No matter what version you read it out of, Proverbs 19:21 sums up 2011, and really the last 7 years of my life quite well.

Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.

You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.

We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, but God’s purpose prevails.

In the beginning of 2011 I was rolling along, growing Holy Cow’s impact and reach…doing what I do. During the year a few churches asked me to join their staff, but we were comfortable and felt good doing what we were doing. We weren’t moving, we weren’t going on staff. We knew where we were headed.

“many are your plans”

Then one of the churches we worked with asked me to increase my role there. I eagerly accepted the new role but told them I’d do it in Michigan.

“many are your plans”

Yep, as I wrote about, that translated into us moving down there. But we were still going to be on contract, our workload would increase but not much else other than location and more on-site involvement. It was all still really Holy Cow. I wasn’t coming on full time, I wouldn’t have office hours, steady as she goes.

“many are your plans”

On January 2 I will begin leading the marketing and media team of Victory World Church.

That’s kinda scary and most certainly a bit uncomfortable. For the last 7 years I came and went as I pleased. I set my own hours, I did my own thing. I answered to no one. But in those restless moments, when I start to get anxious I remember the rest, and greatest part of the verse:

“the Lord’s purpose prevails”

They are giving me a lot of room and flexibility to continue to speak and consult and I will continue to direct and champion Holy Cow Creative, but in 2012 I will begin leading this group at this amazing church.

8 years ago I wanted to be creative director at my church of not quite 1000 people. That door closed, Holy Cow was born. I thought I had landed. I thought that desire was gone, door closed and locked. But I am now the Experience Pastor at a church of 10,000.

See, what it doesn’t say, and you just end up figuring it out, is that not only does the Lord’s purpose prevail but it is MUCH MUCH better than what you’d ever dream. The coolest part of all of this is that none of it was on my radar, I didn’t orchestrate it. God opened the door and pulled me through.

This year I had the chance to get an early galley of Len Sweet’s I Am a Follower in order to consider writing an endorsement (which I gladly did). Within it held my new resolution for 2011 and every year after it: Follow Christ and let Him lead.

As in, forget your plans. Forget walking in one direction and asking God to come find you and help you but in walking beside the Savior and following His path.

So go ahead and make your resolution, setup your 5 year plan, it is a good start. But know that if you let God lead, those plans will fade into something much more amazing.

What has God surprised you with in 2011?
What doors are you seeing opened as He leads you into 2012?

A heavy week last week, attended two funerals. One for Ridley who died unexpectedly and the other for a friends mom, Evelyn, who had been struggling for a long time.

I learned a couple of lessons:

Don’t wait for a eulogy

As I sat at Ridley’s funeral and everyone said amazingly kind words (Rid was an icon of faith in our church, an incredible man), it struck me: “why did we wait until now to say this?” I am going to make an effort to let people know how special they are and the impact they make on my life in the here and now.

We’re missing reverence in the church

Evelyn’s funeral was a Catholic funeral. Now, this was not my kind of funeral. Though the building was gorgeous with stained glass all around, majestic etched columns all the way up to the cathedral ceiling, it was just…well, a Catholic funeral. But as I sat there in silence with everyone very careful not to say a word, I realized we don’t have that kind of reverence in the church. In exchange for big lights and amazing displays, we don’t take the time to be in awe of God’s majesty. I am going to look for ways to bring moments of reverence back into our services and worship.

If you follow the twitter feed you know that I’m in Atlanta usually once a month working with a great church down there, Victory World Church.

You may have also seen some chatter about a move.

Well, through a course of events that could only be orchestrated by God (and if you want the whole story give me a shout, it’s incredible) a conversation came up with them about increasing my role there.

Over the past few months Carrie and I have met with them, talked it through, prayed about it, and sought wise council of expanding our contract by serving as the Experience Pastor at Victory World Church.

And in January (tentatively 1/11/12) we will move to Atlanta.

We are really excited about what this means for us personally and professionally as well as what it will mean for Holy Cow Creative. We have really fallen in love with the people at Victory. The staff and leadership became quick friends. Professionally and for Holy Cow we are stretching our tent and thinking big.

This allows for an even greater impact on the Church as well as allowing me to bring more talent to Holy Cow. I will continue as owner (because I’m not really selling the biz) and Creative Director of Holy Cow. I will continue to consult and speak (and excited to fly out of a major hub) and am working a number of projects that I’m really excited about as well.

So, much will stay the same. Much will be added. I serve an amazing God and am so very thankful for His favor on us.

I think it is important to point out that I didn’t plan this. This isn’t happening because I’m so awesome. 6 months ago, I wouldn’t have imagined this opportunity. This isn’t a door that I knocked on. This is a reflection of what happens when we stop trying to figure it all out and start first with following Christ and letting Him lead.

God has an amazing thing in store for you too, sometimes you just might have to get out of the way and stop trying to force it.

Carrie’s thoughts on the move >>

Normally I keep all my ideas to myself and only share them with a select few. Protecting them until I can roll them out. But I recently watched an interview with Philip Rosedale who created Second Life and was inspired by his openness to not hold on so tightly to all my ideas. So I have an idea swimming around in my brain that I wanted to share and see if it has merit.

Since we first started the Church Marketing Lab, my heart always went out for the person that was on a church staff and handle the torch of design. I could tell they were really trying but they just have a really long road ahead of them, learning as they go and struggling to put it all together.

Now, we’re all on different parts of that road. We all started somewhere. For some they just need a push or clear and constructive critique. Others need definite art direction, and others need someone to take their idea and design file and bring some polish to it and bring it up a notch. They need their design pimped out a bit.

I’m considering offering those last two as a service of Holy Cow: art direction and next level design assistance.

Art Direction would be like a critique but much more hands on and continuous through a project.

Next Level (or whatever I end up calling it) would be hands on with the actual files but also instruction of what and why we did what we did. This produces a better end product so that the church can communicate to its best and fosters a better artist connected to the project.

I don’t know what I’d charge or even specifically how it would all work, but it’s something rolling around and I thought I’d listen to what you thought.

So, what do you think of this idea?

It starts with a very interesting experiment by Adam Galinsky at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Draw the letter E on your forehead.

Really. Go ahead.

No peeking at the answer.

This won’t hurt.

Probably.

Photo credit: Adam Galinsky, Blackwell Publishing

Which does yours look like? The one on the right or the left?

Okay, now you can look at what your result means, right here. But then come back and let’s talk about them.

Welcome back.

I believe it is essential, though not easy, to think how others are perceiving us and our message. Both for the pastor and the artist.

A quote from one of the researches serves as a warning to pastors

“Across these studies, power was associated with a reduced tendency to comprehend how others see, think, and feel.”

As you step up on that platform rising above all the people, you step into that position of power. It is up to you to decide if you will look down on the people or look at the people. You have to decide if you will only look at scripture through your eyes, the eyes of someone that loves God enough to dedicate himself to the work of ministry or through the eyes of those you are bringing the scripture to. Will you take a moment to look at scripture through the eyes of someone who struggles with their faith, who are just trying to make it through the day, or who might think they have it all together?

And why should you do this, why do we need to show empathy? Pink (the author not musician) has an answer

It’s not a matter of deciding between hitting your numbers or drawing the E. It’s a matter of hitting your numbers by drawing the E.

Of course we’re not talking about numbers. We’re talking about something much more important, making it even more important to watch your perspective.

For the artist we must be sure to look at our work through their eyes. How do they perceive it? Do they even get it? It’s the reason I’m not a fan of the cross within your church logo, that cross may not mean anything to them yet. (and also the fact that if you have to wear a cross to show that your a Christian…but that’s another post entirely.) It’s also why I talk over and over about communicating with your art over shock and awe from your art. We have to do more than make the sermon slides look pretty, it has to say something to those experiencing it.

It’s important to remind ourselves that we are not called to a building or even an organization, but we are called to a people.

What do you do to help look through the eyes of others? How do you make sure you see things as they do?

Facebook killer? No…it’s more than that.
Twitter killer? Not so much even in that arena.

Here are my highlights and why G+ will take a very dominant role in the online arena.

Making social, personal

I like the organization they’ve built in right from the start. It allows me to not only be sure I hear the people that really matter to me but also allows me to have unique conversations with different groups. The story I tell to pastors is different than what I tell to artists. Circles gives that unique message to each.

An even longer tail

G+ has it’s ‘like’ button (+1) but also takes a queue from Twitter with ‘share’. Not only is this something that I find missing in Facebook, but I think it will go beyond just sharing it in my stream because of this:

Google+Everything

And this is how I think Google’s play is a huge move. This isn’t about competing against Facebook or Twitter, this is bigger than social media. G+ brings your email, your documents, your photos, the blogs you read, events you’re attending and brings them all together. It blurs the line between them all, or rather knocks down the wall. Like this presentation says it’s all about the cloud.

[slideshare id=8592083&doc=whatgreallyaboutpstitsnotsocial-110714031659-phpapp01]

And this really is just the start. I believe this was a huge move by Google. I’m not super active with it yet as I’m not a huge fan of in-browser software (my gmail is within mac mail, facebook and twitter through Hootsuite, etc), but this has huge potential.

If you don’t have G+ yet and need an invite just leave a message. If you’re on, what are your reactions so far?

Oh, and you can find me at gplus.to/holycow

I’ve talked with many people about going out on your own and as I see books like Jon Acuff’s Quitter, conferences like Ben Arment’s Dream Year and the economy the way it is, it’s clear that the need to do your own thing and to live out your dream is becoming a desire for many people.

But it’s hard starting out on your own. You’re afraid to fail, unsure of what’s going to happen, etc.

So, in celebration of our countries freedom, I want to help one of you find your freedom. I’ve always wanted a mentor and have always struggled with finding one, so I’ve decided to turn the tables and be one myself. I want to help you explore and to achieve your freedom.

Tell me a bit about the story of your dream. I’ll make some contact, we’ll talk about it a bit and once I find a good fit, I’ll pick one of you to mentor through the next year. And yes, for free (though you must commit to passing it forward to someone else once you’ve found your freedom successfully).

(for those of you who have already taken the leap and need to improve your craft (specifically video and photography). I’d suggest checking out my good friend’s Matt Knisely’s storytelling coaching.)

Ready? Let’s go!

I have followed The Accidental Creative podcast ever since I first found it a few years ago, if you don’t subscribe…go subscribe now. For me it’s like having someone on the other line that gets where I live. That understands the creative process and the challenges that come along with it. Brilliant stuff.

So, when I heard Todd Henry was publishing a book, I knew it was going to be great. It just hit my door so I’ve not cracked it open yet, but I already know it’ll be one of the must reads on my bookshelf (which is why I have the print version instead of Kindle).

I’ll have a review up on Church Marketing Sucks as soon as I digest it, but in the meantime here’s a video that while obviously intended as a promo video, is a great message of the role that creativity plays and how important it is to not just be creative when a project looms, but to realize that you were created to always be taking in creation.

Of course if you already know the Grade A stuff that comes from Todd, just go order it. I’d suggest the hardback because I think this will be the kind of book you share with others, but Kindle is cool too. Yes, those are affiliate links but trust me I’m not writing or promoting this for the grand .10 per book I might get (if it’s even that much). I believe Todd has a lot that needs to be heard by artists in the church, a place that “on demand” takes on a whole other level sometimes.

Stumbled on a great post by Pastor Brady Boyd of New Life Church.

I don’t know Pastor Boyd and I’ve never been to New Life Church, but his words here really hit the need of perspective when it comes to church marketing, creative, etc.

I’m obviously a big fan of church marketing, but not as the lead horse. As I talked about here the artist is a part of the work that is being done in the church, the pastor is certainly a part of the work being done in the church and we should be doing those with our fullest excellence. But it is God that makes it all grow.

Not so long ago, the church ignored how it communicated. It’s why I started Holy Cow. I think at times we’ve reacted to severely (and by we, yes, me too) and have made it all about how we communicate.

So thank you Pastor Boyd for that reminder. If we’re ever in the same spot, lunch is on me.

A few soundbites:

“I don’t think marketing is evil or carnal, as long as we are not solely leaning on worldly principles while forgetting the primary disciplines that truly build the church.”

“I know what most church leaders would tell me if asked this question. They would say they want to make disciples, reach the lost, and help the hurting. And they probably do. But what I hear leaders talk about most are attendance numbers”

“Instead of telling me attendance numbers, I would like to hear about stories.”

How do you keep this balance and perspective?
How have you managed to have great creativity without losing focus of the greater focus?

Fools right? Well, wait a minute. I think we can learn from them.

They really really believe that Saturday is the day. (I’ve still not had anyone confirm if it’s EST or PST) Because they believe that on Saturday God will judge the earth and rapture His people they’ve gone all out. They’ve raised the flags, created the flyers even taken out full page ads.

I believe that Christ died that I could be redeemed and live in harmony with Him.

What have I done? Who have I told?

Think about it, if this group really believes God is coming back on Saturday they would have to hate everyone if they didn’t shout it at the top of their lungs.

Maybe also true for us as believers of Christ our savior.

Now in case you decide that eBible is onto something, I’ve created something for you to post on your door. Just to be courteous.

Or you can print off this reminder that our God is much bigger than our minds, and that while we can know His love, He still has much mystery.

Thoughts?