What on earth did we do before the internet?
As the steep learning curve for Vegas continues, I found myself wanting to add some video effects to a loop I was making up for our new series.
What to do...google it of course. (Does anyone else use any other browser?)

There....found about 10 different You Tube and other videos which I could watch, showing me exactly what I needed to do...which is just as well because the help files are no good. They assume a lot of knowledge....Will show you the results just as soon as the file is rendered. Sony takes a lot longer to render videos that I have been used to, something to do with the greatly increased quality I suppose!

Here are the top five websites decided by me...with no real credibility....just my opinion.

5. Soul Purpose
Nice use of graphics, updated regularly. Good mix of info and graphics.

4. Crossroads Church
Love the graphics and subtle use of flash

3. Community Christian
Check out the 'about us' page for something really creative

2.Mars Hill
Whoever does the graphics for Driscoll...is one of the best. Mix of old school ideas with funky images.

1. Inglewood Community Church
Yes its mine, thats why its number one! Apart from that, it has great contemporary colours, creative design, updated regularly and gives the right impression of the church. Some websites you may get the idea the church is huuuuge, when in fact its not. This site accurately portrays us as we are.

Website tips
Dont use animated gifs.
Dont use music
Use a standard font through out Same colour, same font, two or three sizes only.
Use Colour sparingly.

If you are visiting this blog for the first time, or dont know me...this post may seem strange, or a bit weird...or you may think I am 'one of those'.....but here goes.

Since when did the Bible stop being the foundation of our faith?
Since when did we start interpreting the bible as 'just a bunch of stories' with no practical instruction and even 'shudder' commands?
Since when did the Bible stop being a prescriptive document?

Is it because post modernism is pushing us too far the other way? Maybe, yet I have never resonated with modernism. Logical and rational arguments for proving God will only get us so far, we need faith. Someone wise mentioned to me the other day that we often interpret spiritual principles through a Greek mindset, to the detriment of the Hebrew one. I agree entirely with that.
Truth is that we need to understand that the Bible is true in all it affirms. And it affirms some very basic things about God, and His plan for our life.

If someone is not a Christian, thats one thing. But if someone says they are a Christian, and a church leader....then lets agree that the Bible is the place we turn to for truth, absolutes and what is sinful and against Gods nature. There is plenty of things I dont understand about God, His principles and why He operates the way He does. But I still surrender to what is clear from the scriptures, even if it sometimes grates against my culturally sensitive, post modernist mind.

Thanks to Q's cleverness, you can now watch the Graham Mabury video online if you would like to.
Just go to our Church's website and download the file, its about 40megs.
Church Resources

I took a minor in Philosophy when I did my Theology Degree at Murdoch University.
This appeals on many levels.....

Paul Borden's words ring in my ears, 'you count what is valuable to you'.

On Sunday we served communion to over 140 adults, which means there were more than that there.
But I can tell you exactly how many kids were there. I can tell you their names. I can access their phone numbers and addresses.
This is because our Childrens worker counts them, and keeps a record of their visit.
They are valuable to us.
They mean the world to us.

But we will focus on children. They need to hear and respond to the gospel. Not in some sort of 'Jesus Camp' way, but in the sense that the Bible speaks of, letting the children come to Jesus.
Steve Addison asks the question, "Where are the children?". Well, 59 of them where at Inglewood Community Church on Sunday, thats something to be proud of, something to take joy in.

Graham Mabury's message from Sunday is now online at our church website....
If you go to the page you can either listen or download it.....

http://www.inglewoodchurch.org.au/content.asp?p=51

Adam Cooney...24 votes.

A while back I started using Photoshop....now that I have mastered the basics...its a great program and allows you to produce high quality stuff.

Now....another steep learning curve which is proving rewarding. I am starting to use Sony Vegas for my video rendering. We are doing a inhouse dvd series based around the idea of the Kingdom, and living the good life. Colin has put together the material which we will focus on, on Sundays and during our mid week small groups. Should be great.


Sony Vegas is a high end product, and the quality of rendering is excellent. But as with photoshop...it is a steep learning curve. But I am getting there....and the quality of the end product will be better.

The feature which I like most of all, and which Ulead does not do....is that Vegas allows multiple video and audio tracks....so nice for effects and smooth transitions.

What a great day. We kicked off with some multi media, then Eliot and the "Soul Jam" choir where fantastic with the 'redemption melody'.

Then Eliot and the team lead us in worship. What a great team they are, led by, what some guests who came, commented is one of the best worship leaders they have seen.

Gordon Basset from Baldivis Church, the president of the Church of Christ came and led communion.

Mark Wilson, DOM from the Baptist Union prayed for the four pastors, Eliot, Colin, Quentin and myself.

Graham Mabury (6PR and Mnt Pleasant) brought an excellent and inspiring message on unity, new and old wine skins, and doing new things!!! It was incredible. Shortly you will be able to download it from this and our church site.

The place was absolutely packed full. Over 140 adults, plus about 60 or 70 kids.

It was a great celebration day of something God is doing in our midst.

Tommorow is the launch of our new church.
Graham Mabury coming to speak.
Kids assembling the worlds biggest banana split...
or at least our version of it!

Cant wait.
Significant moment in the life of our community.

Let you know how it went tommorow!

This video is not for children.
Please continue to pray for the people and Christians of Orissa

There are some truly awful things happening to Christians in Orissa, India.
If you are so inclined, please pray for them.
A Christian woman told of her husband being cut to pieces before her eyes.A man described his brother being burned alive in his home after refusing to deny Christ.These are two of the hundreds of stories emerging from India, where anti-Christian attacks carried out by mobs of extremist Hindus in the eastern state of Orissa have yet to be quelled.

Report

H/t TSK

Reading today about how Kev is trying to get different budgetary items through the senate. Just about everything is getting blocked.

Whatever you think about Rudd, this does not make sense to me.

The guy has been elected our prime minister. We are going to hold him accountable for what he does and doesn't do as our countries leader. Yet....he cant do what he believes is right.

There should be some mandate that he is given. We then can hold him accountable at the next election, but to stop the guy from leading does not make sense to me.

No one wants a dictator...but no one wants someone who is appointed to lead, but then not allowed to lead.

Today is normally the day I write my message for sunday...and spend some time with my daughter.
But...Sunday I will be off to Busselton (so no need to write a message)...and my daughter is a little bit sick, so no dancing for her today. So, I installed the little coat hanger/shelf thing she was given, and we had some vegemite sandwhiches together.

I have also been compiling some quotes for new church signs...very frustrating that is!

Apart from that, I have spent an innordinate amount of time making two fantastic coffees....mmmmmm

Days off for a pastor are a vexed issue. Everyone keeps telling me that there must be a designated day off. I am not so sure. Saturdays is normally my day off for sure...I try to make sure everything is done for Sunday. But I prefer to have a fluidity about my time. What I mean is that I dont want to restrict myself to having to take a day off. If I want to grab an our or two here and there to read the paper, have a slow coffee....I can. But if I want to focus for a few hours on something important, on a day that might be designated a day off....I will do that as well.

Its all about being a good practioner. I dont want to insist on time off, unless I need it. In that case, I wont answer my phone, nor reply to emails.

Dinner time is sacred. The phone (home and mobile) gets switched off. Our family, including the kids, know that dinner around the table is sacred. Truly sacred. I dont use that word lightly. Nothing interupts it, it is set apart for our family.

For me its about boundaries. I dont want other people setting them for me, and I dont want to not be able to set them for myself. I dont want someone saying, you must take this day off....thats the joy of being a pastor. If I want to, and can, pick up the kids from school...what a blessing! If I need to be out 3 or 4 nights a week...thats okay too...as long as its balanced.

Being a pastor is not always easy, getting the balance is not always easy....but ultimately, I am a professional, and am glad I can set those boundaries for myself. At times I will allow someone else, probably my peer group, to peer into that schedhule. Not just to make sure I am having enough time off, but also to make sure I am doing enough work! Lately, doing enough work has not been the issue.

Roll on Friday....Busselton...here we come!!

I posted on my facebook site recently that I love Sunday Nights. I do.

People may not understand that a pastors Sunday night is like other peoples Friday Nights.
No matter how you understand it, for many Pastors, Sunday Morning is a stressful time. For me....it is enjoyable, a highlight, a emotional and invigorating time...yes. But it is also stressful.

Every time I have to get up to speak, despite the fact I have done it for years now, I am still nervous....and hopeful things will go well, but not always entirely sure they will.

So once Sunday morning is over, I pretty much shut down Sunday Afternoon....and then relax Sunday Night.

This Sunday afternoon I did a baby dedication for some good friends. It was relaxed, and enjoyable....but it is ministry. Then we had fathers day family stuff to attend.

So it was not until about 9pm Sunday Night that I got to go.....aaaaaaaah.

Tired.......

Too much.....

Glad to be home.

Headed off to Toddler Jam.....
Rushed off to Funeral, had to load up video loop on the pc at Pinnaroo, and story video for Melinda's nan...then, because the good folk there really did not know how to operate it, had to run that, as well as sync up the music. All the technology you could want there, plasma tv, couple of pc's, AV mixer...But its not good to them as most people dont know how to utilise it to tell their stories...and they dont really either!

Sad day...but also moving. Muriel was a beautiful Christian lady with a wide influence. Many of her paintings and banners hang in churches all over the state.

As one wizard's career comes to a close, a star emerges from the rubble of Freo's 2008 season.
Jeff Farmer was arguable the best small forward that Western Australia has ever produced.

Despite what ignorant people might say from the sidelines, Jeff Farmer was a team player to the very end. He was grateful to both his former clubs, Fremantle and Melbourne for the opportunity to play AFL. He played 249 games of football, at times sublime, at times wasteful, but never forgettable. From an entertainment point of view, Jeff never dissapointed.

His first game wearing a Fremantle jumper was a scratch match against Collingwood, and the excitement in the crowd at what was to come was palpable. It is fitting then that his final game was also against the Pies, in which he kicked 3 goals, two of them with a difficulty rating of 9, and passed off a few others. In total he kicked 483 goals, considerably more than any other Aboriginal player. Many respected commentators have questioned his omission from the Indigenous Team of the Century.

While many media types have sniped at Jeff behind the safety of a microphone, the true Fremantle fan knows Jeff as a team player, fiercely loyal, and always willing to sign a jumper or show a cheeky grin.

As Jeff retires, Frematle welcomes Rhy Palmer into illustrious company in winning the NAB AFL Rising Star. Palmer declared at the start of the year that he would have been to have just played 5 games.
Palmer is the sort of player that supporters love to watch. His evasion skills are incredible, and his ability to win possession is incredibly valuable.
In other good news for long suffering Fremantle supporters, Garrick Ibbotson managed to come fifth in the prestigious award.

Published in The Roar

With Melinda's Nanna passing away last week....things have been pretty rotten...as well as being busy around here.
I have just finished off the video for the service.....breathe out Mark!

About 20 hours of work into a 12 minute video. I did about 10 of those hours....the technical side. With such a big and sensitive family, its important to get a picture of everyone in it.....and to get the music and feel of it right.

I just got back from Pinnaroo funeral chapel making sure it is going to work. With all the issues with Codecs I have been having at church, I wanted to make sure there will be no problems with it. I have rendered it into 3 formats, just to make sure.......
I will put it online at some point for the family to be able to view if they cant get there on Friday.