Big Is The New Small

There are tons of people joining Twitter every day and more people who have questions about how to make their Twitter Experience a Smarter Experience.  Below are some Basic Twitter Tips to Help You Tweet Smarter.

Share your thoughts on the list.  What Twitter Basics can you add to the list?

I remember having a conversation with a pastor friend of mine who happens to be a female.  She was sharing the various unique things that women in the church struggle with and things they have confided in her.  One of the things that she shared made me have one of those “hmm” moments.  She stated that women that she’s talked w/ in various churches struggle with the fact that They Think Their Pastor’s Sexy!  Not to be confused with the popular country music song “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy.” Not only do they think their Pastor’s Sexy, but they struggle with their mind and eyes wandering into inappropriate places.  It becomes a challenge because they will have these lustful thoughts as their pastor is speaking. The same can be true for men with a female pastors or lust in general.

Many pastors teach the concept out of the book Every Mans Battle called “Bouncing Your Eyes” in other words don’t keep your eyes focused on someone of the opposite sex for too long.   Keeping your eyes moving can keep you out of trouble.  This is something that is stereotypically geared towards guys… but what about the ladies?  There is a book called Every Womans Battle, although I have not heard anything about the content.

After my conversation with my female pastor friend; it’s probably fair for me to make the assumption that there are women sitting in pews and seats of churches all around the country that may be struggling with the inability to “Bounce Their Eyes.”  As their eyes are having to fixated on their “Sexy Pastor,” who happens to be in front of them for relatively lengthy periods of time each and every week.  The fact that their pastor is a man of God, tells great stories and seems to be rather put together only increases the the sexiness factor.

The thoughts running through their head might be something like this: He’s Hot, I like that suit, Are those True Religion Jeans, He’s so spiritual, I wish my husband treated me like that, He’s so Handsome, Nice Hair, He dresses so fly, I can tell he’s been working out, He’s so considerate, I know he’s married but, I would, I wonder if I can share that with him, I bet he… After thinking these thoughts, their mind wanders for a moment or two or three or four and unfortunately, this cycle can repeat itself on a weekly basis.  The Bible says this… ”But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:28  Ladies this passage applies to you as well, so please Stop Lusting After Your Pastor!

God created us with a unique ability to train and control our eyes, actions and mind.  Exercise your ability and gain control.

Do women get a pass? Is this a problem? How does play into the overall adultery scheme of things? Share your thoughts.

GUEST BLOGGER: Today’s guest post comes from @JoyBowen.  Joy helps churches have a greater impact on the next generation as an Orange Specialist (www.WhatisOrange.org).  She gives away her art on www.ImpulsiveJoy.com. If you would like to be a guest blogger for BigIsTheNewSmall.com, click here.

Art was my least favorite subject in school.  To this day, I can still only draw a stick figure at best.  Since I have no natural giftedness, I have never attempted to get better at it.

Although I can barely color within the lines, it may surprise you to know that I now consider myself an artist.  I think we all are actually.

Seth Godin has been challenging me to see art in a whole new light.  I now believe that art has very little to do with anything I ever did in art class growing up and everything to do with the passion God gave me for ministry.

“An artist is someone who uses bravery, insight, creativity and boldness to challenge the status quo.  And an artist takes it personally.”  (Linchpin, p. 83)

If you have been leading in ministry for any amount of time, chances are you are coming up against the status quo of what has always been.  But the church needs artists, like you and me, who will continue to push at what is cultural so that we never lose sight of what is core.

And your art should bring you joy.

It should bring you so much joy that you can’t help but share it with others.  Your ministry – your artwork – is not meant to adorn the walls of your church.  Art is a gift.

“You cannot create a piece of art merely for money.  Doing it as part of commerce so denudes art of wonder that it ceases to be art.  There’s always a gift intent on the part of the artist.” (Linchpin, p. 85)

Our challenge in ministry is to look beyond ourselves to see how we can live a life of generosity without reciprocity.   If your art brings you joy, share it with anyone who will pause to take it in and be transformed by the experience.

Because the reality is, there are many leaders in ministry today who need artists.  So if you are passionate about what you do, give it away so it can change someone else.  I promise you, your gift will actually come back to you….in the joy you receive when you have impact on those who receive your labor of love.

So, do you consider yourself an artist?

Food For Thought…  There is BIG power in a small quote.  ~BigIsTheNewSmall

• If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. ~John Quincy Adams
• A leader must have the courage to act against an expert’s advice. ~James Callaghan
• Inventories can be managed, but people must be led. ~Ross Perot
• It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that things are difficult. ~Seneca
• Leadership can be thought of as a capacity to define oneself to others in a way that clarifies and expands a vision of the future. ~Edwin Friedman
• The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it. ~Theodore Roosevelt
• The real leader has no need to lead – he is content to point the way.  ~Henry Miller
• If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the shoulder of giants. ~Isaac Newton
• A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go but ought to be. ~Rosalynn Carter
• A great leader doesn’t care about being the leader, but instead cares about the mission, the vision and the people they are leading. ~Scott Williams

Thoughts, comments or favorites from the above list. Share other personal favorites!

It truly breaks my heart every time that I hear about people having affairs; especially those who have been entrusted with a leadership role.  It doesn’t matter whether we are talking about the President, Politicians, Teachers, Pastors, Coaches, Worship Leaders, Sports Superstars…  These individuals who have been blessed and entrusted with the responsibility of leadership influence should hold that influence tightly, lightly and responsibly all at the same time.

Honestly, as a pastor this selfish cheating mess is probably one of the most frustrating/irritating areas to counsel people through; especially when the individuals don’t seem to understand the impact of their selfish actions.  Not only do they not realize the impact, but they would have probably continued if they hadn’t gotten caught.  This tragedy can also be one of the most rewarding areas to celebrate/praise on the other side, through total repentance and legitimate restoration.

I know people may say Scott you are naive and it can happen to anybody, but I say this with all the humility I can muster up “IT DOESN’T HAVE TO HAPPEN TO ANYBODY!”  I read through 1 Corinthians 6 again today and I don’t care what version I read, The Message, New Century or NIV, they all communicated the same thing.  Run, Flee, Your Body Is A Temple, You Were Bought By God For a Price.  As Christ Followers and especially as Christian Leaders; we don’t get to pick and choose how we act.  We are held to a higher standard and if we can really do all things through Christ who gives us strength; I have to believe that “all things” encompasses honoring our covenant vows before God and to our spouse.

None of us are perfect, we all sin, we all fall short, we all know right from wrong and I would argue that even a non-believer understands that they are not supposed to cheat on their spouse. Marriage is serious, Treat It As Such!

A word to Pastors, Leaders or anyone else who is cheating, flirting or going down that road: Stop, Flee, Run and Pray.  Proverbs 5:5 talks about the adulteress woman this way, She’s dancing down the primrose path to Death; she’s headed straight for Hell and taking you with her.

Satan doesn’t have any power over you, only the power to deceive.  If you’re choosing to go down this road of deception, ultimately Satan is Playing you like a drum and Pimpin’ you like a prostitute!

Pastors, Leaders, People…  Stop Having Affairs!  Thank You!

Meetings, Meetings, Meetings…  Many people believe that Meetings Make Them Better.  Because of this belief system they will have a lot of meetings and will even schedule a meeting to schedule meeting.  This belief system is inaccurate and unproductive.  Often time’s meetings are unnecessary, unproductive and make you worse.  You just sit around and talk instead of believing in your people and releasing them to go Get er’ Done!

Don’t get me wrong there can be some amazing epiphanies that come out of meetings.  They key is to understand that it’s not the process of the meetings that breeds success it’s the strategy, confrontation, dialogue, thinking and ultimately the implementation of what I call “Success Plans” that ultimately creates the success.   These Success Plans vary from individual to individual and organization to organization.

Meetings Don’t Make You Better, Success Plans Do!

Meeting is defined as – the act of coming together.

Strategy is defined as – a plan, method, or series of maneuvers or strategy for obtaining a specific goal or result.

Meetings Don’t Make You Better, Strategy and Success Plans Do.

If teams and organizations would focus more on the implementation of their “Success Plan” and less time meeting, their results would be exponentially greater.  The bottom line is that meetings cut into our time, which happens to be our most valuable resource.  A good first step in implementing a Success Plan is to change the way you do meetings.

Below are some strategies to create more opportunities for success and less time for meetings.

• If a meeting is regularly scheduled for 1 hour, change it to 45 minutes.
• If you can handle it with a brief water cooler chat; don’t schedule a meeting.
• Require only the necessary people to attend particular meetings
• Conduct a quarterly meeting assessment. (What’s working, what’s not, changes…)
• Discourage unnecessary surfing the web, e-mailing, chatting during the meeting.
• Know your employees and facilitate types of meetings that motivate them.
• Change the setting – Starbucks, Golf Course, Restaurants, Outside, Different location…
• Get rid of the PowerPoint presentations; too much prep time and nobody cares.
• Get everyone involved; encourage everyone’s contribution.
• If an email or video will serve the purpose, don’t call a meeting.
• Ask your employees to honestly evaluate the productivity of the meetings.
• Don’t get me started on conference calls.

Share your thoughts and experiences with meetings.  Do they make you better?

I am an Apple fan, for too many reasons to name and not enough reasons to complain.  My entire family has the iPhone including my Wife, 11yo and 7yo.  My 7yo.’s is an iPod touch for all intents and purposes, because it’s not activated.  I have a MacBook Pro, which definitely thinks like I think.

I debated for weeks and tried to talk myself into getting the latest addition to the Forbidden Fruit Family, the iPad.  I was getting close to talking myself into it, when my amazing wife and children surprised me with an iPad on Father’s Day.  They also got me the wireless keyboard and a Dodo Case. I have come to really like my iPad and I will share 10 brief reasons why.

10 Reasons I Like My iPad

• 1.  It looks and feels amazing.
• 2.  The Internet processing is really fast.
• 3.  The apps are more robust and quite enlarged.
• 4.  My kids think its cool and playing Angry Birds for them is twice the fun.
• 5.  It is combining my computer, phone, moleskin, doodling paper, sticky notes… into 1 place.
• 6.  I can do my writing with a good sized virtual keyboard and transfer word documents w/ Pages app.
• 7.  I can record the audio of any meeting and take random typewritten notes.  I can later go back and click that typewritten portion of the notes and it will take me to that audio portion of the meeting with the SoundPaper app.
• 8.  I can use it for preaching, weddings, leadership talks etc.
• 9.  Dodo Case makes it look professional and like I’m carrying a moleskin notebook. (see pic above)
• 10.  The ebook reader is amazing, the iPad is quick and handy, it’s replacing me carrying around my laptop, it’s cool, it’s practical, it’s a conversation starter, reading the Bible is awesome, the games are better…  I could go on and on!

What are the reasons you like your iPad?  If you don’t have one are you debating getting one?  Do you simply say, I’d never get one.

This journey we call life is filled with plenty of hills and mountains.  It’s important that we understand the difference between the hill and the mountain.  Although they both may impede your speed and cause you to press harder, the way we should handle them is totally different.

If you will simply take a step back from the situation you’re facing, you’ll be able to visualize the other side, especially if it’s a hill.  If it’s a mountain, you have to prepare for a lengthy journey, press hard and head towards the top… one step at a time.  Often times people mistake the hills for mountains and they give up too quickly.  Don’t Give Up… A breakthrough is on the other side of that hill that you think is a mountain.

Don’t Mistake Hills For Mountains!

No matter what you’re facing today, realize that every major accomplishment began with a single step.  A single step, which led to the other side of the hill and to the top of the mountain.

How are you handling your Hills and Mountains?

LOOK WELL TO THIS DAY

Look well to this day,
For it and it alone is life.
In its brief course
Lie all the essence of your existence:

The Glory of Growth
The Satisfaction of Achievement
The Splendor of Beauty

For yesterday is but a dream,
And tomorrow is but a vision.
But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness,
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

~Anonymous 50 B.C.

I have been amazed at how God continues to bless little ol’ me.  I mean seriously, every time I turn around there is a blessing in front of me, as well as an opportunity to be a blessing. I’m listening to God’s Whispers, being sensitive to The Spirit and walking through doors that He cracks open.

Good or Bad… It’s All Good!

It has been heavy on my heart the amount of appreciation that I have for all of the blessings that God continues to place in my life. It’s also been heavy on my heart that I don’t say Thank You Jesus enough.  Good or Bad, it doesn’t matter what we go through; what matters is how we go through it. I will choose to go through the various doors of life with a heart of thanksgiving.

It’s not merely about the outward expression, it’s more about the inner appreciation that rests deep inside my heart. God, I will praise You more and more and more, “That my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.” Psalm 30:12

Good Or Bad… It’s All Good! Thank You Jesus!

I Need To Say Thank You Jesus More Often…  Do You?

I Will Say Thank You Jesus More Often… Will You?

I Will Always Remember This – Good Or Bad… It’s All Good! Will You?