Greg Atkinson

Yesterday was a wild, dramatic, memorable and life-altering day. My friend and fellow Bent Tree staff member Aaron Bensko (who is our Visual Arts Coordinator and I’ve blogged about his amazing work before) was put into the ICU, after being rushed to the hospital. 

Aaron had the flu and was at the doctor to get a shot. Apparently he passed out and when he fell, he crashed head first. He fractured his skull and had bleeding in his brain and out his ears. When I saw him in the ICU he knew me, but he looked rough and has a tough road ahead of him. 

I tell you this for a couple of reasons. To ask you to pray for Aaron and his family, but also to allow something like this to put things back in perspective – as it did for me. I, and my video intern, are working on editing video for Easter ’til late each night and will continue to for the next 2 weeks leading up to Easter. We, like many churches, are working crazy hours and running around like crazy getting ready for the big weekend. 

As I saw Aaron lying in the bed and realized that he was “out” for our Easter projects and plans (he was heading up one of our huge Easter projects that I now doubt we’ll be able to do), I quickly saw God putting things back in perspective. 

Friends, life is short and life is precious. I want to encourage you right now as you’re coming down the home stretch and feeling the strains, pains and stresses of Easter to put Christ and your relationship with him first. Remember your family and hug them. As I saw Aaron in the hospital bed, I couldn’t help but think that I would want my kids around me. So I went home and saw them for a while before heading back to the hospital again. 

I hope you have an amazing, impactful and wonderfully worshipful and creative Easter, but I urge you to keep all this in perspective and know that life is precious.

I had a revelation yesterday. My son and I were hanging out and watching basketball. He asked me who I watched when I was younger. I said, “the Bulls” and then it dawned on me that my son doesn’t know who Michael Jordan is. I was stunned. How can he not know who MJ is? 

I asked him who the best player in basketball is and he said “Lebron James” – not bad, kid. Speaking of living legends, did you see Tiger Woods yesterday? Wow! What a finish! And of course: how about my Tarheels? 

On a serious note, I once got to meet a true living legend. I was in the green room in the backstage of the worship center at Saddleback and met their guest speaker for the day: Brother Yun. If you don’t have his book, The Heavenly Man – you really ought to get it. It’s amazing. He’s an amazing man and a true “living legend”. 

Who do you consider to be a living legend?

Today I leave for Washington DC. I’ll be leading a Church 2.0 Local Forum there and can’t wait to connect with old friends and meet new ones. I moved from that area to Dallas, so it will be fun to return to my former home.  If you are in the DC area or know someone that is, you/they can register HERE. 

Some have asked what goes on at these gatherings (this will be the 12th one I’ve led). The Church 2.0 Local Forum is a true unconference and is very informal/casual, but I’ll give you a little overview of what the day will look like. We’ll go from 10am to 2:30pm. 

• First hour: We’ll discuss new media/technology – specifically Twitter and Facebook and how they can be used for ministry purposes. I’ll share 3 key realities of these new technologies.
• Second hour: We’ll dive into a huge discussion on the topic of innovation. I’ll share 4 ways that innovation is born and what God is teaching me about innovation. 
• We’ll then break for lunch and encourage people to go eat somewhere close by with someone they don’t know and get to know them over lunch.
• The post-lunch part we’ll discuss social justice/what breaks my heart and the heart of God – as well as have time for Q & A.

Sponsors for Church 2.0 Washington DC are:

• EasyWorship
• Fellowship Technologies
• National CineMedia
• Integrity Music
• Planning Center Online

As you know, I like to keep it real on here. In my “Pruning” blog I confessed going through an extended season of living in the flesh. I think that issue is the main struggle that I constantly battle with. I know and believe that we should live and minister out of the overflow of our heart – that we should have a regular/consistent devotional life and daily quiet times, but I confess that I wrestle with doing that daily.

I’ve blogged in the past about “Noise” and “American Idol”  - this isn’t anything new for me. Maybe you can relate? Life is so busy, so fast-paced, so digital and I find I’m consumed with work, family, emails and this computer that I’m constantly staring out blogging, Facebooking, Twittering, etc. I love those tools and technologies. I know God can and is using them and I teach on them, but another part of what I speak on and will be writing about in the book is the issue of boundaries and not letting the tail wag the dog.

God knows, like David, I’m a man after God’s own heart and I truly want to spend quality time with Him each and every day and serve and live out of the overflow, but that is not a regular reality for me. I’m ashamed of that. I’m frustrated with that. I’m not giving up. I’m just keeping it real and confessing. This is tough for me. I’m not a morning person and due to medicine that I take (see my blog “Weak”), I’m always in a rush to get to work each morning. 

What are some creative ways that you’ve blocked out time for you and God so that you can serve and live out of the overflow? Am I the only one that struggles with this? Where are you at on this?

I’d like to name some TV shows like Heroes and LOST and movies like Watchmen, Push, Jumper, Superman and Spiderman. Why is that I (and so many others) are drawn to movies that have supernatural themes to them?

Personally, Superman has always been my favorite. I’ve always secretly dreamed (literally) of having the ability to fly. I’m fascinated by the show Heroes. I loved the movie Jumper. 

Here’s what I wrestle with and have been chewing on lately: we seem to love and be drawn to the supernatural, however our own Christian faith is a supernatural faith and yet, we somehow seem to settle for a natural life. Has the fantasy/fictional nature of the TV shows and movies robbed us of or clouded our reality of a superatural faith?

One of our teaching pastors yesterday remarked on how Scripture teaches that what we can’t see (the supernatural world) is MORE real than what we do see (all around us). We may not be able to look at it now or touch it, but nevertheless, the supernatural is present all around us. 

Craig Groeschel of LifeChurch.tv recently did a series titled “Practical Atheists”. This series got me thinking of how we as Christians – if we’re not careful – can live no differently than an atheist and never tap into the supernatural side of our faith. 

Let’s face it folks: We belive that Christ was raised from the dead. We believe there are heavenly creatures, beings, angels and demons. Jesus and His disciples healed the sick, the lame and the blind – even raised the dead. This, my friends, is a supernatural faith – like it or not.

As I chew on it more, I wonder if this natural desire that so many of us have to be supernatural (the reason we love these TV shows and movies) is a God-given, God-created desire that He places in us. Maybe, just maybe, since we are not of this world and are a part of a supernatural faith – maybe He allows our spirits to resonate with these themes we see lived out on the big screen. I don’t know – I’m processing it.

Where are you on the supernatural reality of our faith? Do you belive God really had the power to raise Christ from the dead? Do you believe Christ really had the power to raise Lazarus from the dead? Do you believe that God can and does heal the sick and diseased? 

Is your life and faith that you believe and practice SUPERnatural or just plain natural?

Today I’m leading the first stop of the spring tour in Nashville. I look forward to meeting many of you for the first time. Next week I’ll be in Washington DC. I’d like to take some time today to thank my sponsors that make all this possible. 

Sponsors for the entire Church 2.0 Spring Tour are:

• EasyWorship
• Fellowship Technologies
• National CineMedia
• Integrity Music
• Planning Center Online

Sponsoring just Church 2.0 Nashville:

• MediaShout

Please take some time to click on their links and check out their websites and the amazing services they offer the Church. I wholeheartedly recommend them and encourage you to pursue how they can partner with your ministry.

Have you noticed that my blog design is new? I made the change a few months ago without much fanfare. Many of you read this blog via email and RSS readers. I’m guessing some of you have never clicked on the link to actually see the new look of the blog.

My encouragement to you this day is to click on the link and open this post in your browser. This new blog look is a custom-designed theme by my friend, Ben Jordan. Ben and I worked on this for a while behind the scenes and then made the switch. Some of you may have been receiving the old ChurchVideoIdeas.com Feedblitz email and may need to sign-up again for the new GregAtkinson.com feed.

A few thoughts about the new blog:

• I purposely changed the name from ChurchVideoIdeas.com to GregAtkinson.com? Why? Because I blog about  a lot more than church video and didn’t want to be pegged as tech-only. The major themes of this blog are and will be innovation, technology, social justice, ministry and leadership.
• The sponsors are much more noticeable now and you are encouraged to click on their ads and visit their websites. These sponsors are a huge part of my ministry and their support allows me to be able to travel across the country and host seminars like the Church 2.0 Local Forums where attendees can come for free. The sponsors you see listed are all worth taking a hard look at what they offer for your church or ministry.
• On the right-hand side you can also sign up for my newsletter. I don’t send one out often, but I’m sure you’ll want to read it when I do.
• Two new sections to the blog (seen in the top-right corner) are my speaking schedule (so you can see if I’m coming to your neck of the woods or speaking at a conference you may be attending) and a resource section. I’m excited about being able to offer various resources in this new section. Today’s blog is the first time I’ve put something in the resource section. You may have noticed the custom-made social media/network icons on my new blog. The designer, Ben Jordan, and I have put them (plus other ones) in a downloadable zip package for you to use on your own blog or website. That’s right, we’re giving them away. Take and use them however you like.

Also in the resource section (coming in the future) will be eBooks and audio and video resources. I may make some of my teaching available, as well as videos that I create just for my readers. Their may be other downloadable resources like I used to offer on MultisensoryWorship.com, including preaching resources and worship resources (new songs and chord charts).

Please note: My vision is to not just offer my own resources, but other quality resources as well. I’ll be asking people I respect to let me offer their resources (songs, eBooks, downloads, etc.). If you have something that you think would fit in this category, email me at greg@gregatkinson.com and let me know.

1. Nashville - Host Church: The People’s Church (Mar. 20)
2. Washington DC - Host Church: National Community (Mar. 27)
3. Oklahoma City - Host Church: LifeChurch.tv (April 24)
4. Denver - Host Church: LifeBridge Christian Church (May 8 )
5. Miami - Host Church: Flamingo Road (May 29)

The Church 2.0 Spring Tour kicks off THIS week in Nashville. YOU can help by attending (if I’m coming to your city/region) and/or by telling people that you know  in these cities about this gathering of Church leaders and inviting them to come. See you soon!

My family and I are taking a much needed vacation (starting today). I travel a lot, but I rarely get to take time off and unfortunately, my family and I, hardly ever vacation. We are trying to correct that this weekend and next week. We’re going away (like many people are during our kids’ Spring Break) for some fun, rest and relaxation.

We’ll be going to Big Bend National Park and seeing lots of nature. We’ll camp out and get to see stars like you don’t get to see in the city and I pray that God will speak to me. I’m really looking forward to this much needed break. I return and do 2 speaking trips back-to-back (Church 2.0 Nashville and Church 2.0 Washington DC) – so this will be some great quality time with my family.

I took some time last Thursday to go away for a personal retreat. This was something that was given as a gift to all Bent Tree staff members by our senior pastor, Pete Briscoe. He had had a refreshing time away recently and wanted the same for all our staff. He requested only that we totally unplug (no computer and no cell phones) and that we bring along a book that they ordered for each staff member: Sidetracked in the Wilderness by Michael Wells.

God spoke to me through my time outdoors in nature and my time reading this book. One of the things Wells points out in his book is that God has you right where you are for a purpose and He’s molding and shaping you (my paraphrase) all the time into His image. You may want out, but God is trying to do something IN you that only He knows. 

Several months ago I went through a tough period. I was spiritually dry, burnt out and tough to be around. I had a negative encounter with one of my volunteers and did not act Christ-like. This person, like the Bible teaches in Matthew 18, came to me one on one to work things out. I, acting in the flesh, did not receive this well and did not admit my fault and make amends. 

Then something horribly tough, embarrassing and painful (yet strangely beautiful) happened – the volunteer called me on it and went to the second part of Matthew 18. A meeting was set up with my boss, our Executive Pastor and one of the pastors on staff who is a counselor and trained in the Peacemaker program with myself and the volunteer. In that room and through the conversation that took place, God broke me… again. As I said in my reflections on 15 years of ministry blog last week – the breaking process is continual. 

God, previous to the meeting, opened my eyes and softened my heart. I started out the meeting by apologizing, putting the disagreement all on me and said that I “have been in the flesh, am spiritually dry and weak and haven’t been in the Word and alone with God like I should.” I confessed that I had not acted properly when the volunteer approached me one on one and that I had sinned. 

I’m not going to lie – this was one of the hardest days in my 15 years of ministry. It was extremely difficult, humiliating, humbling and really put me in my place. At the same time, it was wonderful, Spirit-filled, God-ordained and edifying. At the end, the other pastors left  me and the volunteer in the room alone to pray for one another and talk. It was a memory I’ll never forget and I can now see this friend without a single negative thought and wouldn’t you know it, we’re somehow closer. 

God loved me too much to leave me in my sin and flesh. God acts to prune us and as a loving Father, will do whatever it takes to get our attention. God has pruned me and broke me numerous times over the years, as I’m sure he has you. What I was reminded of during my personal retreat last week is that this is an act of love, mercy, grace and truly is a beautiful process. 

What about you? Do you find that God pursues you? Have you been broken? How do you know that God is actively at work molding and shaping your heart and character?