The Dream Factory

Promotion

Lately, I have posted some messages that might be largely considered promotional in nature - meaning, "to move something forward."

The specific etymology is:

promotion

1429, "advancement," from O.Fr. promotion (14c.), from L. promotionem, noun of action from promovere (see promote). Meaning "advertising, publicity" first recorded 1925. Promotional "relating to advertising" first recorded 1922. (Etymology Online)

Motives (also from motieonem and movere) are always mixed. From that reality, they derive their power and complexity. From that equilibrium, we derive the genius of win-win scenarios and shared vision. When all who come to the table have the opportunity to win, everyone is PRO-MOTED, moved forward, advanced, and encouraged to the next level of accomplishment.

I encourage you to always be promoting something and/or someone. Always be looking for ways to win by helping others win. always be advancing an idea, a cause, or an event that will advance people.

In that sense, we are all advertisers:

advertise

c.1430, "to take notice of," from M.Fr. advertiss-, prp. stem of a(d)vertir "warn," from L. advertere "turn toward," from ad- "toward" + vertere "to turn" see versus). Original sense remains in advert "to give attention to." Sense of advertise shifted to "give notice to others, warn" (1490) by influence of advertisement, which meant "public notice (of anything, but often of a sale)" by c.1460. The modern, commercial meaning was fully developed by 18c.

We are calling attention to people with the idea of turning them toward an idea, opportunity, or issue they may not have fully considered in the past.

You might balk saying that all this promotion and advertising is too commercial. Consider the roots of commerce:

commerce

1537, from M.Fr. commerce, from L. commercium "trade, trafficking," from com- "together" + merx (gen. mercis) "merchandise" (see market). Commercial is 1687 as an adj.; as a noun meaning "advertising broadcast on radio or TV" it is first recorded 1935.

It means sharing merchandise together. Would that future generations would look back on the early days of the Internet and remark that it helped restore a sense of community and togetherness to business, that it leveled the playing field, and opened doors of opportunity to ordinary people.

With all this togetherness, I am reminded of the remark of a business associate once who said that what he liked best about network marketing was making new friends. "However," he said, "if I never made another new friend, I'd stay with it ... for the money."

Money is great! making money together is greater.

Keep advancing great ideas, great people, and great opportunities! PRO-MOTE!

Tom Sims, The Dream Factory

Seven "E" for a Christ-Centered Community

Building a Christ Centered Community for Transformation

I may have published these Seven “E”s of Building a Christ-Centered Community before. They were initially posted on my Transformational Communities blog.

1. Christ-centered Entrepreneurship that celebrates the dignity of the person and affirms the priesthood of every believer and a creative creation of God.

2. Christ-centered Education that fosters a community of earnest seekers for truth and equips that seeking.

3. Christ-centered Engagement that encourages full participation of every person in the life of the community while lifting up the value and responsibility of all to all.

4. Christ-centered Economics that returns to the biblical principle of the steward of the oikos (household) to find the literal meaning of the term and approaches the subject with the understanding that everything belongs to God.

5. Christ-centered Environmentalism which takes stewardship to the next level of commitment, building sustainable and responsible systems and loving our neighbors who are yet to occupy this planet.

6. Christ-centered Evangelism which knows that the proclamation of the good news of the Kingdom of God is always at the heart of a vital community.

7. Christ-centered Exchange which opens doors of communication and sharing among diverse peoples and invites everyone in the community to the table.

Thoughts on The Fellowship of Joy

I appreciate feedback on this. It has been a matter of prayer, but it is still rough and we still need to hammer it out as a body. I have been working now for a while to help crystallize a vision and mission statement for BT -the Fellowship of Joy. The vision is something I will post on later.

Here are some of my most recent notes for us to toss around:

Mission/Purpose:
Our mission is the transformation of individuals, families, and communities through the whole gospel of the Kingdom of God in Jesus Christ.

Goals

• Call and equip individuals, families, and communities to a life of significance and commitment to Jesus Christ.
• Equip followers of Jesus Christ to engage in passion based ministries through the gifts that God has given them.
• Develop and cultivate a culture of awe, wonder, and joy.
• Birth and encourage bold initiatives and community collaboratives for the Kingdom of God.
• Integrate local and global awareness, prayer, and action for the Kingdom of God.

Strategy

• Nurture the faith family at the core of this ministry and promulgate a culture of awe, wonder, joy,  love, and  mission through warm and relevant worship, fellowship, and teaching.
• Be a catalyst for collaborative efforts, partnerships, and strategic relationships that bring together human and material resources for the sake of multiplying influence, effectiveness, and impact in the community.
• Practice stewardship of the facilities owned by the church so that they receive maximum effective use in kingdom building and supporting efforts.
• Develop multiple congregations in one locations and multiple locations for the central congregation.
• Serve as an incubator for fresh ideas, entrepreneurial initiatives, and bold ventures for wholistic (spelled this way intentionally) gospel ministry and proclamation.
• Engage in community development wherever we have a location.
• Use Internet technology to build and nurture communities online and in real time.
• Train and coach "home-grown" pastoral leadership for ministry expansion and church planting.

Unique Values

• We value the holiness of the ordinary.
• We value the uniqueness of every person in the image of God.
• We value spontaneity, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
• We value the poor and wounded and seek to provide a place for them at the table.
• We value the interaction of many cultures and peoples in a fellowship of grace and acceptance where our differences are honored and our oneness is celebrated.
• We value joy, laughter, and human warmth.
• We value the insights God gives to each member of the Body individually and in groups as we gather around the scriptures and seek God together.

Core Beliefs

• We are Baptists in faith and practice and those beliefs that are historically common to Baptists are ours as well.
• We confess Jesus Christ as Lord, who is the second Person of the Holy Trinity with the Father and the Holy Spirit, who was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died for our sins of His own volition, was raised from the dead, ascended into Heaven, and is coming again in glory to reign forever and ever.
• We believe in the message of salvation by grace through faith, regeneration by the power of the Holy Spirit, and sanctification as we become more Christlike in the  step by step process of holiness.
• We believe that salvation is accompanied by turning from a life of sin to one of following Jesus Christ and is demonstrated through believer's baptism by immersion and celebrated regularly through the Lord's Supper.
• We believe that church membership is a willing covenant relationship between members of the Body of Christ in a local place.
• We believe that the Bible is our authority in matters of faith, that Jesus Christ is the interpreter of the scriptures, and that every believer in Christ is competent to consult the Bible as a priest to God and to others.
• We believe that the local church is autonomous and under the direct Lordship of Jesus Christ who calls His under-shepherds to provide leadership and care for its members as they care for each other and  reach out to a world in need with His gospel of grace.
• We believe that the core message of the gospel is the Kingdom of God and that God's Kingdom is the reign of love, grace, and peace through Jesus Christ.

Now, I have written something down. Have you done that?

Of Fresno Interest - H.B. London

Sustaining Pastoral Excellence Forum

H.B. London

Sponsored by the Fresno-Clovis Pastor Clusters and One by One Leadership

March 13, 2007

8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Cornerstone Conference Center

                            Fulton between E. Stanislaus and Calaveras in Downtown Fresno

H.B. London is returning on March 13th at the request of many pastors following a very successful gathering last year.

London is a pastor to pastors across the nation, caring for and ministering to pastors who are facing the challenges of a changing world and church life. Last year he spoke to the heart of the pastors and their challenges in ministry; this year he will go deeper into Sustaining Pastoral Excellence. Come join Pastors and pastoral staff members from across the Valley for this outstanding opportunity to learn how to sustain pastoral excellence throughout the year.

Keynote Speaker: H.B. London, Jr.
H.B. London is the vice president of Ministry Outreach/Pastoral Ministries for Focus of the family. He has spent 31 years in the pastorate plus had his own TV and radio show during that time. He communicates with thousands of pastors and church leaders each week through “The Pastor’s Weekly Briefing” and produces a bimonthly Pastor to Pastor cassette and newsletter. He speaks to the heart and needs of the pastoral leaders. H.B. London will speak on areas that you as a pastor face everyday, including the struggle for inner balance, optimizing stress, leading a healthy lifestyle and many other critical issues.

Registration fee is $30.00 includes a continental breakfast and lunch with guest speaker

Fermin Agustin Whittaker

*There will be no additional registration taken at the door*

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Reservation deadline is March 6th

Please detach the registration form and retain the above information

March 13, 2007

Special Guest Luncheon Speaker - Dr. Fermin Whitakker

11:45am-1:00pm

Fresno, Send reservations to: One by One Leadership -

1727 L Street, Fresno, CA. 93721

For further information contact Karen at 233-2000 x103

 
Name _________________________________________________
Phone _______________________

Address

_________________________________________

City_______________ Zip ____________

Church _________________________________________________
Email _______________________

*Make checks payable to One by One Leadership

Limited number of scholarships available for pastors

 

Amazing Grace Sunday

Chasing Daylight in Fresno

Begining February 20-22

            

 

Tuesdays at Dennys (Shaw and Willow) -9:00 P.M.
Wednesdays at BT (4141 n Fresno St) - 7:15 P.M.
Thursdays at Starbucks (Ashlan and Cedar) - 7:00 A.M.

Order Here as "Seizing Your Divine Moment"

Skate Church at BT

In the interest of promoting my church and my friend, Bill Tucker, our Skate Pastor (How many of you pastors have on of those?????), here is a link to our skate church web site. it is very, very cool with some great pictures and information:

Visit the:
The Temple Skate Church Web Site
I will post something in the future about how this ministry came to be and how it is possible for a church of almost any size to do it.

Working from Home Today - Hooray!

Just what are the advantages of working from home?

Well, there is the dress code for one; there is none.

Then, there is the kitchen. I like that feature. It is close; the coffee is brewing; it is close.

I like my desk. It has a phone and an internet connection, a laptop, plenty of books, much of my junk, and a chair. I like sitting in a chair when I work.

It is pretty quiet - very quiet in fact.  People can call on my cell phone or home phone and I can call out, but it is still quiet. I can dial church voice mail sev eral times a day and retrieve messages - and I do.

There is plenty of light. It comes from windows on both sides of the room. Light helps me think and my thinking is more positive in the light. I need to be positive.

I get a lot done here. I miss the interaction with people in and out, but I can schedule that in. Here, I can start early, work in breakfast and lunch without leaving or spending money, and end late. When the day is over, I feel like I have really accomplished some things.

It's not that I don't like my other office. I do. That's why it is sometimes hard to leave. Another reason it is sometimes hard to leave is the drive home. That problem does not exist when I am working at home. I just stand up and wall to the other room.

Tomorrow, I've leave home at about 5:00 A.M.. That is what I do on Fridays. I'll be at the church for prayer by 6:00 A.M., at Toastmaster's by 7:10 A.M., back at church to teach a Bible study on Psalm 119 by 8:30 and from there ... lots of excitement in and out of the office and,at some point, back home to work some more.

So, what did I acomplish today?

Phone calls to members and others.

Fun Fair Flyer - Say that 6 times fast !

Part of the bulletin.

Part of my sermon.

Bible study.

Listened to two sermons and a workshop.

Correspondence.

Some writing.

Planning.

Even more ...

And I did it all in my grubbiest grubbies. It was a good day.

- Tom

P.S. For your health, check out my mangosteen site:
Nature's Wellness Secret: Mangosteen