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QUICK READER POLL - Help Shape This Blog!

7.02.2009 | 48 Comments

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE FLOWERDUST.NET READER POLL

During this blogging down time, I will probably sporadically update but it won’t be consistent. Brad is in the process of redesigning the look and functionality, and in order to make this the best experience for you, I would LOVE for you to take a quick Reader Survey.

I shamelessly stole this idea (and most of the questions) from my friend Mike Hyatt. It’s around 20 questions and most are multiple choice. It should take you just a minute to complete and will provide me with valuable information to make FlowerDust.net even more applicable and encouraging to you.

If you take the survey, leave a comment and be entered in a contest to win an autographed copy of Mad Church Disease (which, by the way, if you have ordered or won any in the last two weeks, I am doing my best to find them. They are still packed from our move and as soon as I unpack them, will ship them out to you!)

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE FLOWERDUST.NET READER POLL

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Taking Another Blogging & Twitter Break

6.29.2009 | 8 Comments

At least for a little while. Be back soon.

Somewhere we know that without silence words lose their meaning, that without listening speaking no longer heals, that without distance closeness cannot cure. - Henri Nouwen

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BOOK GIVEAWAY - 200 Pomegranates and an Audience of One

6.25.2009 | 94 Comments

200-pomegranates

One of the “second opinions” in Mad Church Disease was written by my friends Shawn Wood. I met Shawn at a conference three years ago. Shawn did a talk called “Brand Schizophrenia” which he ended with what he called “the artist’s mandate.” The mandate was pretty simple and as an artist right up my alley.

Here is how Shawn puts it: We are all artists (Moms, web developers, baseball players, single dads, CEOs, Authors, Pastors etc.) and we have a mandate from God to be Great at the art we produce. The mandate is simply living a life of influence and meaning in a way that will affect others and leave a legacy that all shines back to the master artist that saved us all - Jesus.

There was a publisher at that conference and that simple mandate turned into a book that encourages everyone to be artists called 200 Pomegranates and an Audience of One.

Shawn is a story teller. It’s a great story. I like great stories. So, I wanted to give away ten copies of a great story.

As with all book giveaways I would love to give you all one, but alas I only have a limited number…so here is how you can win.

Leave a comment to this post with your favorite book that we should all be reading this summer and a few of you will get the chance to have a autographed copy of 200 Pomegranates and an Audience of One sent your way soon!

Use Tweet This below to double your chances!

**MORE FREE BOOKS**
Shawn’s second book Wasabi Gospel comes out in August and I heard a rumor that he is setting up a book bomb and blog tour for July 8, 2009 - contact him at shawn@shawnwoodwrites.com if you want score a free copy of Wasabi Gospel (and an advance digital copy to boot) by being a part of the tour! Only 100 free books available so act fast!

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BOOK GIVEAWAY: From Eternity to Here

6.11.2009 | 119 Comments

Every once in a while, you’ll stumble on an author who makes you say, “That’s exactly what I’ve been feeling!” Someone, somewhere found the ability and artistry to take an emotion and name it. But not only do they label it, they expound on it. Where did this emotion come from? What does it mean? Where is it taking me? What should I do with it?

But perhaps more profound is the experience of community. You realize you’re not alone in feeling or thinking a particular way.

You’re not going crazy.

And if you are, at least someone’s going there with you.

Such is the case with my friend Frank Viola. Eons ago (in social media world, that translates into about six months), Frank sent me a message on Facebook, humbly introducing himself. As if I didn’t already know who he was and didn’t already devour every word he and George Barna wrote in the book Pagan Christianity. Still, I tried to play it cool.

eternity_9kb1 He had a new book releasing called From Eternity to Here and wanted to know if I’d take a look. I told him I needed to think about it. I was scared. Pagan Christianity messed me up enough and because I was in a busy season of life, I couldn’t afford to lose my sanity. He sent it anyway, and I waited until just recently to read it.

Frank writes with a style you almost wouldn’t expect. Very very smart people with lots of letters after their name review and discuss his work and use lots of Greek words I kind of remember from the one Bible class I took ten years ago. I was intimated. I didn’t need to be.

Poetically, thought-provokingly, and, as the academics would say, very very smartly Frank unfolds the story of God’s heartbeat. His mission. His love.

One of my favorite takeaways from From Eternity to Here says this about Mary of Magdala.

“Indeed, Mary of Magdala is a study in undying love. I ask you: What provoked such unending devotion? It was simply this: Mary believed the Lord’s opinion of her. She took His opinion of herself rather than her own. In doing so, love was awakened within her own heart for Christ…

Therefore, the next time you feel condemnation over your past, please remember this one thing: The first person to lay eyes upon the resurrected Lord was a former prostitute.

God chose Mary Magdalene from the foundation of the world, knowing the kind of life she would live. And He chose you and me from the foundation of the world, knowing full well all the mistakes we would make this side of the veil.

You have a Lord who wishes to cherish you. Neither your fallen nature nor your sins are an obstacle for Him. He has dealt with them thoroughly, completely, and willingly by His death and resurrection.

Never forget: This God of yours allowed a prostitute to love Him extravagantly in the house of a Pharisee. Such is the wonder of the sacred romance into which every believer has been swept up. So go in peace, and love your Lord like Mary did.”

Dang, y’all.

I asked Frank if I could give ten copies of From Eternity to Here away for our Thursday book giveaway, to which he kindly complied. Assuming you didn’t already click on the link and buy it yourself, here’s how you can win.

To be entered, leave a comment with something you’ve always wondered (For example, mine would be “Am I the only one who wonders why blog posts on missions or social justice don’t get half the traffic of a book giveaway post?”) - and be entered. I’ll pick winners next Thursday and they shall be notified via electronic post. (That’s email). Use the TWEET THIS button below to earn double credit.

So…what do you wonder?

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Rick Warren and I are on the Same Page About Facebook

6.08.2009 | 25 Comments

Literally.

I had the opportunity to write a more in depth article on my three year Facebook journey — the good, the bad, the ugly, for PurposeDriven.com. And see, Rick and I are on the same page.

At least the same webpage. I really have no idea how he feels about Facebook.

So, if you want the full story behind my Facebook suicide, click here to read it over at PurposeDriven.com.

And I leave you with this very important question…

If Rick Warren and Joel Osteen got into a poke war on Facebook, who would win?

BOOK GIVEAWAY - Killing Cockroaches

5.28.2009 | 85 Comments

Well, this is ironic.

killingcockroaches I had the good intent of getting this post up about five hours ago, but you know what? I had a mess of random things come up in my schedule and I’ve literally spent most of my day away from my computer.

If, by some chance, I would have actually LISTENED to my friend Tony’s wisdom in his book Killing Cockroaches, I might have been able to plan, delegate, say no, redirect, and focus a little better.

Lesson learned.

Again.

So, before we get to the book giveaway stuff, you have to know Tony’s going on tour. I don’t know if he’ll be giving out hugs, if he’ll have pyrotechnics, or even a 300 pound body guard with zero body fat escorting him to and from his Prevost, but regardless, if he’s in your area, you have to have to be a part of the tour. And it’s cheaper than taking your team out to lunch. If you took them to the Melting Pot and not McDonalds, I mean. Details are here.

Tony has been generous enough to donate ten copies of Killing Cockroaches to the Anne Jackson Book Giveaway fund. To be entered, leave a comment having to do with anything roach related - literal or metaphorical - and be entered. I’ll pick winners from both this giveaway and the Mad Church Disease giveaway next Thursday and the winner shall be notified via electronic post. (That’s email). Use the TWEET THIS button below to earn double credit.

Ready? Go.

BOOK GIVEAWAY - Less Clutter, Less Noise

5.21.2009 | 77 Comments

Fact: Kem Meyer has the coolest chick hair I’ve seen.

Fact: She’s also given one of the niftiest presentations I’ve seen.

Fact: She has a book that you need to read.

Fact: Especially if you have no background in communication and you work in a church.

Fact: Or even if you do.

Fact: I have 10 to give away.

Leave me a comment with either your biggest communications FAIL or your biggest communications WIN and you’ll be entered into the contest…next Thursday I’ll pick ten random people and you’ll get a copy of the book! Tweet this post below and you are entered twice!

Tweets about this post:
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Are You an Addict?

5.18.2009 | 29 Comments

One of my friends emailed me last week about the boundaries I’ve set for some of my online habits. He wanted to talk about them a little bit more, and jokingly said “I’m addicted to that stuff!”

His remark sent me into one of those little ADD brain tangents I frequently find myself in…(to which he received the brunt of in my return email).

We wouldn’t joke around about an addiction to porn, or to alcohol, but we do joke around about being addicted to technology.

And so I wonder…are we?

My friend Mike has a good, unofficial way of finding out. If you wonder if you’re addicted to something, take a break - cold turkey - for two weeks. See how long you make it. You’ll get a pretty good idea if you’re addicted or not.

Could you imagine taking two weeks off from Twitter or Facebook or your RSS reader or…?

More importantly, would you?

Have I Created an Idol that Does Things For God?

5.12.2009 | 65 Comments

Sometimes I wonder what would happen if I pressed delete.

Delete on this blog.

Delete on my Facebook.

Delete on my Twitter.

What if I ceased to exist in this online world?

Am I relying on the means too much instead of trusting the power of the message I feel I’ve been charged to communicate?

Isn’t the message, and the One who it came from enough on it’s own?

Is this life of online media the new normal, or is it a mutated form of normality I’ve come to accept?

Has this method of communication become an idol of mine that does things for God instead of the other way around?

Sometimes I wonder.

And I wonder if I’m the only one who is wondering.

Becoming the Boundaries & Margin Nazi

5.11.2009 | 43 Comments

Lately, I’ve been feeling a little stressed, so I go back to the measurement of my time and see what the problem is - my calendar.

And even with the boundaries I established at the beginning of the year, they weren’t specific enough to really help release me from my demon of overcommitment.

I’ve been away from home (give or take) 31 days this year.

That’s a MONTH.

Using some other tools to analyze my time, I realize I spend an average of 2-3 hours a day on social networking sites (checking Twitter, Facebook, whatever).

That would be almost 40 days SOLID in a YEAR!

And I wonder where my time goes.

The stress comes when the things I value in my heart (mainly my faith and my marriage) are not getting the time and attention they deserve. There’s a misalignment of values. What I say is important and where I spend my time don’t line up to a degree where it’s healthy.

It’s not that I don’t see spending time online, interacting, praying, caring, sharing, and learning with people as valuable. But when it trumps the things MOST valuable to my heart (faith, marriage) is where it gets sticky.

Yesterday at lunch I sat down with my calendar and my thoughts and my husband. I had to cancel two speaking engagements, not because they aren’t valuable or important, but because ultimately (due to a variety of circumstances) went away from - and not toward - making my faith or marriage stronger. Being gone at these specific times would have impacted those things negatively, thus causing unhealthy stress.

We also talked about my time online, and decided because I NEED STRUCTURE, I will be sticking to the following “boundaries” until the beginning of September, when we’ll evaluate and adjust if necessary. I’m not saying YOU should do this. I’m just putting in writing what is best for my faith, my marriage, and myself right now.

Twitter. Currently, I probably check it 50 times a day. Lord knows how many times I actually tweet. New boundary? I’ll check and update only three times a day - once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once in the evening. NO notifications, except direct messages, ping me elsewhere.

Facebook. I’m not on it much anyway, but I’ll only log in to Facebook once a week. NO notifications at ALL ping me elsewhere.

Online Sabbath. Once a week (it’s looking like Saturday) I will be completely unplugged. I will not be checking email, Twitter, Facebook, whatever. If my computer is on, the only thing open is Word so I can work on writing. One day a week, completely computer free.

Stat-Ho. I am only going to check my blog stats, Technorati (as if that means much anymore) and Feedburner stats once a month. I can get obsessed by these numbers and sometimes measuring things too much is a bad idea. At least for me.

So…there you have it. A few new rules in the life of Anne Jackson. I think margin is so important and will talk until I’m blue in the face about it, but if I’m not living that life myself, well, I’m just a big fat liar.

Is there anywhere you need to build in margin? What steps can you take to do it? Sometimes it just takes DOING it.

Hang in there…

5.08.2009 | 10 Comments

Just in case you have abandonment issues, I wanted to warn you…this blog might be pretty quiet for the next couple of weeks. My schedule is a little nutty, but outside of tangible things like meetings, speaking engagements, and work obligations, mentally and emotionally I am still in major recovery mode.

(Not to mention my introvert has been stretched to the limits, so solitude is a necessity for my soul!)

I haven’t seen my husband in practically three weeks, so time with him and time to rest are first on my agenda. Blogging isn’t really high on the list at the moment.

But I’ll be back. If I find something worthwhile to post, I’ll post it.

I’m just not going to force it. You guys deserve better than that.

Much love.

Lent Learnings - Comments

4.14.2009 | 11 Comments

A few of you have asked about any “revelations” I had during my blog, Twitter, Facebook fast.

I don’t really have a whole laundry list of AHA moments to share. At least not yet. At first I thought I’d be struck down with epiphany after epiphany once I unplugged (and literally blocked) social media sites from my computer, but that wasn’t the case.

After being online for a grand total of 24 hours now, it seems like the cycle of being without is becoming more complete.

For instance, here’s something I realized this morning about comments.

I think it’s safe to say that deep down, we desire to bank up a ton of comments. There are posts and strategies and e-books about how to have more comments on your blog. As if the higher the number next to your comments is, the more intriguing a person you are.

It’s just math.

More comments=More intriguing.

Right?

Mmmmno.

Something that I’ve learned through this break is the number of comments really doesn’t mean a whole lot.

Let’s look at the post I wrote about Hating Perry Noble. Over 250 comments (all deleted now - I flushed them).

Most of them really mean and argumentative. That’s why they’re gone.

Now, I do realize the conversations had in comments can be worthwhile, but it can also be damaging, and ultimately, the number isn’t important.

My new way of measuring the success of a post?

How did the reader respond personally? Were they encouraged to make a positive change in their life? Were the able to pass a thought on to someone who needed to hear it? Did it help them grow somehow?

All of those things have no way of being measured. At least not numerically. Most of those things go unsaid. Which is just fine by me.

Seth Godin once said something on a video interview.

He said, “I don’t want to have the most popular blog. I want to have my blog. Whatever that means for it in the moment.”

I feel similarly. Sure, selfishly, even the behind-the-scenes introvert that I am, I still want to be famous. We all kind of do. It’s our nature to be known. We all want to be the cool kid and sit at the cool kid table.

But I’m letting that trying to let that go.

Intentionally, day by day.

Thought my thought.

Moment by moment.

So this blog can be what it should be without the pretense of manipulating you into leaving me a lot of comments so my ego will be fed.

You guys mean so much more than that to me.

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Welcome Back

4.13.2009 | 74 Comments

So, it’s April 13.

The end of Lent, and the conclusion of my social media fast from blogging, Twitter, and Facebook.

What can I say? It’s honestly been a very refreshing few weeks. My perspective on blogging and online networking continues to shift, and even though I’m “back,” so to speak, I’m not really quite sure what being “back” means.

Something you will notice is the new blog design (RSS friends, click here to check it out). This is something I’m very excited about. When you visit the home page of FlowerDust.net, you’ll see a feature in the header. Currently, it’s focused on the trip I’ll be taking to Kolkata (Calcutta), India, in two weeks with Compassion International. This feature will change at times to help elevate causes or gifts that I think would be valuable to you.

There’s a little more information included in this new design, which can all be found in the header - information about where I’m speaking, some new services I’m offering, and an always-changing list of recommended resources.

Some other cosmetic changes are using gravatars - because you guys are so darn attractive - and easier ways to share the conversations by using the Tweet This plugin at the bottom of the post. You’ll also notice the Comment Luv feature when you leave a comment, because we’d all like to know what’s on your mind.

Even with all of the changes, you shouldn’t need to resubscribe to my blog. But in case you haven’t yet, or if you want to make sure you’re subscribed, you can simply click here to sign up for an RSS feed or an email subscription.

I’m excited to see how the relationships on this blog will continue to grow and how we can keep learning from each other.

It’s clean. It’s simple. And hopefully easy to use. If there’s something that looks weird to you, or a feature you’d like to see added, feel free to let me know.

Closing Down FlowerDust.net

2.24.2009 | 50 Comments

On February 9, I posted about praying through shutting my comments off during Lent. I felt like I was developing an unhealthy ego (or lack thereof) due to some of the response my blog has received. Good or bad. The good would make me get all puffed up, and the bad would make me internalize untruth.

After speaking with my husband, some close friends, and ultimately, what I had sensed in my heart from the beginning, I decided to not blog or Twitter or update my Facebook during the Lenten season.

This will be my last post until April 13.

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Many people look at Lent as an old law, one of which we are free. I grew up Baptist, and we never celebrated it. A new friend of mine explained to me that one of the reasons people fasted from food during Lent was because of the time they would spend in preparation for their meals. By sacrificing their food, they were able to devote more time to God and to each other.

It takes me five minutes to make my famous grilled cheese sandwich, or I can drive and get something from McDonald’s in three minutes round trip. I’ve fasted from food before. It’s a big deal, but not what I needed to fast now.

So, where do I spend my time? What distracts me from my communion with God?

The Internets.

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There are a couple things I want to leave you with:

WHY I’M DOING THIS

1) During this technology fast, I am going to be preparing my heart and mind for my upcoming trip to Calcutta, India with Compassion International. We leave at the end of April, and I don’t want any distractions to interfere with how God is going to move within us and how we are going to respond on this trip.

2) Also during this technology fast, I am going to be praying and focusing on my next writing project - which doesn’t only include writing a book, but truly communicating a message that has been on my heart for a very long time. Writing a book is multi-faceted and I want to be clear and focused and open to what words God is using me to write, and the steps he is having me make.

3) Not as a part of Lent, but during this season of fasting, I am participating in the Forty Days of Water campaign by Blood:Water Mission. From March 1-April 9, all I will drink is water. I encourage you to explore and pray about it as well. The premise is what you would have spent on other drinks during these forty days, you will spend on providing clean water in Africa.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

1) I am going to be downright bold here and make a big ask. There is so much technology noise in the world right now. What if we shut off our part of it, just for this season? I am going to ask you to fast from blogging, Twitter, Facebook — whatever consumes your time the most. Is this something you need to do? There is something stirring within the blog world. Several high traffic blogs are taking breaks or have shut down completely. Let me assure you, we didn’t just sit in a room and plan this out. It’s not a publicity stunt. I don’t think this is the answer for everyone, but I would ask that you seriously consider taking a break to see what God can do offline while we take a break online.

2) Pray for me. Pray for me as I focus on those things listed above. It is going to be weird being unplugged. As I mentioned in my Out of Ur article today, sometimes when we’re not plugged in online, unfortunately, we miss offline experiences as well. I am not going to feel as connected to those around me and that adjustment, although I believe is completely necessary for me, will be difficult.

3) Sponsor a Child through Compassion. If you know anything about me, you know this is my heartbeat.

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MY BOOK

Obviously my book Mad Church Disease isn’t taking a break. You can see what’s going on with it here, or order a copy. I’m honestly REALLY nervous because essentially, I am not going to be able to talk about my book online during this time, and that’s where my tribe - you guys - are. I am really having to let go of the “control” I think I have over spreading the message. God is in control of it. Not me. Not my blog. So, if you can, do you part to spread the word about it. If you can, leave a review. Or order a few more copies. Download and email a free chapter to all your friends. Grin. Must…let….go….deep….breath….

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IF YOU HAPPEN TO STUMBLE ON THIS BLOG DURING THE BREAK

I’d like to say hi. This blog won’t be active again until after Easter and when it does return, might have a different focus. Who knows? At the same time, there are three years of conversation tucked away. I am going to point you to some of the more thoughtful categories where you’ll find these discussions below:

Anxiety and Depression
Sex and Porn Addiction
Church
Authenticity
Leadership
My trip to Uganda with Compassion International

—–

WHERE YOU WILL FIND ME

I do have some speaking or other events scheduled during this time, so if you live around one of these places, I’d love to say hi. You can click here to see where I’ll be visiting.

CONTACT

You can still email me. Sometimes it takes me a while to respond, and especially during this time, I won’t be super plugged in. But that door is always open.

—–

See you after Easter.

And Love God. Love Others.

—–

Is it Really Online Community?

2.24.2009 | 1 Comment

At the National Pastors Convention, I had the chance to sit on a panel and discuss the use of technology and social media within the church. You can actually see our pixel-shaped heads here if you’d like to see what went down (Thanks, DJ).

Anyway, over the last couple of months, the brain contained in my own pixel-shaped head has been doing a LOT of thinking. A lot. And if you were to have seen the interview I did at the I3 Conference, you’d see that I literally contradict myself within a week’s time. Cynthia asked if I believed in the phenomenon of Online Community to which I eagerly argued, “yes, yes, a million times yes!”

At the NPC panel just a few days later, when I met Skye Jethani (remember, whose book Divine Commodity is the most profound thing I’ve read in a long, long time), we continued this “online community” conversation on the panel.

Out of Ur, which is a Christianity Today blog, posted a video of Shane Hipps (author of Flickering Pixels, another brilliant book) talking about virtual worlds and suggesting physical proximety is a factor in community. Scot McKnight responded with a slightly differing opinion. Skye asked me to respond as well. And so I did.

Here is an excerpt…I’d love for you to post your thoughts over on Out of Ur, so I’m closing comments here.

In some instances, these online conversations have translated into personal communication (by email, chats, or phone) and some have even turned into face-to-face meetings. The platforms of social media certainly give these personal interactions a “jump start” so to speak, because you do, in some regard, know bits and pieces of the other person’s life.

But this is where it gets muddy for me. Is it community?

Given my experience living in both worlds, it may be surprising to hear, but I am beginning to lean on the side of no—what happens online is not community. Before you send me an army of frowning emoticons, please hear me out:

I believe what happens online is connection—not community.

People can be vulnerable and honest online. And at times these online connections can be more life-giving than many of our offline relationships, but they are not the same.

You will read an announcement in the full post on Out of Ur that might surprise you. Once you’re done over there, come back over here and you’ll get the full scoop.

See you over there!

Then back here.

Phew! I’m getting tired with all this running around.

Can Girls be Porn Addicts too?

2.11.2009 | 34 Comments

It never ceases to amaze me when people say with shock:

“A woman could never, EVER be addicted to porn. Never!”

For those of you who think that, let me tell you something.

I was.

And your theory is wrong.

Not only was I (you can read my article from Relevant here), but my friend Crystal was too.

I met Crystal when she was in high school and I volunteered in her youth group.

Then she grew up and we worked together and then I moved but she’d always come visit and we’d get tattoos together (or we wouldn’t) and over the last five years she has become one of my closest friends. She is even traveling with me on my California & Vegas trip over the next couple weeks.

People have been asking me to write a book on women and porn addiction, but I honestly have never felt that was the book I needed to write. After Crystal has walked her journey, and now spent a few years counseling other addicts, she has the task on her heart to write this.

When I had the idea for Mad Church Disease, I had some online surveys to take the pulse of burnout in ministry. Crystal has followed suit with the same idea. She has created a website for women, or those who know women (either male or female) to talk about pornography addiction.

It will take you just a few minutes and help her out tremendously.

I’d love for you to do two things:

1) Visit the website, learn about Crystal, and complete a survey.

2) Anonymously or not, male or female, I’d love to hear your thoughts on pornography addiction. Does it surprise you that women can be addicted? How do you think the addictions are different?

Turning off Comments?

2.09.2009 | 56 Comments

So I was recently having a great conversation with a blogger, who is a mother (yet I refuse to call her a mom blogger because, well, she is so much more!).

She gets a million times more traffic than I do, a million times more comments, and sometimes a million times more drama.

She talked about a friend of hers who has a really high traffic blog who gave up comments for Lent.

I’ve never given up squat for Lent.

But this really struck me as something I might need to do.

I started blogging because I love writing and I love conversation. And I get that conversation would be non-exisitent for that time.

But honestly, comments feed my ego sometimes. More than I’d like.

Or at their worst, they damage my ego.

Am I willing to lose risking readers and traffic because the comments are turned off?

Would it do more harm than good?

Or do I just need to do it because I have invested too much into the “worth” comments give me?

Or should my blog just take a break for Lent completely?

Those are some things in my head that I’m working through.

And they affect you. So I’d be curious as to what you think.

three christian bloggers get naked!

1.23.2009 | 11 Comments

no…not really.

get your mind out of the gutter.

that was just a completely shameless headline to get you to read this.

so here’s the real deal.

i am going down to the ATL to hang out with mr. ragamuffin soul and mr. stuff christians like tonight.

why?

we are planning something crazy.

and i guess it kind of involves stripping down.

but not in a way you think.

**we’ll be going live on mogulus sometime around 8 or 9 pm ET, giveortakeafew, to tell you all about it and answer your questions**

stay tuned to twitter to know for sure.

hope to see you then.

muahahahaha.**

—

**this post was written at 11:30 pm after a sleeping aid was ingested at 10:45 pm.

an autographed tribes & mad church giveaway

11.18.2008 | 32 Comments

i went and visited zondervan last week…i may or may not have gotten a few extra advance copies of mad church disease.

MCD Giveaway

this contest is easy to win. it goes to the highest bidder.

(welp, ego…it was nice knowing you!) :-)

whoever donates the most pairs of shoes to the 50000shoes.com website between 6 am CST tuesday and 6 am CST wednesday wins. and i’ll even autograph it with your favorite bible verse, sprinkle holy water on it, engrave your name in gold, give you a bronze dove plaque, and throw in some snacks from my desk.

S4S Story

click here to read more stories of where your shoes are going!

oh, and here’s the icing on the cake. more truthfully, it’s probably the actual cake. be the highest bidder and not only will you get a hyper-anointed copy of MCD, you’ll also get an autographed copy of seth godin’s newest book, tribes. i know that’s nothing like snacks from my desk, but thought it might sweeten the deal. who knows? maybe he’ll throw in some snacks from his desk.

Tribes Seth Godin

comment below (and yep, i’ll need proof if you are the highest donor if you do win!)

ready…go! how many shoes did you donate today?

world’s biggest blogging charity challenge!

11.10.2008 | 49 Comments

i’ve been talking about a secret project i’ve been working on the last few weeks…today’s the official launch day!

IT’S THE LAUNCH OF 50000SHOES.COM!

soles4souls is an amazing charity here in nashville that has one mission: get shoes to people who need shoes. over 300 million people around the world don’t have shoes and are forced to walk around unsafe and in potentially life-threatening conditions. not only is it unsafe physically, but having to look down all the time causes these people to also live without dignity and confidence.

just a few weeks ago, i was meeting with wayne elsey, the founder and CEO of s4s and he asked me what is the craziest thing we could do using social media to meet this huge need? what kind of ridiculous goal could we create? and literally ten minutes later we had the answer.

let’s get money raised for 50,000 shoes in 50 days and make it as easy as possible for people to not only donate online, but to spread the word about the campaign. the only way this goal can be reached is if you not only donate $5, but spread the word!

HOW DOES IT WORK?
go to 50000shoes.com. a $5 donation buys two pairs of shoes.

everyone has $5 (or more!). and everyone has 2 minutes. from start to finish, donating is literally three clicks. no fluff. no hassle. anyone can donate. it is so, so easy!

and it’s easy to spread the word. use the graphics on your blog. email everyone you know. join the facebook group and ask your friends to do the same!

YOU CAN WIN A TRIP TO GIVE SOMEONE THEIR FIRST PAIR OF SHOES!
besides the fact that the blogging world can literally impact 50,000 people before the end of the year, one person (and their guest) will be chosen at random to hand deliver the shoes they purchased on a s4s trip to mexico. can you imagine handing someone their very first pair of shoes? it could be a child. or it could be a mother. or a father. or a grandmother. who knows?!

PLEASE DON’T CLICK AWAY…
we could have made the goal attainable - like 5000 shoes in 50 days. i have no doubt that could happen. but we wanted to show a watching world the positive power of social media. we wanted this to be a challenge for bloggers and people to unite in a way never before seen!

50,000 pairs of shoes in 50 days. THAT’S HUGE!!!!!

please donate. please blog about this. please email everyone you know about this.

five bucks. three clicks. two minutes. that’s all and it can make a HUGE difference!!

THE MATH
if 500 people influence 10 people to donate, and those people influence 5 more, that’s 50,000 pairs of shoes (because remember - $5 buys 2 pairs!)…please help make this a reality! let’s blow it out of the water…can we raise enough for 100,000 pairs? I THINK SO!!!

300 million people around the world need you!

chris and i donated on friday. we are spreading the word today.

please join in! even non bloggers can help. just email everyone you know! take up a collection in your office or at your church. do you know someone in the press who can do a story on this? be creative!!!

forbes.com and cnbc.com have already picked up on this…and we have only just begun. with your help (and only with your help) this can be a worldwide movement. i truly believe it can!

are you in?

====

Nashville-based Soles4Souls(TM) facilitates the donations of both new and used shoes, which are used to aid the hurting worldwide. Since its inception, Soles4Souls has distributed more than 3.5 million pairs (or one pair every 23 seconds) to people in 61 countries, including Honduras, Romania, Thailand, and the Sudan. The charity has been featured on CNN Headline News, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, ABC News, FOX, CBS, and hundreds of regional outlets around North America. Soles4Souls is a 501(c)(3) recognized by the IRS; donating parties are eligible for tax advantages. Visit www.giveshoes.org for more information.

locked in an airplane lavatory

11.03.2008 | 3 Comments

in february, i was flying from oklahoma city to chicago on an american airlines flight. after having one too many diet cokes, i walked the green mile to the back of the plane to, well, take care of business.

much to my surprise (and dismay, and fear), i was locked in. the sliding latch that moves the “unoccupied” to “occupied” was stuck. surely there was no oxygen coming in. i was going to die a lonely death in the bathroom on an airplane. fortunately, my certain death did not come, and five minutes later i was back in my seat drinking more diet coke.

now, in chicago, i’d meet up with fifteen almost-strangers and together we’d travel to uganda for a week on behalf of compassion international.

we’d laugh together. we’d play with kids together. we’d run from bats together. and ultimately, we’d fight poverty together. you can read about those adventures - the good, bad, and challenging - here.

yesterday, another group of blogging strangers departed from around the country to meet at an airport in miami before heading down to the dominican republic. from what i can tell, nobody was locked in an airplane lavatory and they arrived safely.

today was their first day in the dominican. i imagine they’re probably at a project now, meeting a pastor and learning how compassion is releasing children from poverty. they’re learning about what some of the local children want to do when they grow up. and they’re probably starting to ask a lot of questions.

i encourage you to follow them on their trip this week. you can read more about it here, or subscribe to their group RSS feed here.

and while you’re thinking about it, do more than just read along. sponsor a child by clicking here.

blankets, fireplaces and good books

10.25.2008 | 23 Comments

my weekend is friday and saturday. and i cherish these days. especially when i am not traveling to speak or having to work on authory kinds of things.

this weekend is just that: two down days. no real plans (except sharing some meals with friends)…and that is it. it has been a weekend of sleeping in, eating cookies for breakfast, indulging in a law and order marathon, and reading.

the book of the season is the fine line by my new friend kary oberbrunner.

now, at this point, i am guessing several of you are familiar with “the blog tour” that surrounds pretty much every new release. some have written saying this is an unfair pimping of new books - using blogs as a cheap and easy marketing tool, thus disengaging the true community aspect these blogs hold.

in some cases, i couldn’t agree more.

so i wanted to clear something up with you before i participate in blog tours, because sometimes, i think blog tours are a very fair way of sharing new books that are seriously life changing.

(raises up right hand in vowlike manner)

i promise you i am not going to do a “blog tour” just because somebody asks. the blog tours i do are for books and for people who i personally know and personally believe in.

i met kary at catalyst and got to hang out with him a little bit on wednesday. he’s one of those people i wish lived closer to nashville because i know i would be picking his brain all the time. his book has already captured me.

so, there you have it. my promise to you. i won’t pimp books i don’t believe in or for people i don’t know. i know there is an element of trust you and i share and i don’t want to violate it.

i’ll be writing a more thorough post on kary’s book after i finish it…but wanted to turn you on to it (and get this blog tour idea discussed a little).

you can see the full list of blogs kary will be stopping by here. and you can read more about his book here. and get to know kary here.

===

what do you think about book blog tours? useful information about upcoming books? shameless pimping? turn you on? turn you off? i’d love to hear your feedback.

===

you just wrote a book. you really did.

10.23.2008 | 23 Comments

in the “things you can’t say in church” post, i thought it would be fun to figure out how many words were in the comments. verdict?

22,822

the deadly viper book is under 20,000 words. mad church disease comes in at about 43,000.

so seriously?

you guys just wrote a book.

on one hand, i feel badly because i know a lot of time and energy went into some of the comments that maybe didn’t have such a good return on investment. on the other hand, i think a lot of good issues and conversation was had. so i’m torn.

it’s one of those blogging dynamics i just don’t know where i land…does something like that provoke and waste peoples’ time and energy? or is it worth it to have a healthy discussion?

shutting down my blog

10.13.2008 | 40 Comments

sometimes, i think i’m really smart. i did well in school, i use polysyllabic words, (i can spell polysyllabic), and know not to put metal things in the microwave.

sometimes though, i’m not smart. these moments usually involve two things.

1) choice of shoes (i.e., wearing high heels to run around large arenas for conferences)

2) directions, maps, roads, streets, or anything involving a “point a” and a “point b”

following a tragic day of wearing very high heels, in attempt to check into my hotel and change shoes before the evening events of the first day of catalyst, i fell victim to the street naming system of atlanta.

everything is peachtree road.

for example, my GPS directions to find my hotel included:

Go NW on Peachtree Rd NW
Take a slight left on Peachtree Rd
Turn left at Peachtree Ind Rd
Make an immediate right on NW Peachtree Rd*

after driving around in traffic for an hour and a half, i finally found my hotel, quickly changed my shoes, and ~~at unheavenly rates of speed~~ drove back to gwinnett for the deadly viper session.

arriving a few minutes late, my catalyst friend ben and i managed to find a two empty seats in the very middle, very upper, very back, very highest possible spot. during some of the transition times, we conversed on some catalyst things, some blogging things, some life things, and then he asked the money question:

“have you ever thought of shutting your blog down?”

i might as well have kept my high heels on, because it would have felt much more comfortable for him to have taken one of them off and then punch me repeatedly in my eye than for him to have asked me that question.

there was no good answer. i had thought about shutting my blog down once, but it lasted approximately .0002 seconds.

what would happen if i shut down my blog?

that question has been in my head for the last few days.

i imagined doing it. shutting it down, deleting my facebook account, my twitter account, then disappearing altogether from social networkland.

and after i recovered from hyperventilating, i pushed the thought out of my mind.

far out of my mind.

because there are many good reasons not to stop blogging - the community and the influence and change that this community has brought to issues of poverty and justice and faith.

but there is one reason my social media butterfly self couldn’t vanish.

and i wish i could say it’s valuable or worthwhile or noble. i couldn’t because if i did, i wouldn’t know what to do anymore.

i couldn’t…be.

i wouldn’t know who i am.

and i realize this is all my flawed thinking. my insecurity. my need for affirmation and worth and, dare i say, even attention?

it’s not pretty.

i’m not shutting down my blog. but wow, has that question challenged my motives.

======

*disclosure: GPS directions are represented with slight literary exaggeration

ketchup

10.10.2008 | 5 Comments

it’s been a fun week. i have no voice left because of all the amazing conversations that have taken place over the last few days and if i tried to list and link to every person i met and adored it would be, well, impossible.

my free time has been spent keeping up the catalyst backstage blog and tonight i added a few new videos. in case you haven’t been following it, you can see some interviews we did with steven furtick, perry noble, tony morgan, tim stevens, seth godin, pete wilson, jon acuff, dino rizzo, bongos breaking, and auto-flushing urinals.

you can also catch up on people’s thoughts about the sessions, their tweets, and blogs that have been rolling in automatically.

so drop over to the place i’ve called home this week and say hi.

this has probably been one of the most incredible weeks of my life (and i really didn’t even get to attend the sessions). there are so many wonderful and lovely people doing so many wonderful and lovely things. it was an honor to meet you all…

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