You Can’t Control Your Message Anymore.
One of the most important lessons that we can learn in communications, is that we no longer have the ability to control our message. One need look no further than this current political season for a decent illustration of this. John McCain is an honorable man, who has served this country with distinction. He prides himself on “straight talk” which means he tends to entertain questions from reporters or citizens with (shockingly) accurate answers. I will leave it up to you to decide if you agree or disagree with his message, but the fact is, he says a lot of stuff. Given the proper context and thorough explanation, it probably even makes sense. The trouble is, when someone else takes your speeches and mashes them up into a parody video, then you look like a downright war monger. Obama has successfully stayed on message this entire campaign season, by only saying one thing… “Yes We Can”. He has inspired hope and optimism with this slogan. How will it unpack and convert to the business of governing is still somewhat of a mystery. Hillary has criticized Obama for being an “empty suit,” and I tend to think she is right. No doubt we know what she will do to run this country if elected.So what is the lesson? Keep your message simple and stay on track. Let those around you flesh out the details of the vision that has been cast. And if at all possible… don’t turn something like bombing Iran into a big joke.
New Year = New Theme
Hope you all enjoy it!
The Christmas Show
[flashvideo filename=videos/SallysChristmas.flv /]
Which Hero Are You?
Turns out after taking the test that I am Nathan. Hmmm. Flying would be cool, but I thinking mind reading or regeneration would be cooler.
Here’s what it says about Nathan… “You have the potential to fly high in life, but a destructive obsession with your career holds you back. Remember you won’t be able to enjoy life’s luxuries if you sit on your powers and let the world around you fall apart.”
What are you? Take the quiz and let me know.
50 Most Influential Churches
People love to be recognized. Just watch the awards season in Hollywood and you quickly realize that most people have a deep need to have someone else recognize them for their accomplishments. In the case of Hollywood, they want recognition for their work and their fancy dress, hair, shoes, and borrowed jewels! Well, Mariners Church was recognized this week for something pretty cool. We are one of the 50 most influential churches in America. Other church leaders were surveyed and asked what churches they would rate as influential. We made #25, and this is our first year on the list!
GO MARINERS!!! WOOHOO!!! YEAH GOD!!!!
Here is what is so cool to me about this award. It represents the hard work that is done by thousands of volunteers each and every day to bring Christ and his transforming love to a part of the world that is very comfortable and self sufficient. Mariners challenges people to dig deep and actually love the world around themselves, and not just “cut a check” to solve a problem. While it may be an easy place to live, and the weather may be great, it is rough ground for selfless love and humility. Most people in this area could live life very comfortably all on their own, and so Mariners challenges that comfort zone and encourages us all to live like Christ.
I could not be more proud to be a part of a team that engages in this mission everyday. I am humbled that God chose me to go on this journey. I am not here because of me, I am here because this is where God needed me!
Check out the article for yourself…
4th of July Cuteness
Sally’s School celebrated Independence Day on July 5th & 6th with a parade around the school. Little Miss Sally was decked out in Red White & Blue and had a great time. Now all we need to do is perfect her parade wave!
A Little Lax…
…in my recent posting schedule. Sorry to all of the regular readers of the BlairBlog. Here is a quick rundown of the past few weeks since the last post.
+Tax day came and went without too much pain. In fact the extra 2 days to file were nice. Here was the sweet part… I did my taxes online through TurboTax. They overloaded their servers and some people were late in filing because of them. I was not late, but I filed in the window where people were, so the refunded the TOTAL cost of the filing… so I got to file my taxes online for free this year… woohoo!!
+Global Outreach weekend went off without a hitch. We engaged 1600 people on some level. Our trips for the summer are all full, people are praying for the world, people are learning about justice in the world and people were generous with finances to allow all of this awesome work to continue. Thanks to all of the team that made this weekend a smashing success.
+Sally is growing like crazy and learning new things all the time. I am amazed at how fast she learns things. Her current phase… repeating everything that Christie and I say or do. The other day in the elevator at Mariners, I leaned against the wall and kicked my foot on the wall and she came over and stood exactly like me. Cool and scary at the same time…
+We had an amazing article written about the Resource Center in the OC Register. It had a huge impact on donations and sales. They need the shot in the arm, and people in Orange County and around the world benefit from their action.
+I love my wife and daughter. While this comes as no surprise to any of my readers, I think it is something that is always worth saying.
Time of Affirmation
Today was the goodbye party for my new co-worker Meeshee Sherrei. She has been on staff at Mariners for around 7 years and has the unusual title, Minister of Joy. She has been seeking God’s direction in her life and has felt called to step out of her very comfortable role at Mariners for an uncertain future. It is a real testament to her faith in God’s leading in her life.
While I have not known her long, I can say that she is a real inspiration. She bring a very positive and infectious spirit to every situation she is in. In her job capacity it was her task to plan, host and execute events that made the staff and the congregation feel at home at Mariners. She brought an element of fun to every staff meeting that I have been a part of at Mariners. It is hard to imagine what they will be like without her extra touches! My very first all staff meeting at Mariners was in the Tent, and on the table were Pop Rocks and Nerds, since we were learning more that day about the LAB.
Her send-off was an amazing event to be a part of. All the staff gathered around cupcakes and her collection of Mr. Potato Heads and for an hour we all took the opportunity to affirm her ministry and her life. She mostly was in tears the whole time as people who have been her co-workers, friends and mentors took the opportunity to lift her up. While I did not say anything at this time (since I have known her for about 5 minutes compared to everyone else there!) I thought I would post an affirmation on my blog. Meeshee was a source of joy for me as the “new guy” on staff at Mariners. She always had a smile for me and went out of her way to make sure I was getting settled. Thank you for your spirit Meeshee… you will be missed!
Today.
1. I got to look for the kitties with Sally (her favorite morning ritual)
2. I got to take her to school. She claps when we get in the parking lot now and says “cool” which really means “school”
3. I sang all the way to work. I have not had a commute in a while, and I love having the down time to listen to music or the radio, and yes, sometimes I like to sing along.
4. I got to move all my books and things into my office.
5. I got to work on upcoming strategy and figure more out about my role here at Mariners.
6. I got a new computer… faster, more RAM and all of the Adobe apps.
7. I got to blog, twice. (John, please take note)
8. I get to go home and spend time with my girls tonight.
9. I get to prepare my heart and mind for Story Time in the morning (my favorite meeting of the week!)
10. I get to start packing for our Staff Retreat (we are building a house in Mexico!!)
That is all.
A Closed Chapter…
Yesterday the chapter closed officially on my twelve years of ministry at First Christian Church. The official end came 2 weeks after the practical end. I have been working at Mariners already for 2 full weeks and am starting to feel like I am getting up to speed on my new job. For those who may have not heard, I am now the Director of Communications for the Lighthouse & Global Outreach ministries at Mariners Church in Irvine.
During all my years of ministry I accomplished many things. Prior to joining the staff in any paid capacity, I served for 4 years in Children’s Church, I ran 4th & 5th grade camp for 3 years, and taught 2 year old Sunday School for many years as well. As was mentioned in services yesterday, my first paid position at First Christian Church was as the custodian for HCS and then the church. I am very proud of all the things that I did as the janitor. I took a lot of pride in my work and always did my best. I also learned a lot of life lessons from Art Andell which I still use today. However, since 1992, I have done a few other things, like ran lots of successful youth programs, transitioned youth ministry, founded a department, and brought fiscal disciple to it. I was part of the strategic planning team and was a key part of the crafting of the church mission statement. I participated in worship planning. I setup and maintained a very good computer network on a shoestring budget. I tried to bring a level of excellence to the communications ministry, even in the face of lots of pushback and roadblocks. Sadly, to the many who never knew of those accomplishments, I will always be that guy who used to be the janitor. I know that people who knew and loved me, know that there was more to me than that tired old joke. I know that my value comes from the service I rendered for Christ, not from the recognition of men. Mostly I know that yesterday confirmed for me that leaving First Christian Church was the best decision I could have ever made.
So now the chapter is closed. Today I stand and look to the future. I have a lot of exciting new challenges ahead of me and I am trusting that the Lord will lead me where He always wants me to do. I am thankful for the years the Lord let me serve at First Christian, and I pray that I will be able to maintain the friendships that were formed there. Finally, I thank God for moving in my life and in the life of my family in such a powerful way. It is always easier to stay where you are because it is comfortable and predictable, but the Lord is teaching me that it is better to trust and follow, because even though it is scary sometimes, the reward is worth it!
