WHO ARE YOU?

I'm curious who you are and where you are from. Click on Comments below and let me know!

::thanks::

CHIPOTLE



The people over at Chipotle should be glad that I make Starbucks my second office. Why? Because they are the closest place for me to run to when I'm working and don't feel like getting in my car to drive somewhere to eat lunch. So, they earn my business quite often.

This is today's lunch. Called a burrito bowl. Everything that is normally in a burrito (grilled peppers & onions, cheese, shredded pork, lettuce, etc...) but without the tortilla. (Good for us low carb people...)

WHERE DO PEOPLE COME UP WITH THIS STUFF?

It's the Name The Senior High Youth Group Contest!

Check out some of these names! (And they wonder why kids don't want to invite their friends????)

BASIC COMMUNICATIONS - Brothers and Sisters in Christ Communicating

MUSCLE - Many United Students for the Cleansing of Lower Extremities (what the...?)

ZEROS - Zealous Evangelical Radicals of the Savior (Sounds like a terrorist group.) What do they say here? "Hey guys, join our youth group and become a zero!"

And the best on the list:

POST - Poop On Satan Twice (nice...)

FORGING YOUR BRAND FOR THE FUTURE

Fast Company Now (Fast Company's blog) has an interesting post about a new book entitled, Fusion Branding: How to Forge Your Brand for the Future by author Nick Wreden.

In the words of FC blogger, Heath Row, the book, "challenges conventional wisdom by proposing that brand equity doesn't really matter. Customer equity does."

Interesting thought here. In terms of marketing, branding has to do with the "image" of a company - logo, slogan, the "look", etc... The challenge here is that reputation and customer equity is much more important than the brand itself.

Thinking of this in terms of the "church" is interesting to me. I remember a time, not so long ago, when all of the church marketing "guru's", etc... said that it's all about the name or the look or the logo of the church. The focus was primarily on the image and external "feel" that people got when they visited.

Well, in my heavily unsolicited opinion, I think that as important as those things are (logo's, etc...) - nothing can compare or take the place of authenticity and community and its role in the local church. I've seen churches that have the nicest and sleekest looking logos, buildings, graphics, etc... who didn't seem to know or understand the first thing about caring for people or building true Biblical community. Their logos, names and buildings didn't do it for them.

So perhaps Mr. Wreden is right in suggesting that the key to "forging your brand" for the future is not in the externals alone, but dependent primarily upon what's on the inside.

Your thoughts?

NO IDEA!



I have no idea where she gets this from...

ABANDONED BIKES IN NYC



This New York City blogger posts images of abondened bikes in the city.

THE FOOD WAS BETTER THAN THE SCORE



Well, the Blackhawks lost. But I had one heck of a dinner and some great conversation. (Thanks again Mark...)

Ate at the Chicago Stadium Club and let me tell you... Prime rib, jumbo shrimp cocktail, beef tenderloin, fresh bread, pasta, ceaser's salad, and on and on and on. The desserts were to die for. And you know the desserts are fancy when you can't even identify what they are, but you know they look incredible. They obviously had a great pastry chef on site.

Oh yeah, it was free hat night too, but I couldn't eat that.

Good times...

BLACKHAWKS

Going to a Chicago Blackhawks game in about an hour. It's my first hockey game EVER (besides a Minnesota Gopher's game that I went to in college once...).

It's weird, but it's the 2nd Blackhawk's game that I've been invited to in one week. I wasn't able to make it to the first invite, but I figure that maybe there's a "reason" why I'm supposed to go since I've been asked twice in 4 days - either that or no one is going to Blackhawk games anymore and everyone I know has free tickets.

I'll let you know how it goes.

NEW MATTRESS

We bought a new mattress yesterday. The one we had was in bad shape. If I slept for more than 6 or 7 hours on it (which didn't happen very often anyway...) I would typically wake up with back pain and sometimes a headache. It was time for that mattress to retire.

The new one is incredible. We got a smokin' deal on it (Carson Piere Scott 1/2 off sale). I slept well last night and feel great this morning.

Amanda's grandfather says there are 3 things that every person must have:

1. A good mattress.
2. Good shoes.
3. A good, reliable car.

I agree.

Oh yeah - I want to add one more to the list.

4. A good computer. :)