• Headed to IHOP for MLT staff mtg #
• @perrynoble highly recommend a sleep number bed. in reply to perrynoble #
• Dropping the kids off at preschool. Feeling better than yesterday so I’m going to the office. Got a full inbox from being sick yesterday. #
• @nicholaskirk don’t want to know. but you can get a wax, perm, and color. in reply to nicholaskirk #
• Now, this is the way Wii was meant to be played…on a 40 foot screen! http://twitpic.com/1jl3p #
• prepping for my debut as a soccer coach. practice starts tomorrow & I have to figure out how to teach 4&5 year old boys how to play soccer #
• Another Wednesday…another day of meetings. Again, how did I get selected to the ChMS task force? #
• zzzz…death by meeting. i’m sitting in possibly the worst presentation i’ve ever been involved in. #
• @mikeon425 more like torture… in reply to mikeon425 #
• @CWSites yeah. i’m sure they don’t. in reply to CWSites #
• @CWSites heck, we deserve a steak lunch after sitting through this… in reply to CWSites #
• @CWSites ruth chris! in reply to CWSites #
• @natehorton yeah, I seriously doubt they do. in reply to natehorton #
• Note to self…don’t participate in a product demo that is being led by an accountant & an engineer. Luckily the torture ended 2 hrs early. #
• oh well, rain delay for soccer practice. gotta take the kids to blockbuster instead. they were really looking forward to starting tonight. #
• just finished editing audio for the preschool worship experience @12stone this weekend. it’s gonna be a party for preschoolers! #
• working on small group stuff then having dinner with my parents and my out-laws (I meant in-laws). #
• @dmmarrero nice. have a blast!! in reply to dmmarrero #
• @camimiller just throw it in reply to camimiller #
• Just finished a competitive game of wii bowling with the kids where my 4 year old beat his older brother & sister. Man they were upset. #
• RU smarter than a kindergartner? If so, name the presidents on the coins. Penny? Nickel? Dime? Quarter? Samuel taught us 2nite. #
• @toddrhoades last time I was in NYC, late show interns were giving away tickets the morning of the show. They were all around the theater. in reply to toddrhoades #
• Insomnia…guess I’ll try reading. #
• “Activity preceeds contemplation but contemplation must be expressed in service to one’s neighbor” – St. Gregory #
• Looking for a new microwave on my day off…I know you’re jealous! #
• Refreshed after a nap. Getting ready for small group tonight. Gonna talk about how to handle conflict in marriage… #
• Great small group tonight! Great discussion & great friends. #
• Soccer coaches meeting this morning then date with my lovely wife this afternoon. #
• Going to see Grand Torino with Nicole. #
• Amazing date day with my lovely bride! The kids are at the g-parents, so we spent the whole day together. Movie, dinner, hanging out…Nice! #
• It’s gonna be a great day @12stone today! Ready to see what God does. #
• Going to pick up the kids from my parents. Ready to see them and start the grand parents detox treatment. #
• Home from picking up the kids. Now watching the Oscars. #

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Lobby Day from Brandon McCormick on Vimeo.

On February 4th, 2009, 40 college students jumped on a bus and rode down to the state capital for Lobby Day, a time when citizens of the city were allow and encouraged to show up and lobby their representatives and inform them of what mattered to them.
The reason these students, and many other advocates gathered was a subject not often talked about in the light of day. The official term is ‘commercial sexual exploitation of children’, the short term is ‘child sex trafficking’.

Talk is cheap, actions are costly, the time has arrived…

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There’s nothing like spending a sick day at home to force me to think about what I’m doing with my time. Being stuck on the sofa and watching time tick away, I quickly realized that there are only 168 hours in my week…and I’ve just lost an entire day! 

Basically, I’ve come to realization that I will NOT get done all that I set out to do this week. At first thought, this really ticked me off. I don’t have time to be sick. There’s so much to do, so much I want to do and being sick only hinders my accomplishments. So I’ve had to ask myself, “how do I redeem my time”?

The following principles help me to make the most of my week and allow me to see significant change over time:

1. There is a cumulative value in investing small amounts of time in one endeavor over time.

Less can actually mean more. Small investments of time will pay huge dividends over time. Think about it…it’s the consistent investments in your marriage, family, work, and exercise that will pay huge dividends as time goes by. On the contrary, a one time investment has no value. Trying to exercise for 4 hours to “catch-up” doesn’t do you any good. Neglecting your marriage and family week in and week out and then trying to make up for it on vacation is an act in futility. Remember, it’s the regular routine that make the difference. 

2. Neglect has a cumulative effect as well

It’s that lack of small, routine investments over time that causes marriages, families, and personal health to breakdown. This is why married couples wake up one day and realize that no longer know the person they are living with. It didn’t happen over night…it happened because they have neglected their marriage in small ways over time.

3. There are rarely any immediate consequences for neglecting single installments of a regular routine.

Missing one day of exercise or one date night with my spouse doesn’t really have an effect. I don’t feel disconnected from God by skipping my time in prayer for one day. There are no immediate consequences. The problem is that I find it easier to neglect my routine the next day as well. 

4. There is no cumulative value to the urgent things we allow to interfere with things that are important.

So often, I allow the urgent to get in the way of the important. As a pastor, there is always something “urgent” that is calling for my attention. So much so, that there are days that I get home and when my wife asks we what I did that day my only answer is, “I don’t know”. The problems is that there is little value in all the “I don’t know’s”. When I let the “urgent” overtake the “important”…I finish the day with nothing to show for it. When I neglect the “important”, I have regret.

5. In the critical arenas of life you cannot make up for lost time

I cannot make up for missed opportunities. When I miss what’s “important”, I cannot make it up tomorrow. Tomorrow will bring more “urgent” things to take the place of the “important”. When I neglect time with my family or skip exercising or “forget” to pray…the opportunity is lost forever. It can’t be make up. That is why I have to start each day fresh and with a renewed focus on what’s truly important. 

I must remember that God has numbered my days. He wants us to make the most out of each day.

Ephesians 5:15-16, “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”

Redeem the time by establishing regular routines. Redeem the time by making small investments in what’s important. Redeem the time by realizing that it’s not what I’m doing “now” but what I’ve been doing year in and year out…this is what makes the difference!

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• Headed to the office. Full but exciting day today. #
• meeting with the next generation team @12stone #
• CRAZY! that’s all I got to say. #
• I have a bipartisan dislike for ALL our senators & congressman. They are absolute idiots and couldn’t lead if their life depended on it. #

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• Seriously moms stop putting on make-up in the carpool line. you’re gonna get 1 of us killed #
• Running a marathon of meetings today. 7 1/2 hours of back-to-back meetings here I come… #
• Designing elementary services for Stage 12 Studios. Lots of creative ideas. Chia pets, puzzles, and swim noodles are a few things on tap. #
• Just finished our parent/teacher conference. Apparently Samuel’s good at multi-tasking: Completing his work & talking to his friends. #
• Turned on the TV & started watching antique road show. I think I’m going to dig through my crap & see if there’s anything of value. #

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• I must balance the crowd & the quiet. Crowd is where I lead, work, & do life. Quiet is where I refuel, renew, & connect with God. #
• in the office. getting ready for a web development meeting. #
• planning & dreaming about Stage 12 lessons for March. teaching kids about HOPE – believing something good can come out of something bad. #
• Senate passed $838B spending plan. Is it better than last $700B? Doing same thing over & over again expecting different results = insanity. #
• great meetings today…now back to creative planning #
• Home to have dinner with the fam. #
• just remembered that Nic put the dog out about 2 1/2 hours ago. Whoops…heck I’m just glad I remembered to let the dog in. #

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• Catching up on the presidents address. Then the good stuff…24 & heroes. Gotta love having a DVR. #
• calling it a night. perhaps we should let Jack Bauer fix the economic crisis. #

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• Great day @12stone. Third service kicks off on 1 hour. #
• Enjoying this beautiful day in ATL. the kids LOVE the fact that they can play outside. #
• Getting ready to put the kids to bed…then watch the Grammys with Nicole. Can’t wait for the U2 performance! #
• Whitney Houston is high as a kite. She’s a total whack job. #
• Does anyone “get” kid rock? #
• how did they get miley cyrus & hannah montana to sing a duet together on the grammys? #
• Caroline is no longer sweet! #

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• Leaving Tampa and going through airport security with one of the Pittsburgh Steelers players. #
• Gotta love it when the flights not full. #
• The eagle has landed.
  Back in the ATL. Can’t wait to get home! #

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• Headed to Tampa to speak at the How2 Conference #
• Full flight out of ATL today. I thought the superbowl was last week. Why are all these people going to Tampa? #
• in Tampa. getting settled in and doing last minute prep for the conference tonight. #
• When did a Bluetooth headset become a piece of jewelry? Seriously take them off when your not driving or talking on the phone. #
• great night in Tampa with children’s ministry leaders. looking forward to tomorrow. #

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