I'm not suprised at all

I spent about 2 hours yesterday working on social media for our church campus...twittering for multiple accounts, designing facebook ads for events, updating facebook pages, blogging for multiple blog sites, and uploading video and pictures. I'm "officially" the Communications Director on top of continuing to serve as the Worship Arts Director for our campus now.  I went to bed last night and honestly, I was thinking about how much has changed since I started working after college 15 years ago.  I didn't have an e-mail address for the first church I worked for in 1995. We didn't have internet. This was about an 800 attendee church in South Florida...not out in the middle of nowhere. If we came up with a GREAT secular or Christian song idea in creative team back then, we would go around the room and pray someone had a copy of the song so I could rip the chart for the band that week. If they didn't, we asked our band and singers. If they didn't, I went to Media Play. If they didn't have it....oh well.  I cannot tell you how many hours I spent trying to FIND STUFF.  The fact that you are reading this right now is truly amazing. I didn't know what a blog was until Randy told me to start one in 2005 (which I didn't till 2006!) I have made life-long friends through social media that I would never have even crossed paths with in this life. Today, I read one of my friend's tweets , Carmen Coe, and she shared this video. I'm not surprised at all...

A proud Blog Mama

We all have blog mamas and papas....Randy Elrod is my Blog Papa. He got me into this in February 2006. Actually, it was a year before that, but I was a slow starter.  This has moved from being something that I did (one-way) to a true community of people in conversation (two-way). I am very passionate about people sharing ideas, sharing their journey, and being in authentic community...that is why I love blogging. The online community has been amazing, but the face-to-face conversation that has been generated by my blog has been unbelieveable.   I've spent most of this week developing a campus blog for our core campus and tweaking our own campus blog. It has been a privilege to come alongside our Lead Pastor, Jeff, and help him start his blog this year (which, by the way, he was BORN to do this!) Our entire Hilton Head Island Staff are bloggers (ok, there are only 3 of us, but it is 100 percent participation!) I am also working with other staff on the Bluffton Campus over the next few months to help them become a part of this community.  Clay has ben a huge help as a fellow blogger since he knows A LOT more about CSS than I do and has a great eye for design.  I've had a blast this week!  Check these out...Todd Cullen
Jeff Cranston     Barb Weatherwax     LowCountry Community Church - Hilton Head Island Campus Blog
LowCountry Community Church - Bluffton Campus Blog

Recreate - Day 1

Meet and Greet here...Dinner here...Live Jazz by him.  This is your typical church conference :)
You never know what to expect at Recreate and that is why I am here.  We have a great 3 days in store and I can't wait to share about it here at cheval glass. Follow me on twitter for micro-blogging throughout the conference.

Speaking truth

The greatest thing about being a part of the blogging community is connecting with people...people that are just like me, totally different than me, smarter than me, crazier than me...you fill in the blank. The biggest blessing to me has been how God uses blogs of friends and leaders I respect to speak truth into my life...at just the right moment and just the right time.  Today, I received 2 blogs from 2 people I read a lot...Perry Noble and Seth Godin. These guys are on opposite ends of the spectrum of what they do and why they blog. However, today, they both had a word for me.  Perry's blog is pretty self-explanatory for why I loved it today.   #11 and #13 were a needed reminder. However, Seth's blog may be a little strange to you. He hit on something that I have experienced, watched happen to others, and that I want to help my children with one day when they face it. You're just dying to know what they said, huh?

Click here to read Perry's post
Click here to read Seth's post

New Baby

No, I'm not pregnant...so just get that our of your mind!  I have a new baby BLOGGER! Our Lead Pastor, Jeff Cranston, has joined us!  After a well-deserved 3-month sabbatical, reading The Blogging Church, hanging out with Perry, and my constant nagging, he finally took the plunge. Subscribe to his blog, people! It will be a great read!

Our New Campus Blog!

It's live!  Check out our new LowCountry-Hilton Head Island Campus blog...You have GOT to see the video of a couple in our church who got engaged skydiving last week - it is cool. I'll be tweaking it all weekend, so enjoy!

Twittering for kids?

Being a mother of 2 small children, I am very intrigued about how technology is shaping their lives even as preschoolers.  I'm all about protection and filters for my kids on the internet and  I REALLY think about what I show on videos that I post at cullenhouse (our family blog). However, they are growing up in a world where technology isn't something you avoid- it is an active part of life ( Look how Obama is taking McCain to task because he doesn't do e-mail). I twitter, but now my kids can?  Check this article out...

"IT would be easy to assume that the first month of Cameron Chase’s life followed the monotonous cycle of eat-sleep-poop familiar to any new parent. But anyone who has read his oft-updated profile on Totspot, a site billed as Facebook for children, knows better. Cameron, of Winter Garden, Fla., has lounged poolside in a bouncy seat with his grandparents, noted that Tropical Storm Fay passed by his hometown, and proclaimed that he finds the abstract Kandinsky print above his parents’ bed “very stimulating..."

Read the whole story here. What do you think?

Blog Tweaking - #2

I'm leaving comments everywhere...I'll be honest, so many of you have commented from time to time over the last 2 years on my blog, and I am a moron...I would not respond. That is changing. It is not that I didn't appreciate your thoughts, I just would not keep the conversation going. I've already had more conversation this week than I have ever had and I hate that I have missed out so much. But, it's a new day here at cheval glass...let's talk.

Up a notch

I've been blogging for over 2 years now and it has become a way of life for me. To my readers and those who stumble across my ramblings, I sincerely thank you for the comments (nice and not-so-nice). But the time has come...It's time to "up the anti."  In the next 45 days, you are going to see it, read it, and experience it in a fresh way here at cheval glass. You are also going to see those around me on this Island join in the conversation.  Our HHI campus is about to embark on conversation through media in a huge way.  As my 4 year old says,"It's gonna' be great!"