For those of us trying to harness the power of the Internet for business purposes, Twitter and Facebook can become tempting tools to game for the sake of increased influence. The more people read and care about what you say, the more “powerful” you are and the more money you can make.

But what would Jesus do? What does Jesus teach us about influence and making a name for ourselves? “He who would lose his life will find it. He who would save his life will lose it.”

I’m thinking of specific friends and acquaintances I’ve made over the years who got stuck in one rut or another. And it seems rather obvious that the rut is unavoidable, and we cry out to God over and over again to deliver us from our rut. We pray that He will swoop down like Daddy Warbucks and carry us off to our new mansion we had no idea was waiting.

Except God doesn’t often work this way. So why do we handle our ruts the same way over and over again?

At some point, we must stop doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results.

Should we stop praying? Of course not. But there’s a mindset that needs to shift. One that goes from a belief of “All I can do is just sit here and wait for deliverance” to “what steps are available RIGHT NOW that I could take and be proven as a good steward?”

When it comes to emotional malfunction – call it trauma, depression, heartbreak, addiction, inferiority, ADHD, panic attacks, PTSD – whatever the case, there are steps we can each take WHILE we cry out to the Lord for deliverance.

It’s not that we assume the responsibility of wholeness completely. It’s more that we don’t pawn off our portion of responsibility upon the Father so that we have nothing to do but cry and whine at him month after month, year after year, until we grow disheartened and disillusioned.

There are steps you can take today. Pray for those. Begin to channel your daily prayers into two directions: Father, deliver me and set me on the path of restoration and fulfillment of my purpose; and Father, I’m ready to take a step toward wholeness and restoration today – show me the step that is before me.

I’ve invested thousands of dollars in alternative treatments for my wife and I. I was willing to do what sounds foolish for the sake of even the slightest chance of improvement. Why? Because it’s more important to become restored than to look and feel dignified. If you are unwilling to look foolish, you will miss out on the vast majority of what God has for you. It is an act of self humbling to lower one’s self to do something that appears foolish or undignified in the eyes of others – IF you do it for a purpose. Being foolish in and of itself is not humbling, but rather wasteful. But there is a significant difference between looking foolish and acting foolish.

How did I find these alternative health treatments? Research. My wife, my mother-in-law, and I invested our time into seeking out treatments because remaining a malfunctioning person is unacceptable. It cost us television time; hangout with the friends time. And you know what? We’ve found more healing and restoration as a result of not allowing our peers to determine that remaining just like you are is acceptable.

It’s a never-ending pursuit of wholeness and relationship with Jesus. I seek Father God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit because I want to become who I was meant to be. But I also pursue healing apart from prayer and waiting because sometimes I can’t see God as He truly is until I remove the hurts and lies. And sometimes I can’t see what is what until I treat my body’s ailments first.

Body, Soul, and Spirit. Each has needs. Legitimate needs. The question is, as the only person who can guarantee continual effort for the sake of your own good, are you going to take up the mantle of responsibility and seek out your complete healing and restoration, or are you going to settle for brokenness and for living a sub-standard lifestyle?

The choice is yours. And it’s mine. Let’s take it seriously.

* image by alexbruda

It’s time for an online movement to arise, where believers stake a claim for the unborn children who would otherwise be aborted. It’s time to stand up and shout out:

“We want your babies! Give US your babies! Don’t do what your heart and conscience know are wrong! There are OTHER options! We won’t judge you! We won’t curse you! We won’t speak evil of you to your children! We will love them and nurture them and honor you by telling them that at the moment of decision, their mothers thought there was no alternative but instead chose to give them LIFE! LIFE!”

Harnessing Social Media as a Redemptive Tool

I see a generation of people on Twitter and forums and Facebook groups making declarative statements that they would adopt babies slated for abortion. They will make themselves available for contact so that ANY woman considering an abortion can contact them and choose to relinquish parental rights to these loving and confident people.

They will use hashtags to unify on Twitter. They will say, “I live in DFW. Please don’t abort that child. I want your baby! #wewantbabies” and pregnant women previously seeking abortions will find them and contact them and arrange meetings with them.

The time has come for the Church to stand up and take care of its people.

This is also the generation who will begin caring for and housing pregnant women who choose to keep their babies because the Holy Spirit convicts them. They will offer their services to train women in skills that will help them get jobs and provide for their families. They will provide loving and safe mentoring relationships so that single mothers ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS have someone to turn to for strength and advice and encouragement.

It’s Time to Honor the Single Moms

Segments of the Church will begin to esteem and honor single mothers so highly that they are drawn to the community of believers. A great spiritual fathering momentum is building! A great opportunity for blessing! Restoring the hearts of the fathers to the sons and the sons to the fathers begins by FIRST standing in the gap for the fathers who are absent. First comes standing in the gap. Then next will come the actual fathers’ hearts. First someone must love these babies. Someone must love them and give them WORTH! Esteem! Honor! Value!

Provoking Jealousy in Prodigal Fathers

The spiritual father stands in the gap for the physical father and gives to the child the blessing and birthright due. He acts on behalf of the father until the prodigal father’s return. That’s right. A prodigal father’s return is coming. But they will come, like the Jew who Scripture says will come because they envy that their birthright was shared with the Gentile. The father will see his children loved and esteemed and enjoyed and God will rip his heart in two with love! He will quake and fall and cry and be unwound in the midst of his community. He will come running, says the Lord.

Someone has to speak it. Who will be so moved by compassion that they will sacrifice their comfort and their “ideal family” structure to offer up a chance to save these precious lives?

* image by Charlotte Morrall

It’s easy to become enamored with a rising star. A person who is constantly praised for his insight, expertise, and authority. It’s also easy to drink the koolaid before you’ve checked the ingredients.

Okay, I’m going to be totally honest. The worst part about this blog design is the logo. I mean, Seriously? A white “B” in a red circle? What about that says Chris Brogan?

Now, I realize that some of you may think I’m the pot calling the kettle black. After all, my personal blog/twitter logo is a D inside a circle, and has been for the past 2+ years. But it’s stylish. I’m sorry, but the little things DO matter. Take a look:

Letter Logos

What do YOU think? Naturally, I think my logo is pretty hot. I’ll admit that I haven’t converted it into a winning site logo yet… mostly because of my font choice for the rest of the name.

But the D stands out. My Twitter handle is DanielthePoet. One word. One letter in the logo. Since when does Chris Brogan go by “Brogan”? He made a name for himself as Chris Brogan. The logo does not reflect the name.

Not to mention, my D is what I’ve been using on Twitter for ages (but recently switched to a photo). But Chris Brogan won’t likely be using the B for his Twitter account. Maybe for some sort of Brogan Media account, which behaves strictly as an RSS feed.

Yes, I realize he’s insanely popular. Yes, I realize he can do whatever he wants. But sometimes, SOMETIMES, popularity clouds a person’s judgment. They modify things that don’t need modification. Or maybe they change blog theme partnerships and can’t get the same quality design they had previously.

Whatever the excuse, this design hurts his credibility. It’s a backward move. And honestly, he could change the logo and the rest of the site would suddenly look less bad. But the current header background and logo combine to make a very claustrophobic feel that makes me want to run away.

It’s sad when the past is more glorious than the present.

The color scheme of this image is much better than the current claustrophobic red/gray mess. This site screams, “Hey, I’m friendly! Get to know ME!” While the current red/gray says, “Hey! I jumped platforms when it became popular to do so, and now I’m settling for a lame design!”

That may sound harsh, and it I’ll admit that it is. What do I know? I wasn’t there when Chris made his decisions. I’m sure the days of begging for a free blog design are over and he hopefully thinks his new look is really good. I say hopefully because I hate to think that anyone would settle.

Take a look at ANOTHER design he’s had:

Either one of these two designs is head and shoulders better than the current look and feel. The light blue design was friendly, humble, and approachable. This blue/green/tan look is more modern, professional, and authoritative. But the red/gray? I’m going to stick with claustrophobic.

But before I end this little rant, let’s talk about what his current blog design does well:

• Call to Action Image Links Above the Main Nav – this gives all visitors a quick and easy way to take action. Get the newsletter, book him for a speaking engagement, contact him, or work with him. Brilliant concept. Mediocre execution. But just about ANYTHING is going to lose its sparkle when placed against this #233038 background.

STOP THE PRESSES!

This is what I get for starting a post a month ago. Chris Brogan has updated his blog design. Take a quick look:

Now I have to change my statements about EVERYTHING! Thanks a lot, Chris.

So the new design is a significant improvement, if for no other reason than that it doesn’t feel claustrophobic. I immediately noticed the following upgrades:

• Hipper, more attractive header background. A little gradient goes a long way.
• Secondary nav, adds more usability AND (more importantly) color contrast. Keeps the site looking fresher and more alive above the fold.
• Fewer actionable choices (now only one) above the main nav make the top look less cluttered (though not entirely a plus).
• First widget in the sidebar adds color contrast to the scene to really help the blog post body stand out.
• Above the fold, Chris still manages to get the newsletter, RSS, and Twitter links in the sidebar.

After all the ugly things I said about his blog above, I now recant and give Brogan a 6.5 out of 10. I still wouldn’t keep the logo, because he’s not known as “Brogan.” Everyone knows him as “Chris Brogan.” So at the very least (and I mean very least), his logo should incorporate both C & B.

Last Thoughts

If you want to reach out and touch Chris Brogan, you can use the primary navigation. If you want to read up on a specific blog category, you can do so in the new second row of navigation. You’re getting a better experience now, and I really have to give him props for taking a bad situation and squeezing out some lemonade.

The Verdict

I say bring back the old logo and you’ll have my vote of approval. Not that you’d want it.

These wide receiver bobbles are killin’ Dallas each week. I don’t blame Romo or Kitna. Almost every interception I’ve seen this year has bounced off the hands of a receiver into the hands of the defense. This can’t continue. I don’t care how little chance the Cowboys have at a playoff berth. These infractions cannot go undealt with.