What Is Discipleship?

08 December 2009 | Jason Hayes

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be addressing the idea of discipleship at threadsmedia.com and in our upcoming newsletters. Last week, we started the conversation by establishing that discipleship is much more than a program we add to our already busy calendars. Instead, it’s a way of life. You can read that article HERE.

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Last Day

09 October 2009 | Jason Hayes

Another year of Catalyst is about to wrap up, and it’s been fun to be a part of it. I’ve been around this event for several years and I’m always grateful for my time here. Thanks so much to Brad Lomenick and the Catalyst team for inviting me to participate in the Backstage Experience and for taking such great care of me.

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Thursday Recap

08 October 2009 | Jason Hayes

Check the archives if you missed my recap of Thursday morning. Here is a tiny glimpse into my notes from this afternoon and evening. We heard from Shane Hipps, Tony Dungy, Rob Bell, Matt Chandler, and Francis Chan. Feel free to check my Twitter history to see some of my commentary on each speaker’s message. In addition to some incredibly powerful worship with Aaron Keyes, the crowd was invited to participate in communion this evening. Coming fresh on the heels of Chandler’s great message before dinner and then Chan’s incredible talk tonight, you can imagine how powerful it was. If you missed the memo, we actually streamed much of this evening’s service to everyone watching at home. It was cool to see folks from across the globe joining together online. Til’ tomorrow!

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Catalyst Has Begun

08 October 2009 | Jason Hayes

Well, Catalyst has officially begun and it’s been great thus far. It’s hard to live up to the hype that comes along with an experience like this, but it’s not disappointing! The labs were very good yesterday, especially from Threads authors Mark Batterson, Margaret Feinberg, and Ed Stetzer. We’ve heard this morning from Andy Stanley, Malcolm Gladwell, and the folks from KIVA. In addition, the antics of Lanny Donahoe and Reggie Joiner are always fun. Below are a few highlights from the notes I took this morning. I’ll summarize the rest of the day later this evening.

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We’re at Catalyst

07 October 2009 | Jason Hayes

The Threads team is excited to be at Catalyst 2009 this week in Atlanta, Georgia.

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International Justice Day

17 July 2009 | Jason Hayes

To coincide with International Justice Day, our friends at Mocha Club have released a powerful video that we wanted to pass along. Take a moment and watch.

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Presenting A Worthy Offering

14 July 2009 | Jason Hayes

By request, I am posting my last message at Beach Reach 2009. I was teaching out of the book of Malachi. And while Blemished is a study of the book of Malachi, this message covers much of the material that didn’t make it into the book. It’s a bit long as it is a camp-like setting, but I hope you find it to be of encouragement and worth your time.

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Updating the iPod

08 July 2009 | Jason Hayes

I was recently on a long flight listening to my iPod and came to grips that my music library seemed to be getting a bit stale. My music tastes are diverse and extensive, but let’s focus just on worship music for this post. Here’s what I need from you. Give me what you are listening to. We, at Threads, would love to hear of any new albums, songs, or artists that we need to know about.

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Why Europe?

02 April 2009 | Jason Hayes

I wanted to tell you about an exciting new work in Europe. I’ve recently been in touch with my friend, Larry McCrary, about some really cool stuff that he is leading. If you’ve not heard yet about Upstream Collective or the Skybridge Community, let me be the first to introduce you. His passion and this kind of ministry really connects with the postmodern generation and our efforts at Threads. Read more from Larry below.

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Q&A Journey Continues … “Mark Batterson”

02 April 2009 | Jason Hayes

Here’s one more more interview about my new study, Blemished. I got an email from the real Mark Batterson this week and he likes “Chase The Goat.” I think I may need to run with it :) He’s a great guy with an amazing ministry. I’m grateful for his friendship and impact on our world. (and for being a good sport with this!)

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Q&A Journey Continues … “Ben Arment”

30 March 2009 | Jason Hayes

I launched my shady blog tour of Blemished a few weeks ago You can see my explanation for doing this at the beginning of THIS post. Thus far, we’ve been grateful to talk with Pete Wilson and Ed Stetzer. You can see their interviews HERE and HERE. This week, however, we have a new “interviewer.” Ben might have one of the biggest hearts of anyone I know. Outside of being a great guy, he also serves as the Experience & Innovation Director at Catalyst and is the founder of The Whiteboard Sessions. He’s a former church planter and all around brilliant guy. Thanks so much to “Ben Arment” and to my good friend, the real Ben Arment.

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Preparing for BeachReach Week 2

11 March 2009 | Jason Hayes

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Q&A Journey Continues … “Ed Stetzer”

20 February 2009 | Jason Hayes

I launched my not-so-impressive blog tour of Blemished last week. You can see that first video and my explanation for doing this HERE. This week, however, we have a new victim … I mean, friend. Thanks so much to “Ed Stetzer” and the real Ed Stetzer. He said some kind things and posted about the “interview” HERE.

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The Q&A Journey: Interview With “Pete Wilson”

12 February 2009 | Jason Hayes

Although I’ve participated in blog tours in the past, I’m not a big fan. I think some exceptions apply for friends and ministry partners, but the concept just seems a little disingenuous to me. In an effort to not burden anyone, I had some fun “being interviewed” about my new book, Blemished, by some prominent bloggers that I really respect. Let the Q&A Journey begin!

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Your Sunsphere Equivalent

27 January 2009 | Jason Hayes

The city I grew up in, Knoxville, TN, was also the home of the 1982 World’s Fair. The Sunsphere was created as the theme structure for the World’s Fair. It is noted for its unique design and highlights the Knoxville skyline. Most of the World’s Fair site is now a public park and a convention center, but the Sunsphere remains. It has become a symbol for Knoxville, appearing in postcards, logos, and just about everything else. When I think of downtown Knoxville, I think of the Sunsphere (and vice versa).

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Lost and Found Video

29 October 2008 | Jason Hayes

Here is a quick, video teaser of a book that I am co-authoring. The book, which releases in early 09’, is written by myself, Ed Stetzer, and Richie Stanley. The purpose of the book is to help churches more accurately understand and reach the younger unchurched. The book is written with a heavy emphasis on application and will hopefully be recognized as an important resource for ministry leaders. I would encourage you to check out the video and the go ahead and order the book.

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Todd Phillips @ Charlotte Connect Conference

20 August 2008 | Jason Hayes

Well, it’s upon us. The Connect Conference tour is beginning this week. As promised, I’ll be filling you in on our happenings and also letting you know of the events ahead. It’s not too late to sign up. Here’s more about our speaker line-up from Todd’s bio.

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Margaret Feinberg @ Connect Conferences

04 August 2008 | Jason Hayes

Over the next few weeks, I will be posting snippets about our upcoming fall tour of Connect Conferences. Although I’ve mentioned these events some before, there hasn’t been as much intentionality compared to what you’ll be seeing in the coming days. I just want to make sure you are aware of how great and unique these intimate conferences will really be. Well, let the party begin. One of the featured speakers at our Charlotte and Jackson locations is Margaret Feinberg. If you aren’t familiar with Margaret, you should be!

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Christianity Has an Image Problem

29 November 2007 | Jason Hayes

Christians are supposed to represent Christ to the world. But according to the latest report card, something has gone terribly wrong. Using descriptions like “hypocritical,” “insensitive,” and “judgmental,” young Americans share an impression of Christians that’s nothing short of… unChristian.

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Enjoy A Refreshing Ham Soda

10 November 2007 | Jason Hayes

Coming soon next to the Coke and Pepsi in a store near you: ham-and latke-flavored soda to make your holiday feast complete. Jones Soda Co., the Seattle-based purveyor of offbeat fizzy water, is selling holiday-themed limited-edition packs of flavored sodas. The Christmas pack will feature such flavors as Sugar Plum, Christmas Tree, Egg Nog and Christmas Ham. The Hanukkah pack will have Jelly Doughnut, Apple Sauce, Chocolate Coins and Latkes sodas. Here’s a list of my suggestions for other holiday sodas.

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I’m a Practical Atheist

05 October 2007 | Jason Hayes

It’s been a great few days at Catalyst. Threads has been able to make some incredible inroads and we look forward to seeing how the Lord develops our relationship with the hundreds of new friends we made this week. As for me personally, I’ve really been challenged by the reverb message of Catalyst. The worship has been incredible and the communicators have brought it for 3 days straight. It’s been a great time of hearing from guys like Andy Stanley, Francs Chan, John Maxell, Irwin McManus, Dave Ramsey, and others. I took more notes than I know what to do with. At a point during one of the services I was typing so fast in effort to capture everything that I actually thought to myself, “Wow. I didn’t know I could type this fast.”

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Living Under Grace

02 October 2007 | Jason Hayes

The following checklist is from William Newell. He was a Bible teacher and pastor who died in 1956. He also wrote the hymn “At Calvary” if you are familiar with it. Anyway, a friend of mine sent me this checklist of things that Newell wrote about living under grace. He encouraged me to “soak them in.” After reading these several times over the last few days, they seem to go deeper each time. I’d encourage you to do the same—read over these and allow them to simmer with you for awhile. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this list.

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Fleeting Fame vs. Never-Ending Renown

26 August 2007 | Jason Hayes

I have the privilege of speaking at various conferences and events around the country. When leading a lab or a breakout session, my teaching topics usually focus on young adult ministry. However, I also venture occasionally into other topics related to Christian living, leadership, teaching, technology, culture and trends, and more. Below is a description of a lab that I’ll be teaching at an upcoming conference for young singles. It should be fun.

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What’s On Your iPod?

25 July 2007 | Jason Hayes

I was on a flight this week and I overheard two people discussing the idea of iPod music libraries and how revealing they are to the personality of the owner. The statement was made, “you can learn a lot about a person by what is on their iPod.” In recognition that there is probably some truth to this, below are my 20 last purchases on iTunes. They certainly don’t tell the whole story about who I am, but it probably does provide some insight. At Threads, we’d love to get to know you a bit better. Let us know a few of your most recent additions to your music library. Maybe we will learn about someone or something we’ve been missing out on.

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7 Things I Should Have Done On July 7, 2007

10 July 2007 | Jason Hayes

Somehow I missed the whole “July 7, 2007 is a lucky day” phenomenon. I didn’t realize that 07-07-07 had become such a big deal around the world. Actually, I didn’t hear anything about it until after it was over. I hadn’t even thought about the numerology of that particular day. For that matter, this isn’t something I really evaluate on other days, either. However, after reading numerous articles and seeing several news broadcasts discussing the day, it appears that I really missed out on something.

This is all, of course, based on the notion that the number, ‘7’ is lucky. Thus, a date with all sevens would bring a certain added portion of luck and good favor to those people and things involved with it. As matter of fact, Time Magazine reports that it may well have been the most popular wedding day in history. Yes, superstitious couples (including one French-born point guard and a desperate housewife) have gone to great lengths to secure the triple sevens as their wedding date. Evidently, they are “hoping the lucky numbers will make them lucky in love.”

I certainly don’t hold to the notion that July 7, 2007 is extra lucky. However, I did think it might be fun to consider what I would have done differently had I thought so. See below. Let me know if I missed any. Somehow I missed the whole “July 7, 2007 is a lucky day” phenomenon. I didn’t realize that 07-07-07 had become such a big deal around the world. I thought it would be fun to consider what I would have done differently had I joined in the madness. Read on & let me know if I missed any.

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Seeking the Young Adult Vote

05 July 2007 | Jason Hayes

Do you ever feel like people don’t really care about you or your opinions? If so, you are wrong. As a matter of fact, young adults are one of the most sought after demographics within our cultural, economic, and political stratosphere.

Check out the following article from Time Magazine regarding the potential impact of young adults in the 2008 Presidential Election.

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Fortune Cookie Fallacy

21 June 2007 | Jason Hayes

Well, last night, my fortune cookie surprised me a bit. Again, I don’t pay a lot of attention to this stuffing inside my golden treat, but I am aware enough to recognize a general theme that exists among fortune cookie messages. They usually include a series of lucky numbers on one side and words of faux wisdom or prophecy on the other. They usually make ridiculous but innocent statements like, “Your ability to juggle many tasks will take you far” and “a plucked goose doesn’t lay golden eggs.” But, last night that changed.

No longer was I reading harmless advice with little impact on an interested (and desperate) reader. My message read as follows…

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