Mission and Vision

I’m not sure if you know about the project management program called Basecamp.  Lots of organizations, especially some we work with, use it as a way to keep things moving.  It lets you share documents and keep track of who’s doing what on a project.  It’s popular and has brought a lot of attention, and money, to its creator 37Signals.

Despite that success, and a 96% approval rating by customers, soon Basecamp will be completely rebuilt and redesigned. 

37 Signals Co-founder Jason Fried...

As a post holiday haze floats around the office, I was talking with a friend about his experience at his church this Christmas. While his review of the events was positive (saying the services were a great mix of songs, scripture, tradition and dance) there was one thing he said really stood out.

“If I knew it was going to be this good, I would have invited more people.  It’s just hard to know from year to year what my church will do.”

Word of mouth and personal invites are the greatest...

Jon Acuff had a great post at Stuff Christians Like this month about how we covet the lives people share though social media.  He gives some great conclusions about the effects of doing so.  You can’t love the friends you covet and we often forget that social media gives us only a best-life-possible snapshot of someone.  The post really is a great read. Check it out—if for no other reason than a real, but crazy, story of a crazed Cabbage Patch Kids employee who wouldn’t let a family put a...

Thanks to everyone who came to our workshop about being a welcoming church at the Edmonton Day of Encouragement.  I appreciate your interaction and great questions.  A few of you asked for a copy of the presentation, so here it is.

God blesses the church that puts personal preferences aside for the sake of the Gospel.  Those are the words (as best as I can remember them) from Pastor Scott Nichols at Crossroads Community Church in Carol Stream, Illinois.  My wife and I were there visiting this past weekend which happened to be the church’s 10-year anniversary weekend. As Pastor Scott reflected on the past, this idea of putting personal preferences aside was one of the things he believes has helped the church successfully...

This week, Church Juice turned two.  We’re starting to find our voice and we’re throwing less temper tantrums than we expected, so that’s good. 

The significance of a second anniversary hit me a few weeks ago.  I hadn’t really been thinking about it, but after two years, it seems like a good time to think more about the future.  And as I look back at what we’ve done—while also looking forward to the future—I find there are some things that are definitely at the forefront of my mind.  And...

The Netflix train wreck is now a full-on spectacle.  Over the past few months, there’s been a flow of bad news and bizarre announcements that has taken Netflix from a customer favorite to one that’s losing people, and reputation, quickly.

In July, the movie-mailing and streaming giant said it was raising rates by 60 percent while providing no new services.  While a lot of that increases was due to greedy media studios, Netflix took the brunt of the blame.  Following the announcement,...

Certain events can become a catalyst for change for churches.  At Life Baptist Church in Las Vegas, it was a move to a new building.  It was a chance for the church of nearly 300 people to start with a clean branding slate to better present their message.  It was time to clean up the inconsistent messaging and branding they had in the past.

“I can't overhype the importance of branding. Don't be afraid of it,” says Creative Arts Guy Matt Phillips “The truth is that you are already sending a...

I’ve spent every Sunday this summer away from my home church.  In a departure from Chicago suburban life, I found myself on the shores of Lake Michigan.  My wife and I spend our summer weekends at a small Christian community in southwest Michigan.  More than 150 years ago, it was founded as a retreat for people to spiritually refresh during the summer.  It’s still that way today.  It’s a place where the streets double as sidewalks, the beach is packed on warm afternoons, kids can run safe and...

I recently made a trip back to the family farm in rural Bronson, Kansas.  The farm is exactly as you would imagine it.  Travel down on a long, gravel road until you see the small, white farmhouse with a big red barn.  Don’t mind the cows gazing up at you while slowing working their jaws, or the quail gathered in the windows of the outbuildings.  Just come on up to the porch and make yourself at home.

This is where my grandfather was born and lived his entire life.  This is where my...