If you’re a Christian techie, two of the big names to take note of might be:

• Tim Keller
• Google

Well, what happens when they intersect?

Basically you get Tim Keller speaking at Google HQ in their Authors@Google series.

Dr. Keller has spoken there before, and it’s one of the the more popular videos (approaching 200,000 views) on the web featuring Dr. Keller.

The latest book out of Redeemer City to City‘s Content Labs is The Meaning of Marriage.

 

So Google’s invited him back to talk about the book and the Christian view of Marriage.   Take a looksie at the hour long talk . . . (more…)

Today I got a new book in the mail from Zondervan that had a nice and shiny cover that’s about our desire & drive to always choose to go for the nice and shiny covers on our lives. . .superficial over substantial.

VENEER: Living Deeply in a Surface Society is a book that sets out to call out some of the “real” challenges we have in living out Christian lives in today’s media-rich, materialistic, techno-buzzing, hollywood-worshipping society.

I’m particularly interested to see what Tim Willard and Jason Locy have to say in particular about Technology in this book.

I have had some interesting informal conversations with the authors to date about some topics tangential to this book, and I can tell you there’s some good stuff brewing here. Thoughtful. Insightful. Authentic.

This video intro sets-up the book pretty well. And from what I can understand, the Veneer book will provide you with an interesting critique of the current times — and at the same time put forth a challenge to many that decide to plunge in and remove some veneer.

Can’t wait to share with you my own takeaways after I go through the book myself including how this book pushes me to re-think various aspects of my own daily praxis involving technology, social media relationship building and more.

This week, I shared about the John 3:16 television commercial that is being banned from the Superbowl this year.  It promotes the website, www.LookupJohn316.com.

Now, another religious commercial has been banned from television as well for Superbowl Sunday.  But this time, perhaps there’s more rationale for this one?

Doritos filmed a tv spot that has a Catholic priest passing out Doritos and Pepsi as communion elements for the Eucharist sacrament.

Catholic groups got the ban after an outcry about the mockery of the Roman Catholic Church.  One interesting fact is that the actor playing the priest is actually a “practicing Catholic” supposedly and the one that came up with the script himself.

Of course, this invokes discussions about transubstantiation and how Doritos is being inconsiderate of the sacramental theology behind the Catholic sacramental tradition.  But if it were a protestant ministry being featured, would it make the commercial any more or less acceptable?

Here’s the actual TV spot that was banned and a fluffy conversation by the talking heads during this news segment:

QUESTION: Was it the right decision to ban this commercial? What does it say about God’s sense of humor as remarked in the video segment?

The Superbowl is upon us.  Whether you are involved in the discussions this week regarding the appropriateness of moving Sunday worship times to accommodate football parties, or hosting Superbowl parties at church, or . . .

In the meantime, the lineup of advertisers vying for commercial airtime are going through the dueling process themselves.  It seems that the first explicitly Christian Superbowl Ad was rejected this year.

The Atlantic Wire reports:

The ad, which was produced by the Fixed Point Foundation, showcases a group of guys who wouldn’t be out of place in a beer commercial gathered around a big screen yelling at the TV during a football game. After a close-up of John 3:16 is flashed onscreen, they wonder what the verse means and use a smart phone to look it up. That’s it. Gibson explains that Fox likely blocked the ad to avoid “the wrong kind of controversy,” but hedges by noting “it’s hard to see how a commercial whose only religious reference is a brief shot of a player’s eye black and ‘John 3:16′ could offend an audience of sports fans.”

Here’s the actual video spot. Take a looksie yourself and try and find the objectionable content:

The copy on the actual LookupJohn316.com site being promoed in the spot was refreshing to review.

Here’s the first page’s body copy. Notice the tone of the language being used:

Why is this world not quite right?

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There are plenty of things we enjoy about this world: our friends, families (hopefully), and a host of activities and amusements – like football – to name just one.  But in almost every aspect of life we experience disappointment, dissatisfaction, and daily frustration.  Simply put, the world we live in does not match the one we hope for.

So What’s the Problem? Well, it doesn’t have to do with money or politics.  The common troubles of society are just symptoms of a deeper and more entrenched problem.  The root of our troubles is that each of us tends to do what we want to rather than what we ought to.  This is true for everyone, the best and the worst of us.  It is a kind of “law” rooted in human nature.  Every human being at some point “drops the ball” and causes trouble for others. . .NEXT: Is there any hope?

QUESTION: Do you think this ad is too much for Superbowl Sunday?  Why or why not?

My friend Joe just hit me up with an interesting factoid and corresponding question.

Now the answer to the question really depends on the posture of your ministry, in my humble opinion. . .

But first, the factoid, and then the question:

Did you know if one spends $100 on small business, that local community gets $68 back?

That factoid makes a compelling argument to spend your money in the local mom and pop shops around town.

So, here’s the big question for our church and ministry leaders:

If one gives to the church $100, how much would go back to your local community? (Feel free to define “local community” as it applies to the church)

What a challenge to ministry leaders to think in this kind of ROI context!  Some of the tough questions that serve as a reality check immediately pop into my mind:

• What type of impact are you having within the local community?
• Are you actually engaged with more than just your regular attenders and members?
• Have you reached out to your civic leaders?  Schools?  Community-wide events?
• What percentage of your ministry budget is directed toward your building? Or your staff?  Now, how much is spent on local outreach?  Are you at the right balance?
• While you might be proud of your missionary support activities, how are you doing with the mission field in your zip code?

What IF you could claim a noteworthy ROI for the church?  What would it do in terms of getting people notice your ministry and how you are going about loving your neighbors?

Contextualization.

Mobilization.

Social Media Nation.

Nativity.

Creativity.

Levity.

Merry Christmas.

HT: Jason Locy of FiveStone

Peering into the future is something that TED talks often do.

Somehow Religion doesn’t usually make it as a regular topic for the think tank conference phenomenon.

And while Billy Graham has spoken in over 100 countries in his lifetime, somehow, the TED audience is not something he’s used to.  But when Rev. Graham shows up, everyone in the crowd welcomed him with raucous applause — pleasantly surprising to me, personally.

It is interesting to see his reflections on technology + faith and the future.

Rev. Graham talks about three aspects of humanity and the application of technology. . . (more…)

Sometimes we forget that the Bible is an amazing story with tons of smaller transformational stories within that can capture the heart and mind of those listening.

This little girl reminds us of this with her Story of Jonah. What do you see or hear in this video clip below? What strikes you?

With over 3 Million views, one thing this girls shows us is that understanding story is important. Imagine if we had such captivating stories told each week from the pulpit.

“Yeah for God!” she says. Yeah for God indeed.

I was in another town recently, and figured it was convenient to pick-up a couple of things at the ShopRite while I was there before I returned home.

It was a nice grocery store – new, clear signage for each aisle. . .

What struck me was that the food aisle in front of me apparently contained: “Mexican food, International, Religious Candles, Canned Vegetables”

So I took the bait and moseyed down to see how or why someone would group Religious Candles along with the others. . .

I never figured it out, but as I started to walk down the aisle, I quickly noticed something down that aisle — they were having a big sale!   I always, love a deal, don’t you?

But guess what exactly was being promoted?

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The following is a guest blog post from Pastor Randy Kinnick in Arkansas.  He shares some great ideas regarding community and connections.  Enjoy. . .

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People long for connection…we are designed that way.  The power of belonging is a strong drive.  Although negative peer pressure can be the result, if we understand that this need to be in community is a God-given trait, we can approach life and evangelism from a perspective that embraces and celebrates it.  Erwin McManus has pointed out…

There may be no greater proof of God than the power of community.

There may be no greater gift than a place to belong.  While it may seem you’re selling out to admit you need people, the irony is that you’ll never really know yourself until you’re in a healthy community.  We only truly come to know ourselves in the context of others.  The more isolated and disconnected we are, the more shattered and distorted our self-identity.

We are not healthy when we are alone.

We find ourselves as we connect to others.

(Soul Cravings, 2008 Thomas Nelson)

In light of this, there are ideas we can utilize to effectively connect with our community at large while creating stronger connections within our faith community.  The end result is that more people are touched with the love and truth of the gospel. 

Here are 10 ideas that I believe will accomplish this in any church. . . (more…)