Kem Meyer on Less Clutter & Noise

Pigs flew and I went on Christian TV...

2009-07-15T10:17:01-05:00

Speaking of The Last TV Evangelist ... I went way, way, way outside my comfort zone a few months ago and was a guest on The Harvest Show. It was a whole new level of "putting myself out there" and I was nervous about it. But, I believe the local church is the hope of the world and it needs some help. The conservative Christian subculture is probably the most important audience that needs to break through the clutter to build trust instead of walls. Thanks, Kelly & Corey, for the opportunity to talk about it.

The Last TV Evangelist...

2009-07-14T08:37:01-05:00

Loved Phil Cooke's latest book The Last TV Evangelist. He effectively stands as a credible voice in the middle of two worlds...he doesn't polarize on either side of the "religious" programming issue. As a matter of fact, he actually works in the industry he's critiquing. As a result, he battles a raging internal conflict and this book represents that tension.

The traditional, conservative Christian subculture is a very uncomfortable place for me. For years, it created barriers (in language, lack of excellence, exclusivity, etc.) that made me run away from the local church and distorted the person of Christ to a disconnected and unappealing thing. Years later, even though I work for a local church and am in full-time paid ministry, I still feel out of place in "organized religion." I can relate to that internal conflict.

Phil's book was objective, educated and honest. I think you should get it. In Phil's words ... Don't be offended, be challenged.

Some of my notes.

Young people today look at religious media and it just seems so out of touch with the rest of their lives. From tacky sets and quaint accents to outdated styles and over the top emotions, there's a significant disconnect between the Christian media and what they experience everywhere else. "Communication does not begin with words; it begins with connection." The Revolutionary Communicator
The problem is not really with Christian media itself, but rather how it's consumed--when it becomes one's only source of influence. I have friends who only buy Christian music, watch Christian TV or listen to Christian radio. They'd rather watch a poorly produced, mediocre Christian movie than an excellent, well-made secular film.
The Great Commission is about going into all the world, not just the safe and insulated world that exists within Christian media. I just can't find anything in the Bible that calls us to lead "safe" lives. However, I understand there is a real reason for caution when we consider much of the values, including gratuitous sexuality, violence and profanity on network television. It's been said that Hollywood is brilliant at making fake things look real and Christians are brilliant at making real things look fake.
It's about balance. Remember, I work in Christian media, so I'm not talking about dumping all religious radio and TV. I am advocating the occasional breath of fresh air. Full time immersion in anything can screw up your perspective about life.
Jesus didn't give an explicitly religious message every time he encountered people. Many times he wove it into a powerful story about the normal details of living. His friends and disciples weren't religious leaders, they were a fascinating cross-section of the culture at the time.
Take the time to teach your kids about life. Watch TV with them, see movies together and help them discover how to navigate their place as a Christian in the culture.
Understand that culture happens. Popping the bubble will deepen your own faith.
When God spoke to Solomon to build his temple, he didn't hire good-hearted losers. He hired the best craftsmen and artists in the land. The truth is, the Church today has it backwards. We spend too much time criticizing the outside culture and not enough time holding each other to a higher standard.
Good people trying to do the right thing can still get it wrong. It's not about compromising our message, it's about respecting the audience enough to speak in a language and style they understand. The greatest of intentions don't guarantee a legacy.

Awkward conversations are worth it...

2009-07-13T06:32:00-05:00

Last week, I bulleted out some things I've learned in 20 years of parenting. One point I landed on highlighted the irresponsibility of telling our kids to abstain from bad things without the real-life teaching to go with it. Too often parents (especially Christian parents) measure their parental success by the list of don'ts they create to protect their kids. This picture is so incomplete and potentially harmful.

It's not easy, but part of our job as parents is to find ways to empower our kids with loving education not control them with fear or pander to them with empty cliches. Recently, I was put to the test on this and have a practical example of how it played out in my own home.

I procrastinated on an awkward topic. 2nd grade seemed way too young to me to have an in-depth "real" conversation about sex. But, get this. I had actually waited too long because somebody else was already talking to him about it. Girls in his class were sending him graphic notes, saying vulgar things, daring each other to "grab" him in the library, tackling him at recess for "fan club points", etc.

Because we had never talked to our son about the things (and profanity) he was experiencing at school, he got confused. He didn't know how to process everything that was happening. How to communicate about it. How to understand it. How to reconcile two worlds. He was embarrassed and he felt trapped. He suffered silently for months before we ever found out.

How do we talk about these things at an age appropriate level? What's is age appropriate anyway?
How far do we go?
What do we focus on? What do we avoid?
How do we prepare them for relational conflict and peer pressure?
How do we expose lies and reveal truths?

Tricky. There's no one size fits all answer to that question. Every kid and every circumstance is different. But, using the topic of sex as an example ... there are a couple of places to get some help.

First educate yourself.

Pure Sex message series audio files.
Sex for Sale message series audio files.

Next, get the conversation going with your kids.

Start off by asking them questions to learn what they think. Before you start talking, hear how they respond...in their own words.
- What is love?
- What is the difference between loving someone and being in love?
- How old do you think you have to be to be "in" love?
- What's the difference between real love and TV love?
Read a book together. Take turns reading different pages out loud.
Compare and contrast the difference between love and lust.

Are there any resources you've found helpful to help navigate through awkward conversations with your kids? Where do you get help growing a healthy functioning family in an unhealthy dysfunctional world? How are you intentionally living in the tension (versus hiding from or avoiding the painful realities around us)? Love to hear from you.

What I've learned in 20 years as a parent...

2009-07-10T06:55:00-05:00

Parenting is hard. I'm in over my head. I'm not going to do everything right. But, I'm going to keep learning and keep trying. I don't take the responsibility lightly. I consider it an honor. And, here's a few things I've learned after being a parent for 20 years.

I can't take the credit when my kids are a success.
I can't take the blame when my kids choose their own path.
My kids are not an extension of me, they are a unique God-created individual.
I don't have all the answers; I have as much to learn from them as they do from me.
Part of my job it is to help get them thinking, but not to tell them what to think.
Dancing around and avoiding real conversations about awkward topics (like sex, mental illness, substance abuse, etc.) only sets them up for failure.

Let's camp on that last bullet for a minute. What parent looks forward to a conversation with their beautiful, innocent, cute & cuddly cherub about any of these topics? Our parental instinct is to protect them from all of it--act like it's not there. Our best intentions lead us to spend our time building a fortress of screens to shield them as long as we can. It's a lie many of us fall victim to. We procrastinate or avoid these conversations altogether because we don't want to be the one to take away "innocence." That's nice in theory, but naive in reality.

All of us have to face these issues and we're not in control of when that happens. it's everywhere, all around us (and them). If we don't provide our kids with a healthy, realistic context and adequate preparation, they're blind sided with life and thrown into reactive mode.

I want to be bold enough to teach my kids about uncomfortable topics. Where else will they get the truth? The media? Ugh. It’s up to us to clear the static, take the lead and help them learn the right place to find the answers when they need them.

Recently, I was put to the test on this and have a practical example of how it played out in my own home. If I share the story now, this post would be too long. I'll save it for Monday. Have a great weekend.

Chat about team culture leadership development...

2009-07-09T10:41:28-05:00

A couple of days ago, LV from Catalyst stopped by Granger for a quick dinner & chat. We captured it on video just for you. Watch and your favorite part has to be when I raise my hand like a 2nd grader.

Link round-up for insight or fun...

2009-07-08T13:49:44-05:00

I post these types of bursts regularly on my Twitter feed, but they rarely make it to my blog these days. Thought I'd do a little round-up to reflect on some of my favorite links from the past month.

BOMB! I just bought me some wasabi.
I don't have $ so I'm sending u a picture I drew of a spider instead. // This is too funny. How did I not see this B4 now?
Look what you'll be able to buy soon on Kindle. (via @timastevens) // this makes me a happy camper.
New awareness test. (via @wantmoore)
Want 2 see blooper reel from last week's feed? This is funny. (via @gccwired)
IKEA sign #FAIL (via @jessegiglio @meghanarias @dewde) // That's great. What a deal. Proof. Baby. Proof.
10 ironic ads from history (via @PerryBelcher @JeannaMiller)
15 creepiest ads of all time (via @jeannamiller)
What's a visual resume? This is awesome. (via @ebuford & @BobSeymore)
So, no bikes, but skateboards are OK? Confusing visuals. (via @skrug)
Before the DIVISIVE “I’m a Mac. UR a PC" commercials, Apple INSPIRED around idea of pushing human race 4ward.
Let's make July "Emotional Agility Month" shall we? Participate w/ gusto. Remember peeps - U get what U train 4.
Secretly recorded Easton shower singing. SO FUNNY! (Listen near end - u hear him really get N2 it stomping his feet!)
Such an AWESOME photo from space of volcano eruption! amazing (via @JasonPowell)
Putting the "NO" in innovation. http://bit.ly/tPHUV (via @ebuford)
Professional mojo? The name alone got my attention & made me click.
The Key to Shorter, Better Meetings (via @HarvardBiz @jeremyscheller) // this is good simple stuff
Who knew Jell-O falling at 1000 frames per second would B so dang entertaining? (via @blankenship) // mesmerized...
Sometimes I dream about how fun it would b 2 serve w/ GSM team. Then I see this & realize I could never keep up.
Can you REALLY go to church online? // Great questions. Leave a comment.
When your student comes home from camp...
50 inspiring examples of minimalism in web design. (via @kylestanding via @JeannaMiller)
Inexpensive iphone theft detector. (via Ian Beyer)

Where is the love?

2009-06-23T14:57:12-05:00

I recently had a conversation with a church who invited William P. Young (author of The Shack) to speak during a weekend service. Now, they're getting hit hard by some of their congregants. Hit hard with comments like "This author belongs no where near this building."

Really? Really.

We get this type of feedback at Granger every single time we touch anything secular. The argument isn't new news. It spans hundreds of years. I'm not interested in arguing an old debate. And, for the record...nobody asked me to. But, they did ask me this: "When you find yourself fielding this type of feedback, how do you respond? How do you cast vision?" Here's how I responded.

"It is always good to communicate a simple WHY behind WHAT. For example:

This novel gives a voice to real, deep human longings. We’re going to explore the themes in this book to start a conversation about how the Bible, God, Christ and the Holy Spirit meets these real longings.
We listen to mainstream songs and read mainstream books to observe the spiritual journey revealed in the lyrics and storylines. This book is no different.
I also love what the president of Notre Dame recently said to the unruly Christian protesters who were bashing Obama when he came to speak at the ND Commencement ceremony (the protesters argued Obama shouldn’t be allowed to step foot on the Catholic campus because he is pro-choice). He said, 'You can't change world if you shun the people you want to persuade.' Well put.

So, keep it simple. Focus on the why behind the what: Love God, Love others. Keep open heart & mind to what we have to learn through the process. As Christ-followers, we do NOT have all the answers and Christ didn’t call us to be the judge and jury for the world. He called us to show them we are different because of our love. Some of these vocal congregants have just forgotten the main thing. You can help remind them."

I hate hearing about situations like this, and yet it happens all the time. I don't understand how a group of believers can get so agitated because the author of a fictional novel is visiting their church. Would they be that up in arms if JRR Tolkien came to speak about his fictional novel? Both authors have spiritual overtones in their stories. Neither author claims to be an authoritative theologian who is challenging Biblical foundations. (sigh)

This recurring "issue" is one of the MAJOR reasons I look forward to the Innovate Conference every year. How DO you effectively leverage cultural conversations without compromising the holiness of your calling? It is true that grace and license are not the same thing, but we all need practical help doing daily ministry in that tension. That's what gets exposed at Innovate09.

Social Networking Discussion

2009-06-23T12:27:20-05:00

Recently, I had the chance to participate in a Q&A facilitated by Paul Steinbrueck over on the Christian Web Trends Blog. John Saddington and Matt Farina were there, too. The 4-part series just wrapped up. I thought I'd share it all together here.

Part 1: Social Networking Consumption

Part 2: Social Networking for Organizations

Part 3: Social Media for Individuals

Part 4: Future of Social Networking

Twelve pages of creative goodness...

2009-06-16T15:24:30-05:00

You can find it here.

7 Myths Marketers ( their bosses) Gotta Stop Buying...

2009-06-11T05:57:00-05:00

I read an article this week that begs to be shared. Want to get the most out of marketing in today's world? Stop believing these myths.

Myth #1 - "I'll just hire me one of them marketing superstars.
Myth #2 - "If everyone just picks themselves up by the bootstraps and tries harder (or works smarter)...
Myth #3 - "If we can just get some of that marketing automation, that'll solve our problems."
Myth #4 - "If we can't quantity it, we shouldn't do it."
Myth #5 - "I don't care what it takes, just get it done!"
Myth #6 - "We can't spare a dime to invest in research."
Myth #7 - "We don't have time to examine our own navels."

Read the full article on Chief Marketer.