Christmas Continued…

Yesterday I mentioned that it’s time to start planning for Christmas. I’ve already heard of some churches that are doing something associated with the new movie “The Nativity”. Outreach has put together several resources if your church wants to do something with this movie theme. Check them out (some are FREE).

Here’s an announcement from my friends at Midnight Oil Productions:

Two Christmas resources for the price of one…

For three days only–now through Saturday night–get two of Midnight Oil’s beautiful, full-featured Christmas resources for the price of
one. Titles include:

• Follow the Star
• Personal Connection
• Rediscover Christmas

Each disc is regularly $75. Get a bundle of two for the same price.

To see videos and learn more click here.

 

DVDs for Shut-ins

I came across this announcement from a church and thought it was pretty admirable and  noteworthy. Most churches are upgrading from tapes to CDs and from VHS video to DVD. This is a cool way to allow those on the receiving end to upgrade with you. We all have either have an extra/cheap DVD player that we can give away (I just sold one on Craig’s list for $10) or we could buy a cheap one and donate it to the cause. This may not fall in some people’s cutting edge/innovative idea category, but I dig it and applaud them for their ministry to those that can’t get out. Aren’t we called to provide for the widows and the weak?

EXTRA:

Picking up on the topic of service audio and video recording, there are lots of things to consider (including copyright issues). Anthony Coppedge and I are going to be addressing this on our new podcast: Creative Synergy. Subscribe today!

 

Southeast Christian Goes Multi-Site

Thanks so much for all your prayers, comments and emails. I made it through surgery fine yesterday. The surgeon said my gallbladder was diseased and it was a good thing they took it out. I feel such a relief and validation. I knew my pain wasn’t all in my head! I’m just real sore and taking it easy, grateful to God for His comfort and presence and thrilled to have it behind me! On to today’s blog:

Many of you know of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY (one of the largest churches in the US). They have recently decided to join the multi-site revolution. I know there are many thoughts and philosophies on the multi-site movement. SCC put together a pretty funny and interesting video clip to introduce the concept/vision to their congregation. They interviewed the President of Kentucky Fried Chicken and asked him why he doesn’t just have one big KFC that everyone could go to, instead of having multiple KFC’s throughout the country. Check it out, by going to their sermon page and clicking on “Church on the Move”. What are your thoughts?

FYI – To my communication and video friends, they have some cool job openings:

Communications Ministry Director

IT Network Engineer

Information Technology Director – Full-time

IT Ministry Liaison Technician

IT Data Entry Technician

IT Desktop Technician

Student/Vine Sound and Lights Media Manager

Student/Vine Ministry Team Programming Director

Communications Ministry Videographer

Worship Team Video Producer

 

Have You Heard Of Wikiletics?

This might be a blog to forward to your pastor (if you’re the pastor or youth pastor, this is for you).

Short for “wiki homiletics,” wikiletics.com is the first “wiki” (open-content) preaching resource on the Web. Every week, 20-30 pages of new homiletic resources will be posted on the website. We then encourage preachers to make changes to the content themselves, adding useful illustrations and animations, telling stories of how certain things worked and others didn’t, and even changing whatever sermons are posted to reflect the collective wisdom of expert practitioners in the art and craft of preaching.

I’m a contributor to it. Check it out!

 

Do Your Video Screens Ever Go to Blackout (On Purpose)??

I mentioned speaking to the teaching team at Prestonwood last week in an earlier blog. Something I said to them and I say at every conference I speak at, is to not be afraid of having your screens go to black and then say something like, “Close your eyes and listen as I read this story.” or “Close your eyes and listen as I read this passage of Scripture.” I think most communicators underestimate the power of the imagination. Want to improve your effectiveness as a communicator? Paint a picture with your words.

Here are some quotes that I share in my communication/preaching seminars:

• “We can apply this understanding to our own creative efforts at many levels. On the most superficial level, we learn from the prophets that the tools best suited for communicating to the imagination are image, parables and sometimes even bizarre activity! At a deeper level, we learn that if we are to effect permanent change in people’s hearts, we must do more than simply teach them facts or reduce them to some emotional experience. Like the prophets, we must learn to reach out to the heart as well as the mind by speaking to the imagination. We must allow our audience the freedom to make realizations on their own, as with the parables of the prophets, particularly the prophet Jesus!”– Michael Card, Scribbling in the Sand

• “Creativity is part of God’s divine nature, and He has given it to us as a gift. Like so many of God’s gifts, creativity is often neglected or wrongfully used…Imagination is the first storytelling tool. To properly tell a story, you must see it in your mind.”
  – John Walsh, author of The Art of Storytelling

• “Our imaginations are involved in every area of our lives, in everything we do or say or are. It is no wonder that God is so intent upon recapturing them. Therefore, we must seek to understand the imagination biblically, that is, Christ-centeredly. The imagination is the bridge between the heart and the mind, integrating both, allowing us to think/understand with our hearts and feel/emote with our minds. It is a vehicle for truth. Through the use of images, metaphors, stories and paradoxes that demand our attention, it calls for our interaction. The imagination is a powerful means for communicating truths about God, and so God shows an awesome regard for the imagination in His Word. Because we are called to creativity, a working, gut-level understanding of the imagination is vital. It can be our greatest strength or our greatest weakness. To harness the imagination, or better yet, to bring it under submission to Christ is something about which we don’t talk or pray or do enough. – Michael Card, Scribbling in the Sand

• “Frequently, creativity and imaginativeness are casualties of ministerial education. Ministers start to mistrust or ignore their own creative impulses; they come to view imagination as a child’s play toy rather than an essential tool for vibrant communication.” – David Enyart

 

Planning Something Special for this Sunday (The day before 9/11)?

I just want to remind you about an earlier blog I did on 9/11 resources. I also want to highlight the “America” video clip from Flashlight Films (we used this at my church on Memorial Day and the response was amazing). If you’re going to have a brief moment in your Sunday service to remember 9/11, you might want to check out WorshipHouse’s September 11th store.