NEXT

Trey Burdette, who is the associate pastor at Ferguson Avenue Baptist Church in Savannah, GA, had a great idea. After taking five people from his church to Na08 last year, he was excited to promote Next this year and give more people in his church the opportunity to be blessed by Next as has been his experience at New Attitude.

Trey believes this is important enough for his church’s singles and young married couples that he’s offering scholarships, but he’s making them work for it. In order to receive a Next scholarship at Ferguson Avenue Baptist Church, you must read two books: The Cross of Christ by John Stott and either Letters Along the Way by D.A. Carson & John Woodbridge or Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney. Then you have to meet with Trey to discuss the reading, where he will ask questions and answer questions. Trey says that this discussion will “specifically deal with issues of how theology brings about doxology as well as points of application for their life and how each of these books contributes to our understanding of the Totality of Jesus (Humanity, Divinity, Preeminence, Incarnation, etc.).” Three people in Trey’s church have already committed to this challenge, and more are seriously considering.

What an excellent way not only to bless these people with scholarships to the conference, but to do so in way that prepares their hearts and their minds for the topic at hand! Thank you, Trey, for your example of caring for your church in this way. Anyone other pastors or ministry leaders out there want to give this a try?

With a less than generous economy, your “Go To A Conference” fund may be running a little dry, so it’s time to be creative with your cashflow.  There are always the old standbys of garage sales, bake sales, car washes, but your ideas don’t need to need to stop there.  Here are a few untraditional and fun means of fundraising your way to the Next Conference that can come from your own home!

_ Host a benefit concert. Gather your musical friends in your living room or backyard for a “Send Us To Next” concert or open mic night.  “Strongly suggest” a $10 cover donation at the door.  Don’t forget a tip jar.  Who knows what local talent you also might uncover?

_ Put on an art show.  Similar to Josh’s Art + Coffee idea, except this can be done in your own home!  Dust off those IKEA RIBBA frames, add some descriptive tags to your dining room walls—maybe invite the folks doing the living room concert to provide some background tunes—and voila!  An art show!  Sell your work on a donation basis.  Bring along your crafty friends to sell their hand-made wares also.

_ Cook food!  Instead of going out after church, invite the crew to Chez Yournamehere and show off your spectacular lasagna recipe.  Perhaps offer to cook some meals for some of those hungry bachelors in your singles group as a healthy alternative to Red Barron’s pizzas.  Offer your delectable cupcakes at the next women’s Bible study instead of purchasing them from a store. If you’re less than culinary-minded, a midnight cereal bar during finals week could be your salvation.

_ Put those New Year’s resolutions to good work.  Sometimes raising money can be as simple as retaining it.  Maybe you’re cutting back on Starbucks or iTunes.  Instead of that mocha or album, put that $4.99 in your Next bookstore fund (which may look deceivingly like a mason jar or Josh’s awesome Munny Mummy).

After being pretty much broke for 4 years, driving hand-me-down cars, and living in a house with 10-12 other viciously hungry college fellas, raising extra dough has become a way of life. (Also, working for a campus ministry that wants to get broke people like me to conferences to encounter Jesus helps too.)

So here are some ways to help you raise that necessary green to make it to Next:

(  )  Nexters for Hire
This might take some help from the higher-ups in your church, and some administration. But basically, people in your church pay for would-be Nexters to do odd jobs and help pay their way to the conference. We do this at Cornerstone for VFC’s spring break trip, and it really works. People need work done, and often really want to help!

(  )  Coffee {and art} House
Come to find out, people like coffee. If there’s a handful of potentially artistic folk in your community, get them to donate pieces of art. Invite people, charge admission, and sell the art. Buy some coffee, bake some confectionary delights, get some live music going, and there ya go. Chaching! [We did this and made some money—it’s better if you don’t have to pay for a venue and invite people besides broke college kids].

(  ) A Munny Mummy
It looks like this. And it’s surefire. Create an invitingly hilarious contraption, drop a little o’ that jingle jangle down there, and wait for people to contribute. No DOUBT you’ll be in Baltimore in no time. 

More coming soon!

Hey, everybody. I’m Josh Harris and my job with Next is to plan the sessions and cheer on the incredible people led by Grant Layman who make the conference happen. As you can tell we’re all very excited about what God is going to do in Baltimore this May.

One sure sign of my own excitement about Next is that I have literally started dreaming about it. More accurately I’m having conference nightmares in which everything goes wrong. (This used to happen back when we first started the conference so it’s something of a tradition for me.)

So last week I had a dream in which we were all gathered in Baltimore in one of the main sessions. Of course there were only about a hundred people (evidently all Brian’s hard work to promote the conference didn’t work!). Bob Kauflin was leading us in worship and suddenly he and the band started teaching people hand motions to go along with the song. It was so childish and ridiculous that the whole crowd started laughing. The band was playing but instead of singing the whole crowd was howling with laughter. Then I woke up.

Anyone care to interpret that one? On second thought, I don’t really want a meaning. I’ll just commit to praying more.

We just launched our Resources Page.

On it you’ll find no less than 36 messages from the New Attitude conferences. That’s somewhere over 30 hours of sermons from men like John Piper, Al Mohler, Mark Dever, Mike Bullmore, Bruce Ware, Bob Kauflin, C.J. Mahaney, Wayne Grudem, and Joshua Harris.

I really don’t understand why you’re still reading this. Start downloading.

Everyone has a story to tell. Something happened somewhere. Stories help us see into the bigger picture beyond our own limited perspective and experience. We can whet each other’s appetites for life when we share our stories or listen to them. Camaraderie is built through these shared experiences, vicariously encountering life through someone else’s words.

I love that we had a whole page dedicated to New Attitude stories preceding the launch of the new site. So many wonderful declarations of lives being changed and clarified during past conferences. We’ve gotten to partake in the experience of complete strangers!  How cool is that?  That said, one of the best ways to build excitement for the upcoming Next conference in yourself and others is by talking about it. Generate conversation with “God really met me there when…” or “My life was really impacted by the message on….” 

There’s much that happens in the everyday that impacts us just as much: A conversation had while waiting in line for lunch.  A lyric from one of the concerts.  The paper airplane showdown in family groups.  Running into the Ninjas.  Getting stuck at the airport on the way home. “Hey, remember when…” or “That was so funny when…” also build excitement and anticipation for a great time!

So perhaps this is your first time coming. Find someone who’s been there before and ask lots of questions. What was their favorite part? What was the most unexpected thing they encountered? Maybe you’re not going to be able to go this year; consider it as an opportunity to invest in someone who’s never been before. You’ve been affected. Why not take this opportunity to see that someone else has an equal—perhaps even better—experience? And don’t forget to anticipate and ask for new, fresh stories upon their return.

I’m Bethany, formerly from Baltimore (or “Bawlmer” as we like to say, hon). I got transplanted to Gaithersburg to work for Sovereign Grace Ministries, and now I am one of the few people paid to work fulltime on conferences like Next—I know, I know it’s a rough life!

Most of what I’ve done so far for Next is sit in on meetings—lots and lots of meetings. When you hear from me it might be to leak our brainstorming ideas. I also help send out the Next e-newsletters (formerly known as the Na Update)—sometimes Ricky writes them, sometimes I do.

One big thing coming up for me pre-conference is a name change—yep, I’m marrying my childhood friend, Andy. I’ll do my best not to let too much of THAT event leak into my blogging about the Next event, but I can’t make any promises.

So the conference has been moved back to my old stomping grounds, and I have to say that when you come you’ve gotta try the crab cakes.

Ciao!  My name is Luz Galusha-Luna and I hail from Gilbert, Arizona. Even though I live in the heart of the desert, I have a distinct preference for colder climates, discovered while living in Switzerland where I studied and painted Francis Schaeffer’s old kitchen at L’Abri. I’m the art director for my church, Sovereign Grace Church—which is just a fancy way of saying “the chick in the back office who makes stuff”. On the side, I’m a photographer, snapping pictures of life as I encounter it.  When working, I’m usually accompanied by the typeface Helvetica, trees, music from cold places like Iceland and Seattle, and a French press full of freshly roasted coffee.

When not engaging with the good and beautiful things of life, I’m preparing to join the church plant in Peoria, Arizona this summer.  My heart becomes impassioned for evangelism through hospitality and good conversation (I’m a firm believer that Jesus and a home-cooked meal go hand-in-hand).  I take great delight in seeing the gospel shared in everyday life, be it painting a wall or cutting up vegetables for dinner.

My role here is active participant.  My job is to get you guys excited about NEXT.  You can keep an eye out for some artsy-fartsy posts about plugging into NEXT before and during the conference, crazy fundraising ideas, creative ways to pray for the conference, and a guide on talking to strangers.

PS. My freak talent is untying knots and I am deathly afraid of carousels.

I really don’t have a long or tedious biography. I was born, read books, had the shortest Tee Ball career in history, read more books, and went to college where I got a degree in reading books.

Here at thisisNext.org I’m responsible for a diverse range of tasks I sum up in my official title: “Words and things.” I make the Webzine and Blog happen every month and leave typos on the other Next webpages for people to find.

I also serve as a pastoral intern at Cross of Grace Church in El Paso, TX where I get the ridiculous privilege of going to church six days a week. In November I married Jenn—the best girl in the world. Jenn and I love shopping at Savers, listening to NPR, eating international foods, and dreaming about buying Mountain Bikes.

If you’ve got a comment or suggestion about the website let me know at ricky-at-newattitude.org. If you have a really mean comment please e-mail me at someone-at-somewhere.

So we know that you are all dying to tell your friends about Next. We know that you simply cannot wait to get a bunch of Next brochure/posters and pass them out in your church, on your campus, or wherever you may go. Conveniently, these are also things we would love for you to do. Isn’t it nice how these things work out?

In the future we are going to have a promotional section on this website, at which you can request such promotional materials as brochures and stickers, but why wait? We’d like to get these materials in your hands as soon as possible. So if you want to receive a promotional packet (and we definitely want you to receive a promotional packet), send me an e-mail at bwhalen-at-sovgracemin.org with your name and address. Then promote away.

If you don’t know me – and why would you? – I’m the old guy on the team. The old eccentric Englishman. I have a grand title at Sovereign Grace Ministries: Director of Event Planning; but all that really means is that others decide what should happen at Next, WorshipGod09, Together for the Gospel, The Clash, etc, and I make it happen. It’s a responsible job: I’m responsible for everything that goes wrong.
What’s my role with Next? Well, we have a bunch of gifted individuals working on Next, I coordinate with them, and on May 23rd Next happens… hopefully (sorry, D.V., Deo volente, God willing).

Hey fellow Next-ers! My name is Jennifer Lightfoot. I live in Orlando, FL which is pretty much the best place EVER. Here’s a quick run-down on me:

_ i’m the oldest of five kiddos and came to Christ when i was about four but really began to own my faith when i was about 17

_i wrecked my first car in 2006
_2008 highlight: coordinating the yes2marriage campaign for my county so that we could pass the marriage amendment in florida…and pass, it did – with 62% of the vote!

_2008 highlight #2 (am i allowed to have two?):  learned to like seafood! this is a really big deal. i mean a really big deal. i think salmon is my fave but i’m open to suggestions!

_my “do hard thing” for 2009: study mandarin
_my fave things to do: sit at Starbucks with my friends, going to worship team rehearsal, babysitting, surf facebook (don’t mock me - you know you do, too! =), doing a photo shoot of friends, going on mission trips to cuba, critiquing movies, blogging, working on our region’s conferences and going to conferences like Next!

_my least fave things to do: confront others about a sin issue, jog or run (bleh!), wake up early, go a day without coffee, be sick and have to miss work

_current spiritual disciplines focus: memorize a passage of Scripture a day with john piper’s fighter verses 

_occupation: i have had the super amazing privilege of working for my church for the past eight years. i currently serve two of the pastors on staff – danny jones and benny phillips.


So, there you go! In the next few months you’ll be hearing from me about random stuff as well as ways we’re gonna be promo-ing the conference to people here in O-town. Feel free to share your ideas, too!


Hello, my name is Grant Layman and I am a pastor at Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland. I have had the privilege of serving in that role for the past 25 years (I feel really old writing that!). I am married to the woman of my dreams, Karin (pronounced car-in), and we have 4 wonderful children - Brett (21), Brittany (19), Brielle (14), and Brian (11).

My job with Next is to help Josh run the conference by implementing the vision he has provided to see a passion for the gospel transferred to the next generation. I have served as a Community Group leader for all of the previous conferences with the exception of one, so I am very familiar with what this conference is about and absolutely love it! That is why, when Josh approached me several months ago about the possibility of coming alongside him to lead this conference, I was so eager to participate. I have the joy of serving Josh in a very similar way at Covenant Life, where he is the senior pastor, so taking on this role for Next seemed to be a good fit. It’s important for you to know that I could not have taken on this responsibility without the outstanding team of people who have come together to serve you, beginning with Paul Medler who is ‘The Man’ when it comes to putting on conferences.

On the personal side? I love being with my wife and kids, celebrating their interests, serving the members of CLC, playing and watching sports (more watching these days!), and vacationing in the white beaches of Sarasota, Florida, where I grew up.

Hi, I’m Latricia, and I think my title is Main Sessions Director (at least that’s what Ricky called me, so that’s what we’ll go with.)

I agreed to take on this role last spring when Michelle, our previous Main Sessions Director, needed to step down to go save the world. I’m really excited about getting involved with the conference this year, and I’m really hoping that my undergraduate degree in theatre and my current job working for the Production Department of Covenant Life Church will come in handy. By God’s grace, I get to see a little snippet of what goes into making events like Next happen each week. I serve the superservants who make all of the lights, sound, and video happen at each event Covenant Life puts on. It’s such a joy (I love my job!) and it causes me to look forward with anticipation to what God is going to do at the conference this year. I’ve been tasked with organizing, pushing forward and helping to carry out all of the details relating to the main sessions. What does that mean? I’m still trying to figure it all out, but I’ll try to keep you updated as I do.

This is kind of cool.  In a sort of BTF (Back to the Future) twist, I’m writing a blog post to people of the future.  Right now, it’s 9:11 pm on Sunday, January 25th.  However, you won’t be reading this until at least January 28th.  So, to quote Donetello, “The past returns”*.

I’m David Altrogge and I make movies.  Right now, my business partner, Mike Hartnett and I are in the throes of shooting the Next Promo video.  It’s a 4-day shoot and thus far we’re having a stellar time. We started shooting in my hometown of Indiana Pennsylvania on Friday. Indiana is the birthplace of famed Thespian Jimmy Stewart in addition to being the Christmas tree capital of the world. So if you’re looking for a new holiday tradition, come to Indiana and cut down a Christmas tree while watching It’s a Wonderful Life*. After two awesome days of filming (the Lord has provided us with a stellar cast and crew) we packed up and headed south. Tomorrow and Tuesday we’ll be continuing our filming in the streets of Baltimore. On Wednesday, when you’re reading this post, we’ll be wrapping up at Sovereign Grace Studios, recording the video’s narration.

God has been so kind to us these first two days, and we’re excited to see how he provides in the next two.  We can’t wait to show you the video and hope is gets you pumped about what God is going to do at Next.  Please be praying that the Lord helps us as we edit the video.

* Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze; Scene 26b; New Line Cinema; 1992.

** Note: This shouldn’t be done while operating heavy machinery.