Church Video Ideas

Let me explain: Yesterday our pastor was preaching from John 12 (Jesus’ triumphal entry). As Christ entered on the donkey, He was greeted with shouts, cheers, people waving palm branches and proclaiming “Hosanna!”. He commented on how silly it would be for the donkey to think that the praise and cheering was for him. Christ created the donkey, gave it life, empowered it, picked it and chose to ride in on it. The praise was for Jesus - He was simply using the donkey. In the same way, Christ made me, gave me life, empowers me, called me and chooses to use me. May I never think the praise is for me - it’s all for Him.

EXTRA:

Face Control from Redfield plugins is a Photoshop compatible plugin for making modifications to facial expressions and tweaking the overall appearance of someone in a photo. It might be worth checking out.

The wonderful folks at Passion, including Louie Giglio, have released a special EP to encourage and minister to anyone affected by the events at Virginia Tech and for anyone just searching for hope in this world. To download the songs of hope, go HERE.

EXTRA:

The folks who you brought you Church Marketing Sucks and the Church Marketing Lab can now help you get a job or fill an opening. CFCC is now helping to connect churches and creative professionals with the launch of their job posting sites, the Job Lab and the Freelance Lab. Churches can post listings for full-time job openings as well as freelance projects and creative professionals who want to help the church can find the job or project to make that dream happen.

For a limited time postings are FREE while they bulk up the listings and work out any kinks. Check out the sites and spread the word. For more Center for Church Communication news visit their web site.

I really like this Easter prayer sent out by Highway Video:

Father, quiet our hearts and still our souls.
We have done our best to prepare for this weekend.
We ask now that you do what only you can do.
Prepare the hearts of those that you have called to hear your message.
Remove anything that might distract them or keep them away.
Pour your Spirit out on our time of worship together.
Speak through what we have prepared.
Make any changes you deem necessary.
Help us to worship in Spirit and Truth.
Accomplish all that you have in mind this weekend.
We place our efforts before you now and leave them at your throne.
Only You can change lives.
Grant us the joy of seeing your hand at work.
All this we pray humbly in the name of your son Jesus,
whose death we remember with reverence,
and whose resurrection we celebrate with joy.

Amen.

BONUS:

Still looking for some new Easter backgrounds. I found these backgrounds from ImageVine. This downloadable package (which I got) is for your projector, TV, print and HD. This package includes 60 Jpeg images (300 total images). You know I love companies that offer HD images and footage. Here’s the multiple formats:

• Standard resolution for projector (1024 x 768)
• HD (1920 x 1080 for use on HD equipment)
• TV-NTSC (720 x 480 sized to display on TV without distorting)
• TV-PAL (720 x 576 sized to display on TV without distorting)
• Print resolution (2400 x 1800)

Easter Backdrops Pro (all for $49) gives you the materials necessary to be creative- you can create completely customized presentations AND printed materials. Print promotional materials for your Easter service or event, bulletins, programs, flyers- all with the Pro images. Save time, money, and get professional quality photography and design.

Aren’t we all a work in process? I’m thankful that I’m not complete, yet. God is working on me. Chipping and carving away…molding me. Over the years, God teaches me different things and reveals more of Himself and my true identity in Him. Lately, I keep sensing Him dealing with me in the area of pride. Truly, I must decrease. He must increase. It really is that simple. I believe pride is at the top of the “sin list” - meaning that all other sins flow out of the common root of pride. As I said before, I sense God saying to my heart, “When pride walks in, I walk out.” Pray for me as I seek to grow in this area of weakness.

INJURY UPDATE:
It’s official: I fractured my foot. I get to wear a big, black boot and am on crutches. :(  God is teaching me something. I sure of it. Just got to figure out what. I will say, last night during rehearsals, it was amazing to just sit and watch everything - see my team in action. I’m very proud of them and how dedicated they are to giving their all this Easter season. We usually see 3000 - 4000 visitors at Easter. This year’s production is very powerful - so we’re praying for changed lives.

I subscribe to Greg Laurie’s daily Harvest Devotional. The one below was especially meaningful to me and something you could use with your ministry team sometime as a devotional thought:

An Outlet for Your Inlet

“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

—Luke 6:38

A lot of Christians today who have known the Lord for many years are facing spiritual stagnation. They are saying, “I have been a Christian for so long. I know the Bible so well. I go to church every week. What is wrong?”

I can tell you what is wrong. They need an outlet for their inlet. If you don’t have an outlet for what you are taking in, then you will stagnate. The truth of God’s Word was not designed to be hoarded, but to be shared. And the more you give out, the more God gives to you.

Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38). Proverbs 11:25 says, “The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself.” The Bible is saying that if you want a soul that is full, if you want a life that is rich, then give out.

It’s a radical thought. And it flies in the face of what we hear today, especially in our touchy-feely, narcissistic culture in which we are all trying to help our wounded inner child and build our self-esteem.

Jesus was saying, “Want to find life? Then lose it. Deny yourself.” This means we stop focusing on ourselves and start thinking about other people and their needs. Then we will find what we have been looking for all along —not by searching for it, but as the byproduct of a life that is properly aligned with God.

* For more relevant and Biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org.

PERSONAL:

Last night was pure sweetness - to have two of my favorite shows on back to back (Prison Break and 24). Wow. What a line up!