2003 Christmas Newsletter

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2003 has been a interesting year for the Beck family and we'd like to share some of our experiences. Click the icons for a little mood music:

"Deck the Halls" Piano by Justin Beck

"O, Christmas Tree" Piano by Justin Beck

The New Zealand Saga

Friends constantly ask, "I thought you guys were moving to New Zealand? What happened?" Well, that's a long story best served over a pint of beer, but here is the Reader's Digest version.

In May, 2002 we received our NZ Permanent Residency. So, we put our house on the market and started our farewell tour. But a funny thing happened on our way to the Southern Hemisphere.

First, our house didn't sell. That made no sense -- it was the middle of a real estate boom. One day Bernie Breeding invites me to play golf with this guy named Greg Barnes. He wasn't much of a golfer, but he turned out to be world-class pastor at a church called The Bridge. The three of us formed a freindship that would change our lives.

Summer passed and we still had no offers for the house. Suddenly, it was time for Justin to go back to school. We'd given up our spot at The Rhoades School because we *knew* we were moving.

Fortunately, things began to change. A slot for Justin miraculously opened up at Rhoades. We took our house off the market and we became deeply involved with our church family. Ana said it best, "The move wasn't meant to happen. God had a different plan." Chris still thinks Bernie had a hand in it!

We love New Zealand, Aunt Wendy, and all our cousins who live there. It was so much fun persuing the dream of moving there. Now we'll just have to persue a different dream.

Justin's Year

Justin played San Diego Junior Golf again this year and it was too much fun. He didn't win any tournaments, but we made lots of freinds and shared some great memories. Justin's coach is Ted Norby at Aviara Golf Academy. Ted inspired Justin and Chris to write a song about junior golfers. Just click the icon and enjoy.

"I've Been Working on My Golf Swing" Guitar and Vocals by Justin Beck Lyrics by Christopher & Justin Beck

The high point of the golf season was Justin's first hole-in-one on #5 at Lake San Marcos Executive.

Justin also played ice hockey for the Temecula Sabres Mite BB tournament team. We came in first place in the Las Vegas President's Day tournament with a sudden death overtime victory over the Las Vegas Outlaws in the championship game. It certainly eclipses anything Chris has done in his hockey career.

This year, Justin took up piano to go along with classical guitar. And, if that wasn't enough, he also joined the North Coast Singers. Justin's favorite artist is Chris Isaak.

Building The Bridge

The Bridge is a new church in San Marcos and our whole family is involved with helping it grow into a great church. Chris heads up the Online Ministry. You can now listen to our Sunday service on the Web via streaming audio. Ana helps with data entry and Justin works on the Welcome Team.

The Bridge is a wonderful blend of spirituality and entrepreneurship. But the greatest part of all is the people we've met. We all share a common vision that the hope of the world rests with the local church where children serve side-by-side with adults.

The Business End

The reincarnation of Forté is starting to get legs. This year, Tom Gold and Jim Powers have joined the team and we are committed to growing the company. Agent 2.0 is just around the corner. We've launched a new service provider business. We're in the process of filing a couple of exciting patents and we're taking the social software space head on. In our book, you're either growing or you're dying.

Christmas Critters

What newsletter would be complete without Bummer and Misha hamming it up?

Love To All

On a final note, we extend our love and best wishes to all for a safe and happy holiday and prosperity in the coming year. Go here for past newsletters.