Titus 1:15 starts, “To the pure, all things are pure…” Yeah, but to the rest of us (artists especially) it’s a different story. There’s a lot to be said for being wise as serpents yet innocent as doves. (Matthew 10:16) The thing is in our business erring on the “innocent as doves” side can really bite you later.
I started at Cornerstone as the webmaster. When first skimming the website I discovered that the men’s sexual addiction group was named “Rock Solid.” I couldn’t stop laughing, and mostly at the thought that I might have been the first to laugh at all. Seriously? Rock Solid? Freudian slip or pure genius? Clearly, sanctification has been a slow process for this here pilgrim; straight up.
Today was an interesting day for the media team. I asked if I could write about three items that came through; a day in the life of the media office. They’re funny items, sure, but I believe this is important stuff to talk about.
This rest of this post is more PG-13. If you’re not easily offended then please read on after the jump…
Ram Dash Rod Dot Org
That’s a mouthful but please emphasize the “dash” or the “org.” Our men registered the domain name www.ram-rod.org to promote their event, Rimz & Ribz. It’s a yearly car show and BBQ hosted at Cornerstone gaining traction and credibility every year. I’m not the only one who finds ample Junior High School humor in the domain name. It makes me miss Beavis and Butthead a little. ”huhuh, you said – ram… rod…” From years of experience I can confidently say that word-of-mouth promotion of ram-rod.org will prove disastrous. Most people type “dot com” at the end of any address the first time and dashes are rarely remembered. A word to the wise: Don’t search “ram rod dot com.” Trust me. That’s where one out of three guys will end up on their first try. ”No honey – really – he told me it was his church thing.”
Chicks with Sticks
Believe it. “Chicks with Sticks” is an 18-hole women’s golf tournament. My friend, Jake is 16. We hung out tonight over burritos and enchiladas. When I told him about this, he stared at me in unbelief like I was making it up and it wasn’t even funny. ’Nuff said.
Fiber Fantasy
To be fair, Fiber Fantasy is a company that makes knitting tools but after a day like today it’s the Jenga block that brought the tower down when suggested as the event name. ”I’m going to Fiber Fantasy tonight.” ”What?!” ”Oh, it’s a church thing.” ”What?!” Exactly.
Here’s the deal…
In any business, and especially in our business, credibility is one of our greatest assets. Likewise, the loss of credibility is one of the greatest damages we can suffer. Like it or not, Western culture has undergone a quantum shift under the influence of internet culture. The English language is rife with innuendo. It’s more of a generational gap than any of us like to admit so let me be forthright and generously blunt here. If you’re over, say, 40 and haven’t kept current with culture, fashion, social networking and The Office then you are more out of touch than anyone wants to tell you. It’s a plain fact; not a judgment. I’m not saying you are irrelevant. Not by any means. Your wisdom and experience are needed now more than ever. Spiritual and emotional human needs are timeless but the way we communicate must be considered very carefully. This is serious stuff.
Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.
- Proverbs 15:22
Protect the credibility of your church, ministry, organization or business by seeking the counsel of many advisers. Add young advisers to your group, run ideas by them and listen to them! You don’t want to see your event poster on www.failblog.org which, by the way, you should know about.
If you’re a Cornerstoner or if you’re an originator of one of these items please understand that I mean no judgment or harm. If you feel I am out of line please come talk to me. I am poking a little fun but better here and now than after your thing has gone public, don’t you think? I honestly doubt I’ll have the enabling grace to resist submitting a “Chicks with Sticks” church event poster to failblog if I get the opportunity.
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Thanks for putting this most usual day down in writing. I love the innocence that was behind these ideas but sadly they may cause others to stumble.
that my friend is hilarious . . .
so true, so true. thanks for continuing the laughter. but reminding us to think first.
Love the blog. I can believe all of the stories of the requests you get. Being on ministry teams for the last 10 yrs at Cornerstone I too had to ask the team to reconsider the name of their event before I submitted it to the media team because I knew the amount of laughter or “What!” it would create.
I so wish I could have been a fly on the wall in those meetings. A little laughing fly.
Loved this post, Sam. I even turned a little red. Ha ha ha. To the pure….!
oohhhh!!!! sooooo gooood!!!! i don’t care that after reading this my stomach hurts even more than it did the last two days…
well put Sam, well put…
personally…i’m glad that there are people like you around…
Having been at a number of meetings where names have been tossed around, it’s funny the stuff that comes up. Usually, it’s the spelling part where I raise my voice and suggest otherwise. “Terrific, you know that’s a Greek word and how to pronounce it. However, we ARE in the mid-west and most people will pronounce it like they see it.” Usually, the names are so pathetic that I tell them it sounds like everything else. And don’t even get me started on the lame logos.