When God Shows Up

Reflections on our LeadNow and Fusion event.



This past weekend I was rocked by something that Francis Chan said. He told a room of 1000 pastors and church leaders that much of our ministry might be powered by our own efforts and not the power of the Holy Spirit. Francis said that he knew how to grow a church — he’s a pretty good speaker, he can lead a talented team of musicians, he knows how to incorporate video, lights, etc. But if Jesus was the pastor of a church in our town — would our church be bigger than Jesus’ church? Would we be able to draw a bigger crowd because we tell them what they WANT to hear and give them an experience that feels good? That’s a head-rattling, heart-stopping thought.

Francis was speaking to the 1000+ leaders at the LeadNow event and then he spoke to the 2000+ at the Fusion Experience. Joining Francis was Erwin McManus, Todd Phillips, Matt Chandler, Marcus Buckingham, Margaret Feinberg and Donald Miller. Based on what Francis said, I want to be careful about how I write about the weekend. Certainly the speakers were top notch and we were thrilled with the attendance and loved being led in music by The Patrick Ryan Clark band and The Robbie Seay Band ... But if all you hear about is the pizzazz then I am afraid I won’t be doing it justice. I believe God showed up. There are three things I believe are evidence of God’s presence this weekend.

1. Bluefish TV and The RightNow Campaign

I am really proud of our team for putting together the LeadNow and Fusion events in Dallas. For over 30 years Bluefish TV has been creating video resources for the church. But for the past nine years there has been an engine that has been guiding the content and mission of our ministry. That engine is The RightNow Campaign. This is a movement to engage the 20 and 30-somethings in the church and challenge them to live out their faith. To put their faith into action. The LeadNow and Fusion events come out of heart of The RightNow Campaign. Donald Miller, Margaret Feinberg, Erwin McManus, Todd Phillips and others are relationships that have started with The RightNow Campaign and then been transferred to Bluefish TV so that these powerful teachers can reach more churches and more people through the DVD resources produced by Bluefish. So this past weekend was a team effort between The RightNow Campaign and Bluefish TV. (We are all in one office and one big happy/messy family.) God’s presence is obvious when the body works together in unity.

2. Like a Broken Record

At every event we work with the speakers to ensure that their teaching falls in line with the topics and themes we are aiming for during the event. But anytime you throw a handful of people on stage and ask them to teach you are bound to to get a little bit of splintering and rabbit trails. This past weekend was like a broken record. The 10 main session messages seemed to coordinate with each other and build off of each other. God’s presence is obvious when many voices bring one message.

3. Faith in Action

We called on the attendees to take tangible steps of action. Some steps will be easy and some will be more challenging. But here’s what has happened already:

>>1000 Caregiver kits were assembled to help fight AIDS in Africa. World Vision brought all the supplies and our attendees served as the “muscle” to build kits that will be used on the frontlines of people impacted by AIDS.

>> 133 children were sponsored. A few years ago my family began sponsoring 2 children that were similar ages to Abby and Grant. We invited Compassion International into the event to provide a tangible way for people to get involved.

>> Over 400 people filled out a response form that they are looking for help in discovering ways to serve. Our RightNow mission coaches will begin following up with these 400+ to help connect them to specific opportunities that are a match for their passions and skills.

God’s presence is obvious when people sacrifice time, money and comfort in pursuit of Him.

I love the event because it’s an opportunity to see God at work. You can see our Director of Event’s Top 10 Memorable moments here.

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#2 - Why the church should laugh at itself

Continuing on with our list of things where the church should laugh at ourselves ... Last time we talked about living in the Christian Bubble.


#2 -- Is anyone reading the Bible?

We are facing an illiteracy problem in our country. It’s not that people can’t read ... It’s that people aren’t reading the Bible. I am not even sure of the source of the problem. Has the Bible lost its authority because our preaching isn’t Bible-based enough? Is there so much to read that the Bible gets lower and lower on people’s priority list? Are we used to the 3rd grade USA Today writing style and the Bible intimidates us?

However we got here ... if we don’t know the Bible we can’t carry out God’s plan for us and the world. Our Bluefish team wanted to highlight this issue in a funny video called “How to Avoid Misusing the Bible” that’s part of our Laugh Volume 2 DVD.

What do we do to turn the tide on Bible illiteracy?

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3 Reasons the Church Should Laugh At Itself

Sometimes the best way to get people thinking about an issue is to get them laughing. I love the church and I love that Bluefish TV is providing resources for the church. But if you take a step back, there’s plenty to laugh at when you consider how we do things in the church sometimes. Truthfully, the reason we laugh is because we know it’s true and deep down it stings a bit.

Over the next few posts, I’ll share some things worth laughing at ... And hopefully after laughing we can start doing something to change it.

#1 Living in the Christian Bubble

There’s a lot of talk about how Christians can tend to isolate themselves from the world and before you know it — we have our own “bubble” that we’re living in. I know I struggle with it because I work around a great group of Christians at my office, I am involved heavily at my church (again Christians all around) and even in my neighborhood a lot of people are church-going people.

I step back and realize most of my weeks are spent around Christians. It’s frustrating and challenging. We’ve invited Dan Kimball to our LeadNow events where he has challenged pastors to lead people to engage in the Kingdom and not the Bubble. Dan humorously points out that you can buy Christian socks, Christian candy, Christian playing cards, t-shirts ... even Christian poker chips.

With that in mind, our product team has created a great parody called “Bubble Creek Canyon.” It’s one of the six funny clips on our Laugh Volume 2 DVD.

You can see the 3-minute Bubble Creek Canyon video on our site here.

If you move into this neighborhood, you won’t have to worry about interacting with a heathen world ever again!

So besides poking fun at ourselves — how can we as the church move people beyond the bubble? I’d love to hear your thoughts. What are you doing in your church? What really works?

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Introducing the New 2009 Video Sermon Illustration Kit

Our team recently finished up producing the DVDs that make up the 2009 Video Sermon Illustration kit. The kit is back from the press and we’re excited to announce that it has just been released.

Our purpose in creating the 2009 Video Sermon Illustration kit is for you to use this unique tool to help you deliver Biblical messages in a culturally relevant way. Over 200 video illustrations, motion loops, countdowns and still images are in the kit for you to choose from.

Our Story Behind the Hymn and Advent illustrations are two of my favorite DVDs within the kit. Our Story Behind the Hymn videos illustrate the triumphs and tragedies behind classic hymns you’ve heard today, like Come thou Fount, ‘Tis so Sweet to Trust in Jesus, and Amazing Grace.

The Advent illustrations will give you chills all around! They will help you celebrate the birth of Jesus as they take a powerful, cinematic look at the events surrounding the birth of Christ.

If you’re looking for illustrations to lighten up the mood in your congregation, Laugh Vol. 2 is perfect for just that. Laugh Vol. 2 includes six hilarious video illustrations that display exaggerated scenarios in order to pave the way for biblical and practical teaching. Our hope is that you and your church will laugh with us, and, through humor, your congregation will be open and ready for teaching.

I’ve only touched the surface of the quality that’s in the 2009 Video Illustration Kit. I hope you will check it out for yourself.

Have you used any of Bluefish’s Video Illustration kits in the past? If so, we’d love to hear how they worked for you.

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Uprising DVD series with Erwin McManus launches today

Today Bluefish TV is launching a new DVD series with Erwin McManus called Uprising. 14 months ago I was in Los Angeles meeting with Erwin. We were brainstorming about potential resources to create for small groups. He shared that at his church, Mosaic, the content from his book Uprising is the most used resource for discipleship training in small groups. After hearing that, it wasn’t hard to put our creative team at Bluefish to work on taking that content and making it available on DVD to small groups across the country.

What I love about Uprising is that Erwin walks through scripture teaching that God is the only one that can transform our character — but there’s a response that scripture commands from us. Erwin’s teaching is always inspiring and challenging. We found several real-life stories to shoot and edit that match each of the sessions throughout Uprising. I believe those stories really help bring the teaching down to everyday life where we see people’s triumphs and tragedies in working through character transformation.

Our crew traveled to Los Angeles to shoot in some very LA locations like the Hollywood Hills and Venice Beach. (That’s me holding the boom mic — yes, a glamorous job)

You can see a preview of the Uprising DVD series here on the BluefishTV.com site.

Erwin has written several good books, speaks at conferences across the country and has worked with Bluefish on several video resources. What’s a teaching moment from Erwin that has impacted you and your church the most?

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G'day Mate! BluefishTV small group studies soon to be available in Australia

Today I’m wearing my official Jacaru hat from Australia around the office. After the occasional odd look and stare, I get the chance to tell our team that we’ve just setup two partnerships with Koorong and Word–Australia ... some incredible ministries from the land down under.

I’ve really been encouraged to hear from the guys at these ministries how God is using messages from Louie Giglio, Don Miller and Erwin McManus to encourage the younger generation in Australia to live out their faith.

So, next week some of our best Bluefish TV small group studies will hop on a plane and make their way to Australia for the first time. We’re thrilled to be partnering with these guys and for those Aussie’s tuning in, look for the resources to come online at Koorong and Word in the coming weeks!

Of course, all this talk about Australia has me day dreaming of using some frequent flyer miles to head down there and hike through the outback. Anyone up for a road trip?

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Why Bluefish TV is sticking with $1.99 downloadable videos

I have recently read some blog postings and become aware of a dialogue among other video producers and video illustration distributors who are upset that Bluefish TV is selling video illustrations for only $1.99. Though it’s frustrating to hear the industry-insider complaints ... our main interest at Bluefish TV is supplying the customer with what they want at a price they can afford.

I need to clear the air about our customer philosophy at Bluefish TV. So please read this through and give us any feedback you might have in the comment section below.

I am a consumer. Hopefully not in the overly-wasteful, live-above-my-means kind of way. I’d like to think I am pretty wise with my money. But nonetheless, I buy things and thus I am a consumer.

As someone who buys things I am always looking for a deal. I want my money to go as far as it can. I don’t think I am alone.

Everywhere I turn people are complaining about the price of things. Aren’t these comments you’ve heard or even made?

“I remember when gas was under $3.00.”

“Health insurance prices are through the roof.”

“My grocery bill keeps going up but I am not buying any more food.”

People have always been and will always be concerned about the price of things. And they should be.

Then consider the market for Christian stuff ... books, CDs, curriculum, clothes, etc. Why is it that making it “Christian” makes it more expensive? I find that often I can purchase the latest rock CD or bestselling book cheaper than I can buy the latest Christian CD or run-of-the-mill Christian book.

As someone involved at a leadership level at Bluefish TV, I am careful with our non-profit ministry’s money as if it were my own. Now, I am a little biased ... but one of the things I have always appreciated about Bluefish TV is that we have always tried to offer our video resources at an affordable price. For 20 years we have been producing and distributing video-driven Bible study materials for the church.

I heard a statistic recently that there are now more screens (TV, computer and cell phone) in our country than people. That means our culture is looking more and more to the “screen” to get information. With that in mind, we began producing and selling short video illustrations that could be used on the big screen in a worship gathering or a small screen in someone’s living room for a Bible study lesson. Our hope was to provide high-quality, low-cost video illustrations to help teachers emphasize their points about God and faith. We asked ourselves, “what should someone pay to download a 3-4 minute video illustration?”

On iTunes you can download a whole episode of the award-winning TV shows Lost or 24 or The Office for $1.99. So that set the standard for us. The average person ... the one who complains about gas prices, health insurance and groceries ... will pay $1.99 for some of the most expensive-to-produce TV shows out there. Why would they want to pay any more for a short video illustration?

Outside of Hollywood and into the Christian arena ... the producers of the Nooma film series have also set a good standard. Their 10-12 minute high-quality short films are available for $9.99 on DVD. That’s a price a small group leader can afford and people have responded by buying up those DVDs.

But I think there’s more to it than consumers just complaining about high prices for things. Most people have at least had the fleeting thought that the big oil companies and health insurance companies are conspiring to keep the prices high because it’s good business for them. After all, you need gas and you need insurance ... you are kind of stuck. I am not saying that everyone should try the Bluefish TV business model ... but let’s not keep prices of ministry resources high for the sake of making money.

I know of a 20,000 member church who has purchased $1.99 downloads from us to use in their worship gatherings. If you prorate that out, they spent 1/100,000 of a penny per person. Would they or could they have spent more? No doubt they could. But it doesn’t mean that they should.

Churches of 20,000 in attendance are the exception to the rule. There are 300,000 churches in America and the average Sunday attendance is around 100 people. So what about the 100 member church who wants to utilize the power of the screen to emphasize their teaching? What should they pay? What about the 8-person small group?

I will keep complaining about gas prices and hoping that my health insurance prices go down. At the same time, Bluefish will keep providing $1.99 video illustrations and hoping that the average small group facilitator or pastor out there appreciates finding a way to make their money go a little farther. We won’t compromise on this philosophy and raise our prices to $15-$20 like is common in many other places.

Again, I would love any feedback you have, so please leave a comment on our blog.

As a way of saying thanks, we are making one of our brand-new clips (one of the best we’ve ever created) free for the next week. It’s a modern retelling of the story behind the hymn “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” and the hymn is performed by popular musician Sufjan Stevens.

Thank You!

Brian Mosley
Executive Vice President
Product Development

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Abraham with Mark Batterson

Our crew just wrapped up shooting a 4-session small group DVD with Mark Batterson. Mark is such an encouraging guy and I love hearing about how God is using his church in the Washington DC area. Mark is the pastor at National Community Church and has a great blog about life and leadership called Evotional.

We have already shot four cinematic slices of Abraham’s life that help bring a modern perspective to an ancient story. These new pieces with Mark provide some very practical and very Biblical teaching for each session. I think these will be great for teeing up issues like obedience, following God and patience. We will be cutting the rest of the series together this fall and writing a discussion guide to help facilitate the group time.

I love working with people who are on mission and who love to teach people about God. I hope we get to work on many more projects with Mark.

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Bluefish TV Small Group Studies Live on RELEVANT

RELEVANT magazine is pretty familiar to most of us in Christian publishing today. Relevant first published in 2003 and since then, they’ve had a base of more than 75,000 readers. Relevant’s companion web presence, RelevantMagazine.com was launched before the print publication.

Relevant explores the intersection of faith and pop culture with the tagline "God. Life. Progressive Culture." Their articles feature fresh spiritual voices, often profiling young musicians, authors and entrepreneurs like Paper Route, Donald Miller, Rob Bell, Margaret Feinberg and Sarah Cunningham. Relevant also offers political spotlights, social issues, and reviews of recently released media selections. They’re also reaching women in their twenties and thirties through radiantmag.com.

In the past few years, we’ve had the privilege of working with Relevant as they’ve sponsored our past three events through the RightNow Campaign. They’ve also exchanged ads in our leader magazine for sponsorship. Recently, we’ve partnered with Relevant in a different way and just this week, several of our small group Bible studies are now live on their store.

In the future, Relevant hopes to add video previews for each of our products. We’re really excited to continue building our partnerships with Relevant and being open to how God wants to use more of our resources on their site.

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Seven Years Since Sept. 11

It's hard to believe that on Thursday we're approaching the seven year anniversary since the September 11 attacks on our nation. All of us remember where we were that day. The memory for some is fading and for others, it is still haunting. I remember the courage of everyone who worked together that day (those living and those who've passed away). They'll never be forgotten.

I'll never forget a few lines that President Bush said in response to the attacks:

"A great people has been moved to defend a great nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America." Sept. 11, 2001, address from the Oval Office.

"This battle will take time and resolve. But make no mistake about it: we will win." Sept. 12, 2001, after meeting with national security advisers.

"I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon." Sept. 14, 2001, standing in the rubble of the World Trade Center with police, firemen and rescue workers.

Here at Bluefish, we want to thank those of you who served our country that day. Some of you served in the rubble in NY city. Some of you gathered your congregation together for a time of prayer. Some of you called your family to tell them you loved them.

May we never forget the awesome freedom God has given us in America and may we continue to fight for it and support our troops. May we never forget where God is during tragedy:

You say you will never forget where you were when you heard the news On September 11, 2001. Neither will I.

I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room with a man who called his wife to say 'Good-Bye.' I held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the peace to say, 'Honey, I am not going to make it, but it is OK..I am ready to go.'

I was with his wife when he called as she fed breakfast to their children. I held her up as she tried to understand his words and as she realized he wasn't coming home that night.

I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a woman cried out to Me for help. 'I have been knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!' I said. 'Of course I will show you the way home - only believe in Me now.'

I was at the base of the building with the Priest ministering to the injured and devastated souls. I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven. He heard my voice and answered.

I was on all four of those planes, in every seat, with every prayer. I was with the crew as they were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the believers there, comforting and assuring them that their faith has saved them.
I was in Texas , Virginia , California , Michigan , Afghanistan. I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news. Did you sense Me?

I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew every name - though not all know Me. Some met Me for the first time on the 86th floor.

Some sought Me with their last breath. Some couldn't hear Me calling to them through the smoke and flames; 'Come to Me... this way... take my hand.' Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me. But, I was there.

I did not place you in the Tower that day. You may not know why, but I do. However, if you were there in that explosive moment in time, would you have reached for Me?

Sept. 11, 2001, was not the end of the journey for you. But someday your journey will end. And I will be there for you as well. Seek Me now while I may be found. Then, at any moment, you know you are 'ready to go.'

I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.

- "Meet Me in the Stairwell"- Author Unknown

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Meeting with Alan Danielson, LifeChurch.tv

Last week, Brian Mosley and some of our staff had lunch with Alan Danielson from LifeChurch.tv. Alan oversees their small group ministry in Oklahoma. They have about 750 groups between all their campuses (stretching throughout six states). Alan also brought a Life Groups pastor from one of the Oklahoma City campuses.

Alan came to Dallas so our crew could interview him on-camera for some leadership videos we’re creating for The Small Group Exchange. Brian asked him pressing questions that a small group leader faces like how to deal with conflict in your group, defining the purpose of your small group, and helping your group gel. Alan had a really neat perspective on small group ministry and we’re really excited he is partnering with us to train other leaders across the country.

We’re looking forward to expanding the content and uploading the videos to The Small Group Exchange soon. Be sure to check out Alan Danielson with LifeChurch.tv when you’re on the site and searching for good resources to share with those you lead.

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Bluefish Bytes: Friends with Sean McDowell

Sean McDowell says in the new Friends series:

The solution to loneliness is relationships. God has made us and designed us to be in healthy relationships. When we don’t have the relationships that He desires us to have we start to look for other things to fill that up. Maybe it’s sports, maybe it’s in a relationship and sexuality. Maybe it’s in food or music. We look for something else to fill up that void that’s in our hearts but God made us relational and that’s what makes the church unique when we care for each other. Love each other. Encourage each other. Then we can really be fulfilled in who God wants us to be.

Sean says it so right. Teens are faced with an unbelievable amount of pressure in their relationships. I’m in my mid-twenties and I remember the pressure like it was yesterday. At one point or another every teen feels loneliness but it’s about what they do with it that makes the difference.

The amazing truth is that God made us relational beings. We crave to be known and to know others in a deep way. When we understand what God really wants from us: to care, love, and encourage each other, we will be fulfilled. Instead of being bogged down in our loneliness or depression, we can begin by reaching out beyond ourselves… to others.

As a pastor, youth leader, or small group leader you have a great task ahead of you when it comes to teaching youth about relationships. We’ve partnered with Sean in this Friends series to help aid your teaching. This video series is merely a discussion starter for what we’d love to see happen in your youth- a drastic paradigm shift in the way they view and handle relationships.

We’d love your comments on how this brand new resource is influencing them. What other issues have you seen among youth when it comes to the influence of friends?

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Introducing The Small Group Exchange

Over the past few months, Scott Mosley, our Director of Operations, and I have been contacting leaders across the country who are directly involved in small group ministry. We’ve contacted these leaders to see how they might become a contributor to our new site, The Small Group Exchange (SGX) by providing reviews and articles.

The reason we set out to create SGX is because our heartbeat is in small group ministry. As more and more churches move away from the Sunday-School model and transition into the home or church-based small group format, new challenges and opportunities arise. New leaders are formed and often these leaders have difficulty finding quality resources and training so that they can be an effective small group leader. We want to help with this frustration and fill in the gap for them.

I have been blown away by our contributor’s desire to take their wisdom and experience in small groups and pass it on to others. They’re incredibly busy with responsibilities within the church and home, but they’ve been awesome with their deadlines, helping us launch the site, and spreading the word to their friends in ministry. Just to name a few of our contributors: Heather Goodman (Plano, TX), Spence Shelton (Durham, NC), Winfield Bevins (Outer Banks, NC), Annie Groves (Kailua, Hawaii), Heather Zempel (Washington D.C.), Anne Jackson (Nashville, TN), and Dan Kimball (Santa Cruz, CA).

We'll keep you updated on the additions we'll be making to the site as this is still the BETA version. If you’re interested in contributing to The Small Group Exchange, please peruse our articles, reviews, and products and contact Samantha [AT] smallgroupexchange.com. We’d love for you to be a part of our mission.

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Bluefish Bytes: Paul in Rome

David Nasser says in the Paul in Rome series:

Just as in any other church building of any denomination it [the Holy Staircase] has also sadly been a place where people have come and have on bended knee thought: Maybe I can get the favor of God if I pray really long and really hard… if I cry enough tears on these staircases I can earn the love of God.

I know I’ve been caught up into thinking I must earn God’s favor and love. But the reality is that God’s love for me isn’t based on anything I could do. My righteousness is as filthy rags, and even my very best still isn’t good enough.

I’ve missed the mark and missed His standard of perfection. That is why Christ had to be the One to take care of what I could not. He who knew no sin became sin for my righteousness. And my salvation is by grace through faith, so that I can’t boast.

This truth is incredible and should cause my heart to overflow with joy and gratitude every day. This truth is so radical and freeing that it should cause every person to want to follow after a Savior who has taken care of such a debt… because He loves us.

Do you ever feel you have to keep earning His love even though you know God’s grace covers you? Why is it so hard to allow His unconditional love to really saturate our lives?

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Introducing the New 2009 Youth Ministry Kit

We're really excited to announce that our 2009 Youth Ministry Kit has returned from the press and is now available at Bluefishtv.com. The line-up for this kit is packed with three incredibly talented communicators: David Nasser, Sean McDowell, and Marcus Goodloe ("Goodie"). These guys bring their own voice to the table and really speak to teens on the issues they're facing in today's culture.

The real-life interviews that our production team shot for the kit are really impacting as they're from real teens across the country addressing topics that need to be talked about and dealt with. Teens will definitely relate to these stories.

Here are some brief descriptions of the video-driven Bible studies:


PAUL IN ROME (Featuring David Nasser)
Has anything really changed in 2000 years?

Students in America are growing up in a culture that places high emphasis on entertainment, politics and self. It's increasingly difficult for scriptural Truth to cut through the noise and sink into the hearts and minds of this next generation. In these four sessions, David Nasser uses the life of Paul to highlight how followers of Christ can stand up to cultural "norms" and stand firm in Christ.

CHOOSE (Featuring Marcus “Goodie” Goodloe)
What’s the most spiritual thing you will do today?

Prayer? Reading the Bible? Serving? How we decide to express our faith is up to us. The power of choice is one of the most important elements of our spiritual journey. Students are constantly faced with life-changing decisions in their relationships and faith. In these four sessions, Marcus Goodloe introduces Biblical principles to help students make wise choices amidst a chaotic culture.

FRIENDS (Featuring Sean McDowell)
Who are the most influential people in a student’s life?

Parents, teachers and pastors would like to think they are the most influential in a student’s life, but students spend more time interacting with their friends than with anyone else. Friends influence every part of students’ lives - how they act, what they wear, what they say, and most importantly what they believe. In these four power-packed sessions, Sean McDowell offers Biblical insight into the most common issues students are facing in their friendships.

The kit also includes three DVDs full of video illustrations:

RIPPLE EFFECT
Can we really impact the world around us? These four powerful video illustrations demonstrate how even the smallest change can cause a ripple that makes a huge difference.

AMENA BROWN: HE IS HERE

Fusing her talent for poetry and passion, Amena will draw your group into a place of authentic worship and challenge this generation to a life driven by truth.

MOO TOO
Your entire youth group is sure to “have a cow” laughing and learning with these hilariously entertaining video clips brought to you by the creators of the popular Moooo series.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be posting on different topics addressed in the 2009 kit so you can get a flavor for the content and biblical insight the 2009 Youth Kit contains.

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New & Improved Bluefishtv.com

It's been a busy time for us not only producing new, upcoming resources, but launching a brand new Bluefishtv.com. Our hope in creating a new and approved site is that it would serve you better and help you easily navigate to the resources you're looking for.

On our new bluefishtv.com you'll see enhanced video previews with more HD clips available, and we have highlighted our $15-20 DVDs for your convenience. We've also included a section near each product called "What others are saying about this product." This is typically a quote from a well-known pastor, speaker, or a customer who has used the product.

I really hope you enjoy the new site. Feel free to send us your feedback and let us know what has helped you as you seek out videos and resources to help you teach in your ministry.

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LeadNow 2008

I'm getting really excited about our LeadNow and Fusion events coming up in November here in Dallas. It will be here before we know it! On Monday, we mailed out 5,000 DVD packets and 5,000 postcards to church leaders around the country spreading the news about how they can be involved in LeadNow.

This year is different than any other year because we're giving leaders the opportunity to host a simulcast at their church or attend a simulcast at a location close to them.

These events are for you as a leader of twenties and thirties and if you are in your twenties and thirties. I can't think of a better place to grow in my relationship with God and others- learning under great leaders like Erwin McManus, Matt Chandler, Margaret Feinberg, Francis Chan, and my very own pastor, Todd Wagner.

Be a part of the passion and excitement and visit Rightnow.org for more information about LeadNow and Fusion 2008. Drop us a comment and let us know if you're planning on attending here in Dallas or at a simulcast location.

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The Sacred Echo in Crested Butte, Colorado

This past week our crew filmed The Sacred Echo DVD in breathtaking Crested Butte, Colorado. The Sacred Echo DVD is based off Margaret Feinberg’s new book, The Sacred Echo. I was able to read her book a few weeks ago to begin brainstorming story ideas for the project. I was really touched by her stories, the way she uses Scripture, and most of all her heart for Jesus.

During the filming, our crew put in long hours, sweat in the heat and froze with the cold, as Margaret said. She even said she has 30 mosquito bites to prove they were really in the middle of nowhere. They shot scenes with waterfalls, mountains, wildflowers, and the beauty of God’s creation was their backdrop. I can’t wait to see the final project.

In the upcoming weeks, we’ll be seeking out people for specific stories that intertwine with the themes addressed in The Sacred Echo. Check in for updates on The Sacred Echo DVD release at Bluefishtv.com.

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New Spaces at Bluefish

Back in May, our shipping department moved out of our main building into a new warehouse a few miles down the road with triples times the space. With the shipping department now in a new location, we now have the space to handle our recent growth.

Over the past few months, construction workers have been working hard remodeling the old warehouse space. We are just about completely finished with the re-modeling job. We’ve added 31 additional sales stations, a conference room, and 10 new offices. We’re thankful for the space we now have to expand our ministry and allow for future growth.

Here are a few photos you can check out of our new space.

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Mandles on CNN

This weekend CNN featured a video that mentioned BluefishTV’s Mandles video. The Manly Man Candle Company has been creating manly smelling candles for the last 3 years, however their company really took off after the Bluefish TV produced Mandles video became viral. Many church services used the Mandles video as a sermon illustration for Father’s Day.

Unfortunately, the Manly Man Candle Company doesn’t currently offer Mandles in Sweat, Fear, or Duct tape.

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