Here are some interesting numbers surrounding the Christmas holidays!

…and we’re back! For the last 2-4 weeks it’s been touch and go with this site… and at times it was pretty much dead in the water. So here’s what happened. I use Dreamhost where you can host multiple sites on one account. Some of the sites I had are old and out of date. They weren’t getting updated when WordPress upgraded and at least one of those sites were compromised. Since all my sites sit in one directory, they all got infested. Yuck!

So, I got this site cleaned and moved over to a more secure location where other people make sure the site is clean and up to date. I’m sure I’ll talk more about that later. Hopefully, you’ won’t ever get the scary warning below ever again when visiting this site. If you do… I might just give up.

Well, I’m actually out right now. Since I’ve not been able to blog here, I’ve been blogging at other places. For the last 10 days or so, I’ve been doing a series called the Homeless Blogger. You may ask,  ”How would I have known about this?” Well, I’ve been tweeting every post multiple times… another great reason to be on twitter! For those of you who continue to resist, I’ll post links to my Homeless Blogger series later this week.

It’s good to be back. I’ve missed you. Really, I have!

I’m so excited about tomorrow’s announcement, I already have. Multiple times.

Okay, so, tomorrow morning I’m going to reveal the little project I’ve been working. Upon reading the announcement, you have a 12.5% chance of wetting your pants (depending upon your age and geographic location). That’s what the study said at least.

Stay tuned!

It’s been really quite here. It’s been over a week since any new content has posted here and other than a little post here and there, it’s been over two weeks since I’ve posted anything significant. I’ve had a few people email me asking me if I was dead (just kidding, no one has done that). So, what’s up Mr. Kenny? Did you quit? Since you hit glorious year number four, did you decide to pick up another hobby?

I’m sure’ you’ve been asking those very questions.

No my friend. This is simply the clam before the storm… and it’s going to be a pretty big storm.

I’ll give you a little teaser, so you’ll know what to expect in the coming days/weeks.

• At Gateway we’re doing some cool stuff with baptism, so I’m excited to share with you what’s happening.
• We’re neck deep in camp planning/recruiting. I’ve got a lot to say about our camp processes, what we’re doing and how we do it.
• ORANGE is coming! Woo hoo. In 8 days I’ll be flying to Atlanta to take part in my fourth Orange Conference. It’s going to be unreal, so look forward to some posts this week about what’s coming up at the Orange Conference… as well as a whole mess of blog posts coming from Atlanta during the conference.
• Okay, I’ve got a little secret I’ve been keeping that I’m about to let out of the bag. It’s something I’ve been working on for several months now and I think I’m finally ready to let everyone know. So, expect my announcement on Wednesday. Stay tuned…

So, I couldn’t resist… below is my second favorite Parkour video.

Happy Birthday to CMO!

I didn’t do very well with this. Because of my agressive blogging schedule last week, I took a day off… which happened to be my blogs 4th birthday. Oops.

Well, it’s been another great year. I didn’t blog as much as last  year (I had a crazy pace last year), however I did see some substantial growth in everything form unique visitors to page views. I love it when people write to tell me that it’s been a blessing, but I’ll be honest, connecting with thousands of kidmin from around the world has been the biggest blessing I ever could have imagined. This little project has brought significant change and progress to my ministry and life as well.

So, how much have I written these last 4 years?

Well, in over 1,350 blog posts, I’ve written more than 600,000 words. Wow!

Next year will be year five. I should plan something special right? I start putting together the planning party committee now.

Here are my birthday posts from the last 3 years:

• Year One
• Year Two
• Year Three

Although she’s received an overwhelming amount of negative feedback, there are some diamonds in the rough. She’s actually gotten positive feedback from Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone and even Simon Cowell said, “I love her [and] the fact that she’s gotten so much publicity. People are so upset about the song, but I think it’s hysterical…Anyone who can create this much controversy within a week, I want to meet. I love people like that.”

Although it probably isn’t what she intended, she has a platform now. She’s going to have chances and opportunities that others never will. We’ll see what happens.

Most importantly though, the parody videos are SOOOOO funny. Enjoy!

As this year came around, I started thinking about what may strategy would be this year. How would I attempt to win? I know enough people and have enough influence to pull off a victory, right? Worse case scenario, I could walk door to door in my neighborhood to canvas for votes. Hmmmm, not how I want to spend my time. So, last week I decided on my 2011 strategy, my strategy not to win. That’s right, my strategy is not to win.

This competition is a lot of fun. More than 60 Kids Pastors duking it out until there is only one left. In the end, everyone wins. A lot of great exposure goes to the bloggers involved. However, let’s call it what it is. It’s a competition based on how many votes you can go out there and get. It’s not about how long you’ve been in kidmin, how many people read your blog or how well connected you are (although that obviously helps). It literally comes down to how many people you can get to click on the box by your name. Trust me, I asked everyone I knew on Facebook to vote for me last year. I even made it a requirement for our volunteers at Gateway (Application, Background Check, Interview, References and voting for me in March). Okay, kidding about that. So, this contest is about influence. Period.

However, this contest is “every man (or woman) for himself (herself).” Everyone is exercising the influence they have to get votes. However, I want to propose that there is something even better than influence. Unity. When people come together around a cause and leverage their influence to see it happen… well… that’s just magnificient.

So, last week I began leveraging the influence that I had to send votes to my friend Jared Massey, author of the blog: Small Town Kidmin. He’s an amazing guy. I have incredible respect for those who lead kidmin as a bi-vocational pastor or even as a volunteer. A little over a year ago, Jarred sought me out for some advice, questions and as a result, he even launched a blog where he has begun encouraging others volunteer and bi-vocational kids pastors. He’s on a mission and he knows that he has a message to share. I love his heart and I can’t think of anyone who is more deserving to win this contest.

We all enjoy a Cinderella story, someone who comes from the back of the pack and wins it all. Let’s see it happen with Small Town Kidmin. I want nothing more than to see Jarred Massey walking the halls of his church with iPad in hand, proud of what happened here. Going into a contest like this, most people could reasonably guess who is likely to win. I propose an upset. It will be a Kidmin March Madness we won’t soon forget. So, I’m asking you do do three things.

1. Click here to vote for Small Town Kidmin in the Southwest Regional bracket.
2. Leverage your influence. Shoot a quick email to friends, family and even volunteers to vote for Jarred. Remember, it’s leverage and influence.
3. Tweet, facebook, blog and utilize every bit of social media real estate you own to get Jarred to the top.

Are you in? Can I count on you? Dont vote for me, vote for Small Town Kidmin here!

Here he is with the one and only Carman. That alone is worth attaining personal hero status… but I’ll go on. I know that a lot of you who read this blog probably read Jonathan’s blog too, but in case you don’t, you should start. For the past 2-3 years, I’ve been beating this “collaboration” drum because it’s changed the entire way I see (and do) ministry. There’s something about not doing it alone. Funny how you can have a big church, big staff and still sometimes feel all alone. If you find yourself in that position, it’s your fault.

I’ve only known Jonathan Cliff for about 3 years, but he’s probably one of the people who has influenced my life most in recent years. Although he is a great guy to bounce ideas off of, he’s much more than that to me… he’s a close friend. Probably to his irritation, I call him 2-4 times a week… usually on my way in to work or when I’m coming home. When I need encouragement, a good laugh or simply to get picked on, I know I can count on Jonathan. However, he was recently promoted to the same position I hold and already I’m learned so much from him. He’s an incredible leader and he probably doesn’t realize that I’m often writing things down that I hear him say concerning the way he leads (especially confronts).

JC is the real deal. He loves his wife well and he’s a great dad. His kids are a proof of that. His family are also rockstars by going on mission to foster kids who need a good influence while their parents get their lives back in order. If you get a chance to meet Jonathan, just ask him about why they foster… it’s inspiring. In the three years I’ve gotten to know Jonathan, I’ve had the pleasure of hanging out with him at multiple conferences as well as our families hanging out together in both Austin and Lubbock.

So, why do I write all of this?

1. Jonathan (and a few other people very special to me) came into my life when I started putting myself out there with blogging/tweeting and contacting others in ministry. Put yourself out there too, it’s the best thing that could ever happen to you!
2. I had to figure out how to use this great photo of him and Carman as well as some of these other great pics and videos.
3. Sometimes it feels really nice to have someone say good stuff about you. It means a lot when it happens to me, so I figured I’d pay it forward.

Jonathan has a thing for trees. Living in Lubbock, I guess you start to miss them or something. He went out and bought this tree and I think he’s really proud of it as he has talked about it to me on multiple occasions. If you’ve ever visiting Lubbock, be sure to get your picture taken with the tree. I hadn’t been out of my car for more than 5 minutes before I was posing with his tree. I laugh every time I see this picture!

Oh, and one more thing. This summer Jonathan and his family stopped over for a couple days on their way to the beach. We went tubing down the San Marcos River. We stopped and swung on the rope swing for a few minutes. On JC’s first swing, he almost lands on this elderly dude. So funny! Check out the video!