Luke Duncan

I’m not blogging much these days, at least not here.

Most of my internet activity is taken up in Twitter and Facebook, both for work. Join us on our Southern Growth Studio Facebook group to share links and join conversations about marketing and product innovation.

And stay tuned for the inevitable revival of this blog, to be followed by another painful month of neglect and posts about how I don’t post anymore. It’s the circle of blog.

But I may surprise you yet.

Here’s one of Daisy for the road, looking jaded at how lame this blog has become in recent months:

You may not know this about Sarah, but she’s a shopping genius. Most recent example: Today she turned $30 worth of yard sale books into $180, all in 30 mins. Neighbor across the street is having a yard sale with textbooks, Sarah stops by to browse and chat, comes back to the house and clicks around the ‘net a bit, heads back over with $30 in hand, and returns with $180 worth of books. Simple as that.

And here’s the best part: No eBay or Half.com to deal with. We just box ‘em up, print a free shipping label, and receive the check in a month. We’ve done it many times before. You don’t get as much, but you also don’t have to wait for textbook season to roll around, send emails to buyers, pack the books individually, run to the post office each time you sell one, etc.

Way to go, baby!

We should use the money to build a sweet soap box racer for Booneville’s upcoming Soap Box Derby.

This looks so awesome. Description from the site, where you can also download some plans:

The Booneville Lions Club Soapbox Derby is set for Friday, May 23.
Please click the link below for detailed rules, regulations and the official Soapbox Derby entry form. If you have any questions call Tommy at 662-416-9444 or Ed at 662-728-8800.
Must be at least six years old to race.

Who wants to be pit crew?

For my own future reference, here are the new hours of Pancetta Ranch at Stan’s Country Store along Hwy 6 in North Mississippi. The best meat in North Miss. Bacon, country ribs, ground chuck, ribeyes, T-bones, pork chops and loins, sausage. All fresh from Stan’s farm.

Sarah just hit on this. Do you notice any musical affinities between this:

And the end of this:

Very interesting…

And maybe an echo again in this:

But that’s a stretch.

So great of you guys to keep coming back to the blog, even though the updates are few and far between. Anyone want to write some guest posts for me? I can guarantee you no fewer than 12 hits per post. Anyone?

Sarah’s at a retreat tonight, so Daisy and Gidget and I are watching movies and barking at noises outside. Also watching the DirecTV channels above 300, where things get really wild: World Harvest Television, BYU Television, and so on.

Just watched Blades of Glory, which made me laugh a lot. I’ll probably watch it again. Yeah. Now for some Letterman.

Lots of watching. What you watchin’?

I need your help. I’ve taken it upon myself to write a mission statement for our church’s Benevolence Committee, which I also want to rename to Service Team or something less corporate. An elder saw an earlier draft and asked (quite reasonably) for some more scriptural support, which I’ve included.

Take a look at the draft below and make suggestions how to improve it without adding length. Don’t be shy. Are the scriptures right? Is the focus correct?

I could also use help with the name. Service Team is less corporate but it’s still vague.

[OCOC means "Oxford church of Christ"]

———

We hope to be guided by the goals below, all of which grow out of our vision statement:

Providing a cup of cool water to those who truly need it, without expectation of return.

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” (Matthew 25: 35-36)

Broadly stated, our goals are these:

1) To bring people to Christ by serving the needs of the community, stepping out of our comfort zone to make a personal connection with the truly needy.

On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” (Matthew 9:12)

2) To grow the congregation spiritually by involving them in meaningful, long-term works of service.

But give what is inside the dish to the poor, and everything will be clean for you. (Luke 11:41)

3) To especially grow the youth and instill in them a sense of their calling in the area of benevolence.

For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have. (2 Cor. 8:12)

4) To build bridges among other OCOC committees and teams to support them in their efforts at evangelism, teaching, etc.

Just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. (2 Cor. 8:7)

5) To grow the reputation of Christ (and by extension the OCOC) in the Oxford community.

“What marks us in the eyes of our enemies is our loving kindness. ‘Only look,’ they say, ‘look how they love one another’” (Tertullian, Apology 39).

We hope to move beyond Band-aid benevolence that fails to address the root problems and into a meaningful and effective expression of Christ’s compassion.

———

So what do you think? Leave me a comment on how to improve it without adding length.