I always learn something from Jordon Cooper’s Contextless Links. Today’s lesson was a link to Brad Bird’s list of ways to foster innovation. Boy, there is some good stuff there. Because I have a five-yr. old I know a lot about Pixar products! I have watched the Incredibles numerous times and, I have to admit, I love the movie. What has made Pixar special is their ability to tell a great story using animation.

Ben’s favorite from last summer was "Meet the Robinsons.’ " Companies like Pixar always look like they would be fun to work for. Much more fun than any of the companies or organizations I have worked for. People scoot around on scooters and spend the day drawing pictures and making up stories. Doesn’t that sound like fun. Maybe I can get a job in a place like that when I grow up!

I finished reading William Young’s, The Shack, yesterday. All I can say is, "Wow." This is one of those books that will make you laugh and cry and think really hard. We published a review and an interview on Next-Wave in October 2007, but I didn’t get around to getting a copy until about a week ago. Reading this book had a profound effect on me that I am going to be processing for some time to come. The insights it contains into the very nature of God are amazing. Beyond all of this, it is very well-written. I have no doubt that it is going to continue to have an amazing impact.
700 Club Interview:

Tivo, DVR, hulu.com, these are the agents of quantum cultural change. Since the 1950s, “prime-time” has meant the hours between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. (or 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. depending on your US Time Zone) when television networks offer their best programming and sell time to their best advertising customers.

Enter Tivo and viewers can shift prime-time to any time and even skip over those pesky commercials. Along comes the now-ubiquitous DVR and every cable or satellite customer can record their favorite programs easily and watch them at a later time.

The introduction of web site hulu.com recently has moved replays of current running television programs to the internet, with fewer and shorter commercial interruptions.

When we moved back to California from Florida recently we switched from cable to satellite and didn’t opt for the DVR feature. Oh, the agony of having two favorite programs on the air at the same time. However, last week I decided enough was enough and negotiated a good deal for installation of DVR. As I write this the excellent installer is preparing to make it possible for us to time-shift to our hearts content.

I know all of this talk about television is proof positive that I am not very “spiritual.” And I will have to confess that I am addicted to TV shows about attorneys, reality shows like Survivor and Big Brother, and I love American Idol. That being said, what is the implication of time-shifting for churches?

For years prime time in Churchianity has been Sunday morning. Saturday nights and Sunday evenings have gained in popularity over the years and with video venues and internet services time-shifting of “service offerings” is likely to come into play more and more in the coming years. Come and See churches will find it more and more difficult to recruit audiences for their weekly offerings. I would submit that this last assertion has been responsible for declines in attendance.

I remain pretty convinced that Christians, particularly seasoned veterans, are less and less interested in religious programming. When you can buy your worship songs on iTunes and through Time-Life, and get sermons from the best preachers in America on YouTube or other internet offerings, why leave the comfort of your home on Sunday morning?

I don’t have an easy conclusion for these observations, “Three easy ways that local churches can meet the challenge of the Tivo!” Let’s sit back, press the record button, and see what happens.