If you've ever felt like you were chained to the almighty dollar, then you might like Community Christian's new video all about the fact that for most of us, the almighty dollar has "really got a hold on us."

Enjoy the sweetness, and have a great day! This video kicked off our brand new series "The Ladder", where we as a church are spending three weeks to delve into what steps are needed to become a generous person, and how God wants to come alongside us to break the chains. You can check out the entire message at www.communitychristian.org, and the video short is available here or click below.

On Monday, I read a blog post from Tim Schraeder, a friend of mine who consults in the arena of church communication. He has written/compiled a brand new book called Outspoken, and is generally a totally awesome, humble guy. You should follow him on twitter, read his blog, buy his book, and stalk him relentlessly.

His post was called “A Plea for Originality”, and his argument is that our churches need to foster originality, that the world needs it, needs it from our churches, and that when we borrow/steal/grab from pop culture, or even other churches, to get our message across, we run the risk of becoming unoriginal, which can lead to becoming inauthentic, uninspired, or lazy.

If you would like, take a moment to read his entire post, because in my post, I would like to respectfully disagree with some of his assertions. I think he uses a killer example and makes an effective broad brush stroke, but I think there is something to be gained from taking a look at “the other side” of the argument.

Okay, here goes: Tim starts by showing some horrifying pictures of how the “Microsoft” store is copying the Apple Store with its look and feel, and how that reminded him of how unoriginal churches seem like the Microsoft in this scenario. He wrote, of the Microsoft store:

I wasn’t the only one who snapped a picture of the Microsoft Store and muttered words of displeasure over this blatant forgery. It’s hard to deny or hide, especially since the Apple Store was just a few storefronts down.

Then he connected that to the churches who are doing the same thing, in his mind. As he puts it, these churches

… take a great idea or concept and adapt their own cheapened version of it and claim it as their own.

Whether it’s taking cues from pop culture or “borrowing” an idea from another church, many churches are plagued with unoriginality. The end result is that to many people in the communities they are trying to reach, like the Microsoft Store, they can come across as unoriginal, inauthentic, uninspired, and lazy.

Okay, on one hand, I agree with the premise. I’m a creative guy. I like to think of creative ideas, and I like to express those creative ideas in the local church. I am grateful to Community Christian Church for giving me a platform to be able to do so with our very creative teams. And everyone who is responsible for creating in a church, should do exactly that. They should create.

But to put “cues from pop culture” or “borrowing ideas from other churches” exclusively in the category of being unoriginal, is not only throwing the baby out with the bathwater, but also coming close to excavating the entire tub.

A creative brainstorm can and should include source material from which you derive inspiration, and emulate content. There is no reason to be afraid of such things. Originality is not the same word as creative. There is a reason those are different words in the dictionary.

Let’s go back to Tim’s example. Let’s pretend for a minute that the Microsoft Store was not two doors down from the Apple Store, but rather, so far away and remote that literally, no one who walked by had any notion that there was such a thing as an Apple Store. What would that customer’s experience be? If Microsoft has learned by watching Apple and has emulated their shopping environment, and the customer is none the wiser, and has a great experience, then what is the harm to that customer? If they are satisfied with the product, it works well, and they have only good things to say about it, in what way is that particular use of these ideas damaging?

In many of the churches I’ve come across, I, as a practitioner, know that the song is by Chris Tomlin. I know that series title came from Andy Stanley. I am aware that Elevation church created that video. Or that the hilarious video I just watched (many currently available at www.bigidearesources.com) was from Community Christian. But does anyone else? Do they need to know? Is there a responsibility for a “full disclosure” statement in our programs with sources and links to the originals? I don’t think so. If it works, use it – God is not telling you to reinvent the wheel on principle.

But let’s stick with the example. Apple is creative, yes. And their products are killer. Typing on one now. But try going into the Apple Store to buy an Apple printer. You can’t. Don’t get me wrong, you can buy a printer there, it’s just not made by Apple. Cause they don’t make those anymore. I used to have an Apple laser printer back in the 90s (actually, it’s still in my house somewhere), but alas, Apple in a fit of un-creativity has “borrowed” printers from other churches and is selling them in their store. How unoriginal, right?

No, not right. Apple decided to unleash their creativity in one area of their core business by releasing another area to other experts. Printing? Sure, we could make awesome Apple printers. But if we let other people do that, then we can come up with the iPad.

Tim grants us that there are “no original ideas”, but then dismisses the possibility that God can use someone else’s original idea and repurpose it in a new environment. I agree with Tim that inspired design and creativity shouldn’t be rare in the church. But neither should sharing. And collaboration. And when we stick to our guns on one end of the spectrum, we miss out on the opportunities the other has to offer. Sometimes the best way to inspire new creativity is by celebrating (and using) the creativity of others.

It is possible to access and repurpose art in a church environment without being lazy or cheapening the image of Christ. It isn’t easy, and the traps that Tim describes are there, but it’s not a reason to dismiss it entirely.

So be original? Yes. But more importantly, be creative. And creativity must include using other sources. We make a lot of original content at our church, but we also purchase great video content from Worship House Media, we beg other churches to let us use their idea, or use their videos, we look to see what works and we use it. And I hope that others do the same with us. It turns out that when you work at a church, you must provide content 52 weeks of the year. No one has the wherewithal to remain completely authentically un-dilutedly original for fifty-two weeks in a row. It is literally impossible. Your brain would explode.

Except maybe this year. Since Christmas is on a Sunday, a lot of churches are taking that Sunday off. So, yeah, you could do it in 51. But not 52. That’s crazy.

Thoughts? Reactions?

Anyone wanna buy an Apple Printer antique?

Several years ago I had the opportunity to direct the musical "Children of Eden" at Porchlight Music Theatre. It was so much fun, and very rewarding, as a guy who worked at a church to be able to bring my point of view to a work about the first couple of families in the Old Testament. With a score from Stephen Schwartz, the writer of "Wicked" among other great musicals, it was a blast.

The show uses its Act One to tell the story of Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel. In the second Act, we visit Noah and learn all about the flood. It's a great story of generations and relationships of family. The show chooses to cast God as "Father", interacting among his "children" in the early stages of planning his great wonderful world. It's when we get in our own way that things get interesting. And no one seems immune. Not even, in this show, "father."

At church we are in a series called "Love at Last Sight", and it's all about making changes in our relationships to make love last - certainly a lesson that this show communicates.

This past weekend, Epic Theatre Company opened our production of the musical, to a standing ovation on the first performance! It runs one more weekend, with three more shows only! You can see the show on:
Friday, September 23rd at 7:30, or
Saturday, September 24th at 8pm, or
Sunday, September 25th at 3pm.
Don't miss it! Click on any one of the dates above to reserve tickets in advance (which isn't a bad idea to make sure you get a seat - after great word of mouth, I suspect that we will be filling the gymnatorasium with lots of Children of Eden fans! (Including my parents, as four of their five grandchildren are in the show!)

Here is a video preview: a segment from the song that closes Act One, "Children of Eden." Get your tickets today!

This week I got a note from a Pop Culture Pulpit listener Murray Blythe - he wanted my take on an artist interview from another podcast.

The podcast in question is called "Who Writes This Stuff" - and it recently featured a two part episode interviewing Derek Webb, a solo artist who happens to be a Christian, but who comes from one of the ole favorites of Contemporary Christian music, Caedmon's Call.

Caedmon's Call was a Godsend to those of us planning weekend services in the late nineties. Here was an intelligent band on a Christian label writing great songs that challenged you lyrically and set the stage for further discussion. Pretty much exactly what you wanted for a special song during a service.

Murray Blythe listens to my podcast from Australia, where he lives and works. This fact has no bearing on my story, other than I think it's cool.

So on this week's podcast, I brought up the podcast and the Derek Webb interview - and I inteved my listeners to listen to the interview and weigh in on the topic discussed - primarily,  the way that Christians must balance expectation and/or restrictions with authenticity in the way they express their art. I haven't listened yet, but my plan is to do so and then offer my take on it as I step up the the pop culture pulpit in a future episode.

So if you'd like, mozy on over to WHO WRITES THIS STUFF and listen to the interview - then head back to the POP CULTURE PULPIT to discuss. Or leave a comment here, and as I'm working on the podcast, I'll incorporate your feedback.

Thanks and have a great rest of your September!

Don't delay! Act now and get all the benefits that await you by following Phony Torton's lead to make your prayer life full of life once again! Enjoy the parody!

Last night at rehearsal I was shocked and excited to realize that a week from last night, we will have opened the show! Wow! Time flies when you're having fun!

For those of you living in a cave not near Naperville or any Bramletts whatsoever, I'm talking about next week's Epic Theatre Company production - July 21-24 at the Naperville Yellow Box Theater. My brother Elic and I are starring in a two-man show called "The Mystery of Irma Vep." It's a comedy that pokes fun at gothic melodrama and penny-dreadful tales of "horror."

We chose the show to follow Community's recent series on the supernatural and paranormal called "Fringe." And we chose it, because, quite frankly, (1) I've always wanted to do it and (2) I've always wanted to perform it with my brother.

The story follows a lovelorn werewolf, a campy vampire, and an Egyptian princess with a secret, who greet Lord Edgar's new bride as she tries to escape the deadly fate of his first wife in this side-splitting spoof of gothic melodrama. It is directed by the incomparable Lynda Christopher.

The entertainment flows from the comedy of the script itself and the fact that Elic and I play all the roles. Men, women, ghosts, you name it. We play it. Trust me - this is one show you do not want to miss.

You can purchase tickets online RIGHT NOW by clicking this link. Get them now! We are in a smaller space and I suspect that tickets will sell out fast. At least, I hope so!

All shows are at 7:30pm. Tickets are available for $15 for Adults, $10 for Jr. and Sr. High Students, and $5 for kids.

The show is LESS than a week away! Check out the new promo we shot, and get your tickets TODAY!

Couldn't be more excited about the next Epic Theatre Company production - July 21-24 at the Naperville Yellow Box Theater. My brother Elic and I are starring in a two-man show called "The Mystery of Irma Vep." It's a comedy that pokes fun at gothic melodrama and penny-dreadful tales of "horror."

We chose the show to follow Community's recent series on the supernatural and paranormal called "Fringe." And we chose it, because, quite frankly, (1) I've always wanted to do it and (2) I've always wanted to perform it with my brother.

The story follows a lovelorn werewolf, a campy vampire, and an Egyptian princess with a secret, who greet Lord Edgar's new bride as she tries to escape the deadly fate of his first wife in this side-splitting spoof of gothic melodrama. It is directed by the incomparable Lynda Christopher.

The entertainment flows from the comedy of the script itself and the fact that Elic and I play all the roles. Men, women, ghosts, you name it. We play it. Trust me - this is one show you do not want to miss.

You can purchase tickets online RIGHT NOW by clicking this link. Get them now! We are in a smaller space and I suspect that tickets will sell out fast. At least, I hope so!

All shows are at 7:30pm. Tickets are available for $15 for Adults, $10 for Jr. and Sr. High Students, and $5 for kids. The show is not inappropriate for kids by any stretch of the imagination, but it's not a show for kids necessarily. (So, it's cleaner than Super 8 but it's no Cars 2...)

So, you coming? How many people are you bringing?

Well, what a long and strange trip it has been.

My last post talked about 200k hits on our "Sunday" video as though it was a lot. And it was.

But after quickly passing the million mark, we just as quickly got to two million. Things have slowed down now quite a bit, but I have a feeling they will accelerate again once a certain day of the week visits us again. 2 million is a lot for a church, can't say it's really a lot for youtube videos in general. So there is some perspective at work here.

At our Downtown Naperville location, and at the Yellow Box, this weekend we will be showing the video during the service in preparations for Easter. Last week it was shown at our Shorewood and Plainfield locations. I would love to say that we will be showing it on Easter Sunday, but seriously. This video is meant for a lot of things, but maybe an actual Easter Service isn't one of them.

Don't know what I'm talking about? Here's the parody video we made, and released a week ago. Yep, it's only been a week.

Sadie has been doing great with her new found "fame" - and we are enjoying the buzz around the local neighborhood. In the end, that's where the impact is. Sure, all the other sites that linked to it and played it and loved to hate on it and all that stuff, it's pretty cool to get that fifteen minutes of internet fame, but the fact that when I picked up the kids from school, our neighbors who don't attend church anywhere that I know of, were all talking about church. Even in the context of an absurd video.

The plan worked. Not how we thought it would, but what do we know anyway...

Hey everybody - happy Friday! (is there a song out there that would be a symbol of that kind of joy that shows up simply by celebrating one day of the week...)

Well, you may know by now that our church's video "Sunday", which features my daughter Sadie, has accelerated in views over the last 24 hours due to being placed in many blogs, including Tosh.0, TV Guide online, Today's Big Thing, and others. We're currently hovering around 200,000 views.

Buzz was created for sure, but in the scope of all things internet, that many views is exciting but not record-breaking. So let's not get all crazy up in here. But it has been a fun 13 and a half minutes of fame...!

I tried to keep the comments up in the youtube placement of the video as long as I could, but the venom spewed by the pagans out there was far too violent and destructive. I don't fault them: they are only doing what they do with every other thing they see on the internet - we are not special in that regard.

And they aren't alone in behaving absurdly on the internet with regards to commenting on videos. Someone stole the vid and posted it on godtube, which tries to be a Christianish version of youtube, and the comments there have devolved into a debate about whether or not Sunday is actually the Sabbath. Seriously. So even though they may not be swearing, they are certainly missing the point.

And with regards to missing the point, it's hilarious to me that so many people don't understand that Sadie is in on the joke. That she is doing an imitation of Rebecca Black. And what does it say about the church culture in general that the pagans assume that a parody of something from a church "actually means it" and doesn't understand how Rebecca Black's song and video is perceived globally?

But enough on that for now. If you want to read the interview I did for Christian Post about the video, you can do that here.

Now for more important matters: AMERICAN IDOL. Why the face?

I am surprised that people are surprised that Pia  was voted off. It's the first week that she did something other than what she's great at. She showed everyone (except the judges, who except for J-Lo continued to worship the ground she walked on) that she can't move. Her voice is not connected to her body, no matter how shapely it might be. And while she hit all the notes, to go for Tina Turner when what Tina does is SO CONNECTED from head to toe, it just was too much for her. This was one week where Simon's criticism would have been welcome to wake up the judges to what was actually going on.

But the other thing that I thought about at the end of that show was how it must have felt to be one of the other eight, knowing that EVERYONE thinks that one of you at the very least (and at the most, all of you), deserved to go home more than Pia. In all that shock and awe last night, I was waiting for one of the judges to turn on the other eight and ask for Barabbas instead.

Have a great day! Recording a podcast today to try and make sense of all this viral-ness...!