I LOVE soccer…I mean LOVE it. The loss Sunday was tough for the USA Woman’s team. But it got me thinking about Hope Solo, anyone remember this comment she made in 2007?

“It was the wrong decision, and I think anybody that knows anything about the game knows that,” she said. “There’s no doubt in my mind I would have made those saves. And the fact of the matter is it’s not 2004 anymore. … It’s 2007, and I think you have to live in the present. And you can’t live by big names. You can’t live in the past. It doesn’t matter what somebody did in an Olympic gold medal game in the Olympics three years ago. Now is what matters, and that’s what I think.”

That’s Hope Solo RIPPING her coach about not putting her in, and saying she could of saved the goals…. well fast forward to 2011…. she didn’t. (Think of how less she would be embarrassed if she went to the coach in private?) Now she might be right, and the coach might be wrong. I know that I have said STUPID things in the past. In fact what I’m about to talk about, I have learned from experience myself and I tink this can really apply to 20 somethings as well.

1. What you say could be right, but HOW you say it and WHEN say can make it 100% WRONG.

-Yes what Hope said could be 100% right, but how she said it and WHEN she said it makes it 100% wrong. This is something I have learned, I use to be a HOT head…. I mean HOOOOOTTTT head. But God has taught me that even though what I said might be right, I was wrong because I was doing it in angry at the time. Think about the HOW and WHEN.

2. Learn the art of “shutting your mouth”.

-It’s hard but this will save you from things you will regret in the future. I have words I wish I could’ve had back. When in doubt, THINK, and take some time before opening your mouth.

3. Dealing with people is a ART, and takes TIME.

-Dealing with people in the right way takes TIME to learn, and time = age. One has to grow in wisdom before knowing the right way to deal with people. Also learning from people who are good with people is very helpful. Study these people and learn!

4. Talk in Private.

-After you have had time to cool down, and get some wisdom. Bring up whats bothering you! Go to the person, don’t be a wimp! But do it in private!

Hope these simple tips will help you have less regret and gain in wisdom…. I’m learning right with you!

This is a guest post from Stephanie S. Smith. Stephanie is a twentysomething writer, editor, blogger and independent book publicist. She runs her business, (In)dialogue Communications and is a blogger  at www.stephindialogue.com where she blogs about embodied faith, creative life, and millennial culture. Give her a follow on Twitter @stephindialogue. 

In high school I had a journal with a verse quoting John the Baptist emblazoned across the front, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” During my teen years, this was my creed: serving on the sidelines, pointing to Christ.

But this was before the advent of social media. Before I became a book publicist and promotion became my profession. Before I got wired to my laptop and began internally cheering at every blog hit, Facebook “like,” and new Twitter follower. It seems everyone is clambering in some way or another for influence, and I, like many writers and bloggers, began to develop a love/hate relationship with social media. To me it seemed like the two causes are held in tension:
How do we reconcile building our own platform and building Christ’s Kingdom? Are the two mutually exclusive or can they work in harmony?

As much as people might like to champion social media or blame it as the scapegoat for our culture’s vices, I’ve learned that social media is what you choose to make it. Like all things on God’s green earth, we can either use it as an instrument to further God’s Kingdom, or we can fashion it into an idol for our own self-worship. And the deciding factor is often a posture of the heart.
Back to John the Baptist, his life is a primary example of this. In John 1, the religious leaders insist on finding out who exactly this prophet is, and John replies by defining himself as the voice merely introducing another: “John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah, ‘I am the voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” (John 1:23). Like many authors, pastors, and bloggers today, John the Baptist was building a “platform” of sorts; Scripture tells us that when he preached, whole cities went to listen (Mark 1:5)! But John’s purpose was not to draw attention to Himself. He was preparing the way for a greater Word, a Word from heaven. John knew that he had a voice of influence, and he used it to usher people into the presence of the Savior.

The same choice is ours today in the digital realm: we can either use our voices of influence for our own self-promotion, or for a sacramental purpose: as an avenue of grace extending beyond ourselves. I know that I have been guilty in the past of using my voice simply because I had been handed a loudspeaker, but my online interactions were not ministering to anyone, they were simply adding to the noise (to borrow from a Switchfoot lyric).

I’ve learned that when it comes to social media and ministry, the medium is NOT the message. If we’re ever blogging just to fill the empty space, or speaking into cyberspace just to tally up our influence, we have forgotten the life-saving message of redemption. But there is a third way. Let’s use our voice to usher others into love, to speak truth and meaning, and to prepare the way for a greater Word.

Stephanie S. Smith is a twentysomething writer, editor, blogger and independent book publicist addicted to print and pixels. After graduating from Moody Bible Institute with a degree in Communications and Women’s Ministry, she now runs her business, (In)dialogue Communications, from her home in Upstate New York where she lives with her husband. She blogs at www.stephindialogue.com about embodied faith, creative life, and millennial culture, and you can follow her on Twitter @stephindialogue.

Forever ever….Forever ever….well maybe

Do you remember those days of childhood where you wanted to do everything yourself?
“No, let me do it” is a common phrase that is uttered out of most children around the age of 3 or 4. It is the age where life becomes more about experiencing then watching. You could say that the age of 3 or 4 is the ownership age.

No doubt as a young child learning and experiencing is apart of every day life. That stage continues as responsibility starts to grow. But at some point that ownership moves from experiencing to following through. There is no more cute smiles when you say “I got this” or “I can do this.” Just looks of waiting for you to either succeed or fail. The life of a 20 something is much like the stage of a 3 or 4 year old. A lot of “I can do this” and “I got this” type of response. But what if 20 somethings don’t got this?
What if we are not as great as we think?

As a 20 something I believe that we have some of the greatest potential and talent ever seen. We have grown up in the information age of the internet, social networking, and social good. Never has there been more chance to accomplish major things then today, and you can do them all from your living room. We are living in one of the greatest times ever!

All that stuff is great unless we fail to do anything. 20 somethings like to talk a big game but have been known to fail at backing it up. It is what the ballers call “bringing your game” (obviously I am not one of them because I used the term baller. please forgive me). But instead of looking at if our game is good enough (referencing fear, failure, insecurities) maybe we should look at if we think our game is too good. Because the attitude today is that most 20 somethings are unwilling to listen, undisciplined, and over promising and under delivering.

It is a catch 22 of sorts…
Having confidence but also humility.
Having courage but also grace.
Having ability but also vulnerability.
Having strengths but also control.
Having ideas but also patience.

Maybe the issue with 20 somethings and responsibility is not that we want to do everything on our own but more that we want to do something greater then ourselves and just need help getting there.

Am I alone in this?
Do you struggle with this catch 22s? Do you ever wonder if 20 somethings are as great as they think they are?

*kyle

We like nice and tidy.
Things
To
Have
Structure
And
Form.

But spend any time in the world today and you quickly realize that things are messy.

I was talking to a friend Saturday about leadership. And as we talked I started to realize there is a break down in what leadership truly is all about.

I think leadership has a lot more to do with vision then it does movement. Most of the time it feels like the word leadership carries with it the idea of action and movement. The the best leaders are the ones that are caring “their team” forward and pushing ahead. But I think leadership is much more about seeing the future then moving the future.

Here is an example. We look at thought leaders today not for how they created action towards the future but because they saw the future and then they moved.

The problem with all of this, I truly have no clue what comes first or what is correct. That is why this post is not nice and tidy. That is where you come into play.

Is leadership more about movement or vision?

*kyle

Check out this video. Start thinking about what you would say to the college you.

link to article here where video was found.
(ht Jeff Goins)

Dear college me…

Yup, I am going to be that forthcoming with ya. I think we are on that level right?

Simply, I want to write a guest post on your site. Why? Mainly because I want to get to know your community. I want to interact with them. Talk with them. Hear from them. Stir emotion from them. I want to be apart of what you have going.

You might be wondering, “I have worked hard to get this community and now this guy wants in?” Yup, I do. Call me pushy, but the only way I know to be apart of what you are doing is to be where you are at. The only way I know how to do this is to be apart of your blog through the comments (Which I try to do the best I can) and through being on your blog.

So I am putting it out there…I want to guest post on your site, will you allow me the privilege?

Here is even more backstory in to why I want to guest post.
I have this dream that one day it will be impossible for someone to say “I cannot find anyone to mentor me” or “I cannot find anyone to mentor”. Yes it is bold, but I believe that mentoring could be the very thing that changes the world. On this site, Standing on Giants, I mainly talk about 20 somethings, mentoring, and life. But this site only goes so far. The only way I know to take it further is to talk to a bigger audience. That is where you come in.

If you would be so kind to share your platform with me I would love to write about the following stuff…

Here is a working list of titles to choose from:
(more…)