Last week I made a new friend. He’s a cigar shop owner. Our conversation was incredibly awakening and inspiring. Sure, our conversation revolved around Cigars, but more so, the lifestyle and the industry. But what he had to say about his involvement in the industry is what really got me.

“I’m not in the cigar business. I’m in the Relationship business.” Is what he had to say.

He said “cigars, are, what I like to call a social lubricant.”

His business is about bringing people together. Creating an environment conducive to building a relationship, networking, and cultivating community. This guy gets it. People want to connect. People want to feel wanted, known, and accepted. It’s the cry of every heart. Cigar’s are a niche hobby that bring people together and connect them.

This particular cigar shop has a lounge and the lounge is used to allow people the opportunity to connect. To talk. To help. To share life over a cigar. A common denominator.

A monthly meeting takes place here, that brings guys together, just to simply talk and connect. My new friend says it’s an opportunity to fill people with hope, through real and relevant discussion about life…..over cigars.

My new friend is also a Pastor. He get’s it.

Today’s church has such an amazing and unique opportunity to tell the greatest story anyone will ever know. The problem is, most churches could be doing it so much better. With so much more authority, influence and innovation. The challenge to the church is, this story is one as old as time itself. So the story of Christ is in constant need of innovation in how it is communicated. Many churches you see these days struggle with the creative aspect of communicating Christ. It’s a challenge, I know. I have worked with churches for years. Whatever the reason may be, numerous churches are missing out on shifting culture so much more than they are currently doing.

I’ve compiled a little list here of ways churches could utilize the creative….a little more creatively. They’re by no means the end all, fix all. They’re 7 areas of creative change I’ve noticed the church needs to make.

1. Look Away – Get out of the church bubble, look at other things outside of what your industry has done for years. Look at this shiny thing called the internet and it’s glorious google. Search other industries, look at different magazines. I like to subscribe to designer blogs, apartment decor blogs, and fashion blogs just to name a few. All to present a new perspective.

2. Utilize – This is probably the most important. If ANYONE should be utilizing creative talent it should be the church. If your ministry allows for it, hire a Creative Director and build a Creative Department. If not, find those people that are passionate about the Creative and improving your creative elements. Create the opportunity for someone to develop that area of your church, ignite someone’s talent and allow them the opportunity to walk in their calling. They’ll bring fresh insight, ideas, and context to your vision. Worship Experiences require fresh and creative ideas and that requires someone who thinks differently than the Pastor. But don’t just merely hire to have that person on staff. Utilize them, their creative touch should be on everything the church does. (Special thanks to Stephen Brewster on this point – check out his blog, it’s worth subscribing to!)

3. Empower A Creative Culture – Change things up – paint the offices. Give creative freedom. – the last person you, Mr. Pastor, should micro-manage is your creative department; allow them the freedom to creatively express. Challenge – challenge them to think differently, to write differently, to engage differently (shift their culture). Create a culture of collaboration – encourage your team to create together.

4. Invest - Don’t be afraid to spend a little money on your creative team. Get them a mac. Get them the programs they need to create the most engaging elements to support your message. Buy the right books/magazines – there is so much amazing content out here on this subject, put it in their hands. Send them to the conferences that will allow them to network and grow.

5. Color Outside the Lines - We’re not in kindergarten any more. We’re not being graded on how proper our coloring is and if we followed your outlined drawing or not. We’re here to creatively tell a story like non-other, lets color something different for a change.

6. Give It Some Time – For God’s sake and your people’s sake, give the creative process some time. I’ve seen people in ministry burn-out time and time again because they are forced to organize an event as colossal as a Sunday on 4-5 days notice. Pastor, plan ahead. It will save the well being of your church.

7. Dig Deeper – A snazzy graphic is great and captivating, but isn’t the most important part. A snazzy, engaging atmosphere is. A good hook from the guitarist sounds great, but a well scripted and emotionally shot video could change a life. Dig deeper with your creative elements. Find those piece that will accentuate your sunday mornings.

It’s the creative elements in your worship experiences that attract the people to the greatest message this world will ever have the chance to experience. And that is our job, to make it an experience. The noise people are making claiming to be the message of Christ has deafened us and turned many away. It’s time we create something that people can truly experience. After all, that’s what our walk with Christ is, an experience.

What are some creative changes todays churches can make to tell an even better story?

Photo by @JeremyCowart

Lately, I’ve been helping with the launch of a Non-Profit called Bless Back Worldwide, here in Charlotte. Bless Back was established to empower the able through strategy and passion to give back in a capacity that raises the standard of living in areas affected by poverty, disease, or catastrophe. What started off as a team of Doctors travelling to Haiti within 2 weeks of the massive earthquake has now become a non-profit to help the world. Humbling enough, they’ve asked me to come on and direct their Social Media initiatives. I count it an honor to work with such an amazing organization in a capacity that i’m truly passionate about.

In December Bless Back is orchestrating two different trips to Haiti. One is strictly a medical trip and the other a trip to be among the Haitian people and provide them with love, supplies, and help in their communities. Currently Donna and I are slated to travel with them on the first trip which leaves December 27th and returns January 3rd. While there, I will be blogging about the trip, writing about what the medical team is doing in the community, the response of the people and the help provided. I will also be responsible for capturing the trip through the use of photography and video.

As Donna and I prepare for this trip we are in need of the support of our friends and family to make it possible help the people of Haiti. Below you will see a letter of support we at Bless Back have drafted. Please take a minute to read it over and consider helping us get to Haiti to be a part of an effort that will truly make a difference.

On Jan 12, 2010 a catastrophic earthquake rocked Haiti. Four weeks later a team of 22 Charlotte, NC area medical personnel traveled to Cambry, Haiti to share God’s love and compassion with the people suffering there. Not only did their efforts affect the lives of those they ministered to, but each of them was dramatically impacted as well.

From that trip a vision was born: to “unite people with their unique God-given passions, gifts, and resources and send them into the world to change it. We bless others, assisting them with their physical and spiritual needs, because we have been blessed. We are the Church outside the church.” And today that vision is a reality in Bless Back Worldwide.

I have been given an incredible opportunity to partner with Bless Back Worldwide and El Shaddai Ministries International on a return trip to Haiti. Between Dec 27, 2010 and Jan 3, 2011, I will be a part of a team of 80 people traveling to Cambry, Haiti to bless others with the blessings I have been given. I will have the opportunity to minister to the people of Haiti through my gifts. We plan to provide medical care to those in need, education, sports camps, construction projects, music ministry, and more.
More than anything, I would value your prayers for our team and those whose lives will be touched by God through us. I believe God answers prayers, and I’m asking you to pray for safety, good health, smooth travel and financial support. Just knowing you will be praying will give me peace as I go into an unfamiliar place.

If you are led also to join me by financially supporting this mission, I would be grateful. Our group needs to raise approximately $150,000 to cover costs for this trip, and additional funds are needed to support the future efforts of Bless Back Worldwide. I want to extend an invitation to you to participate in this effort by making a tax-free contribution of $25, $50, $100 or more. I’ve enclosed a self-addressed stamped envelope for your convenience, and you can also make a monthly or yearly pledge if this idea sets your heart on fire like it has mine. The deadline for mission donations is November 15, 2010.
YOU are the vision of Bless Back Worldwide being lived out. By supporting our team, YOU are using your passions, gifts, and resources to change the world – one person at a time. I can’t thank you enough for being a part of this movement to bless others because God has blessed us. Take care, and I hope to hear from you soon.

With gratitude,

Jason & Donna Yarborough

Bless back Worldwide, Inc. has applied for 501(c)(3) tax exempt status and the application is pending. Once the company receives a favorable determination letter from the IRS, you will be notified and your contribution will be tax deductible. In the event this mission trip is cancelled due to natural disaster, political unrest, or other reason that may endanger the safety of team members, funds received by Bless Back Worldwide will be used to support the vision of Bless Back Worldwide, Inc. including support for future mission trips.

It would mean the world to us if you could provide any level of support. We are currently trying to raise $1800 by November 1st and another $1800 by November 15th. The costs will cover travel and supplies. If you have the ability to help us could you please let me know by email, including how much and by which deadline you could help us? (Email: jyarby@gmail.com) Following your email I will reply back with how to get the money to us. Also, feel free to send an email if you have questions regarding the organization or the trip, I will be more than happy to expand on what we are doing.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this and to those who are willing to support us in going to help a hurting nation.

Jason

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=P8cAU475dQo]

This is one of the best videos i’ve seen in a long time. Who the heck has the patience and the creativity to create such amazing images on a lite-brite!? And where can you even get those anymore?

What’s even more amazing is that apparently they created this video in its entirety.

And the song is beautiful. The whole album is really. It’s called Church Music if you’re interested.

Andy Stanley
Catalyst

“Tension is a powerful platform to clarify what is important”

Appetite is a powerful tension b/c we want more

There are 2 appetite’s we generally talk about:
Food
Sex
Sleep

We’re a big bundle of of appetite’s

Appetite’s we crave:
Loved
Cherished
Secure
Successful

Each appetite creates tension – at some point in your life

Our appetites only have 1 word in its vocabulary – more

When it comes to leadership there are appetites that are heightened beyond the average persons

There are tensions you will always have to manage in leadership because of appetites
Such as:
progress
responsibility
respect
win
growth
fame
achievement
to be envied
…and we always want MORE of each of these.

All of our appetites are a reflection of the image of God but there is a problem

3 things about appetites that pose as a problem
1. God created them (appetites) and sin distorted them
2. Appetites are never fully and finally satisfied
3. your Appetites always whisper now and never later

We live as though there is something out there that can actually fulfill and satisfy our appetite
-In leadership there is always tension in this area

Your appetite or your response to your appetite (your ability or inability to respond to your appetite) will determine the direction of your profession, family, or life. To find out how true that is, take a look at your parents.

There is a list of men/women who have lost there organizations because of their inability to manage their appetite, and desire for more and more and more

If you are ruled or controlled by the voice that says “more…a little more” ultimately the end is embarrassment.

There is no equivalent in our culture, we don’t truly understand the story of inherited birthrights

3 essentials that made the birthright extraordinary:
Financial – you got twice the inheritance
Authority – you gained authority over the family
Blessing of God
(power, money and blessing)

Genesis 25
Brothers:
Growing up older brothers rarely need the younger brothers. The younger brother is always wanting something from the older brother. When the older brother finally needs the younger, he relishes in the moment, takes notice. In those times, younger brother pauses and thinks “What is most valuable to older” what can I get out of this.
Esau never needed anything from Jacob. When he did, Jacob asked for the birthright,

Who would trade their future for something as temporary as a bowl of stew?

Who would throw away their future (marriage, family, ministry, influence, etc) for a bowl of stew?
We all would if it was the right bowl of stew.
Because appetites are powerful, they are never fully satisfied.
This is tension we will carry every single day of our life.

There’s a couple things a strong appetite will do to us.
Impact Bias – takes a simple appetite and magnifies it out of proportion
your brain lies to you. tells you that if you accomplish this “thing” you will feel way better that it is actually going to feel. Which is why we have buys remorse
Focalism – focuses our minds on one thing and blurs out everything else

If we could step into the story of Esau we would tell him to “wait a minute before you take the stew. Let me explain to you what God is going to do. You will be the father of many nations. God is going to raise up Moses and introduce himself to him.He will intro himself as the God of Abraham Isaac and Esau – you take this stew and that all changes. Becomes the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, your younger brother. All because you took some stew.”

The same thing when Jesus comes on the scene.

You want to trade all of that for a bowl of stew? It would be better you die that to give that all away.

There was no one to reframe his appetite, nor will there be anyone around to reframe ours.

As leaders – this tension will never ever go away. What ever you want you will only want more. All of your appetite will whisper now, not later.

Your only hope is to reframe your appetite into the broader context into what god has called you to do. On what you have set your sights on.

There are places you should never go, that are bigger and better, with more – audience growth, money – there are appetites we allow to dictate our futures when we should really just stay put.

If you give in, you trade a part of your future for nothing more than a bowl of stew.

Whats your bowl of stew?
Whats that thing right now thats being held out in front of you that you are having a hard time saying no to?
What are you talking yourself into?
Whatever your hunger is talking your brain into is your bowl of stew?
What are you contemplating that your spouse is uncomfortable with?
What is it that your doing thats not illegal and not immoral but you hope no one founds out about?

“Never do anything in your personal life that you wouldn’t want to stand up in front of your congregation and tell them about?” Ronald Blue

The bowl of stew changes a legacy.

Refrain and Reframe.
Whatever you do don’t trade your future for a bowl of stew.

10 YEARS FROM NOW…….
_______________________________________________
Write whatever comes to mind here.
What do you want to see God do ten years from now? In your biz, community, marriage, family, church. In doing so you will reframe your appetite for what controls you.
The more framed, the less grip those appetites have on your life.

As a kid I wore a lot of slip ons. Not the Vans or Airwalks…but the Kmart slip ons. That could possibly explain my love of slip on shoes to this day. But I have not always worn slip ons. I had lace up shoes as well. I remember my first pair of Nikes. Ugly and uncool, but they were Nikes.

I remember learning how to tie a knot. I learned how to tie on a pair of roller skates…in my basement. My dad wouldn’t let me come out of the basement until I had gotten the knot thing figured out. It’s been one of the most useful lessons of my life. Or so our parents make it seem that way. Anytime a kid has a shoe untied the parent immediately tells them to tie it. As if they will launch out of their shoes never again to be seen. Although, walking around with an untied shoe can be a little dangerous. Remember what your parents would say? “Tie your shoes before you trip and fall.” “Don’t ride your bike with your shoes untied.”

I rode my bike a lot when I was kid and never thought laces would get caught in a bike; until it happened. It hurt. Bad. I also ran Cross Country and Track in High School and College. In Cross Country you can’t wear slip ons. Laces are required. You need the laces to cause the shoe to take the right form around the foot, to be tight on the foot and to keep from falling off.

Shoes play a crucial role in our life. They support our feet and ankles, protect our feet, provide us a sense of style, and can keep the feet warm.

The other day I laced up my running shoes to go for a run and thought about something. Life has shoes, too. I thought about this because for a couple of months I walked around with my “shoes” untied. I never even knew they were untied. Until I tripped. I just assumed we had on lifelong slip ons. Well, we don’t. We have to make an effort every day to keep our “shoes” tied. To keep our support and our protection. The proper shoes can take us a long way. On long journeys. Sometimes not investing in the right shoes can cause a lot of pain or damage. I can’t wear Nikes because they don’t support my feet properly and they don’t last long enough. There are certain “shoes” I know I can’t wear in this life. They are not right for me. And I must come to grips with that. Although, there’s a lot of sexier “shoe’s” out there, there are only certain “shoes” that are made for me. Designed specifically for me. I tend to sometimes want to wear the sexier shoes, but sexy never stays sexy forever. Right is always right…forever.

Last night, Donna and I drove home from New York City, after one of our most exhilarating vacations ever. Needless to say that after 4 days of touring a colossal city such as New York, we were tired. But we had to get home, unfortunately. So, at 8:00 p.m. we left, GPS stated the arrival time as 5:15 a.m. We had made a plan to switch off driving every so often. After driving through a couple of states without driving I started feeling like I could make the entire drive. As I was driving I began to think about a few things that make staying awake on the road possible. But as I thought about a few of these things, I began to seem a lot of similarity to what it take’s to stay awake or aware on the road of life. A few of the essentials for staying awake can be applied to life and making that trip much more adventurous and enjoyable.

What make’s staying awake possible:

Having someone along for the ride – Any road trip is more enjoyable when there is someone with you. You have conversation, share laughs, make memories and nurture a relationship when you are in a car for hours together.

Focus – As I have done a lot of traveling that requires driving, I have noticed that staying awake when you get tired requires lots of focus. Focus of your surroundings, focus on the road and of course the car you are driving. The minute you get too comfortable and lose focus is the minute you allow yourself to slip into dozing off. Staying focused in your own life and your own progression. Keep moving forward with intention.

Don’t stop moving – When I’m driving through the night, I have to have music. My legs don’t stop moving, the air drums come out or the head bob gets more active! The point is, I move around a lot in my seat to try and keep blood flowing. On the road of life, you can’t stop moving, you have to keep progressing. Don’t allow yourself to get lazy and slow down, move around in different circles, get involved with passions that consume you and allow you to give your time to what you believe in.

Coffee – Yes, the sweet nectar of the earth. A Quad Grande Americano will work nicely. But seriously, gathering around coffee has become a modern roundtable for community. We meet in coffeehouse’s we set up coffee appointments. Have those moments in life over coffee and share your life with someone.

Oh…I did end up driving the entire way home to Charlotte.

What are some methods you use to stay awake while driving?

Today marks Donna and I’s 6th wedding anniversary. Seems like yesterday we were just saying I do.

For this anniversary we decided to get away and come to New York, which has always been a dream of ours. To experience the city for all it has to offer. That is exactly what we are doing. Everything we can and everything we’ve thought of doing.

We are taking the time to experience the moments we have been talking about for years.

We are taking the time to enjoy those moments as well.

We are capturing those moments the best that we can.

After an amazing day with my astounding wife, I can only sit back and reflect on how important it is to take the time to enjoy the moments you have always dreamed of…and to take the time you are in right now.

I hope you take the time to enjoy, reflect and relish in where ever your life takes you today.

One thing I love about my MacBook is knowing and using a lot of the shortcuts available within the keyboard. The toolbar always has them readily listed so that you can learn them at any time. It is one thing to know they are there but it’s another to actually use them. Someone spent tumultuous hours programming them to make our life easier. They determined the precise code to allow us to copy/paste an entire paragraph, the right code to undo that accidental delete or to have the ability to pull up a folder without having to click eight different locations. They went there for us.

Keyboard shortcuts are good. Use them.

One school of thought is to not take shortcuts in life. That may be true in ninth grade when you have the option to cheat on your Geometry test. Only to fail miserably because you took a shortcut (I used a cheat sheet that was about 40% correct). But another school of thought and one I am not too ashamed to enroll in, is to learn from those who have been there before me. Like the guy who spent hours upon hours coding my computer so I can stop a program from running when it is slowing down my computer. There are those who have been before us in our respected fields. Those that can teach us the hard lessons they have learned and teach us the right paths to go down. Shortcuts, if I may.

My Dad tried to give me some shortcuts back in the day. I wish I would have listened. His shortcuts seemed like the hard way at the time, but I now I see them as they really are. Shortcuts from those who blazed the path.

Do you take advantage of the shortcuts on your computer? How about the moments you share with a maven? Do you heed their advice and take the appropriate shortcut to learning? (Tomorrow I’ll provide some helpful tips on taking advantage of those moments.)

I like a place that is open all day and all night. The 24/7 kind of place. I don’t like being kicked out of a store because it’s closing and I don’t like getting somewhere only to find their closed. There is something enticing about a place that stays open that makes me want to go there, often times just because it is open when no one else is.

I certainly do not like being told no. I don’t like being wrong or told that I was wrong. It is something I am strenuously working on. This #30blog project has been instrumental in overcoming this. It is something that I am learning though the process. When Donna tells me something I wrote might not be good enough or that I could do better, I get agitated. Thankfully, I have recognized it and not reacted. I think too many people react from this feeling. It’s like going to the store and being told you can’t come in because they are closed. Getting upset because I was wrong is being closed minded. Like a closed up shop not letting anyone in.

There is a lot of value to staying open. Having an open mind, open heart and even open eyes. There is a tremendous amount of knowledge to take in when you allow other’s to come into your closed shop and lead you in the right direction.

Here’s three areas I know I try to stay focused in being open to:

• Open to criticism and correction
• Open to being wrong
• Open to following leadership