History in the Making

Wednesday Morning Run-Down

• Love the creations of La Machine. If I were handy, this is what I'd do for a living. Check them out in June's Wired.
• Not even movie trailers use voice-overs anymore. If you make videos or films for a living, I'd nix it.
• We're building the official Dream Year website right now. Only enough space for 24 people next year.
• Sarah Cunningham is interviewing the incredible Mia Leijonstedt for the STORY souvenir program. Mia is singlehandedly revolutionizing bookmaking.
• A 13 yr old is dominating fashion world with her blog.
• Josh Garrels at STORY. Seriously. I'd go just for that.
• Volunteer recruitment in the church isn't as much of a spiritual issue as we think. Most times, churches struggle because they're not communicating or haven't provided the right next step. By the time people hear about it, it's a spiritual chastisement through preaching. 
• If you came to STORY last year, we have completely remade the experience. So much so that last year doesn't even exist to me. This is the actual first year of the event.
• Hotels.com is running specials on Chicago until July 13.
• My truck window suddenly stopped working yesterday. $515 to fix. Are you kidding me. I think I'll just duct tape a brand new iPad in the open hole.
• First year church planters never ask any questions. In year three, that's all they've got.
• Talking this week with my Dream Year class about the dream vs. the work of the dream. The natural inertia in dream-making is non-activity. The antidote is a to-do list.
• Ever heard of the Dot and Cross team? Big announcement next week regarding STORY.

It's Official...

Josh Garrels will be performing at STORY in Chicago on Sept 23-24. If you haven't listened to this guy's voice... seriously... take a few minutes to be floored. I didn't know this until recently, but apparently Josh attends a small house church in Portland called Bread & Wine with Mentoring Project's John Sowers who is also presenting. Small world.

Notes on STORY

• If you're coming to STORY, Hotels.com is offering great hotel specials in Chicago - only until July 13. Highly recommend Hotel Felix; it's halfway between Park Church and the famed Michigan Ave.
• Don't rent a car. Just taxi it in and back.
• We're spending at least half our time planning the unique community side of STORY that'll happen in the hallways and corridors as we are the main programming content.
• Only half the seats remaining. I'd hurry.
• I'm excited about one, major presenter addition that I'm considering keeping as a surprise. I don't like surprises, but I like giving them. =)

STORY Promo Banners

The next deadline for STORY is July 15. If you'd like to be a part of the creative tribe that's coming together for the event on Sept 23-24, here are some banners for your site. StoryChicago.com

If you upload and link any of the banners below and let me know in the comments, you'll be eligible for occasional drawings to win some creative resources.

(300 pixels wide)

(600 pixels wide with presenters)

(611 pixels wide)
 

(300 pixels wide by 250 high)

My Third Little Man

Don't let this smile fool you. One little coo from you, and it's a swift uppercut to the chin. A pacifier has never touched this guy's lips, and at night, he sings himself to sleep.

Playground Needed for Navajos

A church from Chicago is doing some important work with the Navajo people in New Mexico and needs some commercial grade playground equipment. The Navajo are one of the most overlooked people groups, and their reservation life is a broken and hopeless system.

There have been 17 suicides in this reservation since October.  That's almost 2.5 deaths a month. This is a place where "hope" is a word without a definition.

-Good photos here, esp: one, two, and three.

-Blog from last year's trip.

-Article about last year's trip in the Tribune Local.

-Article about suicides in the area.

-The ministry is a part of UIM.

If you have access to used equipment or have any connections that could help, please contact Dan Cumberland at dcumberland@oakcommunitychurch.org

Wednesday Morning Run-Down

I'm off my blogging stride because of a couple of projects. But here is a (very early) Wednesday morning run-down:

• Got to have dinner on Friday night in Franklin, TN with Jay King of Integrity, Jenni Catron of Cross Point, Teresa Davis of Paradigm Management and my good friend Stephen Brewster who is now at Cross Point. Such an inspiring gathering of dreamers & thinkers.
• I spent nearly 2 hours on Skype with Blaine Hogan and Barton Damer last Thursday chatting about executing a creative project together. Talk about dream team
• Had an amazing time with Harvest Bible Chapel last weekend. We're about to announce something truly remarkable to the world. If anyone has spiritual and organizational mo right now, it's James MacDonald
• My virtual friend Milan Ford wrote a book called 83 Things I Wish the Black Church Would Stop Doing.
• I'm working on an "author edition" of my book - which means I'm scribbling author notes and commentary on every page. Planning to do a give-away in July
• By the way, if you hated my book, don't tell me. If you loved it, don't tell me either. Tell someone else. I can't write more if you and I are the only ones who know. =)
• Anyone ever stay in an Aloft Hotel? Killer decor.
• Is it bad that I want to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Orlando?
• Reading the book Game Change about the 2008 presidential election. Great read. But it's scary how fallible our elected officials are.
• Just wrote a COLLIDE article: From 30,000 feet, creativity looks like art. From ground level, it's a to-do list
• The second wave of STORY promo cards are hitting mailboxes this week - mostly to creative leaders in churches. Just half of the seats left. Register HERE.
• I'm entering a season of daring, creative execution for STORY. Won't know if some of it works until Sept 22.
• So The Book of Eli has a Bible in it. It's still Water World in the desert.

Snippets of StoryUnfolding.com

We did a trial-run, live broadcast of StoryUnfolding on Monday night. It was a house-party for creatives in Chicago at the lovely home of Jarrett & Jeanne Stevens. You can catch more at the LiveStream link. (Why is LiveStream so atrocious?)

More broadcasts to come. Just half of STORY's seats remain. Register for the conference HERE

Too Legit to Quit

Anyone know how to stop an 11-month old?

Amazing Things

Here You Go
Free umbrellas in exchange for passing on the kindness

Front Porch Creative
The new design shop by Dream Year participant Matt Bortmess

Fresher than Fresh Snow Cones
Makes me want to go salvage an old trailer and redeem it

Josh Garrels
Oh. my. word.

One Fine Stay
The "unhotel" (only in London so far)

Zoom H2 Audio Recorder
STORY is about to unite worship leaders all over the country

Trade School
Barter for your own education

Sweat Shop Coffeehouse
Spend an hour over a cup of coffee... and a sewing machine

The Vegetables From My Garden
Remote farming in Italy. Buy a plot of land online. Grow stuff.

Belvedere Concorde Helmet
I want one of these, and I don't even ride a motorcycle

The Camp Site
The most amazing outdoor store complex in the world

Wednesday Morning Run-Down

• I spent Monday at Water Missions International in Charleston, SC with Dream Year member Jerry Miner and communication gurus Shawn Wood, Curtis Simmons, Sarah Cunningham, Tim Schraeder, and Matt Knisely. It was like a master's course on storytelling.
• I can't put down The Pixar Touch. It's the perfect collision of my interests: biography, business and creativity.
• Flying to Chicago this weekend to meet with the incredible folks at Harvest Bible Chapel. Then staying over for the live StoryUnfolding broadcast on Monday.
• STORY is filling up with creatives. An incredible community coming together.
• This phase of Dream Year is turning up first drafts, fresh website designs, and big asks among the participants... It's an exciting stage of dream-making.
• Going after a dream is a bone-crunching, sleep-losing, white-knuckle endeavor filled with tremendous risk and fear. My Dream Year participants are getting a taste of this, but they're all so close to amazing breakthrough.
• Rousing conversation about Heaven on the blog here over the weekend. It's obviously a loaded subject. I feel like I just went rabbit hunting. =)
• It is nearly impossible to fly efficiently to Nashville from Norfolk. And when you do, it's priced about the same as one of Richard Branson's beta-space flights.
• I want the iPhone 4, but last time I checked, I had a wife and three kids who all have wants and desires too.

Heaven Isn't a Reductionist Gospel

I want to write about something that's disturbing me lately. More and more, I hear pastors say that "salvation = heaven" is a reductionist Gospel. As if heaven weren't enough. That the Gospel is only legit when it transforms us and our communities.

Couple of observations...

1. These are pastors who haven't experienced any real suffering. They might've had a "close call" or two, but they can still control their bladders and haven't rolled over any kids in the driveway.

2. They need to add "The Hiding Place" to their Netflix queue.

3. God promises a lot that doesn't get fulfilled until heaven. Remember when he tells Abraham to go a land that he would show him? Made it enticing by calling it "the Promised Land." Milk and honey, the works. But he never let Abe possess it. Said he was actually talking about Heaven. "These all died in faith..."

I'm not saying God doesn't aim to transform us. But to act as if Heaven isn't enough... That's a sermon that was crafted over a Hazelnut latte in a shopping center Starbucks.

Paparazzi Shots of Dream Year Reception

Some casual photos from the Dream Year reception in Va Beach by the young prodigy Ben Ritter. Click to see the album.

Wednesday Morning Run-Down

• A new way to find and fund creative projects: www.kickstarter.com (via Kendra Malloy)
• Jason Polan is attempting to draw all 8 million people living in New York City: EveryPersonInNewYork
• Just read the book The Dream Manager by Matthew Kelly. Brilliant. Thankful I get to do this almost every day. Most bosses could be called Dream Squelchers. 
• Our first StoryUnfolding broadcast airs live from Chicago on Monday, June 14. More to come.
• Rom Brafman spotted a review I did of his book Sway and kindly sent me his new book Click. The first chapter describes Ainsley and me to a T.
• Charles Stone, pastor of Ginger Creek Community Church in Illinois sent me a copy of his new book 5 Ministry Killers and How to Defeat Them. Great guy.
• We're sending Daley Hake on the road to photograph our presenters for the STORY souvenir program.
• The leadership team at Richland Bible Church in Michigan is bringing 15 people to STORY. Wow.
• Talking with Dream Year this month about branding. Doing your own design is like cutting your own hair.
• Becoming more and more impressed with this brand. I swear it has nothing to do with the name.
• I'm traveling to Pennsylvania tomorrow to speak at my childhood school graduation. Speaking on my favorite topic: God uses frustration to shape a dream.
• Fans of the STORY Facebook page are getting the most recent updates on the gathering. Join us...
• Got a great promo kit ::t-shirt and montage of work:: from Barton Damer. Crisp, compelling, inspiring, just like his work. Love that guy.