Rather than just stand appalled, he decided to quickly build a website (I AM NOT EVERY GIRL.com) and start a movement of people condemning the song and asking radio stations to stop playing it. The movement is a reaction against the degradation of women and a call for dialogue on how the music on the radio affects the younger generation.

He's put in a lot of effort, and done a phenomenal job with his site!

What do you think? Is this how Jesus wants us to respond to depraved songs, movies, TV shows, etc?

Some say yes, some say no. What do you think? And why.

We Value the local church.
We value songs that move our generation.
We value songwriters, musicians and worship leaders.
We value the next generation of worship.

Catalyst and INO Records want to help facilitate the next generation of songs from the Church by providing a platform for worship leaders, musicians and songwriters to connect their Local songs to the Global church. Thousands of leaders have been blessed with songs, with anthems of praise they believe will help the Body of Christ bring glory to Jesus in a whole new way. We want to find them and release them. Songs that will become written on the heart of our generation.

Details: Send in your original song by July 1st, 2009. Ten of the songs submitted will be chosen to be on the upcoming Catalyst Worship Album scheduled to be released Fall of 2009. Also, the top three finalists will have the opportunity to record on the project alongside other Catalyst worship leaders!

SUBMIT YOUR SONG

They are talented musicians and leaders, and also pretty fun to hang out with, as evidenced by the video below. A little behind the scenes at our recent Catalyst One Day gathering in Dallas.

FEE Band- behind the scenes at Catalyst One Day from Brad Lomenick on Vimeo.

For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink
...
But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. - 1 Cor. 12:13, 24, 25

There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. - Galatians 3:28

Why are we so segregated into our different ethnic groups? White, African American, Latino, Asian, etc. Wouldn't God be glorified by our unity? What's keeping us apart?

For sure, we'll all be together in heaven, praising Him together. What's keeping us from being unified here? Can we fix it?

This is a reminder that TIME IS SHORT! Our life is but a vapor! (James 4:14, Psalm 39).

Jesus counsels us not to live for our comfort, our selfish desires. Instead, if we give-up our life, we will truly gain it. (John 12:25)

God has given us a mission, and time is short, so let's get crackin!

Are you afraid of stepping-out and following the vision he's given you? Me too! LET'S DO IT ANYWAY!

This world is not our home, and we will have to stand before God and give an account for how we used our "talents" (Matt 25:14-30) and, remember: "To whom much is given, much will be required," Luke 12:48.

GO! GO! GO!

(But it's really, really hard to give-up your life, sacrifice for others, and do the things God wants you to do! Ok, fine, let's encourage each other daily to do these things Heb. 10:24).

"Successful" meaning large, growing and popular.

Is this true? If so, how so? If not, how not?

Francis Chan will be speaking at Catalyst this year. Today is the SUPER EARLY BIRD DEADLINE! Register today to get the best rates on Catalyst Atlanta!

There seems to be confusion over the phrase "anything short of sin." To some it means, "we'll get as close to sin as we can," to others, it means "anything that's not sin is negotiable."

Hopefully we all agree that the philosophy of trying to get as close to sin as we can is not honoring to God.

I think the more accurate interpretation of the original quote is "Except for sin, we'll innovate wherever necessary, cast off tradition, and do whatever it takes to bring more people to Christ - all without sinning or disobeying God's Word."

If you're concerned that this philosophy is leading Christians astray (Irmler family) - what are the non-negotiables that you're concerned (or noticed) that are being lost, and why?

If you agree with this philosophy, what negotiables do you think may hold a church back from reaching more people for Christ?

The June edition of the Young Influencers List is here. Also, take time to check out the archives of YIL which includes all of the lists from past months. 

Again, no particular order or rank:

1. Scott Harrison- founder of Charity: Water, one of the leading organizations providing clean and safe drinking water to developing nations. 

2. Esther Havens- brilliant photographer with an emphasis on capturing humanitarian issues all around the world. 

3. Shaun Alexander- former All-Pro running back for Seattle, and college standout at Alabama. Now speaking in churches and at conferences all over the country along with running his foundation. 

4. Peter Greer- President of Hope International, a leading microfinance organization helping provide small loans to individuals in developing countries. 

5. John Saddington- social computing strategist, web junkie, and former web developer for some big time businesses, including Fox and NewsCorp. Now leading the online development as the Creative Web Director for North Point Ministries.

• 18 Months
• 31 States
• 45,000 Miles
• 6 Snow Storms
• 2 Major Hurricanes
• Over 2,300 gallons of gasoline
• 14 Honorary Vanagon Vagabonds (friends who joined me on the road)
• Unofficially spoinsored by Red Bull, David Sunflower Seeds, & Subway Wraps

The Catalyst Road Trip has established itself as an initiative unlike any other.  With an exclusive focus on building relationships and face-to-face connections with leaders on the front line of the Church we have had the chance to catch a glimpse of what God is doing around the country.  We have seen community developed across denominational lines, uncovered quality content and leadership insight from unlikely sources in unexpected areas, furthered our friendships with authors & speakers you have come to know and love, AND shared the adventure via our blog, twitter, flickr, vimeo, and facebook.  

What's Next???
The vision continues...what began as a road trip reaching as far as our 1985 VW Vanagon would allow us has now matured into a Delta Airlines powered National Tour quickly reaching strategic cities, areas, and leaders that would have otherwise taken us weeks and months to reach.  Flying from one city to the next will allow for even more connection points among influencers in the church…and the opportunity to focus our energy into our meetings with these leaders rather than exhausting ourselves “getting to” these meetings.  :)

Where will the Catalyst National Tour land next?  Who will we meet?  Stay tuned.  The next chapter begins...now.

LV
(plans are being finalized for our next trip (Chicago) to be set during second week of July, more soon)