I had to get this down, a confessional of sorts. Confessing that I think negatively of people. Right or wrong. Forgive the jumbled quality as well. I’m trying to get this down. I felt like I needed to.

So tonight, at around 11pm, I was 99% asleep in my recliner, 1% watching the World Series when I hear an unfamiliar car engine sound. You know how you know the cars around your house you are used to hearing. I didn’t recognize this one and assumed it was a neighbor’s house. A few seconds later my dog begins going nuts and then someone knocks on my door. (Yeah, Ruby is a good guard dog, she heard them coming to the porch.) I stumbled to the door, now about 15% awake, and look out the window to see a woman looking up at me. She asked me for something, I said what, she asked again, I said what again, I opened the door with one hand, held my dog with the other and asked what again. Now 20% awake, I was only able to determine only that I was not clearly thinking enough operate the machinery that is my brain. My wife took over the thinking part since she was still fully awake and on the internet at the time of the surprise…

Tonight a woman and a young child ended up in my driveway in their car and ultimately at my door, asking for help. Not sure what she wanted really. First it was a phone, then it was cash for food or gas to get home. She lives about an hour away and had been stuck in town all day with car trouble. We, as usual, had no cash on hand (and I wouldn’t have wanted to give it anyway). But, my wife volunteered me to go to the gas station around the corner with her to fill her tank up. She asked for cash again for food. My wife invited her into the dining room to give her a few snacks for her little boy. I then told her where the gas station was and followed her there. I filled her tank up and talked barely as I stood there, I was tired and foggy still having been asleep only 10 minutes prior. She commented about how cold it had gotten outside and how her car still wasn’t running smooth. She then said “can I wash your car or something for $10 just in case something bad happens on the way home and I need money?” I reminded her again that I had no cash. I put $30 in gas in her tank, she thanked me for the gas, hopped in her car, and drove away very quickly. I got in my car and drove home wondering why that happened so fast. Should I have said Jesus loves her? Was I so quiet, “asleep” and short with her that she wanted to leave me alone as soon as possible?

Now I sit at home, wide awake, 90 minutes later. I just don’t trust people. I assume the worse sometimes. I’m trying to figure out what her ulterior motive was (as if she HAD to have one). Was she casing us? Was she really wanting money for drugs? She said multiple times how embarrassed/ashamed she was while she talked to my wife. Certainly she didn’t want to wash my car at 11pm on a cold night. Was she just trying to get cash any way she could? Of all the places… how did she end up at our house? Had she been turned away at others? Was ours the first in the neighborhood with enough lights on to think she could get someone awake?

I’m sitting here now with my senses heightened. Every sound I here makes me pause and listen. Its just dumb that I am even nervous/suspicious now isn’t it? I really do hope that what she really needed was gas and a somewhat healthy snack for her little boy, she got that. I really do hope that she wasn’t really fishing for cash and taking anything else she got as spoils. I know that Jesus said to help people, that I think we did. Did we do enough? I am certainly not worried about “losing” $30 and some food even if it WAS dishonest, if it cares for someone. I just sit here wondering why I feel the way I feel. I am half on guard for… something, and half feeling guilty for thinking everything I’ve thought. I’m praying for peace from God so that I can sleep.

Can anyone identify with me? Help me process this.

How far ahead do you plan for Easter & Christmas services? How far ahead do you normally plan services? If the “normal” time is different, why?

Ok, now that the questions are out there, you know why you are here, so let me set them up better.

Over the past couple of months, thanks in large to Twitter (@tpaulding), I have been in communication with a large number of media/producer/tech people as well as pastors & worship leaders. At times I have become discouraged as I hear people share, as much as two months out, that they are finalizing Easter plans. We work on being ahead at SSCC, two weeks out is the normal deadline for any media project but with some sermon series we are only a few days ahead. We try to be 4-6 weeks ahead on sermon topics and base content but it takes effort. We are working to push these things closer to 8-10 weeks ahead. This gets frustrating to me mostly because rush, short deadlines and last minute planning all very negativly effect what we have the ability to produce and even worse it negatively effects creativity. I can run sound on short notice but don’t expect solid graphics or video projects.

So, at first, I got frustrated at our being “comparatively behind.” I realize we can’t all do things the same way for a lot of reasons, but it still makes me think. I also wonder if it is “wrong” of the church to put more effort on 1-2 services a year. Some churches may have the philosophy and means to always be months ahead. Honestly, I crave that.

But I currently (but not always) am bothered by putting markedly more effort into one to two services a year and then not “trying as hard” for the other 50 or so. When I set up our planning calendar for this year I definitely noted Easter, Christmas and about 6 other “high attendance” weekends for us. I think it is super-important to be ready for what is coming and aware of reasons that might bring people to your church on any given Sunday. I really just wish the Church “put that much effort” into every week.

So again, how far ahead do you plan?

Do you plan for Easter services more in advance than others?

Do you have any planning resources you use?

Share your thoughts, tell your friends… just don’t look back to my last post unless you have a time machine.

I wear a lot of hats here at St. Simons Community Church and at the Gathering Place where I volunteer regularly. My job title is Technology Director. My role is WAY more complicated. I am involved with everything audio, video, lighting, IT, software, graphic design, video production, event production, service planning, content planning, and a few other things I am missing. I like the multitasking, I like the every-day-is-different, I like the freedom & responsibility. (This is where I must mention the two guys I work closely with: Bo and Chris, they share an equal load in tech direction in the church and I/we couldn’t come close to doing it without them.) What I don’t like is how it has fostered a critical nature in me.

I am responsible for what happens in our live services for instance. So whether I am running front of house, producing, or making sure that our awesome volunteers are taken care of, I still find myself generally somewhere in the back of the room or video booth critiquing. It seems that without it being specified in my job description anywhere, I am constantly identifying problems, errors, oversights and just things we could have done better. This is bad for people in my postion or similar ones because we will become generally negative pretty quick. It is the nature of the beast I think. We just have to tame that.

I don’t want to be the guy that only points out the bad things and neither should you. People will quickly discount what we say if all we ever have is a bad thing to say. Even worse probably, it will frustrate us quickly. If all we do is focus on the bad stuff we will stop seeing any good stuff. I had a real gut check this past week when running sound at a youth event in our community. We have had some technically frustrating nights this summer and followed that up with a few nights that SEEMED spiritually frustrating as well. This past week everything went pretty smoothly, which is nice, but the big thing for me was SEEING life change. People responded to a clear message and call from God through our speaker. I stood at the console in the back of the room while two people behind me wept and prayed out loud.

There are about 1000 students a week there and lives have been being changed all summer, I just hadn’t really even attempted to put myself in a place to notice. Actually, lives have been being changed by God long before I offered Him my amazing services. Lives were being changed before you jumped on board at your place too. Here is the kicker, God doesn’t need perfect pitch, flawless transitions, the right SPL and hyped up videos to move. He uses them to move and thankfully allows us to be a part of that. We need to remind ourselves of that fact.

So here is the take home on this, and yes, it will be on the test. Have you heard of a compliment sandwich? You should try one, they are delectable. I must confess that Stewie Griffin set the example for me. Anyway, KEEP CRITIQUING. It is important to always work to honor God by doing the best you can with what He has given you. However, every time you notice a negative, find two positive things about the event, service or whatever to report on as well. Sandwich that criticism between some positive review. Trust me, the people you work closely with will greatly appreciate it and they will PROBABLY start listening to what you have to say too.

So, anyone else feel me? Chime in with your thoughts and experiences.

Senheiser USA just added a plug about our new facility on their website. I was at an Expo in Chicago while at the Willowcreek Arts conference and one of the Sennheiser guys saw my name tag and told me about it. I gotta be honest, it felt kind of cool to be “noticed” by their East Coast rep. Apparently two of the guys in Chicago had worked on our wireless coordination. Even though I am not mentioned in the short article, I think I am famous by association right? I mean, A LOT of people read the Sennheiser Houses of Worship news feed right? Hmmm. I think this blog may have more readers (6) than that. Anyway, in a geeky sense, it was cool for them to “know me,” same thing happened at the Meyer Sound booth as well. EDIT: Turns out as I was about to post this, Bo found another article at Lighting & Sound America about the build. REMEMBER, these were written by our systems contractors and not us.

On that same note however, this “new building” thing was already on my mind. Nancy Beach, one of the creative leaders at Willowcreek, said something that really stuck with me yesterday. She discussed how much Willow strives to be known for making a difference in their community and the world and NOT to be known simply as the church with the big building in town. She actually teared up during that part of her talk. It really hit me hard.

I don’t want SSCC to become known only as the big church on the island or anything like that. I don’t think that we SHOULD be known only as that. But it is an important challenge to never forget. The baptisms we regularly hold and the missions teams we send out each year are a constant benchmark for the work that God has called us to do… Even if I do get excited about tech toys and the like. I like the exposure that the facility can give us, I just pray that we use it only to more greatly glorify God.

Although somewhat technical, I definitely consider this blog subject “off topic” but I couldn’t ignore it. I stumbled across an article leading me to this website, which confirms something incredible.

PETA (the animal rights group) is offering $1 million for the first group of scientists to come up with commercially viable and edible meat. Let me say that again. PETA is going to award $1 million to whoever can make MEAT grow in the lab. It has to be distributable to multiple states and priced more cheaply than its real counterpart (chicken).

PETA is willing to help us “gain access to flesh that doesn’t cause suffering and death.” How very considerate of them. What about the suffering of the taste testers? I don’t even want to think about the test meals in that kitchen.

What a way to re-enter the blogosphere, huh?

-Yours Truly

A big discussion arose today in the hall outside of my office with 6-7 coworkers today that lasted about 20 minutes. It was centered around whether we should have tryouts for a “team” that was reconfiguring as we head into our new facility. Do we do something as the Church like that, knowing that some people who try will probably not make the cut? Is it wrong for a church ministry to make people audition for something? I was (rather strongly) suggesting that we “pursue excellence” and that individual involvement should not supersede the quality of the service for 250 or so people in this instance. Let me say this now, I am NOT suggesting that I am right, I may be right or wrong, I am just telling you what I think. I am curious what the world thinks. (By world I mean “the seven people who read this blog.” Unfortunately, three of you were in this conversation.)

We toss around terms like pursuing excellence, usually not knowing what WE really mean when we say it. I have decided that pursuing excellence for me is: doing the best you can with the resources that you have. Excellence is relative to culture and resources especially. Think about the widow’s mite or the parable of the talents. Its not HOW much you have that matters, its how well you use WHATEVER you have that matters.

So I guess I should rephrase the question now. In a churches pursuit of excellence, where should it draw the line with involvement? Is it right for a representative of Christ to potentially really disappoint someone who is really excited about participating in something? Also, is the same thing true in all situations? Do you treat vocalists for your adult centered service with the same care that you might with volunteers in a different ministry in the church?

I was discussing this later with one of our AWESOME ministry directors, something that worries me is the potential that the church is being dishonest in the name of compassion & grace rather than being truthful to people. I think about at least three American Idol tryouts I saw where he/she told a story of their church being super positive, loving their voice and encouraging them to even pursue careers in singing. Now these people, who clearly couldn’t sing, stand in front of these judges thinking, “well, my church lied to me, these pros think I am horrid.” Isn’t it the role of the church to help people find their spiritual gifts and talents? That defineitly would look different from just letting people do what they most wanted to do.

Anyway, this could go on forever, each question leads to another question….

So, talk amongst yourselves, what do you think? What do you do?

-Travis

While these stories are not technical and not DIRECTLY theological (Thanks to Rob Bell we know everything is spiritual), I had to share them.

First up is:

…a rare dolphin beating. Yes you heard me. A group of fishermen came upon a Ganges River Dolphin, “had never seen a creature like it” and beat it. They had second thoughts and tried to sell it as a rare fish, when that didn’t work, they left it on the steps of a museum. I guess they realized they were onto something just a little to late in the game.

I just want to say, who does that? Really? Its stinking 2008 people, who does that? Who finds a rare enough creature to potentially instill awe and wonder and just beats it to death? Also, know that this picture is not of that specific dolphin or one of those fisherman, I just got it on the web to be all illustrative of my message.

Second in our story is:

…a baby is thrown from a 4th floor balcony during a fire and survives. This one undoubtedly caught my attention because I have a little girl about this size. But seriously, WOAH. Can you imagine being the parents, having to throw their child to the people on the ground? I don’t know about that one. Like I said, the child survived, no word specifically on the parents, but some people were killed in the fire. I will let the pictures to the rest of the talking.

Studies show that high-speed internet is cooling the earth. Or something close to that. Read this article I found a few weeks ago on news.com and then get straight to earth cooling!

“How would faster downloads and Web page loads curb the annual flow of globe-warming gases, and by how much? According to the report:

Telecommuting, a “zero emission” practice, eliminates office space and car commutes: 588 million tons.
E-commerce cuts the need for warehouses and long-distance shipping: 206 million tons.
Widespread teleconferencing could bring one-tenth of all flights to a halt: 200 million tons.
Downloading music, movies, newspapers, and books saves packaging, paper, and shipping: 67 million tons.”

How bout them apples?

-Travis

This is a blog post I came across earlier. I think it should spark interesting discussion. Chime in with your two cents.

What do we do in our churches that would anger Jesus if He visited this Sunday? Do we ever turn parts of His Father’s house into something other than a place of worship?

-Travis

Media and even chain-letter email are cluttered with opinions about “The Golden Compass.” Some tell us to see it, many tell us not to. I guess that is normal for any movie but this one gets special attention because of its potential atheistic bent. For a while there it seemed like I was getting one message a day about this flick. I am a skeptic by nature, even if it is skepticism that I am being skeptical of. (If that is possible.) For some reason I have been bothered by all of this negative attention that TGC has been getting. Mainly, SO MANY people who have not read the book and obviously hadn’t seen the movie (since it wasn’t out yet) were telling me and the rest of the world how wrong it was. That kind of stuff drives me nuts. I mean, we have to listen to what other people tell us and take advice, but if you are going to get passionate about something, get educated on it first. Also, there are a myriad of anti-Christian/anti-religious things in our culture already. Why did this one get so much attention? The irony of the whole thing is that all this kicking and screaming has given the movie more publicity than it probably could have bought in the first place.

All that being said, I want to know what others think about seeing the movie. I read an article on MSNBC today where the author of the book answers some directed questions. I encourage you to check out his responses there. The short version is that he says he is not promoting atheism. Pullman said, “as for the atheism, it doesn’t matter to me whether people believe in God or not, so I’m not promoting anything of that sort. What I do care about is whether people are cruel or whether they’re kind, whether they act for democracy or for tyranny, whether they believe in open-minded enquiry or in shutting the freedom of thought and expression.” When asked specifically about the church represented in the work and how it is painted negatively, he equates it to something like the Taliban. He said his issue is with religious organizations gaining great political power and then using it “for bad.” Granted, “for bad” is a grey statement and we may all disagree on what is good or bad for the government to do.

So far, I do not see all the potential harm in this film that I have been warned about. As a family fantasy movie, it seems like it will be incredible. Children won’t pick up on or be looking for all of the “messages” that the rest of us think we see anyway. I do not see how it would do more harm than “Lord of the Rings” or “Narnia.” I think we just don’t get riled up at their fantastic content because we know the heart of those authors. I also recognize that after I see the movie I may have to take back what I said about it not being a big deal. Maybe it is a big deal and the author is playing it down. Know that at this point I am not promoting or protesting this movie. I am inquiring about it.

Have you seen it? Will you see it? What do you think about it if you have seen it?

-Travis