Archive for Creativity
“Where Do You Get Your Creative Ideas From?” September 13, 2007
One of the questions I am asked most often in regards to creativity is where do the ideas come from…so here goes…
#1 - My quiet time
One of the things I heard someone say a long time ago is, “If you are going to speak then get a word from THE WORD.” THAT is some of the best advice I’ve ever received.
Every creative meeting we have revolves around a main idea/text from Scripture. I think creative teams make huge mistakes when they try to revolve a message around a video idea.
Saying all of that–I keep some scratch paper on my desk at home so that, when God hits me with an idea, I can write it down and develop it later on.
#2 - The creative team
I meet every Tuesday at 10am with our creative team here at NewSpring to go over the message. Just the other day we worked through the message for September 30th and I would say we changed about 50% of it…and because of that meeting it will flow better AND creatively connect with everyone.
I learned a long time ago that I do NOT have the best ideas…and so when someone in that meeting shares an idea–I listen. For example–the idea where I came out on stage in a coffin several weeks ago–that was not my idea! A lady in our meeting said, “Why don’t you come out on stage in a coffin to set that point up?” Everyone in the room (except for me) immediately got excited!
One more thing about a team like this…I try to balance it with married people AND singles…men AND women. If everyone in the room is exactly where I am in life then I feel that we are going to really limit who we connect with through illustrations and such.
#3 - Listening to/watching other speakers.
I have had people ask me before, “Do you ever use someone else’s stuff?” My reply–HECK YES! If another pastor/leader shares something that is a home run then I will use it without apology. The pastor that thinks he has to be completely original in everything is probably robbing the people in his church of some awesome stuff AND is under constant pressure of feeling like he’s under the gun.
(Some pastors will swear they do not borrow other people’s stuff…but their office is full of commentaries…uh…dude, that would be other people’s stuff!!!)
#4 - Be a student of culture.
I think one of the areas the church has failed in is studying the culture in which we exist. Many will call being a student of the culture “worldly,” but if someone goes oversees and studies the culture that exists there then that same group of people will call the international traveler a missionary.
Basically…I am a missionary in the upstate of South Carolina…and I completely get the culture in which I live. However, I am still a student…I am all over the web, watching television and browsing bookstores to look at magazine covers AND to see which books are listed as best sellers. Trust me–the marketing researchers for magazine readers KNOW what people are wanting to see–so, in my mind, they paid for the research and I get to have the benefit.
#5 - Time off
Honestly, some of my best ideas come to me when I take some time off…vacations, long drives and so on…it is amazing how clearly I can hear from God when I take some time away.
That’s what works for me…hope that helps.
Is God “Worldly” Because Of His Creativity? September 12, 2007
I have seen a “line of reasoning” in the Christian world that just doesn’t make a lot of sense. There are actually some people who will take a look at churches like NewSpring and say that we have allowed worldliness to creep into our methods of presenting the Gospel…and that creativity is not necessary because “the Bible is enough.”
Is that true? Really? Dang it!!! We’ve been doing that haven’t we? I guess we are going to have to cease all creative elements and…wait…I just looked at my Bible–WHOA, it’s opened to Numbers 15:37-41 and here God COMMANDS that a symbolic reminder be used to assist people in remembering His Word. Oh well, coincidence I’m sure.
Like I was saying, this creative thing…WAIT…in Numbers 22:21-35 God needs to communicate a message to Balaam and He uses a donkey! What the heck is that? Why didn’t God just drop a Bible out of the sky? After all, He is outside of time and space right? SO technically the Bible DID exist. What is God thinking?
Let me flip through and see if God used any more “creative and worldly” methods…
In Joshua 10:1-15 He made the sun stand still as a sign to Joshua that He is Sovereign and that He would always be with him. Now was that necessary? Someone probably got sunburned in all of that!
In I Samuel 17 He used a sling and a stone to prove to Goliath that He alone is God!
In Isaiah 20 He asked Isaiah to get naked and walk around for three years to communicate a point…I imagine the bloggers went crazy about this one!
In Jeremiah 13:1-11 He asks Jeremiah to “waste money” on this stupid loincloth…I mean what the heck, there are people in need and Jeremiah spends money on a loincloth and time trying to illustrate a point! What was God thinking? Didn’t He just know that all of that creativity was not necessary–that the Bible is enough?
In Hosea 1:1-3 He asked the prophet to go and marry a prostitute…named GOMER! I mean, DANG, marrying a prostitute is bad enough…but GOMER? Why, once again, didn’t God just drop a Bible out of the sky? Or why didn’t He just ask Hosea to exegete the Scriptures? Hmm…I’m seeing a pattern here!
In the book of Jonah He used a giant fish to communicate both His wrath and His mercy! Why didn’t He just ask Jonah to spend more time in the Torah if the Bible is enough?
Then there is Matthew 2:1-2, God used a star to communicate to some astrologers from the east that Jesus had been born! What was He thinking? He actually used their culture to engage them and, as a result, they met Jesus (before the religious who were diligently studying the Scriptures I might add!)
And then there’s that Jesus–what a guy! I mean, if the Bible were enough then why didn’t He go around just quoting Scripture all the time? Why did He tell all those stories? Why did He do miracles?
Look at Luke 13:1-4–what is Jesus doing? WOW! Was He using current events as a means to communicate urgency? I’ll bet someone gave Him a talkin’ to after that was over, seriously, was that necessary if “the Bible is enough!”
In the book of Acts there is a guy named Agabus (poor guy, he probably got made fun of in school) and we see in Acts 21:10-11 that he got creative in communicating to the apostle Paul–was that “compromising” the Gospel because Scripture was not used?
AND my gosh…if you are not into the creativity thing then please–PLEASE–do not read the book of Revelation!!! There are so many things that God uses in that book to communicate His power and Sovereignty other than Scripture in that book that, well, if you hate creativity then you just might go nuts!
NOW…I KNOW where some of you are going with this–so let me attempt to stop you. (I say attempt because some will blow this completely out of proportion!)
I believe that the Bible is the complete, infallible and inerrant Word of God! I believe that II Timothy 3:16-17 is true. I am all about what II Peter 1:20-21 says. One of my favorite chapters in the book of Psalms is Psalm 119, which is all about the Word of God. Hebrews 4:12 is TRUE…the Word of God IS living and active…and it IS sharper than a double edged sword!!!
I love Scripture…and through reading it, studying it AND applying it the Lord has done a great work in my life. AND…through reading Scripture I have came to understand that God is honored when His Word is communicated creatively and put on a level that everyone can understand.
AND I love to communicate God’s Word–actually I often go line by line, verse by verse. However, I want to communicate Christ in any way possible…through music, drama, videos and other so called “worldly” means. AND…if I am wrong, then according to Hebrews 13:17 I will stand before the Lord one day and give an account–get that, before the Lord–not a blogger!
The apostle Paul said in Scripture that Christ must be preached…and NewSpring, you have my promise that HE will always be our focus! BUT you also have my promise that church will never be boring–we do not have a boring God–His bride should not be boring either. The Bible is the most exciting book that has ever been written…and we will present it in its totality, with passion, sincerity and creativity!!!
Saying all of that–we’ve got some cool stuff headed our way! :-)
What Sparks Creativity April 27, 2007
I am often asked how creative ideas are developed at NewSpring…so here are a few things that we do…
#1 - Prayer! I am not trying to over spiritualize this…but I pray for creativity. I figure if God created the Grand Canyon, the Rocky Mountains, the oceans…then He’s pretty creative. I would call Him a lot of things…but BORING is not one!
#2 - Working Out…I have some of my best ideas while I am running and/or lifting weights.
#3 - Brainstorming meetings…I will gather groups of people together to develop ideas…YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN AT NEWSPRING ON MOTHER’S DAY! In my opinion it will be one of the top three Sunday’s we’ve ever had in the history of our church!!!
#4 - Listening to other speakers…I listen to tons of other guys…and have literally developed entire sermon series ideas from one point they have had in their message.
#5 - Getting in different environments…the other day I walked out of my office and around the church…and in doing so I came up with two points for the message I was working on that became my strongest points for the whole talk. Sometimes you’ve got to change environments…go for a walk!
#6 - Rest…we are NOT creative when we are MAXED out…and the more you force it…the more it is not going to happen.
#7 - Go to conferences…I always come back with creative ideas from any conference that I go to…and if I go to a conference and do not get a creative idea…then I don’t go back!!!
This Messed Me Up!!! January 26, 2007
Joe, one of our pastors on staff found this video on you tube the other night. BEFORE you watch it please keep in mind that it is around nine minutes long…but worth every second. It brought tears to my eyes and raised several thoughts in my mind.
#1 - Every Week Is Someone’s First Week At NewSpring.
If you are a pastor…the same could be said about your church…that every single weekend COULD be THE weekend that THE PERSON who people in your church have been inviting and praying for show up. For some people that may be an afterthought…but I am OBSESSED with this thought. This video was proof that you never know who is going to show up.
#2 - If The Tomb Is REALLY Empty Then The Atmosphere At Church Should Reflect It!
It blows my mind that a person will go to a football game and nearly kill themselves yelling for a bunch of people they don’t even know…and that SAME person will go to a church the next day and show no emotion at all.
I once Mark Beeson, pastor of Granger Community Church, say that Christianity is THE most exciting thing that has ever happened in the world…and it has taken the church 2,000 years to make it boring!!!
It IS our job to make the environment exciting and friendly.
I can’t get these thoughts out of my mind
- Jesus is ALIVE…He ROSE!!!
- WE WIN…I’ve read the last chapter of the book
- People do not have to go to hell!!!
These thoughts govern my teaching and my leadership…which is one of the reasons I am getting away from the critics…with all that God is doing here–I simply do not have time for you. I want to see more people reached for Christ!!!
#3 - God AND The People Walking Through Our Doors Every Week Deserve Our Best!
It bothers me when a church throws some sort of program together at the last minute & then asks God to bless it…this is equal to the college student that refuses to study for an exam all semester long and then shows up to take the test and throws up some lame prayer, asking God to help him out.
I know this–Sunday at NewSpring God is going to give His absolute best. We are going to get His best attention…His best grace & mercy…His best empowerment…His best beauty…His best protection…the best of everything He has. (Yes, this is there for every church in the world!)
BUT…we should give Him our best…our best in prayer…our best in preparation…our best in the singers…our best in the musicians…our best in the parking lot…our best in the greeting…our best in the children’s & nursery area…our best in EVERYTHING!
AND…when you combine God’s best with the churches best…BAM…things happen. Churches grow when people in the church do not sit around and offer God half-hearted, watered down presentation…they grow when people KNOW that God is SOVEREIGN…and because of that very fact are willing to go all out to see as many people as possible come to Christ.
I can’t wait for Sunday!!! I promise you we will give our best. Oh yeah…just a sidenote…we mess something up EVERY week. Seriously…which is a beautiful reminder that God is so much bigger than all of us or our efforts…and its so cool to see Him work MANY times not because of us…but in spite of us!
On a different note–we have over people signed up for our conference so far…what are you waiting for? :-)
I Am A Little Fired Up!!! January 8, 2007
I have found it quite interesting the debate that this post has created on the web. Bloggers have both loved it and hated it…and even today I see that people are linking to it. Some would say, “Let it die.” But not me…so here we go!
We live in a culture DOMINATED by entertainment. Like it or not THAT is THE way it is. If a movie is good then people will go…and if it isn’t then people will stay away. If a television show is good then people will watch…and if it isn’t then it will be canceled. And…IF church is good then people will go…and if not then people will stay away!!!
Now…I am a firm believer that numbers do not lie…and the numbers say that over 90% of the churches in America are either stagnant OR declining. (I actually read in one report that an average of six churches per day in America are closing their doors!!!)
Combine this with the FACT that the population in America is EXPLODING. There are currently over 300 million people living in the US…and stats show that we will reach over 400 million people by the year 2040.
Question–does ANYONE see a problem here? Church attendance is DECREASING. The population is INCREASING. In my opinion it is time to wake up and smell the flippin’ coffee.
So here is another question to add to that…WHY IS CHURCH ATTENDANCE DECREASING? Is it because God just isn’t that big anymore? Nope! Or maybe it has to do with the Bible–does the Bible lack the power to bring practical teaching and transformation? I would say a big fat NO to this question as well!
Then what is it? Why are churches shutting down when there are more people in this country than EVER before?
MAYBE it is because people find absolutely NO value in going to church! MAYBE there is nothing in the church that seems to hold their attention! MAYBE church just ISN’T GOOD anymore. And people–you can SCREAM at people for embracing this mindset–but the people who are embracing it ARE LOST!!! AND…if we are not willing to do what it takes to reach them then they are going to go to HELL!!! This means that WHEN they walk in the doors of our church that there SHOULD be something there that catches their attention…there had better be…or they are not coming back.
Once again (I said this in my first post) THIS TAKES EFFORT!!! It takes prayer, planning and preparation…and either you will do it or you won’t. It really is that simple.
Now some would call me a heretic for holding this view. They say, “you are just giving people what they want…and I would never some to a church like yours because I don’t like it!” (I have heard that so many times that it isn’t funny–BUT–just for “entertainment” purposes, let’s look at that statement!)
“I would not come to your church because I don’t like it.” Translation, “I AM going to go to a church where I do like it…where I like the music…where I like the pastor…where I like the way things are done!” I ask you–isn’t this “entertainment?” Isn’t this going to a place where you like what is going on? If this is YOUR mentality when it comes to your church…then why judge others for adapting the same mindset when a church in town does something different than you? HYPOCRITE!!!
The church is called to grow–to reach people–to change…NOT to compromise the Gospel. We teach about Jesus here at NewSpring…I teach FROM Scripture…heck, I even talk about SIN and REPENTANCE…but when we do it–we do so in a way that people can understand...that they can apply, and MAYBE…just MAYBE that is A reason people ARE being reached…and lives ARE being changed.
The church is called to grow!!! We are not called to form “holy huddles” that criticize the churches that are growing. (And for what it is worth…we get that…AND we ignore it. Why? Simple–I would not ask a fat person for advice on how to take care of my body. I would not ask a person who has declared bankruptcy three times for advice on personal finances. And I would NOT ask someone who has had the same 50 people in their church for the past 20 years HOW to do church…it really is that simple. And that is NOT being cocky…it’s being smart.)
One of the chief critics of churches like NewSpring is the whole “emergent” church movement. I just love that–here you have 15-20 people…usually guys, who sit in rooms smoking cigars and drinking beer, debating theology while the world around them goes to hell…and somehow they think they’ve “got it!” In my opinion the only thing that needs to “emerge” from the emerging church is their head out of their rear ends so that they can better listen to God and fulfill the Great Commission.
NewSpring was planted for ONE main reason…to reach the people in the upstate for Jesus Christ…and we are doing. You may not like the way we are doing it…and…if that is you…get over it. We are here to stay. We are not going anywhere!!! We ARE going to GROW. We are going to be creative. We are going to see lifechange. We are going to see teens and children IMPACTED for Christ. We are going to see marriages restored. IT IS HAPPENING…and it will continue to do so!!!
Are we the perfect church? HECK NO…we are not and never will be. BUT…to the critics–here is my word of advice to you. WHEN you develop the perfect church then PLEASE come tell us how to runs ours! However, until that time you will be ignored…there are WAY more important things to do than argue with you…and we are going to focus on WHAT needs to happen.
Whew–that was fun!!!
UPDATE: One more thing…as I said in the title…I am FIRED up…in a good way!!! God is at work…I believe we are on the right path here at NewSpring Church…we are passionately seeking the Lord and will continue to do exactly WHAT He says…when he says to do it.
Some may have never seen this type of passion from a pastor…and you may be put off by it. If this is you then let me explain why this is so–you probably come from a background where the pastor was a pathetic wuss to had no backbone, nor did he have a vision for anything larger than repainting a restroom.
As I said earlier–we ARE not perfect–but we have vision…and as your pastor (if that is the case) I will FIGHT for our vision…ALWAYS! I will never run–EVER! God didn’t call me to be a wimp that runs…and I will NEVER run from those outside of NewSpring who are CLUELESS as to what is going on here. I love Jesus…I love you…and I love this church–and I will DIE before anyone EVER alters the vision that God has given us!!! YEAH!
Creating An Experience November 29, 2006
From time to time we will have a pastor/church leader call NewSpring & want to know what in the world we are doing to reach so many people.
I have had this conversation with many people…and I have seen many walk away from that conversation either discouraged or disappointed because I could not give them a magic formula or a program.
The bottom line is that if a church wants to impact a community–IT TAKES WORK.
For far too long the church has been lazy…that’s right…LAZY. We have sat back on our butt and done nothing, asking God to “do it all” and claiming to be “led by the Spirit.” And then people walk into our boring, lifeless and predictable services and we give “God all the glory” (or the blame!)
One of the things I have realized in reading Scripture though is that Jesus was far from boring–He created experiences for His followers–experiences that they NEVER forgot…do you remember…
- Jesus walking on water…don’t think for a minute that Peter didn’t think about that moment every time he walked by a lake.
- The mount of transfiguration. Peter & John were both so blown away by this that they both wrote about it in Scripture.
- The feeding of the 5,000.
- The day of Pentecost in Acts 2.
- Bringing back Lazarus from the dead.
- Turning water into wine (the Baptist hate that one!)
I could go on–the bottom line is that Jesus was constantly creating experiences that communicated to His followers who He was in a way that they would never forget…
AND THE CHURCH SHOULD BE DOING THE SAME!!!
Today I sat in a room for two hours as our creative team talked about the next several Sunday’s. We spent around 10-15 minutes on how to conclude the sermon for the 17th of this month…we are serious about Sunday’s and the experience that is created for people coming in these doors.
I have heard pastors say that our process leaves no room for the Holy Spirit…and that we are not open…and quite frankly if one ever says that to my face I will have to be restrained from punching him in the throat!
I am sick and tired of pastors and church leaders blaming their laziness and lack of preparation on the Holy Spirit!!! One of the things that we have discovered here at NewSpring is that the Holy Spirit is always at work…and NOT just on Sunday’s–but during sessions where ideas are brainstormed and well thought out.
If you attend NewSpring–let me make you a promise. We take church seriously. Everything you see is done with a purpose. We are serious about Jesus…and serious about as many people as possible meeting Him. And because of that fact we are willing to do all that we can to reach those people!
It is our desire NOT to just have a church service–but to create an experience through song, video, messages…and any other tools that the Holy Spirit might choose to place in front of us.
Sure–we’ve been accused of entertaining people…I always say I would much rather entertain you than bore you!!! Jesus didn’t mind creating experiences…and His church shouldn’t either.
We know GOD is in charge–that HE is ultimately responsible for all that is happening…but we also understand that God works THROUGH people…and that He is honored when people plan, pray, work…and then sit back and watch Him make up the difference.
We are serious about making His name famous…and that just can’t happen when church is boring. (I believe a boring church is a sin!!!) SO…we are going to always do all we can to make sure that when you attend church on Sunday–that is one of the BEST hours of your week!!!
Seriously–I believe people should look more forward to church that they do 24, Lost, or American Idol. WOW…there’s something…those shows actually put hard work and effort into their programming…and it shows! Hmmm, maybe if the church was as serious as Hollywood in reaching people…we would be reaching people.
Hollywood has discovered something that the church runs from though…it takes work to create an experience that people will remember.
Saying all of that to say this--DON’T MISS ONE SINGLE SUNDAY IN DECEMBER!!! Our team has put together some stuff that we know God is going to use to impact thousands of lives. We care about Jesus–we care about His church…and we will always do our best to make sure your hour on Sunday is not wasted but meaningful!!!
Now I am off to catch my flight…our video crew is on our way to a place where we will be working to create an experience for our Christmas services…I will post about our location tomorrow! :-)
Trying Something New August 9, 2006
My workouts have been sort of blah lately…I just go, do my thing, and then get on with my day. Which is not good considering I am a workout freak…I want to sweat…I want to crawl out of the gym…and, like I said, here lately I just have been going through the motions.
So yesterday I was looking on my assistant’s desk and saw a interval running plan. I asked her if she had tried it and she said that she had. THEN I asked her did it kick tail…and she assured me that it did. I knew it had to be good because she is a workout freak as well…so I asked her to print me a copy and that I would try it.
So this morning I rolled up into the gym, got on the treadmill and began this new workout. I have to admit that I thought it was going to be a piece of cake…and the first 10 minutes were pretty easy. BUT the last 20 minutes had me calling on the name of Jesus…and for just a minute I thought I was about to go see Him! My body was screaming at me, “Hey dude…what in the heck are you doing?”
Needless to say I got in an incredible workout…all because I tried something new. When you add the element of creativity to anything–it always makes things better.
God is pretty creative, don’t you think. I can just see Him creating the animals…sure, the dog is pretty normal, so is the cat (which I actually believe He created as a pet for satan!) But then He began creating things like the rhino, the giraffe, and the toucan…amazing. (For further affirmation that God is creative–look in the mirror!)
And because God is creative…and we are created in His image–we should be creative as well.
BUT–our problem many times is that we gravitate towards what is familiar–we get into a comfort zone, something that allows us to take no risks and not interfere with the status quo…and because of that many times we reap a boring an unproductive life.
For example–in our marriages, if we are not careful we can wind up doing the same thing every night, come home, watch television, tuck the kids in…and then go to bed. I personally have to guard against this…well…we don’t have any kids yet…but you know what I mean. So last week I announced to ‘Cretia that tonight is “special date night.” We are going to…well…I can’t tell you where we are going or what we are doing because she reads my blog…but I will say that it will be fun because we are getting out of our normal date night routine. (Which usually includes Cracker Barrel!) This will be so much fun for us…and will add excitement to us spending time together.
I had a friend tell me one time that he felt like he was hitting a wall in his quiet times…that he was getting nothing out of reading his Bible. I told him that I had recently experienced the same thing and all that I did was change the place I had my quiet time…I moved from my office to my living room…AND I began reading a different translation of Scripture…and the Bible came to life all over again for me. He told me about a week later that he had done the same thing and was having the same experience of Scripture coming alive all over again…all because of changing the routine.
Church–if we are not careful we can fall into doing things that are way normal…and we get used to it. (For example–many of you sit in the same seats every Sunday!!!) So this week–wow–we have a few minor changes in store…ok, they are NOT minor–they are MAJOR. I promise you that we are taking an incredibly unique approach to this series…and its going to be so much fun. That’s all I am going to say about it now–but I will tell you that you will be able to tell something is different this weekend from the minute you walk into the door.
So my challenge today–change something, change where you do your quiet time, where you go to lunch, how you drive home–be creative…because in doing so I believe we actually become more Christ like. Jesus is a lot of things…but “boring” was never a word anyone close to Him used to describe Him. If God is not boring–then His children should not be…and His church should not be either!