Empower Your Ministry Blog

I think this is the BEST lesson on leadership, forming a movement, and doing something BRILLIANT I have EVER SEEN.

First, the way the guy keeps dancing.

Second, the way the 2nd guy hangs in there when it started to get awkward (for me at least).

Third, after the third guy jumped in, it didnt take long to reach the “tipping point”.

Fourth (and certainly not the last lesson I’m sure), the brilliance of Derek Sivers (of CD Baby) for showing us all the lessons.

Here’s the lesson I can add.

DON’T GIVE UP!

If you are doing something that you believe in, do it with everything you have.  It doesn’t matter if you look silly.

When you get someone who agrees with you, treat them as your equal.  They can help.

If you see someone else doing something YOU believe in, HELP THEM!

What lessons did you get from this?

TELL ME below (thanks)

I’ve been blogging for the last few weeks on how YOU guys can improve what you are doing with your ministries.

Now, maybe you can do me a favor.

How can I improve mine?

Is there a certain subject you wish I would talk about, but you just haven’t seen it yet?

Is there something that maybe I just barely touched on that you want to hear more about? Let me know.

Do you want to hear some audio interviews?  More how-to videos?

Less often/ More often?

I’m all ears!

GO! (comment below)-sorry, I’m a songwriter too..

Okay… I’m not a web programmer.. Not even close. I do love tinkering with new toys though.

I do, however, want to start a series of blog post aimed to help ministries look at improving their websites.

Let’s start the discussion.

You know what bugs me about your website?… (that’s going to be the name of it!)

The fact that it’s 2 in the morning and my wife is asleep beside me, I go to your website to see if you have updated and OUTTA NOWHERE, music starts playing.. and there’s no “MAKE IT STOP” button!  From then, I’m scared to go to your website while I’m at work or late at night!  Do me a favor, if you are not going to ask me if I want to hear your song before you start blasting it at me, at LEAST put a big ol’ STOP button somewhere that’s easy to find.

I love you anyway!

Your turn… what bugs you?

Why is it that most artists are waiting to be “rescued”.  They’re either waiting for their song to be heard, waiting to be discovered by a record label.  Waiting for a better job.. just waiting sometimes…. for something they think they will recognize when they see it.

I wonder which would be more appealing to your “hero”:  Someone who is making all the right steps and just needs direction, or someone who is sitting on the couch watching “Biggest Loser” and praying while the commercials are on for God to send someone to help them ?

Here’s a couple of things you can do while you are waiting.

• Read Books on the subject that you want someone to help you with
• Hire a coach.  [business or personal]
• Invest in an instructional program
• Write down your goals and make a plan

My point is, you are more likely to recognize your “hero” if you are reading about him, studying his habits and knowing what he’s all about.  Help him find you.

Go do something.

And then comment below.

Have you ever thought about losing your mind and GIVING your CD away?  Eventually, that’s gonna be the price of a CD anyway…  FREE.

John Perry Barlow of the Grateful Dead said, “the best way to raise demand for your product is to give it away.” …we couldn’t regulate [taping at] our shows, and you can’t online. The Internet doesn’t behave that way. But here’s the thing: if I give my song away to 20 people, and they give it to 20 people, pretty soon everybody knows us, and our value as creators is dramatically enhanced. That was the value proposition with the [Grateful] Dead.” (full article here)

It’s the ultimate act of faith—giving your work away, but, there are very wealthy companies (like Google) who have made gazillions of dollars by giving most of what they do away.

Check out this article by Music Think Tank about bands giving their CDs away.  People I know are actually getting GOOD results from this.

I don’t know if I would do this without a solid plan.  However, there are plenty of things that people WILL pay for… CDs are just moving down the list.

Question: If you HAD to give your CDs away (and you WILL eventually), how would your ministry sustain?

Many years ago, people communicated by smoke signals, carrier pigeon, books, then phone, fax, then email, then instant messaging, video chat, etc.

Now, people are communicating via FaceBook, Twitter and Blogs.

I guess my point is this:

This technology in the video below is coming… it’s probably closer than you think. Are you getting WAY behind? Is your ministry WORTH the investment of you learning some of this “new communication”?

click to play the "Ted talks" video

I tell my wife, Janna, that I LOVE HER everyday… is that why I do (love her so much)?

We made a promise when we got married to NEVER go to bed without saying “I love you”.. even if we were mad.

People ask if we are “THAT” in love.. I have to say “YES”!!

What are YOU confessin’?

How important is “confession”?  Confessing something?  Saying something out-loud?

It must be pretty important… Wasn’t the world created some time ago when God SAID, “Let there be light”?

Isn’t confession how we are “saved”?

I think there is more to “confession” than meets the ear.

When you tell yourself over and over again that you are fat, dumb, stupid, stuck, is that what YOU are creating?

So, when “the weak say they are strong”, is that what THEY are creating?

Death and Life are in the power of the tongue.

Think about it.

Confess Something Good below!

I’ll be a father soon, so forgive me if I’m thinking in examples with kids in them.

When my little boy or girl gets ready to let go of the coffee table for their first stroll across the floor, it’s NOT gonna be pretty. By my standards (because I walk SO WELL<wink>), it will probably be pretty embarrassing.  Worst, THEY WILL eventually fall.. or fail.   So, when that moment comes, do I just buy padded pants for my kid and give up on them ever walking?

nope…

FALLING is success [if you get up!].  In fact, every time you fall, you learn a lesson.  Falling becomes less common.

Some of the steps that Im taking right now are pretty ugly (to me anyway).  They are unorganized and wobbly.  I fail constantly, but THAT is the part I learn the MOST from.

If you are not failing, you are not trying anything really challenging, are you?

Please comment below.  Correct me if I’m wrong

Every time Facebook IMPROVES something, there’s always a small group of un-adaptors that whine and say they want the old one back.

Definition of nostalgia (noun)
longing for something past

FaceBook, like modern ministry, is changing- for the better if you will look ahead and stop longing for what is NEVER COMING BACK!

Spend your time and energy and possibly money (eek) on something that you CAN change.

I’ll bet that the same people wanting the old FaceBook to come back are the same people that need a number one song so that they can feel like they are ministering successfully.

I have well over 1,000 friends on FaceBook (Thank you friends!).

I want them all to have to at least have the option of reading my blog. However, I don’t want to click through EVERY SINGLE NAME  to “suggest” my EmPower Your Ministry-The Blog fan page to them (I’ve been reluctant to do that!).

I found a solution:

1. Go to your Fan Page and select the “Suggest to Friends” button (like the one you see on the picture below)

When this page comes up:

2. Paste this code in your browser:

javascript:elms=document.getElementById(‘friends’).getElementsByTagName(‘li’);for(var fid in elms){if(typeof elms[fid] === ‘object’){fs.click(elms[fid]);}}

[NOTE: this didn't work for some people in Firefox.