I am interested in other creative team schedules and processes. If you serve in a church or ministry or even corporate America and are on a creative team - I have a little survey for you. I would appreciate any input! Thanks!
How many times a week do you meet?
When do you meet?
How long do you meet?
What is the setting like? (around a table or on couches)
How many are on the team?
Thanks again!
Brian
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Apple takng over the world...
Apple Computer Inc. and Motorola Inc. are planning to debut a new phone through Cingular Wireless that can play iTunes music downloads. The new phone will be equipped with software that would allow it to play songs purchased at Apple's iTunes website. Apple is now that much closer to world domination ...Courtesy of Relevant Magazine
Monday, August 29, 2005
Anyone got Crocs?
Anyone have crocs? You might say, "What are crocs?" I would say, "The most comfortable shoe I have ever put on my feet." I would not be lying and I bet that if you wore them too that you would say the same. These shoes are the best. I admit that they can be ugly as sin - but they do grow on you - but when you wear them...OH MY...you forget about how they look.Crocs are the newest rage. I have heard that nurses are ahead of the curve and have been wearing them for quite some time before us. Anyways, go a try a pair on and just have your money ready to buy them. I bought mine last spring and I wear them all the time. In fact, I will probably be buying a new pair soon.
The stats:Cost $29.99
Where: Dillard's, Bass Pro Shop
Description: comfortable, cool, and molds to your feet; orthotic foot bed; advanced toe-box ventilation system; slip-resistant and non-marking soles; anti-microbial and odor resistant; ergonomic italian styling; wide, roomy foot bed; made from PCCR material; buoyant; weighs only ounces.
TOMMY BOY Special Edition DVD
Tomorrow the Tommy Boy Special Edition DVD will be released. It is called the "Holy Schnike Edition." This is a 2 disk set. The second disk is loaded with goodies...4 featurettes, 6 deleted scenes, 15 extended scenes, gag reel and more.On another note, comedian Chris Farley was honored over the weekend with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was best known for his crazy skits on Saturday Night Live and the movie Tommy Boy. Farley passed away nearly eight years ago from an accidental overdose of morphine and cocaine. He was just 33 ... Courtesy of Relevant Magazine
Video Music Awards
Anybody watch the MTV Video Music Awards? I watched them tonight. I really watch for the technology and then the music. The set was really great tonight. It was water theme. The huge video wall with water flowing down it was spectacular. 
One of my favorite moments was when they cut to the crowd and the crowd was holding about 10 plasma monitors over their heads - sort of like plasmas body surfing. Very cool effect.As for the acts...The Killer's "Mr Brightside" was on location at a hotel pool...best part...fireworks behind them. Coldplay...what can you say...they are always on...the best one though...
by far...
"Kanye Wes and Jamie Fox." Now I don;t agree with the lyrics or the profanity Kanye was using (quite disappointing to me) but those 2 out-perfomed everyone. They had great pitch...and GREAT style. The music was tight and they made it look effortless...but most of all they worked the crowd the best. Now for Kelly Clarkson...WHAT HAPPENED! She has an amazing voice and she just BLEW IT! Totally! She screamed the whole time and then to make it worse...she ended up singing under this waterfall and getting wet with the crowd...so not appealing.
Overall, I would give the show a 5 out of 10. Why? It was over 3 hours and the things mentioned above were the only interesting things to me. Well, that's my opinion.You can check the show out on MTV's new Broadband Channel "Overdrive" on mtv.com
overnightprints.com
As a new church start, we need a quick and in-expensive resource for printing. We have been using a company called Overnightprints.com. They only print business cards and postcards. But they do them lightning fast. The trick is to have them overnighted. If you submitt an order by 5 you will have them in 2 days and the quality is great and in-expensive. They also offer a "rounded" corners feature. It looks cool and adds a professional creative look to your cards. We have used them for our Community Group cards and stationary. The downside of overnightprints.com is their customer service can be a little rude. If you have a problem...hold fast and stand firm. Don't take "no" for an answer. So check it out!
Friday, August 26, 2005
Sooner or later
Sooner or later
From the Associated Press.
Thompson named OU starting QB.
NORMAN, Okla. -- Paul Thompson tried not to dream or even think about himself winning the starting quarterback's job at Oklahoma.
With only one scrimmage left to decide whether it would be him or Rhett Bomar that started in the season opener, that notion became impossible to ignore.
"The day before our last scrimmage, I started thinking about it," Thompson said. "But before that, I tried to not think about that too much, just focus on myself and improving this team."
On Thursday, all the dreams Thompson had been restraining finally came true. Coach Bob Stoops announced that Thompson would be the successor to Heisman Trophy winner Jason White for the Sooners.
"We felt as a staff we're going to start Paul Thompson," Stoops said. "We feel that he has earned it to this point."
Thompson, a 6-foot-4 right-hander, bided his time behind Nate Hybl and White to earn the spot as Oklahoma's top quarterback. He was the backup as Hybl guided the Sooners to the Rose Bowl, and played in 10 games during White's 2003 Heisman Trophy season. He redshirted last season as White returned for a sixth year with the Sooners.
Of the final two candidates, Thompson was more steady and less prone to mistakes than Bomar, a redshirt freshman and another 6-foot-4 righty.
"I just felt overall that there was a little more, maybe, consistency there to some degree," Stoops said, "but it's still very close when you look at them overall."
In the Sooners' three open scrimmages, the 21-year-old Thompson was 41-for-73 for 453 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions. Bomar, 19½ months younger, was 30-for-61 for 359 yards with two touchdowns, but also five interceptions.
After meeting with the coaching staff and Stoops, offensive coordinator Chuck Long called both candidates into his office early Thursday to inform them of the decision. The rest of the team found out in a huddle at the end of practice, and the team applauded both players for the competition, which began in the spring.
"Rhett's definitely a great quarterback," Thompson said. "Nothing to take away from him, but at this time, they thought I would be a better fit for this offense."
In 14 career games, Thompson has completed 31 of 47 passes for 319 yards and four touchdowns, with two interceptions. In 2003, he rushed for 183 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries and some fans thought he should have played in the national championship game as LSU's defense pressured White, who was still recovering from two knee surgeries.
Thompson's takeover at quarterback was delayed when White returned for a sixth season, and that gave Bomar and Tommy Grady a chance at winning the job.
Grady, considered a viable candidate in the spring, missed all of Oklahoma's fall practices due to an intercession class, and he wound up transferring. That left only Bomar between Thompson and the starting job.
After three planned scrimmages that were open to the public, Stoops ordered another added to the schedule to sort out the quarterback situation. After that scrimmage Wednesday, it was time to make a decision.
When Long called, Thompson was nervous but confident.
"I wasn't too sure," said Thompson, who's from Leander High School in Texas. "I thought that I had done everything I could to put myself in that position, and I felt real positive going in."
Thompson said he thought his leadership ability and his experience and chemistry with the team entering his fourth year were factors in the choice.
"We felt that Paul earned the right to start based on his body of work from spring, throughout the summer 'til now," Long said. "But we also felt that Rhett showed us some things the way he moved the football when he was in the scrimmages that warranted some play time."
Bomar, the No. 2 recruit in the nation behind teammate Adrian Peterson last year, was disappointed with the decision but determined to make the most of his opportunities off the bench.
"I'm going to get to play, so that's good," Bomar said. "I'm just going to have to come off and be ready when my opportunity comes in the game. I'm going to be cold coming off, but I just have to go in there and compete, play my game and have fun."
"I'm a competitor. I'm a fiery guy. I like to wing it around when I go in there. When I go in there, I'm just going to have fun and everybody's going to see the way I play."
From the Associated Press.
Thompson named OU starting QB.
NORMAN, Okla. -- Paul Thompson tried not to dream or even think about himself winning the starting quarterback's job at Oklahoma.
With only one scrimmage left to decide whether it would be him or Rhett Bomar that started in the season opener, that notion became impossible to ignore.
"The day before our last scrimmage, I started thinking about it," Thompson said. "But before that, I tried to not think about that too much, just focus on myself and improving this team."
On Thursday, all the dreams Thompson had been restraining finally came true. Coach Bob Stoops announced that Thompson would be the successor to Heisman Trophy winner Jason White for the Sooners.
"We felt as a staff we're going to start Paul Thompson," Stoops said. "We feel that he has earned it to this point."
Thompson, a 6-foot-4 right-hander, bided his time behind Nate Hybl and White to earn the spot as Oklahoma's top quarterback. He was the backup as Hybl guided the Sooners to the Rose Bowl, and played in 10 games during White's 2003 Heisman Trophy season. He redshirted last season as White returned for a sixth year with the Sooners.
Of the final two candidates, Thompson was more steady and less prone to mistakes than Bomar, a redshirt freshman and another 6-foot-4 righty.
"I just felt overall that there was a little more, maybe, consistency there to some degree," Stoops said, "but it's still very close when you look at them overall."
In the Sooners' three open scrimmages, the 21-year-old Thompson was 41-for-73 for 453 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions. Bomar, 19½ months younger, was 30-for-61 for 359 yards with two touchdowns, but also five interceptions.
After meeting with the coaching staff and Stoops, offensive coordinator Chuck Long called both candidates into his office early Thursday to inform them of the decision. The rest of the team found out in a huddle at the end of practice, and the team applauded both players for the competition, which began in the spring.
"Rhett's definitely a great quarterback," Thompson said. "Nothing to take away from him, but at this time, they thought I would be a better fit for this offense."
In 14 career games, Thompson has completed 31 of 47 passes for 319 yards and four touchdowns, with two interceptions. In 2003, he rushed for 183 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries and some fans thought he should have played in the national championship game as LSU's defense pressured White, who was still recovering from two knee surgeries.
Thompson's takeover at quarterback was delayed when White returned for a sixth season, and that gave Bomar and Tommy Grady a chance at winning the job.
Grady, considered a viable candidate in the spring, missed all of Oklahoma's fall practices due to an intercession class, and he wound up transferring. That left only Bomar between Thompson and the starting job.
After three planned scrimmages that were open to the public, Stoops ordered another added to the schedule to sort out the quarterback situation. After that scrimmage Wednesday, it was time to make a decision.
When Long called, Thompson was nervous but confident.
"I wasn't too sure," said Thompson, who's from Leander High School in Texas. "I thought that I had done everything I could to put myself in that position, and I felt real positive going in."
Thompson said he thought his leadership ability and his experience and chemistry with the team entering his fourth year were factors in the choice.
"We felt that Paul earned the right to start based on his body of work from spring, throughout the summer 'til now," Long said. "But we also felt that Rhett showed us some things the way he moved the football when he was in the scrimmages that warranted some play time."
Bomar, the No. 2 recruit in the nation behind teammate Adrian Peterson last year, was disappointed with the decision but determined to make the most of his opportunities off the bench.
"I'm going to get to play, so that's good," Bomar said. "I'm just going to have to come off and be ready when my opportunity comes in the game. I'm going to be cold coming off, but I just have to go in there and compete, play my game and have fun."
"I'm a competitor. I'm a fiery guy. I like to wing it around when I go in there. When I go in there, I'm just going to have fun and everybody's going to see the way I play."
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Ragamuffins
I am currently reading book called the “Ragamuffin Gospel” by Brennan Manning. I had read a previous book by Brennan called “Abba’s Child.” It also was very powerful. In the first chapter of the “Ragamuffin Gospel,” there is a very powerful excerpt. I wanted to share it with you.
“Fyodor Dostoyevsky caught the shock and scandal of the gospel of grace when he wrote: "At the last Judgment Christ will say to us, 'Come, you also! Come, drunkards! Come, weaklings! Come, children of shame!' And he will say to us: 'Vile beings, you who are in the image of the beast and bear his mark, but come all the same, you as well.' And the wise and prudent will say, 'Lord, why do you welcome them?' And he will say: 'If I welcome them, you wise men, if I welcome them, you prudent men, it is because not one of them has ever been judged worthy.' And he will stretch out his arms, and we will fall at his feet, and we will cry out sobbing, and then we will understand all, we will understand the Gospel of grace! Lord, your Kingdom come!"
Click here to read Chapter One.
“Fyodor Dostoyevsky caught the shock and scandal of the gospel of grace when he wrote: "At the last Judgment Christ will say to us, 'Come, you also! Come, drunkards! Come, weaklings! Come, children of shame!' And he will say to us: 'Vile beings, you who are in the image of the beast and bear his mark, but come all the same, you as well.' And the wise and prudent will say, 'Lord, why do you welcome them?' And he will say: 'If I welcome them, you wise men, if I welcome them, you prudent men, it is because not one of them has ever been judged worthy.' And he will stretch out his arms, and we will fall at his feet, and we will cry out sobbing, and then we will understand all, we will understand the Gospel of grace! Lord, your Kingdom come!"
Click here to read Chapter One.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Great Worship CDs
About 1 year ago I rediscovered the music of Hillsongs United Live. Their last 2 cds are amazing. If you are looking for some new worship tunes or even if you aren't - GET THESE CDs...titled..."More Than Life" and "Look To You." The songs are fresh and inspiring. The music is orgignal...it really doesn;t sound like anyone else, so it's innovative and creative. What's great is it is not too complex that you cannot accomplish the music in your own worship service. At Keystone we have been singing - "Take All of Me," "Sing (Your Love)," "Til I See You," "Home" and "For All You've Done." The last 2 songs mentioned are on the cd "For All You've Done." SO I encourage you to pick these cds up. They will really encourage you. If you are a worship leader it will re-energize your planning in worship. One last great thing about these cds...Free DVD. They both come with a dvd of the event. Hillsongs United is really being used by God! Below are a couple of tracks.Blogger Comment Spam from "Casting My Net"
This is a post from a friend of mine who has a solution to Blog Spam. It is easy to implement. Check out "Casting My Net" It is a great blog! Stuart has a great heart for the Church and technology.
"I was reading a friend's blog (Blogger) and noticed that one of his posts had been spammed by an automated blog comment spammer. I knew that TypePad had this problem, but up until now, I hadn't seen any spam on Blogger. In searching on how to stop this new and annoying breed of spam, I came across this post at Blogcritics.org. In a nutshell, Blogger introduced three new features last week, one of which is designed to prevent comment spam. It's called "Show Word Verification for Comments" and uses CAPTCHA - the goofy picture of letters that Blogger and GMail uses to verify that you're a real human when you sign up for their services. If you wish, people who want to leave a comment on your blog will have to verify themselves using this technique. I slight pain I know, and your comment volume is likely to decrease, but if it can keep the kind of spam I witnessed out of my blog then I'm all for it.
To enable this feature in Blogger, go to your dashboard, click "Change Settings", then navigate to "Settings", "Comments" and click "Yes" to "Word Verification for Comments". Republish the blog and you're done. I hope this helps!"
Thansk Stu for your help in this.
"I was reading a friend's blog (Blogger) and noticed that one of his posts had been spammed by an automated blog comment spammer. I knew that TypePad had this problem, but up until now, I hadn't seen any spam on Blogger. In searching on how to stop this new and annoying breed of spam, I came across this post at Blogcritics.org. In a nutshell, Blogger introduced three new features last week, one of which is designed to prevent comment spam. It's called "Show Word Verification for Comments" and uses CAPTCHA - the goofy picture of letters that Blogger and GMail uses to verify that you're a real human when you sign up for their services. If you wish, people who want to leave a comment on your blog will have to verify themselves using this technique. I slight pain I know, and your comment volume is likely to decrease, but if it can keep the kind of spam I witnessed out of my blog then I'm all for it.
To enable this feature in Blogger, go to your dashboard, click "Change Settings", then navigate to "Settings", "Comments" and click "Yes" to "Word Verification for Comments". Republish the blog and you're done. I hope this helps!"
Thansk Stu for your help in this.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Need Direction? Worried about what to do next?
I have been there. In fact, I think there is always an area of our life that causes us to say - "What am I going to do here?" "Which direction do I take this?" "If only I hade a sign..." Sometimes those things are huge like "Who will I marry?" "Should we have kids now?" "Should I change jobs?" And sometimes the things are simple but still important (because they make us worry). This verse resides deeply in my heart. May it encourage your today and give you the hope that you don't have to come up with all that wisdom to make the absolute right and perfect choice.
"I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you." Psalm 32:8 NLT
God Bless You!
"I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you." Psalm 32:8 NLT
God Bless You!
What's on your ipod?
I am looking for some new tunes. What are you listening to right now? Anything fun...new...creative...edgy...whatever...
If you get a chance, post a comment and let me know some of the tunes you listen to these days.
If you get a chance, post a comment and let me know some of the tunes you listen to these days.
High Definition Trailers on Apple.com
Quicktime is now offering High Definition trailers. there are only a select few right now. But they look amazing. They are using their new codec, H.264. You will need the latest version of quicktime to view them. Check out The Brothers Grimm
Monday, August 22, 2005
The Apprentice in China
"Donald Trump will be the executive producer of the Chinese version of the show The Apprentice. Reportedly, the phrase 'You're fired' will still be used ... except it'll sound a lot different ...
courtesy of RELEVANT MAGAZINE
courtesy of RELEVANT MAGAZINE
SongBase
Calling all worship leaders!!! One of the most common questions I receive from fellow worship leaders is what software do you use in planning worship? I use SongBase. I have for about 10 years. this is a great resource for worship leaders who have bands that use simple chord charts (lyrics with chord letter above). Songbase is specific to this form a of chord chart. It comes with several features I like - transposition, organize favorites or most common songs, easy input of new songs - several forms of printing out chords or lyrics, online community to share different arrangements of songs - check out songbase.
Sunday, August 21, 2005
OU Football - 13 days and counting!
OK! Sooner Fans - THIS will pump you up!!! Click the pic to watch the video! Enjoy!
Click here to know how I embedded this video in my blog.
Battle of the Bands
Ok, I am a little overwelmed right now about what happened tonight at Keystone's very first public Student Event. Tonight we held a Battle of the Bands at Hillwood Middle School. Hillwood is where we meet every Sunday. Hillwood Middle School has been a great friend to Keystone in trusting us to use their facilities for our events. If you know someone in Keller ISD, give Hillwood PROPS!
Anyways, back to my initial thought...we opened the doors at about 6. And students started pouring in...not trickling...POURING!!! The room was starting to fill up and fill up and...I went out into the hallway to see if they were all in and when I looked....the hallway was packed with student trying to get in. We made 600 regsitration cards and we ran out!!! Our team who was registering estimated (conservative) that an additional 100-200 students came in. So we had between 700-800 students at our first event for students! OH MY! Even while I type it my heart is moved to thank God for finding favor with us this evening. Thank you for all the prayers and support.
If you attend Keystone and if you get a chance, tell Angie Burton and Bill Jones for their amazing leadership in producing this event. Also tell the Youth Ministry team thanks for a great job!
If you don't have a church home or you are just now checking out this Jesus thing and you don't understand what I mean by church home (that's ok - it actually sounds pretty cheesy) - please come check out Keystone! We would love to share our heart - Love God - Love Others - Love Life!
I want to end with a verse...
Ephesians 3:20
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
'nuff said! Brian
Anyways, back to my initial thought...we opened the doors at about 6. And students started pouring in...not trickling...POURING!!! The room was starting to fill up and fill up and...I went out into the hallway to see if they were all in and when I looked....the hallway was packed with student trying to get in. We made 600 regsitration cards and we ran out!!! Our team who was registering estimated (conservative) that an additional 100-200 students came in. So we had between 700-800 students at our first event for students! OH MY! Even while I type it my heart is moved to thank God for finding favor with us this evening. Thank you for all the prayers and support.
If you attend Keystone and if you get a chance, tell Angie Burton and Bill Jones for their amazing leadership in producing this event. Also tell the Youth Ministry team thanks for a great job!
If you don't have a church home or you are just now checking out this Jesus thing and you don't understand what I mean by church home (that's ok - it actually sounds pretty cheesy) - please come check out Keystone! We would love to share our heart - Love God - Love Others - Love Life!
I want to end with a verse...
Ephesians 3:20
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
'nuff said! Brian
Friday, August 19, 2005
I Love Chick-Fil-A CUPS!
Why can't everyone use the same cups that Chick-Fil-A uses. I got a drink there at about 1:00pm and it is now 5:31 pm and I still have half a cup of ice! Their drinks don;t get watered down. NO condensation all over your desk or whatever it is sitting. That means no nasty condensation in your car cup holders...can I get an AMEN to that! SO LONG LIVE CHICK-FIL-A cups!
Switchfoot - New Album - Arriving Sept 13th
Switchfoot is a very innovative band. There new album will be released on Sept 13th. You can get a glimpse of their new sound on itunes with the pre-release single of "Stars." I am excited about this new album. Switchfoot is making a difference and has a great voice. They are truly light in darkness.
The CONTENDER is coming back!!!
According to Rueters - "The Contender" is coming back! Check out the article below.
Television Article Reuters.com: "LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - 'The Contender,' the boxing reality series that suffered a Nielsen knockout on NBC last season, will make its television comeback on ESPN October 15 with a live fight card featuring a championship rematch, the sports cable giant said Thursday.
''The Contender' is back. We said it wouldn't go away,' producer Mark Burnett, accompanied by his partners, Sugar Ray Leonard and Sylvester Stallone, said during a news conference at the Staples Center, site of the event.'
The ESPN telecast will feature a fight between 'Contender' champion Sergio 'The Latin Snake' Mora and Peter 'The Pride of Providence' Manfredo Jr., whom Mora defeated in the finale of the series in May. The event also will reunite other fighters from the first season on the undercard. ESPN also plans to carry a second season of 'Contender' as early as April."
Television Article Reuters.com: "LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - 'The Contender,' the boxing reality series that suffered a Nielsen knockout on NBC last season, will make its television comeback on ESPN October 15 with a live fight card featuring a championship rematch, the sports cable giant said Thursday.''The Contender' is back. We said it wouldn't go away,' producer Mark Burnett, accompanied by his partners, Sugar Ray Leonard and Sylvester Stallone, said during a news conference at the Staples Center, site of the event.'
The ESPN telecast will feature a fight between 'Contender' champion Sergio 'The Latin Snake' Mora and Peter 'The Pride of Providence' Manfredo Jr., whom Mora defeated in the finale of the series in May. The event also will reunite other fighters from the first season on the undercard. ESPN also plans to carry a second season of 'Contender' as early as April."
Avril and Gavin Concert
The concert was great. It was an awesome Texas summer night. I had never been to Smirnoff and had heard things about the sound being bad but we had great seats behind the soundboard and the sound was great. By the way, if you want good sound, sit behind the soundboard because you are hearing what the sound tech is hearing. So you know it will be good. By the way, forgive the quality of the pics...they were taken from my cell phone.The first act was annoying...Butch Walker. Sorry if you are a Butch Walker fan, he jus tdid not connect with me and I wished he would have ended sooner. In fact, he had an encore. What? an opener with an encore? it really bothered me...and the encore lasted 10 minutes.
Finally, Gavin came out and he truly stole the show. His sound was amazing. The musicianship and performance was tight. His vocals were perfect and very clear. At one point he came into the audience and about 3 million teenage girls rushed him. Little crazy. "Follow Through," "Chariot" and "I Don't Wanna Be" did not disapoint and were just was awesome.
Then Avril came out...I thought she would be mad at the world and have this punk attitude like I have seen in past interviews and stuff...COMPLETELY THE OPPOSITE! She was giddy happy! I even mentioned to my sis...does she seem really happy. It was like this new persona. Her hair was all made up and her make-up...she looked really beautiful. So that suprised me. her sound was great. The mix was not as good as Gavins but her band was good. The lights were amazing. There were these 6
huge movers...about 4x the size of other movers. They were like huge spotlights and made the light show. She played the piano and sang and played the guitar and sang in some break down sections. One highlight was Avril playing the drums during her encore section.Overall, the concert was worth the price and the traffic to get to Smirnoff. I could ave doen without all the teeny-bopper screams in my ear all night but oh well, that's what you get when you see a teen idol. So if you get the chance to see Avril - go. If you get the chance to see Gavin - definitely go...and Butch Walker...save your money. Final comment - Gavin stole the show.
Out of 5 stars
Avril - 3.5 stars
Gavin - 4 stars
Butch - .5 star
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
SOONER PROUD
Well, I did it! I am now waving the Sooner Flag LOUD and PROUD! Football season is about to ramp up and I am pumped. Yes, this could be a rebuilding year for my boys but then again...Bob Stoops is known for great recruitment. The quarterback position is still up in the air but either way we have 2 amazing QBs fighting for the position. BOOMER SOONER!!!
Monday, August 15, 2005
Avril and Gavin and Brian and Angie
Wednesday can't get here soon enough! I am taking my sis, Ang, to see Avril Lavigne and Gavin Degraw in concert at Smirnoff this Wednesday. This is going to be an amazing show. I love the sound of Avril and Gavin is an amazing musician. I'll have a review of the conert later this week! Pray it doesn't rain!
battleofthebandskeller.com
This Saturday, Keystone is launching its Student Ministry to the public with Battle of the Bands. This is going to be a tremendous event for Keystone. We have 6 area student bands. I have heard a couple of them and trust me, it is going to be a great beginning! We will be in full effect with lighting, a DeeJay, Noel Montemayer, great sound, & giveaways (ipods and psp). If you are a STUDENT (grades 7-12) in the Keller area then don't miss this event - Saturday, August 20, 2005, 6:00pm - 9:30pm at Hillwood Middle School (Where Keystone meets). Please students only.P.S. Bill Jones designed this site.
UDFD Design
Let me intoduce you to Bill Jones. He is a great friend. Bill designed Keystone Church's website and we have been very very pleased with the functionality. He has a great eye for graphic design and web development. He is great to work with and very reasonable in his prices. If you are looking for excellence in your church graphic and web design at a reasonable rate then contact Bill. Bill also has a huge heart for the local church. He is also a great song writer and worship leader.
Throwing Dr. Pepper in Church!
We are still in a series on marriage called "The Story of Us." Each week we have been showing a video featuring a story from one the couple in our church. This past week was on conflict. One of our couples had the perfect story...you can watch it here (Choose "As Good As It Gets" from the playlist) but I will give youa quick synopsis...they had an argument and she threw Dr. Pepper on him...he did the same. It was funny and also so VERY VERY REAL! Everyone has a Dr. Pepper story. Brandon's message was perfect...he really hit the nail on the head today! When people left the service we gave out Duplin Dr. Pepper to remind them of the message. It was a great day!
I cannot find the words...
Sunday was an amazing day at Keystone Church. In a previous post I mentioned how Keystone was growing. About 3 weeks ago we began to experience some more amazing growth. We reached 280 and that was the largest crowd we had ever had next to Easter (290ish). But Sunday was something completely different...God blessed us with 380 people. WHAT! We even ran out of chairs! What a great challenge to have. So we are getting more chairs or something! I cannot find the words to explain the joy that I am experiencing because of God's blessings. I may ramble but you must know that our passion is to see people from all walks of life find hope in the unfailing love of Christ...find the fill to the void in their life...experience true purpose in life...experience healing in the broken areas of their life...and today...God brought 380 people to hear that message.
If you are reading this blog and you have a void in your heart, maybe your marriage is falling apart, your child is rebelling, the job situation is not what you were hoping it would be...know their is hope for you. Jesus said, "Come to me...Come here to me...I want to carry your burden...your broken marriage, empty heart, hopeless job situation...and trade it for my burden which is very very light." So I encourage you to simply "come" by faith. Let Him help...trust me...His burden is light!
If you are looking for a great church come check it out!
Thanks for all the prayers! Have an amazing start of your week! Brian
If you are reading this blog and you have a void in your heart, maybe your marriage is falling apart, your child is rebelling, the job situation is not what you were hoping it would be...know their is hope for you. Jesus said, "Come to me...Come here to me...I want to carry your burden...your broken marriage, empty heart, hopeless job situation...and trade it for my burden which is very very light." So I encourage you to simply "come" by faith. Let Him help...trust me...His burden is light!
If you are looking for a great church come check it out!
Thanks for all the prayers! Have an amazing start of your week! Brian
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Sheet Music Direct - 100% Digital Sheet Music
Sheet Music Direct - 100% Digital Sheet Music is an amazing site. At Keystone we believe in having a blast in church! Tomorrow we are going to do "Bless the Broken Road: by Rascal Flatts because we are in a series on marriage called "The Story of Us." I found the charts on Sheet Music Direct. There are charts from multiple genres. So if you are looking for music/charts to popular tunes, this is your site.
RELEVANT MAGAZINE NEW SITE
RELEVANT MAGAZINE has launched a new version of their website. Check it out!
Funny quote of the week
This quote is really funny to me and is probably a "had to be there" kinda thing but anyways...
"I ate some of that cheese wiz stuff tonight and it tore me up." - My dad, John Burton
"I ate some of that cheese wiz stuff tonight and it tore me up." - My dad, John Burton
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Rockstar INXS
Ok, I am a reality TV junkie! However, I was planning on not watching Rockstar INXS this summer because I was burnt out American Idol. Afterall, there has really only been one American Idol that has come barely close to "idol" status...Kelly Clarkson. Anyways...my friend, Brandon, begged me to watch Rockstar and after refusing a couple of times I finally did and now I am hooked. The talent blows American Idol away. The house band is amazing! If you love music then you need to check this show out. Last night they had songs from so many different 
genres...Dooby Brothers...Nirvana...Killers...
Bob
Marley...and more. Last night, this one guy, Marty, had the song "Mr. Brightside" by the Killers and 10 minutes before the show he decided to loose the band and just play it on an acoustic guitar. I thought...NO WAY this is gonna sound good...man was I wrong. Click the Images to the right to hear a couple of amazing songs. Another plus about Rockstar is the set...I love the stage and lighting...I would love to have something like this in a church. SO FUN! and Creative and EXCELLENT!"Mr. Brightside" - The Killers
"No Woman, No Cry" - Bob Marley
"The Man Who Sold the World'' - David Bowie
"Lithium" - Nirvana
ENJOY!
Saturday, August 06, 2005
Keystone is growing!
I serve at Keystone Church in Keller, TX. We had or first public service last November. We averaged under a hundred for a while. We had 12 kids on the first Sunday. This past Sunday (9 months later), we had over 280 people in attendence and 74 kids! HOLY COW! What is amazing is that this is not just a one time occurence. Last week we had just over 280 too. The best part about all this is that last Sunday we had 4 people indicate that they wanted to become Christ-Followers.
I never thought i would be a church planter but now I must say God has truly blessed me. He truly does order our steps. I absolutely love what I do and wouldn;t want to do anythign else.. The freedom to communicate the gospel in creative ways with tradition has support and seeing peope grow in their faith Christ is truly amazing. There have been many times of intense faith testing but moments like this past Sunday complteley make them worth it. It is also a blessing to see people blossom as they serve. Please pray for Keystone Church as we continue to grow and see more and more people in the North Fort Worth Corridor become passionate followers of Christ.
I never thought i would be a church planter but now I must say God has truly blessed me. He truly does order our steps. I absolutely love what I do and wouldn;t want to do anythign else.. The freedom to communicate the gospel in creative ways with tradition has support and seeing peope grow in their faith Christ is truly amazing. There have been many times of intense faith testing but moments like this past Sunday complteley make them worth it. It is also a blessing to see people blossom as they serve. Please pray for Keystone Church as we continue to grow and see more and more people in the North Fort Worth Corridor become passionate followers of Christ.
Audiovox SMT5600
I got a new cell phone yesterday. It is the new Audiovox SMT5600 Smart Phone. It basically runs a Basic version of Windows Mobile software. So far it works great. I did have the Motorolla V500. I had 3 different V500 because they break all the time. The signal is not the best. But with the SMT5600 the signal seems to be better and the speaker volume is SOOO much better. It syncs with my Outlook, so now all my contacts or at least the ones I want are on my phone and on my laptop. It also syncs the tasks, the calendar and inbox. This is good for me because I am very forgetful and I hope this will remind me of my appointments and it also gives me a way to schedule an appointment on the go. I am very bad about agreeing to a meeting and then forgetting to write it down. As Keystone Church grows I know my schedule will only get more and more crazy busy! So for now I say get the SMT5600. I will write more on this later.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
How do you Podcast?
Many of my colleagues have asked how do you start a podcast...so hear goes.
This past month my church started a podcast. On July 16 I announced it on this blog and mainly hit on how to subscribe to a podcast. But I wanted to go a little further on how to start one.
I am going to approach this from a church perspective. Most churches who are podcasting now are mainly wanting to podcast their pastor's sermons...so that's what we will work with.
1) Convert your Pastor's sermon into an mp3. I use iTunes to do this. I import the file from the cd recording. I encode it at 128kps. It is a larger file but sounds the best. If you want a smaller file you can decrease this easily in iTunes by going to your "preferences" menu (CTRL +,), select the "import" tab and then change your settings to your desired rate.
2)Choose a location to host your mp3. If your church has a website then check to see if you can host it with them. Ask a couple fo questions...How much space do we have? and What is my monthly alotted bandwidth? You will want to have at least 30gb of bandwidth transfer. If you do not have enough space or bandwidth then check out www.startlogic.com to host your podcast. On the weekends they run a special: 5gb of space 100gb bandwidth transfer for $1 a month. WOW! Signup and get a domain name.
3) Once you have a location/server...create a folder on your site called "podcast". Upload your file to the "podcast" folder on your server. You can use any ftp client...I use seagul ftp. You can even use windows explorer. Once your file is uploaded you now have a url pointing to the mp3. For instance, our podcast mp3s are in the "podcasts" folder on our server at keystonechurch.com. The name of the latest podcast mp3 is pod_073105.mp3. So my url is http://www.keystonechurch.com/podcasts/pod_073105.mp3. When you know your url for your podcast mp3 remember it for later.
4) Create an RSS feed. Don't get scared...you are saying...what is an rss feed. Don't worry about what it is ...you only need to know how it works. To create an RSS feed you need to create an XML document. This XML document is basically code telling the person subscribing when knew content is ready and where the content is. I use Feedforall to create our feed. If you understand code, you can look at our xml document and make it your own. Use this tutorial on how to use FeedforAll to create a podcast feed. (during this tutorial you will need the podcast mp3 url).
5) Upload XML document to your "podcast" folder on your website. Using your FTP program or even FeedforAll, upload your xml document to the podcast folder on your website.
6) NOW YOU HAVE A RSS FEED. It will be this...http://www.yourwebsite.com/podcast/your_xml_document_name.xml.
7) Publish your podcast with iTunes. Click here to publish your feed. You will need your RSS feed like the above example. You can also publish your podcast at www.podcastalley.com.
Well there you have it! Please let me know if this helped you or even if it confused you. I will try my best to answer any questions you have.
Brian
P.S. Once you show up in iTunes directory (takes about 2 days - 2 weeks), you can search for you podcast and when you find it, right-click on the podcast and choose to "copy itunes url." Now you can use this url on your website as a link for your people to subscribe to the podcast in 1 easy step. There is another way to and you can check it out here.
This past month my church started a podcast. On July 16 I announced it on this blog and mainly hit on how to subscribe to a podcast. But I wanted to go a little further on how to start one.
I am going to approach this from a church perspective. Most churches who are podcasting now are mainly wanting to podcast their pastor's sermons...so that's what we will work with.
1) Convert your Pastor's sermon into an mp3. I use iTunes to do this. I import the file from the cd recording. I encode it at 128kps. It is a larger file but sounds the best. If you want a smaller file you can decrease this easily in iTunes by going to your "preferences" menu (CTRL +,), select the "import" tab and then change your settings to your desired rate.
2)Choose a location to host your mp3. If your church has a website then check to see if you can host it with them. Ask a couple fo questions...How much space do we have? and What is my monthly alotted bandwidth? You will want to have at least 30gb of bandwidth transfer. If you do not have enough space or bandwidth then check out www.startlogic.com to host your podcast. On the weekends they run a special: 5gb of space 100gb bandwidth transfer for $1 a month. WOW! Signup and get a domain name.
3) Once you have a location/server...create a folder on your site called "podcast". Upload your file to the "podcast" folder on your server. You can use any ftp client...I use seagul ftp. You can even use windows explorer. Once your file is uploaded you now have a url pointing to the mp3. For instance, our podcast mp3s are in the "podcasts" folder on our server at keystonechurch.com. The name of the latest podcast mp3 is pod_073105.mp3. So my url is http://www.keystonechurch.com/podcasts/pod_073105.mp3. When you know your url for your podcast mp3 remember it for later.
4) Create an RSS feed. Don't get scared...you are saying...what is an rss feed. Don't worry about what it is ...you only need to know how it works. To create an RSS feed you need to create an XML document. This XML document is basically code telling the person subscribing when knew content is ready and where the content is. I use Feedforall to create our feed. If you understand code, you can look at our xml document and make it your own. Use this tutorial on how to use FeedforAll to create a podcast feed. (during this tutorial you will need the podcast mp3 url).
5) Upload XML document to your "podcast" folder on your website. Using your FTP program or even FeedforAll, upload your xml document to the podcast folder on your website.
6) NOW YOU HAVE A RSS FEED. It will be this...http://www.yourwebsite.com/podcast/your_xml_document_name.xml.
7) Publish your podcast with iTunes. Click here to publish your feed. You will need your RSS feed like the above example. You can also publish your podcast at www.podcastalley.com.
Well there you have it! Please let me know if this helped you or even if it confused you. I will try my best to answer any questions you have.
Brian
P.S. Once you show up in iTunes directory (takes about 2 days - 2 weeks), you can search for you podcast and when you find it, right-click on the podcast and choose to "copy itunes url." Now you can use this url on your website as a link for your people to subscribe to the podcast in 1 easy step. There is another way to and you can check it out here.
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