If you missed Christmas Eve at CCV this year you can still share in the experience through the video from our service. I’m so proud of our creative team and the production effort that went into creating something for families to be a part of this year. Our band, tech volunteers, ushers, Valley Kids team, greeters, and staff worked in high gear for months. If you served on a team this Christmas Eve, thanks so much for your time, energy and effort! Here is the video from our service…
A couple of years ago I remember taking my son to a birthday party, and it was at this party where he acquired one of his first addictions… BALLOONS! As we approached the park where the party was hosted his big brown eyes saw balloons of all colors tied to each picnic table in the pavilion. He had a smile from ear to ear and immediately ran to a paired set of red and blue balloons shouting, “Boom, boom!” because he couldn’t quite say balloon yet.
Michael wasn’t strong enough to rip the strings from the table so he just stood there holding these two balloons tightly, giggling and happy to be holding such a prized possession. He had no idea that there was so much more to the party that he was missing out on. There was another whole world of slides, swings, tunnels, see-saws and wooden towers to explore right next to the pavilion where he stood with a tight grasp on his balloons.
I think at times we do this in our relationship with God. There is some area of our life we think we need, but we are afraid of letting go. We are scared to let go of that something that has got our attention and that distracts us from the awesome deep relational connection he desires us to have with him.
The funniest part of all this is Terri, one of my coworkers, cut the string and he still didn’t realize he was freed from the table! He stood there playing with his balloons never leaving to explore the rest of the party or the playground.
When we decide to do life God’s way (early Christianity was actually called “the way”) we are set free. Much like Michael was set free from the limitations placed on him by the string. We get so engrossed in our selfishness that we are blind to what God has for us in this existence. Sometimes the challenges we face seem insurmountable. We ask ourselves, “How could God allow these things to happen?” Or our pride gets in the way and we wonder, “How could God let this happen to me? I don’t deserve this?”
When in fact, we really deserve nothing. Our own selfishness keeps us tied down and blinded to the world God wants to open up for us in the future. Hopefully I can stop acting like a two year old and open my eyes to the things God wants to show me.
I’m quite shocked that a pastor would do this with his church. That’s right, Amazing Grace Baptist Church in Canton, NC is planning a book burning and bbq this Halloween. Among the books are any Bibles that are not the King James Version. After looking at the video below, if you had a chance to sit down with Pastor Marc Grizzard, what would you tell him?
At our churches we want people to know what we have to offer when they show up to a weekend worship service. However, as our churches grow (and we have more to offer) traditional verbal announcements just don’t cut it anymore. Unless you seriously want people to sit there and listen to a talking head for 10 minutes. We all know that after thirty seconds or so most people mentally check out. That means we have to get creative and smart with what we communicate and how we communicate it. Kem Meyer recently posted these five communication rules and I think they can help churches with addressing obesity in our announcements whether they are in print, verbal, or via email:
1 – Stick to the facts. Don’t over-sell, over-fluff, over-explain or over control. Just provide the information someone needs to self-sort and self-decide. People don’t need a page on the philosophy for every business, product, or event. They do need to know who it’s for, what it is, when it happens and how to get it.
2 – Stick to the point. Start with the end in mind before you take action. If you know the purpose behind your letter, brochure, or meeting, it makes it easier for you to stay on track and focused. Otherwise, it’s hard to recognize your own excess. Do you want people to show up, respond, or buy? What are you asking them to do? If you can’t answer that question easily, neither can they.
3 – Consider the crowd. Does your announcement (printed or verbal) apply to everyone or just a handful of people? If it doesn’t affect the masses, it’s going to land like dead weight. Don’t punish the crowd to keep a few people happy (even if they are the most vocal). Find a way to talk about the 20% that affects 80% of your audience.
4 – Don’t intrude. Unless they’ve asked for it, people welcome your mass emails as much as a salesman ringing the doorbell during family dinner. Respect personal space and put information in a place easy for people to find when they want or need it.
5 – Deflate your self-importance. Are you more attached to what you have to say than to who you are talking to? People are more inclined to read and respond when something is delivered from their point of view—not yours. Work hard to think like your audience to find ways to connect.
One thing we’ve done on Sunday mornings to try to make our announcements more interesting is to do them via video. First we choose a select few that impact the largest groups or current ministry priorities and then we try to come up with a creative or visually interesting way to shoot them.
Do you use visual media or slides for presentations, sermons, or classes you’re teaching at church? Then there are a few good rules you should know about.
Don’t use too many slides – too many slides can be visually distracting
Keep it short – Sometimes I think we just like to hear ourselves talk!
Don’t use a font that’s too small – not only is a small font hard to read, but when a ton of content is crammed on to a slide it can be challenging to follow when reading along. Plus, it forces you to know your material.
A couple of years ago I remember taking my son to a birthday party, and it was at this party where he acquired one of his first addictions… BALLOONS! As we approached the park where the party was hosted his big brown eyes saw balloons of all colors tied to each picnic table in the pavilion. He had a smile from ear to ear and immediately ran to a paired set of red and blue balloons shouting, “Boom, boom!” because he couldn’t quite say balloon yet.
