Recently, I threw out a question on Facebook & Twitter: What is your fav slang word or phrase?  Below are some of the both hilarious and insightful responses.

I am personally fascinated with language and how we use words to communicate thoughts to others. It is so intriguing to hear people use words or sayings that they have carried with them for life. Many of us pick them up from a parent, grandmother or grandfather.  Others of us pick up language from our kids and/or teens (Vid of me trying to figure out what my 2yo is saying). 

I occasionally interupt a converstion by saying with a grin, “Wait a minute, now what did you just say?”  I love it!  Slang words and phrases are a part of who we and who we come from.  Our language is ever changing.  Some words or phrases stick and are added to the dictionary, others die over time as our culture moves on (Here a few that a college said should be banned for use for the rest of 2010, for overuse or misuse).  Nonetheless, below are: 40 Favorite Slang Phrases of Yesterday & Today (I threw in a few of my own as well as commentary on some of the others).  Hope you enjoy and thanks to everyone that participated in the post!

Chad- My father in law is known for: “I’ll be a monkey’s uncle,” “Son of a biscuit” and “Whippersnapper”
ddemoss I use the word “bougie” as in “bourgeoisie” to describe schmancy stuff or people who think they’re schmancy.
AmandaSims A synonym for wonky would be hinky.
katiemoon don’t stage a nutty, hinky & fishmeckeled are 3 of my favs right now. can’t wait to see the blog post this leads to.
princesscossett “swank-a-tonkalous” my daughter made it up. It means really great!
AmandaSims  Wonky – and its derivatives: wonked, wonkified, wonked out. (Oh, that means messed up.)
Chad- haha, I used to say womper-jawed
MarcyMcConnell shoot me in the face…means wear me out
adeason123 “Out of Toast” various meanings from messed up; being insane; lost energy/drive. As is: That man is out of toast!!!
Neil Christopher shoot the horse and take the saddle. you cant kill nothing if nothing wont die. everything is somewhere. there’s no use to beating a dead horse with a stick. eat the meat and spit out the bones.
Ginny Gill Back home some folks said “shuckey durn”. About as close as you can get to cursing without doing so!
Bethany Christensen From Grandma, “So forth and so on…”
Shelley R. Smith wellllll dadgum! i’ll be danged! durn it all!
Bob Booth Funky Jo Jimmy. I am surprised you had to ask
Chad- And Bob, you also used to like to call people Jimmy Jack, Jimmy Jack!
Chad- My wife’s grandma used to have a made up name for people who’s name she couldn’t remember. She called women Pearl and men Gordon.
Kyle Moss “Bananas” I’m not sure what it really means, but when used in the right context it sounds glorious.
·Kyle Cretsinger “Caddywompered” – used to describe when something is all bent out of shape. As in “Well have to redo that 2×4 brace because someone put it in all caddywompered.
Amanda Gallie Throwed.. Lol
DannyLYoungerS fave slang phrase is true dat
Chad- Haha, I have a buddy that used to “true dat and a bag of chips” It was kind of like, “That is so true, and I’ll even through in a bag of chips on top.”
Julia Kammerdiener Ekpo Lloyd says, “mother of moses!” and my grandmother got me saying “shoot a monkey” which when I am really mad I say “shoot a monkey in the head”
Melissa Lovin Hibbie Jibbies. As in “that just gave me the hibbie jibbies!”
Kyle Cretsinger Just thought of another one. My dad used to tell me “Stay between the fence posts.” For years I never understood it and finally asked him. It means stay on the road because of the fenceposts on either side of the road so I guess it means “drive straight”.
Shelley R. Smith i use “wonky” all the time; “caddywhumpus” too, and my fave new slang is “intexticated” which is people who drive while texting. urban dictionary says: Describes people who drive while sending text messages on their phones.
“Dude, what was THAT?!” “Probably just some intexticated highschooler.”
Shelley R. Smith new fave from my brit friend: “collywobbles” which is the equivalent of goosebumps; and i have always liked gramma jo’s “twitterpated” which cracks me up given the new propensity to twitter; to her it meant giddy or overly excited/stimulated. ♥
Chad- “Katie bar the door!” This was from my high school football coach, Coach Losack
Brian Edmonds Flub-made a mistake
Angela Nevius Dormer wonky (not quite right or as it should be)
Carlon King Mucus trooper — Your colleague that always gets the worst colds, yet still makes it in to work to cough it all over you.

These are all pretty funny, thank again to everyone who helped write this post! 

Ok, what other slang words or phrases are you favorites? Please let us know in the comments! Do any of you use these above or hear them from someone in particular? We’d love to hear!

Some posts at TheWayItCouldBe.com are about leadership.  Some are about social media.  Still others are on the subject of faith or family. This one is on creativity, a trait that I believe is squelched in our culture. Even at a young age as kids, we are encouraged to paint within the lines, sit still and generally fit it. I know there is a place for discipline and structure (something I value as well), but I want to make every attempt to paint outside the lines, run fast and live life differently!

Here is an attempt to paint outside the lines, dream BIG and turn those dreams into reality. Our church is turning our lobby into a Hollywood movie set during July.  Kyle Sherman (of The Kyle Sherman Band) and I are building a 10 foot Incredible Hulk out of styrofoam.  I will track the progress here and share!  Meanwhile, I’ll teach a lesson- How To Turn Dreams Into Reality- Here we go…

Lesson 1: Dream.  If you don’t know how to dream BIG, you’ll never learn how to release your inner creativity.  Dream baby, dream!  We were all created to dream and dream BIG!  For more on Dreaming BIG, check out BigIsTheNewSmall.com.

Hulk-sized Example 1- Buy foam… We forked some cash for a BIG chunk of foam and are dreaming BIG!

Lesson 2: Get a Plan of Action. A lot of people know how to dream, but not as many know how to turn those dreams into a plan. Clarify your dream and then set a few action steps to take your dream into a reality.

Hulk-sized Example 2-  Plan the attack on the foam…Here is Kyle and I trying to get a plan for building the Hulk!  Enjoy the sideways post…

Step 3- Take Action! Get off your tail and take a risk.  Life is too short to play it safe every time.  Even when we fail, we learn and we move on.  We can never know true success in life until we are willing to take a risk and fail!

Hulk-sized Example 3- Start cutting some foam… I use a chainsaw, Kyle’s weapon of choice is the hand saw.

Step 4- Get Perspective from others! Take a step back from your perspective and get the perspective of another.  I’ve know too many people that have taken a ton of action without stepping back and getting perspective from someone they trust and look up to.  This is something you should do as you develop your action plan, but if you are already in action on your dream, step back and get perspective from others!  You are SURE to encounter challenges and another set of eyes will keep you from falling so hard you can’t recover!

Hulk-sized Example 4-  Don’t build all of the Hulk without stopping and talking.  In this vid, Kyle and I talk about how the build is going and what challenges we need to overcome.  Day 2 of Turning Dreams into Reality!

Ok, come back this Friday for the finished product.  We have 3 days to finish Mr Hulk and will post pics then!

What do you think about our project?  Why do a lot of  “dreamers” get lost in their dreams and fail to turn them into reality.  Why is this so difficult?  We’d love to hear in the comments below!

Repost from the spring: I went on a run yesterday with no agenda, no time frame and no plan. 8 miles later I came back. I honestly noticed something at each mile. Something about Someone bigger than us. Someone with a bigger perspective. Someone. 8 Miles & 8 Thoughts About the Existence of God:

1. We are made to grow and be pushed. I thought about this from the moment I left my house. While running isn’t for everyone, all of us have something inside that wants to be better, learn, create, discover. We aren’t made to stay the same, to stand still. Something inside cries out, “There is more to life.”

2. We are made for relationship. There was a park at mile 2. You can see it in the picture. I watched families play, kids from all backgrounds connect, moms and dads talking. Here I thought about how we are we are made for others. While we are all extremely unique individuals, we are all made for interaction with one another. We are made for relationship.

3. We all have our demons. At mile 3, I turned left and saw an older lady on a bike talking to herself. Yelling would be a better word. She scared the heck out of me! While we all don’t yell at cars when they pass, we do all have our shortcomings and quirky quirks. Some are visible like the yelling, bike riding lady. Others are more subtle and easier to hide from the world: hatred, jealousy, unforgiveness, addiction. We all have our demons. None of us are perfect.

4. We all have a conscience. We all have an ability to know right from wrong. Mile 4 took me to the Vitamin Shop, where I bought energy gel. After I paid, I went to the back hallway and put one pack in the pocket of my running shorts. A lady saw me pocketing the thing and gave me a funny look, like “Hey, why are you pocketing that thing.” I was reminded that all of us have some sense of right and wrong. We were created with a moral compass.

5. We are made to enjoy things. This isn’t our primary purpose in life, but sort of an added bonus. At mile 5, I saw a bunch of chickens. You know, I’m not sure what these showed me about the existence of God, but they were fun to watch! I thought about wanting to take one and fry it up (sorry veggie eaters)! I did think about how funny it is that we were created to enjoy food.

6. We all make choices, not all of them work out. Mile 6 took me by a vacant church with a for sale sign out front. The church obviously had missed it somewhere. Gigantic building. Empty. What does this show us about the existence of God? About the church? About the state of humanity? Not sure…but I passed at least 10 churches during my run.

7. We all care about others in some small way. Mile 7 found me helping chase a dog. There were 6 people from the pharmacy chasing this thing! I thought about how something inside of us wants to help others. Sometimes, something inside of others wants to help us. Something inside this dog made it want to run! Come back tomorrow for the video of me chasing this dog!

8. We have all been handed our lot in life. Mile 8 took me through a rough, low-income neighborhood close to our home. I saw two pretty sad looking teens walking. It made me think about how those teens didn’t get to pick the family they grew up in. Even if you don’t believe in God, you have to wonder why you were placed where you are in life, while so much of the world lives on next to nothing. What will you do with your life? What will you do to help the millions around the world that aren’t so fortunate with the resources and opportunities that you’ve been given?

Dig TheWayItCouldBe.com? Subscribe to email updates at the top of the page by clicking the handy new envelope icon! Thanks for stopping by. The 1st winner of The Christian Atheist Book Give Away…. @stevefogg! Steve, I’ll holler at you about getting that thing to Australia. Check back on tomorrow’s post for winner number 2.

I got a bill in the mail for $75 with a link to this video.  It’s FTW PD’s way of saying, “Yeah, nice try Mr. Sneaky Pants.”  Note the white Xterra trying to sneak through… Do you think I deserve it??

Well, Yellow light or Red Light??  You make the call!  What do you think about automated red lights?  Have you been nailed?  Love to hear in the comments!

TheWayItCouldBe.com is an effort to encourage cultural change through personal and spiritual transformation.  Check out the category links to the top right and subscribe to free email updates to the bottom right…

This video played awhile back at my church, LifeChurch.tv.  It gives a great perspective from Satan himself!  Heads up- it is sort of rated PG-13, so don’t say I didn’t warn ya…

Thoughts?  Love to hear feedback in the comments!

I thought this video was worth sharing.  I love: 1. the humor  2. how Rhett and Link involve their viewers by allowing them to help design a shoe, quite the genius marketing strategy. I also love 3. the example this provides for social media peeps trying to…engage readers, allow others to speak into their story, build community on their blog.  I’ve tried my best (short of a Bacon Flop vid) to do this at TheWayItCouldBe.com over the past year. 

Here are 4 Solid Ways To Engage Online Readers:

1. Allowing readers to participate by asking for an opinion.  An example of this is Should Dudes Wear Sleeveless Shirts?  I posted the question on Twitter and Facebook and had over 60 people give hilarious opinions and help write the post.  People loved being a part of the conversation!

2. Asking creative, helpful questions.  Google “Should guys wear sleeveless shirts?” and TheWayItCouldBe.com shows up first in the search results.  I obviously never intended on this happening, but it is a lesson worthy of sharing.  Dozens of people show up on my blog each week trying to decide if sleeveless shirts are cool or stupid.  Nonetheless, it was a creative question (people loved sharing their opinion).  It was a helpful question (tons of people are still seeking out an answer daily).  

3. Letting the viewer/reader speak into the story.  In the above video, Rhett and Link are asking the viewer to help design a shoe. This is not only a brilliant marketing strategy (especially combined with Facebook), but it also lets viewers/readers know that their opinion really does matter.  I try to let people speak into the story of my life by asking for advice on movies, restaurants and a number of other things.  People like to know their voice is heard and that they can help someone, even in a small way.

4. Giving a clear call for action. Rhett and Link were very clear about their call to action: to go to the link and submit an idea.  On a whim this past Valentine’s Day, I created a Facebook Event called Get Your Date On.  I asked people to take someone special (spouse, girlfriend, mom, whatever) out on a date to show them that they were important and appreciated.  I made a couple posts and in a few days had over 100 people committing to Get Their Date On that weekend.  Clearly calling others to action is a great way to add value to someone’s life and to the social media community at large. 

Ok, so I guess I better give a call for action!  What did you like about Rhett and Links video?  What else can we learn from their example?  How else can we better engage readers online?

Think someone will find this helpful? I’d love for you to share it! Thoughts? Love to hear them in the comments.

Look, I may not know you and probably don’t know your situation or whatever. I speak from personal experience about forgiving, as I have worked through a lot of issues of the past (my folks split up when I was a kid and I carried it with me for years until I dealt with it).  I also speak from nearly 15 years of helping young people work through issues with their parents. The truth is, many of us, including grown adults, still struggle with forgiving our fathers.  Unforgiveness with fathers is a real big issue, the effects of which transcend every part of our broken society.

Fathers, as we know, are instrumental in helping establishing who we are and what we believe about the world. Their actions and words are like a pen on paper, writing into us our very identities.  Our sense of self worth is in their hands at a very young age and can be either established with strong roots or torn down to the dust.  Here are 10 Tips For Forgiving Your Dad:

1. Consider that you may be harboring unforgiveness.  Maybe, just maybe (or maybe not)- might you still be holding a grudge against your father?  Maybe he treated you or your mom poorly, maybe he wasn’t around much or at all.  Maybe he just made some poor choices.  Perhaps it is on the front of your mind or stuffed far away, but consider that you may be holding back forgiveness inside.  Even if your father has passed, you still may be dealing with unresolved issues.

What forgiveness is not- Forgiving does not mean that what happened is a good thing.  It does not mean that we put ourselves in a position to be hurt continually over and over again.  It does mean that we release the wrong-doing from the person.  We don’t hold it against them any more (like a debt being forgiven).

2. Talk about it with someone you trust.  Listen, don’t hold those thoughts and emotions to yourself any longer.  There is probably someone in you life that you can talk to about your father.  If you can, talk to someone who is trained as a counselor.  They can really help you identify what you really may be dealing with in terms of your past.  Darkness becomes less dark when it is brought out into the light.

3. Know it may take time to sort through.  Chances are, it took years (if not dozens of years) for your relationship with your father to be where it is today.  All that hurt isnt going to be undone over night.  It is going to take time to work through it.  Be patient.  If you shake a 2-liter bottle of Coke up violently, you can’t let all the pressure out at once.  It must be let out slowly or you will have a big mess on your hands!  Dealing with hurt can be the same way.  You may deal with it over time, but start the process of dealing with it today!

4. Know God knows how it feels.  His family has been totally broken since the beginning of time.  God gave man the choice to love him or not love him.  He has dealt with rejection millions of times over and it breaks his heart deeply every time.  He hurts with you, more than any person will ever know…but he doesn’t want to leave you there.

5. Choose to forgive before you want to forgive.  If you have a lot of pain inside from your father or mother that hasn’t yet surfaced, you probably don’t want to forgive. Choose to.  Please.  Decide to forgive.  Eventually, your heart will follow.  You won’t naturally want to forgive at first, or you would have done so a long time ago.  Stop waiting until you want to, decide to start forgiving today. 

6. Forgiving is not an option if you want to move on in life.  Many people never deal with the pain of the past.  I promise you those that don’t deal with their past will never walk into their true destiny in life.  They (or you perhaps) will always be held back in some regard by the past.  It is going to be painful, but allow yourself to process your past and you will be able to start really living in the present.  You need it more than you know!

7. Note your own limitations.  You are not perfect and neither are your parents.  They are human and they make mistakes.  I know this probably makes you frustrated hearing me say this (Chad, you don’t know me and you don’t know what I’ve been through.) You are probably right, I don’t know what it is like to be in your shoes.  Still, I know by experience that no one on earth is perfect.  None.  We all have limitations. 

8. See the effects of the generations. Your father (or mother) was a kid too. They didn’t choose the family they grew up in, the situation that formed and shaped them into who they are today.  The Bible talks about sin affecting generation upon generation.  The impact of one generation (positive or negative) can influence several generations down the road.  Even newer popular psychology supports this Biblical truth.  Your father is the product of several generations of imperfect men and women. You may be the very one in your family that breaks free…if you can forgive and allow yourself to be healed.

9. Know he probably did the best he knew how to do.  Seriously, he probably did the best he could.  I’m not saying he did a good job and that he isn’t responsible for his actions.  I’m just saying he probably didn’t have a great example when he was a kid.  He definitely didn’t have the resources, support and education that is readily available to fathers today.  He probably did the best he could at the time.  Forgive him.

10. Pray for your dad.  If you can get to the point where you can pray for your dad, you are getting somewhere.  As you begin to lift your dad up in prayer, you heart will start to slowly shift. You’ll even begin to see your earthy father the way your eternal father sees him- dependent, human, loved, forgiven.

3 Promises for Forgiving- I promise it’s worth it.  I promise it won’t be easy, but I promise you can do it.  You may not have control over the outcome of the relationship, but you certainly have control over whether or not you forgive.   I have an amazing relationship with my dad today and I love him more than anyone could love a dad.  We have gone through the fire and will be there for each other for as long as we have on earth.

Who do you know that needs to read this?  Please share this post on your FB wall or as a RT on Twitter: 10 Tips For Forgiving Your Father: http://bit.ly/9fLdCx You’ll never know who you may impact!

Why is it so difficult for us to see unforgiveness in our own hearts?  Love to hear your thoughts in the comments below…

A lot of times I get tempted to shave my head. So I do it. (Sort of like The Mustachio). Why, you ask?  I don’t know.  I’m a guy and I do a lot of things that don’t make sense.  While shaving my head, I’m always tempted to shave a mohawk in just to see what I would look like in a mohawk. So there was a lot of temptation going on the other day and I gave in…

Well, what do you think?  Love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Tomorrow, I’m posting pics of our final home renovation.  You should come back!  HERE is the last post with week-by-week updates. 

TheWayItCouldBe.com is an effort to encourage cultural change through personal & spiritual transformation.  It’s a thing I do for you…

Here are a few of the people I’ve poured my life into so far in 2010… I am no media guru, but hopefully you’ll get the point.  This video was created to show leaders what can happen when they work together to impact a community.  Good stuff…

Love to hear your thoughts in the comments.  We want to BE the Church and make a difference in the community.  How do you think we are doing?  How can believers get outside of themselves and make a difference in our culture?