If Mixing Audio Were Really This Simple...

This goes out to all my friends who mix audio for live and/or recorded environments. Oh, if it were only this easy.

Exciting News...

As you read in an earlier post, I am now part of an exciting group of volunteers over at Church Tech Matters. The site is live now! The posts have started and my introduction post just went up. I rarely write about myself, so if you want to learn more about me, head on over.

More importantly, if you are any of the following:

• Staff member (Media Director, Music Minister, pick a title) leading the media ministry at your church
• Volunteer leader of other media team volunteers
• Volunteer media team member
• Staff IT Director (or whatever your title)
• Volunteer IT manager
• IT staff
• Anybody wanting to get involved with ANY of the above

We want you to get involved. While the CTM contributors will be adding new posts on a regular (ok, semi-regular) basis, you can start a discussion at any time on any Church Media / Tech related topic. How do you do that?

Go join the forums at CTM, and get involved with the discussion. Add a new topic, provide your input on current discussions and share what you've learned with others. We look forward to exchanging ideas with you!

Pro-Life 12 Year-Old's Speech...

If you haven't seen this yet, it's worth watching. This 12 year old young lady makes a very impassioned speech on behalf of unborn children.

Hi, My Name is _________.

I came across this in the newspaper this week (yes, as connected as I am, I still get a newspaper).

I wanted to post this in honor of YOU. I have created some great new friendships and expanded many older friendships via Blogging, Twitter, Facebook and now Church Tech Matters. In many cases, I have never met you IRL (in real life), but we have exchanged a wealth of ideas, concepts and beliefs. Thank you for the investment you have made in my life through the blog posts, twitter updates, Facebook posts, comments and everything else you've shared.

So, "Hi, my name is Greg ...."

Enjoy!

Deidox - Average People, Active God

Recently, I was invited to an afternoon web-screening of the new projects over at Deidox. If you read my previous post on Deidox, you are somewhat familiar with their mission. For the rest of you, briefly, Deidox is a documentary project that seeks to show how God is still actively working today through the lives of ordinary people. The key here is that these are ordinary people; the difference is that they are allowing themselves to be used by God.

The pieces I've seen from Deidox are, simply put, amazing. The short films highlight God's impact in one person's life. While there are other short films/videos that tell someone's story, these are different. The documentary, first-person style makes the storytelling so personal, so real. For instance, let Robert tell part of his story:


Deidox | Robert : Trailer from Deidox on Vimeo

The question you're probably thinking is, "Now how can I use this?" That's what makes the Deidox project so great! These films are available for download in a variety of formats to meet your church's or small group's need. Even better, a portion of the proceeds goes to a non-profit doing work similar to that of the film's theme and location.

I urge you to visit Deidox, explore the site, sign up for the email newsletter and begin thinking about how you can use these resources. While you're there, meet the guys behind the project and follow them on Twitter if you like.

ATTN: Church Tech / Media Leaders and Volunteers

As most of you my regular readers know, I have a passion for Church Media / Church Tech. For over 20 years, I have served as a Church Media volunteer, led volunteer teams, taught classes and done pretty much anything necessary to help small churches effectively implement media and technology.

Recently, God opened up a wonderful new opportunity. I will be joining other Church Media / Church Tech volunteers from around the world in helping other volunteers implement media and technology in their churches.

We, as a group, are excited about this new opportunity and invite you to get involved. Please read the Press Release below and pass to any Church Media / Tech volunteers you may know.

Come join us!

************

For Immediate Release
February 17, 2009

All Around the World - Well known church technology site Church Tech Matters, is opening its door wide, adding new writers, a new look, and new community building tools all designed to help the church effectively use technology to reach people for Christ.

CTM was founded in October of 2004 as the weblog of Jim Walton. Over time, the site grew to become a valuable resource for both church staff and volunteers, looking at both technical and non-technical topics. Church Tech Matters has been the generous outflow of Jim's experience, passion and observations as he has served as a volunteer technical leader in 2 churches, as well as a consultant to churches seeking to use technology effectively.

After four years of outreach and growth, Jim has opened the doors of Church Tech Matters, to broaden the site's reach, and increase its effectiveness. Jim is now leading a core team of dedicated, talented and passionate tech volunteers from around the world as they write about their experiences and reach out to an even larger audience.

The site's purpose remains unchanged: To equip the church to effectively use technology to reach people for Christ. What changes is how that purpose will be realized. Church Tech Matters is now a site dedicated to church tech volunteers, written by church tech volunteers, and the people who lead them.

Please join us as we begin this next chapter of the journey Church Tech Matters. New features and resources are on the way, as we seek to build a community for the volunteers who make technology in the church sing. The newest addition to the site is a forum, a place for you to ask questions, answer questions, interact with the Church Tech Matters authors and more.

Jim’s involvement with Church Tech Matters continues, but he has stepped back and let go of the reins, so to speak, to allow this site to become more than it ever has been.

You’re invited to join this experiment, by subscribing via RSS, or via Email. You should also join the site forum at http://forum.churchtechmatters.com/. You can also join the CTM Facebook group, our LinkedIn group (coming soon) or follow us on Twitter @church_tech.

Please join us as we kick off this site for church tech volunteers written by church tech volunteers.

Encouragement Found at the Drive Thru

In today's economy, it is getting harder and harder to find any encouraging news. From housing foreclosures to rising unemployment to financial turmoil, it seems that the news is filled with nothing but doom and gloom. As a result, many people are filled with stress and worry about what the future holds.

When I checked my email today, I was delightfully surprised to see that one of our local news stations, WSOCTV Channel 9, had done a story on a random act of kindness happening all over the Carolinas. Very simply, the effort, called "Drive Thru Difference", was launched during the Christmas season by WRCM New Life 91.9. I urge you to go to the news site and watch the news story.










The purpose of the effort was to give listeners a way to perform a random act kindness to those around them. WRCM describes the program like this on their web site.

























Just below that listeners are encouraged to download a pre-written letter. When listeners go through the Drive Thru, they are to pay for their order and the order of the person behind them. They then give the pre-written letter to the Drive Thru worker to give to the person. What's in the letter? The letter simply states that their order has been paid for as an encouragement. The letter also references the radio station and provides and avenue for the recipient to contact the radio station if they choose.

Some may call this a publicity stunt, but I disagree. While there is obvious "awareness" to be gained, the station is a non-profit, listener supported radio station. Their operating costs are paid for by listener donations.

I believe that this type of effort is one in which we can all take part. If you're in the Charlotte, NC region, visit WRCM's website, download the letter and encourage someone anonymously. If you live elsewhere or would prefer not to use the letter, find another way to encourage someone. Look around you. There are many people that could use a simple act of kindness or encouragement. Here are a few ideas:

• Buy someone's order at a Drive Thru anonymously (with or without the letter)
• Put money in a drink machine and put a post-it note on it stating "This one's on me"
• Buy the few items (10 or less) somebody has with them in a convenience store, grocery store, etc
• Buy a gas card and send it to someone that needs it - anonymously
• Bring breakfast biscuits into the office
  
• Buy a $5-$10 gift card at a fast food place. Send it to someone randomly.
  

What are your ideas?

Book Review: Tribes by Seth Godin

The general concepts surrounding leaders and leadership in the marketplace have remained largely unchanged for decades. There are managers, supervisors, subordinates and the like. However, with the appearance of organizations such as Google and Wikipedia and the growing influence of bloggers and the "pajamas media", the whole leadership dynamic is changing.

Immediately, Seth Godin uses the front cover of Tribes to grab your attention with this subtitle "We Need You To Lead Us".

I received my copy of Tribes as an attendee at the Catalyst '08 conference where Seth Godin was one of the speakers. If you've ever experienced one of his presentations, and I have been lucky to do that on several occasions, you quickly realize that his style is, well, different. His presentation at Catalyst '08 focused on the concept of "tribes" which is the focus of this particular book. His presentation style is one filled with visuals and bold statements meant to grab your attention and make you think.

Tribes reflects that same style. Some may say that the book comes across as disorganized and, at time, unfocused. I disagree. To me, the style exemplified by Tribes is one familiar to many web users. Points are made quickly and at times very succinctly, both reminiscent of blogging or even Twitter. These short burst of information, encapsulated in sections with simple, BOLD headings are quick to read and easy to remember.

The absence of "official" chapters may aggravate the traditional reader. There is beauty in it too. The entire book, at only 151 pages and in rather large type, could be read in one flight. But, I believe the short section format suits today's fast paced, attention deficit, SMS or IM length communication.

From a content standpoint, I believe the Seth is spot on with his observations. Unlike the common beliefs of yesteryear, everyone is a leader. While you may not have the official title designating your spot on the leadership hierarchy, you are still a leader. Each of us has the ability to lead a "tribe" of like minded individuals to reach a common goal or celebrate a common ideal. The choice is ours. Or, using a word Seth uses in the book, we can be "sheepwalkers" dedicated to protecting what IS and preventing it from becoming what it COULD BE.

If you are a part of any organization - work, civic, volunteer, charity, church, etc (that should cover everybody) - then Tribes is for you. Certainly, you are a member of an organization into which you pour some of your passion. One reason you're a part of that group is to make a difference. You can and should lead where you are.

While not written specifically for religious leaders, Tribes has many good ideas which religious leaders can take to heart.

A particular passage caught my attention in how it can and should challenge church leaders:

Religion, on the other hand, represents a strict set of rules that our fellow humans have overlaid on top of our faith.

What is more important in our churches, our religion or our faith?

Now, I'm going to do what Seth urges each reader to do at the end of the book. I'm going to give my copy to someone else and urge them to pass it along.

Now Playing: "You Found Me" by The Fray