I had a great time a few days back connecting with Andrew Mason over email. He asked me to answer a few questions to try and help other people who are working in church media. His article and my answers were posted today over at Church Create. – Link.

I love what the guys from the 8bit Network are doing to inspire church media people around the world. You should definitely check them out. Enjoy!

This next week we are headed out to San Diego, CA for C3 West Coast. We are going to be at Cornerstone Church in National City, CA. Can’t wait to see what God is going to do. It’s not to late to join us. If you can make it then you should do so! You won’t want to miss this. Register!

(photo copyright LA Times)

I pray that the Church will see the need in Haiti and respond as Christ would.  I know that the Church of Jesus Christ will play such a major part in meeting the great need that exists in Haiti. I would encourage you to join in and do what you can. One way you can help is to give to an organization called Convoy of Hope. Convoy of Hope is a faith based organization that feed millions of people around the world and specializes in disaster relief and is centered on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They were already stationed in Haiti when the earthquake hit and were able to respond immediately. We have partnered with them at Fellowship Church and I would encourage you to do so as well.

On January 6, 2009 my wife and I experienced the birth of our second child. She was born 8 weeks early and gave us quite a scare. But God was faithful to us and after only a few weeks in the NICU she was able to come home healthy and happy. She is now growing and developing into an amazing little girl. I can’t believe she will be 1 year old tomorrow.

This year also brought lots of change in surroundings. We said our goodbyes to all of our close friends and church family in Washington, DC and took a step of faith and opened the door to an amazing opportunity here at Fellowship Church in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. It was amazing to watch God lead and guide us through the transition. So grateful for my new church family. It is a blessing and an honor to serve under and alongside some of the most amazing leaders and servants in the Church today. God is doing some amazing things and I believe we are just starting to scratch the surface of how God is going to use Fellowship Church. Our best days are in front of us!

You never know what a year is going to bring. One of the biggest things that I took away from this year is just an even greater realization that, “It’s all Gods…” My family, my plans, my time, my talents, my resources, my money, All of it! And there is such a freedom in that, because I know my Heavenly Father has my back. My security with everything rests in Him. Here is a passage of scripture that has been resounding with me as I look back and reflect.

Proverbs 3:1-10 – 1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. 3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. 8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. 9 Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

I am so excited about 2010 and seeing what God is going to do over the next 12 months. I am ecstatic for my family to have the opportunity to put down roots here and invest our lives into Fellowship Church and this area. I am pumped about the new levels He is going to take me, my family and my church to. Bring on 2010!

If you don’t know Scott he is the lead pastor of The Orchard Community Church in Aurora, IL. They are doing some great work there and they have and amazing story.

Great Quote from Scott – “Let’s make sure we aren’t allowing our current situation to move us into a “poverty” or “lacking” mentality.  Instead, let’s keep the bar raised and expectations high.  Let’s continue casting vision and articulating what could be – even if the resources don’t yet exist.  And instead of saying “NO” – what if we said things like, “If you can figure out a way to make it happen, go for it!“  Or BETTER YET….what if we actually challenged and empowered our teams to find ways to make it happen!  Seriously, you’ll be surprised at the innovation that will surface.”

Tough Times = Breeding Ground for Innovation – Link

Take for example this “fake me out” iPod Nano.  The company that invented this little clone, I’m sure would love it if you mistook it for a true real deal iPod Nano. And instead of being innovative and original the inventors of this knock-off, just decided to rip off a design that already existed and is popular. Another example is this lovely MiWi knock-off. I don’t think Nintendo is going to be too happy about this Wii clone. =)

Now, most smart consumers are not duped by these imitations. Some people might actually buy something like this because of the novelty, fun, or basic functionality that it does give them all for only 29.95. =) Although, most of the companies that produce stuff like this you will probably never hear from again. Chances are that they will be sued into bankruptcy by whatever company they are ripping off.

A lot of times as followers of Christ and as Churches, we are guilty of becoming a knock-off. We try to conform to whatever the latest trend or latest thing is, or we try too hard to emulate the way someone else is doing ministry. We become a copy-cat, clone or knock-off instead of being who God created us to be. Psalm 139:13 and Job 10:8 remind us of how God made us each so unique. And 1 Cor 12 tells us that we all are united in Christ, but we all play different roles and should look differently in the ways we serve. We aren’t living to our full potential if we aren’t serving and living as God has called us to.

Sometimes it’s even the reverse… Instead of trying to progress and develop our ministry, we hold back and try to remain the same, because we or others involved have a fear of change. We become clones and knock-off of the past. Maybe God did something great in your ministry years ago and your ministry is still holding on to some of that, instead of looking to what God wants to do today. We major on our old habits and the “we’ve always done it that way” factor, instead of really asking the questions of “how can our ministry reach this culture, city and neighborhood in which we live?”

My hope and prayer is that we would all seek God for discernment in how we are to live our lives and run our ministries. So that we would be original, creative, innovative and culturally relevant. That we would be like the “men of Issachar” in I Chronicles 12:32. It says they “understood the times and knew what Israel should do.” My hope is that we would have the wisdom and vision to understand the times and culture we live in so that we can be the Church and show Christ to those that need Him.

I’m not saying that we all shouldn’t learn and glean from one another… But, we should take what we learn and adapt it to our culture and use it in our own context.

I just came across this site via another blog that I frequent and thought it would be a great resource to share.  Cyclops is a pretty cool search tool that searches a variety of stock imagery sites and organizes all the results for you.  It’s a great way to hunt for the images that you need without having to plow your way through a bunch of different sites.  We all know you can’t get enough stock images when trying to put something together at the last minute.

http://cyclo.ps/

I’m speaking for a session at WFX today. So I thought I would try and save some trees and let those of you that have a laptop just download the notes and such. If you are a WFX today, be sure to look me up so we can connect.  I’ve already been able to connect with so many amazing church leaders.

WFX Handout – Streaming Services Compared – sample-podcast.xml.zip

Hope to see you there.

Job Summary:
Join a dynamic and talented team of video monkeys! No seriously! We are crazy about utilizing the power of motion pictures to tell THE STORY. The greatest story ever told.

Your job will be to work with a team of video editors/producers to create dynamic, mind-shifting, heart tugging content. We are looking for an individual who is self-motivated, organized, and able to produce cutting-edge video content for Fellowship Church and it’s ministries. The ideal candidate will be someone who is passionate about video production, motion graphics, video editing and the local church.

To Apply:
If you meet the requirements below, please send a resume, references, work samples or URL’s, to the attention of Dave Clark at .

This is a full time position. Qualified applicants only, please.

Job Responsibilities:
• Work with in a team environment with other creative’s
• Be able to take on and manage video projects from inception to completion
• Be flexible and ready to jump when an opportunity arises

Qualifications and Work Experience:
• Must have 4 to 5 years experience in Non-linear editing
• High-proficiency in Final Cut Studio, After Effects & Photoshop
• Experience in 3D software is a plus (Cinema 4D, Maya, etc…)
• Must know basic lighting principles
• Must know basic camera/shooting principles and techniques
• Must work well alone and in a team environment
• Able to work on multiple high-priority tasks simultaneously
• Able to receive direction and feedback
• Must have a love and belief that the local church is the hope of the world.

Character Traits:
• Christian with a genuine desire to serve
• Trustworthy, dependable and loyal
• Enthusiastic self-starter and problem solver
• High sense of urgency and professionalism
• Strong self-confidence and superior interpersonal skills
• Adjusts easily in a fast paced, changing environment

You may have also heard through the Twitterverse that FC is also looking for more Rockstars… Looking for a Web Ninja and IT Guru… Help spread the word and hit me up of you are interested or know of someone.