gdp's Comments

Collide Magazine Blog : How Does Your Church Do Announcements?

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 18:58:23 +0000

I forgot to mention that we have announcement slides rotating on our screens before the service begins as well.

Collide Magazine Blog : How Does Your Church Do Announcements?

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 16:27:10 +0000

For announcements on Sunday mornings at Soma someone on leadership does them at the end of the service from the stage. We have corresponding slides for each announcement and occasionally show a video for bigger events. We also pass out small 3x5 sized b/w announcement slips to everyone with the same announcements on the front and our small group times and locations on the back. Throughout the week we post blog posts on our website and tweet information regarding events or general announcements and new podcasts. Internally we use The City to create events and major announcements for all our people (since not everyone is on Twitter).

Collide Magazine Blog : Part Of The Problem With Modern Worship Music

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 16:01:53 +0000

I agree that writing music takes more skill than just strumming a guitar. I also agree there needs to be more training in this area and that most modern churches in America are skimping on the arts. However, I don't believe you have to have musical training to write songs or lyrics. I think it takes practice, time, and input from others as well as an active relationship with Christ. Maybe worship leaders can write lyrics or poetry and have their guitarist or piano player put it to music. I simply would love to see/hear more worship leaders writing worship songs.

Collide Magazine Blog : Part Of The Problem With Modern Worship Music

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 18:18:09 +0000

One of the problems with most worship leaders today is that few of them are actually writing worship songs. Instead they are consuming songs that are radio friendly, written by the top 20 CCM artists, few of which are worship leaders. This is one reason our corporate worship songs are so shallow and empty. I think worship leaders, including myself, should take this as a challenge to write songs. Better songs. Songs that come from worshiping hearts. Songs that come from hearts engaging with God's Word. Songs that come from hearts serving God's people. Songs that rejoice and songs that lament. These songs then should simply overflow from our already worshiping hearts. If they are not, then I'd ask you to dig deeper into why. I've challenged myself to write a new song for every sermon series we do at my church, in addition to the other songs I'm writing or hymns I'm rewriting. It's been a hard process, but a rewarding one. I challenge other worship leaders to try this as well. Other good resources include: Sojourn Music, Jon Foreman's EPs, Matt Boswell, Aaron Ivey, and Hillsong. Also, Michael Bleeker from The Village is recording a new worship album that should be stellar.

Collide Magazine : Never Trust An Artist

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:49:36 +0000

If there's anything we can learn from all of this, it's that there are clearly artists in the Church who have been hurt greatly by it. If you are one of those artists, I encourage you, as a brother in Christ, to seek reconciliation with your pastor or church leadership, even if they are the one in the wrong. If you are a pastor, I highly encourage you to seek reconciliation with your artists as well, even if they are in the wrong. It's clear just by reading these comments that there is some anger and bitterness in some of you and these things must be addressed. I'm sorry that you have been hurt, but I plead with you, for the sake of the Church and your sanctification, please seek reconciliation and forgiveness with one another.

Collide Magazine Blog : Videos of the Week - 11/19/09

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:04:29 +0000

Matt, Thank you for letting me know about the "story" video. I honestly did not see what was actually going on, but now I realize my mistake. I've removed the video from the post and will try my best to not let this happen again. Thanks.

Collide Magazine Blog : Four Bucks?!?

Tue, 6 Oct 2009 19:04:23 +0000

Sorry Brian, the $4 deal is only for new subscriptions. However, you can renew your digital subscription if you like for the same $4 price.

Collide Magazine Blog : Four Bucks?!?

Tue, 6 Oct 2009 16:54:46 +0000

Nic, if you're having problems with your digital subscription, please feel free to contact us at info[at]collidemagazine.com so we can help you. You can always download the newest digital issue when you sign in to your collide account here --> https://secure.collidemagazine.com/subscription/c...

Collide Magazine : Presentation Software

Wed, 2 Sep 2009 22:46:11 +0000

Thank you for pointing that out. I can assure you we proofread everything that we write and post. I can also assure you that we make mistakes.

Collide Magazine Blog : Episode 15 - The COLLIDE Show

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 20:41:16 +0000

Thanks John - we got a Snuggie in the in office and thought we'd try it out.

Collide Magazine Blog : Videos of the Week - 7/23/09

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:04:15 +0000

I realize there's a lot of stop-motion out there right now and am also getting tired of it, but you've got to admit that the new Coldplay video is ridiculous. It takes way more patience to animate a stop-motion video frame-by-frame with chalk than it does to throw it together in After Effects. I was the "hand model" for the Igniter Media video "You Do the Math" (http://bit.ly/jjGC5) and that took forever to make. But with that said, I'll try to post less stop-motion in the future.

Collide Magazine Blog : We Respectfully Disagree With John Piper ...

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:07:18 +0000

I believe that would be called a catch 22.

Collide Magazine Blog : We Respectfully Disagree With John Piper ...

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:29:19 +0000

I, like Scott, greatly respect Piper and acknowledge he knows way more than I do about the Bible. I also greatly enjoy many of his teachings. But I also disagree with him on this subject. I'd like to make a few points in addition to Scott: -Can preaching only happen in the pulpit?- I do believe in the power of preaching and that people need to hear the Gospel clearly laid out. But does it have to always be spoken from a preacher on a pulpit? I’ve seen videos and sermon illustrations that lay out the Gospel beautifully and in visually powerful ways. Also, contrary to Piper’s statement, preaching doesn't save, the Holy Spirit does. While I know Piper believe this, he needs to be careful on how much emphasis he places on preaching’s power as the sole medium of sharing the Gospel of Christ. -Aren't sermon illustrations today just modern parables?- Jesus almost always told stories/parables when teaching to his followers - the prodigal son, the sower and the seeds, the talents, etc. He even would use the things around him as illustrations, engaging the eyes and not only the ears - "Consider the lilies of the field" (Matt 6:28). So what is wrong with visually telling stories that help support a sermon? Seeing a video of someone's life who's been transformed by the Gospel is powerful. A great example of this is I Am Second. As long as it's pointing back to Jesus, I don't see how this is wrong. I do, however, AGREE with Piper on the fact that media/drama should not be used as a crutch for week teachers/preachers. It should never be used as a cop out for bad teaching, lack of gifting, or poor planning. Those that rely on media to preach their sermon for them need to reevaluate their occupation. I also believe that just because you can use media doesn't mean you should or have to. I also agree with Piper when he says, “Let's have the arts in our churches, but don't try to squash it all into Sunday morning.” I think the church should have even more art in it, but that doesn’t mean we have to try to put in all in a Sunday service. Hold special events throughout the week to showcase the arts and invite the community. Sometimes a painting can communicate the beauty of the Gospel better than a 30 min sermon, though I doubt Piper agree with me on that point. Finally, if a preacher’s goal is to entertain his audience, then something isn't right. But if their goal is to engage the audience with the life-changing power of the Gospel, then by all means do what it takes to get that message across. We are a media driven generation. Our living rooms are no longer centered around the fireplace, but the TV. The screen is a powerful medium that can be used in wonderful ways to tell the story of the Gospel and to aid in a sermon. It can also be abused by those who rely on it to preach the sermon for them. We must continue to preach the Gospel, for how else are people going to hear it? But I don’t believe preaching simple means just words from the pulpit. And I'm done...

Collide Magazine : Why Fixing Your Website Won\'t Fix Your Ministry

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:06:50 +0000

Ken, I'm glad to hear how redesigning your church website helped your church reassess who you are. I have no doubt this was an incredibly helpful process for your church. To me, it sounds like your ministries are successful and that you just needed to update the website to reflect the changes in the ministries. I fully agree with this, as your church website should reflect who your church is. The heart behind the article is that churches wouldn't rely on a new website to fix their ministry. The mindset of "If we only had a better website, then our church would grow/be more successful/etc" is not a healthy one. That is what I'm trying to warn against. If your ministry is hurting, work on fixing it first. You can fix your website later. Thanks for your comments!

Collide Magazine : Our Entertainment Worship Culture

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:52:00 +0000

Right you are. I wanted to explore this idea more but honestly ran out of space. Entertainment worship culture is just as prevalent in the traditional church as it is in the contemporary church. For instance, take choir performances or soloist singing an old hymn to a tape track. And hand bell choirs? Don't get me started. While all of these things may have been started from holy motives to bring glory to God, they can become idols themselves and the soul focus of some worship services. No matter the musical style, the problem of replacing edifying worship with entertainment still persists and is one we must continue to be aware of.