Kem Meyer on Less Clutter & Noise

Why I texttwitterfacebookbloggoogleustream...

It's true. I use them all. Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Jott, Spinvox, Xobni, YouVersion, Ustream and more.

At first glance, it seems completely contradictory to my mantra: Less Clutter. Less Noise. But, in reality, these technologies effectively help me to COMPRESS time, INCREASE my knowledge base, ORGANIZE my thoughts and calendar, ENHANCE my relationships and hold me ACCOUNTABLE. I link them all together, and set preferences to auto-deliver the stuff I need NOW and organize the stuff I'll reference LATER in categories. Depending on the circumstance and objective...I have both close and extended people groups, regular and intermittent interactions, public and private content.

There's no one size fits all approach for the "how to" of this concept. So don't ask for it. You can't make a well-informed decision from an explanation; it has to be experienced. The best advice I can give is to try one at a time and see how it fits.

There was an article in last month's Wired about using today's Web apps to separate out the good stuff. Some excerpts:

• We've hit this critical point where our ability to create information has outstripped our ability to manage it. Knowledge workers spend more time sorting stuff than actually using it.
• What I needed was some help-an assistant to do some sifting for me. Ding! Robot psychology. Awesome. Amplify human intelligence with machine intelligence.
• My Facebook page attracts my friends with whom I share social bonds. Meanwhile, my science blog attracts complete strangers with whom I share a common interest in a topic. Sometimes these strangers tend to tell me things and point me to links that are more useful than the social stuff on my Facebook. [Kem here: In my world...Twitter accomplishes both. It's the hybrid app for me; social and semantic.]
• Our information overload isn't going away. To find our way, we need a Web that organizes itself.

Emailing this post...

I've never emailed a post before so this is a test.

I'm just sitting in the salon keeping myself occupied. They've got a new guy here as an apprentice. Well, he's a guy/girl. His hair is bigger and blonder than mine and he wears more make-up than I did in 1986. He's very pretty but very confusing to look at. Not normal scene for around here. Trying not to stare. Very confusing.

Typed by "thumbs" on the go. Gotta love that smart phone. --Kem

Beloved rants from the boys at 37 signals

• Live a minimalist ethos.
• Simplicity is the most important thing in technology and it's only getting more important.
• A small group of 10 great people will outproduce, outwork, outthink a large group of 50 average people.
• Spread the gospel of radical simplicity.

From feature in Wired.

My Mother's Day...

I woke up and the kids had planned my day. They had the agenda waiting and ready for me when I came around the corner...

And, we did it all. It was great. The only problem is now it's 10:20 p.m. and the kids can't sleep because we took a great nap in the afternoon. Doh!

May days...

The weather is awesome in Granger this time of year. Here's a picture to prove it.

This photo was taken moments ago of the tree in my front yard right outside my home office window. Yeah. I've got a corner office.

Walk, run, fly, drive...don't miss it. And, catch these workshops while the flowers are blooming and the sun is shining. Bring your whole team and make memories. It's one day; FRIDAY MAY 30. You deserve it.

• Entermission with Rob Wegner. How do you get people out of their seat and into God's story in your community, region and world? Learn practical approaches to bring up there down here.
• Getting a Grip on Groups with Kathy Guy. What happens if you combine groups and care? Regardless of where people are at, they need relationships; it's the core of groups and care and counseling.
• First Impressions with Mark Waltz. Uh, WOW! Yeah. People can say that about church and each other. Find out how the small things make a big life change.
• Technical Arts Forum with Adam Callender. Hang with other tech arts professionals and discuss how to effectively use audio, video, lighting and auditorium technology and volunteers in your services. I heard Anthony Coppedge might be there in the group. Is it true?
• Simply Strategic Volunteers with Tim Stevens. Whenever I'm around Tim, I end up volunteering for all kinds of stuff and love it. Find out his secrets.   

I've changed my mind about podcasts...

I thought the audio podcast was losing steam. I was having a hard time finding a place for it in my schedule and flow. I know a lot of people listen to podcasts when they workout or mow the lawn, but that was boring for me.

Over the past few months I've really been having bouts with insomnia. I can't shut my mind off. It runs through things I'm excited about and things I'm tormented about. Basically, if I'm stressed, happy, sad, excited, neutral or breathing... I can't sleep. This problem is not new for me. What's worked for years is to read myself to sleep. But, I'm to the point now that I can't stimulate my brain AT ALL, or it's a deal breaker. Tylenol PM has stopped working. Ambien stopped working. Rx stopped working. Running myself to the point of exhaustion didn't work either. I had to try something new.

What's been working for the past few weeks is to flip through mindless magazines and look at the pictures until my mind eventually shuts down and I fall asleep. That's the win. The loss is that I'm losing the 1-2 hours of nightly reading time I used to look forward to. I'd smoke through books and periodicals to keep learning new stuff.

I'm still looking for my regular reading spot in the day...but in the meantime...I had to find something else to supplement that loss of substance. And, that's when I changed my mind about podcasts.

Every morning, I've got about 1 1/2 hours to wake up and get ready for the day; put on my make-up and what-not (I put a lot of effort into looking like I don't put in a lot of effort). I've been listening to some new podcasts and I'm LOVIN it. Great way to start the day. Here's a few on my rotation right now...

• Potential Podcast: The leaders @ Flamingo Road. I've been picking up some great leadership and multi-campus insights.
• Relevant Podcast: Companion podcast to the magazine. God. Life. Progressive Culture. And, lots and lots of laughing. I laugh OUT LOUD quite frequently listening to these guys.
• Ted Talks: Inspired talks by the world's greatest thinkers and doers. Technology. Entertainment. Design.
• This American Life: There's a theme to each episode, and a variety of stories on that theme. It's mostly true stories of everyday people, though not always. A different experience.

I'm addicted.

Say it simple, say it fun.

I was flipping through an old magazine loaded (I mean loaded) with ads for Christian books, conferences and events. They all wanted my attention. But, this one stood out.

It stood out because they weren't afraid to have some fun and be normal. The copy was simple, clear and yes, a little bit goofy. It has personality. I love to see that lived out in the faith.

Have some personality. Have some fun. Have some sheep.

Wayback story

Since we're on the subject of hip-hop, I thought it'd be fun to share a little story from 1985.

For a season in high school, I worked at Merry-go-Round at the mall. It was one of the early hip-hop fashion clothing stores and one of the coolest, happening places in the mall at the time. It was edgy. Adults and parents were afraid of it then like adults and parents are afraid of Hot Topic today.

Anyway, what's so hilarious about this story is that I worked there. I went to a school in the middle of a corn-field. Literally in the middle of a corn field. Many of my classmates drove tractors to school and were high ranking officers in FFA. I drove 60 miles round-trip just say I worked at this place.

It felt exciting and different. I wanted to stand apart from the crowd, be alternative. It was one of my first misdirected attempts to be part of something bigger than myself. And...for the record. I was a total poser.

So, this one night there was a big concert in town with Kurtis Blow and Whodini. They wanted to do some private shopping with their crews, so we shut the store down. There were security guards all over the place and long long lines of rap fans outside the store trying to get a glimpse of these guys.

And, then there's me. Perpetrating I'm all that inside the store hanging with the artists. I thought I was soooo cool. Nobody where I came from even knew who these guys were; I barely did. But there was buzz all around the movement and I was trying to be associated with it. I didn't think anybody would notice that I was really really really white and corn-fed. But, you know they were totally laughing at me on the inside...despite my really funky haircut with the long rat-tail.

Oh yeah...I had a rat tail.

Un.Orthodox Part Deux

Yesterday, I gave props to Pastor Tommy Kyllonen (aka Urban D) for his new book, Un.Orthodox. Watch the rap about the book. Over 40? Need help with the lyrics? It's worth it, pastor. Check it.

Here's some of my real-time highlights. Each bullet 'representz cause for pause and nodz'. (In case you missed it, that was my rhyme. Make some noise.)

• I love the church. I love hip-hop. These two statements together make sense on their own, but when you mix them together, the combination seems unorthodox. To many, it may even seem like an oxymoron. It may put concern in a church leader's or a parent's heart. I thought I needed to walk away from it and become like everyone else in my church. But God showed me I wasn't supposed to be like everyone else.
• Hip-hop's influence has crossed all geographical, economic and racial barriers.
• I always try to put myself in other people's shoes. I know I'm called to bridge gaps and to translate to different people groups. Sometimes it's to people in the culture as I break down the faith. Sometimes it's to people in the faith as I break down the culture.
• Some who claim Christ will make ignorant statements that hip-hop is from the devil. They'll twist history and say it even started from a false religion. They'll even go so far as to say it's unredeemable. It's an easy way for them to stick to their preferences and not engage with people who are different from them. [This applies to all of us in one way or another. Search me. Know me. Try me and see.]
• Just outside our window is a whole mission field full of hip-hop-influenced youth and adults who are without a relationship with Christ.
• Hip-hop is not just music; it's also dance, art, poetry, film, style and so much more. These things can be used as vehicles to engage people and to communicate and illustrate the gospel and its worldview.
• Un.Orthodox is a resource to help you navigate today's culture and see that it is reachable.
• Instead of worrying about people's needs, we can get focused on traditions instead of biblical necessities. That ain't right.
• Authentic ministry happens as strong relationships are built.
• Our Western culture is moved by tragedies like 9-11, the tsunami and hurricane Katrina but we quickly return to our daily routines. Our main problem is that we don't learn from our mistakes so we end up repeating history again and again.
• Urban is now more of a mindset than a location. Not only is the urban locale changing, but hip-hop, MTV and the internet have pipelined this lifestyle to the suburbs and beyond.
• What were Jesus' words? Go into the world to reach people and disciple them. Believers of different generations may have many different tastes and backgrounds, but there are still many things we all have in common. Fulfilling the Great Commission should be a centerpiece. How can we work together to fulfill our corporate mandate? It takes a lot of education and comfort-zone crashing.
• The modern church doesn't have room for a lot of questions. The modern church simply announces an idea, shares some proof and expects everyone to accept it. That used to work, but it doesn't any more.
• This generation is not scared to call you out or tell you how they feel. Nobody is sacred or untouchable.
• If you feel called to reach out and minister to this culture, you must be prepared to get int the trenches. You will face many obstacles. But God can do some incredible things. When you start effectively reaching out and loving people from this culture, they'll come and open up. Be ready to hear what they have to say. Be prayed up and ready for God to speak to you about some things you've never heard before. Some of it's real serious. Don't be naive about what people may be going through.
• Genuine commitment breaks down the free-spirited person who just wants to sleep around, believe what he or she wants and act on impulse. Past generations went through rebellious phases but eventually came back to the need for commitment. But, emerging generations have made non-commitment a lifestyle. Non-commitment isn't counter cultural anymore; it's an accepted characteristic of mainstream pop-culture, propagated by pop-culture messages. When commitment is modeled and presented in the right way, people see it as attractive and want in on it. Even though our culture is anti-commitment, all of us long for it internally.
• Remember Jesus was not a traditional guy! As a matter of fact, he was constantly in conflict with the religious leaders of his day because he kept challenging them.

Un.Orthodox

I got to be on a panelist for Outreach Magazine's Resource of the Year Awards. I wasn't a judge, and I didn't nominate any resources...that wasn't my job as a panelist. My job was to review finalists in the Target Outreach category and give my take.

This is my "advance reader" copy of Un.Orthodox, one of the finalists.

"Advance Reader Copy" means four things:

1. You get it before it's officially published.
2. It hasn't been proofed.
3. It might change.
4. It falls apart as you read it.

As you can see, the book was falling apart as I read it. But, I didn't read this book fast because it was self-destructing. I read it fast because it was good. Here's what I sent to Outreach after my review:

"One-of-a-kind; this book was refreshing, educating, entertaining, encouraging, practical and easy-to-read—yeah, all of that. Pastor Tommy Kyllonen equips church leaders and parents alike to understand and engage in the hip hop culture that’s in our schools, communities and homes. Grounded in a full-commitment to Christ and genuine love for hip hop, he makes a captivating case for one of the church’s biggest mission opportunities right outside our window. Using stories from his own life, the history of hip hop and his church, he shows how this movement transcends ethnic, geographic, generational and economic barriers. And, most importantly, walks you through what it looks like in worship, outreach, evangelism, service and discipleship. Shout out, Tommy. Much love for what you do."

It's an excellent read that challenges individuals, church leaders and parents to break out of their comfort zone to connect with the younger, emerging generation. It's smart. If you have any overlap, influence or connection with someone in the 11-30 something year old age group...you should read this book. I'm excited this resource is available.