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?

I have found that new Twitter users are frustrated because they don’t know how to find people to follow. In an effort to help with that, I’ve complied a list of a couple of Twitter directories that will help you identify other Christians to follow on Twitter. Whether you are a pro or novice to Twitter, I’m sure one of these lists will help you.

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.

A couple of days ago, Fred Hammond (@RealFredHammond) made some very insightful and interesting comments about Gospel music artists and the state of the Gospel music industry on Twitter. I found his comments to be extremely thought provoking and necessary.

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”?

Here is a quick and easy tip that explains how you can use Twitter for ministry. As you probably know, Twitter is a great tool for publicizing information about your ministry. I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about using Twitter to actually minister to people and speak words of encouragement in their lives.

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 some of the Christians that post updates on social media sites like facebook and Twitter. Hopefully you can help me out. There are many different types of Christians I could target. Today, I want to discuss those Christians that choose to use profanity on social networking sites.

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.

I’ve been to church services in many different venues. I’ve been to church services in cathedrals, store fronts, stadiums, parks, and college campuses. I’ve also experienced services online, on TV and on radio. I never thought I would be part of a church service on a social network. Well, that is exactly what happened yesterday when I observed Kirk Fraknlin (@kirkfranklin) holding church on Twitter.

It wasn’t church like most of us are accustomed to. There wasn’t praise and worship or testimony service. There wasn’t a choir or preaching either. Kirk took on questions from all comers about life, religion and spirituality. The end result was quite interesting.

Kirk was getting what seemed to be like a flood of questions from many different areas. Some topics included lust, dealing with parents, and salvation. The question about salvation ended up being a big  topic. In a nutshell, the question was “Is it possible for us to loose our salvation?” Although we never loose our salvation, we can forfeit the benefits of salvation by some of our actions. Kirk plans to do get a seminary professor and do a video blog to further explore the topic. I’ll keep you updated as to when it comes out.

The concept of a gospel artist fielding questions about life, religion and spirituality is very interesting. Answering questions with 140 characters or less is a challenge. It doesn’t seem to me that Kirk Franklin had anything to gain from this personally. However, I am confident that he made a contribution to the advancement of the kingdom of God through this small venture.

I am happy that I got to experience this. I hope there will be more in the future.

Did you get to observe “Twitter church”? If so, what are your thoughts?

Like many other people, the first time I created a Twitter account and logged in, I didn’t get it. Twitter gives me the ability to tell people what I am doing. So what? I could do that by updating my status on facebook and all of my friends were on facebook and they weren’t on Twitter.

Looking back, I realize how completely ignorant I was back then. Twitter has a value that is completely different from facebook, MySpace or any other social network.

If you use social networks for the sole purpose of connecting with friends both past and present, then Twitter is probably not for you. I would dare even say that you shouldn’t even bother with Twitter at all.

The way I see it, Twitter is absolutely great for two main reasons:

1. You have a message or multiple messages that you want to get out to a large number of people quickly and/or on a consistent basis.

If you have anything to promote (events, church, ministry, website, etc) and you are not on Twitter, then you are greatly missing out. There are some people on Twitter who have thousands of followers. Imagine getting your message out instantly to thousands of people for free! Very powerful!

2. You are interested in a certain industry and you want to connect with other people who are already in that industry.

Since this is a blog about Christianity, I’ll use the Christian industry as an example. No matter what you are interested in (preaching, singing, music producing, prophecy, community service, media) there are established and well know people in those areas on Twitter. For the most part, they operate their own Twitter counts, which is the total opposite from what you see on MySpace and facebook.

Often times, we place ministers and music artists on pedestals and treat them as if they are superhuman or above the average person. (I’ll refer to them as Christian celebrities for the sake of argument) (I know, I know, in Christianity the only celebrity should be Jesus Christ)Twitter will give you a dose of reality. You’ll quickly find out that many these “Christian celebrities” are like everyone else. They misspell words and use slang. They have joys, frustrations and those “clueless” moments just like everybody else. Some of them may even annoy you every now and then by posting 20 updates in 30 seconds.

The flip side is that a number of “Christian celebrities” post some good stuff on their Twitter accounts. Some pastors will post inspirational and encouraging content. Musicians will let you know when an where they will be ministering. Bloggers and other media personalities hold contests exclusively for their Twitter followers. I used “Christian celebrities” as an example, but the same principles can be applied to any industry.

One of the unique things about Twitter is that the relationships are not automatically reciprocal. If you “friend” someone on facebook or MySpace they get to see all of your information and you get to see their information too. With Twittter, people can follow you, but you don’t have to follow them. Translation, people can see your updates, but you do not need to see theirs. You can also lock you updates and only allow the people you select to see them.

Twitter is also low maintenance. No pictures of people’s kids. No applications. No quizzes about what bible verse somebody is. Twitter is about what you are doing now, plain and simple.

Have I sold you on Twitter yet? Do yourself a favor, if you have a message or are interested in a particular industry or industries, join Twitter. To get you started, you can find a list of gospel artists to follow on GospelPundit.com. While you are on Twitter, please don’t forget to follow me!

Are you a member of a Christian social network? Have you thought about joining one? I know, I know, with MySpace, facebook and Twitter, you’re probably asking yourself, “Do I really need to join another social network?” The answer is probably no. Let’s be real, there are only a few of us that actually NEED to belong to any social network. However, they are great for connecting with old friends and making new ones.

One of the recent buzz words I hear often in Christianity is “transparent”. Allow me to be “transparent” for a moment. I am not a member of any Christian social network. So, I decided to join one. After a little research, I found out that there are over 40 to choose from. Where to start?

Here is the list of Christian social networks that I was able to come up with (in alphabetical order):

101ChristianSpaces.com
BattleCry.com
Christian.com
Christianster.com
ChristUnion.com
Christian-Network.com
ChurchCircle.org
CMatch.com
CrossConnector.com
DittyTalk.com
FaithFreaks.com
FaithLight.com
FaithSocial.com
GenerationJC.com
GodsSocialNetwork.com
GQBook.com
HolyPal.com
InChristNetwork.com
JCFaith.com
JesusCrowd.com
KindleJoy.com
LifeSpace.cc
LiveKite.com
LivingGodsDream.com
MeetFish.com
Missionaries.in
MyFaithHaven.com
MyFlock.com
MyGodlyPlace.com
Myichthus.com
MyPraize.com
OurChristianPlace.com
People2Pray.com
Praize.com
ShoutLife.com
Swordwalk.com
TeenGrace.net
TheCommon.com
Xianz.com
YourChristianSpace.com
YouthRoots.com

Please let me know if there are others that I am missing. Every week I’ll try to profile a couple of these sites. Please bear with me. This is a looooong list.

On Mondays, pay close attention to the status updates on your facebook and Twitter accounts. You can easily tell who went to church on Sunday by the updates that are posted on Monday. People are so inspired and encouraged after Sunday service, and they should be. There are many people who use their facebook and Twitter accounts to decree this and declare that. Maybe just my friends do this, but I’m sure I’m not alone.

So, here is the interesting part. On Monday, people are decreeing that they will prosper and declaring the promises of God. On Wednesday and Thursday, those same people are posting updates about their struggles through the world and complaining about all types of stuff. What happened? There was so much joy and promise at the beginning of the week. How could it have all gone away that fast?

Don’t get me wrong. We are all entitled to having bad days. It happens. However, I don’t think that God intends for us to go through this cycle week after week.

I have a couple of explanations as to why this happens:

1. The wave of Sunday morning emotion died down.
For many of us, church services on Sunday mornings are experiences that are filled with emotion. Unfortunately, that is the main thing that some people look for at church. If the singing is good and they get to dance a little, then they feel that their soul is more than satisfied. Anyone who feels this way is severely missing the boat. There is so much more.

2. They heard the word, but they didn’t digest it.
As believers, we need to feed on the word of God like a lion feeds on a gazelle. It is important for us to consume every word that God gives us and meditate on it. Then, we must apply it to our lives daily. Not just on Sundays.

I’m sure there are other reasons, but those were the first two that came to mind.

How do we provide some help and encouragement to these people? We want them to understand that both church and their relationship with God are not predicated on an emotional experience. We want them to live an empowered and prosperous life. If I can be real for moment, we also want them to stop complaining.

You can start by throwing some encouraging words their way. Try saying things like “That’s nothing a little prayer can’t fix” or “Just remember, God always has your back”.

You can also encourage them with some scriptures:

1Samuel 12:16 Now then, stand still and see this great thing the LORD is about to do before your eyes! (NIV)

Luke 18:27 Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”  (NIV)

Colossians 3:2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. (NIV)

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (NIV)

Social networking exposes us to people’s problems, struggles and heartaches. It also allows us to provide encouragement and support to our brothers and sisters. So, when our brother and sisters are down, we can use facebook, Twitter or any other social network to uplift and encourage.

Have you ever experienced anyone broadcasting their struggles online? Did you do anything to provide encouragement or support?