Go here to find the latest and greatest…

I know many of my readers are in love with their iPhones but lack of Exchange support (I know it’s coming) and the virtual keyboard (I have fat thumbs) are both issues for me. Add to that its exclusivity on the AT&T network (dumb, dumb, dumb) and there’s your deal breaker. I have however, found my next phone- the Blackberry 9000. RIM is not promoting it on their website yet but based on this video it looks pretty cool. I am sold on Blackberry’s data package due to my frequent traveling. This will be my fourth Blackberry. I’m so excited!

HPIM0549

Originally uploaded by ryaninmtv

Gabrielle, who is our baby, turns five today. I thought about posting one of her pretty Easter pictures but this picture best shows her personality. It was taken last night after church while she had been playing with her Uncle Ken’s dog/climbing the hill of dirt. She is ornery, opinionated, and a spark plug. She is also a gift that we did not plan for but who has made our lives immeasurably richer.

In case you were wondering, here’s how she looks when she is being beautiful.

Rev. Ken Cook

Originally uploaded by ryaninmtv

It’s slightly after midnight as I put up this post. Like most preachers, I need to wind down after preaching. I didn’t preach tonight but I sure felt like I did. What an awesome week this has been.

We have been in revival with Ken and Julie Cook this week. These are not just any evangelists to me but it is my sister and brother-in-law. They have worked harder than any evangelists I have ever seen; spending north of 10 hours a day on the streets witness to people and inviting them to church.

Today was the culmination of it all with a Community Outreach Service (you can catch the video here). We had over 400 in church today and this week have baptized 25 folks (see many of them here). We are starting several new avenues of outreach (including one for yours truly which I’ll discuss later) and have begun the process of retaining those who have been touched by this week of evangelism.

I’m tired but it’s a good tired. To my pastor friends who read this blog, if you are looking to have an outreach revival, please consider Ken and Julie. Not just because they are my family but because this is their burden and candidly, they are good at it. More updates this week.

My Kids

Originally uploaded by ryaninmtv

I think this is one of my favorite pictures. Charity took it after church on Easter Sunday. I may make this the background for the computer in my office.

Haggis Cart

Originally uploaded by Harris Graber

If you’re wondering what to have for dinner, here’s an option. It would be dicey to have Haggis from a kitchen but from a street cart? I’m thinking, no.

I’ve been thinking a lot about servant leadership and followship here of late and have done some writing here, here and here.  Let me briefly discuss a few of the pitfalls of leadership and why it is imperative to be accountable (aka follow) someone.

Robert Trapani, a recognized expert in family and ministerial life, notes that almost all leaders fall because of one or more of these things: sex, money, or power.  When leaders fall due to sexual failings, it seems these make a much bigger splash in the press.  It’s not necessarily because more leader fall via this route it’s that, to use a cliche, sex sells.  Not only has it be sensationalized regarding our political leaders (see here, here and here) but also, unfortunately, by those in the pulpit (see here and here).  When leaders fall because of financial issues it is often due to issues eerily similar to those who fail because of sex.  Strangely enough, my limited experience with people who have failed in these regards the root issues had less to do about sex and money and had much more to do with relationships and identity issues.  I could go on all day with all manner of pop psychology but the fact is these two issues are more direct to address because they are rooted in the flesh.

Power is a completely different issue and yet it’s not.  The issues with sex and money are often rooted in power.  Specifically, one feels that he is so powerful that he will not get caught or is immune from the pitfalls that ensnare others.  There’s a second kind of power issue.  This is the one where a leader becomes so autocratic that they are unable or unwilling to listen to another.  These folks usually blow up so big that they well, blow up.

At the root of all of these issues is a lack of accountability.  Everyone in leadership needs to be accountable to someone, ie, be under someone’s authority.  If you’re an employee it’s your bosses; if you’re a congregant it’s your pastor.  Bosses and pastors are also in need to someone to be accountable to such as boards, organizations and peers.  One of the best methods of accountability is the peer pressure method.  Specifically, find a peer or two and give them the right to speak into your life at any time about any thing and give up the right to be offended by it.  Agree to not only receive it as constructive criticism but act on the feedback because in your heart you know this person’s evaluation makes you better.  The scariest thing you can do is give control away to another.  It’s the only way to have true accountability.

As I mentioned before, great leaders are always good followers.

No, I am not speaking of some super-bug that infects the body (or computer) but the process by which the power of the internet is unleashed.  I am a fan of all things Web 2.0 and have mildly active (read:not really) accounts for Facebook and MySpace.  My most prominent online presence is through Twitter, LinkedIn and this blog.  I try to post something every day because it’s an outlet for my creative muse, such that it is, and I have a number of loyal readers.

In the past two weeks, that number has increased exponentially.  Allow me to elaborate.  On March 10, less than a month ago, I put up a little self-congratulatory post regarding my 15,000th blog hit.  My blog readership had been between 60-100 readers depending on the day of the week (Monday was highest, Saturday lowest) and how often I was blogging.  This is around the level of my old blog before I came over to WordPress. 

On March 19 I put up this post with a little girl singing the Lord’s Prayer.  It was a YouTube link sent to me by a friend of mine in Toledo.  I thought she was cute but didn’t think she would change the face of my blog forever.  Sister Elms linked to me a day or two after I put that post up and I saw a spike in my traffic; up to a couple hundred views per day for the next few days.  Her readership is significantly larger than mine so I attributed the bump to that.  That’s when it went viral.  Folks have copied and pasted the link to that particular post and emailed it around the world, apparently several times.  Here are my page views for the last week:

As I type this, I have had 89,822 total hits to this blog, about 1,000 more than when I started this post.  The thing that is more interesting to me is that according to today’s stats, about 1,000 readers did not come to the site through the March 19 post link.  Perhaps we’re retaining a few readers.  Who knows.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I have always heard about the viral nature of the internet.  I’m getting to watch it first hand now.  And it’s a kick.

I switched my VoIP service to another provider from Vonage today.  I have had less painful experiences breaking up with girlfriends.  I was literally asked twelve different questions about why I was leaving, where I was going, is there anything they can do to keep me, etc.  I finally wanted to tell the guy “it’s not you, it’s me.  I’m just not growing in this relationship”.  Ugh.

Once you validate it’s me calling (phone number, last four of SSN, Mother’s maiden name, PIN number) I think we can pretty much consummate the action.  Let’s not drag this out, let’s just move on with our lives.  I think it’s time we see other people.

Really, it’s not you.  It’s me.

I got an email tonight that Start-Up Weekend is coming to Columbus. I was turned on to Start-Up Weekend by my brother from another mother, Rocky Vanbrimmer. For those who haven’t heard of it, here’s what Start-Up Weekend is all about:

Startup Weekend recruits a highly motivated group of small business entrepreneurs to build a community and company in a weekend.

The founders decide what to make as a team, and earn an equal share of stock in the developed business. Attendees are responsible for bringing the desire and passion to the project and walk out of the room with a brand new business, in a short 54 hours. Sound intense? It is.

I have worked for four start ups in my life. Two thrived; two flamed. Still, I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. One of the reasons I love my current position so much (at a start up) is that we take an idea or concept and flesh it out into a functioning, profitable enterprise. While it isn’t for everyone, it is certainly a rush.

I’ll be following the developments for Start-Up Weekend, Columbus in this space. Hope to see many of you there.