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Since May of 2009, I’ve been self-hosting this little web presence with Dreamhost using the Wordpress platform.  First of all, I stand to benefit financially from you signing up from Dreamhost, but I can’t more highly recommend them.  Why?  It’s cheap, and it’s novice-friendly setup for Wordpress users is perfect for newbies like me.  Seriously, cheap and easy.  If you’re interested hit that Dreamhost badge over to your right, or just click HERE.

If you’re not currently on Wordpress, then make it happen for yourself.  It’s so much easier and tweakable than any other platform.  And the added bonus of using Wordpress is that you instantly join a community of people willing to help and offer input.  Collaboration at it’s Wordpress best!

The plugin feature of Wordpress has been my favorite part of the experience.  In that spirit, here are a few plugins that I’ve found to be highly beneficial since moving over to Wordpress:

All in One SEO Pack
This little plugin easily ties SEO data into each blog post.  As a newbie, I didn’t quite get it’s benefit at first; but now I see that it really makes my posts easier to find through search engines.  I took the time to add SEO data to old posts, and it even drove traffic to those lost and lonely post from years pasts.

W3 Total Cache
I don’t totally understand this plugin, but I know that since I moved from WP_Super Cache to this my load times have been lightning fast.  Fast is good in the web world, right?

Amazon Associate Filter
This little plugin is magic.  It automatically ties in all Amazon links to my Amazon Affiliate ID.  Cha-Ching!

I moved over from a Blogger platform to Wordpress, and I found these three plugins to be life-savers:

Batch Categories
When I migrated over to Wordpress, I spent hours changing my categories and working to make old posts easier to find. Then I found this tool and did what had taken me hours in about 10 minutes. It allows you to do what the name of it is. Change categories of posts in a batch, instead of individually.

Blogger To Wordpress Redirection
This is a great plugin that automatically moves old blogger permalinks to your new wordpress permalinks. This was important for me, because I changed my naming setup when I moved to Wordpress.

Maintain Blogger Permalinks
This works in conjunction with the other plugin, and maintains all those original http://littlepastor.blogspot.com (Don’t ask!) links that exists in the Internets.

There are other plugins I use, like Askimet, Feedburner, Woopra, Google Analytics, and other Wordpress tool plugins.  It wouldn’t be an adequate Wordpress blog help post, if I didn’t mention the help that John has provided at www.human3rror.com and www.churchcrunch.com.  It was even from his site that I picked up the cool toolbar over on the right side of my blog!

I’d love to know what you’re using.  What am I missing out on?

It’s true.  I got an iPhone last week.  I’d say my phone to Internet usage is at a 5% to 95% ratio.  Meaning I’m on the phone about 5% of the time I have this phone.  I guess I’m not a big talker, huh?

This phone is awesome, and my fingers have already gotten accustomed to the touch screen.  Coming from a Treo 700wx, this phone is super-awesome.  That Treo was TERRIBLE!

I settled on a case from Switcheasy.com.  I have the CapsuleNEO case (in black, although Sam Luce would roll with white and be proud of it.)  It took me 15 minute to get the darn thing on, but now I’m rolling with the coolest case ever.

So do you have to use a screen protector on the iPhone 3GS?  It has the olephobic screen that is smudge-free.  While I awaited my SwitchEasy Pure Anti-Reflect screen covers I really fell in love with the perfect non-smudge screen that is on the already on the iPhone.  I put on the Anti-Reflect screen when it came in the mail, and immediantly hated it!  I then put on a normal screen protector, and it’s smudge city.  There seems to be a big debate on the worthiness of screen protectors on iPhones.  What do you think?  I’m thinking of running mine without screen protectors…

I think Sam Luce is intimidated by my Apple product usage.  I’m just sayin’

I’ve put in my formal request to attend The Orange Conference in April.  I’ll be waiting and hoping we have the funds to make it happen for me…and maybe my #kidmin team.  I don’t know if I’ll be live blogging from Orange this year, but I’d still really like to go and meet up with all my Orange buddies.

Can I just go on record and say that I have the most awesome Children’s Ministry Team in the world.  These women (that’s right I’m the only man!) do a wonderful job of making me look great.  I know that’s not an ambition of theirs, just to make me look good.  But it happens everyday!  I get more credit for the genius of my team, than I’m comfortable with.

Our Parent Sunday totally rocked last week!  I’m still so excited that we had so many 1st grade parents hanging out with us in Kidsplace.  If you’re a 1st Grade Kidsplace parent, then you missed out!

This Sunday morning during our largest and latest service, we will be dedicating 25 children from 20 families.  These parents have made a HUGE commitment to be spiritual leaders in their homes, and I’m so excited to introduce them to the congregation of Trinity Church.  Be there at 11:30am on Sunday to see it all for yourself!  It’s gonna be AWESOME!  Next week I’ll be posting all about Child Dedications, so stay tuned.

We’ve got the Trinity Church Fall Festival coming up on Saturday, October 31st.  Usually I count on about 80 Texas Tech sorority girls to come work the event, but with a Tech home football game that starts at the same time…that’s not gonna happen.  If you’re in and around Lubbock, and don’t have kids; then go signup now!  http://www.trinitytoday.com/fallfestivalvolunteer We’ll have a 1,000 kiddos running around, and I don’t want to ask my parents to work the event!  Help!!

Because of my IT management background, I’ve been able to be a part of the interview process for Trinity’s IT manager position.  We are in desperate need of someone to take us to a new level technologically, and it pays well!  I’ve met with 4 candidates, and after I get some distance from this whole process I feel a “What not to do in a job interview!” post coming up.  Seriously.

I’ve been sick this week.  I’m not gonna die.  I’m just a man in need of sympathy and wanted to throw that out there and see who might bite.

Does it make me a nerd to get into a debate with this guy, about whether Superman could defeat Darth Vader?  Just typing that helps me know the answer.  Nevermind.

Tony Kummer is a big fan of jonathancliff.com. He’s posted on his widely-read blog that I’m #1.  Of course, my wife and children already knew I was #1; but now the world knows.  My fear is that now he’s set me up for failure.  I’ve watched Behind the Music on VH1, and if I follow that model for success then I’m sure drug use or inappropriate words to the press will follow.  I hope I recover in time for this Sunday morning.  (Thanks Tony!)

I’ve been car shopping this week.  For those NOT in the know, my beautiful, talented, intelligent, wonderful and loving wife crashed my car last week.  It’s totaled, and now I get to take my pennies and look for something else.  I loathe car shopping, ranking it up there with medical procedures that involve my doctor putting gloves on.  I know that not every car salesman is an evil person, but I need someone to redeem their kind.

Speaking of that wife of mine, have you read her thoughts on the crash?  She’s an A+ writer, and knocks it out of the park with her Sinking post on lostinlaundry.com.  There is even a church in Oklahoma that read the post verbatim to their congregation last Sunday.  Amazing!

I’m 2 weeks into Financial Peace University with Dave Ramsey at our church.  Starr and I are taking it together, and it’s really kicking my butt.  I’m a very frugal person, then again I’m not.  But I really am, but I guess I’m really not.  The one thing I’ve learned in 2 weeks is that I want to have more control over my financial life.  We’ll see how that goes.

I’m 43 days into a 90 day project.  I’ve only missed one day and I blame Kenny Conley and his wife for it. (However I forgive them for the nice gifts they brought me.)  I fill you in when I’m finished.  Don’t worry, it’s perfectly legal.

I just posted my thoughts yesterday, but it’s been a strange week talking to High School students at their school chapel.  Very, very different.  I think I’m gonna grow a soul patch on my chin to fit in better next time…or maybe not.

I’ve been sending out my Kidsplace Unscripted training videos on Vimeo to my volunteer team for about 5 months now, and I think I’ve hit a wall.  I send them through constantcontact.com so I can see who has opened it and viewed the video.  Where I had a 100% watch rate 3 months ago, I know am down to about 25%.  I’ve got to mix it up a little, but need some suggestions.  Got any?

I’ve made some major changes to the Child Dedication process at Trinity.  For the past 45 years at our church, parents have dedicated their kids by walking them up front for prayer at the special “dedication service.”  This year I’m attempting to be more intentional about what parents take away from the experience, and have set some hoops up for families to jump through before dedicating them.  I had quite a few people tell me it would never work, and families don’t want to attend a class, meet certain conditions, etc…; but they’ve been proven wrong.  My goal was 5 families, and sitting with 5 more days to register…I have 14 families signed up!  Thank you Jesus!

It’s been a busy few weeks, and I apologize for not posting.  If you’ve stumbled here for the very first time, then I’m taking back that apology and telling you welcome instead.  Welcome.

Here’s my Friday Bag of Nothing:

It’s been months in the development, but I’m finally getting my name on the front of a book.  Me and my buddy Donnie have been working hard to bring you the freshest, most interesting, controversial, and best smelling book on the bookshelves.  Check it out!

Every Friday I’m home with my daughter.  My wife works about 6 hours on Fridays, and the boys are at school.  I cannot tell you how much this time has made me grateful for having a daughter.  It totally cracks me up to see and hear the things my daughter does throughout our “Daddy Days.”  In fact, we had to have a talk this morning about not rushing mom out of the house on Daddy Day.  To see much of what we do together, follow me on twitter.com/jonathancliff on Friday’s.  Fun times!

I’ve been asked recently why I have so many people following me on twitter.  Besides the fact that I’m an immensely likable personality (and very, very humble), it’s because I use Tweetdeck to sort my tweets into the groups that make it manageable.  While also leaving a door open to know many more people if they ever choose to interact with me.

Speaking of twitter followers, I  highly recommend these twitter management tools. Social Oomph -This site is great for vetting new followers.  It’s always beneficial to auto-follow, but be careful that you don’t get run over with porn and SEO experts!  The mutuality tool on Huitter is awesome!  It can automatically unfollow all those people that aren’t following you.  Believe it or not, it’s comes in pretty handy for massive unfollows.  Even using the above two tools, I’ve still had my share of porn accounts show up as followers.  I’ve been using TwitBlock.com to kill those that twitter spammers that sneak through.

I signed my first real writing contract this week.  Just for some magazine articles, but still something I’ve had as a goal for a long time.  That sound you hear is me patting my own back.

I really do worry about people that get ALL their news from the same source.  Yes, I’m talking to all my Fox News friends.  Moderation, my friends…moderation.  Please direct all political complaints to idontcare@jonathandoesntcare.com.  I wish people would stop assuming my political position, and stop bringing their complaints to me.

I follow Gina McClain on GoodReads.com.  She is reading so fast and furious this month, that I’m being shamed into reading more.  I know it’s not a race, but I think she’s reading a new book every 12 hours.  I’m just sayin’

The rumor of my iPhone transition seems to have been premature.  But, I still believe in miracles.  It could happen.

Kenny Conley (of ChildrensMinistryOnline.com) is coming for a short visit on Sunday Night.  I’m looking forward to meeting his family (also of ChildrensMinistryOnline.com.)  I hope Kenny (of ChildrensMinistryOnline.com) brings some of Austin’s weirdness up to Lubbock.  I need some more weirdness in my life right now. (BTW -all that CMO promo is an inside joke…)

I got Snow Leopard a few weeks ago for my Macbook. I was so looking forward to the Exchange 2007 integration in iCal and Apple Mail.  However, after 2 hours of struggling to get it working I discovered that we are running Exchange 2003 at work.  Not gonna work with out a stand-in program. Ugh…

I’ve got this friend that insists on using Hotmail for his email, and he posts bags of nothing every single day!  Check him out at Bagofnothing.com

I love iTunes 9.  The ability to transfer music between computers on the same network is a long awaited feature in the Cliff House.