History in the Making

Fine Dining for the Ladies at Whiteboard

I don't take Ainsley out to enough nice restaurants. Mostly Chipotle, Chick-Fil-A and Tropical Smoothie. So I'm giving her my credit card on May 22 to treat herself to the exclusive Paolo's in Reston Town Center for lunch on the day of Whiteboard.

Best thing is... she's planning for your wife too. She's secured a private dining room, created a special menu, and put together an amazing gift bag that was sponsored by Integrity Music. Women from all over the country are coming to the affair, and Vince Antonucci's wife Jen is speaking.

Even better, Ainsley's giving away a free ticket to any gal who will volunteer with her during registration from 7:30 to 9:30 am. Just a dozen or so seats left, so register [here]!

Final Whiteboard Discount Ends Wednesday Midnight

The gorgeous Reston Town Center from above

Feedback surveys are a waste of time

I love reading about the Red Bull brand. When they first taste-tested their energy drink, consumers said it was awful. But founder Dietrich Mateschitz defied their opinions and pressed forward with a culture-shaping vision.

Even today, half the people who taste Red Bull hate it. But the other half have turned into a cult following. And what a cult following... They've created an entirely new beverage niche in what is now a $1.3 billion industry.

People vote with their actions, not feedback forms. Howard Schultz put his instincts ahead of the masses and got Starbucks to show for it. Steve Jobs says most people don't even know what they want until you show it to them.

If you're following feedback forms instead of "making tastes" for people, you will always lag behind in innovation. You are responding to culture, not shaping it.

My Mat

"Some men brought to [Jesus] a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven." ~ Matthew 9:2

I  know exactly what I'm trying to bring to Jesus. I've spread it all out on my mat for him to see. There's no denying it ~ they're all legitimate worries and concerns. How could he not fix what's so obviously wrong with this picture of me? But he says "take heart" and proceeds to fix something else in me. Something in my heart. It's the thing I never saw, but matters so much more.

When a Church Planter Takes the Field a Second Time

There's a big difference between a planter's first and second church plant. One brutal experience is all it takes to radically change his priorities. It's no longer about fast growth, big lights, taking the town by storm. He tried that approach and it didn't work... for him or the other 98% of church planters.

Money isn't quite as important... he gets closer to the people... he reexamines his motives, slows down for his family... invests in kingdom growth, not just his own church... and he doesn't care quite as much about getting credit. He appreciates the guys on the conference circuit, but doesn't follow them like he used to.

A failed first go-round can be a gift from God. I don't think you can fully appreciate God's supernatural hand in church planting without it.

Marginally Radical

Let me go out on a limb... I think most of us walk the line between passion and peacefulness. We play it too safe because we fear failure and criticism. I think most of us wake up every day with the goal of not looking bad or bringing unwelcomed attention to ourselves. But I'll make-up a rule here that I think is true... If we're not offending someone or risking personal embarrassment with our life endeavors, we're probably making very little impact. That's just how influence works... It comes with the price of personal unrest.

In almost every endeavor I go after, there is always a moment when I have tremendous regret. It's always that moment when I've gone too far to turn back, and there's absolutely no assurance of success. I start cursing my holy discontentment, my entrepreneurial nature, and I kick myself for being naive, calling it faith. And then God does something amazing, and I go do it all over again.

The Arment Fiefdom

Ains and I are becoming reluctant landlords. Our move to Georgia next month leaves us with a home we can't sell at value, so we're renting it out until the market improves here in northern Virginia. This keeps us in a constant state of high alert as the prospective serfs... I mean tenants... come check it out. Our lives have never been such an open book, with our nooks and crannies under close scrutiny. On top of that... have you ever tried to keep a home constantly clean with two kids under the age of four? Yeah... don't try it.

May 22, 2008

Two big events on the same day. =) And by the way, the last discounted rate for Whiteboard ends this Wednesday, April 30 at midnight.

The Birthday Girl

Celebrated my bombshell of a wife's birthday yesterday... One of the best gifts I could think of giving her was time away from our wild and crazy boys all day. =) We finally met up at Sweetwater for dinner, and she was totally relaxed.

New Web Domains are Fun

So Ainsley has been trying to figure out what to call her blog now that we're moving to Georgia from Reston. The name Reston.baby won't be appropriate after June. So last night, we finally got it... Chattahoochee Mama.com.

Done. =)

Willow's Dangerous Confessions

Willow's REVEAL study is killing me... I love Willow. And I LOVE that they're re-examining their approach to disciple-making. But something critical is being lost in translation...

God used Willow's model to reach hundreds of thousands of people with the Gospel. But as with ALL models and approaches... their effectiveness has waned. The old wineskin has started showing some cracks. Scores of people have matured in Christ and are now waiting for the next step.

Willow is so good to respond. This shift is critical, necessary, vital... and I applaud them for doing it. BUT the interpretation that others are making is: "We were wrong with the seeker model... We have sinned... We should have never done this."

I don't think this is what Willow is saying, but it's coming across that way. The somber black & white video footage, the empty auditorium, the despondent diaglogue... it might as well be a life insurance commercial for a fellow who lost his uninsured wife.

I think there's a way to turn at the fork in the road without cursing the journey.

Signs in the Making

Every pastor needs an amazing designer to interpret his themes into beautiful visuals. At RCC, we had the best of the best in Josh Wilcox. Someday, I'll post his portfolio of message graphics. But Josh designed the Whiteboard logo in just a few minutes at work, and it's become the bedrock for everything from the website to the ID badges that other designers have created. Josh has seen the identity evolve since December 18, when he created it, and he's put the finishing touches on these entry signs for the event. Very stunning.

The final discounted rate for Whiteboard ends one week from today.

Blogging Live from the Exponential Conference

Here in sunny Orlando* taking-in the Exponential Conference with my former-fellow-church planters. One of the best conference line-ups in the history of conference-going, but I'm missing most of them because of... well... how do I put this... Disney World. I hear Andy Stanley, Rick Warren and Tim Keller are all here, but they're speaking right in the middle of... okay... I'll just say it... prime pool time. I hear a few people are live-blogging it though... I think Epcot has Wi-Fi...

*(Okay, I'm not really at Exponential, totally kidding. But this is probably what my post would look like if I were. =)

Hotel Suggestion for Whiteboard

If you're looking for great hotel deals for Whiteboard, Hotwire.com has some of the most affordable rates for the night of May 21. You can get a 3-star in the Reston area for $69 among others. Hotwire.com doesn't tell you the name of the hotel until after you pay. But Reston is a PRIME hotel market, lots of business travelers, so there are no bad hotels here. Just enter "Reston, Va" in your search.

Glimpse at the Whiteboard Notebook

Threads Media of Lifeway is creating the notebook for Whiteboard, and I've had a blast working with their team. Designer Heather Manning sent me a few sample pages to see the creative direction, and I've gotta say, it's one of the best event guides I've ever seen. It fuses the lomo look with some of Barton Damer's original artwork for the motion graphics... very hot. It's going to be like a souvenir. =)

The enemy of innovation is success

Even the most creative people are tempted to stop being innovative when their ideas become successful. They subconsciously create a rule that says, "This idea worked, so don't do it differently." They "rubber-stamp" instead of "re-create." I'll say this as clearly as I can: If you are executing the same creative ideas you did last year because they worked, you are already on the decline.

Whiteboard T-Shirts Now Available

From now until May 21, you can order a limited edition Whiteboard T-Shirt for just $20. This exclusive, full-shirt design was created by artist Barton Damer from the motion graphics he's creating for the event. The "all over" design requires each shirt to be printed one at a time, so we're only offering a limited number. Sizes range from S thru XXL.

Order Now: $20
At Whiteboard: $25

You can order them here

A View from the Cloffice

Now that my son Wyatt is turning four, he will be responsible for bringing home a quarter of the bacon. He's already formed an internet start-up that has something to do with cartoon characters.

I Think We All Know What Happened Here

Trash day. Next door. 11 AM. Friday.

It's About the Conversation

This was the week of Together 4 the Gospel in Louisville, which I've been dying to attend for years. It's held every other year, which brings a sort of urgency to attending it. But my conference-going has been put on-hold until Whiteboard.

Something interesting though ~ this is really the first Christian conference that moved away from the conference feel toward conversation. Mark Dever, who founded it, described it as a meeting between friends with thousands of invited on-lookers.

Unless you're a clear winner in the saturated conference field, you've gotta do something to differentiate. Starting with a conference name that couldn't be confused with an energy drink... =)