Tag / Books

by Greg

Calling All Product Marketers and Salespeoples

After re-reading another composition (titled, “Substitutes“) that was compiled into the book There’s The Steeple… Here’s The Church that I published in 2006, I am again pondering the ways in which we can get the various products sitting in our storage areas into the hands of people who would be inspired by, be made to think by and just enjoy them.

The main way people “discovered” our creative works before was when we were touring the country and performing our music (and even speaking on occasion) at various events. This was certainly the best way. But with the addition of a child or two (or six) we have taken a major break from that and such venues are no longer an option.

We have websites. (Here and here, primarily.) We have sold our music via iTunes. That’s cool. But sitting here in my attic office are boxes and boxes of CDs, tapes (yep! we have tapes!!) and books.

So how do we get those out of storage and into grateful hands, hearts, and minds? Any ideas?

I’d be willing to listen to any ideas as I really do think people will still enjoy any and all of our products. We have 5 different albums of our original music (well, one is a Christmas CD with mostly original arrangements of familiar songs) and I have three books of collections of writings that are mostly short anecdotal writings on various life topics that will make you smile, and often make you think.

If you are a marketing or sales wizard, please drop me a line and let me know what you think might work. You can leave a comment here at this post, too. Any and all ideas are welcome 🙂

If you’re interested in getting your own copy, click the links above, or you can search for our stuff at Amazon.com as well… usually better to just buy from us at basicmm.com or, for just the books, here at gregshead.net/bookstore.

Thanks in advance for your help!

by Greg

Reposting: "Evangelists"

I’m not usually one to recycle here, but I’ve been reading a good deal more than writing these days, and one of the books I happen to be re-reading is the one I compiled a few years ago, There’s The Steeple, Here’s The Church. I had a chance over the past several months to revisit all my thoughts on the current way we Christians relate to God and his church, and so it’s been neat to re-read some of these chapters and think through the stuff God had me chewing on not that long ago.

The latest chapter I re-read was called Evangelists, originally taken from this post, and then a follow-up post. There was a pretty cool quote midway through the original article:

Life with Jesus is just that. Life. You can’t package it up. You can’t layout the perfect plan to follow so that you can have it. You can’t sell it, promote it, market it, label it, franchise it, brand it, advertise or really even pass it along. Just like I can’t pass along the relationship I have with Jen to anyone else, I can’t do that with Jesus. He and I have a unique relationship that you can’t have with him. Sorry… but it’s true. 🙂 He wants a better one than that with you. If you try to do life with him the way I do, it probably won’t work. It might for a while… but you’re just living a copy. He knows every intimate detail about you, and wants to relate to you personally and intimately. Sharing every bit of life with you, not just a few moments here and there, and a special dress-up occasion on weekends.

There’s more in the original article, but it was a cool reminder that our connection is not to a tradition or an organization or even to a pastor or teacher. We have a direct connection to the Vine. Each one of us. And it’s an everyday reality, not just our “spiritual life”. Jesus knows me, and I know him.

“And this is eternal life: That you know the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom he sent.” – John 17:3

If you don’t have a copy of my book, visit my online bookstore and either purchase or download a copy today. You can get a copy through Amazon.com if you’d prefer, but it’s cheaper through GregsHead.net. (Including a free PDF download if you’re strapped for cash) 😉

There are some good, easy to digest, but make-you-think short writings to read in that book, and I’d love for you to do so. (And I’d love to have a chat with you over anything that intrigues you as well.) So, have a look (go ahead and click right now!) and may you know him more every day.

by Greg

Speaking Engagement: Village Bookmarket

I’ll be talking about my book, A Journey Shared as well as self-publishing options in general at our local bookstore, the Village Bookmarket, tomorrow at 10:00am. If anyone in the Palmyra area would like to come join us, should be about an hour-long event, and I plan to really just field questions and see which way those attending would like it to go. I’ll talk about A Journey Shared, as well as my other two books. I’ll talk about this blog, and blogging in general. I’ll talk about social networking sites a bit probably, and I’ll talk about various self-publishing options if there are any there who would like to know such things.

It’s pretty neat that I have been able to publish three books over the past couple years, and it will be fun to talk about that process, and the content of the books as well. Since you are here reading what I write, I thought you may enjoy joining me for that fun!

Maybe see you there. And, if you didn’t know I had published three books, then… my page header and sidebar are not working… 🙂 You can click here to see all three books at Amazon.com… that’d work, too.

by Greg

Intake

For a long while now, I’ve been feeling a strong pull to read. Read anything, really. We have a lot of books in our house, so, when I see those I think, “Wow, I’d really like to just sit and read one of those right now!”

I’ve borrowed some books from the library lately, and read bits and pieces, but still haven’t made time to read. I have a book from a friend that he highly recommends, and it’s sitting here on my “to read now” pile… unread.

I have gotten to continue reading through Genesis again, mostly. That’s been nice. But just short bits mostly. Again, I really want to read more.

So what is holding me back? Life.

Not only are we busy with the five kids we currently care for, but we do enjoy visiting with friends as much as possible. There’s everyday stuff at home to take care of, as well as a busy season for my website design business … plus, it’s NHL Playoff time, so we’re frequently trying to catch those via the magic of Tivo… 🙂

There are just too many options. Way too many.

Add in all the electronic distractions… Madden games with the boys, other video games, using our Netflix subscription, other fun TV shows we like to watch on DVD or from iTunes… it seems to never end.

Soon it must stop. Maybe now.

Changes will be coming. This pull is very strong. I think it’s time for more/better intake.

I wrote a song this week. Haven’t done that in a while. I have lots of blog topics in the mental queue, but something else always comes up, and as I said, the pull to read and even just “disconnect” from electronic input is stronger.

Not sure exactly what it will look like, but … personal schedule changes are coming soon.

(Perhaps some of the results of more and better “intake” will be evident on the pages of GregsHead.net not much later?)

by Greg

A Journey Shared… Again

Yesterday a friend called and said that she had been reading my book, A Journey Shared, and was really enjoying. She talked about the conversational style of the writing, but how it made her really think about the content. I was really glad to hear it, especially almost four years now after I published it.

In fact, I was intrigued, so I picked up a copy of the book – one of the two we have in the house I think! – and read the brief introduction, as well as the first “chapter”. (Chapter is in quotes because they really are just short “entries” more than chapters, as a chapter seems worthy of more lengthy prose. At least to me.)

As I read the introduction, I was glad for what I had written. Made me want to read more. (Some of it was kinda funny… a little advertisement for iUniverse.com, the publishing company I chose… but, that’s nice too.) And, I thought about what my friend had said. She was right. It does make you think. 🙂

At the end of the intro, I recommended that people might buy a copy for a friend. Some have. But it’s been a long while since there was any talk about this little book. I thought it might be good to change that.

Below is the introduction to the book, A Journey Shared. You can purchase it in many places actually. Probably easiest via Amazon.com (linked to the right.) I actually don’t make much money at all from the royalties on the book, believe it or not. But I would love to hear that you have a copy, or gave a copy to a friend. There are some cool thoughts about life with God in there, and perhaps it would be an encouragement to you or someone you know.

As I say below, “This journey is meant to be shared.”

So, I wanted to share it with you… again. Enjoy.

Introduction
January 31st, 2005

Hi. My name is Greg. You have already seen my head, it’s on the cover of this book. This book has been an adventure for me. A Journey, as the title suggests. Most of the material published herein was first posted (grammatical errors and all) on my blog page. It has had several homes, but has finally rested at www.GregsHead.net.

I am a writer at heart. I always have been. From my earliest childhood memories, that is what I wanted to do! So, the advent of the blog page has been a wonderful thing for me – a simple, fast, and free place to write about anything and everything. And that certainly has been what you can find at that website. There is definitely a good reason to call the page “Random & Wandering Thoughts From Greg’s Head”.

But I began to hear from people. Some simple comments, “Hey, good blog!” But a few were more in-depth. Some people were really touched by my blogs. I have heard that several folks have used them as personal devotionals, or even devotionals for group meetings. That is so great! My primary purpose for writing these “blogs” is not really for the reader. It is, (read Audience) but mostly it is a way for me to process The Journey.

As comments continued to come in, a few suggested that I should print the blog for those who can not access the internet. (Namely, my Grandparents!) I thought it was worth checking into, so I did. I found iUniverse.com. They are the publishers of this book. They offered a great way for me to make the blog page (in an edited, and compiled, and organized way) available without having to go through a publisher who would require printing 1000s of copies up front! I did not want to do that. This way, the book will be available through my website, and through iUniverse.com and at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and more! Sounds like a great deal!

I am excited to share these writings in this format. As I went through and corrected spellings, and grammar and punctuations, and added or repaired sentences a necessary – I also got to relive the journey. What a year it has been. Every day with God is an adventure, but you string a year or a year and a half of those together, and you have quite a Journey.

And the Journey was meant to be shared.

You may not agree with all of the things I say. I have a friend who doesn’t agree with most of the things I say. But hopefully you will hear things from my Journey with our Father that will encourage you. That will ring true in you. That perhaps, you can share with someone else.

Thank you for purchasing this book. It certainly helps us when you do. I encourage you to purchase copies for people who may be strengthened by reading the life shared within. But money is not the goal with this book. If you can share my Journey with another, please do. Please visit the blog page. It is updated quite often. Please send a friend there.

The Journey is meant to be shared. So please do.

See you inside…
Greg Campbell

by Greg

Book Review: Dangerous Wonder

I finished the book Dangerous Wonder earlier this week, and just wanted to say a few words about it, and again, highly recommend the read. It’s actually a very short book, and full of very cool stories of people living life recklessly, irresponsibly, and altogether fantastically.

You might not think reckless and irresponsible would lead to “fantastic” but in this case, they do.

Mike Yaconelli presents a case for living life like a child. The last chapter kind of surmised the whole thing: be like a little kid. Jesus told us that we wouldn’t see the kingdom unless we did, and it’s so true. When we lose our kid-ness (and become “grown ups”) we forget what it’s like to trust, to play, to enjoy the moment, to be excited about the ordinary, and to be able to ask for help. All of those things are essential parts of life in the kingdom of God. And all are far too easy forgotten.

There were a few great, real-life stories of unabashed, unashamed grace and love shown to people – who did not deserve it. Usually from a child to an adult. You really need to read the book, but let me give you a couple examples.

He told of a type-A dad who had a very set routine every day when he came home from work. It was so set that his three-year-old son knew it by heart as well. One day, when he came home, the son came up to him and told him he had something for him. So he went over to the counter where the cookies were, climbed up (almost knocking down all the glasses) got a cookie… spilled the rest of them, but put them back… even poured a glass of milk for his dad – spilling a bunch on the floor in the process.

The best part of the story — the dad just smiled, and accepted the gift of love from his son! It would have been easy to criticize all the mistakes, and the mess… but in a moment of greatness, he just let his son love him. What a great story!

The other story was near the end of the book, and featured the author himself. He and his wife had taken in a teenage boy for a time who had an abusive, drunken father. He eventually went on his way, but as “luck” would have it, a couple years later, the author and his wife needed to have some flooring installed, and the only contractor available to do it was the “drunken father!” They protested, but the supply company insisted, it was him or a very long wait. They chose the drunken father, but kept a very careful eye on him, assuming he would somehow try to cheat them.

As the work progressed to the final stages, Yaconelli came in to inspect and said that he’d be in his office, so the contractor could come get his payment there. Drunken father replied, “Oh yes, I need to talk with you about the bill.” Yaconelli was infuriated and was certain that the man would try to weasel more money out of them – but he would hold firm!

When the man came in, finished with his work, he sat down and began writing out the bill. Yaconelli said he was quite ready to take on anything this guy had to dish out. But when the contractor finished writing, he looked up and said, “A couple years ago, I was a drunk, and I abused my family. You guys took in my son at a crucial time in his life, and saved my family. I’ve been sober ever since, and it has a lot to do with what you did for our family.” Then he handed them the bill marked “Paid In Full”.

That is just a perfect picture of grace. The unloveable was the one doing the loving. So cool.

Lots of great moments like that, and a reminder to live life to the fullest – like Jesus said he came to bring us – and definitely worth the read! Click the book cover above to buy a copy, or just check it out at your local library.

Next, in the queue… CS Lewis’ Screwtape Letters, as well as In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day.

by Greg

Christianity

Christianity is not about learning to live within the lines; Christianity is about the joy of coloring.

That is a quote from the chapter I read this morning from Dangerous Wonder. Jen & I were talking about this last night, how too often Christians are so concerned with what happens after we die, that we miss out on living life here and now.

Jesus was telling people about the kingdom of God once, and he said, “God’s kingdom is right here with you” (Luke 17:21 – link is to Amplified Version) As I read that line recently with our boys I envisioned Jesus pointing to his chest, meaning that the kingdom of God is more of a perspective … a way of thinking, living, interacting with God, the world around you, and others. It’s a heart issue.

I just liked the quote and wanted to share. May your day be full of joyful coloring!

by Greg

Currently Reading

You may have noticed that I added a “Currently Reading” section to the sidebar on the right. I thought it would be fun for you to sort of peek over my shoulder and see what’s going into my head these days. (Since this is “Greg’s Head dot net…)

I think maybe the book, Dangerous Wonder by Mike Yaconelli, affected my previous post, and has been reminding me again of the things that are important in my life. Namely, my family, and remembering to just live life with passion and fully enjoy it. To be like a little kid – fully loved by his Dad.

It’s a very good book. I have read it before and wanted to be reminded of these things again. Glad that I picked it up. Been reading a chapter each morning. Gonna try and keep up (at least) that pace for a while. Been missing reading.

I’ll likely have more to say when I finish the book in a couple days. For now, if you’d like to get your own copy, the little widget takes you right to Amazon where you can get one for yourself. I do recommend.

by Greg

Have a Listen

There's The Steeple... Here's The Church Audiobook PodcastI believe I have mentioned this here before, but with today’s (latest) chapter/episode, I felt it was worth repeating. I am working on creating an audio version of my book, “There’s The Steeple… Here’s The Church“, and have been publishing a chapter at a time via a podcast available at gregshead.net/church as well as iTunes.

Today’s chapter is called “Quantifiable“. It was fun to re-think the stuff I put in that chapter. God’s ways are so not ours… we tend to focus on visible, tangible – quantifiable – results, but that is not how his Kingdom works. He can take 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish and feed over 5000 people and end up with 12 baskets of leftovers. Numbers are pretty much irrelevant in his Kingdom.

So, each chapter/episode is about nine or ten minutes long (including the intro/outro) and it’s a cool, different way to re-think some of the stuff you’ve read here (long ago), and just stuff that – at least to me – seems relevant to everyday life with Jesus.

Just thought I’d remind you. Have a listen if you’d like. 🙂

by Greg

Various Endeavors

There’s been a bunch of randomness this week. Things are in a “down time”, or a “lull” in the web design world, so I have been taking advantage of that by working on some other projects that I ordinarily would not be able to give time to. Some of those include:

  • Trailer Refurbishment
    We decided to sell our basic trailer, since we have not used it (except as storage for our musical things) since February of 2005!! It is still in decent condition, and should sell for a decent price. I had to replace the thing on the front that raises and lowers it. The handle had snapped off, so the whole thing needed to be replaced. And since I was doing that, I ended up painting the whole front hitch assembly part. And the fiberglass top that had faded. My neighbor has been helping as well, and he helped re-fasten the loose light on the left side. I’m even taking off and cleaning/painting the tires! It’s been a bigger job than I thought it would be… but the trailer is going to look nice very soon!

    If anyone is interested in a 6 x 10 cargo trailer in very good condition, please let me know. I’ll be putting it on CraigsList.com as soon as it’s ready (very soon, once it stops RAINING!) so let me know before that. Just click the e-mail me links (top, and right column).

  • Blog Updates
    As mentioned recently, I have also been updating the right column of this site. Adding links to my various websites and just cleaning things up a bit.
  • Buffalo Bills Review
    The Bills season is upon us! Training camp starts in less than a WEEK! So I have been updating our website (BuffaloBillsReview.com) as well as doing a bunch of other behind the scenes things. We even decided to make some “staff” t-shirts (which I might make available to the general public later). We’ll wear them on visits to training camp, and pre-season games… a little advertising ploy… 😉 I’ll have a link up on the Bills Review site soon with a photo of the shirt, and maybe a link to order some.
  • There’s The Steeple… Here’s The Church Audiobook Podcast
    I have also had time to get a little ahead in the audiobook recording. Been posting chapters/episodes weekly. You can download them at gregshead.net/church or, just go straight to iTunes. This week’s chapter is actually part two of last week’s “A Bigger View of Church”. Includes an article by Wayne Jacobsen titled, “Living in the Relational Church”.
  • Selling Tickets
    One of the updates I made to our Buffalo Bills Review site was to add some “sponsors” down the right side. OK, they’re not really sponsors… but I am an affiliate of some sort for most of them, so when people click on banners those and use their services, we will receive a commission of some sort. Pretty neat!

    Anyhoo, one of them is StubHub.com. It’s a ticket reselling marketplace. So, you have tickets, you can offer them up for sale. You want tickets – to about ANYTHING – you can find them there! We purchased Bills season tickets and have been selling the ones to games we won’t be going to. It actually has worked out to make our tickets to the games we’re going to a bit cheaper! Fantastic! So, most of the ones we have listed are gone, but there are a few left! Head over to my Buffalo Bills Review site and check out StubHub.com! (Our tickets are in section 225, if you want those…) 😉

  • Making Ice Cream!
    I’ve kind of mentioned this already, but man, we’ve made more ice cream this summer than ever! Last night’s vanilla turned out awesome! The strawberry not as much, but it was still pretty good! The consistency is absolutely the hardest thing to master. I’m getting better, but still have much room for improvement. Oh well… guess I have to make more ice cream…. 🙂

The one thing I keep feeling the urge to do but have not taken the time to do yet is to work on our One Man, One Woman book. Several things recently have reminded me of the very cool lessons in trusting God contained in that book (that is not yet written). I think it may be time to flesh it out a bit more. I have more on trusting (or not trusting) God… but that’s for another upcoming post to GregsHead.net. Stay tuned…

Till then… time for some more odd jobs! 🙂