Good Will Musing

Privileged ...

2012-01-05T20:13:00.000-05:00

As many of you know, I am graduate of Michigan State University and a HUGE Spartan athletics fan. There have been only a handful of football games I've missed over the past twenty-eight seasons when I began attending. Of all those seasons, even one that included a trip to the Rose Bowl, this season has been the most special for me. Why? Kirk Cousins. Character is contagious. Character in others makes me want to better a better man. Kirk's luncheon speech on Privilege was just that - a privilege. Thank you, Kirk. Enjoy!

When I Became a Man ...

2011-12-31T07:12:00.001-05:00

When I was eight years old, one of my best friends was named Roger. Roger loved cars and he owned about every Matchbox car ever made (scores of them) and he built elaborate Hot Wheels racetracks which enveloped his entire living room in a web of orange plastic strips. I often stopped by to visit him after school and we would race for hours. Roger, the more experienced Matchbox driver would win almost every time.

And while the racing was fun, the part I looked forward to most was the massive, 200-car Matchbox pileup which always marked the conclusion of our play time. Roger loved this part, too. And he wouldbring out his toy tow truck and start picking up all the Matchboxcarnage, car by car, and deliver each one to his Hot Wheels garage.

I think the reason Roger liked this part so much was thathis dad was a tow truck driver and he though that was the greatest thing in theworld. Once Roger's mom took us out for ice cream and we drove by the lot where his dad worked. Roger pointed out a wrecked car his dad had picked up the night before. Then he pointed out his dad's tow rig. It was really cool, all decked out with a massive wench and dozens of lights . When Roger's dad came home at night, it looked like a spaceship was landing in his driveway.

Roger loved his dad and would often talk about how coolhis dad’s tow truck was and how smart his dad was and how his dad got to pick up twisted metal and how strong his dad was. In short, Roger thought his dad was the greatest.

This was a problem for me, because I thought my dad was the greatest. I thought my dad could doanything. In fact I believed my dad was the strongest, coolest man in theworld. What Roger was saying abouthis dad was outright blasphemy!

But then I thought, “Roger’s dad drives 2 tons of metal-moving power to work. My dad, is a salesman for Hostess Cakes and drives a step van filled with Ding Dongs and marches in the Apple Festival parade dressed as a 6'3'' Twinkie! Oh,no!"

The image I had of my father was beginning to change.

So … I did the only thing I could. I lied.

“Your dad may drive a wrecker, Roger, but my dad’s sostrong, he broke out of jail with his bare hands!” I proclaimed.

“His bare hands?” he asked.

“Yep! His barehands! He bent the bars with hisbare hands and broke out of prison. And he beat up some police officers andhe’s gonna come over to your house and beat up your dad, too!”

In less than a minute, I had transformed my dad from Twinkie the Kid into Billy the Kid.

Roger ran away crying and that somehow made me happy.

As a child, it seems I had this needfor my father to be the greatest man on the planet. I needed him to be good, strong, and invincible. So much so, that when that notion was challenged,I could not accept it. In a sense, I expected my dad to be ... God.

There’s a verse in the bible:

“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, Ithought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave upchildish ways.”

For me, the childish way I needed to give up wasthinking my father had to be more than he humanly could be.

My parents did so many good things that shaped and moldedme as I grew up. They loved me and I knew this. But thetruth is, along the way, they did some things that were painful, too. They made somemistakes. They messed some thingsup; just like I sometimes do with my children.

But when I became a man ... I realized my parents are human.

My parents are humans trying to make their way, doing the best they can ina broken and hurting world; humans who are in need of much forgiveness and muchGrace. Just like me. Just like you. Just like all of us.

The Good News is our ultimately strong, perfect and lovingFather in Heaven offers us unlimited Grace, Love, and Forgiveness freely, if weaccept it, so that we can offer this to others. The distant relationship I had with my father changed significantly for the better when I understood this. It took off a lot of unnecessary pressure I was placing him and on myself because the realization of God's Grace is freeing on every relational level.

Steve Jobs's Last Words

2011-12-28T06:35:00.001-05:00

I found this article in The Week Magazine and thought I would share some of it with you:

“Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow.” These were Steve Jobs’s last words before he slipped the bonds of earth on Oct. 5, 2011. We know this because we heard it from his sister, the writer Mona Simpson, who was with him in his final hours and described them in an eloquent eulogy published this week in The New York Times (Best columns: The U.S.). Like the rest of us, Simpson had no idea what Jobs was seeing when he uttered his last words, but she invites us to ponder their meaning in the context of his life. She speaks of her brother’s “capacity for wonderment,” and his last words indeed seem apt and authentic for an enthusiast given to phrases like “insanely great.” It is tantalizing to think that in his final moments of consciousness, Jobs was privy to a wondrous vision of the other side ...

As I consider how instrumental Steve Job's work was in giving millions access to the Internet (sometimes called the cloud), I wonder if God didn't give Steve a small glimpse of just how significant his work was:

Luke 21:27 - At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

Connecting with God for Christmas

2011-12-24T08:16:00.000-05:00

There are many spiritual pathways people use to help them connect with God. For me, those things are: time in nature, time in prayer, and watching great films. Sometimes those things are difficult for me as the pace of my life increases. First of all, I live in Granger, Indiana and our nature consists pretty much of flat cornfields broken by tree lines. Secondly, if you know me, you know that I most likely have ADD (wife and self-diagnosed) which makes staying focused in prayer really difficult for me. And finally, have you seen the movies coming out this Christmas? Electric aliens chasing people around and evaporating them?

As we celebrate Christmas, I thought I would share a new way I've been connecting with God. It's sort of a combination of prayer and movies and its been really helping me in my walk.

I'll put on a set of headphones and listen to instrumental music (Pandora can be great resource for this.) As I listen, I picture the scenes of Christ's life and ministry in my mind. I do this as vividly as I can and I think of as many details as I can - including the weather, the time of day, the intensity of the light, the temperature, the way things may have smelled, the ambient sounds.

I think of Jesus and the people he encounters - what they look like, what they are wearing, what their body language would have been around Him. I think of those people, those He healed, those He taught, those He rebuked, those He forgave. I think of what they might have said to Him (in addition to what's written in the Bible) and I listen to the emotion in their voices.

The stories become so real it's like I'm almost there ... with Him ... in that moment, for a moment.

This Christmas I wish you the chance to be with Him as well. I found some old pictures from La Vista Church's website (thanks, La Vista.) Merry Christmas as you picture some of these scenes and join Him in that moment.

"So, Why do they call you Butch?"

2011-12-22T19:29:00.000-05:00

When I meet someone, it's only a matter of time before I get asked, "So, why do they call you Butch?"

If I had a dime ...

My legal name is William Lloyd Whitmire, named after both of my grandfathers: William and Lloyd. It's kind of a family thing. Apparently, we have a tradition of naming the first-born male in my lineage some version of Bill. So my great-grandfather, grandfather, my father, my son, and I are named either William or Billy. It can get really confusing around the holidays asking Bill to pass the salt, so my son and I have nicknames given to us by our fathers. Lucky me - I got Butch.

My father wanted my legal name to be Butch (breaking the tradition) but thankfully, at the last moment, my mother talked him out of it and William Lloyd made it to my birth certificate. All the same, I've been called by my nickname for as long as I can remember. I'm not sure I knew my real name until I went to elementary school. My high school diploma reads Butch as does my application to Marine Officer Candidate School under aliases.

I think my father believed that being called Butch would help me by giving me a tough reputation which would keep me out of fights. The Butches I remember were: Butch the Bully from The Little Rascals, Butch the Bulldog from Loony Tunes, and of course, Butch Cassidy- all pretty tough characters.

My father's theory actually proved to be correct. One time in high school, a kid squared off with me at McDonald's while we were waiting for our hot apple turnovers to cook (those things took forever.) As the kid reared back to punch me, another kid stepped out of nowhere and said, "Do you know who that is? That's BUTCH Whitmire!" The other kid looked at me, lowered his fists, and walked away. Go figure.

That's been about the only really good thing about the name I can recall, other than people tend to remember it - and that is good. Oh, occasionally I get called Bruce, or Mitch, but for the most part, people latch on to Butch and it sticks.

I attempted to lose the nickname as a freshman in college realizing that most people might feel odd visiting a doctor, seeking the counsel of an attorney, or voting for a senator named Butch, so I began using the name Bill. I introduced myself to my wife-to-be as Bill and I thought that I had turned the corner. Unfortunately, friends from high school came to MSU with me and continued calling me by my nickname, and I soon realized that Butch had far greater staying power than Bill.

I'm finding the name Butch has a few more connotations today and a quick Google search will prove that. Searching for "Butch Whitmire" on Google yields an excerpt from a book entitled, "The Fiery Cross: the Ku Klux Klan in America." The excerpt reads:

"A week before the vote, Texas Klansmen marched through Houston carrying placards reading VOTE NO TO BUTCH WHITMIRE and ROUND UP AND QUARANTINE AIDS CARRIERS .."

Apparently, former Houston Mayor, Kathy Whitmire, had written legislation deemed by the KKK as pro-homosexual, thus earning her the name, Butch Whitmire.

I kind of like knowing the KKK wouldn't vote for me.

If I decided to give up the name Butch, I don't think I would go back to the name Bill. It's a great name, but a really common one and an absolute nightmare when I am out with my family. My name is William and as I recall, there was a pretty famous writer a long time ago from England with the same moniker. So, for the purposes of this blog, I shall henceforth pen under the name, Will.

After all, "A Butch by any other name would smell as sweet."

What Makes Us Human ...

2010-01-17T11:51:00.002-05:00

This is a long one (around 35 minutes) ... and maybe a full pot of Joe required ... but worth every minute and every delicious sip ... you can skip the intro until about 5:05 in. Great final perspective offered especially if you are a fan of Kierkegaard. Great perspective on what makes us uniquely human and how Faith can play into that.

What Bernie Madoff Couldn't Steal From Me

2010-01-15T06:52:00.003-05:00

A good way to start your day. 8min 30 sec. Grab a cup of Joe and Enjoy.

A New Adventure

2009-11-11T17:41:00.004-05:00

Dear Arts Team Friends –

I wanted to take a moment to tell you about a personal adventure I’ll be taking in the near future. A little background: Five years ago, I felt God’s call to move into ministry at GCC. So, I left my career to come to GCC. Next to marrying Chris, it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I have not for a moment doubted my calling, nor regretted my decision to follow that call. However, over the past several months, I have had this sense of completion - a sense that I have helped take our teams to the place God has asked of me, but that there are higher, better places God has in store for our team. I have also sensed that God wants someone else to help lead us there.

After several weeks of processing this with Tim Stevens and Mark Beeson, I have decided to step down from the paid ministry at GCC, return to the marketplace, and remain at GCC as a volunteer minister and a future member of the Administrative Council (Church Board of Directors.) I love our church, it’s mission, and it’s values. I trust and respect the leadership of our Senior Management Team. I cannot think of a better place in which to serve and worship.

My experience as pastor of creative arts has been amazing and has helped move me closer to God. I am grateful for having been given this opportunity. I am grateful for having been able to serve with each of you - it’s meant more to me than you could ever know. Over the next few weeks, Tim and the SMT will be working on my transition plan. My goal is to leave and lead well through this change and help position our team and our church for an amazing future.

It’s been a true pleasure to have been your pastor. Thank you for continually sacrificing and serving Jesus with your gifts in our church. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Your Friend in Christ,

- Butch

Wisdom

2009-11-11T08:41:00.002-05:00

I've been privileged enough to find some of the talks given at TED by Barry Schwartz and thought I should share this with you. Grab a cup of Joe and enjoy!

Transformational

2009-11-10T08:24:00.000-05:00

Years ago, I worked with a woman named Jane who was a phenomenal computer programmer. She specialized in an older language called Cobol, which in the computer world, is a language comparable to Latin. That is, its a language that's dead or at least dying. In the company where we worked, many of our automated systems were driven by Cobol and as a result, she was a person in demand. Not only because of her special knowledge, but also because she had a positive attitude and a she was a very hard worker. Everyone wanted Jane working on their project team. In short, Jane rocked.

As time passed and the company grew, it was decided (and rightly so) that the systems that had for many years given the company it's competitive edge, needed to be upgraded to a more robust system, a better and more reliable platform. This, we all believed, would help to ensure the company's long-term survival. It meant moving away from the old language and to a newer one.

As a result, the company took on a huge initiative and for quite a while Jane grew even more in demand. As other programmers began migrating code, they called upon her to translate her native language to theirs. She worked hours upon hours and months upon months until tens of thousands of lines of code had all been rewritten.

The thing that puzzled me about Jane was that she worked like a maniac to ultimately make herself obsolete. She had to have known that after the code had been migrated, the need for her skill at our company would have been reduced to almost nil. It was a little like she was digging her own grave - except instead of using a shovel, Jane used her keyboard. The astounding thing was that she did this with a relentless pursuit of excellence and with an amazing attitude. Jane was willing to risk her own immediate comfort to get others and herself to a better place.

It's been years since I watched all of that and I'm not sure what ever happened to Jane, but if I were a betting man, I would bet that it was something wonderful, something transformational. Self-sacrifice is foundational to our Faith and the greatest expression of love. My Faith and my experience tells me that we are all charged with the task of making ourselves obsolete, of transferring what we know to others, to our youth, to our coworkers, and to our supervisors and leaders, so they can move to a better, more reliable platform.

Now, don't get me wrong. I want to be, and I think we all should be, life-long learners. I believe we all need to sharpen our skills, remain strong in intellect and virtue, and stay true to our calling. We should in everything, be the very best we can, for as long as we can. But I also believe we are all eventually called to attempt to help eliminate our jobs, to hand off, to make room for others, to move others to the next level, to create opportunity, to migrate our current reality to something new, something better.

I believe something wonderful, something transformational for everyone comes from that.

Too Many Jellies for the "Nones?"

2009-11-06T07:50:00.011-05:00

I read a compelling article last night in the November 6th issue of The Week magazine called Losing our Religion. A new study by researchers at Trinity College found that 34 million Americans have no religious affiliation - about 15 percent of the US population. That number was at 8 percent in 1990. This group is referred to as the Nones.

Less than 10 percent of the Nones are atheists. The others 90-plus percent believe in something higher but not the God as described in the Bible. They are "skeptical about organized religion and clerics while still holding on to the idea of God."

The article also concludes that while all religious institutions (churches, mosques, synagogues) have seen the decline, the hardest hit are mainstream Protestant churches (including mega churches) seeing declines in attendance of 20 percent of more in recent years.

The article also states that "denominational loyalty has eroded as church-goers 'shop' for new congregations they hope will better suit their values and tastes."

I have witnessed this, perhaps you have, too.

Church shopping. While this is never been a goal at GCC to reach the already churched, I have experienced this phenomenon on my own teams. Some people leaving for the greener pastures of other churches and some people coming into our church looking for something better. There are many church choices in our community. There is a church available for almost every teaching or worship flavor you could want. And, if your favorite flavor is not available locally, you can probably find your flavor easily on the Internet - what you want, when you want it. It's a church consumer's paradise. Or is it?

I recently attended a one-day seminar conducted by Chip Heath, a professor of organizational behavior at the graduate school of business at Stanford university and co-author of Made to Stick. He cited a study about choice and the sales of jelly. A table was set out offering 25 flavors of jelly for a week. Many people stopped by to visit the table and few sales were made. The next week, same store, same table, 6 flavors were on display. Fewer people stopped by, but sales of jelly were 10 times greater.

Barry Schwartz, author of The Paradox of Choice: Why Too Many Options Lead to Dissatisfaction (check out his TED talk - 19 minutes) tells us that many choice options lead to consumer paralysis, mental confusion, and regret about possibly having made the wrong choice. The result? No choice at all or extremely heightened dissatisfaction with our choice. Could this be the mental and spiritual condition of the Nones? Of church shoppers?

It seems many people are stopping by the church jelly stand in America, but few are buying.

While I do not have the answers to these questions, I think they must be asked and considered:

Are church planters, with the good intention of reaching niche segments of the lost, inadvertently creating choice-saturated markets that create confusion and regret for all church consumers?

Is it possible that the multi-site growth initiatives of mega churches around the country are actually hurting the church as a whole by adding more choice options to already crowded geographical and cyber church markets?

I believe in the multi-site movement. I think it helps big church become small for consumers who are better served by a smaller congregation. However, I think it will be imperative that churches strongly consider what it means to inject another church into a market even and especially if it's flavor is different.

Don't Forget the Fun

2009-11-05T23:07:00.003-05:00

Who would have thought? People will actually choose the harder path if they think it's fun. Brilliant.

"You're Just Thinking ... "

2009-10-13T15:57:00.007-04:00

When I was a younger man, I enjoyed some success in the marketplace. A gentleman in the corporate marketing department had taken the time to notice my work and eventually saw fit to move me and my family to the company's headquarters.

It was wonderful to work around influential people in the company and the industry in which I worked. My supervisor reported to the VP of Marketing, Bob, and my cubicle was located about 25 feet away from Bob's door. I often found myself walking from my desk past Bob's office on a mission to solve the world's problems (and because it was the only way to the restrooms.)

One day, I walked past Bob's office for my typical 10:30 am coffee relief and Bob called out to me from his office, "Hey, Butch! Come in here."

"Huh? ... Me?" I was really nervous. "Bob knows my name!" I thought, "What could he want? Am I getting fired? Promoted?"

Bob got up from his desk, pulled me into his office, shook my hand and went on to say, "You know Butch, I've been watching you walk past my office for a few months now, and you always have your head down. I thought you were avoiding people, being aloof, and not very friendly ... "

" Looks like, fired, " I thought.

He went on, "But as I watched you more, I realized you're just thinking. You're just deep in thought, aren't you?"

My mouth was agape, as I thought about what he'd just said to me, and I realized that what he said was true. "Yes, I suppose you're right."

"I like it that you spend time thinking, Butch, but I thought you might want to know how that comes off around here. I realize that's not you. So, you may want to pull your head up, smile, and greet some people on your way to wherever you're going. I think that will help you with your peers."

I can't thank Bob enough for that interaction. It was honest, direct, and helpful. It reminded me that sometimes, it's simply the mechanics of our interactions with others that derail our best intentions.

Pull my head up and smile. Yes, so absolutely simple.

Yet, it was something I had forgotten to do. I never intended to to communicate negatively, but I had. I never meant to be "aloof," but I was coming across to my peers that way.

Sometimes I think Christians fall into that same trap (and I'm including myself, here.) We have the best of intentions in how we relate to others outside of Christ, but our communication mechanics are just bad. We make a comment about the "un-churched" not realizing that the "un-churched" guy is sitting in the next booth.

Or sometimes, I am in the middle of producing a service and I forget to look up and smile at the people I pass by people in the auditorium, as if the work I am doing is more important than the people I am doing the work for.

I'm going to focus more on my mechanics, and on keeping my head pulled up. Maybe, I'll connect more with my team and that un-churched guy in the next booth.

Worthy

2009-09-28T14:20:00.008-04:00

The Innovate '09: Exposed conference is over and I am both elated and exhausted at the same time. I've slept well the past two nights resting assured my teams gave it their all. By their all, I mean their all: every bit of energy, every ounce of strength, all their focus and time.

During the Q&A portion of Tim Steven's session Original or Recycled, a woman asked a question about how we go about determining if an arts element is "worth it." I had to pause a bit; it was a good question.

In the midst of answering I began to flash back at everything that went into preparation of the of the 10-minute Disney musical spoof we performed as the opening arts element. I remembered the hours Kristin spent writing it, that Dan spent on the music, that Kelli spent on choreography. I thought about all the time spent by the props people, the sound technicians, the lighting techs and the media operators. I considered all the actors who spent 15- 20 hours each rehearsing on stage and at home.

There were hundreds of man hours spent for first ten minutes of Innovate '09; probably thousands of man hours hours invested into the two-day event as a whole.

"Will it be it worth it?" It's a question every leader must ask of himself and be able to answer clearly before embarking on an activity that requires great effort. To get at the answer, I ask myself another question:

What is the potential of this activity to affect the greatest positive change in the world?

I believe God (incarnate as His son, Jesus) and His church are the hope of the world. I believe that both in my heart and in my head. Humanistic solutions (government, technology, economics, education, etc.) don't seem to be working very well. This is evidenced by our present world condition.

So for me, any time we can help the greater Church with a servant's spirit of reverence, respect, humility, and hope, then that activity is worthy of our best effort and greatest commitment.

The churches served by Innovate 09 were more than worthy of that sacrifice and giving them that time and effort was pure joy.

Bubbles

2009-09-22T23:59:00.007-04:00

When I was a kid, I loved blowing bubbles. My sister and I would buy the brightly-colored bottles of bubble fluid, unscrew the tops, and hurriedly dip our fingers into soapy liquid to find the plastic wand that awaited inside. Eventually, we'd skewer one of the two circles on either end of the wand and remove it dripping glycerin and water all over our shoes. We debated about which circle should be held and which should be blown through: the larger ring or the smaller? My sister thought the little circle was fun, because you could blow through it really hard and roughly one-million, small bubbles would come spraying out. I could see the logic in her reasoning, but the small ring had ridges embossed on it, so I concluded it was designed to be a grip. However, the real reason I liked holding the small end and blowing through the larger circle was that it seemed to give me the greatest chance to blow big bubbles - which I tried to create with each dip and subsequent exhale.

There's beauty in watching a large, perfectly-formed bubble as it slowly expands and then gently tears away into effortless flight - water, soap, and air in harmonious tension floating hypnotically away. Light shimmers off these crystalline globes as they dance off into the distance with whatever breeze they court. Simply magnificent.

How long the bubble "lived" depended on the pressure of the air both inside and outside of its elastic "skin". Too much pressure on the inside and the bubble would expand and explode. Too much outside and the bubble would collapse upon itself. Bubbles are created and take flight only when they exist in a perfect state of tension between opposing pressures.

Volunteer ministries can be like bubbles. Have you ever seen a volunteer ministry form, take flight, and then soar? Have you seen a ministry fly for a while and then collapse? Or explode? I'll be doing a breakout session with Kim Volheim to discuss some ways to keep your volunteer ministry in perfect tension at Innovate '09: Exposed. I hope to see you there.

On the Mountain

2009-09-15T12:25:00.005-04:00

This is my friend Angie Henry. You probably know her if you've been at GCC or watched our services online; she's been singing here for years. She has both a beautiful voice and heart.

Angie made me aware of something I would like to share: Angie's friend, Christa Wells is an award-winning songwriter and singer. She's probably most know for the song, "Held" sung by Natalie Grant for which she won GMA's songwriter of the year in 2006.

Turns out Christa is releasing a new CD this year, Frame the Clouds and Angie sang with her on the song, On the Mountain (just hit the link for a free download copy with the password "granger") It's a great song.

To top it off, Christa, Angie, and a bunch of other killer musicians will be performing a house concert on October 5, 2009 at Kim and Brad Stewart's home 10061 Harrison Rd. Osceola, IN. 46516. 574-679-9399

6-6:30 social/food
6:30-7/7:15 Seth Bible opener
7/7:15p.m. Christa and the gang!!!

"To support our guest artists, a minimum donation of $15/person or $25/family is suggested. All proceeds will go directly to the musicians."

I hope you can attend!

Innovate '09 Awaits: Three Weeks Away

2009-09-03T13:39:00.003-04:00

I'm getting juiced about Innovate 09: Exposed as programming plans are coming together for two days of teaching, art, community and fun. It's gonna be a roller coaster ride and there's room for you on the train. Register here. We'll see you on the 24th!

Arts Ministry Legends

2009-09-02T08:03:00.004-04:00

Had a visit from a couple of Facebook friends and arts ministry legends, Jason Moore and Len Wilson. These guys are a couple of powerful ministers who specialize in helping churches develop and implement worship services for years. They own a company called Midnight Oil Productions and have co-authored several books on the subject of worship design. We spent a late night on Saturday and into Sunday morning swapping war stories, thinking out loud, and encouraging one another. If you are looking for some new ideas and perspectives on your team, your worship, your structure, these gentlemen can be of help. Thanks, Len and Jason.

Artistic Values: Good v. Good ... er?

2009-08-12T09:51:00.006-04:00

Great artists are passionate about what they do. They care about their art. Many artists spend their entire lifetime working to perfect their craft. When we create and execute a weekend at GCC, we utilize many art forms and many different artists. These include: vocalists, actors, sound engineers, video producers, writers, lighting technicians, musicians, set designers, graphic designers, camera operators, painters, dancers .... the list goes on.

Because artists are so invested in what they do, they can tend to value their particular art over another. This makes perfect sense to me. I mean, why wouldn't you attribute value to something you've thrown your life into? I believe it's that kind of focused passion that separates the good artist from the great artist. However, a singularly focused passion can create tension with other artists, and potentially derail a novel plan.

Let's say we have a creative, out-of-the-box idea for an arts element in our service. For example, say we want to fly a tuba player out into the audience while accompanying the band with sparklers on his feet. (I know ... but it's the best thing I could come up with.)

Our media director could say, "That tuba player flying around might block the video screens. Do we really want to do that?"

The lighting designer may say, "I don't know ... the tuba might reflect light into the eyes of the audience or cast a distracting shadow. Do we really want to do that?"

The audio engineer might say, "We may not be able to hear the tuba very well the audio mix while he's playing. Do we really want to do that?"

The IMAG camera operator, "The magnesium burning from the sparklers may cause white streaks across the video capture. Are you sure?"

Our band leader might say, "A tuba? I don't know if a tuba will mix well with an electric guitar. Really?"

The tuba player could say, "Uh ... I've never played my tuba suspended from wired 25 feet in the air ... I may not be able to hit the staccato 64th notes."

These are all valid statements of value the artists ascribe to their art: clear views, great sound, excellent IMAG, amazing music, etc. In fact, these are all great values. But, to accomplish the dream of the flying tuba player, some artistic values unfortunately, need to be sacrificed. In this case, the spectacle of the flying tuba player could be the value that overrides all others.

On any given weekend, we face a myriad of conflicting, good values and we must decide between them all. For instance, our lighting guys and drummers beg me not to use the plastic drum shield; our drummers feel caged and the shields are almost impossible to keep clean of fingerprints. They can cause lighting and reflection problems. However, we have together agreed that great sound for everyone is a higher value than having a little cleaner look on stage.

I believe a key role of any arts team leader is to help the team understand the priority of the good values and to properly coach artists when those values may need to shift. Effectively doing so creates less turf-guarding and allows fresh ideas to emerge.

How do you define your conflicting good values and prioritize them?

Walking the Good Walk

2009-08-02T07:20:00.007-04:00

We ended our Summer Vacation at The University of Notre Dame yesterday by participating in the Logan Center's annual Logan's Run 5K race. (I should state that Chris, Alex, and Audrey actually ran in the race - I took the photos :-)) Someone has to, right?

The Logan Center is a local organization that helps people in our community with disabilities reach their desired quality of life through advocacy, resourcing, and services.

It's an amazing place.

Our son Alex has been involved in several of it's programs including Theatre Troupe and Teen Nights. I was moved to see so many people gathered in support of those with special needs. I think I was most moved when I saw some young people with disabilities carrying this sign which was a reminder to me of the significance of a life well-lived.

The Foursome

2009-07-19T17:43:00.003-04:00

I love getting to perform with these guys! From left to right: Mark Myer, Paul Bertha, me, Greg Teghtmeyer. These are the four friends who comprise The Foursome, the video series (we call them golfisodes) from the Sand Traps series at GCC. These guys are funny and men who love God; what could be a better combo? Make sure to check out all the golfisodes and the messages at http://www.gccwired.com/. Mark Meyer was absolutely hilarious as "The Shyster" on week two. I couldn't stop laughing during the filming of week three! (coming next Sunday) Make sure to bring a golfing buddy next week. Heck, bring your clubs and play a round of 18 with him after services!

Innovate 09: Exposed

2009-07-18T13:47:00.002-04:00

Coming September 24th and 25th. Register here. Register now. It's going to rock.

Taking Flight with Creativity

2009-07-15T06:00:00.002-04:00

My Friends Len Wilson and Jason Moore have hit another one out of the park with their new book, Taking Flight with Creativity: Worship Design Teams that Work.

I found this to be a straight-forward and helpful tome for artists and leaders of artists. I like it's simplicity and it's almost "flight book" style. It's a both "pre-flight" and "in-flight" checklist on how to get your arts program off the ground and keep it flying.

Thanks, Len and Jason.

Objects in Motion

2009-07-14T04:45:00.004-04:00

I bet Isaac Newton was a much better golfer than me. He knew a lot about the physics of motion. He even wrote about it:

"An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an outside force."

We shot a four-part video for our communication series, Sand Traps. You can watch the video and the rest of the service here. So I've been on the golf course a few evenings lately.

Occasionally, I was allowed to take a real swing during the shoot. I would watch my ball soar until the forces of gravity and friction acted upon it and it would land, one time even where I hoped it would. Had there been no outside forces acting upon it, Newton's First Law of Motion says my ball would have continued on it's trajectory forever and ever and ever.

It occurs to me that people are subject to the same laws as my golf ball. That is, people tend to stay in motion, on the same trajectory, until some force acts upon them. I know it was that way for me. I look back at my life and realize there was a time that I was on a bad trajectory. Fortunately, I had a friend in the marketplace nudge my trajectory. After getting to know me, my family, my life, and some of my issues, he invited me to church. He nudged me and that little nudge changed the course of my life for good, forever and ever and ever.

25 Years ago .... The Reunion

2009-06-21T21:32:00.004-04:00

This weekend was my 25-year, high school class reunion. I had a great time hanging out with longtime friends and reuniting with those whom I had lost touch. My graduating class was right around one hundred students, so everyone knew everyone and I liked that.

Our arch rivals, the Niles Vikings, also held their reunion at the same hotel, on same night, at the same time. They were about three times larger than us, and therefore had a much larger turnout. It was great having them there though, and it turned out that the rivalry wasn't as big as I had believed. We all floated between the two reunions and by the end of the night, we had a wonderful time together. I laughed so much my face hurt. My crowning achievement was stealing the Niles Viking Helmet and wearing it back to the Brandywine Bobcat reunion - I think I look pretty good in Viking wear. It was a grand and triumphant entry; I was king of the world for a few minutes.

As part of the reunion committee, I helped plan much of the evening's festivities. Fortunately, there were a lot of vintage "80's" photos rife with the fodder of many great jokes: big hair, spandex, stone-washed jeans, mullets, and ill-formed mustaches. It was enormous fun.

There were somber moments in the evening, though. The memorial for our deceased classmates was one. There were six in our class who had died; five men, one woman. I knew them all a little and presided over that part of the evening. I spent a lot of time looking at their photos this week and preparing slides with their pictures.

The son of one of the men who died came to one of the weekend activities with his mother. He was there looking for people to tell him their memories of his father. His father had died nine years earlier while he was still a young boy.

It was profoundly moving for me to consider what it would be like for one of my children had I been the one who died nine years ago. Alex would have been eight and Audrey only five.

I thought, "What would my classmates have told my children about me? Would my life be remarkable? Or even memorable? Loving or selfish? Would I be known as severe or kind? A man who loved God or the World?"
I am thankful for that young man. I'll be thinking of him and of my children and how I might want to be remembered after I am gone.

A Great Week at Willow Creek

2009-06-21T20:54:00.002-04:00

Just over a week ago, I attended the Willow Creek Association's annual Arts Conference. This year's conference was entitled Wonder and it inspired just that. I was able to bring three other folks from my team this year: Jeff, Kristin, and Elle. It was a great trip just because we got to spend a little more time with each other. They are good friends and gifted artists. I was honored with the opportunity to teach a breakout on leading arts ministry and to do a video showcase with the team. We also participated in the Film Festival and were awarded first place in two categories and the "Best of Show" for Kristin and Cody Baker's short "What Used to Be True." Even if you have already seen this, it's worth a another look. I am proud of our team. They work hard, they honor God, and they really make me laugh ... a lot. I think this will make you laugh, too.

Weekend Arts Preview Clue

2009-06-05T08:30:00.007-04:00

OK. I'm not going to tell you what we are doing this weekend for the arts programming, but I will tell you this weekend may be the most face-melting rock experience ever at Granger Community Church.

So, come to church; bring a friend. You and your friend will be happy about that. I promise.

Just to pique your interest, here's a little clue about what you'll experience this weekend:

This legendary rock band released their first album in 1978 and later produced a "Best Of" CD they dedicated to their manager who died at the age of 57.

Can you name the band we'll be covering this weekend?

First Wednesday - Creative People Embracing Their Creator

2009-06-03T20:51:00.003-04:00

Photo by R Mark Beeson From GCC Weekend

I hope you had a chance to attend tonight's First Wednesday service. I think it may have been one of my favorite, all-time GCC experiences; it simply moved me. I sensed in my spirit that the rest of our church may have been moved a little, too.

My position at the church gives me a unique perspective. I have the privilege of being a part of the team that produces our services. I get to be a part of the process that begins with a group of people standing in a room staring at a blank whiteboard and ends with what you see on our weekends or First Wednesdays. Throughout that process, I often find myself with my mouth gaping in awe as I watch gifted people surrender their gifts; creative people embracing their Creator. It's as beautiful a thing as any I have witnessed in my life.

Flying Solo

2009-06-02T19:23:00.003-04:00

Photo by R Mark Beeson
From GCC Weekend

How can you not love this young man! Seth Bible. Yep, you heard it right. His name alone is enough to turn me into a Calvinist - seems predestined to be a worship leader. I hope you are fortunate enough to spend a moment with him sometime. You'll leave the encounter better off - I know I always do. While Seth has been on our platform multiple times, this is the first time he's led the worship team alone. Trace, Dan, and Jason have been pouring everything they have into him to help ensure his success. Seth soared this weekend and I couldn't be more proud of him or my team. Well done, men!

The Story Behind the Story

2009-06-02T17:25:00.006-04:00

Photo by R Mark Beeson
From GCC Weekend

I enjoyed last weekend for several reasons; one reason was this drama (you can watch it and the entire service here) Phil, the older gentleman sitting on the fishing dock has been a part of the GCC arts ministry for years and been on our platform dozens of times. He's a good man and a good friend to our church, and to me. The script was adapted from a story from Phil's life. He shared it with us all at a drama team meeting about a year ago. I though Kristin Baker did a great job morphing his childhood story into poignant dialog where an older man imparts wisdom and virtue into the younger. This was Ryan's first weekend on our weekend platform. He did an amazing job. It was inspiring to watch Phil pour into this younger, less-experienced actor. So much is added when the drama and the story of the actors behind it are almost the same. I think it creates an uncommon degree of authenticity that truly helps prepare hearts.

"Go On ... (gasp) ... Without Me"

2009-05-21T10:00:00.003-04:00

I often think of the scene in that movie ... you know, that movie ... the one where the guy gets shot in the leg. He lets out an agonizing cry and grits his teeth. Then he continues on with a profound limp in his walk. He keeps going and going, bleeding and bleeding, dragging his shot leg through the jungle until eventually, his good leg tires and fails. He falls to the ground exhausted, unable to go any further. His comrades gather around him and he looks up at them and with a sad determination and says, "Go on ... (gasp) ... without me." He gives up - exhausted and resolved that he is finished.

Ever been there?

I consider of my Faith walk and the legs that carry me along my life journey. One leg is my Faith, my relationship with Christ, my Spirituality. The other leg is my Being -my physical, mental, emotional health; my relationships with others. With both legs good and strong, I move swiftly and assuredly through the jungle.

But sometimes I catch a bullet from the enemy in one of my legs. And I start relying solely on the other leg to carry me along. It's funny how I think I can go on and on like that ... never removing the bullet and thinking all along that I can be helpful to my comrades.

This summer Chris and I will be taking some time to rest on vacation. To patch up and get ready. I hope you take the time to do the same ... you may have taken a bullet you didn't even feel at the time.

Top Five Quotes from People Who NEED to Attend the June Workshops at GCC:

2009-05-11T17:11:00.007-04:00

#5) "Great Commission? I thought that's what Realtors make."

#4) "My First Impression was J-J-J-Jimmy S-Stewart."

#3) "I wanted Less Clutter and Less Noise so I told my son to go clean his room and turn off the stereo."

#2) "Kids say the darnedest things ... and then we just smack 'em!"

#1) "Let's not call it a split ... let's call it a Multi-Site!"

You need to come to the workshops at GCC June 25-26, 2009.

From Fan to Follower

2009-05-11T16:42:00.004-04:00

The best stories draw you in. The best stories aren't about someone else; they are about you. I felt that way this weekend at GCC. I was not just an observer; the actors on stage were telling my story, the one where I let a harsh and controling world get in the way of a relationship with a gentle and loving God. Sometimes looking at your past can be both difficult and surreal.

"No," I thought,"that couldn't have been me. How could I let that happen?"

Yet, it was me; a man tired and bruised, who finally embraced a God who had been there all along. It's good to be reminded where I've been from time to time. It reminds me of who my God is and how deep the capacity of His Love and how far His reach.

Worship Part II

2009-04-27T21:02:00.004-04:00

At GCC we embrace the notion that worship is more than the singing and praise we do as a gathered body. We believe worship is about how we live our lives. To help our people get a handle on this, we define worship at GCC as "do the next right thing."

Last week someone caught one of our staff in the act of worship. I thought I would share the following from the South Bend Tribune. Doc is a talented high school students who designs and programs the majority of our light shows at GCC. He would never tell you about this, so I thought I would:

Doc's Rx: Kindness ... Inspired by parents, John Glenn senior helps others
CAROL DRAEGER Tribune Staff Writer

NORTH LIBERTY — With a name like Doc Borlik, a teenager has a lot to live up to.Eighteen-year-old Austin "Doc" Borlik is not a doctor, or studying to become one.

He's ... drumroll, please ... kind.That's it. Ask the manager at the BP gas station in North Liberty what she thinks of the John Glenn High School senior. Bonnie Nemeth gushes."Ohmigod," her sentences begin, as she explains how the typical-looking 6-foot teen does some atypical things.A few months ago, he walked into the store to pay for gas and paused after spotting a handful of receipts the store displays from drive-offs.As though it were a candy bar he was adding to his gas payment, Borlik told Nemeth, "I'll pay for one of those, too," she recalled him telling her as she looked at him incredulously.And so it began. Between Borlik and his mother, Donna, the two now routinely pay at the pump for others who don't pay.Nemeth said the teen has shelled out cash for about seven drive-offs so far.Nemeth was so impressed by Borlik that she called the principal at John Glenn High School, William Morton, to tell him about one of his "wonderful" students.Morton didn't know about the gas receipts, but he knew other things."He is an extraordinary young man," Morton said. "He is a creative individual, very bright, open-minded and very involved in school." Borlik is a member of the marching band and has been vice president of his class for four years.He is also involved in the school's plays and musicals, creating the sound and lighting for most of the high school's fine arts shows.Borlik's talents mixing sounds and lights at Granger Community Church (where he works and worships) is also how he pays for his good deeds.He also operates a side business, "DJ Doc," and provides most of the music for school dances."He does it tastefully because of who he is," Morton said. "I can count on him." Donna said she and her husband, Bob, instilled in their three children the value of random acts of kindness."The kids just always had fun paying for customers behind us in the drive-through," she said as though this is something every family does.And the Borliks do it even when money is tight.Donna and Bob both have been unemployed recently. In September, Bob lost his 25-year job at a door company in Walkerton, and Donna left her job at Sherwin Williams to care for a relative whose parents are in the military in Iraq.Donna recently found work with the U.S. Census Bureau. Bob is in training at Edward Jones. "Doc" Borlik said money isn't needed to help make someone smile: Loading groceries for an elderly person at Wal-Mart will do just fine."He lives from the inside out," Morton said of Borlik, adding that the teen lives up to his unusual name.Donna Borlik said her son's name holds no secret meaning: "My husband just started calling him that. There's no real story behind his name."But there is a story.

Worship Part I

2009-04-24T14:42:00.003-04:00

This photo was taken by my friend, Mark Beeson at the Hillsong London worship event this week at GCC. This was a bit newer worship experience for our people. Hillsong created a lot of energy and movement from the platform and in response, there was a more expressive and open participation from the crowd who had gathered. It was a thrilling experience for me on a few fronts: 1) I got to enjoy worshiping God with my 13-year-old daughter who later said, "Dad, that was just what I needed" in response to a stressful week at school. 2) I got to learn a lot about the impact a mid-week concert has on our staff and facility. 3) We got to explore how our people responded to their style of worship.

I loved how Peter Wilson of Hillsong described worship as (paraphrased) "leaning in close to kiss God." And praise as "speaking highly of someone else." I thought those were great definitions of congregational worship. Jason Miller taught me that the word "worship" evolved from the term "worth-ship." That is, proclaiming back to God His worth or worthiness to be praised. I think these are great definitions when we speak of "worship" in the context of gathering together as a body of believers.

At GCC we embrace the notion that there are many ways to worship God. I saw two great examples this week. The Hillsong concert was one. I'll tell you about the other next post.

Easter

2009-04-12T10:47:00.003-04:00

It's Easter at GCC and I am so proud of my teams. I think we really stretched our artistic pallet this weekend performing a 7 minute dance with video sync. Our band played Dave Matthews "Ants Go Marching." (a holy-cow level of complication) Tech teams were on it - audio mix was as about as good as it gets. Mark B delivered an excellent and inspiring message challenging us to live differently in the light of the truth of a risen Christ. Perfect, Easter weather. It's my prayer that people who visited and were outside of God somehow, some way, met Him this weekend.

As I write this, we prepare for the last of 6 services at the Granger Campus and our second service in Elkhart. It's been a great weekend of fellowship with friends and the satisfaction of a well done job after hundreds of hours of work. We'll all go home tired in a good and satisfying way. I'll be having Easter dinner with my family and it will taste extra-good.

I wish you a happy Easter and all the Joy that comes from knowing a risen Savior. Happy Easter.

Holy Thursday

2009-04-09T21:19:00.003-04:00

Tonight is Holy Thursday, the first full day of Passover. I was reminded of the significance of this evening as I watched the last full rehearsal before our Easter Services this weekend. Two thousand years ago, great good and great evil happened on the same night. Jesus washed the feet of the apostles and He delivered the very first communion. Later, He suffered agony in the garden and was betrayed by Judas. Good and evil stood head to head.

Evil seemed to take the lead as a mockery of a trial took place, torture, ridicule, betrayal, denial, humiliation, loathing, and ultimately His death. Evil smiled that day, I'm sure.

Jesus had other plans. Good could not be contained and burst from the tomb three days later. We'll celebrate that uncontainable eruption of Joy this coming Saturday and Sunday during our Easter Services at GCC. Our artists will be there to help us celebrate. They have been rehearsing and preparing for hundreds perhaps thousands of hours. This weekend they will be performing for the God of the universe. It's going to be spectacular to watch.

I hope you plan on attending. It's going to be a great weekend.

Requiem for the Easter Bunny

2009-04-08T22:02:00.005-04:00

This photo is proof we'll do just about anything at GCC to help people figure out how much they matter to God. Heck, we'll even ask our ultra-hip worship leaders to dress up like large rodents.

Your friends are out there facing an uncertain world. Many are out of work, out of friends, out sync. And they're in need of a savior who's always just in time.

So why not invite your friends to GCC's Easter Services this weekend? Help them meet the resurrected Christ? He is the best gift you can give them.

Help remind them that the Easter Bunny isn't real, but that they can put their hope in a God who is. See you and your friends this weekend.

Gas Laws ...

2009-04-06T19:28:00.006-04:00

One of the properties of gas is that it will always fill the container in which it's placed completely. The volume of gas changes to occupy both the shape and size of the container.

I think artists are gassy people. Find out why when I teach "The Science of Arts Team Leadership & Ministry" at Willow Creek during the Wonder '09 Arts Conference June 10-12. I hope to see you there!

Easter is Coming

2009-04-05T17:10:00.005-04:00

I see many species of waterfowl outside my window overlooking the pond on our Granger Campus: Swan, Heron, Canadian Geese, Ducks, Hawks, and ... this. I snapped it's photo Friday morning.

Hmmm.

This chicken? reminded me that it's Easter. This year we celebrate the holiday and open our new series SYNC at Granger Community Church.

Anyway, make sure to invite your friends and get your tickets here. It's going to be a great weekend.

Saturday, April 11 (at the Granger Campus):
3 p.m. (free cotton candy for kids)
5 p.m.
7 p.m.
9 p.m. (free pizza)

Sunday, April 12 (at both the Elkhart and Granger Campuses)
9:30 a.m.
11:30 a.m.

A Glimpse of Hope

2009-04-04T11:08:00.005-04:00

I am a Spartan. Yep. Michigan State - the other Big Ten school in Michigan. I enjoyed my experience there. It was and is an enormous university - around 46,000 students (quite a leap from my class of 100 in high school.)

When I attended there in 1988, it was one of the top business schools in the country - receiving much capital (financial and intellectual) from the auto industry in nearby Detroit. We graduated anticipating and hungry for jobs that were quite plentiful. It wasn't so much about if you were going to get a job, but who you were going to work for back then.

Things have changed a bit, both for the University and the Motor City since then. Unemployment is now at 22% as GM hinges on bankruptcy. The city's plight seems hopeless.

Today, the Spartans will be playing in Ford Fieldhouse in the Final Four match up against UConn in Detroit - many of the players having grown up a few miles away. Few expect them to win. But even so, this year's Final Four is expected to have record attendance as 72,000 people (many from Michigan) will watch with hope - hope for victory, hope for something better. I'll be praying for my Spartans today. Not that they'll win necessarily, but that they will somehow inspire hope in a hopeless people.

A Little Friday Morning Costello

2009-04-03T07:53:00.007-04:00

Whats So Funny Bout Peace, Love & Understanding - Elvis Costello

I thought you might enjoy this today. We have a lot of work to do to help our world meet God.

As I walk through
This wicked world
Searchin' for light in the darkness of insanity.
I ask myselfIs all hope lost?
Is there only pain and hatred, and misery?

And each time I feel like this inside,
There's one thing I wanna know:
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?
Ohhhh,What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?

And as I walked on
Through troubled times
My spirit gets so downhearted sometimes
So where are the strong
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony? Sweet harmony.

'Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry.
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?
Ohhhh, What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?

So where are the strong?And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony? Sweet harmony.

'Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry.
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?
OhhhhWhat's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?
OhhhhWhat's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding

Starting to Twitter

2009-04-02T08:22:00.002-04:00

Ok. I have many friends who Twitter. They are great people, brilliant thinkers, amazing Christ-Followers. So, at their recommendation, I am exploring Twitter. I have an account. I link my Tweets to my Facebook and follow a couple of folks on my iPhone using Twitterific. So far, so good. I have found lots of value in that.

Why was I so hesitant? Still so tentative? Time will tell ultimately, but this video captured my worst fears about Twitter. No offense to my Twittering friends - but you know how I like sarcasm. Peace.

Why is this Funny?

2009-04-02T06:52:00.002-04:00

My daughter turned me on to this clip. I have been trying to figure out why I like this. I think it's because of the comedic timing and more importantly, the comedic silence.

Do you like this? Why?

Why the Turnaround?

2009-03-31T14:35:00.007-04:00

Business Time from Granger Community on Vimeo.

During a recent meeting, we were asked our opinion about why we had experienced such an amazing turnaround in attendance (jumping almost1000 attendees on the weekend) in just a few months. We discussed several possibilities but one I hadn't considered was that we have been more intentional in programming levity in our services. Don't get me wrong; we still programmed meaningful, high-impact services. We've just been a little more intentional about giving our people something to laugh about in some tough times. William Faulkner said this:

"We have one precious universal trait, we Americans. That trait is our humor. What a pity it is that it is not prevalent in our art. That characteristic alone, being national and indigenous, could, by concentrating our emotional forces inward upon themselves, do for us what England’s insularity did for English art during the reign of Elizabeth. One trouble with us American artists is that we take ourselves and our art too seriously. And perhaps seeing ourselves in the eyes of our fellow artists, will enable those who have strayed to establish anew a sound contact with the fountainhead of our American life."

Read This Book - Influencer: The Power to Change Anything

2009-03-30T09:45:00.006-04:00

From the guys that brought you Crucial Conversations, this has been one of my best reads this year. If the Church is about changing the world, Influencer offers a great structure for doing that.

Utilizing a six-dimensional matrix, the book offers tools to get at changing society's most challenging issues by leveraging people's motivation and ability in the context of shaping their personal, social, and structural environments.

Case studies include successful disease eradication in third-world countries, work programs for criminals and addicts, and company turn-arounds in the marketplace.

I believe the principles here can and should be deployed in the Church.

The Elkhart Re-Opening

2009-03-29T12:22:00.004-04:00

It was a beautiful thing to see the 400 chairs that had been set almost all taken and a bunch of people standing around the room at the Elkhart campus. God was there. I am grateful for all of the teams who spent hundreds, perhaps thousands of hours to help make this possible. They delivered a very special experience.

Ownership

2009-03-28T10:59:00.003-04:00

To keep ministry moving at a fast pace, I try to lead the arts team loosely within a set of values. That is, I try not to micromanage the detail of how work gets done but instead focus my attention on what work gets done and help define the values surrounding the work. Because I believe we have hired well across the church and that we have a competent and capable staff, I rely heavily on my people to be "owners."

"Do you own this?" is a question I often ask a person after they have agreed to take on a project for me. It's a really important question. It's much more important than "Will you get this done?" I am really asking about the level of commitment.

Ownership is a mindset about work. Ownership is a reflection of who you are.

I think of the many restaurants I visited working as a food salesman years ago. There was a distinct difference between the owners of the restaurants and their employees. The owners were in; committed fully, devoted completely. They often had their family's name on the sign out front; so they knew that whatever their customers experienced in their restaurant, good or bad, was a reflection on them and the members of their family. They went in early and stayed late because they knew that at the end of the day, the buck stopped with them. They did everything required to make their restaurant successful. Often I would see an owner behind the grill cooking when one of his employees called off. Owners always made sure things were taken care of, some way, some how, no matter what.

When someone says they own something on my team, I hear:

"Don't worry, I have this. I'll make sure it's done and done really well. I'd put my family's name on this."

I am proud of my team. I think they are owners. The Church needs owners.

Is This "Over the Top?"

2009-03-27T11:51:00.004-04:00

Shoreline Church - That's What She Said Bumper 2 from Toad Productions on Vimeo.

I had a friend from Shoreline Church ask me and some other church leaders our opinion on a video they produced for a series this week called, That's What She Said - a character study on women in the bible who SAID something that made an impact in lives of others. He asked, "Is this over the top?"

Love to hear your thoughts!

Thirty Day Blog Challenge

2009-03-27T05:00:00.004-04:00

As you may know, many married couples at GCC are coming up on day 21 of the 30 day sex challenge. It's a grueling, long-distance marathon, but one I am hopeful most married couples can complete.

As they round the stretch and head into this final week, Chris and I will be on the sidelines cheering them on, while dousing them with cups of cool water as they pass by (I'm out with a pulled hamstring.)

But I digress. A few of you have commented that you are glad I am blogging more frequently. This encourages me to blog more. However, because I know myself and my less-than-frequent blogging history, I need more than encouragement to blog consistently. So, having a highly competitive nature, I've decided to issue myself a 30 Day Blog Challenge. Yep. One Post. Thirty Days. Every Day. Whew! I'm glad day one's post is done. I'm bushed.

There's a New Campus Coming

2009-03-25T20:24:00.005-04:00

From Blogger Pictures

Today during our weekly staff meeting, we visited and toured the new location of our Elkhart Campus that will open at the RV/MH Hall of fame this Sunday. It was great to gather as a staff and witness a church family grow. It's really something - kind of like waiting for a baby to be born -there was an air of great anticipation. Mark started off the tour doing what he does so well: casting vision. At the end of the tour, we spent some time together in prayer. I invite you to pray with us - for the community surrounding Elkhart, for the outpost we are building there, for our pastors, our teams.

Hillsong London Coming to GCC!

2009-03-24T14:16:00.002-04:00

Yep! Hillsong London coming to GCC, April 21st! Get yout tickets here. It's gonna be amazing!

Building a Legacy

2009-03-23T20:39:00.007-04:00

On Sunday afternoon, a group of committed volunteers gathered outside of our auditorium in Granger to build the stage for our new campus in Elkhart, IN which opens this coming Sunday at the RV/MV Hall of fame.

The structure is roughly 40' wide, 24'deep and 2' tall. My friend James worked all week preparing and cutting the lumber so that the process would go smoothly. And it did. We assembled and painted about 1000 square feet of stage in just two hours.

It was a beautiful day and it was a joy to work with people committed to God and a vision for the future. Seeing this construction reminded me of one of the last memories I have of my grandfather. I was five years old and he took me on a tour of the church he was helping build. I remember standing in an empty baptistery looking out on the altar and into the empty auditorium. There were people all sawing and nailing lumber and lots of motion as many people worked. My memory is hazy, but one part remains crystal clear: my grandfather's excitement about what was coming. That same excitement was here this weekend. My grandfather died shortly after his church was built. While I am disappointed that I didn't get to have him in my life growing up, I am thankful for the legacy he left. He build a good church, and led a great life. People to this day tell me how much they loved him and how he helped them. I am sure he is enjoying meeting the many people now in Heaven now as a result finding Christ in that old church.

Sex for Sale: Love vs. Lust

2009-03-22T07:52:00.005-04:00

It's the third week of our series, Sex for Sale and I think I have felt God's presence at our Church and in my life more the past three weeks than I have in a while. I am not sure why exactly, but here's a guess:

I think the weekend services have been excellent, relevant, and authentic, but what I am experiencing is much more than what that brings. I think what I am feeling is the satisfaction of seeing many people doing what God built them to do, for His glory.

For me, God's greatest display of power, His most amazing miracle is seeing human potential realized.

Calling Mr. Fezziwig

2009-03-02T09:09:00.012-05:00

The media abounds with stories of the United States and it's apparent movement toward a more economically and politically socialistic government. In the face of their worst fears, economic conservatives are preparing for political warfare in an effort to hold onto the tenants of capitalism that have, at least until recently, served our country well.

I am economically conservative, shaped by an ideology that people "vote" with their feet and their pocketbooks. My default is, "the less government involved in our finances and our lives, the better."

That being said, I am chagrined by the current economic condition of our country which has been led by those who call themselves "fiscal conservatives." Under their leadership, financial institutions, left relatively unchecked by the government or any entity, defaulted to one of the lowest of human common denominators: greed.

Gordon Gekko said "Greed, for lack of a better word, is good" in referring to the driver of American capitalism in the 1987 film, Wall Street. Unfortunately, God disagrees and so do I. While greed and capitalism are often photographed next to one another, their relationship is less symbiotic and more akin to necrophagy. That is, greed is to capitalism as vultures are to dehydrated desert wanderers. Greed must shooed away.

Under a properly functioning capitalistic society, human greed is held in check by at least two factors: risk (the potential for negative consequence) and morality (one facet being valuing the welfare of others.) Unfortunately our government has created an economic environment in which business leaders have been functioning widely without either.

Risk by definition must contain the element of consequence. Unfortunately for our most prominent business leaders, we removed consequence (risk) from the equation through reducing regulation while exposing taxpayers and shareholders to the consequences of their bad choices. This was manifest through government-insured lending practices, golden parachutes, seemingly infinite bonuses, and now corporate bailouts.

But even if we could draft the perfect set of governmental laws, a greed-free economic structure cannot be fully realized unless it is led by moral decision-makers. My concern is not about how we create appropriate rules and regulations (although those are important and necessary) but how we go about getting morality added back into the economic equation. I don't believe our government is well-equipped to get at that problem effectively. This has been, and should be the responsibility of the church.

Jesus said, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than a wealthy man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven." I believe this was a not an observation nor a caution. I believe it was a challenge us - a challenge to Church leaders to impact business leaders.

I am an advocate of "trickle down" business ethics. I believe it was no coincidence that my very first play as a high school student was the roll of Young Ebeneezer Scrooge in Dickens', A Christmas Carol. Here are Scrooge's words to the Spirit of Christmas Past as he spoke of his old boss Mr. Fezziwig:

"It isn't that, Spirit. He has the power to render us happy or unhappy; to make our service light or burdensome; a pleasure or a toil. Say that his power lies in words and looks; in things so slight and insignificant that it is impossible to add and count them up: what then? The happiness he gives, is quite as great as if it cost a fortune."

Business leaders impact others more than we realize. The Church must help find, create and influence more Mr. Fezziwigs if we are to get our country's economy back on track.

This is a daunting task that will require us to be more resourceful, innovative and influential than ever. Jesus said,"How blessed are the meek ..." I sometime wonder if the meek are so blessed because the Church spends much time attracting and pouring into them. Have we ignored our responsibility to help those who are not always so meek?

Free Will and My Eliptical Runner

2009-02-15T09:48:00.003-05:00

I know someone who has suffered greatly lately. For the past several days, he has been driven to the point of exhaustion, eaten only half the food required to sustain a man his age, and resultingly dropped weight. Despite that suffering, that person feels absolutely great.

That person is me.

As I was doing the elliptical this morning, in the midst of my "suffering," I had an epiphony about the concept of choice or Free Will. I concluded that had another person forced me to work to exhaustion and given me less food than I needed to be sustained, I would have concluded that I was, in fact, being oppressed; a mistreated slave, a miserable wretch.

Under identical circumstances, the ability to choose changes everything. It reverses perspective.

Because I chose to engage in those grueling activities, I feel a sense of accomplishment, personal joy, and dare I say, freedom?

The New Workshop Schedules Are Here! The New Workshop Schedules Are Here!

2009-02-13T10:40:00.006-05:00

It's workshop time at GCC and we've made some changes that will make our sessions more specific, more practical, more useful, and more fun than ever! Come two days, come one day, heck, stay the whole month with us! (Indiana is a great place to be during the NCAA tournament - you've seen Hoosiers, right? It's just like minus Dennis Hopper.) Anyway, our teams are getting ready to make your visit to GCC an amazing experience. Get more details at wiredchurches.com.

Provision

2009-02-08T10:55:00.005-05:00

It's been a while since I looked at this small rock. Mark Beeson gave one like it to our entire staff. He had it engraved with a word he believed he had received from God. He passed that word on to all of us:

"I have provision you know not of ... more than you can ask or imagine."

It's funny how God's provision manifests itself. In my narrow-mindedness, I expected great monetary provision, or some behemoth gift (like high-definition video cameras neede to actualize our multi-site initiative) but God's provision has been coming in other ways lately.

A few months ago, my part-time administrative assistant, Kelsey came to me and said, "I bought a ticket to Hawaii - one way." It was true. She was going to start a new adventure, a new chapter in her life in a distant part of the world. It all happened. By the second week in January, she had gone.

The move was great for her, but not so great for me. The tough financial climate in our community and church prohibited me from replacing her. Kelsey had two major responsibilities in the Creative Arts department. The first, was schedule all the artists on the band and vocal teams. Second, she researched and reported our songs for Internet broadcasts to various royalty agencies to keep us in compliance with copyright laws. Both these activities are crucial for our success in the arts and require extreme attention to detail and about 8 hours per week of time.

I began preparing myself and my family that I might need to be away from home a bit more.

That's when God's provision stepped in. But it wasn't money for staff, it was provision through His people. You see, this past week Kathy Geisel, a volunteer on our tech teams, said she was willing and able to schedule the bands and vocal teams. As a former collegiate choir director, she is perfectly shaped for the work.

Later last week, my friend Stephanie Lancione, a vocalist on our worship team, offered to help with our copyright reporting. She "loves administration and detail." How cool is that?

God's provision keeps coming. In fact, it's probably been there all along. I just need to remember all the places to look for it.

So, How Do You Guys Evaluate Your Services?

2009-02-05T14:36:00.007-05:00

Evaluation is crucial. It creates opportunity to enforce the positives and improve weaker areas of the service. We have several approaches for weekend service evaluation:

First, Wednesday night and Saturday afternoon rehearsals. If we identify something that "just isn't working" we make changes before our first service on Saturday.

Second, our meeting after our 5pm Saturday service. The meeting consists of two parts:

Part One: we evaluate the overall service and the arts. Those attending include: the teaching pastor, executive pastor, pastor of creative arts (me), programming director, technical director, worship leader, and producer talk about the service in detail. Sometimes we will make changes in programming order, lighting cues, sound mix, and very rarely, we may cut an element. Length of service is often a topic.
Part Two: evaluation/tweaks of the message. That involves the teaching pastor, and any of the members of the SMT (including myself.)

Third, the arts team meets every Wednesday to talk about challenges and successes of the prior weekend. I find this to be the most important meeting in our process because it allows us identify systemic issues and develop long-term strategies to resolve them.

Fourth, we developed a service evaluation form that would help us rate the key drivers of a successful service on a scale of 1 to 5. We do not use this tool because we do not want to spread the burden of evaluation to far. However, I think the exercise of creating the survey was valuable because it helped our team quantify those things we believed would make our services better. Question included:

The sound mix of music was executed with artistic integrity and professional precision. (1 strongly disagree to 5 strongly agree)

Fifth, we offer comment cards to everyone who attends the service. These often include statements about the weekend arts. Everyone on staff receives comment summaries weekly.

Finally, and for me, the best evaluation tool? We just ask people who watched the service what they thought about it. People can be amazingly (and sometimes brutally) candid, honest and insightful - and that's a really great thing.

My Favorite Superbowl Commercial

2009-02-02T08:09:00.004-05:00

What an amazing Superbowl! Down to the wire! Entertaining both on the field and off. This year's television commercials were doggone funny. I love Hulu.com 's commercial the most because it demonstrated the comedic chops of Alec Baldwin and the power of great, comedic editing. Enjoy.

How Do You Guys Brainstorm?

2009-02-01T19:35:00.007-05:00

I got an email the other day from a new friend entering the arts ministry, he asked, "How do you guys brainstorm?"

I'll be the first to tell you that no matter how great your planning, how talented your players, how well-executed the performance, a lame idea is, well ... lame.

So we are always looking to improve the way we mine for ideas - they're gold to us. While we continue to improve our brainstorming process, here are some things we're finding:

We need to forget the concern of the time or money required for an idea.

Things seem to work better in smaller groups (less than 10.)

Group chemistry is essential.

We need clear, measurable objectives and goals.

We need a limited time frame.

We shouldn't evaluate the merit of an idea - good or bad.

We need a strong facilitator v. a strong, creative contributor leading the meeting.

We need to learn to move on when we get stuck.

You can't laugh enough in a brainstorming meeting.

The End of a Tough Week

2009-01-30T13:30:00.005-05:00

As many of you know, it was a tough week at Granger. The financial climate in our community forced our hand, requiring us to cut over a half-million dollars in staffing costs from positions across the church this past Monday. This meant losing people; ministers we could not afford to pay any longer. My team was not unaffected. Creative Arts lost one video producer who, by every standard, was excellent. Others were gifted, Arts team volunteers. It's been a tough loss and I already miss seeing them around our offices.

We began a communication process that started last Wednesday with our staff and ended this Wednesday with Mark Beeson as he addressed those who attended our Journey Bible Classes:

Mark Beeson: The Economic Downturn and Granger Community Church from Granger Community on Vimeo.

It's been a long, hard week, but many have prayed for us. We are tired and hurt but already I am beginning to see signs of healing. God is good. Thank you for your prayers.

There's Room for You

2009-01-17T11:31:00.006-05:00

This is my favorite photo from our planning retreat. To me, it is the essence of everything I want our weekend experience at GCC to say.

It's says, "Come join us on this walk, there's room on this path for you. Let's explore this together. You'll have a friend at your side and you'll laugh a lot as we walk. There will beauty along the way, joy, adventure ... perhaps even a little danger. There will be good people out in front to help guide you.

Join us, there's room for you."

Learning a Little from a Master

2009-01-15T22:03:00.003-05:00

You can't be around GCC too long and not run into an avid photographer: Kim Volheim, Jeff Petersen, Jeff Myers, Dustin Maust to name a few ... but really the most avidestest photographer I personally know is Mark Beeson.

That's one of the many reason's I'm excited to be up here this week. You see, I've been exposed to so much great photography, that I want to get into photography myself. I just purchased my first pro/sumer camera, a Canon EOS40D.

How convenient that I just happened to bring it along for the trip ... and what do you know ... just happened to be able to ask Mark for a few lessons and pointers.

It's been a great trip getting a chance to learn from a master.

Oh, Deer!

2009-01-15T21:49:00.004-05:00

As you read the blogs of my friends Mark Beeson, Tim Stevens, Mark Waltz, and Rob Wegner, you know we've been spending the week together for our annual SMT retreat and 2009 planning session.

This year, my wife Chris and I offered to handle food and lodging arrangements. We thought it would be fun to spend the week in Michigan at the Barothy Lodge. We have vacationed up here the past three summers with my best friend, Tom and his family. It's just as beautiful here in the -4 degree weather as it is when its in the 80's. These guys didn't seem to mind the cold.

A Confession ...

2009-01-15T21:43:00.004-05:00

I need make a confession. I am not talented enough to be a member of most the arts teams I oversee. Oh sure, I can sing and play a little guitar, but you wouldn’t want to listen for too long. So, I think a church would be well-served to find an arts leader who can somehow build teams of artists based on their strengths.

At Granger Community Church, we have enjoyed success in team building by helping our artists identify their areas of strength and placing them in or adapting their current roles to utilize those strengths. The tool we used to identify our team’s strengths can be found at www.strengthfinder.com . Today there are several on our team in roles much different than the ones for which they were hired. For instance, our programming director now produces most of our graphic design, our drama coach now leads our vocal team and creates our audio tracks, and our video production assistant is now overseeing how we go about finding and placing arts team volunteers. Allowing artist to do the things they love positions them to excel. Our goal is to place people in roles where they can do the things they love at least 80% of the time - any less and the art begins to suffer.

I’ve found that when artists are allowed to do the things they truly love to do and are gifted to do, great things happen; services soar and more people experience God.

Long Overdue

2009-01-15T21:23:00.007-05:00

While I was away in Florida to meet with my friends in the Justice League, I took a few extra vacation days to visit my grandparents and my dad.

My dad always wished he would spend his days fishing when he retired. Now that's what he does. I guess his wish came true. We fished together while I was with him - it's been years since we've done that. Here are some photos I took as we traveled the brackish waters out into the Gulf of Mexico north of Tampa:

Getting Caught Up

2009-01-15T19:57:00.006-05:00

I've been away for a couple of weeks. Whew! Once a year I meet with other arts leaders from around the country through the Willow Creek Association. There were about 35 of us who met to encourage one another and to talk about issues we face as leaders in the Arts Movement. We have decided to call our group The Justice League (I haven't really figured out why, but I still like the name.) I find it's helpful to be around people who do the same things as you; amazing what you can learn.

Dog's Best Friend

2008-12-19T15:28:00.007-05:00

Chris and I are both really busy in our ministries. So, to give us more time together at home, we have a dry cleaning service pick up my shirts at our house two times a week. The service saves us a lot of time at home and is surprisingly affordable.

Our dog Ginger a large, but amazingly gentle eight-year-old Golden Retriever, howled like Cerberus every time the service man came to our door. I am sure it was frightening to him because it was frightening to me (and I know she doesn't bite.)

This delivery/barking fiasco went on for weeks and then suddenly stopped. I noticed Ginger was no longer barking, but sitting patiently inside the front door as the delivery man completed the process of taking the bag we left him and replacing it with nice, pressed shirts. It was a miracle.

Chris and I couldn't figure out Ginger's change of heart until one day, we noticed that after we let Ginger out to do her business, she came back in the house a few minutes later trying to chew something stuck in her mouth. Oh no, not another rabbit! I thought.

As I ran my finger insider her muzzle, I dislodged something but it was not a rabbit part: it was a mostly-chewed piece of dog biscuit. Mystery solved. Our delivery man had been using some of Pavlov's old tricks on our dog. Simply brilliant.

Today, every delivery he makes, he still leaves her a milk bone on our front porch step and she awaits his visit with much happiness and drool.

Good to be Back

2008-12-19T08:50:00.004-05:00

I had an old sales mentor tell me, "At the end of the call, the one who talks least wins." This was wisdom I needed at twenty-three, and I have found this to be a truism twenty years since.

Listening. Uggh.

If you've met me in person, you will probably note that listening is hard for me. I like to verbally process, "think out loud," and just "shoot the bull," as my father would say.

I've been spending the last few months trying to listen more; through prayer and reading my Bible, through friends, family, coworkers who care about me, and through some authors who were inspired to share their thoughts through their writings.

God speaks through a variety of media.

So, I've been away from writing a few months ... but hopefully listing enough to glean some tidbits worthy of sharing with you. Looking forward to being back.

- Butch

Who AM I Going to Vote For?

2008-10-20T09:41:00.001-04:00

Besides God,our church, and our children, my marriage to Chris is most strengthened by two things: college football and presidential elections. Right now, we spend more time watching political commentary and discussing politics than anything else right now.

So ... what has all this time in front of the tube and conversation with my wife done for me? How will I vote? I am still deciding; but I thought before I voted, I should decide in advance those things that are important to me. That way, I am not moved too much by clever campaign tactics or last-minute political ads that will surely play on my emotions. I have found that decisions I make when I am in a highly emotional state, are not always my best decisions.

I wrote this email to a friend a few months ago (edited slightly):

I have not yet decided who I will vote for. But I know that there is not one single moral issue that will drive that decision for me. I think there are sinful men on both sides of the ballot, and I, a sinful man, will vote for one of them. I think all the candidates have within them a great capacity for good. So, knowing that there cannot be a President that meets everything I want, I will look for the candidate whose values (political and moral) are most aligned with my own.

Here is what I value morally in a President:

I value honesty and integrity.
I value a man who honors his family and demonstrates that consistently.
I value a man who recognizes the authority of God and seeks Him.

Here are the personality traits I value in a President:

I value intelligence.
I value education.
I value relational savvy.
I value decisiveness.
I value confidence.
I value the ability to cast vision.
I value the ability to communicate.
I value the ability to bring disparate groups together.

Here are the political traits I value in a President/Our government:

I value a government that spends less than it makes.
I value a president who has an energy plan that reduces our dependence on foreign energy.
I value a government that keeps itself out of the personal lives of its people.
I value a government that provides for its neediest people, through the dignity of work.
I believe in affordable/public education.
I believe in a free market system.
I believe in a government that has reasonable regulation on industries taxpayers insure.
I believe in a government that promotes corporate responsibility.
I believe in a government that allows for limited legal liability for corporations.
I believe in free but fair trade (no price dumping – protection of infant industries.)
I believe we should have a green policy and add tariffs to items produced by non-green manufacturers.
I believe some of the harshest penalties should be assigned to white-collar crime.
I believe we should have a strong defensive army.
I believe we should pay police more and have more of them.
I believe we should pay great teachers more.

I am sure there is more … but whoever matches the most with this stuff gets my vote.

Working from the Edge of a Cliff

2008-09-26T09:57:00.009-04:00

So, the US is in a financial crisis; one of such magnitude that our presidential candidates are discussing the propriety of engaging in campaigning as usual or even participating in tonight's planned presidential debate. Stymied congressmen talk, argue, and beg one another as they try to figure out a plan. But it was only when I learned that McCain ditched a David Letterman interview over this did I realize that the financial crisis is that serious. David Letterman? Inconceivable.

Today Wall Street hangs from the edge of a cliff by a fingernail and I await the distinct possibility that my savings from the past twenty years may, in short order, become the savings of my first ten (I now wipe the sweat from my hands as I type that thought) and I have to ask myself, "what am I going to do if that happens?" God warned me about this in Proverbs:

Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone,
for they will surely sprout wings
and fly off to the sky like an eagle.

Bummer.

So what will I do when my riches fly away? Because the stock market is a reflection of the value of the companies we work for, my plan is to do this:

I am going to do what I can to make my company more valuable.

Colossians tells us:

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.

How much more valuable would our companies be if we came to work a little early, stayed a little late? Showed up at meetings on time? What if we remained focused and resolved ourselves to excellent work, amazing followup, stellar attitudes, and world-changing innovations? What if we spent less time checking out that hilarious Youtube video? You, know ... that one. What if we fell back in love with our jobs?

What if we became the American workforce again?

I cannot determine monetary policy for the United States these next few days, nor can I greatly influence the bi-partisan bailout plan. I can only do what I can; and for now that's getting back to work.

"Hands Off" or "Hands On"

2008-09-15T10:44:00.006-04:00

A senior pastor called me from a great church down South a few weeks ago. He is an awesome guy. I could tell he loves his staff. He asked me about how he as a teaching pastor should be involved in the planning process of the arts. Tough question.

At GCC, the arts teams work with five teaching pastors for our weekends: Mark Beeson, Rob Wegner, Bob Laurent, Jason Miller, and Mark Waltz. Each one is wonderful and amazing, but different in how they approach integration of the arts into their message. Some like to be highly involved in the worship planning several weeks out, others are perfectly content allowing the arts team to create without their direct influence.

So which method is better? Which gets the best result? "Hands off" or "Hands On?" Here's what I have found: both can work really well, but conditions must be right. Here are some things I am learning:

"Hands Off" Pastor:

Be willing to stick tightly with the "Big Idea." (the pre-planned point of the message)
Be willing to hold on loosely to specific expectations of artistic outcomes.
Be willing to recognize that there are other creative and innovative people in the church.
Be willing and able to make creative transitions improvisational.
Prepare multiple message outcomes.

Arts Leader of the "Hand's Off" Pastor:

Be willing to stick tightly with the "Big Idea."
Do what you can to understand your pastor's heart.
Plan elements that augment his teaching style.
Be comfortable that transitions and message ties may not come out as you had anticipated.
Hold loosely to programming sequence.

"Hand's On" Pastor:

Be willing to relinquish some creative control.
Be willing to spend the time in brainstorming meetings.
Realize you have a personality strength to lead hundred's, thousands, even tens of thousands. The strength of your conviction may stifle other's ideas.
Expect specific artistic outcomes but leave room for creative freedom within parameters.
Understand that your total vision may not be completely realistic given the constraints of time, money, and talent.
Be willing to make artistic compromises.

Arts Leader of the "Hands On" Pastor:

Do what you can to understand your pastor's heart.
Be willing to relinquish some creative control.
Make sure your pastor is invited to brainstorm.
Help guide brainstorming meetings so that all the ideas are heard.
Be willing to make artistic compromises.

The Value of Arts

2008-09-15T10:25:00.005-04:00

I often receive phone calls from arts leaders asking questions about how we do things at GCC. By far the most asked question is “How far out do you plan?” It’s a simple enough question and I usually respond by referring them to our service planning flow chart. But over time, I’ve found that this question is usually asked out of some frustration or tension that exists between the arts leader and the teaching pastor. The tension is that the arts leader feels the teaching pastor doesn’t give him enough time to plan and execute the arts effectively and the teaching pastor doesn’t feel the arts leader gives him the flexibility he needs to deliver an effective, inspired, and spirit-filled message.

Let me begin by saying that I think a proper degree of this tension is good, healthy, and quite honestly, unavoidable. However, the degree of tension is important; too great a tension between an arts leader and a teaching pastor suggests misalignment. Too loose a tension suggests an overly casual approach or passion to ministry; effective teachers and arts leaders should be passionate about doing whatever it takes to make services amazing.

So what level of tension is optimal?

I think the answer to that question is found to in the amount they agree on these two questions:

“How much value can the Arts bring to the service?”

“How much value do the Arts bring to the service?”

It is crucial that arts leaders and teaching pastors are in agreement on what each feels are the potential of the Arts and the present reality of the Art being delivered in the service. This requires a relationship founded in Truth and Love and sometimes brutal candor and honesty. Great tension exists when a teaching pastor doesn’t truly believe the Arts bring more value to the service than his teaching alone; that the arts are necessary but not very helpful to him. After all, why would anyone want to change to accommodate something they don't find very valuable?

I believe people only change when they realize there is a value in doing so.

To the arts leader looking for his pastor to give him more time to plan and execute services, I ask you these questions:

What have you done to help your pastor see the value in that?

How have you explained to him that giving up that freedom will be beneficial to the church and to him?

If an arts leader cannot provide solid, heartfelt, and logical rational for the teaching pastor to change his message planning structure, then perhaps it's time for the arts leader to consider changing his worship planning structure.

Maybe it’s time to get a that cup of coffee with your teaching pastor you've been putting off, eh?

Session One Leadership Summit: Decisions

2008-08-07T12:05:00.007-04:00

I just sat through session one of the Willow Creek Association's Leadership Summit. Bill Hybels was in great form as he spoke about the high calling of decision making in leadership. He encouraged us as leaders to create our own axioms or proverbs based on our experience as leaders as we attempt to make good decisions.

My wife Chris and I have been talking regularly about our roles. Both of us have responsibilities to oversee people. Here's a couple we have been talking about over morning coffee:

Working with people is messy business.

I have found there is no getting around that. People are are wonderfully imperfect and complicated creatures. I am one of them and so are you. Despite the most perfect system, design, communication plan, policy, procedure, or decision. There will be people who don't understand and there will be emotion. As leaders, we are going to need to deal with that; to get into the mess.

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Making decisions that affect others often solicited completely different responses. The same decision that brings one member of your team elation, brings another disappointment. Be prepared; be ready to get messy.

Creative Arts Service and Rehearsal Schedule

2008-07-25T07:31:00.003-04:00

Arts Team FAQ's About the Changes at GCC:

2008-07-25T07:10:00.002-04:00

Creative Arts FAQs about the Upcoming Fall Changes

Q: I love doing music and art from the popular culture, U2 and Coldplay rocks! Are we moving away from that?
A: No, we are committed to using the art of our culture as much as ever. Great music is great music and truth is truth regardless of whether it is written by a Christian or non-Christian artist. We will always try to meet people outside of Christ, exactly where they are.

Q: I enjoy the spiritual emphasis of the arts and the worship we had every week at New Community - it fueled me spiritually. Now that we are doing First Wednesday only once a month, how will I get that fuel?
A: Have no worries - the time added to the weekend service is intended to help the worship on the weekends feel more like the old New Community. We will be taking the best of weekends and the best of New Community to make our weekends more amazing than ever.

Q: I’ve always wanted to be involved in the New Community teams. Can I be a part of the new First Wednesday service?
A: YES. Being a member of our weekend team means you could be asked to help on the First Wednesday teams. However, because of the duration and timing of the service, a more intensive rehearsal schedule is required. We will no longer have First Wednesday teams scheduled as part of a regular rotation. That is, when the monthly weekend schedule is created, we will ask some of you, based on your special strengths, gifts, and availability to be part of the First Wednesday services as programming requires.

Q: I used to be involved in New Community regularly; will I get to serve as much?
A: Most likely. Although we will all be performing less frequently (4 weekend services instead of 5, 1 First Wednesday instead of 4 New Community services) we will be performing more art, more intensely. That is, the overall time we will be given in the services is about 20% greater.

Q: Are the Art forms we use on the weekends and First Wednesdays changing?
A: Perhaps … many styles of art can and will be used in worship at GCC. We have always been interested and willing to perform any art that is excellent, relevant, and authentic.

Q: What if I cannot continue my commitment because of these changes?
A: This will be sad for all of us, but I ask that you discuss that with your team staff leader or with me. We promise we’ll understand. It’s not our plan to lose any artists through this transition. You matter!

Q: What if I have more questions?
A: Please feel free to call or email me or anyone on the arts team staff. We’ll do our best to answer you in a timely manner. There are still areas we need to process, so as always, we ask for your patience and grace as we figure things out.

Letter To Our Arts Teams

2008-07-25T07:02:00.004-04:00

This is a copy of a communication we are sending our artists about the upcoming changes at GCC:

Friends,

Thanks for serving with us on the Arts teams at GCC. I am continually inspired by your faithfulness to Christ, your Church, your fellow artists, and your craft. We have been running an amazing race together and our ministry has helped thousands know Christ. But as it is His way, God is calling us to something greater – to go further up and further in – to enhance our methodology – to shift gears – to reach more people for Christ – to change.

How did we learn this? How do we know? Mark Beeson talked about this a few weeks ago.

First, we are beginning to see the changing face of the seeker … that is, the seeker of today is different than he was only a few years ago. Concepts that were considered outside his realm (religious icons, communion, hymns, and prayer) are now more familiar to him. He no longer fears these, but tends to lean in as he seeks Truth in the face of his current reality. What we can and must do in church to reach the pre-Christian is changing.

Second, we were enlightened by the results from the REVEAL study. Fifteen percent of those who responded at GCC said they were exploring Christianity. Forty two percent identified themselves as “Growing in Christ.” So, a full 57 % of our congregation describe themselves as spiritually immature. This is something for us to celebrate. Finding and embracing people far from Christ has always been our mission. But we cannot simply find pre-Christians, convert them, and be content with them remaining immature in their Faith; we need to help them grow by teaching them to feed themselves.

We are going to accomplish this two primary ways. The first is through teaching scripture, the spiritual disciplines, and life application. We’ll do this through our staff teachers and outside biblical scholars. There will be more biblical teaching at GCC than ever before. Wednesday nights at GCC will be filled with teaching three weeks of the month.

The second way we are going to help our people grow is to help them Experience God through amazing worship and compelling art. We will accomplish this by making more space for the Arts in all of our services. Our weekend services will be programmed about 15 minutes longer than today with the additional time being devoted to the creative arts. Our weekly New Community service will transition to a monthly First Wednesday service that will be about 75 minutes and be comprised almost entirely worship arts.

We are being given a sacred responsibility to take our people to higher place. It’s both exciting and frightening; an honor and privilege. But it’s going to require more of us … more from our leaders, our staff, our volunteers and it changes how and when we do things.
I believe the changes we are making will provide for a more rich serving experience for you. Attached is a document of that summarizes those changes to services and rehearsal and service times as well as a Frequently Asked Questions document.

As you process these changes, please know that you are valued as a team member and minister of Christ. Your Church is calling upon your talents and hearts more than ever and we hope and pray you continue to serve beside us. There are great days ahead.

Source Series Week One: Power Above You

2008-07-14T17:08:00.006-04:00

You have GOT to check out this weekend's service.

I absolutely loved this weekend. Mark message was passionate and God-inspired. The arts teams were on, too. I think this service exhibits one of the most creative and interesting lighting packages we've had.

Our teams saw a version of the panels you see on the stage from a Mute Math video. Frank, Jonathan, Mike, Dustin, and Doc built them from scatch! (... and came in under budget I might add) ...

Doc programmed an amazing lightshow, playing the light panel like a percussive musical instrument. It was simply wonderful!

Countdown to Innovate '08 Podcast

2008-07-14T16:49:00.006-04:00

Just finished recording a brief interview with Tim and Kem on their Countdown to Innovate Podcast.

It was much fun, although I learned that I probably won't have much of a career as a DJ (so I better stick to the Church leadership gig) ...

I got to spend some time with Dustin. You can always tell that Dustin is excited to see me because he makes this face every time I look at him. He will be celebrating Halloween for the first time this year; I suggested he go as Gene Simmons.

His new house is great, but it makes a lot of weird noises ... some of which you can hear at the end of my interview ...

Christine

2008-07-14T14:36:00.002-04:00

This is my wife, Chris.

Today marks eighteen years of our marriage together and I cannot imagine my life without her.

She has talents and gifts I still cannot fathom and a heart for children in need that is beyond comprehension.

She loves me like a I Corinthians 13 woman.

I will always love her.

Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart.

A Typical Camp Adventure Lunch

2008-07-11T16:25:00.005-04:00

Wahoo! My Daughter is returning tomorrow (along with a bunch of kids from GCC) from an amazing week at Camp Adventure! I was able to spend a few hours yesterday watching the eating rituals of the indigenous camp tribes ... Check out this rare Camp Adventure lunch footage:

Experiencing God

2008-07-09T23:10:00.003-04:00

My teams have been meeting a lot these past few days. We have been planning together how we might execute the changes in our midweek and weekend services to fulfill our mission:

Help people experience God.

Although the meeting have been long, I love spending the extra time with the people on my team. They are all gifted and creative thinkers; each one offering unique perspectives on how to approach a problem. Because of their love for God, our church, each other, and their Art, the discussions in our meetings have been passionate. But no matter how heated things get, we always seem to end up laughing and this alone is enough to ensure me that God is with us and we will be successful.

Trophies

2008-07-08T17:23:00.005-04:00

I was cleaning out a cabinet and I came across my first trophy. It's true ... I was part of the fabled Brandywine Midget Basketball League Championship Team of 1977 when I was eleven years old.

Thirty-one years later, I remember the championship game as though it were yesterday. The 10th player on a 10-man roster, I contributed little to our team beyond being a human billboard for the Lakers logo that was silk screened across my overly tight uniform. It was prominently visible to over half the crowd from my frequently occupied position on the bench.

I contributed 1 point that game. This was the result of the one free throw I made after a myriad of attempts. You see, I was intentionally fouled again and again as the team we were playing against attempted to crawl back into the game in the fourth quarter by sending the worst shooter (that would have been me) to the line. Their attempt to exploit my abysmal free throw shooting failed.

Carlton Harris (a hero of mine six years later in high school) had amassed enough points to pretty much win the game for us by half-time. He was an amazingly gifted athlete. My strategy of passing the ball to Carlton before I could be fouled any further paid off. We won solidly.

Despite my minimal contribution, I was very proud to have this trophy. It seemed bigger to me at the time ... hmmm. It's amazing how good that little piece of plastic made me feel. In fact, it felt great. That feeling taught me a lot about myself: that I like to win - a lot.

That desire to win has been really helpful to me over the course of my life, but sometimes that desire scares me. Our recent REVEAL survey suggested that we may not be winning at GCC in some key areas. This bums me a bit because I know our teams are trying; they are trying really hard. The good news is that GCC has a team filled with all kinds of "Carlton Harris" level players. I am excited about the changes we are making to our services because I know they will be good for our church. As for me, I am going to prepare for the game, get the ball to my playmakers, and practice my free throws.

Best Supporting Actor

2008-07-01T23:03:00.008-04:00

"There are no small parts, only small actors."

As an artist, I have a variety passions: music, writing, visual arts, but acting is the one I'm most passionate about. Ultimately, I love great stories, wrapped in beautiful imagery and music, told by gifted actors. Movies and plays are my thing, my pathway. I often see God in great movies.

For me, something that separates good movies from great ones is the acting; not necessarily the starring roles or the lead parts, but the supporting roles. It is from these roles that the lead character, and thus the story, becomes fully realized. Hero's are less powerful amongst unbelievable foes. The wounded lover is only scratched when his interest lacks passion.

How true is this as we minister to our Lord and do our part in His great story. I took the time to read the New Testament this month. Beginning with Acts through Jude, and then to the Gospels, finishing with Revelation. The supporting characters that comprise this saga of universal redemption are deep, rich, and vast.

In God's story, many of the supporting characters have no lines at all. They are only referred to by those in other supporting roles. I think of the man who owned the donkey colt that was tied up and awaiting for the apostles to take so that Jesus could ride into Jerusalem for His Triumphal Entry. The owner of the donkey had a small, but critical part in the story: own a colt, have it ready to go, be willing to give it up when required.

The part seems small but it required much thought preparation to be played well. The story would have been vastly different had the owner not given his role his best. What if the owner had never set aside the resources to buy a colt, or enlist workers? What if the owner never prepared his heart to accept the request of "the Teacher?" What if the owner never spent time pouring into hearts of his workers? Without knowing their master's heart, would they have so easily allowed the apostle's to "borrow" his possession?

The truth is, the owner put a lifetime of preparation into his small role.

As we move forward into new waters at GCC, I am trying to prepare for my small part. I want my performance to be passionate, heartfelt, and true. I want my performance to honor my God, my church, my team, and my family. The story is worth it and the person playing the lead is deserves my best.

Most Memorable Moments In Church

2008-06-16T09:16:00.005-04:00

During my session at the WCA Arise arts conference, I asked the attendees to write down the most amazing, memorable arts experience in church they ever had. Here's what people submitted in the 4 minutes I gave them to write ... (BTW there were a few we couldn't quiet decipher ... so we had to omit those ... sorry about that!)

I hope these ideas will give you the same inspiration as they have given me! Simply amazing. Feel free to add more ideas or elaborate on ones in the comments section:

Most Memorable Moments in Church . . .

A dessert theatre in the round, Christmas musical with an intentional life message to pursue those seekers to Christ-centered individuals. (CAV-Church at the View)

Images on the screen of a Beluga whale swimming in a slow motion as the music just crested and hit a climax . .. when the moments are extended with a song that just keeps moving and we journey under the sea through amazing jungles of seaweed only to surface at the crest of the song.

Ephesians series- six rock panels each representing a chapter of the book with a “living stones” video (zoom into rock images and see images of people then zooming out to reveal the wall)-Kathy Schnorr

During a song, 20 people came forward with large white cards. One at a time, they showed one side of the card- a short description of their life “before” Christ. Then they turned it over to reveal a short phrase for their life “After”. It was a powerful reminder of what God does in people’s lives.

Dance team with one member as the main character telling the story of Christmas while the others responded.

Placard family of dialog on cards.

Screen surveys

Guitarist used the riff from “Thunderstruck”(ACDC) in a worship song.

Polled our children about ways they can honor their parents and how parents frustrate them and then used the answers in a family feud drama with game board and all.

Our “Run to Me” drama, luggage drama, letters from home, “Man in the Mirror”, Imagine Christmas, Mother’s Day Video, Father’s Day video

The drama in session one at the conference

An ice sculpture that melted while the pastor discussed the melting of a hardened heart in the warmth of God’s love, The pastor chipped away at the ice and at the end of the service lifted it over his head and smashed is open symbolizing our broken hearts

“Popstar” Mosaic’s short film from last year

Willow Creek’s Christmas Service 2005

Going to lifechurch.tv main campus and seeing technology in action from lights to sound. The cultural relevance of it all was amazing. Very strong connection to God for me as it brought creativity to a level I’ve never seen.

Our three week series on the Prodigal Son. Each week we told the story from one of the different characters. The script was composed with music and lyrics from Peter Gabriel Songs.

A father’s day drama where I played the father of the bride. The script was very touching to the point where people were sobbing including the preacher who got so choked up he had trouble starting the sermon.

“Everything You Need to Learn About Faith You Can Learn in a Restaurant” Series of the basics of faith set in a restaurant. Video intro’s following a person who tries to order breakfast, ushers dressed as servers, bulletin looked like a menu

Worship painting with 9 other artist- we painted “canvases” from behind- the paintings “appeared” to the congregation- 40 feet across, 6 feet high, WAY AWESOME! I prepared the canvases beforehand with scripture that walked across each piece tying them all together.
When we were finished we lit them up from behind to glow and dancers danced in the shadows behind them- Lori

Girl’s Only Concert-Bethany Dillon’s song “Beautiful” at the opening of the last night, glow stick moment where six colors represented different statistics about women (i.e. AIDS/HIV, displaced, abuse victims, etc) ended with all glow sticks up for who God gave his son for, each valuable and precious

Created a video of people holding up cards with before Christ and after Christ experiences, then during the service people were invited to come to the stage on cue with their “before Christ” cards, lay them at the cross and pick up their “after Christ” card

Used the video “ Be Still” to lead into prayer and when we featured a dancer while we sang a song called “Creation Calls”

I was part of a message about Lazarus. In the conclusion a video played shot in a cemetery about a woman addicted to drugs and going down the wrong path. The story ended with her death. The pastor then walked out with her and introduced her as a new life.

A drama/dance that told the story of Solomon and the two women claiming the same child. No words were necessary to show the love of a mother that would give up all for the salvation of the child (Jackie Bremer “Jesus 4 Me”)

“Bohemian Rhapsody” and Talladega Nights baby Jesus prayer clip (Joe from Renaissance Church, NJ)

Two cars on stage, an old one we hit with a sledge hammer and a new one

Mark Batterson was talking about sex. He talked about the dangers of trying to walk the fine line as he inched a vase toward the end of the table and then finally pushed it off the edge and it shattered on stage. (P. Rogers)

“The Fine Art of Procrastination” service. Nuff said.

Palm Sunday- passed a real-sized cross throughout the congregation allowing them to support the weight themselves, another time there were stations of crosses where people nailed a nail into the cross-powerful

30 people telling their stories as to what God has done in their lives since attending our church
During a summer series our youth threw out beach balls and Frisbees, what we didn’t expect was for two toupee’s to get knocked off, a lady in a wheel chair get almost knocked out and bust two sanctuary lights, but everyone was awake and energized for the sermon

When we finally became one as church (bride) and raised hands in worship and sang, including my husband a non-artist!

Big Fish series on Jonah. We have 2 screens up front. The pastor did really catch a big fish and have it mounted. I shot the front half and back half of the fish then put each on one screen to create a 70 foot fish for the video.

Sermon on Seasons of Faith with the altar decorated with trees representing the seasons and the song “Turn, Turn, Turn and videos of changing seasons in the background. Minister asked us to stand for which season we felt we were in. Winter (Down), Fall (Change), Spring or Summer

A performance art piece/drama where the actors “froze” into scenes from the passion- behind a scrim. The congregation thought it was a projected image or mannequin, not real people.

Worship in the round. Centered platform 7-8 feet across with patterned cloth coming out of the top, acoustic musicians and vocalist in the inner circle- seats arranged in circles, no screens, focused totally on the cross.

Everyone got a piece of flash paper and wrote their sins on the paper. The pastor collected all the papers in a bowl. Threw in a piece of paper in the bow and all the others disappeared. The topic was forgiveness.

A drama called “to walk in my shoes”, focused on a homelessness and interspersed it with a video. We followed it with a special of an “Amazing Grace” Medley and then called people to action by inviting them to leave their shoes at the front of the church, later that night we took the shoes to the homeless in our community. (200 volunteers)

We nailed black pieces of paper on a cross with our most life-dominating sin written on them with black pen. Then we sang “At the Foot of the Cross” and “The Wonderful Cross”. This was on Palm Sunday (our Good Friday)

Cyber prayer Station. During one of our worship nights, people wrote prayers on 3 X 5 cards and brought then up to the prayer station so they could come up on the side screens. The communion was led entirely by video.

Baptism service on the stage, 2 portable tubs, on video screens, background music, took spontaneous people from the congregation, 143 baptized in one morning.

99 balloons video by Ignite Media followed with an accapella vocal of the “Solid Rock” interspersed with scripture reading of the house built on sand vs. rock.

Christmas season message where we had a cradle in the center of the platform, near the end of the message we ended up throwing a shadow of a cross on the cradle to show how the baby in the manger came to die on the cross

LSUMC- Easter ’06 John Knox village, banners, choir, praise team, dancers, “not like you” April 08 use of choir, flow, June 8th, fire, songs

Pastor broke glass, threw food, dressed up (sorry, Garth Parsons, we couldn’t read the rest on the card) J

Percussion marching band

Sand art

Spandex shapes for stage designs

STOMP prelude- music with tires, wrenches, ramps, etc

During a sermon on the potter’s clay, the pastor had a gal turning a huge vase on a potter’s wheel. He stuck his pencil in at one point and totally destroyed it, she had to start over. He relayed how we mess up God’s workmanship of our lives when we want to try to do it our way.

We had a message about surrendering. On sticky notes, people were to write the things they wanted to surrender and walk up and place them on the windows on the side. After three, services it was great to see the windows full of sticky notes of people surrendering and needing prayer.

Pentecost Sunday- the youth created kites that were hung throughout the sanctuary. The worship team sang “Light the fire within Me” and dancers performed a liturgical dance with the worship team sang. The sermon was tied to being a kite riding on the wind of the Holy Spirit.

Pail Baloche led us in an impromptu song prayer, with the entire crowd singing freely, yet it all fit together.

We sat in the dark for five minutes.

New and Old Testament rewind dramas. (three actors went through the entire bible)

Clogging, harmonica, painting on the stage, acting

A series on “I Love My Neighbor” with a “Wilson” character as a neighbor in a drama who gives wise advice to one of our staff members, the challenge is for our neighbors to host backyard barbecues in their homes and invite their neighbors

“Experience” video concept

The preacher spoke about the grace and forgiveness of the cross, we placed the communion table perpendicular to the stage and placed a small wooden cross on the table. We lines the cross with votive candles and the set the juice and bread trays on the table under and around the cross. We invited people to come forward, filing on both sides of the cross to receive the Lord’s supper. (Scott Logan)

Reality TV series. Took a group of 15 people and put them through “Spiritual Boot Camp” and then taped them for a 6 week reality series, what they learned, their frustrations, their successes, their shortcomings, showed the films at church on Sunday. Powerful! (Terri Armand)

Using a clear vase filled with Pepsi to represent all the sin we’re filled with by our own acts or the acts of others, then pouring clean water in until the vase is only lightly tinted brown to show that sin always affects us but pouring God’s work into others redeems

Glow sticks at Christmas during silent night.

“You have been so good to me” Shared worship with people’s testimonies in the service and asked congregation to share God’s goodness with each other

Kicked off the Mission Impossible series by the pastor parachuting onto the church roof, then repelling from the ceiling, then listening to a tape of the great commission that self-destructed by blowing up.

We were doing a sermon on anger and during the song special called “Red” by Chevelle, the sound guys kept creating feedback on purpose while the worship pastor’s anger grew throughout the song until he ended by grabbing a fake acoustic and smashing it on stage.

A sermon called “Hey God, please yell. I can’t hear you over my MP3 player” began with me singing badly with my MP3 player and my son trying to get my attention, It takes three progressively louder tries to get my attention until I come out of the fog and begin the message. (Murphy Gill)

Black light and white gloves movement to a song.

Sandi Patti singing “We Shall Behold Him”

Final session of “Acquire the Fire” youth convention when the drama that was running through the entire Friday and Saturday experience. The climactic worship resolved the story. Was about how we are unaware of the scores of souls saved throughout our lives.

Our first baptism at LU and one of our Christmas dramas

Producing an Easter musical with video

That very first time I saw the whole church (people) stand and clap their hands (participate) and sing our worship songs together. It was the beginning of what we are today and still growing together.

Motocross on stage in the auditorium

Good Friday dance with a Shane and Shane tune

Local college Gospel choir partnered with ours and brought a whole new level of energy and passion to our service that was exciting

When we talked about Jacob wrestling with God, we had a 7’2” Rams football player offer to arm wrestle a volunteer from the audience

The Road Less Traveled

Communion at Central LU with the piano playing “Above All”

REM Song “Losing my Religion” with verses and personal testimonies intermingled, began with a dark stage and only acoustic guitar

Live painting of Christ while reading crucifixion passages and singing “liquid” by Jars of Clay, you don’t see the whole image until the end of the song“I am an Artist”

Our programming director Alfred Garr took a Sunday service to focus on how each one of us is a creative, artistic person in God’s image. We had a few share their stories on stage—a NASA scientist, a nurse, a loan officer, actors, musicians, and pastoral staff

In a board meeting where we were all encouraged to brainstorm outreach ideas, we “fed” off of each other and very creative ideas were encouraged

Pastor was speaking on James and interviewed a man who was a soccer coach and all-American athlete who spoke about getting Parkinson’s disease, then the sang “Jesus Bring the Rain”

During our family series, our pastor worse and Incredibles suit to illustrate he was “Super dad.”

Valentine’s Day sweetheart Banquet with live music/drama, brought church together, invited neighbors and friends with Christian undertone, brought them back

Holy Communion Service using the song “I Came Expecting Jesus” interweaving liturgy, text and song, a great display of mercy and grace

Skyping with our missionaries in Singapore, DVD/audio of “I Can Only Imagine”, creative illustrations of roots, trunk, branches while Senior Pastor explains “Lane Cambridge”

We decorated crosses as a part of “telling stories” and when we put the display together we did not expect the amazing play of light and shadows that happened. What a God thing! (Jamie Spearitt)

Diversity of people working together for a common goal for the kingdom in their prime areas of passion and putting together an event or service for the glory of God, honoring His desire to value and encourage each other –differences needed!

A service on restoration where we played dark, minor songs in the beginning while a man busted a myriad of clay pots showing brokenness and sin, then progressed through communion and became more hopeful and celebrated at the end with “Come Awake”-sin to life.

Made a “GPS” video to go with a service called ‘the Path”. We filmed a married couple separately describing a trip they took to a known location, the man insisted on the using the GPS to go to the grocery store and got lost. Very funny!

Our Parade of salvation- a white rose for every soul reborn in the year, they paraded to the front and put in a big vase to music, every one matters, ended in a large arrangement to resemble what God had done in our community

God as the artist: use of representations of major works of art, paintings, sculpture, music etc, in lobby and around the stage as well as on the screens, multi-sensory- canvas (4X6) handed out with a crayon as people came in, use of incense in vents during service, stage look of art gallery (pillars, etc.) music about God’s creation

Four doors to illustrate God’s saving grace, forgiveness, truth, and self. At the end of the message, the congregation was invited to come up and walk through one of the doors, the image was amazing and overwhelming

We had a fish tank full of red liquid, people wrote down what they needed to be forgiven for and then placed it in the tank and pushed it under the “blood” and you could not see any paper at all

A Christmas play about the birth of Jesus and in the middle of the birth, Santa Claus walks by pulling a reindeer, also did the crucifixion and the Easter bunny was at the foot of the cross

A fear series where people came up and confessed their fears, we sang “We shall Overcome” as the church held caution tape throughout the auditorium and broke it as a symbol of releasing our fears. Many of our attendees broke down barriers of fear

A song with a drama where when the song sang “ He tore the veil” a young woman who was dressed in all black and looked very sad as she gazed at the sky with a cross behind her covered in white. Jesus appeared, tore the veil and covered her. Her black outfit turned to white as Jesus walked with her into a new life

Those moments where God’s touch is in my spirit by His Spirit is by far the most invigorating, comforting, encouraging, inspiring and life-transforming thing I have ever experienced. It’s what keeps me going when times get rough and it stirs me out of complacency and boredom and keeps me in Love.

The stage was filled with 8’ images of orphans from around the world, with personal stories including one of growing up in a foster home and how great it was to be adopted by a believer
We had a painter paint a picture while telling the story of Adam and Eve and how sin entered the world. When he was done, it was a modern interpretation of Satan. This was the first in a series designed for outreach. (Sheila Kisling)

A night of worship: we pulled together musicians from the area to play unplugged hymns in a ultr-contemporary way, set up the sanctuary in the round, encompassing the band, during the service, there was scripture telling the story from creation to new creation.

There was an artist doing an 8 foot mural that told the story as well and all of the music fit the theme in chronological order. The painting was finished by the last song and it all came together in the end.

Psalms service: drums soloed at the beginning with scripture, dance, ensemble, scripture reading by different people of different ages throughout the service to go with the message

Drama during Good Friday service, young people transported back in time to the night before the crucifixion, paralleled a main character who criticized to Peter’s actions.

During the complicated service on “Deal or No Deal”, felt we had little control but trusted and God was good.

The Banquet: elegant dressed table on the stage, invitations in bulletin, very descriptive dance, song called “the invitation”

Memorial Day Service: when we had a gravesite set up one side of the stage. On the other side we had a man dressed in army clothes sing “If You’re Reading This” that was writing a letter to his family at the gravesite on the other side of the stage. (Frank Bennett)

Taking the phrases “Which way is up?” and “Up, Up, and Away” having superman fly in every direction but up to reinforce that there is no doubt that up is up so why do we have that problem when it comes to heaven

The bridge at Easter, sticky notes on the walls of those who need to come to Jesus, “Lego Community” where everyone gave a piece to spell community, mosaic building as a church, postcards of gratitude fro honoring your parents

Biola University’s Mike Evre: Hoopa’s. Great Free Worship. Redemption was seen. Best worship experience ever. Communion on the Thursday before Easter, everyone sits around the table and east bread and drinks grape juice and shares.

Easter 07: Salvador led worship, pastor drove in on a John Deere tractor and farm clothes, ½ message was done in an orchard prior to that morning, over 5,000 people attended and it is still talked about in the community (average attendance is 2,000)

The pastor was speaking on salt and light and we were given a small packet of salt and glow stick while singing “Salt and Light”

At a youth activity, I had the kids write their names on a piece of paper and nail it to the cross, then later they wrote Jesus with red marker and nailed it to cover their own names

During our Easter service, we showed the clip from Narnia’s Lion Witch and the Wardrobe where Aslan the lion is sacrificed. Then later brought a live lion on the stage to show he’s alive today. (Josh T)

In the last evangelical meeting before I was to leave India, I was weeping and the entire group of Indians began chanting “William! William! William!” in their thick accents. It was God creating a memory. (William Tritch)

“Life Change” cards held up-sin, past present we want to share that God will remove from us. Matthew West song “There’s Only Grace”

A music series where your faith sounds like a certain style of music like blues, country, rock, hip hop, etc.

Individuals on the stage with different objects (not instruments-chains, shovel with rocks, etc.), the first person starts a beat, each one joins in to create a song, it’s astonishing!

We had a puzzle in which guests who were not Christians could go up and place the missing pieces if they wanted to accept Christ as their personal savior. Played “Gratitude” by Nicole Nordeman and it was so touching.

“No Bravery” by James Blount with a great slide show about world issues

Decorating with a special kind of tablecloths instead of paper or streamers

A drama where the scene was a chairlift, we hung a chair lift on the stage

Outreach in our community during normal service hours to get those involved who would not normally participate

“30 days to Live” a lot of personal video stories, high energy, left people asking questions, counting down death clock, pushing the envelope

Easter service with My Story cards, candles lit on stage after a production, drama “Counting Stars”

Seeing the pastor turn into characters (1st person), hammering nails into the cross with a sheet of my sins

Communion out of the “bleeding cross”, decorations at Emmaus

A service called an “Ecivres” where the whole thing was done in reverse order: response, message, worship

The Survivor Series, the video at Wild Life Prairie Park, included short live sketch every week in life of the one who was voted off

Sherry Holland painting a picture of the hands of Jesus during Easter service 06

Drama/music/video combined in telling of the Christmas story then and now

“KA” at Las Vegas/ worship experience- David Crowder band at Willow last year

Routed a pipe from the baptism to the ceiling and made it rain on stage to the song “Let it Rain” accompanied by a drama

At an axis service, the message was all about music and at the end everyone wrote lyrics to a song.

People walking over the bridge, the view from the worship team perspective

My Most Amazing Church Arts Experience

2008-06-12T09:24:00.008-04:00

Welcome Arise Conference Attendees!

Hey Friends -I would love to hear about your great church arts experiences. Just leave a comment so we can all share. Peace.

- Butch

Arise- Session Two: Nancy and Gilles Ste-Croix

2008-06-11T13:28:00.003-04:00

Cirque du Soleil has had significant impact on me. I first saw La Nuba in Orlando and more recently the LOVE show in Vegas. Cirque continues to break the boundaries of imagination.

Take Away:

Nancy Q: Why does art matter?

Gilles A: It may be one of those things that differentiates us from the animals ... We have a need to create ... We need to embrace our emotions ... When you see a Van Gogh's painting, "A Field of Wheat" you will never look at a field of wheat the same way again. Great art feeds you, changes you, and makes you a better human being.

Arise - Session One - Nancy Beach:

2008-06-11T13:09:00.004-04:00

Great Session! Nancy spoke from her heart as she took us on a journal exercise exploring the 40th Psalm.

Takeaway:

If we are not careful, over time, we will do ministry more out of memory than out of imagination. How much more comfortable is it for us to lean into our old ways … we don't need to work so hard. We must fight against the ruts of routine …"

Favorite Moments:

The video of a man's testimony accompanied by a pop dancer, integrated with IMAG.
Drum line ... loved the energy .... fresh idea.
Drama ... great integration of music with transitions between the vignettes, lighting very helpful for the mood, liked the characters singing with the theme music ala Magnolia.

Arise (and shine!)

2008-06-11T07:03:00.004-04:00

It is a beautiful morning as I overlook the picturesque Schaumburg landscape from the Renaissance Hotel. Coffee's brewing ... and I am awake ... ready to enjoy my 4th consecutive year at the Willow Creek Association's Arts Conference. This year, I brought a good chunk of my team ... Adam, Jeff, Dustin, Kristin, Mike, Jonathan, Ben, Albert, Kim, Jason, Dan ... I can't wait to spend some quality time learning with and from them.

Tim Stevens and I get to teach again ... Tim will be doing a main session on his new book: Pop Goes the Church ... I will be talking about some of the rules of programming we have been learning as we plan the services at GCC.

I am looking forward to our time learning together and hanging out with each other and seeing what God has in store for us. It's going to be a great time.

Music to My Ears

2008-05-12T14:58:00.004-04:00

If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music…I get most joy in life out of music.

- Albert Einstein

I resonate a bit with Albert. Music adds a dimension to life that cannot be ignored. This past weekend my daughter had a friend over to watch Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. I thought it was so cool that they were interested in a movie I saw when I was eighteen. The first in the Indiana Jones series, Raiders of the Lost Ark, might just be my favorite movie of all time - Cant wait for Kingdom of the Crystal Skull to open on the 22nd.

I love the mystery, the fun adventure, and rugged mental and physical toughness of the hero in those stories. But I think its the music of John Williams that really makes those films extra special for me. I can't imagine them without that particular music. The impact of music on any movie or video piece can not and should not be underestimated - the right music changes everything; it can define the story. Imagine Jaws without it's theme music - simply impossible!

I like to make movies in my head sometimes for fun. I find a place to sit in a restaurant or park or mall, any place where there are lots of people and I put on my headphones and listen to classical music; Beethoven, Mozart, Vivaldi (yep, they are on my itunes) or sometimes instrumental music from Sigur Ros or Pink Floyd. Then I watch people go about their business. I imagine what they might be thinking or reflect on their actions in the context of the music. It's amazing the stories you can think of. I know it's weird, but I suggest you give it a try sometime. It's a hoot! Real-time movies ... in your head.

I did this while I was driving today. As I listened to jazz on the radio, I watched an older man walking to his mailbox; I was certain he was a spy.

A Wish for a Faithful Servant

2008-04-21T10:16:00.007-04:00

We had a bit of a scare this past weekend. Andre our bass player had fallen ill Friday and was hospitalized. Andre is one of those faithful servants who has been showing up and playing at GCC for years. He is a brilliant player who has a jovial smile and attitude that is contagious both on the platform and off. From all of GCC and this weekend's arts team: get well soon, Andre.

BTW - If you watch this weekend's service, you'll see our friend Brendan Sweeney filling in. He's 18 years old and learned 5 songs for our weekend in less than 24 hours. Thanks, Brendan.

Maximizing the Arts

2008-04-20T12:26:00.004-04:00

Our Maximizing the Arts workshop took place this Friday and I realize God moved in some amazing ways:

First of all, He moved the earth - No really, He did. Friday morning I experienced my first earthquake ever as I was awakened to my whining dog and my rolling bed around 5:30 am. I guess God didn't want me to oversleep ...

At 9:00am we began our workshop. Around 40 arts leaders, pastors, and volunteers came from all over the Midwest to hang out with my team as we talked about how GCC is leveraging the arts to reach people for Christ.

First session I spent some time talking about the importance of defining and understanding your focus audience - this is a passion area of mine.

Second session Jeff Petersen and I shared our planning process and programming ideas - it was fun doing "director's commentary" on the arts elements we have created over the last year.

Lunch was delicious and the conversation around the table even more tasty.

Third Session we conducted breakouts. Tech people hung out with Adam Callender to learn about our gear. Arts leaders hung out with me. Jason, Dan, and Trace spoke with those influenced.

We ended at 4PM with a session called "10 Things we are learning" ... as pastors on the arts team; Jason, Dan, and I shared some of the tougher lessons we have learned over our three years together.

I was amazed at the hearts of the people who attended. Every encounter with an attendee seemed like an encounter with Christ. I am so thankful that God is building His kingdom using humble and amazingly gifted artists.

Our next Maximizing the Arts workshop is in November 14, 2008. I hope you can make it; I think you will find it helpful. Between now and then we have many other workshops you can attend including our INNOVATE '08 two-day conference. Check out our Wired Churches workshop schedule.

Viral Priorities - April 12/13

2008-04-12T19:58:00.004-04:00

I really enjoyed attending our service this past weekend; it felt like God used Mark B and our teams to deliver a message He wanted our people to hear.

My Arts Highlights:

Our volunteers ROCK. Of the 21 positions required to execute the weekend, 19 were volunteers.

I really thought our volunteer platform artists were engaging this weekend -Dan did a great job leading them. Great job, Kim, Courtney, Randy, Bill, D, Dave, Brian, and Ben!

Ben NGoma's version of "Waiting on the World to Change" sounded sweet - and I thought Ben Sander's accompanying video that presented world conditions juxtaposed to the ministry efforts at GCC.

Kim and Courtney were soulful on "Make it Matter."

We also got to watch one of my favorite GCC videos of all time ... "The Truth"

Our volunteer tech teams and IMAG were tight! Way to go Janell, Tabby, Steve, Doc, Joe, Austin, Doc, Mark, Fred, Julie, Arnold, and Jim!

My Message Highlights:

Mark asked three intriguing questions:

Would you follow Christ if he wasn't here at GCC?

Would you follow Christ if there was no GCC?

Would you follow Christ if you had no Bible?

Mark offered an amazing and fresh perspective on these questions.

Check out the service here!

A Viral Choice

2008-04-11T12:38:00.004-04:00

I have spent some considerable time at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis the past few months … some of that time I spent walking the corridors. I learned some things in doing so. Last year the hospital received a #1 ranking in the country for quality and safety. Our experience would add evidence to support that; the hospital is excellent. This year the hospital is celebrating it's 100'th anniversary. To commemorate their centennial, Methodist Hospital constructed a large timeline that spans the corridor from the parking garage to the front entrance:

Interestingly, the timeline does not begin with 1908 (the date of the original hospital’s dedication) but much earlier; 1703 – the birth year of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism and ultimately the church in which I am now a pastor. It begins with John Wesley’s Rule:

Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
As long as you ever can.

Doing good.

This was the choice of one man that went viral; a choice made 200 years ago that spread through history into the hearts and minds of those who ultimately helped build churches, schools, and missions. It’s the viral choice that ultimately built the hospital that healed my son. It’s a viral choice I have made for my life and I pray God gives me the strength to live out that choice for His glory.

"It's E.T."

2008-04-11T11:50:00.005-04:00

I few months ago I blogged about my son Alex. Since that time, we have been on a bit of an adventure. Alex began exhibiting some extreme behaviors that were not typical of the young man Chris and I knew him to be. It was frightening to us. On the recommendation of our local doctor, we took him to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. It was a wonderful place. During a ten day stay, the doctors there discovered a cyst that was pressing on his cerebellum. Although the cyst was not life-threatening, our doctor felt this could be linked to his behavior. The discovery of the cyst was terrifying, yet also relieving to us to know there was something tangible we could address. Our church leaders and others in the church went into prayer and our friends and family rallied behind us; it was the Church being the Church. Alex went into surgery a few weeks later and it went amazingly well. Alex awoke during the night after the surgery and the first thing he said was, “It’s E.T.” … I couldn't figure out if he was dreaming or hallucinating, but then I noticed him looking at the oxygen sensor on his fingertip. I took this photo and I thought I would share it with you. Alex is taking his next steps to healing and we feel blessed to be a part of whatever God has for him and our family.

Deep Thought

2008-03-29T21:03:00.001-04:00

Sometimes it overwhelms me to think that there are so many other people in the world who are not me.

Easter at GCC: Viral Moments

2008-03-24T15:33:00.002-04:00

It was an inspirational Easter weekend at GCC. This photo is a picture of about 1900 people raising and lowering as many glow sticks in our auditorium as Mark Beeson demonstrated what it could mean to the world if the Gospel went viral in today's lightning-fast, ultra-connected world.

The service was a departure from our usual as we continue to try to make the Arts and the audience intimate friends. We did this by bringing Mark and our vocalists right into the crowd on platforms that were located inches from the crowd. We also made the message tactile and participatory by playing a huge game of "SIMON" as four color groups repeated color patterns shown on a video of sampled tones from the music of Daft Punk. The audience roared with delight.

If you missed it, and even if you didn't, you MUST check out last weekend's service.

Triple-Word Score

2008-03-23T22:30:00.004-04:00

I love to play board games. I think it’s because I love strategy and I can be really competitive. Risk, Monopoly, Chess … I even like to play Scrabble. Yep – Scrabble. I like to play against my wife because the games are always close. She’s really smart and a great speller. Am I a great speller? Nope. Am I smarter than my wife? No way, she’s brilliant. The only thing that allows me to even hang with her is the triple-word score opportunities; those red boxes that turn feeble little words into lexiconical titans. You see, my triple-word score on the word BAG (6pts x 3=18pts) beats Chris’ single score on PLANARIA (10pt x 1=10pts) every time!

Give your opponent a triple-word score, and you could be in serious trouble.

The Bible says we have a very real opponent who is playing hardball. That was made even more evident to me today when I read an article on consumer debt that disturbed me. It said that Americans are carrying more than $2.5 trillion in non-mortgage debt. It’s a staggeringly large number.

I think excessive debt is the Enemy’s triple-word score sin tactic.

You see, when you commit the sin of excessive debt, you may have to face choices that force you into further sin. It’s the sin that gives the Adversary extra points. Here’s why I say that:

If you owe so much to collectors that in order to pay them, you cannot tithe – you commit the sin of robbing God. Say you instead decide to honor God with your tithe, but now you sin by failing to fulfill your obligations to your creditors. Finally, suppose a friend approaches you with a real financial need and you cannot help because you have paid so much to creditors … you cannot help them or tithe.

It is a cunning trap our Enemy has devised. I am so glad that over 400 people have chosen to meet weekly at our church to attend Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University to find a Christ-centered way to become free from this bondage. Keep it up, guys! Help is on the way!

Never Far From the Tree

2008-03-18T20:43:00.005-04:00

There's this couple at our church I would like to get to know a little better. Maybe I could just hang out a little and see how they talk to each other; observe them for a while. I would like to listen to what they say to other people and how they treat them. If I could, I would travel back in time to see what they did raising their kids. You see, I am a parent trying to bring up great kids in a tough world.

Parenting is a hard business and it seems almost impossible sometimes.

Yet, every now and then I get a ray of hope as I encounter an extraordinary young person. I got the pleasure of hearing Jason teach this weekend at GCC. Steve and Deb, well done!