Unsolicited Promotion of Audio Blogs

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

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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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?!
4. 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.
5. 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

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

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?

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Articles of Interest

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

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


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


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


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


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


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


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

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

We Are the Reason for the Season

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

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

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

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

Merry Christmas!

Greg Atkinson: Jesus Is The Reason For The Season

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks Greg for an excellent article!  

Reflections on Service

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Giving Thought to Planning

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

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

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

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

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!

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

“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!

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