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Archives For July 2012

The Friday Bag #9: Olympic Edition

July 27, 2012 — Leave a comment

The Friday Bag

It all starts tonight, the Opening Ceremonies of the London Olympic Games. Our family loves the Olympics. I love it for when the gymnast make terrible mistakes and land on their faces, and my wife loves it when they don’t. It’s all love.  In that spirit, I present the  Olympic-Quality Friday Bag!

1908, 1948 and 2012: how does each Olympics compare? – “London will be the first city to ever host three Olympic games. So how does each one compare?”

Television, iPads, Social Media – How Will YOU Watch The Olympics? - “Did you know that people plan to spend an average of 6.725 hours each weekday watching the 2012 London Olympic Games?”

Discover the facts and figures behind the London 2012 Olympics – “Explore amazing Olympic facts with our London 2012 infographic – all the important 2012 Olympics facts and figures, including sports, Olympic venues and competitors.”


“The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.”
Pierre de Coubertin (founder of modern Olympic Games)

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Creating Powerful Silence

July 25, 2012 — 2 Comments

Silence

I currently have a 6 year old daughter and she fills the silence with her talking…incessantly. One day at a loss for what to say, she asked me,

“Daddy, what’s your favorite math problem?”

My favorite math problem, really? I’ve had no idea what my favorite math problem was, but I do know she had found an excuse, any excuse, to talk to her Daddy. With kids, parents, and families there are so many chances we have to fill the air with words of encouragement, hope, and opportunity. The Bible says we hold the power of life and death in our words.

What if you also held power in what you didn’t say?

There is great power in staying silent. The power for good and the power of evil. The current Penn State scandal, is because the administrators chose to say nothing about the child sexual abuse that was happening. By staying silent, they were actually communicating a lot. They communicated that they didn’t care. We’ve seen this evil silence in the German Christians during the holocaust, the silent American Christians during the civil rights debate in the 60′s, and every day there is someone that chooses to damage by what they don’t say.

What if you could also empower with your silence? 

Using silence for the power of good, was a skill that Jesus demonstrated to the adulteress woman in John 8. We always remember the, “He who has no sin…” speech, but the real power is in what he chose not to say to the woman. He didn’t have to give her a play-by-play on the obvious. It was through his silence that he communicated forgiveness, hope, and redemption. There was so much to say, and all He said was, “Go and sin no more.”

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D6 Days Online Experience

July 24, 2012 — Leave a comment

I’m a big fan of all things NextGen and Family Ministry related.  I love hearing voices that can speak some creative things into my life as a leader, and I love the idea behind the D6 Days experience.  There were two previous D6 days was back in February and again in April, but it’s coming again TODAY!  

Have you ever wanted to get a taste of the D6 Conference, but haven’t had the chance to actually attend in person? We’re excited to introduce you to D6 Days—a way for you to experience D6 from your computer, iPad, or tablet for FREE at D6Conference.com/D6Days.

They’ve invited Brian Haynes, Michelle Anthony, Kurt Bruner, and a few other family ministry enthusiasts to give live, fresh content just for this event. We’ll also be streaming full length past D6 Conference sessions from Doug Fields, Darren Whitehead, Rob Rienow, Fred Stoeker, Richard Ross, Jay Strother, and others! On top of that, they are also giving away 15 mp3s from some of our most talked about previous conference labs. All free!

Today is the LAST D6 Day of the year!  D6 Days content will be available for up to two weeks after today, then it goes away forever! For a more detailed schedule, visit D6Conference.com/D6Days.

You don’t have to do anything to receive this content. No sign up, no registration fee, nothing. Just go to D6Conference.com/D6Days TODAY and learn from some incredible leaders.

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Tools I Can’t Live Without

July 23, 2012 — 2 Comments

DoYourWork

My name is Jonathan Cliff and I’m a Family Pastor. I work hard, I think. I can get off-track sometimes, I know.  I’m working hard to keep from getting off track. Here are 5 essential tools that keep me on the right track and I can’t live without them.

Producteev – I’ve tried a dozen task management applications for my iPad, iPhone, and general web usage. It’s been a struggle to find exactly what I need, and for the most part I can’t find anything to replace Producteev. Want it synched between devices? CHECK. Want to create groups of different checklists? CHECK. Want to prioritize tasks so that the important ones don’t get lost? CHECK. Want to have a to-do list fairy follow you around and remind you of things? NO CHECK. Proucteev does so much, but not that much. Go get it NOW (www.producteev.com)

Google Calendar – Don’t be tricked into thinking that you don’t need a calendar. You need a calendar. Your spouse needs a calendar. Your kids need a calendar. Google Calendar is what you need. My wife can open her iPhone at anytime and know what meeting I’m in, where I’m having lunch, or find secret messages from me embedded in the calendar just to mess with her mind.  Google Calendar is something you need. Go get Google Calendar NOW. (www.google.com/calendar)

Email – Sounds silly to say email, doesn’t it? If you’re still that leader that needs someone to call you to say, “Check your email!” then it’s time to change. I see more children’s leaders than any other leader in the church ignoring email. Face it, the reality of our world demands you have email. You don’t have to be a slave to it, but as a leader you need to be accessible and email gives you perfect accessibility.  Go get email NOW, or better yet…start checking the one you have now.

Facebook – See #3. I was a late adopter, and I still detest much about the book of faces. However, it’s another way we connect with families. Spend 3 minutes on Facebook and you’ll see pictures of kids, moms, dads, and cats. Throw out the cat pictures and you got something valuable. Go get Facebook NOW. (www.facebook.com)

Sleep – The most important tool of all. What, you think this is a dumb must have tool? Let’s do a little experiment. Tonight when you go to bed…don’t go to bed. Just stay up and keep working. You’ll go for about 2 days before you crash and burn. It’s time to admit that God designed us for sleep, use it for the tool that God intended it to be. Get some sleep NOW!

These are the 5 things I’ve learned to use as a leader to families. Some are probably on your radar, and some probably aren’t. But at the very least this helped make you sleepy…and you are now well on your way to accomplishing #5!

What would you add to this meager list? Any tools you can’t live without?

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Friday Bag #8

July 20, 2012 — 1 Comment

The Friday Bag is a collection of often unrelated and always random things I’ve found on these fantastical Internets. I always post it on a FRIDAY. It’s a virtual BAG of stuff. That is why it’s called the Friday Bag. Enjoy.

10 Tips for Leading Young Pastors- I love, love, love this post. It’s a “They’ve Read my Mail” type of information. “Here are some important principles I think will help older leaders to guide us young guys well.”

6 Unexpected Ways to Make Someones Day – “If you really want to brighten someone’s day, do the unexpected. The effect could last a lifetime.”

7 Ways to Raise Up Young Leaders – “Frankly, some pastors I talk with are frustrated with what they see as a lack of leadership among the newer generations.”

Most Extreme Hiking Trails from Around the Country - No Thank You. “If you are an adrenaline addict and adventure lover, plus you can boast excellent psychical condition and strong nerves, you should try one of these mountain routes.”

“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.” -Edmund Burke

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