.:WeEbLeLaNd:.

just in case...

2005-07-10T23:40:00.000-05:00

just in case some of you are still reading this old blog via an RSS feed and haven't updated your feed to my new site, please note that my new blog is located at: www.scotthodge.typepad.com or by simply going to: www.scotthodge.org.

NEW BLOG SITE!

2005-03-29T20:34:00.000-06:00

Folks. It's time. The NEW blog has arrived. Change your RSS feeds, change your LINKS, change your homepage. It's the brand spankin' new.........

scotthodge.org

Visit it now by clicking HERE or by going to: http://scotthodge.org.

SEE YOU OVER THERE!

IT WORKS NOW...

2005-03-29T10:53:00.000-06:00

Something is wrong w/ the scotthodge.org link. I figured out the problem, it will be up and running soon.

@#& technology. ;-)

It works now. Go to www.scotthodge.org now.

The countdown has begun...

2005-03-29T01:01:00.000-06:00

It's almost time. My new blog is almost ready. Stay tuned. Sometime TODAY (Tuesday) it will be PUBLICALLY released. (Who am I, Google?)

Stay tuned. Get ready to change your RSS feeds, links and homepages.

sam's daily dose

2005-03-25T07:05:00.000-06:00

Sam Javanrouh is a photoblogger from Toronto. His photos are unbelievable. He shoots with a Canon EOS Digital Rebel 300D.

His site is one that I visit almost daily. Check it out.

Link

Blog Banner Contest Results

2005-03-24T08:45:00.000-06:00

Wow... You guys are a creative bunch! What a fabulous response!

I've narrowed my decision down to a couple of designs that I really, really like a lot. BUT - I want to give you an opportunity to vote for your favorite banner before I make my final decision.

On the links below you will find a sample of the ones that were sent. There were more, but I'm sharing with you the ones that stuck out to me the most.

Click here for the first set of banners. (They are numbered, so remember the number of the one you like best.)

Click here for the second set of banners. (These are also numbered.)

Leave your vote in the comments section. And since Easter is only 3 days away and I have three services to prepare for, I will make my decision AFTER this coming weekend.

And let me say a HUGE thank you to all of you who participated! I may even alternate banners every few months just to show off all of the great ideas.

Now, go rock the vote. (I've always wanted to say that...)

Rick Warren on Larry King Live

2005-03-23T10:38:00.000-06:00

Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life, was on Larry King Live last night. I have to say that I was very, very impressed by how Rick handled people's questions and even his comments about his own life.

Here's a snippet of Larry King asking Warren how he keeps his life balanced as it pertains to success:

KING: So, the question is, how do you keep your balance?

WARREN: Well, you know what, when the book, Larry, and this caller, when it began to become a big success world-wide, I actually began to got to scripture to pray about what I called the stewardship of have affluence and the stewardship of influence. And that was, God, what do I do with me money, and what do I do with the notoriety. Because, I don't think God gives either money or fame for your own ego, certainly not a pastor.

And I didn't want it. And in fact, that's the whole reason why I never put our church services on television. Twenty Five-years-ago I made the decision to never be on television as a church service, because I didn't want to be a televangelist. I didn't like the lifestyle. And I didn't like a lot of the -- I think always being in the spotlight blinds you.

And Kay (ph) and I made two very important decisions, based on two passages of scripture. First Corinthians 9 and Psalms 72. First with the money, we made five decisions. First was, we weren't going to change our lifestyle one bit, no matter how much money came in. So, we still live in the same house. We didn't buy a bigger house. We don't own a guest house. We don't own a yacht. I still drive a 4- year-old Ford. And we're just are not going to let money change your lives, and I'm not going to use it to impress people.

The second decision we made was, I stopped taking the salary from my church about three years ago.

The third decision is, I added up all that the church had paid me in the past 25 years and I gave it all back. And I did that because I don't want anybody to ever think that I was doing this for money, because I don't. I would have done it for free from the start if I could have. And now the book made it possible for me to give all that money back.

And right after I did that, I was interviewed by a major news magazine. And the first question was, what's your salary? And I was able to say, well, actually, I've now serve my church for free for 25 years. Then we set up, No. 4, we set up three foundations, one of them called Acts of Mercy, which is used to help those who are infected and affected by AIDS globally. And then the fifth is, we actually became reverse tithers, which means that when Kay and I got married, we began to tithe 10 percent of our income to charity, and each year in the last 30 years we've raised it a percentage, and we're not actually reverse tithers, so we give away 90 percent and live on 10 percent.

There's something about Rick Warren that is very refreshing. It's not to say this "his way" is the right way or what everyone should do, but I would say that he has, so far, done a great job keeping his life and his wealth in perspective.

Link to Larry King Live Transcript

Congratulations Mom!

2005-03-22T22:13:00.000-06:00

Congratulation shouts to my mother, Loudene Hodge. Today was a very important day for her. In less than 18 months, she has lost over 100 pounds!

We showed up at her Weight Watchers class tonight to celebrate with her.

Mom, we are so proud of you! What an incredible accomplishment.

Now, let's go get some Krispy Kreme donuts! :) Ha, ha... Kidding!

Baby Got Book

2005-03-22T13:51:00.000-06:00

David, I'm forever grateful to you for pointing your blog readers to this video clip.

It's a religious version of Sir Mix Alot's, "Baby Got Back." It's called, "Baby Got Book."

"I like big Bibles I can not lie,/ You Christian brothers can’t deny,/ When a girl walks in with a KJV/ And a bookmark in proverbs, You get stoked"

There's something really wrong/funny/sick/hilarious about this.

Link

Blog Border

2005-03-21T16:50:00.000-06:00

Hey guys - I wanted to update all of you on the "Blog Banner" contest. It's not over - you still have until midnight tonight to shoot over any last minute entries. Send them to: scotthodge (at) gmail (dot) com.

I've gotten some great entries! I will be posting my top picks as well as announcing the winner in the next few days.

Stay tuned.

Billy Graham iPod

2005-03-21T00:46:00.000-06:00

It's here - the Billy Graham edition iPod.

U2 has one, why not Billy Graham?

From the site:

"Like no other, iPod Billy Graham Special Edition stands out. Jet black, it bears a prominent 'heaven blue' Apple Click Wheel and, on the flip side, the autograph of Billy Graham himself. Available for just $349, it comes with an exclusive Billy Graham poster and, of course, the signature white iPod earbuds."

Link (via)

Church of The Customer

2005-03-19T00:56:00.000-06:00

I'm constantly pulling great ideas from Church of the Customer - a blog from the authors of Creating Customer Evangelists. Jackie Huba and Ben McConnell always have something great and inspiring to say on their blog. (Maybe it's because they are from Chicago?)

(Their "big idea" is that the greatest way to spread the word about your company, church or organization is via "word of mouth" from the people who are loyal to the mission of the organization. Great stuff!)

Here's a link to a presentation that Jackie gave in Seattle a few days ago. It's a PowerPoint presentation done very well - and you'll grab some great thoughts from it.

Link

A Talk With Christianity Today

2005-03-17T23:42:00.000-06:00

Last night I had the opportunity to sit in a room with the vice presidential team and CEO & chairman of Christianity Today International. I was invited by a new friend, Marshall Shelley, who is one of the VP's for CTI as well as the Executive Editor of Leadership Journal.

We gathered at the McDonalds corporate headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois. (Amazingly, I did not see one golden arch, but I must say that the campus is pretty impressive)

The conversation was a great one. I was intrigued as I watched their team passionately communicate their desire to take their magazine family (Campus Life, Christianity Today, Today's Christian Women, Leadership, and a bunch more...) to the "next level" and stay culturally relevant towards their market audiences.

Somehow I got invited to contribute to the evening by offering candid and straightforward feedback. (And God only knows that I'm usually pretty good at it...)

Through the course of the evening, we discussed everything from design to how to make their magazines more interactive (a.k.a. Perhaps a blog?) They even had a guest consultant present - Dr. Sumir Husni, a journalism professor from The University of Mississippi who's known as "Mr. Magazine."

More than anything, I think the most encouraging aspect of the evening was watching an "established" organization like CT vulnerably opening themselves up to criticism and new ideas. They begged for honesty and candidness.

Selah.

How many of us in our organizations are intentionally putting ourselves in a place to hear people's perceptions about our churches, businesses, schools, etc...

If you are a pastor of a church, why not ask the non-returning visitors why they didn't return a second time? (But if you do that, make sure you let them know that you aren't necessarily trying to get them to come back, but that you just really value their input.)

If you are a business person or in sales, why not ask your former client why they didn't renew their contract with you?

Great job CT! And great job to any organization that has the guts to do the same. It's really the only way to go to the next level.

Peter Drucker on Making Decisions

2005-03-16T09:27:00.000-06:00

Goodbye charisma. Hello responsibility!

Peter Drucker has some great things to say about a leader's decision making and getting things done. He points out that it's not as much about charisma as we tend to think it is. (Good to Great anyone?)

Eight practices that effective leaders followed:

They asked, "What needs to be done?"
They asked, "What is right for the enterprise?"
They developed action plans.
They took responsibility for decisions.
They took responsibility for communicating.
They were focused on opportunities rather than problems.
They ran productive meetings.
They thought and said "we" rather than "I."

He also says that a decision has not really been made until everyone is clear on the following:

the name of the person accountable for carrying it out;
the deadline;
the names of the people who will be affected by the decision and therefore have to know about, understand, and approve it—or at least not be strongly opposed to it—and
the names of the people who have to be informed of the decision, even if they are not directly affected by it.

Full Article Link

Eyetrack III

2005-03-15T15:30:00.000-06:00

Have you heard of eye tracking? According to my favorite online encyclopedia (Wikipedia) eye tracking is described as:

"...a technique used in cognitive science, psychology, human-computer interaction (HCI), advertising, medical research, and other areas. A camera focuses on one or both eyes and records their movement as the viewer looks at some kind of stimulus."

Now, apply this concept to your website. Where do people's eyes "hone in" on first on your site? What are the "priority" areas of your webpage that people tend to focus in on first? Are we taking advantage of those "zones" to communicate our message?

Check out Eyetrack III, a very interesting article/study about the "hotspots" of a website. The Eyetrack III research team observed 46 people for one hour "as their eyes followed mock news websites and real multimedia content." The article provides an overview of what they observed.

Link

Brent over at the holland|simpson blog has been writing a bit about this.

Banner Contest!

2005-03-14T13:36:00.000-06:00

Ok - it's a first.

A "Scott Hodge Blog" contest.

As you know, I'm relaunching my site via TypePad very soon. But... I need a customized banner to run across the top of my site. I've created a couple that look pretty good, but I know that some of YOU - my readers - could create one that would blow the socks off of mine.

So, here's the contest.

YOU design a banner for my site. For free. If I select yours, I will give you a special link on my site. I will also buy you dinner if I'm ever in the area you live at.

Yes, it's mostly a good deal for me. But it will also be a good deal for you if you happen to like Long John Silvers. (kidding of course...)

Here's what I'm looking for - something professional but fun. Since I live outside of Chicago, I would love something that is somewhat urban in design. On the banner itself, it should simply say this: "scotthodge.org". (Unless you can think of a great tagline too...)

Email me your banners to scotthodge (at) gmail (dot) com no later than Monday, March 21st (one week from today.)

But beware... I'm one of those picky, anal people when it comes to design/fonts/graphics.

Let the challenge begin!

Moving to TypePad

2005-03-14T01:46:00.000-06:00

It's pretty much official. I'm going to be switching over to TypePad. Blogger has been great (especially considering that they upgraded me to BloggerPro when I first signed on; which was great because they hosted my images for free...)

Snaps for Blogger.

I won't make the change until I'm comfortable with TypePad and finished working on my template design. So far I'm impressed with TypePad. It's easy to use and has some great features. I was really turned on to TypePad when I was guest blogging at Fast Company's blog, FC Now last summer.

Snaps for TypePad.

I'll probably link the scotthodge.org domain to the TypePad site, so it will be an easy way to remember the link.

Stay tuned...

What Will Heaven Be Like?

2005-03-14T00:12:00.000-06:00

CT has an interesting article about Heaven written by Peter Kreeft, professor of philosophy at Boston College.

Some good thoughts and somewhat comforting...

Link

Amazing...

2005-03-11T11:08:00.000-06:00

This is the scene next to me at Starbucks right now. What amazes me is that there are 7 women sitting at this table talking, but they are somehow making it sounds like 32 women.

Amazing....

Michael

2005-03-10T15:56:00.000-06:00

With all of the recent media attention given to the recent Michael Jackson "saga", I thought I would post a quote that a friend sent me today.

Pop culture is best exemplified by Michael Jackson, who in an effort not to fade from popularity, has continually reinvented his image so thoroughly that he has transformed from a black man to a white woman.

Mark Driscoll, Radical Reformission

All about meme...

2005-03-08T17:56:00.000-06:00

This meme was passed along to me from Terry Storch. Thank you for the opportunity to share! (But what the heck is a meme?)

What is the total amount of music files on your computer?
Dell Inspiron 5150 (Dear Lord, I want an iPod - just in case you forgot...)
Songs: 550
Capacity 60.0 GB
Available 34.0 GB
Total Songs: 2.1 GB

What is the last CD I bought?
The Best of Thelonious Monk

What was the last song I listened to before reading this message?
De Do Do Do, De da da Da by The Police
Driving my car to Starbucks

What are 5 songs that I listen to often or mean a lot to me?
Daughters by John Mayer
Walk by Faith by Jeremy Camp
So What by Miles Davis
Ordinary Love by Sade
In My Place by Coldplay

(Dang, that was hard.)

Bonus: Favorite Chorus - My Stupid Mouth, John Mayer

I’m never speaking up again. it only hurts me.
I’d rather be a mystery than she desert me.

Who am I going to pass this on to?
Chris, Kevin, and Troy

Napoleon Sound Bytes

2005-03-08T13:36:00.000-06:00

Napoleon Sound Bytes.

Link

"...She says she doesn't want you here when she gets back because you've been ruining everybody's lives and eatin' all our STEAK!"

Next Step

2005-03-06T22:40:00.000-06:00

What a day... It's the "holy hangover" times two.

Today, I, along with Amanda, accepted the role of Lead Pastor of our church - Orchard Valley Community Church (a.k.a. "The Orchard) here in Aurora, Illinois (outside of Chicago.)

This is the same church that my father pastored for 27 years until his sudden passing this past October. Three years ago, Amanda and I joined his staff to help lead the church through a "turnaround" journey. We committed to be there for six month. Ha.

I've been asked by a lot of people if we are "excited" by this change. That's a tough question - because in one sense we are honored, thrilled, blown away and just plain tripped out that we are here, leading this incredible church. In another sense, it's one more "event" in our lives that confirms the fact that my best friend, mentor and dad is truly gone. (Can you say roller coaster of emotions?)

But, nonetheless, God has a plan and we are humbled by the fact that He has found us worthy to lead this awesome, awesome, awesome community of Jesus followers, spiritual seekers and everything in between.

Definitely a WOW GOD moment in our lives.

5 Year Old Leadership

2005-03-04T23:38:00.000-06:00

Conversation tonight between Elise (5 year old daughter) and Amanda (my wife):

Elise: "Mom, what are you reading?"

Amanda: "I'm reading a book about how to make your church a better place."

Elise: "Oh. Leadership Uncensored?"

What makes that both amazing and so cute is that "Leadership Uncensored" is a CD resource from Fellowship Church (Ed Young) that Amanda and I have been listening to in the car lately.

It's scary AND amazing how perceptive a five year old can be. The girl is already speaking the language of leadership! Yeah!!

Leadership Derailment

2005-03-04T12:42:00.000-06:00

Todd Rhoades over at Monday Morning Insight shares a great synopsis from an article that he ran across on "Why & How Successful Leaders Get Derailed." It's an insightful article.

Thanks Todd!

Link

AIDS and African Life Expectancies

2005-03-03T10:59:00.000-06:00

Changes in life expectancy in Africa due to AIDS. This is shocking...

Link (via)

Everytime I am faced with news regarding the AIDS epidemic in Africa my gut reacts with such pain and I ask myself what my response to this should be.

I'm interested in hearing from my readers on this topic. Please share...

Before & After

2005-03-02T00:31:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Mr. Seth Godin, I've found a great website with free graphic design tips - it's called Before & After.

If you're like me and don't do graphic design for a living, but do design flyers, PowerPoints & brochures on occassion, it's definitely worth a read.

Right now, the free article is "Easy Cover Patterns."

Link

3M(oney)

2005-02-27T16:21:00.000-06:00

Great advertisement from 3M. It's good to see that they believe in their products.

(And yes, it's real money...)

(via)

PS - I'll be out of town for a couple of days. Go visit some of the blogs over to the right... Ciao.

Water

2005-02-26T23:11:00.000-06:00

Returned last night from a quick trip over to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin for a fast, overnight trip to an indoor water park resort. It was a nice time "away" and very, very wet. The highlight of our trip was when Amanda talked my mom into going down a very fast, enclosed waterslide. Those of you who know my mom know that this was nothing short of a miracle. If only dad could have seen that...!

Pictures: Daughter, Julia and my sister, Kellie with son, Ian.

The Fresh Market

2005-02-24T09:31:00.000-06:00

They are opening up one of these in a nearby suburb (Geneva.) Has anyone ever shopped at one of these?

The Fresh Market

Public Humiliation....er, um, uh...Speaking

2005-02-23T12:01:00.000-06:00

Nothing gives me more energy than communicating passionately to a group of people (the larger the group, the better.) When there is a solid connection and people are zoned in on what is being said it creates an energy and buzz that can’t be gotten anyway else.

(And of course, the greatest buzz happens when a change in thinking or behavior occurs in someone's life and they step forward in their spiritual journey - this is the ultimate goal of why I communicate!)

But public speaking and getting up in front of people is not easy for most people. In fact, the number one fear for most people is getting up in front of a group of people. The latest issue of Fast Company Magazine gives a few great tips to move past the paralyzing fear of public speaking. Here they are:

1. Abandon childhood. We pick up all types of weird beliefs as children that if we do a bad job, people won’t like us. Forget this. Not true.

2. Expose yourself. Stefan Hofmann, directory of the social anxiety program at Boston University’s Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders suggests, “The best way to overcome a fear is to expose yourself to it as much as possible.”

3. Get back to basics. Connect with a safe organization like toastmasters or a group that allows you to practice and prepare regularly.

4. Make mistakes. It’s ok. The higher you raise the stakes in your own mind, the harder time you’ll have in front of a crowd.

I’m going to add another:

5. Take a deep breath. There’s something about taking a deep breath that relaxes me every time I get up in front of a group or crowd. It makes all the difference in the world and helps me to relax.

Full Time Blogging

2005-02-22T23:55:00.000-06:00

I'm digging Kottke's risk taking pursuit of making his blog his FULL TIME job.

Why not?

Link

Ironic

2005-02-22T17:26:00.000-06:00

Isn't it ironic?

Canadian Alanis Morissette has become a US citizen.

Link (via)

Hotmail via Outlook

2005-02-22T13:28:00.000-06:00

Is there anyone else out there who runs their Hotmail account through their Microsoft Outlook? If so, are you having problems with it synchronizing headers?

Mousemobile Update

2005-02-21T12:05:00.000-06:00

This guy is a smart one, I'll tell you that. Yesterday I put some peanutbutter on the trap and it ate some of that off.

BUT, the good news is that I'm pretty sure he's gone. I put some cheese on the floorboard last night and it's still there. So, as far as I'm concerned - it's gone.

Which is good, because I'm tired of driving around with rubber bands around the bottoms of my pants.

Mouse

2005-02-19T22:38:00.000-06:00

There's a mouse in my car.

I have no idea how it got in there, but today I was parking the car out on the street in front of our home and I looked down in the floor board and saw a mouse run across my shoe and up inside of a hole at the bottom of my dashboard.

As quickly as I could I grabbed the handle to my car door and tried to open it only to discover that it was locked. I begin praying, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus" really fast and finally got the door opened. I jumped/slid out of the car and looked around to see if anyone was watching.

I then went into the house, grabbed a broom and went back out to my car and started poking around in the opening of my dashboard where the mouse ran into. No luck. I got a mousetrap and some cheese.

A couple of hours later the cheese was GONE but the mousetrap was empty. Proof that there IS a mouse in my car. And also proof that this is one smart mouse.

I had to leave this afternoon so I took my wife's car and left mine out on the street. I've resorted to creamy Jiffy peanut butter on the mousetrap. We'll see what happens.

Forkin' Marketing 2

2005-02-17T16:53:00.000-06:00

Yeah, so the dessert thing... It went well.

Now I am going to puke.

Forkin' Marketing

2005-02-17T14:44:00.000-06:00

The marketing team @ Starbucks has come up with a clever marketing piece. It's an invitation to sample some of their new desserts. The invitation has two small forkes tucked into a sleeve and says on it, "We invite you and a friend to join us from 4 to 5 p.m. on February 17 to sample some of our indulgent treats."

Pretty clever.

And the best part is that today is February 17th.

Leadership Popularity

2005-02-17T13:19:00.000-06:00

"Leadership is not a popularity contest."

I heard someone say this today.

Maybe there just needs to be a "rule" when it comes to leadership: If you want to be popular and well liked by everyone, DON'T be a leader!

If you want to be a great leader; you have to have the guts, the chutzpah, the "you-know-what's" to make some tough calls.

It's all about looking at the greater good of the organization or group that you are leading when you make decisions. Pray. Seek counsel. But go with your gut and make the necessary decisions.

Unfortunately, sometimes those calls aren't always seen as "good" or "smart" decisions by others.

So what do you do? Do you avoid making the tough calls to keep everyone happy and comfortable?

Heck no. No. way. in. heck.

The ones who are unhappy with your decisions aren't the ones who were called/summoned/hired/chosen to lead what you are leading. And if you believe, as I do, that leadership is something you are called to do, then when the day comes for you to report to the One who "called" you, guess who they will be interested in hearing from? YOU - not all of the people who were upset with your decision.

Perhaps part of the problem with those who don't want to make the tough calls is disillusionment.

People see the "surface" benefits of being a leader and think that leadership is a bed of roses or "glamorous." Call me crazy or nuts, but I've been in leadership roles all my life - as a volunteer and professionally and I have yet to feel the "glamour." (Laughing right now...)

So, I speak to myself and to all of the leaders reading this: DO WHAT YOU NEED TO DO. Don't buckle under pressure. Don't expect to be liked by everyone. And lead with resolve and confidence.

Amen.

A good message...

2005-02-17T08:36:00.000-06:00

I shared this with a family a few days ago who lost their 51 year old dad from a sudden, massive heart attack. It may have helped me more than them...

2 Corinthians 4:16-5:9 (The Message)

So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. 17These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. 18There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever.

1For instance, we know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven--God-made, not handmade 2 -4-and we'll never have to relocate our "tents" again. Sometimes we can hardly wait to move--and so we cry out in frustration. Compared to what's coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we're tired of it! We've been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies! 5The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what's ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we'll never settle for less.

6That's why we live with such good cheer. You won't see us drooping our heads or dragging our feet! Cramped conditions here don't get us down. They only remind us of the spacious living conditions ahead. 7It's what we trust in but don't yet see that keeps us going. 8Do you suppose a few ruts in the road or rocks in the path are going to stop us? When the time comes, we'll be plenty ready to exchange exile for homecoming.

9But neither exile nor homecoming is the main thing. Cheerfully pleasing God is the main thing, and that's what we aim to do, regardless of our conditions.

Baby Name Wizard

2005-02-15T18:15:00.000-06:00

Kind of cool...

From the site:

"...an interactive portrait of America's name choices. Start with a "sea" of nearly 5000 names. Type a letter, and you'll zoom in to focus on how that initial has been used over the past century."

Link (Thanks Sandy)

Where do you work?

2005-02-14T22:40:00.000-06:00

I work primarily in three places: Work office, Home office & Starbucks.

My “gear” is very mobile, so I can work pretty much anywhere that I have an Internet connection. (If you wonder what I carry with me, check out this post from 8/4/04).

My church office is a comfortable environment where I am able to hone in on projects, meet with staff and others, etc… It is my “zone” for ministry strategizing, phone calls and the daily “stuff”. I spend most Tuesday mornings, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturday afternoons in this office (or in our meeting/conference room in front of a HUGE whiteboard). When it comes to studying, it’s not the best place to work – primarily because of interruptions that occur (There’s just no way around this...)

At my church office, I am connected to the Internet via a wireless T-1 connection. I have a killer Harman/Kardon speaker system (including subwoofer) that I plug into my computer (I have the same setup at my home office.) It’s obvious to everyone when I’m at the office. (Sorry guys…!)

My home office is a great space for me to work. It’s an actual “office”, so it’s an environment that makes it easy to get down to business if need be or to just sit back and read a book. I also run wireless Internet via a cable modem in my home.

Amanda just recently gave my office an extreme makeover, so it has a great feel. I love working at home – especially if I’m just returning emails or working on monotonous stuff because I love being around my gals! Plus, the Herman Miller Aeron chair (thanks to you know who...) makes it a good sittin’ spot.

My “3rd” place to work is Starbucks. Are you surprised? There are about a zillion Starbucks within 20 minutes of my office/home. I am a T-Mobile Hotspot user, so I can jump online at any Starbucks location in the Chicago area or nationwide when I travel. For me, Starbucks is a great place to get my creative juices flowing. The energy, the music, the people and the environment are all stellar. Plus the coffee isn’t too bad either...

Thursdays are my “study” day. It’s my day to break away from the familiarity of all three of my regular spots. On any given Thursday, I’ll be sitting in a tea shop in Chinatown preparing a message or sitting in a coffeeshop in Wicker Park seeking God and asking him to help keep my focus in the right place. There’s something really, really healthy for me about getting away from familiar environments. Give it a try sometime…

How about you? Where do you work?

Friday Night

2005-02-11T23:26:00.000-06:00

Yes, I'm still here.... The Hodge blogosphere was been somewhat light due to a crazy past few days.

Tomorrow morning, I will wake up early to officiate a funeral for a 51 year old man who passed away very suddenly at his home. His daughter came home and found him on the floor. Way, way too close to home...

Finished reading The DaVinci Code last night. Wowzers. More about that later. Great writing and storyline, but man....

Ate at Steak n Shake tonight. I think I'm gonna puke.

Ok, that's it. Goodnight.

Thursday Night

2005-02-10T19:57:00.000-06:00

I was just getting ready to write something profound and perhaps even earth shattering; but then I realized that it is 7:58pm, which means that The Apprentice will be on in a few minutes.

Followed by ER.

Gotta fly...

Daughters

2005-02-08T18:21:00.000-06:00

Playing Now: Daughters
Artist: John Mayer

One of my favorite John Mayer songs is called Daughters. It's a great song and the lyrics are right on.

Lyrics:

I know a girl
She puts the color inside of my world
She's just like a maze
Where all of the walls all continually change

And I've done all I can
To stand on the steps with my heart in my hand
Now I'm starting to see
Maybe it's got nothing to do with me

Fathers be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers be good to your daughters, too

Oh, you see that skin
It's the same she's been standing in
Since the day she saw him walking away
Now she's left cleaning up the mess he made

Boys you can break
You find out how much they can take
Boys will be strong and boys soldier on
But boys would be gone without warmth of a woman's good, good heart

On behalf of every man, looking out for every girl
You are the god and the weight of her world

So fathers be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers be good to your daughters, too
So mothers be good to your daughters, too
So mothers be good to your daughters, too

Blink!

2005-02-07T22:26:00.000-06:00

I finally got it. And I'm trying so hard not to drop my current reading to get to this one... (That sounds really good, doesn't it?)

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell.

His last book, The Tipping Point, was excellent and a must read if you haven't already.

Accountability

2005-02-07T13:38:00.000-06:00

A couple of years ago, I read Rudy Giulani’s book, Leadership. As I read his book, the one thing that kept screaming out at me was the importance of accountability. According to the big NYC man himself, accountability was one of the major keys in changing the culture of the New York City government – which in turn helped change the culture of an entire city.

Crime rates went down. Morale went up. The culture of New York City seemed to change in just a matter of a few years - and according to Giuliani, it mostly due to accountability. Giuliani took the bold step of holding his people accountable for their actions (or lack thereof...)

Holding people accountable isn’t always easy – especially if it’s not built into the culture of your organization. When we began our organization’s turnaround, accountability was not high on the list – if on the list at all. For the most part, leaders (both paid and volunteers) could do a great job or a "not-so-great" job and the consequences would pretty much be the same.

When we decided to hold people accountable for their actions it was a tough move. Suddenly, things that were “ok” before were not ok now. A good job wasn’t acceptable – it had to be great. Promised follow through was no longer optional. If something was promised, that “something” would have to be delivered.

Now, a couple of years later, accountability has been built into the culture of our team.

If something is promised, we will make it happen.

If one of us drops the ball on something, we know that ultimately it falls on our shoulders and responsibility is taken.

Excellence isn’t encouraged, it is required.

Did creating a culture of accountability happen overnight? No way! It was tough. I’m pretty certain that one of the reasons that accountability isn’t easy is because if often requires confrontation and uncomfortable conversations.

Of course, having a “team” environment makes the accountability thing much easier, because everyone is interested in the entire ship moving forward VS. individuals just being interested in their own, personal agendas. We want every area to succeed – even if it means jumping in and helping to make it happen.

On the other hand, “teamwork” can’t be an excuse for not working hard on one’s part or having to always cover up someone’s lack of focus or productivity. That’s where the accountability thing kicks in.

What about accountability in your organization? How do you hold people accountable? How about those of you involved in a non-profit organization where you are constantly utilizing volunteers? How do you hold your volunteer force accountable? Share your thoughts!

Hot Spot Annoyances

2005-02-06T23:47:00.000-06:00

Hey hot spot users... Here's a good article about avoiding hot spot "annoyances".

Link (via)

U2

2005-02-04T15:12:00.000-06:00

Does anyone out there know Bono?

Ok, let me rephrase that... I want to go to the U2 concert here in Chicago in May but they are sold out. Any connections out there?

PLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLEASE.

Sincerely,

A "somewhat" U2 fan

Gmail Invites

2005-02-03T21:18:00.000-06:00

If anyone is interested, I have 3 Gmail invites available to the first three people who email me here.

Google Local

2005-02-03T17:25:00.000-06:00

Someone told me today that they keep "Google tabs" on me on a regular basis. Scary... But kudos to the the brainy people @ Google as they continue to blow me away with their innovative ideas.

Their newest offering? Google Local.

Want to find a roller rink in Tuscaloosa?

Bye bye Yahoo - HELLO Google!

How to pitch an idea

2005-02-02T10:01:00.000-06:00

Anyone who has an idea that they want to see fly needs to read this article.

Check out Scott Berkun's new article, "How to pitch an idea." Very practical. Very good.

Link

Grimace

2005-02-01T13:20:00.000-06:00

The place we went to for our staff retreat had some old McDonald's playground characters. The highlight of our time there was when Amanda and I stood inside of Grimace's stomach. It was an honor. (Ahh...the memories...)

Missional Church Forum

2005-02-01T09:21:00.000-06:00

If you are interested in learning more about what it means to be a missional church or how to better connect our emerging culture to Christ, check out the Allelon Missional Church Forum. Great ideas/thoughts/discussions.

On the front of the page it has some "key ideas for the conversation":

What does it mean to be missional?
How does the church hear the voice of God?
How do I help an existing church to begin to think missionally?
How do we impact the consumerism of our culture?
What does it mean to participate in the Kingdom of God?
How does the gospel speak to our culture?
What does leadership look like in a missional context?
What skills do I need to possess? How do leaders become cultivators of communities?
What is the role of the Holy Spirit in the lives of ordinary men and women within congregations/communities?

Link

What's Working

2005-02-01T08:54:00.001-06:00

Terry Storch (who is the COO of Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas) has a great blog and recently asked me to write a guest post on "what's working". You can check it out here.

Terry - thanks for the opporunity!

Away we go...

2005-01-30T15:07:00.000-06:00

The Hodge Blogosphere will probably be somewhat quiet the next couple of days as our staff heads out for a day and a half retreat to plan, strategize and have lots of fun.

See you Tuesday!

Search Queries

2005-01-28T18:38:00.000-06:00

It always interests me as to what brings people to my blog. Here are the latest search "terms" that brought me visitors:

"using bengay when pregnant" (???)
"Scott Hodge" (who's asking?)
"face fungus"
"homer simpson"
"thumping in my ear"
"chantico review"
"weebleland"
"why leadership is important"
"women of walmart pics" (WHAT???)
"Earwax pics Chicago"
"adult diapers tennis match"

Note to someone: If you are the person who found my site by searching out the phrase, "adult diapers tennis match", I would heavily suggest that you not try it.

7 Practices of Effective Ministry

2005-01-28T09:25:00.000-06:00

The past couple of days I've been reading an excellent book written by the staff of Northpoint Community Church in Atlanta, GA (Andy Stanley) entitled, 7 Practices of Effective Ministry.

The book focuses in on the importance of operating your church (or business) on 7 "practices":

1. Clarify the Win - If the goal is unclear, a person is forced to guess, or even worse, decide for themselves what a "win" really is.

2. Think Steps, Not Programs - Does a "program" take people anywhere or are we just trying to keep people busy? We tend to get programmed minded VS. "step" minded.

3. Narrow the Focus - Discover what it is that you can do well and DO IT. Don't try to be everything to everyone. There is a natural tendency to drift toward complexity. Years of adding and never subtracting have created layers of programs that all FEEL necessary.

4. Teach Less for More - Most people don't learn just so they can know more; they learn when they need to know something. Figure out what people need to know and teach them - they will learn!

5. Listen to Outsiders - If you aren't willing to listen to "outsiders", you may miss a great opporunity to gain market share. Our tendency is to listen more to those INSIDE our organization than those OUTSIDE (the ones we are trying to connect with.)

6. Replace Yourself - If you fail to develop a strategy to replace yourself, you will force talened individuals to remain in the wings and perhaps cause potential leaders to exit the organization.

7. Work On It - Take time to constantly evaluate your work AND to celebrate your wins. (We are usually better at critizing than we are at celebrating our wins.)

Priscilla's Ultimate Soul Food

2005-01-27T13:06:00.000-06:00

Had a great lunch today at Priscilla's Ultimate Soul Food in Hillside. Fried chicken, green beans, mac & cheese, cornbread, SWEET tea and for dessert...pecan pie. I've eaten myself into oblivion.

Great place, worth a quick drive over to Hillside if you live in the Western suburbs.

Priscilla's Ultimate Soul Food
4330 W. Roosevelt Rd.
Hillside, IL
708-544-6230

Napoleon Dynamite

2005-01-27T01:26:00.000-06:00

I just can't take it anymore.

My friend, Ted, recently introduced me to Napoleon Dynamite. We watched it one evening and I thought it was funny - sort of. But now, the more I think about this guy Napoleon, I'm realizing that I really got a kick out of him. So now I have to talk about him for a sec.

He's the guy we've all gone to school with. Tator Tots in his pants pocket (leftover from lunch), hunting for wolverines, fannypack obsession, walking up to girls who he thinks is attractive and asking, "I see you're drinking one percent -- is that because you think you're fat?"

Go to the website here and watch some clips.

You tell me - did you go to school with Napoleon?

Organizational Culture 2 (again...)

2005-01-25T01:32:00.000-06:00

A bunch of people asked me when I was going to do part 2 of my post on organizational culture in the context of our journey at the Orchard, when in fact I already posted it on 12/27. But I guess they were all consumed with the whole "Christmas" thing and missed it... So here it is again.

In my first post about organizational culture, I wrote about the cultural transition that we have experienced in the past two and half years and specifically, about the importance of leadership by example - taking initiative and being intentional about modeling what it was we were expecting from those inside of our organization (which for us is a church…).

Another thing that helped our organization make a major shift was getting our words aligned and finally getting to the place where we were all...

2. Speaking the same language.

As we sat down to discuss the future of what we believed we were "called" to be as a church, we began noting words that seemed to clearly represent that direction. For us, some of those words were: connection, relevant, authentic, community, leadership, gathering and partnership.

Before the transition, we had never been very intentional about using these types of words. So to help ourselves become intentional, we would literally script out every announcement, every message and every piece of “communication” that would be released by our staff. On the surface, it seemed somewhat micromanaging, but it got all of us on the same page and speaking the same language.

We’ve also gotten on the same page as it relates to our mission. Almost everyone who attends our worship gatherings can probably recite, from memory, what our mission is.

Our mission is very simple, to the point and easy enough for people to remember and understand. Every time we have a church community gathering, we state our mission and usually offer just a few seconds worth of explanation as to what that mission means in relation to the gathering we are having at that moment.

Keeping the mission in front of people is huge and allows a couple of things to occur. For one, it gets the mission right out there in the open. And secondly, if people don’t like it or are having trouble connecting with it, they will usually realize it right away.

One of the things we've come to realize is that our church isn't for everyone. And that’s ok! There is no way we can cater to everyone at one time. We just have to do our best to connect with the people God has placed around us in our community.

Speaking the same language was a huge step for us – and it continues to be something we strive towards. It’s not uncommon at all now to hear people talking in their smaller gatherings or in the hallways or in meetings using the same words that we made sure we spoke on a regular basis.

What in the world?

2005-01-24T19:20:00.000-06:00

Ok. This is really funny. Like Seth Godin, I have no idea what the point of it is, but it's worth a quick look.

Link

Monday Morning Insights

2005-01-24T00:05:00.000-06:00

Todd Rhoades from ChurchStaffing.com has a great blog for pastors and staff teams called Monday Morning Insights. Here are the most recent post titles:

Is it Time to Leave? Assessing Your Credibility Level
Ten Questions Growing Churches Should Ask
An Opposing Viewpoint: Conquering Fear in the Church
Conflict? Ask Ken: When and How Should I Fire a Church Staff Member
New Trendy Church Names... Do They Help?
Is it Time to Leave? Assessing Your Compatibility of Background

Thanks Todd for the thought provoking posts!

Link

Why you should never put your picture on the Internet...

2005-01-23T23:39:00.000-06:00

Link

(via)

13 Rules for More Effective Advertising

2005-01-21T15:10:00.000-06:00

Some good thoughts from McKee Wallwork Henderson (via BrandAutopsy), an advertising agency specializing in "helping fast-track small businesses become bigger businesses.

Link

remembering summer...

2005-01-20T16:00:00.000-06:00

rapid transit cycleshop
wicker park, chicago
8.5.04

Blogger vs TypePad

2005-01-20T15:16:00.000-06:00

From the inception of my blogging days I have used Blogger. Overall, I've been very happy with Blogger (especially since they upgraded me to BloggerPro which allows me to upload my images directly to my blog...and is, unfortunately, no longer available to the general public.)

BUT, I'm considering making the move over to TypePad which seems to be a step above Blogger. (Don't worry, I backed up my blog before I typed that last line on Blogger's server...)

Any suggestions? Comments? Hesitations? TypePad people - what do you think?

Bloglines

2005-01-20T01:00:00.000-06:00

If you read more than a handful of blogs everyday, may I suggest Bloglines? Bloglines is a free, web-based RSS reader which allows you to subscribe to blogs which have an RSS feed. You can categorize and organize your blogs and be notified when the sites are updated.

Check out Bloglines here.

My RSS feed:
http://happyweeble.blogspot.com/rss/happyweeble.xml

Bye Bye Blockbuster

2005-01-19T14:47:00.000-06:00

Bye bye Blockbuster. Hello Netflix.

Last week I joined Netflix because I was about to go ballistic over Blockbuster's late fees (which ironically enough have been canned at all Blockbusters...).

I signed up on Wednesday night and received my first 3 DVD's in the mail on Friday. Amazing! Turns out that Netflix has a shipping location here in Chicago, which speeds the process up and will typically get my DVD's delivered into my mailbox in about a day.

No late fees, unlimited rentals. Great selection. $17.99/month. Not bad.

Oh yeah - Netflix also gives you recommendations based on your rental history and movie ratings. Great concept.

Link

Leadership Triangle

2005-01-19T01:41:00.000-06:00

"One of the things I've learned is that sometimes words have consequences you don't intend them to. 'Bring 'em on' is a classic example."
President George W. Bush

First of all, kudos to President Bush for being willing to admit a mistake. It's good to know that the president of the US is still "learning." So maybe it IS ok that I don't have it all figured out yet...

Secondly, his statement reminds me of the old "leadership triangle" illustration that basically says, "The higher up you go in leadership, the less 'rights' you have."

Ouch. That concept hurts.

Think about a triangle. It's wide at the bottom and narrow at the top. The "higher up" your role in leadership, the less "right" you have to lose your temper, say things you shouldn't say, react negatively, etc...

What a contrast in thought compared to the "old school" management practices that said, "I'm at the top so I can treat everyone the way that I want to." True statement, but unfortunately this mindset brings with it consequences which will eventually kill morale and cause you to lose your best talent.

Who are you?

2005-01-17T15:46:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure if it's just because I can't think of anything to write about today or because I'm truly intersted in knowing, but WHO ARE YOU? Ok, I really am interested. Share some info w/ me. Click on the "comments" and tell me who you are!

Name:
Age:
Profession:
Location:
Why in the world do you even read this blog?:
If you could take over weebleland for a day, what would you change? (design, content, etc.):
The topic you'd like to see Scott cover next on weebleland:

(thanks adam for the idea...)

FREE Chantico

2005-01-13T15:56:00.000-06:00

GO NOW. Try it. Come back and post your review.

Preacher Dies During Sermon About Heaven

2005-01-12T23:45:00.000-06:00

Weird... Can you imagine being a visitor on that Sunday?

Maybe I'll rethink the "Heaven" series I was planning... :)

Link

The churches response to the media's coverage, link

Behind the Scenes @ NPR

2005-01-12T00:52:00.000-06:00

Just the other day, Cara (my sister in law) and I were discussing the way in which NPR produces their stories - so smooth with nice, musical interludes between them.

But wait.

The veil has been lifted. It's not quite what it seems. John Moore @ Brand Autopsy has a great post (and links) to a news story by John Solomon of NPR’s On the Media who takes a look "behind the scenes" of NPR and how they make themselves seem so "well" produced.

Turns out that the NPR people aren't robots afterall...!

Link

Chantico Review

2005-01-11T13:10:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I tried it. The fine folks at Starbucks whipped me up a sample of the newest Starbucks beverage called Chantico.

The verdict? Good. It really is. The blend of chocolate is perfect. It's not overly sweet, but it is rich. (I'm almost positive that I'm the only person sitting in Starbucks right now swooshing Chantico around in my mouth like I'm at a wine tasting...)

It's thick too. Not the type of drink you would gulp, by any means. It's more a sip and meditate type drink. Definitely much thicker than a typical Starbucks mocha, plus without the espresso taste. (This is perfect for all of you Starbucks posers who walk up to the barista and ask, "What drinks do you have that don't taste like coffee?")

I haven't had lunch yet today, but I would imagine this would be a nice dessert drink to sooth the chocolate cravings that people like my wife experience - all day. (Kidding honey...)

Overall, it's good. A very rich hot chocolate.

Now I'm going to go wash it down with a burrito from Chipotle.

Chantico

2005-01-11T10:01:00.000-06:00

Has anyone had the new Chantico drink @ Stabucks? It's a non-coffee chocolate drink that is supposed to be somewhat of a spiritual experience for chocoholics.

This Thursday they are giving free samples at Starbucks. Let's all try it and report back to weebleland...

A (BIG) Rolling Stone...

2005-01-10T23:48:00.000-06:00

Can you even imagine? You're driving down the road somewhere in California and you see this?

A 25 foot boulder sitting in the middle of the road in Malibu. Strange weather these days...

Link (via)

Natural Disasters

2005-01-09T23:58:00.000-06:00

Here is a link that documents the worst natural disasters since records have been kept. You will be astonished as you read about one natural disaster that took 1.1 million lives.

Link

?____________________?

2005-01-06T23:21:00.000-06:00

We are preparing to launch a new preschool room @ our church in FEB. We are trying to come up w/ a name for it. The "theme" is going to be fruit (as in "fruit of the spirit").

Any suggestions? Help us out!

The Contrarian's Guide to Leadership

2005-01-04T15:40:00.000-06:00

I'm finally digging into The Contrarian's Guide to Leadership by Steven Sample. It's a book that everyone and their mother was raving about two summers ago. So far it's very good. Here's a few quotes:

"...one of the most important and contrarian points we can make about leadership is that it is highly situational and contingent; the leader who succeeds in one context at one point in time won't necessarily succeed in a different context at the same time, or in the same context at a different time."

"A truly effective leader... needs to be able to see the shades of gray inherent in a situation in order to make wise decisions as to how to proceed."

"The essence of thinking gray is this: don't form an opinion about an important matter until you've head all the relevant facts and arguments, or until circumstances force you to form an opinion without recourse to all the facts..."

Wisconsin

2005-01-03T10:39:00.000-06:00

Wisconsin gets a bad rap. A lot of people think that WI is boring, but it really has some nice scenery, especially up north. Here are a few pics I snapped on our trip "up north". (These pictures don't really compliment the "natural" scenery, but they certainly caught my eye...)

2005

2004-12-31T20:42:00.000-06:00

Amanda and I want to wish you and yours a Happy New Year! May 2005 be your best year ever.

Peace.

Snowboarding

2004-12-31T13:38:00.000-06:00

I've learned something about myself these past couple of days.

I'm not a snowboarder.

I ski. I prefer to be on my feet more than my butt. Plus, it's just downright akward having your feet locked into a funky position - especially when you are falling every 4.3 seconds.

I tried...

Organizational Culture 2

2004-12-29T23:09:00.000-06:00

In my first post about organizational culture, I wrote about the cultural transition that we have experienced in the past two and half years and specifically, about the importance of leadership by example - taking initiative and being intentional about modeling what it was we were expecting from those inside of our organization (which for us is a church…).

Another thing that helped our organization make a major shift was getting our words aligned and finally getting to the place where we were all...

2. Speaking the same language.

As we sat down to discuss the future of what we believed we were "called" to be as a church, we began noting words that seemed to clearly represent that direction. For us, some of those words were: connection, relevant, authentic, community, leadership, gathering and partnership.

Before the transition, we had never been very intentional about using these types of words. So to help ourselves become intentional, we would literally script out every announcement, every message and every piece of “communication” that would be released by our staff. On the surface, it seemed somewhat micromanaging, but it got all of us on the same page and speaking the same language.

We’ve also gotten on the same page as it relates to our mission. Almost everyone who attends our worship gatherings can probably recite, from memory, what our mission is.

Our mission is very simple, to the point and easy enough for people to remember and understand. Every time we have a church community gathering, we state our mission and usually offer just a few seconds worth of explanation as to what that mission means in relation to the gathering we are having at that moment.

Keeping the mission in front of people is huge and allows a couple of things to occur. For one, it gets the mission right out there in the open. And secondly, if people don’t like it or are having trouble connecting with it, they will usually realize it right away.

One of the things we've come to realize is that our church isn't for everyone. And that’s ok! There is no way we can cater to everyone at one time. We just have to do our best to connect with the people God has placed around us in our community.

Speaking the same language was a huge step for us – and it continues to be something we strive towards. It’s not uncommon at all now to hear people talking in their smaller gatherings or in the hallways or in meetings using the same words that we made sure we spoke on a regular basis.

wed night...

2004-12-29T19:16:00.000-06:00

No phones (including cell). No fax machines. No broken bones.

Only high speed wifi and lots of DVD's (Seinfeld seasons 1-3). And some nice Starbucks coffee.

Skiing in the 21st century. Nice...

Devastation in Asia

2004-12-28T22:32:00.000-06:00

Understatement.

So far 55,000 reported dead.

I'm online IM'ing a missionary friend in Bangkok to find out how to get involved. I would like to find a local church (or churches) in the area to connect with.

May God's peace surround these people's hearts.

the thrill of northern wisconsin...

2004-12-28T13:04:00.000-06:00

Getting away...

2004-12-27T23:58:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow (Tue) morning, we will be heading up north to Indianhead Mountain in Upper Peninsula, Michigan for a few days of snowboarding & skiing. I've committed myself to snowboarding this year. My first attempt was several years ago and I tore my knee up pretty good that time.

Stay tuned - I'll try and post some pics while away.

Later...

Merry Christmas!

2004-12-25T01:27:00.000-06:00

Wow, it's here.

Obviously a somewhat bittersweet Christmas for all of us - but still a time of celebration, nevertheless. We are surrounded by some of the greatest people in the world and the word "thankful" doesn't even really describe how we feel.

Merry Christmas to you. May God's peace be upon you and those you love.

The picture... Ian (my nephew) and our daughters, Julia (shorty) and Elise (the red head).

Happy Birthday Dad

2004-12-22T17:02:00.000-06:00

Today, my dad (Larry Hodge) would have been 61 years old. As most of you know, he passed away on October 12th.

I have no idea how old he was in thie picture, but he's got quite the Alfalfa thing going on. That's back in the days when hair was actually an issue for him. :)

Happy 61st Dad. I miss you so much.

apple lust (@ apple store, oak brook)

2004-12-22T15:55:00.000-06:00

Recognizing Employees

2004-12-21T11:03:00.000-06:00

The Best Ways to Recognize Employees

by Tom Rath - Coauthor of How Full Is Your Bucket? (Gallup Press, August 2004)

iPod-ize yourself

2004-12-20T11:10:00.000-06:00

Turn any digital picture into an iPod ad.

Link (via)

Hello Kitty Mastercard

2004-12-20T09:21:00.000-06:00

My five year old wants one of these.

(via)

sunday p.m. chinese take-out run

2004-12-19T20:30:00.000-06:00

Is the boss's idea always the right idea?

2004-12-16T16:00:00.000-06:00

I just got a phone call from a friend who was very frustrated at a specific situation that occurred at his work place. A problem occurred and the “boss” pulled the team together and mandated that everyone on the team come in on a Saturday (which is not a normal work day) to help fix the problem.

The staff as a whole was very frustrated by this. For a number of reasons.

For one, they don’t think the idea is a good idea. And unfortunately, the boss isn’t open to hearing it. (They all feel like the idea is more of a band-aid solution to a problem that needs to be addressed down to the core...)

Secondly, for them to come in on Saturday and help “fix” the problem will require almost all of them to rearrange their busy schedules (spending time w/ family, etc…). But to tell you the truth, I don't think this is really the problem.

So what is the problem?

First of all, sometimes problems do occur and it does require the team to pull together and fix it. BUT, is the best solution always the boss’s solution? Not necessarily.

Why not pull the team together, present the problem and ask the team to collectively come up with a solution? I guarantee you that if they pull together as a team and come up with a solution TOGETHER, there will be a much higher degree of “buy in” and the staff will take a great deal of ownership of the idea. And if true ownership occurs, and the team believes in what they are doing - they'll more than likely do whatever they have to do to make it happen, even if it means adjusting their schedules and working all night or on a Saturday or even perhaps a holiday.

IF the only solution is the boss’s idea, then the boss sure as heck better be able to sell his idea to the team and get them on board. And most of the time this can only happen if the boss is willing to help journey the team to the conclusion that he/she has come to.

What do you think?

rice

2004-12-16T09:56:00.000-06:00

Interesting concept.

Organizational Culture

2004-12-16T01:07:00.000-06:00

Note: I've had a handful of people ask me recently some questions in regards to the transition that we've been through as a church, so I thought I would start sharing some thoughts along these lines.

It seems like I’ve had several discussions the last couple of weeks with people in regards to organizational culture.

I think when it really comes down to it, the goal of any organizational change or transition is really to see a shift in the culture of the company/church/business/etc...

Changing a few words or adding a new slogan alone doesn’t change one’s culture - but it can certainly play a major role in seeing a new and improved culture emerge.

Less than three years ago, the culture of our church was one that lacked leadership accountability, was very insider focused, and was (for the most part) void of healthy environments for people to grow and expand in their relationship with God.

Things have changed.

Are we perfect now? Of course not! BUT, we’ve got a clear cut mission which just about everyone knows, we are intentionally focused on creating environments where people (regardless of their spiritual background or condition) can feel safe while taking steps forward on their spiritual journey. And as hard as it can sometimes be, change is embraced and is quickly becoming the “norm”.

How does that happen? Good question. I’m not totally sure, nor do I feel very qualified to try and figure it all out. But the more I think about it, the more I can identify a handful of things that we did (mostly by accident). So, I’ll start with one today and add onto the list as the days go by.

1. Leadership by example.

Since day one of our transition we have been very intentional about connecting with people (Christ followers, unchurched people, whatever…) in our community. Believe me - it’s much easier to ask people to join with you in that endeavor if they see you (the leaders) actively doing it.

It’s as simple as spending time with those that we feel "called" to connect with - which for us is unchurched people. We would be foolish to exclusively spend time with “churched” people if our mission is to lead people (churched, unchurched, non-churched, seekers, blah, blah, blah, blah...) PERIOD.

Part of creating a culture where people are connecting regularly with others is to tell stories of how YOU (as a leader) is actively engaged in connecting with people who you are trying to reach. Tell the stories!

Modeling leadership is HUGE. Anyone can get up and teach leadership principles or teach a lesson from a John Maxwell book, but it's a whole different thing to live it, breathe it, sweat it and contaminate others with it.

Our emerging culture isn't intersted in lip service when it comes to leadership - they want the real thing. And the real thing isn't perfection either. It's authenticity. And man, is that refreshing...

Dunkin Donuts VS Starbucks

2004-12-14T23:30:00.000-06:00

John Moore from Brand Autopsy has some interesting thoughts on whether or not Dunkin Donuts can rise above its pricier competitor, Starbucks.

Link

What do you think?

Why Ask Why?

2004-12-14T22:33:00.000-06:00

Seth Godin gives us good reason to ask "why?" on his blog.

From his post:

The single most efficient (and lowest cost) technique for improving your operations is answering the why questions! You should embrace these people, not send them away.
Link