hard times

This is another video I directed and produced in 2006 while at The People’s Church. As I remember, this was one of the best services I was ever a part of. The message was on brokenness and we opened the morning with this video:

We ended the service with some very powerful “cardboard testimonies” (which I couldn’t find on YouTube) and we used a still from the video as our PowerPoint background. It was probably the most well-branded services I’ve seen. “Branded” here meaning, consistent concept in every aspect from start to finish. Ah, those were the good ole days.

fix you

I’m so excited that I finally found this video file! I thought it was gone forever when the external hard drive it was on literally caught on fire. (What is it with me and things catching on fire?)

Back in 2005, I was on staff at The People’s Church in Franklin TN and this was my first video that I produced and directed. I will never forget the moment it created in church the morning we showed it. I was amazed to see how quickly & heavily people could be impacted by film.

I’m so glad that I found this video and wanted to share it!! Pass it along to anyone you think would enjoy it.

Miracle Maker by Delirious?

There’s something very mystical and almost magical about this song. Very appropriate for Good Friday:

Target: Kaleidoscopic Fashion Spectacular

What do you call 20 sensory-overloaded minutes fashioned out of 60+ dancers, an original visual program created by Daft Punk’s light designers, a new pop symphony from one-half of N.A.S.A., and over 155 rooms of New York’s Standard Hotel? You could start with “Spectacular,” but even that seems limiting.

This one-time-only show for Target’s 2010 fall apparel collection is just about the coolest and most unique event Mother’s ever produced!

chase the lion

A good friend of mine showed me this quote from the book “In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day” and it’s full of life-guiding mantras. I had the honor of reading it aloud at a service for young adults at the church I’m currently attending. I can totally hear Morgan Freeman reading this:

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Grab life by the mane. Set God-sized goals. Purse God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Consider the lilies. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don’t let what’s wrong with you keep you from worshipping what’s right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don’t try to be who you’re not. Be yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away. Chase the lion.

Pretty powerful, huh? What does it inspire you to do?

having a genius, not being one

This Ted Talk by author Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love) revolutionized my view of creativity and the creative process. I won’t go into it all now because she does such a great job of it herself. Watch it and let’s discuss!

Pretty powerful, huh? I love what she says about HAVING a genius, and not BEING a genius. As creatives and artists, can we really separate ourselves from our work?

Where does your inspriation come from? What is your genius?

What’s your reaction to her talk?

design inspiration

I came across these posters as I was researching ideas for The Park. They’re incredible!

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homeless radio announcer

This is amazing! This guy’s voice is made for radio, or voice overs, or trailers, or for selling products we just can’t live without. Listen to Ted’s story here:

Fireflies & Songs

I just discovered Sara Grove’s “Fireflies & Songs” album this week and I’m in love with it. I can’t quite put my finger on what it is about this album that I like, or what about it that moves me so… but it does.

She sings a lot on this album about home, life and community. It’s nostalgic, and I think that’s what strikes a chord with me. I can’t get enough of the title track, “Fires & Songs” and “Twice as Good.” Watch/listen below and fall in love with a great album to round out your fall music collection.

have I got a story for you…

This past week I’ve had the privileged of visiting my Grandparents in North Carolina as well as my Dad’s brothers and their families down in South Carolina. If there’s one thing we all have in common (other than being family) it’s that we all have stories.

Whether they’re well told in great suspense and laughter, or whether the punch line is given too soon it became apparent to me that the people in my life (well, and everyone for that matter) have some incredible stories to tell. Stories of strength, honor, laughter, humility, vacation goof ups… the list goes on and on.

My Great Granny (my dad’s Grandmother on his dad’s side) wrote in her journal every day for years. I’m talking every, single, day y’all.  She documented everything from how many pints of pickles she canned in the smokehouse to processing her grief after her husband died.

My dad’s younger brother’s family now has her journals and diaries. Years and years of stories and every day encounters. And it got me thinking… what are people going to read about me when I’m gone? Will whatever legacy I leave behind be passed down to my great grandchildren? They’ll probably get some microchip from the Library of Congress that contains every blog, tweet, Facebook update (and whatever else comes along in years to come) that I’ve ever written. So there’s that I suppose. I digress.

Let me get to the point: everyone has a story to tell. And the cool thing is it’s YOURS. It’s your very own. It’s something that you can pass down from generation to generation, or write online about, or write a short story about, or make a movie about.

How are you telling your story?

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Tomorrow I leave for Arlington, VA for another Inside|Out workshop. Inside|Out workshops empower students from many different histories to tell their stories to the world through film. We have filmmakers from literally all over the world come in and teach students every aspect of the filmmaking process.

Through a week-long film workshop, students learn how to tell their story through film and showcase their 5 minute short film at a red carpet premiere at the end of the week. It’s amazing to see students “come alive” when they get in and create through film.

Inside|Out is the same workshop that took me over to New Zealand almost one year ago. It was a time that turned my world upside down. I’ll do what I can blog about my experiences this year as I go through the workshop again.

For more information about Inside|Out and how to get involved click here.