family time at Christmas. As part of that, we ventured into James Bond mode. I'd never seen Casino Royale or Quantum of Solace with Daniel Craig. Wanted to see those before getting Sky Fall, so we rented both.

Daniel Craig is no Roger Moore. Brute male versus suave and charming, but Craig still handles the role well and adds his own dimension. More action, less suave, but still excellent.

Only criticism would be the casting of Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale. She was a lightweight who could not carry the role. She failed to be emotive in any meaningful way and her average physical looks could not help compensate for her emotional limitations.

Other than that, two excellent films. Now on to Sky Fall.

AHS Grades: B+

In the face of such tragedy, what do you say? What do YOU say? 

Horrors like this make you evaluate what you think about life, your life, and the world.

We humans (particularly, men) kill other people, a lot. How else do you describe the Turks’ massacre of over 1 million Armenians in 1915, or the communist Chinese purging of more than 40 million citizens, or even most of the 31 school shootings in America since Columbine in 1999? Evil.

Yes, the Newtown shooter (whose name I refuse to use) has reminded us again that humans possess the capacity to do evil every bit as much as we can do good. Yet, while one man boiled over in rage and senselessly murdered twenty little children, six adults, his mother and himself, hundreds of heroic teachers and administrators, first responders, law enforcement officials, pastors, and normal citizens responded in tremendous love. Sacrificial, giving, selfless love. Some even dying as they tried to rescue a child from the danger. Love.

They are but one part of the reason why I am a follower of Jesus. As a Christian, I know the selfless love of God in Jesus. He too was an innocent murdered on a Friday. And on the third day He rose from the dead, showing that love vanquishes all things, even death itself. He says, “I have conquered the world.” Even when I don’t have all the answers, I still know He is true. Love never fails.

In response to Newtown, I will choose to live and love as fully as I can.

On this week's show you hear about two great offers from the Castelluccis. Great ideas for a Merry Christmas!

Bonus gift certificates for the Iberian Pig, Sugo, or Double Zero. Buy a $100 gift card, get a $20 card for free but only if you order online by clicking here.

And Double Zero now offers a wonderful Family Supper series on Sunday evenings. Take a look at the menu and deals by clicking here now.