How Do You See Life?

This ad is a wonderful example of how I tend to see life. I look for what I want to look for, and I ignore what I want to ignore. Just look at this ad, what we see as happy, is grotesque when turned upside down. This is no different then my daily life. Without a guide I have no idea what I am looking at, what seems good is really bad. But with God I can learn what is pure and right. Just read Romans 12: 2.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

We cannot look to the media, and that means Fox news just as much as CNN, for how we should live. We cannot look to politicians, and that means both Red and Blue, for what laws we need to pass. And we cannot even look to our own heart, because it can deceive us. What we need is the word of God. That will transform us, that will allow us to see what is truly good and acceptable and perfect.

Disclaimer: This post is not meant to be about President Obama. So please to not use this as an opportunity to either praise or tear him down. Instead do what the bible says later in Romans, and in 1 Timothy.

Artwork found at Coloribus.

When Inspiration Leaves

From time to time, well it happens more often than not, inspiration will just leave me. A project will come up and I can think of nothing to do for it. I end up staring at my screen for hours hoping for something to pop into my mind, but it rarely does. So what do I do, I try and jump start my creativity.

Check out websites.

Here are a few sites that I will immediately go to for some inspiration. That does not mean you go there to steal ideas, just be inspired! Graphic Exchange, VLU, Flickr, AdHunt and Inspiredology are just a few.

Play some games.

Video games have always been a great way for me to relax. Sometimes I just need to stop what I am doing and play some dumb online games. Kongregate is the biz-omb for quick online games!

Read, the old fashion way.

Reading is another way for me to get out of my funk. Magazines are filed with wonderful articles, layouts and ads. I also have a library of old readers digest books, going through those are wonderful. The colors, typography and layout and amazing. Also, check out the bible. God’s word is filled with stories that can inspire anyone.

Go outside.

Sometimes just stopping what I am doing and going outside is all I need. To feel the rain, snow, wind or sun on your skin can recharge you. Nature is the most beautiful work of art there is.

What do you do?

These are just a few things I do, but what do you do? Help me out because I can feel that today is one of those blah days.

Your Attitude is Crap

I love watching marketing guys, their arrogance is mind blowing to me. Everyone is an expert, and they all love to show it. In the church we look to them often for advise, but here is one guy I would like you to stay away from. Why? Because his attitude, not business card, is crap.

Humility needs to be a quaility we are known for more than our marketing. Remember that no matter how amazing you are at what you do, it is still a gift from God.

Not Gone, Just Tired

For the past couple months Kyle and I have been hit hard. Our company has taken a tremendous hit with the economy, and we have had pay cuts looming over our heads. Being a husband and a father makes this stress turn into panic, the uncertainty is sometimes harder that the actual impact. But I thank God that I have him in times that this. I am not gone for good, I am just tired for now.

Preparing for the race.

Paul talks about running the race for the prize at the end. I feel like the past two months have been training for me. I know I have failed in some, but I also know I have grown too. Through these trials God has also brought us blessing. Our work for the Plow has tripled in the last couple months, and we have been able to partner with some amazing churches. We have been blessed by that.

Our failures bring strength.

God has also allowed us to learn patience, humility and servitude. With increase of workload, sometimes our relationships can become strained. I have neglected this blog and the readers, and I am sorry for that. I have neglected some of my lower clients, and I am sorry for that as well. We are servants to God and each other, and I have been reminded of that wonderful truth. I praise God for allowing me to fail so that I might turn back to him.

Now the race begins.

I found this video below from the Wooster Collective by James Jarvis and was amazed by the simplicity and power of it. The race we run is not always easy. We come across trails and pitfalls, but we know we will finish. We are never gone, just sometimes tired—and God has the strength for us.

My Battle with Technology

For the past two days I have been in losing battle with technology. I have put my trust in computers to do my work for me, and they have failed. Now, this has been a very stressful time for me, but it has also been a very humbling (in a good way) time too. It has forced me to think about what I put my trust in, and how much I believe in that which I am trusting.

My Faith in Technology

To be honest I have a huge amount of faith in technology. For the most part I always believe that when I hit “send” in my email that it will send. From time to time I am let down, as I have been this week, but the majority of the time I trust that computers will do what they say they will. Why is that? Why do I put my faith and trust in something man made, something that I know at least 5% of the time will fail me. Part of it is out of necessity. I need to believe that it will work because it is the world I live in. Without it I would not have a job, without it I would not be able to to put food on the table. All of this scares me.

My Faith in God

Why is my faith in technology stronger than my faith in God? I know that God will always do what he says. I know that God will never fail in his love for me. I know that I will never be let down by God. I know that God will always provide for his children. God is fail proof, and yet I will doubt when I pray. I trust that a email will send, more than that God hears me. I need to believe what God tells me, without him I am dead.

Repentance

This week has been a blessing for me with the failures I have had. I have been forced to repent for trusting in a man made object more than the Creator of the universe. God has shown me that he is everlasting in a world that is dying. I place me faith and love with him, not technology.

The Breakfast Song

Both Corey and I want to apologize for the lack of posts recently. We’ve both been unbelievably busy with our agency work, making it hard to develop solid, thought provoking posts to share with you all. To make it up to you we want to share this fantastic video that came to us by way of @coltmelrose on twitter. Enjoy!

Clean or Unclean?

When you look at this picture how do you feel? I saw this ad this morning on ad goodness and it made me angry. I looked at it and was upset that the agency could minimize such a longstanding injustice and hatred. How could people make light of this? Then I got to thinking, why do I not long for this picture to come true. To me KKK and skinheads are unclean, not worthy of my love. But then I read Acts 10, and I am reminded by the love of our Lord. Nothing is beyond the power of God. God can make the most dirty, sinful person as soft as clay. He and only he can mold them into his child. I cannot look as his creation as unclean and unworthy of my love. All I can do is what I am commanded to do, love and share of God’s grace.

The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.

Read all of Acts 10

Trim Your Hedge

Below is a great campaign for STIHL’s hedge trimmer, from Publicis Conseil Paris. The simplicity of this design makes their message scream, and speaks to something we all need to do. We need to make sure we trim the hedges in our own lives. Are we building up barriers around us so we cannot see the outside world, and they cannot see us? If so, do buy a STIHL trimmer!

HT: Adhunt Blog.

New Ministry Site Launched!

We’ve (un)officially launched a new website for a ministry client in Fort Worth, Texas. There are still a few kinks to work out, and items to add, but we’re very pleased with how this one turned out.

EuroTrain is 14-day expedition through Europe that serves as a powerful personal discovery and leadership development tool for young leaders (high school through college-age). Here’s how they describe themselves and the expedition experience:

EuroTrain enables young adults to shape their families, communities, and vocations into what God envisions for them. We want each participant to:

Embrace a decidedly Christian worldview and commitment to creating culture.

Be transformed by Christ and develop the character traits of a leader, namely courage, generosity, wisdom, and self-discipline.

Grow in confidence defined by their God-given talents and life purpose.

Gain life experience in the basic skills of leadership, teamwork, planning, communication, time management, and problem solving.

Develop a one-year plan to strengthen their family and community and to continue growing as a person.

Establish long-term relationships with a trusted adult at home, their expedition leader, and other EuroTrain alumni.

Though Flash is by no means our expertise, we whipped out our animating guns to deliver the interactive and explorative experience the client was wanting. Go check out the site, and hey, if you know someone who might be a good candidate for EuroTrain, nominate them!

Visit EuroTrain »

I like the cool kids, Part Dos

This is a piggyback on Corey’s post from yesterday, that was inspired from this post at The Resurgence blog.

Yesterday Corey posted an interesting article about our desire as designers and graphic artists to engage and impact culture. He discussed how our limited understanding of “culture” tends to be people and things that we personally relate to and identify with. There are whole segments of culture that we essentially ignore because it doesn’t fit into the mold of “cool” as determined by the upwardly mobile. At the end of his post, Corey asks the question, “How can we break down that [cultural] barrier?”

I believe the answer is very simple. Ask questions. As designers or ones involved in marketing we have become really familiar with the concept of investigating and truly wanting to understand the audience we wish to reach. From first hand experience, the questionnaire that we have new churches and ministries fill out before we start a project is one of our most valuable assets to have before starting in on the design/development phase.

What I find interesting is that as Christ followers and Westerners when we decide to engage a culture that is outside of our bubbles of influence we do so with a very defensive stance and apologetic approach. We become more consumed with converting those in this unfamiliar culture, than just understanding them. Here’s what the Jonathan Dodson at The Resurgence says:

One of the most effective ways to know our “target audience” was to ask them questions…something that we really aren’t good at in the West. Instead, Christians assume a defensive posture, making conversations doctrinal battles or apologetic arguments. Ethnographic research forces us to take a more humble path, the path of learning from those we hope “to reach.”

By asking questions from concern and genuine interest, we will travel much further and faster in our relationships. But first, we have to be convinced that we have something to learn from others, especially from those who don’t believe as we do. Our biblical anthropology–all men are created in God’s image–should convince us of that, but only the Spirit of God can convict us of subtle self-righteousness in viewing non-Christians as projects to complete, not persons to love.

I truely believe that if we would take the time to ask more questions, and personally cultivate a desire to understand those God has put in our lives, we would find our art, marketing, relationships, and witnessing exponentially more fruitful. What do you think?