:: FAQ About Leaving TCBC, 5: "What Can We Do For You?"

[I’m answering some questions about being asked to leave TCBC – more focused on how Jess and I are doing, etc., plus some facts for clarity. I will NOT be writing anything against Trinity Chapel, the elders, etc. – we love the church way too much for that. If you have further questions, post below; BUT if they’re potentially divisive, etc., please email me personally, rather than use a public forum to do anything negative to the peace and unity at Trinity Chapel, part of the body of Christ. Thank you.]

#5: WHAT CAN WE DO FOR YOU?

I started this series of blog entries with the question, “what can we do?” I kept it on an objective, impersonal view, focused on how we can all be praying and responding to the situation as a whole. But many of you have been overly kind and have asked us what you can do for us personally. For this, we’re extremely grateful, beyond what simple words can say. We haven’t known exactly how to respond (which is why this post is a little later than we’d hoped). We still don’t fully know what the next few weeks hold, but in addition to the things mentioned in the first post, here are a few things we need – some spiritual, some practical, some just personal.

• First and most obviously, but also most importantly, please pray for our hearts. We are broken and hurting in the present, yet optimistic and excited about the future (see FAQ #2). Please pray for peace and healing, that we’ll continue to see God in this, and surrounded by him.
  
  
• Please pray for our next steps: that we’ll be slow and discerning in our next moves, and that He will lead us clearly – and less painfully?! – into the next phase of his work in and through us. Pray that we’ll know if planting is right; if so, if Austin’s 2-year program is the path, or if something shorter, or if a less-formal coaching relationship is right. Or something completely different!
  
  Specifically, you can pray for Jess, as this summer she’s finally going back to school to get a Masters of Marriage/Family Counseling, which she’s wanted to do since I met her in college. This means she’s going part-time at work, which leads to… please pray for our finances! If planting is in the works, and if that’s sooner rather than later, it puts us in a weird position. We’re not worried about money, but health insurance is a rather large concern. We’ll be pursuing all these options through May and June, and we know God will provide, but it scares us a little right now. Finally, pray for me, that I’ll be quite in tune to God’s leading in our future, ministry opportunities, etc. and that He will reveal his will quickly.
  
  
• One option for my next steps might be a part-time/full-time job if we move into planting soon – if anyone knows of anything, let me know! At this point as we figure out our next steps, we’re not being picky: ministry or otherwise; something that offers some sort of health insurance; probably starting sometime this summer(?)… we’re open for suggestions.
  
  
• Continue being our friends: that sounds very “middle school,” but we know that the less-regular interaction can make it harder to get together, etc. We love our community; Trinity Chapel is our family. Please don’t forget us just ‘cuz we’re not around as much!
  
  
• A couple practical things we need:
  
  (1) Lawn mowing: I know this sounds weird, and my pride is being tested in throwing this out here, but as I’m still recovering from a broken wrist & can’t do much pushing of a mower, our lawn needs help for the next month or two, until I’m back to full steam.
  
  (2) Opportunities to preach: if you know of a camp, church, ministry, etc, I’m going to be looking for chances to teach/preach throughout the summer and fall, to keep that passion of mine “in shape”… I’m not picky; if you know ministry leaders, please pass this along
  

That’s about it at this point. Again, we’re not 100% sure what we need right now, but this is where we find ourselves at the moment. Thanks for reading along as I’ve answered these FAQ’s; if you have further questions, let me know.

And thank you for the care and love you’ve shown us during these rough few weeks; we have truly felt a community come around us, and have seen Christ in you. As I wrote in an email to everyon in my TCBC address book, “Thank you, TCBC family, for five great years - it's been our honor to serve you, worship alongside you, and grow closer to God with you. You're our family. We'll miss you like crazy, and we hope to stay in touch.”

:: FAQ About Leaving TCBC, 4: "When Did You...?"

[I’m answering some questions about being asked to leave TCBC – more focused on how Jess and I are doing, etc., plus some facts for clarity. I will NOT be writing anything against Trinity Chapel, the elders, etc. – we love the church way too much for that. If you have further questions, post below; BUT if they’re potentially divisive, etc., please email me personally rather than use a public forum to do anything negative to the peace and unity at Trinity Chapel, part of the body of Christ. Thank you.]

Prev FAQ's: What Can We Do? | How Are You Doing? | What's Next?
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#4: WHEN DID YOU… ? (TIMELINE QUESTIONS)

For some reason, the timeline of the past year and the leaving process has been important to people. It has been the question asked most, second only to “how are you doing?” We take it as an honor that people want to know, so here are the related events I know of – questions I’ve been asked about my tenure at TCBC and specifically about the last several months as this situation has played out, including church planting stuff.

• April 2004 – hired as part-time student ministry director for Trinity Chapel
• June 1, 2004 – first day on staff (staff retreat)
• August 21, 20004 – graduated Baylor
• August 22, 2004 – official launch of Trinity Chapel
• August 23, 2004 – began graduate work at DTS
• August 21, 2005 – official launch of TCBCcollege
• April 2006 – transitioned from student director to ¾-time director of college and equipping
• July 15, 2006 – married the most wonderful girl in the world (unrelated to this, but worth mentioning!)
• January 2007 – job became full-time
• Summer 2007 – first elder discussions/involvement with interpersonal issues (old elder board)
• December 2007 – finished at DTS; graduated with Masters in Christian Ed and Masters in Biblical Studies
• August 2008 – found out about the potential 2-year church planting residency at Austin Stone; turned down the Sept 2008 start date because of the negative effect on TCBC and TCBCcollege
• September 21 – ordained as a pastor by TCBC elders
• October – informed Ted and elders of potential church planting residency
• November – my first request of the new elders, for mediation between Ted and me
• November 19-21: church planting “Boot Camp” and assessment; approved with conditions as a church planter
• January 28, 2009 – new conflict resolution process assigned by elders; agreed to by all staff; elder board-wide request for mediation ends in encouragement to start the new process instead
  
• February 4 – first step of resolution: Ted and I talked through the past several years, some unresolved issues, etc.
• Early February – Austin Stone residency put on hold until at least May
• February 18-26 – Jess and I went to Italy – nice break from all this!
• February 28 – Broke my wrist – not as nice of a break as Italy was.
• March 8 – wrist surgery
• March 11 – second meeting between Ted and me, where the resolution process was foregone and I was informed of my needing to leave
• Late March – individual meetings with Jeremy and Jeff B. to seek understanding of the situation
• March 25 – meeting with elders, ended by informing me of the decision to ask me to leave
• Apr 9 – I was informed of my severance, last day, and transition details
• Apr 11 – post-firing meeting to figure out how to announce it to the church and students
• Apr 13 – announce to staff and college leaders
• Apr 19 – announce to church and students
• Apr 20 – Elder Q&A @ Trinity Chapel
• May 3 - last day of TCBCcollege, spring '09
• May 17 - my last day at Trinity Chapel
  

I have tried to write this purely as objective fact, describing events that played out step by step. I’ve tried to avoid blame/possessive language (“him/his/them/their/mine” etc.) and conjecture, and just present the timeline – not sure why it’s such a big question, but I hope the it helps clarify confusion and answer questions. If there are further timeline questions, or if you feel I've failed to stay objective, please let me know!

The next post will get back to the present situation – with all the info on the table, the last FAQ to be addressed is “what can we do for you?”

:: FAQ About Leaving TCBC, 3: "What Are Your Next Steps?" ::

[I’m answering some questions about being asked to leave TCBC – more focused on how Jess and I are doing, etc., plus some facts for clarity. I will NOT be writing anything against Trinity Chapel, the elders, etc. – we love the church way too much for that. If you have further questions, post below; BUT if they’re potentially divisive, etc., please email me personally rather than use a public forum to do anything negative to the peace and unity at Trinity Chapel, part of the body of Christ. Thank you.]

#3: WHAT ARE YOUR NEXT STEPS?

That’s a really good question these days. First, let me say that we’re not deciding anything in the next few weeks, if months! Our elders have allowed for a more-than-reasonable severance, so we’re able to be intentional about slowing down, stepping back, and healing a bit before we officially land on what’s next.

But, in my previous post on how we’re doing, in the “objective side” paragraph, I mentioned that “we’ve been asking for some time how long we should be at Trinity.” This wondering prayer has nothing to do with the issues at hand; it began far before the “conflict” escalated; it was a movement in our hearts that goes back many years. We’ve been wondering for awhile what it would look like to take the DNA we’ve tried to instill in TCBCcollege and build out a church from that DNA.

Church planting is something that has always been attractive to me; it’s what spurred me to Trinity Chapel in the first place five years ago. The idea of creating something new has been in my blood since high school (probably since preschool, in reality!), and as I’ve gotten to carry it out, to create something “new” for the name and glory of God has been even more exciting. Thus, I landed at Trinity. A couple years ago, when all the development in downtown Fort Worth began taking off, a first thought occurred that it would be a great place for a Gospel-preaching, Bible-centered church. Nothing more was done, but the seed was there.

Fast forward to summer 2008; the topic came up again. Jess and I discussed it several times last summer, and she became more and more OK with the idea. We agreed to start praying about it. Then, I was talking with a pastor friend as I was writing my personal theology for Trinity Chapel’s elders to ordain me in September, and my friend said his church was starting a 2-year residency for church planters. Coincidence? We were intrigued, but since the residency was new, we were a little hesitant, so decided to ask questions slowly. We went to a couple interviews with the guys in charge of the residency at The Austin Stone (Austin, TX); both sides felt good, and the next step was to get outside affirmation.

My October 2008 was spent answering an exorbitantly long pre-assessment questionnaire for an international church planting network, Acts 29 (based in Seattle). After a 2-hour phone interview, I attended an Acts 29 planters training, and Jess and I were officially assessed as church planters. We received positive feedback, and with a few standard conditions and a recommendation for a little training, we were approved to plant.

So we started praying. We didn’t know if the 2-year Austin residency was the right path; we weren’t sure if we should pursue a shorter program, or even start walking down the planting path with some personal coaching/less formal one-on-one training along the way. And we didn’t know if we were supposed to leave Trinity. So we submitted it to God, and have been asking for clear direction for six months. As I wrote yesterday, “the words ‘you don’t need to work here anymore’ are fairly clear!”

So bottom line, we’re not sure what’s next. We see planting as the end goal. We see Fort Worth as a viable, intentional, and good option, for many reasons (more on this in the future, but among them: fastest-growing city in the US [over 100,000 pop], 5000 new living units being built in downtown alone [young married/single focus audience], TCU, it’s home and a culture/people we love and have a heart for, etc.). We’re just not sure what the path is to get to that end goal. And we’re staying open to God’s movement; if other doors open, we’ll pursue them.

What we DO know is that if this church plant plays out, it has NOTHING to do with Trinity Chapel or being let go – if we plant, here or elsewhere, it is NOT a response to this situation. Please help make that clear if you talk about this; it’s an easy assumption to think we’re angry and “we’ll just do it on our own!” – FALSE! Closely related, if we do plant here, it will not be anywhere close to the week after our last day at Trinity – or the weeks/months following our departure! We want to be slow, intentional, and wise as we seek God in our next steps. So that’s where we see ourselves at the moment… Please pray for us as we pursue Him.

Thoughts? Input? Feedback? I'd love your comments. And if you want to keep up with our potential movement toward planting, please email me. Thanks!

:: FAQ About Leaving TCBC, 2: "How Are You Guys Doing?"

[I’m answering some questions about being asked to leave TCBC – more focused on how Jess and I are doing, etc., plus some facts for clarity. I will NOT be writing anything against Trinity Chapel, the elders, etc. – we love the church way too much for that. If you have further questions, post below; BUT if they’re potentially divisive, etc., please email me personally rather than use a public forum to do anything negative to the peace and unity at Trinity Chapel, part of the body of Christ. Thank you.]

#2: HOW ARE YOU GUYS DOING?

We have so appreciated the number of people who have cared about us through this. This is the question we’ve gotten asked the most, by far. Thank you. There are two answers to this question, and we find ourselves vacillating between the two. Some of this isn’t “right or good,” but in all honesty, here’s how we’re doing:

First, on the personal, subjective level, we’re crushed. We’re finding ourselves kicked out of a family we helped start, and a family we love and have poured our lives into, giving our all for five years. And for all the explanation and varying perspectives, we still aren’t fully aware of why, or how the process has gotten us all to this point. This leaves us feeling, again, absolutely crushed. Rejected, angry, bitter, confused, lost, shocked, deeply sad beyond words, alone, misunderstood… and a million other conflicting emotions that pop into our heads randomly, some of which make sense; some of which don’t. We’ve wept; we’ve looked at each other in shock and disbelief; I’ve walked out of meetings I thought were fruitful, only to find out they took us further toward this severing… In a word, we’re reeling. Please pray for us on this. This is where it’s so easy to dwell, and when we dwell here, the anger and bitterness overflow, and become indignation, self-righteousness, rage, a desire for vindication. This is sin. This is lack of trust. This is where it’s easy to be.

But, some days more than others, we find ourselves in the second mindset, the objective, big-picture view of things. From that view, we can see God in this. More on this in the next post, but we’ve been asking for some time how long we should be at Trinity. Not because of interpersonal issues, but because of potential next steps. We’ve found ourselves comfortable and “settled” for awhile. And we don’t think that “settled” is God’s call on our lives. So we’ve been praying for clear direction for some time, and the words “you don’t need to work here anymore” are fairly clear! It’s not THAT we’re leaving that sends us into the first mindset (previous paragraph); it’s HOW it’s happening. But even in that, God is using it to break our reliance – there’s nothing to cling to except Christ (see my post on Lent, here) – and destroy our comfort. We also see change coming, or at least proposed, in many levels of this, and if this is what instigates that, then as hard as it may be, we are honored to be used by God in that way. This is God. This is trusting his goodness and sovereignty. Sadly, this is harder right now.

People have been very encouraging along the way. The love, prayers, support, continued questions, many many many notes and emails we’ve received, mean a ton to us both and continually help us move from the first mindset to the second. Thank you. We appreciate knowing that people are asking questions and pressing hard, in grace and truth. Also helpful are people who have shared their similar situations and have emerged stronger, better off, and in the words of a couple folks, “freer” than if they had stayed. This has never become as clear as it has these last few weeks as we’ve walked through this process of being let go. Our role is done here; we’ve done our part. We’ve acted with integrity and pure motive, despite some perception and outcome, and it’s time for us to move on.

At the TCBC Elder Q&A this week, someone in the audience made the comment, “maybe God has something bigger for Ben and Jess, and if we kept them here, they wouldn’t be able to realize that.” Sometimes that’s hard to digest; sometimes it can seem painfully simple. But at the same time, we have hope that there’s truth there. And the more we’re able to dwell in the second mindset, the more we see God in this, the more we’re doing OK, and the more we’re able to be excited about the future rather than dwell on the past and present situation. Pray that we land there more and not the first.

What does that future look like? That’s for next time. But here’s a hint – it ends with a huge “?”

:: FAQ About Leaving TCBC, 1: "What Can We Do?"

First, I continue to apologize for the font abnormalities... I have no idea what's going on or how to fix it. Anyway...

[As we’re “being let go” from our church family, we’ve been asked lots of questions. I’m going to answer some over the next couple days, to give some perspective and to give you wonderful, honoring “askers” answers. These questions are more focused on how Jess and I are doing, etc., plus some facts of the past few months. I will NOT be writing anything against Trinity Chapel, the elders, etc. – we love the church way too much for that. If you have further questions, please post below; BUT if they’re potentially divisive, etc., please email me personally rather than use a public forum to do anything negative to the peace and unity at Trinity Chapel, part of the body of Christ. Thank you for your respect in that way.]

#1: WHAT CAN WE DO?

I’ll come back to this question as it relates specifically to Jess and me later, but for today, we’ll stay on the macro level – what can we be doing in general? Here are some thoughts; please holler if unclear/questions:

• Pray. For us, for our hearts, for Trinity Chapel, and especially for our staff and elders. There is grief. I don’t know how else to say it: there is hurt, sadness, and just overwhelming grief on all these parties. Pray for strength, peace, truth, and unity as the church and leadership move forward. Pray for strength, peace, and understanding as Jess and I come to terms with this. Please, with all your heart, pray.

• Respond biblically. There is much confusion, hurt, anger, and all kinds of other emotion. That has come across to me in email, facebook, in conversations, and in many who came to the meetings/Q&A, etc. Please take this to heart: “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil” (Eph 4:26-27). For the sake of the body, we have begged our leaders, students, and friends, to please respond in one of these ways; they’re all viable; they’re written in order of biblical/personal preference; and they’re the only biblical ways:
  
  

o Submit to the elders – willingly accept the decision of the leadership and trust that it is the right decision; honor them as your appointed church leadership and submit to them. In the midst of all this, I believe strongly in the plurality of elders as the biblical leaders of the local church. Don’t follow blindly, but as these men are your elders, the most preferable step is to submit.

o Ask questions – if you can’t accept the decision, or have concerns, etc., the elders have expressed their desire to be honest and open, and to answer questions brought by the body. Please ask them. And please press until you have your questions thoroughly answered (“speak the truth” above). I’ll be happy to answer questions as well, as much as I can in an honoring way to the remaining leadership and for the sake of the church we love, but please go to your elders and press them, not for anger and vindication (“be angry and do not sin”), but for truth and answers – so that you can then willingly submit to them with a pure heart.

o Leave in humility – ONLY if you’ve tried to submit; only if you’re not satisfied with the answers; only if you’re unable to accept the decision of the leadership, you’re remaining biblical option is to leave the leadership and this branch of the local church. But if you’re choosing to leave, please consider two things: first, walk through the first two steps first – do not leave without first seeking answers; do not leave without prayerfully trying to submit. Second, please do not leave loudly, dividing the remaining body – those who’ve had they’re questions answered satisfactorily and who can submit. Inform the elders of your decision, and leave in quiet humility.

• Do not respond unbiblically. It’s easy to blast people; to assume things in the silence and non-answers; to write and say mean or angry things out of emotion. Trust me, I know how this feels! As much as we encourage you to press hard for answers and respond biblically, we beg you not to respond unbiblically. Please do not ask, say, or write things angrily or bitterly in a public forum (this includes facebook and blogs, etc.); please do not gossip or spread rumors; please do not rally people around “one side or the other.” I hate that language, but in some levels, that’s what this has devolved into. Read 1 Cor 1:10-16, and please pursue unity, not “sides.” And if you can’t submit to the leadership; if you don’t get the answers you need to stay with a pure heart, please do not remain at Trinity Chapel, giving your seed of bitterness and dissension a place to grow.

I know this is very objective; almost impersonal. It’s hard to write; there’s a lot of me that has a hard time following my own advice through the emotion we’re feeling. But as we told our students Sunday (podcast here), this ministry and our lives are not built on me, Ted, the elders, etc – our foundation is Christ, and thus this can’t be about “who’s right,” “who’s side you’re on,” etc. – it MUST be about the unity of the body of Christ, and responding to this situation in a biblical manner.

TOMORROW: “How are you guys doing?”

:: Lent 2009 ::

Jess and I were in Rome on Feb 25, the official beginning of Lent 2009. We were enjoying the final day of a wonderful, tiring, awe-inspiring vacation. The next morning, we boarded a plane and returned to normal life. That Friday, while sorting through emails, I found one requesting some thoughts on Lent I had written last year. After a few edits, I sent them off, and posted the article on this site as well (here)

Among the points was the following sentence: "Lent is NOT a time to give stuff up "to identify with the suffering of Christ" (as I was taught as a kid – Seriously?! Christ didn't give up chocolate for a month; he freaking DIED FOR US! There's no way Lent could give us even the tiniest taste of suffering!)"

I was wrong.

In principle, I still agree with what I wrote - giving up some menial habit, enjoyment, or trinket does not come even close to showing us how Christ suffered. But this Lent, these past 40 days, have at least given me a new appreciation for what Christ went through.Granted, my life hasn't seen much suffering - almost none, really. And granted, the crap we've been through over the past weeks is minimal compared to death. But is it coincidence that God allowed this season to be a time of trial and testing? Or was this weekend's Good Friday and Easter celebrations - while admittedly there were moments of bitterness and questioning - enhanced because during Lent we were hit from every angle?

Some of these are greater than others, & some are more emotional/subjective suffering, but in the last 40 days...

• I was in a car wreck, taken to the hospital in an ambulance.
• My car, bought new in Aug 2008, was totaled.
• My wrist was broken, and I had cuts and bruises across my body.
• I underwent surgery, and my wrist is still fairly immobile w/ a screw in it.
• The lady who hit my car claimed to have had a green light too, and since there were no witnesses, her insurance didn't cover any of my car/injuries/etc.
• We got bills from the afore-mentioned ambulance, ER, and surgery, which on top of our Italy trip, hit us fairly hard.
• I missed out on our Belize mission, which was headed to new levels & which I helped plan.
• Jess (planning to go part time at work this summer to enter grad school) found out she can only take 1 class per session this summer, but will most likely still be only part time at work.
• We got the final report of our investment losses from 2008, where we had invested significantly in great, well-advised places.... just before the market crashed.
• We found out we were misinformed about some medications Jess has been using, causing some concern and necessitating a change.
• And on top of all this, there's one HUGE loss/form of suffering I can't yet mention... it makes most of these others fade!
• With all these outward frustrations, we've both struggled with thoughts of anger, bitterness, betrayal, hurt, and great sadness.
• In these thoughts, we've begun - and stopped each time, thank God - going down various sinful "thought trails" as ways of release/coping.
• All this has led to the most difficult time we've ever known, for both of us individually and definitely for our marriage.
  

We have definitely cried with Christ, "let this cup pass from me"; we've learned beyond ever before what "not as I will, but as you will" means ; for the first time, we're understanding what it means to be "heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him..." and that "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted..." (Jesus & Paul). I'm understanding true brokenness deeper than ever before.

And yet we have hope that there is some joy here - James says it; Joseph gave a great example ("you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good"), and the greatest hope known to man came through the greatest suffering a man ever knew. So to be honest, we can see some good in all this, we know God is working in us in all these aspects of life. Our marriage and communication are growing stronger; our reliance is continually being changed to God alone, as out finances, health, emotions, relationships, plans, and jobs fail us; we are seeing God move and teach us in each of these things.

But that's all when we're being objective. On the personal level, this Lent season has hurt like hell. On all levels of life. And while we know there's good in it, it sucks to walk through, and we're ready for it to be over. To be restored. To be healed. To see God's full plan. To understand how he's using this and molding us. To know what's next.

That's what I thought about this entire Easter weekend. Again...I wonder if the timing of this was all a coincidence?

Thanks for reading my venting.

:: The Telephone Game ::

[sorry for font size - something's screwy & i'm trying to get it fixed!]

Shane Hipps’ new book, Flickering Pixels, is a quick, thought-provoking, humor- and example-laced read that carries an important message on faith and technology. His premise is that technology and new methods will always inherently change the attempted message; that the method/medium itself becomes the message (p.25). It’s like the “telephone game” on a macro scale, where one kid whispers a secret to the person next to him, and it gets passed down the line, often becoming confused or mis-stated as it goes. This miscommunication and change, Hipps notes, has the ability to impact many aspects of life, faith, etc.

In a light-hearted and convincing way, He walks through several aspects of life, focusing on the shift from spoken word to written word to images, and thus from one side of the brain to the other and back. In Christianity, he asserts that these shifts move from holistic to linear/cognitive and back. He explains new technology’s effect on memory and tradition, community, imagination, relationships, anonymity, conflict, the church, and faith including the gospel message. The effect can be either positive or negative on these areas of life, as the substance and message changes. It is positive in some lights because it allows for re-packaging and new ways to interact with age-old concepts, but it is negative in that through these new media, the original message can be lost.

One of the most dangerous shifts, says Hipps, occurs in the gospel message: it has gone from a holistic, communal, life-encompassing message to a linear, “then-and-now,” bullet-point change, and is even now becoming a subjective message, meaning different things to different people – the danger here is going out of balance from God’s “progressive revelation” in scripture to assume that God is still revealing new truth (a changing message – p.156-7). If this is the case, then anyone’s understanding of the gospel can be valid, no matter how heretical, and despite the methods or the messenger, the single true message is lost. (sidenote: I think we all must be careful of this, and not give permission for it in the name of changing methods). Hipps rightfully asserts that there must be a balance – that we must be aware of the changing message and work within it.

Since the goal of this tour is to ask questions and think critically about the book, I need to say that while Hipps raises great points that we must all take to heart (more on that later), there is a nagging little thought in my mind: first, I’m not 100% convinced that the media/method of delivery is inherently the message, or that any medium is inherently negative – when my TV is off, it’s no message at all; it’s the choice of show coming through it that’s the message. Likewise, the internet doesn’t inherently change the message of the Gospel unless the messenger delivers it improperly. Or different musical styles – rap is just beats, rhythms, and notes in and of themselves – it’s the lyrics added to the method that delivers the artist’s message. Even his example of “1337 talk” (p.136), the message is no different than teens have had for decades; the only difference is the method of delivery.

But all these things (media/methods) CAN overpower the message if the messenger isn’t enormously careful, can dumb us down, and can turn us off from the fullness of the message. And I can’t help but think Hipps would agree – maybe that’s even his subtle point as he asks readers to think: there’s a tendency toward this – it can happen, and if we’re not careful, then it will happen, and we lose that balance.

So… the greatest impact of Hipps’ insights are as two-fold: First, as people who make use of ever-changing media/technology (as Hipps does – using spoken word, written word, and visual image to communicate his message in the forms of sermon, audio podcast, website, blog, video, & books), we must guard the message we’re sending, lest we take it too far and allow the method to overpower it. We must use the medium to clearly communicate the original message, without letting the medium change/overpower it – we must “learn to use them rather than be used by them” (p.14).

Second, as we are all constant messengers and recipients, we must all be aware of the influences and media/methods constantly surrounding us; instead of assuming a 30-second perusal of Wikipedia or an opinion of a friend as truth, we must be more aware of these influences, and must take the time to pause and look back to the original message – to go to the first kid who whispered the message, and make sure it hasn’t been changed or replaced as it was passed down the line.

Bottom line: Flickering Pixels is a great book that has caused me to “live in my head” since I read it, and as Hipps’ claims sink in, they challenge and push me in a good way, that would be great for communicators and discerning listeners everywhere – thanks, BlogTourSpot, for the book and the chance to review it.