WHERE ARE WE GOING WITH THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST?

Spencer Burke, founder of The Ooze, wrote an interesting article about the church's promotion, marketing and attitude towards Mel Gibson's new movie, "The Passion of The Christ." He shares some very good perspectives... Check it out here.

A few quotes from the article:

"First of all, I want to applaud the church for its boldness in supporting an R-rated movie. I don’t know about you, but I’ve heard plenty of sermons over the years on why Christian adults shouldn’t see R-rated movies. To discount a film purely because of its rating has always seemed a bit shortsighted and narrow to me. So I’m thrilled to think that perhaps we’re finally moving past a policy of blind abstinence."

Regarding the church's "marketing" of the film:

"After years of opposing popular culture and non-traditional art forms, I’m encouraged that we’re moving forward. I’m pleased to see that we’re attempting to address culture in the movie house, not just the “house of the Lord.” At the same time, however, I’m nervous that we’re attempting to shrink wrap the gospel and turn art—Mel Gibson’s personal vision of the crucifixion of Christ--into something it was never meant to be: propaganda.

The church marketing machine is strong. (Been to a Christian bookstore lately?) We can do bracelets, mugs and T-shirts with the best of them. But is it right? Are we interested in engaging with culture, or simply trying to convert people? When we invite friends to see the movie, will we feel that our night was a waste if we don’t get a chance to share The Four Laws? Is our agenda to buy people tickets so that the whole night feels like an awkward first date—you know, the “Well, he bought me dinner so I guess I have to kiss him,” scenario? Are we interested in people’s honest questions about the film, or only their response to the film (i.e. did they pray the prayer)?

My sense is that all our enthusiasm could actually backfire and keep people away from what may or may not be a great film. At the same time, however, all our efforts will no doubt demand a payoff. You just know that elders somewhere are going to be counting how many people attend post-February 25 services and trying to calculate how many people came to Christ because of this film."

These are some interesting thoughts. (Ok, now it's me - Scott - talking again...) At our church, we decided to do a follow up series entitled, "Jesus: Up Close & Personal" - it will be a series to look further into the life of Christ and hopefully answer people's questions that may arise after viewing the film.

We are encouraging people in our church community to invite someone to the movie and series with whom they have already begun establishing a relationship with. I think it will be odd for people to go up to complete strangers or their neighbors and invite them to this movie - ESPECIALLY if there has never been an attempt at developing a relationship with them. CHRISTIAN PEOPLE: Please do not do this. Let's quit living up to our stereotype that we are "selling God" to people. Let's work on relationships. (i.e. 'earning the right to be heard', 'people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.', etc...)

So as far as I'm concerned, I'm going to think about those in my life whom I have connected with and taken the time to get to know and maybe invite them - because it's a story that I want them to experience - for a lot of reasons. But I'm not going to look at this as a tool to "win" them. If that happens, great. But if not, that's ok too - I'll still be their friend, because I'm not their "friend" so that I can fix them or make them better. I'm their friend because I truly and authentically care for them. Besides, I have a lot of fixing that needs to be done in my life and no one but God has the ability to do that.

So I agree with Spencer when he says, "I’m interested in seeing people’s personal experiences and struggles with Jesus. I’m also interested in seeing films that go beyond blatant religious themes." Such a good statement...

SUNDAY NIGHT LEG ACHE

I have a leg ache.

In fact, almost every Sunday night I suffer from leg aches. It's weird, I know. I'm not sure why this happens, but every Sunday night I find myself laying on the couch flipping through lame, late night TV wondering why my leg hurts. I'm not sure if it's the way I stand when I'm speaking publically at church on Sundays or what, but it's driving me crazy.

Someone once told me that they thought it was stress related, but if that was the case my legs would be hurting all the time.

So, I do what I do every Sunday night - pop about 800mg of Ibuprofen and go to bed.

Beats a headache I guess.


p.s. Is it just me, or is Tom Cruise looking worse the older he gets?

CONFRONTATION TIPS



Tonight, I began reading Boundaries Face to Face: How to Have That Difficult Conversation You've Been Avoiding by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend in preparation for an upcoming message I'm doing on handling conflict.

In chapter 5, they give some great tips on confrontation and three specific things to keep in mind when discussing "issues". Here they are:

1. Clarify the nature of the problem.

• Be clear and focused as to what the problem is really about.
  
• Make the issue as understandable as possible to the other person.
  
• BE SPECIFIC!

2. Clarify the effects of the problem.

• Include not only the facts and realities about the problem, but also what it does to you and the relationship. (How does this make me feel?)

3. Clarify your desire for change.

• Avoid the mistake of stopping with the negative aspects of the problem.
• Let them know what you would like to see that would change the situation and solve the problem.

867-5309

Apparently, it's up for grabs. Yep - the number (212)867-5309.

The owner of this Manhattan, NY phone number is auctioning it off on eBay. The bid is currently at over $4,500.00 $6,000.00. $20,400.00 $40,000.00 $200,100.00 OUCH.

Someone is getting ready to make a big buck, thanks to Tommy Tutone.

CAMILLE'S CAFE WiFi



Bloggin' via the free WiFi @ Camille's Cafe in Geneva, IL. Cool place - similiar to Panera Bread but a little more "eclectic" - still has a little too "commercial-y" feel to it. But hey - it's Geneva - it's the suburbs - what do you want??

Food is pretty good - eating a Turkey Habenero Panini. It's not the best Panini I've ever had (by ANY means...) but it's not bad.

They have a nice leather chair seating area w/ a nice array of magazines & newspapers.

Good to know it's here, I'll probably be back.

WHERE I'VE BEEN

These are all the states I have visited. Still have a few to go...



create your own visited states map
or write about it on the open travel guide

HOW TO MANAGE SMART PEOPLE

In any given week, I receive via email, fax, snail mail, blogs, various websites, magazines, etc... all kinds of business, leadership, relationship and financial related articles. Usually after sifting through what looks good and what doesn't (and the 'doesn't' category is usually about 90% of what I receive and ends up in the garbage or shredder) I sit down at night and read, read and read.

Well tonight, I ran across an article that had an interesting title: "How to manage smart people". And well, since I happen to manage and lead a group of VERY smart people, I thought I should read it. So I did. And did, and did, and did, and did. Holy smokes - what a great article!

It's from a website called UIWEB.COM which describes itself as a website containing "Essays on web design interaction usability experience architecture etc." I'm not even sure how I found the site, but the article that I read tonight was excellent, so I wanted to link it here and also share a few tidbits from the article that really stuck out to me. So, here are a few of them...

First of all, the article is written by a guy named Scott Berkun and he is talking about managing people and how to do a great job at it. The article is very practical and beneficial to anyone leading a company, staff or even volunteers.

A few thoughts...

(Speaking of a manager he once worked for...):

"Arguments always centered on some problem that needed to be solved, and what the best approach would be to solve it. If there was a disagreement, he'd restate the goals and expectations, make sure everyone was still on the same page, and then lead a discussion of possible alternatives.

He didn't care if he was right or wrong, only that the best ideas survived...

His authority, though obvious since he was my boss, was rarely something he had to exercise or use as a tool to get things done."

(Speaking of good managers in general...):

"They (managers) have more to do with enabling the happiness and productivity of the people that work for them than anyone else in the organization.

(They)...have an emotional responsibility to their reports, or to the people who are dependent upon them.

A manager sets the tone for dialog(sic), enables or prevents a fun work environment, and interprets (or ignores) the corporate rules and structure, into a daily practice of shared work."

(Again, speaking of a great manager he worked for...):

"...he hired people very carefully, trying to find people that would work within his management philosophy. He chose people that were self motivated and confident enough that he didn't have to expend much energy figuring out how to get them to work hard. Then he created an environment where good ideas rose to the top, further encouraging smart people to want to contribute.

Even if you don't have a team of rock stars, it's your job as manager to either work with the people you have to make them better, define their roles to match their strengths, or to manage them out of your group/team/company.

In the end, good managers know how to use as little hierarchy and authority as needed for the group to be effective, regardless of the domain."

Ok - I'm stopping there. Just read the freakin' article. It's so good. Read it, highlight it, eat it, digest it, regurgitate it, eat it again.

Again, the link.

SATURDAY



It's a snowy Saturday. Elise and her cousin, Aly, are playing in the snow having a heck of time. I did some shopping at my favorite Italian grocery store - Amici Deli and the organic food castle known as Whole Foods.

FRIDAY NIGHT



It's Friday night and I'm sitting in my dimly lit office with some serious candle burning going on. I'm reading through the FANTASTIC responses that I've gotten from all of you the past couple of days.

If you haven't taken some time to read through the comments from yesterday's post, you should! There are some seriously funny comments in there (a.k.a. the one about Elvis!!). If you're going to be at The Orchard (short for Orchard Valley Community Church) this weekend, you might even hear me quote your comment!

Also - it's not too late to post. If you think of anything good to say, go ahead and post it!

Back to my candles & studying...

HELP ME WRITE MY MESSAGE...

This weekend we are beginning a new series on relationships and community. The title and concept of the series is based on a book written by John Ortberg entitled, Everybody's Normal "Till You Get to Know Them. (By the way - if you are looking for a great read on the topic of relationships and how to improve them, I HIGHLY recommend his book.)

As I put my "talk" together for this weekend, I want to pose a couple of questions to you for feedback that I think will be very helpful to me and perhaps others.

Use the "Comments" section to leave your thoughts. Here they are:

1. Think about the weirdest person you ever met or saw - why did you label them as "weird?" (Perhaps you didn't know them - but just saw them in public doing something crazy...)

2. On a scale of 1-10, how important is "community" to you? And why? (What pushes you towards connecting with others?)

Thanks for your help!

HELD HOSTAGE BY GIRL SCOUT COOKIES



What is it about Girl Scout cookies that seems to hold me hostage? I seriously have a HUGE weakness for both Thin Mints (preferably frozen) and the Peanut Butter cookies. Pair those up with a TALL glass of ICE COLD milk and you've got a product that will make you slap your grandma.

Wait! This isn't a part of the Atkins Diet! YIKES!!

DELL BATTERY UPDATE

Got my replacement battery from Dell today. Charged it up and it has given me about 4 hours of juice (SO FAR...).

SO THERE!

BATTLING DELL IN THE SNOWSTORM

I emailed Michael Dell tonight. Yes, the CEO & founder of Dell Computers - that Michael Dell. I wrote him to tell him how turned off I am by the customer support response that I've gotten that last couple of years when calling. I've held off for a long time thinking that it might get better, but tonight my call into Dell turned into the straw that broke the camel's back.

I called for 2 reasons: 1) The small rubber thingies on the bottom of my new laptop fell off and my computer became lopsided and now slides around on my desk while I'm typing, and 2) My battery went from lasting 5-6 hours to about 2 hours (if even that...).

So, I made a call to Dell customer support and after being on hold for a considerable amount of time, ended up being "helped" (word used lightly...) by an individual who spoke very little English and was VERY difficult to understand. Not only did I have to ask him to repeat himself numerous times, but I also had to repeat myself several times. (an "accent" is one thing - even a STRONG accent is fine - but this was beyond both of those...)

After arguing with the support "tech" about the battery issue for almost 45 minutes he finally decided to send me out a new battery to see if that would take care of the problem. His opinion was that the battery life I was experiencing was accurate and that most batteries don't usually last for more than 2 hours. This makes absolutely NO sense - especially considering the fact the SAME battery in this SAME computer was lasting 5-6 hours for the first 2 months that I owned the computer!

About an hour later I was driving with my family through a snow storm and my cell phone rang and it was the "tech". He told me that he needed to know the bar code numbers off of my current battery. I told him that I was driving in several inches of snow and asked him to email me the info that he needed and I would send him whatever he needs. This confused him immensely.

After trying to explain to him what "email" means I decided to pull the car over and get my laptop out of my bag and read the numbers off. So that's exactly what I did.

18 minutes later I was still repeating the numbers to him. He would read the numbers back and they would be wrong EVERY TIME.

I will give him this - it may have been hard for him to hear what I was saying since my wife was yelling in the background, "TELL HIM YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO SOMEONE WHO SPEAKS ENGLISH" and "MAYBE HE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT A SNOWSTORM IS!"

Finally, several minutes later he got the numbers right and told me "drive safely."

So I finally put my laptop away, put the car in drive and my 4 year old daughter Elise says, "Mom, why can't dad speak English in the snowstorm??"

We laughed.

I NEED A PORCUPINE



I need a porcupine for an illustration I'm working on for this coming weekend. If anyone has one, let me know.

Thanks.

THOUGHTS ON THE EMERGING CHURCH

From the Worldwide Faith News archive:

CHARLOTTE, NC - Most of the evidently successful "mega-churches" and church-growth movements have actually been failures because they have watered down the "radical gospel message of transformation of individual and community lives," a leading religious innovator told a crowd of nearly 1,000 Presbyterian leaders on Jan. 23.

The Rev. Mike Slaughter, the lead pastor of Ginghamsburg (United Methodist) Church in Tipp City, OH, near Dayton, said during the opening plenary session of the annual Churchwide Transformation Conference that "the mega-church has failed as a reproducible model, because the Biblical measure of strength is not size, but faithfulness"...

He said his studies of "the emerging church" have revealed that all successful 21st-century churches are:

Intentionally missional;
Multicultural;
Multi-sensory; and
Multi-media.

Post-moderns don't want to be put on a committee," he said. "They want to be equipped to make a difference in the lives of others."

Some good thoughts here.

ENOUGH ALREADY

For some reason I am really hating this weather. Don't get me wrong, I've never been real fond of snow and a cold climate, but this seems worse for some reason. It's almost like I feel entitled to only maybe 2 snow falls per winter and anything beyond that is super annoying.

Several years ago when I worked at a car dealership in Minnesota, we would spend hours and hours after a snowfall removing snow from the lot and cars. I was miserable. I got to a point where I absolutely couldn't take it anymore. I sort of think that it might be those memories that bring this anti-snow attitude to bear.

So I'm heading to bed where I plan on dreaming about warm weather...

WARNING: THIS IS GROSS


A whale of an explosion in Taiwan

A deceased, beached sperm whale was being transported for research when it suddenly exploded in the city of Tainan in Taiwan. The explosion has been attributed to natural gas inside of the whale as it decomposed. The whale measured 56 feet long and weighed in at 60 tons.

The Taipei Times reports, ""More than 100 Tainan city residents, mostly men, have reportedly gone to see the corpse to 'experience' the size of its penis..." Ok. Still haven't found the picture of that.

Check out MSNBC or Taiwan News for the full story.

(Thanks Tien Mao for pointing out the story.)

BUY AN IMAGINARY GIRLFRIEND ON EBAY

Buy a virtual girlfriend on Ebay!

And this one is really crazy.

(credit to kottke for the link.)

BRAIN FREEZE

I think it might be the snow.

All week I have had a major brian blockage every time I sit down to prepare my message for this weekend. I've gotten a lot of administrative stuff done (which I'm very proud of, by the way...) but at this rate we will have a long moment of silence at our church on Sunday.

Time to take out the Playdough & Etch-A-Sketch.

THE OTHER DAY...

...I drove by an old Pizza Hut that closed down and is now a Curves workout facility for women.

Kind of ironic.

LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW...



Dear East Coast People,

We send you this snow with our love.


Sincerely,

Chicago

REDEFINING THE PASTORAL ROLE

Fellow blogger, Randall Friesen posts a quote by another blogger named Chris Marshall:

"I spent 10 years climbing the ladder in evangelical ministry, being groomed to be the next super "up front" leader and what I learned is that it had more to do with being an American success story than anything to do with Christ following. I would go as far to say that until I learned to love 2 or 3 and be content in my giftedness, I really never understood what pastoring was. I believe the pastor who will thrive in the future will be one that turns in their pulpit for a guest bedroom, their preaching for true hospitality, their "up front" role for a towel and basin. Hospitality, which fosters powerful organic relationships underground will be the bridges that the Holy Spirit will use to bring healing to our communities. (by the way, women generally kick arse in this area). So men, learn how to clean a toilet and make a bed. Learn how to cut the vegetables and clean the dishes. Learn how to listen in conversation to people's stories as they share lives over a meal and be ready to respond with warmth and empathy with nobody to notice what your doing. The future leader will not be an expositor but a diakanos (table servant). If this is not enough for you, then let me end with this question: Who told you to be successful?"

This is good...

THE 5TH E

Jack Welch (GE CEO) talks about 4 vital aspects of successful leadership known as the 4 "E's": Energy, Energize, Edge, and Execute.

FastCompany blogger, Alison Overholt, suggests one more "E" - of which I agree with.

Check it out here.

"MOM, CAN WE PLAY WITH THE GATOR NOW?"

New York website, Gothamist, shares this story about a family (including 8 children) living in Harlem who shared their apartment with an alligator and tiger. Yes - you read that right.

SARAH MCLACHLAN



Kicking back listening to Sarah McLachlan's latest CD, "Afterglow". Something about her voice is so soothing...

FAITH POPS



I'm probably going to ruffle some feathers with this one...

A couple of days ago, I visited one of our local "Christian" bookstores to purchase something. It had been quite a while since I had visited there so I decided to walk around and see what was new in the world of "Christian" books, music, etc... Well there were a couple of things that caught my eye during my visit. Only one of them is really worth mentioning and that is the array of "Christian" candies that I saw offered for sale.

Something about this really frightens me. Scripture Mints, Faith Pops, Scripture Sour Gum and Scripture Smarties. Go ahead - say those out loud.

Tell me this isn't just a little corny... Maybe the thing that irritates me about this is what it seems to represent. I guess it's this whole "Christian culture" thing. To me it represents the problem that many Christians have of living in their Christian bubble. They've got their Christian music (which isn't bad in and of itself - in fact there is a lot of good Christian music out there finally), Christian clothing, Christian language (Christianese), etc... And now we've got our own candy?

Now we are relying on mints and gum to do the witnessing for us? First of all, where's the relationship aspect that is so vital (earning the right to be heard)? Secondly, regardless of the relationship thing, don't you think that 95% of all people who receive a Faith Pop are going to laugh or make fun of it? (On top of all of that, who really reads candy wrappers anyway?) Sometimes I feel like the Christian community has almost cheapened the gospel through all of its marketing and packaging.

Maybe I'm totally wrong and this is a new innovative way to reach people, but in my opinion, it's about as lame as the majority of TV preachers on television. My point is that all of this Christian "stuff" is great and all, but if we ever use any of it as a shield to hide behind or as a replacement for investing into the lives of people via relationships then we have a problem.

Ok, now I'll get off of my soapbox (Christian soapbox at that...)

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SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT "THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST" MOVIE



Today I had the privilege of attending a premiere showing of the movie, “The Passion of Christ”, written and directed by Mel Gibson. It was held at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, IL. Mel Gibson himself was there in person and was interviewed immediately following the movie.

The movie is about the last 12 hours of Jesus' life before his death and resurrection.

Prior to attending the premiere, I had read several reports from people who had attended a showing of the movie and they all basically said that the movie was “life changing”. Several people reported that after the movie the audience would sit there completely quiet in almost a trance like state not knowing how to respond to what they had just witnessed.

When we walked into the auditorium of Willow Creek (WC), there were greeters at the doors asking everyone to take a handful of tissues. They were all saying, “You will need them!” Being that they hadn’t seen the movie, I’m sure they were told to tell people that based on previous showings. So I grabbed a couple and put them in my pocket and found my seat.

As I was waiting for the movie to begin I made a decision that I was not going to be swayed by what I’ve read or by what people told me when I walked into the auditorium; but instead, I wanted to be completely open minded towards this movie, lest I be swayed by the power of suggestion. (said somewhat jokingly...)

After some preliminaries and a short introduction by Lee Strobel (former teaching pastor at WC & author of The Case For Christ) the movie began. The movie opened up with these words from Isaiah 53:5, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” It immediately shot to the opening scene of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

I’m going to stop there because I don’t want to ruin the movie for anyone when it opens in February. But I will try to explain my general thoughts about the movie.

First of all, the movie was done very well. It was not a “Christian” made movie. What I mean by that is that it wasn’t a flimsy Christian produced movie. Mel Gibson put somewhere around $35 million dollars of his OWN money into this project. The acting overall was very good, the special effects were good (although, the version I saw today was not the final cut – so some of the effects were a tad lacking…). But it is certainly a movie that I would be proud to invite a friend to. (Not like the “Left Behind” movie – sorry guys, but nice try…)

Secondly, the movie was extremely violent. I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen a person so badly beaten and tortured as Jesus was in this movie.

There was a scene where the guards were continually beating Jesus with a cat of nine tails (whips made with pieces of bone, glass & other sharp objects attached to it) and the pieces of bone, glass, etc… got stuck deep into his flesh and the guard had to pull really hard to get it unstuck, if you will, from his back.

During these violent scenes, I found myself tensing up and at times almost not breathing for several seconds. I would catch myself and take note of my reaction and literally force myself to take a deep breath. I can’t remember when a movie affected me this strongly. It was as though, in a way, you were suffering along with Jesus himself - like you were right there witnessing it first hand.

The movie is rated R and it is strictly because of the violence. I agree with Mel Gibson when he said that he wouldn’t suggest children under the age of 12 or 13 seeing the movie unless parents knew they could handle it.

Skipping ahead… At the end of the movie I, along with the 4,000 other pastors in the auditorium just sat in our chairs completely silent. You could have heard a pin drop. The only noise in the room were the fans of the projection systems. The only time I have ever felt so emotionally moved after a movie was watching "Schindler’s List" several years ago.

Someone asked me tonight how the movie was and the word “good” just didn’t seem to fit. The only word I can think of to describe it is “disturbing.” Disturbing to say the least…

After the movie Bill Hybels, pastor of WC, interviewed Mel Gibson for about a half an hour. It was very, very good… I was impressed by Mel’s humility and candor. It’s obvious that Mel is a follower of Christ - not because of the movie itself, but because of his obvious outward faith in Jesus. One of the things Mel said today that really stuck out to me was, “Jesus could have pricked his finger and used a drop of blood to save humanity – but instead he chose to give it all – he shed every drop of his blood to save mankind.”

Powerful statement.

Well I’m going to stop there for the night. I might write more as I have time to digest the movie a little bit more.

Overall, I give the movie a thumbs up!

...STARBUCKS...

Lots to tell... Have to write later. @ Starbucks getting ready to meet w/ our graphic designer.

Later...

PASSION OF THE CHRIST PREMIERE LOG 1



Sitting in the lobby of Willow Creek w/ my pops (he's the one in the picture) waiting for the premiere to begin. Will update more later...

SADE

Simply one of the best albums ever made...

MORE BRIAN MCLAREN...

Interesting quote by Brian McLaren at the Mayhem event in Cincinnati:

I hope that what catholic comes to mean is "post-protestant." There are problems in the Catholic church, so we decide to protest them and we made the Lutherans. Then we see their problems and we protest them. So we form the Pietists. Then they protest and we have Calvinists...so on and so forth. That sociology is possibly more destructive than the selling of indulgences we all know about.

Can we move out the Protestant era? Can we become embracing? When we have issues with whatever group, we come up with our 3 differences. Are those differences really that important? No, but we've had to differentiate ourselves from those people over there. I imagine that we'll find all kinds of different kinds of church life here. We'll either do this as protestants or post-protestants. "We don't pay pastors." Big deal. "We don't have a building." So you don't have a building? That's great. Big deal...Andrew Jones talks about having a deep ecclesiology. Let's honor the church in all it's forms.

What do you think?

(PS - Thanks Ooze Blog.)

GOOD QUESTIONS

DJ Chuang posted some good questions by Brian McLaren on his site. Certainly worth checking out...

ENCOURAGERS



It amazes me the people that God brings across my path who are always an incredible source of encouragement. I can easily look back over the past 12 months and name off specific moments where people went out of their way to say or do something that just absolutely gave me the fuel to keep pushing forward. (Those moments are etched in my heart.) These are the kind of people who seem like they are always happy and have a positive, upbeat attitude. It's like when you walk away from a conversation with them you just feel like you have been energized.

I could make a list of those people right now, but I especially want to say thanks (sounds like I'm giving a speech at the Grammy's...) to Dave & Rennie Garda for their continual encouragement and support to me personally and our church staff. Everytime I connect with these guys I walk away so built up and rearin' to go. They help make me feel like I can really change the world. Thanks Dave & Rennie, I'm glad I know you guys and I'll see you again soon at Starbucks!


P.S. If you get a chance, check out their website here. If you are a pastor of a church and you need help raising up leaders & volunteers - these people have some great ideas.