The status quo is no mo
For our paper to be successful in Harker Heights, we've come to realize that you can't do business as usual.
And so our new motto is The Status Quo is No Mo.
Monday, August 01, 2005
Jannetty, Christianity and WWE.com
WWE.com has an interesting article from Ted DiBiase on Marty Jannetty, Shawn Michaels former tag team partner. I'm not sure what brought the article on, but DiBiase tells the story of Genety's accepting Christ as his Savior. Very interesting, especially from WWE.
It goes along with what Michaels told us back in March in Knoxville.
I’m a very firm believer in God. Many people know that I’m even a minister today. The skeptics will call it coincidence — I don’t believe in coincidences — and I think what Marty needed that day was a miracle and I think he got it. The message from Shawn was basically, “Marty, I’m calling because I want to apologize for whatever part I had in our breakup. I love you like a brother. I want to renew our friendship.” Shawn went on to say that his life had changed dramatically; he had found Christianity, and that he was on his way to a conference, actually a conference that a number of wrestlers had attended with me, a conference out in Phoenix, Arizona. And he said, “Marty, if you’ll come along with me, I’ll pay your way.”
And Marty came to the conference. Marty had a wonderful time, made a decision to give his heart and his life to Jesus Christ, and at that time, at least we thought, everything was looking great.
It goes along with what Michaels told us back in March in Knoxville.
The end of Status Quo
So I've been thinking this weekend about the direction of The Harker Heights Evening Star.
And despite being told "You're running a shopper, not a newspaper," I disagree with that and my goal is to give it my all while I'm here and make this the best it can be.
So in an effort to have a new mission/commitment statement I'm thinking along the lines of - "Status Quo is No More" or "The Status Quo is Dead."
Something to that effect.
What do you think? What would a newspaper look like if it wasn't status quo?
I have images of USA Today and The Morning News.
How would that translate to a weekly paper?
And despite being told "You're running a shopper, not a newspaper," I disagree with that and my goal is to give it my all while I'm here and make this the best it can be.
So in an effort to have a new mission/commitment statement I'm thinking along the lines of - "Status Quo is No More" or "The Status Quo is Dead."
Something to that effect.
What do you think? What would a newspaper look like if it wasn't status quo?
I have images of USA Today and The Morning News.
How would that translate to a weekly paper?
Friday, July 29, 2005
ouch
So I'm sitting at my laptop this morning and realize my screen is getting brighter, then darker and brighter again. I also noticed my battery indicator was doing funny things. So I decided my adapter must be loose.
And low and behold - something cut the cord on the adapter.
It looks as though something ate through part of the cord, but maybe I kicked it somehow weird under my desk and cut it.
Either way, it needs to be repaired or replaced and Toshiba wants $89 to replace it.
Ouch.
I think I'll run next door to RK Bass and see what they think.
Lets hope they can fix it.
And low and behold - something cut the cord on the adapter.
It looks as though something ate through part of the cord, but maybe I kicked it somehow weird under my desk and cut it.
Either way, it needs to be repaired or replaced and Toshiba wants $89 to replace it.
Ouch.
I think I'll run next door to RK Bass and see what they think.
Lets hope they can fix it.
Church Communications Minister Gene Mason
Church Marketing Sucks has an interview with Church Communications Minister Gene Mason. It's a good look at communications, marketing and sharing our message with the world.
It's interesting that Mason says that despite any and all marketing their church does, the best marketing of the church is still word of mouth.
There's nothing better than people hearing your story and how God has impacted you. And there's no better invite to church than a friend telling a friend about their church and their friend Jesus.
Gene Mason is the Communications Minister at the 5,000-member The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Ala. He's been doing communications ministry in local churches for 18 years, and this is the third church where he's started such a ministry. He also runs a web site called Communicorps.org that shares some of what he's learned.
It's interesting that Mason says that despite any and all marketing their church does, the best marketing of the church is still word of mouth.
There's nothing better than people hearing your story and how God has impacted you. And there's no better invite to church than a friend telling a friend about their church and their friend Jesus.
At The Church at Brook Hills, my desire is to use tools at our disposal to effectively communicate the message of the church to inform and inspire. Our effort centers in five areas:Imagination - creative use of promotional tools Innovation - presenting things in a fresh way Integration - using all the media means at our disposal together in an effective way Involvement - coaching lay leaders to communicate Inspiration - telling the stories of God at work in people's lives
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Prime Minister
Texas Monthly has a great article on Joel Olsteen. It talks about how his church has grown from an old feed store that his father started, to moving into the former home of the Houston Rockets - The Compaq Center this month. It also talks a lot about the marketing the church does to help spread their message.
"FOR MOST PREACHERS, MONDAY IS A DAY OF REST. FOR JOEL Osteen, the 42-year-old pastor of Houston's mammoth Lakewood Church and the face of the world's most popular religious television program, Mondays have become devoted to meeting his public."
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Blank fax
So we just received a blank fax from Ft Hood.
I asked our ad rep why people are always sending blank faxes.
He said, "It's because they heard we were running low on paper - so they decided to help us out and fax over some blank paper."
Funny. That's funny - I don't care who you are.
I asked our ad rep why people are always sending blank faxes.
He said, "It's because they heard we were running low on paper - so they decided to help us out and fax over some blank paper."
Funny. That's funny - I don't care who you are.
Classified Special
So in about 10 minutes we put together this ad special for Harker Heights today.
I think it should be a good sale - I almost want to say - if you pass on this deal, you're an idiot. But you can't do that, now can you.
Here's the sale: Buy a 2x3 (classified) ad or larger at our regular $6 a column inch rate, and get an unlimited number of line ads (20 words or less) for $1 an ad.
If I were a realtor or salesperson - I'd jump all over that.
Get the office or dealership to buy the 2x3 ad and then each salesman can buy as many ads as they want for $1 a piece.
What do you think?
I think it should be a good sale - I almost want to say - if you pass on this deal, you're an idiot. But you can't do that, now can you.
Here's the sale: Buy a 2x3 (classified) ad or larger at our regular $6 a column inch rate, and get an unlimited number of line ads (20 words or less) for $1 an ad.
If I were a realtor or salesperson - I'd jump all over that.
Get the office or dealership to buy the 2x3 ad and then each salesman can buy as many ads as they want for $1 a piece.
What do you think?
Observations of a traveling musician (v. 2)
A few months back a friend and I spent an evening with singer/songwriter Allen Levi.
Now as a disclaimer, that might sound like it was me and him just hanging out – and that’s not entirely true – but in the intimate venue it felt like it was just Allen, me and a few friends.
Allen pointed out that as a singer/songwriter his main job is to notice things. I thought that was a good job summary.
As an editor/columnist/storyteller, I think that’s my main job as well.
I was listening to Allen's music this week and thought I'd share some of the observations I remembered from an evening with Allen Levi.
People are big. Houses are small.
I think we’ve all seen drawings done by younger children.
People are rarely drawn proportional, but nine-times-out-of-ten, they’re all smiling as big as they can.
They may have eight fingers on one hand and two on the other.
They may be as skinny as a blade of grass, with a giant pumpkin for a head.
They may have no clothes or feet, but the people in drawings by children, don’t seem to mind.
They’re a part of a great big happy universe, where judging and laughing at others does not exist.
Allen told the story of a four-year-old friend of his who loved drawing with chalk on the sidewalk.
Her drawings were a wonderful representation of how she viewed the world.
Levi noticed that in all of her drawings, Oliviawould always draw the people big and the houses small.
These giant people that Olivia saw would never be able to fit into their tiny houses, but that wasn’t important to Olivia.
She put the importance upon the people.
And scripture tells us that that's exactly what Christ did as well.
He didn’t care what house you lived in, what position you held, whether you were a leper, a blind man, or a He-man. You were important in His eyes.
I have several friends working in Russia right now with orphans. My sister just returned from working with orphans in China.
As they send back their pictures and as I look at Kara's picture book, I see what's really important to them.
While if I went, I might take tons of pictures of big, fancy, ornate buildings, their pictures are full of smiling, happy children.
Their homes don't matter, the clothes on their back don't matter. They're all "precious in His sight."
People are big. Houses are small.
Southern Living vs. Southerners living
If we were to take two houses, you might find a stark contrast in their make up.
The house at 610 might be the picture of beauty and class.
While the house at 612 might be cluttered with bikes in the yard, mud on the floor and a wet dog chasing kids over the couch.
610 has a ghost of a man, with a wife and two kids who are never seen.
612 is a family of five who love each other and those around them.
610 never has company, they’re too busy with their job, school and soccer games.
612 never minds the interruptions of “happy lightening,” when people stop by unexpected, just to enjoy the company of friends.
It’s never really known if the people at 610 are home or gone.
The house looks the same; no one outdoors, no bright welcoming lights on and no invitations to the neighbors to visit.
You can always tell if the family at 612 is home, there kids are playing in the yard with the neighbors, the barbecue grill is smoking, there is laughter and music in the air, and an unwritten “Welcome” sign always hangs in the yard.
610 was pictured on a post card and a part of Southern Living magazine.
612 is the picture of where real southerners live.
Which house are you?
Are you concerned with the appearance of perfection, or the appearance of a friend?
The moon is round
As we left the gathering that Friday night, we looked up in the sky to see that the moon was about the shape of a football.
Some days, the moon is full and bright in its glory.
Other days, it’s a sliver of silver that fell to the floor from a carpenter’s bench.
And some days it doesn’t matter what shape the moon is, because the clouds are so thick you’ll never be able to see it.
But in all of its seasons, in all of its changes, the moon is round.
The very same moon is round in America, Asia, China, Russia, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan.
The moon is round on your day of birth.
The moon is round on the day you find your first love.
The moon is round on the day you get your first kiss.
The moon is round on graduation day.
The moon is round on the day you get your first promotion.
The moon is round on your wedding day.
The moon is round when your first child is born.
And the moon is still round when you discover you have cancer.
The moon is round when you company closes down.
The moon is round when your parents pass away.
The moon is round when your child is hurt in a car accident.
The moon is round when your sister dies suddenly at the age of 24.
The moon is round when your spouse passes away.
And the moon is round when you pass away.
In all of its changes and in all of its appearances, we know – the moon is still round.
“The heavens declare the glory of God. The skies proclaim the work of His hands.”
If the moon is faithful to be round, isn’t its Creator the ever more faithful?
There are many more things I learned that Friday night from a storyteller, a songwriter and a singer who took the time to notice -- and chose not to hold it all inside, like the house at 610.
What will you notice this week from the Creator?
Now as a disclaimer, that might sound like it was me and him just hanging out – and that’s not entirely true – but in the intimate venue it felt like it was just Allen, me and a few friends.
Allen pointed out that as a singer/songwriter his main job is to notice things. I thought that was a good job summary.
As an editor/columnist/storyteller, I think that’s my main job as well.
I was listening to Allen's music this week and thought I'd share some of the observations I remembered from an evening with Allen Levi.
People are big. Houses are small.
I think we’ve all seen drawings done by younger children.
People are rarely drawn proportional, but nine-times-out-of-ten, they’re all smiling as big as they can.
They may have eight fingers on one hand and two on the other.
They may be as skinny as a blade of grass, with a giant pumpkin for a head.
They may have no clothes or feet, but the people in drawings by children, don’t seem to mind.
They’re a part of a great big happy universe, where judging and laughing at others does not exist.
Allen told the story of a four-year-old friend of his who loved drawing with chalk on the sidewalk.
Her drawings were a wonderful representation of how she viewed the world.
Levi noticed that in all of her drawings, Oliviawould always draw the people big and the houses small.
These giant people that Olivia saw would never be able to fit into their tiny houses, but that wasn’t important to Olivia.
She put the importance upon the people.
And scripture tells us that that's exactly what Christ did as well.
He didn’t care what house you lived in, what position you held, whether you were a leper, a blind man, or a He-man. You were important in His eyes.
I have several friends working in Russia right now with orphans. My sister just returned from working with orphans in China.
As they send back their pictures and as I look at Kara's picture book, I see what's really important to them.
While if I went, I might take tons of pictures of big, fancy, ornate buildings, their pictures are full of smiling, happy children.
Their homes don't matter, the clothes on their back don't matter. They're all "precious in His sight."
People are big. Houses are small.
Southern Living vs. Southerners living
If we were to take two houses, you might find a stark contrast in their make up.
The house at 610 might be the picture of beauty and class.
While the house at 612 might be cluttered with bikes in the yard, mud on the floor and a wet dog chasing kids over the couch.
610 has a ghost of a man, with a wife and two kids who are never seen.
612 is a family of five who love each other and those around them.
610 never has company, they’re too busy with their job, school and soccer games.
612 never minds the interruptions of “happy lightening,” when people stop by unexpected, just to enjoy the company of friends.
It’s never really known if the people at 610 are home or gone.
The house looks the same; no one outdoors, no bright welcoming lights on and no invitations to the neighbors to visit.
You can always tell if the family at 612 is home, there kids are playing in the yard with the neighbors, the barbecue grill is smoking, there is laughter and music in the air, and an unwritten “Welcome” sign always hangs in the yard.
610 was pictured on a post card and a part of Southern Living magazine.
612 is the picture of where real southerners live.
Which house are you?
Are you concerned with the appearance of perfection, or the appearance of a friend?
The moon is round
As we left the gathering that Friday night, we looked up in the sky to see that the moon was about the shape of a football.
Some days, the moon is full and bright in its glory.
Other days, it’s a sliver of silver that fell to the floor from a carpenter’s bench.
And some days it doesn’t matter what shape the moon is, because the clouds are so thick you’ll never be able to see it.
But in all of its seasons, in all of its changes, the moon is round.
The very same moon is round in America, Asia, China, Russia, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan.
The moon is round on your day of birth.
The moon is round on the day you find your first love.
The moon is round on the day you get your first kiss.
The moon is round on graduation day.
The moon is round on the day you get your first promotion.
The moon is round on your wedding day.
The moon is round when your first child is born.
And the moon is still round when you discover you have cancer.
The moon is round when you company closes down.
The moon is round when your parents pass away.
The moon is round when your child is hurt in a car accident.
The moon is round when your sister dies suddenly at the age of 24.
The moon is round when your spouse passes away.
And the moon is round when you pass away.
In all of its changes and in all of its appearances, we know – the moon is still round.
“The heavens declare the glory of God. The skies proclaim the work of His hands.”
If the moon is faithful to be round, isn’t its Creator the ever more faithful?
There are many more things I learned that Friday night from a storyteller, a songwriter and a singer who took the time to notice -- and chose not to hold it all inside, like the house at 610.
What will you notice this week from the Creator?
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Web surfin
It's always fun to see what kind of information you can find on people when running a Google search.
My sister Kara, the Dean's list & track star:
http://www.geocities.com/mgmurch/results/baylor99.html
http://www.doitsports.com/newresults3/client/14717_20136_2002.html
http://www.geocities.com/mgmurch/results/plano00.htm
http://209.198.135.156/mcneilxc/MCNEIL%20GIRLS%20GOLD%20TEAM.HTM
http://www.obu.edu/news/story.asp?ID=791
I imagine one day all her results will have to do with her speech pathology. We'll see.
--
Order a Blundell Family Yearbook
--
Did you know?
I have a blog? - If you're reading this, I suppose you knew
I'm a newspaper editor
I wrote a book on Sociology?!
In 1818 and 1824 I was mayor of Liverpool
I've been working on a book with The Head of Department, Janis Griffiths, BA (hons), PGCE, M.Ed., Dip. Ed. Man., Cert Ed. Media.
I own a media company
I recently made the A/B Honor Roll in Garland ISD
I had my luggage left in Chicago by United Airlines
I had an internship with Enterprise Rent-A-Car
I know movies better than scripture
--
Did you know?
My dad, Fred Blundell, is on the Pontis Task Force
My dad is a vice chairman for the 2300 club
My dad is a math professor at the City College of San Fransisco
My dad is Dr Fred Blundell, of the 1984 class at MIT and wrote with an invitation from the suburbs of Boston: "Hui and I have a new daughter, Mei Zhou Blundell, born July 3, 1999. The math and physics days are behind me. Now I develop software for a transportation consulting company. Hui is working in biotech. We have a house in Woburn and enjoy relaxing in the back yard. Look us up if you are in the area."
--
Did you know?
My mom was born in 1460 and married to Robert Wingate Robert was only 19 when he married. There's also a weddding picture
--
I guess you can't believe everything on the Internet.
And just an FYI I tried a search for Charis Adams but Google said I must have meant Chris Adams
My sister Kara, the Dean's list & track star:
http://www.geocities.com/mgmurch/results/baylor99.html
http://www.doitsports.com/newresults3/client/14717_20136_2002.html
http://www.geocities.com/mgmurch/results/plano00.htm
http://209.198.135.156/mcneilxc/MCNEIL%20GIRLS%20GOLD%20TEAM.HTM
http://www.obu.edu/news/story.asp?ID=791
I imagine one day all her results will have to do with her speech pathology. We'll see.
--
Order a Blundell Family Yearbook
--
Did you know?
I have a blog? - If you're reading this, I suppose you knew
I'm a newspaper editor
I wrote a book on Sociology?!
In 1818 and 1824 I was mayor of Liverpool
I've been working on a book with The Head of Department, Janis Griffiths, BA (hons), PGCE, M.Ed., Dip. Ed. Man., Cert Ed. Media.
I own a media company
I recently made the A/B Honor Roll in Garland ISD
I had my luggage left in Chicago by United Airlines
I had an internship with Enterprise Rent-A-Car
I know movies better than scripture
--
Did you know?
My dad, Fred Blundell, is on the Pontis Task Force
My dad is a vice chairman for the 2300 club
My dad is a math professor at the City College of San Fransisco
My dad is Dr Fred Blundell, of the 1984 class at MIT and wrote with an invitation from the suburbs of Boston: "Hui and I have a new daughter, Mei Zhou Blundell, born July 3, 1999. The math and physics days are behind me. Now I develop software for a transportation consulting company. Hui is working in biotech. We have a house in Woburn and enjoy relaxing in the back yard. Look us up if you are in the area."
--
Did you know?
My mom was born in 1460 and married to Robert Wingate Robert was only 19 when he married. There's also a weddding picture
--
I guess you can't believe everything on the Internet.
And just an FYI I tried a search for Charis Adams but Google said I must have meant Chris Adams
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