Extreme Weather

Hail is falling now.

Here's what the sky looked like a few minutes ago.

How Far Do You Have to Go for Clean Water?

Thanks to Brady and Rose at Soft Rock 98.9 in Fresno, California.

Through their efforts, the lives of many children were changed forever.

Look Up

Blogger's Note: The other day, my daughter Elisa went out for a walk around the neighborhood. It was a breathtaking spring day when the air reminds you of winter but the trees are previewing spring. When she returned, she handed me the following observations. She had written them while she was out enjoying creation. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. I hope you are challenged by them as much as I am.

When you take leaps of faith, don't look down, look up. If you look down you'll fall, but if you look up you'll soar. Look up to the clouds, the sky, that expanse, which hugs us close like a warm blanket, but is far beyond our reach. Far beyond that expanse, though closer than the sky's blanket, is the One who can lift us up to heights we thought impossible.

If you look to Him, He'll eventually pull you so high, so close that you can see, touch, and smell Him. And in His presence you will find something more wonderful and rich than you ever hoped to achieve. For though you were worthless, He counts you as priceless. Though all have abandoned you, He will never leave your side. Though you were ugly and unable to be loved, in His eyes you are the most beautiful and the most deserving of His love. His love is the kind in which all things are possible, even those things from your wildest dreams that no one else dares to dream, but does anyway.

If you look to Him, you'll never fall, though you think you are. He's just lifting you higher while you're upside down.

Look up.

"I've Been Every Where, Man" (Kind of)

My friend Steve Laube posted this meme on Facebook.

My father had a dream to visit all 48 contiguous United States. He didn't make that goal, but we sure had a lot of fun trying. I've taken on this goal on as my own. This meme made me want to update my "Where I've Been" on Facebook.



Would love for you to participate, too.

Post on your own blog or Facebook page. Put the link in the comments.

Here are the instructions:

Copy this list into your Facebook note or blog.
Put a V by states you've visited
Put a L by states you've lived in

Alabama L
Alaska V
Arizona V
Arkansas L
California V
Colorado L
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida V
Georgia L
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois V
Indiana V
Iowa
Kansas V
Kentucky V
Louisiana V
Maine
Maryland V
Massachusetts V
Michigan V
Minnesota V
Mississippi V
Missouri V
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada V
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico V
New York V
North Carolina V
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma V
Oregon V
Pennsylvania V
Rhode Island
South Carolina V
South Dakota
Tennessee L
Texas V
Utah
Vermont
Virginia V
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin V
Wyoming

Radio Station Heroes

I'm so grateful for our radio station partners as they help us recruit sponsors for World Vision.



If you don't sponsor a child, would you consider it?

I'm a Very Strange Person (meme)

RULES:
1. Put your MP3 player, iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.
4. Tag at least 10 friends (make me #11 so I can see your results).
5. Everyone tagged has to do the same thing.
Cut and paste this entire document into a Note. Delete my answers and type in your own.


IF SOMEONE SAYS 'ARE YOU OKAY' YOU SAY?
Two Sets of Joneses (Big Tent Revival)

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
Bye Bye (Phil Vassar)

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Be Good to Yourself (Journey)

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Let's Make it Last (Brandon Heath)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Attempting the Impossible-Score (Facing the Giants Soundtrack)

WHAT'S YOUR MOTTO?
Down in the Lowlands (Russ Taff)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
In Christ Alone (Natalie Grant) - Oh how I wish

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Free to Be Me (Francesca Battistelli)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Stand Up (Petra)

WHAT IS 2 + 2?
The Wheat (Lisa Gerrard - from The Gladiator Soundtrack)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
You Didn't Even Get Wet (James Newton Howard - from The Water Horse Soundtrack)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Let My Words Be Few (Phillips, Craig, and Dean) - yeah right!

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Can't Take the Pain (Third Day)

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Godpleaser (Petra)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Guilt by Association (Steve Taylor)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Touch of the Master's Hand (Wayne Watson)

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Murron's Burial (Braveheart Soundtrack)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
The Message (4HIM)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
O Sifuni Mungu (First Call)

WHAT DO YOU WANT RIGHT NOW?
Ann Recruits the Parishioners (from The Patriot Soundtrack)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
You Are (Sammy Ward) - don't know how this song got on my iPod. Freaky.

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Turn Your Heart Around (Bill Baumgart)

WMAG and the Flip Camera

Bill and Lora at WMAG in Greensboro, North Carolina launch their campaign on behalf of World Vision children dark and early Monday morning.

I was impressed. To keep in touch with his audience, Bill uses a Flip Camera to shoot short videos and post to his website.

He cut together this short one about the campaign. It didn't take him very long and he got the faces and voices in front of his audience. He also made his first ask on behalf of the children.

Thanks Bill. May you exceed your goals.

Embracing the Power of One

Blogger's Note: World Vision is launching a push, email newsletter for our radio station partners. Each month, I will contribute some observations about how to best communicate about World Vision and the children on air. Here's the first installment.

Jim Hutto was (and still is) my radio mentor. This 50-year broadcasting veteran taught me how to build my Rolodex, brand a station, and most importantly, how to connect with my audience. One morning after my shift, we met in his office. He told me to bring a photograph of my wife to work with me the next day. He said, “Tape it to your copy stand in front of your mic. When you open the mic, talk to her and her alone.”

This was my first lesson in the “power of one.”

You know as well as I do that radio is the most intimate of the communication media. Your listeners wake up with you, take showers with you, invite you to lunch, pull up a chair for you in their cubicles, and sit with you in traffic. You are their friend. You make the day shorter.

When you engage your listeners for World Vision, embrace “the power of one.” You're talking to just one person at a time—even if you have a weekly cume of three-million.

I've worded “the power of one” like this:

One person can change the world.
You are that one person.
One person can make one call or one click.
For one dollar per day, you can change the life of one child for a lifetime.
All it takes is one decision.

If you can harness “the power of one”, you’ll recruit thousands of sponsors for World Vision children.