I’ve blogged about this before, but the time-sensitive huge discount for Q runs out Dec. 31st!!!! You have 1 week to act on this opportunity. You can register later, but it will cost over $150 more.
I’ll be hosting a Church 2.0 Tribe this year at Q. Q was held in New York last year and I couldn’t make it - I really wanted to . This April 27-29 it will be in Austin, TX. I and many other friends will be there. I’d love for you to join us.
Q is a unique conference for leaders that “get it” and are interested in highly relevant and missional things. Q does cost more than a lot of conferences, but if you register with my coupon code (Church20) - you can register for $525 until 12/31.
More about Q: Q is a gathering where church leaders and cultural influencers from the fields of business, politics, media, education, entertainment and the arts are exposed to the future of culture and the church’s responsibility to advance the common good in society.
Q TALKS are 18 minute presentations given annually at the Q gathering by thought leaders and practitioners on the topics of the future, the church, the culture and the gospel. Be inspired by their big ideas and find ways to discuss and process them with your closest friends and inner circle (the Church 2.0 tribe).
I hope to see some of you in the wonderful city of Austin!
I’m sure most of you have heard of Ed Young’s (of Fellowship Church here in Dallas) 7-day sex challenge. My friend, Pace (worship pastor at Fellowship), blogged about it recently. I thought I’d bring it up because I never mentioned it here on my blog.
I watched the following interview on CNN and personally, was very happy to see Christians and the Church painted in a positive light. I loved the demeanor of the woman who interviewed Ed and Lisa Young. She seemed genuinely interested, sweet and read some encouraging emails. Here’s the interview:
I’ve already showed my cards. You can tell what I think. We (the Church) often get painted in such a horrible way through TV, media and movies - so I’m refreshed to see this buzz. BUT… I want to hear from you. What are your thoughts on this?
PLEASE. Please go buy a pair of shoes. I’m committing to you to buy some. Would you join me? If so, go HERE.
EXTRA:
Today I begin to read Henri Nouwen’s In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership. I’m pumped. I’ve already heard so many great quotes from this book. I think it is timely for me, personally and a book that God is going to greatly use in this season of my life. Anyone else read it?
Today I leave for Tulsa. Church leaders from around the state of Oklahoma will be gathering to discuss issues such as design, innovation (I hope to stretch their view of innovation), technology, social justice, leadership, missions/outreach, communications, working together as the Church (capital “C”) and whatever else God leads us to discuss. Please pray for this gathering tomorrow. Below are the details:
Friday , Oct. 24: Church 2.0 Local Forum - Tulsa
Register for Tulsa on Facebook HERE. Not on Facebook? Register HERE.
In order to allow our people to experiece life as one of our church planters and partners in India, we created Maratha Experience. This was an inspiring, colorful, self-guided tour through the streets of Pune, India (complete with goats). Big props to Aaron Bensko and our Visual Arts team. Below are some pictures from the experience - which was created in one of the hallways of our church.
Yesterday we finished our annual Missions Festival. The past 2 Sundays have been awesome. On the video side we did video tracks to “God of This City” (the Passion version) and “Tears of the Saints” (by Leeland).
One of the most special moments of worship I’ve ever been a part of was yesterday as we worshipped like most of the Church does (with either no or low tech). We hung a light bulb from the ceiling (which is something our team had seen in a church in the Amazon) and used a cheap portable system to amplify our voices to entire room. It was definitely not the norm and will surely be memorable. Tomorrow I’ll show more pictures from our India experience - you don’t want to miss it!
Click below to see a brief glimpse of what worship was like yesterday:
EXTRA:
Boston was amazing! Such a cool city. I had Clam Chowder 3 times in 3 days. Great people. Great conversation at the Church 2.0 Local Forum. We had people from 3 states and I’m excited for those servants in a very special part of our country. Church 2.0 Tulsa is THIS Friday!
One - To encourage you to register (if you’re in the area I’m coming to) or pass the word on to a friend and peer in ministry that is in the area.
Two - To thank, praise and make you aware of the fine sponsors that not only support my ministry, but are relevant, valid and solid options for you to consider in your ministry context.
Three - I’d like to ask YOU to do something that I’ve never done before. Please blog about this Fall tour. Email your friends and peers. INVITE. INVITE. INVITE. These times together (I’ve done 6 so far) are special and powerful. I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am about these 3 cities coming up this Fall. God is stirring and moving in my heart and I know He has something special in store for these gatherings coming up.
Four - Pray for wisdom, discernment, vision, protection, provision, and God’s blessing. I feel strongly that God is allowing me to meet with these Church leaders in these 3 cities, making 9 in total since May. After Portland, I will end these for ‘08. In 2009 I’ve got several great cities on my heart that I’ll share later.
Five - If your city, and particularly your church, would be interested in hosting a Church 2.0 Local Forum, email me and let me know. Many wonderful, innovative and growing churches have hosted these gatherings for ALL Church leaders. You and your church may be an answer to a prayer.
I simply want to acknowledge that this is all a God-thing and I’m humbled to just be a part of it.
This month we have our annual Missions Festival. This years theme: GLOCAL. I’ve been using that term a lot lately. Our Visual Arts team is transforming our church for this yearly extravaganza! More info HERE.
In November we’ll host the “Hymns of Hope” featuring worship leaders (including our own) from 4 amazing churches. Click HERE to see a sneak peak of them on The Worship Network and hear our worship leader, Scott Dyer.
In December we’ll have some sort of theatric/dramatic presentation in the early part of the month. I’m told we’ll do something “simple” for Christmas Eve. I’m counting on it!
It’s been LONG overdue. I have been meaning to blog about LifeChurch.tv’s Digerati team for quite a while. I’ve blogged about LifeChurch.tv many times, but in this blog I’d like to spotlight the Digerati team and their projects.
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:
There’s a great article with Terry Storch in the Sept/Oct issue of COLLIDE Magazine. I encourage you to read it.
*** I’ll be doing occasional “SPOTLIGHTS” from time to time. If you know of a ministry/organization or individual that I should consider shining a spotlight on, just email me (greg@gregatkinson.com) and let me know.
ART*MUSIC*JUSTICE on tour this fall, benefiting both the International Justice Mission and Food For the Hungry.
The International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. Food for the Hungry works in more than 26 developing countries providing disaster and emergency relief, and implementing sustainable development programs to transform communities physically and spiritually.
Derek is pleased to be joining Sara Groves, Brandon Heath, Sandra McCracken, and Charlie Peacock on this tour, running from September 19th-October 26th, bringing not only the music of these tremendous artists but also telling stories of the great work of these organizations as they work for justice, advocate for the oppressed, and point towards the day coming when all things will be made right. More than just music, these unique evenings will bring with them opportunities to involve yourself in the stories of our poorest neighbors.
EXTRA:
This past Sunday, we were blessed to have Tommy Walker lead us in worship. He, and his band, were a blessing to our church and our worship & arts family. God is still using him!
PERSONAL:
Last night was one of the greatest nights of my life. I attended my first ever Cowboys game with my friend, designer Ben Jordan. The Cowboys/Eagles game was a “Monday Night Football” game on ESPN and didn’t disappoint. It was a VERY intense game until the very end. Amazing!
. I’m pumped. I’ve already heard so many great quotes from this book. I think it is timely for me, personally and a book that God is going to greatly use in this season of my life. Anyone else read it?
