Tag Archive - Tony Steward

Dawn Carter: What Are You Passionate About?

March 27, 2009 in Ministry-Theology, Technology-Social Media with 4 Comments

dec_headshot_dh01Who is Dawn Carter?
I met Dawn online about a year and a half ago, and we soon found out that some students that I had in in the college ministry I pastored in Los Angeles, she had had in her youth group. That was our connecting point, and from there we have had the opportunity to connect in person on a couple of occasions. She has always been a huge encouragement to me, especially the last time we chatted at the Innovation3 Gathering in Dallas this last January. Dawn, not only has encouraging words to share with others, but they always seem to be so timely and prophetic as well.

Dawn is the Director of Marketing for 360Hubs, which is a web tool thats “goal is to connect people, content and ideas around an affinity need.” She is also an active member of Sandals Church in Riverside, CA. You can find Dawn blogging at Chronicles of Dawnia as well as twittering away.

Dawn, I appreciate your ministry, both online and in-person. (Not that we are distinguishing between the two).

In Her Own Words

What are you really passionate about?

I am passionate about God’s love, truth and light breaking cycles of brokenness in His Bride, the Church. Although a church-attender all my life, I’ve lived so much of my life feeling distant from God’s love, but knowing it with my head. I’ve also wasted tons of years living with lies—holding onto distorted images of who He was, who I was to Him. Now, my life is a walking example that God can take anyone, no matter how messed up they are (e.g. externally religious, morally bankrupt) and use them as a “planting for the display of His splendor”. Because these two themes — head knowledge without heart and living with lies– were prevalent while I was very churched, I am really passionate about God’s people stepping out of darkness and experiencing freedom from religiosity, addictions, shame, lies and un-grieved places in their hearts. I absolutely love seeing God free captives, especially those trapped in church culture.

Continue Reading…

Jason Taylor: What Are You Passionate About?

March 20, 2009 in Ministry-Theology, Technology-Social Media with 2 Comments

jason_9-25-08Who Is Jason Taylor?
I met Jason online of course (thank you Twitter), and I was impressed with his thoughts, and I appreciated the great comments he was leaving on my blog, and the encouragement he gave via Twitter. Jason has a varied work experience (mortgage industry, former church planter) and he currenlty lives in Oregon where he works for a company called Ministry Coaching International. You can check out his ministry coaching bio to find out more about him.

I haven’t met Jason in person yet, but we are chatting about meeting up in Texas at some point when he is down in Austin on business. I’m loving how the online world is coming to fruition in the offline world. I find his enthusiasm and passion to be super contagious and I definitely think that there needs to be more life coaches like him.

Check out Jason Taylor’s new blog. And connect with him on Twitter.

In His Own Words

What are you really passionate about?

I’d have to point back to my Life Plan and say that my #1 passion is to influence and inspire others towards life transformation.   For me, there’s just nothing like helping someone move forward in some aspect of life.   It can be something as simple as teaching someone how to use a new technology or walking with someone through a really dark time.   I love that.

Continue Reading…

Tony Steward: What Are You Passionate About?

February 27, 2009 in Ministry-Theology, Technology-Social Media with 7 Comments

What Are You Passionate About?
I like all the creative things that different bloggers are doing online to help us connect and get to know others in the online community. I love Rick Smith’s “double popped” interviews and John Saddington’s chats or Friday 5′s, as well as the other creative things bloggers are doing.

One of the questions I’m constantly curious of is, “What are you passionate about?” It doesn’t matter if it’s in a therapeutic setting, church setting, or in a casual conversation with a friend, or someone I hardly know.

Locating your passion in life is of utmost value, especially when it correlates with what you do in life, whether that be your vocation, hobbies, service work, etc.

So I’m starting a new series where I plan on asking a different person online “What are you passionate about?” It’s my hope that it’s a great opportunity to get to know others better and see what drives them, and what things we can learn from them.

tonyWho is Tony Steward
Tony is the Online Community Organiser at LifeChurch.tv and someone who I have really come to know well over the last 6 months. And according to Scott McClellan at Collide Magazine he is the first person to hold the title of online community pastor. He is a great guy who I have learned a lot from and you can find his blog here, and his Twitter here.

Let’s begin…

What are you really passionate about?

I am passionate about what happens when the power of the Gospel touches someone and they are able to step into God’s call on their life – the results of that are so exciting. And what is incredible is how the emergence of online tools have allowed us to bring the gospel to people who are gathering online. There is also a tremendous opportunity in how online tools can be used in discipleship, leadership and extending the ministry of the church to the world.

How does what you are doing vocationally or volunteer wise serve that passion?

I am the Online Community Organiser with LifeChurch.tv on the team that brings church online. This both applies to preparing and bringing the gospel online through our experiences at http://live.lifechurch.tv as well as leadership and discipleship development for the people that are a part of our community.

How can those around you (friends, online community, etc.) best support you?

Ideas, Feedback and Prayer. Nobody has ministry online “figured out” and we are in a constant state of measurement, analysis and refinement. We love to partner with other churches and individuals who are passionate about the opportunities online – so getting connected and working together is always a big help and thrill.

But more than anything, prayer.

Anything else we should know about this passion?

Well, there is a lot to know – lol. I think the biggest learning for me right now is that the web is socially very awkward, like a junior high kid at their first dance. We are all still working through a lot of questions, we keep stepping on each others feet, and things are growing and we aren’t always sure what it means. But the dance is where everyone is at, and not being there just means nobody knows you. That and the internet isn’t going away, it isn’t a surprise to God, and we need to learn how be there appropriately to reach all the people that are gathering online.

Leave any comments, questions, thoughts or words of encouragement for Tony below….

What Keeps You Centered?

February 18, 2009 in Therapy-Psychology with 9 Comments

What keeps you centered?

pavmark2This is a question that I have been thinking about a lot.  And it’s a question that I ask a lot of my clients, and my friends.

If centered is not the right word for you, how about: grounded, balanced, focused.

Anxiety is one of the biggest issues that I usually work with clients on, and it is probably one of the most prevalent issues that friends and acquaintances ask my advice on.

Having something that daily centers us can help reduce the anxiety in our lives. I have tried to use this practice in my own life in various spheres.

So for example:

  • As a Christian, God, my life in Christ is what centers me, or helps keep me grounded. My dependence  upon, and relationship with God has helped reduce a lot of anxiety in my own life. That is sometimes hard for us to wrap our minds around. We think it, believe, know it (theologically), but to practice it is difficult. This can be practiced through a life of prayer and reading and meditation upon the Scriptures, worship, community, etc.


  • I also exercise as often as I can. Not as much as I would like to, but I’m working on it. When I ran back to back marathons in October 2007 and March 2008, I felt the most grounded, non-anxious and confident that I have ever felt. Exercise has a way of keeping us centered. I often recommend pilates, yoga, walking, running or some form of exercise to people as a way to center them and help reduce anxiety.


  • There are certain rituals that I like in the morning to help ground me. A cup of coffee in my hand at the beginning of my work day has a certain centering effect upon me. Rituals like long drives with great music playing also helps.



What works for you to keep you centered, grounded, balanced, well focused?

Share some tips….

Why I Disconnected Twitter from Facebook

February 16, 2009 in Technology-Social Media with 40 Comments

it’s official..i have disabled Twitter from my Facebook group..2 very different groups..I wrestled with this for months, but now i did it–12:19 AM Feb 12th from web

imagesimages1In the grand scheme of life this decision is about as unimportant as the come…really, it is. But somehow it is something I have been thinking about for months. I attempted to disconnect it twice over the last couple of months, but panicked and reconnected them within hours. Panicked might be a strong word…but it was in reality, a tough decision for a social media/web addict as myself. Yes, I fear that my online habits are bordering on addiction (and so are yours) and must be brought back under control. Sad…I know.

Cynthia Ware was the first person I had talked about this with a while ago…she disconnected them. Then I talked with John Saddington…he too has them disconnected. I saw Justin Wise disconnected his this week as well. I could list you tons more who disconnected them (or never even connected them) and tons more who still do it…great people like Greg Atkinson and Tony Steward.

But here is why I did it.

  1. It floods people’s Facebook Home Page/News Feed. If there are 100′s of people or over a 1,000 in your network (and your friends numbers are reciprocal), then this isn’t as big of a deal.  Your status update may not even be seen.  But lots of new people on Facebook and if one Twitters a lot, well, then you just might flood their news feed.


  2. Noise.  If I send out 25 tweets, the likelihood of someone responding/commenting on them on Facebook goes down.  On the other hand, updating your Facebook status and letting it sit there for most of the day, or at least several hours tends to invite more commenters I have found.  This is the “boy who cried wolf” or “bystander syndrome.” Or that’s how I think of it.  You keep tweeting, lots of people are going to stand by and watch until they hardly recognize your tweets anymore.


  3. Two different communities. Twitter in my opinion is centered more around conversation, and Facebook is place to share photos, news, video, etc, etc.  That doesn’t lend itself well to the Twitter symbols (i.e. RT, @, shortened words, etc.)


  4. Twitter allows you to ignore Facebook.  Because I never had to go on Facebook to update my status I tended to ignore a lot of what was going on there (funny thing is, people probably thought I was on Facebook all day, when in reality it was like every other day for about 30 minutes).  I missed out on great opportunities to be a part of that online community, and share and contribute with them, rather than just taking and wanting them to comment on my ever changing status. Saying it another way…I could not leverage the true value of the Facebook community when I was taking a Twitter shortcut.


  5. More ways to update now.  If I really want to update Facebook without having to go on Facebook, or from my Twitter there are many ways to do that now.  I can just send a message with hellotxt which I use.  Or brightkite which I also use.  Or why not use the #fb in your Twitter update which will post on Facebook (which I have not used yet, but heard a lot about)



I have been on Facebook for over 4 years and Twitter for about 15 months.  Not once has anyone ever complained to me about the number of my status updates (at least not to me personally).  I know some people defriended me and others unfollowed me, but rarely was anything ever said to me.  In fact, I thought Twitter was a great way to bring the two communities together and I often got great comments on Facebook via Twitter.

But I’ve just been rethinking my online philosophy.  It is a good decision for me.  It may or may not be a good decision for you.  I can understand both points of view.

As we spend more and more time online, and in more and more forums, using more and more tools, we are going to have to develop some sort of coherent philsophy…each and every one of us.  If we don’t, we are bound to be taken over.  This was my first step in rethinking how I do things online.

Discuss

  1. What are you doing? Connecting? Disconnecting?
  2. Why or why not?
  3. Are there  differences in the Facebook and Twitter communities?  What are they?

ChurchTechCamp-8 Things To Know If You Want To Help Organize One-Part 3: Collaborative Planning

January 21, 2009 in Ministry-Theology, Technology-Social Media with 5 Comments

Collaboration is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together toward an intersection of common goals — for example, an intellectual endeavor[1] [2] that is creative in nature[3]—by sharing knowledge, learning and building consensus. Collaboration does not require leadership and can sometimes bring better results through decentralization and egalitarianism.[4] In particular, teams that work collaboratively can obtain greater resources, recognition and reward when facing competition for finite resources.

This is at the heart of ChurchTechCamp. A coming together of people, sharing of their gifts and resources, to bring a greater impact to the Church through the use of technology. This is not something that one person, or one organization can do, but rather is best brought about by a number of people with a variety of gifts.

When planning for a ChurchTechCamp in your area one of the early things to think about is the collaborative nature of the event and who are those people that can get the ball rolling, as well as usher in a presence and demeanor to everyone else on the fringes to participate and give fully of their gifts. Put another way, “Who can help make this a shared event, and not a one or two person show?”

To pull of ChurchTechCamp:.Dallas collaboration was key. It began as I have mentioned before in a Twitter conversation. Tony Steward knew that John Saddington was coming to Dallas and that I was interested in having it in Dallas. So it began as a collaborative effort among the three of us, but was really encouraged by others who commented on the Twitter conversation. We helped organize, but it was the attendees, in person and online, who before and after the event brought the true meaning of collaboration to the event. A few simply helped get the ball rolling, the rest was done by all of you. Thank you to all of them.

Continue Reading…

ChurchTechCamp-8 Things To Know If You Want To Help Organize One-Part 2: Unconference

January 17, 2009 in Ministry-Theology, Technology-Social Media with 6 Comments

This is part 2 of an 8 part series on ChurchTechCamp (ChurchTechCamp:.Los Angeles, ChurchTechCamp:.Dallas) from the perspective of organizing one, in hopes that others will find some useful information to help organize one near them.

What is an unconference?

It made me realize that what I really want to attend is an “unconference“, where people pay to come and listen to one (or maybe two) keynotes by prominent community members, but then the rest of the time is spent in unstructured hacking sessions, where people cluster and work together on any number of different projects. If people want to stand up at a mic and talk about something that interests them, that‘s fine, but the focus would not be on presentation, but on working on interesting projects.
Unconferences by Jamis of 37 Signals

You can find this quote on the front page of the ChurchTechCamp:.Dallas website.

And that is the intention of ChurchTechCamp:.Dallas. A place where people can gather together, free of charge, no product placement, no one pushing products…and talk about “best practices” in their areas of interest as it relates to church and technology.

Tony Steward from the outset has successfully pushed for an event that is different from all the other events, and one that is free of sponsors and agendas. I think this is what makes ChurchTechCamp unique, and I think it’s a desire for many who have been burned out and overwhelmed by the number of conference, sponsors and fees to attend them.

An “unconference” is grassroots gathering of locals that has implications for a larger mobilization of the church through the use of technology. Not only do you have the opportunity to listen to others share their perspective, but you as an attender have the opportunity to contribute to the conference in the morning sessions, as well as participating in projects along with everyone else in the afternoon. You are more than a face in the crowd, but a participant of the event.

Questions:
What do you think about the philosophy and idea of an “unconference?”

How many conferences will you attend this year? What will be the grand total cost of them?

Are you burned out going to lots of conferences?

If you had to choose 3 conferences to go to this year (in an area of practice), what would they be?

Series:
ChurchTechCamp-8 Things To Know If You Want To Help Organize One-Part 1: It’s Organic

Disclaimer: Tony Steward is the main organizer, facilitator and influence behind ChurchTechCamp:.LA and ChurchTechCamp:.Dallas, I’m simply writing this series from the perspective of helping organize the details (location specifics) for the Dallas event, and hopefully this will be a useful series if you find yourself wanting to or in the position of helping organize one for your city.

Tim Keller’s Preaching Notes: How Do You Prepare Your Notes?

October 6, 2008 in Ministry-Theology, Technology-Social Media with 3 Comments

I found this link to Tim Keller’s preaching notes here, thanks to a link from DJ Chuang’s site who compared them to something belonging to Jason Bourne.

It’s just fascinating to me to see the many different ways preachers, speakers, teachers, etc. prepare speaking notes. Everyone has their own method that works for them. More recently I have been getting into arranging my talks and teaching ideas around a mind map. I have been using tools like Mind Meister to help me with the process. Thanks to Tony Steward for helping me with this stuff. He is great at mind maps.

It’s amazing for me the connection between therapy, ministry and social media when using mind mapping. Therapy often involves genograms and family systems thinking that is helped by maps and symbols; social media and technology often flows out of ideas that are represented in charts, symbols, graphs….think white boards everywhere. Only makes sense to me that I should carry this creativity over into ministry and move away a bit from the number, bullet point, bullet point, number, bullet point, bullet point method. Know what I mean?

What types of notes do you prepare for preaching, speaking, teaching, etc.? Does it work well for you? Any suggestions for us?

Technology and the Future of the Church

September 23, 2008 in Ministry-Theology with 3 Comments

There are a lot of amazing things happening in the world of ministry and technology. So much so that it’s hard to keep up with all of it. Some churches are on the leading edge of innovation, while others are still trying to get a website put together. Wherever you fall on the spectrum, below are four links that might interest you from this past week.

First:
Author, blogger, video guru and Church 2.0 leader Greg Atkinson has a great post which basically introduces the Digerati Team from LifeChurch.tv, SPOTLIGHT: LifeChurch.tv’s Digerati Team. Many of you don’t know that there exists such a team on a church staff. But I think that trend is changing, and as you read the article you will definitely see their fingerprints all over the world of ministry and tech.

Greg says:

You might be wondering: “What in the world does “digerati” mean?” To get to the bottom of something, I go to Wikipedia. Wikipedia reads:”The digerati are the elite of the computer industry and online communities.” From what I know of my friends Terry Storch and Tony Steward (and the rest of the Digerati Team) this fits them very well.

Maybe you don’t recognize the team, but you may recognize their work. Here is what the Digerati team has been up to and is responsible for:

* YouVersion (Web, Mobile, and iPhone)
* OPEN
* ChurchMetrics
* Internet Campus
* LifeGroups
* LifeShare
* OnePrayer

Second:
If you can make it to Pasadena, CA this Friday, then you need to so that you can attend Church Tech Camp. It’s the first in what I think will be a growing group of church leaders who are on the innovative edge of integrating technology and ministry, especially as it relates to social media, web 2.0 tools. If you can’t make it, then watch the live stream of the get together. Not only is the technology and its use in ministry innovative, but the organization of the camp itself is on the leading edge. Check it out and you will see.

Third:
Check out Andrew Jones’ Powerpoint presentation from his talk at GodblogCon, The Missional Church in the Internet Age. You can listen to Andrew’s podcast as well at Podcasts of Godblogcon 2008, as well as all the others from there.

Fourth:
Godbloggers Prepare to Invade ‘Sin City’

Kickstarting Your Church’s Online Community…Some Ideas

September 8, 2008 in Ministry-Theology with 7 Comments

If you are thinking about having more of an online web presence for you church, but aren’t sure how to dive in…or even if you have a great web presence and are in need of some ideas, check out below.

First, Tony Steward has a great post How to Launch an Online Community. Here is the link to much of what Tony talks about in regards to the work of Jeremiah Owyang, Online Community Best Practices Final.

Second, Cynthia Ware has a post 10 Challenges Facing the Church in Cyberspace.

Third, here are My 9 Posts for Formulating an Online Strategy for College Ministry (and ministry in general).

Fourth, Chris Brogan has a fascinating post, Workflow–Social Media Pastor.

Hope you can glean something from these posts, and if you have any ideas, or other links to blogs, or your blog, please leave them in the comment section.
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