|
SubscriptionsSites I Read
|
|
|
|
| Coke ZeroWe are honored to announce Coke Zero as the Official Beverage of the Stonebridge Worship Team. After nearly a year and a half of deliberation, our faithful Beverage Task Force presented this recommendation, which was confirmed by a vote of 211 to 2. Coke Zero is seen to reinforce Stonebridges' simple 3-point model: 1) UPWARD: The rising carbonated bubbles of Coke Zero reflect our upward value of praise 2) INWARD: The lack of calories, reminds us that inward "building" is only accomplished by God's Word Finally, 3) OUTWARD: The Outward expression of good taste seemed self-evident The Bevarage Task Force felt that as a bonus, the drink is specifically marketed to males, an idea which nicely harmonizes with Stonebridges' ongoing strategy of recapturing the hearts of men. In February, the Force had requested a six-month extension of their research on this emotional and controversial subject, and the congregation graciously granted the extra time. As the Task Force delivered their 6-hour presentation, it was obvious that the weeks had been put to good use. The evening included video, powerpoint, special music and free samples; it was refreshing and sparking in every way. Highlights of the report included the Task Force recommendation that Diet Coke continue to be used to remove corrosion from battery terminals. There was also extended discussion regarding Red Bull. The European drink had been a strong contender, but the team was uncomfortable with persistant rumors that the formula contained trace amounts of "ashes of the Red Heifer" as described in the 19th Chapter of Numbers. The discussion included a brief foray into Grudem's Theology. While the team concluded the "ashes" were symbolic and not salvific, they felt that the idea of any product offering to "give you wings" seemed misleading. Again, it's clear that none of this was an easy decision, and we are very grateful to the team, their hard work and recommendation. As the Worship Team's official beverage, Coke Zero now joins Altoids as the official mint. No further inductions are planned for the next year. | | |
| Back from the Stonezone
Thanks, team! Stonebridge was a terrific place to be this morning;
Pastor Jason gave a sterling message on James 2 (you can download it here).
Worship Team, thanks for all the hard work
and prep time that you put into your ministry - you rock!
Leftovers for lunch and the Truman Show...and a nap... | | |
| 
A good holiday! Yesterday, we closed the office at Headquarters, so Megan and I had a Father/Daughter picnic lunch, complete with a backpack and a blanket. We threw Frisbees at the secret meadow while we listened to Jr's newly mastered album (you can catch bits of it here. It will be available on itunes in the near future, like my Lovisa Simmons Project.) We followed up that adventure with a trip to Duffy's Classic Cars, which has to be one of Cedar Rapids best kept secrets. Fireworks, a Little Thickburger for dinner, lots of Coke Zero (the official drink of the Stonebridge Worship Team), a dip in the pool, Mitzi brought home ribs and chicken...life's good...
And just when you think it can't get any better, the worship team was in prime form at rehearsal this morning - y'all better strap in for a terrific time in the Thronezone tomorrow a.m.!
See you there!
PS: Don't miss Patrick's pictures at Facebook - we're sad to see him go, but know God has great plans ahead for him and us, too! | | |
| Chicago Dogs for Dinner | 
The Midwest reflects a number of Chicago influences, but few as wonderful as the Chicago Style Hot Dog. Many years ago, the humble hot dog ascended to royal status in Chi-Town, and rightfully so. Piled high with crunchy, unlikely treats and seasoned to perfection, this dog is bound for glory. There is no good reason to wait. Let us now ascend.
Other than the hot dog and the bun, here's what we'll need: 1. Bright green relish
2. Yellow mustard (Stone ground is an alternative)
3. Fresh chopped onions
4. Tomato wedges (slices are an alternative)
5. A kosher pickle spear
6. Two sport peppers (Tabasco peppers are an alternative)
7. A dash of celery salt There IS an art to this, and a proper order, though good people disagree about some of the details. Few would argue that every ketchup bottle within a city block should be banished, for that red stuff is blasphemy upon the Dog Glorious. Otherwise, don't skimp on anything, because a Chicago Dog's majesty includes its messiness.
Start with a good quality beef hot dog and - if possible - a poppyseed bun. Personally, I like to first boil the dog, and then grill it off to give it good markings. The bun should be warm and moist.
Layer a generous pad of green, sweet relish on the warm bun, followed by mustard and those delightful, crunchy sweet onions. His Honor, the dog itself, will rest upon this royal bed. At his right side goes the dill pickle spear, and you may wedge your two tomato slices at his left. The two sports peppers belong on the top, lengthwise. Sprinkle a bit of celery salt over the whole adventure, and...
Behold. The perfect dog. |
| | |
| Are we on track? Here's a posting from 18 Months Ago... Just after the holidays of 2007, We laid out the following vision for Stonebridge Worship Ministry's technical future. This morning (May of 2009), our youth team took us into the Thronezone using these very tools, and using them skillfully. I found this old document today and thought I'd repost it - it's a good reminder of why God often insists that we plan today for His blessings tomorrow!
(Pillar #3 below has been set back because of budget cuts, but we are hoping to have nominal remote multi-track live recording in place by mid-year 2010)
--------------------
December 2007
A Techno-Jaunt...
For those inclined, I'd like to discuss a bit of what Stonebridge Church will be doing technically in the season to come. It's a powerful vision, and it's survived more than one "death of a vision." I won't belabor the setbacks, other than to say they've driven us to our knees in prayer and planning!
Painting in broad strokes, we are deliberately linking our production studio with our platform. People have noticed a few rhythm loops and synthesizers supplementing our live worship events; we'll keep learning that skill and getting better at it, but this is not the end-all. Ultimately, we want to complete the loop between the studio and the worship center: from the studio, we want to send multiple tracks to the platform. Any of these can be muted or selected on the fly. From there, we want to return multiple live tracks right back to the studio for post production. We're talking about a "record-a-torium" that effectively blends all the best qualities of a project studio with a fully-orbed live environment.
The media-ministry potential in this kind of thinking is huge, and (during those "death of a vision" moments), the prospect of sacrificing it was painful. But God is the One who brings beauty from ashes; through the creative thinking of Phil Mahder, we managed to break the "digital barrier." That brought all our costs down and enabled us to shuttle our music around the new facility via computer Cat-5 cable! Literally, we'll be paying pennies on the dollar compared to miles of expensive copper shielded analog lines of a lower cost system. The added versatility will make the impossible possible. We're already taking baby steps toward this vision of a "closed loop;" we acquire a digital capture of Pastor Randy's messages each week via computer. We convert those messages to MP3 files, upload them to the internet and - thanks to years of effort by Jamie and Yvonne and Randy Rayman, these high-quality files are being downloaded all over the world. In a nutshell, we are designing a process that will allow us to provide recordings of quality live worship events...at least parts of those events.
Having seen live-TV of worship at church for years, and having purchased a bazillion live music recordings, we imagine that getting quality sound is simple to do. It's not. If you listen to local Sunday morning radio, there's an example of this: a fine church that broadcasts a raw mix of their morning worship...it's well-intentioned, but almost unlistenable. These players are actually quite talented, but based on their broadcast, most people will assume otherwise. A good job of capturing a live musical event requires boatloads of musical skill, technical skill, and a bit of costly gear. (If you can't mix it, you can't "fix it.")
Our strategy will involve these three pillars:
1. Preproduction provides the live event with shape and a shine it would not otherwise likely have. Lest this weekly preproduction become overwhelming, we must develop a streamlined system that provides a good product, but minimizes the artistic obsession with perfection. I can justify 15 hours, but not 50.
2. Production itself on the platform must be transparent enough to provide the congregation with an authentic worship experience. Since mere mortals will have to present it, it must also be simple enough to be sustainable for years, and be accessible to broad number of singers, players and technicians with a broad variety of skill levels.
3. Post production returns the live tracks (including the room-sound itself) back to the studio, to be combined with the pre-recorded tracks. Again, time constraints must be in place! Live worship CDs are often in post production for months; again, 15 hours is a-lot, depending on the intention of the recording. We have exploration to do on copyright and royalty laws, too. (We may find that Stonebridge becomes a songwriter's paradise!)
----------
| | |
|
Premium
