Twitter

I like Twitter. I like to Tweet and I like reading other people's Tweets. I was skeptical about Twitter when I first started almost two years ago, but I quite enjoy it now. I actually use Twitter to update my Facebook status. I think people think I'm on Facebook a lot more than I really am. I only check Facebook a couple of times a week.

Here are some of my favorite people to follow on Twitter...

• Phil Poteat (Director of Worship and Production at Waters Edge Church).
• Chad Johnson (NOT the football player...the Catalyst Concierge)
• Tyler Stanton (One funny guy)
• Jamey Menser (Logistics Manager and Ministry Specialist at Waters Edge Church)
• Chad Childress (My youth pastor growing up)
• Monica Shepherd (My wife and a very funny Tweeter)
• Stu Hodges (Lead Pastor at Waters Edge Church).

Question: If you could have anyone follow your every move on Twitter who would it be? I'd get really excited if TobyMac, Kobe Bryant, Andy Stanley, and let's just face it far too many other people...started following me.

I Call This Adventure: The night 7 fire trucks came to my house

Last night I came home from an event at my church to the smell of gas. As soon as I walked in I declared, "it smells like gas." Now typically when I make that statement it's because one of the high school guys from my Student Community Group has farted. That happens on a weekly basis, but this smell was not produced by any human.

My wife, Monica, said that when she first walked in she smelled it as well. Now gas is not something that I'm willing to take a chance on, so I called the non-emergency phone number. I let the very nice lady on the phone know that I didn't think it was a big deal but because my wife and I both smelled gas I thought I should call. I didn't expect what would happen next...

In less than five minutes 5 fire trucks pulled onto my street with lights glaring. As they unloaded we could hear at least two more coming into our neighborhood with their sirens blaring. At this point it's 9:45 PM. All of that and they found nothing. We were a little embarrassed, but they assured us we did the right thing. It was quite the adventure, but I'm glad it had a boring ending.

Guest Post: John Finkelde

One of the reasons I started a blog was because I wanted to connect with other pastors. One of those pastors that I've met through the blog world is John Finkelde. Click on his name to check out his blog. Now the cool thing about John is that he's from Australia!

Guest Post John Finkelde:
Today, 26 January, is Australia Day. It's the founding of our nation day, much like the fourth of July.

So in honour of all things Australian here's some Aussie slang you can use on your friends or enemies if you prefer!

RIPPER it means brilliant! We used to use the word bonza but that has gone out of vogue and is no longer a ripper word

NO WORRIES it means ... no worries!

MATE means friend, dude (no Australian in his right mind would ever say dude!)

MAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE what you say to your mate when he has done something outrageous, unbelievably funny or nothing at all actually!

BARBIE no not the doll, it's short for BBQ

ARVO short for afternoon

FOOTY short for aussie rules football (also called AFL) during which we don't wear any wimpy protection like helmets and pads!

ONYA short for good on ya. Usually used with mate as in onya mate

You may notice we love to shorten things. Except test cricket that is which is a game that goes for 5 days. Yep you read it right 5 days ... and sometimes it's still a draw after all that time. We got test cricket from the Poms (that's England) so blame them.

CROOK means sick, as in can't go to work

CHOKA BLOK means full as in the car park is full. Oh a car park is a parking lot

FOOTPATH that's a sidewalk

OR STRAY LAH that's what it sounds like when we say Australia

So next time you meet an Aussie try some of these words out on them - they will love it!

Mind Dump

My brain feels constipated with thoughts. The following is a brain dump of all the random stuff going on in my head.

• Happy Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day! Today bubble wrap turns 50, and the creators have dubbed today their official day.
• Yesterday I was a part of something that I believe is unique to Waters Edge Church. I had the privilege to team teach with my lead pastor. If your interested in listening to it you can do so here.
• This is a busy week for me.
• On Tuesday I help host a Waters Edge House Party. It's how our adults get plugged into Community Groups. Over the next few days I'll be forming the groups. My guess is a couple of hundred new people will join a group. It's going to be a busy next few days.
• On Friday, Monica and I are going to Philadelphia to see the Lakers play the Sixers. I have a goal that I want to see the Lakers play in every NBA arena. We try to see them play one time a year and this was our pick. I'm excited to see Allen Iverson play. He went to school right down the road from where I grew up. Even though he's from the 757 I'll still be rooting against him.
• The Super Bowl is set. Colts vs. Saints. At the end of the day I don't really care who wins (I'm a Lakers fan), but I would have liked to see Brett Favre go one last time.
• Who is your super bowl pick? You can vote on it on the new survey at robshep.com.
• I visited Hair Club for Men for my free consultation. The good news is they don't think I need a hair transplant. The bad news is I'm going to have to take on a paper route to afford what they recommended. Did you know they no longer do hair plugs?
• Lost comes back for one last season next Tuesday. I can't wait!
• Speaking of things I can't wait for...TobyMac's new album drops on Feb. 9. You can download one single a week from iTunes until the album comes out. Last weeks song was ShowStopper. LOVE IT!
• My dad is a part of the Screen Actors Guild. It's something that you have to earn by acting in a SAG film in a principle role. Pretty cool. One priveledge of being SAG is that he gets to vote on the SAG Awards. Because of this movie studios have been sending him DVD's for him to view. He let's me borrow them so this is a bonus.
  

Whew...I feel better now.

The Snoring Experiment Part 2

So on Thursday night I tried not one, but two products that claim to reduce snoring. Surprisingly they seem to help. On the first night I didn't wake Monica once. Last night she said my snoring was almost back to normal. So it doesn't heal snoring completely, but it looks like I'll be using these products for a while because they help.

The Snoring Experiment Part 1

So the week of New Years a virus attacked my body. It was rough. I'm almost back to 100%, except for one major symptom. I wake up with a really soar throat. The reason this is major is because it has caused my snoring to go to whole notha level.

I've always snored. I think I snored as a baby. I'm not one to deny that I snore, but in 8 1/2 years of marriage it's never been a major problem. The worst it's ever led to is my wife waking me up to ask me to roll over onto my stomach. That changed drastically with this sickness. My poor wife, Monica, has tried sleeping with her iPod playing, taking Tylenol PM, and rolling me over to my stomach. Nothing has helped, and for the first time in our marriage we ended up in separate beds.

I feel awful that I've affected her sleep. I'll try anything! So yesterday I went to the store and bought SnoreStop and Breathe Right, two products that are supposed to reduce snoring. Last night was my first night of this snoring experiment. Any guesses on how it turned out?

To be continued...

Judgement vs. Judgemental

This post is not for everyone. It's only for those who have felt judged and or don't want to judge others.

It's pretty clear that those who follow Jesus are not supposed to judge others. I don't think you can argue with that. The sad truth is one of the things the church at large is known for is being judgemental. At the same time there are things that Christ followers are told to make judgements about. So what's the difference?

When you are judgemental toward someone it often leads to gossip, making yourself feel better, and negativity. When you make a judgment it often leads to talking to the person to help them, sadness because you hurt for someone you love, and it reflects that you care more about them then you do yourself. Being judgemental is all about you and your pride. Making a judgment leads to your heart breaking because you see where someone's poor decisions will lead them to. Being judgmental is selfish and a reflection of your heart.

There are certain things that Christ followers should judge. We should judge situations before we get into them. We should judge our own actions. We should even judge if we can handle being around certain people. The difference is this judgment should not lead to pride, or to us looking down at others. The point is to make wise judgements while you avoid being judgemental.

To All the robshep.com readers...I'm sorry

When I first started this blog I didn't have a fat clue about blogging. I started it because I thought it would be a great way to connect with other pastors around the country. What I came to find out is that I like writing a blog, and I'm not good at connecting with other pastors. The blog is fun for me. I enjoy sharing my thoughts with the worldwide web.

Throughout writing the blog I've ended up making some big mistakes.

• I've blogged too often. One time I did 9 posts in one day.
• I've written too much. I know people don't like to read long blogs and yet I've been guilty of this far too many times.
• I didn't interact with the readers. I love receiving comments on the blog! What I failed to do is respond to the comments. I think my lack of response has led some to stop leaving comments.
• I lack focus. This is one I don't know how to fix. When people ask me what my blog is about I have a hard time telling them. The big wigs say you have to focus your blog in order to keep readership.

So to the faithful robshep.com readers...I'm sorry. I'll try to do better. Thanks for staying with me as I try to figure out how to blog.

For a great list of ten blogging mistakes check out Michael Hyatt's blog.

More Awesomely Bad Movies

It's time for more Awesomely Bad Movies. Awesomely Bad Movies are movies that you think are awesome, but in reality they are bad movies. Some examples from some of my friends include...

Troop Beverly Hills

Rad

Dark Crystal

Sometimes it's hard to admit that a movie you love is Awesomely Bad. If you need help invite someone who has never seen one of your favorite movies to watch it with you. If they say it's awful then there is a good chance it's an Awesomely Bad Movie. So now it's your turn...what are your favorite Awesomely Bad Movies?

I Pity the Fool

Maybe it's because I recently watched the preview for the upcoming A-Team movie, but lately I've been thinking about fools. I remember being a kid, watching the A-Team, I'd run around quoting Mr. T saying over and over again "I pity the fool!" Back then I had no idea what that meant.

It wasn't until college where I read a book by Andy Stanley that I learned what a fool is. Andy defines a fool as "knowing the difference between right and wrong, but choosing to do what's wrong anyway."

We all make mistakes but it's foolish to not learn from them. "As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly." I pray for wisdom daily because I don't want to be destroyed by foolish decisions. If you don't learn from your mistakes, if you choose to do what's wrong, if you willingly ignore the potential consequences; then there is nothing left to do but pity the fool.

One: A Student Experience

Last Wednesday Waters Edge hosted One: A Student Experience. When it comes to Students we have a very different approach. Instead of a weekly student rally we have Community Groups that meet in homes. We feel like students connect with the Sunday experience. We also want to every students to be known, prayed for, and connected with. That can't happen in a large group setting. So instead of creating an experience that is similar to Sundays we only offer Community Groups in homes.

One came about because we wanted to create an easy environment for Students to get plugged into Community Groups. At the same time we love creating environments where students can get together to worship God. One is an hour long worship service that leads to time in Community Groups. Back in September we hosted the first One. It was such a HUGE success we decided to bring it back in January. The goal is that One would kick off each semester.

The night started with a clip of Justin Beiber's "One Time" video. It then went to this clip...



To intro my talk we showed the following video...



This past Wednesday 290 students came together for One. It was a great night!

Pants On The Ground

By now I'm assuming you've seen or at least heard about Larry Platt, the 62 year old who sang the original song "Pants On The Ground" at his American Idol audition. It was ha-larious. In case you haven't seen it enjoy the new cultural phenomenon that is "Pants On The Ground." I have to warn you the song will stick in your head.

5 Friends Every Woman Needs

So I saw a news blurb about the 5 Friends Every Woman Needs. Since I'm not a woman I don't know why I watched it, but it peeked my interest. They are...

1. The Cheerleader
2. The Advice Giver
3. The Childhood Friend
4. The Guy Friend
5. The Honest Friend

Now I don't know why there wasn't a similar list for guys but it has me wondering, what type of friends do guys need? Any thoughts?

People at the Gym

Are there interesting people at your gym? It seems as if no matter when I go to the gym I see certain types of people. I wish that I had a reason to talk to some of these people to figure out what makes them tick. They are unique, but at the same time they are not the only people I've ever seen do what they do. For example...

• The Jeans Joggers - these are people who wear jeans to run on the treadmill or to lift weights. I wish I knew one of them so I could ask if they don't have any shorts or if this is their way of protesting against them.
• The Khakis Pants People - these are the people who try to one up the Jeans Joggers by wearing Khakis pants to the gym.
• The Rules Don't Apply - I've seen this personality type a few times in a class I take called Power Cut. The whole class is following the instructors instructions except for this person. They do their own routine.
• The Grunters - these are people that whether they are running on the elliptical or lifting weights they manage to let out a grunt. Why? Because they can. There is no other explanation as to why a person should grunt on the elliptical.
• The Talkers - these people come to the gym to talk. They can't read body language or the fact that you have headphones on. They are going to talk to you no matter what.
• The Stretchers - these people stretch. There is nothing wrong with a little stretching, but these people do Tai Chi in the middle of the gym.
• The Gross - these people are gross because they don't whipe down their machine after they use it. They leave their sweat for the next person.

We need more...AI Leong's

We need more AI Leong's in this world? Who is AI Leong you ask?


Well, in the late 80's and early 90's there was an actor who showed up in a lot of action movies. Whenever my brother and I would see this guy we knew it was going to be a good movie. We first saw him in Die Hard, then in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, and then we rented Big Trouble In Little China. Ok some of those movies don't hold up real well today, but as a kid they were most excellent.


In Hollywood there are only a handful of Big Box Office stars. The thing that I respect about AI Leong is that he was never the big draw to a film, but he still brought his best. He was never the reason anyone went to see a movie, but for my brother and I we knew it was going to be good if he showed up.

If you are a pastor there are very few Rick Warrens, Andy Stanleys, or Steven Furticks. If you are a teacher there is only one teacher of the year. If you work at a job most likely you aren't the boss. The point is don't try to outshine the superstar or even be the superstar. Be who you are, work hard, and people will notice you for what you bring to the table. If you make the most of every scene you are in eventually someone will notice your hard work.

Step By Step by The Waters Edge Boyz

Sunday at Waters Edge was week two of our series "5 Easy Steps to Wreck Your Life." In preparation for this service the programming staff came up with a funny video segment. You see, when we think about five easy steps we can't help but think about the classic song, "Step by Step" by NKOTB. This video is just us trying to be funny. It got a great response on Sunday...I hope you enjoy it as much as WEC did.

Step By Step from Waters Edge Church on Vimeo.

Favorite App

So for my wife's birthday I bought her an iPod touch. It has opened a new world for the Shepherd home...Apps. We now have spent many a minutes with Words with Friends, Shake & Spell, Harbor Master, ESPN ScoreCenter, and Link Four (stay away from the chat room on this one, but the game if fun).

It made me curious what other fun Apps are out there? If you have an iPhone or iPod touch let me know what Apps you enjoy.

Flash Mob

Flash Mob (plural flash mobs)

1.A group of people who converge on a spot with little forewarning, perform some action (usually a protest), and disperse quickly.

Thanks Wikipedia.com. If you haven't seen a Flash Mob they are pretty incredible. I don't have a fat clue how someone organizes it but I'm impressed. Check out this madness as the Black Eyed Peas preform on Oprah...amazing! It starts with one lady, but at about 40 seconds the crowd gets involved.

Family Pic

Once a year my siblings and our families take a new picture to give to our parents. We take it at Picture People in the mall. They do a great job of putting you in the most awkward positions possible. We are pretty sure my nephew is a result of last year's pose. We rarely buy the pictures where they pile us up on top of each other. I hope no one ever sees the one they made us do this year. Instead of the awfully awkward pictures we decided on the following. Enjoy.

New voice or new coach Part 2

As a parent, teacher, or boss have you ever felt like the people you lead have zoned you out? Here are some common coaching behaviors that lead to zoning out...

• If you are a yeller chances are the teams you lead will eventually zone out to your rants. For a great example of this visit Wal-Mart on a weekend and watch how the kid in the stroller zones out as their parent yells.
• If you make a lot of idle threats chances are your team will eventually start to zone you out. Two year olds are smart enough to figure this one out.
• If you overreact chances are your team will start to zone you out. At first your team will respond to your panic but when it happens on a weekly basis your team will zone you out because they are used to you overreacting.
• If you don't uphold the rules or standards. A fast way to lose control of your team, whether it's a family, or employees is set rules and then not follow up with the consequences.
• If you don't communicate the rules your team will start to zone you out. If you yell at someone because they broke a rule that you haven't communicated then it's your fault not theirs. An example of this is the students in my small group. They used to text all throughout group. At first I got mad, but I never communicated with them that what they were doing was distracting. I set up a no texting rule and now it's a part of our weekly ritual. We all turn our cell phones off before group starts.
• If you don't listen to your team they will zone you out and not listen to you. One of the biggest complaints I hear teenagers say to me in counseling situations is that their parents don't listen to them. I think that parents should find some one on one time to just hang out with each of their kids. Allow them to just talk. Do something they like. Take them out to their favorite restaurant. Spend consistent time with them and eventually they will communicate with you.

It's really hard to keep your teams attention. It's even harder to win it back once they start to zone you out. Be consistant in how you handle adversity, but be creative in how you communicate to your team. Those are my thoughts on the subject...I'd love to hear yours.

New voice or new coach

Almost every sports season I hear sports commentators talk about bad teams not responding to their coach. During the game it is evident that the team has stopped listening to their coach. When this happens it is within a matter of days that the coach of the bad team is fired. The sports commentators say that once a team stops listening to their coach then the coach has two options...he can get fired or he can quickly change the way he communicates with the team.

This same bad team often turns things around during the season when a new coach is hired. It's as if having a new voice inspires them to play better.

If you are a parent, a leader, teacher, communicator, or a coach then the idea that your team can zone you out should scare you. If the same is true for coaches when the people you lead start zoning you out the only real option is to fire yourself. Most likely that's not an option, so instead focus on how you say what you say. Change things up from time to time to make sure your team doesn't zone you out.

To be continued...

Let's Get Pushy

I like to push people. Whenever I see one of the guys from my Student Community Group and they don't see me I will give them a lil push. It's not so hard that they feel like they are getting attacked, but it's hard enough to knock them off balance. They never seem to mind being pushed. In fact they always greet me back with a smile and some dap. You know dap? It's when you do something different then a handshake. Sometimes it's a three hit palm to palm (similar to a five but done three times). Other times it's a form of a handshake that leads to a hug for no more than 2.5 seconds. Anything longer then 2.5 seconds gets awkward. Anyway I digress.

I like pushing people, but for the sake of this blog I'm not talking about pushing physically. In my opinion man is destined for mediocrity. For most of us we find our groove and just settle there. If you've ever dated you know what I'm talking about. On that first date you pulled out all the stops. Flowers, you dressed nice, and you tried really hard not to fart. But after a few years of being with someone it's easy to get complacent. It's easy to forget the flowers, hang up the romance jersey, and let one rip in front of the love of your life.

There are a handful of areas where I get pushed on a regular basis.

• My co-worker Josh Wilson pushes me when it comes to jogging. He recently ran a half marathon and he's lost a lot of weight with jogging. I'm pushed to want to run when I talk to him about jogging.
•  I like reading books that push me out of complacency and get me closer to God. Books by Francis Chan, Steven Furtick, and Mark Batterson have pushed me.
• I like hanging out with my brother. He's the funniest guy I know. He is also very positive and genuinely has a great attitude. He works in the sewers for a living and not only enjoys his job, but he works hard with a really good attitude. That pushes me.
• There is a couple at our church that pushes me on a regular basis. Eric and Stacy Froyen push me with their kindness. They are always so thoughtful and kind with their words. I often think about doing nice things for other people, but I forget to actually follow through. They don't forget. In fact they go above and beyond with their thoughtful gifts.
• Monica and I hate debt, but we also hate doing a budget. We manage our money with a budget, but we don't do a great job of planning ahead. Our friends Jamey and Carlyn have pushed me to set goals and plan ahead.

Now for most of these examples people didn't set out to push me. They were just being who they are and I felt the affects of it. Hanging out with them pushes me to be better. Nobody likes someone to be pushy with their beliefs, and passions. But when you live passionately people will feel it. People will be affected by your words, and your actions. By the way if you are feeling complacent then try spending time with someone new. The truth is that in this day and age there is no excuse to not be pushed. If you need to be pushed find a good book, a good blog, or even a good Facebook poster and stalk them in a non creepy way. The key to be pushed it to be around people who push you.

I want to be the type of person that pushes people. I want to push others to love more, laugh more, and get the most out of this life. It's far too easy for me to get complacent in this life. I'm thankful for people who push me.

Best of the Decade

So long 2000...hello 2010. The last ten years have marked some significant memories for me. Here are a list of some of my favorites from the past decade...

1. I got married!
2. I graduated from Seminary.
3. My wife surprised me with my first trip to LA. We saw two Lakers games.
4. My parents surprised me by contacting the Lakers chaplain. He set up a meeting with Horace Grant, a former Lakers and Bulls star.
5. Playing Mark Batterson and the NCC staff in Corn Hole. We lost bad, but it was fun. Read about it here.
6. Starting work at Waters Edge church.
7. Getting to preform with the WEC band. You can check that out here.
8. I met Dan and Danielle Peters in a WEC Community Group. They are two of my favorite people...and I didn't know them before this decade.
9. I turned 30. My wife spoiled me with 30 gifts in 30 days. It all ended with a flat screen TV. WOW!
10. We lived in Texas for two years. It seems like such a long time ago. I loved my time in Texas.