Thinking Blogger Award

My second cousin, Jane Ann (she goes by Jane but I have known her all my life as Jane Ann so its hard for me to change) nominated me for a Thinking Blogger award.



I am honored. Though I wonder if it some ways its like how one time I was nominated for "Outstanding Young Man in America". I think it might be just a pyramid thing to get me to buy a paperweight. But since there is nothing to buy here, I will fulfill the condition of my nomination and nominate 5 other blogs as "Thinking Blog". Their condition will be the same to link back to this post and nominate 5 other people.

1. On the Global Road - "Conversation, information, and random trivia about the reality of Jesus among the students of the world." Okay this may seem like total brown-nosing but this is my boss' blog. Keith Bubalo is the National Director for the Worldwide Student Network. (I am on the National Team as his SHERPA.) He is new to blogging as he just started last month but I have been on WSN team with him since 1999. Few people make me laugh harder and challenge me more. He is by far the most encouraging leader I have ever worked under too.

2. On Leading Well - Ken Cochrum who is now one of the VPs for Campus Crusade was my regional director for a year when I was in Asia. I got kicked out of the country and he got promoted to National Campus Director. I wonder if there was a correlation? Like Keith, Ken is new to the blogsphere but he just has some really cool thoughts on leading well... hence the name.

3. Eric Swanson - Okay there is a running theme here. Eric was my director for the 5 years prior to Ken. I was a Campus Director and he was my regional director. Actually Eric is the reason I am in Colorado. Back in 1990, I was on summer missions project with him and I learned more in that one summer about leading than I ever had. I wanted to learn more at his feet which I get to continue to do through his blogs. Like Keith, Eric is extremely funny and you see his humor throughout his blog. But then he writes some profound things that will knock your socks off.

4. On Movements - Jay Lorenzen who authors this blog is a retired Air Force Colonel who taught at the Air Force Academy. He too is on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ and is a guru on leadership. I could sit under Jay's teaching every day and twice on Sundays. He just joined forces with another of my bosses, Chip Scivicque, to help lead a charge to combine the compassionate words and deeds of Christ. Jay's blog is deep and like taking a class on spiritual movements and leadership. I wish I could get seminary credit!

5. The Burning Hearts Revolution - Matt Mikalatos is the WSN Director in the Greater Northwest Region. (I am Associate Director in Great Plains.. so he is two steps above me... No Associate and Greater as opposed to Great.) Matt's skills run from translating Jonah from Hebrew to publishing science-fiction novels to figuring out "LOST" to being a daddy to two little cute girls. We have worked together on the last two summer training venues for those preparing to lead one-year (STINT) mission teams. Matt has a very deep walk with God and could hold his own with Eric and Keith in the humor department. You get a wide range on his blog which he posts almost every day.

Congrats guys! The paperweight will be in mail. Don't forget to link back here and nominate 5 others.

Honorable mention:
There are also a ton of others I could nominate and sure I have left off some good ones that make me think. Among those are World Changers, MovementsEverywhere , Craig Johring, Joe Cross Blog, Blah Blah Blog, GPI Gravel Road, Inspirvival, Coram Deo , Lil Mookie's Messed Up Mind and pretty much all ones from other cousins and my great aunt. I need more paperweights!