CreativePastors Blog & Podcast

Flavour Your Day - Available for Pre-Order!

 Especially created for women of Flavour. this beautifully illustrated, full-color coffee table book, Flavour Your Day, combines inspirational thoughts from Lisa Young with original artwork from Olivia Bennett. This book is a celebration of new and exciting opportunities for women to change the world. Each of you, as women, has something unique to present to the people in your life. That’s what “Flavour” is all about. Your unique Flavour comes directly from God, and He is enabling you today to bring your inner potential to the outside world. Flavour is all about influence; it’s about change. It is the power you have to change the world in positive and life-giving ways. That’s what the Bible is all about. And that’s what your role as a woman who loves and serves the Lord should be about.

As you read and enjoy the inspirational thoughts and art in this book, my prayer is that you will allow Christ to Flavour Your Day with the possibility, peace, purpose, priority, promise, power and passion that can only come from Him. Each day is a day that the Lord has made, and He alone can make today and everyday count. Discover your unique Flavour and use it today to make a difference.  –Lisa Young

Flavour Your Day is available now for pre-order on CreativePastors.com, or you may purchase a copy at the Speak Conference. All online pre-orders will ship the first week in May.

Easter Pre-Release 2009

Easter is an exciting time! As the Church, this is one of our greatest opportunities to tell the life-changing story of the resurrection to people who are searching for answers. It's our time to answer their question, as my friends in Australia say, "What's the skinny on the gimmie?" It's our shot to tell people what they need to know, and what they need to do.

But Easter is also one of the most difficult messages you can preach. Because people know the story, we have to figure out how to put unique angles on the same message.

This Easter weekend, I'm going to be talking about what it means to live a seamless life through Christ's perfection. It's a fusion of sermons and thoughts from God and from other speakers I've heard and talked to over the years. The whole thing is built around a clothing website I saw that allows you to zoom in and zoom out on their products. And the phrase I'm going back to over and over is "top to bottom; bottom to top".

I hope this pre-release Easter sermon will help you as you prepare to reach so many people with the message of the resurrection. Feel free to use it and change it to fit you. Remember, despite what some say, there are very few original ideas. Creativity is all about taking what's out there and shaping it and molding it to fit your style. So take this message and make it yours!

Happy Easter,

 

The Latest Elevate Series Center Stage is Now Available!

Get the latest curriculum release from Elevate and teach your kids what worship is all about! It’s not just about going to church and singing praise songs. It’s an all-encompassing thing that happens everyday and in every part of our lives. You can teach your preschoolers and K-5th graders not only why we worship, but also how praying, giving, serving, obeying, loving others, and dealing with good and bad times are all acts of worship.

Elevate Center Stage: K-5

Living a life of worship
Follow along on tour with world famous worship band Cloud 9 as they teach an up and coming artist what worship is all about. Get an all-exclusive look at behind the scenes footage of the band as they crisscross the world to make God's Name famous. In this new Elevate series Cloud 9 will show us how to make worship a part of our everyday lives.

Elevate Jr. Center Stage: 3-5 years

What it means to Worship God
Hop on board the tour bus for Center Stage Jr.! Your children will join lead singer Pearl, her band, and their bus driver Enzo as they discover what it means to worship God. As the band prepares for each concert, Enzo teaches them about worship from eight different Biblical examples. Your children will participate in learning from these examples, as well as see how they can worship God every day in their own lives.

Revised Christmas Message

» Revised Christmas Message

Updated Pre-Release Sermon Notes Available

As I've been studying over the past several days, my Christmas message entitled "Step Into Christmas" has gone through several "steps" itself. Because of that, we're making available several documents that include all the steps or stages of the message.

The first step was the original version of the transcript and mindmap that we made available earlier this week. That was the first draft of the sermon.

The second step involved handwritten notes on the transcript pages. We've scanned those notes and have made them available as a separate file. This zip file also includes a document that highlights key phrases from the message. The notes and key phrases have been made available as a separate resource called "Notes."

The third step is the "final" version of the transcript and mindmap. Obviously, I'll continue to tweak this throughout the coming days, but this is the version I'll be working from as I deliver the Christmas messages beginning Saturday evening.

Don't worry. If you've already purchased the first draft of the transcript and/or mindmap, you can go to the Downloads area of your account on CreativePastors and re-download the newest version at no additional cost. The newest version of both the transcript and mindmap includes the first draft and final draft together in one file.

Again, God's best to you and your church this Christmas. I'll continue praying over the coming days that many thousands will take a step of faith toward the Savior.

Step Into Christmas: Pre-Release Sermon

Christmas Message Pre-Release
Transcript and Mindmap available

You can’t talk about the Christmas story without talking about the Easter story. In reality, it’s all one message. Christ was born to die. He was destined to step into time and space as a baby so He could walk that long road to the cross as a man.

That’s why I’m so excited about this and every Christmas. I’m also thrilled to make available this special pre-release of my Christmas message this year. It’s not just the story of Christ’s journey on this earth. It’s the story of everyone’s journey to, or away from, the Savior. We all have a monumental choice to make—to take a step toward Jesus or away from Him. The wise men made that step; the shepherds made that step; Mary and Joseph made that step. And men, women and children throughout history have been making that step.

The journey continues this Christmas. We have the awesome privilege to walk alongside many hundreds and thousands of people as they are presented with an opportunity to make an eternal step towards the Savior; so that He, in turn, can step into and change their lives forever. God’s best to you this Christmas as you share the only real and lasting message of hope in very uncertain times.

Merry Christmas,
Ed

New Elevate Series Coming Soon

The newest Elevate and Elevate Jr. series, Dr. Tomorrow’s Robot Repair Shop, will be ready to ship mid-December.

Dr. Tomorrow’s Robot Repair Shop

Is your robot causing you problems? Well tune in to Dr. Tomorrow’s Robot Repair Shop to learn how to fix those faulty robot parts. While you are here, you’ll learn how to associate a part of your body with a Biblical truth.

In this new Elevate series, Dr. Tomorrow teaches us how parts of our bodies can remind us about living like God wants us to.

Each episode will feature a robot part that relates to a part of our body and how we should use each part to work properly. Your children will learn lessons on how to love God and others, follow God and make good choices.  Next they will learn to show others God’s love by serving them. They will also learn to listen to God, use their words to encourage others, and see people as God sees them.  Then they will learn to put Godly things in their minds and work with others at church.

Each week is a different part and a different lesson. You won’t want to miss a single one!

Dr. Tomorrow’s Robot Repair Shop Jr.

Join Dr. Tomorrow, his trusty assistants Newton and Pixie at Dr. Tomorrow’s Robot Repair Shop. Each week, you and your children will add another part to a robot that will tell other’s about Jesus as you learn from the stories of Jesus’ life. With each lesson your children will hear stories from Jesus life and learn how these stories apply to their everyday life.

Leaving Lust Vegas

Every man, and woman, struggles with it. The lure of lust spares no one. It destroys marriage, wrecks relationships, objectifies individuals, and leads ultimately to spiritual ruin. With such a powerful hold on humanity, how do we defeat this enemy? How do we leave behind something that resides primarily in our minds? How do we Leave Lust Vegas? That’s the challenge of Ed Young’s new series, as he teaches Christ-followers how to leave whatever Vegas they find themselves in because of lust.

The business of lust is everywhere; it has become a mainstream commodity in our culture. But the real lure of lust is not outside of us; it is inside. The battle we face as Christian leaders is the battle for the hearts, souls and minds of men and women trapped in the darkness of their own sin. This series will not only give practical strategies on how to leave Lust Vegas. It will also talk about the incredible destination that awaits those who are freed from the stranglehold of sexual sin: pure love and real desire, abundant life and authentic joy. We cannot defeat lust with shame and guilt but rather with the Life and Light that Christ offers. Stay tuned to CreativePastors.com over the next several weeks and follow along with Ed in this powerful series, Leaving Lust Vegas.

Are You Politicked?

Politicked?
Cast Your Vote. Raise Your Voice.
New Series, Beginning October 10-11

Are you politicked? Well, Ed Young is, and he’s going to do something about it. Ed begins a new series this weekend entitled “Politicked” that cuts to the heart of what is happening on the American landscape today. Have you wondered lately what the church’s role should be in the political arena? Do you as a pastor have some things you’d like to say about where our country is headed, but you’re not sure if you should? Then you don’t want to miss this series.

People are scared, angry, confused and many feel deceived by their leaders. In this series, Ed helps answer these pressing questions and more: What does the future hold? What’s our role in this election? What’s God’s mandate when it comes to government? Who can we trust? Better yet, who would Jesus vote for?

In this controversial series, Ed Young looks at the uncertainty we all face when it comes to faith and politics. And as he sifts through the political rhetoric and reveals at our responsibility, he gets to the truth behind, or above, it all.

Due to the very timely nature of this series, we will be making sermon materials available on a weekly basis following each weekend message, beginning with the first message entitled “Avalanche.” Materials available in download form include transcripts, outlines, mindmaps, and MP3s. And, as always, you can follow along with this series on our weekly podcast. Check back each week as Ed challenges each of us to cast our votes and raise our voices.

Kingdom Tales and Kingdom Tales, Jr. are Ready to Ship!

The Latest Series from Elevate and Elevate, Jr.

Kingdom Tales
K-5th Graders Learn to Develop Noble Character

“Kingdom Tales” takes us right to the throne room of King Earl the Undecided. In each lesson, the king’s herald, Herald, brings him a new problem. The King must decide the best way to solve the problem. To do so, he seeks the advice of his two most trusted advisers, Count Fergus and Lady Tristan. Each adviser will tell a story to help the King decide the best course of action.

In our Bible Story time, we will learn from some of our favorite stories. We will learn from leaders like Jesus, Gideon, Esther, and Solomon. We will also learn from Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; Daniel, Abigail, and the woman healed by Jesus’ touch.

“Kingdom Tales” is about developing the noble character God wants you to have.

Kingdom Tales, Jr.
Preschoolers Learn to Put on the Armor of God

Join Sir Pogo the Knight and Darrin the Daring Donkey as they search the kingdom for the Armor of God. Each week you and your children will find a new piece of armor, and find out what that armor represents in God’s Kingdom.

As they take a journey through both Old and New Testament stories of faith, courage and struggle, your kids will learn what it means to prepare for the daily battles that await them in life.
T
he kingdom awaits! Time to begin your quest! We hope your adventures through these Elevate and Elevate, Jr. series are the best yet.

Also, Exciting News from Elevate: These two new titles from Elevate mark an important move forward for the Elevate Curriculum. Because of our commitment to excellence, CreativePastors has moved production of all Elevate resources (CDs and DVDs) to a new company. It’s important to us that our children’s curriculum be the very best it can be, and we believe this move will help insure the highest possible quality for you and the children you serve. If you are a longtime Elevate user or just beginning, thank you for trusting us with your children’s curriculum needs.

CreativePastors Welcomes Dr. Ed Young and Ben Young

CreativePastors is proud to announce that we will now be offering transcript and MP3 downloads by Ed’s brother, Ben Young, and father, Dr. H. Edwin Young.

Ben Young is an author and speaker on relationships and living the Christian life. Ben serves on staff at his little home church in Houston, Texas, Second Baptist Church, which is also home to over 49,000 other members on five local campuses. Originally he joined the staff at Second to direct the Singles Ministry, which grew to be one of the largest singles ministries in the country. Currently he speaks at the Contemporary Service there on Sunday mornings called 11:11.

Dr. H. Edwin Young was born and raised in Laurel, Mississippi, and attended the University of Alabama, Mississippi College, and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. His first pastorate was in North Carolina, and he pastored in North and South Carolina until 1978 when he moved to Houston, Texas. There he became the pastor at Second Baptist Church where he continues to pastor today. The congregation has grown from 2,000 members in 1978 to over 49,000 members at five church locations presently. Dr. Young was also elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1992 and again in 1993. Dr. Young’s broadcast ministry, The Winning Walk, can be seen and heard across North America and throughout the world.

Various series by Ben and Dr. H. Edwin Young are now available in both transcript and MP3 downloads on CreativePastors.com. Just go to the new menu feature “Sermons by Speaker” to visit their pages. Search for their message series by topic as well. Keep checking back as we will continue to post new message series frequently!

We are just thrilled to have these two amazing leaders joining us at CreativePastors.