Comment from www.tennessean.com
It’s not just the economy that has affected this firm. I have many friends who have worked for BSSB/LifeWay over the years. A decision was taken in the early 1990′s to walk away from its distinctive Baptist identity (the renaming from Baptist Sunday School Board to LifeWay), and identify itself as a generic provider of product to the evangelical marketplace. It abandoned its core loyal following in the attempt to to chase after a market it did not know, and which did not know it after it attempted to change its identity. This approach proved unsuccessful, to state it mildly.
Several reorganizations followed, consolidations and downsizings, as it attempted to recover from this blunder. Amongst the executives fired was the guy who susequently oversaw the marketing of one of the best selling books of the past twenty years, in any market. He had attempted to place the book at Lifeway, and they would have none of it.
Economies go through cycles, and we’re definitely heading through the down cycle just now. But this firm’s woes run much deeper.
Let’s wish them well, and hope they get their legs back under them.
8/2/2008 8:57:20 PM
Sunday
So Im starting to get the house in order for me to be in and out this summer. Mowed the lawn down made sure all laundry was done and cleaned out the fridge of things that I didnt know what they were. So that is complete. Im now sitting on a couch just waiting for monday to come. I asked a friend last night if it easier for people to get together now than our parents time or harder. Here is what I find interesting. Thee are a lot of nice people out there. The law of attraction is a strange thing. While nice attraction is difficult thing to have. I wonder what the things are that attract you to people. Is it a smell, a look, eyes, hands, laugh, personality. What are the things that attract you to other people. I’m attracted to playful people. Make your own definition of that. So on with the night. I’m about to watch this film called recount. Its about the 2000 elections. I’m going to concentrate on that now.
Sunday tv night
Oprah’s big give is about to come on and I’m watching Bourne Supremacy. Just like last week I will be tracking along with that show and do a sorta real time blog with it. I was coming home today from a chicken place and heard a song that reminded me of a phase that I went though. Wait let me tell you the lyrics and see if you can guess. “That’s my house and that’s my car and that’s my dog in my back yard there’s the window to the room where she lays her pretty head” Yup country music. I went through this crazy time where I listened to country music. Now I wouldn’t say that I bought a single cd. I didnt do that but I did know the words to many songs. I guess Im a lover of music right even the kind that if I walked into a bar that served that client el I would be stop people in their tracks. Oh the early post was a slide show that I created I think 2 yrs ago. Ah the memories. Ok the DVR has started I’ll let it go for about 15 minutes then let the fun ensue. I guess I’ll need to start dvr bourne wait I own that movie. Ok be back in a bit.
Sundays are for lovers
I will bear the indignation of the LORD Because I have sinned against Him, Until He pleads my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me out to the light, And I will see His righteousness.
You ever sit in a dark room trying to believe this is true. Life is a funny thing. One day you are floating high the other you are wondering what went wrong. Now hold on before you go to your prayer closet to try to figure out what’s going on. I’m sitting on my couch in a home that God has given me looking at the birds fly into my backyard and I wonder what did I do and did to deserve all of this. I mean come on what am doing here. I wonder what my life would have been like 13 years ago if I never took a friend’s offer and joined up with the place I work now. Would I have never met some great friends would I never been able to travel. Im not really deep in thought right now just sitting watching House on the dvr and trying to think what I should do today. So far I have made chocolate chip muffins a cup of coffee and catching up on tv Ive missed.
I’ll be back a little later. What ever happened to this girl. I think she is still in atlanta. She used to work for the company I work for. Kristi. I never asked about her name. I took these for her a while ago and lost originals these are from my flickr.
(Watching Madea’s family reunion right now)
So many things
First I’ll start with a hug.
Sitting out side the Starbucks at five points with the song of “People need the Lord” running through my head as Damien Rice plays in may ears. Looking through podcasts about Moral failure in the church. Strange morning. Just watched a girl who just went running come back within 5 minutes run to her car and drive away. Listening to the crazy homeless guy walk in and out yelling something about a lady and how she wont’ stand for it. Watching couples walk into that pancake place. White men black women, black men white women, Asian woman white men. Here his comes again. I moved from my previous location because of the noise level. Wow that starbucks plays some loud tunes. Don’t know when shops like that started. I don’t’ live in a big city. No where near it. But I’d only move from downtown for love. That just made me laugh. I still remember what its like to be in love. Seriously real love. Well lets say I didn’t fall out of love it just changed. You never really stop loving people right? Maybe that is another conversation. So I’m sipping my Carmel something working on editing a paper that I just decided to stop. Young girl just came in to get coffee and knows an older guy here. They hugged and walked out. The guy he was sitting with feels cheated. Threw his hands up and is now staring out the window. So I decided to stop. Figured while rice is playing in my ears this is a good time to write. So sipping coffee. Have you heard of this thing about dead people living on because they have a myspace. Saw that the week that, that bus went off the highway in Atlanta.
Realized something the other day. I’m a Christian. Part of a faith that is practiced around the world. One that people have started wars about brought aid in the name of and tried to change the world because. Amazing. He’s back again. I have my headphones on now so I really don’t know what he’s saying. Amazing. I go to church at night now so I don’t feel guilty for sitting in a Starbucks on a Sunday morning thinking about my Christianity. Amazing. The spurt is gone. Fall in love again. I think I could do that.
Still thinking about this
Sitting out side of Starbucks on a Sunday morning. Just finished some homework so I thought it would be a good time to update. I watched the movie Babel over the weekend. I see why it was nominated. No real full stories were told and they were told in their language. No English accents for someone from Egypt. So anyway. Great film. Although I was really depressed at the end. Thinking about world affairs and such. I said to someone the other day that I would like to have a house filled with people from all over the world. I think the one thing that I would make my kids do is travel to different parts of the world. If there is anything that I believe you should spend your money on its that. It changes you. About a year ago I got hooked on being in different cultures. I would say that I had fun every time. What I did have was a story. I have some friends that are in a place where they are unhappy in their jobs and life and feel that they should be doing something else. That they were meant to be doing this or that. That moving will solve that. I think you have to come to a point where life is more than what you do. I used to think about that stuff everyday. Christian soapbox for a second. If Mathew 28:19 is part of your life well you’ve got your job. So if that is so then all you are doing is building places to do that. Its funny when you strip away Southern fried Christianity you know pink hair..gold chairs…holy healing water…and you get to the raw fact that its real. Its all real. The stories that you were told in Bible school…the fact that you are change…the fact that some days it isn’t’ so easy and no one promised you a perfect life….I don’t know what that all means yet other than I try every day sometime struggling with the same thing….tba…getting hot sitting outside. I’ll finish this later….Got some new stuff happening in my life right now….good new…
Sunday Church
Today I started my series. These are some of the first test shots. I think I need to get closer. Maybe see if I can get inside the church for the first part of the service. Well here they are. Any advice would be welcomed. Forgot to say this. I’m also thinking of doing all black and white. I thought of this when someone said that Sundays in Birmingham are one of the most segregated days of the week. We’ll see.
