Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

two of the easiest creativity tools ever

Jan 27, 2012

My Twitter WordcloudHow often have you been putting together a presentation, handout, or promo piece and you wanted a cool graphic? If you are like me, you want a cool graphic, but you don’t always have time to create one, the talent to create one, or the money to pay someone else to create one. So…when I come across a tool that creates cool graphics – and it’s free! – I get pretty excited.

Yesterday I was listening to Matt Guevara (@mattguevara) talk about teaching digital learners. Toward the end, he just listed out a bunch of what he called “random Lego pieces” that anyone could use. Websites. Apps. Books.

Two that were fascinating to me were Wordle and Tagxedo. As you can see from the picture above, they are “wordcloud” creators. You input anything – words, Twitter name, blog article, etc. – and hit “submit.” It is literally that easy. Wordle is the more basic of the two. Less options…but also very clean and very cool. Tagxedo is, as Matt said, “Wordle on steriods". Want to change the shape? No problem. Want to change the color scheme? Got ya covered. Want to get rid of one of the words? Easy as pie. Want to save it, print it, or share it on Facebook/Twitter/etc.? Just a click away.

For the record, the above wordcloud was created using Tagxedo in about three minutes by simply typing in my twitter handle (@keithferrin), selecting a different color scheme, and changing the shape. I could see so many uses for this.

Oh…and did I mention they are both free? Enjoy.

How are you going to use Wordle and Tagxedo? What other free creativity tools have you found?

Share

what if reading could change your life in four months?

Jan 6, 2012

CalendarIn 2010, I started the year with one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Several of us spent January through April reading through the Bible – Genesis to Revelation. (Yes…in 4 months!) I can say that – without exception – each person found it more enjoyable, more beneficial, and easier than we ever hoped. So…we’re doing it again! And I want you to join me.

The parameters are very simple:
1. Commit to reading the whole Bible by May 6th.
2. Read with a pen in your hand – either underlining or taking notes in a journal.
3. Find people to meet with. This is crucial. Commit to getting together every week to share what you’ve underlined and what "conversations" you’ve had with God about His Word. (If you live in the Seattle area, let me know and you can join us.)

That’s it. This is not a prayer time (though prayer is good). This is not a Bible study per se (though Bible Study is good). This is not a discussion (though discussion in good). We’re simply reading the Bible, then getting together to share what God has said to us.

You will be changed. It’s hard to guarantee something like that, but here’s what I am willing to do. If you take – and complete – the challenge and it does NOT significantly impact your life and faith, let me know and I will send you any three of my products for free.

FYI: There are about 130 days between now and May 6th. That’s about 9-10 chapters a day. Reading out loud (which I highly recommend) at a normal pace, it’ll take you about 40-50 minutes a day. Tough? Yes. Doable. Definitely. Valuable? Absolutely! It would be a good idea to simply set a goal for the amount of time to spend each day, as opposed to having your goal be to read 10 chapters. It will seem much less like a chore and more like "sitting down to read a good book." (Which it is, by the way!)

Have you ever read the Bible – all the way through? What was your experience?

Share

community lived out

Jun 14, 2011

I spent this last weekend with a very unique – and very cool – church community in Bowling Green, Kentucky. They simply refer to themselves as The Church at Bowling Green. Hmmm…sounds a lot like The Church at Ephesus, or Philippi, or Colossae.

I had been there a couple times before, but I was reminded again why I like visiting so much. They take the whole “community” idea very, very seriously. It almost feels weird to use the word seriously to describe how they go about building and developing community. It is so woven into the fabric of who they are that it doesn’t seem like something they have to seriously think about much. They just do it.

Here’s what I mean. Just like at Creekside, they meet in a school. When I got there 30 minutes early I saw the familiar sight of people setting up and getting ready. The first thing I noticed was that they actually set up the schools tables instead of just chairs. And they set them up “in the round.” They sat, stood, and sung looking at each other. Engaged with each other.

There was music – all acappella – and announcements and a time of open sharing and praying for each other. I was introduced and shared the first part of Romans. Then there was the Lord’s Supper (which they do every week). And it lasted 20 minutes. Not because there was quiet music and personal prayer. It lasted 20 minutes because they gather around the tables, pour each other glasses of grape juice, break off chunks of bread, and have a meal together. They talk about the Lord’s Supper. They have conversations about whatever has been shared that morning. What they are learning…struggling with…trying to apply.

At that point – and all the kids have returned from classes by now to share in the meal – I continued with the last five chapters of Romans. A couple more songs and people were dismissed. But not to go home (although a few did). They were dismissed to set out all the food for lunch. Every week – yep, you heard that correctly – they have a potluck lunch and eat together. And they don’t eat and run. They stay. They talk. They laugh.

They start at 10am and the last few families typically trickle out about 2:30 in the afternoon. This happens every week. That night we gathered again to talk about Like Ice Cream (my book about helping the next generation fall in love with God’s Word). About 60 people came back – 20 of whom were little kids. It was a little noisy, but it was beautiful. I loved it. And they brought ice cream (also beautiful!) so they could stay and hang out and be together some more.

Oh…and I guess about four of the families hadn’t had enough time together, because they all went out afterward (about 8:30pm) to a Mexican restaurant for another 90 minutes. More food. More laughing. More sharing. More…well…community.

Yes…this was a wonderful weekend.

Where have you seen community lived out?

Share

sermon on the mount dvd at the printer!

Nov 11, 2010

slider_sotm-2 copy

This has been a good week. Got some writing done. Saw the next draft of my new book’s cover. Kari is home from vacation with her mom and sisters. (All is right with the Ferrin Five again.) And my first DVD got the “go ahead” and is being duplicated right now. Yes…it’s been a good week.

Here is a 2-minute clip from the DVD…

You can read more by clicking here.

Or if you know you want one right away, I’m offering a pre-order special through the end of the month. Buy the DVD now for $15 and as soon as we get it (no later than Dec. 1st I’m told) we’ll ship it to you with no extra for tax or S&H! Just click the big picture at the top of this post and it’ll take you right to the store.

There is no limit to the number of DVDs/orders for this special so feel free to share this, tweet this, blog about it, or post the special (and the promo video for that matter) on Facebook.

Share

sharing Christ with your ears

Nov 2, 2010

hand to ear
I was at an interesting event this morning. It was a panel discussion on sharing our faith in everyday life. Truthfully, most of it was stuff I’d heard before. That said, there were two things that really stuck out to me, both along the same lines. The first was something said by Jim Henderson – founder of Off The Map . Here’s what he said,

“Instead of just telling people about Jesus, how about putting something in your mouth and doing evangelism with your ears.”

Lovely. I’ve also heard it put this way. God gave us two ears and one mouth. Take the hint. 

The other nugget for the morning came from Monty Hipp – founder and president of The C4 Group . He shared the process he goes through to try to live this principle out in his life. He talked about growing up in the Midwest where an “F5” was a tornado of powerful force. He has taken the F5 concept and says that a powerful force in building relationships and showing people the love of Christ is to ask them about these five areas of their lives:

  1.  
    1. Tell me about what you do for fun.
    2. Tell me about your family.
    3. Tell me about your friends.
    4. Tell me about what you’re focusing on right now.
    5. Tell me about what you see for your future.

What would happen if we actually asked people about these five areas of their life and then did something crazy…we listened? Gotta say I think it would be life-changing.

Image: Yaron Jeroen van Oostrom / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Share

book review: outlive your life (max lucado)

Sep 10, 2010

By page 4 I had already put my pen to use. Here The first sentences I marked?  

“It’s not enough for you to do well. You want to do good. You want your life to matter. You want to live in such a way that the world will be glad you did.”

Any book that forces me to think about using my life to serve others instead of just hunkering down in middle-class suburban comfort is a book I need. Outlive Your Life: You Were Made to Make A Difference, by Max Lucado is just such a book.

It’s not just a “get off your butt and do something” book (though there is enough of that to be helpful). It’s a book that incorporates both how we can do that and what attitude we can and should do it with. The practicality of Lucado’s content – not to mention the discussion and action guide – are helpful in turning the challenge into action.

Most helpful for me was the chapter on humility and attitude entitled Remember Who Holds You. These words wouldn’t let my eyes continue down the page:

“We can rise too high but can never stoop to low. What gift are you giving that he did not first give? What truth are you teaching that he didn’t first teach? You love. But who loved you first? You serve. But who served the most? What are you doing for God that he could not do alone?” (pg 118)

In Lucado’s wordsmithing, storytelling ways, he guides the reader through pages that encourage, challenge, and inspire. Do I recommend this book? Absolutely. But be warned: The reading of this book might make you actually…ahem…DO something.

Share

is your marketing sending the wrong message?

Aug 30, 2010

I read an article in the Seattle Times  yesterday that had me thinking about marketing. Usually, I try to notice how others are doing it and how to do it better. This one got me wondering about the times when the amount – and type – of marketing we do actually takes away from the purpose of what we are marketing.

The article was about the Heisman Trophy . For any non-college-football-lovers out there, the Heisman Trophy is the honor given to the top college football player each year. At least that’s what it is supposed to be. Over the last several decades it has become all about which school will spend the most money to come up with the best marketing campaign for their particular player.

Here is the line that pointed out the essence of what made me scratch my head (and feel a little sick to my stomach):

Back in 1970, Notre Dame convinced a willing, young, talented quarterback named Joe Theismann (once pronounced Thees-man), an all-American and all-Academic All-American, to change his name so it rhymed with Heisman.

Seriously? All these years I – and the rest of the sports world – have been pronouncing a guy’s name incorrectly due to marketing for an award that is supposed to reward talent?!?! (Joe took 2nd by the way behind Jim Plunkett. So there.)

Of course, I also started wondering if any of the marketing I do actually takes away from what the purpose of That You May Know Ministries  really is.

Don’t get me wrong. Marketing is vitally important. After all, if no one knows you exist, it’s hard to serve, train, or help them. But when the goal of the marketing is simply the promotion of self something has gone terribly awry. Here ends today’s rant.

What messages is your marketing sending?

Read full article here.

Share

water balloons + camera = creativity

Aug 23, 2010

I love it when people put their creative juices to work. I witnessed this in full bloom last month. My family was with me when I spoke for a week at Summit View Community Church just across the Columbia River from Portland, OR. One afternoon we all headed into Portland and found a fountain for the kids (and yes, their parents) to play in.

waterballoon1Pretty soon, I saw three guys (Ryan, Danny, and Brian) walk up with a camera and a cooler filled with water balloons. As a former youth pastor, I can sense the presence of water balloons. Combine water balloons with a camera and I’m all in.

These guys were trying to capture the moment of water explosion – most of the times as it was hitting one of them in the face! Again…I’m all in. So much so that before long I couldn’t help but join in the fun. They asked me to try my hand at throwing the water balloon directly into Ryan’s face. Seriously?!? Without having him punch me or throw one back? I jumped at the chance. In fact, in the picture below you can see my hands.

waterballoon2I asked his permission to share these pictures and he (Ryan) kindly agreed. They went on to take a ton of pictures of not only water balloons, but also themselves – jumping in the air, kicking, or just being silly. These guys were having a blast.

I walked away with a couple thoughts:

Thought 1: Most of us could use a lot more silliness. I think this world would be a lot better off if we saw silliness, fun, and laughter as necessities, instead of kids’ stuff.

Thought 2: Creativity is a beautiful thing. Several times since that day, I have thought back to how much fun these guys were having. Then it hit me…of course they were having fun! They were exploring the creative ability that was woven into them by the truly Creative One.

A friend of mine named C. McNair Wilson spent 10 years as a Disney Imagineer and teaches creativity workshops to corporations worldwide. He put it this way:

“To say you are ‘not creative’ is a lie. Everyone is creative. It just depends on whether – at any given moment – you are actively creative or inactively creative.”

Ryan, Danny, and Brian – Kudos for reminding me of the beauty of active creativity. And thanks for sharing your pics! (see more here)

How have you seen creativity bloom – in you and others?

Share

the new keithferrin.com!

Jul 7, 2010

After a few months of really thinking about what keithferrin.com should and could be today is the day for the new site to go “live.” I had heaps of help from Brian (who has been one of my best friends since 7th Grade and does all my design work for That You May Know Ministries and True Success Coaching) and Bryan (a terrific friend and a guy who’s forgotten more about programming then I will ever know). Massive thanks to these guys. For those of you who saw my previous design, you know it’s not a cliché to say I couldn’t have done this without them. For those of you who haven’t seen my previous design…well…just be thankful.

I’ll write more on each of these over the next week, but the snapshot is that keithferrin.com is going to explore four areas I’m passionate about:

  1. Ministry – This will include some stories, ideas, dreams, and the occasional random thought about both my vocational ministry (That You May Know Ministries) and seeking to live a life of ministry.
  2. Marketing – Specifically, my hope is that small ministries and churches will find ideas here for sharing what they’re doing. After more than 14 years of speaking and traveling, I’ve learned a lot about what not to do – and hopefully – a few helpful ideas as well.
  3. Communication – Most of what I do with True Success Coaching is communication coaching. Helping primarily business people communicate…instead of just talk. This could be ideas on writing, public speaking, PowerPoint, or just crafting a more effective email.
  4. Kingdom stuff – I’m fascinated by God’s Word and saddened by how many of us divorce the Bible from everyday life. These will be thoughts from my own time in the Word as well as stories from the journey.

Please visit often, share your thoughts when you come, and let’s go on this journey together. You in?

Share

silence – golden…and wise.

Mar 18, 2010

Mouth Lying in bed last night I came across this verse in Proverbs 13;

Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

As an admitted talkaholic, this one hit me square in the…well…mouth. I think I know the truth of this. I just don’t practice  it nearly as much as I should. I am trying though.

In fact, I’ve tried something recently when heading into group meetings or discussions. One of the first things I do is look at the clock and make a commitment to not speak for the first 10 minutes. Not a word. Not a question. Not a remark. Nothing. Unless, of course, someone actually asks me a question. (No sense being rude.)

Amazing how much I learn when I just shut up and listen. Amazing how much trouble I can get into when I open my mouth. Especially when no actual thought has gone into what I’m going to say.

Once heard someone say, “God gave you two ears and one mouth. Catch the hint.”

Ouch.

Share