I just want to remind you about an earlier blog I did on 9/11 resources. I also want to highlight the “America” video clip from Flashlight Films (we used this at my church on Memorial Day and the response was amazing). If you’re going to have a brief moment in your Sunday service to remember 9/11, you might want to check out WorshipHouse’s September 11th store.
One of my favorite new songs is Vineyard’s new song “Sweetly Broken”. Want to give it a listen? It is the song that plays when you go to my Myspace page. WorshipMusic.com just picked “Sweetly Broken – A Modern Worship Resource Suite” as the 2006 Resource of the Year.
What is a “modern resource suite” you ask? I’m glad you asked. It’s genius. It is the way I believe companies should offer all their songs. First of all it’s digital. I just wrote a new article entitled “Noise” where I mentioned a book I’m reading from the Berklee School of Music entitled “The Future of Music”. I can sum it all up in one word: Digital. One quote from the book: “The record industry is terminally ill. The music industry is vibrant and healthly.” BONUS: Want to take an online class from Berklee on the future of music? Click HERE.
Wisely, Vineyard is offering digital downloads of each song resource, so there is no reason (or cost) to wait for items to be shipped to you. You can immediately listen and view online samples of every resource. Check them out in any format (audio, video, print and presentation files).
Please Note: Shortly after completing the check-out process you will receive an email with instructions for downloading your “Sweetly Broken” resource. You will not be prompted to download the product during the checkout process.
PERSONAL THOUGHTS:
Of special notice for readers of this blog is the MPEG video, which has already been created for you. Want to do the song LIVE with the video? Just by the MPEG video click track listed above under Video Resource, which comes with lyrics or without lyrics.
“Be Still” from SermonVideos.com is one of my favorite videos. I show it at every conference I speak at. This Sunday my home church used it in worship. My desire in starting this blog was to share “church video ideas” from time to time – to not just tell the ‘who’ and ‘what’, but to talk about the ‘how’.
My home church (Fellowship Dallas) used the video just like I did at the last church where I served. They started off the service with 2 upbeat/celebratory songs, then had the video “Be Still” come right in after the second song. The video starts with a loud “Shhhhhh!!!”, then is silent for the remainder of it. The people just stood there silently and watched the words unfold on the screens. The video ended and our worship pastor, Sammy Davenport, softly began to sing and play “The Heart of Worship” (When the music fades and all is stripped away…). Many people commented that it was a very moving time during the morning worship.
Our pastor was preaching on being still before God and waiting on Him, so the video and the way it was used in worship really helped put things in perspective. Singing words like “I’m coming back to the heart of worship and it’s all about You, Jesus” was perfect to follow the video. If you don’t have the video “Be Still” in your media library, I strongly encourage you to download it.
WorshipHouse Media has added a new “September 11th” tab to their homepage. Their new 9/11 area has several resources that you could use if your church is planning a service of rememberance. Check out the brand new video “Cross and Towers” from Atlas Productions.
Tonight I was able to attend the Promise Keepers gathering at the American Airlines Center here in Dallas. This arena, where the NBA’s Mavericks and the NHL’s Stars play was packed full of men of every size, age, color and background. Tonight’s message was on salvation and it looked like anywhere from 200 to 300 men walked down front to the altar to pray to receive Christ. It was a moving and special night of worship.
As a “Promise Keepers vet”, who has been to a few of these gatherings (including the unforgettable “Stand in the Gap” rally in Washington DC), I was thrilled to see that they made some much needed changes. The last couple of times that I had been the media was sad and the music was very dated. I was very impressed and excited to see their new PK7 worship band, that led modern worship with a nice edge. I was also impressed with how they are utilizing lighting, various screens of many different sizes and shapes and just the overall intergration of moving backgrounds and IMAG.
My final surprise of the evening came at the end when they showed the NOOMA video “Dust” (which is my favorite of the 13 NOOMA videos featuring Rob Bell). As someone very involved with media ministry and very aware of the resources that are available to the Church, I’ve often dreamed of seeing large events, conferences and seminars use these amazing videos (not just NOOMA, but videos or mini-movies in general), like so many churches around the world do. It was cool to sense the atmosphere in the room change as the video played and see how God used that video to encourage and inspire thousands of men in an arena. Major props to PK for staying relevant and open to new resources!
FYI – NOOMA’s lastest video “Rich“, which is their 13th video, is now available and shipping.
