Daniel Dessinger

Month: November 2010

  • God Is Raising Up a Generation of Baby Adopters!

    It’s time for an online movement to arise, where believers stake a claim for the unborn children who would otherwise be aborted. It’s time to stand up and shout out:

    “We want your babies! Give US your babies! Don’t do what your heart and conscience know are wrong! There are OTHER options! We won’t judge you! We won’t curse you! We won’t speak evil of you to your children! We will love them and nurture them and honor you by telling them that at the moment of decision, their mothers thought there was no alternative but instead chose to give them LIFE! LIFE!”


    Harnessing Social Media as a Redemptive Tool

    I see a generation of people on Twitter and forums and Facebook groups making declarative statements that they would adopt babies slated for abortion. They will make themselves available for contact so that ANY woman considering an abortion can contact them and choose to relinquish parental rights to these loving and confident people.

    They will use hashtags to unify on Twitter. They will say, “I live in DFW. Please don’t abort that child. I want your baby! #wewantbabies” and pregnant women previously seeking abortions will find them and contact them and arrange meetings with them.

    The time has come for the Church to stand up and take care of its people.

    This is also the generation who will begin caring for and housing pregnant women who choose to keep their babies because the Holy Spirit convicts them. They will offer their services to train women in skills that will help them get jobs and provide for their families. They will provide loving and safe mentoring relationships so that single mothers ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS have someone to turn to for strength and advice and encouragement.

    It’s Time to Honor the Single Moms

    Segments of the Church will begin to esteem and honor single mothers so highly that they are drawn to the community of believers. A great spiritual fathering momentum is building! A great opportunity for blessing! Restoring the hearts of the fathers to the sons and the sons to the fathers begins by FIRST standing in the gap for the fathers who are absent. First comes standing in the gap. Then next will come the actual fathers’ hearts. First someone must love these babies. Someone must love them and give them WORTH! Esteem! Honor! Value!

    Provoking Jealousy in Prodigal Fathers

    The spiritual father stands in the gap for the physical father and gives to the child the blessing and birthright due. He acts on behalf of the father until the prodigal father’s return. That’s right. A prodigal father’s return is coming. But they will come, like the Jew who Scripture says will come because they envy that their birthright was shared with the Gentile. The father will see his children loved and esteemed and enjoyed and God will rip his heart in two with love! He will quake and fall and cry and be unwound in the midst of his community. He will come running, says the Lord.

    Someone has to speak it. Who will be so moved by compassion that they will sacrifice their comfort and their “ideal family” structure to offer up a chance to save these precious lives?

    * image by Charlotte Morrall

  • ChrisBrogan.com – Popularity Isn’t Everything

    It’s easy to become enamored with a rising star. A person who is constantly praised for his insight, expertise, and authority. It’s also easy to drink the koolaid before you’ve checked the ingredients.

    Okay, I’m going to be totally honest. The worst part about this blog design is the logo. I mean, Seriously? A white “B” in a red circle? What about that says Chris Brogan?

    Now, I realize that some of you may think I’m the pot calling the kettle black. After all, my personal blog/twitter logo is a D inside a circle, and has been for the past 2+ years. But it’s stylish. I’m sorry, but the little things DO matter. Take a look:

    Letter Logos

    What do YOU think? Naturally, I think my logo is pretty hot. I’ll admit that I haven’t converted it into a winning site logo yet… mostly because of my font choice for the rest of the name.

    But the D stands out. My Twitter handle is DanielthePoet. One word. One letter in the logo. Since when does Chris Brogan go by “Brogan”? He made a name for himself as Chris Brogan. The logo does not reflect the name.

    Not to mention, my D is what I’ve been using on Twitter for ages (but recently switched to a photo). But Chris Brogan won’t likely be using the B for his Twitter account. Maybe for some sort of Brogan Media account, which behaves strictly as an RSS feed.

    Yes, I realize he’s insanely popular. Yes, I realize he can do whatever he wants. But sometimes, SOMETIMES, popularity clouds a person’s judgment. They modify things that don’t need modification. Or maybe they change blog theme partnerships and can’t get the same quality design they had previously.

    Whatever the excuse, this design hurts his credibility. It’s a backward move. And honestly, he could change the logo and the rest of the site would suddenly look less bad. But the current header background and logo combine to make a very claustrophobic feel that makes me want to run away.

    It’s sad when the past is more glorious than the present.

    The color scheme of this image is much better than the current claustrophobic red/gray mess. This site screams, “Hey, I’m friendly! Get to know ME!” While the current red/gray says, “Hey! I jumped platforms when it became popular to do so, and now I’m settling for a lame design!”

    That may sound harsh, and it I’ll admit that it is. What do I know? I wasn’t there when Chris made his decisions. I’m sure the days of begging for a free blog design are over and he hopefully thinks his new look is really good. I say hopefully because I hate to think that anyone would settle.

    Take a look at ANOTHER design he’s had:

    Either one of these two designs is head and shoulders better than the current look and feel. The light blue design was friendly, humble, and approachable. This blue/green/tan look is more modern, professional, and authoritative. But the red/gray? I’m going to stick with claustrophobic.

    But before I end this little rant, let’s talk about what his current blog design does well:

    • Call to Action Image Links Above the Main Nav – this gives all visitors a quick and easy way to take action. Get the newsletter, book him for a speaking engagement, contact him, or work with him. Brilliant concept. Mediocre execution. But just about ANYTHING is going to lose its sparkle when placed against this #233038 background.

    STOP THE PRESSES!

    This is what I get for starting a post a month ago. Chris Brogan has updated his blog design. Take a quick look:

    Now I have to change my statements about EVERYTHING! Thanks a lot, Chris.

    So the new design is a significant improvement, if for no other reason than that it doesn’t feel claustrophobic. I immediately noticed the following upgrades:

    • Hipper, more attractive header background. A little gradient goes a long way.
    • Secondary nav, adds more usability AND (more importantly) color contrast. Keeps the site looking fresher and more alive above the fold.
    • Fewer actionable choices (now only one) above the main nav make the top look less cluttered (though not entirely a plus).
    • First widget in the sidebar adds color contrast to the scene to really help the blog post body stand out.
    • Above the fold, Chris still manages to get the newsletter, RSS, and Twitter links in the sidebar.

    After all the ugly things I said about his blog above, I now recant and give Brogan a 6.5 out of 10. I still wouldn’t keep the logo, because he’s not known as “Brogan.” Everyone knows him as “Chris Brogan.” So at the very least (and I mean very least), his logo should incorporate both C & B.

    Last Thoughts

    If you want to reach out and touch Chris Brogan, you can use the primary navigation. If you want to read up on a specific blog category, you can do so in the new second row of navigation. You’re getting a better experience now, and I really have to give him props for taking a bad situation and squeezing out some lemonade.

    The Verdict

    I say bring back the old logo and you’ll have my vote of approval. Not that you’d want it.