Brian Head Welch from Korn...what a hardcore love story.

Came across the I Am Second campaign via heartwipe. Love this mini-doc about Brian
Head Welch from Korn. It's a hardcore love story ;)



BRIAN HEAD WELCH - I AM SECOND from BRIAN HEAD WELCH on Vimeo.




Check out http://www.myspace.com/brianheadwelch.

This is locally cool.

Building me.

I love this tune by Brandon Bee. [I should specify - his EP acoustic version, is my fave] Initially the melodic hook right after the first chorus caught me. Right before which he sings:

"Let my heart confess, Your holiness...is building me."

Then tonight I read Hebrews 12:14. "Strive to live in peace with everybody and pursue that consecration and holiness without which no one will [ever] see the Lord."

What would I give up so that I'm built not just to withstand on my own, but built to house the type of devotion that's set apart simply to please God? The kind that eventually speaks to others. That is consecrated / declared sacred.


Modesty? 
Distraction?
Being undisciplined?
Selfishness?

Where is there excess?

Mansledding

Only for a dog. Can't imagine people pulling cats along.




http://snausages.newslinevine.com/

Burger Tour Begins...

We're in week 2 already of Burger Tour.
Tonight's stop: five guys burgers and fries. yum yum yum.

Here's a pic of Aaron slamming down a double.

3 Idea Bubbles [Every creative artist in the church should have floating above their head]

[From the creative session @ the all volunteer luau]

IDEA BUBBLE #1: My gift is equally as valuable as the next guy’s. This statement is not about humility, as much as it is about perspective. Although it will promote humility! When we recognize that in the big picture of the church we are an equal part of the contributing body, we will avoid:

- Taking ourselves too seriously. A lot of creative people have artistic temperaments. We can be easily flustered. Easily offended. Prone to withdraw. It is so important to remind ourselves that we are on level playing field with the rest of the team of volunteers. And as such, excuses for eccentric behavior, only give our community of creative’s around the planet a bad rap! Oh no! There’s a bigger perspective to keep in mind. We have to remember that in the context of the church, the artist’s gift is just as valuable as the gift of cleaning toilets. And who doesn’t desire a humble heart, right? Wrap your heart around this and it will promote humility in you and integrity in the body.

- Being disconnected from community. Our gift is a part of our church life, but more importantly is our spiritual development and the maintenance of our life walk with the Lord. So attend a church based on things like it’s vision, philosophy fit, environment, location, kids program...etc. You will find your creative outlet to use your talents and abilities within. (In that order)

Musicians sometimes go about this in a backwards way. Think about it, if every greeter, kids worker, info center administrator, office volunteer, youth group leader, usher, connection group leader….etc, took their gift to another church on the weeks they weren’t using it, who would make up the body of High Point?

Though factors come into play such as financial compensation, dating someone who attends another church…etc, ultimately there will come a point where you need to decide for you and yours where to fully plant your feet. The word talks about keeping in community, and in Hebrews specifically about not forsaking the gathering together. Artists are not exempt.

Remember that before we are artists, we are Christ followers.

IDEA BUBBLE #2: Our role is to facilitate, not force a corporate response in worship. Facilitate means to assist in the progress of, go to bat for, greese the wheels for…

Corporate dynamics in worship ebb and flow. Some days you will feel a strong sense of the presence of God and see people more physical in their demonstration of their love for the Lord. Some days an influx of visitors can make the dynamic change and you’ve got 30 people scattered throughout who just aren’t comfortable in church yet – and you’ll feel it. Knowing that we’re there to facilitate, not force, what’s already happening in the hearts of people, takes a lot of pressure off, but on the flip side holds great responsibility.

Preparation is the key. If we’re not prepared to facilitate, we can see what the consequences will be just by looking up the opposite of the word “facilitate” in the dictionary which means to hinder, hurt, stop, thwart progress.

3 things you need to do to prepare for the day:

- Get some sleep the night before.

- Visualize your role and walk through the day in your head.

(set list, transitions, the stage set, your role, troubleshooting, what do I need to bring, make a list)

- Practice, pray and prepare your heart

After all is said and done, we fall back on what we do best which is simply worship the Lord. (John 4:23, 24) While others watch, we can bring them along with us in the moment.

IDEA BUBBLE #3: Creatives do it best when our hearts are set on salvation, and our minds are set on innovation. God is the most creative being on the planet. He crafted the earth, but all along He had the plan for the redemption of mankind in mind. That’s the secret in the sauce. It’s only when it’s combined with an understanding of why we are doing what we’re doing, [that it’s to draw people to Christ] that we’re actually effective.

We shutter at the idea of tradition for tradition’s sake, but on the other hand we have to be careful that we don’t innovate for innovation’s sake. Innovation doesn’t necessarily have to mean creating an idea from scratch, but improving upon or re-inventing an existing item is always a good place to start. Afterall, Picasso said, “every act of creation is first of all an act of deconstruction.”

So the responsibility that we have as creatives in the church is to stay current and keep updated with the culture around us. What’s at stake if we don’t, is loosing the attention of people who are desperately needing to connect with a savior.

Here are some great creative ideas coming out of churches these days.

The now ever popular cardboard testimony:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqJlno-z6Nc

The live Mario. (During GCC’s “Get in the game” sermon series):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqtc8dJVUWM

The Lotza money music video by our friends over at River Valley: (During the series “Pocket Change”)

http://vimeo.com/9586322

The insanely successful idea of doing an Easter candy helicopter drop:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFf2-saqqTY

The dirt conference for church creative leaders:

http://vimeo.com/4420758

The list goes on and on and on and on…

QUESTIONS:

On innovating…

Q. How can we be more innovative in 2010? (And where should we be drawing creative inspiration from?)

On your gifts…

Q. If you could accomplish a talent related goal in 2010, it would be ____________.

Or, if you could accomplish any God related goal, it would be_________________.

On facilitating a response…

Q. How does your area of involvement (worship, audio, or media) directly affect the worship environment for people at High Point?