Spoken word poetry is its own special kind of creativity. My friend and comrade in ministry, Kylee Spangler, recorded a spoken word poem that she wrote. Watch it here.

We are using this video called "Gossip" in worship this weekend. It's good to laugh in worship sometimes and this fun video reminds us that we shouldn't go too far in sharing our requests for prayer.

It is so easy to slip from caring and sharing to gossip. Like most things, finding the right boundary can be tough, but necessary.

Finishing up at the FIND Conference this morning. Multiple speakers sharing their hearts for reaching people with God's love and a variety of ways to do that.

After this conference ends at noon I will be spending the rest of the day with the other's in our group, 13 in all, in conversation and fun as we look around the Charleston, South Carolina, area and end up later today for dinner and the evening at a restaurant on the beach.

Monday, September 28, 2009.
This morning we set up our 2020 Initiative display for the FIND Conference, a church planting conference, in Mt. Pleasant (near Charleston), South Carolina. Chuck Frank, Eastern Regional Conference (ERC) Church Planting staff person, led our “talented” crew of himself, Greg Utermahlen, Mike Schooley, and myself in putting the display together. There could be a video just for that adventure. But moving right along…

After meeting some other attendees including welcoming the others from ERC who had come for the conference, 13 in all, we had lunch. Then it was time to head into the opening session of FIND.

Worship was led by the Worship Band/Team from Seacoast and then Pastor Greg Surratt shared his heart to plant churches. Seacoast has 13 sites.

Important questions to consider.

Why plant churches? Many people are reached for Christ that wouldn’t be reached by established churches.

Is church planting for me?

Greg shared his passion to plant churches in the tough places.

Do I sense God’s call to church planting?

Leadership gifts—visionary. Is anyone following you?

Team building gifts. Work through other people.

People person.

Humility. God gives grace to the humble and opposes the proud.

Do I have the gift to teach? Is anyone listening to you?

Is your spouse on board with you?

Am I leading myself well?

Do spiritually wise people affirm the call?

It's Sunday afternoon and I will soon be heading for the FIND Conference in South Carolina. I will be flying there tonight with four others and starting at the conference tomorrow with others from across the country.

I expect to blog my experiences there so if you follow this you will see a lot more posts from me than normal. This conference for church planters will be filled with information for any of us who want to make a difference in the world. So if you want to help people discover the fulfilling life that comes from a relationship with Jesus, join me these next few days as I share what I am learning at the Conference. Usually I learn a lot of things that weren't on the agenda. God is funny that way, wanting to teach us what we don't even "hear."

So I better go pack up and get ready to get picked up for my trip to the Harrisburg airport, the first leg of my journey.

After giving Midnight Oil an "interesting" review concerning getting into my account on their site last month, I thought I should let you all know that the problem ended up being resolved. They are a good company/creative arts resource and right now have a great deal on purchasing Easy Worship 2009. Even those getting the upgrade get some additional resources of Midnight Oil when purchasing.

This morning I got a newsletter from Midnight Oil Productions. They have a monthly freebie of a graphic or video and since I like quality and I like free, I decided to zip on over to their site from the link in my newsletter.

I watched the video and listened to the very cool voice over or under depending on which seems the most important to you. So of course I wanted to get it for free, hey who wouldn't, and I typed in my username and e-mail address. Well, it seems that the e-mail address matched but not my username or password. So I needed them to send me my password but the system wouldn't allow it without my typing in my username with my e-mail address. Well, I already told you that I don't know my username either apparently so I couldn't retrieve it.

Did I give up? No way. I thought to myself "I'll just register again." So I started through the registration, which is quite simple on their site, but was told in an appropriate font that my e-mail address was already registered with them so I couldn't sign up with them again with that address.

OK, now this is getting funny (well, not haha funny, a different kind of funny). After decades online I have accumulated many old, unused, e-mail addresses. But I don't check them much and some never so I didn't want to have to go to another place to check an old e-mail account. (If you happen to be an old e-mail account please don't take this personally.)

So I went on-line on their site and sent an e-mail and described this process and asked how I could possibly get to use their products. I think I was very nice, but then I would.

So...if a machine reads that e-mail don't expect to be able to use the Midnight Oil Productions website soon because it will probably crash. If a human reads my note, which is what will hopefully happen and I think will most probably, possibly occur, then I will assuredly, I live in hope, get an answer and a way to get on their site.

All this for a freebie. And to look at their other superb products and be able to buy them if I so choose.

In any case, this is a dynamic, well that may be to strong a word, illustration of something and an anecdote for the future as well as today. Perhaps a video retelling with a quality video and a nice audio over or under, I still don't know.