Sunday, December 31, 2006

Cultivating Gifts

This time of year we usually do two things: we reflect on the year past and we resolve to change something for the coming year. Maybe this past year the Lord revealed in you a talent or aptitude or even your spiritual gift in which He wants to work through you. Maybe you pursued that purpose or maybe you didn’t. Either way I believe that God demands results. As we see in the parable of 3 servants in Matthew 25:14-30, God is not interested in us just having what He gives us; He expects us to do something with what He has given us. Another example is Paul exhorting Timothy to “…not neglect the spiritual gift you received…” (1 Timothy 4:14 NLT) and to “Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress.” (1 Timothy 4:15 NLT) And also to “…fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you…” (2 Timothy 1:6 NLT)
The reason that we cultivate and manage our gifts is to bring glory to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He gives us this ability to do His purpose and we should be doing all that we can to offer that ability back to Him in service.

Now you may not be certain as to how your ability in a specific area correlates to your spiritual gift and I believe that may be common. I know I had difficulty in that area. I know that God gave me the spiritual gift of administration but also knew He had given me specific ability in technology and media. God taught me to use the gift of administration to facilitate the ministry of media and technology. We can see another example of this in Exodus 31:1 - 5 (NLT)
1The LORD also said to Moses, 2“Look, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, intelligence, and skill in all kinds of crafts. 4He is able to create beautiful objects from gold, silver, and bronze. 5He is skilled in cutting and setting gemstones and in carving wood. Yes, he is a master at every craft!
God gave Bezalel the spiritual gift of wisdom and knowledge but his specific ability was creating beautiful objects from gold, silver and bronze. His purpose or task was to create these beautiful objects for the temple of God.

I pray that in this next year that you discover your gifts and abilities and that you cultivate those gifts and use them for the glory and purpose of God.

1 Peter 4:10 - 11 (NLT)
10God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God’s generosity can flow through you. 11Are you called to be a speaker? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Are you called to help others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then God will be given glory in everything through Jesus Christ. All glory and power belong to him forever and ever. Amen.

Articles of Interest

I have actually had some time to think the past couple of weeks. Tonight I found myself with some time on my hands and decided to tackle the e-mail inbox. I respond to personal e-mails as quickly as I can but the plethora of e-newsletters I receive really add up. Anyway I was perusing the headlines and I found a few that piqued my interest so I thought I would pass on to you as well. These are from July, August and September. Maybe in a few more months I can see what was there from the last 3 months of this year.

I have considered a home studio for audio recording and other media production for some time now so this first hand account of an artist building his own studio in a spare bedroom was interesting.
THE BOOM BOOM ROOM
Between albums, producer/MC Thes One of the L.A. hip-hop duo People Under the Stairs (also including MC/DJ Double K) got married and bought a house. But the house wouldn't be a home without a real studio to record the group's new album, Stepfather (2006, Tres), so Thes and a few inexperienced friends took on the challenge of converting a spare bedroom into a high-level project studio. Here, he relays what he learned.
Click here to read the rest of this article.


Here is an article that has some practical advice for planning in media ministry.
Planning for the Unforeseeable
Are your sound, video and lighting systems a disaster waiting to happen? Even if you have a great system from mic to speaker and source to display, it's all delicate electronic equipment, and something could go wrong. If you have a system strung together with bubble gum and baling wire, your chances for trouble increase exponentially. And unless your budget is about the same as Walt Disney World's, your workforce is primarily, if not entirely, volunteer. What do you do when a key team member doesn't show up?While your budget may not equal the one for Mickey and company, you can share in their investment simply by visiting with Discovery Church's Technical Arts Director, Sean Kruckenberg, a former Disney employee. Can't fly to Orlando? No problem. We've done that for you. Read on!
Click here to read the rest of this article.


Tim Vear is one of the most knowledgeable and also approachable people I have had the pleasure to meet. This guy knows audio and he knows churches. That is why the publication “Audio Systems Guide for Houses of Worship” that he authored should be in your library.
The Insider: Tim Vear
Shure & The Church
In preparing this issue, it was clear that the many of facts of Shure’s church audio history resided in one individual. The author of Shure’s popular “Audio Systems Guide for Houses of Worship”, continually revised and expanded since its formal debut in 1990, is Tim Vear, Senior Applications Engineer in the Applications Engineering Group.Tim took us almost all the way back to the very beginning. We talked about how Shure grew with the modern church, the impact that the Church has had on Shure product development, and what makes you – our community of church audio specialists – so remarkable.
Click here to read the rest of this article.


Quickly becoming one of my favorite artist on the Christian music scene is David Crowder and his band. Nice interview from Shure.
Collision:Head-on with David Crowder
Sold-out concerts, six Dove Award nominations, the 2006 pop/contemporary song of the year from his new “A Collision” CD and a faithful following that’s growing exponentially. This, of course, is the David Crowder Band. We hooked up with David to talk about the early days, home recording and the tangible benefits of clean living.
Click here to read the rest of this article.


I prefer Shure microphones in most live sound applications if for nothing more than their consistency. Great sound doesn’t hurt either. Here is a history of this great company.
Genesis:The Story of Shure Inc.
Late last year, we sent a survey to Shure Notes subscribers, asking for article and topic ideas. Surprisingly, many of you wanted to know about the company. As Shure celebrates its 81st year, still owned by the same family that founded it, here’s a brief look back at an enterprise that began as a radio parts store, supplied broadcast microphones for every US president since FDR, joined the war effort, made Elvis look even better, and won the hearts and minds of musicians, engineers and consumers. It’s the story of the entrepreneurial spirit, a commitment to its customers and an American brand.
Click here to read the rest of this article.


I’m starting to see more and more of this type of application.
Sennheiser New Mic Stands
Sennheiser is introducing three new microphone stands with a cable connection at its base rather than at the microphone. This new system means that plug-on wireless transmitters can now be attached to the bottom of the stand or, if preferred, cables can be connected at the base, eliminating the necessity to run the mic cable up the stand.
Click here to read the rest of this article.


This article made me wonder if any churches are actually still mass producing cassette tapes. It seems to take forever to move the church toward change especially in technology but once that start using something it is just as difficult to get them to move on to something better. As for myself, I don’t even listen to CDs very often. Most of my music is saved on some type of memory whether it is hard drive or flash.
CDs Still Dominate in Church Media Publishing
Despite the advent of web streaming, podcasting, DVD publishing, and other new technologies, a large number of churches continue to give audio CDs the central position in their outreach and media publishing programs.
Click here to read the rest of this article.

I hope you enjoyed this hodge-podge of information.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Saturday, December 23, 2006

We Are the Reason for the Season

I got to thinking about the popular slogan that has emerged in the last several years as groups have become more and more hostile about the meaning of Christmas.  I’m, of course, talking about “Jesus is the reason for the season”.  Now I will admit that the reason we have Christmas is because of Jesus’ birth but He is not the reason for the season.  Let that one sink in for a moment.  Why did God send His only Son to earth to be born a helpless, defenseless baby?  Why did the heavens just not open up and Jesus in all His glory and righteousness and majesty come down and proclaim that He was here to save the world?

The reason is us.  We are the reason for the season.  We needed a savior and we needed an example of how to live.  Jesus is that Savior and He is that example of how to live.  Jesus was born and raised up and lived just like you and me to show us how to live.  What makes Jesus different from us is that He lived a blameless, sinless life.  He died on the cross as a sacrifice for the sin of the world and that makes Him a Savior.   God did not need to do anything but He loves us so much that He yearns for a relationship with us His creation.  God actually wants!  He wants us!  Isaiah says…

Isaiah 9:6a (NLT)
For a child is born to us, a son is given to us.
(Emphasis mine)

As Mary treasured in her heart the gift of God born of her that night over 2000 years ago, I pray that you treasure in your heart the gift that God has made available to all of us in Jesus the Christ.  Remember as the gifts are being passed out in your house this season that we are the reason for the season.

Merry Christmas!

Greg Atkinson: Jesus Is The Reason For The Season

I have been meaning to take the time to feature this guy for quite a while now but had just not found the right time to do so.  His name is Greg Atkinson and his blog is Church Video Ideas, plus he writes a column for Monday Morning Insight as well.  Although he now lives in the Dallas, Texas area he is a native of South Carolina so that raises him a notch in my book.  Not that there is anything wrong with anywhere else.

Greg has some of the best ideas that I have heard when it comes to video.  Of course I’m a sound guy so everything in video sounds like a good idea.  No, he really knows what he is talking about.  He also gives excellent reviews on all the top distributors of graphics and motion backgrounds and videos from sites such as Worship House Media and Midnight Oil Productions and many others.  This is one of the best sites for those of involved in technical ministry.

Greg was obviously picking up on my brain waves this week as I have been struggling with exactly what he wrote about this week.  Or maybe all of us heavily involved in ministry struggle with this same thing.   Check out…

Jesus Is the Reason
You’ve heard the saying many times I’m sure: “Jesus is the reason for the season”. With all the December festivities, events, parties, concerts, productions and services, it’s tough to remember and live out that simple phrase. So, I must ask, how’s your December going? In the midst of the craziness and busyness of the season are you intentionally finding time to get away in your private prayer closet? Are you too busy “serving God” that you miss out spending time with God? Trust me, these are questions I ask myself and must constantly keep before me.
Click here to read the rest of the article.

It is so true that I have been too busy doing the “Lord’s work” but not really serving the Lord.  I have been too busy with ministry to focus on personal time with the Lord and with my family.  This is why I was prompted to write the article this week, Reflections on Service.  I realize that I need to put aside my perfectionism and reallocate some time to be with people on my team that I know are capable of doing what I have been doing.

Thanks Greg for an excellent article!  

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Reflections on Service

The stress of the Christmas season is almost over here at First Baptist. The major outdoor and indoor productions are finished. Our Christmas Eve morning service will be some work but nothing compared to what we have been through. I’m looking forward to a few days off since I haven’t had one in several months. This time of year I start to reflect on the year past and I thought I would share with you.

I know you have all heard that 10% of your congregation does 90% of the work or something to that affect. This year and especially this past couple of months I have found that to be very true. Project after project, production after production I see the same people contributing their time and talent. After a while though you see the weariness in their face as they are used and abused by the church. I know that I hate to say no to anything but it is becoming easier.

So what so we have to do to get people to serve. Jesus said to His disciples that the “harvest is great but the workers are few” and the same goes for the work of media ministry. As we do our part in the harvest we are most certainly few. Notice what Jesus says in Matthew 9:38

So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”
Matthew 9:38 NLT

How about that? We should ask for more workers. We should pray to God for more workers. God is the one who does the calling on a person’s life for His purpose and service. God may give us discernment whereas we can see the potential in someone for the Lord’s work in the same area that God has given us.

Secondly we have to let people know that there is a need. I let the staff know that there is a need. I let the worship planners know that there is a need. I let the prayer warriors know that there is a need. I’m always looking for just a hint that someone has technical aptitude but more importantly a servant’s heart. When I see that in someone I let them know that there is a need and actively attempt to recruit them.

I believe that we also need to communicate to our entire congregation the vision that we have for media and technology in our churches. When people see and hear that you have long range goals and a clear objective for your ministry then they are more likely to want to know more or be a part of something that is well planned and structured.

One of the fundamentals of service is that people need to be of the mind set that all they have from health and finances to time and resources all belongs to God and He has made us stewards of those things. Instead of putting aside time for service we should be praying to ask God how He wants us to serve Him with the time He as given us.