this week's round-up (january 29)

Fred Clark: Who Decides Who is a Minister? I still haven't figured out completely where I stand on the recent "Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School vs. EEOC" decision. While I think it is good that the Supreme Court has made the decision not to interfere with the operation of religious organizations, I don't like how this opens the door for abuse - call someone a "minister" and suddenly you are free from many employment laws.

Seth Godin: When the world changes. Also, Learning leadership from Congress and Knock, Knock, It's the Future (Building 59).

Lifehacker: Keep a Journal of Awesomeness to Boost Your Self-Esteem. Also, Roll Your Own (Towels to Save Space).

Mike Latcher: In Which I Fix My Girlfriend's Grandparent's WiFi and am Hailed as a Conquering Hero.

A.K.M. Adam: Mixed Blessings. Great reflection on the recent Apple release of iBooks tool and the opportunity to self-publish. Related: Lifehacker's introductory notes to the iBooks Author tool.

Jeremy Blachman: Thank You, Small Section of the Country That I Temporarily Cared About.

Ron Edmonson: 7 Pitfalls of Being an Introverted Leader.

Jonathan Coulton on intellectual property and the Megaupload takedown from the perspective of an artist.

Somewhat related regarding the inherent problems of intellectual property and copyright laws, recreating the famous Abby Road picture might now violate UK copyright law. Can you copyright a concept?

Michael Hyatt: Top Ten Business Books Picks.

Crowd-sourced scene-for-scene remake of Star Wars: A New Hope. I haven't watched the whole thing through, but this fascinates me. (Also gives me an idea of how to put the kids to work during the next clergy family camp).

New music from Craig Finn out last week, new music from Leonard Cohen out this week, and as much as I admire Craig's writing and wish I could write lyrics like him, Cohen is still the master in that intersection of poetry, storytelling and music.

this week's round-up (january 15)

Julie Clawson: What It Is Is Beautiful. Love the LEGO advertisement graphic and Julie's words are great, too.

Shane Claiborne: 12 Hopes for 2012.

LaRae Quy: Do You Lead Your Own Life?

Mark Engler: Iowa: The People's Caucus. As I've mentioned before, Mark and I used to play ultimate frisbee together (about 20 years ago), and I find him writing some pretty interesting stuff on international politics today.

Seth Godin: Simple Thoughts on Fair Use.
Semi-related: Congress Considers Paywalling Science You've Already Paid For.
In general, there is a major need to shift how we approach, consider and deal with intellectual property.

This wins simply for the Robotron 2012 reference. Love old school arcade games.

iKeepm webapp to inventory all your stuff. I haven't tried it, but something like this could have some real promise.

Dale Wasserman: Look Always Forward. Fantastic line: "In last year's nest, there are no birds this year."

Mike Vardy: Best Way to Kick the Soda Pop Habit.

Friend from college and music guru, Rudy Grahn has put together his list of favorite albums of 2011.

John Rogers: Leverage #404 "The Van Gogh Job" I've gotten into the show Leverage over the past year (or maybe two), but even if you are not a fan, I'd encourage you to check out this post. John has some great thoughts on story writing and creation, and really, ultimately about the world views we hold on to (it's a great companion piece to Donald Miller's book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, but Rogers offers an amazing insight when he says:

"Every criticism is the tragic result of an unmet need."

Good stuff to consider.

From Jesus Needs New PR: Choir Sings "Give Me Jesus" on a Plane. In my opinion it would have been better if they sang "Nearer My God to Thee" ; )

Mentalfloss: Who Wrote the Pledge of Allegiance?

Derek Webb: On Alcohol and Liberty - great thoughts about a difficult subject.

Lovett Weems: Will Mainline Denominations Get in Right in 2012?

Really interesting tool for ministry - The Church Online Platform - from Lifechurch.tv. I continue to be amazed on Craig Groshel and his team stove to extend their resources (for FREE!!!) to other congregations. If you are a pastor interested in online streaming, check this new resource out. (It also kills me to remember that Craig originally sought ordination in the United Methodist Church, but "the system" essentially kept him out because of the slow nature of the process and an unwillingness to embrace his vision of ministry).

Enrique Fiallo (vía Michael Hyatt's blog): 10 Mistakes Leaders Should Avoid at All Costs.

Based on Rudy's recommendation, I'm checking out the M83 album, here's one of the songs off it...

this week's round-up (january 4)

Blessed are the un-cool. Important reminder that churches should choose to be faithful instead of fashionable.

How Luther Went Viral. Interesting article suggesting the use of pamphlets and the printing press helped fuel the Protestant Reformation in much the same way the modern social media (ie Twitter) fueled the Arab Spring, both tapped into widespread social discontent through relatively new, decentralized that the status quo couldn't effectively leverage.

2011: The Year Intellectual Property Trumped Civil Liberties.

The guy who gave me my first real job in commercial radio, Dennis Green, has some thoughts on recent changes in the Cedar Rapids market and the slow decline of good radio.

Before there was the iPhone, there was the iLandline.

The Psychology of Home: Why Where We Live Means So Much. From the article:

"No one is ever free from their social or physical environment. And whether or not we are always aware of it, a home is a home because it blurs the line between the self and the surroundings, and challenges the line we try to draw between who we are and where we are."

Do we take "place" seriously enough? Are there implications for itinerant ministry somewhere in here?

10 Brand Building Steps for Beginners. I just did an interview this week from someone researching how "the church" uses social media; this is a pretty good guide to some first steps.

Why Best Buy is Going Out of Business... Gradually. There was a time when I looked forward to going into a Best Buy, now I almost dread it. While the article is specific to the business and culture of Best Buy, there are probably some good lessons for the church in there as well. How often have we delivered bad customer service and what are we doing about it?

Donald Miller: A Parable About the Church.

I'm not a big fan of classical music and so I've never really followed Yo-Yo Ma, but I did catch the end of the 2011 Kennedy Center Honors, where his work was recognized, and then stumbled upon this performance of the Silk Road Ensemble on the NPR All Songs Considered Blog. I like it, hopefully you will too...