Last week Peter was working late. It was quickly approaching dinner time so I called to see how much longer he would be. Lots longer. In a stroke of brilliance, Peter suggested I take Morgan on a date.

Morgan, my 10-year old son, was the only child at home that night. His sister was at camp and two step-siblings were at their mom’s house across town. Date night sounded like a great idea so off we went to La Caretta, our family favorite.

In less than 48 hours, we would be dropping off Morgan and his sister to spend six weeks in Indiana with their dad. Date night timing couldn’t be better. As we enjoyed each other’s company, these are a few of the lessons I tried to impart to Morgan:

1. Focus on the other person. The best way to get to know others is to focus on them, rather than dominating the conversation.
2. Ask questions. Whether you’re on a date or in a business setting, it’s always a good idea to ask questions that allow people to talk about what’s important to them. I asked Morgan about his day camp experience and about his newest toy fad.
3. Remember names. While we were at the restaurant, I called our servers by name. (Did I mention it’s our family favorite?) We saw some friends and I reminded Morgan of their names. When we stopped by their table on the way out, he could call them by name.
4. Always pay. Call me old fashion, but I still think the man should pay for dates. (It’s nice for a lady to offer to pay and I suppose if she initiates the date, she should offer/be prepared to pay. Maybe I’ll revisit this conversation in August when he returns.)
5. Trust Jesus; He’s the real deal. The mere fact that Morgan would be gone for six weeks reminded me that date night could be a good time to reinforce key values.

After we left the restaurant, we went to Givens Books and I purchased The Dangerous Book for Boys, thanks to a referral from a Twitter conversation. At the last minute Morgan decided he wanted to watch one of his favorite movies from when he was (really) little. Hollywood Video didn’t have it so we went to Blockbuster. Score! (Last minute choices may be the only down side of Netflix.)

Who knew Land Before Time would be the perfect ending to a mother-son date? In her last words, Little Foot’s mother took the time to teach a few important life lessons as well.

Have you been on a Mother-Son or Father-Daughter date? If so, tell me about it! What life lessons did your parents share with you (or do you wish they had shared with you)? What lessons are you intentionally sharing with your children?

While driving home from a recent lunch meeting, a weird thought popped into my mind. What would Jesus tweet? (Maybe you’re familiar with the whole WWJD craze, which admittedly, has been quite cheezy at times. Catchy though.)

Let me say right off the bat with the disclosure that I’m not a theologian. I don’t pretend to fully understand the many great mysteries of the gospel. As Paul said, “I see through a glass dimly.” This post is meant to be fun and engage people in conversation.

By way of background and according to their website, Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick (140 characters or less), frequent answers (tweets) to one simple question: What are you doing?

People use Twitter for far more than answering that one question. Twitter has become an online gathering place. According to Tech Crunch, as of March 2008 Twitter had more than 1 million users who produce more than 3 million tweets a day.

Those numbers are growing rapidly.

Perhaps before I ask “What would Jesus tweet?” I need to first ask the question, “Would Jesus even tweet at all?” After all, Jesus’ lengthy “Sermon on the Mount” couldn’t be summed up in 140 characters. Jesus engaged in real conversations and in-depth teaching.

Sermon length aside, suppose Jesus would be an early adapter and therefore, would sign up for a Twitter account in the first place. After all, Jesus often related to people in ways that differed from the expectations of those in the mainstream. And He had followers. Lots of them. How would Jesus have used Twitter?

Clearly define purpose/mission:
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
I am the Good Shepherd.
I am the Gate.
I am the Bread of Life.
I am the Vine.

Additionally, Jesus was pretty good at cutting to the chase. He challenged and encouraged his followers then, as now:

• Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind & strength. Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matt. 22:37-38)
• Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. (Matt. 20:26-27)
• With men this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible. Matt. 19:26
• Your sins are forgiven. (Mark 2:5)
• You give them something to eat. (Mark 6:37)
• But who do you say that I am? (Mark 8:29)
• With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible. (Mark 10:27)
• Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I’m here inviting outsiders, not insiders—an invitation to a changed life, changed inside and out. (Luke 5:31)
• Which is easier to say? Your sins are forgiven or rise up and walk? (Luke 5:23)
• Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. (Luke 6:27)
• Her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little. (Luke 7:47)
• I have come that you might have life, and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)
• A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another. (John 13:34)

What do you think? Would Jesus use Twitter? Why or why not? And if so, what would He Tweet? How can you follow His example to communicate clearly, in ways that make an impact in your business? In your life? In the lives of others?

Whoever coined the phrase “one size fits all” was a marketing genius. He or she was inaccurate, but since when does marketing have to be accurate?

God simply did not create us all the same. Yet for some reason, we still try to be like everyone else. This point was brought home to me recently while I was attending a ladies retreat.

During a particularly intense time of prayer on Friday evening, Joy Greene, the speaker, said she could just see Jesus as the King of Kings, sitting on the throne. She encouraged us to focus on that aspect of God. I was in the moment, praying, but all I could see were the shadows you see when you close your eyes tightly. No matter how hard I tried, I saw nothing.

The next morning during the praise and worship time, capably led by Treva Tankard and Tara Garrett, a picture popped into my mind from out of nowhere. It had nothing to do with the music or what anyone was saying, or so I thought. I saw the Pillsbury Doughboy and even heard his famous laugh. The picture was so vivid that I wrote it down in my journal, mostly so I could stop being distracted and focus on the rest of the day.

At one point during the afternoon session, Joy said, “We must have fresh bread.” She challenged us, saying God is taking us away from the manna and into the Promised Land. And then it hit me. Jesus said in John 6:48, “I am the bread of life.”

I was blown away. Here I was, all disappointed because I didn’t see Jesus as the King of Kings. Then I’m a weirdo because I see the Pillsbury Doughboy. The truth is, God revealed Himself to me in a way that was unique to me, to this part of my journey and based on the words I need to hear.

As I look at marketing my business, speaking and writing, I don’t fit neatly into anyone else’s mold. If I try to be like someone else, I’ll be frustrated and unsuccessful. I’m not a social media expert like Chris Brogan. I’m not a minister like Jon Swanson. I’m simply a Christian, following a call to use the gifts and talents God has given me to make a difference in the lives of others.

When have you tried to be like others and failed? What are your gifts? How are you using those gifts to make a difference in the lives of others?

I used to know a poem by Ann Kiemel, “Uniqueness.” Only the beginning and ending are still in my memory. “God wishes for you adventure in your uniqueness…never losing sight of the fun of you or who He created you to be.” May it be so for all of us.