People Of The Book: Ortberg

This section of John Ortberg's article from Leadership Magazine spoke to me. To all of the Creatives in my world, may we be People of the Book.

D

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We get so used to the Bible, we miss its edginess. The prophets were the original performance artists. What they did was much more like radical street theater than it was like a church service. Ezekiel spent over a year laying on his left side just to makea point. He ate food that he publicly baked over cow manure. (And it took some bargaining between him and God to avoid even worse fuel.) Jeremiah buried an undergarment till it was putrid and then wore it around to show people what judgment looked like. Hosea married a prostitute to show people how much forgiveness costs a breaking heart. Jesus cursed fig trees and threw tables over in the Temple and took a whip to religious leaders.

I use a flip chart sometimes.

I think, if I'm honest about it, what holds me back is not lack of creativity. It's lack of urgency. I don't think the main force that drove the prophets was creativity for creativity's sake. I think it was spiritual reality. There was such a desperate awareness of the need for God to come fix things up that it drove them to do anything to make space in peoples' awareness for God.

I'm not a performance artist. I know that I work within a "jar of clay," as we all do. I don't want to be creative in a way that draws more attention to the creativity than to the message.

But I also don't just want to drone on while everybody goes to sleep. And I find the teachers I most learn from often find non-verbal ways to drive home what they are teaching: having a potter throwing pots while they are teaching about Jeremiah and the potter's wheel; Nancy Beach bringing an autumn leaf to teach on the beauty of the Creator; Bill Hybels having a bent reed and a snuffed candle and a jar that was used in the ancient world to capture tears while teaching on these images of the comfort of God. I think of Rob Bell with a goat to teach on the freedom of forgiveness.

QUOTES

"The man who has no inner life is a slave to his surroundings." -Henri-Frederic Amiel

I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions. - Augusten Burroughs

Some have been thought brave because they were afraid to run away. - Thomas Fuller

We are too busy to pray, and so we are too busy to have power.
We have a great deal of activity, but we accomplish little;
many services, but few conversions;
much machinery, but few results. —R.A. Torrey, How to Obtain Fullness of Power


"There are two ways of being creative. One can sing and dance. Or one can create an environment in which singers and dancers flourish." Warren G. Bennis

"To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong." Joseph Chilton Pierce

Oh... How I Miss "The West Wing"

Cletus Take the Reel

Canyon Ridge 15th Anniversary

The Adcock clan had the incredible honor of being back in Vegas for Canyon Ridge's 15th Anniversary celebration. What an incredible time!

Very few events in life (let alone family trips) do you get all done and say, "Man, that couldn't have been any better!"

A phenomenal dinner at Dad & Nancy's, In-N-Out with Mitch & Craig, The Original Pancake House with Kevin & Ginger Odor, Dinner with our dear friends John & Cathy (and they're incredible kids), the always amazing Buffet @ Wynn with Nick Ruggiero, afternoons & evenings with the Carders (can't wait til Dave gets back from Iraq), lunch & dinner with the Andrade's (thanks for sharing your chincera, Ashlea!). Rock climbing Red Rock Canyon, The Da Vinci Experience.

But nothing surpasses the incredible expansion of the Kingdom there as 5,100 people gather for worship and 3,500 have been baptized in the first 15 years. Can't wait for the day that happens in one year and then one day! Go God!

D

SERIES iMIX: Isaiah ~ Song of Salvation

As we start a new series, the worship leaders have created an iMix to prompt your heart & mind.

FBC 30th Anniversary Opening

Christmas at Belmont

Monday, December 24, 9:00pm

CHANNEL 2 (AETN/ARKANSAS ETV NETWORK) PBS

• View more broadcast times

We hope you will be able to join us and the entire Belmont University community in viewing this program and celebrating the Christmas Season.

1900 Belmont Boulevard, Nashville, TN 37212-3757

School of Music Phone: 615-460-6408

Time Management for Creative People - Free E-book

Mark McGuinness, a poet and business coach, has written an excellent guide for the rest of us! Forward a copy to your staff or team.

~D1

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My series on Time Management for Creative People is now available to download as a free e-book. It’s subtitled ‘Manage the Mundane - Create the Extraordinary’ as it’s designed to help you maintain your creative focus while dealing with your other commitments.

It’s published under a Creative Commons licence which means you are welcome to share it on a noncommercial basis with anyone you think would like it, as long as you keep it intact with my name on it. (N.B. the images are licensed from istockphoto, so you should obtain a licence from them if you want to use them in other contexts - photographer credits are on p.2)

NYWC 2007 - Michelle Tolentino (Compassion International)

John Paul Sawatski

John Paul Sawatski
October 26, 2007

John Paul Sawatski, born October 2, 1951 in Little Rock. He entered the presence of the Lord on October, 26, 2007. He was 56. John was happiest when surrounded by his family, playing his guitar, working on a project, or coaching youth in baseball, softball or basketball.

John played professional baseball in the Cardinal’s organization. He was a real estate appraiser. He gave countless hours of service at Pulaski Academy, at Fellowship Bible Church and in the community.

John was preceded in death by his father, Carl and his grandparents.

He is survived by his wife, Treva; children, Jay, Carla, and Johanna; mother, Dorothy; a brother, Charles; aunts, uncles, nephews and many friends.

Visitation will be at Roller-Chenal Funeral Home on Tuesday, October 30, 2007 from 6 to 8 P.M.

The celebration of John’s life will be Wednesday, October 31, 2007 at 12 noon at Fellowship Bible Church with Dr. Robert Lewis and David Bruns officiating. Interment will follow at Pinecrest Memorial Park, Alexander, Arkansas.

Memorials may be made to Fellowship Bible Church, 1901 Napa Valley Dr., Little Rock, Arkansas 72212, or John Sawatski Baseball Memorial, Pulaski Academy, 12701 Hinson Road, Little Rock, Arkansas 72212.
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I will always remember John as a servant, willing to do anything; as insightful, he usually had an opinion and was usually right, and as faithful. He will be truly missed as one of the spiritual pillars of this Christ-following community.

I'm sure he's probably already found a worship band in heaven to play in.

Come Back Appeal

This phrase really caught my attention. Is this really the end of our worship services?

Have you or your church used a worship consultant?

• Come back appeal

  The bottom line at the end of every service is did we give the congregation something to make them want to come back.

  We hear many churches say they do a good job of getting people to come to their events. It’s not that good of a job if they don’t come back to your services. PCC will work with the structure of your service to increase the appeal to make people want to come again.

MBCC Ext 201

I recorded this yesterday by dialing Myrtle Beach Community Church, selecting "1", and then extension 201.

Hat's off to my brother, Damon, and friend, Craig Cheney, for having the hottest church outreach program I've ever heard!

D

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The Adcock Family Blog & Adoption Story

Hey friends, we're launching a new blog.

http://theadcockfamily.blogspot.com/

Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheLordProvidedATreeJonah46

This is the story of the Adcock family. Our journey together. And our journey to adopt a precious little girl from China we've only met in our prayers. We currently reside in Little Rock, AR.

Going All The Way ~ Groeschel

Going All the Way

“Going all the way” used to mean getting what you want from the opposite sex now…and paying for it later.

It’s time to redefine.

Smart advice for a new generation about love, sex, and happily ever after.

You’ve seen marriages fail time and again. Even relationships you thought were bullet proof don’t last. Once promising couples dissolve in the acid of selfishness, conflict, or unfaithfulness… or fade away to a cold, gray lovelessness. No wonder that for our generation, “getting what you want” is often a substitute for love, and disillusionment about marriage is the new normal.

So what do you do if you want a marriage that doesn’t just survive, but thrives? That doesn’t just begin romantically but ends magnificently? Answer: You do something different.

Whether you’re thinking ahead to marriage, are about to be wed, or have been married for a while and want to make changes, this book can help. Going All the Way will guide you through the choices and commitments you need to make now in order to build a strong and vibrant relationship that will go the distance. In a world where going all the way means putting yourself first, author Craig Groeschel will show you how, by putting God first, you can build a soul-enriching, lifelong relationship.

With practical, candid discussions about sex, first dates, integrity, forgiveness, and communication, Craig will help you prepare for and experience a relationship that gives fresh, hope-filled meaning to “going all the way” with the one you love.

The Case for Creativity

Humorous and genius perspective on creativity and education.

clipped from mulberrystreet.typepad.com                  Sir Ken Robinson  makes an entertaining (and profoundly moving) case for creating an education system that nurtures creativity, rather than undermining it. Robinson is author of "Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative", and a leading expert on innovation and human resources. (Recorded February 2006 in Monterey, CA. Duration: 20:03) - More TEDTalks at http://www.ted.com

Best Flash of 2006

clipped from video.stumbleupon.com

Why the Music Industry Needs A Makeover

Why the Music Industry Needs A Makeover

A recent article in Crain's New York Business (subscription required), titled "Music Labels' New Leaders," explores the music industry's shift to hiring the hippest hitmakers to man the helm of many top -level positions in the business.

This trend is just one play -- of many -- in the book of record labels trying to turn the business around. The fact that record labels need some assistance is no secret. Just look at EMI's recent rejection of Warner's bid ($4.1 billion) for acquisition -- because it was reportedly too low. Further proof of the dire straits that the music industry is in comes from the aforementioned Crain's article itself:

"Overall album sales in 2006 were down 1.2%, to 646.6 million, according to Nielsen SoundScan -- despite a dramatic rise in legal digital downloads. Analysts predict that the market will weaken further this year."

Surely hiring the hottest producers of the moment isn't going to be enough to make up for those sales, mainly because the music business isn't just about music sales. Here's an insider's view on the measures the music industry can employ to better connect their artists with the artists' fans, and hopefully to even garner some new ones for them.

On February 21, Fast Company held a roundtable discussion with leaders in the music industry to discuss the future of music. Panelists included, Grammy winner John Legend, Musictoday CEO Nathan Hubbard, VP-A Capitol Records David Wolter, OK GO's viral marketer Jorge Just, and associate chair of the Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music Jason King.

Click on title links to watch video clips from this discussion:

Branding the Music Artist

Long Tail of Music

Music Marketing 2.0

The Future of Music

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Boy’s Bubble Wrap Invention Helps Amputees

The Associated Press:

You can do a lot with Bubble Wrap.

A Tennessee teenager has used it to fashion an inexpensive cosmetic covering for artificial limbs.

Grayson Rosenberger said his inspiration was his mom, a double
amputee who has a ministry that provides artificial limbs to Third
World countries.

The 15-year-old Nashville youngster said he used a heat gun to mold
Bubble Wrap around a prosthetic limb, providing muscle-like tone and
shape to the steel rod attached to a foot. He said it rivals other
coverings that cost more than $1,000.

Rosenberger’s invention was his entry in the first-ever Bubble
Wrap Competition for Young Inventors, conducted by Bubble Wrap creator
Sealed Air Corporation. He won the grand prize: a $10,000 savings bond.

Photo by BusinessWire.

In Ideas, Teens, Invention, Niche, Healthcare

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