I was all of 22 years old in this photo, living and working as a publicist in NYC, when I had the great honor of working on a project with Dick Clark: P.K. McCary’s Black Bible Chronicles. I remember I was nervous, and excited, and so ‘green’ as I met him at a restaurant in Soho. He was everything kind, warm, and gracious. Incredibly personable. He was a true creative genius in every sense of the word backing a project of this undertaking: a best-selling book that paraphrases the first five books of the Old Testament in black vernacular. He will be sorely missed and my prayers go out to his family.

Or are you comfortable with your brand?

Yeah, I know the word “brand” means different things to different people. But for this discussion, let’s say brand = logo, photo, and web site.

If someone handed you the keys to a new Bentley automobile or a seaside villa, how would you feel when you walked up to unlock the door?

“This is way above me…”

“Is this really MINE?”

A bit “freaked out”, right?

Compare that to your impressions when you look at your web site.  Does it reflect where you’ve BEEN? Or where you’re GOING?

That’s the difference with people (and brands) who get to the next level.   Be willing to look ahead and take the limits off your brand.

Today the world mourns the loss of Christian artist Thomas Kinkade.  Whether you liked his art or not, it can be said that he painted the idealistic in his depictions of perfect little cottages, beautiful townspeople, and light bursting everywhere with color.  The paintbrush gets a lot of grace.  Mostly, we accept that its purpose is artistic expression and not the depiction of reality.  ”Reality” is the responsibility of the photographer.

But then Photoshop came along.

Just before Kinkade’s death came this fascinating little piece in the Gospel Coalition blog.  In it, Pastor Mike Cosper raises some interesting questions on the topics of artistic realism, beauty, and contentment.  And we raise some more … Should a Christian artist only represent the world, and the people in it, as it naturally is?   What makes the unnaturally Photoshopped human image different from the work of a good photo makeup artist or lighting director or camera filter?   And what about enhancements in other disciplines – such as the filmmaker who embellishes history to tell a story?  Or the singer who auto-tunes her voice because she can’t stay on pitch?   Click the link below to read the article and come back to let us know your thoughts.

The Satanic Ideology of Photoshop

A few years ago, I had a position at a church where I was in charge of communications. As the church grew, I personally emailed about a hundred people each week. Most of these emails contained a request for an investment of time, so getting a “yes” was extremely important.

Recently I contributed an article for CMS that will make you a better much Email writer – and help you navigate the swamp in your inbox.  Check it out and let me know your thoughts!

http://www.churchmarketingsucks.com/2012/03/copy-matters-writing-better-emails/

Besides you, who is talking about your ministry this month? Why should the people on your mailing list share anything from your ministry with a friend or family member? Have you communicated a REASON for talking with others? Have you given them a WAY to share? Or even talked with them ABOUT sharing words of life and encouragement with others?

That’s the challenge. Two thousand years ago, good news was spread from person to person. Now we have all this mass media and technology, and the most impactful (and sought after) means of communication is… person to person.

So – Have you given those close to your ministry a message that helps their life? Have you communicated it in a simple way that makes it easy for them to tell others? Have you created resources that are exciting to give and a joy to receive?

There’s an old leadership proverb that says “If nobody’s following, you’re not leading.” Well, if nobody’s talking, you’re not communicating.