If you have begun to read my blog regularly, I hope that you are beginning to see the value of blogs all over the web.  There are blogs that cover practically every topic you can think of.  Want to read a blog about sports?  Here’s one.  Want to read a blog about the iPhone? Here’s one.  There are even blogs about blogs…like this one.  Crazy, huh?  Some blogs write long posts.  Some write short ones.  And, they’re all pretty valuable in their own way.  So anyway, here’s a short list of my favorite blogs (for right now anyway):

1. Seth Godin – The guru of marketing.  His blogs are short, and they challenge you to think outside the box.
2. Tony Morgan – This guy is a church strategists.  Some of you might not understand what that is, but his blog is full of church-related insights.
3. Ed Stetzer – This guy leads the research department at LifeWay. His blog is church-related with a research and missional emphasis.
4. Church Crunch – This is a techie blog for churches.  Very helpful for a guy like me.
5. Michael Hyatt – This guy is the CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers. His blog has a wide range of emphasis, but it’s pretty insightful stuff.

So, how about you?  What are your favorite blogs?

Can you believe it?  Friday is here already!  Actually, it’s almost over.  So, it’s time for another set of Friday Favorites.  Twitter was an active part of this past week for me so I’ve decided to return to some of my favorite tweets.  Plus, this gives you a glimpse of some of the people I follow.  Enjoy…and let me know which one is your favorite.

1. leopercer
   “A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and as long as you’re looking down, you can’t see what’s above you.” C. S. Lewis
2. ChickfilA
   @johncmaxwell: Leadership is ab influence & u earn influence by connecting. Connecting is ab others & requires energy. #cfaleadercast
3. johncmaxwell
   Success does not cause failure. Hubris (arrogance) born of success does. – Jim Collins #cfaleadercast
4. johncmaxwell
   The most called-upon prerequisite of a friend is an accessible ear. –  Maya Angelou
5. YouQuotedQuotes
   I had rather do and not promise than promise and not do. ~ Arthur Warwick
6. leopercer
   Thomas á Kempis—”Adversities do not make a man frail, they show what sort of man he is.”
7. YouQuotedQuotes
   The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind. ~ Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
8. YouQuotedQuotes
   Seek First to understand, then to be understood. ~ Stephen Covey
9. YouQuotedQuotes
   He, who moves not forward, goes backward. ~ Johann Wolfgangvon
10. erguncaner
    Faith  Fact: Earth is the only planet in our system not named after a mythical god. “The earth is the Lord’s…” (Ps 24:1)

So, I’ve recently discovered a new business in town that makes me happy.  And so, I was thinking that for this installment of the Friday Favorites I would share with you one of my favorite local establishments.  For those of you who live near me, go and support this business.  For those of you who live elsewhere, I’m sorry.  You’re on your own.  So, here is one of my favorite local businesses.

Favorite Gas Station – RaceTrac
So, my favorite gas station used to be 7 Eleven.  I mean, who doesn’t like a slurpee every now and again?  But now, my favorite is RaceTrac.  It’s not the biggest or newest in town, but there are several reasons I like it most.  First, this summer they’re running a special deal.  Buy a keeper-cup, and you get free refills all summer!!!  What a deal!  That’s what initially got me coming there frequently, but soon I realized there are many other reasons to frequent this place.  Second, they have a slurpee-like frozen beverage that tastes like Dr. Pepper.  It’s awesome!  Third, there are always plenty of employees on duty there.  So, it’s safer, cleaner, and better stocked.  That’s better customer service!  Fourth, my daughter recently needed to go to the bathroom badly so we hesitantly took her inside, expecting the typical gas station restroom… yuck-tacular!  But, to our surprise, it was clean… really clean… even smelled that way.  Needless to say, that left a good impression on my wife.  Fifth, last night I was there getting my free refill (my “freefill”), and one of the workers went out of his way help another customer and me out.  The other guy was buying bottled water… and the worker voluntarily told him, “They’re on sale buy-one-get-one free.”  That’s awesome.  As for me, the ice machine was “hiccupping,” and the guy pointed me to the special iced coffee ice machine and encouraged me to use it.  Maybe, it doesn’t sound like that big of a deal, but get this… the guy was already off the clock, but he still helped us out anyway.  That kind of customer service makes me happy.

So, what are some of your favorite business around town?  I have more to share, but this will have to do for this week.  But I wonder, what makes your favorite businesses favorites?  What qualities do you look for?  And, what steps are you taking at your place of work to encourage people to come back for more?

It’s that time again.  This Friday brings the third installment of the Friday Favorites series.  Each Friday you’ll find a listing of some of my favorite things.  I try to mix it up each week, but I have so many favorite tweets that I have to share more of these with you.  So, here are some of my favorite tweets from April 2010.

1. hughballou

   Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm – Abraham Lincoln

2. JWill85

   When the people around you, limit God’s work within you, it’s time to get up and move – @stevenfurtick

3. erguncaner

   “Beware of men who have strong convictions, but no compassion.” – WA Criswell

4. leopercer

   Listening to gossip and accusations simply encourages ungodly behavior like sleeping with pigs encourages one to get dirty!

5. leopercer

   “A lie consists in speaking a falsehood with the intention of deceiving.” – Augustine

6. leopercer

   “Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.” – Thomas A Kempis

7. leopercer

   “God sends no one away empty except those who are full of themselves.” – D. L. Moody

8. YouQuotedQuotes

   The best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer somebody else up. – Mark Twain

9. johncmaxwell

   On keeping it simple: If u can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it enough. – Albert Einstein

10. johncmaxwell

    Connecting is not about YOU. It’s hard to find common ground w others when the only 1 you’re focused on is yourself.

So, which of these is your favorite?  And then, is there a type of favorite you’d like to request from me for next week?

As I told you last week, each Friday I’m running a series of posts that shares some of my favorite things… it’s kinda like Oprah’s Favorite Things episode… only different because no one walks away with cool, free stuff.  But, you can walk away with a snippet of knowledge, and that should be valuable.  Anyway, without further ado, here are my three favorite quotes about friendship. Enjoy!

1) “You are who you hang around.”

2) “Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future.”

3) “Choose your friends wisely…you become what they are.”

So, what are your favorite quotes about friendship?  And, what do you think about mine?

*To my knowledge, the originators of these quotes are unknown.  If you happen to have a source for me, please let me know by leaving a comment.

Each Friday you’ll find here a listing of some of my favorite things.  Sometimes it’ll be tweets, sometimes tweeps, sometimes blogs, sometimes restaurants… you get the idea.  It’ll be whatever I decide to make the Friday Favorite.

Here’s a list of ten of my favorite tweets from the past few months.  Enjoy!

1. YouQuotedQuotes
   If your desk isn’t cluttered, you probably aren’t doing your job.” – Harold Geneen
2. YouQuotedQuotes
   Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent. – Marilyn Vos Savant
3. erguncaner
   “The only exercise some Christians get is jumping to conclusions and running down others!” – J.Vernon McGee via Greg Laurie
4. AndyStanley
   RT @CandiPShelton: We need friends who will always have our back but won’t always take our side.
5. erguncaner
   Beware of the man who has nothing good to say about anyone except himself!
6. AndyStanley
   Masking irresponsibility with prayer makes one an irresponsible person who prays.
7. tinybuddha
   “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” – Charles Swindoll
8. tinybuddha
   “Commitment in the face of conflict produces character.” – Unknown
9. johncmaxwell
   Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others. – Cicero
10. johncmaxwell
    Ninety-nine percent of failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses. – George Washington Carver

Which of my favorites is your favorite?  And, do you have any favorite tweets/quotes you’d like to share this week?