Here is the best content I consumed this past week...

Best In Writing

7 Creative Proofreading Tips To Transform Your Jaggedy Draft into a Polished Post

"We take for granted that the blog posts we interact with or spread around online make sense to us. Even if we disagree with a blog post’s author or misconstrue his intentions, we have still comprehended the text well enough to form an opinion about it."

Best In Marketing

Technology Marketers Urgently Need to Document Their Content Marketing Strategy

"Our research has shown time and again that marketers who have a documented strategy are more effective than their peers who do not — they face fewer content marketing challenges, as well."

Best In Science

Audio (Medium Length): Moon's Age Reveals Fine Tuning

Best In Images

Best In Faith

The Collision of God and Sin

"The Cross of Christ is the revealed truth of God’s judgment on sin. Never associate the idea of martyrdom with the Cross of Christ. It was the supreme triumph, and it shook the very foundations of hell. There is nothing in time or eternity more absolutely certain and irrefutable than what Jesus Christ accomplished on the Cross"

Best In Funny

Video (Short): The Danger of Wet Floors

Video (Short): Cell Phone Crashing @ Disneyland

Best In Trailers

Video: Jupiter Ascending Movie Trailer

Video: Honest Trailer for Frozen

What is the most difficult decision you have had to make?

So, there I was in the Arby's drive through lane. My radio was on, and the heater was blasting. My wife loves Arby's, and let's just say it is not the fast food restaurant I prefer. One day, she asked me to go to Arby's to get her Jalapeno Poppers and a Dr. Pepper. As I was ordering, I had a hard time hearing since the intercom was full of static. I figured, I had such a small order there would be no way they would get it wrong. I drove up to the window, and they handed me my order. 

As I drove off, I realized they did not give me a drink. I thought the order must have been wrong and so I drove back to correct it. Looking at my receipt, I saw the order was for chicken fingers. I had ordered a Dr. Pepper and Jalapeno Popper, so now I am wondering how I ended up with Chicken fingers. I went inside and after 15 minutes we resolved the discrepancy and I finally got what I ordered.

This is the Chaos Interface.

 

I was in chaos while I ordered, and the store had their own chaos in taking the order. For us both to get what we wanted out of the situation, it required additional effort, time and clarity as we sorted through our chaos. All of which, could have been avoided if we had not been in chaos. When we are not intentional while working with others, the chaos interface is the one we tend to fall into. 

Now, one of my favorite fast food restaurants is Chick-Fil-A. They have great food, service and ordering processes. 

When I go, I ask for the Spicy Chicken Sandwich with pepper jack and no pickles. While ordering, they ask me if I want the meal or just the sandwich. I let them know I would like the meal. They then ask me what I would like to drink, and I say I want a Coke. They then ask me if there are any condiments I would like with my meal, and I say Buffalo sauce. They let me how much my order will cost, and I proceed towards the payment window. 

This is the Filter Interface.

Chick-Fil-A has a process and regardless of my awareness or understanding of it, they lead me through it. They take me from my temporary state of chaos and put me into their state of order. In this transition, I choose to yield to their ordering process for a temporary amount of time so I can get my food. The filter interface is where one party has a clear process and they lead a guest through it. 

Now, after going to Chick-Fil-A regularly, I have learned their process. I know how they are going to take my order and it allows me to pro-actively give them the results their process generates. So now when I order, I say I would like a #3 with pepper jack cheese and no pickle. I will make it a meal with a coke. I would like Buffalo sauce and that will be all for my order. I say "thank you", and they say "my pleasure". I then begin driving towards the payment window.

This is the Direct Interface. 

The direct interface is when both parties are using the same process and definitions of words. When we operate in the direct interface we are exponentially more productive as the result of eliminated waste. 

The beauty of this productivity is not the time we save, but the time we can now use in building relationships with our team and clients. I believe we ought to be more productive at our work so we can give more time to people.

In your work, what interface do you operate in?

Here is the best content I consumed this past week...

Best In Purpose

Top five regrets of the dying

"A nurse has recorded the most common regrets of the dying, and among the top ones is 'I wish I hadn't worked so hard'. What would your biggest regret be if this was your last day of life?"

Best In Marketing

9 Best Social Media and Content Marketing Tips From Buffer

"We’ve experimented with lots of different content marketing methods at Buffer, so I wanted to share with you 9 of the best ways we’ve found to increase engagement and improve your content strategy."

How to crowdfund (and win.)

"Crowdfunding is a great way to raise funds for your next project, idea, start up, charity, or cause. But despite what many think, crowdfunding is not found money."

Best In Stories

"Starting in 2007, we set out to create a company we believed would take us towards our dreams & passions. Instead of arriving there, we arrived in a place of survival and isolation. Once we realized we had been going the wrong direction, we stopped and altered our course. We then set out to create a thriving company with purpose striving towards a unified vision. As we arrived at this vision internally, it led to an unexpected year of release where we would eventually let the company go. We share our story because we believe it will inspire others towards intentionality. This is our story..."

Best In Science

Hypernaturalism: Integrating the Bible and Science

"Though the views of naturalism and supernaturalism often pit science and religion against one another, hypernaturalism is proposed as an alternative that combines divine power and natural law. It is hoped that such a synthesis of science and faith can help religious people become more accepting of science, and place Christianity in a logical framework that the scientifically minded can accept."

Best In Faith

The Flood - Noah - A Deeper Look

"The March 28 release of the much-anticipated film Noah provides an opportunity to discuss the plausibility of such an event from a scientific and biblical perspective. What most people have heard or read about Noah and the ark from childhood storybooks onward strikes them as utterly preposterous. Not only does the story seem to contradict multiple disciplines of science, but it also seems to contradict the Christian doctrine of an all-knowing, all-loving God. With that in mind, RTB has dedicated a page of resources to help foster positive, respectful dialogue with truth seekers."

Being an Example of His Message

"As His disciples, our lives must be a holy example of the reality of our message. Even the natural heart of the unsaved will serve if called upon to do so, but it takes a heart broken by conviction of sin, baptized by the Holy Spirit, and crushed into submission to God’s purpose to make a person’s life a holy example of God’s message."

Best In Relationships

Five Communication Mistakes Almost Every Couple Makes

"No matter how in tune you are with your partner, misunderstandings and communication gaffes are always possible. Here are five of the most common, yet avoidable communication mistakes that could harm a relationship."

Best In Happy

Video: Parking Tickets That Make You Smile Prank

Video: From Bump to Buzz

Best In Trailers

Video: X-Men: Days of Future Past

Video: Edge of Tomorrow

Who are you serving?

We use a filtered water pitcher in our home. Our pitcher has two reservoirs. The top reservoir is where we add water, and the bottom reservoir is where the filtered water goes. The top only holds a fraction of what the bottom can hold. To keep the bottom full, we have to fill up the top many times, and the filter's slow pace means we have to wait a significant amount of time to fill the pitcher up once it is empty.

Keith Taylor, from Keith Taylor Photography, recently created this portrait for me. You can read the story behind the image here.

Here is the best content I consumed this past week...

Best In Marriage

Secret #9: Don’t Tell It Like It Is

"To have a happy marriage, you must treat your spouse with kindness instead of “brutal honesty”; although you must be able to be honest and transparent, address difficult issues, and/or joke around, be careful to never do it in a way your mate will perceive as hurtful or disrespectful."

Best In Choices

Confidence is a choice, not a symptom

"It's easy to feel confident when we're on a roll, when the cards are going our way, or we're closing sales right and left. This symptomatic confidence, one built on a recent series of successes, isn't particularly difficult to accomplish or useful." 

Best In Productivity

The Habits of Successful People: They Start Small

"After giving this talk for some time, Carnegie found that the attendees started discussing their experiences and some “rules” emerged. Eventually the talk became a course, and there was a need for a textbook of sorts. Here’s how the now famous book became a reality:"

Best In Short Films

Video: Most Shocking Second A Day

Best In Faith

THE PROBLEM OF CHRISTIAN UNITY (link no longer active)

"So much of the time we lack perspective in our inquiry. Our minds have the privilege of being pessimistic and skeptical about so many things. We demonstrate the tendency to focus exclusively on what is wrong, while we are seemingly oblivious to the those things which are right. All one has to do is reference their own marriage to see the truth of this!"

The Cost of Sanctification

"When we pray, asking God to sanctify us, are we prepared to measure up to what that really means? We take the word sanctification much too lightly. Are we prepared to pay the cost of sanctification?"

Affirmation Before Instruction

"A heart that yearns to learn listens best to instruction preceded by affirmation. Genuine encouragement lets another know we care about comforting their heart as well as teaching their mind. Yes, children especially need to be continually corrected, but not without a hug, a kiss on the head, or a compassionate look into their eyes. Language laced in grace gets the best results. Patience is wise to wait and pray before it says what it’s pondering. Affirm, then instruct."

The Discipline of Dismay

"At the beginning of our life with Jesus Christ, we were sure we knew all there was to know about following Him. It was a delight to forsake everything else and to throw ourselves before Him in a fearless statement of love. But now we are not quite so sure."

The Master Will Judge

"Paul says that we must all, preachers and other people alike, “appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” But if you will learn here and now to live under the scrutiny of Christ’s pure light, your final judgment will bring you only delight in seeing the work God has done in you."

What are you avoiding?

Pitching. It's the idea of doing something for someone without their involvement and then hoping it works out. It comes from a belief that our value, as a person, comes from proving ourselves through excellent performance.