"Worship" by Pete Wilson

Sync_Worship part1 from Matthew Singleton on Vimeo.

An Apple Guy Remakes Microsoft

"Alex Bogusky built the country's slickest ad shop using Apple products. His next challenge: Persuade people like him to buy Microsoft's stuff."

That leading sentence to a recent article in Fast Company magazine sucked me in to the article. The story is about an unlikely firm (albeit "hot" and "hip") hired to overhaul the image problem that has plagued Microsoft for...what, about 600 years?

I don't know if Alex can do it, but I did enjoy the article, and found three great quotes in the article:

* "To try to be cool is to not be cool. To chase cool, you're chasing something that already exists, which means you're always going to be on the wrong side of it, you'll always be following."

Uh, wake-up call, how many times do we do this as church leaders?

* When asked if Alex was going to force his staff to stop using Macs in favor of Windows machines since Microsoft was now their largest client, he replied, "It's not a matter of forcing people. It's getting them to want to use it. If you can't, you're not going to do great advertising."

Rather than tell your staff or leaders that they must attend a service or have to be in a small group, how about make it so compelling that they won't stay away?

* "As the company draws bigger, more traditional clients, the risks grow proportionately. Edginess and risk taking mean nothing without results."

You can be traditional and effective. You can be edgy and ineffective. Edgy might get you on a top 100 church list somewhere, but it doesn't mean you are making disciples. Let's focus on disciple-making, and if edgy gets it done, then go for it.

According to the article, the new Microsoft ad campaign (being developed by Alex's company) is slated to break this month. Should be interesting!

Taken from www.leadingsmart.com

Card Me.

Giving can be so simple.
STEP 1: Use as much of your card as you want.
STEP 2: Write how much is left on your card using a permanent marker.
STEP 3: Challenge your friends to join you and collect what they give.
STEP 4: Place all the cards (You & Friends) in an envelope and send it.

GiftCardGiver.com
490 East Side Ave SE
Atlanta, GA 30316

THEIR PROMISE: We have never used a card for ourselves (Not even Starbucks) and never will. Thanks for contributing and collecting.

ABOUT GiftCardGiver: How many gift cards do you have sitting in your wallet? At the very least $5? What’s 5 bucks going to buy you? Five bucks in Gift Cards may buy you a pair of socks, but 10 people giving 5 bucks will buy a kid a winter coat or 100 people giving $5 from Home Depot will give that same kid a warm bedroom to sleep through the night.

We are Gift Card Giver. We are a community, that collects and distributes unused gift cards to people and organizations in need. Did you know the Gift Card industry has risen to be a $60 billion industry. Ever wonder how many gift cards are unused? More than 10%. That’s nearly $10 Billion. Billions of dollars are waiting to be redeemed. Waiting in your pocket. Can you spare one for our friends in need?

Pop Goes the Church: Should the Church Engage Pop Culture?

Whether you're a regular attender, a leader, or have yet to step foot in a church, you may have questions about church that aren't being answered. How can the church remain relevant while communicating the unchanging integrity of God's truth? Author Tim Stevens makes an inspiring case for leveraging pop culture to reach out to people in the language of their lives. He offers a new perspective that gives relevance and impact to the church by using pop culture meeting people in the real world with words, sounds and images that speak to them. He encourages us to get out of our comfort zones and look people in the eyes, meeting them wherever they are, relating to their problems and society's challenges--even celebrating pop culture, where there are exciting signs of spiritual seeking. Pop Goes the Church will open your mind to church in a way that breaks down walls, engages the culture and speaks to a generation that needs to hear good news.

"In thirty years of ministry, I have never stopped believing that the local church is the hope of the world. It is my driving passion to help leaders get this, and to help them find tools to do church more effectively. Pop Goes the Church should be read by every pastor, church leader, and layperson who wants to connect people to Jesus but is finding it hard to be heard in our media-saturated culture. Some authors have suggested we should give up on the local church. Stevens, however, is making the case that a local church can be transformational in its community. He doesn't stop with theory, but gives practical how-tos and examples from churches of all sizes and styles. Pop Goes the Church is sure to become very useful for a new generation of leaders. it will compel animated conversations in conference rooms and living rooms across the world as leaders everywhere wrestle with how to leverage pop culture in and through the local church."
--BILL HYBELS, Senior Pastor, Willow Creek Community Church

"Contemporary doesn't equal revolutionary. Revolutionary change is what's needed for churches to survive and thrive. Pop Goes the Church provides a curve-jumping, revolution-starting approach to changing churches, so read it and make the world a better place."
--GUY KAWASAKI, Managing Director, Garage Technology Ventures, Author, Art of the Start

"Stevens writes with a sense of urgency that will inspire your ministry to an authentic and relevant presentation of God's transforming Word."
--STEVE GROESCHEL, Senior Pastor, LifeChurch.tv