Scott Cheatham’s Weblog

I hope your week has been productive.  I’ve gotten several things done but never feel like I’ve accomplished all I need to.  I feel that way every week so I don’t know why it surprises me.  In any event, here’s some great posts to check out this weekend and enjoy when you have time.

My friend Matt Markins hit one out of the park with his take on the John Edwards news story.  Anytime you question a political story you run the risk of being barbequed for being judgmental.  Matt does a great job at putting the spotlight back on the media that reported the story.

Dr. Danny Conn gives me pause to reflect on the power we have behind our decision making.  This week, the topic was Joshua, one of my favorite biblical characters.  A nice reminder for us all.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if your to-do list disappeared with all your digital tools?  Thursday Bram asks the question and gives us five answers to consider.  Good stuff.

Do you ever feel like you are running out of time?  Not enough time to find and follow your dreams?  Dustin Wax attacks this topics and has some nice advice for you to make some time!

And last but not least…If you are a productivity nerd, you will want to know about the launch of a new forum for you.  “Work, Life, Creativity” has opened to all who would like to discuss productivity and productivity systems.  Stop by for a peek.

That is it for this Friday.  Happy reading!

The NEO by AlphaSmart

At left is the NEO by the AlphaSmart Company.  I’ve been researching this little device after reading about it in a writing magazine at my local bookstore cafe.  The NEO is a word processor, plain and simple.  A typewriter without paper.  You can take it with you anywhere (no wi-fi needed) and it is ready to use the moment you turn it on (no long boot waits like a laptop).  It saves files just like a computer and downloads them into your favorite word processor via a USB cable that comes with the machine.  There are two models of the NEO, the first is one that runs off of 3-AA batteries.  The reviews I’m reading claim that the battery powered model will run close to 700 hours on one set without changing.  That means that you could write nearly two hours every day on the NEO and need to change the batteries ONE TIME.  Pretty impressive.  There is a rechargeable model for more money but I think I will pass on it given the good reports I’m reading about the battery powered model.  It appears to be the more popular of the two models.

The NEO is in use in schools as a tool to focus children on writing.  Face it.  When you are a computer, the temptation is too great to log in to check email, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other sites.  Don’t get me wrong, it will not replace my laptop.  There’s a time for that also but many times, I’m caught in places where I can’t get on line and just want to work on my sermon, a bible study, or perhaps even a blog post!  This little device works anywhere and is compact enough to work on while you are on a plane (try to that with a laptop in coach class!)  Many authors now sing its praises as a tough as nails machine that works great.  For a little more than $200 it comes with a case to carry it with you and all the accessories needed to mesh it with your computer(s).   It’s text window is adjustable from 2 to 6 lines for those of us with less than perfect eyesight.  I’ve been busy clearing out more junk from my house and selling it on-line to save up the money I need for this classy little device.  Once I have it and it’s up and running, I’ll fill you in on my success with it.

Inspired by Marty Schmidt’s post of the “Four Things I Can’t Get Enough Of Lately”, I began to think about the things I love to enjoy myself (at least for the time being!).  What are yours?

Hamburger Heaven

1. White Castle Hamburgers.
This one gets to me.  I was raised in St. Louis so White Castle was a staple in our family for years.  I remember living in the Mississippi River town of Cape Girardeau when I was first married and driving an hour north to Festus just to get a bag of these.  Imagine my wife’s surprise when she came home from work late on a Saturday to find a bag of “sliders” waiting for her.  That’s silly stuff you do when you are first married and have no kids!  Plus, gas was what, $0.95 a gallon back then!

Burrito Perfection

2. Big City Burritos
At left is the “Big City Burrito” mascot.  I don’t know his name, I don’t care.  What I know is that the burritos at this place are “wicked sick” as my son would say.  You have your choice of tortillas when you come in (my favorite is the cheddar jalapeno) and then stuff it with your favorite meat, beans, rice, veggies and salsa.  After you get this monster in your basket, you can then head over to the sauce area where they have anywhere from 30-to-60 different types of sauce (No fooling!).  My son and i tried one that had a brain for the cap and when you opened it, the aroma cleared your sinuses instantly.  It was called “mind blowing” something but all I know is, it was dee-licious.  If you come to Colorado, I’ll take you here for lunch.  My son likes to get chips and “strawberry-jabanero” salsa to go!  Wonderful stuff!

Give me a drink!

3. Cherry Coke.
Outside of sweet tea, this is my soft-drink of choice.  I’ve loved Cherry Coke since I was a kid.  Too much soda is bad I know so I limit myself but boy, does this stuff hit the spot!  When they tried the “Black Cherry Vanilla” stuff, it was horrible.  It reminded me of cough medicine.  I like Cherry Coke…I like Vanilla Coke…But I DID NOT like them mixed!

A Good Cup of Joe!

4.  Channel Islands Coffee.
I didn’t think I’d like a fast-food cup of coffee but with gas at nearly $4 a gallon, one of the budget moves I made was cutting back on my Starbucks habit.  Enter “Channel Islands”, available at Carl’s Jr. restaurants. (Known as Hardees in other parts of the country).  I’m not sure if this is the stock coffee served at all of their stores nationwide but here, for $1.19, you get a large coffee and it is good stuff.  I tried some other places but opted for this one when given a choice.  For now, it’s not available in bag form, just from the restaurant so I still make much of my own at home using my french press or Toddy cold brewer.  But if I’m on the run and want some coffee to clear my head, I make plans to stop at a Carl’s Jr. now instead of the Starbucks drive through…(Okay, I still go there frequent enough but I’ve cut back significantly.)

I have other favorites too but in the spirit of the four things, there you have it.  Thanks Marty, now I have the munchies.

Good day!  Here’s a few links for you to check out over the weekend.  I hope you enjoy these…

Dustin Wax has written a nice post about alternatives to time-wasting meetings.  You can read it here.  I think I speak for many when I say that ill-planned and lousy organized meetings suck the life right out of you.

Ben Arment has written a nice piece about staying connected titled “You’ll Never Need a Resume Again”.  It’s worth your time.  As a pastor, I read this thinking about our relationships with our church families, especially at times when the relationship can get strained.  Give it some thought.

Those of you who know me personally know how much I enjoy the writing of Erwin McManus.  Marty Schmidt has already read the new book by Erwin titled “Wide Awake”.  You can read his review of it here.

I also want to give another shout out to Jacob Riggs and his blog “AFrayedKnot”.  This week, Jacob posted the details on how YOU can get a free sample of the new young adult small group resource “The Brink”.  I think a lot of Jacob.  His heart and passion for ministry are evident.  Do yourself a favor and pick this up and check it out.  It costs you NOTHING.

Have a great week.  I’ll see you again on Monday!

The addictive stuff!

This week I came to the realization that I have a silent addiction.  One that causes me to search through my pockets endlessly to make sure I have the “stuff” needed to make it through the day.  I’m speaking of….Listerine Pocket Paks breath fresheners!  Yea, I know it could be worse but I have these horrible silent fears that my breath will not be minty fresh if I run into someone that I can talk to about our church.  You know what they say about first impressions!

I’ve tried all the different flavors, “cool mint” being my favorite although right now, my pocket has a pack of “fresh citrus” in it.  I came to the realization that I was addicted this past Sunday popping a couple prior to setup.  I had a few french toast sticks brought by one of our workers and then I made off to the men’s room to rinse my mouth and pop two more before service.  I was in between points on my message and took a drink of water and unbelievably, had one in hand to pop after the drink.  That’s when I knew it was bad!  Then, after service, two more in hand to make sure I was fresh enough to thank everyone for coming and to pray with those who needed it.  Believe me, nothing stops the spirit working like having trash truck breath when you’re praying for someone.  Thanks pastor but no thanks!  I think I’m buying six of these each week!  Thankfully, they sell them in three packs so my wife bought me a “bonus” pack a few weeks ago with a little plastic car holder for the strip pack.  You put the little pack in the bottom of the car and when you pop the lid to get your breath strip it looks like you’re lifting the hood!  Great.  Now I have a hot wheels wannabe pack holder in my pocket.  When will it all end?

Laugh if you must, but remember me this week.  I don’t know how these affect my diet but at least you know I’ll have minty fresh breath to talk to every person I shake hands with this weekend!  Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go run to Wal-Mart to pick up another three pack!

I'm Blessed

Today my wife turns……you didn’t think I’d share that did you?  She would kill me!

It doesn’t matter, she looks GREAT for her age and I’m blessed to have her in my life.  It’s hard enough being a pastor’s wife much less one that’s planting a church.  When she said “I Do” to me nearly 21 years ago, I had no idea how our lives would change over the years with careers, kids, ministry, and all the other things that go along with life in general.   What I do know is that she has always been a support for me even in the hardest of times.  I married above myself and couldn’t imagine life without her.  Happy Birthday Becky!

Yea, I know, it’s not Wednesday yet but I wanted to pass along a quick link for you to pick up some free stuff. If you remember a few weeks ago, I wrote about reaching the 20-somethings in your community and I mentioned a friend of mine who is part of a creative team to develop small group material for this age group in an attempt to help in this area. Well “The Brink” is ready. If you go to this link, you can receive a free four week pilot of this new material. I’m excited as our church plans to use this in our ministry to this generation of folks. I’m not sure if supplies are limited but you should go there today, sign up and let me know what you think!

Well, it’s nice to be back again. I haven’t posted this week because of the business I’ve had working on our new church location. Today, I go back to finish my window washing chore. I used to clean windows for the Hardees chain of restaurants before I got married and entered the broadcast industry in 1987 (Yea, I know 21 years ago!) In the weeks to come, I’ll share more about our journey to the new site and I’ll have some photos of our first service there hopefully late next month if I have my wish.

For now, here’s a few blogs for you to check out over the weekend. I promise you, I’ll be back writing next week for sure.

Thursday Bram writes a nice piece on doing something with those leftover cellphones you have. With so many folks drinking the Apple IPhone Kool-Aid, a bunch of cellphones have bit the dust in recent weeks. Here’s some good ideas on how you can help keep those things out of the landfill for a while longer.

Do you have “anchors” in your life? You should. This week, Nelson Searcy discusses the topic and gives you a few “anchors” to get you started.

Here’s a funny cartoon from “Out of Ur” to make you laugh about the church growth craze. A few years ago, I was that guy in the seat. I can relate!

And last but not least…

David Foster writes about an issue I’ve considered for a while now; “The Death of the Christian Market.” I have seen this death firsthand here in Denver as the local Christian bookstore is drying up and the only LifeWay store in our state moved its doors further south to attract people who may still shop there. Independent Christian stores are gone and only the chains survive but even then, they are cutting hours and inventory and moving to smaller quarters. I’ll have my own take on this in a future post but suffice it to say, the Christian publishing industry will be drastically changed in the next few years. Technology will see to it.

That’s it for the week. Have a blessed weekend!

Well, I DID promise you a Friday rundown of blogs. I just didn’t plan on it being late Sunday night my time when I did this. That’s the way the week has went. I’ll blog more about that later (perhaps a series on patience!). For now, I wanted to give my usual weekly shout-out to some others whose posts are worth reading..

I’ve always appreciated Ben Arment’s thoughts and ideas. This past week, he wrote about a key component to building solid church teams; a “vision” breakfast. Consider his thoughts and plan your own!

The “Ministry Marketing Coach” has a new spin on the tired church newsletter. Can it be of use to you. Chris seems to think so!

Leo at Zen Habits has written about a “Life Laundry Day” to help you plan your week. Check this out and get moving with a weekly to daily routine. I’ve done this on Sunday nights for a few years now and it really helps me plan my weeks and break them down into days.

I think tomorrow I will order Nelson Searcy’s “Time Management for Busy Pastors” for my staff. I’ve read a number of great books on time management and use my GTD+R system faithfully each day to manage my tasks. However, the audio medium is appealing to busy pastors who can listen in their cars, while exercising, etc.. The resource is a bit expensive for our little church plant, $87 for the boxed set, but I think it will pay large dividends in the long run. Nelson’s stuff is good and gives you many things to think about.

Well, have a good start to your week. I will try to post sometime tomorrow as time allows! Be blessed.

To my readers I apologize for my lack of posting this week. As I mentioned in my blog Friday, we are in the process of moving the church I pastor from a school to a storefront and that has eaten up much of the time I give to my writing. I skipped Monday and have had no time to write for today other than this little announcement.

I will be back Friday with my blog links for the week and hopefully, will find some time to write for Monday.

Keep reading and thanks for stopping by!