Archives for category: communication
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Bring the Noise

July 27, 2009 //
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My postmodern side should be more comfortable with this paradox, but I still struggle with the ways in which the blogosphere (and the rest of the internets) can be such a beneficial and frustrating place, all at the same time. 

Finding My Tribe

For someone like me who works in vocational church ministry, the blogosphere can be a very life-giving place. Church work can be isolating and discouraging.  Over the last couple of years, connecting with like-minded friends and colleagues from around the country has carried me through tough times.

Friends from The Idea Camp tribe (#ideacampers are the best!) regularly encourage, inspire and challenge me. The ethos of collaboration and innovation, especially from within the IC tribe, have been reason enough for me to remain active in the Twitterverse.

Static Prevails

But, then, there’s the flipside…

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Categories communication, community, race, reconciliation, social media, tech

Shopping Malls and Altar Calls

July 20, 2009 //
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In The Next Evangelicalism, Soong-Chan Rah identifies consumerism as one of the Western cultural captors of the church. If you’ve been around church for awhile, you’re probably familiar with the idea of “church shopping.” Church shoppers ask many of the same questions when taking a trip to the mall or choosing a church:

What style am I looking for? What’s the lowest price I can pay? Do I want the convenience, and predictability, of a nationwide big-box retailer? Maybe I’ll check out that hipster boutique?

And, even for those who are not shopping around, the primary question is not What can I give? but, rather, What can I gain? As my friend Jason Coker points out in a recent post, The Mega-Freeloader Church:

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Categories church, communication, community, Kingdom of God, missional

Twitter and Church: End-User Innovation

June 9, 2009 //
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While there has been some robust discussion/debate on the benefits/drawbacks of twittering during church gatherings, along with some mainstream press, I find that this has not really been a relevant issue for our little community.  Only a couple of us use the Twitter and, out of that handful of people, I am probably the most actively engaged.  I must confess, I like gadgets (even if I can’t purchase them), but my interest in Twitter goes beyond fascination with shiny new toys.

This Time article, How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live, contains one insight in particular that I believe speaks volumes to those of us who believe church is a movement, not a monument; that it’s the people, not the buildings. End-user innovation in the Twitterverse is innovation:

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Categories church, communication, community, design, social networking

I’ve Got a Rumblr in My Tumblr

June 2, 2009 //
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I think Twitter is causing my inability to write complete thoughts (speaking of which, you can still vote for my Twitter-inspired Threadles shirt!).  Well, at least, I’ll blame Twitter (Dear Twitter machine, thanks for being the fall guy… or should I say, fail guy? Terrible!)…

In any case, I’ve been enjoying Tumblr as a sort of photoblog repository for the miscellany and randomness I enjoy throughout the week.  I like the clean layout (especially after a few tweaks here and there) and the simplicity — my Tumblr is sort of a landing spot between a tweet and a fully-formed post that I would blog here.

Maybe one day, I’ll end up consolidating things.  It’s hard to predict my internet machine usage (these days, I hardly use the Facebook at all).  In case you’re interested, though, please check out headsparks.tumblr.com for pictures, videos and quotes that catch my eye.

Categories communication, design, social networking

Idea Camping in the LBC

May 15, 2009 //
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Just returned from a quick trek out to Long Beach for The Idea Session at WFX hosted by Charles Lee and The Idea Camp.  I can’t say enough about the collaborative, creative ethos Charles and The Idea Camp foster — so much hope & inspiration to go and demonstrate God’s love to a broken world.

Tonight, we heard from Tony Kim of Newsong, Eric Bryant of Mosaic, and Mel McGowan of Visoneering about, “The Ethos of Creativity.”  Great insights all around from everyone and, in Idea Camp style, plenty of interaction from everyone who was there.  You can read my first attempt at a true live blog about The Idea Session here at Scribble Live.

A few of my favorite quotes:

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Categories art, church, communication, community, innovation, justice
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