TimSchraeder.com

You know how God has to sometimes put something in front of us a few times before we notice it?
Well, for me, it’s been the simple phrase: God with us.
I’ve been thinking and pondering the significance of that simple statement… and was sort of oblivious to the fact that it was also the theme of [...]

A friend shared this link with me this morning from designer Bruce Mau… all I can say is WOW.
If you are a creative, designer, or anyone who tries to be, this is worth the read.
Written in 1998, the Incomplete Manifesto is an articulation of statements exemplifying Bruce Mau’s beliefs, strategies and motivations. Collectively, they are [...]

My friend Blaine is the Experience Engineer out at Willow Creek (what a cool title, huh?) and he and his team put together a phenomenal piece called Behold the Dreamer Cometh for the opening of the Willow Creek Arts Conference back in June.

I was so excited when Blaine posted a blog entry about the process [...]

I’ll never forget hearing Rick Warren speak a few years back talking about the fact that Christ’s command to “love our neighbor” meant something beyond our own backyards but, rather, extended into the global community in which we live.
Regardless of our ethnicity, religion or gender we’re all connected. With advances in media and technology our world is getting smaller. And [...]

So I know some of you may think I’m a Starbucks-hater now, but I have to say…I absolutely love the commercial they made for their STARBUCKS(RED) campaign.
I love the simplicity of it… and how clever it is. They say a lot without having to be all flashy and crazy. It’s smart.
What did you think?

The Starbucks cups are red, lights are going up… it’s almost Christmas.
Jason, our media arts director at Park (who I’m still trying to convince to start blogging) hit another home run with the teaser trailer for our Christmas series we are calling “Incarnate.”
He and a few other worship arts staff recorded the music for the [...]

This sums it all up. Please take time to watch this critically.
Think through things you do and say at your churches. Think about ways you communicate. Think about ways you market.
Think about how everything you do filters through the lens of a first-time visitor.

A friend and I are reading through AW Tozer’s The Pursuit of God right now and get together once a week to talk about it. It’s been great so far and I’m definitely being challenged and kicked in the butt by it!
One thing I didn’t know about Tozer was that he did most of his [...]

Wow. Just saw this via Ragamuffin Soul… this is a song called New Creation performed by Closer to the Start at Fellowship Church.
This is powerful…

New Creation from FC Post on Vimeo.

The Church is the plan of God on earth, always in her Father’s eye.
Cherished, mysterious, beautiful and potent beyond measure.
She emerges triumphant, limitless with potential.
A harbour for the hopeless, and an answer for the ages.
The Church resplendent, a bride for his Son.
She grows in wisdom and stature, with victory on her lips and freedom in her hands.
Hers is an [...]

Spirituality is not a formula; it is not a test. It is a relationship.
Spirituality is not about competency; it is about intimacy.
Spirituality is not about perfection; it is about connection. The way
of the spiritual life begins where we are now in the mess of our lives.
Accepting the reality of our broken, flawed lives is the [...]

The Bible does not simply tell of us of the presence of God; it shows us the active presence of God deeply and permanently embedded in all the smells, tastes, touches, sights, and sounds of human life. Over and over, this reality is played out in stories, poems, carefully preserved histories, records of cultural systems, [...]