Looking for Thanksgiving prayers for yourself or your church website? Here’s a collection gathered from Twitter. You’ll see more tweets are linking to Facebook for the details, which we didn’t see in the 2008 round up of Thanksgiving prayers on Twitter.

• @janblencowe_art An Artists Thanksgiving Prayer http://is.gd/4GbZj
• @RVCDiocese Thanksgiving Table Prayer O Gracious God, we give you thanks for your overflowing generosity to us. Thank you for…http://fb.me/3Xzemoo
• @123GreetingsCom Beautiful Jesus Christ prayer for Thanksgiving…http://bit.ly/2bdmJr
• @amanyajacobs Looking for a beautiful Thanksgiving prayer? Article. http://bit.ly/7wTk0w #in
• @virtualglfriday Famous Thanksgiving Prayers, Quotes, and Poems -http://tinyurl.com/yeu32ph – #thanksgiving, #givethanks, #prayersAn Artists Thanksgiving
• @DrNorrisChumley Thanksgiving Prayer: Here’s a little prayer for consideration at your holiday table. (encourage everyone to observe …http://bit.ly/7kxyF2
• @ChurchRez Looking for a new Thanksgiving tradition? Try this Thanksgivingprayer – http://bit.ly/7e0FyR
• @ChuckBaldwin My Thanksgiving Prayer by Chuck Baldwin November 24, 2009 http://tinyurl.com/ydm266a thanksgiving #prayer #history
• @akaGaGa Word for Wednesday: Thanksgiving Prayer http://bit.ly/6C7uM8
• @eblessings Thanksgiving scriptures: Psalm 28:7, Psalm 107:1, I Chronicles 16:8, Psalm 100..something for Thanksgiving prayer
• @vashtimckenzie A Thanksgiving Prayer for Peace http://bit.ly/7lkCsR
• @david_Brush_gr The Hansen Report: A Thanksgiving Meditation: Surely I’m the only person in the land of Ur whose prayer life o.. http://bit.ly/4nxyAO
• @Rev_Kurt Thanksgiving Prayer: Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their seas.. http://bit.ly/6ES9qf
• @MinisterKeith Thanksgiving Prayer: For Families who have Lost a Loved One http://bit.ly/50EhxD
• @JanetConner The Thanksgiving salvation prayer. http://janetconner.wordpres…
• @Sppstingers Our 6th and 7th grade students did a fantastic job this morning, providing us with a beautiful Thanksgiving prayer…http://bit.ly/6iEhfR
• @FFEvangelism Thanksgiving prayer: “We give thanks to thee, our Father, for raising up men and women who help us discover for…http://bit.ly/6AYEar
• @TristaHarris Just in time for thanksgiving, A Prayer for Our Children from Marian Wright Edelman http://www.tristaharris.org/a-prayer-for-our-children
• @matusiakj A prayer for Thanksgiving
• @jxd Puritan Thanksgiving Prayer
• @LynnBruce From The Beehive archives: Our family’s treasured collection of Thanksgiving poems, Psalms and prayers http://bit.ly/4VZAnR
• If your guest list contains only freelancers…
  @InkwellEditor The Freelance Writer’s Thanksgiving Prayer http://bit.ly/5tVfBP Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I’m off to pick up my marathon race packet!
• …or realtors…
  @cherimiecrane Just posted on ActiveRain: 2009 Realtors Thanksgiving Prayer http://activerain.com/t/135…
• …or artists…
  @janblencowe_art An Artists Thanksgiving Prayer http://is.gd/4GbZj

Linus’s Thanksgiving Prayer from Charlie Brown

via @vesselproject, @celebratefaith @opus_6 and others

Johnny Cash Thanksgiving Prayer

via @maggiesraggedy

Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving prayer?

Thanksgiving and Advent are almost here. You still have time to cook and shop, but what about getting your church website ready for these holidays? Here are Thanksgiving ideas for your church site and Advent content suggestions to get you started.

Sarah Palin starts her book tour, Barack Obama says he’s never used Twitter and Oprah says she’s hanging it up in 2011, prompting @caseywright to quip that maybe the Mayans were off by one year. In case the end is near, get your spiritual life together with the 10 Commandments for Twitter and the 7 Deadly Sins of Twitter. If it turns out we are going to stick around a while longer then learn from the president’s example and be clear in your church bio page about who is doing the tweeting–especially if you have ghost tweeters.

Speaking of things ending, what happens when your favorite URL shorteners go kaput? 301works.org is trying to help out. If that doesn’t work, try retweeting those links a lot, which you can now do seamlessly through Posterous.

Who can save a world gone mad? It’s a job for SuperTweet. SuperTweet advertising, that is, according to Robert Scoble. Is that enough to fend off the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? What about the 3 Ts of Business — Telling, Talented and Tangible? These are three traits that hold up for Twittering churches, too.

In football this week, it’s starting not to look like the end of the world for the Titans as they rack up some wins and where the NFL Commish joined a tweetup in the stands. But on the college side, the BCS’s new Twitter account is a calamity according to Shel Holtz at Social Media Today. And in our last bit of gridiron news, Twitter called its own audible at the (top) line with “What’s happening” replacing “What are you doing” as the welcome prompt.

In definitely more than 140 characters, Charles Curle Design compiled everything you could ever want to know about Twitter. In other roundups, Tom Maduri @tmaduri pointed out 47 Awesome Twitter Tools You Should be Using from DeonTee.com and Brian Clark showcased his funniest tweets.

Lists were big in last week’s round up and they continue to make headlines with the new option to add descriptions to your Twitter lists. You can organize those lists with Listerine (no, not that kind), according to Lifehacker.

We learned this week that “unfriend” was the word of the year. That wasn’t the end of the world, though, as many Twitter words were in the running.

And so we don’t end this calamitous post on a down note, here’s a sample from the Twitter: The Album — music written in only 140 characters of code.

(Charlie Hoistman)

What changed in your world of Twitter this week? Tell us now while you still have a chance!

Is your church ready for Facebook? If your church isn’t involved in social media yet, here’s a test to see how prepared your church is to get started.

Scenario #1 — Controversial Second Collections

Imagine it’s time for the annual collection for the CCHD — the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. Your parish is participating as directed by your bishop. A group of parishioners who is upset about CCHD’s previous funding of ACORN and other controversial organizations plans to boycott the collection. These parishioners are going to insert an envelope stuffer in the basket from http://www.reformcchdnow.com/.

Discuss:

• If your church had a Facebook page and the discussion spilled over there, how would your church respond?
• Who would respond?
• How fast would you do it?
• Who would need to review and approve the comments?
• Would you allow all comments or would you remove any?
• Would your comments differ whether or not your pastor agreed with the collection?

Scenario #2 — A Not So Anonymous Crude Comment

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch asked online readers about the craziest things they’ve ever eaten. Unsurprisingly, they received some crazy responses. And some crude ones. One vulgar response in particular, after being deleted, was submitted again from the same IP address. The site’s director of social media (!) saw that the comment came from a school so he called them about it. The comment was traced to a school employee who resigned on the spot. (ReadWriteWeb, ArtsTechnica, and Jeff Geerling have more on this).

Discuss:

• Imagine some inappropriate comments are submitted to your church blog or Facebook page…
• Are you going to moderate responses ahead of time? If so, who will do this and what kind of lag will you audience accept? If not, is your congregation willing to accept the crude or anti-Church comments that will inevitably show up?
• If your pastor asks you to find out where an anonymous comment came from, what will your response be?
• If your privacy policy says you won’t share information with third parties, does that include situations like these?
• What would it take to ban a commenter?

I’ll add a third scenario from my own experience. We haven’t opened up comments directly on my parish site because we don’t have the staff or volunteer personnel in place to moderate comments. One Thanksgiving I decide to open up our what-are-you-thankful-for poll to also include an editable “other” option, figuring it was a safe topic.

Wrong. It wasn’t long before someone noted that they were thankful for a victory by one particular party, which was quickly seconded by someone else. Next, someone from the other political party commented that they wouldn’t be joining our church because it had the wrong politics. Living in a suburb of Washington, DC, I should have seen this coming.

Social media can have huge upsides for churches and I want you to be successful. Just be prepared before you get started so that one early blip doesn’t sideline all of your social campaigns.

What are some social scenarios your church has faced that the rest of us can learn from?

Send a big thank-you note that gets noticed. See pen on left for a sense of scale. (Details blued out to maintain anonymity.)

The nearby thank you card arrived at work the other day expressing appreciation for my office staff’s charitable donations. You couldn’t miss it sitting there in the lunch room. As a result, it received much more attention than the typical note card or thank-you letter.

This format offers lessons for church ministries on how to show your appreciation in a way that gets noticed and paves the way for future donations.

1. Make it big. Your thank you card won’t get lost with the junk mail and it has a better chance of being displayed where others can see it.
2. Tap into your creative side. The personal touch reminds donors that real people are benefitting.
3. Include everyone’s signatures. Show donors the extent of their reach.

Why should your ministry go through all this trouble? For starters, of course you need to show your appreciation. But if you’re receiving donations or in-kind contributions from a company, do a little extra to remind more people at that office how they are making a difference. You want your message seen by the entire office, not just the chief organizers, so that more people have the opportunity to become aware of your group. With that awareness comes a better chance to achieve even more participation next time.

It’s just one example of how to do it. What other effective thank-you’s have you seen in response to your church’s outreach?

Twitter lists are the big news from the past fortnight (very big) so let’s see what you should be doing with said list. (But first let me say, yippee! because Brizzly’s groups are now Twitter lists.)

Ways To Use Twitter Lists for Your Nonprofit Work
Via @Twitter Tips Beth Kanter looks at ways nonprofits (hint, like your church) can use lists and she sums up what others are saying on the topic. After reading her ideas, here are some ways your church might use lists:

• Your church’s staff and volunteers
• Diocesan and local charities your church supports
• Local bloggers and tweeps who cover your church

6 Ways to Look at Twitter Lists Antonella Stellacci of Snowcrashing.com categorizes the major ways you can put Twitter lists to use.

Using Twitter Lists to Judge InfluenceJudge not lest ye be judged? Not if you’re Todd Zeigler at Bivingsreport.com.

Why Twitter “Lists” Change Everything
Dave Troy says lists will rock your tworld. (He’s also a guy who doesn’t have to use URL shorteners–look at his URLs: http://davetroy.com/?p=644)

Twitter Lists Still a Work in Progress (ESPN)

RETWEETS

TWITTER HOW TO’s AND TIPS

QUESTIONS ABOUT TWITTER

SHOULD YOU OR SHOULDN’T YOU?

Connect Twitter with LinkedIn (LinkedIn Blog)

via GarryKnight on Flickr

Restaurateur-to-be Bruce Buschel put together a popular list of 100 things he thinks wait staff should never, ever do. Many of these lessons also apply to church ushers and greeters. Here are the ones (in the original order) worth sharing with your welcoming ministry.

Don’t Act Like a New York Waiter and Other Things Church Ushers Should Never Do

1. Do not let anyone enter the restaurant without a warm greeting.
(Substitute “church” for “restaurant” and the advice still holds up.)

2. Do not make a singleton feel bad. Do not say, “Are you waiting for someone?”

7. Do not announce your name. No jokes, no flirting, no cuteness.
WRONG! Wear a name tag by all means and introduce yourself if appropriate. Of course, skip the flirting; leave that to the young adults ministry.

8. Do not interrupt a conversation. For any reason. Especially not to recite specials. Wait for the right moment.
(A smile will do if your guests are already in conversation.)

9. Do not recite the specials too fast or robotically or dramatically. It is not a soliloquy. This is not an audition.
(Speak meaningfully.)

14. When you ask, “How’s everything?” or “How was the meal?” listen to the answer and fix whatever is not right.

15. Never say “I don’t know” to any question without following with, “I’ll find out.”

23. If someone likes a wine, steam the label off the bottle and give it to the guest with the bill. It has the year, the vintner, the importer, etc.
(The corollary for churches is to offer a bulletin or program up front.)

25. Make sure the glasses are clean. Inspect them before placing them on the table.
(Clean up the pews. Make sure the entrance area is neat.)

32. Never touch a customer. No excuses. Do not do it. Do not brush them, move them, wipe them or dust them.
WRONG! A helping hand or a handshake can be appropriate at times.

33. Do not bang into chairs or tables when passing by.
Duh.

34. Do not have a personal conversation with another server within earshot of customers.
WRONG! You can display some humanity, but take it easy.

35. Do not eat or drink in plain view of guests.
(Share the doughnuts after Mass.)

36. Never reek from perfume or cigarettes. People want to smell the food and beverage. Or the incense.

37. Do not drink alcohol on the job, even if invited by the guests. “Not when I’m on duty” will suffice.
(Again, not before Mass.)

38.Do not call a guy a “dude.” 39. Do not call a woman “lady.”
(Ushers probably can greet them without such terms.)

41. Saying, “No problem” is a problem. It has a tone of insincerity or sarcasm. “My pleasure” or “You’re welcome” will do.
(Mea culpa.)

42. Do not compliment a guest’s attire or hairdo or makeup. You are insulting someone else.
WRONG! It’s not insulting, but it is inappropriate. Don’t suggest that what’s on the outside is more important than the inside.

45. Do not curse, no matter how young or hip the guests.
(%$@*& good advice.)

46. Never acknowledge any one guest over and above any other. All guests are equal.
WRONG! Kids and seniors are exceptions.

47. Do not gossip about co-workers or guests within earshot of guests.
(Don’t gossip at all!)

49. Never mention the tip, unless asked.
Don’t ask for the donation on the way in.

50. Do not turn on the charm when it’s tip time. Be consistent throughout.
Be sincere.

That’s my take on the dos and don’ts for ushers from the original list. What are the best ushers at your church doing?

Is that long line on Halloween leading to house that gives out full-size candy bars? Nope, it’s the crowd clamoring for Twitter lists, the hottest topic this week in our Twitter recap. As these lists move out of beta into the mainstweam, everyone’s finding it’s a great way to organize your friends and to find new folks to follow. Services like Listorious.com offer a handy list of lists organized by topic.

As you get into the spirit of All Hallow’s Eve with a gallery of Twitter pumpkins, here are some things to do on Twitter when you’re dead. Speaking of dead things, is privacy’s demise the fault of Twitter or because kids took over Twitter?

COSTUME IDEAS

• You might be a clown for Halloween, but don’t be one on Twitter
• A blog dressed up as tweets
• A former LinkedIn and Facebook guy now plays a Twitter role
• Your own news network, Ochocinco style
• Wanna put a costume on your background image and avatar for Halloween? And then change it back automatically? Twiback can help. Or see more Twitter wallpaper examples (hat tip @cheth)
• UK reporters
• Maybe you should just be yourself (hat tip @imrogb) and not Larry Johnson

HOW MUCH DID YOU GET?

• Does Twitter have a business model?
• Options for measuring ROI
• Real-time tweets in ads

COULD YOU TELL IT WAS ME?

• How to Channel Your Twitter Voice works for churches, not just businesses (via @danschawbel)
• Twitter vs Facebook status updates
• Round up of how to influence tweeters and others
• Your Twitter connections will make a difference with Google’s social search
• If you’re not  on the map with Twittermap.tv then you might need to send a message in a bottle

ROVING BANDS OF CONFERENCE ATTENDEES

• Web 2.0 Summit
• Presentation slides for “Conversation 2.0: Twitter” – great way to recreate a presentation — just scroll down at to see the slide and read the narration.
• Presenting with Twitter

TRICKS

• More suspicious DMs this week. Click with caution. It helps to have articulate friends because these cryptic phishing DMs tend to be poorly written.
• All your tweets are belong to us, your employer
• Retweet button scripts
• 4 ways to add Twitter to your site

BLAME TWITTER

Twitter costs UK economy billions of dollars…but it also offers companies good ideas.

WORD

And let’s wrap up with this: Do you ever wonder if jack-o’lantern one word? What about trick-or-treaters? How about Twitter in one word, asked Social Media Today. What was the word on Twitter this week for you?

via ph7labs.com

Were you asleep at the controls or arguing about work policy and missed some Twitter news this week? Read on for Twitter headlines for the week of October 23, 2009.

The biggest news this week was answering the question, Who’s going to pilot our search for the latest Twitter topics? Bing declared itself the captain, but Google quickly responded with its own me-too (without a specific date, but it didn’t seem to matter).

If those absent minded Northwest pilots are looking for new jobs, Twitter can help although changing their avatar might not be a good idea (hat tip @TweetforBiz). Or was the in-flight movie that good? (Sure beats in-stream advertising, which might make you reach for the airsick bag.)

If those pilots try to go underground, take note that the CIA bought a stake in Twittering-monitoring service. But aren’t those protected tweets in fact exposed by Google asked the LA Times? Turns out the answer is no.

Maybe the pilots were location-challenged and should filter tweets by location. Or does that only work with politics? Maybe they should have spent more time at church or with the Bible.

In other Twitter developments…

Twitter Services and Apps

• Klout measures influence on topics across the social web to find the people the world listens to (hat tip @jmpineda)
• Trendistic – see trends in Twitter
• See what’s trending on Twitter and why with WhatTheTrend.com
• P2 theme for WordPress for Twitterizing your site with live, inline comments
• 140trans – social translations for your tweet
• 9 Open Source Microblogging Applications
• 16 Cool Sites To Get Free Twitter Backgrounds
• Buddy Media releases tool for updating and tracking social media. Maybe they can make a tracker for airline flights?

Twitter News

• Twitter hits 5 billion tweets (not sure what that drops to if you exclude Guy Kawasaki and Scoble)
• Mob Rule! How Users Took Over Twitter
• Twitter supports net neutrality
• Pew says 1 in 5 tweet or do other status updates (but it’s 4 out of 5 dentists)
• Comcast: Twitter Has Changed The Culture Of Our Company
• #BeatCancer Sets Guinness World Record

Twitter Tips

• Can Twitter Replace RSS for Sharing the Best of the Web?
• Segment your audience
• Twitter abbreviations
• 5 Twitter Tips You May Not Know
• 20 Hilarious (well, amusing) Twitter Comic Strips

What was the biggest Twitter item that flew onto your radar this week?

Every fall brings football, changing leaves and a spike in searches for Veterans Day Prayers. This year I’ve expanded my Veterans Day Prayers list to include even more prayers and some Veterans Day videos. If you have a favorite prayer or video for the list, please add it so we honor those whose sacrifices preserve our freedom to have an open, public discussion about religion.