If you haven’t heard about this check out my last post.

Who are the other 30 bloggers?

Here is the list… Go to all of their sites…

Through our training, I have gotten to experience the feeling of what it means to live a bigger story. I was inspired to ride in response of new Donald Miller book. The book is about his journey to understand more what makes a good story, and realizing his life didn’t reflect one worth retelling.  He calls his readers to live stories that long to be retold.

So, with that said I want to challenge you with something… $30,000 in 30 days…

Over the next month 30 bloggers and I will be raising money to provide clean water to families who cannot find it. Clean water is something we take for granted.

Charity: Water is the organization we will be raising money through… Here are some stats from their website:

Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation cause 80% of diseases and kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. Children are especially vulnerable, as their bodies aren’t strong enough to fight diarrhea, dysentery and other illnesses.

90% of the 42,000 deaths that occur every week from unsafe water and unhygienic living conditions are to children under five years old. Many of these diseases are preventable. The UN predicts that one tenth of the global disease burden can be prevented simply by improving water supply and sanitation.

Check out this video too:

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Have you ever read a book that just dominates you?  I just finished Leadership and Self Deception by The Arbinger Institute. After getting my emotions back together, my first reaction after closing the book was:

“This can change everything…”

Nearly 180 pages long, not including an appendix for practical implementation principals, the book is page after page convicting.  The main subject is build upon the idea that ‘you‘ are the problem.  Through the self-betrayal of your own innate good virtues you deceive yourself in thinking that others are the source of your own reason to blame and justify your image to others.

Just a little light reading I know…

Unlike most leadership books, fact and point driven, the content is communicated through the eyes of a narrative between a recent senior management hire and the top executives of a large corporation.  Through the dialogue you experience the humble transformation of Tom and the wise exhortation of his seniors Bud, Kate, and Lou.

I believe this book is one of the most life changing books I have ever read.  It has challenged me to think about my ‘boxes‘ that I live in toward key relationships in my life.  It has brought to light emotions and feels towards people I never even thought existed.

This book has shown me what living outside of myself towards people could do for more than just those around me, but also by using this tool in discipleship and effective leadership relational cultures can change.

That could change everything…

How do they stir you? Comment after you take a look…

I traveled a decent bit.
I have been riding my bike like crazy.
I have been involved with some new things at Grace.

Not only that, but the blog got attacked by some malware… blah, blah, blah…

But now we have a New Look at treyboden.com!

Leave some love and tell me what you think about it!

More updates to come! See ya!

This Kingdom life is not a new invention found in the New Covenant.  In Micah 6:8 the Word says, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”  God gives us a clearly articulated vision of what life in the Kingdom looks like.  He gives us a descriptive, ‘good’, to describe the way of life resembling an echo of Eden’s rhythmic poem found in His creation story.

What does this scripture take you?  How does this scripture play out in your Kingdom life?

Ironically… My Apple phone was destroyed by apple juice.

Just in time for the release of the iPhone4.

Too bad I will have to be on my Dad’s old razor until Julyish…

One man’s struggle to transcend.

This humble film is about a friend of mine named Michael and his daily ritual to find his natural self through surfing.

Directed by Sean Mullens
Cinematography by Sean Mullens

Music by The Album Leaf – Into the Blue Again – Broken Arrow
Sub Pop Records 2006

Local to Atlanta… Damian Boyd and his his crew Destinations are an amazing spoke word community…

What is it about spoken, poetic words put together into storytelling that just speaks to the depth of my soul?

What do you all think? What moves you? What line hits you deepest?

You can read the poem here :: http://www.wattpad.com/392468-shake-the-dust-by-anis-mojgani

We got bored… We googled LARPing (Live Action Role Play)

Why hasn’t there been a Christopher Guest movie about this?

Some others to watch:

You can check out his blog here.

Here is his post from today:

Some say we watch movies to escape our own lives. I disagree. I think the complete opposite is true. I believe we watch movies to get more clarity in our own lives. I believe we were born, hard-wired to be masters in the art of living. As image-bearers we are destined to build our Opus just as God is building His Opus in and through us (Ephesians 2:10).

I love thinking about my life being an Opus. A work with quiet dramatic sections, elongated builds, wistful dynamics, and unique resolves.

Movies, music, books all have these elements. I think Kary is right. Something in our soul makes us want these tensions…

What do you think?

[Source: Online PhD Programs]

It is obvious that the online world would be the place to merge both management and connectivity through the means of a light weight web application…

I have been wrestling with the ‘whys and why nots’ to use Facebook as this tool. Here are a list of a few challenges:

1. Group Management :: With so many groups to choose from on Facebook I cannot find a way to put a ‘shell’ around groups that belong to another set of groups. Think of it like a family tree… If Grace is my surname and I have many family groups that have shot out from that name, I would like to be able to manage and help connect those families. FB was not actually designed with groups in mind… It was designed for individuals who would the take part in groups.

2. Data Aggregation :: Facebook can… I can’t… end of story… And honestly within a public social network I wouldn’t want to allow people to take my data so easily… Oh wait… Facebook is… Its a hard dilemma for me. I am not worth looking at because I don’t do anything that would interest any federal authority, but at the same time our right to choose live a public life or a private one rests in a freedom this country was for… argggghhh… still unsure where I stand with it all…

3. Moderation :: Facebook’s moderation is pretty good. It allows the end user (you) to moderate whatever you might seem offensive when it pertains to you. The problem for churches is that sometimes things could be cherry-picked and robbed of context. I haven’t figured out yet if there is a way for an organization to moderate things said about them that may be inaccurate.

So… those are my thoughts. Where does this leave things? Currently Grace is using the City. Church Community Builder is another. Fellowship One blazed the trail…

With all of these private networks to choose from there is something to understand: Facebook does not like to play nice with others and it is the current #1 Social Network and the #2 most visited site by traffic.

You can’t discount it or ignore it… So with whatever system you have there will always be limitations, but don’t let that stop you from finding and implementing the system that works best for your church and surrounding it with the support it needs to continue to connect with the world around it.

Are we friends on Facebook?

Do I manufacture what I produce each week from a silly template?

insidenorthpoint.org/media
Executive Producers – David Blakeslee & Brad Bretz
Writers – Evan McLaughlin, Tim Cooper & Katherine Volk
Creative Director – Evan McLaughlin
Producer – Jeff Earnhardt
Director – Steve Young
DP – Josh McKague/Whisper Productions (http://www.whisperproductions.com)
Sound & Lighting – Whisper Productions
Line Cut – Jeff Earnhardt
Editor & Graphics – David Robertson

1. Cinco de Mayo is not “an obligatory federal holiday” in Mexico, but rather a holiday that can be observed voluntarily.
2. While Cinco de Mayo has limited significance nationwide in Mexico, the date is observed in the United States (also voluntarily) and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.
3. Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico’s Independence Day, which actually is September 16, the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico.
4. The holiday commemorates the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

Don’t know why we celebrate it… but here is to laughing… from The Three Amigos

Head over to the website to watch the videos by clicking on the image below…

Hilarious

Last night I couldn’t even fit all the volunteers that showed up at Grace for the volunteer appreciation dinner into the shot. Over 1,000 volunteers contribute to the Kingdom happenings a Grace We had a Hawaiian Luau with smoked pig, fire twirlers, and a hilarious island tour. I will post some more videos soon.

Thanks volunteers… we love you all!

BTW… Posts have been in frequent because of two major projects that have been going on… Trust me… If I had time to breath, there would be more posts.

End of April here we come!

CLICK HERE!!!

Here is the conversation that ensued.

Maddie Howling from Trey Boden on Vimeo.

Happy Birthday to my Sister… I love you!

That is a screen shot of the stats from the Lenten Journey. Over 3,000 people visited our Journey page over the past 2 months. That is significant for me and here is why:

1. People are engaging online with incredible biblical teachings. I think the 3:30min teaching with conversational prompts are incredibly useful for helping leaders learn how to lead groups. We are processing through the idea of using a similar structure to assist in our redesign of adult ministry at Grace. The Internet is a tool for us to get the message of the gospel out there, but the gospel is meant to share with others. This form of teaching can provide enough structure for leaders to lead with while not dictating how a gathering of people should go. High Accountability with Low Control.

2. It shows to me that Grace is building an Internet presence. I am not really into the whole marketing the church thing. I am however excited about what God is doing here at Grace. He is moving in such a HUGE way. In the past two weeks we have see 361 students/kids come to faith. We have seen 2.6 million dollars pledged for a new building on one Sunday. Over this past year we have traveled all over the nation spreading what we have learned about talking to Muslims about Jesus. I believe God is doing things here that people need to hear about… not for Grace’s namesake, but for people to join in and replicate what we are doing where they are.

3. Thats a lot of people… plain and simple… God had to have done amazing things with that many people journeying with us through Lent.

Stay tuned for more experiences like this. I believe the Lord has uncovered something unique to Grace that can really give us a bigger platform to make the name of Jesus even greater.

What do you think? How did you enjoy this experience? How would you like to see us use it in the future?

Holy Week = Crazy Time

Here is what I have been working on the past two weeks:

On Maundy Thursday we gathered in homes to watch a DVD we created to remember the Last Supper. We also put it on our Lenten Journey website for those who joined us in fasting during lent. Check these out!

On Good Friday, we came together and remembered the cross. I had the amazing opportunity to put this video together with our GraceLive team. It was so powerful at the end of the night to remember the hope found in Christ.

Also… we have been producing videos for our new website that will be launching in a few weeks. I will post a few of these videos in the next few days…

All that to say… I have been busy… Hope Easter was great for you all! Thank you Jesus for you gift of life!

Smiles all around

Change someone’s life forever…

It is exciting to be a quarter of a century old.

I made a commitment…

Its a big one…

And I can’t wait to tell you about it…

I am starting to live on facebook. As an internet pastor, facebook is the place to do most of you ministry. I know that is weird from some people. Ministry on facebook. Rule #1 about internet ministry:

Its just weird…

Above is a picture of my blog stats. It is amazing how much traffic you get from posting new posts to facebook. Your facebook page is more closely “your own website” than even “your own website”

With that said. It makes me rethink how to connect with people. Who needs a ‘business card’ when you have a direct facebook profile. Its like saying, “Here I am, not just business, my whole life that I live and those I hang out with.”

Could facebook show more of who we are than what we sometimes tell people…?

With that said… I think there are some things you might be missing out on.

So here are some people I think you should subscribe to and read because they are either interesting, inspiring, or funny.

Tyler Stanton
http://www.tylerstanton.com

Thoughts and ramblings from the Worlds Most Trivial man. Tyler is a close friend and although his persona on screen or online might make him see a bit jerkish know that it is just his character. He is one of the greatest guys I know. Brilliant writer, hilarious comedian, and honestly are really good friend. Not to mention… any one he follows is worth following.

Amy Layhe
http://alahey.blogspot.com/
Amy is in my small group and I think that her life is worth following. The Lord is moving her to Peru and her life will never be the same. She lives with such honesty and openness. Her life is worth following because of the inspiration it brings.

ChurchCreate
http://churchcreate.com
ChurchCreate is part of the 8BitNetwork which is an avenue for church creatives in the technology, web, and design fields. There are plenty resources for those of you in the same profession I am in. You would be crazy not to follow these guys because they are on the leading edge of church tech.

The Big Picture
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/
This is a photo blog from boston.com that will make your head spin. The writers collect images from the most current world events. I wish I could take pictures like them.

Adam Kring
http://www.progressisbeautiful.net
Video Guru at Newspring Church in Anderson, South Carolina. I always watch for his new videos because their team can make some really creative art. He also posts some interesting media that makes me want to be way better than I am.

Thats only a few of about 50 people/places I follow via RSS. Subscribe and enjoy!

Perry is an amazing teacher. Tons of people come to faith every Sunday. I am friends with a lot of their staff.

Not to mention Austin Booth (@austinenoch) plays there.

But one thing that really stands out is the design of Newspring. They have such a talented design team. Even their facts and figures can look incredible. Check out their annual report. Its so creative and inspiring to think about how excellent their products always are!

Download the whole thing here :: http://www.newspring.cc/annualreport/

Historical Tweets

Here are some of my favorites:

I hope this was a joke…

Its kinda a big deal… not really but I never get to teach so it was an amazing opportunity to me. True North is our high school program at Grace. Over 15 different teams of high school filmmakers submitted films. They invited their friends and family to watch. Everyone dressed up and there was even a limo that escorted them from the parking lot.

As I said is was incredible opportunity. I taught about what makes a good story. God was good in the fact I was reading a book at the time i was asked to speak on just that. Donald Miller’s new book is about find the story of your life. In the talk I took some of the things I found in this book and a bit of my personal love for story. I hope you enjoy it…

TNVA Talk On Story from Trey Boden on Vimeo.

Problem…

No Sled.

No worries rubbermaid would work right?

My Playful Wifey from Trey Boden on Vimeo.

There is a point in the book that lists the “One Anothers” used for defining authentic Community…

I think that its just useful to know these things when trying to evaluate community. Some of them are honestly entirely convicting. What would the world look like if the church, in small communities, looked like this? I italicized the ones I am currently struggling with.

Where are you struggling? How can I pray for you and your community?

1. Be at peace with one another (Mark 9:50)
2. Wash one another’s feet (John 13:14)
3. Love one another deeply (1 Peter 1:22 – Also Found 21 other times)
4. Be devoted to one another (Romans 12:10)
5. Honor one another (Romans 12:10)
6. Live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16)
7. Don’t judge one another (Romans 14:13)
8. Accept one another (Romans 15:7)
9. Instruct one another (Romans 15:14)
10. Greet one another with a holy kiss (Romans 16:16)
11. Have equal concern for one another (1 Corinthians 12:25)
12. Serve one another in love (Galatians 5L13)
13. Carry one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2)
14. Be patient bearing with one another (Ephesians 4:2)
15. Be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32)
16. Forgive one another (Ephesians 4:32)
17. Speak to one another with psalms (Ephesians 5;19)
18. Submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21)
19. Consider one another better than yourself (Philippians 2:3)
20. Bear with one another (Colossians 3:13)
21. Teach one another (Colossians 3:16)
22. Admonish one another (Colossians 3:16)
23. Encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
24. Build up one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
25. Spur one another on to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24)
26. Confess your sins to one another (James 5:16)
27. Pray for one another (James 5:16)
28. Offer hospitality to one another (1 Peter 4:9)
29 Clothe yourself in humility toward one another (1 Peter 5:5)

I found this on Collide Magazine Videos of the Week last week.

They said it reminded them of Once. I would have to agree. I love that movie too.

Check them out at TrippandTyler.com

It had to be hilarious… This is one of the best sketches I have seen on SNL. First time I saw it I was crying laughing so hard.

Its such a simple character.
Beaker the Squeaker.

What other characters are so simple yet so good? Share with the class!

Subscribe to his blog its worth it.

Video week

I will be posting some of my latest favorites… To start us off? 5 Second Films… They are oddly funny.

So funny you might not laugh at them until tomorrow. I love shorts like that.

We humans are amazingly creative aren’t we?

Do Something… Watch online :: 8:30EST

On Sunday, January 24, Driscoll shared photos, videos, and stories of the church in Haiti and how the church is responding to the suffering they are going through. He went down to Haiti right after the disaster with Churches Helping Churches.

Churches Helping Churches was created to address the immediate and long-term needs of churches when disaster befalls a country, region, city, or people in the spirit of Galatians 6:10—“…let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

What can you do? One way… come and attend Compassion International’s Help Haiti Live event this Saturday online.

Give, Pray, Respond…