Happy New Year 2009 Tweeps!

This is my first post of 2009 and I wanted to first look back on 2008 and thank the following people who I got to know on Twitter and other social media sites and I look forward to getting to know them even better in 2009...

Everyone in the Social Media Club KC group who I have met to date. Each one of you has been a pillar of support for me in 2008 for many ups and downs I have experienced and you keep me focused on pushing forward into 2009. I cannot thank each of you enough for your friendship:
@lacajag
@kayhaswings
@ZenaWeist
@EdRoberts
@Duckman1221
@TechGuyTom
@ZachIsHere
@chrisculbertson
@BuckSommerKamp
@teedubya
@lqualls4444
@simonkuo
@banky
@chriskovac
@average_jane
@jennbailey
@i_am_me
@derek


For the following people, I know them through meeting on Twitter and even though I have yet to meet you in person, I already know I count you as friends! Many of your tweets to me offered words of encouragement and support in 2008! Thank You!
@JGoldsborough
@saramiller
@chrisbrogan
@justinu84
@AnneHaynes
@mdd044
@dhuett
@brainb
@KyleFlaherty
@JasonWalls
@Marti_L
@michaelgass
@BeverlyMacy
@marcthollander
@PressReleasePR
@astrout
@diannahuff
@Tykerman1
@MissMotorMouth
@TheDLC
@DMASocialMedia
@marketingweasel

For the following people, we are fellow co-workers at the company we all work for and I have the utmost respect for each of you for starting out on Twitter last year and being some of the first risk-takers at our company to see what social media is all about and what it can do for our company. We are the ones who will carry our company into the new year as leaders in what we do. I am honored to know each of you. Rock on into 2009!
@scalden
@ev17389
@hollykm

For the following people I got to meet through the Highlight Midwest conference held in Kansas City, I got to experience firsthand all of the awesome work each of you is doing in the social media space. All of you are taking Omaha or Des Moines by storm and I love seeing innovative, risk-taking people like yourselves with a passion for what you do. Keep rocking into 2009!
@secos
@jjsnyc
@nathantwright
@BrettTrout
@jameseliason
@TheBrandChef
@hillabean
@abrudtkuhl
@aaronwebb
@miketempleton
@dustyd
@LizaK
@danielshipton

For the following person, I met you through Twitter of all places when I was following tweets for "John Deere" and came across your tweet about starting a job there. As we have tweeted and talked via IM, I have got to know you well and I treasure your chats and support.
@planetandrea

For the following people, all of you are involved with agricultue in some manner and for you to be involved on Twitter or other social media sites tells me you are leaders in the ag industry and will continue to be so in 2009. It is leaders like you that will be the influencers for others to get on board with social media in 2009
@JYMATS
@czimmerman
@Tykerman1
@AgJobNetwork
@johnrwalter

For the year 2009, I look forward to meeting many more Tweeps and getting to know you.

Did You Know 3.0: Globalization & The Information Age

I found this YouTube video via a post on the Career Hub Blog site. Truly amazing statistics presented during the 5 minute video.

Some that stood out:

Years it took to reach a market audience of 50 million:
Radio - 38 years
TV - 13 years
Internet - 4 years
iPod - 3 years
Facebook - 2 years

Nature Of Excellence - inspiring video

I originally found this video clip on the www.annehaynes.com website. Thanks Anne for sharing! What an inspiring video!

We don't have to be Excellent to get started, but we do have to get started to be Excellent. Inspiring images and words that will stir your mind and heart.

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/613857/nature_of_excellence/

The Interview with God

I came across this amazing, awesome video presentation called "The Interview with God" late last night when I was anxiously still up awaiting my return to work after a long Thanksgiving weekend. I was blessed by it and I pray that you will be too.

I plan on viewing both of the presentations when I am feeling down or stressed. Just viewing the awesome scenery along with the words and music will bring peace and calm to you.

http://www.theinterviewwithgod.com/popup-frame.html

Also, enjoy the Pathways to Peace video presentation:

http://www.pathways-to-peace.com/popframeset.html

May God Bless You!

Freedom and Boundaries - Why God is Allowing this Burden in my life right now

Wow, God always is looking out for me and lately, I have felt wronged when I received my latest performance management review and I was told that I pretty much didn't do much positive things in the last year according to my manager. I thought to myself, Gee thanks boss for nothing. It made me angry and rebellious in nature. I was sent his comments yesterday and as I read through them, I thought how could he say these things to me!! It felt like an attack on me and it made me feel like rebelling. I won't take it anymore is what I thought. Tired of being trampled on by him and others and made to look foolish. Yet, I read this devotional for today and know that God sent it for a reason and for me to read it.

In the devotional, it says the following: "Each of us must have freedom and boundaries in our work life. Whenever you are hired for a job, you must have the freedom to make certain decisions. You must have the authority to manage things within your area of expertise. You must also have limits within your area of responsibility. You need to know where those limits are and stay within them. Both freedom and boundaries are always under the umbrella of God's authority and our authorities at work."

Note the bold text (emphasis mine). I need to know where my limits are in my responsibilities and stay within them. Are you serious, God? So, God, you are telling me that I have limits in what I should be doing in my job and if I go outside of my main job responsibilites, then I am asking for trouble? That sure would explain why I was docked in my year-end review for not listening and obeying what my manager said I needed to do. Wow, I did rebel against what I was told and now I am paying the price. It hurts and it is no fun when we rebel and make a situation worse than what it would have been if we only would have listened to authority and submitted.

Later in the devotional, it says: "You and I are tempted every day to go beyond our God-ordained boundaries. It all represents rebellion toward God." I can relate to this for sure. I mean, come on, I see opportunities for our department to reach out and connect directly with our customers and prospects. Why can't we engage with them on an online community forum? Why do I have to stop when told to do so just because a few people are uneasy about what I am doing? Can't everyone see the benefits looking at us if we only would try new ways of marketing? Why can't I lead this charge into social media? Why do I have to let another group lead this charge? It is just not fair! Come on God, can't you see this decision for me to not talk about or share thoughts on social media with others here at work is killing me? What about ME? What about my wants and needs? What about my career?

Finally, the devotional ends with this statement: "Ask God to show you His freedom and boundaries for your life. These are meant to enhance your life, not hinder it."

So, what I really need to do to find "life" in Christ is to let go of my wants, needs, and selfish ambitions. If I want to live my life like Jesus and be a witness to others through my actions and words, then I need to be broken down by God and stay within my limits at work. That is the only way I am going to find true freedom. Through the cross, I will find grace and freedom. Amen.


Freedom and Boundaries
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman

Wednesday, November 26 2008:

"Now the serpent was craftier than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, 'Did God really say, "You must not eat from any tree in the garden"?'" - Genesis 3:1

God is big on giving man freedom and boundaries-freedom to manage what He has entrusted to us, boundaries to protect us from evil. The boundaries in the Garden of Eden were not set for the purpose of limiting Adam. Man got into trouble when he questioned those boundaries. God had provided everything he would need for life. He also entrusted man with responsibility to manage and work the Garden. God gave him freedom in that responsibility. God knows we were made to express ourselves creatively through our work.

Each of us must have freedom and boundaries in our work life. Whenever you are hired for a job, you must have the freedom to make certain decisions. You must have the authority to manage things within your area of expertise. You must also have limits within your area of responsibility. You need to know where those limits are and stay within them. Both freedom and boundaries are always under the umbrella of God's authority and our authorities at work.

Jesus understood these boundaries. When He was tempted for 40 days by the devil after being baptized, He was challenged by satan to go outside His freedom and boundaries. (See Matthew 4:1-11.) Satan said that He had the power to turn a stone into bread. Jesus was hungry and easily could have justified using His power to feed Himself. However, Jesus understood He could do nothing outside the boundaries of God's will for His life. It was God's will for Jesus to be tempted and to withstand the temptation. God was showing His Son that "man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Mt. 4:4b).

You and I are tempted every day to go beyond our God-ordained boundaries. Whether it is solving financial problems that have arisen through debt, making wrong decisions due to pressure, or manipulating someone in order to achieve our ends, it all represents rebellion toward God.

Ask God to show you His freedom and boundaries for your life. These are meant to enhance your life, not hinder it.

Born to Fly!

This posting is originally from the website Inspire Me Today. I was so inspired (pun intended) by reading it that I wanted to post here for all of you to enjoy:

You can do it! Don’t listen to the naysayers, those that haven’t done what you’re trying to accomplish, or those who never will. You are the only one who knows the dream in your heart. Don’t listen to the voice in your head that doubts the passion of your heart. The heart is always right, even though the head can sometimes appear quite convincing. That passion was put there for a reason. Honor it. Treasure it. Listen to it! Follow where it leads you without question.

The road may be a new trail and the path may appear bumpy. You might be scared and even feel afraid, but you know deep in your heart that the fear isn’t real. It’s just your body experiencing something new and the mind starting to play survival tricks with you all over again. That voice of fear may come in handy if a tiger is chasing you, but not today. Today is the day for the dreamer in you to surface. So wake up your inner dreamer. Give your inner dreamer permission to shout its message to you and shine! Listen to what you hear if you’re scared. For when the passion is louder than the fear, you’ll succeed. You can do this. I believe in you! You’ve done things scarier than this before and you’ve lived through those experiences too. So go for it!

Walk right on up to that ledge, stand on the edge and look down at your knees knocking, your whole body trembling, and don’t mistake the excitement and anticipation of your experience for fear of the unknown. Feel the adrenaline coursing through your body, and then, when your rational mind least expects it, jump! Leap into the unknown knowing that it’s the only way for you to achieve your dream. Jump into your future. The ledge is no place for dreamers. You were born to fly. Jump and let those shiny wings of yours do what they were made to do. Embrace the adventure called LIFE and soar. I know you can do it, for I’ve seen your wings. I know that they’re there waiting to unfold into the glory of who you really are.

Sometimes when you’re not looking I see them try to poke out of the confines your mind has placed around them. Trust me when I tell you that you can fly. If you don’t believe in yourself yet, trust what I tell you and allow me to believe in you until you see it for yourself. And when you believe it, you’ll see it. And if you’re not ready to believe it quite yet, just pretend with me for just a bit, until your own belief grows so strong that no ledge can ever hold you back.

You were born to soar with the eagles. So come with me. Bring your dream into your mind. Feel the excitement. Taste the fear- and jump anyway! I’ll be there to fly with you, wingtip-to-wingtip, soaring over the mundane and the mediocre, the boring and the predictable. Woohoo! Doesn’t that feel good to stretch your wings, your limits and the boundaries of your mind and allow what’s in your heart to just burst forth with enthusiasm and say “YES!” to the dream? Go for it! Dip a little to the left, bank through that turn and whoa, watch out for that thermal. This breeze up here is strong and sometimes unpredictable, but we can handle it. You can do this. After all, it’s your dream and you were born to fly!

Reference: http://www.inspiremetoday.com/gail/2008/11/born-to-fly/

Embrace the Groundswell or Else

I have been going through a tough period in my life recently due to some struggles at work. Mainly has to do with some backlash I received from interacting with some customers online that I was only trying to help and provide a voice to them from my company. I came across this article that spoke volumes about how companies should not be banning or detering employees who want to use social networks to reach out. They should embrace the groundswell.

The typical knee-jerk reaction taken by many organizations when faced with the groundswell is to put a stop to it and tear down the people who embraced it. Sad to see since there are many well-meaning employees who are passionate about reaching out and providing information to customers. If you think about it, customers are the ones who help us have the jobs we have. Why would we not want to interact with them and help?

In the attached link that opens a pdf file of the article, it says the following: " For a start, companies need an attitude adjustment to recognize "symmetrical participation," or the capacity for the receiver to also become a sender of information, as Clay Shirky puts it in his book Here Comes Everybody. In the old media era, information was asymmetrical —from sender to receiver. "

http://tinyurl.com/5qxk88

Be the Left Tackle on Your Team

Today, I received an excellent piece of advice from someone I trust. I was told to think about a football team. Think of myself as the left tackle on this team. When we huddle before the play, what would the team think if I said to the team that I had an idea on the type of play we could run. Try this play since I think it will work. First off, the quarterback may not like the idea that I decided to butt in and give suggestions on what we could do better. It could come across wrong to the quarterback since his left tackle seems to think the team should try another approach. He is the quarterback and is expected to lead the team. Everyone else on the offense puts their trust in the quarterback and his playcalling, even if they disagree with the play selection. As the left tackle, it is my job to do what the quarterback decides to do and play with the team. Protect the quarterback and do my job to the best of its ability to hold off the opposition.

That is the way I need to think from this point forward. Play with the team and do my job as the left tackle.

You must be the change you wish to see in the world

With the name of this blog being appropriately named "We Were Meant To Live," I intend to write out thoughts, ideas, or musings that God places in my mind in this space. Recently, the church I attend is on a capital campaign mission where the focus is on "Giving God A Chance" and today's message really grabbed a hold of me and made me think of what could happen if I really did give God a chance to show what he is capable of doing? Our church is on a 8 week pilgrimage to pray, meet in weekly home small groups, and think upon how God intends to work through us to reach our goal of our own church building someday.

Our pastor really hit it on the head when he said that this capital campaign is not just a time for all of us to think about how we can raise the funds necessary to meet our goal that we want to reach in 2 years towards a new building. It is a time to give God a chance in our lives to see the wonders he can do if we give Him the chance.

God grabbed my heart during today's message and spoke to me in such a way that it gave me a uprising in my heart that I have not experienced in quite some time. God was telling me that maybe if I give Him a chance, I can do the thing he placed on my heart. I think what he was telling me is similar to what the organization "Be The Change" is doing with Service Nation. Service Nation launched on September 11 and their mission is to to create a new era of service and civic engagement in America, an era in which all Americans will work together to try and solve our greatest and most persistent societal challenges. It is a grassroots movement to unite everyone with the goal to serve one another. On September 27, it is their vision to have a nationwide "Day of Action" to demonstrate the impact that service has – and could have - upon our country and the power of citizens to create large scale change.

On September 28, our own church, New Journey, will be taking part in "Church Has Left the Building" service day to go out in Olathe, Kansas to serve the community. We will be partnering up with Indian Creek Community Church to do this work.

I really believe that much more can be done beyond just the Service Nation Day of Action and the "Church Has Left The Building" campaigns. Taken from the Service Nation website, service to one another:

- Builds community among people, regardless of their race, gender, or socioeconomic status.
- Allows us to participate in something bigger than ourselves.
- Demonstrates that our commonalities as a people are greater than our individual differences.
- In the act of transforming our communities for the better, we end up transforming ourselves.

I challenge all of us to think how we can give God a chance in serving one another. As I pray and think upon what God is revealing to me through this capital campaign, I will be writing on this blog the thoughts that come to my mind. I will be praying for you too.

My challenge to you for this week is to think about how you can bless one person this week with a serving mindset. Just do something out of the ordinary for someone and do the unexpected. Use the comments section to explain what you did and what the result was. Let God move you.

The Sidewalk of Life

I came across this interesting story about how we can look at life. I had to share with all of you as it grabbed my attention and made me think about how I tend to navigate down the sidewalk of life at times...

Sometimes as you walk down the sidewalk of life you wind up in a deep hole that is not of your own making.

----> If you live on the coast during hurricane season the winds and rains may have come along and damaged your house.
---->The company you work for may have gone bankrupt you lost your job.
----> You return to your car in the mall parking lot and find that someone has smashed your fender.

Any of these events can place you in a hole of darkness, despair, anger, loss, anxiety, worry, or grief. You did not have anything to do with creating the situation but you must live with it. The hole can indeed be deep and dark, and you have to struggle long and hard to climb out of it.

This is the nature of life. Some things are out of your control. Unexpected events happen. Change always occurs. The most that you can do is adapt to them the best you can. You must struggle out of the hole into which you were thrown and journey on. Hopefully, you grow from such an experience and become a more mature person who is better able to cope with other pitfalls of life.

Have you ever found yourself in exactly the same hole more than once?

How is it that you always get into the same type of conflict with the boss? He is so negative and critical and always expects so much. She makes you feel miserable.

Maybe you are in the midst of the exact "word for word" argument with your spouse for the ten thousandth time. He says this and you say that just like you always do and you fall into the hole once again.

Your son, mother, sister, or brother does that thing that they always do. It pushes your buttons and you respond as you always do. The cycle of conflict begins once again.

You cannot believe that it has happened one more time. You wonder, "Why does this always happen to me? Why do they always do this to me? When will they ever stop? Why can’t they understand what they make me do?" If other people would just "act right" life would go better. You begin to work harder and harder to get others to change.

Fall into the same hole often enough and you may come to a realization. With the frequent occurrence of the same or similar events you sense that these things do not happen by chance. Maybe this repetition is a pattern that is not just inflicted on you solely by others. Such a reoccurrence of events must mean that you are playing a role in creating them.

As we go along the sidewalk of life we all fall into holes of psychological and spiritual distress. Sometimes it seems that we were shoved. Initially, it appears that it is not our fault to be in such a situation once again. However, as we continue in the journey of life we often find ourselves falling into the same hole more than once. When we do so we are given the opportunity of recognizing that there is actually a pattern in our lives. Patterns do not exist until an event happens more than once. A pattern cannot be recognized until we have encountered a situation (in all its various forms) several times. Only with repetition is it possible to see the pattern or cycle. Once the pattern is seen then the possibility of new insight arises.

The next time you find yourself once again in one of life’s familiar holes, and are busy saying:
"It is not my fault,"
"Don't blame me."
"Who is responsible for this?"
"They are doing it to me again."

Call for a time-out. Now, look to see how you might be responsible for your situation. Ask yourself, "What did I do to get here? What role did I play in creating the circumstances that placed me in this hole?" The terrible truth is that if you are not responsible for being in this hole once again then you are in real trouble. This is because if you are not responsible, it must mean that someone is. Maybe, it is not just one person but a group of people like your coworkers or your family. It is even possible that the entire world has decided to conspire against you. If you are truly not responsible for your current situation, and you do not like being in these recurring holes then you face a dilemma. What you have to do is find out who is making you miserable. Next, you have to change that person, or group, or the entire world to make it or them be exactly the way you want them to be so that you can be okay. Your strategy becomes to change others.

This is the trap of playing, "Let's fix you." Husbands and wives and parents and children often play this game. One spouse shows up at the counselor's office claiming that their mate is the problem. Parents bring in the child saying the child's behavior needs to change. Children say that their parents make them act this way. Employees blame the insensitive boss. The overworked boss criticizes the inefficient employees. No one is responsible for anything.

Playing "Let’s fix you" doesn’t work. Have you ever tried to change someone? Of course you have. Maybe just change a small child making them just a little more the way you want. Perhaps you have tried to make a few minor adjustments in another person’s personality. It seems that if you just gave this person a little bit of a "tune up" then you might be able to live with them. Did you succeed? The answer is, "No!" Changing others is an extremely difficult if not impossible task. The other person may actually try to cooperate but often cannot make or sustain the change. Your effort is directed in the wrong direction.

Fall into the same hole enough times and you might awaken to the true nature of the problem. You are responsible for being there. You played some role in the process. You must change. Learning this is good news. If you can find out what you are doing and stop then you can avoid these holes into which you keep falling. Having some responsibility for your problems means that you have control. All you have to do is to change yourself and the situation can improve. While this task is very hard, it is at least possible. Changing others is not.

When you find yourself once again in that same bad relationship, but with a different person, you need to realize that it is you who is making the same mistake over and over. Maybe it is time to ask yourself, "What am I doing?" "How did I get here once again?"

When you are in that same tired old argument, ask what did you do to get there? When you wake up with a hangover once again, ask what went wrong with my resolve to never drink again?

When you discover what you are doing, or why you are doing it, then change is possible. You can begin taking responsibility for yourself.

If you change yourself your experience of the situation will change. Surprisingly, if you do this, the other people you were wanting to change may change as well. You cannot change others by directly trying to influence them, but if you change yourself then they may be forced to change as well. Once you are different and can maintain that difference then others around you are given the opportunity to change in relation to you. By effectively changing ourselves we may actually change another person, a group, and perhaps, the world. But we must start with ourselves. When you start with yourself a good place to begin is with your Attitude.

Once your responsibility is seen you can change. You can begin avoiding the holes on that street of life. You are now able to see what is coming, because you know your pattern. This knowledge gives you control and you can intentionally respond to life in a different manner. A different response gives new possibilities.

When someone invites you into a familiar hole, you do not automatically enter. Your friend, who has been awaiting your arrival to leave for a party, sarcastically says, "Well, you are late again!" Your typical response is to defensively say, "Must you always complain?" Now when you see that familiar hole of an argument and a bad evening looming, you make a different choice. You realize that your friend has had the legitimate frustration of waiting and has also been worried about you. You speak to these issues and say, "I am sorry to be late. Traffic was terrible. I couldn’t get to a phone. I know that you were wondering what happened to me." Your choice allows your friend to acknowledge the concern and apprehension rather that just voice the frustration of waiting. The hole of another repetitive fight is avoided, and the evening goes well.

Finally, you change streets. You change your inner dialogue and behavior so completely that the old pattern no longer occurs. Once on the new street, you must be careful because, unfortunately, this street will have its own holes. It will have holes that you have never seen before. But you now know the rules about the "holes" in the sidewalk. The first time that you encounter one you should ask, "How am I responsible?" It may be that you are not responsible, but the sooner you ask this question, the sooner you can take charge of your life.

This process is like a spiral that leads us upward towards psychological and spiritual wholeness. The sidewalks of life do not go in a straight line. They may not be flat. They may be like a trail that winds round and round a mountain until it reaches the top. Each time you break out of an old pattern of thinking and living, you begin a new switchback that leads you ever upwards to the fundamental goal of life.

Fall into enough of the holes in the sidewalks of life and you may become whole. Through the lessons of the holes of life, you approach wholeness. Becoming whole means striving to be all that you can be. All potentialities are explored. You know what you do, and why you do it. Choices are made, and you are responsible for these choices.

The holes in the sidewalk are actually invitations to grow.

Are you open to the invitation?

Credit goes to http://lessonsforliving.com/sidewalk_of_life.htm

Summary of Colorado Mountain Adventure trip with Men of Colonial

The goal for this year's Colorado Mountain Adventure trip was to make it to the summit of Uncompahgre Peak in the San Juan mountain range near Lake City, Colorado. The picture at the bottom shows me on the summit of this peak. I made it to the top, but I could not have done it without the guys I hiked with who encouraged and rallied me to keep going when I wanted to give up. Hiking to the top of a 14er (14,000+) mountain is quite a challenge and at that altitude, it is even tougher to breathe and concentrate. Making it to the top was an overwhelming experience for me and taking communion at the top with everyone who made it was very special. This whole 5 day trip in Colorado was such a great time. I absolutely love the state of Colorado with the mountains and wilderness there. I have always told myself that I would love to live there someday, so you never know what could happen down the road. The drive to where we stayed was a very long one (14 hours) total, but well worth it once you get to your destination and see the beauty all around you.















Below is a picture of Uncompaghre Peak that I climbed. To get a good perspective of how much of a climb it was to the top, you can see a person on the trail in the lower right corner.