Tag Archive - blog

People I’ve Met Online: Gina McClain

August 24, 2010 in Personal, Technology with 0 Comments

Gina writes over at www.ginamcclain.com.  It took her a few blog addresses to settle into www.ginamcclain.com, and we’re all glad she didn’t go with the some of the racier alternatives.  It’s a great story that won’t be repeated on this family-friendly blog.  You should ask her!  We all wish she would write more, so go over there now and leave some obnoxious comments suggesting she write more.

About 4 years ago, Gina sent me an email asking me a question about something.  I don’t remember anything from that email, but I will never forget what she started it off with.

Dear Pastor Cliff,

I still laugh out loud when I think about being called, Pastor Cliff.

But you see that’s the thing about Gina.  She asks questions.  She’s always willing to run something past you, always wants to know what did and didn’t work when you did something, and is always, always, always willing to share.  She’s an original pro-family Children’s Minister.  When she was transitioning between Lifechurch.tv and Faith Promise Church in Knoxville, it was encouraging to both Starr and I to watch God provide the large and tiny details to confirm to their family His faithfulness.

So when have I met Gina?  I first met Gina in person at the Orange Conference in 2009, and talked her into giving some of us a little bit of time when she was at Orange 2010.  I’ve even visited her when she lived in Edmond, OK on a trip my family took through the Great State (that being Oklahoma.)  Her husband Kyle and her are great people to hang out with, and we’re kinda sad we don’t have that stop now on the drive between Lubbock and Tulsa.

As Gina has transitioned to a new church in Knoxville, TN at Faith Promise Church; she has kept her passions for the family.  I know she’s building a great team out there in Knoxville.  Remember we all need her to write more over at www.ginamcclain.com, so head over there right now and tell her so!

People I’ve Met Online: Sam Luce

August 19, 2010 in Personal, Technology with 7 Comments

I first started reading www.samluce.com way back when about 50% of his posts were about how much cooler I would be if I owned an Apple product.  I guess it convinced me to purchase one, because now I throw in an “Apple is better” post on my own blog every so often as well.  (I am NOT however any cooler than I was previously.)

Sam has one of the easiest to read blogs out there in Children’s Ministry, with a combination of funny posts, thoughtful posts, and a healthy dose of practical tools for the everyman (or woman) working with families and kids.  He has a real passion for the person working with kids in a small church, and I know many around these fancy Internets that look to Sam as the expert on how to make much with very little.  He’s innovative and always willing to try something new for the sake of the kids at his church.  In my humble opinion when you combine his crazy pentecostal childhood stories, his love for America’s Pastime (albiet it tainted by a desire to raise his children to root for the Yankees), his A+ skills at impersonating anyone he’s met, his superiour skinnyness, and his ability to quote from 80′s teen movies and I have myself a serious man-crush!

I first met Sam in Atlanta at the Orange Conference in 2009 when we all shared a hotel room.  He’s always the most popular person in the room wherever he goes, yet I’ve watched him make everyone around him comfortable.  He’s drawn to that person that needs the most encouragement, and always made time all week long to give everyone who needed attention just what they needed.  But we warned…Sam has an unbelievable gift of discernment.  He’ll sniff out an impostor and self-promoter faster than anyone I’ve been around.

I consider Sam one of my best friends, and over the past few years I’ve come to consider his voice one worth listening too.  He’s a person that is who he says he is.  This fact alone makes him special in a world of people that can sometimes be hard to figure out.  He loves God, loves his church, loves his family, and it’s easy to see that the things he lives out make him somebody worth following.  Go today and read his blog at www.samluce.com and spend some time making a new friend!

By the way…if I had never met Sam and saw a dude walk up to me in an alley with this look on his face I would just hand over my wallet and run for my life.  Do not talk with the messed up hair guy in a black jacket with the collar propped up.  Seriously!

People I’ve Met Online

August 18, 2010 in Personal, Technology with 1 Comment

This here blog is just over 4 years old, and I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how much this online site has brought to my life.  Sure, it’s challenging to put readable text out there for strangers to read, and it’s a good discipline to put my thoughts into words for the world to read; but the best part by far has been the people I’ve met.  Over the next few weeks I’m going to highlight some of these people.

I can’t write about everyone I’ve met, but I’m going to give it my best go ’round.

Enjoy!

It’s a New Day

August 7, 2010 in Personal, Technology with 7 Comments

Do you see it?  The new jonathancliff.com is being released today.  I want to apologize in advance for those of you that will miss the old website, and loved that little blue bird up at the top.  I’m sorry.  (You can visit the Wayback Machine and look at old posts in their original format whenever you want!)

I’ve moved over to the Standard Theme, and it is still a work in progress.  I’ll be tweaking things here and there, so I would appreciate your feedback throughout this process.  You can reach me at jc@jonathancliff (dot) com.  I promise, you can’t hurt my feelings.

Let me answer the big question.  Why would I change?

I wanted a change because the template that I was using was buggy.  I know that many of you liked it, and I received compliments on it often.  However, it was extremely hard to get things to fit in the sidebar, and the main post section was always giving me problems.  It was also not a great SEO-optimized platform, and there were very little customizations allowed in it’s design.  It was great while it lasted, but for a free Skinpress.com WordPress theme it was limited.

So here we are with the new jonathancliff.com.  Along with the new design, I will also be making a few subtle changes to what I write about.  You can expect more of what you like, but I’m going to be expanding into more product reviews, sharing more examples of the behind the scenes way we do things in my current positions, and sharing some new voices from in and around my world.

Catch Up with Jonathan

May 18, 2010 in Ministry, Personal with 6 Comments

Your absence has gone through me
Like thread through a needle
Everything I do is stitched with its color.
~W.S. Merwin, “Separation”

Have you noticed, I’ve been missing from this blog in the past two weeks?  The combination of Orange Conference over-posting, and a busy personal life has created a vacant blog schedule.  Sure I knocked out something on Mother’s Day, and you saw an already scheduled update of our newest Kidsplace Promo video…but really nothing about me.  That’s why I have this blog, right?  Because there are people out there that want to know about me!

If you’re still reading, then let’s hope that you know my tounge is planted firmly in my cheek.  It’s not all about me, and being at the Orange Conference reminded me of that.  I met so many of you guys that read this lame website, that I feel obligated to fill you in on much of what has been occupying my world lately.  Can I share what’s up in my Ministry life?

  • I’ve hired a new Early Childhood Coordinator at Trinity!  About three months ago I made a staffing change, and my entire team and I have been scrambling ever since.  I’m real excited to have Deborah Winkler on our team in this role, but hiring her has created a new opening.  Now I’m hiring an Administrative Assistant!
  • When I get my Admin Assistant hired, it will finally complete my 6 person team for the first time since early this year.  It’s stinks to be operating at full throttle, with less than a complete staffing team!  Whew!
  • I smell a curriculum change coming!  In our Elementary areas we have used Elevate! for almost 3 years.  It’s been an overall good experience, but some recent changes in the creation of Elevate! have rendered it unusable for us.  (Send me an email, and I’ll explain in private.)  In August of 2010 we will transition to 252 Basics in Elementary, and are looking closely at starting First Look in our Early Childhood environments.
  • Since we are moving to 252 Basics in August, we were in search of something to get us through the summer months of programming and have settled on BIG by Hillsong Kids.  We’re one week into the BIG experience, and so far so good.  I love it’s flexibility, and long 13 week (with 3 segments) schedule.  We’re using the Follow You package through BIG, and the kids are loving it right now.
  • The Summer events are starting at the end of this month.  We will be continuing are Family Fun Day events from last year, along with a couple of “drop the kids” events squeezed in between.  We will also run a special 4 night event that will run in conjunction with our Holy Spirit Inspire church conference (we like to think of this as our VBS-alternative.)  We have also created a special over-night bonding event for our 4th and 5th graders that will happen in late July.  We’ve designed it so that the Jr. High leaders can be involved in getting to know the kids that will be in their areas in August, and the year after.  This is a first-time event for us, so fingers are crossed!

That covers most of the ministry things happening in my life.  Now, admit it.  You feel like you know me better, right?

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