When Things Couldn’t Get Any Worse

Just when I thought I had seen the worst.

More came.

But I still believe.

When I thought there were no more tears.

More came.

But I still believe.

When I have been beaten unjustly, imprisoned based on false evidence and convicted without a fair hearing,

I still believe.

No logical reason for it, I just still believe. I should just give up, but I believe.

I should just quit and get out of the fray, but I still believe.

And I will praise the LORD’s name.

Through the heartache & tears, trials & tests, when it all goes wrong…..

I still believe.

Just a moment to Praise!

It has been a rough and tumble six and a half months to start 2008, and I have been pressed so that praise has not often flowed freely from my lips let alone my heart. Yet, tonight, yes tonight, I am finding that JESUS is stirring in me in spite of myself. And while I have the “wind” or inspiration of the SPIRIT to do so, I will let my voice ring out – in written form – that “I love JESUS!”

“I praise JESUS!”

“JESUS is the most awesome & radical PERSON I have ever met, and the most understanding and kind. HE is the ONE WHO can just speak but a WORD into my life and all the seas of passional doubt & storms of angst fall by the wayside. It just takes ONE WORD from the SON of GOD, the CREATOR of all creation to quell my troubled soul.”

I find that even now in my stress, I have a span of time in which I can freely Praise HIS holy name.

How incredible it is to ponder that HE has anything to do with me at all, yet HE makes me feel as though I am the only one for whom HE made creation and the only one for whom HE died & resurrected.

In this moment, HE has wiped the tears from my eyes that I may see clearly. Out of this Job-like run of seasons, I will emerge stronger in HIM, more dangerous to the enemy’s realm, more in debt to the ONE from WHOM all blessings flow.

If there were only words to express what I understand in my spirit.

All I manage to say is……Praise the name of JESUS

Some new ideas

I have been experimenting with several new tech pieces which I have recently added to my collection of software.

I think there are uses for each of them in a drama scenario

The first I wrote about earlier, Magix’s Movie Edit Pro 14 PLUS. What has been particularly amazing about this software is the fact that I can remaster a soundtrack into true 5.1 surround sound. I burned a 5.1 surround sound disk, my first one, and it failed because I did not select NTSC as the format. Magix product are German based so PAL is the standard there. Once I got the hang of that then I created my first true surround sound disc,

It blew me away! A dream of many years finally coming true in my home. So I immediately began to re-master the audio for our Church’s Christmas Play. Can’t wait!

Next I found iClone. This is a 3-D animation software that is truly flexible. I am using this to create a pre-visualization of scenes and ideas I have. With its sibling software 3D Exchange, I can import from Google’s 3D Warehaouse to get a number of landcape and scenery elements to use. These are all convertable into AVI for use with Movie Edit Pro.

Finally, I have been looking into Orb, a personal broadcasting site. From here I can remotely access my media files form any other computer. I may yet start a radio program…..

Till later

Been Busy This Year

Well this has certainly been a busy year so I haven’t posted in quite a while.

With the Christmas production and Easter production almost back to back, there was little time to write a blog let alone anything else. I barely had time to do the events between work demands and home life. Yet even in my free moments, I was found working on video production until midnight for many weeks. There was that and props, directing and stage design not to forget about casting and practices.

But here it is, April almost over and I am posting my third post for the year!

My next direction is clear. After two years prep on the idea, I feel the time is right to unleash the Halloween production. This is something that has been on my heart for some time and finally feel the confirmation of the LORD to bring it forth.

I really believe we in the church can get “stiff and stale” in our Thou Shalt Nots…..it causes us to miss areas of ministry and outreach because we become self-rigtheous. Yes, I am speaking of Halloween. Whatever your stance is on this holiday (of which mine has been not to celebrate it since I have been born again), it is a prime opportunity to reach out and witness about JESUS.

This is what has been on my heart. I have broken some of my stiff and stale shell about this (remember the scales that fell off of Paul’s eyes?). Certainly, I do not condone giving a celebration on the devil’s midnight hour or anything like that, but shall we leave the masses alone that night without the message of the Gospel? I think not. This is what is stirring in my spirit over the last two years.

As a Christian, on Halloween, I go inside my house, turn off the porch light and hide away until the evil night has passed. Yet, give my Thankgiving, food, football, Christmas, presents, lights, and Easter with all of its glories and I am there not only celebrating, but putting on productions to glorify GOD and reach out to those who come.

So why do I leave Halloween to the devil? Why am I not invading his kingdom? We aren’t we all? Like Steve Camp sang in “Run To The Battle”, “set up a mission a yard from the gates of hell”.

More next post…..

Drama Tech 101: Magix Movie Edit Pro 14 PLUS

Yes, folks! It is here. It just came out and I have a brand new version of it installed on my computer. I now have Magix’s Movie Edit Pro 14 PLUS

I must give you my opinion of it first.

“WOW”.

Does that say it distinctly enough? There are so many new features that it is hard to get a grasp on all this program can do but for software that runs 69 bucks (89 bucks for non-registered Magix Users) this thing is just a wonder; as in I wonder why it doesn’t cost more than it does? But who am I to buck the trend when it is saving me bucks, right??? Right……

New features:

The whole interface is now available in a sleek black design which goes well with my dark grey FX Home Effects Lab Lite; however it is customizable, so if you like that lighter look of MEP 12, then it is there for you as well.

I immediately noticed upon install that this program simply runs smoother on my same system. MEP 12 had rough spots to say the least and bogged down even with 4 GB of RAM at its disposal. MEP 14 PLUS just runs smoother and doesn’t seem to bog down with extra video overlays where MEP 12 did running them at full monitor rez in both versions.

Now, I like that a whole lot!

 But my favorite new feature is Dolby Digital 5.1 mastering suite! Yes, that is correct….a TRUE 5.1 mastering suite in MEP 14 PLUS. It requires a 9.99 unlocking fee, but what a small price to pay for this amazing ability. You can independently master Front Left & Right channels, Rear Left & Right. This feature was also available in Magix’s Audio Cleaning Lab.

BUT NOW you have the ability to master the center channel.
That makes the 5 in 5.1, right? So where is the .1 in 5.1?
Fear not, you can also master the LFE (Low Frequency Effect) channel, or what we commonly know as the sub-woofer channel.

Now that is very cool!

But wait there is more….you can record any Internet video directly from a screen capture feature in MEP 14. So many features for this price it is almost too much to mention.

One of the hidden bonuses that was probably my most wonderful discovery is the bundled software “iClone SE”. This is a 3D animation software that as i am playing around with it, it seems to make a great pre-viz tool. So if you are trying to plan a scene in a drama in your church, you can “pre-visualize” (pre-viz) it in an AVI format which is also conveniently compatible for MEP 14 to use. I have already worked on ideas for scenes and have created a couple of pre-viz scenarios so I can show everyone what idea I working on, or how I want the scene to work. GREAT STUFF!

Incredibly, there is more, however I think this is enough to whet your appetite for Magix’s Movie Edit Pro 14, aprogram that gives great options and results for those non-pros out there, like me, who cannot afford a second mortgage to get programs like Final Cut & Adobe Premiere.

There is NOTHING on the market this versatile for this price. Go get it and use it to glorify GOD in all that you do. Expand your tent, man and woman of GOD.

Stormshelter

Putting Together An Awards Show

This post is the second part of A Way To Say Thank You

After I created the Golden Duckies, I moved to creating the atmosphere of the show.

I wanted to decorate with Awards Night themes but those that did not specifically represent Hollywood. I set up my photo studio with lights, umbrellas & stands in-front of a red curtain so that as each person or couple entered, we would take their picture.

I had arranged to have the awards show to be formal. I as the emcee, had on a tux, my wife as the awards girl, had on a black evening gown, red boa & long black gloves. We really had fun with this!

After they took their pictures, we has a red carpet rolled out to follow into the sanctuary. From there everyone would follow through to their seats.

I put together several videos for the evening, including an Intro done on Magix Pro Edit 12 with lens flare effects generated on FXHome’s EffectLabLite. They worked beautifully.

Each category winner had their own 20 second video with the name in titles placed with dramatic scoring on the soundtrack. It was a big hit. Some examples will be loaded soon.

In between each category switch, I had filmed interviews from some of the key players of the Christmas drama, as well as the costume designer and myself as director. I also had awards presenters for each nomination from the group I worked with through the drama season so everyone felt a part. I also had made up envelopes and cards with the winner from card stock at Office Max & Staples.  I then sealed them with a Gold Seal.

The evening was wonderful and everyone really got into the spirit, gving  acceptance speeches and lifting their Golden Duckies up high.

It was a great way to say Thank You.

Maybe you can do something similar as GOD leads.