Wednesday Morning Run-Down

• My book Church in the Making is out TOMORROW
• The early bird deadline for Whiteboard is TODAY
• Cannot wait for you to hear the completed stories of my Dream Year class come December 2010. It's only month three, and I'm blown away.
• When you're starting out, they dismiss you...
• When you're growing, they criticize you...
• When you're successful, they resent you...
• Being dismissed is the easiest of the three, so savor this season, my fellow dreamers.
• John Saddington missed a career in parkour
• If you're anywhere near Portland, my friend Jordan Chesbrough is an amazing photographer for hire. If you live anywhere else, his design work is stunning.
• My friend Joan Ball's new book wins for best cover art. Joan is a writer for Beliefnet and a former atheist.
• The Boom De Ah Dah phenomenon
• There's a regular at Starbucks who looks like a UFC fighter and speaks with a Russian accent. Yesterday, I spotted a gun tucked into the back of his pants.
• Incidentally, there's a Russian prostitution ring in Va Beach. I'm sure Money Magazine didn't factor that in when they ranked this the #1 place to raise a family.
• The STORY website launches in a few days.
• That Gordon Ramsay show about restaurant make-overs is awesome. I'd love to do that with church plants. "Hell's Church Plant" ... er ... =)
• Two years ago, I described the premise of Church in the Making to a leader in the Exponential Network and he looked at me and said, "Who cares?" Ouch. No hard feelings, but I do hope you'll help me show him just who.
• There's going to be a whole generation of kids who despise their fathers' perceived workaholism... but it'll turn out they were just twittering.

Comments

[Eric Partin]

Ben, I read the first segment on amazon. I love it. I am on a leadership team for ARC called the A-Team. I do some of the assessments of the new planters as well. I can see how this book will probably become one of our must reads. I can't wait for it to come out tomorrow. BTW, is it going to be available on Kindle?

[Ben Arment]

Awesome Eric. Great to hear from you. I'd love to somehow make spiritual receptivity, social momentum, and context part of cp assessments. I haven't heard from B&H on the Kindle edition... will let you know if I do.

[Dale Schaeffer]

Ben,
Same deal at Eric here. Love the concept, and the series of posts you've been doing based on Church in the Making. I lead a church planting network in Illinois and we're already recommending your book as reading to potential planters...in fact just recommended it yesterday over lunch with a planter. I'm also looking for a Kindle edition (and requested it on Amazon).

[Ben Arment]

thanks Dale... I think if wonderful people like you keep asking for it, it'll happen.

[Chris]

Ben,
Congrats on the book. Looking forward to reading it. Church planting books can be a bit stale. Your approach seems fresh.

BTW- Seth Godin just called and I think he is jealous at how well you worded the part where you talked about "when you're starting out, when you're growing, and when you're successful" :)

Good stuff there man.

[kendra]

hey, if you ever do that church planting make-over show, sign me up. the things i could tell you... :)

[Chris Reardon]

I'm anxiously awaiting for "Church in the Making". Pre-ordered mine from Amazon.com and hoping it ships soon.

[Chris Reardon]

And if your going to do a Kindle Edition...Put one on the iPad please. I'm anxiously awaiting to get mine as well. Thanks!

[Ben Arment]

thanks Chris! An iPad book gets my vote too

[robb overholt]

Think I might prefer resentment to being dismissed.

[Allan W.]

Literally? This person said, "Who cares?"

You know, when you get dissed like that, it makes me feel just a bit better for getting attacks for pushing the envelope. Being a pioneer can be really lonely.