Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you look around and think, “I have no idea how I got here?”

In college I was part of a student-run news station called UNI-TV. In one of my less-than-stellar moments in life, I decided to dress up as Cupid for our Valentine’s Day special. My “costume” consisted of nothing more than heart-shaped sun glasses, the word “Cupid” drawn on my chest, and a “diaper”–white gym shorts rolled up entirely too short. Don’t believe me? Here’s visual proof:
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I wanted to be fully committed to awesomeness. Committed to giving the best that I can in every situation. Don’t you?

I lived a lot of my life living at the B minus level. With a small portion of intelligence, I could skate through school with ease. “Why strive to get A’s when I can give second (or third or fourth) best and pass?”

Same thing with most of the jobs I’ve had throughout the years. To put it in a word, I was a “hireling.” I knew that I would get paid the same whether I gave my best or coasted through. I usually chose the latter. “Why try harder if I won’t see any added benefits?”

Lately, nothing tires me more quickly than mediocrity. Mediocre work. Mediocre effort. Mediocre personal appearance. People giving a half-effort the whole time. Ugh.

I gravitate towards leaders like Scott Belsky, Ben Arment, Rob Bell and Cynthia Ware because they excel in awesomeness. They repel mediocrity. They move in awesomeness by consistently delivering a product–be it a sermon, book, or email–that oozes with intentionality and clarity.

So let’s commit together to the pursuit of awesomeness. Okay? Not perfectionism, but awesomeness. A willingness to put the cherry on top of every situation. I’m game. Are you?

How will you commit to awesomeness today?

I was thinking of solutions to combat Internet pornography addiction the other day. While there is some good software on the market already, I see a need for a reliable, fool-proof solution. Something that combines technology with a true desire to help people who struggle with this addiction.We all know the stats, Internet porn is a plague that lots of people, both inside and outside the church, struggle with.

Like I said, there are some solutions out there but I think there’s room for something different. Something dependable and tamper-proof. Something that’s installed blindly and only able to be administered by the person you designate.

This idea’s for free. If you’re in development and see a way to make this happen, go for it. It’s all yours:

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At the advice of a friend, I just started reading Clay Shirky’s Here Comes Everybody. He’s taking a social media and ministry class at Luther Seminary and this was one of the books assigned.

His teacher knows what she’s doing.

I’m two chapters in and Shirky has already grabbed my long-haul attention. The basic premise of his book is that the world is changing. We know this already, don’t we? More specifically, he suggests that the world is changing (drastically) because human communication is changing via the social Web.

He asks a question at the end of chapter one that I’m still thinking about:
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Here’s the thing: Most of us know, in some form, that the social web has implications for how ministry is done in the 21st century. Some may even say that understanding social media is important enough to spend time and resources on. Ministry resources, even.

• What if there was a gathering that focused exclusively on understanding the social web in order to be better ministers?
• What if you could spend a day learning, discussing, imagining the possibilities for your church and the social web?
• What if you could have some of your questions about social media answered in a clear, concise manner? In a way that didn’t make you feel like a dope. In a way that honored you.

Would you want to go that event? Would you want to be a part of helping build that experience? Would you be interested?

No, seriously. I’m really asking. I’m feeling more and more the need to make the social web accessible for all people, not just the ones who currently “get it.”

The social web is flattening everything. I feel like people should have an understanding of what that means and the implications for ministry. One of the first steps I want to take to make this happen is planning a summit. A social media summit. But I don’t want to put my hand to the plow if people aren’t interested.

That leaves me with two questions:

1. Would you be interested in coming to an event like this?
2. Would you be interested in help making this event happen?

Let me know. Either in the comments below, via Twitter, or email. I’m serious. I think it’s time for this to happen already. Who’s with me?

Spend 10 minutes with a Palestinian Christian and your theology will never be the same.
Listen to them as they ask, “Why do our American brothers and sisters in Christ hate us so much?”
Listen as they bear the unfathomable burden of being in conflict with God’s “chosen people.”
Spend 10 minutes with a Palestinian Christian and your theology shouldn’t be the same.

We saw this sign on the way home from the pool today. It sits in front of a large church here in town. Obviously, it’s referring to the Sunday services held yesterday on the Fourth of July.

My question to you: Is this a good idea or a bad idea?

You may have noticed the posts on Deviant the past two weeks have been a bit sparse. Well, there’s a good reason for it!

A few months ago, I joined the team at the Center for Church Communication (CFCC) as a Project Catalyst. “What’s that?” you might ask. Basically, I help make stuff happen. I’ve been working on tying up some loose ends for this project, thus the lack of daily posts here on BeDeviant. That said, I’m really excited for what’s coming down the pike. . . .

My first project is a church communication recognition initiative called Firestarter. It rolls out live on Monday, so make sure you check it out here. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some highly talented, highly encouraging individuals who have made the past few months with Firestarter so much fun. Cynthia, Kevin, Michael, Josh, Tim … You guys are real pros. A pro’s pro, even.

If you have a second, surf on over to CFCC’s website for the low-down on Firestarter. Then, check back starting this Monday as we reveal the 2010 Center for Church Communication Firestarters!