Church

Congratulations to LifeChurch.tv on celebrating their 15th anniversary.  Here is a short story with a great closing line from Craig Groeschel. ********** During LifeChurch.tv's 15th anniversary celebration this past Sunday, pastor Craig Groeschel rejected the "megachurch" label, despite the fact that he preaches to over 26,000 listeners every week. The Christian Post reported how Groeschel reminded everyone of the church's "humble beginnings" during the anniversary message, detailing the garage in which he first preached and the various buildings they outgrew on their way to their live satellite broadcasts and 13 locations across the U.S. Groeschel said he'd rather call LifeChurch a "micro-church with a megavision...to go into all the world, not just being happy with a service at 9:00 and 10:30. Never!" Ending his message, Groeschel recommitted himself and his family to the church's vision, saying, "We are all in again, for the rest of my life...I want you to be…

It's why we call it the World Wide Web. Just yesterday, I was spending a few minutes reading blogs I like to follow.  I started with Mac Lake, a blogger who writes about church leadership issues.  He led me to Casey Graham, who writes about church finances.  Casey led me to Mark Clement, a filmaker who uses his giftedness to shine God's light through media. And then I came to this article by Mark Clement: "I Couldn't Have Done it Without Him." In the article Clement mentions a fellow who I attended college with -- John Marc Green.  It's a small world.

Yesterday while scarfing down a quick lunch, I zipped over to the NY Times on my phone and read the techology section (ironic, I know).  I came across this interesting article entitled "Study Shows People Ignore Generic Photos Online." The premise is simple: people are more likely to interact with photos of people they know or recognize than with generic stock photos. Using eye-tracking software, Jakob Nielson discovered that generic stock photos are largely ignored; even more so, they are considered to be annoying. What does this mean for websites that are in the "people" business?  Stock photos are counter-productive.  They not only do not contribute to the message, they may actually be subconsciously working against the message. It may take a little more time, effort, and coordination, but utilizing "real" people from your church, business, or organization may produce unseen (pun intended) benefits.

Have you received a flu shot yet?  The change in season brings a new round of sniffling, sneezing, and wheezing.  If you catch a cold, remember to wash your hands.   Most of the time it's not a good thing to be contagious.  The folks around us may love our sense of humor but they're not big on our germs.  It's why wash our hands, cover our mouths, and stay home when we're really sick.  (Unless you're a parent, then you send your kid off to school).   But there are times when it's good to be contagious and one of those is when it comes to being generous.  We may not wish to receive someone's germs, but receiving their generosity is another matter.  And as far I can tell, spreading generosity is a socially-acceptable thing to do.   Barry Cameron's book, "Contagious Generosity: The Key to Blessing", makes a…