javalujah!

How in the world did I miss this?

What if Starbucks marketed like a church? - a parable...

HL: Tim Schraeder

rocking series graphics...

I tend to be very honest and straight forward. But, if I don't like something, I will not post it.
That is why you don't see me post very many of our series logo's. FORGIV3N3SS (David Spicer)was the last one I posted.
Here is our logo for the next part of our year long series "The Jesus Experiment". The background is a stock photo, the graffiti graphic overlay was done by the sick talented Guel Preston, graffiti artist extraordinaire.



















And just recently, this one created by the mad (multi) talented Bill Hombach. It so simply and clean.

I can't say it enough, I am blessed to serve with the best of the best!

Do you love your team as much as I do?

creative fuZion lab //8//Christmas Crescendo video...

Welcome to "fuZion lab" at designing for Philistines (on Thursdays)...
Once upon a time there was a blog kingdom where freaky creative’s could share the chaos created in their minds for THE Kingdom.
Sadly, it went away. Yet the creative minds keep blogging.
Now there is a place to share all those creative elements again at the fuZion lab on Thursdays.
So here’s what you do…
1. Each Thursday YOU post on your blog on whatever creative church element sparks your passion.
2. In your blog, link back to this weeks specific creative fuZion lab.
3. Then post the link to your particular post at the Mr. Linky below. (It will pop up in a separate window)
4. Then come back and comment. If you don’t blog yet, still feel free to share your idea in the comments.
5. Then off you go. Go back to the pop up window 'Mr. Linky" and visit other people’s ideas, comment and share.
6. Ready to begin? Here we go. Let the creative fuZion begin.
Spread the Word.
Dorothy (vicar of vibe)
________________________________________________________



XC Christmas Crescendo Element.

Finally the video of our Christmas Crescendo...



(Or you may link to a smaller version @ our new XC website: Christmas Crescendo.)
Here are the pictures of the stage design elements:


Here are the details of the action on stage.

Thank you for letting me share...

leper's video...

Message: People Jesus Met (Human Rejection)
The creative element was a video interpretation of the leper's story from Max Lucado's "The Touch of God", that our media team created.


A Leper's Story from CrossCurrent Ministries on Vimeo

Words can not explain how much respect I have for the creative minds I serve with. Particularly Bill Hombach. Not only is he freaky creative, he is an incredible artist, does awesome videos, writies amazing poetry and he also plays drums (and many things percussive) in the worship band. And he "gets me". Which means the world to me.
He read this and drew the charcoal pictures.
You are able to see more of his great videos on YouTube. Almost everything he has done is for church. One of the video's he did is a cult fav called "Barbie's House" with over 712,000 hits!

our new website...

You have never seen a link to our churches website in my blog until today. It has been very intentional.

Why? Because our previous website was “sucktacular”. Personally I was very embarrassed. Mostly because it didn't match up with who we really are at XC.

One of my main missions in life is to hang out with young pieced, tattooed, unchurched, disenfranchised skeptics. Who mostly tend to be GEND. A non-generational demographic tag I created that groups people by digitally enhanced/enabled media. There was no way I was going to send people to a website that screamed "early 90's and out of touch".

First, let me explain, it has taken us from start to finish about 8 months to final convinced the PTB (process that be) that our old website was completely outdated.

We just went live on our new website powered by SiteOrganic.
Disclaimer: Our people picked the template. The liaison from SiteOrganic has been so incredibly wonderful.
But, we now have a website and it is infinitely better than what we had. There is still a LOT of work to be done.

So, here goes…
Our new website for CrossCurrent Ministries…

(edited 2/22/09)

big butter Jesus...

Today's message is brought to you by Land O' Lakes.

I can't believe I haven't posted this before. O.k. I finally found it, I posted it in March 2008 on my first blog.
Terrible video. Still one of the funniest songs I've heard.


In southern Ohio, just north of Cincinnati
I beheld a vision, next to the expressway.
Was a 60 foot Jesus, with his hands in the air
looks like he’s carved out of butter, just like at the state fair.

Big butter Jesus
Sweet cream Jesus
Oh country fresh Jesus
Unsalted Jesus
Oh Promise Jesus
Imperial Jesus
Can’t believe it’s not Jesus
Oleo Lord

Well you see him from the chest up, like he’s about to do a back flip,
like he scored a touchdown, or maybe melting or about to drown.
Well I’ve been to the state fair, seen a cow made out of corn cobs
Garth Brooks made of string cheese and the virgin out of olives.

Big butter Jesus
Sweet cream Jesus
Oh country fresh Jesus
Unsalted Jesus
Oh Promise Jesus
Imperial Jesus
Can’t believe it’s not Jesus
Oleo Lord

Shipped in pieces on a flatbed, staring backwards was his big head
Driver stuck in traffic backups, desperately avoiding eye contact
Well don’t make no graven images.That’s one of the 10 commandments
I hope the grading curve is kindly, You get to heaven with a 90

Big butter Jesus
Sweet cream Jesus
Oh country fresh Jesus
Unsalted Jesus
Oh Promise Jesus
Imperial Jesus
Can’t believe it’s not Jesus
Oleo Lord

Can’t believe it’s not Jesus,
Oh spread the word

fuZion, the process...

I love the way God works.

We've been working on a series coming up in March, which is going over various areas of our lives that we need to submit to Christ.

I vaguely remembered a video I had seen about some sort of non-marriage commitment in bed which I thought was funny. Two of us searched diligently all over the place, for two weeks to try to find it.

Then tonight I was participating in Sunday Set List blog carnival at Fred McKinno's blog like I do every week, and one of the first links I followed Chris Moncus was sharing about attending lifechurch.tv (online) today. I just 'happened' to see another video he posted from lifechurch.tv ( a very funny series on Satan) which I had seen before, then I thought wait...that's where I saw it on lifechurch.tv.

Well, here is the video. Jus tposted it on our basecamp. Whew! Yippee!

Thanks guys. Thank you God!

people Jesus met (part 3)...

Worship Set 1
Holy is the Lord

Welcome & Greet/ Announcements

Worship Set 2
From the Inside Out
Exalted (Yahwah)

Message: People Jesus Met (Human Rejection)
The creative element was a video interpretation of the leper's story from Max Lucado's "The Touch of God", that our media team created. The leader of the media team is a very talented artist (as well as having mad skilz with percussion). He read it and drew charcoal pictures.
We then spent a lot of time focusing on one of the orphanages we sponsor in Russia and offered people the opportunity to sponsor the remaining children who do not have sponsors at this time. Two years ago we sponsored 60 children (all the children at the orphanage at that time). Today about 30 additional children were sponsored. Man, I love my church family!

Leper Video (have to post later, hopefully by creative fuZion on Thursday.)

HopeChest
Orphan Video

Russia Missions - Arbazh Orphanage from CrossCurrent Ministries on Vimeo

Worship Set 3 (time of reflection while people prayed over the sponsor packages and registered.) Amazing Love
Holy is the King

This is part of the awesome sharing from worship leaders and others at Fred McKinnon's totally blitzed out Sunday Set List blog carnival.

fuZion/the process...

We are trying a new concept for our fuZion team; where we are taking the synopsis from our pastor for the week we are designing and creating a devotional to work through, the week prior to our design meeting on Tuesday evenings. Hopefully this will spark creative thoughts and ideas for the elements.
We are trying to prayfully prepare our hearts and minds around the concept before we walk in.
I won't normally do this, but I have wanted to create an experiential Tennebrae service for several years, so I volunteered to write the devotion for this and thought I'd share it with you. Here goes...

Tenebrae
fuZe devotional

The Experience:
The word ‘tenebrae’ is Latin for shadows.
The Tenebrae service is an ancient/modern element whose purpose is to recreate the emotional aspects of the passion story; so this is not supposed to be a joyful service, because this particular moment in time was not happy.
The purpose of the service is to recreate the betrayal, abandonment, and agony of the events and it is left unfinished, because the story isn’t over until the Resurrection on Easter.
Traditionally it is designed around the seven last sayings of Christ as recording in the Gospels and ends in darkness and silence.
It is truly intended for people to experience the darkness before the light of the Resurrection.

Let’s take time to experience that emotion and remember…
Please click and watch “Why” (Nichole Nordeman)
At least through 5:51, through the moment when God’s very own tear falls to the earth.



The Word:
Particularly since the seven last words of Christ are spread out through all four Gospels, please take time, read and pray through these scriptures: Matthew 27:45-55, Mark 15:33-38, Luke 23:33-46 and John 19:16-21, 25-30. Pay particular attention to the words Jesus spoke on the cross and reflect on what they may have meant.

Lette(RED)

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Suggestion: Forgiveness)
"I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." (Suggestion: Hope)
"Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." (Suggestion: Care)
"Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Suggestion: Loneliness)
"I am thirsty." (Suggestion: Suffering)
"It is finished." (Suggestion: Triumph)
"Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." (Suggestion: Reunion)

The Why?
One of the hardest concepts for skeptics to comprehend is “what was the purpose of the crucifixion”. How do we reconcile that thought ourselves?


How do we design an element that helps the skeptics (and seeker and believer) understand why it had to happen?

fuZion retreat...

Come experience the "fuZion"...

There are hundreds of pieces that fuZe together to create the worship experience on Sunday morning. This weekend you will explore how you personally can be involved in the design of these elements. From the worship team, lights and sound to the set design team called ENTICE you can step in and experience what is like to serve on one of our creative teams.

ENTICE Hands-on Breakout Sessions:
ENTICE team creates the experiential elements and stage designs.

During ENTICE you will craft an authentic experiential (interactive) worship element. This element is a fuZion of ancient/modern worship. We will create the entire experience from the design of the element - all the way through the implementation on Sunday morning.

Friday evening: Worship and Intro

Saturday morning: How We Design
Saturday afternoon: Hands on Creation
Saturday evenig: Go home and rest

Sunday morning (early): Putting it All Together

The cost is $75.00 (which includes lodging, breakfast and lunch on Saturday).

We will be staying at the cottages at Meadowkirk Retreat Center in Middleburg, VA. (about 20 mins. from Leesburg, VA).

Please RSVP to melaniemoore@crosscurrent.org.

creative fuZion lab //7// simple packaged - homeless man

Welcome to "fuZion lab" at designing for Philistines (on Thursdays)...
Once upon a time there was a blog kingdom where freaky creative’s could share the chaos created in their minds for THE Kingdom.
Sadly, it went away. Yet the creative minds keep blogging.
Now there is a place to share all those creative elements again at the fuZion lab on Thursdays.
So here’s what you do…
1. Each Thursday YOU post on your blog on whatever creative church element sparks your passion.
2. In your blog, link back to this weeks specific creative fuZion lab.
3. Then post the link to your particular post at the Mr. Linky below. (It will pop up in a separate window)
4. Then come back and comment. If you don’t blog yet, still feel free to share your idea in the comments.
5. Then off you go. Go back to the pop up window 'Mr. Linky" and visit other people’s ideas, comment and share.
6. Ready to begin? Here we go. Let the creative fuZion begin.
Spread the Word.
Dorothy (vicar of vibe)
________________________________________________________




Creative Elements this week at XC:

This creative package should be fairly easy to recreate.

Focus: People Jesus met: in pain; compassion healing; how should we (how did Jesus) meet people with compassion.

The seed of this element was sown out of a real life person named Steve, who hangs out in front of my Starbucks. I have always wondered how people would react if Steve showed up in a church. He sleeps in the park, is dirty, smelly and his hands are beet red and swollen to double in size due to being in the last stages of severe kidney failure. We contantly have to kick him out of the store bathroom, where he shoots up and leaves his needles.
Yet we try to treat him with dignity and respect.

We used an actor (from another church) to portray a homeless man. Grubby faced, scraggly beard and wild, unkempt hair, he sat on the bench with his shopping cart outside the front door of church (we meet in a middle school) as people entered today. He purposefully wouldn’t interact with people.

We had a "handler". Like the "handlers" that work with Disney characters. He would intercept people at points, as needed.

Very interesting to see peoples reactions. It was one of those elements that would either fly or fall flat on it’s face. It flew. People where talking to him, praying for him, bringing him food, offering help; one man wouldn’t even go into the service, he didn’t want to leave him.

Our pastor, Chris Eads started his message standing in the middle of the auditorium, reading a passage from "In His Steps (What Would Jesus Do)" by Charles Sheldon, written in 1898. This is really a classic must read. The "homeless man" was sitting near him. As our pastor made his way down to the front of the auditorium; the homeless man followed with his shopping cart.

Big impact.

Later in the message Chris had a interview Of two men in our congregation who used to be homeless. Two incredible stories.

We have an amazing congregation.

How do you think you would have reacted to a homeless man sitting in front of your church?

write love on your arm...

I don't do facebook aps anymore (who has time). But I have to say I support this effort.
To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA) is a great rescue organization aimed at increasing awareness and connecting people who suffer from self injury, drug addiction and depression with help and support.
It is an amazing group that developed around the real life story of Renee Yohe.

They are simply asking you to write the word "love" on one of your arms on Friday, February 13th- Saturday, February 14th, in support of this cause.
Read about it and then make up your mind.
Me, I am writing "love" of my arm this week.

the Deep...

Once a month we have started a new evening service called the Deep.
No message, just deep worship, prayer, reading of scripture (as people feel led) communion, very unscripted...
Here is the set list from this weeks service.
Mighty to Save
Breathe
You Are
Indescribable
Be the Center
Isaiah 43
Be Thou My Vision
Mighty to Save
Amazing prayer this week...

people Jesus met...

Creative Elements this week: The focus was on People Jesus Met. We had an actor (from another church) portraying a homeless man, who sat on the bench with his shopping cart outside the front door of church as people entered today. He purposefully wouldn’t interact with people.
Very interesting to see peoples reactions. It was one of those elements that would either fly or fall flat on it’s face. It flew. People where talking to him, praying for him, bringing him food, offering help; one man wouldn’t even go into the service, he didn’t want to leave him.
We have an amazing congregation.

Worship Set 1
O Praise Him
Sing to the King

Welcome & Greet
Video: He Is Here (Amena Brown)
If you have never experienced Amena Brown, you really should take a few moments to check her out. She is amazing with spoken word.

Worship Set 2
How Great Is Our God
(chorus) How Great Thou Art
From the Inside Out

Testimonies: Of two men in our congregation who used to be homeless.
Message: People Jesus Met. How do we respond like Jesus.

Worship Set 2
Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)

Heading out to "the Deep" this evening.

This is a small part of the bog carnival, Sunday Set List over at Fred McKinnon's blog. Check it out...

creative fuZion lab //6//the process...

Welcome to "fuZion lab" at designing for Philistines (on Thursdays)...
Once upon a time there was a blog kingdom where freaky creative’s could share the chaos created in their minds for THE Kingdom.
Sadly, it went away. Yet the creative minds keep blogging.
Now there is a place to share all those creative elements again at the fuZion lab on Thursdays.
So here’s what you do…
1. Each Thursday YOU post on your blog on whatever creative church element sparks your passion.
2. In your blog, link back to this weeks specific creative fuZion lab.
3. Then link your particular post at the Mr. Linky below. (I'm working on the Mr. Linky's)
4. Then come back and comment. If you don’t blog yet, still feel free to share your idea in the comments.
5. Then off you go. Visit other people’s ideas, comment and share.
6. Ready to begin? Here we go.
Let the creative fuZion begin.
Spread the Word.
Dorothy (vicar of vibe)
________________________________________________________

Taking this one from the ground up.
And I mean very literally.
The brainstorming is around a 5 weeks series. Beginning the last weekend in February.
The working title is "Lordship of Jesus Christ"
Stage set is building up to a wall of boxes with photos on it; sort of think of one side of a Rubik's cube.
Each week we will add box(es) to the stage design.

The final week there will be a total of 9 boxes in the design stacked into a wall.











Week 1: Surrender/submission.
tug of war...
possible dramatic sketch of two people tugging against each other. Writing team working on this with the youth possibly acting it out.
This week will simply be one image.
Which we will attach on a box (24" x 18")














Week 2: Tough Love
Going to finally use a dance piece done to secular song "Bleeding Love". It will be done in the same hip-hop style (not as sensual obviously) as this clip from the show "So You Think You Can Dance" which was the inspiration for this element. The whole "heartbeat" feeling will be emphasized and linked to the tagline "You cut me open and I keep bleeding..love."
This is an element that I have had in the hopper since June, since I saw it on "So You Think You Can Dance".


Adding one new box and using a different side of the first box.
These two images.

This image was found at Flickr: Shared Worship Background Graphics group. You have to weed through a lot of stuff, but there is some really nice work that is open for sharing. These images were created by kennylovesbetsy's.

This week the images will be put in a computer program that will "cut up" the image and then blow it up and we'll printed out. Then we will attach the image it to the boxes.

Each week the appropriate boxes will be on stage for the pastor to interact with.

Hope this makes sense.

What elements are you creating or dreaming about this week?

this is why..

Excerpt from an e-mail from our worship leader about this past Sunday...

"There was a 20 yr old girl in the service and today was her first day ever in church.
She has never been to church before in her life.
Well, she was so moved by the creative element that she has started asking questions about God to the family that she came to XC with.
This is why we do what we do..."

we hold loosely...

I am being really honest here.One of the keys of designing creative elements is that we hold loosely our ideas...
But I am also recognizing that there are times that we must forge ahead, despite what other people say. This week was one of them.
I often struggle with what other people say and their reactions.
One comment this weekend was "when 5% of the business negatively impacts the other 90% of my business...I eliminate that 5%."
It was directly related to the fact that we were again changing the location of our projection screen. Placing it in the middle of the stage, which causes major issues with the band and the lighting.
Well, it feels like that 5% always seems to come down to the creative element.
Please don't get me wrong. Worship is extremely important to me.
The series is People that Jesus Met...
Our creative element for this week was People that Jesus met in train wrecks...
The idea was to highlight TWLOHA (To Write Love On Her Arms). The seeds of this organization was sown around the rescue of 19-year-old Renee Yohe, who struggled with addiction, depression, self-injury, and attempted suicide.
The team appeared to be lukewarm about the idea. But we went with it.
Most people didn't know what I was talking about. Only the very youngest on the creative team.
The element was a short dramatic reading of an edited version of Renee Yohe's story. Then an interpretive dance of the song "Theme for Yohe".
I often struggle with this. I never know when I go into these uncharted waters of design...
I simply trust God...try to humbly lay the ideas back at the feet of God
Trusting Him to work in peoples lives. If I never know the impact, I'm o.k. with that. But it is really nice to occasionally hear affirmation that an element really impacted people's lives.
You see, it's not what we like or don't like.
It's not what we understand or don't understand.
It's lives that are changed.
Again I strongly believe that our "job" it to usher people into the presence of God.
We should be designing to entice the skeptic, challenge the lukewarm and to spark passion in the believer...
This week it worked.

literally empty...

I decided to have a digital fast this week. Trying to refocus...


Then I got hit with a virus. It completely wiped out everything on my computer.


Many lessons learned...


I am not a very organized person, so I hadn't saved anything.





I am slowly realizing just how much of my world is on my computer.


Thankfully I started blogging to download ideas. Though there are many thoughts that were in documents and not posted...


All my photos, though some are on the web in various places. That one was tough. A least until a year ago, I was faithful about having my photo's printed in hardcopies. So, I am really just missing a years worth.


What I am missing are key. My dad's funeral, the last year of my grandbabies. Both of those I will mostly be able to recreate.





What I can't recreate is the last year photos of my dog who just died. No one cares about those phots except me.





E-mail isn't working just yet. I really hope that I don't have to start over getting e-mail addresses.


itunes...are all those songs gone or am I able to download them again?



Starting over with an empty computer...


Just like when we turn our lives


our life is an emplty slate


the empty slate, my life...


remembering what is important





when we create ideas for God's kingdom, we have to hold them loosely in our hands. For they are not really ours. it is something that we talk about a lot in our creative team.

vibe...

vibe...

gut reaction...
physical...
distinctively emotional,
experienced instinctively...
yet intangible...

so difficult to define
yet it is a it's a very specific moment in time...

that catch in the throat

that moment of connection between what is happening on stage and the the breaking down of the forth wall...

Do you feel it?

TWLOHA...

Worship Set 1
Blessed Be Your Name

Welcome and Greet

Worship Set 2
Lead Me To The Cross
Hosanna


Her name is Renee...this is her story
(dramatic reading)
Dance: A Time For Yohee (Between the Trees) lyrics
silouetted dancer behind the projection screen. Superimposed over a red'ish motion loop.
To Write Love On Her Arms

Message: People Jesus Met
Christ's demonstration of mercy to people He met who were train wrecks by personal choice.

Worship Set 3
From the Inside Out
into
Be Lifted High

This is one small contribution to the Sunday Set list blog carnival at Fred McKinnon's blog. Check out what other people are singing in worship this week.