Worship & Production

Staff Announcement

Friends --

It's moments like these that we know what the word "bittersweet" really means.

Many of you have already heard the news but for those of you that haven't, Jon Lloyd and his wife, Michelle, are leaving Prairie Lakes Church at the end of June.

This is a decision that they have been prayerfully considering and it's become evident that this is the direction in which God is leading them.  They are leaving one chapter of their story behind and entering a new one -- and what better legacy to leave behind than to listen to and follow when God calls?

Here's a short excerpt from Jon's personal blog:

Over the past several months we’ve been feeling God pulling us in a new direction. We’ve been constantly asking ourselves the question: Where in our life is God asking us to take the risk of trusting Him in a freefall? Where is God wanting us to be obedient to what He’s calling us to do? After taking time wrestling and discerning what God’s doing in our lives and where He’s leading, this is clearly the next right step.

They'll be leaving for Arizona where Michelle plans to go back into the classroom to teach and Jon is going to pursue some opportunities to do some creative coaching and consulting as he looks for a position.

We're sad to see them go but so very grateful that we had these three years with them, that as they go they are taking lifelong friendships with them, and that they are the kind of people willing to go when God says "Go."

Blessings to Jon and Michelle as they prepare for the next part of their journey!

Monday Soup

I love Sunday afternoon's spent scouring my notes and clipped web pages for these posts.  They're quiet and full of all kinds of interesting and amazing things.  Enjoy this week's scavengings.  And as always, do your own scouring and let us know what makes up the latest and greatest in your world!

• I love stories of redemption, and this is one of the best I've ever encountered.  If you've not seen The Mission, or if it's been awhile since you watched it, change that this week.  You won't regret it.  Here's a clip of one of the most powerful moments in the movie.  
• Jeff Goins is a blogger and a writer I read and admire.  This is a fantastic post about the power of words.  Writer or not, it's worth the read and the reminder.
• Creative Theology is a website and blog that brings those two ideas -- creativity and theology -- together.  Lovely!
• This is SO TRUE!   
• I know we're not all poetry readers, but as we approach Easter I wanted to include a beautifully written portion of one of my favorite poems, Four Quartets, by T.S. Eliot.  It comes from the second quartet, "East Coker":

IV

The wounded surgeon plies the steel
That quesions the distempered part;
Beneath the bleeding hands we feel
The sharp compassion of the healer's art
Resolving the enigma of the fever chart.

Our only health is the disease
If we obey the dying nurse
Whose constant care is not to please
But to remind us of our, and Adam's curse,
And that, to be restored, our sickness must grow worse.

The whole earth is our hospital
Endowed by the ruined millionaire,
Wherein, if we do well, we shall
Die of the absolute paternal care
That will not leave us, but prevents us everywhere.

The chill ascends from feet to knees,
The fever sings in mental wires.
If to be warmed, then I must freeze
And quake in frigid purgatorial fires
Of which the flame is roses, and the smoke is briars.

The dripping blood our only drink,
The bloody flesh our only food:
In spite of which we like to think
That we are sound, substantial flesh and blood-
Again, in spite of that, we call this Friday good.

Such a beautiful reminder.

Monday Soup

 

Another one bites the dust, huh?  I can't believe that before the week is out, we'll be in February!  My mom always told me that time moves quickly, but it still never ceases to amaze me how quick "quickly" really is!

Here are some recent finds for your creative brains.  Enjoy!

• A great article at Relevant about whether there is a place for creative Christians.  Loved the interviews.
• One of my favorite blogs of all time.  Parker Young is a photographer in NYC and sees the world through a beautiful lens.  
• Great infographic on color!Courtesy of NowSourcing, Inc Great infographic!
• And an album I've very much enjoyed in the last few weeks.

Monday Soup

I hope everyone has had a lovely Christmas and New Year!  With the rush over and some time spent reflecting on 2011, I've realized that feeding my creativity is key to being a useful, productive person. Here are some links to things that have helped me to do that.  Enjoy!

• If you're a creative or an artist (and yes, those are two different things!) you should be an avid reader of Stephen Brewster's blog.  This recent blog post is one of many reasons why.   
• How amazing is the new technology that's out there?   
• If you know me well, you know that Queen is one of my all-time favorite bands.  And this guy (who also happens to be the lead singer for the band Downhere) sounds JUST like Freddie Mercury!  Say hello to Marc Martel. 
• Behance is a great place for creatives and artists and entreprenuers alike to find tips, help, and ideas.  Their blog, 99%, is also chock full of videos, articles, and images.  If you don't already Behance, you should!  This particular entry is their "best of" for 2011.  
• Another post from Behance -- captivating.  Check out these photos of light. (Literally!)
• And last, but not least this week, is this commerical.  It's been around awhile, but if you haven't already seen it, you're going to want to.  Perhaps the most creative commerical I've ever seen.  If I didn't want a Lexus before seeing it, I do now!   

Monday Soup

Happy Monday, friends!  Here are some of my lovelies from the last week:

• She Blogs About Music.  A blog about . . . music.  Some really great treasures here if you're brave enough to wade through some stuff yohttp://www.pomodorotechnique.com/u might not like.  If you like to discover new music before anyone else has heard it, this would be a lovely place for you to visit from time to time.
• I can't get enough of All Sons and Daughters these days, and their song "Reason to Sing" has a lovely, haunting quality to it. 
• Looking for a quirky, fun gift this Christmas season?  Check out the Church Marketing Sucks' Amazon store.  You know you've always wanted Tetris sticky notes!
• If you're anything like me, time-management can be a killer -- there are so many ways to end up distracted!  The Pomodoro Technique gives you 25 minutes of uninterrupted work time, with 5 minute breaks.  At the end of the 4th 25 minute segment, you have a 20 minute break.  I fully intend to try it -- who's with me?
• In order to make it easier, Focus Booster has a free, downloadable app that runs a timer on your screen.  You can also run their live version from the web.
• Geeky-techie gift shopping?  Check out Mashable's gift suggestions.  So great!

NOTE: Next Monday's Monday Soup will be links that come from all of you!  Share the coolest things you've seen, heard, or read in the comments below and come back next Monday to see if yours makes the cut!  

No Monday Soup Today . . .

 . . . just a quick note to say I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Anything amazing happen you want to share?

 

Monday Soup

C'mon, sing it with me: "Monday, monday . . . "  (Seriously.  Please tell me you saw this coming.)

• That's right, I'm including a video of The Mama's and The Papa's!  
• Do you ever feel like there's so much information on the Internet that finding things that are inspiring seems an impossible task?  Here's some advice for you.  I like Tweets that offer good advice like this!
• Speaking of Twitter, I ran across this blog about "Twitter Pet Peeves."  I agree with everything on his list, and there are a couple I'd add.  How about you?
• A great blog by Kim Thomas (from The Village Chapel in Nashville) on Creativity, Artful Living, as Calling.  
• Another blog post, this time by Blaine Hogan, on the necessity of pausing to see.  As Christian artists, we only damage the art we create when we don't do this! 
• What a cool project!  "Livetweeting" WWII as it happened . . . if  you ever wondered what was happening on this date at this time during the second Great War, you'll never wonder again!  So creative!
• You want to know where I get find some of these links?  I make time, every day, to read one or two blogs like this guy's: Ben Arment, founder of STORY.  He writes on creativity, on making ideas happen, and on Christianity.  
• Here's a link that I stole from Mr. Arment -- ladies, who wants to create a place like this in the Cedar Valley?  Or check out their website at www.musesandvisionaries.com.  
• Photographers, check out this article about the 2011 National Geographic Photo Contest.  Just the sampling of 54 pictures in the article is astounding . . . 
• Also, if you're an artist, you may want to check out what the New Era baseball hat company is doing.  Don't miss the creativity in the gallery!  Absolutely incredible! 
• And speaking of New Era--if you haven't seen these Alec Baldwin/John Krasinski commercials, you're missing out!  Here's the first one: 

Monday Soup

Boy, do I hope you all enjoy these links as much as I love finding them!  I always feel cheated when a week goes by that I don't have the time to scour for fun and creative things to share with you!  Here are some of my favorites from this week, in no particular order:

• Do you love lists?  I do.  In fact, I'd like to get one of those list journals sometime . . . but until I do, I frequently visit the List Verse site, with tons of Top 10 lists.  These are subjective, and sometimes contain shocking information or pictures, so proceed cautiously.  However, if you've ever wondered, "What are the top 10 films that are so bad they're actually hilarious?" this is the site for you!
• The 2Cellos are Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser, and they are . . . well, just watch the video.   
• This video is the reason I thank God every day that there was no YouTube when I was 12.     
• If you've never watched The Butterfly Circus, a 20 minute short film, let me urge you to do so.  It's a haunting, achingly beautiful story of grace, love, beauty, and redemption . . .   

 What's new or newsworthy in your world?

Monday Soup

• Sometimes, social media feels like the worst timesuck in the world.  This site is a refreshing reminder that it's a tool, just like all technological advance, and can be used poorly or used well.  Check out @twitterstories to see how Twitter has brought about real and positive change.
• If you don't already keep up with Blaine Hogan over at Willow Creek, you should.  His blog is full of ideas, musings on creativity, art, and the church, and he always has a good bank of recommendations.  
• Here's a great video about the Shallow Small Group!  Hilarious!       
• This is an incredibly fabulous video of Bobby McFerrin (the "Don't Worry, Be Happy guy?) at the World Science Festival in 2009.  Please, PLEASE watch and love it!   
• These photos are simply astounding.

You Belong Here

I just spent some time on a blog that has as its header these sentences: "Welcome to my blog.  You belong here."

I don't know that I really DO belong there, but it instantly made me feel connected to the blogger, it made me want to stay and find out why she was so convinced that I belonged there.  How would she prove it?

This wise woman knows something that we all need to remember: people need a place to belong.  They want to walk into a church, into a room, into their home and know that they are in a place where they belong.  That's why you'll never find me in a biker's bar -- I would never feel like I belonged there.  That's why, when you head off to a big city, you'll find that particular races and ethnicities band together into neighborhoods.  That innate sense of belonging that we all long to feel drives them there.  

Our churches reflect the same demographics.  People who feel they have a place where they belong come back.  People who don't, keep looking.

What about us?  We're a ministry that exists inside of a church, but we have a unique community and a unique way in which people can belong.  Do we extend that to them?  Do we extend that to them well?  When someone walks into an All-Team meeting or their first weekend serving on one of our teams, does our sense of community say to them, "Welcome to our team.  You belong here."?

Ask yourself this week, how you can be part of making the W&P community on your campus a place where people immediately know they have found a place to belong.

Has there ever been a time when you immediately found a sense of belonging?  What about the opposite?  How did that impact you?