One of the most surprising revelations to come out of the Mark Sanford sexual affair with a woman from Argentina is the exposure of their romantic email correspondence. Let me be very clear: When you type an email, once you hit "SEND," you've lost control of that message. You have absolutely no idea where it will end up, who will read it, and how it might be used against you. Attorneys will tell you that ... read more

I wrote a post recently about the fake Christian protest at Electronic Arts to create a buzz for their new video game Dante's Inferno. I asked the question: Have real protests and boycotts by Christians become such a parody that even the secular world is staging them as a joke? Some of my readers responded with the idea that we can't just sit on the sideline, we HAVE to protest! When we see things we disagree with, we HAVE to do something! Sometimes, that's correct. But many times we ... read more

Alert reader Truett Hancock was taking time out this past weekend enjoying "The Last TV Evangelist" at the beach. Do you have your copy? Get it - it's the ultimate guide to the media revolution that's happening to churches, non-profits, and religious organizations. ... read more

I was reading Matthew 9:16 about putting new wine into old wineskins or sewing un-shrunk cloth on an old garment. In Biblical days wine was kept in a leather bag or "skin," because it could stretch as the wine aged. But once it got old, the bag locked into it's shape and lost the ability to stretch. The concept is particularly important when it comes to leadership. A few years ago I was asked to ... read more

The Charlotte Observer continues it's series on Christian broadcasting network INSP with this look at a lakefront home. As the Observer states, "At a time when Inspiration Networks has been cutting jobs, freezing wages and even adjusting the office thermostat to save money, the chief executive of the Charlotte-area b ... read more

In my opinion, what may be the book of the year is Jim Collin's new effort called: "How the Mighty Fall." It's a brilliant and in-depth look at 5 key stages an organization goes through as they fail:

Stage 1: Hubris born of success
Stage 2: Undisciplined pursuit of more
Stage 3: Denial of risk and peril
Stage 4: Grasping for salvation
Stage 5: Capitulation to irrelevance or death

As I read the book it was a like ... read more

Before you become a crusader for moral values, you'd better have your own house in order. The liberal website Daily Kos has published a list of conservative leaders who didn't exactly live the lives they espoused for others. While the list is obviously politically motivated, and I don't vouch for the data, I link it here because it shows ... read more

On Monday and Tuesday, I'll be hosting a portion of the National Religious Broadcasters Research Symposium at the Gaylord Resort in Dallas. In my workshop we'll be discussing "Current Religious Trends" and looking at research about current religious attitudes and the religious shift that's happening in our culture. If you're looking for answers to audience attitudes, religious trends, Christianity & public policy, and donor development, come to the NRB Research Symposium. ... read more

On June 2nd, a protest march was staged outside the Los Angeles Convention Center. It was Christians protesting the release of the new video game by Electronic Arts called Dante's Inferno game, according to the Associated Press. The only problem? It was all staged. Because Christian protests in the past have generated publicity, EA decided to hire a marketing company to create the whole thing. They even created this fake Christian protest website called "We Are Saved." As World Magazine reported: ... read more

I spoke at the worship conference this week at Rick Warren's Saddleback Church. It was a great group - focused on music - and we discussed personal branding and how it can impact your career. One of the points I made that I also discuss in my book "Branding Faith' is the principle that you can't brand a lie. Whatever your brand story is, you'd better be able to live up to that promise. In that sense, a compelling brand isn't much different from your reputation, and as many have said, ... read more

Mom & DadMy father was an All-State football player in High School. But in his younger years it took awhile for him to find the right position on the team, and as a result, he spent a lot of time on the bench. During his freshman year, they were in the playoffs, and my dad - as usual - was sitting on the bench. But in a crucial play, the quarterback was hit and suddenly went down. A hush went over the crowd, and after a few minutes my dad could see the quarterback being helped off the field surrounded by players and coaches. ... read more

I love teams. I'm a people person and love to get a crowd in the room kicking around ideas. But at the same time, I also know when to clear the room and get down to business. Sometimes I think whoever invented the "open door policy" was an idiot, because sooner or later, you have to shut the door and start thinking. Jonathan Littman and Marc Hershon, writers of "I Hate People" discuss the issue in their book based on ... read more

It's interesting that the debate about what we call the "Prosperity Gospel" continues. I'm not surprised because anything that sounds like hope is a tough thing to walk away from - whether it's true or not. I have some mixed feelings because I understand that preachers of the post-World War II era rightly wanted people to understand that God is a good God. It's hard today for us to understand the vibe from that era. Back then, most people believed more in a "God with a stick" than any real sense of grace. Writer Philip Yancey has written very eloquently about ... read more

As a television and film producer and director based in Burbank, California - the home of global entertainment giants like Warner Brothers Studios, Walt Disney Studios, NBC, Nickelodeon, The Cartoon Network, and more, I meet a lot of Christians who come to Hollywood to seek their fame and fortune. There's no question that Christian media professionals can make an impact in the entertainment industry, and we shouldn't shy away from putting our imprint as people of faith in that arena. ... read more

Today, ESPN Network features a story on Tampa Pastor Randy White and former wife and TV evangelist Paula White. It questions their high profile lifestyle and relationship with various professional athletes that used to frequent their church. The above link is the text story and a different but related video story is here. ... read more

Over the years, various magazines have published annual lists of the fastest growing churches in America, the largest churches, and other similar stats. In the non-profit and ministry space, there are similar lists based on size, income, outreach, etc. I understand the desire to know who's doing what, but outside of IRS or governmental regulations, do lists really matter? After all, if we're supposed to be a counter-cultural force in the world, why do we keep ... read more

Just a year or so ago, I was writing on this blog about the revelations from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa. Under the leadership of then President Richard Roberts, various professors had filed lawsuits as well as made serious allegations of financial wrongdoing and integrity issues - not to mention the university being more than $50 million in debt. But in just this short time, things have dramatically changed. Major donor Mart Green has ... read more

Check out this new chart on media growth. The new Nielsen report shows Americans watching plenty of TV at home -- 153 hours every month -- but DVR viewership and mobile video are growing faster than any other segment. Mobile video watching jumped 52% from the previous year and "time-shifted" TV watching climbed 37% over the same period. ... read more