Some Thoughts

     I feel like I've been having some great ideas, lately. But through these ideas, I really felt like I needed to step back and simplify who and what this business/band/ministry is. I felt really inspired in reading the material from my ETP 279 class. I felt like that class and the 265 class have really helped me understand what it is that we do and what it is that we need to do. Seems like my brain has been nonstop since starting these classes. It's been great.
     Stepping back was actually quicker and easier than I had anticipated. Who and what we are (or want to be) is really simple. We want to be an organization, however structured, that cultivates a relationship with Christ in the people we encounter. Second to that, we want to make a living while doing so.
     This goal breaks down into two pieces. On the one hand, we want to reach those who haven't given their lives to Christ, and on the other hand we need to help those who know Christ grow in that relationship.
     With this break down, it's easy for me to visualize the future Nine Lashes. Maybe we don't just make rock music. Maybe we branch out with a worship side project. Maybe we build our website to be more community oriented where followers can connect with each other instead of product oriented where we just have our tour dates and online store and nothing else.
     We've even started taking prayer requests at our merch table via anonymous cards. We then send those requests back to our home church.
     All these things, while making a difference in people's lives, leaves us to wrestle with the other part of our goals: making a living.
     There is one thing that bands have in common with churches: they create a sense of community. With that community, you can both change lives and generate revenue. Churches can rally behind what we're doing and help fund our venture. The community can donate and feel like they're playing a part in reaching people. Perhaps we could even create a sort of membership for our fans to join, where they feel like they belong; like they're part of a bigger picture. They, in turn, will be a very strong source of word of mouth, which will obviously generate merchandise sales.
     Then there's always youtube. Videos where fans are either entertained, inspired, or simply momentarily amused, all while serving ads that generate revenue at no expense to our fans.
     I had really gotten down for a while, thinking that we as a band and a business had a ceiling due to certain personal convictions that really kept us from being competitive in the secular music industry. But now, I really see that there is so much opportunity.