[rick][womack]

i watched this video and it challenged me on two levels:

1.) because i'm deaf in my left ear, i can totally relate to the young man mark speaks of here - i have experienced many of the same situations...going to an altar, having someone pray for me, having no clue what they prayed (it does not negate the prayer, just the ability to agree in prayer)...having a waiter/waitress walk up and ask to serve and being totally unaware that they are there...

2.) because i believe we - the CHURCH - have the greatest message to tell - i'm constantly evaluating how effective we are in making it easy for people to hear --> understand --> receive the message

take four minutes of your life and watch this...at about 3:15 and forward, it gets really powerful - great stuff...please, chime in on your thoughts!

here are some new blogs that are on my radar...

• i've got google alerts set to let me know of anything going on on the web regarding the IPHC and it came across this blog - it's from one of my alma mater - southwestern christian university - it's a blog for scu women - interesting find for me was a brief review of a book written by my friend francis pike - the dean of the graduate school's wife - here's a link to the scu women site and a link to the promo featuring the book
• that site led me to several others...there's a scu toolbox that has quite a few resources for ministry and church planting (GREAT resource site and seems to be kept current)...here's one on pentecostal research (great for archivists)
• our denomination has set up a blog, it seems to be yet another "news source" without a lot of interactivity - hey guys in OKC, if you read this...PLEASE: 1.) remove the "policies" tab at that top - nothing turns readers (guests) off more than the "rules" being front and center - not against the rules, just don't make them prominent; 2.) make it more interactive - do away with the "users must be logged in" before commenting - you have moderated comments (which i agree with totally), but why must i go through 1&1 and give them my contact info? - again, make it more interactive - create discussion! the A/G's did a GREAT job of this right before last year's convention - we can learn from them! their site is no longer active - but here's the last post still available
• other blogs i've added recently...i added anne jackson's blog - she has tons of readers...bobby clinton was one of my professors at scu and is THE MAN behind all things leadership! while maxwell is the "orator" and motivator for leadership, clinton is the theory and biblical background regarding leadership - REALLY glad he's blogging!...added the catalyst leader feeder blog to my bloglines - i love catalyst and hopefully will go back this year - jeff, you coming down to the ATL? added this one and this one also...
  

genesis clearly outlines a few important facts for us...just thinking out loud here...
1.) our God is The Creator
2.) we are created
3.) in His image
4.) the creative ability that He has...is available for us
5.) we should create!

having said that, i was talking with a pastor the other day who's in the revitalization process in a church...he had done an email blast campaign with outstanding success (blasted out 200,000 emails to a zip specific area, had 12,000 people "open" the email, and has had over 1200 "hits" on his website in the last 7-10 days)...this is what i said to him when talking about the effectiveness of this (i.e. if it generates actual people in the chairs)...

...don't miss the importance of this...

1.) we have to give people a 'reason' to WANT to come to our church - that's called interest - there are things you can do to create interest! aren't there? what would the opposite be? "oh, i don't want people interested in coming to our church!" - ridiculous statement isn't it? of course!

2.) then we work on the 'habit' of them coming to church - that's why we do sermon series (at least that's my hope!) - if you're NOT doing sermon series...start! AND, give them a reason to come back the next week...tease them, give them a "lead in" - "tip them" to something that you'll be covering next week...in other words, HELP them make up their mind BEFORE they leave that they ARE coming BACK - perhaps you're saying to yourself, "that's a mind-game, that's shallow, that's not spiritual" - what would the opposite be? "oh, we don't really care if you come back next week!" - ridiculous statement isn't it? of course!

watch this...great content...

do you twitter?

just trying to find out the "why" behind the twitter-craze...just don't see the value...

ask your friends if they twitter...

if nothing else...

it's fun to say...

twitter!

i was driving up the interstate today on my way to the office...listening to the radio...on came a contest that offered "caller #7" an opportunity to win a chance at going to a racing school - you've got to understand, this is one of my dreams...i want to race a car...go really fast and not get pulled over by the police...i want to feel the adrenaline of hitting a turn and the g's pressing against me...i want to have the ability to throttle down and have 750 horserpower move me really quickly down a stretch...i've even looked into the costs here - so...i was ready to dial in, ready to take my chances and give it a shot - i was going to be "caller #7"

only one problem...

the phone number wasn't a number...

it was a name...something like, "call 800-got-notn"

here's the problem...

i own this phone

and on this phone...the letters do not match up like they on the 20th century phones...in other words...the "#1" does not have 'a, b, c' on it - my "#1" has the letter 'w' on it....

so...

your cute little name/number strategy doesn't work for me...

it's old and it doesn't translate to the vast number of blackberry, treo, blackjack, Q, and other pda/cell combos - your old strategy is no longer effective...gee...

i wonder if we do that in church - do we ever strop to consider that what worked in late 20th century may not work in the 21st? do we ever slow down long enough and look at something so simple as a phone (or a bulletin, overhead, flannel graph) perhaps doesn't work as an effective strategy?

here's the deal...i wanted to win that contest...i was ready...but i couldn't connect...

same with your church...they want to come...they are ready...can they connect?

been a while since i posted some links to other bloggers - been sitting on some of these for a really long time - some are from friends, some are challenging, some are for leaders, some for pastors, some for people that have pastors...check some of these out...

• tony posts a great series of one-liners as it relates to communication - i like this statement, "Your message is only one of thousands I've already heard today."
• perry (tony's boss) posts seven joy killers in ministry - let me just say, he's right! - i like this statement, "Compare yourself ONLY to the vision God gave you."
• perrry follows up with four ways to restore joy in ministry - let me just say, he's right! - i like this statement, "We use the excuse, “Well, the devil never takes a day off,” never stopping to realize that we should not be attempting to imitate him!"
• my good friend todd talks about creativity here - i like this statement, "Think about the word creative, a more modern definition of the word creative is the art of making something new."
• todd also gets fired up here about being the church - i like this statement, "I am going to be setting the pace, this is the year that God is going to do a new thing in me and my church and I refuse to miss out on what God has in store. I am not going to hold back, I am going to pray, shout, speak in tongues, speak prophetically, lay hands on the sick, dance before God, fall slain in the spirit and basically just BE THE CHURCH that I want to see, freed up and allowing God to use me." - GO FOR IT MAN!!!!!
• craig has four posts that have to do with successful ministry - good (and short) stuff...go read it - post #1, post #2, post #3, post #4
  
• this post by jim is perhaps the one that has helped me the most in the last four months - i don't think i've referenced it before, but i've kept it pinned to my bloglines read page so that i can go back and re-read it every few days - this is MUST read for everyone - if you don't read the rest, read this! - it has to do with finishing well - something we all do - we all need to finish well...i just attened the funeral of one of our pastors...an EC instructor...a coach...a storyteller...a preacher...a retired military chaplain - he finished well - ponder these things! this will encourage you no matter what you do - secular business person, educator, minister, dad, mom, coach, councilman, whatever - read this post! (did i mention that i think you should read this?)
• speaking of EC, my quasi-friend jj shoots straight here - i love the candor and honesty of college students! this will challenge many of you (and it should!!!)
  
• finally, is your pastor burned out? that's the question coach john asks and he gives some things to look for - really helpful stuff!
  

man, there's been a bunch of really good posts from a variety of people on a variety of topics...i'll share some of those in a moment. but first...

i heard something this week that totally related to why i read blogs and learn from others...imagine, if joshua could have woke up every morning and spent just a few minutes with moses...picking his brain...finding out what he was thinking(like here!)...asking for his wisdom(such as is demonstrated here!)...asking for correction...seeking council - well, with the advent of the blogosphere, we have that opportunity - no, not literally reading moses' blog (or joshua's), but there are some great leaders in the body of Christ that are downloading what they're learning, how they're leading, what they're going through, they are challenging, they are rebuking in some cases, they are sharing, they are being real - they are being relevant! btw, furtick is the one who shared this concept in one of his blogs which is one that i really enjoy reading and learning from - face it - the dude is in his late 20's and he's leading a church of over 2000 people that's less than 2 years old - there's got to be something that i can learn from him - so i do! do i agree with it all? heck no! do i want to adapt it all? don't be ridiculous! does it take a little time? of course! is it worth it? priceless!

so, here are some blog posts that caught my eye this week...

• there's a conference that takes place annually called MinistryCom - don't have any real desire to go, especially when much of the content is posted on blogs such as this one and this one
• here's a thoughtful one by franquiz...really, have never thought about this much, but gotta say i agree with a lot of this - sermons and systems - check it out
• when your're in any position of leadership (it does not matter...parent, ceo, team leader, coach, team mom, room mom, sunday school teacher, cfo, board member, deacon, manager, etc.) you'll face criticism - here are two great posts on this topic - both were posted on the same day, several days ago - one's a short quote, one a bible story parallel
• here's a series of posts from vince that deal with having God's heart for people...don't take that statement lightly - question: why does the church exist? - here's a hint...it's not for the Christians! really well thought out and articulated posts...'are you willing to sacrifice?'...'lost'...'can you imagine'...'the wind resistance of vomit' (this guy is a new-to-me blogger but has some incredible things to say - add him to your reader or bloglines - also, be sure to read all of his posts ALL THE WAY through - you'll be challenged!)
• for some humor, check out this post about the first church of rock and roll airheads - btw, if we're focused on calling our brothers and sisters (in Christ) names such as r-n-r airheads, we need to go back have some vomit sprayed our way (i told you, check out vince's post to better understand!) - there are lots of comments on this post so if you have time, check them out too.
• ok, here's one last one that is graphic and controversial - consider yourself WARNED! - controversial mainly because the church has avoided almost entirely the subject of sex - but, if you're going to read it, read it all, it's really about more than just sex - once you get to the last paragraph - let me know if you agree - it's time to stop being 'nice' - 'nice' is over!
  

i posted a couple of links in the last week or so to davidfoster.tv and have gotten a lot of feedback regarding it - seems that some of what he says resonates with some, not so much with others...so, as long as the controversy train is going, and i'm really enjoying reading and re-reading some challenging posts, i thought i'd link some others that are 'on my radar'

here's the deal, one of the reasons i love the blogosphere is because it challenges me - if you look at my blogroll, you'll see that i read a variety of posts (marketing, tech, business, leadership, organization, pastors, church planters, children's ministry, friends) - the posts that i love the most are those that challenge me and those that share what God is doing in people's lives. so, as you click through and visit the following posts, realize that i'm not posting them for the sake of controversy, rather for the sake of confrontation. controversy, in my opinion, is no more than dueling opinions with no end in sight - confrontation is face-to-face; it's a challenge to the 'norm'; it's an unsettling of the routine for the sake of examination and POSSIBLE change - enjoy

• 'hello, my name is church-dropout-guy and i'm coming to your church tomorrow' - is another in the series of posts by foster that looks at what it feels like for a guest to attend church - realize, please, that not all of these statements apply - he ministers in nashville which has a very different vibe than your city (probably) - that being said, i really like this statement: "Bottom line: give me hope, the hope that comes from the gospel’s good news about God’s lavish grace. Help me to understand it. It’s my shallow understanding after my conversion that’s kept me a child in my faith. This time around, help me go deeper, but make it simple. I get confused easily."
• futrick knocks another one out of the park - caution: this will challenge many people - i like this statement: "You know, I don’t mind helping my 2 year old eat his Easy Mac. But if he can’t pick up a fork and bring the food to his mouth by age 20, we have a problem." - you gotta read the rest
• travis does a great job of putting the issue of social justice in a nutshell for the church (great post travis). i like this statement: "How can we indulge in our portion without even giving a thought to the oppressed around the world and in our neighborhoods?" also, head over to ncc and check out what they're doing to address this and put it on the radar for their congregation - great idea!
  
• perry's church had a 'hell' of a sunday - so great to see anderson, sc, reached for Christ and the creativity with which newspring is reaching out with - way to go newspringers! 110 people saved! ENOUGH SAID!

preaching this week and i've been assigned a topic...this is not an unusual situation in large churches that use a lot of sermon series and work pretty far in advance...like, months and months in advance. some would think this is perhaps 'unspiritual' or something similar - i think not! see, the holy spirit can easily speak to me or a group of people several weeks in advance or on the spot, he's not boxed in by our fossils...it is, however, a challenge for me - i tend to never think a sermon is 'done' until i'm 'done' delivering it...i'm constantly having to review things, think things through and re-evaluate thing...it's a challenge!

anyway, the pieces are coming together, i have my direction, my outline and yes, i have prayed...btw, that's the first part! here's the thing that always amazes me...this week, i have the God-given opportunity to present His Word and direction for our church - that's an amazing and AWEsome responsibility that i DON'T take lightly...i embrace it! i like what batterson says, 'pray like it depends on God and work like it depends on me' - that's a pretty good guide for most of what we do in life!

one final thing about speaking and preaching...i taught the preschoolers last night, not sure if they got anything out of it except that pastor rick let's them scream a lot (and they do an excellent job!) - just so you know, i'm way more comfortable ministering to adults and youth than i am kids/preschoolers - people don't realize it, but they have the power to take the world over - we have to beware of the preschoolers...ok, i'm just kidding, let's just say i know where my calling is NOT! (and so do they and all the adults watching me last night...:)

newspring announces (via tony) that they too are going open source on all their support and frontline resources...that means: videos intros, sermon outlines, sermons, graphics, ministry documents are all available for FREE online at newspringonline.com - way to go guys...

i love it when other ministries loose the territorial mindset and seek to be a benefit to the Body of Christ as a whole - again, way to go guys!

found a way to have my bloglines blogroll imported directly into my blog so i took advantage of it...also, streamlined and deleted some blogs that i don't pay much attention to or that are inactive...

so, if you're looking for other blog sources, you can see on the right which ones i follow...have a nice day!

these are some thoughts about what we did well in our father's day service...

• testimonies – testimonies keep it real for real people – they let people share their experiences.. they also let attendees understand that not everyone has ‘it together’ but that there's a God who cares...they connect the Gospel to real people
  
• video – this is an incredible tool to reach our younger generation
• background images – they were easy for the guys to relate to
• song choice – guys liked the songs, know what? so did the ladies from what i could tell.
• humor – humor is a form of entertainment – entertainment simply means to hold one’s attention
• change – we changed up the service…change is a good thing because it combats predictability.
• challenge – the challenge at the end was great…I think that leaving people with a strong challenge to ‘do something about it’ is always a good thing
• men's choir - the men's choir was the strongest it's ever been and they did an incredible job of leading us in worship
  

gotta be honest, one of the things that i loved about yesterday's service @ cotn was the intentionality put into reaching men. the dirt bike, the chain saws, the fishing poles - all of it communicates and connects with men.

isn't this what Jesus did? didn't he tell use parables that communicated with the people of his day? didn't he asses the situation, the crowd, the need, before he communicated?

let me state something that i recently heard - 'in order to flow in the prophetic, one of the first things we must do is look at who God has brought together' - that's a powerful statement and one every minister/leader/teacher/Christian would do well to think of first - before speaking!

just wanted to pass along some great reading from other bloggers that you've got to check out:

• mark batterson shares a quote from Best Life magazine that challenges me: The only thing worse than not having the skills you need to meet your challenges is not having challenges big enough to summon all of your skills.
• also, batterson shares about vulnerability in ministry: i like points#: 4,6,7 and 9
• tony morgan shares 6 leadership development points that are ALL spot on!
• chris and todd both offer recaps of our father's day service @ cotn - chris' also includes links to the vid's should you wish to review them again - good stuff guys!
• mark driscoll shares some staggering and sobbering stats about pastors - you NEED to read this, then pray for your pastor(s) and their families EVERY day! these stats don't lie...
  
• apple has released the safari web browser for use on microsoft systems - apple claims that their browser is up to (key words there...'up to') 2 times faster than IE7 and 'up to' 1.6 times faster than firefox (the new browser of choice) - what's this mean? there's no excuse for using IE any longer...
• finally, guy kawasaki has a great recap for people that speak in public either through performance or presentation - #4 really works (try it...i'll use this next time i need to) and #9 is a great tool for communicating
  

gotta say, our stage looks awesome today!

in celebration of it being father's day (and 'man day') we've got on stage: a dirt bike, several chain saws, hockey sticks, fishing poles, fishing nets, dawg jerseys and in the back of the sanctuary...a huge touring bike! oh yea, we also had a pulpit made out of wheels that had been welded together - way to go guys!

i love creativity! God is a creative God (read Genesis 1-2) - too bad we start out life creating and dreaming and too often as we get older we start criticizing and doubting...not today baby!

why all the extra tlc into today's sermon...because we've got to reach men...now, we just need to transfer this passion and creativity into an ongoing process to reach the nations...i love my church.

this one will probably be a sentimental post - tomorrow morning my daughter graduates from kindergarten - man, time flies...seems like just last year she was born, i went to second shift, stayed at home with her during the day and mom had her at night - that was a long few months - i missed my son and my wife, but i spent the first few months of her life with her - it was great...today, she spent the day with me, she wanted to be checked out early, so i did it - got to take EVERY chance you get as a dad because one day i won't be around her as much...i'm making deposits into her life every chance i get so that she grows up loving God and living for Him.

same goes for josh - he'll be heading into 7th grade and it's tough to swallow that pill - where did these years go - how'd they get by me SO quickly. still remember being the one to get him to the daycare or babysitter when he was an infant and a toddler, i remember the time taking him to the babysitter in west virginia and my car began sliding all over the mountain road on a sheet of ice - obviously, didn't care about the car, just the kid. in just a few short years i'll be taking him out to learn to navigate the roadways for himself...it'll be here sooner than i want! he's growing, becoming a young man, experiencing so much, learning so much, asking a lot of questions - i'm just really thankful that patrice and i have built a culture of communication

well, time to get some rest, going to be a long day tomorrow - i love my kids!

dads, if you're reading this and your a dad, there's perhaps no greater opportunity to make disciples than with your children - teach them to love the Lord your God with all their heart - read and re-read Deut. 6:1-9 - there's a ton that STILL applies to us dads...if you need to be encouraged, if you need prayer in this area, if you just need someone to bounce off of or vent to, please, don't hesitate to drop me an "e" or call... rickwomack[at]gmail[dot]com

was sitting in the chair a couple of days getting my haircut...my son was with me...the lady (casey) and josh were talking...she asked him if 'he got the memo?' about something...he said, 'what?'...then it hit me - he doesn't know what a 'memo' is...he has no idea what that phrase means...

had she said, 'did you get the email?' he might have understood, but then again, that's so my generation...had she said, 'did you get my text' and he would've known immediately what she meant...or, did you get my myspace or facebook?

made me think, just how much of what we communicate is relative to my generation and not the next? how much of what i communicate is phrased around my comfort zone of me rather than the listener - it's an easy thing to do...we just forget sometimes

regarding the gospel...the message is timeless, the method and the verbiage is not...think about it...let me know what you think...what else do you say that most 11-13 year olds wouldn't understand?