Daily Concern

Last year I had the opportunity to attend a brand new conference called Story. The focus was on effectively communicating the greatest story ever told. I was blown away at the creativity of the event. Everything thing from the website, promotion, atmosphere, hosts, music, drama and speakers was absolutely unique and inspiring.

I was so excited to hear that Story was coming back this year, this time I immediately signed up for two tickets, one for me and one for my wife. She’ll love the conference and we plan to stay a couple of extra days in Chicago as a weekend getaway. I’m also planning on sending another one or two people from my Marketing & Communications team.

If you a part of the communications, creative arts, web or video team in your church then do NOT miss this event. True to form, Ben Arment has re-worked this year’s conference to be completely different than last year – I can’t wait to see what he has in store for us all. Following are some exciting details regarding the event!

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STORY is a conference for the creative class in ministry on September 23-24, 2010 at Park Community Church in downtown Chicago. The purpose is to fuel the church’s artists, writers and producers in communicating the greatest story ever told. You’ll hear from some of the best creative practitioners in both ministry and the marketplace, from filmmakers and authors to actors and musicians. Presenters include:

• Dan Allender – best-selling author, professor at Mars Hill Graduate School
• Charlie Todd – creator of Improv Everywhere in New York City
• Princess Zulu – AIDS victim from infancy, advocate for the oppressed
• Jason Fried – founder of 37Signals, creator of Basecamp, author of Rework
• John Sowers – president of Donald Miller’s The Mentoring Project
• Shauna Niequist – former creative director at Mars Hill, author of Bittersweet
• David Hodges – formerly of the band Evanescence, award-winning songwriter
• Leonard Sweet – futurist, author of 40 books, professor at Drew University
• David McFadzean – creator of Home Improvement, producer of Roseanne
• Richard Walter – accomplished screenwriter and professor of film at UCLA
• Sean Gladding – member of Communality, a new monastic community
• Andrew Klavan – author of True Crime (Clint Eastwood) and numerous novels
• Gary Dorsey – founder of Pixel Peach Studio in Austin, TX
• Music by Vicky Beeching, Kari Jobe and Carlos Whittaker

Seating is limited to just 500 attendees, and the event is scheduled on a Thursday and Friday so you can enjoy the weekend in the city. Following its inaugural event in 2009, STORY is now a two-day, main-stage event with no breakouts or workshops; just an intimate audience with the top creative minds. You’ll be able to ask questions during the event and continue the conversation after it’s over. Visit www.storychicago.com.

You Were Called to Serve People, Not Software from Fellowship Technologies on Vimeo.

It seems to me that many of the issues we face on a daily basis…

• issues at home, at the church, or at the office;
• issues between our family, friends and coworkers;
• issues with projects, deadlines and deliverables;
• issues with authority, responsibilities and commitments;
• issues related to misunderstandings, misinterpretations and mistakes;

… can often be traced back to poor, ineffective and untimely communication between one or more parties.

The capital “C” Church has struggled to master the art of communication – from within its four walls, from the Church to its congregation, from the congregation to the Church and from members to members. Technology in and of itself cannot fix these issues but it can provide a set of tools to enable, streamline, and promote good, effective and timely communication.

This is why I was so excited to learn more about a new tool being developed called SoChurch. It aims to simplify church communication by providing tools that will foster community without getting in the way.

I was honored when the SoChurch team asked to join the advisory board for this new venture that is backed by an amazing team of leaders, innovators and technologists that have an awesome heart for the Lord and the local Church. I believe that SoChurch may be the tool that can finally help bridge the communication gap that exists in many churches today.

To keep in the loop about SoChurch, be sure to follow them on Twitter or join the Facebook group.

Would you like to see a sneak peek at SoChurch?

SoChurch will also help facilitate member involvement in and around the church. The SoChurch team shared with me a screenshot of the application where individuals can help meet the needs of their brothers and sisters in Christ.

Do you remember asking your parents “Are we there yet?” while on a long drive for a family vacation? Have your kids asked you that same thing just 10 minutes after leaving for a trip?

The entire focus is on the destination rather than enjoying the journey. You spend the weeks and days leading up to the vacation meticulously planning your every activity once you arrive at your destination. The only attention you pay to the journey is to pray that you don’t kill each other along the way.

Nowadays, many families opt for air travel, but if they did take the car or SUV it’s outfitted with DVD players, built-in game consoles, and iPods. Why on earth would you ever look out the window or talk to each other along the way to your destination?

Over the past year I’ve learned that the journey is often more memorable than the destination. It’s been repeatedly reinforced through my own experiences and through an awesome book by Donald Miller, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years.

For example, my only memory as a child of our family trip to Arizona is my father having to pull over in a blinding snow storm so that my brother could relieve himself. We opened the back door and the only food we had in the car spilled out onto the ground while my brother proceed to yellow both the snow and the food. Our initial shock quickly turned to laughter. We still laugh about it to this day yet I have no recollection of our time in Arizona.

(I’m sure that story either horrified you or brought back some fond memories you’ve suppressed for years.)

In the past, I’ve been guilty of focusing solely on the destination. I had our trip to Disney World mapped out to every last detail, including whether to go clockwise or counter clockwise when you enter the park. (Hint, the answer is clockwise, most people head to the right by default – no lines)

So this past spring I took the family to Ecuador. The only details I had arranged ahead of time were our flight and for a gentleman I met over the Internet to pick us up. Seven days in a foreign land, picked up by a stranger, with no firm plan, my wife and kids thought I was crazy. Perhaps I was but we had an awesome time, our best vacation ever. We traveled over fifty miles in a truck so bad that Sanford & Sons wouldn’t buy it. We were escorted over the mountains by someone who did not speak English, in fog so dense we couldn’t see the front of the truck. And we were chauffeured from another airport to a hotel by a strange but polite businessman we met on the flight.

These experiences, these stories, are what made the trip truly memorable. I learned it wasn’t just about the destination, about the things we’d do and see once we arrived, it was about the journey.

Keep in mind the journey may not be enjoyable. Without suffering one cannot truly appreciate joy.

• Joseph was thrown in a pit, spent years in jail falsely accused, before arriving at the destination God had planned for him
• The Israelites spent forty years wandering in the desert, learning about dependence upon God, before arriving at their destination, the promise land
• Paul endured hardships, and years with a thorn in his flesh, before spending eternity with Jesus
• A cancer patient who must endure tremendous pain and suffering must not forget the many new relationships and opportunities that are born out of the situation
• An entrepreneur may toil at his trade for years before ever reaping any rewards
• Jesus had to leave Heaven, to live life as a man, and be brutally crucified for humanity’s sins in order to get to His destination, by His Father’s side

While parts of the journey may be filled with challenges, many others will result in indescribable joy and long lasting memories. Over the past six years at Fellowship Technologies I’ve worked beside some tremendously talented individuals who have worked long hours, faced what seemed insurmountable challenges, and formed countless memories. It has been, and will continue to be, an awesome journey.

I’m convicted more than ever to live life to the fullest each day, to take the time to enjoy the journey, to write a new story… the destination will be here soon enough. 

God bless,

Curtis S

I am a part of Generation X, the “Baby Busters”, and I am guilty of trying to provide my children all of the things I thought I missed out on as a child of divorced parents. My wife and I took them on big annual vacations, got them the latest toys, the latest trendy clothes, put them in a private Christian school, and had them in church every time the doors were open.

We didn’t do it flippantly – or at least we didn’t think so. We thanked God openly for our countless blessings. We hid God’s word in their hearts. We patiently taught our children the value of hard work and about consequences. We taught them lessons via encouragement and discipline. We were involved in their lives but also gave them space to grow.

So far I believe we did a pretty good job. We are blessed with an 18 yr old son and a 14 yr old daughter who call Christ their Savior, who generally make good grades, honor their parents, and have steered clear of drugs, alcohol, and sex.

All along this journey we’ve been reminded of the direct parallels that exist between parents and their children to God’s relationship with us. That lesson was ever present again as my son recently completed his first semester away from home at college.

He was awarded an academic scholarship at a major university. We agreed to pay 100% of his expenses (tuition, books, room, misc) for the first semester – and beyond, assuming things went well. We counseled him throughout the summer about the challenges that college would present, the temptations that would exist, the need to stay true to his Faith, and the consequences that would result if his grades slipped. He had all of the tools and resources he needed to succeed.

Unfortunately he fell into every available trap that was laid before him. His grades suffered, he lost the scholarship, and had to step away from the fraternity. We weren’t happy of course but we talked through the mistakes with him, forgave him, and now he’s packed and ready to return to college for a fresh start this evening.

It was a stark reminder of the Christian faith.

God wants to bless us, whether that is spiritually, physically, relationally, or even financially. He wants to bless us so we can be a blessing to others. We need to remember that we are forgiven. We are loved unconditionally. We simply need to accept these truths and follow His commands. To be clear, I’m not suggesting that there is a direct cause and effect relationship between our actions and God’s blessing. Just because I did my quiet time five days in a row doesn’t mean I will get a pay raise. But I do see how God wants the best for us, despite our failings, yet we repeatedly do the absurd and try to do things our way, choosing sin over obedience, and then we’re stuck wondering why we’re wandering around in the wilderness.