Phil is actively developing new ways to integrate faith and storytelling through his new creative shop, Jellyfish Labs (JellyfishLabs.com). Phil captured the breathtaking rise—and heartbreaking fall—of Big Idea Productions in the book “Me, Myself & Bob.” He is also the author of the popular children’s books “Sidney and Norman” and “47 Beavers on the Big Blue Sea.”

Phil’s latest Jellyfish Labs project is JellyTelly — an interactive, online “mini-network” for children that is scheduled to launch in fall 2008. This web-based platform is a natural starting point for a wide variety of original programming geared toward helping kids grow in their Christian faith.

Phil lives with his wife Lisa (aka Junior Asparagus) and their three kids in
Wheaton, Illinois. For more information, visit PhilVischer.com.

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• We’re here to talk about the use of media for the propagation of the use of technology for the advancement of the Gospel.
• Phil’s great=grandfather pioneered a radio ministry in Omaha in the early 20′s… that ran from 1923-1964, one of the longest-running radio shows.
• He was ambivalent about the use of technology for the advancement of the Gospel until he heard from someone that accepted Christ as a result of listening.
• He was questioning whether the Holy Spirit could work through technology, turns out it could.
• “Unction can be transmitted!”
• VeggieTales sold over 50 million videos… outsold any other children’s videos/media in the late 90s/early 2000.
• Top 10 most-watched videos on college campuses!
• VeggieTales was spoofed by Saturday Night Live and was parodied 3 times on The Simpsons.
• Phil learned early on that the only thing that mattered is what He did for Christ and wanted to get moving doing stuff for God’s Kingdom.
• He recognized his ability to tell stories through film.
• In 1993 created the first VeggieTales film.
• It was originally made big by viral marketing, word-of-mouth.
• Decided to get busier by creating more… videos, movies, shows, products, books, etc.
• By 2000, they employed 300 people… one of the largest video production studios between the coasts.
• Momentum was gained, but cracks started to surface.
• Realized he needed to do something: let people go.
• From there, it basically fell apart.
• He got an email from a random lady before it all started to go downhill that said, “be careful and watch your pride.”
• What does it mean when God gives you a dream… then it comes alive… and dies?
• 2 Kings 4 … story of the Shunammite woman.
• Elisha told her that she’d have a son… she’d have someone to take care of her.
• Her response to him shows the deep-seated dream she had to have a son.
• A year later, she had a baby… and it died.
• Elisha brought the child back to life.
• That’s the story of the Shunammite woman.
• He who has God plus many things has no more than he who has God alone. – CS Lewis
• So what’s the point? If God gives you dream and breathes life into it, and then it dies, it could be God wants to show you what’s more important to you… Him or the dream.
• Once you see that, the dream might come back, or it might not, but that’s OK because you’ll still have God.
• Abraham had a dream and a promise… and was asked to give up Isaac.
• Anything you are unwilling to let go of is an idol, and it’s a sin.
• When people in the Bible didn’t know what to do, they do nothing. They just wait for Him.
• We misinterpret Proverbs 29:18… it’s not for a lack of VISION that people perish, it’s a lack of revelation.
• For lack of revelation… when people don’t have revelation from God… a word form God… they throw off restraint and do whatever feels right to them, in their own eyes.
• It’s not because we don’t have large enough programs, media, etc. It’s because we’re not focusing the people of God on the word of God.
• If you don’t know what God wants you to do, wait on Him.
• God calls listeners and waiters.
• Noah was 500 when he got revelation for the ark when he was 500. What did he do before? He walked with God. (Gen 6:9).
• The world learns about God by watching Christians… not our programs, media, etc.
• God knew who to call because He knew who was listening.
• As Phil “died” to his dreams he found new life… and less of a desire to make an impact and more of a desire to know God.
• “God could have spared me from the pain of Big Idea’s collapse… but He didn’t.”
• It was all about death to his ambition and his dreams… it was about him and God.
• Why is waiting on God so important? If I’m not waiting on God I don’t know what He wants me to do.
• We need to be quiet enough to hear God’s whispers, His direction.
• If we make His directions more important than Him, we’re useless to Him.
• The impact God has planned for us doesn’t occur when we are pursuing impact, it comes when we are pursuing God.
• The most important thing in our lives and at this conference is not the work that we can do for God, the most important thing is to make God the most important thing.
• Do you dream of the work you can do for God? Do you carry ambition for changing the world for His name?
• When you’re willing to let that die, relying completely on your relationship with Him, you’re ready to be used by Him.
• Dreams have specific outcomes. Dreams can make us do terrible things. Hitler had a dream.
• Callings don’t have specific outcomes.
• When we start with an outcome, we’ve started off track.
• You don’t learn things when you succeed, you learn things when you fail.
• Dreams are deep longings.
• Often we graft our dreams onto God’s calling. And that’s when we get them confused. And that leads to bad decisions.

Really looking forward to be hearing from a great line-up of speakers including: Phil Vischer, Ben Arment, Phil Cooke, Mark Steele, Dawn Nicole Baldwin, Cynthia Ware, Matt Knisely, Shawn Wood, Drew Goodmanson, Carlos Whittaker, Greg Atkinson, Richard Reising… and many more!

I’ll be blogging my notes and Tweeting away, so be sure to stay tuned!