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Quite a few pastors use Post-it notes in their Bibles as preaching aids. If you are one of those pastors, you will probably enjoy 3M’s new Post-it Notes in sheer colors. They are transparent and allow you to make notes while still being able to read text underneath.

I could not find any online retailers who sell these transparent Post-it notes, so perhaps they are not yet available.

[via Cool Hunting]

Great custom graphic design is ideal. But sometimes time, money, or skill limitations make it necessary to use premade graphics. And even when you have the time, money, and skills, there are still occasions when it is more efficient to not reinvent the wheel and to instead use and build upon a premade resource.

In either case, here are 15 of the best sites offering free church graphics and resources. And if you want to spend some cash, I have also included 6 sites that cost money but are worth considering for premade resources.

Free Church Graphics and Resources

• CreativeMYK.com
  Offers free church graphics including logos, photos, vector art, projector slides, bulletins, sermon graphics, projector slides, templates, and more. The site also includes a social network for Christian artists.
• LifeChurch.tv Open
  Offers free sermon series resources that include message outlines, sermon graphics, videos, and more creative materials created by LifeChurch.tv (Edmond, OK).
• Muddy River Media
  Offers free illustrative videos, motion backgrounds, countdown timers, stock photographs, illustrations, small group resources, and more.
• NewSpring Ministries
  Offers free sermon series resources (e.g., sermon graphics, audio, message outline, & service outline) as well as administrative forms and manuals created by NewSpring Church (Anderson, SC).
• Northside Christian Church Creative Resources
  Offers free logos, posters, and other artwork designed by Northside Christian Church (New Albany, IN).
• Nside Admin
  Offers free administrative documents from North Point Community Church (Alpharetta, GA) on church government, human resources, accounting, facilities, IT, and Web.
• Seacoast All Access
  Offers free sermon series resources that include sermon graphics, motion graphics, audio, video, message notes, and small group questions created by Seacoast Church (Mt. Pleasant, SC).
• Vine Resources
  Offers free sermon series graphics, postcards, countdown videos, and message bumpers created by the college ministry of Southeast Christian Church (Louisville, KY).

Free General Graphics and Resources

• Adobe Exchange
  Offers free downloads to use with Adobe software including brushes, styles, gradients, custom shapes, and patterns for Photoshop.
• BittBox
  A blog that regularly highlights free Photoshop brushes, Flash components, vector graphics, and more.
• Brusheezy
  Offers free Photoshop brushes.
• Flasheezy
  Offers free Flash elements.
• PS Brushes
  Offers free Photoshop brushes.
• Smashing Magazine
  A blog that regularly highlights free graphics, fonts, and more.
• Vecteezy
  Offers free vector graphics.

Church Resources that Cost Money

• Creative Pastors
  Sells sermon series resources that include sermon graphics, video, mind maps, outlines, audio, and more created by Fellowship Church (Grapevine, TX).
• North Point Resources
  Sells logos, DVDs, sermon messages, conference messages, and more created by North Point Community Church (Alpharetta, GA).
• Outreach
  Sells church graphics that include postcards, banners, bulletins, door hangers, invitations, brochures, logos, signage, and more.
• The Church Box
  Sells sermon series resources that include sermon graphics, PowerPoint slides, and audio created by Four Corners Community Church (West Chester, OH).
• WiredChurches.com
  Sells sermon series resources (e.g., outlines, graphics, videos, audio, & scripts) and administrative resources (e.g., forms, documents, & manuals) created by Granger Community Church (Granger, IN).
• WorshipHouse Media
  Sells mini-movies, motions, stills, software, and editables for churches.

For Discussion:
- What are you favorite websites for church resources and why? Be sure to mention whether they are free or cost money.

CreativeMYK.com now offers more than free photos and graphics for ministries.

This week they launched a Christian artist social network. Graphic designers, photographers, and other visual artists can set up a “Creative Space” to display their portfolios, network with other designers, and potentially get hired by a new client. Artists can also participate in a Discussion forum or Critique forum.

I set up a Creative Space. So if you are a visual artist, sign-up and say “hello.”

In case you missed it or just want to reexperience this year’s Unleash Conference from NewSpring Church (Anderson, SC), you can now watch the main sessions online for free.

The Unleash Conference website also offers free PDFs of breakout session outlines, including Tony Morgan’s “10 Steps to Becoming Blogging BFFs.”

[via Perry Noble]

Seth Godin is interviewed on the latest episode of the Catalyst Podcast. It features Seth Godin’s big ideas behind Squidoo and his two most recent books, Meatball Sundae and The Dip. The Catalyst team also gets Seth Godin’s thoughts on the church and religion.

To listen to the interview or subscribe to the podcast, visit the Catalyst website. It is well worth it for any Seth Godin fan.

If you are a fan of Ed Young and Fellowship Church (Grapevine, TX), you will be thrilled to know that Ed Young recently started blogging. Readers get an up close and personal look at Ed’s life and ministry (bathrobe and all). To check out the new blog, visit EdYoungBlog.com.

UPDATE: Due to lack of demand The XL Church Leader has been cancelled.

The creator of Rev! magazine, Group Publishing, is offering a new bi-monthly newsletter catering to churches averaging 1000 or more in attendance. It is called XL Church Leader, and you can download their first issue for free from their website.

I recently read Going All the Way by Craig Groeschel of LifeChurch.tv (Edmond, OK). It is a relationships book that discusses how to prepare for a marriage that goes the distance. While most books in this genre are written only for married couples or only for the engaged or the dating or even just for singles, Craig does a great job presenting Biblical advice that can help people regardless of what their relationship status is.

He covers topics such as putting God first, finding your soul mate, dating tips, purity tips, godly relationships, and even how and when to break up. He explains how to be a good husband and how to be a good wife. And he discusses what it takes to keep one’s marriage passionate and one’s priorities in line. In other words, Going All the Way will give you a balanced education of everything it takes to have a successful marriage.

A few highlights:

• Minor adjustments produce marginal results. To experience the kind of relationships we long for, we must, with God’s help, prepare to be genuinely different.
• Loving the Lord is our first priority. Without Jesus in first place, what comes next will never quite work, including our love relationships.
• If you want what few have, do what few do. Raise your standards. Pursue holiness.
• “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). Men, when you become a husband, it’ll be an honor to give yourself up for your wife.
• Everyone has seasons when an important lower priority takes a disproportionate amount of time. Those are seasons anyone can endure… if they don’t become a way of life.
• Keep the good things from taking priority over the best.
• What person do I need to become so I’ll be ready for a healthy, fulfilling marriage… and bless my spouse-to-be?
• [Develop] both a thick skin and a soft heart.
• Marriages are healthy because the couple learns to face and work through problems.

Going All the Way is a worthwhile investment for anyone wanting a great marriage.