It’s Sunday

The last few days I have heard people saying, “It might be Friday but Sunday is coming.”  Meaning you might be facing the worst of times but relief is coming soon.  I imagine that Friday night, all day Saturday and Sunday morning must have felt like forever to the followers of Jesus.  Each event we read in the Bible must have felt like eternity to them.

One night they are in the Garden of  Gethsemane “praying” with Jesus, then he is arrested, convicted of a crime he did not commit, beaten beyond recognition, whipped nearly to death and sentenced to be crucified.  Then he is hauling a cross that he can barely carry, he falls so the guards make another man, Peter (not the disciple), carry it for him and he arrives to Calvary.

They lay down the cross, placing Jesus on it, taking the long spikes, placing them on his flesh, taking a hammer and pounding away as He cries out in pain.  They hammer spikes through his left hand/wrist, his right hand/wrist and his feet.  Once they have finished they raise the cross so that it sinks into the hole dug for it.  The scene is one of chaos as Roman soldiers gamble for his clothes, his mother, followers and disciples weep as Jesus just hangs there, struggling just to catch a breath.  All of a sudden one of the thieves looks at Jesus and simply asks if he would remember him.  Then Jesus tells this man,  ”I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

A Roman solider then stabs Jesus in the side as his family and followers watch crying out begging them to stop, proclaiming Jesus is innocent.  Water and blood flow from his side.  I can’t imagine how they all felt when Jesus took his last breath, crying out, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me.”  

Next they take Jesus off the cross, he is placed in burial garments, sealed in a tomb that is heavily guarded and there is no hope for all those who believed in him.  That is just Friday!

They all have scattered, hiding and hoping they will not be found.  They hide to stay alive and because they are all afraid due to the death of their Rabbi, mentor, friend and savior.  Now they wait, discussing what they should do next.  They just spent every moment of every day for the last three years with this man and now he is dead.  Saturday must have been one of the longest days ever for them.  Saturday must have felt like an eternity.

A few women head to the tomb to check it, but the stone was rolled away, an angel sitting on it, just to tell them Jesus is not there anymore.  Imagine visiting a grave site and being told the person is not there.  Crazy right!  

As they turned to walk away, probably with mixed emotions, Mary sees Jesus in the flesh.  I wonder what she was thinking, I mean if you saw a loved one alive after knowing they were dead, what would you think.  She just sat at his feet as he taught, she saw crucified and now he stands before her, talking to her.

This is only a small piece of the story, there is far more exciting things that come later.  You can read for yourself in the book of Matthew from chapters 25 to 28 to get more of the story.

Everyone has a Friday, waits through Saturday, but Sunday comes for us all.  The resurrection was just as significant as the crucifixion, one does not exist without the other.  We are not forgiven without one or the other. 

Although my life is not going according to my plan right now, I am choosing to believe that if Jesus can resurrect on the third day then He can handle all of life’s problems.  If Jesus can walk through life, teaching, healing and respond well even in suffering then I believe I can respond the same in my suffering.

Today is Sunday!  Let’s celebrate His resurrection in our lives!

*Please forgive any spelling or grammar errors.  If you have any comments, questions or do not agree with something please comment below.  Thanks for reading!

Worst of Times

I was listening to the K-LOVE Radio Morning Show today and they spoke about the two men on the crosses next to Jesus.  It reminded me of a paper I wrote for a class about how we respond in the worst of times.  One man acknowledged Jesus as being innocent and the other man cursed at Jesus.  One man was humble and the other lashed out in anger, frustration and fear.

We all face difficult situations in life but what counts is our response to the situation.  We can respond with humility, seeking God in all things, or we can respond in anger.  I’d like to say I respond in love and humility, but I am more like the thief who responded in anger and fear.

How do you respond?

One thing that is helping me learn to respond out of humility and love is knowing that God has always been there for me.  No matter how I respond, He never leaves me nor forsakes me.  I heard this the other day too, maybe it will help you.

Today might be Friday but Sunday is coming.

HootSuite Certified Professional

I have used HootSuite for many clients and found it very useful over the years.  For me it is a great fit because it allows me to manage my personal networks while managing client networks.  

Through this process I learned a lot about HootSuite and have grown to appreciate it much more.  I have discovered ways of using it that I was not aware of and ways of maximizing how I currently use it.  This will be a tremendous benefit to my clients.

For more information on how HootSuite can better benefit your business contact me at 877-494-9668.

It’s Official….

It’s official!  I am now the proud business partner of TheMarketingMinds.com with Norm Schurdell, the CEO and owner of Why Not Design.  Joining me in this venture is AllThingsSocial.net, changing to Why Not Social, and Business Networking Group.  Here is how you can celebrate with us.

1. Visit TheMarketingMinds.com to take a look around, check out our limited time special offers, read some blog posts and get involved.

2. Get involved by signing up for our eNewsletter to receive incredible offers, strategic tips on integration, design, development and social.

3. Follow @4MarketingMinds on Twitter, Like The Marketing Minds on Facebook, +1 and circle TheMarketingMinds.com on Google+.

4. Contact us with any integration, design, development and social marketing questions at (877) 494-9668.

Thanks for celebrating this partnership with us!

Social Fatigue

“More than 25% of U.S. Facebook users say they plan to reduce the amount of time they spend on the social network in 2013, perhaps indicating that “Facebook fatigue” is setting in, according to a Pew Research Center survey. Three percent of those surveyed said they plan to increase their Facebook usage in the coming year.” CNN 

In the growth of all things there is always points of fatigue, it is how we grow stronger, get faster and ultimately become better than our original state.  I learned this concept in the Marine Corps when our motto was, “Pain is weakness leaving the body.”  I’d recite this in my head on every single run because there was always points of struggle for me.  Social networking is no different!

From the beginning of Facebook and social networking there has been growing pains and moments of fatigue.  During these times social networks have been able to take a step back, evaluate where they are and make changes for the better.  Simply put, fatigue is a time of adjustment.

(Source: CNN)

The Difference Between Internet Marketing & Social Marketing

You may have noticed two terms I use often, internet marketing and social marketing.  You may be well aware of these terms because you have read about them or even heard them often from internet marketers or social media marketers.  Although they often are misused due to the similarities but they are drastically different in my opinion.From my perspective and in my opinion these words should be defined as.

Internet marketing is focused on website, landing page, Google Adwords or some product solely focused on lead generation.  NOT saying this is a bad thing but the sustainability of a customer is not long lasting.  This is a quick fix for your business and not a long term solution.  I say that because most products they sell, other than a website, are for short gain and quick customer service.  This is due to it being a paid product, the moment you stop paying is when the leads slow down and then eventually stop.

Social marketing is focused on building consumer connections with your business, building a bridge between company and consumer.  The implementation of a website is still vital but the layout, appearance and goals are slightly different.  The use of landing pages and Google Adwords is still important for kickstarting a lead generation program.  There should be no gimmicks or some product to purchase to get you on the front page of Google, unless it is temporary while the hard works begins. This is a longer process and requires a majority of the work up front, but it is longer lasting and sustainable.

My mother always told me that if I had to work for it then it was mine but anything that was a quick fix was only a temporary solution.  The same is true in business.  If something gives you a quick and easy solution then it most likely is not something sustainable or good for you long term.

Which would you rather have, a quick solution or a long lasting sustainable solution?

For more information about how I can help you choose what best suits your company contact me.

Hurdles, Roadblocks & Things That Keep You From Posting!

Recently my wife, my son and myself had the stomach flu!  It was awful!  Although this was a very rough time for us as a family there were some lessons learned.  

The lesson I want to share is about overcoming road blocks, hurdles and all those things that get in your way of posting.  Whether it’s posting content on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.  

I often tell clients to pick a schedule that will keep them posting consistently.  For example my schedule for the first quarter of 2013 is to post my blog on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  However, one thing that I also help them do is set up a fall back plan.  For example if I know I am not going to have 3 blog posts in one week then I change it to Tuesday and Thursday.  BUT, there are still things that can disrupt your schedule, which I call hurdles, roadblocks and those things that just keep you from posting.

There is 3 things you can do to get BACK on track.

1.  As soon as you are able, create content and post it.  You know you are off schedule, so post anyways.  Even if it’s not the best day of the week to post or the best time of day to post.  Just post it anyways!  Much like this one!

2. Now your first post is out, wait a day or two then post again, try to post it on your normal schedule.  If your regular schedule is more than a day or two away, it is ok to post anyway.

3.  Once you are back on schedule, you can plan on things coming up again, so re-evlaulate your schedule to make sure it is still realistic and attainable.  If it is realistic and attainable, then stick with it and continue to move forward.  If not, change things up.