This year on Easter we put together a video that featured one of our students from the youth group. She prepared a really cool Spoken Word piece for a Fine Arts Festival and when I saw it, I knew we had to use it.

One of our electric guitarists is also an amazing artist. I asked her if she'd be willing to illustrate for the video and I think it turned out pretty sweet. (You can check out her band Revely here)

As a church plant we don't necessarily have a huge budget so often times it forces us to get creative. We don't own any high quality HD cameras (feel free to donate...jk...not really). However, since iPhones were abundant, I asked a few people to help out and shoot using those. We had 3 still cams and 1 roving cam (all iPhones). We used an iPad to shoot the illustrations.

Here's how the video turned out, hope you enjoy it!

Relentless - Spoken Word from The Sound on Vimeo.

A mushroom walks into a bar. He sees a pretty girl and says, "Hey want to go out with me? I'm a Fungi." Ba Dum Ching! That was for my people who love puns.

When I watched this video from The Fun Theory I immediately thought about those in leadership. People seem to be okay with working a little harder when they are having fun doing it.

What are some ways you've been able to create a fun atmosphere in the midst of the grind?

Now if only they could do something like this for portable churches.

Sometimes the real story gets lost along the way.

I typed in "Our church is" on Google and this is what came up:

The beat drops. Booty shaking begins. Hands flail in the air. Bodies bounce. Out of tune singers start belting out every lyric to the Ke$ha track.

We in da club.

The beat drops. The band rocks. 4 on the floor. People stand. People stare. A few clap. Some sing. Some try not to fall asleep.

We in da church.

What are some obstacles that keep people from singing together in church?

Talk to me, tell me your name.

You blow me off like it's all the same.

Ah, such powerful lyrics. Over the last few months I have had the privilege to learn valuable lessons in communication.

Lack of communication with your team can cause lack of productivity, lack of understanding responsibilities/expectations, and an overall sense of confusion.

If you are leading anything, whether it be a team, or a project, good communication will go a long way. You may be frustrated with your team, but have you communicated with them? Do they know what's expected of them? Do they have the resources they need to be successful in their role? Do they have a clear timeline of dates and events?

And most importantly, can they reach you if they have questions?

These are some areas that I'm working on with myself.

What are some ways you keep the lines of communication open with your team?

What resources have you found helpful that help keep your team in the loop with what's happening in your ministry, organization, or department?

Talk to me. Please.

Blast you Sammy Tropea! It seemed like EVERY week he was the one chosen to spin the wheel. Not today!

In our kid's ministry called Superkids, the leaders would choose someone each week for the opportunity to spin a wheel and win a prize. This lucky kid was chosen based on how they acted during the service. Were they well behaved? Were they paying attention? Were they worshiping during the music time? Did they refrain from picking boogers and flicking them at the kid in front of them?

This week I decided it was MY time to spin that wheel. All through the service I sat very still. I stared intently at the speakers. I raised my hands as high as I could lift them. I squinted my eyes shut as tight as I could. Sammy didn't have a chance.

The time came for them to announce the golden child who would receive a glorious bounty of treasures untold. "And the winner is...ROGER COLES!" Suck on that Tropea!! Your streak ends todayyyyyyyy! Glory is mine forevaaaaaa! (In my mind, "We Are the Champions" played as I walked to the wheel in victory)

[ Note* If this were a sermon, this would be the part of the message where my keyboard player comes out and plays a nice warm pad as I drop the more reflective thoughts on you. ]

Being a worship leader is a constant check on my authenticity.

It's one thing to get on stage and:

• raise my hands as high as I can lift them
• squint my eyes as tight as they'll go
• jump around and sing notes barely in my range

It's another to:

• live out the words I'm singing
• worship intently at home with no stage, lights, or people
• pray prayers to God that no one but He and I can hear

The latter makes the former meaningful.

The former without the latter is meaningless.

Here's a peek at my days in kids ministry. My very first solo. Who knew my future wife was backing me up! :)

What makes music Christian? Go.

If you're like me, it's easy for minutes of the day to float away into oblivion with no trace of where they went or how they got away so quickly.

I've tried an experiment over the last few days of giving every task only a limited amount of time before moving on to something else.

It's become a bit of a game. I try to beat the time and I end up being way more productive. You can either use a kitchen timer or download an app to your phone. I like having something that counts down and will beep at me when the time is up.

Here's an example of my day today (Timer+ app available in the iTunes store):