For as long as I have been a church-going Christian (basically, most of my life), pastors have begun sermons with a joke, an interesting story, or ancedote. If the story isn’t amusing, entertaining, or well-told, something crucial is lost, we start checking our watches. Even if the story may be technically accurate, it will fall flat, and probably not permeate the carefully constructed barrier surrounding the average person’s soul. But truly amusing or captivating stories contain, at the very least, some kernel of truth. The funniest jokes are those where you end up saying “That is so true!” It is the secret to the success of comedian Jerry Seinfeld whose clever observations of our mundane lives have us ROTFLMHO ( That’s the Christian version - Rolling On The Floor Laughing My A** Hinnie Off). Nowdays, we have the Church Video to add to this arsenal to help wake up the pew-sitters. A new tool with which we can use the time-honored phrase “If that doesn’t light your fire, maybe your wood’s wet!” A personal (guilty church pleasure) favorite of mine.

The recent flurry of activity surrounding to Gary’s piece on Collide about Church Video Standards, prompted me to add my voice to the discussion. There are many beliefs that I hold dear to my heart that seem to go hand in hand with this topic. Primarily, the true nature of beauty. His statement that … “Content in not King. Beauty is” has rattled many in the church media community, perhaps as it should, due to our long standing belief that Content is King and that form is secondary to function. Bad news Content, you’ve just been de-throned! Ok, well, maybe its not as simple as all that. Let’s take a look at beauty, and get to the heart of what I believe Gary is really on to here.

For me, I believe that beauty is inextricable from truth. I don’t believe that you can have one without the other. There are those that would argue that there may be many cases where you view art that is well-crafted, and visually pleasing, but tells a story that goes against fundamental principals that we hold to be true. To this I would say “You are correct Sir (or madam)!”

But “every good an perfect gift comes from God.”-James 1:7 Without God there would be no such thing as beautiful lighting, creative camera angles, the golden ratio, faithful rendition through clever codecs, etc. It is only by the true creator that we have these means to tell whatever story is being told. Whether or not we agree with the message, if the medium is done artfully, it contains truth. The reality is that none of our messages, be they conveyed with words printed or spoken, sung, played, filmed or otherwise, will be a completely accurate portrait of the Truth. And this I believe is due to the fact that we are doing our best to know and understand an infinite God with finite minds. Everything we do to try and understand Him, is but a small reflection of some facet of His nature. A great question is, to what purpose are we using these “reflections of truth.” They can some times be muddied and manipulated to serve our own agendas, but in doing so, the human condition is exposed, and we are left with an opportunity to see our true relationship to the Creator.

I believe that God leaves clues to the nature of this relationship in His creation. Consider the way in which our eyes work. We must have light to see. Everything we take in through our visual senses, is a reflection of light. Everything looks the way it does, based on the way that it reflects light. It is dependant on light to be seen. Apart from light, there can be no color. Apart from God, apart from Truth, there can be no beauty.

It is a wonder to me that God in his infinite creativity, wisdom and knowledge made trees. Trees with which we would harvest wood to not only build shelter, but craft into instruments like violins, guitars, etc. Take a moment to listen to a cello played by someone like Yo Yo Ma, and tell me if you can’t hear the voice of God on some level. Even when these instruments are coupled with lyrics or ideas that run contrary to our deep beliefs, the almost mystical beauty that comes from the reverberating wooden hollows belongs to God and would fail to exist apart from him. Its amazing that he entrusts us with such beauty.

Now beauty is a very large thing. It encompases such a vast expanse of the human experience and imagination, that it allows us to develop things such as taste. As we know, what may beautiful to one, is not beautiful to all. This subjectivity is part of God’s plan. It is part of His infinite nature. It tells us more of our particular nature, our particular conditioning based on our experiences, than it does our ability to judge objectively what is beautiful or ugly. Our personal experiences determine our proclivity for one thing to resonate as more beautiful or true than another. It is a combination of our rational mind, paired with our emotional heart, that we determine whether something is really of value, and worthy of living, or changing our lives for. If it looks, sounds, and feels good, but we can not intellectually get behind it, we are not fully committed to it. The converse is also true. It must contain both elements to be truly soul-satisfying.

When it comes to having a Standard for Church Videos, I believe the best way for this to occur is to develop within both the producers and the consumers, an understanding of what will best illuminate the truths that have been given us through the bible and the lives we live in relationship with God. Being a subjective thing, it would be impossible to put to fine a point on what is “correct” video/filmmaking practice. For most every rule, you can probably find a good example of someone who has broken it, and been the better for doing so. The question should be, does this piece resonate with truth? Can it cut through our defenses, and permeate both our hearts and minds? As, Christians, we should strive not to simply mimic the quality and styles of those who believe differently than we do. It should be to find truth and honor it in a way that is useful, and pleasing to God, the greatest artist of all.

There are two reasons for this disdain.  First, nobody keeps resolutions.  Second (and more important), nobody CAN keep resolutions.  Resolutions are a test of our ability to exert enough self-effort to control a habit, a situation, or a person.  And this pursuit inevitably champions the “pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps” theology that runs rampant in North American Christianity, and is entirely contrary to real Life in the Kingdom of God.

Now you know about me, and resolutions.

But…

There is one goal I have for the coming year.  It’s not fleshed out or anything yet, but it’s there, and is slowly growing in strength and potential (that’s a really complex way of saying I think about this when I mow the lawn, or stand in the shower).

Simply put:  During the next season of my life I want to spend more hours reading than watching television and movies.

I suppose I’ve slowly become someone who uses television as a way of decompressing from the stresses of my life.  I do NOT believe this to be a bad or evil thing.  Yet.  We all need patterns of allowing our minds to stop racing - things that give our minds a break.  For some, television does the trick.  My problem is that I don’t need to decompress AS MUCH as I think I do.  So I’d like to read more, not as another substitute way of decompressing, but as a pathway to further spiritual and professional growth.

I think I’ll stay away from any “How To” books, because I’ve tried the formulas and, for me, they don’t work.  I think I’ll read some previously unread authors (Lencioni, Rohr, Steele), as well as some old favorites (Eldredge, Bell, Miller).   And I think I’ll work my way through some obscure Old Testament book (like Zephaniah, or Habakkuk, or some other book that I only pretend I know something about).

So, if you can picture Dana Carvey impersonating George Bush Sr. on SNL, just say this out loud:

“Resolutions.  Bad.”

“Goals.  Good.”

That’s where I’m at.  And I feel like it’s a God-thing in my life.

How about you?

At Floodgate, we’ve got a new video, with an inspirational message, and we’re particularly proud of it. The video is called “Whatever“, and it features some of our favorite people. It will help your people dream with their resolutions, not get bogged down with any legalistic fear of failure.

We’ve got a number of other media resources, whether you’re focusing on giving people a fresh start, or you’re focusing more on your church’s vision. Check them all out here.

This reflection on Christmas occurred after Bono had just returned home, to Dublin, from a long tour with U2. On Christmas Eve Bono went to the famous St. Patrick’s Cathedral, where Jonathan Swift was once dean. Apparently he was given a really poor seat, one obstructed by a pillar, making it even more difficult for him to keep his eyes open…but it was there that the Christmas story struck him like never before.

He writes:

“The idea that God, if there is a force of Logic and Love in the universe, that it would seek to explain itself is amazing enough. That it would seek to explain itself and describe itself by becoming a child born in straw poverty, in shit and straw . . . a child . . . I just thought: “Wow!” Just the poetry . . . Unknowable love, unknowable power, describes itself as the most vulnerable. There it was. I was sitting there, and it’s not that it hadn’t struck me before, but tears came streaming down my face, and I saw the genius of this, utter genius of picking a particular point in time and deciding to turn on this.”

Amazing.

Absolutely amazing.

Everyone ate authentic Italian food at a local restaurant called “Luna’s”. After the meal was finished, we gave every person in the room a unique award. We called these awards “The Floodies”. We had our flatscreen there, with a sound system (overkill for 30 people in a small room, but not for us!). Jason created a video bumper for each award - different and unique for each person (yeah… that took forever, but was SO worth it).

At the end of the evening, people told us that their cheeks were hurting from laughing so much. Check out some of the evening’s still pics here.

What a night! Can’t wait to see what the Team dreams up next year.

Here’s What’s New for Christmas 2008

Christmas Focus - It’s really easy to become distracted during the Christmas Season. Help your congregation refocus amidst the busyness. Makes the perfect Christmas Series Bumper.

Four Words - The story of Christmas can be summarized in four world-changing words: God is with us. But how many Christians strive to live in the reality of this beautiful truth?

This Christmas - A funny and honest video about dealing with the common and not-so-common stresses of Christmas. More high-quality media, from our friends at Restoration Videos.

Christmas Motions and Stills - Most churches celebrate Christmas for an entire month, which can be a huge expense when it comes to media resources. We want to help you save money this Christmas, so we’re offering ALL of our Christmas motions (13) and Christmas Stills (5) for one very low price. You’ll get every Christmas motion and Still you see on in the Christmas portion of our Online Store . You’ll get a Motion that defines the word “Advent “. You’ll even get a Motion that’s specific to Christmas Eve . And it’s all in one easy download

Other Best-Selling Christmas Mini-Movies

A Christmas Response - Pregnant. Unmarried. Alone. Scared. But Mary responds with a surrendered heart. Help your church do more than just show up this Christmas. Help them respond in worship.

Christmas Again - Many people are looking for something more out of Christmas, but they’re unsure what to do. This amazing video helps you ask the right questions about Christmas. Preaching topics could include: Christmas, pace of Christmas, hurry, holidays, and more.

Grannies - Watch the hilarious antics of two colorful Grannies as they try (and fail!) to do Christmas their own way. From our friends at Restoration Videos.

Twelve Crazy Days of Christmas - This hilarious video will get everyone laughing about the realities and stresses of the Christmas season. Works as a great illustration for what Christmas is NOT about. From our friends at Restoration Videos.

Coming to Earth - At the heart of the Gospel message is the good news that God “put on flesh and dwelt among us”. This unique video will help your people step into the missional “shoes” of Christ, as well as become introduced to the incarnation. Works great as a sermon starter during the Christmas season.

A Christmas Eve Welcome - Help create an atmosphere of warmth and hope as you celebrate Christmas Eve with your church

Christmas Trivia Countdown - Start your Christmas services with some lively, cheesy, fun.

As always, if your church’s financial position makes it impossible to get the video you really want, then contact us directly (info@floodgateproductions.com), and we’ll make something good happen.

But at no time during the rest of the year do pastors work as hard as they do than during the Christmas season. Christmas is not simply a day in the life of a church. It’s a season. And that season consists of planning five or six special worship services. For many Creative Arts pastors, it involves a larger-than-life Christmas production. For Youth Pastors, it involves the kids being out of school, which means a complete shift in time spent with them. And for Lead Pastors, it involves shepherding a who lot of people through lonely, even depressing times.

There is a dual reality of being a pastor during the month of December - it’s incredibly rewarding, and emotionally exhausting, all at the same time.

So this year, why not get your pastoral staff something special? I’ve come up with a few ideas for you to ponder…

* If your church shows videos during its worship services, buy your pastor a copy of “The Quench Project”. This is a compilation DVD of the best videos shown in churches around the world. And 100% of the proceeds go to build clean water wells in Africa. Visit the website for more info: www.thequenchproject.org.

* If your pastor has small children, give him a date night (presumably with his wife), complete with a gift card to his favorite restaurant. Also, financially cover the childcare issue with someone his wife trusts. You just pay the bill. And this is extremely important: You are not invited to go with him.

* Buy your pastor an ITunes Gift Card. Most pastors I know love getting these little beauties.

* Many of you have cabins or second homes. Offer these to your pastors’ families free of charge for a weekend, or even a week.

* Give your Worship Pastor the week after Christmas off. Find someone to fill in the Sunday after Christmas, and let him/her have a weekend that doesn’t revolve around singing more Christmas songs.

* Buy your pastor a Gift card from ChristianBook.com. Most pastors love reading, but can’t afford to purchase the books they enjoy. This will help solve that problem.

These are only suggestions. You know your pastors better than I do. But whatever you do this year, please do something. Do anything. Don’t let the season go by without thanking your pastor, and your entire pastoral staff, for the spiritual growth and maturity they work tirelessly to foster in you. They literally live and die every day with every step of your spiritual advancement. So do something nice for them this Christmas.

Pastors… add your own items for your wishlist below…

When my daughters were young, we’d take them trick or treating on Halloween. It was usually just a trip around the block - my daughters dressed as angels, or princesses, or babies. The most important thing my wife and I told them, every Halloween without exception, was this: “Remember to say thank you.”

The words “thank you” are possibly the most important words in any language, for any time. It’s not simply about being nice or cordial. Those magic words hit any inclination toward self-reliant pride square between the eyes, and shatter the myth of deservedness. The opposite of gratefulness is entitlement. People who don’t say “thank you” are some of the most arrogant people I’ve ever met, because they often feel like they deserve everything they’ve become.

In our churches, we know the people who are genuinely grateful. They are the worshippers. They are the broken ones. They are the most giving. They are humble at the core. They are grateful because they remember God’s mercy in their lives.

And we know the ones who are not thankful. They are the most negative, the most critical, or the most apathetic. They are the quickest to judge a person who disagrees with them. They feel like hurting people have brought it all on themselves. They withhold compassion. They feel entitled because they have forgotten God’s mercy in their lives.

Thanksgiving is coming. And there is much at stake here. Every year, we set aside one day to express our thankfulness, our gratitude. And every year, we can become tempted to focus more on a large bird, than we do a great God.

There is much at stake here.

At Floodgate, we’ve worked hard over the past three years to help resource your church to experience the true potential of Thanksgiving. We honestly believe that hardened hearts can be transformed into grateful ones. With that in mind, we’ve created a number of media resources for you to implement into your Thanksgiving services. Check them out here.

Whether or not you use any of our resources, it’s vital that churches express gratitude on this wonderful day. And that’s our prayer for you, your leadership team, and your church body. May we be leaders who point people toward a gratefulness that is God-centered, and a thankfulness that comes from their deepest heart.

Because there is so much at stake here.

We finally got our new sign installed on our front door/window. There should be no doubt as to which suite is ours, now.