History in the Making

Super Early Bird Rate Ends at Midnight

Don't miss out!

A Good Ribbing from Ed Stetzer

If Ed Stetzer gives those he loves a hard time, then I'm in his greatest affections. =) He razzed me about breaking the unspoken rule of not asking for shout-outs on his blog, but he finally relented to my lobbying.

Yesterday, he wrote one of the funniest pieces ever about Whiteboard. He's going to get himself in trouble with the other 7 speakers long before May 22...

Religious Pet Peeve #26

Offering to pray for a solution to what you could solve through action.

The Tragedy of a Painless Ministry

I don’t know how it happened, but I suddenly realized that I was spending much of my ministry trying to protect myself from other people... [more]

FAA Cracks Down on Helicoptor Egg Drops at Churches

I'm just kidding about the title... but, seriously, I have never before seen a movement sweep the church world like that of the helicopter egg drop at Easter. Never again will a regular easter egg hunt on the ground satisfy the masses of small children. Even the White House might want to consider adjusting their tradition with Marine One. But we need to give credit where credit is due. I think it was Elevation Church that started it, so Steven Furtick ought to get the tactic named after himself. From this point on, the helicopter egg drop shall be referred to as "Elevated Eggs" or "The Furtick Eggs of Fury."

Blue Ocean Conference

It's a conference with all keynotes, no break-outs. It's one day so you can get back to business. Speakers have just 30 minutes, so every minute is rich and full. The ideas are meant to inspire, challenge, and deepen your convictions. Some ideas will anger you, push against everything you know to be the right way. Your notebook will be scratched full of ideas and maybe phone numbers by day's end. You'll see team meetings in the grand lobby during breaks. The ancient hymns redone will touch the very depths of your soul. You can ponder take-aways in the town center with the warm sun beating on your face. Maybe catch Indiana Jones at the town theater afterward. Grab a latte.

It's Whiteboard, and the super early bird rate ends Friday at midnight.

Oprah's New Jesus

Oprah has skyrocketed the career of another author on her book club. But this endorsement is a bit heart-wrenching. She's taking her fans through a year-long "Course in Miracles" by Marianne Williamson. Each day, her book club site features a different lesson on this essentially new religion. Here are some quotes from this book:

• "There is no sin."
• "A slain Christ has no meaning."
• "The journey to the cross should be the last ' useless journey."
• "Do not make the pathetic error of 'clinging to the old rugged cross."
• "The name of Jesus Christ as such is but a symbol... It is a symbol that is safely used as a replacement for the many names of all the gods to which you pray."
• "The recognition of God is the recognition of yourself."
• "The Atonement is the final lesson he [man] need learn, for it teaches him that, never having sinned, he has no need of salvation."

Last night, I told a longtime friend who is not a believer that I had stepped down as pastor of RCC. She replied, "Well it's hard to have a church that teaches what you believe. Most people aren't so narrow." [dagger in the heart] Jesus is indeed more appealing when he's not the way, the truth and the life. But any other Jesus is a whole other religion.

Donald Trump on Firing People

Got this funny tidbit from Bruce Johnson's free PDF booklet "The 12.6 Most Common Mistakes That Small Business Leaders Make":

Donald Trump said, “I’ve fired people in all kinds of ways. I’ve given them a year’s worth of severance. I’ve helped them get a new job. I’ve given them contacts. And I’ve kicked them out the door without anything. The one thing I’ve learned through all this is that regardless of how you fire someone, they all hate you.”

Free Lomo Camera Contest Ends Friday

Coinciding with the end of the Super Early Bird Rate for Whiteboard... the Win-a-Free-Lomo-Camera Contest ends this Friday night on Facebook. Upload your best photo onto the Whiteboard group site, and you just might win one of 10 cameras we're giving out at WiBo. We'll give you the camera to keep; we just want the two rolls of film back after the conference.

Grace by Windshield Wiper

I leave the house this morning at 6:30 to get a broken windshield wiper repaired in time for a roadtrip this weekend. The passenger side blade hasn't been moving in weeks... including as recently as last night.

I'm waiting for the repair in Starbucks when I get a phone call from the dealership.

HAROLD: Yeah Ben... This is is Harold from Chrysler. What windshield wiper are you talking about? They're all working just fine.

ME: You're kidding me.

HAROLD: Yeah, but you know your battery's dead right?

ME: Whaaaa?

HAROLD: Yeah, we had to jump it in the shop here.

ME: Wait a minute... Blue Town & Country?

HAROLD: Yeah, you're the only van in this early.

ME: (Mumbing) I can't believe it happened in the shop right before my...

HAROLD: What's that?

ME: Grace by windshield wiper.

HAROLD: Yeah, so you need a new battery.

Should I Be Worried?

So the other night, I'm reading my 3 year old Wyatt a bedtime story. I've been trying to infuse more spiritual material into our nighttime ritual. I get through this great children's book about Jesus's life and end with the phrase "Jesus rose from the dead and is coming again soon." I look at Wyatt and say, "Isn't that great, Wy?" He slaps his hand to his forehead and shakes his head slowly... He embraced Santa so easily.

Just dreaming...

Whiteboard Features Day-After Church Planting Seminar

Just announced... NewChurches.com is partnering with us to host a post-Whiteboard Church Planting Seminar on Friday, May 23, at a nearby church.

The event will be held from 8:30a to 4:30p and will feature special guest Ed Stetzer. Yeah, that's right. All day with the missiologist-extraordinairre himself...

The goal of the seminar is to answer the question - "I've decided to plant a church. Now what?" Specifics include:

• How much money will I need?
• What staff should I look for?
• How do I develop a launch plan?
• What will opening day look like?
• What kind of outreach and marketing should I do?
• What type of facility should I look for?
• And much more...

The regular rate is $69, but if you enter "whiteboard" (all lower case) into the discount code box, it's only $49. You can also call 866-342-5264 to register.

From Reston Community Church to NewSpring Community Church

No, not me... =) I got this e-mail from a terrific gal named Julie who was a part of RCC and is now a sophomore at Clemson:

My mom told me a week or so ago that you aren't the pastor at RCC anymore. And although I am so sad to hear that I wish the best for you in what is to come, and I wanted to tell you what happened as a result of me hearing this news...

When I looked at your blog, I ended up reading about the Whiteboard Sessions in May and saw that Perry Noble is speaking at it.  I didn't even know he was the pastor of NewSpring until I read his bio and saw his church is in Anderson, SC.  I was so ecstatic that someone right down the road from Clemson was speaking at your event...

I am a sophomore now at Clemson and I still haven't found a church to regularly attend yet, and I really feel like this happened for a reason.  I absolutely love your sermons and so after seeing that Perry is going to speak at the event you created, I decided I had to go. 

I went with my boyfriend last week and my roommate and boyfriend this week, and we love it!! 

Perry is a great speaker in a different way.  He is definitely not your average pastor!  He says things that most pastors are afraid to say in front of a congregation and he makes himself so real and down to earth, which I think is what pulls so many people into their church.  He also makes you feel like he is speaking directly to you -- which is an awesome quality to have and effective.

I just wanted to share my story with you; I just think that it is so cool how it all happened.  I read your blog because you announced that you are no longer pastor at RCC, and it brought me to a church (finally) that I can start to be a part of in Clemson.  Small, but it brightens my day to think about! :)

So cool how God works...

It's like American Idol

My friend Stephen Brewster is launching a new worship artist named Joel Auge on his label... You can vote for one of three covers for his soon-to-be-released album. Love the web 2.0 marketing strategy.

Whiteboard Super Early Bird Rate Ends Friday at Midnight

The super early bird rate of $99 for Whiteboard expires this Friday at midnight.  I don't think I've paid the discounted rate for any conference I've attended. But I want to do due diligence in putting out the information. =)

We've had a few people express difficulty registering on the site. If this happens to you, I apologize. Here a few things you can do:

- Try registering on a different computer
- Hold 'control' and hit refresh to update the site
- E-mail me if you still can't get through

What Weekends Are For...

Had a great dinner last night with our long-time friends Anthony and Bethany Hoang... and their handsome, little Beckham. Anthony helped us launch RCC 5 years ago by inviting his entire social network to our launch service. He seriously invited over 60 personal friends to the grand opening. He's married to and serving alongside the extremely talented Bethany who runs the IJM Institute. Good friends. Good times.

Saturday Evening Post

I have a feeling I'm going to be sentimental about Reston Community Church on Saturdays for the rest of my life. They're so heavily etched into my heart. Saturdays were the most intense days of my week - when I ramped up spiritually and emotionally for an explosion of exposition. =)

Today, I'm cleaning bathrooms. Very low key.

All Things Whiteboard

My blog-friend Jon Sampson sent me this interesting, little nugget - a whiteboard clock. ThatswhatImtalkingboutwillis.

My Boys Just Wanna Have Fun