I Read a REAL Newspaper Today

For the first time in at least three years, I read an actual, printed-on-paper newspaper today.

I read the Wichita Eagle every day. Usually, I read nearly every word they publish, but I read it online via RSS. 

This morning, I was getting a haircut. Actually, I was waiting on my son’s haircut and picked up a printed paper.  I enjoyed it.  I liked the tactile feel.  I actually liked looking at the ads.  It was kind of a “connecting” feeling that I haven’t had in a while.

I’m afraid it’s a feeling that’s not long for this world.   How’s this for amazing:  Silicon Alley Insider says you could provide a free Amazon Kindle to every subscriber of the New York Times for less than half of what it costs to print that paper.

“As a technology for delivering the news, newsprint isn't just expensive and inefficient; it's laughably so.”

We haven’t actually subscribed to the paper in years.  That’s actually strange.  I’m a writer, a former news guy, and made my living monitoring the news for more than a decade.

Nick Jungman and I have talked in the past about the fact that I’m always amazed the Eagle doesn’t push an ad with their RSS feed.  Other feeds I read do that, and I wouldn’t mind it at all.  He says it’s a technical issue that will only be resolved upstream from the local newspaper.

I also find that I have to use multiple RSS feeds to get ALL of the content the Eagle publishes, and I end up with a lot of duplicates.  I’d love it if there was one SINGLE feed for all their local stories, and one for national/international.

For now, I’m thinking about subscribing to the print edition again.  Like I said, I kind of liked having the newsprint in my hands.  Sound like I’d better do it soon.  The way things are looking now, the printed version of the paper may not be around  much longer!

A Graphics Library for Sale

My buddy Anthony Coppedge has an amazing offer today.  He has a huge library of graphics, backgrounds and sound effects and samples for a church … and he’s willing to part with it, dirt cheap.

Only one catch:  You have to convince him that you’ll really use these tools.  Says Anthony:

“I want to be a blessing to a church that will truly make compelling media with a collection like this.”

If you think you are that church, give Anthony a holler today.

Because It’s Just Wrong

The Copyright Queen has an amazing and personal letter from singer and songwriter Dennis Jernigan on why you should NOT rip a CD to give a copy to a friend.

“I am always blessed when people tell me how my music has affected their lives in some way. One of my favorite things to do is to stand near the front of the concert hall after a Night of Praise and Ministry and hear the stories of people whom God has touched, and to hear their testimonies of healing, deliverance and encouragement.”

“But one of my least favorite things to hear – and sadly I hear it a lot – is: ‘I hope you don’t mind, but I made copies of your CD and passed them along to hurting people.’”

I hope you understand how hurtful and harmful that is for me and my family. If I can even stammer a reply to these people offering insights into how making unauthorized copies of my CDs affects my ability to provide for my family, the retort is too often, ‘God gave you the music freely. You should be willing to give it away freely.’”

Read the rest of it here! By the way… if you need help navigating any of the multiple and varied copyright minefields, Susan and crew at Christian Copyright Solutions should be your first stop.

Photo by Aus_Chick!

Real Greatness

“.. Jesus gave us a new norm of greatness. If you want to be important—wonderful. If you want to be recognized—wonderful. If you want to be great—wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That's a new definition of greatness… by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.”

Martin Luther King Jr. 

HT to Rob Wegner and Mark Waltz

Garth Brooks and The Wave

Sound waves, that is. Here’s an amazing little video that shows visually how sound travels. It’s from the pre-inauguration concert. Garth Brooks is doing “Shout,” and you can actually watch the sound travel down the Washington mall.

Seeing Sound Waves from John Huntington on Vimeo.

HT to John Huntington and the Church Soundcheck list.

Mission That Makes Sense

File this away for next Christmas, please.

Killer idea from National Community Church in Washington, D.C.

They produced a catalog, just like the dozens that we all get each year around Christmas. This catalog, though, contains gifts that will help change the world.

Tangible gifts of mission. Build a hut in Malawai. Give a goat to a family in Ethiopia. Provide a high school education for a girl in Tailand.

This is the kind of mission outreach opportunity that post-modern, and even post-Christian Americans can get their arms around. Great idea for a church. Great idea for any business.

HT to Mark Batterson.

Could Your Church Do This?

A pastor meets a Hooters girl at a gas pump. The church staff goes for dinner at the restaurant. Relationships form. Outreach from a Baptist church to the employees of a Hooters restaurant. It’s been happening for nearly a decade.

Out of the relationship, the unlikely organizational pair reached out together to help another church in need.

I wonder how many churches could get away with this?

HT to Church Marketing Sucks.

So, What Have You Been Up To?

So, long time, no see.  My apologies for the extended absence.  There have been a few changes in our lives.

As of mid-December, I’m no longer on staff at First United Methodist Church in Wichita.  The reasons are not really that important.  If you’re that interested, give me holler.  I’ll be glad to talk with you.  I’ve been amazed and humbled by the number of folks who’ve called, texted and in some cases physically chased me down to check in on me and my family during the past month.

Thanks so much for your concerns, your care and your prayers.  It’s good to be back.

As for the future, we’re not sure yet.  I’ve spent the past month, quite literally, resting.  Resting my body, my mind and my spirit. It was needed, badly.  More needed, I think, than I understood. My friend Ann Jackson says I’m just now getting reacquainted with myself.  I think she’s right.

I’m not ruling anything out at this point, and am looking actively at a few different opportunities. Some are in churches, and some are not. If you have any thoughts on positions I might be qualified for, I’d love to hear from you.

I’m also excited to have some time to pursue a real passion, that has been pushed aside for the past few years. I absolutely love helping churches, both long established, and new churches, to navigate technology and communications transitions.

My buddy Anthony Coppedge has it right.  Today, technology and communications are integrally connected.   If you’ve been here for long, you know that I live in both of these worlds.  I’ll be offering project management services, creative direction and offering a few niche services in areas that I happen to know a little bit about.

More on all of this in the coming week.  For now, I’ll just say that it’s very good to be back.

We now return you to our regular programming!

Ummmm. Good.

Dedicated to my buddy Dan Stark.

HT to Jon at As Far As I Can Tell.

Blame Wayne and Elaine

Since October, I’d guess my intake of pop has dropped by 75 percent.  Anyone who knows me knows that I was addicted to diet Pepsi.  I still love it, but now I have another monkey on my back!

Arizona Tea’s sugar free Peach Iced Tea is my new go-to beverage of choice since October.

It’s actually Wayne and Elaine’s fault.  They were the dealers who introduced me to this vice last October at Catalyst.  It’s hard to get here in Wichita, so I’m reduced to ordering it online.  I just hope the dogs don’t sniff out the packages.

I’m trying to cut back.  Well, not really, but I do actually cut it nearly in half, getting about 3 quarts from a two quart mix.  Give it a try sometime.  You’ll thank me.

I Shall Return

I will be back, and soon. 

Really, just a few more days.

It’s been quite an interesting road, and there is a lot to talk about.   A huge idea from Washington D.C. and talking about what you’re not, and why HD video means we need to get up to speed on audio and a really good reason to respect copyright.

And maybe even where I’ve been for the past month or so. 

Like I said, lots to talk about.

So, I’ll see you shortly!    Invite your friends!