monday again

time once again for monday morning one liners. here are this week's:

• does anyone even remember when to use capitol or capital?
• if you really examine the reasons why you root for a team - chances are you will discover something profound about what you value.
• re read that one about the sports team - it's pretty profound

that's it for this week. and i am not using caps. due to the first bullet point. check out more monday musings here - lee ann's blog

3 in a row

3 Days in a row - blogging. I'd say I'm back, but let's not make promises quite yet.

So - tonight I'm talking to our senior high about terms.

Not vocabulary terms, but the terms we go to God with, expecting our relationship to be really personal with him.

We all have these terms - things we require God to do for us before we'll do or respond or even believe Him.

How do we know what terms we are going to God with - monitor your prayers in 2 ways:

• journal your requests - how many focus on you and your wants?
• monitor when you pray - is it right before a crisis?
  

8 Days

In 8 days, my wife will have her birthday. January 30th, for those challenged by math and the calendar, like I am.

Crazy how throwing in one simple variable can really mess up how we think. I mean, I am really good with math. Not like the guy in A Beautiful Mind, but quick enough to win the flash card challenge in 3rd grade for Snoopy bucks.

I digress. I digress alot. So, when you talk about math and the calendar, I go numb. I need to physically look at one to know what you are talking about. (thank goodness for my new smart phone!)

So doesn't this parallel life some? I mean - we are tracking along very smoothly, and one new variable comes along - and we are confused as all get up.

I think this has some serious spiritual tones to it doesn't it? Sometimes a simple combination just doesn't work for us. The items by themselves are good and pure, but in combination - no no no.

I know you need an example by now. So do I. Here is what I think I am blogging about:

• volunteering is good. when it becomes inconvenient because it combines with a personal schedule - we get frustrated (I said we)
• We are good with going to church, but anything beyond Sunday, even in the comfort of our home - man that is too far

Maybe the spiritual element I am getting at is our time. Maybe we hold it too tightly. I know you can't get today back, but still - if we were to really act like little children, or believe like little children - how would we hold our time?

Monday Morning One Liners

I am not conforming. I've been posting 3 thoughts on Mondays (I know that "been posting" may appear funny, but spare me) but today - only one MMOL.


Here it is:

• At the end of the day if your hope isn't floating, you were deceived.

Thinkaboutit - and post any thoughts - to read more intriguing things - surf over here - Lee Ann's blog.

(not me in the pic by the way, nor anyone I know)

I'm back

This is pretty fun. I am breaking my blog silence with a quick video blog. As far as content - just an update from my life. But as far as fun - well I sure enjoyed it.

Only problem - it looks like my eyes are closed!

Think about this!

I read this on Seth Godin's blog -

people talking about you is far more effective than talking about yourself

That's a profound observation. I won't bore you with the details about how Seth arrived at this conclusion - you can read his blog for yourself.

But here is where I think this quote has application for churches (and lots of other places):

• Invest and Invite is a great way for people to learn about your church - think about it - better than a billboard - this is real people saying that your church is great - believable, walking billboards
• when casting vision about what your church is trying to accomplish - do it through other people telling their story - that way it's not just you talking about it every day
• this is why churches must be blogging. Not to promote their own ideas, but to share information and to give those reading it a heads up on what's coming so they can retell that story.

Does this sound like a ploy? It's not. It really is a communication tool of spreading a message and communicating quickly with lots of people. But the key in all of this is a happy person telling the story.

So is the focus on the communication strategy or on giving time and attention to people, so that when you do communicate with them they are more willing to send that message along.

Coming from the communication portion of my brain - I say develop people. Happy and engaged people communicate positive messages. Dissatisfied ones don't spread such happy messages.

So in the end - you could spend loads of time developing elaborate communication strategies, when you really should be developing people, and then have them communicate.

Make sense? Not sure if it does to me either - but these are thoughts that I am wrastling with!