Joel's Travels

Theology | Bible Study | Leadership

4 Ways To Stay Productive While Traveling

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Staying Productive

Traveling is hard. When I was younger (it’s scary I even wrote that phrase) I always dreamed of being able to travel and see the world! Well, God gave me my wish and while I appreciate the travel, it has proven to be really challenging. As of writing this post I just crossed 90,000 air miles for the year and I still have six major trips left.

As I consider how I’ve survived this year, I’ve been surprised to find that there are seasons where I feel like I am incredibly productive. Then, there are seasons where I am surprised I can even keep up and remember to jump on a flight. After evaluating my productive seasons, I found the following principles crucial in my ability to accomplish everything I need to with excellence.

Rest and Reward:

Get the right amount of rest that your body needs. Train yourself to sleep at the right time so that when you have to wake up, you do so refreshed. For me, I’ve found that I need at least 8 hours of sleep. I’ve also found that TV, iPad, and my computer are serious distractions to getting the rest that I need. My iPad may be the biggest culprit. I love reading on it, but it’s only a click of a button to get to my ESPN Fantasy team or start researching on food places for the next trip I have, or get to that last email quickly. I didn’t want to give up reading, and I didn’t want a print book, so instead I was able to pick up the Amazon Voyager. Its amazing and has a simple function, to let you read. The benefit of rest is priceless. It allows your mind to be sharp and for you to be more effective in thought process.

Be Smart With Technology:

As I mentioned earlier, technology can’t always be assumed as helpful. However, when used thoughtfully and with intention it can be a game changer in how productive you are. There are so many apps, tools, and resources that I use, but the ones that I always go to are:

  • Evernote – Its the best. If your not using it, your missing out. It serves as my digital brain and stores everything I need. Recently I purchased the premium version and I love it!
  • Wunderlist – Its a simple task list app that syncs across all your devices. Its not overly complicated and works seamlessly across all my devices.
  • All Apple – I drank the Koolade, and I love it. Seriously, all my devices are apple. My wife even got me an apple watch and I have grown found of it. However, if you are on the other side, seriously consider the devices that you have. Do they all play well together? Do the research and ensure that they do, its a world of difference
  • Kindle Voyager – For distraction free reading, its amazing. I have found that I can actually read longer staring at the screen and I don’t get a headache.

Dig Deeper Into The Word:

This is honestly one of the most overlooked disciplines in my life.

My passionate pursuit of the Word of God sets the stage for everything else in life @Muddamalle

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.As I am anchored in the Word I find a sense of balance. I am reminded why I do what I do and encouraged in knowing that I serve a great God who is gentle and kind with us. If you are looking for a great free resource to get started, get the Faithlife Study Bible. It’s incredible.

Have Fun:

Seriously, have fun. Make sure you carve out time to enjoy life. Whether that’s playing sports, watching a movie, or taking a walk; do it. Life gets busy and we have a lot to do but neglecting what makes us happy and refreshes us is a huge mistake!

 

The New Cool: Blasting Preachers On Your Blog

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The New Cool

This is a difficult post for me to write. I’ve consulted some trusted friends on this before writing as I want to ensure that this is not a knee jerk response to the countless blogs out there that are going after pastors and ministry leaders** through social media and blasting them on blogs and other platforms.

I recognize that these type of posts are attractive to people. How do I know? Just take a look at the social shares these posts are getting and the publicity that the authors receive. At the end, these type of posts drive clicks and ensure page visits and views. However, I have seriously begun to consider the cost? How does this affect the church “universal”? Is it positive, negative, or neutral? Do these posts even matter in the long run?

A few months back I wrote a post asking people to pray for Mark Driscoll. Today, I see posts that continue to put him on blast. I wonder…have we really taken time to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to intervene and do a change that our best blog post could never obtain?

So what’s the dilemma? Why do I fear writing this post?

The Dilemma:

I think that pastors, teachers, and leaders need to be held accountable to their actions. This is a very biblical concept and this is done through a local church context. I realize that the larger the platform the larger the reach these individuals have with their message. It’s nerve racking to think that the message communicated to people about the Gospel and scriptures are inaccurate. So, should there be accountability? Yes! But who is responsible to provide the accountability and how should it be done?

Before you write your next post blasting someone, ask yourself: Is this is a conviction that I feel the Holy Spirit leading me to and is it supported by scripture?

Internal Motivation:

I think if we were honest with ourselves most of us would come to the realization that our motivation to write and put people on blast is more about ourselves and what we receive than about the good of the other person and the church at large. I can relate to Jeremiah (Jer 17:9-11) as he describes the condition of the human heart.

9  The heart is deceitful above all things,

and desperately sick;

who can understand it?

10  “I the Lord search the heart

and test the mind,

to give every man according to his ways,

according to the fruit of his deeds.”

Jer 17

Our motivations may be fueled by a desire to build our own platform and influence. @Muddamalle

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After prayer and consideration, if we find that our motivation is rooted in a desire to build our own platform or influence, it’s better to stop writing than allow our platform and influence to grow. There is more challenge and danger that is waiting for us if our internal motivation is not considered. Further, the biblical model of correction seems to occur within a local context. The local church elders and those that are apart of accountability for a pastor, teacher, and leader. The weight of responsibility falls on these individuals for the process of correction and addressing issues and concerns.

Possible Damage:

I can’t help but consider what the world thinks of us as they look behind the curtains and see Christians at each other’s throat’s. What kind of witness does this accomplish, if any? I believe it’s worth noting the tension that we find in Titus 2 and 3. We see a call and clear direction to teach sound doctrine. Similarly, we are also called to be in good standing within our community. In fact, Titus 2 ends with a specific command. Paul states, “Let no one disregard you”. Again, I can’t help but consider that there are people out there that disregard christians because it seems like we look no different from anyone else. In fact, in some ways things look worse because there are continuous civil wars occurring. As we turn to the opening versus of Titus 3 Paul turns his attention to how believers should conduct themselves. In the age of social media I believe these words are more timely now than ever before. Take a moment to consider the words of the Apostle Paul.

3 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. 3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

While the context of this passage is in relation to “rulers and authorities” the command to show perfect courtesy toward “all people” does in fact mean, “ALL PEOPLE”. Even if we are not under the authority or submission to these “celebrity” pastors we should still show them a certain level of respect and honor (1 Th 5:12-13, 1 Ti 5:17) while balancing the biblical mandate to stand up for and speak truth.

Again, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t stand up for truth. Simply that we should do it in a manner that is honoring and fits our context. Engage in meaningful discussion with friends, in your small group, at your church, and if you post anything public be considerate about your tone and content in the post. Do what’s helpful for the church and follow your convictions as they are guided by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.

Final Consideration:

Consider your platform and influence. In all honesty, if these things should be addressed I have a feeling that there are individuals in equal platform and influence that can and do address these issues. Simply sharing those articles can be helpful. Also, many of these pastors have Q/A sessions for their blogs or through twitter. Take time to ask these questions through those mediums and see how they respond.

I am convinced that building my platform will result in failure, so I’d rather make Jesus famous.

Conversation:

Please check out my clarification point below, first.

Now, I’d love to hear your thoughts! What do you agree with, what confuses you, where do your completely disagree? Feel free to post a comment on this post, on my Facebook page, or tweet to me @muddamalle. Looking forward to engaging in healthy and helpful conversation.

** Clarification * – The “preachers” who I am referring to that are being singled out are making headlines of blogs  are within the body the Christ. They are brothers and sisters in Christ and while what they say may be controversial they would not fall into the category of “False Teachers”. Therefore, my request for caution in our response is in light of this important fact.

3 Ways to Respond to Criticism

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Criticism

I’ve called it numerous things in the past. A pursuit of excellence, paying attention to detail, just wanting everything to be the best it can be, but finally I realized that the best definition for my behavior was simply; being critical. The funny thing is, I hate it when people are critical of me.

My critical nature robs me of joy, every time. Other peoples criticism of me leaves me deflated.

The pleasure of criticizing robs us of the better pleasure of unconscious delight

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Spurgeon helps us see that there is value even in friends who are critical.

Spurgeon Quotes Critics

So how do we respond to criticism? Should we respond to criticism? Yes, we should respond to criticism. However, its more complex than that. Sometimes we need to address those that are being critical and at other times we need to address the criticism privately with ourselves. The latter sounds crazy, but its the most helpful approach to criticism that I have found.

1. Respond:

If you are responding to the person who is being critical and addressing the issue, do so both prayerfully and with an extra measure of grace. Again, sounds crazy but most biblical responses are crazy. The individual being critical with you is doing so out of a lack of grace. The reasons could be numerous, but more often than not, its simply because they have never been shown grace. Take this opportunity to show grace to the person. Let them know how their approach made you feel. First, start with anything they said that may have been accurate and true. This introspection will help them see that your response is not knee jerk but a thoughtful response that takes into consideration what they said, regardless of how they said it.

2. Respond Personally:

Don’t respond directly to the individual. Sometimes its not helpful. The result could be more damaging that restorative and relationship building. In these instances still address the criticism but do so personally. Consider what the individual said and their background or perspective. Now ask if there was any truth in what they said. Do your best to remove the emotion and the delivery method. Surprisingly, there may be something that is incredibly helpful. Our ability to pull apart the truth regardless of how the message was delivered is essential in our personal development and applies to al areas of our life.

3. Forgive, Release, Act:

Act on what was true in the message and forgive and release the person that delivered the message in a hurtful manner. Part of our maturity both spiritually and emotionally affects our ability to forgive. Often, our pre-requisite to forgiveness is the other person being willing to forgive us or acknowledge their own faults. The best thing you could do for yourself personally, is truly forgive others regardless of how they respond or what they do. Finally, put in place a plan to change whatever the other person points out. Regardless of how you received the information, it’s yours now. So be wise and accountable to that and put in place the action steps to change what you need to.

Bonus: Don’t let criticism get under your skin. The poet Tasso says is well as he responds to his enemies speaking ill and criticizing his works:

“I am not disturbed. How much better it is that he speak ill of me to all the world than that all the world should speak ill of me to him”.

 

Introducing: The Traveling Dad Series

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Traveling Dad

I was on an airplane with Brittany, Liam, Levi, and Lucas heading to Houston. Liam turned to me suddenly and said:

“Ohh…Dadda…so this is where you live!?”…

Never saw that one coming.

I realized quickly that traveling threw a couple wrenches into parenting. It was much more difficult being a traveling Dad than I anticipated. Some of you may be thinking:

“How does this apply to me?”

Whether or not you travel, it is impossible to be with your kids 24 hours a day. In that case, you may experience some of the challenges that I have in a different context. Most of what I write about will serve as principles that you can apply to your context. In fact, I’d love to hear about how you do that! Let me know in the comments section.

I’d encourage you to do 3 things as we kick off this series:

  1. Share this post (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+) – It’s my hope and prayer that this will be helpful to seasoned parents, new parents, new couples, and even people who are just thinking about the implications of marriage and parenthood. We all have people in one or all of those categories, so hopefully these posts will help them!
  2. Subscribe to the email news letter – Don’t miss a post. When you subscribe you will get each post delivered directly to your in box! I’m also working on devotional e-book and the only way to get it will be to sign up!
  3. Check out the first post – This first post covers one of my first challenges, discipline!

3 Things Vince Gill and Carrie Underwood Taught Us About Evangelism

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Many of you may have seen the video of Vince Gill and Carrie Underwood doing a stunning rendition of the classic Christian Hymn “How Great Thou Art”. If you haven’t take a look.

When I first saw this I found myself simultaneously stunned, in awe, wonder, and captivated by the talent of both of these artist’s which lead me immediately to being thankful to our great God who gives us such incredible talents and gifts. I can’t imagine the risk that Vince Gill and Carrie Underwood took as they collaboratively decided to do this particular song on such a large stage. Their example gives us some important reminders about evangelism and the importance of presenting the gospel in a variety of ways to a variety of people.

Excellence:

Excellence is important. One of the things I love about this video is the response in the crowd. As they listen to these epic words that have been sung by countless christians throughout the decades, the audience is first impacted by the excellence of musicianship and the vocal ability. This excellence paves a path for the reception and consideration of the words of this hymn. In fact, towards the end of the clip you see some famous artists moved to tears. This pursuit of excellence is important for every christian. The way in which you share the gospel can be multi faceted. This can be done through speech, music, the arts, and more. Therefore, pursuit of excellence should be a priority for believers.

Conviction/Execution:

They followed through with both conviction and executed flawlessly. There was not a hint of hesitation. Possibly the most crippling challenge for anyone is the lack of conviction which results in the in ability to execute. We all have great ideas when it comes to evangelism and how we can share Christ with those that we love, but how often do we actually execute that idea? Being able to follow through is important. This simple act of execution is crucial for everyone.

Boldness:

This song choice was not without risk. Both Vince and Carrie knew the possible negative press that could come from their song choice. In fact, I can imagine some PR specialists asking them to reconsider the song based on recent events with religious freedom and the issue of homosexuality in Indiana that has hit the front page of news. Regardless of the potential risk, both Vince and Carrie were bold in their decision and followed through with excellence. At times the possible negative outcome can sway our decision making process. In fact, it can cause us to question not only our decisions but our motives and beliefs. Acts 4:29 is worth noting, the first century church believers plead with the Lord to give them boldness as they speak truth about what Christ has done. Therefore, it would be wise for us to echo this same prayer for our lives.

acts 4 29

 

Bridging Two Worlds: Music and the Word

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Bridging Two WorldsI remember sitting in a church planting workshop and hearing a pastor and the worship leader talking through their process for collaborating weekend services. They essentially unpacked how they were able to neatly categorize each part of the service and allocate responsibility to either the teaching pastor or the worship leader. They met once a week for 15 minutes to run over the set list, identify any transitions, and then they were off. I left thinking that there has to be more to the story. Is it really that easy to just separate roles and responsibilities and leave it like that?
This caused me to consider the implication of this type of system. I believe the results could be challenging and create an environment that fosters competition and segmentation. Be on the look out for the following:

1. Areas of ownership versus collaborative ownership

The term “areas of ownership” is common among businesses and teams. Essentially, what are you responsible for, what do you own? When it comes to a worship service, consider that you don’t “own” anything. Rather, it is a collaborative effort where all the pieces of a service come together to honor God, make much of Him, and clearly and boldly proclaim the Gospel. Changing your perspective from individualistic to “holistic” will in return cause you to value all the other parts of the service.

2. Compartmentalizing worship in song and preaching.

It can become easy to view the worship service in parts. The first being the singing and the second being the preaching of the Word, view them as continuation. Worship in song is a communal experience, knitting the hearts of believers together. It causes us to remember who God is and His goodness. Further, it causes us to consider what Christ has done and is continuing to do in our lives and in the life of those around us. As our heart posture is set correct before the Lord, we begin to dive into his Word. Engaging the text and being encouraged and admonished through the proclamation of the Gospel is important. These are not two different things, they are simply a continuation of one thing.

3. Team mentality versus a church and family mentality

The conclusion of the first two issues eventually results in a team mentality. All of sudden the worship team begins to create a “mini-team” within a larger team. However, the motivation, values, and mission of this mini-team can begin to stray from that of the church. There should never be a team mentality that disrupts the vision and mission of the church. Rather, focus on the development of a church family mentality. You do serve in “mini-teams” and these teams are formed to fulfill and execute the mission and vision of the church.

4. Diminishing appreciation and value for the weekend service as a whole

If you find yourself in a place of segmentation and separation, you will eventually begin to resent the service. This is dangerous to say the least. In my generation this diminishing appreciation and value for the gathering of believers has resulted in a “non-church going” movement. I’ve seen people my age disengage from the local church and choose to meet in small groups or leverage technology to live stream church services. A word of warning, watching a live stream of a church service is NOT you being apart of a local church.

So what is the solution?

How do we bridge the gap that can be present between the preaching and singing during church?
The answer lies in the relationship between the pastor and worship leader. Even more important is their understanding of corporate worship and how they individually work together as a team to see the Gospel preached and to edify the body, equip the saints, and bring conviction to those who are not near Christ.
Unity is everything.

Recommended Resources:

Here are some tools and resources that may be helpful to you as you pursue bridging the gap.

  • The Worship Initiative – My friends Shane and Shane have done a tremendous job modeling how the Word and Song are meant to work cohesively together
  • Planning Center Online – I’ve had the opportunity to work with these guys in the past. Not only do they have a genuine love for the church, they have the best planning solution for your church service and various ministries.
  • The Church Collective – Recently I did a podcast interview with them. Ryan and Brian are awesome. They love the church and want to provide resources that will be a blessing to local churches
  • Logos Bible Software – Shameless plug here. Honestly, both the Worship Leader and Teaching Pastor need to be serious students of the Word. This will enable you to have conversations that are rooted in Biblical truth and not merely opinion.

When Preferences Become Convictions

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John Wesley Quote

Although a difference in opinions or modes of worship may prevent an entire external union; yet need it prevent our union in affection? – John Wesley

This las year I’ve had the privilege of traveling to various conferences that have roots in a variety of streams, traditions, and denominations. Interestingly, while some of these conferences have a clear dividing line in terms of secondary issues concerning doctrine, theology, or church ordinance, the essentials remain the essentials. Further, it seems that at times the body of Christ has mistakenly taken preferences and turned them into convictions which in turn become dividing lines amongst brothers and sisters in Christ.

As I consider this past year I am encouraged by the conferences I attended. In fact, the church at large would benefit from each other. While it seems that there is a resurgence of a pursuit of Christian unity, this really should be a priority for church and ministry leaders. I love what John Wesley says regarding church unity.

Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike? May we not be of one heart, though we are not of one opinion? – John Wesley

While it is inevitable that there are differences of opinions, the challenge is when those opinions become convictions. Rampant examples of this occurring in the local church are:

Music

Music may be the most visible preference that can quickly become a conviction for some. In the past I have served as a Worship Leader/Pastor and so I find myself very sensitive to conversations involving music type, style, and creativity in the arts. In my experience, a major challenge is two fold. First, there are a lot of young and immature worship leaders out there (I was in this group when I first started). These young and restless worship leaders have a chip on their shoulder and the burden to bring excellence, innovation, and creativity into the church! Sadly, they blatantly overlook the second issue; context. The ability to contextualize is not only important for a pastor and his sermons but equally important to the worship leader and the songs that he chooses. Simply, music should never be a dividing line in the local church which causes hurts, anger, and resentment.

Tip: I think Shane and Shane have one of the best resources for worship leaders that want to pursue both musical excellence paired with a foundation in the scriptures. A pursuit of these two things will be incredibly helpful as you process music and style in your local church context. Check out their new project – www.worshipinitiative.com 

Technology

I work for a technology company that serves the church. You can only imagine the amount of conversations with pastors that I have in regards to technology and their local church. Conversations from church leaders that want to move from the faithful hymnal to “that projection stuff”. Then the very next conversation with a church leader who has an entire creative/arts team and they are working through environmental projection, mapping, and playing around with the development of a church app.

Tip: If you are looking for good church app check out www.bibleandjournalapp.com

The type of technology that you use or do not use should not be a predicating factor for unity in…

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 I’ve found myself in an incredibly traditional church compared to where I’ve served on staff previously. It has been refreshing and eye opening.

Final Thought

Ultimately, this all boils down to a heart issue. Regardless of preferences, it is more than possible for churches and ministry leaders to partner together for the common goal of the advancement of the gospel. It’s ok to have preferences. However, its never ok for those preferences to cause hurt, resentment, gossip, or other forms of destructive behaviors within the body of Christ.

3 Important Lessons I Learned in 2014

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3 Lessons

As the hours go by we are getting closer to the beginning of 2015. It is typically in these moments that many of us are reflecting on important events, moments, and lessons learned in the past year. I’ve always loved history and I am strong advocate of studying history in order to ensure that we don’t make the same mistakes of those that came before us. The same principle applies to reflecting on our own history in order to learn from and avoid making the same mistakes. So here are three important lessons that I learned this past year.

1. Time management is more important than we think

As you’ve read before on this blog I’ve done over 150,000 miles of air travel. Life has gotten more busy, there are more conferences than I could ever imagine, my kids are getting older and seemingly growing up in front of my eyes. This year I’ve learned the importance of time management. I’ve also learned the importance of being effective and efficient. Things that I wish were taught in more detail in school. Building effective time management skills will pay dividends to you in every area of your life. Its important, and something that I wish I learned and valued earlier on in life. Today, the most important area of my life is being a husband and dad. Learning to intentionally prioritize and be there for my family is of utmost importance, especially since I travel so much for work. You can read more about how I pursue this here.

If you want to read a great gospel centered book on being effective and efficient I recommend “Whats Best Next” by Matt Pearman. This book has been a lifesaver for me this year on so many levels!

2. Be the light and defend the light

I recently read a quote by a well known pastor that said, “our job is not to defend the light but to let the light shine through us”. I understand what he is trying to say but I believe the implications of this type of evangelism are detrimental to the believer. It is our responsibility to both BE the light AND defend the light. Using our mind in the defense of the gospel while living the gospel is always the most effective method of evangelism.

Using our mind in the defense of the gospel while living the gospel is always the most effective…

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I’ve seen this play out every time I am in an airport, shuttle, hotel room lobby, or restaurants eating. It is a given that I should treat those that I meet in a christlike manner. But more important, is for me to verbalize and clearly communicate the gospel to them. Lets not assume gospel, but be intentional to communicate it. An easy way to engage our culture with the gospel is to leverage what is happening in our culture. Recently, I wrote a post about Exodus: Gods and Kings. I was a little “edgy” with the title of the post and called it “Why I love Exodus: Gods and Kings“. Let me put it plainly for those that may have been upset with that title and didn’t take the time to read the post. The reason why I love the movie is not because of the movie but because of the opportunity the movie provides for us to engage our community with the Gospel. One critic commented and said, “why would we want hollywood telling the story of the Bible?”. I think the bigger question is why don’t Christians have non believer friends in their life so they can both be Christ and communicate the truth of the gospel to them? You can read the post here.

3. Don’t stop learning

One of the things that I love about working for Faithlife is the emphasis that is placed on ongoing education. Every year we have a program where employees are encouraged to read books that deal with their area work and we get paid for each page that we read. 2014 has been filled with reading for me. I find my self getting sucked into books and “binge” reading. I love focusing on different categories and genres of literature. Here are the categories and books that I’ve read this year (not including books I’ve read for seminary).

 

2015, see ya soon!

What We Can Learn From Charles Darwin

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Desiring God

Some of you may have opened up this post simply because you doubt we can learn anything from Charles Darwin. In most cases I would agree with you, however, I recently came across a fragment of a letter he wrote to his children. I’ve been re-reading John Pipers, Desiring God. Piper unpacks Darwin’s comments to his children as they relate to church leaders. Darwin writes,

“Up to the age of 30 or beyond it, poetry of many kinds…gave me great pleasure, and even as a schoolboy I took intense delight in Shakespeare… Formerly pictures gave me considerable, and music very great, delight. But now for many years I cannot endure to read a line of poetry: I have tried to read Shakespeare, and found it so intolerably dull that it nauseated me. I have also almost lost any taste for fine scenery, but it does not cause me the exquisite delight which it formerly did… My mind seems to have become a kind of machine for grinding general laws out of large collections of facts, but why this should have caused the atrophy of that part of the brain alone, on which the higher tastes depend, I cannot conceive… The loss of these tastes is a loss of happiness, and may possibly be injurious to the intellect, and more probably to the moral character, by enfeedbling the emotional part of our nature.” – Charles Darwin

First, let me make an assertion that Darwin’s loss of awe and wonder of poetry, nature, and music are directly tied to his position on a creator and a life long pursuit to deny the existence of God. If we hold to a position that there is not a creator who masterfully crafted and spoke all things into existence, it is not difficult to gradually lose your amazement. Life begins to become apathetic and ultimately you begin to lose hope all together.

Dr. Piper correlates what Darwin experiences with what is occurring in churches around the world. It seems that somewhere along the way, we are in danger of losing our sense of wonder and awe as we become routine in our approach to church services and tradition. Piper says,

“For many, Christianity has become the grinding out of general doctrinal laws from collections of biblical facts. But childlike wonder and awe have died.” – John Piper

Dr. Piper is absolutely correct and his observation is something that pastors and church leaders should consider as they diligently prepare for their church services. The danger that Dr. Piper points out is the loss of childlike wonder and awe as we continue in the rhetoric of church and tradition without a sense of joy and exhilaration that comes from the daily pursuit of the Gospel. The question then remains, how can church leaders curb the tendency to fall into this routine that results in a numbness of sensation? As I’ve traveled and had the opportunity to meet with a variety of churches that span various traditions, here are two practices that seem to be helpful.

1. Create a framework that allows for creative expression

The challenge for some ministry leaders is the “tradition” that is created from doing the same thing over and over. Sometimes our processes become static which creates an environment where creative expression can be challenging. Creating a framework that allows breathing room for creative expression allows for various opportunities that can help to facilitate and reinforce that sense of wonder and awe when we are exposed to the beauty of the Gospel.

2. Have a creative team

Not everyone is creative. The great thing about the body of Christ is that everyone has a skill set. There are inevitably people within your church that have insane creative genius. Tap into that! As you prepare for a new sermon series bring that team into the creative process and consider ways to bring the Bible to life through various mediums. Last year, the best creative conference that I attended (in my opinion) was SALT Nashville. I happen to know the guy and team behind the conference and was able to be apart of the conference. It was incredible to see pastors and church leaders leaving the conference feeling equipped. Part of the equipping was stepping into a story that was unpacked in each session. Sometimes, we have to have an experience which in turn opens up an array of opportunities that could work within our own context.

If you are looking for some further ideas or resources here are some recommendations:

  • SALT Nashville – This conference is quickly becoming the premiere conference in the creative space
  • Stephen Brewsters Blog – Stephen is a creative genius who leads the creative team at Cross Point Church in Nashville. What I love more than his work is his desire to equip and help the church to pursue excellence in the area of the arts.
  • Linger Conference – This conference is hosted by Shane and Shane. Shane and Shane have become some great friends and I love their passion for the church. This year at Linger they are creating a “Creative Day” before the Linger Conference. I would highly recommend this. Also, I’ll be there teaching a workshop on Logos Bible Software and how theology is the catalyst that empowers the creative. Make sure you come and say hi!
  • Desiring God – Dr. John Pipers book is much more than a book for creatives. Through the course of its pages you will find yourself encouraged in your daily Christian walk. Possibly, the most encouraging thing about this book is the emphasis it places on making much of God which goes hand in hand with enjoying Him.

The Best Bible Software Gets Better – Logos Version 6

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Yes, its true that I travel over 120K+ miles a year and share how awesome Logos Bible Software is at conferences around the world. In all honesty, Logos Bible Software is the best hands down. Whats crazier, is that it keeps getting better. I’ve had the opportunity to play with version 6 for over a month now. Every pastor and ministry leader needs tools that help him/her dig deeper into the word of God and really be prepared for ministry. Logos is that tool and version six makes it event better. Here are a few new features that I think are game changers.

Visual Copy :

As pastors, we are always looking for insights from those that have gone before us (ancient church fathers) or those that are around today that can speak into various areas as a result of their specialties (Timothy Keller on Culture and Church, N.T Wright and the Resurrection). We usually come across something specific that someone says and want to quote directly to that. In the past that required searching print books, then copying the quote word for word on paper or into our computer, then sending the file to our A/V person to create an amateur looking slide or have it printed into a church bulletin. Today, with L6 your old process looks like this. Search the topic, highlight the quote, create your “visual Copy” slide, and save or send to Proclaim Church Presentation Software.
Check it out:

Factbook:

This feature is literally like having a team of research assistants that compile all the information necessary to be an expert on any person, place, or thing. Factbook brings all your written, visual, and interactive media together in one place to give you the breadth of information that Logos has to offer in a quick search.
Prepare to be amazed:

Cultural Concepts:

One of the most important aspects to biblical study is an understanding of the culture and context. I love the conversation that occurs between Tim Keller, D.A Carson, and John Piper as they discuss the importance of application and understanding of culture and historicity. Essentially, as students of God’s Word we need to have an understanding of the cultural climate that is occurring to understand the writing and intended meaning of the author. A clear understanding of the cultural and historical landscape allows us to connect the dots in our sermon and teaching preparation. Cultural concepts in Logos allows you to do this like an expert, within seconds.
Check it out:
You can get Logos 6 today, just head over to –  https://www.logos.com/basepackages

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