NEXT

If someone were to ask me what my favorite part of the Next conference was, I would be stumped. How can you have a favorite? The teaching is stellar, the fellowship unbelievable, the morning devotions are helpful/instructive, and the memories are unforgettable!

However, there is an aspect of the conference that I do anticipate… undistracted time worshipping my Savior. The cares of life seem small and distractions seem less. These times have often been characterized by sweet fellowship, careful caring, and gentle correction with/by my Heavenly Father.  Magnifying the Creator with over 2,000 fellow Christians; it doesn’t get any better this side of Heaven.

If you’ve never attended a Next conference, I hope this video whets your appetite. And if you’ve attended Next, watch the video anyways!  You can never get enough of God-centered lyrics and passionate worship!

By This We Know Love from Sovereign Grace Ministries on Vimeo.

Which conference speaker watches that PBS program where people bring stuff from their dusty attics to a showroom, only to find out that Uncle John’s tin can belonged to Stonewall Jackson and is worth $12-14 grand?

Which conference speaker has a preacher-squirrel figurine in his study named ‘Whitefield’?

Mark Dever is back this year.  [Insert outbreak of cheers]  I’m sure we could list off a bunch of things - 9 would be a great number for such a list - about this prospect that excite us.  To keep this brief, I’ll just include a finger sampling (thumb not included). Mark’s sermons and writings regularly edify my soul and have helped me ...

1. ...grow in my love for God’s Word.  I’ve been going through his book, The Message of the Old Testament, this year.  It has been immensely helpful.  I love how he helps me to see the big picture - how each biblical book relates to the overall movement of God’s purposes in salvation.
2. ...see how the gospel is our message for the world and for each other, as fellow Christians.  It is all our evangelism, all our counsel, our stability in suffering, our motivation for obedience, and our confidence and hope for the future.
3. ...realize that rigorous study of Scripture and a passion to evangelize are not mutually exclusive.  I love hearing how Mark intentionally looks for ways to go to the same Subway and the same barber so that over time he can share the good news with those who don’t know Christ.
4. ...cultivate gratefulness for the everyday glories of being a part of the local church.  Again these aren’t unique to Mark, among the main session speakers, but here again, this man loves the local church.  I’ve heard Mark give dozens of messages.  I’ve only heard him get “choked up” twice:  once while he was reading a quote from Charles Spurgeon on the experience of caring for church members who were on the brink of death.  The other was when Mark told his audience (at a seminary) that that coming weekend he would be celebrating 15 years of ministry at Capitol Hill Baptist Church.  His heart for the people and sense of gratefulness to God for the privilege of serving them continue to affect me deeply.

Well that’s enough from me.  Some favorite Dever sermons/book/article/interview recommends are most welcome here. Whatcha got?

Hello NEXT blog readers:),

Hope you all are getting excited for the conference. Paul and his team cannot be thanked enough for all that they are doing. In fact, you can always leave a comment on his last post to encourage and express your gratitude.

Here is a little twist on ways to promote NEXT. How about promoting NEXT in your heart. Yes that sounds a little cheesy, however we can begin preparing our hearts now for what the Lord has to teach us at the conference. Isn’t it exciting that God WANTS to bless us and reveal himself to us? In faith we can anticipate the good in store that the Lord has for us.  So, in preparing our hearts, we can begin praying for the conference-asking the Lord to meet us and show us more of himself.

But why stop there-why not gather with the others in your church who are going to NEXT? In the past the NEXT “goers” here at Kingsway Community Church have gathered a couple times a month for lunch and then prayer. NEXT “wingdings” could be as simple as meeting at Chipotles to share what you desire to learn at the conference or gathering for a time to specifically pray for each other and the conference. Not only will this build closer relationships among NEXT “goers”, but it will serve to prepare our own hearts. So, drop a comment and let me know if you have done any sort of NEXT wingding in the past and how the Lord used those times.

Signing off for now with only 127 days until NEXT 2010!

Organizing a conference isn’t that difficult. Remembering to organize everything—there’s the challenge (especially for those among us who are…well, let’s say, more mature)!

One moment we are drawing up a detailed floor plot of the main session hall to send for the approval of the Fire Marshall—the next moment we are making a note to buy extra AAA batteries for the headset mic.

One moment we are arranging the travel and lodging for the speakers— the next moment we are talking with local Police because the Orioles have a game next door during the conference.

One moment we are recruiting Community Group Leaders—the next moment we are asking someone to drive the rental truck.

One moment we are discussing what book titles to have in the bookstore—the next moment we are ensuring that we have got adequate insurance coverage.

One moment we are making a list of all the signs we need to design and manufacture—the next moment we are responding to the many people offering to serve throughout the conference.

One moment we are renting two-way radios—the next moment we are drawing up the Session Schedule so everyone knows what’s happening when.

One moment we are checking on the hours Starbucks will be open—the next moment we are preparing a packing list.

One moment we are asking IT to provide a printer onsite—the next moment we are negotiating the contracts for Next 2011 and 2012.

You get the picture.

Oh, it’s fun!  We love it. But we want to be sure that in the midst of all the planning and the details, we are not doing what we like/want, but what God has for those attending. We want all the details set so no one attending is distracted by something we miss or get wrong. And above all, we want our labors to be pleasing to God.

Please pray for us (and especially for Grant Layman and Paul Medler as they meet most Friday mornings to plan the logistics).

Hello! I am back!

I want to help give you ideas and get you excited about getting other people excited about NEXT!
Not that I assume you are already ecstatic about Next - but here you are reading this blog post and commenting on it telling me how excited you are! (hint hint)

THE BOOTH. You should have received a promo packet. Now, I don’t know about you, but if I am walking through the lobby in my church’s building and I pass a table with some papers spread out, I don’t usually notice it. I figure most people are the same, so how are we supposed to get people excited about something if they just walk right past the only info available and not even know it? I’m guessing level of anticipation will not be growing.
So here’s your and my job! Talk to you pastor/administrator/groupleader or whoever’s permission is needed. And then get creative! Maybe you have a planning or decorating team in your church. Come up with cool ways to set up your table, so that it will actually make people stop and look at it.

Some ideas: (and be sure to check out previous posts for a lot of fantastic ideas)
- Find a way to incorporate the “NEXT” name/log where it’s big and beautiful.
- Include photos; if you’re church has gone in the past, maybe find some group shots in front of the big “NA” or “NEXT” signs.
- Personalize it; maybe a few people can write a paragraph or so on how God used NEXT/Na as a tool in their life, or maybe a memorable/hilarious story. (ie. “So we all decided to walk to White Castle for a midnight meal and…”)
- Prayer Cards; Jessica mentioned prayer cards. These could be huge in getting even people who aren’t going to be able to make it involved.
- Bulletin board/news; an area to post important dates or info about the conference on here (ie. Deadline to register, fundraising dinner, prayer meeting, etc)

My last point: start talking about it.
I found out last year that telling people one, even two months in advance is not enough (especially with college students). This year I started telling people about the conference in the middle of last semester. If your friends hear from you how you have been personally affected by the word taught, the worship times, the fellowship, the small groups (big one for me!), or just dedicating a few days to spend with the Lord, they’re going to be more interested. I want to get people excited because I know how refreshing and amazing this conference is - I want them to experience it too!

Now I leave you with a photo of my awesome sister, Alli, who has been a huge part of getting our booth prepared for our lobby!
(and no, the lion&lamb shirt was not planned) =)

Leave comments about your ideas, too!

I always enjoy those moments when I run across somebody that enjoys their job as much as I do. And there’s always a connection when you discover that you both work in the same field and that you are both Christians. There’s nothing like talking about one’s job with another believer who has the same vocation. If you are attending Next 2010, than get ready to meet a lot of people in your field. This year we will be taking one afternoon to hold what we call Affinity Groups. We’re really excited about the opportunity for you to meet people who love the Savior and who work in a field that is similar to yours.

We want your ideas! What Affinity Group would you like to see? We’ve had many suggestions (see below) and we’re looking forward to having many more.

• Administrative church staff
• Artists
• Actors
• Business
• Doctors
• Engineering
• Graphic Designers
• Journalism
• Law Enforcement
• Legal
• Music
• Non-Profit Worker
• Nursing
• Politics
• Scientists
• Teachers
• Writers

So, what would you add to the list? You can submit your ideas HERE.

*Disclaimer* Our desire is to have as many groups as space permits. However, we may not be able to do all the groups above or ones yet to be submitted. Thank you for your understanding!

How much do I love the Next conference? Let me count the ways. Six of them to be exact.

• Dynamite, lights-out, oh no you didn’t, preaching. Imagine sitting under incredible, Bible-saturated, heart-stirring preaching for three days. Okay, now stop imagining it and go to Next where you’ll actually experience it.
• Getting free coffee and doughnuts each morning from the Courtesy Ninjas. Nothing says “I Love You” like a free doughnut. Actually, a hug and $100 dollars says it pretty well too, but besides that, nothing beats a free doughnut.
• Late night conversations with friends about all that God is doing in your life. There’s something special about being awake at 3 A.M. and chatting with friends about the majesty of Jesus.
• Needing to tape both your eyelids open because you stayed up until 3 A.M. the previous night.
• Joining thousands of other people in loud, raucous, joyful worship to the Creator of the Universe.
• And finally (and if this doesn’t convince you, nothing will)...the possibility that some of you may meet your future spouse at the conference. Come on, I just said what everyone else was thinking.

That’s why I love Next. Why do you love it?

I checked my Next 2010 countdown today. I can’t believe it. There are only 136 days before the conference begins.  And there are only 123 days left to register. That’s right, registration closes on May 16th. If you can afford to register now, I’d encourage you to do so. It only takes a couple of minutes and your space is reserved. No more worries, no more calendar reminders, no more friends reminding you to register! You can just sit back, follow the blog, and spend the next 19 weeks anticipating (and praying for) the conference!

For those of you who are saving your pennies, never fear. Registration will not increase until April 1st. If you’re looking for creative ways to raise money, check back often. Our creative, ninja-esque bloggers will be posting ways to save and raise money for Next.  Here is our Next saving tip of the day:

Cut out one Starbucks drink a week. In 19 weeks you’ll save around $75!

136 days
3272 hours
196358 minutes
...until Next 2010!!!

We love it when folks come up with Next ideas. We recently discovered someone has designed Next wallpaper for the iPhone. Great idea, Josh. Thanks for promoting Next!!!

Want the wallpaper? Click HERE.

...to get the word out? We want to know what you are doing to tell your world about Next 2010!

Are you stumped? Are you looking for ideas? Stay tuned. Over the next month our team of bloggers will be giving you their tips, ideas, and suggestions. Check back often, we’ll be posting a lot.

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Here are a couple of ideas that my church does every year:





Set-up a promo booth for the month of January. We’ve asked one person or several of the singles and young marrieds who have attended Next to “man” the booth and get people excited about the conference.


Involve the entire church. We hand out Pray for Next!!! cards. As our church family comes in, we hand one card to each family. We ask our church to put the card on their fridge as a reminder to pray for the conference and those attending.


Have a Next Sunday. We take one Sunday in the month of January and designate it as our Next Sunday. We ask all of the singles and young marrieds (who have attended previous conferences) to wear their Next/Na t-shirts. During announcements one of our pastors will remind the congregation of the conference, give details, talk about our promo booth, ask everyone to pray, and then he will have everyone who has attended the conference stand up. It is a great way to encourage the entire church to pray.


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Please comment and let us know how you are promoting Next!

141 days…

We’re only 142 days out from NEXT so it’s time to make some noise!  I’m sure more ideas for buzz-creation will be rolling out from the blog in coming weeks.  For now, here are some orthodox, and a few not-so-orthodox, ways to stir things up.

The Church Promo Booth
A staple in Paul Medler’s Promo 101 course, the Church Promo Booth is where everything must start.  It can be quite effective in getting the word out and creating buzz.  Basic needs:  2 or 3 people who would be able to pass out information, answer questions, and be excited about Next.  A table.  Next promo packs.  Tape.  Some kind of backing board with Next stuff on it.  Sign up list.  A pen.  Permission from your pastor.

From there, create an email distribution list, a facebook group, and send out regular updates of who’s signed up so far, inform them of deadlines, flight costs, link the latest webzine articles/blogs, link some previous conference sermons or videos from corporate worship at Next, etc.  Make it fun.

Get Your T-Shirts!
T-shirts are always a great way to get the word out about the conference, especially if you do some giveaways.  Give them away at the end of singles or college ministry meetings.  Keep it in front of people so they don’t forget and lose interest.

Connect With Other Local Churches
Contact other churches and see if they’re interested in going, passing along the word, or joining your group to attend Next.

Make A Music Video
Create some theme related to your church’s trek to Baltimore.  Choreograph a line dance?  (Be careful not to hurt yourself.)  Make a music video.  Actually, a few years back we did this.  We made a theme, t-shirts (“follow Brad”), rewrote the words to Stayin’ Alive, overdubbed vocals, invited the church to a local park, and made a music video.  The hardest part was getting everyone to walk, in tempo, to the song.

Cardboard Standee
Make a “let’s go meet Paul Medler” lifesize cardboard standee with Paul’s picture.  Super-impose a backpack on him.  Staple thumbnail pics of everybody who registers to Paul’s backpack.

Leverage the Power-Suffix: “-O-Rama”
Like it’s predecessor “vaganza”, this suffix repays huge dividends in promotions.  If you don’t know how to create a cool name for some promotions-idea just add “orama” and change the font.  This alone will likely double your church attendance.

Admittedly the ideas began to spiral downward there at the end.  Hopefully more and better ones will be forthcoming.  Go make that Booth-o-rama!

What goes into planning a conference?  Probably a lot more than you would think. It’s not rocket science, but it involves a lot of different elements.

At the moment we are working on:

• promotion to people outside of Sovereign Grace

• blog

• promo video

• volunteers (ushers, ninjas, bookstore, intercessory prayer team, etc.)

• affinity groups

• worship

• community groups

• sound, lighting, video

• a host of logistical details

• (And we’re also negotiating contracts for Next 2011 and 2012.)

The Apostle Paul said, “I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10). In no way am I comparing any of us to the Apostle Paul!  But if he was aware of the working—of the need—of God’s grace, how much more do we need it?!

As you think of it, please pray for the Next team as we are, on a daily basis, working on the conference. We’ll do our part, but we are dependent on God and his grace.

First off, let me get the readers/fellow bloggers to weigh in on a substantive debate that has been going on down here in New Orleans for a couple of years now.

Remember the Joshua Harris/Eric Simmons dance off?  Who won?  I would wager that for many veteran Nexters this would have to be included in the ultimate “Nextattitude” highlight reel (preferably with some slow mo effects).  I’d like to see an up close replay because it looked like both Josh and Eric might have snuck a bottom-lip-bite somewhere in there, which would be a two point deduct.  Anyway, for my part, Josh’s spin move was unexpected and his footwork was good.  Eric was more agile than I would’ve imagined.  I kept waiting for him to pull out the old MC Hammer “typewriter”.  Had he done that he might have sealed a win in my book.

Mere opinions, these.

On this point, however, I’m think I’m on firmer ground.  This conference would not be the same without Joshua Harris.  There has never been a time he has spoken where I haven’t come away grateful to God for the discernment He gives to Josh in planning and leading this conference.  Clearly the conference themes weren’t all pre-set 10 years ago.  Josh seems to approach Next with a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other.  He characteristically brings God’s Word to where people are.  Biblically rigorous and culturally attuned, Josh helps people put handles on truth and I think he does this with unsurpassed effectiveness.

I’m thinking of epic conference messages like “Holiness is a Harvest” and “Blind Bartimaeus (... and the Savior Who Stops For One)” - messages that help us see God’s glory and the relevance of biblical truth for our everyday lives.

This could be a very long post, so I’ll just say one more thing.  One of the things I would miss the most were Josh to duck out of Next (say, to become a professional dancer ... or maybe not), would be the way he closes each meeting - identifying one or two points from the message and helping us think towards application.  Even if Josh never spoke for a main session - which is unthinkable - his pastoral sensitivity and the way he reminds us of grace and helps us to take new steps toward growth has had a transforming effect on my life and many others.  The conference doesn’t feel like a series of sermons, albeit biblical and stirring ones.  Josh does a wonderful job of balancing the celebration and gladness and laughter that are part of the Christian experience along with reminding us that these are not just “meetings”.  They are holy moments in which God through His Word addresses us, reminds us of His promises in the gospel, and equips us for a life of worship and mission.

We have been busy updating our Facebook page, posting on the blog and giving you all the 2010 conference information. And while all of this was happening, our Twitter page was feeling lonely and forgotten. We have been getting requests from loyal followers, “Please update the thisisnext page.” So for all you Twitter Followers, Next is back on Twitter! Check us out: http://twitter.com/thisisnext.

We read thousands of words each day. If you’re reading this chances are you’ve already read a few blogs, a news article, and a Facebook news feed today. So why take time to read more words on the webzine? Because they’re not words about sports or politics or new tech; they’re words about God’s Words.

This month we’re featuring articles and excerpts about the Doctrine of Scripture (basically, “what the Bible says on the topic of the Bible”). They’re meant to give you a renewed understanding of how valuable God’s Words are–how much God’s Words stand out in a sea of twitter feeds and storefront displays.  They’re by men like R.C. Sproul, John Piper, and David Powlison.

And good news: each article is around 500 words (or less). That’s less than half a page. You can read that.

This is going to be the format for each month leading up to the conference this year. Each month we’ll take one of the upcoming message topics and pull together the best stuff we can find on the subject. Then we’ll try to find 500 words from each of those resources (definitely not an easy job). Life is busy and time is limited, but we hope that if you spend a few minutes reading through these short excerpts you’ll come away loving Jesus and your Bible better. Our hope is that these articles won’t just be head knowledge, but will help us use Scripture to shape our lives to honor Christ. I love the way Josh says it in his new book: “Theology matters because if we get it wrong then our whole life will be wrong.” These short webzines are just one way to try to get theology right.

Read the introduction to this month’s webzine or jump straight into the articles.