April 2011
1 post
Chief priests
Yesterday I read Matthew 27. It’s the account of Jesus’ arrest and subsequent beating, mocking, and crucifixion. Heart wrenching stuff. Stuff that I can’t figure out. Pilate’s role is incredible. He wants so bad to do the right thing, but he doesn’t. Even then, God had a plan. In the end, Pilate ends up agreeing to put guards at the stone at the front of the tomb....
March 2011
2 posts
Book Review: The Heart Mender
As my last post mentioned, I am quite the Andy Andrews fan. It is quite possible that I enjoy reading his work more than any other author. There is just something about the peaceful feeling I receive when reading his stuff. So, I picked up The Heart Mender and began reading.
We were on a college trip headed to New Mexico. I had actually received two of this book so I gave one to a young woman on...
Book Review: The Boy Who Changed the World
I have two girls, aged 6 and 2.5. I have myself, aged too old to count. I love Andy Andrews’ writing. The match was perfect. Andy Andrews + Childrens book = Love at first sight. Obviously, this was one that I must read.
Well, I was partially right. The Boy Who Changed the World was definitely a book I should read, but I quickly realized that Andy Andrews is not a childrens book author.
The...
February 2011
2 posts
Many lasts, and one HUGE beginning!
Around 5pm this afternoon I will take one last stroll through the halls of Milsoft. I will walk into the break room one last time, take one last handful of peanut M&M’s and one last bottle of water. I may take one last piece of beef jerky, throw one last football at someone walking by, and take one last verbal jab at friends in the office.
But even though I am participating in all of...
I quit my job! Here's why...
For those of you who haven’t heard already, I quit my nice paying, well benefitted, very secure job at Milsoft.
I’ve heard it all, from “Are you crazy?” to “You don’t realize how big of a mistake you are making” and then there are those that put away their personal feelings and say, “I’m happy for you and I wish you the best”.
Two years...
January 2011
1 post
A New Years Challenge
A few days ago, I got a text from a friend, Jeremy Voss that said I was a failure. He didn’t come right out and say it, but knowing Jeremy I knew what he meant.
Did you really only blog ONCE in 2010?
Thinking back over the past year, I realized this was probably true so I offered him an apology. I also offered a resolution to his concern by stating I would blog “at least twice as much...
December 2009
1 post
Personal insight on Twitter: Chat with my...
Manny: believe it or not, my dad is on g-chat - this is sooo weird
Robert: Wow
That is great
Manny: i know
he is moving up - he is on facebook too now
next we will get him on twitter - not sure he would use it, but that is the next steps
Robert: Depends on if he likes information or not
Manny: true
Robert: If he likes information and is willing to take a little time to get it set up than he will use it
Manny: very true, the only problem is that i don't know if most of the people he would want to follow and stuff are on twitter - so it would not be a great vehicle for him
Robert: Like who?
What info does he like, I guarantee someone is talking about it
Manny: all of his brothers and sisters, friend etc
oh, i am talking about his family and friends, most of them don't use a computer
they are all old school or just plain illiterate
to the new world
Robert: I think you have yet to find that use of twitter my friend
Manny: oh def not, not that invested yet
don't really care to yet either
Robert: Following friends and family is only about 25% of my twitter use
Manny: ah i c
well, i don't necessarily utilize it for what it is, b/c i have no interest yet
or things i need to investigate yet
Robert: Tell me what you care about more than anything
Manny: God and my wife
Robert: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23marriage
Robert: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23god
So basically I used hashtags (#) to find things I care about
#marriage
#god
Manny: i c
Robert: and I get all the tweets going out about those things.
Manny: but this information is not vetted
Robert: I can look through those and find people I want to follow. people I think will help me grow, people that will help me learn, etc
You're right its not vetted which makes it all the better
Manny: i am used to vetted information
Robert: It is candid, I would much rather read people's candid thoughts than something that is edited
Manny: i guess
well, i see where you're going
Robert: That is the power of twitter. It maximizes your information sources. You are left to do fact finding yourself if you don't think it is true
Manny: ok, so Scott and i are trying to get 2+2=5 off the ground to do consulting
Robert: ok
and?
Manny: we are trying to bring constant traffic through twitter etc to our blog and then going to take that to the next level
but we want to have a following before we go out in the market with the consultation product we have
Robert: ok
So are you asking how to go about doing that?
Manny: so how do we do that?
yes, so how do we do that?
Robert: What you have to realize is that Twitter is not like other marketing channels
You don't "sell" your product by saying how great you are and what you can do for people
Manny: ok, that makes sense
Robert: The most successful "Twitterers" rarely talk about themselves
Manny: you just bring them information they want
focus on them in other words
Robert: Exactly. You have to talk about things they are interested in. Once they see you are a viable option for the information then they will use you
Manny: ok
Robert: Twitter is completely user driven
The things people care about are the things that are important
Manny: however, how do you get the basis - do you just go out and follow people with the same interests and hope for the best?
how do we get the traffic to follow us?
Robert: If what you have to say is uninteresting or if it is old and "Common sense" you don't stand a chance
You get the traffic two ways...Follow people that are interested in the same things you are...So, do twitter searches just like I did and follow people that are talking about or asking questions about the things you are talking about
Second is just to talk about those things regularly because others are doing twitter searches and doing the same thing you are
Manny: so in other words, you don't tweet once a day - you make it a full time business
Robert: Pretty much
But it doesn't really have to be that much
Manny: so if you're not giving real time all the time feedback etc
people have no interest in following you
Robert: Exactly
That is the key
Manny: ok, this could be interesting
Robert: You have to RT people that say good stuff and you gain respect
You have to @reply to people that talk to you
Manny: ok
@reply?
Robert: Make it a communication tool between you and other people that you don't know
@reply is responding to someone. When I say "@manueljc what are you doing this weekend" That is an @reply
a mention is also what it is called
Manny: ok, a mention
i knew what that was, but not @reply
you started confusing me
Robert: @reply was what it was called initially because it was mostly used to reply to people but now you do it in the middle of the sentence to "mention" people so they changed what it is called
Manny: so, the book Scott wrote, we should start taking quotes from there and tweeting them every 10-15 min
Robert: I don't know that there is a magic bullet on how often
Manny: or other interesting things to get people interested in what we can do for them
Robert: In my opinion 10-15 minutes is too often
Manny: ok, i have seen people do that and it drives me crazy, but if that's what it takes, then that's what it takes
lol
what would you say is the optimal number of tweets to be interesting, but effective?
has anyone done a study on that?
Robert: No, but I think the key is not to set a defined number because then you come off as a bot. You have to come off as a real person with real thoughts, not an automated system programmed to send tweets every 15-30 minutes
Manny: got it
so in other words, think out loud
let the sky be the limit - this is your opportunity to share your thoughts and ideas and hope everyone else things they're good too?
Robert: Exactly.
Manny: alright, now i am starting to see more of a usability to the whole twitter things
Robert: Good. That is the piece that people fail to realize when others talk about twitter. They think it is just telling what you are doing or where you are etc, but it is so much more powerful than that
Manny: now i see where this can go
that's interesting
November 2009
1 post
Community: The Beginning
I have spent the last several weeks thinking a whole lot about Community. Three weeks ago, Jeremy Voss asked me the question…”If you were going to put together an event, where families would come together for some common reason, what would it look like?
I began thinking of some non-church “family events” and what they looked like. Problem was I couldn’t really...
October 2009
1 post
Book Review: Hole in Our Gospel
Hole in Our Gospel is an amazing book that not only points to a massive hole in the Gospel being taught in our churches, but it also gives examples of today’s sick, and thirsty, and naked, and imprisoned.
Richard Stearns, CEO - World Vision, mixes his personal story in with the story of those whose lives he is now touching in the poorest parts of the world. The statistics represented are...
September 2009
4 posts
What's your Story
“A story is a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it.”
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years is another Don Miller book that can not only make laugh, but will make you think and cry as well. I am continually amazed at how Don Miller has a never ending supply of stories that are actually interesting. I am amazed at how he can tell a story about himself and yet...
Nine-Eleven
Please take a moment to watch the video below and remember…
Where were you? What were you thinking? What were you doing? Could you watch? Could you STOP watching?
This was a tough day. I had an 8 o’clock Environmental Science class at Abilene Christian University with Emmitt Miller. I left there and went to work and as I walked up the stairs I heard the radio playing...
Comments from a True American hero
When I wrote my last post I was hoping that one of my military friends would comment. I was not disappointed when Brandon Sheets, a true American Hero, commented with his thoughts on the topic.
In one of Brandon’s comments, he refers to this labor day when he and his crew literally saved others lives in a military expedition. On Tuesday morning, when I woke up, I checked Facebook statuses...
How much is 1 Life worth?
I read an article today that really disturbs me. A summary of the article is below:
Over the weekend U.S. forces dropped bombs on two hijacked gasoline tanker trucks, killing approximately 70 people, and I am sure injuring countless others. A New York Times reporter went to the area after warnings not to go due to Taliban control, and was captured along with his Afghani translator. British...
June 2009
1 post
Book Review: The Noticer
My previous post was a book review on The Principle of the Path by Andy Stanley. Unfortunately, I really did not enjoy the book, so I thought I would try another Thomas Nelson book that was receiving rave reviews.
The Noticer by Andy Andrews deserves all of the attention it is getting and then some.
A story of a man named “Jones”, definitely not “Mr. Jones”, The Noticer...
May 2009
3 posts
Book Review: The Principle of the Path
I just finished reading The Principle of the Path by Andy Stanley. The subtitle of the book: “How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be”, sets the stage for what appears to be a great book helping someone accomplish their goals.
I was excited to start reading this book for this very reason. If you have kept up with my blog at all you know that I am currently in a time of...
Mother's Day
There are very few things that every person in the world has in common with each other. That said, every person in the world has a mother. I am sure everyone has different stories about their time with their mothers and unfortunaltey some never knew their mother.
I write this today because I am one of the lucky ones. I have spent the last 28+ years getting to know my mother. Many of you out...
Book Review: Through Painted Deserts
Recently, I finished Through Painted Deserts by Donald Miller. Through Painted Deserts is a recollection of the events and thoughts that occured while he and Paul, a man he met only months before, traveled from Houston, TX to Oregon and beyond. These two friends endured this trek in a Volkswagon van that required many “tune-ups” on their journey. From the Grand Canyon to the coffee...
April 2009
4 posts
You will never believe this...
I, Robert Blasingame just signed up and was approved to be a “Book Review Blogger”. Have I really come this far?
Three months ago I hated reading. Despised it. Couldn’t stand it.
Now, voluntarily, I have requested to have the responsibility of reading a book and telling others whether they should read it or not. Let’s think about this…3 months ago, I told people...
Meetings are completely pointless if no action is performed after them.
More Sunday Thoughts...
As my good buddy Kent West so eloquently put it in a comment on my last post,
“Sanctifying (“setting apart”) a few hours of a day as “holy” causes us to adopt a compartmentalization mindset: “Now I am in my Holy Mode”; “Now I am in my Everyday Mode”. I believe such compartmentalization (including the special clothing) is unscriptural.
This was...
Sunday Mornings
This post has been a long time coming. Been out there “Doing Hard Things” instead of in here blogging. Sorry about that I hope to have time to get back on track soon.
This past Sunday, I preached my first Sunday morning lesson. What an experience. Many times I have “preached” on Sunday evenings, I have taught 100’s of classes lecture style, but never a Sunday...
March 2009
12 posts
“Using a pen without ink is pointless, it is merely going through the motions...”
– Jeremy Voss
Do Hard Things - Final Post
Thank you all for your comments. It really helps to know that I am on the right track, and Kent, I am sorry if you don’t like it, I don’t really like it either.
This last post is about a few of the teens in our youth and college group at church. As I have said in previous posts we are doing a book study with them on Do Hard Things. We found out on Thursday afternoon that the...
Do Hard Things - Part 3
So I started trying to do hard things. I began reading more. I have read 4 books in the last 6 weeks, when before that I had read a total of 3 books my entire life. I started focusing more at work. I did the things I had been putting off because they would not be enjoyable, both at work and at church. And most importantly, I started to focus more on trying to find out what God wanted me to do...
Do Hard Things - Part 2
So finally I get a chance to sit down and put some thoughts on paper. This “Do Hard Things” is really cutting in to my “free” time.
The wake up call hit pretty hard. I had been to Wintefest (a youth conference in Arlington, TX) a few weeks prior and had somewhat of an emotional breakthrough…pretty cool but I had many of those at Kadesh Life Camp over the years, so...
Do Hard Things - Part 2 (Postponement)
Sorry for the delay in posting. I will have Part 2 of the post ready in the morning. I am struggling with what I want to say. Please stay tuned.
Do Hard Things - Part 1
As I said in previous blog posts, I was challenged to “Do Hard Things” by Jeremy Voss and these crazy teenagers from Portland (Alex and Brett Harris). My first hard thing was reading a book. What better book to read than Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris.
The basic concept of the book is pretty simple “Do Hard Things”. The book is directly focused on teenagers as...
Dumber than Dumb
On March 13, I began one of the dumbest things I have ever done and the problem was that I could not even finish it until March 14. Jeremy Voss, Jeff Wilhite and I began standing as part of a “trial run” for VertigoEvent.
For those of you who don’t know what VertigoEvent is you can find out here (Vertigo Event).
At 8PM on Friday evening we began standing and planned to stand...
I hate this!
And then…Jeremy Voss!
I hate this guy! He stole my job. I was the youth minister at S. 11th & Willis part time and for some reason the church felt they wanted a full time guy. They hired Jeremy Voss and I got bumped to University Minister.
I was asked to work with Jeremy to help the transition and I did. I found out something along the way though…Jeremy is a really strange...
This CAN'T be happening!
And then…My parents (sorry Jeremy, you get the next post)!
My entire life, my parents have tried to get me to read. At one point my dad bought me a speed reading course on cassette tape. This was in High School when I had my own “cool” room and wanted to make it even cooler with a TV entertainment center.
My dad bought me the entertainment center. He put it in my room and...
Still Convinced.
And then…Steve Collier.
I began working at Milsoft in September 2007. This has become one of the best decisions I have ever made. I knew many people that worked at Milsoft, but one person I did not know was Steve Collier. Steve Collier is my boss and a “Reader”. When I say “Reader”, I mean, those guys that run their fingers down the page in about 3 seconds and...
Reading is a creation of Satan!
Through the first 25 years of my life I had read one book. Yes, you read that correctly, a grand total of one and that was in 5th grade. I hated reading. It was not that I could not read, it was merely a great disdane toward reading.
The year I turned 26 I made a New Years Resolution to read the Bible, start to finish in one year. I figured, if Satan could create reading, who is to keep God from...
My First Blog Post
I didn’t want to just start with a real post so I put this one up first. Hope you enjoyed it.
