OK... so here is another creative exercise from the book, "Caffeine For The Creative Mind" by Stefan Mamaw and Wendy Lee Oldfield. The book is a collection of 250 exercises to help "wake up your brain". Remember... the only way that this is going to work is for YOU TO PARTICIPATE. So... each time I post an exercise... YOU have to play along... OK? If you are just joining us... you have some catchin' up to do. Some of the exercises will seem a little silly at first... but they are designed to get you to think outside of the box.
Here is the exercise for today. Grab your digital camera or camera phone and walk around your house, office, restaurant, or anywhere you'd like and take photos of 12 different circles. Here's the catch... you have to take the photos in such a way that the circle takes up the same amount of space and is framed the same way from picture to picture. Or... you can crop them that way after you take them if you'd like. I did that with mine because I wanted the actual photo to be square.
Here are mine: (OK... so I obviously didn't find that last one in my office. I just had to get Krispy Kremes in there somewhere.) Also... a few of them were taken at Wall House Coffee instead of my office.
A couple of months ago... my lovely wife delivered a pretty powerful version of Joy Williams' song, "Do They See Jesus In Me" during one of our services. If I might say so (And I can... since this is my BLOG) she absolutely knocked it out of the park. It was powerful! So... here you go. Check it out:
We used Steven Curtis Chapman's song, "Cinderella" for a creative element this past Sunday morning. It was a powerful moment in the service. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. We have heard story after story about how the song actually altered people's priorities this past week. If you missed it... here is the video.
Here is another creative exercise from the book, "Caffeine For The Creative Mind" by Stefan Mamaw and Wendy Lee Oldfield. The book is a collection of 250 exercises to help "wake up your brain". Remember... the only way that this is going to work is for YOU TO PARTICIPATE. So... each time I post an exercise... YOU have to play along... OK? Some of the exercises in this book will seem a little silly at first... but they are designed to get you to think outside of the box.
OK... so this is how this one works. We are going to create a pictogram (You know... like the black and white logos that they use for each event at the Olympics) to describe each of these 6 words: Pressure, Lucky, Dangerous, Suspense, Joyful and Delirious. You can only use 4 straight lines and one circle for each one. You can arrange the lines and circles in whatever fashion you desire... but you can only use four lines and one circle. The lines must be of equal length in each pictogram... and not divided in any way. The circle must be kept whole.
So here is my attempt at the 6 pictogram.
Go ahead... give it a try. It's harder than it looks. (BTW: "Lucky" was a stretch... it's supposed to be a horseshoe.)
This is the last week of our "One Month To Live" series. It has been an incredible series. I really hate to see it come to an end... not only for our Sunday morning services... but for our small group as well. We will all live differently because of the powerful messages that we have heard this past 6 weeks. Here is the set-list for this weekend.
"Not Every Man Lives" - Jason Aldean
"Sing To the King" - The Passion Band
"Let Me Sing" - Eddie Kirkland
"Cinderella" - Stephen Curtis Chapman
We will be joined by a guest vocalist, Jamie Broaddus this Sunday. It is going to be a powerful morning. See you there!
We had a couple of motorcycles jump the stage during one of Dwight's messages recently... to "drive" home a point that he was making. We actually have video footage now... so I thought that I would post it on my BLOG for everyone to see.
Why did we have dirt bikes jumping the stage at NewPointe... you may ask? Well... if you were to ask anyone "What was Dwight's message about that day?"... I guarantee that they would remember. Our people will never forget the time that motorcycles jumped the stage at NewPointe to illustrate God's power vs. our own human strength (our little pedal bicycles)... because the visual illustration was sticky.
My creative wife has been asking me to find her a small tree for a home project for a little over a year now. I know what you're thinking... "What kind of a loser husband makes his wife wait a whole year for a tree?" (OK... so maybe you're not asking that question). Well... April found the tree that she wanted on the side of the road the other day and I went out to haul it back to the house. After de-leafing, trimming, painting and mounting the tree to the wall... the project is almost complete now.
Here are a few pics of the process up to this point:
The next step is to create black & white family photos (close-ups) in black frames to hang from the limbs... and voila!... we have a 3 dimensional family tree. Pretty cool idea... huh? I will post a photo of the finished product when it is completed.
A few weeks ago... Dwight shared a message about investing in people and then inviting them to church... and then ultimately to a relationship with Jesus Christ. He stressed how important relationships are to a true follower of Christ. It is our responsibility to build into the lives of others and encourage them in their spiritual journey. Well... one of the creative elements that we used that day... was a piece that I helped to produce. At the time, we didn't have any of our video editors available... so we had to come up with a different way to tell the story. How would we tell the story without video??? (flannelgraph was not an option)
Well... do you remember those old stacked Ektagraphic carousel slide projectors that were so popular for multi-media presentations back before PowerPoint came along? Well... that was the effect that I was going for. The idea was to layer a series of still photographs being projected in a way that it appeared that the subjects were moving (like video). Well... I asked Denny Trimmer (from Solid Rock Photography) to come along and help shoot the stories. It was very "experimental".... but it actually turned out to be a nice piece. The important thing was... that we were able to tell real life stories(which are always better than any other creative element that we could possibly come up with) with excellence (Doing the best we could with what we had). And because we use video so often at NewPointe... it was also a very unique and fresh way to tell the stories.
I was the first person in the piece to tell my Invest & Invite story. My story is about a Youth Pastor who invested in me when I was a high school student in Nashville, TN. His name is Randy Dodd. He is now the Senior Pastor at a Chicago Heights Church of the Nazarene. Randy is basically responsible for pushing me out of my comfort zone... and into using my music for God. He also taught me about pursuing life and God with passion. Well... you can watch the video to hear the rest of the story. Check it out:
I am reading an interesting little book on creativity called "Caffeine For The Creative Mind" by Stefan Mamaw and Wendy Lee Oldfield. My friend, Grant told me about the book and I just had to pick one up and dig into it. The idea of the book is to provide 250 exercises to help "wake up your brain". Now... who doesn't need that?? So... for you creative thinkers out there... I have decided to start a book study on my BLOG. That's right... I will post these exercises as a regular feature of my BLOG... until I run out of them. Now the only way that this is going to work is for YOU TO PARTICIPATE. So... each time I post an exercise... YOU have to play along... OK? Some of the exercises in this book will seem a little silly at first... but they are designed to get you to think outside of the box.
So here's the first one.
SWISS ARMY KNIFE: Most of us are familiar with the Swiss Army Knife... right. It is that amazing LITTLE instrument that contains about 250 handy tools in one sheath (So maybe that's an exaggeration). As creative people... we all have instruments that we use in our everyday lives to help us create... right?
For a painter... it might be their brush. For a musician... it could be their instrument. For a writer... it would be their pencil. For a plumber... it might be their pipe wrench(Yes... every person on the planet is creative... even a plumber).
So here is your mission (should you choose to accept it): Invent your very own personalized Swiss Army Knife. What tools would yours contain?
I just sat down and sketched mine out really quick. My Swiss Army Knife contains the following:
Guitar tuner/dB meter/12GB Flash drive Voice recorder mp3 player LED Flashlight/Laser pointer (just to mess with the cat) Knife String cutters/scissors Phillips, standard and "glasses" screw drivers (I can never find that stupid thing when I need it) ProTools dongle (This is a "key" that is required to open ProTools recording software) Guitar pick holder and an 8 MP digital camera with 10X zoom (Hey... I can dream... right)
Check it out:
OK... it's your turn. You can either draw it... or just list the tools that would be included in your Swiss Army Knife. If you are really brave... leave a comment with your list. Get creative... have fun!
There are only 2 more weeks left in our "One Month To Live" series... and so far it has been an unbelievable experience for the folks at NewPointe. I know for a fact that it has changed the way that I am living my life. I have a new perspective on family, work and relationships. I can't wait until this weekend! Here is the set-list for this Sunday:
"Burn out Bright" - Switchfoot
"O Praise Him" - David Crowder* Band
"You Are Good" - Lincoln Brewster "You Never Let Go" - Matt Redman
"When The Sand Runs Out" - Rascal Flatts
It's gonna be yet another big music day at NewPointe. Don't miss it! Get there early! See you there!
We opened the services yesterday with a Darius Rucker(Hootie and the Blowfish) tune called "Learn To Live". Jay Strauss was our guest vocalist on the song and he did a great job. It was my big debut on the banjo... even though that is the first instrument that I ever learned how to play (when I was a little boy). My dad played the banjo and sang on a radio show in West Tennessee when he was a little boy. As I was growing up... we would visit my grandparents... and I would mess around with his old banjo. The first song that I ever learned how to play was Steve Martin's "King Tut". Is that funny... or what? Hey... Steve Martin wasn't just a "funny funny guy"... the dude could play a banjo!
OK... back to yesterday's services...
Soon after Dwight started his message... we had a little surprise for the crowd. Dwight was talking about God's power and he wanted to demonstrate what real power looks like... so we invited a couple of friends to help us out:
Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!!! WOW... when these guys jumped the stage... we had EVERYONE'S attention!
The band was rockin' out to Steppenwolf's "Born To Be Wild" as these guys rode wheelies and stoppies across the front of the auditorium... and circled the audience.
After that... Dwight talked about his own bike (You know... the kind with pedals and narrow tires) and how we just need to ditch our own power (our little bike with pedals) and take advantage of God's power (a motorcycle) instead. Trust me... it was a very STICKY moment at NewPointe.
Maybe it's a little selfish... but my favorite moment of the morning came when my son, Brandon sang the closer. You see... Brandon has "anxiety disorder"... and at times... it can really control his life. Well... yesterday... Brandon walked out on that stage and gave "fear and anxiety" a big ol' black eye! He sang the Brandon Heath song, "I'm Not Who I Was" and did a fantastic job with it. In a little different context than the lyrics of the song... that is my son's story. Brandon Bunnelle is definitely not who he used to be. God is giving him the courage to face his challenge head-on every day... and I am so proud of the man, the student, the artist, the musician, the friend and the worshiper that he is becoming. Brandon definitely traded in his bike yesterday!
Here's the video:
It was a great day at NewPointe! God is up to something amazing here. I can't wait to see what He has planned for us next!
My mom and dad are visiting from Nashville this weekend. We spent most of today at the Algonquin Mill Festival in Carrollton, Ohio. It was an absolutely perfect day to be outdoors. It was around 75 degrees out... with blue skies... colorful trees... and a slight breeze. What a day!
From the hammered dulcimer music... to the smell of apple cider in the air... just being there somehow transported you to a simpler time. We watched as a young boy and his grandad made sorghum molasses on a real sugar cane press.
We also talked with a couple of ladies as they made towels the old fashioned way. One was actually making string on a spinning wheel... and the other was weaving the towel out of the string on a loom. It was amazing to see how things were done before technology.
My dad grew up on a farm in West Tennessee... so he really enjoyed seeing some of the tools that his dad taught him to work with as a young boy. I think that the tractor exhibit was his favorite. There were a couple of tractors that were the exact models his family owned... and that he learned to drive as a kid.
Here is a photo of my dad with an old Farm-All Super C... just like the one that he worked in the cotton fields with as a kid.
Here is a little guy who was being pushed through the festival in a wagon... with a huge pickle under his arm. I just thought that it was funny.
We ate entirely too much food throughout the day! We had fudge... cookies... chili... cornbread... apple cider... popcorn... well you get the idea. It was all good... but my absolute favorite was the homemade ice cream.
UNBELIEVABLE! It was from a place called Schloneger's in Kidron, Ohio (Across from the big hardware store). Next to my mom and dad's old recipe... it was the best I've ever had.
Well... it was a perfect day. You just can't beat a beautiful fall day spent with your family. Here are a couple of other pics from the day.
It's week four of the "One Month To Live" series at NewPointe... and lives are being transformed by this incredible perspective on life. Here is the set-list for this weekends services:
"Learn To Live" - Darius Rucker(Hootie & The Blowfishlead singer)
"Your Grace is Enough" - Chris Tomlin
"Let Me Sing" - Eddie Kirkland "Amazed" - The Desperation Band
"Born To Be Wild" - Steppenwolf(Yeah... you read it correctly. You'll just have to be there to see what that's all about.)
"I'm Not Who I Was" - Brandon Heath
So as you can see... it's gonna be a big music day. Whatever you do... don't miss it!
I know that I have already blogged about our staff retreat... but this one is just for fun. I now have video proof that I did the zip line at Skyview Ranch. Now... we had already been through 6 or 7 team building exercises before we had the opportunity to try the zip line. So... by the time I got there... I was ready to TRUST anybody... or anything... even the harness that I was wearing. The instructor told me that there were no restrictions to what I was allowed to do once I left the platform. So... I decided to lay back, go limp and experience real TRUST on the zip line. Man... was that ever fun! The ride just wasn't long enough!
Mark Twain once said “A lie can get halfway around the world before the truth can even get its boots on.”
Why is that? Why is it that good ideas have such a hard time getting off of the ground... but an urban legend (sent in the form of an e-mail) can convince millions of readers that it is truth? It's probably because the lie is a lot more engaging and interesting than we tend to make the truth... right? At NewPointe... when we are deciding on a creative element to use in our services... we make sure that it has the "sticky factor". We want to make sure that our ideas are understood and remembered, and have a lasting impact — that they have the potential to change people's opinions or behavior. For us... that simply means that we don't just program a "cool" element... or even an "on topic" element... but that it is something that people will remember long after the Sunday experience. It's sticky. What we have to share is THE TRUTH and we want THE TRUTH to stick... right? So in our Weekend Design Team meetings... we take a look at the ONE (not four or five) "bottom line take away" from the morning and ask ourselves, "How can we say THAT in a way that people will actually remember it?" Then we use technology, pop culture, shock & surprise, the arts, illustrations, props, humor, secular music, crowd games, give-ways... whatever it takes to help people remember the experience long after they leave NewPointe.
BTW: For the first 2 weeks of the "One Month To Live" series that we are in right now... we used technology (The "death calculator" with precious seconds ticking off in real-time... and then the text messaging gig for week 2) ... last week we used give-aways (movie passes)... this weekend... the sticky factor is going to be SHOCK & SURPRISE. That's all I'm saying... you will just have to be there (or watch it LIVE on-line) to believe it! And you will never forget it... trust me.
We are in the third week of our "One Month To Live" series at NewPointe. It has been an amazing series so far... and tomorrow's services will be no exception. Here is the set-list for tomorrow morning:
"Rise" - The Robbie Seay Band
"No One Like You" - David Crowder* Band
"Let Me Sing" - Eddie Kirkland "Your Love Is Deep" - Jamie Smith
Each year Outreach Magazine publishes a list of the fastest growing churches in America. This year, NewPointe Community Church made the top 100, checking in at #89 of the top 100 fastest-growing.
It is exciting to get to be a part of a church that is reaching people, changing lives, impacting our community and making the name of Jesus Christ known throughout the world. It is also a real privilege to serve along side of some of the greatest staff and volunteers anywhere.
There is still a lot of work to do at NewPointe though. We're not there yet! (That will make a lot more sense in our next series. You'll see.)
Back in July... I was at a community festival... and as I looked around at all of the faces (many that I didn't recognize) in the crowd... all I could think of was how much work we still have to do. There are so many people who are unchurched, disenfranchised or just plain "lost"... right in our community.
You know... it would be easy to say "We're a pretty good size church. Things are going great. Let's just take it easy and enjoy the crowd that we have right now. Let's just enjoy our successes and "cruise on in" from here." Well... God's word says to "Go into all the world and preach the good news to ALL CREATION." (Mark 16:15) ... and the last time I checked... there are millions of God's creations all around us who are not in a church anywhere.
I am the Music Director at NewPointe Community Church and I absolutely love what I do. I am a God chaser... I love life... and I'm crazy about my beautiful wife, April and my three amazing kids: Brandon (20), Abby (18) and Alyson (11). I am so proud of all of them.
I am a big fan of Major League Baseball (especially the Atlanta Braves)and Tennessee Titans football.
I love to golf, play softball, basketball, volleyball, tennis and I enjoy anything to do with water, extreme roller coasters and board games. I love good food (maybe too much) and some of my favorite restaurants are: Famous Dave's Legendary Pit Bar-B-Que, The Melting Pot, Brio Tuscan Grille, Wall House Coffee and El San Jose. I am a musician/songwriter who was actually BORN in Nashville, Tennessee (which is something that is extremely rare... as most musicians move TO Nashville). My favorite TV shows are "24", The Office and American Idol (I almost always agree with Simon) I have a passion for seeing people grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ... especially in the area of worship and intimacy. I am so blessed to get to be a part of one of the most exciting churches around. God has been way too good to me.
