Greg Atkinson

I really like this Easter prayer sent out by Highway Video:

Father, quiet our hearts and still our souls.
We have done our best to prepare for this weekend.
We ask now that you do what only you can do.
Prepare the hearts of those that you have called to hear your message.
Remove anything that might distract them or keep them away.
Pour your Spirit out on our time of worship together.
Speak through what we have prepared.
Make any changes you deem necessary.
Help us to worship in Spirit and Truth.
Accomplish all that you have in mind this weekend.
We place our efforts before you now and leave them at your throne.
Only You can change lives.
Grant us the joy of seeing your hand at work.
All this we pray humbly in the name of your son Jesus,
whose death we remember with reverence,
and whose resurrection we celebrate with joy.

Amen.

BONUS:

Still looking for some new Easter backgrounds. I found these backgrounds from ImageVine. This downloadable package (which I got) is for your projector, TV, print and HD. This package includes 60 Jpeg images (300 total images). You know I love companies that offer HD images and footage. Here’s the multiple formats:

• Standard resolution for projector (1024 x 768)
• HD (1920 x 1080 for use on HD equipment)
• TV-NTSC (720 x 480 sized to display on TV without distorting)
• TV-PAL (720 x 576 sized to display on TV without distorting)
• Print resolution (2400 x 1800)

Easter Backdrops Pro (all for $49) gives you the materials necessary to be creative- you can create completely customized presentations AND printed materials. Print promotional materials for your Easter service or event, bulletins, programs, flyers- all with the Pro images. Save time, money, and get professional quality photography and design.

I read “Design Matters” (by my friends Len Wilson and Jason Moore) a while back, but just now got around to reviewing it. You can read my review HERE on Church Marketing Sucks.

Last month I spoke at NRB and did a class with Bobby Gruenewald from LifeChurch.tv. He told me about their new Satan billboard campaign that they were about to launch. I thought it was a cool idea. It’s neat now to see pictures from around the country of where they have placed these billboards. The marketing campaign is called “Satan Hates Life” and you can find out more about it HERE.

BONUS:

Get a FREE Easter “Cross on Hill” loop from Igniter Media Group.

Last night I went to i55. Usually I’m playing with the band and more involved, but the band is currently on a break, so I got to just be there and worship. Wow…I needed that. I didn’t realize how drained and full of anxiety I was. Driving home from work I felt a big spirit of heaviness and just knew I needed to go worship and be in God’s presence.

With the all the “newness” of my new job (new faces, new names, new systems and procedures to learn, etc.), the quickly approaching Easter season and all that goes with overseeing the technical aspects of our building project (which includes a new worship center, a new gym with sound, video and lights for the youth and the renovation of our current worship center, which will be where our children’s ministry meets) - all those combined were beginning to take their toll on me and causing me some stress.

I came home and saw my family for a little bit and then left as my kids were heading to bed to attend i55. God really spoke to my heart last night and I left all my stress and anxiety there and thankfully didn’t bring it back home. God opened my eyes and ministered to my spirit - it was an awesome and wonderful time of refreshing.

A few things that God, with His still small voice, impressed upon my heart and resonated with me:

• We sang the words: “More of You and less of me. More of You and less of me.” - that really resonated.
• “Consuming Fire… Let my heart and my life be kindling for Your fire.” - that was a spontaneous song that the worship leader sang.
• I felt God say: “When pride walks in, I walk out.” - that stung, but resonated. God help me to walk in humility.

UPDATE:

Yesterday I blogged about “My Slice of Pi“. It looks like many of you went and got your own “slice of Pi”. I need to update you on a pricing change they just made (in your favor): the price structure just changed. It’s now much cheaper than previously priced. Each number is its own price…so rather than a 5 being $50 it’s now $5. Zeros are still free. Go get your slice of Pi!

EXTRA:

You’ve got to check out LifeChurch.tv’s new Second Life campus. For the last few months they have been working on a virtual campus in Second Life. If you are not familiar with Second Life, you can read more about it in Wikipedia.

They purchased an island (16 virtual acres of real estate) and have worked with both in-house and outside developers to develop the property. There are still several areas of the island that they have not developed, but are opening the island for a “beta test” this week. For more info on this read HERE.

Bill Seaver of MicroExplosion told me about “My Slice of Pi“. Yesterday I got my “slice of Pi”. You can get your own slice, too. It’s kind of like an online billboard. Whatever digit is next, say the number 5, you multiply by 10 - so you would pay $50 for the number 5. Zeros are free, if you keep an eye on it and grab it up. You could wait for a 1 and pay just $10. Check it out. It’s a new and unconventional way to get your message, product or website promoted.

I’m curious as to what non-Christian magazines some of you read? I read a ton of ministry related worship, music and technology magazines, but I also read magazines like “Wired”, “Relevant”, “Front of House”, “Inc.”, “Paste” and “Fast Company”. What are some non-ministry related magazines that you dig and would recommend?

PERSONAL:

Each Wednesday I write a column for Monday Morning Insight. This week I turned in the most passionate and dear to my heart article to date. I have been challenged and inspired by a TV commercial. You read right - a TV commercial. I think the Kleenex company, with their “let it out” campaign, has hit a homerun. So for my column, I wrote about how these TV commercials moved me and what I think the Church can learn from them. You can read the article HERE.

To see the US commercial click HERE.

To see the UK commercial click HERE.

Many of you may be planning some sort of Super Bowl party, event or themed service this week. I wanted you to know about the FREE football metaphor graphic package from my friends at Midnight Oil Productions. I also wanted you to know that WorshipHouse Media has a football themed store or section full of resources to choose from. You can check that out HERE.

BONUS:

Have you heard of Habari? Habari is a new blogging platform from familiar names formerly associated with WordPress. The project was announced by Chris J. Davis earlier this month, who’s one of the core developers of the new weblog publishing application.

PERSONAL:
I wish I could accurately describe to you how much I love the Monday night lineup. “Prison Break” and “24″ back to back. Pause for dramatic effect. Ahhhhhh….it’s just wonderful. Of course, I then watch “Heroes” online. I know some watch “Heroes” live and then catch “24″ online, but I just can’t. I’ve love the “on-the-edge of your seat” feeling of watching “24″ live. Let me hear some feedback. How many of you are bigger “Heroes” fans that “24″ and vice versa?

Colts win! Colts win! What a game! I’m happy for Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy. It was the largest comeback in AFC or NFC Championship history. I was proud of Coach Tony

Dungy when he said the game was “won in such a way that the Lord receives all the credit.” I knew Tony was a strong believer and couldn’t be happier for him. I was shocked when the CEO and Owner of the Colts gave “glory to God” for the win. Wow - and the Bears won, too. It’s going to be a great Super Bowl.

Guy Kawasaki just came across a list of the top ten (actually 11) marketing podcasts and shared it on his blog.

1. Seth Godin, marketing expert, author. States that small is the new big. People need to target audiences of 4 not 400. Told marketers he feels they have the biggest opportunity in at least thirty years to make an impact given social media.
2. Robert Scoble, blogger and vice president of media development for PodTech. Talks about how blogging has evolved and why it is important for corporations to blog today.
3. Peter Rojas, co-founder and editor of Engadget, one of the most popular blogs on technology today. Discusses the publication, its strategy and how to best contact editors for the publication.
4. Phillip Bodzenta, director of global communications for Coke. Describes how Coke used bloggers to build audience during the World Cup. Shows pictures of bloggers at the World Cup.
5. Sharon Wienbar, managing director, Scale Venture Partners (formerly BA Venture Partners) on what is hot/ not in social media venture investing.
6. Pete Blackshaw, chief marketing officer of Nielsen Buzzmetrics, talks about how to measure social media.
7. Steve Rubel, senior vice president of Edelman Public Relations. Speaks to how social media is impacting the practice of public relations.
8. Dick Costello, chief executive officer of Feedburner. He speaks about how to get blogging and podcasting content is found and distributed.
9. Bill Kircos, head of consumer and enterprise media for Intel. Describes how Intel implements social media programs, most specifically, podcasting.
10. Kelly Wagman, head of customer relationship marketing for Juniper Networks. Talks about how Juniper used social media to build a community.
11. Ross Mayfield, CEO of Socialtext, a wiki company. Describes wikis and how they are best used in marketing.

PERSONAL:
Today is the first day I teach on worship leadership at Dallas Theological Seminary. I’d appreciate your prayers.

Kent, from Church Relevance and Bombay Creative recently blogged about “7 Truths About Your Church’s Logo”. He mentioned designer Mark Bixby’s list of things you should know about your logo and then wrote about how seven of them apply to your church:

1. Your logo is not your brand. Don’t expect it to be.
2. If you are unable to articulate why someone should choose your church over another Sunday activity, a well designed logo is not going to fix that problem.
3. Your logo is also not your value proposition. Don’t expect it to be. “How will people perceive us as reaching the world, if it doesn’t say we are in our logo?” They will know you are reaching the world, when you actually are reaching the world. Chances are also good, they won’t care.
4. The pastor of a church should remove themselves from the design process. Find a designer you trust, and resist the urge to “play designer” yourself. You will get a better logo in the end. It will be based on the attributes of your church and not your personal preferences and tastes (your personal taste simply doesn’t matter to your congregation).
5. You will never “know it when you see it”.
6. Your congregation does not care about your logo. It’s hard to believe, but making your logo bigger will not make it more memorable, it will just make your message less memorable.
7. How you use your logo is more important than its design. Develop an identity plan before putting your logo on anything.

UPDATE:

Passion is going great. Yesterday was amazing. I’ll blog more when I get more time.

Happy Thanksgiving! I wish you and yours the very best. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Each Wednesday I write a column for Monday Morning Insight. This week’s article is on volunteer appreciation. I didn’t necessarily set out to write a series, but it kind of ended up like that. I first wrote on the importance of having depth on your team. Then I wrote on how to build depth: recruitment. The latest article is crucial to keeping and maintaining your team. Check it out!

Our friends at Church Marketing Sucks now have t-shirts to help support their ministry. Above is just one design. Click HERE to check them out.

RECALL:
I just updated a Christmas article I wrote 2 years ago. You can read it HERE.