{Disclaimer: This is a post written in a males perspective, proceed with entertainment}

The time is somewhere around 3am and I think I am in between the Bering Sea and North Pacific Ocean enroute to Japan. I finally had enough airplane food, plastic cups filled with water and  not being able to feel my semi asleep ###. It is time to embark on a walk to the on board lavatory. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: airplane toilets, change agent, crap, influence, lavatories, lavatory, Superman Skills —

The year is 1963, the town Birmingham, Alabama and the spotlight is on Martin Luther King Jr. He had recently moved his base camp from Atlanta to Gaston Motel in Birmingham, Alabama in hopes of addressing civil rights issues first hand.

Birmingham in 1963 was the hotbed for civil rights and although the Kennedy boys (John + Robert) had pushed hard to initiate laws erasing segregation, in Birmingham, the leadership refused to change. A new law would be instituted, Birmingham would follow suit for a few weeks or up to a month, then quickly change back to their old Jim Crowe ways.

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Tags: 1963 civil rights, alabama, birmingham, civil rights movement, direct action, gaston motel, martin luther king jr, opportunity, ralph abernathy, Superman Skills —

Why is it that we love to comment on CRAPPY NEWS in the world today? Why do we laugh at our plasma teevee’s while watching CNN (if your liberal) or Fox News (if your conservative) and add 2 cents to the discussion? Why do we blast off on Twitter or Facebook when someone types something we think is re-tar-ded?

Why do we talk to our radio in the car when we disagree with the radio broadcaster … like – he – cares?  Why do we love to hang with other people who feel the same way as we do and why – do – they – care? Why do these thoughts explode out of our lips like mentos Coke fountain? What were to happen if our opinions were magically reality … Welcome to a different place, a different galaxy. The town where tastemakers and influencers dwell.

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Tags: bill clinton, bill gates, billy graham, billy mays, brad pitt, brett favre, dreamcenter, influence, jackie robinson, john legend, martin scorsese, matthew barnett, meredith whitney, mike tyson, pop culture, rosa parks, shai agassi, spike lee, steve jobs, stone williams, Superman Skills, wayne gretzky, winston churchill —

Uhhh ohhhh! Hold on to your latte and Iphone because your boy is going off! Just get ready to RT or comment. The fact that I put the word church and machine in the same sentence should give you a pretty good idea where this brain explosion is heading –  no pun intended. What has the church created, and is it congruent to the Bible?

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Tags: church growth, church marketing, church strategy, Superman Skills —

I decided to focus a month toward re-learning Bible history. Mostly, because the reason why people Hate Church is because they work on their Jersey Shore Fist Pump more than reading about how God invented the fist smash (see Exodus 7:4).  Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: fist pump, jersey shore, nehemiah, Superman Skills —

by mickiky's

Location: Sydney, Australia
Read Time: 5 minutes

I recently asked my brother in law to get in the game and tell us a little bit about what is happening in his brain. Nathan O’brien is a creative project specialist for Gloria Jeans coffee and is very keen as to what and how people think. If you don’t like it, feel free to comment below. You can also find Nathan here on Facebook.

God’s been dealing with me BIG time over the last little while about the health & definition of His Church, His Kingdom & what ‘He needs’.

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Tags: christmas gift, stewardship, Superman Skills —

by dunechaser

Location :: Tinley Park, IL
Read Time :: 3 minutes

I find myself tossing and turning in my knock off posturepedic bed at 3am. Why am I awake? This bed is supposed to be ultra sheik comfort? I ate an incredible meal, my belly was full. I even threw back a few home made, Bobby Flay chocolate chip cookies.

4am. Still no sleep. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: christian leaders, cultivate conference, park church, Superman Skills —

I was sitting in a large black SUV yesterday listening to a preacher of more than 30 years when I asked him a personal question ::: How do you have so many relationships with so many different kind of preachers, pastors and leaders?

My first instinct this morning was to do investigate the death of Mr. Michael Jackson, but after further review ::: I thought best to leave the BIG STORIES to the big reporters. Best wishes to all bloggers/reporters who are jumping on the hottest story of the year. I am always saddened when I see talent swept away and dismissed forever. Lord… please help his family in this time of tragedy.

So myself and Mr. John Avanzini are talking about simple things in life… fishing, his favorite place he had a custom suit made (which was Singapore), some of the interesting places on earth where he has gone to preach and so on. John is a very simple man, born in French Guiana and the ultimate – Texas – man. Lives on a ranch and is so funny, I catch myself asking how THIS guy can be a preacher.

What really grabbed my attention was not his funny looking hair, his Texas twang or gigantic black Bible … which looks as if it could be Saint Paul’s personal scrolls. His ability to maneuver globally and foster relationships was uncanny. A man who has circled the world this many times with this many people MUST – MUST – MUST have insight on how to win friends and influence people. He has to be able to explain Jesus, relationships and church communication tactics.

John says to me, with his hair freshly slicked back “Anthony…Son… I never take on another man’s enemies”…. He went on to explain many relationships/friends in the past…”celebrity-christians” and how many enemies they had. “When someone has that many enemies they insist you take sides. “I don’t take sides in any relationship Son”, Said John in his calm Texas voice. “What has happened when I took sides…… is I would lose one of those good ol boys I was friends with… most cases… I lost both”.

We finished our discussion as John went on to reveal his eye for finding good in every person which has been the catalyst to healthy global relationshps. He is one of the greatest influencers and relationship managers in church … AND AT 73 year young man has STILL got the touch.

Have you encountered episodes like John has experienced? Have you been able to navigate effectively in relationships? How have you accomplished this informidable task? What has happened when you undertook a friends enemies?

Tags: church communication, john avanzini, relationship, Superman Skills —

As the recession continues to rise in the United States, the reality becomes more sobering. To date, 4.4 million jobs have been lost in the financial crisis–that’s 15 jobs a minute. Personal bankruptcy filings jumped 31 percent between 2007 and 2008 and are expected to rise another 35 percent in 2009.

We couldn’t help but notice Suze Orman on Oprah’s show as she swings the BIG FINANCIAL STICK. If you feel your sinking in recession sand, here are a few tips to jump out.

1–Go back to basics. Keep your skills sharp in all the core disciplines, whether it’s HR management, marketing or finance. Keep yourself up to date with the latest thinking and trends.

2–Now is the time to network. Taillards says that in times of economic uncertainty, networking is an area that is often neglected. “People have trouble going to events where there is networking and getting their names out, but now is not the time to give up networking,” she says.

3–Network smart. The internet offers great networking opportunities, but work out which are suitable for you. “Be appropriate with your online networking,” says Enelow, “Facebook and Twitter might be appropriate for young professionals but for older professionals with years of experience, LinkedIn is probably the only online networking tool you need, unless you work in high-tech industries.”

Matthew 25:21“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ ”

Tags: bible, church finances, church giving, church offerings, church strategy, job loss, recession, stewardship, Superman Skills, suze orman —