I love exploring Ted.com for exceptional videos. I don’t get to very often, but when I do, I find great stuff.
Here’s one you should consider watching. It’s about 17 minutes long, and honestly he rambles at times, but you’ll get some great wisdom and reminders from a great man. Here’s John Wooden on the subject “What is True Success?”
Someone used the term “expert†in regards to a person and social media recently. It sounded good at first, but then I started thinking. Is anyone really an “expert†in a field that is barely five years old and changes literally every day?
One definition of the term expert reads: a person who has a comprehensive and authoritative knowledge of or skill in a particular area. I guess someone could qualify under that definition, but it also seems to me that as soon as one gains authoritative knowledge about the field of social media that everything changes. Everyone involved with social media must be in a constant learning mode.
It does seem, however, that we are living in a day where the term expert is coined much faster than in days past.
This is a silly post with an important principle…
The other day I was on a Skype call with missionaries from Costa Rica. I serve on their ministry board and this was a board meeting. As with most meetings, I get bored easily, so I began to doodle on a piece of paper in front of me. What started literally as doodling with no intended purpose turned into a masterpiece…as you can see from this picture.
Did you see this? It’s funny…
Watch this quick video going viral on YouTube.
Drew Snider is a pastor at Gospel Mission in Vancouver, B.C., Canada and a reader of my blog. Recently he asked me a question online about performing marriages for those who are living together and I thought it was worth asking here, so I asked him to guest post about it. Here’s Drew’s post:
One Tweet should never stand alone in determining the value of a Tweeter. With the rapid fire that most people Twitter 140 characters, the quick thoughts extended are not always a fair representation of the mind, heart and character of the person Tweeting.
There are times I have Tweeted something I wish later I hadn’t. I have mistyped or misspelled a tweet numerous times. My auto-correct has finished words for me that were inappropriate. I have had trouble communicating what I wanted to say in such a small space.
If you are going to follow me (or anyone) on Twitter. Here’s a quick reminder:
I am often confronted with issues where one person has wronged another person. At times people expect me, as the pastor, to enforce morals on people in order to change them. Some how they believe if I talk to them, I can “force†them to change their ways.
I have learned one principle well. Rules never change people.
When it seems everything is a failure. Go for some small wins.
Life has a way of bringing seasons into our life where nothing seems to go right. Often God uses those times to strengthen us, sometimes our own bad decisions bring those times, and many times those seasons come just as a part of living in a fallen world. During those seasons of life, a person may need to experience a little victory to rebuild his or her confidence.
If everything in your life seems to be going wrong lately, find a few small things you do well and complete them. Everyone does something well. It will help rebuild your confidence and encourage you to take risks again towards the bigger wins.
Are you in one of those seasons? Be faithful in a little and God will bless you with far more. What’s a small win you could accomplish today?
So maybe “need” is too strong of a word. Perhaps you can do everything I will suggest as reasons to be involved with social media without social media (Although I would question how well you can these days) but I don’t think anyone could argue social media is not a large part of our culture today. Because it is such an influence, today’s successful leaders, including those in the church, must figure out how to make it work for them and make their ministries even more successful.
For me that currently means Twitter, Facebook and blogging. Not everyone has to do all three, but I have found them to each have unique benefits in my ministry.
Here are 7 reasons you should be using social media:
Someone recently pointed out to me a principle they had always believed, until it didn’t come true for them. They were disappointed in the principle. I had to remind myself of yet another principle. Principles are great, but they aren’t promises; they are principles.
I love principles. I believe in them. I write about them. I even attempt to live my life by some of them.
But principles of men aren’t guaranteed to come true.
You can count on the promises of God, but don’t expect the principles of men to work every time. The truth is that life happens…and sometimes life is more powerful than a principle.
Take one famous John Maxwell principle
I love watching the dynamics of organizational growth and leadership. It is always interesting to me how people approach the position they are given. Some step up and lead quickly…others take a short time to adjust to the organizational culture before leading…some never move from employee to a leader on a team. I personally like to surround myself with leaders. It’s harder to lead leaders, but, in my opinion, it’s more effective, more productive, and more fun.
I want to encourage you to step across the line to leadership excellence. Too many people never take the initiative to personally become the leader God has equipped them to be.
Here are a few examples of what I mean by stepping across the line to leadership excellence:
We have a new local online magazine in our community. Recently they asked me to participate in a series of interviews they are doing with people in the community. I realized I hadn’t even shared my answers with my family, so I did this weekend.
Since you often don’t get to know the online person behind a blog, I thought I’d share with you also.
Here’s where we’re giving you a chance to find out more about different people in our community. We recently interviewed Pastor Ron Edmondson of Grace Community Church.
How long have you been in Clarksville, What brought you to Clarksville?
I’m an original Clarksvillian and my family has been here for as long as I can trace. We are the Edmondson Ferry Road Edmondson’s.
Tell us about your family. Are you married? How many kids? Any siblings?
I’m married to my best friend Cheryl and together we have two boys, Jeremy 21 and Nate 18. Jeremy just graduated from Austin Peay and is a third generation AP grad. Nate is a freshman at Moody Bible College in Chicago. I have one older brother and one younger sister.
What do you like most about Clarksville?
To read the rest of this interview, click HERE.
There’s a competitive spirit in most of the leaders I know. I saw mine kick in while running recently…
It was 6 AM and already 76 degrees with near 90% humidity. I was casually running, listening to our formal worship pastor Daniel Doss’s song Masterpiece, when out of the corner of my eye I sensed someone trying to pass me. I looked around and it was a girl! She’s the wife and sister of two good friends from college, and a dedicated athlete, so I may have normally been okay with her passing me, but something snapped in me. I said a few nice things and then I gradually picked up speed. I killed myself…but I won! YEA!!! Not that it was a race, and I’m sure she could have taken me had she wanted to, but there was the thrill of victory when I pulled ahead on the road.
I have written this before and I know it creates controversy to talk about, but what if we used that competitive spirit in a way that helped grow the Kingdom?
I don’t see David Letterman’s Late Night much anymore, but I still think he’s hilarious. Are you a Letterman fan?
I heard this on a local radio show (WJZM) this morning and thought it was funny enough to share. You can watch it at CBS.com
Here are Letterman’s Top 10 Signs You’re Obsessed with Facebook:
‘m curious. What Internet browser do you use? I’m not happy again. Yesterday I discovered Safari, which I’m currently using, will not display some videos I want to watch. (Even the one with Andy Stanley I placed on my personal blog yesterday.) I have to occasionally open another browser to view certain things. It’s updated and today I made sure all my plug-ins are updated. Still, no success.
I’ve tried Firefox and Google Chrome, with similar quirks in each of them that caused me to look elsewhere.
So you can help me, I’m a Mac guy. What do you use or what would you suggest I try next?
