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 . . .

One of the interesting (perhaps controversial) tidbids he puts out there in this talk is about gender and marriage. He touches on the Christian view of marriage — is for character building. Meaning. . .to bring to bring the two diametrically different genders together — they “clash” in a way to rub off the edges that each other carries. But we also “mesh,” in complementary ways. And it is in those two ways that we complete each other. Much of what marriage is supposed to do can only happen within traditional husband-wife unions.

For those of you missed his first visit in 2008, back when he published The Reason for God, here’s the video of that appearance:

Speaking at gigs like this is very different than preaching 3-point sermons. But he certainly employs the Tim Keller approach to presenting.

What did you notice about this talk?  Leave a comment below.

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?

---

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. . .

Rev. Graham humbly brings up three facets of technology that we can’t forget as it grows and grows in terms of our reliance upon it:

1. Technology can’t solve the human problem of evil.

2. Technology can’t solve the human problem of suffering.

3. Technology can’t solve the human problem of death.

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?

Seriously now.  BABY JESUS being discounted for THREE FOR FOUR BUCKS — are you for real?

QUESTION: DOES ANYONE REALLY NEED MORE THAN ONE JESUS, EVEN AT 3 for $4?

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

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. . .

1.      BE A FRIENDLY FACE

This may seem uber-simplistic, but we need to make it more practical than just a philosophical mantra.  Let’s think outside the box to provide opportunities for our people to develop relationships and share their faith.  This could be done through the church’s sponsorship of sports teams, little leagues or scout troops.  We can agree to help coordinate volunteers for community groups when they have special projects.  Any opportunity to show a friendly face to the community is a win for your church.

2.       PROVIDE OPEN ARMS

Consider opening your facilities to be used by groups outside your church.  This will require some coordination and the establishment of a use policy, but this can be a win-win situation.  There is even a website (www.rentmychurch.com) that will help you connect with people who want to use your facilities.  We have provided meeting space for groups such as a home school associations, an arts program for handicapped kids, the local high school booster club, the community choir and Narcotics Anonymous.  These connections have opened doors for us to reach many families we otherwise would have never touched.

3.      TAKE IT OUTSIDE THE WALLS

This doesn’t require a lot of new programming; it just requires adaptation of what you already do.  Consider taking a weekly Bible study out to a community setting.  Do a worship service in the park.  Host a children’s activity in an area near an apartment complex and invite the neighborhood.  This past summer we decided to utilize the green space between our facility and the neighboring housing development.  We started out with hotdogs and hamburgers and then invited the kids to join our children’s program in the Event Center while the adults had worship and Bible study on the lawn.  This was “no strings attached” and, although the numbers were not huge, we were able to connect with a few families through our efforts and see decisions made for Christ.

4.      RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS

Lots of churches have promoted days or weeks for their people to be intentional about performing random acts of kindness.  Take it a step further and print cards that can be passed along with a brief explanation of why you are doing this, including the church website and a passage like Luke 4:18-19.  When someone anonymously pays for the coffee of the person behind them in line at Starbucks, for instance, they can ask the barista to give them the card when the drive up to the window.  Be creative and think in terms of bringing glory to Christ in the process.

5.      PROMOTE SERVICE

It is one thing to teach our people that they should serve, it is another to provide the opportunities to do so.  We are always challenged to recruit people to volunteer in our ministry.  However, how much energy do we spend in providing opportunities to serve outside the walls of the church?  Planning and organizing a “Service Saturday” will get people involved in serving who may never volunteer within the church ministries.  Once they’ve had a taste of service, they may just be more likely to want to serve within as well.  We just finished up a very successful service day that was coordinated primarily through our small groups.  The reviews are coming back with positive results.  Some of the groups are even deciding to adopt their site as an on-going service opportunity.

6.      DE-CENTRALIZE CHURCH LIFE

This is nothing new in our day of small group ministries.  The advantage is that when we get the church worshiping and studying outside its walls, unique opportunities are opened to invite and engage people who may not readily darken the doors of a church building.  If your church doesn’t have regular community groups meeting, consider having periodic prayer gatherings or study series in homes where people can invite their neighbors to interact with your families.  This can open a door into the church that won’t be there otherwise.

7.      PARTICIPATE IN COMMUNITY LIFE

This may overlap a little with #1 above, but there is a little difference intended.  Look around you and see what the big events are for your community.  Are there family-oriented activities that most people of the community attend?  How are you involved as a church?  Is there an opportunity to have a booth, a float in the parade, or to man the concession stand at the local football game?  Look for ways to rub elbows with the community in a high-traffic venue.

8.      NO STRINGS ATTACHED TOUCHES

This is more of a clarification and philosophy than an idea.  When you do what you do to make connections, people may be skeptical about your motives.  Of course, our motive is always to have the opportunity to love people and share the gospel.  However, when we do what we do because we love people and want to meet their needs without expecting anything in return, we lower their defenses and quell their cynicism.  This may just open the door for them to want to hear what we have to say about how Christ can change their lives.  Some examples to consider are providing new backpacks filled with schools supplies to the elementary school across the street, providing free food at a cookout for a low-income housing development, passing out bottled-water on the street corner in the middle of August.  Simply include something with the church name on it so that people know from where it comes.  Expect nothing in return except the Holy Spirit to move.

9.      BE AWARE OF THE NEEDS

Life gets busy…especially church life.  Families and leadership in the church have the tendency to become myopic.  We forget to look beyond ourselves and see the real, felt needs of our community.  When we stop and notice, there may be a need that is not being met which God has equipped your church to address.  When we allow God to show us these needs, we begin to see them as opportunities for the gospel.  At that point, take a 3-step PSA approach:  Prayer, Strategy, Action.

10.  REALIZE THE GREAT COMMISSION AND THE GREAT COMMANDMENT GO HAND-IN-HAND

It is significant that when Jesus began to teach in the synagogues after declaring his public ministry, He quoted from Isaiah 61:1, 2 (as recorded in Luke 4:18-19).  There, He clearly connected the felt needs with the spiritual need.  The gospel incorporates both, and we will fulfill the Great Commission and the Great Commandment when we exclude neither.

How have you used “out of the box” ideas to provide connections with your community and the gospel?

RANDY KINNICK: Thinker, writer, observer of life…husband, father, and follower of Christ.  In no particular order, these describe who Randy is and the person he is becoming.  He serves as Equipping Pastor at First Free Will Baptist Church in Russellville, AR, where he pursues his passion of discipleship in the context of community.

Halloween is over.

Thanksgiving — the largest, most visible, forgotten holiday is right around the corner.

That means, the commercialized CHRISTmas is basically here.

We’ve heard of reports that the Christmas retail season has already begun as a general secular movement as early as August now.  We’re devoting almost 1/2 hour entire calendar year around this civil holiday at the end of the year.

It is hard to find any other parallels like a date of December 25th having such an impact as far away as July or August 25th.  Not even birthdays in such a ME-centric culture are thought of this way.

Today, I received an email promoting a Free Amazon MP3 Album Download of The Veggie Tales Christmas Album for Kids:

In one sense, this is spot-on theologically: Giving away a free gift in order to celebrate another absolutely and completely free gift.

But one another sense, it is kind of a twisted manifestation when the religious circles are buying into what is being done with the timing and celebration of the civil religion around Christmas.

Is there a difference between marketing of *a* church and marketing *using* the church?

I think there is a difference, but I’m interested in what your thoughts may be on this question of the commercialization of Christmas.

My hope is that you refrain from sweeping rants as you leave a comment below. Your thoughts?

Today, we hear from guest blogger Pastor Ryan of Central Baptist Church in Ohio. He chimes in on how we all have a choice in building assets or liabilities for the Church.

Recently, the big news was about the church in Florida who was going to burn a Quran on 9/11 in protest of Islam.  This absurd situation is drawing negative attention even from military leaders and our Secretary of State.

I look at these situations involving two local churches and I can’t help but wonder what their real motivation is in acting this way.  Because they certainly aren’t acting like the church as Jesus intended.

It’s a shame that these churches are making the news because they are being a liability to their communities. Dictionary.com defines “liability” as something disadvantageous (2nd definition).  Certainly, the actions of these churches are disadvantageous to their communities.  All they are doing is angering people and forcing people to choose sides in an argument.  The situations might even be bringing some Christians to sinful attitudes and actions.  These churches are becoming known for actions that incite anger, instead of actions that incite love.

I firmly believe that we will be able to see more people come to salvation in Jesus if our communities view out churches as an asset, not a liability.  ”Asset” is defined as “a useful and desirable thing or quality” (Dictionary.com, definition #1).  What if your community saw your church as a useful and desirable thing instead of something disadvantageous?  I think it would open more doors to be the ambassadors of Christ we are called to be in Scripture (2 Cor. 5:20).

A church is an asset when it becomes a leader in flood relief efforts in its community.

A church is an asset when it works to provide physical needs for its neighbors.

A church can be an asset in any way that will help serve practical needs.  My church had an opportunity to create and manage a “Baby Comfort Area” at one of our town’s largest events: the Marion Popcorn Festival.  This area was simply a place for parents to change diapers while they’re at the festival.  We cleaned up after them and gave them a little gift bag with information about who were and a little bottle of hand sanitizer.

As the festival planning committee met and discussed the plan, they came back to us, saying “We can’t believe you’re willing to do this for us.”  And many, many people kept saying “thank you” while we were at the festival.  And it was a simple, practical act of service.

That’s what it means to be an asset. And I’m glad my church could be seen as an asset to the community.

Churches: please be an asset to your community, not a liability, and represent Christ well!

QUESTION: How are you leading your church to get involved in your community?

Long after the Biblical account of the parting of the Red Sea, people have questioned Moses’ miraculous actions.  Sure, sometimes the stories we read in the Scriptures seem outlandish or mythical to our own sensibilities in the world we live in. But the question remains however if it is physically possible to have happened?

Science has come to the aid of at least this one Biblical record, showing how a body of water can in fact by parted to the degree where 6 foot walls surround a dry passage across it.

Amazing? Yes.  Possible? Yes.

Even cooler? The researchers have found an actual geographic location where this rare occurrence might have and can occur based on the present land form, underwater structures, etc.

Check out this video where a researcher from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU) briefly explains their findings:

QUESTION: Does your faith require science to confirm your hesitations about the Truth given to us in the Scriptures?

“M&M’s Make Friends.”

Everyone pretty much knows it, right?  They’ve been around forever.

The thing is that all this while, we’ve become accustomed to thinking about them in the same way, even as the options have flourished to 25 different colors.

I bet if you closed you eyes and someone asks you to think of M&M chocolate candies, you’ll envision the good ol’ brown bags that is a staple of Halloween treats block after block after block. . .

Asked how much you’d expect to spend on an M&M’s purchase and you’ll also probably think about picking one up at the register of the grocery or convenience store — something between 50 cents to a buck or two at the register, right?  How much can the large bag of M&M’s really cost?  $2 bucks at the most for sure.

But guess what, the average purchase is NO WHERE NEAR THAT at this grocery store I was in recently.  But WHY? you ask?  Here’s why. . .

Someone obviously had a light bulb moment over at M&M HQ and decided to radically change the proposition to the customer.

Instead of basically having no choice of what will fall into your hands — and only a few at a time out of a small opaque bag, what if customers could see everything available?  What if the customer wasn’t limited to pre-set amounts to consume?

When the customer’s experience with the product is radically reinvented — with transparency and with a full-spectrum view…as well as being invited to engage directly with the final product, the end result is more is actually consumed!

Instead of thinking about it as a $0.89-for-2-ounces product, it is now a $8.99-per-pound-product!

The interesting thing is that the actual core product has not changed one bit.  Just the way it is presented and dispensed is — and the customer is more engaged in the processes as well!

The Church can learn something from this example of reinventing presentation.  So often we assume there is only one way to think about or approach the long standing traditions of our religion.  But if you take the time to turn somethings on their head, you might be surprised at how differently it will be received.

QUESTION: ARE THERE PARTS OF YOUR CHURCH OR MINISTRY THAT CAN BE REPRESENTED IN A RADICAL WAY?

How many UNREAD EMAILS do you have in your Inbox right now?  Yup, right now.  Go ahead and check and then come back here — just make sure you don’t delete any!

Be honest, is your Inbox overflowing?

Are there emails in there you just don’t want to deal with?

Today, I caught a glimpse of my friend’s iPhone home screen…reminding him he had 721 emails waiting for him to attend to!

Recently, I caught the tweet of Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, proclaiming that he was declaring email bankruptcy since he felt had no other choice.  He was totally overwhelmed and realized he couldn’t handle it all by himself even if he attempted to.  So he threw up his hands and let it all go.

So what to do? Delete ALL emails in the inbox after the vacation or long digital absence, and then just start over.  Apologies doled out in bulk.

It struck a chord on many levels, since even through I myself try to apply things like the GTD way of managing email and other areas of workflow processes, I realize too that I’m always on the brink of disaster…knowing deep inside, that I’m probably never really ever in full control.

To me, life sometimes feels like it never quits.  In this way, LIFE — especially in the City — can be compared to that overflowing email Inbox. . .

Relentless.

Neverending.

Time-sinking.

Urgent.

Addictive.

Compelling.

Distracting.

Relentless.

What if we could declare bankruptcy of sorts in the same way regarding our lives?

Ah yes, we can, can’t we!  Sometimes it is easy to forget that as Christ followers, we have that option of throwing up our hands and letting it all go.   If we do, everything will be taken care of.  No apologies necessary in this case.

QUESTION: IS YOUR INBOX OVERFLOWING?

Today I spent some time at a local airport that mainly serves small private planes.

There’s a flight school that gives instruction in a hanger right there off the runway. New pilots are commissioned after going through training that teaches the basics and live in-the-air lessons.

As I head out to a weekend retreat this week, I share some of the reflections about the spiritual highs that we may experience after an amazing Christian conference, church retreat or even after hearing a famous preacher’s sermonic mastery in the pulpit.

But there’s one crticial lesson of flying high that pilots are taught in flight school which God’s people may benefit from regarding their own personal faith journey. Check out this short video where I share my thoughts. . .

QUESTION: WHAT SPIRITUAL HABITS DO YOU FOLLOW TO ENSURE YOU STAY ON COURSE IN YOUR FAITH?

Today on the drive to basketball camp, my son started sharing with me some of the stories from yesterday on the court. Since he’s so young and not as many kids his age are enrolled in sports camps at this point, he’s mixed in at the lower end of the age range with some other boys as much as 2-3 years olds than him. A 3-year gap in age makes a difference when you’re that young — in development, maturity and size.

The amazing part was the life lesson that he managed to teach me in the 15 minute drive using just one incident that happened yesterday at camp. It just struck me how similar his message was to a Tim Keller talk I listened to recently on cultural renewal

It is amazing how children and see the world with such clarity. Watch this vlog below where I try to share what I learned.

I guess I have to keep talking to my kids more, don’t I?

QUESTION: DO YOU SEE YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE AS A CHANCE TO AFFECT CULTURAL RENEWAL WITH YOUR CHRISTIAN IDENTITY?

For many churches, the calendar is driven by the academic year because the ministry has many families with kids involved.  And if that’s the case, we’re right at the point where you’ll be rewind the clock and “start over” with your ministry programming this fall.

Aside from the Sunday School and youth ministries, the other parts of the church might also be preparing for a new small group season or new lay leadership team installations, or new . . .

It might all be “new” but at the same time, it can quickly become “old” and repetitive…just the same old thing over and over again year in and year out!

I don’t know about you, but when this happens it can quickly lead to paralysis and lifeless leadership on my own part.

But what can you do about it? Well, just sitting there and playing along isn’t going to solve anything!

Here’s some tips — eye-opening ways of approaching your “job” as a pastor or ministry leader to help “unstick” what’s “stuck” for you right now:

• Change the WHAT: That’s right, change what you’re working on.  Look to exchange responsibilities, either whole or parts of specific projects /programs you have taken on in the past.  If your team has the bandwidth you might want to lighten your load a bit this upcoming season to give you more margin — for renewal.  Or sometimes the opposite can have a pleasant effect; taking on new projects that you aren’t on your current roster of duties can help spark entrepreneurial zeal that can spill over to the rest of your work.

• Change the WHO: Churches are built upon relationships, and mixing up your “regular” stable of relationships can bring new conversations and ideas that refresh and renew.  Inviting new lay members to join and support your team can insert a change in quality of interactions for you.  Or have you been mentoring enough?  Why not carve out some time to invest in a peer or younger member of your circle of people?

• Change the WHERE & WHEN: Environmental factors play a huge role in how your perceive things.  When and where you do your work matters! Examine your routine and see if you can relocate where you do somethings regularly.  For example, where do you hold your phone calls?  Find non-time-sensitive activities and try intentionally scheduling them in a different part of the day or week.

• Change the WHY: Most of the time, we lump everything in our job together and make one big feelings judgment for or against it.  Have you ever been stuck in a rut where you just dread going to work in the morning, but after you get there, you might find parts of your day filled with purpose and energy?  If you carefully analyze what parts of your job you are doing because you have to, and others where you enjoy doing them, it is easier to re-approach your work with a healthier attitude.

QUESTION: WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU FIND YOURSELF STUCK IN A MINISTRY RUT?

Is there anyone out there that doesn’t take a jab at the Church with a capital “C” regarding technology of the day?

We are living in a 2.0 world and the Church always seems to be struggling just to stay awake and alive in a 1.0 world mode, right?

Well, this is not just a recent phenomena apparently.

That’s right, back in the day, and I mean back in the olden times, the early church had trouble with adopting new technologies too!

Thankfully, the help desk was around back then too though.

Take a look yourself at the video below documenting the upgrade experience from Biblical scrolls to bound books:

QUESTION: WHAT *ONE* AREA OF TECHNOLOGY DO YOU EXPERIENCE THE MOST FRUSTRATION WITHIN CHURCH / MINISTRY LIFE RIGHT NOW?

Sometimes, pastors are pressured to pump out sermons that detail the Scriptures and it ends up becoming a sit and soak extravaganza that only the pastor is paying attention to.

Although the average sermon length is now at about 15 minutes these days, sometimes, even that is too much.

Once in awhile you come across a way of doing things that is just refreshing, inspiring and attention-grabbing. And you don’t need more than 90 seconds to do it apparently!

This is what Tamara Lowe, an international motivational speaker, who happens to be a Christ follower displayed when sharing her version of the Gospel.

Check out how she tells the story and I’m sure you’ll crack a smile along they way.  It has been dubbed the “one minute sermon” . . .

If you’re like most friends I’ve shared this with, the response was pure active listening with edge-of-he-seat posture…go ahead and play the video below.

Yes, you are correct that it is a bit gimmicky.
Yes, you are correct that you can’t preach in this format 52 Sundays a year.

But also — Yes, you are correct especially if you’re arguing back these things right now, that you are exactly the type of ministry leader who could use some shaking up in your preaching and leadership style!

QUESTION: IS 90 SECONDS REALLY TOO SHORT TO CONVEY WHAT JESUS HAS DONE FOR YOU AND ME?

The economy is having a hard time rebooting itself. . .
Everyone is struggling more than ever. . .
Does the church have any responsibility to address these economic issues?
It’s one thing to promote better financial planning but what about when the church starts to hand out cold hard cash each week, right?

Check out this story where one pastor has decided to reverse the offering plate in order to bring more people into the sanctuary:

Now, while this church is relying on this tactic as a fundamental church marketing tactic, some other churches do one-time giveaways while trying to tie it into a Biblical message.

But what if the size of the church giveaway becomes outrageous? Does this make a difference?

QUESTION: WHAT MAKES GIVING AWAY FREE STUFF AT A WORSHIP SERVICE OK OR NOT?

Beyond the first secret weapon that should be employed while doing ministry, there are a couple of other important things to bring to your work IMHO. . .

The second one is a direct assault against the notion that church is plain boring, predictable and outdated.

Church does haven’t to be.  Nope, not at all if you care about it.

God is creator and creative.  So should you.

Our world has changed enough where the “normal” isn’t normal anymore.  You have freedom to change the rules in almost every corner of life these days.  You just have to decide to do it yourself.

And the only way to do it is to embrace creativity.

Are you thinking outside the box?  Are you taking what’s black and white and flipping it, turning it upside down?

I love how this video captures something that is a mundane as black and white line drawings and escalating it to something moving, beautiful, imaginative, and inspiring.

QUESTION: If you’re as reckless as you can be with your imagination, what’s the one area in your ministry that could use some creative injection? Take the risk and leave a comment below!

So many people view church as strict, boring, hard, perfectionist, etc.

Sometimes the best tactic for effective ministry is a smile and learning (yes, learning!) how to laugh.

Are you enjoying what you’re doing?  Are you enjoying the time you spend with others?

Church can be fun.

Church should be fun.

Church is fun — if you let it be.

One of my long time axioms is: Take your work seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously!

QUESTION: When was the last time you have a serious bout of laughter in church or while doing a ministry activity with others?

[I don't know about you, but at about 1:00 min and 2:10 into the video are some really "different" approaches to laughing I've never heard of before!]

This past week, a large group of Christian entrepreneurs gathered again to discuss what Gospel Entrepreneurship looks like.

The Entrepreneurship Initiative, a part of Redeemer‘s Center for Faith and Work hosted the event up high above NYC at the new 7 World Trade Center.  It was the perfect site to engage in discussions about new creation, especially as we could see Ground Zero coming to life on one side of the building while the hustle and bustle of the city was alive and well on the other side.

The best part was hearing Tim Keller speak about “God’s Brand” .  . .

God’s brand is weakness and humility, and nothing can go up against it.

Dr. Keller has been a long time pillar for me in my own faith development and it is always good to be able to struggle with issues such as Gospel Entrepreneurship with Tim Keller in the same room.

I love the way in which Dr. Keller sees the identity of Redeemer must avoid the selfishness of secular culture but at the same time, the tribal nature of mainline denominational churches which can dominate any church’s DNA.

Check out this short video interview clip of Dr. Keller:

QUESTION: Are the stories and images your church projects trying to promote its own brand or God’s brand?

I changed my Twitter profile background graphic the other day again.

I have two dozen or so Christian themed Twitter backgrounds that I’m preparing to release via the Tweeteratti Tuesday Free Christian Background Series here on Godvertiser.com.

It got me thinking about how more Xtians are starting to witness their faith to the Twitterverse and beyond with the simple effort of putting up Christ’s name out there for everyone to see via Twitter backgrounds.

King of Kings.

The One & Only.

Peacemaker.

Prince of Peace.

There are so many names for Jesus Christ.

What is the proper way to introduce Him to the world?

Here’s one suggestion that I have fallen in love with since Leonard Sweet put me onto it a couple of years ago.  Hope you are inspired too by it (and the response of the crowd is equally inspiring) – turn up the volume, play the video full screen . . . sit back and enjoy, unless you want to stand up and cheer:

QUESTION: THUMBS UP or THUMBS DOWN?