What happens when the commercial you’ve produced to promote your graham cracker company ignites a firestorm over gay marriage?
You turn hate into love.
Earlier this year Honey Maid released a commercial called “This Is Wholesome”. It depicted a number of modern families enjoying their products including an interracial family and a child with two dads.
Of course, as everything does on the internet these days, this simple commercial caused some extremists to lose their minds spouting off hateful tweets and emails about the company’s lack of morals.
It’s incredible. The things we work so hard on to share with the world can sometimes be completely rejected. What we planned to be beautiful and inspiring often becomes ugly and falls on deaf ears.
So what do you do when the gift you offer to the world gets rejected?
You may not be a charge card holder. You may not have gotten any in the mail. But if you search around you can find a good deal.
Yet some people will make their purchases this weekend without a coupon.
I don’t get it. When I work at the cash register I just want to scream at people to wait until there’s a sale or go find a coupon before making their big purchase.
Because believe me – if there’s not a sale today just give it a few days. There is one coming.
97% of the time what you think you need to buy today can wait until there’s a sale. I think Dave Ramsey told me that. Or maybe I just made it up. But it’s true.
For 40 years, those 7 words have been uttered from studio 8H in Rockefeller Center announcing the most exciting 90 minutes of television comedy every week.
The most important of those 7 words is the first one – Live.
“Saturday Night Live”, despite what you may think, airs LIVE. It does not air on tape delay. It does not air 3 months after it was recorded. New episodes air live at 11:30 pm Eastern Standard Time Saturday nights.
There’s no getting around this. If the sketches aren’t ready or the actors aren’t prepared the show cannot be postponed. There’s a contract with the network and with the viewers. The show must go on no matter what. Continue reading →
This dog has figured out a way to say no to his owners. The dog knows what he doesn’t want.
The dog hates being put in his kennel. After being dragged into it against his better wishes too many times, the dog stands his ground.
This dog says no to what sucks the life out of him. We should do the same.
A dog is meant to be free. Dogs are made to run and jump and explore, not be confined to a kennel or a cage.
What were you made to do? Are there things that are stopping you from being who God made you to be? Why not take a lesson from this dog and Say No?
This weekend is your weekend. Instead of getting bogged down by busyness, try saying no this weekend.
Say no the projects, the activities, the relationships which suck the life out of you. Do something you’ve been meaning to do, been wanting to do, been dying to do but haven’t made the time for it.
Here’s my challenge to you this weekend: Say no to at least one opportunity that comes your way. Whether it’s an invitation to hang out, or a call in to cover someone’s shift at work, just say no.
Saying no doesn’t make you a bad person. You need to rest. You need time to do what gives you life.
When God created the world, He took a day off. He took time to rest. How quick we are to forget this!
We think we need to work to feel worth. We think a day off is a day wasted. But your soul needs to recharge. You need to fill up before you can pour yourself out.
Whatever it is that fills you up, do more of that.
Rest looks different for everyone. For some people it’s staying in bed and bingewatching the first season of “Scandal”. For others it’s getting in the backyard and gardening. For others it might be scouring record stores in downtown Athens.
Take a day of rest. Say no to the things of life that make you feel caged in.
You spent too much time trick or treating and procrastinating.
Your week may feel like it’s falling apart.
Hey – at least your parents didn’t steal all your candy.
It’s easy to scream and blame the world around you when something you didn’t plan for steals all your joy away.
But try not to have a kneejerk reaction like a kid thinking their parent ate all their peanut butter cups.
After all, the kids didn’t know the whole story. Their parents were just playing a joke.
The problem you’re getting upset about is probably not that bad. By the time twelve o’clock rolls around you’ll have already forgotten about it.
If you’re angry about some stolen Snickers bars today, hold strong. God has a great punchline coming your way to put a smile back on your face. And just when you think your candy bag is empty, you’ll find in it more Milky Ways than you could have dreamed of.
Whatever you’ve been through this week, it’s time to sing.
You may be afraid to let your voice be heard. You may be ashamed of how you sound. You may think you have no musical ability.
You need to go back. Go back to elementary school. Go back to the place where sunny days sweep the clouds away. Go back to a world where cookie monsters and people coexist. Go back to a time where you couldn’t get kicked out of chorus no matter what noises came out of your mouth.
Let the doubts and voices in your head drift away. Abandon yourself to childlike joy.
Take a page out of Jimmy Fallon’s book. Grab a kazoo and let it all out. Roll down the windows and sing like a second grader today.
Happy Friday.
(If Jimmy Fallon, The Roots, and the Sesame Street cast can’t put a smile on your face, here’s a couple of other classroom renditions from “Late Night” featuring Carly Rae Jepsen and Robin Thicke.) Continue reading →
Are you feeling a feeling that’s not a very good feeling?
Do you have a friend who’s also feeling a feeling that’s not a very good feeling?
You can’t always be happy. Even if you live on Sesame Street.
That’s ok. God never asked us to be happy always.
Instead He calls us to be joyful in Him always.
There’s a huge difference.
Like Grover and Dave Matthews, we won’t always get what we wish for.
Sometimes that make us sad. Sometimes we need a friend to come by and remind us even though we don’t have a rocket ship, we’re still living on Sesame Street, and that in itself is pretty amazing.
It’s Friday. Your weekend may not have gone like you wanted. You’re not the superhero you want to be. But look around. Take just 60 seconds to count your blessings. You’ll be overwhelmed.
Find a friend who’s feeling the same feeling as you. Call them. Text them. Sit with them. Sing with them. Rejoice with them.
You may think you’ve made it through the week safely.
You may stand up before the world with the best of intentions, trying to make your audience laugh.
But watch out. Haters don’t take a day off.
Even with the best intentions and preparation you will still be booed. You will still be heckled. You may even fail completely.
If you fail today, take a lesson from great comedians like Jim Gaffigan and Patton Oswalt and fail spectacularly. Go ahead and bomb. Let yourself be knocked down a few pegs and rise up stronger.
And when it all falls apart, smile and remember you’re gonna make some great material out of this failure in the future.
Here’s the new plan: don’t waste your day in the shower. Make Friday count. Don’t spend too much time relaxing today that you miss out on opportunities to really get stuff done.
The weekend is coming in just a few hours. You deserve your weekend after all you’ve done this week. Enjoy it. Rest.
But you have just a little bit more to do. Go do it. Level up before you head home today.
POP GOD 