just in case...

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!

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...

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...

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.
  

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