Folks! thought you might like to read the notes and watch a video of a keynote speech Indieheaven and Indie University president, Keith Mohr gave at The Karitos Conference in Chicago, July 17, 2010.
SHARE MY STORY: To learn about Keith, read his bio
SURVEY:
How many here are musicians, songwriters, singers?
How many have websites or social networking profiles?
It safe to say that most if not all musicians, and artistic creatives have websites and profiles to get better know, and show others who they are and what they are doing. And thats OK! That’s why it is the BEST time in history to be an artist!
OVERVIEW:
Technology and Networking- Its like the New Reformation! I’ll explain why….
Who here knows about Martin Luther?? Not Martin Luther King (He was all about reformation!!), but the old Martin Luther!
BACK ROUND:
Martin Luther was born on 10 November 1483 in Germany, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire. He was baptized as a Catholic. His family moved to Mansfeld, Germany in 1484. Martin’s father wanted him to become a lawyer. He sent Martin to Latin schools where he learned grammar, rhetoric, and logic. Luther later compared his education to purgatory and hell. In 1501, at the age of nineteen, he entered University and received his master’s degree in 1505.
Luther enrolled in law school that year but dropped out almost immediately, believing that law represented uncertainty. Luther sought assurances about life and was drawn to theology and philosophy. He was deeply influenced by two tutors who taught him to be suspicious of even the greatest thinkers and to test everything himself by experience. Philosophy proved to be unsatisfying, offering assurance about the use of reason but none about loving God, which to Luther was more important. Reason could not lead men to God, he felt, and he thereafter developed a love-hate relationship with Aristotle over the latter’s emphasis on reason. For Luther, reason could be used to question men and institutions, but not God. Human beings could learn about God only through divine revelation, he believed, and Scripture therefore became increasingly important to him.
Martin received a dramatic call on his life on 2 July 1505. He was on horseback during a thunderstorm and a lightning bolt struck near him as he was returning to university after a trip home. Later telling his father he was terrified of death and divine judgment, he cried out, “Help! I will become a monk!” He came to view his cry for help as a vow he could never break. He left law school, sold his books, and entered a closed Augustinian friary on 17 July 1505. His father was furious over what he saw as a waste of Luther’s education. Nothing like Daddy issues!
REFORMATION
In 1516-17, Johann Tetzel, a Dominican friar and papal commissioner for indulgences, was sent to Germany by the Roman Catholic Church to sell indulgences to raise money to rebuild St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Roman Catholic theology stated that faith alone, whether fiduciary or dogmatic, cannot justify man and that only such faith as is active in charity and good works can justify man. The benefits of good works could be obtained by donating money to the church.
Strongly disputing the claim that freedom from God’s punishment of sin could be purchased with money, Martin Luther penned his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517 and posted them on the door of All Saints Church. His refusal to retract all of his writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 resulted in his excommunication by the pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the emperor.
Luther taught that salvation is not from good works, but a free gift of God, received only by grace through faith in Jesus as redeemer from sin. His theology challenged the authority of the pope of the Roman Catholic Church by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge and considered all baptised Christians to be a holy priesthood. Those who identify with Luther’s teachings are called Lutherans.
Martin’s 95 Theses were quickly translated from Latin into German, printed, and widely copied, making the controversy one of the first in history to be aided by the printing press.Within two weeks, copies of the theses had spread throughout Germany; within two months throughout Europe.
Luther’s writings circulated widely, reaching France, England, and Italy as early as 1519. Students thronged to Wittenberg to hear Luther speak. He translated the bible from Latin to German in 1522, and the Word of God spread like wildfire.
Martin Luther was also a prolific songwriter, penning many hymns still sung in church today!
Talk about Viral spreading of a message. Think God had something to do with it? YES!
What can we learn from Martin Luther, other than he was a radical guy who disliked the system and set out to change it?? Martin was in the right place at the right time, and technology played a huge part in how God changed HIS-STORY!
Technology played a part in communicating to the masses, who came together, and changed the system. Same thing now. Just faster technology! Internet- provided a way for artists to skip the middle man, and go right to the people.
INTERNET
We all know about the Internet.. Al Gore invented it back in 1990:)
The WWW stands for the Wild Wild West, it’s every cowboy artist for themselves, and it’s up to them to rope themselves some friends, fans, and followers.
The internet has opened up a pandora’s box of self publishing and mass communication. That is good and bad!
Good in that every artist has the same platform to share their talent.
Bad in that every artist has the same platform to share their talent, and the internet is glutted with content.
How do you stand out from the crowd? You have to be very good at what you do, and you need to get people excited about what you are doing to where they tell others about what you are doing. That is called VIRAL, like how a virus spreads from person to person.
Jesus was our first example of going viral! He attracted lots of curious people who were impacted by His content, and talked about him to others. This caused crowds to grow at his appearances and it eventually cost him his life.
Matthew 4:25
Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.
Matthew 7:28
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching,
Matthew 8:1
When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him.
What drew the crowds?
Jesus was passionate and excellent, and he came to serve the people. Jesus pointed OUTWARD, not INWARD. Who are you pointing towards? Are you doing what you do for selfish ambition, or to enrich humankind and increase the Kingdom of Heaven?
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Indie TIps
Part of my mission is to help artistic creatives think about their mission, and encourage them to grow and mature as believers. In a way, I am like Martin Luther, nailing my Thesis on the wall of the Internet.
HEART
INDIETIP: God wants your heart, not your art. How is your heart? Art is subjective to people, but God sees our heart just as it is.
Psalm 51:10
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Matthew 5:8
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Hebrews 10:22
let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water
ART
INDIETIP: Be Great at what you do! Practice, practice, practice! Constant and Never Ending Improvement
2 Chronicles 34:12
The men did the work faithfully. Over them to direct them were Jahath and Obadiah, Levites descended from Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, descended from Kohath. The Levites—all who were skilled in playing musical instruments
2 Chronicles 34
Psalm 33:3
Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.
ADVANCEMENT
INDIETIP: Your big break comes when you are broken of self. As you decrease, He will increase and through doing this, He will open doors of opportunity that you have humbly knocked on.
Psalm 51:16-17
NIV
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.
MESSAGE BIBLE
16-17 Going through the motions doesn’t please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you.
I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered.
Heart-shattered lives ready for love don’t for a moment escape God’s notice.
HUMILITY
INDIETIP: The most important talent one can possess is humility. Humility unlocks creativity!
Philippians 2:3
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
CALLING
INDIETIP: We are called to one thing and that us to be a disciple of Christ. Everything else is a desire. In my opinion, we sling around the word “Calling” to validate our desire. A calling sounds more “serious” and official. Desires are wonderful! God wants to give us the desires of our heart.
Ephesians 4:1
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
WORKS AND FAITH
INDIETIP: Works and Faith are a great tag team!
One without the other is dead. I say 100% work plus 100% faith= 200% success or increase
Anything less is 100% mediocrity.
We must create the momentum, through obedience.
We roll the stone, He raises the dead! We gather the jugs and He makes wine.
James 2:14
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?
James 2:17
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
James 2:22
You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.
FOOLISHNESS
INDIETIP: The foolish try to figure out the path of lease resistance. The path of least resistance is often the most. Impatience, unbridled desire, unrealistic expectations and pride causes us to do foolish things.
Proverbs 8:5
You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, gain understanding. ANALOGY: Mississippi River- winds back and forth.FOCUS!!! Define what it is you want to do and then focus on that mission.
ASK, SEEK, KNOCK
INDIETIP: Doors do not open unless we first knock on them.
Don’t expect the door to fly open if you just walk up to the door and stare at the knob. You must ask, seek and knock.. and probably more than once. God may not open the door right away. He may not open the door at all. Do not make an idol out of your dreams and desires. Keep Christ in the center of your life. When you put your desires ahead of your relationship with God, expect hardship and frustration because of the misappropriation of priorities.
Matthew 7:7-8, Luke 11:9-10
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
Jeremiah 16:19
O LORD, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in time of distress, to you the nations will come from the ends of the earth and say, “Our fathers possessed nothing but false gods, worthless idols that did them no good.
RUN THE RACE
INDIETIP: Those who run the race have the opportunity to get the prize, but those who sit and wait are waiters. We must continue on and push through.
Repetition>Resistance=Definition
1 Corinthians 9:24-25
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
Romans 5:3-4
Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
TRUST
INDIETIP: There are situations and circumstances that we will not be able to figure out, that won’t make sense, that will cause us great concern. Lean on these scriptures, and by all means.. continue to create momentum so He will make your paths straight. Fear is temporary atheism. God always comes through if we trust in Him.
Psalm 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight
BELIEVE
INDIETIP: If you believe in your mission, regardless of what it may be, God will reward you!
Matthew 14:31
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Keep up the excellent faith-work!
Keith Mohr
Check out “The Indie Mechanics Show,” with hosts Keith Mohr (president of Indieheaven) and Susan Ross (president of The Inner Vizion.) Keith and Sue have years of experience in the trenches, working with many indie artists and serving them in their music missions!