Mark's Random Musings

Nothing to see here

2009-10-03T23:12:00.001-04:00

Check out my new little corner of the internet. I'll be posting there from here on out.

Why the internet was invented

2009-08-10T18:04:00.001-04:00

The Ballad of G.I. Joe from Olivia Wilde

Seriously, this has bigger name actors than the real movie... and a clarinet solo.

Twitter feeds: Panthers

2009-08-03T19:24:00.002-04:00

I'm amazed at twitter. It's incredible how quickly news travels when it's crowd sourced, and it's even faster and more reliable when it comes from first hand sources. Case in point, today my good buddy Shannon and I went to the morning practice at the Carolina Panthers training camp. As we were walking down the hill, we saw a player being carted off the field, but couldn't see his number from our vantage point. As Shannon was asking around to other fans (who also didnt know what was going on), I pulled out my iphone and checked twitter. I immediately found out who the player was, and within a few minutes had a general idea of his condition. Pretty impressive

In honor of that, I wanted to share the list of folks I follow who feed me this info. I'm sure there are others out there, so if there's someone I missed that you follow, but sure to let me know in the comments section. Oh yeah, and if you want to follow me, you can find me at @markameeks.

So here goes:

@CarolinaHuddle - VERY knowledgeable, fan-run website with one of the most active feeds.

@CharlesChandlerr - Panthers' bet writer: The Charlotte Observer

@CJWilson27: - Panthers CB (3rd Year)

@CorveyIrvin - Panthers DE (Rookie)

@cpanthers - Official News Feed of the Panthers

@DanMorgan55 - Panthers Pro-Bowl MLB (ret.)

@daringantt Panthers' beat writer: Rock Hill Herald - one of the most active feeds. scooped the official Panthers' feed re: Kemo's injury.

@EveretteBrown - Panthers DE (Rookie)

@jonathanstewar1 - Panthers RB (2nd yr)

@jonbeason - "The Beast": Panthers Pro-Bowl and All-Pro MLB (3rd year)

@MattEMoore - Panthers QB (3rd Year)

@MikeSolarte - Sports Director for News 14 Carolina, and most importantly an all around great guy. A guy I consider myself very lucky to call a friend.

@rhysjlloyd - Panthers Kicker. Gets extra credit for calling Jake Delhomme a Muppet in his most recent tweet.

@scott_fowler - Sports Columnist: The Charlotte Observer

That's it, kids. Hope you enjoy.

Layers and Textures and Brushes, Oh My!

2009-07-29T14:42:00.004-04:00

I'm usually not one for a lot of messing with my photos. Other than some contrast or saturation bumping, I usually don't do much "toying" with images. These are things I use in my design stuff all the time, but usually don't incorporate into my photo work. That being said, I've been playing around today with brushes and textures a little.

Armed with some inspiration from Barton Damer at the Gurus Conference as well as a stack of free brushes from Brusheezy, I settled in to playing around.

Here's what I started with; a picture of Courtney I showed you guys a few days ago.

And here's what I ended up with. (full resolution version here)

This is a little "much" for my usual tastes, but I'm trying to expand my boundries. This ended up being about 28 layers, and I'm pretty pleased overall. I'm not crazy about the black gradient on the right hand side, but I've decided to use this image as my desktop for the time being so I've got to have that to give some contrast to the (theoretically) few icons I have on my desktop.

Hope Court likes it, because if not, I'm sure I'll get another of the looks she's giving me in the pic.

EDIT: I got a little carried away and made another, similar image for my second desktop. Here's the end result:

I'd vote for her

2009-07-28T12:41:00.001-04:00

If anyone out there knows this woman, please encourage her to run for office. These are the kinds of people we need making our decisions for us. I'd move to California just so I could vote for her. Genius!

R2 Cafe Music - 7-26

2009-07-26T23:42:00.003-04:00

I got a lot of questions on today's countdown music today, so I figured I'd get back in the old habit of blogging the playlist. Here goes:

The Lost Get Found - Britt Nicole

Roll With Me f. Colt Ford - Montgomery Gentry

Forgiven and Loved - Jimmy Needham

Steal My Sunshine - Len

Washed By the Water - needtobreathe

Out of my Head - Fastball

The Atmosphere - And Then There Were None

Closer to Love - Mat Kearney

Countdown Music
Robot Rock - Daft Punk

"The Verge" Trailer

2009-07-25T00:44:00.002-04:00

The Verge - Trailer from Mark Meeks on Vimeo.

here's the trailer I made for the new R2 sermon series, The Verge. Quotes are by FDR, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy V and MLK, music by Lee McDerment. Hope you enjoy.

Micah 2:13 - Why I love iMovie

2009-07-21T17:39:00.003-04:00

Here's a short motion graphic I did for an upcoming service. I did this in about 20 minutes using iMovie. It still amazes me how simple this thing is to use and how great the results can be... especially considering it's an application that comes free on your friendly neighborhood Mac.

Motion Graphic of Micah 2:13 from Mark Meeks on Vimeo.

For those of you interested in the music it's God Moving Over the Face of the Waters by Moby. I first heard it on the movie Heat (which I highly recommend). However, we will probably not play the music in the service. This will be used between worship songs, so the band will likely accompany this piece. I just inserted the music as a place-holder.

Sneak Preview: The Verge

2009-07-21T10:59:00.002-04:00

The new sermon series at R2 starts in a couple weeks. Here's a preview of the print materials that we've produced. I'm really excited about this one.

Main logo (screens):

Text slide (for scripture on the screens):

Postcard Front:

and back:

Business Card (for inviting friends)

Look for another post in the next couple days where I'll talk about how this design evolved. Hope you enjoy.

Mackenzie Comer - Sweet 16 Shoot

2009-07-20T00:00:00.005-04:00

I had the honor yesterday of shooting Mackenzie Comer to document her turning 16. These were taken at an old barn near her house. Kenz has pretty funky tastes (and I mean that as a good thing) so I tried a little "extreme" post processing on these. Mom was pleased (and after all, that's really all that matters), as am I, so I think this was a pretty successful shoot. Hope you enjoy. Full set can be seen here.

For those of you who don't know, Kenz is Courtney's little sister, making pleasing mom all the more important. I got a couple pictures of the girls together as well. Court makes a great photog's assistant, but can be a reluctant model. The last shot is a perfect example of Court's "I'm humoring you, but I'm NOT liking this" face. I get that one a lot.

Kinetic Typography

2009-06-19T07:52:00.003-04:00

CAUTION: This video uses audio from the movie Pulp Fiction, therefore the language is pretty rough. This is totally unsafe for work or for around the kiddies, but I'm posting it because I'm so impressed with the animation. - MM

I was cruising the Graphic Design Forum and stumbled across this awesome example of Kinetic Typography. I'm sure you've seen stuff similar to this, it's becoming pretty popular in TV commercials and the like. It's something I'd love to get better at and be able to incorporate into my stuff. Here's an early attempt i made to replicate the effect from a few months ago. You can see I still need some work.

can. not. wait.

2009-05-29T14:45:00.001-04:00

man, this looks great

Album Art - Drew Holgate, Return to Daylight

2009-05-28T22:28:00.004-04:00

I've been given the distinct honor of designing the CD Cover art for the new EP from my good friend Drew, Return to Daylight. I presented several different options to Drew for him to go with, and he chose the one you see below with very few changes. Drew's the Worship Pastor at R2 and he and his band are incredible talents. I'm very honored to be involved with this project. Look for more on this project in the near future.

Why I love High Point

2009-05-27T14:23:00.001-04:00

reason number 573,291

I can't believe I actually have it

2009-05-27T12:56:00.004-04:00

So the year is 1990, I'm a 7th grader at Oak Hill Junior High and everyone in the entire 7th grade world wants to be Andre Agassi. Agassi is doing for tennis what Tiger Woods would do for golf a decade later. He's introducing an entire new generation to his sport. He's injecting crazy hair, spandex, and neon into a world of boring old guys in white.

And everyone wants his shoe.

Problem is, it's sold out. Everywhere.

Well, my time comes for me to get some new shoes, so my mom takes me out to CBS Sports, the only place in town with any sort of selection of cool shoes. I, of course, want the "Agassi"s... (Nike Air Tech Challenge II in Hot Lava for you sneakerheads). Turns out they have one pair left... the pair that was on display... and it's a freakishly big size. I thank God for my freakishly big feet and overnight become the coolest kid on the block.

But here's the thing I remember most about those shoes. It wasn't bringing them home, it wasn't wearing them to school the next day and people's jealous reactions. It's certainly not how they improved my tennis game because to this day I've maybe picked up a racquet MAYBE a dozen times... It was that night, as I was getting in the shower, seeing those shoes on my bathroom floor and thinking "those are really mine. I'm the kid who gets to wear them." I know it's terribly selfish and materialistic, but it's a memory and a feeling that was absolutely ingrained in me and one I've never felt since...

...until recently. It's amazing how something or someone can come along and make you feel old feelings all over again. Coincidentally this time it's something else from 1990 that has me feeling that same feeling all over again. "I can't believe this is happening to me. I'm the one who gets to experience this."

I don't know where those shoes are today, and I can't pretend to know what the future holds for me and Court, all I know is that right now, I feel so happy, so blessed, to be in this situation. I'm so thankful to God for bringing us together, and I can't wait to see what He has in store.

Avoiding sounding like a jerk in emails

2009-05-27T12:49:00.002-04:00

Below is the full text from a blog written by David Silverman (not David Silver) about helping with tone in email. I know this is something I've struggled with in the past, so I thought it might be useful to others as well.

A reader writes with the following query:

"I manage 15 staff who are scattered about. I email them since it's the easiest way for me to communicate with all of them at the same time. Often my emails are very short and to the point. It's business. Two staff see that as my being harsh and have no problem letting me know that. Example: "Would you please update these primary care providers in the database, including addresses and phone numbers?"
Six days later, I sent the following email as follow up to my initial request: "I would like this taken care of by Thursday this week. If you are having trouble getting this done, please let me know."

In return, my employee sent me a lengthy 4 paragraph response on how insulted she was by my follow up email. I would like your opinion."

One the one hand, the employee's response was out of line. What was he or she hoping to achieve? It didn't get the project done and it almost certainly didn't improve your relationship. I'd go as far as to say it's justified for you to reprimand someone for aggressive behavior like that.

But that's me speaking as a boss (or customer) who's sent similar emails to yours. I've also been the recipient — and felt rising anger every time one of my bosses sent an email beginnging with, "Please provide the revised presentation..."

Perhaps unexpectedly, it was the "please" that drove me over the edge. And while I didn't fire off a petulant four-paragraph response, I did seethe quietly. And, more importantly, I didn't feel very much like "providing the revised presentation."

Anyone whose ever been part of an online "flame war" has had the experience of a tiny "e-mole" becoming a mountain. (And yes, I am also shocked that I would attempt such a terrible pun.) Studies have shown that readers add (or invent) emotional bias that is often counter to your intent as the sender.

In this case, all of the niceties you thought you were writing ended up sounding very different in the mind of your employee.

In the echo chamber of the employee's mind, and the absence of other cues from you, "I would like" was probably heard as a passive-aggressive demand, if not a derisive sneer. "If you are having trouble," was meant as "I'm here to help," but interpreted as "I think you're a dolt for taking 6 days to do a minor task." The length of your email also compounded the emotional dissonance. You thought of it as just a quick note on a task, but your brevity came across as curt.

Lastly, the form of communication itself (email) could be interpreted as, "Just so you know, I'm documenting your incompetence."

Ouch, right?

Here are some suggestions for preventing this next time:

1. You could call. Your goal is to check the progress of the task and give the employee a chance to respond with questions — a call could accomplish this while allowing both of you to hear each other's tone of voice. Since you say at least two of your staff find your emails harsh, this could be the easiest solution.

2. Include deadlines when you first make a request. If you don't have time to call, or if time zones make calling a hassle, email can still work if you revise your initial request to include a due date, or, for a bigger project, a due date for an status update. By giving a date, your follow-up won't feel as aggressive and your employee will be less likely to take it personally. Deadlines will also help your staff prioritize — perhaps rendering follow-ups unnecessary.

3. Be conversational. Even if the first email was unchanged, the second email could be written to avoid a blow up. You don't need lots of smiley faces or exclamation points. You just need to write the way you might actually talk. For example, your second email could read: "Hi Cindy, just following up on the email below — can you let me know how far along the task is? I was hoping we could have this by the meeting on Thursday, is that a possibility?"

4. Use the passive voice. It doesn't make for great writing, but it can help you avoid sounding accusatory — and it sounds like your employee felt accused.

To handle the situation as it is now, call. Let your employee know you meant no disrespect, and that your goal, and theirs, was and is to get the job done. And let them know that the I'm-an-emotional-person-and-you-hurt me email has no place at work.

Lastly, I'd like to use this as an opportunity to repeat why I think even the "simplest" emails need to be revised with care. It takes time and thought to ensure you don't give the wrong emotional cues.

Let's open this up to my readers and get you some more opinions. Does anyone have other advice? Do you disagree with the recommendations I've proposed?

The Rev's Got a Band

2009-05-27T12:23:00.002-04:00

Found this video on Jason Boyett's blog. The cheese factor is off the charts in this one. If the Rev had a worship band, I'm sure it'd be this guy.

The Rev is Back, Too

2009-05-27T12:05:00.003-04:00

The Rev. Bro. Dr. Bshp. Floyd D. Barber the Third made another appearance at R2 this past week. Here's the clip if you missed it. "filmed" in photo booth with my macbook sitting on the back of my truck.

I'm back

2009-05-26T15:10:00.002-04:00

I've beyond slack about keeping this little corner of the internet up and running. I could blame twitter, but I've pretty much been slack there. In the next couple days I'll be catching you up on what I've been up to. Hope you'll enjoy.

Sorry for being extra-lame.

Mark

THIS is IMPRESSIVE

2009-04-07T15:10:00.002-04:00

Having tinkered with animation a little, I've really come to appreciate how difficult it can be. This is just ridiculously impressive to me:

Thanks to Already Been Chewed for the heads-up.

Wild Things

2009-03-24T17:49:00.002-04:00

I had no idea this was in the works. I can't wait.

SuperNews! - Steve Jobs vs Bill Gates

2009-03-20T22:50:00.002-04:00

Stumbled across this tonight. totally awesome!

Israeli Mobile Phone Ad

2009-03-19T15:28:00.002-04:00

Found this on motionographer which I found in collide. I love this.

Re-Blog of Tony Morgan

2009-03-19T13:39:00.002-04:00

Here's a total quotation of Tony Morgan's latest blog post. Sounds like this is a book I'll have to put on my "to read" list. Original post can be found here (if you're involved in any aspect of ministry and you're not following Tony, you should be.)

I recently finished up the Kindle version of Anne Jackson’s new book, Mad Church Disease. First of all, let me reiterate that I love reading and taking notes using the Kindle. Completely changes how I engage a book.

Secondly, this book in particular is one of those books that every person on staff in a ministry should read. If you aren’t currently facing the “disease” of which Anne writes, you probably will. Here are some of the highlights from my reading:

“I had allowed spending time with God to be replaced by spending time doing things for God.”
“The fear of letting people down, especially in spiritual matters, can often cause us to feel obligated or pressured into meeting unrealistic expectations, or worse, spending more time doing things for God instead of being what God wants us to be.”
“If the leader is exhausted, then the people following that leader will feel exhausted.” –Bill Hybels
“There are a lot of Christ-followers who haven’t taken the time to figure out what their holy discontent is, and so they’re doing a gradual slide into apathy and complacency—and that is unconscionable in a broken and lost world.” –Bill Hybels
“My experience is that it’s really easy to trash-talk churches or methods that aren’t what we think they should be.”
“There are no perfect churches to serve in, no perfect pastors to work for, and no perfect environments.”
“I could have prayed to be healed from depression, but if I hadn’t taken the necessary steps, I would have never come out of it.”
“An unguarded strength can become your greatest weakness.” –Wayne Cordeiro
“You are responsible both for the choices you’ve made in life and for seeking God’s plan for your healing.”
“You should design your ministry around your family values.” –Craig Groeschel
“One of the most important words in your healing—’NO!’ You may feel guilty for saying it. People may get angry at you for saying it. But you must say it!”
“The leaders who were the healthiest were the ones who never disrespected the people who hurt them.”
“We believe lies that tell us that our worth is in our productivity.”
“We cannot be dependent on ourselves and on God at the same time. When we consider the practice of rest unnecessary, we will also inevitably lose sight of the necessity of God.”
Aside from the great insights, Anne is obviously a gifted writer. I think you will enjoy and be challenged by this book.

A Tribute to Jace

2009-03-18T11:53:00.000-04:00

Last night at the R2 Creative Team meeting, there was a formal announcement. Since Pastor Nick will be moving on to lead our student ministry, the wise decision to promote my good buddy Jace Breeback to the role of Creative Director was announced. To honor the occasion, I put together this little video of him talking about his vision for the Creative Team. Enjoy.

A gift to my dear friend Jason Goins

2009-03-17T23:47:00.000-04:00

Here you go.

Been WAY too long

2009-03-13T13:45:00.003-04:00

So it's been over a month since my last blog post. Way too long. Sorry about that - I'll do better.

I went down with some of the great folks at R2 to the Unleash conference at Newspring Church in Anderson, SC. Had a blast with good friends, got some great ideas about how to do things better in my role in the church, and was really inspired by some awesome worship. More about Unleash in general in an upcoming post.

Here's what's really inspired me to get back to blogging. I really felt God speaking to me this week, and it started before getting to Newspring. It all started when we were hanging out at a coffee shop just having a blast kidding around with each other. Dont remember the context of the conversation, but somehow it came up that I was a cheerleader in HS (this is the one thing I always play off as being embarrassed of, but in truthfulness, i had a blast doing it). My small group co-leader Jade was there and asked me a really interesting question. I think half jokingly she asked me "how did that experience affect your chazown?" (our small group is reading chazown and if yours isn't, it should be.) I thought about just giving her a flippant, joking response, but then decided to give it some real thought. I said "well, it tought me that it's good to sacrifice your own needs for someone else's." You see, as a guy on the cheerleading squad, your number one priority is to not let the girl you're holding or throwing up in the air hit the ground - even if it means you hitting the ground instead. I took some pretty nasty falls and got really banged up literally diving for girls on several occasions... but none of them ever hit the ground.

On Thursday, Perry Noble was talking about how church leaders should continually be asking God for "the ball." That a leader should say, "I'm willing to take the punishment. I'm willing to take the risk. I'm wanting to be the one to advance down the field." Perry was talking to the Senior Pastors at that point, but I think a lot fo that fell in the wrong ears... I've heard a lot of chatter online for other people in the Church talking about how they want the ball too.

Here's where I think the problem lies. There's only ONE ball carrier. The church staff has to take an offensive lineman mentality. As a church staffer, it's not my calling to carry the ball. It's my calling to get out there and take the pounding to make the job easier for the guys with the ball. The thing is, there's no glory in that, there's not a lot of recognition or glory in it. But as a guy who really enjoyed being an offensive tackle back in my football playing days, I can tell you that there's a lot of internal satisfaction - and that your role is a vital one.

Perry finished up by asking "does your pastor know you've got his back?". My response is I'd do anything for Jason (and frankly any of the other pastors at R2) and I'm totally onboard with his vision, but I don't have his back. Being behind the ball carrier does nothing to help him out. I want to be out front, doing everything I can - giving blood sweat and tears - to do any small thing to make his job - spreading God's Word, doing God's Will - just a little bit easier.

Growth Groups Promo

2009-02-09T17:03:00.004-05:00

R2 Growth Groups Video from Mark Meeks on Vimeo.

Here's the Growth Groups promo I put together for last week's service. This is the first movie I made with iMovie '09. I used a stock video R2 purchased for a previous sermon element, spliced it together with some photos I had lying around. Background music is bookends theme by Simon and garfunkle.

Also note, this is the first video I'm linking from my new viemo account. It's like youtube, but more vimeoer.

I'm glad I'm not a 60 Million Year old Columbian

2009-02-05T12:20:00.002-05:00

I wouldn't want to run into this guy.

SUPER Bowl

2009-02-02T15:19:00.002-05:00

Hope you all enjoyed a rediculously awesome game last night. Even if you're not a fan of the game (or evenif you didn't watch the game) you've gotta LOVE this:

if we didn't have enough to worry about...

2009-01-29T16:18:00.001-05:00

the horrifying story

Lie To Me

2009-01-29T14:54:00.002-05:00

New show on Fox - caught the first two episodes on Hulu. I know everyone's got too much tv already, but this is really shaping up to be a great show. Oh yeah, and Kelli Williams is pretty attractive too.

here's the pilot:

here's episode 2:

Fan-made Thundercats Trailer

2009-01-27T11:47:00.003-05:00

This is one of the coolest things I've ever seen. This guy took existing movie clips, colorized them to make the characters look like the Thundercats and sliced them together - this is really pretty incredible.

By the way, the real Thundercats live action movie will be coming out in Summer of 2011

Happy Birthday dear Ma-ac.......

2009-01-22T16:53:00.001-05:00

as someone else said when they saw this commercial today, looks like they invented the Mac before they invented the sportsbra.

ProPresenter

2009-01-12T18:39:00.002-05:00

ProPresenter is the presentation software we use on Sundays at R2. Essentially everything that's shown on the screens on stage (and in the cafeteria) and all music you hear (that doesnt come from the band) comes through ProPresenter. ProPresenter is honestly the sole reason I switched to a Mac. I've always liked it, but since a crash we had on Sunday and the resulting tech support experience, I have to admit that now I totally love it. Great service, prompt response, and the right answer the first time - for FREE.

Kudos guys.

The Birth of Legend

2009-01-10T23:53:00.000-05:00

It's amazing what some people can be talked into.

Extreme Harding

2009-01-09T10:59:00.002-05:00

This is just too awesome.

Audi Q5 - "Unboxed"

2009-01-08T10:35:00.002-05:00

Ken Wilson's blog turned me onto Motionographer, which also turned me onto this incredible ad for Audi's Q5 SUV. Really creative and wonderfully produced.

Macbook Wheel

2009-01-07T22:16:00.000-05:00

Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

Must have this.

Cafe Music - January 4th

2009-01-05T19:21:00.003-05:00

I'm a little late getting this one posted. Here's the rundown of the cafe music from yesterday's service. Hope you enjoyed it.

iContact - Group 1 Crew
Streetcorner Symphony - Rob Thomas
Give Me Your Eyes - Brandon Heath
Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia) - US3
Let Go - BarlowGirl
Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
Prayer '94 - Bon Jovi
3 Minute Song - Josh Wilson
What a Wonderful World - Art Garfunkle with James Taylor & Paul Simon
On the Radio - Regina Spektor
If I Had $1000000 - Barenaked Ladies
Joy to the World - Three Dog Night

Happy EVOLUTION!!!!!

2009-01-05T12:09:00.004-05:00

Been a while since my last blog (I mean, c'mon, it was last year!) but here's why... all my free time as been dumped into this project, a video promoting the goals of our Evolution series - a series that will outline all of 2009 at R2.

This vid took me about 40 hours to produce. This is also the first videos that R2 has produced that's made entirely of R2 generated materials. Everything from the car trip background (notice that it's the drive from I-40 at Windover in GSO all the way to the front doors of SW Guilford) to the text, to even the background music was created by us for this video. I think it's by far our most sophisticated production yet. Hope you enjoy, and more importantly, hope you enjoy 2009 - the year of Evolution!

Top 25 of 2008

2008-12-29T15:50:00.005-05:00

Here at year's end, you'll see all sorts of "Best of" lists.... Best Movies of '08, Best Fashions of '08, Greatest Nose Hair Sculptures of '08, etc. Every writer, blogger and disc jockey in America will be stumbling over each other coming up with their lists. Here are Mark's Random Musings, we're no different(please don't ask me why I just started to refer to myself in the plural - no idea). But there IS one way we're different, while the others stick to one "specialty" because that's all they know, I will offer up the defenitive list of all the great things 2008 has brought us (or at least me). Yeah, I'm just that cool.

So with no further ado, I'd like to present Mark's Random Musings Top 25 of 2008 List!!!!

25. Opening Ceremony of the Summer Olympics : I've heard this called the TV event of the year as well as the single greatest production in the history of mankind. Both things are probably true, it was absolutely incredible. It falls to the bottom of the best of list for one reason.. as impressive as the giant masses of people performing exactly choreographed movements was, it was sorta spooky for the very say reason. I'm still a little wigged.

24. Canon 40d - picked this bad boy up a couple weeks ago as a Christmas present for myself. Nice upgrade to my aging XTi. Low light ability is awesome.

23. Man in the Mirror - Rhymefest, Mark Ronson, Michael Jackson : Rapper Rhymefest and producer Mark Ronson got together for this "tribute" album to (pre-crazy) Michael Jackson. It's part mix-tape, part tribute, part parody - all unauthorized (read illegal). The best part is Rhymefest and Ronson broke the copyright laws so you don't have to. It's a free download (check out the link) but we forewarned, there's a bit of rough language in it (although generally positive messages - particularly for this kind of rap).

22. Mad Men - Ok, so this is the first of several things on my list that isn't exactly FROM 2008, but hey - sometimes I'm behind the times, so I just got into it in 2008. Best show on tv right now by FAR. And the look of it is the coolest thing going by far. It's way over my head, but I'd LOVE to homage to this with some stuff for R2.

21. The explosion of Billy Mays : Seriously, the man can sell anything. Honorable (albeit creepy) mention; this guy.

20. Wacom Tablet - quantum leap in my photoshop abilities with this thing overnight. skunks the mouse. now just to save up for this badboy.

19. Twitter : makes stalking and being stalked so much more convenient.

18. Av Club : Ken Wilson is Visual Director at NewSpring Church in Anderson SC. Quite simply, he's who I want to be when I grow up. His blog is funny, insightful, and above all else, inspirational. A daily read for me.

17. Sarah Palin / Tina Fey : I was in Wasilla the day Palin was announced as the VP nominee and even then people were looking forward to Fey playing her. The comedy that ensued (both intentional and otherwise) was the best of the year.

16. Lynda : online software training courses for well, anything. Recommended by Bean and the only thing I wanted for Christmas. Love it.

15. Mark's Random Musings : you're reading this, so you already know how awesome it is. (and I feel sorry for you if you clicked on the link in the header).

14. Jonathan Stewart meets Rhonde Barber

13. iPod Adapter : this little gem plugs my ipod into the factory deck in my truck, allowing me to control my ipod through the steering wheel controls and get great sound too.

12. Goal Line Blitz - call me a nerd, but this Football simulation role playing game is the most addictive thing on the interwebz. DEMON LLAMA!!!!!!!!!!!

11. Michael Phelps - yeah, that's him on the left. Still on the left. re-freakin-diculous.

10. Will's Elmo Costume

9. Barack Obama - Not to get political, but I still get goosebumps watching this.

8. Superhero Movies - Best year ever for them.

7. The return of this

6. Alaska: 17 days in the last frontier was by far the best vacation of my life. Special thanks to this big lady, these folks, this guy, this guy, that big ol thing and this old dude. Most importantly, this chick.

5. Chevy Avalanche - after years of good service, my trusty Silverado went down swinging in the blizzard of 08 (yeah, ok, so there were only 3/8 of an inch of snow on the ground). Fittingly enough, I replaced her with the new love of my life, a 2004 Avalanche. Lovely, ain't she?

4. Macbook Pro : My other Christmas present to me (I was a very good boy). it pains me to admit it, but I'm a Mac fanboy these days. :(

3. DeAngelo Williams : Set the Panthers Single season records for both rushing yardage and touchdowns. Led the NFL in overall touchdowns. 153 Carries for 993 yards, 6.5 yards/carry, 15 touchdowns... in the second half of the season!

2. Jillian and Selah : Seriously, it just doesn't really get any better than this.

1. Renaissance Road : I'll honestly never really be able to express how happy, blessed and humbled I am to be surrounded by something this meaningful and people this special. God is really moving in this region, and I'm so thrilled to be a part of it - and I'm so blessed to have met the wonderful people that make R2 happen. I can't wait to see what happens in 2009.

Forgiveness / Revenge

2008-12-29T14:08:00.003-05:00

Yesterday at R2 Pastor Nick gave a great message about the importance of forgiveness. It was a really powerful message that I believe touched everyone that heard it. It's a message that I agree with...

...well, most of the time.

After the service we all went out to lunch at Fatz Cafe (awesome, by the way). While we were there, my good buddy Jace played a little prank on me where he swiped my camera and hid it for a good little while. While meant to be all in good fun, some transgressions are simply too severe to go unavenged. Click here to see the revenge I have taken out upon Mr. Breeback.

Now I am the champion!

The US Military and giant shape-shifting robots

2008-12-29T13:40:00.003-05:00

Interesting article here about the military's involvement in Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen. Can't wait.

Sam Hassas

2008-12-28T21:52:00.003-05:00

Sam Hassas is a Bay Area wedding photographer I found out about on Fred Miranda's photo site. I've never really wanted to be a wedding photographer, but I love his portrait work. What he does with light is absolutely incredible. He's the first photographer whose blog I read regularly.

Cafe Music 12-28

2008-12-28T19:44:00.002-05:00

Here's a rundown of the cafe music from today:

Feel Good Inc. - The Gorillaz
Killing the Blues - Robert Plant & Allison Krauss
Babylon II - David Gray
Love Rollercoaster - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Man In the Mirror - Rhymefest/Mark Ronson/Michael Jackson
Triple Skinny - TobyMac
SRV Shuffle - Various Artists
Amazing Grace - Willie Nelson

Eartha Kitt

2008-12-25T18:41:00.002-05:00

Singer, dancer, actress and, most importantly, Catwoman Eartha Kitt died today. Crazy hot back in the day. Here's to her.

Ode to Jace

2008-12-23T22:37:00.002-05:00

Sung to the tune of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" (Symphony #9, Opus 125, "Choral")

Breeback, Breeback, oh Jace Breeback!
You're the one who's oh, so right!
You know all the hobbled gymnasts,
name them in the dark o' night.
Oh, why did I ever doubt you?
Should have never been so smug.
Breeback, Breeback, wise one Breeback,
How'd you know that was Miss Strug?

Breeback, Breeback, oh Jace Breeback!
How I long to be like you!
You're my favorite Right-Wing champion
turning all states red from blue!
Blogspot, Twitter, even Lynda,
You're my hero always, Jace!
Breeback, Breeback, awesome Breeback!
Please don't punch me in the face.

Pat Furey & Sarah

2008-12-23T22:21:00.004-05:00

Ran across this post on Fred Miranda's photo site (a great place to learn about all things digital photo related, by the way. Man, I'd love to learn to be able to take shots like this.

Panthers clinch Playoffs

2008-12-21T13:29:00.003-05:00

With the Cowboys' loss to the Baltimore Ravens last night, the Carolina Panthers clinched the playoffs. In honor of that, here's a link to the greatest Playoffs tribute of all time, from the legendary (for all the wrong reasons) Jim Mora.

Evernote

2008-12-20T15:42:00.003-05:00

Found out about Evernote, a sweet little reminder/note taking / general sting on the finger application from Ken Wilson. Downloading it now, it looks AWESOME. Can't wait to play with it more - I'll update as things go along.

R2 Halloween Outreach

2008-12-19T22:55:00.003-05:00

Just finished the photos from the R2 Halloween Outreach in Lilliefield. Hope you enjoy! Full Gallery here.

2008 Balloon Rally

2008-12-19T22:32:00.003-05:00

So yeah, the Balloon Rally happened back in October, and I've been slack. I just now finished uploading my photos. You can check them out here.

Cafe Music 12-14

2008-12-11T20:06:00.003-05:00

Here's the rundown for the cafe music from this morning:

I'll Be Home for Christmas - Michael Buble
Frosty the Snowman - Fiona Apple
Someday at Christmas - Jack johnson
Christmas in Hollis - Run DMC
Carol of the Bells - BarlowGirl
Santa Claus is Comin to Town - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
O Holy Night - Faith Hill
Christmas in the Caribbean - Jimmy Buffet

The Countdown was "I Was Born to Love You" by Tobymac.

Annie Leibovitz

2008-12-10T23:34:00.001-05:00

Interesting little interview with Annie Leibovitz about her legendary career as a portrait photographer.

I cant watch this enough

2008-12-10T14:03:00.003-05:00

Rookie Running Back Jonathan Stewart vs. Future Hall of Famer Ronde Barber.

It's bad when you get stiff armed to the ground so hard that you bounce.

The one bad thing about R2

2008-12-08T21:51:00.001-05:00

I'm watching my first complete Panthers game of the season.

GO PANTHERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Contact Info

2008-12-08T16:09:00.001-05:00

So now that I've got my fancy new Mac I'm updating my address book. If you've got a second, do me a favor and send me your contact info so that I can get a hold of you and such.

Evolution

2008-12-07T06:25:00.003-05:00

pretty exciting announcement this morning at R2: Evolution is coming. Evolution will be the R2 theme for 2009, sort of a guiding idea throughout our sermon series. We're excited about the changes that are upcoming this year, for ourselves as individuals, for R2 as a whole, and for the community around us.

Above is the promo video we played this morning. This will play throughout the year (not at every service) but will also be supplemented by various other promos with live elements that feature Jason talking about the things to come. I'm really looking forward to putting this project together.

Cafe Music

2008-12-07T00:07:00.002-05:00

So it's December at R2, which means Christmas music in the Cafe. For those interested in what's being played, here's the rundown of the cafe music for December 7th:

So This is Christmas - The Beatles
Baby It's Cold Outside - Ray Charles
You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Barenaked Ladies & Sarah McGlocklin
Merry Christmas From the Family - Robert Earl Keen
Feliz Navidad - Los Lonely Boys
All I Want for Christmas is You - Mariah Carey
Oh Come Let Us Adore Him - TobyMac

For our countdown we're playing "Prime Audio Soup" by Meat Beat Manifesto.

Hope you enjoyed it!

Winston-Salem Baseball

2008-12-04T13:38:00.002-05:00

Someone from the Former Winston-Salem Warthogs Minor League team must have been in attendance at R2 this weekend. They announced the new team name today, and clearly they ripped off Jason's "dash" illustration. Lame name? youbetcha. They got it from the dash in between "Winston" and "Salem". seriously. I mean if they wanted to play off the whole two names thing, at least call the team the Twins.

Proud Papa

2008-12-01T13:34:00.002-05:00

I blame the convergence of Cyber Monday, Amazon, and fan-girl Sabrina... I've been officially converted to the Mac cult.

Legacy

2008-12-01T07:06:00.002-05:00

Today Jason spoke on the importance of leaving a legacy - that our dreams aren't realy God dreams, unless they continue on without us. It reminded me of the clip I had seen of Martin Luther King's last speech, given just hours before he was assasinated. Now this is a man who is most famously known for his dream, and who obviously had a firm grasp on his legacy.

Touching God

2008-11-29T20:00:00.001-05:00

Sneak peek time. Here's the teaser for our next sermon series "Touching God". It'll debut tomorrow morning and the new series will beging next week, Dec 7th.

NFL Week 13

2008-11-29T10:29:00.002-05:00

Well kids, it's getting down to the meat of the schedule in the NFL. These next 5 weeks will be huge in determining which teams get into the playoffs. With that in mind, I present to you the classic words of the great Jim Mora:

Why Walk?

2008-11-28T22:22:00.001-05:00

when you can just walk? Investors click here.

FINALLY

2008-11-28T12:56:00.003-05:00

Finally finished my Alaska photos. Check them out here.

Dont give up. Dont ever give up.

2008-11-25T00:15:00.002-05:00

As you might have guessed from my previous entry about Barack Obama's election night speech, I'm a sucker for a powerful speaker. Whether it's Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men or Al Pacino in, well anything, I just can't get enough of it. With college basketball season starting up, here's a video of one of my all time favoites. Jimmy V wasn't the greatest coach in history, and frankly, wasn't always the most ethical coach either, but I grew up a State fan, which means I loved him. This one, given at the first ESPY awards when he knew he was just months away from death, still gives me goosebumps today.

Football

2008-11-23T23:13:00.003-05:00

Emotional rollercoaster this weekend in football. Always happy to see this. This was a little scary at first. This was AWESOME. This SUCKED - BAD.

Most importantly though, in the ugliest game of Goal Line Blitz EVER, the Demon Llamas were victorious (barely) over their fiercest rival, the Montevideo Storm Vermin.

DEMON LLAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Invisible Chase

2008-11-23T23:04:00.003-05:00

Bricks from Pierre-Abraham Rochat on Vimeo.

I totally ganked this from my buddy Jace's blog (which you should totally be reading because it's awesome). I hate stealing from a guy, especially on this birthday, but this was just too cool not to share.

The thing that so impresses me is that the creaters had to invision the entire "world" around these "guys" to know where everything was and how it fit together. I'm simply amazed. Enjoy!

Cynosura

2008-11-23T22:58:00.002-05:00

I love my Black n Red notebook I got last week, but ever since I've started carrying it, a ton of people have asked my why I'm carrying around a high school yearbook.

Friends

2008-11-23T22:07:00.005-05:00

So Jason's message this morning was all about surounding yourself with the right kinds of friends. Not in the exclusive "don't hang out with THOSE kind of people" way, but more in the iron sharpens iron", have people that you can lean on sort of way. For me it was a really timely message, and one that really hit home.

I've been doing a lot of thinking recently about how blessed I am to be surrounded with the people that God has put me around. I'm the only child of a single mother and I don't have any cousins, so all my life my friends have been as close to me as my family. In a very literal sense, my friendships are responsible for where I am today. Let me give you an example:

In the summer before 8th grade, my mom and I moved from Morganton to Statesville and I started going to East Iredell Elementary (they called it elementary, but it was 3rd-8th). I went out for the football team, but since I hadnt played on that team the previous season, I didn't have the seniority of the other 8th graders, so I got last pick of the pads and helmets.

Now lemme tell ya, in 8th grade I was a big boy - the biggest on the team - and the biggest part of me was my GIANT melon. Kids, I'm tellin ya - I had a HUGE head. And to top if off - I had this funky bowl-cut/mullet combo of hair (yeah, I had hair once). I tell you this because by the time it came around for me to pick out a helmet, there werent any left big enough for me. For the first week of pactice I played in was essentially was a yamikah with a punter's facemast on it. It gave me migranes, my chin was getting blown up - I was miserable. It was so bad, I decided to quit the team. When I told my coach, Mr. Johnson, I was quitting he said - no son - you're my starting LT, and if you quit, Jamie Dew will get murdered. So he called up the dad of one of the other guys on our team for a favor. This guy's dad just happened to be Charlie Love, the head coach of North Iredell's football team, and he was kind enough to send down a helmet from the high school for me to wear that season. It was a white helmet (like everyone else's on the team), but it had a red facemask. I stood out, and I loved it.

Now, at that time, the house we were living in was in a kind of no man's land as far as school districts go, so when I graduated from East (pink painted toenails and all) I could choose whether I wanted to be a Greyhound at Statesville HS or a Raider at North Iredell HS. Don't know that I've ever really admitted this before, but I chose North based on one thing alone - that helmet with the red facemask. I felt like I was already a Raider.

Now, that's a long, drawn out (and likely boring) story that I just tell to show how random it was that I ended up meeting the people I did (or at least it seemed random at the time). At North I met people that for the first time were true friends (not just people to play or hang out with) - people I could confide in, have thir back and know they had mine, people I loved. People I still love and know I will love forever. And through these friends I've met other people that have become just as dear to me.

Looking back over the past 15 years or so (man, I'm old) I've had lots of "friends": co-workers, awuaintences, roommates, crushes, drinking buddies... but it's this core of true friends that has gotten me to where I am today. Their encouragement, love, compassion, nagging, help and support have guided me through some pretty rough times: times when I didn't deserve the love they showed me. Like I said, I've never had siblings, but I can't fathom that a person could love a sibling any more than I love these people. Don't get me wrong, I love my family so incredibly much, but I can honestly say that I have many friends that I love just as much.

One of those people I met my first year at North was Kelley Turner. When Kelley married Jason Goins, I gained another dear friend. One day Jason and Kelley decided to invite me to come to their church in High Point. I was in a place where I had fallen out of church and was honestly just wandering through life with no real purpose - but they didn't give up on me. After a few weeks of their asking, I finally gave in. Jason and Kelley were so excited about their youth group there, and one of the first few Sundays I was there, the pastor got up and told the congregation that they were looking for some volunteers. I didn't know what it was at the time, but I heard God's voice that day, and He told me to step up and help.

It was in those youth group meetings that I met some of the other great people who I now consider dear friends. And when Jason started telling me about his vision for a new church, I think it was my involvement with that youth group that got him to ask me to come along. Several months later on a Saturday night at the Chop House, I feel like I really became a part of something special. R2 is now nearing becoming a year old - and I feel so blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderful, strong, kind, giving and spiritual people that I can call friends. I'm at the same time humbled to be with them and supported by them. I feel like I truely am standing on the shoulders of giants.

The thing I love so much about surrounding yourself with these true, dear friends is that they always multiply. A few become many, and as these groups of friends become communities, everyone in them reaps the benefit. It gets better all the time.

I know this has been by far my most long winded entry, but it's probably because it's something that so important to me. I can't express enough how much God has blessed me by putting the network of friends around me that I have. The example I gave was the people at R2, but there are other networks of people I have the same level of love for: My dear friends from The Cullowhee Experience, the LA girls I met through Lisa and Carrie, and of course the girls of Davis 104, among others. I know I don't say it as much as I should, but I love you all more than I'll ever be able to show.

Defense is dead

2008-11-21T14:48:00.003-05:00

This is worse than the NBA All Star Game. I'm not if it's funny or sad that a guy named Mike Singletary (see previous post) was involved with this game.

BIG black book

2008-11-21T14:35:00.005-05:00

Been looking for a cool notebook to carry for a while - one that I'd actually use. I figure if I spend more than 99 cents on it, I might actually keep up with it (I lose all my cheap ones), but the last leather bound notebook I got set me back $20 and lasted about a week before the puppies at it. I found this bad boy here from Black N' Red last night at Target. Man, I'm in love. It's a great size (A4 - black n red is british) has great heavyweight paper and even the little ribbon thingy. At $8 it's cheap enough to not fee like a tool for buying a book with nothing written in it.

Gmail Skins

2008-11-21T10:27:00.002-05:00

Lovin' the new gmail skins.

PS. Dont look to close too the screen grab of my inbox - it'll ruin the surprise for Sunday.

The coolest looking car I've ever seen.

2008-11-17T13:17:00.003-05:00

This is the Audi R8. I passed one on 311 in HP on Saturday morning - first time I had seen one in real life (Bruce Wayne drives one in The Dark Knight). Man, this thing looks great in person. Note, it's not painted silver - it all bare aluminum and carbon fiber. That's right boys and girls - aluminum and carbon fiber.... for the price of a small house or a large condo, she can be all yours.

Food Drive Promo Video

2008-11-15T23:56:00.002-05:00

Here's a special gift to anyone who's bored enough to be checking my blog at 12:20 am on Saturday Night. Here's a video we shot as a promo for our food drive for R2 in November. Nick, Marty, Jace and I went to a local Food Lion and went all guerilla sytle, so the rough cuts are intentional. hope you enjoy!

I'm a nerd, but c'mon......

2008-11-14T11:50:00.003-05:00

Sometimes I worry that I waste too much time in front of the computer. Between work, keeping up with friends, church stuff and this lame blog, I probably spend the majority of my waking hours in front of a keyboard. Sometimes I think I've really got a problem.....

Then I read stories like this, and I realize I'm really not that bad.

Puppy Cam

2008-11-13T12:49:00.003-05:00

Ok, Call me a softy, but this is one of the cutest things I've ever seen in my life.

More Alaska Pics

2008-11-13T09:05:00.005-05:00

I posted some more pics from my Alaska trip last night. These are from probably my favorite day of the trip. We left Fairbanks and stopped by Nenana (for a second time) where I got some more creepy dried salmon pics. Then we went on down to the town of Denali and stayed at the McKinley Village Resort (where it's so cold even the phones are made of ice). Then we went into the park on the tundra tour for about 6 hours to chase bears and moose.

The first of the new pics start with #330.

Adobe Creative Suite 4 - Master Collection

2008-11-12T09:07:00.003-05:00

I installed this big guy last night, and MAN, it's AWESOME. It's got everything I'll ever need to do, well, pretty much anything - all in one box.

Now, can someone tell me how to work it?

Choices

2008-11-09T20:16:00.003-05:00

So I'm kicking back at the house of some friends from R2 and mom is talking to her child about what he learned in the children's ministry (Destiny Drive) this morning - and reading along with the handy dandy ciriculum "cheat sheet" that she got from the teacher. He said, "We learned about promises, and when people make promises, you can either choose to believe them or not. And God promises us that He loves us and that he'll give us eternal life, but we choose whether we want to believe that, too."

I know that a big criticism of people who don't believe is that Christians only believe because they were raised that way and have no choice. I think it's really really cool that even at such a young age that we're teaching our kids that believing is a choice that we make.

One of the many reasons I love R2.

Help me Obi-Wan, you're my only hope!

2008-11-05T13:52:00.002-05:00

This was just too weird.

And it got even weirder.

Yes We Can (2)

2008-11-05T12:43:00.002-05:00

I found the transcipt of President-Elect Obama's speech online. Here are the highlights, in my humble opinion.

"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer."

"Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states. We are, and always will be, the United States of America."

"Sasha and Malia I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the new White House." Gotta respect a man that likes puppies. (No offense, Jason)

"[the campaign] grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep."

"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.
I promise you, we as a people will get there."

"This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. "

"In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long."

"As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection."

"And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too."

"And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.
To those -- to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope."

"That's the true genius of America: that America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow."

The final paragraphs were just too good to cut up, so here they are in their entirety.

"This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons -- because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.
And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America -- the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.
At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.

And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves -- if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment.
This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.
Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America."

Yes, we can

2008-11-05T08:45:00.005-05:00

When I started this little corner of the bloggersphere I told myself I'd never write about politics - there are just simply too many other outlets on the 'net that I figure there's not really any more I can add. But after watching Barack Obama's acceptance speech last night (you can check it out here if you missed it) I felt compelled to say something. I really think this is the "uniter" we've been looking for in the Oval Office since probably the days of Reagan. Together America can accomplish great things, and as proven last night, anything really IS possible here.

God, please bless America and all the rest of world too.

The official shoe of Renaissance Road

2008-10-29T13:03:00.004-04:00

Here it is, the R2 Special Edition, Double Outer, Canvas High Chuck Taylor. We're just so cool and edgy, Converse heard about us and wanted to pay us a tribute.

Ok, maybe not.... I just stumbled across Converse's website where you can design your own Chucks (as well as other Cons). Don't know that I'd ever really do it, but it's a kinda fun toy to play with. Have fun!

Reflections

2008-10-27T22:47:00.003-04:00

I've got a surprise for all of you in R2 land tonight... we've got a little something special whipped up for this coming Sunday. We call it "Reflections". I won't tell you what it is, but I can assure you it's not to be missed. It's not like anything you've seen before at R2 (and certainly something I've never seen or heard of at another church).

Anyway, to celebrate, I'm going to give you a sneak peek at the logo we created for it. It's a smidge cliche, but we wanted something simpler that a lot of the things we've been doing recently. It's pretty "stripped down" (although not as stripped down as Jace was last sunday) while still being a little elegant.

Hope you enjoy, and I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Terry Tate

2008-10-27T20:07:00.001-04:00

Terry Tate loves, no... demands, direct answers.

Thanks

2008-10-23T22:20:00.002-04:00

Thanks to all for the birthday wishes. It's times like this I truely feel blessed to be surrounded by such a great network of people that I love and that love me back. I thank God for all of you.

Related note, I think this is going to be a really special year.

"I hate to tell ya this, but......"

2008-10-22T14:58:00.001-04:00

You ever notice when someone starts a sentence like this, it's usually something that they can't wait to tell you?

Infamous

2008-10-20T23:43:00.003-04:00

This is "Infamous", the show my friend Pharaba produces. Until it gets picked up by a TV network there are mini episodes being posted to youtube every week. It's the story of two struggling actors trying to make their big break in LA. The rub is, until they make it, they have to have a day job. In these guys' case, that day job is being contract killers.

OK, BIG disclaimer time here, boys and girls... This show's violent, a little sexist, and the language is rough to say the very least. If it were a movie, it's easily "R". That being said, it's smart and really genuinely hilarious. Think Entourage meets The Professional with a lot of Lethal Weapon thrown in for good measure. Anyway, enough talk, here it is. You've been warned, but you can thank me later.

SEC ref says

2008-10-20T22:08:00.000-04:00

NOT IN MY HOUSE!!! What can I say?? Very Nice.

Congrats Samauri

2008-10-20T21:28:00.002-04:00

Mike Singletary, former linebacker for the Chicago Bears and more importantly, one of my favorite football players when I was growing up, was named the new head coach of the San Francisco 49ers tonight. Widely regarded as one of the "good guys" in the NFL, he's an ordained minister and USO Supporter. Here's a great video he shot for Willow Creek church on leadership.

Opera

2008-10-18T22:03:00.003-04:00

I'm a little behind the times on this one, but I just downloaded Opera today. It's a free, open-source web-browser that advertises itself as the fastest available. I don't know about that, but I do know I like it better than IE, Firefox and certainly Safari. It's even got a mobile version for the iPhone that I will oneday own. The coolest thing is "Speed Dial" which is a welcome screen that shows you current views of your 9 (or so) favorite sites so you can go directly to them. Pretty awesome indeedy.

"Beyond" Preview

2008-10-18T11:31:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow starts R2's new sermon series, "Beyond" which is all about dreams. Here's a sneak peak at the cover of the worship guide which uses the imagry of the open door, something we're using throughout the materials for this series.

Be sure to check it out in the morning and be sure to bring someone.

Subway for breakfast

2008-10-18T10:52:00.002-04:00

I'm pretty sure there's no egg in the "egg" but tasty nonetheless.

For Future Reference: R2's "Digital Assets"

2008-10-17T23:59:00.001-04:00

I just finished organizing all of R2's "digital assets" on a new external hard drive. By digital assets I mean all the images, videos, music, etc we've either created, assembled or bought to enhance the R2 worship experience. These things may end up being shown on the screens, printed as signs or worship guides or even end up as t-shirts (shameless plug time: visit the R2Online Merch Table ). No doubt there are churches out there with servers full of this kind of stuff, but since we're just getting started our assets take up a measly 22.4 GB. It'll be interesting one day in the future to look back and remember our humble beginnings.

Along those same lines, here's a rundown of the equipment we use to make the Sunday Worship Experiences happen:

To run the screens and the cafe monitor (21", running on the same feed as the main screens), edit video and a few other things we're using a MacBook 3.1 with 2.2 Core Duo Processor and 2GB of RAM. The software we use is ProPresenter 3 to run screens and sound, Photoshop Elements 4 to create images, iMovie and Final Cut Express to create images, and a little help from Live Type. I'm sure there's better applications out there, but right now with our budget and skill set, we're making due with these.

Most of our content is assembled/created on my personal Dell desktop running Windows XP with a 3.sGHZ Core Duo processor with 4 GB RAM. On it I'm running Photoshop Elements 5 (in which I create slide shows with the Organizer function). Again, I'm sure one day not too far down the road I'll look back and laugh at how unsophisticated and cheesy all the things I'm doing now are, but for the time being, I'm going to enjoy learning on the fly.

It may save your life

2008-10-17T13:31:00.000-04:00

but it's so bad it takes away your will to live.

M-Stand

2008-10-17T12:31:00.002-04:00

I must own this.

It's frustrating

2008-10-17T11:33:00.003-04:00

It's really frustrating when you're on hold with your freight company trying to find out why your "Next Day by Noon" shipment will be 4 days late and their music-on-hold advertisement is saying, "Have a package in Paris on Tuesday? Have it in Pittsburgh by Wednesday".

Needless to say, Denton, NC isn't Pittsburgh.