I am Jamaica's husband, Foursquare's comm director, Personality's founder, and a catalyst for CFCC.
I'm also blogging at:
Personality™
Church Marketing Sucks
October 2007 Archives
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October 24, 2007
Big Bear With Comm Team
Filed under: Brad Works
Last Thursday and Friday I got to hang out with my Foursquare Communications team up in Big Bear, just 100 miles outside of Los Angeles. We do out-of-office things quite frequently, but this was the first time we did an overnight with the whole team.
Aside from a plethora of crazy delays and obstacles throughout the day on Thursday, it turned out to be a great time of bonding for the 13 of us. Our agenda was light, humor was flowing and the food was splendid. We talked a lot about our future and where we're going as a team. I appreciate moments like this because it inspires and motivates all of us.
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October 23, 2007
Personality Gets More Personality
Filed under: Brad Works
Earlier this month I hinted a little at the changes going on with Personality. We began communicating this stuff earlier this week and we'll continue to do so for the next several months.
Read about the changes over on the Personality blog.
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October 22, 2007
CMS Turns 1,000
Filed under: Brad Works
Last week, Church Marketing Sucks posted its 1,000th entry. It's been a fun ride that last few years. Who would have ever thought a little idea could turn into so much? My thanks to Kevin the man Hendricks for being with me from the beginning. He has done much of the heavy lifting. Props also to Josh Cody. Josh began volunteering earlier this year and has gone above and beyond.
I am grateful to be surrounded by a talented team that really cares about helping churches communicate better.
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October 16, 2007
The People Filter
Filed under: Big Ideal
What would my life look like if every single thought or action I had was filtered through the lens of "other people"?
- Education would be less about me acquiring knowledge and more about who I can share this with.
- Personal budgeting would be less about what I need and more about what I can give away.
- Marriage would be less about my needs and more about her needs.
- Business decisions would be less about the bottom line and more about the impact on my employees and clients (and their families, friends, etc.).
- Entertainment would be less about my thrills and more about inviting others to share in the joy.
- Praying would be less about what I want and more about what God wants.
- Church would be less about what it does for me and more about what it does for others.
- Sports would be less about competition and more about winning together.
- Government would be less about preserving and more about serving.
I know it sounds sort of utopian.
But a homeless Guy from Nazareth seemed to get it right.
I'd like to do the same.
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October 15, 2007
Laughter is Funny
Filed under: Big Ideal
On a recent flight from Los Angeles to Atlanta, I kept going back and forth between reading and working. About an hour into the flight the movie started playing and the guy next to me put on his headphones. Up until that point, he was doing absolutely nothing, except for whatever was going on his mind, which could have been more than I was doing for all I know. But that's not the point.
When I first boarded, I thought this guy would go crazy if all he is going to do is people-watch on a plane.
I don't know what movie was playing, but you could tell it was a comedy.
This guy next to me laughed the whole way through the movie.
Hysterical laughs.
I couldn't help but snag a photo of him to capture the joy.
Contagious.
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October 14, 2007
The Voice In My Head, Part 2
Filed under: Life's Journey
The same voice in my head from last week on my flight to LA also showed up this past Friday morning. It wasn't Jamaica this time, but it could have been.
It was 6:15 a.m. and I was walking to my curb-parked car after yawning my way down the elevator T.G.I.F.-ing.
I was five steps from the car and a homeless guy asked for a few bucks.
"I don't have anything in my pockets."
"Some spare change?"
"I don't have any."
The truth was that I didn't have any money in my pockets. I had the money in my day-planner.
The homeless guy scattered off looking for another pre-dawn giver.
The voice spoke up.
"You liar. You told the truth, but not the whole truth."
"You have twelve dollars in your day-planner and you know it."
I sat there for 60 seconds before rolling down the window.
"Hey man, here you go."
I gave him all of the cash I had on me and found out his name is Darryl.
"Have a good day, Darryl."
"You too."
I really don't have any cash on me.
I need to pay attention to the Voice.
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The Voice In My Head, Part 1
Filed under: Life's Journey
On the last flight of my multi-city trip last week, I shared it with Michael, a colleague I work with at Foursquare. It was a late-night flight from Cincinnati to Los Angeles. Traveling west, we would be getting more time and more tired with each passing hour.
Our seats were not booked together. I scored a bulkhead exit row right by the entrance to the plane. No seats in front of me. I could be the first one on and off. Nice.
I was in boarding group one because when you sit in a bulkhead, they want you on first to find a place for your bag. Michael was in group nine. His seat was five rows back. He walked by me as he boarded the plane and jeered at my location.
I was on the phone with Jamaica sharing the excitement about my seat assignment.
"Where is Michael sitting," asked my darling wife.
"A few rows back. He's got an aisle, he's fine."
"You should trade seats with him."
"I'm not trading seats. Besides, he's already got his bags stowed."
"You should give him your seat. You know that is the right thing to do."
After a few minutes of thanking God for my wonderfully supportive wife, I got Michael's attention and offered up my seat. "No thanks," he said, "I'll be fine." I insisted. Twice.
Ten minutes later we were both sitting in the same exit row. No one had checked in for the seats in my row. It was now our row.
I need to pay attention to the Voice.
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October 13, 2007
Random Quotes On A Saturday
Filed under: Life's Journey
I've been jotting several quotes this week that deserve more than a pithy ponder, but alas inspiration and motivation continue to compete with availability and priority.
- "People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed." Samuel Johnson
- Give people a way to belong and measure their significance. Patrick Lencioni
- Practical atheism: we believe God exists, but he doesn't in what we do. Craig Groeschel
- "Intentionally add value to people every day." John Maxwell
- "Systems create behavior." Andy Stanley
- "Redemption costs more than creation." Jack Hayford
- I want to be stunned by humility.
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October 11, 2007
Sir Francis Drake, Disturb Us
Filed under: God, Faith & Spirituality
Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.
Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.
We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.
-Sir Francis Drake, 1577
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October 10, 2007
Sex God
Filed under: Reading Room
I finished reading Sex God by Rob Bell during my week-long trip to Atlanta, Charlotte, and Christiansburg, Virginia, this past week. Great book. Way more about spirituality than sex, but leave it to Rob to raise eyebrows and book sales at the same time. Who wouldn't want to read a book that includes chapters such as "Leather, Whips, and Fruit" and "Whoopee Forever?"
The big takeaway for me is how Rob breaks down the concept of angels and animals. Although both were created before humans, the important thing is that humans are not angels and humans are not animals.
When we aspire to live like angles (all spirit), we forget that we're also physical beings. And when we're all physical (like animals without spirit), we forget that there is so much more to life. This is the beauty of humanity. We're spirit and body. Physical and spiritual. We're both. Rob says, "Living like angels can be just as destructive as living like animals."
How we live matters because God made us human.
Which means we aren't angels.
And we aren't animals.
Is sex a picture of heaven?
"...marriage is always about something bigger than itself. It's two people, in their unconditionally loving embrace of each other, showing each other in flesh and blood what God is like. These two are naked, and they feel no shame."
"To pursue being naked, you have to believe that this person is worth getting to know for the rest of your lives. Being naked is peeling back the layers, conversation after conversation, experience after experience, year after year. It's rooted in a belief that the soul has infinite depth and you'll never get to the bottom of it."
"To be known fully and still loved, still embraced, still accepted" is what people "crave in sex."
Rob opens the book talking about creation. He reminds us that how we treat creation is a direct reflection for how we feel about the creator. From the way we treat earth to the way we treat people, it's directly connected to how we feel about God.
Sex God.
Exploring the endless connections between sexuality and spirituality.
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October 4, 2007
Getting Out the Guitar
Filed under: Life's Journey
I pulled out the guitar again after six years of collecting dust and started taking lessons this month. I forgot everything I learned so I'm starting all over. I want to learn how to play because it's a discipline outside of my normal learning path. I don't want to be a rock star or even play in public. Sometimes I wish I did want to be the next Jimi Hendrix because I'd be a little more motivated to learn. Learning without significance is frustrating!
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October 3, 2007
Promo Video for a Book
Filed under: Stuff I Like
I really like it when books have promo videos that communicate the big idea. It seems like a contradiction to have a video promote a book (different audiences, less room for imagination, etc.), but a 1-3 minute teaser for a book is brilliant.
I saw a book promo video today for Shalom Auslander's new book, Foreskin's Lament.
As if the title of the book alone wouldn't pique your interest--the video certainly does. Love it!
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October 1, 2007
Personality Weekend of Wow
Filed under: Brad Works
This past Friday and Saturday were packed full of Personality highs and lows. For the last couple years, Personality has been going through some awkward growth spurts--much like any pre-teen might experience. We've been slowly growing out of our "childhood" design studio skin and learning how to fit in and get in to what we're good at and passionate about. The journey has been frustrating to say the least, including an identity crisis as we figure out who in the heck we really are.
I have been very transparent with the Personality team along the way because it obviously affects us all. Early this year, everyone knew that we would have to have some significant breakthroughs in new business if we were going to have a shot at the bright future we all signed up for.
Continue reading "Personality Weekend of Wow"
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