Big Is The New Small

There is a new Sheriff in town and he goes by many different names; here are some names that you might or might not be familiar with: Affliction, Monarchy, Kentucky, MEK, Seven, VonDotch, True Religion…  What do all of these names have to do with a Sheriff, absolutely nothing; however they are the names of some popular designer jeans that can cost anywhere from $150 to $300 or more. 

These high end designer jeans have become very popular and are being worn by many contemporary pastors, teens all the way through much, much older adults.  I’ll be honest, I struggled with this initially; however I must admit that I do own some of these jeans.  It’s important that when I purchase a pair, that find them on somebody’s sale rack. 

The reason that I bring this subject up, is because I have read some popular pastors blogs, who have received e-mails and been criticized about how much they spend on their jeans and I have heard others discussing it.  There are obviously people who are concerned about pastors and these high dollar jeans.   

If you are wondering how people can tell what kind or how much a pair of jeans cost; it’s all about the wash, the threads and the pockets. 

I am totally cool with pastors or anyone for that matter spending some dough on expensive jeans.  I have heard that there is a new trend of guys wearing women’s jeans; now that deserves some critical e-mails.  BTW- Why are jeans called a pair of jeans?   

Thoughts? Discuss! 

This video is freakin’ ridiculous, in a good way.  We used this video in last years LifeChurch.tv Satan’s SexEd Series.  Watch the video in its entirety (it’s only 2 min.) and share your thoughts, funniest parts, offensive parts…  Satan tackles some tough questions such as:

• Is oral sex sex?

• Will pre-marital sex help your relationship?

• What’s up with pornography?

• What’s the deal with masturbation?

• Homosexuality….

Do you think this video is over the top for church?  In today’s society, has sex simply become no big deal?  Share your thoughts, don’t be shy!

Need a Quickie?  Okay, here is a 5 step leadership quickshop: 

1. If you loose your cool or your temper; you will loose respect.

2. Don’t be afraid to empower others and give some leadership away.

3. You can’t give a rip about what people think; stay focused.

4. If you micromanage, you are insecure and you need to get a life.

5. Be bold, don’t compromise, stay true to who you are and people will follow!

6. Bonus: Always maintain integrity;  check out the Swerve post on Integrity.

What are your thoughts or experiences with any of theses leadership principles?  Again, share your thoughts or share your own quickies!  BigIsTheNewSmall

In the bloghsphere, you have two types of bloggers; those who are open to receiving comments and those who are Scaredy Cats.  “Scaredy Cats” are bloggers who write some amazing, controversial, helpful, educational, funny, insightful, random… posts and don’t allow their readers to comment.  One of the aspects of blogging, that is different from being a writer for a magazine or newspaper is the relational connection with readers.  The bottom line in my opinion, is that all bloggers should allow their readers to comment; even book authors are open to comments/reviews on Amazon. 

The “Scaredy Cats” will use several excuses as to why they don’t allow comments, some of which include:

•  I don’t like criticism
•  I don’t have time to respond
• I’m not writing for comments, I’m simply journaling

If you don’t like criticism; don’t blog stay behind the scenes.  If you don’t have time to respond, simply don’t respond; even though it only takes a couple of minutes.  If you are simply journaling, just keep word documents and don’t put it out there for the world to see.  Stop being a “Scaredy Cat” and remember that www is short for the world wide web and that encompasses a lot of people.   

If you disagree, feel free to criticize, comment… and I will be happy to respond.  Don’t get me wrong, some of my favorite bloggers are “Scaredy Cats.”

Do you think that bloggers should allow comments?  Share your thoughts on the “Scaredy Cats!”

I think that I will turn off comments for this post! LOL

RANDOM BULLETS

BigIsTheNewSmall Milestones:

• First 40 Comment Post: The First Black President (Go make a comment and Let’s make it 50)
• Reaching 1,000 Comments : We are at 1071 (Thanks for commenting!)

Comment of the Week: Oh the things we can learn from diarrhea! Jeff Riles 

Quote: 

• Aren’t you tired of being relevant, I’m sick and tired of being relevant, relevant means someone else got there first and now I’m trying to connect; we need to stop being relevant and start leading the way.  Erwin McManus 

 Life:

• I am coaching Jayden’s 4yr. old Basketball Team.
• Tomorrow is date night for my wife and I!
• You guys almost put me in jail yesterday! Check it out here.

Why:

• Why are people so scared to be different?
• Why are people so scared of people who are different? 

Facebook: I just hooked up a facebook, I’m a rookie! (let’s be friends)

Link Me and I’ll Link you Back: If you kave linked BigIsTheNewSmall, let me know and I’ll give you a shout out. 

Questions: 

• Should pastors be allowed to bring political candidates in front of their congregation?  I know what the IRS says, but what do you think? 

Thanks for reading, Holler!  BigIsTheNewSmall……

It was the first Monday morning of the New Year and I was excited to implement all of the goals, resolutions….. that I had outlined for myself, my family, our campus….  As I was on the interstate, I noticed a police officer was behind me with his lights on.  I decided to pull to the side a bit so that he could go around, because I knew that I was not speeding (at lease not this time), I knew that I had not broken any laws….  I motioned him to go around and he made his siren make that funny noise as to say, I’m pulling you over. 

As I proceeded to pull into the parking lot I am thinking to myself, hmmm I wonder why he’s pulling me over.  To make a long story short my tag had been out of date for several months.  Don’t ask me how that oversight happened; maybe it was the address change and I didn’t receive the reminder, who knows.  Nonetheless, I got a $132 ticket and I immediately went and took care of the tag business.  I called the court and the lady told me that I have several options as it relates to this particular ticket.  Those options are: 

1. Pay the $132 by phone, in person, online or by mail
2. Go to court and explain the situation and the judge could do one of three things: a.) Make me pay $132 b.) Reduce it to court costs of $88 or c.) Show me mercy and reduce it to $0.
3. Do nothing and I’m going to jail! 

I am going to leave it up to my blog readers and blogging friends to make the decision for me; if you choose option 2, I’ll keep you posted, if you choose option 3, I won’t be able to keep you posted. 

Which option should I choose?  You Decide 08’

First of all, I want to say that I don’t think you can get a better blog title for search engines to pick up than Google Google Google!  I like to use sitemeter to evaluate keywords and search phrases that bring people to BigIsTheNewSmall.  With my crazy post titles and my blog title being BigIsTheNewSmall, I get some funny, challenged, serious and ridiculous keyword searches to say the least.  I thought I would share some of my personal 15 favorite, recent and not so recent searches.  BTW- These are the only ones that I could share that were appropriate: 

1. the biggest butts ever
2. new small boobies
3. does billy graham eat pork
4. First Black President
5. size does matter
6. “Safe Toilet Syndrome”
7. a sonic restaurant inside of a church building
8. are sex offenders allowed around children
9. big christians make me sick
10. abortion is murder big deal not small
11. alcohol and nudity
12. big women new small man
13. Big Dallas small Anne J ackson
14. black people lifechurch.tv
15. Marriage stinks go to church
16. Bonus: Scott Williams is gay

Which one of these searches is your favorite?  Bloggers please share some of your crazy, ridiculous and funny keyword searches from your blog.

My family was having dinner this past Saturday after church at Chili’s; which is one of our favorite restaurants for consistency.  You can see the picture of my red hot smokin’ wife LaKendria, who is a stone cold fox, easily a 94 on a scale of 100 and my two striking, handsome young sons; Jayden (4) in my lap and Wesley (8).  As we were finishing up our food, my youngest son Jayden stated that he needed to use the restroom.  Before he blurted out what number he needed to do; my wife (LaKendria) quietly asked him what he needed to do.  Jayden informed us and the others around him that he needed to do “number 4.”  LOL!  Jayden, what did you say, did you say number 4?  LOL LOL!  LaKendria proceeded to ask Jayden what number 4 was.   Jayden responded quite boldly: “Number 4 is diarrhea!”  

Not only was this moment entertaining, but Jayden provided a valuable life and leadership lesson.  Many times as leaders, parents, spouses…. we accept things as though there are only number ones and number two’s.   

As Jayden clearly illustrated there are many variations of those numbers; as a matter of fact he just defined a new one, the number 4.  I will hear leaders, parents or people say; well that’s the way we do this or that, or we can’t do this or that…  The bottom line is that many times there is a number 4 option available, in whatever situation we are facing. In other words; look for the slight variation; it might be just enough to make a “Big Difference,” if you know what I’m saying.  Some of the world’s best leaders, top CEO’s, best marriages, success stories…  are a result of someone deciding to “take a Number 4.”

Do you find it difficult for yourself or others to look for that number 4?  Share your thoughts!  Also share any lessons have you learned from your children?

This past week LifeChurch.tv was named by Outreach Magazine as “The Most Innovative Church in America” for 2008.  Additionally, this past Sunday LifeChurch.tv gets rid of Church Members and instead is asking the people to partner for the cause of reaching people who are without Christ.  Craig’s message was powerful and really set the stage for a clear and Unstoppable Vision for LifeChurch.tv.  I want to share some bullet points from the message that were just awesome.  Here they are:  

•  No Church Members; instead “partners,” partnering together for “The Cause”

• We can accomplish more together and do more with less.

• We are not a Mega-Church, but a Micro-Church with a Mega Vision.

• If you don’t want to be “All In” here, go find another church!

• For those of us who committed before God to being partners, Craig prayed that we would be miserable if we didn’t honor our Commitment to God.  Ouch!  ”That was bold and I loved it!”

So what do you think about any of these bullet points…..?  Are you or your church willing to do anything short of sin to reach people without Christ?

There are several things that people say you shouldn’t talk about and I am going to talk about all three of them: Race, Politics and Religion.  These subjects can get kinda’ sticky, because people are just uncomfortable going there.  I have friends in the blogsphere who have been obliterated for appearing to support particular causes or candidates….   This can be a slippery slope especially as a pastor and leader of a congregation.  Okay blah blah blah, disclaimer, disclaimer. 

I’ll share some of my brief history and political experience because I know that God used those seasons to prepare me for what I’m doing today.  I have been a lobbyist, political activist, national political delegate, advisor to gubernatorial candidate, political consultant…….  In other words “Been there, done that!” 

You can mark it down on your calendar and take it to the bank; Barack Obama will be the next President and First Black President.  I don’t want you to get confused and think that I am supporting Obama; as a matter of fact, as of right now I will tell you straight-up that I am not voting for him.  I could have several series of posts about “Why Not”; however that’s not my agenda, purpose or season.  Here are the “Obama” momentum facts:

• Obama spanks Hillary in Iowa
• Bush, Gore and Kerry all won the Iowa Caucuses
• According to polls, a large percent of the U.S. is Anti-Bush and ready for change
• Republicans don’t have a chance this election, due to Anti-Bush sentiment
• Obama attracts a broad demographic of voters
• He’s talking moderation red state/blue state, republican/democrat
• He has the sexy, Hollywood, articulate and minority factor…
• He’s got the “O-Factor”, that would be Oprah

If you want to see part of Obama’s victory speech, you can see it here. Wow, I didn’t think the day would come this soon; in which I would say that we will have a Black President.  Not only will we have a Black President; I won’t be voting for him. 

Are we going to have The First Black President?  Share your thoughts!  Wow that’s a loaded question!  If you don’t want to go there; simply comment “No Thanks!”