In ministry, I am always on guard to present myself (hopefully) in a manner that draws respect while honoring to the God that I am working for.

Today, an interesting question came up amongst some of the staff at Liquid Church - what do you do when porn stars follow you?

It is no surprise that the adult entertainment industry is up on Twitter since the industry has long been an early adopter and driver of new technology.

Both on the church’s public Twitter account, as well with some of the church staff’s individual accounts, it has recently been noted that porn stars have been popping up as followers.

And today, the question that arises more specifically is: What do you do with porn stars that are following your twitter account?

Although most probably, the specific daily twitter interaction would be non-explicit, it does present some issues that can’t be ignored.

This brings up some immediate questions: Read the rest of this entry »

What’s in your church bulletin?

Is the church program chock-filled with announcements, calendars and messages that are specific to that week?

If you are in a corporate sized church with 1,000+ attendees every week, are you still printing customized bulletins just like in the “old days” when you had just a few dozen or few hundred people coming to your worship services?

Or have you realized that producing and collating/assembling thousands of bulletins each week is a chore? Read the rest of this entry »

“Christ-Centered” is one of the most casually used buzzwords in the Christian “industry” — we toss it around because it makes us seem so pious. so mature. so right.

The truth is it is over-used because it is so safe.

If you pause to consider the implications, it becomes dangerous, atomic, even nuclear.

What do I mean by this?

Read this text below if you want to know what I mean when I say “Christ-Centered” . . . after understanding what is laid out in plain old English, you may not be so flippant ever again in using the phrase going forward. . . Read the rest of this entry »

Inspired by a fellow member of the church digerati, John Saddington, here’s one for you Godvertisers out there.

I’ll reserve comment.

It’s YOUR TURN. . .

Comment on anything that this brings to mind.

Let those creative thoughts go free. . .

Speaking of faith-related mashups, Sim Young reminded me today that there are already many voices in the church + tech + web conversation today.

It’s evolving so fast, it feels like dog years!  The Church is achangin’ . . . Take notice!

Here’s 7 church tech blogs you should check out (via digital.leadnet.org)

• ChurchCrunch - exploring the intersection of technology and the church
• Church Tech Matters - a site for tech volunteers
• BetaChurch -design and technology for the church’s mission
• Church Technology Review -church meets Internet, websites, technology and web 2.0
• Church Tech Today - technology for today’s church
• Geeks & God podcast - encouraging ministries to use technology more effectively
• Mobile Ministry Magazine -the intersection of faith and mobile technology

Any that should be voted off the island?

When the head of the Human Genone Project, Dr. Francis Collins, starts talking about the possibilities of God, faith and science to all be held up together, it kind of catches your attention.

This is the guy who is breaking the DNA code of life after all. Imagine finally understanding the most fundamental building blocks of human existence in science…

But different than the norm of pitting Science *against* Faith, or vice versa, this guy speaks of why they are compatible — and why he personally believes in God, despite, and because of what he does for a living has shown him.

Perhaps it’s not the how and what, but the who and why that we need to focus on when thinking about creation and existence in this world.

What do you think?

Today’s devotional message comes from a great encourager of mine, Calvin Chin, who has noticed how the rush of life paradoxically sometimes allows one’s faith to decay in slow motion right under our noses without detection.  As I received his thoughts, it felt like a splash of cold water waking me up.  Kind of  like in those movies where the character is exceedingly still on the sidewalk, the camera zooms in and suddenly you are taking notice of everything in the surrounding world that is passing by so quickly in a blur. . .take notice and then take charge.

This summer has not begun yet and it feels like it is already fleeting.

Time does fly!

Things have a way of changing over time, slowly, gradually, and almost with little notice. . .Like the phrase, “a lobster in a warm pot of water on the stove” we don’t notice how our theology “progresses’.

I had an interesting conversation with someone who witnessed some moments of “girls and guys gone wild” at a relative’s wedding, purportedly Christians getting married. He was shocked at the gyrations, wild behavior, drinking, machinations, and other things that took place. Well, he doesn’t watch MTV or VH1 reality shows.

But are we not to be salt and light? Or is a wedding or other life defining events supposed to mimic the world?

No one wakes up and says, “I don’t have Jesus in my heart anymore!” nor do they say, “I will not let the Gospel transform my heart daily.” 

But rather. . . Read the rest of this entry »

Most people have probably heard of Kierkegaard, but who has actually read him?

The only “Danish” most people have experience with is usually. . .

… a danish!  Right?

Apparently, more people need to read the other Danish…philosopher Kierkegaard, based on some of his quips I was reminded of by Pastor TK over at Liquid Church: Read the rest of this entry »

Tim Keller’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church has a very unique and exciting ministry called the Center for Faith and Work.

I say unique because CFW seems be Keller’s twist on Neibuhr’s Christ and Culture model of transformation and change.  As with everything else Redeemer, the explicit focus on how Faith and Work intersect considers the urban environment of NYC in which Redemer members live/work.

It is exciting because this ministry is addressing the issues head-on for those that do see the disconnect in their workplace and spiritual sides of life.

Am I an MBA who happens to be Christian?  Or a Christian MBA that applies my Judeo-Christian values to work?  Or an MBA Christian that takes best-of-breed business models to apply against faith-based vocational opportunities?

What I’ve realized is that the way I choose to define myself makes a difference in everything else I do in daily living.   Redeemer’s Center for Faith and Work has even carved out a focus for entrepreneurs and SMB owners.

I have recently been invited to present at the Entrepreneurship Initiative’s fellowship group meeting (one of the various vertically-organized vocation groups within CFW).

So if you’re in the NYC area today, join us as I share some learnings from my tech + marketing experiences with the others in the group.

[CLARIFICATION: People have been asking about When is this?  How Long?  Here's the ANSWER: TODAY ONLY, MAY 15th]

Contemporary Christian Music [CCM] is a hit.

CCM is now the 2nd largest radio format in the United States.

Coldplay is one of the reasons why.  And this band understands how to communicate and relate to its fan base.

For example, while Ashton Kushter and CNN were dueling it out on Twitter, Coldplay has quietly gathered up almost three quarters of a million followers on Twitter as of May 2009.

And in a very smart marketing move, the band has decided Read the rest of this entry »