Posts in life of linne
What's Really Happening with Rob Bell
Rob Bell seems to be a touchy subject for a lot of Christians.  So I'm not going to touch any of that... I just wanted to explore about with what's actually happening with Rob Bell. Last weekend, we got to have dinner with our good friend, Finn, and his family to celebrate his graduation from Belmont University.  We sat across from this grandparents, and we talked about ministry and churches all night long.  It was wonderful to have the ears and attention of solid, devout Christians who were older, more mature, and knew more than us.  One of the topics that we talked about was this: Preaching is becoming an archaic, specialized form of communication.  We could only come up with two things in life that are similar in the approach and methods of most sermons: university lectures and formal presentations at work.  As such, it seldom matters how good a communicator is or what their topic is... most people nowadays simply don't know how to process a sermon.  It's either too much information or not presented correctly (for me, it's too slow... I take in much more information in a much shorter time period every day at work). Now then, if this is a problem for Christ-followers... what must it be like for a new Christian or someone who is just exploring faith and life?  To never have been exposed to a "worship service" before and to walk in and have to follow the lead of the crowd around them and listen in a way that they simply have never done before... is that a good perception ofwhat it means to be learning?  What, then is the point of preaching if not to teach... and if the point is to teach, then what are our churches learning? So why is Rob Bell being so successful with preaching?  If you don't think he is, that's ok.  But there are few people who have as many DVDs of their teaching as Rob does, and less that have gone on tour with their sermons (and then sold them as successful DVDs). Rob's teachings are like songs.  They crescendo and repeat and become famliar.  He teaches in a way that introduces you to ideas and concepts like you already knew them.  He's turning teaching into art. I don't want to talk about whether his content is good or not; this isn't the place for that and - quite humbly - I'm not enough of a Biblical scholar to tell you a valid opinion to your arguments.  But what amazes me is how he turns delivering a message into an art.  Just check out one of his nooma videos; one glance will tell you that he's got skilled people working to make a short film and they are passionate about doing so. Rob isn't alone.  He has a team that put together the message into an artform for those videos - I know, because their names are on the credits.  And in his sermons at his church, he often tag-teams with other speakers, to get the message just right.  Regulary, he turns into a character on the stage, turning to the theatrical. I'm not sure what's happening with sermons across the expanse of the church in the United States... but what's happening with Rob is he's turning it into an artform.  And I will listen and learn and recall a song long before I can recall a sermon...
Read More
What's Really Happening with Twitter
in a meeting for a new project at LifeWay yesterday, we discussed the idea of using twitter during the project experience.  at first, the team thought I was joking.  they laughed about how twitter is just for people to do constant life-updates, like "i'm going to the bathroom now."  there's a distinct seperation between those who have not used twitter, those who use twitter, and those who embrace twitter. twitter has become an asynchronous, world-wide chat room. i remember when i was younger logging into AOL chat rooms and trying to find neat people to talk with.  it was a desperate attempt at entertainment and hopes of new friendships... but it was all with random strangers and now lating ties. with twitter I'm able to, instead, engage in conversation with people I know whether they are online at that time or not.  and any of my friends get to see what i'm talking about and chime in too.  and - here's the kicker... I get to see the conversations and thoughts (and maybe even talk to) people that I have no business talking to.  as work and life continue to become more social and networked, things like twitter allows us to peek into the lives of people/topics/politics/companies that we want to be associated with. twitter turns our sphere of influence into an open hall for the world to hear and for us to hear others.  one giant conversation piece. i believe that work is becoming more and more intertwined with entertainment, with our social lives, our identities, and our dreams.  how many times have you heard "i'd love to work at..." or seen pictures or cool offices or thought about how to improve your own work place? I know that there are many people who would love to work for LifeWay, and I am blessed to be a part of the talent that's employed there.  I know our competitors would love to know how we work.  I know there are people who will do everything they can to find out what our VBS themes are going to be early so they can be the one to break the news.  I know that people want all the details about the next Beth Moore or Priscilla Schrier study and will follow any blog (or twitter account) that might drop some hint about it. And that's a good thing.  It means that people are finding people, places, jobs and products to get passionate about.  It means that we don't have to accept the spoon-fed media of network television and ClearChannel music.  it means there are people out there talking about the alternatives... and that people are listening. and this new/secret project I'm working on at LifeWay that will (tenatively) launch at the very end of this month? we're going to use twitter. UPDATE: my personal twitter account is here.
Read More
Successful Meetings: Know Your Boss's Opinion
This is one of the lessons I learned through observation, that actually had fair unfortunate after effects. Back when I was in charge of usability for my company, I was called into what I thought was a discovery meeting for a new usability test.  Back then we were still trying to convince people of the benefits of usability, and most of my meetings and conversations were about how it could be used and customers wanting to do it - but to do it cheaply. It turned out I was walking into a mess of confusion and conflicting opinions.  The meeting that I thought was a discovery meeting was actually a working meeting.  Not a big deal, I just shifted gears and settled in to plan the session.  It simply meant my job was easier; the requesting project team had already decided they wanted to do the sessions. The other two people in the meeting was the project manager and the representative customer from the requesting component.  Our department worked as a service department, so each project had a customer from the requesting component and was assigned a project manager; so far, very typical of our work. The customer had suggested they wanted to bring in some specific people to run through the tests, including airfare and hotel.  The project manager was adamantly against this.  The project was in the very early stages of development and - next on the agenda - was the consideration of whether we were going to do paper prototyping or an actual mock-up of the program. This is where the problem occurred: the project manager attacked the idea of bringing in people from across the country to view the project so early on.  There was definite frustration in his voice, and I knew that something deeper must have been going on. The customer responded well, and entertained the idea of using local testers.  The conversation ended up consuming the entirety of the meeting. Later, I was brought in to our director's office and the explanation was given: the director had made the suggestion to bring in the key customers.  It was part of the larger plan for the project. The problem was that the department direct and the project manager didn't have a miscommunication; they had no communication on the subject.  As a result, the project manager unknowingly mocked and put down the director's idea/plan. Note to everyone: openly putting down your boss's boss's plans... hardly ever a good idea. The problem is that it raised all sorts of issues:
  • Which is better? To fly in testers or use locals?  Either the director or the project manager had to be wrong.
  • Why wasn't there communication between the director and the project manager?
  • Was the lack of communication a bigger issue with the project?
  • Why was the project manager so stern about how bad of an idea it was to fly people in?
  • Who was in control of the project: the project manager or the director?
As such, whenver I go into a meeting on a subject for the first time I always do my best to learn what the department opinion is on the topic, or if I'm free to express my own ideas publically.  If not, and I disagree, then I'll be sure to communicate my concerns behind closed doors within my dept... but externally I always want to show that the department I'm working for presents a unified opinion. It's also important that - with many issues and conflicting opinions - the boss usually has a better grasp of what's actually involved in the decision: how promoting one agenda may take away from another project, how delicate relationships need to be handled, or what confidential info they might be aware of. Again: tearing down your boss's idea in a formal setting (particularly when the boss isn't around to explain or shut you up) is seldom the right choice.  Know your boss's opinion.  If nothing else, it might help you get a promotion.  
Read More
Seattle Vacation Super-Post
So for vacation this year, Ashley and I went out to try on Seattle.  We liked. The trip was, simply put, stellar and jam-packed goodness.  The only bad part was that we had no internet access the whole time to be able to blog from.  So, in vainity, here goes my recap! Microsoft, John Porcaro, and the Gamerscore Blog Team Since we were heading out to Seattle, we managed to match up schedules and meet with John Porcaro and the GamerScoreBlog team.  I've been reading John's blog for years (since before the 360 launch, I think), so it was nice to finally meet him for real. John has been with Microsoft for nearly twenty years and one of the first people to be a part of their mentoring program.  It shows as John was able to sift through my issues and answered a nagging internal question with perhaps the simplest of answers: "so what?"  It was well time and hit the issue right on it's head. During the trip we took a pit stop and got to play with the new Microsoft Surface table computer. After visiting the new research building we parted ways, but not before I was able to convince him to give the class thumbs-up pose: Seattle Vacation 2008 007  A Weekend to Remember The bulk of the weekend was spent attending the Weekend to Remember event put on by FamilyLife.  Here we can see Ashley unlocking the secrets of marriage. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NC4RlyFqaFM&hl=en&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&border=1] All-in-all the conference was decent, but was skewed more towards sorting out troubles and issues than growing in a healthy relationship.  One of the best parts of the weekend is that it presents you with ideas that you're then prompted to discuss with your spouse.  This allows you to have conversations you might not otherwise have, or be comfortable bringing up.  Ashley and I had some great conversation over the weekend, and the conference was worth it just for that. The Space Needle Ashely was all kinds of excited to visit the Space Needle.  Lacking proper transportation, however, we got there really early and ended up just walking around the Seattle Center.  It was there that we stumbled onto the World Rhythm Festival and got to hear Raquy and the Cavemen. We ended up eating at Sky City in the Space Needle.  The rotating restaurant is powered by 1.5HP, or the equivalent of a sewing machine.  It moves you this fast.  And, just to be sure we put things into perspective, the Space Needle is tall. Seattle Vacation 2008 048   The First Starbucks During the trip to downtown Seattle with Kris and Laura, we got to visit the first ever Starbucks. The Experience Music Project We also got to visit the Experience Music Project; basically, and interactive Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for Seattle artists (it also had the Sci-Fi Hall of Fame, which was cool... and random). At first, I thought I had found my calling on the drums but, alas, the drums were a lie. But then, like a muse calling from the darkness, we found the studio. And we recorded. Oh, did we record. Leonard Sweet We also got to meet up with one of my occasional-mentors-who-don't-fully-realize-the-impact-they've-had-on-my-life, Leonard Sweet. I first me Len back in 2001 or so, but this was the first time Ashley got to hang with him. The two definately hit it off, and were ganging up on me on more than one subject Seattle Vacation 2008 079 Portland and Multnomah Falls Finally, Kris and Laura drove us to Portland/Vancouver to view their hometown, a big Best Buy, a two-story Target, an Ikea, and Multnomah Falls. And, I got to steer a building. Seattle Vacation 2008 093 There's More But it's late, I'm tired, and Leonard Sweet told me blogging was vain anyways. So for more media from our trip: Flickr Photos YouTube Videos and the musical wonder that is, The Spicey Boot.
Read More
New Media for Ministries: 101 - What is New Media?
This video is as simple as I could break it down: new media is about the intent to interact. I do some basic defining and examples in this video. Nothing too out there, just an opening conversation. Basically, I filmed thise because I ran into several people who were asking the same thing: what is new media? Does it have a place in ministry? This is my first attempt to answer that, on the most basic level. If I get the chance (after vacation), I'll probably do several more of these, brainstorming on how ARGs, creative commons, and other less obvious new media stuffs. [kyte.tv appKey=MarbachViewerEmbedded&uri=channels/30223/127403&embedId=10131020]
Read More
Jon Foreman's "Your Love is Strong"
I love dramatic, emotionally moving music.  It gives me a taste of another artists dreams/struggles/desires and helps to rekindle thoughts of my own.  95% of the time, however, the really good stuff is about breaking up or things of that nature. So upon listening to Jon Foreman (of Switchfoot)'s "Your Love is Strong" three times in a row today because it hits that emotional chord just right for how I feel spiritually, full of hope and yearning for God to simply be God... I figured I'd throw it out here, just in case you (yes, you!) hadn't heard it yet. You can listen to it here. Lyrics are here.
Read More
Amazon.com's Customer Service
This coming week Ashley and I are taking a nice little vacation to Seattle.  We've not been a true vacation for any length of time that didn't involve a wedding of some sort for quite a while, so we're definately looing forward to it.  We've grown weary of our old digital camera we have, and had been considering getting a digital SLR like I've wanted for years. However, the practicality of carrying a big DSLR around Seattle didn't seem quite right... and I've had so much fun doing video snippets as of late... that instead we decided to get a handheld/pocketable HD camcorder.  Though their open-box buy deals, Amazon had a great price on the one I wanted, almost 50% off of the retail, so I bit and ordered it last Weds night. But this came in the mail instead:

Somehow, someone put the Sanyo Xacti HD700 sticker on a Sony DCR-DVD308 box.

So I emailed Amazon and, as usual, their customer service is far and above the norm for any company.  They offered a full refund (if I shipped it back), as one would expect.  The problem came that it was an open box buy, so they couldn't simply send me a replacement order.  Instead, I would have to place a new order at full cost.

The full cost of the product from Amazon was still nearly 30% cheaper than Best Buy or Circuit City, so I was going to place the order again... but I emailed them back because one thing bothered me.  I had already paid shipping for the order and - because they sent the wrong thing - I'd have to pay shipping again.  I emailed them back to see if they could pay for the shipping on the new order.

Their response was that they would give mea refund for the difference between the new product and the open box price!  The difference was, obviously, much more than the shipping cost.  Amazon Customer Service agents like to go above and beyond whenever they can.

My only dilemma now is that I did have to pay for overnight shipping so that the camera would get here before we left for Seattle.  On the principle of the matter, I feel I shouldn't have to pay for the shipping, because it was their fault for shipping the wrong thing.  But on the practical level, the discount for giving me the open-box price is more than the cost of the shipping.  However, I have now paid shipping twice for one order.

It's an interesting dillema.  On a principle level I'm disappointed about paying for the shipping.  But, for all intents and purposes, the customer service agent went above and beyond and took care of me at a rate better than simply paying for my shipping.

So, while it would have been best for Amazon to get the order right the first time, I have to say that their response time and the quality of their responses have been above and beyond any interaction I've ever had with a company.  Thanks, Amazon, for proving that digital communication can work, and empowering your agents makes for happy(ish) customers!

(And, hopefully, we'll have some great little videos of our trip to Seattle!)

Read More
Successful Meetings: Dress Up a Little
First, read this.  Penelope Trunk has a way of getting right at the heart of matters and always provides excellent research on anything that might seem unorthodox or controversial.  And, in my own career, I've found her advice to almost always be spot on. Did you read it? One of my friends would get upset, almost to the point of quitting, because the job he was in had a dress code.  Many of us in our 20s are concerned with things like identity and wearing jeans to work and getting visible tattoos.  I, personally, would love to grow a big, long massive beard.  But more important is the knowledge that appearance can make or break perceptions and attitudes.  Those perceptions and attitudes that are formulated will continue to stick with you. I have worked for the same company for six years now.  When I first started I was fresh out of college and was not, how might you say... "kempt."  Sure, I wore dress pants (kind of), but they also had holes in them.  I didn't own an ironing board.  I didn't own a real razor (just an electric one). When I got a promotion here in 2005, I started wearing suits once a week, to help change some perceptions abot how serious I was about my career.  Earlier this week, I ran into one of the guys I worked with back in my first role here.  I didn't have a suit on, just regular casual dress clothes.  As I got off the elevator, he mentioned that I looked very dressed up. His image of me, the one imprinted from working with me every day for two years, is still an unkempt, out-of-college guy.  What is now a dress-down day for me stood out in his mind as me being dressed up.  I'll likely never be able to change his perception of my attire, and all the stigma that comes from that. So what does this have to do with meetings?  Everything. Every day before I leave work, I check my schedule for tomorrow's meetings.  I scan the attendees and am looking for two things: 1) Anyone I don't know 2) Anyone in a higher position than me, who I don't normally interact with/have a working relationship with If either of those are true, I plan on wearing a suit coat the next day.  It's that simple.  It doesn't matter if the person I don't know is an entry-level, new employee or a peer by all accounts; if it's the first time I'm meeting them I do what I can to make the best impression.  If it's someone of a higher position, you always want to make a great impression - you never know who you'll be working for/with someday. What if dressing up isn't your style?  Get over it. What if you can't afford nice clothes?  Go to Goodwill.  Half of my suit coats are from there.  The majority of the other half are from Target.  I don't make a ton of money, but that doesn't mean I should look like I don't know what business casual means. So dress it up a little and - if you have to - find your own way of adding a little more identity to the "costume" of dressing up.  One of my favorite belts to wear with a suit is a little studded belt I have.  I save ties for only the super-important meetings (once or twice a year).  My formal brown shows are actually RocketDog shoes. There are plenty of ways to make it work for you, but just be sure to make it work.
Read More
What is New Media?
I was recently asked by a respected peer a very open ended question: "What is New Media?" It's a hard question to nail down, because there are so many possible answers. The definition of "New Media" is a hard one to come by because of the continual change of its use, new technologies, and marketing speak. So here I was, on the spot, known as an expert in the field to the people at the table; how do you define new media to someone who purposefully does not have a home computer? After some thought, I defined it something like this: "New Media is broadly-accessible content that is intended to receive a response from the person who engages it." cont'd
Read More
I Preached a Sermon. Now What? (with a glimpse into Aaron's thought process)
This past Sunday evening, I preached a sermon on disappointment, and how grace and forgiveness is so much more beautiful than vengeance. My creation process for a sermon is a fairly complex one.  There are countless thoughts that flow through my mind from the beginning to the delivery.  I preach portions of the sermon in my head in between all the free moments in my mind.  I spend more time in the Bible than usual, being sure that the passages the sermon is culled from - and the supporting verses to help go deeper - are the right ones for the message. Then there is the transference of my mind's thoughts to paper which has always been a fairly hard thing for me.  My mental thoughts are fairly abstract.  I often think in fluid concepts or emotions moreso than I think in actual language and organized thought.  So, while I'm good with language, settling the mind down to actually put it on paper is often a chore. I often have multiple threads of thoughts going on at a time that all tie in together.  The ebb and flow of such thought always seems much more exciting than linear thought from point a to point b.  I'd rather explore. So, when composing this sermon I found my mind going through the concept in three ways: 1) The Theology of Sin/Forgiveness/Beauty of Grace 2) The Biblical/Historical Support for Grace from Human to Human 3) My own life Unfortunately, it's nigh impossible to communicate three things at once, since we have not mastered ESP.  Instead, I needed to communicate each thread in a linear fashion, then be sure to tie everything up in a bow at the end. What helped me get there was creating my powerpoint presentation.  By limiting myself to what could be contained visually on the slides, I was able to control the message and flow.  I ended up creating a side-bar to keep fresh the thoughts that came before. 31st Slide I ended up with 34 slides.  The final portion - practical examples/stories from my life - never made it to the side bar. I ended up spending probably 3-4 hours on developing the power point from my notes. So hours of preparation compress into a 35+ minute sermon, and my thoughts and theology were lifted into the air and communicated to a gathering of supportive friends and loved ones.  And, as they say in the story books: The End.   That's the pain of a pastor, I believe.  Your work and soul floats from vocal chords to the present ears, and then you have no control of it.  You're done.  You know for sure that no one will dote upon the message for nearly the same amount of time you spent preparing it.  And so, Monday comes... and you don't know if your child of a message is alive in peoples minds or dead and forgotten. With messages of the spirit, there's no way of knowing why any response is what it is.  It could be a moving of the Holy Spirit, or a hardening of a heart.  It could be lack of preparation, or a humanistic talent of charisma and engaging public speaking. All this to say, teaching/preaching is hard.  Let your pastor know when you agree (or disagree) with their message; doing so at least lets them know you processed it a little bit.  Hug them when they have a bad day, and blog about it when a message really resonates with you.  Pastors put their time, thoughts and theology into messages week after week; they need all the motivation they can get to let their children of words and phrases float on each week, dying on deaf ears or living in our memories.
Read More
Passing Up Opportunities
Today I wrote an email passing up what would have been a quasi-dream opportunity. The problem was, while the freelance work involved would have been fun - to the point that I would have probably done it for free under different circumstances - it simply would have taken up too much of my time that is so very limited right now. And this, I discover, is why we get "paid."  Jobs are, essentially, a very simple economic model of supply and demand.  I have only so many hours, so I can do only so many things.  Given that I'm one of those weird people who absolutely love their job, I don't need to find career fulfillment outside of my work.  I am (for now,) fulfilled with what I do and the pay that comes with it. As such, my employer gets 110% of my work time.  What I mean by this is that they get me until my work is complete, as is expected from a salaried employee, and i put in extra time to better my skills and knowledge for my fields of expertise (new media production/marketing, strategic foresight, customer relations, and online spiritual matters). I also have some ancillary hobbies and dreams, of course.  But pursuing a livable fulfillment in such hobbies is nigh impossible... not because I couldn't commit to working towards those dreams, but because I wouldn't want to sacrifice my current job supporting the church through digital media to do so.  I imagine I will grow out of this job given a year or two, but I need to be - and I love being - committed to it first hand. So, when I recently saw a freelance opportunity to possibly some digital media for a comic book publisher and an opening in my schedule, I jumped at the opportunity.  But my time is limited, and the window passed as I began my final MBA course and got more digital media freelance my way that I knew would pay more than the comic book publisher... and I wasn't a proven commodity to the publisher yet, so I'd have to come in quite cheap and do a decent amount of work just to be fully considered... So I had to email back today and decline going forward. The toughest part of it is the concern that you've burned bridges by showing interest in an opportunity then, ultimately, having to decline it.  Getting a foot in the door at any major publisher like Marvel or DC is a highly competitive market... and something that many people never get. Sigh. There are only so many hours in a day, Aaron.  You can't meet up with every dream you come across.
Read More
The Things We Don't Know (within our own Church)
One of the people I've been blessed to have in my life is Ariah Fine.  He is continually thinking, challenging, and loving.  Ariah loves to deconstruct (as I do) and - one of the reasons I love him and reading his thoughts so much - is that he very often comes to difference conclusions than I do.  He's a brilliant mind and an activist in ways that I could never be. However, we as humanity are not omniscient and hardly ever know all of the factors in play for any situation we're involved in.  Whether it be an inappropriate joke because we don't understand the connotations, a curse word being repeated by a child, or judgement on inaction when we don't know the histories of the people involved, we often - by very design of humanity, perhaps - bring our own expectations, biases and needs into any given situation. Ariah recently posted a blog post about whose role is is to take care of the poor and homeless.  I encourage you to read it, as Ariah has great ideas that may entice (or detract) you from the cause of helping the homeless and poor. But this post is about how we as humanity simply don't know everything.  In Ariah's post he mentions that Mosaic, while he was here, had one homeless man as a part of our community while he was here.  Unfortunately, that's not entirely true.  During the time Ariah was attending our community, I can distinctly remember at least four individuals struggling financially who entered into our church life.  One lived with one of mine and Ashley's friends for a while.  Another would regularly meet up with me and the guys on Thursday night when we would eat out, and we'd buy his food. The point of this is that Ariah was, without question, the most involved in helping and empowering the homeless and poor in the Nashville area from our church.  But while he was involved with the life of our 100-or-less person church, he apparently only ventured into the life of one of the four poor/homeless/financially challenged people who flowed in (and out) of the life of our church while he was here (we've had a few others since Ariah's left).  This isn't to say Ariah messed up or missed out... it's that even in the area he is passionate (and rightly so) about, there was more going on than one man could keep up with. All that to say... how Ariah and I "empowered" or "took care" or "loved" the poor/homeless is simply different.  He might say his way - working to politically change things, preparing lunches - is better.  I might say my way - getting to know them inside the context of the church, eating a meal with them - is better.  But we'd both be wrong. The fact of the matter is that both need to happen.  And more. That's the beauty of the church; we don't need to know.  The things we don't know are what makes us so strong and precious. Ariah was a part of our community... and so the things he did were things that the church did.  When you're as small as Mosaic is/was, then everything that its members do are symbolic of the things that the church is about.  The things that flow out naturally from the body become the passions of the church.  If it was forced from the pastor, it wouldn't work. I love the fact that I don't know everyone's pains and everyone's joys.  It makes for deeper relationships when I discover them.  It means that I can give grace - or be given grace - when someone messes up, or doesn't see eye-to-eye. I love Ariah, and people like him.  The church needs people like him just as much - if not more - than it needs technologists like me.  But we need to learn to support one another's passions and gifts and perspectives so that we are a more flavored church, rather than simply isolating things to that which the Holy Spirit has sent our way. It is clear the the Spirit has given Ariah a gift to seek the homeless and poor.  But the church also needs people whom the Spirit has given a passion for international immigrants, public safety concerns, understand laws to keep the church out of legal issues, web designers to help embrace church home seekers who are surfing the web, and men who are willing to play with children so our kids can see examples of stable, Godly men.  Just to name a few. And we'll never always know what is happening in all those ministries in our home churches... because they aren't our passion.  But, hopefully, the body can support each other and understand that God has gifted us in different areas with different passions because we are meant to be a body, not simply an arm... no matter how important that arm might be. 
Read More
The 1,000 Foot View of a Fickle Public? (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Blog)
Scott McCellan recently posted a reader's response to the very idea of a magazine like Collide.  To pull from the posted quote:  You don’t seem to be interested in the 1,000-foot view. You take a myopic look at things like Facebook, etc. that will fade away and be replaced by something else in a year or two by a fickle public. In doing so, it seems like you promote the methods over the message. Any church that follows fads like that will always be chasing after the next thing in the never-ending quest to be “relevant.” Christ wasn’t interested in cool. He was interested in loving people, and in doing that, he redefined cool.  I'm posting my response on my blog instead of the Collide blog because I don't want anyone to be confused with my opinion on this matter with any kind of official Collide response (since I've written for them). First, I have to say how awesome it is that Scott would be transparent and post such a quote and response that's diametrically opposed to the very nature of the magazine, and open it up for discussion on his blog.  Second, I think that the respondent who wrote the quote is completely wrong on the idea of culture more-so than any kind of question about Christ being "cool" or about chasing something "relevant." The respondent appears (to me) to be frustrated with methods or the "fickle public"'s desires changing every two years or so.  The problem, to me, is that he thinks that churches interested in things like Facebook or some cutting edge technology or underground cultural shift is an attempt to be somethinig that the church is not. For me, acknowledging that I am, in fact, a part of mass culture and am influencing and partake in it, I see a very different side of this arguement.  It is not that the church is struggling to keep up with culture and "fads" but that the entire concept of "fad" has radically changed in the past few years. A "fad" is no longer a "fad" - it is culture.  Innovation follows innovation in today's world and, as such, the mass media and culture is always shifting and changing.  By the time any cultural shift hits mass/old media, the culture leaders have moved on to something else. The New York times recently produced an article on how the fast-paced world of blogging-for-pay creates additional stress and has negative health effects on the bloggers.  This may be true for most of us.  However, today's young adults have been blogging for years; today's children are used to blogging being a part of their lives.  Blogging wasn't a new thing to many people several years ago, and it's certainly not a "new thing" today.  But people still treat it as a fad. There are still many spiritual leaders who don't understand that blogging or Facebook groups or church web sites aren't some attempt by the church to catch up to culture.  I, instead, proclaim that it is the exact opposite. The freedom that technology brings to broadcasting a message means that, for the first time in church history, lay people can share their faith journey with the church - and world - at large.  No longer must the strongest, most Spirit-driven message come from the pulpit.  Instead it can come from a teenager's blog or a media guy's video cam. Magazines like Collide and sites like digital.leadnet.org exist not so the church can chase after cultural shifts, but so that leadership can understand the changes their membership is goign through.  I fear a pastor who doesn't have a blog because it tells me that he won't be able to connect with where I am in life.  I fear a church that doesn't have a website because it means that they think people will find out their address by looking it up in the phone book (you know, that big yellow thing you throw away when they keep delivering it to you). My biggest fear, however, is that those of us who have embraced the new tools at our disposal won't be mentored and loved by our forefathers who have not embraced the technology.  That they will think it's all a fad and that we don't understand the 1,000 foot view and, as such, aren't worth investing in.  And all their knowledge and passion that could be broadcast to the world will simply die with them. So please, don't judge me and my kind as being fickle or not understanding of Christ's love just because we have the ability to flow with the changes in culture and understand that "fads" are either dead or the norm, depending on your point of view.  I'd rather learn from you.  I'd rather sit at your feet and discover what your heart is about and how your passions can still impact humanity on a person-by-person basis.  I want to know what has you so caught up that you want things to stay the way they always were... because I've never lived in a slow-enough-paced world to even know what that means. And, in truth, I can't wait to see what replaces blogs and what's after social networks and how videos change our worship services.  I can't wait until music ministers can embrace the internet and use tools like LifeWay Worship to gain access to hundreds of songs to find the right one to compliment the worship experience.  I can't wait until the seminaries provide completely online degrees so the pastors who can't take the time to leave their congregration can be better educated.  I can't wait until we get past this bubble of growth in the digital world and have a new common denominator where people are connected all the time and have been used to it so that it isn't so stressful on our bodies. And maybe then I can feel loved by the people who judge me and my tools of communication as worthless. 
Read More
Considering the Whiteboard Sessions
For the past few months, I've been considering attending the White Board Sessions. Last year, I attended the Q Conference, and it was simply amazing.  I'm not going this year because it's in New York, and I simply cannot afford it.  "Affording it" is my same quandry with attending the White Board Sessions. Though the White Board Sessions is a much cheaper endeavor... it still costs me money.  It would cost me gas and miles on my car.  And, just as important, it would cost me time. Now then, I'd LOVE to go for the connections and the experience of being there... and it really seems that Ben Arment is really making a conference worth attending.  But I don't know how big the conference is, versus something like the Connect Conferences* where I know there's only going to be 75 attendees (thus making connections and networking the top reason to go, imho). But then, the reality of the fact that there are conferences all over (DJ Chaung, leader of the digital.leadnet.org blog, is attending six in April alone) and that some speakers are recycling their talks... it makes me wonder if there isn't a better way to do this. Q got it right last year: they filmed the talks and offered for viewing online for a fee.  Even though I attended, I subscribed to the service.  I don't know what Whiteboard's post-conference plans are, but I do hope they're able to post the videos out to the rest of the world who doesn't show up. That being said, if I had to pick one Christian conference to go to this year, it probably would the Whiteboard Sessions.  I know Ed Stetzer will have something stellar lined up, and I've come to expect great things from Mark Batterson.  But still, I find it hard to commit to such a journey (a day of driving, the actual conference, a day of siteseeing(?), a day of driving back). Perhaps I've been to spoiled with online video and webcasts of major keynotes in the past for non-Christian related things.  Perhaps I want an easier way to hear these messages, whether they be world-changing, life-altering, or niche-filling.  Or, perhaps, I should just find solace in knowing that there are great ideas being shared and I can let them trickle down to me and I don't always have to be at the forefront of ideation. *DISCLAIMER:  Yes, I work for LifeWay.  Yes, LifeWay is putting on the Connect Conferences.  But seriously... the Threads team is putting a lot into these conferences... I know, because I've been in some of the meetings.  The Connect Conferences are going to be an amazing oppertunity for anyone interested in young adult culture and ministries.  They've got some great stuff lined up, and the oppertunity to connect with other leaders and experts is going to be unlike anything else I've seen coming up.
Read More
Magazines!

Magazines!

That's right!  This past week, Aaron became an officially publisher writer!  The first magazine that came was Deacon (which you can purchase a copy of here) featuring my article on Blogging, Pornography and your Church's Website.  It took almost a year to get here (I wrote it in June of 07!), but it's quite the excitement to see my article all dolled up with graphics and real ink.
Deacon Magazine Article
I then recieved my copy of Collide Magazine!  For them I wrote a piece on satellite churches.  I have to say, the design and content of Collide Magazine is really top-notch.  These guys get it.  I'm also proud to mention that I turned in my second article for them today, on churches using Facebook apps.
Collide Magazine Article
One of the great things about writing these articles is that I'm getting to interact with awesome guys who are real pioneers in using media and technology to help build relationships.  It's a bit odd to be "the press," but it's also incredibly fun to get to hear these stories and passions and broadcast their message of quality, relationship and innovation out to a much larger audience. As a follow up to my "Launching Satellites" article for Collide, I also was contacted by Ka You Communications about their installation of the satellite service for McLean Bible Church (one of the churches featured in the article, along with Long Hollow and North Coast Church).  I encourage you to check out these churches to see the ways they are pioneering in mulit-site campus thought, and bridging the gap between church and local communities. Seeing these articles in print really is an awesome feeling.  For anyone who is struggling with writing, let me tell you that it's worth it to keep knocking on doors and trying to put yourself out there to write.  One of the reasons I try to keep this blog rolling is to keep my fingers typing and writing things out.  With both magazines it took a while for the editors and I to connect and find the right topic for my knowledge base and their audience, but in the end it's worked out great and I hope to be a regular contributor to both of them. Now I'm wondering how my short story pitch to Asimov's is doing...
Read More
Preparing for a Sermon
This Sunday evening (April 6th), during the 6:30 service, I will be teaching at Mosaic. The last time I preached a full-on sermon (not lead a Bible study, but a full on teaching time to a church) was when I used to preach at Willoughby Baptist Church during my high school/college years (they're looking for a pastor.  A church like Willoughby would be a blast to work at).  Getting back into the idea and discipline of speaking is incredibly exciting for me. Preaching is a strange thing, to be honest.  For a pastor to be expected to come up with a teaching or lesson each week that helps the spiritual growth of the church he serves is a deal that gets less thought from the congregation than it should.  Preparing a sermon means so many things.  Not only do you have to do the research to be sure that what is being taught is theologically sound, but the message competes with all the other messages an individual recieves throughout the week.  A fifteen-to-fifty minute talking head on one subject is simply not replicated in any other medium for the common person, unless they are involved in schooling and recieve lectures from professors. So during the week, the pastor must bathe the message in prayer, to be sure that the words are from God, not just human utterances.  The pastor must be sure that any personal knowledge of issues in the church don't betray confidences from the pulpit, yet be sure that the message is applicable to the lives of the congegration.  And it's almost standard that the pastor must have at lest a good joke or two.  The preparation for a sermon is, without question, spiritually and mentally draining. Our pastor, Gary, is having dental work done and wanted to be sure that he would be well rested - and not too loopy - and has asked James Jackson to preach in the morning and for me to preach in the evening.  I'm settling in on an idea for the sermon... but this brings in only more questions. How do you decide what to teach on to a church?  If you have an opportunity to help the spirital development of the community closest to you, how do you whittle down a message that is meaningful, impactful, and representative of the lessons that life, friends and God has taught you? I'm excited to see what this week will bring me; what struggles, joys, revelations and humbling experiences.  It's an honoring, humbling thing to be asked to fill in for a pastor; thank you for the opportunity, Gary.
Read More
A Real Prayer
I spent the summer of 2000 in Northern Ireland, working with a ministry there called Project: Evangelism. John Moxen will likely never know how formative my time with him there was. He was a temporary mentor, and I only wish that I had honored him with more of my time while I was there, or simply had been able to spend more time there in general. My three trips to Northern Ireland and Project: Evangelism are a part or the makeup of my spiritual life and are - in many ways - when I grew from a boy into a man. It was during this trip when I had perhaps my most emotional and spiritually draining prayer experience. I try to keep my conversations with God fairly simple. I find that Christ's example in the Lord's Prayer was pretty simple. It consists of honoring God, of asking for our most basic needs, and for God to shape us into His will. As such, I ask for little, try to give thanks a lot, and am more concerned with the simpler needs than extravagant, supernatural requests. Please don't think that I'm saying we shouldn't pray for such things; it's just not in the norm of my prayers. But this story is a story about one of those times when I truly believe the supernatural interceded. A trio of students who were there the summer I was on staff came rushing into the house in a panic. What was the cause? One of them had been attacked by a demon. Now... I don't know what really happened that night. I didn't see a demon. I'm not at all an expert on these things. Here's what I know: these students were scared. They were crying, they were freaking out, and something was desperately wrong. This was early evening, somewhere around 8pm. The boy who had been "attacked" went straight to the students' bedroom. I went in to talk with him and pray with him. I believe he told a genuine story. I believe that something happened that night. And I know this - there was a spiritual battle going on in the room, surrounding us. We prayed and prayed for what seemed like hours. In truth, it was probably somewhere between five and ten minutes. The passion was there, the urgency was there. I remember praying these words: "God, take your protection from me and offer him a double dose of your spirit. Protect him through the night." Moments later our prayers ended. Then I was driven straight to my bedroom. I was overcome with exhaustion. Every part of me was saying to go to sleep, to rest, and to simply let tomorrow come. My spirit felt naked and open. I don't know how all this works. I can't say that I have anything much to say about experiences with angels or demons or any knowledge of how I've been spiritually protected in the past. But I know that prayer is real, and that it is heard.
Read More
writing a mass-market Bible study
so... I've been processing through the idea of writing a mass-market Bible study.  By that I mean a study that would be accessible to people across the U.S., whether via retail or via digital download and whether through a publisher or independently. Before I can allow settle into the actual process, there's a lot that I'm working through in my head about the venture in general.  I don't know that I need to find answers to these questions, just that I have to give them due diligence.  And, as I go through this process, I'm sure that I'll find more questions arise.
  •  Can my spirit handle it?
Twice a month Ashley and/or I prepare a lesson/session/space of time for our small group.  In the back of my mind I'm always working through what to say, how to say it, etc.  When I'm focused in on getting the time ready, it's usually a pretty strong spiritual battle for me.  I try to refine things, making sure that we're teaching what's in the Word and not simply regurgitating stuff we've been told by other people in the past. Preparing for the time with our small group is always spiritually exhausting.  Teaching others and sharing some of my spirit with them is a complex, supernatural thing.  And that's just for our small group, people who I know love us and would heap grace upon us if we ever did mess up somehow.  How spiritually stressful would it be to prepare a lesson/space of time for people I'll never meet who could use the plan however they'd like?
  • Why would I want to do it?
There are plenty of mass-market small group studies out there... let alone opportunities for groups to actually study the Bible, sans additional resources.  Would I be bringing any wisdom to the table, or just adding to the noise? Working for a Bible materials publisher full time, this is a topic I'm continually digesting.  I think we will always need to produce new materials because time keeps moving forward.  While the Bible doesn't change, the concepts and cultural issues it intersects with do.  Paul, the great theologian, never had to deal with cyber-sex or the potential for humanity living on the moon/Mars.  New materials allow us to shine the light in new places.  If I am to write any kind of study, it needs to be in conjunction with my life's story and the things that I am an "expert" in.
  • Does it meet a need?
Here's the need that I see: For the past four years or so, I've been doing dinner with a group of guys.  The members of this group have been fairly fluid throughout the years, but it's always been a time set aside for building relationships, discovering life, and eating good food. A couple of times we've tried to focus the time a little bit more toward some kind of spiritual study... but it's never really worked.  Amidst all the resources out there, we couldn't find anything that fit our flow of conversation and styles of learning.  Member books are a bit too clunky.  Men's studies are about being outdoorsy or sporty (which we aren't).  Many studies now rely on multimedia elements.  Preparation can be confusing. Those things I just listed are not bad things.  Member books and multimedia elements are perfect for many, many small groups.  But they just don't work with my guys.
  • Who would lead a study written by me?
I don't mean this as a belittlement to myself, but an actual concern: who would be the person leading it?  I know what I mean when I use certain phrases and I know I have a very stylized voice.  In many ways, I think that if I wrote a study I would want/need to give the leader the bulk of my efforts.  But how do you properly prepare a leader that you'll never meet?  And is there a way to prepare quickly, but also offer the opportunity to prepare deeply?
  • Who am I to write a study?  Or is it pride?
And this is probably the biggest one for me.  I don't know at what point it's "ok" to say "Hey!  I've got a bit of wisdom to share."  This is one of the issues that prompted me to write the "Career Christian" post. I've been told time and time again as a Christian that we should be humble and meek.  How do I reconcile that with saying "Hey, I wrote something good enough that you should pay for it."  If I do think I have something to say (and, to be honest, I do),  is it ok to be bold about it? Is it ok to think that God and Sister Wisdom have blessed me in a way that maybe, just maybe, I have something worth listening to?  Is it ok to say that it's worth it's weight in paper, ink, design, legal, shipping and editorial costs? So that's where I am, on this journey to writing a mass-market Bible study.  Feel free to pray for me as I continue to process through the opportunities, the spiritual angst, and internal monologues of these questions.
Read More