NEXT

Great resources we already love. New articles for everyday discernment. Here’s what you’ll find in this month’s issue of the Webzine:

Author Spotlight
This month we’re highlighting work from C.J. Mahaney.

If you’re new to C.J. (or want to learn something you didn’t know about him) check out Justin Taylor’s Introduction to C.J.. Don’t miss the video of C.J.’s conversion story.

Then we republish some of our favorite pieces of C.J.’s writing. In Worldiness: Is This Verse In Your Bible? C.J. takes a hard look at Scripture’s commands about loving the world. In The Troubled Soul C.J. spends a sermon exploring Psalm 42 and what to do when your soul feels downcast, pummeled, or forgotten by God. In Finding Joy In Adversity C.J. gives biblical hope to believers in adversity.

Articles
In the Guys Column Don’t Be a Time Thief Rich Richardson encourages men to stop stealing time from God and live like God owns our calendars.

In the Girls Column Raunch Culture, pt 2 Carolyn McCulley concludes her look at Raunch Culture with a God-glorifying view of God’s gift of sex and sexuality.

In the Music & Media Column Musical Success in Three Simple Steps Bob Kauflin gives some simple steps for musicians to be successful. But the steps aren’t so simple and “success” might need to be redefined.

In the Website of the Month Column GospelTranslations.org we take a look at the work of Gospel Translations and its mission to use the technology behind Wikipedia to get doctrinally solid books and resources to those in developing countries that could never otherwise afford them.

The single largest expense of the conference is the sound, lighting, and video production.

Consider: you are given a hall with absolutely nothing in it and told to come up with a plan to so that several thousand people can hear and see everything. You need to negotiate with the sound contractor, lighting contractor, video contractor, the convention center labor unions, and ensure they are all coordinated. Oh, and as well as looking good, it needs to comply with the convention center’s rules and regulations, as well as state and federal codes and laws.

Please pray for Darryl Wenger who is heading this up (and has done this for every Na conference we have had). Last week we informed him that because of the economy and the impact it is having on us all, he needs to cut the budget (even though some costs have risen). Back to the drawing board.

Please pray for Darryl:
  > Wisdom in trying to put together so much with so little to work with
  > Skill in determining what is needed, what can be omitted, and how everything will mesh
  > Favor as he negotiates with multiple contractors and unions
  > Peace that God is with him and has all the grace he needs

So, here I am, sitting in my wonderfully comfy office and the Next09 Promo is behind me.  I thought now, with hindsight on my side, it would be a good time to take you on a journey through the history of New Attitude / Next Promos.  Ready?  Let’s go!

—— NEXT ‘09 ——

YOU TUBE LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uThysLOeLY

SYNOPSIS: The zany adventures of three strangers who all receive a mysterious summons leading them on a wacky journey through the city of Baltimore.

DAVID’S THOUGHTS: I would love to hear the conversations in the break room that the Business Man had the following day (possible sequel?).

Co-Worker #1:
So…what exactly happened yesterday?  I mean, one minute you’re working on those spread sheets, the next you’re throwing your phone to the floor and makin’ like a Richard Kimball!*

Co-Worker #2:
Is it true that you collided with the coffee lady on the way out?

Business Man (feeling awkward and slightly embarrassed):
Yeah…um…there is a very logical explanation to all of that…

* NOTE: If you don’t know who Richard Kimball is, ask your parents about a TV show called “The Fugitive”

—— NEW ATTITUDE ’08 ——

YOU TUBE LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOeXPAzA6rg

SYNOPSIS: Joshua Harris and Eric Simmons happen upon a long forgotten barn and find themselves locked in an epic battle to save the free world…while discussing the history of Na.

DAVID’S THOUGHTS: Some viewers thought it odd…two pastors discussing a conference in a barn.  I say…pure, unadulterated genius!

—— NEW ATTITUDE ’07 ——

YOU TUBE LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nPPp30ebkA&feature=related

SYNOPSIS: An “in your face”, gritty, unflinching look at New Attitude!

DAVID’S THOUGHTS: This promo has a lot in common with Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King…I thought I’d reached the end only to discover that I had three more endings to go!  In all seriousness, I love this promo.  Two years old and it still makes me want to go to Na ’07!

I hope you enjoyed this history lesson.  And I hope watching these vids is getting you pumped for NEXT!  My wife and I are going to be Ninjas (or whatever they will be called) and we’re so excited!

The theme of this year’s conference is the person and work of Jesus Christ. We want to highlight the saving work of Jesus by having people share their conversion testimonies at the general sessions of the conference. As we all come to meet Jesus again, we want to hear how Jesus has met you and changed your life, whether it was 40 years ago or last week. If you would be willing to stand up and share your conversion story, please e-mail it to next-AT-sovgracemin.org.

C. H. Spurgeon said: No man can do me a truer kindness in this world than to pray for me.

Want to be kind to us?

Then please pray for us.

On Friday morning, 10:30am to noon (EST), Grant Layman, Brian Whalen, Bethany Gill and Paul Medler will have their regular Friday morning Next planning meeting. We need the Holy Spirit’s guidance and wisdom as we discuss various aspects of the conference.

And starting next week, each Monday we will post suggestions on how you can pray for the speakers or promotions or ninjas (or whatever we call them) or Community Group Leaders or worship bands or yourself, etc.

Here’s a request for all my blogging friends. We just created a bunch of buttons and banners that can be placed on your blog’s header or sidebar. Would you consider posting one on your site to help us tell more people about the conference? Thanks for your help!

Don’t forget that tomorrow, March 4, is the deadline for our Naming of the Ninjas Contest!

Without giving away too much, I’ll just say that at this point it’s still anyone’s game.

Send your ideas to next-AT-sovgracemin.org by midnight tomorrow.

So…it’s easy to talk about having fundraisers, right? But…where do you start??

Check this out, Melinda Pino from Palm Vista Community Church has helped organized several over the years. We thought it just might be helpful for you to hear from her:

“For the singles at Palm Vista Community Church we need no promo T-shirts, fancy stickers, or colorful flyers….we start planning for Next MONTHS before registration even opens. In fact, we have this unspoken ‘no single left behind’ policy which has been made possible through our fund-raising tactics and God’s faithfulness! These past three years we’ve raised money through cleaning houses, moving people, and most of all through our famous Next ~ Singles fundraising GARAGE SALES! These times have not only served to grow our faith in the Lord’s providing financially but it’s also a great bonding time between the singles.

“Here’s how it works. We have the ‘Muscle Man’ team to move all the big items, our marketing team to dress up as super heroes and stand on the street corner holding signs that say ‘HUGE GARAGE SALE,’ and our sales people. Each sales person shows up at 6am and is assigned a category; clothes, toys, electronics, etc. which they are in charge of setting up and selling to our customers (as you can see this has become quite the organized event). This past garage sale went so well and we’ve been able to sponsor many singles so that our ‘No Single Left Behind’ policy remains strong. Praise the Lord!”

Thanks, Melinda, for your and your church’s hard work in organizing these events! If you have questions for Melinda or any of the “super-hero” PVCC team, please leave a comment.  Here are some pictures from the PVCC garage sale. Enjoy!

On Thursday, with the help of Brian Whalen, Grant Layman and Dave Mackenzie, I recorded a 60-second radio spot for Next 2009. It was just me sharing the vision of the conference and talking about the content of the sessions. The goal is to get the word out about Next to the Baltimore/Washington, DC region via radio. This is the first time we’ve ever tried this kind of advertising and we have a very limited budget. Please pray that God will use the spots to help us reach people. 

One cool thing about the ad, is that we used an instrumental track from the Jeremy White-produced album Asleep in a Storm. Do you remember that album? We released it at Na a few years ago. Anyway, we used the Valley of Vision remix song as background music. It sounded really good. Maybe we’ll be able to post the ad here in the future. 

If you’re a fan of the guys that produced the Next Promo Video, David Altrogge and Mike Hartnett of Vinegar Hill Pictre, then check out this interview they did with Breakpoint.

Here’s what Breakpoint said about them:

“David Altrogge and Michael Hartnett are the leading principals of an innovative video production and graphic design company called Vinegar Hill Picture Works, with offices in Pittsburgh and Gaithersburg, Md. They specialize in short videos for commercial and church clients but also conceive and produce their own films with a redemptive Christian message.

What’s striking about this duo is that they really seem to live out that redemptive message they wish to convey in their various works. For there is a third musketeer, one Ian Murphy, who collaborated in earlier films with Altrogge. Murphy was in a near fatal car accident in 2006 but has been progressing in a long recovery, one inspired by his faith in Jesus.”

In the interview they discuss how their company started, why they got into filmmaking, what each of them does, and what films they plan to make in the future. Hear the interview (scroll down to bottom of the page).

And if you want to see more videos from David, Mike, and Vinegar Hill just visit their website.

On a personal note, I love these guys. They are two of the most godly, creative, hilarious, and odd people I’ve ever met. Way to go guys.

If you’ve attended New Attitude in the past several years, you know about Ninjas. You know how these are the people that provide you with the bread and water of life each morning in the form of doughnuts and coffee. You know how they love to give out prizes, or tell you where to go when you’re lost, or answer any questions that you have. And you know how they serve tirelessly throughout the conference to make your experience as an attendee more enjoyable.

If you have not attended in the past, these Ninjas are young married couples who are willing to forego normally attending the conference in order to serve you. They are on site for the duration of the conference, volunteering days of their time with the sole purpose of caring for you.

But Toto, we’re not in New Attitude anymore. New Attitude is now Next. And Ninjas are now…

Actually, we don’t know, and we want your help to figure it out. So it is with great anticipation and expectation that I introduce to you the NAMING OF THE NINJAS contest. It’s quite simple, really. You think about what these people should be called and send me an e-mail with your suggestion. If we like your name best, you win. Winning will land you one of the coveted t-shirts worn by the people-formerly-known-as-Ninjas, the opportunity to be an honorary person-formerly-known-as-a-Ninja for a day, and the fame and prestige of showing up on this blog. There is no limit to how many ideas you can submit; we want to hear everything you’ve got.

E-mail your suggestions by March 4, 2009 to next-AT-sovgracemin.org.

Trying to decide whether to drive or fly… or even catch a train?

Parking in Baltimore is not cheap.  The average cost is probably $25 a day. Cheaper parking can be found further out but those are not good areas.

We are endeavoring to get discounted parking rates but since the convention center and the hotels are right there with Camden Yards (Orioles baseball) and M&T Bank Stadium (Ravens football), the city may not play ball with our small group. But we’ll try our best.

Most people call me Brew. The only people who call me Dave are my sisters and my mom, so unless you are one of them, please call me Brew.

I love my job. I am the youth pastor at Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, MD (aka: “The church Josh leads”). The families in this church are wonderful, and I love teaching God’s word to them.

I have four awesome kids…3 girls and 1 boy. Needless to say, my one son needs a lot of “man time.” I am married to my best friend, Jen. Her and I met in high school and started dating in college. We married in 1998, and 10 yrs later, here we are. As for what I do when I have free time, if you read the sentences right before this one, you’ll understand why I don’t have any free time. 

I’ll be leading the community groups at Next. These are groups that form at different times during the conference, and are designed to equip you to apply the truth of God’s word to your lives. It is our desire that you walk away from Next with clear direction on what the next step should be for you. These times are designed for you. So jump in and get involved!

I’ll see you at Next.

We’ve uploaded the Next 2009 Promo Video onto YouTube so that you can easily share it on your blog or your Facebook page.

Click here to get the YouTube Version.

When I think of Next (formerly New Attitude), so many memories flood my mind.

_I love seeing the people I met at the last conference and kept in touch with all through the year.

_I love the fun memories made on the way there and on the way home.

_I love the excitement of wondering about what they might have thought up this year – how the bookstore will look, the stage, what new arrangements might be used with familiar songs, how they’ll use drama this year and of course what the ice breaker will be in my community group THIS time. 

_I love being able to go for days with nothing to do but read the Word, worship, take notes, discuss with friends and grab a cup of daily Starbucks (ohhk, or two =).

But here we are, in February, with approximately 90 days left until the first session begins…there is so much anticipation because THIS conference has not yet happened! We have so much to look forward to!

And yet…let’s not forget what God has done at previous conferences. What are YOUR memories? What do YOU remember when you think of Next?