The Monday Morning High Five
Continuing our list of all things 5 to hopefully bring a smile to your Monday

It’s happening. A movement defined by tagged photos and walled gardened narcissism, social media is capturing and redefining the way companies do business. Even churches across the nation are starting to embrace social media. Whether it is simply the pastor having a Twitter account, or the church having a Fan Page on Facebook, churches are starting to realize the power of the Internet. But are we doing enough? Is there a way we can push the WiFis beyond what we thought it was capable or responsible?

What if we take the church to the next level in social media? Or maybe the better question to ask is “How?”…

1. Sell it – The only way to take your church to the next level in social media is you have to sell it. Whether you’re the pastor or simply Joe Pewsitter with a Facebook account, you have the responsibility to push this idea and convince everyone to be on board despite its perceived uselessness. Use words that sound awesome (e.g. Revolutionary, fascinating, youth, power, community, embrace, etc.) and string them together in a sentence. “There’s a fascinating and revolutionary community of youth that exists in the power of social media that we have yet to embrace.” Don’t be afraid to watch a few Steve Jobs keynotes for some ideas.

Continue Reading…

For your Friday Amuse/Amaze-ment, microscopic artist Dalton Ghetti has found a niche for mini-sculpting that utilizes a tool that most people use to create other things: a pencil.

Typically, each work takes about two-and-a half years to create.  “‘The pencil tip is great; it’s like a pure, very homogenous material,’ he said. ‘It cuts in the same direction, not like wood, which has a grain. But when I tell people how long it takes, that’s when they don’t believe it. That’s what amazes people more, the patience. Because everything nowadays has to be fast, fast, fast”, Ghetti says. By the way, he doesn’t use a magnifying glass, and has never sold any of his work, only given them away to friends. This kind of patience is humbling to say the least.

I don’t know about you, but this sounds like a great project for next year’s VBS craft.

More photos after the break…

Continue Reading…

It’s back to school time. If you’re a student or teacher, you’re summer is over and it’s time to push that fancy new computer of yours beyond Facebook and into the world of productive software. But where to start and how much is it going to cost? Well, here are some recommendations that can help you out in your day-to-day student life, and still be easy on the wallet. All of these recommendations are at the student-friendly price of free!

Not a student or teacher? No problem! You can still use any of these for free. Happy productivity!

Productivity

Google Docs – We’ve talked about Google Docs before. With Google Docs you can create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, drawings, and forms all from your internet browser. It’s great for writing and other projects you may have. Forget carrying a jump drive hoping you have the latest version, you can access your information from any computer with internet access.

Evernote - Evernote is a universal note taking utility that allows for saving any kind of note. You can capture photos, webpages, notes, etc. and access them on any computer or phone with internet access. I’ve gone back and forth on Evernote’s usefulness, but I’m starting to use it more on a regular basis.

Mint.com – Money can be a difficult thing to manage in college. Mint helps out in that area by safely and securely tracking your spending and suggesting budgets and goals to keep you from overspending. After setting it up, most of it is automatic and is a great tool for seeing how and where you are spending your money.

Continue Reading…

photo by brandoncripps

The Monday Morning High Five
Continuing our list of all things 5 to hopefully bring a smile to your Monday.

*Warning: Heavy satire. Like I say, “We wouldn’t kid you if we didn’t already like you so much.”

There’s something about facial hair that is the raw epitome of manliness. It is an accessory like none other. Even if you take every effort to rid your face of any trace of facial hair, the very fact that you have to is a defining characteristic of being a man. So what happens when your pastor strays from the standard clean shaven look and ventures into the jungle of facial hair? A lot can be said about a man from his facial hair.

Let’s look at five things you can learn about your pastor from his facial hair:

The Mustache – The mustache can have many forms and resides on many a different individuals. It is possibly the trickiest of all the facial hair designs to pull off. Too small, and no one notices. Too much and everyone expects you to wear bowler hats and use the phrase, “Bully!”

What they may preach about - Chances of mentioning “America” multiple times is very high.
Who they possibly admire – Glenn Beck

Continue Reading…

When I get get busy or stressed, the first thing I shutdown is communication. Those who know me closest, know this to be true. It’s possibly the worst thing I can do. Right now, my email inbox zero philosophy has been crushed; I just call people back instead of checking their voice mail because there’s already a line of *new voice mails, it’s not worth my time to go through; and many of my reply text messages are one worded or fragmented sentences.

This week was a busy, yet awesome week. I’ve been learning a lot about things that I’m looking forward to sharing with you guys once the t’s are crossed and i’s dotted. I’m starting to see God’s plan work itself into fruition, and that’s always an exciting time.

One of the things that I know will be difficult is that I will be busier than I have been in the past. With my tendency of dropping communication, this is something I need to develop for my wife, my family, and my friends. No longer will there be the excuse of “Sorry I haven’t gotten back to you, it’s been a busy week” because it will always be like that.

Continue Reading…

It’s Friday, and it’s time for some Q&A! Time to get started on some weekend goodness. But before you run out and enjoy some sunshine, how about us getting to know each other a little better…

photo via ffffound

1. Are you an early bird or night owl?

2. If you were an animal, would you rather live in the ocean or on land?

3. It’s Friday the 13th. Has anything bad happened yet?

I’ll go first…

Continue Reading…