Bible Bowl 2007

Bible Bowl 2007 was a great experience for our family, as I took the week off and traveled with my wife, four of our six kids and my parents to stay at the Westin Crown Center in Kansas City for the four-day event.

The Austin team took 10th place in the double-elimination team Bible Bowl competition. My daughter Ruth led the team, her brother Joe was the captain, and their sister Rebekah also participated. Here they are just before their first game on Thursday, against the eventual national Bible Bowl champions from Worthington, Ohio.

Bible Bowl Team from Austin

Unfortunately, Bible Bowl rules don’t allow videotaping of the team competitions, so I can’t show how intense and skilled these young men and women are. Worthington played exceptionally well, coming back from a Thursday morning loss to win two games in the finals Thursday afternoon against Kissimmee, Florida.

Here are Rebekah, Joe and Ruth on the Bible Bowl awards platform:

Bible Bowl awards ceremony
…and here’s the video of them receiving their medals. The reaction Joe got when everyone found out he’s only a sixth grader was pretty funny.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl3ZNLMctJs]

In a previous post, I showed the Quote Bee highlights, which gives you an idea of how well the participants committed the text to memory. Which leads into the next video and picture, from the Thursday afternoon Bible Bowl awards ceremony.

Each Bible Bowl tournament starts with a written test. During the monthly round robin events it’s a 150-point test they call the “Brain Test” on the chapters that have been covered to date. In the college tournaments in June, the tests get longer and more difficult, and at Nationals it’s a 400-point monster, and its formally called the National Bible Bowl Achievement Test. Here’s the video of the awards ceremony where the top 20 were recognized. (I pick up with the top 5):

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZjiGdFGZBs]

And here’s a picture of Brandi Gass from New Life in Ohio, and my daughter, Ruth Aase, who tied for first with a score of 350. Brandi took first on the tie-breaker. Congratulations, Brandi!
Bible Bowl Achievement Test Winners

That’s another thing I wanted to highlight about the competition: it was intense, and everyone did their best to win, but everyone was honestly happy for those who won. After a game when they shook hands, it wasn’t easy to tell who won by their demeanor. All the kids are friends and wish each other the best. That’s a life lesson I need to apply as I’m watching Rebekah and Joe in volleyball, football and basketball.

I want to conclude my posts on this week’s Bible Bowl experience with a special thanks to Tracey and Geri Chamberlain and their son Jason for their coaching. Tracey and Geri have been doing this for more than 30 years, and previously had some larger teams, or multiple teams from Austin. This year the team has been just Ruth and Joe, until Rebekah joined them for Nationals.

Rebekah and Joe have their sports, too, but for Ruthie this is her extracurricular competitive outlet, and she takes it very seriously. We’re so thankful to God for the Chamberlains and their willingness to work with Ruthie nearly every day to help her become her best. They are a delightful family, and clearly they take delight in Bible Bowl and in having a competitive team, but still it is a wonderful blessing to have them pour so much time and attention into Ruth.

Psychologists say parental involvement is a key predictor of a child’s success in life. Our kids have had that, especially being homeschooled by my wife, Lisa. Another important success factor is attention from other significant adults, and the Chamberlains have certainly given that to our kids, too, as Rachel, Rebekah, Ruth and Joe all have gained from participating in Bible Bowl under their leadership.

Here’s a picture of Tracey with his Austin Bible Bowl team, just before their game against Yuma, Arizona.

Bible Bowl team picture

Thanks to Tracey, Geri and Jason for standing behind Ruthie and the rest of our kids!

TechnoratiTechnorati: , ,

National Bible Bowl Quote Bee Highlights

Here are some video highlights from the National Bible Bowl Quote Bee. At the beginning the moderator gives an overview of the rules; then you’ll see several of the contestants, culminating in a seven-round victory by Shannon Locke of Fort Collins, Colorado.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq0ti-2lNgs]

TechnoratiTechnorati: ,

National Bible Bowl Quote Bee

The National Bible Bowl Quote Bee, which I mentioned in the previous post, is really amazing. It’s only been done for three years, so it’s not as popular as some of the other events. Also, it’s incredibly difficult.

In the National Bible Bowl double-elimination tournament, for example, many of the top contestants have memorized the entire scripture text, which this time is the book of 1 Samuel and the first six chapters of 2 Samuel. That, as I said previously, shows what kids can do when expectations are high and they put their minds to memorization.

But it’s one thing to memorize a large chunk of material, get on a roll, and recite it. It’s quite another to pull a verse out of the middle, solely with the verse reference, and recite it perfectly.

My daughter Ruth, the Franchise Player for our Austin, Minn. team (her brother Joe and sister Rebekah are the other members), saw the Quote Bee as a fun challenge to help her prepare to do even better in the regular competition. She came in first in the Quote Bee at the Ozark Christian College Bible Bowl tournament in June, and we felt she might do pretty well here in Kansas City, too. Her Grandpa, my Dad, was amazed as he quizzed her Monday night in preparation:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K52fFfPrvns]

The next post will have a video of Tuesday’s competition. Ruthie was disappointed that she went out in the first round, but we’re proud of her that she knows these scripture passages so well that she could participate. And today’s double-elimination team contest went much better: she led Austin to a 3-0 record, so they’re one of only 16 teams remaining, and among the eight that haven’t lost yet.

Whatever the outcome tomorrow, this trip to Kansas City has been a real joy, having our four youngest kids and my parents together with us, and watching Ruthie and Joe (with a little help from Rebekah) doing so well. These are all good kids that Ruthie’s gotten to know really well, and so while they all want to do their best, the main point is what they’re learning – and everyone is happy for whoever wins.

TechnoratiTechnorati: ,

National Bible Bowl Tournament

The National Bible Bowl tournament is an amazing event, and I’m blessed to be here at its 43rd incarnation in Kansas City as three of my children are participating as the Austin, Minn. team. Ruthie (15) is the Franchise player, Joe (12) is a solid contributor and Captain, and we have been teasing Rebekah (16) that she’s the “Eye Candy.” She hasn’t done much in Bible Bowl throughout the year because of her basketball and volleyball involvement, but recently has been memorizing lists (e.g. all the men’s names in 2 Samuel 6) that help in answering the bonus questions.

I will have some photos and video later, along with more updates and commentary. I’ll do my best to bring out some observations that have general applicability, but I think most readers will find this interesting for a couple of reasons.

First, it is seriously amazing to see what these kids can do, as you will see. (I haven’t been able to videotape the round robin games, but when they get into double elimination, I might.) You will be astonished at the Quoting Bee, which in some ways makes the National Spelling Bee look elementary.

Second, it provides a window on evangelical Christian kids that’s a lot closer to reality than Jesus Camp. If you want to see a reasonable representation instead of an extreme example, this will give you a more accurate portrayal of serious Christian kids.

Third, you’ll see what kids can accomplish through hard work and study. In too many churches the adults have chickened out, and haven’t set the standards high enough. A century ago, kids were expected to memorize an entire catechism, such as the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Now, all too often to be confirmed they might memorize a handful of verses. Many of these kids at the National Bible Bowl, which is sponsored by the Churches of Christ, can recite all of 1 Samuel and the first six chapters of 2 Samuel from memory.

I’ll be doing some more posts to my blog over the next few days, and also will be Twittering.

Here are the standings of the Round Robin after the first 8 rounds. Three more this morning.

Getting ready to start Round 9 right now.

TechnoratiTechnorati: , , ,

Pyromarketing by Greg Stielstra: Book Review

Pyromarketing by Greg Stielstra was one of the free books I highlighted here, with a promise of a future review.

The future is now.
Pyromarketing
In Pyromarketing, Stielstra exchanges the mass-market metaphor of the flood and the word-of-mouth marketing metaphor of the virus for one that is much more meaningful and useful: lighting a fire.

Stielstra says that while flooding market with advertising worked during the earlier mass media era when TV was new and choices were few, it is increasingly impotent in a time when consumers receive 3,000 or more messages each day (and sometimes it seems I have that many in my email inbox alone.)

Viral marketing likewise misses the metaphorical mark, because many consumers are immune to your messages, and therefore can’t pass them on. To use a non-marketing example, consider computer viruses. Macs have no appreciable problem with viruses not only because of Apple’s superior system software, but also because Apple has in the vicinity of five percent of the computer market. There isn’t a critical mass of potential carriers that makes it easy for a virus to spread.

As Stielstra analyzed the analogy of fire, he found that unlike other metaphors that break down when stretched too far, what he now calls Pyromarketing has great explanatory power.

“Every fire needs fuel, oxygen, heat and the heat from the combustion reaction itself. Heat excites the fuel, breaking its molecular bonds at the ignition point freeing the fuel’s electrons to abandon the fuel and join with oxygen in the surrounding air. Ignition temperatures vary significantly from one fuel to the next. The reaction gives off additional heat which excites neighboring fuel and causes the fire to spread.”
Just as fire depends on fuel, so does marketing. Just as ignition temperatures vary from one fuel to the next, so do the “ignition points” of consumers. And just as fire spreads, so excitement about products spreads. “In PyroMarketing consumers are the fuel and their ignition points also differ widely. There is money stored in their wallets, but there is a very strong bond between consumers and their money. Marketing provides the heat that excites them and, if it can heat them beyond their ignition temperature, it will cause them to exchange their money for your product or service.”

Here are Stielstra’s Four Steps to Pyromarketing (and incidentally, he practices what he preaches in the “Touch it with a match” step, by offering a free audio download of Pyromarketing):

  1. Gather the driest tinder: Focus your promotions on those people most likely to buy, benefit from, and then enthusiastically endorse your product or service. They are the only ones whose ignition temperature is within reach of your advertising. They light easily and burn hot. The driest tinder is where word-of-mouth wild fires begin.
  2. Touch it with the match: To the extent you can, give people an experience with your product or service. If you want people to laugh, don’t tell them you’re funny, tell them a joke. Experience is the shortcut to product understanding. It touches people deeply and generates more heat than advertising, igniting even the mildly interested.
  3. Fan the flames: Fanning the flames means giving people tools to help them spread your message throughout their social network. People spread messages more effectively than advertising. The fire is hotter than the match. This is why the process that spreads your marketing message must be different than the one by which it began. Leveraging the power of personal influence is the only way to expand your marketing fire beyond its point of origin (the driest tinder and mildly interested) to the masses. By understanding the process you can equip people with tools to exponentially increase their reach and influence.
  4. Save the Coals: Saving the coals means keeping a record of the people you encounter through your marketing so you can quickly and easily reach them to fan the flames or to tell them about new products that match their interests. This allows your marketing to build equity and keep pace with the needs of your growing business.

I believe this book has much to commend it, and the Pyromarketing metaphor has great explanatory value. He uses the examples of the marketing of The Purpose-Driven Life and The Passion of the Christ. His behind-the-scenes look at the Purpose-Driven marketing of both the Rick Warren book and the Mel Gibson movie does give some insights as to how those became mega-hits. Networking with pastors and churches was clearly an important way to gather a critical mass of those most likely to “buy.”

My only issue is that he applies his metaphor to the growth of Christianity itself, which cannot be explained in natural terms. Jesus’ disciples were not “the driest tinder.” They all abandoned Him on the night He was crucified. Saul, before his conversion on the road to Damascus to become the Apostle Paul, was burning with hatred for followers of Jesus. It was not anything inherent in their character, but rather the call of Jesus, that transformed the apostles. He didn’t choose them because they were the right ones; they were the right ones because He chose them. And Scripture says it was an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost that added 3,000 souls to their number (Acts 2:41).

That’s where I think Stielstra takes it a bit too far, in making the growth of Christianity a case study for his Pyromarketing paradigm. If the goal would have just been gathering excited crowds and “touching them with the match” of Jesus’ teaching, that had happened well before the Cross. Jesus fed 5,000 men (plus women and children) because he had attracted large crowds already; then he said some hard things (see John 6), and most of them went away.

Jesus did not describe the Kingdom of Heaven as a fire, but as a farmer going out to sow seed far and wide (Luke 13.) The job of the church is not to identify target markets effectively, but to spread the Word, and to leave the growth in God’s hands (1 Corinthians 3:6). I believe the missing element of Pyromarketing as it applies to Christianity (and what is missing in many church-growth philosophies) is adequate recognition of God’s decisive role.

According to a couple of stories from 2005 (here and here), there was some controversy involving Rick Warren and his discomfort with having his book mentioned in Pyromarketing… and this led to a delay in publishing Stielstra’s book. Apparently it was published in September 2005.

But Greg Stielstra didn’t set out to write a theological treatise, and neither did I in this blog. I’m sure he means well in sharing his faith naturally, as just part of what he does as a marketer. His Pyromarketing metaphor holds together well and provides a useful framework for understanding many social phenomena and buying decisions, including those for items (such as movies and books) of a religious nature. I recommend you read it for yourself (or listen to it for free). It just needs to be understood in the context of a personal God who wills and acts, and is not bound by human psychology and marketing principles to build His Church (and in fact often acts counter to human wisdom to show His power.)

In a future post, I plan to discuss more areas in which I think Greg Stielstra’s Pyromarketing concept applies, and particularly how today’s technologies make it much easier and cheaper to gather the driest tinder, touch it with a match, fan the flames and gather the coals.

I guess this is a little heavier than my Weird Al posts, huh?

TechnoratiTechnorati: , , ,