Today I’d like to give a “shout out” to my friend Ray Gryder’s video blog. Ray taped an interview with yours truly last Saturday, then this weekend he posted it on his site.  The picture is a little dark, but Ray asks good questions and the sound is clear. Plus I think I agree with pretty-much everything I said. I’m pleased with the content.

Here’s my challenge: I know somewhere around 1,000 readers will take a look at this post today. So let’s all click on the following link, shake up Ray’s stats, and log at least several hundred views and a few comments over at “The Stone of Mission.”

LIVE vs PRINT: I have to say, I really like the format of “live interview.” I’ve done it on Christian radio a few times, the few videos I’ve been involved with all turned out to be good experiences, and I’d really love to do some live TV.

My mind works differently when it’s framing an answer that must be delivered immediately rather than being worked through (and often worked over) during the time it takes to type a blog post… or draft an article… or even write a book.

Not that I’m dissing print media! I like my books a lot (I’d love for you to buy some…), and there’s a quality of writing there that’s unique to the “take six-months to write this” format. But the sense of immediacy present in a blog post carries a freshness that seldom translates into traditional print.

It’s that immediacy, the living, breathing right-now-ness of the live interview that both terrifies and attracts me.

CUTING-EDGE MINISTRY: I think that’s also why I’m always going to be involved in cutting edge, feet-on-the ground ministry – especially with men. I can write all I like about being a Jesus-follower, about “living like we mean it,” and about “the life-charged life;” but it’s when I’m in the beginning phases of a new small-group ministry initiative (like I was Saturday morning), talking with guys about their passion, and finding myself invited in to share authentic life with real people – that’s when what happens in the moment is so much more real than anything I can write in a book or even post on-line.

So CLICK HERE... try the interview (in all of its rawness)… pass it around – DEREK