Sign Wednesday: I'm not Joking

For some reason these signs make me think of the of the current Democratic National Convention. Seriously, I'm not joking. Have a look at the signs and then I will explain.



Did you study them? What do they say to you?

First let me say that I don't care of you are a Democrat or a Republican. The point of this post is not suppose to tell you who to vote for or how to vote this November.

What do I mean when I say these signs remind me of the DNC08? The one major idea that I have gotten from the DNC08 is the importance to of inclusion. Yes, unity is important to the party and trying to prove that Obama could be the commander and chief is a highly ranked issue as well. The one thing though, that I believe they want you to hear is that you are included in changing our country. They are trying to make this election about you and not about who you are electing because you are included in the future and the hope of this country. This is pure genius. Who doesn't want things to be about them?

These signs are trying to achieve the same things. They are trying to make sure you feel included. So included that you walk into their store and of course buy something. Why else would you carry over 9,000 items and make a neon sign of all things to say it? Why else would you hand write another sign that could be misunderstood of saying, "Get your Ladies Silk Lingeries for Back to School Supplies"?

These signs of course don't achieve the part of me feeling included. They don't reach excellence in part of the imigination. These signs are not doing what the owner of the store intended. You know, I think the current DNC could be like these signs in this area as well. I know that they want me to think I am included but the more they talk the less I feel that way. Maybe it's because they have included so many people that they have excluded along the way. Even though the speeches are excellently written and delivered there is still something that comes off very empty. I look forward to seeing what Obama says for his acceptance speech. I look forward to the inclusion part.

What do you think? Do you think these signs remind you of the current DNC?

2 Minute Tuesday: After the Olympics

If you are looking for some great thoughts on the Olympics then this is not the video for you. If you are looking for 2 brothers who hit each other while their dad is talking about the Olympics then enjoy.

Ministry Monday: Think Campaign

Last week I had the honor of having breakfast with Ron Hummons. Ron has an absolutely incredible story of life change. He has been in prison, homeless, and truly lost. Ron has been through the gutters of life and wants to help people not make some of those same choices that he made. Besides owning a shoe and clothing company he has started a crime prevention program called the Think Campaign. This program is starting with a documentary style DVD and will eventually include a school curriculum. If you want to help on the school curriculum then contact Ron because this is in the early phrases of the program. I am excited about the Think Campaign. I really think it has huge potential that will lead to massive ministry.

Here is the trailer to the Think!! DVD.




The stories that are told are gripping. I can't wait to see the final product. The website just launched a couple of days ago. Stop by http://www.thinkcampaign.org.

Fantasy Football Draft Results

I had my first fantasy football draft of 2008 tonight. I drafted 5th out of an 8 team league. I know that 8 is a little bit low for the number of teams in a league but I enjoy 8 much more than 12. The competition is better and in general the teams are just better. The other great thing about 8 teams instead of 12 is that the draft doesn't take as long. This is a great thing.

So who did I get on my team? Below you will see my roster. This is not in the order I drafted them but arranged by position. We start 1 QB, 2 RB's, 2 WR, 1 Flex Position of WR/RB, 1 TE, 1 K, and 1 Def. Enjoy.


Tony Romo
(Dal - QB)

Ben Roethlisberger
(Pit - QB)

Braylon Edwards
(Cle - WR)

Nate Burleson
(Sea - WR)

Calvin Johnson
(Det - WR)

Chad Johnson
(Cin - WR)

Joey Galloway
(TB - WR)

Joseph Addai
(Ind - RB)

Jamal Lewis
(Cle - RB)

Maurice Jones-Drew
(Jac - RB)

Earnest Graham
(TB - RB)

Matt Forte
(Chi - RB)

Jason Witten
(Dal - TE)

Jeremy Shockey
(NO - TE)

Adam Vinatieri
(Ind - K)

DEF
New York


So what do you think? I think I have a real shot at winning this year. I am solid at QB. I have a nice RB and maybe a nice surprise. My WR's are very good. TE are the best. Great Kicker and good Def. Watch out league!


Do you want to play in a league? I have one league with a couple of spots still open. It is an Auto Draft league on Yahoo! If you do let me know.

McKee Boys Rap Video

Seriously, this is what happens when Jessica is busy and the boys and I sit down at the computer. I hope you enjoy it.

Sign Wednesday: Skyline Chili

Sometimes I am just amazed by what makes it on a sign. Below is a basic triangle table top sign. You see them all over the place. There is one thing though about this sign that I hadn't noticed before. Here is the way the sign was sitting when we sat down.





I took a closer picture of the sign to make sure that you see what I am talking about. Look at the randomness that makes the sign.





Do you think it is necessary for the arrows pointing up and down? Is it fragile cargo that doesn't need to be placed upside down?





Of course the sign geek in me had to turn it to its proper position.


Somethings to think about when making your next sign: Does the information that I am about to put on this sign really need to be there? Am I putting info on my sign that is for the printer or the consumer? If I am going to put strange information on my sign should it match the rest of my sign?

I think you know what I think of the questions above but what do you think?

Sign Wednesday: What do you see?

I love the simplicity of this sign. It is a great use of a mirror but not the best use of the sign above. The question though is thought provoking and I am sure it gets a lot of traffic.

(Hat Tip to Jeremy Jackson of Fellowship Technologies for sending this to me.)

Enjoy.




By the way, the fake trees next to the sign are horrible. There is a whole other lesson in the additions to a sign but I won't go there for this post.

2 Min. Tuesday: Random Elephant Talk

Seriously, this is really random but I think you will enjoy.

Ministry Monday: Losing Staff is a Good Thing?!?

Today I was sad, happy, excited, disappointed, and jazzed all at the same time. You see, Andrea Goslee, now a former staff member of mine, said goodbye today. We worked together for 3 years at Horizon Community Church. She was the Music Director for the Children's Department all 3 of those years. She is now the Children's Director at Rivers Crossing Community Church. I can say that I am truly proud of her. While at Horizon she pushed, pulled, and challenged me. She brought a level of excellence to the table that I appreciated very much. Even if I didn't agree with it all of the time.

My Senior Pastor, Chad Hovind, said, "Staff leave for 3 reasons and Andrea left for the only good one." I would have to agree.

It is not easy losing staff but I find that it can be a good thing. It is great to see God give more leadership and responsibility to people. It is great to see God expand His church even if it wasn't apart of my plan at the time. It is great to see people care about a community so much that they can't help but think about how great it would be to minister in that community. It is great to see friends succeed.

Andrea Goslee will be great as a Children's Director. She will take and lead Rivers Crossings in an incredible way. Someday I will probably be going to a Children's Ministry conference and she will be speaking at it and I will say that I knew her when. Watch out for Andrea Goslee, you have been warned.

Tech Thursday: The Conversation Prism

Are you having trouble keeping up with the Tech World and all of the services out there? I know that I read about technology and use technology like crazy and I feel like I am behind most of the time. In my efforts to keep up I came across this excellent graph called the The Conversation Prism. Check it out:



Now of course this is not all of the services but I think you will find many that you didn't know about. There are many that are being created today and some that just didn't make the list but overall this is an incredible start.

Why is this important?

1. You have to know where the conversation is going on to be able to join in.
2. You have to be willing to share on multiple platforms to get the full picture (at least today you do.)
3. You have to be able to digest information quickly to stay up to date.

I hope this at least gives you an idea of where to look today for something new. The more people we have in the conversation the better we will all be in the end. I just can't wait for someone to condense the platform so that the conversation can be changed more efficiently and effectively.

(Hat Tip to Robert Scoble's FriendFeed and to Brian Solis and Jess3)