Martin Luther changed the course of human history by leveraging technology to spread God’s Word. He used moveable type to get Scripture into the hands of all people–not just the professional clergy of the day. It led to the Protestant Reformation that, I think it’s safe to say, we’re still feeling the effects of today.

In my opinion, we’re about to enter into a period of history in the church that’s going to make Luther’s reformation look like tea party. Welcome to the flattened world.

I want to invite all the deviants in the house to join me tomorrow for the M2 Live Webinar where I’ll be the featured presenter. I’ll be sharing some thoughts on how the web is flattening the church and what that means for those of us in ministry. We’ll be looking at:

• How human communication is changing as a result of the emergence of the social web.
• What those changes mean for the way churches communicate.
• What a typical church member will look like in 10-15 years
• Practical take-aways that you can implement immediately for your ministry.
• And a Q&A session at the end to tie-up any loose ends!

I’d love for you to join me. The event is being held by the amazing M2 Live ministry and will be moderated by Sean McAtee and Matt Carlisle. These guys have been great to work with and I’m really looking forward to the experience.

If you want to get a feel for what these webinars are like, you can check out the archives from past presenters such as Tony Steward, DJ Chuang, and John Saddington. Otherwise join me tomorrow for the M2 Live Webinar from 10:30-11:30 am CST.

SOLID.

Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist crew aren’t Lady Gaga fans. They recently showed up in St. Louis to protest Gaga’s Arch City show:

The anti-gay protesters from Westboro Baptist Church stood outside the Scottrade Center over the weekend, where they picketed the pop star/gay rights activist’s ongoing Monster Ball Tour with signs reading “God Hates Lady Gaga.” Angry at Gaga’s outspoken support of gay rights, the protesters denounced Gaga for using her art form to teach “rebellion against God.”

Members of the Westboro Church have protested the “PokerFace” powerhouse before, but when parishoners brought their controversial views to her live show, Gaga fired back.

How did she fire back? With Twitter. And with grace. From Gaga’s Twitter feed:
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I can’t stop staring at this photo. Think of all the things left uncreated in this world:

“Simplicity is the heart of the universe.” A quote that is credited to the ancient Christian mystics.

Do you believe it?

Reggie McNeil shared this with those of us at Faith Lift in the Twin Cities these past few days. He was making the point that “church people” (his words) make it do difficult for people to get to church.

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For the true multi-sensory experience, listen to this song while reading today’s post.

The show is over. LOST is complete. Everyone is okay.

That’s what I took away from last night’s LOST series finale: they were all okay. That was my thought as the curtain closed on LOST. “They all made it.”

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Cynthia Ware is a pro. I’ve been privileged enough to collaborate with her on a few projects recently and I’m consistently impressed by her expertise and care. She knows church. She knows new media–for pity’s sakes she has a degree in it! She gets it.

I was researching for a workshop I’ll be leading at Faith Lift in the Twin Cities next month and I came across this gem from Cynthia. The title of the article is “Technology and the Virtual Church”, but it focuses on the very fabric that makes up the clothes of the Body of Christ. It’s all-encompassing. The vision that Cynthia lays out is compelling. Superb.

Here’s a portion of the article that struck me. Cynthia contrasts the culture of the church with the mindset of the “rest” of the world:

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I’m not sure what to make of the church sign below.

On one hand you have a church that’s willing to take the risk and use a clearly identifiable piece of pop culture in their branding.

On the other hand, well, the sign looks like it was drawn by the church youth group.

I’m torn. What do you think?

I had a refreshing conversation with a friend recently. So wonderfully refreshing.

We were talking about how Christians in this culture have come to be known as the people who hate abortion and homosexuals. Forget the life-giving relationship with our Creator, we want to make sure people know what we’re against. We’ve painted ourselves into a corner and there doesn’t seem to be a foreseeable way out.

My friend then shared the most vivid, truthful analogy I’ve ever heard regarding the mess we Christians have put ourselves in. He said:

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Whenever I see people at a Christian concert or conference make the “Satan” sign, I wonder to myself, “Do they know what that means? Or maybe they’re from Texas?”

Either way, here’s a chart that decodes the thumb-index-finger-pinkie sign, once and for all. If you don’t know, now you know. (And maybe you’ll think twice before flashing the “fingers” at the next TobyMac concert.)
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Sunday mornings have come to be know as “Scrambled Egg-stravaganza” in the Wise household. I make eggs (my wife says they’re the best she’s ever had). We watch the news and generally enjoy the morning.

This past Sunday, I saw a news story that hasn’t left my mind. It was about the next generation of Iowa farmers. As older farmers begin to reach retirement age, younger farmers are rising up and take their place. To make this process more efficient, farm co-ops are starting a “farmers mentorship” program, of sorts.

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