It is that time again. Time to l0ok back on 2011 and summarize what I’ve been up to all year in 1000 words or less. But first lets score my 2011 predictions.

Scoring the 2011 Predictions

Prediction 1: New iPad With Camera

Got it, bought it, love it.
1 point.

Prediction 2: Real Estate Market to Crash in Austin

The prices in Austin droped by more than 15% as I predicted. The prices in some neighborhoods have dropped by as much as 200%. I know an investor who just bought a 3/2 foreclosure for $30,000 in South Austin.
1 point
Prediction 3: Voter ID Bill Will Pass This Year

I still can’t believe we failed to pass the voter ID bill this year. I want to give my self a point for this just for my denial. (Editors note: I have been corrected on Facebook. The Voter ID did pass after all. It is just being challenged in the courts which was to be expected )
1 points

Prediction 4: iPhone will come out on Verizon.

Hell froze over and this actually happened. No more are iPhone users tied to just one bad carrier. Now we have three bad carriers to choose from
1 point

Prediction 5: Sarah Palin will announce a bid for presidency.

No Palin run No Points for me
0 points

Prediction 6: Global Famine

Global food prices soured to all time highs in February and then started to taper off by the end of year. I’m going to give myself half a point for this one.
0.5 Points

Prediction 7: UT Make it to a Bowl Game

Yes we did, and we won that bowl game too 21 to 10.
1 points

Prediction 8: US Inflation to Rise to 5% or above

Current government numbers, if you believe them, have inflation at 3.4%. This number comes from the consumer price index. If you measure the dollar against Gold then inflation is indeed above 5%. Should I get a point for this? I say no.
0 points.

Prediction 9: An Umstattd Book will be published.

The one prediction I could control and I failed to deliver the goods. My brother David decided to write a 4th book instead of finishing his first one. His books are amazing but right now you have to be an Umstattd or a girlfriend to read them.
0 points

Prediction 10: Unemployment to Remain High
Last year I predict the rate would only fall to 8.5% according to our current numbers for November the unemployment rate dropped to 8.6%.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics has been lowering the unemployment rate by saying people are giving up looking for work. So hopelessness not job creation is lowing this number.
1 Point.

Prediction 11: 5,000 Saved Through 40 Days for Life

40 days for life reports that 5045 lives have been saved.  And those are just the ones we know about. I am very happy to give myself a point for this prediction and to applaud all of you who have spent time praying out in front of abortion clinics. It really makes a difference.
1 Point

Total score 7.5 out of 11

My First Sermon

I gave my first legit Sunday Morning sermon in back in January of 2011. You and listen to it here. It was on what is normally called “low attendance Sunday” because of a leadership retreat that 30% of the church attended. But so many of you came out to hear me that filled Hope Chapel. Thank you.

My Political Activities

I have done a pretty good job staying out of politics this year despite being very frustrated with the incompetence in Washington amongst republicans. My only political action to speak of was to coach students at Patriot Academy and to donate money to Ron Paul which I recommend you do as well. Every dollar you give Ron Paul advances his ideas which is exactly what this country needs: The truth.

2011 Reading

I read 69 books in 2011.   Some of my favorites were:

1. Steve Jobs
2. Hunger Games
3. EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey
4. Delivering Happiness
5. The Facebook Effect
6. Guns Germs and Steel
7. The Black Swan
8. The Science of Fear
9. The Eye of the World
10. Me Myself & Bob

You can see the full list on my Goodreads profile along with my reviews and ratings.

Castle Media Group LLC

In July I launched a new company named Castle Media Group LLC. It is a web marketing holding company that currently employes 10 people. Castle Media Group has the following subsidiaries.

Author Media

Author Media does web design and development for authors. It is also the new home for the Author Tech Tips blog. We help authors attract publishers, sell books and win more speaking gigs.

Umstattd Media

This is our web design for small businesses brand. I had plans to cancel Umstattd Media but the name ID, domain authority and referral base were just too high to turn away. At some point in the future we will launch a brand for small businesses that is easier to spell.

Webroots Media

Webroots Media designs websites for political organizations. Our goal is to do for other conservative candidates and organizations what we did for Rick Green. Webroots Media does more than just websites it is full service online marketing arm helping campaigns with Facebok Advertising, Search Engine Optimization, Email Marketing and more.

Blue Dove Designs

Blue Dove Designs is our first acquisition. We purchased this company from Jim Camomile in December or 2011.  Jim is now apart of our team and helping us launch some exciting new products for 2012.

Summary of 2011

That is a quick summary of some of what I’ve been up to. I’m sorry I have not updated this blog more frequently. Many of you have chastised me for not posting here and on Practical Courtship. All I can say is that running a business is a lot of work and this blog has had to take a back seat. On the plus side I have some exciting new year predictions coming out tomorrow. So stay tuned.

Related posts:

1. 11 Predictions for 2011 Predicting the future is based on three things: cycles, trends...
2. Goodbye 2010 Is that time of year again. Here is a recap...
3. More New Years Predictions My father, Tom Umstattd, sent me the following predictions few...

My dad woke up one day and decided to make a Pro-Life music video. Little did I know the inescapable whirlwind his decision would produce.

More than 40 people worked for over two months to create what you can watch here. A Pro-Life video that I feel is a true representation of what really happens.

There are a few cameos by yours truly. My favorite is the coffee shop scene (1:45 in the video). In that scene you can see me in the background building the website the video is now embedded on. We almost broke the space time continuum I think

My dad, Tom Umstattd, wrote the song and played the guitars. The actors all came from the Austin Rhetoric Club. I tried out for the boyfriend but did not make the cut. The director, Alex Lerma, said I wasn’t be mean enough.

Our hope is that this video will re-energize the church to be actively pro-life. If it saves even one baby it will be a successes. The more it spreads the more impact it can have. Would you share  a link to the video on Facebook? Would you be willing to forward it to a friend?

What did you think when you first saw it? Was it what you were expecting? Leave a comment and let us know.

Related posts:

1. Texas Rally for Life 2008 (Photos) Last Saturday I went with some friends to the Texas...
2. The Philosophy of Liberty (Video) The Philosophy of Liberty video is one the best presentations...
3. Why March? Someone recently asked me what the point was to all...

It’s that time of year again. Here is a recap of what happened to me in 2010, plus a scoring of my new years predictions.

2010 Predictions

Here are the predictions I made a year ago, along with a score of how I did.

1. Republicans will gain control of the house of representatives. (I nailed this one)
2. Democrats will hold on to the Senate. (Got this one too)
3. Rick Perry will be reelected Governor (Three out of three so far)
4. Debra Medina will get over 15% of the vote. (Despite Glen Becks’ ambush, Medina got 18% of the vote.)
5. Old fashioned publishers will start to get gobbled by trendier conglomerates. And for an extra point I am predicting that Thomas Nelson will by Harvest House. (I don’t know of this happening.)
6. The Apple Tablet will actually ship. It will be amazing and I will buy one  (It shipped, it was awesome and I bought one. I just missed the name.)
7. The Google Andriod platform will gain 20% market share. (As of October Android had 23% of the smartphone market according to ComScore)
8. The big product for 2010 will be the Kindle and the price will drop to $99 and sales of digital books will soar to over 70% of Amazon’s book sales. (The Kindle dropped from $259 to $139 so I almost got this one. )
9. Google Chrome will gain 25% market shake but the mac version will still be in Beta. (Didn’t’ quite get this one. Chrome only has 20% market share.)
10. The Tea party will start to emerge as an actual party but will not put any candidates on the 2010 ballot. Look for tea party candidates in 2012. (I think I got this one. What do you think?)

My score for 2010 is 7.5 out of 10 which is an improvement over last year.  My score for 2009 was 4 out of 9.

Rick Green

I spent the beginning of 2010 working to get Rick Green elected to the Texas Supreme Court. While he won the primary he lost in the runoff. Dave Lieber, a journalist from the Fort Worth Star Telegram, interviewed me about the election.

You can read the interview here.

Umstattd Media

Shortly after the campaign ended, I hired Hannah Hill to come work with me at Umstattd Media. Recently Cynthia Umstattd and Samantha Fagan have also joined the Umstattd Media team. Paul Hastings also jumps in when we need his special brand of awesome.

Umstattd Media has grown to over 100 clients. We have had the honor of building websites for some national figures like Claire Culwell, Abby Johnson and Mary DeMuth.

Austin Coalition for Life

My main focus for 2010 has been the pro-life movement. I was blessed to have a position on the Austin Coalition for Life Leadership Team. I got to help them with strategy, online marketing and even got to speak at several churches encouraging folks to participate in the 40 Days for Life.

I also worked with the Austin Rhetoric Club to fight Travis County Tax Funded Abortions. The photo above is my sister Cynthia testifying before the Central Health Board. You can watch the video of her speech here.

I worked with the Texas Alliance for Life to help them boost their Facebook page from 2500 fans to over 10,000 fans. The now have one of the biggest pro-life pages on Facebook.

Speaking

I feel that my mission in life is to “Help the Church use technology to advance the Kingdom. Until the seasons change.” This is my calling and my passion.

I love teaching. I speak for pay and I speak for free. Any chance to help the church use technology is a win for me. This year I have spoken between 30 and 40 times around the country. This photo is of a talk I gave at the C.S. Lewis Conference. I have also been on the radio four or five times mostly for pro-life stuff.

Almighty Music Video

My dad woke up one morning and decided to make a music video. At first I did not take him seriously but now I have been swept into the whirlwind.

What at first appeared to be a small project has become a massive undertaking involving dozens of people and thousands of hours of work. I hope to be able to share more with you about this project soon.

Advent Conspiracy

The Umstattd Family Advent Conspiracy went very well. I was a bit nervous leading into it, but it ended up being much more joyful and fun than Christmases in the past. We were able to throw a Christmas party which we had not been able to do in past years.

• John, my youngest brother, said that it was, “the best Christmas ever.”
• William said,  ”It was fun. We got/had to sleep in. We got less but better presents. I got a guitar and this blog.”
• My mom said, “The changes we made this year really were great. Everyone seems happier, less stressed, and able to enjoy one another more. We have been able to reach out to others more as well.”

Single

The most frequent question I get from older folks is “Are you seeing anyone.” I find it amusing how many different ways they ask without asking. The older I get the more I hear this question. The answer is “no.”  I have spent all of 2010 as a bachelor. The rumors of me getting engaged, while flattering, are untrue.

I realize my singleness is mostly my fault. I have spent most of my time working either on Umstattd Media or Pro-Life stuff. I haven’t spent the time taking care of myself like I should. I also have not spent much time with evangelical singles. I am fishing in a small pond.

God is teaching me contentment. I have learned that I don’t mind living on my own and that I don’t know as much as I think I do about relationships. Or about women for that matter

Looking Forward to 2011

I am optimistic about the new year. I hope to spend more time on my book Digital Cancer and actually ship it this year. I’m encouraged that Umstattd Media is starting to grow. I would like to thank all of you for standing with me and praying for me during this last season.

Tune in next week for my new years predictions for 2011.

Related posts:

1. Goodbye 2011 It is that time again. Time to l0ok back on...
2. Goodbye 2009 It's that time of year again. Time to look back...
3. Almighty – Our Pro-Life Music Video My dad woke up one day and decided to make...

Someone recently asked me what the point was to all these pro-life marches. We have marched a lot in recent weeks so the question is valid. I would like to submit the following 5 reasons why we should march and rumble for life.

Marching Encourages our Leaders

One of the challenges of leadership is that the higher you rise the more out of touch you become. Leaders rely on the media to clue them in on what the people think. The media makes it look like no one cares about life but a handful of cooks.

When we march we remind our leaders we stand behind them when they stand for life. We give them the courage to push for change.

Marching Changes Hearts

You should have seen the faces of those who watch pro-life marches and rumbles. 40 Days for Life has seen hearts changed and lives saved all over the world through marches and vigils.

Marching Inspires Prayer

There is something powerful that happens to your heart when you put life tape on. Somehow it makes prayer easier and it breaks your heart. I am a big advocate for praying out loud but sometimes silent prayer is powerful too.

The more we march, the more we will pray.

Marching Inspires Action

Inviting friends to a march is a great way to move them from apathy to action. From doing nothing to to doing something. Without a march it would be harder to get people to care enough about life to do something other than harden their hearts.

Marching Earns Attention

The media loves to cover events like marches and rumbles. The more we focus the attention of the nation on this atrocity the more they will be forced to take action. Martin Luther King Jr. knew this.

We must march if we want to see a change. You can’t change the world from your couch.

What do you think?

• Do you come to Pro-life marches? Why or why not?
• What would need to happen to get you to show up?
• Are you afraid to take a stand for life?
• What have the pro-life events that you have attended been like? Would they encourage you to come again?

Related posts:

1. Texas Rally for Life 2008 (Photos) Last Saturday I went with some friends to the Texas...
2. March 2010 Voter’s Guide For those of you who live outside Texas please forgive...
3. Almighty – Our Pro-Life Music Video My dad woke up one day and decided to make...

Here is a summary of what I have been up to during the past year.

2008 Was a Hard Year

In 2008 my business failed, my dad had a heart attack, my grandfather died and Grace and I called off our courtship. I began 2009 with an expectation that things would start looking up.

Spring 2009 – New Beginnings

In January we got a new president. I got a new job. And in February I went to Russia for a month and Scotland for a week. I learned a lot in Russia including the love of tea.

In April I started AuthorTechTips.com to help authors with technology and to help promote my new business Umstattd Media.

Summer 2009- From Belton to Austin

I moved to Austin in May. I love this town. At first I didn’t know many people and I lived and worked alone.  I would spend days without interacting with anyone aside from emails and phone calls from clients.  God found me in that solitude and began a work on my heart.

God brought healing and freedom and knit me into one of the most amazing communities I have ever been apart of. He has surrounded me with prayer ninjas and I am very thankful.

Fall 2009- New Roommates & New Projects

In August I moved in some guys from our prayer group. Namely  E.J. Rathburn, Caleb Ingles and Caleb Hobart. These guys have been such an encouragement to me.  They have also taught me everything I know about how to be a good wingman.

Our house is on Harmon Ave and we decided in a 3 to 1 vote to name our house eHarmony. The looks on people’s faces when I invite them to eHarmony always gives me a good chuckle and sometimes even a belly laugh.

In September I started PracticalCourtship.com which has been a fun project. I really enjoy reading all the comments of which there are many.

Winter 2009 – Fighting For Life

A few months Jana Robertson encouraged me to get involved in the pro-life movement. Or at up my involvement from talk to actions too. We started holding Insight Meetings at my house which are prayer gatherings where we learn about what is going on in the political arena so we can pray with insight.

We also did a big push to fight tax funded abortions in Austin. We failed to gain ground this time around but we will be back next year and the year after that and every year until life is protected and destroying life is not subsidized.

Right before the hearing my mom got sick. Very sick. She was in the hospital for  a time and incapacitated. She is still unable stand for any period of time but she is doing better.

10 Most Popular Articles of 2009

Here is a list of my most popular articles of 2009. I have included articles I wrote for Author Tech Tips and Practical Courtship since that is where most of my writing has gone.

1. 7 People Every Author Must Follow on Twitter – The popularity of this post was a fluke. The list was the left over scraps of a different post about how to get started on Twitter. Everyone wanted the list. No one wanted the guide. Go figure.
2. How to Get Twitter on Your Phone – The reason this is number one is because of google. Lots of views.
3. 7 Differences Between Published and Unpublished Authors – This is one of my most controversial posts of 2009. No one read the part at the beginning where I say that the rules are not universal.
4. 6 Things Readers Want Fro Your Author Website – This is one of the oldest articles on Author Tech Tips.
5. 7 Reasons Men Wait to Get Married - This was one of the first posts on Practical Courtship to get attention outside my circle of friends.
6. Courtship & Predestination – This is one of the most discussed posts I have ever written.
7. How to get Twitter to Update Your Facebook Status – Great time saving tips.
8. Where to Find Free and Legal Photos Online – I’m surprised this was not more popular since it is one of the most frequent questions we get.
9. 5 Things Readers Don’t Want from Your Author Blog – Every blogger needs to read this article. Not just authors.
10. The Thin Line Between Creepy and Charming – This was a fun post to write. The comments are fun to read too.
11. How to Sync Your Address Book With Facebook – Newer post but one that has helped a lot of people.

Related posts:

1. Goodbye 2010 Is that time of year again. Here is a recap...
2. Goodbye 2011 It is that time again. Time to l0ok back on...

Please permit me to change pace a bit for a post and do some self reflection.

Here I am in an ancient Russian church tower

Looking Old

It seems surprise people when they learn I’m only 24. There are two ways to take this. Either that I look old or that I seem seem old for my age. Is this caused by sorrow, weight or wisdom? I don’t know. Probably a mixture.

Looking forward to my future I wonder if this will continue or if I will linger at an age.

Thanks to Frank Ball for sending me this cartoon for my birthday

Knowing Less

I know now less than I thought I knew at 14. For instance, I thought I knew apologetics until yesterday when I preached on the UT campus. Most of the audience was hardened atheists with pre-prepared questions.

While on campus I saw an apologetisist presenting to probably 200 students who sat raptured by the eloquence of his words. He took anyone’s objection and gave a reasoned and winsome answer. He inspired me to know more than I do and helped me realize I know less than I think.

Enjoying Life

My cousin Tim asked me one Christmas if I had “destination fever.” Am I so focused on the goal that I forget to enjoy the journey?

A strong goal focus may help my leadership ability but it can also make me a miserable person to be around, especially when I am in a focused state.

My clients have taught me that the best authors enjoy brainstorming, outlining, drafting, writing, editing and promotion. Every stage of the writing process has its own joy.

The authors who just want to “be published” are miserable and often never get published.

I want to be someone who enjoys each stage of life’s journey. I am optimistic about the future but I want to also be content with where I am now.

Embracing Freedom

As a self employed single man I have a great degree of freedom. This is a season to embrace! Not a season to squander  on worry or speculation.

Blogging

Some of you have asked me why I don’t blog much anymore. I actually blog more than ever just not as much this site.

I write once a roughly week for the following sites:

• Practical Courtship
• Author Tech Tips

You can get updates to these sites by, RSS, email, or Facebook. Perhaps one of the best birthday gifts you could give me would be to subscribe and or comment on one of those sites. PracticalChourtship.com has received an amazing number of comments and I love reading them.

Repenting from Apathy

Last Sunday we had a meeting at eHarmony where we repented of apathy. I realized that I had been apathetic about finishing my book. Other folks were repenting from political apathy. Kristine, my editor, and I have committed to finish editing Digital Cancer by the end of the year.

Please pray for us as we do this because it is a lot of discouraging work.

Thanking God

I am thankful for:

• My family. The older I get the more I come to understand what a precious gift each family member is.
  • A father who speaks identity.
  • A mother who loves unconditionally.
  • A sister who can dance, laugh and sing.
  • A brother with worlds in his head that can only been seen through visualizing his words.
  • A brother with a heart for people.
  • A brother with a heart for the Kingdom.
• A job that allows me to make enough to live on.
• A community of believers who have a passion for Jesus. I get to storm the gates of hell every Monday with prayer ninjas.
• My roomates: all three of them. They are each so different and so awesome. We have funny one liners every day. Any house named eHarmony has got to be a lot of fun

My grandfather, who passed away last year.

No related posts.

I had a hard time capturing the thousands of people there in one photo.

Killing an innocent person is unjust. A fetus is an innocent person. Therefore killing the unborn is unjust.

“A threat to justice anywhere, is a threat to justice everywhere.”
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Many of the women at the rally have had abortions and are struggling with the consequences of that decision.

I thought the people with red tape over their mouths were some of the loudest people at the march. If you ever see someone with Red Tape with the word “Life” over their mouth it means they are praying silently – crying out for our unborn children. If we do not speak for those who cannot, who will?

Note the girls sticker. Democrats for life. I believe that the end of abortion will come from the Democratic Party. Some of the Republican establishment doesn’t want to end abortion lest they loose their pro-life base. That doesn’t mean we should start voting democrat but we should hold our supposedly pro-life republican officials to a high standard to prove they are truly on our side and not just playing us.

I would guess that 7 out of 10 of the people there were catholic. I wish evangelicals would care more, but they just don’t. We will have to answer to God for our deeds done in the body. We will have to give an account of how we spent our time and our money.

An interesting change this year from the previous years I have gone was the lack of chanting. I led a few chants but mostly everyone prayed. Many of the Catholics spent the whole time reciting the Lord Prayer or doing Hail Marys. There seemed to be a growing sense that Abortion was our sin and that we needed God’s forgiveness and His mercy.

The only candidates who had any supporters at the rally, that I could see, were Ron Paul and Alan Keys. The overall lack of Pro-Life presidential candidates saddens me.

Children are not the only ones hurt by abortion. Men, Women and our economy suffer as well.

Hannah Malone, Charity Chambers and Grace Chambers marching for life.

Again I had a hard time capturing the enormity of the crowd on my iPhone. So I’ll just tell you. There were a lot of people there.

This is a booth of the New Wave Femmes a Pro-Life, Pro-Women, Pro Jesus, Pink Haired Feminists group. I don’t know much about them but they seem to be doing a great job reaching the unborn and the mother.

The sign she is holding is referring to Norma McCorvey the “Jane Roe” in Roe v Wade. She was once an abortion champion but since the trial God has captured her heart. She is now a Catholic Pro-Life advocate and leader of the Roe no More.

Related posts:

1. Almighty – Our Pro-Life Music Video My dad woke up one day and decided to make...
2. Why March? Someone recently asked me what the point was to all...
3. Photos from Russia Photos from my recent trip to Saint Petersburg Russia. ...