Media Ministry

Constant State of Flux

2007-08-01T11:47:00.000-05:00

Since my life seems to be in a constant state of flux here the last couple of months then why shouldn't my blog be as well? The blog at this site will cease to exist soon as will the temporary Wordpress blog that I created. You can now visit www.mediaministry.org/blog It may not be pretty at first or have all the functionality that I want but it is coming. I'm working on it when I get some free time and that has not been much lately. This will more than likely be my last post at this blog location. See you over there.

Check Out New Blog Posts

2007-06-03T00:47:00.000-05:00

Check out these new posts:

Fusion 2007 - Day 1

Fusion 2007 - Day 2

TWO YEARS!!!

Feedback, Fusion 2007 & Homonymns

2007-05-30T22:37:00.000-05:00

Just a few things that are going on:

I'm starting to post at what will soon be my permanent blogging interface. Check out http://mediaministry.wordpress.com/
I still looking for feedback on a couple of recent post. Check out this post and this post. On the latter post let me add that my domain name expires in August and I would prefer to transfer it to my next host. Any wisdom in this area?
I'm going to be at Fusion 2007 in Raleigh, NC for the rest of the week. If you are attending this conference or you are in the Raleigh area then drop me an email at techDOTministryATgmailDOTcom. We can get together for lunch or dinner.
Has anyone else noticed a serious problem with homonyms lately? You know, words that are spelled differently and have different meanings but sound exactly the same. Some examples that I have seen lately are: new for knew, hole for whole, no for know, won for one, piece for peace, there for their, to for too and scene for seen. It's almost an epidemic.

Web Site Analysis

2007-05-18T13:14:00.000-05:00

Over a year ago I was talking to some of you about a complete new web site for our church. Due to my plate being full to overflowing I turned over the design and implementation of our new church web site to others. It still falls under the umbrella of media & technology for which I'm responsible. So, what I would like to hear from you is a brutally honest assessment of this new web site. Check it out at http://www.firstbaptistclover.org/

That's Quotable -- Tony Morgan

2007-05-18T06:19:00.000-05:00

You know how Tony Morgan periodically does a post on his blog called "That's Quotable"? Well, I'm going to rip that off but only because it is Tony Morgan that is quotable. Here is what he had to say about the Dynamic Church Conference and technology in the church.

Bottom line? It's good to be in an environment with a bunch of folks that recognize that technology is critical for the Church at this moment in time. We can't reach today's culture without maximizing the use of technology. It intersects everyone's lives. The Church is impotent without it. There was a day when the Church embraced the printing press to reach people for Jesus. That's what technology including the Internet is for the Church today. We have to embrace it. We have to leverage it. And, because of that, I can't wait to see what results from this gathering in the days to come.

Are You Ready?

2007-05-13T08:20:00.000-05:00

A dear friend was buried yesterday. I’m glad the funeral was not until I got back from Texas. The funeral contained a long section of testimony about my friend Mack. At one point Mack’s wife stood up and talked about her husband. She talked about how she never doubted his love or faithfulness. She said that people always say that you don’t know what you got until its gone but for her she knew what she had. She knew that Mack was a good man.

Mack’s father talked about how he knew his son from birth until 3 years old and then left. The man talked about recently being ordained a deacon and his son not knowing. He talked of regret of how he did not know this good man everyone was talking about.

Many, many testimonies on how Mack helped them or how Mack was always available to talk. Many talked of Mack’s encouragement and being a friend. All said how good a man Mack was. All said how much Mack loved his family.

Although all said what a good man Mack was, do you know what I did not hear? I did not hear that Mack was a godly man. Although all said that Mack loved his family, do you know what I did not hear? I did not hear that Mack loved Jesus.

Without Jesus Christ all that we do is for naught. We can’t earn our way into heaven. There is nothing that we can possibly do in and of ourselves to merit the favor of God. Only through the blameless, perfect sacrifice of Jesus for our sins can we gain righteousness.

Mack died sitting in his easy chair doing one of the things he loved best and that was watching the NBA playoffs. Mack is evidence that we don’t know if we have the next 20 years or the next 20 minutes. The pastor who gave the message was a former SpecOp soldier and gave the analogy of, "soldier, you need to get squared away". If you ever served in the military then you know what that means. We were always on 24-hour standby meaning that we had 24 hours to get to wherever the mission called. Squared away meant you were ready to deploy at any moment. Our mission is reconciliation with a God that loves us and made a way for us to be with him for eternity. You may not have 24 hours prior notice. Are you ready to deploy?

New Creative Synergy Podcast

2007-05-09T21:49:00.000-05:00

I had the opportunity to finally listen to the Creative Synergy Podcast Episode 5 on Church Copyright on my flight from Charlotte to Dallas today.

This podcast was full of great information. I realize now that I need to make some changes in the way I handle video clips.

What I found to be disturbing is that apparently that there are many pastors out there that have no problem breaking the law or having their media minsters break the law for an illustration. I'm thankful that when I know something is not covered under our license then my pastor finds another legal way to get his point across or uses another illustration.

Anthony Coppedge and Greg Atkinson are doing an excellent job with this production. I highly recommend downloading this podcast or if you detest iTunes like I do then they have an alternate download feed here.

The Roller Coaster Ride

2007-05-08T18:52:00.000-05:00

Do you ever feel like your life is a roller coaster? Up one day and down the next? It has been like that for me lately. After riding this roller coaster for a while I just feel sick. There has been no relief since this ride goes through church, family and work.

With church it is the age old battle of those that want to serve and further the kingdom of God and those that want to just sit back and do nothing. There are those that want to change to reach the community and those that resist change no matter what.

With family it has been the threat of cancer and then the relief that it was not.

With work it has been the struggles of a very demanding field engulfed in politics and the reward that you are doing something of significance.

But in my work world all things were put into a new perspective today when a dear friend and fellow supervisor did not show up for work and the worst was true when the director told me that he had died in his sleep.

I often regret that I do not have the gift of evangelism especially when an acquaintance, co-worker, family member or friend dies. Did I share Christ enough? Did exhibit the character of Jesus enough? With this particular friend I had shared the gospel a few times in the most straightforward manner I could muster. All his questions were answered by the Holy Spirit through me. I was amazed at how the words flowed out of my mouth because I'm not well with speech. The Lord blesses me often with the ability to write but speech is not always given. Now I can only hope that those words fell on fertile ground.

Unfortunately I was told that I still must make a trip that has been planned so in the morning I will be flying to Austin, TX. If I have any readers in that area I would love to have a meal or even a cup of coffee with you. Drop me a comment or send me an e-mail from my profile.

I'm seeing this trip as a stop to the roller coaster so I can have a couple of nights away from the amusement park.

Brian Bailey -- Afterword Series

2007-04-19T12:52:00.000-05:00

Brian Bailey is the author of The Blogging Church and he recently posted a series on his blog, Leave It Behind, that I believe are the essentials of blogging. These posts are a wealth of wisdom and experience about blogging. Check out these posts:

Afterword: Introduction

Afterword: Open Our Eyes

Afterword: Look Up

Afterword: Smile

From the Mouths of Babes

2007-04-14T09:13:00.000-05:00

Every once in a while you have those moments with your children that are unforgettable. My 4 year old son is a source of many of those moments. For example a few weeks ago we were in the C.O.A.C. (see this post) at our church and it was time to go that Sunday afternoon and the building superintendent turned out the lights. At that point my 4 year old son proceeded to run around the "gym" yelling, "We're in Hell, We're in Hell!" Obviously someone has taught him that Hell is a place of darkness so there you go.

I have been struggling with letting go and letting God here recently which comes down to a matter of trust. God, though has been faithful and has lead me to His Word (Psalm 55:22, Matthew 11:28-30) this week which has been awesome. So this morning out of nowhere my son says, "I only trust God. I never trust...(pointing down at the floor). I will always trust God."

Childlike faith! Our God is an awesome God and can teach us through even the mouths of babes.

Sometimes It Is Better Than You Think

2007-04-13T15:38:00.000-05:00

I was reading Dave's post Everybody's A Critic of Going to 11 based on Perry Noble's post Dealing With Critics... and it got me to thinking of how blessed I have been over the past couple of years to not hear of something being too loud or just plain not sounding good in one of our venues. As a church we call it the Christian Outreach & Activity Center which is basically a gym with a stage on one side. A big block building with horrible acoustics is what it is to me. As we outgrow our Sanctuary this room is being used more and more. I have had to do some serious reconfiguring of the sound system. I have not had the luxury of replacing equipment so a re-installation was my only option. However I have purchased in addition two portable speakers for a couple of pole mounts for better coverage and a whole package of Shure microphones and cables. Other than that is was a total rewire and optimization. One immediate move was to take the amplifiers off the same electrical phase with the horribly installed lighting system. I have heard noise from dimmer packs but this was unbearable and they had used it like that for years!

So over the past couple of years I have been accomplishing a rework of this sound system. A couple of weeks ago it was finally at a position whereas I thought it may sound decent. I was not happy with the sound and I'm still not (I'm a perfectionist) but after a recent choir cantata (yes, we still do those) a gentleman that operated sound for 15 years in that church come running back to FOH with a big smile on his face and shook my hand and told me that it was amazing how it sounded in that room now. I was really pushing that system on the finale and God made it stick. Folks I didn't do much and I did it with nothing but I believe that if we are putting forth the effort to make better with what God has given us that He will bless that. And even though it is not a new state of the art installation that you read about in all of these magazines it is probably a whole lot better than you think.

Perry Noble-Playing For An Audience Of One

2007-04-12T08:28:00.000-05:00

WOW! What a great post by Perry today. It is so true that often we get wrapped up in what other people think or we get wrapped up in "serving" God that we are not "seeking" God. Our entire life should be playing for an audience of One. That is worship!

Check out Perry's post Playing for an Audience of One

Blogging & Hosting, Hosting & Blogging

2007-04-11T14:48:00.000-05:00

Although I don't have as much time to blog as I once did I still feel that something is lacking in the current blog other than posts. I registered a domain and signed up for hosting with the same company last summer but I soon found out that this company is not truly blogger friendly or user friendly for that matter. I never had the time to really build a great site and was not happy with the templates and tools provided. Plus all the user interfaces were very confusing. I'm also not comfortable supporting this company with their questionable advertising and antics of their CEO.

I'm looking to a host that knows blogging. My ideal set up is a blog that is primary and a web site that is secondary and not the other way around like most hosting. Although I'm good enough and smart enough and people like me I just don't have time to build a website from the ground up so I need great looking templates and easy to use web tools. I'm also wanting to know the ramifications of domain transfer, if any.

My current hosting agreement expires in August so I have a few months to play with here. So, let me know what is the way to go? Now the last time I asked about something you guys left me hanging so help a brother out on this one. Let me add that I'm leaning toward Wordpress for a blogging tool and have looked at Blue Host, AN Hosting & Dreamhost to name a few.

I'm hoping and praying to increase my efforts in this part of ministry and would love to offer something that is of better use and value to you my subscribers and to the many that visit this site everyday.

Huh?

2007-03-24T15:21:00.000-05:00

I'm chasing a rabbit through Technorati when I click on a link and I get this...

Huh?
There are blogs, and then there's whatever you just typed in. If it's a blog, we don't know about it. Maybe you made a typo. Or maybe it's a blog that doesn't exist. Maybe you don't exist. (In which case, please ignore this.)

If Technorati is going to cause me to question my existence then maybe I should reconsider using them. Just kidding! I had never seen this and I found it amusing so I thought I would share.

Have a great day!

Shure Donates $50,000 to Support Hearing Conservation

2007-03-21T06:27:00.000-05:00

Shure Incorporated announced that it will again donate $50,000 this year to four organizations as part of the Shure Listen Safe program: Columbia College (Chicago), Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers (H.E.A.R.), The House Ear Institute (HEI) and the National Hearing Conservation Association (NHCA) Scholarship Foundation.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Audio Tips From Going to 11

2007-03-20T09:34:00.000-05:00

Dave has a couple great posts on audio tips that he has dicovered recently. Check it out at Going to 11.

Unleash Conference

2007-03-16T12:17:00.000-05:00

WOW! I believe that is how Perry started out his post last night about the Unleash Conference and I would most certainly agree. I would have loved to post last night but I had some things that needed to get done before this morning. I’m also sure there are many reviews of the Conference already this morning seeing that Todd Rhoades, Gary Lamb, Chris Surratt, Pete Bishop, Steven Furtick and of course Tony Morgan and Perry Noble were all there. Also an anchor, Tonia Bendickson, from the channel I prefer to get my local news from was there with the Elevation crowd. All of the aforementioned guys have blogs that I read on a regular basis and the only one I had to chance to talk to was Tony Morgan and that was brief. I would have loved to seen a blogger meet and greet since so many of us were there but I believe that it would have needed to be the night before or something like that. Oh, yeah, this is about the conference.

I decided a few weeks ago that going to this conference would also be an excellent time to take a night and spend with my wife away from the house and kids so that is what we did. We arrived Wednesday evening after approximately a 100 mile drive. We had dinner and decided to go over and take advantage of the early check-in and find our way before the big day. The volunteers were nice and told us to take a look around and so we did. It was then that we met Sydney. She engaged us in conversation and was great to talk to and drew out a shortcut for us to take between our hotel and the church. That was a great help.

The next morning we arrived and after being directed to our parking place we departed our vehicle and were greeted by no less than 5 volunteers in the parking lot. I would say probably another 15 greeted us before we made it to the area of breakfast foods and drinks. I thought that was awesome but maybe a little too much for someone like me who had not yet had their first cup of coffee. Throughout the day the people of Newspring Church were outstanding. I have never seen a group of volunteers that excited about serving. One that keeps standing out is Sydney whose path we kept crossing. She was as helpful each time as the first time.

The first main session was titled “Go For It”. After an awesome time of worship through song, Perry jumped right in with both feet. If you have never heard Perry speak you can almost imagine what it is like if you read his blog. He writes just like he speaks. His four points were to establish creative environments, look beyond ourselves, pay attention and focus on what matters. Let me tell you that these four things apply to what ever area of ministry you are leading and not just senior pastors. I strive to create an environment that people want to serve. I preach looking beyond ourselves because what we do in media ministry is an offering to God. I don’t know how many times I have told my team to PAY ATTENTION. It is crucial in technical arts ministry to know what is going on. Of course that is made much easier with planning, preparation and practice. The last point was focus on what matters. In media ministry as in all ministries that is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is the reason we are serving at all. I have said it before and I will say it again, if you are serving in a technical role just because you have an aptitude and feel obligated then you there for the wrong reason. Focus on Jesus!

The break out sessions were in a question and answer format. Not my favorite but I could deal. I attended the Newspring Experience and then Blogging in Communications. Our worship leader attended Leading Authentic Worship and told me that Joel Yates (audio engineer) was answering questions. If I had only known I would have been in there. As a group we tried to cover all of the sessions provided so it worked out.

Perry Noble from time to time states that a lot of times he feels like he has no idea what he is doing. I got that same sense from his staff in these break out sessions. And you know what? That is OK! These guys are not supposed to have all the answers for your church. They were good on telling what their experiences have been, where they have struggled in the past and where they are struggling now. It is up to us to glean from that and incorporate into our own ministry. I gained some tidbits that I can use and I appreciate that. I thought they did an excellent job!

The second and last main session was amazing. You know it has been a while since I had a chance to not have to concern myself with production or operate sound, video or lighting and just enjoy what was going on. Let me just say that I let all of the encumbrances of my hectic life just melt away and I praised my Lord. I want to thank Lee McDerment (worship leader) and the band and all of the singers and all of the people making it happen behind the scenes to allow me to have that precious time. THANK YOU!!!

Perry’s second session was titled “The Leadership Challenge” and he let it rip. I can’t remember the last time or if ever I heard someone tear into the institutions established by the church like I did yesterday. And he was right.

Perry’s four points on this session were Moses simply listened and obeyed, Moses didn’t compromise the vision, Moses didn’t try to do it all and Moses was willing to attempt anything. If you couldn’t tell he was using Moses as an example of leadership.
A quote that really stuck to me was when Perry said, “Leadership is as easy as listening to God.” I know that I have been struggling on what to do in some areas and I now realize that I have not been listening close enough. After some time with a friend this morning I realize that I’m in the will of God. I have just wanted to see too far ahead. My friend reminded that God will be a light to my feet and a lamp to my path but He is not going to illuminate the whole way for me to see. It all comes down to me trusting God. That is where I’m at right now. I need to trust God completely.

On the next point Perry points out that powerful people will try to altar your vision and that is so true. Don’t compromise what God has given you!

Thirdly, don’t try to do it all. Perry was all over my toes on this one. I want to be needed but I’m not. I need to let go and allow members of my team to grow. I use to be more diligent on asking my pastors what I could do for them and how I could help them better prepare for services but that has faltered. I’m going to get back to doing that and allow my team to do that as well.

The next and last point is a sticking point. Be willing to attempt anything. In other words, THINK BIG!!! I know that I have no idea what God is capable of doing through our church and ministries but I’m willing to let Him lead me. So many have God stuffed in a box and He is in there broke too. We as a church need to stop stifling the vision that God has given to the men and women He has chosen to do His work. You have all heard the old adage “Lead, follow or get out of the way!” That is the way that I feel about church and ministry right now. If God has given you a vision then you need to lead. If you can understand the vision that God has given someone then you need to follow. If you don’t fall into one of those then you need to get out of the way and start searching for where God wants you to be. I know that I’m going to be in a struggle because I serve in a committee led impaired church. Where do I plug in the vision that God has given me for using media and technology for His glory and purpose? I don’t know yet but I’m going to let God light my steps as I continue to follow the charge He has given me in 2 Timothy 4:5

2 Timothy 4:5(NLT) 5But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at bringing others to Christ. Complete the ministry God has given you.

I believe that Unleash is going to become one of the premiere conferences and I look forward to attending again next year. Thank you so very much to all of those involved in this conference for the experience.

When Things Go Wrong

2007-03-14T10:36:00.000-05:00

Pete Bishop has an excellent post about how to prevent catastrophe or just looking like an idiot when things go wrong on stage. Check out his post.

Gambling On God

2007-03-12T10:50:00.000-05:00

Do you ever take your token, I mean tithe, and put it in the slot, I mean plate, and pull the lever for a big jackpot, I mean pray to God for a big return. How often do we as a church promise big returns from God if we tithe?

We recently did a short sermon series on stewardship titled “Give It Away”. This series was based on Malachi 3:10

Malachi 3:10(NLT) 10Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the LORD Almighty, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Let me prove it to you!

This verse is used every year for a push in tithing. Now, don’t get me wrong. I believe that tithing is of course biblical and is absolutely relevant to this day and age. Why we are giving a tithe, I believe is often misguided. We should not being giving to God in hopes of “a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in” for ourselves. That blessing should be for the church as a whole. I think so many believe that if they give, then God will reward them financially. He may or may not. With that attitude the giving of a tithe is no better than gambling at a slot machine.

God does not need our money. In all actuality it is all His anyway. We are just called to take care of it for a little while. We are called to be stewards of what He has given us. The definition of a steward is someone who manages property or other affairs for someone else. We don’t own anything. God calls us to be stewards so that we can show Him our devotion and our surrender to Him.

It is more a matter of the heart or of attitude that whether we give or not. God knows our heart and He is looking for those of humility and trust in Him. He is seeking those that are giving not for their own selfishness but for a greater reward that only comes from God. He is looking for those that give to see what God will do in others more than what He will give back to them.

2 Corinthians 9:7-8(NLT) 7You must each make up your own mind as to how much you should give. Don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves the person who gives cheerfully. 8And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.

From this passage we can see that God wants us to trust Him wholeheartedly. God will provide all that we need. Not what we want but what we need. You can take that one to the bank.

Steinberg Presents Internal Mixing DVD-ROM Tutorial Series

2007-03-09T09:29:00.000-05:00

Steinberg is pleased to announce that it is distributing the Internal Mixing serries of tutorial DVD-ROMs. Internal Mixing is an essential resource for disk recording application users who do their mixing mainly inside their workstation. It provides hands-on strategies using computers to make powerful, clear and perfectly balanced mixes and explains how to create them without using expensive outboard equipment.

With more than 160 minutes of video in Volume I and over 180 minutes of video on Volume II, Internal Mixing covers tried and tested methods for achieving that often elusive sound known from professionally produced CDs and DVDs.

More information is available at http://www.steinberg.net/

Fairlight Crystal Core Training Session in Atlanta

2007-03-08T07:30:00.000-05:00

For those of you in the Atlanta area that are in the professional audio & video industry.

FairlightUS, the exclusive distributor of Fairlight digital audio and video technologies in the United States, will host a special showcase and training seminar on the groundbreaking Crystal Core (CC-1) digital media engine at Comprehensive Technical Group (CTG) in Atlanta on March 14th. The event will be preceded by a sneak preview and cocktail reception at R!OT Atlanta on March 13th at 6:00PM. Both events are open to audio professionals working in the post production, broadcast and music recording markets and will be held in close cooperation with CTG, FairlightUS’s distribution and support partner in the southeastern United States.

FairlightUS and CTG will run four two-hour demonstrations on March 14th at 10:00AM, 12:00PM, 2:00PM and 4:00PM. CTG is located at 2030 Powers Ferry Road, Suite 130. Reservations may be made by calling (404) 352-3000 or emailing fairlightdemo@ctgatlanta.com The demonstrations will cover all areas of recording, editing, ADR, sound design, sound for picture tips and techniques and the business of professional audio.

Serve Your Country as an Audio Engineer

2007-03-07T17:28:00.000-05:00

The U.S. Air Force is accepting applications for audio engineers in their Band Program. Check out all the details at this link. http://www.af.mil/library/band/employ/audio.asp

It's Not a Problem; It's An Issue

2007-03-06T12:39:00.000-05:00

That is what we say every time someone calls our over-crowded worship services a "problem" Well, obviously our church marketing does not suck because we have been busting at the seams at our 11:00 a.m. service. It is definitely God at work in our community because other than mailing post cards a couple of times over the past 6 months we have not done anything to promote our church. We currently do not even have a web site. I shut the old one down over a year ago because it was just plain horrible and definitely not worthy of an offering to our Lord and Savior and not a representation of this body of believers. So what is really bringing people in? The answer is our people at work in the community. Our people actually getting their hands dirty out in the neighborhoods doing what ever to show the love of Jesus. That has been free water or hot chocolate at public events; our own version of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition for some needy families and sometimes just lending a helping hand when needed.

In our discussions, one thing that has come up that is a problem. That would be our overflow room. I have been disgusted with the audio and video quality from the very first time I witnessed the room. But it has never been a priority until now. Now that many more have witnessed the atrocity that is the "TV Room" the complaints have multiplied 10 fold. My plan is a whole new video distribution system. I have used video over CAT-5 in another venue with success so I'm leaning towards doing the same here. I also need to replace cameras. We just don't have the space for camera operators so I'm going with robotic PTZ type cameras. I have a plan but I'm limited in my knowledge of video equipment so I don't know what is worth considering. I'm looking for direction from any of you that may read this blog about what you are doing in the area of video distribution.

I'm excited about reaching more and more in our area with love of Jesus and telling them about the abundant life that only comes from Him. We obviously need to show that our Jesus is worth worshiping and presenting an offering that if our very best in service and in media and technology. I can't wait to get started...

Advances in Technology, HA!

2007-03-06T07:24:00.000-05:00

You would think with all of the great strides that we have made in advancing and improving technology that the new dates for Daylight Savings Time would be no big deal. You would think that we could load a patch and distribute remotely. Think again! It appears that this coming Sunday morning at 2:00 a.m. I will be manually setting time on several Unix servers. I don't think I mind so much that I have to set these manually but the fact that it is a Sunday is what bothers me most. I had already obligated myself for technical services on Saturday night for a special event and then Sunday morning services... I sure am glad I'm on vacation the rest of that week.

Weatherman Was On Something!

2007-03-02T12:49:00.000-05:00

I had almost forgotten about Mark Mathis until Todd at MMI had a video clip featuring the best of, or worst of depending on your perspective, this embattled weatherman. Fans loved him and station managers hated him. He was one of those guys you couldn't help but like. Mark was only on the air for about 3 years at WCCB here in Charlotte but was the talk of the town on many occasions. He actually was a regular on stage at the Comedy Zone. Todd asked "What's this Weatherman On?" Apparently several things which finally led to his firing even after several failed attempts to rehab. We lost track of Mark in 2004 but rumor has it that he accepted Christ while in one chemical dependancy program. We can only hope and pray that he did or does. Mark is now Chief Meterologist at KREX-TV in Grand Junction, CO. Thanks for the laughs!

Give It Away with Excellence

2007-02-22T10:30:00.000-05:00

HT to MMI for both of these links. Today are two posts that speak to what my last post was about and about giving our best. I have written many times about striving for excellence and I could not have written any better than the post Christian Excellence. This is a blog that I have not read in the past but after reading this post I subscribed because Nathan Rice is dead on in his analysis.

Check out How Much Can We Give? by Craig Groeschel, Senior Pastor of Lifechurch.tv

Check out Christian Excellence by Nathan Rice.

Give It Away!

2007-02-19T10:24:00.000-05:00

I was struck almost dumbfounded by what I heard come out of the mouth of the youngest member of our media ministry team yesterday. I heard, “It’s sad that the church has better stuff than we have at home.” Inside I’m screaming WHAT!? Outwardly I said, “It should.” I fight this pervading mindset that the church gets our leftovers from many older adults all the time so I was disheartened when I heard it coming from our youngest generation.

I receive the biggest bunch of unusable equipment from well meaning people to use in our media ministry that you can imagine. Things like the very first VCR or televisions that will only except screw terminal connections from an antenna or … well you get the picture. I know that these givers mean well but they are misguided in their thinking. The church is not a thrift or pawn shop or a dump. We have to think of our giving as an offering because that is what it is. Just like our service is an offering. Both deserve our best. We should be giving our very best. If you want to give to the church for some particular ministry then buy something brand, spanking new. If you don’t want to buy anything or don’t know what to buy then give monetarily or ask the leader of the ministry what they could use.

I’m not just talking about technical ministry either. Take a look at other areas of ministry as well such as children or youth. What could their ministries use that is not in the “budget” this year or ever. My wife and I take a portion of our income tax refund every year and buy something new for the church in an area of need that we have noticed. If we have unexpected windfall we will do the same. This is on top of our tithing.

Our focus this month at First Baptist is stewardship and the catch phrase is “Give It Away”. We have heard some awesome testimonies on tithing this month but I believe to really reap the benefits of God’s blessing then we need to give sacrificially. For some that is your tithe and that it is awesome. A quote from a testimony yesterday really stuck out to me and that was when the lady said, “You can’t out give God.” And that is very true! So let me encourage you to think about how you give and what you give. I believe tithing is a must but what else can we give? Just give it away!

Unsolicited Promotion of Audio Blogs

2007-01-29T13:03:00.000-05:00

I read a lot of blogs. Most of them are technology or ministry based. I receive good information from most and hear inspiring stories. I often link to these blogs when something really speaks to me where I am at. The blogs that I want to bring to your attention today are not like the rest of the blogs that I subscribe to but I enjoy reading them just the same. These blogs are simply journals from people getting it done in audio ministry. They don't post often but when they do I enjoy relating to what they are going through and reading about their trials and their excitement as it relates to audio ministry. Check these out when you get a chance.

The Rotary Encoder

Going to 11

Random Announcements & Thoughts

2007-01-26T09:31:00.000-05:00

Well, I have been wanting to post several times over the past week but time has not allowed. So today I just wanted to throw out some random announcements and thoughts.

The NSCA Expo has announced that they will host Fits and Starts Production's HOW-TO Church Sound Workshop at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando FL on March 16th & 17th. All information can be obtained by visiting this page. You have heard me announce this workshop on several occasions. It is some of the best training you will receive for the money.
We completed week 17 of Quest for Authentic Manhood at our church this morning. This life changing experience is part of Men's Fraternity developed by Robert Lewis, pastor of Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock, AR. I know that I have never been through anything that has challenged me week after week like this series has. If you are looking to get a men's ministry off the ground at your church then this is an excellent option to consider.
I wrote a post almost a year ago to the day titled Church Media Consultation. What brought it back to my attention was that I received a comment on it this year from none other than the church media consultant guru himself, Anthony Coppedge. Anthony has been low key the past few months so it was great to hear from him. Also judging from some conversations that I have had recently at my own church and some other blogs that I have read this is still a hot button issue. Take time and review this post and check out the good comments and there is a hint that Anthony may having something coming soon as well. Wouldn't that be great?!
I've been hearing a lot about innovation in churches here lately but what about innovation in conferences. I received an e-mail from Doug Gould of Shure yesterday announcing that he will be conducting seminars at a conference. OK, nothing new there. What caught my attention is where the conference will be held and that is a Royal Caribbean cruise liner. Now I may just be out of touch here and they have been doing this but this is the first time I have heard of it and to me it is a great idea and innovative. Check out Worship at Sea for all the details.
Speaking of innovative, I'm sure everyone has heard by now that Perry Noble's church Newspring are hosting there very own conference called Unleash. The price is right and the location is just a jut to the left. I'm up to hear what they have going on over there.

Have a great weekend!

Time Accountability

2007-01-16T09:51:00.000-05:00

Good post at God::Media titled Accountability and Culture in which David brings up the dilemma of people not being on time for services or for serving. In a few cases people just don’t take church services seriously or the time aspect of those services. In the case of our church and maybe others is that there is just not enough time between classes and service start time. People are arriving late because there class has just let out.

On the service side of things I believe that David is having the same problem that a lot of us experience and that is getting people to be on post in enough time for them to adequately prepare themselves for the upcoming service. Now there may be a few that just have a lackluster interest in serving and that goes back to my post last year of Why Are You Here? Those few need to be dealt with on a one-on-one basis. The issue that I run into is that those that serve on my team also serve in several different areas. If they are a teacher then it is impossible for them to get to their designated post in the time that we ask for people to be there.

What is the answer? I believe that part of the answer is to pray for workers as I alluded to in Reflections On Service. Like I said before they may be a few that you need to have a one-on-one talk with about their service. It may be that your church needs to take a look at how service times are structured altogether.

I’m really just thinking out loud here in this post so feel free to chime in on the comments section and/or at David’s post if you have some wisdom to impart.

Product News

2007-01-16T09:50:00.000-05:00

Aviom Now Shipping Pro64 Series of Audio Networking Products

Aviom is now shipping its Pro64 Series of audio networking products for corporate AV, broadcast, education and more. Pro64 products are designed to deliver the flexibility of a digital network combined with the audio performance and simplicity of analog. They promise to deliver low-latency audio via Aviom's A-Net audio transport protocol.
Click here to read the rest of the announcement

Cubase 4 Photo Gallery

Click here are some screen shots of the new Cubase Pro 4.

What To Do With Cassettes?

2007-01-10T09:25:00.000-05:00

This certainly caught my attention. Recently I was cleaning out my office and found case after case of cassette tapes in a closet. I was thinking of what I was going to do with all of these cassette tapes. It would take years and some bucks to replace all of these with CDs or to download. Today I find the answer. Thank you Greg Atkinson of Church Video Ideas for making this known to your readers. What I’m talking about is the Plusdeck 2c. Plusdeck2 is a fully functional cassette deck for your computer.
Greg has the review from Jeremy Dunn of WorshipMusic.com on his site.

I have some great content for training on cassette from guys like Bill Thrasher and Ron Lambros that could now be converted into a more accessable format for my team. I think I will have to buy one. I see that WorshipMusic.com has the item available for online ordering.

Fired Up!

2007-01-09T12:28:00.000-05:00

Perry Noble wrote a post on his blog last year titled Creating An Experience in which I linked to from this blog because I think he hit the nail on the head about church services.

Obviously he has also caught a lot of flack from that post because he expounds on that post with some bold statements in which I believe he is also correct. One thing that really caught my eye was when he stated that, “Once again (I said this in my first post) THIS TAKES EFFORT!!! It takes prayer, planning and preparation…and either you will do it or you won’t. It really is that simple.” Wow, that sounds familiar. I have been saying that for a while now. Starting with this post. It absolutely takes effort. I have a problem with people that do not want to put forth an effort to serve our Lord and Savior because of whatever their selfish reasons are. You either want to do your very best to offer something pleasing to God or you are taking up space. Nothing fires me up more than to have someone poorly plan and prepare a service or special event that is intended to be worshipful and then expect us to perform what they envision with no practice or even prior knowledge of what was going on in their head. I must say I don’t think much prayer probably went up either.

OK this is kind of getting away from what Perry is talking about in his post so please take time to read his post I’m a Little Fired Up!!!

New from Neutrik

2007-01-04T08:11:00.000-05:00

Here is something interesting for all of us that have burned our fingers with a soldering iron.

Neutrik Crimp-XLR Series
Neutrik introduces the Crimp-XLR cable connector and chassis receptacle products at Winter NAMM 2007 in Anaheim, Calif.
Click here to read the rest of the article.

Cultivating Gifts

2006-12-31T19:38:00.000-05:00

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

2006-12-31T19:33:00.000-05:00

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!

We Are the Reason for the Season

2006-12-23T11:48:00.000-05:00

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

2006-12-23T11:19:00.000-05:00

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!

Reflections on Service

2006-12-20T15:02:00.000-05:00

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.

Giving Thought to Planning

2006-11-30T11:22:00.000-05:00

Ah…’Tis the season for giving. So far I have been given a pounding headache and a bad attitude. It stems mostly from the “YOUR poor planning becomes MY problem” department. Everyone has some kind of Christmas production they want to present. Some put a lot of hard work in planning and preparation and even let me in on it to practice with them. Others do not plan, prepare, practice or let anyone know what they are thinking until it is too late to present a program with excellence. Everything we do is for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When are Christians going to realize that? I have come across some excellent posts on other blogs that I want to share that speak to hard work, planning, practice and excellence.

Practice Makes Better
By Tony Morgan
I read a fascinating quote from K. Anders Ericsson, a professor of psychology at Florida State University, in the November issue of Fast Company. He was talking about the importance of practice.
"Successful people spontaneously do things differently from those individuals who stagnate. They have different practice histories. Elite performers engage in what we call "deliberate practice"--an effortful activity designed to improve individual target performance. There has to be some way they're innovating in the way they do things."
Click here to read the rest of this post

Do It Right The First Time
By Jim Walton, Church Tech Matters

Creating An Experience
By Perry Noble
From time to time we will have a pastor/church leader call NewSpring & want to know what in the world we are doing to reach so many people.
I have had this conversation with many people…and I have seen many walk away from that conversation either discouraged or disappointed because I could not give them a magic formula or a program.
The bottom line is that if a church wants to impact a community–IT TAKES WORK.
For far too long the church has been lazy…that’s right…LAZY. We have sat back on our butt and done nothing, asking God to “do it all” and claiming to be “led by the Spirit.” And then people walk into our boring, lifeless and predictable services and we give “God all the glory” (or the blame!)
Click here to read the rest of this post

Thankful in all Circumstances

2006-11-27T07:43:00.000-05:00

On Friday I was still being thankful as I shared with our media ministry team that although we are always thankful for the good things such as family, health, job etc. we should also be thankful for the adversity and challenges that God puts into our lives. I used 1 Thessalonians 5:18 as a key verse which states;

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT

God says in all circumstances. Because we believe that God is working in all things we can know from His word that He is working in all circumstances for our good.

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28 NLT

Unfortunately by Saturday afternoon I was not so thankful anymore. If you have noticed my blogging has almost come to a standstill. My responsibilities have increased greatly to the point that my days are filled to capacity. That doesn't leave much time for blogging and seems to be common theme among many bloggers here lately. After a while the work load takes a toll when there are so many irons in the fire you don’t know which one to grab first so you end up just reacting. Unfortunately our lack of planning and almost non-existent communications once again was evident this weekend. For some reason I took it personal this time. I know it is not because I know everyone else is way too busy as well. I was disappointed in some people but by Sunday night I realized that I had also disappointed others. Because of my busyness I had failed to follow through on some things I had said I would take care of.

I’m thankful once again for that adversity to show me where I need to improve and areas that we need to address in media ministry and our worship services and productions as a whole.

What really cemented my realization of this weekend’s problems is when God led me to Ecclesiastes 2 this morning.

18 I came to hate all my hard work here on earth, for I must leave to others everything I have earned. 19 And who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? Yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work under the sun. How meaningless! 20 So I gave up in despair, questioning the value of all my hard work in this world.
21 Some people work wisely with knowledge and skill, then must leave the fruit of their efforts to someone who hasn’t worked for it. This, too, is meaningless, a great tragedy. 22 So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety? 23 Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless.
24 So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him? 26 God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please him. This, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

It is not about me or my work. I need to take satisfaction in that what I do, I do for my Lord. He is the source of happiness and joy. He is the reason we are doing all that we do. Media ministry is for God and God alone. I hate that I lost sight of that but very thankful that I worship a God that lets me know when I go astray. I'm thankful for this circumstance and that God is still working it for good.

HOW To Sound Workshop Looking For Host Sites

2006-11-15T12:18:00.000-05:00

I wanted to forward this message that I received recently. This is a workshop that I can personally vouch for. The workshop is led by Mike Sokol who is as outstanding a recording engineer as you will find. He teaches gain structure a little differently than I do but the entire workshop is rock solid information and very valuable training for anybody who wants to know about sound. Whether you are a beginner or more advanced you will get something out of How To Sound Workshop from Fits and Starts Production. I'm definitely looking forward to someone to sign up as a host in my back yard of Charlotte, NC. Please read the following:

Dear Church Sound Leaders,
We're currently booking our 2007 tour of the HOW-TO SOUND WORKSHOPS and looking for new host sites for January through April 2007 in the eastern United States. Please join us in this important ministry by becoming a host site.

We're looking for host sites in or near the following cities during the months of January through April 2007. For course content and other information, please visit www.howtosound.com.

PA: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia
MD: Annapolis-Bowie-Crofton-Odenton
DC & VA: Alexandria-Arlington-Suitland-Annandale, Richmond
KY: Louisville, La Follette, Knoxville, Chattanooga
NC: Charlotte, Wilmington
SC: Charleston
AL: Huntsville, Birmingham, Montgomery
GA: Atlanta, Savannah, Macon
FL: Tallahassee, Bradenton-Sarasota, Fort Myers-Cape Coral, Naples, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami
WV: Morgantown

Hosting a workshop is a great way to show your members you care. We make it enjoyable for you and your staff. Please call or e-mail me with any questions.

Sincerely,
Hector La Torre
Fits & Starts Productions, LLC

email: hector@fitsandstarts.com
voice: 732-741-1275

Christian Music Debate

2006-10-26T06:38:00.000-05:00

We have had the debate before on this blog about Christian vs. secular when it comes to the arts. World Views has a post but the best thing is the debate going on the comment section. Go ahead! Dive in! Christian music vs. music by Christians

Thoughts on Ministry

2006-10-23T08:02:00.000-05:00

Today there was another excellent post from Perry Noble. I promise that one of these days I will quit regurgitating Perry’s post and come up with something original. Really! It seems that Perry Noble and I are dealing with the same issues right now.

Perry is speaking of his staff this morning and his first point is that they have a “whatever, whenever” attitude. They will do what they have to do to get the job done. I have to admit that many times I’m not that person but usually that is because someone has been lacking on point #2 of Perry’s post. Point #2 states that to Perry’s staff excellence is a consuming passion. They are not content with half way doing ministry. Unfortunately many times my attitude is adversely affected by someone’s laziness and lack of planning. It is as simple as that. I am absolutely thrilled that people want to reach people for Christ but wanting and doing are two different things. We are accumulating ministries faster than flies at a dinner on the grounds but are we doing these ministries with excellence. Are we giving the effort that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ expects and deserves from us in these ministries? I’m all for reaching out to our community to show Christ and tell of His love for them. Jesus also had this same compassion for the people around Him and He also knew that there would be few to go out reach these people. We must first plan and ask for workers before we can go into the harvest field. Read Matthew 9:35-38 and then also read Perry’s post Some Thoughts on Staffing.

God is at work in Charlotte too!

2006-10-11T07:30:00.000-05:00

It seems that God is at work in the region and not just upstate South Carolina.  Thanks to Tony Morgan for reminding me of another church much closer to me than Newspring who is also getting it done in their back yard.  That church is Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC

Seven families decided to pack up and move to Charlotte and plant a church.  They started back in February with 98 people.  This past weekend they had attendance of 735.  That is phenomenal growth.  Here is another example of a church who is investing in the people around them to reach them for Christ.

The need is great in Charlotte.  I have worked in this city for ten years and I have witnessed as this city’s population has increased to nearly a million people the need for Christ has also risen.  I rejoice with Elevation Church and hope to visit them soon.

Excellence

2006-10-11T06:16:00.000-05:00

“Excellence honors God”. That is a quote from Mark Batterson yesterday on his blog. I believe that it is absolutely true. It is a necessity when it comes to media and technology. People know excellence in media because they see and hear it everyday. When it doesn’t look right or sound right then people are turned off.
When we strive for excellence we are showing God that we want to do the very best with what He has given us. It also shows others that God deserves our very best. I’m disappointed in people that do not want to put forth an effort worthy of service to God. God wants our best because He wants what is best for us.

Check out Mark’s post, Eye for Excellence

God is at Work in SC!

2006-10-07T09:39:00.000-05:00

Well, once again I write whereas I have not written in a while.  Federal initiatives are still taking up my blogging time.  Not only am I behind in writing but also in reading the many blogs that I enjoy reading.  One of those blogs is the blog of Perry Noble.

Perry is the pastor of Newspring Church in Anderson, SC.  Not too far from my own church.  I was overwhelmed with emotion as I read his account of their service back on September 24th.  That is what it is all about.  I must say that God is working in the upstate of South Carolina.  We have also seen a great influx of people attending our services.  Nothing like Newspring though.  I don’t think 8,000 people would fit in our church, all of it.

It has been awesome to see standing room only at one of our services for the last month or so.  We have people sitting where ever than can find a place to sit down.  We have had people come and take a chair in the tech area so they would have a place to sit.  God is working in people’s lives in the upstate of South Carolina.

As I have been reading Perry’s blog for the past year or so I have learned a great deal about him and Newspring.  Perry has a passion for reaching the lost for Christ right there in his back yard.  I have learned that Newspring goes to great lengths to plan and prepare.  I know that the entire leadership, staff and creative teams are of one accord and on the same page when it comes to their services.  They all strive for excellence not for anyone but for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  For all of this they are seeing the fruit of their labor now.  What a blessing!

Newspring is only about 6 years old I believe.  They are very innovative but it is not a show.  The gospel and the scripture is not watered down at Newspring but is presented in more of a straightforward way than most churches have ever presented.  They don’t worry about offending anyone but Jesus Christ Himself.  What is your 20, 50, 100 year old church doing to reach people for Christ and to make them disciples?  Are you still doing the things that were being done 20, 50, 100 years ago?

People are hurting.  They are searching for answers to the problems that plague their lives.  They are all around us.  We know the source of the answers to their problems.  Are we doing everything with the abilities, gifts and resources that God has given us to show them that source?  I pray that we will if we are not doing so already.  Newspring is a great example.  Check out these posts from Perry Noble:

Words Can’t Come Close

A Fresh Perspective

Posts on Planning

2006-08-31T07:53:00.000-05:00

I can’t believe that this is the last day of August and I have not been able to write a word all month.  My day job involves tower sites and they have been most susceptible to lightening strikes this month.  I’ve been very busy with equipment failures and therefore falling behind on major projects that were also due this month.  Of course I still have all the church responsibilities as well.  All of that equals no writing for the blog.  I pray that the storms will pass soon both literally and figuratively.

In the past month there has been some excellent writing on other blogs that I would like to share with you if you haven’t read these already.  You know my passion for planning and preparation so these are in that mindset.  Enjoy!

Agile Ministry has had an excellent series of posts on growing your ministry.  Check these out.

Growing Your Ministry

Growing Your Ministry Through…Purpose

Growing Your Ministry Through…Structure

Growing Your Ministry Through…Process

Growing Your Ministry Through…Interviewing

Growing Your Ministry Through…Procedures

Anthony Coppedge has written a couple of posts that have struck a nerve both good and bad.  Check these out.

Big and Little Church Excuses

"Help! I Can't Plan My Sermons in Advance!!"

Perry Noble hit a home run, scored a touchdown, kicked a game winning goal and other various sports analogy clichés with his post on planning yesterday.  Check out this post.

Have A Plan!!!

I hope to be back to writing soon!

Back to Basics: Media Ministry - Why Are You Here?

2006-07-28T19:12:00.000-05:00

Why are you involved in media or technology ministry?  Here are some possible answers:

“I like working with _____ (chose one or more: sound/video/web sites/computers).”

“The pastor said we need to serve so I had to pick something.”

“I work on computers for a living so I’m helping out the church.”

If any of these are your reasoning for being involved in media ministry then you need to get out of it right now!  If you are looking at being involved at church just like any other activity such as sports, clubs or volunteer organizations then you are there for the wrong reason. The correct answer should be something like this:

“I want to serve my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and His church with the gifts and talents that He has granted me to the best of the ability He has given me.”

Media ministry, as with all ministries, is not about us or our abilities.  It is all about serving Jesus Christ and serving others.  By showing up to operate sound or video equipment or designing a web site or making publications you are not doing the pastor, or technical director, or worship leader or the congregation any favors.  If you come in with that kind of mindset then it becomes about you.  It becomes an issue of selfish ambition and pride.  Trust me it is easy to get caught up in being selfish and prideful.

In the mindset of serving God and serving others I believe there is nothing wrong with being pleased with our accomplishments.  If we are doing a great job mixing a service or produced a video that touches people or designed a web site that brought people to the doors of our church then we can be proud of that because we did it as a representative of Jesus Christ.  The Apostle Paul told the church at Galatia “Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else,”. (Galatians 6:4)  When we measure ourselves up against someone else then we are serving with a wrong motive.  Should we strive to do our very best?  Absolutely!  God deserves nothing less but our best may not be someone else’s best.  To paraphrase 1 Samuel 16:7 man looks at what we do outwardly but God knows our heart.

I believe that you should also see your service as an offering to God.  Our offerings should be unblemished and without defect.  Does that mean perfect?  No, there was only one perfect offering and that was Jesus Christ.  We should make every effort to make sure that our offering is the best we have.  We covered how in the last post.
We also went into more detail about our offering and how it correlates to worship in a previous post in May titled “It’s Really About Worship”  Please take a moment to read that post.

God is THE Creator.  He is very creative but He is also very detailed and structured.  You need both in media ministry.  You have to have creative people and you need structured people and you need unity between the two and on occasion you will have someone that is both.  Bonus!  They will have various talents and personalities.  Those various talents and personalities unified to accomplish a common goal is what makes up a team.  On a personal level, as a director, God has entrusted me with discipleship of the team.  He has given me a stewardship responsibility over media and technology at our church.  He has entrusted me with a vision on how to proceed using the tool of media and technology to serve Him, serve others and further His Kingdom.  I don’t do this on my own.  I need each and every member of the media ministry team.  I prompt discipleship but ultimately they are responsible for their spiritual growth.  I work toward solutions with equipment by listening to the needs of others and by what the team tells me.  I work toward the prize of pleasing my Lord by using media and technology to do the very thing that He has called me to do.  The verses around Galatians 6:4 that I quoted earlier speak to teamwork.

Galatians 6:1-5 (NIV) 1Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, 5for each one should carry his own load.

Your team should all be helping each other with spiritual growth and with meeting the needs of each other as well as the staff and the entire body of Christ. Your team should understand how to proceed with the tools given them to help facilitate serving Him, serving others and furthering His Kingdom.  Your team should be striving for excellence in their service or offering.  Every team member should be responsible to take care of whatever task has been given to them therefore carrying there own load.  It is a team effort!  Everyone must do their part otherwise the burden is much heavier for someone else and will eventually get to the point that they collapse under the weight and then you have lost a team member.  It is the responsibility of tech directors and team leaders to make sure that the weight stays evenly distributed even if that means restructuring your team or making unpopular decisions.

We adopted a Media Ministry Team mission statement a year ago which I will not repeat here because we have changed it some to better represent our mission.

The goal of the Media Ministry team is to provide services worthy of the worship of Jesus Christ.  We will accomplish this goal by utilizing prayer, planning, preparation and practice while keeping our priorities of God, family and church in order.  We will seek how to best serve every ministry with media and technology to help facilitate bringing people to know Jesus, helping people to grow in Jesus and sending people to show Jesus.

That is why you are here.

Back to Basics: Media Ministry - How?

2006-07-23T13:47:00.000-05:00

How do we do media ministry?

The short answer is very intentionally.  Media is not a tool that can just be thrown together and expected to be effective.  Unfortunately in many churches that is exactly what is happening.  The results are mixed.  In the area of audio, video and lighting sometimes you pull it off and sometimes you don’t.  If you pull it off then maybe someone was affected and their heart and mind was opened to what God had for them but your tech team is stressed to the point of breaking and completely missed the message of what the media was being used for.  If you don’t pull it off then nobody was affected and you probably lost someone for the entire service and in extreme cases maybe forever.

I don’t mean to be overly dramatic here so let me clarify.  How many of you have family members and friends that don’t know Christ?  I have a bunch.  It is like trying to push an elephant out of the way with a feather to get them to step foot in a church.  So say you finally do get them to come to church and the sound is bad, video is out of sync and a light bulb falls and hits someone in the head.  Ok, so the last one is out of our control and yes, that did happen.  What I’m trying to say here is that every Sunday we may have only that one chance to reach a particular person for Christ.  And we are not ready…

So how do we get ready?  Let’s take a trip shall we?

First and foremost is PRAYER.  We should start everything by going before the throne of God and seeking His will.  We need to ask God where we are going and let Him provide us with a map.  We should be praying for God’s guidance in how to specifically implement media into every ministry of our churches.  We should be praying for guidance into what media to implement for elements of our worship services.  We should be praying for our team members and the staff in the area of spiritual growth.  We should be praying for our team members and everyone else who will be performing their duties during a worship service.  I also say a special prayer for media use in funerals and weddings because I know there will be people in the audience that this really is the only time they come into a church.  Prayer is our first step of communication.

Colossians 4:2 (NLT) 2Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.

Next thing we have to do to get ready is PLANNING.  God has given us a map so now we need to start plotting our course.  Like I said before, using media should be very intentional.  The decision to use media at all and what specific forms of media to use should come out of the planning for outreach, worship services and other special events.  Everyone needs to be communicating what God has laid on their heart concerning a certain event, sermon series, ministry etc.  If God is in it then we should all be on the same page of the map and carrying out a plan instead of everyone doing their own thing.  It makes it so much easier when everyone is using the same map to get somewhere.  If I know before hand what the heart of the worship leader is on a theme then I can create an atmosphere with sound, lighting and video to help convey that to the congregation.
Now the pastor also needs to be of the same thinking.  We need to all be going the same place if you know what I mean.  If the pastor is preaching on a topic and the worship leader is leading us in songs the complete opposite of the topic then it makes it very difficult to use media consistently especially if you had no input and are making a cursory attempt to implement.  Everyone feels like they are on roller coaster ride.
Good planning will also lead to less stress and exasperation of your team by them not having to react to everything on the fly every Sunday.  Some people are fine with adapting to a whim but most technical people are not.  The remedy to all of this is effective communication and planning.

Proverbs 3:21 - 23 (NLT) 21My child, don’t lose sight of good planning and insight. Hang on to them, 22for they fill you with life and bring you honor and respect. 23They keep you safe on your way and keep your feet from stumbling.

Proverbs 21:5 (NLT) 5Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.

PREPARATION is the next thing that needs to happen to get ready.  After you have prayed for God’s guidance and have plotted the course then it is time to prepare for the trip.  Prayer and planning should also be part of your preparation.  If you have planned and now know what the destination everyone is heading toward then it is most certainly easier to set lighting and choose what graphics, fonts and video you need to use.  In your preparation think of how this graphic or motion or video will be perceived and does it really fit into getting people to the destination.  Get others in your family or your friends to look at things and see what they think.  Continue the effective communication by running everything through those that were involved in planning to make sure you are staying true to what was planned.
Also with preparation comes the administrative part.  You need to keep in communication with your team who will be implementing the media by operating equipment.  They need to know what the plan is as well.  If we all plan a trip and have a bus (media) to take us there, then we better let the bus driver know where we want to go or we will never get there.  Our audio, video and lighting operators need to understand what we want to accomplish in a worship service and help us get there.  There needs to be easy to follow instructions or script for the service, also called cue sheets, for your team to use.  Tech team members need to make sure that they completely understand every element and if they don’t they need to ask.  I use a weekly e-mail to inform or remind the team what is coming up that Sunday and I also attach the service script for them to look at and start their own preparation.  Another way to accomplish this communication and also planning is through online collaboration which can be much more interactive but everyone has to take the responsibility to check in.
I ask the members of my team who will be operating gear at a worship service to be on position a half hour before a service starts and an hour before special events.  Those times are becoming increasingly not enough.  In that time they need to first prepare their hearts for worship.  Take time to pray with the team before every service.  Then they can start visualizing what they are going to do for each element by looking through the service script which they should have reviewed earlier in the week.  They should also use this time for final testing of CDs, DVDs, videos, and performing a final sound check.
Preparation is key in using media in ministry to creating an atmosphere conducive to worship and removing distraction.  Not everyone prepares in the same matter but our preparation should be beneficial in helping us to arrive at the destination.

Joshua 7:13 (NLT) 13“Get up! Command the people to purify themselves in preparation for tomorrow. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Hidden among you, O Israel, are things set apart for the LORD. You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things.

Next is PRACTICE.  Going back to the trip analogy, we all now know where we are going and how we are going to get there so now we need to check the bus to make sure it is in good working condition so that we do not break down on our journey. This is an area that is seriously lacking in many churches.  Once you have prayed, planned and prepared you absolutely need to practice.  If you create a slide show or video on your computer and then wait until you are in the worship service to see what it looks like on the big screen you may be in for an unpleasant surprise.  Then it is too late to change anything and people in the congregation are adversely affected by what we have presented. Recorded media can all be very different.  If the first time you hear a CD accompaniment is during the worship service and it starts out too loud or too low then you have caused a distraction and have possibly thrown off a choir or vocalist.  You need to take the time to know how your media elements look and sound before it is presented to a congregation.  I am a firm believer in tech rehearsals and sound checks.  I want to know that everything works and how it going to look and sound before I present it as an offering for my Lord because that is what it is.  More to come on that in another post.  Practice needs planning and preparation as well as communication and cooperation to be effective.  It is very difficult to practice when you have not prepared and/or don’t have the cooperation of others.  Good planning and communication will go a long way in making practice a reality.

1 Corinthians 9:25 (NLT) 25All athletes practice strict self-control. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.

As with everything and not just media ministry you must remember your PRIORITIES.  Your personal relationship with God comes first.  Personal time in prayer, reading God’s Word and studying should come before everything.  Next is your family.  Your family comes before church or ministry.  I believe that with all my heart but I don’t always put it into practice.  I believe more time with family would come about when there is a team effort in planning, preparation and practice.  The more we can all rely on others to get things done because we are all using the same map and going to the same place then we can enjoy the trip and rejoice together in arriving at the destination.

Philippians 3:8 - 9 (NLT) 8Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ 9and become one with him. I no longer count on my own goodness or my ability to obey God’s law, but I trust Christ to save me. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.

With PRAYER, PLANNING, PREPARATION, PRACTICE all in the context of our PRIORITIES we can be used of God to accomplish His will in people’s lives.  We offer our gifts and talents for His use and glory and with that we should be very intentional.

Back to Basics: Media Ministry - When & Where

2006-07-17T18:28:00.000-05:00

When to use media?

As I stated in my last post media encompasses a whole host of things that that can be used to convey the message that we are sharing.  When to use that media is almost becoming a non-debatable issue.  With each generation the learning style is changing.  My grandparents, parents and I to a degree had to be auditory learners.  That means that we had to listen to hours upon hours of lecturing in school and preaching in our churches.  The only visual stimulation was reading text in a, what do you know, text book.  No wonder I didn’t like school.

I was on the cusp of innovation when I was going through school so there was some visual and tactile learning but not much and definitely not to the degree we have today.  There was not a personal computer in every home.  The closest thing was a remote control with like, 6 buttons.  I had no experience with a personal computer until I was an adult.  Now kids could not complete their homework without a personal computer with internet access.  Today we have amazing acoustic advances in stereo and surround sound processing in our homes.  When I was growing up I think the most significant advance was quadraphonic sound.  If you remember that then move closer to the screen so that you can read this.  We have went from 8-track to now I travel with my music on a SD memory card.  We now have a lot of interaction and more and more our entertainment is becoming “on demand”.  I bring all of this up to demonstrate how much has changed in a relatively short period of time.  Technological advances are replicating at an ever increasing rate.  Our kids are now visual learners.  We ourselves have become accustomed to great sound and video in our consumer gear.  We are becoming conditioned to being able to interact and get the information we want in an instant.

Like it or not we as the body of Christ are competing for people’s attention.  We have to be able grab people’s attention and hold it.  If we are trying to reach people with the only hope of life which is through Jesus Christ and we are to make disciples of them then we need to be able to reach them and teach them using a tool that they can relate to and that is the various forms of media.  So when to use media is pretty much every time the doors are open.

When not to use media?

You know all of that quality in audio and video I was talking about that we have all come to take for granted?  When you step into a church and it is like stepping back in time and the quality is awful then you need to address your media use.  If you can’t use video with the utmost quality and to the best of your ability then just don’t use it.  If the sound is horrible then make every effort to make it right.  If your church website is outdated and not interactive then it would be better if you didn’t have a website at all.

Colossians 3:17 (NLT) 17And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father.

I state this verse once again because we are representatives of Jesus Christ.  I don’t want someone who is searching to think that my Jesus doesn’t rate quality.  I don’t want them to think that my Jesus is outdated.  I don’t want them to think that my Jesus is not interactive.  You get my point?  It is all about representing Jesus Christ!

Other instances when you will probably not use media are in your personal relationships.  One of the best ways for those that don’t know Christ is to see it lived out in your life.  In those relationships, opportunities arise where you can share why you are as you are.  This is not usually a good time to whip out your laptop and projector and go through the FAITH power point presentation.  Now you may be able to use media such as the Passion of the Christ and the Jesus film to help share the gospel and foster further discussion.  Like Jesus, use what you can.

Where do we use media?

Well, naturally we use media in our worship services.  We can also have a web presence.  Some things you might not think of are banners outside your church or posters inside that promote a sermon series or discipleship classes.  Another use is a good portable sound system that can be used for outreach events.  Video cameras on mission trips for reports back to the home church are great.  Mobile A/V carts with television and DVD player to go with the shut-in ministry to enjoy a worship service with them is another good one.  There are many, many more I’m sure you could also come up with.

When and where to use media are ever increasing but should always be at the discretion of the Holy Spirit.  But whenever and wherever you use media you need to strive for excellence because we are representing Jesus Christ.  I can’t stress that enough.

Back to Basics: Media Ministry - What & Why

2006-07-14T22:47:00.000-05:00

This is Part 1 in a series of articles in getting back to the basics of Media Ministry.

What is Media Ministry?

Let us take a look at exactly what is “media”. Media is the derived plural from the word medium which I know conjures up negative connotations but when you look at the definition of the word medium it gives a different view.

An intervening substance through which something else is transmitted or carried on.

An agency by which something is accomplished, conveyed or transferred.

A means of mass communications.

We use different forms of media as an intervening substance to transmit or carry the message of Jesus Christ. Our audio and video systems convey or transfer what the Lord has laid on the heart of the Worship Leader to the congregation. We use media to communicate to as many as we possibly can at any one time.

We use media such as our website and our A/V systems to bring people to know Jesus. We use printed publications, DVDs and projectors to help aid in discipleship classes to help people to grow in Jesus.
We use portable sound systems and show videos of the mission field to facilitate sending people to show Jesus.

Some examples of media are:

Audio/Sound

Video (backgrounds, presentation, produced, own films)

Lighting

Web site

Publications (newsletters, bulletins, inserts, posters)

Recorded media (CD, DVD, MP3, MPEG)

Special effects (fog, snow, aroma machines)

Why should we use media?

Our primary use of course is to bring glory to God and to be a representative of Him in all that we do first and foremost.

Colossians 3:17 (NLT) 17And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Our church has a mission statement that states:

Bringing People to Know Jesus
     Helping People to Grow in Jesus
          Sending People to Show Jesus

That mission statement sums up our evangelism, discipleship and missions emphasis.  Are we using media to accomplish that mission statement?  We should be.

We know from the teachings of Jesus Christ that He used what was relevant and available to Him to create a word picture in the minds of His disciples and others that were following.  In Matthew 13 alone Jesus uses a mustard seed, yeast, wheat and weeds, hidden treasure, pearl merchant and a fishing net to explain the Kingdom of Heaven.

Today we should also be using what is relevant to the culture of today and that is media.  We are a media saturated society and people today are being bombarded with the message of the world.  Media is amoral.  It makes no distinction.  So what is used to convey the message of moral relativism and social depravity can also be used to spread the truth of God’s Holy Word and the awesome gift of life through Jesus Christ.

Media is an invaluable and powerful tool in ministry and should always be used with the mindset of bringing glory to God.  Let’s use we got.  The world and Satan are using it very effectively and it is time we do the same.

Stay Tuned!

2006-07-07T20:32:00.000-05:00

It seems that I can’t find the time to write lately. When I do have a few moments I draw a blank on what to write. I hope to change all of that soon with a series of posts on our philosophy on media ministry and a review of our concert series.
Next week I will be attending Seminars 4 Worship in Charlotte, NC. S4W in the past has been geared towards worship leaders but this year they have added many technology classes. I’m going to check them out and let you know my experience with the new format. The great thing is that one of my favorite song writers, Paul Baloche, will be there and leading worship on Monday night.
If any of you are going to be there then leave a comment or send me an e-mail and we can get together for lunch or something.

Announcements & Articles of Interest

2006-06-19T20:04:00.000-05:00

It seems that since this blog had its one year anniversary that I have had nothing to say. I have a lot to say actually just not much time to put it into this media right now. Increased responsibilities and some life tragedies have kept me away. For now I just want to leave you with some links to some articles and equipment announcements that you may have missed.

Training: Where to Get Help
Many of you indicated that audio education is valuable and the more the better. Shure Notes for Houses of Worship is one educational vehicle to help you in your quest for knowledge and we decided to dedicate this issue to other resources that are available to help you and your team make sound decisions.
READ MORE?

JBL MRX500 Series
JBL's new MRX500 Series comprises five passive sound reinforcement loudspeakers using JBL Professional 400W Differential Drive® transducers (the same as used in its VerTec line array). Featuring a specially engineered, lightweight plywood enclosure design, JBL Professional’s engineers have ensured the MRX500 Series is typically 20 percent to 30 percent lighter than competitive systems. All units despite a kick-resistant 16-gauge heavy-duty grille and a DuraFlex™ finish.
READ MORE?

Now Shipping: QSC PLX2
QSC's PLX2 amplifiers are divided into two product groups offering power outputs of up to 3,600 watts. Adding subwoofer processing and convenient back panel switches to the original PLX platform, the PLX2 "02" lineup (models PLX1802, PLX2502, PLX3102 and PLX3602) are complemented by the compact PLX2 "04" amps (models PLX1104 and PLX1804), which bring the same technology to applications where bridged or 2-ohm operation isn't required.
READ MORE?

QSC Audio Introduces MD Powered Series Loudspeakers
The MD Powered loudspeaker series from QSC Audio offers exceptional performance in a wide variety of applications, including houses of worship, performing arts facilities, hotels, casinos, night clubs, and sporting facilities.
READ MORE?

The MO Guys Introduce New Book
A new book from Jason and Len that explores the questions of how to communicate effectively in an image driven society and reach a world conditioned by television and videogames.
READ MORE?

The Life of a Backline Tech
You might be a musician. Maybe you build instruments. You have a mind for electronics. And you like to travel. Add the lure of the road and the excitement of touring with a band (or working in a hot venue) and you have the makings of a career as a backline tech. A roadie.
READ MORE?

ONE YEAR CELEBRATION!

2006-06-02T20:40:00.000-05:00

Yesterday made one year of existence for the Media Ministry blog.  What a ride!  This has been an amazing experience so far and I look to continue on.  I have met some incredibly gifted and talented people.  I have been opened up to a whole new community that I never knew existed before last year.  God has truly blessed me through this blog.  I have been told a couple of accounts of how this blog has been used by God in an awesome way that gave me chills.  I did not get to witness first hand what has transpired but just knowing that God is using you as an instrument of His will is more than enough.

Thanks to all my loyal readers.  I hope to never disappoint.  I pray to only get better.  I want to strive for excellence in all that I do for the glory of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Of course the first thing you notice is the drastic change in appearance of this site.  I thought the one year anniversary was a good a time as any.  Change is good!

Romans 2:29 (NLT) 29No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not a cutting of the body but a change of heart produced by God’s Spirit. Whoever has that kind of change seeks praise from God, not from people.

Colossians 1:6 (NLT) 6This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is changing lives everywhere, just as it changed yours that very first day you heard and understood the truth about God’s great kindness to sinners.

Thank God for templates though.  Maybe some day this sound guy will learn code but it is not today.  I did do the banner image though so progress for me is hopeful. :>)

I pray that this blog will continue to be used as an instrument of God and that everyone that visits here will find encouragement, inspiration, knowledge or just the peace that you are not alone in going through the trials and tribulations of media and technology ministry.

Looking forward to another great year!

It's Really About Worship

2006-05-20T17:34:00.000-05:00

A recent thread on the Church Sound Check forum has garnered attention from many members on the list.  The thread started with a post titled “Time for a Break” in which one church sound guy stated that he was calling it quits after 19 years at this particular church.  The main reason it seemed was church leadership would not heed his advice on technical matters.  This thread brought forth a hail of similar stories and complete understanding on needing to take a break.

But one post changed all of that.  The post was titled “He Doesn’t Need Us” in which a passionate response was given that God does not need us.  This post went on to assert that it is our own pride that causes problems because we think we are irreplaceable.  That we believe that the church would cease to exist because we don’t show up to turn knobs and push faders.

The post had this to say, “We seem to be operating out of the basic assumption that "serving God" is necessary and desirable. This is usually and easily extended to "God needs my service", which then leads to "the church couldn't make it without my service" - which has to be extended to "God couldn't make it without my service".Really?????Now, let's be truly honest. Let's drop our religious masks and be real. We all would reject the above paragraph - and say that "of course I know God is almighty and that He and His church can survive without me". But, then we go and live as if we truly believe the opposite! We let our families suffer, and rationalize that this is okay because we are truly "needed" (and that God and His church wouldn't be okay without my services). We let our personal life and even our health suffer, and also rationalize that this is necessary and okay - for the same reasons. Most important of all, we let our spiritual life, no - drop that religious jargon and admit that a real trusting and listening relationship with our redeemer and Lord is sacrificed for the sake of the "ministry" and the "serving". Be truly honest - have you ever hid behind a sound desk or a computer screen?

OUCH!   I felt that one.   I believe that he is correct in his analysis for many of us; including me at times.  Jesus was talking to Peter when He told him that He would build His church and that the gates of Hell would not overcome it. (Matthew 16:18)  Who do we think we are that the church in which we are serving would fail because we are not there?  If God is in it then there is nothing that we do that will stop it.  Therefore I agree with this post that God does not need us.

This post goes on to speak about worship.

“Do we really think that you can worship the God of the universe in spirit and truth while mixing or running PP, or otherwise working? Oh, we may experience God in some measure, but you can't be lost in worship and still be doing your job. You just can't! I'm sorry, but I have come to take these two as mutually exclusive,…”

Although I can understand where the writer is coming from I don’t completely agree with this statement.  Many equate worship with singing and music and therefore many worship leaders are music ministers.  I believe that our offering is our worship.  Singing and playing an instrument is an offering to God and is worship.  Performing our best at the mixing console is our offering to God and is worship.  When we have the correct response to a trying situation at work that shows we are offering our life as a living testament to God that is worship.  Casting Crowns has a song titled Lifesong.  The first line goes;

Empty hands held high; Such a small sacrifice.
If not joined with my life; I sing in vain tonight.

Our entire lives should be an offering to God.  In everything we do we should be doing for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  That is true devotion and that is worship.  If we are allowing our technical offering to become just a job or work then we need to examine our own hearts to see if we are there for us or for God.

Galatians 2:20 (NLT) 20I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Colossians 3:17 (NLT) 17And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father.

The premise of the rest of the post is that God does not need our service and that if we believe that God needs us then we are being prideful.  God, absolutely, does not need us but He created us for a purpose.  That purpose is to bring glory to Him.  God yearns for a relationship with us.  He wants us to need Him.  Although it is the better thing to sit at the feet of Jesus and worship like Mary; Jesus did not say Martha was wrong for doing the work but for being upset because Mary did not choose service too.  Likewise I don’t believe that Mary was upset because Martha was serving and not sitting with Jesus.  Whether we are serving or just participating in a corporate worship service we are there for God and God only.  It doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing.  We should be concentrating on bringing glory to God through praise, learning and serving.  I believe that we would be dishonoring God if we do not use the gifts and talents that He has given us for His service.  Once again I’m not saying that God needs our service just that He wants our service.

The writer of the post wrote, "I heard recently that a study revealed that 85% of those that "made a decision for Christ" in today's churches are out of the church (any church) within a year." I believe that we need to reach out to those that receive Christ and get them into service so that they do not fall away. But with that service we must disciple. I believe that is where churches fail. The Great Commission is misinterpreted as "go and make converts" when what Jesus said was "...go and make disciples..." It is a much greater thing to worship at the feet of Jesus but don't completely discount service to the church because as Paul said in Colossians 1:24 - 29 (NLT) 24I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am completing what remains of Christ’s sufferings for his body, the church. 25God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his message in all its fullness to you Gentiles. 26This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to his own holy people. 27For it has pleased God to tell his people that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. For this is the secret: Christ lives in you, and this is your assurance that you will share in his glory. 28So everywhere we go, we tell everyone about Christ. We warn them and teach them with all the wisdom God has given us, for we want to present them to God, perfect£ in their relationship to Christ. 29I work very hard at this, as I depend on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.

I also believe that God does not call us to just serve Him but to also serve others.  We serve in the technical ministry to facilitate worship.  We serve to help others hear and see what the Lord has laid on the heart of the worship leader or the pastor.  Jesus gave us this example,

John 13:12 - 17 (NLT) 12After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? 13You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because it is true. 14And since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. 15I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. 16How true it is that a servant is not greater than the master. Nor are messengers more important than the one who sends them. 17You know these things—now do them! That is the path of blessing.

We were created to serve.

Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) 10For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

We give of ourselves in service because God has given everything for us.

Romans 12:1 (NLT) 1And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?

Our service has meaning.

1 Corinthians 15:58 (NLT) 58So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord’s work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
It really all comes down to worship.  Who are we presenting our offering to?  When we sing are we singing for the Lord?  When we play an instrument are we playing it for the Lord?  When we operate sound and video equipment are we doing that for the Lord?

I thank the writer for his passionate plea and for bringing to light areas in my life that I need to work on.  I pray that in all that we do we do with a heart to bring glory to God.  I pray that we do not let our own selfishness or pride get in the way of our worship or distract anyone else from worship.  Let us worship God with our praise, our service, with our lives.

Examples of Good Customer Service

2006-05-15T20:19:00.000-05:00

I wrote recently about bad customer service (What Happened to Good Customer Service?). I wanted to recognize a couple of positive experiences as well.

I’m member of the Church Sound Check discussion group which I believe is the best forum for media ministry any where. If you are involved in media ministry then you need to be a member of this group. In this group is some of the most knowledgeable and wise people from churches, manufacturers, consulting firms, distributors etc. that you will find. One member of this group really stands out on a consistent basis. His name is Carey and he is design engineer for Allen & Heath. What distinguishes Carey from most is that he is about helping others regardless of whether you own an Allen & Heath mixing console or some other manufacturer’s mixer. He is a wealth of knowledge about audio and will share his knowledge with anyone. That is great customer service when you may not even be a customer. I would actually call that Kingdom minded. I applaud you Carey!

I next recognize the company Audio Ethics. We recently held a community wide evangelistic event at a local stadium. This event was the effort of 20 churches combined out of the local ministerial association. Unfortunately the knowledge of producing an event of this magnitude was lacking. I found out late in the planning what was proposed for audio and lighting and when I did my heart sank. I had to do something. I went into scramble mode and started taking bids from the limited knowledge I had of the event. The funding was not adequate to acquire the services of most production companies. In fact some would not even return my calls after I told them what we had for budget. Gordon Snyder in Production Services at Audio Ethics understood exactly what I was going through and worked with me to get the very best audio, lighting and stage for the money that was budgeted. We were able to procure a portable stage with more than adequate lighting and an awesome sound system for this event so that we could reach out to the community and share the gospel with excellence. Audio Ethics had the same understanding that the people we were trying to reach do not know Christ and do not go to church but they do recognize if you are putting forth a good production.

The “road crew” from Audio Ethics are very knowledgeable and hard working. Maybe the only fault I could see was that these guys were obviously tired from being stretched thin by working all day with various responsibilities and then working nights and weekends on these types of events and concerts. They knew every piece of equipment from top to bottom. Sam Trexler was the lead and not only did an excellent job of directing complete set up and tear down but produced some great mixes for the various praise bands, ensembles and the mass choir.

Audio Ethics did not skimp whatsoever on the sound system. For example they used QSC amps, D & B Audiotechnik array, subs and box speakers and to top everything off was the Yamaha MC7L digital audio mixing console. I was absolutely thrilled when I started to see what was being unpacked.

I extend a great big thank you to Audio Ethics for their example of excellence and good customer service.

Nothing But The Truth

2006-05-01T21:49:00.000-05:00

I actually was able to visit a church this past Sunday. I can’t remember the last time I visited another church. I was afraid that I would be analyzing the place as to what was needed for audio, video and lighting and be completely distracted from being involved in the worship service. I did analyze the sanctuary at Elkin Valley Baptist Church in Elkin, NC but I was not distracted. The service was traditional and I was making mental notes of what was needed in media during each element including the sermon. Although I was doing that I was still able to enjoy the service and hear a great sermon from Pastor Johnny Blevins. I hear expository preaching just about every Sunday but it has been a while since I heard an exposition on just one verse. That one verse was Ephesians 4:25

Ephesians 4:25 (ESV) 25Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

Pastor Blevins sermon was titled “Nothing but the Truth”. The three major points that Pastor Blevins shared with us were:

Lying is incompatible with the Christian life.

Truthfulness is characteristic of the Christian life.

Speaking the truth is essential for the body of Christ.

This sermon was the final straw in something I have been struggling with. I had been asked to give a description of my blog for an upcoming feature and I realized that I had started this blog as a place to rant and vent. That is why I used a screen name or an alias as it was. I was hiding behind that instead of being completely truthful. Of course the reason for blogging had changed really quickly from being negative to how I could help others and learn from the wealth of knowledge and wisdom in the blogosphere.

Therefore all pretenses are gone from this blog. No more not being totally honest with those that read this blog. The description of the blog has changed as well as my profile. I want to be completely truthful in all things as should be a characteristic of someone that loves the Lord and wants to serve Him with all I have.

I’m so grateful for the urgings of the Holy Spirit and Pastor Blevins being used as an instrument to show me how important complete honesty is to God and the body of Christ.

What Happened to Good Customer Service?

2006-04-27T11:16:00.000-05:00

What has happened to good customer service?  Last month Anthony Coppedge posted Service With a Smile on his blog.  It got me to thinking about how I treat people in my day job and how I treat people at my church.  I guess it also made me more aware of how others treat me as a customer.  I have in the last two months been very busy with various companies to make things happen in our church productions.  I must say that overall I’m very disappointed in the customer service of most of these companies.  A couple I will probably never deal with again.  Let me give an example…

I was recently in the market for video distribution and came to the conclusion that video over CAT-5e would be my best option.  About that time I had received the latest catalog from my preferred distributor.  In this catalog they advertised a FSR Twister system and the description said that this kit included transmitter, receiver and hub.  I thought this is perfect.  I called up the company and ordered this kit among a healthy order of consumables.  Now this order is from their latest catalog of specials that I just received and I was told that the kit mentioned above was not in stock.  How could you advertise a special and then not keep it in stock?  Strike One!

I was hoping to have this kit in place for a youth conference that was coming up in a couple of weeks.  I received the rest of my order in 3 days but the FSR kit was on back order.  After a week went by I called and was told that the order was due in the next day and then I would have my kit a few days after that.  That time elapsed and I called back again.  I was told that the order had not come in and that it would probably be another week.  Well, that put me past having the system in for the youth conference.  But did you notice that no one could give me an exact answer.  Strike Two!

The week after the youth conference I finally received my FSR Twister kit minus the hub.  I called up the company and talked to the sales rep that I had ordered from and told him that I received an incomplete order.  He told me that he was not sure what happened and would find out and call me back.  OK I can deal with that.  He didn’t call back!  I called back and he told me that The FSR web site was inconclusive.  I’m thinking, “Call your supplier FSR!”  He said, “I call FSR and see what is up.”  Good call!  Once again he said that he would call me back.  He didn’t call back.  I waited two days and then called back again.  I asked for the same sales rep and I got the impression that he had not called anyone.  He told me that he was going to call FSR right then and put me on hold.  When he came back on the line he told me that FSR said that the hub was not part of the kit.  I told him that you are advertising it as part of the kit and I had ordered it with that intention.  Plus it was not cheap.  He said he would talk to his manager and call me back.  Are you seeing a pattern here?  That’s right…he did not call me back.  I had to call back once again two days later and receive their final answer.  I was told by the same sales rep that they had make a mistake in the catalog and this was his final comment, “You got what you paid for.”
Strike Three!  YOUR OUT!!!

I also receive this company’s e-newsletter and there has not been an explanation or retraction for the catalog error yet.  I also visited FSR web site and their description is misleading on the kit in question.  They continually show pictures of the transmitter, receiver and hub together and you have to really dig to find out that the hub is not part of the kit.  They may want to think about changing that.

OK End of rant!  I’m in the market for a new distributor of professional audio, video and lighting gear.  My former preferred distributor was a one stop shop and I liked it that way.  Who do you use?

I’m not naming the company above because I forgive them.  I was amazed at the touch of the Holy Spirit to keep me calm through the whole ordeal and not ruin my testimony because I really wanted to blast them.

I give the above example to point out that in our dealing with others we need to be completely honest.  We need to have a complete understanding of what service or goods we are offering.  We need to follow through.    This correlates to sharing the gospel.  We need to give people we share the Word with just that…the WORD.  The absolute truth of the scriptures that they are dead in their sins but have the hope of eternal life only through the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection.  We need to know the Word so we can share the gospel at any given opportunity and defend the truth of the Word when needed.  Once someone has accepted Christ our work is not done.  Jesus commanded us to make disciples, not converts.  We need to follow through with those that accept Christ as their Lord and Savior to help them to grow spiritually.

Let me leave you with this passage of what our service to others should look like.

Philippians 2:3 - 8 (RSV) 3Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. 4Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.

Pray for Productions

2006-03-30T13:57:00.000-05:00

Have you noticed the scarcity of posts on media and technology blogs lately? This is the busiest time of the year by far. The lack of posts tells me that my fellow ministers in media and technology are diligent in striving for excellence in all of their productions. Let us remember each other in prayer! During all of this it becomes easy to lose sight of exactly why we are doing this. Take a moment to remember that we are celebrating and sharing with others the events of the death, burial and resurrection of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ!

OK I have to run and pick up a rack of wireless microphone systems I rented…

Check Out Agile Ministry

2006-03-24T10:31:00.000-05:00

I discovered a new blog today that has some really great advice and wisdom associated with media and technology ministry. Check out Agile Ministry.

Danley Sound Labs

2006-03-04T01:01:00.000-05:00

I keep hearing about these amazing loudspeakers from Danley Sound Labs.  I keep reading rave reviews and articles just like this one; Danley Crosses The Bridge.

Also a recent thread on Church Sound Check discussion group revealed a heart for the Lord by this manufacturer and systems integrator partner dB Audio & Video president Mike Hedden.

I can’t wait to hear a set of these speakers to experience for myself what I have been reading about.  Anyone else have any experience with these speakers?

New Tool for Evangelism

2006-03-04T00:39:00.000-05:00

A great, fairly new tool for outreach and evangelism is podcasting. I know there are many churches and pastors that are using podcasting to get their sermons out to whoever may want to download and listen. What an awesome tool to get the message out that God has given you to many, many more people than your congregation. This has also come to be known as Godcasting. Every time I hear that term used I think of when Jesus was hand picking His disciples. He came to Simon Peter and Andrew who were fishermen and had casted their nets many times for fish.

Matthew 4:19 (NLT) 19Jesus called out to them, “Come, be my disciples, and I will show you how to fish for people!”

Another technological tool that can be used to “fish for people” and for discipleship as well.

Check out this article from Sound & Video Contractor
“Godcasts” Hot New Tools of Evangelism

Also check out this series of articles on podcasting from Shure:
Podcasting 101: How to Get Started
Chuck Harris of East Bay Fellowship Church: Learning Curve
Dave Hopkins:Spires and Steeples: Podcasting & Godcasting

Web Ministry Kickoff

2006-03-01T16:15:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday we finally had the kickoff meeting for our new Web Ministry Team for our church website.  The meeting was fairly informal.  We threw around a lot of ideas and vented some frustration on the design, maintaining, and using the previous website.  We all had ideas that we would like to see implemented.  We took some time and looked at several church, ministry and secular websites to determine what we like and do not like.  All and all I think it was an enjoyable time and we now have a clear direction.

We established the goal that first and foremost that our website would be honoring to God and that we would strive for excellence to bring glory to Him.  We also decided that our church website would be a tool for outreach as well as useful to the members.  These are broad goals and will become details in the months to come.

I’m very pleased that we are taking our time to do this ministry right.  I would much rather have no site at all than have a site that is in no way obtaining our goals.  Pray that we keep our objectives in mind on every decision about this website.

Next meeting we will start discussing layout.

Microsoft Abandons PowerPoint

2006-02-16T21:45:00.000-05:00

Recently I have been talking a lot about excellence in the way we present media in the church. It never ceases to amaze me how many people think that PowerPoint is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I almost wish the following article was true. Check out Microsoft Abandons PowerPoint

Examples in Excellence

2006-02-13T22:07:00.000-05:00

I recently wrote in my post “Suffering in Media Ministry” about mediocrity or settling for less in our daily walk with Christ and in our ministries. I wrote about striving for excellence in all that we do for the glory of God. There have been some other good posts concerning the same thing recently in “Dealing with Mistakes” by Anthony Coppedge and “Is EXCELLENCE a dirty word?” by Jeffrey Jones at Soundbooth.org (not to be confused with Soundbooth.com) Check these articles out when you get a chance.

I believe that many times when you start to talk about pursuing excellence then people have the perception that you want perfection. That is just not true. The definition of excellence is the quality of excelling; possessing good qualities in high degree and the definition of excel is to distinguish oneself or to do or be better than; surpass. The definition of perfection is the state of being without a flaw or defect. Well, we all know that we are not perfect. We are not without sin and we are going to make mistakes. What we do when we sin in our daily lives or make mistakes in the ministry determines whether or not we are pursuing excellence. I want to distinguish myself before the Lord. I want to surpass the old life of sin and I want to do better in the ministry in which God has called me to serve.
2 Peter 1:3 - 9 (NLT) 3As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness! 4And by that same mighty power, he has given us all of his rich and wonderful promises. He has promised that you will escape the decadence all around you caused by evil desires and that you will share in his divine nature.
5So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence. A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better. 6Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patient endurance leads to godliness. 7Godliness leads to love for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone. 8The more you grow like this, the more you will become productive and useful in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But those who fail to develop these virtues are blind or, at least, very shortsighted. They have already forgotten that God has cleansed them from their old life of sin.

You can’t say it any better than God’s Word. I believe that as we are given everything to live a godly life that will produce a life of moral excellence we will also be given the power to produce a ministry of excellence. Like I have said before if God has called you to a particular ministry then why would He not give you everything you need to accomplish His will? I wish people would stop putting God in a box. God is able to do exceedingly more than we can think to ask. Let God be the determining factor in your pursuits and not your own limited thinking.

I had the great privilege of witnessing the pursuance of excellence this past weekend in the form of the recording studio. What a pleasure it was to watch a group of men not settle for mediocrity.

My worship pastor, Rusty Fleming, along with Donna Thomas and Marie Broome make up the singing group Surrender that are based out of our church. Last year when they were performing at a gig in the Raleigh, NC area they caught the attention of Winslow Stillman. He liked what he heard and wanted to bring them into the studio.

Winslow Stillman has over 40 years experience in the music business. He is an award-winning music and broadcast producer, having created highly successful syndicated radio shows, including NASCAR Country, and Thunder Road, and the internationally syndicated program, The Road. As a producer in Nashville, Winslow worked in the studio with artists such as Dobie Gray, Kathy Mattea, Pam Tillis, Bela Flek, Burl Ives, and Jimmy Hall. An accomplished songwriter and guitarist in several genres, he has performed with various ensembles and has appeared on national TV as a vocalist.

Winslow along with bass player Gene Barrio and drummer Karl von Gunten continued to impress me with their attention to detail, finesse and their pursuit of excellence. Gene amazed me with his ear for not only his bass part but for everyone else part as well. Karl’s determination to get it right was refreshing but even better was his humble spirit. I really enjoyed talking to Karl over a couple of days. His personality has him at a disadvantage in a room full of prima- donnas. :>)
Winslow’s ability to arrange on the fly, play lead guitar, record and provide overall leadership was a thing to behold. All of them are fine musicians. Did they have the best gear in a state of the art studio with the finest of instruments? No. Did they do the best they could with what they had? Absolutely! Did they make mistakes? Yes. Did they say "that's good enough"? Absolutely not! Let me clarify that what they have to use is better than anything I have ever had permission to touch.

Now, I don’t know where these guys are in their relationship with Jesus Christ but on a praise and worship recording project these guys brought honor to God by their attitudes and by doing the very best that they could possibly do before the Lord. You could consider this a ministry for these guys so what else was really great to see was that family comes before ministry. You have heard me say or saw my writings before in which I have stated that God is first then family and then ministry. These guys practice that very thing. This past weekend a couple of family obligations took precedence over recording and that is the way it should be.

I want to thank these guys for allowing me to hang out with them but most of all to thank them for the examples in excellence.

Wisdom in Ministry Leadership

2006-01-31T21:23:00.000-05:00

There has been some great dialog in the last couple of days concerning the purpose of media in ministry. I pray for direction daily because the hardest part of media ministry is the ministry I believe. The technical side can be child’s play in comparison to the human factor in utilizing media and technology to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. I’ve been searching and I present a couple of gems of wisdom to you.

Tech is merely a tool of ministry. Technicians are ministers, using their craft and gear to minister and that IS what our mindset
should always be. Tech is a means to an end, not the end itself.
As a church tech team leader, I have both paid and volunteer staff. They all are at different stages, of life, ministry, and spiritual growth. I spend a lot of time speaking into them the 'vision' and why we do what we do. I have found that patience is key. I can't change the attitude of my staff, I can lead by example and preach the doctrine of doing all we do with excellence and a servants heart. It is ongoing and something I have to be aware of all the time.
Being a tech in church is very complicated. Things happen, good things and bad things. Staff always looks to leadership for their reaction to both. We, as leaders, are responsible to praise God in the good times and trust him in the bad. We must realize when
things go correctly that God is glorified and when things go bad that the most important thing we can do is to keep a good attitude and resolve the situation with technical excellence and a servants heart.

That excerpt was from a post titled Why and What at Soundbooth.com. Attitude is sometimes very hard to sequester and patience is hard to come by but they are a key to good leadership. This post mentioned “to praise God in the good times and trust him in the bad.” Let me add to thank God in the good and bad times as well.

1 Thessalonians 5:16 - 18 (NLT) 16Always be joyful. 17Keep on praying. 18No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

Because we know that God is in all things. It doesn’t matter if it is good or bad. God is there.

Romans 8:28 (TLB) 28And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans.

Now I’m usually the one that likes to whine first but then I realize that I have to eat the cheese too. I might not like what is happening and I might get frustrated that the same problem keeps popping up and sometimes I get down right angry. When it comes down to it I have been given the responsibility for media ministry at this church. I need to become the “solutionist” or I need to seek out “solutionist” from my team.

Anthony Coppedge had this to say in his post today titled Tech Leadership: “The Right Solutions”;

Become a solutionist and bring comprehensive options to your leadership. It won't get fixed on its own; you need to be the catalyst as a solutionist!

Anthony also had this to say;As you can tell, what I'm describing is nothing more than open, honest communication without pretense. Hearing me say it is one thing: living it out is another!

“Open, honest communication without pretense” is what I have learned is a must with dealing with anger, frustration and other’s personalities. It is a key to resolving conflict, building relationships and getting the job done. Living it out is most certainly difficult.

Thank you very much gentlemen for your posts of wisdom. They have helped me tremendously and hope they do others as well.

Suffering in Media Ministry

2006-01-28T13:28:00.000-05:00

I recently posted links to a series of articles by Anthony Coppedge on dealing with burnout which were excellent. I now want to explore a contributor to burnout and that is unfortunately sometimes your church family or a team member or two. We who have been called to be ministers in media and technology understand the importance of striving for excellence to enable us do things right the first time and we do that with prayer, planning, preparation and practice. Many times we do not understand why everyone else can’t see the importance of those steps or for that matter the importance of the ministry in which you have been called altogether. This can be a real, huge source of frustration and anger.

I’ve been asking myself over the last several weeks why are people content with mediocrity in media and technology when it comes to ministry? Of course immediately Philippians 4:11 popped into my head.

Philippians 4:11 (RSV) 11Not that I complain of want; for I have learned, in whatever state I am, to be content.

I realize that as soon as I complain or make snide comments then I’m not content. This verse though is speaking of our physical needs in which God will provide. What I’m talking about is settling for less. I know many of us as Christians settle to just be saved. We don’t do anything that may require us to take a stand or maybe to suffer for Christ. We want the easy way. Well, Jesus doesn’t want us to settle. He said the way is hard. He wants us to be on fire for Him and His church.

Matthew 7:14 (ESV) 14For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Hebrews 2:2 - 3 (NLT) 2The message God delivered through angels has always proved true, and the people were punished for every violation of the law and every act of disobedience. 3What makes us think that we can escape if we are indifferent to this great salvation that was announced by the Lord Jesus himself? It was passed on£ to us by those who heard him speak, (emphasis mine)

Revelation 3:15 - 19 (NLT) 15“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other! 16But since you are like lukewarm water, I will spit you out of my mouth! 17You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. 18I advise you to buy gold from
me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. And also buy white garments so you will not be shamed by your nakedness. And buy ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. 19I am the one who corrects and disciplines everyone I love. Be diligent and turn from your indifference.

There are many that actually believe that it is good enough to do a little here and a little there for the church. Jesus Christ gave His everything for us and we should strive to give our very best for Him. When it comes to using media in our worship services “good enough” just won’t cut it. "Be diligent and turn from your indifference." If there are resources available in your church to do a much better media presentation than what you have on your computer at home then USE those resources. If there are resources available to improve your outreach into the community through media and technology then USE them. We need to stop being indifferent to the One in which we place our faith and hope in our daily lives and we need to stop being indifferent in how we present the gospel through media to our church family and our community.

Now to those of you that minister through media as your calling, using media and technology is more than an awesome multimedia presentation and cool gear it is about presenting the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Timothy 2:15 (NLT) 15Work hard so God can approve you. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.

We must be diligent to use media just as the worship leader uses music and the pastor uses his sermon to “correctly explain the word of truth”. We facilitate the presenting of the word of truth through our systems. The word media is derived from the word medium which, I know, conjures up negative connotations. So do the words entertainment, performance and production as well but I won’t go into that right now. When you look at the definition of medium it helps explain the tool in which we have been called to use. Same goes for those other words by the way. Medium is defined as:

Something, such as an intermediate course of action, that occupies a position or represents a condition midway between extremes.

An intervening substance through which something else is transmitted or carried on.

An agency by which something is accomplished, conveyed, or transferred.

Our course of action is facilitating a worship service. The intervening substance is our systems and team. We use media (audio, video, lighting, publications, and website) to accomplish sharing the truth of Jesus Christ. We use media to convey the heart of the worship leader to the congregation. We use media to transfer the spoken and written word to the people that need to hear that word. As you can see our calling is not to be taken lightly or with indifference.

I have been suffering lately with illness and in my time away I guess I started into a little self-pity because I was not there at the church to be involved in the ministry that I love so much. Moreover I have been noticing the contentment with mediocrity for quite some time from those that do not understand our ministry and also from some of those that are actually involved in media ministry. I want to challenge you to take a stand for what God has called you to do. Do you really think that God would call you to a ministry if He would not provide you the means to carry out His plan? I want to encourage you that you are not in this alone. I’m going through this right now! The reason I’m writing this post is because God led me right to His Word this morning to encourage me and He will do the same for you. Let me share what the Lord had for me this very day.

Colossians 1:24 - 29 (TLB) 24But part of my work is to suffer for you; and I am glad, for I am helping to finish up the remainder of Christ’s sufferings for his body, the Church. 25God has sent me to help his Church and to tell his secret plan to you Gentiles. 26-27He has kept this secret for centuries and generations past, but now at last it has pleased him to tell it to those who love him and live for him, and the riches and glory of his plan are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ in your hearts is your only hope of glory. 26-27He has kept this secret for centuries and generations past, but now at last it has pleased him to tell it to those who love him and live for him, and the riches and glory of his plan are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ in your hearts is your
only hope of glory. 28So everywhere we go we talk about Christ to all who will listen, warning them and teaching them as well as
we know how. We want to be able to present each one to God, perfect because of what Christ has done for each of them. 29This is my work, and I can do it only because Christ’s mighty energy is at work within me. (emphasis mine)

Isn’t that awesome? Christ’s power is at work in me and in you. Let me also clarify that this suffering in ministry may pale in comparison to the suffering we may endure in our daily lives as we take our stand for Christ but if members of our church family are allowing themselves to be used to the detriment of God’s will for the church then the suffering can be even greater.

Colossians 3:12 - 13 (TLB) 12Since you have been chosen by God who has given you this new kind of life, and because of his deep love and concern for you, you should practice tenderhearted mercy and kindness to others. Don’t worry about making a good impression on them, but be ready to suffer quietly and patiently. 13Be gentle and ready to forgive; never hold grudges. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

Pray for me as I pray for you that we may consider our hardships in media ministry part of suffering for the Church as Christ has suffered.

Pray that we may be workers approved of God.

Pray that we may be able to educate others about our calling and minister to our church family in a way that is pleasing to God and works to the unity of the body of Christ. We need to also seek to understand everyone else’s calling and gifts and how we must work together as one body. I believe the problem most of the time is that we do not communicate with each other. Seek out what you need to know to effectively minister from the staff of your church and from your own media ministry team members. Team members, you need to let your leadership know what your concerns and ideas are for the ministry as well. There is an acronym for team.

Together Everyone Achieve More.

All concerns, ideas and application should not necessarily come from leadership. It should be a consensus of the team.

Ephesians 4:1 - 7 (TLB) 1I beg you—I, a prisoner here in jail for serving the Lord—to live and act in a way worthy of those who have been chosen for such wonderful blessings as these. 2Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3Try always to be led along together by the Holy Spirit and so be at peace with one another.
4We are all parts of one body, we have the same Spirit, and we have all been called to the same glorious future. 5For us there is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6and we all have the same God and Father who is over us all and in us all, and living through every part of us. 7However, Christ has given each of us special abilities—whatever he wants us to have out of his rich storehouse of gifts.

I hope that this post has spoken to you as the Lord has spoken to me this morning and now into the afternoon. It is always great when the Lord gives you a clear understanding of His word for application in your life. When that happens it is best to share because I know that He has this word for someone else out there today too.

I stated earlier that we are all in this together so if you ever have anything you like to share the comment section is available as is also my e-mail if you would prefer that method. I’m a firm believer in helping each other as much as we possibly can. I probably need help more from others than I can give but I offer anyway.

Romans 8:16 - 18 (TLB) 16For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we really are God’s children. 17And since we are his children, we will share his treasures—for all God gives to his Son Jesus is now ours too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. 18Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later.

AMEN!

Effective Church Website Planning

2006-01-21T10:17:00.000-05:00

Wow!  Is the Lord’s timing awesome or what?  I was about to make a huge mistake with our church’s website and the Lord leads me to a blog and article that I have never visited before.  The article it titled Ten Things to Know About Your Church Website and is posted on BetaChurch.org

I have not been pleased with our web presence for…well…ever.  Actually if I had visited our church’s website before attending several years ago I probably would have passed.  So when our host contract expired at the end of the year we just let it expire.  Right now we have a web address with no content.  I want to do it right.  As in any other area of ministry, I believe that entails much planning and preparation and prayer.  We want a website that is a true representation of our church and is actually useful.  We need a website that is effective for evangelism and information.

My plan was to start a team that would develop a website that would be honoring to God and not just thrown together.  I’m still going to go ahead with that plan but I was just about to cave and get something put up temporarily.  Then I read this article in which two points were A bad website is worse than no website and Do not follow the path of least resistance…you will regret it.

I’m first and foremost a sound guy and know enough to be really dangerous when it comes to website administration and design.  This article made perfect sense to me and gives me a better understanding of a vision for our own website.  Probably because this article was written by a pastor who a year ago knew less than I do now but has learned a great deal.  I thank this pastor for sharing the wisdom that the Lord has developed in him.

I pray this year I can announce the launch of a website that is honoring to God, truly a representation of our church and useful to our church family.

Church Media Consultation

2006-01-21T00:26:00.001-05:00

In the past couple of years one of the areas that I have learned a great deal about in media ministry is consultation. I have learned that there is a big difference between a church media consultant or church audiovisual consultant and a sales consultant. I have dealt with several “sales consultants” over the last few years. They mostly ask you what equipment or systems you want to purchase or even worse tell you what equipment or systems you must buy. Now a one-stop shop might be great for many things but when it comes to consultation, design, purchasing and installation of a new sound system or projection system it is not. It is nearly impossible for a “sales consultant” to be objective. They are more than willing to sell you $150,000.00 in equipment if you are willing to purchase whether you need it or not. That is an actual rounded quote that I received two years ago for two venues at my church. Naturally my pastor’s jaw hit the floor and I think a lady on the stewardship committee actually fainted. Another “sales consultant” did sell me a projection system. The entire projection system including PC and software bundle, cables and distribution was a good deal and less than what my predecessor had paid for a projector alone but service after the sale has been lacking. These experiences have made me consider what I should be doing to be a good steward. As I met with the $150,000 quote guy, all we talked about was what they sell. When we should have been talking about what our goals are for media ministry. Then discuss the options in equipment to meet that goal.

The main qualifier for a church media or audiovisual consultant is that they are selling their time and nothing else.

What else I’m looking for in a consultant is four-fold:

Knows Jesus – A consultant must know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. A consultant that does not know Jesus doesn’t understand why you are using media as a tool for ministry. They don’t understand using media for evangelism, fellowship, teaching and worship.

Knows Church – There are Christian consultants out there that do know audiovisual systems but do not know about implementing those systems in churches. They may also not understand your goals when most of their consultation is in the corporate world. A consultant should be able to put themselves into the position of the technical director, media minister etc. They should be able to see the vision of media ministry of any particular church and provide guidance when goals or vision is lacking.

Knows Equipment – A consultant needs to know the gear and know what will work best in your application. That means that they have to talk to you and found out what you want to accomplish. They also need to assess what you are using already and look to implement that existing equipment. Hey, we would all like to have new gear but this about being good stewards.

Knows the Business – A consultant needs to know manufacturers and distributors and installers. They need to know who to recommend because after all they are hired to look out for your best interest only. They can also warn you of those companies and manufactures that are not your best choice. Now a consultant may prefer a certain brand or company but that should only be from good experiences with a certain brand or company.

Churches all across this nation have been burned over and over by well meaning lay people, pastors with a lack of knowledge and greedy contractors that know a sucker when they see one. A consultant can save you so much time, money and heartache. Also to all of you that are leaders in media and technical ministry, bringing in a consultant in no way diminishes your ability or knowledge but helps to fortify your position to staff and other church leadership the needs involved with the ministry that God has entrusted to you. Once again it comes down to stewardship.

I look forward to building a relationship with two consultants this year. A relationship for a common goal of empowering kingdom growth. I hope to write about this experience in the months to come.

Sound & Video Contractor has published a few articles on the subject. More Conversations on Consultants can be read here.

Dealing With Burnout

2006-01-10T21:10:00.000-05:00

As I have said before I wish I had known of the vast network of those serving in media and technical ministries last year when I was really struggling. Anthony Coppedge has covered burnout in his last several posts and as usual he nails it. In Part II Anthony states;

"Hi, I'm Anthony Coppedge, and I'm a recovering church staff burnout person. Not only have I personally experienced burnout, but I have been a leading contributor of burnout to volunteers while I served at one of the three churches where I was on staff."

Last year I was in total burnout and through reading these posts I have come to realize that I’m now contributing to burnout. Thanks to Anthony I now have a plan of action of dealing with this issue. Thanks Anthony!

Check out the following post:

Dealing with Tech Arts Burnout! - Part I

Dealing with Tech Arts Burnout! - Part II

Dealing with Tech Arts Burnout! - Part III

State of the Unity Address

2006-01-09T22:10:00.000-05:00

While writing my last post, Year in Review 2005, I realized that I have some things that I need to express.  I stated in my last post that I have discovered a lot about the church and it is the body of Christ.  Oh, how I believe that we have strayed so much from being Christ-like in how we deal with society and how we treat each other.  The church needs to be about caring for those less fortunate and absolutely lost.  We need to be about looking past the obvious sin that separates people from God and show them the atonement that is available to them through Jesus.  Jesus said that he came to call sinners to turn from their sins not spend time with those that already think they are good enough. (Matt. 9:13, Mark 2:17, Luke 5:32)  Are we spending time showing others around us Jesus?  It doesn’t matter what their status is or what they are involved in.  They still need the Lord just as at some point we realized we needed the Lord and received Him.  How do they know unless they are told?

The federal government has received a bad report on how it handled the disaster of hurricane Katrina.  On some levels that criticism was merited and on other levels I believe that it should not have had a role to begin with.  It is not the role of government to take care of those in need; it is the church’s responsibility.  Now there is the issue of personal responsibility being abandoned but that is a deep rooted fallacy of relying on the government for your every need.  It is a failed philosophy that was in place way before Katrina struck the Gulf coast.  The church’s role is to take care of orphans and widows, sick and infirmed, weak and elderly, poor and lost and to minister to the spiritual needs of all.  The people that were devastated by those hurricanes encompass all of those needs.

The church also needs to stop the petty bickering that so many times divides us and keeps us from being Christ-like.  Jesus commands us to love each other in John 13.

John 13:34 - 35 (NLT) 34So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

And because of that love for each other we should be able to tolerate the short comings of others because we all have them.  Not one of us is perfect.

Ephesians 4:2 - 3 (NLT) 2Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace.

What causes fights amongst us?  I believe we lose focus of what our purpose really is and we start looking out for own desires and promoting our own agenda instead of what God wants for us. We start doing things of ourselves, not remembering that we are only a part of an entire body.

Ephesians 4:4 - 7 (NLT) 4We are all one body, we have the same Spirit, and we have all been called to the same glorious future. 5There is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6and there is only one God and Father, who is over us all and in us all and living through us all. 7However, he has given each one of us a special gift according to the generosity of Christ.

All of this doesn’t lend the church to turn a blind eye to sin or to hold back truth or not expose false doctrine.  Our inaction can be as bad as our action as in the same way if a police officer sees a crime being committed and does nothing to prevent it.  We should never compromise but always defend the truth and bring injustice to light.  We can expose sinful behavior for what it is but always in a way that points to Jesus and not to our own selfish motives just as Paul confronts Peter in Galatians 2.  It is not our place to condemn but it is our place to make judgment calls.  We must be able to discern what is wrong and what is right and keep a clear distinction between the two as society continually seeks to blur that distinction.  We must remain unified in our focus on what is right and wrong and what is scriptural and what is not.

Ephesians 5:10 - 14 (NLT) 10Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. 11Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, rebuke and expose them. 12It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13But when the light shines on them, it becomes clear how evil these things are. 14And where your light shines, it will expose their evil deeds. This is why it is said,     “Awake, O sleeper,     rise up from the dead,     and Christ will give you light.”

Unity starts at home.  The family has come under attack like never before.  Married couples have to work at marriage.  Love is not something you fall in and out of.  Love is a choice and it is HARD WORK.  Your marriage is a COVENANT between YOU and GOD to love each other and take care of each other in EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE UNTIL THE DAY YOU DIE!  I believe that we have made it way too easy to dissolve this commitment through the nonsense of no-fault divorce.  Somebody is at fault and it isn’t God.  It makes it that much easier of an argument to approve marriage of those that are involved in immoral and perverted unions when we as Christians can’t make marriage work.  Let God be the focus in your marriage stupid!  Marriages fail because of purely selfish motives.  Men, we are to love our wives as Christ loved the church.  Christ DIED for the church, for us.  That is the love we need to have for our wives.

Ephesians 5:25 - 30 (NLT) 25And you husbands must love your wives with the same love Christ showed the church. He gave up his life for her 26to make her holy and clean, washed by baptism and God’s word.£ 27He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. 28In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man is actually loving himself when he loves his wife. 29No one hates his own body but lovingly cares for it, just as Christ cares for his body, which is the church. 30And we are his body.

Next are the children who are the main target and we most certainly have a responsibility to raise them in the reverence and advice of the Lord.  If not taught by us their minds will be shaped by the philosophy of moral and religious relativism where absolute truth does not exist.  I believe that if we do not lead the children then we are just as guilty of their demise as anyone.

Matthew 19:14 (NLT) 14But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.”

Parents, you cannot buy your children’s love.  They don’t want things from you.  They want your love, direction, instruction and yes discipline.

Ephesians 6:4 (NLT) 4And now a word to you fathers. Don’t make your children angry by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction approved by the Lord.

It breaks my heart to hear about the stories of kids in daycare from the time they are 3 months old until they reach school age.  I can’t believe that mothers will take their kids to daycare even on their days off but it happens.  And kids are also mostly ignored in our churches too.  They are expected to be like adults from the time they are 8 years old when they should be discipled, ministered to and taught in a way that is relevant to them.  There is no wonder that an every increasing majority of kids are like they are when they are left to be raised and influenced by everyone but their parents and the church.  Wake up people the future is dim!  We are experiencing a huge hole in the body of Christ!  Kids are abandoning their faith and the church at an alarming rate.

Now, what are we going to do about it?

Year in Review 2005

2006-01-09T21:09:00.000-05:00

The last couple of years I was an island in a sea of turmoil on how to cope with learning different aspects of media ministry as well as learning how to communicate with pastors and my own team the vision in which the Lord had given me concerning the ministry in which He has called me to serve.  Unfortunately I learned the hard way on how to not communicate to pastors and how not to handle a position of leadership and how not to deal with anger.

Starting with the Inspiration Technology Conference in Charlotte at the end of May last year the Lord started to open my eyes to how I needed to be a disciple.  He opened my eyes to how many other people have a passion for this ministry.  I discovered training and support in not only the technical side but also the leadership and spiritual side.

In June I was led to discover the world of blogging.  I quickly decided that I liked what I saw and wanted to be a part.  At that time I started Media Ministry.  I have a much easier time expressing myself in writing than in speaking so this was a perfect outlet for sharing, creativity and sometimes to vent.
This is also when I really started to see how much information was out there concerning media ministry and how many are out there going through the same things that I’m going through.  I also have discovered a lot about the church and I have started to develop my own philosophy and ideas about church administration.

In 2005 I had to come to the realization that I’m a recovering legalist.  That is one of the reasons that I decided to abandon my Christian Action web site and start the blog StandPoint in August.  Plummeting hits didn’t hurt either.  I truly felt the need to go in a different direction.

I thank all of you that have been an integral part of being used by God for my technical and spiritual growth.  A good portion of those people are my favorite blogs listed on the right.  I think that two of the most influential have been Anthony Coppedge on the media side and Perry Noble on everything else and both on church and ministry.  Anthony Coppedge has his thumb clearly on the pulse of the issues that we who are serving in media ministry are dealing with.  I only regret that I didn’t discover earlier the vast resource of support that Anthony and others share with each other on a daily basis.  Perry Noble tells it like it is and is usually right and always thought provoking.  If you are not reading these two blogs then you should be.

Also there is my church family.  I have enjoyed so much ministering to you as you have ministered to me.  I have enjoyed fostering a relationship with my pastors to truly seek God’s will for our lives and for the body of believers that He has entrusted to you.

Last but not least is my lovely, wonderful wife.  She is my voice of reason, my compliment, my encourager, my help mate, my best friend.  I thank God for her continually.

I pray that in this new year of 2006 that the church will renew its purpose to truly be the body of Christ.  I pray that I personally will continue to deepen my relationship with God by striving to be Christ-like.  I pray that I place my will in alignment with God’s will in when, where and how I will serve in media ministry.

This Caught My Attention

2006-01-07T00:53:00.000-05:00

Disc Makers Unveils Redesigned Automated Elite Duplicator and Printer Line
Disc Makers sets a new standard for size and ease-of-use with its latest line of redesigned Elite duplicators—the most rugged automated duplication and printing systems on the market. The new Elite2, ElitePro2, Elite4, and ElitePro4 systems showcase a new FlexWare software suite that integrates disc creation, on-disc design, disc duplication, and printing into one easy-to-use application. In addition, they incorporate the latest 16x DVD±R/48x CD-R drives from Plextor, giving them the fastest, most reliable throughput in the industry.
Read the rest of the review here.

Equipment Appropriation and Elimination

2006-01-07T00:46:00.000-05:00

I have noticed lately that I’m starting to accumulate quite a bit of old gear.  Now this is not the old gear that I was talking about in one of my recent posts that is still in use.  Some of this equipment has been sitting around since before it became my responsibility.  Now I’m wondering what I should do with all of this stuff.  Should I sell it?  Give it away?  Or should I find a way to use it somewhere in the church?  My church will not conduct fund raisers so an appealing proposition has been to sell the equipment and refund the budget to help offset cost of other equipment purchases that may arise.  Unfortunately most of this equipment is not worth even advertising.  I think I need to research and see what other churches are doing with equipment that they turn over in any given year.

That brings me to the question of leasing equipment.  I have been hearing of churches that lease their systems and then do an exchange type program every so many years.  An article titled “Leasing AV Systems Can Appeal to Church Buyers” in Houses of Worship by Sound & Video Contractor states that “Today, both mainstream commercial customers and clients in worship venues often look at leasing as a practical way to finance major investments in audio and video systems. Often, church buyers are especially drawn by the advantages of a well-structured lease.”  I know that the appeal is great but I think that church buyers are especially drawn to a sucker deal.  I don’t see the advantages.  I know that technology improvements are replicating at a faster pace as every year passes but I still see our systems as capital investments and not expenses.  I see our systems as a tool for ministry in which we are investing in people and not new toys.
My first reaction to leasing is NO.  I see leasing as always a bad idea in every purchasing situation known.  I really don’t see why leasing audio, video and lighting systems for our churches would be any different.  I see leasing as paying more for a system over the long haul so you can get it now over paying what the system is worth.  I believe that is not good stewardship.

Tripp Lite Introduces Audio/Video UPS System

2006-01-05T02:39:00.000-05:00

In my day job of pubic safety communications we can’t afford to lose power to our systems and equipment. Lives may depend on that system at any given second. We rely heavily on Uninterruptible Power Supplies commonly known as UPS. I don’t see why we shouldn’t be putting the same urgency in keeping our audio and video systems up and running. That is why I was pleased to see a UPS system specifically designed for audio/video systems. Check out this announcement on SVC Online.

Tripp Lite Introduces Audio/Video UPS System with Digital Display

SPL Integrated Solutions Announces Email Help Line for House of Worship Technicians

2006-01-05T02:30:00.000-05:00

SPL Integrated Solutions recently announced that it has established an email help line to provide answers about audio and video technology to people working at churches and houses of worship. The email address is churchavquestions@splis.com.
SPL is one of the leading nationwide integrators for AV technology and has extensive experience designing and installing AV systems for houses of worship. More than two-thirds of SPL’s 460 employees have AV technical training; more than 60 are certified AV engineers. Many of SPL’s engineers have a national reputation for the church AV projects they have successfully designed and installed.
To make this engineering expertise more readily available to churches of all sizes, SPL’s new email address, churchavquestions@splis.com, is offered to churches at no cost. An email sent to this address will be immediately forwarded to a select team of SPL’s most experienced house of worship engineers. Comments from the engineers will be compiled, and an email with answers and/or recommendations will be returned within 24 hours by SPL’s national HOW marketing manager, Larry Danforth.
If you have additional questions about this service, please call or email Larry Danforth at (972) 938-3940 or ldanforth@splis.com.
Additional information on SPL Integrated Solutions can be found at www.splis.com.

In With The New And Old

2006-01-05T02:13:00.000-05:00

It is that time of the year when we start thinking about a fresh start and making new plans.  There may be some of you embarking on new system designs or new construction projects.  We also start on our new budgets.  I’ve been struggling in this area for the last couple of years.  I submit a budget and it is cut in half by the stewardship committee.  I make do with what I have for another year and purchase critical items and consumables with maybe an intermediate equipment purchase.  I then complain about what we could do if we had this or that.  In the end we find a way to make everything look and sound good.  After reading a blog post and a article, the Lord has helped me realize that He is using what we have to let people see and hear what He wants them to see and hear.  The equipment maybe old but it is working most of the time.  When we have had equipment problems we have been able to repair or replace at minimum to no cost.

The blog post that sparked my thinking was by Pete Bishop in his post titled “What Do You Have?”  Some quotes that stuck with me were, “Maybe instead of asking why don't we.... we should ask what do I have?” and “Our perceived "lack of" will always keep our eyes on the problem and off of the solution, but we are never done until we have looked at each problem from every angle. Until we have looked at where we are and where we need to go. Until we look at available supplies (solutions) and not unavailable ones (problems). Miracles will occur when outcomes are not humanly possible!”

Then I was catching up on some e-newsletters when I ran across a Shure Notes for Houses of Worship.  The features were on sound system design.  The first article I read was titled “Vision in Sound Design” by Josh Isenhart who is Director of Technical Ministries at Lakeview Church in Indianapolis, IN.  His first step says “Old Isn’t Necessarily Bad”.  Isenhart goes on to say, “Before you start drafting that shopping list, take the time to assess the equipment you have on hand. Just because it’s old, it doesn’t mean it isn’t serviceable.”

Also in that same Shure Notes there was an article covering the Highly Intelligible Sound System Standard or HIS System Standard developed by Joseph De Buglio, author and audio consultant who has evaluated over 500 churches in North America.  De Buglio has produced goals and standards that I believe that all churches could adhere to when planning a new design for a sound system.  You can check out the article here.

What I’ve been hearing is that I need to take a second look at my old equipment and see the possibilities and not the problems.  Then when there is a definite need for new equipment or a system then I need to make sure that I have goals and standards in place.    I’ve been experiencing first hand the equipment performing superbly when needed but not seeing and hearing what everyone else was experiencing.  I’m a perfectionist so it may never look and sound like I want it to but if people are being touched by an element being amplified or projected or lighted then who am I to question what God uses.

I will be seeking a fresh perspective by bringing in consultants for audio and video this year but I will also be seeking God’s will so that I may be a good steward of the equipment, people and resources in which I have been entrusted.  In doing so I may see and hear what God is doing through this ministry.

Media & Technology Training

2006-01-03T19:26:00.000-05:00

One of the most important things you can do for your media and technology ministry teams is provide training. Whether you do the training yourself, host training by an outside group or send team members to training it is essential that your team receive training on a regular basis. Media and technology is ever changing and we must keep abreast of those changes if we are to continue to use media and technology effectively as a tool for worship, evangelism, teaching, discipleship etc.
Below are lists of seminars being conducted by various groups this year across the nation.

Fits and Starts Production presents H.O.W.-to Church Sound Workshops

Jan 6 & 7 – Allentown Presbyterian, Allentown, NJ

Jan 13 & 14 – Grace Community Church, Fremont, OH

Jan 20 & 21 – Grace Chapel, West Columbia, SC

Jan 27 & 28 -- Concord Liberty Presbyterian, Glen Mills, PA

Feb 3 & 4 – Heartland Church, Fort Wayne, IN

Feb 17 & 18 – Morning Star Baptist, Cantonsville, MD

Mar 3 & 4 – Vienna Presbyterian, Vienna, VA

Mar 10 & 11 – Bethany UMC, Hampton, VA

Apr 7 & 8 – 5th Ave. UMC, Wilmington, NC

Apr 28 & 29 – St. John’s Lutheran, Salisbury, NC

Midnight Oil Productions – Digital Storytellers Seminar

Jan 16-19 -- Grapevine TX

Feb 18 -- Detroit

Feb 23 -- Oklahoma City

Feb 25 -- Houston

Mar 4 -- Boston

Mar 20-22 -- Phoenix

April 29 -- Chicago

Synergetic Audio Concepts – Real World Audio Education

Sound Reinforcement for Operators

Jan 30 & 31 – Dallas, TX

Apr 10 & 11 – Indianapolis, IN

May 1 & 2 – Providence, RI

Sound Reinforcement for Technicians

Feb 1 & 2 – Dallas, TX

Mar 14 & 15 – NSCA Las Vegas, NV

Apr 12 & 13 – Indianapolis, IN

May 3 & 4 – Providence, RI

Sound Reinforcement for Designers

Feb 20 -23 – Seattle, WA

Jun 3-6 – InfoComm, Orlando, FL

These are just a few groups to consider.  Check their sites periodically as they will be adding dates to those already listed.  I’m sure there are many more groups offering training as well.
Also when you decide on a major purchase of equipment or software include training by the manufacturer as part of your purchase agreement.  This will insure that your team is up to speed in the use of new gear.
Another benefit to keeping your current team up to date on training is it will cut down on the learning curve for new members when they come onboard as they can be trained by other team members.

Merry Christmas!

2005-12-23T21:33:00.000-05:00

I can’t believe that Christmas Day is almost upon us.  This month of December has been a whirlwind of activity.  We have had guest speakers, various youth choir presentations, a preschool presentation, special events, an outdoor drama and an adult choir Christmas cantata and of course our regular worship services.  I have been very busy to say the least.  I have also enjoyed every minute of it all.  It has been hard work with no pay but so rewarding it its own way.  I will probably write a review and lessons learned on the outdoor drama and the cantata after the New Year has begun.  I need a break from everything right now.

I have also been doing a lot of work on preparing to step out in faith and present myself for full time technical ministry soon.  I know what the Lord wants me to serve in but I do not know where or when or how.  The fiery darts of doubt, lack of confidence and stress are coming on me but that is why I have my shield of faith.  Pray for me as I battle and also pray for my discernment as I seek the specifics of the Lord’s will.

This year there has been a lot of controversy surrounding Christmas from churches deciding not to have services on Christmas Day to the ever increasing normalcy of commercialism to the political correctness debate.  There was a song that was performed at our Christmas cantata titled I Choose Jesus.  In that song it talks about making decisions and what turn to take at a crossroad.  I feel that as a society we are at a crossroad.  Whether or not a church is having services on Sunday doesn’t matter.  All the sales and shopping for gifts doesn’t matter.  Although you usually know where their heart is by what terms they use, whether someone says Christmas or holiday doesn’t matter.  What matters is if someone chooses Jesus or not.  I want my focus to be solely on Jesus, not just for Christmas but for life.  I pray that you will also choose Jesus.

I wish all of you a very, merry Christmas!

Christian vs. Secular Genre

2005-12-02T23:01:00.000-05:00

A thought that came to my mind during our worship conference is the increasingly common trend of using secular songs in worship services. I can understand the use of the songs to reach the lost and/or unchurched by being relevant but I also think that the lost and unchurched are looking for something new, something different than the lives they have now. They need their minds renewed and so do we. I want to be in a constant frame of mind and attitude of giving thanks and praise to God. I can’t do that with most secular songs.

Now, I’m not saying that all of those songs are bad and “are of the devil”. I still listen to secular songs from time to time but I most certainly listen to them in a different way than I did in the past. I now listen to make sure that the songs I listen to are not in opposition to the way I want to live my life before a holy, sovereign God. I do not want to fill my mind with garbage just like I would not view pornography for the same reason. Let’s face it; there are some songs out there that Christians should not listen to and they most certainly should not be used to reach the lost. Also make note that throughout I have not said music. I do not believe there is secular music; just secular lyrics.

I know many churches use secular songs every service but I have to wonder just how many secular songs bring us to a heart of worship. I would think not many if any. I pray that churches are not using secular songs just to say “Hey look at us, we are not that much different from you.” I believe that we are to be different. That is what makes people take at look at us and say, “What is up with you?” The answer is Jesus!

Another trend is the increasing popularity of bands under the banner of the Christian genre. I really enjoy listening to some of these groups but there is something that bothers me and that is the absence of God and/or Jesus from their vocabulary. Unfortunately I don’t make it out much so I have never seen these bands live. I hope and pray that they are at least presenting the gospel message at their concerts. I mean that is why we are here, right? We are to bring glory to God with our gifts and to go and make disciples. Like I said I have not attended any concerts of the bands I’m speaking of but recent appearances on several late night shows and shopping for CDs as gifts for Christmas got me to taking a deeper look. The only source I have is album reviews and the groups own web sites. A look at those web site home pages seemingly shows what is important and that would be chart ratings, albums sold, television appearances and where their videos are getting airtime. It looks and reads just like any other band that is out there for themselves.

P.O.D. (Payable On Death) web site has no mention of God, Jesus or their faith.

Switchfoot has vague references to scripture when they write;

It was another jewish man who said something like this a while back. "All is meaningless," Declares the teacher. "Meaningless, meaningless, Everything is meaningless"

And also,

There’s this moment in Jewish scripture, in Ecclesiastes, where it says, ‘Meaningless, meaningless, everything is meaningless.’ That’s the place where our new record starts.”

These references are to Solomon in Ecclesiastes 1:2 NIV which is in the Bible and not just Jewish scripture.

Another place on the web site has this;

It was another jewish man who said something like this, "If you seek to gain your soul you will lose it."

This other Jewish man was Jesus and what He said was;

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?

Matthew 16:25-26 NIV

Jon Foreman the frontman for Switchfoot writes:

So at the end of our time as a band perhaps we will have only one song to sing- just one very long, rambling, eclectic song that touches on life, death, pain, sex, anger, joy, peace, politics, God and the other elements of a searching soul in the twenty first century. Maybe at the end of my life I will sing only one song, a song that has been refined and purified. A lonely group of notes that will be a sweet, sweet sound for an audience of one. Or maybe I'm still trying to figure out this broken, beautiful planet-
writing songs as a way of therapy in the hopes of a better understanding of this existence that we call life. Either way, the bitter struggle for meaning and truth in the postmodern world is a subject matter that I don't think I could ever exhaust.

I gather from this web site that this band is not comfortable with even mentioning the name of Jesus but are trying hard to be politically correct. I wonder if they are saying “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas”? It appears that God is just one element in their search for meaning. At the least they are still searching. I pray that they discover that the answer is Jesus and only Jesus.

Thousand Foot Krutch is another completely commercial site with no mention of the bands values only their tour dates and where they rank in the world.

Relient K website looks a lot like what I have already mentioned. Although there is a biography page which did give some insight. On the description of a song off their new CD says;

“Who I Am Hates Who I’ve Been” launches with a reflective piano arrangement that builds up with intensity to address life’s moments when everything seems to be failing, while reminding all that God provides second chances.

That is so true. Our God is most certainly full of grace and mercy.

A couple of paragraphs later Matthew Theissen says;

“We’re not trying to hide anything with the songs on this record, just to get what we feel out there,” Thiessen summarizes. “We’ve also found it to be the hardest thing in the world to say ‘Jesus’ in a song and not be cheesy, so we definitely have our own way of singing about spirituality. But in the end that’s who we are and what we believe in. We hope between that and the music, it connects with someone out there.”

Singing the name of who should be Lord of your life is cheesy? The Son of God who died for our sins sounds cheesy? That is absolute nonsense. I really believe that the members of Relient K are Christians but they need to assess who they are really glorifying.

Kutless home page is fairly simple with a couple of tour dates and a news snippet. But when you dig deeper into the site, wow, what a departure from the previous bands and groups that I have mentioned. There is no doubt what these guys purpose is and that is worship of God. There is testimony and actual scripture references throughout. I guess I now know why this band has been sounding much better to me that the others here lately. This is a band that truly belongs in the genre of Christian.

I know that there are many, many more bands out there but these are the ones that people, the kids, are listening to and watching. If they are going to put out in market place as Christian then they have an awesome responsibility for showing Jesus to those that so desperately need Him. I pray that all of the bands that have at some point professed to be Christians, otherwise they wouldn’t be place in the music genre, to remember the scripture passage of

2 Timothy 2:15
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

New Links

2005-11-27T21:37:00.000-05:00

I have added several new links to blogs in the Media/Technology Blogs list in the right hand column. Check them out!

Church Safety

2005-11-26T23:42:00.000-05:00

A good article from last week was Texas Minister’s Death Prompts New Safety Concerns on Sound & Video Contractor. The death of Pastor Kyle Lake does not need to be easily forgotten. We all need to learn from the mistakes of others as well as the successes. I did not ever hear the final cause of the electrocution of Pastor Kyle Lake but I had my suspicions. If you get nothing else out of this article please heed the words of Chuck Wilson, executive director of the NSCA;

Some users, he notes, have even cut the grounding third prong
off plugs as a means of avoiding buzz. “Lifting that safety ground is an absolute no-no, no matter how the
system buzzes,” he says.

Unfortunately this practice was occurring at my own church. When I came to lead the media ministry I found that every drop cord had the ground prong cut off. I immediately disposed of all of those and purchased new cords. I have also written before about the dangers of overloading circuits and also protecting yourself from over current, lightening and ground faults. (See This Caught My Attention…)

We have to think about the safety of our ministers, musicians and members. In this season of so many Christmas productions it is tempting to bypass and shortcut in some areas because you want to make something work. There are many great creative minds out there that have a certain atmosphere they are envisioning. Many times safety is not on their list of priorities. It is not that they want to be unsafe, they just don’t think of it. That is where we come in. If you have the means to bring that vision to fruition then by all means do so but on the other hand if you can’t do it right and follow all safety procedures then be ready to take a stand and say no.

I challenge all of you involved in technical ministry to examine your equipment this coming year. Some things to look for are of course circuit loading, speaker and lighting rigging, cables and power cords. Also make sure that your team is well trained in electrical safety.
Remember the laws of physics were written by God. They are non-negotiable. Please keep the Lake family and the University Baptist Church family in your prayers.

Giving Thanks

2005-11-24T00:37:00.000-05:00

I give thanks to God for all of my fellow bloggers that I enjoy reading. I won’t list them here because they are all listed in the right hand column anyway. A special thanks to Todd Rhoades and Gary Lamb for infecting me with this blogging bug.
I'm thankful for the dedicated guys and gals that are out there giving their best in media ministry for the glory of the Lord.

Now for some favorite scripture passages of thanksgiving.

I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High. Psalm 7:17

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. Psalm 9:1

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.
Psalm 30:4

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High,
Psalm 50:14

With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good. Psalm 54:6

I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. Psalm 57:9

But we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise. Psalm 79:13

I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever. Psalm 86:12

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 100:4-5

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!
Psalm 118:1

Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. Ephesians 5:4

17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, 20giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Ephesians 5:17-20

6Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
Colossians 2:6-7

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:15-17

give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
1 Timothy 2:1-2

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
Revelation 7:12

Awesome Weekend Experience

2005-11-22T14:46:00.000-05:00

What a great, worshipful, wonderful, experience this past weekend, November 19 & 20. Our church hosted our first annual worship conference on Saturday. We hope and pray that it will be the first of many to come. The turn out was light but what do you expect in the heart of USC Gamecock and Clemson Tiger land on the day these two rivals met. People have their priorities and for many it seemed to be football over conference. But God still loves them all and so do we. Next year I think we will plan a more open date.

Our keynote speaker for the conference was Travis Cottrell. Travis is best known for being the worship leader for the Beth Moore conferences. Naturally I had never been to a Beth Moore conference so to be honest I do not believe that I had heard of Travis Cottrell until our Worship Pastor told us who was going to be the keynote speaker. After an opening song by our own Surrender, Travis spoke to the group in the first session. One of the major points that spoke to me was when Travis said “Worship is what we offer God with our lives”. That is absolutely true. Our worship is not in song alone or prayer or listening to a sermon. Those are elements of corporate worship, yes, but how we live our lives and how we offer of ourselves is our true worship to God. A key passage of scripture is Romans 12:1,2. I do not recall what version that Travis used but I have decided to use the English Standard Version here;

Romans 12:1,2 1I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

We are to present ourselves as a living sacrifice. I believe that means that we sacrifice any of our own desires to live as God wants us. We are to surrender to His will so that we may be holy and acceptable. That is accomplished in part by the renewal of our minds. We renew our minds by reading, studying and meditating on the Word of God. Also by spending time with God in prayer and listening. We also renew our minds by lifting up praise and thanksgiving to our Heavenly Father in personal time and corporately.

Our breakout sessions consisted of the Theology of Worship, The Arts as Worship, and the Philosophy of Using Media in Worship. I, of course, attended the latter. We invited Mark Rodenhauser of Digital Lighthouse Media to speak. Mark has had an interesting life including 12 years playing in the NFL and then after retiring he started producing professional media content for Fortune 500 companies. He is now obeying the call of the Lord on his life to teach, train, equip and enhance the body of Christ by enabling churches, ministries, organizations and Christian businesses to communicate more clearly and effectively. Mark is a no nonsense, tell it like it is, kind of guy. I like that. He speaks from his heart and his heart is for the Lord. Thanks Mark!
Let’s face it; society is not turning back from the technological advances it has made. People are becoming more visual and kinesthetic learners than ever before. That is a major reason for using media in our worship services and throughout the church. But Mark made an excellent point when he said “No media at all is better than bad media”. I agree. If you can’t do something well for the glory of God then you should not do it all. The Lord deserves our very best in all that we do.

The final session of our worship conference was once again led by Travis Cottrell. Travis challenged worship leaders to be real and made some great points about how to build a worship team consisting of choir, musicians and vocalist. As I listened I realized that most of the points he was making should be the criteria for any team’s ministry partners. Like, ongoing relationship with Christ, willingness to serve or servant’s heart, joyful attitude and desire to learn to share the vision; to name a few.

Overall, I believe the conference was very beneficial to all that attended. We had a great time of fellowship and it was a good networking event also. I met others that are involved in media ministry and what they are facing in their churches. It renewed in me a desire to develop a technical fellowship in this area so that all of us involved in a technical ministry can learn from each other, train together and share resources when applicable. I’m really starting to see a coming together of churches in this area to do Kingdom work instead of denominational work. I pray that we will become the body of Christ instead of different congregations of worshipers. A technical fellowship could be a step in that direction.

Saturday night we offered a FREE concert to the community in the local school district auditorium featuring Travis Cottrell. I set up video over there and then had to take care of family business so I was unable to attend. I heard that it was a great time of worship and that everyone enjoyed it immensely.

Sunday morning we combined our morning services into one. Unfortunately our sanctuary is not large enough to accommodate having both groups there at the same time. That is why we have two morning worship services of course. We had to use our gymatorium venue. It is a very acoustically live space. It took me a couple of years to work out all of the equipment issues and learn how to mix in that room. Now it sounds great. Travis was our guest worship leader and was absolutely phenomenal. His voice was weakened from the concert the night before in which he must have really let it loose. He still sounded awesome. I learned that day that Travis Cottrell is of the same ilk as Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman and Paul Baloche. As he said after one of the songs we “almost got our praise groove on”. The house was rocking to say the least. That is saying something for this fairly conservative Southern Baptist church. I haven’t received any complaints yet. The week is still young though.
I’m glad that I had purchased all new Shure SM58 & 57s microphones a couple of weeks ago. What a difference in the vocals from last time we used this venue. These microphones are a vast improvement over the Behringer mics that I had inherited. The frequency response was outstanding. The fidelity was astonishing and gain before feedback was maximized tremendously. I’m still amazed at how well some of the other equipment is still operating. God wants to use it and that is all there is to it.

Sunday night we baptized two young ladies and praised God for bringing them into the body of Christ. We also were thrilled to hear a mission report from one of our own. A couple that we have come to love and admire. They put everything down in their lives to obey the call of the Lord to the mission field and are now serving Him in Mozambique. They had an awesome presentation and it was great to hear how the Lord is working through them to bring villagers into His kingdom. I was also tasked to build a photo slide show for the reception following the service. I used 491 photos that they had and built the slide show in SongShow Plus. I really didn’t think that SongShow would handle it because we have been having issues in that area here lately. Like I said before though; God wanted to use it so it worked. We had another great time of fellowship that night too.

As you can now see it was a great, wonderful, worshipful experience. I pray that God raises up gifted, talented, willing people to serve so that experiences like this would become commonplace in churches everywhere.

I thank God for Travis Cottrell, Daniel, Mark Rodenhauser, Roger Patterson, RachelAnne Fleming, Rusty Fleming our worship pastor, Dave Stanford our senior pastor, our family from Africa and last but not least our choir. I didn’t catch Daniel’s last name but he was with Travis and played guitar. All of you were used of God to bring people to a place of authentic worship including myself. THANK YOU!

Ok, Travis was that nice enough for you? :>

Photo #1 - Our own praise group Surrender
Photo #2 - Me with Travis Cottrell
Photo #3 - Travis Cottrell with Roger Patterson
Photo #4 - Travis & Daniel at sound check

New Shure Web Feature

2005-11-18T21:24:00.000-05:00

Shure has a new web feature called Build Your Band. With Build Your Band you select the instrument or vocalist that you want in your band. The feature recommends what mic to use whether you want wired or wireless and if you want the basic or a higher tier microphone. You can name your band members and when you are all finished you can print out the recommendations for future reference. The feature also provides links for subscribing to all of Shure’s free online and printed publications, dealer locator and the awesome solution database. A vast majority of Shure’s publications are written by Tim Vear who is one of their senior application engineers and is an absolute genius when it comes to the science of sound.
This new interactive feature at Shure is educational and fun. Check it out!

Thankful for Anthony Coppedge & ChurchNerd

2005-11-17T14:37:00.000-05:00

Many times I have made reference to Anthony Coppedge and his blog posts because they speak to me in this ministry.  I also want you to know of another great blog that I frequent and that is Church Nerd.  Whereas Anthony speaks to the human element often, Church Nerd speaks to the technical side more.  I’m fairly proficient on the technical side (media) but I’m weak on the people side (ministry).  I have learned a great deal from Anthony but I have also learned some great things from Church Nerd as well.  For example Anthony recently posted about building Tech Teams and Church Nerd turned me onto offering e-mail subscriptions through Feedblitz which you will see to the right.  (Sign up now):>)

One of the reasons I started this blog was to be able to write about my experiences and hopefully growth in this ministry.  I also wanted to help others along the way and be able to network with the people that are getting the job done.  Anthony and Church Nerd blogs are getting the job done by aiding me in technical ministry and by ministering to me with their knowledge and understanding.

In this season of giving thanks I must say that I thank God for these two blogs.

I think I will post of more things that I’m thankful for in this ministry in the days to follow.  Let me know what you are thankful for in media ministry or in general.

THANKS!

Veterans Day

2005-11-12T01:19:00.000-05:00

I sincerely thank those of you that are carrying on in the tradition of character, fortitude and honor of defending our freedom.

To those of you that I served with; I will never forget you! Although I don't know where most of you are now I still think of you and pray for you.

To the families of those we lost along the way; I still carry that regret but I want you to know that they will always be in my memory. I pray for you also.

Posts on Worship Leaders & Music

2005-11-11T15:25:00.000-05:00

A ran across a couple of excellent posts this morning about worship leading and music.

Check out Drawing Musicians by Gary Lamb the Mad Babbling Church Planter.

Also check out American Idol: Three Lessons for Worship Leaders by Phil Christensen who is worship pastor at Cedar Hills Evangelical Free Church (CHEF) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa This article was posted by Todd Rhoades on his Monday Morning Insight blog.

Nooooooo! It's Budget Time!

2005-11-10T21:35:00.000-05:00

It is that time of the year that most of us in a technical ministry dread.  At least I know that I do.  It is time to propose a budget for next year.  That budget proposal will be submitted to the stewardship committee or board of directors or the staff.  We will be asked a bunch of questions about that budget.  Most of the people asking the questions will not have any idea what we are talking about.  That budget will be slashed to a maintaining budget in which there will be no room for any of the significant changes (equipment purchases) that need to be made.  Once again most of the budget will have to be reserved for the year for the “just in case” emergency that arises from time to time.  Does this sound familiar to you?  I believe that this is the case in most churches across this nation that uses some kind of media in their worship services.  How do we effectively communicate the needs of media or technical ministry?  If you have a board or staff led church then I think that task is much simpler than the committee run church.  With a board or with staff you have a much easier time educating and showing and relaying the needs.  I know in my own personal experience that the staff is usually sold because they have first hand knowledge of just how much goes into providing quality in audio, video and lighting.  But how do you effectively communicate and educate an entire church?  I mean every year you have a new stewardship committee that you start all over with.  I’m afraid that I don’t have the answer to educating an entire church but I do take every opportunity to be open about what the media ministry team does and how much time it takes and what all goes into building the media program for a service.  I also open up training to anyone in the church that is interested in audio, video and lighting.  I guess you could say that I’m chipping away at it one member at a time.
I believe that the only other way to educate your members is to invite professionals and experts to your church to speak on the issue of using media and technology.  This year we are starting a worship conference for our area with key note speaker and worship leader Travis Cottrell.  One of our break-out sessions will be about using media in worship.  We have invited Mark Rodenhauser of Digital Lighthouse Media to share what the Lord has laid on his heart about using media for God’s glory.  I hope in years to come to invite others such as Anthony Coppedge, Brad Herring and/or Kent Morris who have been instrumental in teaching me how to be more effective in what God has called me to do in a technical ministry.

Now when talking about a budget of course you are talking about how the church is going to spend the money that God has entrusted to us.  To tell you the truth I hate talking about money.  I have never been comfortable asking for money especially for ministry or myself.  I guess I have seen too many examples of money being abused and never want to give the impression that I’m greedy or do not take stewardship seriously.  Unfortunately the reality in a media or technical ministry is you get what you pay for.  I could easily rattle off $25,000 of equipment that could be purchased and used effectively in the church but in the overall operating budget of a church is that feasible?  Not in most churches.  So what is the magic percentage of the total budget that media and/or technical ministries should occupy?  I really don’t believe that you can give a concrete answer on that question.  I believe it depends on the needs of your media and technical ministries.  Your needs should be based on the overall vision of your church.  What are the goals of the church?  Who are you trying to reach?  What is the style of your worship?  You must be clear on the vision of your church to understand what you need in media to help accomplish that vision.
You ultimately leave it in the hands of those who will develop the budget.  This is a job that I do not envy.  I ask for you to pray for those who will be developing and presenting your budget.  I can tell you right now that they are under pressure from everyone.  Pray that your whole church will be good stewards of the time, money and resources that God gives you to use.

I most certainly have a lot to learn.  I know equipment but it is the intangible things in which I must gain knowledge to become effective in ministry.  Like leading a team, teaching others, budgeting and issues about pay and becoming full time.  I will continue to learn and seek God’s will for answers to all of these.  What more can I do?

I’ve been prompted to post on these subjects once again by what I have read posted by Anthony Coppedge on his blog.  Please check out A New Change for Anthony Coppedge and Poll: Church Technology Budgets.

An Abnormal, Non-Typical Thursday at a FBC.

2005-10-28T23:16:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday was very interesting to say the least.  I had to transfer registration, tags, insurance and taxes to a more fuel efficient automobile.  After that I had to attend a funeral to operate mainly the sound but something else unusual using technology. (more on that in a minute)  Lastly I had much set up to do for sound and lighting for an event that evening in one of our venues outside of the Sanctuary.

The car stuff went fairly smooth.  God is so good!  He knew what all had to happen that day so after filling out the paperwork at the DMV I went to reception to receive my “now serving” number.  To my amazement my number was being called as I entered the main office.  I was finished at the DMV in less than 30 minutes.  DID YOU HEAR THAT?  LESS THAN 30 MINUTES!  The same goes for the insurance office, where, yes, I saved a bunch of money on my car insurance.  I didn’t have to switch to a gecko to do it either.  The tax assessor office was empty so I didn’t spend much time there and my taxes were lower on this new vehicle.  I’m saving money left and right!

OK, back to the funeral.  The family made a last minute request that was a first for me and I had never heard of anyone doing this for a funeral before.  The son of the dearly departed has a son (the grandson) who is stationed in Iraq and was not going to be able to attend the service.  They wanted to do a video teleconference and have the grandson give a testimony from Baghdad on the big screen in the sanctuary.  This request was made on Tuesday before the funeral on Thursday.  Not much time to make something work where you are not remotely prepared.  With some help from a local IT freelance technician named Joe (I never got to meet Joe) and the local high school principle we pulled it off…almost.
There is not any Ethernet into the Sanctuary as of yet.  Joe had set up a Linksys wireless router in an office with network connectivity nearby the Sanctuary.  We used a new HP laptop with built-in wireless 802.11g capability.  The high school principle had some experience so he brought in his Creative Labs web cam.  He set up the initial contact with guys in Baghdad using MSN Messenger.  After contact we first initiated voice traffic with them.  It was good audio at about a 1½ - 2 second delay. We next established video on both ends.  It worked like a charm and was much better than I expected.  The video was much more stable than some of the video phone reports that I have seen on Fox News.  All of this using cheap computer microphones, web cams and MSN Messenger.  After that there was only one thing to do and that was to integrate that to our audio and video systems in the Sanctuary.  Pressed for time I quickly realized that I was not going to be able to run the video through distribution and have the control I wanted.  I had to run it direct to our Christie LX45 projector and use the “no show” function.  I was able to use our audio distribution to feed the laptop audio to our Yamaha mixer console.  We took the web cam and taped it to the railing on the balcony for the final touch.  Man, we need some decent cameras in the Sanctuary.  Anyway, we had full video teleconferencing in our Sanctuary in about an hour.  The video and audio were much better than I had even hoped for.
The funeral was about 30 minutes away and the testimony was about 45 minutes to an hour away.  I had the projector on no show and the principle was in contact by text with the Baghdad team.  The funeral started and we were all ready to go.  When it was time for the USN Chief Petty Officer grandson to speak I brought up the video which looked awesome and then I pushed up the faders only to hear what I can only describe as white noise in a barrel changing pitch and amplitude at random.  It was awful.  I couldn’t believe it was not working!  I muted the sound and kept the video up.  Of course no one knew what to do at that point.  It seemed like an eternity before some lady from the family stood up and read a letter that the grandson had sent back home to describe his memories of his grandfather.  It seemed to fit exactly with what the grandson was trying to say on the big screen.
Now I pose a question to the experts if I have any reading.  We never lost video and we only lost audio one way.  The grandson was able to watch and hear the entire service but we never recovered audio from Iraq.  Any ideas as to what happened?

After the funeral I rushed to change and then started setting up staging, lighting and mics for the women’s event that night.  Before I knew it we were doing a sound check as women were filing in.  The guest inspirational speaker and vocalist was Laurie E. Thompson who has a ministry for discipling women.  The message she delivered and the songs she sang were intended to touch the women but I was just as touched by her story as anyone.
The event was nearly flawless.  I thank God for His guidance in us doing what was right for audio in that venue.  I’m amazed at the difference from just two years ago.  The cost was minimal as well and now we can provide audio for guest speakers, vocalist and groups that they can appreciate and we don’t have to apologize for every time.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the story of a completely abnormal, non-typical Thursday at a First Baptist church in a small town.  It was busy but it was fun and as always I learned from it.  Gaining experience is always a bonus.

Marketing to Churches

2005-10-27T22:42:00.000-05:00

Almost all major manufactures, distributors and dealers have a person or team that is dedicated to the “houses of worship” market now. I’m sure that most of these companies are thrilled to have a new avenue of revenue. But is the church market different from other markets? I would surely hope so. An article titled Marketing to Churches Requires Subtlety, Staying Power in Sound & Video Contractor explores this new phenomenon.

Word of mouth takes top billing as the most effective marketing in churches SVC determines. I’m thinking that word of mouth is the most effective marketing period; regardless of product or market. Word of mouth will make the sale or condemn it faster than anything.

The article goes on to correctly assess that building relationships is the best way to do business with churches. I can agree with that assessment. We do want to build relationships because that is our nature as Christians. Unless we are given the gift of evangelism the best way for us to share Christ is through our relationships with others. We have the opportunity to reach people for Christ that in the past have mostly dealt with markets in the secular entertainment business. That market is not known for fostering relationships but mostly of lending endorsement.

The article mentions that in larger scale projects a church will often seek a professional consultant. Not a bad idea but why limit that to large scale projects? I believe an honest, professional consultant who specializes in church audio, video and lighting should be the first relationship we should build. Make sure you find a consultant that knows churches and more importantly loves the Lord. They will be looking out for your best interest. I have had to write very meticulous, specific RFP (requests-for-proposal) for contractors to bid on and follow up on their every step because many are not looking out for you. Of course always accepting the lowest bid doesn’t always help either but that is a different issue. Anyway, I strongly urge any of you who need to have a system designed, revamped or replaced and you are not 100% sure of what you need then most definitely contact a consultant.
I will admit that when it comes to equipment needed in churches that I don’t possess the knowledge to know what is best or what is specifically needed for a certain application. I have no problem operating, repairing and managing but my strength is not design. Therefore I trust consultants to guide me so that I may be the best steward of the resources that God has entrusted me with. I pray that you do the same.

Hot Topics in Media Ministry

2005-10-26T07:36:00.000-05:00

In the last few years I believe that God has called me to be in media ministry or some type of technical ministry full time.  Week after week I see the need to be able to devote a lot more time to keep up and exceed the level of media we are using for our worship services.  If there is any other event or request that requires use of media or our technical gifts then we are really pushed for time.  Since our team is made up completely of non-paid volunteers or ministry partners as I like to call them, we all have full time jobs.  Some of us have very demanding full time jobs in a technical field that requires more than 40 hours a week most weeks.  Unfortunately the time we have to use to keep up our level of media use is taken out of our family time and personal time with God.  Yes, the work we do in media is for God but it should not take the place of our personal time with God in which we study His word, meditate, pray and listen.  Our family relationships also should not suffer for ministry.  Many times we just plain run out of time and the services are not what our congregation has come accustomed to expect.  The lack of consistency is painful for someone like me who believe we should strive for excellence.

Another area of discussion in media ministry is how to deal with people who are just not getting the job done.  Sometimes it is personality conflicts in which you have to learn how to deal with in a biblical way and sometimes people just do not have the technical aptitude or creative talent or both that think they do.  Fortunately I have not had to deal with that yet because we are team and a church that is just beginning to learn how important the technical side is to our ministries.

I bring all of this up to primer you for a post by Anthony Coppedge on his blog titled WFX Recap – Great Questions! The predominant questions posed to Anthony during the recent Worship Facilities Conference & Expo ,also known as WFX, is what I have brought up in the first two paragraphs of this post.  These are great areas for discussion.    Thanks Anthony!

Martin Audio Announces New Ceiling Speaker Series

2005-10-17T20:17:00.000-05:00

Many times you don’t really think about distributed audio in your church. Other buildings and venues on your campus including nursery and preschool spaces and also overflow can be covered very well by 70/100 volt systems. I deal with these systems frequently with my day job and have learned how to apply that to media ministry as well.

So, I was pleased to hear that there is a new line of ceiling speakers on the market by Martin Audio. You can read the review by Sound & Video Contractor here.

It Was God Equipment Review

2005-10-13T14:09:00.000-05:00

I want to give a run down of the hodge-podge of equipment that God used because He obviously wanted His message through Adrian Despres distributed from October 2nd. First was the very acoustically live, concrete block building in which the service was conducted. Not the best place for a recording with its many reverberations.

Next Adrian was speaking into a Audio-Technica ATW-T31 wireless lavaliere microphone which was transmitting to the ATW-R10 diversity receiver. This wireless microphone system is one of my least favorites that I inherited but that day it performed almost flawlessly. The receiver lost signal a couple of brief moments but other than that I was very pleased. The microphone has a very low gain before feedback threshold so I was amazed at how well it performed. It was God!

The wireless microphone system was connected to a Mackie CFX20 live sound mixer. The Lord has really looked out for this board in the fact that it has suffered through two major roof leaks and is still getting the mix done. The only thing that doesn’t work on this mixer is the headphone jack and some unbalanced ¼ inputs are suspect. It is and continues to be God!

Next is the recorder that we purchase this year to finally get away from cassettes. It is most certainly not high end. So far I have found that the spoken word is really good but I need to play with it some more to get music sounding better. I’m speaking of the Fostex MR-8 digital multi-track recorder. I usually can be proficient with a piece of equipment straight out of the box but this one took some manual reading. I have not put it through the paces due to time constraints but it has made recording our worship services much, much easier. It also brings us out of the dark ages of using cassettes which did not give us the capability of recording to other formats. The ease of having removable recording media such as the compact flash memory that this recorder uses it a definite plus. God used it!

My computer is a HP 845n but the star is the software that I have come to love in a very short period of time. There is a couple of audio editing software that I have been using and I have come to the conclusion that I like them both. The first is Audacity. Audacity is a FREE program written by a team of volunteer developers around the world. It works with many operating systems including Windows, Linux, Mac and more. It supports many different audio formats including .wav and .mp3. Not only is it an editor but it is also a player and recorder. Audacity has a vast array of effects including echo, compression and limiter, filtering and many more. Another great feature is unlimited undo. YES! The only problem that I have had with Audacity is exporting the project as an .mp3 file. It can’t locate the necessary files for conversion.
The other great editor I have used is Nero Wave Editor. It is more visually appealing than Audacity with the graphic equivalent of knobs and faders like a tangible digital recorder. Nero does not have nearly the effects that Audacity has. One great feature of Nero is the automatic crash recovery. Both have been more than adequate for what I do. We will see how they fair once I can use them more extensively. Regardless of which editor I use, I convert to .mp3 using dBpower AMP music converter. This software is Freeware and is packed with wave and mp3 codecs with capability to download virtually any codec you need. It has many features like adjustable frequency and bitrate and preset quality settings, DSP effects and volume normalizing. Nice little utility.

Last but not least is Nero Burning Rom 6 to burn the CDs. Very easy to use with drag and drop files into the window for burning. I’m also pleased with the speed and quality of the burns. It also has the capability of video but I have not tried that yet. This software has many features that I have not yet begun to tap into yet. Click here for a full listing of features.

As you can see none of this is high-end, state-of-the-art, quality equipment. Some of this equipment should not even work anymore. I keep it maintained the best I can with the ability that God has given me but sometimes it performs way beyond what I ever expected because God wants to use it anyway.

I’m just happy to be along for the ride because I love doing this stuff. I’m so glad that God gives me the opportunity work in media ministry!

It Was God!

2005-10-11T20:54:00.000-05:00

Have you ever been involved with something happening and the only explanation is it was God?  I had that October 2nd and the week following.
At the last minute without planning, preparation or practice, which goes against my core media ministry teaching, I decided to move my low end digital multi-track recorder from our sanctuary to another venue to record the special worship service we were conducting.  I used a spare aux send on the mixing board to send audio to the recorder.  I didn’t even check the audio level that was there until I set record as the service was starting.  I put on the headphones to make sure I heard audio and then I left it be.

The speaker that day was Adrian Despres of Kingdom Building Ministries.  Adrian is the epitome of “He called some to be…evangelist”.  God has gifted this man as a communicator.  I thought he would have an impact because we have been hearing about him ever since we started attending our church back in 2000 from when he had been there in 1998 I believe.  His name comes up every year as we discuss revival.  I now know why.  I highly recommend Adrian Despres for any special event or revival you may be planning.

I had been warned that Adrian would speak longer than we are normally accustomed to so we planned to have one service that Sunday from 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.  That was planning on Adrian speaking for 45 minutes.  I had recently ordered a 512 MB compact flash memory card for the digital recorder which would give us 98 minutes in mono.  I thought that would be perfect.  I was wrong.  Our service did not conclude until after 1:00 p.m. and I ran out of memory on the recorder before Adrian was finished speaking.

Now for the God part!  Have you ever seen your entire church go forward at the invitation?  That is what I witnessed from the sound booth.  400+ people going forward to confess sin, rededicate their lives to Christ and to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  What a sight to behold!  That was God!

On Monday I started listening to the audio in .wav format.  The spoken voices for announcements and other things sounded ok.  The singing voices lacked amplitude.  The instruments just sounded bad.  The worship leader did not sound as good as I know he can sound.  I was disappointed in the audio to say the least.  Then Adrian came on and I was amazed at the sudden clarity, fidelity, amplitude and lack of noise.  I started thinking of what microphone I had him use.  The microphone was nothing better than what everyone else had used if not worse.  The .wav recording was ready to convert to .mp3 as is.  I sampled it again and found no fault.  Like I said before I ran out of memory before Adrian had stopped speaking so I thought I would have to do some editing and end at a part that still got the points of message across or I was going to have to scrap the whole project.  The recording could not have shut off at a better point in the message.  No editing needed.  I converted to .mp3 and listened to that on my computer.  It sounded great for computer speakers.  I then burned it to a CD in about 15 minutes which was excellent compared to other burns I had did.  This was for 65 minutes of his message at almost 700mb; a full CD!  I took the burned CD in and played it on my home theatre system and I was blown away at the quality.  It sounded as good as the CDs that I had purchased recently from Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram; minus the professional narration, lead in and packaging of course.  All of that was God!

I know when something is beyond understanding, beyond the capabilities of equipment and beyond my own human abilities then it has to be God.

Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to be a part of “rightly handling the word of truth”. (2 Timothy 2:15)

Comes in 3s

2005-09-19T19:47:00.000-05:00

WOW! Has it been almost 3 weeks since I last posted? Time flies by when the day job is demanding a lot of time, the computer is down for a week and preparation for 3 worship services is ongoing. We had some great morning worship services this past Sunday and the evening service we ordained 3 great men to the office of Deacon.

My computer going down was a blessing in disguise. Thank God all my hardware was not damaged for one thing. Upon rebuild everything was lost on my hard drive. (Word of warning about what partition software you use.) Now my computer performs as good as the day I bought it. Actually it performs better because the OEM partition and the poorly engineered, bundled software is history.

Well, that is my 3 main reasons for not posting. Plus I have been spending some time working on another blog. All I can say is “Life is hard but God is good”.

That’s a few 3s. This makes me think of the late, great Dale Earnhardt. In case you just fell off the turnip truck, his number was 3.

Due to my newly reconfigured computer I now have a whole new bundle of joy; I mean software to play with. Now let me recommend 3 excellent tools that will help you as a blogger. Two will help you with any text document, including e-mail, which you prepare.

Blogger for Word -- I’m using it now. If would like more control over your text than what the post creator and editor on blogger.com can offer then this is the way to go. One benefit that I’m using in this post is a bulleted list. There are many, many more. I’m sure most of you are familiar with the capabilities of Microsoft Word.
WordWeb Pro – WordWeb Pro is a fully functional dictionary and thesaurus that runs in you system tray. Therefore it is available for any document that you may want to check definition or synonym. In addition to definitions and synonyms this utility recommends adjectives, anagrams and similar words. Nice tool to have.
Text Monkey PRO – What a very quick and adaptable utility Text Monkey PRO has proved itself to be. I believe it is one of the more invaluable tools that I have found when it comes to editing any document or text. This includes cleaning up e-mail and converting HTML. I can’t begin to tell you all the features and I don’t really have to because you can see all the features listed here.

I hope this short list helps you discover some excellent utilities to use for text if you didn’t know already.

I have some new audio and video editing software that I’m digging into next. Stay tuned.

New Book & CD from Matt Redman

2005-09-01T22:47:00.000-05:00

"Worship is a choice to be made in every circumstance of life and every season of the soul. Come rain or shine, come hardship or ease, come confusion or clarity, wise worshippers make it through the storms of life with a cry of 'Blessed Be Your Name' on their lips."
-- Matt and Beth Redman

I'm looking forward to picking up "Blessed Be Your Name" the book and "Blessed Be Your Name: The Songs Of Matt Redman Vol. 1" the CD.

Are We Indigenous Missionaries?

2005-09-01T22:43:00.000-05:00

Anthony Coppedge has authored yet another thought provoking article on his blog.  The article is titled Does the Church Need AVL Technology?
Now I must confess at first I was confused because in the mobile data communications business AVL is an acronym for Automatic Vehicle Locator which uses GPS (Global Positioning System) technology to help pubic safety agencies, trucking companies or any other organization with a large fleet to keep track of their vehicles.  I thought “Why would a church need that?”  Anthony quickly clarified in the first paragraph that this AVL represents Audio, Video & Lighting.
Anthony sparked new avenues of thought for me as I’m now picturing my realm of using media as a mission field.  I attend a heavily missions oriented church so I may score points with my pastor by presenting our media ministry team as an indigenous missions team. [smile]
Thanks once again Anthony for stoking the fire of my passion.