LeadingSmart

An Apple Guy Remakes Microsoft

"Alex Bogusky built the country's slickest ad shop using Apple products. His next challenge: Persuade people like him to buy Microsoft's stuff."

That leading sentence to a recent article in Fast Company magazine sucked me in to the article. The story is about an unlikely firm (albeit "hot" and "hip") hired to overhaul the image problem that has plagued Microsoft for...what, about 600 years?

I don't know if Alex can do it, but I did enjoy the article, and found three great quotes in the article:

• "To try to be cool is to not be cool. To chase cool, you're chasing something that already exists, which means you're always going to be on the wrong side of it, you'll always be following."

Uh, wake-up call, how many times do we do this as church leaders?

• When asked if Alex was going to force his staff to stop using Macs in favor of Windows machines since Microsoft was now their largest client, he replied, "It's not a matter of forcing people. It's getting them to want to use it. If you can't, you're not going to do great advertising."

Rather than tell your staff or leaders that they must attend a service or have to be in a small group, how about make it so compelling that they won't stay away?

• "As the company draws bigger, more traditional clients, the risks grow proportionately. Edginess and risk taking mean nothing without results."

You can be traditional and effective. You can be edgy and ineffective. Edgy might get you on a top 100 church list somewhere, but it doesn't mean you are making disciples. Let's focus on disciple-making, and if edgy gets it done, then go for it.

According to the article, the new Microsoft ad campaign (being developed by Alex's company) is slated to break this month. Should be interesting!

Why Pop Culture is No Longer Popular

What? Pop culture is no longer popular? That might seem like a bit of a stretch coming from me. After all, I just published a book this spring, and if you made it all the way to page fifty-three, you found a chapter titled, “Why Pop Culture is So Popular.” Is this the time when I admit being wrong? Did I change my mind? Is this a colossal flip-flop?

Let me see if I can convince you that pop culture is both popular and unpopular.  After all, Bill Clinton did a great job of convincing us he smoked marijuana but didn’t inhale. And John Kerry said he voted against the war before he voted for it. I think I’m up for the challenge of the flip-flop.

Why Pop Culture is Popular. As a broad category, pop culture is as popular as ever. Whatever you look at, read, listen to, surf, buy, play with, drive past, browse, eat or touch…it is likely inundated with the influence of pop culture. Nothing has changed since I wrote these words in Pop Goes The Church:

"Recognizing the pervasiveness and influence of pop culture requires us to accept that we live in a new day. It is not the industrial age. It is not the modern generation. We live squarely in the middle of a media-driven, entertainment-crazed world. People around us are not only watching and listening—they are actually shaping their values through the movies, books, songs, and TV shows that fill their world. We can get angry about that. We can throw a tantrum, sign a petition, and support a boycott. That’s all fine and dandy. But it won’t change the facts. The influence of pop culture is here, and it is here to stay."

Why Pop Culture is No Longer Popular. At the same time, I resonate with an article written in the Boston Globe by Don Aucoin. He led with the title, “The Rise and Fall of Popular Culture,” and made a good case for the splintering of the American pop culture. Don writes:

“Popular culture, with its assumptions of a mass audience, once provided at least the illusion of common ground. Its foundation was a large but essentially knowable range of movies, music, TV shows, and fads that most people were assumed to be familiar with. But that foundation is buckling under the sheer weight of all the things that now qualify as pop culture -- and all the new technologies that deliver them to finely calibrated consumer niches. Today the national water cooler bubbles with competing monologues rather than inclusive dialogues.”

Pop culture is here, and is here to stay, but it is so diverse right now that you find very few examples of a specific element that has mass appeal. Not too long ago, it was pretty much guaranteed that everyone had watched Johnny Carson the night before. Shows like MASH were huge hits with national appeal, as were more recent sitcoms such as Friends or Cheers. Yet today, we have hundreds of channels to choose from. Shows such as Deadwood, Weeds, Battlestar Galactica and The Closer are considered huge fan favorites, yet have very small niche audiences.

With sites like YouTube, the possibility of creating new art for the world to see is accessible to anyone at any time. Entire categories of art are being added to pop culture at an exponential rate. And more people are accessing their favorite show or movie through alternative sources, such as online webisodes, digital downloads, or mobile streaming.

I’m still as convinced as ever that pop culture is the language of our culture. If you want to reach people who didn’t grow up in the church culture, then you should look for the spiritual conversations they are already having. A lot of those conversations center around music, movies, shows or books. That is still true, and I don’t see it changing anytime soon.

What is also true, though, is that they are not all talking about the same thing. Pop culture is splintered in ten thousand different directions with new ones arriving every day. This has an impact on how we do church. At Granger Community Church, it means…

1. We will do fewer message series around a specific cultural element. For example, several years ago we did a series called Survivor. It worked great. Everyone watched the show or knew about it. More recently we did a series called The Office. On television, it is a fan favorite. But in reality, probably 90% of our people don’t watch it. The series wasn’t as effective because pop culture isn’t so widely popular anymore.
2. We will continue to leverage the culture every week. If there is a secular song that can raise an issue, we will use it. If there is a movie clip that illustrates a point, we will show it. But our series will be packaged less around a specific element in pop culture and more around a topic or need that it addresses.

Pop culture continues to be the language of the community, because it is popular. But if you try to figure out what has everyone’s attention, you’ll find that pop culture might not be as popular as you think.

This article was published in the July/August 2008 issue of Collide Magazine.

Is Your Church in the Sticks?

If you are a staff member, pastor, or volunteer leader at a church in the boonies...in the middle of nowhere...in rural America, then you will be surprised to hear that a conference is being planned just for you. It is called The Sticks -- and is being hosted by a couple churches with amazing stories in Loudonville, Ohio.

Where the heck is Loudonville, Ohio? That's the point...it's in the sticks (if you really must know, see map below). And if you live in the sticks, you are probably tired of going to conferences in metropolitan areas where there are a million people within 5 miles of the church. You think it is cool and edgy, but you know that it would never work in your town. Because you live in the sticks.

Two pastors (this guy and this guy) from central Ohio decided to stop griping about conferences and do their own. And they are bringing together several great speakers from small- to medium-sized towns to help you figure out how to make ministry work in the sticks. I'll be there. So will Mark Batterson.

And a friend of mine from a long time ago, Shannon O'Dell, will be speaking. He started a church in a town with 50 people in northern Arkansas. They now run over 1,000 in attendance through multisites in four small towns. It's an explosion of sticks in rural Arkansas.

I'd love to meet you in November at The Sticks conference.

Anyone think they might go?

View Larger Map

A Different World

It is amazing how different the world is just 45 minutes away from my house. I took these pictures this morning near Shipshewana, Indiana.

I'm Going to ECHO...Are You?

This is going to be a great conference for those who work to pull great creativity into the church. The early bird rates expire in one week...so register soon. I'd love to see you there.

Movies Worth Seeing

Before you ask, no, I don't sit around watching movies all the time. But this is a list that comprises movies I've seen over the past few months that I've found enjoyable...

• The Life Before Her Eyes -- A couple months ago, I was sent a preview copy of this movie from Magnolia Pictures. The woman who asked me to review it said, "While the film is rated R for some violence and mature language, I would invite you to see the film as authentic and that it has great potential to foster important and substantive discussions in the communities that you shepherd and influence." Even though it includes big-names like Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood, the movie never made it to the theater in my area. I really enjoyed the movie, but at the end I was left confused and perplexed. I had no idea what it meant. At first that bothered me...but the more I thought about it (and, I confess, did some google searches), I figured it out. Once I did, it made me want to watch it again. I don't know if the movie holds the promise of fostering substantive discussions--but it was very enjoyable and worth watching.
• Get Smart -- I grew up watching Don Adams and it was my favorite show, so I was pretty jazzed about this movie. And I wasn't disappointed. It definitely wasn't the child-friendly show of my youth, but it was great for my wife and me--and one that I'll probably take my older children to see.
• The Last Kiss -- this is a movie that we caught by chance on TV the other night. My wife and I were looking for a romantic comedy. Boy were we wrong. This wasn't a comedy at all. In fact, about 80% of it was pretty depressing as relationships failed, marriages crumbled, trust eroded, and it appeared that long-term commitment was impossible. But when it was all said and done, I loved it. It had a great message about rebuilding, starting where you are, telling the truth, staying through tough times, guarding your relationships and valuing what is most important. Be warned...it is rated R and is not a movie for teens or kids.
• Hancock -- I'm not a fan of super-hero movies, but I like Will Smith so was looking forward to seeing him in this movie. I didn't get to see the whole thing (since it was during the movie we got three phone calls from camp about Megan's broken collar-bone), but let me tell you...this was a great movie! Had a twist at the end that I loved. This movie had tons of scenes that could be worked into future messages about love, trust, significance, doing the right thing, starting over, destiny, and more. Did I mention that I loved it?
• We Own the Night -- this is a movie with four actors I love: Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix, Robert Duvall and Eva Mendes. It was dark, disturbing and frustrating at times. It is another adults-only movie. I came away thinking about the strength of family relationships. It doesn't matter how different the path is that you take away from your family...you can't get away from the bond of blood.
• Wanted -- Okay, I admit it, sometimes seeing some safe violence is therapeutic. By safe, I mean, no one really gets hurt, right? But there is a lot of blood, many bad guys who get "killed" -- and an occasional jerk who get hit over the head with an ergonomic keyboard. What's not to like? I'm sure a therapist would tell me that I was damaged as a child or played too much pong and breakout as a teen. Maybe. But either way, I enjoyed this movie.

What other movies would you add?

Where Do You Draw Your Power?

My Brother Predicts That I'll Have a Mac Within a Year

I told Joe Stevens, my brother (on the left next to my beautiful sister, Dena McGoldrick), that I'm planning to get the iPhone 3G this Friday. He responded...

"I'll give you less than one year to discover OS X. And once you do, you will switch all your computers to mac (UNIX, stable, powerful, fast, high-quality, virus-free, registry-free, non-microsoft, sexy, timemachine backwards to any point/file in time, fun to use, better at handling your digital life, near-maintenance-free, everything works out-of-the-box and keeps working)...I could go on and on (like totally changed my life, etc, etc.). Anyway, will be good to welcome you fully aboard at that time."

I had to burst his bubble and let him know I just ended my three-year relationship with the iPod and now carry what I consider to be a superior product...the Microsoft Zune.

I think Apple has a ton going for them. Most of what he says is true. But until they can communicate seamlessly with the rest of the PC world, I can't take the plunge. I'm too dependent on a corporate IT infrastructure. And I'm surrounded by friends with Macs that can't seem to accept my appointments, read my files or share my calendar. Until that gets figured out...I'm staying in my Windows world.

Long live Bill Gates.

Five Stages of Dealing With Failure

Perhaps you've heard of the five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance). I wonder if a similar list could help define the stages a leader goes through when his or her organization is failing. I know such a list (at least in hind sight) is helping me.

In the past year at Granger, we have been trying to get our minds and hearts around some of the data that points to failure...or if not failure, at least a lack of meeting our expectations. What do you do when not as many people are inviting their friends...not as many have a biblical worldview...not as many are tithing...not as many are reading their Bible...not as many are attending...and not as many are being baptized?

These questions are very real for us right now, and the following list represents some of the stages of failure I have recently experienced...

• Justify. Well, the attendance is down because of the weather. Everyone is at the Notre Dame home game. People aren't reading their Bibles because we have so many seekers. The economy is in the tank so people aren't giving.

Sometimes there are rational reasons for failure, but if you continue to explain it away over time, it begins to look like an excuse rather than a reason. You can justify a week or even an entire season...but it's difficult to justify trends that are happening over time.

• Question. Perhaps the stats are wrong. Maybe we didn't ask the question in the right way. I bet a certain category of people refused to take the survey and so the results are skewed.

When we don't like what the data says, it is so easy to question its' validity. We look deep for one anomaly. We find the one piece where we can cast doubt on the data...thus causing a large shadow over all the findings. Then it makes it easier to say everything is okay. The problem isn't the church, it's the data.

• Blame. It's the fault of the congregation. They stopped giving. They stopped inviting their friends. They think they're mature and deep, but they aren't contributing to the cause.They are whining but not helping.

In our frustration, we blame the people. We might even design messages with a prophetic tone to get them to be better, stronger and more committed. Rather than lead them through the difficulty, we preach them through it.

• Redefine. Well, it's not attendance that really matters anyway. We'd rather have 100 mature believers than 1,000 in a crowd. It doesn't matter how many are coming in our doors--what really matters is how many we are sending out our doors.

Instead of figuring out why we keep missing the target, we just move the target to the location where our arrows are landing. Rather than adopting a "both/and" mentality -- we say that it is "either/or." We are tempted to say, "Either we are growing in numbers or we are growing in our faith. It can't be both. Either we are having an impact on the community or we are helping believers mature. It can't be both. Either we are attractional or we are missional. It can't be both." Really? Why not? I think it is dangerous to redefine success just because we are missing the mark.

• Lead.  At some point, we decide to lead. We stop blaming, questioning, justifying or redefining--and we hunker down and lead through the crisis. We figure out what is wrong and we get on our faces before God, and we begin to fix it. We face the really tough data and talk about the facts of our situation which might be embarrasing or self-condemning. We acknowledge where we are wrong and we get risky and determine to try some stuff to get back on track. We stick our necks out and cancel some stuff that has perceived success, and add some stuff that has no historical track record. We work through the feeling of failure, the muddy conversations and awkward staff meetings. We don't jump ship because the waters are suddenly rocky. No, instead we rally the troops, and we do what leaders do in times of crisis...we lead.

Anyone else identify with any of these stages of failure?

Trading Pop Beads for Pearls

On Thursday night, I wrote a post about the sweeping changes recently announced at Granger. Most of you were enjoying the holiday and were taking a break from blogs (way to go!).

If one of the following statements describe you...

• You attend Granger, but couldn't make it last Thursday night.
• You attend Granger and want to help process the coming changes with a group of volunteers.
• You are thinking about attending Granger.
• You are a church-lurker from afar and want to know what we are up to.
• You are curious.
• You heard about the changes but wonder why.
• You have to make an announcement about change to a group of people and want to see a great example on how to process change.
• You think Granger is from the den of demons and would like to see if we are changing anything to become less evil.
• You look at the picture above and wonder if a) Mark is waving to his brother, or b) Mark is turning on a lightbulb, or c) Mark is asking, "Has anyone seen my tie?"

...then you will definitely want to watch the video.

Go here, then look for the message called "Trading Pop Beads for Pearls." Enjoy the entire service, or if you just want to hear Mark's message, fast forward to 26:30.

Doers Vs. Leaders

I have a good friend who is brilliant in his business and passionate about Christ. I found this blog post by Mark Meyer to be insightful...

In an organization with 100 people:

• 20 people are doers.
• With a leader.
• 80 are hanging around watching, experimenting, consuming, or complaining.
• When the 20 expand to 40, chances are there's 200 now in the organization (or will be).
• The 20 tend to get frustrated with the 80 for not doing anything and at times will tell them. (They should avoid that.)
• The 80 will ride the coattails of the 20 and feel like they did it and even take credit for it.
• This sometimes frustrates the 20. They should not be frustrated. They should just do.
• Great leaders pour vision into the 20 while casting the net out to the 100.
• Frustrated leaders spend a lot of time trying to get the 80 be part of the 20.
• Of the 80, some will become doers as the organization grows.
• The doers that simply do will some day realize there are people following them.
• Some of the 80 will become part of the 20 with a simple personal invite.
• A leader will be turned down 4 times for every yes. This does not bother great leaders. It frustrates others.
• Frustrated leaders have the opportunity to be great leaders.

There is wisdom that oozes from Mark's words. I would add two more thoughts...

1. When I'm hiring, I'm usually looking for leaders, not doers. I know if I find a great doer, I'll get a bunch of stuff done. But if I find a great leader, he or she will find and lead many teams of doers and we will see the capacity and strength of the organization multiply.
2. If I had an organization with 100 staff (oh, wait, I do!) and 80 of them were hanging around watching, experimenting, consuming or complaining...I would fire the 80, give the 20 raises, and use the rest of the money to invest in growing the organization.

Since Everyone Is Being All Patriotic, I'd like to Suggest...

Earlier this year my wife and I had a Saturday night routine for 7 weeks in a row. We watched the HBO mini-series called John Adams. The acting was great (starring Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney), the set design and costuming was astounding, and we were drawn into the story as we watched it together with our teenage daughters.

Typically when I watch a show, I forget about it by the next day. But this show had me thinking for days following each episode. It is amazing to me the decisions that were made by a bunch of guys in their thirties and forties (uh, my age) that have guided our country for over 230 years.

John Adams is now available on DVD. I strongly recommend you get it, watch it, and consider some of the foundational conversations behind the birth of our country. If you have teens, watch it with them and have fun talking.

Sweeping Changes at Granger

We have researched. We have prayed. We have agonized over what to do. We have considered many different options.

The Reveal survey conducted at Granger in January was jarring in its' revelation of who we are as a church. It was an awakening. We learned some things that were extremely positive...and we also learned some things that were deeply concerning to us. More on that in the coming days.

But the bottom line...we are changing. Tonight Mark Beeson announced the following...

• Our weekend services will be changing. Instead of doing five 60-minute services, we will be doing four 75-minute services. The message will not grow in length...but we will be adding artistic and participative opportunities for people to experience God. We are going further up and further in.
• All the weekend service times, length and format are changing beginning August 23rd.
• New Community will end on August 14th. This is the mid-week service we have been doing every Thursday for more than fourteen years.
• Beginning September 3rd, we will offer a once-a-month service called First Wednesday where we will experience the awe and wonder of God.
• Beginning September 10th, we will offer Journey Bible Classes for adults (three options to choose from) along with full programming for children and students. Each Wednesday (except on First Wednesday), a class will be offered in each of three categories:
  • Encounter -- Bible studies (i.e. book study on James, Ephesians or Proverbs)
  • Empower -- Spiritual disciplines (i.e. how to study the Bible, prayer, solitude)
  • Engage -- life application (i.e. marriage, parenting, finances).

There are many things that won't be changing. We will continue to reach people who are far from God. We will continue to make our weekend services work for those who don't normally go to church. We will continue to leverage the culture to reach our community.

We are not changing directions--we are changing gears.

Update: Watch the video of Mark Beeson's announcement to the church (called "Trading Pop Beads for Pearls") here. Enjoy the entire service, or fast forward to 26:30 to see just his message.

Can You Use "Bed Chamber" in a Sentence?

Want to hear me use "bed chamber" in a sentence? Or want to hear Kem Meyer explain why podcasting is one of the oldest technologies in the world?

Tune in to the first 2008 podcast episode of Countdown to Innovate.

I'm The One With The Naked Statue Coming Out of My Head

Tonight we had a great time eating together as a senior team. All of our spouses were able to join us, which made it even more delightful. Don't they make us look good?

Left to Right...

1. Chris and Butch Whitmire
2. Rob and Michelle Wegner
3. Faith and Tim Stevens
4. Mark and Laura Waltz
5. Sheila and Mark Beeson (photographer extraordinaire)

Freedom Balanced with Liability

Last week I sat in awe at a presentation to our staff. Jason Powell is our IT Director, and he talked to our staff about standardization, security and purchasing. Hard to believe that could be interesting, huh?

Well, it was amazing, and you should listen to it. Some quotes...

• "Other church leaders think we are on crack because we let you use Facebook..."
• "You can play outside the guardrails...that's okay, but we can't support you if you do."
• "Holy crap, how much did you pay for that thing?"
• "ILikePigsFeet would be a good passphrase."
• "We don't want to see pictures of your dog and your kid on the server."

I don't care what you do in ministry...if you want to hear how to communicate "rules" with vision and energy, listen to this talk.

The Kingdom of Twitter

I've been Twittering now for...let me see, about 4 weeks. Long enough to see the value, the pitfalls, the potential good and the potential waste of time that Twitter can be.

But my friend Rob Wegner put it so succinctly. It all comes down to motives. He wrote...

I'm about ready to Twitter. 

I've held off because of a major revulsion toward our fifteen minutes of fame culture and the narcissism that fuels it.  The whole "Check me out - I've got x number of followers - did you know I just flossed my teeth?  Hey, I just gargled! Aren't I so interesting and funny and cool?" deal wears me out. 

Twitter potentially takes that self-promotion to a new level.  Thanks to Twitter, now, you can get updates on MY LIFE EVERY THREE MINUTES!!

That's not a judgment on you, if you twitter. 

It's not a free pass either.  Motives matter most according to Jesus. 

It's been a little disconcerting to see a number of church leaders posting recently on how many followers they have on facebook or twitter. (And what exactly is the point of advertising how huge your following is?)

I know that dark stuff is inside of me.  I want to starve it.  So, in a nutshell, that's why I've not jumped on the bandwagon yet.

But, I'm about ready to repent.

Michelle has been twittering for a few weeks and I have to admit that I'm almost ready to convert to the Kingdom of Twitter. 

Why?  It's been fun connecting with friends that we don't bump into day to day because of schedule or geography.  Twitter fuels those friendships with a sense of freshness, momentum and relational connection that otherwise wouldn't happen.  She's already seen a new friendship blossom.  That's good stuff.

I'm just about ready to repent and admit what I already know: Technology is a neutral medium.  Technology only amplifies what is already inside of me, for good or for bad. 

Sometimes,I forgot the obvious.  It's easier to blame something outside of me versus face up to the internal realities.

So, Twittering may be a new spiritual discipline I hadn't considered.

When I walk the aisle and officially repent, I'll let you know. I'm waiting for the fifth verse to start before I move.

Read more from Rob Wegner here. Join me on Twitter here.

Update: Find Rob on Twitter here.

Want to Meet in Indianapolis?

Five reasons why you might want to meet me in Indianapolis this Friday...

1. You want a chance to win a free registration to Innovate 2008.
2. You want to see a true introvert squirm during a book signing.
3. You want to meet the world's fastest publishers who got my book on shelves around the country 8 weeks after I finished writing.
4. You don't want me to get stuck again talking to a drunk man.

It is this Friday, June 27th, Noon until 2:00pm, at the Downtown Borders in Indianapolis. If you already have a book, bring it along and I might even sign it.

And it is true, one person who comes will win a free registration to Innovate 2008.

Free Video Available

Last week I told you about an amazing video we used during the first week of the One Prayer series.

I'm glad to tell you that it is now available as a free download at WiredChurches.com in a format that will work for your church service.

Enjoy!

CBS Swings Into the Summer Season

I love the beginning of summer when all kinds of new TV shows find their way on the air. Sometimes they are rejects from the previous fall or spring season, or sometimes they are just great shows that have shorter runs for whatever reason.

After seeing one commercial, I decided to check out Swingtown on CBS to see what it had to offer. Two married couples...set in the 70's...trying to make their relationships work. Or so I thought. I should have watched the commercial more closely.

This is a show about couples that "swing" -- that is, trade spouses for sexual pleasure. And it is not on HBO or Cinemax. Nope, it's on CBS during primetime when your adolescent kids are likely to be flipping channels. Entertainment Weekly describes Swingtown as "a partner-sharing show whose pilot episode features its protagonists doing drugs and engaging in a foursome."

I'm an advocate for looking for the good in culture, for celebrating the seeking, for addressing the questions that pop culture asks--even if their answers are misguided. However, I'm having a hard time finding anything good in this show. After watching the first two episodes, I found a show that communicates...

• Sexual relationships with multiple partners have no consequences.
• Your spouse is a prude if she/he won't let you sleep around.
• You can have sex with another person without bonding emotionally or impacting your current committed relationships in any way.

The executive producer and show creator, Mike Kelley, evidently doesn't see anything wrong with swinging. He talks about his childhood when he would peek through the banisters and see "one husband kissing another's wife, but it didn't feel dark. You can tell, there's just a lot of joy and love here." I bet he didn't see the aftermath of those "innocent" kisses.

He goes on to talk about how he pitched the show to CBS after being declined by several cable networks. He told the Nina Tassler, president of CBS entertainment: "We still want the leading lady to take [drugs] and have sex with the neighbors. We still want the underage daughter to smoke pot and flirt with her teacher. We still want the crazy neighbor lady to snort coke."

The amazing thing is that Tassler wants us to think this show reflects normal life. She says the show is "taking some risks, but at the same time exploring issues of family and things that are eminently relatable to our audience. We're pushing the envelope, but in a very responsible way." Really? I'd hate to see them push the envelope in an irresponsible way.

In the first two episodes of Swingtown, there are no consequences. Everyone is happy, which is amazing, because in the world I live in, when couples engage in these kinds of acts, people get hurt. Families blow up. Marriages disintegrate. Children get tossed back and forth and many never recover. Men grow in their insecurity and women feel cheap and used.

The good thing is that CBS has some limits. On a bulletin board in their offices where show notes are posted for upcoming episodes, it was indicated that the orgy should not include any "thrusting, bouncing, moaning, groans, etc." Thanks CBS. You're watching out for my family. Way to go.

I'm not going to sign a petition or support a boycott of CBS. But I am hoping for one of two outcomes: 1) The show loses steam and goes off the air; or 2) They begin to show the deep and long-lasting emotional scars, as well as the potential physical consequences that this type of activity will lead to. I think that's the best I can hope for. In the meantime, I'm going to do my part and stay away from CBS when Swingtown is on the air.