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Archive - April, 2009

Michael Trent: What Are You Passionate About?

April 17, 2009 in Ministry-Theology with 3 Comments

It was approximately three years ago that I had a phone conversation with Michael Trent. He is the “Founder and Idea Engineer” of Third Place Consulting and my church at the time had asked me if I could work with Michael on the concept for our new church coffee shop/cafe. I was super intrigued to be working with Michael as I was just then beginning to study more about the idea of third place. I had a great time hanging with him those few days, and I introduced him to his now favorite local restaurant in Los Angeles, Beverly Glen Deli. (Tip: In my 7 years at Bel Air we would go there for breakfast a lot and to the next door Starbucks–cause it was close to church–and I never saw more stars then there each week. Great breakfast and fun, low key, off the map people watching).

Anyways, Mike and I have stayed in touch over these last few years and have been having ever increasingly phone conversations about ways that we can work together more on some projects.

Mike is a great guy (total connector) and you can follow him on Twitter and read his blog.

In His Own Words

What are you really passionate about?

Rhett, I’ve come to realize in the last few years, clearly what I am called to do: Connect People, Develop Leaders, and Fund Causes. As I look back over my life, both personally and professionally, I see how my heart, mind, and actions drive me toward one of those three no matter what. I want to see people connect to one another because ‘iron still sharpens iron’; relationships are still an essential part of human existence and God’s plan for us. On my tombstone – I want pepperoni and for it to read “Michael unlocked the potential of every person and organization he came into contact with”. That often comes at a price when you are used to push someone to another level in order to unlock their potential, but the ROI is so worth it. And as an entrepreneur I’ve become solid and comfortable with the fact that God wants to use me to generate resources that will be leveraged to fund ministries and causes that please Him.

Continue Reading…

The Funnel: Making Decisions Among All The Choices

April 16, 2009 in Ministry-Theology, Technology-Social Media, Therapy-Psychology with 4 Comments

So how do you make decisions when there are so many choices out there?

This is the question I have been wondering a lot about. When you are presented with various opportunities, how do you determine if your choice is the right one?

I’ve been thinking about this primarily in a vocational context because I am someone who has a lot of varied interests, like many of you that I know. I love ministry, theology, leadership issues, social media, new technologies, therapy, writing, etc.

So for me, for example, I’ve been viewing my choices as if through a funnel….follow me for a minute.

If I put this option down the funnel, when it gets to the bottom, after being siffed through the ever thinning funnel, will it bring me closer to what my end goal is, or does it take away?

So if my goal is to be a therapist, but I keep attending conferences on ministry, it seems that I’m missing the mark…or vice-versa.

So recently, I have been deciding to say no to opportunities that don’t align with three major passions:

To be a great therapist
To develop great leadership skills in the church/ministry
To learn and utilize new technologies/social media in the theory and practice of therapy and ministry.

Those are three areas that I’m passionate about, and have to ask the question if my decision leads me to those.

How are you making wise decisions that help you align with your vocational goals among all the choices and opportunities presented to you?

Why Twitter? Shaping Our Narrative One Tweet at a Time

April 14, 2009 in Ministry-Theology, Technology-Social Media with 4 Comments

I had the privilege to write an article for Collide Magazine for their March/April 2009 issue, and of course I wrote it on the topic of Twitter. But more specifically, my view on how Twitter is a shaping/sharing/telling of our narrative, one tweet at a time, to those we are in connection with. I began by saying:

“working on my blog,” was the first tweet (Twitter slang for an update) I typed out on the mircoblogging tool Twitter on December 9, 2007. In fact, I remember clearly where I sat in our home at that moment and what thoughts of curiosity, hesitancy, and narcissism ran through my head as I posted those simple little words. It doesn’t seem like much does it? In fact, I used only 18 of the allotted 140 characters, unsure if anything I had to say was worthwhile at all. I had two questions for myself: Who is going to read this? Who cares? In and of itself, one tweet is just that: one tweet. But in the context of all the tweets that compose my growing Twitter profile, a more complex portrait of my life began to emerge, forming a narrative that is the beginning to a relational connectivity with others online, (and most likely in person) that is easier to achieve than it was before.

I also list at the end of the article six reasons why I think pastors should Twitter (relationships, communication, frequency, sharing, mobilization, support).

My title for the magazine edition was “Why Twitter? Shaping Our Narrative One Tweet at a Time,” but you can read the entire article online, “Why Tweet?”

The Role of Bible Technology in Shaping our Faith

April 13, 2009 in Ministry-Theology, Technology-Social Media with 1 Comment

More great stuff from John Dyer, BibleTech:2009-Technology is Not Neutral: How Bible Technology Shapes Our Faith.

This is definitely worth your listen. Really challenged me to think about the role of technology (computer, mobile phone, tv, etc.) in my life.

Technology Is Not Neutral: How Bible Technology Shapes Our Faith

View more presentations from John Dyer.

Good Friday: Death…Awaiting Resurrection

April 10, 2009 in Ministry-Theology with 0 Comments

Painting: White Crucifixion by Marc Chagall

How often have I lived through these weeks without paying much attention to penance, fasting, and prayer? How often have I missed the spiritual fruits of the season without even being aware of it? But how can I ever really celebrate Easter without observing Lent? How can I rejoice fully in your Resurrection when I have avoided participating in your death?

Yes, Lord, I have to die—with you, through you, and in you—and thus become ready to recognize you when you appear to me in your Resurrection. There is so much in me that needs to die: false attachments, greed and anger, impatience and stinginess…. I see clearly now how little I have died with you, really gone your way and been faithful to it. O Lord, make this Lenten season different from the other ones. Let me find you again. Amen. (A Cry for Mercy: Prayers from the Genesee by Henri Nouwen)

Jesse Phillips: What Are You Passionate About?

April 9, 2009 in Marriage-Family, Ministry-Theology, Technology-Social Media with 3 Comments

(Usually this series posts on Friday, but because of Easter weekend, I have posted early for tomorrow’s reflection)

I first had the opportunity to meet Jesse Phillips this last January when he was in town for the Innovation3 Gathering in Dallas. He, Scott McClellan and I went to White Rock Coffee to chat, and it was one of those great conversations about the Church, ministry, culture, etc, that we all finally had to decide it was time to get back to the office for work. In fact, Scott sent out this tweet shortly after..haaaa.

I’ve had a great day hanging out with @jessephillips from Catalyst and @rhetter. Over a cup of coffee we fixed the church. Patent pending.

Jesse works for Catalyst where he is their “Special Projects Ninja and editor of Catalyst Monthly.”

Jesse is an awesome dude who is very passionate about serving God…that is obvious and comes across in the way that he serves, and in the way he interacts and warmly engages those around him. I love what Catalyst is about and I’m excited that they have someone on board like Jesse.

In His Own Words

What are you really passionate about?

I’m passionate about reforming the Church. Through my experiences in
discipleship programs, interning at a couple churches, and doing street
evangelism – I’ve met lots of outsiders who totally miss the message of
the gospel because they have a hard time looking past the terrible
reputation of Christians.

I desire so strongly that the Church would be known for our love, for
serving, for helping the poor, for self-sacrifice and generosity. I
believe if we were more like Christ, if we lived the Gospel, outsiders
would take the time to truly listen to the message of the Gospel and our
outreach efforts would improve 1 Million Percent.

Continue Reading…

“How am I going to do this?”

April 8, 2009 in Ministry-Theology, Technology-Social Media with 10 Comments

This is a guest post by Justin Wise at BeDeviant.com.

As the leader of a growing and ever-changing ministry, Immersion (we attract mostly 20- and 30-somethings), the challenges of “tending the flock” (a highly mobile flock, at that) and finding out what’s going on in the lives of the people I care about can seemingly be insurmountable at times. With the majority of us strewn all over the city (okay, so Des Moines isn’t exactly a thriving metropolis, but it still takes time to get places!), I have found that the answer to the task of connecting with people isn’t necessarily geographical but technological.

I started thinking about how my professors in college used to have office hours. You know, they’d put on the syllabus things like, “Office Hours: 2-2:01 pm. Must call ahead for appointment.” (Something tells me they never liked having office hours.) Then I started thinking, “What if I had office hours, but if instead of being physically located in an office, I held ‘virtual office hours’? What would that look like?”

I am a huge advocate of social media. As such, the question for me became, “How do I leverage what I do have (technology, social media, a blog, etc.) against what I don’t have (extra hours in the week, for example)?” What if I had a set time during the week where I was accessible online to anyone who wanted to stop by?

* Prayer concern? Come visit me in my online “office” and we’ll pray.
* Want to know what the message is about this week? Come ask me in my virtual office.
* Have a friend who has a question about Jesus and you have no idea how to answer it? Ask Rhett. Then come to me with the easy questions (online, of course).

All that to say, I’ve commandeered TokBox and embedded a chat room on my blog. People can log onto Office.BeDeviant.com from the hours of 2-4pm CST on Wednesdays and there I’ll be: Writing emails, blogging, singing to myself, and talking with the people of Immersion.

Ask these questions of yourself and see if this would work for you: Would your people utilize “virtual office hours” if you had them? What if you blocked out a certain set of hours during the week to be “e-vailable” to your congregation? Would they “stop by” for a video chat over your lunch hour? What if you had a “group prayer” session online via webcam (a la OnePrayer 2009)? Would you benefit from something like this?

I’m not saying this is a perfect solution, but I feel it’s at least a start. If the essence of ministry is the “ministry of presence,” who’s to say that “presence” can’t be online?

LifeChurch.tv: Sharing Stories & Impacting the Kingdom

April 6, 2009 in Ministry-Theology, Technology-Social Media with 2 Comments

I’m pretty much stating the obvious when I talk about the amazing ministry impact that LifeChurch.tv is having all around the world. So go ahead and say “Duh, Rhett!” But the reason I bring them up is not specifically the impact that they are having, but their ability to share the stories of life change with others on the web.

I see this as a huge encouragement not only to Christians who try and walk daily with Christ, but I also see it as a huge encouragement to those who are seeking. I think that the Church, and we as Christians have to do a better job of sharing our stories of what God has been doing in our lives and the communities we are a part of.

I also see this as a huge encouragement to those in ministry, whether on staff or in a volunteer position. I have found that ministry, and the job we perform is often based around metrics, usually numbers (i.e. attendance, tithe, retreat numbers, etc.), and I think there is a larger metric that is more difficult to measure, but more valuable…and that is the stories that are told about the work of redemption, grace, salvation, etc. in our lives. Often these stories go untold because there is no outlet…which is a shame.

I remember that the question I most often got on a Thursday morning in my 7 years as a college pastor (college group was Wednesday night) was, “How many college kids were there last night?” THAT’S IT! I kept thinking how about the question, “Tell me a story of how a kid’s life was changed last night?” Or “How is God working in the lives of the students in the college ministry?” Those can not be quantified in easy to grasp metrics and numbers.

I appreciate the online ministry team there at LifeChurch.tv. I count it as a blessing to be able to call Tony Steward a great friend, and I’m looking forward to getting to know Brandon Donaldson better, and still looking forward to meeting Terry Storch and the rest of the crew soon.

So check out some of the great stories that they have been sharing the last two weeks….

This is one of my favorites. Tony is getting interviewed by social media guru Chris Brogan at SXSW. Chris writes this in his blog,

Originally, I thought of LifeChurch.tv as a place to cater to those who couldn’t make it to church, like shut-ins and others who are physically infirm. Tony explained that it went far beyond that. Quite interesting, to say the least.

Tony didn’t miss a beat when Chris made cracks about people getting into church so their money could be taken, and by the end of the interview Chris is quite blown away. Way to represent Tony. And way to make Kingdom impact at SXSW.

Dawn Nicole Baldwin: What Are You Passionate About?

April 3, 2009 in Ministry-Theology, Technology-Social Media with 9 Comments

Who is Dawn Nicole Baldwin?
Dawn is the Founder and Lead Strategist of Aspire One
, which is a firm that works with churches and nonprofits on their creative and strategic branding. You can read more about their approach and background.

I had heard a lot about Dawn through various circles, and I think the first time I remember having a conversation about her and the work she does was with Cynthia Ware. I then had the opportunity to meet Dawn briefly at Innovation3 Gathering in Dallas this last January. Though it was a brief introduction, I since then I have had the opportunity to find out more about the work that Dawn does with Aspire One, and I’m excited to see all that she does to help churches and nonprofits become more effective in their messaging.

One of the things that I tend to note about people is the company they keep and what is said about them. And Dawn keeps great company, and she is thought very highly of by her peers. Those are good things to have.

You can find Dawn blogging here, twittering here, and her company here.

In Her Own Words

What are you really passionate about?

The thought of helping churches reach people more effectively is something that makes my heart beat fast. I grew up in a family where the Church is seen as irrelevant, legalistic and unnecessary. As a teenager, I tried going back to the little church we had attended occasionally but felt like a complete outsider. So helping churches who have a passion for reaching people who aren’t connected to God is something I’m trying to pour all of my energies into.

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Michael Trent: What Are You Passionate About?

Good Friday: Death…Awaiting Resurrection

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