Scott Cheatham’s Weblog

I hope each of you is having a good week! I’ve not had a lot of time for writing or reading these past seven days but found some good posts to share with you…

This week, Nelson Searcy tipped me off about a great online voicemail service you can use to more efficiently keep track of your phone messages. You Mail is a service which allows you to customize your voicemail message by phone number (Yes, I can now leave a special message just to my wife if she calls while others get the “standard” recording) and it also tracks your incoming messages for you. With a simple “inbox”, you can save certain voicemails, forward others (to an associate perhaps), and archive others for whatever reason (project management or even the dreaded “threats” you might need for court documentation.) There are many benefits to this service and already, after just a few days, I can’t believe how easy and more efficiently it manages my messages. With a click of a mouse, I can remove all the “clutter” messages (i.e. telemarketers, etc..) while listening only to those I really need to. There are many more features than I can tell you about and I’m still learning how to tweak my account but by far, this is a cool site. Thanks for letting me know about it Nelson!

For more on the “Video Sermon” front; pastor, author, blogger, and college professor Michael Quicke has written his response to this issue. He even quotes my blog in making his points. For those wanting another well-reasoned viewpoint on the issue, check out Michael’s blog.

Are you still trying to get organized nearly 6 months after making a new year’s resolution to do so? Sometimes, with so much information out there, it’s hard to just DO IT. Thursday Bram at lifehack.org has written a post about finding “One System to Rule Them All”. Check it out if you have time this weekend.

On that note, I’ve had a few of you email me regarding my post on the “GTD+R” system I highlighted this week. Glad to see some of you still like paper like I do. Even in the midst of all the gadgets I use, this paper based system is most efficient for my life. The post even got some publicity back in Japan where it’s based. If you haven’t already downloaded the system from the site mentioned in my post, try it out. See if it doesn’t work for you too.

…And finally….

Here’s a great story, again from the folks at lifehack.org, from the country of Australia. “The Shrinking Family” chronicles one man’s efforts to help an overweight family to lose weight. The incredible diet plan that led to their success is shared here (said with a smile on my face). Time to get moving again!

There you have it. Some sites to visit over the next few days. I hope you enjoy the reading. Have a great weekend!

My most recent reading has been the “Life of Robert Murray M’Cheyne” by Andrew Bonar. This nearly 200 year old writing chronicles the life of one of my favorite preachers. M’Cheyne was a Scottish born minister who died weeks before his 30th birthday. I’m not quite done with the book yet so a review will come later. What I’m most interested in today was M’Cheyne’s deep concern for life change. One of the reasons I enjoy M’Cheyne’s teachings was his emphasis on living a life that honored God. M’Cheyne took time to create a bible reading plan that’s still in use today. If you want a copy, simply Google it. There’s any number of copies of it available in many different sizes.

M’Cheyne’s concern for holiness in his life struck a chord with me. I always strive to better myself in this area. As a pastor, I don’t think we can ever feel that we’ve “arrived”. As I read many different church planting blogs, I read about exciting outreaches, preparing for additional worship times, volunteers “knocking it out of the park”, the successes of video series like the “One Prayer” series, and the mundane, day-to-day stuff that makes up life. What I don’t read much about is how each of these church planters are being touched in their quiet times, if they have one at all. I’m not talking about lip-service quiet times where we stop at Starbucks, read our bible, look out the window pensively and then take off to the next thing. I’m talking about a devoted time of communion with the Lord of our lives and the master of our fate, both personally and professionally. I realize that any success I have as a planter comes not from my own creative genius but from the blessing of God who can take it all away in a heartbeat.

To the pastors who read this I ask: “What steps are you taking to improve in this area?” As we plan our days, fill out our day-planners, and monitor our task lists using the latest productivity fad, are we including in this time for personal renewal and life change? If not, how can we expect to see lives changes in our churches? Am I doing all I can, including improving myself, to help others see changes in their lives and their service to the Lord increase?

It’s something to think about.

No, that’s not a typo in the headline. I just wanted to add that I was surprised and honored to see Michael Quicke mention this blog in his post about “Video Sermons”. I had asked him for some input on the issue since his books have helped me a great deal in my preaching and ministry here.

Since launching this new site for my writing, the posts about “Video in Church” and “The Death of local Preaching” have generated the most views, pings, and comments. To be honest, I was surprised at how passionate many were about this topic. I thought Quicke’s response to the issue was spot on and thoughtful. Thanks for dropping by Michael!

Are you looking for a way to get better organized but are not fond of the latest tech gadgets? Perhaps you’ve been using a variety of methods to stay organized but that pile of scrap paper in your pocket just keeps increasing. I’ve been there. I use some tech gear but really, when I want to remember something, the best way is to write it down but what’s the best way to file it? There are many different ways and no shortage of web sites willing to help. Today, I want to share one of those with you that I think is quite helpful and provides a system you might just want to try.

It’s called “GTD+R” and its inventor is a man by the name of Kenji Ohta (seen below). Ohta’s system is based off the best selling book “Getting Things Done” by David Allen. The “+R” part of the system includes the “Rhodia” paper pads that Ohta uses to manage his system. In short, you use a notepad to write down your tasks, file them in “pockets” and then keep a daily “pocket” with you with the tasks you’ve included for the day. The pocket has a back side that’s labeled “inbox” for you to use to write down any tasks that come to you during the day. It’s not all that complex and Ohta’s site gives you the templates you need to print out to get started using the system today.

One thing I like about Ohta’s site is that it’s to the point, descriptive, and easy to navigate. Ohta includes all templates, instructional videos, and a complete user’s guide all available for a free download. I appreciate his willingness to share. A quick search of the web will bring up links showing Ohta using his system in seminars in his native Japan. I watched a Japanese slide show he put together introducing the system to others. GTD+R has enough structure to keep you organized but it’s simple enough that anyone can pick it up within a few minutes or trying it out.

I’m a personal fan of the Rhodia notebooks Ohta uses and that’s how I found his site in the first place. I drive to Boulder to pick these up in bulk since no other office store carries them in Denver. However, you can use any notebook you like. The important thing is to write stuff down as it comes to you so you don’t have to remember it later.

If you are interested in trying out Ohta’s system, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. It’s a good way to keep things in the forefront of your mind so you can be more productive and have more time for friends and family. Try it and let me know if it works for you.

As the weekend approaches, it’s time for another set of links to blog posts that have been worthwhile reads for me. I hope you enjoy some of these…

FREE STUFF! That’s right. I’ll start with a free download. Seth Godin is making available a friend’s ebook for a free download. This is pretty cool and the book, dealing with word of mouth marketing, has been a good read so far. I believe the ebook freebies will change the way publishers market their works in the future.

More clutter removal! I am seeking to simplify my life by getting rid of many items I no longer need. Susan Sabo gives some tips on how to “Equalize The Amount of Things You Keep”. Great post.

Another post from Seth Godin. This time it’s his thoughts about the Amazon Kindle which by the way just dropped in price by $40 last night. I recently took the plunge and purchased a Sony Reader. I’ll post more on that in the weeks ahead.

Lorie Marrero has written another nice article for the “Lifehack” blog on how to be greener and more productive with your printer. I don’t use mine as much as in the past but still, it helps to save money and resources when you do.

And finally….

Bob Hyatt links to two online backup sites for backing up your important materials. Bob’s right on in his thoughts. Too many times, I leave sermon materials, notes, small group lessons, etc. on my hard drive and not somewhere where I can find it. I’ve used the X-drive link he mentions and my experience with them has been great.

That’s it for this week. May God give you a wonderful weekend and I’ll see you again on Monday.

Is the local church pastor now an endangered species? Last week, I wrote an article about using video in church. My thoughts stemmed from reading a blog post from Catalyst’s Ben Arment that discussed the idea of video preaching feeds possibly replacing the local small church pastor. Ben’s article was not derogatory in any way and simply asked for feedback on the topic. As I wrote last week, I considered his thoughts as well as others I had read over the years on this issue. Some took issue with my thoughts, thinking I was taking a shot at video venues. As I thought about this over the weekend, I felt led to write more about the topic and clarify my thoughts for those who felt I was attacking the idea.

First off, let me clarify that when I speak of video venues and “video preaching”, I’m actually speaking of two different ideas. In video venues, churches expand by sending a video feed of their pastor’s preaching to another site in an effort to grow and expand. “Video preaching”, on the other hand, is the idea of importing other preachers from all over the country to use in your weekly worship service in place of the local pastor. The preacher may or may not have any connection to your church as is the case with the “One Prayer” campaign that started last week and continues for the next few weeks.

Now that I’ve clarified that issue let me state this: I’m not against the idea that LifeChurch.tv came up with for “One Prayer”. In fact, I like the idea and had our church been properly equipped, I would likely have tried to use it. I think “special event” style preaching with a novel idea like “One Prayer” has value. First off, the series kicked off at a great time. The summer season can be a down time attendance wise and this series is a good way to build buzz during the beginning of the season. It also gives the local pastor a bit of a break to recoup and recharge as many are doing. I would not, however, use this as a permanent replacement for the preaching time in a church. My initial post that I referenced earlier states my reasons for this so please go back and read it if you haven’t.

“Video Venues” offer an interesting alternative altogether. Using the local church pastor, they feed video messages to a new location. In the case of a local church where the pastor is a friend of mine, he takes turns preaching “live” at each of the two campuses and never tells the congregation which one he will be at. The other campus receives the live video feed which makes for interesting collaborations between the worship leaders at both sites. As I stated before, the jury is still out for me on this. I’m watching to see how it plays out with others but I’ve yet to take a firm stance either way on this idea. I had some readers email me about the joys and benefits of the video venue and how it’s a positive change but still others who feel that it’s not for them. I think much has to do with the people you are reaching and the purpose you have for your preaching and the ministry of your church.

Blogger Milton Stanley discussed this idea briefly a few years back on his well written “Transforming Sermons” blog. A few years before that, the “Church Marketing Sucks” blog discussed the idea as well so this is not a new idea. It just appears that in the past few years, it’s gathering more steam so it’s just now becoming a “hot button” issue.

In any event, one thing is certain. The idea is one that many are passionate about. I’ve never really given it much thought since we are focused on other things in our church plant here in Denver. I’ll look forward to further intercourse on the idea and welcome your thoughts.

Here’s some links for you to check out over the weekend. Enjoy the reading and thanks for your continued visits and feedback.

For starters, my post Wednesday on “Video In Church” has received quite a bit of attention. I think the topic is quite interesting and welcome your continued feedback. I did not realize the passion many had for this subject until I checked my statistics this week and noted the number of visits to the blog because of it. Ben Arment has received a lot of feedback on the parallel question of “Would you step aside?”. Keep up the discussion folks!

The “Creativityist” blog writes about keeping a reading journal for the books you read. As an avid reader, I like any tips to make it more enjoyable. I’ve used online products like Shelfari and the Visual Bookshelf application on my Facebook profile to keep a log of the books I’ve read. I don’t know of many applications like this. Statistics say reading nationwide is down but perhaps the ebook readers, audio books, and applications like this will encourage more reading.

Speaking of online applications, I extensively use “Remember the Milk” to manage my task lists. This week, Michael Ramm of “Black Belt Productivity” writes with some tips on how you can use the popular application to get more accomplished each week.

Lifehack author Joel Falconer writes about a new networking system called “FriendFeed” and how it can be used more effectively. Great! Just when I get Facebook figured out, I have to learn something else?

I meant to put this in last week but my blogging friend Ron Hunter has co-authored a book called “Toy Box Leadership” that releases next month. I’ve known Ron for a while now and this book will read like he speaks; to the point, practical, and doable. Check it out.

Have a great weekend!

Earlier this week, Ben Arment asked for some insight on video preaching in churches. The question essentially was why not allow for well-known communicators to preach via video in your church? He asked this within the context of the small church and the pastor that preaches too long, bumbles his way through a sermon, etc. The context for Ben’s thoughts stem from the launch of the “One Prayer” outreach headed by LifeChurch.tv which is bringing several well-known preachers together to preach a series of messages on a single topic over the span of a few weeks. Many churches have signed up for this video feed and I’m sure the pastors are using it as a time for vacation without having to worry about filling the pulpit.

As I sat down to write about this topic, I noticed this morning that Michael McKinley has written about this on the opposite end of the spectrum for the “Church Matters” collaborative blog. Funny thing is, Ben booked Mark Dever to speak at his “Whiteboard Sessions” church conference a few weeks back. Dever is the head of the “9 Marks Ministry” program which promotes the “Church Matters” blog.

Personally, I’ve used video a few times in my preaching. I may use it a bit more in the future. As an aide to illustration, I think it has its place but as a replacement for the local church pastor, I think that’s stretching it a bit. I like the concept of “One Prayer” and would have no problem using a video feed once in a while as a change of pace for preaching. I think variety can be helpful and in this case, using it at the beginning of the summer season was wise because several church pastors can put a high quality message on the screen while they take a week off to be with their families. It also allows them the chance to be a part of something bigger which is also nice. Believe me, the folks at LifeChurch.tv knew this as well. They have marketing professionals working in their church that had this figured out.

That being said, replacing the local church pastor with a video teacher each week would likely bring about attendance apathy. It wouldn’t be long before the church family would want to skip church and catch the message online. I mean, what is the difference? Other than tithing (which would be available via internet), you get the same message at a time that works better for your busy lifestyle. I doubt small group connections would take place too since many would hit and miss due to the availability of the message through other means. Using this idea as the next natural outgrowth of the video venue church is flawed in this way. Video venues still use the church’s own speakers and at least, the pastors seem to be available. Using a well-known speaker in another part of the country wouldn’t afford that same convenience. I’m still not sold on the video venue concept but I will not condemn it until I have a chance to see it play out on a local level.

I’m still a believer that the local church needs it’s shepherd. I’m not perfect and never will be but I’m a servant to my people and I love them. My preaching is crafted with their needs in mind and I don’t believe you can ever replicate that with a permanent video preacher. I don’t think you can separate the “teaching” and “ministering” aspect of ministry. As author Michael Quicke comments in his book “360 Degree Leadership”, “Preaching IS Leadership.” I agree with him.

What are your thoughts?

“Ah, stubborn children,” declares the LORD, “who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin;
(Isaiah 30:1 ESV)

From what I am hearing in news reports, the price of a gallon of gas will finally eclipse $4 a gallon permanently sometime this week. It’s amazing the way prices have risen just since the first of the year. The environmentalists complain that our lifestyles still aren’t changing fast enough while the average Joe that gets interviewed for radio or television complains about how they are going to make it when they have to choose between groceries or fuel.

This week, the G8 nations met for a summit on what should be done to address the issue. Not much was accomplished and OPEC was allowed to leave the meeting unscathed saying the market was well-supplied and the prices are beyond their control. Other nations called on leaders to do more to come up with alternative sources of energy and/or pump more crude to address the global crisis (and it IS global, it’s just not the U.S. that suffers, we just happen to be the biggest customer).

Which leads me to Isaiah. Some may shake their heads or furrow an eyebrow over my quoted passage but I asked myself this question: “Are we as a nation following God’s plan or our own?” Is the oil alliance we made with the largely Muslim nations over my lifetime one that God approves of? I ask these as open questions and welcome your feedback. I hope this doesn’t kill off my readership but makes us think.

As for me, I see this as another example of systemic results. As most of my readers know, I’m big on “Systems Thinking” and how it effects us. As the price of gas has risen, the system it influences has subsequently begun to run like a bad transmission on a worn out Dodge mini-van. The truckers that bring in our supplies have had to increase costs as have the stores. This results in higher prices for us in purchasing nearly everything we need. Consequently, we are having to cut down on buying things, driving only to places we absolutely have to which means lower overall sales at the same stores where prices are going up which then causes them to go up even higher to meet the payroll of the employees of said store. When the profit margin is reduced to a pittance of what it once was, employees are laid off and the cycle worsens. Case in point: my wife needed to buy my daughter an inexpensive pair of tennis shoes for the summer and we elected to go to our local “Super Target” after 10pm last night to find them. Trouble was, the store has made the decision to no longer offer 24 hour convenience. They close now at 10pm and the entire third shift has been reduced to a few stockers for the coming morning. Even at Wal-Mart, groceries are going up even though you wouldn’t know it by the price. Portions are smaller so that the price can remain stable. Do the math, check your purchase by the “cost per ounce” rather than the overall price and you’ll see the difference. My blogging friend Dan Edelen has been hammering on this point for several months now and he’s spot on with his comments.

So what can we do? Not much individually but if we as a nation would seek God’s plan for us, we would see that he’s already provided enough oil in our own borders to get us through the crisis. We need a leader who has the forethought to think ahead systemically and begin the process toward becoming independent of foreign oil and to develop methods of energy that will one day replace how we live. The problem we’ve had is we created a dependent alliance with a neighbor that has no guarantees.

The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.
(Proverbs 22:7 ESV)

We say we pay our way so we are not borrowing in that sense but who is the slave here? We are not controlling the price of crude oil. We pay whatever the OPEC Lords want us to. In this way, we are becoming a slave to those nations who’ve become powerful with our money and are now telling us what we are going to do. Sure sounds like slavery to me.

God’s plan will prevail in the end even in this crisis. I just pray that somehow, we find a way to get back “in tune” with his plan and not our own. I doubt that’s going to happen in my lifetime but stranger things have happened. At the very least, I hope we begin to take advantage of the bounty that God has given us by drilling for new oil in our own borders and stop being a slave to OPEC.