Dinner with Dan Kimball

Had dinner with Dan Kimball on Tuesday night. Always great to see Dan and hear what is going on with him, his church, and some of his latest thoughts on the church and culture. He was in town to speak at 7:22. Charlie Hall was also here in the ATL for 7:22 to lead worship. You should check out Charlie’s brand new album. It is different than anything he has done before, but feels really fresh. 

Dan will be speaking during the Origins lab environment at our Catalyst West Coast event in April 2009. And I have a huge amount of hair envy. The last time I could get my hair to stand up like Dan’s was in 7th grade…..

To Twitter or not to Twitter….

that is the question. or at least a big question right now. 

I’ve been struggling lately with whether I should personally be twittering. I actually have a twitter account, but have never posted. And just today moved the account over to a new combined Catalyst twitter account, that will be Catalyst related and not about me personally. Obviously tons of my friends, and probably many of you who are part of this blog community are regular twitterers (is that a noun or an adverb…?). I am just not sure that folks are really going to care what I am doing throughout the day…. and whether it will be interesting to ANYONE, other than my family and very close friends.

In relation to a recent post from a few weeks ago (Church Communicators), the same group of friends discussed the good and bad of twitter. I seemed to be the only one at the table (6 folks) who was in favor of it. Everyone else had a strong sense that twitter only accentuated and highlighted this idea that everything is about our own lives, and the infatuation we all have with trying to be the center of attention. It was a civil but very heated discussion. 

I’m torn. Would love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Jump in to the deep end.

Blue Man Group

 

Interesting article in Inc Magazine  on the Blue Man Group- the history of their show, how they’ve succeeded, and where they are now. As anyone who has seen the Blue Man Group perform, you know the secret to their concerts- the EXPERIENCE. It is all about creating an experience. 

Andy Stanley Interview; Rick with the candidates

A few thoughts and links to start the week:

- I recently had the chance to sit down with Andy Stanley at the North Point offices for a conversation on a number of topics, including his most recent series Letters to the Next President, as well as details and insight on the upcoming Catalyst One Day events with Andy and Craig Groeschel. You can stream the interview live here or you can listen/download at itunes. 

- In case you missed it, Rick Warren interviewed both Barack Obama and John McCain over the weekend during Saddleback’s Civil Forum. If anyone is keeping score, McCain clearly won the evening, according to all the political pundits, even though this obviously wasn’t a debate. This election is going to be a fight to the finish. 

- And speaking of Rick Warren, it’s a big week for him. Besides hosting the two presidential candidates, he is also on the cover of Time, and will also appear as the special guest on Larry King Live on Monday night. 

- In the latest issue of Business Week, there is a great series on Creating a Great Work Environment, featuring some great insights from Jim Collins.

Highlights from the Catalyst programming meeting

Earlier this week we spent a couple of days locked in a room planning the program for the Catalyst Conference coming up in October. You were probably expecting something of value, but unfortunately these videos just show more of the fun and zany side of our team. I promise, we actually did some real work! We definitely enjoy being around each other!

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Computers, the Church and personal discipleship

Had a meeting this morning with a number of leaders, and a pretty interesting discussion emerged regarding the basics of computer technology and how that compares to the essence of our Christian faith and the basics of discipleship. Thanks to Mike Breen for bringing up this one big point that I thought was profound. 

At the very basics of computer technology, you have three main ingredients: applications, an operating system, and programming language/binary code. So for example, with Apple, you have great applications such as itunes, iphoto, ilife, and the ipod. The operating system is Leopard, one of the greatest ever, and the programming language is an off shoot of Unix- but at its essence the DNA of how the system is put together. 

When it comes to matters of faith, there is a strong connection that follows the same basic premise of the three levels: the application is the church (small c), the operating system is discipleship, and the programming language is Scripture. 

This point created some great discussion, as most of us would think that the operating system would be the church, and the application would be discipleship, but it is just the opposite. The church is what is created as an application from Scripture and discipleship. 

Interesting thoughts from this morning. Still thinking through it.

Your Favorite Brand

Mine: Nike. It has shaped me over the course of my life through sports and has defined my generation with major sports stars. 

What is yours? And why?

And see a recent post from a couple of months ago on “tagging” vs. branding. Also, a great article on “what great brands do” from Fast Company.

Make the DMV Remarkable

So I went to the Georgia DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) office last week to pick up my new tags, and had a thought….

How hard would it really be to make a trip to the DMV a remarkable experience? Well, actually not that hard. We all know how much we dread going there. A trip to the DMV is up there with going to get a root canal or jury duty. And the same is true in every state and in every county across the country- the DMV is usually a miserable and painful conclusion to what most of the time is an overall great experience- purchasing a new vehicle. So thought I would give a few ideas on how to make it a memorable experience.

1. Smile and be friendly- maybe the folks who work there could do these two things. I know it is a challenge. I probably wouldn’t smile if I had to work there, but let’s give it a try.

2. Better lighting- usually the saddest and dimmest lit place in every government building. How about an upgrade to some better bulbs, and maybe a plant or two to freshen things up.

3. A candle or plug in scent maker- yeah, usually these places stink. A couple of glade plug ins would do wonders.

4. Excitement- how about a giveaway or a raffle every 15 minutes? A daily “get your tag for free” contest- the only way you can enter is if you have all of your paperwork and don’t hold up the process for all 100 people in line behind you.

5. Snacks and drinks- seriously, some good snacks and a complimentary beverage would make my 30 minutes in line alot more pleasant.

6. Entertainment- a good itunes mix over the speakers would go a long ways. Or maybe a couple of flat screens in the corner that are showing Sportscenter or the Price is Right. 

What else would make your experience at the DMV a REMARKABLE one?