"May God bless you with discomfort
at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships
so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger
at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears
to shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,
so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
to turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness
to believe that you can make a difference in the world,
so that you can do what others claim cannot be done
to bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.
Amen."

-A Franciscan Benediction

Here's some of my latest pictures. They were taken on a trip to Chicago with Emily to visit our friends/family at Moody.

Sell What You Market!

Some things have interesting timing. Yesterday I tweeted simply to say that I was working on some branding for Calvary Baptist Church where I work. My friend Josh Puckett saw the tweet and replied to it. He sent me an article about branding. The article basically said that the era of graphic branding has somewhat passed as people are starting to realize that a fancy brand doesn't necessarily mean a good product. I say this not at all to diminish the importance of a quality graphic brand, but instead to show the importance of backing that brand with a quality product. (The article Josh sent me can be read here.)

So here's where the timing comes in... Over the past week or so, I've been working with a local printing company that will remain nameless, to get some print items made for our church. This company markets themselves not necessarily with a good graphics package, but with the fact that they employ professionally trained printers, and have the highest quality equipment along with very reasonable pricing. That led me to choose this company...

I now regret that choice. Why? Horrible customer service. It's been over two weeks now since the files were delivered and I still haven't even received a date on when they'll be done. Grant it, I wouldn't have worked with "professionally trained" people, and the "highest quality equipment," but I could have gone a couple miles up the road and walked out with this same print job about half an hour after walking in the doors for the first time.

Sorry, this is somewhat of rant, but what fueled me to post this was the email I received today from the company after asking, once again, the status of our job. They simply said, mind you this is after over two weeks of waiting on a relatively small job, "Sorry for the delayed response. I'm absolutely swamped. Let me check with employees name and get back to you on this." You mean, after over two weeks you still have to check with another guy and get back to me about when my prints will be ready?! I could've ordered these much cheeper online and had them by now. These prints need to go out in a mailing last week!

Anyway, all this to say. Please! If you're going to market yourself as being good at something, don't let down. You'll lose business if you do.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. What's important to you when searching for a product or service?

Indwelling Sin

I was reading Park Community Church's 8 Minutes With God devotional this morning, and I came across this quote from theologian John Owen regarding the reality of sin in our lives:

"When we realize a constant enemy of the soul abides within us, what diligence and watchfulness we should have! How woeful is the sloth and negligence then of so many who live blind and asleep to this reality of sin. There is an exceeding efficacy and power in the indwelling sin of believers, for it constantly inclines itself towards evil. We need to be awake, then, if our hearts would know the ways of God.

Our enemy is not only upon us, as it was with Samson, but it is also in us. So if we would not dishonor God and His gospel, if we would not scandalize the saints of God, if we would not avoid our own conscience and endanger our own soul, if we would not grieve the Holy Spirit, then we must stay alert to our own danger."

iPad Uses

I said a couple weeks ago that I would write my opinion on what the iPad would be best used for in its early days. With a new device like this thats essentially in a league of its own, many are skeptical of its practicality and functionality. I'm sure as this new device becomes more popular its uses will expand, but in these early stages, here's where I see the iPad working best:

1. In the home: For those who can afford it, the iPad would be a great tool to have around the house in addition to the families computers. It would be perfect to have at the table in the morning to read the days news, around the hose during the day to tweet and keep up with your other social networks, in the kitchen in the evening to find that perfect recipe, and on the nightstand at night to check on some last minute things before bed.

2. In the office: I also see the device being popular among businessmen since iWork is available. Attach the device to a keyboard dock and maybe a larger display at the desk, but when it's time for a meeting or a business trip, pick up the ultra-thin and lightweight, device and hit the road, no file-syncing necessary!

3. With the traveler: Take a trip once or twice a year, a laptop may not be to cumbersome or inconvenient for you. But, if you're job or lifestyle requires you to be on the road week in and week out, a smaller and lighter device could be a much more practical solution. Worried about leaving something behind? Don't! With professional level remote access apps, such as LogMeIn, available at very reasonable prices (around $30), you can have full access to your home computer from anywhere in the world!

So as I said, these obviously aren't the only uses, or even necessarily the best. These are simply some places, off the top of my head, I see the iPad as an extremely powerful tool.

What do you think? Where would you use an iPad? Where have you seen them being used already?

Summer

I just wanted to take a minute to point out how pumped I am about this upcoming summer...

• I'm really looking forward to not having school work hanging over my head. I have a job that I really enjoy now, and it actually goes along with what I want to make a living out of. (Media Arts at Calvary Baptist Church) My friend Josh Burns wrote a post that I identify with while he was doing this same job last summer. I could write my own version, but it would say the same things, so you might as well just read his. Anyway, I'm looking forward to being able to give all my work efforts to that and take on more responsibility there.
• Obviously I'm also looking forward to not having class and being able to chill more
• I'm going to South Carolina with a bunch of my good friends to be in a friends wedding.
• I'm trying to plan a trip to Myrtle Beach with some other friends... it's still in the planning stages, so hopefully that happens.
• I'm trying to work out a way to go to Echo Conference again, but I don't know if that's going to work out or not with all these other trips.
• Even next semester will give me a lot to look forward to throughout the summer as I'm going to be getting in to my major and minor a lot. I only have two gen. ed classes left!

All that to say, I'm really looking forward to summer, to doing cool things, being with cool people, and generally just livin' the dream. Only 3 more weeks of classes and one week of finals to get through! What are you doing this summer?

Here's a couple videos I was able to take while using the iPad on release day. The video's don't have any relevant audio because the wonderful atmosphere in the store was a bit loud.

In this first video I'm simply going through some basic functions and apps on the iPad.

This is a live stream of a baseball game via the MLB At Bat 2010 app. The video is being streamed over the Apple Store's wifi.

My First Taste of Magic: iPad Review

Yesterday, I had the awesome opportunity to demo an iPad on release day! Needless to say I felt very privileged. I was helping a friend shoot an interview at a house near the Kenwood Mall so we decided to stop by afterwords and check it out. Needless to stay the Mac Store was the most popular store in the mall yesterday. It was a great atmosphere! Anyway… on to my thoughts. I'll try to keep it somewhat brief.

I got my hands on the device shortly after walking into the store and I have to admit, it was a bit magical. A multitouch screen that big and that hi-res is something great to experience for sure. I spent some time with the stock apps and I really loved all the interfaces, especially the Calendar interface. It will be so much easier to stay organized with an iPad. Web browsing in Safari was beautiful. Full web pages with little need for zooming (even though that is of course an option) were a beautiful thing to see.

All the iPad designed apps looked great as well. The screen space brings the speed, interface, and portability of the iPhone and iPod touch and the accessibility and view-ability of a laptop together into one "magical" device.

The keyboard was also great to use. I tried using the four finger typing that Steve Jobs used in the release keynote and it worked great! Still not quite as easy as using a full keyboard, of course, but much more functional than I had thought it would be.

One downside, and I think a pretty big one at this point, is the look of iPhone/iPod Touch apps on the iPad. In their original size, the device makes them extremely hard to use. It's nearly impossible to hold the device and interact with the small center screen app with the same hand, and the device is just a bit to large to constantly hold with one hand. When expanded to the 2x view the few apps that I had the chance to use completely lost their luster as they became extremely pixelated. I felt like I was suddenly interacting with a touch screen N64.

All that to say, Apple has done it right (although I would appreciate a camera for video chat purposes.) They have yet another excellent product on the market that you really do have to experience to truly appreciate. The only thing it will take for the iPad to completely take off for me is a majority of developers writing new versions of their apps specially for the iPad.

Well, I think I've written enough for now. I may write another post regarding my opinion on the specific uses for an iPad in the next few weeks. But for now I'll post some pictures and videos below of my first experience with Apple's latest in innovation.

The first thing I saw when I turned it on.

A home screen housing iBooks and iWork.

The Contacts interface.

The Music interface.

iBooks.

There ya go! Looks pretty good doesn't it?

Ephesians

Here's some of my thoughts as I read through Ephesians:

• Chapter 1 keeps noting that everything is "to the praise of His glory."
• So many times we tend to separate our flesh from our mind, but in Chapter 2, Paul notes that the mind is part of the flesh.
• "not a result of works so that no one can boast." God designed grace to protect us. This is not a command against boasting, it's showing that it is impossible to boast because there is simply nothing to boast about.
• Just as Christ built the Church, He's building us into dwelling places for God.
• We are to approach God with humble confidence.
• Christ dwelling in your heart through faith and being rooted in love are the prerequisites to knowing the love and fullness of God.
• The whole body must be working right in order for it to grow.
• GIVE NO OPPORTUNITY TO THE DEVIL!
• Our identity has been changed. We are identified in Christ. IF we aren't acting like it, we are fake!
• Exposed darkness becomes light.
• Let's be crazy! Drunk with the Spirit!
• Alertness is an often overlooked key to a healthy spirituality.

That's what I got. Thanks for reading! Any questions?

Progress

As I mentioned in the first post on this new blog, my quiet times had been severely lacking at the beginning of this year and I desired to get back on track with them. Since that day one month ago, things have drastically improved. For the first couple weeks it was a slow process with gradual improvement. Then, about a week and a half ago, on Friday the 19th to be exact, I went out to lunch with one of my closest friends and brothers in Christ, Josh Puckett. We had a long and very encouraging talk. As he told me about how he had come to see the value and gain the motivation for a personal quiet time, I gained a new since of motivation. Since that day my time with the Lord has been extremely focused and frequent. To God be the glory! Thank you God for using Josh to encourage me.

Over the next few posts, I want to share some of the notes I've jotted down in my times in the Word. I've been reading through Paul's letters, and also following a daily subscription to Park Community Church's (Chicago) "8 Minutes with God" Daily Devotionals (You can subscribe on Park's website.)

We'll start today with some stuff I found as I read through Philippians (My last post came from a specific finding in this letter.):

• In chapter one there is a huge focus on unity within the church. Something our churches definitely need to be reminded of. "one spirit, one mind, striving side by side"
• Also in Chapter 1, we are granted permission to suffer. Let me repeat that... we're GRANTED PERMISSION TO SUFFER!!!
• Chapter two continues to talk about church unity. "same mind, same love, full accord"
• We are told to be selfless, "Look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." While this is very true, and we are commanded to make others "more valuable than ourselves", God still does not want us to neglect our own interests.
• With unity still as the theme, Paul says that we are to fill each others weaknesses in service with in the church. We are to work together to get everything accomplished!
• The things that the world counts gain and that Paul had counted gain flew directly in the face of what gain for the cost of Christ is. So I asked myself, "Are my desires and goals I'm working toward flying in the face of the worlds definition of success?" That's tough...
• On top of the command to do good, Chapter 4 tells us to talk about good things and dwell on them.
• Not only did Paul say he could be poor and hungry because Christ strengthened him, he said he could be rich and abound because of the same thing. In order for anything to be done successfully it must be done with Christ.
• Paul was happy to receive gifts because of what that meant about the heart of the giver.

Thanks for reading! Your $0.02?

Death Wish?

I read through Philippians this morning. I didn't even get through the first chapter before I was hit with something huge. In verses 23 and 24 of chapter 1, Paul says this:

"I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account."

Sure, hundreds of times through high school I sang the words "better is one day in Your courts, better is one day in Your house, better is one day in Your courts than thousands elsewhere," but never once did I truly wish my time on this earth was over so that I could go to be with my Savior in heaven. I still haven't truly had that thought. There are times that life deals me 2-7 off-suit and I have the thought that it would be easier if Jesus just came back, but never in my heart of hearts have I truly been ready to go. How does one get a faith like that of Paul? One that says, "I wish I could go now, I wish I could be with my Lord, but I will stay only to do His work." I want that faith.

A New Hobby

I've recently taken up Photography as a hobby so I thought I'd share a few pictures with you. All my pictures are available on my Photostream. Here's three of my favorites...

I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas. Just leave a comment here on the blog, on the picture on flickr, or shoot me an email!

More from Unleash

The second main session at Unleash was more focused toward pastors but, Perry Noble still brought out some good points that apply to all of us:

1. Be careful of the crowd. Those that deify will also crucify.

2. When Satan wants to stop a movement he goes after the leader.

3. Three things leaders should be aware of: Distractions, Deception, Discouragement.

4. Listen to your coaches not your critics.

5. As a leader, your "followers" don't serve you, they serve with you.

Those are just a few quick things. I'd love to hear your thoughts on these too! The main session should be posted online at newspring.cc eventually, I'm just not sure when. Thanks for reading!

Unleash

This past Thursday myself and Josh Burns got to spend the day with some of the leadership and volunteers from Crosspoint at a conference called Unleash and NewSpring Church. The conference was focused around church leadership and church planning. I learned a lot of valuable information... planning, tech stuff, just a wealth of information about how a growing and healthy church should look.

Here's a couple points from the first main session with NewSpring's lead pastor Perry Noble:

1. Could it be that the real reason older generations are hostile toward younger generations is because the younger generation is doing something the older generation didn't have the guts to do?

2. We want people to enjoy our services... What if God wants to offend them?

3. The church has to be comfortable with the lost acting like the lost.

4. "Parents, grandparents, if you would be willing to give your life for your kids to know Christ, why are you not willing to give up your music style?"

5. Are we asking God to build our church or are we seeking to build his Church?

6. There's not a strategy that will grow your church other than this: "Listen to God. Do what he says."

7. We need to be dependent on the supernatural over the strategy.

8. Why try to get back to the Acts 2 way of doing things? That was just the beginning! God wants to grow his church!

9. If you can fully explain what's going on in your church, God probably isn't involved.

That's a lot to ponder on, and that's just the first session. I'll post more from the second session later. I'd love to hear thoughts on the points above!

The World is Shrinking

I was reading a blog that one of my good friends is involved in. The post was essentially talking about keys to starting a successful business. Networking (the kind where you know a lot of people and have a big address book, not the kind with wires and the internet) was one of the key elements this writer focused on. This got me thinking about how lately it seems you hear more and more about the importance of networking, not only in business, but in life in general. It is important to know people, and better yet, to know people who can help you and who you can work with.

The world is shrinking. I think this is a perfect example of that. It used to be if you were working on a project, say, in Nebraska, knowing someone in New York who could help you complete the project typically wouldn't do much good because of the communication limitations between the two places. These days however, with the technology we have, many projects can be conducted between cities around the world in no time at all. For example, a movie studio in LA may need a shot in downtown Paris. They contact a studio in Paris, that studio shoots the shot and via the internet they can have the footage back in LA within hours. Amazing. It pays to know people.

I say all this, well not really to make any point. I was just thinking about it. But, I will say this, I don't want to encourage you to make relationships only for the sake of business or only for what you can get out of them. However, don't let opportunities slip you by. Every relationship you have can work for your benefit in the future. The guy you met at Starbucks yesterday may be the key to finishing your next project, or to a promotion, or to your next job!

Hi

I've been somewhat distracted thus far this year, and for the past week or so I've been feeling somewhat under the weather. That has resulted in laziness which has led to getting a little bit behind in several things. I decided about a half hour ago that it was time to get back on the horse, to get things organized and to start getting focused again. Part of that, I decided, would be starting a new blog and being much less of a stranger with it... So here we are... I don't expect to say anything all that special on here. Just to jot down thoughts, ideas, and happenings of my days. So, for today...

My quite times have been lacking in both frequency and depth for the good part of these first two months of 2010, and that is going to change.

I need to clean my closet.

I've recently taken up the hobby of photography, and I love it. You can check out my flickr photostream here. I'm not officially starting it yet, but I'd like to get to the point in the near future that I feel comfortable enough to start the 365 project.

I'm heading to NewSpring Church in Greenville, South Carolina this Wednesday and Thursday for their Unleash conference.

I get to play with Jason, Matt, and Dan at the Mad Hatter on April 2nd for a TWLOHA benefit concert. You should come join us.

Spring Break is next week. I'm looking forward to that. I just hope I feel better and it gets warmer. I'd like to spend a lot of time taking pictures.

I got my first pair of prescription glasses on Friday due to eye fatigue and headaches. I don't really mind them. I don't have to wear them all the time though.

I think that's all I got for now... I plan on most posts being shorter than this with just quick updates as to what's going on. I love you all. Talk to ya soon.

P.S. I probably won't proofread these things so sorry for any typos...