JCISONLINE

Great, Great Weekend, here are some of the highlights.

• Went to Columbia to watch the South Carolina v. Alabama game. It was awesome. I thought South Carolina was going to win by more than 3 touchdowns. True Story.
• Taught 200 Middle School Student Council Students on being a Communicating Leader.
• Asked our kids in Switch if they were ready to move from dreaming to doing.
• Heard our Pastor preach his heart out on suffering and removing complacency in our walk with Christ.
• Hung out with some awesome pals.
• Dreamt of my life in 10 years, and what our family will be like.
• Spent time with my beautiful wife, cheering on her favorite team.

What did you do this weekend?

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5djHG3hPu0

I absolutely cannot wait to see this movie in theaters! I have a feeling it’s going to be epic!

My only rule before you vote is to watch the video above.

If you’ve never been a part of Friday Faceoff, here’s the dealio:

1. You vote on the above question
2. You bring an opinion
3. You debate it out.

Just for fun, but love to think creatively so go for it! Don’t sing it,

Bring it…

As an avid ping-pong playa, this got me rockin. I would definitely take Bruce Lee, no problem.

It’s time for some good old fashioned Blogger math. John Saddington challenged bloggers to subtract today. His new blog Tentblogger is super awesome and it all about you becoming a better blogger. Subscribe here. But today I’m asking you. What should I subtract? But also what should I add? I know that’s sort of backwards of the challenge. But I wonder if what they say is true, “It’s all about the content”.

And don’t forget subscribe to jcisonline.com

So, John left NP. Now he’s a legit pro-blogger. I use his crazy awesome theme. I am loving his new stuff. And if you watch this video you will be able to tell that he seems to be loving it too. John you’ve inspired me. Time to change my pre-blog routine.

And sorry, couldn’t help but share :p

Video will be coming…

This is a review for Permission to Speak Freely by Anne Jackson.

So I love reading different things. Anne Jackson is an author that I just can’t get enough of. She writes in a way that draws me into the story. I read this book in two days. I couldn’t put it down. I absolutely love the way that she crafts stories. I tracked on her blog when she asked the question:

“What is the one thing you feel you can’t say in church?”

I grew up in church. I love the church. But, I had some things that I always wanted to say as a teenager. I had some stuff that I still want to say today. But honestly I feel like I can’t. Especially in a world of limited accountability like an online space, where people say things just to get noticed, not really to see change happen.

But Anne pursued this further than asking the question. She sought to tell her story of how the church caused her some pain and some hurt. I think we can all agree with her on that point. The depth of my pain isn’t comparable to Anne’s or most, but I do deal with some of those hurts everyday. The lack of diversity, the lack of compassion, the lack of commitment are all things that I saw growing up in the church and I really became disheartened by as a high school student.

My thoughts: it’s gritty, it’s real, it is a bit rough. But it’s needed. The thought that I continue to think about is how the church moved from a place of sanctuary for people that could find pardon for their sin towards a place where people don’t feel accepted or loved and instead feel judged and unwelcome because of their lifestyle.

Lifestyles haven’t changed all that much in my opinion but the way that we react and act towards others has changed. You can place blame wherever you like, what you can’t do is read this book and not take responsibility. It will cause you to look inside at the hurt and find healing and it will also cause you to look (if you work at a church like me) at how you are contributing or working to change the feeling that others associate with the church.

Great, Great book. Loved it.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

So I totally cracked up laughing when I saw this. Hilarious. If you want a traditional greeting hoodie from Threadless then check it out here.

• Went to Toys R Us. One of the greatest places on earth for Creative Inspiration
• Played Quelf. You should too. Awesome fun.
• Talked about how Connecting with God is more important than doing stuff for God on Sunday. Kids got it. (best part)
• Football!
• Went to a couples wedding shower instead of going to the South Carolina v. Georgia game on Sat. (husband points)
• Lost husband points by complaining about not going to the game.
• Ate way too much

What about you?

Give me your weekend update