Everything. We need God for everything. When I decided to launch this website and call it Social Rave: Ministry, Media & the Kingdom, my sole purpose was to advance the kingdom of God through media. At the time, I didn’t realize the huge responsibility I accepted in this call.

I just finished the book Wild at Heart by John Elderedge. Several friends have been encouraging me for years to read it. While on my way to Charlotte a couple of weeks ago, I decided to listen to the book on CD. The interesting thing that happened was the reasons that lead me to finally listen to this book were not God’s ultimate purpose for getting me to actually read it.  While listening to the last CD in the case, John makes a profound statement that continues to echo in my heart for the vision I have for Social Rave. He states,

Science has given us many wonderful advances in sanitation, medicine, and transportation. But we’ve tried to use those methods to tame the wildness of the spiritual frontier.  We take the latest marketing methods the newest business management fad, and we apply it to ministry. The problem with modern Christianity’s obsession with principles is that it removes any real conversation with God. Find the principle, apply the principle – what do you need God for? So Oswald Chambers warn us, “Never make a principle out of your experience let God be as original with other people as he is with you.”

While I am obsessed with ministry and media and even more obsessed with order, the Father constantly reminds me that having a kingdom mindset is vital for any ministry attempting to impact culture with its God-given vision. Without a kingdom mindset, we will choke the life out our mission, edge God out, and leave the ministry orphaned.

One of my favorite ministers, John Bevere, preached that he is confident we as believers will not be judged on what we’ve done but what we were called to do. Often times, we are so focused on applying the latest marketing fade to our ministry’s communication strategy that we negate the true call of our ministries and limit the power of the Holy Spirit.

Each of you has a call on your life and is gifted in a specific area of ministry God designed for you before you were even born. As you launch into your area of ministry, never forsake the works of the Holy Spirit.  Marketing’s best practices have nothing on the power of the living God. So, in everything, seek the Father’s guidance.

I feel extremely blessed to be academically and professional trained in ministry and media, but I also get excited about those God moments. These are the times where I know my skills, gifts, and talents had nothing to do with my successes. This happens when I take the principle out of my experience and allow God’s creativity to emerge.