January 2014 – Top Posts & Comments (Plus A Book GIVEAWAY)
Here are the highlights from January 2014. Thanks to everyone who read along and commented. Your readership and participation in the daily discussions are what make The Stretched Community. Thank you!
Overall, traffic was up from December (2.63%). Traffic was down 40.1% compared to a year ago. The top 10 posts included two posts from 2012, one post from 2011, and two posts from 2013. If you missed any of these posts, I hope you’ll go and check them out now by clicking below. Also, please head over to my guest post at Ray Edwards blog this month – This Is What Customer Service Looks Like. The post with the most engagement was a fun post from January 22, 2014 – 10 Great Things To Do On A Snowy Day.
Top 10 Posts:
- Ten Things Every Small Group Leader Should Know March 7, 2012 (123)
- Ten Reasons To Attend FamilyLife Weekend To Remember February 27, 2012 (98)
- Thank You Notes? Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That January 23, 2014 (91) Guest post by Matt McWilliams
- I’m Losing My Patients – 6 Ways To Rediscover Patience April 2, 2013 (79)
- 10 Great Things To Do On A Snowy Day January 22, 2014 (78)
- Book Review: The Noticer Returns by @AndyAndrews January 15, 2014 (52)
- When The Treadmill Stops Suddenly – 5 Tips For Handling Life Stopping Experiences February 11, 2013 (45)
- One Word 2014 – Finish January 13, 2014 (42)
- 90 Day Thank You Note Challenge STARTS TODAY! January 2, 2014 (42)
- The Power of the Next Question May 20, 2011 (39)
Top 9 Commenters:
- Steve Y (23)
- Matt McWilliams (17)
- Larry Carter (16)
- David Paul Stolpe (13)
- Joe Lalonde (9)
- TNeal (8)
- Matt Ham (6)
- Caleb (4)
- Dan Erickson (4)
As promised at the beginning of the month, I have randomly chosen someone from the top commenters list to receive a copy of The Noticer Returns: Sometimes You Find Perspective, and Sometimes Perspective Finds You
For the month of February, I’ll be giving away a copy of Life After Art: What You Forgot About Life and Faith Since You Left the Art Room
Thanks to each and everyone for reading and for commenting. I’m looking forward to February with The Stretched Community! The month of February will include more STRETCHING posts. If you’re interested in guest posting here, leave a comment to connect with me. February should be another great month!
How was your month? If you’re a blogger share a link to your top post in the comments? What was your favorite Stretched post this month? How were you STRETCHED in January?
In case you’re interested, here are a few other interesting stats about January (based on Google Analytics):
- Visits – Increased 4.41%
- Unique Visitors –Increased 13.25%
- Pageviews – Increased 5.51%
- Pages Per Visit – Increased 0.90%
- Average Visit Duration – Increased 6.49%
- Bounce Rate – Decreased 3.40%
- New Visits –Increased 6.85%
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Book Idea…Moving Ahead…Asking For Help
If you happen to follow me on Facebook, you may have seen a couple of status updates from me over the past couple of weeks about writing a book and talking to book publishers. I’ve learned a lot the past two weeks about the whole process by talking to a couple of friends who have navigated the book writing/publishing journey for themselves. And I’m hoping to tap into more people in the coming days and weeks as I move down this road.
I thought it might be helpful to share my early ideas with you. I’d love to get some feedback from you as I value your thoughts and opinions as part of The Stretched Community.
I want to help Christian “couch potatoes” to understand the value of moving outside their comfort zone, so they can live a life worth living. Specifically, I hope my own leap of faith, short-term mission trip story will inspire others to take similar leaps of faith. In my book, I’ll share practical tips for moving off the couch and into the mission field of life.
This is a work in progress, but it’s a start I wanted to share with all of you.
Now, here’s where you come in. I’d love to get your thoughts, ideas, and questions about this topic to help me focus my ideas.
What do you need to know about short-term missions?
What do you want to know about my short-term missions story?
What specifically would make this a book you just have to read and share with others?
Does this sound like something that would interest you?
Do you have any advice for a first time book writer like myself?
Seriously, I would like to hear your feedback. Leave a comment with your thoughts.
Thanks!
Chatting With A Book Publisher
I just talked to a book publisher on my way home from work. There are a lot of questions running around in my head. Would any of you read a book written by yours truly? Also, if you’ve ever written a book, what advice do you have for me?
Book Review: The In-Between by @JeffGoins
As a little kid, I remember struggling to sleep the night before Christmas and the night before the first day of school. More recently, I’ve struggled with sleep the night before our trip to Guatemala and the nights before big meetings at work. In all these cases, I am so focused on the next big thing on my schedule. In the intensity of my thoughts for the future, I miss out on sleep.
On a larger scale, we spend so much time focusing on the big events in our lives – things like college, marriage, home purchase, children, promotion, and retirement. In our focus on these next big things, we often miss out on the life that is going on right around us.
In The In-Between: Embracing the Tension Between Now and the Next Big Thing [A Spiritual Memoir]
I’m giving away a copy of The In-Between
What are you waiting for? What are you doing while you wait?
(Please note: There are affiliate links in this post. Should you purchase The In-Between by clicking one of these links, I receive a small percentage of the purchase. These funds are used to support The Stretched Blog and to extend ministry and missions to Guatemala. Thank you!)
Book Review: The Leadership Mandate by @dbonleadership
Today is an exciting day for my friend Dan Black. His new eBook launches today on Amazon.
The Leadership Mandate
Dan Black has been blogging for quite a while about leadership. The Leadership Mandate focuses so much of Dan’s great daily blog content into a concise guide that will help you act like a leader. Dan presents 10 foundational things that will propel people to leading with influence and effectiveness. The Leadership Mandate teaches, and it challenges leaders to take action – to develop the leader inside you.
The Leadership Mandate is available starting today on Amazon.com for $2.99. Help my friend Dan out and help yourself out as well. Go pick up a copy today. Click the link below to get your copy today. As a special BONUS, Dan has put together a special package of extra material for anyone who purchases The Leadership Mandate between September 30th and October 7th. The BONUS package includes six great leadership books and tools (Vision Impact! by Bernard K. Haynes, Navigating Change by Ngina Otiende, The Little Guide To Figuring Out Your Dream by Kimanzi T. Constable, I’ve Been Promoted: Now What Do I Do? by Ernie Wenk, The Big Blog Push by Jared Latigo, and a discount on leadership coaching by Joe Lalonde). To get the BONUS, e-mail your receipt to Dan at danblackonleadership@gmail.com. To get more details on the BONUS, click here.
What do you think are the most essential elements of a leader?
(Please note: I received a copy of The Leadership Mandate for free in exchange for a review. I was not required to provide a favorable review. I truly believe this book can be a helpful reminder to any reader in helping them to take steps to become better leaders – at work, in the community, at church, and at home. It’s my honor to be part of the launch team for Dan’s new book.
Also to note: There are affiliate links in this post. Should you purchase The Leadership Mandate by clicking one of these links, I receive a small percentage of the purchase. These funds are used to support The Stretched Blog and to extend ministry and missions to Guatemala. Thank you!)
Book Review: Creating Community (@AndyStanley and @BillWillits)
For those of you who have been around for a while, you may know that I have a passion for small groups and for seeing people connected and growing in community. I’ve been to three or four groups conferences over the past decade. I’ve been plugged into a group of one kind or another for the last fifteen years. And I grew up in a house where small groups were modeled as a way to connect people to each other and to encourage people to grow in their relationship with God. I’ve written more than a couple posts about small groups over the past six years. In fact, one post is among the top viewed posts of all time: Ten Things Every Small Group Leader Should Know.
For a while I was helping to lead in the small group ministry for our church, but I took a break for a few years due to other commitments and some other circumstances. Recently, a friend reached out to me and began to rekindle my passion for group ministry leadership. As part of our conversation, he passed along a book by Andy Stanley and Bill Willits about building a small group culture.
Creating Community: Five Keys to Building a Small Group Culture was written to explain the success that North Point Church has had using small group ministry as the center of their strategy for helping people grow in their relationship with God. Creating Community was also written to help churches and church leaders to develop a course of action that could be vital in achieving the mission of the church. Stanley and Willits share about the importance of moving church goers from the foyer to the living room to the kitchen. They share some of their own experiences of what worked and what didn’t work along the way. If followed closely, I believe their method for creating community will not only catapult groups ministry to a whole new level but it will propel local churches in their pursuit of living out the Great Commission and expanding the Kingdom.
Creating Community is a quick read. And I would recommend it to anyone who is passionate about small groups, the local church, and connecting people in community. Stanley and Willits are not simply trying to create another program at your church. They are presenting a mind shift for how you do church in general. North Point, where Stanley is the lead pastor, has grown by leaps and bounds and is having a tremendous impact on the Atlanta, Georgia area. North Point’s small group culture is a huge part of this growth and impact.
Check out Creating Community by clicking the link below!
Are you in a small group? How has community impacted your life? What are you doing to invite others into community?
Book Review: Wooden (Coach John Wooden)
A friend of mine passed along this book to me before I left for Guatemala last week. I read through most of the book on the way to Guatemala, and I finished it up on the way home. It’s an easy read, and it’s broken up into bite size thoughts and stories.
Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court by Coach John Wooden is a collection of stories and thoughts from the famous UCLA basketball coach. Each story and thought point to a common sense approach to succeeding in life and leadership. In the book, John Wooden shares how he was influenced by his parents, his teachers, his players, and his family to develop his definition of success and his overall view on life.
This is a book that I will reference again and again. It will make a great addition to my office leadership library, and it’s a book I would recommend to anyone who wants to be successful in leadership and life.
My book is full of highlights and notes. Wooden is a wise man who has clearly learned from life. Here are just a few of my favorite quotes from the book:
Being a role model is the most powerful form of educating. Youngsters need good models more than they need critics.
By applying yourself to the task of becoming a little better each and every day over a period of time, you will become a lot better.
You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.
Be more concerned with your character than your reputation.
Perfection is what you are striving for, but perfection is an impossibility. However, striving for perfection is not an impossibility. Do the best you can under the conditions that exist. That is what counts.
Success is peace of mind that is the direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.
As a sports fan, I appreciated the sports related stories that appear throughout the book. As a student of life and leadership, Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court offers so much great advice and information to chew on and digest.
What is one thing that you have observed about life that deserves sharing? Share it here!
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Book Review: Losing The Mask by Diane Karchner
What do you fear?
For many of us, we fear failure. We simply don’t want to get it wrong. We want to be right. We don’t want to risk the possibility of letting others and ourselves down. And so, we often lead a life of paralysis. We miss out on life worth living, because we won’t take a leap of faith.
In Losing the Mask: Overcoming the Fear of Failure, Diane Karchner tackles her own fears and puts them on display for all to see. She provides valuable insights into what it takes to overcome our fears, and she encourages readers to take the next steps in removing masks in our lives.
I love this quote from the book,
At the end of my days, I don’t wish for any successes to be applauded, nor talents bragged about, as if that was all there was to me. Rather, I want my eulogy to read that I was ‘a woman who risked a lot, failed a lot, and always got back up.’
What is holding you back? What mask do you need to remove from your life? Check out Losing The Mask today. It’s a helpful and quick read that I recommend to anyone whose fear of failure is holding them back from living life to the fullest – a life worth remembering!
Losing the Mask: Overcoming the Fear of Failure is available for Kindle at Amazon.com. Go pick up your copy today!
Book Review: The Catalyst Leader by @bradlomenick
If you are looking for a leadership book that will challenge you and inspire you, look no further. The latest from Brad Lomenick is just what you need.
In The Catalyst Leader, Lomenick shares 8 Essentials For Becoming A Change Maker.
The book is packed with great quotes, stories of inspiration, and practical advice for leaders who want to STRETCH and grow – who want the make a difference. Besides the quotes, stories, and advice, I love the links found in the book that provide access to all kinds of other information and inspiration.
Lomenick shares stories from his past and from his most recent experience at the leader of Catalyst – perhaps the biggest and most influential leadership conference and organization in the world today. He explains the 8 characteristics of a catalyst leader:
- Called
- Authentic
- Passionate
- Capable
- Courageous
- Principled
- Hopeful
- Collaborative
I have marks and notes all over this book. I am pleased to add this to my leadership library, and it’s a book I’ll come back to again and again for practical tips in how I can become a better leader in my work, at my church, and in my home.
If you are a leader, consider picking up a copy of The Catalyst Leader today. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. This is definitely a resource that I recommend.
How have these Catalyst characteristics changed your leadership? What is one thing you can do this week to become a change maker right where you are? What leadership books do you recommend adding to my library?
Book Review: At The Crossing Of Justice And Mercy by Dan Erickson
I read so many non-fiction books. Sometimes, it can be refreshing to pickup fiction and to get pulled into the story. That’s exactly what happened to me when I read the latest from Dan Erickson.
I’ve mentioned Dan’s book here on the blog in a couple of recent posts. While I was on vacation, I had the chance to finish his second book, At the Crossing of Justice and Mercy.
At The Crossing continues the story of Andy Burden as he discovers that the leader of a cult he had grown up in was still alive. Andy’s past abuse that came at the hands of cult leader, Peter Smith, led him to a struggle with forgiveness (for more about this, you should check out Dan’s first book, A Train Called Forgiveness – see my review here). After some time, he is able to move on with his life. In the current setting of the story, Andy has become a single father and a college professor. But there’s something about his past that he just cannot completely reconcile.
I don’t want to give away the whole story, but I will tell you that it left me awake and thinking for quite a while – thinking about justice and mercy. The end of the story is action packed and thought-provoking. In addition, At The Crossing left me ready and excited to read the final book of this trilogy. I can’t wait!
If you’re looking for a story that will pull you in and make you think, I’d recommend you pick up a copy of At The Crossing Of Justice And Mercy. It will leave you thinking about justice and mercy – two great topics to ponder!
What was the last piece of fiction that you read? What fictional story would you recommend to The Stretched Community?