Tag Archive - Blogs

Midweek Ministry Links

March 29, 2011 in Ministry, Sharing with 1 Comment


I’ve been neglecting this blog – would love to hear your input on two posts I’ve written recently on other blogs:



Brian Barela has a great post on Giving Away Your Ministry. Would love to see more people  join the discussion on that post.

Do yourself a favor and start following Tullian Tchividjian (Billy Graham’s grandson) on Twitter. Consistently brilliant Christ-centered insight.

Here’s a great blog post by him on Preaching the Gospel to Yourself.

I used to think that growing as a Christian meant I had to somehow go out and obtain the qualities and attitudes I was lacking.

Then I came to the shattering realization that this isn’t what the Bible teaches, and it isn’t the gospel. What the Bible teaches is that we mature as we come to a greater realization of what we already have in Christ. The gospel, in fact, transforms us precisely because it’s not itself a message about our internal transformation, but Christ’s external substitution.

The hard work of Christian growth, therefore, is to think less of me and my performance and more of Jesus and his performance for me.

Two other great Christ-Centered Tweeters are:

Those three men are reason enough to get on Twitter!


Church Relevance just released their list of the Top 200 religious blogs

My favorites from the list:


8 Links to Improve your Online Communication

February 21, 2011 in Ministry with 0 Comments

Although much thought should be given to what and how much we consume online (input), I think it’s worth taking a few moments to think through how to maximize your online output.

If we’re going to take the time to communicate online (and I DO think it’s worth the time), we need to think through how to do so effectively.

Below is a compilation of recent posts from across the web on how to communicate better via Blogs, Twitter and Email.

Here’s to maximizing our use of online communication for the sake of the gospel!

How to become a better Blogger:

State your premise in your lead paragraph

Make the posts short.  (less than 500 words)

Use short paragraphs. I try to stick to 3–4 sentences. If it’s more than this, the content looks too dense. Readers will give up and move on. (Notice how newspapers usually follow this rule.)

Get your own unique URL

How to find legal, quality graphics

Get on a regular writing/posting schedule.

Work on your titles. A great title drives visits, but also informs us as to what we’re going to learn.

End your posts with a question

Make it easy to comment [which is why I stopped using Captcha as a spam blocker. . . which leads to the next helpful post that walks you through . . . ]


How to become a better Tweeter

I try to share ideas, articles and thought provoking content.

I must make every effort to have all my tweets add value to my followers’ lives.

I will try to minimize trivial things like, “I’m at the airport”, “I’m at McDonalds”, “I love pasta”

Shoot for a 20-1 ratio. I want to post 20 or so helpful resources or bits of information for every post in which I ask for help solving a problem, supporting a cause, or touting one of my company’s products, etc.


How to communicate better through Email

Technology creates a vacuum that we humans fill with negative emotions by default.

In other words, if an email’s content is neutral, we assume the tone is negative.

In an effort to be productive and succinct, our communication may be perceived as clipped, sarcastic, or rude.

One (surprising) solution: Use emoticons more often :)

Communicate “action steps” first, not last.

A good rule of thumb is to strive to keep emails to one line or less.

Never “reply all” (unless you absolutely must).


What other tips/links do you have on how we can communicate better online?



photo courtesy of nathan makan

Kierkegaard and John Mayer vs. The Internet

October 11, 2010 in Leadership, Ministry with 1 Comment

I’ve been thinking recently about  the irrational gravitational pull that the internet/iPhone exerts on my life.

I wake up in the morning and immediately check my email, daily websites, and Twitter.  Then throughout the day I spend every free second (at a stoplight, between appointments) on my iPhone catching up on Twitter/Blogs/etc.  I am enthralled by what Søren Kierkegaard called the “passing moment”.  He insisted: “all moral elevation consists first and foremost in being weaned from the momentary”.


I read an article this past week with somewhat parallel insights from John Mayer on why he quit Twitter:

“Has any artist, since they’ve begun to give you daily insights into their life created their best work yet? Are the best writers of our time on Twitter?

Those who decide to remain offline will make better work than those online. Why? Because great ideas have to gather. They have to pass the test of withstanding thirteen different moods, four different months and sixty different edits. Anything less is day trading. You can either get a bunch of mentions now or change someone’s life next year.”



Over 200 years ago, for Kierkegaard it was not Twitter but the Daily Newspaper!  Such an applicable thought for our modern world:

“On the whole the evil in the daily press consists in its being calculated to make, if possible, the passing moment a thousand or ten thousand times more inflated and important than it really is. But all moral elevation consists first and foremost in being weaned from the momentary. There has never been a power so diametrically opposed to Christianity as the daily press.”

So, put down the blog and go listen to Josh Harris’ sermon - 
Self Control in a Wired World

Very convicting for me – “A little web surfing, a little Facebook, a little folding of the hands around the smart phone and spiritual poverty will come upon you like a robber.”

Hearing that sermon is the first time I really understood how essential Wired Self Control (self-denial) is to following Jesus.


For the record, I think Twitter, Blogs, iPhones, et al are invaluable for leadership, effectiveness and efficiency.  Just trying to find the balance!


photo courtesy of guccio at Moleskiner.net

My Favorite Blogs

July 27, 2010 in Leadership with 4 Comments


This may be preaching to the choir but . . .

I think one of the best ways to develop as a leader is by subscribing to and reading blogs.  You won’t grow as a leader if you’re not being exposed to new ideas and great leaders.  And there’s no quicker way than to read great blogs.  They’re short and to the point – my favorite kind of reading.

For those of you who don’t know, I explain how (and why) to subscribe to blogs here.



Here are my favorite blogs that I read almost daily (I’ve added these to my Resources Tab).  

Let me know in the comments what your favorite blogs are.


The quick list – My top 3 favorite overall:




The full list by category:

Christian/Gospel-centered (ranked):

  1. Justin Taylor –   If all you did was follow his blog you wouldn’t be missing much else on the internets.  By far the best Christian blog out there.
  2. Tim Challies – voracious Christian book reader/reviewer.  Rock-solid theology.
  3. Tim Keller – doesn’t post very much but when he does. . .

Church Relevance has a good list of the top 100 Christian blogs.



Leadership (ranked):

  1. Seth Godin – brilliant thinker/writer on leadership and marketing.  at least once a week I bookmark one of his posts for use with my staff team.
  2. What’s Best Next – incredible thoughts on productivity and leadership (I also use a lot of his posts with my staff)
  3. Ben Arment – not sure why I like this blog so much.  Random compilation of leadership thoughts and design.  Ben is probably the best Christian event planner in the world.  Great creative mind and eye for design.
  4. Michael Hyatt – CEO of Thomas Nelson publishing.  Great thinker on Leadership
  5. Signal vs. Noise – from the authors of Rework.  Leadership, design, etc.




Design/Marketing/Culture (ranked):

  1. Smashing Magazine – a must read for designers (especially web design)
  2. Already Been Chewed – a Christian designer with mad motion skills
  3. New York Times Editorials by David Brooks – what do all my favorite NYT editorials have in common?  David Brooks wrote them.  Often looks at religious topics (from a secular point of view)
  4. Abuzeedo – overwhelming number of new posts every week.  But great inspiration for designers (plus free fonts/textures/tutorials/etc)
  5. Church Marketing Sucks – “The site to frustrate, educate and motivate the church to communicate, with uncompromising clarity, the truth of Jesus Christ”




College Ministry (in no particular order):

I didn’t even discover this category of blogs until Summer 2010.  So I’m new to the game here.  I’m sure I’m missing some stellar blogs in this category.

  1. Benson Hines – a college-minitry-blogging-machine.  He blogs new ideas every day.
  2. Matt McComas – CCC staff in Portland – blogs on leadership, technology and innovation as it relates to college ministry
  3. Brian Barela – Director of CCC’s New Media Strategies – movement building, evangelism, innovation



photo courtesy of neXres via Flickr