Identity Statements

I'm 2 weeks into teaching through the sermon on the mount at Colossae.  We just covered Matthew 5:13-16 and walked through a few things that seemed to really stand out to people in these verses.  I know they did to me as well.  Here are a two very brief points I think changes the way we view this passage as well as ourselves:

1. These are not commands.  We often think we need to try and be salt and light in the world.  But that's not what Jesus is saying here.
2. This is an identity statement.  We don't need to try and be salt and light, because Jesus says his disciples ARE salt and light.  Jesus says, "You are salt..." and he says "You are the light..."

So, the question isn't whether or not we are these things.   The question is whether or not we are identifying ourselves as Jesus identifies us and living authentic to who he's made us to be.  It's an issue of identity.  How we identify ourselves will drive every aspect of our lives.  The truth is most of us don't view ourselves as being salt and light and so we don't live as that daily.  We identify ourselves in all sorts of other things and being salt and light is just something we think we should do because we are Christian.

If we viewed ourselves as Jesus identifies his disciples, our lives would look much different.  It would look much more like, well, salt and light.

So, here are 3 things I find helpful in embracing who we are:

1. Recognize inauthenticity.  If we are not being salt and light, we need to repent and pray for God to give us the desire to be who He has made us to be.  We may even get very pointed in our prayers by saying something like, "God, make my desire to be who I am greater than my desire to be selfish."
2. Digest scripture.  Scripture is God-breathed and is a means God uses to renew our minds.  If we desire to be who we are then we must be in scripture which constantly reminds of our identity and how to be authentic to that.
3. Community.  To be who we are requires living among other disciples who are trying to figure all this stuff out.  We can't just show up on a Sunday morning and then go back to our life until Wednesday's small group - which we just go to and then go back to our life.  Our life must also be entangled outside of any organized circles with the lives of others who have are also salt and light.

Better Off Without Jesus Giveaway

Okay, just for fun I've decided to give away copies of my latest book, Better Off Without Jesus.  So, here's how it will work...

I will send out tweets that say, "RT for a chance to win a free copy of Better Off Without Jesus" and I will also be posting on Facebook, "Like for chance to win a free copy of Better Off Without Jesus."

I will give it a few hours and then my two oldest daughters will be choosing the winners - one for Facebook and one for Twitter.  To keep this fair (because my daughters will always pick a girl!) I will assign a number to each person that either RT's or Likes the post.  I will ask my girls to pick a number and if your number is picked, I will contact you for your address...and then I will mail you the book.

BUT here's the best part about it...whichever daughter picks your number will also write you a little note.  It's a way they feel a part of my ministry and a way that you can have a smile put on your face.

Sound good?

Keep your eyes out...I hope you win!

Note to Leaders: Expectations

My wife recently took my daughters to the Nutcracker play.  It’s become a tradition in our family...for the girls, that is.  They get dressed up, go out to dinner with some friends and then enjoy the play.  It’s something they really look forward to.

My wife was telling me about how much fun they had and then told me something my five year old daughter, Karis, said to her about a half-hour into the play.  It blew my mind.

Karis said, “Mommy, I have to go potty.  Can you pause it?”

What?  Pause the play?  Wow.  She had no idea if she was watching a screen or a play or live television.  She’s always been able to pause live television so, I guess, who could blame her.  This has been a luxury she didn’t know how to operate without in her life.  She expected to be able to pause it, go to the bathroom and not miss a beat.

This is cute for a five year old, but these changed expectations is a reality for all of us and especially younger generations.  I enjoy technology as a 38 year old man and in many ways my life can’t operate without it.  But technology didn’t shape my thinking the way it has younger generations.

I’ve found that technology has shaped college aged people in some ways that should drastically change how we approach relationship with them.  If we don’t take these to heart and adjust how we approach them, we’re in big big big big trouble.  Perhaps the biggest area we must take notice of is how technology has changed their expectations.

Sure, it’s changed their expectations with how fast they obtain information and technology has certainly made the world smaller.  But, in my opinion, the thing we really need to take notice of is how much they expect to have a voice into things.

Think about it.  They have never not had a voice.  They have always posted comments on blogs or articles when they had an opinion.  If they saw something that interested them, they write about it on their personal blog or post links on Facebook or post a video explaining their views.  They have always had a voice and therefore they expect to have a voice in just about everything.  And, truthfully, who can blame them?  It’s all they’ve known.  

It’s hard for older generations to grasp this idea as being appropriate, but it’s reality in our world today.  We must give younger people a voice in our ministries.  If we don’t, we will lose them.  We lose trust.  We are viewed as controlling.  We are seen as people stifling them.  So, here are 2 quick ideas of how to go about that:

1. Cut off your toes.  What I mean by this is, make sure people know they’re not going to “step on your toes” by sharing their honest opinions.  Continue asking what people think about your ministry.  Let them know there are no sacred cows.  Ask them to tell you what they would do differently if they were you.  Ask them what they think you should be doing next.  Ask them to tell you what they think is not working.
2. Open your ears.  The truth is the more we open our ears and listen to them, the more they ask for us to open our mouths to share our perspective.  If we want to have a voice in their lives, we must first listen to theirs.

Insights Into Publishing [2]: How The Money Works

If you missed part 1 of this series, please first see the post directly below.

Publishing is a business, no matter how you look at it.  Authors may realize this in theory, but practially speaking I find they are surprised at how much it actually is.  People pursuing to be published tend to view their work through a lens of "having something to say" and they simply want others to read it.  This is good and needed in publishing.  Publishers actually look for it.  But it can be a rude awakening for authors when their passion meets the business world of publishing.

Publishers want and need to sell books for a profit.  Period.  And if you are someone who wants to write a book, you must embrace this at every practical level.  Like it or not, you are wanting to enter a new business venture.  This may not motivate you, but that's a reality you must embrace.  If you are a reader, I think you should know this too.  Your buying habits may change after knowing a few things.

I personally only write books I feel like I'm supposed to write.  When it comes to publishing I'm not motivated by money.   This is a personal thing driven by my faith.  I talk with my wife and we think/pray about a concept/contract...and if I think it's what God wants me to write, then I move forward.  But once I land on that, I then need to navigate a business world.

I won't go into all the nuances of navigating that world in this post.  Rather, I will simply lay out how the numbers typically work.  After seeing these numbers and processes you may wonder why anyone would ever write with/through a publisher.  However there ARE very good reasons and I will address that in the next post.  Publishers are not the enemy.  Like all other businesses in the world, they simply need to make a profit and they are facing all sorts of pressures - particularly from distributors like Amazon.  I will try to unpack those pressures for you in the next post as well.  It will change your perspective, I promise.

For now, here is how the money typically works between a publisher and an author.

Advances.  Publishers are shying away from offering authors any "advance," but it does happen.  Successful authors can receive hundreds of thousands of dollars for an advance, but this is very very very rare.  How it works is the publisher would give an author a certain amount of money upfront, before the book releases.  Advances are usually paid in 2-3 installments.  A portion is usually given when an author signs the contract, another portion is given after the manuscript is officially "accepted" by the publisher and, if it's paid in 3 installments, another payment is made on or around the books release date.  If you are a first time author, you should not expect any sort of advance.  That's just the reality of publishing today.  You will need to have a very good size platform to ensure the sales of books if anything is given.  And what you think is a good platform, very well may not be.  That will be in a future post of this series.

The advance is given to authors "against future royalties."  In other words, authors are paid a royalty on every book sold, but since they were advanced money, their royalty report is technically in the negative and needs to work itself back to zero through book sales.  Most publishers do not require an author to pay back their advance if it's not all paid back through sales, but they are able to in most contracts.  But since they don't usually recoup this money they usually offer little/if any upfront for first time authors.

Royalties.  Major publishers will typically offer authors a starting royalty of 16%.  But recently I've seen authors being offered as low as 12%.  12% is very low historically, but I'm seeing this more and more for first time authors.  The royalty percentages can also be tiered.  So an author might receive 16% for up to 10,000 books sold, 18% for 10,001-20,000 books sold, etc.  But no publisher is giving out higher than 22% for any authors on any tier.  Now, that's simply an example using round numbers but how this is tiered, or if it is at all, is solely dependent on the authors influence and platform.

But this is not what it seems at first glance.

Despite what people tend to think, the author doesn't receive 16% of the retail price...or even what readers pay for a book.  Instead, they make 16% of what the publisher sells the book for (or "the publishers net receipts").  So, let's say the retail price of a book is $12.99, but someone buys the book on a distribution channel like Amazon for $10.00.  Well, the publisher likely sold the book to Amazon for something like $6.00.  So, through this example the author would receive 16% of $6.00, or .96 cents.

But this isn't always the case either.  There is more to the story.

In most contracts publishers put a clause in that can cut this royalty in half...and most authors don't realize this.  The clause basically states if the publisher chooses to sell the books at a discounted rate (like 55% or more) then the author's royalty is cut in half.   And here's the thing, they usually offer the books to distributors for at least a 55% discount off the retail price.  Especially big one's like Amazon.

So, if the book's retail price is $12.99 and the publisher sold the book to Amazon for a 55% discount (or, $5.85), this would mean the author's royalty for that sale now becomes .47 cents.  In the publishing world this is referred to as "trade sales" and this clause is often inserted to protect the publishers profit margins.

Now, you might be thinking, "Well, self-publishing really sounds like the way to go then!"  But hold on just for a moment, I will soon discuss why publishing is still a better way.  And it will soon get even better.

Until then, this has been a very brief overview of how the money works and I think understanding more about how this can drastically affect how people go about purchasing books in the future.  In the next post I will share how current distribution channels are putting pressures that have negatively affected this for authors (and publishers).  Then, I will share some things that will be changing this...for everyone involved.

Insights Into Publishing

I have published 6 books with 4 different publishers and am currently writing my 7th book that will be available in August of 2013 (more on that later).  Although my experience is not as vast as some others,  I have learned a few things about the publishing world.  Some I don't like while others I don't mind so much.  Some things I've learned the hard way and some prior to getting bitten.

But regardless of how I feel, I think by far the majority of people don't have a clue about how publishing actually works.  And I think, with some basic knowledge, people would go about writing or purchasing books differently.  Much differently.


I frequently get emails, Facebook messages, DM's via Twitter, Google+ messages, etc from people who are writing or have written a book they desire to get published.   Most of these inquiries are about how to go about pursuing a publisher.  But I've also helped a number of people negotiate terms with publishers from the background.  In other words, I've given the advice an agent might give, without the fees of an agent.  A lot of times authors receive an offer from a publisher and they are so excited about "getting published"that they don't realize what it all really means.

And, like it or not, publishers don't necessarily want you to be educated on all the nuances.  They certainly never offer any advice to authors about the contract offers they give.  That's for sure.

Most of the time authors are shocked with my responses to their inquiries because they are operating off an ideal that just isn't reality.  And I've found that when I articulate what they are up against, their dreams are altered.  Not crushed, just altered.


I don't mean all that to sound as bad as it may have come across.  The truth is publsihers aren't crooks out to get people (well, most of them aren't).  But the fact is there is a lot about the publishing world that most readers and authors don't understand.  But they should understand more than they do.  It would change things.  Drastically.

For instances, I believe if people knew where all the money actually goes when they purchased a book, they would go about buying books differently.

I think if writers understood the financial premise publishers operate from, they would change their approach to publishing.  Or, if not entirely change their approach, at least they would navigate their relationship with publishers differently.  I also think if the average reader understood this financial premise, they would purchase books differently than they do.

I believe if readers realized how little the author benefits financially or how much the publisher relies on the authors to sell the books, they would buy books differently.  Most people think selling the books is what publishers are supposed to do on behalf of the author.  Well, that couldn't be more wrong.

If people realized that the bulk of the money in publishing isn't made by the publisher OR the author they would purchase books, in whatever format, from different places than they tend to.

If people understood how the industry ACTUALLY works, I think publishing would change forever.

The bottom line is the publishing world, for the most part, is turned upside down and it operates entirely differently than most think it does.  It's very core is fundamentally different than ever before and nobody actually knows where it's heading.  But there are some things that still ring true...and I believe people should have more information than they currently do.

I believe people want to know more.  When I share some of the things I've learned with my friends or people I meet on airplanes, they are fascinated.  And usually, if not in every case, people change the way they purchase books.  Now, I'm not claiming to some sort of whistle blower here nor am I claiming to be the only person to unveil some secret "handshakes" of the publishing world.  I am simply saying there are some things I think people should and would want to know about publishing.  So, this blog series is going to be about explaining how the industry actually works and some things I've learned.  I'm planning on writing on at least the following topics (not in any particular order):

1. Where does the money actually go when you buy a book?  I think most people will be very surprised once they realize how it all works.
2. The "smart business" practices of distributors like Amazon and the negative effects they have on the entire publishing world.
3. Contractual elements most authors have no idea about and readers should realize.  There are aspects to the contracts that nobody explains when authors are signing a contract.  But if readers and authors knew about them, it would certainly cause thought about how you purchase books and where you purchase them from.
4. The process of actually getting published.  I will talk about a few things pursuing authors need to realize and embrace about the publishing world.  I also think readers ought to know this as well as it may cause you to rethink how you purchase books.
5. The differences and similarities of publishers of Christian books versus others genres.  They are very different in ways and yet, unfortunately, very similar.

My desire in this series is to be informative versus bashing anyone or any one part of this industry.  I'm a part of it and I actually enjoy it.  Having said that, I do think some information is important for people to have so they can make more informed decisions about how/where/why they purchase books and/or pursue getting one published.

I think the next post will be about where the money you spend on books actually goes...

When I Don't Say It Like I Want To

i teach often.  for the last 14-15 years i have taught every week and more often than not, multiple times a week.  the most messages i've ever given in one week was 15 (different messages).  that's abnormal, of course, but when you teach all the time you are bound to have times when you just wish you had the chance to do it over.

that was me this weekend at our 9am service.  the whole time i was teaching i kept thinking, "this isn't coming out like i wanted it to."  as i was teaching i realized this isn't going to be clear.  after the service was done i was exhausted.  my mind was racing the entire time i was teaching, trying to figure out how to be more clear.  it weighs on me emotionally because, as a teacher, i really desire people to gain understanding of a truth.  so when it's not coming out right it drains me.  

because i've had this happen more than a few times, i've learned that there are 3 things i keep in mind to maintain sanity/grounding:

1. God works despite us.  i have found that many times when i think it was a horrible message, God does things that i would never have expected anyway.  the bottom line is God speaks to people through His word regardless of whether or not i said things like i wanted to.  at our 11am service i said things much more the way i wanted to and, to be honest, i think it was much more clear.  but that doesn't mean God used it any more or less than the 9am service.
2. it's usually more clear to others than i think.  if i'm not saying things the way i planned in my head, i'm the only one that knows that.  even though it's jumbled up in my own mind, nobody else knows that.  they don't know the difference so they are just listening to what i am saying, whereas i'm noticing what i am saying and comparing that with what i planned to say.  this makes it seem much less clear to me than it was to others there.
3. it's not about me.  when i've done this in the past, i've often beaten myself up a bit.  the truth is i just took myself too seriously.  but i've learned a little.  i've learned that is simply my arrogance showing itself in insecurity.  so, i've had to check that at the stage and when i walk off just move on.  it is what it is and God still does what He does.

Using A Sermon Prep Team [3]

okay, here is the third post of this series, but i've decided to add a fourth.  when i originally thought of this series i wasn't thinking of my 6 week prep period prior to teaching the series. so in this post i will discuss that part and then the next post will cover what we do in our weekly meetings as we teach through the book.

here is what we did those weeks:

• week 1: read entire book (prior to our meeting) in an unmarked bible (preferably one without chapter or verse distinctions) and talk about our initial observations, one chapter at a time
• week 2: read through entire book again (prior to meeting) and list out tensions in the text (theological or relational) or tensions in life the text addresses
• week 3: read through entire book (prior to meeting) and note where thoughts start and finish.  every author has a "flow of thought" and this is CRITICAL to understand when teaching through a book.  in our meetings we talk about and share where we broke things down.
• week 4: repeat week 3 without looking at our previous weeks' notes.  doing it this way you get a fresh look at it and in our meeting we then compare our new notes to the previous week and then collectively decide where the thoughts start and finish and which thoughts seem to be transitions between larger thoughts.
• week 5: read through entire book again (prior to meeting) and choose one verse for each major thought.  we've already listed out where these start and finish already so now we simply pick one verse or verses that best summarizes each thought.  we then talk through each of our conclusions and collectively land on the key verses for each thought.
• week 6: read through entire book again (prior to meeting) and take note of major themes we see throughout the book and then list specific verses we see that theme.  in our meeting we collectively decide on these as well.

each of these areas require a lot of time for each of the team, but when a team of people are speaking into it is a balanced result.  "living" in just the text like this over a period of time you become very familiar with the book and really feel like you know it well.

finally, here are a couple of other (important) thoughts i'd like to mention:

• notice we did not once look at a commentary during this time of preparation - not even the introductions in study bibles.  when teaching our job is NOT to give a book report.  nobody wants that.  a lot of people think that "doing the work" of preparation simply means reading what everyone else has said about the book after the study they did.  i couldn't disagree with this more.  i'm not negating the benefit of commentaries but there is a huge difference between teaching from our head knowledge and teaching from our hearts and lives.  i believe it's vital for people to hear from someone that has lived in this book for a while versus someone who has simply studied and then regurgitates what they learned.
• going through this process before i teach makes sure that i really do understand the flow of the book before teaching any one part of it.  it helps me keep each section of scripture, however i break it down, in it's appropriate context. in other words, it keeps me honest as i teach.

in the next post i will share the process we go through in our weekly meetings as i prepare to teach through particular sections.