From Amazon.com:

Julien Smith has delivered a surprise, a confrontation, a book that will push you, scare you and possibly stick with you for years to come. 

The idea is simple: your flinch mechanism can save your life. It shortcircuits the conscious mind and allows you to pull back and avoid danger faster than you can even imagine it’s there. 

But what if danger is exactly what you need? 

What if facing the flinch is the one best way to get what you want? 

Here’s a chance to read the book everyone will be talking about, before they do. 

What are you afraid of? Here’s how to find out.

PURSUING CHRIST.CREATING ART. from Floodgate Creative on Vimeo.

If you in any way remotely consider yourself an artist [and the truth is, all of us are artists in some form or fashion], you owe it to yourself to pick this book up because there are some great insights and hard truths you need to hear about yourself and your art.

I don’t think that the world needs any more “Christian” artists, I think the world needs artists who are Christians. People who, regardless of their muse, give their lives to create things that give a hopeful glimpse of what’s possible and point to what’s unseen in the world around us and inside of us.

From the very early pages of the book, Gary is candid about his life and experiences as a creative arts pastor. Speaking from the wisdom of his years of experience, he’s assembled a collection of short essays on topics including: purpose, identity, pursuit, authority, blocks, creativity, church, and leadership.

One of the first bold statements that Gary makes in the book that really sets the tone for the remainder of what he shares is this:

“We don’t create art for God. He doesn’t need it. We create art in response to God. Because the world needs it.”

That’s a new way of thinking about it, huh?

The entire time I was reading this book I kept thinking to myself, “Man, I wish I would have had this book 5 years ago.”

Gary speaks a language that anyone who has been engaged in the artistic process in the life of a church can understand and relate to. He empathizes with our struggles and lovingly rebukes us of some of the ways we put ourselves at the center of what we do instead of focusing on what God wants to do through us and our art.

As a young leader, it’s very easy to slip into the trap of listening to the same voices, especially the voices of our peers, and we do ourselves a great disservice by not hearing the voice of wisdom that comes from those who have gone before us. Gary serves as a pastoral voice to church creatives and young leaders, offering sound advice and wisdom gleaned through experience. He speaks humbly, candidly and honestly about the challenges and great opportunities we have to steward with our creativity.

Whether you are using your artistic gifts inside the church or in the public square, as believers we all share the common calling of creating art that points people to our creator. In this book, Gary explores the space between our faith and creativity and challenges us to live authentically and honestly as we pursue our creative endeavors.

I related to so many of the things Gary shared in this book and even winced a few times as he said some hard truths about the dark side of being a creative. I saw myself and my journey all over the pages of this book, and as I said earlier, would have probably saved myself a lot of heartache and learning lessons the hard way if I would have had read it years ago.

Whether you are long into your journey or  just beginning, this book is a must-read for any  creative. I am grateful that Gary created this bit of art and poured himself into this project for the rest of us. It’s truly a gift and a book I know I will come back to many times in the years to come.

And, having had the chance to connect with Gary offline, I can tell you that he’s the real deal and is someone that I’m grateful to have speaking into my life as I continue to pursue Christ and create art.

The world desperately needs what God has put inside of you. However it will be expressed, with words or images, pixels or in brushstrokes, we owe it to God and to those who we serve to be the best artisans and creatives and to humbly give our art as a gift that points people back to our Creator.

This book will help give you perspective about your calling as an artist and creative, and will encourage and challenge you to do work that will show the world the beauty of Christ.

I love this book so much I’m going to give 5 copies away. Drop your answer to this question in the comment section below and I’ll randomly pick 5 of you to get a free copy of the book!

What is the biggest challenge you face in your creative process?

Only a few pages deep into the book, Isaacson shares about Steve’s views on Christianity. His parents raised him going to a Lutheran church but after asking pastor why God would knowingly allow suffering to happen he decided to never return to church.

He told Issacson that he believed religion was at its best when it was emphasized in spiritual experiences rather than received dogma. Steve went on to say…

“The juice goes out of Christianity when it becomes too based on faith rather than on living like Jesus or seeing the world as Jesus saw it.”  

What are your thoughts on that statement?

It echoes the words of Gandhi, “I like your Jesus but not your Christians.”

Yes, as believers, we would say faith and works go hand-in-hand, but unfortunately, Steve only saw the faith side of things.

Just something to think about… what if we actually acted Christian? What if our lives and how we lived in this world spoke louder than our words?

Actions speak louder to the world around us.

What is your life speaking?

We’ve got some work to do.

One of the first things we learn about God, other than the fact that He’s timeless, is that He’s creative. We only need to look at the world around us and see His creativity. God’s creation reflects His greatness and creativity. His glory is seen all around us.

Creativity matters and I believe that the Church should be one of the most creative places on the planet. Why? Because we serve the God who is creative. The Church should be capturing people’s hearts, minds, and imaginations with the greatness of who God is in creative, innovative ways. Not for the sake of being trendy but for the sake of helping people see, hear, feel, and experience the message of the Gospel and to be captured by the beauty of Christ.

There’s many other people who share that same conviction who are leading churches and teams of artists and creative-types that are truly doing some remarkable things that have unique insights and ideas to share.

I was honored when the team at Clark invited me to be a part of their Creative Matters e-book project and starting today you can download a copy for FREE.

Creative Matters is a call to arms for all of us who endeavor to create beautiful, transcendent and transformational experiences in and around the Church. It’s a field guide of sorts…written by Creatives for Creatives… for those who work in the trenches of the “Create-On-Demand” challenges that every weekend brings. It’s a fresh perspective on the process, people, and purpose surrounding Creativity. It’s an invitation to live and work in a way that is both inspired and inspiring. And it’s the kind of kick-in-the-pants that we all need and will come back to again and again.

Creative Matters is a field guide of sorts for the role of creativity in the Church. Even if you don’t consider yourself a creative, there’s a lot of wisdom and insight shared in this book from some truly remarkable, gifted, and talented individuals that love God and love the Church.

Included in the book are entries from:

• CJ Alvarado
• Daniel Bashta
• Stephen Brewster
• Amena Brown
• Rick Calcutt
• Barton Damer
• Andrea Gardner
• Lisa Gungor
• Todd Henry
• Blaine Hogan
• Jeremy Jernigan
• Josh Loveless
• Cole NeSmith
• Stephen Proctor
• Tim Schraeder, hey that’s me!
• Jarrett Stevens
• Promise Tangeman
• Carlos Whittaker

So do yourself a favor and download this great ebook today… learn, be inspired, and CREATE! It matters!

Hillsong United will break some charts today with their sophomore studio realease, A F T E R M A T H.

I got my copy of AFTERMATH about a month ago and haven’t been able to stop listening to it.

Admittedly, I’m a huge fan of Hillsong United so this review will be a bit biased. BUT, I will say that I generally prefer live projects over studio projects. I love it when the crowd seems to overwhelm the musicians and singers and makes a song of their own in live projects… there seems to be so much corporate energy and passion that is oftentimes not as present in studio albums. That being said, AFTERMATH follows Hillsong United’s first successful studio album Saviour King where we were introduced to Hosanna and Saviour King… both of which are standards in most churches today. Although the passion on these projects is contained to a studio they don’t fail to deliver heartfelt anthems for the Church.

This album is a fresh new sound from UNITED and will no doubt top sales charts and set lists for church worship services. It’s fresh, edgy, original, and at times absoluetely breathtaking.

The thing I love most about Hillsong United is that unlike many groups or bands out there, they are rooted in and committed to their local church, Hillsong Church based in Sydney, Australia [now with locations around the world including New York City]. Hillsong United isn’t a typical band and they don’t do concerts… they are group of musicians and songwriters who love Jesus, are committed to their local church and travel the globe leading people in worship experiences that leave you utterly and completely in awe of God’s presence. It’s not your typical church music and it’s not what you’d expect from a Church group but it’s the sound of a new generation of believers proclaiming the hope and freedom they’ve found in Christ and they can’t stay silent.

“The message of Jesus Christ is eternal, yet He continues to reveal Himself in new ways… giving us what we need to be followers and disciples of Christ for this time in history,” says Hillsong United frontman Joel Houston. “Life with God is fun, its an adventure, it is grace, freedom, peace and everything in between. Whether you are listening to our newest album or our very first, our prayer and passion is that you are empowered to live life with God, encouraged to stay on the course and excited about all that He has for your future.”

On the title of the album, AFTERMATH, Joel Houston says, “The cross is a paradox. What was a symbol of failure and death is now established forever as a symbol of life and victory. The crucifixion was a gruesome and traumatic event and at the moment of surrender as the storm clouds gathered and the skies went to darkness it would have seemed to all who were witnesses, especially His followers, that all hope was lost – the so called ‘Son of God’ humiliated and tortured, dying as He hung upon a cross. But unlike any historical event that has ever taken place before or after, this moment would change everything – Forever. Because of the cross we no longer have to live entangled in the fallout and the wreckage of our lives, or the worst the world can throw at us. We have been lifted out of the ashes and into the LIGHT of the aftermath. We find hope, peace, freedom, and life, and we can know with assurance that He is with us no matter what comes our way.”

A few songs that stood out to me on this project:

• Take Heart – This song wrecked me in a good way. It’s a dramatic introduction to set the tone for a great album. This song talks about God’s faithfulness and calls us to take heart, hold on to hope and take courage through all seasons of life. It’s heartfelt, epic, passionate and ends reflectively with strings. I seriously listened to this song on repeat for about 2 days before I listened to the rest of the album. It’s that good.

This album has a fresh sound, will encourage you and remind you of the truths of God’s Word, and will give you a new song to sing. It will take you on a journey and beyond the creativity, musicianship, and lyrics, it will leave you with a great sense of awe… of God, His love, and the hope we have living in AFTERMATH of His grace.

Even if you think you’ve heard Hillsong United before, you haven’t heard anything like this and you owe it to yourself to get found in the AFTERMATH.

Hillsong United is hitting the road across the USA starting in March… check and see if they are coming near you!

To celebrate the release of AFTERMATH, I’m giving away a few [legal!] copies… it’s too good to keep to myself!

Here’s what you need to do to win:

1 – Make sure you are following me! I’m @timschraeder

2 – Tweet this: I want to be found in the #AFTERMATH. I entered to win a copy of @hillsongunited’s new CD! Details here: http://bit.ly/hudrIF

3 – Leave a comment below [to confirm you did the first two steps] and let me know your favorite Hillsong United song and why you love it so much.

NOTE: I have to approve each comment so hang tight if yours doesn’t show immediately!

I’ll randomly pick a few of you throughout the day. You will a valid USA iTunes account to claim your prize!

Park has a unique approach when it comes to music… we don’t have a traditional “worship team,” we have bands. Under the leadership of Joseph Tenney and Matt Marron [formerly of Pomeroy], we have a number of bands who each have their own unique style and genre that create original music as well as updating hymns. Instead of having a short list of musicians and singers and plugging them in where they fit, we put band leaders through extensive training, host auditions of musicians and singers and form bands that not only create great music but do life together in community.  It’s a different way of approaching worship but one that is resonating well with our congregation.

Christmas Songs Vol I is a collection of classic Christmas carols as well as original songs performed by nine of Park’s bands. It released at our church over the weekend and is now available for purchase on iTunes. It’s all over the place musically [in a good way] and captures the creative approach Park is taking with our band model.

I think it will make a great addition to your Christmas playlist so much so that I’m going to give away 5 copies! Just comment below and let me know your favorite Christmas carol. I’ll be picking the winners randomly now through tomorrow at Noon.

Either way, check it out and get yourself a copy… all proceeds from the purchase of the sale of the CD will go to benefit Renew Chicago, Park’s outreach arm that partners with other ministries around the city to make a difference!

Objectified is a feature-length documentary about our complex relationship with manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them. It’s a look at the creativity at work behind everything from toothbrushes to tech gadgets. It’s about the designers who re-examine, re-evaluate and re-invent our manufactured environment on a daily basis. It’s about personal expression, identity, consumerism, and sustainability.

Through vérité footage and in-depth conversations, the film documents the creative processes of some of the world’s most influential product designers, and looks at how the things they make impact our lives. What can we learn about who we are, and who we want to be, from the objects with which we surround ourselves?

In the documentary, they interview Dieter Rams, an industrial designer from Germany who is said to have influenced Jonathan Ive from Apple. Dieter shared his thoughts on what good design is and said:

• Good design should be innovative.
• Good design should make a product useful.
• Good design is aesthetic design.
• Good design will make a product understandable.
• Good design is honest.
• Good design is unobtrusive.
• Good design is long-lived.
• Good design is consistent in every detail.
• Good design is environmentally friendly.
• Last but not least, good design is as little design as possible.

These are some fantastic thoughts to consider as design things… from brochures and postcards to webpages and email campaigns. You can read more about Dieter Rams’ 10 principles for design here.

Objectified is well worth watching, just make sure you have a Moleskine handy to jot down some thoughts and ideas that may be sparked while you watch it. And, if you’re on Netflix, you can watch it instantly!

In today’s world that’s noisy with different voices, influencers rise above the rest and stand out. They take a stand. They set trends. They lead movements. They have a voice. They are leaders.

If you consider yourself to be a leader or a person of influence, do yourself a favor and take time to watch this short film “Influencers: How Trends & Creativity Become Contagious.”

INFLUENCERS is a short documentary that explores what it means to be an influencer and how trends and creativity become contagious today in music, fashion and entertainment.

The film attempts to understand the essence of influence, what makes a person influential without taking a statistical or metric approach.

Written and Directed by Paul Rojanathara and Davis Johnson, the film is a Polaroid snapshot of New York influential creatives (advertising, design, fashion and entertainment) who are shaping today’s pop culture.

“Influencers” belongs to the new generation of short films, webdocs, which combine the documentary style and the online experience.

I loved this film, it’s energy and creativity, and the message it brings. I think it has great implications for all of us, especially emerging leaders.

Be sure to check out the press kit, too. There’s some great content in there.

Did you love this as much as I did? Hang on, there’s more! An in-depth series will launch online November 17.

–

The single greatest danger a Christian faces when reading the Bible isn’t always unbelief. It’s often nostalgia. Most Christians believe that God did the miraculous, and did it through incredible men and women of God. But that was for the special people whom God had infused with special DNA that they don’t have. Sadly most Christians wonder at the past deeds of God without realizing that God desires to do the same kinds of wonders through them today.

In Sun Stand Still, I aim to eradicate that mindset. I aim to let people in on a secret that should never have become a secret: there is no inherent difference between us and the great heroes of faith in the Bible. None. And that holds true whether we’re talking about Joshua, Moses, or the apostle Paul.

There’s a verse in the New Testament that every Christian should commit to memory besides John 3:16, and that’s James 5:17:

“Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.”

Doesn’t exactly have the same obvious power of “For God so loved the world…” But it’s incredibly powerful when you consider who Elijah was. This was the man who prayed that it wouldn’t rain and it didn’t for three and a half years. And then prayed it would and it did. This is the man who called down fire on the prophets of Baal. And raised a widow’s son from the dead.

What’s sad is that most of us focus on the second part of this verse. We’re stunned by the superior power of Elijah’s prayer life. We’d love to have an ounce of his power flowing in our prayer lives. But we don’t have to wish. That’s the whole point of this passage. We are just like Elijah.

Think about it: Elijah had access to an all-powerful God who could stop the rain. We have access to an all-powerful God who can stop the rain. The only difference is that Elijah had the audacity to pray prayers that lived up to God’s character, God’s heart, God’s resources, God’s will, and God’s abilities.

In Sun Stand Still I call this praying like a juggernaut, which simply means to pray prayers worthy of the God we’re praying to. After all, we’re praying to a God whose capability always exceeds our audacity. You don’t have to worry about ever putting God in an awkward or embarrassing position. You’re not going to back him into a corner. You won’t ever challenge him to do something beyond his aptitude.

Prayer is the arena where our faith meets God’s abilities. And there is never going to be a moment when the audacity of our faith surpasses God’s capacity to respond. The great heroes of faith knew this. And they prayed in light of it. That’s what made them stand out in their generation. And it’s what will make you stand out in yours…if you embrace the truth that God is ready and willing to use you just as he used them to accomplish incredible things for his glory.

–

Great and inspiring words from Steven. Be sure to pre-order your copy of Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible and visit www.sunstandstill.org to learn more!

Hillsong isn’t a band, it’s a church… and their music is just a simple expression of what’s happening inside their House, which now spans the globe with their home base in Sydney and extension campuses in London, Cape Town, Stockholm, Moscow, Paris, and soon-to-be New York City.

If you ever get the chance to be a part of one of their worship nights when they tour, or if you ever get the chance to meet them, they will be the first to tell you from the outset that they are group of people who love Jesus and are faithfully committed to the music ministry of their local church.

For nearly twenty years Hillsong has given the Church a new song to sing, from Shout to the Lord, to Mighty to Save [which is currently one of the most-sung songs in churches in the United States], From the Inside Out, and Hosanna.

Each year, the church piles into a large venue to do a live recording of some of the best songs they’ve written and sung throughout the year to share them with the rest of the world.

This project lives up to its name, A Beautiful Exchange, both in the title track, talking about the exchange that look place when Jesus took our place, but additionally highlights an exchange that’s taken place over the past year or so within the leadership of Hillsong’s worship and creative arts ministry.

Last year Darlene Zschech and Joel Houston spoke at the Willow Creek Arts Conference sharing how Darlene, who for years has been the face of Hillsong music, has taken a step back in leadership over Hillsong’s worship and creative arts and transitioned leadership to Joel Houston and the younger generation of leaders at the church. It’s a beautiful picture of what the church should be doing: raising up, investing and empowering, and releasing the next generation church leaders. It was inspiring to hear… you can read my notes here, or check out Darlene’s book, The Great Generational Transition where she speaks more about this.

But back to the album… I had the chance to listen to it and check out the DVD last week, and while it’s hard to critique or review worship CDs, I’ll say this much: it’s fantastic and while it has the classic trappings of a Hillsong project, you can begin to hear the new song emerging from new songwriters and worship leaders, and it’s fantastic.

While the CD seems to be a seamless recording, it was actually recorded over multiple nights in Sydney and even jets over to the other side of the globe to Hillsong London.

Worship leaders Darlene Zschech, Reuben Morgan, and Joel Houston hold down the lead of the album along with Brooke Ligterwood, Ben Fielding, Matt Crocker, and Gio Galanti from Hillsong London.

A few highlights from the album:

• Like Incense/Sometimes By Step: No joke, the instrumental part of this song is a small taste of what Heaven will sound like. I’m not kidding… I get goosebumps every time I listen to it. The lyrics to Like Incense, combined with Brooke Ligterwood’s vocals, and a throwback to the early 90s worship hit “Sometimes by Step” by Rich Mullins all culminate to make one of the standout moments on the CD.
• The Father’s Heart ­– This song is one of my personal favorites and comes out of Hillsong London. The lyrics along passion coming from the crowd make this song one that will be stuck in your head all day long. I love it. I also love the woah-oh-oh’s!
• Forever Reign and The One Who Saves – I’m sure these two songs will be the ones churches latch onto. They are both great corporate expressions of God’s greatness, and the energy coming from the crowd on both of these is infectious. The One Who Saves, especially, is one that I could probably sing for 10 minutes without stopping, declaring “His love endures forever!”
• The rest are all great… these were just a few tracks that stood out to me!

A Beautiful Exchange features 12 new songs and a radio version of the song Forever Reign and is available on iTunes today. You can also stream it online for free via YahooMusic.

The bonus edition on iTunes features five videos from the DVD, which may be purchased via HillsongMusic.com or Amazon. The DVD includes four tracks from Hillsong London and a behind-the-scenes documentary.

Reuben Morgan and a team from Hillsong will be touring the USA in July and August this year (I’ll be seeing them when they are in Dallas at Fellowship Church)! If they are coming anywhere near you, it’s definitely worth the trip.

A Beautiful Exchange is a solid offering from Hillsong and, to me, signals the beginning of a new day and a new song for Hillsong Church… and I like what I’m hearing so far.

I’d love to share A Beautiful Exchange with you, so I’ll be giving away three copies of the bonus edition today at 11 AM, 2 PM and 5 PM CST today.*  All you need to do be entered to win is follow the instructions below:

1. Tweet This: I just entered to win a copy of #ABeautifulExchange! Comment here and RT to enter: http://bit.ly/9LYvww
2. Comment Below: With your Twitter handle [so I can verify you did the first step ] and share your favorite song from Hilsong.
3. Check back at 11 AM, 2 PM, and 5 PM CST today: I’ll randomly choose someone to win!

UPDATE: Congrats to @colinharman, @erod26 and @countrycuban for snagging your copies! Thanks to all who participated. Support Hillsong and get your copy here!

* You must have a valid US iTunes account to win!