Big Is The New Small

I wanted to capture a snapshot of the Things Twitterers Like About Twitter; so I sent out a simple tweet:  “Tweeps I need your help for a blog post. Answer question in 140 or less “What do you like about twitter?” your @replies will be my post! thx”  

The bottum line is that Twitter is about connectedness: connecting people to one another, connecting people to products/services, connecting people to information, connecting connecting connecting.

Here is my response along with the response of 49 other random Twitterers:

1. @ScottWilliams  Simple yet powerful way to share, market, connect, influence, learn from, minister to,  pray for & {Fist Bump} people from around the Globe!
2. @kentshaffer  Hyperconnectivity
3. @photographerabi  way to get to know people better.Makes me think more about my actions,since i generally report them to the world now.
4. @amandasims In the words of my favorite musical, Rent, Twitter creates “connection in an isolating age.”
5. @rebeccagood  twitter helps stay connected with the people I love & respect. I also luv hearing what God is doing.
6. @dustytakle  It makes me feel like I really know people I otherwise wouldn’t really get to know. Take Scott Williams for example.
7. @ichilly  140 clicks of love
8. @streetforce  Twitter lets you get straight to the point with no chaser. 140 characters or die!
9. @paulmccord  I love Twitter because I can send or receive information via SMS on my phone when there is no Internet available
10. @GodsMac   I’ve really enjoyed the impromptu chats with others after a notice on Twitter. It’s best when God speaks through our tweets.
11. @mikekell  Twitter makes my life a big chat room with my students.
12. @mbstockdale  Easy to find
13. @manymeadows  a good place for blog updates, prayer requests, meeting people, knowing their bidness oh, and {fist bumps}
14. @rick_smith  the ability to connect with so many people in “real time”- and then meeting some of those people in “real” life…
15. @eduininnovation TW is intersectional. It brings people from all points geographic, ideology, beliefs, ideas vocationally – acess 2 each other
16. @wading4u  I love the exposure I get to such a wide variety of knowledge, information, and world views on all kinds of subjects.
17. @allboutworship a place to vent and attract those who may want to stalk me. However, I haven’t had anyone takers. I guess I’m too boring.
18. @MrsmichelleH415 I can track what my friends are doing or thinking about without having to call them
19. @IlliniPhil   I love hearing from people whom I otherwise would be unable to talk to personally.
20. @joshsur  Building friendships with guys like you, learning from leaders like you, and ragging people like you when your team loses
21. @jaystenmanheart  finding and connecting w/ like minded ppl all over the globe. Sharing and learning from others day to day experience
22. @joshuawhite   // the people. as I’m sitting 2400 miles from home, living with and hanging out with people I met through twitter.
23. @jaysoncurlee  The ability to connect and build relationship is what I love about twitter.
24. @inworship  far reaching relationships. That become reality.
25. @princessjes  i can stock u! Jk…connectedness! Im all about it.
26. @benjordan  Twitter is like having a team of researchers who find the coolest things on the internet for me. And they love me for me.
27. @GregAtkinson  Twitter helps me get a pulse on culture and listen to people.
28. @tmoran777  I like twitter for the networking capabilities.
29. @visionsxpressed  I’m a newborn tweep as of yesterday, and I’m not sure what I like until I get my tweep feet planted firmly on tweep ground.
30. @jett_forrest   I like that I can help people and find people with similar interests.
31. @rtbryant  seeing the REAL people being REAL, sharing their day and thoughts.
32. @lestyoubejudged  Meeting new people and finding new perspecitves on things.
33. @stephybarlow  the daily devotionals and inspiring thoughts everyone shares. I really enjoy them!!
34. @theresa162  what I like about Twitter is that it is a quick way to say hi, get updates, see pics, be sent to websites, read reviews.
35. @jake_roberts   I like how I can easily keep track of people I would otherwise have no connection with!
36. @richhopkins  building relationships across wide scope of locations, professions & characterizations Many Tweeters I NEVER wouldve known.
37. @danscott77  connecting with fine people like you! love watching real people live real life and feeling like I’m a small part of it.
38. @NickolausSmith  Quick easy and fun (that’s what she said) I enjoy keeping up with people I really don’t see much….
39. @AdamLehman  I like connecting.
40. @CaseySimplified  The simplicity of it. Forces people to find ways of expressing themselves in short, sweet, and condensed “tweets”.
41. @VisionSphere  It Aids What Is my Real Primary Purpose of the Internet-Preacher Perception.
42. @aaronalexander  i love the connection. we’re meant for community, and this is a great community to be a part of.
43. @mguerard  I like the instant news. I like finding Christians all over the place. I like the local/national ‘community.’
44. @daveingland  a great way to communicate efficiently and concisely. twitter connects us to a world of people we may not know otherwise.
45. @VoteMikeJones  the limitations make me a more effective (precise) communicator. When you have less you need less.
46. @aubreysanchez  // It allows me to learn from people I would never have been able to learn from.
47. @WildBillAycock  in a work schedule where I don’t have a lot of community. Twitter helps me stay connected.
48. @Yochanan  like the fact that it makes networking & building relationships with other leaders so simple.
49. @mkokc  in a town like okc, it seems like twitter community has become a nice little family. People helping people. {fistbumps, too}
50. @jasonstover  I can actually keep up w/some of my lifegroup peeps every day, like @brandonaldson, @erryngray. Just 1 more way 2 do life!

What do you like about Twitter?  Share your thoughts in general or thoughts on any of these 50 things?

Let’s Keep the list going… Share what you like about Twitter in 140 characters or less!

THE RANDOM FRIDAY FIVE

1. lost, it sucks to loose, Stoops is still a great coach, Gresham and Bradford should both go to the NFL, my Sooners are ranked #6 in B-ball…  “Defeat should never be a source of discouragement but rather a fresh stimulus.”
2. If you are not signed up on Twitter or TokBox, you should be.  Follow me on Twitter here!
3. If you have linked BigIsTheNewSmall to your blog; let me know so I can add you to my blogroll.
4. Looking forward to B-ball kicking back off for my sons this weekend… little league b-ball is comical.
5. This is the 2nd. week of the LifeChurch.tv “I love My Church” series; I will be hanging out at the Internet Campus this weekend for a bit, you should stop by.

Share your random Friday thoughts!  Don’t forget to let me know if I need to show you some LinkLuv and add you to my blogroll!

Thanks for reading & Have a blessed weekend!  Transcend The Isms…

“Do You” It’s a Statement, Not a Question.  It’s a statement that I came up with to describe “being yourself.”  Many times we go through life and try to imitate the likes of other people.  You know what I’m talking about, you find some attributes that you admire in a boss, friend, public figure, family member, mentor… and attempt to replicate those things and literally try to become that person.  I am not saying that you shouldn’t acknowledge and learn from others strengths; I’m simply saying you need to “Do You,” in other-words find your own voice/identity in those attributes… don’t be Imitation. 

When I went into ministry with LifeChurch.tv, I was surrounded by a lot of gifted leaders with some serious “skilz.”  It would have been easy for me to gravitate towards their style, way of thinking and cultural elements, that I could have lost my own identity and originality. I have intentionally not allowed that to happen, because at the end of the day that’s not who they hired me to be… that’s not who God made me to be. 

In life you must learn to embrace the values, DNA, culture, expectations, traditions… of an organization, relationship or system.  While embracing these things you must find Your Voice, ”Do You” and not be an Imitation.   Leaders should encourage their staff to be themselves, find their voice, keep it real… Who wants a bunch of Mimi-Me’s running around?

“Trust yourself. Think for yourself. Act for yourself. Speak for yourself. Be yourself. Imitation is suicide.”~Marva Collins  “Imitating Christ is Life!”

Do You! Do Christ! Do Christ in You!

• Do you find it difficult to “Do You”?   Are you loosing your identity?  Do You? “Do You!”
• Share your thoughts & experiences!

“The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership.”   ~Harvey Firestone, Founder of Firestone Tires

Let’s take the quote above from Harvey Firestone as the premise for defining The Best Leader.  It’s not enough just to lead a group, inspire some people, be liked by many, have a title, have some success…   Those are just steps in becoming The Best Leader. 

In my opinion the University of Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops is “The Best Leader,” and it’s not because he is loved by the Sooner Nation, he has the Title of Head Coach, that he can inspire others, or that he has won a National Championship.  The reason he is The Best Leader is because of his growth and development of the people around him primarily the coaches on his staff.  Since Bob Stoops has been head coach at Oklahoma look at how many assistants have gone on to be NCAA Div. 1 Head Coaches:

• Mike Leach- Texas Tech
• Mark Mangino- Kansas
• Kevin Sumlin- Houston
• Chuck Long- San Diego State
• Mike Stoops- Arizona   
• Bo Pelini- Nebraska

This is an amazing coaching tree and they are all doing a great job with the exception of Chuck Long; as a matter of fact Kansas, Arizona, Houston all recently won their bowl games.  I am a firm believer that, as a leader it’s about the leaders that we produce.  When I was a Warden, I wanted to and did produce other Wardens and not just other Chiefs of Security or Deputy Wardens.  Go Make More Head Coaches…  Not Assistant Coaches, but rather Head Coaches!  BTW- Bob Stoops will be the best Coach tomorrow… Boomer Freakin’ Sooner!

• As a leader are you about making head coaches or are you staff just part of the team?
• What are your thoughts and or experiences?

Christians Make Me Sick when they are judgmental, hypocritical, self-centered, weird and just plain stupid.  You know the ones who think it’s all about them, their style of worship, their style of music, their style of dress…   They only want to hang out with people who look like them, people who act like them and people who have the same supercilious attitude they have.  Heaven forbid them being willing interact with prostitutes, bar-hoppers, addicts, homeless, poor, prison inmates, individuals whom are of “The World…” you know, the least of these.

Do you know some Christians who make you sick?  Are you sometimes that Christian that makes yourself sick?  Personally, I am sometimes that Christian who makes myself sick; however I try to be that Christian that honors what Christ teaches, which is the antithesis of everything I have just discussed.  Here are some thoughts and questions to ponder:

• When was the last time you had a conversation with someone who was poor, homeless, drug-addicted, incarcerrated and “Of the World?”
• When was the last time that you or your church contributed your time, resources or money towards doing something significant for a needy part of your community?
• When you go to church is it all about what you can get, or is it about what you can give?
• Does the term “Seeker Church” seem weird or refer to someonelse’s ministry and not yours?
• Have you shared your faith with someone today or this week?

It’s time to get sick and tired of sick and tired Christians; however at the end of the day we must pray that God will change their our heart.  Do Christians Make You Sick?  Share your thoughts!

It’s something about using the word sucks in a blog title that really grabs peoples attention.  I am not saying that “Church Diversity Sucks” for shock value, I am simply stating a fact.  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said it best nearly 40 years ago, when he said “We must face the sad fact that at 11 o’clock on Sunday morning, when we stand to sing… we stand in the most segregated hour in America.”  It’s hard to believe that same statement is still true today, for both Traditional “African American” Churches, Traditional “White” Churches, Contemporary Churches…

The Church in general does not have a problem worshipping God with people who might look different than themselves; however if you put a truth serum in people, Church Diversity is one of those uncomfortable, Black Elephant in the Room topics that people really don’t want to discuss.  When you talk about race or diversity in general; a non-minority response will sound something like “I don’t have a problem w/ race, I don’t even pay attention to skin color, I have a good friend who is Black, I have a pair of Black Boots, and I even have a colored TV.”  Maybe not the last two LOL, but you get the drift.  

It’s important for churches, ministries, church leaders and “The Church” to understand the difference between Embracing Diversity and Tolerating Diversity. According to Webster’s Dictionary, the two terms are defined as follows:

• Tolerating means: To put up with or endure without prohibition.
• Embracing means: To take or receive gladly, eagerly or willingly. 

There is a huge difference between Embracing and Tolerating Diversity; it boils down to intentionality.  If we are to “go and make disciples of all nations,” we need to be intentional and Embrace Diversity.

If you are being honest, do you feel like you, your church and “The Church” overall Embraces or Tolerates Diversity?  Does Church Diversity Suck?  What churches are doing a good job with Diversity? Share your thoughts!

Updated 6/14/09 BigIsTheNewSmall.com is in the process of going through a total makeover of look, brand and feel.   I know BigIsTheNewSmall.com has many faithful readers who have been around for quite sometime (Thank You!); however there have been many new peeps & tweeps visiting as well.  I would like to know who you are and where you’re from… it’s that simple. RSS readers please join in as well by answering the 3 simple questions below: In addition, if you have linked BigIsTheNewSmall.com please let me know so we can add you to the new and upcoming rotating blogroll!

Roll Call…

• Name? (Real Name & Twitter @name)
• Location?
• Website/Blog Address?  (If applicable)

Thanks in advance… I’ll Go First!

Remember: You can subscribe to BigIsTheNewSmall.com here.

In ’08 I had a bunch of fun growing, leading, connecting, thinking and working on a number of different projects.  A cool project for me in ’08 was shooting a video for a for a message on Envy; as the video was shot in a prison that I was formerly the Warden of.  It was a reminder of the merging of a previous season of my life (corrections), with my current season of life (ministry).   Nick Jones shot the video and he is amazing; I taught the “Envy” Message at Flamingo Road Church in South Florida.

As we go into ’09 let’s be content with the things that God has blessed us with and stop trying to keep up with the Jones’.  Take a look at this short “Envy” video and reflect the things that you may have been imprisoned to in ’08, that you refused to be imprisoned to in ’09. We are Not “Keepin’ Up With The Jones’ in ’09.”

Hostage – Envy from Nick Jones on Vimeo.

’08 Was Unpredictable… 09′ Let’s Predict

2008 is about to officially be a wrap and wow what an epic year it was.  There was a lot that happened in 2008 that even the best Las Vegas odds makers could not have predicted.  Here is a list of 8 unpredictable stories for ’08:

1. Hillary Clinton Looses & Barack Obama Wins
2. Michael Phelps Wins 7 Gold Medals
3. Gas went from $4.37 a gallon to $1.37 a gallon
4. The Stock Market, Wall Street & Mainstreet Crash
5. Starbucks closes hundreds of stores
6. Detroit Lions go 0-16 (Not so surprising)
7. 70% of all Twitter users joined in ’08
8. We can’t forget Sarah Palin

Share any unpredictable ’08 stories; in addition make some ’09 unpredictable predictions…  I’ll Go First!

As a leader it’s important to set the tone for your team or organization; as to how to handle difficult or crisis situations.  If the leader wigs out, stresses out or has a heart attack during high stress or crisis situations; there will always be undertones of that stress transferred to the rest of the team. 

When I was a Warden in the prison system I developed a particular philosophy and mindset; as it related to handling high stress or crisis situations.  As you can imagine running a prison presented daily potentially high stress, crisis and potentially life & death situations.  The mindset and saying that I created was: ”There is nothing that we can’t begin to fix in 5 Minutes and 5 Phone Calls.”    I trained my Chief of Security and my Officers to not sweat the small stuff and embrace the fact that crisis situations will happen… it’s not about the situation it’s about how you handle the situation.

If there was a full-blown prison riot the process within the first 5 Minutes would be to make the following 5 Phone Calls:

1. Call Local Law Enforcement
2. Call Me “The Warden”
3. Call The Department of Corrections Liaison
4. Call Vice President of Operations
5. Call Media/PR Representative

This mindset puts all situations; including crisis situation into the perspective of: “When there is a problem; whether it be work related or personal… there is the beginning to a solution around the corner.”  Quit Trippin’, Tell Your Boss to Quit Trippin’, Stop Wiggin’ Out and realize that every situation including life & death ones can can begin to be fixed in “5 Minutes and 5 Phone Calls.”

• Have you experienced leaders in crisis situations either: wigg out or taking the 5 Minute and 5 Phone Call approach?  Thoughts, Discuss!  

Quit Trippin’… Transcend The isms