Required Reading
I've had a bit of free time to read and think recently. I've revisited some old favorites and picked up a few new. This is my required reading for all friends and colleagues for the year:
Let me give you small bite of context:
- The Fourth Turning - the next generation (those kids that are in elementary school up through mid-high school right now) are going to be artists in every sense of the word - visual art, music, design, even making work itself into art (see Drive).
- Bowling Alone - somewhere between our great-grandparents' generation and now, our sense of community has eroded. We must re-build it to strengthen our neighborhoods, schools, children, even ourselves.
- Hello, I'm Special - Pop culture has told our youth that "You are special! You can be a star!" Social Media tools have the ability to make that dream a reality worldwide. Even those who never achieve fame, will still conduct themselves in that manner.
- Customer Satisfaction is Worthless - Simply providing a satisfactory service is not enough. You must go above and beyond. You must convert your customers into Raving Fans. (see Thank You Economy)
- Drive - Find better ways to motivate your employees than simple rewards/consequences. Most people (especially the artists of the next generation) will find more motivation in creativity and the opportunity to challenge their own abilities than in monetary rewards. Furthermore, once you attach a $ sign to a certain behavior, that compensation will always be expected for said behavior.
- The Thank You Economy - Social media opens up the opportunity for companies to not only push content out to their customers, but to engage in conversations and listen to them. Doing this well can be cheaper than traditional media and can lead to higher fan conversions.
I laid these out in this specific order because there is such a clear line between them all. The stuff Vaynerchuck says nearly quotes Fourth Turning. It's wild. There's something big on the horizon. Read all of them and I swear you'll get a glimpse of the next 30 years. Read one of them. Read all of them. Then - PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE - come talk to me about it.
What I’m Listening To: April 2011
Cee Lo Green: The Lady Killer - I hesitated on this album at first because of my natural proclivity toward avoiding what everyone else thinks is cool. But, then, there's usually a reason that they think it's cool. The 30 second samples on Amazon didn't really get me going on it, but then it's hard to take something this massive out of context. It's a great piece of art that reminds me a lot of John Legend, but with more funk. Download:" Bright Lights Bigger City", (The Song Otherwise Known as "Forget You"), "Love Gun".
Brian Wilson: Smile - I think that if it had been released in 1966 as originally intended, this record would have cemented the Beach Boys reputations as on par with (perhaps surpassing) The Beatles. It is lightyears ahead of its time. Well, it would have been. It's release in 2004 subjected it to the "benefits" of modern record-making. While it is still full of heart and soul, I doubt that it maintains all the ethos that it once had. Download: "Heroes and Villains", "Good Vibrations", and "Surf's Up".
Looking Glass: Looking Glass - Ok, I'm not really listening to the Looking Glass record. But I'm absolutely digging "Brandy", just as I always have. Best quote from YouTube regarding the track - "Silly girl though Brandy, falling for a Sailor. Find yourself a nice regular guy like Fireman or an Electrician or something, LOL". Download: "Brandy"
Foreword to a Bigger Thought
I've been working on an epic manifesto on social media. I've written and re-written it. It still requires some smoothing around the edges. In the meantime, I came across this youtube video featuring Gary V. He basically gave voice to exactly what I've been thinking. I'm linking out to it rather than embedding because it does contain some "salty" language both in the video and in the comments on youtube. He hits the nail so square on the head, that it commands watching - just know going in that it may be mildly offensive.
Why My Wife is Wonderful
In case you didn't know, my wife is wonderful. There are many reasons why. Here are a few:
- She loves Jesus and seeks to honor Him
- She loves others, even those that she has never met, and prays ceaselessly for them
- She loves our kids and works hard to do what is best for them
- She loves me and encourages me even when I don't deserve it
- She is fun and funny and is always looking to make me laugh
- She is responsible and conscientious in a culture where neither one is the norm
- She is beautiful and doesn't have to try to be
- She is wise and skillful in the work she does, always infusing her work with compassion
- She is creative
- She likes to prune the trees and bushes (not my strong-suit)
- She makes sure that others feel included
- She has a strong sense of right and wrong
Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all. - Prov 31:29 (ESV)
Monday Morning List
Friday:
- Took Lincoln to the Dr. but turns out he just has some allergies
- Painted our guest bathroom
- Watched The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. It was always my favorite book in the series, but so far I've been disappointed by every sequel in the film series. This one wasn't a bad movie, it just lacked the heart of the book
Saturday:
- Grocery shopping with Lincoln
- Bought him a big boy bed on CraigsList
- Prepped his new bedroom (old playroom) for painting
Sunday:
- Church
- My friend, Ryan, helped me paint the new bedroom
- Sold some stuff on Craigslist (pretty much paid for the bed we bought on Saturday)
- Cooked some very tasty turkey burgers
We’re All Alike
There are two powerful effects that the gospel of grace has on a person who has been touched by it. First, the person who knows that he has received mercy while an undeserving enemy of God will have a heart of love for even (and especially!) the most ungrateful and difficult persons. When a Christian sees prostitutes, alcoholics, prisoners, drug addicts, unwed mothers, the homeless, the refugees, he knows that he is looking in a mirror. Perhaps the Christian spent all of his life as a respectable middle-class person. No matter. He thinks: "Spiritually I was just like these people, though physically and socially I never was where they are now. They are outcasts. I was an outcast."
Tim Keller
Ministries of Mercy
excerpted in Gospel in Life, 107
____________________
This is Illogical Theology.
"...because God doesn't make sense"
Thoughts on Baseball
[This post is dedicated to the Wright family for their unfailing love of baseball and those who play it. Though I love you all dearly, I will never fully understand.]
Well, baseball is back. (Didn't it just end?) If one thing can be said for these athletes, it's that they are tremendous workers - what with their incredibly long season. Still, it seems as though many Americans choose to pass on their national past time. Though it may be a little late to institute all of these suggestions for the season at hand, here is what I would do to re-enliven the game.
1. Make it shorter - two ways to do this: a) cut out 1/3 of the games (much like the NBA, it's hard to care early on because the only thing that really matters is the injuries); b) 2 strike "outs", 3 ball "walks", max 3 fouls - this is a double win because it makes every pitch matter and it keeps your starters healthy.
2. Get some personality - there are few cross-over stars in MLB and the vast majority of them wear navy pinstripes and date Madonna. Baseball needs a Mark Cuban, a Dennis Rodman, and a Labron James.
3. Take a lesson from professional wrestling - nothing gets the fans on their feet like a surprise return or major swerve. How 'bout, you're down by 3, things are looking bad, bases loaded, out walks Jose Canseco. The fans go nuts. Who cares if he whiffs on all two pitches and is out (*see point no. 1 regarding balls and strikes)? The entire ordeal would make Sports Center's Top 10.
4. Tell a story - it seems like the only stories in baseball are about the great franchises or are from 20 years ago. Listening to the Rangers just the other day, the broadcast team gave me 10-15 seconds of dead air/crowd noise. Somebody in marketing needs to be mining for the stories (if not creating them). No one cares about a mid-season game between the Twins and the Expos - wait, what? there are no more Expos? There's a story for you right there.
When I was a kid I was present for Nolan Ryan's 7th No Hitter and Kenny Rogers' Perfect Game (I also had a cassette tape with the song The Gambler by the Real Kenny Rogers). In short, it takes a lot to hold my attention. Instituting even two of these suggestions should keep me interested. Just my two cents.
Monday Morning List
Reflections on the Week Past: It was good to have a job to go to on Monday - even if Monday is the only day that I was there. It's crazy to think that Lincoln is 2 years old. He's the coolest kid around.
Friday:
- Lincoln and I ran some errands.
- He actually agreed to take a nap, so I was able to indulge as well.
- Grocery shopping.
- We saw Katie for a minute before she had to go back out for Ladies' Retreat.
- Lincoln went down early and I got some work done around the house.
Saturday:
- Took Lincoln to the Nash Farm in Grapevine. He had an ok time. It was geared a little bit older than him, but he did get to ride a pony and play in the petting zoo pin.
- Ate a quick bite at Baja.
- Katie spent the day at Ladies' Retreat.
- Lincoln and I hit up the library then I put him to bed.
- Did some chores and watched some TV. Nothing good.
Sunday:
- Got a haircut.
- Got locked out of the house with Lincoln while Katie was at work.
- She came home and let us back in. Nice neighbors took care of us in the meantime.
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