History in the Making

Link-a-licious

• I'm thinking of doing a message series sometime called "Mind Blowing Mysteries of the Bible." Love those satellite photos of a possible ark on a mountain in Turkey...
• There's a new magazine out called GOOD. I like new magazines. I miss George. Anyone else remember that one? r.i.p.
• I'm convinced that people only really and truly believe in a ministry when they've discovered Christ in that ministry.  Just look at Young Life...
• So if people don't like the name Christmas, why don't we just tilt the X into a cross and go with "+mas"? Call it "Crossmas." =)
• Someone produced a documentary about their visit to TED conference. At $6,000 a ticket, let's face it... this is as close as you're going to get.
• Do you have any dangerous ideas? Maybe they're just dangerous to you. As Garrison Keillor said, "Give up your good Christian life, and follow Christ."
• Ainsley and I now have dueling iPhones. I used my $100 Apple credit and gas reimbursements from monthly commutes to Richmond to make her Christmas.
• Whiteboard violates a lot of conference protocol. It's only one day. We're giving 8 headliners just 30 minutes. No breakouts (those are for people who don't read ; ). It's going to be stripped. As far as conferences go, it's blue ocean, so you can't compare it. You either get it or you don't.
• Who in the world is the person behind Granger's creativity? I'd love to meet 'em.
• Enjoyed a free Sunday morning yesterday as RCC took the week off. Ains and I grabbed Starbucks and drove around Northern Virginia looking at the parking lots and entrances of church plants. Is that weird?
• Saw the Loudoun County video venue campus of Mclean Bible Church, which is the weekday home of Prison Fellowship. Holy stinking cow, did they get the deal of the century or what? PF headquarters is like a southern plantation with plenty of parking and large meeting space. Kudos to Mike Hurt. Score.
• Spent the afternoon with the very first "person of peace" who helped us start our parachute drop History Church. "Kath" is now married to Ed Siu, living in Raleigh, NC, attending the Summit. She's a very special person to Ains and me.
• We got to see the second person who helped us start History Church on Christmas Eve, Anthony Hoang, his wife Bethany and his new little son Beckham. What a treat.

20 Inspirations for Environment Designers

Okay, something fun for the holiday season. Some people are civil war reenactors on weekends; I get my kicks from imagining and creating environmental design. We pastors are in the business of creating environments for life change, so I try to bring ideas like these to our services whenever I can. Here are my top 20 sources of creative inspiration from 2007:

1. U2's Elevation Tour in Boston DVD
Feel like you're on stage with Bono; showmanship at its finest.

2. Two words: Snow Masters
Evaporates before it hits the ground; silent motor.

3. My library of worship environment photos
I've been snagging great photos off pastors' blogs and church websites for the past five years. I believe it's the largest collection of worship environments in the known universe. =)

4. Interactive Design World
My favorite is the Experimental Interaction Design book in the IDN store.

5. Floating Balls of Light
Their most functional use is lighting up construction sites, but these illuminated globes would look posh in your environment.

6. Hard Rock Hotels
They don't sell a hotel experience; they sell culture. Everything from the background music to the feel of silverware in your hands is orchestrated.

7. Church Production Magazine
I get a mind-blowing idea from one out of every 3 issues. Lots of standard megachurch stock, but occasionally, they showcase something truly revolutionary.

8. PiGi Projectors
No church is using PiGi projection yet; but it's one of the final frontiers in creative arts in the church ~ washing entire buildings and interiors with design. ETC in London flaunts their skills all over the historic buildings of the United Kingdom.

[Keep reading the other 12...]

Friday Photos

When Criticism Makes it Past Your Filters

As pastors, we have to establish proper feedback channels in our lives; otherwise, the free-flow of criticism could devastate us. We have secretaries filter e-mails; listen only to trusted counselors; even shut-off blog comments. I know who my true friends are by how privately or how publically they take issue with me.

But occasionally, unwanted criticism will make its way around the filters and penetrate our hearts. Last night, I was reading 2 Samuel 16, where David gets pelted with rocks and insults by a man running alongside his caravan. Here he is, surrounded by an entourage, and yet he still takes a few blows. Some thoughts on responding to criticism...

We have to be careful how we respond (v.9)
Two wrongs don't make a right. Wrestling with a pig gets you both dirty, but it's only fun for the pig. We only prove them right when we get ugly.

Sometimes the criticism is from God (v.10)
We have to be careful our filters aren't protecting pride. If so, God will find a way to get through them. Bill Hybels says, "Just take it."

Before God can bless us, he has to wound us (v.12)
Chuck Swindoll says, "God can't use a man greatly until he wounds him deeply." Otherwise, we won't be able to handle the success.

Criticism exhausts you, but God will refresh you (14)
David couldn't shake this guy; he just kept following along. But eventually, the journey was over, and the man was gone. Remember this too shall pass.

Whiteboard Update

We're preparing for an early-January launch of the conference website, which is being built by Site Organic in Reston as I write this. I'll also have another big announcement about the actual event and more news on some national partnerships. This conference will sell-out because we're using an intimate environment and promoting the event through a select group of key organizations. In fact, one group has already secured 100 tickets. But I'm going to open a gateway to the readers of this blog to ensure you get first dibs. Stay tuned...

Gift Bias

I have a few pastors in my podcast rotation who have such a strong gift of evangelism that they can work the Great Commission into every message they preach. Talking about parenthood? Part of the solution is sharing  your faith. Sermon on tithing? Give ye and go ye. The book of Job? Yep, evangelism.

That's the way God wired us. Our spiritual gifts bleed through everything we do.

Here's the problem: We see our spiritual gifts as the most Godly arrangement of priorities.... for everyone. We have gift bias. We see the Christian life through the lens of our most dominant functions.

So teacher-types beat down the evangelists for "watering down the Gospel" or not treating the scriptures with care. Evangelists complain about teachers adding too much to the simple message of Jesus. Mercy-givers weep over the abuses of task-oriented leaders, and strong leaders rail at the poor stewardship and quality of bleeding hearts.

What's worse... gifted leaders write books on the "biblical church" as seen through their own lens and gather hordes of like-gifted pastors around them who say, "See? There are many of us! We must be right!" They form networks and comment on each other's blogs and organize conferences and you get the drift.

My guess is that the most biblical community is the one where the people are most unalike.

Pay attention to public radio

Okay, I've been a closet NPR listener for years. I started listening to A Prairie Home Companion when I was in junior high and suffered years of emotional abuse from my top 40 friends... but now my day has come.

First, Tim Stevens might be writing about our church's programming strategy modeled after some NPR shows as part of his forthcoming book Pop Goes the Church. And second, Relevant Magazine lists its four favorite podcasts this month, and two of them... TWO of them... are NPR shows: This American Life and All Music Considered.

Pastors are storytellers... of the greatest story ever told... so it makes sense to learn from others who do it well. To tell great stories, you have to listen to great storytellers. You might even catch a few insights from the telethons. =)

By the way, if you're planning to come to Whiteboard, you could stay over an extra day to catch Garrison Keillor rehearsing A Prairie Home Companion on Friday night, May 23, at Wolftrap... just a few exits away from us.

"Enhanced Sermons"

I'm going to try something when Matt and I get back from Christmas break. Ever heard of enhanced CDs and DVDs? We're going to stick my Christmas Eve message in "post-production" to create an "enhanced sermon" for a podcasting audience. I got so many audio requests from Dec 24 that it makes sense to create an enhanced evangelistic tool that can keep circulating among friends.

In the message, I talked about the Gospel written in the stars. The 48 constellations are the same images in every culture and civilization... and they go back so far in time that they have no known source of origination. Even the Bible mentions them matter-of-factly [See Job 9:9 for example].

Could God have created names of the stars and their constellations? And what did those ancient, pagan astrologers see in the eastern skies that brought them over 600 miles to the home of Jesus? The answer gives whole new meaning to Psalm 19:1-4. We'll bring this bad boy alive with some fun features and special effects.

If I only had a super power

I've been getting linked with increasing frequency by some extreme fundamentalist bloggers who find me guilty by association with some of the well-known, whatever-it-takes, evangelical church planters out there. I LOVE this kind of stuff - means I must be doing something right. Anyway, watching Unbreakable over the weekend got me thinking about their similarity to superhero villains...

• They only use screen names, never reveal their true identity
• They fight for what they feel is true and right in their own eyes
• They may have even known me at some point
• Their anger overtakes clear thinking
• They're fighting the wrong enemy

=)

Merry Christmas

Stellar service last night, enchanting dinner in the town center, and a wonderful Christmas morning. God's good. I'll have photos of Christmas Eve from my amazing-photographer friend Chris in the New Year. Merry Christmas.

Random Thoughts on Christmas Eve Day

• Feels weird to have preached yesterday morning and now have a completely different message coming up in T-minus-5 hours.
• Our ministry teams have a healthy dose of anxiety about tonight's service. Somehow churches got the impression that stress is ungodly. It's the only way to have a culture of excellence and dependence on God.
• I'm experimenting with a new web tool called Virb. It's a networking site geared for creative types, but with a much better blogging tool than others. A few church planters have beat me to it.
• I've been waiting a few years for an opportunity to stitch multiple video feeds together in one seamless image... and I think that moment is going to come in 2008.
• Love the cheekiness of this blog from Ethur.
  
• Had a great conversation over the weekend with Camron Ware. I'm inspired by creative pioneers like him.
• I love throwing out a challenge to our church's tech leaders like Dave Kruse and Andrew Luck and watching their engineering minds go to work.
• Watched the 60 Minutes interview with Joel Osteen last night. (yawn) Same questions; same answers. They need some new questions.
• Looking forward to Christmas Eve dinner in the Town Center tonight. We don't have family that comes-in for the holidays, so we've found stumbled upon some fun traditions that have all the conveniences a pastor's family needs. I'm sure it'll be Asian food of some variety. =)

The versatility of a great logo

I worked as an advertising writer and producer before going into ministry, so I love great branding. One test of a brand's strength is its ability to take different forms and still retain its unique identity. The symbol, the icon, can be played-with and still hold up. Here's a few of MTV's logo variations...

Speaking of great design... Tricia Morgan sent me this great website. It's Flash on a whole new level. Just watch the page for a few seconds...

What vision looks like when it's done

  I've noticed something about vision. When you talk about your dream with other people, they don't get it. They look at you blankly and then tell you all the reasons why it would never work. It's not their vision, so it seems impossible to them. But to you, if it's God-given, the vision is as good as done. The hard work is just a formality.

This is the Grand Canyon Skywalk on the Hualapai Indian Reservation at Grand Canyon West, Arizona. This glass-floored architectural wonder sits 4,770 feet above the canyon floor and extends 65-feet out into thin air.

I would have loooved to sit-in on this visionary's conversations.

When a God-given dream is fulfilled, you might look back and say, "How in the world did I have the guts to pull THAT off!?" So you know it was God. And then the greatest thrill comes when the nay-sayers are standing on the skywalk trying their best not to look awe-struck... as if they believed it all along.

Christmas in Reston

Stopped by Reston Town Center to check on some tech capabilities at the conference venue. Christmastime is in full effect.

Everything Whiteboard

My friend Shawn is sending me links to all-things-whiteboard for inspiration and I'm loving it. Here's today's linky link: the automatic eraser.

Summa Cum Rowdy

The big guy finished his first semester at preschool this morning. So far, all of our fears of public humiliation at the exploits he's capable of committing in the presence of complete strangers have been allayed. =) He actually turned out to be the most polite little guy in the classroom. Made tons of friends, leaned how to make exotic crafts, and gained great respect for another authority figure in his life. Kudos Wy!

Christmas Eve in the Cosmos

I've never been more excited about a service than I am for Christmas Eve. This Sunday morning, I'm going to have to shoot from the hip because I'm sleepless in Seattle about December 24.

This year, it's all about the Magi and what they saw in the cosmos that drew them to Bethlehem. The Bible says the stars reveal much about God's redemptive plan. My message prep over the past few months has been jaw-dropping.

As for you RCC-ers, Matt has planned something for the opening of the service that you just can't miss! All I'm gonna say is that you will forever refer to him as Mr. Mister Matt Morgan. Get there early to get a seat.

Signage with Light

Getting the Whiteboard logo cut into some metal gobos to provide illuminated signage at the actual event. For you non-technophobes, you stick these bad boys in the front of ETC Source Four theatrical lights, and it projects a crisp, lighted image in the shape of the metal cut-out.

Whiteboard Logo Unveiled = Hotness

Bible fun with Google Earth =)

Got this off Dave's blog... Google Earth photos of what biblical events may have looked like from a satellite image. This would be, of course, the parting of the Red Sea. Fun stuff.