This weekend while mixing services at my church I realized something. It isn't how loud the service is, it is how you use dynamics! For the past couple of years we have been using Electronic Drums. The reason we do this is that while our sound system is extremely good, the room itself has some issues. First, the sanctuary is somewhere around 30'x80' and utilizes a horseshoe balcony. This configuration causes the room to resonate a lot through 200-450 hertz. Much of the energy in this frequency band manifests itself in standing wave energy above 96-98dB. Therefore I usually keep our service levels around 96dB PEAK. Using the electronic drums (Roland V-Drums) allows me to split the drums out; Kick, Snare, Toms, Cymbals, and dial in the drum sound I want. The major limitation with this is the disconnect of the drums from the rest of the band. As we utilize a Pro Co Momentum system for In Ear Monitoring, the only way the praise band hears the drums is in-ear. There is no "feeling" the kick, and the pianist often cannot hear the beat over the acoustic energy of their piano as they utilize a hot spot monitor.
The advantages of course are being able to "fit" all the instruments together in a well blended mix in the sanctuary. Of course this ends up sounding fake, because the spontaneity of the sound of real percussion disappears. This gives me fantastic control of the volume of the overall sound as well as the tonality.
Now, notice how I stated 96dB Peak. There are several factors that influence how we perceive sound. Loudness is measured in decibels, this is a measurement of the amount of energy that a sound wave has. There is also something known as Dynamic Range. The best way to describe this is to think about the difference between a whisper and a gunshot. a whisper would be around 20-30dB and an gunshot can be around 120-150dB. If both of these sounds were in a scene of a program there would be a dynamic range of over 100dB!
Dynamic range also effects our perception of loudness. Metallica released their last CD and was immediately blasted by critics for having only a 4dB dynamic range through the WHOLE CD. In my current production process at the church I usually have a range of 87-96dB, or a dynamic range of 9dB. Using the acoustic drums this weekend, I had a peak of 98dB and a range of 93-98dB. While not being appreciably louder, the dynamic range of 5dB made the service seem louder overall. This is the same thing that makes commercials seem louder than programs. The program may be mastered to -12dBu with a wider dynamic range than the commercial that is also mastered to -12dBu but with a dynamic range of 4-5dB. All the acoustic energy is packed into a smaller range, therefore it is perceived as louder.
Therefore, if you are a church sound engineer, you don't have to turn down to make everyone happy, just work with your praise team to find a way to increase your dynamic range. It may be as simple as not having all the guitarists play every verse, or utilizing more single note runs over layered power chords. Remember that the sound engineer is as much a part of the praise team as the worship leader and communication between both creates a way for us all to further His kingdom through worship.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
What caused the Extinction of the Bookstore?
As of January 16th the city of Laredo Texas, Population 600K, no longer has a bookstore. The last holdout was a B.Dalton that finally closed its doors. This little tidbit made me think about an experience I had recently, but for you, the reader, to understand, you need back story:
My second favorite job of all time was at a Waldenbooks. I LOVED going to work there. I got on shortly after returning from one of my summers at the U.S. Space Camp, (See link below) and quickly became a key-holder. I worked there with my future sister-in-law, my now wife's last boyfriend before me, (One of my best friends to this day!) and a few other characters that made it a fun place to work. I learned more about authors, manga, Harlequin Romances, history, and Playboy than I can ever use on any television game show. But most importantly working there taught me how to take care of a store. Keeping neat shelves, keeping the sections organized and ALPHABETIZED! (Yes, Books-A-Million in Owensboro, Kentucky I am giving you the "Wag of the Finger"!)
In the days of Internet, where even our phones have become media consumption devices, where does the printed word fit? We can read electronic books from them, peruse the web on them, get up to the minute news alerts, and what your favorite celebrity just ate for lunch, but the experience of the book is lost. It is something almost spiritual; you go to the store and a knowledgeable associate who actually reads books comes over and asks what you are looking for: genre, similar authors to what you last read,etc, and you leave the store carrying a bag with your latest treasure inside. The miles to your home seem to stretch on for an eternity as you lovingly steal glances at the bag you carefully laid in the passenger's seat. At extended stoplights you find yourself pulling the book out and re-reading the teaser on the inside dust cover, getting caught up with excitement until people behind you impatiently begin to blow their horn as the light has been green for 20 seconds or more. You stomp the gas pedal leaving smoke and rubber behind as the book drops back into its bag, determined to get home quickly.
The brakes and suspension of your car groans in protest as you whip into your driveway, hands feverishly fumbling for the house key even before it is out of the ignition to the car. A pot of coffee is set to brew as the assorted snacks for an extended escape are prepared and any "personal business" is taken care of before the first cup is poured. You settle into your most comfortable chair, set the coffee on the stand beside you, turn on the light, open the cover and delve into the world that the author has painstakingly rendered for you on the pages in your hand...
Alas this is not the case anymore...
"Bookstores" as they are so laughingly called now, are staffed by minimum wage dropouts by day and over-caffeinated teens at night. The day workers are there just to stock shelves, with no attention to detail, making finding the one copy whatever book it is you are looking for impossible to find unless you have a brief flash of clairvoyance that tells you that that specific copy of Balzac was placed in the automotive section. and the teens are there to clean up, and putting the books back in the correct sections not required as they will be placed on the shelf closest to the table they were found on. Which totally explains the logic behind the James Dobson book residing on the manga shelves... Then God forbid you ask an associate for help, the rolling of the eyes followed by the huff of impatience as you interrupt their shovelling books onto the shelves is akin to the reaction to asking a stranger for $20. Of course there are no guarantees that the book you are looking for can be found. So you go home and log onto the internet.
And you were wondering why Amazon is so popular...
Now, I wish I was exaggerating, but this is what it is like in Owensboro now that BAM is the only bookstore in town. If I can help it, I do order from Amazon instead of buying from Books-A-Million, just because every time I HAVE to go in there I think I am developing an ulcer. The social experience of the bookstore is gone. Then, on MacBreak Weekly a few weeks ago, Alex Lindsey made the comment that he often goes into bookstores and orders books on his iPhone that he sees just so he does not have to carry the books home, they are just delivered. It is this culture of instant gratification we have created that is causing the demise of the book culture.
We are not reading any less because of it, we spend HOURS upon HOURS reading on the internet, but it is a short clip here, a magazine article there, a tidbit about the latest Tiger Woods mistress to come out of the woodwork, so I would reason to bet that the number of words read by each individual has increased, but the coherency of the experience has all but gone extinct. Think about it, when was the last time you read a whole book? When was the last time you read something that wasn't retrieved by clicking a hyperlink?
Do yourself a favor, find a book, unplug. Read it and think about it. If you need a recommendation, the book of 1st John can be read in the time it takes to read an article in Car and Driver, and you can reset your how long has it been since I read a book counter tonight! Find a book club, visit your local library, TALK TO SOMEONE about books! Try to frequent your local mom-and-pop bookstore on the corner, buy a magazine a week at least. Just expand your horizon away from the florescent glow of your computer screen.
God Bless!
Jason
Space Camp
1st John
My second favorite job of all time was at a Waldenbooks. I LOVED going to work there. I got on shortly after returning from one of my summers at the U.S. Space Camp, (See link below) and quickly became a key-holder. I worked there with my future sister-in-law, my now wife's last boyfriend before me, (One of my best friends to this day!) and a few other characters that made it a fun place to work. I learned more about authors, manga, Harlequin Romances, history, and Playboy than I can ever use on any television game show. But most importantly working there taught me how to take care of a store. Keeping neat shelves, keeping the sections organized and ALPHABETIZED! (Yes, Books-A-Million in Owensboro, Kentucky I am giving you the "Wag of the Finger"!)
In the days of Internet, where even our phones have become media consumption devices, where does the printed word fit? We can read electronic books from them, peruse the web on them, get up to the minute news alerts, and what your favorite celebrity just ate for lunch, but the experience of the book is lost. It is something almost spiritual; you go to the store and a knowledgeable associate who actually reads books comes over and asks what you are looking for: genre, similar authors to what you last read,etc, and you leave the store carrying a bag with your latest treasure inside. The miles to your home seem to stretch on for an eternity as you lovingly steal glances at the bag you carefully laid in the passenger's seat. At extended stoplights you find yourself pulling the book out and re-reading the teaser on the inside dust cover, getting caught up with excitement until people behind you impatiently begin to blow their horn as the light has been green for 20 seconds or more. You stomp the gas pedal leaving smoke and rubber behind as the book drops back into its bag, determined to get home quickly.
The brakes and suspension of your car groans in protest as you whip into your driveway, hands feverishly fumbling for the house key even before it is out of the ignition to the car. A pot of coffee is set to brew as the assorted snacks for an extended escape are prepared and any "personal business" is taken care of before the first cup is poured. You settle into your most comfortable chair, set the coffee on the stand beside you, turn on the light, open the cover and delve into the world that the author has painstakingly rendered for you on the pages in your hand...
Alas this is not the case anymore...
"Bookstores" as they are so laughingly called now, are staffed by minimum wage dropouts by day and over-caffeinated teens at night. The day workers are there just to stock shelves, with no attention to detail, making finding the one copy whatever book it is you are looking for impossible to find unless you have a brief flash of clairvoyance that tells you that that specific copy of Balzac was placed in the automotive section. and the teens are there to clean up, and putting the books back in the correct sections not required as they will be placed on the shelf closest to the table they were found on. Which totally explains the logic behind the James Dobson book residing on the manga shelves... Then God forbid you ask an associate for help, the rolling of the eyes followed by the huff of impatience as you interrupt their shovelling books onto the shelves is akin to the reaction to asking a stranger for $20. Of course there are no guarantees that the book you are looking for can be found. So you go home and log onto the internet.
And you were wondering why Amazon is so popular...
Now, I wish I was exaggerating, but this is what it is like in Owensboro now that BAM is the only bookstore in town. If I can help it, I do order from Amazon instead of buying from Books-A-Million, just because every time I HAVE to go in there I think I am developing an ulcer. The social experience of the bookstore is gone. Then, on MacBreak Weekly a few weeks ago, Alex Lindsey made the comment that he often goes into bookstores and orders books on his iPhone that he sees just so he does not have to carry the books home, they are just delivered. It is this culture of instant gratification we have created that is causing the demise of the book culture.
We are not reading any less because of it, we spend HOURS upon HOURS reading on the internet, but it is a short clip here, a magazine article there, a tidbit about the latest Tiger Woods mistress to come out of the woodwork, so I would reason to bet that the number of words read by each individual has increased, but the coherency of the experience has all but gone extinct. Think about it, when was the last time you read a whole book? When was the last time you read something that wasn't retrieved by clicking a hyperlink?
Do yourself a favor, find a book, unplug. Read it and think about it. If you need a recommendation, the book of 1st John can be read in the time it takes to read an article in Car and Driver, and you can reset your how long has it been since I read a book counter tonight! Find a book club, visit your local library, TALK TO SOMEONE about books! Try to frequent your local mom-and-pop bookstore on the corner, buy a magazine a week at least. Just expand your horizon away from the florescent glow of your computer screen.
God Bless!
Jason
Space Camp
1st John
Monday, January 4, 2010
Just started 2010 and already want a Do Over!!!
I am about to tell you a very funny story on myself.
Sunday started with the one thing someone in the Worship Ministry hates to have happen: A pre-7AM phone call. The volunteer that runs my broadcast audio mix was sick and could not make it to the services on Sunday. No big deal, because I can always push the front of house mix to the TV and Radio feeds, not ideal, but in a pinch will be fine. It was 6:30, so I decided to go ahead and get in the shower. I got my towel and put it on the rack, went to turn on the water.... nothing. The inlet pipe going to the house had frozen. So I was truly in a predicament, my backup was sick and I now had an issue with my plumbing, and had to be at church. I called my dad, had him come out to the house to check on the pipe hoping nothing had burst.
Looking in the mirror posed its own set of challenges. I had not shaved in a few days and having cut my ponytail a few months before, I now had a horrendous case of bed head! Had I still had long hair I could have just brushed it out, pulled it back and went on my merry way. This was not the case. I was sporting a back fauxhawk that was aspiring to join the band Flock of Seagulls. My hand groped for the gel, and after several attempts finally had a hairdo fitting a 2nd year college student heading to a Fraternity party. The facial hair would just have to wait.
I walked outside and found that it was 7 degrees outside, and the door to Camilla was frozen shut. Camilla, by the way is my Camry, who was handed down to me from my Brother-in-Law. At this point I was beginning to REALLY regret waking up at all that morning. I was able to pry the door open, but a new problem now presented itself. The lack of an ice scraper was daunting. After tearing apart all three cars I finally found one and got acceptable visibility.
Surely the fates were done playing with me, and I had a refreshingly pleasant drive to the church. I walked in and everything was looking up. I got everything configured and ready for the service, but I noticed that the room was on the chilly side. This poses a problem for the pipe organ as cold air causes it to play flat. I was ready to set up the Korg Triton that we have as we can tune it to the organ, but the problems reach farther than that. It was so cold that the organ wasn't even in tune with itself, and was fluttering. Luckily it was relatively in tune with the piano so I did not have to go to the keyboard. Then we lost power. All of the PC's; Mediashout, Powerpoint, Video record and Broadcast, all had to be restarted. Also the organ had to have all of it's stops reset.
Finally it had to be over...
Other than a small setback of having the confidence monitor not want to come back on the service went off without a hitch. We got the radio broadcast playing, the band rehearsal for the contemporary service was going, and all was well with the world. Until I realized I had almost forgot to put up a pulpit mic for the second service, as we do not use the pulpit for that service. The sanctuary was beginning to fill, and there were probably 120 to 130 people in the sanctuary to witness the ultimate topper of the day. I turned, stepped toward the stairs off the side of the stage, and missed. I fell three steps sliding on my backside landing on the floor, to the chorus of inhaled breath then laughter. I played it off, got the mic, set it up, returned to my crows nest and did not move until most of the people in the sanctuary were gone after the service.
I returned home, fixed the insulation that was damaged during the repairs we affected during last February's ice storm, with the help of my father and went to bed around eight pm.
Because I was horribly sick with a TERRIBLE COLD ALL DAY!!!
Sunday started with the one thing someone in the Worship Ministry hates to have happen: A pre-7AM phone call. The volunteer that runs my broadcast audio mix was sick and could not make it to the services on Sunday. No big deal, because I can always push the front of house mix to the TV and Radio feeds, not ideal, but in a pinch will be fine. It was 6:30, so I decided to go ahead and get in the shower. I got my towel and put it on the rack, went to turn on the water.... nothing. The inlet pipe going to the house had frozen. So I was truly in a predicament, my backup was sick and I now had an issue with my plumbing, and had to be at church. I called my dad, had him come out to the house to check on the pipe hoping nothing had burst.
Looking in the mirror posed its own set of challenges. I had not shaved in a few days and having cut my ponytail a few months before, I now had a horrendous case of bed head! Had I still had long hair I could have just brushed it out, pulled it back and went on my merry way. This was not the case. I was sporting a back fauxhawk that was aspiring to join the band Flock of Seagulls. My hand groped for the gel, and after several attempts finally had a hairdo fitting a 2nd year college student heading to a Fraternity party. The facial hair would just have to wait.
I walked outside and found that it was 7 degrees outside, and the door to Camilla was frozen shut. Camilla, by the way is my Camry, who was handed down to me from my Brother-in-Law. At this point I was beginning to REALLY regret waking up at all that morning. I was able to pry the door open, but a new problem now presented itself. The lack of an ice scraper was daunting. After tearing apart all three cars I finally found one and got acceptable visibility.
Surely the fates were done playing with me, and I had a refreshingly pleasant drive to the church. I walked in and everything was looking up. I got everything configured and ready for the service, but I noticed that the room was on the chilly side. This poses a problem for the pipe organ as cold air causes it to play flat. I was ready to set up the Korg Triton that we have as we can tune it to the organ, but the problems reach farther than that. It was so cold that the organ wasn't even in tune with itself, and was fluttering. Luckily it was relatively in tune with the piano so I did not have to go to the keyboard. Then we lost power. All of the PC's; Mediashout, Powerpoint, Video record and Broadcast, all had to be restarted. Also the organ had to have all of it's stops reset.
Finally it had to be over...
Other than a small setback of having the confidence monitor not want to come back on the service went off without a hitch. We got the radio broadcast playing, the band rehearsal for the contemporary service was going, and all was well with the world. Until I realized I had almost forgot to put up a pulpit mic for the second service, as we do not use the pulpit for that service. The sanctuary was beginning to fill, and there were probably 120 to 130 people in the sanctuary to witness the ultimate topper of the day. I turned, stepped toward the stairs off the side of the stage, and missed. I fell three steps sliding on my backside landing on the floor, to the chorus of inhaled breath then laughter. I played it off, got the mic, set it up, returned to my crows nest and did not move until most of the people in the sanctuary were gone after the service.
I returned home, fixed the insulation that was damaged during the repairs we affected during last February's ice storm, with the help of my father and went to bed around eight pm.
Because I was horribly sick with a TERRIBLE COLD ALL DAY!!!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Christmas Experiment
This is a bit of a social experiment, so feel free to pass on it, but I wanted to see what the real power of social networking is.
If you are reading this you are either a follower on Twitter or one of my 500+ friends on Facebook.
As many of you know I do a lot with media at my church. My biggest problem is that the machine that I do most of my "homework" on, an ancient Powerbook G4 867Mhz has finally decided to kick the bucket. I unfortunately do not have the liquidity at the moment to outright purchase a new machine. As I do not have a sufficiently fast machine to do videos and audio at home, the quality of the work I do suffers.
So what I have done is create an account on Bestbuy.com for what is called a Pitch-In Card. What I am doing is I will be adding funds to this card as a placeholder to purchase a new Macbook Pro that will be dedicated to media work. If you feel led to help, the minimum contribution is $5, but you can donate as much or as little as you like. you can find the card on Bestbuy.com under Gifts, and you can find it by searching my name, or by following the link I will supply and searching my name.
This machine will ultimately allow me to increase the scope of both this blog as well as make all of the media that we do through First Baptist to reach a new level of concurrancy and quality!
As I said this is an experiment, and know that the funds will be held until such time as I can purchase a machine that will fit the needs of my ministry within the church!
I appreciate all of you looking at this and passing it on, because even if you do not donate to me, you can use this yourself to create cards for birthdays and such!
Thanks and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
- Jason
UPDATE:
So apparently you cannot link directly into the website.
The way to get to the Pitch in Card:
Navigate to http://www.bestbuy.com
Click on Gifts and select Pitch In card.
Select search for a list:
Use List #8331721789
Then enter the amount you want to give!!
Thanks!!!
If you are reading this you are either a follower on Twitter or one of my 500+ friends on Facebook.
As many of you know I do a lot with media at my church. My biggest problem is that the machine that I do most of my "homework" on, an ancient Powerbook G4 867Mhz has finally decided to kick the bucket. I unfortunately do not have the liquidity at the moment to outright purchase a new machine. As I do not have a sufficiently fast machine to do videos and audio at home, the quality of the work I do suffers.
So what I have done is create an account on Bestbuy.com for what is called a Pitch-In Card. What I am doing is I will be adding funds to this card as a placeholder to purchase a new Macbook Pro that will be dedicated to media work. If you feel led to help, the minimum contribution is $5, but you can donate as much or as little as you like. you can find the card on Bestbuy.com under Gifts, and you can find it by searching my name, or by following the link I will supply and searching my name.
This machine will ultimately allow me to increase the scope of both this blog as well as make all of the media that we do through First Baptist to reach a new level of concurrancy and quality!
As I said this is an experiment, and know that the funds will be held until such time as I can purchase a machine that will fit the needs of my ministry within the church!
I appreciate all of you looking at this and passing it on, because even if you do not donate to me, you can use this yourself to create cards for birthdays and such!
Thanks and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
- Jason
UPDATE:
So apparently you cannot link directly into the website.
The way to get to the Pitch in Card:
Navigate to http://www.bestbuy.com
Click on Gifts and select Pitch In card.
Select search for a list:
Use List #8331721789
Then enter the amount you want to give!!
Thanks!!!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Feedback Wanted!
Hello all of those who work with worship! I am putting together a new blog and possibly making it a netcast. I need to know what kinds of questions you might have about technology, volunteer management, training volunteers, etc. These are all areas that I have room to grow in as well, so I would love to have you tell me what parts are important to you and I will do interviews / have guests on that are knowledgeable in these areas! I am going to try to have the first trial netcast done in the next 3 weeks. Expect blog posts; both on the production of the netcast, and on the information I come up with. When I set up the interview I will put out a call for your questions through Twitter and here on the blog.
God Bless!!
I look forward to hearing from you!
God Bless!!
I look forward to hearing from you!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Resistance is...
Well, here we are just a few months after my first Blog post. The last time I wrote, I was talking about joining Twitter, and joining it with my Facebook as a way to better communicate to those who might find my point of view interesting.
I have now decided that we are DEFINATELY at a turning point in human development. Not in a physical sense, but in a IS THIS REALLY HAPPENING kind of way.
My friend Klo made a comment in response to my Tweet about District 9; "Agreed. District 9 does what all great sci-fi does: deals with real life issues and emotions in an imaginative way."
This made me think about a phrase that to this day brings up memories, for many people, of that horrifying first time they heard the words "Resistance is Futile." Three words that in all of their simplicity, delivered in a monotone of layered voices, that filled the viewer with dread and hopelessness as they gazed at the half-man half-machines on the screen. Ultimately the question is; how could a race become so screwed up that they lose themselves looking for perfection, drive the unique qualities we all have away, all in the name of progress...
Today sitting on the desk in front of me I have my desktop PC, my work phone (on which I can recieve E-mail at any time, and surf the internet, send messages,) my iPhone, (all features of other phone, but with my personal information,) a now defunct HP Pocket PC, and various other electronic gadgets. At any time, anyone I know can become aware of exactly what I am doing by either direct contact, (a phone call,) or indirectly by my posts on Twitter and Facebook. Almost instantaniously the world is consuming so much of this information, the internet can hardly handle the load. Remove this from us, disconnect us from the collective, and we often have withdrawals! All that is left is for us to begin implanting ourselves with bluetooth recievers (creepy idea from Shark Tank, please someone lock that guy up!) and we will truly have our technological and biological distinctiveness added to everyone else's. We are becoming so driven by this need to know it all, have access to it all, that we go nuts if we cannot figure it out! How many times do you find yourself running to the computer in the course of a normal conversation to look something up on Wikipedia or IMDB, just because the answer is on the tip of your tounge? That my friends is the beginning of our Collective conciousness...
I know we are a LONG way from the Borg, but as Klo said, this is something we WILL deal with later, and are dealing with now. Is it bad to have all this information at your fingertips? OF COURSE NOT! We are living in a wonderful time of discoveries, and interconnection between peoples of all countries that could never have been imagined even 20 years ago! I regularly play XBOX LIVE with a guy in Ireland, that was not even possible to make a free phone call across the pond until the internet came around, now we do it in game!
As Uncle Ben famously stated, "With great power, comes great responsibility." I want to add to that...
"With the power of instant knowledge, comes the need to reflect individually." Do not lose yourself in the pursuit of knowledge alone, get away from the gadgets, spend time with the phone and TV off. Do not let the TV raise your kids, and take all I said and throw it out the window. I know I will not be able to do what I say all the time, but I can try. God asks only 3 things of us, Believe, spend time in his word, and love each other. I will need to work on #2...
If you made it this far you will find this next piece of information interesting. There will be many new posts coming soon, not all of pointless ramblings, but of useful information. I am putting together the basis of a new blog/podcast(possibly) dealing with two of my favorite subjects: Technology and Worship. Stay tuned and make sure that you follow this blog as well as my twitter; Milerky2 for updates!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
The Beginning of the End, of the Beginning, I think...
This week has been one of those interesting weeks where nothing is as it seems, yet delivers as advertised. I began a few days ago the fall into the pit that is Twitter. I have always been something of a holdout when it comes to this whole social networking thing. I have let MySpace fall to the wayside, (I don't think I have even logged in in over a year!) and I had always been somewhat reluctant to stay up to date with Facebook. But as with both MySpace and Facebook I felt that to truly understand the draw of these sites I had to at least give it a shot...
What a Wonderful Mistake! Not only have I been able to have conversations with both Derek Webb and Josh Moore of Caedmon's Call, but I have been able to connect with a couple of people I had lost contact with.
To make matters worse I have been able to link my Twitter account to Facebook to allow all of my Friends the wonders of my existance as I see fit to relay it.
My Crackberry allows me to use an application called Twitterberry, to update my Tweets. I also have a Facebook App to keep up with status updates as well.
The question is, what have I learned? In an age where technology has connected us in a way that is closer than any culture before it, we are farther apart. We have replaced REAL conversations with "What are you doing?" We have replaced fellowship with tweets. We have replaced our time with God with the insatiable thirst for what everyone else is doing, instead of looking at what our heart is needing.
I have looked at a lot of things introspectively and have found that I am no better than anyone else, I get wrapped up in the latest thing. I hope to use this blog as a way to form my thoughts, write what I am feeling and challenge anyone who reads it to walk the strange road with me. I may talk about religion, I will most definately talk about technology, but most of all I will talk about what I feel strongest about. I invite all to dialog with me in an intelligent way, take nothing overly seriously, but ponder it wisely.
But most of all, ENJOY!
What a Wonderful Mistake! Not only have I been able to have conversations with both Derek Webb and Josh Moore of Caedmon's Call, but I have been able to connect with a couple of people I had lost contact with.
To make matters worse I have been able to link my Twitter account to Facebook to allow all of my Friends the wonders of my existance as I see fit to relay it.
My Crackberry allows me to use an application called Twitterberry, to update my Tweets. I also have a Facebook App to keep up with status updates as well.
The question is, what have I learned? In an age where technology has connected us in a way that is closer than any culture before it, we are farther apart. We have replaced REAL conversations with "What are you doing?" We have replaced fellowship with tweets. We have replaced our time with God with the insatiable thirst for what everyone else is doing, instead of looking at what our heart is needing.
I have looked at a lot of things introspectively and have found that I am no better than anyone else, I get wrapped up in the latest thing. I hope to use this blog as a way to form my thoughts, write what I am feeling and challenge anyone who reads it to walk the strange road with me. I may talk about religion, I will most definately talk about technology, but most of all I will talk about what I feel strongest about. I invite all to dialog with me in an intelligent way, take nothing overly seriously, but ponder it wisely.
But most of all, ENJOY!
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