A Legacy

I was digging around my old video files when we transferred to a new computer and came across this. This video was taken back in 2003 and features my PawPaw (Gerald Williams), mom (Judy Cox Keisler) and myself. PawPaw had just finished singing a special music at FBC when Kyle Goen brought us all on stage for an impromptu moment. PawPaw has been traveling/singing in ministry for almost 60 years now. He is still going strong with The Melody Boys Quartet today! What a legacy he is carving out.

Little Drummer Boy

Joshua got his first drum kit this Christmas. Mommy and I are still wondering if we made a good decision (all the noise), but I think it will be worth it. At his current age of six, he is already showing a strong ability for music. This video was taken just after Joshua walked into the room and saw the drum kit. He immediately sat down and started playing. Such the rock star!

New Screens

Well, we finally finished! After several months of blood, sweat, and tears the screens are finally installed. We took this chance to change the aspect ratio from 4:3 to 16:9 (also know as widescreen). The change was necessary for future broadcast of our service to other venues and satellite campuses. The angles are much improved for the viewing experience over the entire congregation.

Merry Christmas

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee just release a new commercial that is getting some attention from the press. In the commercial he reminds us all of what Christmas is really about. It's nice to hear from someone again who is not afraid of this time of year, and not afraid to just speak the words 'Merry Christmas'.

Elf Yourself

Have you elfed yourself this Christmas Season? This is a fun little tool that is sure to bring a smile. Enjoy!

Click Here

Our little pumpkins

Here are the kids... They just LOVE each other...at least right now.

Ring the Bells

Check out this blog from Jason Stewart. I'm sure this CD will rise very quickly to the top of your Christmas listening.

New Christmas Series

We are in a new series for the month of December entitled 'A Christmas Story'. Yes, it is a take off the movie that we have all seen 1000 times. We had a great time of worship yesterday as we kicked off the series. As you can see by the set, I have not been blogging lately. Special thanks to Alec Klapper and all the volunteers and staffers that came together to make this a reality. In addition to this we are in the midst of a renovation in our Multi-Purpose-Center, aka 'The Hub'. I will be posting pics soon as we near completion. For now enjoy the pic of the new series.

Finding your strengths

Joshua played his last soccer game of the season today, and possibly, the last one of his life. We will let him make the choice next year if he would like to continue. Sports have been fun, but music seems to be what really excites him. He has been taking piano lessons from mom and is doing great! His favorite thing to do is to teach himself how to play tunes that he has heard on TV or the radio. We have been amazed at how quickly and easily he has been able to pick out the melodies. What a talented little kid! We'll continue to give him the choice as he tries to decide what he likes to do. I guess only time will tell.

Cub Scout Campout

Well, the whole family just got back from a great weekend of camping, cooking, fishing, gun/arrow shooting...that's right...we have officially kicked off Joshua's life into cub scouting. We had a blast experiencing first after first with Joshua. He had a GREAT time as did Hannah. We spent last night in a tent all together. It was fun, but man that ground sure is hard. I think it has gotten harder than when I was a kid. I can't remember it ever bothering me that much before. Oh well, enjoy the pics...

Tooth Fairy

We had an exciting morning today as Joshua lost his first tooth. He can't wait to leave it under his pillow tonight to see what he gets. The tooth has been loose for several days now. He was just wiggling it this morning when it fell out.

Guys and Dolls

Christy and I had the privilege of getting to see Guys and Dolls this past Saturday night at Smyrna First Assembly. Our very own Ron Alley had one of the main roles and he did a GREAT job. Ron showed us a side of him that I have never seen, but now appreciate. We had several folks involved in the production including a long time friend, Andy Upchurch, who was the Music Director. Andy also surprised me with his ability to lead an entire orchestra with great precision. Joshua's 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Coble was also in the show. She did a great job as well. Other's that we knew in the show included, Greg and Alice Baldwin, Gui Bokoles, Sarah Upchurch and Abbie Ebensberger. We were so proud to be so well connected with such a great show. We are looking forward to our next opportunity to experience the quality of a true Broadway Production right here in little ole Smyrna, TN.

Just out for a stroll

Hannah decided that she would take her baby Claire out for a stroll today. Just thought I would share. Poor thing...

Golf Retreat 2007

Well, it's finally come and gone! Our annual golf retreat is in the books! I can't believe that it has already passed. This year was a lot of fun as we took 4 new guys (Micah Huebner, Kyle Goen, Chris Hollomon, Allen Bishop) along with the original group of four (Nathaniel Hale, Jason Stewart, David McCaman, and myself). I wasn't sure how it would all work at first, but in the end, I think it was a great success. Outside of spending time with family, I can't think of much else I would rather do than spend a few days with my closest friends enjoying golf, food, cards, and XBOX. This year was a series of ups and downs for me as I won some rounds of golf (over people I have previously never beat) and lost a few rounds of cards (by people that I have never lost to). Either way it was a fun time. I ending up finishing in the 4th spot out of 8. That is about 4 spots better than I expected. I am already looking forward to next year when I shoot my first round in the 70's and win spades by a margin of 250 or more. To all who went on this trip...thanks for making 2007 a fun trip!

Grass Valley Indigo

This post is sponsored by my Aunt Shelia who has prodded me on to a new post. Sorry so long, but here goes...

Our new production switcher is a gem. The Grass Valley Indigo has been everything and more than was expected. Since making the move our quality has dramatically improved. With all of the scaling and scanning capabilities, the Indigo does away with a lot of outboard gear. The ease of use also makes it valuable to our volunteers who only get to touch it about once a month. Thanks Grass Valley for making an affordable broadcast switcher that is both easy to use and advanced in functionality!

Cruise

Christy and I had a GREAT time celebrating our 10th anniversary this year. Us and two other couples, also celebrating their 10 year anniversaries, spent one incredible week at sea. This was the first time for any of us to be on this type of ship, and man was it cool. Take a look at the pics for a taste.

It's finally HERE!

Many thanks to all who have helped make the transition into the new video suite. It's been a long week of work, but I really feel that it is going to be worth it! Thanks again to all who have suffered in the cramped space that we came from. You guys are the best. It's time to stretch out and enjoy a new room.

NEW VIDEO SUITE

Well, it's finally here. The new furniture arrived and was installed yesterday! Wow...everything turned out so great! Thanks to Rack & Roll Woodworks for doing such a great job. Now it's up to us to fill the racks and make it all work. (I think I can already feel a headache coming on). Anyway, I am looking forward to moving over the next couple of weeks.

ACAFEST 2007

It was my honor to be invited to ACAFEST this year in Nashville, TN. Thursday I co-taught a class on recording acappella music. Saturday morning I co-taught a class on mixing/mastering acappella music with Melissa Lancaster. Melissa is the daughter of Keith Lancaster, the founder of Acappella. Christy and I had a great time Saturday night attending the 25th anniversary concert that featured members from the group present and past. What a great time seeing some of the originals singing some of the music that I grew up on! Wayburn Dean and Rodney Britt are two of my all time favorite singers and it was great being able to see them again. Over the past few months I've also been able to get to know Keith on a more personal level. He is a great man with more talent than one person should have. Connecting with Keith has been possible through the friendship of a longtime friend, Matt Straughn. It has also been great re-connecting with Matt as well. Matt and I spent many years singing/recording Acappella's music. Ahhhhhhh the memories! Matt recently did a 5K run in Hendersonville, TN where he came in first place, and beat the second place runner by over 3 minutes (or about 1/2 mile lead.) He also ran the Boston Marathon this year. Way to go!

Service with a smile!

This past July 3rd we had our July 4th Volunteer Appreciation Cookout for all the media staff at FBC. We had over 90 people attend for a great night of fun, food and fireworks. It is amazing to me how many people serve each week with joyful hearts at FBC. We truly couldn't do what we do without you guys! Thanks again for being such a GREAT team!

Camp Whatever

Well, I'm back from Camp Whatever! I always have a blast when I get the chance to go. One thing this year that really struck home was how God has gifted our individual staff members in so many different ways. It is only by His Sovereign Will that we have been placed together to accomplish the goals He has set out for us. It is really amazing to see how each person can flourish in his/her own strength, and watch God put it all together into something that glorifies His name. It is with the greatest honor that I count myself as part of the team...a team that God has joined together.
Okay, enough serious stuff...it's time to show our team in a lighter moment. This is a video of Jason, Nathaniel, Allen, and myself as we teamed up for a friendly game of BBall. Enjoy!

Busy time of year

This past week was VBS! What a great week we had as 32 children gave their hearts to Christ for the first time. It was exciting to see the 800+ people here each day. Tomorrow I leave for Camp Whatever (Student Camp). Last year was my first year to go, and I have been looking forward to this year ever since we got home. It is a great week for students to grow in their relationship with Christ and to connect with other students. I am blessed to be a part of such a great team who seek to honor God with the energy and excellence they each put into what they do. This year we are taking 300 students to Horns Creek. I look forward to what God will do...

Joshua's Birthday

Today was a GREAT day! Joshua celebrated turning 6 to his current favorite theme...Star Wars! One of the highlights was a new bike and his favorite gift was a cool new light-saber. Happy Birthday Joshua! We love you!

HALO 2

Okay, so I am a huge Halo 2 nut! I love to play, but really...I'm not that good. It is a rare treat that I actually beat someone good, so since it happened last night, I thought I would post about it! I won't mention any names, but let me just say...you know who you are! Read it and weep! WOO HOO!!!

Great Story

Check out this great story from our Communications Minister, Jason Stewart, that goes right along with my previous post. We serve a huge God...let's make sure and keep Him out of a box!

Creating Culture

In an earlier post I blogged about engaging culture. One of the areas was that of creating culture:: We can compete for culture by creating culture. In the immortal words of the Italian artist and poet, Michelangelo: criticize by creating. At the end of the day, the culture will treat the church the way the church treats the culture.

We as a church have created just this very thing. We have created a culture where you can dress as you are and not feel out of place. When you think about it, there is really nowhere else you can go and have such a wide variety of dress (without being looked at as though you are CRAZY). Think about it...on any given Sunday in our church you are likely to see a man in a suit shaking hands with some teenager in shorts and flip flops with no thoughts of judgment or disappointment. It's cool that we are in a place where you don't have to be something you are not one day a week. Some weeks I feel like getting a little spiffy for church and other days I just want to feel comfortable. Glory to God that He is not interested in our outward appearance, but ONLY the inward. It's really hard sometimes in our culture to understand that, as all we usually tend to do is look at the outward.

A view from above

Having a large parking lot has its advantages. We often have folks come by and fly their model airplane/helicopters and drive their "fresh from the garage" kit racecars. Last week was no different. I got an email this weekend from 'Robert' who used our parking lot to fly his model helicopter. As he did, he got some really cool photos of our campus. Just thought I would share.

Larger than life from China

We had a GREAT treat this morning in both worship services. Pat, Amy and Jadyn joined us from China LIVE via iChat. We were able to setup a live conference for our church body to be introduced to Jadyn. The technology still amazes me. We were able to see and speak to Pat live and without any lag time! Half-way across the world and we were able to talk as though he was just in the other room. You can check out the new baby pics at www.pathood.org Our children's department also did a great job leading us in worship. I am so blessed to be a part of what God is doing through our church...at home and abroad.

Claire Evans

Well, here she is...Claire is home and healthy. Mom is doing great and dad is as well! I am looking forward to meeting the newest member of our family. Joshua and Hannah can't wait to meet their new cousin. Make sure and click the above link to see a picture.

Fun with Photo Booth

Well, my new MacBookPro came in today and I am as busy as ever trying to update/install all the programs that will be used on it. I will be using the latest version of Parallels, and running Windows in conjunction with Mac OSX. It really is pretty impressive. I will be moving my PC out of my office for good and going to a Mac only world. Hard to believe it finally came to this. Anyway, the kids and I took a few minutes tonight to play around with one of the programs on the new book. Enjoy the pics!

Engaging Culture

Mark Batterson of National Community Church (Washington, D.C.) recently analyzed four ways the church can engage culture:

1. Ignore it
   The more we ignore culture the more irrelevant we’ll become. And if the church ignores the culture, the culture will ignore the church.
2. Imitate it
   We can imitate culture, but imitation is a form of suicide. Originality is sacrificed on the altar of cultural conformity. If we don’t shape the culture, the culture will shape us.
3. Condemn it
   We’ve got to stop pointing the finger and start offering better alternatives. If the church condemns the culture, the culture will condemn the church.
4. Create it
   We can compete for culture by creating culture. In the immortal words of the Italian artist and poet, Michelangelo: criticize by creating. At the end of the day, the culture will treat the church the way the church treats the culture.

FBC Band Member Rewind

All you band members will get a kick out of this one. Kudos to Paul for pulling this together for us. It's good to get back to your roots from time to time...

Claire Elizabeth Evans

I've always been proud of my sister, that is since college (what brother is proud of his sister when they are kids!!!???), but today I am especially so! She has just given birth to her first child and my first niece! Aimee was admitted to the hospital Monday night at 10:00pm and a short 20 hours later, Claire was born! Mom and baby are doing well. Here are the specs:
Born: April 24, 2007 at roughly 6:03pm
Weight: 6lb 14oz
Length: 18.5 inches

I'm looking forward to posting some pictures soon. I will link to Aimee's blog as soon as they are up. Thank you all who joined us in prayer during this time.

Safe and Sound

I just got off the phone with Christy, that's right...I said phone, and she's safe and sound in India. Last year when Christy went to India we were limited to communicating through text messaging. This year she is staying in the home of some missionaries. When they, the missionaries, left the states for India, they had their home phone, based in Texas, transferred to an internet phone and now they can talk to anyone in the states as long as they want for FREE! It was great to hear from Christy. I was getting ready for lunch as she was getting ready for bed (they are 11.5 hours ahead of us). Christy will be keeping up with the kids and I while she is gone through my blog, so please excuse the next few days if I post too much regular family stuff. Please continue to pray for the entire team as they serve half-way across the world.

Joshua's First Soccer Game

Well, we finally made it. The first two games of the season didn't happen due to rain and cold. Today was SUNNY and 78. Perfect for watching soccer. Joshua did great! Check out the video to see him in action.

Mr. Mom!

Well, Christy is off tomorrow for India. This is her second trip there. 'Missions' is in her blood...it's her passion. I'm so glad we are part of a church that believes in spreading God's Word around the globe. (And not just that pray, pay, stay out of the way stuff) So, it's me and the kids. We'll have fun, but we'll miss mommy.

Widgets (not a Star Wars character)

For all you Mac users out there...I found a cool new TN traffic widget. You can choose cameras all over TN. Just select the camera you want and you're off. Good tool to check just before you leave for work or are just going into town.

Titans make it back to primetime

The NFL just posted the 2007 schedule and the Titans have 2 primetime Monday night games! They are September 24 at New Orleans, and November 19 at Denver. Even with all the bad press with Pacman, it's good to still have Vince Young to keep our image and hopes up. I hope we have a great year. We are due for a post-season appearance.

Easter at FBC

God is so good! It is so exciting to see what He is doing in our midst. This year God choose to bless us with 4000 people in attendance, and most importantly, a sweet move of His Spirit. Many thanks to all who had a part in making Easter Weekend such a moving experience! I am honored to be in a place where God can use all of my abilities to the fullest, and where He is moving every week! See the pictures below from the weekend.

Andy Mckee

Thanks to Sean Harrison for sending this great video. Yet another great performance by an accomplished musician. You gotta love it!

ONE OF MY HEROS

Victor Wooten is one of my all time greatest influences in playing style. His groove combined with a tasteful ability to solo brings a smile to my face every time I hear him. Check it out!

Nursery Call

Well, I've struggled for the past 2 and a half years with how we do nursery calls at FBC. I know what you're thinking..."it's just a nursery call, how hard could it be?" This one simple little thing can cause the biggest headaches for most Technical Directors. If you are broadcasting your nursery call on your screens, I know this is a headache! It seems so simple...just put a number on the screen...right??!! No...not that simple. Without going into too much techno-babble, in video-land there is something that we call keying. This is a process that allows you to superimpose text or whatever over video. Then past that there is downstream keying, which means you can key a source and switch inputs under that key. In order to run worship words we have to use a key. Since we only currently have one level of key, when we have the words up, that's it! No more keys. So we have to figure out a way to get multiple keys going while being able to switch inputs under both of them! Not to mention two different sets of keys; one for the music portion (moving backgrounds with key) and the message time (camera feed with key). Okay, I promised not to techno-babble, and I broke my promise. Anyway, I guess you can begin to sense my headache. Basically, when you add a key, you add stress to my life!
The solution::
Yesterday we implemented a new way to show nursery calls. We installed two 32" LCD screens (one on each wall to the left and right of the stage). These screens are dedicated to series logos and NURSERY CALLS! This completely takes the nursery call out of the technical video system! It also keeps the distraction down as after it gets your attention (the necessary evil for nursery calls...they have to get EVERYONE'S attention) you can then look away, back to the screens and continue worshipping. Nothing is going to be perfect, but the first run of the system seemed to go without a hitch.

Grass Valley Indigo

We are in the process of upgrading our video suite at FBC. We have contracted with a company, Design 2020, for all of the design and integration. Our team here at the church have recently completed the computer flooring and trim and we are now ready for the furniture courtesy of Rack and Roll. I am looking forward to installing our new video switcher, The Grass Valley Indigo, and implementing some new gear that will significantly increase the video quality we deliver each week at FBC. Right now we are waiting for our version (HD capable) to ship. I was told that it should be shipping in the next couple of months. I'll post again after it gets here and I have a chance to get my feet wet with it.

Check out that great flooring!!! Woo Hoo

what a team!

I have the best volunteer staff anywhere! As I stopped by the church today (Saturday afternoon) to pick up some things, I was pleasantly surprised to see several members from my tech team gathered with the large garage door open out by the dock. Upon closer inspection I found that they had been there several hours cleaning and organizing. It is such a great joy and a blessing to be serving alongside so many dedicated people. Week after week volunteers come and give of their time without complaining or arguing. It is such a joy to lead a team that loves what they do and has their sights set on greater things. Thanks to all of you who serve week after week. We couldn't do what we do without you.

perfect day for golf

Today was a great day. 18 holes with 7 of my best friends. Doesn't get much better than that. I played okay on the front...the back was a little different story. Nathaniel took home the bragging rights this time. I love this time of year...great weather and plenty of golf (hopefully). Justin and I took on David M. and Tim P.. We ended the day all square (in points) so nothing gained, nothing lost. I would let you know my score, but I don't think I'm that brave yet.

OpenSong

OpenSong was brought to my attention a few weeks ago. For all of you chart-makers out there, this could prove to be a VERY useful tool. Here are some key benefits:
1. You can organize your entire chart library into one easy location.
2. Once charts are loaded in, you can change the key with a click, or convert it to flats or sharps (flats for me).
3. Another really cool feature is the ability to turn the program around as a presentation software...that's right...with backgrounds and the whole bit. If you need some of the more advanced options that ProPresenter, Media Shout or Easy Worship provide, you will not want to use this as your main presentation software, but it would be great for a rehearsal.
4. If you have an account with ccli's Song Select , this program integrates and imports seamlessly from that account.
5. And best of all...it's FREE!

Google

If you haven't already, you should consider making Google your homepage. Below are 3 of my top reasons for using Google as my homepage:
1. It loads VERY fast!
2. It is a search engine! (duh!)
3. It now sports a fancy login capability that allows you to customize content.

I'll speak on the last one as the others are self-explanatory.

In this relativily new age of sharing information and more of it, it's getting tougher to organize all of the thoughts that are coming our way. From instant weather, to headlines, to blogs and email, information is pouring in faster than we can gather it. If we don't create some type of container to hold and organize all of this STUFF, it can tend to be more frustrating than helpful.
Google has always done a great job of being simple. I think we all know by now that simple is almost always better. You can now create a user profile for your Google homepage and login wherever you are. You can add content like crazy...and most importantly, it's EASY to use.

For example:
First:
My sister recently began blogging. She lives in Texas and keeping up with her blogs is really the only communication I get other than holidays and an occasional special event. Rather than checking her blog everyday to see if she posted something new, I just subscribed through my Google account and now whenever she posts something new, it shows up on my Google homepage. I also use this same process to keep up with all the staff guys and their blogs. Jason Stewart also blogged about other ways to do this. Check it out.

Second: (this is really cool)
The ability to add content by just clicking on the 'add stuff' link at the upper right of the screen. One of the coolest features I've found so far is the TODO list. I will create a todo list at home on my Google homepage, and when I get to work the next day it is sitting right there on my screen when I open Google at my desk.

If you are trying to keep up with information overload, give Google a shot.

keeping your mac running smoothly

I use my Mac Quad everyday for large projects. I'm running several programs including Final Cut Pro HD, Motion, Live Type, DVD Studio Pro...blah, blah, blah...you get the picture. Not only do I use it for these high end programs, but also for many common task as well...email, and typing this blog to name a couple. So how do you keep a mac running well day after day without having to restart everytime you come into the office? Here are two simple little tricks that will keep you up and going when things start getting hairy.

1. Boot-up your mac holding down the 'shift' key:
-this will start your mac (OS X 10.2 and later) up in safe mode and temporarily disable login items and non-essential kernel extension files...it basically refreshes your memory and certain file directories to clean up/speed up your system.
2. Run 'disk utility' to repair permissions:
-anytime you install software/updates, make changes to your system, or it's just been a couple of weeks, you need to repair permissions...this kind of works like a windows registry cleaner, only much better...'disk utility' is found in the following directory:: applications/utilities ...just click on the drive you want to repair and click on 'repair disk permissions'...don't mess with 'verify disk permissions' as if it finds a problem, you will just have to repair anyway.

If you notice any glitches during video playback or your system is just running slower than it used to, these two steps should put a smile back on your face.