Fields of Faith in Oklahoma

Me, bugging the kids from Teens for Christ

Just got back home from Warner, OK where I got to be a part of a Fields of Faith event last night.

Yesterday afternoon I spoke to the Teens for Christ groups for the jr high and high school. With the high school students I mostly just asked them about AR points (accelerated reader). Apparently AR rules your life, even in high school. I only had to do it in 5th and 6th grade, but I WISH I had it in high school.

I loved AR.

I was never physically active so I didn’t have an outlet for my competitive nature until I found out there was a system where you earned points for reading books and the highest earners won a pizza party. I always ended up in the top 5 (not to brag).

I wish there were AR points for adults. I’d read so many more books if it was a competition. I guess that’s why I like the GoodReads app. It’s as close as I can get.

Am I preaching or am I trying to get a mosh pit started?

That night we had a youth service on the football field. Over 180 students showed up. If you knew how tiny the town of Warner was, you’d be blown away by that number. The school’s cafeteria is smaller than my local Chipotle.

I preached on CHANGE. Change is possible in Christ. The whole point of Jesus’ life and death is to bring miraculous change to every area of our lives. If we don’t believe that change is possible, then we see know reason to open up about what’s going on in our lives. A lot of what I spoke on came from the second chapter of my book (In the Altogether, get it on Amazon now!).

Great trip. I love visiting Warner and spending time with Blaine, the youth pastor for First Baptist.

There Are No Books You HAVE to Read

If a book makes me want to keep reading, it’s the right book.

If a book makes me want to start writing, it’s the right book.

Any other book is not the right book. (Right now.)

Austin Kleon

Most people who say they don’t like reading just haven’t found the right books for them. There’s no book you HAVE to read. There’s no book you have to force yourself to like.

I love the /r/GateKeeping subreddit where users share screenshots of obnoxious gatekeepers. Here’s how they define the term:

Gatekeeping is when someone takes it upon themselves to decide who does or does not have access or rights to a community or identity.

Here’s a sillier example:

Don’t believe gatekeepers. Especially around books. Who cares if you don’t like the classics? Who cares if you only read books less than 200 pages? Read things that make you want to keep reading.

I like how Kleon’s quote ends with the clarification that any book that doesn’t make him want to read more or write more isn’t the right book (right now). Remember, that people change. You’ll change. Your preferences will change. You’ll grow and evolve and adapt. You don’t have to force yourself to read boring books now. Just read what you want to read. Who knows, maybe after a year of consistently reading you’ll be interested in picking up new, challenging books.

Just read something.

If you’re looking for something new to read, why not pick up my book, In the Altogether? People who don’t normally like reading are reading it and that’s the biggest compliment for me.

Get the Book Today!

In the Altogether has been out for a little less than a month but I know I still have a lot of people in my life who still haven’t picked it up. There’s no better time than RIGHT NOW!

Today is the day!

Carpe my book!

Also, I know I could add a custom thumbnail but I kind of like how horrible it looks with frame Facebook chose for me. I look like I should be squawking like The Penguin.

GET THE BOOK NOW!

How to Start as an Evangelist

Last year a guy asked me for advice about how to approach youth pastors about guest speaking and “putting yourself out there.” He felt called to travel as an evangelist and wondered if I had any tips.

I’ve had this saved in my blog drafts since last November. I thought I’d finally share it.

First and foremost, I should probably start with this: I’m one person with one opinion about one way of doing this. If you disagree with my approach, sure, fine, cool, whatever. This is the advice I needed when I first started and since ministry is time travel, it’s what I shared with him.

Here’s what I said:

Start small.

Be ok with starting small.

You don’t have to judge the success of your ministry off of how many dates you have booked. If you work on what you bring to the table, what you’re like in service, what you preach on, how you handle altar times, word will spread.

If you have any friends who are youth pastors, ask if you can speak for them. If you only get one, awesome. Bring your best to that one. Love those kids. Bring as much value as you can and partner with that youth pastor to help what they’re already doing in their ministry.

Don’t worry about getting paid.

Don’t worry about networking.

Take youth pastors out to lunch and ask them questions. Interview them. What are they dealing with in their ministry? What’s been difficult? What’s been a win? What do they look for in a guest speaker? What have they not liked with guest speakers in the past?

Pay attention.

Pray pray pray pray pray pray pray pray pray pray pray.

It’ll happen little by little and that’s a good thing. Every step of the way you’re working on being ready for the next step. And then you’ll take it. And then you’ll get ready for the next step.

Taylor Johnson's Sermon from City Church in Lufkin, TX

This morning I got to speak at City Church in Lufkin, TX. I shared on the importance of obedience in every season of life. When we only rely on God in difficult times, we miss out on what it really means to be in Christ.

Give you life to Jesus. Your whole life. Trust Him. Rely on Him and His church.

8 Tips for How to be Poor

My full time job is traveling as a speaker and comedian, so obviously I’ve had a lot of experience being incredibly poor. Some seasons are super busy and lucrative while other seasons are slow and terrifying. There’s harvest and famine. You get used to both, but harvest is a lot more fun.

I’ve learned a lot about how to succeed at being poor. Here are some tips for when money is tight.

Stop driving. Save money on gas. You can walk more places than you think.

Look inside your heart and make important ethical decisions before moving forward as a poor person. Does stealing toilet paper count as real stealing?

Get a library card. No more buying books or renting movies.

Don’t do any research about incremental fasting. Just use that concept as an excuse for only eating one meal a day.

Only eat at restaurants that have rewards programs that can lead to free meals. Chik-fila is your new best friend.

You won’t spend money while you’re asleep. Take naps to pass the time.

Stop buying stuff. Please. Please stop. Just because socks have holes in them doesn’t mean they need to be replaced.

Always look on the bright side. Some research is now showing that being poor can actually make you more creative.

“Research on creativity and constraint demonstrates that, when options are limited, people generate more, rather than less, varied solutions—apparently because their attention is less scattered.

Also, I should probably mention that there’s no shame in living in your van. I did it for 2 and a half years. It’s cool. Not that bad. Get a gym membership so you can shower.

Ministry is Time Travel

I've always said ministry is the closest thing I'll ever get to time travel.

I'll never get to go back in time and talk to myself in jr high or right out of college. I'll never get to warn him, encourage him, or convince him to get help when he needed it most. But there are times in ministry where you come face to face with someone in a similar situation to what you've been through before.

It's like you're them for the future.

You're on the other side of what they're currently in, and you get to tell them what you wish you could tell your younger self.

That's why I'm so excited for people to read my book. It's exactly what I wish I could have read in my darkest moments.

Gary Gulman is Full of Wisdom

There are several great things in this clip of the wonderful Gary Gulman on Late Night with Seth Meyers.

First, Gulman talks about doing stand-up for high school kids. He says it was great training for being a comedian because they could be a tough crowd. Yes. Yes. Absolutely. I speak in school assemblies. I do comedy for 9th graders. Some times you feel like the funniest human being alive, and other days (like yesterday) you feel like human garbage.

Second, Seth brings up Gary’s daily comedy writing tips on Twitter. These are always incredible. I’m so grateful he’s doing this. Now that my book is finished and out I want to start working on new stand-up (I’m tired of my jokes). His tweets have been so helpful.

275) Try standup at least once. Getting laughs from strangers is the most exhilarating thing I’ve ever done and I’ve dunked hundreds of basketballs. Write down your funny ideas for a few months and then find an open mic. If you already do it be GRATEFUL. #GulManTip #WriteNow

— (((GARY GULMAN))) (@GaryGulman) September 30, 2019

278) I remember in an interview @BrianReganComic (who I consider the GOAT) said he tried to write away from the areas he became known for. I think that’s one of the secrets to staying fresh and maintaining a high level of creativity. #GulManTip #WriteNow #ReganTip?

— (((GARY GULMAN))) (@GaryGulman) October 3, 2019

I know I said there were “several great things” about the clip, but I guess I just meant two.

Best Compliment About My Book

My favorite compliment to receive about my book is also the simplest. People are telling me they’re actually reading it.

I’ve had several people tell me that my book is the first one they’ve actually sat down to read in a long time.

That’s the best.

That’s exactly who I had in mind when while writing. I wanted to make a Christian book for people who don’t like reading Christian books. Or just books in general. I wanted to make it fast, funny, and unique. I didn’t want it to sound like anything you’d find in a Christian bookstore. I wanted the jokes, stories, illustrations to all come out of left field. It had to be really different if I ever hoped to attract the audience I wanted.

There are a lot of boring books out there.

But there are some really incredible ones out there too. Reading can change your life.

I’ve always thought it would be cool if In the Altogether was someone’s gateway drug to reading better books.

Talking Vulnerability with Jaron Myers

I was on Jaron Myers’ podcast, They Don’t Bite, talking about vulnerability. It starts with us discussing my new book but it ends with a weird moment where I’m probably a little too honest and I make things awkward.