the day before

It’s Friday, the day before the first service of the weekend. So what does the day of the Media Guy for LifePointe Church look like on a Friday?

9am, roll out of bed. Check Facebook, and think of witty tidbit to post as my first status update of the day. Then, decide what to eat for breakfast…big bowl of cereal (or, The BBC as it’s know in this house), or leftover cold spaghetti? No contest….spaghetti. Then, I turn on the tv to see…wait a minute, this isn’t what you want to know.

Actually, earlier in the week I was able to load up the song lyrics thanks to our worship leader Stephen. He usually has them posted on Planning Center Online weeks in advance.

Then later this evening, Jamey will call with the verses and the phrases he’ll want up on the screen. This is awesome, because there are many pastors who wait until moments before the service to release this info, and that puts the stress factor at 78 for the tech team!

The real trick comes in deciding what types of video backgrounds to use for the songs and the message. Why is that tough? Well, you want to keep it interesting, cool, and relevant, but you don’t want it to distract from the words on the screen, which are the most important thing. The most important thing for any church media guy to remember is to enhance the message, not distract from it.

Mentally, though, the truly hard part is always remembering that it’s not a “show” we’re putting on…it’s a living, breathing embodiment of God’s word.

media and mother’s day

As Mother’s Day approaches, I see men and women, but mostly men, scrambling for ideas for a last minute gift. For some reason, men were not born with the gene that allows a normally sentient being to pick out a gift for someone they care about.

So here’s my gift to those people….

Media. Create a small but personally piece of media to give your Mom.

Mom’s love memories. That’s what they live on, what drives them. So why not take a couple of dozen photos of family events and put them into a simple, yet effective, presentation?

With programs that already come on your computer, such as Windows Movie Maker on PC’s, or iMovie on Macs, you can take those photos (you’ll need to scan them if they aren’t already digital), an appropriate piece of music, create a short masterpiece, put it on a DVD,and give your Mom a gift that will have her believing she raised the most incredible, sensitive and amazing child on Planet Earth! And you did it for FREE!

Or, buy a digital photo frame, load those pictures on it, and your Mom will swoon as she see’s a picture-show of her life dissolving in and out on the frame before her. This option may cost you $50-$80.

Option #3: Go old-school! Buy a scrapbook at Walmart, and place those photos in it, along with other tidbits from the past, and you’ve got another winner.

Memories. Create a gift based on memories, and you will make your Mom’s Day.

help

I have always been self-reliant.

I would never ask for help…with anything. Homework assignments in college, projects at home or work…anything. I used to think this was an admirable trait. But recently, I found out that it was the trait that has been holding me back.

God put us on the planet with other humans for a reason: to interact and be part of a community. It’s that community that brings us closer to Christ, and brings us closer to each other. We are hear to support each other, and help our fellow man to achieve greatness; to become the people that our Creator meat for us to be.

If we can’t rely on each other, then we are but an island. And, as the old saying goes, no man is an island.

After 43 years on this planet, I finally get it. It’s easier to lean on a thousand shoulders than stand on your own.

peaceful easy feeling…

It’s 8am Sunday morning, and I’m sitting at my computer at church as I write this. We’ve already been here longer than an hour, and I’m listening to the worship band rehearse, and the volunteer setup crew putting the finishing on the stage. It’s a huge feat, because we meet in a movie theater, so we literally “build” a church and tear it down every single Sunday.

And right now is always the most peaceful time of my week.

It’s those few moment between disorganization and chaos.

It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s worth it. It takes that feeling of accomplishment to a new level, and it gives me the opportunity to watch a bunch of guys give a valuable block of time to their church…and mostly without complaint.

It’s the best time of my week…