Weekly teaching can be destructive to creativity.

I don't teach something that has not been a part of me for six months to a year. Think about it, if I asked you to talk about your wedding or something else that has changed you, would you really need notes?

What would happen if on Monday morning you sat at your computer and instead of staring at blank screen, you're already looking at ten teachings that could take place and decidiing which one was the most ready to be taught, or most needed to be taught?

The best messages are not purchased off a shelf or a website, but are grown in your own backyard.

As a teacher, you need to live with a text - allow it to ferment in you, take up residence in you - then connections begin to be made.

We have people who can sing notes, but where are the soul singers? The pulpit has been the home of technicians and analysts, but where are the prophets and poets - the wide eyed crazy people? Teaching should be a dangerous and daring art form, not a science.

The Bible is about real people in real places in real times. It's taking place in an on-going historical narrative. What we need to remember is that we are in the same historical flow. Teaching is about connecting real people in real places in real times with us, here, today. We live in the same flow of what God is doing in history.

Your job is the relentless pursuit of who God made you to be... to be about anything else is sin.

Are you teaching because you have to say something, or because you have something to say? People, especially outside of "Christianity" know when you are passionate. That kind of passion makes them say, "Maybe this stuff really did happen."

- copied from the Awakening blog.

"What would happen if every Monday morning there was a quick report on the radio about the weekend church wrap up? Highlights from churches around the area of people's lives being changed, kids doing better in school, teenagers no longer victims of poor decisions, marriages that are finding hope, and single moms who found a place to belong? ... The real question for pastors is what would this report look like if there was such a thing? How would your weekend service wrap-up be reported? Would it change every week? What would be measured? Who would they talk to for sound bytes? Is what happens in your church on a Sunday worth being talked about on Monday?"

• Christ came when the time was right. The Bible clearly states that Christ came at the appointed time, when everything necessary for his success was in place. Not a moment too soon nor too late (Rom 5:6, Gal. 4:4-5, etc.). If He'd of honestly thought that his message could have been better communicated with these tools, then He'd surely have not come until their invention. Being God, I like to think He could have made that happen too.
• We cannot assume that because Christ primarily used images and metaphors in his spoken communication, that he would have used other forms of communication like projectors and powerpoint. That is faulty logic and demeans us all. These forms of communication are VERY different in nature and really have little do with each other. One uses the 'eye gate' to inform. The other uses the 'ear gate' to create images in the 'mind gate'.
• There seems to be a pattern here in Scripture. In Genesis, God spoke the world into existence. He did not draw it into existence, nor did He paint it into being. By speech, He carried out the most amazing act of creation and communication ever. While this seems stupid, it is an important point.
• Paul tells us to "Preach the Word" in Second Timothy, a letter containing his final words before execution. Study that verse and those that surround it carefully. He is speaking of the spoken word and other forms of communication are not necessarily inferred in the context. I think the principle applies to other forms of communicating the message of the Word. But as a primary meaning, we must assume that the spoken (preached) word usurp other means of communication.
• Most convincing to me though, is the example found through the Old Testament prophets. Of these 17 books, which make up 20% of the canon, all of them deal with God's changing form of communication. Some might call it Dispensationalism, others just call it good sense. Either way, God's form of communication was changing. Early in the OT, God made His presence known. Think of Him visiting the Garden of Eden, walking with Enoch, visiting Job and his friends, raining brimstone on Sodom, leading the Exodus through clouds and fire, burning false prophets and sacrifices with flames from heaven in Elijah's day, etc. God got involved in VERY visual ways... but now, by the time the Prophets come on the scene, God seems to be pulling farther and farther away. He seemed... distant. The prophets were calling for miraculous displays of His power, like in Moses' day. But history records that even with this first-person visual reminder of God's presence, Israel STILL rebelled. Now, through the Prophets, God was turning instead to the power of the spoken word. It would seem that God did not (and does not) consider mere words to be an inferior form of proof or communication. He used it successfully through the age of prophets, Christ employed it as the basis of His communication, and preachers/proclaimers since then have used the to draw billions to Christ.

That being said, I love media.

I love to use it to help proclaim the message of the gospel. But the media is not the message, and many times the media only destroys the message. We must be careful with it, it is a powerful thing. Used correctly and carefully, media can aid in our efforts to communicate. But when wielded with improper care, it can suck the life out of the message... or worse, become the message itself.

Few wrestle with these issues anymore. Most churches, and church media people, blindly follow whatever new technology, theory, or method comes along. They justify their conscience by convincing themselves that Christ would have used media in a similar way... and even worse, they operate under the 'by any means necessary' mindset.

The Bible makes it clear over and again, the end does NOT justify the means.

Let's face it: Media is not a necessary tool for communicating the gospel. Many times, it's not even a better tool for communicating the gospel. In fact, it might be a detriment. But the first step to harnessing it for good is not allowing it to become more important than the message or the messenger.

I say: Use media, use it a LOT. But don't let it replace the written and spoken Word of God Almighty. They are not in any way equal. To say otherwise is blasphemy.

If there is another way to get the message out other than media, use it instead.

"Call me Ishmael, but Moby’s belief/action system seems far removed from biblical Christianity. In fact both Jane Fonda and Moby appear to have each created their own religion. In Fonda’s case, she molds Christianity to reflect her feminist beliefs. Moby simply adapts Christianity to his own warped celebrity worldview.

While both Fonda and Moby seek to disassociate themselves from the church, they still want to associate themselves with the head of the church, Jesus Christ. In doing this, they remove themselves from any authority that is outside of themselves. They make Jesus into what they want him to be, which in the case of Jane Fonda and Moby appears to be little more than a name dropped to achieve some sense of social credibility. Jesus still carries a bit more credibility in our culture than Krishna.

A year ago I wrote about the dangers of churchless Christianity. Fonda and Moby are exemplars extraordinaire. God did not create us to go it alone."

“the very concepts of truth, reason, and evidence shift profoundly. Joshua Meyrowitz, A professor of communication at the University of New Hampshire, comments about his students: ‘They tend to have an image-based standard of truth. If I ask them, ‘What evidence supports your view or contradicts it?’ they look at me as if I came from another planet.’ Why is this? ‘It’s very foreign to them to think in terms of truth, logic, consistency and evidence.”

"You probably connect with today's culture if your iPod is part of your wardrobe, if your play lists include U2, Black-Eyed Peas, Moby, and Coldplay, if your library shelf contains N.T. Wright, Leonard Sweet, Bill Easum, Jim Collins, John Grisham and John Steinbeck, if your DVD collection goes beyond Disney to Cohen brothers, Oliver Stone, and Mel Gibson; and if you can successfully order at Starbucks without tripping over your tongue or holding up the line. Westwinds Community Church is seeking a subversive teacher/communicator and team player who can connect with the inquirer, as well as the seasoned Christ-follower and who accurately and passionately exegetes Scripture and culture. This catalytic leader must guide the ongoing theological and cultural dialogue while exploring different approaches to ministry. Five years experience in an emergent church would be ideal as well as a master's degree and/or seminary training. Please send resume accompanied with DVD of a RECENT speaking engagement to:..."