“If I had to write another love song to write on this project what would you like to hear?”

“What do you want to say to the Love of your life?”

“If I had to write another Love song, what topic would you suggest?”

It appears that he received a ton of suggestions. I’m sure you can still reach out to Fred and offer your suggestions. He’s @RealFredHammond on Twitter.

I thought his performance was outstanding. It apppears that people around the country thought the same thing too. Shortly after the song was over, “Smokie Norful” started trending on Twitter. Here are some of the comments people posted on Twitter:

“I Need You Now by Smokie Norful. Thank you Stefano Langone for introducing it.”

“Stefano from #americanidol almost brought me to tears when he sung “I need you now” by. Smokie Norful”

“Personal Bookmark: Smokie Norful. Never heard of him before this episode of American Idol.”

I said this on Twitter last night and I’ll say it again. No matter what happens in this competition, I’m sure that Stefano Langone will be offered a record deal from a Christian/Gospel label.

I’m not sure what this exposure will do for Smokie Norful. I’m sure that many people went and downloaded “I Need You Now” off of iTunes. No matter what happens it was a pretty enjoyable experience, even if it was for one night.

[img credit: americanidol.com]

Here is their new song entitled “Something Bigger.” It is from the upcoming album entitled “Something Big.” Check out the track below and let me know what you think.

Something Bigger by Mary Mary Music

Having said that, I also believe that social networks are completely unreliable. You may be using them today to advertise your events or to minister to people, but tomorrow they could be completely gone. That is why it is important for ministries to have their own websites.

A couple of years ago, MySpace was the big thing. I would frequently see music artists using MySpace as their presence on the web. This is a huge mistake. Everyday, MySpace is moving closer and closer to being irrelevant. If MySpace ever shuts down, it is likely that those people will lose all of the information that was stored there.

Whether you are a church or a Gospel artist, it is important to know that in many ways you are a brand. Your brand needs its own website. You need one central location where people can find information about you and connect with you. Social networks like Twitter and Facebook should be used to augment your presence online.

The advantage of using social networks is that they are easy to setup. You don’t need a lot of technical knowledge. While setting up a website may be slightly more difficult, it is definitely an investment that you need to make.

You may not have the money to hire someone to build a website for you. If money is an issue, then there are plenty of free and simple tools online like WordPress.com and Weebly.com. These sites will allow you to have a simple but effective website up and running in just a few minutes.

If you do decide to have someone build your site, make sure it is updated frequently. In a perfect world, it would be great if you could hire someone to do this for you. I understand that this probably isn’t an option for most people. An alternative would be to have some build your site using a content management system (CMS).

The use of a CMS allows someone else to initially create your site. Then, you will easily be able to add and edit content without the need of a lot of technical knowledge.

The world does business and ministry on the web. The web is our present and the web is our future. If you are serious about your ministry (preaching, teaching, music), then having a website is crucial. If you depend solely on Facebook and Twitter, you could live to seriously regret it.

The entire process will take over three years to complete. If everything goes according to plan, Joby will make his last tweet in November 8, 2013.

I love this idea. There are tons of “daily bible verse” Twitter accounts out there. This one is different. I think it is very impressive that Chris Joby has committed to paraphrase the Bible.

You can view all of  Chris Joby’s posts as he paraphrases the Bible by following @biblesummary on Twitter.

What do you think? Is this just a waste of time or do you see this as something that is beneficial?

Where do you draw your inspiration? How do you stay motivated and enthusiastic? What do you do when “plan A” doesn’t work?

Yesterday on Twitter, Fred Hammond shared his thoughts and feelings about inspiration. He talked about the times in his life where he had to draw inspiration from others.

Since it is really easy to miss things on Twitter. I thought I would share Fred’s comments. Check out his words below:

“When my inspiration flatlines I look for someone who’s mak’n it Happen. it’s like a defibrillator to my creative chest. PRESS IT! CLEAR!!!”

“From traveling and playing Bass for the Winans at age19 to March 15th 2010 I’ve had to push that button and say this over&over again CLEAR!”

“There’s a word for this train of thought, CLEAR=RE-INVENT..”

“When you have an idea and it dies on the birthing table, CLEAR!! Find inspiration from someone or something else. Come up with another one.”

“When you feel like no 1 will help you Get your Idea off the Ground, CLEAR!! find away to do it yourself ..”

“our pride that jacks us up, we despies small beginnings, hate delayed gratification, we want the big right now!”

“We want the Smorgesbord but frown at the 2 fish and 5 loaves. CLEAR!! That thinking will always keep you Jacked!”

“Linear thinking can keep you in a box.. connect the dots of successful things & other ideas and apply them to what you’re doing. CLEAR!!”

“Comparing yourself to People for the sake of saying how much better you are, is a sure sign you’ll never reach your full potiential. CLEAR!!”

“Comparing yourself to others Because you see things in them that can help you improve you, Now that’s str8 Defrib, CLEAR!! You own yo way!”

“I tell this story all the time. In the beginning stages of Commissioned I studied Keith Staten, he had such a great command of his Craft.”

“I put the bass around my neck and sang my part when it came up but I noticed Keith was much more effective then I was. So I studied him.”

“What if I would’ve let Envy Pride or Jelousy take hold of my thinking, there would be no me today, CLEAR!! what a concept.”

“Once again CLEAR!! is a concept I’ve adapted for times when my Creativity has flatined.A defibrillator 4 my Creative Heart. Push the Button”

“If you look at your ideas as the bomb but it’s not working for anyone else, 9 times outta 10 it’s not the Bomb. CLEAR!! change your thinking”

“Don’t think linear, look at popular trends, inventions Top 5 things that are the best in the world, ask God to give you the Code of tht DNA.”

“Example: Twitter is a witty invention, why is it so sucsefull? What can you take from this Twit concept and apply to your business or idea?”

“Churches that only study other churches will only go so far.You must look @ fortune 500 corps,and Captins of industry to be more effective.”

“Saw Tylers play last night, traffic was 5 miles long to get in. CLEAR!! By now you must admit, He’s doing something right. What’s the DNA?”

“The IPAD is coming out.. CLEAR!! what’s the DNA?”

“Computers, Can’t live without’m, CLEAR!! what’s the DNA? how can you apply this success to the song your writing? Or Salon your Oppening?”

“The Passion of the Christ!!! Avatar!!! Star wars and Trec! NFL, NBA, WWF, American idol, Microsoft, Apple, aol, yahoo, the WWW, CLEAR!!”

“It’s simple.. It’s all about People. CLEAR!! as in I’m done.”

I really appreciate it when someone that has made it takes some time to share the things that they have learned. It would be really easy for him or anyone else to keep certain things to themselves. I hope someone will benefit by reading what Fred wrote. I know I will. Thanks for the comments Fred!

You can follow Fred Hammond on Twitter (@RealFredHammond). Please follow me too (@TheGospelBlog)!

What do you think about what he wrote? Where do you draw inspiration?

While you’re searching for people to follow, don’t forget to follow me (@TheGospelBlog).

WeFollow
This is arguably the largest Twitter directory on the web. WeFollow indexes many different categories of Twitter users. The directory of Christians is just one of them.

New Release Tuesday
This is a site that does Christian music news, reviews and more. They have developed a very comprehensive directory of Gospel and Christian music artists. You may notice that a couple of your favorite Gospel artists are missing.

Gospel Pundit Twitter Roll
If you are looking for just Gospel artists, then this is where you will want to begin. I don’t know of any other Twitter directories that are dedicated exclusively to Gospel artists.

Cross Tweet-Christian Authors on Twitter Roll
ChristianBookVideos.com created a list of Christian authors on Twitter. This list contains many fiction and non-fiction authors.

Depending on how many people you follow, it is pretty easy to miss posts on Twitter. Below you can read Fred’s comments in their entirety in case you missed them.

“The Gospel Music industry Lables. Artist, and Radio, have to raise the Bar for the fans.. The investment must be made.”

“The Gospel industry is the 90′s and we’re in 2010. The ppl who are fans of Gospel Music and Support it need it to be more exciting and Hot.”

“Or they’ll walk away.”

“There are some artist that believe it’s the message or the philosophy that has to change, I dissagree. Our change is Business.”

“I’ve been doing this for 30 years and I see the issue.. I was thinking about doing a Gospel music Summit for the industry but I realized”

“I’ve been doing this for 30 years and I see the issue.. I was thinking about doing a Gospel music Summit for the industry but I realized”

“After talking to my Counter parts it would be a waist of Time. I’m praying about doing something with and for the next Generation of”

“Artist but it will be hard without the leadership of the Vets or Generals.”

“Gospel artist.. We must give the people more then a good Hokamshe / telamoshonda for them to keep supporting, they want more.”

“GOSPEL ARTIST TALK LESS AND SING MORE!!! if you say GOD gave you those songs then they will do what they were Birthed to do.. U don’t have”

“To Preach between every lyric. Trust the music.. The industry has not given us all the tool we need BLACK GOSPEL MUSiC, we have to do more.”

“There’s so much more to this. We must be effective in the the earth .. Marvin Sapps joint was a perfect example that if u give the ppl”

“What they need they will support it.”

“People are Crying well it’s a recession,, a recession means that people spend money carefully, and on what they want.”

“The things that are affective in there life. Things that give them statisfaction. What ever gets them through the times in they’re life.”

“I’m not Claiming to be The Savior of the industry , I’m just trying to tell what I see. .. We must be more effective.”

“If Anyones Words were effective on this earth it was Christ Jesus, but He knew that He must meet Ppls needs in order for them to hear Him.”

“His Miracles paved the way for him to be able to Say ” The kingdom of God is like”. It was the WOW of that day.”

“He didn’t just Preach He was Effective.”

“I mean if He could’ve just taught from the Synagog and wouldn’t that been ok? But it was His WOW that made ppl listen. HIS WOW !!!”

“WHAT IS THE GOSPEL MUSIC INDUSTRY’s WOW!! and please don’t say the CD. even though it still sells.”

“ARTIST HERES A TIP.. GOSPEL MUSIC IS A PARTICIPATION EVENT. MAJORITY OF PPL WHO BUY ABD SUPPORT ARE NOT TRYING TO JUST SIT AND LISTEN”

“TO US PERFORM AND WRIFF ALL OVER THE PLACE, THEY WANT TO SING WITH US NOT JUST WATCH US PERFORM.”

“When I left commissioned I thought it was over for me. I love cool music and we were cool. But GOD!! told me to let ppl song with me.”

“When they sing they believe when they believe the Praise when they Praise HE COMES DOWN AND HANGS WITH US.”

“Thus from kool music to GLORY TO GLORY TO GLORY TO GLORY TO GLORY TO GLORY TO GOD.. And BLESSED BLESSED BLESSED How repetetive is that.”

“But those songs were born in 1994 I better not try and leave without doing them.”

“Or songs that have great messages and Melodies like Back to Eden, or I trust, or like I said Never woulda made it.”

“New artist !! Simplify your Melodies.. Make your Hooks Singable, if an 8 year old or A 72 year old mother can sing it while she’s cook’n”

“You got a hit”

“If A single mother who’s been up against stress and strife or brother going through can sing with you u got a hit.”

“I know the Words I wrote today won’t be for everyone.. But He that has the ear, Will hear and the seed will Grow”

“The one who rejects it the seed will Die and you can’t say you don’t know”

“Don’t Get me wrong it’s not just Artist fault but no one is gonna give us a shot then we must find away to make it work.”

“When I listen to the quality of production of Gospel music Be it contemp, hip hop or traditional I here Music that is 2nd to none.”

“But it’s more then that.”

“Like I said your trying to sell something to ppl that will only buy what they want. It’s a recession. But watch Philly and Dallas tomorrow”

“It will be sold out.”

“Ppl buy what they want to buy.”

“Here’s the Deal . We as a industry must be STRATEGIC…”

“New artist you must think this way, Business as well as Spiritual, why should someone give you $10 to $15 of there hard earned money?”

“With everyday expences kids food cost of living mortgages and housing market in the toilet car notes cut in pay cell phone competition”

“Cell bills, touition, insurances, hair and personal upkeep, gas, car upkeep, clothing , vacations, going out , dating , weddings,”

“Jewlery, shoes, movies, DVD rental, Bootleg stuff, and the list goes on, why should they give us $15, cause we talented?”

“Gospel is about serving ppl, not about watching us show how great we can riff. They need something from us.”

“We must ask ourselves what do ppl want and need want from Us, Gospel music ministries? Find out what they want and need and give it 2 them.”

“Don’t give them what you want them to have.”

“I don’t know who this was all for , but it was for someone, and the Revelation witll be the key to your Destiny.”

There you have it. When a leader and pioneer in any industry speaks out, it is in your best interest to pay attention. Please let me know what you think about Fred Hammond’s comments. Do you think he’s being unreasonable? What do you think an artist should use as his or her “WOW”?

First, go to http://search.twitter.com or http://www.twitter.com. On these pages you can search for words or phrases that people post in their Twitter updates. Ask the Lord which words or phrases he wants you to target. You can use phrases like “mother died”, “bad day” or “I’m sick”. One of the phrases that I like to use is “pray for me.”

After you type in your phrase and hit “Search”, results will immediately begin to appear on your screen. Start reading the updates and the Lord will begin to direct you about who to talk to. Once you have picked someone, log into your Twitter account and send them a message.

For instance if someone needs prayer for a job interview, you can post something like this:
@username I’m praying that God gives you favor today and that his will be done.

I admit that this doesn’t appear to be world changing ministry, but you never know how a couple words of encouragement and support can go a long way to bless someone. I encourage you to give it a try.

I’m trying to understand how someone can boldly profess the name of the Lord on Monday and then they are using profanity on their facebook status on Tuesday. These are the same people that freely use four letter words on Wednesday, but want to tell everyone what “thus sayeth the Lord” on Thursday. When I see this kind of behavior, I can’t help but to shake my head. How am I or anyone else really supposed to take these people seriously?

I completely understand that nobody is perfect. I definitely do not claim to have lived a perfect life. I like many other people,  have had some less than desirable moments that I wish I could take back. This is all part of being human. Often times, people use profanity out of anger or even accidentally. I’m not referring to mistakes. There is a difference between something being part of your normal behavior and something being a mistake.

There are times in our lives when our behaviors and habits need some serious adjustments. The things we say and do out of habit, just do not please God.  I don’t think that those are the times when we should be on our Christian soap boxes quoting scripture and trying to “encourage” others. When we boldly confess our Christianity to the world, we represent God. How can we effectively represent Him when our words and actions don’t line up with His?

When I see this type of behavior I try to say something to the person. You just never know what someone can be going through. There could be a greater problem behind the scenes and we only see a small piece of it on facebook, Twitter or MySpace. I don’t get too spiritual or preachy. I just check to make sure that they are OK and encourage them to try to find other ways to express themselves.

EVERYBODY has the right to praise God and tell the world of his goodness. However, if we have a true heart to represent God, then we need to make conscious decisions regarding our behavior. We really do not do God any favors when we swear one day and quote scripture the next day.

Our goal as believers should be to live a life that pleases the Lord. Sometimes we need to ask God to show us the things in our lives that do not please him. Once he shows us something, we must move quickly to correct it.

Have you experienced anything like this? Let me know your thoughts.