One day in Bowling Green

Who knew that going to one church conference could not only change your life forever, but bring you into a group of friends that you may have only met face to face once or twice in your life, but yet you consider them some of your best friends.

When I started volunteering at church running Power Point I never knew the impact it would have on my life alone just in the friends I would meet. Most of them I talk through web forums or through instant messaging. I see their websites and get reminded on what they look like and it reminds me of how much they love life and the Lord.

After I started volunteering, I was asked to attend a conference in Bowling Green on using media in church. I grew up a Southern Baptist and had only attended churches that had organs and pianos. No Power Point, no videos and for sure no bands. I still had doubts on that last one. When talk of bringing a drum set in at church, I just didn’t know how it would fit in.

Before the conference started, the church had a worship service. When the first beat of the drum hit, I knew right then and there it fit in. It made the service that much better. I had taken Experiencing God by Henry T. Blackaby and he talks about Spiritual Road markers in your life where God speaks to you and you know it. It marks a point in your life where God has told you something and invites you to walk with him which leads you to a decision you have to make. That night was a road marker for me. At that point, I had to make a decision to jump head first into the technical ministry and go forward.

The class also mentions that these decision can and will bring you to a crisis which you have to make decisions about. Working in media really pulled me away from God at times as I was getting to the point where I was just “doing church” and nothing else. I didn’t worship and I wasn’t involved in a small group. I just wasn’t connecting to God.

Thanks to people I have met, again maybe only once face to face, through media ministry I was able to make it through and after about a year of “healing” I have started back in ministry. Not as a lead, but as a follower.

dj

Getting back into the grove

I don't spend enough time documenting the things in my life. Which is kind of funny as I really told someone last summer that they needed to do that since God was really at work in their life opening and closing doors.

Well, we finally moved not only our address but our membership. In the last month or so since we did, Misty is now working parttime at the church in the pre-school and nursery and I had my first full weekend in the technical services area. I was supposed to "watch" and learn the job I would be doing on my future team, but I guess other plans were in store for me. I got an email from Dave on Friday morning asking if I could work a camera for him for the weekend. Now, I have never worked a live camera ever, much less for a church service which will go to broadcast the next week.

I showed up for the Saturday evening service a little early so Dave could go over the camera with me and what he expects. There was another person who had never worked either so he went over with us both at our cameras and then went up stairs to talk to us over the intercom system switching us back and forth.

The four services went good and I learned a lot. I guess I still need to train on my regular spot, which may or may not be my regular spot. I will talk to Dave later this week and go over a couple of things and see what happens. Anyway, God is great and it's great to be climbing back in the saddle again.
dj