• This Tragedy Has Changed Us

    PS General Slocum

    On June 15th, 1904 the PS General Slocum was chartered by St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church of New York City for $350. 1,360 people showed up that Wednesday for the 17th annual Sunday School picnic. It was a calm and beautiful morning… anyone who has visited Manhattan in the summer can envision this morning. The sun warming away cool breezes, the river waves slapping the dock, and building excitement as people arrived for a fun day.

    Even by today’s standards… a church event with 1,360 people is a really, really big deal. 

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  • Ideas for the SDSU Priority Points System

    Ideas for the SDSU Priority Points System

    Like most college athletic departments, SDSU has a point system for allocating tickets. Whether its NCAA basketball tickets, moving to better season ticket locations, or seating priority for a bowl game, the point system is valuable to all fans who like to attend games.

    The Problem with the Current SDSU Priority Points System

    With that said, the current SDSU point system is struggling to adapt to an exploding fan base. Starting in about 2009, the football and basketball programs have gone on a tear, moving from regional doormat to a blossoming national awareness. The net effect has been that there are two different San Diego State fan bases.

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  • Scare Me Maybe

    Scare me maybe?

    Let’s face it. The next week or so “at work” will consist of listlessly making yourself busy, repeatedly checking UPS deliveries, and otherwise pretending to not be distracted by the impending gift giving holiday known as Christmas.

    So maybe you should be more productive? How about scaring the crap out of co-workers instead? 

  • Going to Zimbabwe this January

    Off to Zimbabwe this JanuaryOn January 11th, I’m joining a team of youth workers on a 1-week trip to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. 

    Wait. What? Where? Why? Zimbabwe?

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  • Everyone is a Creative

    The Creative Class is a socioeconomic class that economist and social scientist Richard Florida, a professor and head of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, identifies as a key driving force for economic development of post-industrial cities in the United States.

    via Wikipedia

    “I wish I were as creative as you.” I hear that regularly from people who don’t think they can be creative. And they would never consider themselves “a creative.”

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  • Adding Discernment to Your Decision-Making

    You Need Discernment

    When I watched this video my mind recalled many bad decisions I’ve made on teams. Too often, I’ve relied on the decisions of a group and skipped the all-important process of discernment. Then, before I knew it, my teams were working hard on something that’s not a good idea.

    When that happens, it’s a waste and you know it… but you’ve suspended those emotions in an endless cycle of trying to turn a bad idea into a good one.

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  • Mark Riddle on Discipleship & Leadership in the Church

    Pastors often confuse leadership with discipleship.  Our infatuation with leaders has stunted the development of disciples in our churches.

    ~ Mark Riddle

    Rinse. Repeat. Discuss.

  • 2012 Music Mashup

    That’s one robust mash-up. 

    You can download the MP3 here.

    It’s got a good beat, might make a toe tap or two.

  • Running an Online Store: A Family Business

    The Fiscal Cliff Sale

    We’ve got a little sale going at The Youth Cartel store, having fun with this fiscal cliff silliness in the news. If you’ve seen stuff that we’re doing and wanted to check it out, this is a great time to do that while saving a little money. Discounts start when you buy $20 in stuff. And the discounts get better with the more you spend. Pretty simple and fun. 

    Running an Online Store

    I started the Cartel store a little over a year ago and it’s steadily grown. At first we had spurts of orders, like when a new product released or something like that. We’d have 20 in one day and then none for several days. Now we get 5-15 orders per day during the week and 1-2 on weekends. It’s not a lot but it is a part of every day. With our publishing line growing in 2013 I expect we’ll see that double again.

    Literally, when you place an order, the McLane family takes it from there. (It doesn’t go to some third-party company to get packed up by people in a warehouse. We’re a family business.)

    I print the order, one of the kids goes to the hallway closet, finds the books, and packs the order. They bring it back, I weigh it, and print out the postage label. Each day I either schedule a USPS pick-up or I drive the days orders over to the post office. Sometimes I make a morning and afternoon run to the post office.

    On top of that, we keep the books on the store, manage the inventory, purchase shipping supplies, and we’ve develop relationships with our various suppliers.

    The Kids are Learning

    My goal is always that the kids will eventually fully run the store. It’s well within their capabilities to pack and ship orders. (And at $.50 per box it’s a nice steady stream of income.)

    This week, I added to Megan’s duties as she’s now in charge of keeping inventory, updating a Google Docs spreadsheet, and alerting me of things which are low so I can re-order them. She gets it. Supply & demand. She pointed out that we need this sale to work well because we have too much of some books.

    Next, they will learn how to weigh packages and print shipping labels. And after that I will teach them how to re-order shipping stuff themselves.

    Here’s the thing: They do a great job. I consistently get good feedback on our orders. And people love getting the little toys/treats Megan and Paul stuff in the boxes. And they really like contributing to the family business. It’s fun for them.

    It cracks me up a little when people quip about child labor laws and all that stuff. (We’re totally legal, by the way.) To me? It’s the other kids that are missing out. We’re having a blast with it and I love seeing the business grow with their capabilities. Heck, I’m looking forward to one of them coming up with our next great idea!

  • Jesus, the Counter-Culture Rebel with a Cause

    Sometimes Jesus’ words shock me because they are so offensive to my own culture. Jesus has a lot to say to us today. His words still indict and call us to a new, counter-cultural way of living.

    These statements are a powerful reminder that Jesus, fully God and fully man, could have easily conquered the world. (He had the power.) Instead, the Good News is primarily an insurrection of the heart. He knows that capturing a mans body without first capturing his heart is a fruitless effort. Until we fully surrender our lives to Him we will not be changed and we will not see the change we long for. (Romans 12:1)

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