In 30 days, "Branding Faith: Why Some Churches and Non-Profits Impact Culture and Others Don't" by Regal Books hits the streets and hopefully will change the conversation about sharing our faith in a media driven culture. Whether your goal is to share a message of faith, raise money for charity, preach salvation, promote a great cause, or give your audience hope, Branding Faith describes the new rules for communicating your message in the 21st century. Our challenge today is how to express religious faith in a media-dominated culture. How to tell our story alongside the maddening swirl of media "clutter" - TV, radio, computer, digital music player, Internet, mobile phone, and other technologies competing for our attention. How do you get a message heard through ... read more

Here's my column in Ministry Today magazine about branding churches and non-profits. I'd love to hear your thoughts. ... read more

One of the things I've learned at Sundance this past week is that people are screening films that cost millions, and others screen films that cost hundreds. We watched a full length feature film yesterday that cost $1,500 to produce - it happened because of the time and commitment of a very creative and driven team. The point isn't the budget. The point is that if you have talent, drive, and commitment, anything could happen. In my work with religious organizations and non-profits, I find they have plenty of vision, but they haven't created the kind of creative, innovative culture that can make that vision happen. Too many people want to change the world, and not enough want to ... read more

More on the Juno conversation from a few posts ago. This article from World Magazine is a more in-depth look at how Hollywood may be changing its mind about "choice' and how its showing up on the silver screen. Mark Moring at Christianity Today posted a similar article. Is this a significant development? Is it a good thing? ... read more

In a moment of shameless self-promotion, a new TV documentary I produced and directed about William Wilberforce will air on public television beginning in February, 2008. DVD is available for ordering now. THE BETTER HOUR: The Legacy of William Wilberforce' contains inspiring content and commentary about the character, faith, and leadership of William Wilberforce -- the British Parliamentarian who fought for 20 years to end the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and ... read more

I originally wrote this post last year, when (apparently as usual) the Oklahoma Sooners (where I received my M.A. degree) lost in the Fiesta Bowl. This year, they lost in the BCS national championship to Florida. I'm re-running the post, because the concept is really important for you and me. Momentum is an elusive term, and can mean different things to different people. It's most often used in sports when the ball "bounces your way" or a shooter gets hot, or things just seem to all fall in place. It works in ... read more