Welcome to Tuesday.  Most of you already know about Positive Post Tuesday, and most of you have already been involved in it to some level.  Well, I’ve been thinking more and more about taking it to the next level and I wanted to start with some different things.  Originally we were using the Mr. Linky thing and that seemed to go okay for a while, but they have changed up their format and I think we can really start stepping it up.  First up, I’ve created a Twitter account specifically for Positive Post Tuesday.  Here’s how that will work.  Instead of writing on your blog and posting the link to the Mr. Linky on my blog, you will now just Tweet your link as a reply to @positivepost.  Also make sure to finish out your Tweet with #ppt.  What I will do is then re-Tweet your link from the Positive Post Twitter Account.  Make sense?  This is the first of several changes that I’ll be making to Positive Post Tuesday, so make sure to spread the word and lets make this bigger than ever.

Now, if you’re here and haven’t heard of Positive Post Tuesday allow me to explain.  It’s pretty simple.  Write something nice (or positive) on your blog, Facebook, Myspace, Live Journal, or whatever other online documenting system you may have and share the positivity.  Sounds easy right?

So that’s the start of this little campaign I’m calling ‘Be Nice’.  I’m glad you all are a part of it.  Spread the word, tell your friends, and let’s start being nice.

Ready?  Go.

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It’s Tuesday.  Well as most of you know, I’m up early and getting ready to catch a plane to California for a couple days.  Really I will only be there for one day and then it’s the long haul back.  And as many of you may disagree with me, that in itself is sort of a positive thing to me.  I’m headed out there to help Kristin’s dad load up some of his things and bring them from the house he’s selling out there to his house out here, and I realized that I have never really told you about him on here.  So here goes.

When Kristin and I met her dad was a pretty intimidating guy.  He didn’t say much and I could tell the idea of a long haired guy with earrings and tattoos starting to date his daughter was not high on his ‘favorite things to do’ list.  The first little bit of us getting to know each other was just that.  Getting to know each other.  I started to learn about his interests and he started to learn mine.  Then when I started talking marriage his only question was “do you have a job?”.  Fair enough.  At that point I think there was still a little skepticism, but his openness to me and what Kristin wanted was stronger than his justified fear of me screwing things up pretty bad.  After a couple years of still getting to know each other and living life as a family, I threw him another curve ball and told him that not only was I going to quit my comfortable, county job answering 911, but I was going to move his daughter and (at the time) two grandkids across the country to ‘work for a band’.  He still managed to not point a gun at me or anything like that.  Rather he supported what we thought was right and moved out to be next to us a year later.

All that to say, I’ve thrown him some pretty crazy things over the years and he’s dealt with them all in stride.  That impresses me more than I could say and makes me even more happy that we have all boys.  He’s a great father-in-law and amazing grandpa.  I couldn’t have asked for better.  So as I spend the next few days in the truck with Kristin’s dad, I thought I’d introduce you to him.  And who knows, by the end of the trip he might have a blog and be on Twitter.

So, as most of you know today is Positive Post Tuesday. The rules are simple.  Write something nice on your blog and join the party.  This week Raquel is hosting the party at her place so head over there and join in. It’s time to make this thing massive so everyone needs to get involved. Ready? Go.

They say that nothing good comes without a little hard work.  I don’t know who ‘they’ are, but I suppose there’s something to that.  Today, being Positive Post Tuesday, I thought I’d feature that hard work as something that I am genuinely trying to learn to appreciate.  Don’t get me wrong, I like things to be easy like everyone else, but the more I am learning, the more I am realizing that the hard work and the struggle that we face in life is something that we need to succeed.  

I’m think I’m a little bit of a paranoid, worrying person by nature, and that has come in to play more over this past year.  I’m constantly struggling with the ‘what-ifs’ and worrying that what I am doing isn’t good enough.  And up until very recently this has been an unbelievably negative thing.  The more I dive into work and the challenges that come with that, the more I need to force myself to put aside those thoughts and work through it…. And when I can do that, I start to realize that the struggle and the fight makes the work all the more rewarding.

Today’s Positive Post Tuesday is simply to embrace the struggles and the challenges that we all face every day and start ti view them as a positive thing.  To look at the hard times as growing times and learn to love what comes out of it.  I’m not sure if any of this makes sense, but it’s something that’s been on my mind for a while and something I am really trying to learn.  And as far as I can tell… learning is always a positive thing.

Welcome to Tuesday.  Today’s Positive Post Tuesday is being hosted over at my internet friend Gene’s blog.  For those of you that don’t know what this is all about feel free to go here and read how this whole thing started, then head over to Gene’s Blog to be a part of the day.

This is Kristin.  Most of you know her in some way or another, and yes, she has been the subject of more than one Positive Post Tuesday, and most likely will be the subject of many more in the future.  And since she never would on her own, I’m going to brag about her a little.  Kristin completely blows me away more and more the longer we are married.  We are quickly approaching our nine year anniversary and every day I am taken back by how awesome she is.  

Most recently she has randomly started working for a promoter from home giving away cruises, (yeah, I know) and has had to completely adapt to a new way of structuring her day.  She’s making calls and organizing things like crazy and still has the energy to deal with the kids and keep the house functioning.  Yep, blows me away.

Another things she has started doing, is organizing our grocery shopping and house stuff.  She’s gotten into making cleaning products like laundry soap and the cleaner that you clean counter tops with (whatever that’s called).  And here’s the thing with that stuff.  It’s better for us chemically and a heck of a lot cheaper.  Both things I am down with.

All this to say, I am completely taken back by the woman that decided to marry me.  Almost nine years and I couldn’t be happier, and hopefully she feels the same.  She’s the best wife and mom I could imagine for me and the kids, and I’m humbled every day she puts up with me.

Welcome to Tuesday.  You guys know the rules.  This week’s Positive Post Tuesday is hosted over at Annie’s Blog called ‘AnnieBlogs’ because she does, in fact, blog.  Head over there and join the party. 

Ready?  Go.

Welcome to Tuesday.  Hopefully you’ve read the new ‘rules’ and are ready to get started.  

This week I wanted to write about someone I have never met, but has continually supported me and what I have been doing on this blog.  Gene Pensiero has been involved in this blog in one way or another for a long time.  I don’t know how many times he has posted a Positive Post Tuesday on his blog, but it’s got to be close to as many times as I have on here.  His name has popped up on here since the beginning and he continues to encourage.  In fact, it seems like every time I turn around Gene is doing something to encourage someone, and more often than not he’s reaching out to me to offer support across the web.

In a world plagued with negativity and challenge, it’s amazing to see someone reaching out and truly showing authentic concern for something that he is involved in.  Gene’s a refreshing guy to ‘know’ online and I hope to buy him coffee one day in person.

If you haven’t check out Gene’s blog and ‘Follow’ him on Twitter Here.

Alright, now it’s your turn.  Today’s Positive Post Tuesday is hosted over at Luke Mundy’s Blog, so make sure to write something nice and head over there to add yourself to the list.  My hope with spreading this thing around is that we can literally take over Tuesdays with a positive voice on the internet.  Let’s continue to make this thing as big as we possibly can.

Head to Luke’s Blog now to be a part of the fun.

I’ve wanted to ’step up’ Positive Post Tuesday for a while now and haven’t really had the time or the energy to figure out how. Then last week I talked to Luke Mundy and came up with a pretty simple solution. Here’s the thing. I know it’s Monday, but I wanted to give you all a fair enough warning as to what was going on so we could keep this thing going and take it to the next level.

The idea is basically this. I want to give you all the opportunity to host Positive Post Tuesday on your own site for a week. What’s that mean? That means that every week Positive Post Tuesday will be held at a different location on the world wide web-sphere. Sounds simple enough right? All you need to do to participate is shoot me an email to brody@brodyharper.com sometime between Saturday morning and Monday night requesting to host Positive Post Tuesday. The first email I get will be the host for that week and along with my Positive Post I will link to the Host’s blog. The host’s blog will then need to have the Mr. Linky thing ready to go at the bottom of their post where we can all add to.

I’m excited about keeping this going and getting more and more readers/writers involved in the process of being positive online. It’s one day a week we can all hop down off our soapboxes and spread some love.

Who’s with me?

Welcome to Tuesday.  I know it’s getting close to wrapping up, but I wanted to make sure that I got mine in.  Originally I had something else planned for today’s post and I thought about how I was excited to write about it all day.  Then all of the sudden I am completely blown away by something else amazingly positive that I can’t ignore it.

As most of you know, Bart’s newborn baby, Sophie has been in the hospital for the last few days with RSV.  Not only is she battling that, but today took a turn for the worse and was admitted to ICU.  Now, I don’t know how many of you have kids, but I can’t imagine the feeling of your couple week old baby being admitted to ICU with something affecting their breathing.  

**As a quick update Bart just sent out a Twitter saying this:  “Sophie has taken a huge turn for the better! Will most likely go to a regular room by morning and possibly home in a couple of days. YES!”**

Now here’s the part that blows me away.  This is what community building is all about.  It’s not about selling records, it’s not about filling arenas, it’s about the community around the world that gathered today to pray for an infant.  Now, this isn’t some ’subtle pat on the back’ or anything that has to do with SkörInc or me or anything like that.  What this is, is simply a shout out to the amazing people that are gathered because something has been built and cultivated.  Something real and something valuable. You couldn’t go anywhere online today without hearing about little Sophie and those that were praying for her. That’s what blogging should be about and it was great to see that today.

Now, Sophie isn’t completely out of the woods and I want to direct all of you over to Third Day’s Fan Club Blog where they have all decided to fast and pray for Sophie tomorrow.  How amazing is that?  Could there be a better representation of blogging communities coming together for something greater than themselves, or selling records?  This is the stuff that I love to see, and the stuff that makes everything I do worth it.

So there it is folks. You know the rules of Positive Post Tuesday, and if you don’t they are simple. Write something positive, then fill out the box below. I had a talk with Luke Mundy and  I’ve got some ideas that will mix up PPT from now on but we will start that next week.  I’m excited to see some new things happen with this. For now, it’s your turn.

So as most of you know, my parents are out here for Christmas and it’s the first time since we have lived out here that they have been able to do so.  I think this is the third or forth time that they have visited but this is the first year to celebrate any holiday with them out here.  Kristin’s dad is also out here and it’s been amazing to have them all here.

Now, I couldn’t attempt to do this week’s Positive Post Tuesday without mentioning my gratitude for all that my parents and Kristin’s dad have done for us this year.  As far as I can tell they came out here with one mission… to spoil the heck out of my kids and wife.  And somehow I was even lumped into that.  And here’s the thing, we try not to really put a whole lot of stock in material stuff and all that, but with the year that we have had, there comes a point where I am completely okay with sitting back and letting them do whatever they want to do.  

Since my mom and dad have gotten here, our shower leak has been fixed, we have had satellite TV installed (for free), our cupboards have been stocked beyond what they have been ever, and we have done more fun stuff than we have done all year.  Christmas shopping has been a fun process, and the kids have really connected with them.  Kristin’s dad was kind enough to gravel the ‘dog area’ which has been a huge help in our quest to keep our carpets from getting ruined and arranged the whole going out in a limo awesome night.  Again, I don’t really like the feeling of being ’spoiled’ so much, and I really feel weird them doing all these things that in all reality I should be doing, but truth is, I’ve been unbelievably busy and this has really enabled Kristin and I to ‘catch up’ a little.

So anyway, I think all this is to say that I am appreciating my parents making the trip out here this year and also Kristin’s dad being here too.  I should say something cheesy here like this is what Christmas is all about or something like that, but I’ve never been really keen on saying cheesy things.  So I guess I will just leave it at that.  I like that my parents were able to come out this year and I’m totally appreciative for all they have done… and it’s not even Christmas yet.

Welcome to Tuesday.  What’cha got?  It’s Christmas, everyone has to have something nice to say. Ready? Go.

Holidays have always been a little weird for us as a family.  Not in a bad way, just different.  Ever since Kristin and I have been married we have lived in six houses and changed the way we have done things every year.  Again, it’s not bad, but it feels like we are just figuring out how to ‘do the holidays’ as a family. 

So far this year feels pretty good.  We’ve got our decorating almost done, some ‘Christmas season’ plans, we’ve got friends coming to town and we’ve even got family coming to town this year.  Yep, it’s starting to feel like a normal Christmas time.  And here’s the thing.  I’m a pretty big fan of the Christmas season, so it’s cool that things are fun this year.

We even went to our first Christmas party of the year last night.  Our neighbor was kind enough to watch the boys and we were able to go to a kid-less get together with some friends.  The Shane & Shane / Phil Wickham / Bethany Dillon Christmas tour was passing through town so they were able to be there, so it was great to catch up with Phil, and get to know everyone else a little better.

All this to say, this year I’m excited about getting into the season.  We’re having fun, staying busy and trying not to get too stressed about things.  How’s your Christmas season going?

Welcome to Positive Post Tuesday.  If you’re just showing up, the rules are simple.  Write something nice (or positive) on your blog, then fill out the box below.  It’s that easy.  Be a part of something positive online, at least on Tuesdays.  Who’s with me?

Over the last few months I have had the opportunity to work with some really amazing people.  One thing that I love about what I do with SkörInc is that I am not tied to one specific management company or one label.  I get to work with a handful of different people and join them in their own creativity.

This Tuesday I’d like to bring some attention to some of the amazing folks that I get to work with.  Some are brand new and some I have been working with for a long time.  

First off, the guys in MercyMe have really paved the way for us to do things that no one else has done.  We just finished broadcasting an entire tour online.  It was a challenge, but it’s amazing to see the noise that has been made in the industry because of that.  In fact, I think tonight Jeremy Camp is broadcasting his show, so it’s great that folks are paying attention.  This couldn’t have happened without the MercyMe guys giving it a shot.

Natalie Grant has also been an awesome ‘early adopter’ that has really helped get things going for SkörInc.  She is constantly open to something new and really receptive to new ideas.  She’s also a super creative person and some of the things she has come up with have been great to see.  Not to mention she Twitters like nobody’s business.

The Katinas have only worked with us for a couple months now, but are one of those groups that are constantly thinking about what to do next.  It’s awesome to see their involvement and creativity in what we are doing.  I couldn’t be happier working with them.  I feel like they really get what SkörInc is doing and are an amazing support.

There are several others that we are working with and if you haven’t checked them out in a while it’s time to go through and say hello.  Phil Wickham, Fee, Joy Whitlock, Connersvine, Elijah Stephen, Damian Horne, and Daniel Renstrom.  Another couple artists that we have just started working with, and I am super excited about, are Brenton Brown and Dan Evans.  Brenton has a great personality, and I’m excited to see what his blog becomes.  Look for that in the next couple weeks.  Dan also has a great personality and has some great stories that will make for a pretty cool blog.

What’s your favorite blog that SkörInc works with and why?

Welcome to Tuesday. You know what to do.