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Steelehouse Podcast and I won a contest!

12/17/2010

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For several years now I have listened to a fantastic podcast called the Steelehouse Podcast, produced and hosted by Mark Steele and Jeff Huston, who work at Steelehouse Productions, a media production firm out of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

I first heard of Mark Steele through his book Flashbang! How I got over myself. It was recommended to me by someone at work who felt like as they were reading it, they were hearing a voice that reminded them of me. After reading it myself, I took it as a huge compliment, because I found that book to be hysterical and profound, all at the same time.

The last two years, they have conducted a Christmas contest with some awesome prize packages. And both years, I just didn't have it together to try and enter. Also, I didn't feel like the contests would be in line with my strengths, so I just let them pass. But this year, I couldn't pass up the opportunity.

Mark and Jeff have coined a word on their show: the "jangle." This is a word that it used to describe what happens when a word or proper name reminds Mark of a familiar (or less familiar) song. He then breaks into an a capella phrase that combines this word with the song - it's not a jingle; it's a jangle. (Best example: like Pavlov's dog, Mark cannot say the name of director Danny Boyle without crooning "Danny Boy") These jangles have evolved to be show openers, segment segues, anything that Mark could croon, he was willing and able to do so.

And so that then became this year's contest: to create and write your own jangle, and four judges (not Mark and Jeff) would be voting to pick the best one. So I recorded and wrote a parody to Don't Stop Believin'. Like I said, right in my wheelhouse.

And would you believe it? I won! I got the phone call on Wednesday and their Christmas Party podcast includes the top five contestants, along with the "live" phone call that I received. The prize package includes books, CDs, Blu-Rays, Steelehouse swag. It's incredible.

It was great to be able to participate, and great to win! And I highly recommend subscribing to the podcast. You can do so right here. The Christmas Party episode that features the contest winners is #126: Blitzenkrieg. Merry Christmas everyone!

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A Let It Be Christmas Weekend! (I Haul, U-Haul)

12/6/2010

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Well it's been quite a month this week!

This week we were in tech and dress for this year's concert tour of Let It Be Christmas. We have such a great cast and crew, and we opened at the Lemont High School on Saturday night. It was a great night, and a huge turnout (nearly 500!) for a city where Community doesn't have a campus... yet! We are excited to be launching a new location in Lemont in the spring, and Let It Be Christmas ended up becoming a catalyst to announce our presence in that magnificent city. It was a blast, the high school was a great host, and (particularly cool for me) our new campus pastor for Lemont is an old great friend, Dave Richa. When I was first hired at Community, Richa was the Student Ministries Director, and we've been friends for a long time. You can check out his specific take on Let It Be Christmas and the Lemont connection right here. oh, and here's a youtube trailer for the show you can share with your friends and invite to the show:
And now, a short story about a U-haul. So we rented a truck to carry Lighting gear and other things out on the tour. I was driving it home after dropping off all the gear at Romeoville. (we had two great shows last night in Romeoville!) So it's around 10:45pm, and I'm 6 or 7 blocks away from my house on Washington, and boom. Transmission goes out on the truck, and I'm just revving, as though in neutral. I was in the left hand lane, and had no option with a 17 foot truck that was on a slight incline.
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So there I was stranded - I called U-Haul and was beginning the process of getting one of their mechanics out to check it out. Awesome. Again, I remind you that I am 6 or 7 blocks away from my house. Where my bed is. Where I should be sleeping right now. But instead, I'm waiting for a U-Haul mechanic.

And I would have to wait longer, because the Naperville Police showed up. It turns out that they are not "down" with the idea of having a giant U-Haul in the middle of the road in downtown Naperville. They were very helpful, called U-Haul and commandeered the vessel. They brought their towing company, and took it away. But they wouldn't let me leave until the towing turck was there. So around 12:30am, I was ready to go. But I needed a ride home.

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So I "got to" ride home in a squad car after this adventure. Happy to say it was my first, and I pray it was my last. It was ridiculously uncomfortable. But I did get home, I got some sleep, and the happy ending is that when I went to U-Haul to "close my contract" (read: Hi! I don't have a truck to return to you!), they completely refunded my money with no questions asked. Good job!

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So the moral of the story is, GO SEE LET IT BE CHRISTMAS! Get your tickets RIGHT HERE! We have shows this week throughout the western suburbs (Thursday in Yorkville, Friday in Plainfield, Saturday in Shorewood, and Sunday in Montgomery), and then next weekend we close out the show at the Naperville Yellow Box (Friday through Sunday, Dec. 17-19). Don't be someone who misses it!!!!!

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A couple of videos I'm in

9/13/2010

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Hey, I'm in a couple of videos I thought I'd share - the first is part 1 in a series of shorts featuring Stu, Cupid's younger brother. I play Stu. Enjoy the comedy that goes alongside our new series at church called Making Love Stick.
This next video is my 'serious' contribution from last week's online conference called "The Nines." It's a six minute talk about taking risks in the church. And I'm wearing a shirt! Enjoy!
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Making Love Stick

9/8/2010

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This weekend we are starting a brand new series called "Making Love Stick." Clicking will bring you to www.makinglovestick.com, where you can invite your friends to the series via email, facebook or twitter.

And if you're in downtown Naperville, then come Sunday morning at 10am to the Grand Opening of the DT Napes location at North Central College's Wentz Hall! It's gonna be awesome for many reasons. I will be singing a great tune from Train's catalog, and Stu the Love Coach will be appearing via video. I promise that I won't be wearing the Stu costume when I sing. I promise. For real. I will so totally not be wearing that when I sing.

Unless someone wants to make a sizable donation to CCC, and writes in the memo, "show me more Stu." Then I would think about it. But only then. And even then I probably wouldn't.

If you haven't seen Stu in action, then definitely click the video link on the makinglovestick.com page to view him in action. He's Cupid's younger brother Stu. But don't call him Stupid: only his mother can call him by his full first name...

See you this weekend at a COMMUNITY CAMPUS near you!

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Join me at "The Nines!"

9/8/2010

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Tomorrow morning, and throughout the day, I'll be participating in an event hosted 'virtually' by Leadership Network. It's called "The Nines", and it features several prominent Christian Church Leaders, Authors, Thinkers, and then I'm in it too.

The event happens online, and it's free to register, but you have to register to be able to experience it. You can do that right here.

This year, each speaker is given six minutes to share a "gamechanger" in their ministry. I spoke about how the church seems to be more "risk-averse" than ever, and pondered that thought for around five minutes and fifty seconds.

But I also provided a point-counterpoint to my lead pastor Dave Ferguson's talk about 'leading with a yes.' We'll see if Leadership Network takes the risk to show comedy and satire some love tomorrow.

Either way, don't miss it!

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Jimmy and Emmy

8/29/2010

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Can't tell you how much I love Jimmy Fallon right now. His opening to the Emmys was nothing short of brilliant. Loved it. Loved it. Check it out below...
And then there was his "show in memoriam" moment, which was so funny, that later, when Jewel started her song which was the 'actual' in memorium moment, I thought to myself, "I wonder if this is a parody too?"

I don't know why I love a comedian who excels in parody songs. I guess I'll never know. Anyway, here is his send up of 24, Law and Order, and LOST. Good stuff. Enjoy!
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But we're huge in Russia

8/23/2010

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Last night I went to see RUN RUN RUN, an alternative indie rock band, play at the Empty Bottle in Chicago. I know of this band because its lead singer and chief songwriter, Xandr Smith, is a friend of mine dating all the way back to kindergarten. We have known each other for many years! In high school we were in a band together, and in college we toured coffee shops in Los Angeles as a sort of Simon and Garfunkel acoustic group.

It was great to see him, and his band was great! I got to hear about their recent adventures, which were fascinating. Apparently, they had an opportunity to tour Russia with a Russian band called Mumiy Troll. (Mumiy Troll was there last night as well.) As you might expect, if this is the first time you've heard of RUN RUN RUN, well, you're not alone. Breaking into the mainstream of pop culture can be complicated and difficult. But here they are, touring alongside this fairly well known Russian band, and playing these packed stadiums with thousands and thousands of people there going crazy. Pretty surreal for them.

RUN RUN RUN is coming back to Chicago on September 15, at Schubas. You can check out their music here, and below you'll see some highlights from their Russian tour. My friend is the one rocking the 'stache circa 80s Oates...
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Lord Spice got a little press yesterday

7/24/2010

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LORD SPICE, the video we made a while ago for our Big Idea at Community Christian, got a little bump in the youtube viewings when it was found and "tweeted", and "retweeted", and then posted on Matthew Paul Turner's blog, "Jesus Needs New PR." Here's his post. Pretty cool, though I don't understand why so many Christians get bent out of shape when it comes to parody.

Parody is one of the best ways to engage an audience that doesn't trust you. Now, of course, it goes without saying that bad parody is worse than no parody, so you have to strive to do it well. But let's face it: most pre-Christians walking into our environments don't think that we can relate - they don't trust us. When they see something like Lord Spice, something that takes a water cooler topic and spins it, then there is a chance that they would think, "hey, I guess they're not as square and outdated as I imagined before I walked in here."

And of course, they might not like it at all. But that's the risk you take. And all art creation is a risk - even parody. Check out Lord Spice below, in case you haven't yet. And thanks for reading the blog!
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Context is Everything

7/22/2010

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Context is everything. If you saw the video below, for this movie called "Serenity Now", you might think that it was another thriller in the long line of attempts to shock us with stories of murder, secrecy, villainy, etc. But since most of you know that the source material is from one of the great situation comedies of all time, it instead makes you laugh.

Well, at least it makes me laugh. When you force a change, a point of view reversal, there is potential for comedy. This idea takes two things that are familiar, and reverses their context, for comedic effect. There are a few other mashups in this series, all are very funny. Check em out. Enjoy!
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Donald Miller: In Defense of Art and the Artist

5/11/2010

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This is a great article from one of the great storytellers of our time.

I like his last line: "Art matters, so keep creating, even as God is creating, for your pleasure and for His."
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