NEXT

If you are like me, each year as you get ready to type your credit card code to sign up for NEXT; try to walk through the months of the year to figure out what month “9” is so you don’t mess up the expiration date; you eventually ask yourself this question “Why am I going to NEXT? Why spend the time? Why spend the money?”

For me it isn’t the thrill of packing in a hotel room with three other guys. It isn’t the rush of joy that I get seeing a Ninja in the morning with a fresh cup of coffee or the head ache I acquire from staying up until all hours of the night. Or the joys of trying to find your way to your Family Group in the morning. All those things are great don’t get me wrong…. They make awesome memories and God uses memories to build friendships so lets keep doing it!

But I keep coming back to NEXT year after year because I encounter the living God. I encounter God through the messages that cut through my sinful soul and strengthen me with truth; I encounter God in those sweet conversations late at night with a brother or sister in Christ; I encounter God through genuine worship to God through both singing and applying God’s word to my life. I walk away each year reminded, my God is real, he sent his son to redeem me and he is worthy of all praise I can give him.

I don’t know where you are at… maybe you punching in that credit card number just because you have done it year after year. Or maybe you have never been to NEXT, you don’t know anyone and it seems like a huge jump into the unknown. Or maybe you are college student and you have discovered money doesn’t grow on trees. If I could just urge you do what you can to make it to NEXT ’10….

I don’t know what God has in store for you, but I know this…. God will be there and you will encounter him…. And when Christians encounter God, wow big things happen! So sign up and maybe we will run into each other getting coffee from a Ninja.

Oh and by the way, September is the 9th month in the year….

So you’ve downloaded Caleb’s song and you’ve told all your friends to download it too! Now that you’ve heard the song, you want to see the video again. You’ve been thinking about the conference and the stellar line-up of speakers. You want to promote the conference and let your friends in on all the fun.  But, there’s a small problem. You don’t know how to get the promo video.

Well, that’s what the blog is here for. Our goal is to get you excited about the conference and to place resources (be it the webzine or promo video) easily within your grasp.

You can find the promo video on Vimeo or YouTube.

If you are a church or organization and you would like to show the video to a group of people, you can request a dvd HERE.

Thank you for helping us promote Next 2010.

81 days and counting!!!

What is it like to gather with a few thousand Christians, who come from all over the United States and from many other nations of the world, and sing to the Savior?

It seems that the unifying approach in every Next conference I’ve been to – from Philly, to Louis, and now in Baltimore – has been to leverage the power of the gospel so that we stand in awe of Christ and, in response, live grateful, joyful, obedient, and sacrificial lives to God’s glory.  This theme is utterly pervasive in the messages, the family groups, and the times of corporate worship.

Think, for example, of some of the keynote songs over the years::

• Jesus Paid It All
• In Christ Alone
• All I Have Is Christ
• By This We Know Love
• Wonderful Cross
• Thank You For Saving Me
• What A Savior
• Thank You For the Cross

The result of contemplating these truths and exulting in them together?  Our amazement at the grace of God is renewed and deepened.  Our desire to obey the Lord gets fresh impetus.

Whether it’s been Eric Hughes, Judah Groveman, Bob or Devon Kauflin leading us, the pervasive theme is the same.  Our eyes are, morning by morning, evening by evening, session by session, directed to the only Savior of the world.  The songs, the exhortations, the Scriptures – they’re all intentionally positioned so we see Christ as preeminent, sovereign, glorious, merciful – “standing … yet slain”.

Revelation 5:6, 9 “And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain… And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”

It’s no wonder then that our times of singing are often accompanied by tears, reverence, and exuberant shouts.  We are constantly being reminded of real reality.  Christ has died, and risen.  And we are in Him.  And He is all we have.  And He is all we need.

So you may have seen the super-cool NEXT stickers, and maybe you have one. Perhaps someone asked you if you wanted one and perhaps you said “YES, I LOVE stickers!” But then you stuck it in your bag, or in your Bible, or on your desk and forget about it. @Christopher Campbell (http://www.thisisnext.org/blog/what_to_do_with_those_next_stickers) had some fantastic ideas -  I want to help inspire you by visualization.

Stick it our your water bottle/coffee mug:

If you happen to have a locker at your school/college/university/work - Stick it there:

Stick it on your car:

OR better yet, Stick it on your friend-who’s-still-deciding-whether-or-not-to-go-to-Next’s car:

Stick it somewhere you’ll see it and remember to pray about it:

Stick it on your notebook:

So though you may not want to do ALL of these, stick it on something! True story: today I pulled out my water bottle with the sticker at my class and my friend asked me if Next was an art show, and I told her it was a conference that a group my church is involved with puts on - and that got us talking about churches and such. So these can be a really easy evangelism tool.

Can’t wait to see you guys in just 85 days!

After the really important things in life (God, my church, and my family), my favorite thing is music. I love music and there are only a few genres that I strongly dislike. One of the things I appreciate about music is the opportunity it provides to convey a story or truth. Though I love the different styles of music and the artistry that musicians display, I often find myself focusing on the lyrics. I am especially happy when talented musicians and talented, biblically grounded song writers collide. There is nothing better than kickin’ music and solid theology! Today, we’re giving you such a song…for free! Yes, I said free! This song, Oil Lamp Life, is the song that plays behind our 2010 Promo Video. Caleb Murphy, graciously allowed us offer it for free.

I’ll be posting the download link below. But first, I want to introduce you to the artist/songwriter and his story…

I have never met Caleb Murphy, but those who know him best say that he is a godly young man. A young man who has a grasp on the doctrine of God and puts that knowledge to practice every day. His story brought me to tears. David, a friend of Caleb & his brother Ian, described him like this:

Caleb really embodies what this year’s [Next] conference is all about — What he believes about God really does shape the way he lives.  In 2006 Caleb’s older brother Ian was in a near fatal car accident and was left severely disabled.  Last fall, Caleb’s dad, Steve, died from brain cancer.  Caleb’s trust in Jesus has led him to serve his family and our local church in incredible ways.  Since Caleb’s dad passed away, Caleb has really stepped up to the plate as the man of the house.  In addition to this Caleb uses his musical gifts to serve our church in numerous ways.  He plays on our worship team, leads worship for the parent teen ministry and the college ministry.  In addition, he drives to the Sovereign Grace church in Altoona (45 minutes away) once a month to lead worship for them.  As sad as his dad’s sickness and death were, they didn’t shake his faith.  He has said he had learned so much about God’s character through Ian’s accident that when Steve died he didn’t have to question God’s goodness or faithfulness.

God has sustained and provided for Caleb. He has given him the grace to stand fast in difficult circumstances. And it’s clear Caleb loves his Savior! This shines forth in his music, lyrics, and life. He wrote, Oil Lamp Life, for the Next Promo Video. He explains the meaning behind the song…

It’s really [a song] about how life is hard but that we should have faith in God for the future. It’s about how we have no idea what is going to happen at any point in time, we just see what’s in front of us. I remember my dad explaining to me what the phrase “You are a lamp unto my feet” meant. He said that the oil lamps that they had back in the day only showed them their feet and a few feet in front of them. This is walking in faith, trusting that God will lead us and not worrying even though we can’t see far ahead. It’s also about being eager to see what God is going to do in our lives. It could be easy to read the lyrics and think that the song is questioning or even disagreeing with God, but the attitude I approached it with is eagerness for the future…

You can download Oil Lamp Life HERE.

To find out more about Caleb and his music, check out his website: www.calebmurphy.com

Last Saturday morning I was trying to focus on editing some of the excerpts for the March webzine, but I was distracted. I was remembering where I’d fallen short that week and thinking thoughts like this:

Why am I still dealing with this sin? How can I change? Where do I get the power to change? Will I ever fully follow Jesus in this area? Why haven’t I changed already?

The irony is that articles I was editing contained some of the very truth I needed.

Fortunately for me (and maybe for you, too) this month we’re talking about the Doctrine of Sanctification––basically: how we become more and more like Jesus in this life. The authors this month include C.J. Mahaney, Paul Tripp, Donald Whitney, and Mike Bullmore. And we’re especially excited to have grabbed an excerpt from Josh Harris’ new book for this month too.

These articles are for people like me––people who fall down and fail and need help on our journey to be more like Jesus. And at around 500 words each, they’re tailor-made for people with attention spans as short as mine too.

Read the overview of the articles

Jump straight to the articles

Last post I threw out some ideas concerning getting the word out about NEXT and why. It’s an amazing conference with great communicators of the Gospel pouring truth over you for days, unique times of worship, and special grace from God for life changing experiences with Him through it all. And that’s all good and welll… But I need the cash to get there.

Funds funds funds!!

How does a poor college student, young couple, single parent or just about anyone in our current economic status generate the $150 dollar registration fee ( btw, thank you finance guys for using all your tricks to have registration so low!!!!), the $75+ for travel and then another $25+ for food (depending on if you have high standards and don’t just eat pb&j) and that’s not including room and board or all the books your going to buy because your so amped about what God is doing your gonna want to take some home with you for later… *panting*

I think you get the picture. So, what’s the best way to get the currency to allow you to get to NEXT without hitchhiking and fasting? Get someone else to give it to you!

Now the door to door asking for money thing only works well if your cute and sweet. But what if your like me and people use violence to chase you from their property?

Well there are other less abrasive ways to convince them to fund you on your pilgrimage, such as:

• Having a garage sale with items donated from church members.
• Have a bake sale or we get donuts and breakfast stuffs and sell them on Sunday mornings.
• Babysitting (here in The Classic City we have several annual dates where all of our singles get together and watch any kids the couples in the church wish to drop off for several hours so they can have a date night and simply ask for a donation when they pick up their kid… (And if it’s not high enough we just hold the kid ransom…).
• Talk to your pastors and caregroup leaders for individual assistance. Our church sets aside money to sponsor people and even families so they can attend such events. Even if your church does not have such a set up they will provide great council.

These are just a few examples of things you can do locally. If you have any examples of successful events and ways of gathering funds please post!!! What a service that will be!

Happy hunting! God bless your efforts and sacrifice! 

Single Parents, we know that finances can be tight. It can be hard to make ends meet, let alone find the cash to attend a conference. But, we want you to be able attend Next 2010!

We would like to make it easier for you to attend the conference. The Next Staff would like to give you your registration for free! That’s right, free!!!

How do you take advantage of this? Simply fill out and submit the Request Form and someone on the Next Staff will contact you. It’s that easy!

Picture walking into an auditorium filled with more than one thousand people. As the music begins, you join in the singing and realize that many others share in your excitement for the Lord to meet them. Following the outstanding time of worship, you hear a message where your heart is filled with awe and then left in wonder as you try and contemplate the greatness of Christ. During the rest of the conference your time is filled with attending community group devotionals, and talking with old and new friends. Well, this was NEXT for me. 

Last year was the first year that I attended the conference and God was so kind to reveal more of himself to me through the worship, teaching, community group devotions and fellowship with friends. How amazing to join so many other people to passionately worship the savior. What excellent teaching we had that left me wanting more of the Lord and in utter awe of His greatness. The morning devotionals were sweet times where our hearts were prepared for the day, and we were led in discussions about what the Lord had taught us.  NEXT was also a time of making many new friends. Talk about stepping out of your comfort zone- I drove with a caravan of about ten different people that I had never met. I came away from the conference encouraged and refreshed in my walk with the Lord. I am definitely looking forward to NEXT 2010.

How do you decide what Next 2010 can do, what it can afford?

Good question; I’m glad you asked.

Next has to estimate how many people will register because that dictates the budget.  Problem: a large percentage of Next attendees leave registering as late as possible. But Next has to make decisions now, place orders now, incur costs now. What to do?!

Next has two tensions: on the one hand to be good stewards of what we have and on the other hand to step out in faith.

Please pray for the leadership of Next as these are very real (and serious) issues; issues faced on a week-by-week basis.

But also pray for potential attendees, your friends, as they too have their own decisions to make: can they afford to attend; should they step out in faith; should they ask their parents (or friends) for help?

For us all, the bottom line is trusting God; seeking His guidance; following His lead.

And remembering that the riches of the Kingdom of God are far greater than the riches of this world, and that we have a good and faithful God.

We are affected by the economy like everyone else, but our heavenly Father is not only in control, He is all-powerful and good. And He cares for our soul, not just our body.

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)

Well, the promo is here and I’m now supposed to tell you what you can do with it.

So, to start this process, watching it might be a good idea! Let’s watch it real quick!

Next 2010 Promotional Video from Sovereign Grace Ministries on Vimeo.

Next, you can copy the link into an email and send it to all the young adults in your contact list.

Following the sending out of that email, maybe you could facebook it, blog it, twitter it, or anything else I am missing out on! Being the technologically savvy generation that we are, I find this as a very effective method of communication.

I’m sure you all can think of other effective ways of “spreading the promo” so feel free to leave a comment and share how you are doing so.

I strongly recommend Ed O’Mara’s post from earlier this week. A highly entertaining post, somewhat “out there” (yes Ed, it is!) but one that makes you want to go out and try some of what he recommended. (note: read the disclaimer before attempting any of his recommendations)

And the countdown continues :: 97 days!!

If you were in Gaithersburg today, you just might see Paul Medler riding his trusty steed, British Beauty, and shouting for joy. Okay, well, I’m not sure I can imagine Paul on a horse. You may find him shouting for joy as he sits in his office chair (much to the amusement of his co-workers) working on conference details. Why? The Next Promo Video has been released! And that, my friends, is cause for excitement!

You can view the promo video on Next’s Home Page.

If you Twitter, FaceBook, or Blog, please help us promote Next by posting the video. You can find the video on Vimeo and YouTube.

… Not exactly the words of Paul Revere, but I think I saw Paul Medler riding the streets of Gaithersburg on his trusty horse “British Beauty” shouting “2 if by DVD, 1 if by YouTube.”

So, we know it is coming, but what to do when it arrives?  Here is a list of some helpful, and less so, suggestions. (Disclaimer: This author and the NEXT conglomerate is not responsible for any legal charges levied against those who take these suggestions, especially the foolish ones!)

The Usual Suspects
Play it at church-related contexts - Show it during your announcement time, put it on the church website, play it in the lobby, show the toddlers in the nursery (it beats Veggie Tales!), play it at your singles meetings… the possibilities are numerous

Post it - Facebook it, Blog it, Twitter it, hack into NBC’s website and replace all Olympic videos with the NEXT Promo (this is the first of many foolish, and potentially illegal suggestions that should be ignored). 

The UnUsual Suspects
Play it at work - Replace your screen saver with the NEXT Promo so your work PC continuously loops the promo… this is sure to interest your coworkers

Public TV - Ask your local public TV channel to play the promo.  I might be making this up, but there is a good chance that the FCC has regulations that require airtime to be made available for some things… I am not really clear on any of this… maybe you should read the FCC Website and find out for yourself.  Alternatively, watch the movie UHF with Weird Al Yankovich… that might give you other ideas.

Mobile Promos - Place a TV screen on your head and walk around, or if you have a big dog, strap a TV to its back and walk it around, or put a 52” Flat Screen on top of your car and drive around… play the DVD… watch the registrations roll in!

iPhone, Droids, portable DVD Players and more - Play it through your iPhone, Droid or other internet capable phone, or a portable DVD player in a public place.  Coffee shops and gyms are a good start, but libraries and doctor offices might allow others to hear the SWEET Promo more effectively. 

Movie Theaters - If you are making a trip to the local cinema, simply bring a laptop and projector.  Also, bring a large piece of black cardboard and a noise cancelling device.  Use the cardboard to block the regularly scheduled coming attractions, use the noise cancelling device to block the sound from the regularly scheduled coming attraction then, discreetly project the NEXT Promo on the screen using your projector and laptop combo.  The result will be droves of individuals leaving the theater, making their way to the nearest computer (other than your laptop) and registering for NEXT.

Buy a Commercial Spot - Get 100000 of your closest friends to chip in a few dollars and buy a commercial.  Since the Super Bowl is over, it is probably best to buy time during the Olympics or American Idol… maybe to save money you could just audition for American Idol by reenacting the NEXT Promo

What’s Next for the NEXT Promo
When all is said and done, what should you do with the DVD that contains the 2010 NEXT Promo.  Here are a few bad suggestions:
- Frisbee
- Coaster
- Pizza Cutter
- Ornament for a Christmas Tree or Rearview Mirror
- One Big Earring, or an Elephant Nose Ring
- Use it to focus the sun and burn insects
- Use it as a mirror to see if you have spinach in your teeth
- Collect 8 and use them as mod plates
- Make a house of mirrors for gerbils
- Ebay it for 1 Million dollars and give the money to NEXT for scholarships

Those are all the “wonderful” ideas I could come up with… add your thoughts in the comments section!

Ed

As I sit with more morning coffee trying to recover from shoveling out of another 20”+ snowfall (the southern way of life looks better all the time), I ponder this question of life “What will I do with all my NEXT stickers”. It is a deep question to ponder but in case you don’t have either the time or desire to ask such probing questions of life, let me give my top 10 suggestions of how you can use your NEXT stickers….

1. Put them on your Bible.  Yeah I know it might sound crazy but it is an awesome way to remind yourself how God has been faithful to meet you year after year….  At least I think so, I still have my “Forget Reinvention” wheel stuck on my Bible cover
2. Put them on your car. Okay I know that you like your nice clean bumper and don’t want to be one of those people whose car looks like a moving billboard but one little sticker won’t hurt
3. Put them on your grandmother’s car. Just think how awesome it would be to see a grandmother trucking down the road in her Buick supporting the NEXT generation…. BTW, you may want to ask her first and get her a really nice gift
4. Put them up at Coffee Shop. Now don’t go sticking them on every table and chair, but most of the time local coffee shops will allow you to post community gigs going on, so be bold and ask if you could put up a poster or a least a sticker who knows how God will use it
5. Give them to friends. Okay not friends that are already going but maybe friends that are thinking of going but are unsure or friends that don’t even know about NEXT and you want to reach out too, these stickers are a great tool…. I mean who doesn’t like a cool sticker
6. Put it on the back of unsuspecting friend. Pick a good friend that doesn’t mind a joke and walk up to them pat them on the back (with the sticker concealed in your hand) and tell them how much you appreciate their friendship…. And walla, you have a walking billboard (just make sure you tell before the day is out because sticks don’t do the wash very well)
7. Put them up at Campus (or Office lunch room). Find one of those community billboard things on campus or that are in your office lunch room and put them up. Just make sure you keep checking the billboard because you wouldn’t want the promotion for the next showing of Hamlet to cover up that NEXT sticker!
8. Give them as gifts. This is an idea for the college students out there that might have been like me in college, short of all things related to money…. So its your cousin’s has birthday or your parents has an anniversary give them NEXT stickers… you might want to throw something else in with it but at least it is something
9. Put them on your laptop. Just imagine right next to your glowing Apple you can have a NEXT 2010 sticker…. Now that is cutting edge!
10. Put them on the bottom of your shoes. So when you sitting down in class or sitting in that meeting at work and extend your legs forward (so to slouch in your chair) or cross them as to say “I am still listening to you but pleas hurry up”, there on display will be your NEXT 2010 sticker, what could be better than that

Okay, the coffee is done and now I am ready for my day at the office. Now only if I could get my key to work, I tried to cover that with a NEXT sticker too… that didn’t work to well but at least I tried…. Can’t wait to see you and your stickers at NEXT 2010!

It’s coming…soon…to a web page near you…Are you ready?

With much anticipation I have been following Vinegar Hill’s blog. Vinegar Hill is a very talented & creative video production company. In 2009 they took on the challenge of producing Next’s Promo Video. Last year’s video was SWEET and this year’s promises to be even better. I received word last week that VH is almost finished with this year’s video. It will be on Next’s website, Vimeo, and You Tube by the end of the month (and hopefully sooner than that). I will let you know the moment it’s available! :) So, get ready…it’s coming!

And to whet your appetite, here is last year’s promo video…

Next 2009 Promotional Video from Sovereign Grace Ministries on Vimeo.