What would I have done?

That’s the question I am asking myself after reading through hundreds of emails sent in reply to my email message to churches on Wednesday this week.

I expected that there would be some replies with constructive criticism or even complaints.  You open yourself up for that when you send and email saying “I will listen to you.” I am continuing to reply to these types of email to keep the dialog going and hopefully learn a lot during the process.

But what I didn’t expect is the amount of short, encouraging notes I received.

“Praying for you and your team.”

“Here is wishing God’s richest blessings and favor in your new position.”

“Thanks for the update and the info we appreciate both the ministry of Bluefish and the way in which it is relayed and conveyed.”

“Thank you for your email and congratulations on your new position as president of Bluefish TV.”

These notes made me realize how much I can grow in the area of encouragement.  I can tend to speak up when there’s something wrong and keep silent when things are great. I don’t know if I would have taken time to write an encouraging reply if I had received an email from a stranger.

Thanks for the unexpected reminder this week. It’s a lesson that I want to take to heart with my wife, kids, team and friends … Proverbs 15:1

What, Why and How

In my new role as President I am eager to look at everything we are doing to ask, “what are we trying to accomplish, why is it important and how are we going to do it.”  We have some great things coming up in 2010 and Monday I met with the 95 people on our team to talk about the year ahead.  The email below was sent out to all 110,000 churches we serve.

I have just become the new President of Bluefish TV. It’s a great ministry with 110,000 church customers world-wide, 100 dedicated team members and a 20 year history of pointing people towards Christ.

I’m 31 yeas old.  I have been married to Julie for 10 years and we have 3 children. We are very active in our church which we helped start five years ago. We are foster parents and involved in several mission projects overseas that God has placed on our heart.

As I settle into my new position, here are 2 commitments that I’m sharing with you:

• We will remain on mission. Bluefish TV is known for solid Biblical content and high quality production values. We will still stick to those high standards while also making sure that our resources inspire people to be active with their faith.  Our culture tells us to be me-centered, self-focused consumers.  How do we resist “me” and pursue Christ?  How can our faith make a difference as we walk the halls of school, interact with co-workers, talk with our neighbors and raise our families?  Our resources will address these questions

• We will listen to you. I really like talking with church leaders and getting your feedback. Over the next few weeks, I will be examining all the ways we serve and interact with our customers.  We want to create resources that help you equip your people. We want to deliver our resources to you in a timely fashion.  Nearly one third of our customers are now ordering resources online at bluefishtv.com.  We also have conversations with many church leaders on the phone because they appreciate the 30 day free purchase evaluations that we offer. However it happens, I want you to have a great experience with our team.

Thank you again for trusting in Bluefish TV.  We value that trust.  If you have a favorite Bluefish TV resource, I’d love to hear about it and why. If you have an idea for topic, teacher or resource, please let me know. Every reply to this email will come directly to my inbox.  We can also connect through Twitter @BrianMosley or at brianmosleyblog.com.

Brian Mosley

President

Bluefish TV

Not Martha Lunar King

I will confess that I don’t think I have ever fully understood and appreciated the life and sacrifice of Martin Luther King Jr. Of course I knew that he was an amazing man who stood up for truth and justice.  But he has always been someone in the history books and not someone who has changed the way my life is today.

Two things have given me a little different perspective on the importance of MLK Jr.

1. This morning at breakfast I asked Abby if she knew why she didn’t have kindergarten today. I explained that there was a time when some people didn’t like each other because of the color of their skin. They were mean to each other, hurt each other and called each other names. I could see her processing that. We then talked about how that wasn’t right thinking because God created all of us and we are all loved by God. She was nodding in agreement by this point.

Then I shared that Martin Luther King Jr. (not Martha Lunar King as she first repeated) helped people to understand that it was wrong to treat people differently based on how they looked.

Next we talked about how schools used to separate kids with different skin colors. Abby told me about one friend in particular who she loves to play with and thinks her braids are really pretty.  History has changed and my little girl can now play with this little girl.

2. I had certainly heard portions of the famous “I Have A Dream” speech, but never the whole thing. Recently I listened to all 16 minutes and was very moved. For the first time in my life, I tried to imagine what it would be like to live in that era and listen to the radical words of the speech. If you’ve never listened to it all the way through, I highly recommend carving out the time to do it. Many people have written about the leadership lessons that we can gain from MLK Jr. I won’t get into that here — but he led with his words and his life. Inspiring.



“Doing Something” about Haiti

Residents pass by collapsed buildings in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, following a 7.0-magnitude earthquake that caused catastrophic damage on Jan. 12. Photo: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

Many of us watch the news about the devastation in Haiti and think, “I wish I could do something.”

Today I was inspired by one of our team members who decided it was time to “do something” and include others in the journey.

On his own initiative Daniel discovered that clean water is a top priority in Haiti right now.  Through his church mission team he figured out a very practical way to help is with water filtration buckets.  They cost $44 and will save lives.

He emailed our entire staff and is now collecting money so that we can buy as many filtration buckets as we can in the next week.  I got the email and was personally inspired to see Daniel live out our mission of trading in selfish things to pursue the things of Christ.

His decision to take a first step has started a domino effect. What started with Daniel and his family turned into people across our office  giving up their own money to help with this clean water initiative.  It didn’t take long before I decided that our ministry should match all the money our team gives. When things match your mission and the need is obvious — it’s a no-brainer — you have to act.  To wait is a sin.